IronStrange Haven, formerly IronStrangeHQ

Their relationship had changed, so Tony had decided to pay a surprise visit. 

At worst, Stephen would be busy. 

At best, he could spend time with his lover. Even five minutes would be enough.  

When the door opened, Wong stood there, his expression inscrutable.

"Tony, I didn't know you were coming today."

"I was hoping to surprise him."

Wong shook his head. "He's not here."

Even though Tony had prepared himself for this possibility, his smile faded slightly.  

"Oh?" Tony blinked. "Where is he, then?  I mean, if it betrays some kind of secret I'm not supposed to know about..." 

Wong interrupted him. "He's at home. He... prefers to be alone today.”

Tony frowned. "Today? What's so special about today?" 

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Wong show him his hands.

Tony understood.

Of course!

Today.

Today marked the anniversary of the car accident that shattered Stephen Strange's life. It was the day that destroyed his brilliant future as a neurosurgeon.

Tony's chest tightened.

"We never talked about it. I didn't know the date," he whispered.

Wong nodded. 

"As you can imagine, he doesn't like to talk about it. Not with many people. But things have changed. You're partners now. Maybe this time, solitude isn't what he needs." 

They said goodbye, and when the door to the Sanctum Sanctorum closed, Tony stood there for a moment, feeling helpless.

He whispered to himself, "What if he doesn't want to see me?"

He took out his phone and dialed a number without thinking.

As always when he called, Pepper answered on the first ring.

"Tony? Is everything okay?”

He answered immediately, sensing the worry in her voice.

"It’s okay.I'm fine. It’s not about me. Not really. It's just that... someone I know is having a bad day. A really bad day. I don't know how to help, or if I even have the right to.” 

Pepper replied softly, "That someone is Stephen, isn't it?"

“Yes.”

There was no reason to deny it.

"Tony, you've been through so many difficult situations..."

Tony sighed. "This is probably one of the hardest."

What I mean, Tony, is that in all these situations, you've listened to your heart and instincts. Every single time. So do the same thing this time. You'll know what to do."

After a few words of encouragement from Pepper, Tony thanked her and hung up, knowing what he had to do.

He would be there for Stephen.

If Stephen refused, he would accept that too.

He took a deep breath and set off.

Less than half an hour later, he stood in front of Stephen's building and rang the bell.

He heard the buzz of the intercom and immediately said, "Stephen? It's me, Tony."

Silence.

Then, a slight click.

"You can come up."

At least it wasn't a direct rejection.

The elevator ride to the fifth floor had never seemed so slow.

The door was half open, and Tony entered the dimly lit apartment. A lamp in the corner gave off a faint glow—just enough for him to make out Stephen's silhouette, slumped on the sofa with his hands clasped on his knees.

The sorcerer didn't look up as Tony approached.

Tony said nothing. He continued walking until he sat down next to Stephen. He was close, but he didn't touch him. 

Minutes passed in silence until Stephen began to speak in a barely audible voice.

"It's ironic that I'm the guardian of the Time Stone, yet my whole life has been destroyed in an instant."

Tony didn't react, but the sadness in Stephen's voice tugged at his heart.

Stephen spoke again.

He talked about who he was before the accident, who he was right after, and who he had become. Tony recognized so much of himself in Stephen's story that he felt closer to him than ever before.

Tony had seen Stephen's hands all these years—the way they trembled slightly and the scars that ran along his fingers—but he knew what it was like to carry a wound you didn't like to talk about.

"I still have the title of doctor," Stephen whispered, staring at his hands. "But do I really deserve it? If I can no longer heal people or treat them as I did before, do I have the right to be called a doctor?"

Tony turned to him, moved closer, and gently took the sorcerer’s hands in his own.

"You still heal," Tony said kindly. "Just differently." 

He lifted Stephen's hands gently and continued in a reverent tone, "I've seen these hands do incredible things, defying all reality. I've seen you bend space and time and save hundreds of people with these hands." 

