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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?"

He has no idea how to navigate this.

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.

After dancing.

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.

Dancing was simpler. Dancing he could commit to.

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.

There are times - not often - but sometimes Bruce wishes he could just shut off. That he could sleep a normal schedule and live a life not dictated by his war on the criminals of Gotham. He'd endured enough broken bones and stabbings and shootings to know there would be a price to pay at the end of it all. But then he remembers the promise he made and it puts to bed those doubts and fears. Because if he can leave Gotham better off, even just little, it's a price he'll pay gladly.

So the mission continues.

He squeezes Steve's hand and even laughs a little. Steve isn't wrong. Bruce's 'vacations' are never the mundane kind. "Bruce Wayne is many things, but he is not a workaholic." Batman, on the other hand, well he could go all night.

Steve takes the pressure around his hand as permission, and doesn't so much relax as he settles into just holding Bruce's hand.

It's odd. He can be awkward with a lot of things, but he's not tentative or shy. He isn't with Bruce, either, but he is careful with him. Careful of his boundaries, but also just careful.

The man has enough pain in his life.

So, he keeps the hand until they get to the car, anyway. "I don't know. Maybe not a work-a-holic, but all the good that comes from him into charities isn't exactly play, either."

Bruce lets him. No one is ever close. Not in a way that matters. But Steve is. Closer than Bruce is willing to let anyone else. It's nice not feeling alone in his inner universe. Even if this was only as temporary as holding hands as they walk back to the car.

"People used to wonder when I would grow up. When I would stop being Bruce and start being Thomas."

Bruce never wanted to be Thomas. Just someone his father could be proud of, that did what the Waynes do: make Gotham better for everyone who lived there. Batman had his mission and thanks to Alfred, Bruce Wayne had one of his own. He would revitalize what was taken from them by Arkham's Finest. And at night, he'd make sure the dark parts never touched the light.

"I just try to do good. But I make sure that the tabloids always sees me having fun so I'm not too boring." And they never ask the right questions.

It feels nice to be allowed close. Maybe that's part of why he's so determined to be careful with Bruce. Not all of it - but part of it.

"Get too boring and it becomes unbelievable, and people start asking questions." Bruce - the playboy version - feels more like a mask, a smokescreen or lie, than Batman even comes close to. Batman feels like Bruce. The playboy feels... different. At least when he sees the playboy in the papers.

"I guess we've got some extra benefits if we get a camera or dozen in our faces while we're here." He should add some level of distraction. More if people put together who he is, but either way. "Have you ever hit the tabloid with a guy as your date?" That one's just curiosity. He catches things, but it's not like he religiously seeks out Bruce Wayne appearances in tabloids and society pages.

Not when he has access to the man. Not really his nature to believe media image or be voyeuristic, either.

To the people who knew the difference, they would agree with Steve’s assessment. They’d also say neither version of Bruce was acting particularly like himself these days. It’s been a slow burn ever since he carried Joker’s corpse out of Monarch Theatre. Aggressive as Batman, more withdrawn as Bruce. They were thrilled to know he was taking this trip with Steve and not holing up in the hotel until it was time to go back to Gotham.

“No. You’re my first.” In most appearances, when he wasn’t alone, Bruce was with some leggy blonde he never intended to speak to again. Or Selina when he could pin her down. Showing up with Steve, would certainly get the gossips out in force.

"I'm flattered." That's a little bit of a joke, but same, Bruce. Same.

He makes a low noise in his throat right after, though. It's more thoughtful and assessing than anything else, there's certainly no judgement in it. "Is the extra attention that brings going to be useful, a problem, or irrelevant?"

Because he can and will pivot if he needs to. This trip and the public nature of it wouldn't be happening if 'be seen' weren't part of a plan. That doesn't mean additional attention is, or that Steve wants to make things harder.

If he's honest, it's mostly all three. Useful, in that it would mean he was seen and when he inevitably disappeared into the shadows, no one would think to question it. A problem, because it would invite scrutiny that Bruce certainly did not want. As publicly as he dated, he often kept the more personal details as private as anything else about him. Irrelevant because at the end of the day, it wouldn't matter. The goal was still met, even if the parameters changed along the way.

"You won't embarrass me if that's what you're worried about," Bruce replies.

It's the truth. He's done a lot of things to be embarrassed of all in the name of maintaining his identity. But being seen with Steve would never be one of those things.

"No."

He pauses to consider how to say - which words he wants to use - to express why he asked. He's usually pretty willing (and good at) picking his words, but this one's a little more 'vague feeling' to words, so there's that second or so.

