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Chapter Text

It had happened. Thanos had won. They had failed.

Of course, Tony had lost fights before.

He had lost the fight against his alcohol addiction years ago, deciding to just give in and let the liquid poison take over his body, slowly bringing him ever closer to the edge of death.

He had lost the fight against his inner fear and managed to almost destroy earth while trying to protect it. Some people tried to tell him that it had been Wanda who had bewitched his mind and made him create Ultron but Tony knew that they were wrong. It had been his idea, his creation and ultimately his fault.

He had lost the fight against Steve and The Winter Soldier, almost dying in the progress and successfully tearing the Avengers apart. All because of his rage and pain.

Failure wasn’t something new to him.

But right now while he was holding Peter in his arms, silently begging him not to go and listening to his hopeless pleading for his help, he realised how wrong he had been.

This, right now, this was failure. This was real loss.

“I’m sorry.”, whispered Peter. He was lying on the floor now, eyes full of unshed tears. Tony reached out to him, desperate to soothe him, to tell him that it would be all right but the young man, the kid! , was turning to ash under his fingers. He left nothing but a stain on his hand and a hole in his heart.

“This is it.”, he announced after endless minutes of silence. “The end. I saw it. Everyone is gone.” Everyone but him. This was the worst part. Why couldn’t the universe just take him? If there was someone in this world who deserved to be erased and never remembered, it was him.

He abruptly turned around and a smile broke out on his face. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe he wasn’t completely alone.

“Are you alright, Stephen?” He half ran, half limped over to the injured sorcerer who was leaning his head against part of the broken space doughnut. His eyes were closed but even from the distance, Tony could see the rise and fall of his chest.

He wasn’t alone.

Coming to a halt in front of the man, he crouched down so they were at the same eye level and muttered a soft “Hey.”

The wizard's eyes snapped open, apparently only realising now that Tony was speaking to him. “I’m sorry, Tony. There was no other way.”

His smile slightly faltered. “It’s alright. We are going to make him pay for this.” He lifted a hand ready to push some curls out of Stephens' face but stopped mid-air when the taller man’s eyes followed the motion.

This wasn’t the time. After all, they were in no hurry. They would have plenty of time for this.

“I wish we could.”

Tony looked at him in confusion but all he got in return was a sad smile. 

“I wish we would have had more time.”

No.

He looked down at Stephen’s scarred and twitching hands. He knew that it wasn’t dust that fell from them. He knew what was happening.

No.

“You have to fight this.”, he exclaimed, panic taking hold of him.

The wizard sighed and slowly shook his head. “This isn’t something I can fight, Tony.”

“You can use magic. Of course, you can fight it. Do it!” He knew he was being irrational but there was no way he would lose him as well. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t.

“Magic has nothing to do with this and you know it.”, he murmured and locked eyes with him.

“Goodbye, Tony.” Stephen closed his eyes.

He had missed his chance once. He wouldn’t do it again.

Flying forwards, Tony breached his hands on either side of him. He lowered his mouth and their lips connected.

Instantly, his eyes closed. This was all he had thought about in the past 10 hours. Ever since the wizard had strode through that portal, all confident and mysterious, with the promise of an incoming end he had been smitten with him.

Stephens' lips were soft under his, tasting of tea and herbs and Tony was sure that he felt them starting to move and slowly kissing him back. This was even better than what his brain had come up with in his fantasies.

If this only this moment could last forever. 

For the shortest moment, he swore that there was a hand tangling in his hair and lightly pulling him forward. He complied, trying to press himself closer.

Then, the hand was gone. As were the lips. And the warmth that had surrounded him.

He opened his eyes to find nothing but the broken spaceship. He tried to pretend that the ash he could feel on his lips was dirt. Never had he thought that their first touch would be the last one.

This time, he was completely alone.

It had happened. He had lost it all.

Alone on Titan, Tony Stark had no one left but his inner demons. 

Chapter Text

“Oh, please. We both know that this discussion was over the moment it started, Anthony.”

Stephen Strange sat, legs crossed, on a couch in the New York Sanctum, looking at an angry Tony Stark.

His arms were folded across his chest and he was pouting at him. Stephen had to suppress the smile that was threatening to overtake him. He loved when Tony made faces like that. It made him look younger, less stressed.

“Care to elaborate on that, Dumbledore?”, he asked with a smirk.

The sorcerer rolled his eyes. Back again with the Harry Potter jokes. As if anyone in those books came close to his level of power.

“There is nothing to elaborate. The facts are clear.” He stood up. “Magic is better than science.”

Anthony threw his head back, a loud laugh leaving him and making his whole body quiver. God, Stephen doubted that he could ever get enough of this man.

