coming in from the cold

[watchesthewatchers]

He's gone for a month, and then he's back again, sitting on Tony's balcony, lighting one cigarette off the next, eyes closed.

Comments

[profiteering]

"Well, being me isn't all photo ops and sex."

He teases, but there is some degree of honesty in it.

[watchesthewatchers]

"Shush."

He says, leaning his forehead against Tony's arm.

"I've never thought that."

[profiteering]

"Never? Because I work really hard to get people to think that."

Still being honest.

He grabs his jacket off the back of the couch and drapes it over Peter.

[watchesthewatchers]

"You also work really hard to keep them from hijacking your planes."

Peter points out, softly.

[profiteering]

He hums softly, amused.

"If I hadn't been just back from Afghanistan I would have taken you to the private room and ridden you until we landed."

[watchesthewatchers]

"No, you wouldn't have. I was too annoying."

Reminding him.

"If I'd wanted to honeypot you I'd have done it differently."

[profiteering]

"Show me sometime."

He smiles.

"So I was thinking about what Bruce was saying, about the collar..."

[watchesthewatchers]

"Which one? Remind me."

Striving to remember the conversation.

[profiteering]

"That it was really--dangerously--visible. I have to hide mine when I wear it to press conferences, and no one would be able to do anything to me if they saw. If they knew. You have more at stake."

He nips Peter's ear.

"But maybe I could cuff you, instead. With a watch or bracelets. Probably a watch--no one would know what it was but us."

[watchesthewatchers]

He smiles at him, eyes closing.

"Watches are complicated, Tony."

[profiteering]

"What? How?"

Tony shows him his, a beautiful copper piece.

"Look how simple that is."

[watchesthewatchers]

"It would just need to be a cuff you wouldn't mind my taking off."

Would be all.

"When I'm a schoolteacher, or when I'm a diplomat, when I'm a ditch digger. Not that I do much of that these days, but I shouldn't like to make a promise I can't keep."

[profiteering]

He nods.

"I don't wear my collar all the time either. As much fun as it would be to have you cuffed all the time, wherever you were...it's not practical. I know."

[watchesthewatchers]

"Then I'd wear a discrete, moderately priced watch."

He gives, smiling at him.

[profiteering]

"What's a moderate price range for you?"

Tony knows his price perspective is, well. Skewed. Bruce has pointed it out often enough.

[watchesthewatchers]

"Bruce's taste is lovely."

He tells him, kissing him, softly.

"Have him make a game of it. He collard you, he's giving you me."

[profiteering]

"I'll ask him tomorrow."

Which means he intends to devote all his attention to Peter tonight. He smiles, and goes back to kissing him for a while.

[watchesthewatchers]

Peter eventually goes quiet, leaning into and just enjoying each kiss to the fullest extent. He loves him.

[profiteering]

"Doing better?"

He murmurs finally, and for once feels like he's managed to help in a situation that needed an emotional response instead of brute force.

[watchesthewatchers]

"A great deal, for all that I'm making the mistakes of my forefathers."

Nosing at his cheek.

[profiteering]

"What mistakes are those?"

He murmurs, and nips his lower lip.

[watchesthewatchers]

"Spilling spy secrets to a pretty face. Or pair of shoulders, in your case."

Smiling.

[profiteering]

"Don't be shy, you can say it. My face is pretty, too."

He grins.

"And you could've picked a worse person to spill your guts to."

[watchesthewatchers]

"There are a lot of ways in which you could be a great deal worse."

Smiling, quietly.

[profiteering]

Tony returns the smile and kisses his forehead.

"That's my boy."