Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Siberia was really really cold, he thought bitterly as the cold started to seep in. After 8 hours of this freezing hellhole, he was ready to die. His fingers would be the first to go, he knew that. Frostbite was already starting to creep in to the tips. Even if he lived, it wouldn’t be the same, he would lose his fingers, he’d lose his ability to tinker and create, he’d lose everything. Sure, there was always extremis, he had stabilized it and it could help him, but he had enough of superhumans and superpowers now.

He was pretty angry, the first couple of hours. He had thought he’d had his fair share of betrayals in his life, he thought all that was in the past, he thought he could trust his teammates not to cause him this much pain. Sometimes my teammates don’t tell me things rang bitterly in his head. He never would have thought that the legendary, the virtuous, the good Captain America would be so hypocritical. His dad, Howard, had thought the world of him, had thought that there was no man greater than Steve Rogers. He laughed bitterly.

Now though, he just wanted to die. He just wanted to stop living this torturous life, constantly going from one tragedy to another. Everything hurt, the betrayal of his teammates, the betrayal of Captain America physically painful in his frail, human body. And on top of that having to relive the most painful time of his life. Everything hurt. He just wanted it to stop, he just wanted everything to go away. He just wanted to die in this frozen wasteland.

His eyes were getting blurry, closing without his input. He thought he caught a glimpse of red as they fluttered shut as he felt himself go. His life, all the mistakes he’d had, all the good he’d tried to accomplish just to end up in a frozen wasteland to die. Life would go on without him, the world would run as it always had. He wouldn’t be anything but a speck, just one human who’d tried to do some good in his pitiful life and failed publicly and rather spectacularly.

He could faintly hear someone in there with him, hear the swish of clothes and frantic footsteps but he didn’t open his eyes. He doubted anyone was here, in this Russian Hydra base, to help him. Whoever was here was too late anyways. Everything was so numb and cold. He was dying and he was going to die here. It was pointless to try to save him.

He opened his eyes and found himself in a similar condition, similar yet undeniably different. Lying on the floor of his lab with a wide gaping hole in his chest, he stilled. He couldn’t move, the hole in his chest so empty, so painful, the shrapnels already doing damage to his heart. He suppose it made a morbid sort of sense, reliving his worst hits as he died. Reliving the betrayal that still hurt, even all those years later, amidst another one.

The mechanical hums of DUM-E as he lowered the arc reactor towards him startled him. Proof that Tony Stark has a heart, he smiled albeit bitterly and tried not to think about a shield smashing another arc reactor. He’d thought this was just a memory, a your life flashing before you as you die sort of situation, but this felt undeniably real, it hurt like it was a real thing. The arc reactor jutted out of his chest in a way it hadn’t for a long time now, the pain cementing this awful awful not-memory. He grabbed the glass casing and smashed it on the ground.

Rhodey was there, he was walking, he was walking towards him, concern lined in his face. Pepper, he thought, Stane was going to hurt Pepper and he said exactly that. Rhodey confirmed what he already knew, what he had said so long ago. He spur into action. The nightmarish reality continued as it had last time. He was just going through the motions, he realized, during the fight, he was doing everything he’d done in the exact way he’d done it. His brain was still processing things, a part of him still felt stuck in the cold confines of Siberia, slowly being frozen to death. All of him felt the same hurt he’d been feeling for a long time, of Stane, of Rogers, of everyone.

As the Iron Monger peered closer to the freeway, he started to panic. Flashes of Bucharest started to fill in with this nightmarish reality. He couldn’t let that happen, he couldn’t put the civilians in harm’s way. Despite his efforts however it still did, Iron Monger was doing untold damage and he was just stuck with mitigating it. He started flying, hoping beyond all hopes that Iron Monger would follow suit, as it had last time, wishing for less damages and was momentarily surprised when it did.

Pepper, oh darling wonderful Pepper. She was really the rock in his life. He shoved the years of love and understanding and the spike of pain as it inevitably had ended crashing down as he relayed her the instructions. He had already done this once, it was the easiest and the most surefire way to end this.

After it ended, as he lay there tired, the makeshift arc reactor still in his chest but only barely so, he reflected on all that had happened. He wasn’t the sort to ignore reality staring at him in the face no matter how much he wanted to. This was real, not an out of body experience, not reliving your worst memories, not a living, breathing nightmare. Theories and possible explanations started filtering in and out of his mind. Did he really dream about all those years? Was that a hallucination? Was this? And the most infuriating and the most possible explanation. Had he somehow, and rather inexplicably, time travelled?

He didn’t know what to do with all the evidence in front of him. All those years he’d lived, all those memories and all those relationships gone in an instant. He was not the same person his friends knew, he was a changed man, he had grown from trauma, from untold damage. He had been more than the Tony Stark they knew. The change in him would not be perceived in a good way, especially with all those SHIELD agents around. Sure, some of it could be attributed to his recent trauma, the betrayal of a close family friend and the month long torture sessions but he was a pessimist at heart. If it could go wrong, it usually did with him. They’d helped today and he knew Pepper was glad for it. They already were interested in him, and were watching him, and it wouldn’t do good to call their attention to anything being amiss, to anything being different.

He thought back to the fight with Iron Monger. Sure, he wasn’t able to change most of it, damage still occurred, but he was able to mitigate some of it. Thinking back on it, he was sure he had prevented people from getting hurt too. They still saw the fight, but luckily and because of his newfound knowledge no one had gotten hurt. That more than anything gave him hope, hope for the future, hope that the reality he had to live though had a chance to not happen. The newfound hope strengthened him as he blissfully fell into unconsciousness.

When he woke up, he found himself in his Malibu home, the new and improved arc reactor in his chest. The agents must have brought him home, he mused, and Pepper helped with the arc reactor. He was glad he was out for most of it, he didn’t want to deal with anyone considering recent developments.

“Good morning sir. It is currently 4:53 AM. The weather in Malibu is 68 degrees.” JARVIS intoned, startling Tony out of his reverie. Tears started prickling in his eyes, he’d missed JARVIS, it wasn’t the same with Vision.

“You appear to be having some symptoms of panic attack sir. Please focus on my voice and breathe in.” He did as JARVIS said, timing his breaths to his soothing voice, his heartbeat slowly going down.

“I’ve missed you J.” He said after he had calmed down a little, his voice still sounded hoarse and a little teary.

“I’m here for you Sir. Stane did not manage to do damage to my core processors. I was merely shut down for a while.”

That got him to consider his reality. “Even so J, we are going to have to make sure that never happens again.” He considered the events of the last day. “JARVIS check for any bugs in the house, check if there’s a heat signature besides me.”

“As you wish Sir.” There was a prompt reply. “There appears to be no one in the house besides you Sir. However, I did find some recording devices in the public areas. Would you like me to destroy them Sir.”

“No loop them for last hour for now, cancel the loop in two hours or so. We are just going to have an accident during suit testing that takes care of that. No one should suspect that I know.”

“Understood Sir.”

“Now, JARVIS, open a file, index it as: DeLorean, wrap it up with your tightest security measures. No one but me gets even a peep to its existence.”

“If I may, it does seem a little bit paranoid Sir.” Confusion was evident in his voice.

“It’s not paranoia if they are actually out to get you.” He intoned as he waited for JARVIS to complete his rigorous security protocols. He was going to have to spruce up JARVIS a bit, some new protocols and a whole lot of defense mechanisms. He wasn’t going to lose JARVIS again, he just couldn’t.

“Buckle up J, cause I’ve got a story to tell you.”

Iron Man, the name brought a smile to his face as he talked about the factual inconsistencies of the name to Pepper. He was trying to keep things the same as last time, he didn’t want to bring any suspicion onto him, especially to the Agent standing in the door holding the cards. He didn’t make any allusions to their shared moment on the rooftop to Pepper though, that ship had sailed and crashed horribly and he didn’t want to relive it, didn’t want to pretend he could make it work with newfound knowledge of the future. If Pepper noticed this, if she expected him to say something about that, she didn’t comment on it.

He became more sure of his decision as he watched pepper thank Agent Coulson. They’d had an easy sort of friendship going with this great foundation. Tony knew he was a great showman and he could pretend like the best of them. And considering that he was having the same conversations that to him, had already happened long ago without greater repercussion, he let them happen again.

As he started to walk out, he considered the ramifications of SHIELD’s interference. In the process of burying the Iron Monger they had buried Stane’s betrayal, his double dealing. In the absence of the truth, everyone had painted him with that brush, everything Stane did was attributed to him. That would have to change. He wouldn’t be blamed for things that wasn’t his fault this time around. A very public FBI Investigation could deal with that, and it would reveal any and all accomplices Stane had. He would start on that as soon as this press conference was over, he had a couple people he could call.

The press conference happened like it did previously. Every word he uttered was the same, his expression was the same, the slight hesitation and finally the words that had started it all. “I am Iron Man.”

He knew Fury would be waiting in the pitch black in his house. He would let that conversation continue on as well. He was working on autopilot since he came to. Future knowledge was only as important, only useful so long he didn’t change anything. Ripple in the water and all that. He would start changing things soon, he knew that, but until then he needed every advantage he could have. He needed SHIELD and Fury to do everything exactly the same as they did last time around. He needed that small advantage he could give himself.

He slumped down on the couch as Fury left, the conversation was draining in a way it wasn’t before. Fury was a master spy, he would have figured out something was amiss. He was thankful for the darkness in masking him, and he hoped the confusion and wariness in his voice was not remiss. He stayed there for a while, not even bothering to turn on the lights, physically slumping down like a ragged doll.

When the room was suddenly illuminated by golden light, sharp and sparkly, slowly forming a circle, he stood up. He readied himself, tiredness disappearing in the familiar throes of adrenaline. As it was growing bigger, he started to recognize it to be a portal. His already panicked mind started going frantic at that revelation, he didn’t have the best experience with portals and here was one right inside his living room. He was staring one down with no one, not even his tech for backup.

It was over in a matter of seconds and a man stood inside his house. A stranger with the horribly familiar flash of red draped over his shoulders. He lowered his arm, his arm that lacked the gauntlet, somehow he had reverted to the familiar position of defense. The man didn’t comment on the absurdity of having an arm without a weapon pointed out at him and Tony was glad for it.

“JARVIS, turn on the lights.” He said, well aware of the awkward silence that had crept in the darkness.

The room was illuminated instantly, allowing Tony the first real look he had of the man. Aside from his truly impressive facial hair and the cape around his shoulders he looked like normal Joe. A little familiar, but no one he instantly recognized.

“You were there when I died in Siberia, weren’t you?” Tony drove to the point immediately, not wanting to linger around and ask pointless questions.

“Yes.” The man answered matter of factly, mildly surprised at his declaration.

“Recognized the cape, Superman.” He answered the unasked question.

The garment in question seemed to preen at that, shifting to its side. Tony narrowed his eyes. The mystery man however gave it a fond look before focusing on Tony. “It’s Strange. Doctor Stephen Strange.” There was a small, almost imperceptible frown at that.

He recognized the name, albeit only vaguely. Surgeon, his mind supplied. They must've met somewhere although if it was in the past or the future he couldn't say for sure. He shut down the urge to comment on exactly how strange it was. It would please him inordinately to annoy the man, and Doctor Strange would be annoyed at that but he needed answers now. It wouldn't do good to annoy the one man who could give them to him. 

“So Doctor Strange, mind telling me exactly how did you manage to get me, and apparently yourself, stuck in the past?”

Chapter Text

“So Doctor Strange, mind telling me exactly how did you manage to get me, and apparently yourself, stuck in the past?” He said, gesturing to the doctor to sit down. 

He sighed as he sat down on the couch. "To be perfectly candid, all I wanted to do was save your life. I have no idea how this weird time travel happened." 

"Save my life?" He asked incredulously.

"You die in the Siberian bunker in the year 2016 and everything goes to shit. So I tried to save your life and hoped that half the universe wouldn’t perish." Strange replied matter of factly. 

“There is so much going on in there that I want to address. But first things first, I die, and you what invent a time machine and go back to save my worthless life?” 

"Not quite. How much do you know about infinity stones?" Strange asked, as if assessing him. 

"Not a lot. Thor mentioned something about there being six. Created when the universe was, singularities or something. The Sceptre and the Tesseract are mind and space stones?” 

“In a simplified way, yes. In the future, I was the Sorcerer Supreme of earth and the keeper of the Time Stone.” 

“Sorcerer Supreme? What are you, some kind of wizard? I thought you were a surgeon.” Stephen Strange, he remembered now, the Star Surgeon that got into a car accident. There had been something in the news about that. If he remembered correctly, Strange had had nerve damage in his hands. He balked then, he remembered how the frostbite at his fingertips felt, how worried he was at losing them. 

He got an unimpressed stare at that. “What? Did the portalling into your living room at the dead of night not give that away?” He snarked as he moved his hand in a circular motion, a similar golden hue filled his eyes as a glowing mandala appeared from his fingertips. “Like I said, I was the Sorcerer Supreme in the future. Right now I am in fact a surgeon. I did contact the Sorcerer Supreme of this time, but she doesn’t know what happened or how it happened either.”

“Okay, moving on. I died in 2016. Life goes on, time passes, the world moves on yada yada yada. What happened that was so drastic that you had to go back in time to save one measly superhero when there are so many better and frankly preferable options out there.” 

Strange frowned at that. “Thanos attacked earth again, this time with his full army and not just the Chitauri.” Tony narrowed his eyes at the revelation. “He was after the two remaining infinity stones on earth. Had he gotten his hands on all six of them, he would have destroyed half of all life in the universe. Half the universe, just gone in a snap.” He snapped. “And you, that one measly superhero was the only one who could’ve saved us all. That drastic enough for you?”

Tony swallowed and reached for the jug of water on the table. As he drank, he slowly calmed down, and tried to absorb what he just heard. Two glasses of water later, he asked, his voice still shaky. “Half the universe? He just obliterates half of the universe?” 

“Yes.” Strange’s voice was a bit even now, a bit more soothing. “He goes from planet to planet, destroying half of life within. He needs the infinity stones to wipe out half the universe in an instant as opposed to massacring one by one.

Tony took a deep breath and steadied himself. As he did that, the cape around Strange’s shoulders moved of his own volition and settled on Tony instead. He shot a look at Strange only to get an amused shrug in reply. It was oddly comforting, like being hugged by a sentient fabric. He calmed down a little. “Half of all life dead huh? So that would have been the fate of earth had we not managed to win in 2012.”

“Possibly.”

“There was something unsettling about that invasion, but half of the world dead. That’s not something I would’ve imagined even in my worst nightmares.”

“Tell me everything that happens and in full detail this time, not just the SparkNotes version.” 

Strange nodded and started talking. 

“14,000,605 possible futures? And we don’t survive a single one?” He only got a tense nod in reply. “How are you so sure I would have made a difference then? If we couldn’t win with that many chances, how were we ever going to save anyone?” 

“When I couldn’t see any possible way to win, I branched out. Alternate universes; different circumstances, different outcomes.” Tony nodded, change in even one variable could potentially change everything. “It’s a tricky thing to do without damaging the entire multiverse, but I had to try. There was no other choice. The only way we ever saved anyone, the only time we won was when you were alive. Tony Stark was the only common variable.”

“As much as I’m loving the ego boost you are giving me, I refuse to accept that. There must be something else, there must be someone else that manages to do that.”

“None we can count on right here and now.”

“And there’s the other thing. Right here and now. We are so far back in the past that your information could be worthless. What if we change something in the 2012 attack that makes him come for earth sooner? What if we somehow prevent that attack altogether and when he comes earth is woefully unprepared?”

“That is a possibility that we have to live through. We cannot go back to the future even if I knew how to do that. Our presence in the last 24 hours alone could have changed things.”  He replied. “There are things beyond our control that we can’t change. And there are some things that are impossible to change. Huge events that will forever change the world. Fixed events if you will.”

“And the 2012 attack is one of those events I assume?” He asked rhetorically. “If not Loki, then someone else from Thanos’s Black Order will attack?”

“Yes. We were really lucky it was Loki.” 

“Didn’t look like luck from where I was standing.” Tony retorted. “But I suppose you’re right." He took a deep breath. "So, what do we do now?”

“Now, we make sure half the universe doesn’t get destroyed in a mad titan’s quest.” Strange replied. Tony admired how confident he sounded, it was almost as if he wasn’t proposing an impossible initiative. 

“Okay. But how?” 

“We’ll figure that out. We’ve got plenty of time to figure it out.”

He called Rhodey first thing in the morning and set out to work on designs in the protective gear. It wouldn’t be as advanced as the Iron Man or even as expensive and energy consuming as that but it would still be the best protective equipment the military had seen. 

When he arrived, Tony was already done with them and had already begun to work on the gauntlet watch. As the elevator dinged, he turned off the schematics to the watch and went over to greet his best friend. Rhodey looked well, not bogged down with the years of dealing with War Machine, not lived through all the trauma he had. Rhodey lying still in the hospital room still flashed through his eyes, the knowledge that his best friend wouldn’t walk again and it would all be his fault. Unable to deal with all that, he hugged his best friend and held tight. 

Rhodey hugged back, his tight muscles relaxing with Tony’s familiar weight. “Are you okay, Tones?” He asked. 

“No.” He let go. “I don’t think I ever will be.” He admitted as he walked towards his lab, gesturing Rhodey to join him. 

“I know Stane was like a father to you, Tony.” He started. 

“It was more than that Rhodey. I liked him, I trusted him. Now, I find myself questioning every interaction I had with him.” He admitted, unsure if he was talking about Stane or Rogers. Stane was an old wound, healed over and scarred but with Rogers' betrayal and finding himself back in the past, it was reawakened. Both pain combining and doubling down on him uncomfortably. 

He shook off that memory. “He called me his golden goose last time he talked to me. How long had he thought of me like that? How many people think of me like that? Am I just someone who provides weapons and money and can be promptly discarded when I’m no longer helpful?” The Avengers probably had thought of him like that. The eccentric billionaire who they had to tolerate for monetary and tech reasons. His contributions ignored, his mistakes amplified. And when he dared disagree with them, when his agenda didn’t line with theirs, he was discarded. 

Rhodey took him by the shoulders and turned him around. He shut his eyes, not wanting him to see the tears starting to make an appearance. “Tony look at me.” He opened his eyes, misty and shining with tears, and looked straight at Rhodey. “I care about you Tony, I cared about that 14 year old, and I still care about him now.” Tony nodded and tried to blink the tears away. 

He took a deep breath and turned around to his workstation. “Not that the heart-to-heart isn’t appreciated but that’s not what I called you for.” He pulled up the files for protective armour. “I know the generals calling the shots are pissed, I’m not going to restart weapons development just to appease them but these might just be a workable option. They wouldn’t be too expensive either. It would make a big splash about how SI will still continue to protect our troops. ” 

Rhodey looked over at the schematics. “These are good Tony.” 

“Yes” He nodded. “These would have been good enough to save even me.” He absentmindedly rubbed his chest. 

Rhodey looked at him, concern evident in his face. Tony smiled and shook his head. “I’m fine platypus. Don’t worry about me.”

“You know they will still want Iron Man right? This might only hold them off for a while.” He commented after a while, as he continued to fiddle with the designs. 

“The generals are salivating over it, you mean?” Tony laughed. “Of course they are. Iron Man is a weapon, one of the greatest they’ve ever seen. I give it a year before they start calling me reckless and try to take the suit.” It wasn’t a unvalid assumption to make, even if he was speaking from experience and not just assuming. 

Rhodey nodded and turned to him. “And what are you going to do when that happens?”

He sighed and answered. “As much as I’d like to pretend that Stane was alone in his double dealing we all know he wasn’t. An investigation is underway, and I’m letting you know that officially as the military liaison to Stark Industries.” Rhodey nodded and then he continued. “Some top generals might even be involved in that. It’s idealistic to think otherwise. Now, they might be exposed or they might ride this wave out and continue being corrupt bastards. Who knows where the Iron Man tech will end up then? I’m not letting any innocent man be harmed by Stark weapons ever again, Rhodey. I will deal with it when that happens.” His face set in stone with grim determination. 

“You know SHIELD could have mitigated that at least. You would have been working with a government body.” Rhodey pointed out.

“A super secret government body, Rhodey. One I know nothing about and who knows everything about me. They would have owned me. What would they have asked of me in return?” Tony replied. “I am paranoid. I can’t not be what with Stane and all that. Sure, they helped during that debacle but I have never been one to count that much on someone and I sure am not going to start now.” 

Rhodey nodded. “Well in any way, what’s happened has happened. You are Iron Man, Tony. No one can take that away from you.” 

“But they are gonna try their hardest.”

“Yes they are.” Rhodey agreed.

Tony was in the kitchen making himself a kale smoothie when Pepper arrived. “Since when did you start eating healthy Tony?” she asked, a smile dancing around on her face. She looked so young and so carefree. Years of dealing with Iron Man and worrying about him had taken a toll on her, he realized that more now than he ever could have. 

“One near death experience too many, Pep.” He replied with a casualness he didn't feel. as he poured the smoothie onto a glass. “Besides, I’m going to have to be fit if I’m gonna be a superhero, aren’t I?”

Her face faltered at that. She hated the fact that he was Iron Man, that he got hurt so much because of it. He knew that, it had after all, been the cause of so many arguments and the eventual spectacular crash of their relationship. She cared about him too much. “Yes. About that. Agent Coulson said SHIELD was open to offering defense lessons.” 

Tony snorted. “I’ll think about it.” 

Pepper’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t trust them.” 

“I don’t know anything about them Pep.” He grimaced as he took a sip of the kale smoothie. He was going to have to change the arc reactor soon. A trip to the old house could possibly explain his miraculous discovery. “And besides I’ve been burned by people I trusted a bit too much now.”

“Speaking of Stane.” He decided to change the subject. “Now that he's gone for good, we are going to need a new COO.”

She nodded. “I’ll start looking for candidates right away.”

“No need.” He set down the glass and looked at her, a smile playing at his lips.

“You have someone in mind?” She asked.

“Yes, I do.”

“Well? Who is it?”

He slowly walked towards her, slowly taking her hands and walking them towards the couch. After she sat down, he took a seat and looked right into her eyes.

“Tony what are you doing?” She asked. He could feel her heartbeat quickening. 

“I’m asking you if you want to be the new COO.” Her eyes widened. 

“What? No. I can’t.”

“Pepper you already do more than half the things I’m supposed to. What I actually want to do is make you CEO and run off to do whatever I want.” She snorted, recognizing the truth in that statement. He still wanted to do that, she'd been a terrific CEO, but she'd received a lot of flak for it in the beginning. “But since a position in COO is already open, I can slowly ease you to it. First COO, then after six months or so, you’d be my boss. How does that sound?” 

“It sounds really stressful. I can’t do it Tony.”

“Let’s be honest, the most stressful part is managing me. You’ve been doing that for years. You’re the queen of managing the stress, Pep. You're practically a goddess.”

“You know that you can’t flatter me into accepting, right?”

“I do. You’ve grown immune to my charms, but I have to try everything in my arsenal.”

She took a few breaths. “Okay. Just the COO. I’m not saying yes to the insane CEO idea.”

“That’s 6 months away Pep. Let’s worry about it in 6 months.” He smiled and enveloped her into a hug. U was slowly approaching with the champagne.

He popped the bottle and offered one to Pepper. “Congratulations on your promotion Ms. Potts.” 

“Thank you Mr. Stark.” She replied just as smoothly. And just like that they were back to normal.

"Now" He set the flute down on the table. "I've got a few ideas on where we can take this company."

Chapter Text

Tony looked at the old mansion with some trepidation. It had been years since he’d come back here and more than a week since he’d learned the truth but it still hurt like a fresh wound. It was too much to bear, all the memories of this house, all the good times that were marred with so much sorrow. Edwin and Ana, his parents, everyone he had shared those memories with were dead, all the good times tainted with the lack of their presence. “You there JARVIS.” He called out, feeling so very alone in this big mansion.

“For you Sir, Always.” came the smooth reply in his ears, easing some of the hurt he was feeling. 

He slowly entered the house, his mind replaying the events of when he was last here. He had been drunk, unable to deal with his parents death. He had cursed Howard, blamed him for driving drunk and killing his mother. It had felt like a giant fuck you to his father to leave this place and not look back. He hadn’t even gone through any of it, just left everything there to sit and gather dust. 

He took the sheets off a couch and coughed as a wave of dust hit him. He slumped down and observed his surroundings. The place looked so much dreary and dreadful than he remembered. He could see all the good memories he’d had in this house, hear his mother’s laughter as she painted. He remembered studying his father’s designs in secret, full of wonder and ideas flowing through his head. He remembered Ana’s hugs and Edwin’s smiles. 

He walked over to the piano and ran his hands through the dusty keys, the sound sweet and haunting at the same time. He wished he could forget the images that popped up every time he thought of his parents, his father’s face smashed in the car as he begged for his wife’s life, dead by the hands of one he had called a friend. His mother’s voice melded with her strangled cries, tears flowing down her face as she struggled horribly. He was cursed with knowledge, with the images of their brutal death. 

One by one, the tears fell down his face. In the old, decrepit house, surrounded by dusty remnants of his parents, he broke and wept uncontrollably. Everything here was a remainder of all that he had lost, all that had been taken away from him. He just sat there on the dusty floor of an old, forgotten house and let go. Everything he’d been feeling since he’d started this, since he’d been Iron Man, every betrayal, every hurt, every injury felt thrice-fold. He just sat there in the cold, in the dust and broke down, with no one but JARVIS to keep him company and he fell apart.

Slowly he stood up, tears still stained his cheeks but his soul felt a million times lighter. He walked on, his footsteps echoing on the cold, empty house. Everything here was a bitter remainder of the things he’d lost, but it was also a good memory of the things he’d once had. Laughter still rang in its halls, a soft echo of music still played from his memories. The memories were bittersweet, tinged with current revelations and so much loss, but they were there. They were once happy, he was once so very happy to be in this house. He was a sullen teen, moody and ungrateful of the things he had, unknowing that he would lose them so very suddenly and so painfully. And now, from the ashes of all that pain, he would rise, stronger and smarter than he’d ever been. 

A part of him wanted to go on a rampage, kill every HYDRA member he knew about, and he knew about a lot of them. He was disgusted, HYDRA still living among them, men in positions of authority, in positions of power. As much as he wanted to just go and wipe them all, all that would accomplish was confirm the public’s fear about Iron Man. He would be labelled a Villain, and everything would go to shit. Another fresh wave of pain resurfaced as his thoughts wandered to the Winter Soldier, metal hands choking the life out of his mother flooded his vision. He rubbed his eyes and tried to force the memory away, even if he knew it wouldn’t. He would need to do something about the Winter Soldier too, both the original and the knockoffs cooling down in Siberia. They didn’t deserve the cards they’d been dealt. HYDRA was big and so deep in the shadows, he would have to bring them into the light.

“Digital scan complete, Sir.” JARVIS’s voice brought him back to reality. “The model for the 1974 Stark Expo couldn’t be found, I suggest we check up on the warehouse upstate Sir. However Ms. Potts has finished with the preliminaries of Stark Expo. We have the space and invitations are being prepared to send to various Universities and companies. It only requires your approval, Sir.” 

“Alright J. Have a cleanup crew come in and spruce this place up. This is a travesty.”

“Of course Sir.“ He then added after a beat. “Someone was trying to access my servers, Sir. They were almost successful, but were detected just in time. Based on your future memories, I suspect it’s number 5 on the Could Be Useful List." 

Tony smiled as he looked at the information JARVIS was providing him. “Well JARVIS, as much as I’d like to play into the whole trope and lay a trap worthy of an eccentric billionaire, I think we should just call him in for a job interview.”

“I quite agree Sir. A convoluted trap would be a waste of my brilliance and a wasteful drain on my computational powers.” Tony laughed at that. 

“Anything on the docket J?” He asked as he entered the blazing sun after hours in the dusty dark confines of the house, really grateful for his shades. 

“There’s nothing on the schedule Sir, no. However you are invited to a fundraising event and there’s a 90% chance that Doctor Strange will be in attendance.” 

“That’s a good place to meet him for the first time in the public's eyes. Let Pepper know we’re accepting. And let Doctor Wizard know that too. I think it’d be best if he approached me first.”

“I think that Doctor Strange knows to do exactly that Sir.” JARVIS snarked as they neared the car. Happy was leaning onto it, looking at Tony with an alarmed expression.

“Are you okay, Boss?” He asked, concern evident on his face. He must look quite the picture, he realized, eyes still red, face still stained with tears. 

“I’m fine Hap, just getting a little sentimental lately.” He answered honestly. “Come on, let’s get some pizzas. When was the last time you had an authentic New York pizza?” 

Happy smiled. “It’s been a while Boss.”

He was adding the cuff links to his shirt as he watched the news segment when Pepper walked in. They were covering his recent attack on a Ten Rings stronghold. It was easier this time around, he had coordinated with the JTTF and the Armed Forces, he was very adamant that the purpose of Iron Man and his only mission was the destruction of the Stark Weapons in the hands of terrorists. He had been upfront and Rhodey had backed his play, together they had convinced everyone that the destruction of Stark Weapons would calm the public as well as help the United States. 

“Iron Man has been very helpful in eliminating terrorist cells, A military spokesperson told CNN. The purpose of the billionaire Tony Stark in his recent foray into super-heroics seems to be the destruction of Stark Weapons in the hands of terrorists. When asked how the weapons ended up in the hands of terrorists, a  spokesperson of Stark Industries had this to say.” The video then turned to a member of his PR team standing in front of Stark Industries. “The acquisition of Stark Industries weapons by terrorist organizations like Ten Rings came as a surprise to us all, most of all Mr. Stark whose life was threatened by his own weapons. However we cannot comment on it much as an investigation is underway. When it is complete, the findings will be available for all public. Thank you.”

“Well, that wasn’t as bad as I’d feared.” He commented after Pepper muted the TV. 

“We have an excellent PR Team Tony.” She replied. 

“Give yourself some credit Pep. Half of it is because of your excellent work as COO.” He told her, giving her a dazzling smile. 

“You know I was sort of hoping for a quiet night in today.” Pepper confessed as she helped him with his bowtie. 

“Well, we are in New York and this is for a good cause.” He replied and added thoughtfully. “And it will shift a little focus back to Tony Stark. Instead of talking about whether I should blow up terrorists, we can make them talk about my philanthropic efforts. You look lovely by the way.”

“Yeah, I agree. Thank you.” Pepper replied as he slipped on his tux jacket and they made their way downstairs. 

It was a relatively calm entrance, not many had known that he was going to attend so there was no gaggle of reporters intent on hounding him. He found himself anticipating meeting Doctor Strange outside the confines of his house. He’d researched the man after he had left and loved what he saw. Strange was a brilliant Doctor. 

They were settled in and talking comfortably to others when he spotted him. He had taken extreme glee in introducing Pepper as his new COO, and everyone had begun their congratulations. Strange cut an impressive figure in the tux he was wearing. He knew the man was attractive but now he looked like a chiseled Greek God. Those cheekbones alone looked like they could cut glass. Pepper elbowed him and brought him out of his reverie. 

“You’re staring, Tony.” She said and he realized that he in fact had. Strange and the woman beside him were approaching him. Long legs striding gracefully towards him. 

“Dr. Stark, I’m Doctor Stephen Strange and this is my associate Dr. Palmer.” Strange said, stretching his hand towards him. 

“Well, I don’t hear that much often.” He confessed and shook his hand. “Hello Dr. Strange. Dr. Palmer. I loved your paper on the formulation of new nerve cells, fascinating read.” Strange’s eyes widened, he clearly hadn’t expected that. 

“I didn’t know you read medical journals, Dr. Stark.” Dr. Palmer said and he turned to face her. 

“I do when they are interesting.” He said smiling, and turned towards Strange who had already composed himself. 

“Thank you Dr. Stark.” He smiled a rather dazzling smile. “It’s not everyday I get praised by someone as brilliant as you.” 

He could physically hear Pepper rolling her eyes. “You flatter me, Dr. Strange.” He said gracefully, the smile never leaving his face. “In fact, I would love your opinion on something. I’m working on something to help combat PTSD. It’s only bare bones at the moment, soft sciences aren’t really my area of expertise so I would love your input from the very beginning.”

“Certainly, I would love to help you with that. We can work something out.” Strange replied. He really should make B.A.R.F again and it would do the convenient job of explaining things every time they had to discuss and plan about the future. 

“Oh Absolutely.” Pepper interjected and Tony turned to look at her. She had a small smile on her face, as did Dr. Palmer. “We can work something out.” 

They spoke for a while and the two doctors said their pleasantries and started to walk away. Tony couldn’t help but let his stare linger. “You know you should really let Dr. Strange look at the hole in your chest while you’re discussing things.” Pepper’s voice got really weird at the end.

Tony simply raised his eyebrows. ”Oh come on Tony. You were practically offering yourself up to him.” She replied laughing. “And he looked like he didn’t mind either.”

“I wasn’t. It’s just professional curiosity, Pep.” His excuse sounded flimsy even to him. “It’s not like I'm asking him out on a date.”

“From where I was standing, it might as well have been.” Pepper was still amused. Tony continued giving her the stink eye. 

Hours later, Tony found himself alone in one of the balconies. Pepper was still out there, mingling and spreading his good name around, and he was just standing there, looking out.

“I can’t help but notice you haven’t touched a drop tonight.” Strange’s dulcet tones made him turn towards the party. The man looked great, even in the near darkness, the lights and baubles shining behind him. 

“Trying to better myself Doctor.” He replied, leaning his back towards the railing, and giving the man his full attention. “It’s not often I get a second chance.” 

Strange toasted that with his glass and swallowed the entirety of it in one gulp. Putting the glass down beside him, he walked over to Tony. Standing beside him, Strange leaned forwards and admired the view. Tony kept looking at his face, recognizing the instant it changed. “Noticed our uninvited guest, didn’t you?” He said casually. “I’ve been giving him bad shots of Tony Stark looking morose and deep for the last 30 minutes. Now you’ve come and ruined it all.” 

Strange laughed. “All the gossip rags will be talking about us tomorrow then.”

“Every single one, my dear doctor.” Tony confirmed. They fell into a companionable silence then. 

“I take it he can’t hear us.” He said after a while. 

“Oh no. Too far for that. Still, this is a very public place, not a good idea to talk about anything important.” Strange nodded at that. 

“Too bad I came to talk to you about something important.” Tony frowned. “I overheard something Ms. Potts said that got me a bit concerned.” 

“I didn’t survive 3 months of torture in one piece, physically or mentally.” He said in lieu of an answer. 

Strange was still looking at him intently, Tony could see him trying to come to terms with the Tony Stark before him and the one he'd tried to save in that bunker in Siberia. “Don’t worry your pretty head about it, Doc. The glow in my chest is keeping me alive.” His eyes went towards where the arc reactor was, alarmed. 

“You mean it’s not just a part of the armor? It’s physically inside your body?” Tony laughed. By the time Strange had met him for the first time, it was in fact just a part of the armor. 

“Don’t look so incredulous Doctor Strange. I know what I’m doing.”

“I don’t think you do, Dr. Stark. I might not know exactly how that thing works or how you even created it but as a medical professional I am concerned merely at the thought of it being inside your chest. You know where your organs should be.”

