A few weeks after the NY invasion...
The room was quiet, lit only by the soft flicker of the arc reactor's glow. But Tony's breathing was sharp, uneven - tangled in a dream far too close to reality. Explosions. Falling. The silence of space. Helplessness.
Then he suddenly jolted up, chest heaving, a thin sheen of sweat clinging to his skin. His hand instinctively reached out, clutching for something solid.
You woke up to the sudden movement, blinking into the dark. “Tony?”
He didn’t answer at first, just sat there hunched over, forearms on his knees, face buried in his hands. The tremble in his shoulders betrayed everything he wasn’t saying.
You scooted closer, sleep-fuzzed but grounded, sliding a hand up his back. “Hey. Hey, I’m here.” Your voice was quiet, certain.
Tony exhaled shakily, like he’d been holding his breath for hours. “I was back there,” he murmured. "Space and-"
“You’re not there anymore.” You rubbed slow circles between his shoulder blades. “You’re home. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”
After a few long minutes, the weight of his body leaned into yours, his head resting against your chest. The tension in him slowly began to ease, and eventually the both of you sank back into bed, tangled in each other, the nightmares kept at bay by warmth and breath and whispered reassurances.
The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when you slipped out of bed. Tony was still asleep, one arm sprawled across the sheets.
You moved quietly through the kitchen, your guilt from the night before still lingering like smoke. You couldn’t stop the nightmares, but damn it, you could at least do breakfast and help him get over it.
You brewed his favorite coffee just right, not too strong, with that ridiculous Italian syrup he insisted was essential. Then came the eggs. Sourdough toast crisped to golden perfection. Bacon, thick-cut, peppered. And fresh berries because Tony needed more color on his plate, and well... it was healthy.
By the time Tony shuffled in, hair a glorious mess and T-shirt askew, the kitchen smelled divine.
Tony blinked at the spread, then at you. "What kind of hogwarts elves visited us tonight?"