A Revelation of Rain

Honor

Stephen awoke first to the sound of a gentle tap on the door. He looked beside him, to where Tony was sprawled on his stomach in a tangle of sheets, sound asleep. Slowly, so as not to disturb him, Stephen got out of bed and went to the door to open it. 

Holly stood in the hall with a breakfast tray in her hands. Two empty mugs and a pot of steaming tea, two covered plates, glasses of juice, a bowl of fruit, and a small vase of fresh cut lilacs from the bushes out front. She smiled up at him, and from her pleased expression and the number of plates on the tray, he could tell that she knew perfectly well what the previous night had entailed. 

"Good morning, Master. I trust you slept well?"

"I did, thank you. I...think Tony did as well." Stephen glanced behind him to the man in the bed. "Still is, as a matter of fact. You can bring that in, thank you."

She did, carrying the tray to the low coffee table by the loveseat and the two high backed armchairs. Once she set it down, she turned to look up at the sorcerer. 

"Would you like me to run you a bath, sir?"

"Not this morning, I think. I'd prefer a shower. Come out onto the balcony with me, will you?"

"Of course." 

They moved quietly past the bed and then out through the French doors to the veranda, where they could talk without waking Tony. Taking a seat on the wrought iron bench, Holly turned to him and reached for both of his hands, holding them lightly.

"Before you say anything, Master, I want to tell you that anything which brings you joy is perfectly wonderful. And right. And good. You don't need to feel ashamed or awkward about any of this. Tony clearly loves you a great deal. And I love you a great deal. I'm sure I speak for both of us when I tell you that your happiness is important."

Stephen looked down at their hands, then lifted Holly's right one to his lips and kissed her wrist. He sighed.

"This is all just so unexpected. Not sudden, exactly, but certainly not anticipated. Last night we got caught in the rain on the roof, soaked to the skin. When we came inside, he wanted to take a hot shower, and he invited me to join him. I stood in the middle of my bedroom for a good five minutes, listening to the water running, trying to decide what to do. I thought about just leaving."

"But instead, you joined him."

"Yes. It may have been one of the most nerve wracking moments of my life. But you know what? The second I stepped into that shower, I just calmed down. Suddenly, everything was alright. The torment of the last few years just melted away, and there he was. Alive and real, and wanting me. Only he wasn't a coward about admitting it."

"No one who knows you even slightly would ever call you a coward, Master. This was just something you never considered before."

"I've had lovers in the past. All of them were female. I assumed I was straight, completely."

"You know sir, it's possible to be one thing your whole life, and then suddenly develop feelings for a particular soul. Feelings that you can't deny or ignore. You may not be attracted to men at all." She touched his shoulder, and he looked at her. "You might just be attracted to Tony. He's such a force of nature, he rather seems to transcend notions of gender."

"That might be the nicest compliment anyone's ever paid me." Tony said from the doorway. He was naked, wrapped in one of the bedsheets, and he was grinning. Holly gave her Master's shoulder a final squeeze of love and reassurance, and rose to her feet.

"Good morning, Mr. Stark. I've brought you a little breakfast, if you're hungry."

"Oh, famished. This wild beast here totally exhausted me last night. Is there coffee?"