Archive of Our Own

It had all started when Wong had shown up.

Stephen should’ve known as soon as that happened that it wasn’t going to be a normal day.

He had planned on taking the day to himself, making sure the Sanctum was empty so he could practice a few new spells. He had made sure that the guardians of the other Sanctums had known this. Wong, of all people, had known this.

So, when Wong had decided to pay him a visit regardless, Stephen should’ve realized that his day was not going to go how he had planned.

“I have something you should see.”

The sudden sound of someone else in the Sanctum made Stephen jump.

“Jesus! Wong! What are you doing here? I told you not to bother me! Do you have any idea how dangerous it could be if I messed this spell up?”

“I know exactly how dangerous it is. That’s why I’m here. If you had continued with it, you would have either created a hole in our reality joining us with at least twelve other dimensions or scattered each of your atoms across different alternate realities.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I found a way to prevent all of that, don’t worry. Unfortunately, it requires two people. Which id why I am here. To stop you from irreversibly destroying the integrity of the multiverse.”

Stephen was silent for a moment. “I suppose that is as good a reason as any for interrupting my day alone. Let’s get to work.”

They spent the rest of the morning perfecting the spell (now Stephen had something named after him! Who needed the Palmer-Strange Method when he the Strange Method of the Odyssey?). Now, Stephen and Wong could (with the help of a relic) essentially teleport. Although, due to the limitations of the spell, they could only due so around the Sanctum.

Stephen had insisted they perfect it, so they could use it anywhere (it was far more practical than the sling ring, it made no noise or sign anything was happening). But, making a new spell, unfortunately, was rather draining, and Wong had insisted they rest for the day. Only after promising to continue tomorrow, of course.

To celebrate their accomplishment, Stephen had suggested they go out to an early dinner.

Surprisingly, Wong had actually agreed (he was usually against splurging on material things. Stephen had learned that this included food). So, taking advantage of the situation, Stephen decided that they should go to one of his favorite places in the city that he could still afford.

He still had some money, as he was being rewarded for his invention of the Palmer-Strange Method, which Christine had so graciously included him in.

That was how he and Wong had ended up eating at The NoMad Restaurant. It was a quaint little French place, with a lovely, sophisticated atmosphere. Wong had raised an eyebrow at him when they arrived.

“I thought you had left this life behind, Strange.”

“And I did. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy good halibut, now, does it?”

“Attachment to the physical-,”

“Is detachment from the spiritual, yes Wong, I am familiar with the phrase. But you might reconsider once you try the duck. It is exquisite,” Stephen insisted. Besides, a little indulgence would do them both a little good. Stephen wasn’t sure how many more raw carrots he could stomach, even if they were grown in the Sanctum’s garden in southwest Asia.

“Just stop complaining and enjoy the food.”

With a huff, Wong followed Stephen inside, clearly skeptical of the whole place.

Stephen spent the next half hour laughing at the various faces Wong made with each appetizer he tried. Eventually, Stephen had had to stop Wong from eating all the scallops. Before their main course was brought out, Stephen got up to go to the bathroom. Still laughing from the look on Wong’s face, he wasn’t watching where he was going (he never seemed to learn his lesson, did he?).

He walked right into someone, and the smell of expensive wine filled his nose as it spilled all over his dress shirt.

“Oh shit! Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”

“No no, it’s fine, really, I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

“Well, I wasn’t watching where I was swinging my arm! God, I’m so sorry. I think that’s going to stain. Shit, um, here, I’ll get you a new shirt.”

“What, no! That’s unnecessary, really.”

Stephen looked up at the man who was now kneeling now in front of him, trying to clean up a few remnants of the wine glass that had shattered. His eyes widened as he saw who it was.

Holy shit.

It was Tony Stark.

“Wait a minute,” the engineer said, recognition washing over his face as he saw Stephen. “You- You’re that Strange guy! The wizard! The whole debacle in Hong Kong! You know, my computers never fail, but they had some weird complications after that! And guess who I found on my security footage? You! A neurosurgeon who had been missing for months!”

Stephen felt his face heat up. “Yeah… how did you know about that?”

“I told you, my computers never fail.”

“Sure. But that doesn’t explain how they managed to capture footage of something that, in this reality, never even happened.”

Stark looked like he was about to make a sarcastic comment before something strange came over his face.

“Wait, what do you mean, ‘in this reality’?”

Stephen sighed. “It’s a long story.”

Tony leaned back, considering him. “I’ve got time.”

Stephen looked around, then brought his gaze back to the billionaire, his eyes questioning.

“Well, hate to say it to you, but I don’t think a restaurant is the best place to explain how I stopped this dimension from being taken over by a being from the Dark Dimension.”

Stark seemed momentarily caught off guard. “You know what Doc? I think you might be right, there. Because while that sounds like a great pitch for a sci-fi novel, I think it might need to be more official than this.”

Stark stood up, offering his hand to Stephen. Stephen took it, not before noticing a cut on the other’s palm.

“Your hand is bleeding, Dr. Stark.”

The man looked down, as if he hadn’t noticed the obvious bleeding. “Huh, I guess it is. Well, I’ve certainly dealt with worse.”

“You might have glass in your hand.”

“Eh, I’ll be fine. But here, before you go, let me give you my number? As the most senior official member of the Avengers Initiative, I believe it is my duty to interview and
evaluate you as either a potential ally or threat.” There was a playful glint in Stark’s eye that let Stephen know that he was definitely not giving him his business number.

“Call me whenever you’re free. We can talk at the Compound, or, if you would prefer to avoid the trip, we can grab a coffee. Whatever works.”

Stephen was sure his face was red. “O-Of course. For official reasons, certainly.”

Stark smirked. “Certainly, Doctor. I am, as I’m sure you’re aware, known for being incredibly official in all manners. They call me ‘Tony Responsible Stark’, for a reason, after all.”

“I am certain they do. Although, I do seem to recall a certain party in ’98 that was all over the front page. If only I could remember what exactly it was about…” Stephen parried easily. Stephen could easily remember the headline, “Tony Stark: Walk of Fame, or Walk of Shame?”.

“Perhaps, if you decided to schedule a meeting, I could remind you?”

Caught off guard by the man’s response, Stephen found himself floundering. Stark simply patted him on the back. “See you later, Doc. And don’t worry! I’ll get you a new shirt.”

And with that, he got up and walked back to his table.

Stephen only found the napkin hidden in his pocket that night.

1-(917)-458-3000 *AN Before you call this number, know that it is not real. The area code for New York is 917 (I think), and the 458 stands for ILU (I love u) and then 3000. Please do not disturb a poor soul in New York by calling this number. Thanks*

I’m looking forward to hearing from you, Doctor.

For official reasons only, of course.

-You know who I am

۞Four weeks later۞

“Excuse me? Miss?” Stephen tried to get the attention of the receptionist at Stark Tower. She turned to him, clearly overwhelmed.

“I’m sorry sir, I do not know where Mr. Stark is, he hasn’t told anyone, and we are doing our best to contact him. Please, take a seat, and I’ll set up a meeting with Miss Potts instead?”

Normally, Stephen wouldn’t have tolerated waiting, but he knew that this had been a chaotic week for SI. It had all started when he had tried to follow Stark up on his offer to talk. He had dialed the number and had been greeted with a slightly concerning voicemail.

