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Time is hardly ever kind, but love is a far more controlling mistress.
The Leviathans were born long before the modern day pantheons of gods- the watered down explanations for the mundane and the impossible- long before humanity raised its first civilizations, and long before their title held any meaning beyond the sheer power of the void. They were beings far older than this mortal world, far older than even the void itself. Older than the smoking dragons that had roamed the lands for centuries upon centuries, older than the chasms that ran like scars across the surface of the earth, and far, far older than time itself. There were rumors that the Leviathans had created the sun and the moon and the earth, fashioned their dear planet with hands both wicked and kind into a gleaming gemstone shining bright against the endless void of ink that surrounded them in eternal darkness. Some said that the Leviathans provided the sunlight that illuminated their realm, and yet others said that they were the cause of all natural order; of the wind and the sky and the ever-temperamental change in seasons.
Stephen Strange, however, knew that that was untrue. The Leviathans were not woven by an elemental force, but were sewn from the fabric of reality for two reasons. To create and to protect. They were there not to help the world they had made spin, but to watch as it grew and keep it floating in the inky black empty ocean the humans called space; the void. Stephen and the others- they were not material, they were pure magic. They were woven into the very material of the plane of reality, written into every molecule of existence and every infinitesimal gap between. They were the very source of creation itself, the reason behind every mystery housed on that beautiful blue planet they called Earth. They were power, they were light, they were life itself, and they would watch, if not for eternity, than longer.
Stephen adored watching the world. As did every Leviathan, he supposed. How could one not love seeing they world they had shaped from nothingness- the world they had rolled between their palms and breathed life and light into- flourish and grow? But where the others found contentment watching the landscapes, the crest of every wave, the drip of every icicle, the delicate, mathematical descent of every flower petal and the ripple it caused, Stephen found joy in humanity. It was the one creation they could not control, after all. They could evolve and change and feel so much more than any of the Leviathans had thought possible. They were beautiful, passionate, and far more enticing than any bird or flower or natural law that the world they lived in had to offer.
He had never traveled down to Earth, although the act was not explicitly banned. He had just never had a reason to. He was content to sit back and watch from the deepest riptides of space as history unfolded and rewrote itself, like an epic projected before a backdrop of black. He was content to absorb the entirety of the world at once, every single human’s actions playing across his vision and absorbed flawlessly all at once. He could watch, and he would be content.
That is, until he saw him .
It had been a quiet day, time sifting through Stephen’s mind like sand in the wind. Rewinding and continuing just so he could watch the day dawn a hundred times, watching with pride as the humans rose to greet the light and the blue sky that awaited them. Seeing them start their day- from a lone man hidden deep in a cave near the mountains to a family of five huddled around as the parents laid rows upon rows of tomatoes to bake in the heat of the desert sun- it was enthralling. Every detail was beautiful and perfect, every action the humans made far more interesting than any gust of wind rattling the trees or the sand. He could easily predict all of that. He had helped create it, after all. No, what the humans did, what they created was special. It was unpredictable. It was stunning.
Then, amid the peaceful din of the world, tucked amid the calm of basket weaving and trading and smithing and sailing, there was a sudden burst of emotion so vivid it drew all of Stephen’s concentration to one fixed spot; all his focus to one man. It was over in seconds- a flash of anger, a flair of passion so bright it colored Stephen’s vision pure gold. Then subtler, but just as deep- a strike of rust-colored sadness that hurt Stephen’s very core. His heart would have slowed if he had had one. The interlude of emotion was over, but Stephen stayed and rewound time, curiosity peaking like a sand dune in the wind. What could draw the attention of a being created for time? Of a creature older than the very fabric of the universe?
The second he saw the source of this madness every thought in his colossal form vanished and for once in his very, very long life Stephen was struck speechless.
He was beautiful. It was just a man, just a young prince of barely twenty-five years. But his eyes were made of desert gold and his smile purer than the crystal lakes in caves untouched by mankind and his mind spoke symphonies of creation like the whales sang in the sea and in that moment Stephen knew- if just for a fraction of a second- how humans would feel if they could lay eyes upon the Leviathans. He was draped in flowing red robes clipped with gold, a thin circlet resting upon his head. He was short in comparison to the others, but packed with lean muscle. He was beautiful, but his mind interested Stephen far more.
Stephen could understand each leaf, each fox, each petal of a flower- he knew exactly what would happen to them, exactly what they thought, and exactly how they would fall. But with humans- it was more like seeing colors flash like the music notes in the northern sky. Poetic, and enigmatic, and intangible. And he, in all his years upon years of existence, far too many to count, Stephen had never seen thoughts shine as brightly as this man’s. They flashed more vividly than any natural pigment, speaking great length far faster than any other, shifting and changing in a never ending kaleidoscope of mesmerizing color. Stephen felt a thrill fill his being and he leaned in to watch.
The prince was standing in a garden, a man who must have been his father towering above him. Stephen let out a soft breath that manifested in the breeze fluttering the silver petals of the trees around them and allowed time to pass.
“This is your last chance, Anthony. I’ve been patient. I’ve watched you waste every opportunity, allowed you to turn down every prospective spouse, but I’m drawing the line. You need an heir. Our kingdom needs and heir. You need a consort, be it male or female or whatever! I don’t care anymore, so long as they’re wealthy and powerful. I’ve been kind to you thus far. But it’s long past time for this. If you don’t find a spouse in one month, by your twenty-ninth birthday, you will marry Lady Virginia Potts.”
Anthony glowered at his father and Stephen inhaled sharply. There it was. That beautiful spike emotion so strong it swayed even a being of the cosmos to the will of a human.
“No.” Stephen hung onto the prince’s voice like it was the last thing tethering him to the earth. “I won’t marry her! Pepper’s my friend!”
His father stepped closer, looming over his son with the frigid anger only borne from a relationship of disappointment.
“Then find a partner. You have one month.”
And with that he turned and left, leaving nothing but icy air and an angered son in his wake.
Stephen watched as the man- Anthony- glared after him, fuming. Stephen let out a long, soft sigh as he felt that beautiful burst of anger color his vision red and gold once more. The palace had no doors to the garden, simply a row of columns and then an archway beyond, leading into endless halls of peachy white marble illuminated by streams of pure, golden light. The second his father was out of sight Anthony turned away from the door, swearing loudly and kicking at a tree. He yelped and clutched his foot in pain. Stephen smiled. Humanity was so… endearing sometimes. Yet even with their naivety their actions were far more complex than any of the other Leviathans credited them. Stephen felt a rush of empathy course through him. Watching Anthony- for the first time since the beginning of the universe Stephen longed to have a material form even if just to wrap his arms around the prince and cradle him close to the very mind that created the world upon which they stood.
Anthony turned away from the palace and towards the rippling pond in the center of the garden. The prince let out a long sigh and plopped down on the protruding tree root of a flowering weeping willow. He looked down at his reflection with such pain that just seeing his beautiful amber eyes made Stephen feel dizzy.
“I can’t do this. I can’t marry Pepper,” Anthony mumbled. Below him, his face rippled- a convoluted mirror to perfect features. He hung his head. His eyes closed and he rubbed his face with echoes of weariness far too strong for a person of his age.
“I can’t.”
Stephen wished he could help, but he was confined to his place in the sky, in the dark, empty void- trapped for eternity to do nothing but watch the world he had created.
Stephen drew his focus back, but he couldn’t help but to check in on the prince as often as he could. He was the first thing that had ever made Stephen feel something after all, even if that something was mortal. He shouldn’t. He had a whole world to watch, after all. But those beautiful eyes still filled the closest thing Stephen could call dreams. He wished he could travel down to the earth- craft a vessel just as he had crafted the world- if only to see the pure, blinding emotion held in those ever-changing iris’s of gold and mahogany and cut smoky quartz. But he could not leave his position alongside the other Leviathans. Besides, what would the other Leviathans say? Going down to the world below was not forbidden. But descending for the sole purpose of seeing a mortal- well, the Leviathans prided themselves on detachment. Stephen couldn’t imagine they’d be pleased when faced with disobedience, even from one of their own.
Either way, time was a cruel mistress. It would only be a matter of eternity before the incredible prince fell victim to the end promised to all humanity upon birth. Stephen had seen countless lives pass and he could remember every single one in exact detail, but never before, never had he hated to even ponder one’s end. All the endings he had seen thus far had been poetic and purposeful. Fulfilling. Tragic, yes, but when could tragedy be found without death? But now, Stephen shuddered to imagine a life without that incredible prince. However, time would go on, and Stephen was sure Anthony’s existence would pass just as all the others did. A burst of color, then darkness.
In the end it would be best to forget about the prince. Stephen resolved himself to try.
The next time he saw the prince, the incident was not initiated by him.
Night had just fallen, the hills and mountains and sands of the beaches all dyed a clear purple that spoke only of nostalgia as the sky darkened and the world saw the void once more. The air held that beautiful purple-grey that sang of sourceless light; that time between the moon and her velvety backdrop and the bright blue skies of the day. Stephen had been relaxing, mind drifting as he watched the humans with the kind of lethargy only found with power, when all of the sudden he was yanked into the dimly lit bedroom of a palace, summoned this time not by a burst of color, but by a single uttered word boundless with emotion.
Please .
Stephen was pulled to full attention, confused as to what being would have the power to pull creation itself to its bedside. Stephen looked around. It was warm. The air had cooled, but Stephen could sense the ground outside, that cracked, dry earth was still hot to the touch. There was a balcony overlooking a sheer cliff turned white in the light of the rising moon. The water below was calm and bright, the caps of each wave peaked with silver. A row of curtained archways separated the balcony from the room, billowing white silk sheets fluttering in the wind. The rest of the room was relatively empty, nothing but a candle and a work desk littered with half-finished inventions and an ornate bed with a gold frame and cream colored sheets so silky Stephen wished he had a physical form simply to splay out his fingers and grasp the soft fabric.
Then Stephen spotted him.
It was the Prince. Anthony. He was kneeling on the other side of the bed, eyes upturned towards the sky. He looked uncomfortable, but Stephen could hardly blame him. Stephen leaned in closer, turning back time to the beginning of Anthony’s soliloquy, anxious to make out the words whispered barely above the sound of the fluttering fabric of the curtains.
“I know I’ve never really done this before, and I’m sorry if you’re mad about that, but I need a favor. I don’t want to get married. At least not to Pepper. She’s my best friend, and I don’t want to lock her down and force her to be with me forever, to, uh, carry on the Stark lineage.” He swallowed dryly, eyes flickering around the room, a blush creeping up his beautiful, light-kissed skin, pale and decadent in the moonlight. “This- this is stupid. But I guess it can’t hurt to ask. I don’t know if there’s a god, or gods, or something else up there that’s listening, but if you’re there, I need help. I don’t care what happens; if you magically change my father’s mind and get him to call this off, or conjure someone for me to marry out of thin air, or even if you just buy me some time- I just need to make sure my father can’t make me marry Pepper. Or preferably anyone who will make my life miserable.” He hung his head, a few stray locks of hair falling across his forehead. Stephen longed to brush them away. “Just help me. Please .”
