#ironstrange angst

[darsynia]

Goodnight, Farewell, and Amen | Oneshot

(Tony Stark/Stephen Strange Angst)

TBH I'm too wrung out by this to make a graphic. Yes, the title is referencing the finale of M*A*S*H*.

Summary: In a world where your Soulmate's final words spoken to you are written on your body, Tony Stark's aren't the typical goodbye. When he finally understands what they mean, he and his soulmate are out of time.

Notes: This is for my @avengersbingo square, Soulmate AU

I first saw the concept of Soulmate words being the last words your soulmate says to you in a story by JazzJo for the West Wing fandom, all the madness in my soul, which is achingly beautiful. This story uses the trope a completely different way, but please read hers.

Warnings: Canonical character death, Angst

Length: 1,719

Tags (guessing!): @starryeyes2000 @deepbatched @cabinofcontentment @chickensarentcheap @themaradaniels @starksbf

Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen

If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen.

Tony has read those words on his skin over and over so often that he feels like they are indeed etched on his soul, not just his upper thigh. They’re the last words his soulmate will ever speak to him, and sure, he’s grateful they’re not the typical goodbye that seventy percent of the world bears on their bodies somewhere. The problem is, he can’t tell if there’s a hint in there, some kind of prophecy he could follow.

There’s a whole branch of psychology devoted to that, the deciphering of fate, the question of whether you’ve already lost the battle to prevent your death or your soulmate’s (or perhaps equally painfully, your separation, never to talk to each other again) once the words are spoken. Tony’s been haunted since his parents’ deaths by their final words to each other, confused call-outs during a traumatic moment. They’d expected those phrases would be spoken at the end of a long life, perhaps in hospice care-- but no, it was on the side of a road in misery, with no help and no hope.

After their deaths, Tony had wasted some of his inheritance on private investigators, trying to find the person he’d met when visiting his dad at an office building he no longer remembers. That person (oddly dressed, accent unplaceable) had told an eight year old Tony Stark that he would only know his soulmate for less than twenty-four hours. He’d loved that, something unique and different-- but when he’d excitedly told his mother, she’d gotten so angry that he was never allowed to go to that building ever again.

Now decades later, he’s got the arc reactor, Pepper, a host of superheroic friends, and the knowledge of life on other planets. Tony has figured out that the place he’d been banished from was SHIELD, and he imagines his mother was angry about the idea that her son would grow up a womanizer like his father. She’d probably thought that the prophecy was a jibe towards her, rather than a real prediction, but at seventeen, nineteen, all the way up to twenty-one when he’d taken over the company, Tony had wanted to find that person and know the answer for himself.

He’d never found them, but the strangeness of his soulmate’s last words has sat with him for years. Tony had done just as his mother had feared, pretending he was searching for his soulmate by spending night-long chunks of time with countless women. Plenty of them had tried to play it up during their morning farewell, so often that he’d learned to leave them satiated and sleeping, with no chance to speak those words as some sort of lasting incantation.

Pepper’s own words are mysterious enough, in a way the two of them don’t address (‘It’s been a wonderful second life, Darling’ is… nothing he can imagine ever saying). It seems possible that they are each other’s hearts but not souls. After a life as exciting as theirs, that’s okay.

They plan their wedding as they watch friends and loved ones make choices about their future in no small part weighed down by the lettering on their bodies. Then a man walks out of a golden, sparking circle and changes Tony’s life forever.

Stephen Strange’s interruption is actually a ‘saved by the bell’ moment, as Tony had been in the middle of trying to remove his foot from halfway down his throat, regarding Pepper, his arc reactor, and pregnancy. Strange clearly takes an instant dislike to him, probably on reputation, and Tony leans in. He’s heard enough comparisons made between the two of them (intellect, snark-ability, goatee style) that he’d be offended if there wasn’t at least a slight feeling of rivalry there.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t on the same side, though, and when the chips are down and Strange is in peril, Tony follows behind to save him. It’s the right thing for that moment, even if it’s not the right thing for Pepper or Peter. After almost fifty years on this Earth, Tony’s learned that there’s almost never an action that’s unequivocally good for everyone involved.

Tony’s reminded of that as he’s forced to watch Strange bargain the Time Stone for his life-- the exact thing he’d said he wouldn’t do. The reasoning is clear, but as Tony feels the magic reversing his deathblow, it’s confusing, maddening, even heartbreaking.

Their fight is over, both the physical one and the ongoing argument that’s sparked between himself and Strange since they’d met barely hours before. Strange retreats into a mental world of his own as the rest of them stand stunned and silent-- and then… dust.

The words that haunt the next five years of Tony’s life belong to Peter and Stephen.

I don’t want to go.

There was no other way.

One represents a failure of Tony’s past, the other a potential failure in the future-- because he knows Strange had firmly believed his promise about sacrificing their lives for the greater good. If there had been another way, he wouldn’t have given up the Time Stone. Stephen Strange had seen a need for Tony’s life to continue instead of his own, but he’d offered no blueprint, no contingency plan.

That kind of trust is staggering, and Tony’s not sure he’s worthy of it.

He builds a life. In Peter and Stephen’s honor, Tony keeps his eye on two roles in particular: father figure and friend. He’s pretty sure he’s shitty at both, but the next years give him practice at being a father and a partner, at least, and he does okay without the requisite explosions in his wake.

What’s always there is the desire to make something of Stephen Strange’s sacrifice. That’s what draws him to the Avengers compound after sending Steve, Natasha, and Scott away. It’s what throws him back in time, what forces him to think on his feet-- because he can do it. He can bring the infuriating sorcerer back, along with everyone else. That’s the reason he’s alive, and consequently the reason everyone else isn’t. Because Tony’s read up on the man. He’s gone and spoken to people. Stephen Strange had been a lot like him: an arrogant man glorying in his niche until a devastating injury forced him into a new life. He had been a doctor, and over and over again, Tony’s heard the same thing from the people who knew him:

Stephen Strange was all about preserving life. He wouldn’t let half of the universe die just to save one man. Not unless it was the path to saving everyone.

It’s maybe a lot to live up to, now that Tony’s standing next to a compound in ruins, staring down another fight with Thanos.

Tony’s riding high, after seeing so many people brought back to life. He’s hugged Peter and fought next to Pepper, watched everyone work together to keep Thanos at bay as they work to send the Stones out of his reach. He sees Strange and lands nearby; there are years of Things To Say crowding his throat, but the most important one comes first.

“You said one out of fourteen million we win, yeah?” Strange’s expression is full of dread, and Tony almost falters, but he can’t. He can’t. “Tell me this is it.”

“If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen,” Stephen says.

Tony’s bluster drops away. There’s no mistaking those words. Strange isn’t acting like anything momentous occurred, but something deep inside Tony is screaming that there’s one more thing to say. Probably the last thing. He wishes there was time to make it mean more, maybe even make it absurd, or at least make it memorable, but there isn’t.

He’s not that much of a dick anyway, Tony decides. “You better be right,” he says-- and there it is. Stephen freezes, recognition and understanding flushing his face. 

The following moment is short, but somehow it’s still a decent percentage of the time they’ve gotten to spend together. As Tony takes off to continue fighting, seven words reverberate in his head.

One of us is going to die. One of us is going to die.

The weight of that knowledge is almost enough to negate his repulsors, and the longer Tony battles with it dragging him down, the more he understands the shape it’s going to take.

The fact is, Stephen Strange has already died for him.

He’d died without knowing what Tony has feared since he was eight, that the soothsayer was right. Tony has already spent less than a day with his soulmate. If Howard Stark hadn’t interrupted the conversation right after that revelation, would he have learned a second, more triumphant secret? Would Tony have known since he was a child that he’d bring his soulmate back to life? What that would have done to his confidence, over the years?

He’s forced to compartmentalize all of this as he keeps fighting, and whether finding his soulmate has anything to do with it or not, Tony’s on his face in the dirt when the worst happens: Thanos is wearing the gauntlet again. Morgan’s face swims in front of his eyes, and Tony looks around to see who’s left to make a last great stand with him. That’s when he catches Stephen’s eye.

There’s a whole unlived lifetime in that look, in the seconds it takes for Strange to give Tony a single, miserable, hopeful signal.

This is the one.

‘I know what to do,’ Tony can’t say. ‘I owe you one,’ goes unsaid, too. When the time comes, when he’s picking what to say before the snap that saves his wife, his daughter, his soulmate, and the rest of the universe, Tony hopes they each understand what he says in their own context.

For Pepper, it’s an apology. He never could stop.

For Morgan, it’s an attempt to be her hero, one last time.

For Stephen, it’s about inevitability. He was the guardian of the Time Stone, and that’s the one thing the two of them never had: time. Without those roles, they never would have met. Without their deaths, the world would be a different place entirely.

He hopes they’ll remember him.

“I’m sorry, Pep.”

#avengersbingo #ironstrange #tony stark x stephen strange #ironstrange angst #tony stark fanfiction #stephen strange fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #angst #endgame feels #soulmate au

[xenocorner]

I bring yall more white haired Stephen from my ironstrange AU

I had this one gathering dust in my wips since January. I didn't go into as much detail with the clothes rendering as I originally wanted to, but I honestly just wanted to see it done already xd

In this AU Stephen's initial journey and appearance is very similar to the MCU's, but... He goes through some extra shit later on. Because of course he does :]

Maybe I'll share more of this AU in later posts :D

#Oh and he is married to Tony Stark in this AU #Because of course he is #But they go through some shit as well #Because I adore angst <3 #They have an eventual happy ending tho #Keyword: eventual #doctor strange #doctor strange fanart #ironstrange #dr strange #marvel #marvel fanart #digital art #digital drawing #illustration

[airas-story]

Silence

Kamar Taj.

Tony stared at the building in front of him. It looked entirely innocuous. Not like the place someone might run to if they were searching for miracle healing. But Tony had traced Stephen’s steps. He had found Johnathon Pangborn and his miracle healing. Had followed Stephen’s steps to Nepal. Had wandered the streets of Kathmandu. Had asked stranger after stranger until one had pointed him here.

