By irnstrangethot
Tony wasn’t sure how everything happened but his mind kept replaying the moments as he took steps towards the man who laid on the ground. He could hear his shaking breaths, he could see his scarred hands over his eyes, and he could feel the pain radiating off of him.
Everything had happened so fast.
The two of them had been called out on a mission specifically by Fury. Some woman was discovered to have powers that made stings of plasma shoot from her hands. She was classified as a mutant and needed to be brought in or even just talked to to settle her down. When they got there, she was afraid. Tony could see it in her pale blue eyes and her heaving chest. His partner did what he usually did. He used his soothing voice, trying to calm her down. His green, stormy merman eyes seemed to help a little. He had looked gorgeous through the whole process, Tony including his own commentary. She almost seemed like she wanted to go with them.
But then someone came. Tony had no idea who /they/ even were. He had guessed Hydra but there wasn’t much time to guess. As men ran up and started to grab her, she started to fight back by raising her hands and shooting out the yellow stings. Tony suited up while his partner’s hands majestically conjured up a spell, orange sparks flying.
“You lied to me!” the woman hissed, her eyes glazed with fury and sorrow.
“This isn’t our men!” his partner replied, “Just calm down we can get you out of here. We’re only here to help you”. Tony nodded in agreement, his hands out and ready to blast the men who had come in. There was tension as everyone waited for each other to make the first move even the first breath. There was silence clinging to the air. Tony‘s heart beat loudly in his ears making him bite down on his lip.
But that’s when his partner made a stupid mistake which caused this whole mess. Though his intentions weren’t stupid, his heart was controlling him more then his mind. Or maybe he was rushing, Tony had no idea but he was left to just watch everything unfold.
“Trust us”, he started, taking a step with his magic settling down and disappearing. This caused the girl to jump and shoot her sting, sending his partner back. Tony immediately called S.H.I.E.L.D, the new agents running in to help the mutant while the others got to the guys on the other side of the woman. Tony made sure everything was ok before he took off to go help his partner.
And here he was walking over to the man on the ground. Before he knew it, Tony was on his knees beside the sorcerer looking for where the sting met him.
“Steph, where did it hit you”, Tony asked quickly, placing a gentle hand on Stephen’s scarred hands that laid over his eyes. The man didn’t answer, still taking in deep breaths. Tony gently took his hands off of Stephen’s face murmuring soft words to him to ease him. Then he saw the dilemma.
It was like the sting had become a poison on his face, maybe even an acid. Stephen’s eyes only stared up but Tony could smell the burning of skin and hear the slight sizzle of the venom on Stephen’s eyes.
“Tony?” Stephen asked, his eyes seemed to falter as they didn’t look directly at the man next to him, “It burns”. His hands started to go back to his face but Tony blocked it.
“No, don’t Steph. Don’t get it on your hands. I’m—I’m going to help you. Just stay still”, Tony said. He started to pick Stephen up from the ground, immediately feeling the man tense up in his arms. The armor around Tony’s body obviously wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world so he stayed gentle with his lover in his arms. As Tony started to walk up to where the agents were, the exhausted man in his arms blinked furiously as if he were trying to blink the poison away. It obviously didn’t work.
“I got you, Steph it’ll be ok”.
“Tony. I…I can’t see”.
Weeks passed from the incident and Tony watched Stephen try to adapt to the new blindness he had. Tony constantly was by his side, maybe not touching him but making sure he didn’t bump into anything. A friend of S.H.I.E.L.D introduced a man that would be good for Stephen named Matt Murdock who was blind but knew ways to get around. He ended up being a really good guy who taught Stephen to learn how to use his other senses and heighten them. Tony noticed that it wasn’t too hard for his boyfriend because he stayed calm and learned quickly. But every time Stephen accidentally knocked something over or Tony made a gesture that Stephen couldn’t see, Tony felt the guilt wash over him until it came to the point that he started working in his lab.
Tony still made time for Stephen but it only caused him to stay up later. Stephen did learn how to do things easily without his sight, but Tony knew Stephen hated every moment of the darkness. Stephen actually never explained it as darkness or black, he more explained it as a bunch of fog in front of his eyes with yellow spots. Tony hated every time that Stephen described it. It hurt his heart.
He needed a cure, more than anything else. He worked until he heard Stephen call his name in concern or when he eventually would pass out.
The mutant woman ended up being friendly and kind, like how most mutants ended being of people just decided to understand them, sharing her sting to the agency as a way to be studied. She even apologized to Stephen in person for the whole incident. And to Tony’s surprise, Stephen brushed it off and accepted her apology. How could he? He was blinded, he needed Tony’s help for almost everything and yet he never felt any anger.
One night Tony was working on the cure, the antidote, something and he felt the pressure bear on his shoulders. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his heart beat out of control. His breathing was unsteady just like how his hands were shaky.
“God, why is this so damn hard?” Tony mumbled, rubbing his temples. The headache forming in his eyes and back of head was starting to really hurt now. But before Tony could reach over to the meds he kept on his work bench, two hands felt his shoulders and down his arms. The fingers were soft and caring and soon enough they became arms that wrapped around his waist when they found it.
“Tony…”, came Stephen’s soft murmur. His fingers gently traced lines of tension.
“Come back to bed, Tony”.
“I can’t. I’m trying to fix this mess”, Tony replied, almost trying to brush Stephen off of him. He needed all the time he could get to study the sting and how it worked and most importantly how to undo its effects. Stephen took in a deep breath and released it, his warm breath hitting the back of Tony’s neck. Tony felt himself sink a little in Stephen’s arms.
“Tony, it’ll be ok. I can hear your heart from the other side of the compound, you need rest. Matt taught me these things for a reason, come with me to sleep”.
“I can rest when you can see again. Steph, do you not understand what’s happened? You’re blind because I didn’t move fast enough. I have the technology to fix it but here we are”, Tony mumbled angrily, “I have it all in my hands and I’m still failing at it”. Tony heard Stephen’s body shuffle a little to have his chin eventually rest in Tony’s hair. Stephen didn’t know what to say.
“I can do this, Steph. I just need this time now”.
Tony felt a soft kiss on the top of his head, his hair settling under the lips of his lover.
“You work too hard Tony but to say that I’m the blind to the situation, my vision is finally clear. I’ve experienced things I’ve had to, I’ve learned, and most importantly I know that my boyfriend would do anything for me”, Stephen whispered soothingly, Tony taking deep breaths, “I know you want to fix this but that’s not going to happen if you’re absolutely and totally exhausted. Come to bed, Tony. You’re so much better than the heater”. Tony thought about the choices, really thought about them and made one. He pushed out of the chair, careful of Stephen, and took his boyfriend’s hand. He gently placed his hands on Stephen’s face, caressing him. He looked into the clouded green eyes belonging to the sorcerer across from him. They were pale and unseeing but they still smiled at Tony, calmed him even. Tony gently kissed those perfect lips, smiling when Stephen kissed him back. This man had his heart.
“In the morning, I’ll make you an amazing breakfast”, Tony smiled softly, taking Stephen’s hand.
“Or we could just sleep in and cuddle and then take Pete out to eat at iHop or something”, Stephen replied. Tony whispered back an “ok” and then started to lead Stephen back to their bed. Tony had never felt his heart gush more than when he was with this man. He made him feel good in the times he felt worthless. And this experience, just like Stephen said, made his poor sight finally clear. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Stephen. And an obstacle like this wouldn’t ruin it.
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