Hearing that word once more sent a shiver resonating through Stephen’s being and he knew in that instant, looking at those eyes- those eyes that were the color of clay and cocoa beans and molten lava all at once- that he had to help the prince. Never had he been so sure of anything in his long, long years of existence. It was like his whole stream of consciousness, his whole life (if you could call it that), had led up to this moment; had led up to meeting Anthony.
He faltered. The Leviathans were not bound to the void, nor were they barred from creating physical forms. Stephen was not sure it had been done before, but perhaps he could be the first. The Leviathans were about creation, were about observing. Surely this could just be described as something of a first hand account. And besides, it was to help someone. That made it okay, right? He wasn’t breaking any rules, necessarily. Just bending them.
So Stephen wove together, from the light of the sun and the moon and the void, a vessel. But he wanted it to be special. He wanted this form to represent the best the Earth had to offer held in the form of the Leviathan’s greatest creation. The most delicate and sacred of all the world. A tall figure with hair as dark as midnight streaked with bands of liquid silver, eyes like the tropical seas- bright and turquoise on a happy day, but stormy and grey and tumultuous in the next. Skin as pale and soft as the petals of the flower trees at the base of the high mountains of the coast, a voice as strong as the hum of the floor of the trenches deep in the folds of the ocean. Bowed lips as pinkish red as the seeds of a pomegranate, cheekbones as sharp as the mountain ranges he so adored. He wove long, flowing robes the colors of the night sky in summer, accented with the golds of the desert cliffs and mesas and dunes and lined with the greens of the forest. A flowing silken cape billowed out from his shoulders, the deep crimson color that washed over the land far and wide as the sky lightened and turned to a brilliant blue so pure it hurt to look at.
It was perfect, except for his hands. The second Stephen created his form he felt as if some of his power had remained tethered to the void. He felt as if he could access it again if he were to leave his body, but now, in the form of his favourite creation, the very power he had used to create and craft the world was strained. He had no doubt he could create small things, but on the grander scale, his power was gone and the glowing lines tracing the back of his hands proved it. They looked like molten gold, bright and burning and a million degrees against his skin. He raised one hand to examine it, watching with a morbid curiosity as it shook.
But it was a small sacrifice for what he was to gain.
He took a deep breath. He was standing on the balcony outside the prince’s bedchambers, a thrill of excitement shooting up his spine. It was a million times faster and ten times stronger than before, almost euphoric in a sense. So this was what it was like to be human. Everything felt so… big. He kind of liked it.
Stephen took a deep breath of the warm, crisp night air. The feeling of his lungs expanding was a curious sensation indeed. He pushed aside the silken curtain, moonlight streaming into the room, framing his silhouette in molten silver. Anthony’s head shot up and his eyes widened the second his eyes met Stephen’s. Stephen felt the mortal heart thump desperately in his chest. The prince was even more radiant in person.
Anthony rose, eyeing Stephen cautiously. His eyes flashed a pale gold in the moonlight and Stephen felt a tiny puff of air part his lips. The prince eyed him up and down, a slight flush rising to the crests of his cheeks.
“Who are you? What are you doing here? How did you get into my room?” There was a beautiful sort of curiosity that accompanied his questions. It was beautiful.
“You summoned me.”
“Are you saying that,” he said, gesturing back to the place he had knelt, “ that really worked?”
Stephen smiled.
“Of course.”
Tony took a step back, eyes wide. He ran a hand through his hair. It seemed like he needed a second to process everything. Stephen waited patiently, admiring how the silken robes shifted as the prince paced.
“So are you like a god or a demon or something?”
Stephen tilted his head.
“Not quite. I’m a Leviathan.”
The prince frowned. “A what ?”
“A Leviathan. Beings older than time itself. We reside in the void; the empty night sky. We created this world and are resigned to watch until it’s decimation.”
“If you’re so powerful then why are you helping me?” Anthony asked.
Stephen tilted his head, sparkling silver eyes looking the prince up and down, a gentle sort of confusion swimming in his iris’. He supposed he still didn’t quite know. It was more of a feeling than a reason. Like he had known the prince for a long, long time; like they were two long lost companions meeting in the moonlight once more.
“I wanted to help you. You’re… special. You wish to stall your marriage? Am I correct?”
The prince looked down and rubbed his arm bashfully. “Well, something like that. Or at least not get married to Pepper. Either way, I need someone to marry by tomorrow.”
How could Stephen solve that? He hadn’t really thought beyond this. He supposed he could find and threaten the king with magic far beyond his imagination, but something about that felt like an abuse of his powers. He could take Anthony far away and hide him in an opulent palace with servants made of wind that would cater to his every need. But he supposed the prince might not like to be removed from his friends in such a manner. Well, there was one last option that Stephen could see, but a part of it felt less about the prince and more about Stephen. Maybe it was selfish, but it was the best option that Stephen could see.
“Would it be…” Stephen faltered, licking his lips. “Would it be alright for me to pose as your courtier? Or would that be too much?”
Tony’s eyes flickered with darkness. “I’ll take whatever I can get at this point.”
Stephen nodded. “Very well. I can pose as your suitor for as long as you need.”
The prince looked him up and down and smiled.
“That’s perfect.”
The moon rose and fell as they talked and with every second that passed Stephen was sure that he had made the right choice. The prince was, in one word, (as if a single word could ever do justice to the incomparable wonder that was his mind) brilliant . His mind moved faster than a gust of wind across an icy plane, tossing up tiny shards of ice and snow in its wake. He had a quick wit and a smile to match those beautiful crystalline eyes of his. Stephen adored him. Well, he had always loved humanity, but something about Tony was just special .
They quickly devised a plan, a web of lies to weave around the King. Stephen was the second prince of the far off kingdom of Karmartaj, located in the high, cold mountains across the desert. They had met when Stephen, visiting his brother who had been travelling, attended the city’s lunar festival last month. He had spotted Tony in the crowd and introduced himself and the rest was history.
Tony- that’s what the prince had told Stephen to call him- smiled as the sky lightened, the sun peeking past the curtains to the room and painting faint gold roses across the marble floor. Tony looked exhausted, but happy. There was a spark in his eyes that made every risk Stephen was taking worth it. Tony stretched, the robe around his shoulders shimmering in the light of a new day. Stephen smiled at the sight. He was beautiful. Stephen was lucky to be privy to such an incredible mind.
“Alright. Everything’s in place. I’ll introduce you to my father this morning. After breakfast.” He paused, cocking his head. “Do you, uh, do you eat?”
“I haven’t before, but I’d love to try.”
Tony grinned, jumping to his feet and crossing the room to his closet.
“Perfect! I’ll get changed and then we can have breakfast together.” He stopped, looking back at Stephen in concern. “Oh wait! My father is going to want proof that you’re rich. And since he’s never heard of Karmartaj, well, since it’s made up he wouldn’t have, he’ll want proof that you’re not scamming us. So, uh, is there some kind of magic stuff you could do? Magic up a dowry or something?”
Stephen tilted his head.
“I suppose I could figure something out.”
Tony grinned.
“Great! I’m gonna change and then we’ll head down. I want to finish up before any of the servants come into my room and find a strange man sitting on my bed. Oh! And if you’re to be a prince you’ll need a crown, just in case you wanted to magic that into your ensemble.”
“As you wish, Tony.”
Stephen turned away as the prince changed. He closed his eyes and focused on his mortal form. A crown. He let out a long sigh and for a second his body turned to pure light. A circlet of silver and obsidian wound its way into existence, a single eye-shaped emerald taking its place in the center. He opened his eyes once more. Now what to give Tony? He knew humans liked the gems he and the Leviathans had hidden in the earth. He knew that they loved to drape themselves in the sparkling colors, glittering like opulent butterflies. He smiled. Another unexpected, unprogrammed quirk of humanity that he simply adored.
Stephen cupped his palms together and an intricate lattice of sapphires and diamonds wove together from nothing but light and air, thin chords of silver connecting the glittering gems until they dripped like a sparkling waterfall deep in the heart of a tropical island. He held it up, admiring the way it shimmered in the faint morning light. Perfect.
“Alright! I’m ready! Let’s go!” Tony whirled around, clad in flowing robes of crimson silk bound with gold. A golden circlet rested upon his head, similar to the one Stephen now wore. Tony paused when he saw Stephen still sitting on his bed, necklace in hand. “What’s that?”
Stephen’s cheeks colored.
“It’s for you.”
Now it was Tony’s turn to blush.
“Oh.”
“Here.”
Stephen stood and crossed over to Tony and the Leviathan was suddenly struck by just how short the prince was in comparison to his physical form. Things were so strange, so different from the infinite viewpoint of omniscience. He lifted his hands, as shaky as they were, and unclasped the necklace, draping it around Tony’s form. He shivered as his hands brushed the back of Tony’s bare neck. How could a human make him feel this way? How could anyone make him feel this way? He clipped the necklace together once more and backed away, avoiding eye contact.
“There. A symbol of wealth from the Prince of Karmartaj. That should show your father.” He paused, throat tightening in an unfamiliar way. “And it, uh, it looks good on you.”
Tony smiled lightly.
“Thank you. But I don’t understand. Where did you get it? It must be worth a fortune. This many diamonds? That’s more than a palace!” Tony exclaimed.
“I am a being of pure creation. I can weave whatever I want from the fabric of reality. Granted, my power is limited in this form, but I can still give you almost anything you desire.” He cupped his palms together and Tony watched in awe as a silver and blue flower bloomed in his hands with a burst of white light. Stephen smiled and tucked the flower behind Tony’s ear. “See? I am at your service, my prince. As long as you need me I can help you with whatever you desire.”
Tony grinned, eyes made of moonlight filled with an earnest intrigue that spoke leagues of his character.
“Well at the moment, I think all I desire is for you to accompany me to breakfast.”
Stephen smiled.
“I would like nothing more.”
If Stephen had to describe Howard Stark’s eyes he would have to say they were as cold and hard as the frozen moors of the north. Endless, empty planes so whipped by wind and salt and sand that the little vegetation that grew there was only there because it was frozen to the ground. It was empty, lifeless, cold, punishing. It was the exact opposite of the life that Tony’s eyes held. Stephen had nothing to fear, but he still feared the king’s reaction for Tony’s sake.
The king looked him up and down, those cold eyes roaming over Stephen in the same way a vulture eyes its prey.
“Karmartaj you say? In the mountains?”
“Yes your majesty.” Stephen stood tall and proud, made of an ice far purer than the muddy snow of the fen. Howard’s eyes drifted from him to the necklace dripping from Tony’s neck and the flower in his hair and the proud smile on his son’s face. He let out a long sigh.
“Very well. You shall be married in two months.”
Stephen bowed to the king, deep red cloak billowing behind him like it had a mind of its own.
