Forever Changed

Standing on shaky legs, Stephen felt relief washing over him in a way he never had before as he watched Thanos and his entire army disintegrating into dust.

He was utterly exhausted both magically and physically, but even worse was his mind. It had been maybe an hour since his resurrection from dust, and he had immediately been overwhelmed with memories.

Millions of them.

14,000,606 of them, to be exact.

The reality of it had been overpoweringly brutal, so much so that Stephen was still only marginally able to hold on. Whatever fighting had happened in the meantime, he hadn’t really noticed, had only functioned on autopilot.

And then a spell he had prepared more than two years ago had activated, one powerful enough to fully exhaust him on a good day. It was a half-miracle that he was managing to stand upright at all, but there was something…

Something was… off, Stephen thought, but he needed too long to realize what it was.

And then it hit him like a train-wreck.

Tony.

The spell, which had been a protection spell for Tony’s right hand. The gauntlet, the Stones…

Where was…

Where was Tony?

Chapter 2: A Million Times Yes

Chapter Text

He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he did, without the shadow of a doubt,

that this was no dream.

Tony’s entire right side was burned beyond recognition, even the right part of his face and neck was burned and destroyed. His right eye was unrecognizable, and when he looked up with his left, Stephen saw death staring at him.

Six stones glowed in the gauntlet lying beside him, but Tony didn’t pay it any mind, his whole focus on the sorcerer. Absolute horror pumped through Stephen’s veins then, seizing his heart and lungs and finally bringing him to his knees as he stared at the man he loved.

Stared at him as he lay dying.

There was no doubt, the burning to his arm, head and torso was abhorrent, so far beyond repair that not even his desperation was enough to convince Stephen to even try and save him.

He crawled forward slightly and placed his hand on the broken suit’s arc reactor, tears streaking down his face as he looked at Tony’s remaining eye. Death was staring back at him, the blue light beneath his fingers flickering already, and Stephen felt himself dying alongside Tony, felt his insides cramping and churning.

It was incomprehensible how much pain Tony had to be in, how his organs were trying so desperately not to fail, to not succumb to the inevitable. They were fighting for nothing. Stephen didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how this had happened.

All he knew was that he was losing Tony, his one brown eye so tired and exhausted. There was movement behind him, but Stephen could only stare at the broken body in front of him. He tried hard to understand this, but all his mind screamed at him was that Tony was dying, and that there was nothing he could do.

Absolutely nothing.

