- Hiraeth -

... Three ...

ROOIBOS -

As discussed, Stephen and Tony met at Sunny's Side. Stephen had arrived first, since he couldn't drive and didn't want Tony to see him use a portal. For ten minutes, he waited, worried that his grey sweatpants and maroon sweatshirt - which was actually his cloak - would be too casual for the occasion. His anxiety was put to rest, however, when he saw Stark in basketball shorts and an AC/DC t-shirt.

"Doc!" Tony called once he caught sight of the other. He'd been secretly doubting that Stephen would even show up. It wouldn't be the first time he'd been fooled by a gorgeous man.

"Stark." Stephen nodded once, a small smile gracing his lips. He couldn't help but notice that the other hadn't bothered to fix his hair before coming. That was okay, though. It was understandable and, admittedly, kind of cute.

Tony finally caught up to his taller companion. He rubbed his eyes and gave a small yawn before continuing to speak. "You kidnapping me or what?" He remarked, a wicked grin plastered onto his face.

At the comment, Stephen's smile grew. "Now that's an idea. I'm just upset that I hadn't thought of it first." He began walking, gesturing for Tony to come along with him.

It was almost as if Strange was a different person than he'd been that morning. His smile was radiant, and he carried himself differently. What had changed in the hours between their meetings?

For a while, the two enjoyed strolling in silence. It was comfortable, knowing that neither of them had to say anything. They could bask freely in each other's presence, without need for endless chatter. Eventually, Tony broke the thick coat of quiet.

"I think... I think I really needed this." He realized aloud before turning to face the other. "Thanks."

Stephen hesitated for a bit before resting a gloved hand on Tony's shoulder and looking into his deep, chocolate eyes. "No problem." His smile faltered as he realized that Tony was shaking. Of course he was cold, he was wearing shorts! It would've been so easy to cast a warming spell... just hovering his fingers over Tony's body for a moment. But then he'd have to remove his gloves, and explain himself. No, there had to be a better way. "Do you want my sweatshirt?"

I'm living a cliché. Tony thought, snickering to himself. "Sure, string bean. But won't you be cold?" It was a legitimate concern. Even if this didn't necessarily count as self-sacrifice, Tony didn't want Stephen to compromise his comfort.

"I'll survive." Strange shook his head before lifting the sweater off of his torso. He held it out to Tony, who pinched the fabric between his fingers, then put it on. It nearly reached the engineer's knees, which caused the former doctor to laugh almost uncontrollably. "I guess I never noticed how small you are." He teased, watching the shorter man struggle to pull up the sleeves of-

Shoot.

That's Stephen's cloak. He'd have to get it back somehow, eventually. For now, he supposed that it would be alright. The cloak didn't seem to mind anyway.

"Alright, enough bullying." Tony poked Stephen in the chest playfully, maybe letting it linger a bit too long. "Why don't we start heading back? It's... nearly 5? Jeez, I didn't think we were bs-ing around for that long." Although he was having a good time, Stark felt overwhelmingly tired. Any normal person would probably be able to power through such a feeling, but it was so foreign to him that it was almost like a blanket over him. Fatigue engulfed him in its warm embrace... and he didn't mind.

So Stephen walked Tony home, after at least two entire minutes of harmless bickering about whether or not the latter would make it back on his own, considering how tired he was. Of course, he wouldn't admit that he was sleepy, not even for a second. Showing weakness was never a Stark patented trait, but there was something about Stephen that made the engineer feel at ease about his vulnerabilities.

"So..." Once at his door, Tony turned to the taller male. He grinned, despite his annoyance at their height differences. His hands fumbled with the trim of his borrowed sweatshirt. Why was he nervous? This never happened before. But... Strange's eyes, boring holes into his soul, crumbled every defense in the billionaire's repertoire. "I'm having a party this weekend. Saturday. It's really just friends, not like the usual 'Stark Parties'." He highlighted his words with air quotes, trying to act nonchalant. "It'd be neat if you could make it, I guess. Besides, I have to pay you back for tonight somehow." Just for fun, Tony threw in a wink. He almost purred, seeing how it made Stephen scowl in mock indignation.

"You don't have to-" Stephen shook his head, smiling to himself and giving Tony a small laugh. "Maybe I'll see you there, Stark."

————————

"Seriously, Spidey?" Wade sighed unnecessarily loudly, looking to Peter with pleading eyes. "I took my mask off, told you EVERYTHING about me. If I wanted to kill you or any of your friends, I woulda done it already." Understandably, Wilson was getting frustrated with Peter's whole 'secret identity' thing. They were soulmates, for crying out loud!

However, Peter knew that not every soulmate worked out like it was supposed to. He was wary. He planned to, eventually, take off his mask like Wade had done. Admittedly, the mercenary's looks had surprised Peter. His entire face was scarred and burnt-looking, but the joy on Wade's face was absolutely stunning. Parker had never been one to judge a book by its cover, and this was no exception. He thought that it made his soulmate look strong, and he felt an odd sense of pride looking at him.

"I know, I know." Peter rubbed at his arm, where only three days ago, his flesh had burst into color. It was Saturday morning, the day of Tony's small party, and the teen had planned on inviting Wade. He had to trust him first, and there was only one way to do that. Taking a deep breath, he gripped his mask, and pulled it off of his face. "I'm Peter. Peter Parker."

Wade could have shat himself right then and there.

Peter was absolutely gorgeous. It took quite a while for Wilson to find his voice, as he took in every glorious feature of his soulmate. From his chestnut hair that fell beautifully onto his forehead, to his sharp jawline, Parker was perfect. The complete opposite of himself. However, this thought only crossed his mind for a split second before he swallowed the lump in his throat and whispered. "Zoo-wee mama."

Peter laughed, propelled by nerves and the sheer awkwardness of it all. "So uh, there's a little party thing at Tony- uh.. Iron man's place. I'll pick you up at 7?"

Wade nodded, still in complete shock. He couldn't wait to get to know his soulmate.