Chapter Text
“So, is there anywhere you’ve ever really wanted to go?”
“I dunno. Maybe like, Germany for Oktoberfest or something but... y’know. Sobriety. And I don’t speak German.”
“Mm.”
They were bundled up in blankets on Edward’s couch watching cartoons. It was a bright, chilly morning, and the seasons were changing. Palpable transition into autumn. The wind was getting more and more crisp. They shared their morning coffee in the warm sunlight pouring through the window.
“I guess maybe a real beach, like something nice. A resort or whatever. Drinking a giant glass of Sex on the Beach. Having sex on the beach.” Edward scrunched his nose as he smiled. “I mean, not really though. I just don’t know. Seems like all of my vacation spots involve alcohol. I used to fantasize a lot about it, like, drinking alcohol in a pretty, dainty way and not like... a dirty alcoholic way.”
“You are pretty and dainty.”
“Even though I drink alcohol like a quarterback drinks Gatorade?”
Bruce smiled. Edward had shorts on, green with white stripes down the sides. His warm legs permeated heat through Bruce’s thin sweats. It was cold in the house, chilly enough that both men had goosebumps creeping up their arms.
“You do not.”
“You’ve never seen me binge drink, dude.”
“What’s the most you’ve ever had?”
“I don’t remember but I think an entire bottle of rum to myself in less than 6 hours.”
Bruce opened his mouth to speak, but Edward kept going.
“And then I was invited to a party and I had something like half a bottle of vodka there. I blacked out but I remember people taking body shots off of me. Which I sort of hate.”
“Mm. You ever done a beer keg?”
“NO WAY. You have?”
“Once and never again. I fucking hate beer.”
“Where would you possibly have done a beer keg?”
“A colleague’s graduation party. So stupid, I can’t believe I ever did that. I came back with pictures to show Alfred because I knew he wouldn’t believe me. He was furious.” They laughed for a while together, Edward’s slender fingers over his mouth.
“God, that’s fucking funny.”
Bruce wrapped his arm around Edward, pulling him closer. Even though the fabric of his top wasn’t particularly form fitting, he could still see Edward’s piercings underneath. He wanted to play with them so bad, but they were healing and he didn’t want to interfere with it. He watched Edward clean them everyday and he just wanted to touch them.
“But back to my question. Like, anywhere. I’d be there too so don’t say something cliche about being wherever I am.”
“Mm. I really don’t know, Bruce. I’m not big on travel. I don’t like leaving until I do and then don’t like coming home.”
Bruce was trying to take Edward on a vacation, making sure to ask every question before choosing. He wanted it to be sort of a surprise but he was trying to get his footing with the whole thing. He didn’t want to make a choice for Edward if he wasn’t going to like it. He would ask if he had to but it would ruin the surprise.
“Mm. Okay. That’s fair.”
“What about you?”
He’d been to quite a few places, as he got very into travel once he was old enough to manage his money. His favorite places were isolated rural countrysides of greener countries. Lambs roaming the flower meadows of farming villages, the smell of salt water and earth when it rained in coastal fishing towns. Anywhere small, really.
“It’s too hard to choose.”
“Exactly.”
Edward rubbed his face against Bruce’s shoulder, settling in to watch TV. He watched the same cartoons on repeat, memorizing the lines and referencing them to himself often. It was cute. Being around Edward in his own environment was so much more enriching than having him partake in Bruce’s. His habits were so interesting to observe. He had sensory issues, so he often wore the same clothes around his house, and every new piece of clothing he bought was specifically tailored to those feelings.
Everything had to be soft, loose, and couldn’t be made of certain fabrics. It also had to be thin. Must be a natural color, like brown or beige or green. Black was okay, but white made him feel overexposed. Bruce was trying to memorize things Edward told him in passing, but much of what he said revolved around vague and elusive language so he had to try to get every bit of information he could.
“Do you want some breakfast?” Bruce looked down at Edward, looked at his chest. The way fabric stretched around the metal underneath.
“What were you thinking?”
“We could order food or I could cook. Up to you.”
“Just whatever’s easiest.”
“Mm. Hey Edward.”
“Yeah?” He looked up to meet Bruce’s eyes.
“Do you think you’ll ever get more piercings?”
“I dunno. Probably not. Maybe just more on my ear. What about you?”
“I just don’t think I would like any on myself.”