Perhaps this wasn’t Kamar Taj at all. Perhaps this was nothing.

Maybe it was, though. Maybe Stephen lingered somewhere within, still as far out of reach as he’d been when Tony had walked into their apartment to find Stephen gone without so much as a note.

God, silence spoke volumes.

Tony stared at the door. Grief twisted through him as he realized that he wasn’t going to knock. That he had never been going to.

Say what people would about him, but he could take a hint.

Silence spoke volumes.

He chose to ignore it, sometimes. But he could still read a room with the best of them.

Stephen had left. Stephen had chosen this unknown miracle over Tony and their life. Stephen hadn’t said a word.

The silence spoke volumes.

A woman watched him from across the street.

Tony met her gaze, read in her eyes the weight of someone who saw too much. Was she from Kamar Taj, he wondered. Waiting for him to choose to knock or to walk away. Could she guess what had brought him here?

Would she let him in, if he asked?

For a long moment they just stared at each other.

He looked away first, back at the door that hid Stephen behind it. He could knock. Could try to find Stephen. Could try to get answers. Could try to heal this chasm that had opened between them.

But god, the silence spoke volumes.

Because Stephen didn’t want to be found. Stephen didn’t want to let Tony in. Stephen didn’t want to heal the gaping wound between them. Stephen didn’t want… didn’t want Tony.

Stephen had chosen.

Tony… Tony loved Stephen, loved him with a devotion that ached. He’d always feared that Stephen didn’t love him back the same way.

It turned out Tony had been right.

He stared at the door for one moment longer, just hoping. But there was nothing. 

Grief was rope around his neck, tightening and stealing his ability to breathe. He closed his eyes, blocked out the sight of the door that taunted him with the possibility that Stephen stood just on the other side.

It didn’t matter either way, though. Because he and Stephen…

Stephen had chosen.

Tony didn’t think he’d ever stood a chance at being the one Stephen chose.

He turned away. 

He never saw the door to Kamar Taj open.

The silence spoke volumes.

#ironstrange #fic #tony stark #angst

[lilbitofmac]

The sorcerer feels a cold chill run down his spine…

#ironstrange #doctor strange #tony stark #stephen strange #iron man #marvel #mcu #my art #mmm I haven’t drawn this AU in a hot minute #I miss these boys #most of the time I like to think of ghost!Tony messing around with Stephen with little pranks #but other times I can’t help but wonder how Tony would feel being spiritually attached to the man who put them on the path to his death… #these two just have such beautiful angst material between themselves #also sorry for the messiness of this piece I wasn’t trying too hard with the sketch and line art

[corvidaesapiens]

"i'm sorry." - ironstrange

i just needed hurt/comfort with those two.

stephen's not having the greatest day and tony's trying his best to make it better.

#ironstrange #strangeiron #doctor strange #dr strange #iron man #tony stark #stephen x tony #tony x stephen #the avengers #avengers endgame #angst #ironstrange fanart #ironstrange art

[infiniteeight8]

Stephen's heart stopped after performing a necessary and dangerous spell. Tony administered electrical shocks and CPR despite his panic, triggered when Friday informed him, 'No heartbeat detected, boss,' upon landing next to Stephen.

Normally I make the prompt into the body of the fic, but if I did that with this one I’d feel like I was just rewriting it. So instead we’re going to do a follow up.

Warning for major character death

-

No one forces him to stop. No one lays their hand on his shoulder and says, “Tony, he’s gone.” Afterward, the armor’s records show that he worked on Stephen for almost ten minutes.

Tony wishes someone had stopped him. Being shaken out of his desperation would’ve been better than the awful erosion of hope. Being pulled away would’ve been better than giving up. Tony has never felt so alone as he felt kneeling next to Stephen. His grief has nowhere to go but inward.

He wishes someone had been kind enough to let him pour it out on them instead.

#IronStrange #angst #drabble

[popcorn-plots]

Febuwhump day 6: "You lied to me."

Title: The Cost of Broken Vows

Words: 500

Summary: Tony confronts Stephen about a choice he made. A choice that ruined both their lives.