“This is Tony. As of the 12th of April, I am unavailable. I do not know when I’ll be back, but don’t worry. I should, in theory, be fine. Um, don’t bother trying to find me. I’ll be back as soon as possible, but don’t waste time looking. Well, uh, I guess I’ll see ya when I see ya. If you need anything regarding SI, just meet with Pepper. Bye.”

Stephen had first heard that voicemail on the 19th. Since then, he’d called three more times, getting the cryptic voicemail each time. He had even resorted to checking the news, to see if maybe Stark was just on vacation and being dramatic?

Unfortunately, there was actually a nationwide search going on looking for the billionaire. Nobody knew where he’d gone.

Stephen had heard plenty of the man over the years, so disappearing didn’t seem too strange for him. Except for the fact that it had been three weeks since anybody had heard or seen anything of the man. Not even his CEO and best friend Pepper Potts knew where he’d gone.

Stephen himself was feeling rather worried, despite only having known him a few months. The whole thing seemed eerily reminiscent of the Afghanistan incident of 2008. And if someone really had kidnapped Tony Stark, who, and why? Surely, they knew not to try and convince him to build something? And they had to know that there were far easier ways to get money than kidnapping one of the most dangerous men on the planet.

Stephen was wrenched from his thoughts as the secretary called his name and showed him to Miss Potts’ office.

Stephen entered the room, which was classy, elegant, and modern. He shouldn’t have expected anything else from the famous Pepper Potts. If one worked as a secretary to Tony Stark for years as she did, well, one had to have both style and extreme organization skills. The area was all clean and immaculate, but it didn’t compare to the woman inside.

She wore a formal dress with a nice jacket. Her makeup was light but done skillfully. She looked exhausted, like she hadn’t been sleeping, which Stephen supposed she probably hadn’t. But somehow, even with her weariness, she still looked incredibly put together and professional.

“Excuse me, Miss Potts? Dr. Stephen Strange. It’s a pleasure to meet you, although I do wish it were under better circumstances.” He reached out, shaking her hand. She had a firm grip, instantly garnering his respect, as if she hadn’t had it already.

“Likewise. It’s been a chaotic week. Tony said he’d given you his number, and that you two had met a few times. I believe he was planning on discussing the Hong Kong incident next time he saw you, as well as your potential future involvement with the Avengers Initiative?”

“Yes. That was four weeks ago. Unfortunately, we never got to have that talk. Seeing as he has disappeared for three weeks, I figured I might offer my services to assist you?”

Pepper’s eyes lit up. “Of course! He showed me the file he had on you. Previously a neurosurgeon at the Metro-General, until a car accident ended your career by damaging the nerves in your hands. Disappeared for months, until you were spotted dressed like a Tolkien character in Hong Kong, where space itself appeared to be ripped open. Yes, I do believe you could be rather useful. What do you propose we do?”

Stephen tried not to let out his surprise on how much information Stark had on him. He must’ve shown his shock, as Pepper then waved a hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry, we haven’t been stalking you. I’m sure you recall the day SHIELD fell, and the whole Project Insight debacle? See, Hydra, on the other hand, does stalk their most high-profile targets. You were, unfortunately, one of the 20 million individuals they had planned to kill. And after SHIELD fell, Natasha Romanoff famously made nearly all of SHIELD’s files public. Including the targets of Project Insight.

“Stark Industries saw to it that the more famous and well-known targets of the program be passively monitored in case Hydra decided to go after them. When you disappeared, FRIDAY sent Tony an alert, just in case Hydra was responsible.”

Stephen nodded in understanding. He hadn’t actually known he’d been targeted by Insight; once the files had been released, he hadn’t cared to look. The fact that even back then, he had been tied to this life of danger and villains, was sobering. He hadn’t even known how close to dying he’d been that day.

He recovered quickly, reminding himself that Stark was missing, and he could mull over his near-death experience he was only just now aware of later.

“I have a scrying spell that could allow us to communicate with him, to ascertain either his whereabouts or his current state of being. Are you sure you’ve checked every probable location he could be? There isn’t some remote cabin in the woods he might’ve gone to?”

Pepper shook her head. “FRIDAY has access to all of his properties, and he isn’t in any of them. I’ve already asked her to track his bank accounts, in case there is a large sum of money transferred, in the event he has been kidnapped. She hasn’t found anything, and if she can’t find it, it’s not there.”

Stephen nodded. He was still dubious about FRIDAY’s accuracy. Surely, Stark simply could have rewritten her code so that she was unable to tell them where he was? But that would imply that he was fine, and if that were true, why would he make it near impossible to find him?

“I’ll get the items for the spell ready. It should be prepared around 4 o’clock. It would be best if you could meet me where I will be performing the spell, at the New York Sanctum Sanctorum. The address is 177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village. Is that a good time?”

Pepper nodded, looking relieved. “Yes, I’ll clear my schedule. I swear, if that idiot got himself hurt, I’m going to murder him.”

Stephen smirked, and found himself also hoping that Stark was okay.

He shook the thought away before portaling back to the Sanctum, getting the materials for the spell.
۞4:00 PM۞
Stephen had spent the last few hours preparing the materials he’d need. Now, he just had to wait for Pepper, and they’d be ready. He had asked her to bring in a strand of Tony’s hair, which was the only way the spell could work.

Stephen had changed out of his civilian clothes and into his robes. Despite what most people assumed, they were actually incredibly comfortable. The Cloak of Levitation had put itself on Stephen’s back, occasionally grabbing things for him if he needed it.

Pepper arrived at exactly 4:00 PM, this time wearing jeans and a nice shirt. She still looked quite formidable but seemed less stressed than she had earlier. Stephen supposed that this was probably the best news she’d had in weeks.

He decided it was best not to keep Pepper Potts waiting, and led her to the room where he was setting everything up.

“Dr. Strange, I hope you’ll forgive me, but this room is empty.”

Stephen gave her a look of confusion, before realizing his mistake.

“Ah, yes, of course. It is protocol to set up any potentially volatile spells in the mirror dimension, so as to prevent unnecessary damage to the civilian world.”

“I’m sorry, the mirror dimension?”

“An alternate dimension exactly the same as ours, except that anything that happens there has no consequence on the real world. It is, as the name suggests, like living on the other side of a mirror.”

She nodded, clearly still trying to wrap her head around it.

“You know, I honestly shouldn’t even be surprised anymore. Tony was never one for having boring friends.”

Stephen chuckled. “I have only known the man personally a short time, but I can already assure you that is true, simply based on the papers.”

She chuckled and took in a deep breath. “What happens if we find him and he needs our help?”

“As soon as I can see his location, I will be able to construct a portal directly to him.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?”

Stephen entered the mirror dimension, pulling out the cauldron containing the materials for the spell. He stepped out, careful not to let a drop spill. Until the spell was activated, the solution was incredibly acidic and would corrode anything organic or metal.

Once it was carefully set on the ground, Stephen took the strand of hair Pepper had supplied to him, pulling it taut between his fingers. He had chosen to wear his gloves for this, as they were enchanted with a spell that Wong had kindly crafted that would lessen the tremors in his hands. He didn’t use them often, he felt he should always be reminded of his past life, and all that he had lost in order to get to where he was today. He made exceptions, of course, when working with things that required delicacy and precision.

