Mystique woke with a long, lazy yawn and stretched her whole body like a cat claiming the bed. Her muscles felt loose and warm, the kind of warm that only came from deep sleep and… well… a very specific kind of exercise. A faint tingling pulsed behind her temples from all the alcohol she had poured into her system last night, but the ache was small and almost pleasant.
She let herself sink back into the pillow for a moment. Then the memories drifted in.
Her lips curved into a slow smile. She remembered the laughter, the kissing and the heat in his eyes. She remembered the way his hands felt on her skin.
'Was that a dream?' she wondered, feeling a flutter in her stomach.
She sat up so quickly she almost made herself dizzy. She looked around the room, taking in the rumpled sheets, fluid stains and Tony's clothes on the floor.
"Oh! It was real."
She pressed a palm to her forehead and huffed out a small laugh. 'I cannot believe I did that. I cannot believe I did all of that.' A beat passed. 'Actually… I can.'
She slid off the bed and walked toward the door on quiet feet. She opened the door slowly and peeked into the hallway. The scent of sizzling bacon drifted up the stairs and wrapped itself around her. A voice reached her next. Tony was humming in the kitchen. Of course, he was humming. He sounded annoyingly cheerful for someone who had matched her shot for shot.
Her stomach growled. She almost glared at it.
'So he is happy and here. Good. If he had vanished after last night, I would have hunted him down.'
With that settled, she slipped back into the bedroom and headed for the bathroom. She turned on the shower and let the steam curl around her. The warm water hit her skin, washing away the last traces of sleep, fluids and alcohol. She cleaned up properly, but still stood there under the water with a smile.
She remembered the way he looked at her. Not the usual Stark swagger. Like, there was something in his eyes that made her her flutter and want him even more. Even though she was drunk, she could remember that moment. Slowly, everything came back piece by piece.
'It happened,' she thought as the water rolled down her shoulders. 'And I am not sure what it means yet. But it happened. So, we are together now? Will he ask me out for another date? Maybe some more fun? Wait! Should I ask him out since he asked me out first? Arggg! Why is this... this love and dating so confusing?'
She straightened up, ran her fingers through her hair, and let the warmth settle her nerves.
By the time she stepped out, wrapped in a towel, she felt almost normal again.
Almost.
[A few minutes later]
Mystique sat on the edge of the bed with the robe tied loosely around her waist and her hair still damp. A tiny part of her brain insisted she should be calculating escape routes or potential threats, but instead she just sat there replaying the night in quiet disbelief.
The sex was awesome. That much she was willing to admit to herself without flinching. The part she was not used to was the warmth that curled in her chest when she thought of him smiling at her. That was the part making her nervous.
She rubbed a hand over her face.
"Get it together, Raven," she muttered.
Then she heard the footsteps down the hall. She straightened, tugged the robe a little more securely around her, and tried to look like a person who was completely fine and absolutely not spiraling internally.
Tony nudged the door open with his hip. He carried a massive breakfast tray like it was a peace offering to a queen he hoped would not execute him. The tray was overflowing. Eggs Benedict, bacon, pancakes, waffles, fruit, two mugs of coffee, even a tiny dish of jam, like he was hosting an elite brunch for a small family.
He grinned as he stepped inside.
"Good morning. I may have, possibly, accidentally, theoretically gone overboard."
She stared at the feast and blinked. "Tony, this is enough food to feed a small army."
"I did not know what you liked for breakfast. So I made everything." He set the tray on the bed with a proud flourish. "I got carried away. Happily carried. Carried with enthusiasm."
Mystique tried not to smile, but it escaped anyway. "You think?"
He sat beside her, close enough that their knees brushed.
'He smells good.' She thought.
"I figured," he continued, "after last night, the least I could do was make breakfast. Or a breakfast. Or a buffet masquerading as one."
Her cheeks warmed. She hated that it happened so easily around him. "Last night was... something."
Tony's grin softened into something more real. "Yeah. It was."
They let the quiet settle between them. Not awkward. Just steady.
Mystique reached for the coffee first. He watched her like her approval mattered way too much to him. She took a sip. It was perfect.
She lifted one brow. "You made this?"
"Yes," he said, touching his chest. "With my own two hands. No robots involved, that I promise. Just pure Stark craftsmanship and a caffeine addiction."
She laughed, and he gave a small, relieved smile like hearing her laugh was the point.
She grabbed a piece of bacon next. "So what is this? Breakfast in bed, big smiles, soft eyes. Are we a couple now?" She raised an eyebrow.
Tony pretended to think, tapping his chin. "Possibly, potentially, hypothetically. Yes."
