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"Shhh, relax. Go back to sleep, Stephen."
Tony's voice was soothing, his arms around Stephen made him feel safe and protected. A hand landed on the back of his head, gently pushing it down again. He followed the gentle lead and sighed when he came to rest on Tony's shoulder.
"Tony?" he asked, surprised at how husky and wrecked his voice sounded. As if he'd been… oh. "Sorry."
Tony's hold tightened. "Don't be. Happens to all of us."
At least he hadn't woken himself up with his screams this time. Still, it was embarrassing to fall asleep during a movie and wake up in another man's arms even when he was a friend.
"Don't think," Tony whispered into his hair. "Just relax and try to go back to sleep. I'll be there when you wake up." A soft kiss was pressed against his temple and this was definitely not the behavior of a friend. This was… "Later, baby. You're exhausted. Rest first and we'll talk about it later."
Stephen had no desire to resist the gentle command. Also, he was exhausted and knew that he needed sleep more than anything else right now to replenish his strength. Still… "Promise?" He hated how small and weak he sounded but he hated the thought of waking up alone even more.
"Oh, Stephen." Tony sounded so broken that it almost pulled him out of the strange trance he'd fallen into. Almost. The hand from his neck wandered down, soothing strokes to lull him back to sleep. He could feel himself relax again. "Promise. I'll always be there."
Another kiss and some soothing, almost indistinguishable nonsense followed him back down into sleep.
"Forever," was the last thing he heard before slipping away again.