p • r • e • s • s • u • r • e

Truth or Dare

Dinner had been delicious, up until Tony puked it off the edge of their cliff.

They'd spent hours just talking, then settled into a peaceful silence, a silence broken by Bruce.

"So why do you do this?"

"Mm?"

"Y'know."

"I-we've been through this."

"Yes, and your answer was a fallacy, borne of unreasonable self-hatred."

"I think that the aforementioned self-hatred is entirely justified."

"True-to an extent. But it's still unreasonable."

"You still haven't answered my question. Why?"

"Why does a fox chew its paw off when caught in a trap?"

"I'm not the press. You don't get to pivot questions like that."

"As I told you before, I deserve it."

"That's false."

"You of all people should be able to make the distinction between fact and opinion."

"Tony, stop fucking with me."

"We haven't gotten quite there yet. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Bruce sighed and it sounded like frustration, but Tony knew there was something more underneath. Something like fear.    

"How would they feel? If they knew? And how would you feel if this were them? If it were him?"

Tony's breath caught in his throat. He'd forgotten about Peter. How could he have forgotten about Peter?

"I-I miss him."

"We all do."

"Is it sick of me to say I almost want to confide in him?"

"He'd certainly be able to relate."

"I'd never do it, obviously. His life is hectic enough, and I'm well aware that I'm one of the only pillars holding up the Parker duo."

"You seem to be holding up most things."

"Atlas ain't got nothin' on me."

"Yeah, well, Atlas never had someone to help him. You do."

"No, I-everybody fucking hates me."

The tender scientist looks just a little but hurt.

"Except for you," Tony corrects, softly.

"And Pepper," Bruce adds.

"Speaking of which, how in God's name are we going to explain this?"

"Explain what?"

"Us."

"Please, I don't even understand this myself."

"I think we should cross that bridge when we get there."

Bruce wasn't usually one to ignore his problems, but he actually agreed with Tony.

I suppose that's a testament to how weird the situation is. To me, at least.

And so the billionaire climbs back into Bruce's open arms and once again, a thick blanket of silence hangs over them, only this time it's suffocating.

"I love you," Tony blurts.

The other man smiles, carding his nimble fingers through the engineer's hair.

"How much?" He asks.

Tony ponders this.