Title: Phone Calls Among Billionaire Superheroes II

Summary: Because sometimes you need to talk to your Gothamite buddy about the bat-thing roaming the gloomy streets of his city, or ask why in god's name is your friend flying around California's sunny sky in a red and gold tin can. Or, a collection of short phone calls/scenes set somewhere in the movies.

Warnings: None.

Notes: Batman Begins Part II.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dark Knight Trilogy, Iron Man, any of its characters. Sadly.

OoOoO

"Brucie!" Bruce pulled the phone away from his ear with a wince. "Pepper just gave me the good news. I almost can't believe you finally got your company back and finally kicked out that Earl asshole.

"I'd say congratulations, buddy, but I think 'it's about damn time' is so much more fitting, don't you think?"

Standing in the ruins of what had once been his home, Bruce was surprised to find a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Honestly, Tony, I don't see how I could have fired Earl before when I just got Wayne Enterprises back. "

"Details, details," Tony dismissed with a hand wave as he leaned back in his chair.

Bruce met Alfred's gaze for a second, offering the butler a tiny nod before walking away. "I assume Pepper also mentioned who I appointed as CEO."

"She did." There was a short pause. "I can't believe you went and dug your claws into Lucius like that. Afraid I was gonna steal him away right under your nose otherwise?"

"Hardly. If you couldn't convince Lucius to work for you in the past seven years, I think it's safe to say he isn't going anywhere."

"Hmm, I wouldn't be so sure about that, Brucie," Tony replied cheerfully. "Maybe he'll get tired of being your personal Batty armor maker and pretending to be in charge of your company."

Bruce furrowed his brow. "He is in charge of Wayne Enterprises."

"Oh really? Are you seriously going to tell me you're not running your company from the shadows like a good little bat while Lucius pretends to do that for the rest of the world so your hilarious air-headed playboy act isn't totally ruined?"

"Lucius and I work together."

"Uh-huh. That's great, really. Good for him, and for you too." Tony stayed silent for a moment, eyeing the papers Pepper had left him and that he was supposed to be reading. "It's that enough small talk, do you think? Because this is starting to get boring, and honestly, I only called so I'd get to hear all the details first-hand.

"You know, If Gotham weren't, well, Gotham, I might even consider moving there. There isn't nearly as much fun and games In boring old Malibu."

"Nothing was fun or a game, Tony. Nothing," Bruce hissed between clenched teeth, gripping the phone tighter. "Almost the entire city suffered damages, dangerous criminals escaped from Arkham and haven't been recaptured yet. Dozens of people were killed, Tony, and hundreds more were hurt."

"Yeah. I guess it wouldn't be such a good idea to live somewhere so dangerous." Tony winced as soon the words left his mouth. That was a bit too much, even for him. He wouldn't even blame Bruce if he hung up on him now.

To be honest, he had been too distracted by the fun and exciting parts to think about the ugly and terrible things that happened that night. Somehow, he had even forgotten the fact Wayne Manor had burned to the ground while Batman had been busy putting out the metaphorical fires that had been lit up elsewhere in the city.

"Um. Hello? Are you still there?" There was no response. "Come on, Brucie. You know me. Sometimes my brain-to-mouth filter just gets fucked up beyond repair. It's pathological, really. You should ask Pepper."

Bruce remained silent a moment longer. He knew Tony hadn't meant it- at least not in the callous way it had sounded, but that didn't make it better.

"I'm here."

"Oh! Good. That's good. So. Are you going to tell me?" Tony hesitated for a moment. "Please?"

He sighed softly. "Do you want to hear the long version or the short one?"

"That's a tough one. I think I'm going to pick the short version. For now. I'll be flying over this weekend, so you can share the long version in person."

Bruce didn't bother to ask or even comment on Tony's visit. "The man I trained under while I was overseas came to Gotham intending to destroy the city and the people in it by dispersing a fear-inducing toxin into the water supply. He stopped by the Manor before going through with his plan, set it on fire, and left me unconscious inside." Bruce turned back, looking at the ruins of Wayne Manor. "He is dead now."

"Alright," Tony mumbled awkwardly, at a loss as to what he was supposed to say in response. The last thing he wanted was to fuck it up again. Still, his curiosity was piqued. "I, uh, I'm sure my trip to Gotham can be pushed forward. Pepper wouldn't mind going back sooner either. Did I tell you she fell in love with Alfie and his delightful food?"

Bruce's lips twitched, watching Alfred move among the debris several feet away from where he stood. "I'm sure Alfred wouldn't mind having Pepper over. You, on the other hand-"

"Oh please! Alfie loves me and you know it." Pepper chose that moment to knock and step into Tony's office, yet another stack of papers held in her arms, and a long-suffering expression on her face as soon as she noticed the last pile of papers was right where she left them.

"Mr. Stark?"

Tony sighed dramatically, slumping in his chair. "I have to go now, Brucie. There's no rest even for the owner of the company, it seems. Maybe I should do what you did and find someone else to run things while I play around."

"I'm sure Miss Potts would be very grateful if you did."

"Alright. This conversation is starting is taking a turn I don't like, so I better hang up now. I'll be seeing you soon, Brucie."

Just before the call was cut, Bruce heard Tony ask Pepper what he could do for her. He was sure he wasn't imagining the blinding smile he could hear in Tony's voice. The trip to Gotham would probably be good for her too, he thought with a wry twitch of his lips.

Bruce waited for a moment longer before going back to see what was left of his family's house with Alfred by his side.

OoOoO

a/n: For the sake of the "plot", we're going to assume that after the first call these two set a secure line so they could talk freely without worrying about Batman's secret identity and any other sensitive information that may be discussed. Also, it's always been my head canon that a few months passed between Bruce's return to Gotham and Batman's first apparition, so even if it's not mentioned assume that's always the case, including here. So, yeah. I hope you enjoyed this!

We're moving to Iron Man for the chapter, which hopefully will be posted soon-ish.