Edward nodded. His stomach growled loudly.
“I’ll just cook you something real quick.” Bruce planted a warm kiss on his forehead.
“Thank youuu.”
Edward liked his eggs over easy, salted and peppered, and put in a small ramekin. He wouldn’t eat eggs if they didn’t have enough yolk. He’d asked Alfred for the same the thing the first time he had breakfast at the manor. Bruce took a mental note and never forgot. And he liked his bacon in between soft and crunchy. He wasn’t too particularly picky about that, but they needed to be patted dry so they weren’t too greasy.
He didn’t like orange juice with his meal because it was too overpowering, but liked it on it’s own after he was done. He had to water down every kind of juice he drank if it was sweet, because it was always too sweet. He didn’t really like cereal because he didn’t like milk or milk alternatives, but his favorite cereal was basic frosted flakes.
Bruce tried to notice all of the small things he could to be the best, most attentive version of himself he could be. He was trying to pay more attention Edward’s body language, the way he did things. How his eyes were really windows into how he was feeling, and what playing with his hands meant depending on the tone of the conversation. Sometimes it was a shy way of pleading during talks about sex. Sometimes it was anxious self comfort during stressful situations.
He was so complex. It was charming. And Bruce loved every single thing he learned about Edward. He’d never felt this way about anyone. He truly loved every single inch of Edward. His hair, his eyes, his nose, his lips, his slightly crooked teeth. His voice. His body. He wanted to prove it to the older man, not out of his own self interest, but because he truly and desperately needed Edward to know his worth and how much he was loved.
He heard Edward let out a shaky breath on the couch, turning to see the older man biting his lip.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” Bruce waited for him to finish his sentence, but nothing else was said. He watched Edward out of the corner of his eye as he got the food out of the fridge. He was squirming, rubbing his legs together. His hand was over his chest. Touching his piercings through his shirt. Bruce stopped and watched. He was using two fingers, moving the piercing back and forth.
“Yeah?”
Edward swung his head to meet Bruce’s gaze. Embarrassed but needy.
“Do you want me to do anything?”
“Mm, no that’s okay. It was just sensitive and I was... kind of checking it out.”
“Okay, let me know if that changes.”
He’d been trying to communicate consenting terms to the older man with him as the center instead of Bruce. ‘Is this okay,’ ‘is that what you want,’ ‘what can I do for you’. Just trying to never let himself have rule over Edward. And it was surprisingly more comfortable and enjoyable than his previous habits of just jumping into things.
And Bruce was trying to think more often about what he wanted, which, almost every time, was to see Edward enjoy himself. He really, really didn't like being so rough with him anymore. And felt awful that he ever did. Since stepping away from the Batman, he’d started to rediscover what it meant to be Bruce. To be a simple man, living a domestic life with his partner. And it was strange how much better he felt about himself. He was gaining confidence in ways he only previously had as Batman.
But he was realizing that so much of the confidence Batman had was purely manufactured. It was just another mask. One of many. But as Bruce, he was taking the time to learn, turning them into real emotions. He didn’t just feel confident, he was confident. He was strong. He just didn’t know his strength before, didn’t realize how immensely different he and Edward were on a physical and mental scale until he isolated himself to only being Bruce.
He started to cook, the eggs taking the shortest amount of time. He bought Edward high end cookware, the same type his chefs used. He’d consulted with them before buying Edward any kitchenware. Although he did buy Edward a dark brown dish set on his own accord. He just thought it fit. He would’ve done green, but aside from the bedrooms, there was no color theme. He thought it be easy on Edward’s senses if everything was dark and uniform.
Edward was watching his show again and Bruce just laughed to himself. Cute.
____
After breakfast, Bruce turned Edward loose with his card at the mall. Gave him the Bentley for the day. Bruce wanted him to buy more clothes, convincing him each day to get rid of more. They were donating most to thrifts and shelters, but Edward threw away the shirts that held the worst memories. Bruce also bought things brand new for homeless shelters, blankets and food.
He really did do a lot for the city that Edward never considered before. And he felt bad for constantly beating down on Bruce in his head all his life. He wondered what percentage of the city’s population also went oblivious to this work, hating Bruce the same way he had because they didn’t know better.
He walked around, holding the Bentley key tightly in his hand. He was always scared to lose it somehow. And Bruce’s card. So he constantly checked to make sure his wallet didn’t fall out along the way.