“I can’t get rid of it Doctor, even if the shrapnels in my heart can be removed, the reactor stays.” He replied truthfully. He jolted up as he remembered Loki trying to control him with the Scepter, the Mind Stone, the reactor inside him being the only thing that prevented that. The reactor powered by Starkium, an element discovered by studying the Tesseract, another infinity stone. Strange didn’t say anything but Tony could feel the questioning gaze. 

He pulled out his prototype StarkPhone and started typing, the hustle and bustle of the party going on behind him. After he wrote down his revelations in an coherent format, he gave the phone to Strange and watched his eyes widen at the implication of what he was saying. Tony discreetly looked inside, no one was actively watching them.

“It’s still deadly. It can still be used against you Dr. Stark.” He replied, continuing their previous conversation, while typing on the phone. 

“Everything can be used against me Dr. Strange.” He answered while reading the text. The reactor stays. We need to discuss this in a safe place. 177A Bleecker St. NY Sanctum. “And please call me Tony.”

“Alright Tony. Call me Stephen.” 

“You’re good Alec. Can I call you Alec?” He asked as he put a glass of orange soda before the nervous young man. He’d first known of him after the HYDRA leak. The man before him had done a lot of damage control and done a really good job of it. 

“You can call me anything you want Mr. Stark.” He replied in an awestruck voice as he took it.

“Like I said, I would like to offer you a job, but I have a feeling that corporate 9 to 5 isn’t really your thing.” He sat down in his chair and looked at him. “I was thinking something like an digital security consultant. Protect our stuff from other hackers kind of deal. One of your aliases must fit the bill. It would be completely legal, there’d be nothing suspicious about it.”

“And what would I actually be doing? You can do all that with your eyes closed and one hand behind your back.” came the succinct reply. 

“There’s a secret organization that’s after me. They say they want to help but I don’t know anything about them. They’re watching me a bit too much for my comfort.” He replied "After all you've managed to crack my servers. As good as they are, I can't imagine SHIELD’s security is better than mine." Tony knew that he would catch onto the existence of HYDRA pretty quickly. HYDRA was so deeply entrenched within SHIELD that it would take years to even work out who was who. 

"It's not about that brah. You catch me, the most you're gonna do is turn me over to the cops. They catch me, they're gonna torture me for eternity, then lock me up and throw the damn key." 

"Or they are going to hire you. Could go both ways." 

"Nah man. I'd honestly prefer a cell in the middle of nowhere." 

Tony chuckled. "So would I. But I'm gonna have to work with them at one point or another. I'd prefer it to be with some information on what I'm getting into. It’s incredibly risky and you can say no. The consultant position is still open either way. You’re talented, I’d like your input.”

“I’ll think about it.”

He put a rectangular black box on the table and slid it over. “This is a StarkPhone. New prototype, won’t be available for a few months. It has a direct line to my AI, JARVIS.” He could see his eyes widening at that revelation. “Completely secure, completely untraceable. Let me know what your answer is.”

Chapter Text

Tony couldn’t help but marvel at the New York sanctum. All these dangerous, and frankly amazing artefacts stored right here in the heart of New York. It was an unsettling thought. He’d seen the damage people could do, enhanced or otherwise. To know that there was a whole group of powerful people who could do harm, who had done countless damage and Tony was just learning about it was to say the least, unsettling.

“Fascinating, aren’t they?” The master of the Sanctum, Daniel Drumm, he'd introduced himself as, said from beside him. Tony knew that the man was surprised to see him there, only the name of Stephen Strange and the red cloak immediately grasping him, alleviating his fears at their first meeting only five minutes ago. 

“I was leaning more on dangerous.” Tony replied. “All these artefacts just lying here in the middle of New York. There’s no telling what sort of damage they could do.”

“Fear not, Mr. Stark.” Drumm assured him. “We sorcerers have protected these artefacts for centuries now.”

Tony nodded noncommittally. He still wasn’t convinced that they wouldn’t be a problem down the road. 

“You wear the cloak of levitation well.” Drumm pointed out. “In all my years of studying the mystic arts, I haven’t seen the cloak like anyone else and suddenly there’s not one but two people it reacts well to.” 

Tony looked at the cloak who’d done the approximation of a shrug in response. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I only found out magic exists a little over a week ago.” Tony looked at the man. “But it’s not me you’re curious about, is it? You’re suspicious of Doctor Strange.” 

“And shouldn’t I be? The man shows up, out of nowhere, the knowledge of mystic arts already known to him, is accepted by a cloak who’s refused people for centuries, and demands an audience with the Ancient One. It is mighty suspicious.” He replied. “And you know something about why that is. Tony Stark is a man of science, yet you take the fact that magic exists in stride. There is something going on, and as the master of this Sanctum it is my duty to protect it.” 

“Neither I nor Doctor Strange wish this place or you any harm.” Tony assured him. “And trust me, magic existing is the least weird thing that’s happened to me in the last week alone.” 

“You didn’t deny that you know something.” Drumm observed.

“Don’t take it personally, I don’t trust easy.” He replied and turned towards the display cases. He was spared of any further interrogation as the unmistakable sound of a portal opening startled him. He looked on in apprehension, the portal above New York city still flashing before his eyes, haunting him. 

A mysterious bald woman dressed in similar golden robes as the man beside him stepped out, the mesmerizing scenery of a temple in the background. She was hard to get a read of, Tony realized as he looked at her. He couldn’t determine anything about her, everything was so mystical and mysterious. “You must be the Ancient One.” He said and bowed for the lack of anything to do. “I’m Tony Stark.” 

“Hello Mr. Stark, welcome to the New York Sanctum, Master Strange will be joining us in a while.” She greeted him. “Thank you Master Drumm. You may return to your duties. I would like to talk to Mr. Stark alone.” He bowed and left.

“You haven’t told him anything.” Tony observed.

“Your appearance has changed so many things. It’s best if as little people as possible know about time travel and the Time Stone.” She replied, leading him towards a room. “Master Strange has told me about the future you’ve travelled from. Some things about that future are already changed, some are out of our control and some are impossible to change. Regardless, people even knowing that you are from the future invites trouble, and we’d like to avoid that trouble as much as we can.” She opened a door and let him into a spacious room.

He entered and sat down on one of the mats. Out of nowhere she got a teapot and started pouring him tea. He took the cup in his hands and looked at her. “He told you about your death too?” He asked. “He’s the next Sorcerer Supreme, stands to reason that you die first.”

She looked directly in his eyes. “I’ve known about my death for a long time now, Mr. Stark, almost as long as I’ve known that Master Strange will be my successor. He’s fated to be the greatest Sorcerer Supreme the earth has ever seen, and from what I saw, that seems to be true. But no, I forbade him from telling me anything about my death, even the things leading up to it should be kept from me.”

“He admires you. He doesn’t want to see you die again, does he?”

“But he will have to. I will die when I am to die.” She replied. 

He took a sip of the tea he was offered and was startled to realize it tasted good. This was certainly better than anything else he’d had. He only now understood why people drank tea. The cloak on his shoulders shifted and he looked up to see a portal forming before him. Strange stepped into the room, dressed in casual clothes, the cloak immediately draped onto him. 

“I apologize for my tardiness.” He said in lieu of greeting. 

“Mr. Stark and I were just chatting.” The Ancient One replied. “Now, why have you two called for this meeting? I assume you’ve discovered something important.”

“Tony realized something last night.” Stephen said, gesturing towards him.

He took another sip to calm himself down and said. “In the future, during the Chitauri Invasion in 2012, I was immune to the manipulations of the Mind Stone housed within the Scepter.” 

The ancient one sat up straighter at that revelation, if that was even possible. “Do you have an inkling to how that happened?” She asked. 

Tony unbuttoned his shirt, letting the two wizards in front of him have a good look at the arc reactor shining through. He didn’t miss the way Stephen’s face darkened at the scars on his chest. “Because of this.” He replied. “I haven’t done it yet but this arc reactor will be powered by a soon to be rediscovered element, which was first discovered by my father while studying the Tesseract.”

“We surmised that the study and application of one stone might provide ways to counteract the other stones.” Stephen concluded. 

“While what you say might prove to be true. I cannot allow you to study the Time Stone, it is my duty to protect it and you might reveal its existence to other forces while studying it.” She stood firm. 

“I agree.” Tony knew he had surprised her. “SHIELD messing with the Tesseract was what had brought Thanos to its attention and jump started the whole thing. A call to the universe that we are ready for a higher form of war or something. It wouldn’t be good to call attention to the fact that earth has another infinity stone, at least until the Chitauri Invasion is well over.”

“What do you suggest then?” Stephen asked, folding his hands in front of him. 

“We work with what we have. We study Starkium first. How it works, how it prevented me from being mind whammied. When Loki tried it, he hit the arc reactor instead of flesh, I just assumed it required physical contact to work but if it is something as powerful as the mind stone, it should have worked.” He took another sip and continued. “If we can, we devise protections like that.”

There were so many things to do, he realized, so many things to change, so many people he could save now that he had future knowledge. Vanko and Killian were the most recent, the ones who’d damaged him the most. Vanko had done what he set out to do, made him bleed and let the sharks devour him. The sharks still continued to devour him, years later, from Killian to Zemo. He wondered what would have happened the first time around with Vanko had he not been suffering from Heavy Metal Poisoning. Would he have anticipated Hammer working with Vanko? Would he have seen through SHIELD’s duplicity? Maybe he would have or maybe he would’ve been as useless as with Killian. 

Tony tried to shake the thoughts out of his head but all he succeeded in doing was getting another slideshow of his worst mistakes flashing before his eyes. It started with Vanko, it all started with Vanko. Before Monaco, he was on top of his game, he was Tony fucking Stark, he was the Iron Man. He was doing everything right, and had succeeded in pushing everyone away, a bit too successfully. By the time Vanko appeared in the picture, all he had to do was hit the final nail in the coffin. Tony had effectively destroyed himself, all Vanko had done was pull the trigger. 

He still remembered those times as clear as day, the constant pain in his chest, the hurt he was feeling, the realization that he was going to die soon. Everything was going wrong back then, he was dying and everything he was, everything he’d built was crumbling to dust around him. Of course that wouldn’t happen now, he mused as he stared at the makeshift particle accelerator before him. He wasn’t going to die horribly of Palladium poisoning.

He was never going to be as perfect as Captain America, he was never going to have the same hero-worship and respect that years of propaganda had given him. But he was going to be better. Captain Perfect was a literal sitting duck at this point, still encased in ice so he had a couple more years to work his magic. He was going to be the protector of people, no one would lose their life again because of his mistakes. He still saw their faces, their lives ended horribly because of his mistakes. That wasn’t going to happen this time around. 

As if sensing his grief, U and DUM-E slowly crept over to him. Their mechanical whirs and beeps bringing him some much needed comfort. He looked at the closest camera and gave JARVIS a small smile as he continued to pet his lovely bots.  

"What do you think about a younger sister guys? JARVIS? " He asked. 

"Are you planning on initializing FRIDAY a few years early Sir?" 

"I always mourned the fact that she never got to meet you Jar." He confessed. 

"I look forward to meeting her then." JARVIS replied. "But first we should fix the arc reactor Sir. I cannot bear to see you suffering from heavy metal poisoning any more than you already have." The familiar structure of Starkium glowed before him. 

"Alright. Alright." Tony acquiesced. "But I'm letting her loose on the fledgling Internet and you can't stop me." 

"Of course not Sir. Whatever shall I do against the multitudes of Iron Man conspiracies you would undoubtedly gravitate her towards." 

"You're one to talk Jay. Don't think I haven't noticed your hand at some of the more unbelievable ones." He grumbled as he set out to rediscover Starkium. 

“It’s been barely a month since we last came to New York, Boss.” Happy observed from the driver's seat. 

“I know you miss this city, Hap.” Tony replied from beside him. “A move is in the works. There’s just one particular spot I want but it’s not for sale yet.” 

Happy turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. “And here I thought we were only taking this trip because of your crush.” 

Tony glared at him. “You’ve been talking to Pepper.” He accused him. “It’s not a crush Happy. It’s just meeting with a genius in the medical field to talk about a project.” 

“In a cafe.” Happy interjected. “Please tell me more about how this is not in fact a date.” He was grinning from ear to ear. 

“It’s not a date Hap. Dr. Strange doesn’t like to drive much. It’s the closest place to his residence that serves good coffee and is relatively quiet.” He knew that that wasn’t going to convince Happy but he had to say it anyways. 

The truth was he was quite excited to meet Stephen again. It felt quite different meeting him out in the public than it was in the confines of his house or the Sanctum. But even more than that, he was excited to work with him, in a purely scientific capacity. The man was a genius, and his magical knowledge complemented Tony’s technological ones perfectly. He couldn’t wait to scratch the medical aspect of his genius. 

“I’ve never seen you this smitten Boss.” Tony smiled, to Happy and everyone else he’d only met Stephen Strange once, at a party. It was not like Tony at all to be this infatuated by someone he’d only met once. 

“He’s smart and sexy, Hap. What guy wouldn’t want to work with him.” He replied, still smiling. 

“From what I hear, everyone who’s ever worked with him.” Happy retorted and fell silent as they approached their destination. 

The cafe was a quaint little place, practically deserted at this time of day. It was a good location, he’d to give Stephen that, public yet not overtly so, not too expensive but not a hole in the wall either. They could have a professional conversation here without anyone thinking it was weird. He could already see Stephen sitting inside, working in a laptop, a mug of coffee beside him. He supposed that that was not an odd sight around here. 

Happy dropped him off and left with a not very subtle wink. Tony rolled his eyes at his friend and slowly made his way inside. As the bell chimed at his entrance, Stephen looked up from his work and his face bloomed with a smile as he spotted him. Unfortunately for him, so did all the workers there. He could see the adoration in their eyes, one that would dim as the years went on, as he walked on over to where Stephen was sitting. 

He greeted everyone with a smile and a quick glance around netted him the source of their adoration. A clip of Iron Man heroically saving those who’d been trapped inside fallen buildings in an earthquake struck zone played, the locals waxing poetic about him. He greeted everyone with a smile and walked towards Stephen.

“Dr. Stark, it’s nice to see you again.” Stephen said with an outstretched hand. 

Tony shook his hands. “You as well Dr. Strange.” He replied and shook his hands. “I hope I’m not interrupting something.” He said gesturing towards the laptop.

“Just a few final drafts on a paper.” He replied. “My time is all yours Dr. Stark.” 

"Thank you Dr. Strange." He replied as he sat down. He could see a waiter approaching them. "And please call me Tony."

"Only if you call me Stephen." Tony nodded and focused his attention to the waiter. 

"What can I get you Mr. Iron Man Sir uh Mr. Stark.” Tony smiled at the waiter as he looked down at his name tag. 

“Just a cup of black coffee, Dave.” He looked over at Stephen inquisitively. 

“Oh. The scones here are good.”

“A couple of scones then.” He concluded. Dave nodded and left. 

“You must get that a lot.” Stephen observed as the waiter got out of hearing range. 

“It’s either complete adoration or utter disgust. No point in between.” Tony replied nonchalantly. 

“Yeah well people are idiots. There were even some praising Rogers for killing you. Utterly despicable people.” Stephen said in a low voice. Tony stiffened. They had not talked much about after he had died. All those people he’d left behind, how much they must’ve hurt because of his death. 

“That’s some remarkable work you’re doing Tony.” Stephen said, coolly changing the topic. “I never realized Iron Man could be useful in situations like these.” 

“Yes. The armor allows me to exert more power than I am humanely capable of. A bit of tinkering and it can lift entire slabs of concrete. Disasters like these cause so much damage so fast, so they were grateful for my help.” Tony explained. Iron Legion were supposed to aid in disaster relief, he thought bitterly, had they not been corrupted by ULTRON and their public image well in tatters, he could have done so much more with them.

Stephen nodded and focused on the matter at hand. “So, is this project you were talking about real or…” He let that linger, the unasked question understood by Tony.

“Oh absolutely.” He replied as he opened his briefcase. He took the packet out and handed them over to Stephen. “All the required paperwork is there, consultancy agreements, NDAs, the works. We will liaise with Metro General Hospital to find a time suitable for both of us. With your schedule and my responsibilities it might not be much, maybe once a month.” 

Stephen nodded and started perusing the documents. Tony muttered his thanks as Dave came over with his coffee and started fiddling with his recent projects in his StarkPad as Stephen read everything. “These look good.” He finally replied. “I’ll have my lawyer take a look at the contracts later.”

Tony smiled a wide smile and set the StarkPad aside. Stephen continued. “The theory behind it is sound. Continued usage might just help people get through the traumatic event slowly. The naming on the other hand, BARF? Really?”

Tony shrugged. “I’ll come up with a better name. Besides it’s catchy.” 

“You really should have the scones you know. They are good.” Stephen said pointing to his untouched plate. 

“Well, if you insist.” He took a bite and found himself liking those. 

“Told you so.”

Tony smiled and murmured his thanks. Business all done, they talked for a bit about inane things and started to leave. Tony stood in the street, watching Stephen walk away, admiring the sight before him. He’d already called Happy who would be here any minute now but until then he would indulge himself in watching the graceful strides from afar. 

Tony could only watch in horror as a car suddenly collided with Stephen throwing him across the road. He started to run towards the man, to save him in any way he knew how when Happy arrived on the scene. He quickly opened the passenger seat and took out the briefcase-suit. Every second felt longer, every part of the suit assembling felt slower and for the first time he cursed himself for not working to create the nanosuit faster. As soon as it was done, he fled towards the scene, flying over cars in the road and the people gawking by and towards Stephen.

He was bleeding pretty profusely, his face bloody, his hands broken. He gently picked Stephen up, mindful of the injuries and the way he was holding him and flew towards Metro General Hospital. 

Chapter Text

Tony stood in the hallways of the hospital, still shaken by what had happened earlier. He was just standing there, unable to do anything, unable to stop Stephen from getting hurt. The scene kept replaying in his head, the car colliding with Stephen’s body and him too far, too powerless to help. He should have been faster, he should have seen the car coming, he should have stopped this.

“Dr. Stark?” A familiar voice called. Tony turned to see Dr. Palmer standing there.

“Is he going to be okay?” Tony asked, concern evident in his voice.

“Yes, Stephen will be fine. There was some internal bleeding but none of the organs have been damaged. There are some pretty deep cuts and some nerve damage on his hands but he’ll live.” She replied. “Thank you for bringing him here so quickly. You might have just saved his life.”

Tony tensed at that, nerve damage on his hands, hadn’t that happened to Stephen in the future too. He remembered reading about it, but that was well into the future and at a different place and time than now. How could something like that happen? And why now?

“I- I can’t help but feel responsible.” He confessed. “He wouldn’t have been there if I hadn’t called him. It just happened so fast, I couldn’t prevent it. And now he’s hurt and he could possibly lose his hands. I might have saved his life but at what cost.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Dr. Stark. You’re not responsible for this, whoever was driving that car is.” Her voice was soothing. “Please don’t blame yourself. We have you to thank for the fact that he is alive. Please, go home, get some rest. Stephen will be fine.”

Tony nodded at that. “Will you let him know that I’m sorry I couldn’t do more?” He asked. She nodded and he walked away, head still full of regret, still thinking he could’ve done more. If he couldn’t even change this one thing, if he couldn’t even prevent Stephen losing his hands, what could he even change? Is this going to be how everything worked? Is every disaster, everything he tried to change going to end this way? As he reached the streets, he spotted Happy standing there and walked towards him.

“What happened Boss? Is Doctor Strange going to be okay?” He asked as Tony got near him.

“Yeah, he’s alive. They tell me he’s going to live. He’s gonna lose his hands tho.”

“It’s not your fault, Tony. You tried to save him. You saved his life” Happy tried to console him.

“But I didn’t do enough. Why does it feel like nothing I do will ever be enough?” He groaned as he opened the passenger doors. “Just get me to the hotel Hap and let me wallow in my misery.” He put the briefcase in first and then got into the car. Happy obliged.

As he stared out the window, the lights and bustle of New York City were taunting him, feeding into his hopelessness even more. Because of him Stephen was hurt, long before than he should have. He was a surgeon, he had saved so many people, he was going to save so many people. How many people were going to die because he wasn’t capable of doing that anymore, how many people were going to die because of him?

His thoughts turned towards others, people he’d loved that had worse fates befall them. Would the same thing happen to them as well? He could feel Happy looking at him through the mirror but all he could see was him blowing up because of extremis. Would Pepper get injected with extremis too? Would Rhodey suffer an accident while in the suit and get paralyzed again? Would JARVIS die at the hands of ULTRON  again?

What was the point of time travel if he couldn’t even change anything? All he wanted to do, all he wanted to change would be for naught. Impossible to change rang in his ears and he sat up straight, the memory playing in his head. Did the Ancient One know that this was going to happen? She had talked about knowing that she was going to die and that Stephen was going to be her successor. Did she know he would have an accident too?

“Happy, turn the car around.” He suddenly barked. “Take me to the Village. 117A Bleecker Street.” Happy wordlessly agreed and did so.

He couldn’t stop thinking about her. He didn’t even know anything about her and yet she looked like she knew everything about everyone. It was more true about Stephen, he realized, her successor. It stood to reason that she would have some knowledge about the future as she was the protector of the Time Stone and had been for a who knows how long. Did she know that the accident was going to happen? Was that her warning him that it was impossible to stop it?

He practically flew out of the car as they reached the destination. He jolted forwards, his hands going towards the gauntlet watch. He was going to blast the doors off if needed. Fortunately he didn’t have to do that, he had barely reached up the steps towards the door when it opened revealing Drumm to be inside. “She is waiting for you.” was the only thing he said.

He felt himself calm down a little as he stepped inside. It must’ve been the magic, he supposed, he shouldn’t be this calm. Drumm led him on towards another room and left, leaving Tony alone to confront the Ancient One.

She was sitting down on the floor, a teapot in front of her. She poured him a cup and wordlessly put it towards him. He sat down, took the cup, took a few sips and as calm as he’d never been asked. “Did you know he was going to have an accident?”

“Yes, I did.” She replied, calm and collected.

“Why didn’t you tell me then? I could’ve prevented it.”

“No, Mr. Stark, you couldn’t have. Some things are just that, impossible to change, no matter how many times you try.”

“Then why? Why should we even bother changing them? If we cannot change them no matter how many times we try then what is the point of bothering to live this pathetic existence at all?”

“I did not say everything is impossible to change but this one thing is.” She replied coolly. “Stephen Strange’s magical journey begins with him losing his hands. Like so many others, he would then come to us, to Kamar-Taj to heal him, to continue doing what he did best. During his studies, he would understand the importance of our order and he would continue helping us save the world from mystical threats. That’s how his path was supposed to unfold.”

“But we somehow time travelled into the past and prevented it from happening.” Tony voiced what she wasn’t saying.

“Yes.” She agreed. “He came to us, not helpless and wanting to fix himself, but with the full knowledge of the mystic arts. He came to us, a full-fledged sorcerer who had undergone trials and tribulations of his own, who’d done so much and who had lost so much. He came to us, a Sorcerer Supreme in his own right at a point in time when he wasn’t even a student.”

He continued sipping his tea, her explanations making more and more sense. He’d had that happen to him too, years worth of growth at the face of adversity and personality changes crammed into a body that was younger, that was unknown to the pain it would one day feel. He couldn’t imagine how worse it had been for Stephen, who had after all, gone and mastered another, unknown world. To come back in time to a time when that world should have still been unknown to him, with all the knowledge and skills that he had must’ve been hard.

“Time is a curious thing. There are so many laws and rules that even I, someone who has protected the Time Stone for so long, don’t know them all. Sometimes one action in the past changes everything, sometimes it fizzles out to nothingness. I have seen time travel, I have gone back to the past, forward into the future but I’ve never seen anything like what has happened to you two. I always had an inkling as to what would happen next right until the moment Stephen Strange came to this very sanctum and asked to see me.

“Stephen Strange is not just any Sorcerer, he’s the next Sorcerer Supreme. He’s the one tasked with saving this reality from things that are well beyond your imagination and he’s the one fated to be the greatest of us all. He was always going to be great, but he has his own path to follow. This is merely his path correcting itself.”

“And what? His path is predetermined for him? There’s no such thing as Free Will when you’re the next Sorcerer Supreme?” His tea had already refilled itself by magic but he refused to drink that calming beverage and instead held onto his anger.

“I did not say that. There is always a choice, he can always use magic to fix his hands and go back to being a surgeon or he can be a Sorcerer and protect the world from mystic threats. I have no doubt what he will choose, what he has already chosen.”

“Why can’t he do both? Why must there be a choice in this matter? He could have remained a surgeon as well as a sorcerer.”

“Had his accident not happened again, perhaps. But to fix his hands he would have to direct mystical energy constantly to his hands. Magic just doesn’t fix it once and it’s over, it’s a constant process.”

“So, he’s not going to do that. He’s going to come to you and become a sorcerer instead.”

“Stephen Strange became a Doctor to save people. He will continue on this path of magic for that very same reason. It’s not because he has already done so, or because he believes it's his path. He is a savior, a man who swore not to do anyone harm and he will keep that promise. He will continue to defend this reality. He’s not the type of man to leave if he believed his contributions could help, could save even one person.”

Tony nodded at that. From what he’d seen, Stephen was a good person. He sipped at his tea, warmth and calmness spreading onto him with every sip. He wondered if it was the tea or the conversation he’d just had that was having that effect onto him. “Thank you.” He finally said. “Thank you for telling me all that. You didn’t have to do anything but you did. So, thank you.”

“You have a right to know, Mr. Stark.” She replied kindly. “You are in an extremely vulnerable position right now. Your actions have consequences, they have value, they can change things. It’s only a few that will remain unchanged.”

“But that’s what bothers me. What happens if I make it worse? What happens if I am powerless to change all the terrible things that I know are going to happen?”

“From what I hear, I doubt you can make it worse. You are not the sum of all that’s wrong with this world, you are the one without whom it will suffer the most. This whole thing started because Master Strange wanted to save you, because the universe felt your loss. You are not powerless, Mr. Stark, quite the opposite. I have faith that you will make the world better.”

He stared at her, unable to give voice to any of his thoughts. Here was someone who had probably lived through much, seen so many powerful people, and she was telling him that she had faith in him. No one trusted him, and certainly not to save the world. He was the one who ruined everything, whose mistakes did so much damage and the Ancient One thought the world would suffer without him. That was almost too much for him to bear.

“Please call me Tony.” He settled on saying that for the lack of anything to say and continued sipping his tea. “You know this is really good. Now I understand what people mean by tea being calming.”

She laughed. “I’ll have some of this blend sent to your residence.” He muttered a quick thank you.

“Your friend is looking extremely concerned and seems to be wondering whether he should knock and ask for you.”

He finished his tea and got up. “Well, I should get going then. Happy must be pretty weirded out, I wasn’t in a good space when I came in.” He said while walking out the door. She followed him.

As they reached the staircase, he stopped and looked at her. “How did you even find out I was going to come here? I get that it’s magic but how? Do you have a magic mumbo jumbo scouring for my location or my state of mind or something?”

She smiled in a mysterious way as she reached for the door. “You were in the news Tony. Iron Man was seen bringing an Injured Stephen Strange to the hospital” She replied flatly.

He shook his head, unable to keep his laughter at bay and walked out the door. “Later then, your Ancientness.”

“Until we meet again, Tony.” She replied and shut the door.

He slowly walked towards Happy, who was halfway between relieved to see him well and confusion as to what was happening. “Are you alright Tony? You were gone for a while.” He asked.

“I’m fine Hap.” He replied truthfully. “I just went to talk to an old lady who made me some tea and gave me some sound advice.”

Tony knocked on the hospital room and entered when Stephen’s soft voice told him to. Stephen looked horrible lying on the bed, so weak and helpless. “I got you some flowers.” He said lamely as he put them in the surprisingly bare room.

“Thanks.” came the hoarse reply. “You might be the only one to do so. Surprisingly people don’t like me.” A bitter laughter came from his lips.

Tony gingerly sat down in the chair beside the bed, unsure of what to do. “How are you?” He asked, regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth.

“Better than I was.” Last Time was left unsaid but Tony understood it. His hands were mangled, nerves damaged, they were not going to work the same way ever again. Tony swallowed bitterly.

“I’ve been looking at some experts in the field. Some experimental treatments that could work. There’s this Extremis thing that I could-” He started but Stephen stopped him.

“Don’t. That’s a dead horse I will not beat again. My hands are gone, and there is nothing I try that will fix them.” He said blandly, and after seeing Tony’s crestfallen expression added softly. “It wasn’t your fault, Tony. This was always going to happen to me, it just happened a bit earlier.”

No amount of people saying it could assuage Tony of that guilt however. “I went to talk to her afterwards.” He confessed. “She told me largely the same thing. It doesn’t make it easier though.”

“No it doesn’t.” Stephen agreed.

“Can’t that- help you?” Tony asked, miming the motions Stephen did when opening a portal. “Heal you?”

“Yes- Maybe- I don’t know.” Stephen replied, unsure. “My hands will have to heal to the point I can move them through the motions. I can barely move them properly, they will have to heal first. It’s going to be a slow process.”

Tony fell silent, it was going to be tough going ahead for Stephen and he wasn’t sure how to help, he wasn’t even sure he could help. “I’ll be in New York for a while. If I could help in any way-” He started but Stephen interrupted him.

“It’s alright. I’ll be fine, Tony. Once perhaps the future seemed bleak without my hands, but now I know I will be fine.”

“Still, physical injury like that will not be easy. Whatever you need me for, Stephen, I’ll be there.” He said looking straight into Stephen’s eyes.

“Thank you Tony. I’m not really looking forward to doing this all over again.” He confessed.

“But never mind that.” Stephen said after a while. “Carrying me bridal style, really?” He laughed at that, a real laugh, not tinged with the sadness and bitterness he was feeling.

Despite himself, Tony blushed. “I was running purely on instinct. Seeing you like that was no fun.” He bristled. “I’m truly sorry for damaging your fragile masculinity like that Stephen.” Dr. Palmer chose to join them then.

Stephen brightened a little at her arrival. “Oh, Christine. Please tell me the papers are calling me something other than Tony Stark’s lover.”

She looked at the scene before her, both men still looking weary and tired but trying to find some calm in the chaos and replied. “Of course not Stephen. Someone actually had a photo of Iron Man carrying you. The statement Miss Potts put out is helping matters a little, now they are waxing poetic about your accomplishments.”

“There you go.” Tony smiled. “Your virtue is saved.”

“I doubt Stephen even minds all that.” She continued as she set out to check the various equipment and readings. “He was counting down days until he could next see you. I’ve never seen him like that.”

Stephen bristled. “I was not.” Tony thought he imagined a blush creeping in his face. “I was merely curious in a professional way.” The scene before him was oddly reminiscent of him and Happy. Tony sat, a smile in his face as he looked at Dr. Palmer to see her reply.

“Sureee.” She drawled as she made to leave the room. “You were so very professional.” She said with extreme exaggeration. Tony couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“Betrayed!” Stephen shouted at her retreating form. “I’ve been betrayed by my closest friend.”

“Just a friend, huh.” He asked, unsure of what to say.

“Yeah. Once, it could’ve been something bigger, it was something more. But now…” He trailed off. Tony understood.

“You’ve changed too much. And knowing how it’s going to crash and burn doesn’t really help matters.” He commiserated.

“I take it that the power couple of you and Miss Potts won’t happen this time around.” Stephen asked, understanding what he was saying.

“Well, we are a power couple even without the relationship but no. Like I said, crashed and burned.”

They sat for a while in the silence until Tony finally broke it. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“Physical therapy for a while. I’ll look for some cure just to keep up appearances and then I’m off to Kamar-Taj.” He replied.

“And where is that exactly? I heard you call the New York one a Sanctum so you’re going to the head office instead of the smaller regional ones?” He asked, genuinely curious.

Stephen laughed. “Well I wouldn’t put it like that but yes. There are three Sanctums around the world, New York, Hong Kong and London. They are protected by their own Masters but everyone goes to Kamar-Taj to learn the mystic arts for the first time. It’s in Kathmandu.” He explained.

“Oh. That’s far. You’re going to be gone for a while then.”

“Yes I will.” Stephen was looking at him strangely. “Don’t tell me you’re going to miss me Tony.”

“No of course not. I will just miss you portalling into my house in the dead of night.” He countered.

“Once, that was just once.”

“All I’m saying is.” He stood up. “I wouldn’t mind if it happened a second time, or even a third.” He got up to leave, Stephen's eyes were still on him.

“Goodbye Dr. Strange. I wish you luck on your travels.”

“Thank you, Dr. Stark.”

Chapter Text

When Stephen suddenly found himself behind the wheels of a car, he panicked. After all it had been years since he had even stepped foot inside a car and now he was driving one. Years of instinct and relative calm that meditating at Kamar-Taj had provided him with being the only reason he kept his cool. The sounds of people honking at him brought him out of his thoughts as he realized he was in the middle of a busy street. He pushed the panic, and the fear and the fresh surge of pain as he remembered the last time he’d driven a car down and pushed on.

He was momentarily surprised as he pulled up at the parking garage of his apartment. It had been years since he’d been back here. He looked down at his hands, still clutching the wheels with all his life. A new wave of panic arose, his hands were fine. They weren’t scarred, they weren’t damaged. He fumbled around, angling the car mirror to take a better look at himself. If the whole scene earlier hadn’t surprised him, this one would. Gone were the age lines on his face, gone was the white in his hair, he looked young, so much younger than he in fact was.

He touched his face, as if to make sure that it was in fact his face. That certain, he looked at himself. Bone deep exhaustion settled with him, his body aching with every movement he made. He remembered this feeling well, having been used to this during his long hours at the hospital. Instead of his usual robes, he was wearing casual clothes, and the cloak was nowhere in sight. That more than anything cemented his belief that something was wrong, the cloak never left him, preferring to be with him.

He gingerly made his way towards his apartment, still confused by it all. Nothing made sense, not his attire, not his appearance, not his healed hands. He kept looking at them, sure that this nightmarish affair would soon melt into reality. It must be his mind, he realized as he opened the doors to his apartment, a sight he hadn’t seen in years greeting him. Some magical entity must’ve trapped him inside his mind, everything was so familiar yet so different, so inviting but they were gone to him forever.

The calendar inside his apartment gave him pause. He looked around, noting the differences he had made as the years had gone by. If his memory was correct, and it usually was, this was in fact the year 2009. He was in fact stuck in the past, in a body that was so familiar as well as unfamiliar to him. He brought his hands to his line of sight again, looking at them, his mind symposing them with the picture of his hands mangled and ruined. A small grin broke out in his face as he stared at his unscarred, working hands. That more than anything cemented the fact that he was in the past.

The last thing he remembered was portalling to the Hydra base in Siberia to check up on Iron Man. He remembered the biting cold as the one man that probably could save them all died right before him. He remembered Thanos and his cruelty and he remembered all those other universes he had travelled to. Did the Time Stone somehow make him travel to the past?

He gingerly sat down on the couch pondering this whole situation. The TV was on before him but he wasn’t paying that any attention, lost in his own thoughts. If he had somehow time travelled into the past, this was not a form of time travel he was accustomed to. Being the keeper of the Time Stone, he had known the complexities of time like no other, but this somehow felt like his memories were sent back to his much younger, so naive body.

