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Pepper had almost always liked it when Tony had fallen asleep beside her. Since he was a workaholic of the worst kind he tended to fall asleep as soon as he allowed his body and mind to rest for a moment - and if that was in the middle of date night? So be it. She learned not to be angry at him, not when he looked about twenty years younger and as if the weight of the world had been lifted from him.
He always slept better when he was not in their bed, but on the couch, a plane, wherever. It was adorable. Pepper always cuddled him and tried to stay as still as possible. She loved those moments.
When they finally had convinced Stephen that yes, they really wanted him in their lives - and not only in their bed for some fun times - she suddenly had two men who fell asleep on her in the strangest of places. At first she'd hoped that she now had an ally in getting Tony to sleep on a semi-regular schedule but instead she got an insomniac who thought that sleep was for other people.
The only good thing that came out of Stephen's chaotic to non-existent sleep patterns was that Tony started to sleep more regularly, in an attempt to get Stephen to do the same.
"It's not good for him!" Tony had shouted one day and Pepper had doubled over with laughter. "What?"
"Now you know how I felt for the last couple of years." It wasn't that Pepper loved Stephen any less and she did worry about Stephen but she was used to Tony's even more pronounced brand of self-destruction and she just knew that in the end everything would work out fine.
So it was with resigned amusement that she looked down at her two men, sleeping soundly with her sandwiched in the middle, while Demolition Man blasted them in all its 90s retro-glory. Tony was in his usual position, using her shoulder as a pillow while his body was curled up in some bizarre twist that hurt when she just looked at him. In moments like this she was convinced that Tony was part cat; no human being could bend like that. Stephen on the other hand had taken the more comfortable route - stretched out on the ultra-long couch they'd bought just for the three of them he had his head in Pepper's lap and grumbled in his sleep whenever she dared to stroking his hair.
"I love you," she said to both of them. "I really do, but I also love our bed."
No reaction. Pepper sighed. Her position wasn't comfortable anymore but she didn't want to wake her two idiots up.
"Do you need help?"
She looked up, surprised. In her adoration of Tony and Stephen she'd forgotten about their guests for movie night. "Steve. Sorry, I didn't…" She shrugged helplessly and gestured at the three of them with her free hand.
"Bedtime but you don’t want to wake them up?" Steve went down on his knees to get a better a look at them. "I don't think a grenade would wake them up now." As if on cue Wesley Snipes blew something up in Dolby Surround and neither of them moved a muscle. Steve smiled. "See? Just leave them here and go to bed. They're fine."
Pepper just stared at him, too affronted for another reaction. "Leave them? Never! Before I do that I'll get an armor and carry them up myself. But I don't need to do that, do I?" The idea had suddenly come to her and it was the perfect solution. She tried to be bashful for a moment and looked up at Steve with wide eyes. "You wouldn't need an armor, right? Big strong man and all that."
Steve, who was everything but stupid, caught on after a second and played along with a reasonable straight face. "I'll need help. I don't think we can leave one here while I take the other one upstairs, can we?"
"No," Pepper agreed. "We stay together." Stephen mumbled something again and she stroked him once again. He snuggled even closer and calmed down. Adorable, she thought for the thousandth time this night.
"I never thought I'd seen him this peaceful." While Pepper had been concentrating on Stephen, Steve had been looking at Tony. "Stephen is good for him. You. The two of you."
"Hmm," she agreed, only half listening. "He's the best. They both are."
"Yes." Steve didn't say anything else but the look he gave Tony conveyed more than mere words ever could. Love and friendship and just a hint of regret for past mistakes and roads untraveled. "I'll take Tony and Bucky can take Stephen. He can give his neck better support with his arm." The stood up to get his boyfriend who was dozing on the other, smaller, couch.
It was pure instinct that caused Pepper to move her fingers down to Stephen's neck and stroke him where the tension always was. She'd had to book him an appointment for a massage soon, it felt worse than usual. It also explained his correct posture today. He'd never tell but she'd learned to read his body language pretty well by now. You idiot, she thought fondly.
It was obvious how much Tony trusted Steve by now because the only woke up for a moment, realized what was happening and dozed off again.
Stephen was another matter. He woke up the moment Bucky touched him but Pepper was prepared and reached out to calm him down. "Shh, it's okay. We'll just move you to bed, okay?" A slow now showed his consent and his eyes closed again. But he didn't fall asleep again. Pepper kissed him on the forehead. "Relax, we've got you."
Despite her reassurances Stephen fully woke up as soon as they'd crossed over the threshold to their bedroom. He rarely allowed himself to show weakness in the front of others but Pepper could see that his neck was bothering him far more than he let on before. Not a massage but a full-on wellness weekend then, she decided. It would do Tony and her a world of good, too.
Plans for tomorrow. Logistics now. She directed Steve and Bucky where to deposit her men before she accompanied them outside to say goodnight. They'd stay over in one of the guest-suits for tonight.
By the time she came back into the room Tony had grabbed unto Stephen and held on to him as if he was in danger of vanishing into thin air. Stephen looked up at her smiled helplessly.
Pepper grinned back. "Move over, I want in too."
The Cloak in the meantime had realized that it was alone back in the living room and came to investigate. How exactly it managed to communicate tiredness would forever be a mystery but it came in slowly and seemed to take a moment before it realized what happened. It came over for a quick, reassuring touch on Stephen's shoulder before it vanished to its customary corner to resume its own rest.
Tony was already fast asleep again but Stephen was awake now. He carefully turned around to allow Pepper to come up from behind. She was equally careful as she put her arms around him and tried to stabilize his body with her own. "Go back to sleep, we've got you," she whispered and pressed a kiss against his neck.
He followed her gentle instruction pretty much immediately.