A day off
“You’re quiet”, Peter mumbled as they sat at the table with their food hardly touched on their plates.
”Hm?”, the engineer immediately asked.
”Yeah, Pete. It’s been a tough time for Stephen and I and really the whole team. But we’re all here and safe now again.”
Harley looked at the doctor and just smiled slightly. The man smiled back and cleared his throat.
”It’s just- being tired, Peter. Did you two have anything planned today?”
The teens looked at one another and then back at their dads.
”Well, we thought we could go hiking, then we wanted to go to the swimming pool with you and to let the day end nicely we thought about going to Disney with an overnight stay?”
As soon as Stephen’s mouth was dropping and Tony almost let his nibbled on sandwich fall, the two started laughing and shook their heads.
”He’s joking”, the younger remarked.
”We actually have no plans if you don’t consider annoying you for the next twelve hours as plans.”
”Okay. Fine”, Tony nodded and looked at the other man.
”Doc, we have an emergency. If we don’t occupy their brains, really, really bloody stupid crap comes out of their mouths. We need a plan or we will suffer hard.”
”They really are like you, yeah.”
Tony looked at Stephen fake-offended.
”Why do you get offended by being compared to us?”
”Look at you two. Listen to you.”
Tony gestured between them, throwing his hands in the air.
”How do I deserve such a disgrace?”, he jokingly asked, looking up.
”Tell me, oh you great entity, whatever your name is, why did you punish me with these children?”
Harley and Peter had enough, both attacking the engineer with tickles.
”Go-god no! Stop!”, he was laughing instantly.
”N-no! Stephen he-help me!”
Strange grinned slightly and instead of helping his partner, joined the two others who were highly appreciative, as Stephen knew exactly where Stark had his weak spots.
”Traitor!”
The smaller started struggling a lot under their hands until they finally stopped.
”Al-alright. No fucking ice cream for you for two weeks.”
Peter and Harley looked at each other, then at Stephen.
”Yeah, no, I’ll get you ice cream.”
”Oh yeah. Great. Thanks for supporting me. Good. I’m so relieved we play along this damn well as parents having each other’s backs.”
The doctor smiled with so much adoration. Tony had something so pure and caring inside of him and the way he was with the two teens was just brilliant.
“You’re very welcome.”
”We could pamper you two”, the older boy mumbled with his chin resting on his hands. Peter nodded quickly.
”Clean and cook and- be your servants for a day. Until you are recovered.”
Tony raised a brow.
”Have you broken something?”
”No.”
”Skipped school?”
”No!”
”Did you get an F on that damn geography test, Peter? I swear to god!”
”No, I didn’t!”
”Then what did you do? Start a nuclear war by accident? Why are you suggesting something like that?”
”Because we love you two lots”, the two laughed.
”If it's an April fools joke, I want to remind you that it’s not fucking April.”
”For the love of god, just accept that we’re not up to any mischief for once.”
Stark looked between them for a couple of seconds and then gestured towards Stephen.
”I don’t know, ask your mother.”
The doctor almost spit out his tea.
”Excuse me, but what in the actual- what did you just call me?”
”Nothing, nothing.”
He took his coffee and drank it all in one go.
”Unbelievable. Have some trust in your children.”
He looked at the boys too.
”Just to confirm, you didn’t do something bad like accidentally start a nuclear war and it worries me just a bit that he considers that an actual option of what could be the cause of your kindness but- just to check.”
Harley took his brother’s hand and put it onto his heart, then doing the same with his own.
”We promise that we have not fucked up badly.”
”Alright, that’s enough for me. You’re very nice, boys.”
The youngsters got up and pressed a kiss on one of Stephen’s cheeks each before turning to rush to the living room.
”What about dad?!”, Tony screamed after them.
They turned on their spots and sprinted back to the engineer, repeating their action with him. Once they were gone, Stark took his partner’s hand.
”I’m very proud of you.”
He brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss onto it.
”And however I can support you I will, I hope you know that.”
Stephen leaned forward to kiss the other who stopped slightly.
”You sure?”
”Tony, I’m coping well. I’ll tell you. I’m not- come here.”
He didn’t need to tell Stark twice. He cupped the doctors cheek and closed his eyes, kissing his lips with so much care and gentleness. Tony was really scared. Of doing something wrong. Of just a triggering move or that he interpreted Stephen’s actions in a false way. Or just really not understanding his partner’s silence. The words not spoken.
”Planet earth to Tony Stark”, Stephen whispered into his ear, throwing him out of his thoughts.
”You were distant for three minutes just staring in the air. Talk to me. What’s wrong?”
”Just- I was fucking scared. Of losing you. And I don’t actually know how much of you I got back and how much of you they destroyed. I- Stephen, believe me, the last thing I want to do is make it any worse. We’re grown up adults. We need to talk to each other. I know. But when shit like that happens to someone, they just- are like a scared kid and I don’t know how to really help and support you in the right way. You know me, I sometimes can be a bit- straight forward. Sarcasm and not so gentle remarks and I can just be fucking thick sometimes. Like- I can be damn dumb when it comes to feelings and how to express them correctly.”
”Tony- stop, okay? I promise I’ll tell you when something is wrong.”
”Yeah, no, here’s the deal. You don’t control your actions either when you’re fucking triggered or traumatized or god knows what you’re experiencing. You can tell me all you want now that you’ll be honest and stuff but when it all happens, that’s it. You shut down again.”
Strange sighed and pulled on Tony’s hand. He got up from his chair too and hugged the other. Stark instantly gave his partner a kiss on the cheek and sighed.
”Am I turning into a helicopter parent for you?”
”Mhm. Yes”, the doctor confirmed with a nod.
”I’m sorry.”
”For caring?”
”For caring too much.”
”You can’t care too much”, Stephen drew little circles onto Tony’s back, pressing a small kiss onto his neck.
”I love you, Steph.”
”I known, I love you too.”
They parted and leaned their foreheads against one another.
”They said they’ll clean?”
”Yeah.”
”I’ll go back to fucking bed then.”
”I’m sleepy too.”
”Want me to carry you?”, Tony chuckled.
”Don’t overestimate your skills here”, Stephen smirked.
”Sweetie, who do you think dragged you around when you were passed out in that damn scenario we’ve been in? Me. I did. I lifted you up gracefully like you would a sleeping alpaca and brought you home princess style, what about that?”
”No way. I’m twice as tall as- Tony!”
The engineer just lifted his boyfriend off the ground and stood there with the poor doctor clinging onto him for dear life.
”I’m Ironman, I’m a superhero. It’d be so embarrassing if I was the only one in that regime without the ability of carrying their lover.”
”Okay. I want to see you struggle up the stairs. Off you go.”
Tony laughed and carried Stephen outside. They deserved the day off and Harley and Peter had some good stuff planned for them.