Max can't say she was shocked when there was a timid knock on the door of her apartment that night. She looked down at herself noting that she probably looked odd with an oversized t-shirt, sweatpants, and a mouth full of takeout, but she shrugged it off. After setting her food aside and brushing herself off, she slowly made her way over to the door.

"Who is it?" she called through the door.

"Who else?" Stephen's voice replied.

She was caught between letting him in and telling him to go away. She decided she'd settle for speaking her mind until she could decide.

"I'm pissed at you!"

"I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry," he replied, "I just...I wanted to help. I hated waiting so much."

"You think I like waiting around for this to blow up in our faces? I'm not thrilled about any of this either, but...you could have at least told me before you showed up."

"I know. We can talk about it now, if you want. Just...let me in."

"I don't wanna talk about it!"

"We can talk about anything else. Anything you want."

"Go home, Stephen," she groaned.

He went silent for a minute, but she could tell that he hadn't moved to leave. Her resolution crumbled at the soft, broken sound.

"Please…"

She was still frustrated with him and had no intention of opening the door, but she felt herself reaching for the doorknob anyway. There was a faint click before the door slowly opened. She peered around it, not yet opening it all the way, to see Stephen standing there sadly, in his usual odd attire, holding a small bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Don't shut me out," he pleaded softly.

Her mind screamed at her to close the door, even to just prove a point. Instead, she opened the door the rest of the way and jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. With a deep sigh of relief, he held her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"I want it to work," he muttered.

"Me too."

He was content to just hold her, but she pulled away too soon.

"Did...did you bring me flowers?"

"They're a fairly pathetic apology when I think about it," Stephen noted, shifting awkwardly.

"They're beautiful."

She stepped aside, allowing him to enter. The cloak detached itself and floated near the door, silently protecting the apartment. Stephen handed Max the sad bunch of flowers, as she buzzed into the kitchen to put them in water. He watched her silently, still lingering by the door.

"I'm not mad," she sighed, trying to reassure him.

He didn't make any move to step closer in the room just yet. She walked up to him, gently taking his hands into her small ones before slowly and sweetly kissing his cheek.

"I don't want to be here right now."

"I know that it's hard right now, but we're going to get through-"

His words faded out when she started to laugh a bit.

"Stephen, I didn't mean in this situation," she clarified, "I meant I don't want to be here at my apartment."

"Do you want me to go?"

"Don't. You. Dare."

She leaned forward, still holding his hands while resting her head on his shoulder.

"I just...I wanna go hide from the world somewhere. Just us."

"Well…" he offered, "Come home with me."

She nodded against his chest, before backing up a step. He tilted her chin up and leaned down to kiss her, hoping that she wouldn't reject the affection. When she eagerly returned the kiss, his tension seemed to fade.

"Go get what you need, alright?"

She nodded once more and scurried around the room grabbing her shoes, jacket, and bag. Her keys and phone were quickly grabbed off of the coffee table and tossed into her bag, as she walked back toward Stephen. When she was finished, he'd already opened a gate to his own house. Stepping up through the gate, he turned back and offered a hand.

"Come on."

Max smiled and grabbed his hand, stepping up into his house after him. After a pause, an expectant whistle came back through the gateway before the Cloak of Levitation sped through after them and the gate closed.

In the house, Max still held onto Stephen's hand, following along after him while looking around the hall. Sure, she'd been to his house plenty of times, but the old museum like mansion never ceased to amaze her. He paused at the top of a staircase, shouting down to see if anyone was home.

"Wong?"

There was no answer.

"Is he back?" Max asked.

"He comes and goes," Stephen shrugged, "Doesn't seem to be here now, which means…"

He pulled her in to kiss her again, with a deeper and more desperate kiss.

"...I have you all to myself."

Max's face became dusted with pink across her cheeks. A sight which Stephen was sure he would never get tired of. With a knowing smile, he walked her further up the stairs until they reached the top floor, facing up at the oculus window that was designed in the seal of the Vishanti.

"You said you wanted away from the world?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Oh, I think I would."

He walked up closer to the window, stepping up to place a hand on the cool glass. Max stepped up behind him, looking through at the streets down below them.

"Is this where you go? To get away from it?"

"It is. I find it...calming. Almost isolated."

"Until now?"

With a sweet smile, he turned toward her.

"I suppose so. I never thought the view would be better shared, but it seems it is."

"This place is a sanctuary, Stephen," she pointed out in awe.

"It's a defense and a museum, but I never thought to look at it as an escape."

"Think about it," she mused, "It's a mansion filled with history, knowledge, and possibility. Sure, I guess it can be seen as dangerous or "weird," but to me, this place is a palace."

