Tony's POV
“Tony?” A soft voice breathes.
My eyes swirl around the room as I grab at my chest.
Blue eyes look down at me.
I reach forward, crushing Stephen to me, not caring that he hasn’t been here for months.
He’s hesitant at first but climbs into my bed beside me after a moment, his warm scent of tea leaves and parchment fills my lungs as I fight to catch my breath.
“Sorry.” I choke out, releasing my grip on his body.
He holds tighter, one hand brushing through my hair softly.
I hold him tighter too.
“It’s alright.” He whispers.
“I’m losing my fucking mind.” I whisper back, looking up at him, a hot tear slipping down my face.
He wipes it away with his finger.
“No.” He whispers. “You just—you can’t be so hard on yourself.”
His fingers trail down my cheek.
“It wasn’t your fault.” He says, looking into my eyes deeply. “None of it.”
I nod.
“You got us back from the Quantum Realm.” He continues. “All of us.”
His fingers trace my jawline before trailing back up my cheek.
“And you have me back too.” He whispers, his voice catching slightly. “If you’ll have me.”
I take a deep breath.
“You mean that?” I ask, not looking away from his eyes.
He smiles.
“Every word.” He replies.
I push myself up, kissing him softly.
He breathes in deeply as I pull away, hugging me tightly.
“I missed you.” He says softly. “I’m so sorry, Tony.”
“I missed you too.” I reply.
He leans back, looking at me.
“I have conditions to me staying though.” He warns.
My brow furrows.
“You have to eat. Like real food. Not coffee and brandy.” He says with a grin. “And sleep, here, with me.”
I smile back, rolling my eyes.
“Fine, fine.” I answer. “Talked me into it.”
He laughs, the warm familiarity coaxing me into a peace that I haven’t felt in a long time.