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“Stay here tonight.”
The murmured inquiry made Stephen pause, eyes darting around the busy party, people moving and chatting amicably. Tony was at his side, drink in hand and warm brown eyes watching him with a weary kind of hope.
That expression was a painful one to bear witness to, knowing the uncertainty was his own fault. He should say no, should get up right then with a regretful smile and slip away before anyone grows suspicious as to why they’ve spent almost an hour together on this couch, ignoring the others.
But he didn’t want to.
None of them knew, not Rhodey or Cap, or Natasha even. Not Wong, or Christine, or the dozens of others slowly circling in their peripheral. A secret just for them, that used to feel so right but was quickly becoming a burden to them both.
Between them, they kept a solid foot of space, mindful of how it would look if they stayed close to each other’s sides. Their conversation had been hushed but punctuated by calculated outburst to ensure listening ears they were simply debating magic over science, nothing new or intimate to be found.
“I miss you.”
Stephen met Tony’s warm eyes, watching him so closely. He had been keeping his distance lately, trying to figure it all out, trying to make the right decision for both of them. Their relationship, having begun nearly eight months ago now, had been going shockingly smooth. They had taken bets when it started, Stephen claiming two months would be their max, Tony optimistically going for six.
It wasn’t supposed to last. They did. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love. He did.
“Ok,” he whispered, looking down at his lap, unable to bear the certain brightening of his expression. “I’ve missed you too.”
Simple words and simple actions. The thing was, Stephen hadn’t come to this stupid party just to reassure Tony that he wasn’t leaving, not all. He’d thought long and hard about it, had weighed the pros and cons of the situation, the likelihood that it would be their downfall and decided he no longer cared.
Hesitantly, Stephen reached out to grab Tony’s hand, gaze flickering to his for a moment, finding him startled and more then a little eager. He squeezed, reassuring, tugged him closer. Tony had no such concerns and was shifting until he was right next him, sides pressed close and heads tilted together.
“Yeah?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Stephen nodded, “Yeah.”
The relief on his face was all Stephen needed to see to know he’d made the right choice.
He wasn’t ignorant or oblivious. Stephen had been intimately aware that Tony wanted to tell everyone about their relationship for a month now, was prepared to shout it to the heavens and splash it across every magazine and newspaper in the state. The man was the farthest thing from subtly that there was and while the notion terrified him to no end, a larger part of him, simply wanted to make him happy.
Stephen shot a glance around, fingers twisting slightly to amplify the sound around him until he could pick up a bit of murmured conversation and Tony, smart man that he was, leaned in closer, lips at his ear, “what are they saying?”
Stephen hummed, eyes flickering closed as he listened.
“About bloody time,” Wong that prat.
“Here we go again,” Rhodey, speaking to Pepper, amused and exasperated.
“I knew it, dude I told you!” Peter and Ned.
“Strange will eat him alive,” Natasha to Clint.
“This will end badly,” Steve and Sam, weary and distinctly unhappy.
Stephen allowed himself the smallest of smiles, a chuckle slipping from his lips as he turned into Tony’s shoulder to hide his amusement. Tony’s hand, that had been resting on the back of the sofa raised to run his fingers through his hair, “what? What are they saying?”
“They seemed unsurprised and certain I will tear you apart,” he left out Steve’s assessment on purpose, seeing no reason to offend Tony at the moment.
His lover hummed, shaking his head, “I could have told you that.”
“This isn’t good, Fury will need to be told.”
“Fuck, Stark and Strange? Head office won’t be happy.”
“Dangerous combination.”
Stephen stiffened as more conversation filtered through to him of that nature, raising his head and letting it jump over the gathered people. Almost all of those thoughts were coming from Shield agents, the party having invited them since their recent progress on the accords and victory against an alien threat.
“Stephen?” Tony’s concerned voice drew him back. “What?”
He swallowed thickly, “Shield is less then happy with the revelation of our possible relationship.”
Tony’s face hardened, “what are they saying?”
“We’re a dangerous combination. They don’t like the thought of two very powerful people together and the influence we might have on our organizations should we ever go rogue.”
“A power couple uh? Can’t say I don’t like the sound of that.”
Stephen shot him a look, but Tony’s smile was back, easy and uncaring. It was impossible to resist, and his own lips twitched up a little in response, “I suppose we should be flattered.”
Tony nod, “definitely flattered.”
There was a pause between them, and Stephen found his gaze moving to Tony’s lips. They had never shared a kiss that wasn’t private, never said the words ‘I love you’ where anyone might hear, never even pressed this close together out of fear they might be discovered too soon.
Quite suddenly, Stephen realized he wanted that, all of that. They had been hiding for a long time now and he didn’t regret it in the least, needing that time to make sure they could actually build something that wouldn’t tumble on the first harsh breeze. They had survived that test again and again and now there was no reason to play coy about it.
So, Stephen leaned forward and pressed his lips to Tony’s. It was a soft, chaste kiss, no more then a peck before he was pulling away. Yet, he was unsurprised when Tony immediately surged forward, the hand in his hair gripping with renewed strength. Stephen chuckled against him, letting Tony take his fill, tongues darting between open mouths.
A solid minute later, Stephen pulled back before Tony could get carried away. He knew there were eyes on them, but he didn’t care, choosing instead to rest his forehead against Tony’s, meeting his grin with one of his own as he murmured, “I love you.”
The brightness in Tony’s eyes made it all worth the inevitable explanations and admissions to come.