Stephen felt his breath catch when Tony brought his hands to his lips and kissed each finger respectfully.

"For all the lives you've saved and all the dimensions you've protected, you remain a healer. You remain a doctor. It's just... no longer a scalpel you use.”

A fleeting smile touched Stephen's lips.

Tony looked up and stared at Stephen.

In a firm voice, he said, "Remember your oath. You repeat it often: Primum non nocere: First, do no harm. You have immense power—the power to destroy worlds—and yet your first instinct is always to protect and never to hurt. You live by this principle. It's not the sorcerer, but the doctor who makes you act this way."

For a few moments, Stephen was too moved by Tony's words to say anything and remained silent.

Then, in a sheepish tone, he whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm really not good company today." 

Tony put his arms around Stephen and pulled him close. 

"I'm not here for you to keep me company," he said softly."I'm here for you, not for you to entertain me. I hope you know that I'm here for more than just the good times. I'm also here for the days when you don't feel like a hero and especially for those times."

Stephen leaned against Tony, burying his face in his shoulder.

“I don’t know how to do this, Tony. I don't know how to be weak. I'm the Sorcerer Supreme. I'm supposed to be strong." 

Tony hugged him tighter, kissed his hair, and whispered, "Then don't be the Sorcerer Supreme for once. There's no Iron Man or Sorcerer Supreme right now. Just Tony and Stephen." 

He kissed him again and added in a lighter tone, "By the way, for your information, I'm also a doctor. I have two doctorates, one in engineering physics and one in artificial intelligence. I have another secret, too: I'm a bit of a sorcerer.” 

Tony brought his lips close to the sorcerer's ear and whispered, "My hugs are magical."

Stephen couldn't help but laugh a little.

He let Tony hug him for a moment, then lifted his head and said, amused, "You're right. Your hugs are almost magical." 

"See? I think I need a cloak."

At these words, Stephen began to laugh heartily, much to Tony’s delight. 

Then the sorcerer sat up and took his lover’s face in his hands.

With trembling thumbs, he gently caressed Tony's cheekbones and whispered, "Thank you," before leaning down to kiss him tenderly.

Tony responded with restrained urgency, wrapping his hands around the sorcerer's shoulders to pull him closer. The kiss was about to deepen when a gurgling sound interrupted them.

Stephen froze.

Tony pushed him gently and asked, amused, "Was that...?"

“I may have forgotten to eat today.”

Tony burst out laughing, then stood up and held out his hand to Stephen. 

"Well, Doctor Strange, it's time for me to cook you a proper dinner. And don't look at me like that; I know how to cook." 

Moments later, to Stephen's amused and surprised gaze, Tony found himself in the sorcerer's kitchen, busily cooking. 

They ate dinner together at the kitchen table and chatted about this and that. Tony was delighted to see Stephen finally relax and smile.

Later that evening, they were snuggled up together on the couch in the living room once again. Stephen had his head on Tony's shoulder and gently caressed his chest where the blue reactor had been.

He said softly, "Thank you for today." 

Tony took the sorcerer's hand from his chest, kissed it, and replied, "You're welcome. You deserve it."

Stephen didn't answer, just humming instead. 

For the first time, he welcomed his vulnerability, finding solace in his lover's embrace.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story 🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

-

Stephen lays on his side, ass tucked closely into Tony’s groin, Tony’s cock buried deep. They’ve turned the heat up and thrown the sheets back. He drifts, eyes closed. The thick weight of Tony inside him spreads a lazy kind of satisfaction across his nerves. 

Now and then Tony rests the tablet he’s reading from against Stephen’s shoulder so that he can make a note. He doesn’t seem interested in moving the hand that is draped over Stephen, fingers idly brushing through the sparse hair on his belly. 

Everything is warmth: inside him, surrounding him, tangible and intangible. 

Wong would have mentioned if Tony had been harassing him, so Stephen suspected whatever this was had genuinely interested Wong. Stephen was just surprised that both Tony and Wong had managed to keep whatever it was a secret from him. 

