[ he loses some of his steam at the proffered hand, his features now comically put off by the gesture and what it entails. tony spent the majority of his time in new amsterdam avoiding physical contact because of the emotional bond between the displaced. stephen has been the only person he had been willing to do it more than once with, but even then, it was more out of necessity than any actual desire. he genuinely doesn't want to experience the intrusiveness of the bond again.
unfortunately, it's the best way to verify that strange really is the one he knew on the other earth.
it's fine. he just needs to focus on not giving too much away. easy. he's had months to compartmentalize his messier emotions away, where they will never see the light of day again. they only need to test if it works, so it can be cut short.
seconds tick by before tony lets out a breath of air, tugs off his glove and places his hand on top of stephen's, making contact. ]
no subject
unfortunately, it's the best way to verify that strange really is the one he knew on the other earth.
it's fine. he just needs to focus on not giving too much away. easy. he's had months to compartmentalize his messier emotions away, where they will never see the light of day again. they only need to test if it works, so it can be cut short.
seconds tick by before tony lets out a breath of air, tugs off his glove and places his hand on top of stephen's, making contact. ]