Yet another one for @ironstrangehq and is for Day 5 (5/18). Unfortunately, I was out of town that6 day so I hope this will make up for what I missed.
P.S.: I seem to gravitate towards writing angsty fanfiction aha I’m sorry for making you guys revisit unwanted feels at times, but you can always send me requests!
Warnings: angst, cussing, fluff
*Warning: Infinity War Spoilers*
It’s not really a surprise to anyone anymore that Tony worked late nights.
Usually, he’d be in his workshop on those days, tinkering and playing around with his tech until he eventually falls asleep on his desk.
Nearly everyone was accustomed to this, everyone who lives in the Avengers Head Quarters, mainly because it doesn’t exactly affect or disturb them unless you count the days where Tony get frustrated, which really only results in him throwing something against the wall. However, those days weren’t very common.
Long story short, no one had a problem with it.
No one, until Stephen moved in.
Although technically not an Avenger, Stephen moved in not long after Thanos and everything in between. Now, admittedly, the reason for it was more... personal than anything else but no one argued against having Sorcerer Supreme alongside them in battles or alien invasions in the future.
It’s actually kind of funny how Stephen started living together with them.
After around two months of seeing him, Tony decided to ask him to move in “subtly”. To accomplish this, he went around and asked everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone (except Steve) how to ask him to move in “subtly”.
A week passed, and just as Tony thought he had everything ready, the hologram he had planned to use tapped out. After hours of attempting to fix it without Stephen finding out, he gave up, asking him directly after, you know...
Stephen was taken back at first, having the impression that Tony was a person who took longer to open up.
However, you can also say with everything Tony went through with the doctor for the last few months, his existence became almost essential to his life.
His talks about absolutely every and anything he wants, his reassurance when he started to question his own actions, his emotionally support in everything he did but never afraid to speak out when he’s being irrational that day, just his smile, the crinkle of his eyes alone.
Tony’s blush was visible more than anything after he asked him. After a few moments of silence, and Tony’s eyes still closed in fear of the very worst, Stephen smiled, leaning in and kissing him.
It’s another one of those days when Tony is messing with the latest idea of an invention, one that predicts what a person is typing just by the sound of the keyboard.
It wasn’t necessarily Tony’s shuffling out of bed or footsteps that waked Stephen, no. Whenever Tony’s up while late at night, he always radiated this... vibe.
Stephen would feel it every time Tony couldn’t sleep, and somehow he would be able to tell what emotions Tony went through at the time.
Most of the days, it felt anxious, alone, exhausted.
Sometimes it was borderline suicidal.
It took a very long time before Stephen knew he had to do something about it.
Because his heart breaks every time Tony jolts awake at night,
Every time he felt tears were threatening to fall from Tony’s eyes.
Every time he had to distract himself by working, just so his mind wouldn’t travel back to every single person who died because of him.
So when Tony was about to sneak away, Stephen spoke up, “babe?”
Freezing, Tony sat back down. Stephen reached for his hand, sitting up to wrap his arms around Tony behind him.
“No. Talk to me about it.”
“What are you talking about? I just need to work on-”
Stephen clung on to Tony even tighter, "you can’t do that forever, you know. You can’t run away, not sleeping and throwing yourself at work. It’s not gonna make you feel better.”
"I always do. I’m not how you see me all the time either, you know. It took me a long time to work through all of it,” Stephen walked in front of Tony, lowering himself and kneeling on the floor, cupping his face, “but remember that I’m here with you for it.”
Sighing, Tony tried to look away from Stephen’s gaze, knowing he’ll start to crumble at the sight of his eyes.
“No, look at me," Stephen said as he stood up, hugging Tony and pushing him lightly so that they were laying on the bed.
With his ocean blue eyes, Stephen looked directly at Tony, studying his features, “I’m here with you.”
"It’s not that,” Tony moved his head, staring in another direction to hide his tears, “I know that you would be with me no matter what, but I don’t want to bother you with it anymore.”
"You don’t understand, Strange. You’ve been there for so long for me, and yet I’m nothing but whiny and stubborn. I can never seem to be happy for too long. I don’t want to drag you down with me with how much problems I have with myself.”
“Can’t you see? I’m so much of a fucking problem to everyone in my life. Everyone especially you. You never have any issues with yourself and bother people with it. Why can’t I be like that? How much of an asshole do people think I am for-”
Stephen couldn’t hold it in anymore, “stop, Tony. Please. You’re hurting. Everyone deserves to be hurting at some point, and that includes you. You can’t convince yourself to be responsible for so many things but not less yourself hurt. It is the least people around you can do.”
At this point, Tony was yelling, “but they don’t deserve that! And you don’t deserve that! I don’t do shit for-”
That was the loudest Stephen had ever spoken to Tony, ever. Finally, Tony looked towards Stephen.
Tears were streaming down his face, his eyes red.
“You have no idea how much you mean to me. You’re what I rely on each and every day to keep me going. You’re what I have to convince myself that I was making the correct decisions for the sake of the world, but importantly, you as well. Knowing you’re alive and well is what I fight for in this world, and there are no words to describe how much you mean to me. You’re not a nuisance to me, Tony. You’re the most important person in my life.”
Tony was also crying at this point, “do you really mean that?”
“Tony Stark, I swear on my life, I mean every word I said.”
Melting into Stephen’s hug, Tony began sobbing violently. Even as his heart quaked at his cries, Stephen held him, stroking his hair and kissing it.
“Promise me you’ll tell me and talk to me about things.”
Tony somehow was still able to make a sarcastic remark between sniffles, “Yeah okay. You too, you asshole.”
For the rest of the night, Tony rested comfortably in Stephen’s arms, nuzzling at his neck. Stephen rubbed his thumb on Tony’s hand until he fell asleep.