“All right, then what is it?” Stephen asked.

Tony smirked. “Wong’s waiting for us at Kamar-Taj,” he said. “This is something that needs to be demonstrated to be truly appreciated.”

Stephen looked back at his dinner and Tony sighed. “I suppose you can finish dinner,” he said, properly dramatic. 

At this point Stephen was too curious to wait. “No, let’s go.” He threw his dinner in tupperware and headed toward the doorway to Kamar-Taj.

Wong was waiting for them in the courtyard.

“Put on the device,” Tony told him. “It’ll hook onto your clothes. On your chest is currently the best setup.”

Stephen pressed the device to his chest. It immediate latched onto his shirt, weight entirely negligible. 

Tony took a moment to double check the device before looking up to meet Stephen’s eyes. “Trust me?” 

There was no question. “Of course I do.”

Tony smiled softly. “I know instinct means you’ll want to cast a shield, but don’t.” He turned to Wong. “Show him.”

Stephen jerked in alarm. It took genuine effort not to cast a shield as Wong flung a spell at him. It dissipated about a foot from Stephen’s chest, so did the next three spells Wong sent. Stephen felt his mouth fall open as Wong sent another four, each more vicious than the last.

Finally, Wong stopped, looking smug, despite his magic failing at each turn. “We’ve tested it all the way to death curses,” Wong said. “It’ll block them all.”

“How?” Stephen asked. “This is…”

“Impressive, right?” Tony said. “You mentioned that inherently malevolent had a different signature from beneficial spells. I pestered Wong into helping me figure out the spectrum of signatures included from ‘inconvenient to malevolent’ and figured out how to create a signal that would negate any of those signatures when they approach. You can’t see it, but the device is letting out an energy shield. It only reacts to incoming magic, you can still send out whatever you want. Likewise, Wong can still send a healing spell your way and it would get through, but a curse? Nothing.”

Stephen stared at him, awed. “That’s brilliant, Tony.”

He buried his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees, and sighed loudly.

"Damn it! All the parameters are correct, but this fucking connection won't work."

Behind him, on the holographic screens, the latest prototype of Rhodey’s new prosthetic leg was projected from every angle, surrounded by various calculations. In the workshop, all the parts lay in disarray, like a puzzle ready to be assembled but missing one piece.  Tony had been working on it for ten hours straight since awakening at 7:30 a.m. with a brilliant idea. He had started strong but ended up feeling like a failure. After ten hours of recalibration and reprogramming, doing and undoing, he still couldn't get it to work. 

He wasn't getting the result he wanted. 

As always, he knew he couldn't stop. Not until he found the solution.

Lost in thought as he replayed the calculations in his head, he didn't see the orange spark growing larger. It was only when a pair of shoes appeared in his field of vision that he looked up, noticing another presence in the workshop.

Stephen stood in front of him with a slight smile on his lips and his hand outstretched.

"How about a little walk to take your mind off things?"

Tony blinked. "What?"

Stephen stepped forward, cupping Tony's face gently in his hands. Then he leaned in and placed a light kiss on Tony's lips.

Tony moved back, stunned. "You...you're here." 

Stephen replied with an amused smile. “Well, after waiting for you for half an hour at our usual coffee shop, I figured I should come see what was keeping you. And..." The wizard glanced behind Tony, then continued, "I think I understand why you didn't come."

He realized that Stephen was dressed in street clothes and not his sorcerer's garb, and his face fell. He had completely forgotten their appointment. 

"Shit. I'm sorry, Stephen. I—"

"Tony," Stephen interrupted, shaking his head. "I'm not angry."

Tony stared at him, scrutinizing his expression and trying to guess if he was telling the truth. But there really was no trace of disappointment or annoyance. Just Stephen's clear, sincere gaze. 

Tony couldn't help asking, "You're really not angry?"

