"You need to stop, Steve." Tony's hand caught his partner's wrist as the man walked past the bed, "It's too much."
"What do you mean?" Steve frowned, his confusion mixing with offence. He peered down at Tony who was sat on the edge of their bed. The joker's usually smirking face was plagued by lines of worry. This was not the Tony he'd fallen in love with.
"Look at yourself and tell me that's healthy." He gestured to the mirror on the front of the cupboard.
Hesitantly, Steve Rogers turned. His blue-grey eyes inspecting the reflection that stood before him. Dark, heavy bruises discoloured the area beneath his eyes due to lack of sleep and his hair fell messily over his forehead. Scrapes and bruises littered not only his face but also the rest of his body. A smear of dry blood was marking his cheek where a cut had bled during the night. He blinked sluggishly, taking in this image.
"This can't be me." Steve murmured, his fingers touching his pale skin. His brow was low in confusion.
"You can't expect any different." Tony stated, "You're exposed out there so you're bound to get hurt."
Cap shrugged and made to move towards the drawers to get dressed but his partner stopped him again by tightening his grip on the man's wrist.
"You need rest. After over a month without a day of rest you deserve it. Nobody works as hard as you do." He stopped to watch how Steve was taking the suggestion, "You need to heal."
There was silence as Steve pondered his options. Eventually he relented and sighed as he allowed himself to be pulled back onto the bed.
Stark pulled him close and wrapped the blanket around both of them. He could feel his partner relax into the embrace; finally releasing the pent up tension he'd amassed over the last months. It didn't take long for Steve to drift back into sleep and Tony soon followed suit.
They were still in this position when Natasha came in looking for them. They hadn't heard from the pair all day so began to get concerned and Nat had volunteered to investigate. She quickly slipped back out the door with a grin on her face. They really were adorable.