The former doctor waited patiently until he had composed himself. “Science is the reason the world is like it is today. The reason you can smear gel in your hair and make it look so sexy? Science.”

This time he couldn’t stop the smirk from breaking out on his face. His mouth turned up and he gave Anthony a wink which caused him to blush oh so prettily.

“Alright, I’ll give you that.”, he mused and moved closer to him, chuckling lowly when he saw the scientist's eyes growing big. Oh, he had him right where he wanted.

“But,” He drew the word out and noticed how Anthony shivered at that.”You have to agree that magic can do some pretty cool things. Like…”

Maintaining a low profile he started to draw small circles with his fingers behind his back. The man in front of him was slowly walking backwards, taking careful steps.

Just one more…

Anthony let out a shocked cry as he fell backwards through the portal and found himself about a 100 metres above the Sahara in a freefall.

Stephen counted to 5 before he whistled and his cloak let go of his shoulders, blowing past him and through the portal.

He turned around and sat back down on the couch again, summoning a book and starting to read. A few seconds passed before the cloak returned through the hole in the Sanctum, wrapped around the shoulders of a still screaming Anthony.

It dropped him and he promptly fell on his knees, taking deep and heavy breaths. For a moment, Stephen felt bad but then he saw how his raging breaths turned into hysterical laughter.

“How are you gonna top that, genius?”, he asked, not even sure if Anthony could really hear him at the moment. After a moment, he wiped his face with the back of his hand, drying the tears which had formed in the corner of his eyes.

“You almost scared me to death, Gandalf. Don’t you dare to do that again.” He got up and stretched his back, glaring at him and coughing a few times.

Stephen shrugged at him and grinned. “I can’t promise anything as long as you don’t admit that magic is better.”

“We both can fly.”, Anthony stated.

Unimpressed, he replied: “Sure, you just need to put on a whole armour.”

“Yeah, and you need that weird Aladdin carpet around your shoulders. At least my armour protects my whole body.”

The sorcerer didn’t bother looking up and continued to flip a page. “Okay, for the last time: It’s a cloak and it also protects me. It managed to hold open Thanos hand, remember?”

"So did Cap because he has been modified and made stronger. You know how? That’s right, science.”

Sighing loudly, he lifted his head. “I can travel literally everywhere in the world within seconds, can fly into other dimension and if that’s not enough already, I can control time itself.” He raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

Anthony narrowed his eyes. “Yeah well... “ He rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “Science gave us Smartphones. You’re welcome.”

Stephen smiled. He couldn’t believe how silly this award-winning genius could be.

But just with him, just for him.

Well, maybe it was time to show him once and for all who was right.

He stood up for the second time and stretched out his hand. Anthony cocked his head to the side and gave him a suspicious glance but Stephen didn’t falter and continued to wait for him.

After a few more seconds he apparently decided to take the risk and warily reached out to him, ready to pull his hand back and make a hasty retreat should this turn out to be another trap.

But Stephen had no plan to do so again. This new idea would turn out to be much better anyway.

“Are you ready?”, he asked in a whisper. Anthony’s eyebrows furrowed but he nodded slowly, causing the sorcerer to give him another smile. “Come on then.”

He quickly opened a portal with his other hand, gripping the other man’s hand tighter when he noticed him starting to slightly pull back.

This time they stepped through it together, the portal closing immediately behind them. 

He could hear Anthony gasp quietly.

They were standing on the edge of a giant cliff, staring at the Atlantic ocean. The water was a deep blue, almost like it had been painted. The sun was slowly disappearing in the horizon, covering the sea and them in golden light.

“Welcome to The Cliffs of Moher, Anthony.”

He had first visited them many years ago during one of his vacation trips and to this day, they remained the most beautiful place in the world to him. Whenever he felt stressed and worn out he would come here and simply enjoy the fresh air, the light sea breeze on his face.

And so they remained standing side by side for a long time, hand in hand.

“Alright, you win.” Anthony’s admission was almost drawn out by the wind.

Stephen turned towards him and started to softly drag him away from the edge and further onto the grass behind them.

They sat down, Anthony’s head resting on his shoulder, watching the sun perish on the horizon.

“I told you so, Tony.”

Stephen smiled and it was only half because of the fact that he had won.

He closed his eyes, not noticing the other man slightly shifting to look at his relaxed face.

It was true. The view was wonderful but the real reason Tony had admitted to his loss was that he simply couldn’t find a scientific explanation for the feeling that grew inside him whenever he looked at Stephen.

Yes, this was magic and there was nothing in the world that could top it.

Chapter Text

He knew that he was a horrible person, deserving every bad thing that happened to him in his life so far-

But for the love of god, having to listen to this wannabe Harry Potter might prove to be too much for him. Not even he was so damn arrogant.

