Fortunately, though which of them it's fortunate for isn't clear, Steve can go without sleep for a really extended period of time if he has to. Also fortunately he is fully capable of taking his sleep when and where he can get it, regardless of environment, time zone or much else.
The later's directly due to the military and only fair - they gave him nightmares and trauma that makes him wake quickly, the least they could (and did) do was make sure he was able to effectively force himself to sleep when needed.
Meaning Bruce stayed up, Steve stayed up but he kept himself busy with a book and his sketchpad, dim light and pretended not to notice that Bruce was exhausted but not sleeping. When Bruce slept, he slept. When Bruce wakes up and that noise filters in, he gives it a little time and then goes and takes a shower, pulls on some clothes and brushes his teeth.
Then goes out to find Bruce reading the paper. "Have you ordered food yet?" And without pause: "Everything at home all right?" Of course he's still keeping an eye on things. That's just a given: it's Bruce.
It made the acclimating go a bit easier, forcing himself to stay awake. He wanted to be awake during Gotham's night time hours, so he would be available to Tim or Barbara if they needed him for anything. More than that, he didn't sleep much during the day either and did not want it to become some sort of habit. It was always better to keep the routine.
Bruce smiles when he sees Steve awake. Usually these trips were a solo affair. Bruce went his way while Lucius went his. It's nice not to wake up alone.
"No. There's a menu. Help yourself. I'm paying." His coffee he'd prepared himself. A dark roast, no cream or sugar. Food had been the last thing on his mind. As always.
As for news back home, Bruce looks down at the reports Oracle and Robin had sent him. Nothing terribly exciting; only the usual Gotham business. It didn't set him at ease. "It's fine. Tim is looking after things while we're here."
"I didn't figure you'd left Gotham without somebody paying attention and keeping you in the loop." Things being fine is good enough for him, but meanwhile he's just going to keep an eye on Bruce keeping an eye on Tim keeping an eye on Gotham.
Or something similar.
He grabs the menu and settles down in a chair reasonably close to Bruce to look over it, and doesn't look up to ad. "I'm gonna be a real pain in your ass if you try to completely skip out on eating while we're here. Make things a little easier on me and humor me, would you?" Spare him the effort of turning into a full fledged nag about it, anyway.
Quarters this close it'd be hard to ignore or pretend food is happening somewhere else or some other time.
It was supposed to be a vacation. Bruce just never mentioned it wasn’t his vacation. Harley had cut off Lucius’s finger and while Wayne Medical had provided a replacement appendage, it was still something traumatic. Bruce wanted to do something nice for Lucius while also putting some of the plans he had in motion. But it also meant Bruce didn't stop working.
It meant putting himself last because there were other things that needed his attention first. Steve’s concern is noted and it makes Bruce smile as he looks up from the report he’s reading. “Just get me whatever you’re getting. I’ll eat properly when we go out tonight.”
Speaking of. “The dress code for the club is ‘smart casual.’” Air quotes. Bruce thinks it’s silly. “If you need anything to wear, let me know. I’m sure we can get something put together for you.”
The mental math Steve is doing is deciding whether he wants to bother with eating enough food to actually meet caloric requirements, or just enough to stop being hungry - those are not the same thing. He is briefly absorbed in the menu, and making decisions there.
While also remembering to order it twice, so Bruce eats something.
He is wholly distracted by mention of the dress code, though. His expression when he looks up is just a little 'deer in the headlights. "I don't even know what smart casual means."
The expression tells Bruce exactly what he needs to know. They’ll have to get something put together for Steve. It isn’t something Bruce would classify as a problem. Steve’s so down to earth, Bruce doesn’t really expect him to be ready for all the intricacies of his life, however fake it might be. It’s all a performance and he’d make sure Steve is dressed for the occasion.
“We’ll get it sorted. Don’t worry.”
Breakfast seems negligible at this point, though. “Let’s get started. We’ll have lunch instead.”
Steve is pretty laid back with Bruce nearly all of the time - Bruce isn't someone Steve has to take responsibility for, he likes and cares about Bruce, and he's just often over his head in Bruce's 'world' - for good or ill.
"I'm not worried." He's not, Bruce can dress him. "I'm willing to get started, whatever that means here. I'm not skipping food until lunch. I will get cranky and make it everyone's problem." Well, probably not but grumpy is likely. "I will grab a protein bar, but just hold up at least long enough for me to grab it and put on shoes."
