The Blacksmith and the Apothecary

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony followed Bruce towards the house, wondering why he was so rushed. "Its midday, I could prepare us lunch," he offered just to break the silence. He didn't like quiet, it gave way to bad things. Opening up the door, he trooped inside and dropped into a chair.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce glanced over to him, brows furrowing. He'd been cooking their meals for so long, he hadn't realized that Tony could manage by himself. "Uh, no, I can do it," he replied with a dismissive shake of his head. Taking a deep breath when he entered the kitchen, he began to tidy things up, righting the fallen chair and straightening others. His eyes lingered on the scratch marks embedded in the floor, but he turned away after a long moment and began to riffle through the pantry and prep their meal.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony immediately stood with a huff, setting his jaw in determination. No, damn it, he said he would cook. Him. Not Bruce. Striding forward, he caught the apothecary's arm. "That's all well and good, but I will do it," he said, a hint sternly.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce clenched his jaw a bit, but relinguished his hold on the food and yielded, taking a step back from the counter. There was no point in arguing with Tony, and he didn't particularly want to either. "Alright, I'll just..." He wasn't sure what to do, actually. This was usually his domain, was how he felt he could contribute and pay his dues around here. "P-Perhaps I could fry up some meat... I'm not sure how I might help."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony couldn't understand why the man was so fixated on cooking. Wasn't he tired? "Bruce," he said slowly, "let me. If you want to help, you can sit and tell me a story while I cook. Otherwise I'll get bored and sloppy and set this place on fire. Just relax for me." He flashed a reassuring smile and took the food from him.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce sighed and stepped back, trying to do as Tony asked. He grabbed a chair and sunk down into it, his shoulders tensed with nerves that really shouldn't be there. He just...h-he was sick of being taken care of, and he enjoyed cooking, it allowed him to take his mind off of things. It was some way that he could put himself at ease, and he really needed that right nlw. "A-alright, what sort of story do you want to hear?"

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"Something funny, I hate that depressing nonsense. Surely you have a funny story to tell?" Tony asked, seeing now that he maybe should've let Bruce cook. Oh well. He was going to cook some venison that the werewolf hadn't destroyed, he'd been meaning to cook it anyway. Subtly he set a knife, wood block and oninon in front of Bruce and said, "Chop please." Maybe that would calm him down.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce thought for a moment, pursing his lips. "I...I-I can't think of one at the moment, no. Sorry, maybe one will come to me," he replied, glancing down as he was presented with the onion. Before Tony could finish, he had the knife in his hand and he expertly chopped up the vegetable, blinking as his eyes stung from the pungent odor.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

What a shame. At least Bruce seemed calmer now that he had something to occupy him. "Ah, alright then. It is no issue," he assured the apothecary, starting a small fire in his fireplace to cook the meat.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

After a few moments, Bruce finally thought of something. "Um, well there was the time that... I was delivering a sleeping draft to one of the patrons at the pub in town, and somehow he convinced me to stay for a drink. While I was at the bar, one of the chambermaids thought it amusing to try and pick me up, but she only ended up humiliating both of us when she fell on top of me and knocked both of us to the ground. She reeked of whiskey, and everyone thought it hysterical, especially when the daft young woman fell asleep right there, her breasts in my face," he told him, trying to make it as entertaining as he could, although he wasn't very adept at story telling.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Whatever Tony had expected, it was not the story that Bruce told. He snorted and gave a few hoots of laughter, trying to stifle his amusement in the crook of his arm. "That is most unfortunate. Really. I shall have to improve your memory by taking you out for a drink and getting you a real woman. Not some concubine," he said finally.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce chuckled and shook his head, finishing up the onions. "If I did not want a real woman before, I certainly could not have one now," he muttered, still smiling, although there was less amusement in it, and more resignation. "But you are welcome to take me, I just cannot promise I will be all that entertaining of a companion. Or the best 'wing man,' for that matter," he added, coining Tony's own expression with a smirk.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"You say that, but you just might surprise yourself," Tony replied with a slight smirk, coming over to collect the onions and taking them back to the wooden counter. "Besides, if I truly took you to a tavern, I would not take someone home and leave you. To quote myself, everyone wins, or no one wins."

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce shrugged and smirked, leaning back in his chair a little. "I think you are a little too optimistic, but that is just me," he told him, "You certainly have quite the challenge ahead of you, if you think you can find any decent woman to enjoy my company."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony paused in his addition of the onions to the meat, looking back at Bruce with a sly smile. "Oh, I hear a challenge. After lunch, I bet you that I can get a woman to fall for you. Do we have a deal?" He said very slowly.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce considered the offer for a moment, pursing his lips. He hadn't held any interest at all in a woman since Elizabeth had died, much less actively sought out the affections of one. And now with this new problem... He shook his head. "I do not think that courting me would be in a woman's best interest," he replied just as slowly.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Rolling his eyes, Tony went back to preparing the meat. "Nay, not courtship. A fling, if you will. A single evening for good times, no money on either side. Some women do not appreciate this, so we shan't be bringing them here. Otherwise they'll know where I live," he explained with an eyebrow waggle, spearing the meat with a spit and carrying it over to the fire.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce blinked and stared for a moment. He should've known that was what Tony meant, it jist wasn't the first thing that had occured to him. "Tony, that's more your thing, not mine. I was a happily married man for years, and frankly the notion of having a one night fling never appealed to me."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

The spit set just above the fire, Tony straightened and pouted at Bruce. "Fiiiiine. But you're not being very fun right now. A fling could be just what you need," he pointed out, coming over to sit down at the table.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

"You've already been informed that I'm not fun, or anything close to it ," Bruce countered with a quirked, challenging brow. "I just do not see how having coitus so often is beneficial to one's health. But I'm not judging. You continue to do whatever you like."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Oh, oh, was Bruce mocking him now? "Well, for one thing it is a healthy exercise. You get to experience a social interaction with another human. There are a lot of benefits to coitus," Tony huffed at him, crossing his arms. And just to mess with Bruce, he added, "Even the occasional man is pleasant."

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

"Mhmm..." Bruce hummed, not buying any of it. At Tony's last comment, though, he blinked and raised a brow, although it was more from surprise than judgement. "Interesting. Never attempted anything of the sort before," he admitted, figuring that it wasn't much of a surprise to Tony.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony chuckled at his expression. "It's quite the same as laying with a woman.. If you figure out the anatomy bits. In my own defense, I was very, very drunk," he replied with an amused twinkle in his eye.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce nodded, pursing his lips. "Alrighty, then. Good to know," he muttered, mulling that over. He figured that a man of Tony's reputation would have to have been fairly drunk. Then again, he tried not to pry into the blacksmith's personal life too much. Or, sexual life, he supposed he should say.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

After that Tony was silent, running his nail over the wood of his table. "You know, after you return to your home.. You are welcome to visit whenever you like," he said finally. It was going to be lonely with his friend gone.