Pompous prick with weird clothes and his blow-dried hair which made him kind of hot-

Stop it! He mentally slapped himself for letting his thoughts drift away and not focusing on the conversation.

"Are you even listening, Stark?" Stephen Strange rolled his eyes overdramatically and it took all of Tony's willpower not to punch him in the face.

What an ass.

"Sorry, were those annoying sounds coming out of your mouth supposed to be words?", he asked, voice disgustingly sugar coated.

He could see Strange's jaw clenching and smirked slightly. Just what he deserved.

"I said-", he hissed, eyes narrowed and shooting daggers at him. "I don't want you showing up at The Sanctum again. I came here to tell you that I will not join your team so you can stop barging into my home every week."

Tony chuckled quietly. "You make it sound like I have nothing better to do than breaking into your so-called home. Seriously, that thing looks like a library. Or-"

"If you say Hogwarts I will portal you straight into a lion den."

Still better than talking to you.

Tony had tried, he really had.

He had tried being nice to him. It wasn't like he was fond of the idea of this show-off stalking around the Avengers facility but he couldn't deny the enormous power the wizard possessed.

He could be a great asset to the team if he would just manage to pull his head out of his arse. That's why Tony wouldn't let him off the hook that easily.

Well, that and the fact that he was, deep down, totally smitten with the man, something his brain was still repressing at the present time. He couldn't lie to himself forever but he would certainly try to drag it out.

This wasn't the time for it anyway. He had a discussion to win.

"Listen, I'm not looking forward to working with you but it could end up bringing good results. So, no. I won't stop asking you to join."

He heard a quiet "For fuck's sake." and bit his lip. He might enjoy getting on the wizards nerves but he knew that his threat was still floating in the room and as much as hated it to admit, he couldn't fight off a pack of lions.

He saw Strange's eyes flutter close at his motion, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly.

Interesting.

Tony was about to question his behaviour when that weird cloak around his shoulders gave a strong tuck in his direction, forcing the man to take a few stumbling steps towards him.

It took him several moments to regain his balance, a slight blush starting to colour his cheeks as he did so.

"Embarrassed?", Tony teased.

The doctor waved a hand at him dismissively, clearly trying to cover up his shame. "It's nothing."

He turned his head then and gave the still pulling cloak a hard stare. "I told you not to do that!" There was a short moment of silence and Tony wondered if he expected him to say-

"No, I don't need your help in this matter so stop it!" He had to take another step forward. "I said stop it" At this point, the panic in his voice could be heard.

This was a sight to behold: Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, arguing with a piece of cloth in Tony Stark's office.

"As much as I like watching this, why don't you just take that thing off your shoulders?", he asked at last. The look he received basically screamed at the word 'Idiot'.

"How did I not think about this brilliant idea? Thank you so much, Stark. You really live up to your reputation."

"Just as much as you do to your reputation of being able to control magic.", Tony retorted, trying to hide how much that comment had actually hit him.

Strange's feet dug into the ground in an attempt to stay still but it was a lost cause. The cloak mercilessly continued to pull him forward, even lightly slapping him when he opened his mouth to protest.

The wizard sighed loudly and stared at him, eyes locking with his. "You should go."

Tony raised an eyebrow at that. "Why? This is my office after all." He wouldn't let himself be thrown out of his own room, as much as he wanted to do what the deep voice told him.

"I think we already established that I currently possess no control over The Cloak of Levitation and therefore my own body." He was within reach of him now and it didn't look like the cloak had any intention of stopping.

What is he playing at?

Tony crossed his arms over his chest, a silent gesture of defence. He wouldn't move.

Strange realised his plan and his voice grew pleading. "Please, Tony. You won't like what will happen next..." He gave one last shove in the other direction but it was of no use.

The billionaire's eyes grew big. Had he just called him-

It all happened in a flash. The cloak reached out with its end and wrapped itself tightly around Tony's back. He let out a rather embarrassing squeak as his body was pressed against the other man's, their chest touc-

Alright, it was more like chest to stomach and nose to neck. Why was he so damn small?

He tried to step back but that only caused him to get pressed even harder into Strange, who by the way had completely tensed up.

Great, and now?

Tony tried not to focus too much on how soft the man's skin felt where his nose was currently buried in his neck or the fact that all he had to do to stop the contact was to turn his head.

Christ, did he smell good.

The time wasted away as they stood there like statues, Tony breathing in the scent of him, leaves mint and old books.

Oh god, I am in serious trouble.

He couldn't take this anymore. Their closeness was overwhelming him in every way, senses and body.

