Life as an Avenger wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It seemed like constant battles, interspersed with peaceful periods to laugh and play in. Everyone seemed to forget the moments in-between those two, where it was right after the battle, where everyone was too wound up to sit down peacefully, too sore to do anything major.
Tony Stark wandered through the teeming, bustling marketplace, feeling for once, like he was completely ignored. In this busy life, nobody knew him, nobody cared about him, nobody even recognized him.
Shouts and yells from hagglers caught his ears, as he strolled down the busy walkways, looking for a familiar flash of fluffy hair.
Bruce had slipped out earlier, after his post-Hulk haze had worn off, obviously glad to be back in a place he recognized. Tony Stark had volunteered to go after him (to keep the hundreds of Shield Agents off the poor mans back by threatening them) and now found himself in a forgotten, forsaken piece of the world.
No wonder Bruce liked it so much, preferring to stay in the shadows to watch the light with half-longing eyes.
Tony perked up like a dog on hearing an electric can opener, eyes spoting a wild head of curls. "Bruce!"
The man started slightly from where he was crouched next to a few children, talking in their own native, liquid tongue. "Tony?" He held a sprig of honeysuckle in his hands, and Tony nearly stopped dead at the sight of it. Honeysuckle, the sign of devoted affection and bonds of love.
Who had dared given it to Bruce?
Did Bruce even know what it meant-
"Here, for you Tony."
The Honeysuckle was placed gently in his hands. Bruce smiled a little self-consciously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sweet. You going to get me a whole bouquet, or am I just going have to keep this little thing?"
Bruce laughed quietly, making the little cold, hard stone that people swore was Tony's heart melt into a plasmatic goo. "Very well then Tony, let's go, shall we? I know of several, lovely people that sell the flowers I'm thinking of."
So Bruce did know!
Tony grinned, "Am I going to get roses?"
"We'll see."
Bruce briskly moved in the opposite direction from where Tony had come from, motioning to up ahead. Women dressed in long robes and balancing giant pots on their heads rushed by, ignoring the two men that walked along the road.
They stopped at a young girl selling cut flowers, and Bruce smiled as he addressed her for a moment, handing over a few coins. The girl smiled, and handed over a white flower, with a golden middle. Plumeria, the flower of perfection and springtime.
"You doing this one flower at a time Bruce?"
Bruce nodded, "It makes sure you won't run off on me."
Tony wasn't about to miss this for a new element. Or coil springs. Or a new math formula. Seriously, how often was it, that he got wooed (not that Bruce knew) by his biggest crush? Never. He was the one who did the wooing, so he was just going to kick back and enjoy this thank you very much.
They wandered through the marketplace, Bruce picking out people seemingly at random (or not judging by the wide smiles from the people) and handed him a flower. From the lady at the corner, he got a hibiscus rare and delicate beauty; from the little girl missing an arm, he got a red daisy beauty unknown to possessor; the older man with a slight cough sold them a camellia japonica unpretending excellence.
Bruce paused to haggle with an old crone- or at least Tony thought it was haggling, but as Bruce handed the Aster flower over talisman of love and trusting the old woman winked at him. Tony grinned, winking right back as he strolled off after Bruce. The woman's cackles echoed in his ears.
Then, Bruce paused in front of a rose stand, head tilting. He looked at the vendor, murmuring a few words. Two dark pinks, a light pink, orange, and burgundy were handed over. gratitude, desire, passion, unconscious beauty
Tony wasn't about to say anything- why break a good streak when it was going, when a yellow tulip was handed over as well. Hopeless love.
Tony grinned, cold and hard as he snatched out the tulip, and leaned over to the vendor. He wasn't going to deal with Bruce's self-effacing crap, not when they had a perfectly romantic feeling going on. "I think my friend here picked the wrong color. It ought to be a red tulip." Declaration of love
Bruce's mouth made a little circle, a weak, almost not there sound emitting from it, suddenly flushing and attempting to back up.
Tony snagged him by the wrist, as he slipped his exchanged tulip in the wild bouquet they were making. He grinned happily, heart thrumming with emotions, as Bruce tugged on his wrist again, wiry strength nearly breaking him free.
Tony ignored it to smile at the man, and point at a gorgeous lavender rose. "I'd like that one please."
The man handed it over, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Tony grinned as he began to walk away, tugging Bruce after him like a little boat on high seas. Bruce dragged along behind him, desperately not meeting his eyes. Tony frowned, scanning the booths, until he spotted it- white with yellow, bright and blooming- a Jonquil.
He bought it seriously, well aware that Bruce had settled down behind him, and was watching him with wary eyes, not used to the idea of someone loving him back. Bruce was broken in that way, pouring out love, and not receiving any in return.
Tony knew that feeling- he'd been feeling it for a good long time as well.
He carefully handed the Jonquil and the lavender rose over.
Bruce cautiously took them, "Return my affections, and love at first sight, right?"
"Yep. How about it, willing to buy a huge thing of Phlox with me?"
Bruce looked up cautiously, hope peeking out from long lashes. "A bouquet?"
"No, I'm talking about an entire garden full. I will create one, just for us."
"Phlox, a flower declaring that we think alike."
Clint stared at the flower garden, at the little purple flowers that looked more like weeds then anything that Tony would like, and back at the two men currently planting them. Well, one was, the other was complaining and grumbling about the robot that could be doing the planting.
If Clint were a normal human, and didn't have his amazingly good eyesight, he would've missed the way Bruce's hand drifted across Tony's, missed the way Tony paused for a split second to look at him.
Nobody could've missed the way Tony leaned in for a kiss.
-end-