He wanted to go back to the lingerie shop, but didn’t know how many pieces it would take before the novelty wore off. He wanted to try more with Bruce, but he didn’t know what all that entailed. He wanted to get more exploratory with things he'd never done. Bruce went sort of overboard their first apology night and Edward wasn’t ready to jump back into that scene quite yet, but he was interested.
After wearing lingerie, he thought maybe he would be interested in high heels or other feminine things but it still seemed too much. Whether or not Bruce liked it was sort of irrelevant if Edward couldn’t even stand himself doing something. He had so many ideas but didn't have the guts to embarrass himself. He was never personally adventurous about his kinks or fantasies but he felt comfortable enough with Bruce to try.
They’d only casually talked about things they liked here or there but had never sat down and really thoroughly talked it through. It seemed like Bruce genuinely liked everything. Pain, choking, bondage, crying, anything in between. Any time he thought about it for too long, it made him want to scream. He got so painfully jealous thinking about how Bruce had learned about it all.
He didn’t even really know about kinks and fetishes before Bruce. Obviously, he knew about their existence, but he had never delved into them, seeing as he wasn’t a particularly sexual person. And he didn’t like porn. Made him uncomfortable. So he was sort of sheltered from most non-vanilla aspects of sex. Bruce seemed to like their plain vanilla sex just fine but Edward wanted to try for himself to see what he could come up with.
He thought maybe he could get himself a pretty outfit that wasn’t lingerie. Or he could get both. Either way, he did want to at least check in the lingerie store for something. Upon entry, the same cashier from last time waved.
“Oh my gosh, hi! How was your anniversary?” He tried not to make a face and just awkwardly smiled.
“It went great.”
“That’s good to hear. Well, let me know if you need anything.”
He nodded and walked to the garter belts. They had a new selection. One particular set caught his eye almost immediately. Very dark red, a sort of vampire-y vibe. They were solid colored with no other design, but they had much more alternative look to them. Grungy, almost. Reminded him of Bruce. The contrast would probably look really pretty against Edward’s skin.
He opted to only get the underwear of the set. They had much more fabric than his last pair, and would be cute without hassle. He also picked out a simple thigh belt; white lace. It was stretchy and soft. But, among the rest of the options, there was a thigh harness. Black pleather, with round studs and metal hoops between straps. It was charming and fit the aesthetic of the panties. But he was nervous.
He decided it couldn’t hurt to just grab as much as he wanted. He’d spent a few hundred in the shop last time. But why shouldn’t he spend more? He grabbed both, and a few more things; panties of different colors, black over the knee socks, and a sheer, thigh length robe. It was bell sleeved, with feathery fluff along the hem and sleeve openings. It was all white, and gave off an angelic feel, opposing the devilish panties and thigh harness.
After checking out, he bought some assorted clothing in other stores. Mostly long sleeves for the autumn and winter to come, and a new parka. It was quite similar to his last, with faux fur inside and out. It was a canvas material, thick and firm. It had hidden breast pockets on the inside, too. Edward was always looking for extra pockets.
As he continued to look through the clothes, he found a short, black pleated skirt. He heavily contemplated it. Like many of the things before it, it was just a little too much. He wasn’t sure if he was genuinely interested, or if he was interested solely for the purpose of doing something out of the norm. He considered it a moment longer before moving on.
Crop tops, however, he definitely needed. He grabbed a few soft, plain colored ones. He couldn’t stand the graphics some of them had. Quirky little captions here and there. He only wore plain shirts. He couldn’t stand when logos or printed graphics on t-shirts wrinkled and peeled. It was one of his biggest pet peeves.
He checked out, bags on his arms, and walked back to the car. On his way towards the revolving doors, however, he saw none other than his boss. From the firm. Alone, meandering the corridors of the mall. Dressed in one of his stupid work suits. And here Edward was, in what could hardly be considered ‘going-out’ clothes (more like barely passing as ‘not pajamas’), carrying bags upon bags of stuff. Hair a mess, glasses falling down his nose, breaking out from his touching his face after breakfast.
About to get in a Bentley.
“Edward?”
He winced.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, bud. We miss you down at the firm. Your customers miss you.”
“Yeah. Considering most of them were my customers for years I’d assume they might be a little upset about having to find someone to replace me.” It was a dig at his boss, and they both knew it.