The sorcerer knelt down in front of Tony and placed his hands on his knees. "I'm really not. Don't you think that I've figured out how you work by now? This isn't the first time this has happened, either."

"Yes, but it's the first time since we...well, you know what I mean."

Stephen replied kindly, "It doesn't change anything."

Tony exhaled. "I'm still sorry. This is how I always lose people. Because here..." He pointed to his head and concluded in a defeated tone, "It never stops."

Stephen looked at him sympathetically.

“You’re talking to a workaholic. As a doctor and a sorcerer—especially since becoming one—I know what it's like to not be able to stop. But I'm here now so you can take a break."

Stephen stood up and held out his hand again. "Come on. Come with me."

Tony hesitated.

"I don't want to go out. We won't be left alone. There are always people watching us."

Stephen interrupted him. "Don't forget who I am..." 

He opened a portal, and Tony could see an unfamiliar landscape beyond it: a dense forest lit by the sun and a path leading into it.

Tony laughed softly.

"What a show-off!"

Stephen snickered back.

"It takes one to know one."

The sorcerer’s hand was still outstretched, so Tony stood up and took it. 

"Take me away, O master of the mystic arts."

They laughed as they stepped through the gate.

The forest welcomed them with deep silence, broken only by birds chirping or a branch cracking underfoot as they began walking along the small path. 

It was just them and nature.

For Tony, it was as if the silence of nature had silenced his inner noise, and for a moment, he felt lost.

Suddenly, he felt Stephen's hand brush against his, as if the sorcerer had sensed his inner turmoil. 

Instinctively, he turned his hand and intertwined his fingers with Stephen's. 

They walked side by side, their shoulders brushing occasionally, and Tony didn't feel compelled to fill the silence. Instead, he let it settle within him.

Several minutes later, he said softly, looking ahead, "You know, I don't even know what it's like to take a break. For almost as long as I can remember, I feel like I'm always thinking about what comes next."

Stephen said softly, without mockery, "The futurist."

Tony laughed bitterly. "Yeah, I know that nickname. But it's always the next disaster, the next improvement, the next suit of armor. Always more. Without stopping." He glanced at Stephen. "Even now, without the sword of Damocles that was Thanos, I can't stop. It's like it's my default mode."

Stephen nodded slowly in understanding and said gently, "But you've stopped right now."

"Because you made me."

"Then I'll keep doing it," Stephen replied. "Not because I want to change you. But because I care about the man behind the genius and the mechanic. If you need someone to make you put down your tools, schematics, and screens for even a few minutes, I'll do it. But I'll never force you to be someone else."

Tony stopped and turned his head to look up at Stephen.

The sorcerer raised his hand, gently brushed Tony's hair back, and said softly, "I see you, Tony. I see you in your entirety. I will never blame you for who you are.”

Tony stared at him, a fragile glimmer of hope in his eyes. Reaching out tremblingly, he touched Stephen's cheek as if he needed to touch him to make sure he was real. 

Whispering in awe, he said, "Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve someone like you." 

Stephen leaned toward him and said tenderly, "You didn't do anything. You're just you." 

The sorcerer closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Tony's. The kiss remained slow and gentle until Tony moaned, slid his hands into the sorcerer's hair, and pulled him closer. The sorcerer reacted instantly, caressing Tony's neck with one hand and resting the other on his lower back. 

The kiss lingered until they had to break apart, both breathless. 

Tony rested his forehead on his lover's chest as Stephen wrapped his arms around him.

"You know, Tony, we're really so similar and complementary. I think that's why what we have can work. We understand each other in a way nobody ever has. I think we're good for each other."

Tony pulled away and took a step back.

"Do you really think I'm good for you?"

Stephen took Tony's hand and intertwined their fingers. He waited until they had resumed walking before replying in a firm tone that left no room for doubt.