He muttered the incantation under his breath, and the hair burned a bright orange, sparks of the same color flying off it. Stephen quickly tossed it into the mixture, reciting the old spell as fast as he could (if he was too slow, everything would explode, and that would certainly not help Tony).

And then it was finished.

Stephen peered inside, and the once thick, purple liquid had turned the color of liquid silver, as an image came into focus.

In the shimmering picture was a very much asleep Tony Stark.

Pepper walked up behind him, looking in. Once she saw him, she cried out in relief.

“Tony!”

The man jolted awake; eyes slightly panicked as a gauntlet of the Iron Man armor materialized around his wrist. His eyes met Stephen’s, and his mouth opened in shock and confusion.

“Doc?!?” Tony was cut off as his body was suddenly wracked with an onslaught of violent coughs. Stephen took in the man’s surroundings. He appeared to be in a bedroom of some sort, but it was dark, so Stephen could only make out the faintest hint as to what it looked like. Instead, he focused on Tony, and the bed he was in, and the clothes he was wearing.

Stephen didn’t hesitate a second longer before pulling his sling ring out of his pocket and creating a portal straight into Tony Stark’s bed.

“What the- GAHH YOU’RE HERE!!”

Stephen found himself face-down on an incredibly soft comforter, immediately noticing how incredibly cold it was. He pushed himself up, coming face-to-face with a very disheveled Tony Stark, his hair wild. In a bed. In the dark. Stephen felt his face blush a bright red and prayed to god Stark couldn’t see it.

“I have a,” a wheezing cough interrupted the man. “I have a heart condition you know.”

“You also have a company to run. And bots. And a life. All of which, by the way, you have neglected for four weeks. Care to explain yourself?” Pepper was looking down on them through the portal, the earlier relief at seeing Tony gone, replaced by a very stern expression.

“I’d love to. Unfortunately, I am currently battling a very annoying case of pneumonia, strep throat, and flu A all at once. I’m afraid that any long, dramatic monologues I would have otherwise given must be put on hold for the moment.” This was immediately followed by more hacking coughs.

Stephen was incredibly concerned. Where were they? Why was Tony off in isolation getting sick? Why hadn’t he told anybody?

And why did Stephen care so much?
۞One week later۞
One week.

That’s how long Tony had asked for. One extra week of isolation in wherever the hell he was.

Stephen did not care. Really, he didn’t. Why should he? He had known the man a couple months. He certainly should not be as worried as he was.

What was wrong with him?

When they’d found him, Tony had practically begged them for a little more time, saying he’d explain everything once he had healed. Stephen had been skeptical. He knew the flu, strep throat, and pneumonia would be dangerous for a normal person. But Tony, in order to house the arc reactor, had been forced to remove bone and lung tissue. His lung capacity was almost definitely lower than that of a normal person, and he was also immunocompromised (also thanks to the arc reactor).

He had agreed to call them (read: Pepper) every day.

And they had reluctantly agreed. Stephen had been shocked Pepper had let him stay wherever he was, but he supposed that knowing he was okay was enough. Stark was a grown man, after all, and a dangerous one at that. He was Iron Man, for god’s sake! He didn’t need Stephen taking care of him.

But now, that week was up, and Stephen was taking Pepper back to Tony. He’d said he’d stay in the same spot so Stephen could still portal there.

She was wearing some sweatpants and a t-shirt; the most casual Stephen had ever seen her.

“You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be to go through a portal created by energy from other dimensions.”

“Fair enough. Let’s go.”

Stephen opened the portal, leaning over the edge and falling in. If he’d done it correctly, he should just land on the bed like he had before.

“Hey Doc- GAHH! AGAIN!?!” Tony’s voice was muffled as Stephen landed directly on top of him.

“That was not pleasant,” Stark grumbled beneath him.

“You should’ve known I was going to come through there! That’s where I was last time!”

“Oh, I’m sorry that I didn’t remember what side of the bed you were on!”

“Well, you should!” Stephen felt his face flush a deep red as he realized not only the implications his comment had, but also the rather compromising position he was in. Stark lay directly underneath him, eyes glinting at the challenge of words Stephen had issued. Stephen had propped himself up on his elbow, face directly above Tony’s. They were close. So close they could almost-

Nope. Definitely not. Not today, not ever.

Tony, damn him, took advantage of the moment. “Well Doctor, I have to say, I thought you’d take me out to dinner first, but I can work with this,” he said, flashing a grin that was somehow different from the ones Stephen had seen on TV.

No. Stephen was not about to let Stark win this pissing contest.

“Fine! I’ll take you to dinner! But only if you tell me what you were doing wherever the hell we are!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

An uncomfortable stillness ensued as Stephen and Tony both processed what had just happened. Stephen couldn’t believe himself. He had just asked Tony fucking Stark to dinner. And not only that, but he had actually said yes.

Above them, Pepper groaned. “Good lord, did I seriously just watch that? That has to be the worst I’ve ever seen a date proposal go. Great, now if you two get married, this is the story I’ll have to tell your kids about how you two started dating.”

Stephen went about the color of a strawberry, although he did find some comfort in the fact that Tony had as well.

Leave it to Pepper Potts to make Tony Stark blush.

They both remained silent, not making eye contact. Stephen was still frozen directly above Stark and moved to get off him. He held out a hand, helping the other man off the bed, still not meeting his eyes.

“For fuck’s sake, do I need to make the reservation myself? Really? Fine. Wednesday, 6:30, at the place where you two met. Don’t tell me where, I’m having FRIDAY set it up right now,” Pepper commanded the AI.

“Already done, Miss Potts.”

“Perfect. Tony, you meet with Stephen and tell him everything then. In the meantime, you’re coming with me. You do not get to completely abandon your company and then expect to be welcome back with open arms. You better hope you have good muscles in your hands, because you are going to be doing so much paperwork-,” Pepper continued scolding Tony as she pulled him up through the portal and into the Sanctum.

Stephen took a second before he followed after them.

Did Pepper Potts just arrange a date with him and Tony Stark?

Unless his brain was seriously damaged, he was pretty sure she did. Of course, the possibility that none of this, him becoming a sorcerer, and the entire past few months, had ever happened, and that he had just taken some faulty meds and was currently having a seizure in his old apartment. Yes, that seemed rather likely at the moment.

Stephen decided that, just in case this was actually happening, he was going to go along with it.

Just in case.
۞Wednesday۞
Stephen was not ready for this.

Although, to be fair, how was anyone supposed to be ready for a date with Tony Stark?

At least, that’s what he thought it was. Pepper had been the one to arrange it, after all. Tony had never really given any input on how he felt in the matter. Maybe he hadn’t actually been interested in Stephen. Maybe that was just his flirtatious attitude, just the way he was. Maybe he had assumed that Stephen would be somewhat competent and realize that this was all solely business. No feelings, just a professional dinner to hash out a few arrangements.

Stephen suddenly felt the urge to throw the deep red dahlias he had in his hand straight into the nearest wastebasket. He had arrived five minutes early, and was currently sitting at their table, waiting for Tony to arrive. He had time to run into the bathroom and mess up his meticulously styled hair a little bit, which had taken him an ungodly amount of time to perfect, what with his hands and all. He could also magic himself out of the ridiculous suit he was wearing and into something far more casual. Maybe that purple button down he had? Nice enough for the restaurant, but casual enough to make it professional.

