Gift Exchange
Tony/Bruce
Tony might have gone overboard with gifts for his boyfriend.
This is starting to get ridiculous. He’s over forty years old or he thinks he is? There’s been too many time escapades recently with the Avengers. Hopefully, Asshole Reed Richard is done messing with time. He doesn’t think he can handle another time paradox or even think of there being one. It’s too much to take in.
However, Tony seems to be suffering the worse from said time effects. One being that he thinks his boyfriend needs to have the best Christmas. He’s not against it but with Tony everything a big event even if it should be modest. Tony Stark does not do modest unless it’s hiding his heart of gold.
He really wishes Tony would have told him what he saw during his time escapade. It would make it easier for him to reassure him whatever it was he saw. He let’s out a sigh opening the door to the lab and seeing a huge red and green gaudy gift on his lab. His whole lab table is covered in confetti and this huge gift right in the center as if it was meant to be there. It’s annoying.
First it was a giant teddy bear that took up their entire bed “but Bruce you’re a bear I thought you would like another bear to cuddle with?” Really Tony can be…he can be just Tony. It’s fascinating sometimes watching how his mind works and how he can miss the most basic human interactions. Sure, he can pretend to be a suave asshole in front of billionaires or pretend to be calm and collected during dangerous events, but Bruce knows better.
It’s not like Bruce knows any better on how to act like a normal human. He just uses sarcasm to try and hide his failings which are many, much more than Tony he’s sure of that. And even then, sometimes he uses it too oddly or not in correct context and it comes out sounding dry or just plain abnormal.
He doesn’t have to wonder why that is. He knows the answer to that question even if it took him until college to find out why he can only eat certain foods, why certain textures feel like sandpaper against his skin, and why he is terrible at human interaction. With Tony though it just seemed easier. It wasn’t seen as wrong or abnormal it just is. It’s a nice relief and feels great to be with someone who doesn’t tell him to stop his “nuisances” but embrace them? It’s a very good feeling which is why when he sees the gaudy gift on his lab table, he knows he needs to talk to Tony about this.
He sets his bag down by the lab and walks away from the gaudy gift taking the stairs down the lab. He has his eyes scanned at the door as the AI F.R.I.D.A.Y asks for his voice pattern recognition phrase.
Bruce sighs. Maybe he should get this changed too.
“Sexy bear approaching the anus.”
Really, he would have just preferred Tony kept it Strongest Avenger like he did for all the other technical equipment. Short and to the point. He hears the sander as the door opens.
“Hey Brucey Bear,” smiles Tony as he pulls the metal from the sander. He pauses the machine and grins looking at him as he comes down the stairs. “So how was the surprise.”
“Um that’s why I came to talk to you,” he says rubbing his head as Tony takes the goggles off his face.
“What? Is it the wrong size? Too soft or too thick? I was sure- “
“No Tony. Tony…I didn’t even open it yet.” He asks earning a blank stare from Tony. “I just…Tony why do you keep getting me gifts?”
Tony grins standing up from the work bench as he walks over to Bruce. “Can’t I buy my boyfriend gifts?”
“Well yes but Tony it’s been since the start of December…every day and well last time you did something like this was with Pepper, with the legion of Ironmen and you’re not dying are you? You’re not hiding that?”
Tony sputters, “what of course not. I mean shit just because I give you gifts you think I’m dying? I don’t know whether to feel disgusted or flattered.”
Bruce sighs, “ok good…so not dying is good so why?”
“Why not,” he answers shrugging as Bruce groans.
“Tony, please. This is…I’ve never gotten a present a day for nearly a month. This is confusing for me and I don’t know what it means. Should I be doing the same thing? I looked it up and there’s no reference why people might do it and you’re not like other people Tony, so I don’t know why I thought the internet would help but I don’t understand why you are doing this,” he says frustrated. “Is it because of whatever happened during that time event?”
Tony’s eyebrow raises slightly, “no.”
“Ha it is. You raised your eyebrow meaning something…something is wrong with it. Either the Time event or giving the gifts? Tony can you please just explain it to me please,” he asks him.
Tony let’s out a sigh, “it took me to one of your Christmas memories Bruce. That thing whatever that sludge that looks like Venom on a bad day was talking about murder and destruction. It showed me your first Christmas memory and I didn’t like it. It showed me a lot more than that but yours stuck out the most for obvious reasons.”
“Obvious reasons?”
“Bruce that sludge time monster was trying to turn me against you and kill you to stop the Hulk from forming. That’s what it wanted me to do because I love you.” He blushes rubbing his head, “Anyway it was unclear if that Christmas was a memory or if I was really in your past and well luckily Thor figured out how to get rid of that thing.”
“Oh…well thanks for not killing me in the memory or dream. I just don’t understand the reasons for the gifts still,” he mumbles. “Sorry.”
Tony chuckles, “well I saw one bad Christmas and thought you needed a better one. And then I thought you need a lot of good ones and I knew once a year giving you a good Christmas wouldn’t be enough, so I made it every day without telling you. Not literally every day as Christmas but I was trying to make up the bad ones with gifts because that’s what I know to do. Christmas has a lot of gifts, hence the gifts each day.”
“Tony you don’t have to do that. I appreciate it, but I just like being your best friend more. It’s the best gift because you don’t,” he pauses thinking. “You like me…you love me even when I’m not human or not normal enough like others. You don’t try to change me, make me fit better you just let me be and treat me as if I’m normal. It’s a good feeling not being different but still different?” He frowns thinking he made no sense. “I love you Tony…it’s just hard to show and express but I do.”
“Bruce you show me all the time. I see it…I mean sometimes I’m an idiot and don’t but more than 90 percent of the time I see it. You do good Bruce.”