The warm touch of Tony’s hand on his made him flinch, a horrible sob wrecking his body and sounding too loud in the silence enveloping them. A moment later the reactor’s light flickered off and he screamed, an animalistic sound of pure despair that finally broke the spell he was under.

~~~*****~~~

Stephen stumbled across the battlefield, feeling so goddamn afraid of what he would find, and yet unable to not know. Everything was still too much, the memories, the fight, the…

The everything.

Just thinking about the destruction Thanos had brought, all that death…

It was hard to comprehend that something this powerful had even existed, the entire horrible battle so far beyond any belief. He had turned into dust twice, in two independent timelines, had fought harder than ever before, and yet…

Had it been enough?

Barr was dead, that much he knew. So were several of the others, but Stephen couldn’t bring himself to care right then. All he wanted, all he needed to know was if…

There.

His entire body was scared stiff for a long moment, the memory of the Time Stone’s vision too fresh on his mind to not be scared shitless of what he was about to see.

And yet, he had to know.

Very slowly walking closer, the sorcerer’s chest was tight, his heart beating frantically in his chest, while his throat was dust dry. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t…

“Stephen.”

The moment his gaze met tired and pained, but triumphant brown eyes, Stephen nearly broke down right where he was standing.

Tony was alive.

A broken sob left his throat, and for a long moment all he saw were those eyes, two beautiful, healthy eyes. Tony was really alive, he was breathing, his right side neither burned nor charred. Stephen felt tears slipping down his cheeks as he stumbled closer without even the slightest conscious thought.

He couldn’t help but notice the shreds of his Iron Man suit and the fabric of his undershirt that were drenched in dried and fresh blood. There were numerous bruises and cuts, but all he really had eyes for was Tony’s right hand and arm, still so afraid of what he would find.

The moment the sorcerer saw what he was looking for, the relief finally made him drop to his knees for real.

“Thank God”, he muttered, realizing that his spell had worked exactly the way he had intended it to. Tony’s hand and wrist seemed better than Stephen had feared, battered and bleeding, yes, but he could tell that the chances of complete recovery weren’t zero. His arm was somewhat worse off; the spell had had to be tightly focused to be effective, but Stephen knew that Tony would never mind a few scars.

Not considering the alternative.

“Stephen”, the man lying on his back in the midst of all the debris called again, and Stephen moved closer to him without second thought. He didn’t even care that he was crawling on his knees, didn’t care about the hard ground and dirt and ashes as he sank down right beside Tony.

“Tony”, he sobbed and reached up to touch his cheek, only then realizing that he was crying, that they were both crying. His fingers were shaking horribly, but he didn’t care, not when he could touch him. “Tony…”

He knew that the medical crew was already close by, they hadn’t spent years preparing for this moment for nothing. It allowed him to focus completely on the man beside him, on the joy he felt at the fact that they were both alive.

“You’re alive”, Stephen somehow managed and brushed his still trembling fingers down Tony’s face. “God, you’re… you’re really…”

There was so much running through his mind, making it hard to distinguish between what was real and what wasn’t. It didn’t matter, though. All that mattered right then was Tony, who was alive and would maybe carry away some mobility problems in his hand, but otherwise…

“You must be in pain”, Stephen mumbled, a new line of thought winning over the chaos in his mind. Before he could move to ascertain all the damage, Tony’s left grabbed his upper arm, the touch grounding him in a way nothing else had until then.

They stared into each other’s eyes, so many emotions passing between them that Stephen head swam by the time Tony shifted his hand to frame the side of the younger man’s head.

“Do you know where I want to kiss you, Stephen?”

A near silent snort broke out of his throat, followed by a sob and another surge of tears. “Tony, you can’t be…”

“On a beach”, the genius interrupted him, his voice so incredibly gentle that it broke Stephen’s heart in an entirely new way. “Where we both say, ‘I do’.”

Stephen squeezed his eyes shut, his face contorting as he fought with all his might against breaking down right then. He never could have stopped, not after… not after everything they had been through, and he couldn’t afford that right then.

He knew Tony needed to be operated on, knew that he would be transported off very soon, and he knew that he would have plenty of time to break down later.

Right now, though, he had to…

“Yes.” Stephen reopened his eyes and scooted yet closer, pressing their foreheads together while he staring into vibrant brown eyes. “Yes, Tony. A million times, yes.”

Chapter 3: Hospital

Chapter Text

Stephen was sitting on a chair in the waiting area close to where Tony was currently being operated on by one of the world’s top specialists. He was in good hands, in the best hands, and the sorcerer felt like he could somewhat breathe for the first time since coming back from being dust.

It was too much; everything was too much.

There was the first time he had lived through the time from 2015 to 2019.

There was the first fight against Thanos, when they had been outmatched so badly that it was still horrible to even think of.

There were all the possible futures he had seen on Titan, the desperate search for that one future that would let him keep the one thing he couldn’t live without anymore.

14,000,605.

There was the desperation he had felt when he had found the one, knowing exactly what it would take out of the man he loved to make it work.

There was the memory of the second time he had lived through the time period from 2015 to 2019, and that was what he was desperately trying to focus on.

It was too much to comprehend, the millions of memories making Stephen’s mind feel jumbled and his chest squeezing tight with emotions. He had no idea of how to handle this, how to undo this muss and get a grip on himself.

Okay, well, maybe he had an idea. The part of him that had been dust for nearly five years, the part that had seen those 14,000,605 possible futures mere hours ago, just wanted to run. That part of him wanted to get out of there, to retreat to Kamar-Taj for months, to meditate and make sense of all that had happened.

He wanted to lone-wolf it, and yes, it would take time, a lot of time, but he would get there, just like he always had.

Now, though, he couldn’t stand the thought of being further from Tony than he had to be, couldn’t bear the idea of not being there when the billionaire woke up.

He wasn’t that lonesome man anymore, the man who would have run away. Even if a part of him still wanted to leave, Stephen realized that he simply wasn’t that man anymore.

That second future, the… well, the last four and a half years that he had spent with Tony, had changed him. He wasn’t who he used to be, Stephen thought, wasn’t even who he had been when he had sent the genius back in time, and he didn’t know what to think of that.

Everything was back about that first future, even…

Oh, fuck.

It took him a lot of willpower to shove the image of a naked Tony making out with Loki on the penthouse’s couch out of his mind.

It didn’t matter, not right then. He would have to come back to it and handle it. Actually, Stephen knew that he would have to handle any of this in the near future, if he didn’t want it to break him for good.

Right then, though, Stephen wanted to think about Tony’s proposal on the battlefield forever, the moment so beautiful that he couldn’t…

He couldn’t breathe with how happy he felt at the knowledge that Tony was alive, that they had somehow turned this impossible war around. The proposal had been… God, who was he kidding, he was beyond ecstatic with how that moment had made him feel.

Was still making him feel.

It was all too much, the relief and horror and joy and fear and all the love, so much love.

So many had died, despite their victory. Stephen had an inkling of how much trouble the next few days and weeks would be, and for a moment he felt bad that he was just sitting around, waiting.

And yet it was all he could do. He felt like he couldn’t go on without looking into Tony’s eyes, felt like the whole world was about to bury him beneath its weight. Flashes of visions and memories continuously flashed through his mind, making him unsure of what was real and what wasn’t.

God, it would be such a nightmare trying to untangle all of this. He would have to learn to live with all those futures that weren’t real, and he already had a pretty good idea of just how difficult that would turn out to be.

What he knew without the shadow of a doubt, however, was that the only way he would be able to handle any of this, was with Tony’s help.

God, Tony.

There were no words to describe how he felt about the man, none at all. The most obvious one was love, of course, but it didn’t even come close to doing justice to what he felt.

Everything was back, the entire first timeline that, until a few hours ago, only Tony had remembered.

Stephen would need ages to completely distinguish the two realities. He would also need to tell Tony that he remembered, knowing full well how much distress that would cause him, but he had to.

And he would.

Still, all he could think about right then were the differences, the many ways in which the second timeline was diverging from the first. He finally remembered every instance Tony had ever told him about, remembered how painful the start of their relationship had been, how long he had had to fight for the genius’ trust.

Most of all, though, Stephen reveled in his memories of the second timeline.

The first time around, it had been all about Tony. He remembered that he had found the man drunk beyond belief more than once, remembered how difficult Tony had been, how purposefully hurtful.

And thankfully, the second timeline couldn’t have been more different.

Stephen wanted to cry when he compared significant moments of the two timelines. The love Tony had shown him, the way he had loved him in that second timeline, it was so much more than he could ever have hoped for. It certainly was more than he would ever have believed he deserved, but Stephen could admit one thing.

It had helped him beyond measure, Tony’s love the balm that his tortured soul had needed so much.

That was not to mean that there was anything about the first timeline that he would change, because there was nothing wrong with it. Tony hadn’t been ready for a meaningful relationship, but Stephen had been insistent, because…

Because he had seen something in him.

And he finally remembered what that had been.

He could barely conceptualize just how right he had been, Tony was… Tony was beyond amazing, and Stephen loved him so, so much.

“Mr. Stephen Strange?”

Flinching harshly at the sudden voice tearing him from his thoughts, Stephen stood up much too quickly to meet the doctor walking towards him. He resolutely ignored the dizziness that blurred the edges of his vision, recognizing that he was still very much exhausted himself.

“I see you are listed as next of kin for Mr. Stark.”

“Yeah”, Stephen breathed, feeling much too nervous about what he was about to hear. “Yeah, I am.” What if he had been too exhausted to notice a more severe wound? What if Tony…

“The operation went well. Mr. Stark has been brought to his room, and he should wake up within the hour. Aside from the slightly more serious wounds on his right hand and arm, he has several bruises and lacerations, but nothing that won’t be healed in a few days. It is possible that the skin on Mr. Stark’s right arm will scar, though it is too early to tell for sure.”

“Will he regain full mobility in his fingers?” Stephen asked. He knew how important it was for Tony to work with his hands, and also how much he loved being able to play his instruments.

“It’s basically 50/50 at this point. He will need physio, obviously, and we will have to wait to see how efficient Extremis will prove to be, but I’m quite hopeful.”

It wasn’t all good news then, not when there remained a fifty percent chance that Tony would never be able to play a piano again. On the other hand, he was alive, and wasn’t that all that mattered?

“Can I see him?”

The doctor smiled, clearly having noticed his eagerness to be with Tony. “Of course, Mr. Strange. The ward’s head nurse will bring you to his room in a few moments.”

------------

He felt unbalanced as he sank onto the chair beside the hospital bed, the sight of his unconscious fiancé almost too much to bear. Tony wasn’t intubated, there wasn’t even an oxygen mask, just an IV with fluids and antibiotics on his unbandaged left arm.

It wasn’t a frightening sight, not at all, but Stephen felt frightened.

Ever since he had seen Thanos for the first time, he had felt frightened, and he still did. As he reached out to wrap both his hands around Tony’s left, Stephen could suppress neither his quiet sob any longer, nor the tears that were running down his face.

The strength of his love for this man was overwhelming, and in his current state he simply was unable to reign in his emotions. He couldn’t believe how close he had come to losing Tony, twice at that. Thanos had been beyond what he had been able to imagine, and even if he still had no idea of how exactly they – how Tony had managed to win this fight, he would forever be grateful.

Stephen lifted the hand between his own to press the back of it against his own cheek, not at all caring about the dampness he transferred onto the other’s skin. All he cared about was Tony’s warmth, reminding him of all the times that warmth had helped him through rough times in his life.

He lost all concept of time as he sat there, letting his mind go through all the happy memories of his life with Tony. He thought of the laughter they had shared, the love between them, the love he could feel in every small and grand gesture.

He lingered on a memory of waking up in their bed in their Miami home, the sun shining on his beautiful, sleeping lover. Stephen remembered the love he always felt in these moments of mundanities, remembered the sight of Tony as he woke up, a gorgeous smile appearing on his tantalizing lips.

God, he loved him so…

“Hey.”

The quiet call made his entire body jerk with surprise, his breath stuttering as he didn’t know if he needed to breathe in or out. His head flew up so quickly that his neck twinged, but it didn’t matter.

Nothing mattered when his gaze met Tony’s, and for a moment, everything was perfect.

“Hey yourself”, Stephen whispered back with renewed tears in his eyes and turned his head a bit to kiss his palm, not once looking away from him.

Tony seemed more lucid than he would have expected, but it didn’t matter. The sorcerer didn’t put it past him to have been awake for several minutes, having just watched Stephen as he had sat there, thinking and holding onto him.

“Can you…?” The billionaire glanced to the side table, which was all the incentive Stephen needed to understand. Thankfully, his magic had recovered enough to be able to assist Tony in drinking some water, after which he ended up sitting on the bed beside him.

They stared into each other’s eyes once Tony had settled back down, and then, on some unseen signal, they both broke out into the happiest, widest grins. Stephen shook his head at the scene, but he was just so happy as he leaned down to carefully press their foreheads together.

“You’re alive”, he said once more, the truth of those words making his chest seem about to explode with happiness.

“So it would seem.” Tony lifted his unbandaged hand to gently touch Stephen’s cheek, the look in his eyes one of pure joy and love. God, so much love… “I cannot believe we’re really here, baby.”

“Neither can I.” His grin slowly disappeared, melting into something much softer that made Tony blush where he was still resting against his big, comfy pillow. “I hope you know that you’re stuck with me, now.”

A single tear slipped from each of Tony’s eyes, the relief and happiness there a perfect mirror of what Stephen was feeling in that moment.

“I think I can live with that.”

Stephen was still so fundamentally unable to really comprehend that everything he had hoped for had really come true. Thanos was destroyed, while Tony…

Tony was alive and breathing, his beautiful brown eyes full of the love they shared, the love Stephen had fought so hard for.

The love he would have given everything for, just to keep it.

“Stephen…”

That was all it took to make him understand what Tony wanted, what he needed. Stephen shifted just the slightest bit for a lingering kiss to his lips, his eyes closing as tears slid down his cheeks at the raw perfection of the moment.

A warm thumb caressed his cheek as he pulled back just the slightest bit, not at all wanting to give up their closeness.

“You forgot to mention that I walked in on Loki and you.”

He kissed him lingeringly again, just as softly as before, while brown eyes widened with realization, followed by horror.

“Do you…?”

“Yeah, I remember.” Stephen knew his voice betrayed his struggle, knew that Tony could hear how distraught he was. “I remember everything. And it’s a lot, and I’ll definitely need help coming to terms with all of this, but that’s not why I told you just now.”

“Stephen, I’m so sorry, I…”

“I told you because I need to thank you.”

Tony was stunned into silence, his eyes almost comically wide. His love for him swelled in Stephen’s chest, making it hard to breathe and to talk, but he fought to continue.

“Tony, it’s okay. I understand, and I’m glad that I finally remember the start of our relationship the same way you do.”

He kissed him again, kissed the self-derisive comment right off Tony’s lips.

“We’ll talk about it, I promise you, but you’ve got a lot less to apologize for than I know you think. What I need you to understand is that our relationship the way it is now, is so much more than I ever thought I deserved, and I have to thank you for that.”

Tony stared up at him. “I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t”, Stephen smiled and, after a last kiss to the corner of his mouth, slowly sat up to be able to place his hand against the side of Tony’s face. “I know you remember what you told me about that first timeline, how you pushed me away so many times, and you’re right. You were actually really good at it.”

It was clear that the older man was surprised at his humor, clearly not having expected that.

“Knowing you the way I do now, I recognize that I still got off lightly. Shh, it’s okay”, he hushed Tony, not wanting him to get stuck on something that didn’t matter. “All that really matters is that second timeline.”

“Why?” Tony asked, clearly caught between hope and dismay.

“Two reasons. One, I’d go through it all again in a heartbeat.”

The stunned surprise was expected, though at his words or the way Stephen’s voice was close to breaking from all the emotions beating down on him, he didn’t know.

“Tony, you’re the best that’s ever happened to me, period. I don’t care how we got here; all I know is that I can’t live without you anymore. I don’t want to. I won’t.”

They met for another press of their lips, this one more desperate than the ones before and all the more beautiful for it.

“Second”, Stephen continued once he’d pulled back, fundamentally unable to keep the smile off his face as he continued. “I can’t help but feel that the first timeline was all about the start of our relationship. It was about me gaining your trust, your love.”

“You had my love earlier than you might think”, Tony whispered, more tears slipping from his eyes that Stephen immediately wiped away.

“This second timeline? I feel like that’s been all about me.” Stephen took a deep breath, knowing that his voice was barely audible, that was how weak it was. He couldn’t change it. “When Thanos came the first time, I was… in love with you, yes, but I was also broken. I think that, maybe, gaining your trust and trying to win over your love was my way of avoiding my own issues. I focused on you to be able to pretend that that was all that mattered.”

Stephen brought their foreheads together once more.

“The reason I need to thank you is that, in this second timeline, you made it all about me.”

“Stephen…”

“I need to thank you for putting me first, for being this amazing, understanding and loving man who was always there for me, even when I didn’t know I needed you to be. You helped me heal in a way I wasn’t ready for the first time. You helped me become a better man, the man I am now. I will forever be grateful for the way that you love me.”

“That’s because you make it so damn easy to love you, honey”, Tony whispered, his own emotions plain to hear in his voice. “I wanted to do right by you, the way you deserve. I did so much wrong the first time, I just wanted to do better this time. For you.”

“And you have, Tony. You have.”

He kissed him again, trying to tell him how much he meant what he had said.

They stayed like this for a while, just holding each other close and basking in the glory of knowing that they were still there. Stephen had trouble comprehending that he would really get his life with Tony, that they would have everything they had ever wanted.

“By the Gods, I love you so much, Anthony. I love you so, so much, and I still can’t believe that you proposedon the battlefield.”

Tony breathed a low chuckle. “I still can’t believe that you said yes, a million times at that.”

Stephen couldn’t contain his own happy laugh then, and Tony wasn’t any better. He was also growing more tired by the moment, the younger man noticed, and with a last kiss to soft lips, he carefully tucked the covers tighter around him.

“Go back to sleep, love”, he muttered slowly and reached up to brush through brown strands, or at least he tried to. Grime and dirt, and probably some remaining blood as well, were making it stick together. “And you really need a shower once you’re better.”

“No shit, Sherlock”, Tony snorted tiredly, his eyes already slipping shut. “I doubt washing my hair was the operating’s team top priority.”

“True.” Stephen smiled happily as he watched over the genius who was trying his mightiest to open his eyes and look at him.

“Have you checked in with everyone?”

“No. I didn’t want you to wake up alone.”

Tony smiled lovingly. “Thank you for that, but I’m fine. I am fine, aren’t I? Or I will be, I think. Will I be?” He managed to actually sound worried for a moment, making Stephen chuckle.

“Yes, douchebag. You will be just fine, full mobility in your right hand notwithstanding.”

“Then go, Stephen. I can sleep alone, and besides, you look like you need some sleep yourself. And a shower, by the way.”

Stephen laughed full-heartedly at that. “Okay, fine. I got it. And Tony, if you do anything stupid while I’m gone…”

“Go, honey. I’m tired.”

“I love you, douchebag.”

“I love you, too.”

Chapter 4: Right Now

Chapter Text

Stephen quietly walked towards Tony’s hospital room, his mood finally lifting a bit at the prospect of being with him again. The aftermath of Thanos was a mess, but he didn’t really care, not right then, not when Tony wasn’t home with him yet.

Rhodey and Carol were on top of most of it, so he knew it’d be okay. Everyone was busy coming to terms with what had happened, it’d be days before any semblance of normalcy would be restored.

Since Tony had been right and he had needed to rest himself, the sorcerer had spent a few hours at the Sanctum. A shower and a nap later, he felt a bit better, and he would feel better still once he could kiss Tony again.

He had even changed into normal clothing, feeling a lot like foregoing his robes for a while would do him some good. They had a bad connotation somehow, like the harsh reality of what had happened could somehow be left behind.

It wasn’t logical, and it certainly wouldn’t work like that, he knew that. For now, though, Stephen would enjoy the luxury of spending time with the man he loved and not have to worry about the future.

Or the past, or anything in between.

With a single knock, Stephen slowly opened the door to quite the unexpected sight.

Tony was sitting at the table, clad in normal clothes – a black tee and jeans -, and noticeably not the surgical gown he’d worn when Stephen had left. He was accompanied by a black man in his mid-50s, with a gentle smile on his face and wisdom in his eyes.

“Stephen, honey. Hey”, his lover greeted him and smiled, something loving that was only meant for him. He remained seated, though, probably not quite as back to his old self as he wanted to appear. “Meet Floyd Barber, his room is right next to mine. Met him at the cafeteria.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Barber”, Stephen smiled as he stepped further into the room. Stephen watched the man getting up from his chair, all while he tried his best to appear like he wasn’t desperate to go over to Tony and kiss him.

“Right back at you, Dr. Strange”, he nodded at him before turning back to Tony. Something passed between them, but definitely not something bad. “This is my cue. You know where to find me, Mr. Stark.”

“Call me Tony, please”, the genius smiled, though he seemed distracted by the sorcerer standing in the room, which Stephen noticed with satisfaction. “And thank you.”

As the man left, Stephen also saw the leftovers from cafeteria food on the table, a paper bag and plate as well as a cup of what he was sure had been coffee. The sorcerer watched Tony slowly stand up as the door shut and promptly stepped up to him for a long kiss.

They enveloped each other in a tight hug, Stephen with both arms while Tony could clearly only use his left to wrap around his waist. When they pulled apart eventually, he quietly asked: “How are you feeling, Tony?”

“Better, since the IV finished and I decided not to bother with the hospital food.” Tony was smiling at him, but he was distracted, Stephen could tell. “How are things outside of here?”

“Chaotic”, the younger man summarized. “It’s all pretty… complicated. Rhodey and Carol are on it, though, and I’m supposed to tell you that you’re only allowed to concern yourself with getting better and out of here.”

Tony was clearly amused, but didn’t say anything against it, which was definitely unusual. Maybe he was still more out of it than it seemed, but Stephen had a feeling that it was something else entirely.

“What’s going on, honey?” he asked quietly and reached up to brush his fingers through the brown strands on the side of his head, pleased to realize that the hair was clean and as soft as always. “That’s much better, by the way, though I really don’t want to know how you managed that with your bandaged arm.”

The man’s chuckle was all the answer he got before his gaze lifted to meet Stephen’s. There was clearly something on his mind, and for a while they remained the way they were. He lifted his other hand as well, cradling the beloved face while simply taking him in, feeling so incredibly elated to have him close.

“Floyd’s pretty nice, don’t you think?” the older man asked eventually, his eyes lowering in what Stephen was surprised to recognize as nervousness.

“From the sentence and a half I exchanged with him, yes. Very nice guy.” He pulled him closer and leaned their foreheads together, his heart bursting with happiness at being able to breathe Tony in again.

“He’s also a judge, you know.”

He reached up then, brown eyes still lowered as he carefully pulled Stephen’s hand down in a very gentle gesture. To be honest, the sorcerer barely noticed; he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but stare at the man he loved.

The nervousness was making so much sense now, as was Tony’s entire behavior. It was all too much at once, and Stephen needed a long moment to come to terms with it.

And then he knew.

He just knew.

“Tony”, Stephen said lowly and waited for him to lift his head so he could look into brown eyes. “Are you really sure that this is what you want?” He shifted his hand to frame the side of Tony’s face, only to add his other again because it wasn’t enough. He wanted to hold him, to hold onto him and never, ever let go again. “What about our friends? You wanted something big, and you did mention a beach.”

“Why can’t it be both?”

Tony’s voice was barely there, like he was so moved as well and didn’t know what to do with all the emotions he was feeling. Stephen immediately knew his answer, knew why Floyd had left them alone, knew what Tony was thinking.

It was all in brown eyes what his lover thought, his nerves and the hope and the love, all the love that Stephen felt for him, too.

Without second thought, the younger man moved in for a loving press of their lips, his fingers caressing Tony’s hair and pulling his head closer all at once. He didn’t know how to express what he wanted so much, to have him closer, to let him know that he wanted this, too.

Tony pulled back to glance at him questioningly, but his expression must have given the younger man away. Brown eyes widened, only to fill with tears and joy in a way that Stephen would never forget.

Not for the rest of his life.

“Really?”

“Absolutely, Tony. Right now.”

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So, ‘right now’, it turned out, wasn’t quite manageable.

Still, once Floyd was back with them and they were joined by the ward’s chief nurse - the very same nurse who had helped Tony shower and get changed -, Stephen was once again standing in front of Tony, maybe half a step apart.

Their gazes were locked, as were both of Stephen’s hands with Tony’s left between them. The other man’s thumb was lightly brushing over the back of his hands, his nervousness apparent and making Stephen feel all flustered himself.

Gods, they were really doing this.

“Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today to join in holy wedded matrimony Stephen Vincent Strange and Anthony Edward Stark.”

Stephen grinned so stupidly it probably wasn’t even funny anymore, but Tony was exactly the same. They were both nervous, glancing at Floyd from time to time as if needing confirmation that this really was happening.

“Vows?”

The quickness of it nearly made Stephen laugh out loud, not that he wasn’t absolutely on board with getting to the important stuff. Tony seemed just as surprised, but equally eager to go with it.

“Vows, right”, Stephen repeated and cleared his throat, feeling so many different emotions at once that he had no idea how to even begin.

A soft squeeze of his hands brought him back to reality, and he refocused on those brilliant eyes. Before he could form a clear thought at all, Stephen realized that Tony wanted to go first, which was absolutely fine by him.

“Stephen.” His thumb caressed the palm of one of the sorcerer’s hands lightly, lovingly. It was so clear to see how moved he was, his eyes full of unshed tears and the most stunning happiness. “We’ve been through more than anyone should ever have to go through. And yet here we are, here you are with your beautiful eyes looking at me like you’re gonna die from happiness. I feel like I am gonna die from happiness, and isn’t that all we’ve ever wanted? To be happy with each other, and to breathe each other in, and to hold onto each other, and to love each other? And that’s what we’re gonna do, for the rest of our lives.”

The tears in his eyes made it difficult to see Tony, but it didn’t matter. Stephen wanted so much to just screw the ceremony up and lean in for a perfect kiss, the words resonating deeply within him.

So, he needed a moment to collect himself, only to look into Tony’s eyes with a determination he hadn’t expected.

“Tony.” They stared at each other, neither of them seeing anything but the other man and not caring either. Tony smile widened for a moment, clearly having caught on to how nervous he was, how much this moment meant to him. How much he wanted to get this right. “We’re gonna love together”, Stephen started and plucked up courage from the way brown eyes filled with tears at his words. “We’re gonna enjoy our lives together. We’re gonna grow old together, and we’re gonna have so much fun. And a little pain. And we’re gonna live a life that’s just gonna make other people die with jealousy wishing they were us.”

Tony grinned so brightly at him for a moment, so happy at what Stephen had said and clearly just as tempted as he had been to kiss him right then. He restrained himself, just like the sorcerer had had, but it was clear how impatient they both were, how they longed to get to the end of this.

“You have rings?” Floyd asked then with an audible smile in his voice, and for the first time Stephen hesitated, knowing that neither of them…

“Yes.”

He stared as Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out two very simple, but apparently sturdy paper rings. Tears sprung to his eyes, both at the reference as well at the clear determination to go through with this, even without proper rings.

“You’re crazy”, Stephen mumbled, only to look back up at Tony. He felt a single tear slipping down his cheek, the love in those beautiful eyes threatening to overwhelm him in the best way.

“You may exchange the rings.”

They barely registered Floyd’s words. Stephen stared disbelievingly as Tony oh-so-gently turned his left hand between them so that his palm was facing downward. He then carefully slipped the bigger paper ring onto Stephen’s fourth finger.

There was a reason the ring was slightly too large, he knew that immediately, and he loved Tony for it.

So much.

It was his turn then, and for a moment he hated how his fingers trembled as he tried to put it into place. Without any hesitance, Tony moved his fingers just the slightest bit to make it easier for him, the same way he so often did. Stephen knew that, if that second timeline hadn’t happened, he would have gotten angry with himself, maybe even would have ruined the entire moment.

All it did right then was make him love Tony more, though, so it was okay.

The moment the rings were in place, they looked at each other, the broadest of grins appearing on both their faces in pure and utter happiness.

“By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce…”

Tony and he moved at the same time to close the distance between them, their patience finally running out. Stephen reached up with both hands to grasp Tony’s head while the older man’s healthy hand settled on his back, pulling them flush together.

Their lips met in their first kiss as a married couple, and Stephen could have screamed with the happiness exploding in his very soul. Tony wasn’t any better, his hold on him was so strong that they were pressed together almost painfully tightly, but Stephen loved it.

Just like he loved everything about this moment.

“… you husband and husband.” Floyd sounded very, very amused at the scene in front of him. “You may... Well.”

He didn’t have to say it out loud, they were already kissing after all.

Much to both their surprise, Maria, the nurse who was their witness, threw white confetti into the air over them. Tony broke the kiss to look up and then at Stephen, a huge grin on his face as if the sight was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

He reached up with his hand to bury his fingers in Stephen’s hair and pull him in for another kiss. It was the hand with the ring on it, and despite their kiss, the sorcerer couldn’t help the grin stretching his lips wide.

They glanced at each other, both once again with the broadest grins, only for those to melt into something much smaller, much more loving. Tony carded his fingers through his hair, probably dislodging some of the white paper shavings that were also still visible in brown strands.

With a gentle tug, he encouraged Stephen into another dozen kisses, probably more. It was so perfect, the entire moment feeling like something straight out of the sappiest romance movie ever.

Somehow, this was their life, though, and he couldn’t find the words to describe how happy he was.

They were really married.

Tony was his husband.

And he was Tony’s husband.

Wow.

Chapter 5: My Husband

Chapter Text

Tony had to stay at the hospital for the night, the doctors wanted to be able to monitor him and ascertain the healing progress in the morning. Both his right hand and arm were rebandaged in the evening, and Stephen was relieved to see that Extremis was doing exactly what it was supposed to.

He got them take-out from Tony’s favorite place, not at all wanting their first meal as a married couple to consist of hospital food.

Married.

They were really married.

Just thinking about it was making Stephen giddy with excitement, and he was completely helpless against the stupid grin plastered onto his face. Tony wasn’t any better, constantly starting to grin without any apparent reason as well.

By the time the hospital quieted down, they were resting in Tony’s bed, together. Stephen had magicked it bigger to be able to fit them both comfortably. He had also put up a privacy spell that would make it appear as if Tony was asleep in his bed, alone, for anyone who would come in during the night.

They were facing each other, Tony on his left and Stephen on his right side, their legs entwined. Tony’s bandaged arm was comfortably resting along his body, while both their left hands were lying between their chests.

It was hard to choose where to stare.

There was Tony’s face, the happy smile on his lips and those beautiful, lively brown eyes that looked at Stephen with so much love.

And there were their hands between them, the paper rings on their fingers and reminding Stephen of who he was now.

Tony’s husband.

His happy grin at the thought caused Tony to grin as well, if only for a moment. It had been going on like this ever since they had laid down, the only alternation being who of them started grinning first.

They were just so happy…

“I didn’t exactly envision our first night as a married couple to be, well, like this. And I think, neither did you.”

“And yet I wouldn’t change a thing”, Stephen smiled, feeling so overwhelmed with happiness that it was hard to breathe.

“Seriously? Nothing?”

Tony’s incredulity was funnier than it should have been.

“Tones, I get to call you my husband from today on. I’m over the moon here.”

Tony clearly got it then and smiled at him so beautifully. “Still, we could be somewhere more comfortable.”

“We can take our time, Tony.” Stephen reached up to brush his fingers through brown strands in a loving caress. “Now that we’ve won, we’ve got all the time in the world, and you can’t imagine how happy I am about that.”

His words changed something in his husband, he could see it in brown depths.

“I haven’t asked you yet how you are coping.”

The sorcerer knew what Tony meant immediately, and he smiled lovingly at the care and worry he saw on his face. “I’ve been your husband for three hours and twenty-seven minutes, Tones. I still can’t fathom that we really tied the knot, and I’m so elated that I can barely think about anything else.”

It was clear that they both knew that things wouldn’t stay like that. He would have to deal with all of this, and he definitely would, but right then Stephen wanted to bask in the glory of being a married man.

Finally.

“I’m the fucking happiest man alive right now, but I can’t believe how you appear to be about to explode with delight.”

Stephen chuckled. “I get to call you my husband, Tony. Delight doesn’t even come close to what I’m feeling.”

“Does some of that have to do with suddenly being a billionaire?”

“Don’t care”, the younger man shrugged casually. “Getting to call you my husband and myself yours? Best thing ever.”

He leaned closer for a long kiss to soft lips. Tony kissed him back, the tips of his fingers stroking along his jaw in the most intimate moment. A thought came to him then, and Stephen pulled back just the slightest bit.

“I didn’t think of it before, but I can sign a pre-nup if that…”

“Don’t care”, Tony shrugged with that same casualness as Stephen had before.

It made them both smile again, feeling way too happy and carefree to bother themselves with something so insignificant.

“I love you, Stephen. I know I haven’t said it as often, but this, today, getting to finally tie the knot with you, I…”

Tony had no idea of how to go on. Stephen felt his love for him swelling in his chest and he kissed him again, something warm and soft, meant only for the two of them.

“I know, Tones”, he whispered and brushed his thumb over the paper ring on the other man’s ring finger. “I know, and even if I seem to be unable to shut up about it, that doesn’t mean that you have to be doing the same.”

“I’m just so happy, Stephen. You’re alive, and I’m alive, and everything we’ve wanted we can have, and I just…”

There were tears in his eyes, but also so much joy and love that Stephen couldn’t have looked away if he’d wanted to. He moved closer to press their foreheads together and reached up with his left to gently caress the side of Tony’s face.

“What we did today, getting married in this incredibly small, intimate ceremony, was the best moment of my life, Tony. I’ve wanted nothing more than a life with you, and now I get to have that. Like I said before, I’m over the moon.”

“As am I, Stephen”, Tony mumbled just as quietly as him, his hand shifting as well to brush the back of his index finger down Stephen’s cheek. “You make me so happy.”

His skin burned with heat at that simple statement, his breath stuttering with the love swelling in his chest.

They lay like this for a while, with their faces close enough to feel the other’s breath. The love between them was palpable, the same way it had been during the ceremony.

After a while, Tony’s eyes started to droop, his exhaustion from the day and his surgery catching up with him. Stephen took that as his cue to pull the covers over them and kiss him on his forehead.

“Go to sleep, my love. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Now this is really not how I imagined our first night as husbands to go”, Tony grumbled good-naturedly, the humor clear to hear in his voice and Stephen chuckled softly.

“I wouldn’t have minded something else as well, baby, but just being with you is more than enough.”

“With your husband, you mean.”

“That’s exactly what I mean”, Stephen smiled and brushed their lips together for the softest of kisses. “Now rest, Tony.”

“You just want to watch over me again while I sleep.”

“It’s your fault you’re so beautiful when you’re asleep, sweetheart. And besides, I’m still tired myself, I won’t get to enjoy the sight for long.”

Tony smiled and his eyes drifted shut while he gently wrapped his free hand around Stephen’s left once more. “I can’t wait to wake up looking at the face of my husband.”

His heart did a funny leap in his chest at that. “Wow. I mean, wow, you can say that more often. I sure wouldn’t mind hearing it much more often, actually.”

“You’ll hear it for the rest of your life, asshole.”

Okay, wow.

“I like the sound of that even more”, Stephen breathed and blinked against the tears in his eyes, for the umpteenth time overwhelmed by so many emotions that he had trouble discerning them all.

In the end, it didn’t matter. Tony knew how much this meant to him, so all he did was scoot just the slightest bit closer to him, seeking his warmth. He wanted to be as close to him during the night as possible while still able to look at Tony’s gorgeous face.

A loving smile ghosted over those perfect lips, making it clear that the genius knew exactly what he was doing. Stephen reached up slightly to kiss his forehead again, lips lingering for a long moment while he felt Tony relaxing.

His breathing evened out, and within a few minutes he was asleep. The sorcerer settled down beside him again, his gaze drinking in the sight of his sleeping husband with their left hands entwined between them.

They were in a hospital bed, with Tony having been operated on that same day after the worst fight this world had ever had to endure. They had been married in a hospital room, with none of their friends present, without any kind of party or dancing or any of the other stuff that happened at normal weddings.

And yet, for Stephen, this had been the most perfect moment of his life.

------------

“Good morning to my husband.”

The words as much as the soft kiss to his forehead caused an involuntary smile to settle on his lips. Stephen sighed in contentment and moved a little closer to the enticing warmth he slowly recognized as Tony.

His husband.

His smile widened into a grin at the thought, remembering everything from the day prior to Tony’s words shortly before he had fallen asleep.

“You’re happy”, the other man stated quietly but firmly, sounding much too surprised for Stephen’s liking.

“Over the moon, remember?” he muttered sleepily and struggled to blink his eyes open to look at Tony. “Hmm, good morning to my handsome husband, too.”

The happiest of smiles appeared on those sexy lips, only for the billionaire to lean in for a lingering, loving kiss. “I’m sorry to have woken you, but we’ve already had two nurses coming in, they’ll want to check me over in a few minutes.”

Stephen understood what that meant, and even if he wanted nothing more than a lazy morning in bed, he forced himself to roll onto his back with a pained moan.

“Sorry”, Tony winced. “Your back…”

“Fine. It’s fine.” Stephen sat up and immediately turned to look down at Tony. “Okay?”

At the nod he got, the sorcerer dissolved the privacy spell around them and got up from the bed, groggily dragging a hand down his face.

“Go home, Stephen, get some more sleep.”

“I’d rather stay and know how your hand and arm are doing”, he mumbled around a yawn, feeling a little disheartened at realizing that he wasn’t even close to being fully recovered.

Tony was quiet. Stephen took another moment to try and wake up further before sitting at the chair beside his bed and looking up at him. He wasn’t surprised to notice that the other man seemed just as tired as he was, barely able to keep his eyes open to hold his gaze.

“I want to go home today, and I don’t care what you…”

