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Bruce was sitting outside his favorite café in the middle of the afternoon, letting the sun warm his back as he quietly read the daily newspaper. His sleeves were rolled up past his elbows, a shoddy attempt to keep the heat at bay. Grateful that he had found a table facing the street, he lazily watched as groups of suited business people walked to their lunch breaks and as more colorfully-suited people hurried to finish their errands. The papers had proclaimed a gorgeous evening, and he was looking forward to spending it on the beach. Bruce had taken to the city of Melbourne more than he had originally thought possible. The people were friendly, the beaches were beautiful and refreshing, and he felt good. Better than he had felt in a long time. Of course, Tony hadn’t taken the development of a suddenly long-distance relationship as well as Bruce had been able to, but they’d been managing. Bruce smiled at the irony of being completely off the grid and yet still so closely connected to one of the biggest names in the world. Tony had the only direct means of contacting him which made a part of Bruce want to throw the phone away into the ocean before disappearing into a more discreet location. Old habits die hard, it would seem. He’d initially worried about how easily S.H.I.E.L.D. had been able to find him before, but it seemed like he had finally been able to disappear completely. Melbourne was wildly different than anything he had experienced in the past. The years of making his lonely way through the wild parts of South America seemed to be behind him.
And thank goodness for that, his Spanish was still abysmal.
The thought made him chuckle just as the waiter he had ordered from returned with his drink, “You find something that made you smile in that newspaper in this day and age?” Bruce shook his head as the man sat a large glass of iced tea in front of him, “No, just thinking of something that made me happy.”
The man nodded, “Ah well, if you come across anything interesting in there, you let me know alright?”
After Bruce promised to inform him of any good news he happened across, the waiter left. The headline had been plastered with the same crap it had been for the past couple of weeks: the ‘Civil War’ as they were calling it. Nothing but first-hand accounts and expert witnesses testifying either for or against both sides. It was astonishing how fast the papers could vilify someone like Captain America. Steve had done so much to make this world better, and yet…
Bruce stirred his glass absentmindedly. He watched the condensation form on the outside of the glass, trying to guess when the drops would be large enough to roll down to the table. His mind wandered, first to the unbalanced equation scrawled on the whiteboard in his apartment and then, predictably, back to Tony. The fight with Steve had taken its toll on him in ways Bruce wasn’t sure he completely understood yet, and getting Tony to open up about any of it was difficult. But Tony had never really blamed him for choosing to stay out of it. Sure, he’d asked multiple times for Bruce’s support, but had never tried to guilt trip him or coerce him in any way. Bruce sighed and took a long sip from his tea. He checked his watch and pulled out his phone. The time difference never mattered much with Tony, and Bruce needed to hear his voice.
After the second ring, Tony’s familiar, easy cadence came through the receiver, “Hey Brucie! What’s up?”
“Nothing much, just wanted to talk to you. Why are you up and about at 8am on a Friday? You didn’t go out last night?”
“Halfway across the world and still judging me for my life decisions,” Tony’s playful irritation made Bruce smile, “I, uh, haven’t really been out on a Thursday night in a while. Let’s see, I worked on Dum-E for a few hours after I got done with board meetings, pretended to sleep for about four hours, decided that was pointless, and since that I’ve been up working on my cars. There’s motor oil everywhere because apparently,” he raised his voice as if he were talking to someone in the background, “Even an upgrade to a certain robot’s cleaning apparatus still renders it useless in its intended function.”
Bruce laughed, “As Dum-E’s creator, don’t you bear a certain amount of guilt in that department?”
Tony huffed, “You attack my lifestyle choices, you mock my mechanical skills… did you just call me to rag on me? Or is this finally you calling to let me know you’ve decided to let me come see you?”
“Tony…”
“Bruce listen, the fact that Thor gets to see you more than I do is killing me. I mean, the guy is great and I love him to death, but I’m your boyfriend not ol’ Point Break.” The pleading in Tony’s voice tugged at Bruce’s heart. He wanted so badly to see Tony again; to touch him, but it just wasn’t…
“You never did send him a raven,” Bruce deflected. Tony, predictably, didn’t hesitate for an instant.
“Bruce, come on. Please.”
Bruce’s entire body was screaming at him to say yes. Talking on the phone was nice, and Skype calls or FaceTime were even better, but he hadn’t really seen Tony in months. The only thing stopping him from immediately approving the trip were his survival instincts. They remembered his previous experiences with trusting people while he was being hunted. But this is Tony, his heart pleaded, he would never hurt you!
“Look, Bruce,” apparently he had been silent for too long, “I understand why you’re scared, I really do, but I know I can do this in a way that doesn’t jeopardize you or your safety. I mean, really, I wouldn’t be this pushy unless I was 100% sure that we would be safe. And your birthday is coming up, and you can’t celebrate your birthday by yourself. And don’t you dare try and dissuade me from coming by saying that you’ll call Thor to hang out because we both know that is not true.”