Unfortunately, all plans of changing his appearance went out the window when the curtains of their booth (Pepper had reserved private dining) were pulled open to reveal the man Stephen had been worrying about all evening. Tony Stark.

Holy fuck.

To say he looked impeccable would be wrong.

Even after all those years studying, all those hours, even after getting a PhD, Stephen still couldn’t find the right words to describe the way Tony Stark looked right then, in that moment. Stephen was fairly certain the man was wearing a William Westmancott Ultimate Bespoke suit, one that even he wouldn’t have bought, not ever, even back when he was a neurosurgeon. The charcoal gray was almost black and emphasized Tony’s face and hair.

And his hair, god, Stephen was at a loss. If he had thought his own hair too neat, Tony’s was obsessively so. It somehow managed to look perfect, but almost as if he’d been walking against the wind, the way it seemed so soft and fluffy. Stephen would’ve liked nothing more than to run his hands through that hair.

‘Focus, Stephen. The suit means nothing, the hair means nothing. He’s a multibillionaire, this is probably just another Wednesday night for him. He definitely didn’t get all dressed up for me.’

Stephen stood up, just barely managing to keep his jaw from dropping.

Stark himself looked slightly shocked, but quickly recovered, holding out his hand for Stephen to shake.

“Stephen,” he greeted, his voice almost sounding strained (that could’ve been Stephen’s hopeful imagination).

“T-Tony,” Stephen couldn’t help the stutter. How in the hell was he expected to have a full-blown conversation when the man across from him looked like that?

“I, um-,” Tony trailed off, eyes moving up and down across Stephen’s body. “You look great.”

“Thanks,” Stephen breathed, trying to regain his composure. “Likewise.”

Tony nodded in thanks.

And then the silence.

They sat there awkwardly for a few moments, neither sure what they were there to do. Well, Stephen wasn’t sure. He couldn’t speak for Tony. What were they supposed to say? Were they supposed to discuss where Tony had disappeared to for a month? Or was this a date? Could Stephen ask him what he was currently working on? He knew that they were both too famous already for mundane things like ‘hobbies’ to be discussed.

“I-I brought you these,” Stephen blurted, breaking the silence as he shoved the bouquet of flowers towards Tony.

Tony’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow, these are beautiful, you didn’t need to…” he trailed off, admiring the dahlias.

“Dahlias,” Tony said, almost seeming shocked.

“Yes,” Stephen said, suddenly not feeling so timid. “That is what they are. Do I need to call a hospital? Are you sure you just had pneumonia? No brain injury?”

Tony laughed, a real laugh, and god Stephen could have the sound playing on repeat for the rest of his life.

“That is not necessary, Doc, trust me. I am aware that these are flowers, don’t worry. But dahlias…” he trailed off again, a wistful look coming into his eyes. “They were the
flowers my butler, Jarvis, always got for his wife, Ana. They were also my mother’s favorite. I think that’s because she loved the two of them so much.”

He met Stephen’s eyes, his face expressing a rare sight of raw appreciation and gratitude.

“Thank you.”

Stephen wasn’t sure what to say. Over the month he’d known Tony Stark, he had learned surprisingly little about the man’s past. He knew he had been raised by Jarvis and loved the man like a father, but not much else.

“They symbolize strength and power. And red can also represent new love,” Stephen wasn’t sure how he’d been able to get through saying that. He had never been this bold before. Maybe something had been slipped into his drink? Or maybe Wong had finally gone through with his threat to do something himself about the Stark situation if Stephen remained idle. Well, he wasn’t idle anymore!

“Oh, do they, Doctor Wizard?” Tony asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“They do,” Stephen said, his voice soft.

And just like that, things were normal. Well, more normal. They were able to get past the awkwardness and talked just like they would whenever Tony would visit the Sanctum. Tony explained that he had disappeared to Wakanda (Stephen made a mental note to tell Wong to start keeping tabs on that place) in order to help King T’Challa deal with his new kingdom, especially after the Killmonger debacle.

And then he explained to Stephen that his ribcage had taken a beating in Siberia (six months ago. Not that Stephen was counting.). He had felt the telltale signs of the flu and had flown to Wakanda to meet with Princess Shuri (Stephen was pretty sure Tony had adopted her, despite the fact that she was a princess) to figure out how to help him. They had sent him into surgery, fixing any damage that Rogers had done. Unfortunately, they needed to make sure it wasn’t going to make him worse, so they had decided to let him get sick in a controlled environment (that was what Stephen and Pepper had walked into the tail-end of).

After telling the story, the two had already eaten dinner and had a few glasses of wine (‘Red, for the antioxidants’, as Tony had said, mimicking Stanley from the office). They had walked back to Stark Tower (Tony had sold it back to his company officially, and had moved most of his personal stuff up to the very top floor) where they finished another bottle of red.

When Stephen woke up the next morning, it was to the feeling of Tony’s breath on his chest. And if he had pulled the man closer, instructing FRIDAY to turn off all notifications and let them sleep, well…

Nobody was going to say anything.

⎊1.5 years later⎊

“This is your fault.”

“Excuse you, I am the only reason we’re still alive!”

“You are the only reason our lives were in danger at all!”

“Well, I’m sorry that not everyone is as perfect as you, Doctor Wizard!”

“At least I can go on a date without endangering the lives of civilians!”

“Oh really? What about-,”

“Scotland does not count!”

“Well, I mean, we were originally supposed to have a nice dinner by candlelight, when we were so rudely interrupted by an interdimensional demon attacking. How is this any different?”

“Because that couldn’t have been avoided. This could have easily been prevented.”

“Really? How was I supposed to know that letter was actually serious about kidnapping me? I get stuff like that all the time! There was nothing special about that one!”

“You mean except for the fact that I told you something felt wrong about it?”

“Stephen, if I listened to you every time something ‘felt wrong’, then I would literally never leave our bed.”

“As if that would be such a bad thing.”

“You know that’s not what I me-,”

Tony was cut off as the door to their cell opened. ‘Fucking kidnappers. Can’t even let me flirt with my boyfriend in peace.’ A person walked in, Tony couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, they had a gas mask covering their face, and were covered head to toe in Kevlar. ‘Damn. They’ve gotten smarter.’

“Mr. Stark, you are being recorded. Please state your relation to Mr. Strange for the record.” The voice was a deep baritone, and Tony immediately added ‘male’ to his mental file on this person.

“I’ve never heard of a Mr. Strange,” Tony replied dutifully. Stephen glanced at him, trying to figure out his plan. Tony used the hand behind his back and began tapping out instructions in code.

(A space between dashes in not a new letter. A slash (/) is a new word, and a | is a new letter in Morse Code. All translations will be provided, but learning Morse Code isn’t super hard, I’d recommend it! 😊)

‘._ _.|._.|.|_|.|_.|_../_._ _|_ _ _|.._/_..|_ _ _|_.|_/_._|_.|_ _ _|._ _/_ _|.’

(Pretend you don’t know me.)