"I guess, for a perk of a job promotion, it's alright."

"Don't ruin the moment!" she teased.

His hands rested uneasily on her hips as he kissed her again, trying to find some way to convey just how much she meant to him in one kiss. As she always did, he happily melted into him, letting him pull her flush against him to deepen the kiss. She ran her fingers gently through his hair, encouraging him not to pull away from her. When he did inevitably have to break the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers, breathing in her very presence. He knew how beautiful she was, but, seeing her now in his arms, smile illuminated by the bright light of Vishanti, he had a new appreciation for just how beautiful she was. It wasn't just her physical beauty that he was drawn to. He could see her brilliant and caring heart shining through her large hazel eyes as she looked up at him. Everything about this creature in his arms was breathtaking to him. The selfish part of his mind just wanted her to stay there forever, never leaving the sanctuary that she loved so much. He could keep her here, safe, away from the world and its problems. He wanted to hoard her away to never again have to share her with the Avengers or anyone else. Even if she was, he hoped, his, he reminded himself that she was also her own. She had her own life and dreams and goals beyond even these walls. It hurt him more than he'd ever realized that he couldn't be a part of it.

"You're drifting off," Max mentioned, placing a gentle hand on his face, "Come back to me."

"Stay."

She looked at him curiously for a moment, surprised as his request.

"What?"

"Stay. With me. Here."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Not just now…"

"Well, how long do you want me to stay? I have work in the mor-mmph…"

She was cut off when he roughly kissed her again.

"Call off tomorrow. Say you're sick or...anything. Just don't go."

"I can stay for a while, but-...oh, no. Don't give me that wounded puppy face. Don't you dare! Stop it! Stephen, I'm not joking!"

The large soulful blue eyes just continued to look into her, pleading his case for him.

"I can't just…"

WIth a frustrated groan, she shook her head a bit and threw her hands up before letting them smack down against her sides again.

"Okay, fine. But I can't stay too long and I need to go and get some things."

"I'm not so sure," he mentioned, holding her hand to lead her to follow him as he continued further into the house.

They stopped outside a door in the same hallway as Stephen's room. He pushed the door open to reveal a large, comfortable bedroom, already set up for housing guests.

"I wasn't sure if you would say yes to ever spending more time here, so...I was ready just in case."

On the corner of the bed sat a duffel bag, very similar to the one that she had pulled out at her apartment.

"Is that for-...?
"It only seems fair."

She looked around the ornate room with a smile, but it quickly sank.

"What's wrong? You don't like it?"

"Oh, no, I do. It's just…"

"What?"

"Can't I...stay with you?"

"In all honesty, I was really hoping you would ask that," he admitted, ringing his hands slightly anxiously.

"Is that a yes?" she wondered, placing her hand on his chest.

"Always."

Max left the duffel bag on the corner of Stephen's bed after she had rummaged through it. It was more more extensive than the one that she'd had prepared in that she could probably stay here for a few days, just living in borrowed clothes from Stephen. She used the connected bathroom to wash up for bed.

"Hey," she asked, ducking her head back into the bedroom, "Why doesn't the master bedroom have a full bathroom? It's only a half."

"All of the bathrooms are full bath," Stephen answered, "Step out here."

Max did as he asked, stepping into his room as he closed the bathroom door.

"Bath or shower?" he asked casually.

"Hmm...bath."

With ease, he grabbed the handle and slid it across the door to the other side, leaving no traces that the hardware hadn't been installed on that side to begin with.

"How did…"

He opened the door the other direction now, revealing a much different bathroom. Instead of a traditional bathroom, the room was now a large bathhouse, with smooth stone and candles surrounding a large, in-ground tub of fresh, hot water. The ceiling of the circular room had large glass windows, looking up into a brilliant and star filled night sky that could never have belonged to the view above Bleecker Street. Max gaped at the sight, taking in the surrounding room as she stepped forward into it.

"Is this a bathtub or a pool?!" she laughed, "That's straight up crazy!"

She turned around to look back at him in the doorway, revealing her brilliant smile to him.

"If I'd have known you had this, I would have been here a lot more!" she joked.

"You're welcome to it. There are fresh towels and the water always changes itself out to be clean and hot."

"So...I can use this? Like, now?!"

"Of course."

"This is where you'll find me for the next year or so," she accepted with a content sigh.

"I would offer to join you," he teased with a smirk, "But I know that you have reservations about that kind of-"

It was his turn to be cut off by a kiss as she quickly captures his lips with her own. When she pulled away, one of her hands grabbed his. With the other, she made a beckoning motion with her finger as she backed further into the room, pulling him with her.

"Alright then," he accepted, pushing the door closed behind them.