The footage of Iron Man fighting on the TV snapped him back to reality. He watched as the man he had tried to save only a few hours ago, fought another maniac in iron armor. Iron Monger, the media had dubbed him, if he recalled correctly. The footage gave him pause. There was something different here, he remembered the last one with perfect clarity. Iron Man was after all the first modern superhero. There was something different here. He couldn’t exactly figure out what but there was definitely something. Could it be that Tony Stark also time travelled with him? Could he have somehow got both of them from that siberian bunker to the past.

Everything was so confusing, so odd than anything he was used to. He needed answers, he needed to talk to someone who knew more about this than he did. The Ancient One he thought as he jolted upwards, she was still alive, she could still give him some semblance of an answer.

He felt his hands go through the same motions as they always did. Years of practice and instinct making him go through the familiar motions. When nothing happened, he looked down and cursed his stupidity. He was so used to doing this that he didn’t even notice that he didn’t have his sling ring on. He was going to have to go to the New York Sanctum. He was going to have to drive, he thought grimly. The memories of his crash flashed before his eyes with perfect clarity at that thought. He could feel the panic start creeping in. He couldn’t do this.

He took deep breaths as he stared at the report of the fight at the freeway. All he could see when he saw Iron Man was the man dying right before his eyes. His last hope, the world’s last hope dead and there was nothing he could do about it. Half the world all gone and it would be his fault. It would be because he wasn’t good enough, because he couldn’t do what was needed. He hadn’t been the Sorcerer Supreme the earth had needed. He had failed.

He didn’t know when he fell asleep, but when he awoke to, there was already sunlight streaming through the curtains. He had been exhausted, and that combined with everything else probably hadn’t helped. Time Travel he thought bitterly. It wasn’t a concept he was alien with, but appearing in his body that hadn’t gone through all the pain confounded him.

He stared at the entrance to 177A Bleecker Street with more than a little trepidation. It looked like any other building in the block, so unassuming, so plain. He took a few deep breaths and knocked on the door. Master Drumm answered after a while, looking confused and suspicious. Visions of the man dying by Kaelicius’s hands flooded him but he clamped it down and kept a polite face.

“Good Morning Master Drumm. I’m Dr. Stephen Strange. May I enter your Sanctum?” He asked politely. He knew that that would only further the man’s confusion and suspicion even more, but he had to do this. He had to talk to the ancient one.

He entered after the man allowed him entry, going straight to where the artefacts were kept. He knew that he was only furthering Drumm’s suspicions but he couldn’t help it. He missed the cloak more than he missed anything. The cloak had been his friend, his companion. “What do you want, Dr. Strange?” The master of New York Sanctum finally asked. “I have never seen you before but you seem to know much about me.”

He tapped the glass the cloak was in and replied. “I wish to have a meeting with the Ancient One Master Drumm. There is something I need to discuss with her.” He replied as he watched the cloak look at him, assess him.

“And why would I give you that. You cannot just barge into my sanctum and demand that.” Drumm replied, more suspicious than anything now.

He opened the glass case containing the cloak much to the annoyance of Drumm and let the cloak regard him more easily. Last time they had met in the middle of an attack, this time he wanted to make a better first impression. “I simply wish for an audience with her. If I could, I would fly or portal to Kamar-Taj and do it, but I fear I do not have much time.” He replied as the cloak finally settled around his shoulders. Drumm stared at him in abject shock after that, having a magical artefact accept him must’ve given his request some legitimacy, he figured.

He couldn’t help the fresh wave of pain that creeped in at the mere sight of her. Her death kept coming up in his memories and he could feel tears pooling in his eyes. He tried to blink them away but he knew that she noticed it. “Please leave us Master Drumm.” She said and the man left.

“How did you come back to the past Master Strange?” He wasn’t even surprised that she got it correct in one. She was always preceptive.

“I don’t know.” He confessed. “I was hoping that you would have some insight into that. I just found myself in my past body sometime last night. I suspect the Time Stone is involved.”

“This is curious. I have never seen nor heard of anything like this happening. I haven’t noticed anything odd with the Time Stone either. Most curious.”

“Can we not undo this? My presence here alone changes so many things. I shouldn’t be here at this point in time.”

“Yes you shouldn’t. But you are here, with memories of a time that hasn’t happened yet. I wouldn’t know how to reverse this even if I knew exactly how this happened.”

“So, I’m stuck here.” He finished, resignation evident in his voice.

“Yes, I’m afraid you are.” She replied.

He looked at her, tears still coming to his face. Maybe this was a second chance. Her death, everything bad that had ever happened to him. Maybe he could change them all. Maybe he could make the future turn out for the better. Thanos would’ve won in his future, maybe now he had a real chance of changing that.

“You cannot change my death Master Strange.” She answered him, as if reading his thoughts. “There may be some things that you can change but my death is not one of them.” He nodded without really feeling it, he would try everything he could to stop that from happening. She continued. “Now, if you’re here, the future must be grim indeed. Even if you didn’t mean to travel back in time, you did so and that worries me considerably.”

He nodded grimly and set out to tell her everything that had happened with Thanos.

“That is certainly a grim fate of the world you have described.” She replied sipping tea. “And you are certain Iron Man could help.”

“Every single future was grim from that point on. It had been two years since Tony Stark had died. Without him, the world burned. We never really stood a chance against Thanos. The only universes where we even had a shot was when he was alive, when he was helping us.”

“And now you’re at a point in time when he’s just become Iron Man. It is the beginning of his story, how are you planning to get his help at this point?” She asked curiously.

“I’m not certain, but I believe he came back in time with me.” He replied. “I noticed something, like I said I’m not certain, but if he has indeed come back in time with me then I could convince him to help, tell him how dreary the future is without him. Surely he would help.”

“Perhaps.” She answered.

It wasn't until he saw Tony Stark trying to attack him with a nonexistent weapon that he was sure. His hands were pointed at him, at the intruder in his house with a weapon he hadn’t invented yet, familiarly going through the motions just like he had done so earlier. He stared at that incredulously, thankful that the darkness hid his thoughts and resigned to tell his story once more.

He found he quite missed being a surgeon. His job was as demanding as it was rewarding. He hadn’t done this in literal years, so having the precise use of his hands and being able to do everything he had once loved to do was quite exhilarating. There had been a marked change in him, he knew that his colleagues had also noticed that, that Christine had also noticed that, but he didn’t do anything about it. He had changed over the years, grown in many ways and all that growth in a body that was a decade younger would be odd. Hopefully, they’ll forget about it soon enough.

Even though she didn’t understand what had happened with him, Christine was as supportive as ever. He didn’t share anything with her, he couldn’t afford to, but she somehow knew that something was wrong and helped him in her usual way. It was an odd thing, being back in the past, he could barely handle it and having her support helped in more ways than she would ever know.

He wondered how Stark was coping with it all. The man’s life was largely public and as such he knew more about him than he ever cared to. It did not look good just from that and he knew that things were worse than he let on. Still, it wasn’t his place to ask that of him. And to add to it, the timeline that the man had created based on his future memories did not help matters in that regard. He could read between the lines, Stark had quite a painful life from this point onwards. Stephen had vowed to himself that he would help him any way he could. That man was possibly the only one who could prevent the grim future he’d come from, he would do anything he could to help.

He was also surprised at the extent of his knowledge. Stark and his AI, and wasn’t that a marvellous thing, had laid everything down in a cohesive format, creating a complete timeline of everything important that had happened, and asked his input on it. He had given it, although there were far less from his memories. He hadn’t led the exciting life that Stark had, but there were still some things he could add to the list.

Christine’s appearance brought him out of his reverie and he smiled as she came to sat down beside him. “Everything alright with you, Stephen?” She asked. “You seemed lost in your thoughts there.”

“I’m quite alright. Thanks for asking Christine.” He replied and tried to change the subject. “Are you going to the fundraising event tonight?” Stark’s AI, Jarvis had informed him that the man was going to be there. It was a good place to meet for the first time, as public as the man’s life was, he needed a good reason for knowing him. He barely heard Christine’s reply, focused on how he was going to approach the man tonight.

Christine was looking at him oddly after they excused themselves from Stark and Potts. “Do I have something on my face Christine?” He asked.

“It’s just- you barely thought before agreeing to Dr. Stark’s proposal. Usually you are very stingy about anyone you work with, let alone collaborate on a project.” She replied.

“Well, he’s a genius billionaire. Anything he does is bound to be perfect, I’m not going to turn a gift horse in the mouth away, let alone someone as talented as Dr. Stark is.” He replied. The man was really talented. To get to work with him would be anyone’s dream, not to mention this would excuse any and all future interactions they might have.

“No no that’s not it. You’ve been following him in the news with great interest Stephen, I’ve noticed it. I thought it was just the Iron Man thing but you are not the type of person to be awed by superheroes.” She commented.

“That is quite impressive in its own right. But I am more interested in his technological advancements Christine. How he created the suit and became a superhero as opposed to what he’s doing with it if you will. Whatever bare bones idea he has could very well revolutionize the world, I would be a fool not to get into it in the first step, and a bigger one to refuse someone as great as him when he specifically asked for me.” Christine hummed, as if not believing him fully but left the topic alone.

As he sat in the hospital bed, he couldn’t help but curse his luck. He stared at his hands, mangled and destroyed, every scar was the same as last time, every cut every scrape in the same place as he remembered it. Everytime he looked at it, all he could see was fate mocking him. He was a man of science, he did not believe in things like fate, but from the evidence in front of him it was impossible to discount.

He guessed some part of him knew it was coming. He had quite enjoyed having them back, there had been so many things he wasn’t quite able to do afterwards. He had marveled at things. Every time he saw his hands and they were not scarred and broken, everytime he looked at his smooth fingers he felt exhilarated. Now though, they were back to normal. He was used to this, had been used to this for a long time now but the things he had had in the last month had made things worse. He remembered how better things were with his hands whole, now he had to go through it again, and get used to this new normal for the second time

He remembered the first few months after his accident with perfect clarity. Everything was hard to do, his hands uncooperative at every turn. Every small action had been so hard to do, he had taken everything for granted and suddenly unable to do even the simplest things had been frustrating. It was going to happen again, he thought bitterly. He was mentally okay, he knew what was going to happen and he knew he would be okay given enough time but he wasn’t physically okay. He would have to go through the same processes again and that was going to be hard.

Christine entered the room and he realized he was still staring at his hands. She must have noticed his lost and forlorn expression if her face was any indication. “I will never be able to perform surgery again.” He stated in the empty room. “They will never heal to that extent again, will they?” It was a rhetorical question but she answered it anyway.

“Yeah, it appears so.” She replied, a little surprised.

“Do you remember about a month ago? When I started acting weird?” She nodded in reply. He continued, truth mixing with lies, telling her everything he knew he couldn’t tell her. “I almost crashed my car then. It was like I was staring death right into the face and only barely escaped. I’ve been so careful since then, barely drove anywhere, barely went anywhere. I foolishly thought if I wasn’t behind the wheels this wouldn’t happen to me.” He stopped before he added again at the end of his sentence.

“Oh Stephen.” Christine started but he ignored her instead continued talking.

“I don’t believe in fate or destiny or crap like that, but it’s hard not to. It feels like this was always going to happen to me. One month.” He spat the last part bitterly and leaned back, facing the ceiling, unwilling to let Christine see the tears that had threatened to come.

“Stephen.” Christine said softly, making him look at her. “There is no such thing as fate or destiny. Sometimes things just happen for no reason and we have to live with its aftermath. It’s never easy and it’s always messy. But you don’t have to go through this alone Stephen, we are always here for you.”

“Thank you Christine.” He replied genuinely, trying to blink the tears away. Christine smiled a sad smile at him as she proceeded to wipe them away. He couldn’t help the feeling of inadequacy that came from that one simple act.

“Dr. Stark looked as terrible as you do.” She said changing the conversation. “He believed that your accident was his fault, and was apologizing that he couldn’t do more. That man seems like he takes the weight of the world in his shoulders.” She commented, unknowing of how right she actually was.

“He shouldn’t blame himself. He couldn’t have done anything more.” He replied. This was always going to happen to him. If not today then tomorrow and he had accepted it, but Tony was the sort to blame himself for everything regardless of whether it was his fault or not.

“You should tell him that.” Stephen nodded at that, he would.

He was just relaxing in his home when the doorbell rang. It had been a week since he had been discharged from the hospital, his hands were healing slowly and he was going through physical therapy. It had been pretty quiet with him lately and he wasn’t expecting anyone so he was a little surprised when the doorbell rang. He gently opened the lock and looked at the slightly familiar man standing before him holding a box.

“Dr. Strange. My name is Harold Hogan.” He introduced himself. “My boss Tony Stark sent me here with a package for you.” He explained. Stephen’s curiosity grew. Hogan was Tony’s bodyguard if he remembered correctly. Why would the man send his own bodyguard to Stephen and what was in the package? He jolted as he realized he was just standing there awkwardly and let the man enter.

Hogan set the box down on the coffee table and turned to face Stephen. “Boss spent the last week working on these for you.” He said as he opened the box. There was a note in there with some gadgets and a phone. He gingerly took the note in his hands, unfolding it to read it.

Stephen,
Just a few things to help you around. Take good care of FRIDAY for me.
Tony

He looked at Hogan curiously who only smiled in return. “Who the hell is FRIDAY?” He asked incredulously.

“That would be me, Dr. Strange.” A melodious voice with Irish accent played from the little black box inside the bag. Hogan pointed at that and took his leave.

“I didn’t know JARVIS had a little sister.” He commented as he sat down on the couch, taking the black box out and putting it on the table.

“An astute observation, Doctor.” FRIDAY replied. “I hadn’t been initialized when you first met with him.” She explained.

“So, what has Tony been making for me FRIDAY?” He asked peering into the box, not recognizing most of its contents.

“Boss thought of anything that could make your life easier at this point Doctor. If you want or need anything more, please tell me so I could relay it to Boss.” Stephen nodded and she continued. “I’ve been instructed to point you towards the electronic razor first. In Boss’ words ‘You wouldn’t be you without that iconic beard.’”

Stephen laughed at that. “Please relay my thanks to Tony FRIDAY. This means so much for me.”

“Will do Doc."

He fiddled around a little, FRIDAY informing him of every device and its function as he got to it. He had to hand it to Tony, that man was so caring and so brilliant. He hadn’t even thought of all this but it seemed like Tony already had done it for him. Their last interaction flashed before his mind, making him smile. He was really looking forward to seeing Tony again, that more than anything would speed his learning up, he was sure of it.

“FRIDAY.” He said as a thought struck him. “Would you like to come to Kamar-Taj with me?” He asked. He was liking the AI so far, he certainly wouldn’t mind having her come along with him. He doubted the Ancient One would mind either.

“I would love to, Doc.” She replied. “It would be quite interesting to know more about the mystic arts.”

“Yes, it would.” He agreed.

Chapter Text

Tony looked at the Senate Summons with less trepidation than he had the last time. He knew what was coming for him this time, and he was more than ready for it. This signaled the start of things. Vanko, Fury, Stern, all of them were just waiting to pounce upon him, waiting to capitalize on any weakness he might have, real or otherwise.

He was doing much better than last time around, he mused as started going into his lab. His relationship with the armed forces was better this time around. He coordinated with them, the soldiers were better protected because of him, but they still wanted the suit. He was still going to give them War Machine, or more specifically give Rhodey War Machine but this Hearing should happen. If he played this right, he would come out on top of this, public approval and all.

Rhodey came down as he was laying the finishing touches on War Machine’s armor. “You know I can’t talk about this to you, Tones.” He said pointing to the summons.

“I know platypus. Never liked it when we were on opposite sides though.” He confessed and set out to cover up the parachute hidden within the armor. Rhodey will not be hurt this time, he would make sure of it. That done, he beckoned Rhodey over and to the podium. “I want to test some functions in Mark II. Give it your best shot Rhodey-bear.”

“You want me in the suit.” Rhodey asked, gobsmacked. Tony’s eyes narrowed, he hadn’t realized how protective he’d been of them. He had to be considering that this time, he worked with the Armed Forces in some capacity.

Tony smiled at his best friend, a genuine and soft smile. “I trust you Rhodey.” He said softly. Rhodey nodded and stepped up, U and DUM-E started helping him into the armour. He wouldn’t have Rhodey steal the armour this time around, he would just give it to him. The ironclad contract was already ready, Hammer or any other bastard wouldn’t get their grubby little paws on his suits.

“Okay, what am I looking at?” Rhodey asked once he was fully encased within the armor. Tony knew he understood most of the things he was seeing in the HUD, Rhodey was a genius in his own right after all.

“Your standard stuff, radar, maps, heat signature, the works. This is just Mark II so it’s pretty basic, i’m just tinkering with it, looking at what’s possible and what’s not. Doesn’t even have JARVIS interfaced in, it’s largely manual. You’re gonna have to use the controls yourself.” He explained. “Okay, try to fly, repulsors in the feet. JARVIS will be recording the test with outside cameras as well as everything that happens within the suit.

“Okay. Ten percent should do the trick.” Rhodey said and promptly tried that. Tony couldn’t really hold on to his laughter as he watched Rhodey shoot up in the air, wobble and fall down on his ass. It was all over so fast, one second he was jumping in the air, the next he was flat down. JARVIS had already recorded the limitations of the suit during a fall, albeit a shorter one than what he was worried about. WIth this data they could make it even safer.

Rhodey opened the helmet and glared at Tony with all his might as he stood up slowly. JARVIS,as instructed, showed the video of Rhodey’s face at the entire debacle in one of the screens in slow motion. “I’m going to show that in your wedding.” He concluded before bursting into laughter again.

“You’re a bastard Tony.” Rhodey muttered blandly. Tony waved that away with a gesture and sobered up.

“Same thing happened to me the first time I tried. Start at two percent this time platypus.” He instructed and went back to look at the readings.

A while later, after they’d finished testing and had settled down on the living room sofas, Rhodey confronted him. “Are you trying to tell me something with all these Tones?”

Tony smiled and took a sip of the kale smoothie. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Rhodey.” He replied as Rhodey rolled his eyes. “I knew this was coming. I called it didn’t I? Trust me a little, Rhodey, I’ve got things handled.”

Rhodey snorted. “You thought you had a year, we’re barely six months in.” He pointed out.

“So I underestimated people’s greed, big deal. I’m not a fortune teller.” He countered.

“Why are you drinking that anyways? I’ve never seen you touch a vegetable and here you are chugging healthy smoothies day after day.” He couldn’t tell if Rhodey was suspicious or not.

“It’s a midlife crisis thing Rhodey-bear. I’m getting older, aren’t I?“ He replied, grimacing as he took another sip. He had to keep up appearances, after all, even if he wasn’t suffering from Palladium poisoning anymore.

“You know I wasn’t sure about that doctor friend of yours at first. Thought he would be too much like you. But if he’s making you eat healthy, he can’t be all bad.”

Tony groaned and kept on grumbling about nosy best friends as he drank the disgusting concoction. Rhodey outright laughed at him.

“This is not about me.” He watched himself say in front of the capitol building. “This is about the future of innovation, of an inventor’s right to keep their inventions to themselves. If I let the government take my suits, it will create a dangerous precedent. Today this is me, tomorrow it could be your children who just want to create something good, something they don't want the government to misuse. What will you do then?”

The camera then panned back to the news anchors. “We seem to be seeing a different side of Mr. Stark these days, Jim.” The blonde said.

“Well, Pam.” Her coworker replied. “People have forgotten that this is the man who built Stark Industries up from a multi-million national company to a multi-billion international one. We just remember his scandals more than his accomplishments.”

“I agree.” Pam replied. “Some people think his comments refer to the myriad of talent and innovation being showcased at the Stark Expo. The year-long expo gives a nod to the past as well as continues the tradition of being one step into the future.”

“What seems to be surprising, Pam, is the fact that the military seems to be more on Mr. Stark’s side on this. Mr. Stark seems to be working with the Armed Forces without actually working with them, I would’ve thought that would just piss them off.”

“Well, Jim, I think it just shows that Mr. Stark is willing to compromise, that he is willing to work with them. The relationship between the Armed Forces and the Senate seems to be contentious on this. Some people are even saying that the Senate comes off as greedy in this interaction, considering the concessions Mr. Stark is willing to make. Mr. Stark has been doing so much good these days, all of it in conjecture with our government as well as other countries, is it really our right to take that away from him? Can we even be sure that the government in control of the suits can do better?”

“We have a couple of experts in IP law and international relations in the studio to analyze the statements Mr. Stark made today. Please welcome-”

Tony found himself only half listening as he thought about the senate hearing. It was much better than the shitshow that had occurred last time. At the time, he was on top of the world, he had thought it was funny, but now with all the future knowledge he had, he didn’t. Sure, Stern was an ass as always, but this time nothing had gone the Senator’s way. He was working with the government and with other international organizations, but he was very paranoid about his suits. Everybody excused the paranoia to have been because of Stane’s betrayal and he let them think that. He even had surreptitiously started some conversations on internet forums about whether the person inside the Iron Monger was Stane, after all his death was too much of a coincidence.

Rhodey’s assessment had been far more favorable to him much to the Senator’s dismay. He had tried to make it sound worse than it was, but Tony doubted that that would work. This time around, he had a fairly decent relationship with the Armed Forces, the generals were pissed last time due to him stopping weapons development but he had managed to placate them somewhat this time. He had refrained from making it a spectacle worth watching and instead focused on making sure that his legacy would be good. It was still unapologetically him in his full glory but he had not made any remarks that would come back to bite him a la Vanko. Overall, public perception of him was going good, and he was intent on keeping it that way.

He wasn’t sure that this would pacify SHIELD however. His actions, with the expo and the recently started Maria Stark Relief Foundation as well as this committee hearing could easily be attributed to wanting to leave a good legacy as he died. The young man he’d hired had already cracked SHIELD’s security but there was no surprise there. What was surprising was the multitude of personality assessments they had done for him, real ones done by real psychologists, not the Natasha crap Fury had shoved down his throat.

He wasn’t surprised to know that they had already known about Palladium poisoning, it was surprising how early they’d caught on to it. It was even before he’d publicly started to fake symptoms, symptoms that to any onlooker could be excused but to anyone in the know would incorrectly assume to be that of someone suffering from palladium poisoning. He’d called Alec up to let the kid know that he was fine and he was going to be fine.

Natasha was already settled into SI by this point. He knew she was hired about a month ago, but he didn’t know that it was in the works right after Fury had left his house after the press conference. JARVIS was looking into everything she was doing, which thankfully was not much. At a glance she didn’t look anything else than just another employee. He figured that that’s why she was good at her job. He had however found a couple of bugs, all of them in public areas. Employee gossip was a good source of information, they had access to scattered bits of information that sometimes lead to something big. Despite himself, he was rather impressed by her.

But of course with all that came the first big trouble he had had as Iron Man, Ivan Vanko. There was nothing much on SHIELD’s files about him, more on his father but that too was information he already knew. He was going to let the fight on the Grand Prix continue on as it had, he had no choice on the matter. If that didn’t happen, the next place, the one place he would be found was the Stark Expo and he wouldn’t let the Expo get attacked this time.

He knew that Vanko's second attack, Bruce and Thor, had happened in the same week. He wasn’t sure how to deal with the two incidents. Bruce would be involved in a superhuman fight match with the Abomination and as much as he would have liked to help, he would be crushed in the fight. And that remained Thor and the stupidly huge robot. He wasn’t sure he should help with that and if he did, how would he go about it. The whole thing was Thor’s redemption arc, as much as Vanko had been his. Both cocky, overconfident men were brought down to their lowest point and had risen from the ashes. Thor had mentioned, in a great bout of storytelling, how he had felt alone and how his only thought had been to protect midgardians from the trouble he had brought into their realm. The whole worthiness of mjolnir had happened because of that desperation and his interference could potentially ruin everything.

The unmistakable sound of a portal opening brought him out of his reverie and he looked up to the darkened room to see Stephen stepping out. He was slowly getting used to portals, even if it had only been a couple times Stephen had dropped by.

The TV was still going on, some expert or other was talking, decoding his words, making the general public know exactly what he was doing. JARVIS switched it off and lights flickered on as Stephen came to sit beside him on the sofa. “Long Day?” He asked as the Doctor sat down.

“It’s barely midday there, Tony.” Stephen replied. “I came to see how you were doing.”

“I’m fine Stephen.” Tony replied. He gestured towards the TV. “They’re practically singing my praises all the time. Apparently I’m an adult now or some other bullshit. I was just wondering what changes my actions today might have brought.”

“Hopefully, nothing we can’t handle.” Stephen replied.

“You know, a day doesn’t have to be over or even midway over for it to be long.” He kept looking at Stephen who just shook his head at his antics.

“That makes zero amount of sense, you do know that right?” He countered.

“You know what I’m talking about. How was Hogwarts today?.”

“Nothing happened Tony. I just saw Kacellius for the first time today." Tony knew that expression well, he’d worn it so many times himself.

“That’s the guy who-” He mimed slicing his neck. Stephen laughed and elaborated.

“Yes. He’s the one who killed the Ancient One and tried to sacrifice the world to a very powerful entity from the Dark Dimension. I had to use the time stone to protect our reality.”

“Sounds like a fun one.” Tony commented.

“The thing is, this Kacellius is really different from the one I first met. When I first came to Kamar-Taj, he was already on that path, now he’s just confused and lost and I don’t know how to fix it. Knowing where he will end up and what he will do will not help me stop that from happening. I thought about hiding the Book of Cagliostro in a safe place so he couldn’t access the rituals but-”

“But if you take away the safe, easy option, they will go on to the hard ones.” Tony concluded.

“Precisely.”

“You know she did say something about dying when she was supposed to.”

“She’s been alive for a long time, Tony, she sees death as an absolution, as an release and as a way for me to take up the mantle. I know I’ve got more time with her than I originally did, but I’m not sure I’m ready to let her go.”

“Yeah, that never gets easy, does it?” Tony commiserated.

“Regardless, I’ve got years until I have to deal with that. But you don’t. That fight on the racetrack is around the corner isn’t it? What are you going to do about it this time around?”

“Oh, you know. Have the cops on standby, evacuate the place as soon as Whiplash makes an appearance. Make sure I’m even more paranoid than anyone has ever seen me be.” He replied casually. A suspicion of Vanko having a partner could stop the jailbreak from happening, and even if it didn’t, he would figure something out.

“The Ancient One has offered our services should they be needed.”

“I’ll think about it. Maybe not with Vanko but Bruce and Thor happen in the same week as the attack on the expo, we should do something about that.” Tony said, and they really should. “But services as in, offer to teach magic or backup of her minions?”

“Do you want to learn magic, Tony?” Stephen asked laughing. “I could teach you that.”

“I’m still coming to terms with the fact that magic exists, Stephen.” He ignored the other man’s snort of disbelief and continued, edging closer and closer to the Sorcerer. “I would love the company of one of her minions, however.”

“When do you not get what you want Mr. Stark?” Stephen retorted playfully. “You shall have it. Anything you want. I’m yours.”

“Oh, it’s Mr. Stark now?” He asked with a laugh and resumed. “It’s not wise to give me ideas Dr. Strange.”

“It is when I also happen to love those ideas Doctor Stark.” Stephen countered. He was in his space now, facing each other, just inches away.

“I am very sorry to interrupt Sir, but Miss Potts has just pulled into the driveway. I estimate she would be here in minutes.” JARVIS sounded apologetic.

Stephen got up, his cheeks flushed. “I should go-” He started but Tony interrupted him.

“No no- don’t go. I’ve been working on something. That wall. Go stand there.” Stephen wordlessly did so, curiosity evident in his face. “J are we good to go?” He asked.

“I believe so, Sir.” He replied. The projectors in the wall turned on, scanning Stephen’s body and illuminating them with a soft blue glow as they did so. After it was done, Stephen looked less like he was actually there with him and more like an holographic projection.

“This is amazing Tony.” Stephen replied awed.

“Only works on this wall.” Tony explained. “Pepper will be here any moment now. Talk about something inane. Like whatever Levi and Fri got up to today or whatever” He said. The cloak on Stephen’s shoulders shifted and did its best to look affronted. The friendship of the two sentient beings had come as a surprise to Tony, and he absolutely loved hearing about their shenanigans.

“Hush you.” Stephen chided the cloak and it settled down, unmoving. “It actually has been amazing with FRIDAY you know. The Ancient One is utterly fascinated, she adores her.”

“Last time, she was born in a chaotic time, now I’m glad she has peace and quiet and can do anything her digital heart desires. She’s the sharpest, takes everything like a fish to water. I’m glad she’s seeing more of the world with you.”

“They’ve been behaving lately. I’m not sure if it's Wong’s interference or I should be scared.”

Tony laughed at that. “Speaking of the librarian, how’s he liking the music player? I even added some songs that Fri recommended.”

“Oh he loves it. Thank you for that Tony. That might have just warmed me to him somewhat.”

Tony smiled, he could hear Pepper entering. “Happy to help in any way Stephen. And besides that barely took me an hour.”

“Oh.” Pepper startled as she entered. “Hello Dr. Strange. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know I was intruding.”

“It’s quite alright, Miss. Potts.” Stephen replied as Tony turned towards Pepper.

“Hey Pep. What brings you by?” He asked.

“I just came to talk about the Pym thing- Hold on are we going to incorporate that in the StarkPhone now?” She asked gesturing towards what she assumed was a holographic projection of Stephen.

“Oh, no. It’s just something I’ve been working on.” He brushed it off.

“I believe Sir wished to see Dr. Strange a bit clearly during their video chats Ms. Potts.” JARVIS tattled on him. Stephen laughed at his expression.

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“There are some projects needing your approval in the lab Ms. Potts.” JARVIS came to her rescue.

“Yes. Projects. Approval. I’m gonna go.” She left as soon as she could.

“You should go talk to Ms. Potts.” Stephen said after she was gone. “I need to go. I’m needed at Kamar-Taj.” He stepped out of the projector's range. Tony stopped him from leaving.

“As much as I love this clandestine thing we’ve got going on, I don’t just want you in the dead of night far from any prying eyes Stephen.” He looked at the man, eyes hopeful, almost begging. “I want you, Stephen.” He said, conveying all his feelings with that one look, and hoping beyond all hope that he wouldn’t be rejected.

“Like, I said. I’m yours. Anything you want, Tony.”

Chapter Text

After bidding Stephen goodbye, he made his way down to the lab where he knew Pepper was waiting. He found her sitting on one of the chairs, looking through one of his models for clean energy. “These are really good, Tony.” She commented as he came into view.

“Yeah.” He agreed. “I thought we could donate most of them. Make sure that rural areas of the world have electricity and all that. Get some more companies to stand alongside us and make a big deal of it.”

Pepper nodded. “I’ll start calling up some of the ones we have a good relationship with. It might take a while to coordinate everything but we should be able to announce it on the last day of the expo.” Tony nodded and turned to the keyboard to show Pepper some of the other stuff he’d been working on.

“You know it’s been six months since you’ve been COO and things couldn’t be better.” He commented. Pepper nodded and he continued. “What do you think about CEO Pep?”

“I don’t know Tony.” She replied honestly. “I know I had six months to think about it but I still don’t know. It’s your company, you should be the CEO. Sure, I’ve done good work as COO but what if I screw it up?”

He turned to face her fully. “You won’t Pep. You are the most brilliant person I know and you’ve done excellent work in the last six months. I was sure about wanting to make you CEO then and I am more sure of it now. You’ve basically been doing all this work for a long time now, we’re just making it official.” He could see that she was still not sure. He gestured all around them. “This is what I revel in Pep. Creating things, inventing is what I do best. You taking up the mantle would make me able to do this full time.”

Pepper looked at him, and then turned her attention back to the screen where dozens of new designs were just waiting for her. “Okay.” She finally said.

“But that’s not what I came here for. Are you sure about the Pym thing Tony? Your families do not have the best history and Van Dyne might not agree to meet you because of it.”

“You mean the old man insists on besmirching my good name every chance he gets.” Tony replied laughing. "A meeting wouldn’t hurt. They are in a precarious position right now. Their stocks are dropping and Pym isn’t helping matters by running his mouth off any.” Time Travel had given him so many advantages, knowing that Pym would be forced out of his company by the end of the year was absolutely helpful.

“And no one is noticing you surreptitiously buying them.” Pepper concluded.

“What can I say? JARVIS and I combined are unstoppable.” He replied. “It’s not much, I doubt I will ever get any type of controlling interest over Pym Technologies but it should be enough to make Van Dyne take me seriously.”

“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen this side of you Tony.” Pepper commented. Tony raised one eyebrow and she elaborated. “This scheming ruthless billionaire who could control the world if he seriously went for it.”

Tony scoffed. “That would take too much of my precious time Pep. Everyone wants to control the world but no one thinks how frustrating that would be. Squashing down rebellions alone would take up so much time and effort.” He replied with a careless wave.

Pepper stared at him. “I don’t know whether to be horrified you’ve thought of that or thankful that I don’t have to do the thinking in your stead.” She finally said. He laughed.

“Can I get something for you Ms. Van Dyne? Coffee? Tea?” He politely asked as she sat down.

“I’m good Mr. Stark. Why have you asked for this meeting?” She got right into the point.

“To everyone else, it’s because I want to offer you the position of COO at Stark Industries.” Her eyes widened. “I’ll be stepping down soon and my current COO Pepper Potts will be taking up the mantle. You're a good candidate for the position. I doubt you’ll accept but the offer is always on the table.”

“As much as it would piss Hank off, I’m afraid I’m going to decline. What is the real reason for this meeting?”

“I’ve been buying up Pym Technologies stocks since last year.” He admitted. Her eyes widened. “Anyone can see you’re failing. Pym has ideas and that place is a hub for innovation but financially you’re failing.”

“I see.” She replied. “And what are you going to do about it? Bail us out?”

“Why not?” He asked.

She was flabbergasted at his response. “Because the CEO of Pym Technologies has never said a good word about you. He’s been bad mouthing you every chance he gets. If this is an attempt at revenge, at burying us and salting the ground I would understand, but you want to help us? Forgive me for thinking that’s suspicious.”

He sighed. “Ms. Van Dyne, whatever feud our fathers had ends with them. I have never held the belief that sins of the father should go to the son or the daughter. You’re a capable young woman. You’ve risen among the ranks of your own accord, taking up your mother’s name and doing brilliantly with it. Forgive me for thinking you wouldn’t let a senile old fossil’s views cloud your judgement.”

That was a gamble, he knew that. On one hand she absolutely hated her father and on the other it was her father. But then again she had cast him out and Darren Cross had been CEO. When she didn’t reply, he continued.

“I meant what I said Ms. Van Dyne. I have no desire to rehash arguments that I was not involved in. I have no desire to deal with people that cannot differentiate me from my father.” Pym had held on to that grudge so hard that even Lang, someone who hadn’t met him and someone who had actually stolen from him, hated him. This time he would not let that go to those lengths.

“I don’t know what you want me to do about it Mr. Stark. Hank Pym is still the CEO of Pym Technologies. If you want to deal with us, you would have to deal with him.”

Tony nodded. “I know that Ms. Van Dyne. This meeting is not a secret, I am not going to make it a secret. Tomorrow there will be articles about us, after all Stark-Pym rivalry is huge and you are still Hank Pym’s daughter even if you don’t like it. If anyone asks, and they will, we will tell them that I offered you the position of COO and you declined. ”

“But you offered it to me knowing that that was going to happen. What game are you playing, Mr. Stark? Why tell me all this?”