"Strange?...", muttered quietly into the man's neck and felt him swallow.

More silence.

"You smell..." He couldn't get his mouth open for the last 5 minutes and this was the first thing he managed to get- "like coffee and motor oil."

Tony wasn't sure what to make of it? Should he say thank you or what?

"Yeah, sorry. I was down in the lab all day."

"I wasn't complaining."

"Oh."

"I like it."

He blinked several times.

What?

If he'd just be able to move away a bit to look at his face but he was pressed too tightly against the taller man.

"Strange, why-"

"I have a first name, you know." Another awkward pause passed between them. 

“Stephen?” He was uncertain how to proceed.

Screw it. Just go for it!

“Why is your cloak doing this?”, he asked, the question getting muffled by the fact that he refused to move his head.

“I thought you were a genius.”, Stephen rumbled in return. “Try figuring it out.”

Tony pouted at his rude answer and noticed the doctors neck twitching under his lips and oh my god his lips were touching his neck.

“Could it be possible for you to turn your head? Your beard tickles.” He didn’t need to see his face to know how hard he must be blushing.

“Mhm ‘suppose I could.”, he answered lazily, trying his best not to smile.

“Will you do it then?”

 “I don’t think so.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me. I won’t move.”, Tony explained. Then, he felt the offending piece of garment around them starting to loosen until it was completely gone, even flying off the wizard's shoulder and disappearing out of the door.

None of them moved a bit.

Face buried in Stephen’s neck, Tony thought to himself:

Well, maybe this won’t be too bad after all. 

Chapter Text

This really hadn’t been Stephen’s best idea.

Weird, cause in his head, it had been the perfect plan. Take Tony to a place special to him, let him experience the magic there and finish it all off brilliantly.

Too bad Tony was, like so often, queering the pitch. Damnit! Why was he in love with this miserable bastard again?

He rubbed his forehead, feeling annoyed. Why did he even bother? “Anthony, what’s the matter?”, he asked the scientist who looked like he was about to throw up. “I thought, by now, you are used to travelling through portals.”

Anthony scratched his neck. “Yeah.. it isn’t that.” He waved a dismissive hand at him and a smile spread out on his face which was so freaking fake that even a blind guy could see through him. “It’s nothing, really.”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “I thought we agreed that you don’t have to play tough with me.” He felt like an idiot, arguing with his boyfriend in the middle of the library of Kamar-Taj. He could see other sorcerers passing from time to time and throwing questioning looks at him.

This really wasn’t going to plan.

“Something is clearly bothering you.”, he groaned, trying to keep his anger at bay. “Might wanna tell me what it is? You know, before you ruin the whole day I have planned for us.” Anthony seemed to crumble under his stare, his eyes dropping to the floor.

“Alright.”, he whispered, directing the words his feet. “but promise me that you won’t joke about it.” Well, that was unexpected. He was having one of those moments then.

Stephen cocked his head to the side. This only happened rarely anymore, Anthony insecure and scared. He actually thought he managed to get rid of those moods. Well, this was already a disaster, he should have expected it.

“Anthony, you know I would never do that.” He crossed his arms for a moment, decided that it rather looked like he was shutting him off though and quickly rested them at his side again. “Go on.”

The scientist licked his lips and looked around them. “What if some of your wizard friends are eavesdropping?” He fixated a bookshelf near them, as that would cause some unknown intruder to jump out from behind it.

Stephen took a deep breath. Patience. That is the key to this. Just stay patient. “Hang on a minute.” He put his hands up, tensed them and with one quick movement conjured the mirror dimension around the two of them. “There we go. No eavesdropping or stalking.”

Immediately, Anthony looked more relaxed. “Okay, here it comes.” He cleared his throat. “Ever since we got here, I have been thinking.” He started playing with his glasses, a clear sign that he was nervous. 

“Thinking about what?”, Stephen inquired after a moment of silence.

“About the fact that you might have made a mistake.” Now they were at least getting somewhere but he really didn’t like the direction it was taking. What is he implying?

“A mistake with what?”

“With me.”

Alright, he didn’t expect that, though it shouldn’t come as a surprise. For a former playboy, he was really insecure about himself. It took Stephen over 3 years to show him what he was worth, besides being a punching bag for the whole world.

So what is he on about now?

“You have to be way more specific with this statement, Anthony.”, he murmured, warmth spreading out inside of him while looking at the idiot in front of him. How could such a clever man be so deft when it came to matters like this?

“Just…” Anthony shook his head. “It’s stupid, I am stupid.” He turned, obviously ready to leave but he seemed to have forgotten that they were still in the mirror dimension. The realization caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

“Could you… get us back in the real world?”, he asked without turning around.

