Work Text:
Stephen’s world ended on a sunny afternoon near a pristine little lake. It ended with the sound of a familiar voice crying out in his ear. It ended with the distinct crumpling and scraping of metal that had been thrown with inhuman force. It ended, when before his eyes, Tony was batted from the sky by an inter-dimensional monster and was sent tumbling into a building.
His own cry was drowned out by the plethora of voices that rose in distress and rage as the Avengers doubled their efforts. Stephen didn’t join, already being flown by the Cloak to Tony’s form, unmoving in the dirt. When he landed, he froze, bile rushing up his throat as he stared at the unnatural angle of his body, the twist in the suit of the arm, the shredded metal where claws had dug in before tossing.
Stephen was only knocked from his head when he saw the darkening of the pavement, spreading from beneath his body. Pain, like he had never felt before ripped through him, the sensation of his soul being shredded as he fell to his knees.
His trembling hands reached blindly for the cool metal, all his medical training disappearing in the face of the debilitating horror seeping through him, because it wasn’t supposed to end like this, it was never supposed to be Tony.
-----
Stephen’s fingers circled one of the plethora of scars on Tony’s chest, his warm breath ghosting across the glistening skin there. Tony’s arm was wrapped around him, his fingers running their own soothing path up and down his back. This, Stephen decided, was nice. They had fallen into bed together after nearly two weeks of constant flirting, tension, and three failed attempts by Tony to bring him on a date.
Stephen wished he could blame the alcohol from the party hosted for the Avengers, but the truth was neither of them were even tipsy at this point. Still, Stephen wasn’t quite sure how this happened, how he ended up pressed against Tony Stark, messy with lube and cum and somehow comfortably laying in his bed. He should be running for the hills, instead, he found himself entranced by Tony’s steady breaths above him, the light from his arc reactor, the quiet stillness of Tony’s room, so unlike the Sanctuary.
“So, how about that date?” Tony’s voice was relaxed and amused, satiated, it seemed from the sex.
“Hmm, no.” Stephen answered, continuing to slide his trembling fingers over the raised skin.
“What are you afraid of? We literally just had sex, how bad would a date be?”
Tony, apparently sought to corrupt this calm moment with stupid questions, “there’s no point. Our lives aren’t conducive to relationships.”
Tony’s own soothing fingers stopped, “why’s that?”
Stephen shrugged lightly, “I’ll die on you eventually, so then what’s the point of it all?”
He could practically feel disapproval radiating off of Tony, his arm tightened around Stephen, and a kiss was pressed to his sweaty hair, “not if I can help it. Plus, that’s my decision to make isn’t it?”
Stephen didn’t bother looking up at the man, “you’re also a douche, and as you repeatedly remind me, I’m an asshole. Also, not a good sign.”
Tony chuckled lightly, tension bleeding away, “it just adds excitement.”
----
Stephen turned Tony onto his back, managed to tear back the mask of his suit, despite the screaming pain in his hands. The sight that met him knocked the air from his lungs, Tony’s face was pale and bloodied, a thin stream falling from red lips but that wasn’t the worst, no of course it wasn’t. Tony’s eyes stared blankly up at the sky, their usual warmth and intelligence extinguished into horrible emptiness.
Stephen knew he was shaking, was aware that tears were falling from his eyes, blurring the image before him. It seemed almost impossible to understand, how after everything Ironman had been through, it was this that tore the air from his lungs. His eyes skated down, took in the gaping, bleeding holes in his side, a putrid scent already coming from the torn flesh, sparking from the wreaked technology.
The knot in his stomach expanded, his breath came in short desperate gasps as he gagged and finally threw up on the pavement. He sat there for several long minutes, his mind, body, and soul screaming itself horse when the rage took over. The injustice of it bringing him to his feet, making him turn back toward the leathery creature that had snuck past the defenses of not just his own making but that of SHIELD. The Avengers were still fighting, some of them missing and the others clearly growing lethargic.
Before Stephen realized what was happening his fingers moved in a complicated series of runes and a light began to emanate from him, but it wasn’t the usual gold, no in was tinged with a sickening red and black, Stephen paid it no mind, focusing all his energy on the creature before him.
----
He glared down at Tony who was currently taking up residence on a hospital bed in the Compound infirmary, a smirk in place. The man had been a complete idiot, willfully stepping in the way of a blast from the over-powered mutant they had been apprehending and was now sitting here all proud of the bruises blossoming along his skin.
“You’re an idiot, I would have been able to avoid it just fine.”
He just shrugged in amusement, “but you didn’t, so I did.”
“Like that is something to be proud of.”
“Well, you see. I figure saving your life means you owe me a date.”
Stephen snorted, “in what world Stark?”
