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The day had been long and exhausting but the sight that greeted him as he came home and into the bedroom still brought a smile to his face.
Stephen was in his customary position, curled up on his side, his hands hidden away beneath the blanket. Since Tony wasn't there to cuddle up to his head was on Pepper's shoulder. Pepper had one hand in his hair, gently holding him in place, and both of them were sleeping peacefully. It was a lovely picture and Tony could feel some of the stress of the last week leaving his body.
The two people he loved most in the world, safe and relaxed. What a thing to come home to.
"Hello," he whispered to the Cloak who had been resting in the corner and had come over as soon as Tony had entered the room. He held out his hand but the Cloak ignored it and engulfed him in a full-body hug instead. Tony laughed soundlessly and patted it affectionately. "It's nice to see you, too."
It draped itself across Tony's shoulders, folding in on itself to be a little bit shorter. Tony, who had stumbled over it exactly once, appreciated the effort as he made his way to the far side of the room. He needed a shower, badly. At first, he'd wanted to use one of the other bathrooms but he wanted to see his two loves first thing after coming in and now he was too lazy to go all the way back.
It didn't matter. The bathroom was soundproof for more than one reason and he closed the door behind him very gently. Stephen, especially, was a light sleeper and Tony didn't want to ruin his badly needed rest. Pepper, on the other hand, conditioned after years of living with Tony and his night terrors, could sleep through pretty much everything. They both envied her and guarded her sleep as best as they could.
The Cloak, still acting as a bathrobe, left him and stood watch while he showered. Tony could've sworn that the thing was impatient and just wanted to get him to bed as soon as possible. It even managed some kind of crossed-arms look.
Even after all their time together, he could barely believe that a piece of magicked fabric could be so empathic and expressive. "Yes, yes, I'm coming!" he shouted over the water. "But trust me, you don't want me near them with the stink of the Pentagon on me." Or the perfume of the senator who had tried to corner him for some "benefits", even though it was a worldwide known - and talked about - fact that he was in a happy and very, very exclusive relationship with two other people.
The memory of the first time Pepper and he and taken out Stephen to a gala and introduced him as the official third person in their relationship was still one of his most treasured ones. The reporters had had their fun with them outside on the red carpet - a nervous Stephen in the middle with Pepper and Tony acting as his guards - and were not invited to the event itself. Being able to dance with Stephen and hold him close in a semi-public setting while Pepper smiled at them before she took over had been one of the best moments of his life. Pepper and Stephen, together, be it dancing or in bed, or anywhere, really, always would be the most beautiful sight in his universe.
He was still lost in the memories when he came out of the shower. He dried himself absently and the Cloak once again doubled as a robe, as soon as he'd discarded the towel. He petted it absently and groggily. By the time he'd finished brushing his teeth it finally had enough. It more or less dragged him out of the bathroom and right in front of the bed, before going back to its own usual resting place.
Pepper, naturally, was still sleeping but Stephen was half-awake and blinking up at him. "Welcome home." His voice was a rough whisper, his beautiful eyes barely open. But he was obviously happy to see Tony. "Come here, we've been waiting for you." He started to move over but Tony stopped him.
Tony smiled. "I can see that," he teased gently. "Move over, you're going to be in the middle this time." Before he moved to the other side he went down on his knees to give Pepper a kiss on the tip of the nose. "Hello, beautiful."
Stephen moved over to cuddle against Pepper again while Tony spooned him from behind. With his arm around Stephen he could still reach a part of Pepper's waist with his fingertips. Stephen pressed himself a little bit closer to Tony, as if in search of his body heat. "Go back to sleep, baby." Tony pressed a kiss against his neck. "Wonderful dreams."
"Less talking, more sleep," came Pepper's complaint from the other side. "Tony's on breakfast duty in the morning and he can tell us all about it then."
Tony, more used to the crankiness, just smiled, while Stephen gave a dutiful "yes, dear".