“Look, Ed, I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to call. I’m willing to offer you your old position. Some of your clientele have transferred to new firms, so we’re already down a few streams of income. I wouldn’t de-promote you or anything. Same starting place as when you left.”
Edward was genuinely taken aback. This was the only time he’d ever seen this greedy son of a bitch truly penitent. He reveled in it. The humiliation he must be feeling at having to bow down to Edward to beg him to take his job back. A grin swept across his face.
“Unfortunately, all of my time is taken up by being around people who care about me.” He wanted to say more, so much more. But that was all he needed. He wished he could’ve taken a picture of his face; so defeated and crushed. He really thought Edward would say yes. Hilarious.
His boss didn’t say anything. Just a nod, and walked away hanging his head. What a truly great night.
He drove home, excited to tell Bruce, but when he got there, the younger man was asleep watching movies. He always fell asleep on Edward’s couch. It seemed like one of the only places he could ever get sleep. It was sort of adorable. Edward just felt bad that Bruce wasn’t able to get sleep at his own house. Maybe it was just the security of being in Edward’s environment, where he knew he didn’t have any responsibility.
Edward snuck past the couch and up the stairs. He tried on the red panties. He was right about them being more comfortable; his dick fit in them completely. Granted, it was soft, but they were comfortable enough and didn’t dig in anywhere like his full set did. And since the other colors he got were all the same style and size, he’d found his perfect fit. He was a little more worried about his thigh harness, so he didn't try it on yet.
The lace thigh belt was elastic, so it didn’t particularly matter. It fit wonderfully. And his robe was beautiful. It was soft and comfortable, not itchy like he was worrying it might be. It didn’t particularly match together, as he should’ve gotten white panties, but it was still nice to know that he made good picks regardless. Everything went smoothly and without a hitch.
He walked downstairs, hoping to sneak onto the couch with Bruce and wake him up but was met with the younger man sitting up with his head in his hands.
“I thought I heard you come in.”
“You weren’t supposed to see yet,” he pouted.
“Sorry. I can pretend I didn’t.”
“What do you think?”
Edward walked over, sitting on Bruce’s lap.
“I think you have good taste.”
“You don’t think this one is too...” He gestured at the robe. “Feminine? I mean it is just a robe. But I don’t know.”
“Well, do you like it?”
“I think it’s pretty.”
“Then it doesn’t matter. You can enjoy yourself however you’d like.” Bruce kissed his forehead. “I think it’s pretty too.”
Edward’s erection was peaking through the panties, pressing hard against the delicate fabric. Against Bruce. He could tell, as it was obvious, but he just smiled. A warm, kind smile. He was clearly still tired.
“Do you need me to do anything?” He mumbled.
“You seem tired.”
“Mm, probably too tired to fuck you but I can get you off.”
Edward smiled. He sat forward in Bruce’s lap, between the younger man’s legs, and leaned his head back to look at Bruce.
“Wanna do that, then?”
They shared a quick few kisses before Edward looked back at the TV. He didn’t know what movie it was, or really care, because Bruce’s hand was creeping up his thigh and under his robe. Thumb pressing against the tip of his dick, precum soaked into the thin lace. Bruce knew what made Edward weak, almost better than he did. He could get himself off but it just wasn’t the same. Bruce’s touch amplified the intensity of his pleasure, made him feel more when he felt like it wasn’t possible.
Bruce slipped his hand into Edward’s underwear, fingers tightening around the shaft. He jerked him off slowly, his other hand making its way to Edward’s neck to guide him back for a kiss. Tongues brushing together, licking each other’s lips. Edward really liked making out. It always caught his breath in his throat, made him melt. And Bruce always tasted good.
His hand was warm and soft, but without any lube, it wasn’t enough.
“Spit?”
“In your mouth or on your cock?”
Edward smiled through a moan.
“Mm, my cock.”
Bruce leaned forward over Edward’s shoulder, spitting into his hand. Edward untied his robe, bare chest exposed to the cold air, and pulled his underwear down so they wouldn’t get ruined. Bruce stroked his dick, wet and slick. Quick. He could feel Bruce’s emotions somehow, that predacious feeling of power quickening his pulse.
