Fic: Voices, Paul Bettany/ Robert Downey jr
Title: Voices
Pairing: Paul Bettany/ Robert Downey Jr
Rating/ Warnings: PG-13
Words: 1.248
Notes: Hey, it's pretty tame. I think. Just flirtations. You wouldn't believe the noises I made when I first heard Jarvis. And that was before that "Be gentle, it's my first time" scene! Anyway. Hiding now.
“You're Jarvis,” Robert asked.
There had been a split second in which he wondered about the caller ID but he still had answered right away. Those that had his number, had his number for a reason. Paul clearly got the number after finding out what movie he was doing voice work for. And that was fine. Robert hadn't know up to now, so it was nice to actually hear the voice, and that it was over the phone seemed appropriate.
“You're Jarvis,” Robert repeated. For the third time or so since he had picked up the phone.
“Yes. Well, technically, I only lend my voice, but yes.”
“Fuck,” Robert said. “Come on, say something. Let me hear you.”
“Like what? You are a strange man. Let's see, it is rather late here, as I am currently in London, which you might have noticed if you looked at that little display on your telephone before picking up, and I am alone in my flat and a little bored. It did not rain today, which is a small miracle, but the skies are grey and I am too lazy to go out and do something useful, so I actually looked up the fucking time difference on the internet to see whether I could call you. What else? They'll let me keep my accent, albeit I will tone it down a bit, which probably means that I will pretty much sound like I do now.”
There was a moment of silence on the line.
“You're Jarvis,” Robert then muttered, and even though it was a statement, he sounded as if he had trouble grasping the concept. Paul laughed, low and over the long distance buzz of the line.
“Yes, I think so.”
“You'll be the voice I'm talking to? The voice in my head?”
“The voice in your helmet, though I think they will only add it later. But yes.”
Robert made a noise he hoped Paul couldn't decipher, but it was really just another “fuck,” just very muffled this time.
“I don't think I will even be on set. I'll just record my lines and that's it. Easiest money ever made.”
“Good thing I don't have a kink for all that “Sir” stuff or I'd be in real trouble,” Robert finally said.
Paul laughed again. “We'll see,” he then said in a perfectly well tempered voice. Robert thought that it was among the top ten dirtiest things he had ever heard, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.
“Shame we don't get to meet though.” Only after saying it, did Robert realise that it sounded vaguely wrong. And like an invitation. Which he didn't give.
“We could go over lines on the phone, if that would make you more comfortable.”
There was a tiny pause before the comfortable, and Robert grinned at that.
“Whatever works for you, honey,” he said, lowering his voice to a purr.
“Will that be all for today,” Paul asked, still in that voice.
“Yeah, that will be all for today, thank you.”
They hung up without saying goodbye. Robert knew they'd be talking again.
Paul called him a week later. This time, the time difference wasn't as much of a bitch, since Paul called from New York. He sounded surprisingly peppy, as if just after his morning coffee, which couldn't be, as it was three hours later there and Robert was just chugging down his second espresso as a late breakfast. At 11 am. On a day off. They exchanged small talk about the fucking weather, not that anyone of them cared about it, the weather in LA was the same all the time anyway, and Paul had to remember that from his last stint there, and New York was New York, slightly cooler and more temperate and probably with rain this time of year. (Yes, Paul had said, sounding surprised and pleased at the same time, light rain, temperature mild but not warm, and how did he know? He knew everything, Robert had answered, drawing out the added honey for effect.)
“How did you land this job anyway?”
“Jon asked me.”
“Really? That sneaky son of a bitch.”
“Why, did you mention me?”
Robert did not know how to answer that because the flat out no seemed too harsh. Sensing that Paul had more time today, he sat down at the counter, cordless phone pressed to his left ear, mapping the melody of Paul's accent, the rises and falls.
“I wish I could say something extremely flattering now, but I have to go with a simple no here. Which does not mean I don't value the two hours of incredible hard labor you put into recording all your lines, Paul.”
