Work Text:
Evening was creeping up on them as Tony tinkered away at one of his new inventions and Stephen sat floating midair with a book and a distant gaze. They had been here for nearly four hours, working in mostly silence but for the occasional remark and question.
Now as the natural light dimmed to be replaced with the warmer artificial glow Tony found himself watching Stephen, unable to tear his eyes away from the man. He looked….happy, relaxed in a way Tony knew never to take for granted.
They had been dating for six months now, a surreal and amazingly affirming experience. It had started very slowly and had continued at a glacial pace since, something both seemed to appreciate. Their pasts were littered with bumpy and stressful relationships, barring Pepper and they were both weary of committing too fast. It was new for Tony, who usually preferred to rush right in, yet it was also so very nice to be on the same page, to just…breathe.
Stephen twisted his neck a little, clearly trying to work out a creak, then his eyes fluttered closed, a golden glow swirling around his forearms and Tony couldn’t help but tense. Memories of Titan often caught him unawares these days, especially when Stephen did things like that. He was getting better though, they all were.
Sitting there, however, watching from across his work table Tony was struck hard by the domesticity of it all. Sometime soon, Stephen would land lightly on his feet, walk over and press a kiss to his head before disappearing upstairs, getting ready for bed. He often went to bed early when he needed to be back at Kamar-Taj by seven, and just like all the times before, Tony would tinker for a maximum for thirty minutes then follow his lover. It was a routine that would have grated on him in his younger years, but had long since left him feeling stable, content. He liked knowing what to expect and when.
Warmth moved through Tony as he watched Stephen, inexplicably he felt tears prick his eyes, and when the fuck did, he become such an emotional wreak? Probably around the time he found something worth living for, when he saved the Earth with the help of this brilliant man then had to somehow go about living on it.
“I love you,” the words slipped out unbidden into the silent air between them.
He watched, heart thundering as Stephen’s eyes opened groggily as though awaking from a dream. Six months and they had never said those words to each other, but god Tony had felt them for nearly five now. He could never put his finger on what held him back from saying them before, never the right time, fear, insecurity. This was a lot, all of it, and sometimes he wondered if Stephen felt it like he did. Only one way to find out.
Stephen tilted his head, his blue-green eyes shifting over to where Tony sat tense and waiting. The expression there was assessing, much like when he was working on a difficult spell and didn’t quite know the path forward.
He had intended to wait it out, but his nervousness got the better of him, “too soon?” he asked with a self-deprecating laugh, hand running through his hair.
That seemed to knock the man from his haze, his feet tapping quietly as the Cloak lowered him to the floor. Stephen was shaking his head, a little smile stretching across his lips and Tony felt himself relax instantly, a skill that seemed to belong wholly to Stephen. Soon enough he was standing on the other side of the worktable, looking down at him and Tony felt his skin heat up.
“I love you too.”
Sweeter words had never been spoken to him. When Pepper used to say them it had been reaffirming, but it also had a long-shared history behind it, the promise that no matter what he did her love would be unwavering either in a relationship or in friendship. Hearing it from Stephen, however, was bliss, because when he said it, there was an unspoken promise that he hadn’t fucked this up, that they were on the right track.
“Good,” he murmured, a blush spreading across his cheeks. “That’s good.”
Stephen smirked, shook his head a little, “I’m glad.”
Tony blew out a sigh, rolled his eyes, “shut up and just come here.”
With a laugh Stephen rounded the worktable and tugged Tony up out of his chair, a hand sliding into his hair and tugging him into a hard kiss. Tony went willingly, his whole body pressing against Stephen’s with the urge to just feel him, his body, his love, his heartbeat.
Eventually Stephen pulled back, his eyes bright and lips red, “that was adorable you know.”
Tony huffed, “well if I waited for you to say it, I’d be dying from old-age.”
He shrugged, unrepentant about the fact that he wanted Tony to take the lead in this relationship, had said so from the start. It had been overwhelming at first, but now he was beginning to realize why Stephen insisted, he wanted Tony to have control, to take things as fast or slow as he wanted. Like most things these past six months…it was nice.
Stephen pulled away fully then, gripping only Tony’s hand in his trembling one, “come on, let’s call it a night a little early.”
Tony grinned as he followed Stephen toward their bedroom, yes it was all nice.