“Thank you, your majesty. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make your son happy.”
“As you should.”
Tony and Stephen turned and exited and Stephen found his hands shaking more than usual. How curious human emotions were. Curious indeed.
The second they were out of sight Tony turned to Stephen with a smile brighter than the moon. He clasped their hands together, the light in his eyes bursting with gold sparkles. Stephen smiled. There were tiny flecks of red in Tony’s eyes that he hadn’t noticed before. Pretty.
“We did it! We really did it!” He paused, a tiny laugh bubbling up from his chest. “God where have you been all my life?!”
“In the void beyond the planet.” Tony laughed at his words and the sound made Stephen’s heart flutter. “Well I guess we’re stuck together now.”
Tony blinked, smiling shyly through long lashes.
“That’s not so bad, is it?”
Stephen smiled back, warmth flooding his chest in the same way the desert warmed each morning, a little, then all at once.
“No. I don’t think it will be.”
The day of their wedding Tony was a vision in alabaster and navy.
The wedding was a small, quiet affair but that made it all the more beautiful. Stephen was clad in deep red robes that rippled like the ocean waves. Tony was draped in billowing sheets of the finest silks of white and navy, endless folds of fabric clasped together with rubies and sapphires. There was a bundle of silver-blue flowers- a bouquet that Stephen had woven for his husband to be that very morning- clutched in his hands and a flowing veil draped over his face like a waterfall, hiding those eyes of gold and koa wood and deep rich chocolate that Stephen loved to admire. Traces of sparkling gold mineral dust shimmered on top of his eyelids, drawing out the playful, triumphant flames sparking starkly in his kaleidoscope eyes. He glowed with a light so warm and bright and wondrous that for a minute Stephen worried that he was marrying Life itself.
Stephen was clad in similar robes, his shades the deepest throes of crimson and white. Tony said it was traditional for them to wear the colours of each others kingdoms, that the sparkling beads of obsidian and sapphire at Tony’s neck paired with the gold and ruby ones at Stephen’s promise peace, that the flowers from their betrothed's respective kingdoms represent growth. Stephen has always loved human tradition, adored the fact that humans could weave such light into the mundane, how they could colour and make the promise to stay by each other’s side until the quiet hands of death stole them away so incredibly beautiful. He didn’t know what his commitment to this world bode for the future, but he found as he stood before Tony in a flourishing garden, falling lavender petals swirling around them like crystals sparkling in the light, that he didn’t care. He was keeping Tony safe, keeping that vibrant, eternal flame of emotions sound, and that would be enough.
They reached the altar and Stephen took Tony’s trembling hand as they met, bringing it briefly to his cold lips in the ghost of a promise. Tony studied him pensively, almost as if he were trying to find a warning in Stephen’s ocean eyes, but the smile that flickers across his lips, genuine and true, betrayed the fact that he found nothing.
The wedding passes painlessly, the master of ceremonies of the Stark kingdom blessing them both, reading them a beautiful writ of what exactly the promises of their union entailed, finishing it nicely with the simple, chaste request for a single kiss to seal the pact of their love.
The second the words left the master’s mouth Tony’s back stiffened and he bit his lip. He refused to meet Stephen’s eyes and Stephen felt fear radiating off of the man who was to be his husband. They hadn’t kissed yet and scarcely spoke of the subject. Stephen only supposed it was appropriate for Tony to be uncomfortable. He just wished he could do something to make Tony and his beautiful, perfect mind and eyes and boundless determination comfortable.
Stephen leaned down, cupping Tony’s face in his hands and pressed a kiss as gentle as the snowfall of the mountains to Tony’s forehead. In that moment, Stephen knew that all would be well. He didn’t have a plan, but something told him that everything would be alright; between them, between the universe, between Stephen and the other Leviathans. It would all be okay. It would be okay. The crowd murmured uneasily, clearly shocked, but the small grin Tony saved just for him made it worth it.
And just like that, on the fringe of afternoon and twilight, Stephen Strange, a being of unfathomable power, a creature of pure energy and creation that had carved the very earth they stood upon, married a human prince with eyes of gold and a mind of story and song.
That night the moon shone full and bright in the sky. Stephen stood on the balcony, silk sheets billowing in the wind behind him. He had no plan. He hadn’t thought past helping Tony. Then again, before now he had never really needed to think. He had just… been. Now though, now there were things at stake. He had done the one thing Leviathans were not supposed to do. Make connections. He let out a long sigh, shaking hands folded together over the warm marble. He supposed it had only been a matter of time, though. He had always adored humanity after all. His fall was inevitable. He looked back towards Tony’s room- their room- and something deep inside of him warmed. If this was what brought him to his knees than maybe falling wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
He let out a long sigh, staring up at the moon wistfully. It looked so lonely there in the pitch black sky. Almost like it wanted company. He turned away from the balcony and the cooling desert air, pushing the silken sheets aside to enter their room once more.
The second he entered the room Tony jumped. Stephen frowned. His actions had hardly warranted surprise. He took another step towards Tony and he saw the man visibly tremble. His eyes flickered back and forth erratically, hands moving a mile a minute. His breaths were short and sporadic. He was scared. He was trying to hold his ground, but he was scared. Flighty.
Stephen cocked his head, watching Tony curiously.
“Tony, are you alright?”
Tony gulped. He nodded, but he pointedly avoided Stephen’s eyes.
“Are you sure?”
Another nod.
“You don’t have to be scared of me. I’m not going to hurt you.” Stephen stepped closer, looming over Tony, who was perched on the edge of their bed, worrying a silken sheet between his fingers. Stephen cupped Tony’s chin with one of his shaking hands, tilting Tony’s face up to meet his. Tony let out a frightened whimper. “And you don’t have to hide anything from me. Now tell me, what’s bothering you?”
“I-I-” Tony mumbled, trembling even more. He took a deep breath, hands falling to his lap. “I was wondering how you would like me.”
“What?”
“You know. How you want to do things. Tonight. In bed.”
Stephen was lost. Tony took another deep breath, closing his eyes with resignation.
“How you’d want to, er, consummate our marriage.”
“Oh.”
Stephen had forgotten humans did this. Then again, he’d never been super into the whole ‘sexual reproduction’ thing. He had been more for asexual reproduction, but Wong had voted him down. But his opinion didn’t matter here. What mattered was that Tony was uncomfortable, and he hated seeing his beautiful flower so scared.
Stephen leaned down and pressed a kiss to Tony’s forehead, brushing aside the stray locks of hair that had fallen out of place.
“Do not worry, my dear. I will never force you into something that you don’t feel comfortable with.”
Tony smiled up at him, golden eyes filled with more light than the moon swimming with gratitude.
“Thank you Stephen.” He paused, cheeks coloring. “I wouldn’t mind, uh, joining you in bed though. To sleep that is.”
Stephen smiled.
“Anything you wish, my dear.”
It took a little while for them to learn to spend time together. In the month that followed their union Tony fell back into his work and Stephen explored the kingdom, and when he wasn’t out, he meditated in the garden. At nights they found themselves in the same bed, two twin heat sources glowing in the dark, but aside from the confines of sleep, they rarely spent time together.
But after a while curiosity drew Tony to Stephen’s side once more.
“So. You’re a Leviathan, right?” Tony asked.
“Yes.”
They were walking in one of the palace’s tiered gardens. The morning air was warm and crisp, bright flowers blooming like bursts of fire under the blue sky.
“So what exactly can the Leviathans do?”
“Well, we can do almost anything. We created this planet, created the sun, the moon, created the air you breath. We made every single grain of sand, every blade of grass, every drop of water. We wove it all from nothingness, from the void of darkness you see at night. We made each animal, made the first humans. And now that we’re finished creating, we watch the world we made move.” He paused, plucking a long-stemmed flower from a bush beside the path. “My brethren prefer to watch nature. They find solace in the rise of the moon and the changing tides and the wind whistling in the cliffs of canyons. They admire the ways in which a flower grows and how exactly the petals fall.” He turned to Tony with admiration in his eyes. “But I have always preferred watching humanity. You humans are the one thing we are incapable of predicting, the one variable in the equation we created. Your creativity, your passion, your determination- it’s all so much more beautiful than any flower.”
Tony stared up at him, golden eyes filled with wonder. Stephen smiled and tucked the flower behind Tony’s ear.
“ You are far more beautiful than any flower.”
The next time they met Tony had been standing atop of the palace roof, staring out past the golden cliffs and the mercantile sea ports and out across the turquoise waters of the ocean. Stephen spotted him and approached, standing by his side as they watched the waves of the ocean crash against the rocks below.
“So you made all of this,” Tony breathed.
“Every single inch.”
“You’re that powerful.”
Stephen paused. “Well, in my astral form I would be. Here, now, in my mortal vessel, I only have a little of my power. Granted, it’s still beyond what any mortal could ever dream of doing, but it’s limited nonetheless. Before I could create whole planets. Now I think the most I could make is a mountain.”
“Well then what else can you do?”
“I can make you crystals and flowers and a million other things. I can imbue what I suppose you mortals would call magic into objects.” He paused, licking his lips. A cool ocean breeze ruffled his hair. “And I can take you anywhere, show you places you can’t even imagine. Planes of ice, mountains so tall they breach the clouds. Caves filled with crystals bigger than trees. Anything you want to see I can show you.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
Tony turned back to the sea, a small smile playing on his lips.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
When Stephen first came to the prince’s room it had been nearly empty, the most well-loved object being the desk. And he could see why now. Tony loved to work, to invent new weapons and creations and mechanisms to aid his kingdom, and although he had numerous studies, he liked to work from the comfort of his own room. Well, comfort wasn’t the word Stephen would use to describe it. More like a cold empty room that they also happened to sleep in.
So Stephen busied himself with refurnishing, well not ‘re’ but rather just plain furnishing the empty space. A large plush rug from the west. An armoire with a large mirror and stands Stephen had crafted from tree branches dipped in silver to hold their jewelry. A couch and an armchair with nice pillows and cozy blankets tossed over the back. A glass table for the center of the furniture. A large, ornate bookshelf filled with tomes from across the globe. Trinkets from different kingdoms. Strings of tiny glowing crystals he draped across the walls. Enough detail and love to fill the room and make it truly feel like home.
The day Stephen walked in to find Tony snuggled up with a blanket asleep on the couch with a book in his hands was the day Stephen knew Tony appreciated what he had done.
The first time Tony approached him about traveling was a year after they had been married. They had gotten to know each other, know each other’s rhythms. Know how their counterpart ticked. It was unusually hot that day, with a scorching temperature and the few winds that blew through the palace from the ocean uncharacteristically dry. Stephen had been walking along the docks, trying to cool off in the albeit not greatly, but slightly cooler ocean breezes when Tony had jogged up behind him, tugging at the neck of his loose silk tunic.
“Stephen,” he panted, wiping away sweat from his brow.
“Yes?”
