A Revelation of Rain

Gaining Strength

Morning brought a burst of color to the sky. When Tony opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was that Holly had been there at some point. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn back and the glory of the morning poured in through the sparklingly clean windows. Cheerful yellows and pinks and oranges set fire to the clouds, and there was the faint sound of a woman singing off in the house somewhere. 

He was alive. Day two of being alive. He turned his head, and saw at once that he was not alone. Doctor Strange was asleep in the armchair beside the bed, his odd pale eyes closed. Sectoral heterochromia. What a cold, clinical way to describe eyes that held such mystery. Of course Tony remembered everything he'd said the night before, and the look on the other man's face when he'd said it. This wasn't just synaptic overachievement. He felt what he felt. There wasn't any guilt in his chest about it, either. What he and Pepper had was sacred and special, sure. She'd always be there. But he was also very much attracted to the handsome doctor who gave him back his life. 

He looked at him in the ruddy light, his face relaxed as he slept, hands folded on his stomach, head tilted against the back of the chair. Tony didn't want to wake him, but he had to pee. Oh man did he have to pee. Maybe he could just...

Sitting up was rough. It took every muscle in his body to force himself into a more or less upright position. Once he was sitting, he pivoted his hips to swing his legs out of bed. The soft carpeted floor felt amazing under his feet. He gripped the bedside table and tried to haul himself into a standing position. The bathroom wasn't all that far away. He could probably make it there and back. Sure, he was a little wobbly, but that's what the wall was for. Very carefully, he began to shuffle past the sleeping wizard toward the open door of the washroom. One painful-yet-exciting step at a time. He was doing it! He was actually doing it! 

Leaning heavily against the wall, Tony managed to maneuver himself out of the pajama bottoms long enough to take care of his business. Didn't even splash any on the floor! This was going to be a piece of cake. When he was finished, he flushed and fixed his clothing again, turning to make his way back to the bed. That's when he ran into a snag. 

Literally. A loose thread on the carpet caught on his foot, and he found himself all at once toppling to the floor in an undignified heap. Even the pain was fantastic. He could feel everything again. Laughing, he rolled onto his back and looking up at the ceiling. 

Stephen was beside him at once, looking down at him with annoyance. 

"You could have woken me, you know."

"And disturb you? You looked like a sleeping angel."

The sorcerer sighed and knelt down, pulling Tony's arm around his own shoulders and then slowly standing up to bring the man to his feet again. They walked back to the bed, and Stephen helped him situate himself under the covers once more.

"How do you feel?"

"Like a billion dollars. Hungry though." 

"That's a good sign. I'll send for breakfast." Stephen closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating, then opened them. "There. Holly will see to it within fifteen minutes. She's already up, I can hear her singing."

"Did you just...call your servant with your mind?"

"Yes. The staff respond to the ringing of a bell on the wall nearest to their current position. Wong and I can ring the bell by exerting a very small amount of magic. Of course, Wong and the rest of the staff are away at the moment. It's just the three of us here now. But Holly's very capable. She manages the household's needs well."

Tony mulled that over, wondering why he'd never hired servants. Well, the robots did just about everything he needed. But they weren't exactly alive. Maybe he should consider having a staff too at some point in the future. Pepper might like to have someone else do the housework.