He grinned, “in the one where you’ve been in my hospital room worrying about me like I’m already your boyfriend.”
Stephen blinked, went to turn on his heel and leave, when Tony’s hand suddenly flung out to grasp his forearm, “sorry, don’t go. Too strong?” he actually sounded sheepish.
He found himself rolling his eyes, allowing himself to be dragged in closer until he was seated on the edge of the bed. They sat in uneasy silence, Tony not letting go of his arm as though afraid he would run off. Eventually, Tony cleared his throat and began, “looks like you were wrong about the whole dying on me thing.”
Stephen shook his head, didn’t look at Tony as he spoke, “I’ve died nearly eight hundred times at the hands of a being called Dormammu, I’ve almost died about eighty-nine times, I battle creatures even worse then the aliens you faced in New York. Pretty sure I’m still going to bite the dust before you.”
“No time to lose then, I made a reservation at seven tonight.”
----
When the dust cleared Stephen had only one thought on his mind. The creature was dead, blown to ash in a spell Stephen didn’t even remember, but he found himself sitting cross-legged with Tony’s heavy suit clad body pulled up into his lap while he stared down blankly at his face.
He was distantly aware of the voices around him, the sound of police cars and ambulances showing up, was even more aware of the thick silence of the Avengers surrounding them at this moment, holding vigil. Beside him, Bruce was on his knees, holding one of Tony’s hands but otherwise quiet and Stephen had enough awareness to be grateful that Peter wasn’t here, didn’t know what had befallen his hero.
Stephen’s jaw clenched, it was taking all his power to hold back his sobs, the steady mantra of its not over playing in his head, because Stephen had a plan. One that Wong was sure to be unhappy about, one that was selfish and wrong, but he had never cared less.
He knows now, that all the times he told Tony he would die before him, it was him silently hoping he would, knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle losing Tony. As Stephen sat there, aware that his time was ticking down, he couldn’t shake the feeling of a hole opening up inside his chest, gaping as its edges spread ever wider.
He needed to think, had to choose just right, he would have only the one chance and it needed to be absolutely perfect. It was difficult to sift through his memories while the haze of grief threatened to simply make him shut down, but he wouldn’t let it. Instead he forced himself to stare down at Tony’s face, his eyes now closed and remembered, as painful as it was.
----
“Its raining.”
Stephen ignored the statement from his lover, hyper focused on the book in his hands as he tried to translate the ancient script. Still, he could practically feel Tony’s pout as he plopped down on the sofa next to him. When Stephen agreed to spend the day with him at the penthouse, he did not agree to forsaking his work.
“I’m bored.”
He sighed in exasperation, “last I recall you have an entire workshop filled to the brim with gadgets for you to play with.”
The book was suddenly plucked from his hands, but before he could snap at the man to at least be fucking careful with the delicate text, it was on the coffee table and Tony was forcibly situating himself in Stephen’s lap. He found himself being straddled by his lover, a triumphant smirk on his lips as Stephen glared up at him.
“I do, but it would be quite rude of me to ignore you after inviting you over. If I want to be a good boyfriend and host, I think I should be giving you my undivided attention.” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully.
Stephen’s lips quirked into a smile, all the while hating his lover’s natural charisma, “I was doing life saving work you know.”
“Aren’t you always? I think its time for a break.”
----
“We need to move him.”
Whispered words from Natasha to Steve, Stephen wished he could smack them both. But when he glanced up, he realized the streets were filling, onlookers straining to see what the Avengers were gathered around. His stomach twisted, would not allow Tony’s body to be humiliated in this way.
He raised his eyes to Bruce, who need only to look at his expression to understand. He gave a curt nod, then leaned in, his hands replacing the Ironman mask, his voice murmured quietly, “take him home FRIDAY.”
Stephen took a steadying breath as the suit came to life, jerking and fizzing from the damage. Then, as though never being broken, the suit went upright and in a smooth move lifted into the air, flying itself back to the compound.
Staring down at his now empty lap Stephen felt the first new tears fall, hot streaks sliding down his cheeks. He knew the Avengers were saying something to him, Bruce tried to grab his shoulder only to be smacked away by the Cloak, and Stephen needed to get away, to run so he could do this right. They would try to stop him otherwise.
He stood abruptly, ignoring the inquires around him and stepped through a portal and directly into a forgotten room of the Sanctuary. To be so suddenly alone left him feeling chilled, as he dropped once more to his knees on the hardwood, curling into himself as he sobbed.
What he was about to do was the height of selfishness, to use his magic for his own personal gain, the very thing Mordo had accused him of all this time. But he didn’t care, this thought, the eventuality had been cycling in his head for ages now, since the first night he and Tony had admitted they loved each other.
