Happy early Birthday Nokomis!!
Title: Two of a Kind
Characters: Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Bruce Wayne, Hank McCoy (before becoming Beast and only mentioned in passing), eventually Tony/Bruce
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1061
Disclaimer: Batman is DC's, Iron Man is Marvel's.
AN: For nokomis305! I know I'm a day early, but I won't be anywhere near a computer tomorrow, so... =) The drabble I started grew to this after I read you wanted an IM/BB crossover! Have a happy birthday!
Dr. McCoy did not like to be on display, but he needed the funding. After speaking with various colleagues who had convinced him it was the only way-they had done the same thing-he settled on Gotham, hoping a certain CEO would be interested enough to fund his research, but just in case, Hank invited everyone else he could think of that might be interested in the biochemistry and genetics he had been working on.
The best security had been hired for the occasion. Guards in civilian dress stood at every door and window. The small hall, simply, but elegantly decorated, was only half-full, for only the best and brightest in the field were invited. Every top tech company, among them Wayne Enterprises, LexCorp, Stark Industries, and the Brand Corporation were present at the exhibit.
Bruce Wayne had just arrived as evident by the explosion of flash photography.
“My entrance was better.” Tony Stark remarked to his assistant, a grin threatening to break out. Pepper Potts humored him with a small smirk.
They watched Wayne stop by and speak to an older looking gentleman, Mr. Fox, Pepper informed Tony. Tony soon lost interest and grabbed two flutes of champagne from the waiter walking by. He preferred scotch, but there wasn’t any in the entire building. He checked. He downed one glass and handed the other to Pepper, smiling as he spoke to her, “Let’s hope McCoy has something better to show us than Richards did.”
Pepper blinked incredulously. “Richards’ plane revolutionized air travel,” she pointed out.
Tony laughed, then leaned in to whisper in her ear, his breath caressing her cheek, “Not like my suit has.”
“Ah, the Iron Man.”
Tony turned around. He smiled, warm and wide, and shook the extended hand, “That is what the ladies say.”
“Of course,” Bruce winked and nodded feigning understanding, well aware that his own reputation was also very well known.
“I assure you,” Tony leaned in conspiratorially, “Nothing more than a publicity stunt is all, but it sure brought some much needed attention after that whole 40 point drop-”
“56 and a half points.” Pepper corrected.
Tony cocked his head to the side as he looked at her, his brown eyes not betraying what he was thinking. She stood her ground and held a level gaze until he turned towards Bruce again, “Wayne! Pleasure to meet you...and all that.”
“Please, call me Bruce,” Gotham’s Prince grinned, impressed by the firm handshake and purposely not hiding the way his eyes travelled along Mr. Stark’s companion’s well-toned figure.
Tony cleared his throat to draw the other man’s gaze back to him. When sparkling hazel-blue eyes faced him again, he spoke, “Looks like McCoy’s show’s about to start.”
…
As the sun began to set, the shadows came alive throughout the city. This was his favorite time of day and not simply because it was time to go to work, but it also brought hope that one day the sun would set on all the crime plaguing Gotham and there would be no need for Batman. He realized how idealistic and naive that made him sound, so he shook the thoughts away.
He stood atop the Gotham Bank Building and looked around. His city was surprisingly calm and quiet. He didn’t like it. Calm and quiet usually led to the proverbial storm. And with the new mob boss, still only known to him as the Penguin, continued his takeover of the Gotham underworld, Batman was wary.
The intel he’d gathered from two of Penguin’s thugs before they passed out was that the arms deal would happen tonight. Unfortunately, they couldn’t tell him where it would happen or what weapons were being sold. Batman was about to jump off when a loud explosion a few miles away filled the sky with fire.
He shot his grapple gun and swung off. Mid-air, he noticed something fly towards the explosion. He narrowed his eyes as he landed. Who the hell was in his city? As he moved closer, he saw the flying object shoot at the thugs on the street that shot first.
Batman ran across rooftops, jumping from building to building as fast as he could. As he got closer to the chaos, he realized it wasn’t a small plane like he originally assumed. It was Iron Man. There were rockets being shot out of his forearm, an energy beam of some kind from his palms, and small missiles from his shoulders. If Batman weren’t so angry, he would have been impressed.
He knew Stark had been in Gotham for more than the exhibit.
Batman clenched his jaw. Sure, he had seen Stark board his private plane, like the rest of the CEOs, for California but if what he’d read was true, Iron Man could make it back to Gotham in less than a quarter of the time it took him to leave in the first place.
By the time Batman arrived at the site of the initial explosion, Iron Man had incapacitated the twenty-two-by Batman’s count-armed gunmen.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Batman growled.
Iron Man turned and looked over his shoulder at the words, which sounded more like an animal’s than a human’s. Maybe the stories were true and Gotham’s defender was half bat. Inside the suit, Tony grinned; he never imagined the urban legend was real, but if he, himself, was flying around in a suit, anything was possible. He looked at the Batman, but only half his body was visible. The rest was swallowed by shadows.
“Gotham doesn’t need your kind of help,” Batman added, but his eyes were busy scanning the exquisite craftsmanship of gold and red suit.
Iron Man turned around fully to face him. The engine thrusts at his feet ignited, as did the ones at his palms, “They’re all yours,” came the steely voice and soon he was flying away towards the setting sun.
Batman jumped down to the alley to inspect the damage. One particular piece of debris caught his attention. Stark Industries was printed on the side of the small canon shaped metal. Batman picked it up and stored it in one of his utility belt’s compartments.
The sirens grew louder and Batman dissolved into the darkness with one thought on his mind, maybe it was time for Bruce Wayne to pay a visit to the West Coast.
________________
Next!