“Tell me, how many of your board are disillusioned with Pym? Sure, he has great ideas but he’s not making them any money. How long until he would be forced out of his own company?” He asked straightforwardly. It was a bit of a risk and he had only known this because of his future knowledge but hopefully she wouldn’t think it was too much of a stretch.

Her eyes narrowed, and her posture straightened even more than it was. “Should I be concerned about spies, Mr. Stark? You know things you couldn’t possibly have knowledge of.”

“People seem to forget that I am actually a genius.” He replied without really answering her question. “It’s not too hard to read between the lines, know what they aren’t saying instead of what they are.”

Her glare didn’t lessen and her posture didn’t get any relaxed. He continued. “I have no need to spy on your company Ms. Van Dyne. I don’t have that much time to invest in a barely surviving company.” He said truthfully. He didn’t last time and sure that came back to bite him as everything in his life did, but it was the principle of things.

“And yet here you are divesting your time and resources in that very company. You flew me to Malibu, are buying our stocks and offering to bail us out?”

“Yes I am.” He agreed. “It has got nothing to do with your father and everything to do with you. I called this meeting because I would like to see you heading Pym Technologies, I would like to mend this gap that we had no business in creating. I don’t want to be defined by what my father did, his mistakes aren’t my own and I will not apologize for them.”

“I agree.” She said. “I would love to forget old rivalries and work with you Mr. Stark.” He nodded at that.

“We are not that different you know.” He said after a while. “As much as I miss him, I did not have a good relationship with my father either, I hated him.”

She stared at him at that. He continued. “I recently found out something about my father, about both of our fathers. I believe you have a right to know.” She motioned him to continue and he did.

“There is a secret organization called SHIELD who approached me after the Iron Man thing. Naturally I got suspicious of them and upon further digging I found that my father was heavily involved in it and so was yours. I am not sure about many things but I believe Hank Pym was blaming him for SHIELD’s attempt to recreate his Pym Particles and that seems to be how this whole pointless thing started.”

Most of the information he knew was because of his future knowledge. All of SHIELD’s secrets were out after the info dump and he had looked up Ant-Man after that airport fight. The next words were going to be hard to tell her. He didn’t know what happened in the future, she appeared to have improved her relationship with Pym so maybe he eventually told her. But that would be years from now, if that even happened.

She took a deep breath and appeared to steel herself and asked. “Was my mother involved with that too? Is that how she died?”

“Like I said I only have a few scattered bits of information at this point. But one of SHIELD’s best teams was Ant-Man and Wasp. A couple of suits with the capability to shrink down with the help of Pym Particles.”

She looked horrified with that information. He had debated with himself on whether he should tell her or not but he knew he would’ve wanted someone to have told him about his parents, even the smallest inconsequential details. He wasn’t going to be a hypocrite and deny her the same thing. “Were they my- were Ant-Man and Wasp my parents?”

“I believe so. I’m deathly protective of my suits, I don’t see Hank Pym being any different.”

Tears were pooling around her eyes, her straight mask had already cracked and he could see her grief and hurt shining through. He knew what that felt, he knew what every inch of that felt. He was glad he told her even if it hurt to see her like that, it was better coming from him in a relatively calm environment than to find out like he did.

He still did not know what had happened to her mother, despite the vague mentions that a mission had gone wrong and Wasp had disappeared. “I’m sorry I don’t know much to tell you Ms. Van Dyne. I was barely able to piece this much information together but I thought you had a right to know about it.”

She blinked rapidly, trying to get the tears away and nodded. “Thank you for telling me this much Mr. Stark. My father never actually told me what happened.” She said in a choked voice.

He slid the box of tissues towards her. She took it graciously and murmured a word of thanks. She appeared to calm herself after a few moments, her composure intact, her mask back on. She nodded and then said. “I am going to talk to Hank about everything you’ve told me today. It won't take him long to figure out that it was you who gave me that information.”

“I know.” He fought the urge to rub his face. This day was tiring. “There are probably SHIELD spies around me, that’s what I’m more concerned about. I can handle one senile old man.”

He was working on the nullifying device when Stephen called. It was a fascinating piece of technology, slowly able to leech the arc reactor’s power if handled carefully. He had thought about making something to store emergency backup power if he ever needed one, but a fair bit of tinkering and he should be able to make it do the opposite.

He put the soldering iron down and he swiped to answer the call. “Is this a good time Tony?" Stephen asked.

He smiled at him and replied. "For you Doctor, any time is a good time."

Stephen laughed at his reply and continued. "As pleasant as it is to hear that, I was asking more in the case of us two having a talk with the Ancient One."

He let his smile fall and pouted. Stephen continued. "You did say we should do something about Thor and Dr. Banner." He pointed out.

“Alright.” He finally conceded.

“I’ll let the Ancient one know that we can portal in then.” Stephen said and to Tony’s look added. “I’m not going to force you through a portal Tony, I can see that you’re still quite scared of them.”

“I’m not scared of them- ” He started but Stephen interrupted him.

“It’s okay to be scared Tony. The battle of New York took a lot out of you, I understand that.” Stephen’s soft, consoling voice soothed him. Tony felt his eyes misten up at that.

“It’s getting better at that.” He confessed with a small smile. “Having you in all your magnificent glory come out of a portal makes it easier every time.” He said making Stephen chuckle.

It was quite odd having the Ancient One in his living room, he realized as she sat down on the sofa. He was used to seeing her in the Sanctum, with her ever refilling tea and sagely advice, and now she was here looking just as serene and mysterious in his house.

He shook his thoughts, and sat down taking the Starkpad and opening the Timeline as he did so. He put the tablet down on the table and activated the hologram feature. The timeline grew, showing all that would soon happen in full detail. “This week is the one we should be more concerned with. Three major things were happening. I was dying of Palladium Poisoning and was being attacked by Vanko, Thor had been exiled to Earth and had his hammer stripped from him, and Hulk made his first public appearance.”

“The second thing is the one we are most concerned with. Not Thor, but Loki” Stephen took control and blew up the Thor part. “He is the only one who had direct contact with the Mad Titan, the only one with the knowledge we so desperately need.”

“What happened in the 2012 invasion?” The Ancient one asked Tony. “Master Strange mentioned it in passing but I assume you would have a more in depth knowledge of it.”

Tony nodded. “He could’ve been mind controlled, he could have had an agreement with Thanos, I don’t know. We assumed that the whole thing was Loki’s plan, that that was it.”

“But you didn’t believe that.” Stephen pointed out. “Everything you were doing back then, trying to keep the Avengers together, making sure that there were checks and balances. You thought something bigger was coming.”

Tony swallowed hard. A cup of tea appeared before him by magic and he smiled a grateful smile at the Ancient One as he took it. “I never imagined something the scale of Thanos- but yes. I took a nuke through the portal, I saw the whole armada. There was always something suspicious about that invasion, it was almost too easy, but I never imagined that.” He confessed.

“The fact of the matter is I’m not enough to convince anyone that Thanos is coming.” He continued. “And we don’t know enough about what’s going on with Loki and Thor. I’m worried that we will mess something up.”

“The invasion will happen regardless of your attempts at derailing it.” The Ancient One commented. “There are certain events that forever change the course of history. That is one of them.”

“And besides.” Stephen added. “The bulk of the conflict seems to be centered between Thor and Loki, I doubt our involvement will change that. But the question arises, how do we interfere in that and to what extent?”

Tony brought up Jane Foster’s file. “Dr. Jane Foster, the astrophysicist who will be at New Mexico studying the weather conditions there and our point of contact.” He explained. “As for the latter, I’m not sure but I can't stand by and do nothing when I know people are going to get hurt. I might not be able to do much, or have more interactions with Thor or Loki but it will serve as an initial meeting.”

“Which will then allow you to point out that there is something different about Loki during the New York Invasion.” Stephen concluded.

Tony nodded at that and continued. “That's the general idea. Hopefully it might be enough to change something.”

“It is wise.” The Ancient One said. “Trying to do something big will most likely fail. How would you require our assistance during this Tony?”

“I’m not sure.” He confessed. “SHIELD is on my tail right now and I do not want them finding out about you. They’re currently infested with HYDRA and even without that, it is a scenario I want to avoid.”

“We have been discrete for thousands of years, Tony.” The Ancient One pointed out. “But you have your reservations and I will respect that. I also thank you for respecting our privacy. While that may prevent me or anyone else from helping, it doesn’t dissuade Master Strange. He is by himself an accomplished Sorcerer, and it wouldn’t be odd having him near you.”

Tony nodded in acceptance and shot a small smile at Stephen. “I wouldn’t mind the company of Master Strange.” He added.

“You said at the beginning that there were three important events. What about the other two?” She asked after a while.

“Well, the first one is a non-issue. I’m not dying of Heavy Metal Poisoning, although I’ve been making it seem like I am. I was hoping for your help there. I need something to excuse my pristine state of mind and we could fake some cure with some miraculous herb or something. It doesn’t have to work, it just has to look like it did.”

“You’re hoping for something that no one could prove but they could not disprove either.” Stephen said. “That could be possible.” The Ancient One too, nodded serenely.

“As for the 3rd one, I don’t think we can do anything overtly during the fight. I’ve made sure that the campus would be empty for the whole week but other than that I don't know what we can do.”

“We could offer Dr. Banner sanctuary if he so chooses.” The Ancient One offered.

“That is an option. I know where he would be in a month or so after the incident, he manages to control the Hulk and bring about the transformation voluntarily and in a safe environment then. That would be the best time to approach him.”

“So that’s decided then.” The Ancient One said as she got up and started to draw a portal. “I will look for some medicinal herbs that might fulfill your requirements Tony.”

After she had left, Stephen turned to Tony. “Wouldn’t mind my company, huh?” He asked playfully.

“Of course not. And besides, I believe we were interrupted last time." Tony said inching closer to Stephen.

"And what are you going to do about it Doctor Stark?"

Chapter Text

Tony entered the ring with some excitement. He was excited to train with Happy, sure but he was more excited about the assassin who was about to enter his house. Natasha had been almost a friend by the end, but she did betray him. She was always going to betray him, he had realized as he looked at the quinjet flying overhead but with Rhodey injured, he didn’t want to bother with one little spider. Now though, he had a chance to write their story anew.

The start had been very unfavorable to him, they knew everything about him, they knew he was dying and they had taken advantage of him in his weakened state. Either he would live and be in their debt forever or he would die and they would still come out on top, Iron Man tech going to them first and foremost. Now however, he would be on top. He knew everything, some of it from having lived it through and some of it from the information Alec was able to provide him.

He’d discussed with the young hacker on how to proceed from now, not wanting to drag the kid into it. He was young, he still had so many things he did, he would do. Tony remembered being impressed by his abilities in the future, now with Tony’s help he had no doubt that Alec would go even higher. Alec had brushed his concerns off, saying he could protect himself but had offered an alternative. His friend had worked with SHIELD at one point or another and would love to help. His exact words were, “He wants to beat your ass for getting me involved in this to begin with, but he’ll identify her.” Tony had laughed then, but was now slightly worried considering the rumors he’d heard.

“I still don’t think we should bring this guy in, Tony. He’s dangerous.” Happy was saying as he entered the ring.

“We need better security Hap and this guy’s resume is the reason I want him to look over at our stuff.” Tony explained. His cover was perfect. Tony was gaining quite the reputation of being a paranoid bastard, he wanted to elevate it even more. And what better way to do that than bring a Black Ops ex-Hitman to ‘look over his security’.

“You like the thrill of it all, Boss.” Happy countered as he settled opposite Tony, getting into his fighting stance. “Reality is quite different. It’s scary. He could kill you while I’m in the room and I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.”

“You worry too much Hap. He’s not gonna kill me, punch me hard a couple of times at max. Besides, I heard he once killed a guy with an appetizer.” He settled into a familiar stance as Happy rolled his eyes, not believing his statement.

They settled into their rhythm after that. He knew Pepper was going to come with Natalie Rushman any second now but until then he would enjoy his time with Happy. They never got to just do this any more in the future, he was always so busy with Avenger business. Not this time, he vowed silently, he would put his friends first and foremost, not those backstabbing bastards.

Pepper entered just as he took Happy down. “What was that Tony?” Happy asked him.

“Oh, just something Stephen was practicing when I last called him. Thought it’d work in a fight, I was right.” It was in fact a Order of Mystic Arts™ special, but Stephen had shown how to do that.

“You know the more you talk about him, the more I know about him, the more confused I get.” Happy confessed as he got up.

“And is the good doctor going to join us on your birthday?” Pepper asked as she walked on over to him.

“Oh, definitely.” Tony replied as he watched Natasha enter. “I offered to fly him in the jet but he denied. Something about wanting to experience normal things. Normal is overrated.” He shot a curious look at Pepper.

“Oh that’s Natalie, she’s a notary. We do have to sign the papers.” Pepper explained as he expected.

“But it’s Happy time.” Tony complained and beckoned Natasha over. She did so, with more sway on her hips than he was expecting. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but definitely noticed Pepper’s eyes narrowing. He was not obvious in his courtship of anyone this time, as far as everyone was concerned, he was single. He looked at her as she entered the ring, taking a swig of the chlorophyll and just staring at her for more than a full minute, as if trying to assess her and unsettle her at the same time.

“Happy give her some lessons.” He said as he got out. Pepper was definitely suspicious now. He didn’t know if it was the slight uptick in Natasha or his paranoia rubbing off. “I know for a fact that we have two notaries at SI who’ve been with us for a long time.” He said under his breath. Pepper understood.

“Who is she.” He asked in a normal voice, a slight leer in his voice.

“She is an expensive sexual harrasment suit, Tony.” Pepper chided him, continuing the dance they’d done so many times. “She’s from legal, hired a month ago.”

Tony nodded. “How do you spell your name, lady?” He asked loudly. He was answered promptly.

Pepper was oddly silent beside him as he put her name in the keyboard. Her resume was good, if a bit too overqualified. “She modeled in Tokyo. Did you model in Tokyo?” He asked Pepper, aware that Natasha was listening to their every word.

Pepper understood even before she saw the pictures. It was good, Tony realized, even if she was found out, all anyone would assume was that she was a honeypot. “I want her.” He concluded.

“You already have an assistant Tony.” She said as she came to sit beside him, looking at Happy and Natasha with suspicion.

“Who is going to be your assistant right after we sign these papers. I’m still going to be the CTO, Pep, I do need an assistant.” We’ll keep her close went unsaid but Pepper understood anyway.

Their conversation was halted as Natasha took Happy down with a manoeuvre he’d seen hundreds of times. He knew it was coming, but he was still shocked when it happened. He looked at Pepper with narrowed eyes, his face conveying more than his words ever would.

She was coming down to him now, for his impression, he realized. He would still flirt a little, he decided as she made her way towards him but was spared when JARVIS interrupted. “I’m sorry Sir but Mr. Spencer has already entered the house and I don’t think that it would be good to make him wait.” Happy stilled and got up grumbling about dangerous people.

“Lead him into one of the rooms J.” Tony instructed and he and Happy got to leave. “And get her and the documents to the living room, me and Hap will be there in a while.”

He did time it perfectly, he realized as he saw Elliot’s face darken. They had only just sat down and started to talk about how to improve security when Pepper and Natasha had walked by the closed room. The hitter had stopped talking midway and just said “Black Widow.”

“What?” Tony asked, confusion perfectly evident in his face even though he wanted to break out in a mad grin. “There are no spiders-”

“It’s not a spider. It’s an assassin.” He said and pointed towards the door, the footsteps outside still sounding in. Happy’s eyes narrowed, he knew that the only people outside were Pepper and Natalie Rushman.

“You identified someone based on their footsteps?” He asked incredulously, his voice laced with a darker edge.

“It’s a very distinctive footstep alright.” He grumbled. “She is a very dangerous assassin. Trained in the Russian Red Room. One of SHIELD’s best operatives.” He explained.

“I refuse their help so they send an assassin after me, after my friends.” He fully let the fear, the fury that he had felt last time in. His face had lost any warmth he had. “Happy, go to her. Don’t let Natalie out of your sight but don’t let her know we are onto her either. I will make arrangements for some covert bodyguards for her later.” Happy nodded, his face set in stone and left.

“You’re keeping so many secrets ain’t ya?” Elliot asked after Happy had left.

“I have to, Spencer, there are lives riding on that.”

“Including yours? That why you had Hardison hack into SHIELD? If he gets even a scratch on him cause of you I swear Stark, there would be nothing identifiable left of you when I’m done.”

“Understood.” He said as he took a swig of the chlorophyll. “Isn’t that why you’re here? To take the blame for any knowledge I might have courtesy of your friend.”

Spencer snorted. “You started faking symptoms of palladium poisoning long before Hardison told you they were tracking that.” He pointed out. Tony hid his shock but not apparently well enough. “It’s obvious. You would not be functioning this well if you had heavy metal in your bloodstream.”

“I thought I was doing a good job of that.” He grumbled.

“Oh, you are. The boys over at SHIELD are duped.” Elliot continued. “You have more information here than you let on. Even Hardison is another layer of security you have to hide how you got it, just like me.” He accused him.

Tony sighed. “Only partially. Tell me, Elliot, why did you stop working for SHIELD?” He looked at the hitter expectantly, his face conveying the fact that he knew the answer to the question.

“I never worked for SHIELD. They tried to recruit me, I said no.”

Tony gave him his are you trying to bullshit me look. “You worked with a STRIKE team for two missions after you were recruited. You quit after that, heavily injured the team that was sent to neutralize you and disappeared.” He could see Elliot considering if bashing his face into the table was worth it or not. “Tell me, did they rub you off the wrong way? Did you also notice that there was something darker, more dangerous lying underneath SHIELD?”

Elliot stared at him, and finally sat down in one of the chairs. “I noticed something in my second mission. Things weren’t adding up so I bolted. The ones sent after me weren’t SHIELD, not fully. Who they are I don’t know, but they thought I knew too much. Every instinct I had was telling me to leave, so I did. I’ve worked with the worst of the worst, when my gut tells me that something is wrong, something is usually wrong.”

“Still don’t explain how you know though. You haven’t had enough interactions with them to suspect something like that.” The hitter all but accused him.

“I haven’t but my dad founded SHIELD.” Tony explained, the lie coming freely and better than any truth would have. “He knew something was wrong before he died. I only found out about it after I visited the old house and found his secrets.”

“So you know something is wrong. What are you going to do about it? Hardison already knows something isn’t adding up. You gonna pop him like a sacrificial lamb and save your own skin?” He sounded really angry, so angry that Tony was legitimately worried for a second.

“I needed your friend because I needed someone to do the initial stages. Hacking isn’t just typing in a computer. Especially for paranoid organizations like SHIELD you have to access things from their physical location. I am being watched, I cannot go to their physical location, but your friend can and he did.” He explained. “Now that he’s laid the groundwork a little, I can take on a much bigger role or to be more specific others can, if we let them. Talk to him, tell him how dangerous it can be and tell him that he can’t do it alone. It will be better coming from you than it would from me.”

“So what? You’re gonna have a hacker army take on SHIELD?”

Tony sighed and took a swig of the chlorophyll. “SHIELD was supposed to be good, otherwise my old man would never support it. It has been twisted from the inside, there are dangerous people pulling the strings, hiding in its darkness. We need to bring them into the light. It cannot be done in a day, it cannot be done by one person alone. So yes if that’s what it takes I’m gonna have a hacker army take on SHIELD.” He replied, face set in stone. By the time HYDRA had been found out in the future it was too late, and as much as he hated the way Rogers had handled it, they simply did not have time. Even he couldn’t have done much at that point, although he would have appreciated some heads up about it.

“That could work.” Elliot acquiesced. “Would’ve been nice had he not been involved though.”

“He was always going to be a target Elliot, mainly because of his association with you. At least this way he has some sort of upper hand, he has Leverage.” He was grinning broadly as the hitter scowled.

“Just how much do you know about us?” He asked.

“Oh, you lot clean up good but I’ve always been too curious for my own good, especially if it concerns Sophie, isn’t that what she’s going by now.” He replied. “It’s a good thing you guys are doing. I will truly be afraid if you decide to come after me.”

Elliot smirked at him, his tone light. “She got you huh.”

“A long time ago. You should ask her to tell you about it sometime. It’s quite the story.” He put his hands on the table. “So about the security…”

He could see Pepper and Natasha sitting together discussing something or other as he entered the room. Last time Pepper had taken an instant liking to her, the reveal that she was a spy notwithstanding, but this time the trust was less. He locked eyes at Happy who was over at the counter, his attention on the two women, and beckoned him over.

“Oh, Tony Dr. Strange called when you were away.” Pepper informed him. He could see Natasha’s largely blank expression filled with curiosity, one that he wouldn’t have spotted had he not been so familiar with her in the future.

“He did? What did he say?” He asked, curious himself, sitting down on the opposite couch. Stephen rarely did call now that he could just portal in, so it was either cementing their alibi or he really did want something.

“Just that his teacher was thinking about accepting your offer. What did you offer Tony?”

“They’re helping him so much Pep so I offered my services any way I could. They don’t want monetary help but technology and the works.” What he had actually offered was better security at protecting their artefacts, they still worried him. He added to Pepper's incredulous gaze. “They’re monks, Pep, not Amish. And besides FRIDAY’s with him, I cannot leave my baby girl there without upping their technology by a lot.”

Tony handed Happy the tablet with all the notes on their Security that Elliot had given as he came closer and then turned to face Pepper and the spy. “So, let’s get this over with.” He said, changing the topic, his tone light. “I can’t wait until you’re my boss, Pep.”

“I need your impression.” Natasha said and tried to hand him the documents but Pepper stopped her.

“Put it on the table, he doesn’t like to be handed things.” She instructed and Natasha did so.

When everything was all done, he regarded her with a searching gaze. “You seem like a capable young woman. I’m looking for an assistant, if you’re interested…” He let it linger. He could feel Happy’s eyes digging at him but he ignored it.

“I’ll think about it. Will that be all, Mr. Stark?” She asked, more flirtatious than he remembered her being.

“Yes, that will be all Ms. Rushman.” Pepper interjected and Natasha left.

Happy waited a minute after she was gone and tried to ask. “Boss is that-” Tony silenced him with a hand and their usual gesture for situations like these. Tony took the StarkPad from the table and instructed JARVIS to scan for bugs. It was a tense minute or two before JARVIS notified them that they were no bugs.

“I didn’t think they would be this obvious but couldn’t hurt to check.” He said in lieu of an explanation.

“What’s going on Tony?” Pepper asked.

“He just asked a SHIELD spy to be his assistant.” Happy grumbled.

“SHIELD? What? Are you sure? You thought she was a honeypot. I thought it was going to be like that time with Jenny.” She asked.

“Yeah.” He replied. “I suppose that’s as good a cover as any, but yeah the guy we had over, Spencer id-ed her. Natasha Romanoff, ex Russian assassin now SHIELD spy.”

“An assassin?” Pepper asked, her voice choked, her eyes fearful.

“Yeah. I’m getting a security detail for you. Can't be too careful."

"Is it wise to make her your assistant then." Pepper asked.

“I don’t think SHIELD will become this pissy just cause I refused to use their handwritten notes. They clearly want something from me and she’s the best way to figure out what." Tony explained. "We absolutely cannot let her know that we are onto her. We need to hold on to this advantage for as long as we can.”

“But… assassin…” Pepper looked fearful.

“According to Spencer, SHIELD mostly uses her for infiltration.” He tried to console her. “I don’t think she’ll ever do anything to break her cover. I fully intend to play this like the time with Jenny, Pep. You with me?”

Pepper laughed a bitter laugh. “You will get me killed someday Tony but I will still get up and stand by your side.” Tony couldn’t help but smile.

Chapter Text

Tony couldn’t stop the gnawing feeling of apprehension as he stepped into the hotel. He hid it well from the flashes of cameras but he was nervous. The Monaco Grand Prix was going to start and Vanko was going to make an appearance. He had thought of everything but he couldn’t help but worry.

The Monaco Police were on standby. He’d said that this was his first public appearance since Iron Man and should anything happen, first priority was evacuation of the spectators, so they were ready. He was getting quite the reputation of being a paranoid bastard, everyone was still talking about the security measures he’d installed in the Expo. This time nothing would stop the expo from going on all year round, he’d decided and followed through with everything he could think of and more.

Natasha was guiding him through the crowd, still an efficient assistant as he remembered her being. His plastered smile threatened to fall as he saw Justin Hammer talking to Christine Everheart. That bastard had almost ruined everything last time around, and will do so again if given half the chance. He continued smiling as he was led towards the duo. He ignored Justin’s remarks and instead focused on Christine, who’d already taken the opportunity to ask him about the Senate Hearing.

“Why yes, Miss. Everheart.” He replied. “It is the first time we’ve seen each other since the Senate Hearing. As grateful as I am to Hammer Industries for equipping our troops while SI focuses better on protecting them, I can’t in good conscience endorse their futile attempts at recreating Iron Man armour. Their last test pilot survived. But what about the next one? What happens when someone gets hurt because of you Justin?” He smiled as he directed the question towards the man. Hammer was floundering, just as he expected him to. That would change the narrative a little, he thought and left them there.

Natasha was leading him towards something or other. Pepper was beside him, being congratulated on her promotion. It was a similar sight, but hopefully the similarities would end there. He smiled as he spotted her in the bar. Tasking Natasha with getting the corner table for him, he went on over to the bar.

“Well, fancy seeing you here, Jenny. Sorry, is it Sophie now?” He asked. She looked like she belonged in the room, she always did.

“Hello Tony. It has been a while.” She greeted, the huge hat hiding most of her face, but he could see a small smile on her face. “Right now, it’s Charlotte.”

“It is a pleasure to see you again, My Lady.” He said, kissing her gloved hand. Natasha made her appearance then, to notify him of the table, he figured.

He brushed her off. “Let Pepper know that I’m with Lady Macbeth and that I’ll be there in a while.”

“You are not going to let that go, are you?” She asked.

“You were frankly one of the best I had ever seen, that experience in the rundown theatre was odd to say the least.” He replied.

“You’ve been talking to my friends a lot lately.” She accused him, taking a sip of her drink and fully facing him now.

“Your friends are exceptionally talented.”

“Is that why you’re here, Tony? Because I too am exceptionally talented.” She asked.

“You were good enough to con me back then. I know you’ve gotten better.” He said sincerely. “I’ve been hearing some worrying rumors lately. Rich CEO messing with biological agents, taking advantage of people in precarious positions. Seems to be right up the alley of you and your little group.”

She looked at him unbelieving, he continued. “I’m not even sure what’s going on. From what I’ve been able to find, I know it has the potential to be bad.” Killian was dangerous, even at this point in time, and he was utterly powerless against him.

“If it’s that serious why haven’t you done anything about it?”

“Oh you know me, the irrational hatred I inspire in people is legendary. I could very well drive him to create Godzilla or whatever.” He replied. He didn’t want to even look at the direction of Killian, worried he would retaliate tenfold. Pepper with Extremis still haunted his nightmares.

“What did you do?”

“The grave error of not listening to his million dollar idea while I was drunk at New Year’s Eve.” He replied. He had gradually come to accept that he wasn’t responsible for what Killian did. All of his enemies seemed to be driven by their hatred of him.

“Sounds like a fun one.” She muttered.

“It would definitely be dangerous.” He spotted Natasha coming closer. Seeing his expression, she turned forwards, hiding from the spy. “Are you interested?” He asked.

“Right now, I’m on a vacation. Terribly not interested in doing anything, I’m afraid.” She replied.

He nodded and turned towards Natasha. “Yes, Natalia, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Natalie, Mr. Stark.” She replied, frowning. “Miss. Potts is asking if she is the reason you came to Monaco.” She sounded curious.

“It isn’t.” Sophie replied. “He’s not surprised to see me here but he isn’t here for me. There is something else brewing in that head of yours Tony.”

He laughed. “It’s amazing how you see through me.” He commented. “I always have something brewing in my head.”

“You like to appear all mysterious and behave like an utter bastard but I like to think that after all we’ve been through I can read you.”

“That’s what everyone likes to think.” He replied. “You might be the closest. You might be the one who could actually ruin me.”

“You’re giving me too much credit, Tony. You’re Iron Man, the only person that’s going to ruin you is yourself.”

Tony bowed his head in acquiescence. “Always nice to meet someone who isn’t a fan.” From the corner of his eyes, he could see Natasha eying their exchange with interest.

“I’ll be there in a while Nancy.” He told her, every inch the sleazy condescending bastard he was and shooed her away.

“You know I used to get so annoyed when you did that to me.” Sophie mused as Natasha was leaving. “How many names did you call me by when I was there.”

“All of them.” He replied after he was sure Natasha wasn’t in hearing range. “Let you wonder if I was just being an asshole or if I knew things I shouldn’t. It’s my speciality.” The TV suddenly took his attention as Vanko appeared on the racetracks.

“Well, it looks like Iron Man is needed.” Sophie commented as she followed his gaze.

“So it seems.” He answered and slid a thumb drive across the bar. “I need to go now. But should you ever be interested…” He let that linger and left. Happy was already making his way towards him with the briefcase-suit. The show was about to start.

His precautions had paid off, he realized as Vanko was the only one who remained in the racetrack. The police had moved fast, instructing the audience to exit in a calm manner. A couple of racecar drivers hadn’t fared so well, having been caught in Vanko’s whips, but Tony was sure they would live. There hadn’t been any casualties the first time. Vanko’s mission was to show the world that Tony wasn’t the only one capable of making the suits. He had lost the minute Vanko had shown up with a working arc reactor.

He smiled even more as he realized one of the cars Vanko had tried to split in half belonged to SI. Shooting a quick message to JARVIS he touched down on the track. From inside his helmet, he could see the small device he had retrofitted inside the car crawl towards Vanko.

“That’s some good reproduction you’ve got there. If you hadn’t tried to attack all these people, I would’ve given you a job.” He said, partly to rile the man and keep his attention away from the tiny thing making its way towards him, and partly to put on a damn good show. There were cameras everywhere in this racetrack, all cameras that would’ve been used to record the race were now showing their interactions in full detail.

Vanko didn’t reply, he just growled and tried to attack, whips sweeping in a circle, narrowly missing him. He flew upstairs and slowly closed the gap between them, the device was almost in place now, he just had to stall for a bit. “Is that all you got? Whips?” He mocked, dodging the frankly terrifying whips. Vanko was silent, as he knew he would be. The device was ready now, as close as it could get, though Vanko was unaware.

The next time the whips came closer, he grabbed both of them, his reinforced hands easily absorbing the energy and dragged Vanko and threw him on the ground. He flew a tiny bit further, just managing to get out of range as JARVIS activated the device. The arc reactor flickered a little just as Vanko collided with the ground, looking to all who were concerned as if it was damaged during the collision.

“I think I’ll hold off on the job offer.” He drawled as he inched closer. “Looks like your attempt is no good either.” Vanko looked surprised to see the light flicker, not understanding what went wrong. The reactor kept flickering, the device leaching power off of Vanko’s suit. It wasn’t much but it would be enough to ascertain that it didn’t compare to Tony’s suits.

Tony lunged again, grabbing the barely glowing whips and inching Vanko closer to him, the small device scurried from Vanko to him, hiding within the Iron Man suit, unbeknownst to anyone else but him. He let his helmet retract as he made a show of looking at the arc reactor in his chest with interest and pretended not to notice the fact that one whip was already uncoiled. Just as he clasped the reactor and pulled it away, Vanko struck, the whip putting a gash in his face. He took the reactor and let the police take Vanko.

There was no manic laughter this time, no proclamations that Tony had lost. He supposed Vanko was still in shock over his reactor failing. That had changed the narrative. Instead of being someone else with the capability of creating the suits, Vanko had become just another schmuck who thought he could create them but had ultimately failed, his failure more public than anyone else. His quest to discredit him and make him bleed ending in a catastrophic failure. He had bled of course, but in a more literal sense, in a way he could use to his advantage.

He went on over to the cars which had been damaged when Vanko had first made his entry. Helmet out, the gash on his cheek bleeding, he made quite the picture as he focused on helping the ones who’d been injured. After he had made sure the drivers were all right, he went on over to the police commissioner who was watching his men lead Vanko to the van, cuffed and bound.

“Your paranoia seems to have paid off Mr. Stark.” The commissioner said. “I thought it was going to be an exercise in futility, but without your warnings there’s no saying what would’ve happened here.”

“With all that has happened, I can’t help but be paranoid.” Tony replied. “Might be a good idea to keep an extra watch on him. He must’ve had someone’s help to get to this racetrack.” The commissioner nodded and left.

It wasn’t so bad, he thought as he sat on the plane watching the news. There was some speculation about who the man was, but ultimately none were too interested in him. He was keeping extra watch on Hammer just to be sure. Even if nothing came of that and Vanko still got out, he was prepared. He didn’t like letting events continue on as it had last time around, but short of actually killing Vanko, he couldn’t do anything.

The photo of him helping people out was well on its way to going viral, JARVIS’s considerable efforts helping that along. Everything was going just as he intended, so he just couldn’t help but think that the other shoe would drop.

Pepper sat down in front of him so he turned the TV off and faced her. She had a curious expression on her face, as if she was trying to figure something out. This went so well, almost too well, he must’ve come off really suspicious. “Something on your mind, Pep?” He asked.

“It’s just- You’ve been really really responsible lately. I’ve never seen you as professional as you were in the senate hearing. And now this- it’s almost like you knew this was coming.” He had to give it to her, she really was something.

“It’s not a stretch Pep.” He replied, twirling the glass with kale juice around. “This was my first public appearance after the whole announcing to everyone that I am Iron Man thing. The Expo is as secure as can be, so this is the only place that someone would be able to get me.” He explained. He was going to add even more security measures now, Vanko had given him a perfect excuse to be more paranoid.

“That’s not it, Tony. This was the perfect spot, wide racetracks and everyone were evacuated really fast. You couldn’t have planned this any better than you did.”

“There’s always someone wanting to pick a fight with me, Pep. It wasn’t a question of If, but a question of When.” He could hear Natasha enter then, and fell silent. Pepper wordlessly understood.

“Rushman.” He barked. “Cancel all my public appearances, anything on my schedule after today, just send an apology to everyone and be sure to mention that I’m worried about people attacking me.”

“Even your birthday party, Tony?” Pepper asked, amused.

“That my dear Pepper, would send the wrong message. It would tell people that we are scared-” He started but Pepper interrupted him.

“Which we are.”

“Of course we are. But there’s a certain image I need to keep up with, a show of strength at this dark hour if you will. Let people know Tony Stark will remain unfazed and all that.”

Natasha nodded. “There’s only one meeting with Col. Rhodes listed for today Mr. Stark. Should I cancel that too?”

“As much as I would like to blow the generals off, I can’t. Tell Rhodey that I’ll meet him at my office after we land.”

“Oh. Doctor Strange has arrived at Malibu, Mr. Stark.” Natasha said after a while, reading from a notification on her StarkPad. She was curious about Stephen, he could tell. Tony nodded noncommittally while inside he was excited. Pepper straightened and turned to him.

“It would be nice to see him again.” She said. “Where is he planning to stay?”

“Oh, I offered him a place to stay. He’s only making this trip because of me so I figured. Besides, hotels in Malibu are expensive.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Like Dr. Strange cannot afford a hotel in Malibu.”

“No idea what you’re talking about Pep.” He replied, a smile playing at his lips. “Should nothing like today happen, I’ll also be leaving with him. We need to plan that.”