“I’m definitely taking you home with me today, you’ll never get better here”, Stephen grumbled, silently cursing his hurting back and lack of sleep. “I’ll talk to the doctors.”

Before Tony could reply anything, a knock on the door announced the nurses coming in. Stephen watched like a hawk as they removed the bandages, feeling extremely relieved to see that the healing process was adequately advanced.

They would be able to move on to physiotherapy within the week. The sooner Tony would get started, the better the chances of him regaining full mobility in his fingers, and Stephen really wanted that for him.

Tony’s arm looked even better than his hand did, the scars notwithstanding. After the doctors had had a look, they put a somewhat lighter bandage on the wounds than before. It made it easier for him to move his arm, which would in turn stimulate blood-circulation and, therefore, the healing process.

Stephen was also allowed to take him home after another IV finished. Extremis demanded a lot of nutrition, more than Tony would be able to take in by eating alone. He would have to come back daily to the hospital for more IVs for a week, not that it was a hardship considering the portals.

Bearing in mind everything that was going on, they chose to spend the day at the Tower, though they would go home to Miami to sleep. Most of their friends came by to say hello and see how Tony was doing. Happy even brought Abby for them to be able to see her, though they couldn’t take her home with them yet. Neither of them was fit enough to be able to care for her, but she was in the best hands anyway, as were the cats who were also staying with Happy.

Tony’s and Stephen’s gazes were locked almost all the time. They hadn’t told anyone yet that they were married, having decided upon waiting for a few more days to allow things to settle.

Their dimension’s Sorcerer Supreme was dead, and so were T’Challa, Heimdall, Vision, Maximoff and Romanov. It didn’t feel right for them to take away the significance of their deaths by celebrating their happiness in a moment like this.

Not telling anyone, though, didn’t make the way they were feeling just go away.

All they wanted was to bask in the knowledge of being married as well as in their closeness. Tony was so beautiful, his eyes so full of his love for Stephen that it was unbearable not to be kissing him constantly.

And the older man didn’t seem to be doing any better, appearing like he never wanted to let go of Stephen whenever they had to separate. He clung onto him, and every time they returned to each other’s side, Tony always reached out to hold onto him.

It was almost dinner time when they were left alone to rest, and Tony immediately pulled him close. Stephen went more than willingly, wrapping both arms around his waist and leaning their foreheads together. They smiled at each other until Tony reached up with his unbandaged hand to gently frame the side of his face.

After a few moments, he stretched up while simultaneously pulling Stephen down into a wonderful, loving kiss. He complied easily, his hold around Tony tightening to pull them flush together.

God, he wanted so bad to finally consummate their marriage, wanted so much to drag the gorgeous billionaire to bed and…

“Stephen, I…”

He knew that tone of voice, and no matter how much he wanted to agree, Stephen knew better.

“You”, the sorcerer said, only to clear his throat and start again. “You need to eat something, Tony. I’m gonna cook for us, and you’re gonna rest on the couch.”

“But…”

“Please.” He stole another soft kiss from warm lips. “You need to get better first, Tony.”

Their gazes met, and it was painfully clear that they both wanted the exact same thing, desperately. Tony gave in, though, probably recognizing that this wasn’t easy for Stephen either.

“Okay”, the billionaire mumbled and brushed his thumb down his cheek. “But we will…”

“Oh yes, Tony.” Stephen smirked slightly, impatiently looking forward to that already. “We definitely will.”

------------

They spent the night getting the rest they both still needed way too much, causing them to sleep in until around noon the next day. Without saying a word, they simply enjoyed each other’s warmth for a long while before getting up and fixing themselves something to eat.

After a quick trip to the hospital to get Tony’s wounds treated and savor another IV, they spent the rest of the day pretty much the same way they had had the last.

It was only after another long night of sleep that they both started to mend, that Stephen’s magic finally strengthened. Whatever pains had ailed him until then, his powers quickly took care of them, effectively making him feel much better.

He even had enough energy to take Tony to Kamar-Taj and, with extensive help from Master Shanti, managed to heal his wounds some more. The bandages on his arm weren’t needed afterwards, and they could decrease those around his hand too, giving him back some use of it.

Despite his arm having been off worse at the beginning, it was clear now that the hand would take the longest to heal. There simply were much more nerves and fine motor skills that had to recover, whereas his arm would merely be scarred for the rest of his life. And while they weren’t all that visible, the knowledge of the pain Tony had been in still made Stephen swallow uncomfortably.

“I don’t mind”, Tony answered his unasked question, causing Stephen to look up into brilliant brown eyes. “I’m alive, and what’s a few more scars compared to the life I get to have with you?”

“I’m still sorry, I should have…”

“You. Already. Saved. My. Arm. You saved me. I’ll take these scars over the alternatives any day, Stephen.” There was so much thankfulness in brown eyes, so much love and adoration that Stephen couldn’t help but believe him. Tony kissed him lovingly then, his fingers lightly caressing the side of his face. “Why didn’t you tell me about the spell?”

“I didn’t know for sure if it’d work, and I didn’t want to give you false hopes.”

“Thank you.”

It was clear that Tony meant so much more than not wanting to give him false hopes. Stephen nodded, a shy smile settling on his lips as he stared at the gorgeous, beautiful man in front of him.

His husband.

To his utter disbelief, Tony reached up with his right hand then, very lightly placing his bandaged fingers against the side of his face. The contact was softer than he thought he could take, its meaning so clear and making Stephen ache with his love for him.

“Tony…”

His longing was becoming too much to bear, and he immediately saw it in Tony’s eyes that he felt the same. There was also something else there, a determination that made Stephen weak in his knees.

“Stephen”, Tony said in his darkest voice, knowing full well what that did to him. “I’m tired of us waiting to consum…”

“Stop”, Stephen gasped, but before he could add anything, Tony used his hold on his head to pull him into a kiss.

A hot, passionate kiss full of tongue and teeth and desire.

They hadn’t kissed like this for… well, at least since Thanos had come, and Stephen hadn’t been prepared for how it would pull the rug from beneath his feet.

He groaned, his emotions finally boiling over and he surged forward without second thought. Tony was clearly enthusiastic, their kiss turning hotter and more desperate by the second. Stephen knew he should slow them down, but he had missed the taste of those lips so much.

The sensation of a hot body huddling against his brought Stephen back to the present. It was hard, but he managed to pull away from Tony’s lips and actually take a step back.

“Tony, stop.” He gasped for breath, knowing full well that he looked like he absolutely didn’t mean that. “You’re still wounded, we can’t…”

“Oh, we can”, Tony nothing but growled, the sound causing Stephen’s brain to short-circuit from the raw lust in it. “I’m fine, my hand is gonna be fine, and I’m tired of waiting. I can understand that we didn’t consummate our marriage in that hospital room, but this is getting ridiculous.”

“I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” Stephen knew he was almost whining, struggling to resist temptation and make Tony understand. “I don’t want to hurt you. I’m patient, we can…”

“What you are is nervous.” There was a smile on Tony’s lips, something soft and so loving that Stephen had trouble filling his lungs with air. “And so am I, Stephen. You’re my husband, and I want nothing more than for this to be perfect. I want to do right by you, and I want it to be good for you, and…”

“Don’t… don’t say it like that”, Stephen whispered, having trouble getting the words out from all the emotions swelling in his chest. “I’ve never not loved it when you loved me, and yeah, I am nervous. This is… This is supposed to be so special, because I can finally call you my husband, something I’ve wanted for so long. But, as much as I loved that we got married right in that hospital room, you deserve so much more, so much better, and I…”

“It doesn’t matter, Stephen.” Tony stepped up to him and once again framed his face with both his hands, the touch of the somewhat scratchy bandages making Stephen’s eyes fill with unshed tears. “Everything about the way we tied the knot was perfect, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Neither would I.”

They were talking about more than just the ceremony, Stephen knew. Things hadn’t been perfect, but it was stupid to wish for something that hadn’t been possible. Tony had been in a hospital, and for good reason at that. Consummating their marriage hadn’t been a priority, not after a war so horrible the entire world was still reeling from it.

And maybe that was what was making it beautiful.

Nothing about their lives was normal, nothing about the circumstances was normal, so why would the start of their marriage be?

“Then let’s try this again, okay?” Tony smiled at him, so soft and loving that Stephen couldn’t help but return it. “Do you have plans tonight, love?”

He chuckled lowly at that, understanding exactly what his husband was doing.

“No”, the younger man whispered and let his gaze lower to those lips, the lips he was starting to need more than the air he breathed. “No plans at all.”

“Then I want to consummate our marriage.” He brushed his thumb along Stephen’s bottom lip, the contact nearly bringing him to his knees with raw want.

“That”, the sorcerer breathed, “is the hottest thing you’ve ever said, Tones. Are you sure, though? Your arm…”

“We’ll manage, Stephen.” Tony kissed him softly on his lips. “We can manage everything together, remember? Even the end of the world, and I simply can’t wait a single moment longer.”

Stephen smiled with a happiness he had never felt before. “And I’d wait for you forever, Anthony.”

He pulled Tony in for a kiss before he could reply, just a firm, loving press of their lips. They didn’t move otherwise, only to open their eyes and stare right into the other’s soul.

And then there was no more stopping them.

They tilted their heads at the same time, sliding their mouths together for a kiss that was so deep, so intimate that Stephen couldn’t contain his excited groan. Tony moaned as well, eagerly tugging him closer while his body pressed against the sorcerer, every move full of desperate yearning.

For minutes they stood like this, kissing deeply in a way they hadn’t in far too long.

It was the touch of fingers curling into the front of his shirt that brought Stephen back to earth. Tony stepped back and tugged him along, towards their bed and he felt tears rising to his eyes.

“Shh”, the older man breathed against his lips. The touch of his bandaged fingers on his cheek made Stephen open his eyes to look at him, but it made sense. Tony’s left hand was the one burrowed in his shirt, so he… “Hey, Stephen. Stop thinking so much.”

I’m afraid, the sorcerer thought and closed his eyes again at the onslaught of emotions. I’m so…

“Why are you afraid, Stephen?”

Their gazes met, and his heart melted in his chest at the soft look in brown eyes, as did every last one of his defenses.

“Tony, I…” He didn’t know how to go on, at least not until Tony brought their bodies back together, making it so that Stephen could breathe again. “What if… what if it’s not what we’re hoping it will be? What if…”

“Stephen, I know what you’re afraid of. I was asking why you’re afraid.” Tony pressed closer and kissed his neck, one of the weak spots that made Stephen’s entire body shiver. “It’s me, baby. You never have to be afraid where I’m concerned.”

“What if it’s not what you hope for? It’s supposed to be special, so special, because it’s you and I’d never forgive myself if…”

“Hey, love, look at me.” Brown eyes were incredibly warm, as were the fingers that lightly brushed down the side of his face. “Whatever it is we’re going to do, it will be special, but not because it’s supposed to be. It will be special because it’s you, my husband.”

Stephen closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying his mightiest to settle his nerves. This was meant to be so different from what it currently was; and he definitely wasn’t supposed to make this so damn difficult.

God, why was this so…

“Stephen, you’re not going to lose me if us consummating our marriage isn’t as mind-blowing as you apparently think it has to be. I don’t care if it’s not, but honestly, knowing us, it damn sure will be.”

“I only want you to…”

“And I only want you”, Tony breathed, his voice rough with the desperate love he clearly didn’t know how to hold back anymore. “Stephen…”

And then it all clicked into place.

Stephen was afraid because he didn’t want to disappoint Tony, didn’t want to not be enough for him. The thing was, though, that he was making it all about himself again, when it was right in front of him who it was really about.

Tony.

He blinked as tears rose to his eyes, for a moment overwhelmed by his desperation at having been so stupid.

“No, don’t do that.” Tony leaned in to press his face into the crook of Stephen’s neck, the action almost forcing the sorcerer to wrap his arms around that gorgeous body. “Being with you is all I want, to feel you again, to really let it sink in that we both survived this shit-show, that we’re really married to each other, that…”

“I just want that, too, Tones. I just want to love you, and for you to love me.”

The smile he got was stunning, and despite knowing that maybe they should talk about this some more, Stephen finally understood what really mattered.

He reached up, slowly, to take a hold of Tony’s chin and pull him closer. The way brown eyes darkened with unadulterated desire sent a shudder throughout Stephen’s entire body, and he leaned in without further ado.

Their kiss was everything, full of love and lust and all the pent-up feelings of the last few days. It was perfect, effectively convincing Stephen that he was doing the right thing by going on with this.

Tony resumed dragging him towards their bed, and this time the younger man put up no resistance at all. It earned him a low moan, the warm body in his arms somehow pressing against him while still walking backwards.

With a subtle move, the billionaire turned them around and gently pushed Stephen down to sit on the mattress. For a moment he got to enjoy the sight of Tony standing in front of him, both his hands stroking up Stephen’s arms to settle on his shoulders, though he could feel the heat of only the left one through his shirt.

It was like old times again, and yet Stephen felt like they were about to have their first time with each other.

And in a way, it was exactly that.

This would be the first time they’d be intimate as married men, and wow, wasn’t that an earth-shattering thought.

“I missed you looking at me like this”, Tony muttered, his unbandaged hand wandering up his neck to frame the side of Stephen’s head. “I love you so much, Stephen Vincent Strange.”

This time, the words made him smile instead of feeling like he needed to cry for a few hours.

With renewed comfort in what they were doing, Stephen reached up for his waist and encouraged Tony to kneel over his lap. He easily followed his lead and caught the sorcerer’s mouth for another deep kiss, the desire for him plain to feel.

He let his hands wander up to wrap around the older man’s neck and the back of his head while rearing up slightly, desperate to feel more of him. Tony got him, the same way he always did, and nudged him until Stephen scooted backwards to the middle of the bed.

“I love you so much, Anthony Edward Stark”, he whispered while Tony settled down beside him, their legs automatically entwining. His words made the older man smile, his eyes so beautifully dark that Stephen couldn’t contain his needy moan anymore.

He reached out with both hands to grasp Tony’s head, while the man on top let his unbandaged hand wander across his chest. Their lips met for more kisses full of desire, neither of them anywhere close to having had enough of the other yet.

It made them feel more and more secure in what they were doing, and they both gradually relaxed.

With his hands wandering all over Tony’s upper body, Stephen felt like he couldn’t have him close enough. Their tongues were tangled, their breaths mingling and by the Gods, he wanted so much more than this.

Tony was clearly feeling the same. His hand lingered on the hem of Stephen’s shirt, seeming impatient to slip beneath it and touch naked skin.

“Touch me”, the sorcerer breathed and moaned luxuriously when Tony promptly did. His eager hand felt so good where he was stroking up Stephen’s side and to his back, the nails scratching along his skin causing him to groan from arousal.

“God, Stephen.” Those perfect lips slid down his cheek to his jaw, only to gently lick and suck along its line. It felt so good, Stephen’s entire body tingling with love and desire and fuck, Tony was doing that thing with his tongue that…

“Naked”, Stephen grunted as he threw his head back into the pillow, his entire body vibrating against Tony’s. “We really should be naked for this, don’t you – oh my God, Tony!”

Stephen barely registered the low chuckle breathed into the column of his throat. All he felt was the lingering sensation of a firm suckle on his pulse point, one that was sure to leave a mark.

If he’d had any lingering doubts about what they were doing, they had flown right out the window at that. Without any more thought, the sorcerer shifted to be able to reach down and pull Tony’s sweater over his head. His own shirt followed, and when they sank back against each other, Stephen had no idea about who made which sound.

It didn’t matter.

Stephen kissed him again, something deep and lusty that Tony reciprocated to the fullest. Their hands slid all over the other’s body, the both of them impatient to rediscover everything.

Soon, it wasn’t enough anymore.

“Tony”, Stephen moaned and arched his back, the sensation of Tony licking over his nipple nearly more than he could take. “Please, let me…”

“Whatever you want, baby.”

They shifted to be able to look into each other’s eyes. The desire he found in brown depths was so powerful, making Stephen painfully aware of how goddamn hard his cock was in his pants.

How goddamn hard he had been pretty much from the moment they’d gotten into bed.

Which was exactly as goddamn hard as Tony was beside him.

Without any more words, they kissed deeply again while starting to undress the other the rest of the way. It was wonderful, their desirous touches on each other’s body causing the most beautiful sounds to leave their throats.

And Stephen finally felt secure enough to fully reciprocate, not at all wanting Tony to have to do all the work. He helped him pull down his sweatpants to make sure that he didn’t overstrain his bandaged hand, only to let his own follow.

Once they were both naked and their sweaty skin slid together with raw intimacy, Stephen turned onto his side and wrapped his leg around Tony to keep him close. He clung to him with his hands, too, gently carding through his hair and kissing him with all his pent-up desire. Tony appreciated his energetic approach, Stephen could feel it in the way he arched into him with a deep groan.

Brown eyes smoldered with heat and lust when the sorcerer shifted to look at him, but there was something else underneath that. Stephen felt it, too, as he gently framed the side of Tony’s face.

“My husband”, he breathed, a smile forming on his lips at the subtle blush that was noticeable even despite Tony’s very prominent arousal. There were so many emotions in his chest that it was near impossible to breathe, but Stephen didn’t care.

He reveled in it, reveled in how Tony’s beauty and love made him feel. It meant so much to have this, to have been granted the chance of swearing his life to the man he loved more than anything.

“Tell me what you want.” The dark, breathless voice sent a shiver throughout Stephen, making it impossible to hold back a needy moan. “Stephen…”

Instead of saying anything - he didn’t have to, it was all in brown eyes that Tony knew exactly what he wanted and how he wanted it -, Stephen pulled him into another kiss and slowly shifted onto his back again. The genius eagerly followed him, his hot body the most arousing weight pressing him down into the mattress.

“Do you want to know what I don’t want and what I think we should do?”

Tony let the tips of his fingers lightly brush down his cheek, causing goosebumps to break out on Stephen’s entire body.

“Tell me.”

“I don’t want us to have any doubts about this. I don’t want us to play chicken and then, possibly, swerve, when all we should do is crash right into each other.”

“At the speed of light”, Stephen breathed, having understood what Tony had gone for and agreeing with him wholeheartedly.

They slowly moved closer to each other for a gentle brush of their noses, and a moment later all of them was pressed together but their lips. Tony shuddered when Stephen started stroking his hands up and down his back, trying to do the impossible and have him yet closer.

The older man kissed the corner of his mouth, Stephen’s entire body tingling with anticipation and the need to taste him. Tony complied easily once again, sliding their mouths together for the deepest, sexiest kiss he could have imagined.

Tony’s hand – the left one, the one with the paper ring on his fourth finger – stroked down his side and to his thigh, the touch incredibly arousing.

“Yes”, Stephen panted and readily spread his legs for him. “Tony…”

“I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to finally make love to my husband for the first time.” The words were breathed against his lips, allowing Tony to feel exactly how they knocked every breath right out of Stephen’s lungs. “Just let me…”

He watched as Tony carefully pulled the paper ring off his finger and put it on the nightstand, only to reach for the lube and pour more than enough of it into his hand. With a last glance into his eyes to check that Stephen was okay with this, he finally – God, finally – let his hand glide between his legs.

Their lips met again, tongues leisurely sliding along the other’s while Tony teased his opening. Stephen was hyperaware of the wet finger on his perineum, the intimacy of it only rivaled by the way they looked into each other’s eyes once they ended the kiss.

He could see it all there, the lust, the desire, the love that Tony felt for him, all of which was only meant for him.

For Tony’s husband.

The slick finger slowly pushed into him, a low moan on both their lips. It was so easy to see how aroused Tony was, the heat of Stephen’s body seeming to feel just as good to him as the slight stretch did to the sorcerer.

It was gentle, it was soft, and it remained like that as Tony slowly and carefully prepared him. His finger moved and crooked inside of him, the touch intimate and caring and so loving.

They alternated between deep, intense kisses and gazing into each other’s souls. The intimacy of both was making this so incredibly intense, but so was everything else.

Stephen felt the urge to close his eyes, to lie back and enjoy the sensations making his entire body feel too hot. And yet he didn’t, completely unable to give up looking into the most beautiful eyes he had ever known.

After what felt like forever, Tony added a second finger and made Stephen moan luxuriously, because honestly, he’d take it. Things were progressing frustratingly slowly, but he still loved it, loved every single moment of it.

The fingers inside him scissored, purposefully moving in and out of him in the most elaborate, most loving prep he could have imagined. Tony was determined to make this good for him, and as much as Stephen longed to take this further, he loved it more than he could put into words.

It was only when a third fingers joined the others that the other man brushed against his prostate for the first time, knocking every breath out of Stephen. Tony stared at him, drinking in his every reaction with a reverence like the sorcerer had never known before their relationship.

They kissed again, at least until Tony started peppering kisses down his cheek to his neck. Stephen had enough of just lying there and taking it, so he started rolling his hips down into the hand still pleasuring him. He also resumed stroking his hands all over his husband’s heated skin, or at least his left did.

His right wandered to Tony’s front to brush his fingertips along the rigid cock pressed tightly against his thigh. It made the older man’s breath stutter and his eyelids flutter, his arousal clearly through the roof by now. Still, just like Stephen, Tony struggled to keep their gazes locked, not giving in to his body’s impulses.

“Stephen…”

The roughness of the billionaire’s voice caused a shiver to run through Stephen’s whole body. He felt even hotter all of a sudden, his own arousal reaching a new peak which Tony noticed immediately, he could see it in brown orbs.

“I really wanted to prolong this some more, but now I’m thinking…”

“Yes”, Stephen whispered and caught those sexy lips for a lingering kiss. “We’ve waited long enough.”

A smile flickered across those beautiful features, and Tony complied without another word. He slicked himself up while Stephen shifted to get more comfortable, his legs spread wide in an unvoiced invitation.

They had done this so often, but he couldn’t remember ever having been this nervous, not even for their first time in either timeline.

This was about so much more than sex, though, and Stephen stared at the face of his husband as Tony shifted on top of him.

“I can’t believe it”, he mumbled and carefully wrapped a leg around Tony’s hips to pull him closer. “You really are my husband.”

“And you really are mine.” Tony settled down but made no move to take things further yet. “Well, according to some cultures you only will be for good once we… You know.” There was humor in his voice and in the way he arched an eyebrow, enough that Stephen couldn’t help his quiet chuckle. He relaxed almost against his will, all nervousness leaving his body as he remembered that it was Tony who was taking him in from above him.

Tony, who was so hot where he was settled between Stephen’s legs.

Tony, who was painfully hard for him.

Tony, who was his husband.

“Now, baby”, he breathed and gently tightened the hold his leg had on Tony’s ass, urging him closer. “I’m tired of waiting.”

“Good. So am I.”

Hot lips brushed over his lightly, teasingly, only for that to turn into the hottest of kisses. Stephen moaned and opened his mouth wider for Tony, letting him take whatever he wanted and giving just as good as he got.

It was the firm press of a very hard cock at his opening that knocked every breath out of him – again. Stephen’s back arched before his entire body went lax at the outlook of what was about to happen.

“Ready, my love?” He wasn’t merely asking about being penetrated, Stephen knew. Tony kissed the corner of his mouth before making their gazes meet. “My husband.”

“Tony, seriously? I’m so ready to consummate our marriage, it’s not even funny anymore”, the younger man panted, his body shivering in anticipation. “C’mon.”

Thankfully, Tony complied and promptly started pushing into him. He felt hot and hard and so big, causing Stephen to groan luxuriously, every fiber of his being focused on the man between his legs. His own cock leaked a sizeable amount of pre-cum, both the sensations and the knowledge of what it meant incredibly arousing.

“You feel so good”, the older man whispered right against his ear, his voice rough with his feelings, the same feelings that Stephen felt. They looked at each other again, their eyes full of lust and love and fulfillment at what they were doing.

With a guttural moan Tony bottomed out, finally, and Stephen felt wonderfully full. He had troubles staying focused, his entire body close to submitting to the pleasure racing through his veins. All he wanted to do was to lean back, to close his eyes and give himself over to the sensations his husband was expertly evoking from him.

Instead, he took a shaky breath and realized that his hands were uselessly resting on the small of Tony’s back. Taking back some initiative, Stephen slowly stroked his fingertips up along the lines of muscles to bury them in sweaty brown strands. He pulled his head closer, brushing their lips together before kissing Tony deeply and with all the love he felt for him.

It was noticeable that the billionaire appreciated his actions from the slight shiver rocking through him. A smile spread on Stephen’s lips, one of unadulterated happiness and love, so goddamn much love.

“You really are my husband now, by any standard”, Tony mumbled hoarsely, causing the sorcerer to open his eyes and take in the beauty above him.

And Gods, what a sight that was.

“And you really are mine, aren’t you?” His voice was raspy too, his emotions as well as the heated flesh buried deeply within him simply too much to ignore. “Though, maybe we should see this through all the way, what do you say?”

The soft chuckle he got was stunning, sweetly amused and so incredibly aroused that it made Stephen understand that he wasn’t the only one who was overwhelmed.

After staring into each other’s soul for another while, the sorcerer planted his free foot on the mattress before using the grip of his leg around Tony’s ass as leverage. He rocked them together, which didn’t count as a thrust but did make them both moan at the sensation anyway.

“Stephen”, Tony gasped and shuddered, his pupils blown impossibly wide. It meant so much to be able to see him in that moment, no matter how hard it was for them both to keep their eyes open. It was intimate and so, so beautiful.

Something changed then, almost as if they both decided to take this further at the exact same time. Stephen moaned when Tony started moving, and though it was soft and gentle at first, he met his movements right from the start.

It took a while for them to find a rhythm that worked for them both, but it was so worth it. He was hot and sweating profusely, and yet it seemed to be the most perfect thing Tony had ever seen, judging by the look on his face. They looked at nothing but each other, their eyes only closing whenever their lips met for heated kisses.

He let his hands wander from brown hair to frame Tony’s gorgeous face, his touch soft whereas their movements were growing more erratic. It was hard to stay focused and Stephen repeatedly blinked, trying to see past the way the pleasure blurred the edges of his vision.

Tony was nailing his prostate at every thrust and even if it wasn’t nearly as hard or fast as it could have been, it was still everything. There was so much love and elation in brown depths, and Stephen felt exactly that neither of them would need much more.

Their moans of pleasure were getting louder, less restrained. Tony let his left hand stroke down the side of Stephen’s body as far as he could reach, the touch incredibly desirous. His fingers dug into his skin, trying to pull his body impossibly closer as if he wasn’t already as close to Stephen as he could physically be.

Everything grew more desperate then, the thrusts intense enough to make them moan near constantly. His mouth hung open as he stared up at Tony, drinking in the sight like a man about to die from thirst. The hand on his thigh wandered up his body then, putting slight pressure on the small of his back and making Stephen arch up.

It changed the angle in which Tony’s cock moved inside of him at the next thrust, and the sorcerer came with a deep groan. He somehow managed to keep his eyes open and watch Tony come mere seconds after him. Instead of fucking him through it, the older man stilled deeply buried within him and just focused on enjoying their connection.

While Stephen spilled over both their stomachs, Tony marked his insides with his come, the sensation of it so impossibly intimate. The touch on his lower back turned into soft caresses up his spine and down to his ass and thigh. It helped ground him, which was good, because otherwise he felt like flying away.

His own fingers carefully worshipped Tony’s face, wanting nothing more than to remain like this forever. With the sweat running down the man’s temples and the pleasure plain to see on his face, his husband was beyond beautiful above him.

And Tony seemed to think the exact same thing about Stephen, his eyes full of wonder as he watched him in return. They remained the way they were until their orgasms were over, leaving them both weak and breathless.

Somehow, Tony managed to not break down on top of him, though it clearly was difficult. Their gazes were still locked, and Stephen reached up for a lingering kiss, the knowledge of their finally consummated marriage making him very emotional.

The moment was perfect, everything about this was simply, stunningly perfect, and he felt a lot like crying from all the love he felt for Tony.

“Special enough?” the other man smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth, his brown eyes like an open book for him. Stephen could see the happiness there, the joy at what all of this meant.

“Perfect”, he replied softly, his hands lovingly moving all over Tony’s hot back to pull him impossibly closer against himself. “Not that I expected anything less from my amazing husband.”

The words caused a stunning grin to appear on sexy lips for a moment or two, though it quickly melted away into a much smaller, much more loving smile. Tony shifted and pulled out then without moving away from him at all. He remained in Stephen’s arms, settling contently against his side and reaching up with his left hand to caress his face.

It took some effort, the afterglow of an unbelievable orgasm still lingering in his bones, but Stephen managed to clean them up with a wave of his hand. Tony promptly kissed him then, his fingers lovingly guiding Stephen’s head into the position he wanted him in.

He tugged on Tony’s waist in return, urging him to scoot up until their faces were the exact same height. It made kissing him much easier, and Stephen let himself fall into the moment. They kissed, and kissed, and kissed again, their lips touching more often than they were apart while their fingers lightly caressed the other’s face.

“Perfect”, the younger man repeated some time, loving the smile he got so much. “My husband.”

“My husband”, Tony repeated, the pride and joy plain on his features for Stephen to see. He was so beautiful, and he gave up trying to resist him. Pulling him closer again, Stephen made sure to kiss him with all the admiration he felt for him, his entire body tingling with love.

They remained like this long enough for dusk to settle and make Tony’s eyes look even more beautiful in its soft light.

“You’re so beautiful”, Stephen whispered and softly kissed him again. “I want to stay like this forever.”

“I’d love that, too.” A gentle thumb brushed along his bottom lip, brown eyes watching the contact before glancing back up at him. “I guess that’s the downside of a secret wedding. No honeymoon.”

“Instead, we’ve got a funeral coming up”, the sorcerer sighed and brushed the tip of his forefinger along Tony’s brow. “And yet, I wouldn’t change a thing, Tones.”

“Me, neither.”

Chapter 6: Do you even still want me?

Chapter Text

Stephen accepted the cup of tea Tony handed him with a smile and leaned in for a loving kiss to his lips. They lingered, their faces remaining close as they stole more kisses from each other’s lips, the both of them simply unable to get enough.

It’d been like this the entire evening.

They had remained in bed for a bit longer, not at all wanting to stop kissing and touching each other. Heavy-hearted, they had eventually acknowledged their need for food, though, and had cooked a great meal together.

With lots and lots of kisses, of course.

Having decided on spending some time in their garden in their Miami house, Tony had taken up fixing them drinks while Stephen had fetched the cushions. With the happiest of smiles, they wandered outside and sat on the couch with their sides leaning against the backrest.

Tony took a sip of his coffee before placing the mug on the table. The paper ring was on his finger again, and Stephen couldn’t help but stare at it, the sight making him feel so happy.

“When are we going to tell people?” the genius asked as he leaned back and reached up with his left hand to gently frame the side of Stephen’s head. He could feel the paper on his cheek, his heart leaping in his chest at the meaning of it.

Stephen didn’t have to think about his answer. “Whenever we feel is right.”

“And how are we going to know when that is, baby?”

Smiling, Stephen framed Tony’s face in a perfect mirror gesture. “Right now, I don’t want to let you out of my reach. I want to enjoy this feeling of perfection for as long as I can, with you. I guess it won’t last forever, and I’m sure that these millions of memories will hit me pretty hard pretty soon.”

“And when they do, I’ll be here for you”, Tony didn’t hesitate to say, making Stephen’s chest swell with his love for him.

“I know, honey.” He pulled him closer and leaned in to meet him halfway for a kiss. “What I’m trying to say is that I want us to just enjoy, well, us for as long as we can.”

“It’s still wonderful when I think about being able to finally call you my husband.” The older man smiled that beautiful, content smile of his, the one Stephen had never seen on those lips before they had tied the knot. It made it seem like Tony’s dreams had come true, maybe not all of them, but some very big ones. “I don’t think that’ll ever change.”

“Then we’ll never tell anyone”, Stephen agreed easily, a happy smile stretching his lips when Tony laughed quietly. “Though I’ve really looked forward to letting everyone know that you’re my husband now.”

“So have I, Stephen.” It was in brown eyes how much Tony meant that, how much it mattered to him that they were married now. “I’ve never looked forward to something so much.”

“A few days after the funeral, then”, he suggested. “Maybe, once the aftermath of Thanos is settled and we’re mostly back to normal, we should get together with everyone and celebrate life.”

“I’d like that”, Tony mumbled with a gentle smile. “We can announce it then.”

Stephen smiled contently, feeling giddy at both the outlook of telling everyone as well as at getting to enjoy the secrecy until then. Some part of him felt guilty that they were focusing solely on each other, there were so many things that they should be thinking of.

The funeral would be a very big event, would even be transmitted on TV. The destruction Thanos had brought had hurt so many people, in ways that hadn’t even been mended by restoring those who had turned to dust. Many lives had been lost nonetheless, and everyone on the planet was still reeling from it.

As gruesome as it was, they had always anticipated this. There had been relief funds and aid programs in place long before anyone but them had ever even heard of Thanos. People were being helped, which was the most important thing these days.

It was well-known how Tony Stark had fought against Thanos, that he was the one who had destroyed him in the end. They hadn’t been able to prevent him from erasing half the universe, but considering the fact that Tony had invented time-travel years ago, they hadn’t been dust for long.

*****

Stephen stared at where Thanos had just disappeared. He knew what it meant that he was in possession of the Time Stone now, knew from Tony’s reports what was about to happen.

It couldn’t be.

They had had nearly five years to prepare for this moment, and yet…

“Stephen.”

Turning his head to look at Tony, the sorcerer had to blink several times to clear the tears from his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Tony.”

“Don’t be.” The man stumbled towards him, his entire body seeming to hurt from having fought Thanos up close. “This has to happen.”

That surprised Stephen. “What?”

“I’ve got my sling ring; I won’t have to nearly die waiting for Carol to find me. I have invented time travel years ago. This won’t be for long, you know that.”

“Why did you never tell me…?”

Tony winced, but didn’t hesitate to reach out for Stephen’s upper arms and pull him against him. “I was hoping that it wouldn’t come to it.”

He immediately knew what that meant. The genius had already had to watch him turn to dust, just the thought of having to watch that again…

“You’re the love of my life, Stephen.”

A painful sob wrenched its way out of his chest, the sound of it as broken as he felt. “Tony…”

“I know, baby. I’m gonna miss you so much.”

All he wanted was to tell him that he was the same, that he loved him so much and hated having to leave him alone. Stephen couldn’t get even a single word out, though, his throat tight with desperate emotions.

Tony leaned back slightly to allow him to look at him. The sight effortlessly broke Stephen’s heart, the streaks of tears betraying the way he had acted stronger than the other man really felt.

“Tony, I love you”, he somehow got out, his cheeks wet with tears as well. “Please, you can’t…”

“We will see each other again, I can promise you that.” Tony reached up to gently frame the side of his head. “And that I’ll do everything within my power to survive.”

They moved closer for a firm press of their lips, neither caring about the salty taste of their tears. Their love for each other was palpable, as was the desperation at what was about to happen.

“I’m so sorry that this has to happen again.”

“I can’t say that I didn’t expect it. This was never going to be smooth by any definition.” Tony pulled him into a tight, very tight hug. “You won’t remain dusted for long, I hope you know that.”

“I know, honey. I have faith in you.” He breathed a shaky sigh and turned his head to bury his nose in Tony’s hair. “I love you, Anthony.”

Something changed then as he slowly lost all feeling in his lower body, but only Tony’s sharp intake of breath made him understand what was happening.

The last thing he saw before everything became black were incredibly loving brown eyes.

*****

The soft touch of a warm hand on the back of his neck brought Stephen back to the present. He sighed contently, the light massage making him relax into the soft cushions.

“Hey. Where’d you go just now?” Tony inquired quietly. He sounded caring and more worried than Stephen thought was necessary, but he appreciated it all the more.

He took a moment to answer, not quite knowing how much he wanted to reveal right then. On the other hand, Tony deserved everything from him, most of all his love and honesty.

“You had guessed that I’d turn to dust a second time, hadn’t you?” Stephen asked lowly and reached up to gently grasp his hand. “Of course you had.”

“It wasn’t hard, your poker face is horrible”, Tony smiled, though it was in his eyes that the turn of events hadn’t left him unfazed either. “You know that I got back to Earth much quicker thanks to the portals, but still. Watching you turn to dust twice in my life, I…”

“I know.” And he did know. He couldn’t imagine what having to see that must have been like, especially considering that Tony already had so many memories of Stephen nearly dying. “And though I know now that it wasn’t avoidable, I still wish I could have spared you.”

“I know, Stephen.”

They were silent for a long moment, until Tony lifted his head to meet his gaze head-on.

“Are you okay?”

Stephen didn’t understand immediately, and without having to prompt him, the older man elaborated.

“I know it can’t be easy, having all these memories crashing down on you at once. If there’s anything you need…”

“Right now, I’m good.” He smiled at the doubt in brown eyes, knowing and appreciating how worried Tony was about him. “Look, I know it’s not going to stay like this, but right now I’m able to focus on us, nothing else.”

That made Tony smile as well. The relief would probably be short-lived, but Stephen knew that it couldn’t be changed.

“I’m really glad.”

“So am I, Tones.” He shifted a bit to be able to lean in for a firm kiss. “It’ll probably take forever to make sense of this mess, but for now, just looking at you keeps me in the present.”

Gentle fingers brushed along his cheekbone and down to his neck, sending a pleasurable shiver through Stephen’s body. It would have been easy to get lost in the sensations - in Tony -, but that wasn’t what he deserved. His husband was more than a distraction, more than a way to forget.

He was everything.

“I don’t want you to spare me by smoothing over the edges, Stephen. We’ll get through this together. Don’t shut me out.”

Tony was right, but it wasn’t quite that easy, now, was it?

“I’ll try”, Stephen nodded hesitantly, knowing that maybe it wouldn’t always worj out that way. He could see that it wasn’t what Tony had wanted to hear, so he added: “Tony. Do you understand what this - all of this, the memories, the futures that I saw -, what it means?”

Thankfully, the billionaire knew him well enough not to answer, probably knowing that he couldn’t understand. Instead, Tony gently tightened the contact of their hands, clearly wanting to comfort him through this.

“Tell me.”

“Every alternative timeline, I rewound at the moment of your death.”

Tears sprung to brown eyes instantly, and Stephen could see that Tony had gotten it. “So, you watched me die 14,000,604 times.”

“Yes. Some futures were short; those were the ones when we were stupid enough to go head-to-head against Thanos. Others, we would try to hide. Sometimes that lasted days, sometimes years.”

“And you lived all of that.”

Stephen pulled a face for a moment. “Somewhat. Not quite the way you think. It helps a lot that there’s also our first timeline, the one that feels like a memory now. I did live it, actually lived it, and it’s a part of me. And yet it feels different, less… real than our second timeline. The alternative timelines feel even less real, though I can’t forget them either.”

Tony hummed lowly and leaned in for a soft kiss to his cheek, only to lower his head onto Stephen’s shoulder. Smiling, the younger man felt his heart growing lighter as he continued.

“There’s this part of me that passed the Time Stone on to you and sent you back in time less than a week ago, but I’m as far from being that man as I can possibly be.” He paused for a kiss to brown hair, feeling so joyful at having Tony in his arms and being able to call him his husband now. “I loved you so much back then, but it feels like nothing compared to what I feel for you now.”

“Stephen…”

“It all comes back to you, Tony. Always. I remember enough to know that we weren’t living together in that first timeline, and I know that I never thought about marriage or raising a child before Thanos.”

There was no objection from Tony, which was saying a lot.

“We weren’t then what we are now”, Stephen added softly and snuck an arm around the other man’s waist to hold him tight.

“That’s probably my fault, and I’m sorry about that.” It was clear what Tony meant, the sorcerer finally remembered just how long he had fought Stephen tooth and nail before their relationship had ever started.

“No, Tony, don’t be sorry. You weren’t the main problem, believe me.” He kissed his head again. “I was too prideful to admit that I wanted to spend more time with you, opting to withdraw on my bad days rather than admit that being with you would have helped me so much.”

“Then I’m very happy that we’re here now.” Tony leaned back far enough to be able to look at him, a gentle smile curling his lips that made Stephen feel warm and happy.

They had a lot more to talk about, but not right then. For now, they just enjoyed being together, with Tony placing his head on his shoulder again and Stephen holding him close around his waist.

------------

“That was an amazing dinner, Tones”, Stephen mumbled and leaned in for a gentle kiss. “Thank you.”

“Hmm.” The billionaire accepted the praise gracefully. “It’s great that Bernd called and delivered on his promise of setting us up with that farmer he knows, even despite, you know, everything. And it’s great that we’ve got more in the freezer.”

“Yeah, exemplary animal-friendly and locally slaughtered meat is pretty much invaluable, and the ribs were great. The cooking, too, of course”, he added quickly and in jest, knowing full well that Tony would appreciate it.

He did, a beautiful laugh bubbling up in his chest, the sound of which Stephen simply loved. The hands splayed on the sorcerer’s back pulled him yet closer, causing their bodies to touch in all the right places.

It was hard to reign in his moan, the sensations so familiar and yet more exciting than was probably appropriate in that moment.

“Hmm”, Tony hummed again, and Stephen immediately knew that he knew. “Now that I’m your husband, do you even still want me?”

It was partly said in jest, he recognized, but the absurdity of the question still made Stephen snort. Instead of replying something right then, he reached up and framed that gorgeous face to pull him in for a hot, deep kiss.

He didn’t miss the slight smile on the lips he was kissing, telling Stephen everything he needed to know.

“You’re horrible”, the younger man whispered. “You know damn well that I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you. That’ll never change.”

“I like you reminding me”, Tony whispered right against his lips, his beautiful eyes dark with the same desire that was flaring up in Stephen. “And I really think that we should consummate our marriage again, you know, just to be absolutely sure that it counts, I mean, we wouldn’t want…”

Stephen caught hot lips for another kiss before he could go on, not at all wanting him to - oh God, that wasn’t…

This time, he couldn’t keep his moan in. Tony had deepened the kiss and had turned it much dirtier much quicker than Stephen had been ready for, not that he didn’t love it. His reaction made the billionaire laugh again, but thankfully he didn’t pull away. Tony let his free hand stroke up Stephen’s body and to his jaw, the bandaged one on his back still holding him close.

Their kiss turned impossibly deeper then, something full of love and desire that sent a shiver down Stephen’s spine. Tony shuddered too, noticeably, and he instinctively pulled him closer with one arm around his waist. They couldn’t be close enough all of a sudden, losing themselves completely in the taste and heat of each other.

When they were already in the process of stumbling over to their bed and getting rid of their clothes, Stephen had the mind to pull back slightly and mutter: “Does this clear things up for you?”

And Tony, that little shit, only shrugged and replied: “Not really, not yet. Ask me again in about half an hour or so?”

Shaking his head in amusement, the sorcerer decided to finally forego all talking and rational thought and just start enjoying this.

Which Tony was clearly very much on board with.

They made slow, beautiful love with Stephen on top this time, much to Tony’s delight. Just like the night before, everything was so much more intense than normal, and they went to sleep wrapped tightly in each other’s arms soon after.

------------

In the morning, Stephen woke up to the sun shining on his face. He moaned quietly and wanted to shift when he noticed the weight on his chest, which turned out to be his husband. Tony was still sound asleep, and after a short glance at the adorable sight, Stephen just resigned himself to an early start to his day, the sun be damned.

It made him think of all the mornings they had spent just like this, cuddled together in their bed, even if this time it wasn’t after a long night of lovemaking. They rarely had had mornings like these in the first timeline and while he remembered why, he could understand it even less now.

They were the best mornings, after all.

Stephen basked in the warmth surrounding him and the comfort he felt at having Tony this close. All his senses were taken up by everything Tony Stark, just the way he loved it, just the way he always wanted it to be. Stephen let his fingers stroke over every inch of warm skin he could reach, always loving to caress the body of his man.

No matter that he knew every curve, every crevice, every scar by heart anyway.

He loved everything about Tony, the things he’d known ever since meeting him for the first time as much as the things he still discovered every day. Most recently, one of those things was that new smile that Stephen had never seen on Tony’s lips before they had married. His heart fluttered at the thought that they were both so happy about this, about being married.

Nothing honored him more than being able to call the genius his husband, and he doubted that would ever change. Tony meant everything, and Stephen had dreamed about marrying him for so long, or really for the last three years at least.

It was still a bit hard to reconcile this line of events with the first timeline. Stephen winced at how he had only realized the depths of his feelings when Thanos had thrown a fucking moon at Tony.

He had been so busy constructing the life he’d thought he’d wanted that he hadn’t seen what had been right in front of him. Somehow, Stephen had wanted both his freedom and Tony at the same time, not having understood that it was the same.

Loving Tony and keeping him at arm’s length had been impossible to do, mostly because of the man himself. Every moment Stephen had spent with him had made him fall deeper in love, but unlike the second timeline, he hadn’t noticed. Or maybe he hadn’t wanted to notice; either way, he hadn’t made an effort to be with Tony as much as he could have.

All he had done was to go about his business as he had before Tony had finally stopped fighting them. He had left their dimension as often as usual, most often not even personally informing his then-boyfriend of his plans. A short text had usually done the trick, a sort of behavior Stephen felt abhorred about now.

He had resolutely put being Sorcerer Supreme before his relationship with Tony.

It explained why they hadn’t been anywhere near as close as they were these days. His behavior hadn’t helped Tony feel secure in their relationship at all, quite the opposite actually. If he was being honest, Stephen didn’t know why the billionaire had stuck with him at all. He could tell now how often he had hurt the older man, how often his behavior must have distressed Tony, and all because of his selfishness.

With some considerable effort, Stephen managed to focus on what was important.

Somehow, in the second timeline, he hadn’t been so stupid. Something had made him realize very early on that he had wanted to be with Tony as much as possible, and thankfully he had fought for it. It had all cumulated to him giving up being Sorcerer Supreme, and he had yet to regret it.

He knew he never would.

Living with Tony, falling asleep in his arms and him being the first thing he saw every morning meant more to Stephen than anything else. And yet, all he wanted was more, more time spent with Tony, more moments to touch him and look at him. It meant everything how the man was cuddled against him, holding onto him as if he couldn’t be close enough to Stephen even in his sleep.

Stephen was so lost in his thoughts that he startled when the man in his arms moved suddenly. It was clear that Tony was still asleep as he shifted onto his back, only to turn onto his other side a moment later.

He felt silly, admittedly, but even if it gave him the opportunity to shift himself and try falling asleep again, all Stephen did was miss their closeness. With a sigh at the reminder of just how bad he really had it, he shifted onto his side as well and scooted up behind his husband.

Wrapping himself around him as much as he could and closing his eyes, Stephen buried his nose in thick brown strands. Tony was so warm in his arms, his skin soft and Gods, he smelled damn good, too. It was enough to lull the sorcerer back to sleep, now that the sun wasn’t bothering him so much anymore.

When he came to again, their position was the same except that his left hand was intertwined with Tony’s left, so he must have been awake at some point. Stephen listened intently for a long moment to figure out if he still was.

The soft brush of a thumb along his palm made it obvious.

“Go back to sleep”, Stephen muttered and kissed the spot beneath Tony’s ear. “It’s too early to be up.”

His husband merely hummed, not reacting otherwise and therefore allowing Stephen to lull him back to sleep. He nuzzled his neck and carefully dislodged their hands, only to caress all the warm skin that he could reach without moving his arm. Tony clearly appreciated it, his entire body melting into the mattress and Stephen’s hold around him.

------------

It was almost 10 a.m. when the billionaire finally stirred. Stephen was smiling lovingly as he watched him carefully stretch, brown eyes still shut while sexy lips pulled into that beautiful, relaxed smile of his.

“How long have you been watching me sleep again?”

“Not as long as I would have liked”, the sorcerer chuckled and moved closer to bury his face into Tony’s neck to kiss the soft skin and breathe him in. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, baby.” Tony stretched again, though it was clear that he wasn’t strained or in any pain. He shifted then to gain a bit distance, only to roll onto his back and blink up at Stephen who was leaning on his elbow. “You haven’t slept much?”

“I’m fine, I slept plenty.” With more care than was probably necessary, Stephen slowly stroked his free hand down Tony’s right arm to grasp his bandaged limb. He carefully lifted the hand and kissed the back of it, not at all caring about the slight roughness. “How are you feeling, really?”

“Happy. Loved.”

Their gazes met, allowing Stephen to see that Tony knew full well what he had meant. Yet he had said those words, and the younger man couldn’t deny how content he felt at knowing that.

“I’m glad. That’s not what I meant, though.”

“I know, but there’s nothing new. We’ll have to wait and see how effective the physio will be.” Tony seemed to anticipate that he wanted to say more, so before Stephen could, he reached up with his left to gently touch his cheek. “I’m fine. Really, honey.”

He nodded, though it was hard to just stop worrying about him. So far, Tony hadn’t really jostled his hand yet, but Stephen didn’t want to tempt fate by, well…

They had no plans for the day, and they would only bring their pets back into their house the day after the funeral, which would be the following day. So, there was no reason not to spend the day in bed, but Stephen wasn’t sure that’d be so good.

It wasn’t so much that he didn’t feel like sex, quite the contrary actually. Tony was so hot lying beside him, his sleep warm body all hard planes and soft skin where they were pressed together. His eyes were enticingly dark, too, looking up at Stephen and drinking him in just as much as he was in return.

God, he wanted him bad, but they had had sex the night before, and Stephen knew he should be content with that. Tony was still recovering from their fight against Thanos, from the operation on his burned arm and hand, from the horrible night at the hospital…

There were more important things than a day spent encompassed by nothing but his husband. Though, now that he had thought about it, Stephen had to admit that it sounded damn enticing.

“You know”, Tony’s voice made him look up and realize that his thoughts had started to drift again, “usually, when you look at me like this, we get to enjoy a very good, very long morning in bed.”

Stephen blushed furiously at being caught.

“I see you’re interested. Well, listen, I know the funeral is tomorrow and I don’t want to be insensitive, but I miss you.”

That gave him pause, considering they were lying in their bed with almost the entire lengths of their bodies pressed together. It was in Tony’s eyes, though, that this was how he really felt, and suddenly Stephen understood that the other man wasn’t the only one who did.

“I’d say I’m right here, but I do know how you feel”, he muttered and slowly stroked his hand up the tantalizing body beside him. “I miss you, too, but I just can’t stand the thought of hurting you in any way, even by accident.”

It was clear that the billionaire understood that he was serious, too, Stephen could see it on his face. So, thankfully, Tony didn’t brush him off with another ‘I’m fine’, but it was still clear to see what he was thinking.

“I know it’s irrational, you’ve been fine… so far.”

“When we’ve had sex, you mean”, Tony added, if only to embarrass him even more. “But that’s not what this is about.”

Stephen nodded. “I’m just… I’m trying to make sense of that first timeline, but it’s hard. I don’t…”

He didn’t know how to go on. There was so much that he couldn’t understand, so many things Stephen had done that he couldn’t comprehend now.

“Talk to me, baby.”

“I just…” The sorcerer stopped again to breathe, having started without really thinking about what to say. “I don’t get why we were so… different, compared to now.”

“I was a recovering alcoholic, Stephen.” It was said with brutal honesty, but Stephen shook his head.

“No, I… I know that. I don’t mean… you.”

Tony took a deep breath, but Stephen didn’t give him the opportunity to get a word in.

“I can remember the differences, how much more… distant I was. This time, you always made it sound like I was there for you, but I really wasn’t.”

“Stephen…”

“And I feel like I need so much to apologize to you for how I treated you the first time.” His voice was shaking, the emotions making it hard to breathe. “You deserved so much better from me, you always have, and I…”

“Stephen, hold it right there, okay? There was nothing wrong with the way you treated me whatsoever.” Tony reached up to gently touch his cheek. “There wasn’t, honey.”

“It wasn’t what you needed. I didn’t put you first, and I really should have.”

Tony sighed. “And like I told you in this timeline, I understand.”

That was even more incomprehensible to Stephen. “You needed something else.”

“One can’t always get what they need, I learned that a long time ago”, Tony snorted, only to add more seriously: “And even then, you were more than I thought I ever deserved.”

That was so far off the truth that Stephen pulled a face. “Tony…”

“You weren’t always there, but you never left. You always came back to me. And you loved me the way you could, which happened to be exactly what I needed. Just you. I don’t think I could have tolerated anything more back then.”

Stephen frowned. He couldn’t really believe that, but as he looked down at his husband, it was difficult not to.

“We also didn’t have sex nearly as often in that first timeline as we do these days.”

Tony chuckled. “You don’t need me to tell you that we were both afraid of the intimacy of making love. And we weren’t really able to just have sex, remember?”

He did remember, and Stephen felt like dying from embarrassment which Tony noticed immediately.

Whenever they’d had sex, Stephen had always been trying - to a probably unhealthily excessive extent - to pretend like the softer parts of it hadn’t appealed to him. As a result, he had barely made any sounds at all, or at least he had resolutely tried.

Until that night.

It had been the first time things had progressed in a way that had led to Tony being on top, which - stunningly - meant that until then, it had always been Stephen fucking the older man. And while that had been perfectly fine, he now had troubles believing how much of an idiot he’d been, now that he knew how goddamn good it felt to get fucked.

Anyway, to say the least, it had been impossible to keep his sounds down when Tony had finally, well…

“It doesn’t matter, Stephen. It was a time when we were different, more broken, definitely less happy. What matters is that we’re here now, right? Married, happy and used to stunning sex.”

Stephen rolled his eyes at Tony’s words, understanding exactly where he was going with this.

“You’re right, I just… I want you to know that I’ve changed. I put myself first when I shouldn’t have. It was a different timeline, and I didn’t know about it this time, but there’s nothing more important to me than you.”

The words made the genius sigh. “I never held it against you that you didn’t give up being Sorcerer Supreme the first time. It’s what you were meant to be.”

Stephen was already shaking his head while Tony was still talking. “It never made me nearly as happy as being with you does every single moment that I get to spend with you.”

His voice was full of emotions and conviction, for once knowing that he was absolutely sure about what he was saying.

“I’m very happy every moment I am with you, too.” Tony moved to turn onto his side, coincidentally pushing Stephen onto his back to hover over him. The position was innocent enough, but not with the way dark eyes flickered down to his lips. “You know, having amazing morning sex won’t take any of that away, but it might make us feel even better.”

The sorcerer chuckled amusedly. “You really want to have morning sex, huh?”

Tony smiled. “Well, yeah, and you sure seem like you could use it with your trip down memory lane.”

“True, but you know what?”

“What, Strange?”

“I’d rather make love, not that I would ever have admitted that in the first timeline. And besides”, he added, fully aware that Tony was liking what he was saying, “why only spend the morning in bed?”

It was the billionaire’s turn to chuckle. The look on his face and his entire body language made it very clear that Tony agreed with him whole-heartedly. Still, there was something the man wanted to add before they got distracted.

“About that second thought? Yes. Actually, hell yes, as long as we don’t forget to eat. Extremis, you know how it is.” That made the younger man grin, only for that to melt away at what Tony said next. “And I had my suspicions from the start that you were much more of a softie than you wanted to let on. And now is probably a good time to tell you that I didn’t sleep much the nights that you stayed in bed with me. I enjoyed it too much.”

Stephen understood him immediately; he hadn’t been nearly as cuddly and affectionate as he was these days. Most times, they had barely touched in their afterglow and Tony’s insinuation was correct, more often than not he had left once he had thought the other man had fallen asleep.

All he had ever done had been fighting the depths of his feelings for Tony.

Some nights, though, when he had thought that Tony had already fallen asleep and wouldn’t notice, Stephen had stayed longer.

Much longer.

*****

Stephen shifted uncomfortably, not really knowing what to make of the way his body was feeling. It was still weird to have another man’s cock up his ass, or at least that was what he was choosing to focus on.

Better that than having to think about how the sensations always made him lose his mind.

God, he was so embarrassed about how loud he had moaned when Tony had come inside him. And yes, it wasn’t so much about his own intense orgasm that had made him lose control, but the throbbing and the wetness…

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, not wanting to go down that road. It wasn’t right, and it wouldn’t make him want to do things this way more often at all.

Still, it had exhausted him a lot, and Stephen hadn’t yet managed to get out of Tony’s bed to retreat to the Sanctum. He had made the mistake of watching his lover as he slept beside him, whom he could see thanks to the moonlight.

Sleep took almost a decade off Tony, his features relaxed and with a little smile playing on his lips that Stephen had nearly missed. He was beautiful, and now the sorcerer had to try and figure out where that thought had come from.

It bothered him that he seemed to have lost all control of his thoughts and actions, and yet Stephen was still in bed. His gaze was transfixed on the man beside him, watching him breathe as if there was nowhere else Stephen had to be.

A thought came to him, and for almost half an hour he contemplated the cons and pros. In the end, the sorcerer slowly reached out with his terribly trembling, broken hand to gently card his fingers through brown strands.

They were tousled and looked soft, not that he felt it. Stephen’s heart did a weird tumble in his chest when the contact curled those full lips a bit more, though Tony was clearly still asleep.

He continued touching him, wondering why he was doing it at all. Maybe, when Tony was awake, there was some sense in it, but right then?

It seemed stupid, and yet he didn’t stop. Something about it made him feel good, content, and Stephen tried to figure out why that was.

He didn’t get it that night, and he wouldn’t in the future nights whenever he accidentally stayed longer than intended.

He wouldn’t get it until he watched Thanos throw a fucking moon at his Tony.

Chapter 7: The Funeral

Chapter Text

The funeral was a stiff, exhausting affair. Everyone was there, the royal family of Wakanda, most of the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, every known associate of the Avengers, government officials from all over the world. They had all come to honor those whose lives it had cost to make sure that their planet was safe. The ceremony itself was long, overly religious and not to either of Tony’s or his liking, except for the part when T’Challa was specially honored by his kin.

His husband held his hand throughout it all, the only comfort they allowed themselves, but also completely unable to do without it. The warm touch anchored Stephen, the guilt of his actions threatening to crash down on him and bury him. The coat on his shoulders was helping, too, simply because it was Tony’s. The older man had noticed that he’d been shivering and had taken off his coat to enwrap Stephen in its warmth before the sorcerer had been able to decline.

It had been such an intimate thing to do, enough so that despite everything, Stephen had blushed when their gazes had met. After a shared smile instead of the kiss they both would have preferred, they had returned their attention to the proceedings, their hands once again locked tightly.

Stephen felt unsettled, mostly because, while he hadn’t quite known that this would be what it’d take, he had never been naïve. These deaths were on him, maybe not merely on him, but on him nonetheless, and he didn’t know how to handle that.

Tony seemed to sense that he was slipping and subtly stepped even closer to him, pressing most of their sides together. He appreciated it, the warmth pulling him back to the present and helping him to focus.

Once the ceremony was over, the gathering moved on to the secondary location where no cameras were allowed. It was clear that the idea had been to go on to celebrate the lives of those who had been lost, but it simply didn’t work.

The atmosphere remained stiff and unnatural, and no one did anything to change that. Tony and he were standing amongst their friends, only conversing with other funeral guests when they absolutely had to.

Rhodey made sure they could leave as soon as possible, citing the fact that the mightiest of their heroes were still recuperating, Tony especially. His still bandaged hand was a harsh reminder of what he had done to save them all, and while officials had wanted to use the opportunity to honor him, the genius had resolutely refused.

Considering his broken relationships with most of those dead, it would have been a farce at best. Tony deserved more, so much more, Stephen thought, but he knew the older man would never see it like that. All the billionaire wanted was for this to be over, and not to have to endure an entire ceremony of whatever in his honor.

What did it matter, anyway?

All that mattered to them was the life they got to have together. That was all they wanted, to be left alone and bask in their closeness and the love they shared.

When they left, Stephen made sure that people barely noticed. It was easy to see how Tony relaxed almost immediately the moment they were alone. With a gentle kiss to Stephen’s cheek, he took the coat off his shoulders, muttering quietly that he was going to get changed.

The sorcerer felt like apologizing for being the one to have caused all of this, but Tony had already disappeared in their walk-in closet. It was almost sad to know that he was taking off that black suit, Tony sure had looked magnificent even despite the occasion.

God, this was all Stephen’s fault. If he hadn’t picked this timeline, if he had had the strength to keep looking for the one in which they would have won with much less casualties…

“Hey.”

A warm touch on both his hip and his cheek brought Stephen back to the present. He lifted his gaze to look at the man standing right in front of him, and he involuntarily wondered how he had gotten so lucky. His husband was beautiful, even more so in a simple tee and shorts than he’d been in his suit, brown orbs so soft and full of love.

It made his eyes fill with tears, the guilt of knowing what he had done and knowing that he would do it all over again, only to…

Only to keep Tony.

“Hey, no, don’t do that”, the other man mumbled and moved yet a bit closer for a kiss to Stephen’s lips. “It’s alright.”

“How can it be alright when I’m the one who chose this timeline?”, he asked, though he barely got the words out. His voice was hoarse, and he felt angry, both at everyone else - Thanos in particular - and himself.

“We won.” Tony brushed his thumb along Stephen’s cheekbone. “There weren’t many timelines when that happened.”

“You know that’s not the only reason why I chose this one”, he admitted quietly, the shame and guilt simply overwhelming.

“Was there actually one where I died, but no one else?”

That gave Stephen pause. He knew the answer, but it couldn’t be so simple, could it? He should have continued searching, then maybe he would have found the right timeline, maybe…

“Hey, Stephen, listen. I know this wasn’t easy for you, and I can see how much using the Time Stone to view millions of alternative timelines weighs on you. You’ve made your sacrifices, you still are, and I can’t stand seeing you putting this guilt on your shoulders as well.”

The younger man took a shaky breath, not feeling at all like he deserved the other’s faith in him. It was clear, however, that Tony wouldn’t budge, and Stephen couldn’t help but be glad that he had this man as his husband.

Tony’s support was unambiguous, and maybe that was all that mattered. There was nothing he could change now, anyway. All he could do was to try and learn to live with it and hopefully find it in himself to enjoy what he had.

“You have to forgive yourself”, Tony mumbled and pulled him closer to press their foreheads together. “Tell me what you need.”

His answer came astonishingly quickly, but Stephen didn’t dare to voice it.

“Tell me, Stephen.”

Something broke in him, every remaining despair at what he had done losing all significance when faced with Tony’s love.

It was all so horrible, everything that had happened and everything that he had done, but there was Tony right in front of him whom he loved so much. Stephen was aware that he had probably been egoistical in choosing the timeline with the highest chance of Tony’s survival.

The really hard part was admitting that he would do it all over again without the slightest hesitation.

Yes, it had cost lives, much too many lives, but not Tony’s and in the end, that was all that really mattered to Stephen.

Even if it was wrong to think like that.

He knew he was still being egoistical, but he was also being honest.

“Look at me, baby.” Brown eyes met his gaze, the love he found there causing Stephen’s breath to stutter. “Just tell me what you need.”

“Make love to me, Tony”, the sorcerer whispered, his voice barely there and weak with desperate emotions.

Tony was clearly surprised at that, his lips parting slightly as he took him in intently. He was unequivocally checking if Stephen was serious, if this was really what he wanted.

It was.

“God, baby, you’ll never have to ask for that”, the genius whispered and pulled them closer together by Stephen’s hip. “Are you sure, though? You’re not responsible for what happened, Stephen, Thanos is.”

“I know.” He closed his eyes and pressed against his husband with his entire body. “They shouldn’t have had to die, though. If I’d searched longer…”

“One chance out of more than 14,000,000, Stephen.” Tony softly kissed him on his cheek. “You searched long enough.”

He wanted to reply to that, but soft lips on his stopped him. It harshly reminded him of what he wanted, so Stephen moved in for a much longer, much deeper kiss. Tony moaned, once again surprised at the sudden move, but didn’t take a second to kiss him back with full desire.

For a few minutes, they simply stood like that and took their fill of each other in ways they hadn’t been able to all day. Stephen felt like he couldn’t get enough, like he wouldn’t be able to breathe unless he had Tony close forever.

Or at least for the rest of the day.

“Stephen”, his husband panted and pulled away from his lips, though both his hands framed his head to hold him close in the most passionate way. “You did nothing wrong.”

“So many people died”, he mumbled, not yet able to let it go. “Not just those we buried today, but so many more.”

“That was Thanos, not you. You did the best you could, more than anyone could have expected of you. You saved us all.”

“No, you did”, Stephen shook his head, an involuntary smile appearing on his lips. “You did so many amazing things, inventing time travel only one of them. You made it possible to get us all back, and you destroyed Thanos all on your own. You nearly gave your life doing it.”

“You don’t get it, do you? I did none of that on my own. I did it with a team that I have only because of you. I did it because of the training I did with you, the tricks you taught me. I survived because you saved my hand and arm by using a spell that was so powerful that it nearly killed you from exhaustion. But most of all I did it because what we have is the reason I draw breath.”

That hit Stephen in a way he hadn’t seen coming. He could feel a tear slipping down his cheek, which Tony wiped away before he pulled him in for a long, hard press of their lips.

It was everything to have him close, to be able to look at him and breathe him in. Added to that what Tony had just said, and Stephen didn’t know how to handle his emotions anymore.

What he needed was to stop thinking and simply feel, knowing that there was only one way that would work.

“Make love to me”, Stephen repeated and glanced down at Tony’s lips before looking into his eyes again. “Please.”

He could see that Tony understood him then, understood that this wasn’t about a distraction at all. What he needed was to feel the man he loved, his husband, needed Tony to love him in the most literal way. Stephen needed to know that Tony still loved him, even after what he had done, that despite everything, he hadn’t lost him.

“My love.” The words breathed against his lips made Stephen shiver and he knew that his body betrayed how desperate he was to finally feel him. “Stephen, tell me you’re sure about this.”

“Absolutely sure, Tony.”

Hungry lips claimed his mouth for the most passionate of kisses, the shift of intention apparent and about to drive him mad. Stephen moaned much too loudly, his overenthusiastic reaction causing Tony to shove him back into a wall rougher than he had probably intended.

He didn’t let him pull back, arms winding around that strong, muscular body to keep them pressed together. It was clear that Tony could feel how hard he was, his hips rolling them together in the hottest way possible. Stephen’s moan was needy, and he wanted more, but he also remembered what he had asked for.

For Tony to make love to him.

“God, baby.” That rough, sexy voice in his ear was almost too much, and Tony pushed against him even more. “Stop thinking, okay? Just let go.”

And Stephen did.

------------

“Feeling better?”

The question made Stephen smile. He cuddled impossibly more into the chest he was resting on, his arm slung tightly around Tony’s waist. “You know I do.”

“Good.” Tony let his fingertips wander up and down his back, the soft touch causing Stephen’s skin to prickle with goosebumps. “Always at your service.”

Outright laughing this time, the sorcerer shifted a bit to be able to reach up and pull Tony’s head in for a long kiss. He still tingled from his stunning orgasms, but there was nothing he wanted more than to taste his husband’s mouth in that moment.

Everything felt lighter, his bad conscience diminished to a tolerable level. It was easier to remember that he wasn’t the monster his mind sometimes convinced him to be, that Stephen had done everything he could have.

Tony had made it abundantly clear how much he loved Stephen and that he wanted nothing more than to be with him. It was even noticeable in their kiss right this moment, the way he kissed him back, the way his tongue plundered his mouth as if he had never tasted anything better than Stephen.

For a moment he hesitated, not sure if he wasn’t asking for too much by taking this further again, but Tony didn’t let him linger on his doubts.

“C’mon”, the billionaire breathed, eagerly urging Stephen to climb into his lap for another round of mind-blowingly hot sex.

He finally dropped back onto the mattress completely exhausted, every single muscle still quivering from another entirely too intense orgasm. Not that he was complaining; every single time Tony fucked his mind out from underneath him was a treat.

“Even if you wanted to go again, I’m beat”, Tony panted, his chest still rising and falling too quickly, his skin slick with sweat.

“No, no. I’m good”, the sorcerer replied equally breathlessly. “More than good. God.”

His husband’s chuckle was both amused and smug, knowing full well how good he’d given it to Stephen.

“I’ll cook dinner for us, to make it up to you. Just give me a minute or ten.”

“There’s nothing you have to make up to me, idiot.” Tony grunted as he struggled to sit up, only to reach for Stephen’s left hand and brush his thumb over the paper ring on his fourth finger. “Hey, maybe we should finally do something about these, what do you think?”

“You want to go ring shopping? Now?” Stephen asked disbelievingly. “Making dinner is already going to be difficult, Tones. I don’t even know if I can manage to stand that long, let alone…”

“Oh, shut up”, Tony laughed and playfully smacked his thigh. “Go make dinner, I’ll show you what I meant.”

“A minute or ten, remember? Actually, you know what, I feel like taking fifteen”, he said with exasperation and without the slightest faith in his legs’ ability to keep him upright. “Tony…”

His laughing husband leaned in for a sweet kiss to his lips, only to climb out of the bed and head for the shower. Stephen stared after him and got into a comfortable position to watch him under the spray, loving the sight of a relaxed and happy Tony Stark.

It was only when he was getting dressed and checking his phone that Stephen followed him out of bed. The idea of showering together had been tempting, but he really, really wouldn’t be able to get it up again that evening.

Or the night.

He was quick, in and out of the shower and starting to cook within minutes, even despite his shaky legs. After a while, Tony stepped up behind him and enwrapped him in a loving embrace.

Stephen rejoiced in their position. Their lovemaking was still lingering in his bones in the best of ways, so having Tony close was what he wanted most.

When the food was bubbling easily and they had a few moments for themselves, Stephen carefully turned around in Tony’s arms. He reached up to frame his face with the softest of touches, which wasn’t as easy as he would have liked.

Still, Tony closed his eyes in clear enjoyment and Stephen leaned down for a gentle brush of their lips.

“I love you, Tony”, he breathed almost inaudibly, but he knew that the billionaire heard him just fine.

“Love you, too.” They remained like this until Tony reopened his eyes to look at him. “Beautiful.”

Stephen knew that he was blushing, even after all these years. His husband, thankfully, took mercy on him and glanced down at where he had pulled his phone out of his pocket, prompting Stephen to do the same.

“Take a look”, Tony said and turned the phone for him to see. “It’s just an idea at the moment, but…”

On the phone was a schematic for two rings, which looked normal enough except for two things: they were both black, the first with a very thin emerald green line on the surface area along the circumference, though not in the middle, the other with two such lines, one red, one gold.

“What…?”

Stephen couldn’t imagine that Tony had just found these on the internet, or anywhere else for that matter. There were no coincidences like this. The green was the exact color of the Time Stone, and the red and gold spoke for themselves.

“Like I said, it’s an idea”, Tony repeated, his gaze right there to meet Stephen’s when he looked back up. “What you and I have is special, and I don’t think a simple wedding band would do that justice.”

The way he’d said that made the younger man understand more about the rings than he’d realized before.

“You designed these?”

Tony took a moment to study him, his eyes slowly raking over Stephen’s face, as if he was searching for something. He put the phone to the side before looking down and carefully reaching for his left hand.

“You know you can’t wear a normal ring, baby”, he stated matter-of-factly and lightly brushed over Stephen’s paper ring again. “Therefore, yours definitely needs to be made out of Vibranium and my nanites, no matter what we decide to do.”

Which would be invaluable, Stephen knew. His breath got caught at the idea of wearing such a priceless item as a representation of the most precious thing in his life.

Their relationship.

“You don’t have to like it just because the idea’s mine. So far, it’s nothing but a concept. We can do whatever we want, but I think the Vibranium and nanites are pretty much non-negotiable, unless you want something that’s not a ring. Which we can do, of course, if you…”

“Baby.”

Tony shut up abruptly and glanced at him, seeming a lot like he was torn between shame and nervousness. All Stephen wanted was to say what was on his mind, but he was so emotional from knowing that the older man still felt like he could do wrong, even now that they were husbands.

“Tony, honey”, he whispered, only to clear his throat trying to continue. “Hey, no. I love them, do you hear me? I love the designs, I totally do. It’s just not every day that I get told that my husband plans on giving me a ring that’s worth more than anyone can fathom.”

“That includes you, apparently.” Brown eyes lifted to meet his gaze head-on, the slightest hue of pink on his cheek. “That’s not just any red and gold, but a certain titanium-gold-alloy you should recognize. Plus, I have an actual, very tiny piece of the Time Stone that was easier to chip than I thought it would be. It’s still there, even though the Stones are destroyed in this timeline.”

Stephen was absolutely floored by that. It would be impossible to make the rings any more personal for the two of them, something the younger man hadn’t even considered before.

This ring would mean that he’d always carry around a piece of Tony, both literally and figuratively. And Tony would always have something that was as close to a piece of Stephen as possible with him, considering how long he had protected the Time Stone.

The idea alone was already insane, but actually crafting them? It seemed impossible, but if anyone could do it, Tony was the man.

His man.

“Honestly, I’m not even sure that I’ll be able to shape it the way I want to. I just… It seemed perfect for us.”

“It is”, Stephen whispered and finally moved to pull the older man into his arms. “It’s an amazing idea, baby. And I’d be more than honored to have a ring like this to signify our marriage and the love that we share.”

Tony returned his hug and placed his head against Stephen’s shoulder, seeming like he couldn’t be close enough to him.

“I’m just glad you like them.”

“You do, too, don’t you?” the younger man asked, having recognized that the design was more important to Tony than he had wanted to let on. “These rings mean a lot to you.”

“Yeah. As do you.”

It was said so matter-of-factly that Stephen’s entire body tingled with the love he felt for Tony. Tightening his hold just slightly, he took him in as much as he could before he had to let go and finish dinner.

They ate sitting closely by each other’s side and fed each other more often than they didn’t. After cleaning the kitchen, they headed back to bed where they quickly got rid of their clothes before cuddling closely together with Stephen’s head on Tony’s chest.

Calloused fingertips stroked all over his back, side and arm, the touches wonderfully tender and delicate. Between the vast expanses where their skin was pressed together and the loving touches, Stephen felt all-encompassed by his husband.

Just the way he loved it.

“If I could, I’d want to have you like this all the time.”

Stephen smiled. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.” He watched his fingers tracing senseless patterns on the naked skin in front of him for a few moments. “I’m looking forward to getting the chaos back in here tomorrow.”

“Don’t talk like that about our pets, it’s condescending.” Tony paused purely for show. “I like it.”

“It’s true, though, isn’t it?”

That made his husband chuckle. “Hell, yeah. And I miss them, too.”

For a few minutes, it was just them lying in their very comfortable bed and enjoying their closeness to the fullest. Stephen settled his hand on Tony’s chest where his heart was beating strongly, his eyes slowly closing as he started to get drowsy.

“What are we doing, Stephen?”

He had to blink twice, trying to make sense of the words when he had really felt like falling asleep. “You’re not talking about going to sleep, are you?” It took some shifting, but Stephen managed to place his chin on the older man’s chest and looked up at him. Brown eyes were right there to meet his gaze, something undefinable in them that he couldn’t place immediately. “What do you mean, love?”

The corner of Tony’s mouth twitched at the endearment, which Stephen noticed with satisfaction.

“Are we doing the right thing staying here, just you and me, when the world’s still in shambles?”

Stephen knew what he meant, but he still shook his head. “We won, Tony, even if it doesn’t really feel like it. And you made absolutely sure that those who need help after this can get it, the relief organizations are doing exactly what they’re supposed to.”

“What if it’s not enough?” Tony stroked a hand up to frame the side of Stephen’s face, the touch so possessive that it made him shiver involuntarily. “I got incredibly lucky, because you’re here with me, but so many people have it much worse.”

He was right, and they both knew it. They had done everything in their power to stop Thanos, but he had still managed to wipe out half the universe. And even if that had lasted for no more than a few days, it had still wreaked havoc. People had died, families had lost loved ones, and no matter that they had won, that wouldn’t change.

“We are not responsible for any of this, Thanos is”, Stephen muttered, his voice rougher than he had expected. “You told me that. So, please, stop torturing yourself about something we can’t change. All we can do is help now, as much as possible, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t have this, too.”

“Still feels like we’re being selfish.”

“Yeah, maybe, but we’ve earned it.” The sorcerer shook his head slightly when Tony wanted to object. “You single-handedly destroyed Thanos and his entire army, and don’t even get me started on this whole time travel thing, I know how hard that was on you. You have second- and third-degree burns and are recovering from extensive surgery, so damn it, we have every right to take it slow for now.”

Tony seemed lost in his thoughts until Stephen shifted his hand to the one still holding his cheek. Their gazes met, and after a quiet sigh, the genius nodded almost imperceptibly.

“I love you, Tony.”

“I love you, too, baby. So much”, he retorted and lightly brushed his thumb along Stephen’s cheekbone. “This is all I want, just being with you and falling asleep with you in my arms. I just… I don’t really know how to handle this.”

He frowned, not yet understanding what he meant, and Tony continued before Stephen could speak up.

“I’ve kind of gotten used to knowing what’s going to happen, mostly. Not having that…”

“You have me, Tones. I know it’s been a long time since you lived a normal life with no knowledge about what the future holds, but you’re not alone and you’ll never be alone again.”

“I like the sound of that”, his husband smiled. “It’s still scary, but… With you, I know I’ll be fine.”

“Yes, you will be.” Stephen lowered his head to press a lingering kiss to Tony’s sternum, right onto the cluster of scars. “We will be just fine, my love.”

“It sounds so amazing when you say it like that”, the other man whispered, his voice full of adoration. “Everything you ever say about us sounds amazing in your voice, but that’s probably just you. There was a time when I was so anxious of all the things I didn’t know, but since I’ve been with you, I’m mainly excited about our future together.”

It meant so much to hear Tony saying this, knowing what he knew about the man’s battle with anxiety.

“We might not know what’s coming anymore, but that’s a good thing, too, because it means that Thanos is gone”, Stephen replied once he felt confident in his voice again. “We get to have our life together, everything we’ve ever wanted. And if it gets too much, or you’re scared, or you’re not happy, you just talk to me. Always, baby.”

“You really don’t have any idea how amazing you are, do you?” Tony shifted a bit to kiss the top of his head. “You’re everything to me, my husband, my life, my air. There’s nothing I want as much as you.”

Stephen smirked. “You know, if you hadn’t absolutely exhausted me earlier…”

That made the billionaire laugh softly. “We both know I could convince you otherwise, but you’re tired, aren’t you?”

His breath hitched slightly at the words. “I don’t know if you’re aware, baby, but no one in my entire life has ever cared about me as much as you do.”

Instead of replying anything, Tony tightened his hold around Stephen’s shoulders and encouraged him closer again. He gladly took the invitation, relishing in the sensation of all the skin-on-skin-contact, the warmth making him feel so good.

“I love you, Stephen. You’re everything.”

He kissed Tony’s skin again, knowing that he didn’t have to reply to be understood.

Chapter 8: I love you

Chapter Text

“I can’t do this, Stephen.”

“Yes, you can”, the sorcerer replied, though it was growing more and more difficult to not start crying. “If anyone can, it’s you.”

Tony’s face was like an open book to him, the doubts and pain and fear almost palpable. “You can’t even tell me if it’ll work.”

“You’re right, I can’t, but it’s the one option that at least gives us a chance.” Stephen swallowed. “I’d come with you if I could, but it won’t work out. This is the only way, Tony.”

“Why are you doing this?”

He knew what the genius meant immediately and couldn’t help his flinch. “Tony…”

“What you just did with the Time Stone, what was that? I get that you tried to find a way to win against Thanos, but that can’t have taken this long. What did you do?”

“I did what I had to do”, Stephen replied, knowing full well that it wouldn’t satisfy Tony at all. “I can’t tell you everything.”

“Bullshit.” His boyfriend glared daggers at him, his brown eyes full of barely restrained anger. “I saw the look on your face when Thanos threw that moon at me, and you’ve been weird ever since. What the fuck is going on, Strange?”

I love you.

The thought came to Stephen unbidden, and it was impossible to get rid of again.

“You’ve got that look on your face again, Strange. Tell me what the fuck is going on!”

He didn’t know what to say, unsure of what to do now. Just the thought of wasting this one chance of not losing Tony…

“Stephen, I swear to God, I’ll…”

“We don’t have much time, Tony, I…”

“You’re not telling me something, and if I’m not even worth your honesty about this fucking shit, then what…”

“I love you.”

Tony stared at him. “Did you hit your head? We’ve been dating for more than three years, what…”

“You want to know why I searched more than 14,000,000 alternative timelines? That’s how long it took me to find one where you live.”

They stared at each other for a long moment. Stephen watched the disbelief in those beautiful brown eyes, followed by fear and then steely resolution.

“If my death is what it takes…”

“No!” The younger man felt an incredible surge of fear himself, not even capable of thinking about that. “Tony, no. You can’t…”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t lose you, goddamn it!”

Realization hit Tony hard, Stephen could see the anger flare up and he moved in for a desperate kiss without second thought. The older man was clearly surprised, because he didn’t reciprocate at all, so Stephen promptly pulled away.

“Stephen…”

“I’ve been an idiot, Tony”, he whispered and moved to press their foreheads together. “I knew I loved you, but…” Shutting his eyes for a few long seconds, Stephen needed to clear his throat before he could continue. “I’m in love with you, all the way. I didn’t want to admit it to myself, or to you, but watching Thanos throw that goddamn moon at you…”

“I know you love me, Stephen.”

An involuntary chuckle left his throat. “I knew, too, just not how much.”

Their gazes met, and finally Tony seemed to get it.

“We don’t have the time for me to apologize for all the shit I did wrong. I need you to understand that I can’t lose you.” Stephen took a shaky breath. “Please, trust me when I say that this is the right thing to do. There will be no win if I lost you, Tony.”

“Stephen, we need to save the universe. That’s more important than my goddamn life!”

Stephen was speechless at that, tears slipping from his eyes as he just stared at Tony with absolute disbelief. “How can you even say that?”

So many things flashed through brown eyes, all of which made the sorcerer understand what his stupidity had done. Tony would have needed him to show him as much as possible how much Stephen loved him, not someone who had been too self-absorbed to even realize how deeply he had fallen so long ago.

“You deserve better”, Tony mumbled, his gaze for once completely unguarded. “Better than me.”

“You’re more, so much more, than I deserve.” Stephen closed his eyes trying to keep it together. “You’re everything, and it’s definitely not your fault that I’ve been such a dick to you.”

“You weren’t.”

“Oh yeah, I was”, he snorted humorlessly. “My feelings for you have been this deep from the start, I’ve just ignored it and taken you for granted. I should have known better.”

“Stephen, stop it. I’m the one who made this so hard, at the beginning and since then with my addiction and anxiety. There’s nothing wrong with what we have.”

“Nothing wrong doesn’t exactly sound thrilling, does it?” he retorted with forced humor. “We’ve never even made love.”

Despite everything, that made Tony laugh out loud.

“I hate to break it to you, asshole, but we have. You can deny it all you want, but we’ve made love often enough.”

Stephen knew what he meant, but that didn’t make him feel better. God, how much time he had wasted pretending something that didn’t matter.

The universe shifted then, he could feel it, and he knew what it meant.

“We don’t have much time, Tony”, he said and reached up with both hands to frame the man’s face. “When the moment comes, you need to send yourself back in time five years, give or take.”

“Siberia should do, then.” Tony frowned, his eyes intently searching Stephen’s. “I meant what I said, I don’t know how to do this.”

“Find me, Tony, and tell me everything. I will help you.”

“You won’t remember, will you?” The question hurt, because the younger man understood exactly what he meant.

“No, but I’ll still be the same person. I fell in love with you this time; I know I’ll fall for you again.”

The pain was plain to see in brown eyes, and it broke his heart to know how much Tony still doubted himself.

“Tony”, he breathed and waited until the other lifted his gaze. “I love you so much, and despite what I tried to tell myself, I always have.”

Pain unlike anything he’d ever seen was the last thing he noticed in brown depths before he turned to dust.

------------

Stephen jerked awake, sitting up abruptly and making the arm wrapped around him slip off. His breathing was hard and fast, his skin slightly sweaty as he tried to get himself under control.

That hadn’t been a simple dream, he at least recognized that much. It had been a memory of the first time he had ever turned to dust, feeling more real than he had really needed.

“Hey.” The soft word was followed by a warm chest pressing against his back, the arm from before wrapping around him once more. “You’re okay.”

“I know”, Stephen panted and closed his eyes. “It’s just always stunning how real these dreams feel.”

“That’s because they’re not simple dreams, they’re your memories.” Tony lovingly kissed the juncture of his neck and shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I guess we already did, more or less.” With a shaky sigh, Stephen finally relaxed back into his husband’s embrace, remembering that there was nowhere he felt safer. “I was an idiot in that first timeline.”

“Using past tense there is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”

He felt the other’s chuckle as much as he heard it, and Stephen grinned as well. “I deserved that one.”

Tony gently rubbed his nose up his neck, his lips brushing his skin in a gesture of earthshattering intimacy. “We were both idiots that first time around, and as much as I hate what we’ve been through, we’re here now because of that second timeline. We’re married because of second chances.”

“Sometimes I fear that I only fought so hard for you, for us, because of my pride. I know now that I loved you so much, but back then I didn’t put you first the way I should have.”

“Stephen, you have to let that go. We were both broken back then, and like I told you before, you weren’t as good at hiding your feelings as you think you were. I knew how much you cared about me, maybe even more so than you did yourself. It’s the reason I finally stopped fighting you, because even back then you sometimes looked at me like I had hung up the moon and stars for you.”

Stephen blushed, not because of what Tony had said, but because of having been caught. “You still haven’t proven that you didn’t.”

That made Tony chuckle again, his hold around his waist tightening slightly. “We were both different then, but I know that you loved me more than you let on. Was it perfect? For me, at that time in my life, absolutely. You were all I could let you be to me, but that was on me. If you had stepped down from being Sorcerer Supreme because of me back then, I could never have lived with the guilt.”

The lingering kiss to the side of his neck made Stephen shudder.

“If you really think about it, it’s a miracle that we’re here now. We made our relationship work against all odds, and I’ve never regretted swallowing my pride and being with you. Never.”

“I hate the thought that I tried so hard to win your trust, only to disappoint you by not taking our relationship as seriously as you deserve.”

“It worked out, do you hear me? We’re married, for heaven’s sake, and I know neither you nor I ever thought that’d happen. Thanos is gone and we’re still here, together and deeper in love than either of us thought we could ever be. Let it go, baby.”

He turned his head to search for brown eyes, only to moan quietly when hot lips caught his mouth for a deep kiss. Without thinking about it, Stephen turned slightly and reached up to grasp the back of the man’s head.

The arm around him tugged on him, and without breaking the kiss he settled back down alongside Tony. His husband pulled the sheets halfway up his back, the caring gesture reminding Stephen of just how lucky he really was.

“My love”, Tony breathed against his lips before reaching up for a kiss to his forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

With one hand wrapped around the back of Stephen’s head and the other arm tight around his waist, Tony’s hold on him calmed him down almost as much as their talking had. It was enough to make him relax and get drowsy again, which never would have worked this easily if he had been alone.

“Thank you, baby”, he muttered and pressed impossibly closer against Tony. “I’m so glad to have you in my life.”

“I’m not merely in your life. I’m the man you seem to want to spend the rest of your life with.”

Stephen smiled that smile he knew spoke volumes about his feelings for him. “You’re the man I will spend the rest of my life with, douchebag.”

“Sounds awesome, asshole.”

For a short moment, his lips stretched into a broad, happy grin that he couldn’t have stopped if he’d wanted to. Tony had this astounding ability to make insults sound like the most romantic love declaration ever.

And he loved it so much.

“I love you, Tones. Now let me go back to sleep.”

------------

A soft touch on his forehead caused Stephen to awaken from a deep slumber, an immediate smile on his lips.

“Tony”, he rasped before he had even formed his first thought, every fiber of his being certain that it had been his husband to wake him so sweetly.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

Warm lips caressed his cheek while Stephen became more aware of his surroundings. It was later than he had thought, and despite his troubles waking up fully, he felt very rested and content.

And horny.

He noticed his morning erection only then, not at all surprised after a night pressed against the naked body of his gorgeous man. The light brush of a finger along his length made him moan hoarsely, still not completely coherent.

“You’ll never realize how hot it is when you wake up rock-hard and say my name first thing.”

Tony kissed the corner of his mouth then, leaving Stephen the choice of if he wanted to deepen it, the same way he had always done whenever they had just woken up, and finally Stephen remembered why. Without the slightest hesitation he shifted to turn it into a real kiss, his tongue slipping past those sexy lips.

He loved the other man’s moan and deepened the kiss even more while lifting a hand to gently grasp Tony’s chin. As expected, the older man wanted to pull away much too early, so Stephen moved to pin him down beneath him.

And then he really kissed him.

It was so easy to sense how much it turned Tony on, his entire body vibrating as he groaned so beautifully. Only when they were both completely out of breath did he grant him a moment of respite. Hot hands stroked up his back to his shoulders with pure passion, pressing him down and encouraging Stephen into another heated kiss.

They were both panting harshly by the time Tony rolled them around again, ending up on top once more. The sorcerer moaned from the sensations as much as the position, wondering faintly how he had ever fooled himself that this wasn’t the best thing ever.

“What was that all about?” Tony muttered before kissing down to Stephen’s jaw, the soft nibbles so distracting that he needed a moment to collect his thoughts.

“I don’t think I ever told you, but I never knew why you were so hesitant the first time I kissed you in the morning.” He waited until Tony looked at him again, immediately realizing that he knew what Stephen meant. “It’s hard to believe how much of an idiot I’ve been.”

The corner of Tony’s sexy lips curled upward, and they stared at each other for a long moment before the genius said: “If you’re waiting for me to disagree…”

“Haha”, Stephen grumbled but was unable to keep the grin off his face. “You can be damn glad there’s nothing about you that I don’t love.”

“Even my morning breath and horrible sense of humor, or what are you trying to tell me here?”

There was amusement in Tony’s voice as well as in his beautiful eyes, making it clear that he fully enjoyed them fooling around like this.

“Yeah”, the younger man smiled. “That, and so much more.”

It was a rare enough sight, so he couldn’t have missed the softest of rose on Tony’s cheeks. He was clearly touched, and Stephen enjoyed knowing that he had made him understand how damn much he loved him.

With the gentlest of touches that he was capable of, Stephen brushed the tips of his fingers down the man’s cheeks. Tony knew what he was doing and yet his eyelids fluttered slightly in enjoyment, the loving caress obviously appreciated.

“I was an idiot for so seldomly staying the night, and when I did, for insisting we brush teeth before kissing.”

“Many people don’t like morning breath, that’s not…”

“You always taste amazing, the same way everything about you is amazing. Your body is magnificent, your character, even your shitty humor.” Stephen smiled at the laugh that startled out of his husband. “And you tasted amazing in our first timeline; I was just too much of an ignorant asshole to admit that the intimacy between us was exactly what I needed.”

“You were, maybe, but you certainly are not. Not anymore”, Tony stated with a conviction the sorcerer would probably never quite feel. “You used to act like you don’t care, but I always knew that you did. You never would have stuck with someone like me if you hadn’t.”

“That was still the best decision I’ve ever made, even if my motives might not have been as pure as they should have been.”

“I don’t care”, his husband declared with a shake of his head. “You were never not exactly what I needed, no matter what you’re trying to tell yourself. I’ve changed, and while you’re still the man I fell in love with, your guard has lowered wherever I’m concerned. You’re incredibly thoughtful and protective, and you care so much more than you’ll ever admit. You’re also so brave, selfless, comforting and empathetic, and actually damn funny when you want to be.”

“Only with you”, Stephen muttered, his chest tight with all the emotions Tony’s words were evoking. “I’ve changed, too, but only thanks to you and the way that you love me.”

“You’re a damn good man all on your own, love. You’re not perfect, but I wouldn’t trade you or what we have for anything in the world.”

Knowing that Tony thought so highly of him was humbling, to say the least. Stephen would never be certain that he deserved it, but looking into those beautiful brown eyes, it was clear that the older man wouldn’t accept any objection.

“I don’t know what to say to that, Anthony”, he mumbled and shifted both hands to frame Tony’s face.

“That’s alright, you don’t have to say anything”, the genius replied and leaned closer for a gentle kiss to his lips. “We were otherwise busy anyway, weren’t we?”

Stephen couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight of Tony scooting down a bit to kiss his sternum, only to slowly wander further down. The way he was shuddering got worse the lower his husband got, until the inevitable happened. Licking a broad stripe up his cock, Tony made damn sure that there was no doubt about what he’d meant.

Not that there had been any.

“Tones”, he moaned languidly as the man nibbled extensively on Stephen’s hips and thighs. He knew all too well that he’d be wearing these marks for days to come. Whatever of his arousal had faded while they had talked was back at full force, once again making it hard for him to form a clear thought.

“I’d ask what you want, but that’d be a waste of breath”, Tony muttered before kissing along his length this time and moving back up his body. “God, you’re magnificent.”

It was clear to see and hear how turned on the other man was himself. His skin was so hot when Stephen reached for his upper arms to encourage him back on top of him.

“You should hurry, I’m sure Happy’s expecting us soon”, he panted and moaned again as Tony settled his entire body onto his. There was so much skin-on-skin contact, the slickness of the sweat on their skin and that goddamn heat of Tony’s… “God, Tony.”

“Trying to hurry me up is cute, but I woke you with more than enough time to spare.” The billionaire’s gaze was lowered, and he stared at Stephen’s lips as if he’d never seen anything more enticing. “I’m not sure yet just how much I want to make you wait; you’re always so fucking alluring on your back.”

“Would it matter if I begged?” Stephen asked, though he already knew the answer. It only heightened his arousal, knowing full well just how much he was at his husband’s mercy. His entire body shuddered in anticipation, causing Tony to moan quietly with immense arousal himself.

“Kiss me, Stephen.” The words were breathed against his lips and Stephen reared up for a rough kiss immediately. He moaned luxuriously, his upper body pressing up against Tony to be impossibly closer to him, to feel more of him. “You know what, fuck it.”

“I really hope you mean fuck me”, the sorcerer panted, his legs wrapping around that strong waist in encouragement. “Was it the begging?”

Tony laughed quietly, his mouth wandering downwards to assault Stephen’s neck and drive him positively mad.

Which led to a lot more positive madness.

Chapter 9: Decisions to make

Chapter Text

“Sometimes, I really hate you”, Stephen grumbled half-heartedly as he slipped into one of Tony’s black hoodies. He didn’t have to elaborate, he knew, it was nearly two hours since they had gotten serious in bed, and they had still somehow managed to nearly be late.

“Happy texted, it’s fine. Abby has wolfed down her breakfast barely more than two hours ago, so we couldn’t have taken her out earlier anyway.” Tony moved closer to him for a soft kiss to Stephen’s cheek. “Besides, I didn’t hear you complain.”

“That’s because I’ve got this huge weak spot wherever you’re concerned and you damn well know it”, the younger man continued complaining, though by now it was clear that he was merely doing it for show. God, there was nothing about his life that he didn’t absolutely love, the hoodie he was wearing, the bantering, the stunning sex…

“Get going, Strange, or we’ll be late for real.”

“We’re married, for heaven’s sake - how about you finally lose this last name thing?”

“Not happening”, Tony laughed and quickly swallowed the last piece of his toast. “Let’s go.”

They portaled over to Happy’s place and were immediately greeted by their very enthusiastic Irish wolfhound. Tony made sure that the brunt of her joy was directed at him, as always conscious and protective of Stephen’s problems with his hands.

Happy was clearly sad that she was leaving, but the dog didn’t show any sign of being bothered either way. Her training was paying off in situations like these, she was as calm about this as she could possibly be. Of course, the cats were a lot more reserved, but despite that they still greeted Tony and Stephen before taking the offered portal to their Miami home.

Once Abby had calmed down, Stephen greeted her himself while Tony and Happy seized the chance for a little chat. At first, he was solely focused on their dog and the happiness he felt at having her back, finally.

So, it took a moment for him to notice what Happy and his husband were talking about.

“And how’s Stephen doing?”

“Honestly better than I hoped”, Tony replied. “For now, at least.”

“You think this will hit him hard later on?”

“I’d be surprised if it didn’t.” It wasn’t hard to notice that a part of Tony was afraid of that moment, though probably not nearly as much as Stephen was. What he said next, though, meant more to the sorcerer than anything else ever would. “It’s alright, though. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

He meant that, it was all in his voice. Stephen’s knees felt weak as he stood back up from where he’d cuddled with Abby. The knowledge of always having Tony’s support and love was humbling, and the love he felt for him right then…

“Thank you for looking after the chaos troop, Haps, it means a lot.”

“Of course, Tony. I just hope you two are going to be okay.”

They left soon after for a lengthy walk with Abby, something they could do now that she had reached her full height. Stephen loved the moments when they walked closely pressed together just as much as when they watched Abby run around. She had so much fun, especially whenever Tony threw her nosebag for her. It was visible how much the billionaire loved their time spent together as well, which only moved Stephen more.

It was about an hour later when they returned home to Miami. While Tony fixed them drinks to enjoy on the couch together, the sorcerer fed Abby as well as the cats. The latter were picky as always, Happy had taken care of them too well this last week or so. Abby on the other hand gorged down the stripe of water buffalo and opted for her midday nap right after.

Tony came over to join him on the couch with two cups. Stephen watched as he sat down beside him, looking so good in his simple blue jeans and light blue tee.

“We’ve got meat for Abby for another two weeks or so, then we need to get more.”

“Is this going to be one of those instances where you spend hours cutting the meat and weighing it and packing it, while I’d only have to wave a hand?” Stephen smiled, knowing that Tony knew that he was kidding.

Mostly.

“That’d only happen if you wouldn’t be here, but it’s not like you go anywhere these days”, Tony shot back, a knowing smirk on his lips. “I haven’t seen you dressed in normal clothes for such a long stretch of time, like, ever.”

“Yeah, yeah”, Stephen grumbled and took the offered cup from his husband. “Don’t rub it in.”

“It’s a much better look on you anyway, hot stuff.” Tony took a sip of his coffee before putting it on his own knee, comfortably holding it with his unbandaged hand. “I’m not complaining here, but it’s not really like you.”

Stephen remembered what Tony had talked about to Happy and understood exactly where he was going with this.

“Can’t hide anything from you, can I?” he asked despite knowing that this wasn’t the point, and Tony did, too.

“I like to think that you don’t want to.”

Stephen smiled at that, not even having to think about how true that was. The older man noticed and smiled back at him.

“You haven’t been in your workshop, either, you know.”

“Touché.” The genius continued to look at him, and it was clear that he was lost in his thoughts pretty much the same as Stephen was. “I haven’t yet made that decision.”

“Neither have I”, he replied quietly, absolutely sure that they were talking about the same thing. “Maybe we should talk about it.”

“Yeah, except that I don’t know what to say to you.” It was honest, and just as honestly, Stephen wasn’t sure what to say either. “What I do know is that you’re afraid they’ll ask you to be Sorcerer Supreme again.”

He hadn’t thought about it that way, but now that Tony had put it out there, Stephen realized that he was right.

“They won’t”, he replied, though it was clear to them both that he wasn’t as sure about that as he wanted to be. “Even if they do, it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does, and you know it.” Tony shifted to put the cup on the table and promptly reached for Stephen’s hand, his touch as gentle as always. “If it’s what you want…”

“It’s not”, he interrupted at the risk of being rude and tightened his own grip on the older man’s hand as much as he could. “That’s all I really know for sure at this point.”

“You won’t lose me if that was what you chose to do, I want you to know that.” His husband gently caressed his palm, the gesture incredibly intimate, a small rendition of what they meant to each other. “I don’t know if I want to keep up the Iron Man gig.”

“I figured as much”, Stephen nodded, not at all surprised by what Tony had said. “You won’t lose me if keeping it up is what you choose to do.”

A small smirk flittered over the other’s face; the repetition of the words hadn’t been lost on him.

“That’s not what this is about, but thank you for saying that. It sounded real original.”

Stephen chuckled. “Good one, Stark. Rare enough.”

The kick to his leg was as expected as it was light. It made it clear that Tony enjoyed their bantering amidst the serious conversation, just like the sorcerer.

“I don’t want to continue the same way we did before this shitshow”, his husband said after some easy silence. “We won’t have to, with Thanos gone, but still.”

“What do you want, then?”

It was a simple question, but the moment he had put it out there, Stephen understood that it would never be so easy.

“I’d like it to be about what I want, but it’s not and we both know it.” Tony lifted Stephen’s hand and pressed a gentle kiss to his thumb while their gazes were locked in another beautiful moment of intimacy. “If something happened tomorrow, what would we do?”

“You? Nothing, considering that your suit is not functioning”, Stephen interjected before his husband got any ideas. “I mean it, Tony.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not likely to happen.” Tony paused. “Tomorrow, anyway.”

He was being funny, but he was also right. Sooner or later, something would happen, and they had to make up their minds about what they would do then.

“Do you want to work on a new suit, Tony?”

The other man was completely still, though Stephen could see how fast his mind was racing.

“Tones, hey, it’s me”, he muttered and reached up with his free hand to gently frame the side of his gorgeous face. “Just talk to me, whatever’s on your mind.”

Brown eyes focused on his, allowing Stephen to see everything Tony didn’t know how to say.

“Baby…”

“Sometimes, all I want is a house by a lake and my mornings spent in bed looking at you waking up, my days spent talking to you, and swimming with you, and cooking with you. And my nights, Stephen, you’re never gonna guess…”

“Shut up, I get it”, the sorcerer laughed and pulled Tony’s head closer for a lingering kiss to his lips. “God, I love you.”

They smiled at each other, the both of them just so damn happy.

“Look, I don’t know if I really mean that”, Tony stated, sounding exactly as insecure as he was saying he was. “The lake house part, not the you part.”

“I know, Tones.”

“You’re right, though. If something happened, I don’t know if I could just stand at the sidelines. Could you?”

Stephen’s eyebrows lifted involuntarily, fully understanding what Tony meant.

“Probably not”, he admitted, even though he wished he could have said something else. “But it doesn’t always have to be like this.”

“How long, then?”

There was something in Tony’s voice that gave the younger man pause.

“If it’s what we decide to do, not long at all.”

“Don’t promise something you can’t keep, Stephen.”

“Tony…”

“What are we even talking about? Slowing down? Retirement? I’m not even sure what I want, and you haven’t told me what you want yet.”

“I just want you”, Stephen stressed. “And most of all, I want you to be happy. If we’ve got to move to a lake house to make that happen…”

Tony laughed, despite the situation, and the sorcerer loved knowing that he could do that to him.

“Let me make a suggestion, okay?” He waited for Tony to nod. “We take as much time as is necessary now, because we’ve earned it, and because we need it. You and me both, and don’t deny it. I can’t stand the thought of letting you out of my sight yet either, believe me.”

“You’re planning on getting laid later, aren’t you?” Tony smiled at him, letting him know that he was fine and that his plan was working very well.

Stephen chuckled.

“And when we’re feeling better, we take care of all that we’re ignoring right now. You’ll fix your suit, and if you can’t, you’ll build a new one, and I’ll take up my duties at Kamar-Taj again.”

“So, business as usual?”

“If that’s what we want, yes. If not, then we pull back step by step. Being prepared doesn’t have to mean being involved. We can choose how much we want to do, and eventually, we pull back all the way.”

Tony sighed, clearly wanting to believe that what Stephen was suggesting was as easy as he made it sound.

“Tony, you destroyed the biggest threat there ever was to our universe. If anyone has the right to retire, it’s you. But I also know that you’re too good a man to just make a hard cut. You could, though, and no one would have any right to criticize you for it.”

“They would, anyway.” Tony smiled, but it wasn’t heartfelt. “Not that it matters. I don’t know what the right thing to do is.”

Stephen stifled a long, heavy sigh. He felt a lot like he didn’t know anything right then either, but he still couldn’t stand that tone in Tony’s voice. It was too close to surrender, and he really, really didn’t like that.

“Let’s talk hypotheticals, okay? Imagine a world where, crazy enough, what you want matters.” Stephen’s heart soared at the real smile flittering across his husband’s face at that. “What would you want our life together to be like?”

“Honestly, a lot like the last week has been”, Tony answered quietly, but a lot quicker than the sorcerer had expected him to. “I also love the idea of modernizing an old homestead, you know, something huge with beautiful brick walls, and lots and lots of acres all around. Maybe a stable for Cashmere, and those alpacas, and whatever else we want.”

“I can see that.” And Stephen really did, knowing full well how great anything the billionaire ever touched turned out.

“There’s an incredible organization in Austria committed to saving all kinds of animals, giving them forever-homes.”

“That’s amazing.” Stephen felt a lot better now, knowing where this was going and fully appreciating it. “It sounds like something we could be doing, too.”

“I’m… tired, Stephen. I don’t really know of what, but…”

“I think I know, love.”

Tony continued looking at him, clearly weighing the pros and cons of asking him for more details. In the end, though, he seemed to decide that he would just try to figure it out for himself.

“What do you want, Stephen? Hypothetically.”

“I want my days to be a lot like the last week has been, same as you. I love the idea of a homestead, and I also love the idea of it becoming a sanctuary for unwanted animals. It’s a very you thing to do.”

There was another honest smile, and for the first time since they had started talking Tony seemed to relax.

“We’ll take it as it comes, baby, okay? All I really know is that we’ll be together through it all, the hero gig, the process of retiring, the life we’ll build afterwards.” Stephen moved his hand from Tony’s hold on him to the older man’s cheek, his thumb caressing the skin as softly as he could. “I’m your husband, and nothing has ever made me feel better about my life and my future than knowing that.”

Tony grinned at his words, finally appearing like he remembered how happy they both were these days. “That still sounds amazing when you say it out loud.”

“Yeah, it does”, he muttered and finally put his own cup on the table as well. A moment later Stephen slid their lips together for a deep, if slow kiss that had his husband moaning into his mouth. Tony’s warm hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him impossibly closer, causing Stephen to moan as well.

He could feel the desire the other man felt for him as if it was his own, his body seeming to press more against Stephen with every second. It was clear where this was headed, and even if it was difficult to resist temptation, he pulled back to look at him, wanting so much to see him in that moment.

God, he was so gorgeous.

Tony was breathing hard, his eyes only then opening to gaze right into Stephen’s.

“I love you, Stephen”, he breathed before the sorcerer could form a coherent thought, and he surged back in for another kiss.

Stephen eagerly welcomed him, opening his mouth for him and shifting onto his lap to be as close to him as possible.

“Baby, wait”, Tony breathed, but didn’t hesitate to reciprocate when Stephen kissed him again, passionately.

“Why?” he asked eventually, only to kiss along the genius’ cheek to his ear where he nibbled on the lobe. God, he loved the reaction this always got from Tony, the way his entire body shivered, a moan of raw pleasure in his throat.

“We just got Abby back, and the cats, and…”

“Abby’s having a well-deserved rest, and the cats are getting reacquainted and nowhere to be seen”, Stephen stated calmly, his lips gliding down the alluring neck in front of him. “It’ll be a few hours until we’ll go on another walk and prepare dinner, and I intend to make good use of that time with my husband.”

Tony couldn’t hide how much the words turned him on, and that on the other hand turned Stephen on beyond belief. By the Gods, he wanted him naked so bad, and without thinking about it, he pushed both his hands beneath the other’s shirt to touch his soft skin.

The reaction he got was beautiful, an extensive shudder combined with that gorgeous body rearing up to bring them impossibly closer. Tony framed Stephen’s face and pulled him in for a heated kiss, for now ignoring every attempt at taking the shirt off.

Feeling more impatient than he’d anticipated, the sorcerer got rid of the annoying fabric his own way. It made the other man chuckle before pulling away just enough to breathe against his lips: “Why only the shirt?”

“Patience”, he said with a smirk as he settled his hands just below Tony’s ribs. “Fuck, you’re so hot.”

“So are you, especially in my hoodie. How about we do something about it?”

That warm, gentle hand moved from Stephen’s face down his neck and to his shoulders, slowly pulling them closer and lightly brushing their lips together. It was teasing, it was hot, and he had trouble to not just lean in and kiss Tony senseless like he wanted to do so much.

The older man noticed his struggle, of course, noticed how turned on he was, how much Stephen desired him. It was always stunning to be reminded of how in tune they were, how easily they could read and understand the other.

The hand on his shoulder slowly and sensually stroked down along his spine to Stephen’s ass. Meanwhile, Tony’s bandaged one clung to his back, the hold not quite as firm as the one his healthy hand had on him. Combined, though, the touches were as possessive as they could be and stoked that fire inside him enough that the younger man moaned needily.

“God, Stephen”, Tony breathed before rearing up for a dirty kiss full of tongue and teeth. A shudder rocked through Stephen, and he bucked his hips down involuntarily, seeking friction, seeking more, just something to calm the raging desire inside him. “Fuck, baby, this just doesn’t get old.”

A moment later, another needy moan left his throat when Stephen suddenly found himself on his back on the couch. The heavy weight of his husband pressed him down and he spread his legs for him, his cock twitching in his pants.

“No, it doesn’t”, he panted, knowing exactly what Tony had meant and agreeing full-heartedly. “Gods, Tones, please.”

For a moment it seemed like the genius wanted to say more, but something in the way Stephen was staring up at him must have broken every last bit of his self-restraint. With a low growl that almost made him come right then, Tony surged down and kissed him again, hard.

At the same time, impatient fingers started undressing them as quickly as possible. Despite his earlier words, Stephen was totally agreeable with hurrying things along and he didn’t hesitate to help, considering that Tony was working with only his left.

When Stephen moved to finally get rid of the black hoodie he was still wearing, a firm hold on his wrist stopped him.

“Keep it on”, that rough and immensely aroused voice murmured against his ear. “Few things say you’re mine like seeing you in my clothes.” Tony sounded so hot, and for a moment Stephen felt like he was burning alive, every inch of his skin feeling like he was on fire. He whimpered, not knowing what to do, only for that to turn into an embarrassingly loud moan when the man on top chuckled darkly.

“Holy shit”, Stephen panted, his entire body vibrating with the pleasure pumping through his veins. “Tony…”

“Every single time I think this can’t get any better, you surprise me fail-safe.” Hungry lips assaulted his neck for a long moment, open-mouthed kisses turning to hard suckles that would surely leave marks. He was aware that his entire body was slick with sweat by now, and while the sorcerer felt a bit weird lying there wearing nothing but Tony’s hoodie, he wouldn’t have changed a thing. “You’re the hottest thing ever, Stephen, you’ve got no idea.”

Their renewed kisses were hard and fervent, neither of them anywhere close to having had enough. Stephen moaned repeatedly, so many sensations beating down on him, and the hoodie he was still wearing wasn’t helping at all. He felt heated and was sweating profusely, though none of that made him want to get rid of the fabric either.

If his lover wanted to see him in it as they made love, then that was what’d happen, especially if it would speed things up.

“Always so eager”, Tony murmured against his ear again, making Stephen keen.

“For you to make love to me? Yes.” He stroked his hands up and down that heated back, his face pressing against the man’s soft neck to breathe him in. “I need you, Tony, so much you’ve got no idea.”

“Oh, I do, because I don’t need you any less.” And it was all on that gorgeous face above him how much Tony meant that, how turned on he was, how he couldn’t wait much longer himself.

Their bodies melted together wonderfully as they kissed again, arms winding around each other until much of their skin was pressed flush.

“Take me”, Stephen gasped desperately, once again shuddering intensely underneath the erotic weight of his husband’s gorgeous body. “God, Tony, take me.”

“You can be damn glad that I can’t say no to you either.” Hot lips brushed against the shell of his ear as Tony spoke, the touch and soft breath incredibly intimate. “Otherwise, I would make you beg for hours.”

Knowing full well that Tony could easily have done exactly that, and that he would have been absolutely at his mercy, Stephen whimpered at the intensity of it all. Thankfully and without pulling away from him the slightest bit, the older man reached for the lube underneath the table.

God, he wanted him to hurry, wanted so much to speed things up and just have him inside his body where he belonged. The need was unbearable, and Stephen had trouble controlling it.

“Are you still…”

“Yes, please, hurry”, he pressed out, a quiet moan slipping past his lips when he looked down to watch as Tony slicked up his cock. “Please.”

It was impossible to look away again or close his eyes, the glorious sight above him such a huge turn-on. Tony was magnificent, his skin flushed and glistening slightly with sweat, his cock thick and long and so fucking beautiful.

And fuck, he wanted him so much.

Stephen stared as his husband shifted and he moaned at the sight of that cock inching closer, the anticipation about to kill him. There was a smirk dancing over Tony’s lips, knowing full well that the sorcerer was staring and enjoying it immensely.

The touch at his rim was expected but still knocked every breath out of him.

“God, Stephen, baby…”

That dark, sensual voice would kill him one day, he was sure, if he’d even live that long. He groaned luxuriously when Tony pushed in, finally, the heat and hardness exactly what he’d longed for.

He was still staring at the cock between his legs, feeling and seeing as it pressed into him further, driving him more towards madness. It barely registered that, in turn, Tony was staring at him, taking in how Stephen couldn’t get enough of seeing what he was doing to him.

Only when they were fully connected, that hard cock buried within him all the way, did Stephen lift his gaze. Brown depths were right there, hungrily staring back at him as if the older man had never seen anything hotter.

“Fuck, Stephen”, Tony half-growled and moved in for a rough kiss, prompting Stephen to bury his fingers in dark brown strands.

“Move”, he gasped, his entire body shuddering intensely. “Please, Tony, move.”

Stephen moaned when Tony did as he’d asked, the first thrust already a perfect nudge against his prostate. He was still holding onto his head and pulled him back down for more kisses, no matter that they barely had the breath for it.

There was nothing he was as addicted to as to Tony’s lips, and right then he needed to taste him more than anything else. The older man kissed him back with full vigor even as he moved so perfectly above him, his hips powerfully snapping against Stephen’s.

It was already pure willpower that he hadn’t come yet, his entire body tense from the effort of holding on. He didn’t doubt that Tony could feel his desperation, but the older man was too overwhelmed by the intensity himself to be smug about it.

“Fuck”, Stephen half-screamed with a particularly intense thrust, feeling like every single nerve in his body was tingling with fire. “Oh, fuck, Tony. Fuck…”

“God, Stephen, shut up.” Tony dropped his head into the crook of his neck, his full body shuddering and making it very clear what he’d meant. The sorcerer knew how much it turned him on when he cursed, how difficult that made it for him to control himself. The thing was just, Stephen wasn’t entirely sure how long he could keep going like this.

No matter that it’d been barely ten minutes since he’d shifted onto his lap.

As was so often the case when they made love the first time - and not necessarily the first time that day -, things happened too fast, the lust they felt for each other too overwhelming to even consider making it last. Stephen groaned repeatedly, his entire body jerking before he finally exploded between them, thick ropes of cum landing on the damn hoodie that he was still wearing.

The desperate moan above him made him look up, staring at Tony who was clearly trying, but just as clearly failing at prolonging this. Burying himself impossibly deeply, he finally came hard as well, and Stephen felt so acutely as his cock twitched and pulsed inside him.

“God, fuck. Fuck”, Tony cried breathlessly, his orgasm causing his entire body to convulse, almost all his muscles twitching with it. It was so unbelievably hot seeing his husband coming apart above him, so goddamn beautiful.

Stephen never felt more powerful than he did in moments like these, whenever he could see how their physicality made Tony unravel. Nothing had ever made him feel better than bottoming for this man, the pleasure he took from it only rivaled by knowing how much pleasure he gave Tony.

