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Tony fidgeted in the dressing room, checking his appearance yet again. Finally Pepper unknotted her arms to take his hands.
“It’s going to be fine,” She said firmly, though the smile she offered him was shaky at best. She leaned in and gently wiped a smudge of lipstick from his goatee; Tony’s hands had been shaky all day.
“We’ll be right in the wings,” Bruce added quietly, unfolding himself from the chair he had crammed into earlier. He wasn’t a large man, but he was rather well built, the result of regular exercise to lower his resting heart rate, and he was convinced the chair was made for twig-thin supermodels. “And you know whatever happens out there, we’ve always got your back.”
Tony smiled wanly at both of them, feeling slightly overwhelmed by their love and support. Bruce walked over and kissed his cheek, careful not to smudge any of his makeup, with a gentle stroke down his arm. That was Bruce, always gentle when he could, like Tony would break in his grip. Tony leaned into Bruce’s arms, a real smile on his lips this time.
Bruce squeezed gently and kissed his neck almost shyly; he was always nervous about showing affection in front of others, even Pepper, but Tony was just glad he was there. A wave of gratitude and love for both of them washed over him – that night ages ago it seemed where Pepper had arrived to find him messing around in her makeup bag, and her near-instant acceptance and help had left him with the same feeling. Remembering revealing his cross-dressing tendencies to Bruce put another smile on his face; Bruce had looked so adorably flustered and unsure if he were dreaming or not as they talked about the skimpy outfit and pretty makeup Tony had been wearing.
A polite cough from the doorway made them break apart – a PA with a headset and a serious expression. “Mr Stark, it’s almost your cue.”
Through the open door, sounds of the talk show starting filtered through; jaw-clenchingly annoying music and prompted cheering by the audience as the host waltzed on stage and took his seat, starting out with a few bright quips to get some cheap laughs. Tony’s stomach clenched as they followed the PA out to the wings. Pepper fussed with Tony’s tie for a moment, then forced a smile and stood back with Bruce.
“—time for our guest this evening, ladies and gentlemen!” The host was saying, one Mark Gusherly. “Please give a warm welcome to the one, the only, Tony Stark!”
Tony strutted out to a brief cue of Black Sabbath, his gait and manner as confident as ever; his publicity face firmly in place. As the audience saw the red and gold brushed delicately behind his eyes, the dark mascara and eyeliner, and the hot-rod red of his lips they faltered for a moment in their cheers, then replaced them with good-natured laughter and applause. No doubt they thought this was a trick, a stunt, and were expecting some coarse humour.
Tony felt bile rise in his throat but smiled charmingly at them all as he took his seat on the couch, white teeth flashing in Gusherly’s direction. The host had looked shocked for a moment, then had done his best to look halfway professional and now wore a strange mix of his usual smile and an unsettling smirk.
“Well!” He said, laughing the false laugh of the back-footed. “You sure do like to make an entrance huh, Mr Stark?”
“Well if you’re going to make an entrance you might as well make it memorable is what I say,” Tony shot back with a grin that hid the churning of his stomach and the dread that this had been a mistake. “And please, call me Tony.”
“I’m sure that’s where your reputation for fun has come from,” the host grinned, eyes roving over Tony’s face like he couldn’t quite process what he was seeing. “So what’s the joke this time?”
“Aside from that terrible tie?” Tony quipped automatically, gesturing at Gusherly’s horrid black and yellow flowery tie. The audience laughed loudly, a nervous release of tension.
Gusherly smiled a shark’s grin. “I’ll have to take fashion advice from you more often, Tony! But really, what’s the deal with the makeup?” As Tony fiddled with his cuff the host spotted the matching glossy crimson of his nails and put on an exaggeratedly camp voice. “Oooh, you look so fab tonight darling!”
That got a few nervous laughs, though Tony felt like he’d swallowed a bucket of ice water. He felt a drop of sweat slide down the back of his neck. Then he caught sight of Bruce and Pepper in the wings, just in his line of vision behind Gusherly’s head. They both looked outraged on his behalf but when they saw him looking they broke into identical warm smiles. He reminded himself to breathe and turned his attention to Gusherly. Clearly this had been a mistake, but he just had to roll with the punches now.
“No deal,” He said, forcing his voice to the lazy drawl he used to sound bored in interviews. “Nothing wrong with wanting a bit of glamour every now and then. I’d have thought you’d be used to it, Mark, you get caked in makeup every day for the cameras.” He returned the sharp, dangerous smile and Gusherly seemed to finally realise he’d insulted the man who regularly took out terrorist attacks and had recently manhandled a nuke into a portal into space and saved all of New York. The audience laughed again, sounding a bit more natural this time.
