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Tony had been trying to distract himself all day, tweaking this and that in his current project and keeping his eyes off of the clock that seemed to tick menacingly on the wall every passing second – which was proving to be difficult. He spent a majority of the afternoon pacing back and forth, stopping occasionally to look at his phone or hopping back to his chair to continue his work. Truth be told, he was worried about Stephen and was wondering if the man was doing alright. His hands itched to call him, or Wong, or anyone, really, just to ask if the man would be home soon. But as time passed by, he knew it'd be useless to disturb him in his work. He pursed his lips and leant back in his chair, carding a hand through his hair frustratedly as he closed his eyes shut. Looking back down at the mess on the table, Tony groaned.
He was considering to clean things up and head to the shower, and maybe stay in bed a little to kill some time, when a portal suddenly sizzled over. Tony's head perked up and he nearly knocked the table over as he jumped off the chair, and was met with the sight of a collapsing sorcerer that fell with a thud on the floor, cutting out all words of greeting to die on his mouth. Cursing under his breath, he rushed over to the man just as orange sparks dissipated from behind him, and realised up close that he was wet and shivering. Placing two fingers upon Stephen's pulse point, Tony's hand immediately pulled back when a spark of cold came in contact with his skin.
"Shit! You're freezing," he stated, and the man under him tried to roll over and failed miserably.
"N-no shit, ge-genius," he slurred, teeth clacking as he spoke. His whole body shook, and the cloak around him tried to wrap itself tighter around the man in a futile effort to keep him warm. His lips were practically blue, skin dry and paler than usual, eyes clenched shut as he took ragged breaths through his nose.
"FRIDAY?"
"Yes, Boss?"
"Check his vitals," he said sternly, trying to keep calm.
"The doctor's heart rate and blood pressure has increased, breathing elevated and a significant drop in body temperature has been detected. He is currently at 92 degrees Fahrenheit and is likely suffering from mild hypothermia."
"Shit," Tony tried to keep his panic attack at bay, keeping his breathing steady. He didn't have time for that when his boyfriend was literally dying on the floor. He needed to think fast.
His first move was to frantically tug at the man's robes, trying to get the wet clothing out of the way. The cloak batted at his arm to stop him, protectively curling itself tighter around its owner. Tony scowled.
"I need to get his clothes off!" he shouted at it, but the cloak shook its collar in refusal.
"Damn your protective cloak," he muttered, annoyed. "I'm trying to help! It'd just make things worse if you refuse to cooperate," he knew he sounded desperate, but he didn't care. The cloak paused for a moment as if contemplating its decision, before it reluctantly let go of its Master and floated to the side. Tony stared as it moved, relief evident in his face.
"Thank you," Tony breathed out, and proceeded to take Stephen's robes off. Once done, he discarded the robes to the side and gently lifted the sorcerer up, wincing at the cold that emanated from his body, and was surprised at how light and easy it was for him to carry the man. But that was a thought for another time.
He tried not to jostle the man much as he carried him to the bedroom, the cloak following him from behind. It was difficult, especially with the feeling of panic that threatened to crawl up from inside him. But eventually, they made it, and Tony nearly kicked the door open in his haste.
He laid his still shivering Stephen over the bed and tucked him in the blankets. Shrugging his clothes off, he climbed beside him in bed and proceeded to cradle him close. Skin-to-skin contact; it was one of the best ways to keep him warm. He informed the cloak that, in its wet state, it is likely that joining the pair in bed would make things worse. Tony was almost sorry for the relic as it floated out of the room looking like a kicked puppy.
But the thought left his mind sooner or later when he felt Stephen's breathing gradually settling down, slowly matching his own, exhaustion taking the best of him and left him slipping into slumber. Tony shuffled closer, wrapping his arms tighter around the man's waist and tucking his chin over Stephen's shoulder. He rubbed his hand at the cold skin, trying to keep it warm, and pulled the blankets up higher over them both.
His eyes drooped, and before he knew it, he joined Stephen in his sleep.
Moments later, Stephen awoke to find himself surrounded by warmth; a far contrast to the bone-deep cold he had vaguely remembered feeling before. His hands still hurt as terribly as it had previously and he winced at the sharp, stabbing pain. It took him a moment to realise that the slow rise and fall of the chest behind him belonged to Tony, and smiled. His face was attacked by a mop of brown hair as he turned his head to the side, the strands tickling him as he scrunched up his nose. Smiling, he buried his face in it, and breathed in. A hum came from the man, and Tony shifted from behind him.
"Hey there, Houdini. Good… what time is it?" Tony asked, lifting his head and rubbing his eyes.
"Just a little after 6 pm, Boss." FRIDAY answered.
"Hm," he replied, "evening, then. Dinner?"
Stephen shook his head.
"Bed. Stay in bed." he rasped, turning to his side and facing his boyfriend. Stephen snuggled closer, and the action earned him a low chuckle from the man.
"Okay, we can stay here for a moment. Let me just get you a glass of water," he moved to stand up, and Stephen made a noise of protest as the warmth escaped him. He bundled up the blankets in front of him instead to make up for the loss of heat. He heard footsteps padding over the floor, and a door opened.
"Be back soon," he heard, and the door closed with a silent click.
Stephen sighed.
Just then, the cloak swooped in, surprisingly dry already, and laid itself over the covers. He patted its collar gently with a trembling hand, and brought it back under the covers. He yawned, shuffling in bed.
A few moments passed in silence, and soon the door opened and Tony came back in with the promised glass of water. The bed dipped as the man sat at the side, and Stephen willed himself to lift half his body up. Tony lifted the glass to his lips, and Stephen's hand joined his, the cloak quickly helping as well. His dry throat felt freshened as he took a few gulps. Once the glass was finished, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to hide a wince at the pain in his fingers. It didn't escape Tony's attention though, even as the man turned to place the glass over the bedside table.
"Do your hands hurt, love?"
Stephen was still taken aback at the casual pet name. He should be used to it by now, but somehow his mind refused to think that being called 'love' was a normal thing. Maybe he just needed to accept the fact that there was someone who did love him, did care about him – only time will tell. Maybe someday he'd accept that fact.
"A little," he decided to say. No point in lying, they both learnt that the hard way.
Tony smiled. He gently took Stephen's hand in his, making sure not to hurt it and looking carefully at the expressions on the man's face as he did so. Kissing the knuckles, he proceeded to massage it. It has always helped the cramps when Stephen's hands were in pain, and the sorcerer was very grateful for it. The engineer did the same to the other hand, and soon Stephen felt the pain slowly fading away to a more bearable level.
"Thank you," he whispered, and Tony's smile was gentle as it reached his eyes. The man lifted a hand to lovingly card it through his white streaks, and he leaned into the touch immediately, practically purring as Tony stroked a particularly sensitive area.
Tony informed his AI to alert them somewhere within an hour for dinner, and soon enough, they shuffled back under the covers and hugged each other close. Sleep was out of the question at that point, since they both knew it'd be near impossible to get their brains to shut down once it starts running. Cuddling was – as always – a great alternative, and they both knew how much the physical contact helped after an especially long, tiring day.
So they did just that, holding each other close with the blanket (and the cloak) wrapped around them to keep them warm.