It's what Bruce likes about Steve the most. There are expectations of him: from society, from his kids, from Alfred too. From himself. But not so much with Steve. It's always so easy to just exist in his vicinity, that Bruce sometimes let's himself relax a little when he's nearby.
"No rush. Take your time." Bruce doesn't seem to be any rush himself. He stays where he is, flipping through a few design documents concerning his batmobile turned bat tank.
Steve finds it pretty easy to just exist around Bruce, too. It's nice. Maybe that has something to do with the laid back. Or maybe that's just awareness that Bruce is under pressure, all the time, from everyone around him in a wide variety of different and compounding ways.
There isn't any unwillingness to draw and hold some lines though. They're just (so far) minor ones like being fucking determined that he's consuming food first. He gets back out of the chair he just sat in, and disappears back into the room he'd come out of, leaving Bruce to his designs, and comes back carrying his shoes and a couple of protein bars.
One of which he slides across the table like he's playing air hockey and the goal is Bruce's lap. "Eat. That." He's pretty firm on that point, too. Man does not have to content with Steve's metabolism, but he has a lot of muscle and activity to fuel. He can't not consume calories the entire time they're here.
Then he sits back down, opens his own, and holds it between his teeth while he puts his shoes on.
Bruce watches Steve slide the protein bar across the table. It hits the edge and Bruce picks it up with a thank you. It's endearing how much Steve cares. The others in his family do too, but it's always just a little bit annoying. It's something he'd get to eventually. With Steve, he's willing to forgo the pretense and just do as he's been asked.
He tears the wrapper as he gets up to put his shoes on too while he summons the car to take them out. He waits for Steve by the door and when he's ready, Bruce gestures through the door. "After you, Captain."
Steve very sincerely cares. He also tries really hard to pick his battles and to avoid making things a battle with Bruce at all - because he's pretty sure that man is at least as stubborn as he is.
So far, so good, if Bruce eating the protein bar compromise is anything to go by.
Once his shoes are on and he's thrown out the trash and is ready, he gets out the door then slows up so Bruce can take them wherever they're going. "There's something appealing about you calling me Captain that I don't get at all, but am not about to start complaining about."
Duly noted. Bruce smiles as he shuts the door behind them. It's more to himself than anything. Now that he knows Steve likes being called Captain, Bruce might find himself doing it more often. Maybe he finds it appealing just as much as Steve.
Downstairs, the car is already waiting for them. Once they are on their way, Bruce finally decides to elaborate on the dresscode.
"If you're not interested in a blazer, we can skip that. A polo and a nice pair of pants should do."
All his treat, of course. He's the one who asked Steve to come to this place with him. And considering the expense of it all, he'd never ask Steve to pay for anything.
"I don't mind wearing whatever you want to dress me in, as long as it's even vaguely within the realm of fitting social norms and won't leave me freezing to death. Blazer's fine."
Steve leans back in the seat, but is angled slightly toward Bruce as he does. "Is this a situation where I'm supposed to act like your date, or is there some kind of other role I'm supposed to be filling?" Supposed to be, or supposedly.
They can argue about money later. Maybe. In truth, Steve can't afford Bruce's lifestyle. But he is going to feel bad about it.
With all that happens in these places, a blazer might be a bit much. Steve would not freeze. There wouldn't be a chance to. And while Bruce didn't plan to be in the club for that long, he didn't want Steve to be uncomfortable while they were there.
He casts a curious glance at Steve. "Depends. Do you want to be my date? It means there may be cameras shoved in your face."
Bruce wouldn't hold it against him if Steve didn't want that kind of publicity. Bruce was used to it and knew how to navigate with ease. For someone who might value privacy, this might not come as easily.
"Unless you've got specific preferences, objections, or some kind of reason I need to pretend to be something else, I'll take the cameras in my face." Does he love it? No. Is he completely unfamiliar? Also no.
"You promised me a date and a dance. Spending the entire night trying not to be associated with you doesn't sound like a real great way of getting either one of those." He should probably not have just decided this was an actual date.
Bruce had none of those. A date never meant anything serious. It was all part of the performance. A means to an end. So people would never see him as anything other than what he presented.
He didn't necessarily feel that way about Steve because Steve was not his typical date. They were usually vapid and shallow, with the depth of a mud puddle. People who would not be taken too seriously.
But it's easy to see a future with someone grounded like Steve. It's hard to imagine him as a passing fancy. And maybe Bruce was okay with that.
"And I keep my promises."
So it's a date then. When the car parks at their destination, Bruce slips out and nods for Steve to follow. "Let's get you dressed."