“Don’t do that. We have discussed this, Anthony. Do not call yourself stupid. Now spit it out.” Slowly but surely, he was done with this.

“Watching all these other wizards-”

“Sorcerers.”, Stephen corrected. Seriously, 3 years together and he still didn’t manage to catch on that he wasn’t called a wizard.

“Alright, alright, sorcerers. Watching them all with their magic and superior knowledge of the cosmos, it made me question your choice. Surely one of them would be more fit for you. Sooner or later, you will get tired of me.” His shoulders slumped visibly.

A big smile spread out on Stephen’s face. God, he was in love with the biggest fool in his dimension, probably in all dimensions. “Oh, Tony. You have no idea, do you?” The other man finally turned back, just in time to see the sorcerer vanishing the mirror dimension.

“No idea?”, Anthony still sounded unsure but now it was mixed with a hint of confusion. “About what?”

Stephen just shook his head. He probably wouldn’t understand until he showed him. So, instead of trying to talk sense into his boyfriend he took his hand and started to pull him to the exit of the library.

It surprised him when there was no resistance from Anthony, he simply let himself get pulled along, out to the courtyard and into the main building. Stephen didn’t slow down until they reached their destination.

“Here we go.”, he exclaimed softly once they came to a halt. “Do you know where we are?” The look on his face told him that he had no idea. How could he? Still, he liked winding him up.

“I’d make a bad Harry Potter joke but I am not in the mood.” But his interest must have been peaked since he started walking around, examining the big room. 

This is it.

Slowly Stephen started to kneel, one hand going into his pocket just to emerge a moment later with a little black box.

This is it.

“Tony.”, he whispered.

The man in question turned back to him- and froze.

“You are standing in the room where I first met The Ancient One all those years ago. At that time I thought my life was over. I had nothing more to give and nothing more to receive. The trip to the Kamar-Taj was my last desperate attempt to turn my life around.”

He stopped to take a deep breath, the words he had been rehearsing for the last 24 hours still somehow managed to give him a hard time but he wouldn’t start to get scared now. He had no reason to do so.

“It was in this exact room where I experienced my first connection with magic and the worlds that come with it. Although the experience was everything but delightful, it gave me back something I had been missing at that point in my life. It gave me back hope, a reason to live.”

Anthony was still glued to his spot. That was also fine. He wasn’t finished.

“On that day, in this room, I found a new purpose, a new destiny and I will never forget that. Which is why we are here today.” Another pause.

This was it.

He flipped the box open.

“Anthony Edward Stark, Tony, I love you more than anything else in this world, in this universe. A long time ago I decided in this exact spot what my destiny would be: becoming a Master of The Mystic Arts and protecting this world from harm.”

“But now, now all I want to do is to protect you from harm, to learn everything there is to know about you. Tony, I want you to be my new destiny.” He smiled at him. 

“Will you marry me?”

A moment passed. Then another one. And another one.

“Are you sure?”

Stephen’s smile didn’t falter. “Of course I am.”

The speed in which Tony landed in his arms was astonishing but he had no time to admire it before he was caught in a fierce kiss. He returned it immediately and even though Tony hadn’t really answered his question he knew damn well what his answer was.

Tony Stark, billionaire, genius and Stephen Strange’s new and only destiny.

Forever.

Chapter Text

"This is getting ridiculous, Stephen.", Tony mentioned as he was getting into bed. It was the first time they would actually share a bed for the night and he was more than just nervous, immediately pulling the covers over him even though he was still clad in boxers and a loose black shirt.

"I don't think so.", came the dry reply from the man still standing at the bed. He was also dressed lightly, a nice white shirt and boxers. Well, mind the thick orange gloves covering his hands and ruining the overall appearance. In the 4 months that Tony known him, he had never taken them off once.

But surely he would now that they were about to sleep. Right? As it turned out he had no intention to do so.

Tony shook his head. "It's the middle of August. You don't need gloves.", he stated, rather obvious but what else should he say? Stephen could be stubborn as a bull and he doubted that he could get through to him. nevertheless, he was going to try it.

"I think it's rather clear that I don't wear them against the cold, Anthony.", Stephen replied with a roll of his eyes but it somehow lacked the usual annoyance. Tony tilted his head to the side, watching him intensely.

The former surgeon stood his ground for a few seconds before looking away, a loud sigh forcing his way out. "I don't feel comfortable without them." He slightly tugged on the offending orange garment but made no move to completely remove them.

"You're hiding from me.", Tony accused the still standing man, disappointment taking a hold of him. Apparently, there still was no trust between them. Of course, he understood the need to hide from pain and betrayal, better than anyone else Stephen could ever meet.