Tony looked out at the audience and was surprised to see so many excited grins and teary eyes. Then he realised Pepper must have had some say in the audience guests and slipped in a few people who would respond well – he saw a few of his friends dotted around the audience, ones who had similar tastes in skirts and eyeshadow. He smiled at them and their friends, feeling better for the little pockets of support. He made a mental note to give Pepper a really big present and a hug when this was over.
Gusherly laughed shortly, drawing Tony’s attention back to him. “So how often is every now and then? I’m curious, I keep an eye on the tabloids and not once have I heard a whisper of this.” He gestured at Tony vaguely.
“What was it you were saying about making an entrance earlier?” Tony smiled. “I wouldn’t have wanted to spoil the surprise for anyone. How’s your wife, by the way?”
That got a few sniggers – it had been all over the press that Gusherly’s wife had been caught in a very public affair and was now filing for divorce.
“I know I live my life in the limelight,” Tony smiled, not giving Gusherly the chance to respond. “But sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of privacy on certain matters, don’t you think?”
Gusherly barked out a laugh, looking a little sour. “So why go public now?”
Tony affected a shrug, though he knew it came off more tense than carefree. “Thought maybe after all the earth-shattering revelations of aliens and portals in the sky, your average Joe Citizen could handle a little news that people are more complicated than you think at first glance.”
One or two people in the audience cheered and a quick round of applause cut off Gusherly’s retort. He didn’t seem to like that and sat up straighter, a mean glint in his eyes that dispelled the small ounce of confidence Tony had gained. They’d chosen this show because it had the largest national audience, but now he was wishing they’d gone for a more even-tempered, less-famous show.
“So what got you into the glitter, huh?” Gusherly said, making a great show of seeming to be accepting. It just made Tony suspicious and he saw Bruce and Pepper frown. The thought of the Hulk smashing Gusherly through the wall helped him smile, though.
“Nothing much,” He said in his bored voice. “Tried it out one day, liked it, carried on. How did you get into wearing suits?”
Gusherly looked taken aback and Tony pressed the advantage. “Well I mean obviously someone had to get you into wearing suits, there’s no way you could have discovered you liked them on your own.”
Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation but Tony could see she was smiling. Bruce had covered his mouth so as not to laugh or chew his lips. Tony took his cue from Pepper to steer the conversation into less controversial waters.
“Now, I know you’ve all been dying to hear about some of Stark Industries’ new prod—”
“But really Tony, how do you think this is going to affect your company?” Gusherly interrupted with a smirk. “Do you really think the public is going to like the new look?”
“I don’t really expect it to make a difference to sales,” Tony replied, losing his good-natured expression. “Now, we’re all really excited about the new line of AI we’ve been developing—”
“Do your friends know?”
“What? Of course they know. I’m sure you know about my home AI, JARVIS, and the new line takes inspiration from that design—”
“What would your parents say, if they were alive?”
A shocked silence settled over the studio. Tony blinked and his mask slipped, his expression becoming more conflicted. Pepper looked like she was ready to strangle someone and Bruce appeared to be trying to calm down so he wouldn’t go green. He saw the camera operators exchange glances, some looking sympathetic and others looking like they were enjoying the show.
“I mean it’s kind of … fruity, getting dolled up and prancing around in skirts. Can the public depend on you to be ready to be Iron Man, this great nation’s first line of defence, if you’re busy playing with makeup?”
A few people in the audience started to mutter to each other in agreement. Tony felt hot, almost exposed under the scorching studio lights. Everyone was staring at him and his heart was hammering against his ribs; he could feel the arc reactor pushing against his shirt in time with its frantic rhythm.
“What would your father say, the great Howard Stark? Do you think he’d be proud?” Gusherly said softly, affecting a sickly sweet sympathetic expression while his words cut like a knife.
“I…”
“Lost for words? That has to be a first.” Gusherly laughed. The noise from the audience was uneasy now, restless.
“Stop this!” Bruce shouted, making everyone jump. He stormed on stage and had Tony tightly in his arms within a breath, shielding him from the cameras and audience as they gasped and muttered; one or two women shrieked excitedly. He squeezed tightly and Tony clung to him gratefully, knuckles white as he grabbed the back of Bruce’s jacket. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into Tony’s ear. “I couldn’t just let him say…”
“It’s okay,” Tony muttered back, voice thick with emotion as his eyes burned. “Thank you.”
Bruce held him for a moment more, then let him go and turned to Gusherly. “You are a coward and a bully and I won’t stand for it. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Who are you?” Gusherly spluttered, looking a little scared.