Mystique couldn't help but chuckle.
"Well," he replied, nudging her shoulder with his, "you started it by being beautiful. Very rude of you. I had no defense."
She shook her head and tried to hide her smile in her coffee mug.
He nudged her again. "Hey. Just so you know, I am not going anywhere... ever."
Mystique felt something flutter again. Dangerous, warm, too intimate. She swallowed it carefully.
"Good," she said lightly. "Because if you had disappeared this morning, I would have tracked you down and probably called your mom."
'Damn you, Pepper. I know you told her my weakness. Just you wait. One day, I'm gonna spank you for this,' Tony grinned. "Yeah. See, that is the kind of affection I can work with. And kindly, don't call my mom if you ever get angry with me. We can sit and talk things through, yeah?"
She rolled her eyes, but she leaned into him just a little. Just enough that he could feel it.
They shared the breakfast, stealing bites from each other's plates, trading lazy comments, and letting the morning settle into something unexpectedly gentle.
...
[Stark Tower] [Later that day]
Janet and Wanda did not corner Mystique so much as pounce on her like two predators who smelled gossip from three floors away.
Mystique had barely stepped out of the elevator before Janet materialized to her full size at her left, and Wanda teleported herself to the right with a red shimmer that screamed I know something.
Janet folded her arms. "You look suspiciously well rested and glowing for some reason."
Wanda tilted her head. "And suspiciously smug."
"I am not smug," Mystique said.
Janet pointed at her. "That is exactly what someone who is smug would say."
Mystique kept walking toward the common room. She stopped and looked at the girls who wanted the juicy details. "No. Absolutely not. Whatever you two are planning, no."
Janet grinned. "Funny, that sounded like someone who had something to hide."
Wanda tilted her head. "Or someone who had a very good night."
Mystique tried to walk past them. They blocked her like coordinated traffic cones.
Janet slid in front of her and pointed accusingly. "Raven, Raven, Raven. You left yesterday dressed like a woman who knew she was about to commit mischief."
Wanda nodded. "And Tony left looking like a man who had already committed it. We saw him on the cam."
Mystique felt her face heat. Traitorous face. "We had a date. A normal date."
Janet gasped dramatically. "Please. Tony Stark does nothing normal. Spill it. How was it? Did he flirt? Did he panic? Did he blow something up?"
Wanda added quietly. "Did he faint?"
"No. He did not faint."
Janet stepped closer. "So. How far did you two get?"
Mystique tried to keep her voice steady. "We went skating and go-karting."
Janet narrowed her eyes. "Uh huh."
"We had ice cream and went to the arcade."
Wanda nodded slowly. "Right."
"And then…" Mystique paused.
Both women leaned in.
Janet whispered, "Then what?"
Mystique hesitated. She was Mystique. She was the unpredictable one. The one who did not blush over anything. But her brain betrayed her and replayed last night in high definition. The kissing and the way he took her hard and fast. The way she had practically climbed him like a tree.
Her face warmed again.
Janet saw it instantly. "Oh my god. She is blushing again. See that little light blue tint?"
Wanda smiled like a cat. "That is very cute, Raven. Very suspicious, but cute."
Mystique cleared her throat. "We had dinner. We talked. We… connected."
Wanda stepped right into her personal space. "Did you two do the deed?"
Mystique choked on her own breath. "Wanda."
Janet squealed like someone at a concert. "Oh my god, you totally did. You did not deny it. That is the universal sign of yes."
Wanda smirked. "Tony looked like he had a good morning. Stayed in a suspiciously pleasant mood. He complimented Johnny's haircut. He never compliments Johnny's haircut. Something happened."
Mystique rubbed her forehead. "I hate this. I hate both of you."
Janet threw an arm around Mystique's shoulders. "No, you don't. You love us. Now answer the question. Was it good?"
Mystique pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. Yes. It was good. Very good. Ridiculously good. Happy?"
Janet gave a shriek of victory. Wanda smiled warmly, her tone softer. "We are happy for you. Truly."
Mystique exhaled in defeat. "Please do not tell anyone."
Janet put a hand over her heart. "Raven, sweetheart. We are your friends. Of course, we will keep your secret."
Wanda nodded. "Of course. We would never betray your trust."
A beat of silence passed.
Janet added, not quietly, "But I am going to scream into a pillow later."
Mystique groaned. "I need a drink."
Wanda hooked an arm through hers and started pulling her to the lounge. "Come on. We will get you one. You earned it. Then we can talk about the morning after you woke up."
"Haaa..." Mystique gave up.
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