p • r • e • s • s • u • r • e

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They walked back to the tower, opting for the main entrance and were immediately assaulted by a horde of employees, asking things about budgets and reports and things. Tony waved them off and stepped into his private elevator with Bruce.

He headed straight for the garage and deposited himself defeatedly on the couch. The woman on the news was back. She had a different necklace on now, and Tony liked to think her last one had shattered when he threw a knife at the TV.

"CEO and owner of Stark Industries, Tony Stark, was recently spotted on the high line. The picture on a fan's twitter account shows a gaunt-looking Stark, bundled up and ashen. Is he hiding an illness? It is speculated that-"

"Fuck."

The knife on the coffee table was watching him. It was the only thing that broke the clean reflection of the TV screen against the glass, and it sat over her throat in the upside-down image. 

"...what is he hiding?"

"Mute," he snarled.

He paced, and he paced. And his phone buzzed with tweet alerts and his public relations woman was texting, and the knife was cold in his hand-

The knife was in his hand.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, just staring at it. He felt himself swaying slightly like a bridge in the wind. There came the sound of footsteps, but they were of no concern to him. 

And then they were. A hand that wasn't his was prying the blade from his fingers, softly shoved him onto the couch. 

"Hey. Where are you?"

Bruce was waving a hand a few feet in front of him. 

"What was that? Tony?"

He came back to himself, and all the background noises in the room were deafening. The fridge buzzed and the lights were making little humming noises and he'd never noticed it before, how could he not have noticed?

"Uh-yeah. Hi."

"Can you explain to me what just happened?"

"Um-you can't be mad at me, I'm talented and soft."

Bruce rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah and about as stable as a cup of Jell-O."

"Aww, 'cause I'm sweet, too?"

Bruce was exasperated.

"Would you take this seriously, for once in-"

"As seriously as they did?"

He nodded to the TV. 

"You know that Pepper didn't-"

"No, look."

He followed Tony's finger to the letters scrolling across the bottom, the woman in cerise and a silver necklace with little glass baubles. He wondered why they never wore gemstones. Probably an optics thing.

"Really not a good colour for her. Drains her."

Bruce scanned the headline.

"Shit, I'm sorry, man. They shouldn't have run that."

He sighed. 

"No, no they shouldn't have. But what can you do?"

"You can turn it off."

He scoffed. 

"What, and be blindsided next time I go out in public? Tony, is it true that you're having an affair? Tony, is Morgan your biological child? Tony, did you really write a comic book about yourself and publish it under a pseudonym?"