Steve is maybe a touch surprised he hadn't met an objection or any resistance on the point of it being a date - but in the same way that Bruce just ate the protein bar when Steve handed it to him, and also ate.
He's starting to realize Bruce might actually like him and that? Is a relief, given how much he likes Bruce - and it's a lot.
He follows Bruce out of the car, puts his hands in his pockets and sticks pretty close in following him. "That sounds more exciting than this is probably gonna be." Dry and amused, but also very sincerely interested in how this process goes when you're rich.
The problem was he did like Steve. Enough not to tell him it was just part of the act. He imagined it would be more hurtful than he intended. Not everyone appreciated being part of the show, when they maybe wanted something a little more than that. It was all Bruce had in him to give. Maybe he could give a little more if he was pushed by the right person.
Bruce leads the way into the boutique but keeps his stride in line to match Steve's. They were here together after all and he wanted no one to question it.
"So what's your taste? Neutral colors or care for something a little more. Patriotic?" He's teasing him. A little.
It might only be a little humor, but it makes Steve laugh, even as he walks beside Bruce, hands in his pockets. "Blue's good. Neutral's okay. Red and white stripes are right out."
He actually doesn't even like red. Doesn't think he's ever worn it voluntarily and that's an interesting revelation about himself.
Bruce stops and considers the options. No red and white stripes. Got it. With a glance at Steve - his eyes specifically - Bruce points to a bespoke outfit. Something he thought would be perfectly tailored for the night.
Steve doesn't quite, entirely, consciously recognize that he's doing it, but once they're in the shop he sticks fairly close to Bruce - physically. He's not nervous or uneasy, but he is out of his element. Bruce is not. It's just natural for him to gravitate toward him just a little more than usual under those circumstances.
"I'm pretty sure I could buy a car for that much money," he pretty much murmurs. But: "I like it. I am assuming this is a scenario where trying it on is gonna need to be a thing?"
Bruce doesn't seem to mind that Steve sticks close. In fact, he leans into it; brushing arms when he walks by to look at accessories, lingering close by when Steve asks if he should try it on.
"They offer custom tailoring. They'll just take your measurements."
It was a little pricey, especially considering Bruce would ask them to expedite it for their date. But it would be worth it to see Steve dressed up. Bruce did this sort of thing regularly. It's nice doing it for someone he considered important.
There's no point in the process where Steve gets tense or seems uncomfortable with the process, including when he's got a guy with a tape measure crouched down in front of him, measuring for inseam length. He doesn't pretend he is anything that he isn't, including familiar with the process.
But he's not wholly himself, either. He's still sincerely warm and charming enough (even in a... third? language) but it's a little more aloof and 'professional' and a little more 'on' than he'd be in another situation.
He definitely leans into Bruce leaning into the closeness, returns casual touch along the way, when and where it makes sense. Because he wants to, he can and Bruce is clearly not having an issue with it.
Once they're done and have a second alone though he tilts his head to study Bruce's face for a moment. "Someday, I want to reverse roles and I'll take you on vacation. I'll even make it a working one so you'll let me." Bruce has to be so fucking tired. Steve kind of wants to see him in a more relaxed setting though. Just once. Someday.
There's something...nice about this whole process. It's all very normal and things haven't felt normal for Bruce in a long, long time. At least, not in any conventional sense. He was here, ostensibly, for this very reason. To be seen, to create buzz and excitement and generate headlines, so no one would ever guess his real motive: to confirm the specifications of his new Batmobile. It was different, here, though. It felt less like a charade and more like something real. Genuine. It was a nice feeling.
When they're alone again and Steve mentions taking Bruce on a vacation himself, Bruce can't help but smile. Alfred would be thrilled to hear it. Pack the bag before the trip was even planned, Bruce was sure. But Steve was right; Bruce was tired.
"That sounds nice." Even though he doesn't say it, the 'but' lingers. There was something coming Gotham's way. Bruce didn't know what. But his instincts told him not to trust the complacency the city was being lulled into. As nice as a vacation sounded, he could not leave Gotham. Not yet. Maybe someday.
There's enough overlap in them, though Steve isn't sure many people would see it, that he understands Bruce's drive, and his ties to Gotham and the near impossibility of ever stopping.
Steve also knows damn well what the differences are. Steve is tired - and he's physically augmented, doesn't have a family legacy, a billion dollars, a company, kids and a need to maintain a separate identity.