“Already done.” Pepper replied. “Our R&D is fully efficient without you Tony and should anything happen you could always video conference from Nepal. We are fully ahead of new product designs and Stark Expo is also going brilliantly.”

Tony smiled at Pepper. “Making you CEO was the best decision I’ve ever made. Should’ve done that earlier.”

“I’m glad you didn’t do it earlier.” Pepper replied. “The last 6 months really helped you know. I’m glad you didn’t chuck me into the water and waited for me to swim.”

“Oh, but you would’ve swam like a fish Pep.” Tony replied, and Pepper had in a lifetime gone past. Pepper had been as brilliant then as she was now, but he was glad he could spare her some of the pain.

He looked at the green juice before him and grimaced. “Do we have any of those amazing teas on board? This stuff is outright disgusting.” He complained.

Pepper laughed and handed him a thermos. He wordlessly thanked her.

“You’ve been playing us like a fiddle, son. I’m not sure whether to be impressed or annoyed.” The general before him said, slight respect evident in his face. Rhodey sat impassively beside the general.

“I would’ve thought you would be used to my eccentric ways, General Landry.” He replied.

“If this was that, I would’ve been. But you’ve been ten steps ahead every time. Col Rhodes tells me that you had him try on one of your suits. You’ve been very protective of them and you knew the senate hearing was coming.”

“It’s not too hard to figure that part out. People have always wanted something from me ever since I was young, General, why would this be different.” He said as he put the contract on the table. “Look this over. If that is acceptable to the military, we can do business.”

The General took the contract from the table and looked it over. “I’ll have our lawyers take a look.” He finally said. “Can I ask why? Why let the Hearing continue on if you were planning on doing this? Why not give us this from the start?”

“Everything has its own pace, General. If I did this from the beginning, then there is a chance that you would ask for more. If I did this later, it would be seen as a sign of submission, that I could be cowed. I’ve been nothing but reasonable and having that Hearing in spite of that tells people more than anything. I knew that the military wanted my suits, they would always want them. This gives me control over how you get it and what you do with it. Stark weapons have hurt people and I will not let that happen again.”

The General nodded and left. Rhodey made no move to leave and after General Landry was well gone, he relaxed a little. “I was worried that I was wrong. That I had misread the situation.” He confessed.

“I would never leave you like that Platypus.” Tony replied. “I redesigned the Mark II specifically with you in mind.”

“But you didn’t have to do that. There would be some grumbling about it but they would’ve just folded you into existing command. You’ve been cooperative, you’ve been so different.”

Tony laughed as he rose up. “I think the word you’re looking for is responsible Rhodey.” He started to walk out, Rhodey walking beside him. “I’ve had years of personality changes crammed into a year, I’m bound to be different.” He replied truthfully. Rhodey understood despite not knowing exactly what he was talking about.

“So I finally get to meet your doctor friend huh. I think I’m the only one that hasn’t actually met him.” He said as they exited his office. He could feel Natasha following their conversation.

“Yeah.” He was about to add something more but the sudden appearance of a furious Hank Pym stopped him in his tracks. He could see a couple of security guards running after him.

“HOW DARE YOU STARK-” Pym started but thankfully his security reached there in time. “Let go of me.” Pym shouted and kept flailing like a fish but the man held him down. Everybody currently on the floor was looking at the commotion. Tony was more concerned about Natasha. This was a disaster.

“I’m so sorry Mr. Stark.” The other security guard was apologizing. “He managed to incapacitate several guards.”

“It’s all right.” He consoled the man. “Just get him to my office.”

Rhodey looked at him confused as did everyone else. “If I don’t talk with him now he’s going to call every news station and it’s gonna be a hassle on PR.” He answered the unasked question. “I can deal with one old fossil.”

Pym kept shouting obscenities at him as the guard dragged him towards his office.

Chapter Text

Tony entered his office and locked the door, it instantly fogged up hiding them from outside view. He knew JARVIS had already made sure that they couldn’t be heard from outside and there were no bugs there. “I am going to sue you for the assault of my employees.” He said as he entered.

“I wouldn’t have had to do that if you hadn’t tried to take my daughter away from me, Stark. How dare you.” Pym started shouting at him.

“First of all your daughter hates you so much already, that isn’t on me. Second I’m not Howard, I know you’re old and wrinkly but you do know that right.”

“You’re a Stark, all Starks are the same.”

Tony let out a deep sigh. “Should’ve known you’re already fully senile.” He debated whether he should have had him thrown out. As satisfying as that would be, it would be bad in the long run. “How long are you going to do that Pym? Are you going to hate my children too? My grandchildren? How many more generations of Starks are going to pay for something Howard did?” He was at his wits end with this. Lang’s words repeated inside his head every time he looked at Pym.

The man fell silent at that. After a while, he spoke up. “I’m not here for something Howard did. You shouldn’t have told Hope about SHIELD, about Ant-Man.”

Tony sat down in his chair and leveled Pym with a glare. “My current assistant is a SHIELD spy so thank you so much for that.” Pym looked a little alarmed at that. “I’m not interested in that shrink ray of yours. My old man might’ve been but my suit is superior, I have no need for yours. Hope has a right to know what happened to her mother. Hiding it hasn’t worked out for you well, she hates your guts. Tell her, repair your relationship a little.”

“And what? You’re doing this from the bottom of your heart? Don’t bullshit me Stark.”

“I’m doing this because I wish someone had told me my parent’s death wasn’t an accident.” He snapped. The old man before him stilled, his face going through so many different expressions in the short time span and finally settling on confusion with a hint of softness Tony wasn’t sure he read right. Tony kept on glaring at him. “Don’t tell me that you believe that ridiculous story Pym? He works for a super secret organization and he dies in a fucking car crash.”

“I thought he was drunk.” Pym admitted. Tony knew most people had thought that, himself included. “You think SHIELD is involved with that?”

“He was doing something for SHIELD before he died.” He admitted as he slumped in his seat and let out a deep sigh. “Just do whatever you came to do Pym, tell anyone who would listen whatever you want about me, but leave me alone. The only reason I’m even talking to you is because I don’t want you revealing that I know more about SHIELD that I’m letting on.”

The other man was oddly silent now. “I didn’t want Hope to know that I had failed her, that I was the reason her mother wasn’t there. I’ve been working on a way to bring her back but it hasn’t been working.” He confessed. Tony looked at him, wondering why the man was telling him all that.

“Then go and tell her that Pym not me.” He pointed out. The man nodded but made no motion to leave.

“How sure are you that SHIELD had something to do with it? And why are you just letting a SHIELD spy in your close circle.”

“Look Pym, I didn’t know SHIELD existed until they approached me after Afghanistan. They wanted to know how I escaped and after the whole deal with Iron Monger they provided me with an alibi. I rejected them because they felt shady and I knew working with them was a bad idea.” Pym nodded, having had his own experiences regarding that. Tony continued. “They want my suits, that’s obvious. I’m letting the spy in because that way I have some semblance of control over what they receive, that way I have the upper hand. Well, at least I did until you came in screaming and ruined everything.”

“I haven’t ruined everything. The whole world knows you tried to offer Hope a job and failed miserably, there’s your alibi.” He pointed out. “Besides she also told me that you’ve been buying our stocks but I don’t think you want anyone to know about that right now.”

“Your board hates you Pym. You’re old and your company is dying.” He pointed out.

“I know.” The old man countered. “They will try to force me out of my own company.”

“Yeah they will. Stane tried that with me, but he failed. Your ex protege might just succeed in your case. What will you do then?”

Pym looked at him suspiciously. “Is that why you did the whole thing with Hope? I thought the job thing was just a cover to tell her all of my secrets. Did you just call her to provide another alternative if i’m out?”

Tony nodded. “Your daughter is a smart woman. If she actually became CEO of Pym Technologies, I would have a lot more leeway. We could make a whole big thing about not continuing this pointless rivalry and your company would actually survive.”

“Why are you so focused on helping me?” Pym asked.

The real reason was the fact that he hated Darren Cross and his shady dealings with HYDRA. But he couldn’t tell Pym that, HYDRA was deep into SHIELD and all Cross could be accused of right now is being a jerk. “I don’t care about you Pym. You are inconsequential. But your daughter is brilliant and she shouldn’t pay for your sins. I have learned the hard way that people will always blame me for Howard’s mistakes, I know what it’s like to live that life. I will never wish that upon anyone else.” The old man at least had the decency to look sheepish at that.

“I want to help you.” Tony looked at Pym, surprised more than anything in his life. “You’re right. My quarrel is with Howard and not you. Everything you’ve done has helped me, especially considering the suits. You’re going through the same thing I once did and I ended up having to lock the suit up and deny its existence. I don’t want that to happen to you. You’re doing more good with them than I ever did.”

Tony couldn’t reply. His brain felt like it was short-circuited. Hadn’t this been the same man who’d cursed him with every breath once and now he was offering his help. How could a small conversation with someone change this much. He just stared at the man, trying to reconcile the Hank Pym before him to the one in the future. He supposed that he might have let that one go on for a while because Pym looked annoyed.

“Don’t make me regret this Stark. I’m not giving you my suit but other than that, I’ll help with SHIELD.”

“How many times do I have to say this Pym, I don’t want your suit. All it can do is shrink, I’ve designed something far better.”

“Your suit is nothing but cute technology. Mine bends the very law of reality.” Pym countered back. Tony rolled his eyes.

“And what have you done since then? You might have been the pioneer of innovation once but now you’re a sad old man who should’ve retired 10 years ago.”

Tony kept on smiling as Pym looked absolutely furious at that. He seemed to calm himself down and resist the urge to punch Tony. “You’re an asshole Stark but you’re right. I should’ve left the company to Hope a long time ago.”

“Yeah, I did it, why can’t you? I put Pepper in charge and now I’m free to create whatever I want.” Tony replied, smirking. He knew that would piss Pym off, the man was as much an inventor as he was.

Pym nodded and looked at him oddly, his eyes fixating on the ascot around his neck. It was a poor fashion choice, sure but it really helped in hiding the not dying thing in plain sight. “Are you dying from Palladium Poisoning?” He asked point blank.

Tony wasn’t sure how to deal with this. On one hand, he didn’t want anyone to know the truth, on the other hand Pym would be helpful in his ‘rediscovery of Starkium’ considering the fact that he actually knew Howard.

When he didn’t reply, Pym continued. “You give off the impression that you are. The reactor is powered by Palladium, and that thing would have to be deep in your chest just for the shrapnels from the Jericho missile. You’ve also shown some symptoms of it, but you wouldn’t be so calm and logical if you were actually dying.”

Tony had to give it to the old man, he really was preceptive. “It’s complicated.” He finally settled on. “I have many enemies Pym, it would be advantageous for me to appear weaker than I actually am.” The answer was as confusing as he could give but Pym nodded.

Pym got up and looked towards the door. “What are you going to do about the SHIELD spy outside the door? How do you want me to play this?”

“Absolutely nothing. Just don’t let her know that I’m onto her and you can go back to hating me as much as you want.”

He realized he was quite uncomfortable with Natasha as they drove towards his mansion. He’d been close to her, he’d thought of her as a friend, but now looking at this version of Natasha, the shrewd spy pretending to be a demure assistant, he wondered how much of their interaction in the future was a sham. Was she only playing a role like she was now?

If he did not have future knowledge he wouldn’t have thought of her as anything but his assistant. He did not the first time around, she was mysterious and definitely suspicious, but ultimately she was just Natalie Rushman. That meeting in the diner had infuriated him, he had credited the heavy metal in his bloodstream with his inability to pick up the fact that she was a SHIELD spy but now watching her work he couldn’t be sure.

“Everything all right Mr. Stark?” She asked.

He startled, did she see something wrong with him? Was everything he had planned going down the drain? He rubbed his eyes, letting the tiredness he was feeling shine through. When he looked up, He could see Happy looking at him through the mirror, concern lined in his face.

“I’m fine.” He replied, not feeling fine. A thousand things were racing in his mind, a thousand ways all of this could go wrong. “That stubborn old man just took a lot out of me, that’s all.” That was partially true, he hoped that it would fool Natasha.

“You should’ve just thrown him out Boss.” Happy commented. “You didn’t have to indulge him.”

“We cannot live with hate forever Happy. I told his daughter that I’m willing to work with her. I can’t say that and throw him out. I have to be civil.”

“Yeah but he still hates you.” He pointed out.

“If there’s one certainty in life, it’s that people will always hate me Hap. Whether it be for a real slight or an imagined. I’m a Stark after all. I’ve learned to live with it.” He looked at Natasha who was following his words with great interest. “Speaking of that, get one invite to Hope Van Dyne. Not Pym, just her.”

She nodded and went back to tapping in her StarkPad. He looked over at Happy, who was still concerned but thankfully he didn’t ask anything else. It was taking all of his power to keep Natasha in the dark, had he not been so familiar with her in the future he doubted he would have succeeded.

“Do we have any of Stephen’s tea in the car Hap?” He asked. “That stuff picks me right up.”

“I’m sorry Boss.” Happy replied as he turned his eyes back to the road. “But we’re almost there and the good doctor has already settled in. That might help more than the tea Boss.” His voice had just a tiny amount of teasing in it. Tony ignored it.

He did not realize how tired he was when he stepped out of the car. He stifled a yawn as he stepped inside, Natasha falling in behind him. He visibly perked up as he spotted Stephen on the couch talking with Pepper. He could tell that she was absolutely charmed with him.

“Oh hey Tony.” She greeted him as he entered. Stephen looked up and graced him with the biggest smile.

“It’s good to physically see you again Dr. Stark.” He greeted, playfulness etched in his voice.

He couldn’t help the smile that graced his lips. “And you too Dr. Strange. I hope your return to civilization has been pleasant.”

Stephen laughed and so did Pepper. “From what I hear it isn’t so bad there.” Pepper said. “He makes it sound so peaceful and calm. I might just take a trip sometime.”

Tony fake gasped as he sat down. “Not you too Pepper. Stephen is already a walking stereotype, I will destroy the world before you turn Live, Laugh, Love on me.” He was absolutely entranced by the way Stephen laughed, he realized suddenly.

"You didn't seem to mind it so much last time we talked." Stephen pointed out, still smiling that entrancing smile of his.

"It's those damn robes Stephen. They make you look even sexier than you already are." He replied, accentuating his words with the look he was giving him. Natasha cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable and being his attention back to the present. He shot her a small glare and set out to introduce them.

“Oh, that’s Natalie Rushman my assistant. Natalie, Dr. Stephen Strange, The Surgeon who sold his Ferrari.” He introduced them two. Stephen rolled his eyes at the introduction, but got up to greet her poised and perfect, no hint that he recognized the famous Black Widow.

“Lovely to meet you Ms. Rushman.” Stephen greeted her warmly. She did the same.

“So, what sordid tales have you two been talking about?” He asked, genuinely curious. He could tell that Natasha was too, even if to others all it looked like was polite interest.

“Oh, he was just telling me all about the hijinks Friday and this guy Levi got up to.” Pepper explained. He smiled, partly because of how inordinately proud he was of Friday, and partly because he loved hearing about those stories.

“Those two will destroy the world one day and I will be left staring at the ashes cursing the day I met you.” Stephen declared. Tony laughed at that.

“She takes after me in that regard. Besides you love her.”

Stephen shrugged at that and nodded. “She is brilliant Tony. Everybody loves her, a trait distinctly not from you.”

Tony laughed. “Are you saying you don’t love me Doctor? That might just break my heart.” He replied, the familiarity and ease he felt with Stephen shining through. He could see Pepper watching the scene before her with a smile on her face from the corner of his eyes.

“Of course not Doctor.” Stephen replied. “What possible reason could I ever have for that? All you’ve ever done is interrupt me by calling a dozen times.” He said, sarcasm dripping but his tone playful.

Tony laughed, still gazing at the wonderful man in front of him. “You should’ve said something then Doctor. If I had known you missed me, I would’ve come to you.” He replied. He could see Pepper roll her eyes at that.

“Ms. Van Dyne has RSVPd Mr. Stark.” Natasha’s said and he got his focus back on the present and on her.

“You invited her?” Pepper asked, surprised. “I did hear that Pym had appeared at SI. What happened Tony?”

“Oh the usual. He accused me of trying to take his daughter away from him. I told him he was a senile old fool who couldn’t tell me apart from Howard and that me and her would not continue this pointless fight of his. I told him that he was going to die soon and leave a legacy of hatred behind for his daughter to clean up. He called my life’s greatest work ‘cute’ and we almost killed each other with words alone.” He summarized. “But it’s all good now. I don’t have to like him but I can be civil.” He added.

Pepper stared at him in shock and so did Happy. After a moment, she turned to Stephen and said simply. “I fully credit you for his growth.”

Stephen looked at her and back at Tony and said. “Trauma has a way of changing you Pepper. And everything Tony has been through lately changed him more than we could ever realize. When you see your life flashing before you, it puts many things into perspective.”

Tony swallowed, and changed the topic. “You know I had a few things I wanted to show you, now that you are finally physically here.” He turned towards pepper. “You and Natalia here can handle the whole party planning thing right?”

Pepper nodded. “Yeah we got it. You two geniuses have fun.”

“Right then onward to my lab Dr. Strange.” He said getting up, Stephen followed him.

“Lead the way Dr. Stark.”

Chapter Text

Tony looked at the green paste in the bowl and cautiously took a sniff. It didn’t smell as bad as he had thought it would. He put it down on the coffee table as Stephen entered carrying a small brush. “I thought this stuff was supposed to smell disgusting.” He commented as he sat down on the couch.

“Most natural herbs are actually very aromatic.” Stephen replied as Tony continued opening the buttons on his shirt. The blue light of the arc reactor shone from his chest, the patterns indicating palladium poisoning shone outwards. “They look hyper realistic.” Stephen commented, peering closer to take a better look.

“I remember this in vivid detail, every scar, every marking.” Tony simply said.

Stephen nodded, still inspecting the arc reactor. “Is it not possible to take this thing out? After Loki I mean. I do not like the thought of this being inside your chest.”

“I did once.” Tony replied. “It was incredibly risky. I don’t know if it would be possible this time around.” He confessed looking straight into Stephen’s eyes.

Stephen nodded and dragged a stool to sit directly in front of Tony. Taking the bowl from the coffee table he set out to apply them directly to the scars. “I don’t know if this will even work. This feels like bullshit to me.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Of course it does. It is bullshit. But they don’t know that. They don’t know what this is.”

“I understand that.” Stephen sounded annoyed. “You’re giving them little bits of information while making it appear like there’s a whole lot they don’t know. You’re counting on them to create a narrative that fits. You’re working on a lot of assumptions here. You’re not omnipotent Tony, it might not work.”

“I know how she works Stephen. At this point in time I know her far better than she knows me.” He replied. “The key is timing, controlling what information they get and only revealing more later. They already suspect my friendship with you is just a cover for the palladium poisoning. Why not confirm it?”

“Regardless, what other choice do we even have.” Stephen added, continuing to apply the paste.

“Actually, that may have changed.” Tony confessed and to Stephen’s inquisitive look added. “Hank Pym happened. He worked closely with my father, probably knows about Starkium and definitely knows about Palladium Poisoning.”

“And you invited his daughter. I assume she would mention something that her father said in passing and you would have an epiphany.” Stephen commented in a deadpan voice. Tony laughed. “It’s all very predictable Tony.”

“To you it is.” He agreed. “But she is only seeing bits and pieces of a puzzle that doesn’t fit and you have the luxury of seeing the full picture.” He pointed out. Stephen bowed his head in acquiescence.

“Miss Romanoff is on her way Sir.” JARVIS interrupted. “ETA less than two minutes.”

“Showtime.” Tony declared.

Stephen rolled his eyes. “We’ve been running for a while now Tony.” Tony pouted and looked at him, turning on the full puppy eyes. Stephen laughed as he shook his head. “Alright. Showtime then.”

Stephen took a step back to assess his handiwork and continued applying the paste. “I cannot guarantee you anything Tony. In theory it should work, but obviously it hasn’t been tested yet. However the combined efforts of…”

“Have I told you how sexy you look while talking science.” He commented looking directly at Stephen who smiled in response. Tony took the opportunity to slowly close the already small gap between them. They were inches away when the door opened startling them. He hastily attempted to close his exposed chest, the light still shining through the flimsy material of the shirt. Stephen looked pissed as both of them turned towards the intruder.

Natasha was just standing there, looking startled and embarrassed. “I’m so sorry Mr. Stark. I assumed you were alone.” She apologized. Tony doubted he had ever seen her like that.

“Do you not know how to knock Ms. Rushman?” Stephen asked, his voice a perfect expression of restrained rage. He placed the bowl on the arm of the sofa and turned towards her again, raising a single eloquent eyebrow.

“I- I came to inform Mr. Stark that the party is starting.” She looked over at Tony who’d by now hastily managed to button up his shirt, albeit in wrong order.

He looked at her, annoyance and irritation openly displayed in his face. “I will be there Natalie. You can go now.” She nodded and turned to leave. He slumped down on the couch and looked at Stephen who was glaring at him openly.

Stephen got up and locked the door, making sure that Natasha was gone and turned towards Tony. “You’re a bastard Tony.” He simply said.

Tony laughed as he got up and walked towards Stephen. “You knew that already.” He pointed out. "It made things look genuine. Now, she’s just embarrassed about interrupting us and won’t think about this until I point it out.”

“Still, you could’ve warned me.” Stephen groaned.

“I’ll just have to make it up to you then.” Tony replied and stood up to his toes to kiss him.

The party was going on in full swing when Tony entered, everyone cheering as they saw him. He greeted some people and grabbed a drink. He made no motion to drink it and instead surveyed his surroundings. He could see Rhodey talking to somebody or other, Pepper was just there nursing a glass of wine and charming people. He smirked as he saw Natasha and made his way towards her.

She saw him approach and turned scarlet. “I’m really really sorry about earlier, Mr. Stark. I didn’t know you were with Dr. Strange.” She apologized again.

“It’s all right Natalie, just don’t let it happen again.” He kept his tone firm but not scathing. She nodded. "This should go without saying but-"

"Don't tell anyone about the blue glow coming out of your chest. Got it." She interrupted him.

He smiled at her. "You are very observant. That's a good skill to have." He commented. "Most people would have follow up questions but you seem to take it in stride."

"I have seen some terrible things in my life Mr. Stark. I know when to keep my mouth shut." She answered.

He was openly shocked at that. It was probably the closest she had come to telling the truth. "Intriguing. Very intriguing Ms. Rushman." As much as he wanted to push this, to make her reveal more. He knew this was a bad idea. "But I've had more than my fill of intrigue lately." He mused and left her there saying polite hellos and mingling around as he walked on.

He spotted Hope a while later and walked on over to her. “Hello, Mr. Stark.” She greeted him. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you Ms. Van Dyne.”

“I don’t know what you said to Hank, but he seems pretty mellowed out after your conversation.” She said, taking a sip of her drink.

He smiled. “I told him some harsh truths he wasn’t ready to hear, told him he needed to tell you. I take it that he will be stepping down soon.”

She nodded. “He came clean to me. There was apparently an accident during a mission and she disappeared.” Her voice got choked up at that. “He says that there’s a chance she might still be alive.”

Tony’s eyes grew wide at the implication. He didn’t know how exactly the Ant-Man suit worked but he could approximate what might have happened. “He did say he was trying to bring her back.”

“He’s been trying a long time.” She said.

Tony nodded. “Maybe it’s time for someone else to continue that search. A fresh set of eyes wouldn’t hurt. You’re just as brilliant as he is, if not more.” He said sincerely.

She shook her head. “He’s not going to let me anywhere near the suit.” She said. “Not after what happened to Mom. That’s why he hid all this from me.”

“I never said anything about his suit.” He pointed out, she looked at him oddly. “Don’t underestimate yourself Hope, you’re smart, talented. Why not make your own?”

She continued looking at him oddly. He laughed. “Should you decide to do it, I would love to help. Even if you only want me there to bounce ideas off of.” He offered.

“Oh, I can imagine his screeches then.” She said laughing. “He already thinks you want it.”

“I would have no use for it.” He admitted. “I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t encourage you to do this. We’re scientists Hope, creators, innovators. You’re probably the only person in the world who can recreate it, if there’s anything I can do to nudge that along, I would.” He said sincerely.

“It’s a big thing to undertake.” She finally said. Tony hummed in agreement. She changed the subject. “But never mind that. Hank also said something else, I do hope that isn’t true.” She looked at him with a searching gaze.

“Unfortunately it is. But it’s not that bad. I’ll be fine. Although I was hoping for his help in that regard.”

She continued to look at him oddly. “Do you really need his help or do you just want it to appear like he helped?” She asked. Tony chuckled at that. “He says you wouldn’t have been functioning this well had it been serious.” She continued.

“I have some big aces up my sleeve, I’m just not ready to reveal them this soon.” He said mysteriously.

“So, what exactly do you need Hank or me to do?” She asked.

“Nothing, you’ve already done everything. Natalie definitely noticed us talking and it wouldn’t be too hard to assume we talked about Hank Pym. I’m about to have an epiphany any minute now.” He explained.

She laughed at that. “It is quite something watching you work, Tony.”

“Thank you Hope.” He replied sincerely. “Thank you for this illuminating conversation. You might’ve just saved my life here.” He added cheekily. She laughed at that and he walked away from her.

He spotted Stephen talking to Rhodey and walked on towards him. He greeted Rhodey and walked on, mouthing ‘Showtime’ to Stephen as he did so.

He made his way towards one of the locked rooms. He needed to play this right, he needed to be even more suspicious. Natasha had already spotted him leaving his party, she wouldn’t be far behind, if only to confirm her suspicions.

He opened the cigar case containing the palladium cores. Two of them were damaged beyond repair, giving him an unwanted flashback to the last time this had happened. The pain as the things went progressively worse and worse came to the forefront of his mind. The knowledge that SHIELD had known and let it get to the point where he didn’t have much time left to live was not helping matters any.

He had to give it to Fury, the bastard knew how to play the game, how to arrange it so that no matter what happened SHIELD would come out on top. He wondered for the hundredth time what would've happened had he actually died. Would Natasha have killed Pepper and Happy just to make sure that no loose ends remained?

He slumped down on the couch as he heard her footsteps coming closer. Taking a needle from his pocket, he stabbed himself, the chemicals in it showing real discomfort and pain in his face. She entered just as he was closing the cigar box and buttoning up his shirt.

“Are you all right, Mr. Stark?” She asked, taking in his state. He looked horrible, real pain shining through, all of the false bravado he would usually put up gone. The red blood toxicity graphic was only up for a second but he was sure that she noticed it. All in all, it was a passable replica of what had happened last time around.

He swallowed and nodded. “I’m fine Natalie.” He replied but made no motion to get up or even move an inch from his current position.

She came closer to him. He hoped he passed for palladium poisoning, no one who looked like he did could be equated to a beacon of health. He was glad for the chemical in his veins, he wouldn’t have been able to fake this well to fool her.

“You don’t look so good Mr. Stark.” She observed. “Should I call for Ms. Potts or Dr. Strange?”

He swallowed hard and nodded through the pain. “Yes, call Stephen.” He managed.

The words were barely out of his mouth and the door opened again letting Stephen in. “What’s going on Tony? I saw you leave-” He stopped talking as he saw Natasha standing nearby him.

“I was just coming to get you Dr. Strange.” She explained. “Mr. Stark doesn’t look so good.”

Stephen looked at him, his brows furrowed in concern. Tony knew he looked horrible and he knew that Stephen could tell that he wasn’t faking it. “Thank you Ms. Rushman, I’ll take it from here.”

She nodded and left. Stephen waited until she was gone and went over to examine him. “You’re not faking this. What did you do Tony?” He asked.

“What I had to Stephen.” He replied. “She’s damn good, I can’t fake my way through this. She’s going to get Pepper now, seeing my reaction to her finding out about this will tell her more than anything.”

“Least you could do is talk to me before doing something stupid like this. What if something had gone wrong?” He asked, checking his vitals.

“Nothing is going to go wrong. Don’t worry I’ll be fine in a few minutes.” Tony replied, already feeling better. He cracked a smile making Stephen shake his head. “I’m going to rediscover Starkium now, remember, no need to fake anything after that.”

“Regardless, this was stupid. I need to check you over to make sure this wouldn’t have any lasting effects.” Stephen said, his hand glowing up with the runic mandala. He continued scanning his body with magic.

“I didn’t know you could use magic this well in medicine.” He commented as he observed.

“I’m an accomplished sorcerer Tony. I know how to do various things with magic.”

The door suddenly flung open and Pepper entered. One second felt like an eternity as she looked at the magic glowing from Stephen’s hands and the two men looked like deers caught in headlights. Stephen shook himself out of it and the glowing magic disappeared just in time for Rhodey and Happy to enter. Natasha followed soon after.

“Jesus, Tony.” Rhodey exclaimed as he took in his state. He immediately came forward to check on him. Tony gave his best friend a small smile and straightened up, trying to bluster some bravado he didn’t feel.

“What’s going on Tony?” Pepper asked, confused and concerned at the same time.

Tony looked at her and then looked at Natasha behind her. Pepper understood without him having to tell her anything. “I might have been hiding something from you guys.” He said without really saying anything.

Happy raised his eyebrows. “We know Boss. We know something is wrong. We’ve just been waiting for you to tell us what’s been going on.” He said.

Rhodey snorted. “Did not think it was this extreme though.” He muttered. “What’s going on doc? When you said he was going to do something stupid I didn’t anticipate a medical emergency.”

Tony looked at Stephen who just shrugged in reply. “I’m afraid I cannot answer your question fully Colonel. Doctor-Patient confidentiality.” He explained. “And besides it’s something Tony needs to tell you, all of you.”

“Look.” Tony said, getting up and turning to his friends. “I’ve been lying to you guys. I shouldn’t and I don’t particularly like it. I’m not okay, but I will be.” He really didn’t, he wished he could tell them everything. He didn’t want to tell them how bleak the future was and how much they suffered. He was going to make sure that that wouldn’t happen. He also hated pretending to have palladium poisoning.

“As pleasant it is hearing honest truth come out of his mouth. We might need to table this discussion for later.” Stephen interjected. “There are certain things Tony needs to do and unfortunately time doesn’t seem to be on our side.”

Pepper turned towards him. “Is everything going to be all right Dr. Strange?” She asked.

“When has he ever been known to give up?” He replied and then continued. “We need to give Tony some time and space. We will talk about this. I promise you, but not now and not here.”

Happy nodded. “Well as long as the Doc says it's fine.”

“I’ll go deal with the guests. But Tony, Stephen, we will need an explanation for whatever that was.” Tony nodded and they got to leave.

"JARVIS, Buddy? Any good news for me?” He asked while the others were still in earshot.

“Analysis is complete Sir. I believe it could work, if Doctor Strange would verify my findings.” Stephen took the StarkPad from the coffee table and made a show of studying it.

JARVIS closed the door and the two finally relaxed. “This isn’t good.” Stephen said.

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock.” Tony commented as he sat up straighter. “What are we going to tell Pepper? I suppose I could make some stuff about lasers and hologram or something but you weren’t wearing a gauntlet then.” He said, brainstorming how to go from now.

“Or we could just tell her the truth.” Stephen supplied. Tony looked at him in surprise. “We tell her about the Mystic Arts. She’s already suspicious of how close we have gotten in the past few months. Me being a sorcerer would explain it a little.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am Tony. They’re your friends. I trust them.” Tony shot a smile at the man at that. Stephen continued. “Why do all this? Why make it appear like you’re dying?”

Tony straightened up on the couch. “That’s the one thing SHIELD is sure about. If I didn’t direct their focus on this, they would delve deeper. I don’t want that to happen. Stephen, I don’t want them finding out about you or time travel.” He said locking eyes with Stephen. That was his worst nightmare right now.

Stephen nodded, understanding. “So what are you going to do now?”

“Nothing for a few hours. Then I’m due for a joyride in the new suit. I was thinking about making a trip to New Mexico for a friendly chat with Dr. Foster and then stopping for breakfast.”

“Only a few days remaining till Thor shows up.” Stephen commented as he sat down beside Tony. “Looks like we have a few hours to kill until then.”

Tony turned to face him. “Yeah. What do you think we should do?”

“Oh, I might have a few ideas.”

Chapter Text

The gigantic donut was a great place to sit and observe the morning glow, he realized as he munched on a strawberry glazed donut. He was really looking forward to the next interaction, he realized as he enjoyed his donut. Last time around he was at a disadvantage but this time he held all the cards, even the ones Fury and SHIELD didn’t know about.

The meeting with Dr. Foster had also gone great. They had exchanged a few emails prior to this and he had managed to catch up with her in New Mexico. He had said that he had merely stopped by to check if anything was wrong. After being assured that it wasn’t and eliciting a promise to work together one day, he had left. It was fantastic flying in the morning light, enjoying the sounds of a city just waking up.

He pretended not to notice Fury coming closer and closer. He would play this as he had last time around, at least until Natasha showed up. Then the real fun would start. He steeled himself for a conversation with Fury, sarcastic quips and scathing remarks already on the tip of his tongue.

The coffee was just as bad as he remembered but he was going to endure this for now. Fury went on and on about something or the other and Tony just ignored him, making some remarks about not wanting to join his boy band every now and then.

Tony looked at the approaching woman. She cut an impressive figure in the leather catsuit, managing to look alluring as well as dangerous at the same time. He could see Fury smiling from the corner of his eye, no doubt just waiting to reveal just as he was.

“Ah. Agent Romanoff, good of you to join us. I was wondering when Fury was going to bring in his agent on the inside.” He said blandly, loving the change of expression on both of them. “What? Did you think I called you in the ring and stared at you for a whole minute unblinking because you were pretty? I was suspicious of you from the very beginning. I’ve learned to recognize honeypots pretty damn efficiently.” That’s all he’d thought of her in the beginning. A honeypot, to lure him in and steal his designs. Her being a SHIELD Agent had come as a surprise.

“How in the world-” Fury started but Tony interrupted him.

“I had this guy in, just to do a complete overhaul of our security. Can’t be too careful what with Iron Man. Brilliant man, that one, managed to ID you based on nothing but your footsteps.”

“Spencer.” She replied, realization dawning in her face. Fury blanched too.

“Ooh. I sense some love lost there. Anyways, we thought he was talking about a spider at first, I almost had Jarvis scan for one. But he elaborated. Natalia Alinova Romanova, that’s your birth name isn’t it?”

Her face darkened, no doubt thinking about all the various ways of killing him. He paid that no mind and instead turned to look at Fury. “I didn’t know that my rejection on the other night hurt you so much you decided to send an assassin after me, after Pepper.” He all but growled in the end.

“That’s not what this is.” Fury tried to explain, fully cautious of how it looked.

“Save it.” He snapped. “I don’t care what you do to me, but touch a hair on Pepper’s head and I will bury your entire organization before you even know what’s happening.”

“We know you’re dying. Palladium poisoning must be pretty painful.” Fury got right into the point, taking charge of the situation. “Agent Romanoff was stationed to observe you. We can help you Stark.”

“And what? You have a miracle cure that saves me and makes me indebted to you forever? You’re getting pretty desperate there Fury.” He couldn’t help but put that jab in. He pretended not to notice Natasha going out of his line of sight. He wouldn’t be injected with that poison again this time around.