So, why couldn't he find a confidant in him?

"Maybe." Stephen shrugged. "But don't pretend that you don't do the same, Anthony." He walked around the bed and quickly got into it, making a fuss of rearranging the covers and pulling them half off Tony in the process.

"I don't." Although Stephen's comment had been more than accusing he wasn't offended. He knew that it was a defence mechanism of his. Whenever he felt trapped in the corner he would lash out like a wild animal. "You've seen everything I am embarrassed about." 

He lifted his shirt to emphasize the statement, showing off the Arc Reactor in its utter glory. While many people were calling it a scientific breakthrough, Tony thought of it as nothing but a curse. It was etched inside his chest, big and glowing and just ugly. He never felt comfortable with anyone looking at it.   

But he would never hide it from Stephen. He trusted him. If he could bring Stephen to do the same. Right now, it looked like he was done with their conversation. He simply shook his head at Tony and turned on his side, facing away from him with the covers almost up to his nose.

It would be of no use to keep on arguing with him, Tony figured. He mentally cursed himself. Why did he have to bring the gloves up? He knew damn well what his reaction would be, he had dealt with it quite a lot so far. 

What on earth had made him think that this time would be any different?

He pinched the bridge of his nose and made the attempt to regain the blanket with little success. At last, he settled with his lower part covered and turned towards Stephen, watching his back in the dark.

This was not the way he wanted this night to go. He longed for Stephen’s strong arms around him, had dreamt about it for the past couple of days. And now he had destroyed that chance with one simple statement. He really was a fucking moron.

Closing his eyes, he quickly fell into a dreamless sleep. Much to his regret, he awoke not 2 hours later thanks to Stephen rolling around next to him and kicking his legs from time to time. Was he always such a troubled sleeper?

His eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness and he could make out Stephen’s face, which was turned towards him now, in the dark. His forehead was drenched in sweat, his eyelashes fluttering forcibly. 

“This is ridiculous.”, he whispered the same words to himself like before. Then, he reached down, locating one of Stephen’s hands and with a little more force than necessary, pulled off that ugly glove.

Stephen’s eyes flew open and he froze. This was going to backfire, and it was going to do so hard, very hard.

“What. Are. You. Doing.” The way he hissed those words reminded Tony of a rattlesnake. He threw back the covers, ready to jump out of bed but his boyfriend managed to grab his hand before he could do so. Now it was Stephen’s turn to freeze.

Tony had reached for the uncovered hand.

“Let go. Now.” This time it was more like a plea than a command, voice hoarse and quiet. They were both sitting up, the only point of contact their touching hands. 

“No.”, Tony answered firmly and tried to reach for his other hand. Stephen immediately pulled it out of range. “Stephen, please. You don’t have to hide from me.”, he pleaded with him but the other man stubbornly shook his head.

Tony sighed. “It’s not so bad to share your pain with someone else.”

“Isn’t it?”

He wouldn’t believe him until he fully proved his point so he slowly, very slowly to not scare him away again, started to pull his hand towards him. He couldn’t really see his hand in the dark but he felt the rigid and broken lines cutting through his skin. Not to mention the fact that it was shaking like hell.

But he didn’t pull it away and that gave Tony hope.

He lifted the scarred hand to his face and lightly kissed the back of it. Stephen hissed slightly and tried to pull it away again but Tony continued with his gentle ministration, softly kissing one finger after another.

Yes, the skin probably looked hideous to Stephen, just like the Arc Reactor to him, but his hands were part of him and Tony loved him, all of him, no matter how broken. It was what made Stephen special and Tony wouldn’t want to change one thing about him.

“You are beautiful, Stephen.”, he whispered into his hand, waiting for the other man to once again contradict him but this time, he stayed quiet and Tony swore that he felt him starting to relax. 

He didn’t stop, not until he had kissed every part of the hand. “I know it hurts but let me help you.”, he murmured with so much love in his voice that it almost scared him. “Let me heal you, Stephen.”

“Yes.”, came the breathless reply and then Stephen stretched his other hand out. Tony quickly removed the glove before he could change his mind and started to kiss it as well. Tony loved his hands, Tony loved him.

He knew it was too early to say it out loud but no one could stop him from uttering the words in his head and so he would continue to do so. Until the time was right. Until he was sure that Stephen felt the same.

For now, it was enough that he let him see his scars, that he let him help. He would do anything to heal him, even if it only was in his mind. After all, wasn’t that what truly counted?

Trust, yes, complete trust.

They both fell asleep, hours later, in each other's arms and this time Stephen stayed calm throughout the whole night.

Chapter Text

“I can’t do this.”

