These Little Moments / Ironstrange

6~ Sleep

   2am. All was quiet, save for the muffled noises of traffic and pedestrians on the busy streets. After a long day at work, packed with surgery after surgery, the only thing i could think of doing was flopping straight into my plush bed. My mind was hazy with exhaustion, grateful for rest at last. No sooner had I bundled my cold body in the fleece blankets of my bed than I heard gentle sparking noises, like a fireplace.

   I squinted an eye open and glanced in the direction of the light to find a pajama-clad Tony standing in front of a glowing portal. In my room. Was this a hallucination? I didn't think I was that tired. But then he spoke.

   "Stephen?" His voice was weak and vulnerable, almost scared. This wasn't a hallucination; Tony was in my bedroom.

   "Tony. What's the matter?" I sprung from my bed, rushing to the man in front of me. "Are you okay? Do you need something?" I frantically checked his temperature with the back of my hand and felt around his neck for a pulse. His skin was clammy, but warm, with messy brown hair in a mop on his head. His complexion has changed from it's normal tan to a snow white. Every part of him was shuddering with the heavy breaths he was taking. The sight broke my heart.

   "I had one of those nightmares again..." He gently reached up and removed my hands from his neck. The absence of his skin's warmth was immediately noticable so, in my state of tiredness, I instantly wrapped my arms around him and held him close to my chest.

   "You're okay. I promise," I whispered soothingly into his ear, causing him to shiver. I felt his arms wrap around my neck, returning the hug.

   "How do you know?"

   "Whatever you see in those dreams is not real. None of that is real," I pulled away from him and took one of his hands carefully from my shoulders, placing it over my heart. "Can you feel that? It's my heart. It's real. This is real."

   "You're real. I'm real," Tony looked up onto my eyes, the fear once held within them melting away.

   "Here, give me three things you can hear," I asked him, recalling my training in helping patients in panic attacks.

   "Umm..." He thought for a moment, looking around the room. "Your voice... The cars outside and some wind against the windows."

   "Good. Now three things you can see," I prompted, encouragingly rubbing circles into his back.

   "That candle on your bedside, your cloak in the corner," I heard his breath slow as his chocolatey orbs looked up to study my face. "And the ocean in your eyes."

   I blushed, "I-I don't know about the ocean part but okay," I met his eyes, our faces mere inches apart. "Finally, three things you can feel."

   "Your hands on my back, my hands around your shoulders..." Slowly, Tony raised himself up onto his tip toes, his breathing entwining with my own. His eyes fluttered shut, his lips a hair's breadth from my own. My grip around his waist tightened, almost like I was anchoring him to me, afraid to let him go for even a moment. In that moment, my eyes slipped closed and I tilted my head to better meet him. Then I felt it. His soft lips made contact with the corner of my mouth, brushing over my beard. He pulled back, eyes opening and letting a small smile break across his mouth. "And your awesome facial hair."

   It took all of my willpower not to sweep Tony up in my arms in that moment, dying to kiss him until we both couldn't breathe. Instead, I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his temple. "Feel better?"

   "Almost," Tony tilted his head up at me. "Tuck me in?"

   "Sure," I chuckled, pulling aside the covers and helping Tony under. I carefully pressed the blankets around his small frame, making sure he was sufficiently warm. "What about now?"

   "One more thing," he reached up and placed his hand on my cheek. "Goodnight kiss?"

   I laughed and playfully smacked his hand away, "Nice try 'playboy.' I'm sleeping on the couch."

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A/N: I'm sooorrrrryyy I can't help myself 😭