“Oh, first name basis now? I didn't know,” Paul said, and there was that smirk again, right at the edges of his voice. “You only used pet names before, love.”
Robert knew he would have to cancel his first appointment for the day, maybe even reschedule workout if Paul continued like that. There was no innuendo, he told himself. Just idle talk. About the fucking weather in New York. You could hardly call that flirting.
“I can hear you thinking, Robert. That can't be healthy,” Paul said.
“What? Oh. I was merely contemplating whether I can allow myself another shot of espresso. Which might excite me even more. I'm not sure this conversation needs more excitement.”
“Contemplating caffeine intake? Trying to stay healthy, are we?”
“Oh, you have no idea, pumpkin,” Robert said, placing a cigarette between his lips and flicking open the lighter.
“Someone in your shape should be able to handle another espresso, if I may be so bold.”
Robert smirked and lit his cigarette. He inhaled deeply, rested his chin on his hand and exhaled again, watching the smoke curl towards the kitchen ceiling.
“Comes from working out five times a week. A workout I will miss today if you keep chatting to me like that.”
“What do you do?”
“For workout? Just a little fighting.”
“Yes, I figured as much. That explains the shoulders. Does it make you bendy as well?”
“I am not going to answer that. But yeah, maybe another espresso would be good right now.”
Paul laughed.
“I think I will let you get to your scheduled appointment, Mr Downey. If that is all for today.”
“Oh, I can think of other things, but, yes, thank you, that is all.”
He waited for the click that announced the end of the call, but none came.
“I can hear you breathing down the line, Paul. Do I want to know what you are doing?”
Paul laughed again.
“Obviously not what you are hoping for. I'll call you later.”
This time, the click came and Robert found himself slightly disappointed at that. He was just at the espresso machine, when the phone rang again.
“I'm pretty sure, Jarvis is at Tony's disposal, not the other way round,” Robert said.
“You never said when your appointment started.”
“You never asked.”
“Well, when does your appointment start?”
Robert smirked and moved to the couch, toeing out of his shoes on the way there. He had enough time to get comfortable first, after all.
Pairing: Paul Bettany/ Robert Downey Jr
Rating/ Warnings: PG-13
Words: 1.248
Notes: Hey, it's pretty tame. I think. Just flirtations. You wouldn't believe the noises I made when I first heard Jarvis. And that was before that "Be gentle, it's my first time" scene! Anyway. Hiding now.
“You're Jarvis,” Robert asked.
There had been a split second in which he wondered about the caller ID but he still had answered right away. Those that had his number, had his number for a reason. Paul clearly got the number after finding out what movie he was doing voice work for. And that was fine. Robert hadn't know up to now, so it was nice to actually hear the voice, and that it was over the phone seemed appropriate.
“You're Jarvis,” Robert repeated. For the third time or so since he had picked up the phone.
“Yes. Well, technically, I only lend my voice, but yes.”
“Fuck,” Robert said. “Come on, say something. Let me hear you.”
“Like what? You are a strange man. Let's see, it is rather late here, as I am currently in London, which you might have noticed if you looked at that little display on your telephone before picking up, and I am alone in my flat and a little bored. It did not rain today, which is a small miracle, but the skies are grey and I am too lazy to go out and do something useful, so I actually looked up the fucking time difference on the internet to see whether I could call you. What else? They'll let me keep my accent, albeit I will tone it down a bit, which probably means that I will pretty much sound like I do now.”
There was a moment of silence on the line.
“You're Jarvis,” Robert then muttered, and even though it was a statement, he sounded as if he had trouble grasping the concept. Paul laughed, low and over the long distance buzz of the line.
“Yes, I think so.”
“You'll be the voice I'm talking to? The voice in my head?”
“The voice in your helmet, though I think they will only add it later. But yes.”
Robert made a noise he hoped Paul couldn't decipher, but it was really just another “fuck,” just very muffled this time.
“I don't think I will even be on set. I'll just record my lines and that's it. Easiest money ever made.”
