Chapter 24
Stephen had been sleeping for a long time, and Tony was wide awake, watching his husband sleep. He was mentally rehearsing the words to say to Stephen when he woke up.
Stephen gently opened his eyes and turned to see Tony lying beside him.
"Tony," he croaked.
"Hey, wait, I'll get you some water," Tony said and handed him a glass.
Stephen drank it slowly.
"I'm sorry," Stephen said.
"For what, baby?" Tony asked, caressing his head.
"I should have driven more carefully. I made you and Peter worry," Stephen said.
Tony didn’t know how to tell him that it wasn’t the car accident.
Tony sat up a little, and Stephen did the same.
"I want to see Peter. When can I go home?" Stephen asked.
"Steph, I need to tell you something. You have to listen to me patiently," Tony said, clearing his throat.
"Is this about my hands? I get it. I can't be a surgeon anymore, right? My whole life's work has been in vain," Stephen said with a wet chuckle, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Steph, you don’t have to be a surgeon to save the world. You're more than that now," Tony said.
"What? Like you? A superhero? Tony, I’m useless now, and you know it. You don’t have to pretend," Stephen snapped.
Tony remembered. The same thing had happened when he tried to console Stephen after his accident. And all the yelling was going to repeat itself.
"Steph, look at me. You’re not useless. You’re stronger, and you’re going to be okay. I'm here for you," Tony said sweetly.
Stephen calmed down and leaned against Tony’s chest.
"Can you bring Peter? I miss him," Stephen said.
"Yes, I will. Let me ask Christine about your discharge.
You rest," Tony said, leaving him in the bedroom.
Everyone was sitting in Christine’s office when Tony walked in.
"Is Stephen awake?" Christine asked.
Tony nodded.
"Did you tell him?" Bruce asked.
"No. I can't, Bruce. He’s already heartbroken about his hands. I can’t tell him he’s lost his memories," Tony said.
"You need to, Tony. How long can you lie to him? He’ll meet Peter one day. What explanation will you give him then?" Pepper asked.
"I don’t want to break his heart even more by telling him in the wrong way," Tony said.
The others looked at him sympathetically.
"But he’s asking for Peter," Tony added.
"You should tell him before the kid sees him," Steve said.
"Mm… fine," Tony said, going back to Stephen.
Stephen was sitting with a notepad on his lap, trying to write. Tony sat near him.
"See? I can't even write my own name," Stephen scoffed.
Tony took the pen and notepad away from him.
"Stephen, I’m going to tell you something. I don’t want you to interrupt me. Just listen until I’m finished," Tony said, cupping his face.
"What are you talking about—" Stephen started.
Tony leaned in and kissed him. He pulled away after a quick peck.
"Shh… I told you, don’t interrupt me," Tony said.
Stephen stayed quiet.
"You weren’t admitted here because of a car accident. You and I were in a battle, fighting against a terrorist group. You saved me but got hurt," Tony said.
Stephen had questions, but he didn’t ask them because Tony had asked him to stay quiet.
"The car accident was three years ago. Your hands were injured in that. But you survived. You were sad, but you made peace with it and found a new job that you love.
You still save the world, Stephen, on a much larger scale. Earlier, you said you were useless. You're not. You proved that by becoming a hero. You asked me if you were a superhero like me. No, you’re not. You’re better than me. You’re the Sorcerer Supreme who saves universes and multiverses," Tony said.
Stephen’s eyes filled with tears.
"Peter?" he asked in a broken voice.
"He’s three years old now. He started kindergarten," Tony said.
"Why can’t I remember any of this?" Stephen asked.
"The injury caused blood loss. You were in a coma for the last three weeks. But you know better than I do—this could be temporary memory loss. You’ll remember everything once you fully heal," Tony said softly.
Stephen couldn’t process all this information. He started hyperventilating.
"Tony, I don’t… I can’t understand…" Stephen said.