He takes Bruce's hand, mostly because they're supposed to be on a date - and he can and he figures Bruce will twitch away when and if he wants or prefers. Snorts very softly with some amusement. "You'd get one stretch of decent sleep, then be climbing the walls from pure boredom." In that 'someday' that, no, he doesn't actually expect to happen.
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The later's directly due to the military and only fair - they gave him nightmares and trauma that makes him wake quickly, the least they could (and did) do was make sure he was able to effectively force himself to sleep when needed.
Meaning Bruce stayed up, Steve stayed up but he kept himself busy with a book and his sketchpad, dim light and pretended not to notice that Bruce was exhausted but not sleeping. When Bruce slept, he slept. When Bruce wakes up and that noise filters in, he gives it a little time and then goes and takes a shower, pulls on some clothes and brushes his teeth.
Then goes out to find Bruce reading the paper. "Have you ordered food yet?" And without pause: "Everything at home all right?" Of course he's still keeping an eye on things. That's just a given: it's Bruce.
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Bruce smiles when he sees Steve awake. Usually these trips were a solo affair. Bruce went his way while Lucius went his. It's nice not to wake up alone.
"No. There's a menu. Help yourself. I'm paying." His coffee he'd prepared himself. A dark roast, no cream or sugar. Food had been the last thing on his mind. As always.
As for news back home, Bruce looks down at the reports Oracle and Robin had sent him. Nothing terribly exciting; only the usual Gotham business. It didn't set him at ease. "It's fine. Tim is looking after things while we're here."
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Or something similar.
He grabs the menu and settles down in a chair reasonably close to Bruce to look over it, and doesn't look up to ad. "I'm gonna be a real pain in your ass if you try to completely skip out on eating while we're here. Make things a little easier on me and humor me, would you?" Spare him the effort of turning into a full fledged nag about it, anyway.
Quarters this close it'd be hard to ignore or pretend food is happening somewhere else or some other time.
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It meant putting himself last because there were other things that needed his attention first. Steve’s concern is noted and it makes Bruce smile as he looks up from the report he’s reading. “Just get me whatever you’re getting. I’ll eat properly when we go out tonight.”
Speaking of. “The dress code for the club is ‘smart casual.’” Air quotes. Bruce thinks it’s silly. “If you need anything to wear, let me know. I’m sure we can get something put together for you.”
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While also remembering to order it twice, so Bruce eats something.
He is wholly distracted by mention of the dress code, though. His expression when he looks up is just a little 'deer in the headlights. "I don't even know what smart casual means."
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“We’ll get it sorted. Don’t worry.”
Breakfast seems negligible at this point, though. “Let’s get started. We’ll have lunch instead.”
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"I'm not worried." He's not, Bruce can dress him. "I'm willing to get started, whatever that means here. I'm not skipping food until lunch. I will get cranky and make it everyone's problem." Well, probably not but grumpy is likely. "I will grab a protein bar, but just hold up at least long enough for me to grab it and put on shoes."
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"No rush. Take your time." Bruce doesn't seem to be any rush himself. He stays where he is, flipping through a few design documents concerning his batmobile turned bat tank.
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There isn't any unwillingness to draw and hold some lines though. They're just (so far) minor ones like being fucking determined that he's consuming food first. He gets back out of the chair he just sat in, and disappears back into the room he'd come out of, leaving Bruce to his designs, and comes back carrying his shoes and a couple of protein bars.
One of which he slides across the table like he's playing air hockey and the goal is Bruce's lap. "Eat. That." He's pretty firm on that point, too. Man does not have to content with Steve's metabolism, but he has a lot of muscle and activity to fuel. He can't not consume calories the entire time they're here.
Then he sits back down, opens his own, and holds it between his teeth while he puts his shoes on.
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He tears the wrapper as he gets up to put his shoes on too while he summons the car to take them out. He waits for Steve by the door and when he's ready, Bruce gestures through the door. "After you, Captain."
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So far, so good, if Bruce eating the protein bar compromise is anything to go by.
Once his shoes are on and he's thrown out the trash and is ready, he gets out the door then slows up so Bruce can take them wherever they're going. "There's something appealing about you calling me Captain that I don't get at all, but am not about to start complaining about."
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Downstairs, the car is already waiting for them. Once they are on their way, Bruce finally decides to elaborate on the dresscode.
"If you're not interested in a blazer, we can skip that. A polo and a nice pair of pants should do."
All his treat, of course. He's the one who asked Steve to come to this place with him. And considering the expense of it all, he'd never ask Steve to pay for anything.
