Work Text:
Tony can hear the shower running when he wakes. Smiling, he stretches luxuriously for a minute, waiting for the sound of water to stop before rolling out of bed. When he pads into the bathroom, Stephen is in the midst of towelling himself off.
Leaning against the door frame, Tony admires the smudges of bruises painted over Stephen’s skin. He’s pale, and they stand out beautifully, the outlines of Tony’s fingers on his hips, the splotches of love bites across his chest, the faint rings around wrists and ankles… The restraints wouldn’t have marked anyone else, but Stephen bruises like a peach.
“Admiring your handiwork?” Stephen asks, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth.
“Can you blame me?” Tony pushes off the wall and steps up behind Stephen, wrapping his arms around his waist and meeting his gaze in the mirror. “You’re a beautiful canvas.”
Stephen laughs. “You just like seeing your marks on me.”
“Sure,” Tony agrees easily. “But it’s not just possessiveness.” He runs his fingers over the stripes on Stephen’s hips; Stephen shivers in his arms. “It’s a reminder.”
“Keep that up and I’ll have to shower again,” Stephen murmurs.
Tony grins. “Works for me.”