Honestly, this is probably my favorite of the longer fics. All the drabbles have a special place in my heart (especially days 8, 10, and 11, ghsahgjk knife to the gut) but this one is the favorite child above 100 words.

~~~

“You…. you motherfucking liar.” Was the first thing Tony Stark said when he regained consciousness after the battle with Thanos. “You lied to me.” His voice broke. Stephen watched his hands shake and said nothing.

“I bonded with the stones, Strange,” Ah, they were back to last names. All that progress lost, just because Stephen was selfish. “They showed me.”

Stephen didn’t need to know what they showed Tony to understand. He remembered it all too well himself.

“They showed me a universe where..” Tears slipped down his cheeks, gathering in his goatee, reflecting the soft sunlight filtering through the window.

Tony took a shuddering breath. His voice was quiet, small, but filled with so much grief and anger. Maybe some disgust, hatred, at himself and Stephen. “There was another way, Strange. One where Pe- where my ki– where Spider-Man didn’t die.”

Stephen couldn't bear to look up, to meet the broken eyes of the man he loved. The man he saved, at the cost of his pseudo son. Stephen didn’t say anything. He didn’t deserve to defend himself, both he and Tony knew just how selfish it all was.

They had won, yes, but at what cost? Peter was the only casualty, yet Stephen felt like his world was gone.

Peter dead, the man in front of him could never forgive him. Never love him again. Not after what he did.

Stephen felt his own tears slip down his face. He looked up, catching a glimpse of Tony’s cold brown eyes, filled with pain.

“I-” Stephen tried to say. Tried to apologize, tried to make things right. Nothing came out.

“I’m sorry.” Was all he could muster after what felt like hours of heavy silence.

He expected Tony to yell at him, to hit him, to make him pay for his selfishness, but the older man did nothing. He simply turned to the window, watching two birds making a nest in the blooming apple tree.

“Close the door when you leave. Please.”

His voice was hollow. Devoid of any emotions, robotic and cold. Stephen hated it. He hated how the silence seemed to hurt more than any physical injury could.

Stephen thought it best not to say anything as he stood up and walked to the door, his head down. He looked back when he reached the door, hand on the doorframe. Tony was staring out of the window, his eyes glazed over. An assortment of ‘get well’ balloons and cards attached to dying bouquets sat ignored on the side table.

Stephen allowed himself to linger for just a moment before he left for good. The unspoken ‘I love you’ tightened around Stephen’s throat until he couldn’t breathe, but he knew that he deserved the pain, the agony. It was nothing compared to Tony’s loss, he knew. Nothing could equal Tony’s grief, and nothing could make it right. The door closing behind him felt like the final goodbye as Stephen walked away, hiding his tears behind a shaking hand.

Ao3

#stephen strange #doctor stephen strange #tony stark #iron man #ironstrange #but one-sided #angst #whump #febuwhump day 6 #febuwhump 2024 #febuwhump #sorry not sorry #character death #mentioned peter parker

[kiki-shortsnout]

Premise: What if Stephen and Tony were in an established relationship before the Battle of New York, and when Tony took the nuke into the wormhole he never came back? Then, years later after Stephen becomes a Master of the Mystic Arts, he's about to go off on a mission, and as he opens a portal, Tony falls out.

Current story for @the-elle-kat​

*** 

Stephen frowned at the dark shadow beyond in the portal, the destination different than what he’d conjured the portal for. Taking a step closer, he allowed his fingers to weave through the tendrils of green magic twisting around the portal, transforming his spell, manipulating the endpoint.

‘What is happening?’ Wong demanded, mouth agape as they stared into what looked like this inside of the spaceship. Stephen’s arm shook from the backlash of energy, his sling ring burning on his fingers as the hijacker drew on more energy, locking Stephen into place. Wong steadied him with hands on his shoulders, gritting his teeth as he felt the vibrations from Stephen’s hands shake his arms.

‘I don’t know. I can’t break the spell, the portal is unstable.’

‘Someone is coming through,’ Wong muttered, stepping aside to summon Tao Mandalas, ready to face the threat attempting to break through into their interdimensional plane.

Whatever it was didn’t stumble through by itself, it was flung headfirst through the portal, the shimmering image of a metallic corridor the only indication of where the threat had come from, leaving the disgusting heap of rags and stench between Wong and Stephen.

Stephen gasped through clenched teeth at the recoil of magic forcing him back, the portal closing with a sharp snap. That was Asgardian magic, Stephen realized, rushing forward to check the empty air, the scorch marks on the Sanctum floor, ensuring nothing nefarious had been etched into the fabric of their world.

‘That wasn’t Thor’s energy,’ Stephen told Wong, only giving a cursory glance back as his friend crouched down to examine the body. ‘This feels like Loki,’ he hissed, trying to get his trembles under control. ‘Thor’s been searching for him for years, and the green energy fits with his profile…careful,’ he barked out a warning as Wong shuffled closer to the wheezing creature on the floor.

‘Stephen,’ he breathed out in wonder, energy dissipating from his hands as he crouched beside their unwanted guest, hand prying back the rags. ‘This isn’t Loki.’

‘It was definitely his magic that-’ his words caught in his throat as he saw the azure light spilling over the floorboards, recognizing it as a memory from long ago. Stephen flung himself to his knees on the hardwood floor, turning the figure cautiously onto his back, letting out a low wounded sound.

‘Careful, Stephen, it might be a trick, an illusion to gain your trust,’ Wong cautioned, magic lighting his fingers as he trailed them over the body, probing gently as Stephen shoved the heel of his hand into his mouth. He couldn’t stuff the emotions back down his throat, trying not to hope, unable to breathe as Wong checked.

It can’t be.

‘It’s him,’ Wong whispered after he’d performed all of the spells he could, sitting back on his ass with a heavy thump, looking between them both in bewilderment, unbelieving what he was seeing. ‘We should summon the Avengers-’

‘No!’ Stephen shouted, flinging his hand out over the body as if that would do anything. ‘Just…please, give me a minute,’ he gasped out. ‘Let me just, please,’ he begged, bringing his trembling hands to the figure’s face, cradling it in his.

His fiancé. His fiancé who had died four years ago.

He looked awful, his face gaunt from malnourishment, purple smudges tattooed under his eyes and prominent collarbones jutting out from ashen-hued skin. Even returned from the tortures of Afghanistan he hadn’t looked like this, his scars more mental than physical, but Stephen could see them now, painted upon his skin beyond the tattered rags of the undersuit he used to wear beneath the armor.

A ragged moan exhaled through chapped lips and eyelids peeled back, revealing confused brown eyes.

‘Tony?’

#ironstrange #WIP update #wip #work in progress wednesday #Hoping to start posting at the end of March #60k Story #tony x stephen #so much angst #Stephen Strange #tony stark

[tencitizens]

Supreme Family

↳ Prompt: Free Space

I'm filling out my final bingo spot for the IronStrange Bingo from the IronStrange Haven discord server! Pulled some favorite bits between Tony, Stephen, and Peter, and some sad ones too for this gifset. Ah, my heart!

Join in on the bingo, see the cards here!

#ironstrangehalloweenbingo #angst #fluff #free space #doctor strange #doctor strange gifs #tony stark #iron man #tony stark gifs #peter parker #peter parker gifs #spider man #ironstrange #supreme family #supremefamily #marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #quotes #infinity war #avengers endgame #no way home #spider man no way home

[jpmvr]

As good as I‘ll ever be

Team Dinners.

Tony‘s always despised them, but after everything, the snap, the loss of half the universe, bringing back half the universe and being reunited with his pseudo-son and the love of his life, he‘s made his peace with having to suffer through them.

There‘s a catch, though.

You see, the term „Team Dinner“ implies that it‘s only a dinner.

It is, unfortunately, not.

After Peter, Stephen and him decided to move to the cottage to give Morgan at least some sense of familiarity, said „Team Dinners“ gradually turned into „Team Afternoons“ and at some point into „Team Days“ which then became „Team Weekends“.

Anyways, you get the gist. Now Tony‘s cooped up with babysitting way more children than he can handle while his soon-to-be-husband is inside preparing lunch with the rest of the adults.

A giggle to his left.

„Morgan, what are you up to?“

His daughter jumps up from where she was hiding.

„Nothing, Daddy!“

She runs off with the Barton kids in tow, while Peter leisurely walks over to his mentor-but-let‘s-call-him-Dad.

„Hey, Pete, you alright?“

„Yeah, I‘m fine.“

Ok, so there‘s definitely something wrong with him.

„You sure, bud?“

Peter sighs.

„I don‘t know, I just feel… off.“

„I‘m sure it‘s nothing. Now go have fun!“

Yeah, in hindsight, he should’ve seen it coming.

Because one moment, he‘s sitting on his chair looking over the lake, listening to the kids messing about and playing some role-playing game, hears Stephen‘s rumbling laugh from inside the cottage, and the next, there‘s a snap of the fingers and someone saying:

„I am inevitable.“

And suddenly he‘s back.

Heat.

And pain.

Oh, so much pain.

His whole world is tinted in an all-to-well-known orange hue. For a moment, he doesn‘t quite know where he is, but suddenly he hears Stephen whisper to his right.

„It was the only way.“

Oh no. Nononononononono, not again!

„Stephen?“

Tony runs towards him but before he can even reach him and tell him that everything‘s alright, Stephen‘s gone.

„Mr. Stark?“

Tony turns, and sees Peter, all bashed-up and bloodied, wobbling unsteadily on his feet.

„I don‘t feel so good.“

Peter stumbles towards Tony, who stands frozen in place. Not again. He can‘t go through this again.

„You‘re alright“, Tony tries to reassure. This is not real. Please, don‘t let this be real.

„I-I don‘t know what‘s happening, I-I don‘t-“

Peter stumbles into his mentor‘s arms, knees buckling and the only thing holding him up is Tony, who wraps him up and holds him close, afraid to let go, lest Peter disappear.

„I don‘t wanna go, I d-don‘t wanna go, sir, please, please, I don‘t wanna go!“

Peter‘s voice trembles, holding back tears, and Tony gently lays him down on the ground. He‘s already starting to dust, and it takes everything in Tony to not just burst into tears and hold his intern close, because they‘re just not there yet.

Tony watches as Peter trembles, desperately trying to keep him together, trying to prevent the inevitable from happening.

„Sir-“

And Peter‘s gone.

That‘s when Tony truly looses it. Tears are falling from his face, because he just lost them again, and he should’ve prevented it, he should’ve been better, he should’ve found a way, but he‘s just too-

Water splashed into his face. Cold - ice cold, why‘s it cold? - water, and he snaps out of whatever the hell that just was and opens his eyes, gasping, lungs burning and mind still swimming due to oxygen deprivation. His eyes meet the ever-changing hue of blue-gray-green he fell in love with when he first saw them.

„Tony?“

A deep, rumbling voice reaches him. He feels trembling hands gripping his shoulders and lightly shaking him.

„Tony, are you back with me?“, Stephen asks, in the most soothing voice imaginable.

Tony closes his eyes again, and for just a split second he sees Peter‘s ashes flying in the wind, and he whimpers.

He‘s pulled into a surprisingly strong set of arms and picked up. He hears a low murmur that can only come from the whispering of children, and a door opens and suddenly, he‘s in a dark room, being laid down on a soft mattress. The arms leave him, and he whimpers again.

„I‘ll be right back, darling“, Stephen says lowly, moving towards the adjacent bathroom to grab a towel.

The bedroom door opens again, Tony‘s eyes are still closed but he hears the familiar footfall of his pseudo-son. The bed dips next to him and he has a lapful of gangly teenager.

„Are you alright, Dad?“, Peter asks. Stephen returns to the bedroom with a towel and sits on Tony‘s other side, gently drying his fiancé‘s face and chest.