Tony stared at himself in the mirror, black suit and tie making him look almost unrecognizable. It had been so long since this had been part of his life. Nowadays he preferred his comfortable hoodies. 

“I can’t do this.” 

His hair was uncharacteristically in place, for once not sticking up in every direction possible. He had spent hours taming it and the end result was… just not right. 

“I can’t do this.” 

The dressing room he was standing in was completely clean, no papers scattered across the desk and floor and no suit parts making a stumbling hazard for everyone who dared set foot into it. This wasn’t a familiar surrounding, he felt lost. He was lost. 

“I can’t-”

A knock on the door startled him and made him flinch. He quickly straightened his suit, smoothing down any wrinkles. “Yes, come in.” He turned away from the mirror, facing the door.

It opened slightly and a head full own brown curls peeked into the room. “Mister Stark?” Peter Parker gave him a radiant smile as soon as he spotted him. “You look great!”

“Thanks, kid. What do you need?” He sometimes felt uncomfortable in front of the boy without his Iron Man suit on, way too vulnerable. 

“Uhm, Miss Potts told me to check on you.”, he answered and scratched his neck. “You know...”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “To check on me?” Typical of you, Potts. “Why?”

“Well, she said that you are probably a little nervous.” By this point, he had opened the door completely and was standing in the doorway. “And she asked me to make sure that you didn’t jump out of the window and run away.”

The sheepish look he gave him made Tony realise that he had no idea how accurate Peppers idea actually was. The window had been quite the tempting option but was he really that much of a coward? 

Yes, absolutely.

At least when it came to that point in his life. Flying a nuke into a wormhole that led to outer space and almost killing himself? No problem. But this…

“So, anyway, you’re not going to do that, are you? I mean…” He made a gesture towards him. “You are Iron Man after all. Something like that won’t scare you, right?”

Oh, you have no idea.

But Peter was right: He was Iron Man. He would never shy away from a challenge. “Don’t worry, kid. I am staying right here.” He meant it, the times where he was scared of his own personal life where over. He was ready.

The boy’s face lit up to the point where it almost looked painful to smile that hard but somehow, his delight seemed genuine. Peter had never been that good of a liar, a fact that made him come across as even more innocent.

“Alright, I’ll go back to my seat then. Just- just don’t leave, please. Miss Potts will have my head otherwise.” He grinned. “Or I have to hunt you down and bring you trapped in webs to the-”

“Alright, time out.” Tony pointed at him. “Go, now, back to your seat, Spiderling, or I have to tell Aunt May about that Stark Internship.” He would never admit it to the young man but he cherished their little banters, way too much actually.

Peter made a face. “Alright, it’s just I have been looking forward to this day ever since you two announced it. You guys are like my OT-”

“I said you have a timeout. Go, I don’t understand your weird pop culture references anyway.” The boy opened his mouth to protest. “Out!”, he quipped. “Now.”

He threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine!” He was almost out of the door when he turned around, an innocent expression plastered on his face. “And for the record: May knows about it.” Then he was gone.

Tony shook his head and sighed. 

Oh, Pete… wait what did he just say?! He massaged his temples, trying to keep an approaching migraine at bay. This shouldn’t be his greatest concern right now.

“Right, then.”, he coughed out and faced the mirror once again. “Into the final battle.” The hardest he would ever have to fight. His eyes closed on his own accord and the next time he opened them he was standing in front of the altar. 

 An equally nervous Stephen was right beside him, rocking back and forth on his heels. Tony was scared that he would fall over any moment but he couldn’t really say something right now, could he?

He, also, was clad in a nice black suit but it looked so much better on him. Truth be told, the day he looked bad in anything had yet to come, at least in Tony’s eyes. But now, he looked extremely beautiful and the genius made a mental note in his mind to get him more often into suits. 

Wong was standing behind Stephen, smiling at the both of them and Tony was sure that Rhodey was doing the same behind his back. Pepper and Peter, who had chairs in the first row alongside Christine and a few others, were all shining as well.

Everyone appeared to be happy except for the actual couple.

Well, it sure isn’t their lives which are about to change so drastically.

Was that true though? He and Stephen had been living together for almost 2 years now, working together and spending as much time as possible in each others company. Would the fact that they were officially married really change so much?

In Tony’s mind, they had been for such a long time now anyway. A soft hand grabbed his own and pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Anthony?”, Stephen whispered unbelievably quietly, doing his best not to interrupt the man talking in front of them. “Are you alright? You seem pretty on edge.” 

He quickly squeezed his very-soon-to-be husbands hand in reassurance. “Yeah, sorry. I was a little lost inside my own head.” He could barely hear the words himself. “Quiet now before we get kicked out.”