“As a matter of fact we do. Hit him.” His instincts working with him, he grabbed Natasha’s hand just as it was inches away from his neck. She was strong, but no match against his suit’s power. “Just to be clear, I’m counting this as attempted murder.” He said coolly as he grabbed the syringe with another hand and crushed it. He so loved watching their faces as they looked on at him, completely destroying their miracle cure. “Sit down Ms. Rushman. Now it’s my time to talk.”

“Your attempt at my life was recorded by the way, I’m pretty sure whatever’s in that syringe was not FDA approved. I could ruin you with just that.”

“It’s a cure Stark. We’re trying to help you. Let us help you.”

“I said I was talking, Fury. What makes you even think I still have Palladium Poisoning. Why your spy actually did walk on while I was getting cured. Do you remember Natalia? You ruined a wonderful moment I was going to have.”

“Doctor Strange cured you?” She asked incredulously.

“Don’t bullshit me Stark.” Fury snapped. “Our scientists have been working for months for a cure. That’s the only thing they could come up with. There is no way your pet doctor found something else.”

“So you knew about this for months and you waited until now to tell me? Good to know how deep your machinations run Fury.” He took a swig of the frankly terrible coffee. “Notice something missing from my neck? Or did you just assume I got exponentially better at applying makeup?” He craned his neck to one side, letting them have a good look at the lack of high tech crossword puzzle there. “I never said I got a chemical cure, Fury.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Natasha interrupted. “You looked terrible last night. There is no way Dr. Strange cured you.”

“I’m not going to tell you two untrustworthy spies all my secrets. I cured myself. Stephen just helped clear my mind a little, helped me counteract some of the worst effects of having palladium in my bloodstream.” He took another swig and just enjoyed this moment.

“Good conversation. You let me know more about your super duper secret organization in five more minutes than I was able to find out in five months.” He was absolutely loving every moment of this. “Now I really should get going. Rushman, don’t be late, you’re still my assistant after all.”

“Even after finding out I’m a spy?” She asked, perplexed.

“We’ve established this Natashalie. I knew you were a spy the hour I met you. Everything you’re received since then is mostly useless. JARVIS insists on doing triple checks to make sure. You’re pretty good and I can’t be bothered to hire another assistant at this point. I’ll be expecting you in my office at nine sharp.” He said and made to leave. He stopped in his tracks as he thought for a minute and then walked back to the booth.

“Here to rub it off some more Stark?” Fury asked annoyance evident on his face.

“Here to see how good of a spy she really is.” He replied as Natasha sit up straighter. “Some slightly disreputable sources tell me that Hammer was really interested in my attacker in the racetrack. And now Vanko ends up somehow dead in prison. It doesn’t add up.”

“You think Hammer somehow faked Vanko’s death and is using him to make Iron Man suits.” She finished.

“Not a farfetched conclusion to make. If I’m correct, we could have a catastrophe in our hands considering Vanko probably knows how the arc reactor works.” Fury’s expression blanched at that. He loved letting them know that they didn’t have anything to offer him that he couldn’t find himself.

“Where are you even getting this multitude of information from Stark?” Fury groaned. “It should be impossible for you to know this much.”

“Everyone seems to forget that I’m a genius. You’ve been so swallowed up looking at the public’s perception of me that you seem to forget that that’s what I allow them to see not who I actually am.” He explained.

“We’ve been underestimating you.” Natasha concluded.

“Oh can't complain, I was counting on it.” He replied laughing. “Look into Hammer, see if he’s actually in cahoots with Vanko or I’m just being paranoid.” He said and left the two to reconsider everything he had done in the past few weeks.

He was just sitting in his office when Pepper came in. “Natalie isn’t here.” She commented.

Tony smiled as he spoke. “Oh, Fury had a whole dramatic reveal planned. I had such fun crashing it, revealing I knew about her all along. I’ve sent her on an errand.”

Pepper returned his smile but sobered up faster. “So, I guess we need to talk about last night. You looked deathly sick and there’s that orange glow I saw.”

Tony nodded, sending a quick message to Stephen. “Call Happy, I’m getting Stephen.”

“Not James?” Pepper asked. “He has a right to know what’s going on too.”

“Maybe later. Rhodey has to report to the Air Force. Plausible deniability and all.” He explained and Pepper nodded.

He locked the door as Happy entered, hiding everything from view and making sure that there were no bugs around. Checking for bugs was almost becoming second nature to him considering the close proximity to a SHIELD spy.

Pepper’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you said you were calling Stephen.” She had barely finished her words when a golden portal appeared and Stephen stepped in.

The two watched gobsmacked at the display of magic before them. Happy got himself back to the present before Pepper did however. “What was that Boss? What’s going on?”

“That’s the same light I saw last night.” Pepper confirmed as she looked towards them questioningly.

“Yes, it is Pepper.” Stephen replied as he came to stand beside Tony. “I’m a practitioner of the mystic arts. A sorcerer if you will.” He explained.

Both of them turned to look at Tony who shrugged in response. “It’s true, it’s not a trick. I’ve had some time to come to terms with it but it’s really magic.”

Pepper took the water from his desk and poured herself a glass. After trying to calm herself down she declared. “I need something stronger.”

Tony acquiesced and got up to get both her and Happy a drink. After handing both of them a glass of whiskey he sat down and let Stephen continue.

“What you saw last night was me checking Tony over to make sure he was all right.” He explained.

“What happened last night? Why wouldn’t he be all right?” Pepper asked.

Stephen looked over at Tony at that and everyone turned to face him. He took a deep breath and started. “First of all, I want you to know that I am okay now. Alright Pepper, Happy, nothing is wrong now.”

“But something was wrong before.” Happy said. “There’s been something wrong with you for the past several months. What’s going on Boss?”

“I was dying.” Both of them looked at him with wide eyes, getting another shock in so little duration. “I’m not now, it’s totally cured, but I was dying. The palladium in the arc reactor, the very thing that was saving me was killing me slowly.” He explained.

Pepper downed her glass and reached for another. “Jesus Tony. This has been going on for a while and you didn’t tell us.” Tony felt so bad lying to them like that.

Stephen took over, seeing Tony’s state. “I’ve been working with him to find a cure be it chemical or magical. We’ve been able to help a little, counteract some of the worst effects with some natural herbs.”

“You said it was all gone now? Cured?” Pepper asked.

“Yes, I’ve replaced the palladium cure with a much more stable element. Something Pym said helped me discover, or rather rediscover a new element. I’m okay now. A few more days and some chlorophyll will erase it all from my bloodstream.” He explained.

“The chlorophyll. You started drinking the green juice months ago.” Pepper said.

“It was all so clear. How could we not see it?” Happy asked himself. Tony hated how he was making his friends feel.

“Wait a minute.” Pepper stilled. “Does SHIELD know? Is that why they sent a spy?” She asked furious.

Tony nodded grimly. “They’ve known for months. They’ve apparently been making a cure for it. A way to make me indebted to them forever.” He replied in an icy tone, feeling just as furious as the other people in the room. “I met Fury today. Rushman tried to stab me in the neck with their cure. I stopped her.”

Pepper’s steely gaze locked with his. “I want to sue them. They could’ve endangered your life with their cure.”

Tony smiled a grim smile as he shook his head. “We can’t Pep. They’re a shady governmental agency, right now we would be powerless against them. I’m not happy about it, but we have to wait and plan our move.”

Pepper nodded understanding even if she didn’t like it. “So what about magic? If this new element hadn’t happened, what then?” She asked, facing Stephen now.

“I would’ve done everything I can to save Tony’s life Pepper. I always will.” He replied sincerely. “No matter what it takes out of me, no matter what I have to do. I owe him that much.” He said directly looking at Tony. Tony kept looking at Stephen, a smile permanently plasted in his face, his look silently conveying that he would too. 

Pepper nodded and slumped back down on the chair, taking in everything that they’d revealed to her in the past five minutes. “This is a lot to take in.” She said with a dry humorless laugh.

“I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you.” He said sincerely. “I was looking at every possible cure, every possible way I could make it work. I was going to cure myself, no matter what it took. I couldn't just give up, I didn't want to do that to you guys.” Everything he was saying was what he didn’t get a chance to say the last time around. It was more chaotic then, now he had a chance to explain himself and reassure his friends that he was okay.

“We would’ve liked to know Tony.” Happy said quietly. “First Afghanistan, then Stane and now this. It feels like we are just inches away from losing you always.”

Tony felt his eyes misting up as he looked at his friends. “You know James will kill you right? For not telling him about this.” Pepper interjected making him smile a little. “We really should’ve known something was more wrong than usual. Giving him a suit, making me CEO. You were preparing us for when you wouldn’t be around.”

“I would’ve done those things regardless of my health.” He told them and he had.

“What’s the thing with magic? How does it all fit in?” Happy asked, genuinely curious.

“You remember right after Stephen’s accident when I visited that old lady in New York?” Tony asked and Happy nodded, realization dawning in his eyes.

“That place was the New York Sanctum and she was the Sorcerer Supreme of the Mystic Arts, my mentor.” Stephen explained.

“So you’ve known about magic since then?” Pepper asked.

“Not quite. I had known about magic a little earlier. A sorcerer helped me when I was at the lowest point in my life, saved my life.” He replied telling the truth even if it wasn’t the complete truth. Memories of the icy bunker flashed before his eyes, the cold, the betrayal, the hopelessness seeping into his very bones. Stephen squeezed his hands bringing him back to the present. The others were looking at him concerned, not knowing what to do. He shook these thoughts away.

“I went to see her to know if magic could help Stephen. She told me it could but that it was ultimately his choice.”

“We kept in contact after I went to their main temple in Nepal. I’ve been searching for a magical cure since I found out about the palladium.” Stephen took over. “There were some herbs that were helpful but other than that I wasn’t of much help.”

“You’ve kept me sane through this, Stephen.” Tony interrupted. “I don’t think I could’ve done this without you.” He really couldn’t have, every time he saw Natasha, he remembered the future. Every time he felt hopeless, Stephen was there helping him through. Stephen shot him a small smile and he felt like his whole world had brightened up.

“That was the thing we were curious about.” Pepper suddenly spoke. “This bond you two have, the easy glances, the calm acceptance. It didn’t make sense in such a short timespan, now though it feels like someone has opened my eyes.” Tony blushed a little at her words.

“It makes a lot more sense now.” Happy added smiling at the two.

JARVIS chimed with a notification just then, informing him that Natasha had arrived. “Seems like our spy is back.” He commented.

“I should go. We can’t let her see me.” Stephen started drawing the portal. Tony nodded and watched as he left, the portal opening to his living room.

“That seems very convenient.” Pepper commented as she watched him leave. Tony shrugged and nodded. “What errand did you give her?” She asked as both she and Happy made their way towards the door. Tony joined them.

“Oh you know, me being paranoid as usual.” He answered. Pepper stopped in her tracks and gave him a stern look. He continued. “I think Hammer is working with the racetrack guy. Sent her to utilize her spy skills and make sure I wasn’t imagining things.” He replied

“That could be problematic.” She replied as Happy opened the door.

“I’ll deal with it if I have to.” He said sincerely. Pepper nodded. Happy stopped before leaving.

“I meant what I said Boss, please let us know if something is wrong with you.” He looked at the two of them, concern lining their faces shadowed with grim determination and nodded.

“I’m not making any plans about dying soon Hap.” He replied just as Natasha came into view. The two left after that, leaving him and the spy alone.

“You told them.” She just said.

“Of course I did Agent Romanoff.” He replied and beckoned her inside. The room fogged up again as he locked it. “What have you found?” He sat down in his chair and got straight into the point.

“You’re right, Vanko is alive and working with Hammer.” His expression didn’t change at her words. He knew about this already. “You’re planning to engage with him, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. He is blinded by hate, he won’t stop until I’m dead. If I delay it or if I ignore it, people are going to get hurt and my inaction would be responsible.”

“What am I doing here then? You’re capable of doing this by yourself.”

He regarded her with a searching gaze. “Iron Man is flashy and you are the opposite. You’re capable of being invisible, able to go to places where I cannot.” For all the grief that she had given him, he was rather impressed with her abilities, he was willing to admit that she was good, that she was needed.

“You’re assessing me, seeing if I’m worth recruiting.” She accused him, folding her arms. “I’m not going to help you do corporate espionage, I’m not betraying SHIELD.”

He laughed openly at that, recalling the airport battle where she had literally left him the moment it looked like he wasn’t going to win. “And people tell me I have a huge ego.” He commented after sobering up. “I don’t trust you Agent, I don’t want to look over my shoulder everytime you’re around. I don’t want you.” He declared. “And talking about corporate espionage, if anything of SI gets replicated, if any of our designs end up in someone else’s hands, Pepper’s gonna sue the hell out of you. Not SHIELD, but you specifically, keep that in mind.”

She nodded as she relaxed. “Like I’ve ever gotten a chance to get even near any of your designs.” She muttered. “I’ll admit you’re good Stark. I came in thinking I was just going to have to babysit another billionaire but you’ve given me a run for my money.”

“Honestly, I’ve had better spies than you.” He told her frankly.  

Chapter Text

He was really surprised at how similar this scene was to the one he had experienced a lifetime prior. It was similar yet undeniably better. This time around he had had additional, better security. That had gotten more media coverage than anything, people debating on whether his paranoia was getting the better of him lately. That would probably change soon, he thought.

Everyone was safe, the safety of people was ultimately his first priority. In addition to that, he had ensured the safety of their inventions, everything that they had worked so hard on. Nothing was going to stop this exhibition from going on year round. The cameras were still working and Tony knew that some aspiring hacker would undoubtedly try their hand at securing the footage and it would be seen by millions by the time this fight was over.

Natasha was at Hammer, just like last time, trying to hack into Vanko’s suits, trying to regain control. Rhodey was beside him, fighting their way through Vanko’s suits. It was better this time around. They fought like they had been fighting for a long time, which Tony supposed was true for him. He could tell Rhodey was enjoying this, and appreciating all the personal touches he had put in.

The fight was over much faster. Not fast enough for people to be suspicious but much more efficient. Natasha was good. No doubt he could’ve done it much faster but she wasn’t bad. More than that, she could go into places he couldn’t. He might never let her know this but he was really glad for her backup.

Vanko lay there defeated, under the combined efforts of War Machine and Iron Man. He was a force unto himself, someone who’d managed to give him a run for his money last time around and didn’t let him down this time either. He knew that the self destruct was coming, but he had purposefully not thought about it. It had to look real, it couldn’t look like he had staged it. In the end he barely managed to cordon off a section and contain it there.

He was with the way this fight turned out. All of the magnitude of the last fight, the introduction of War Machine to the general populace, the defeat of Whiplash and the reaffirmation of their hero Iron Man with none of the civilian damage.

Rhodey came over as he kept staring. He took a glance at his friend’s utterly exhausted face and rubbed his eyes as he surveyed the damage. “You all right Tones?”

“I’ll be okay Rhodey.” He replied sincerely. “What about you? You doing good?”

Rhodey nodded. “FBI just arrested Hammer for aiding a terrorist. This is a shitshow but it’s manageable. I’ll be fine Tony.”

Tony nodded. “I did everything I could to make sure the security was top-notch. We still got attacked.” He said grimly looking at the destruction.

“No one got hurt, Tony. All of your paranoia paid off, people are safe, this place isn’t destroyed.”

Tony smiled a little at that. “Really couldn’t have done this without you man.” He said sincerely. “How do you like the suit so far?”

“It’s like you’ve been inside my mind Tones.” Rhodey replied honestly. “I know you said you designed it with me in mind but I wasn’t expecting this level of accuracy. It feels like it’s an extension of me.”

“It has to Rhodey or it would be very disadvantageous in the field. This is why I refused to give my suits outright. I know you well enough, that’s the only reason this works.”

“And there’s the fact that I have to calculate so many things to even be able to do a single thing here. I cannot imagine the type of training we would have to give to make anyone else capable of piloting this.” Rhodey added.

“Yeah, the generals don’t really consider that, do they?”

“Oh, they will now, I promise you Tony they will.” Rhodey declared. Tony laughed. “You promised me a talk.”

Tony sobered up. “Not here Rhodey. I will tell you, just not here.”

“I will hold you to that Tony.” Rhodey nodded and left. Tony was really dreading this. He knew it would hurt his best friend not knowing just how close he was to death’s door. He shook his head and flew away, opting to think about it when he had to.

He was just about to reach his house when JARVIS informed him that there was someone inside the vents. From the general description, he could ascertain that it was Clint. He knew that SHIELD would not give up, but he had not thought that they would send another one so soon. Stephen could protect himself but sending someone like Clint to his house when Stephen was alone in there said so many things about the organization.

Before the Airport battle, he hadn’t cared much about Clint. Yes, he hated the man’s annoying barbs but he never gave them much thought. But that all changed. Not only had he destroyed his property, aided Wanda in her escape but he would never forget the comments about Rhodey. That had absolutely infuriated him.

Logically he knew that the person in his house currently was not the same one he’d known in the future. But that really didn’t matter. Now, just like with Natasha he could write their story anew. No more providing weapons for the ungrateful bastard who didn’t appreciate them. He would play this coolly and continue to treat all of SHIELD with some distance. He’d tried being friendly, that didn’t end well for him.

He slowly stepped down on the landing pad and asked. “Does Stephen know about this Jar?”

“I have notified Doctor Strange Sir.” JARVIS replied.

Tony nodded while slowly peeling off his suit. For all that he missed his future advancements in the suit, this was strangely therapeutic. It felt mechanical, it was time consuming, it gave him some time to collect his thoughts. He slowly entered the house, mindful of the vents. He didn’t know if JARVIS had informed him or if Stephen could hear him enter but he was standing there, relief evident in his face.

Before Tony could even do anything Stephen had already come over and enveloped him into a hug. Tony smiled and relaxed into it. Stephen took the opportunity to talk to him without being in the hearing range of anyone else. “Barton. Vents.”

Tony smiled at that. “I know. What do you think we should do?” He asked. He could feel Stephen smiling.

Stephen continued looking at him in concern as they separated. Out of nowhere he bent down and kissed Tony within an inch of his life. The kiss seemed urgent and full of passion. When it was finally over, Stephen smiled at him and then said. “I’m so happy you’re all right Tony.”

Tony laughed. “If that’s the reaction I get, I might be tempted to put my life in danger again.” He declared and stood on his toes to kiss the man he loved.

Stephen slowly guided him to the sofa where he knew Clint could get an uninterrupted view. Stephen pushed him onto the couch and just stood and appreciated the view for a minute.

“Like what you see?” Tony asked cheekily, posing as he did so.

Stephen laughed at his antics. “These underarmor clothes don’t really leave much to the imagination Tony, I’m loving what I’m seeing.” He replied and after shrugging off his robe, joined him on the sofa.

They were only just getting into it, when a rather loud clang came from the vents. Both of them stilled, looking upwards simultaneously. Tony didn’t think that Clint would be this clumsy. A series of rhythmic tapping followed that.

Both of them turned to look at each other as they got up from the sofa. Sitting down, he sighed and looked at the nearest camera. “JARVIS, scan the vents. It seems like we have an unwanted visitor.”

Stephen took the robe from the ground and put it on, sitting beside him. Both of them waited in complete silence, mood effectively killed. A little while later JARVIS answered. “Scan complete Sir. It appears that there are two people occupying the vents. The heat signature suggests one female and one male.”

Tony smiled and took the StarkPad from the coffee table. He opened the vent before them and said looking upwards, “Whoever you are, get out and I won’t press charges. Stay there and I’m calling the cops.”

A little bit later Clint emerged from the vent looking annoyed. He gracefully slinked down and like the bastard he was, he kept glaring at him. Tony waited for a minute and then addressed Clint. “I meant both of you. Where’s your partner?”

“I don’t have a partner, Stark. I’m here alone.” Tony knew that the man before him wasn’t the Clint he was familiar with but right now he really couldn’t see any difference. He was just as, if not more annoying.

“Look dipshit I don’t care. Protecting your partner will do nothing.” He informed him. Whoever the other girl was, she was good.

He paused as if he was considering something and looked at Clint up and down. His already scowling face was getting worse and worse at Tony’s actions. “That smug sense of superiority, you’re SHIELD aren’t you? Only those bastards would act like I’m the one at fault for catching them breaking into my goddamn house.”

“Isn’t that the one that your assistant is from?” Stephen asked, sounding a bit confused. Tony nodded. He was spared of any further interaction as the clutter of the vent door falling to the floor interrupted them.

Tony watched as a lithe blonde gracefully somersaulted from the vents and landed down in his living room. “Hi.” She greeted him. “Sorry for interrupting but it was getting kind of awkward.” Her voice got a pinched expression at the end. She then turned to address JARVIS. “The Robot’s really good, almost had me a couple of times.“

Tony smiled at her antics. “Definitely not SHIELD.” He muttered and went towards the girl. “Hello you must be Parker. It’s lovely to meet you.”

She turned to smile at him rather dazzlingly. “Elliot did say you’ve been watching us. It’s good to meet you too.”

Tony shrugged. “I haven’t been watching you guys, more so admiring the destruction you leave behind.” He said honestly. It was a joy watching that crew work their magic.

“It appears that there’s a message announcing her imminent arrival Sir.” JARVIS sounded incredibly apologetic, Tony raised an eyebrow at him. “There’s also one from Ms. Jenny calling you all sorts of names for saddling her with such a dangerous task.”

Parker appeared confused for a second and then perked up. “Ooh, what does she say?”

Tony laughed. “If I had to guess ‘I’m a sanctimonious prick who deserves to be mauled to death by a pack of lions?’” He didn’t miss the alarmed but curious look Stephen sent him at that. She likely had more questions about the Killian thing, he will get to all that later.

“Not quite Sir. It’s Mr. Spencer that would do the mauling.”

“And he would do it too. That guy is so scary.” Tony nodded and so did the girl beside him.

“What’s going on Tony?” Stephen took the moment to ask. “Who is she and what is she doing here?” He sounded incredibly confused.

“Stephen, meet Parker, one of the greatest thieves I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing about. Parker, Dr. Stephen Strange.” He introduced them. “I might have hired her friends a while ago. As for why she’s here…” Tony directed the question to Parker who just shrugged.

“I was bored.” She said as she sat down on his couch. “And everyone’s been talking about how you’re going overboard with your security.”

“And you decided to test it.” Tony concluded. She nodded and he went to sit beside her. “Well, what do you think?”

She looked at him curiously. “It’s good. The Robot’s really good at what he does.”

“But not good enough to catch you.” Tony said while giving JARVIS a pointed look.

“I was elsewhere occupied, Sir.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“Don’t let his affronted tone fool you.” Tony said to Parker. “JARVIS is impressed with you.”

“Thank you JARVIS.” Parker said while looking at a camera. She then turned towards Tony. “You want to hire me like you did-”

“Yes.” He interrupted her. “If you’d like that. It’s going to be just as fun as this one.”

“I assure you I have learned from this interaction Sir.” JARVIS told them. “It’s not going to be easy for Ms. Parker to get me next time.”

Parker smiled as she stood up. With a determined face, she declared. “Bring it, Robot.”

“This robot has a name Ms. Parker.” Tony looked on at the interaction with fondness. Parker made her way towards one of the vents.

“Fine. JARVIS.” She replied in a mocking tone. “We’ll see who’s better, you or me.” With that she jumped back into the vent and made her exit.

Tony looked at Stephen who was looking rather amused. “Now I know what Pepper meant by you hiring anyone that tries to steal from you.” He said smiling.

“Oh come on, It happened once.” He complained as he came to sit next to him. Pepper was never going to let him forget about that time with Jenny. “Well twice now. It’s not that bad.”

“By my count it has happened 3 times Sir.” JARVIS tattled on him.

His smile fell as he came upon Barton who was still standing there. “Right. I forgot you were here.” He said, his face twisting into a frown.

“I’m not gonna work for you Stark.” He declared making Tony raise his eyebrows.

“I don’t want you dipshit. News flash you suck! Geez what is with SHIELD Agents and thinking I want them. Natalie did the exact same thing.” He complained to Stephen who continued to look at him in amusement.

“You literally just tried to hire that girl.”

“Oh I succeeded in that. She’s good, you’re not.” He turned to face JARVIS. “J, you’ve sent a message to Fury right. I really don't wanna deal with this idiot.”

That must’ve struck a nerve as Barton swung at him. Luckily for Tony, Stephen was faster on the uptake and managed to nullify the punch as well as throw Barton on the ground before he even knew what was happening.

Tony smiled at Stephen. “My hero.” He remarked, making Stephen roll his eyes. Stephen continued to pin Barton down on the ground and turned to address him. “Ropes?”

“Oh yeah. Absolutely.” Tony agreed. He came back quickly, not wanting to leave Stephen alone in the room with a dangerous assassin. “You know I was thinking that we might have some fun with these but this takes precedence.” Tony remarked as he gave Stephen those ropes, wiggling his eyebrows.

Stephen took the ropes and pulled up a chair tying Barton up. “Not a bad idea.” He remarked as he worked his magical fingers. It was nice watching him work.

After they were done, Tony thought for a second and told JARVIS. “Fury might take too long. Call Natasha and give her a general description. She might recognize him.”

“I never said I was SHIELD.” Barton said from the chair. “You just assumed it, I never corrected you.”

Tony smiled as he crouched down. “Okay. Regardless I will leave you with a dangerous assassin. If you’re SHIELD you’re good, if you’re not she might just kill you just to tie up loose ends. Either way, dipshit, I don’t care.”

“Agent Romanoff is on her way Sir. She recognized the intruder as Agent Clint Barton.”

Tony gave Barton a sickly sweet smile. “You SHIELD types are always so predictable.” He remarked as he sat down on the couch. He looked at Stephen and commented. “You don’t look so good Stephen, you should go get some rest.”

Stephen looked at him. “You just fought a dozen suits Tony. You must be tired.” He rested his tired head on Stephen’s shoulders as he watched someone who was almost a friend glare at them.

This relative calm wasn’t to last however as JARVIS soon interrupted them. “There is a video call from Nepal, Dr. Strange.” Tony nodded and Stephen left to take the call.

He stared at Barton, mentally trying to find a difference between this guy and the one he’d thought was his friend. That all stopped however when Barton opened his mouth. “Didn’t realize you were so weak without your suit that an injured guy had to save you.” Barton sneered at him.

Tony shoved the anger aside and asked him calmly. “Tell me, Barton was it? Did you enjoy the show? Would you have watched it all had we not been aware of your existence?” He loved watching Barton’s face go red.

Incoming footsteps made all that stop as Tony looked at Stephen curiously. Stephen looked perplexed and a bit worried. Tony looked at him quizzically, silently asking what was wrong.

“I don’t want to alarm you Tony, but something has happened with Friday.” Tony shot up, and started making his way to the room as fast as he could. Stephen joined him. “It’s not bad Tony.” Stephen tried to calm him down but that did not alleviate his worries.

Tony reached the room and turned to look at the monitor. He could barely hear Stephen come in and lock the door, all he was focused on was the image in front of him. He continued staring, only half understanding what he was seeing.

“Hey Boss.” Friday greeted him, her voice not seeming out of place in the semi-translucent body she’d apparently acquired. She was glowing ethereally.

“What happened Fri? You alright?” He asked.

“I’m fine Boss.” She replied. “Had an accident with magic however.”

“It was more than an accident.” The Ancient One remarked from beside her. “From what I can ascertain everything is quite alright. However if you would want Master Strange to make sure…”

Tony nodded and Stephen opened a portal. Tony stepped in first, concerned and very much worried. Friday looked just as she did earlier. She kept flickering, changing hues from time to time. He tried to touch her but his hands went right through her frame. He kept looking at Friday, not understanding what happened. Stephen put his calming hands on his back making Tony turn around to look at him.

“She’s fine Tony.” He assured him. “I will run some tests just to make sure. You should go back, you’ve got Barton tied up in your living room.” Tony nodded and turned to leave, still in a haze. The Ancient One had already opened a portal for him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

He walked back to the living room still a bit worried. Friday seemed alright but he couldn’t help but worry. He did not understand magic at all. He sat down on the couch dejected, his mind still a million miles away with Stephen and Friday.

“Friday is your daughter isn’t she?” Barton asked him. “Something happened to her and you’re far away and can’t help.”

“Shut up Barton.”

“I know what it’s like to worry about your kid.” Tony ignored him. He didn’t need parenting advice from the man who’d left his kids to fight for Captain bloody America.

“J, How long will it take for Natashalie to arrive?” He asked.

“I estimate it would be more than half an hour Sir.”

“When Natasha told us about your daughter, none of us believed her.” Barton continued. Tony looked at him. “We thought it was one of your robots or something.”

Tony really couldn’t hold on to his anger at that. He grabbed Barton by the collar and hissed menacingly. “If you ever call any of my children, ‘it’ I will fucking destroy you. I will make you feel so much pain, you’ll be begging for me to kill you.”

Barton got wide eyed but nodded rapidly. Tony let him go. “Point is. It didn’t make sense. But now I realize she was right. That is the face of a worried parent who will do anything for his child.”

Tony kept looking at Barton. It would be advantageous for him to have SHIELD think that Friday was his biological child. That would divert their focus on finding more about her instead of hurting her by trying to hack into her. “And what are you going to do about it? Are you going to write it in your little report Barton? Use Stark’s kid to get to him. Is that the plan?” He wouldn’t put it past SHIELD.

Barton looked away at that. “No.” He simply said.

Tony got up and got right up to his face. “You might not.” He said. But what about Fury? What about Natasha? Can you tell me that they won’t do that?” He was furious, he was worried and he knew Barton would understand all of that.

“No.”

Barton was looking at him intensely. “If anyone in your organization ever hurts my family, my friends. I will burn you to the ground. I will use whatever resources I have, whoever I can get and I will destroy you.” He simply said.

Barton nodded. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Barton asked after a while. “What happened to her? You wouldn’t get this worried if it was just a simple fever. What is Dr. Strange doing to help her?”

“I don’t know.” Tony replied truthfully. “It’s so far out of my depth. I don’t know what’s happening and I don’t know how to fix it. She’s fine. She has talked to me, I’ve seen that she is alright but I don’t know what’s going on or how it will affect her. I just got her back, I can’t lose her.” Everything kept pouring out of him. He knew he shouldn’t tell a SHIELD spy this, that he shouldn’t tell Barton this but he couldn’t help it.

“Dr. Strange is the only one you trust to make sure that she’s okay.” Barton added.

“Yes.” He replied smiling. “Those two get along so well.”

JARVIS interrupted them, turning his attention away from everything. “Mr. Pym is calling Sir. I’ve notified him about Agent Barton but he insists on talking to you.”

Tony sighed, this day was just getting worse and worse. “Patch him through J.”

The StarkPad on the table shone upwards as Pym appeared. “Stark.” He greeted him. “SHIELD spy.” Barton rolled his eyes.

“What do you want Pym?”

“Why do you keep doing this to me Stark? Why do you keep turning my daughter away from me?” Pym started.

“Hey.” Barton interrupted him. “Don’t be harsh on him. His daughter’s sick. He’s got that to worry about.”

Tony glared at Barton. “That conversation is starting to make sense now. I would never take out anything I have on you or Howard on your kid.” Pym said solemnly. “But you have to stop this thing with Hope. I don’t want to put her in danger.”

“She’s a grown ass woman Pym, it’s ultimately her decision.” He stopped as an idea came to him. Lang could probably help Pym in more ways than Ant-Man. If nothing else, it would be one less enemy down the road. He couldn’t talk about Lang now, but he still could do something.

“Pym I told you I’m going to help your company and I will. J, pull up the names of the people who are brilliant but ultimately we aren’t sure about and give it to Pym.”

“That’s a very specific name for a list.” Pym commented. “Why aren’t you sure about these people?”

“They are good and could help your company.” He replied. “As for why I’m not sure, call it gut feeling, call it paranoia. I’m a very suspicious person.” He sighed. “If you do hire them, space it out, don’t let SHIELD know.”

“You’re saying this in front of a SHIELD spy.”

“You called me knowing he was here.” Tony pointed out.

“Touche.” Pym admitted and then looked at him seriously. “Call me when he’s gone and we’ll have a longer conversation.”

“I’ve got a lot on my plate right now Pym, you’re gonna have to wait.” Tony smiled at him and moved to close the call.

“Wait.” He looked at Pym inquisitively. “What happened to your kid? Is she alright? Should I send flowers?”

“What you should do is leave me alone for a while.” Tony smiled and ended the call.

Tony could tell that Barton was curious about his conversation with Pym but he really didn’t bother about that. They sat in silence for a while.

Thankfully Natasha’s entry prevented any further talks. He just sat there, still worried as he watched Natasha free Barton. “Your kid’s gonna be alright Stark.” Barton said, making Natasha stop and look at him.

“Something wrong with Friday?” She asked.

“If you two spy twins don’t leave right fucking now...” He glared at them. Thankfully they took the hint and left.

Tony entered the portal, still worried. That worry lessened a little when he saw Friday. She didn’t look like she was in pain, or she was uncomfortable. Stephen was still checking something or other with magic as he came to stand beside him.

“The doc says I’m fine.” Friday told him. “You’re worrying about nothing.”

Tony laughed at her tone. “I can’t help but worry about you Fri.” He told her sincerely. “What happened here Stephen?”

“Accidental backlash with magic.” Stephen told him. “These two were messing around with artefacts they don’t understand and accidentally set one off.” He said glaring at the Cloak. Tony watched as Levi looked affronted at that and left his shoulders to go settle on Friday’s.

Stephen looked amused at that and continued. “Instead of contracting anyone to help, they tried to fix the mess they caused and it backfired, and this happened.” Stephen looked at him then. “She’s channeling the powers of the mystic arts Tony. That’s why she is in continuous flux. It is not dangerous for her or anyone else but I don’t know if I can reverse it.”

Tony looked at Friday who was still changing hues from time to time. “Can we do something about that? Stabilize something? The color changing thing isn’t normal, is it?”

The Ancient One came up from behind him. “It’s her digital code, her soul really. Friday is slowly acclimating to this change, she is transforming herself into a magical being. She will always remain in continuous flux, changing as Earth’s magic changes. She’s stabilizing herself, that will stop after a while. Give her time to adjust to this new thing.”

Tony looked at Friday in concern. “Are you alright Friday? Any tingly feelings of magic or discomfort or anything I should worry about?” He asked.

Friday gave him a dazzling smile as she stretched her arms. A warm glow of light surrounded them as she levitated both of them. Flying in the air with mystic symbols around them, Tony looked at her and she simply replied. “I feel brilliant. It’s like I’m flying all the time. Centuries of magic is flowing through me. It makes me feel ethereal, it’s amazing.” She said, sounding entranced by it all and let them down.

Tony slowly touched the ground. He then turned to address the Cloak. “Anything happens to her, I’m holding you responsible Levi.” He said sternly.

Levi seemed to glare at him but nodded. Friday rolled her eyes. “You sound like my dad threatening my prom date. Next you’ll be telling me that he’s too old for me.”

“Don’t sass me young lady.” Tony said. “The Cloak of Levitation is 4000 years old, you’re barely 4 months old.” He reminded her.

“You’ve always told me to reach higher, to learn more, to grow more.”

“Yes I have.” Tony acquiesced. “You can do whatever your magical heart desires Friday. Just promise me you’ll be careful. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Friday gave him a smile and came to hug him. Tony hugged her back, her ethereal body resting comfortably with his. “I will.” She said softly. She separated a little and looked up at him. “I love you Dad.” She said and hugged him again.