Despite his undoubtedly intense orgasm, the genius managed to hold himself up on his elbows and not smother him. He was breathing erratically, even faster than Stephen was and by the Gods, he was so fucking erotic.

Every strength seemed to have left him, his forehead resting on the younger man’s chest, and for a few minutes they simply lay like this, still intimately connected. Stephen let his fingertips stroke along the lines of Tony’s back muscles to try and help him calm down.

“This really never gets old”, the billionaire panted eventually, his breathing barely calmed down.

“No, it doesn’t.” Stephen shifted his hands to pull him up and into a deep, loving kiss. “And I haven’t nearly had enough.”

“Thank God.” Tony’s lips split into a stunning grin, and with the sweat on his skin and his disheveled hair, he was simply perfect. “Neither have I.”

“God, you’re magnificent”, Stephen gasped, and really, the sight above him was one for the ages, especially when his words made Tony laugh.

“Was that a performance review or…?”

The sorcerer laughed as well, feeling so happy about everything that was his life these days. They beamed at each other, no matter that they were still out of breath and recovering their equilibrium.

“Yes”, Stephen said then, “though magnificent might have been a bit of an understatement.”

Tony chuckled again, something sweet and intimate, something meant for only the two of them. “Even if it was way too fast?”

“Too fast? Not nearly fast enough.” He reached up for a loving kiss to those sexy lips, hoping Tony got how difficult it was for him to resist him, always. “Tony, no matter how often we make love, I can never have you inside me fast enough.”

“That doesn’t mean that it has to be over that quickly as well”, Tony hrumphed, and though he wasn’t quite annoyed with himself, Stephen didn’t miss that he was serious.

“Tones. Did I somehow convey to you that I didn’t absolutely love every single second of it?” he asked the one question that really mattered and couldn’t help but rejoice over the reaction he got. Tony frowned, clearly not knowing how to answer, and Stephen smiled as he gently caressed the man’s cheeks. “Tony, I neededyou to be that fast, simply because I couldn’t have taken it any longer. I needed you, so much, and it was perfect. You were perfect, you are perfect.”

Stephen loved the way Tony’s face flushed at his words, clearly touched to know that they felt the same about each other, even after so much time. And he understood him, knew it in the bottom of his heart that he would never take this for granted. He would forever be grateful that they were such a good match, in every way that mattered.

In every way.

“By the way, Strange, you ruined my hoodie.”

“Shut up, Stark. I mean it.”

Chapter 10: Presents

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

That same afternoon Miami time, they walked along the beautiful beach near Queensland, Australia, where it was early sunrise with no one to be seen far and wide. Abby was having a lot of fun running through the breakers while Tony and Stephen walked hand in hand, their feet bare.

It was peaceful and idyllic, or it was until Jarvis interrupted them.

“Sir, I have let Mr. Reddington and Mr. Zuma into your guest house.” There was a small pause, in which they stopped walking and turned to look at each other. “Mr. Reddington wonders where you want them to put the presents.”

“Presents? What presents?” the sorcerer wondered, whereas Tony stepped into his personal space and dropped his head against Stephen’s chest with a groan.

“Stephen. He knows.”

“What does he… Oh.” He blinked. “How…?”

“He must have found the official records, goddamn it. And I was so careful to make sure that the papers were even filed in another state…”

Stephen tried, but he couldn’t suppress his laugh anymore. “Are you really surprised?”

Tony lifted his head to glance at him, somehow managing to look both amused and appalled. “That he found out that we got married? No. That he did it so quickly? Yes. We haven’t even told anyone, Stephen.”

“It’s Red”, the younger man grinned, suddenly so damn happy with the situation at hand and his life in general. “And it’s about time that others finally know that you’re mine, don’t you think?”

He hadn’t been prepared for how these words seemed to floor Tony, as if he actually hadn’t expected Stephen’s possessiveness.

“Don’t be surprised, baby”, Stephen murmured and brushed their lips together for the softest of kisses. “You know how much I love to think of you as my husband, and even more so as mine.”

The expected desire flashed through brown depths for a moment, so the younger man moved back in for a longer, much deeper kiss.

“A place for the presents has been found. I’ve told Mr. Reddington and Mr. Zuma that you’ll return within the next half an hour”, Jarvis added then. “They’re helping themselves to drinks and snacks.”

“C’mon.” He gently pulled Tony along with him to resume their walk, not at all missing that he was still speechless and overwhelmed. “Abby shouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer anyway.”

------------

Red didn’t say a word when they reappeared in their garden via portal, simply walking over and enveloping Tony in a tight hug. It was as if he knew exactly how much their wedding meant to the genius, knew that there were no words to do it justice.

Dembe greeted Abby, who was happy to see the two men again, before congratulating Stephen with a broad grin on his face, clearly excited for Tony and him as well. He was distracted, though, when he saw Red leaning back and exchanging a few words with Tony that the sorcerer couldn’t quite make out.

It was apparent how touched his husband was, though, Stephen could see it.

“Are you happy, Tony?” the criminal then asked a tad louder and with a broad grin on his face. “You sure look it.”

“I am.” Tony’s gaze found the sorcerer’s, allowing him to see just how heartfelt his words were. “Being married to Stephen makes me happier than I ever was before.”

Red was excited for them, almost charmingly so, but Stephen barely noticed. It was impossible to tear his gaze away from his husband’s, the loving words having made him weak in his knees.

By the Gods, this was all he’d ever wanted, to make Tony happy while also being happier than he had ever been before.

“Come on, take a look”, Red interrupted their moment, though not rudely. “Let us give you our presents, and I really hope that we’re the first to do so?”

“You are”, Stephen nodded, though he was acting much surer than he felt. Just an hour ago, they had still been the only ones to know about their marriage, and neither Tony nor him had expected that to change this quickly.

It had anyway, and he hadn’t had the time to prepare to be given wedding gifts, had never even thought about this before.

Red wasn’t aware of Stephen’s inner turmoil as he walked over to where Dembe was already carrying a box out of the house. He took it from his friend and waved the married couple over to the outdoor table.

They came over curiously, and Stephen didn’t miss how Tony swallowed the moment he saw what was in it.

“You really didn’t have to.”

“Oh, we really did, we know how long you have hoped for this to happen”, Red smiled and nodded in encouragement. “Go on, there’s nothing dangerous in there.”

And he was right. The box was filled with the most varied delicacies and items one could imagine, from very special coffee and tea to a very old copy of one of Tony’s and Stephen’s favorite books. It was thoughtful, and Stephen didn’t bother asking how Red knew so much about them.

It was a book in a language Stephen could only have read using his magic that caught his eye, a book in Farsi that brought tears to Tony’s eyes when he picked it up.

“Thank you”, he breathed and stared at Red for a moment. “How do you even know these things?”

Red just smiled mysteriously, obviously unwilling to give up his secrets anytime soon.

“What is it, Tony?” Stephen asked, his eyes fixated on his husband beside him.

“Love poems by Rumi Masnawi”, the genius smiled in a way Stephen hadn’t often seen, something emotional and so beautiful on him.

“Can you translate them?” Red asked, though it seemed a lot like he knew the answer already.

“I’m a little rusty, but yeah.” Tony’s gaze lifted to meet Stephen’s, flooring him with the look of so much love and devotion in them. “Though not for you, Red.”

“Isn’t Rumi named after him?” the sorcerer wondered aloud, finally having figured out why the name sounded familiar and trying his best to move past how flattered he felt, how special and loved.

Tony had noticed his bashfulness anyway, but let it slide.

“Yeah, and he’s my favorite poet, always has been.” A sad smile flittered over Tony’s lips, though it passed as quickly as it’d come to be replaced by something much happier. “Jarvis read me his poems at bedtime as a child. He was fluent in Farsi, and he taught me. Secretly, of course.”

Stephen watched him brushing his fingers over the book’s cover, clearly lost in thought, but in a good way. Lifting his gaze to meet Red’s, he smiled at the criminal, fully appreciating what he had done for Tony.

“There’s more, if you’re up for it.” Red smiled as well, knowing very well what he had done and wanting to move on for now. “Not that you gave us much of a heads-up.”

The words made Tony look at Stephen again, the memory of their spontaneous and incredibly small ceremony on both their minds. It had been perfect, perfect for them, and it was in brown eyes that the older man thought exactly the same.

“Are you going to tell us what happened, or…?”

“Not really”, Tony said and started grinning broadly, his eyes lighting up with it. “Just that it was small, intimate, not planned at all, and perfect.”

“And when’s the anniversary, then?” Red inquired, his question giving Stephen pause.

Right, the wedding date. When…

“October 18^th”, the genius replied, only to frown when he saw Stephen’s face. “What?”

“Sorry, but I wasn’t sure considering the time of the fight and your surgery, I…”

Tony shrugged. “You’re not wrong, strictly speaking it wasn’t quite the 18^th yet, but I’m not willing to celebrate the best that’s ever happened to me on the anniversary of the worst that’s ever happened to this universe. I had Jarvis make sure the documents were filed on the 18^th.”

Thank goodness, the younger man thought and nodded contently, absolutely understanding and embracing Tony’s decision to alter the facts just a little bit.

When Tony reached into the box next, he thoughtlessly used his still bandaged right hand and promptly flinched, a somewhat pressed gasp on his lips. Stephen didn’t say anything, though, and neither did Red or Dembe. He knew all too well from his own experiences that there wasn’t anything helpful he could have done anyway.

Without acknowledging the moment, the billionaire reached into the box again with his other hand and pulled out a single key. His eyes lifted to Red’s, who nodded to Dembe and waited for the man to pull out a photograph from his jacket.

Stephen watched as he handed it to Tony, who seemed to forget how to breathe once he saw what the picture showed.

“It’s being delivered to Stark Tower as we speak”, Red grinned, obviously very smug about the reaction he’d gotten.

“That’s a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Fastback, or at least it could be if someone put in the work”, Tony added to his own analysis, considering the photograph showed barely more than the car’s chassis frame. It certainly made it more impressive that he had recognized the car at all. “I’ve looked for one of these for years.”

“I know”, Red said unsurprisingly. “I found it a while ago. I was just waiting for a suitable occasion to give it to you.”

“And he thinks marrying your Mr. Right counts”, Dembe chimed in with a grin, which only widened when his words made Stephen blush.

“Let me guess, you know someone who can set me up with original parts, right?”

Tony’s words made Red laugh, and he really didn’t have to answer that. It was evident that his husband was stunned and disbelieving, once again not having expected any of this.

“Are you okay, Tones?” Stephen mumbled and reached out to place his hand on top of the warm hand still holding onto the photograph. There was something about Tony that had made him ask, an intensity to his reaction that was just a tad too much.

“Yeah, I…” It was easy to see that he didn’t know how to go on, but also that he didn’t want to, not right then. He carefully shifted his hand beneath Stephen’s to place the photo on the table, only to reach for his hand again in a soft, but firm grasp. “I’m fine, Stephen.”

They would talk about it later, if Tony still wanted to.

“Thank you, both of you”, the billionaire said then, his voice full of his sincerity. “I don’t know how you even did any of this, so thank you.”

“You’re more than welcome, both of you.”

They hugged Red and Dembe out of gratitude, during which they had to let go of each other’s hand, but Tony sought Stephen’s proximity right again the moment he could. He stepped close to him and leaned his head against Stephen’s shoulder for just a few seconds, but the intimacy of it took his breath away anyway.

They stayed close for the remainder of the evening. Even when they cooked for their guests, they didn’t allow more than a few meters between them. Stephen knew that something was on Tony’s mind, knew that the car meant more to him than he had wanted to let on.

Dinner was great. For the first time ever, they had friends of them over who knew that they had tied the knot and were almost as excited about it as they were themselves. It was impossible to keep his hands or his eyes off Tony, feeling so happy and basking in the knowledge that others knew.

He was also conscious of Tony’s mood, not having forgotten that he had been emotional before dinner and wanting to be there for him. There was no reason to be careful, however. The billionaire was relaxed and goofing around in a way that proved to Stephen that he wasn’t the only one who was extremely happy that evening.

It was much later when the four of them were sitting outside on the lounge chairs that Red managed to convince Tony to read some of Rumi’s poems to them. Stephen was sharing a big lounge chair with him and had trouble letting him go to get up to retrieve the book.

Much to his chagrin, the genius sat on the table then, facing all three of them as he browsed in the book. When he stopped eventually, Stephen saw the emotions flickering through his whisky brown eyes. It was clear that he recognized what was in front of him, and Tony had to clear his throat before he could speak.

He sounded astonishingly beautiful in the foreign language, and even if Stephen could have used magic to understand the words, he chose not to. This felt special and intimate, no matter the fact that they weren’t alone, and for a few minutes they simply listened to the poems.

They sounded beautiful and romantic, even without understanding a single word. It was all in Tony’s voice, everything he felt as he read the words out loud.

All the love he felt for Stephen.

It was one text in particular that made the man pause, his gaze lifting to meet Stephen’s. The beauty of it took his breath away, and as he read the next poem, Tony looked up at him every few lines.

He was reading to Stephen, and he might not have understood the words, but he got the meaning just fine.

Later that night, when Red and Dembe had retreated to the guest house for a few hours of sleep, Tony pulled Stephen close and translated a few of the text for him.

I want to see you, know your voice

Recognize you when you first come ‘round the corner

Sense your scent when I come into a room you’ve just left

Know the lift of your heel, the glide of your foot

Become familiar with the way you purse your lips

Then let them part, just the slightest bit

When I lean in to your space and kiss you

I want to know the joy of how you whisper ‘more’.

The springtime of lovers has come

That this dust bowl may become a garden

The proclamation of heaven has come

That the bird of the soul may rise in flight

The sea becomes full of pearls

The salt marsh becomes sweet as kauthar

The stone becomes a ruby from the mine

The body becomes wholly soul

I desire you more than food and drink

My body, my senses, my mind hunger for your taste

I can sense your presence in my heart

Although you belong to all the world

I wait with silent passion for one gesture

One glance from you

“God, Tony”, he breathed, feeling so touched not merely by the words, but from the way his husband looked at him almost reverently. There was so much love and adoration there, the recitation meant for no other than him. “That was so beautiful.”

“Like you.” Tony smiled at how his simple statement dumbfounded Stephen, his left hand reaching up to gently frame the side of his face. “I love you so much, Stephen.”

“I know”, the younger man whispered, his gaze lowering to stare at the lips he knew tasted like love and home. “I love you so much, too.”

They moved in for a deep kiss, and for the next hour or so, their lips barely parted, not as they stumbled towards their bed while hurriedly undressing each other. They didn’t part as they settled onto the cool satin sheets, and they barely let go to breathe as they made intense love to each other.

Tony seemed unable to stop kissing him even as they were simply recovering, his lips wandering all over Stephen’s face, neck and upper chest. It was impossible not to watch him, the caresses making him feel so loved, same as their lovemaking, same as the beautiful poems he had recited to him.

His own fingertips stroked over all the heated skin he could reach, feeling nothing like he’d had enough yet. This wasn’t about sex, though, it was all about them and the love they had found in each other.

Stephen didn’t know how long they lay like this, having lost all sense of time and just enjoying the moment. Tony was so loving to him, so gentle and affectionate. His every touch was making the younger man feel like this was where he was at home, not in a house or anywhere else, but in these warm arms.

------------

At morning the next day, Tony had to leave Stephen with their guests for his first physiotherapy session. He was nervous about the older man’s appointment, admittedly, and the two criminals left not long after to give him space.

The kitchen was cleaned much too quickly, so he spent some time refreshing Abby’s training and playing with her afterwards. Benji and Jimi were happy about some cuddling time as well, but when Tony was gone almost two hours longer than anticipated, Stephen went to search for him.

He hoped the delay didn’t mean bad news, wanting so much for Tony to get through this with his hand and hopes intact. It took him a moment to find him, the Tower’s apartment empty, but Stephen’s powers noticed him not far away.

Slowly and definitely not hesitantly - or so the sorcerer told himself -, he walked down the stairs, his gaze immediately having found Tony at his desk. He was motionless and staring at his right hand laying on the table in front of him, obviously deep in thought.

As he walked closer, Stephen noticed that the white bandage was gone, replaced by an elastic brace. It was probably meant to allow him to get used to moving them again, if slowly at the beginning.

Right then, though, it was hard to miss the spasms that were clearly painful, even if nothing about Tony’s posture gave anything away. Stephen remembered how much that could hurt, considering the enormous number of nerves and extremely fine muscles in the appendage.

What he also knew was that the other man wouldn’t want him to do something about it right then. He knew that Stephen could have helped to ease the pain, but he hadn’t come home yet for a reason.

Not that he had any idea what that was.

“How late is it?”

Whisky brown depths met his gaze when he looked up from Tony’s hand, and Stephen finally walked closer to lean down for a gentle kiss to his crown.

“1 p.m., almost.”

“Shit.”

Tony stroked his left down his face, and even if it was so hard, Stephen didn’t ask. He brushed his fingers through brown hair before stepping to the side and leaning against the table.

He was just there, for minutes, while his husband was trying to straighten his thoughts. It took even longer than the sorcerer had anticipated, but he didn’t mind.

None of this was easy, not the recent events, nor the uncertainty concerning his hand, and especially having no idea about where they would go from here.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be”, he muttered and reached for Tony’s left hand when he held it out for him to take. “How’s your hand?”

“Fine.”

“Liar.”

A smile flittered across his husband’s face, clearly appreciating Stephen for calling him out on his bullshit.

“Okay, relatively speaking, it’s fine”, Tony added then, seeming serious and amused at the same time. “This isn’t about my hand.”

“You’ve been staring at it for minutes.” Stephen was frowning, not really getting what was going on. “And those spasms have to be painful.”

“They are, because as usual, I overdid it today. No big deal.” He flexed his fingers slightly and decidedly did not flinch, seeming like moving them wasn’t the issue. It also made sense that Tony had done too much on his first day of physio, so…

The younger man let go of Tony’s healthy hand to reach for the other, only to mutter a spell that let warmth seep into the skin and relax the cramping muscles. Brown eyes glanced up at him to tell him that Stephen didn’t have to, while thanking him at the same time. With a smile he pulled the hand onto his thigh and leaned down for a soft kiss to warm lips.

“What’s going on, Tones?”

“I… I don’t know.” Tony sighed as he glanced at Stephen, at least realizing that he hadn’t been clear at all. “I mean, I don’t know what to do. Here.”

With his left he made an all-encompassing gesture, and then it finally dawned on Stephen.

Oh.

“That’s never happened before”, he said somewhat helplessly, not really knowing what else he could do. “Has it?”

Tony softly shook his head. “It’s not… I know I’ve got some projects remaining that I want to finish, that I will finish. It’s just… I don’t know where I can even go from here.”

Stephen didn’t understand, not really, but it didn’t matter. He knew his husband, knew that he was still trying to figure this out for himself.

To his surprise, the genius continued not long after.

“I feel like Thanos was my nemesis, you know, like everything I’ve done for so long I did because of him. Ever since New York, I always finetuned my suit because I knew what was out there, always trying to reach new heights and now…”

Tony paused with his gaze fixated somewhere across the room. Stephen’s hand was still wrapped around his, even if the spell had run its course. He caressed the older man’s fingers with his, trying to be as careful as possible, and it was obviously appreciated.

“Everything I am, I am because of Thanos and always preparing for the Endgame. Maybe there’s just nowhere for me to go after all of this, because all I could think of, I’ve already accomplished.”

“Tony, that’s not…”

“I know, I know”, the billionaire said with a shake of his head. “It’s been more than a decade, counting the time travel, and now I… I just don’t know what I would want to do here.”

Stephen swallowed. “Look, so little time has passed since we won. So much has happened lately, love, of course you’re…”

“Don’t get me wrong, Stephen, this isn’t bad”, Tony interrupted him and chuckled. “My workshop has always been my way to escape, the healthiest I’ve ever had at least. It’s not bad at all that I’m not desperate anymore to spend as much time here as I can.”

Oh.

The insinuation was heartwarming.

“You know I love you, too, right?”

His husband chuckled again and lightly tugged on his hand to get Stephen to lean down for another kiss. He lingered this time, taking his time to enjoy their proximity, after all he’d missed Tony since this morning.

“This isn’t my favorite place to be anymore, and I’m just surprised that it took me so long to realize.”

“Where is your favorite place to be, then?” Stephen wondered, feeling very agreeable when his husband stood up and met him for a tight embrace.

“Right here”, Tony said the most romantic thing he could have possibly said, causing the younger man’s heart to miss a beat. “There’s nowhere I’m rather than in your arms.”

“Sounds like you should marry me then and never let me go again.” His attempt at humor was appreciated, but Stephen felt more emotional than was probably necessary. “I love you, you know.”

The way Tony turned his head and somehow pressed even closer against him said it all, and for a few minutes they simply stood like this.

Eventually, though, Stephen had to say something.

“I hope you also know that you’re wrong. You’ve reached no limits yet, and yeah, maybe Thanos was your main motivation for too long, but he wasn’t the only one. There’s still so much more you can do, and not just as Iron Man. You will never have nowhere to go, Tones, because that’s not the man you are.”

“Thank you, I think. I still have no idea what to actually do here, but yeah.” Tony shrugged. “Maybe you’re right and I just need some time.”

“In the end, honey, we’re still recuperating from this universe’s toughest war ever.” He turned his head to kiss the other’s crown. “Besides, what about the obvious?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Ford Mustang?” Stephen asked. “Red’s present?”

“I know which Ford Mustang you mean”, Tony snorted and leaned back enough to look at him. It was in his eyes that he knew Stephen was wondering what it was about the car that mattered to him. “This is going to sound very silly.”

“Try me.”

“When I was much younger, you know, like pre-teen young, this model was my favorite car. And this is going to be the silly part, I always imagined driving off into the sunset in this model after, you know, marrying the girl of my dreams.”

Stephen snorted. “Girl of your dreams?”

Tony half-heartedly rolled his eyes. “Did you hear the pre-teen part? Besides, you are the first man I ever seriously considered marrying.”

“I’m honored.” He searched the gaze of brown orbs before quietly adding: “Think you’ll have that car ready by the time we have our big wedding ceremony?”

His words dumbfounded Tony, that much was obvious, and he gave him a moment to work through it.

“Asshole”, the genius somehow got out eventually, causing Stephen to laugh quietly while Tony cleared his throat. “You sweet asshole, warn a guy before you say something like that.”

“Besides, that means you have something to work on, at least in the foreseeable future. Sounds like problem solved.”

“Yeah, yeah. You really are an asshole.” Despite his words and grumpy attitude, Tony reached up a bit for a soft kiss to his lips. “And now I really want that to happen.”

“Great, that makes two of us then”, Stephen smiled before leaning in for another, somewhat longer kiss. “But as much as I mean that, I’m taking you home with me now. Neither of us has had lunch yet and you’ve already overworked your hand enough for one day.”

His husband huffed. “I will grow fat one day, I hope you know that. I used to live on less than a meal a day, and if our sex life ever slows down, I’ll never manage to burn off all these calories.”

It was Stephen’s turn to roll his eyes. “We eat too healthily for that to happen, and you know it.”

“Not even a word about our sex life slowing down?” Tony smirked, a happy glint in his eyes as he reached up to frame Stephen’s face. “Good choice, Strange.”

He pulled Stephen in for a deep, if slow kiss that made it very clear that there would be no slowing down anytime soon.

Notes:

Here's a video containing (some of) the poems Tony reads aloud and translates for Stephen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mscYbskqUnA

Chapter 11: Will you...?

Chapter Text

Later than they had intended, but still within three weeks of Thanos’ end, they hosted the party they had talked about before the funeral. Jarvis miraculously fixed a date that worked for almost everyone after a digital inquiry. He also found a beautiful restaurant near Miami’s beach, something that was just perfect for them.

Stephen and Tony arranged for a menu with the staff a few days before the party, which was all they had to do. The restaurant took care of the setup, its beautiful garden with flowering trees and bushes already enough decoration.

The day of the party, they were getting ready after a short afternoon walk with Abby. She would accompany them and needed her energy for the long day, considering her usual excitement at meeting people she knew.

Stephen had just pulled on his jeans when a naked Tony joined him in their dressing room, still in the process of drying his hair with a towel.

He looked stunningly tantalizing when a thought crossed Stephen’s mind.

“Tony?”

“Stephen, no”, the genius said with half-hearted finality and glanced at him through the towel. “It’s our party, and as much as I love you, we really can’t be late to our own party.”

The sorcerer laughed, deeply amused, and reached for the pair of light blue suit pants that Tony had already laid out, only to throw them right at his face.

“That’s not what I was going to say”, he grinned as the older man caught the pants with casual ease. “Hey, Tones?”

“Yeah?”

Stephen took a moment to watch him pulling the pants on, sans underwear of course, before finally voicing what was on his mind.

“Do you want me to change my name?”

Tony looked up to face him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied him, beautiful brown eyes still sparkling. “Do you want me to want you to change your name?”

Stephen snorted at that. “I’m serious.”

“So am I”, the older man shrugged and stepped past him to also pull on the short-sleeved white button-down he looked ravishing in. Before Tony could fasten it, though, Stephen followed him and reached for the buttons, knowing full well that it’d be too strenuous yet for the fingers of his right hand. “It’s not like it matters, Stephen.”

“I beg to differ. Strange Industries sounds…”

He didn’t have to go on, the way Tony flinched before bursting out laughing said it all.

“Okay, yeah, fair. I get your point.”

Stephen was grinning as well, but it quickly melted into something smaller, something much more intimate. It finally dawned on Tony that he was being serious, and he cocked his head to study Stephen.

“It’d be my honor, you know”, the sorcerer added quietly, not certain that he had been clear about that part. “I mean, of course, if that’s what you…”

Warm lips covered his for a soft, very gentle kiss, and for a moment they just remained close like this. It was intimate and beautiful, especially when Tony reached up to place his palm on his cheek.

“You’re sweet”, he smiled and gently kissed Stephen again. “But it really doesn’t have to be you taking my surname, and I don’t have to rename my company in case I change my name.”

“So, what do we do?”

He watched him think for a moment, his heart beating like crazy in his chest at the excitement he felt at something that seemed so insignificant as sharing his last name with the man he loved. It meant a lot to him anyway, and now that he was thinking about it, it seemed like Tony was starting to like the idea as well.

“How about both?”

Stephen thought about that for a moment and barely managed to not burst out laughing. His grin slipped through, however, and Tony promptly returned it, seeming to be very much on the same page as him.

“Okay, yeah, but you do realize that only makes sense one way, right?”

“Stephen, I am highly aware that Strange-Stark sounds like shit, so yeah”, the billionaire said and rolled his eyes, though it was hardly convincing with the happiness rolling off him in waves. “I really like it, you know.”

“So do I, baby”, Stephen smiled and lifted both hands to settle them on Tony’s chest. “And now I really want to be late to our party.”

“Stephen, no.” It was clear that he was torturing Tony, the temptation of making love too big after the deeply personal decision they had reached. He wanted to, same as Stephen, but his sense of decency won the battle. “Get dressed, for heaven’s sake, not that it’s going to help me resist you.”

With a lingering kiss to his cheek, Tony left him standing there to go and fix his hair, something that Stephen had already done. He watched him go with both amusement and his heart full of longing, which was a bit absurd considering they would spend the entire evening together.

------------

Stephen smiled as he watched Lydia and Penelope walking off to find some drinks for them and the kids in the back of the restaurant. With a sigh he let his gaze wander to search for his husband, feeling so silly but still missing him despite having left his side barely ten minutes ago.

“Hey, Stranger.” Rhodey’s voice made him turn around to watch his husband’s best friend walking towards him. “Tony’s been looking for you.”

Perking up at hearing that, the sorcerer asked quickly: “Where is he?”

“In the backyard, something about the food?” The older man shrugged as he reached Stephen and gently pushed him towards the back exit. “Go, I’ll take over greeting the guests for now.”

“Thanks, Jim.”

He wandered through the restaurant to where Rhodey had pointed him, eager to see Tony even if it’d be about something mundane. Stepping outside, Stephen was surprised by the sight that greeted him, realizing that he hadn’t seen this part of the restaurant yet.

Tony stood right beside a fountain made of stone in the middle of the backyard, his back turned to Stephen for now. The well was surrounded by pairs of pillars and archways to all four sides, but the most impressive thing were the plants. An entire ceiling of white and violet wisteria was hanging down, and every corner of the backyard was filled with bushes and trees.

It was so beautiful, and yet it all paled in comparison to his husband turning around when he heard Stephen walking closer. He looked astonishing, having had his hair cut just two days ago and with his clothes looking so good on his gorgeous body.

“Wow”, the sorcerer said and glanced around again from the perspective of being in the middle of the place. “This is beautiful. So are you.”

The smile appearing on those sexy lips made Stephen’s heart race, and he didn’t bother holding back from doing what he wanted most.

To kiss Tony.

When they separated, the older man opened his eyes to gaze into his in the most intimate, most beautiful moment.

“What was it you wanted?” Stephen asked then, his hands settling on a strong waist as he glanced around them again, a bit surprised at the location. “Rhodey said something about the food?”

A mysterious smile played over those sexy lips, and something in brown orbs had him totally transfixed.

“Yeah, but for now, we have a moment to ourselves”, Tony then said and reached for both his hands, loosely holding onto them between their bodies. Stephen was very aware of Tony’s right hand, the somewhat cool touch of his fingers still unusual. “Stephen.”

“Yeah, baby?”

They smiled at each other again, and while he hadn’t suspected anything so far, the flicker of nervousness in brown orbs wasn’t lost on him. Tony cleared his throat, and even if he didn’t quite know why, Stephen’s mouth felt dust-dry all of a sudden.

“Stephen. I have never felt more loved or more alive than I do with you. You are the strongest, most amazing man I’ve ever met, and I can’t believe that you’re really mine.” Tony smiled and shifted the hold on Stephen’s right hand to lift it to his lips for a soft kiss onto the long, ugly scar running along his thumb. “You’re my always and everything, my man. You and I have been down a long road, and yet I keep falling in love with you all over again every day, every moment that I get to look into your beautiful eyes.”

Stephen couldn’t breathe, while his mind wasn’t functioning at all. Somewhere, deep down, he knew where this was going, but all he really comprehended was the sight in front of him, his beautiful man looking at him with nothing but love and admiration.

“I don’t want to be without you ever again, and even if I already did this on the battlefield, we both know that you deserve more.”

To his utmost disbelief, Tony took a small step back and sank onto one knee in front of him. Stephen’s jaw dropped in his shock, not believing his eyes and yet it was true, the gentle hold on his hands the only thing grounding him.

He couldn’t get over the scene, the magnificence of their surroundings only rivaled by his husband’s beauty.

“Stephen Vincent Strange, you’re the man I want to spend the rest of my forever with. So, I’m asking you, will you do me the honor of marrying me again in a big ceremony, with all our friends and lots of dancing and whatever else we want to have?”

Opening his mouth, only to realize that he couldn’t speak, Stephen simply stared at the stunning sight in front of him for another endless moment. He would never forget this, he knew, but the sight of a proposing Tony Stark on one knee before him was something he had never thought he’d ever have the pleasure of seeing.

It was only when something that wasn’t endless happiness passed through brown eyes that Stephen realized that he’d been motionless for slightly too long. Still unable to speak, he gave a teary nod and shifted his right hand from Tony’s hold to gently frame the side of his face.

The slightest tug was enough to tell him what he needed in that moment, and with a grace that belied his age, Tony slowly stood back up. Stephen leaned down to meet him and captured his lips before he had even straightened up completely, catching him off guard.

“Yes”, the younger man breathed against sexy lips and lifted his other hand as well to frame that gorgeous face. “Yes, baby, of course. There’s nothing I want more.”

The broadest grin spread on Tony’s lips as he wrapped both his arms around Stephen’s waist, pulling them flush together.

Just as he leaned in for another kiss to the genius’ lips, loud whoops and applause and whistles erupted all around them. Stephen pulled back and was stunned to see their party’s entire ensemble appearing from behind the greenery and from inside the restaurant.

A quick glance at Tony told him that all of this had been planned, and the sorcerer felt his skin heating up from bashfulness. It made his husband laugh, the reaction probably exactly what he had hoped for, and only the loving, lingering kiss to his cheek mollified Stephen somewhat.

No matter the numerous spectators.

“Yes, finally”, Rhodey laughed and walked closer as the sorcerer remembered that his hands were still framing Tony’s face. He lowered them just in time before the former soldier pulled his best friend into a tight embrace.

Even then, Tony reached for Stephen’s hand with his left while wrapping his other arm around Rhodey.

“Am I the only who noticed the ‘again’ in what Tony said?” Wong asked then, a broad smile on his face as he stepped up beside them and placed a warm hand on Stephen’s shoulder. “Strange?”

He was speechless again, his throat tight with emotions and he turned his head to search the gaze of brown orbs. Tony smiled at him and let go of Rhodey to step up beside Stephen, only to place his left hand on his chest, the contact impossibly intimate.

“Yeah, Wong, you heard correctly”, the genius told them then, his gaze still locked with Stephen’s. “We’re gonna have a big ceremony and party with all of you, but we’re officially married already.”

“What?” Rhodey asked disbelievingly, his eyes wide as he stared at his best friend. “And when did thathappen?”

“In the hospital, after Tony’s surgery”, Stephen chimed in and felt his cheeks heating up with another blush. “We didn’t want to wait a moment longer.”

Whisky brown eyes were so bright and brilliant with pride and untamed happiness as Tony added: “There was a judge staying in the room next to mine, and, well. It was short, it was intimate, and it was the best moment of my life.”

“Mine, too.”

Everyone around them was speechless, if not outright shocked, but Rhodey recovered the quickest.

“I can’t believe it, you bastard”, he laughed and pulled a startled Tony back into his arms. “My God, congratulations! I’m so happy for you, both of you!”

It made the billionaire laugh as he wrapped both arms around his best friend this time. The moment seemed to unfreeze everyone else, and all their friends erupted with happiness for them at once. There was applause and lots of calls of congratulations, and then Wong was the first to pull Stephen into a hug.

A very tight one.

“God, Stephen, I’m so happy for you.”

And it was in his voice that he knew exactly how much this meant to Stephen, how elated the younger sorcerer was about having married the man he loved.

Finally.

“Thanks, Wong”, he replied quietly and hugged his best friend back just as tightly. “Honestly, thank you. I don’t know if we’d be here without you.”

“Probably not”, Rhodey chimed in, and Stephen was just in time to see him ruffle through Tony’s hair, much to the genius’ dismay. “I’m telling you, without Wong and me…”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t we know it.” Tony reached up to try and save what could be saved concerning his hair, but he was clearly too happy to care much and honestly, he still looked stunning anyway. “Which is why you, platypus, are going to be my best man, I mean, if you want…”

He stopped talking and grunted at the clearly painfully tight bear hug Rhodey had promptly enveloped him in.

“Ow! Rhodey!”

Laughter erupted all around them, and Stephen smiled as he noticed the happiness Tony felt at Rhodey’s very apparent consent to his request.

“Of course I’ll be your best man, Tony”, the man added after a moment, his voice thick with emotions. “You don’t know how happy I am, how honored.”

While that was going on, Stephen glanced at Wong beside him, who was watching the two best friends with a broad grin.

“Rhodey’s right, you know”, the younger man said quietly then, just for Wong to hear, and met the other sorcerer’s gaze when he turned his head to look at him. “I’ll forever be grateful for your support over the years, Wong, and I’d be honored if you’d agree to be my best man.”

His friend was clearly surprised, and Stephen could have sworn that his eyes watered a bit after hearing his request. A smile tugged on his lips at the sight, fully appreciating the simple fact that he’d never seen Wong this touched.

“Of course, Stephen. It’d be my honor”, he said then, his voice almost normal if not for the slight thickness that probably only Stephen noticed. They met for another hug, and then guest after guest insisted on their turn.

It was moving to know how much everyone shared in their happiness, it was joyful, and yet Stephen sighed in relief when strong, familiar arms hugged him again, finally.

As he wrapped his arms around Tony in return, his gaze found Pepper just stepping back into the restaurant, a look on her face that startled Stephen more than anything. It spoke of regret and something akin to loss, which was odd because he had seen her clearly happy at the news of their marriage just a few minutes ago.

It was confusing, but as he lowered his gaze to look at his husband, Stephen immediately understood what Pepper had been so sad about.

Tony was a stunning sight between his arms, his clear happiness outshining even his physical appearance. And Stephen was aware that he tended to forget how seldomly Pepper had seen him this happy, this beautiful.

This was the man she would have married, Pepper had admitted once, and now he was married to Stephen.

The pride that filled his chest made it hard to breathe for a moment, so Stephen reached up with his left to pull Tony in for a deep kiss.

He’s really mine, the sorcerer thought and moaned, an intense wave of lust making it extremely hard to resist the temptation of going to his knees for Tony, both knees, and not to ask for his hand.

Not here, though, and not right then.

“God, Stephen”, the billionaire panted then and pulled away just enough to be able to meet his gaze. “My husband.”

Warm hands reached up frame his face, too, and Stephen easily let himself be pulled into another kiss. He was pretty sure that they were alone in the backyard by now, not that he would have cared if they weren’t. They were husbands now, and everybody knew, so they had every right to kiss as much as they wanted to.

And they wanted to a lot.

“Your husband”, Stephen murmured once their lips separated, not that he let him pull away the slightest bit. “I love you so much, Tones.”

“Good, marrying me would have been awkward otherwise.” The sarcasm was amusing, very much so even, and Stephen laughed quietly, all thought of Pepper having disappeared. Everything that mattered, the sorcerer had right there in his arms, and he would never not appreciate how goddamn lucky he was.

“We should head back inside, dinner should be served soon”, the sorcerer mumbled then, though not without regret. “Don’t you think?”

“I think I want to drag you into a quiet corner and make you leak my cum for the rest of the evening.” A sly smirk appeared on those sexy lips at how all of a sudden, Stephen was completely dumbfounded and undeniably aroused. “But you’re right, dinner first.”

With a hand on his lower back, Tony gently guided him towards the door that led back into the restaurant. Just as they reached the door, Stephen jerked to a halt and stared at Tony when he smiled at him from the side.

“You can’t do that”, Stephen said, exasperated. “Stark. You can’t say that and not follow through with it, like, right now.”

His husband made a show of glancing into the restaurant before shrugging, that damn smirk of his on full display. “Watch me, Strange.”

“It’s Stark-Strange, douchebag.” It was Stephen’s turn to smirk when Tony turned to stare at him. “Or it will be soon enough.”

He walked past him into the building, trying his best to seem neutral when all he felt was elation, and not merely at having stunned Tony speechless. They were married, and finally the people who mattered to them knew about it.

Stephen had trouble containing his excitement.

And just thinking about Tony’s proposal made him tingle with happiness, the entire moment so beautiful, so incredibly perfect. He knew what they meant to each other, but seeing Tony Stark on his knee asking for his hand in marriage, no matter that he already had it…