“It’s our wedding.”, came the whispered reply, followed by an uncertain: “We don’t have to do this if it isn’t what you want.”

Tony smiled. There was a reason after all why he loved this man.

“I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”

Chapter Text

There are many names Stephen Strange had been called in his lie so far. Nice things, bad thing. By strangers. By friends. By enemies. By lovers. He thought nothing could surprise him anymore.

But there was one name he’d probably never get used to.

“Had a nice day at the Sanctum, dear husband?”

He was sitting across a wide grinning Anthony, who was having the time of his life judging by the look plastered on his face. He knew damn well how flushed Stephen would get by his choice of words. 
“I guess so. Wong had to travel over to the Kamar-Taj to do some research in the library so it was mostly quiet.” Not that he didn’t like Wong, no. They had reached a point where he considered calling him his best friend. But some peaceful silence from time to time had to be treasured.

“Mostly quiet? Wong doesn’t strike me as that kind of person who’d constantly annoy you with unnecessary small talk. Hell, I can barely get him to say a word when I visit you over there.”, Tony interjected while stuffing a doughnut into his mouth.

Stephen rolled his eyes. “Can you try to not be a pig for once?” He couldn’t help grinning nonetheless. If he only knew. Wong had figured out quite quickly how much it irritated Anthony not to get a reaction out of someone. Said reaction being positive or negative didn’t matter much as long as it was something.

So his friend had taken up the personality of a quiet and unaffected brooder whenever the genius was anywhere near him. Watching them interact was always glorious: Anthony trying his best to somehow wind him up and Wong completely ignoring him. 

Stephen loved it. 

“You just don’t seem to leave a big impact on him, Anthony.”, he told the pouting man with a big smirk. “You probably need to try harder.” He’d never seen anyone look more offended in his life.

But then Anthony’s eyes seemed to gain a bright sparkle to them and Stephen knew he was in for something. He leaned slightly back, trying to prepare himself. “We should all meet up sometime in the near future. You know, now that I am your husband I should get friendly with him.” He was such a sleazy bastard. Stephen could feel the blood rushing into his cheeks once again.

“Change the topic, please.”, he murmured under his breath and reached for the cup of coffee on the kitchen table. “I’m sure you two will grow used to each other sooner or later.”

Anthony nodded with a way too serious face. “I hope so. I don’t want to upset my husband's friends so soon into this marriage.” He gave Stephen a cheeky wink, making him nearly choke on his drink.

He coughed clumsily a few times before practically slamming the mug down. “Alright, why are you doing this?” It pissed him off that he could practically feel the blush colouring his face.

Anthony mockingly covered his chest with one hand, his mouth opening in shock. “Whatever do you mean, dearest husband. I am certain I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Oh, he knew damn well what Stephen meant.

“You know exactly what I am talking about, prick. Why are you having a go at me like that?”, he grumbled quietly. He never had his defence getting shut down like this before and the worst part was that he couldn’t do anything against it. 

No, the worst part was that he liked it. Hell, he loved it. Just like he loved this arrogant idiot in front of him. 

“Come on, darling. I’m only teasing you. You look kinda hot when you blush, do you know that?” Smooth bastard. What a smooth bastard. Making Stephen feel wanted even when he was annoying him.

Well, he did choose to marry him for a reason. Or he hoped that, at least.

“You are winding me up on purpose.”, he argued with a raised eyebrow. “You do realise I am the Master of-”

“- the Mystic Arts and you could obliterate me with nothing more than a single hand movement. Yes, yes, heard it like a thousand times by now. Anything else?” Anthony wasn’t impressed. Damn, that had actually worked the first few times. He shouldn’t have overused it that much.

“How about I ask you kindly to stop?”, he suggested with a sugar-coated voice. A loud roar of laughter was all he received in return. “Yeah, was worth a try.” What had he been thinking?

“Are you serious? Not quite sure I am the right husband for you then.” Anthony wasn’t completely stupid, for he jumped up after finishing the sentence and quickly started to back off from a furious Stephen.

“Get back here!” The sorcerer cracked his knuckles, ignoring how awkward it actually was to do so with his scarred hands. “How about a little sparring session? Right now.” He followed the retreating man who hastily stumbled backwards into the living room.

“Counter idea! How about we change it to a makeout session? I think I’d enjoy that more.” Anthony stopped when the back of his legs hit the couch. “And so would you, don’t you agree?” He playfully wiggled his eyebrows.

Having come to a halt right in front of him, Stephen stared him down. Their noses were almost touching. “Ready to bet on it, husband?”, he whispered softly into Anthony’s ear.

He heard the smirk without even looking. “Bring it on, husband.” Well, at least one way or another, it would get him to shut up.