Slowly but surely, Tony calms his racing heartbeat down, the rhythmical back-and-forth of the towel soothing him. He takes a deep breath, and bundles up his pseudo-son in his arms because they are actually there, thank you very much.

„As good as I‘ll ever be, Pete. As good as I‘ll ever be.“

So yeah, this is what happens when I‘m supposed to revise for my finals. Not beta‘d, first fanfic, be kind!

#ironstrange #peter parker #stephen strange #tony stark #tony stark whump #fanfic #mcu #angst with a happy ending #✨gay✨

[acrowseye]

nah bc the way stony was the first love and then DIVORCE and ironstrange was the 2nd marriage and then stephen fucking died omfg

#i dont ship either of them but like #the CHEMISTRY tho #ironstrange #stony angst #stony #steve x tony #tony x stephen #tony x strange #tony x steve #tw death #tw cursing #infinity war #cacw #captain america civil war #tony stark #steve rogers #stephen strange

[axel-slays-sometimes]

AU where

Spider-man looks at Iron Man, realizing what's about to happen. Thoughts rush to Peter's head. What's he trying to do? If he does it, itll kill him! The world needs Iron Man, this can't be happening-

Peter lunges forward, right as Thanos prepares to kick Tony away, he slips the gauntlet off and puts it on. He makes eye contact with Tony, who's eyes are wide. "Peter, NO." Tony screams helplessly, his eyes welling up. Peter smiles weakly, shaking.

"The world needs you, Mister Stark." He snaps his fingers, the sound quiet but deafening. Everything stops as Thanos and his allies disintegrate. Tony watches in horror as Spider-man stumbles towards him and falls to his knees. Tony shakily follows suit, his hands trembling as he holds Peter's arms.

"Peter... hey, kid. Kid. Please, please, not again." Tony's voice trembles.

Dr. Strange walks forward, placing a gentle hand on Tony's back. "Tony..." Stephen's voice is soft, an attempt at comforting him. "It was the only w-"

Tony slaps Doctor Strange's hand away. His eyes were bloodshot, never leaving Peter's body. "Peter. Peter, not again, you cant die on me twice, kid. Please, what about your friends, they're so excited to see you, please, kid, Peter-"

Tony goes silent as he sees Peter make eye contact, his lips parting slightly. Peter's arm weakly wrapped around Tony. "Mister Stark." Peter whispered, his voice weak. "I- I'm sorry."

Tony chokes a sob as he pulls Peter's lifeless body close, hugging him as he goes limp in his arms. "Peter. Peter, you're just a kid, you idiot. Your friends- you can't-" Tony rambles, hugging the young boy tightly. He feels hopeless, sitting there in the dust. "Peter, we won." Iron Man whispers, repeating it over and over again into Peter's shoulder. "We won. We won. We won, kid, we won."

#spider-man #tony stark #iron man #irondad and spiderson #Peter parker #mcu #different universe #alternate universe #AU #what if #angst #this broke my heart to write #hope it breaks urs too :)</3 #shit angst #I want to film this ngl #raaahh might re-write later cuz honestly I dont like this too much #major character death #what if peter parker died #what if spiderman died instead of iron man #ironstrange #??? #does this count as ironstrange cuz that interact .... but like no

[space-mermaid-writing]

The Path I Strayed From [Human!Cloak, IronStrange]

Summary: The Cloak of Levitation gets hurt in a fight and remains motionless. Desperate for a cure, Stephen tries every healing spell he can find. But nothing works. Until one morning he wakes up and looks straight into the face of a strange human in familiar red robes.

Tags: Human!Cloak, the cloak has no concept of personal space, IronStrange as a side dish with mutual pining, platonic Stephen/Cloak, it starts with angst, then it’s all fun and fluff

Ko-fi | Masterlist | Read it on AO3 | Word count: 7.3k

Chapter’s Note: I just really wanted to write a human cloak that loves Stephen. They are a great duo. 10/10 want more content with them as besties

The Path I Strayed From

Stephen stumbled through a portal into the Sanctum Sanctorum. Blood dripped from his forehead and from several wounds under his slashed clothes. But that was not the reason for the despair that was written on his face. It was the red fabric he clutched in his arms.

It was enough to make Wong, who was nearby, instantly concerned. "What happened?" he asked, but Strange merely shook his head, hugging the cloak tighter. Wong noticed it didn't move, which was weird enough. With a hand on his shoulder, he guided Strange to a couch and sat him down.

Stephen had been in another dimension. It should have been just an easy enough mission. Just a check in. But the way Stephen looked, something definitely went totally wrong.

When Wong tried to take the cloak, stubbornly holding onto it. "I'll find a way, my friend," he murmured into the fabric.

~~

The cloak remained motionless. Stephen tried every spell he knew but nothing worked. He was currently searching in the library. Wong went to Kamar-Taj to look for a solution there. The problem was that there wasn‘t a lot of information about the cloak‘s origin, nor its magic. Stephen tried in the past to figure it out, but it was tedious work, because the Cloak of Levitation never held still long enough – and so he had finally given up on it. Now when he scanned the fabric, there were no traces of magic at all. And that was what worried him most.

Stephen felt a shift in the Sanctum as someone entered through the front door. A quick check told him it was a welcomed guest – usually. Usually he would send the cloak to bring Stark to the library.

Stephen sighed silently.

Tony knocked his knuckles on the door frame before he walked into the room. "I brought food," he announced, a bag with take out food in his hand. He looked at the sorcerer, who avoided his gaze, noting the deep circles under his eyes.

Stephen mumbled just a small greeting, not in the mood for company. „Do you want anything?“ he asked curtly. It was the grief talking. Normally he was happy to see Stark. Way more happy than he should be.

Today he didn‘t even try to banter, the gleam in his eyes missing.

Tony wasn’t put off by this. He had his own bad days and knew where they came from. And he was willing to be at least as stubborn as Strange, if he had to. He put the bag on the table next to Strange‘s books.

„I heard of your cloak.“

„Just a temporary inconvenience. I‘m currently working on a solution.“

„Of course,“ Tony offered way too casual. He sat down at the table and grabbed a book from the pile. „What are we looking for?“

Finally, Stephen looked at him, regarding Stark, who seemed serious about helping him. „Can you read Tamil?“ Tony opened his mouth, but before he could answer, Stephen scoffed with something that could be amusement. „Let me guess: Friday can?“

Tony smirked. „Correct. Ten points to Ravenclaw.“

Stephen rolled his eyes, then looked at the bag on the table. „That‘s from the Indian place on the eighth street?“

„Number five for you, number sixteen for Wong and extra naan bread.“

There was a shadow of a smile on Stephen‘s lips, as his heart took a leap. Food first, he decided, because he was starving – even though he wouldn‘t admit it – and then they would continue the research. Stark knew nothing about magic, but he was wicked smart and four eyes read faster than two.

„How did it happen anyway?“

„Witches,“ Stephen said with a frown.

He had been surprised by them. They must have settled recently and were not pleased about his visit. They attacked him with a lot of raw power. Normally they would just stand a minor problem for the Sorcerer Supreme, but he was also greatly outnumbered. So it turned out to be rather challenging.

There had been one specific nasty spell whirled at him. The cloak of levitation had caught the magic - as it often did. After that he had stopped moving. Stephen had used his anger to push down the shock and didn’t waste any more time with the witches.

"Nothing good ever came from witches," Tony agreed lowly, for he had had his own bad experiences with them.

~~

Stephen tried every healing and magic storing spell he could find.

Nothing.

Angrily he threw the last book against the wall – just to catch it midair with magic. Wong would have his head, if he damaged a book from the library. With a flick of his hand it floated onto a nearby table.

He needed to sleep. No astral projecting but actual sleep.

Stephen took the cloak with him. He tried to wear it anyway, but it felt too much like a dead body hanging on his shoulder; creepy and wrong.

He put the red fabric neatly folded on a chair in his room, hit the shower and then his bed. He was out almost instantly.

~~

Stephen was stirring awake, feeling surprisingly well rested. And there were hands on him. First he thought he was dreaming, maybe of Stark. They moved, brushing his hair out of his face. Stephen blinked sleepily and noticed a flash of red fabric. It looked awfully similar to… Stephen wrenched his eyes open and tried to sit up, but a weight on his chest prevented that second action. He was eye to eye with a foreign face.

„Stephen!~“

Instantly alarmed, the sorcerer tried to access the situation: dark eyes and longish hair fell into a round face. It was hard to guess a gender, they looked kinda androgynous. The red robes were in the typical style of Kamar-Taj. Stephen had never seen them before but something about them felt familiar.

The cloak stared at him with a wide grin. It was trying to hold back, and was successful for about eight seconds, before it didn't want to wait any longer. „Stephen, look! I‘ve got hands.“ It shoved them right into his face. „And I can talk. My voice sounds kinda weird, but isn‘t it great? Listen to it. Actual words coming from my mouth.“ It was chatting happily, while Stephen just stared at it.

His brain tried to understand what was going on here. The pattern of the robe, the hue of red, the gestures.…

“Cloak?“

The cloak beamed at him. “Hi.“

“Why are you… human?“ Stephen pushed it off his chest and finally sat up.

“I don‘t know. The last thing I remember is the fight with the witches. They were mean. You‘re fine, though? You look fine.“ It examined his face, poked and probed his cheeks and then down the shoulders of his naked upper body. Stephen pushed its hands away. “And then I woke up like this.“

“Must be one of the spells I tried on you,“ Stephen thought out loud. At the look of the cloak, he added, “You didn’t move. I thought I lost you…”

And because the cloak had always been great in reading Stephen’s feelings and what he needed, it hugged him tightly. Stephen took a deep breath and all the stress of the last week fell off him. The not-cloak was warm and still even smelled the same, despite its different appearance. It moved. Stephen had been successful.

“I’m always coming back to you,” the cloak said softly. It felt like a promise. “You’re my friend.”

Stephen just nodded, not being able to form actual words. Until the cloak shifted and climbed behind Stephen, putting its arms around his neck.

“What are you doing?” the sorcerer asked, irritated.

“It’s morning. Time for breakfast, silly. Let’s get you out of bed.” With these words, it suddenly lifted Stephen out of bed and set him to his feet. Apparently it still had the ability to levitate and also still had the same strength to move him with it. Even though he was used to it from the cloak of levitation, it felt strange with the human version.

Although Stephen was glad to see the return of the cloak, he refused to give it a piggyback ride to the kitchen.

The human cloak pouted - it had always been good at it, but its human face took it to a whole new level. It followed him anyway, floating beside him.

On their way to the kitchen, they saw Wong, who first glanced at Stephen and then at the not-cloak. It waved at him. "Hey Wong."

"Good to have you back, Cloak." The hint of a smile played around Wong's lips.

"Well, technically I'm not a cloak right now. More like a human of levitation." Thinking about this, it put a hand to its chin, swaying slightly left and right as it hovered. It was iconic how much its movements resembled that of its cloak form. Even if one did not know who it was, it would be recognizable by its behavioral quirks. “Oh, I know!” The not-cloak beamed. “You can call me Levi for now. Like Tony always does.”

“Sure, Levi.”

~~

It was weird to see Levi in this form, but it was no longer still. So it was not an actual problem. Stephen nevertheless rummaged through all the books of spells he had used, to find out what caused this.