“Mr. Stark, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Once you state your relation to Mr. Strange, then you will tell us where the next shipment of arc reactors will be delivered.” Tony also pinned the man’s accent. Afghani. And I thought I was done with that part of the world…

“What? I don’t know where they’re going! Haven’t you read the news? Miss Potts handles all the details. I just make stuff go boom.”

“It is in your best interest to cooperate. What is your relation to the man next to you?”

“You tell me!”

“Fine,” the man sighed, not at all sounding remorseful. “I guess we’ll do this the hard way.”

He stepped forward, pulling out some sort of metal rod from behind his back, brandishing it at Tony. Tony smirked. “You can hurt me all you want. I’m not giving you
anything.”

The man paused. “You misunderstand me, Mr. Stark. I have no intention of hurting you. Take a closer look at this.” He held the rod near Tony’s face. Tony’s instinct was to shy away from it, but his hands and feet were both bound, and he was being held in place. “Now tell me, what is it?”

Tony hesitated, unsure of what would happen if he refused to comply. He figured that telling him what it was couldn’t do any harm.

“It’s a picana.”

“Yes, and what does a picana do?”

“It has been used as a cattle prod, and delivers a high voltage but low electric current, which maximizes pain without leaving many physical marks.”

“Very good. Anything else?”

“I’m going to go ahead and assume that you plan to use it on me, and I have to say, I’m disappointed. I would’ve thought that by now people would’ve learned that pain isn’t going to break me. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve had a device just like that used on me?” Tony was grinning again, it felt good to know that whatever was about to happen would be nothing compared to what he’d already gone through.

The man stepped back, and Tony started celebrating his victory in his head.

Until he heard the faint laughter coming from the man.

“You know, I was told you were smart, Mr. Stark. I’m the one here who’s disappointed. Did you really think I’d be stupid enough to try physical pain to break you? I’ve done my homework; I know your track record.”

He brought the rod around again, examining it. “Pain isn’t going to get me what I want. Well, not your pain, I suppose.”

Tony’s eyes widened. He snuck a glance at Stephen, who was looking at him with fear in his eyes. ‘Oh shit.’ Tony paled. The man undid Stephen’s restraints.

“But his will.”

The man lunged forward, grabbing Stephen’s shoulder and slamming the picana against it.

Stephen cried out as he was shocked. Tony wanted to throw up. ‘Oh god, oh, god, oh god oh god oh god oh god.’

Tony tried to block out the screams. He really did. But how was he supposed to just sit there while his boyfriend was being brutally tortured? He couldn’t. He just… couldn’t. It was Pepper all over again, the Extremis in her veins… It was Happy, laying unconscious in a hospital bed… It was the Avengers, all dead before his eyes… It was Rhodey, falling down, down, down, never to walk again… And now it was Stephen.

When Tony opened his eyes, the sight alone almost made him break. Stephen was writhing under the shock, and the man would bring him to the brink of unconsciousness, before pulling away, letting Stephen recover before starting the horrid process all over again.

Tony tried to stop himself, tried to tell himself that if they survived this, Stephen would never forgive him for giving their kidnapper exactly what he wanted. Then the man moved the device down to Stephen’s hands, and the utter agony in the screams sent Tony over the edge.

“Okay! Stop! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you whatever you want! Just please, please stop! Please!” Tony was crying at this point, begging the man to stop. He never begged. Not if he was lucid.

The man pulled back, and Stephen’s body slumped as he was finally relieved of the pain. He looked up at Tony, and the agony in his gaze as he realized what Tony had given up was almost worse than the screams of pain. Almost.

The man gazed at Tony, and Tony resolutely refused to look into the eyes of that awful mask. “No tricks. If I find out you’ve lied to me, I will pull out this man’s eyes and make him eat them while cutting off his fingers one by one. Then, I will slowly slice into his stomach until he bleeds out, simultaneously shocking him with this until he dies a slow, painful, meaningless death. Am I understood?”

Tony nodded, fear paralyzing him.

“Good. I will be back with a piece of paper and a pencil.”

And then he was gone.

Tony wanted to rush over to Stephen and cradle his head in his hands for the rest of time. He fought viciously against his handcuffs, but to no avail. He tried to get out of his bonds, but there was something preventing his head from moving much. He looked over at Stephen, who he expected to still be recovering from the pain.

Much to his surprise, however, the man was already sitting up and walking over to Tony, working to undo his restraints.

Tony stuttered. “W-What? H-H-How?”

Stephen glanced at him, gaze grave. “Simple spell. Temporarily takes away pain. I couldn’t do it with that man still in here, but once he left, I just needed to concentrate for a few seconds. It’ll wear off in a few hours, and it’ll be twice as painful, so we need to get to a hospital by then.”

Tony stared at his boyfriend in awe. “Stephen, I-,”

Stephen held his hand up, cutting him off. “It’s okay. I know that if our roles were reversed, I wouldn’t have lasted half as long as you did. You did the right thing. Because now
we can get the fuck out of here and blow this whole place to hell.”

Tony nodded, and was pretty sure he had never loved anyone more in his life than he loved Stephen right now.

“I love you.”

“I know.”

“Damn it Peter!”

Stephen smirked before contacting Wong through a communication spell, who arrived approximately 0.2 seconds later to take them to the med center of the Avengers Compound.
◂◇◇۞◇◇▸

Tony couldn’t say how relieved he was when the doctor came out of Stephen’s room an hour later, telling him that there wouldn’t be lasting damage, except for a likelihood of increased tremors in Stephen’s right hand which would improve with time.

Tony wouldn’t have cared if he had never been able to use his right hand again. All that mattered was that Stephen was alive. He was alive, and no matter what happened after this, that was enough.

۞Three weeks later۞
“God damn it,” Stephen muttered under his breath as a tea mug lay shattered on the floor. That was the third one this week, and it was only Tuesday. He had been doing so much better before… well, before he was kidnapped and then brutally tortured.

He knew it was going to hurt. And he was fine with that. Really. He was. It wasn’t the physical pain that bothered him, no, he had literally died thousands of times, he could live with pain.

What Stephen couldn’t stand was feeling helpless.

He was supposed to be one of the most powerful, if not the most, people on the planet. And here he was, unable to make himself a fucking cup of tea.

Some Sorcerer Supreme he was.

He hadn’t spoken to Wong at all since he’d gotten back. He’d been on painkillers for most of the times that Wong had visited, so they hadn’t really been able to have a conversation. But now that he was back in the Sanctum, he still hadn’t reached out to the man. He figured that Kamar-Taj was particularly busy, considering that he hadn’t even attempted to message Stephen. Or maybe he realized that Stephen was being a bitch and didn’t want to deal with it.

Yeah, that was probably it.

And while he might not have seen Wong in weeks, he had allowed Tony to visit. Twice. A week ago.

But so what if he hadn’t had any human interaction in a week? He was an adult; he could do whatever he wanted! And if he wanted to go into a self-imposed exile until he had successfully brewed a cup of tea without breaking the mug, then that’s exactly what he was going to do.

He hated himself.

He knew, logically, that he was overreacting. He was recovering after being tortured. And he did have metal pins in his hands, so that had made it particularly painful. And his hands had shaken before the incident anyway, even if he wasn’t doing anything that would cause it, it was simply a part of life. He was used to it.

