Tony struggles to deal with his synaesthesia most of his adult life. Can he ever find somebody who understands what he’s dealing with?

In which Bruce is a badass, the team is surprised, and Tony approves.

"Were you worried?" Tony says. "That's sweet. That is always so adorable when the big guy worries about me."

It isn't that Tony doesn't like Bruce. He just happens to also have a few fantasies about the other guy.

“That you’re in love with each other. God, it’s like—it’s kind of ridiculous.” When he says this, Bruce snaps his gaze back up, frowning. “You two are so stubborn and blind, but the whole world knows that science boyfriends—I mean, honestly—isn’t just a pet term for you two. Even Jarvis knows, okay. You two are so stupid.”

Bruce and Tony are working in the lab when Bruce happens to glance at Tony's screen...

"Why is Bruce Banner still in New York?" Fury asks, in a tone that suggests he is barely managing to exercise patience.

Excitement is the last thing to cross Bruce’s mind when the teacher announces there will be a partner project and the teacher is picking the partners, thank you very much because everyone would pick their friends and no one would expand their minds at all. Bruce doesn’t know a single person in this class and he is extremely self conscious about being the only sophomore in the class. And then the teacher says “Bruce Banner and Tony Stark” and Bruce’s heart constricts. Tony lazily turns his head and figures out who he is based on the fact that he’s the only person in the room he doesn’t know. Tony saunters across the room and slides into the seat in front of him. “Are you some kind of nerd?” Tony asks him. “You’re not a junior because I know all of them so you must be a sophomore or something."

"Oh god," Pepper says. "Are you kidding me?"