"I'm sure you're good for me. Remember when we barely knew each other on Thanos's ship and clashed over whether to go to Thanos? I told you that if I had to choose between preserving the Time Stone and your life or Peter's, I would choose the Stone. You joked as always, but I could see that you understood me. You and I are both capable of making any sacrifice for this world, even the ultimate one. You know I've seen all the possible futures regarding the fight against Thanos. There wasn't a single one in which you refused to take responsibility and do your best to win. So, yes, you're good for me because you know the weight of responsibility and what it demands of us."

Tony was so stunned by Stephen's words that he couldn't say a word. 

It was huge. 

The way Stephen understood and validated him was tremendous. 

He needed time to process it. Stephen noticed it and they continued their walk quietly. 

Thanks to Stephen's words, after a while, Tony felt no guilt as his mind wandered to the plans in his workshop. He reviewed what he had been working on since morning and where he could have failed. 

Suddenly, everything became clear to him.

He stopped and clapped his hands. 

"It's not a mechanical problem!  It's so obvious. Actually, I should...”

He cut himself off, realizing where he was. "Oops, sorry. I did it again..."

Stephen shook his head.

"No, don't stop. Keep going."

"Okay, okay. Actually, I need you!"

Stephen raised an eyebrow, smiled mischievously, and answered, "You can have me whenever you want, darling." 

Tony chuckled and gave the sorcerer a light punch in the chest.

"Idiot. I need you for Rhodey's prosthesis. I need the doctor and the sorcerer."

Stephen reacted immediately. He took out his sling ring, opened a portal in front of them, and bowed to Tony, saying, “After you, Dr. Stark.”

Moments later, they were both in Tony's workshop, working in perfect harmony. 

Tony switched between holographic screens and the prosthesis, welding, screwing, and programming, while Stephen stood beside him, weaving, channeling, and invoking precise enchantments with his fingertips that intertwined with the mechanical structures and interfaces.

Blending science, medicine, and magic, they shared ideas, corrected each other, and inspired each other.

The hours passed, and the sun disappeared. Suddenly, Tony stood up and tapped one of the screens.

"3... 2... 1... The moment of truth."

Tony held his breath until the prosthesis began to move smoothly. 

Everything worked exactly as he had imagined from the start. 

A broad smile lit up his face. Then he turned to Stephen and said, "It's perfect." 

Approaching him, his voice filled with joy that was impossible to hide, he added, “We did it. You and me."

Without a word, Tony threw himself at Stephen, grabbed his vest, and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Stephen laughed into the kiss and returned it with equal fervor. He wrapped his arms around Tony's waist, lifted him effortlessly, and set him on the edge of the workbench, knocking a few plans off in the process.

Tony wrapped his legs around Stephen's hips and dug his fingers into his hair. The kiss intensified. The sorcerer's hands traveled over Tony's back, shoulders, and thighs while Tony's body responded with equal eagerness. 

When they had to separate to catch their breath, Tony marveled, "You're incredible."

"So are you," Stephen replied, burying his face in Tony's neck and planting soft kisses below his ear.

Tony laughed, a light, free laugh. "Lucky I have my wizard doctor to fix me when I'm broken."

Leaning back slightly, Stephen cupped Tony's face in his hands and said seriously, "You didn't need to be fixed. You just needed to take a step back and have someone remind you."

Tony turned his head in Stephen's hands, kissed his palm, and leaned into it.

"Thank you."

Stephen caressed Tony's cheek with his thumb and said softly, "How about we go visit a certain colonel?"

After one last kiss, Stephen helped Tony down from the workbench. Shortly thereafter, the two walked through a portal in front of Rhodey who was surprised to see them arrive in the compound’s common room.

Later, Tony watched his friend try on his new prosthetics, a look of wonder on his face.

Rhodey stretched his legs out in front of him, one after the other. He took a few more steps, turned to Tony and Stephen, and said in amazement, "Tones, they're perfect! I can't even feel them."

Under Tony's amused gaze, Rhodey performed a few dance steps. As Tony watched his best friend move, he felt an intense sense of contentment. 

He leaned into Stephen, basking in the happiness of the moment, resting his head against his shoulder for a second. Stephen didn’t say anything, but he squeezed Tony's hand briefly.