"I'm pretty good at following a lead. If you wanted me to lie or put on an outright performance we might hit some trouble, but not that kind. This was just about making sure I wasn't gonna tip the balance toward me being more of a problem than a benefit."

Meaning he doesn't want to make Bruce's life so much harder that Steve around isn't 'worth it', or at least adding something positive.

So that was the root of it. Steve thought this might become more complicated than it was worth. Bruce knew about complicated relationships. And every single one of them had been worth keeping. He couldn't imagine it being any different with Steve. Even if this went no farther than the nightclub, his friendship had proved more than valuable.

"I think I'd be the one to make things too complicated."

He was the one living two separate lives, no matter how fake it was. It's a burden he accepted for himself, but he didn't have the right to ask it of anyone else.

"Only if you start thinking really hard, and decide that you're going to protect me from you."

Whether this goes any further than a nightclub, a public appearance and this vacation? That concern will be true. Because Steve cares, and because they're friends. And because he has seen some of Bruce's patterns with people he cares about.

"My life's got some... pressure, but it's straightforward enough in most ways that there's room for some complications without it reaching any kind of tipping point." That part's said with some dry, self-depreciating, humor.

Maybe he had a habit of pushing people away. But if he did it, it was always for their own good. This is what happens when you drag your friends into this crazy little game of ours! is a refrain that lives in his head. Because it was true. Everyone he'd ever cared about was in danger. Tim, Barbara.

Jason.

Bruce appreciated Steve's humor. It pulled him out of his head for a little at least. He even manages a smile. "Some pressure, Steve? I think you're doing Mr. Barnes a disservice."

Yeah. Try that with Steve and he might just get stubborn about it. Unsurprised, but stubborn. He's just pushes back when pushed.

"Oh yeah?" He hasn't let go of Bruce's hand, yet, but in truth he's temporarily forgotten about it. "We calling him a complication or pressure?" He's not upset, he's actually engaging in some banter.

In truth? Bucky's some of both.

What was the saying? What happens when an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force. It didn't have to be that way. But Bruce was stubborn - an immovable object. If he ever felt like something about his life would be a detriment, he'd do what he had to to protect those around him. But especially the ones he cared for.

He didn't have many of them left and he wanted to hold on as tightly as he could.

"Seems a little of both to me." He's read the files, publicly available and not so publicly available. Maybe he doesn't have all of the nuances, what makes the relationship exactly what it is. But he has enough of the broad strokes that he can answer Steve easily.

With Natasha releasing SHIELD's files, there's a lot available publicly - and, yeah, most of the recent stuff not so publicly. Steve just works from the assumption that Bruce being Bruce he has all of the information that exists. That if Bruce is missing anything, it's the human elements.

Bruce introducing Bucky's name at this point... leads Steve to believe there's a question being asked, even if it's being asked indirectly and through a statement.

"He's some of both," he admits, after a moment. "But not complicated in a way that's going to complicate this, by more than me suspecting the two of you will get along like oil and water and he's gonna be pissed when he finds out something's up via newspaper. The rest of it's just... him being where he is because of me." And being Steve's. He left Bucky for dead. The results were... bad.

It does answer Bruce's immediate question and in a sense a more long term one. His investment is not particularly deep, though he wouldn't describe it as shallow either. They were friends and Bruce cares, but anything beyond that is really a matter of priority and where it stood in the nebulous space behind his main priority as Batman.

But that could change and Bruce was okay with knowing he wouldn't be (much) of a complication for Steve and Bucky if it did.

"I'm sure Bucky and I will get along just fine." Bruce was great at pretending to get along with people. He didn't care what Dick or Tim had to say about it.

"Either way, It's a bridge to cross when we get to it." He gives Steve's hand a gentle squeeze.

Steve eyes Bruce and snorts, but with amusement. All about that 'sure we'll get along just fine' thing. "I dunno if I'm underestimating your ability to fake polite behavior, or you're underestimating his ability to be obnoxious. If we get to that bridge, I'll grab some popcorn and enjoy the show."

He's not making assumptions. He likes Bruce. He has firmly committed himself to caring about Bruce. Expectations beyond that? Not really. He knows they'll hit papers, he knows Bruce is who and what he is. There's Batman and Captain America and all sorts of other shit that will take priority for both. There's Bruce's deep damage and Steve's ...quieter stuff.

Doesn't matter to him at all, right now. All he wants is this one fucking night and date, even with cameras in his face. If he gets to dance with someone and not wind up in the middle of sheet ice, he's going to take it.

