Before tonight, Bruce could count on one hand the number of times he's actually physically touched Pepper Potts. Most of those being polite hand shakes when he first started showing up at Stark Tower to play with Tony's R&D toys.

Suddenly having found himself with armfuls, it hits Bruce just exactly how long it has been since he's held anyone.

"I'm sorry, Pepper, I'm so sorry." He softly repeats into her hair. Distancing himself from her has no longer become an option.

"I won't, I promise." Bruce would say anything to make it right between them. He's afraid that if she stops to think, she's going to run off now and tell Tony, tell everyone exactly why he needs to be kept locked up or put down. If only that were possible. "I couldn't let them hurt you."

But that wasn't fair either. "...it was the only think I could think of."