“You know, you two are worse than ever”, Wong said when Stephen sat down beside him. For a moment he hesitated, wondering if they’d been heard, and his gaze lifted to find Tony’s as he walked towards them. “I don’t even want to know what you two just talked about.”

“Wong’s right”, Rhodey chimed in and glared at Tony, not that the genius noticed considering his gaze was still locked with Stephen’s. “This is way too explicit.”

Stephen barely managed to suppress his snort at that.

His man wasn’t nearly as restrained, smirking at their best friends in a way that made them both flinch. When he sat down to Stephen’s right, Tony still held his gaze and laid his hand on his thigh high enough to make him blush.

And wasn’t that funny, the fact that he was blushing not from what Tony had said to him a few minutes ago, but from a touch so intimate like Stephen had never even known before him.

“The real question is”, Pepper spoke up, clearly intending to shift the conversation. Stephen finally managed to tear his eyes from Tony’s and looked at her, somewhat relieved to see her completely normal again. “Are you going to be Stark or Strange?”

Everyone who had heard her laughed, including Tony and him. It had been a joke, a wonderful one, and Stephen couldn’t help but reply: “We’re going to be stark strange, of course, if that’s what you wanted to know.”

Tony laughed even louder than before, only to lean in for a kiss to his cheek. “God, I adore your ass, Strange.”

Even Rhodey was grinning at the joke. “So, you’re going for a double-barreled name?”

Wong snorted. “With those surnames, did you expect anything less ridiculous?”

Stephen laughed heartily, knowing full well that what they had decided earlier that day was, in the end, nothing but a big, fat joke. It fit them, though, and they both loved it, loved it so much because it was just so them.

Dinner was served then, and even if Tony’s hand disappeared from his thigh, Stephen couldn’t help but think about him all the time. Conversation was light and joyful, just the way they had hoped it would be now that the war against Thanos was in the past. This evening was about happiness and life, and their announcement seemed to have lightened the mood even more.

And his husband, by the Gods, had rarely looked better. Tony seemed almost ablaze with happiness, which wasn’t lost on anyone, least of all Stephen. He wondered if his own feelings showed the same way, but judging from the way Wong regularly rolled his eyes at him, he thought it was a safe bet.

When dinner was finished, they all wandered outside onto the terrasse, where comfortable lounge chairs invited them to linger. Much to his dismay, Tony and he were separated pretty much the second they stood up.

Lydia pulled Stephen to the side to inquire about his dancing skills, which amused the sorcerer to no end. It was so funny to know how much she cared about Tony and his first official dance as a married couple, already making plans and scratching them as fast as they had come.

He couldn’t help but let his gaze wander around, a bit surprised to see Tony quietly conversing with Pepper. They stood closely, and for what felt like the thousandth time, Stephen thought that they looked simply perfect together. In contrast to before, though, when the thought had always caused a pang in his heart, all he felt in that moment was the pride of knowing that Tony was married to him, and no one else.

“Lydia, do you mind if I steal Stephen for a bit?”

Wong’s voice made him look away from Tony and his ex, not at all surprised that his fellow sorcerer wanted to talk to him. The Cuban woman didn’t have any objections, clearly too busy planning for Tony’s and his first dance to need his input.

They stepped to the side a bit for some privacy.

“I was honestly surprised to find out that you’re still alive when you invited me here.” It was clear what Wong meant, and for a moment Stephen thought about what to say. He’d already contemplated it a lot, but he had never managed to come up with something that made sense. “Will you come back?”

Stephen sighed, still not quite sure what he was going to say.

“I will”, he stated the first thing that came to mind, but even he could hear the lack of enthusiasm in his voice.

“Stephen…”

“No, Wong, don’t get me wrong. Being a sorcerer is a part of me, I just…”

“I was chosen to be the next Sorcerer Supreme.”

Stephen blinked, only to be overwhelmed with happiness for his friend and relief, so goddamn much relief.

“That’s great news, Wong”, he said and placed a hand on the man’s upper arm, if weakly. “I’m really glad.”

“About the fact that it’s me, or because you dodged a bullet?”

Stephen winced at that, though he didn’t rise to the bait, mostly because he knew how the other had meant it. “Doesn’t matter, you’re the best man for the job.”

“Only because you’re not available.”

He looked at Wong and lifted an eyebrow, not quite sure what the man was aiming for. “That’s not true, and you know it. What’s this about, Wong?”

His friend deflated and softly shook his head. “I don’t mean it in a bad way, but, Stephen, you haven’t even come by to tell us that you’re safe.”

With a nod, Stephen tightened his hold on the other man’s arm. “I know, and I know I should have, I just… I couldn’t stand the thought of not being there when Tony woke up from his surgery, and it’s… it’s been hard.”

Wong frowned, clearly having caught onto the fact that there was a lot more than Stephen was saying.

“Because of Tony’s recovery?”

He sighed, knowing full well that he had to explain himself: “That, too, but his hand has been healing fine, it’s mostly a matter of time until we know how well the nerves and fine motor skills recover. No, this is about something else. Before I sent Tony back in time at the end of the first timeline, I used the Time Stone to find the one way to win. I remembered all of it when the Hulk brought us back.”

Silence enveloped them for a long moment, and Stephen knew that Wong understood.

“How many alternative timelines?”

“14,000,605, not counting this one”, he answered quietly and truthfully.

Wong pulled a face at that, his entire demeanor changing in a heartbeat. “I’m sorry, Stephen, I didn’t know.”

“Tony knows, and… well, it’s challenging. My dreams have never felt more real, and without him I know I’d be off a lot worse. I have flashbacks all the time, and I just… I feel like I need to be with him as much as I can, for now.”

“Which is understandable”, the older man stated with finality. “You should take all the time that you need.”

“I don’t think time’s the issue.” Stephen sighed and decided to just put it all out there. “Tony and I have been talking about retirement, you know.”

“I figured”, Wong said promptly and much to his surprise. “Stephen, you never were the marrying type, yet here you are now. And you’re so happy, it’s honestly wonderful to see. You’ve built a life with Tony, of course you want to preserve that. No one is blaming you.”

“I will resume my duties soon, I just…”

“Stephen, relax”, his friend smiled and looked past his shoulder at where he knew his husband stood. “It seems to me like you’ve got a wedding to plan, haven’t you? And you’ve been through a lot. Making sure that you’ll be okay is more important than teaching sorcery.”

“Is this your way of telling me that I’m not needed?” he asked dryly, though he let Wong know how much he appreciated his words by shifting his hold to his forearm and squeezing softly. “I should have talked to you sooner.”

“I thought you don’t want to come back, and I wondered why you didn’t just say so.”

“I’ll always come back, and if it’s only because of you”, Stephen said with a shake of his head. He didn’t miss how Wong’s eyes widened with surprise at his words, but he did him the favor of not mentioning it. “Kamar-Taj has saved my life; sorcery has saved my life. Now, I…”

“Now, you have a life worth living with the man you’re in love with, and honestly, I’m so happy for you.” It was Stephen’s turn to be surprised when Wong pulled him into another hug, this one just as crushing as the one when he’d asked him to be his best man.

They continued talking for a while, including about how things were at Kamar-Taj now that the war against Thanos was history. Stephen smiled as the other sorcerer recalled the elders asking him to follow in Barr’s footsteps, it was simply funny somehow.

Eventually, though, Wong left him alone saying that he had to talk to the other best man, which made Stephen’s heart do funny things in his chest. Before he could decide what to do with himself, Tony appeared beside him with the most beautiful smile on his lips. There were two identical drinks in his hands, and he carefully handed one to him.

“Try it”, the billionaire said and met Stephen’s gaze as he lifted his own drink to his lips, something that looked a lot like a mojito. They stared at each other as they took a sip of their cocktails, the moment charged with intimacy.

Stephen was amused to realize that it was a Virgin Mojito, and he just knew that Tony’s was, too. He was a bit relieved, even if he knew that his husband could have the occasional drink without being affected.

“I think we should consider these for our wedding”, Tony added with a subtle smirk, knowing full well how much it meant to Stephen that they were talking about this. And really, the reminder of his proposal that day and of what would happen in a few months’ time – or at least he hoped it’d be within a few months, not that they had talked about it yet – made Stephen giddy with joy.

“Tastes really good, yes”, he replied and sipped his drink again. Their gazes were still locked, making Stephen remember what Tony had said to him before dinner. “Not as good as you do, though.”

Whisky brown orbs darkened a bit, just enough to let him know that they were thinking about the exact same thing. However, Tony decidedly didn’t pull him along to the quiet corner he’d talked about before. Instead, he reached for Stephen’s free hand, his fingers incredibly soft as he looked down at what he was doing.

He seemed lost in his mind, and somehow Stephen had an idea about why that was.

“What was it Pepper wanted?” he asked quietly and with certain casualty to not make Tony feel uncomfortable or anything like he had to answer.

It was immediately clear that he’d hit the mark when the older man looked back up at him, a loving smile on his lips.

And suddenly every worry about seeing his man with his ex-girlfriend flew out the window. So what if she lamented having lost her chance with Tony; not even Stephen could deny that it was obvious that the genius didn’t care.

His entire focus was on the sorcerer, those loving eyes and stunning smile meant only for him and no one else.

“It’s just something that she said.” Tony stepped yet closer to him to let their bodies touch, his free arm winding around Stephen’s waist. “I hadn’t realized, but with you, my smiles aren’t any kind of guard anymore, haven’t been for such a long time.” He reached up for a gentle kiss to his cheek. “With you, I smile because I’m happy, because you make me happy every day.”

Stephen couldn’t speak; the words had been so full of meaning that it made it impossible for him to breathe.

“I love you so much, Stephen Vincent Stark-Strange”, Tony added, effortlessly making his predicament even worse.

By the Vishanti, that sounded so good, and it was all in the smile on sexy lips that his husband thought the same.

“God, that really does sound amazing”, the genius said, his smile broadening into a lopsided grin. “I can get used to that.”

“You’ll have to”, Stephen breathed, wondering faintly how he’d even managed these few words. “God, Tones.”

“Anthony Edward Stark-Strange”, Tony added then, probably just to feel the words on his tongue as well, and the sorcerer felt like he’d pulled the rug from under his feet. “Sounds fucking amazing, too, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.” Stephen stared into dark brown eyes, feeling like he was going to burn from the fire smoldering in the pit of his stomach. “Tony…”

“Yes, baby?”

By the Vishanti…

“Where?”

“Bathroom, three minutes.”

He stared at the billionaire with barely restrained hunger. “Mirror dimension?”

“Hell, yes.”

It was nearly impossible to walk away from him, but there was nothing he wanted more than to have Tony inside his body.

Now.

Stephen made his way to the bathroom slowly, stopping for a short moment to put his drink on one of the terrasse tables. He hoped that he didn’t appear like he was desperate to spread his legs for his husband, but he wouldn’t have bet on it.

Somehow, impossibly, when he opened the door to step into the cool washroom, Tony was already there. He twirled around to stare at Stephen, who didn’t waste any time crossing the distance between them.

Time finally slowed down as they crashed together for a deep kiss, the smell and taste of Tony flooding his senses. All Stephen knew, all he could think about, was the man in his arms, his man, his husband, the sexiest man he’d ever seen.

He eagerly let his hands glide down that powerful back to grope Tony’s ass and pulled him closer.

“C’mon”, Stephen murmured in his darkest voice, only to gasp loudly when his back collided with one of the stalls. “We don’t have much time, peaches.”

Knowing full well what that did to Tony, he reveled in the low, desperate moan he got while making good use of his sling ring. The sound of breaking glass was like the signal the genius had been waiting for.

Stephen was inside the stall faster than he’d anticipated, the door smashed close before he was being pressed against its side with his front. Tony roughly grinded against his ass from behind, his impatience to bury himself deep tangible. And he thrust his ass back as much as he could, feeling so desperate as well to finally put actions to Tony’s words from more than an hour ago.

“I’d really prefer taking my time with you”, Tony muttered just as he reached around him to tear his jeans open. “Just to make you pay for that.”

“Taking your time with me as you make love to me sure sounds horrendous”, Stephen deadpanned and sighed with relief when his raging cock was freed from its confines. He’d half-expected Tony to touch him then, to tease him at least a bit, but there was nothing, only the sound of tearing plastic.

His pants were tugged down just enough to bare his ass, and not even a second later Tony shoved two lubed fingers into him. Stephen didn’t hold back his content moan at that, knowing exactly what the other man was doing.

He gave him a moment to spread the lube, only to reach behind him and wrap his somewhat cool fingers around that hot, thick girth. The hiss he got was expected, as was the way Tony jerked his hips forward before getting himself back under control.

“You little fuck.”

The genius pressed his body against him from behind, causing Stephen to let go and moan from anticipation as much as the feel of everything Tony. He whimpered, unable to speak and tell him what he needed with words, but Stephen knew that he was understood anyway.

“Fuck, baby, I wanna fuck you so bad”, Tony murmured where his face was pressed into his shoulder. He pulled his fingers out of Stephen then and audibly coated his cock in lube. With his free hand he groped the sorcerer’s ass, roughly, before slowly letting it drag across all of the sweaty skin he could reach. The touch was hot and desirous, but not even close to what they both craved. “I want to fill you up so good, make you feel me for the rest of this evening.”

“Yes.”

Stephen knew how desperate he’d sounded, but he didn’t care, not when that one word had made Tony crowd impossibly closer against him. He was pressed into the wall with his whole front including his face, and merely the knowledge that they were in the mirror dimension made him not care.

“Scream for me, baby”, his husband instructed, only to finally push the tip of his cock into him, followed quickly by the rest.

It wasn’t even a conscious decision of his, but Stephen did as Tony had asked immediately. He felt so huge, the stretch making his mind delirious with lust and Stephen shoved his ass back, needing more.

They met in a crushing rhythm, with Tony’s arms holding him so tightly that his hips almost didn’t have enough room to move. He reached so deeply like this, barely pulling out before pushing back inside hard, deep, enough to make his vision blur.

“Fuck, Tony”, he panted, his entire body rocking from the thrusts into him, “you’re so fucking deep.”

“And you’re so fucking tight.”

There were no words to describe how perfectly Tony loved him, how expertly he fucked his body and took him higher. It was hard, efficient, and yet, at the same time, the little touches of his fingers and lips were soft and loving.

Stephen was so lost in the sensations that he was almost startled when Tony stopped moving, deeply buried inside him and pumping his release into him. He felt it all, the way taut balls contracted against his rim and the way his dick twitched, splash after splash of cum coating his insides.

“So good”, the older man rasped into his ear, sounding very much like he enjoyed the fuck out of the moment. “God, Stephen, you feel so good.”

With every bit of willpower that he possessed, the younger man restrained himself, desperately trying to ignore the unignorable lust pumping through his entire body. It was just so difficult, feeling so acutely his husband’s sexy body against his, the abundant amount of cum that had already started to trickle out of him, the hard cock still nestled inside of him…

Much to his surprise, Tony pulled out of him then, and Stephen made the lewdest sound in his throat when he heard drops of cum landing on the ground. Before he could say or do anything about it, though, his husband wrapped both arms around him and pulled him away from the wall.

“What…?” Stephen started but interrupted himself with a groan when a hand wrapped around his pre-cum dripping cock. It took him a moment to realize that Tony had turned them around a bit, the hand on his hard flesh simply too distracting.

The hand-job was raw and perfect, and when he opened his eyes to have a look, Stephen finally noticed that Tony was about to make him cum into the toilet bowl. They were still in the mirror dimension, he knew that, but it was a hot and dirty thought anyway, and he couldn’t help the moans leaving his lips.

To make all of this impossible hotter, Tony, that damn bastard, was already pushing his cock into him again.

“Fuck, Tones!”

“Never said I’d fill you up only once.” The words were followed by a soft kiss to the back of his neck and the first thrusts that made it impossible for him to decide if he wanted to push his hips forward or back. “Or just twice.”

The insinuation was more than he could honestly take, and despite Tony having just started fucking him again, Stephen came with a strangled cry.

White hot pleasure dazed him, his every sense trained on nothing but the things he felt: blood rushing loudly in his ears, almost managing to drown out the wet splats of his cum landing in water; the heat of the hand splayed on his chest to help him stay on his feet, considering he couldn’t stabilize himself at all; his shaky legs that felt like there was no blood remaining in them, barely able to keep him up; and of course Tony’s cock that, despite having just slipped back into him, already released another gush of cum, accompanied by a startled groan.

If he’d had any energy for it, Stephen would have smirked at having overwhelmed Tony, knowing exactly that he hadn’t planned this. As things stood, though, all he could do was to try and breathe, feeling close to passing out.

“God, Stephen”, Tony panted into his ear then, sounding wrecked and beautiful in his arousal. “I’m so going to screw you for that.”

Despite the words, the billionaire was careful as he started thrusting into him again, and right from the start Stephen’s mind blanked out completely. The sound was unfathomably dirty, as was the sensation of the wetness between his legs that Tony thrust into, seemingly not bothered the slightest bit.

There was cum everywhere and by the Gods, just the thought of Tony coming yet again and pouring more into him was…

Within minutes, Stephen was struggling to stay where he was, the firm thrusts making him sway and nearly break down. Only Tony’s strong hold on his upper body was keeping him up, and he marveled at the strength he had.

“This okay?”

The question made him lean back against Tony’s shoulder, and he turned his head for a kiss to his jaw.

“Yes”, Stephen breathed and started to meet his thrusts despite being far from fully hard. “C’mon, fill me up so much that there’ll still be cum in me when you fuck me again later.”

Tony’s grunt was expected, and even if he knew about Extremis, knew about the other man’s stunning stamina, Stephen was still amazed when his husband came a third time not much later. They remained the way they were until Tony was completely spent inside of him, finally.

The opening of the bathroom door was awfully loud in the silence that had enveloped them as they recovered. Stephen tensed for a moment, drawing a gasp from Tony before he pulled out of him slowly, carefully.

“Jesus”, he muttered at the sensations of the mess between his legs, the very explicit proof of Tony’s lust for him.

“Yeah.”

Warm hands helped him step to the side and turned him around before letting him lean against the wall. Stephen was thankful for the support, knowing full well that he’d never have been able to stand on his own. He watched with drooped eyes as Tony opened a portal to grab a towel that he used to gently clean Stephen up.

It disappeared again as fast as it’d come, and he continued watching as Tony tucked them both away again. He was quick with himself and careful with Stephen’s half-hard cock, only to lift his head and stare right at him the moment he was done.

“You look incredible, Stephen.”

“I feel incredible”, he concurred promptly and pulled Tony in for a kiss. “I can’t believe you did that to me.”

That earned him a quiet laugh, brown eyes so beautiful as the older man blinked at him. “What exactly?”

Stephen felt his lips pulling into a broad grin. “Everything you just did, douchebag.”

------------

They returned to the restaurant and were relieved to notice that their absence hadn’t been noticed, miraculously. Stephen sat a bit gingerly on the lounge chair beside Tony, highly aware of the phantom-sensation of his cock as well as the spell preventing more of the cum inside him from drenching his pants.

It was all in brown eyes that the older man could see exactly how he felt and how much he enjoyed it. The temptation of leaning over and kissing him senseless was very real, and Stephen wasn’t sure whether to be relieved when Donna came over, or disappointed.

“Tony, listen, I made an appointment at your tailor’s for tomorrow at noon. And Stephen, he can see you at about four p.m., if that’s what you want.”

The sorcerer glanced at his lover, who looked right back at him with an amused smile. “We haven’t even set a date yet, Donna, and you really don’t have to do this.”

Snorting softly, the woman looked between them with a grin. “You’ll need help, even if you decide on a wedding planner, and I’d be glad to help you. As for the date, you’ve got until noon tomorrow to change that.”

Tony laughed as he turned his head to look at Stephen again, and they silently agreed that she’d gotten them there.

“Okay, we’ll try”, the younger man said, their gazes still locked. “And 4 p.m. will be just fine for my appointment.”

“Good, Wong will meet you there”, Donna stated simply. “And Rhodey will pick you up at 11.30, Tony, so please, be decent by then. His words, not mine.”

“Thanks, Donna.” It was clear that Tony didn’t just mean arranging the appointments, but also the fact that she was apparently going to help them with their wedding. “Stephen and I will talk about what we want, for our wedding I mean. I’ll call you.”

“Perfect. And start taking Lydia’s dance lessons as soon as possible, she insists.”

She stood up then and, after a kiss to first Tony’s and then his cheek, went back over to where her husband was waiting for her with a smile on his lips. Watching her go for a moment, Stephen was highly aware of Tony’s presence beside him, faint heat still coiled low in his gut. It meant that he didn’t miss the way the genius shivered just the slightest bit at a cool gust of wind, almost imperceptibly.

It wasn’t even a conscious thought as he moved his hands efficiently to teleport his own cardigan over from where it’d hung on his chair inside the restaurant. He shifted to wrap it around Tony’s strong shoulders and covered his naked arms, expecting and meeting his warm gaze when he turned his head.

The intimacy of the moment wasn’t lost on him, a near perfect reminder of when Tony had done the same for Stephen at the funeral.

“Thank you.” Leaning closer for a soft kiss to his cheek, the older man effortlessly made him blush, though Stephen wasn’t even sure why. “You’re so sweet to me, baby.”

He didn’t know what to say, so he just leaned closer for another kiss, this time to warm lips.

They remained where they were for a while longer, mostly to allow Stephen to get his wits back after their trip to the bathroom. It was clear that Tony knew that he needed the time, his wonderful body pressed into his side grounding him.

“Wong is the new Sorcerer Supreme”, Stephen said, finally remembering that he hadn’t told Tony yet. “He told me before we disappeared in the bathroom, I just forgot.”

“I was driving you wild, so it’s okay.” Tony didn’t even bother hiding his smugness. “I’m really glad that it’s him.”

“Yeah, me, too. It’s damn time.” With a sigh, he leaned their heads together. “I also told him we talked about retirement.” It was clear that his words confused the older man, and Stephen shifted to be able to look at him. “Tony, I was serious about that. There’s nothing I want more than to spend my life with you, all of it.”

It wasn’t easily discernable, because Tony’s face didn’t give anything away, but he knew him, knew him in a way that Stephen had never known anyone else.

“Don’t doubt me”, he pleaded softly and reached up to touch his cheek. “It might be a matter of time, I don’t know that yet, but I will never break a promise I made to you.”

Stephen could see the emotions flickering through whisky brown orbs, saw how Tony stopped himself from saying something snide. In the end, the older man lowered his gaze slightly and nodded, accepting his words despite how hard that was for him.

With a smile he leaned in and kissed him, just a little peck to the corner of his mouth that made Tony relax seemingly against his will.

“Stephen, I…”

“I know. I know.” Their gazes met again, and Stephen smiled when he saw how touched Tony was that he understood him, always. “C’mon, love. Let’s join the others, okay?”

After another lingering kiss they got up to go over to where their friends were conversing and enjoying the beautiful dusk around them. No one batted an eye at their late appearance, for once letting them enjoy their closeness in peace.

Chapter 12: March 23rd

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

Stephen sighed silently and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, not at all having expected this to turn out so difficult.

“You know, when you look so much like you want to roll your eyes, it doesn’t really matter whether you do it or not.”

The tone in Tony’s voice made his gaze snap back to him, not really believing that they were about to have an argument about this.

“This is ridiculous”, the sorcerer said quietly and stepped closer to Tony, who was still sitting at the dining table. “Let’s start this conversation again.”

“Oh, great, because the beginning was so much better.” In contrast to him, the older man didn’t bother holding back from rolling his eyes, but Stephen didn’t let it get to him.

“When is our anniversary?”

The question surprised Tony, and even though he promptly opened his mouth to answer, no sound came out. Stephen chuckled quietly and placed both hands on strong shoulders, rubbing lightly to ease the tension there.

“How are we supposed to decide if we want to have our wedding ceremony on our anniversary when we can’t even agree on when that is?”

“I can’t believe you’re right, this is ridiculous”, Tony grunted and let his head drop forward slightly, a silent surrender to his touch that made Stephen feel much better than he had a minute ago. “I don’t know.”

“We have two options, as you should know, the…”

“Three.”

That simple statement brought a memory back that Stephen hadn’t expected, a quiet gasp on his lips at the reminder of maybe the worst way Tony had ever hurt him.

------------

By the Vishanti, he couldn’t believe that it was finally happening, couldn’t believe how he felt as he stole glances at the man beside him. They were sitting on swings in a park somewhere warm, not that he really cared. He knew that Tony didn’t like the cold, and he was kind of proud that he had remembered a comment the genius had made months ago.

***

‘Childhood should be all about swings’, Tony said, seemingly out of nowhere.

Confused, Stephen looked up from where he had stared at one of Tony’s many projects scattered around his lab. The man wasn’t talking to him, he noticed, but to Rhodey who had come over with coffee for them both. It had been almost funny how the genius had looked when he had realized that the Colonel had just expected Stephen’s presence, like he belonged in the lab as much as Tony.

‘Swings?’

‘You know, how high can I go, if I twist the chains, how fast will I spin.’

Rhodey nodded, seemingly understanding something Stephen had no idea what it meant. ‘Or if I try and jump off before the swing stops.’

‘Exactly.’

‘I miss that feeling’, the older man admitted quietly, his gaze never leaving the engineer who still hadn’t looked up from what he was working on.

‘Yeah. Me, too.’

There had been something in Tony’s voice that tugged at Stephen’s heartstrings, some faint longing for a time that had been better.

Lighter.

***

He hadn’t missed the way brown eyes had glistened when Tony had spotted the swings, like Stephen remembering was somehow special. They had sat on them silently, and had sat like that for about ten minutes by now without saying a single word.

And yet, it was comfortable, the silence not at all feeling like it needed to be filled, not like he had always felt with Christine.

He could tell that Tony was touched by what Stephen had done for their first date, even more so now than during dinner. It hadn’t been a fancy restaurant, which had been his first instinct before he had put some more thought into it. Stephen had chosen a small place that Rhodey had told him Tony loved, which had only made it more intimate, more beautiful.

At the swings, though, the lightness he had hoped for hadn’t happened yet. Instead, the billionaire seemed lost in his thoughts, and Stephen was too insecure to know what to do.

“Have you ever twisted the chains of the swings to see how often you can spin, doing it until you can’t walk straight for minutes?”

Stephen turned his head fully to look at Tony, the question quiet but firm, curious.

“No. Never.”

Brown eyes glanced at him for a moment, something that didn’t happen nearly as often as he would have liked. It was still as if the other man tried to avoid looking at him too much, though why that was, Stephen didn’t quite know.

He was lost in his thoughts, enough so that he needed a moment to notice that Tony had stood up and was stepping towards him.

“May I?”

His breath got stuck in his throat when he realized what Tony meant, and even if his heartbeat doubled instantly and Stephen had no idea what would happen, he nodded. It was fascinating to see him handle the chains to slowly twist the swing, and with it the still sitting sorcerer, until it couldn’t get any further.

“Okay?”

The way Tony asked him again if this was alright made Stephen’s heart flutter. He knew, of course, why he had fought so long for this date, but that didn’t mean that the reminder of how sweet the other man was didn’t still make his heart skip a beat.

“Yeah, Tony.”

It was fun, much more so than he had expected. Stephen caught himself laughing, only to demand that Tony do it again.

And again.

Brown eyes had trouble looking away from him, for once, and Stephen couldn’t help but look back. Remembering what Tony had said about walking a straight line, he stood up, curious to see if he’d be able to. The second he did, he had to reach for the man’s forearms when he realized that his legs were a lot shakier than he’d expected.

It made him flinch, of course, his grip immediately loosening at the reminder that it’d been a horrible idea in the first place.

“Whoa, careful”, the genius mumbled and grasped Stephen’s elbows to steady him in return, the touch so much hotter than it had any right to be.

He ignored it, though, because they were so close suddenly, much closer than he’d planned. His breath got caught in his throat when their gazes met, abruptly making Stephen long for a kiss on their first date more than anything else.

Tony was stunning in front of him, and not just because of his usual sexiness. It was all in his eyes that were for once completely open, Stephen’s abrupt rising clearly having caught him off guard. The sorcerer wanted to lean forward, wanted to make the first move himself, but his balance was all off from the twirling.

And then the moment was gone.

“Let’s see if you can walk straight, then.”

------------

Stephen wasn’t grinning as he walked down the stairs to Tony’s lab, because the Sorcerer Supreme didn’t grin. He didn’t show any outward signs of anything, but even he couldn’t deny the slight swing in his step, the lightness that he hadn’t been able to shake since the night before.

Their first date.

By the Vishanti, he couldn’t believe that it had finally happened, couldn’t believe how it had made him feel. He had needed so long to get there, to fight past all of Tony’s walls and to get him to agree to the date, to trying.

Well, to be fair, he had only agreed to the one date, but it wasn’t like it really mattered.

“Why are you here?”

His head snapped up at the dark tone he was suddenly confronted with, which wasn’t at all what Stephen had expected after the basically perfect date. They hadn’t kissed, sure, not even when he had walked Tony to the entrance of Stark Tower shortly after midnight.

Still, it had been a great date, by any means.

“But I thought…”

There was nothing left now of that openness he’d glimpsed last night when Tony turned to look at him. All he was faced with was annoyance and disdain.

Stephen stared, unsettled. “I honestly thought it was a great date, Tony.”

“Yeah, it was a great date”, the other man admitted with a shrug, and for just a split-second Stephen thought there had been a flicker of something else in his eyes, something softer. Much softer.

“Then what’s going on?”

“Well, that was what you wanted, wasn’t it? One date. So, you’ve dated Tony Stark, check. Cross it off your bucket list, whatever.”

The words hurt more than he’d ever thought possible. He was so shocked that he even forgot about his pride, not even finding it in himself to remember that his heart was on the line.

Right here, right now.

“But you agreed, you…”

“I already told you that it won’t work, that it’d be one date and that’s it. Go back to Hogwarts, Strange, and fucking stay there.”

Tony returned to what he had been doing, seeming like the conversation hadn’t even happened. The sorcerer, on the other hand, stared at his back, completely aghast and more desperate than he would ever admit.

It was like he could hear his heart shattering into a million pieces over and over again, the clear dismissal only making it worse.

So much worse.

Tears were stinging his eyes when he turned around, for once unable to stay in the same room even a moment longer. He hurried back up the stairs, knowing that he never would have been able to open a portal in his current condition. All Stephen felt was despair, the brutal shift from the perfect date to the harsh coldness of Tony’s rejection too much to take.

------------

“Hey, Stephen.” A warm palm on his cheek made Stephen blink, and he needed a long moment to focus on brown orbs. They held a look of love and worry that was such a far cry from the way Tony had looked at him that day, the day after their very first date. “Baby, hey. You okay?”

March 23, 2014.

“No”, Stephen somehow got out, involuntarily wincing at how hoarse and vulnerable his voice sounded. “Two.”

Somehow, impossibly, Tony got exactly what he meant and what he wasn’t saying.

By the Vishanti, he was close to tears all of a sudden, the memory so painful simply because he’d ignored it for so long.

“Stephen…”

“I didn’t leave, you know”, he mumbled quietly, not even knowing why he was mentioning that. “After you… After you told me to fuck off, I didn’t. I was so hurt that I wanted nothing more than to get out of there, but some part of me knew that I’d have lost you for good if I had.” He took a deep breath. “When you came up and saw me, I know you thought that I had returned, but I hadn’t. I didn’t want you to be alone, not even then.”

It was Tony’s turn to wince, the regret and ruefulness written all over his face.

“I’m so sorry I did that to you, I…” He paused as he visibly decided if he wanted to go on, but something about Stephen must have convinced him that it would be fine. “It was the most beautiful date anyone had ever taken me on, but I also hated it because it made me realize that I was already in love with you, when all I could think about was that I shouldn’t have been.”

It explained a lot of things, but Stephen still felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest by the memory. Tony clearly noticed and pulled him against him, strong arms winding around him to hold him close.

“I can’t believe you stayed, Stephen. Even when I was so shitty to you, all I wanted was for you to stay, because I hadn’t been sober for long and it was just so hard. When I came up, all I wanted was a drink; your presence was the only reason I didn’t.”

“I knew”, was all he said to that, because it was all that mattered.

In the grand scheme of things, Tony’s rejection that day had been one of many. Stephen knew that it had hurt so much only because he’d been stupid enough to hope – and God had he crashed hard.

“So, not March 23^rd.”

“God, no”, Stephen agreed and involuntarily tightened his hold on his husband. “That leaves us with our second date ever, June 18^th, and of course the day we got together in our second timeline. That night in Wakanda.”

Tony hummed. “That one, we’ve already celebrated four times. September 5^th.”

“Honestly, Tony, I want to keep celebrating that, because it’s all about this second timeline and our second chances. But I don’t want to wait ten months to marry you, no matter that it’s already official”, the younger man argued and leaned back to let their gazes meet. “And seven months isn’t much better, in case you’re wondering.”

“So, a spring wedding, then?” A beautiful smile formed on Tony’s lips at the idea, one that filled Stephen with so much happiness. “I’d like that.”

“Considering that my and most of our friends’ birthdays are in the cold season, yeah.”

“You’re not wrong, we have much more to celebrate in the second half of the year than the first”, Tony nodded, still thoughtful. “Time to change that, maybe.”

Stephen’s heart seemed to want to burst out of his chest. “How long will you need to fix that Ford Mustang?”

Brown eyes widened slightly, as if Tony had thought that Stephen had joked when they had talked about this. With a slight frown he reached up to frame the side of the older man’s face with a broken hand, resolutely ignoring how horribly he trembled.

“You were serious about that?”

“Of course I was, Tones.” He pulled him closer for a gentle kiss to his lips. “I’ve never not been serious wherever you’re concerned.”

That stunned the older man impossibly more, and maybe, if they hadn’t been who they were, Stephen would one day grow tired of still being doubted. He knew why Tony hesitated, though, knew why he was the way he was, and it only made him love him more.

“Three months. Four, tops”, Tony finally answered his question. “It depends on the availability of the spare parts, but that should be about it.”

“And our rings?”

His husband rolled his eyes. “Are you asking me if I included the center piece of our ceremony in that time estimate? Seriously?”

“Okay, okay, never mind. March or April then, as long as it’s neither March 23 nor too close to your birthday. Now we merely need to agree on a location before checking if we can have that sometime next spring”, Stephen said dryly. “Sounds easy.”

Tony chuckled at his deadpan tone.

“Tones?”

“Yes, baby?” The softness in Tony’s voice sent a shiver down his spine.

“I’m going to make a suggestion, but I need you to really think about it. It’s just an idea, so you don’t have to…”

“Just say it.”

“Casares.”

Tony immediately loved the idea, much to Stephen’s joy. He did him the favor of thinking it through anyway, but the grin on his lips didn’t change. It was clear that he was thrilled by the idea, and really, it shouldn’t have been surprising.

“Perfect”, the billionaire said after a long moment, both his hands splaying right beneath Stephen’s scapulae to pull him closer. “The idea’s perfect, Stephen.”

“If we can make it work, I don’t…”

“Doesn’t matter, we will make it work. And if we rent an entire restaurant just for us, I don’t care. I’m sure we’ll find the perfect location, and the weather’s going to be perfect in the spring.” Tony was beaming so happily at him, his excitement undeniable, but then Stephen thought of something else.

“There might not be a location at the beach, what if…”

“Then we’ll make it work with the portals, it’ll be fine. We’ll have exactly the wedding that we want, baby, do you hear me? Exactly what we want.”

Stephen couldn’t contain his own grin at that, not because everything was settled, but because of Tony’s enthusiasm. And he was right, together they could do anything.

Anything.

“I’m really glad that we’ve circumnavigated that particular argument, you know.”

Tony snorted, only to sober up quite abruptly. “I’m sorry I reminded you of our first date ever, I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s not your fault that I had just… buried it, trying to forget it ever happened. Well, not the date itself, that was pretty fucking perfect, but…”

A warm hand wandered around his body and up to his cheek, until Tony’s thumb could lightly brush along his cheekbone.

“It was cruel of me, I know that, to hurt you like that. And I knew that was what I was doing. There’s nothing I’ve ever regretted more.”

“I know, Tony. This entire second timeline, our second chance, has been all about you making that up to me, even if I didn’t know it until a few weeks ago. The thing is just, there are so many memories and different timelines in my head, I haven’t even had the chance to really separate the two timelines I’ve actually lived, let alone the rest.”

“Maybe that would be better. Maybe you don’t need to remember, to relive, everything I did to you.”

Stephen sighed and carefully leaned their foreheads together. “I have to remember, baby, because it’s a part of our journey. I have to, because even then, I could see your walls crumbling, slowly, day-by-day. I don’t want to not remember that, because the reward is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It was worth it, you are worth it, you’re worth it a million times over. I just need time as it’s coming back in pieces, which is actually good because I don’t think I could take it if it all crashed down on me at once.”

The other man pulled him in again, one arm still around his waist, the other hand buried in Stephen’s hair. And he let himself fall into the comfort the embrace offered him, hiding his face against Tony’s neck to breathe him in, to remind himself that he was in the present.

He hadn’t missed that reliving these memories was starting to make him forget when he was, somehow warping reality in the most confusing way. And the sorcerer knew that, whenever it happened, only Tony could anchor him the way he needed it.

Like now.

“What kind of ceremony do you want, love?”

Stephen blinked at the question, needing a moment to remember what they had been talking about.

“I… don’t know”, he admitted quietly and smiled as he leaned back to look at him again, knowing exactly that Tony was trying to distract him from his mind. “What do you want?”

“Nothing religious, that’s a given”, Tony snorted, to which Stephen agreed whole-heartedly. “Otherwise, I’m not quite sure either. What I do know is that I want it to be personal, something that’s perfect for you and me.”

“That sounds great.” The younger man sighed. “We’ll have no choice but to hire a wedding planner, won’t we?”

His husband hesitated, only to shrug. “Maybe, I don’t know. Let’s see what Donna thinks first, hm?”

Stephen snorted. “I know she’s already busy enough, but I doubt there’d be anyone more competent than her.”

“At least in realizing our wishes, yeah.” Tony seemed pensive, lost in his thoughts even as his hands were still rubbing little circles into his back, the left more firmly than the right. Somehow Stephen couldn’t help but think that it was about more than figuring out the best approach to planning their wedding. “By the way, Jarvis checked. We’ll have to apply for the double-barreled surname in person.”

Stephen nodded. “Which is fine, but that’s not what’s on your mind, is it?”

There was a slight hesitance before Tony nodded. “Yeah. I, uh, I’ve been thinking…” He rolled his eyes when the younger man lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, asshole. I’m going to start working out again.”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected this at some point, but Stephen still frowned slightly. “What about…?”

“I’ll figure it out as I go, and I can always start with leg days anyway”, Tony waved him off, seeming just a tad too indifferent for it to be real.

He knew what it was, knew how frustrated the other was with the slow and not exactly promising healing process. And Stephen also knew that Tony would rather cut off his own leg than talk to him about it, considering his own history with his hands.

