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Gotham was never an easy place to live, but at this point, it was home, and it was what Thomas had to work with. He had dreams, of course, but for now, he would be stuck serving the upper class at events like this. He no longer had the anger nor the envy that he could still see from some of his coworkers.
He gave a wide berth to one person, Caleb was the kind of man that the world had chewed on and he decided he found the perfect way to fix it. Thomas was planning to go to college, everyone knew that he wanted such a hope. Caleb approached him with a business opportunity, one that would take Thomas to college next semester rather than in a few years.
Thomas didn’t think twice before turning him away. He grew up on the same streets, he knew what a business opportunity from men like Caleb would mean. He didn’t shoot him down, but he did skim over it and avoid him. Thomas didn’t want trouble, looking too closely and talking too much was trouble. Caleb pulled his schemes on some of the others, feeding off their anger and desperation. Thomas watched as the people around him joined and vanished, sometimes physically sometimes less obvious.
He kept his head down, walked quietly, and did the job he needed to survive. He was tipped well enough, he was easily recognizable by many of the usual upper-class partygoers. Yes, he had met Bruce Wayne. It always felt like he made it a choice to notice Thomas, to call him over, tip him well while all but ignoring the glasses balanced on the platter Thomas carried.
There was something else about him. Thomas saw lots of people, he got good at making guesses about them. Bruce Wayne had something else about him that Thomas couldn’t quite pin down. He supposed that when the photos of Wayne started to have Stark also in them, that was the slight feeling he was getting. Sure, Wayne had been overtly interested in remembering Thomas, would squeeze his shoulder now and then when he came over to his way. Thomas saw that pretty press smile up close, but it never met Wayne’s eyes until he saw him, side by side with Stark.
Tony Stark was quite a vision himself, Thomas had seen many people try to seem smart at these functions. Heard stilted vocabulary words used to try and confuse the other half of the conversation, Stark seemed entirely focused on making himself understood. He had a passion about what he was saying, and a confidence that didn’t allow him to get walked on. Nearly the exact opposite of Wayne. With his presence, Wayne stopped laughing so loudly, he stopped wandering the crowd flirting blankly.
Stark would hold him as they spoke with others, always connected to one another. Wayne would lean to extremes to stretch himself as he spoke, his eyes were still lazy. Sometimes Thomas could see from the distance when Wayne would lean too close to Stark, lips barely skimming along skin enough to make the other man pause and tighten his hold. Wayne was still Wayne, ignored most of the conversation, and making it a point to switch talk from business if he wanted to interact.
The way Stark would speak changed with what Wayne was doing, it was an interesting discovery for someone entirely outside of it. Thomas would walk closer, get a smile from Wayne if he wasn’t too busy with something else and catch clips. The more glasses Wayne drank, the more Stark would catch himself cracking a word or stuttering, the more Thomas could catch a barely their glimpse of the Wayne Smirk. He could also sometimes just barely notice Wayne’s lips moving to whisper to him, the Smirk so on display. He tried to not think of what Wayne could be whispering to Stark as his eyes tracked over the room.
The issue… Thomas noticed that Wayne was never finishing his drink. The glass he would take would lose some liquid and then be switched to another different platter. Over and over, glasses were switched barely leaving anything missing. But sometimes Thomas would see the famous fake Wayne laugh, some from the glass would spill, leaving more gone. It was fascinating.
He wondered why no one brought it up if they even noticed it. Thomas clears his head of the mystery that had come from Bruce Wayne. Instead, he focuses on grabbing another platter. He can just barely hear Caleb from his position.
“Yeah, they’re coming here soon for the meetup, keep an eye out for the blue tie.” Thomas had no clue what meet up was happening or who Caleb was speaking to. But he continues work and keeps his eyes down as he goes around. He spots Stark and Wayne on their exit.
Wayne is doing a lovely drunk stumble, as he seems to laugh silently while whispering into Stark’s ear. There is a fondness in Stark’s eyes as he leads his supposed boyfriend out the far door. Thomas finishes his rounds, pauses when his platter is empty, and he spots something on the floor. He picks up the fallen handkerchief, boldly monogrammed is B. S. W. He holds it loosely in hand and heads for the door Stark and Wayne had exited through.
He would possibly get in trouble, he hesitated; however, as Thomas hears the far door shut and sees a large man with a vibrant blue tie on, he is glad for the escape. He is light on his feet, searching for the escaped couple. He prepares himself for the embarrassment of catching them in some compromising position.
It wouldn’t be the first time he caught a couple that had slipped away, his cheeks are already red when he finally hears them.
“I don’t know how we will manage this one, Tony.” Wayne’s voice sounds so tired, but soberer than his act to leave would sound. Talking was a good sign, it meant that lips were safely separated, so hopefully, everything else will follow.
