Chapter 10
Stephen stays in the lab for hours as I work on the suit, watching me work at some points, answering my questions when I ask, and letting me try various pieces of armor on his body as I fit the pieces of metal.
Eventually, he moves to the side of the room, sitting on the floor and opening a small portal before him as he pulls a book through the orange glowing circle.
He flips through the pages, reading a page and closing his eyes as I weld two pieces together.
I watch him now, looking up from my work as his lips whisper something under his breath.
He slowly lifts off the ground, his cloak wrapping around his body as he levitates above the floor in time with his chants.
I find my hands dropping to the counter as I watch him, completely entranced with his magic as he breathes evenly, floating above the floor.
I quietly move around the table, walking over to the floor in front of him.
His eyes don’t open, his lips continuing their careful chant as I sit before him.
The room is quiet, the only sound being the soft whisper of his words as he floats in front of me, quiet enough to where I can’t even make out what he’s saying.
I look at the pages of his book on the ground, but unfortunately it’s in another language.
I just sit and watch, my eyes studying each crease of his face.
A while later, he slowly floats back to the ground, his cloak moving out of the way for him to be seated back on the ground.
His eyes flutter open, opening widely before settling on my face and causing him to smile softly.
“Hey.” He says quietly. “You okay?”
I nod, scooting closer.
“Yep.” I answer. “Are you?”
He nods as I take his hands in mine.
“What were you doing?” I ask, scanning his eyes.
They flit away from my face for a moment before meeting my gaze again.
“Astral projecting.” He says plainly. “It’s just a way to keep things… in check.”
I raise one eyebrow.
“And are things ‘in check’?” I ask.
He nods, hesitantly.
“More or less.” He answers, his eyes flitting away again.
I pull on his hand, drawing his gaze back to me.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
He sighs.
“The same people Wong and I were facing when—well, you know—they’re planning to come back.” He says quietly.
My heart beats faster, and I run my fingers along the insides of his wrists.
“So we’ll be prepared this time.” I answer, just as quietly.
He shakes his head.
“You don’t have to do this Tony.” He says, reaching one of his hands out of mine to cup my cheek.
I cover his hand with mine.
“I want to.” I answer, my voice louder now. “I couldn’t before, and I’ll be damned if I let you face that alone again.”
His thumb slides along my cheek.
“Okay.” He answers. “Then we’ll do it together.”
I nod before standing back up.
“I need to finish this then.” I tell him, walking back to the pieces of the suit on my table.
His arms wrap around my waist a moment later.
“Finish it later.” He whispers. “We have a few days still.”
I laugh under my breath, shaking my head again.
“Come to dinner with me.” He whispers. “I know a place in the city.”
I turn in his arms to face him, sliding my arms up his chest to wrap around the back of his neck.
“Dinner in the city, huh?” I ask, looking at his small smile and letting it dissolve the anxiety building in my chest. “Sold.”
His smile grows as he bends down to kiss me.
His hands slide around to my biceps before sliding one down to my hand and weaving his fingers through mine.
He leads me to the elevator, and I press the button that leads to the garage.
“You picked the place, I’ll pick the car.” I say, winking at him.
He laughs, but quickly goes quiet as my row of sparkling cars comes into view.
“I think you’d look pretty in the blue.” I tell him, pulling him to the side of a dark blue Corvette, opening the passenger door and closing it behind him as he sits down.
I walk around the front of the car, getting into the driver’s side and smiling at Stephen as I start the engine.
I rev it suddenly, and Stephen jumps slightly before laughing under his breath.
“You are something else.” He mutters as I rest my hand on his thigh before peeling out of the garage.
I laugh, squeezing his leg gently as I press the button to retract the top of the car, making it into a convertible as we get out into the sun.
The warm air washes over us, swirling into our hair and dancing along our skin as I drive towards the city.
“Where am I going?” I ask as I turn down a main road.
Stephen gestures vaguely with a hand.
“Turn right at the next light, then your second left.” He says, looking around as he talks.
I follow his directions, finding myself parking outside of a small Italian restaurant.
I get out, rushing to his side to swing the door open and offer him my hand.
He looks up at me with a smile, rolling his eyes as he takes it.
“Got change for the meter?” He asks as I shut the door.
I raise my eyebrows as I look at him.
“Unless the meter takes platinum, no.” I answer. “I don’t carry change.”
He laughs, shaking his head as he digs in his pocket, pulling out a few quarters and dropping them into the meter.
He leads me into the restaurant, telling the hostess his name before she leads us to a small booth in the back corner of the room.