Bruce sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. He had known what his answer would be all along, “Alright yes you can come. But!” he cut off Tony’s celebratory cheer, “But, please, no balloons or noisemakers or anything like that. And I want to pick where we eat dinner.”
“I’ll be there tonight then! I take it your apartment can handle a guest of my caliber?” Bruce could hear things crashing around as Tony cleared up his mess in the lab, “Meaning: I don’t have to pack my sleeping bag, right?”
“Just a toothbrush should be fine.”
“Alright I can do that! I haven’t been to Australia in years, but I do remember-” whatever he remembered was interrupted by more crashing sounds, “Actually, I’m gonna have to let you go. Dum-E is redecorating in a manner I am not on board with. See you soon!”
“Bye, Tony. Be safe!”
The line clicked off and Bruce stared at the screen for a moment, staring at the light glow of Tony’s name on his phone. He smiled, locked his phone, then leaned back in his chair. People scurried by, on their way to wherever, but today Bruce was not one of them. Today Bruce was going to see Tony for the first time in a very long time.
In the time it took Tony to fly halfway across the world to Bruce’s coordinates, Bruce had made plans for their first date night in Australia. He was currently sitting in a boat on the river, the straight-backed driver’s seat abandoned in favor of one of the more relaxed passenger seats. The boat was anchored just off the shore in a small alcove he had found. He contented himself by listening to the small birds fuss at one another in the trees that surrounded him as waves lapped against the side of the boat. He dipped his hand into the water, letting the cool temperature center him in the moment. He wanted to remember everything about this place in this moment. He wanted to remember how he had driven far enough upriver to keep them both out of sight. He wanted to keep this little hidden alcove he was currently nestled in solidified in his mind. He wanted to remember this feeling of peace. How he was okay with taking a chance and risking his safety because this was Tony.
He had seen the advertisement for the rental shop in the newspaper, and had decided to give them a call after Tony’s phone call earlier that day. The woman who owned the shop thought it was a bit odd that he wanted a boat to himself, but it wasn’t like he could just jot down the name Tony Stark and have it go unnoticed. Eventually, he convinced her to rent one to him for his presumed solo voyage across the river. She’d even given him a personal lesson on how to steer the thing without tipping the whole boat over.
The craft itself was medium-sized, with just enough room for about four people to sit comfortably. It was powered by a small motor that sat in the back, which immediately made it the fanciest boat Bruce had ever been on. He made a mental note not to mention that to Tony, for fear he might be dragged to the next Stark Industries gala on one of Tony’s yachts. The parties were loud and crowded, two things that Bruce could hardly tolerate on land, much less at sea. He checked his watch; it had been about three hours since his call with Tony. He would be here soon.
Bruce moved to unpack a small cooler that he had filled with their dinner. He was suddenly reminded of his lack of sea legs when a passing boat rocked the small craft violently with its huge wake and was forced into clinging to the side of the boat to keep himself from falling. Dignity was obviously not in the cards for tonight. He hadn’t gone to great lengths with dinner, packing only what he’d made the night before. Although he didn’t look back on the time he spent chased by Ross with fondness, he had learned how to cook all sorts of different kinds of delicious food on a budget. This led to him cooking massive amounts of food at once and then living off of that for as long as he could. He smiled at the thought as he carefully pulled the cork out of a bottle of wine and poured a small glass of it, setting it aside for Tony. The red liquid swirled invitingly, even in the cheap plastic cup Bruce had brought with him, but he frowned at the bottle and stoppered it.
“Ah, is that for me? It’s almost like you know me.”
Tony had appeared with no sound at all, and Bruce nearly jumped out of his skin. Clutching at his wildly beating heart and reassuring the Other Guy that they weren’t in any danger, Bruce whipped around. Tony stood just behind him, leaning up against a tree on the shore like he had been there for ages. He was wearing a simple black blazer over one of his band t-shirts and his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. His eyes were the same familiar blue that he remembered so easily, but they had changed in a way Bruce couldn’t put his finger on. The bags underneath Tony’s eyes, once proof of a sleepless night spent hard at work in the lab, now underscored this change in his eyes.
“You can’t scare me like that, you know,” he chastised, “You almost came face to face with the Other Guy and I would have to explain to the nice boat shop lady why her boat was on the bottom of the river.”
Tony smiled, “Aw. I bet he misses me.”
“Something told me you’d want a glass.” Bruce offered a lame smile as he corrected the course of their conversation, “It’s the same kind I remembered you keeping in the Tower.”
Tony stepped out from under the tree and reached out to Bruce, “Well, come here and help me then. I don’t quite have the sea legs you seem to.”
