#stephen strang

——

The bathroom was dimly lit by candles that Stephen had procured while Tony was finding the bath oil. The whole room smelled like lavender and eucalyptus, the bath water Stephen was already situated in cloudy with the oil, the non-bubbling soup, and bath moisturizers galore. Stephen had set up some kind of crystal grid along the rim of the tub that he claimed would make the bath more soothing, but Tony didn’t put any really stock in the magic he couldn’t see, so he just ignored the pretty rocks as he climbed into the tub and sank down into the water, perfectly content to lay in his boyfriend’s arms for a while and just exist.

Tony closed his eyes and leaned back against Stephen’s shoulder. The warmth of the bath they were sitting in was soothing to his aching muscles, and he could feel Stephen relax beneath him as he settled against his chest. Tony chuckled to himself at the feeling of Stephen’s flacid cock against his lower back, but remained otherwise unfazed as the bath maintained it’s temperature and Tony maintained his position against his boyfriend.

Stephen’s arms are wrapped around Tony’s waist safely beneath the water line, the warm water a good temperature for easing the pain constant pain in his hands. Typically Tony preferred a hotter bath, but the nerve damage in Stephen’s hands made them extremely sensitive to heat and cold, and Tony preferred Stephen being comfortable to sitting in a scalding bath.

“This is nice.” Tony finally whispered with his eyes still closed, not wanting to pull either of them out of the lulling space they were occupying together.

Stephen hummed in affirmation, his thumb tracing Tony’s hip bone while his fingers splayed across his upper thigh. The sound of the water shifting around Stephen’s arm where it entered the bath was soft, careful, soothing. He tried to hold onto that sound and the feeling of Stephen’s vibrating chest against his back as he drifted further into the warm, relaxing space they’d created for themselves.

Stephen’s hand roamed up to Tony’s chest, but there was nothing sexual in the gesture. Trembling fingers traced shaky line up his abs to the smooth space where his arc reactor used to be. Scar meets scar and Tony relaxes further, trusting Stephen to know his boundaries and not do anything outside of Tony’s comfort zone.

The water runs down Stephen’s arm and back into the tub as he reaches up further to trace Tony’s collarbones with his index finger and thumb splayed wide. He avoided Tony’s collarbones, and kept his hand from pushing so high as to make Tony uncomfortable.

“Tony, do you have any interest in playing tonight?” Stephen asked, but there was no pressure in his voice, no unspoken need to dominate or control. Tony didn’t even open his eyes, couldn’t bring himself to shake his head, so he tapped his fingernail twice against the basin of the tub, filling the room with two hollow tink tinks. No.

Stephen’s hand ran back down Tony’s chest, over his abs to settle on his hips again. Tony barely registered the touch, just lounged against Stephen and let his mind be blank for the first time in far too long.

Stephen kissed one of Stephen’s shoulders, and Tony smiled, moving his own hand up to wrap around the back of Stephen’s neck and just hold him carefully like some delicate piece of machinery. He massaged the base of Stephen’s skull with his fingers unthinkingly, and Stephen sighed, the breath washing over Tony like confirmation of a job well done. He couldn’t help smiling again, turning his head to kiss Stephen’s chest where he could reach it. He became aware of Stephen’s soft and even breaths, counter to Tony’s own shallower ones, his lung capacity still decreased from his time with the arc reactor. He pressed his ear against Stephen’s chest where he could hear his heartbeat, and Stephen laughed softly above him.

“You comfortable there?”

Tony nodded and shifted so he was tilted more towards his side without digging his shoulder into Stephen’s solar plexus. He woudn’t be able to hold the position for long, but it would be long enough. Hearing Stephen’s heartbeat, his breath, soothed Tony like the bath could only do to a certain extent.

Tony laid his hand on Stephen’s chest beside his head, and Stephen’s marginally larger hand came up to sit on top of it, fitting itself between Tony’s fingers. Tony heard the tiniest spike in Stephen’s heartbeat before it calmed down again and smiled. Tony rarely allowed himself these moments of sexless intimacy. His relationship with Stephen had always been largely sex driven, especially in the beginning when they’d just been hooking up, and it still was, but sometimes, times like these, Tony didn’t want that. He wanted soft heartbeats, gentle hands with twined fingers and quiet laughter. He wanted to just be close to another person and know that he was good enough for them, with or without sex, come hell or high water.

Tony knew that if he had any more energy, if he’d been any less physically and emotionally exhausted, they’d probably be well on their way to amazing orgasms, possibly hours spent lazing in bed and tearing each other apart. He also knew that as soon as he’d told Stephen that wasn’t what he wanted Stephen had understood, and there wasn’t an ounce of bitterness in him about it.

He didn’t know how much longer they sat there before Stephen’s hand untangled from Tony’s and ran softly across Tony’s cheek, careful not to let any stray water droplets drip across his nose or mouth.

“You’re pruning. I think it’s time to think about getting out.”

Tony felt the voice more than heard it, the low reverberation clear in both ears in distinctly different ways. He still couldn’t bring himself to speak, so instead he blinked his eyes open, hazy gaze settling on Stephen’s soft smile. Stephen ran his hand along Tony’s cheek again and then tilted his chin up to give him a light peck on his lips. “Come on. Sit up and I’ll wash your hair.”

Stephen washed Tony and himself in turn, careful while he’s rinsing Tony’s hair to keep his head tilted back and his face dry. Tony hums as Stephen’s fingers gently massage his scalp. Usually he’d protest Stephen using his hands any more than necessary, but he’s so far gone be doesn’t remember to. Stephen kissed Tony again and then quietly asked him to stand up. As soon as Tony did the separate shower started to run and the tub began to drain. By the time Stephen and Tony were in the shower the water was the perfect temperature to match the bath they’d just come out of. Stephen rinsed the last of the soap residue from himself and Tony and then shut the water off, Tony’s eyes closed most of the while.

“I’m going to give you a towel,” Stephen told him, and Tony just smiled a content smile, eyes still closed. Stephen wrapped one fluffy towel around Tony and then took a second towel for himself, tying it around his waist while he carefully dried Tony’s body and hair.