p • r • e • s • s • u • r • e

MISTER STARK!

Seconds later, Tony gets a selfie of Peter smiling and May looking caught off-guard, ]going through her purse.

Someone knocks on the window and he rolls it down.

"Tony! Kinda got my hands full..."

"Right! Sorry. Hand it over," he offers, hands outstretched. Bruce gives him the boxes and sits down. Tony puts it on the floor behind his seat so it doesn't slide, and they pull away from the curb.

"Where are we going?"

"Airport."

"W-is it Pepper?" Bruce's eyebrows shoot up and his eyes are wide as saucers.

"Pete. And listen-she's tall and gorgeous but Pepper really doesn't bite. Believe me I've asked."

"Oh. No, I just..."

"Anxious to face her?"

"Yeah."

"It'll be okay."

"Sure it will..."

Tony taps the button on the dash and the top rolls back again. They pull onto the highway.

"But just in case it doesn't and she tackles you she's got a sore spot on the back of her left shoulder."

"What!?"

Tony shrugs.

"Just sayin'..." He grins. Bruce looks terrified.

"JARV, play whatever gay shit Brucey had on earlier.

"Tony you're literally gay."

"No fucking way!"

"Oh shut up."

It takes a couple songs until they hit gold. Tony's been tapping the steering wheel to the beat and Bruce pretends not to notice. Until Rio comes on.

"Oh, I know this one!" Tony says.

"Yeah, everybody knows this one."

"I like this one!"

"Cherry ice cream-smile, I suppose it's very niiice!" they both sing.

They laugh, speeding down the freeway.

It occurs to Tony that at least he can actually satisfy that urge to sing along with this music-something his fragile vocal cords would not allow with Metallica.

"It means so much to meeeee, like a birthday, or a pretty view..." Tony belts out.

SO THIS IS THAT SONG THAT KEPT COMING UP ON THE RADIO BACK WHEN I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

He is suddenly aware of the fact that Bruce is no longer singing along.

"What."

"I-nothing, I just...I didn't know you could sing."

"Oh...yeah, I was in a band like, a million years ago. Still got it, I guess."

"I-I didn't know that."

"Yeah...used to sneak out on Fridays and Wednesdays. Perform at the local dive, only place my father couldn't find us. It was shitty, but we were pretty decent."

"Oh. Why didn't you keep it up?"

He laughs.

"Because I was a choir boy, and my father beat the shit out of me when he found out."

"I'm sorry. That's-not very nice of him."

"Nope. I punched him back though."

"Good for you."