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Stephen was exhausted by the time he made it back to the Tower.
It had all started when Peter somehow managed to turn Ned into a beaver while they were messing around in the Sanctum (which was definitely off limits now), and the pages in the spell book which contained the cure were conveniently smudged from an unfortunate coffee spill last week. It had taken several unsuccessful and frankly embarrassing attempts before Stephen saved Ned from the horrible fate of spending the rest of his life as a wood-chewing rodent.
So, as Stephen trudged across the lobby of Stark Tower, tiredly waving hello at Sarah the receptionist, all he wanted was a nice hot shower, to cuddle with his boyfriend, and for Tony to tell him about his day until Stephen fell asleep to the sound of his voice.
This was one of the rare occasions where Stephen was actually taking the elevator instead of opening a portal in the middle of their bedroom, so he was more than a bit impatient to see Tony after what felt like an eternity apart (he cringed slightly at his internal monologue). He started to walk towards the kitchen to fix a quick cup of tea, but the sound of low, urgent voices coming from the common room stopped him in his tracks. He paused, the wall hiding him from the room’s occupants, and now that he was listening more closely he could hear Tony’s panicked murmur.
“Fuck, I’ve never done this before, Pep, you gotta help me,” Tony was saying, “I cannot fuck this one up. I know it’s kind of weird since we used to date, but I really didn’t know who else to ask. Did you know I almost went to Wong for help?” He let out a bark of hysterical and slightly panicked laughter.
“Tony, first just calm down,” Pepper replied evenly, “I promise everything’s going to be okay, alright?”
Stephen knew that it was wrong to eavesdrop and that he should announce his presence somehow, and part of him was bursting to rush up to Tony and ask him what was wrong, but a voice in the back of his head told him to stay put. So he did, and continued to listen.
Tony audibly took a few deep breaths, then let out a small and defeated sigh. “Look, it’s just…this is really important to me. I want–need to make sure I do it right. I only have one chance, after all.”
“Of course,” Pepper said, “It’s actually really sweet of you, Tony. I never thought I would live to see this day, honestly. I can’t believe you’re getting married before me.”
Stephen almost thought he had heard it wrong, but somehow tamped down on the urge to burst into the room gracelessly. Could it really be…?
“Assuming he even says yes in the first place,” Tony sighed again. “Why would he want to marry a loser like me? Shit, this is a mistake, isn’t it? It is. I should just give up now, don’t give myself too much hope–”
“Tony,” Pepper interrupts forcefully, “Stop. Stephen is crazy about you, anybody with eyes can tell you that. He’s lucky as hell to have you. Also, if he says no–which he won’t– I will feed you ice cream until you burst and then beat him up with my stilettos.”
Stephen felt something incredibly warm starting to bloom in his chest and crawl up his windpipe, though he couldn’t suppress the small shudder when he was reminded of Pepper’s shovel talk all those months ago. It wasn't an experience he was exactly keen to repeat.
Still, it was impossible to stop the goofy grin that spread so widely across his face that his cheeks kind of ached, even though Peter always said that it made him look like an otter. It stayed glued on his face even as Stephen, content with his discoveries, slowly continued on his way to the kitchen and left Tony and Pepper to their conversation.
Later, when Tony finally came upstairs, Stephen had already showered, finished his tea, and was now sitting in bed reading.
“Hey babe,” Tony said, all signs of his earlier nervousness gone. He leaned in for a quick kiss, “Missed you today.”
“Me too,” Stephen replied, setting down his book so that Tony could crawl into bed next to him and cuddle up to his chest.
"How was your day?" Tony sighed contentedly.
“Well,” Stephen said wryly, one hand curled protectively against Tony’s back, “Peter is a menace already all by himself, but when he’s with Ned–they are just. Unstoppable.”
Tony chuckled lightly, burying his face in the crook of Stephen’s neck so that his words were slightly muffled. “Should’ve thought of that before you told them they could visit the Sanctum anytime they wanted.”
“Well,” Stephen said, Tony’s hair tickling the bottom of his chin. He could feel the stupid smile back full force again. “They are our kids.”
“Don’t let them hear you say that, they would never leave us alone again. Ever.” Tony joked, turning his head to look at Stephen. He raised his eyebrows, looking amused when he saw Stephen’s expression. “What’s with the dumb smile?”
“Nothing,” Stephen replied, dropping a kiss in Tony’s hair. “Just thinking about how much I love you.”
Tony’s ears immediately turned a dull red, even as he snorted an embarrassed “Sap.”
Besides, Stephen knew without looking that on Tony’s face was a smile just as wide as his own.