----
Stephen stepped through his portal and directly into Tony’s workshop, expecting to find the man tinkering away at one of his inventions. He had expected him to grin, maybe a hug or kiss, a sarcastic remark about how long he had been away.
What he didn’t expect, however, was Tony’s head snapping up, the look of relief that flowed through his expression. He didn’t anticipate Tony rushing to his feet and grabbing Stephen in a bone crunching hug, or for his hands to move frantically over his body in search of injury.
“Fuck I was so worried. You idiot, its been a fucking a week, do you realize that?” he all but growled as his hands continued to poke and prod at his skin, pausing only when they found a scrape or cut.
He and the Cloak swatted simultaneously at Tony’s hands, “I’m fine cut it out.”
He stepped back with a glare, “a week Stephen!” he hissed.
Stephen blinked, confused by his tone, “I’ve been working, you know that.”
Tony shook his head, back away toward his work table. He was tense, that much was obvious, pacing in the little space in front of his desk, “all you said was goodbye, that you were working on something. No details, no time span, then no contact for a week! I was starting to think you were dead.”
Stephen frowned, unsure how he was supposed to respond to that, “sorry?”
Tony rolled his eyes, “oh I guess its alright then.”
Stephen was at a loss, “you don’t have to worry about me Tony, its just…the way things work at Kamar-Taj. There isn’t much time for goodbyes and all that.”
Tony was leaning against his desk, arms crossed in disapproval, “of course I’m going to worry. Just like you do when I get myself landed in the hospital, it’s a given when you love someone so quit acting like you’re some exception.”
----
Stephen yanked the Eye off of his neck, petted the edge of the Cloak absently when it stiffened around him, it would be alright. He allowed his eyes to flutter closed as he tapped into the stone inside, could feel the thin green tendrils snaking around his arms as he focused its energy, allowed it to speak to him.
----
“Sometimes I’m afraid of how much I love you.”
Tony’s arms tightened around him, “me too,” he confided. “I wonder sometimes what I would do if I lost you, but I can’t imagine it.”
Stephen snuggled closer to him, a leg hooking over his under the cover, “I’d want you to move on, live and die of old age, be happy.”
“Hmm, I think that would be an impossibility,” the seriousness of his tone made Stephen uneasy.
“Wouldn’t you want the same for me?”
“Of course not, I’d want you to use your magic mumbo jumbo to drag me back or play with time until I’m back by your side being an annoying prick,” he joked, the tension bleeding away.
Stephen said nothing, didn’t want to admit how willing he was to do just that.
----
Image after image floated before his closed eyes, memories of perfect days, or as close as one could get, Stephen flipped through them like cards, dismissing one after the other, going further and further back in his memory.
Wong had been the one to accidentally let slip this possibility. Stephen hadn’t thought he would ever have to use it, but now it was the perfect option in a world of bad ones. Stephen wasn’t so ignorant of his power as to turn back time to that morning and save Tony’s life, the destruction that butterfly effect would cause was on a galactic scale, and as pain filled and desperate as he was, Tony would never forgive him.
So, then what? Stephen was going to do something just as selfish, but far less destructive, forgivable and lovely. A time loop, not unlike the one he had created with Dormammu, except Stephen would choose one perfect day and night, one beloved memory to live inside while the rest of the world went on.
He had studied and planned this after Wong mentioned it in passing. The rest of the world would go on as it should, utterly unaffected while in their own little bubble he and Tony could live a lifetime. He would tell him and everyday would be a different one.
He knew what Wong would say, that while it was a memory it would also be a delusion. Except Stephen is pretty sure he found a way around that, where it would almost be as though they were living inside their own timeline, but it would not affect the true time, it would remain whole and they would remain happy.
Stephen paused, watching the events unfolding before his eyes. A soft smile came to his lips, the hole in his chest throbbed, he let the warmth and brightness of pure happiness wash over him. He contemplated only a moment, whether to take or leave the Eye, ultimately deciding to bring it with him. It would be the safest place for it after all.
He didn’t bother calling the Avengers or Peter or Wong, he just relaxed;
And let himself slip away.
----
“Good morning Stephen,” came Tony’s warm voice in his ear.
He tried to turn away with a low groan, uninterested in waking at the moment. Tony laughed quietly, pulling him closer, slotting his fingers between Stephen’s and uh that felt a little weird. Stephen peeled back his eyes, aware of the heat where Tony’s body was pressed tightly against his. Lazily he lowered his gaze to his bare stomach where their hands sat intertwined, he squinted as something flashed in the light.
It took him several long moments to realize there was a metal band adorning his finger.
“Say yes,” Tony whispered, cheek pressed to the side of his head, tone nervous.
Stephen smiled lightly, flexed his hand a bit, surprised to find it painless, “yes, yes, yes.”