Office Hours, Monday, 4/6

[tyler_gone]

Three hot showers, half a bottle of whiskey, an exhausting gym workout, and ten hours of fitful sleep after he had come out of the closet recovered from (un)life as a zombie, Tyler was back to his routine.

... he was in his office, anyhow. That counted. So what if he was mostly stupidly staring into space and trying not to think?

The door was open. Tyler wasn't into confined spaces just then.

Comments

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"Do you know what it takes to melt titanium?"

[tyler_gone]

"More than you have here?" Tyler speculated.

He twirled a little in his chair, wondering why he always had such a hard time saying he was sorry. "I wish I hadn't tried to eat you. Twice."

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"I suppose I can't fault you for good taste." Apology accepted.

[tyler_gone]

Good.

"And I told Nathan that I was lucky there were some superheroes around to shove me in the closet."

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"Very lucky." Keep on being smug, Tony. "It gives Steve something to do."

[tyler_gone]

"And you found out the suit is zombie-proof," Tyler said. "What did you do the rest of the weekend, fly around and zap things?"

He was so good at the precise technical lingo.

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"A plus for the weekend all around," Tony replied, pouring himself a rather large cup of coffee. Because he could.

[tyler_gone]

He could! There was even sugar, if he wanted it.

"Not one I need to relive, though," he admitted. "I sacrificed a deer. And killed at least two people."

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"...killed people?" That almost made him stop from taking a sip of the coffee.

[tyler_gone]

"Bit them and tried to eat their brains," Tyler said. "Jean-Paul, he's a teacher, and one of the blond girls from Wellspring. Temari?"

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"...Did you want to talk about it?"

[tyler_gone]

"You would die if I said yes," Tyler pointed out. "I'll be okay. It's not even the first time this year I've been undead for a weekend."

Jean-Paul was wrong. Vampires totally counted.

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"At least this time you didn't succeed in biting me." That was helpful, Tony. "Really, it's getting to be a habit of yours."

[tyler_gone]

"I could just keep my mouth far away from you."

Making this about sex? Also not helpful.

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

Tony just gave him a look. Because. Really now.

[tyler_gone]

Tyler gave him a look back. "... you didn't buy that, did you?"

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"I'd hate to have to kick you out of my bed because of your inability to stay alive," Tony replied dryly.

[tyler_gone]

"Did Steve do a told-ya-so dance?" Tyler wondered. "He's asked me when I was going to try to kill you."

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"The subject never came up." Steve so did it inside. "People seem to think I'm worth killing here."

[tyler_gone]

"Don't think this is weird, Tony, but if I went around killing people --- which I do not -- I'd think you were entirely worth killing. Think of it as a compliment."

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"Tyler. You closet romantic, you."

[tyler_gone]

Yeah, okay, Tony got a kiss for that, if Tyler could stand up and lean in without disturbing the sacred caffeine delivery vessel.

(The kiss wasn't just for that, either.)

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"You only proved my point," Tony said, careful to keep the coffee safe.

[tyler_gone]

"What was your point?"

Tyler was staying close. Tony felt nice, even if he couldn't admit it.

[not-ironmaiden.livejournal.com]

"You are far too much of a romantic for this." Said the man who was setting his coffee down for more of that.