“C’mon, honey bunches, we always figure it out.” There is a pause, possibly time for a kiss. Thomas finds himself pausing mid-step. “We did all we need to do out here, got the same plan as ever.”
“I know, I know. Just feels wrong that I’m not taking lead anymore.” A sigh follows, was Bruce Wayne stepping down as CEO? Thomas wonders if he would still come to the functions that he seemed to love and hate so much. Thomas figures that if he had the chance, he wouldn’t come back either. It was always so boring, a time to help the unfortunate while trying to prove yourself as the best person in the room. Thomas had people watched for quite a while now. He had noticed the power in Wayne, the acceptance of every ploy to push him down with a blank smile. Thomas most enjoyed the times Wayne surprised the cocky jackasses that were so used to pushing him through hoops to see him fail in some societal way.
Thomas could describe it as seeing a housecat scratch a tiger if he was feeling rather poetic, amazing to watch in a terrifying and exciting way. He would miss Wayne, also his tipping methods.
“The kids will do fine, and if not, we can help them keep it together.” Stark’s voice is a little stiff, Thomas can’t figure out if Wayne went to kiss somewhere again or if Stark was nearly as unhappy and worried as Wayne seemed to be.
Thomas feels a flash of guilt at listening to this. It was not the time! He continues his approach, he can hear the moment the couple seemed to realize something was amiss.
He hears the thud, rustling of clothes as he gets closer, and that fake laugh, breathless in tone. He appears around the corner to see Wayne caging Stark with his arms, kissing away as Stark goes for the belt, shirts all the way open or close to it.
He clears his throat, loudly.
Stark’s eyes open as he breaks their kiss, Wayne goes for his throat, still working away until Stark squirms and presses against his chest once more.
“C’mon, sweetie, don’t want to scar the guy, though I love where your head was going.”
Wayne pulls away, lazily turning his glance back to the waiter. Thomas holds so tightly to the handkerchief as if it would somehow ward against an attack.
“Y-You left this, Mr. Wayne.” His voice shaking a bit. He holds it up for him, exposing the monogram. Wayne pulls from Stark, unashamed of his open shirt. Thomas can’t help but look, he feels trapped while in a large and empty hallway. Wayne has more scars that he expected, though he remembers hearing about several accidents, he thinks it would be for the best if Mr. Wayne never drove anything again without how bad he would have to be to get this.
Wayne takes the handkerchief, promptly tucks it away. “Thank you, I would’ve missed that one quite dearly–.” His words drag a bit as if his mouth was slowed in some way, trying to hold onto syllables.
“No problem, Mr. Wayne, thought I would try to get it back to you,” Thomas notes with a quick nod, turning to go.
“You’re a good man, Thomas. Hmmm, you going to be college bound soon, correct?” A loll of his head, Wayne fumbles to redo the buttons on his shirt.
“Hopefully, sir, I’ve been saving up, but I plan to go out of state if I can.” Thomas feels awkward explaining it, his lips purse just so. Wayne fumbles for his own wallet. He takes out a card and slides it into Thomas’s hand. He nods once more.
“Call my office on Monday. Keep your head straight until then and we might be able to get you in for next semester if you still want that.” He waves his hand easily dismissing Thomas as he goes back toward Stark.
Thomas suddenly feels lightheaded and puts the card into his pocket quickly. “Thank… Thank you so much, sir. I will call, I promise. Thank you, thank you.” He is shaking like a leaf.
“Oh, and Thomas. Call sick and go home soon tonight, I have a terrible feeling.” Wayne speaks slowly, his eyes finally directly lock in on Thomas. The lazy drunken gaze is gone, left is an almost cold acceptance of impending doom.
Thomas never asked for a day off, never went home early. But he suddenly did feel sick to his stomach. He nods quickly.
“I’ll do my best, thank you again.” Thomas turns away and heads for the path where he came from. Bruce Wayne was a mystery, one Thomas would likely never understand, but one he hoped never changed.
“Have a soft spot for the kid, B—” a barely-there whisper of sound fades off as he gets too far away.
Thomas looks pale and in some sense of shock as he asks his boss to leave early, the tired man nods to one of his best workers and Thomas hangs up his apron and leaves early.
When he wakes up the next day, the party had a massive bust, police and some of the known heroes of the area came in. There were shots fired, a few died, but relatively clean for a Gotham situation.
The man in the blue tie was behind bars, Caleb close beside him. Batman was present, and Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark had at some point slipped away to their own hotel room and stumbled in when the place was cleared out.
Thomas could only remember the look Wayne had given him when he told him to leave.
Yes, yes. Bruce Wayne was a mystery with many sides, and Thomas wasn’t planning on looking closer.
Thomas didn’t like trouble, Wayne was offering him a future and saved him some trouble last night. He wouldn’t mind keeping his eyes away and keep his questions to himself for Bruce Wayne.