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Stephen hums as he feels the tickle of Tony's hair swarming into his neck, the feeling of Tony's breath softly blowing against the patch of skin on his collarbone. He tries not to squirm away as Tony nuzzles the crook of his neck.
"Mm, hey," he mumbles, voice thick with sleep. His mouth opens up in a yawn that ends with a contented sigh.
"Hi," Tony greets back. "Go back to sleep."
"Did you just come in?" Stephen mumbles, eyes still heavy with sleep. He attempts to open them, but only manages to do so in slits.
Tony hums an affirmative answer. "Had to go do something in the lab," he explains, "Go back to sleep."
Stephen's lips twist, downturned, and he asks with a slight slur in his voice, "What time 's it?"
He feels Tony's warmth leave him–presumably to check the time–and he almost pouts at the loss, before smiling again as he feels Tony return into his embrace. "Just a little past 2."
Stephen lets out a sleepy grunt, something that sounded like a protest.
"C'mere," he says, tugging Tony under the blankets. Tony obliges, squirming down, and Stephen wraps his arms around the man's waist. He attaches his lips to Tony's neck, and they lay there in comfortable silence for a moment, only broken by the occasional rustle of sheets and their soft breathing.
Stephen can feel Tony's heartbeat beating rhythmically against his own in this position, and it feels like a reassurance. That Tony is here, Tony is safe, Tony is in his arms. He feels cold, calloused fingers cradle his own trembling ones gently, and he responds in kind, tangling their fingers together.
Stephen's never been quite a romantic, but something about the hour and the sleepy state he is in feels like a great excuse for him to be clingy.
"Sleep," Stephen mumbles into his neck.
Tony huffs out a soft chuckle. "That's what I'm doing, Houdini."
Stephen shakes his head, nuzzles closer into Tony's neck. "No," he says flatly, "You're thinking. I can hear you thinking."
"Is that a wizard thing?" Tony says, and he can sense the smirk even if he can't see it. "You're not reading my mind are you?"
Stephen just gives a whine of protest, not wanting to prolong their not-sleeping states.
"Sleep," he repeats, "With me."
It takes a moment, but he feels Tony gradually relax in his hold, and inevitably falls into slumber. He only lets himself sleep until he's sure that Tony is.