But not like this.

He knew he could throw on his gloves and be done with it, but that didn’t mean anything, because the moment he took them off, the tremors would be back, and he wouldn’t be able to write his fucking name again.

He had tried. He couldn’t even make a legible ‘s’.

As he stared at the broken mug at his feet, Stephen felt a surge of emotions run through him. Anger, guilt, helplessness, fear, exhaustion, but most of all, sadness.

Stephen Strange was sad.

He hadn’t spoken to his best and only friend in weeks, and hadn’t seen his boyfriend in days, and it was all his fault, because he was the one who had yelled, who had screamed at them all to leave him the fuck alone, and here he was, pushing people away again.

He had promised himself he wouldn’t do it. Not after Christine.

But here he was, backing up until his back hit the wall before slowly sinking to the ground, silent tears streaming down his face as he closed his eyes.

He was alone, but he wanted nothing more than to feel Tony’s arms around him.

He must’ve been losing his mind, because he could swear, he felt something warm wrap around him, and it wasn’t the Cloak.

And then he heard it. Whispers in his ear, telling him ‘everything will be okay’ and ‘I’ve got you, you’re okay, I’m here, you’re not alone, I’ve got you.’

Stephen opened his eyes.

“Tony?” he spoke so softly; he was surprised he could even hear himself.

“I’m right here, I’ve got you, it’s going to be okay.”

Reality seemed to hit Stephen as the weight of the past few weeks came crashing down on him.

“Oh my god, Tony, I’m so sorry, I’m so-,” he was cut off as Tony pressed his lips to Stephen’s. It was the first time they had kissed since the incident, and it showed, full of affection and understanding. When they pulled away, Tony was smiling down at him sadly.

Stephen could barely look him in the eye.

“Let’s go to bed,” Tony said simply.

Stephen nodded. He was glad that Tony didn’t ask about what was wrong, or why there was a broken mug on the floor. He just seemed to understand, even if he wasn’t sure why.

Stephen’s heart had never been so full.
◂◇◇۞◇◇▸

When he woke up the next morning, his limbs tangled with Tony’s, he had never felt relief like that before.

Tony was already awake, smiling at him fondly.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Hi,” Stephen responded.

A comfortable silence enveloped the room.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Stephen considered the offer. “Do I want to? No. But I think I should.”

Tony nodded patiently, and Stephen knew that he could trust him. Tony had had his fair share of trauma; he knew how hard it was. He understood.

“It’s not the pain that bothers me, it’s the shaking. I can’t do anything anymore. I can’t even write my own name. And I know it’s going to get better, but I hate feeling helpless.”

“You aren’t helpless, Stephen. You are the strongest person I know. I’m not kidding. You know I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Stephen did know. It made his heart go all warm and fuzzy, which was something he hadn’t ever truly experience before Tony.

“Besides, if you’re helpless, then I must be an invalid. I can’t take a shower without having to coach myself to not freak out. Does that make me helpless? Or weak?”

“No, no, of course not, Tony, you’re-,” Tony held up a hand, stopping him. “See, these kinds of things, they don’t make us helpless, or weak. They make us who we are.”

As soon as Tony said that, there was one thing in Stephen’s mind that he knew for certain. He was going to marry Tony Stark.

◂◇◇۞◇◇▸

Once Tony was satisfied that Stephen didn’t feel alone, they went downstairs to get breakfast.

“I’ll be right down, I need to go use the restroom real quick,” Stephen called. He was definitely not going to the bathroom. He rummaged around in his room, looking for his sling ring. Once he had it on, he quickly portalled himself to his room at Kamar-Taj.

He was surprised to see Wong already there, holding out a small black box. No words were exchanged, and Stephen went back to the Sanctum.

He found Tony downstairs, getting ready to make a few strips of bacon. His eyes lit up when they met Stephen’s.

“I have decided to make you breakfast! First on the menu is my famous sweet and spicy bacon, which I know is your favorite.”

Stephen smiled. “What can I say? I like my men how I like my bacon.”

Tony’s face turned slightly red as he continued to prep. “You know, I actually got this recipe from-,” he turned to look at Stephen, immediately falling silent, the plastic
container of brown sugar falling to the floor.

Stephen was kneeling, holding out a tiny little black box. He could see tears work their way into Tony’s eyes as the man covered his mouth with his hand.

“Tony Stark. When I first met you, you spilled wine on my shirt, and then proceeded to turn a ruined shirt into an excuse to go out for coffee. Then, you turned one coffee into five, then fifteen, until we had become friends. Then you disappeared for a month, and somehow got a first date out of it. And then a second. Then a third. And now, you have turned me, a broken man, into the most grateful person alive. Tony Stark, I love you. And now, I am asking you, would you care to turn your boyfriend into your husband? Tony, will you mar-,”

Stephen didn’t even get to finish before Tony had pulled him into a kiss, whispering, “Yes! Yes! Yes, a million times yes! There is no universe in which I would say anything but yes!”

Stephen was pretty sure he couldn’t be happier than when he slid the ring onto his fiancé’s finger.

۞Nine months later ۞
Stephen was wrong.

Stephen was very, very wrong.

While the morning of their engagement was a close second, this was most definitely the happiest moment of his life.

Because Tony Stark had just become his husband.

It had been a small gathering, the only people there being Wong, Pepper, Happy, Peter, Aunt May, T’Challa, Shuri, Vision, Rhodey, and the rest of the Rhodes family.

It wouldn’t have mattered if the entire world had been there, or if it had just been the two of them.

He was married to Tony Stark.

Stephen Strange could say, as a man of science, that he was, without a doubt, the luckiest, happiest man alive.

۞Four months later۞
Then came Thanos.

Well, Bruce Banner came first, crashing through the ceiling of the Sanctum before prattling on about some purple alien named Thanos.

Stephen, of course, already knew exactly who he was. He had a list of the most potentially dangerous beings in the cosmos, and Thanos was easily in the top ten.

Needless to say, he was terrified.

So, when Ebony Maw came down in a spaceship, Stephen knew not to underestimate the creature.

Still, how was he supposed to know just how powerful these beings were?

When he’d seen Banner, he had relaxed, knowing that the Hulk joining them would increase their chances significantly.

Until the Hulk decided it would be a good time not to show up.

That was when things first started to fall apart.

Stephen had a plan for Thanos. He was the Sorcerer Supreme, so of course he did. Unfortunately, part of that plan involved the Hulk. So, he had started to improvise.

He had also not planned on being abducted. That was a surprise. Although in all honesty, he had assumed that Maw would just kill him and be done with it, so this was far preferable. When he realized that Maw’s plan to get the Time Stone was to put Stephen in physical pain, Stephen had actually started to get his hopes up. Because that was when he knew how little this creature knew about him, and he could use that to his advantage.

He had died literally thousands of times to stop Dormammu, so the idea that he could be tortured into submission was frankly laughable. But Ebony Maw did not know this. And so, Stephen thanked his lucky stars that he had taken lessons in acting as a child. By making himself appear weak and vulnerable, he was able to glean a solid amount of information from Maw. Like where they were heading, who they were meeting, and what was going to happen.

Stephen was very much against literally bringing the Time Stone to the Mad Titan himself. It was a recipe for disaster. Besides, if Thanos did come to Earth, at least this way all the Avengers could fight as a united front and wouldn’t be separated.