The boat rocked dangerously as Bruce took a few steps toward Tony and grabbed his hand. It was warm and calloused, just like Bruce remembered, and he gripped it tightly. Tony put his other hand on Bruce’s shoulder and hopped into the boat, which swayed enough to send them tumbling onto the bottom of the boat. They laid there for a second, a hopeless tangle of limbs, until Tony started laughing. It was one of his it’s-3am-and-he-just-cracked-himself-up-with-a-stupid-pun laugh. Bruce hadn’t heard that laugh in a long time. It was a laugh that shook Tony’s entire body and Bruce couldn’t help but follow suit. Any hope of discretion or dignity was gone, but it didn’t matter. Tony was here with his elbow pressing painfully into Bruce’s ribcage, but he hardly felt it. Tony had flown all the way across the world to see him and that was worth smiling for.
Suddenly, Tony’s weight pressed Bruce into the bottom of the boat. He stared up into those blue eyes for a moment until their lips met. If Bruce could have melted into the bottom of that boat, this would have done it. A hole he hadn’t even noticed before was suddenly filled. He felt Tony’s hands tangle in his hair as he deepened the kiss. Bruce carefully ran his hands along Tony’s side, content for now to feel his familiar shape and breathe him in. Tony broke the kiss, placing his hands on either side of Bruce’s head to push himself up. This close, it was easier to see the darkened lines of Tony’s face, but the corners of his eyes were wrinkled with the beginnings of crow’s feet as he beamed down at Bruce.
“I missed you.”
Bruce, keeping his hands securely on Tony’s waist, smiled, “I can tell.”
Tony huffed, “You could at least say that you missed me too. Like, I flew all the way out here in a prototype, leaned seductively against a tree, and initiated a romantic tumble into this boat. Please give me something.”
Bruce pushed himself into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around Tony’s shoulders. He hugged him tightly, suddenly overcome with the fear that they might be separated again. Now that he had Tony back, it was impossible to imagine letting him go. Bruce pressed his lips gently to the side of Tony’s neck as he felt Tony’s arms wrap around his waist, hugging him so tightly he could barely breathe.
“I love you. And I missed you more than I thought possible.” It was barely more than a whisper, but Bruce knew Tony had heard him by the way his breath hitched. “I’m sorry, Tony.” He knew his apology wasn’t really necessary, but it felt right. He wanted to apologize for the fresh sadness in Tony’s eyes and for the way his posture had changed ever so slightly. He wanted to help, but he wasn’t sure that he could. The thought scared him.
“Don’t apologize Bruce, you don’t have to. Besides,” Tony carefully pulled away from him and stood up, “I smell your cooking. God, did you make that curry stuff? This is so much better than that business meeting in Milan I’m blowing off.”
Bruce rolled his eyes. “You flatter me, Mr. Stark.”
“Although, I think you’re going to have to pour me another glass of wine.”
Tony helped Bruce to his feet, and Bruce saw what he was talking about. The glass had spilled during their tumble and the bottom of the front of the boat was covered in the contents. “There goes my $50 deposit,” he deadpanned.
“I’ll figure out someway to pay you back, I’m sure,” Tony winked at him and Bruce’s heart skipped a beat. He forgot how easily Tony could read him; how easily he could get the reaction he wanted out of Bruce. The small, mischievous part of Bruce reminded him that the reverse was also true, and he grinned.
“We can discuss the terms of that over dinner, but for now, let’s eat. I’m sure flying around the world in a prototype worked up one hell of an appetite.”
They wordlessly arranged themselves on the boat as Bruce doled out his leftovers and Tony poured himself another glass of wine. Once they were situated, Tony sighed and put his feet up on the empty cooler. The wine glass dangled perilously from his fingertips.
“So, how are you holding up? Spending a lot of time on the beach?”
Bruce nodded, “Oh yes, my tan is coming along quite well. I’ve even taken up surfing and have won a couple of smaller contests.”
Now it was Tony’s turn to roll his eyes, “Still a sarcastic asshole. You know, the amount of sass has gone down to dangerously low levels without you. F.R.I.D.A.Y. tries, but she’s no J.A.R.V.I.S. I have to settle for whatever Rhodey can dish out, but he’s always working nowadays.”
“In all honesty, I spend a lot of time working. I found a small university that needed an entry-level physics professor and didn’t ask too many questions. They have a pretty good lab setup, and I like the kids. Feels good to be useful, you know?”
“A professor? Well damn, good for you. Tell me about Australia. How many kangaroos do you really see on a daily basis?”
This is what Bruce missed, he realized as they continued talking. The easy conversation. The silences between topics that didn’t feel awkward or forced. The ability to talk to someone that he knew understood everything he was saying. They talked until the sun started to go down, and then Bruce insisted that they pilot the little boat into the main body of the river to watch the sunset. It took him a couple of tries to get the engine started, but with Tony’s help, he managed to get them to the river without capsizing.
