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“Let’s go for a walk.”
Tony looked up from the StarkPad in his lap to stare at Stephen. The tall sorcerer was standing at the window, staring out with an expression akin to wistfulness. It took Tony all of three seconds to stash the pad and get to his feet without even a sigh.
Stephen wanted to go outside and quite suddenly; Tony found himself craving fresh air desperately.
Oddly enough, spending time in the great smog filled outdoors of New York city was an extremely rare occurrence for the two of them. Between the bucketload of work at their fingertips, Tony’s notoriety, and Stephen’s habitual hermit like qualities, they tended to prefer the comfort of four walls and a roof.
Tony was more then willing to indulge this exception.
“Give me a quick minute.”
Tony felt Stephen’s stare as he booked it up the ancient stairs, grimacing at their creakiness. Within moments, he had a hastily assembled disguise for the outing. In a simple ballcap and high collared jacket, he’d never wear otherwise, he looked like any old person on the street. Besides, who really expected to see Tony Stark walking somewhere instead of driving?
When Tony appeared at the top of the stairs he was met with a snort. Glaring down at Stephen who was trying and failing to press his lips tightly together, Tony ignored his lover’s less then kind assessment of his choices.
Stephen on the other hand…breathtaking.
The Cloak, which had been perched on his shoulders for the better part of the morning, swishing itself back and forth for amusement, had shifted into a simple thick scarf around Stephen’s throat. His robes were easily concealed beneath a lengthy belstaff coat that eerily went quite well with the thick boots of his outfit.
“Where have you been hiding that coat?” Tony asked.
Stephen shook his head, “we do have a coat closet you know.”
Tony chose not to point out the painfully empty entrance they were standing in, suspecting it might actually be invisible. Instead, he reached out to grasp one of Stephen’s hands and tugged him out the front door of the Sanctum.
The first thing Tony noticed as they descended the steps was that it was cold, properly cold. The carefully placed trees that lined the sidewalk were already well on their way to being completely red, orange, and brown and the chilly breeze seemed adamant on making it feel more like winter then fall.
Stephen squeezed his hand, drawing his attention. Stephen was grinning, inhaling the sweet and slightly bitter scent of the earth decaying in preparation of winter, those kaleidoscope eyes flickering closed.
He looked…happy, relaxed.
That sight alone made Tony’s heart swell as they navigated their way toward the less crowded park only a block away. They didn’t speak as they walked and Tony didn’t mind at all, reveling in the simplicity of just being there and being content.
Those days were few and far between.
Already, however, today was vibrant example of the good among the chaos and frustration that was the very nature of their lives. Tony leaned into Stephen, using his lover’s height to block part of his face from passing people, a great excuse to cuddle up next to him.
Once they had entered the little dirt path that circled the park, they slowed, until they were barely even strolling. Tony watched as Stephen deliberately stepped on the crunchiest of leaves and that act, so mundane and innocent and human speared his heart.
“So why was today the day you wanted to play in the smog?”
Stephen shrugged, kicked a rock out of their path, “I was feeling crowded, too much…too much.”
The next rock went rolling into a tree hard enough to clip the bark. Tony grimaced and chose not to pursue that further, knowing Stephen needed this moment to right himself. He understood, had it explained to him a few times before.
It was difficult to take in, being a sorcerer, saving the world, fighting off increasingly weird and disturbing creatures. Sometimes the whole thing didn’t feel real and Stephen wanted to slip out of the confines of the Sanctum and indulge himself in the real world, real people, real smells and touches.
They continued on their meandering path, words coming slow and conversation easy, like a well-known song, all the beats hitting just right. By the time they had circled back to where they started, Tony couldn’t feel his ears and the skin of his legs beneath worn jeans was going numb.
“We should head back,” Tony murmured.
Stephen frowned but nodded, fingers clenching by his side.
Tony noticed the movement and unthinkingly reached across to grab the hand he wasn’t already holding, only to hiss at the frozen limb, “Stephen, what the hell? Doesn’t that hurt?”
Stephen shook his head, “most of the nerves are too damaged to-”
“You forgot gloves,” Tony interrupted, incredulous. “How could you forget gloves?”
“Easy,” Stephen shrugged. “I didn’t want them.”
“You- Stephen you’re a doctor. I’m confident you know this isn’t good for your hands.”
Stephen began walking again, forcing Tony to follow behind, “its not going to damage them any worse. Besides, I like it. I can feel the cold.”
Those clever fingers flexed as Stephen stared down at them in satisfaction, “I like being able to feel them.”
Tony stared at the man he loved for a long moment. It was incredibly easy to forget everything Stephen had suffered through because he handled himself with such confidence and ease that most of the time you forgot his hands were a weak spot, both physically and mentally.
While part of Tony wanted to berate him for not taking care of himself a bigger part of him knew better then to comment on things he didn’t quite understand. So, wordlessly, Tony bundled those chilled limbs in his, deposited one in the warmth of his pocket, and slid an arm around Stephen’s waist to snag the other and slip it into Stephen’s pocket, where he could heat them both.
They walked like that, a bit awkward, back to the Sanctuary. Stephen didn’t protest and Tony was satisfied with this small compromise.