“We have to get away from here. I feel like I’m boiling alive!” He looked around, making sure they were alone before pulling Stephen close. Stephen couldn’t help the heat that rushed to his cheeks. “You said you can take me anywhere, yeah? So can you take me somewhere nice and cool?”
“Of course. How cool are you talking?”
Tony groaned and buried his head in Stephen’s shoulder.
“I don’t care. Just somewhere far away from here.”
Stephen smiled, pulling Tony away towards the side of one of the port shops, trying to get them out of the public eye. Once they were out of sight Stephen took Tony’s hands in his.
“Alright. Do you trust me?”
Tony stared up at him with wide eyes. He paused, licking his lips before nodding tentatively.
“Yes. I trust you.”
“I need you to close your eyes and hold onto me. Only open your eyes when I say it’s okay. Do you understand?”
“...Yes.”
Tony squeezed his eyes shut and Stephen held him close, raising one trembling hand out before them. He flicked his fingers and a shower of searing golden sparks splashed across the smooth sandstone of the streets. There was no telling exactly what the pure, undiluted power of creation would do to Tony’s mortal frame, but Stephen knew it wouldn’t be pretty, and he didn’t want the man he was wed to to vaporize into gold dust. Stephen walked them through the glowing portal and Tony let out a subtle gasp. Stephen closed the portal behind them and held Tony’s body close to his with the kind of gentle care only found in the tenderest of moments.
“Alright. You can open your eyes now.”
Beside him Tony’s mouth fell open.
They were standing on a dock before a seemingly endless lake, the water’s surface as flat as a mirror. The air was crisp and cool, the sounds of birds and insects and frogs reverberating through the air. A thick forest lined the shore past the small beach, trees dense and full and a vibrant shade of green. The lake before them seemed to stretch on for ages, the surface perfectly flat and reflective. The water was crisp and clear, and if you looked closely enough, you could see the telltale signs of fish flittering about the water reeds. And beyond the lake, where the horizon was outlined by the dark silhouettes of pine trees, a mountain loomed above them like a sleeping goliath. It stretched up and up and up, an endless expanse of rock peaking at the clouds and capped with ice and snow. Behind the mountain, the sky was a backdrop of purple and blue, light softer in this part of the world than the searing burn of the mesa the Stark Kingdom resided upon. The dock was the only sign of humanity around, that and the single row boat with its one unlit lantern floating alongside the dock. The quiet of the scene wrapped them in its arms, the gentle hum of the birds and the insects a calming, sleepy backdrop to a perfect scene.
Tony’s amber eyes were wide. He looked around in awe, pacing in a full circle as he drank in their surroundings. He stopped and stared up at Stephen with a kind of wonder that made Stephen’s heart skip a beat.
“Where- where are we?” he breathed, amazement lacing his voice in the same way the smell of pine trees laced the air they breathed.
“Far away. Just like you asked,” Stephen said with a smile. He took Tony’s hand and led him to the edge of the dock. They sat down and Stephen pointed deep into the clear waters where a flicker of a dark, silver-speckled tail drew his eye. “You see that? That’s a pond sturgeon. And over there is a golden orfe.”
Tony’s eyes were wide with amazement. He watched the fish flicker in and out of sight with a wonder purer than any Stephen had ever seen before. After a few minutes he pulled off his sandals and draped his legs over the edge of the dock, toes skimming the water. He laughed, a bright, happy sound that rang out across the lake. Stephen smiled. He loved seeing Tony happy. It made his chest swell with an otherworldly warmth. Seeing him like this, away from the rules and etiquette of the palace- it was like he was seeing a whole new side of the man he called his husband. Briefly, Stephen thought of the Leviathans. Of what they would say if they knew what he was doing. In his first month at the palace he had woven a rudimentary detection spell; just something to keep the others from looking too deeply into his absence. Something that would allow him to enjoy moments like this for as long as he pleased, so long as nothing too out of the ordinary occurred.
He let out a long, peaceful sigh, a soft rumble deeper than the heart of the mountain that loomed before them. He found himself leaning closer to Tony, found their fingers laced together as they sat at the edge of the mirror lake looking up at the infinity that surrounded them in its soft embrace. Tony was happy like this. He was happy like this.
After that Stephen brought Tony to a windy plane of grass and flowers, watching with pure adoration as Tony ran through the fields, trying wildly to catch the flickering lightning bugs in his hands. Stephen had always loved lightning bugs and Tony had never seen them. The sky was just beginning to darken, that beautiful shade of a violet evening falling over the field until everything was glazed with a lavender glow that spoke of sourceless light. Tony, now thoroughly convinced that the lightning bugs were a cruel trick Stephen had devised simply to tease him, had taken to gathering bundles of wildflowers in his arms, mesmerized by the dusty pinks and the hardy yellows completely foreign to the mesa where he had spent his whole life.
“No no no, you’re doing it wrong. It’s over, under, then loop around.”
Stephen let out a deep chuckle, the flowers in his hands resembling more of a tangled bundle of knots than the flower crowns Tony was intent on weaving. He plucked another flower from the pile and tried to add it to his mess, but the trembling in his hands brought his dexterity to a halt.
“I don’t think I can-”
“Then I’ll help you.” Tony let out a breathy sigh and scooted closer to Stephen, a wave of fireflies trailing up to the sky in his wake. His warm hands found Stephen’s. He gently guided Stephen’s stiff fingers through the motions, looping the coarse, thick stem around the other flowers. “I promise I’ll always help you,” Tony breathed, looking up at Stephen almost shyly.
He smiled at Stephen and the Leviathan was suddenly struck by how open Tony was right now. Back in the court his expression was always closely guarded. His voice was always cold and blunt and borderline sarcastic. But here, when it was just the two of them and the fireflies and the flowers and the open field it was like his cold exterior of a prince had melted away and all that was left was Tony . Tony squeezed his hand gently and Stephen could feel Tony’s pulse in his fingers, strong and steady. Stephen felt his heart starting to beat faster. There was a beautiful kind of shared intimacy fluttering between them as they wove flowers together under the fading light and the flickering fireflies.
Night fell over the plane, their now finished flower crowns perched precariously on their heads. Tony’s was perfect, yellows and reds and blues weaving together into a crown almost as pristine as the one encrusted with jewels that he had left back at the palace. Stephen’s was… less nice. It was a little clunky, a little uneven, and the pattern was little to none, but he liked it. It was something that he had made, and not with magic. With love and care and help from a man he trusted more than the rise of the moon at night. A man who made him feel things beyond anything he’d ever felt before, a man that brought out emotions that shook Stephen to his very core, overturned everything he had ever known, and filled him with deep, existential terror.
Stephen liked it.
“So, how did you choose your name?” Tony panted, scrambling up the rocks of the wooded hill. They had been climbing for a little over thirty minutes, the heat of the sun shining through the trees and the long, arduous climb negating the fresh, wonderful breeze rustling the leaves above.
“What?”
Tony paused, leaning against the roots of a tree. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow and Stephen unconsciously reached over to wipe it away with the corner of his cloak. Tony shot him a small smile, chest rising and falling rapidly as he worked to catch his breath. A wondrously cool breeze rustled the branches of the trees above them, sending the tiny splotches of sunlight rippling across the ground in nonsensical patterns. Around them the sounds of bird song and the distant sound of rushing water painted the crisp, moist air with gold and green.
“So how’d you pick your name? You know, when you came down to Earth?” Tony smiled, brilliant irises of amber and tigers-eye watching Stephen with a playful air. “Stephen Strange,” he breathed, rolling Stephen’s name off his tongue. “It’s… interesting. I’ve never heard anything like it before.” His eyes flickered down to his hands. His cheeks reddened as he toyed the hem of his tunic between his fingers. “It’s pretty.”
Stephen couldn’t help the smile that rose to his lips.
“I don’t know. I suppose I’ve always had it. It was born with me, in a sense.”
“Oh. Cool.”
Stephen stood, stretching out his arms before offering a hand to Tony who looked up at him with what can be most easily compared to skepticism.
“We’ve rested. Now come. We still have a little further to go.”
Tony took his hand, but groaned loudly as they started walking once more, rolling his eyes.
“Come on, this is hardly fair,” he grumbled. Stephen shot him a teasing smile.
“How so?”
“You’re making me look bad.”
“What?”
“You’re still all nice and pretty and handsome while I’m over here sweating my ass off,” Tony whined. Stephen’s heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. His face flushed and his hands shook even more than normal, still intertwined with Tony’s.
“I-I’m a being of pure creation. I don’t have to sweat if I don’t want to.”
Something dark flickered across Tony’s face for a second and the air around them seemed to dim. Then he turned away and everything was normal once more.
“Fair enough.” He huffed, wiping the sweat from his brow. For a prince he wasn’t exactly what Stephen would call ‘graceful.’ “Where are we going, anyways?”
Stephen smiled.
“Wait and see.”
They climbed in silence, the only sound aside from the rustling of the trees and birdsong the gentle puffs of breath escaping their lips. Around them the entire world seemed bright and saturated, only the most beautiful shades of brown and green and yellow allowed in this isolated eden. But even surrounded by the millions of shades of brown in the tree bark and the soil and the tops of the mushrooms dotting the edges of their invisible path, all Stephen could think about how they all paled in comparison to the warmth of Tony’s kaleidoscopic eyes.
Beside him Tony’s foot caught on a loose rock and he stumbled, slipping backwards. Stephen’s arm shot out and he grabbed Tony’s hand, holding him fast. He glanced over. His ocean eyes met the deep hues of the mesas of the night-struck desert. There was something other than appreciation swimming in those beautiful irises, a tenderness that felt more like preemptive nostalgia than gratitude.
“Careful. Don’t fall.”
They reached the top around midday. The sky was bright and blue above them, the only mar in the perfect ombre of cerulean the occasional, fleeting bird. They pushed through the last stand of trees and Tony gasped. Stephen smiled, watching as Tony’s face lit up as he stared out over the world.
They were standing at a pool on top of a cliff, the area around them clear of trees. A river ran into the pool and another exited, sending water cascading over the edge of the rocks in a curtain of mist. The spray sent rainbows flickering across the land in the same way the movement of the leaves of the forest in the wind had led to a dance-like patchwork of yellow light. Before them, past the gap in the trees and the tumbling water of the falls, stretched an endless expanse of pine trees that faded into a horizon marked with the jagged, kind peaks of mountains. The water before them was perfectly clear, bright and refreshing and promising.
Stephen looked down at Tony, smiling at the look of wonder on his face. He liked seeing Tony like this. When he smiled in this beautiful, hopelessly amazed way he looked positively ethereal. The sourceless light of the sky cast a golden hue across his skin. It refracted in his eyes, bouncing around the facets of cut crystal and coloring each face a million shades of gold. Tony’s gaze was as steady as ever, but there was something heavy missing from it; something that brought his eyes to life and softened his face.
Pretty.
The term felt arbitrary alone. But really, what else could he say? Stunning, extraordinary, otherworldly… it all seemed quite shallow compared to how he truly felt, deep in his soul, about this man he had grown to adore.
