Title: Playing Witness
Author: heeroluva
Fandom: The Dark Knight/Iron Man
Pairing: Bruce Wayne/Tony Stark
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Words: 500
Spoilers: none really
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just like to play with them.
Summary: A look at Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark through the eyes of the media.
Notes: So this is the result of me finally watching The Dark Knight and Iron Man both in the same day. I just saw so many parallels that I had to write this. This is written for LJ's slashthedrabble's Prompt #212 - 100 Greatest Classic Rock Songs. I'll leave it up to the readers to figure out which one. Thanks much to cariad_winter for looking this over. All mistakes are mine and as always feedback is welcome.

The first articles were to be expected. They talked of the first meeting between long time friends Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne since Stark's kidnapping, of how they took up joint business ventures, and how it was just a ploy to keep Stark Industries from going under.

But the ventures turned out to be unsuccessful and Stark Industries managed to pull itself out of its slump without relying on the billions from Wayne Industries.

The next articles talked of charities, grand balls, and elaborate galas in Malibu, Gotham and many cities in between where Mr. Stark and Mr. Wayne were never seen apart, though they always had a multitude of pretty women hanging off their arms.

The tabloids were disappointed when they couldn't get any of the women to tell them their scandalous stories. There were brief speculations of wild orgies, but the spokespersons of both companies quickly silenced those rumors.

Then the articles revolved around the leisure activities that Bruce and Tony were enjoying. They began in the company of others, though soon were seen together and without the company of pretty ladies or other elites of society.

The tabloids were tired of the mundane and just waiting for something juicy. And they got it in the form of picture.

It was a picture that many couldn't believe, claiming it false, that there was no way that those two notorious womanizers could be gay. Wild accusations flew that they'd just done it for the publicity, but when it became known that the photographer had been sued for trespassing and invasion of privacy as well as damages people knew it was for real.

That sent the media into an even wilder frenzy, speculating that Bruce and Tony had been gay lovers for years but were just keeping up a front to maintain appearances. There were even the ludicrous accusations that Bruce Wayne was actually Iron Man, and that Tony had only admitted to it to protect Bruce's reputation because his own reputation was already much more soiled. If only they knew how close they were to the truth.

It wasn't until a photo appeared of Bruce and Tony sitting a secluded villa in France sporting matching rings, did the media demand an explanation. Up until that point both parties had refused to comment on it.

Finally they called a press conference, though only a select few where welcomed much to the annoyance of others. Both Mr. Wayne and Mr. Stark were done up as expected. The press was salivating, waiting for all the juicy detailed, for the ending of the story of the century.

What they ultimately got was anything but expected. Yes they got the declaration of love they were anticipating, but they also got well spoken words of a time of change, and peace and prosperity.

The media didn't get the scandalous ending to the story they were hoping for, but they got to witness the beginning of a new era that two powerful men had long dreamed.