Work Text:
"Could you…?"
Stephen reacted to Tony's gentle touch before he could even process the words. He shifted to the side, acutely aware how careful Tony was with his hurting neck when he positioned him on his right side.
"Like this, baby, yes. Good."
Stephen shivered at the faint praise and allowed himself to sink deeper into the feeling of contentment that had taken over him the moment Tony had put his hands on his body.
He shivered once again when Tony pushed his left leg forwards, exposing him fully. But the expected touch didn't come. Instead Tony stroked over his back and the sensitive skin between his thighs, all the while keeping up a steady stream of encouragement and endearment.
By the time he finally pushed the first finger into Stephen he was so relaxed that he could barely feel the intrusion. But he could feel Tony's cock pressing into him moments later very well and was a panting mess by the time Tony was finished with him.
Later, cleaned up and held tightly in Tony's arms, he realized that he once again had done nothing but lie there and take it up that ass without any participation from his side. He closed his eyes and hid his face against Tony's chest in a desperate attempt to hide his rising blush.
Thankfully Tony interpreted his hiding differently. "You're taking my fingers and cock so beautifully; I'm half tempted to plug you up to keep you open and ready for me at all times," he said while his clever fingers found their way into Stephen's body once again.
Stephen moaned and moved into the touch. He hoped that the wordless gesture communicated his consent. Maybe he still had little bit time left before Tony noticed that Stephen couldn't hold himself together enough to actually react to him and before he grew tired of having a partner who just shut down and became a posable doll the moment Tony put his hands on him.
*
Stephen tried to and failed to fight against the blush that appeared the moment Tony came up from behind, put his arms around his waist and his hands around his wrists. The gentle squeezing that followed was his final undoing.
"Shh, I've got you, baby. Just relax and let me take care of you."
There was a world of promise in the softly spoken words and Stephen shivered before he felt himself almost melt against Tony despite his best intentions to hold out this time. He would not give in he'd promised himself. He would not turn into some weak thing, just being dragged along and told what to do.
Tony wordlessly encouraged him to lean back even further. "I can take your weight. Just let go."
Stephen followed the not-quite command without thinking before the tensed up and struggled to break free for a second or so. The fight almost went out of him the moment Tony pressed a light kiss against the pulse point on his neck. He stayed tense but didn't try to break free anymore.
It couldn't be exciting for Tony to have to do anything by himself after all. A little bit of participation was surely expected from him and just lying here and letting himself be carefully arranged by Tony before getting fucked into the mattress wasn't enough.
It had never been before and it couldn't be now.
"Please, my love," Tony said and just held him tighter. His right hand found its way under Stephen's loose tunic and started to draw patterns low on his stomach while the left one came to rest on Stephen's throat and squeezed. Not hard enough to hinder his breathing but hard enough to be felt and make swallowing a conscious gesture. "Stephen. Let go." This time there was an definite order in there and Stephen, against all promises to himself, felt himself relax immediately.
Fuck. Not again. Please. I have to…
"Perfect, you're doing so well."
The earnestly meant praise made Stephen dizzy and he swallowed, hard.
"Oh, you like that? Being told how good you're doing? How beautiful you look when you let go? When you take everything I decide to give to you without even the pretense of struggling against it?" He gently forced Stephen's head a little bit forwards to expose the back of his neck. "I've seen so many things and none of them has been more beautiful or awe-inspiring as those moments when you surrender to me and allow me complete control over you."
Stephen gasped as Tony bit down; not hard enough to draw blood but hard enough to leave a mark. I can't, a voice inside of him screamed but it was drowned out by the feeling of pure bliss that crashed over his whole body.
He shuddered all over and felt himself slip away.
"Stephen?" Tony's voice drew him back and to his surprise he found himself still standing in front of the mirror of their shared bedroom.
Stephen swallowed and forced himself to keep his head bowed and his eyes closed. He couldn't look at Tony, not now.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Tony didn't laugh but he hugged Stephen even tighter. "What the hell for?"
"For being…" He broke off, incapable of articulating what was going on in his mind.
"For being what? Gorgeous? Beautiful? Willing? Mine?" There was a short pause. "Submissive?"
Stephen shuddered at having the word he'd barely been able to think thrown at him. That, coupled with his silence, was damning enough. Of course Tony had seen. This was it, then. "I…," he started but there were not words. 'Submissive' was the only word that described what Stephen became under Tony's gentle ministrations and no matter how hard he tried to fight against it he never won. It just felt so damn good to just let go and let Tony take care of him in all ways.
Let Tony take him. Period.
"Oh, Stephen," Tony sighed. "I'm sorry. Fuck, I'm an idiot. I should have noticed."
"Noticed what?"
Stephen let himself be turned around and didn't offer any resistance when Tony put two fingers under his chin and gently encouraged him to raise his head. But he kept his eyes closed.
"That you've never done this before. You've responded so beautifully right from the beginning that I thought…" He trailed off. "But in truth it was all instinctively, right? God, Stephen, you're amazing."
The earnest prize confused Stephen and when he opened his eyes he was blown away by the love and adoration on Tony's face.
"Tony?" he asked, more insecure than he'd felt in ages. He could feel the blush on his face and could feel his hands tremble even more than usual. He put them on Tony's hips to keep them as still as possible.
Tony smiled at him, that brilliant grin that could light up the whole world. "So beautifully responsive and I'm the first person so see it, right?" He still held up Stephen's head with his fingers and put his other hand on the back Stephen's neck to keep his head still. The support felt amazing actually and Stephen could feel himself relax into the hold. "You don't even fully realize how you respond to me, do you?"
