Somehow, Tony Stark, the genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist, was in the passenger seat of a car whisking towards the rural parts of New York with the physicist Bruce Banner at the wheel.
The farms and fields whisked by as they drove, melting into a blur of color as Tony's mind wandered as he laid back in his seat. The mix of yellow and green lulled him into ease.
He took a few deep breaths, letting the flood of the upstate air whisk into and fill his lungs before exhaling and facing the sky in his seat.
"Still can't believe you got me to do this," he murmured with a smile.
Bruce just exhaled in a laugh.
"Hah. It was mainly Pepper, to be fair. She was the one who yelled at me to get you to get off your ass and out of the tower," he chuckled.
Tony responded with a light snort.
"She's powerful that way," he said, turning his head to face Bruce as he said so.
"Yeah."
"Makes you wonder why we didn't work out," Tony added. It wasn't at all sorrowful or regretful. It actually had an edge of light sarcasm to it.
"Hmm, I guess," Bruce said, though not really as a response. More like an answer to whatever was out there, not directly at Tony.
"Oh wait, we're here," Bruce told him.
He turned the car off of the freeway at the small side road and turned into a large parking lot. It was mostly empty aside from a pickup truck and a few more standard cars along one side and a school bus more towards the middle of the lot.
The dirt ground was dry and made somewhat of a crackling sound as it crunched under the tires of the car.
"God, we're so fucking flashy here," Tony said with what was a small groan as they pulled into a spot on the other side of the lot from the other cars.
"Never thought you'd care about that, Tony," Bruce said with a laugh. "Thought you loved being the center of attention."
"We're at a fucking flower field, Bruce," Tony said, making a jokingly disapproving face.
"Oh wow, the all-powerful Tony Stark at a flower field in upstate New York!" Bruce laughed as he unbuckled his seatbelt.
Tony just light-heartedly scoffed as he did the same and got out of the car.
"You have the cameras?" The physicist asked.
"Yup. Still don't know how you got me to do this," came the answer.
"I guess I'm just good that way," Bruce chirped.
They were both out of the car and making their way over to the field. It was... Breathtaking.
The sunset made a streak of purplish-orange streak across the field of dandelions that seemed to stretch on for miles. It seemed like nothing except the ends of the Earth lay behind the expanse.
The sunset also cast brilliant shadows on the two men. Warm, bright orange and yellow splayed across their western sides as their eastern ones lay shrouded in blue and purple.
They laughed.
"Come on, let's get going before we don't get any light," Bruce told Tony.
"Sure 'Mr. Eliot Porter'," came the snarky response.
"Oh, shut up, Tony. It's just a hobby," Bruce said lightly.
As Bruce started the trek into the flower field, Tony smiled and made mock air quotes behind him, mouthing 'Just a hobby.'
They gently walked through the field, trying to the best of their ability to not kill many flowers (though it's hard seeing as it's a field of them). Their visions were filled with yellow as they looked down - with the occasional green or brown of the pistil - and, as they looked up, the sky swam with the gentle clash of the cool and warm palettes of evening and day.
As they reached the crest of the hill, they slowed to take in the sight.
"God..." Tony breathed.
"It's amazing," Bruce said, equally as amazed.
They both took in deep breaths. The sight was stunning.
After a few moments, Bruce moved to sit down.
Tony noticed and spoke,
"Oh. Oh yeah I have the cameras. Sorry. Wait. Shit. Here you go."
He fumbled around in his jacket pocket and withdrew the camera. It was a pocket one, but one of the most powerful ones like it. Tony had insisted Bruce buy something to indulge himself a few days after he moved into the tower, and Bruce had only agreed to after he'd been there for a few months.
The taller man smiled but hesitated.
"Do you want to take the first one?" Bruce asked.
"Oh. Um... Sure...?" Tony responded, legitimately taken aback by the offer. Bruce pushed the camera back into Tony's grasp and bent down on one knee to look at the flowers as Tony fumbled with the thing.
The physicist's hand brushed over the countless yellow petals, barely grazing them, but making an almost petting-like motion over them. As the engineer standing beside him fumbled with the intricate device (which, Bruce noted, was really unlike him. 'I guess he's just really not well-versed in photography...?'), Bruce grasped one of the flowers by the stem and swiftly plucked it from the ground.
Casually hiding it from Tony's view, he stood up to face the other man.
He softly laughed to himself, and then he gently grazed the plant along Tony's cheek and into his hair.
Tony immediately looked at him. He didn't jump. Didn't flinch.
He stayed where he was and the only moving he did at the action was his eyes to look at Bruce.
It wasn't hostile or scared, it was warmth.
Pleasure.
Happiness.
The billionaire smiled at the touch. Legitimately smiled.
"We can take the first picture of you," Bruce explained with a giddy smile creeping on his lips.
Tony smiled back, and answered, "Fine, but only if we do one of you and I can get you a flower too."
"Hah, when I can add one to you, I see the perfect one," Bruce chuckled.
Tony kneeled down and plucked off a large, yellow flower and as he was making to stand up, Bruce kneeled down and put another one he had undoubtedly found when Tony wasn't looking into the billionaire's hair. Tony did the same, and now they were 2 to 1, Tony.
"Aw come on, Brucie," Tony fake-pleaded. He then bent forward, placing one hand on Bruce's knee and the other reaching behind him, to grab a blossom that had caught his eye from behind the other man.
He bent back to face the physicist and brushed Bruce's hair aside to tuck it behind his left ear, admiring his 'work' with a warm smile.
Bruce laughed wholeheartedly and laid back on the bed of flowers, splaying his arms across the plants like an exhausted child.
He smiled up at the billionaire, halfway beckoning for him to join him, the smile spreading across his face like a blooming flower.
Tony laughed and bent down, curling on his side towards Bruce's chest - his right arm supporting him as his left reached across the other man to pluck yet another flower from its home in the dirt.
He brought it back towards the pair of men and tucked it into Bruce's warm gray curls fondly.
"Now who's winning?" Tony asked with a smile.
Bruce chuckled.
"Honestly, I think we both are," he answered.
"Aww Brucie, that's no fun," Tony fake-pouted. He had a giddy smile on his face as he said it.
Bruce just smiled in response.
Tony moved to snuggle himself against Bruce's side once more.
They stayed like that for a while. Just them, lying there on an almost infinite expanse of flowers, the setting sun bathing them in the warm palette of pinks, oranges, reds, and yellows.
"I think I succeeded in getting you out of the house," Bruce quipped.
"Shut up, Bruce," Tony joked. He made no other moves than burying himself deeper into Bruce's side, his arms wrapped around the other man protectively.
"But yeah, I guess you did."