Stephen smiled. There was something exhilarating, nerve wracking , about the time he spent with Tony. Like every moment was filled with possibilities. Before Tony everything had been linear. Observing people took off a little bit of the edge, but he still knew where this story was headed, how it was going to end. But being here in the flesh with someone so incredible, someone so unpredictable- it was like he was finally opening his eyes and he’d be damned if he’d ever go back to being alone.
He kicked off his sandals and took Tony’s hands in his, leading him towards the lake. He couldn’t help the smile that rose his face in response to the look of wonder on Tony’s. Their splashing footprints sent endless ripples across the mirror surface of the water. Tony turned in a slow circle, marveling at the wonder around them. Then he tripped over a rock and fell on his ass.
Stephen couldn’t help but laugh. Tony surfaced, spitting out a mouthful of water and staring at Stephen with a look of betrayal.
“Stephen!” he cried, and Stephen doubled over.
“You,” he giggled. “Are the most ungraceful prince- no, scratch that, human I have ever seen. And I’m omniscient!”
Tony stuck his tongue out at him. Another round of giggles burst from his chest.
“You’re just being mean,” Tony shot back. Stephen let out a long sigh. He loved the way the water rippled around Tony, tiny droplets clinging to his hair and skin and eyelashes.
“Alright. Fine.”
He offered Tony his hand. Tony reached up and wrapped his hand around Stephen’s wrist and pulled down hard . Stephen stumbled forwards, crashing into the water with a colossal splash. He spluttered, gasping as cold water soaked his clothes. He glared up at Tony, who was… shockingly close. He had fallen right into Tony, hips resting directly between Tony’s legs. His hands were pressed against Tony’s chest, clutching the soaking wet fabric of Tony’s robes tightly in his shattered fingers. And most striking of all, Tony’s face was mere inches from Stephen’s, so close that he could make out every single detail etched in those beautiful eyes of copper and amber. Tony’s lips were parted, cheeks flushed with the faintest hint of rose. Stephen felt his entire face go red.
This was… the closest they’d ever been. He was a being of pure knowledge, of omniscience, of creation, but this was something he’d never felt before. It was like his entire body was on fire. His skin tingled in an intoxicating way and inside of him it felt like nothing short of pure adrenaline was rushing through his veins. He gulped, blinking up at Tony, struck by how beautiful the man truly was. His eyes flickered down to Tony’s lips and back up. It would be so easy just to lean forwards, to close that gap and connect their bodies and their souls.
Stephen pushed away, scrambling off of Tony before sitting back and composing himself.
“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened,” he stuttered.
Tony looked at him, head framed by the endless light of the sky, and maybe it was just his desperate wishes, but Stephen swore, that for a second, something like disappointment flashed across his eyes,
“It’s fine.” Tony looked down at the water. A blush rose to his cheeks. “Besides, I didn’t mind it. I kind of liked it.”
Stephen was rooted in place. The only sound was the faint rustle of the trees and the steady drip of the water in his hair plinking down into the pool below.
“You… liked it?”
“Yeah.”
Later that day, they lay on the dry, hot rocks that lined the edge of the waterfall, the only barrier between the shallow lake and a cliff face that tumbled down hundreds of feet. The rocks were perfect- dry and flat and hot to the touch, almost burning beneath bare feet. A perfect place to walk along and watch the rainbow mists as they dried off in the heat of the sun. Above them, the sky was an endless plane of deep, deep blue so bright and beautiful that when Stephen looked back down to earth everything was washed over with a faint blue tinge.
“Do you like being here?” Tony asked, breaking the silence of water and birdsong.
“Of course.”
“So you really like being stuck here? On earth? As a human? I know you’re a god, or an angel, or a being of celestial power so vast I can’t comprehend it or something, and I just don’t want-” Stephen took Tony’s hands, folding them gently between his own. He pressed a kiss to Tony’s knuckles, admiring the way Tony’s face flushed with the gesture.
“Don’t worry. You’re here. And that’s enough for me.”
Tony ducked his head, but not fast enough to hide the delicate blush that rose to his cheeks. They neared the edge of the rocks, right by the gap where water pushed past and tumbled down the cliffs to a shimmering pool below. Stephen smiled at the look of wonder that painted Tony’s face like a pastel sunset. He was beautiful.
Tony took one step closer to the edge and one step further than he should have. The ground beneath his feet crumbled and broke away and once more Stephen was convinced that the very laws of nature that he had created were inferior to humanity. Tony let out a sharp cry, eyes widening in surprise and horror as he stumbled backwards, feet slipping over the edge of the cliff. All semblance of entrancement vanished from Stephen’s mind and he lunged forwards and grabbed Tony’s wrist, pulling him back up to safety with all the strength he could muster. Tony stumbled back forwards and into Stephen’s arms. Stephen hugged him close to his chest, closing his eyes as his heart pounded the sound of devotion in his ears. Stephen leaned his head against Tony’s, tangling his scarred fingers in Tony’s hair, so so unfathomably happy that Tony was alright; that he was safe . Tony’s breaths rose and fell erratically against Tony’s chest.
“That was… that was close,” Tony muttered. After a second he laughed, a shaky, strained sound filled with nothing but infallible gratitude. “You saved me. Now we’re totally bonded for life.” Another pause, this one tainted with the barest hits of mourning. Tony raised his head to meet Stephen’s eyes, something sad and regretful swimming in those eyes like sunlit amber. “You’re immortal, right?”
The smile faded from Stephen’s face, replaced by something that could only be described as resignation. Suddenly the colours around them didn’t seem as bright.
“Yes.”
A sad smile rose to Tony’s face and Stephen felt his heart break. Sometimes he forgot that Tony was just a human. Tony reached up and cupped Stephen’s cheek in his warm hand. He ran his thumb over Stephen’s cheekbone as if he could find solace in contact.
“You know I’m not going to last, right Stephen?” he whispered, voice barely louder than the rush of the waterfall behind them.
Stephen pressed a kiss to the top of Tony’s forehead, right above the apex of his circlet. Golden warmth radiated from the point and Stephen forever immortalized this memory in his mind. He pulled Tony close to his chest, so close he was sure Tony could hear his heartbeat.
“Don’t worry,” he breathed, hoping his words could express even a fraction of the love he felt for his beautiful prince of red and gold. “That’s okay- we will. Forever.”
Stephen started creating things once more, and although he only had a fraction of his power, he almost loved these new creations more than the ones he had woven from nothingness and universe, because this time, when he burned matter into existence, it wasn’t for the sake of creation, but for the sake of seeing Tony smile. And to Stephen, Tony’s happiness was more rewarding than any world he could ever create.
“I don’t know,” Tony breathed, and Stephen could all but see the anxiety in his voice.
“It’s okay. I promise.”
They were standing deep in a forest with trees so tall and dense the very air around them seemed dark and dangerous. Nature had wrapped them up in her arms and blinded them from the intricacies of the forest. Birdsong and the rustling of the leaves filled the air and Stephen could feel every life form nearby from the smallest chipmunk to the deer three hundred meters away and above all that, he could feel the desperate, unsteady beat of Tony’s heart. But to Tony, who could feel nothing, he could only imagine the dangers the forest held. Before them, in what looked like nothing more than a small hill, was the mouth of a cave lines with bounders the size of houses.
“Are you sure?” Tony’s voice sounded small. A stark contrast to his usual arrogance in the court or as he argued with his father and Stane, their adviser.
Stephen laced their fingers together.
“Of course.”
“What if there’s a dragon?”
Stephen smiled, squeezing their intertwined hands as tightly as he could.
“Then I’ll protect you. I’ll always protect you.”
Beside him Tony relaxed. His grip shifted higher until he was holding Stephen’s arm. He took one last deep breath, a spark of that stark determination that Stephen loved so much flickering in his eyes as he took a step forwards into the mouth of the cave.
They stumbled through the darkness for what seemed like minutes, Tony clutching both of Stephen’s hands as the Leviathan led him through tenebris so thick it felt like the abyss. The air cooled rapidly as they delved deeper, and the air grew damp and earthy. Tony’s grip tightened the further they ventured. Stephen smiled, anticipation building as they reached the final corner.
“Close your eyes,” he whispered.
“Are you shitting me?”
“Just do it.”
There was a pause.
“Ugh. Fine.”
Stephen led Tony into the center of a deep cavern. Tony’s hand was a soothing warmth in his. Around them, the cavern widened, the walls and the ceiling seemingly miles away. Stephen smiled at how beautiful Tony looked bathed in the newfound light. They stopped. Stephen squeezed Tony’s hands.
“Alright. You can open your eyes.”
The room around them was warm and wet and illuminated by thousands of crystals covering the walls and the floor and the ceiling. It was magical. Clusters of what looked like pastel geometric glass rose from the floor like flowers, interspersed with larger, paler crystals that arched high over head like the trunks of trees. Above them, shimmering stalactites hung from the ceiling of the cavern like strands of pearls, dripping water into the iridescent pools of water interspersed throughout the room. The myriad of pinks and purples and greens and faint blues lit the whole room with a soft, steady light.
Stephen watched as wonder blossomed on Tony’s face. He would always cherish just how innocent Tony’s face looked as it washed over with wonder. It was so gentle, so pure and perfect, so far beyond any creation in their mortal realm. Tony truly was perfect. The light cast a soft, warm pink hue across his skin, the light of the crystals reflected in his oaken eyes. Tony’s eyes widened, gentle and flooded with immeasurable awe. He turned slowly in a circle, taking in their surroundings with a child-like wonder. Stephen couldn’t help the smile that rose to his face. At that moment Tony was nothing short of god-like.
Tony turned back to him, and Stephen was vaguely aware of the fact that Tony’s hand was still clasped gently in his. Their eyes met and Stephen felt his heart skip a beat; felt his breath catch in his throat. Tony was so, so beautiful. Smart and witty and radiant and snarky and wonderful- he was more than anyone deserved, especially Stephen. And here, bathed in the soft glow of the crystal cave, well, Stephen knew that his affections would never belong to anyone else ever again. He smiled softly, a kind fire flickering in his ocean eyes.
“See? No dragons,” he whispered, his tone more genuine than teasing.
Tony’s eyes sharpened, twinkling brightly in the dim light. He smiled back, just as shyly, and squeezed Stephen’s hand as gently as he could.
“It’s just us.”
Stephen smiled, raising his other hand to cup Tony’s face. He pulled the other man close until their chests were flush and he could feel Tony’s heartbeat, slightly more erratic than his, mere inches from his own. And for a moment, they forgot about the past and all their responsibilities, lost in the dim light and the faint drip of water around them. For a moment, it was just them, alone together, far away from the prying eyes of the world.
“It’s just us,” Stephen echoed, smiling widely down at the man in his arms.