"Hey, it’s alright. I’ll explain everything, slowly. It’s okay if you don’t remember. I’m here to tell you everything that happened over these years," Tony said, hugging him close.
"Peter is three years old now?" Stephen asked again.
"Yes, he is," Tony said.
"I missed a lot," Stephen sobbed.
"You didn’t miss it. You just don’t remember," Tony reassured him.
"I want to see him now. Please take me home," Stephen begged.
"Yes, we will go. We will go," Tony reassured him, kissing his head again and again.
Christine handled all the formalities for Stephen’s discharge. The others kept their distance to give him space to adjust. Stephen was ready to leave the hospital while Tony was with Christine.
Wong entered the room and stood near Stephen.
"Stephen?" Wong called.
"Do I know you?" Stephen asked with a confused look.
"Yes, you do. I just… wanted to check on you. How are you feeling now?" Wong asked.
"Great! Not having three years of memories is really great," Stephen scoffed.
"I’m sorry. Stephen, I know you don’t remember me. But know this—you can come to me if you need anything," Wong said, placing a hand on Stephen’s shoulder.
Stephen looked at him with a strange expression.
"Stephen, we can go home now," Tony said, walking in.
He stopped when he saw Wong and Stephen standing there.
"I should go. Take care, Stephen," Wong said and left the room.
Tony walked over and stood near Stephen.
"Who is he?" Stephen asked.
Tony didn’t know what Wong was to Stephen. Stephen had never mentioned anything more than a friend. But Tony had always felt jealous of the man for some reason.
"That’s Wong. He works with you. He’s also a sorcerer," Tony said.
"I’m still processing the fact that I’m a sorcerer. But he seems like more than just a colleague," Stephen said.
"Yeah… can we go home?" Tony asked.
"Yes," Stephen said.
Tony guided him to the tower.
They were waiting for Peter to come back from school. Stephen was visibly tense. In his mind, Peter was still a baby—he couldn't imagine his little one had grown up.
Tony noticed Stephen’s tension.
"Steph, Peter loves you," Tony said.
Stephen smiled lightly.
“…and Ned and I wanted to join the math club, but Miss Hayes said we’re too young. But I can count to 1,000 and do addition and subtraction! Why did Miss Hayes say that, May?" Peter was coming back to the tower with May.
"I don’t know, Pete. Ask your daddy," May said.
"But Daddy is at the hospital with Papa," the boy pouted.
"Hey, Pete!" Tony called.
Peter saw him and ran toward him.
"Daddy, you’re back!" the boy shrieked.
"Yes, and guess who else is back?" Tony said, picking him up.
"Papa?" Peter asked.
"Yes. Come, I’ll take you to Papa," Tony said, walking inside.
Stephen was waiting for Peter restlessly when Tony arrived with the boy.
As soon as Peter saw Stephen, he started squirming in Tony's arms. Tony put him down, and the boy ran straight to Stephen.
"Papa, I missed you!" Peter said, hugging him tightly.
Stephen lifted the boy into his arms. It felt like just yesterday that he had held him for the first time, and now Peter was already three years old.
"Pete," Stephen said, his voice breaking as he kissed the boy's forehead and cheeks repeatedly. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Papa missed you too," he said, crying.
"Why are you crying? Are you hurt, Papa?" Peter asked with concern.
"No, I'm not hurt. I'm fine. I'm fine," Stephen assured him, quickly wiping his tears.
"Pete, go with May and freshen up. Papa will be here when you come back," Tony said.
"Papa, don't go! I'll be back soon," Peter said.
"Of course, I'll be right here," Stephen replied with a smile.
He set Peter down, and the boy happily went off with May.
Once Peter was gone, Tony turned to Stephen.
"Steph, are you alright?"
Stephen let out a shaky breath.
"That’s Peter—our son. He’s grown up so much. I can’t remember his first birthday, the first time he walked, or even his first day of school," he said, his voice filled with anguish.
"This is just temporary. You’ll remember everything in time. For now, you should get some rest," Tony said.
