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Tony has been pulling away from him.
Stephen isn’t entirely sure when it started. Plenty of his lifetimes included arguments and missteps in their relationship, especially early on, before Stephen knew Tony quite so well, but he knows that he hasn’t repeated any of those mistakes. It’s unsettling, and alarming, because if this is some new issue, then he… doesn’t know how to fix it.
After fourteen million lifetimes, you’d think it would be impossible for anyone to surprise him, but Tony… Well, Tony is remarkable.
Eventually, Stephen falls back on asking. They haven’t had a date night in a while, but he finds Tony in the lab and is relieved when not only does his access still work, but the bots still greet him with cheerful chirps. Not too far gone to fix, then. Even if Tony doesn’t look up from his work.
Stephen pulls up a stool close by, but not too close, and waits for Tony to sigh heavily and set the gadget aside. “What is it?”
“You’re upset with me,” Stephen says carefully. “But I don’t know why. I’d like the chance to fix it, if I can.”
Tony just looks at him for a long moment. “What makes you think I’m upset?”
Stephen clamps down on a surge of uncertainty. No going back now. “You haven’t dropped by the Sanctum in a while,” he says. “We haven’t been on a date in two weeks. And you’ve stopped texting me.”
“I still text you,” Tony says.
Stephen shakes his head. “You reply. You don’t initiate.”
Tony blows out a breath. “I guess this isn’t really something I can figure out without talking about it,” he says, annoyed. Stephen waits. Finally Tony turns to face him directly. “In the Avengers debriefing two weeks ago, you said that you knew how the fight was going to go because you’d seen it before.”
“Yes.”
“In the fourteen million lifetimes,” Tony adds.
“Yes,” Stephen frowns.
“Which means you saw a lot more than just the path to beating Thanos,” Tony says.
Trepidation fills Stephen. “I never knew what circumstances would be important,” he says carefully. “I had to try everything.”
Tony nods. “You must have gotten to know us pretty well. All of us.”
“Yes,” Stephen says.
Tony sets his jaw. “Stephen. Did you suggest that I ask Pepper about the bots because you knew how Pepper would react? And how I would?” Stephen doesn’t know what his face does, but it must be expressive, because anger tightens Tony’s voice when he goes on. “And you knew just how to lure me into a relationship, didn’t you? That’s even why you waited for me to make the first move: because you didn’t want me to realize it was all your idea.”
“I never lied to you,” Stephen says intently. There has to be a way to save this. Tony hadn’t shut him out, not completely. “I never influenced anyone’s actions in any way. Not yours, and not anyone else’s. Maybe I picked the right words, but the reactions were still genuine.”
Tony slaps the top of his work bench, hard. “You don’t have to lie to be dishonest!” He pushes himself up off the stool and paces a few steps away before spinning to face Stephen again. “You’ve been playing me.”
“I have not,” Stephen snaps. He stands, too. “Nothing about this has been a game to me, Tony. I know we can be happy together. Really, truly, genuinely happy.”
“And that justifies breaking up the relationship I was already happy in?”
“That was your choice.”
“That you knew I’d make,” Tony shoots back.
“Would you rather not know how Pepper feels about the bots?” Stephen asks, incredulous. “Are you really going to pretend you believe ignorance is bliss when it comes to them?” Tony doesn’t speak, but Stephen can see him falter. “Tony, when you were sick with the palladium poisoning, why didn’t you tell Pepper and Rhodey that you were dying?”
Tony scowls. “What does that—”
“Please,” Stephen begs. He’s not above it. Not for this.
“I didn’t want to hurt them,” Tony says tightly. “There wasn’t anything they could do to help. It would have torn them apart.”
“You knew how they’d react, and you wanted to spare them the pain,” Stephen says. Tony looks away. “I knew how you’d react, and I wanted to make you happy. Why is that worse?”
It takes Tony a minute to answer. “I feel like you’re running this relationship,” he says finally. “Like it doesn’t matter what I think or feel, it’s all up to you.”
Stephen can’t help it: he laughs. Tony’s glare is fierce. “I’m sorry,” Stephen says. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I know how you’ll react to some things, even a lot of things, but I can’t change those reactions. Tony, what you think and feel dictates everything I do.” He smiled wryly. “Just in advance, instead of after the fact.”
Stephen can almost see events rearranging themselves in Tony’s head. “Why bother?” he asked finally. “Why rearrange everything just so I fit neatly into it?”
“Because I love you,” Stephen says simply. “And before you ask, no, I didn’t see this argument coming, and no, I’m not saying that to derail it. We never had this argument in any other timeline. It’s just the truth. I love you, and any adjustment is worth it if it means having you in my life.”
“What do I even do with that?” Tony bursts out. “You love me and you’ve manipulated me and I… I have been happy.” He looks torn.
Stephen risks taking a step closer. “That’s not a bad thing,” he says softly. “You’re allowed to be happy, Tony. You don’t have to earn it. Just… let me make you happy. Please.”
“By any means necessary?” Tony asks dryly, but he doesn’t retreat when Stephen closes the distance between them.
“I would never do anything that would drive you away,” Stephen promises. Carefully, he pulls Tony into his arms.
Tony snorts. “Am I ever going to win an argument with you?”
Stephen quirks an eyebrow. “You win all the arguments we never have.”
“That is not the same thing,” Tony says, poking Stephen in the chest.
“Of course you will,” Stephen says. After all, Tony liked winning, and what Tony liked, Stephen would provide. “My knowledge is extensive, but it isn’t perfect. Witness this argument, which I didn’t see coming.”
“Still won it, though,” Tony returns.
Stephen’s heart soars. “Have I?”
Tony gives him a look. “Don’t rub it in.”
Stephen kisses him, then, because anything else he could say probably would.
Tony kisses back.
That’s all that matters.