The castle was quiet at night. The halls were empty and open, lit only by the pools of moonlight streaming through the arched windows, silver scattered across the cool marble floors like puddles of mercury. The desert air that blew through the halls was still warm, but it lacked the suffocating burn of the daytime. Amongst this, Stephen’s favourite thing about the night time was the solitude. The castle was so, so big, endless halls and open-ceilinged ballrooms usually filled to the brim with people bustling about so fast it made Stephen dizzy. But here, now, in the sanctum of the night, everything was quiet and still and peaceful. The late- or early, rather- hour had shepherded everyone away, leaving them alone together in the endless halls of marble and moonlight.
Tony swung their intertwined hands between them, thumb tracing gentle patterns across Stephen’s scars. Stephen looked down at Tony, who was practically glowing in the shadow of the moon. It was always easier for his husband to smile in the quiet, loneliness of the night. And Stephen understood why. There was something sacred about being alone in such a vast maze of columns and hallways and dining halls. To traipse through throne rooms and waltz along balconies past windows filled with billowing silk curtains, everything coloured the most beautiful shades of blue and silver. Tony turned to him, a smile in his eyes as he pulled Stephen through a marble archway and out into one of the moon-lit gardens.
The cobblestones beneath their feet glowed white in the moonlight, the grass a deep blue. All around them the petals of flowers and the leaves of the trees were painted a delicate silver. The air, so dark inside, almost seemed to glow.
Stephen’s fingers tangled with Tony’s. They came to a stop before a small fountain, the burbling water reflecting the dark sky, any and all imperfections fractured with moonlight. Stephen let their hands fall between them. A gentle breeze tipped over the castle walls and tousled their hair. Stephen’s hand moved of its own accord, reaching up to brush away the stray lock’s from Tony’s face with a care far more endless and meaningful than the emptiness of the sky above them. Vaguely, a thought crossed his mind that Tony was far more beautiful than any deity, any master of creation. He was a god- beauteous and wonderful and sublime. He was far more of a Leviathan than Stephen ever deserved to be.
Stephen let his hand fall to Tony’s cheek, cupping that face he so adored gently in his trembling hands. He smiled, tracing patterns across Tony’s cheek with his thumb. There, alone together under the endless ink of the night sky, Stephen felt like he had found his other half. The way the moonlight played through Tony’s golden eyes; it refracted and turned the light warm and comforting, yet impossibly cold and distant at the same time. There was more than just moonlight there. There was something wonderful and perfect and beautiful, something new and unique. Something so decadent that not even a Leviathan could create it. But maybe the Leviathans weren’t the most powerful thing in existence after all. Maybe there was something more. Maybe there was something wedged deep in that bond between them, something that could set the sky on fire in a wonderfuly cold blaze, just like the light that glazed Tony’s eyes.
Tony was so wonderful. No words in existence could ever do him justice.
“You’re my Starlight,” he whispered, reverence palpable in every syllable. Tony giggled, stepping closer to Stephen on his tip toes. Stephen smiled at the sight, Tony’s laughter carving joy in his heart. Stephen leaned down and pressed their foreheads together, slowly getting lost in the swirling light of Tony’s eyes.
“Haha, what does that even mean?” Tony snickered. Stephen’s smile grew even more sincere.
“I… don’t know. You just seemed too perfect for this world. Any comparison to the sun or the moon would do nothing but mar your importance. You’re special, Tony. And you deserved a special name all for yourself,” Stephen murmured, knowing he had never spoken truer words.
“You… you really think so?” Tony’s voice was so quiet that it was almost lost in the night, swirling silver and blue around them.
“With every inch of my soul,” Stephen swore.
He knew that the second their lips touched that he would forever wed his dreams, his soul, himself to Tony’s perishable breath, that this action would forever tether them together in a sense far deeper than any underlying currents of that reality, or any other for that matter. But all those inevitabilities just made him long for it more. Stephen fell forwards and their lips finally touched. Tony blossomed in the moonlight before him, flourishing into the palest shades of silver and gold and into his inevitable vitality. A trembling, nervous wave of pure energy coursed through Stephen’s veins. Stephen pulled away, dragging Tony’s lower lip between his. He let out a soft sigh. Somewhere, far across the sea, dawn broke on the horizon and their incarnation was complete.
It was the first cool night of the season. The wind blew shivers up Stephen’s spine and cast the cold, unwavering light of the moon across chilled marble. It wasn’t freezing, but to the two of them buried in a cocoon of heat in their shared bed, the air beyond their bubble might as well have been subzero.
Stephen was curled close to Tony, limbs tangled and foreheads touching, so close that if he shifted any closer, their lips would meet and they would be one. Stephen was clad in a long robe, the silky fabric as smooth as moonlight against his skin. Tony wore a tunic of a similar thread count. Stephen hummed gently, pulling the covers over their head until they were alone, separated from the world by a wall of thin fabric. He leaned in and kissed Tony gently, pulling a soft gasp from the other man’s ruby lips. Stephen ran a trembling hand over Tony’s chest, scars as bright and silver and icy as the moon above. His hand ghosted over something cold and hard and glowing, stark against the billowing warmth of Tony’s chest. He pulled away and sat back, the sheet tenting above his head.
He reached down once more, fingers catching on the hem of Tony’s shirt and teasing it away from Tony’s collarbone to reveal something strange and unnatural buried deep in his chest. Suddenly Stephen was reminded that while they were close- had always been close- that they had never seen each other without their facades of luxury, had never seen each other at their barest essence. That they had yet to consummate their marriage. That there were still things he did not know about Tony; that those secrets were the reasons he adored him.
“What’s this?” His words cut through the heat of their bubble. Shame coloured Tony’s cheeks red and he looked away.
“A… a crystal,” he muttered. His hands found Stephen’s and slowly guided them down to the edge of Tony’s shirt, leading them upward. “You can look if you’d like.”
He closed the gap once more, kissing Tony slowly and sweetly, hands slipping beneath the final piece of fabric separating them and running across the blazing skin of Tony’s chest beneath his shirt. He slid the shirt up and pulled it over Tony’s head. Untethered by the fabric, a small, triangular crystal embedded in the center of Tony’s chest glowed dimly, pulsing in the heated darkness between them. Tony looked away, resignation blooming on his face. Stephen’s hands fell to Tony’s chest, tracing over the stone with the utmost of care.
“Does it hurt?” he breathed.
“A- A little,” Tony admitted. He tilted his head, staring up at Stephen like he was an anomaly. “Don’t you find it hideous?”
Stephen laughed. He leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to Tony’s lips, capturing the other man’s breath, and subsequently, his words.
“Darling I could never bring myself to find any part of you less than perfect.”
He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the glowing crystal. A wave of almost imperceptible light emanated from his touch, rippling over Tony’s chest and sinking into his skin. Tony let out a tiny gasp, then a sigh of relief.
“What- what was that?” he said.
“Just a little something to ease the pain.” Stephen paused, tracing patterns across Tony’s skin. “I never asked what happened. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No no, it’s okay.” Tony took a deep breath. “It happened a couple years ago. I was a lot less responsible back then. We were having a ball- a celebration of the summer solstice- and there was an attack on the castle. I, uh, I would have been fine, but I’d snuck off with some girl and they- the attackers- managed to kidnap me. But my chest was hurt in the explosion. They put this crystal in my chest to prevent the shrapnel from entering my heart. Then they used me for ransom, but my father refused to pay it. I had to get away from them on my own. But even when I got back home, there was nothing they could do to fix my chest. So now I have this.”
There was a beat of silence.
“Do you want me to heal you?”
Tony tilted his head, one hand falling down to tangle in Stephen’s hair.
“No. It’s okay. It’s taught me a lot. It’s a… reminder, of sorts. To help me be the man I want to be.” Tony paused, doubt flickering in his eyes. “You can change it if you don’t like it, though. Whatever makes you happy.”
Stephen’s trembling hand traced the crystal gently, borderline reverence in every soft touch. “I could never be offended by something that makes you happy,” he whispered. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the glassy blue surface. “Every part of you is beautiful, whether you think they’re broken or not.”
“I-I-” Tony’s eyes met Stephen’s and a flash of understanding sparked between them. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, my Starlight.”
Stephen pressed a kiss to Tony’s chest. Then another. And another. His lips slowly trailed down tan skin, grazing planes of muscle and with one final nod from his beloved, his lips dipped between Tony’s hips and the rest of the quiet night was graced with the sweet sound of Tony’s fragile moans.
Time carried on at an unwavering pace, the days stretching long and short, sunrises and sunsets and everything in between melting together and blending into an intangible dust that spoke of nothing but memories. They grew more acquainted, if that was possible. Before they had been afraid to traverse where they did not know, unable to breach those unspoken barriers- those failing facades of mere platonic trust. Where they had adored and cherished every aspect of their other half in nothing but a platonic sense, that barrier had long since fallen, tentatively first, then all together once more.
Now they were making up for lost, limited time. They delved deep into each other, throwing themselves into each other’s mannerisms, every tick, every love, every hatred to the point where they knew the other just as well as they knew themselves. And slowly, after the initial fervent desperation to understand melted away, they fall into a calmer, almost tranquil sense of security the universe usually reserved for the lucky few.
They were inseparable, ‘close’ far too meaningless a word to describe their connection, a thrumming bond so deep they could feel it miles away, humming brightly in their chest, right beside their hearts, one deep and steady and full of magic, the other faltering but strong, held together by determination and both bound by love.
Tony spent his days attending to the kingdom, caring for his people and his land and his world. Stephen helped him when he could, spending other days tending to the garden and aided the people of the kingdom in other, smaller ways when he could not spend the day by Tony’s side. No matter what the day held for them, however, they always fell back together as the sun set, finding nothing but solace in the quiet folds of the night; staring out at the place the desert met the sea, holding each other as their eyes, gilded with creation, filled in tiny pinpricks of light and pattern where the endless black of the night sky failed to provide. It was always the ends of the days when they fell into bed beside each other, that they cherished the most.
Love isn’t always loud. It isn’t always bright and searing and apparent to everyone under the sun. Sometimes love is quiet and kind all the little things in between. Sometimes it’s sad, sometimes it’s happy, and sometimes it’s neither. All in all, love is different for everyone, but to Stephen, love was the trust between them as he found quiet solace in Tony’s arms on the days when all the knowledge in the universe, both past and present, seemed to push at his head, a chilling understanding of less desirable timelines waging war behind his eyes. There wasn’t any need for discussion on those days. To him, Tony’s quiet understanding, beating rhythm past the crystal in his chest, was enough comfort for him.
Tony felt it when he saw Stephen laugh. To him, the feeling of knowing that he had made Stephen happy was more rewarding than anything else in the world. It was like when Stephen looked at him, Starlight (whatever that meant) in his eyes, that every bad thing that had ever happened could fade away into nothing more than the trivial. For the first time in a long time he alone, just his personality, was enough to satisfy. For the first time in a long time, someone cared about him for more than just the superficial. He had forgotten how nice it felt to trust.