The thing was just, it didn’t matter.

“You realize that you won’t somehow offend me terribly if you talk to me about your frustrations, right?”

Tony huffed. “You sound like a therapist, and not in the sexy way I might be able to tolerate.”

He was deflecting, Stephen didn’t miss and just continued to look at him. Their staring contest lasted about a minute before Tony lowered his gaze and grumbled, no words making it past his lips.

“I know it sucks”, the sorcerer said quietly, all too aware that his voice was too soft, too caring for Tony to stay mad. “I know you’re hurting, I know everything frustrates you these days, and I know you’re keeping it to yourself because you think my experience was so much worse.”

“Aren’t you the all-knowing asshole.”

Stephen chuckled, because despite the words, Tony’s tone had made it clear that his mood had already softened.

“Tones”, he mumbled and reached up to frame his cheek, thumb lightly brushing over the skin. “I get that you want to work off your frustrations, and I’m all for it. Hell, I’ll even join you if that’s alright with you.”

“You will?”

“Yeah. I like spending time with you, no matter what we do.” He leaned closer for a lingering kiss to Tony’s cheek. “My point is, stop keeping your frustrations to yourself. You’re human, and you’re allowed to feel bad about your hand, about anything.”

“It just feels stupid when you went through so much worse”, the older man sighed, his eyes closing when Stephen shifted to look at him. “This is all about me wanting my hand to work the same it did before I nearly lost it, which is so fucking stupid, because I should be glad that I don’t have to deal with suddenly having a stump.”

“That’s not stupid. It’s absolutely normal for you to be feeling like this.”

“It barely even hurts, and again, that’s so much better than what you have to live with every day.” Tony was clearly angry at himself, but just as clearly it felt good for him to say it out loud and finally stop bottling it all up inside. “It doesn’t matter if I’ll play the piano again, or if I’ll box again, or will do anything, because you saved me and I…”

Stephen waited a moment in case Tony would go on; when he didn’t, he pulled him into a tight hug so that he could rest his head against the sorcerer’s shoulder.

“It matters, because it’s something you loved doing and Thanos took that from you. And maybe it’s even more cruel that you still have your hand, because that gives you hope, and it frustrates you even more when there’s no progress.”

Tony was silent, which would be all the agreement he’d get, the sorcerer knew.

“Let me teach you more magic”, he said then, not really knowing where that had come from, but meaning it all the same. As expected, his husband lifted his head from Stephen’s shoulder to look at him questioningly. “I mean it. If you put in the work, you might even be able to play the piano and the guitar again, just not the way you did before. At the very least it’ll help you learn how to use your hand again to do whatever you want. Your handwriting will look different, and it’ll be more tiring than before, but…”

Gentle hands pushed up into his hair to pull him into a fierce kiss, and the younger man melted into it without hesitation. Tony moaned, though from Stephen’s offer to teach him or the easy submission, he didn’t know.

It didn’t matter.

“You’d do that for me?”

The smile that tugged on his lips said it all already, Stephen knew, especially when Tony blushed slightly, but he nodded anyway.

“Yeah”, he added and reached up to kiss his husband’s forehead. “Now that Thanos is gone, maybe it’s time for us to do some things just for the joy of it.”

“I don’t know how learning to use magic to do the laundry could be considered joy, but maybe the magic’s the reason you’re so weird and I’ll turn out the same.”

Stephen barely managed to not facepalm at that.

“Doing the laundry is the first thing you’d do with basically unlimited cosmical power, is that what you’re saying? You don’t even do your own laundry.”

Tony sniggered. “Thought I might start.”

He couldn’t help but stare, completely incredulous. “Psychopath. I’m sure I called you that before, and finally I rest my case.”

The older man laughed. “What did you expect me to think of first? Taking over cleaning duty after we fuck? Hmm, maybe. If you make it up to me.”

Menace.

The amusement left Tony’s eyes after a quick glance at the clock. “I’ve gotta head to the Tower, Rhodey should be there soon.” He carefully reached for Stephen’s hand, his gaze not wavering from his. “Is there anything you want me to wear for our wedding?”

The younger man smirked. “What, like lingerie?”

“Yeah, whatever. Anything you want”, Tony shrugged and gently brushed his thumb along Stephen’s palm, his seriousness catching the sorcerer a bit off guard.

A furious blush spread on his cheeks then, the offer of literally anything too much at once.

He didn’t need long to come to a decision, though.

“Just you”, Stephen mumbled and reached for Tony’s other hand. “Just you, clad in whatever stunning suit you’re going to wear, and nothing underneath it.”

“Classy. I like it.”

------------

Stephen took Abby for a walk and got some chores around the house done while Tony was at his tailor’s with Rhodey. He needed something to do, not really understanding why he was missing his husband this much.

When 4 p.m. came around, Tony still hadn’t returned, so Stephen had to go to his own appointment without having seen him. It was a good thing that Wong was with him, just like it was good that Tony and he had chosen the same tailor, because that made everything much easier.

The appointment was a total success, even though Stephen was feeling unsettled throughout. Marc, the tailor, was a very competent, elderly man who had known Tony for more than half his life. Since he knew what the older man had chosen to wear, he gently guided Stephen through his own process to make sure that they would be the perfect match.

Wong and he portaled back to Miami knowing that Stephen’s entire outfit was fixed, which was honestly more than he had expected for that day. His heart stuttered in his chest at the sight of Tony and Rhodey lounging on the terrasse chairs, both laughing and with a drink in one hand.

Stephen felt like his world had started to come apart at its seams and was only then settling back down. He didn’t quite know why, but the shift was so strong that he had trouble focusing for a moment.

Something in brown orbs shifted the moment their gazes met, and his husband stood up to come over to him before Stephen managed to move.

“Hey, baby”, Tony breathed almost inaudibly and pulled him into a hug by the back of his neck, guiding Stephen to hide his face for a moment. “Just breathe, okay? For me.” He gladly took the opportunity to allow himself to relax, not quite sure why that day had been so difficult.

It wasn’t like he didn’t know that he needed the older man, especially these days when everything constantly felt like it was too much. Maybe the emotions that came along with having started preparations for their wedding had gotten to him, or maybe it was all about not having seen Tony since morning.

The way the man was holding him and kissing his cheek was everything, whatever the reasons Stephen needed it so much. With a sigh he leaned back and smiled at Tony, trying to let him know how thankful he was that he wasn’t making a big deal out of this.

Another soft kiss to his cheek told the sorcerer everything he needed to know, and finally he felt like he could face the world again.

Wong had gotten them something to drink and handed a glass to Stephen without a word. The three of them joined Rhodey on the seats, Tony with his hand firmly settled on Stephen’s thigh, grounding him. There was a knowing glint in Rhodey’s eyes at the scene, but just like Wong, he didn’t linger on it.

“You’re a lucky man, Strange”, the former soldier said, only to lift both hands in defense. “Stark-Strange, I know, sorry. Not that it matters, it’s not official.”

“Not yet”, Stephen replied nonchalantly. “And yes, I know. Very lucky.” He looked at the man beside him, drinking in the beautiful smile Tony gifted him with even despite the worry still lingering in his eyes. “What makes you say that, Jim?”

“You’ll have a stunning groom, that’s for -”, Rhodey said and moved quickly to get his legs out of Tony’s reach. “Hey!”

“Shut up, it’s not like you have any self-control.” The way the two best friends were glaring at each other made Stephen and even Wong chuckle. It was amusing, and he felt so flattered to know that his outfit was so important to Tony. He wanted to look his best for their ceremony while also keeping it completely secret.

And Stephen felt the same, every decision he had made that day had been driven by his need to look his best.

For Tony.

“What about your stag parties?” Rhodey asked then, an almost feral smile on his lips. “I remember you saying, Tones…”

“Thanks, James”, the billionaire said sharply, the use of Rhodey’s first name startling no one more than the man himself. “I know what I said.”

“What’s that?” Stephen asked quietly and much softer than Tony clearly would have liked. Something was off, and if there’d been anyone else with them but their best friends, he never would have asked right then. “Tony?”

“I was… 20, I think. Maybe younger, don’t know.”

“20 sounds about right”, Rhodey mumbled, but leaned back in his chair at a glare from his best friend. “Sorry.”

Tony was troubled, that much was easy to see for Stephen. What wasn’t so easy was figuring out what was going on, and he wasn’t sure if it wouldn’t be better if they’d be alone for this conversation.

“It was about a year before they were killed, I think. Something like that. I found out that my mother had had an affair”, the genius then continued, his voice devoid of all emotion. Rhodey was staring, clearly not having known about that part. “Or several, really. I don’t know, not for sure. It made the idea of marriage, well… not very appealing, to say the least. I told Rhodey I never wanted to marry, that I hated the idea, and that the only appealing thing about it was the stag party including armadas of strippers and… other things.”

The sorcerer understood, even everything Tony wasn’t saying. He covered the hand still resting on his thigh and put his other hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort his husband as much as he could in their current position.

“A part of me hated her, and my father even more so, like it was his fault she was searching for things he never gave her. I don’t know. The biggest part of me just wanted to never, ever be in a position where someone could do that to me.”

He lifted his gaze to look at Stephen, brown orbs apologetic in a way they had no reason to be.

“I told Rhodey I hated the idea of marrying, of ever giving up my freedom to fuck around. The entire concept of monogamy felt so senseless to me, so…” Tony was searching for words, though it was in his eyes how disgusted he had felt at the mere idea. “I’m pretty sure my father knew about the affairs, but he just didn’t care, and that was somehow even worse.”

Having known Tony for over eight years by now, Stephen had a very good grasp of how Howard and Maria Stark had been as people, and especially as parents. What he’d just heard shed more light on their marriage, but nothing about it was in any way a surprise.

And even less of a surprise was the fact that Tony had never wanted any of that for himself. Having had Jarvis and then, later, Rhodey as well, had at least given him an idea of what relationships could be like, of what love could be like.

Everything he’d known before that had made marriage seem disgusting, and despite what Tony had clearly expected, Stephen wasn’t appalled by what he’d said.

“Do you realize that witnessing my parents’ marriage made me feel the same?” he asked quietly, not at all caring if Rhodey or Wong heard him.

Tony’s gaze met his in a silent question, and with a mumbled excuse Wong urged Rhodey to get up as well, so they could give them some space. Stephen waited a moment until they were alone before reaching out to pull Tony against his chest, holding onto him tightly.

“I never even considered marrying before you, Tones, I hope you know that”, he added quietly and gently kissed his head. “You’ve taught me a lot, but most of all that loving someone can be real, and now my love for you is the biggest and best part of my life.”

“Please don’t think that there’s anything I don’t absolutely love about being married to you, but back then… I hated the thought, especially knowing that all my father basically expected of me was to produce an heir.” Stephen couldn’t help but wince at that, the thought incredibly painful somehow. “I love being married to you, Stephen.”

“I know, baby. I know. I could see it in your eyes when we took our vows.” The sorcerer leaned back to lightly press their foreheads together and drank in the sight of Tony, his eyes still closed. “I know how you feel for me, remember?”

“I never… When Pepper left, I wasn’t really caught by surprise. On top of all the reasons I knew that she was doing the right thing, I thought that it was good that she’d left me, because the next logical step would have been marriage and I…”

“You didn’t want to marry her”, Stephen finished Tony’s line of thought. He remembered their party the day before, the way Pepper had looked at the billionaire. He understood then that a part of her had always known that Tony hadn’t wanted marriage, which had probably been one of her reasons to leave him. “You wanted to marry me.”

“My way of thinking of marriage changed after we talked about it for the first time, when you gave me my necklace with your initial.” Tony sighed and finally opened his eyes, their gazes locking as the older man reached up to gently touch Stephen’s chin. “The way you looked at me back then, like being my husband would be the best that could ever happen to you… “

“I was right.”

Tony smiled, clearly moved by his easy admission. “When you decided I was worth staying, you helped me heal. You changed my life.”

“You know you did the same for me, don’t you?”

“Maybe”, the older man sighed, “or maybe what you did for me means so much more.”

“You’re wrong about that, Tony.” Stephen reached up as well to brush his fingers down the side of his husband’s face. “We were both broken, only in different ways. Since I’ve known you, your biggest gift to me was to teach me how to love and how to be happy. Don’t think you didn’t change my life, too, Tony.”

“I can’t imagine not being with you, Stephen, not now, not ever. Being with you, how we work, how you make me feel, that’s what I want for the rest of my life. I know it wouldn’t have mattered if we hadn’t married, that nothing about our relationship would have changed, but…”

“But it still makes you feel safe”, Stephen continued, mostly because he felt the same. “Because there’s nothing more meaningful than marriage, not when it’s about a lifelong commitment. I understand, Tony.”

“I never had ulterior motives, please don’t…”

“I’m not thinking that, Tony. I know you wouldn’t.” Stephen moved a bit closer for a loving kiss to his lips, not having missed that his husband was getting unnecessarily worked up about their topic of conversation. “I know you, baby, better than I’ve ever known anyone else, probably better than I know myself. I’m not surprised to learn that you hated the idea of marriage, but I know what it means to you; what our marriage means to you.”

Tony took a deep breath and nodded. “You’re everything to me.”

“As you are to me, Tones.”

When they rejoined their best men in the living area, Rhodey had already made the decision that there would be no stag parties, much to Tony’s clear relief. He however invited the billionaire to spend the 24 hours before the ceremony at his place, something Tony didn’t even have to think about before agreeing.

Stephen had never been much of a traditionalist, but the idea of inserting some customs into their wedding had its very own appeals. And maybe, in a few months, whenever their ceremony would finally take place, he would be able to handle the one-day-separation better than he had that day.

Maybe.

Chapter 13: Close Combat

Notes:

So, this chapter has been inspired by popcorn_plots story 'everything frozen (nothing but you and I)' (Link: https://ao3-rd-8.onrender.com/works/67338433)

Thank you for allowing me to take inspiration from your amazing story, I read it a few weeks before writing this chapter, and after writing it, I realized just how much your oneshot has really formed this chapter into what it is now.

Chapter Text

“God, fuck you, Stark”, Stephen panted as he let himself fall into the sand and rolled onto his back. His entire body was hurting, but his legs were the worst, he wasn’t even sure he could stand up if he tried.

Which he wouldn’t, not anytime soon.

“What, Strange?” His lover stood beside him with his hands on his knees and a stupid grin on his lips. “Too old?”

“It’s been weeks since we worked out at all, and the first day we’re back at it, you decide that a run through fucking sand is the best way to get back into the swing of things, followed by fucking yoga. Are you fucking kidding me?!”

Tony laughed. “I told you I’d start with leg days, which you agreed to, by the way.”

“You didn’t mention it’d be torture!”

Stephen couldn’t help but join his husband when he laughed again, his amusement simply infectious. They were both sweating profusely, having run at least ten kilometers along the beach at Tony’s grueling pace, and the little yoga session hadn’t been much better. It did, however, explain a lot about how the man was so goddamn fit. He didn’t have much time to work out overall, but he certainly made the most of it.

Tony looked extremely sexy beside him. He was wearing a wide tank top that barely hid anything, especially not his strong arms and shoulders. The sweat was running down his tanned skin, and with his heaving chest and messed-up hair, he looked like a vision right out of one of Stephen’s dreams.

One of the mature ones.

“I’m going for a swim, you coming with me?”

The sorcerer groaned in faked agony. “Not getting up anytime soon, sorry. Kiss?”

“Hmm, no”, Tony grinned and was already starting towards the ocean. “You’ll get a salty one, if anything.”

Stephen laughed, only to groan quietly when even that hurt his overused muscles. And so, while Tony refreshed himself in the South Pacific, he simply lay in the sand of one of Bora Bora’s uninhabited islands and tried to recover.

Cool droplets of saltwater landing on his face made Stephen squeal, only to blush when Tony burst out laughing as he dropped into the sand beside him.

“You’re such a big baby”, the genius disclaimed and suddenly he was just there, so close to Stephen that his heartrate instantly doubled. The younger man blinked his eyes open and stared up at Tony who was dripping wet, his clothes sticking to his body. He looked wild and so beautiful, like he always did when he was doing things he loved and was having fun.

Stephen reared up just as the older man leaned down, their lips meeting for a fierce kiss that tasted of salt and desire. When a warm hand slipped beneath Stephen’s loose workout shirt to stroke along his muscles there, he promptly let his head drop back onto the ground.

“Forget it, I’m beat”, he smirked before simply staring up at the laughing Tony, surely looking like the love-struck fool that he was.

“Are you sure?” the genius asked with the broadest grin, only to bite his own bottom lip as he glanced down at Stephen’s mouth. “I could always ride you.”

Stephen tried to hide the way his body reacted to Tony’s suggestion, even if he knew that the other couldn’t possibly have missed it. “Too strenuous.”

They grinned at each other again, and despite his words Stephen pulled him back down into another kiss. Tony came willingly, and for a few minutes they just enjoyed their closeness to the fullest.

“You’re wet”, Stephen eventually murmured against those sexy lips, not that he actually cared.

“And you’re sweaty.” Tony grinned but didn’t pull back. Their faces were close, and their lips met for another few kisses, some short brushes, the others much deeper. “I for one don’t mind.”

“Sex on the beach remains off the table, Stark”, Stephen chuckled and reached up to place a hand over Tony’s mouth. “That wasn’t literal.”

“There’s not many places left where we haven’t made love.” Tony’s eyes were sparkling with mischief, not at all bothered by having to mutter against Stephen’s palm. “And we’re not getting any younger.”

The sorcerer rolled his eyes. “I still don’t want to have sand everywh…”

“There must be a spell that…”

Stephen snorted, exasperated as he finally lowered his hand. “If you’re so serious about it, Tones, then maybe you shouldn’t have worn me out this much, how about that?”

Tony lifted an eyebrow, his lips twitching in a telltale way. “I was hoping you were exaggerating, you know. I was going to add some core workout, and I think you said you’d join me.”

“Like this?” Stephen asked, completely aghast as he looked down at himself. “I can’t even stand.”

“Stop whining. You don’t want to have sex on the beach, so we’ll work out some more.”

The younger man blinked at him. “You’ve been working up to that all along, haven’t you?”

Tony laughed again and stood up, which looked way too easy after their run. “Come on, get up, Strange.” He held out his forearm for the sorcerer to grasp, an offer he gladly took. Once Stephen was on his feet, though, he had to reach for Tony in need for balance, his legs simply too shaky.

There was something on his hips that…

“You’re not seriously wearing a weight belt. Tony! Are you kidding me, wasn’t the run through sand enough, did you have to…?”

His husband just laughed.

------------

Working out with Tony was an experience, a very fun one, but also an exhausting one. The man had sheer endless energy, and while Stephen loved every moment of it - the jokes, the laughter, the sight of his sexy husband -, his entire body simply hurt.

Their days went by pretty similarly for a week or two, the continuity like balm on his troubled mind. They got up early every morning and alternately took Abby for a walk while the other prepared breakfast.

Most days they stumbled back to bed afterwards, which always made Stephen feel a bit embarrassed. He tried, but seeing Tony in his workout clothes always caused the lust he felt for him to overwhelm him in the best possible way.

And the genius enjoyed it to the fullest, never once letting him feel bad for interrupting their plans for the day. Instead, he always loved Stephen exactly the way he needed it, the way they both needed it.

They often spent some time meditating next, followed by Stephen teaching Tony more magic. It was already paying off, Tony’s grip with his right hand had strengthened enough to allow him to clasp the dumbbells and add arm workouts to their training regime.

He was feeling better, Stephen could tell, regaining his life little by little after everything that had happened. It’d be much longer for him to learn the finer arts of controlling the muscles in his hand, for things like playing the piano and the guitar. For now, Tony’s goal was a boxing match against Harvey, and Stephen was pretty sure they’d get there sooner rather than later.

They usually went on a run next, occasionally through sand again if it happened to be a day when Stephen couldn’t resist Tony’s charms. It depended on their mood what workout they did afterwards, but it was always fun, and they both enjoyed the time they got to spend together.

The rest of the day was spent in Tony’s lab, where Stephen mostly meditated to work through the chaos in his mind. His husband was busy with the Ford Mustang in the meantime, the work on the rings having to wait some more for Shuri to get him the Vibranium he needed.

They also used the time to continue planning their wedding. After a lengthy talk with Donna and Harvey, they had decided to hire the same wedding planner who had organized their friends’ wedding. Donna was something of a middle woman, making sure that Tony and Stephen had as much time for themselves as possible while ensuring that their wishes remained front and center in the planning.

Sometimes, when Tony worked so loudly that every attempt at meditation failed, Stephen visited Wong in the Sanctum to catch up. The Cloak was always exuberantly enthusiastic to see him again, enough so that his guilty conscience got worse with every visit. His resolve to separate his private and magical life for the time being slowly crumbled, and eventually he took the willful being with him to the Tower.

The Cloak and Tony’s robots had a lot of fun at their reunion, which was so sweet to see, and Tony was clearly happy as well.

All in all, it felt like a vacation despite them staying in their homes.

It felt like heaven.

------------

“How about some close combat?” the sorcerer asked where he was lying in bed on his side and looking at his naked husband, the sheets tangled somewhere at their feet. It wasn’t even noon yet, and they would probably get up for their daily run after basking in their post-coital bliss some more.

Tony snorted, but didn’t open his eyes yet, clearly comfortable where he was resting on his back. “Didn’t the last half an hour count? I’m thinking I won, of course.”

Stephen couldn’t help his grin. “Douchebag.”

“I didn’t hear you complain.”

“Do I ever?” the younger man mumbled and reached out to brush his thumb over the man’s cheek. “The way you make me feel…”

“Yeah?” Tony finally opened his eyes and turned onto his side to abruptly be much closer to Stephen. “What about it?”

For a moment he could do nothing but stare, that naked body beside him so hot and erotic that it was impossible to not want more, again. Tony noticed his line of thinking and smirked, one of his hands finding its way up Stephen’s thigh and to his waist in a sexy and very possessive gesture.

He wanted Stephen, wanted him in a way the sorcerer had never known before, in a way no one had ever wanted him. It was flattering, it was heartwarming, and it was incredibly, indescribably arousing.

“You make me feel like the hottest thing ever”, Stephen murmured and brushed his fingers along Tony’s strong jaw. “Which is absurd, because that’s definitely you.”

The older man chuckled, his cheeks slightly flushed and making him look so, so enticing. “I think I know where this is going.”

“Weren’t we going for a run?” Despite his words, Stephen scooted even closer to the heated body he knew like the back of his hand. He couldn’t resist slowly kissing down that alluring neck, feeling so goddamn powerful at correctly anticipating every little sound that left Tony’s throat at his doing.

In his entire life, he had never known anyone the way he did Tony, not just the man himself, but also his body. And in contrast to what he would have expected that circumstance to be like, Stephen was anything but bored by it.

His excitement always went through the roof whenever he guessed one of Tony’s reactions correctly. The intimacy that came with that kind of knowledge was more arousing than anything he’d ever done in bed before.

“Stephen”, Tony moaned as he sucked a hickey into his skin right where one of his most sensitive spots was. Stephen smirked slightly, completely unable to suppress his smugness at the beautiful sound he’d evoked, though he didn’t allow his smirk to make him let go.

A hand snuck around his body and grasped his ass, and this time it was the younger man who lost control for just a second. His own moan was rough, giving away exactly what he wanted and how damn much, and Tony didn’t bother hiding his chuckle.

“We’ll just have to have enough sex to burn off the same number of calories, I can ask Jarvis to monitor…”

“Oh, just shut up”, Stephen grumbled before kissing Tony deeply, desirously, roughly, like it was the best thing in the world.

Which it was.

------------

Close combat wasn’t something they had tried before, not really. It never had been an option against Thanos anyway, and that had been their focus for much too long. Now that their time was all about exploring new things together, it seemed like the natural thing to do, considering their line of work.

“Tony?” Stephen asked somewhat absentmindedly, his thoughts twirling around how this would go. They had no experience at this kind of thing, and he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen.

“Yes, my love?” Tony’s voice was full of amusement and warmth, as if he knew exactly what Stephen was thinking about - and knowing him, he probably did.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Of course.” Tony stepped closer to him and leaned in for a lingering kiss to his cheek. “I trust you.”

Stephen was stunned by how easily the older man could settle his nerves with just three words. They got into it soon enough for his nerves to have no chance of flaring up again. And right from the start, Stephen was taken aback by Tony’s every move.

The man’s stance already spoke of ease and familiarity, of knowing exactly what he was doing. It was startling enough for Stephen to not be as quick as he could have been, and Tony landed a kick to his chest so fast that it nearly sent him to the ground.

His stunned surprise made his husband laugh as he stepped back to allow him to righten himself. Shaking his head, Stephen took a moment to stare at him before resolutely pushing his surprise to the back of his mind.

Taking this a lot more seriously, the sorcerer moved in this time and quickly had to realize that Tony was just as good at defense as he was at attack. They went at it pretty intensely for a while, trading blows and kicks with enough speed that Stephen occasionally had to scramble to keep up.

“Okay, wait”, he panted eventually and opened the space between them, something that Tony just watched curiously, attentively taking in his every move. “How’d you get so good?”

The other man shrugged. “Are we sparing or talking?”

And then he lunged so quickly that Stephen barely had time to react, actually needing to throw up a defensive shield to be able to block the kick aimed for his knee. Tony had obviously expected it and twirled around to close the distance between them, making his shield not only useless, but also a hindrance to Stephen’s next dodge.

What didn’t help his focus at all was the sight of Tony’s sweaty skin and bulging muscles, which was so hot to see. The added distraction was his doom. Before long, Stephen found himself on his back on the ground, a precise use of his legs having made it easy for Tony to unbalance him.

The air was knocked out of his lungs, and for a moment he lay on his back, stunned. It didn’t really hurt, but it was still unexpected.

Speaking of…

“Who trained you?” he asked and finally managed to focus his eyes on his husband standing in front of him. “How did you get so good?”

“I’m not that good, you merely got distracted.” Tony was smirking and not wrong per se, but there was more to it.

“You’re good”, Stephen emphasized as he stood up and brushed some dirt off his clothes. “Which has nothing to do with me being distracted.”

“So, you admit it.”

The sorcerer snorted. “That’s not the point. Who taught you, Tony, really?”

“Fine, but it’s not as spectacular as you might think. I learned from the original Avengers, Romanov mostly. Red, too”, Tony admitted then, though he seemed reluctant. “Dembe also taught me a lot of different fighting styles, when we were on the run. Oh, and Wong.”

“Wong?” Stephen asked in surprise but quickly had to realize that it explained a lot. “I don’t know about the others, but I know how good Wong is. Still, you clearly have years of experience, and you don’t know Wong long enough for you to be that good.”

“I once became an expert in thermonuclear physics in one night, so maybe it’s not as impossible as you think.”

He blinked at that. “I haven’t heard about that. Tell me later?”

“Maybe I will. Another round?”

Why not. Before he could react, though, Tony was already moving again, and for a few moments they traded blows and kicks like they’d done it for years. Stephen enjoyed it, his husband was keeping him on his toes and looking damn good while he was at it.

Once he was sure that Tony could handle it, he stepped up his game and got more serious. To Stephen’s renewed surprise, the other man kept up with him, his face set in concentration and determination.

Deciding to try something more spectacular, the sorcerer gained some distance before running towards Tony. He jumped up for a powerful kick with both legs – only for Tony to twist out of the way and grab one of his thighs. Stephen yelped when the billionaire unceremoniously threw him to the ground, causing him to land on his back again - hard.

It hurt this time, though thankfully not too badly. A moment later Tony had him pinned on his back, his weight keeping him down while he secured both his arms beside his head. Despite the dynamics of their movements, Tony was gentle, and as always careful with his hands, but Stephen definitely couldn’t have moved.

Not that he even wanted to.

The sensation of Tony’s strong body pressing onto his made him feel much too hot, his skin much too tight. Stephen could feel a blush rising to his neck and cheeks, the casual display of power and control more arousing than he could have ever anticipated.

Tony remained oblivious to the way Stephen was staring up at him, at his gorgeous, brilliant, powerful husband. The exertion made the genius pant, sweat slowly dripping down his temple and past his wild eyes, his entire body taut with strength.

It was the fucking hottest thing ever.

Much to his embarrassment, Stephen had to realize that he was fully hard just from their sparring, something Tony hadn’t noticed yet. The arousal was so intense that he had trouble breathing, especially when his husband smirked down at him in triumph.

“You’re okay, right?” he asked, his beautiful brown eyes slowly raking over Stephen’s face. A frown appeared on Tony’s brow after a moment, and he studied the younger man intently. “Uh, Stephen…?”

Stephen couldn’t contain his moan anymore. It was breathless, a sound of arousal as much as of frustration, the need for something too strong to ignore. He could see exactly when Tony finally caught up to what was going on, his eyes widening in surprise before darkening with overwhelming arousal.

With a last coherent thought, the sorcerer threw up a concealing spell around them, considering that they were still on Kamar-Taj’s training grounds. He wasn’t a moment too quick; Tony was already leaning down to meet Stephen for a rough kiss.

As if he could read his mind, the genius shifted to let the sorcerer’s dick rub against his thigh. The pressure was heavenly, and Stephen eagerly reared up to be somehow even closer to Tony’s body.

His sexy, powerful, magnificent body.

“God, baby”, the older man breathed against his lips, his voice dark and raspy and shit, Stephen just couldn’t take it anymore.

“If you don’t fuck me within the next five minutes, I will file for divorce”, he panted harshly and entirely in jest. It didn’t help him stay calm when his words made Tony chuckle in good humor, the look on his face so damn beautiful. “Tones…”

“I really can’t have that, can I?” The billionaire was staring at him, as if he couldn’t believe that Stephen was this aroused after their little sparing session. “Here?”

“I put up a privacy spell”, he managed to ground out before impatiently tugging on Tony’s tank. Without second thought Stephen tore it over his head and threw it to the side, his eyes feasting on the sight of his powerful man still pressing him down. “Here.”

The way brown eyes glazed over made Stephen sigh in relief, understanding that Tony had finally caught up with how serious he was about this. Their lips met for harsh kisses, and if Stephen had felt parched, then Tony was the last drop of water in the desert.

Stephen licked into that tantalizing mouth, wet and urgent and full of desperate yearning. It didn’t matter that they’d had sex this morning, all he could think about was Tony, his damn perfect body, the power of him, the control he had over himself.

Stephen gasped when the older man wrapped a loose hand around his cock once he had torn off the last of their clothes. The pleasure was devastating, and he dragged his nails along Tony’s ribs, feeling the strong muscles there as if he never had before. He could hear the older man breathing hard, his hot hands caressing him in return and igniting that fire in Stephen’s veins to an inferno.

Tony kissed along his collarbone while his hands manhandled Stephen to let him settle between his legs, bringing them so much closer. He touched him with unadulterated reverence, calloused fingers delicately brushing along his hip, his stomach, his chest and back down to his legs.

“Five minutes, Tony”, he reminded his husband and eagerly wrapped his hands around those strong shoulders to pull him closer.

“I always knew you were high maintenance”, the genius quipped, but he complied to the way Stephen’s body was silently begging for more. “Lube?”

It took a lot of his strength to cast the spell, and Tony rewarded him with another touch on his cock that left Stephen trembling in pleasure.

“I can’t believe you’re so desperate that you’re insisting I fuck you right here.” Tony nudged his knees apart further while balancing on one hand next to his head, his entire focus on Stephen beneath him. The sorcerer didn’t dare look around, for the first time considering that there might be people walking around the training grounds.

No one could see them, but Stephen could have seen others, and he felt his blush deepening and spreading to his chest.

Electricity coursed through him as Tony shifted closer, his lips parted around heavy breaths like he was trying not to lose his composure. Stephen wasn’t any better, completely unable to get enough air into his lungs. His hands were searching for something to hold onto but, unsurprisingly, he found nothing.

He settled for as a tight a grip as he could manage on Tony’s hips just when their gazes met. They shared a look of deep understanding, both absolutely consumed by want as Tony slowly, gently, pushed into him. His cock was a hot, urgent pressure that made Stephen gasp and thrash his head from side to side. He was so lost in the pleasure already, all thought of anything but Tony between his legs forgotten.

“So, you think I’m hot?”

Stephen snorted breathlessly, only then noticing that he was digging his fingers into bronze skin, feeling absolutely desperate because Tony wasn’t moving. He whined and tried to change the angle of his hips and get him to move, but it didn’t work. Tony’s body had him firmly pinned, and after their sparing session, that turned him on impossibly more.

Despite the desperation coursing through his veins, the all-encompassing control Tony had over him made Stephen feel hot and safe at the same time. His flush deepened, sweat pooling on the small of his back and he groaned, already so highly strung that it wouldn’t take much.

And Tony knew, of course.

“About that divorce”, Stephen somehow managed to get out and couldn’t help his weak smile at his husband’s prompt, if feigned sigh of defeat.

Tony’s hair was gorgeously tousled as he stared down at him and finally started moving, his eyes wild with adoration and pleasure. Wrapping his arms around his shoulders to pull their chests close, Stephen moaned at all that heated skin-on-skin contact.

Hard muscles and their rapid heartbeats were all he could feel for a while, but it wasn’t enough, not even close. Tony’s groans in his ears sounded desperate already, and Stephen could feel his own approaching orgasm in his stomach, at the base of his spine and even in the tips of his toes.

“Tony”, he whimpered, “Tony, please, oh my God…”

His cock slid between their bodies, the hard flesh inside him moving with intent, slightly pushing him up on the unforgiving ground. It was so intense that Stephen couldn’t breathe, and he was going to come much too soon, was going to fall apart and there was nothing he could do to…

“Fuck, Stephen”, Tony cursed vividly, and Stephen noticed only then that he was still touching him, was still brushing his fingers along those muscles and getting off on feeling the other man’s strength. “There’s at least three people in viewing distance, and all you care about is the way I beat you in close combat?”

His blush turned furious, Stephen knew, but he couldn’t make himself care. Staring up into brown depths, the sorcerer felt incredibly elated when Tony’s cheeks turned pink as well at realizing that he’d hit the bull’s eye.

He could feel the dick inside him twitching in the telltale way that his husband was just as affected by this as Stephen was. His ears were ringing, he couldn’t hear anything but the rush of his own blood, and then Tony finally let him fall over the edge. It pulled him under like a strong ocean current, and Stephen couldn’t breathe, everything simply unbearably intense.

When he came back to himself, Tony was right there above him, his beautiful eyes watching him while his fingertips lightly brushed over Stephen’s face.

“I guess we’ll spar more often from now on?” the genius mumbled quietly. There was amusement in his voice, but also something else, something deeper and much more meaningful, something that made Stephen feel safe and loved.

“I had no idea you were that good”, he muttered and reached up to brush his fingers through brown strands. “It’s the hottest thing ever.”

“Really? Hotter than when I finger myself open for you while you watch?” The smirk on Tony’s lips was positively lascivious, knowing full well what his words were doing to Stephen and relishing in it. “Thought so.”

“You’re impossible”, the younger man breathed and gently pulled him down into a kiss. Stephen was starting to feel more of himself again, the sensations slowly coming back to him after his almost out-of-body experience. There was still cum inside him, but other than that he was very clean, almost as if… “Did you really magic us clean?”

Tony snorted. “Aren’t you supposed to be able to tell?”

Stephen found the strength of mind to focus his powers and yes, someone had used a spell not too long ago and in close proximity.

“You’re not about to complain about the result, are you? You wouldn’t dare.” The older man was grinning broadly, and Stephen knew why, his cheeks heating up from equal parts shame and arousal. No one was more aware than his husband of how much he enjoyed the proof of Tony’s lust inside his body. Of course he hadn’t magicked that away, and of course he was teasing him about it.

“You’re impossible, have I mentioned that?” Stephen smiled amusedly and not just a bit proudly. “And I’m not complaining, baby. You did amazing.”

“I had a great teacher”, Tony retorted, and it was in his voice and his eyes how much he meant that.

“Well, apparently you’re also a great student.” Stephen lifted an eyebrow. “You wanted to tell me about thermonuclear physics?”

“I wanted to tell you how I became an expert, not the physics themselves, unless you want me to return the favor of teaching you. It’s much less useful than the magic tricks, though.”

Tony’s grin was infectious, and Stephen finally dared to glance around them.

“How about we go home and…?”

“Oh, so you want the privacy of our home to talk about thermonuclear physics, but you were perfectly alright with me fucking your brain out right here?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, shut up!”

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RenlysRoses404 on Chapter 1 Sat 26 Apr 2025 12:26AM UTC

Excited for this sequel!

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Lynxiechan on Chapter 6 Thu 12 Jun 2025 11:38AM UTC

I want it known that I read the first part to this group of fics, and now I cannot *unsee* stephen and tony devouring each other every 45 minutes.
I also read your last fic in 2 days, but we dont talk about that.
Shock factors aside, thank you. Your last fic was nothing short of incredible, and I understand why it ended the way it did (burnouts a bitch, to name at least one of the things that was probably coursing through your mind at the time).
Thank you for continuing all the same, and I look forward to the continuation of part 2. 🥳

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sighing_selkie on Chapter 11 Sun 31 Aug 2025 09:46PM UTC

<3<3<3

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sighing_selkie on Chapter 12 Sun 21 Sep 2025 08:58PM UTC

<3<3<3

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sighing_selkie on Chapter 13 Sun 19 Oct 2025 07:25PM UTC

:D
<3<3<3

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Forever Changed

moonlight_roses

Summary:

Notes:

Chapter 1: 14,000,606

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Chapter 2: A Million Times Yes

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Chapter 3: Hospital

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Chapter 4: Right Now

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Chapter 5: My Husband

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Chapter 6: Do you even still want me?

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Chapter 7: The Funeral

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Chapter 8: I love you

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Chapter 9: Decisions to make

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Chapter 10: Presents

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Chapter 11: Will you...?

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Chapter 12: March 23rd

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Chapter 13: Close Combat

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RenlysRoses404 on Chapter 1 Sat 26 Apr 2025 12:26AM UTC

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Lynxiechan on Chapter 6 Thu 12 Jun 2025 11:38AM UTC

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sighing_selkie on Chapter 11 Sun 31 Aug 2025 09:46PM UTC

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sighing_selkie on Chapter 12 Sun 21 Sep 2025 08:58PM UTC

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sighing_selkie on Chapter 13 Sun 19 Oct 2025 07:25PM UTC

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