Edward looked down and watched in the swaying light of the TV as Bruce worked. Muscular forearms tensing with his movements. The way the veins bulged. His cock had similar veins. He had an exceptionally pretty dick, large and quite fitting for a man of his stature. He hadn’t been working out as much lately, but he still looked great. V-line muscles, firm abs, rippling back muscles. Edward never really cared for buff men, but it looked so good on Bruce.
And the strength he possessed made Edward feel so secure and protected. He could feel Bruce’s muscles against his back; he was wearing a thin shirt. It pulled tight around his biceps, clearly a size too small. But Bruce loved to subtly show off. He kissed Edward on his temple, grip on his dick tightening as he stroked harder. Faster. Edward could feel Bruce’s hard-on through his jeans, firm against his lower back.
He grabbed Bruce’s arm, whimpering at the feeling of the younger man’s grip shifting. He would periodically loosen and tighten his hand around the head. It was that movement he couldn’t quite recreate on his own. But every movement Bruce made was always so smooth and effortless. He tossed his head back against Bruce’s chest, squirming at the sensation.
“You’re my good boy, aren’t you Eddie?” He whined and nodded, squeezing Bruce’s arm. He smiled at the warm kisses on his face. Bruce had only ever called him by his full name until now. It caught him off guard. “So pretty.”
He nipped at Edward’s neck, quickly pinching his skin between his teeth and brushing his lips over the marks to relieve the short sting. He kissed Edward’s ear, hot breath against his face. He was getting close.
“Am I allowed to cum?”
“Mm, I don’t know about that. Should I let you?”
He nodded vigorously, sucking his lip in with a deep breath.
“Yes, please, I’ve been so good all day. So good.”
“I suppose you have been pretty good.” He paused in thought for a moment, not slowing down his stroke. Edward was worried he might cum on accident. “Why don’t you go ahead and cum right now.”
Bruce immediately planted his lips on Edward’s, swallowing his sobs and jerking him off through the orgasm. He came on his stomach. Bruce sucked and bit at Edward’s bottom lip.
When Bruce was sure Edward was done, he kissed his forehead softly a few times before getting up and lifting Edward bridal style. He started doing this when they had sex downstairs, carrying Edward to the bathroom to get cleaned. Edward didn’t know how much he weighed, but Bruce made him seem light as a feather. He didn’t even falter up the steps.
After Edward’s tummy was cleaned off, both men washing their hands, Edward noticed the tent still in Bruce’s pants. He slid to his knees on the bathroom floor, robe pooling over his body as he unbuttoned the younger man’s jeans. He looked up innocently at Bruce, catching his gaze, receiving an encouraging smile.
Bruce was leaned against the sink, gripping the porcelain as Edward took him into his mouth. He was holding Bruce’s thighs to keep himself there; cock down his throat. He was getting better at managing his gag reflex, able to push himself farther. Bruce let out a shaky moan, leaning forward. Trying to stay still. Edward could feel his thighs tense.
“Can we try something?”
Bruce rarely ever asked to try new things, so Edward was already willing. He held his hand out, Bruce helping him up. He followed behind as Bruce walked to the room.
“What are we doing?”
“So... I think you kind of..” He guided Edward onto the bed, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. “Lay, like, on your back? With your head hanging over the edge?”
He could tell where this was going. And he was excited. He quickly obeyed, and couldn’t hold back the smile plastered on his face. Bruce’s cock slid in easily, reaching further than it ever had. Edward balled his hands into fists, holding them near his chest.
“God, fuck, Edward. Look at you.”
Bruce fucked his throat, moaning and sucking in deep breaths. Edward could tell he was holding back. Trying to keep himself rational, calm. Didn’t want to push Edward. But Edward wanted to push himself. He tapped Bruce’s thighs. He immediately pulled away.
“Are you okay?”
Edward caught his breath for a moment.
“If you’re going to fuck my throat, at least act like you mean it.”
He opened his mouth, immediately full of Bruce’s cock again. The younger man was held his neck with both hands, trying to prove Edward’s taunting words wrong. It was only a moment of quick, thorough throat fucking before Bruce came. He pulled back to cum in Edward’s mouth so he didn’t choke. It was hot, salty. Sticky. Edward didn’t like it very much at all, but it was worth trying at least once.
He swallowed regardless, and winced. His throat was raw and scratchy.
“Do you want to make me some tea?”
Bruce smiled.
“On it.”