While Maw was busy delivering his monologue, Stephen was preparing a spell that would serve as a homing beacon for Wong. And if that didn’t work, he could always try the
emergency communicator Tony had made for him, though he doubted it would work in space.

God, Tony. Stephen almost felt bad for leaving him. Not that he wanted Tony to be stuck on this ship with him, but because he wanted to be able to say goodbye. Just in case. Stephen had no intentions of dying on this ship, but he didn’t want to leave Tony without so much as a goodbye.

So, Stephen waited for Wong. And waited. And kept waiting. But he never came. Just when he was about to lose all hope, a familiar figure stepped out from the shadows, and
Stephen didn’t know if he wanted to scream or cry or laugh. Because standing in front of him, in all his red and yellow glory, was Tony Stark-Strange, his husband.

He made a quip about having seen more movies, and blasted a hole in the ship, sending Maw flying out of it. Stephen could feel the exact moment the creature died, as the needles piercing his skin immediately vanished, and Stephen fell to the floor.

He tried to push himself up, coughing and gasping in relief. And then Tony was by his side, helping him into a sitting position.

“C-Can you f-f-fly this thing? N-Need to- back, E-Earth,” Stephen choked out. Luckily Tony understood, and nodded, sending his nanobots to pilot the ship while he helped Stephen and barked out orders.

Stephen must’ve passed out at some point because he woke up to the feeling of Tony shaking his shoulder frantically.

“Stephen, I know you’re in pain, and I’m so sorry, but we need you, because some purple grape looking alien just showed up, and I think he’s planning on killing half the universe.”

“Thanos,” Stephen breathed, and then he was on his feet, ready to kick the ass of whoever had dared disturb his plan to go out for dinner that night with his husband.

The battle took place in Wakanda. Everyone was there. All the Wakandans, T’Challa, Rogers, Romanoff, Banner, Barnes, Wong, Rhodey, Maximoff, Wilson, even Peter (much to
Tony and Stephen’s mutual chagrin, the kid was like a son to the both of them). All the Avengers were there, minus Thor, who Bruce swore he had seen, but no one was really sure.

The whole thing didn’t last long.

Without Vision and Thor, they were all severely outmatched. Thanos had brought armies, all of different races and abilities, and they were simply overwhelmed. Perhaps he had known that they would call upon every last resource to fight today and had matched by calling on all of his as well.

When they drew Maximoff away from guarding Vision and Shuri, Stephen had known they were doomed. It didn’t matter to Thanos how many of his soldiers died today. All that mattered was the Stones.

He got the Mind Stone first. Using the combined power of the Reality, Soul, Space, and Power Stones he was able to open a portal, bringing Vision directly to him, where he
then viciously ripped the stone out of his head. By eliminating Vision, he was also putting Wanda out of commission, as in her grief, she was unable to even think a coherent thought. Stephen didn’t blame her. He knew that in her shoes, he would’ve given up a very long time ago.

Then all eyes were on Stephen.
Every monster, every creature, every alien, every single god damn weapon was suddenly trained on him.

Stephen wanted to fight until his last breath. In fact, that’s what he’d assumed would happen.

But then Thanos was holding a writhing Tony in his hands, offering Stephen a deal.

“Give me the Stone, and I will spare your lives.”

Stephen found it ironic, that before he had bargained to save the world, and now, he was bargaining to end it.

He ran the numbers in his head, just to make sure. He had two options.

Option one, he gave the Stone to Thanos, and he and Tony were left alive, but half the universe died.

Option two, he didn’t give the Stone to Thanos, and Tony died, along with half the universe and possibly Stephen.

He didn’t wait another second.

The grin that crossed the Titan’s face was the most dreadful sight Stephen had ever seen, but it was worth it when he felt Tony in his arms, even if the man was sobbing, “Why
would you do that? How could you? Take it back, let me die, please!”

Stephen was helpless to watch as Thanos snapped his fingers, and then portaled away,

Then, chaos.

First, it was people yelling, all at him, screaming, but couldn’t they see that this was better? With Tony alive, they had a chance to fix this, to undo the damage. It seemed only he could understand that.

And then came the dust. Barnes went first, Rogers rushing towards him as it happened. Then Wilson. Then Maximoff, still clutching Vision’s body. Then T’Challa. Then Wong.
And then Stephen looked around, and… no, oh god, no. Anyone but him, anyone.

“Dr. Strange? Mr. Stark?” Peter came stumbling towards them, the edges of his form already starting to dissipate.

“I don’t feel so good.”

Stephen tried to stop it, to put as many protective spells around the kid as Peter clung to the two of them, crying, “I don’t wanna go, please, don’t let me. I don’t wanna go, please, Mr. Stark, Dr. Strange.”

Most of his boy was already gone. Stephen went to grab his hand but was met with nothingness.

“It’s not your fault, I’m sorry.”

And then, Peter Parker died.

Stephen felt dizzy. Everything was wrong. This isn’t what was supposed to happen. He put a shaking hand out, lightly touching all that remained of Spider-Man, and screamed.
He screamed until his voice was hoarse, until he was being pulled away from that spot by someone, he wasn’t sure who.

As some sense of reality came back to him, he met eyes with Tony.

That’s when Stephen realized that this wasn’t the end.

It couldn’t be.

Because normally he would look into Tony’s eyes and see love, determination, and humor, not sadness, anger, or hate.

Hate.

Tony Stark hated Stephen Strange.

His own husband hated him.

Stephen immediately opened a portal to the Sanctum.

He couldn’t do it, couldn’t take it.

So, he ignored everything he was feeling, all the pain, all the suffering, all the grief.

He sat down and got to work.

۞Six months later۞

He never stopped.

When his body needed sleep, he let it, but simply used his Astral Form to continue working.

And he found it.

The answer. The cure to the cancer that was Thanos.

The only human interaction he’d had was saying hello and goodbye to the delivery man once Stephen’s body decided he couldn’t starve himself any longer.

He hated himself.

Tony had called him. Once a day, every day. Stephen never answered. He could never bring himself to pick up the phone and face the consequences of what he’d done. They were still married, but they hadn’t spoken in six months.

Tony left voicemails. Sometimes he just talked about his day. Sometimes he cried and begged Stephen to pick up.

Peter wasn’t the only person Tony had lost. Pepper was gone. So was Happy. The only people that Tony cared about that were alive were Stephen and Rhodey. Rhodey was still mourning the loss of half his family and had moved done to Maryland to be with them two weeks after it all happened.

Stephen felt bad for not taking the time to talk to Tony, of course he did. But he couldn’t stop. Because every moment he spent taking a break was another moment where half
the universe was dead.
Today was different though. Today, Stephen picked up the phone.

He knew that it was going to be a hard day. It was the six-month anniversary of the Snap.

“S-Stephen?” Tony was clearly crying on the other end of the line.

“Where are you?” Stephen demanded, voice raspy with lack of use, but determined.

“T-The Tower, w-why?” Stephen hung up.

He was there in an instant. The sight before him hurt like nothing ever before.

Tony was in their bedroom, silent tears rolling down his cheeks as he looked at an old picture frame. He was wearing one of Stephen’s old Columbia hoodies. That was painful to see.