Bruce anchored the boat as best he could before joining Tony on the small sofa that was squished near the back of the boat. Tony put his arm around Bruce’s shoulders and gently pressed a kiss to his temple. Bruce leaned into Tony’s warmth and rested his head gently on Tony’s shoulder. They stayed that way as the sun set the sky on fire. The warm blue that had lead Bruce through the day became a beautiful array of oranges, pinks, and reds. The long shadows cast by the clouds became longer and longer until, suddenly, they were left in darkness.
Neither of them wanted to move. If Bruce could have chosen to stay in that moment, sitting in the dark, their little boat bobbing gently in the waves, he would have taken it. Everything seemed so far away. This boat was their world, nothing outside of it could hurt them. In that moment, Bruce felt untouchable. He felt safe.
They watched as the lights of the city in the distance came to life and as the stars struggled to shine against the brightness of the city. Bruce began lazily outlining constellations, tracing their patterns with his finger and naming them as he did so. A few minutes passed, and Bruce realized Tony was not paying attention to the stars. He glanced up to see what he was doing, and met those familiar blue eyes. Bruce was thankful that the darkness covered the blush he could feel burning his ears.
“You aren’t paying attention,” he accused.
“Not to your astronomy lesson, no,” Tony conceded, “I’m much more interested in something far more interesting.” Tony reached up and traced Bruce’s jawline with his fingertips. Gently, he pushed Bruce’s jaw upwards until they were kissing again. This kiss was different than the earlier one, it was less rushed, less needy. It was familiar and comforting. It was a glimpse of the way things had been. And maybe, the small, mischievous part of Bruce whispered, and maybe it’s the way things could be again. One day. One day we can go back.
Bruce broke the kiss, “What if,” he threaded his fingers with Tony’s, “What if we could just, fly away from it all. Just… stop being Bruce Banner and Tony Stark and be “Guy Wearing Glasses” and “Guy with Too Much Hair Product.” What if we could just go, and know that we’d be safe together?”
Tony smiled sadly at him, “Brucie, people like us… we’ll just cause trouble wherever else we would go,” he sighed, running his hand through his hair, “You really think I wear too much hair product?”
“I suppose you’re right…” Bruce sat up and stretched, “And, I mean, you wear enough to keep your hair immaculate even after flying. So, it isn’t an insignificant amount.”
Tony pretended to be offended, but Bruce just laughed at him as they made their way back to the rental place. Tony gathered all of their leftovers and plates and piled everything haphazardly into the cooler while Bruce carefully steered them into the docks. Together, they figured out how to tie the boat to the docks in such a way that it wouldn’t float off and headed towards Bruce’s car. The little thing wasn’t much to behold, but they fit comfortably and the engine started on the first try so there wasn’t much to complain about.
“Hey, Bruce?” Tony had his hand out the window, letting the cool night breeze blow through the car.
“Yeah?”
“When are you coming home?”
The smallness of Tony’s voice caught Bruce off-guard. He hesitated, unsure of how to answer the question.
“And, look, I really do understand why you’re still off-the-grid. I do. I know what Ross did to you and I know what he’s capable of, but Bruce… I need you. And I can keep you safe. I know I can.”
Bruce could feel his heart in his throat. He wanted so badly to go back to the Tower. To go back to finding Clint passed out in an uncomfortable position on the couch. To finding Natasha’s weaponry stored next to his granola. To movie nights with Steve. To waking up every day to find Tony next to him. To spending hours together in the lab in silence, engrossed in their projects but grateful for the other’s presence. But that wasn’t possible anymore if the stories the papers told were true. The family Tony had created had been ripped apart, and it wasn’t coming back.
“Tony… I’m coming home as soon as I… as I feel like I can. And right now, Ross is too close. I’m worried what the Other Guy might do if he so much as catches a glimpse and I can’t risk living in a skyscraper in the middle of downtown Manhattan if he does.”
He could feel Tony’s disappointment radiating from the passenger seat as he kept driving. It wasn’t the answer he wanted to give, but it was the only one he had.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay, Bruce. You come home when you’re ready. But you gotta let me come visit you more often. That’s the price for my concession.”
Bruce stuck his hand comically across the console, “You’ve got yourself a deal, Mr. Stark.”
They shook hands emphatically, laughing. Maybe everything wasn’t okay, and maybe everything would never be completely okay, but that didn’t matter to them. They were going to be alright, so long as they were together.
Bruce parked the car just outside of his apartment building before leaning across the console. He positioned himself carefully on top of Tony, his hands on either side of the headrest. “Now,” he mused, “about that $50 you owe me…”