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"I met the most amazing man today," Pepper announced during dinner.
Tony choked on his lasagna but caught himself in the last moment. "Am I supposed to be jealous or is this a new way of showing your love to your husband?"
Pepper grinned. "Tall, dark hair, handsome… gorgeous bone structure and eyes to die for."
Tony, catching on, played with his wine glass and took a sip. He took his time in responding, still testing the waters. "Still not making things clearer, darling."
"He's exactly our type."
Oh, now things got really interesting. It wasn't often that one of them went from pure looking and appreciating to bringing it up to the other one but so far those few occasions had always ended up in good times for all.
"Tell me more," Tony demanded, already intrigued. If Pepper was interested in some random guy, so was he. It was and always had been easy like that between them.
"There isn't much more," Pepper confessed after a moment. "I ran into him this morning when I went to get my coffee after the run. If you had been there like you promised to be you would have seen him with your own eyes."
Tony lowered his eyes and played with his food. He'd already apologized, he wouldn't do it again, damn it! "My loss," he murmured instead.
Pepper sighed but smiled at the same time. "I'll get you one day soon," she promised and Tony shuddered. He could already imagine himself lying in the grass, a sweaty, panting, exhausted mess, while Pepper ran circles around him.
"Can't wait. But before you put me into the ground get back to the guy."
"I was in a hurry and almost knocked him over while turning around." The memory put a gorgeous blush on Pepper's face and Tony was once again reminded that he had the most beautiful wife on Earth. "He has fast and good reflexes and managed to avoid me while I managed to avoid spilling my coffee on him." The half-smile on her face vanished. "There's something wrong with his hand. I could only see a glimpse but it was full of scars and trembling. I think he was in pain."
"And you saw all that in a split-second and decided you want to bring him home to us?" Tony was skeptical and not afraid to show it.
Pepper shook her head. "He also looked at me with the kindest eyes I have ever seen before avoiding my face and blushing like crazy. It was adorable. He murmured an apology as if it was his fault and you should have heard his voice! Beautiful. Deep and rumbly but not in a threatening way, you know?"
Tony did, actually, and it was just so adorable seeing Pepper being this excited. Also, he had practice in being overrun by whirlwind Pepper and knew what an experience it was for the uninitiated.
"He just seemed like a nice guy, if a bit lonely, and he's gorgeous to look at." She ended her story on a hesitant note and Tony just knew that this was not like their usual adding of a third one for a night of fun and games.
"Such an impression in such a short time? He really must be something."
"He is," Pepper said almost dreamily and Tony almost choked on his wine.
"Anything else so that we can find him?" Anyone who put that kind of expression on his wife's face must be found.
"I think the barista knows him. Greeted him with Steve or something like that."
Tony couldn't help himself and grimaced. "I think I prefer 'or something', if I'm honest."
Pepper laughed. "She also said 'this one is on the house for your help last week, Doctor' so there's that."
A gorgeous doctor with kind eyes, a beautiful voice who apparently helped people out and had a shaking hand. There could be worse. Suddenly, there was an idea. Tony smiled and took another sip of his wine.
"FRIDAY?"
"Tony! No!"
But he knew no mercy. "Does that description ring any bells?"
By the speed the answer appeared FRIDAY must have anticipated his request. The holographic picture of a man, maybe ten years younger than Tony, appeared between them. Pepper's description had been a good one, Tony had to admit, already lost in the eyes of the man in the picture. And the bone structure was to die for, not that he had doubted Pepper for even a heartbeat. She had an eye for things like that.
"He has a beard now, not unlike yours," Pepper whispered. "He also looks a little bit older than in this picture. More white in his hair." A moment of hesitation. "More pain in his eyes. But that's him."
"Doctor Stephen Strange," Tony read out loud. "A former neuro-surgeon who dropped off the face of the Earth a couple of years ago. The picture must be from before then. What happened, FRI?"
"Doctor Strange was involved in a car accident which incapacitated his hands on a permanent basis."
They winced together. "Both hands?" Pepper asked horrified.
"After trying and failing to restore his hands with various surgeries he vanished from New York about five years ago. I wasn't aware that he's back." FRIDAY sounded affronted about that.
"You did good, babygirl." Tony tried to soothe her. "We have him now. We'll just stalk this coffee shop until he shows up again. They know him so he's a regular." He grinned at Pepper. "You always find us the strangest things, my dear."
Her laugh was, as always, the most beautiful sound in the universe.
*
Strange was truly gorgeous, no way around it. For the second day in a row Tony found himself wedged into a tiny seat in the corner of the little corner café, watching him order, chat a little bit with the employees and leave with a big cup of coffee that was only half full. The little bit Tony had seen of his hands made it clear why. He had never spoken a word to Strange but just watching him struggle with every-day tasks for a couple of minutes had been enough to break his heart.
Also, his fucking voice. Pepper had been right about that, too. Strange was everything they both liked in men, wrapped up in one tall, slender package.
Now there was only one question left: How to approach the guy without making him run away in fear because he was stalked by Pepper Potts and her husband.
In the end it was Stephen who - typical for him, as Tony soon would learn - took matters into his own hands.