“I’m Tony’s friend, and I won’t just stand back and let you insult and belittle him! You have no idea the kind of pressures he’s under every day and the struggle it is for him to relax and enjoy himself. You have no right to judge him! When was the last time you saved Manhattan from aliens and monsters and nuclear bombs?” Bruce was shouting now, the veins in his neck standing out. Even though he wasn’t tall, in his rage he seemed to tower. The cameras caught the soft, tender expression on Tony’s face, though Bruce was too angry to look behind him to see the gratefulness and affection on his partner’s face. “You are a bully, sir, and I won’t have it! So what if he likes wearing makeup? It’s none of your damn business!”
“Bruce,” Tony said quietly, gripping his shoulder warningly. Bruce glanced back at him and some of his rage seemed to ebb. Tony breathed again.
“You have no idea how hard it was for him to come out here dressed as he wants,” Bruce continued, in a voice calmer but still seething with anger. “No idea of the struggle he’s had with the decision and the courage it took to come out here. You have no right to say such horrible, nasty things. You need to back off, you hateful bully.”
Bruce was shaking with adrenaline and anger and jumped when the audience got to their feet and began cheering and applauding. One of the cameramen, who was grinning, made sure to spin and get their reactions. Gusherly looked shocked and embarrassed, finally realising he’d stepped badly.
Bruce nodded grimly at him then turned and hugged Tony again, to cheers and shrieks. Tony ignored them and held tight, reaching up to bury one hand in Bruce’s hair. What the hell. There was already going to be a press shitstorm about this.
“Stay?” Tony asked softly. He felt Bruce smile against his neck and squeezed tighter for a moment, then let go. They sat down on the couch, Tony between Bruce and Gusherly. Tony was a little surprised Pepper hadn’t rushed out as well but when he looked up he saw her wiping her eyes and he smiled. She always preferred more subtlety than running around shouting, and it looked like she’d been crying for a while anyway. When the audience calmed and sat down as well, the host cleared his throat nervously.
“I, er, I’m sorry,” He said rather gracelessly. Bruce looked fit to go off on one again but Tony squeezed his elbow and smiled politely. He knew that was the best they were going to get without lawyers present threatening to sue emotional trauma. “So, are you going to introduce me to your noble friend there?” Gusherly said in an overly bright voice, obviously hoping to gloss over the whole thing.
Tony grinned and sat back, looping his arm with Bruce’s and resting his hand on the scientist’s forearm. “Bruce Wayne, no relation to the Gotham hero that we know of.” Bruce shot him an exasperated look but laughed. His hands were still shaking a bit from the adrenaline. Tony grinned, mood about twenty times better now.
Gusherly noticed that Bruce’s nails were painted green and his eyebrows rose. He fumbled for an appropriate question before Bruce saw what he was looking at. He smiled tightly and raised his hand to the cameras. “It’s in solidarity. For Tony.”
A few members of the audience ‘awww’d and he grinned bashfully, blushing just a bit. The interview continued harmlessly enough, Tony regaining his confidence quickly with Bruce squeezing his knee when he faltered. They talked a little about the cross-dressing but Gusherly must have had a voice in his ear telling him to stop. They moved on to talking about the new Stark Industries AI line and other new bits of tech Tony had been developing. Pepper cheered them on silently from the wings, grinning like her face would split. Bruce left the talking to Tony, aside from when Tony launched into some anecdotes about beta-ing the new system and the havoc it had caused – music going off full volume at three in the morning and the like – which had the audience in hysterics.
Finally they came to the end of their slot on the show and stood to rapturous applause from the audience. Tony grinned and swept a dramatic bow, pulling Bruce along with him as the audience laughed and whooped and cheered. “Thank you, you’ve been fantastic!” Tony called, blowing them all kisses. He gave a sarky salute to Gusherly and strolled out with Bruce at his side.
The applause continued for well over a minute but Tony didn’t notice, he was too busy being smothered to death by a weepy Pepper as they stumbled back to the dressing room.
“I’m so proud of both of you,” She sobbed, and smacked them both on the arm before leaving them alone.
Bruce smiled and caught Tony up in his arms again, chuckling and kissing him back just as eagerly as the billionaire leaned up into him. No one came to interrupt, and they only pulled apart when Tony’s mascara started to run. They didn’t have to say anything, simply smiled at each other. Bruce gently wiped up the teary mascara and Tony, with a grin, wiped off the lipsticky kisses from Bruce’s mouth and neck. They’d confront those particular rumours another time. One revelation that Iron Man wasn’t just a billionaire playboy genius philanthropist was enough for one day.
Tony dried his eyes, reapplied his makeup and together they walked out to face the adoring audience gathered at the studio entrance. It was going to be alright.