Work Text:
"Let's go to a mountain resort, he said. It'll be fun, he said," Stephen gritted out, teeth clattering.
"Hey! Not my fault the heater broke down," Tony retorted. "Tried to fix it. They're missing a piece."
"I'm going home."
The engineer scoffed.
"Big bad Sorcerer Supreme is defeated by a blizzard?"
Stephen lowered his hand, glaring.
"What do you suggest, then?"
"Sharing body heat." Although his tone was casual, Tony was nervous. He pushed on when he only got silence. "We came here to see if we can work. What better way to bond than through hardship?"
"Alright," the sorcerer conceded, leaving his sling ring on the table. "How about an additional challenge? No magic for me, no tech for you."
"You do realise that my tech is a big part of me, right?" He got a shrug. "Let me text Pepper first."
"Ok. I'll go make hot cocoa."
They met on the couch 30 minutes later. Tony had brought a blanket. Stephen gave him a mug, then returned to bring his own. They struggled a bit, but finally managed to cuddle.
"Well, ridiculously long foreplay aside, this is nice," Tony concluded.
"I need to pee." The engineer stared at his boyfriend for a moment, looking horrified. Stephen chuckled. "Relax, I'm joking."
"Ok, cuz I was gonna lift the magic ban before I let you go."
"That's almost romantic."
Tony sighed and, testing his luck, he rested his head on the taller man's shoulder. Stephen shrugged, but didn't push him off after he didn't move. Small victories.
"You think we're not gonna make it?" the engineer asked.
"I wouldn't be here if I did." Stephen sighed and wrapped an arm around him. He figured he'd been too cold. "Look, I'm not angry. Don't think I have anything to be angry about. I'm just very disappointed. When I pictured us, our future... this wasn't what I saw."
"Are you saying we went wrong? Is this going to have a butterfly effect?"
"I never looked at our future through the time stone," the sorcerer explained warily. "Whatever happens, I don't want to abuse its power for personal gain."
"Good to know I'm dating a human." Tony stared at his mug and took a hesitant sip, wincing. Still too hot.
"That being said, I have seen us together in some of the other futures. We have a lot of potential, both for happiness and destruction."
Tony stood silent for a few moments, pondering these words. He thought about how they'd been drifting apart lately and how he hadn't known how to fix it. He thought about how happy he used to be with the sorcerer in the beginning of their relationship. He figured Stephen had been happy, too. After all, why else would he have agreed to try?
"Then we're on neutral grounds. Let's just be two normal gays for one night."
"Two shivering gays."
Stephen curled closer to Tony. At this point, the only way they were getting any closer was by fusing. The engineer didn't mind. In fact, he had a few ideas for generating more heat. He kissed the pale neck bared before him, but the other man didn't react the way he'd hoped. Stephen growled warningly, then pulled away when Tony insisted.
"No."
"Why not?"
"I'm not going to ignore the problem in favour of sex, no matter how mind-blowing."
"Fine. Let's talk, then." The sorcerer tensed, but nodded. "Why are you disappointed? Wait, no..." Tony moved to sit up so he could see his boyfriend's face. "Hurt. You were hurt when you came to break up with me. Why?"
Stephen looked down with a sigh.
"Of course you'd ask that question in such a direct manner."
"You wanted to talk, so let's get this done with. Talk."
"Alright. Try to remember our 10 meetings prior to that."
"Work related." Tony frowned. Was it really 10? Okay, his bad.
"And?"
"Look, we had a lot on our plates lately and..."
"You didn't even thank me, Tony. I don't have to help you all. I don't have to be backup against small villains. I don't have to spend hours looking up information for you when I could delegate a newer master for all that. Yet I do it, mostly for you. And you don't even thank me, much less acknowledge our relationship."
The engineer frowned. He took a quick sip of his cocoa, needing the extra warmth now that his magical heater wasn't pressed against him anymore.
"I'm not going to stop coming to you for work."
"I don't think you heard me. Try again."
Tony took a few moments to really think about the problem. Surely he had thanked Stephen for his help? To his shame, he realized that nope, he hadn't. He usually took off immediately, in too much of a hurry to get back to the others.
"I'm sorry. I tend to focus on the goal and ignore everything else." He got a nod in response. "Thanks, babe. You're the MVP." Stephen smiled. "I'll get you a pizza each time. Sounds good?"
"Hmm, vary it with pasta."
"Oh, a man after my own heart~!" Tony tugged him closer with his legs. Stephen rolled his eyes and followed. "Was that all?" The sorcerer shrugged, finishing his mug.
"It's not a small issue, in my opinion."
"But it's easily fixable. I just have to stop being a dick."
"A seemingly insurmountable challenge for you."
"Now that's just rude."
Stephen kissed his cheek. Tony shifted into a deeper kiss, but left it at that. Getting rejected twice in the same day was not his cup of tea.
They spent the rest of the day with casual chat and occasional kisses, going to bed together.
Tony was woken up by a shivering man pressing close to him, more like squeezing him for dear life.
"Cold..." Stephen muttered, pushing his nose against his lover's neck. Tony woke up fully with the cold sting.
"Woah, babe!" The engineer twisted around to wrap his arms around the taller man, who grunted in annoyance.
"I hate this. Thought we'd be fine together, but it's not enough." Now that Tony was holding him, Stephen could squeeze his hands between them, complaining when the other took it as a sign to back off.
"Do they hurt more when they're cold?" the genius asked. He got a nod in response. Ok, huddling for warmth sounded less romantic and more like torture now. "We could go home. I mean, we did what we came here to do."
"No, I agreed with spending the night here."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"Ok. Turn around." He wrapped his arms around his sorcerer, pulling him as close as physically possible and grabbing his hands in his. They were freezing. "Fuck, Stephen, you could get sick."
"Hypothermia," the doctor replied. "Not there yet, but heading towards it."
"Well, I know a way to warm you up."
"Temporary at best. I'd much rather have makeup sex as soon as we get home."
"Doc, this obviously isn't enough for you. Start giving suggestions. No, you know what? I'm lifting the magic ban."
"Tony..."
"No. You're not getting sick. Fix this." No reaction. "Now." The sorcerer sighed, still shivering, and used a spell. The effect was almost instantaneous. Tony felt the body in his arms heat up to normal temperatures. "That's better."
"Sorry I woke you up." Without the cold in his bones, Stephen was crashing hard. He'd barely slept until then. "I think I'll go back to sleep now..."
Tony chuckled fondly at the other man growing lax against him. The sorcerer shifted a few times to hug his lover close, then promptly shut down. At least he was warm now. The engineer followed his lead, drifting off.
In the morning, they woke up together, bodies tangled and humming with fondness. This time, Stephen didn't reject the offer of sex. They spent the rest of the day around the mountain resort, enjoying each other's company.
The next time Tony required Stephen's help, he made sure to thank him with a kiss.