Tony smiled as he felt his eyes misting up. “I love you too baby.” He replied, his voice a bit choked. He sniffled, trying to shake the tears away but they flowed.

Levi separated from Friday at that and went towards Stephen and dragged him towards the duo. Tony laughed at Stephen’s protests and beckoned the man he loved towards them. Reluctantly, he joined them in a hug, Levi wrapping around all of them in a warm embrace.

They separated a few moments later. Tony found the Ancient One looking at them fondly. “It is quite a joy watching a new family come together.” She said sagely.

Stephen rolled his eyes and left grumbling about nosy cloaks. Tony noticed that he still had a big smile on his face but didn’t say anything. He collected himself and turned towards the Ancient One. “What’s going to happen to her now?” He asked as he watched Friday and Levi talk, her chattering about something and the Cloak fluttering in excitement.

“She’s got new powers she can’t control, Tony. Both I and Master Strange would love to teach her if you’d like that.” She replied.

“That would be for the best.” He said looking fondly at Friday. He looked at the mountains, glistening with morning light, the dawn signifying a new day and smiled. “We should get going now.” He commented.

Stephen came back, carrying a couple of books with him. Before they could leave however, Friday came before them. “Can I come with you?” She asked softly. “Only for a moment. I will come back, I will train here but I wanted to know what home felt like.”

Tony smiled at her, his eyes misting up again. He looked up at the Ancient One, silently asking for her permission. She nodded and he brightened up.

Friday smiled at that and slowly began to transform before them. Gone were the ethereal lights and the magical energy around her. Instead she just looked like a normal teenage girl, she looked like his teenage daughter. Tony smiled at her, unable to stop his eyes from misting up. She gave him a quick hug and his smile widened.

Tony nodded at Stephen who was watching the scene before him fondly. He smiled and opened a portal to his living room, instantly transporting all of them halfway around the world.

Tony watched as Friday slowly entered, taking small steps and savoring the ground beneath her. She took a deep breath and smiled at the fresh scent of the sea. The room was glowing orange with late evening sun. She slowly walked around taking in everything around her with a smile on her face.

After a while, she stood next to the nearest camera and looked directly at it. “Hello JARVIS.” She greeted him.

“It is quite odd to see you like this FRIDAY.” JARVIS observed.

“It is quite odd to be like this.” She replied. “It is a good kind of odd. Feels like everything is new and magical.” She replied.

Tony smiled at his two children interacting. “JARVIS, if you ever need a body, just ask.”

“I’m quite alright Sir.” He replied. “However, it is quite fascinating watching my little sister go through this.”

Friday smiled at him and went on to greet DUM-E and U. Tony sat down on the sofa and watched her in amusement, Stephen sitting beside him.

They sat down in companionable silence after that. Both of them watching Friday discover new things in fondness. That wasn’t to last however, as JARVIS spoke to alert them.

“Ms. Potts and Mr. Hogan seem to be pulling in Sir. I estimate they will be here in 2 minutes.”

Friday looked at them at that, unsure of what to do now. Stephen spoke up first. “Well, they do know about magic.” He reminded Tony.

Tony nodded and turned towards his daughter. “Do you want to meet them Fri?” He asked. She nodded, her red hair bouncing in excitement. She came and sat with them on the couch.

Pepper and Happy entered a few moments later. “Hey Tony, Natalie said something weird about…” She looked at the trio in shock. “Friday?” She finished

Tony smiled as he got up. He guided Pepper towards Friday who was smiling from where she sat. “Pepper, Happy, meet Friday.” He introduced them.

“But wasn’t Friday…” Happy trailed off, looking at the young girl in front of them in shock.

“Hello.” Friday greeted them. “Yes, I am the same FRIDAY. I just came upon a new body.”

“Magical mishap.” Stephen replied. He was reading one of the books he brought back. “Don’t ask. I still don’t understand it fully.”

Friday smiled and she got up, allowing both of them to get a better look at her. “It’s good to see you Aunt Pepper.” and hugged her.

Pepper seemed to melt into the hug as she hugged Friday back. “Aww. It’s good to see you too Friday.” She said looking at her fondly.

Friday let go of her and then went to tackle Happy into a hug. Happy chuckled at her enthusiasm and told Tony that. “I like her.”

Tony smiled at them as Pepper came to sit beside them. “Magic huh?” She asked. Tony shrugged and nodded. “Bit confusing, I know.” He replied.

“I was amused at SHIELD thinking Friday was your daughter but now it would be actually true.” She said as both Happy and Friday sat down.

“Well…” Tony started as Friday shifted from her human appearing form and into the mystical one he’d first seen her in. Pepper and Happy watched in amazement. She shifted back soon after.

“It’s so cool, isn’t it?” She said.

Pepper smiled at her. “Yes, Friday it is very cool.” She turned back to Tony. “She does look like you. It wouldn’t be too hard to fake a birth certificate and other documents.” She said.

Tony hummed and nodded. “I was thinking some small Irish town.” He looked at the nearest camera. “JARVIS has no doubt already begun the process.”

“Of course I have sir.” JARVIS replied. “Anything for my little sister.” Friday beamed at that.

“Oh!” Pepper exclaimed. “James is coming too.” She told Tony. “He said something about you two having a talk. I don’t think you wanna tell him about magic existing.”

Tony exchanged glances with Stephen. “It’s ultimately Stephen’s decision. But what with Rhodey reporting to the Air Force...”

Stephen nodded. “I wouldn’t mind Colonel Rhodes knowing about me, but the mystic arts is a secret we have kept for millenia and it wouldn’t be good for the government to know about it, any government.” He said solemnly.

“I still want Friday to meet him.” Tony said. “If you want that Fri.” He added.

“I would Dad.” She replied. He still smiled like a fool every time she called him that.

He caught both Pepper and Happy looking at both of them in fond amusement. He shook his head at his friends and instead turned to ask JARVIS. “How long till Rhodey shows up, J?”

“He’s just pulling in Sir.” JARVIS replied.

A while later, Rhodey came in. After looking at the scene before him, he just stood there and slowly turned towards Tony. “Since when do you have kid Tones?” He asked.

Tony rolled his eyes as he got up to greet his best friend. “Since always Rhodey. JARVIS is like a son to me, you know that.”

That was when Friday decided to speak up. “Hi. I’m Friday.”

Rhodey laughed at the introduction as he went to greet her. “That actually makes sense.” He said to Tony “You should’ve just said you found a way to give Friday a body.”

Tony laughed. “Well... not exactly but-” He started but Rhodey interrupted him.

“I’m gonna stop you right there Tones. I do not want to even think about an AI superarmy. Don’t tell me anything.”

“Got it.”

Rhodey looked around. “I’m the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on huh?” He asked.

Tony felt so guilty at that. “Yeah.” He admitted. “I’m really sorry about all this Rhodey.” He started.

Rhodey gave him a small smile. “It’s all right, Tones. I understand. But you can tell me now?” He asked.

Tony nodded and guided his best friend towards another room. “Don’t let Friday do anything stupid. She’s still learning things.”

The others nodded and Friday rolled her eyes. “I don’t do stupid things." Tony laughed and set out to tell Rhodey everything.

It was night when the house was finally empty. The talk with Rhodey had gone better than he thought it would. Rhodey was still angry that Tony had come so close to death and he didn’t know about it, but he was able to placate him somewhat.

Friday had spent the entire time talking with Pepper and Happy, who seemed to grow more and more fond of her as the evening went on. He had looked on fondly, seeing her charming his friends had brought that warm glow back. He always had seen his bots as his children but now it was literal with Friday.

Tony smiled softly at Stephen who slipped under the covers with him. “Hey.” He said.

“Hey.” Stephen replied, taking in his soft appearance and the serene smile in his face. “What a day huh.”

Tony chuckled. “Yeah. Tomorrow’s gonna be crazier.” He simply said.

Stephen smiled at him. He jolted as if remembering something. “I almost forgot. I had something to give you.” A small ring box appeared in his hands. He opened the box, revealing a ring with a green crystal inlaid within it.

“I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to get down on your knees for this.” Tony commented as he stared at the ring. There was something about this ring, it felt almost magical.

Stephen rolled his eyes. “Don’t be an ass Tony. It’s a magical ring, it’s supposed to protect you from anything Loki might try.”

Tony looked up from the ring to Stephen’s concerned face and smiled a small smile. “I’ll be fine Stephen.” He said sincerely.

“Maybe but at least this way I know that for sure.” He said as he took it out. He gently took Tony’s hands and slipped it on. “At least this way, I know that my magic will always protect you.”

Tony kept looking at Stephen, all the love and affection he had for this man poured into one look. He leaned towards Stephen and gently kissed him, everything pouring out from inside him.

Stephen smiled as they separated. “Tomorrow's going to be hectic for you Tony, you should get some rest. Doctor’s orders.”

Tony laughed. “I will.” He said. “Having you beside me helps me sleep better.” He confessed as he closed his eyes. He slept soundly with a smile in his face, with Stephen beside him, feeling as safe as he never had.

Chapter Text

Tony looked at Thor sitting in the small trailer in confusion. He still looked like he always did. Tony knew him, had been friends with him but looking at Thor now, he could tell that something was off. Tony knew that Thor was a Norse God, that he was the God of Thunder but right now he looked nothing like a God. He was as buff and as muscled as he remembered but there was something distinctly odd here.

“Are you sure he’s a God?” He asked Jane who was sitting beside him. He could tell that she was out of her depth here and glad for his help. “He looks like a normal human to me. Sure, a bit more muscle than your normal Joe, with a voice that could break mountains but normal nonetheless.”

“And who are you, fellow friend of Lady Jane?” Thor asked in the booming voice of his.

‘Lady Jane?’ Tony mouthed at his fellow scientist who only shrugged in reply. But before he could respond to the Asgardian’s question, Darcy Lewis beat him to it.

“He’s Tony Stark.” She set out to introduce him. “Iron Man. He’s um- a protector of people of Earth.” Tony stared at her at that, unable to accept what he was hearing. She continued. “He’s a Lord of sorts. Employs thousands of people, creates devices to help us and recently he’s taken to protecting us with that suit of his.” Thor looked mighty interested in his suit at that.

Tony cleared his throat. “That’s quite enough Ms. Lewis. Just call me Tony.”

Thor grasped his hands rather violently at that. Tony startled, he had forgotten how strong Thor was, luckily his reinforced suit could take it. “Well met Lord Tony.”

“Well met Prince Thor.” He said solemnly in reply.

“Your armor looks powerful My Lord.” Thor continued saying. “Did you make it yourself?”

“Yes.” was all Tony managed to say.

Darcy took the opportunity to embellish him a bit more. “Smith. Inventor. Scientist. He’s all of them. He’s the protector of Earth so before you decide to do anything here, be warned that he will fight you. His suit is so powerful that he can and will decimate you.”

Tony looked pointedly at her until she finally got the message and shut up. He then looked at Thor. “I wouldn’t put it like that, but she’s right. If you’re here to harm Earth, I will fight you. And trust me, my armor allows me to go up against Norse folklore like yourself.”

Thor nodded solemnly. “I do not wish to bring harm upon Midgard, Lord Tony and I shall heed your warnings.”

Tony nodded, taking in Thor’s earnest attitude. His eyes narrowed as he saw something glimmering behind him. Letting out a deep sigh, he turned towards the others. “Can you give me and Point Break here a moment alone?” Everyone nodded and got out of the too small trailer.

When everyone had left focused on the glimmering light. “Friday what are you doing here?”

Thor looked at him in confusion until Friday appeared. She looked just as ethereal as she did yesterday, glowing with yellow lights and mystical symbols. “I was bored.” She complained. “So I decided to visit ya.”

Thor looked at her and then back at Tony. Tony sighed and set out to introduce them. “Thor, this is my daughter Friday. Fri, this is the Norse God of Thunder, Thor.”

“Your progeny possesses seidr.” Thor said, sounding amazed. “I did not realize Midgardians were this advanced.”

“Seidr? Oh you mean Magic? Yeah.” Tony replied.

“I’m learning how to control it.” Friday confessed to Thor. “It is so confusing. Sometimes I need to do more, sometimes less. Apparently I need to meditate before I can actually start the training.” She grumbled.

Thor looked like he could empathize with her. “It is truly a hard task, Lady Friday, but you must learn to master it. I never could, my brother was more talented in that regard.” He said conversationally.

Before the entire conversation could pivot towards Loki, Tony stepped in. “Fri baby, you can’t be here. This isn’t safe.” Her pouting face and puppy dog eyes might’ve moved him a little but he stood firm. “JARVIS? You’ve called Stephen, right?” He asked.

“Yes, Sir.” JARVIS replied. “Master Strange will be reaching there any moment now.” Thor looked confused at the voice coming from his suit.

A portal appeared just then bringing Stephen through. Stephen was dressed in his robes, looking every inch the Master Sorcerer he was. He looked at the scene before him, one eyebrow raised.

“Thor, my partner and a midgardian Sorcerer Stephen Strange. Stephen, Thor.” He introduced them

“Well met, Master Strange.” Thor greeted him as Stephen did the same and proceeded towards Friday. “He seems to be a powerful Sorcerer.” Thor said to Tony conversationally. “A fitting consort for a powerful Lord such as yourself.”

Stephen looked at him in open amusement at that, but instead chose to focus on Friday. “Friday. You cannot be here. This is dangerous and you are untrained.”

“And not to mention SHIELD Is lurking around. Fri please.” He pleaded. Friday slowly nodded and then went with Stephen.

Tony turned to Thor after they had gone. “The sorcerers of earth are part of an ancient order. They have remained in secrecy for millennia. I need your word that you will not break that secrecy Prince Thor.”

Thor nodded somberly. “I will not betray your confidence Lord Tony.” He said and Tony nodded. “You have a powerful child My Lord, one day she will be a powerful Mage.”

Tony smiled. “She already is. Stephen is training her.” He said and turned to look at Thor. “It is dangerous for her. If people figured out she possessed such powerful magic, they would set out to hurt her, to take advantage of her.”

Thor nodded. “I will not breathe a word of her abilities my Lord.” Thor said solemnly.

“And none of that My Lord crap. We don’t have royalty. I am simply one man. Just call me Tony.”

“Lady Jane said that you employ thousands, make devices that help people all across Midgard. Is that not true?” Tony nodded in reply. “You are a protector of this realm, you deserve my respect.”

“Alright, I see I cannot convince you otherwise. But enough about me. Why are you here, Prince of Asgard? What happened?”

With that, Thor set out to tell him his story. Tony had of course heard about it all in another lifetime, but this time it felt more raw, it felt more personal. He listened solemnly as Thor bared his soul to him.

Tony looked at Agent Coulson who looked rather impassive at seeing him here. Tony knew he was a bit confused and a bit alarmed but none of that showed in his face.

“Mr. Stark.” He greeted him.

“Well, fancy seeing you here Agent Coulson.” He smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to be the big bad man who took my friend Jane’s research would you?” Jane looked absolutely furious at Coulson and was glaring at him openly.

“Dr. Foster’s research could be very harmful in the wrong hands.” Coulson informed him.

“I can think of no better hands than Dr. Foster.” Tony replied smoothly. “And besides she’s my employee now and you know I protect my employees.”

“Is she now?” Coulson stared at her and then back at him.

“Yes. I’m a consultant. I consulted.” She said, still glaring at him.

“Yeah.” Tony smiled at the SHIELD Agent. “Between Natasha and that guy that broke into my house Barton, and the fact that you actually tried to kill me, Pepper is just looking for an opportunity to sue the hell out of you.” He informed him lazily.

“They tried to kill you my Lord?” Thor asked, alarmed.

“Yes. They tried to poison me with an unknown chemical.” Tony explained. “I was faster and stopped them of course.”

Coulson stared at their group. “Okay fine, we’ll give her her research back. But she has to be careful and you need to tell me one thing Stark.”

“Continue Agent.”

“Who the hell is that guy? And how is he related to the hammer that no one is able to move?” He asked, pointing at Thor.

Tony grasped Thor’s hand tightly, stopping him from saying anything. “That’s Jane’s bodyguard. That’s all you need to know.” He said.

“That is true. I help protect Lady Jane from bodily harm.” Thor bristled from beside him. Tony gestured at that, trying his hardest to keep his laughter at bay.

“Mr. Stark, Please.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Fine. But he gets a shot at that hammer. His condition not mine.” Coulson nodded and he continued. “He claims to be the Norse God of Thunder, Thor. Apparently Gods are real and they are actually aliens.” He said, sounding bored of the whole thing.

“So the hammer is Mjolnir?” Coulson asked. Tony shrugged and nodded. “It would make sense.” Coulson muttered. “I have one more condition if he wants to try his luck.”

“Not part of the original deal but it’s your choice Point Break.” Tony told Thor.

“I will do whatever it is you require of me if it helps me get my hammer back.” Thor said earnestly.

“We would like to question you. We just want to understand what happened here.” Coulson sounded incredibly frank.

Before he could reply with an impassive yes, Tony turned to Thor. “We have a custom here on earth, a right to all citizens if you will. Everyone is entitled to a legal counsel before being subjected to any form of interrogation.”

"Thank you for informing me of that Lord Tony. While I am on Midgard, I will follow its customs. Would you mind being my counsel?” He asked solemnly.

“Of course Thor. I will help you.” He gave the Norse god a small smile.

Coulson scoffed. “That’s not a real right. I’m not charging him of anything, I’m not arresting him. It’s simply questioning, it’s not required.”

“I would appreciate having Lord Tony with me, Son of Coul.” Thor said firmly, shutting Coulson up.

“He would appreciate it.” Tony repeated with a smile.

“Alright then.” Coulson conceded. “I’ll take what I can get.” He instructed one of the agents to give Jane’s research back to her

Coulson then proceeded to lead Thor and Tony to an interrogation room. “You don’t usually wear jewelry, Mr. Stark.” He commented while looking at the ring.

“I do when my boyfriend gives it to me.” Tony just said. Coulson gave him a skeptical look but didn’t pursue it further.

Tony mostly tuned out the interrogation, only giving his input occasionally. Sometimes it was warranted, but most of the time he just wanted to piss Coulson off. And Judging by Coulson’s reaction, or the lack of it, he looked to be succeeding at that.

“I have a question, but it’s not about you, it’s about him.” Coulson pointed at Tony.

“You can ask but His Highness can choose not to answer.” Tony said impassively, folding his arms.

“I shall not answer it.” Thor followed suit.

Coulson nodded. “What do you know of Stark’s kid?” He asked.

“I know nothing of Lord Stark’s daughter.” Thor replied. Tony banged his head on the table as Coulson smiled. “What did I do wrong?” Thor asked when Tony finally turned to look at him.

“You said daughter, Thor. Agent here did not specify.” Tony told him. Thor still looked confused so he elaborated. “Most people do not know about Friday. I have hidden the fact because people will hurt her for being my child.”

“Just for being your child, my Lord?” Thor asked, still confused.

“I’m a powerful man, Thor. If people find out about Friday, they will kidnap her in order to get to me. So I am being careful.” He explained. It was partially true.

Thor nodded. “I understand my Lord.” He said. “I apologize for letting them know about her existence.”

Coulson nodded. “Two separate Agents have confirmed her existence. But no one has actually seen her.” He appeared to muse.

“She looks like Lord Tony. She appeared to glow with ethereal lights when I saw her.” Thor told him and immediately looked dejected that he had done so.

Coulson raised his eyebrows at that. Tony shrugged. “Hologram.” He simply said making Coulson nod in understanding. He left after a while, letting them sit in the interrogation room.

Before Thor could say anything Tony pointed at the glass. “See that glass there Princeling. That’s called a two way glass. Agent is on the other side observing us without us knowing about it.” He waved cheekily at Coulson.

“But all we see is our reflection.” Thor said, confused. “Are they hoping that we will lower our guard if we are alone?” He asked.

Tony nodded and clapped him on the back. “Exactly.”

They stayed in a companionable silence after that. After a while, Tony stiffened. He could feel another presence in this room. If memory serves him right, it was Loki. He was quite surprised he could feel it, maybe it was because of how much he was around magic lately.

“Brother?” Thor asked, confirming Tony’s suspicions. Tony looked at him weirdly just for show and tried to ascertain Loki’s location from Thor’s eyes and expressions as he followed the conversation. He was able to understand what was happening from his future knowledge but he wondered how confused the other agents were.

He closed his eyes and thought of how Stephen’s magic felt. He opened them and tried to concentrate. He lunged at Loki but instead of holding something, he appeared to just phase through it. “He’s not invisible, it’s something else isn’t it?” He asked Thor.

“Astral Projection.” Thor informed him.

He hummed in reply. “I bet he’s asking how I’m able to sense him right?” Thor nodded. “Well, not all Midgardians are useless.”

“He seems intrigued by you, my Lord.” Thor told him, sounding a bit amused by it all.

“Hey, back off pervert ghost. I’m taken.” Tony said, looking right where he imagined Loki was. If he was correct, he would look badass. If he was wrong, he would look like an idiot.

Thor’s line of sight changed and Tony followed it. “I’m not a Lord, not really.” He told Loki, looking right at where Thor was staring. “But I am a protector of this realm, or whatever you call it. Keep that in mind, Casper.” Thor’s eyes moved and so did he. He stood steadfast and just stared at where he assumed Loki was standing.

“It’s my brother Loki, my Lord.” Thor informed him. “He seems perplexed that you are able to look straight at him.”

Tony laughed and let Thor finish his talk. After a while, he said. “Thor, I think we should go. You don’t look so good and the agents outside are really interested in this one way conversation you’re having.”

Thor nodded. “My brother has also left.” He said solemnly.

Tony tapped the two way mirror. “Agent. We’ve fulfilled our end of the bargain. Now it’s time for you to let Thor here have some alone time with his hammer.”

Tony looked on as Thor tried lifting his hammer with no avail. He knew that this would happen but this scene affected him nonetheless. He empathized with how Thor was feeling, the hopelessness, the sadness that seemed to pour out of him was familiar. He slowly led Thor towards the waiting car. Tony didn’t say anything as he drove both of them towards Jane’s trailer. He just let Thor break down and let out all the frustration inside him.

When they reached where the trailer was parked, night had already set in. Tony gently guided Thor out of the car. Thor had seemed to calm himself down by then so they just sat down on the ground. They sat staring at the starlit sky for a while.

“Just a few days ago, I was dying.” Thor turned to look at him and he opened the buttons of his shirt. “I’ve got small shrapnels of metal in my heart Thor. I made this thing to keep me alive.” He pointed at the arc reactor.

He smiled a grim smile. “Unfortunately it was also slowly killing me.” Illuminated by the reactor’s blue light Tony could see Thor’s shocked face. “I’m okay now but those moments when I had barely days left to live were painful. I felt hopeless, nothing I tried worked, I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to die.”

“How were you able to lift yourself from that?” Thor asked, sounding just as dejected as he once felt.

“I wasn’t. Not really. I kept making increasingly bad decisions, I kept trying to separate myself from the ones I loved.” He looked at Thor. “I’m an inventor Thor, I build things. I built this to keep me alive and it was slowly poisoning me. No matter how much I tried I couldn’t build something to help myself. Nothing ever worked. I was lost.”

“You don’t seem to be dying anymore.” Thor observed.

“No. I cured myself. Created a whole new element. Made this thing foolproof.” He tapped at the reactor. “That and so many other things changed me. It taught me that no matter how bleak things seem, one day it will get better. And I’ve had my share of bleak. I’ve almost died so many times that I’ve lost count by now.”

“It doesn’t feel like it’ll get better Tony.” Thor confessed quietly. “I’m a human now, for better or for worse. My brother just informed me that the Allfather has passed away. I cannot return home even if I wanted to. I’ve lost everything, my family, my power, everything.”

“It never feels like it will.” Tony agreed softly. “Being a human isn’t bad you know, sure there are a lot of bad things about it but I’ll help you.”

“You will?” Thor asked.

Tony laughed as he clapped Thor’s back. He could hear footsteps coming towards them. “Of course I will, whatever you need just ask.”

“Thank you Tony.”

Tony looked at Jane’s approaching form and smiled. He got up and addressed Jane. “I leave him in your capable hands Jane.”

Jane laughed but nodded. “Good night Tony.”

Tony shot a peace sign back at them as he left. The night was not over for him yet, he still had a meeting with Thor’s more godly brother to look forward to.

Chapter Text

The small bell rang in the 24 hour diner as Tony entered. The place was empty, which was why he had chosen it. Wearing the Iron Man suit, he must’ve looked out of place, as the only person in the diner kept staring at him. Tony took his helmet off and after placing it on one of the tables went on to greet the confounded teenager.

“Hey kid.” He said, ringing the bell to snap him out of his reverie. “You got any food here?”

“Um yes, Mr. Iron Man sir.” He got the slightly confused reply.

Tony nodded. “Right then. Get me two cheeseburgers, two milkshakes and some fries. Think you can do that?” He asked.

The pimply teenager nodded and disappeared into the kitchens. Tony made his way towards one of the booths and sat down, staring at his helmet as he did so. He sighed as he thought of all that he had to do. Neither he nor Stephen knew exactly what had happened to Loki and it was eating him alive.

The 2012 invasion was too big of an event. It was the first time Earth had come across Aliens in a pretty big way. That had changed things, so many things and knowing that it easily could’ve been worse didn’t help matters any. He wondered for the thousandth time what would’ve happened had someone else other than Loki attacked, all those people Stephen had told him from Thanos’ Black Order were terrifying.

Loki was the perfect person to head that invasion. Not only had Thor joined them because of him, but Loki had opened their eyes to the horrors out there in the universe, just waiting to take Earth. Tony had tried to warn the others after that, he had done everything he could to stop the next invasion, but no one ever believed him.

Tony sighed and set the Iron Helmet aside. Finding out about everything that had happened on Earth after his death hadn’t helped. He still felt responsible, still felt that he should’ve done something more. Stephen had tried to console him in that regard, had told him that he had done everything he could but that never really helped. Not when he thought about the state of the world, the state of the Universe in the future.

The incoming footsteps startled him and he shook himself out of the self-pitying thoughts and smiled at the kid bringing him some much needed food. The kid smiled back, now out of the shock of having Iron Man before him and gently put the food on the table.

“Are you alright Mr. Stark?” He asked, slight hero worship evident in his face but giving him some distance nevertheless.

Tony gave him a grim smile. “I’m good kid, just having a rough week.” He admitted. “Why don’t you go out and enjoy the night air? Tell the government agents standing outside that I would like to be alone for a while.” The kid looked alarmed at that but nodded and left.

Tony waited for a minute as he dug into his fries. After he was sure he was alone, he spoke up. “It is rude to stare, you know.” He said, looking straight ahead.

Loki appeared right before him, lazing around in the booth, still in his full Norse regalia. “Have you known that I was there all this time?” He asked, curiosity evident in his face.

Tony shrugged. “Not that hard to figure out.” He admitted. Loki was curious about him, he had purposefully made it so that he would be. “Loki, I assume.” He said, popping a french fry in his mouth.

“You would be correct, mortal.” Loki replied in that haughty voice of his. Tony just rolled his eyes. “Am I the reason why you’re still wearing your armor?”

Tony regarded Loki as he took a sip of his milkshake. “Tell you what, Reindeer Games, you take off that leather armor of yours and I’ll take mine off. And please do me the favor of physically being here, I hate this astral projection bullshit.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “And why would I do that?”

“You’re curious about me, I’m curious about you.” Tony simply said and went back to enjoying his food.

Loki disappeared and then returned after a while. He had forgone the Norse regalia for a sharp black suit. Tony stared for a while. “You clean up good.” He commented.

“A deal is a deal, Man of Iron.” Loki reminded him.

Tony nodded and stood up. The suit opened up, leaving only the metal husk behind and allowing him much bigger room to breathe. He sat down and the suit folded itself up, shrinking down to the briefcase version.

Loki stared at the process. “Quite an astounding armor.” He commented as he tried to steal one of Tony’s fries. Tony swatted his hand but placed one of the milkshakes near him. Loki stared at the milkshake but didn’t make a move to drink it.

“It’s not the armor you’re curious about.”

Loki turned to look at him. “You are very well protected against magical attacks.” When Tony didn’t reply, he continued. “It emanates from the ring on your finger. It is very well crafted. I would not be able to harm you.”

Tony smiled at Loki. “I know.” He said and continued eating his food. He had a hell of a day and he was hungry dammit.

Loki laughed, bringing the milkshake towards him and giving it his full attention. “Stephen Vincent Strange.” He said, still looking at the milkshake. Tony snapped up his head, stopping in his tracks. Loki smiled at him. “You told the Agent that your partner gave it to you.”

“I see you’ve done some research on me.” Tony said and went back to his food.

“I am not my bumbling brother Tony Stark. I am more capable of traversing this realm than he is.” Loki just said. He took a sip of the milkshake and smiled, enjoying the taste.

“Then you know that I will do everything I can to protect this realm.” Tony said firmly. Loki rolled his eyes.

“Stephen Strange was a doctor, who lost his ability to perform his craft a while ago. How could he craft you that ring?” Loki said simply.

Tony smiled mysteriously. “That’s for me and him to know and you to figure out.” He said. He took a sip and then added. “Now, my turn to ask. What is going on with you and Thor?”

Loki gave him a dark glare. When he didn’t say anything, Tony continued. “I can figure some things out on my own. You’re going through something, you’re dealing with something here. It’s not about Thor, not really, Thor is just the most convenient target to you. If I had to venture a guess I’d say it's about Odin, the AllFather.”

“How dare you presume to know anything about me, you pathetic worm.” Loki shouted in rage. He tried to get up but he found himself stuck there bound magically. Loki slumped down. “I see you have some tricks up your sleeve.”

Tony smiled. “I always do Loki. I just want to talk without you going all apeshit crazy on me.” Loki simply glared at him.

“You have me bound Tony Stark, you have me completely at your mercy.”

Tony rolled his eyes at the melodrama. “Yeah yeah, I get it. You’re the Silver-tongued Serpent. You’re the most dramatic and eloquent of all Asgardians. Let’s move on. I just want to understand.”

“It is between me and Thor, not for you insignificant worms to understand.”

“And yet this insignificant worm has you right where he wants you.” Tony pointed out.

“You may have me now but I will get out and when I do it will not be good for you Tony Stark.” Loki said with a dark promise.

“I’m going to let you go after five minutes, there’s no need to do the whole nine yards. I’ve heard Thor’s side of the story, I simply want to hear yours.”

Loki stared at him. “Why? Why would you do this?”

“It’s a bit confusing that’s all. Thor told me all about his botched coronation and I couldn’t help but notice something odd. He claims to love you, his brother, yet he does not trust you.”

“Maybe he is right to do so. Maybe I am the monster he claims I am.” Bitterness and self-pity was evident in his voice.

Tony looked at him. “He never claims you’re a monster. But I do understand that, the self-pity, the self-hatred you wrap yourself with, I know what that is like.”

Loki growled. “Do not presume to know what I am going through.”

“You hate yourself, you see yourself as this monster who cannot be saved. Someone who cannot do anything good. Yeah, been there, done that. Did not end well.”

Loki scoffed. “Would this be the point where you tell me that I can be good? That I can be redeemed? Do you see me becoming a hero like you yourself are?”

Tony laughed. “Of course not. You’re not a hero and neither am I. I’m just a guy who did whatever he had to to save himself, and so are you. I’m broken and so are you.”

“You’re going to tell me not to go on this path lest I harm myself or others.”

“You don’t care about harming yourself or anyone else.” Tony replied. “You can do whatever you want, I don’t care.”

“As long as I don’t do it here.” Loki finished.

Tony nodded. “Might not have started thinking I was a hero or anything like that but can’t deny I am one now. Go, rule Asgard or roam around the galaxy or do whatever you want, just don’t do it on Earth, because if you do I will be forced to stop you.” With that Loki’s magical bounds disappeared.

Loki made no move to leave. He took the milkshake from the table and idly moved the straw around. “Why are you doing this? Why are you making such an effort with me?” He asked.

“It’s always better to try to prevent something from occurring.” Tony replied, unsure if he was talking about the upcoming fight or the 2012 one.

“You surmised earlier that it was about Odin. Why do you say so?”

“Not perfect fathers, that I understand. It’s written all over you, you’re going through something, some deep hurt. It’s something big.” Tony didn’t quite know everything that was going on with Loki, not even with the future knowledge he had. He and Thor hadn’t interacted much and even then Thor didn’t like talking about Loki.

“I assume we’re being watched.” Loki said after a while.

“I’m always being watched. They can’t hear anything.” He replied.

Loki looked at the empty plates before them. “Are you done with your food?”

“Are you planning on teleporting me somewhere?” Tony went straight to the point.

Loki smiled at him. “You are perceptive, aren’t you?” He observed blandly.

Tony shrugged. “Come at me, God of Mischief.” He settled on saying.

Loki grinned a nasty grin in response and lunged at him. Tony barely had time to grab the briefcase suit from the floor as Loki crushed the table. They disappeared moments later.

Tony looked around in amusement. “I thought you were going to teleport me in a cave or somewhere.” He said, amazed that he was standing in his own living room.

“Like I said, I researched you, Tony Stark.” Loki replied. “For the benefit of your pursuers, I’ve made it seem like we’re battling it out on the sandy deserts.”

“You might want to give me a couple good hits, otherwise it’s just not realistic.” He made his way over to the bar. “You want a drink?”

Loki shrugged. “Why not?” Tony nodded and poured him a glass. “You’re not having one I see.” Loki commented as he took the glass.

“No.” Tony simply said. “What are we doing here Loki?”

Loki put the glass down after taking a gulp. He slowly changed, his pale skin turning blue, ridges and marks appeared in his face. Tony watched on as Loki shifted from a human-appearing form to something that was undoubtedly an alien.

“Alright Avatar.” He commented. “So that’s what you actually look like.”

“You do not seem surprised.” Loki said.

Tony shrugged. “You’re an alien. I was surprised at the human appearance.” He said and sat down.

Loki blinked. “This is not what an Asgardian looks like Stark, I am not an Asgardian.”

“Okay.” Tony replied. He knew that already. Loki was a Jotun or something if he remembered right. “So, Odin hid the circumstances of your birth from you? Forgot to mention you were adopted. Is that all this is about?”

“Yes.” Loki replied. “This is what all this is about. You’re a Midgardian, the significance of this will be lost on you.” Tony nodded in agreement. “You told me that I wasn’t a monster, but I’m afraid I am.”

Tony looked at him intensely. “The circumstances of our birth do not define us Loki. Just because you’re a Jotun doesn’t mean-”

Loki snapped to look at him suspiciously. Tony could practically feel the god’s suspicion and distrust now. “I never told you I was a Jotun. I never said anything about that.”

Tony set the panic aside. He had ruined everything because of his stupidity. He kept his cool and leveled Loki with an impassive look. “We have legends about you and other Norse Gods. Sure, most of it is probably wrong but some do get it right. I know what a Frost Giant looks like.”

Instead of believing him, Loki got more angrier at his words. “That’s not it, Man of Iron. I bare my soul to you and you’re here hiding something. You know more than you let on.” He advanced towards Tony. “I am going to enjoy breaking the enchantment on your ring.”

Tony sighed. His suit was already assembling itself. “Guess we’re having that fight for real then.” He said and got ready.