"Mr. Stark," the deep voice of his newest dreams pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up - and up - into the very same eyes he'd just been thinking about. "What gives me the dubious pleasure of being followed by you?"
Direct, Tony thought. Followed by pretty and dear God, he's truly as gorgeous as Pep said!
Not knowing how to react he did what he did best: Panic and babble. "You were overrun by my wife a couple of days ago."
An unimpressed look, accompanied by a slight quirk of those tempting lips. "I remember. Fast reflexes."
"Funny, she said the same about you." Tony let his voice go deeper and looked up through his lashes. Strange didn't seem annoyed but amused. Good. "You impressed her."
Now there was confusion mixed with a bit of mischief. "I must have, otherwise I wouldn't have been stalked by Tony Stark."
"Pfff," Tony waved the accusation away. "Watched? Yes. Stalked? No. I never followed you out of here or attempted to find out where you live." He hadn't. But he had found out a couple of other, very interesting things with relative ease.
Now there was a real smile. "No stalking then, agreed. But why the watching?"
Strange was holding on to his cup with considerable force to make them tremble as little as possible. Tony let his eyes travel down and watched him for a moment. "Because Pepper liked what she saw and so do I." He took a deep breath and offered his hand. "Tony Stark."
After long seconds of hesitation Strange loosened his death grip and put his trembling hand into Tony's who held it like it was the most precious and fragile china on Earth. "Doctor Stephen Strange, but I think you already know that."
Tony nodded and shrugged. "I hope you don't mind."
"I still know more about you than you do about me."
Oh, he liked the guy, the really, really did. "Probably. My life is an open book."
Another enigmatic smile. "I wouldn't go that far. So, why are you here?"
"Because Pepper liked what she saw and thought that I might, too." He very carefully tightened his grip a tiny little bit. "And I do."
Strange looked at their joined hands. "Is this a proposition?" He didn't try to extract his hand and he didn't seem unwilling, judging by the weak squeeze he gave back. They would have to be careful with him, Tony realized and didn't mind the prospect in the slightest.
"It's a proposition to meet again," Tony said. "You, me and Pepper, all of us together. Getting to know each other." He was sure that his true meaning was clear and the slight blush on Strange's pretty face and his wide eyes told him that the message had arrived.
"A date?"
"A date. Nothing fancy. Just us. Eating. Talking. No strings attached." He let go of Strange's hand to underscore the point.
"And see where it takes us?"
"And see where it takes us." Hopefully to bed, but Tony had a feeling that this would not be a quick one-night-stand. This one required delicate negotiations and careful handling.
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," Strange warned.
"Then we're looking forward to getting to know you. Seriously, Strange, no strings attached."
"Stephen."
Tony smiled. "Stephen." He rather liked the sound of that name. "Please do us the honor of joining us for dinner tomorrow."
"Where?"
In answer Tony took out one of his business cards and scribbled the address of the tower on it. "I've done a little bit of research and think that you can find your way there without arousing undue attention." He put the card into Stephen's still open hand.
Stark Tower. Penthouse. Tomorrow evening, whenever you want.
"I've told security to not be alerted by magical portals that suddenly appear in our midst. So your secrets are safe with us, Doctor Wizard."
He stood up and made sure to brush Stephen's shoulder with his arm as he squeezed past him. I know more about you than you think, he tried to communicate and judging by the startled look on Stephen's face he had succeeded. God, he wanted to kiss that face right now. The wait was going to kill him, he already knew it.
"Tomorrow," he reminded Stephen and almost ran out of the coffee shop. It was either that or going back and dragging Stephen with him right now.
Pepper was alone in the living room when Stephen stepped through the portal.
"Good evening, Doctor Strange," FRIDAY said and Pepper tried and failed to hide her a laugh at how Stephen jumped at the voice.
"That's our AI, FRIDAY," she explained. "Tony tries to downplay her as our security when he's out and about but she's so much more." She offered Stephen a glass of champagne, not even half full. He took it after second. "Hello Stephen."
"Hello… Pepper," he said.
"Thank you for joining us tonight. Tony will be here in a second." She rolled her eyes. "His vanity came through and he wanted to look good for you."
"He already looks very good." Oh, blushing really suited Stephen.
"That's good to know," Tony called from the door, wearing a rather nice pair of black trousers with a basic black shirt above it. Pepper was glad that there was no longer a blue light shining through the fabric. "Same goes to you."
His eyes lingered on Stephen's form for a long moment, taking in the grey jeans and blue shirt which brought out his eyes even more. He'd left his magical cape behind, Pepper noted to her delight. He must have known that he would be safe here and the thought produced a pleasurable warmth inside of her.
"And you," Tony finally compliment her and Pepper snorted. Cut-off jeans and a top where hardly high fashion but it was hot and she just didn't want to see a skirt or dress if not in a work environment.
"Very beautiful indeed," Stephen joined in his deep voice which send shivers down her back. So did the look he gave her. Appreciative, a little bit hungry but most of all: shy. The same look he'd given Tony a moment ago.
Yes, she found the right one, she just knew it.
Tony grabbed his own glass and together they toasted to a fun evening and night to come.
And maybe, if things went well, more than one night.
💫
(Spoiler: It goes well. Very well. One night will become many, will become years and decades.)