Sorry for the incredibly long hiatus. Life. Anyways, there has been an increase in activity for this fic and I already had a few chapters started. I've decided to finish them! This one is a bit short but I need to get back into the swing of things. Constructive criticism would be lovely. Thanks for reading!
The wheel on his chair still squeaked, Bruce thought in exasperation. It only did it when someone rolled back and forth in it, though. One of the florescent lights flickered too. Not to mention there were fingerprints on the console. Strange. Strange that he cared, that is. Why was the ever unflappable Batman nitpicking over the minor flaws in his Cave? He was trying to ignore the way Tony's jeans clung to his backside as he leaned into the engine compartment of the Batmobile. Well, they were really his jeans. Old jeans that were too small for him happened to be just right for the engineer. Just right.
"Hey, Bruce?" Tony's voice drifted from inside the machine. "Could you bring me that quarter inch wrench?"
"Sure." Bruce said, sliding out of the chair to grab the discarded tool on the logistics table.
"Any day no- Hey!" Tony was presented with the tool beside his head at the same time he felt the younger male press against his body.
"Yes, dear?" Bruce purred into his ear, grinding his hips against Tony's backside.
"I've graduated to pet names? The older male smirked, pressing back against the friction. "Does that mean I've earned some kind of reward for good behavior?"
"Ha…if anything I think you could use a good punishing." Bruce said with a dark smile. He slid his arm around Tony's middle and spun him around so they were facing.
"I like where this is going." Tony said quietly, leaning up to brush their lips together. His emotions surged as a calloused hand came to rest against his jaw. He quickly wiped the grease that was caked on his fingers onto his jeans before letting his hands roam the chest in front of him, drifting down to the strong abdomen. Battle hardened muscles rippled beneath the thin cotton of Bruce's t-shirt.
"Careful. I have a couple of old stitches." The blue eyed male said with a gentle murmur.
"Are you serious?" Tony sighed with exasperation. He tugged the edge of the t-shirt up to search for the wound.
"I'm always serious." Bruce replied, gesturing to the area on his side before wrapping his arms around the shorter male once more.
"I think the appropriate response would have been…"Tony paused dramatically and dropped his voice. "I'm Batman"
"…..no." The younger male said, managing to keep a straight face.
"It's true, though." Tony said, leaning forward to cuddle into the warm embrace. "It's freezing in here. Does it make you feel more…batty? Do bats even like the cold?"
"You want to go back up to the surface?" Bruce asked, daring the older man to make a comment about his aversion to sunlight.
"Yeah. There's only so much fun I can have with the Batmobile without completely disassembling it." Tony said. He was already gathering plans to construct some neat Bat-toys. He could only hope that Bruce would like them instead of feeling insulted by his suggesting that he could do with an upgrade….or five. "I put it all back where it goes."
Bruce nodded, not bothering to check. He doubted that Tony was out to sabotage him. He grabbed his helmet, heading in the direction of the bike's leaning spot on the lift. "C'mon."
-O-
If there was one word to summarize Gotham it was 'weird', Tony decided. He just didn't know how weird. The city harbored the perfect conditions to breed the oddest. Like all major cities, it was big enough to hide its filthy underworld. However, there was a completely different layer of scum thriving within it. Sure, there were gangs, mobs, killers and worse. But there was a darker sickness pulsing within the polluted veins of the city. Like a parasite upon finishing its growth within a host, the most twisted of Gotham were ready burst out at the likely cost of the unsuspecting citizens.
Tony shook his head. The city must be getting to me. The weekend had flown by and it was sunrise, Monday morning. He was already suited up, waiting on the helicopter pad outside Bruce's penthouse. As the first rays of sunlight burst over the horizon, he retracted the face mask in favor of watching with his bare eyes instead of the high definition display generally supplied by the suit.
"Nice, hm?" The voice startled him into whirling around to face whoever snuck up on him. The downside of no suit display. No vicinity scans or contact alerts. Bruce stood away from the edge of the helicopter pad. No need to risk anything else before bed, Tony supposed.
"When did you get back?" He asked, considering the tired man before him. Already changed into normal clothing and smelling like soap, Bruce shrugged.
"Not too long." He said, letting his eyes slide shut. "You weren't about to leave without saying goodbye were you? So cruel."
"Of course not." Tony said, finding himself grinning like an idiot. Apparently, Bruce had emotions other than stoic when extremely exhausted. "I do have to leave, though." He said, frowning slightly.
"I know…I did make that call for you, remember?" The vigilante said. "Goodbye, then, I suppo-" Cool lips brushed against his own and he smiled, letting his eyes drift open once more. He was highly trained in emotional control but he couldn't help but appreciate the way Tony's dark eyes and light tan looked in the early morning light.
It couldn't hurt to let just one person in, could it? His heart said 'no'. At that moment he felt alone in the world with one person he cared about and it was nice. No demanding city. No fights. Just the two of them, as strange as they were. He leaned in to kiss the genius once more and was eagerly met. One of his hands came to rest on an armor plated hip while his other arm looped around Tony's middle.
"Bruce…." The older man sighed after a moment. He didn't want to go yet.
"I still have that conference in Seattle in a few weeks. If you'd allow it, I'd like to come down and see you while I'm on that coast." Bruce said.
"I'd like that." Tony smiled slightly. "Always the promise of a date with you, isn't it?"
"As a punctual person, I am inclined to agree with you. And as a punctual person, I must remind you that you will be late getting home if you don't hurry." The younger man said. It was true.
"Alright. Alright. I'll get off your lawn." The mask slide into place and sealed. "Be safe." Iron Man said before blasting off.
"You too…" Bruce said, watching the gleam in the sky streak away. As if red and gold weren't ostentatious enough, he had to choose dawn to leave. When the very sun rays compliment him. He shook his head in resigned amusement, heading back inside.
Bed was calling for him, after such a long night. He could only hope that his lousy stitches would hold his dog bites until Alfred could give them a proper re-do. As he settled into bed, he wondered if Tony ever had to deal with copy-cats trying to 'help'. Such is the life of a vigilante, he supposed.
Up next: Classic Bat villains and their typical shenanigans. Emotions everywhere. What would you like to see in the upcoming chapters? Thanks again for reading!