A waiter with a thick Italian accent takes our drink orders before lighting a candle between us and hurrying away.
“This is nice.” I say, looking around the unfamiliar restaurant.
He studies my expressions closely.
“Are you sure?” He asks. “You don’t seem like a ‘mom and pop restaurant’ type of guy.”
I chuckle, taking his hand.
“I’m not.” I answer truthfully. “But it is nice.”
He smiles, bringing the back of my hand to his lips gently.
The waiter returns with the drinks and a basket of bread before asking us what we want to eat.
“I didn’t even look.” I say, looking at Stephen. “What do you like here?”
He orders in fluent Italian, and my jaw drops slightly.
“Do you particularly dislike anything?” He asks, a coy smile playing on his face.
I shake my head, smiling back at him as he speaks in Italian again.
The waiter scribbles the orders down before scurrying away again.
“I didn’t know you spoke Italian.” I say quietly, leaning closer to him.
He leans closer slightly too.
“I’m full of surprises.” He whispers back, his low voice echoing through me.
“Hmm.” I murmur. “Interesting.”
He laughs, leaning forward to brush his nose against mine.
“So how’d you find this place?” I ask, looking around the room again as I swirl the wine in my glass.
He looks around too, scratching his beard with one hand as he thinks.
“I came here with a friend from the hospital a long time ago.” He says after a minute. “We’d been in surgery for hours, and we walked down this street for some air afterward when we stumbled upon this little hole in the wall.”
He smiles as he looks towards the door.
“And then we came after every surgery after that.” He adds on, turning his gaze to me.
I smile back at him, squeezing his hand gently.
“Do you miss it?” I ask softly. “Being a surgeon?”
He exhales heavily.
“I do.” He answers. “I miss helping people, but I don’t miss the person it made me become.”
His eyebrows furrow.
“I was a real asshole most of the time.” He says quietly.
I slide my thumb along the back of his hand.
“Believe it or not, that wasn’t in your file.” I mutter, shooting him a small smile.
He smiles too.
“Huh.” He answers. “You should probably make a few edits then.”
I laugh, and he follows a second later, his baritone laugh warming the room.
The waiter returns shortly after, setting two steaming plates before us.
Stephen thanks him in Italian before he walks away again.
“What’re we having?” I ask, breathing in the sweet smell of tomato sauce as the steam comes up from the food.
“Manicotti.” He answers, unwrapping his silverware and reaching across the table to my plate.
He cuts a piece off, stabbing it onto his fork before looking at me with a soft smile and bringing the fork to my lips.
I open my mouth, leaning forward to take the food into my mouth.
The flavor is amazing, sweet and salty at the same time as I chew, better than any five-star restaurant.
“Well?” He asks, setting his fork on his plate.
“I think you should pick date spots more often.” I answer, swallowing and using my napkin to wipe the corners of my mouth.
He chuckles, cutting into his own food as I pick up my fork.
We eat and talk together, laughing as we drink our wine.
I pay the check, and Stephen takes my hand as we walk out of the restaurant.
A camera flashes as the doors shut behind us, and we both turn to face the source.
Three paparazzi men with cameras look back at us, snapping another picture as they call my name.
Stephen drops my hand instantly, stepping away as he does.
“What’re you doing?” I ask, looking up at him.
His wide, blue eyes look back at me.
“I’m sorry Tony.” He says quietly. “I didn’t realize people would follow us here.”
I step back towards him, reaching a hand out to him.
“I don’t mind.” I whisper, keeping my eyes locked on his.
The cameras flash again as a small crowd begins to form, some people calling for Tony Stark while others call for Iron Man.
Stephen looks between them and me once, briefly.
“Are you sure?” He asks quietly.
I nod, smiling as I close the gap and take his hand in mine again.
The cameras go wild, the lights flashing wildly as they capture me holding another man’s hand.
I pull Stephen closer, standing on my toes to whisper in his ear.
“Kiss me.” I whisper.
He scans my face as I lean away, and I smile at him, nodding.
Suddenly, he grabs me by my waist, dipping me down and kissing me deeply.
I lock my arms around his neck as he deepens the kiss, dipping me even lower.
The sound of the cameras clicking goes wild as the small crowd around us gasps and a couple people cheer.
Stephen sets me back on my feet after a moment, taking my hand and pushing through the crowd as we get back to my car.
I open his door again before getting in on the drivers side, putting my hand on his thigh as I step on the gas, a wide smile on my face as we drive away.