"I'm done resting. I want to fix my hands and get back to work," Stephen snapped.
Here we go again, Tony thought. But he refused to turn this into another shouting match.
"Alright," Tony said calmly.
"If that’s what you want, I’ll support you. But first, I want to take you to the Sanctum. Wong can help explain what you were working on, and then you can decide what you want to do next."
He guided Stephen to the couch and sat beside him.
"But let’s think about that later. Right now, let’s have some family time. Peter misses us," Tony said gently.
Stephen exhaled and looked down. "Okay… I’m sorry," he said softly.
"I know," Tony said, pulling him into a small kiss.
Just then, Peter came running toward them and climbed onto Stephen's lap, holding up a drawing. The paper had "Welcome back, Papa" written on it.
"Here! I made this for you. This is Papa and me. I made it to give you when you came back!"
"Thank you, Pete," Stephen said, smiling warmly.
"How was school, Pete?" Tony asked.
"Daddy, Miss Hayes didn’t let me join the math club," Peter pouted.
"Oh? Why not?" Tony asked.
"She said I’m too young," Peter replied with disappointment.
"That’s okay. You can join when you’re a little older," Tony reassured him.
"But I can do math like the big kids!" Peter protested.
"Pete, I told you not to show off your math skills in school," Tony said sternly.
Peter pouted again and looked down, feeling dejected.
Stephen lifted the boy and made him sit face to face.
"Pete, it’s okay. I’ll go to your school and talk to Miss Hayes. I’ll tell her to let you join the club," Stephen said.
"Really?!" Peter asked, eyes lighting up.
"Really," Stephen said, kissing his forehead.
"Papa, how long will you stay this time?" Peter asked hesitantly.
"Why do you ask? This is our home, right?" Stephen replied.
"Pete, Papa won’t be going back to the Sanctum. He’ll stay here," Tony interjected quickly.
"You were at the Sanctum most of the time because of your sorcerer duties," Tony added.
Stephen gave him a suspicious look.
"Pete, don’t you want to show Papa your drawings?" Tony asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Yes! Come, Papa! I drew a lot of pictures because I missed you and Daddy," Peter said excitedly, pulling Stephen by the wrist—careful not to grab his hands, not wanting to hurt him.
Stephen followed the boy to his room.
Tony sighed in relief. He couldn't tell Stephen the truth yet—that they had been on the verge of divorce because Tony had cheated. But Stephen needed to know eventually.
When Stephen entered Peter’s room, memories flooded back. He remembered how they had designed the nursery together when they found out they were expecting. Tony had been so excited, buying everything a nursery needed. But Peter had never slept there—he had always been attached to Stephen, and Stephen hadn’t been able to leave him alone in the nursery either.
"Papa, look! I drew these!" Peter said, flipping through his sketchbook.
"They’re amazing, Pete," Stephen said with a proud smile.
Peter grinned widely, delighted by the praise.
The little boy then launched into an excited monologue about everything that had happened over the past three weeks. Stephen didn’t understand most of the context, but he still enjoyed listening to his son talk.
Later that evening, the three of them sat on the couch, watching Peter’s favorite cartoon. Partway through the show, Peter fell asleep on Stephen’s lap.
"Let’s take him to his room," Tony whispered.
"What if he wakes up and cries in the middle of the night?" Stephen asked, worried.
"Steph, he’s not a six-month-old baby anymore. He sleeps in his own room now. Give him to me," Tony said.
"No, I want to tuck him in," Stephen insisted.
"Okay," Tony said, smiling softly.
Stephen carefully carried Peter to his room, tucked him into bed, and kissed his forehead before leaving.
When he returned to the living room, Tony was still waiting for him on the couch.
"Shall we go to bed?" Tony asked.
"I want to talk," Stephen said.
"Sure," Tony said, turning to him attentively.
"I… I can’t remember anything from Peter’s early childhood. It’s all blank. Every time I try to recall something, all I see are battles and a huge, lonely building," Stephen said, his voice cracking.