Despite all of that, at the end of the day, past all the gold and silver and jeweled emotions, past the predetermined destiny of their mortal minds, past the the empty sky and the promise of what was beyond, whether Tony and Stephen felt it a different way or not, there was no denying that they had fallen deeply and irreversibly in love.
All the world was quiet. They were back at the lake, this time watching the water from a small boat gliding across the water, the gentle waves of it’s wake interrupting the perfect mirror of the night sky. The air was warm, but a crisp breeze chased away any semblance of humidity. Around them the leaves were beginning to turn, oranges and fading greens soft against the dim light. Small clusters of fireflies flickered and skittered across the surface of the water, sending pinpricks of silver-green light rippling across the surface of the water, filling the reflection of the empty night sky with off-white diamonds.
Stephen took a deep breath of fresh, cool air. He stilled, setting his oar back down into the boat, moving to sit on the bench across from Tony. Tony laughed, a sound that was more of a soft exhale of amazement than anything else. His eyes roamed the sky, drowning in the endless void swirling above them.
“It’s beautiful,” he breathed.
Stephen smiled, eyes not once leaving Tony’s face.
“It is.”
Tony’s eyes- like the walls of a canyon; filled with endless shades of brown- fell back to Stephen, and something in his face softened. He stilled, reaching between them to cradle Stephen’s shaking hands. Tony’s fingers traced gentle patterns across Stephen’s skin and Stephen had to hold back a shiver. Tony’s eyes flitted up, an almost shy coyness peering up at him through thick lashes.
“What’s your favourite part about the night?” Tony asked, voice barely above a murmur.
Stephen barely had to think to answer.
“The sky.”
“Why? It’s just darkness. I mean there’s the moon, but beyond that…” Tony trailed off, tilting his upwards to ponder the infinity above.
“It’s not. It’s a million shades of the deepest blue and purple and black, all swirling together like pigment in water. And all that infinity- it feels like a million other worlds, like the only boundaries are imagination. It’s freedom, it’s the promise of creation, it’s perfect.” He paused, cheeks flushing the palest shade of pink as he realized Tony’s eyes were on him. “The sky is so beautiful. I just feel like it’s missing something.”
Tony’s eyes shone silver.
“That’s beautiful.”
Stephen smiled.
“You’re beautiful.” Stephen paused, licking his lips. “What’s your favourite part of the night?”
“I get to spend time with you,” Tony said, voice filled with nothing short of pure affection.
Warmth bubbled deep in Stephen’s chest. Here, in that tiny boat on a mirror lake, under the endless, empty sky, everything felt perfect. It was almost like he could forget every problem, every obstacle, every detail minute to massive that was keeping them apart. In that moment it was just them and only them; two souls, one timeless and powerful and infinite, the other kind and pure and caring far beyond the capacity for any mortal. And in that moment, staring down at Tony, eyes free of all the stress and pressure and suffocation of the world that had clipped his wings, filled instead with a deep, unending trust, Stephen knew deep down in the very fibre of his make up that he would never feel this way about anyone ever again. He had found his match. In this universe and the next and the next beyond that they were meant to be. They were a cosmic infinite, a fixed point in the inconstant, tangled web of fate.
“I love you,” Stephen whispered.
Tony’s lips parted and Stephen longed to capture his perishable breath with his own.
“I-I love you too. For now and forever.”
“For now and forever.”
Their lips met beneath the moon and around them the fireflies danced in the sky.
Warm water lapped at Stephen’s ankles. Around them, as far as the eye could see, was nothing but planes and planes of turquoise water, and beneath that, the delicate forest of reds and purples and a million other colours. Fanciful fish flitted in and out of the coral reef, darting back and forth and nipping at each other’s fins. It was beautiful. Another exhibit of the majesty of nature, although it still paled in comparison to the amazement that blossomed in Tony’s eyes. To Stephen, that was more valuable than any wonder of the earth.
A sloshing sound and the splash of water against his calves let him know Tony was beside him.
“Do you… do you like it?” Stephen hated how his voice wavered.
A hand found its way to Stephen’s.
“You’re here with me, so I’m happy.”
They were at the top of a mountain at the peak of summer. The air was crisp and cool around them, a strange contrast to the stark, dry heat of the palace. Beside him, Tony took a deep breath, a sigh of contentment parting his perfect lips. They were lying side by side, staring up at the endless night sky above. A blanket was spread out on the grass below them. Tony reached out, playing with Stephen’s fingers.
“I told you about all the human myths,” he said, eyes catching the Starlight as he turned to look over at Stephen. “Do the Leviathans have any stories?”
Stephen paused, licking his lips.
“A few.”
“Care to share?”
“Alright, fine. There’s this story. About all living beings on this mortal plane. According to legend, the universe sprung from one place: the garden of the cosmos located deep in the mirror reality. All spiritual material- you, me, plants, animals, the humans, even the Leviathans- all lifeforce arose from the flowers scattered throughout the garden. It is said that the flowers bloomed in pairs, two spirits whose petals, and destiny’s, intertwined. Two spirits who belong only together, whose very existence together brings new light into the universe. Soulmates. However, on this plane of reality, all the souls of the flowers are untethered, scattered throughout all of time and space. That’s why soulmates are so valuable; they’re nearly impossible to find. But it’s said when a spirit does find it’s second half, that together they have the power to light up the void beyond the sun and the moon,” Stephen breathed, legend sinking into the night sky around them.
“Do you think we’re soulmates?”
The words hung heavy in the air for a second. Then Stephen reached his shaking hand over and tangled it with Tony’s. He looked over, ocean eyes finding gold like their gaze was meant to be.
“I’d like to think that’s what time intended,” he whispered.
Tony smiled and sat up, moving close to Stephen. He cupped the Leviathan’s face in his warm, gentle hands and brought their lips together.
“If my trust for you says anything, it’s that our love transcends time and space and the void itself,” Tony whispered, leaning his forehead against Stephen’s.
Stephen smiled.
“I couldn’t agree more.” He pressed a kiss to the tip of Tony’s nose. “I love you, my Starlight, more than life itself.”
“I love you too.”
Later that night their room was dark, save the stray moonbeams cutting past the still curtains to the balcony. Beneath their blankets, as thin as they were, there was nothing but heat and moans and two desperate souls, so close together they were almost one.
“Are you- are you sure you want this?” Stephen whispered, words cutting through the heat. Tony keened in response, trying to push his hips closer- further- back onto Stephen’s deft fingers.
“Please,” he whimpered. “I need you, Stephen!”
Stephen dipped his fingers into the bowl of olive oil at their bedside, shaking fingers moving down to circle Tony’s rim. So tight. Their incarnation would hurt him so much.
Tony’s moans painted the empty sky with sparkling declarations of their love. They had waited so long, seen summers and winters and falls and springs pass, grown near then grown close, inseparably so. They had followed the looping path of time, winding and unwinding and tangling together into what they called destiny. And now, under the moonlight, in their bedroom, they would contend, forever give themselves to each other and paint the sky with their love. Covered in lines- more poetry than anything else- they could finally rest, two halves of a finished story.
Now, as Tony lay before him, splayed out like a flower blooming in the moonlight, all he could imagine was their future together. This final moment would forever wed their souls together for all eternity, to the void and back. They had already committed themselves to each other once before, but this, this would consummate in a far deeper way than any man-made ceremony ever could.
Stephen pressed one more kiss to Tony’s lips, then one to the crystal embedded deep in his chest before pulling his oil-coated fingers out and slipping his cock deep inside Tony, one excruciating inch at a time. Beneath him, Tony shivered, biting his lip to ward off the fragile whimpers threatening to swallow his breath. Stephen’s hips met Tony’s, now fully buried in Tony’s tight heat, his flower trembling beneath him.
“Shh… it’s okay,” he murmured, scattering the gentlest of kisses across tan skin.
“It-it hurts,” Tony hissed, eyes squeezed shut.
“I won’t move until you want me to,” Stephen promised.
After a few minutes Stephen could feel Tony’s muscles relax, the deep, measured breaths parting his lips in the most hypnotizing way. He swallowed deeply and opened his eyes, gaze meeting Stephen’s.
“Alright. You can- you can move,” he whispered.
Stephen leaned down and pressed a kiss to the apex of his collarbone. Tony looped his arms around Stephen’s neck and butterflies burst from their contact. Stephen started slowly, shallow, measured thrusts rocking Tony’s hips back gently until he relaxed even more and the quiet hisses of pain were traded for tiny groans of pleasure. Once again colours flashed across Stephen’s vision, bright and bold and beautiful. Red and blue and gold and copper, all swirling in the air around them, painted by Tony’s pleasure. Stephen started to go faster, a deep heat building in his gut. Tony let out a whine, rolling his hips back to meet Stephen’s thrusts. Then Stephen drove down on what must have been Tony’s prostate because the prince practically fell apart in his arms, moaning and begging for his love to take him in earnest. He clenched tight around Stephen’s cock and Stephen let out a short moan of his own. They had barely even started but he was already close.
One shaking hand reached down, his touch all but glowing as he stroked Tony’s neglected prick. Tony’s hips shuddered, those gorgeous golden-brown eyes clenched shut as he came, face twisted in ecstasy and voice strained with pleasure. His hole spasmed around Stephen and Stephen trembled, falling apart with one last thrust deep into the heat of Tony’s ass. He came inside Tony, and instantly felt the telltale spark of power flood from his soul and into Tony’s, taking root and beginning to bud. There, splayed out across their sheets like an angel, Tony bloomed before him, wreathed in silver light and ecstasy.
Then, his perfect eyes widened, any remaining hints of pleasure fading to pain. He gasped, hands flying to his abdomen, and then to his heart. He stared up at Stephen, fear in his eyes as he let out a low groan soaked in agony. Stephen gathered him in his arms, rocking him back and forth as he pressed soothing kisses to his love’s forehead. He could only imagine the pain Tony was feeling. It wasn’t pretty, the expansion of power, but the sudden access to limitless knowledge was far worse. But it would all be worth it, soon. After Tony bloomed in his arms they would forever belong to each other, souls intertwined forever in infinity.
Tony keened, a sound that broke Stephen’s heart.
“Ow- Stephen, it hurts-” he whimpered.
Stephen held him close, whispering gentle admissions of adoration and comfort in his ear. Tony’s skin was hot to the touch, almost burning, and deep within his chest, his heart beat faster and faster, stopped, then carried on. Stephen held him tight as he shook. Soon it would all be over. Soon his love would be by his side for all eternity.
“I know, my Starlight. But it will be over soon, and then you can join me in infinity,” he murmured.
It took three days.
Three long, painful days where all Stephen could hear were the screams of his love and all he could see in those fiery eyes was fear. Stephen stayed by his side the entire time, cradling Tony’s head in his lap, brushing away stray locks of hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, whispering soothing admissions of his love as his soulmate writhed in his arms. Every pitiful cry, every tear, every second his Starlight was in pain he felt nothing but sadness, desperation almost. But this was the only way. The only way they could be together forever. Stephen smoothed back Tony’s hair and pressed a kiss to his damp temple. He just wished it wasn’t so horrific. Tony’s tears wet the front of his robes and Stephen swore he could feel his soul dying just a tiny bit.
