Work Text:
“Tony, I think it’s time for you to go to bed,” Bruce murmured, still hard at work studying bacteria samples through a microscope.
Said engineer huffed, closing a wall of holograms with a flourish so that he could have a direct line of sight to his partner. “I beg your pardon?” he asked incredulously.
“I think you should go to bed. To sleep, not to perform in any extracurriculars, although, yes, maybe later. You’ve been down here for almost four days now and JARVIS said that you’ve only taken one, three hour nap. That’s not enough sleep and as much as you’re a genius, you’re going to start making mistakes in those designs soon. It’s just human nature.” Bruce didn’t look over at his partner since that would just be an opening for him to argue more.
“Bruce, Lima Bean, light of my life, are you hearing yourself? Look at the clock, it’s barely two in the afternoon! If I leave the lab now, I’ll look like a noob, and I , dear sir, am no noob. You know that.” Bruce knew that a combination of insomnia and nightmares were keeping Tony from sleep and was hoping that the odd hours may have been enough to trick his brain into sleeping.
The physicist rolled his eyes, keeping his thoughts to himself, “I’m aware. But I’m also aware that I’m not going to be the one carrying your unconscious body up to bed when you finally collapse. So go ahead and wrap up over there. Turn around,” he ordered distractedly, finding an anomaly in the replication he was watching.
A smile lit up Tony’s face and he automatically sang, “ Bright eyes. ”
“Tony,” Bruce warned as the other man started walking toward him dramatically, as if he were a music video.
“Every now and then I fall apart!” he nearly screamed, spinning Bruce’s chair around so that the doctor had no choice but to watch. “And I need you now tonight. And I need you more than ever!”
Bruce laughed a little at Tony’s absurdity. The latter grabbed a wrench from a work table and had begun using it as a microphone. His activity had drawn the curious 'bots toward the billionaire.
“And if you only hold me tight!” His voice broke into falsetto and his comically threw his arms around himself and swayed on the next line, “We'll be holding on forever.” He began sliding toward Bruce again, this time holding his hand out to pull Bruce up with him. The doctor shook his head, but he couldn’t wipe the grin off his face.
“And we'll only be making it right,” he sang, pointed waving his free hand around the room, as if him not going to sleep was the best course of action. “'Cause we'll never be wrong together we can take it to the end of the line. Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time.” Tony gestured at his body in a seductive way, wiggling his eyebrows.
“All of the time,” Bruce echoed, finally allowing himself to be brought to his feet behind bashful eyes.
“I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark!” Tony attempted to belt, but as an untrained singer, it only sounded like shouting. Bruce laughed at him. “We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.” For emphasis, Tony hit his ‘mic’ against a sheet of metal hard enough for it to flash orange before their eyes.
“I really need you tonight!” he yell-sang, wrapping Bruce into a loose hug. “Forever's gonna start tonight!” He repeated the line as he and Bruce started a seventh grade slow dance in the middle of the lab. JARVIS began lowering the lights and the arc reactor’s glow cast blue over their faces. The 'bots moved closer, tugging at the scientists’ pant legs cautiously.
“Once upon a time I was falling in love,” Tony continued lowly, resting his head on Bruce’s shoulder. “But now I'm only falling apart.” Bruce held him close, joining in with him. “There's nothing I can do. A total eclipse of the heart.”