"Stephen, don’t stress yourself. Your memories will come back. You’re still healing," Tony reassured him.
"I feel so lost, Tony," Stephen whispered, tears escaping his eyes.
"It’s okay. I’m here, aren’t I? You’re not lost," Tony murmured, kissing Stephen’s hand before pulling him into a comforting embrace.
Stephen relaxed in his arms.
"Tony…"
"Yes?"
"I want to feel you" Stephen said.
"What?" Tony asked.
"I want to feel you. I missed you" Stephen said.
"Steph, you're just back from hospital. We can't.. " Tony said tensing up.
"We can. I can't even remember how I felt you inside me. It's like an eternity ago." Stephen said.
"But..Steph, it's not.. " Tony stuttered.
"You don't want me anymore? Because I'm broken now?" Stephen asked.
"Steph, I always want you. It's not about that" Tony said.
"Then, what is it?" Stephen asked
"Because..." Tony started.
But Stephen leaned to him and kissed him deeply making him shut up..
"I want this, Tony. If you don't give that to me, I will perceive it as you don't want me anymore." Stephen murmured to his lips.
Tony felt his eyes tearing up. Stephen was so self conscious after the accident. He refused sex Because he didn’t want to be naked and let Tony see his scars, Stephen always resisted. Every time Tony tried to persuade him, Stephen would yell, accusing Tony of only wanting him for sex.
But to Tony, it was never just about that. He loved Stephen—he wanted to make him feel good too.
Now, as Stephen begged for him, Tony couldn’t say no. He longed to tell him that nothing could ever change his love for him.
Gently, Tony cupped Stephen’s cheek and kissed him slowly, savoring his taste—one he had missed for far too long.
As they pulled away from the heated kiss, Stephen panted, his eyes filled with longing.
"Take me, Tony," he breathed.
Tony nodded his head and pulled Stephen for another kiss. He took him to his strong arms and walked towards to their, no, his room.
He put Stephen down slowly to the bed and kissed his lips again.
"Steph, are you sure?" Tony asked.
"Yes, I'm" Stephen replied.
Tony slowly removed Stephen's nightsuit with one hand while the other grabbed his hair and kissing him hard.
His every movement was slow, because he want to stop if Stephen is uncomfortable with anything.
Finally, Stephen was gloriously naked. He has some scars on his body, but he still looked beautiful as before.
"You're beautiful" Tony whispered his one hand running through his body caressing all his scars and curves.
He stopped at Stephen's chest playing with his nipples which made Stephen make a very sexy moan.
Tony loved to play with him like that making him squirming with pleasure under him. When Tony was satisfied with his work on his chest, his hand to his opening.
"Steph, you can stop me whenever you want" Tony said.
"Please go on" Stephen moaned.
Tony gently circled his fingers around his opening and inserted one then two and more.
When he was confirmed that, he is ready for him, Tony slowly entered to him making the both gasp with pleasure.
Tony missed this feeling. Stephen around him. Nobody could make him feel this good. Stephen was like made for him. Perfectly joined like two puzzle pieces.
"Stephen, I love you. I have always loved you" Tony said.
"I love you too" Stephen said.
Tony slowly moved in and out gradually increasing the pace. The duo climaxed together. And Tony was in cloud nine. This was what he was missing all these years.
Stephen!
And he is never going to loose him again.
Tony slowly pulled away from Stephen and lied next to him.
"I missed you, Steph. So much," Tony said, playing with Stephen's hair.
"I'm sorry," Tony whispered. "It’s all my fault. I always make mistakes," he added, his voice breaking as he sobbed lightly.
"Hey, it’s okay. I’m here," Stephen reassured him.
"And I’m not going to leave again," he said, kissing Tony’s cheek.
Tony pulled him into a tight embrace. He wanted to hold him like this forever. But deep down, he feared that once Stephen regained his memories, he might leave—or worse, hate him for this night.
Tears continued to fall from Tony’s eyes.