In that moment, surrounded by the echo of his best friend’s laughter and the steady warmth of his lover’s hand, Tony Stark felt no need to build, fix, or run for the first time in his life. 

He was exactly where he was meant to be. 

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story 🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

“You don’t have to,” Tony said. He took Stephen’s hand, thumb running over Stephen’s scars. Sometimes Stephen thought the scars tormented Tony as much as they did Stephen. The accident that had given Stephen these scars had been the accident that Tony had, for two years, thought had killed Stephen. “Not if you don’t want to.”

“I won’t let them back into my life,” Stephen said bitterly. “They already took enough.”

“You know I’d never make you.”

“But…?”

The expression on Tony’s face was hard to read, a mix of fear and loss and confused desperation. Stephen’s hand came up to trace the emotions. 

“You said, at the beginning, that the Mystic Arts could probably heal your hands,” Tony said quietly.

Stephen felt sick the way he always did at the thought. “I don’t know for sure. I never… I didn’t research it. I didn’t think there was a point in healing myself, before…” There hadn’t been a life to go home to.

“Maybe it means something that you haven’t tried,” Tony said quietly.

Did Tony think Stephen hadn’t healed his hands because he wasn’t sure if this was what he wanted? Did Tony think that Stephen was second-guessing choosing Tony? “I’m not leaving you,” Stephen said desperately. “I… I would never leave you. I would have never chosen that. They stole me, Tony. You can’t think I’d ever—”

“Stephen,” Tony stopped him, voice gentle. “I’m not saying you would. You didn’t choose to leave me. You didn’t choose to let me think you were dead. But…” Tony took a deep breath. “We need to face this. I don’t know what facing this means. For us. For you. But you lost something. A home. A family. The trust you had in both.”

It hurt so much. Both the bitter betrayal and the loss of what he’d thought he had. Stephen couldn’t put that into words.

“Should I tell FRIDAY to send the Cloak away?” Tony asked quietly.

Stephen searched Tony’s gaze, almost wishing Tony would make the decision for him. But Tony wouldn’t. He’d never take the decision away from Stephen.

Too many people had taken Stephen’s decisions away.

He missed the Cloak. His friend, his companion. And of everyone… the Cloak hadn’t known, right? The Cloak hadn’t betrayed him? “I want to see them,” he admitted.

-

Tony lifted away from Stephen’s cock and reached into the bowl set next to the bed. Retrieving an ice cube, he slipped it between his lips and set his hands on Stephen’s hips before leaning down and taking Stephen’s cock back into his mouth.

“Ah!” Stephen cried out, hips jerking, though Tony held them fast. “Tony–”

Tony listened carefully, but Stephen made no indication he wanted to stop. Slowly sliding up and down, Tony used his tongue to pass the ice cube around. After a moment, Stephen moaned loudly and shuddered, slowly sinking into the bed. Perfect. Tony added suction, pleased when Stephen moaned again. Getting Stephen out of his head was always hard, even during sex. 

When Tony pulled away, Stephen lifted his head. Tony glanced up at him, but Stephen made no move to remove the blindfold. “Tony?”

“You okay?” Tony asked, setting aside the sliver of remaining ice and sipping a hot coffee, swirling it around his mouth.

“You stopped.”

Tony swallowed and grinned. “I’ve got much more in store.” He sucked Stephen down again and got a much louder shout. Switching between hot and cold, Stephen’s sentences grew broken, then devolved into single words, then into incoherent moans. 