"You ready to do this nightclub thing?"

Was he ready for the nightclub? As ready as he'd ever be for such a thing. It's nearly second nature now, slipping into Brucie's shoes. This is a place he's been to before sometimes alone, but more often with someone by his side. This time of night, the entrance is as lively as the interior. And he turns to wave whenever he hears someone yell his name. Sometimes, he yells back. Always in German. And sometimes, he laughs. It's an easy, practiced sound. Everyone else mistakes it for genuine. The people who matter don't.

There are a few cameras, fewer than Bruce is expecting. But he'd been careful enough to keep his attendance tonight as secret as possible. Not only for his own comfort, but Steve's as well. Speaking of, Bruce reaches for him before they can get separated by the crowd, pulls him in close so there's no mistaking who his date was tonight.

There's hardly room to breathe inside. People push and stream alongside them. The dance floor is vibrant and vibrating with life and music. All the makings for a good night out. For Bruce, it's altogether too much. Thankfully, he's pretty good at spying out quiet corners, even if they're never quiet for long. When he let's go of Steve's hand, he presses it against his back and offers him a smile for a camera he's sure is snapping a blurry photo somewhere. "I'm going over here for a second. Get yourself a drink."

Steve looking wide-eyed and slightly overwhelmed, and wanting to stick close to Bruce isn't a lie, and it's barely an act. It's more... a controlled and toned down version of reality.

He doesn't flinch away from the cameras or noise level or press of people, at all. Doesn't move like he's any kind of physically uncomfortable. He doesn't grip Bruce's hand too hard -- or honestly hard at all.

He's rigid when Bruce puts a hand on his back though, but his smile is fine - for the photo and because Steve's good at smiling.

This isn't a battlefield, but it is a lot. Enhanced senses and without any particular direction to be focused is uncomfortable. Physically uncomfortable. He's pretty sure his eardrums are vibrating more than the floor.

"Sure," he agrees, because Bruce deserves his quiet corner (such as it is) and second to breathe, and it isn't like Steve would get drunk, even if he could. He takes his time doing it, adds a glass of water to his whiskey order, and then heads back to see if Bruce is where he left him.

Bruce does pick up on Steve's overall discomfort, his closeness as they navigated their way through the crowd is more than enough to alert him. Despite his warning, Bruce thinks he could have done a little more to prepare Steve for what he'd experience here. He could mitigate, but some of it Steve would have to learn on his own.

But, Bruce would do what he could to make it easy. Easier than he would have for anyone else. He waits for Steve's return in the same place he said he'd be in, back pressed against a solid surface, though he's surrounded when Steve comes back. They're all people he's met before, partied with on their obnoxious yachts. Another invitation is extended and under different circumstances, Bruce would have agreed. But he has a guest this time and he's oh so terribly busy showing his new friend all the sights.

In fact he waves to Steve and excuses himself to join up with him. "Perfect timing."

Edited 2025-01-04 04:50 (UTC)

Steve's discomfort is more sensory overload than anything. He was at least pretty prepared for the Brucie act, the cameras, and the general idea of what 'nightclub' meant, at least.

He doesn't so much slide through people as much as he shoulders his way past them to get close enough to put the glass of water in Bruce's hand. He in no way expects Bruce to drink that, but it fits the scenario here well enough and makes for a plausible prop if necessary.

"I should say so - you promised me a dance and I'm getting it." The music is making his ear drums cringe, but if he's gotten Bruce away from... Those People, so be it. "Before my headache makes me drag you back to our hotel."

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theknightshift - 2025-01-05 05:09 (UTC) - Expand

And now back here (sorry about that)

imperfectsoldier - 2025-01-10 18:49 (UTC) - Expand

No worries!

theknightshift - 2025-01-12 19:53 (UTC) - Expand

Re: No worries!

imperfectsoldier - 2025-01-19 21:11 (UTC) - Expand

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theknightshift - 2025-01-27 22:43 (UTC) - Expand

I swore I replied to this. If it's been too long just ignore

imperfectsoldier - 2025-02-14 15:34 (UTC) - Expand

Not at all! I'm always good to backtag

theknightshift - 2025-02-16 22:26 (UTC) - Expand

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imperfectsoldier - 2025-02-19 01:40 (UTC) - Expand

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theknightshift - 2025-02-23 04:26 (UTC) - Expand

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imperfectsoldier - 2025-02-26 00:29 (UTC) - Expand

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theknightshift - 2025-03-02 22:08 (UTC) - Expand

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