For a comment_fic  prompt. I kind of like this AU and I wouldn't mind writing more of it. I like the idea of Bruce as some kind of coffee genius. Because it's vaguely science-y and involves machines. This is one of the few MCU pairings other than Steve/Bucky that I can get behind. Now that Tony and Pepper are broken up, it's a little easier to imagine.

“Who left coffee grounds in the sink again?” Tony Stark stared at the offending substance with a face that said he despaired of the future of humanity. “Come on, people, this isn’t a pig sty. This is gonna be the best goddamn coffeeshop in New York and we better act like it.” He dramatically pulled on plastic gloves in preparation for cleaning.

“Er, that was probably me,” Bruce said, scratching the back of his neck. “Got so wrapped up in trying to perfect my super secret latte recipe, forgot to clean up. Sorry.” He put a hand between Tony’s shoulder blades. “Don’t worry about this. I got it.”

“Oh, it was you.” Tony gave him a quick, affectionate kiss on the mouth. “In that case. Anything for the master barista. I’m serious. You need anything, just let me know. Organic, bird-safe, fair trade, raised by fairies, you got it. Need some puppy dog tails, lizard tongues? Throw that in too.”

Bruce grinned lopsidedly and shoved Tony out of the way with his hip. “Outta here, Stark.” Eyebrow raised, he added, “And I’ll keep that in mind. I got some ideas up my sleeve that call for some pretty exotic ingredients.”

“Fantastic. The more pretentious, the better.” He paused. “So. About that super secret latte. Will it be ready by the time we open?” He looked at his watch. “In about, say, two days?”

Sponge in hand, Bruce froze. “I thought you said next week?”

Tony whistled and looked the other way. “Needed some cash flow for another project. Had to bump up the time table. Hope you don’t mind.”

“To-ny. I’m not ready! We’re not ready! I still have to a train a couple of baristas, we don’t have any cleaning staff…” Bruce ran a hand through his hair. “And the secret latte—no, damn it, it’s NOT ready. Tony, why do you always do this? You run roughshod over everyone’s plans, you think you can go it alone…” Bruce stopped, meeting Tony’s gaze with a frustrated look.

Tony came over to him and took his wrists. “Bruce. You can do it. I have every faith in you. You’re the best and that’s why you’re here.” He put a hand on Bruce’s cheek and adopted his best puppy dog eyes. “And not just ‘cause you’re sleeping with the boss.”

“Aw, fuck you, Tony, really.”

“Seriously, though. Two days is plenty of time. We’ll pull an all-nighter, perfect the super secret latte and everything else on the menu. I’ll bring the confidence, you bring the expertise. There’s a reason I fell in love with you and half of it’s your mind.” He ran his eyes down Bruce. “Well, a quarter. Maybe even an eighth.”

Bruce looked down at the floor and sighed long and hard before raising his head with a resigned expression. “God damn it, Tony. You’re impossible.” He took Tony in his arms and kissed him on the cheek. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.” They embraced tightly. “To be honest,” Bruce said, “the super secret latte isn’t that far from perfection. I just panicked.”

Tony pulled back to grasp Bruce by the shoulders. “I knew it. That’s why we’re good together. You need someone to push you.” He wiped his hands together. “So. Let’s get to work. What you got?”

“Well, I was trying to figure out a way to incorporate mint…and I really wanted something with a green color…”