But when Tony opened his eyes and they sparked with unfathomable power, Stephen knew it had all been worth it.
Tony stared up at him with an expression that could only be described as wonder. Stephen pulled him close, pressing kisses to the gold of Tony’s skin, reveling in the power that wreathed his Starlight. It was complete. They were forever bound together, sworn to stand by each other’s side until the end of time and beyond. Tony was nothing short of pure power now, his mind, always lit with the splendor of creation, expanded far beyond anything he had known prior. Together they would rise, create, bring kindness and wealth and life to the world. Stephen smiled, tears of happiness filling his eyes. Tony took a shallow breath, looking around in wonder and flexing his hands before turning back to Stephen, wonder in his amber eyes.
“Did you… Am I…” he whispered.
Stephen beamed, a tear trickling down one high cheekbone.
“Yes,” he breathed, joy colouring his tone pure gold. “Yes you are. You’re a Leviathan.”
He cared for Tony for another three days beyond that, taking all the time the world offered just to pamper and coax his love back to full bloom. They spent those long days in their room, tangled in the sheets, or sitting on the balcony eating the food Stephen conjured, or just standing together, fingers intertwined and bodies touching, content as long as their other half was there too. It was only when Stephen tried to teach Tony how to use his new powers that things went wrong.
The fourth day after Tony’s transformation that Stephen deemed him healthy enough to begin investigating his new powers. They stepped out onto the balcony. The land around them was bright and open, not a cloud to be seen for miles and miles. A cool breeze cut through the air, stirring the curtains and cutting through the burning heat of the air. The deep ambers and oranges of the mesa and the land around it carried on until it faded into white where it met the horizon and a deep, strange blue where it hit the sea. Stephen took a deep breath of fresh air. His eyes scanned the horizon before landing once more on Tony. He smiled. This was what peace felt like.
“There are many powers that come with being a Leviathan, but for now, we will start with some of the more simple ones,” he explained. He waved his hand and in a flash of golden sparks gave way to two simple clay pots, each filled with soil. Stephen held out his fist to Tony and unfolded his fingers, revealing two seeds. Tony took one. “One of the first is growth. While the Leviathans biggest project was the creation of this physical plane and all life on it, one step in that process is encouraging growth, from the whales and dragons of the deep sea to the smallest flower, we helped the world grow.”
“Alright, so how do we do this?”
Stephen sat before his pot and Tony followed suit. Stephen lowered his shaking hands to the soil, pushing the small, oblong seed deep into the dirt before smoothing it over once more. He took a deep breath and held his broken fingers over the soil.
“The best way I can describe it is just… warmth. All you need to do is close your eyes and concentrate, find solace in your thoughts until you feel warmth flood through your chest and all around you. In the past I used to think about all the joy and life my actions would bring, how happy I could make the universe. But now,” Stephen blushed. “Now I think about us. About you. And how happy you make me and how I want to make you feel the same way.”
He closed his eyes. Just picturing Tony was enough. But delving into his memories… all the long nights they’d shared, talking as they lay in the dark, mere inches apart. All the places they’d been to, how excited Tony had been to see them. All the times he made Tony laugh, how he’d thrown back his head, how those gorgeous eyes so much like polished mahogany had glittered gold and red and the deepest shade of chocolate as the sound of his happiness filled the air. How perfect Tony was. How happy he made Stephen and just how perfect they were for each other, differences be damned.
His hands glowed a bright gold and in the pot before him a small seedling pushed through the soil, up and out and flowering into a million shades of purple and pink and red carnations all but glowing in the sunlight. Tony’s mouth fell open and Stephen smiled, gesturing towards Tony’s pot.
“Now you try. Think of something that fills you with warmth.”
Tony closed his eyes, cupping his hands around his pot. He breathed in deeply and exhaled, brow furrowed in concentration.
“Your smile.” The words were all but a whisper on the wind, but they lodged in Stephen’s heart and filled him with more adoration. It was one thing to love. It was another to be loved back.
After a few strained seconds sparks erupted around Tony’s hands and his bud emerged, pushing through the soil in tiny, stuttering increments, and a single, wobbly sunflower grew between his perfect hands. Tony opened his eyes and his smile grew wide, wider than Stephen had ever seen. He looked up at Stephen with so much pride he could feel his heart swell even more.
“I-I did it!”
“You did!”
Stephen wrapped his arms tight around his Starlight and pressed quick, happy kisses all over his face. They tumbled down, tangled up and just basking in each other’s power and presence.
Then the very air seemed to chill and for a split, terrifying second all Stephen could feel was raw, unbridled anger. It seemed to float around them, in and out and all around in a way Stephen hadn’t felt since… since before he’d come to the palace. Beside him, Tony shivered. There was no doubt that he could sense it too.
“What- what is that?” he muttered, looking around as if the air itself, however bright, was hiding malice in it’s shadow.
Stephen scrambled to his feet, tugging Tony up with him. He flicked his hands, electric gold energy coursing along the scars on the back of his hands and down to his fingertips. Every nerve was on edge. He had been so careful. But this was inevitable, he supposed.
“She’s coming.”
“Who’s coming? What are you talking about? Stephen I-”
Stephen went completely still. Slowly he turned, eyes flickering first with desperation, then terror and finally a resolute determination. Behind them, standing at the end of the balcony, framed by the orange and gold of the setting sun, was a woman draped in yellow robes, eyes calm and cold and unbreakable.
“Stephen.”
“What are you doing here?” his voice wasn’t exactly hostile, but it was far from calm.
“You’ve been… busy, I see,” she said, eyes flicking down to Tony then back level with Stephen.
“Why are you here?!” Stephen snapped. He stepped in front of Tony, glaring at the woman.
“Oh Stephen. You know why I’m here. You thought we wouldn’t notice?” Her voice was far colder than Stephen had ever felt before. He knew this was coming. He had just been so caught up in their perfect fantasy that he had grown blind to reality.
“Stephen- what’s going on? Who is she?” Tony asked. The fear in his voice pained Stephen.
“The Ancient One. The leader of the Leviathans. The oldest, the strongest, the wisest.”
“And he is Anthony Stark. A human prince. A human,” The Ancient One spat, staring at Stephen with a mixture of disappointment and disgust in her eyes. “Stephen what were you thinking?”
Behind her, another figure materialized, this one a tall, dark skinned man in robes of emerald green. Behind him, one more Leviathan wove himself into existence, a portly man with wine-red robes. The one in green- Mordo- stepped forwards, looking Stephen over, eyes more regretful than anything else.
“He’s always been different; unafraid to break the rules. And he’s always loved the humans,” he said. Stephen pulled Tony closer, trembling hands held at the ready.
“Yes, but we never thought he’d go as far as- as-” the man in red- Wong- stammered.
“What’s done is done.” The Ancient One snapped. “We were content to let you romp around this world, to waste away your days in fields and waterfalls, to pretend you were human -” The word was like acid on her lips. “But this- you have gone too far, Stephen. Mortal attachment is the one thing no Leviathan can ever have. It goes against all our rules. All our morals.”
“But why? What about the myths?” Stephen said, clinging desperately to any control he still had.
The Ancient One simply rolled her eyes.
“Those are children’s tales. What you’ve done is unjustifiable. Sharing our secrets- our power - with a human? I’m sorry Stephen, but I am afraid we cannot allow you to continue.”
“Please! Don’t take him from me! I love him! I need him!” Stephen begged, but his prayers fell upon deaf ears.
“And that is exactly the reason we must take him from you.”
Stephen went quiet. Tears wobbled in his eyes, blurring his vision and threatening to spill down his face in stinging waterfalls. He knew better than to protest. All he could do in that moment was cradle Tony tight in his arms and pray for the universe to find enough pity in it’s frozen heart to grant them a happy ending.
“I-I-” he stuttered, mind falling blank no matter where he looked to find hope. Pathetic. Now of all times for words to fail him.
“Stephen. You know what we must do. What you must do,” The Ancient One prompted.
There was one last moment of silence.
“No.”
The Leviathan’s eyes widened at his defiance.
“What?! ‘No?’ You dare oppose our judgement?!” The Ancient Once snarled.
“I love Tony far more than I fear all of you,” Stephen spat.
He pulled Tony close, closed his eyes, and clasped their hands together. In one final flash of golden sparks he reached deep into Tony’s soul and pulled out his astral form, sending them high into the blue, open sky as their bodies collapsed and crumbled away into flower petals on the marble balcony so far below. His golden spirit alongside Tony’s soared high into the sky, pushing past all the layers of the atmosphere until the earth shone purple and blue an eternity away. Stephen felt the air turn copper in anger, but he pushed past it. They could outrun the Leviathans. He knew it. They had to.
Above them there was nothing but darkness and the pale expanse of the moon. Stephen snapped his fingers and in a burst of power, their golden forms appeared on the smooth, barren surface of the moon. Tony stared up at him in panic and awe. Stephen scooped him into his arms, just relieved that he still had the man he loved close to his heart. Together, their spirits beat in tandem, dancing across the smooth silver surface of the moon.
“Stephen- what just happened?! What’s going on?! Where are we?!” Tony said.
“There’s no time to explain. They want to take you from me, my Starlight. I can’t lose you. But I can take you somewhere far away. All around us is the void. The others won’t dare follow us into nothingness. And once we’re safe, I can create a place, a planet, a home, just for us where we can be happy forever,” he swore, frantic words painting the air around them a bright, iridescent silver.
Before him, Tony balked. Amidst the fear in his eyes there was something more. He looked back at the planet shining blue and green so far below them and Stephen found sadness in the eyes of his love.
“But- but what about Earth? We’ll never be able to find it again in all that nothingness,” Tony muttered.
Stephen shuddered. He could feel the others growing near. Still far, but coming. He tapped his fingers, eyes tracing lines between the ground, Tony’s eyes, and the endless void above them. If only there was something to lead them back… He dropped to his knees, tracing an intricate circular mandala across the smooth silver surface of the moon. He closed his eyes and his spirit and the rune before him both glowed a bright, searing gold. Around them, the moon’s surface fell away, large, circular portions dissolving like ash in the wind until the whole surface was covered in craters. In the center of the mandala before them, a small pouch the same silver as moonlight appeared before them. Stephen scooped it up and pressed it into Tony’s hands. The prince opened the bag revealing a pile of small, smooth, silver rocks. He held one up. It almost seemed to glow against the inky backdrop of the void.
“What is this?” he murmured.
“Pure moonshine. Drop these behind us as we run and we’ll always be able to find our way back to Earth. I promise we’ll return when it’s safe. Are you ready, my Starlight?”
Tony took Stephen’s glowing hand in his.
“I’m ready, my love.”
And so they disappeared together into the void, scattering stars in their wake.