Tony returned with another ice cube and Stephen keened loudly, a noise so desperate that Tony had to reach down and grip himself to stave off his own orgasm. He pressed the ice cube against Stephen’s coc with his tongue and Stephen sobbed. Tony had thought Stephen would need heat to come, but now… He quickly slipped a second ice cube into his mouth and sucked as hard as he could, letting the ice caress Stephen’s shaft with each motion. Stephen came with a choked noise, a heavy shudder wracking his body.

being tony and stephen's baby is almost like... good cop/good cop? they work in tandem for all the caregiving duties, whether it's your bedtime routine or the gentle handling of a tantrum.

between their shared wealth and general appreciation for the finer things, you're the most well-dressed baby this side of the hudson! your closet is decked out in silk pajama sets, cashmere onesies, designer accessories, and all the diaper cover patterns you could ever want if that's your style. they make a game out of it sometimes where they each pick an outfit for you and let the baby decide which dad is the most fashion-forward. tony usually wins that one.

just like their personalities, tony has the ~cool dad~ vibes while stephen is your softest place to land. tony always plans the best activities while stephen can clean and bandage a boo-boo so gently that you never shed a tear.

a day with them would look like this:

you wake up sleepy and ready for snuggles as soon as you open your eyes. most mornings, you wake up in your own room, decorated in intricate astrology designs (stephen's idea) or a sleek, high-tech layout (tony, of course). if you've had a nightmare the night before, though, or you'd just wanted to be closer, you might wake up cradled between them. tony will swear he doesn't snore, and he has the tickle monster on speed dial if you tell anyone he does!

stephen is usually up cooking breakfast before either of you are up, but if you're awake early enough, he doesn't mind if you join his morning meditation. sometimes its just an excuse for you to go back to sleep for a few minutes, this time being held in stephen's lap while he does his breathing exercises.

on days you sleep in (or want tony first thing), he'll be there in his bathrobe lifting you into his arms despite not being awake enough to speak yet. those mornings, he has his coffee in one hand with a baby on his hip and a tablet mysteriously balanced somehow in the midst of it all.

after breakfast (tony put more syrup on your pancakes than stephen said he should), they gently walk you through your morning routine. stephen helps you take meds and brush your teeth, while tony washes your face with a warm cloth in one hand while responding to an email with the other.

mid-mornings are soft and low-stakes. tony might have a meeting or a conference call to get to, but he makes sure you have a play area set up with blocks and coloring supplies and plenty of plushies to keep you company. stephen keeps an eye on you while he does his ritual spells and magical work, and he's always close by in case of any bumps or overstimulation moments. if neither of them can keep you close, FRIDAY and stephen's cape are the best babysitter duo!

if you're at the tower for the day, lunch is that special slightly-chaotic blend of avengers company and a pretty much unlimited kitchen. still, stephen likes to make sure you have a balanced snack plate whether you're feeling super hungry or not. tony's the one who slips in a cookie or a piece of candy on the side!

if it's lunch at the magical sanctum, it's quiet with soft music on the speakers and a little mug of warm tea beside your plate. any time you need a brain break at this point in the day, stephen brings you to a quiet room where he can read/annotate his books and you can nap on the daybed. the cape tucks itself around you like a blankie and stephen's humming soothes you to sleep.

afternoon is the best part of the day, because you're wide-awake and ready to play again! this is also the part of the day where tony almost always tries to make it back to you, and once he's home, it's a no-business zone. he needs you just as much as you need him!

stephen likes to take a walk if the weather is nice, and if you feel like tagging along, he'll hold your hand while pointing out different plants and bugs. you always have lots of questions for him, and he's always so patient answering every single one.

for dinner, they like to relax with takeout and watch television with you! tony insists it's his turn for cuddles because he's been away for so long, and you're happy to oblige. it's always the gentlest part of the day, because then it transitions smoothly into bedtime.

they keep bedtime soft, sweet, and sleepy. one of them runs you a warm bath with scented oils and plenty of bubbles, while the other one heats a warm sippy/bottle of milk for you to have once you're all squeaky clean. by the time you're bundled up in soft pajamas, they have you cradled in their arms and trying not to doze off before they put you down. tony whispers, "love you 3000, sweetheart," as you close your eyes, and stephen lights up the room with protective charms and sigils to ward off the nightmares and make you feel secure. you're safe every single moment of their care, even when they're away from you.