Tony still hadn’t seen him yet.

“I did it.”

The man jumped, clearly scared, and Stephen could see how the bags under his eyes were worse than ever, and that his whole body looked far too thin.

That was Stephen’s fault.

“I can bring them back.”

Silence. “How?”

“Violate the laws of nature.”

Tony paused. “As one does, but I’m going to need more than that.”

“Danvers said the Stones were destroyed.”

“Yeah, and?”

“The Law of Conservation of Mass states-,”

“Yeah, I know, matter cannot be created or destroyed, thanks for the refresher, I didn’t realize you taught elementary school science.”

“I can take the atoms of the Stones and piece them back together.”

“And you’re sure that’ll work?”

“I’ve run the numbers.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“It’ll work. It has to. Besides, what else do we have to lose?”

۞After the Battle of Titan۞

۞At the funeral of Tony Stark-Strange۞

Everything, Stephen realized. He still had everything to lose.

It had all been going fine.

They had gathered all the materials, and the spell had been going smoothly. Stephen had already finished the Mind, Reality, Space, Power, and Soul Stones.

Then, somehow, Thanos had figured it out. And he had come back, fighting with a vengeance.

Then Stephen’s world ended.

He had been about to finish the Time Stone when the Titan had gone for him, trying to stop the resurrection of 50% of all life.

And Tony had seen it. And for some godforsaken reason, he had decided that throwing himself in front of a blade strong enough to break vibranium was a good idea. It could
have been anyone. And he had decided to do it. To sacrifice himself for the universe.

Stephen had just finished piecing it all together as it happened. The blade had driven straight through Tony’s stomach, demolishing his spinal cord.

Stephen had screamed.

That seemed to happen a lot, lately.

He had cradled Tony in his arms as Danvers killed Thanos, had sobbed when Hulk/Bruce had snapped.

How poetic, that the universe would be saved, just as his was dying.

At least Tony got to see Peter one last time.

His last words were going to haunt Stephen for the rest of his days.

“Don’t be sad, I’ll see you again one day. I love you, my husband, Stephen Strange.”

And then Tony Stark, Iron Man, his universe, his love, his husband, took his last breath, dying in Stephen’s arms.

And now, he was at his funeral.

He had given a speech. Well, at least, people had congratulated him on it, he didn’t actually remember. There hadn’t been a body to say goodbye to; he had been mutilated beyond recognition by Thanos. They had buried the body beforehand.

Stephen cried silently as they put the very first arc reactor on a float of red dahlias. Barton had shot an arrow on fire at it, and Stephen found it fitting that the thing that had kept his husband’s heart beating was now being burned, just like how his felt.

He went home feeling numb. Wong had tried to talk to him but had been met with silence.

A week passed, and that’s when Stephen knew he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t live in a world that didn’t have Tony Stark in it.

After the battle, they had given him the Time Stone back. He took it out and went up to the roof of the Sanctum as the sun set over New York City.

Stephen knew that he never wanted to see it again. At least, not like this. He opened the Eye of Agamotto, and everything went white.

◂◇◇۞◇◇▸

Stephen opened his eyes.

He was standing at the entrance to the NoMad restaurant.

The place where he first met Tony Stark.

“I thought you had left this life behind, Strange,” Wong said, standing to his right.

At first, Stephen was shocked. ‘It worked,’ he realized. ‘Now I can fix this. I can fix everything.’

Stephen sighed. “Fine. How does a sub sound to you?”

◂◇◇۞◇◇▸

They didn’t meet that night.

In fact, they don’t meet for a long time.

Tony ends up dating Pepper again. That hurts Stephen so much, but he had to believe that this is how it was all supposed to happen. Pepper would end things with Tony, and then they’d meet on the street, or Stephen would rescue him.

None of that ever happened.

Then, suddenly, it’s 2018, and the first time Stephen meets Tony Stark is to tell him that Thanos is coming.

Stephen knows he could’ve changed it. He knew exactly where the man would be, he could’ve used that knowledge to set them up. But he didn’t, because if he did, then things might end up exactly as they were. No, he had to let the universe make its own decisions.

This time, they end up on Titan before they ever go to Wakanda.

Stephen thinks he’s been doing a pretty good job so far of acting like he’s never met Tony before in his life. Granted, it’s one of the hardest things he’s ever had to endure. Having your husband die, and then seeing them again right in front of you, only to realize that they don’t recognize you, is a kind of hell Stephen had never known before.

Still, he figures that there’s a chance for them yet.

They meet the Guardians, and Stephen realizes so that’s where Thor is, and huh, he had never seen anything like them.

They have time before Thanos comes, so Stephen decides to try something.

He uses the Time Stone and looks into the different futures.

He sees his husband die 14, 000, 604 times.

So far, there’s only one timeline where he lives.

But the multiverse in comprised of an infinite number of alternate realities, and he’s only seen a small fraction of them. There has to be a better one. He wants to keep looking,
but he can feel his fatiguing body begging him to stop, and he is forced to take a break.

That’s all it was meant to be. A break.

But then Thanos got there, and there wasn’t time.

Stephen knows what happens if they don’t make it to Wakanda, so in a frantic move of desperation, he distracts Thanos with an illusion of himself while he portals everyone
away.

They arrive in Wakanda, and this time, Stephen knows what to do.

He has Quill send a signal to Thor instructing him to get there, tells Wanda that no matter what, that even if it means everyone else has to die, she cannot let Thanos get to
Vision. She cannot let Vision die.

He meets up with Pepper and brings her to the battlefield wearing her Rescue armor.

He finds Nick Fury and sends a message to Captain Marvel as fast as possible.

They all arrive just in time.

This time, Stephen knows what to do. He makes sure that Thanos is fighting Danvers while he makes sure Vision is nowhere near the action. In fact, he puts Vision, Shuri, Wanda, and whatever equipment if necessary, for the procedure in the Mirror Dimension, hoping to buy them some time.

This time, they win.

Nebula is the one who finishes it, who finally kills Thanos.

The only casualty was Gamora, but even she could be brought back if the Soul Stone was returned to Vormir.

Stephen is grinning the whole week after.

Until Tony proposes to Pepper.

And she says yes.

And that’s when Stephen realizes that he is never going to get his husband back.

Wong doesn’t know everything that Stephen has gone through just to get to this timeline, but he has started to suspect that this isn’t the only time Stephen has faced Thanos. He also suspects that this isn’t the only time he’s met Tony Stark.

A year later, and Tony Stark is married to Pepper.

Stephen is invited to the wedding, and, to his credit, he does attend. But it’s hard for it to be a happy celebration when it feels more like a funeral.

Three months later, and Pepper announces that she’s pregnant.

Nine months later, and Morgan Stark is born.

The entire time, Stephen and Tony have actually grown to become good friends. They’ve been on missions together, drank together, and laughed together.

And it’s an agony unlike anything else.

To realize that not only is the love of your life with someone else, but also to know that they are so much happier with them than they could ever be with you is a living hell.

But Stephen doesn’t care.

Because Tony could break his heart a million times over in this life, could say that he hates him, could hurt him in every way imaginable. And it would still be better than the
original timeline.

Because a world where Tony Stark doesn’t love him is better than a world without a Tony Stark in it.