“Good thing I don't have a kink for all that “Sir” stuff or I'd be in real trouble,” Robert finally said.
Paul laughed again. “We'll see,” he then said in a perfectly well tempered voice. Robert thought that it was among the top ten dirtiest things he had ever heard, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.
“Shame we don't get to meet though.” Only after saying it, did Robert realise that it sounded vaguely wrong. And like an invitation. Which he didn't give.
“We could go over lines on the phone, if that would make you more comfortable.”
There was a tiny pause before the comfortable, and Robert grinned at that.
“Whatever works for you, honey,” he said, lowering his voice to a purr.
“Will that be all for today,” Paul asked, still in that voice.
“Yeah, that will be all for today, thank you.”
They hung up without saying goodbye. Robert knew they'd be talking again.
Paul called him a week later. This time, the time difference wasn't as much of a bitch, since Paul called from New York. He sounded surprisingly peppy, as if just after his morning coffee, which couldn't be, as it was three hours later there and Robert was just chugging down his second espresso as a late breakfast. At 11 am. On a day off. They exchanged small talk about the fucking weather, not that anyone of them cared about it, the weather in LA was the same all the time anyway, and Paul had to remember that from his last stint there, and New York was New York, slightly cooler and more temperate and probably with rain this time of year. (Yes, Paul had said, sounding surprised and pleased at the same time, light rain, temperature mild but not warm, and how did he know? He knew everything, Robert had answered, drawing out the added honey for effect.)
“How did you land this job anyway?”
“Jon asked me.”
“Really? That sneaky son of a bitch.”
“Why, did you mention me?”
Robert did not know how to answer that because the flat out no seemed too harsh. Sensing that Paul had more time today, he sat down at the counter, cordless phone pressed to his left ear, mapping the melody of Paul's accent, the rises and falls.
“I wish I could say something extremely flattering now, but I have to go with a simple no here. Which does not mean I don't value the two hours of incredible hard labor you put into recording all your lines, Paul.”
“Oh, first name basis now? I didn't know,” Paul said, and there was that smirk again, right at the edges of his voice. “You only used pet names before, love.”
Robert knew he would have to cancel his first appointment for the day, maybe even reschedule workout if Paul continued like that. There was no innuendo, he told himself. Just idle talk. About the fucking weather in New York. You could hardly call that flirting.
“I can hear you thinking, Robert. That can't be healthy,” Paul said.
“What? Oh. I was merely contemplating whether I can allow myself another shot of espresso. Which might excite me even more. I'm not sure this conversation needs more excitement.”
“Contemplating caffeine intake? Trying to stay healthy, are we?”
“Oh, you have no idea, pumpkin,” Robert said, placing a cigarette between his lips and flicking open the lighter.
“Someone in your shape should be able to handle another espresso, if I may be so bold.”
Robert smirked and lit his cigarette. He inhaled deeply, rested his chin on his hand and exhaled again, watching the smoke curl towards the kitchen ceiling.
“Comes from working out five times a week. A workout I will miss today if you keep chatting to me like that.”
“What do you do?”
“For workout? Just a little fighting.”
“Yes, I figured as much. That explains the shoulders. Does it make you bendy as well?”
“I am not going to answer that. But yeah, maybe another espresso would be good right now.”
Paul laughed.
“I think I will let you get to your scheduled appointment, Mr Downey. If that is all for today.”
“Oh, I can think of other things, but, yes, thank you, that is all.”
He waited for the click that announced the end of the call, but none came.
“I can hear you breathing down the line, Paul. Do I want to know what you are doing?”
Paul laughed again.
“Obviously not what you are hoping for. I'll call you later.”
This time, the click came and Robert found himself slightly disappointed at that. He was just at the espresso machine, when the phone rang again.
“I'm pretty sure, Jarvis is at Tony's disposal, not the other way round,” Robert said.
“You never said when your appointment started.”
“You never asked.”
“Well, when does your appointment start?”
Robert smirked and moved to the couch, toeing out of his shoes on the way there. He had enough time to get comfortable first, after all.