Levi was happy and didn't complain about its new body, so Stephen was in no hurry to reverse it – and perhaps risk turning it back into a lifeless and very much not moving piece of cloth.

Even as a cloak, Levi had always had a curious nature. Now it was fascinated by being able to touch things with hands, to see things with eyes. And it seems to have made it a challenge to try every single food existing. It quickly found out that it didn't actually need to eat. A quick magic scan by Stephen had shown that it was run by magic.

That didn’t stop it from stealing food off Stephen’s plate. Once it even tried to take a slice of Wong’s pizza, while Stephen was visiting one of the other Sanctum. When he came back, he found Levi trapped in a prison mirror and Wong lectured Stephen about teaching it some manners.

The not-cloak disappeared somewhere in the Sanctum after Stephen got him out, sulking and not talking a word to anyone.

Of course it was back a few hours later, cuddling with Stephen.

Due to its former form of a piece of clothing, it had no concept of personal space. It was also very handsy and liked to drape itself around Stephen no matter where he was. It also still followed him around, even if it was no longer allowed to hang on his shoulder while he walked. Stephen made it clear that he wasn’t part of a conga line. Levi only pouted only for five minutes after that.

~~

Stephen sat in the library, watched by the pile of red fabric and dark hair next to him. “You should go to sleep. It’s late,” it stated.

The sorcerer didn’t even look up. “I need to find something to prevent those riffs that appear all over New Jersey. Remember them? They started even before we met the witches.”

“I remember the beasts that jumped through the first riff.” Levi tilted its head. “It would have eaten your face, if it wasn’t for me.”

“And my face is really thankful for that.”

“It’s a good face,” Levi nodded. “A face that needs sleep.”

Stephen huffed amused. He conjured a pen and paper and used magic to write something down. “How about this: you find me these books and I’ll take them with me to read them in my astral form, while my face sleeps.”

Levi nodded again and grabbed the paper out of the air. It looked at it and then at Stephen, not moving an inch.

Stephen raised an eyebrow. “What? Can’t read anymore?”

“I can, but not whatever this is.” It held up the paper with the illegible text. Some clichés about doctors were actually true.

Stephen rolled his eyes and told him the titles, whereupon Levi went to the shelves. It still preferred to float instead of walking, finding it unnecessarily and boring to use legs.

Stephen flipped through the book in front of him, when he noticed a shift in the air and a second later Wong appeared in the library. “Strange! We have hellhounds downtown.” As he spoke he already created a portal.

Stephen jumped to his feet. It looked like sleep would have to wait a little longer. Levi came rushing back, looking grim and ready to fight.

“You stay here,” Stephen told it sternly.

“What? No! Why? I always come with you.”

“Yes, as a cloak. We don’t know how vulnerable you’re in this form. And you can’t stay on my shoulders like this during a fight.”

Levi looked like it wanted to protest some more, but was interrupted by Wong, who had already jumped through the portal. "Strange!" he shouted impatiently.

“Just do as I say. I can’t lose you again.” Stephen was adamant about it. Before Levi could even think about following him anyway, the sorcerer had stepped through the portal and closed it from the other side.

A sting went through its heart as it stood in the empty library. Stephen had never left it behind. They were a duo from the first day the sorcerer fell through its glass case.

Levi slumped its shoulders and lowered itself onto the armchair where Stephen had just been sitting minutes ago. Hearing nothing but silence, it felt awful. Sure, Stephen was a capable sorcerer, but he always relied on the cloak. And the cloak always had his back. The thought that he was now fighting alone…

A restlessness came over Levi. So many emotions swirled inside it that it was difficult to separate them all. Levi was hurt, offended, worried. Humans felt much more strongly than cloaks, and experiencing it overwhelmed Levi a little.

It seemed like an eternity to Levi - though not much more than an hour could have passed - when noises came from the entrance hall. Stephen and Wong were back. They were seemingly unharmed, only their robes were slightly burned in some spots.

Levi approached slowly, not fully over its sulking, but the urge to make sure Stephen was okay was stronger.

Wong disappeared toward the kitchen, presumably making himself some well-deserved tea. Before Stephen could decide to follow him, Levi's fingers were in his face, prodding, turning it to the left and right in inspection.

“I’m fine, Levi.” Stephen pushed its fingers away. He was so, so tired. The adrenaline of the fight was already out of his system, leaving a deep exhaustion. “I’m going to bed.” He passed Levi, who stayed where it was.

“Alone?”

It was spoken so softly that Stephen almost missed it. "That's never stopped you from tagging along before." And it should be weird, because Levi was a human being, but it was also still his cloak. Someone familiar. A strange friend – pun fully intended.

“You never faced a fight alone before so I don’t know.”

That made Stephen turn around, facing Levi fully, and he looked at it. Like really looked.

The cloak, who had never been afraid to slap him with the corner of its hem if it didn’t agree with Stephen’s action, now looked like a cat in the rain. Insecure, rejected. Shoulder slumped. It was that moment that it hit Stephen: the situation of this cloak-turned-human might be feeling weird for him, suddenly having this person as a companion instead of a piece of fabric. But under this whole sunshine and babbling demeanor it had to be much more difficult for Levi. All its… life? consciousness?… awareness, it had always been a cloak. Yes, sure, it was able to change into whatever piece of clothes its wearer needed it to be, but there had been limits.

It was hard enough to be a human by birth. Being suddenly turned into one was beyond Stephen’s comprehension.

Its whole life, existence, destiny had changed together with its form. It tried to find a place in this world, at Stephen's side. And he had just rejected it. His friend.

Stephen's voice softened, “I’m just trying to keep you safe for now. Just like you did before. It doesn’t change anything else between us.” He nodded to the door. “C’mon.”

Levi followed him with a forced smile.

~~

Levi didn’t need to sleep. Usually it spent the nights either hanging over the back of a chair – rather uncomfortable in its current form - or as an additional blanket on top of Stephen. It didn’t restrain from the second option just because it was human.

These days Stephen woke up with Levi sprawled all over him, sometimes even entangled in the blanket. He was fine with that and didn’t complain.

In the past the cloak had often enough done its own thing in the Sanctum, only appearing at Stephen’s side when he needed it. But ever since it shape changed, it followed him almost like a lost puppy. Stephen didn’t mind most of the time. Even if Levi didn’t know where to draw the line.

Stephen brushed his teeth in the bathroom, rinsed out and turned around, just to find himself face to face with Levi.

“Do you need to shave?” it asked. It had often helped him with that in the past when his own hands were shaking too badly.

“No. I’m just going to shower.” It nodded but didn’t leave. Stephen sighted. “Levi, we talked about this. Personal space.”

It was still a strange concept for Levi, but it backed off without complaining. Not without making funny faces, though, just because it could. Some things it would never understand. But it didn’t dwell on it, because someone was entering the Sanctum.

Stephen was the master of the Sanctum Sanctorum and some of that specific magic also applied to Levi. He instantly knew who was visiting, and was excited to greet another friend.

For Tony, it was not unusual to find the entrance hall empty. If no one was home, the doors would not open for him. The magic of the sanctum was a bit like Friday, just without a voice output and less predictable. He would just walk to the library, where either Stephen or Wong usually hung out. He was by now used to the peculiarities of the sorcerers.

What he was not used to, was to be pounced on by someone on his way upstairs.

“Tony!” Levi chirped happily, greeting the Avenger by wrapping its arms around him.

Tony was startled and pushed it away from him. "Jesus fucking Christ! Way to give me a heart attack." He drew his brows together. "Do I know you?" Usually Tony was good with faces, but he couldn't remember ever seeing this one.

Levi hovered in front of him. "It's me, your buddy."

Tony adjusted his sunglasses – Levi knew Friday was connected to them – but then took them off and tucked them into his breast pocket. “Yeah, I don’t think so. Also, for the protocol, I don’t like being jumped on. Is Strange available?”

Levi pouted and crossed its arms. “You’re no fun. Stephen is taking a shower. He threw me out, but I don’t like getting wet anyway. Makes the fabric smell funny.”

Tony stared at Levi, trying to figure out who the hell this person was and why they were so close to Strange. They seemed familiar but Friday didn’t find a match in the data bank. No facial recognition whatsoever. “You know what, I’ll come back later.” He was about to turn away when a voice from down the hall called his name.

“Stark.”

It was Stephen, who had realized they had a guest and came to greet him. He was back in his blue robes and nothing indicated that he was in the shower like 45 seconds ago. Levi knew that he had used magic for a spotless appearance; he would never face Tony with anything less.

Tony's eyes brightened. “Strange.”

Levi flew to Stephen's side. It would have preferred to be behind him, its hands on his shoulders, looking over them. Old habits died hard.

"What are you doing here? We didn't have an appointment, did we?" Stephen asked. He was oblivious to Tony's mixed feelings as he regarded the two sorcerers thoughtfully.

After what happened to the Cloak of Levitation Strange had been in a mood. Understandably. Tony never fully understood the bond between the sorcerer and his loyal companion, but he knew what it was like losing a close friend. Someone as close as family. Strange hadn’t looked good the last time Tony saw him. And he hadn’t heard from him for a while.

Tony didn’t know if he was just busy doing wizard stuff or if he wasn’t coping well. But looking at him now, he seemed more than fine with that other sorcerer nudging his side. Strange wasn’t known for being an open and affectionate person. So seeing someone occupying his personal space without getting so much as a scowl in return was at least unusual.

Tony buried his hands in his pants pockets as he suppressed some feelings he didn't want to think about. He opted for a tactical retreat instead.

“No, I was just checking in to see how you are doing, after… you know, never mind. Seems like you’re doing just fine and you are obviously busy.” He turned around before he embarrassed himself even more with his rambling.

Levi whispered something in Stephen's ear and the sorcerer nodded. “Have you had breakfast yet?”

Tony turned around, opening his mouth to decline, but Levi was faster.

“We can order from that french bakery you love.”

Tony’s mouth became a thin line. He stepped towards Levi, raising his finger to point at it. “Okay, for real, who the fuck are you?”

Stephen looked from Tony to the smirking Levi, who waited for the shoe to drop. “Wait, you haven’t told him?”, Stephen asked.

“Told me what?” Tony asked exasperated.

“That’s the Cloak of Levitation.”

There was a sequence of various emotions on Tony’s face: Disbelief, surprise and... relief? It was gone as fast. “Really? I thought you kinda died?” Was the first thing that came out of his mouth. Then, “You don’t look like a cloak. But that levitation part you got down.”

“Magic,” Stephen simply stated and of course that was the explanation. It was Tony’s fault for not counting that factor in before.

“That’s definitely a story I want to hear. So, breakfast?” Tony no longer had the urge to run away.

“Sure.”

They walked to the kitchen and Levi floated next to Tony, leaning in as if he was about to share a secret. “You know, Stephen always says he doesn’t like that French place because their stuff is too sweet, but he secretly loves their chocolate croissants.”

Stephen scoffed, but the facts were already spilled. And if his ear tips became the faintest of red, that was nobody’s but his business. Especially when Tony chuckled.

“You know all the good stuff, don’t you?” The Avenger grinned. “This just became great. You have to tell me more like this.”

“Only if I can visit DUM-E and U later.”

“You drive a hard bargain, but sure. If Dumbledore doesn’t need you here, you can leave with me for your playdate.” He turned his head to Strange, who rolled his eyes affectionately. His voice was fond when he answered, “Can’t separate the kids, can I?” And shit, he shouldn’t say things like that, because now he had this image in his head. If the robots and the cloak were kids, who else could be their parents but Tony and Stephen. Warmth rose in his heart that had no business being there. It was dangerous.

~~

Like promised Levi left with Tony. Stephen opened a portal for the both of them right into Tony’s lab. Levi rushes to its friends, showing off his new form. Tony lingered briefly next to the orange sparks. “I’m glad Levi’s back.”

Stephen's smile reflected in his eyes. “Yeah, me too.

“Will you turn it back into a piece of fabric?”

“Eventually. It seems to enjoy its body for now. Especially its mouth and ability to speak.”

“I noticed,” Tony chuckled. Levi was some serious competition for his own chattiness. “I’ll text you later to collect it. See you, don’t be a stranger.” He winked at the sorcerer, before finally walking through the portal.

Stephen was glad Tony had turned his back on him, because there was a slight blush in his face. He quickly closed the portal.

Back in his lab, Tony heard the beeping of DUM-E and U. Levi hovered in front of them, using its hands in flourishing gestures. He smiled, its antics were really unmistakable. He got himself a cup of coffee and then sat down at his latest project.

It wasn't long before Levi approached him. Tony looked up and their eyes met. "What? Done playing already?"

“You like Stephen.“

Tony looked at it sharply. “Do I now?“, he deflected but didn‘t deny it. He was way past this point.

Levi nodded. “It is kinda obvious.“

“So, you‘re an expert in human relationships now?

Levi crossed its arms, his face serious. “I have been with humans for centuries, sharing their lives. Don’t assume I’m simple minded just because of my former appearance.”

Tony raised his hands in defense. “Alright, sorry. You’re right.”

“I usually am.” Levi smirked. “And just so you know: Stephen likes you too.”

Tony glared at it, but Levi had already turned around and floated back to his friends as if it hadn't just dropped the most important piece of information of the decade.

~~

A talking cloak had many advantages. Above all, it made communication easier. At least on Stephen's end.

"Why did you choose to stay with me?" His voice was quiet, even in the silence in which they had sat before. He hadn't dared ask the question for a long time, not knowing if he wanted to hear the answer. It could change things.

Stephen wasn't afraid of change. But the question was very personal and Stephen handled personal matters with uttermost care.

Levi, sitting next to him as so often, tugged thoughtfully at Stephen's robe. It had its hands often on Stephen these days. As cloak of levitation, it was used to resting on the sorcerer’s shoulders, and even now it seldom kept his fingers to himself, especially when they were alone. When others were around - others besides Wong and Tony - it tried to keep it to a minimum.

“You piqued my interest,” it finally said. “I saw what you could be. And let’s be honest, you really needed my help with Dormammu’s zealots that first time around.” It grinned grimly at the memory. Stephen had not even been a Master of the Mystic Arts back then. But he had fought viciously, determined and headstrong, not fully understanding what he did. He had come a long way to become Sorcerer Supreme and the cloak had always had his back since then – quite literally.

Levi smiled at Stephen. “I still see it.”

They were such simple words, the plain truth. Stephen looked at it in awe, his heart clenching, tearing up. Because he remembered it too. The cloak hadn’t left him when they faced Dormammu, dying again and again. It had saved his life several times since Stephen became Master of the Sanctum Sanctorum and later Sorcerer Supreme. He wouldn’t be here without Levi.

He pulled it on his lap and hugged it tightly. Levi was his emotional support cloak, whether in a fight or just on a bad day of his hands – Levi was there.

I was said that the cloak of levitation was a fickle thing, but loyal as hell once… Stephen didn’t know what once. He didn’t know what he did to deserve its affection. What Levi saw in him.

Freedom of will was something fascinating.

Levi hugged him back, draping its limbs around Stephen’s body as if it was still a cloak. Hugging in this form felt different, but still familiar. They had formed a bond – dying side by side over and over again for the sake of the world does that – and this whole shape changing matter would only strengthen it.

“Thank you,” Stephen muttered in the crook of its shoulder. If there were tears in his eyes, they were dried by red fabric. He didn’t need to hide them, because Levi had seen it all, his highs and lows.

Levi understood why he hid them anyway.

“You too. For keeping me.”

And aren’t there always two sides of a coin? After being alone for so long, on full display, Levi had finally found someone again he could companion. With all its antics, ticks and otherness – being so different from any other relic; not a thing but also not fully a being. With Stephen it had found a place where it could just be the cloak of levitation. And be loved for it.

~~

Levi really tried to give Stephen and Tony a nudge in the right direction. And Tony really tried to hint his intentions at Stephen. After his conversation with Levi in the lab the other day, he had obviously taken its words to heart. Levi increasingly caught Tony looking at Stephen, really just watching him, and he made innuendos that weren't actually that hard to understand.

But Stephen's IQ lowered as soon as Tony entered the room, It was maddening. Levi was a good wing-cloak: it mentioned places where the two men could go on a date, activities it knew Stephen liked. Tony jumped on it every time, sort of served it up to the sorcerer on a silver platter. But it bounced off Stephen like water off a raincoat.

One time it went so far that Levi slapped Stephen right across the face after Tony left – unsuccessful in wooing Stephen once again.

Stephen looked at it, puzzled. "What was that for?"

"You are so stupid it's exhausting!" Annoyed, it floated out of the room.

"I have a PhD," he called after it, before looking longingly to where Tony left.

~~

“Can we invite Peter?” Levi asked. “He hasn’t seen me yet.”

“Sure,” Stephen replied.

A few days later, he regretted it after Levi stole his phone and flooded it with selfies of it and Peter. They were ridiculous.

~~

Stephen, Tony and Levi were walking the streets of New York. Tony offered to buy coffee for all and Levi tagged along for funsies.

Stephen had been tempted to open a portal to the coffee shop just because he could and maybe to show off, but after a hint from Levi he dropped that thought. He liked spending time with Tony anyway and now he was walking beside him, engrossed in his usual banter with the inventor.

Levi was on his other side and for once it was mostly silence, as if it wanted to give the two men some space. It was busy using Stephen’s phone – how in the fifth dimension did it get its hands on that? - for what seemed to be Candy Crush.

The coffee shop was two blocks east, but before they reached it, they all suddenly heard a loud crash nearby. Then the shrill alarm of a building sounded. Tony and Stephen exchanged a look. The sorcerer changed his shirt and jeans into his robes and the inventor tapped the house unit on his chest. Nanobots bled all over his body.

They followed the sound, Levi hot on their heels.

The alarm came from a skyscraper in the financial district. People on the street were stopping and watching, while even more people spilled from the front entrance of the building, following the emergency protocol.

“Doom Bots!”

They were hovering in the air near a broken window somewhere around the tenth floor.

Ever since the cloak's transformation Stephen had played with fly spells. They weren’t as good but did the job. Now he used such a spell to go straight after the bots – because under his stoic and sarcastic behavior the sorcerer had no drive for self-preservation and often went head first into a fight. But it was fine, because Tony and Levi were at his side – even if he told Levi to stay at the sidelines.

More bots came out of the window and one of them had a whole safe in his hands that looked like it had been ripped right out of a wall. Whatever Victor’s plan was, it couldn’t be anything good.

His bots combined technology and magic, and Tony and Stephen were clearly outnumbered. Nevertheless, they did well in battle. Stephen was a bit wobbly on his feet. It was far more difficult to concentrate on the fly spell while fighting. But Tony was home in the air. He blasted and kicked one bot after another.

Stephen used his Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to get a hold on the safe and pulled it out of the bot's hands. Suddenly, something hit his unprotected back with full force. He couldn't even let out a noise of pain before his body went limp and he fell from the sky.

Tony was busy fighting and only noticed it when he heard a cry from Levi. He watched in horror as Levi dove for the crashing sorcerer.

Levi went as fast as it could, but ten stories was not high for a chase and Stephen had quite a head start. Physics was against them. Levi used all the magic it could possibly muster. Just seconds before impact, it managed to grab the sorcerer by the waist, wrapping itself around him and breaking the fall. Levi couldn't quite prevent them both from hitting the asphalt and rolling over the ground. Their robes tore and skin scraped.

It hurt.

As a cloak, Levi was immune to pain and now it hit all the harder. It took a moment to remember how to breathe. Human bodies were so complex and fragile. But its main concern was not for himself, but for Stephen.

Levi sat up and examined the sorcerer. He breathed, thank the Vishanti. But he didn’t move. There was no reaction from him altogether, even when Levi called his name, crying it over and over again.

Stephen's eyes stayed closed.

A Doom Bot had followed them to the ground, either because its protocol tried to ensure that the threat was neutralized, or maybe because Victor was connected to them and still insisted on his personal feud with the Sorcerer Supreme. Either way, it stepped close, right into their personal space, and Levi saw red. It jumped to its feet and then right onto the foe, who dared to harm his sorcerer.

Levi was strong – strong enough to carry Stephen, a full grown man, without breaking a sweat. The bot was no challenge for it. It brought it down and knelt on its back

Levi grabbed his head and hit it on the ground, again and again. Until it no longer looked like a head and more like a mash of circuits, wires and crumple metal. It didn’t even notice when the bot stopped resisting and went offline. Levi stopped no sooner as it was sure the bot could no longer hurt Stephen.

It rushed back to the sorcerer, cradling him in its arms, his head and shoulders pulled onto its lap.

Stephen needed a hospital.

Christine!

She could help. Stephen trusted her. Even if she lectured him every time he stumbled injured into her ER.

It would be much easier if Levi was still a cloak. It could wrap itself around him, stabilize him. Stephen always told, not to move an injured person for it could do more harm than good. Especially when they had hit their heads. But Stephen can’t keep lying here.

Suddenly it noticed a movement nearby and tensed, ready to attack.

“It’s just me, buddy.” Tony held hands up in a non-threatening way, approaching slowly. He was still in his suit, but his face was revealed and his eyes flickered worried between Levi and Stephen.

Levi relaxed. It trusted Tony. Tony was safe. So it made no objections as the inventor approached. It also noticed that the fight seemed to be over. There were no more Doom Bots in the air. Only the alarm was still ringing in its ears.

Levi whimpered as Tony knelt and gently touched Strange’s cheek, not sure how badly the sorcerer’s injuries really were - he had never seen Levi this feral – and he was glad to see that he was still alive.

“Everything’s gonna be alright. Help is on the way,” he tried to calm Levi down, just when the first paramedics arrived on the scene.

It was that moment when Stephen stirred. Levi was instantly all over him. “Stephen!”

The sorcerer groaned. “…’s loud.”

Levi didn’t seem to care. “Stephen, you have to turn me back. You can’t go into fights without me. Do you hear me?” Its eyes were wet with tears.

Tony put his hand on its shoulder. “Easy there, buddy. He hit his head pretty hard.”

More and more people appeared around them and in Levi's field of vision. It was on guard, trying to shield Stephen from everyone. Tony had to talk it down after it actually growled at one of the paramedics.

“They are here to help him.”

Only reluctantly Levi let them get to the sorcerer and refused to move away from Stephen. It watched over him, and closely observed every movement of the humans.

~~

Stephen was lucky he didn’t have to be brought into the hospital.

He wasn’t sure how he got back home, but when he woke up he was in his bed at the Sanctum. Groaning, he closed his eyes again immediately. The light was way too bright. His back and his head ached and the past hours seemed to be a blur. He remembered being in and out of consciousness.

Something on top of his blanket moved away. Instinctively, Stephen reached out and grabbed Levi’s wrist. He tried to open his eyes again.

“How long have I been out?”

“A day. They gave you something to sleep.” Levi kept its voice low.

Stephen hummed in acknowledgement and let it go. He didn't notice Levi leave the room without another word, too busy examining his head and making his own diagnosis about his well-being.

Shortly after, Wong entered and brought him a glass of water. He also gave Stephen a rundown of what had happened. Stephen had been more than lucky that he didn’t break his neck. Levi had saved his life; without it, the impact would have been much more devastating.

The paramedics had ordered him on bed rest for at least a few days. Stephen took the professional liberty of extending that bed rest to the couch of the library.

He was sitting there reading, when Levi came floating in. The sorcerer had not seen it all day. It said nothing, just sprawled its body over him to be near him.

It wasn't long before Stephen put his book aside and noticed Levi's gaze was on him. He raised his eyebrow in question.

Levi nervously kneaded its fingers, which would have been a nervous tic in a normal human. But Levi did not possess such tics. Levi did not get nervous.

“I need you to change me back.”

It had been fun being a human, but it was time to resume his responsibilities. Too long Levi had neglected them. The reason for its existence as a cloak was to accompany a sorcerer. It had strayed from this path and caused pain to its owner, the one he swore to protect. It was his duty.

The incident with the Doom Bots had woken Levi up, like a bubble that burst.

Stephen nodded slowly. With a flick of his hand, a book came flying to them. He had found a promising spell in his research before. He would triple check it anyway, just to be safe.

Stephen let the book float in the air next to him, hesitating to open it.

“You know I love you no matter which form you chose.”

Levi tilted its head and grinned sheepishly. “Of course. There’s nothing not to love about me.”

“The jury is still out on that thing you do when you don’t want to get washed.” Offended, Levi pulled a pout, but it couldn't hide a smirk from Stephen. “Also, whenever you use your collar to wipe my face? I don’t like that.”

“Yeah, because keeping dried blood on your face is so much better.”

“I definitely liked you better without your mouth.” Stephen smiled affectionately.

“Thank the Vishanti, you don’t have to suffer much longer.”

“You sure you want to do this?” Stephen asked again, because while it would turn Levi back to its original shape, it was nevertheless a big change to its current life.

“Yes.” There wasn’t the shadow of a doubt left in its voice. “I’m glad I had this opportunity, but it is time.” Levi cupped Stephen's face and pressed a kiss on his forehead with all the love and devotion it felt for the sorcerer. This was the only time left he could do it.

Stephen closed his eyes for a moment. He knew it wasn’t a goodbye. He wouldn’t lose a friend. The cloak would stay at his side for as long as it deemed him worthy and the bond between them felt stronger than ever.

He took a deep breath in and out before opening his eyes again. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

~~

With a stack of pizza boxes in his hands, Tony was on his way to the Sanctum, to see how Strange was doing. The sorcerer actually texted him and invited him over, so he seemed to be back on his feet. Still, Tony was happy to stop by and see for himself.

After a short knock on the door, it opened. Behind it, a portal brizzled, taking him directly into the library. Tony had to admit that this was kinda handy.

Stephen had his legs crossed, hovering several feet in the air over a couch. Several books were around him and a very familiar cloak on his shoulders.

“Hey Levi. Looking good.” Tony grinned broadly, when a corner of its hem waved at him, but the cloak didn’t leave the sorcerer’s side.

Stephen descended and ended sitting on the couch – you know, like a normal human being. The books flew on a nearby shelf, sorting themselves alphabetically.

“Thanks for stopping by, Stark.”

“Of course! Gotta feed my favorite wizard.” He placed the boxes on the table. “I guess that means we split Levi’s pizza between us?”

“We can leave it for the fridge.

“For Wong?”

“For the fridge.”

Tony tilted his head but knew better than to question Strange’s phrasing. “Scoop over,” he said instead, sliding next to him.

He was just about to sit down when the cloak reached out and pulled his arm. Tony yelped, losing his balance and fell right into Stephen’s lap.

“Ugh, sorry. Are you alright?” Stephen helped Tony to sit up.

“Yeah, yeah… no harm done.” Tony waved it off. “Good to see that Levi is still a menace.” He sat next right next to the sorcerer, their legs brushing. Glancing up they shared a look and noticed that both of them were slightly blushing.

Tony felt the fabric of the cloak in his back and suspected it would not let him go so quickly. He cleared his throat. “So… pizza?”

“Yeah, pizza.”

If the cloak of levitation still had a mouth, it would smirk. It really was the best wing-cloak ever.

#IronStrange #Doctor Strange #Tony Stark #Stephen Strange #cloak of levitation #Human cloak of levitation #human cloak #oneshot #Marvel #it starts with angst #and then comes fluff #shenanigans #Mermaid writes #SpaceMermaid

[kyuyua]

d4vd’s Romantic Homicide but ironstrange

#if I think abt it too hard it’s the perfect Ironstrange angst #bc Stephen essentially killed Tony for the universe #i’m making myself sad #but the brain juice is flowing #ironstrange #tony stark #iron man #stephen strange #doctor strange

[hithertoundreamtof23]

Whumptober Day 6

Prompt- Made to watch

Rated- T

Summary- The battle of Titan doesn't go as planned when Thanos makes the Avengers watch Stephen's soul be tortured.

Whumptober masterlist

#whumptober2023 #no.6 #made to watch #doctor strange #marvel cinematic universe #tony stark #various avengers #14000605 #Unhappy ending #canon temporary character death #hurt stephen strange #heavy angst #thanos #Tony stark has a heart #ironstrange if you squint #soul torture #doctor strange whump

[skits-things]

Scarlet Savior

In light of the fact that ao3 is under a ddos attack and thus there is no expected eta for a fix, I've decided to put this fic in text form on tumblr, as well as the other prompt I wrote for @darkkitty1208. They also betaed this work. Also @ironstrangehaven in case you wanna reblog this, even though you already reblogged my ao3 link. Fic is under the readmore.

Summary:

It was supposed to be yet another invasion of the Earth. Stephen won’t ever understand what makes his world so attractive to invaders, but it should have been standard procedure. For once though, the inhabitants of the dimension seeking to conquer Earth didn’t merely attack rampantly.

The aftermath is abhorrent. 

He despises the looks of pity that follow him around. The horror and morbid fascination of strangers. Even those exposed to the dangers of their way of life have a mere fraction of the marks on him. Trivial compared to his experiences.

The only other person with as much red on them is Deadpool, and no one expected different from the merc with a mouth. Even then, there’s the odd hole in his aura. A speck of his body that has somehow remained unscathed. 

All anyone can see when they look at Stephen, is a blindingly bloody red. 

Wong is the only one he can stand to be around nowadays. Two weeks after the nonsense and yet it seems like the staring won’t ever stop. Whether it’s the members of the Mystic Arts, the general populace, or the so-called champions from The Incident, Stephen feels their eyes like a drill to the Earth’s core. 

His friend is generous enough to allow Stephen his sulking. None of them understood exactly what they were signing up for in The Incident. Every one of the participants were stripped and made vulnerable to their cores. Wong himself had more than his fair share of scarlet on his body.

It was merely unfortunate that Stephen turned out to be extraordinary in this way too. 

The Sanctum alerts him to a visitor and he grimaces. The doors stay shut by sheer force of will, and his ill-timed guest only stays for a few minutes longer. Almost petulantly kicking the door on his way out. 

The isolation of the library no longer feels like a safe haven from the world. Tony Stark has a way of making his presence felt, merely by reminding people of his existence. Stephen grabs his books and prepares to leave for his rooms, but stops short at the unimpressed look Wong levels at him. 

“What?” Stephen snaps, irritated and perhaps a touch defensive. 

Wong doesn’t say a word for a long minute. Stephen turns to leave, holding his books carefully in his arms. Usually his hands were able to give some support, but it was a bad day. Levi subtly curls underneath his arms to relieve some of the pressure. 

“He’s not going to stop.” Wong says just as Stephen reaches the door. The words freeze him in place. “He’s been visiting every day since. Avoiding him is not going to solve anything.” 

Stephen grits his teeth and whirls around, eyes alight with fury. “Then he should learn to mind his own business!” 

Wong lowers his eyebrows a fraction, somehow appearing more disapproving than before. “He was there too, if you recall. The tournament-” 

Stephen hisses, shoulders bunched up to his ears. “That was not a tournament. That farce could barely be considered combat.” And only because of how the other side defined the event. 

A sigh rings through the room, long, deep and tired. It makes the part of Stephen that’s finally learned to care sit up and pay attention. A closer inspection of Wong has Stephen frown. He really hasn’t been aware of his surroundings lately. There was something almost disheveled about Wong’s appearance. Ties too loose, layers just slightly off. Lines of stress stretched his features tighter. 

He purses his lips. He’s never been very good at showing concern. Stephen clicks his tongue. “How are you holding up?” Stephen throws back, almost carelessly. 

“About as well as I can be.” Wong shakes his head. “If I’m ever able to get my hands on the person who botched that translation…” 

Stephen snorts. The books shift in his arms and Levi pools more of itself underneath them. He adjusts to let the cloak take more of the weight. “You and everyone else there. Personally, I think some time in the Dark Dimension would do them some good.” 

He stiffens immediately. His mouth ran faster than his thoughts, because once the words were out he couldn’t take them back. Wong pointedly tilts his head in Stephen’s direction. “That. That’s something you need to clarify with Stark. The man’s persistent. If you don’t take the initiative, he’s liable to do something drastic.” 

Stephen glares at the floor, shoulders already inching back upwards. He doesn’t know when they even dropped. “I don’t see why he needs to know. I don’t see why anyone needs to know. It’s in the past.” 

“Don’t be purposefully obtuse. You know why.”

Wong’s not wrong, but Stephen will deny it for as long as he can. It’s a mistake to flee from this conversation – Wong will get him back for this – but he could swear he was getting hives from it. It’s only in the safety of his own room that those hateful reminders hit home. 

The worst part of this whole ordeal - more than the vulnerability, more than the lack of choice, more than even the kerfuffle of a choice of words causing this disaster - is that of everyone possible, the person closest to him at the time of The Incident was Tony. 

His thoughts inevitably take a turn and, involuntarily, he remembers the day of The Incident. 

It was supposed to be yet another invasion of the Earth. Stephen won’t ever understand what makes his world so attractive to invaders, but it should have been standard procedure. For once though, the inhabitants of the dimension seeking to conquer Earth didn’t merely attack rampantly. 

The Impralians had superior numbers, firepower and technology. As much as Stephen hates to admit it, it was for the best that the Impralians also had the highest respect for champions of society. Or at least that’s how it was interpreted. 

In the end, the governments of the world had agreed to send fighters to represent them for the right to remain unconquered. While the Earth might be able to find a way to survive regardless, millions of lives would have been lost from the confrontation. Everyone with even the slightest desire to increase the chances of victory showed up.

Only the best of the best were selected. As a warrior race with regenerative durability, there had to be enough heavy hitters to make an impact, but also a small enough number to remain manageable, as every fighter sent out would be matched with another enemy. The major media outlets practically went rabid and had their own tournament for the chance to broadcast the event to the world. 

One hundred people were chosen to represent the Earth. Of those, ten were from Kamar Taj. The minimal number necessary to pull off some of the techniques that required multiple masters working together to accomplish. 

Tony was among the number chosen. His intelligence and resourcefulness was determined to be an asset in the case of their enemy using unknown technology. Peter, thankfully, was not. Spiderman might be strong, smart and scrappy, but he also didn’t have many directly damaging methods of attack. When Spiderman was removed from the list of possible combatants, Stephen could see the disappointment on Peter’s face as clear as the relief on Tony’s face just behind him. 

Though at least some of the ability to read the man came from time spent in proximity. After Thanos was defeated, Stark badgered Stephen until he threw his hands up and resigned himself to the man’s company. Somewhere along the line, Stark became Tony. It grew more difficult by the day not to slip up and reveal something from the fourteen million futures, but Stephen’s self control is impeccable. While the genius no doubt suspected something, Stephen was sure he had no clue just how intimately Stephen knew him. 

And intimate is certainly the correct word to use. Stephen doesn’t blush easily, yet some of those futures slip past his iron grip and manage to throw him into a flustered mess. 

They might have been treading the line towards something more between them in this future as well. After Tony and Pepper publicly broke off their engagement, Tony poured on the charm even more than he normally did just by being himself. Stephen was just starting to believe that their engagement was really over. That by some twist of fate, they might actually have a chance in this timeline.

Stephen fell in love with Tony Stark over and over and over again. In fourteen million different ways, but all leading towards the same end. Heartbreak.

There’s something about Tony that makes you want to put your trust in him. To take a chance. Stephen had bet the winning future on Tony’s ability to pull off a miracle with the right information and they succeeded. It made him want to take a chance on them too.

Fat chance of that happening now. 

The biggest problem Stephen Strange ever has, is that he’s never quite sure what to do about his own emotions. Other people’s emotions, which he’s also terrible at handling, are easier to deal with than his own. At least their emotions are an outside factor he has to adjust for. His own responses to his emotions are limited to ignoring them or becoming an angry defensive mess. Christine could attest to that.

So when Stephen returns from a standard trip outside of their realm to handle a task only capable by the Sorcerer Supreme, it is, perhaps, not entirely unexpected that his reaction to Tony in his room is to spit out vitriol.

“Get out.” The words are packed with as much venom as Stephen can fit. He doesn’t look at the man, just moves swiftly past him towards his attached bathroom. The barest amount of care he can spare towards Tony is keeping his words short. Stephen’s well aware Tony doesn’t deserve being treated like this. That doesn’t stop him from doing so.

He never learns his lesson.

“Stephen.” The soft cradling whisper of his name pulls him up short. Back stiff, Stephen closes his eyes and internally curses the way he can feel them tear up. He knows if he opens them, the shine would be damning evidence.

“Stephen.” Tony repeats, and Stephen can hear him stepping closer until he can feel the warmth of his presence at his back. “Stephen, look at me. Please.”

He doesn’t want to. Stephen still vividly remembers the look on Tony’s face. A curse of his perfect memory. The horror and despair was on a level he hasn’t witnessed in any of the possible futures. He never wants to put that look on Tony’s face again.

In the end, he doesn’t move or say a word. But he also doesn’t move further away. Tony takes that as an invitation to wrap his arms round Stephen and press his face into the back of his neck.

“Alright, you don’t have to look at me if you don’t want to.” The pained lilt to Tony’s voice is nearly enough to make Stephen turn around. If he wasn’t so sure of the expression he would find on Tony’s face. If he saw the pity, Stephen would shatter like fine china.

“But let me apologize. I’m so, so incredibly sorry, Stephen. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

The bitter laugh is involuntary. “Like what then? You didn’t do anything that anyone else hadn’t.”

“And if I could I would have each and every one of them apologize too.” Tony swears with fierce protectiveness.

“Don’t.” Stephen shudders with something akin to pained resignation. “Everyone there was subjected to the same treatment. Your own horrors were put on display.”

Tony tightens his hold around him. “But no one else died countless times! No one else had an endless montage of suffering lasting over three weeks!”

“And what, that makes me entitled to special treatment?” Stephen hopes he manages to convey the sheer distaste he has at the thought. “Trauma isn’t comparable.”

“Yours was so bad it won us the victory by a landslide.” Tony counters and Stephen immediately tries to pull away. Tony’s grip manages to keep him in place. “Fuck. No. I shouldn’t have- Look, we’re clearly both terrible at this; just give me a moment.”

Stephen’s tempted to not, but then again, if at least some small part of him didn’t want to stay right here in Tony’s arms, he would have vanished long ago. The master of the Sanctum doesn’t have to be anywhere within it that he doesn’t want to be.

After a few minutes Tony says, “I pulled apart the platform the second I was given the green light. I might have bribed more than a few people to get permission for it too, but we don’t need to talk about that. I can’t pull the videos off the ‘net – infringing on too many human rights apparently – but there isn’t a monument to your pain on display anymore.”

The words fill Stephen with more relief than he thought himself capable of feeling. In exchange for a numbers disadvantage, the Impralians negotiated building a stage on Earth where the competition would be held. After seeing the layout, it was determined that there would be no environmental advantage in combat for them.

It turned out, it wasn’t an environmental advantage they had to worry about. The Impralians used it as a double edged sword. Their technology managed to harness emotional energy – most specifically pain – and use it as a weapon against their opponents. For whatever reason, they couldn’t make it one directional and use it unilaterally against them, but the Impralians relied on their superior regeneration to endure anything their enemies would throw back at them.

They’ve almost made it into an art form. Culturally, the display of their most vulnerable moments was seen as an honor. Something to be respected for. By syncing psychic energy waves in conjunction with the emotional energy, the respective combatants' most marked fighters would have those moments projected for all to view. All persons on the stage would have this signified with red auras located just above the location where the injury occurred. The more frequently the area was injured, the deeper the color and size of the aura.

Stephen’s aura was a dark crimson and stretched meters. It was no wonder he was selected as tribute by their system.

It wasn’t even a fight, really. For once in their history, the Impralian’s defeat was instant. They were prepared for much, but multiple successive ways of dying isn’t something anyone is ever prepared to experience.

Apparently, the Impralians were so impressed by what he managed to survive that they insisted on his presence during the final negotiations. The overwhelming victory won them more than a few concessions of reparations from the Impralians and so Stephen was wrangled into being put on display like a circus act.

It was for the sake of the world, so Stephen grit his teeth and bore it, but he vanished the second he could. He refused to be sucked into something else “no one but him” could assist with. If he wasn’t faced with solemn respect by the Impralians the entire time, he’s sure he would have snapped. What a world when his enemies were more tactful than his own species.

Stephen sags back into Tony’s hold a bit. “Pain is an old friend.” The words are barely above a whisper, but in the quiet between them it might as well have been shouted. “And it wasn’t countless.”

“What?” The confusion was audible.

Stephen sighs. A moment of silence. “17 million, five hundred forty-four thousand, three hundred twenty-six.”

It takes a heartbeat of time, but Tony’s sharp inhale tells Stephen he got the point. “You remember all of that?”

“Every last one.”

This time, when Tony tries to turn him around, Stephen lets him. He’s tired of fighting. At this point Stephen just wants to get this over with. “Stephen, look at me please.”

The desperation in Tony’s voice has Stephen open his eyes and look into Tony’s. The horror isn’t quite gone, but the pity he was so sure to exist was nowhere to be found. Instead, a deep and enduring sort of concern and care (and dare he say love) was all that was reflected back. It crumples his defenses more thoroughly and rapidly than any empathetic response ever could.

He breaks down, right there in Tony’s arms. The stress and suppressed emotions boil over, silent tears streaming down his face as he finally lets himself feel everything he’s ignored since this living nightmare began. Shoving his face into Tony’s neck to hide, he lets Tony hold him together until he can find it within himself to face reality again.

When he returns to awareness, they’ve migrated to his bed. Tony rubs his back gently and has Stephen tucked under his chin. Levi is wrapped around both of them and when Stephen looks up, he spies the dried tears running down Tony’s face too. There’s some comfort in knowing he wasn’t the only one to become overly emotional, even if he’d prefer this hadn’t happened at all.

“I had hoped to at least take you on a date before ending up in bed together.” Tony weakly jokes.

Despite the terrible timing, Stephen finds himself cracking a grin. He really is gone on this man, Stephen thinks helplessly. Mildly put out with himself, he says, “I’m usually not this easy.”

Tony snorts. “Stephen, babe, you’re anything but easy. It’s a good thing I like a challenge. So?”

“So?”

Tony rolls his eyes. “Will you go on a date with me? Or at least stop avoiding me?”

If the literal horrors of Stephen’s life aren’t enough to drive Tony away from him, he doubts anything will. It’s the easiest thing in the world to say yes. Even if the path to getting here was the hardest. 

#ironstrange #ironstrangeweek2023 #ironstrange fanfic #stephen strange #tony stark #tony stark/stephen strange #my writing #fanfic #mcu #marvel cinematic universe fanfic #marvel cinematic universe #mcu fanfic #angst #angst with a happy ending #hurt/comfort #hurt stephen strange #protective tony stark #ao3 #my wriitng