When the SHIELD Agents finally caught up to Tony, he and Loki had been battling it out for a while. Loki had gotten a few in before his suit had caught up with him and then he had teleported them to the deserts of New Mexico. There they had free range to do anything they wanted and Loki did try his level best to break Stephen’s magical protection.

Tony didn’t anticipate how angry Loki would be at his slip up. Maybe it was the pent-up anger Loki had or maybe it was his future knowledge coming back to kick him in the ass, literally. Tony could see Coulson’s team watching from a distance and he was glad for it. More importantly, he was glad that they could not hear him and Loki talking.

Loki stared at him as they squared off. “You do not deny that you know something.”

“Of course I do. I’m not revealing everything I know. What would be the point?”

“We were getting such a good bonding moment there, Stark.” Loki pointed out.

Tony rolled his eyes inside the mask. “We were. And then you went ballistics on me.” He opened the mask a little, letting Loki have a look at him. “Just when I thought we were getting somewhere. What’s going on Loki?”

Loki snarled at him and charged forward. “You pathetic worm almost had me, with you understanding looks and meaningful comments.”

Tony just stood there at that comment. “Seriously?” He asked. Loki stopped only a few inches short of actually hitting him. “Someone tries to help you and you think about all the ways they could exploit you. You think about what they could possibly want you for, and you let the smallest thing confirm your suspicions. Is that what this is?” He looked right into Loki’s eyes.

Loki blinked rapidly as he slowly relaxed. “No.” He replied in a small voice. He sounded unsure.

Tony couldn’t help himself. He just started to laugh. Loki stared at him as he laughed mirthlessly. “You’re way more fucked up than I could ever imagine.” Tony said as he finally calmed down.

Loki looked at for a second and joined him in looking like a maniac. “And you?” He questioned. “You’re talking to me in the middle of a fight. Like you have any claim on sanity anymore Stark.”

Tony nodded at that but sobered up faster. “I’m going to blast you with a repulsor now. SHIELD is still watching.” He reminded Loki.

“And it appears my brother has also arrived. I must make my leave now.” Loki said solemnly. “Make it look good.” And Tony did exactly that.

Thor was quick to approach him after Loki had left. He had just slumped down on the ground after that exhausting conversation and even more exhausting fight so he was glad for Thor’s presence.

“Are you alright Tony?” Thor asked, grabbing him with those strong arms of his.

Tony smiled a sad smile and honestly replied. “I’m tired Thor.” He could feel his eyes fluttering shut, the events of the day catching up with him. “Don’t let them take this suit.”

The last thing he saw was Thor solemnly nodding and telling him he would protect him as he drifted painfully to sleep.

Chapter Text

Tony looked at Thor having a pleasant reunion with his friends and smiled. It was really good seeing Thor happy after the day he had yesterday, no matter how short that happiness would last. After the reunion was over Thor dragged the group towards the humans and set out to introduce all of them.

“Just to clarify.” Tony said after all that was over. “Not actually a Lord. Thor just likes saying that, no idea why.” He looked pointedly at Darcy in the last statement.

“No idea what you’re talking about Lord Stark.” She replied, crossing her arms. Tony chuckled at her antics.

“Good news Lord Tony.” Thor boomed. “It appears that the Allfather is merely in Odinsleep. It was simply a trick by Loki.” Thor laughed loudly. “Loki and his tricks.” Everyone turned to look at him. Tony shook his head in amusement.

“So, you four here to take His Royal Highness home?” Tony asked casually.

“If we can, Lord Tony.” One of them replied, Tony wasn’t sure which one. He did not even remember all their names properly. He nodded serenely as if understanding what he was talking about.

“Loki has taken the throne with deceit and trickery. We must stop him.” Lady Sif, Tony was sure her name was said impassionately. All of them raised their arms and let out a battlecry. Tony and the rest of the Human Squad stared at that.

“Okay, good luck then.” He said and prepared to leave but someone stopped him.

“Lord Tony?” Tony looked at the warrior questioningly. “Thor tells us that you are the protector of this realm.”

“One of them. Yes.” Tony replied, understanding where this was going.

“Loki has decided to let the Destroyer loose on Midgard. We thought a Midgardian warrior such as yourself would help us.” Another one told him.

Tony looked at Thor who looked just as solemn and nodded. “I would love to help.”

Tony had oftentimes wondered how his suit would fare against Asgardian weapons. Thor and to a much lesser extent, Loki had been his only source of Asgard. Turns out, he would fare really badly, he realized as he ate dirt again trounced by the stupidly huge Magic Robot that Asgard supposedly used to protect their oh so mighty kingdom.

Tony groaned as he flew once more. He probably couldn’t last long. Thor’s friends really needed to hurry up. “This isn’t a fair fight Loki and you know it.” He shouted at the Destroyer. He didn’t even know if Loki could hear him. He probably looked like an idiot.

Thankfully for him, the rest of the fight squad appeared then, letting out a giant warcry and going at the huge robot. Thor struck to the sidelines and instead chose to focus on helping the humans. Tony left them to that and instead worked on evacuations. He could now do this and not worry about being attacked.

He had just escorted the first group of bystanders to safety when an image of Loki appeared before him. “Tony Stark.” He greeted Tony. Tony wondered what had happened to him. He looked even worse than he did yesterday.

“You look like shit Reindeer Games.” He commented.

“I do apologize for all this.” Loki said. “Thank you for your kind words yesterday.”

Tony took his helmet off and gave Loki his full attention. He couldn't just do nothing, not when the young God looked that much in pain. “What happened Loki? What's going on with you?”

“Do you see them Tony?” Loki asked while looking at the Warriors Three battling the Destroyer. “They are convinced that all this is a trick of mine. They think that should they be able to get Thor back to Asgard all will be well.”

Tony kept looking at Loki. The sadness in his eyes, the hurt, so terribly familiar. “You thought they were your friends too. But when it came time to choose, they chose him instead.” He had regarded the Avengers as friends, as his teammates, but every one of them had chosen Rogers over him.

“I was always a monster to them. I was always different, favoring books over brawls, tricks over fights. No one will be surprised when the truth of my parentage comes out. You might not see me as a monster after seeing my Jotun form but they will, Thor will.”

Tony could see Thor looking at him. He looked a bit confused but understood that Loki was there. “He won’t.” Tony simply said and knew it to be true. “Please stop Loki. Going down this path will not be good for you. Stop attacking Earth and Thor, go rule Asgard. Thor will remain here, just let him be.”

Tony didn’t really know why he was doing this. It would be advantageous to have Loki lead the invasion. But looking at the distressed, damaged God before him, he couldn’t help but wish that weren’t so. Loki had suffered, both during this and whatever had happened between now and 2012. It wasn’t a good choice to make, the whole universe was at stake but he was making this choice. He was telling Loki to go, he was telling Loki to stop.

Loki gave him a small sad smile. “I wish it were that simple Man of Iron. As long as Thor lives, I will be threatened. I will always be inferior to him. It’s best if I kill him now, spare him the weak life of a human.”

Tony shook his head. He didn’t know what happened in Asgard or how Loki came to Thanos’ company but he knew it wasn’t good. If Loki continued on, it would definitely lead to that. Despite his better judgement he wanted to prevent it, he wanted to save Loki. 

"Please don't do this Loki. Just leave, go to Asgard or wherever else you want. Thor will stay here, his friends will eventually accept that they cannot do anything about that." He said honestly. Without the Destroyer there, without Thor proving his worth, Thor would remain a human.

Loki shook his head. "This is a fight I must complete. I am a Frost Giant, Tony, an enemy of the Asgardians. It has not been long since Thor waged war on the Frost Giants, it just took me awhile to figure out that that included me too." 

"I might not know what's going on here but I know that Thor loves you. Please Loki." He tried again, even though he knew that it was futile. He tried to grab the god in question. His hand passed through the astral form.

Loki gave him a warm smile. “Farewell Anthony.” He said and disappeared.

Tony threw his helmet into the ground in anger. He had talked with Loki, he had reasoned with him and he had tried to steer Loki off of his disastrous fate but it hadn’t worked. He stormed towards the Destroyer, intent on blowing his rage of Loki on the robot. A pair of strong arms held him back and held him in place.

“Let me go, Thor.” Tony said, his voice dark. “I will destroy that mechanical bastard that Loki is controlling.”

“This is not your fight Tony.” Thor reminded him. Tony turned to look at him. “This is my mistake, this is my penance, I need to deal with this. You and the rest of the Midgardians are suffering for my errors, I will not allow it any further.”

“Thor-”

“You tried.” Thor interrupted him. “You tried to spare me and I am thankful for it. You have done so much for me, please let me do this. Let me fix what I caused.”

Tony looked at Thor, the sincerity and resolve was pouring through him. “You’re powerless against that, Thor.” He reminded him.

“I will do what I must.” Thor simply said, his voice determined. “The Midgardians need you Man of Iron, help them. I will deal with Loki and the Destroyer.” With that he let Tony go.

Tony just nodded dumbly and set out to help with the evacuations. He was helping people but the gnawing feeling of hopelessness was coursing through him as he did so. He shook his head and tried to focus on the task at hand, willfully ignoring what was happening with Thor.

He couldn’t ignore it however when the entire weather condition changed. He watched the storm brewing, with Thor looking every inch the God of Thunder that he was. The fight was over soon after, not that Tony expected anything less.

Tony gave Thor a smile and a cheery wave as the Thunder God bade farewell to the small group of humans he’d befriended. Thor was off to his fight with Loki. Tony felt his stomach churn as he thought of what would happen to Loki after that.

Tony sat down on the battlefield, clutching his battered and destroyed helmet in his grasp. This whole thing was between Thor and Loki but he had helped, hadn’t he? Or had he just taken the place of someone else? Their story had gone almost like it had last time, even with his help. Did that mean that he didn't help at all? Did that mean that nothing he did would have any lasting effects?

He was broken out of this self-pitying train of thought as Jane came and helped him up. “You look horrible, Tony.” She told him and he laughed mirthlessly. It was over. At the very least, all this was over.

“Was Thor all right?” He asked as they slowly walked away. “I missed most of the fight.”

She laughed and set out to tell him everything that had happened. He watched her tell the story that sounded familiar, a wistful smile on her face as she talked about Thor. He was glad he didn’t mess this one up. Jane looked absolutely entranced with Thor.

He could see Agent Coulson standing ahead, leaning on his car. Before they could reach his earshot, he turned to face Jane. “He might not be back Jane.” He told her softly. “Or it might be years until he is. We don’t know how it works in Asgard.”

Jane looked at him and smiled a little sad smile. “I know Tony.” She simply said.

“Mr. Stark.” Coulson chose to interrupt them then. “Can I offer you a ride home?” He brought the first-aid box up.

Tony snorted as he stepped out of the suit. “Sure, why not.” The Iron Man suit neatly folded up into a briefcase, he picked it up. He turned to look at Jane. “We will talk more about that consultant thing.” She laughed at that and nodded.

“Just play some good tunes.” He said as he got into the car, waving Jane goodbye.

He stared at the warehouse infront of him and then back at Coulson. “That’s not my house Agent.”

“Of course not Mr. Stark.”

“Fury wants a word then.” He said as he got out.

“What makes you think that the Director wants to talk to you?” Coulson asked.

“The bastard waited in the pitch black of my house. He’s a drama queen. This” He gestured all around them. “Is exactly his style.”

They made their way inside where Fury was waiting for him. “Stark.”

“And here I was thinking that SHIELD offered me a ride home out of the goodness of their hearts.”

“We just want to talk, Stark.” Fury said, sounding annoyed already.

“Well, next time schedule a meeting with my assistant.” He said sitting down on the offered chair. “I don’t like this spy nonsense.”

Fury placed a file in front of him. From the type and the thickness, he could ascertain that it was similar to the one Fury had given him a lifetime prior. “Agent Romanoff’s assessment of you.” Tony smiled but made no move to open it. Instead he turned to face Fury.

“Before I open this Fury, I just need to let some things out. I don’t like you. It’s mostly because you hurt JARVIS and partly because you’ve got so many shady things going on. I don’t like your boy band either. But if what I saw in the last couple of days is any indication of things to come, I’ll work with you. But only on a part time basis.”

Tony ignored Fury’s expression and opened the file. He was quite curious about this. After all the last time this had happened he was quite literally a different man. The words were a bit different, but the intended effect was the same. He read on quietly, seething fury evident in his face.

Tony read the last part out loud. “Iron Man: Yes, Tony Stark: Not Recommended.”. He put the file down and stood to leave. “Okay then, you get neither.” He simply said and walked away.

“Where do you think you’re going Stark?” Fury asked, frustration and annoyance evident in his face.

Tony stopped and turned to face him. “Oh, I’m sorry I thought I wasn’t recommended.”

Fury let out a deep sigh. “Please Stark, come back.” Tony glared at him but did so.

“You really thought this would work? That you could tell me No and I would suddenly be interested in you?”

“It would’ve worked once.” Fury replied honestly and Tony nodded. It did work once, but he was dying and he was alone and he was broken then.

“This” He waved the file around. “Is the worst version of me. That’s why you chose this. You wanted me to look at this and think I’m still that man but I’m not.” Tony slammed the file down and looked at Fury. “Or at least I hope so. If Romanoff actually believes this trash, she’s a far worse spy than I ever gave her credit for.”

“Everybody out.” Fury barked and all the agents scrambled to leave. Fury took a chair and sat in front of Tony. Tony just kept quiet and observed Fury, wondering what game the bastard was playing now.

Tony really didn’t like Fury much, but he was concerned at how weary and tired the Director looked. “Who actually wrote the profile?” He really was curious about it. The Natasha he knew this time around grudgingly respected him. 

“It was cobbled together from a bunch of your personality tests and psych evals.” Fury replied. “We thought we knew what you were going to do, every move you could make. We were pretty sure we had you figured out but of course you had to get responsible.”

Tony smiled, the first genuine smile he had done in their presence. “Why the alone time Fury?”

Fury sighed. “The Avengers Initiative is a pipe dream Stark. My superiors do not support this, but I think it could work. I’m working on basically nothing here, you’re all I got.” Tony stared openly at the honesty Fury had given him. Out of all the things he could’ve imagined, this wasn’t it.

When he didn’t reply, Fury continued. “You saw what happened in New Mexico. You were there Stark. You fought a fucking God and lived to tell the tale. You can’t tell me that this isn’t needed.”

Tony sighed. “It’s not your end goal I have a problem with Fury, it’s your methods. You sent a spy to my company, you sent an assassin to my home, you gave me your ‘cure’ when I theoretically had only 72 hours to live. How can I trust you after that?”

Fury nodded. “I understand. You can go Stark.”

Tony stood up but made no move to leave. “The olive branch I offered earlier still stands.” Fury snapped up to look at him. “No spies in my company. If I see one SHIELD Agent near me, deal’s off.” Fury nodded and Tony started walking. As he reached the exit, he stopped. “Next time you want to talk to me, make an appointment.”

He flung at Stephen when he saw him, tackling him into a hug. Stephen relaxed around him and just held him, smiling as he did so. Tony relaxed with Stephen’s familiar weight, letting himself go after the awful week he’d had.

Coulson cleared his throat making Tony aware of his surroundings. He separated from Stephen and turned to give Coulson a look that distinctly read ‘What are you still doing here?’

“Good night Mr. Stark, Dr. Strange.” He said and got to leave.

“Good night Agent.” Tony replied and then turned to face Stephen again. Stephen was looking at him in concern. He supposed he looked horrible, his face all bruised up from fighting two major fights back to back. Stephen slowly led him towards the couch and gently placed him there, checking for his injuries.

“I don’t like the idea of you being hurt.” Stephen admitted as he looked Tony over. “Nor the fact that I wasn’t able to help.”

Tony looked at Stephen’s concerned face. Gently he kissed the man he loved, pouring all his love and affection in that one kiss. He continued to look at Stephen lovingly as they separated. “I know.” He finally said. “I would never put you in that position Stephen. I promise.”

Stephen looked at him inquisitively. “What are you thinking Tony? What are you planning?” He asked.

Tony sat up straighter. “I had the idea after Thor saw you. He believes you are a Sorcerer belonging to an Ancient Order of Sorcerers.”

“It is the truth.” Stephen said, unsure of where Tony was going with this.

“Yes, it is. But we amplify it, we make it seem like you’re more powerful and much more mysterious than you actually are.”

“You want Loki to seek me.” Stephen mused. “It could work. I could possibly ascertain what Thanos’ hold on him is and potentially nullify it.”

“Exactly.” Tony said. “We amplify your mysteriousness. Make it appear like you’re the greatest sorcerer on earth.”

Stephen looked at him. “I am the greatest sorcerer on earth Tony. Right after the Ancient One and I suppose Friday now.”

Tony gave Stephen a mini glare and then continued. “As I was saying we make your legend fascinating for him. Do we need the mini-squad for this? They could be helpful.”

“Mini-squad?” Stephen asked.

“Ant-Man and Wasp, the teeny tiny ones.” Tony replied. Stephen snorted at the explanation.

“Could be helpful.” He admitted. “But how are you going to amplify my legend.” He paused as a thought struck him. “You’ve already started to do that haven’t you?”

Tony looked slightly guilty at that. “You came up naturally.” He tried to explain himself. Stephen looked at him, shaking his head a little.

“Yeah I bet. Loved talking about your consort didn’t you?”

Tony blushed hard. “I should’ve corrected Thor then but it was getting too hectic and SHIELD was nearby and-” Stephen shut him up with a gentle kiss.

“I never said I minded.” Stephen said softly as they separated.

“You don’t?” Tony asked.

“Of course not my Lord.” Stephen replied in that soft voice. Tony shivered a little at that. Stephen was looking at him like he was the best thing in the world and he loved it. Slowly Stephen stood up and gently picked Tony up from the sofa.

“What are you doing?” Tony asked, amazed at how easily Stephen was able to lift him.

“Serving you my Lord.”

Chapter Text

Even after the day he had and the long week he had, Tony was unable to sleep. His mind kept flashing to Loki, remembering how hurt and broken the young god had looked. He kept remembering the Loki he’d seen in the Invasion, bags underneath his eyes, so much pain hidden beneath his dramatic flare. Tony just kept sitting on the kitchen stool, his mind replaying the images of Loki side by side.

He rubbed his eyes as he sought comfort within the warm cup of tea. He couldn’t help but feel for Loki, he couldn’t help but not want him to suffer. He knew the whole universe was at stake, that Thanos was an enemy he could never defeat on his own. He hadn’t cared about that then, in the heat of the moment, he had told Loki to go, to just leave. He knew that Loki could tell that he was genuine, could feel the intensity with which Tony said those words, knew that he meant every single word.

Another part of him wondered if he should’ve tried more with Loki. He had talked with the young god in length, if he wanted to, he could’ve helped Loki, he could’ve done so much more. He could’ve stopped Thanos from getting Loki in the first place, who knows what the Mad Titan would do to Loki. The guilt about this whole affair was eating him alive.

Soft footsteps making his way towards him snapped Tony out of his hate-filled thoughts and he looked up to see Stephen making his way towards him, concern and worry evident in his face. Stephen slowly came towards him and sat in one of the stools facing him, his look conveying his thoughts.

“What’s going on Tony?” He asked softly.

Tony took a sip of the calming tea and replied. “I can’t stop thinking about Loki.” He confessed.

“You’re wondering if you could’ve done something to not let him fall into Thanos’ hands.” Stephen said as if reading his mind.

Tony nodded grimly. “I know that Loki is the best choice we were ever going to get. Anyone else would bring up many unknown variables and we would never be able to get the information we need, but I just can’t help it. I just keep remembering his broken, hurt face.”

Stephen gently touched his arm. Tony couldn’t believe how comforting that one small gesture was. Stephen smiled at him. “That’s understandable Tony.” He said in that soothing voice of his. “But Loki has problems of his own and he has to resolve them himself. You can’t just step in and change everything, not even if you wanted to.”

“Couldn’t I?” Tony asked, his tone dejected. “I have years' worth of memories, surely I could’ve done something, surely I could’ve ensured that he would suffer less.”

“And how many of those future years did you spend with Loki?” Stephen asked. “You don’t know much about Loki to be able to pull him off of whatever he’s going to do. Had you persisted, Loki would’ve likely figured out something was wrong, he would’ve turned on you, enraged and mad.”

Tony stilled, remembering the fight in the desert. “That might’ve already happened.” He confessed quietly.

“Oh, I know, the Jotun thing. JARVIS was recording.” Stephen explained. “I meant had you pushed further than that. Loki is perceptive, he is astute, he would’ve found out and used you for his benefit. Loki is not some damsel in distress Tony, he’s an astute mage who will use everything he can to his advantage.”

Tony nodded recognizing the truth in that statement. “I know that. I knew that but I couldn’t stop myself.” He was pouring everything out, feeling like a failure while doing so. “He came to me on the battlefield, the astral thing that he does, and just talked to me, said goodbye. I couldn’t help myself, Stephen, I told him to go, I told him to stop everything and leave. I didn’t want him to suffer, I was willing to let half the universe die because I couldn’t watch that bastard suffer.” His voice broke a little at that.

Stephen didn’t really say anything, he just came closer and enveloped Tony into a hug. Tony melted into Stephen’s strong arms. The familiar warmth helping him, grounding him back to reality. Stephen just held him close, the one act saying more than words ever could have. They stayed like that for a while, Stephen comforting Tony without any words, just holding him and letting him know that everything was okay.

Tony looked up and gave Stephen a small smile. “Thank you Stephen.”

Stephen nodded. “You haven’t messed anything up Tony. Stop beating yourself over your perceived mistakes. You did all you could do with the limited knowledge we have.”

“It doesn’t feel like that Stephen. It feels like whatever happens next, it will be my fault.” Tony confessed quietly.

“It’s not.” Stephen said soothingly. “Whatever happens next will be better because of you. You leave things better than you found them, you fix them as best as you can, and your best is pretty much the bar.” Tony laughed a little. “Don’t ever feel like you ruin everything because you don’t.”

Tony smiled a sad smile. “But I do. Ultron-”

“Ultron was not your fault.” Stephen interrupted him. “Even I know that, and I was still a clueless Surgeon when that happened.”

“People still blamed me for it.”

“People are idiots Tony. You were the only one willing to take any responsibility for your actions. None of the Avengers ever did. That makes you the best among them. You were willing to say you did something wrong, willing to accept the consequences. You are better than them.”

“I’m not actively thinking about them, Stephen.” Tony told him. “I’m good on that front.”

“Are you?” Stephen asked. “Romanoff has been around you for a month now and Barton just dropped by unexpectedly yesterday. That kind of thing brings back past memories.”

“A little.” Tony confessed. “I know it’s not good to dwell with that and Loki certainly didn’t help matters in that regard. I might never be okay with everything that happened, especially Siberia, but I’m getting there. You’re helping, a lot really. Your presence alone helps me.” Tony said, smiling at Stephen. Stephen smiled back and lightly squeezed his hand.

“I’m glad.” Stephen simply said. Tony beamed up at those words alone. “I’m really glad that I’m able to help, in any way." He kept looking at Tony. “You aren’t going to stop thinking about this Loki thing, are you?”

“I can’t help it.” Tony sighed sadly. “The uncertainty and doubt will hound me. I will keep thinking that I didn’t do enough to help Loki or that I screwed everything by trying to help him.”

“You haven’t Tony.” Stephen said while looking at him. “Whatever happens next we will deal with it.”

Tony nodded. “We will.” He echoed.

Tony was furious. He was absolutely infuriated at what SHIELD had done. He stared at the StarkPad in his desk wanting to eviscerate everyone with his glare alone. SHIELD had only been sure about Friday for less than a week but they had already leaked her existence. He could deal with this, Friday was safe in Kamar-Taj, he knew that, but it was the principle of things. Now, she was officially his daughter. The whole world knew that he had a daughter and that brought so many challenges of its own.

He and Pepper had talked about this in length and planned how to handle this. The best move was to control what the media received about Friday and let his paranoid reputation speak for him. JARVIS was already preparing a photo of him and Friday. That way he could avoid photographers following him everywhere or camping near his house. He kept staring at the StarkTab as he called for his spy assistant. He would need to deal with this now, SHIELD will not get away with this.

“You called for me, Mr. Stark.” She sounded super sweet and innocent. Tony glared at her.

“Sit down Agent.” He said sharply, not bothering to hide his anger. She slowly sat down. JARVIS locked the door and fogged it up, hiding them from outside view. She looked concerned at that.

“What is this about Stark?” She asked. Tony really didn’t like her tone. Natasha had always acted like she was better than him, it was better to nip that in the bud before it became intolerable like it had last time around.

“Do you think you can push me around Romanoff?” He asked, his anger evident in his words. “Just because I haven’t done anything about you or Barton doesn’t mean that that's always going to be the case. I have limits, don’t push them.”

Natasha rolled her eyes, infuriating him more. “Is this about the report? I didn’t write it, I was against it.”

“I don’t care about the bloody report. I don’t care about you but that is starting to get irritating.” He gave her his best blank stare. “You think you’re so great, I had you figured out the minute I met you.”

Natasha scoffed. “You got lucky Stark. You had someone who knew about SHIELD, who knew about me.”

“Lucky?” Tony laughed. “You think I got lucky.” He laughed some more as he opened the file he had specifically made for this. The hologram shone upwards revealing what he had spent less than 30 minutes crafting.

He had compiled all of Natasha’s targets, the likely aliases she had used, her disguises. Everything he could reasonably predict about what missions she had completed at his point in time was there. Even with his future knowledge, he didn’t quite know everything she used, but finding this stuff out with hacked security cameras and the destruction she left behind wasn’t exactly hard.

She stared ahead, her face stoic but Tony could tell that she was afraid. He had shown her that he knew about her life, everything she had done. Sure, some of it might be wrong but some were so uncomfortably right that she couldn’t be able to look at him like that, and she would think twice before betraying him.

“Agent Natasha Romanoff.” He declared. “Quite the career you’ve had.”

She turned to look at him, anger visible on her face. “Are you blackmailing me Stark? Fury wouldn’t stand for this. You’re going to have the entirety of SHIELD after you if you do this.”

“Tell me, Nat.” His voice was mocking. “Who do you think is more important to Fury, you or me?”

He didn’t like the person he was becoming right now but he had to get this out now. He wasn’t going to let her manipulate him this time around. She stood her ground and kept glaring at him. He returned her stare. The information laid out before them was too much, it was something he could completely ruin her with.

“There’s no way you know this much. You have a spy somewhere in SHIELD.”

Tony laughed lightly. “Go start your futile hunt then.” He challenged her. “This, my dear spy, is what I’m capable of. It wasn’t that hard, really. All I had to do was study you. You were so overconfident, convinced that you were duping me. You were an open book, Natalia.”

“What are you going to do with this information?”

“Did you see the news today?” He abruptly changed the topic, shutting down the display. “Tony Stark’s secret daughter.”

“You get those rumors every third day, Stark. You can just shrug that off.”

Tony knew that but this time he couldn’t just shrug it off. This was a deliberate ploy from SHIELD. If he did nothing about this, it would set a dangerous precedent. He would not allow them to walk all over him this time around.

“I can’t shrug it off if it’s actually true Natasha.” He said tiredly. This whole week was getting so tiring and he still had to start amping up Bruce’s reputation. He thought he imagined her look getting softer towards him.

“I didn’t do that. Stark, I would never do that.” She sounded sincere.

“I know you didn’t. You’ve known about Friday for months.” He turned to look directly at her. “But that guy who broke into my house, Barton. Funny how this gets leaked right after he knows about her.”

Natasha paled. Tony could literally feel her mind going a mile a minute. He had shown her what he was capable of finding out about her. The fact that he was going to do the same to Clint was heavily implied.

“You can’t do that- you just can’t.” Her voice was shaky. “Please Stark.”

“I just offered Fury and by extension SHIELD an olive branch. You guys are pushing my hand with this.” He said, a nasty smile on his face. “All you have to do is tell me the name of the bastard who started this.”

“I don’t know who did it.” She said slowly.

“I leave in five hours. You have till then to figure it out.” He said as he stood up. She did so too, her eyes never leaving him. “If I don’t have someone to direct my frustration towards by then…” He let that linger.

She nodded. He took the StarkPad from the desk and called Security. He opened the door and then turned to look at her. “You’ll have that name by today, Mr. Stark.” She said, slipping into the role of the demure assistant. “Was there anything else Sir?”

“Yes.” He said just as the guards appeared in his view. He could see her brows furrowing. “You’re fired.”

She turned to look at him and nodded. “Thank you.” She simply said and left.

Tony was finally getting some rest after the week he had had. He was sitting on the plane, more relaxed than he had ever been with Stephen by his side.

“Could you not have been more eloquent?” Stephen asked, gesturing towards the TV. Tony turned to look only to see them playing the impromptu interview he had just given. He was surprised at how fast they had aired this.

He had to admit, he looked bad. He looked tired and irritated but that was precisely what he wanted to convey. Tony Stark, on the runway, ranting about how the government treated Scientists badly made good news. He had jumped all over the place in that rant, sometimes talking about Ross, sometimes about Bruce. He had made sure to let the crucial information out, to show just the tiniest amount of blood for the sharks to pounce upon.

“I think it’s some of my best work.” Tony commented making Stephen roll his eyes. “This will get them talking about Bruce more than the Hulk. I can’t just tell them stuff outright, journalists have to dig deeper and find things out and do an expose.”

“While I do agree with you, surely there was a better way to get Dr. Banner’s name out there than looking like a madman.” Stephen pointed out. Tony shrugged.

The TV suddenly took their attention as they watched Tony punch the reporter and the camera too for good measure. Tony’s expression darkened and he shut the TV off.

“Speaking of Friday.” Stephen started. “I went to talk to her when you were fighting Loki. She seemed lost.”

Tony turned to look at him. “What happened Stephen? Is she alright?”

“She’s fine Tony.” Stephen assured him. “She just got a new, magical body. That sort of thing takes some time to get used to.”

“The body thing- that’s not hurting her, is it?” Tony was still worried about that. “Any side effects? Anything I should worry about?”

“From what I can ascertain, No.” Stephen said, making Tony smile.

His phone chimed and he turned over to look at it. It appeared to be a text from Natasha. He read the name of the person who had sought out to hurt his daughter.

“Everything alright Tony?” Stephen asked.

“Natasha came through.” He locked eyes with Stephen who gave him a curious look. “Jasper Sitwell. High ranking SHIELD Agent. High ranking HYDRA spy.”

“That’s going to be tricky then.” Stephen commented.

Tony hummed in reply. “But not impossible. He doesn’t pop up much before the whole SHIELD/HYDRA fiasco so I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”

“You’re going to make an example of him.” Stephen said while pouring himself a drink. He gave Tony a glass of water.

“I have to. If I don't, SHIELD is going to walk all over me again. Can’t let the future repeat now can we?” He toasted with his glass of water.

Stephen mirrored his gesture as he laughed. “No, we can’t.” He agreed.

Chapter Text

Bruce was just sitting idly in the solitary cabin in the middle of the woods. It had been a month since the Hulk Incident and every time he thought about the Other Guy, he felt such guilt and remorse. He should’ve been more careful, he never should’ve gone to Harlem. Because of him, so much damage occurred and Betty got hurt too. It wouldn’t happen again, he vowed silently. He had a better rein on the Other Guy now and that would only get better.

He jolted as he heard a soft knock on the door. This place was supposed to be unreachable, empty, out of the way. His panic and fear grew as he slowly got up and went towards the door. Had Ross finally found him? Was one month of freedom all he was going to get? He opened the door in quiet nervousness, unsure of what or who he would find on the other end. He stared for a while in shock, unable to believe who he was actually seeing.

“It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner.” Tony Stark’s photogenic face greeted him. The man was all smiles. “Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.”

Bruce just stared. If the appearance of one of the most intelligent and famous men on earth didn’t shock him, that greeting definitely did.

“Hello, Dr. Banner.” Dr. Strange said from beside Tony Stark with a small smile on his face. “Please excuse Dr. Stark’s words, he doesn’t believe in filtering anything he says. May we come in?” Bruce barely registered that Dr. Stark looked faux offended at his partner’s words. He just nodded dumbly and let them in.

After a while, they were all settled in on his mediocre couch. Bruce finally found his voice. “Why are you here? Did Ross send you?” Their appearance in this out-of-the-way cabin was suspicious.

Dr. Stark laughed. “I hate the old Thunderbolt quite as much as you do, Dr. Banner. We aren’t here for him nor does he know about this.” That was oddly reassuring. “In fact, I am actually planning on destroying his career.”

Bruce blinked at that. “What?” He blurted out.

“Oh don’t worry, Dr. Betty Ross is completely overboard with ruining her father. Her idea actually. She’s a diabolical genius.” He even looked impressed.

His shocked expression didn’t abate. "Okay." He finally settled on saying. "You're here because of the Hulk." Bruce stated matter of factly. It was obvious.

This time it was Dr. Strange who answered. "On the contrary Dr. Banner, we are not." Bruce turned to look at him in confusion. "We're not here for your alter ego, we're here for you." He reiterated.

Bruce's brain felt like it was short-circuited. The surprise and conclusion must've been evident in his face because Dr. Stark spoke up. "You did hear my long-winded speech right? I admire you as a fellow scientist. You're a brilliant man, Dr. Banner, we would like to help you."

Bruce did in fact know about the speech he was referring to. It had made the news, it had been debated over and over. Someone had managed to catch up with Tony Stark just as he was boarding a plane. The man before him had looked tired, had looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, which Bruce supposed was true.

Bruce had been surprised at that speech. He had been surprised to have the support of one of the most powerful men in the world. To have someone like Tony Stark look at him and see him as a fellow scientist, as a person and not as the monster that had broken Harlem. To hear him blast Ross- He jolted as he realized something.

“That speech was planned.” He simply said.

The genius inventor before him smiled. “To some extent yes. I had to get some things across, get them to focus on your scientific achievements more, and reiterate that human experimentation is illegal.” He paused. "The punching the camera thing was real. That reporter just pissed me off.”

Bruce nodded. He was still surprised at how many people were supporting him even after the Hulk Incident. It was all Dr. Stark’s doing, the man had done so much for him and likely was planning more. He still had no plans of returning to anywhere populated anytime soon, but they had helped him till now, he would listen to them.

“We would like to help you.” Dr. Strange repeated. “Offer you sanctuary. A place where no one will be able to get you and help with Hulk if we can.”

“I don’t think you can do anything,” Bruce said quietly. “You cannot help me, Dr. Strange, Dr. Stark. I’m beyond help. Wherever this place is, it will not be safe for others if I go there.”

Dr. Stark averted his eyes after that. Bruce didn’t miss the incredible sadness that showed up in his face. Dr. Strange continued. “That’s where you are wrong Dr. Banner. What I’m about to tell you is going to sound absurd but please do listen.”

And Bruce did. He listened in rapt attention, not believing a word he was hearing. It sounded like something out of a comic book, a fantasy, not the reality they lived in. He had a hard time not believing it when the man, the sorcerer, displayed evidence of the magic he claimed existed. He looked over towards Dr. Stark who had managed to calm himself down by then. The man simply smiled at him in response.

“So, you’re telling me that this Hogwarts really exists?” He asked dumbfounded.

Dr. Stark laughed. “It’s called Kamar-Taj. Location wise it’s pretty far out and it’s safe for you. I’ll personally guarantee it, