"Stark! You hear me? You have a missile headed straight for the city."

"How long?"

"Three minutes. Max. The payload will wipe out Midtown."

"Jarvis, put everything we got into the thrusters."

"I just did." He jetted away from the city and toward the new oncoming threat.

"I can close it. Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down." Natasha's words were both a blessing and a curse to his ears.

"Do it!"

"No! Cap, Natasha, I got a nuke coming in, and I know just where to put it." Tony came up under the missile and took over its trajectory. He guided it up towards the open portal, dodging the golden disks blocking the way and shot through the wormhole.

Silence.

There was his breath and nothing else.

Jarvis flickered out, and he was alone.

His breath stuttered, eyes watering as he took in the vast army before him.

His oxygen was getting low, a black haze beginning to creep over his vision.

And then...

A golden rope came over him and tugged Tony back as he gave into the darkness.

…

…

…

Jolting awake with the echo of Hulk's roar still vibrating through him, Tony felt only relief; he was still in this life. Still lacking the love of his life, but not lacking his life.

He looked up at his teammates.

Steve.

Bruce.

Thor.

Stephen.

Natasha.

Hawkeye.

...

Stephen?

Tony stared at the figure kneeling just a couple feet to his left. His vision began to blur again and his throat was so tight as he struggled to say a single word.

"Stephen?"

"Hello, Tony." He sobbed violently, body jerking up from the asphalt and driving daggers of pain into his ribs. But Stephen was there. Pushing him back down with Rogers on the other side, looking worried but wary of this stranger in their midst.

"Tony, do you know this guy?"

"Know him? Cap, I love him. I have a ring picked out for him." Stephen blushed and looked almost heartbroken at his words.

"Tony, I'm so sorry I left."

"Shut up." Everyone around him blinked in surprise. "Captain. Do you guys got this? I have something important, something private, to speak about with this guy."

"Uh, yeah, You...you're dismissed." Tony levered himself to his feet (okay so Jarvis got him to his feet), and took Stephen's arm, leading him away from the others, all the while incredibly aware of eyes boring into the back of his skull. He got them as far as around the nearest building corner before he threw his arms around the other man, pulling him into a tight embrace. Stephen buried his nose in Tony's hair and the pair let go; weeping for the time lost, and releasing all of the pent-up fear to be replaced with relief. Stephen was alive.

Tony wasn't sure how long they stood there, just clutching at each other and feeling the other breathe but, eventually, they had to move. A quinjet flew past and they separated slowly, wiping their eyes and looking at each other. Stephen's hand cradling Tony's face and were shaking like a leaf. And Tony...Tony was looking at his Stephen. His Stephen who had somehow become his old Stephen.

Stephen's hair bore the silver streaks he had watched the stars glint of high in the clouds. His hands were shaking and covered in those hideous yellow gloves he had vowed to burn. And his clothes, those robes...Tony knew how to take those robes off, and he knew how to stroke the fluttering cloak with a gentle hand as it would do anything to protect its master.

"St…" Tony swallowed hard before he could try again. "Stephen. Why?"

"I'm so sorry Tony. I had so stupidly answered the phone in the car, and then I was waking up in the hospital and my hands were destroyed. I couldn't be a doctor anymore. I…I wasn't good enough for you anymore. I…" Tony crushed the babbling man back against him, a hand at the base of his skull pressing him close so he could whisper quietly.

"Stephen. Your soul was the only thing I had ever cared about." He felt Stephen jerk against him, sobbing almost violently from the emotion in his words, but Tony continued. "I have always loved you, Stephen. I will love you until the universe itself decides to end me. I. Love. You."

"I love you." The words were tiny in their utterance but strong with emotion and Tony pressed his eyes shut against the burning stream of tears. They stayed in their embrace, the cloak wrapping itself around them as they swayed gently together until Tony's com chimed.

"Stark. You are needed at the debrief aboard the carrier. Bring your… friend with you."

"Heh, I don't think Steve likes you, Stephen." The man pulled away just enough to raise his head to look at Tony.

"I haven't even met him."

"I'll-we'll be right there Cap." Tony gently thumbed away the lingering tears on Stephen's face and pressed a delicate kiss upon his nose, glad to see Stephen's eyes crinkled in happy laughter. They were together.

Fury was not happy about this impromptu addition to the team but Thor's jubilant proclamations of Stephen's 'great magic wielded against the enemy' granted him, at least a temporary, pass. Tony finally learned of Selvig getting free of the mind control, and the information he had given that had allowed their win. Tony tried to give the room as much attention as he could but really he only had attention for the hand in his, held tight under the edge of the table. He didn't even realize they had been dismissed until Stephen was tugging him up and out of the room.

"Tony, let's go home."

He would like to say that had been it. That they returned to the tower, now woefully in need of repair, and that it was like they had never been apart.

But this was reality. And the truth was, that they were nearly strangers again. Tony had his experiences with Obadiah and the torture he had been through and Stephen; Stephen had darkness lurking in the back of his eyes that brought screams in the night. An endless chanting that he remembered… Dormammu, I've come to bargain. Stephen had refused to tell him then, and he refused now. He should have known.