"I know that I become an useless thing that just lets himself be arranged to your liking," Stephen whispered, hardly able to hold Tony's gaze. He could see the sudden sorrow in them. "Someone who just gives in and lets you do all the work while I just lie there, too stunned to do anything for you."
"That's how you see yourself, then?" Tony's smile became sad. "That explains your reactions, actually. I'm stupid; I should have seen it before. You don't even know what you need, let alone how this works."
It wasn't a question and Stephen didn't treat it as one. Instead he just shook his head while his thoughts tried to race in a thousand different directions at once. Remembering, catalogizing, trying to fit everything together.
Submissive Tony had called him and the word felt somehow right despite rattling the very foundations of his sense of self at the same time. He couldn't, shouldn't…
"Shh, you're thinking too much again, my love. We have to shut that lovely mind of yours down to allow you to relax and just feel and you're going to have to learn to do that. God, I'm so sorry that I've failed you so far. I'm going to do better from now on. Here, come on." While speaking Tony had led Stephen over to the bed. "You have to choose now, Stephen. We're going to sit down here and we're going to talk."
"That doesn't sound like much of a choice." The holding part sounded heavenly, the talking part less so and Stephen made sure to communicate that fact with his expression.
Tony just smiled at him, gentle and understanding. "The choice is if you want to do it face to face or if you want to be in my arms and hide your face while doing it."
It wasn't a choice, not really, and Tony, the sly bastard knew that. But Stephen was already half caught in state of fugue that took over him whenever Tony took control over their love life and followed with barely any resistance.
Submissive, indeed. It was time to face some uncomfortable facts.
They ended up on the bed; Tony sitting with his back to the headboard and Stephen in his lap, his head on Tony's shoulder.
At first there was silence. Silence and Tony's soothing strokes down Stephen's back. Over and over again.
"I'm sorry," Tony repeated after long minutes. "I should have seen that I'm overwhelming you and that you don't know what's going on. I thought that we're on the same page but you haven't even seen the prologue of the book, yet."
Stephen didn't ask what book Tony meant. He was a clueless idiot with his own desires, as he'd just demonstrated beautifully, but he wasn't stupid. "I've never responded to anyone as I do to you," he finally whispered. Tony shivered when his breath hit the sensitive skin of his neck and Stephen felt himself relax a little bit.
"Do you have any experience?" Tony deliberately didn't clarify which experience; not that he needed to.
That one was harder. Stephen swallowed, hard, and shoved the memories brutally down. "No. I've always been more concerned with my career and reputation than some sort of role-play." It had been something completely different anyway and also ages ago. It didn't matter anymore.
There was a frustrated sound but Tony's touch stayed gentle. "This is not some kind of role-play and I think that you know that. Fuck, I'm really going to have to teach you the very basics, right?" He gathered Stephen closer, hugging him tightly. "It's good this happened now, actually," he whispered directly into Stephen's ear. "I wanted to introduce some new elements into our playtime. I would have overwhelmed and maybe even hurt you. I'm so sorry I didn't see it before."
"Don't be." Tony constantly apologizing to him for things that weren't his fault was getting tiresome. "It's not your fault."
"Hm. Debatable. But that means that I have my very own, very inexperienced virgin to play with - after we work out some ground rules that could be fun, don't you think?"
This time it wasn't Tony's breath that made Stephen shudder, it was the delightfully debauched pictures the words evoked in his mind. He couldn't even protest against the words 'innocent' and 'virgin', not in that context, and that gave the whole thing an extra thrill. Fear and insecurity became arousal and desperate want.
"I'm yours to do with as you wish." The words came easier than anticipated.
Tony just held on to him. "Not yet. But you will be, in time."
I already am and I didn't even notice it happening. But he kept silent, sensing that Tony wasn't yet ready to hear it. He'd tell him later, when he'd actually learned what he'd been only fumbling through these last few weeks. Learning to shut his mind down sounded heavenly, actually.
Stephen fell asleep in Tony's arms with the vague promises of a better time to come dancing around in his mind.
Tony looked down at Stephen who was finally resting peacefully. There were things to talk about, to plan, he had to learn to be what Stephen needed him to be…
Later, he decided. For now he was content to watch Stephen sleeping in his arms. Loved and safe from harm. Considering how Stephen had responded to him from the very first moment on it was almost unbelievable that he'd gone through decades of his life without realizing his submissive tendencies. But then, from the little he knew of Stephen's past, sex had never been his priority and it seemed he had neglected himself for far longer than Tony had previously realized.
I'm sorry, he thought once again. I'll try to do better from now on. He carefully let Stephen down to rest on the mattress; it was better for his neck. Stephen groaned and shifted around a little before settling down again.
Tony watched him with a smile and made sure to keep in constant contact since he'd realized a while ago that being touched and held grounded and calmed Stephen even while he was sleeping.
"Beloved," he whispered, trying out the word he'd been toying with for a while now, and smiled. Yes, that was a fitting name. When Stephen was ready he would learn to respond to it like to his own. Tony pressed a soft kiss against the dark hair and continued his soothing stroking, trying to keep Stephen asleep for as long as possible.
There would be time for everything later.
He looked up to see the Cloak watching them from its usual resting place near the mirror, its thoughts and wants clear for once.
"Come on then," Tony said and gestured invitingly.
It came immediately and settled like a blanket over both of them, wrapping one of Stephen's wrists up in a secure but not too tight hold. Stephen moaned and relaxed even further.
"Interesting. You'll show me what he likes? I'd appreciate it."
The Cloak nodded and gently touched Tony's chest, right over his heart; where the arc-reactor had once been.
Tony put his hand over the fabric and nodded. There was no need for any more words.