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Steve leans back in the seat, but is angled slightly toward Bruce as he does. "Is this a situation where I'm supposed to act like your date, or is there some kind of other role I'm supposed to be filling?" Supposed to be, or supposedly.
They can argue about money later. Maybe. In truth, Steve can't afford Bruce's lifestyle. But he is going to feel bad about it.
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He casts a curious glance at Steve. "Depends. Do you want to be my date? It means there may be cameras shoved in your face."
Bruce wouldn't hold it against him if Steve didn't want that kind of publicity. Bruce was used to it and knew how to navigate with ease. For someone who might value privacy, this might not come as easily.
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"You promised me a date and a dance. Spending the entire night trying not to be associated with you doesn't sound like a real great way of getting either one of those." He should probably not have just decided this was an actual date.
But here they were.
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He didn't necessarily feel that way about Steve because Steve was not his typical date. They were usually vapid and shallow, with the depth of a mud puddle. People who would not be taken too seriously.
But it's easy to see a future with someone grounded like Steve. It's hard to imagine him as a passing fancy. And maybe Bruce was okay with that.
"And I keep my promises."
So it's a date then. When the car parks at their destination, Bruce slips out and nods for Steve to follow. "Let's get you dressed."
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He's starting to realize Bruce might actually like him and that? Is a relief, given how much he likes Bruce - and it's a lot.
He follows Bruce out of the car, puts his hands in his pockets and sticks pretty close in following him. "That sounds more exciting than this is probably gonna be." Dry and amused, but also very sincerely interested in how this process goes when you're rich.
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Bruce leads the way into the boutique but keeps his stride in line to match Steve's. They were here together after all and he wanted no one to question it.
"So what's your taste? Neutral colors or care for something a little more. Patriotic?" He's teasing him. A little.
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He actually doesn't even like red. Doesn't think he's ever worn it voluntarily and that's an interesting revelation about himself.
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And it didn't hurt that it was dark colors.
"It goes with your eyes. You'll look good in it."
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"I'm pretty sure I could buy a car for that much money," he pretty much murmurs. But: "I like it. I am assuming this is a scenario where trying it on is gonna need to be a thing?"
He has no idea how to navigate this.
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"They offer custom tailoring. They'll just take your measurements."
It was a little pricey, especially considering Bruce would ask them to expedite it for their date. But it would be worth it to see Steve dressed up. Bruce did this sort of thing regularly. It's nice doing it for someone he considered important.
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But he's not wholly himself, either. He's still sincerely warm and charming enough (even in a... third? language) but it's a little more aloof and 'professional' and a little more 'on' than he'd be in another situation.
He definitely leans into Bruce leaning into the closeness, returns casual touch along the way, when and where it makes sense. Because he wants to, he can and Bruce is clearly not having an issue with it.
Once they're done and have a second alone though he tilts his head to study Bruce's face for a moment. "Someday, I want to reverse roles and I'll take you on vacation. I'll even make it a working one so you'll let me." Bruce has to be so fucking tired. Steve kind of wants to see him in a more relaxed setting though. Just once. Someday.
After dancing.
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When they're alone again and Steve mentions taking Bruce on a vacation himself, Bruce can't help but smile. Alfred would be thrilled to hear it. Pack the bag before the trip was even planned, Bruce was sure. But Steve was right; Bruce was tired.
"That sounds nice." Even though he doesn't say it, the 'but' lingers. There was something coming Gotham's way. Bruce didn't know what. But his instincts told him not to trust the complacency the city was being lulled into. As nice as a vacation sounded, he could not leave Gotham. Not yet. Maybe someday.
Dancing was simpler. Dancing he could commit to.
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Steve also knows damn well what the differences are. Steve is tired - and he's physically augmented, doesn't have a family legacy, a billion dollars, a company, kids and a need to maintain a separate identity.
He takes Bruce's hand, mostly because they're supposed to be on a date - and he can and he figures Bruce will twitch away when and if he wants or prefers. Snorts very softly with some amusement. "You'd get one stretch of decent sleep, then be climbing the walls from pure boredom." In that 'someday' that, no, he doesn't actually expect to happen.
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Sorry for the delay!
No problem, at all!
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Now a proper time skip since i kinda botched the first one lmao
ahahah, totally not an issue.
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And now back here (sorry about that)
No worries!
Re: No worries!
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I swore I replied to this. If it's been too long just ignore
Not at all! I'm always good to backtag
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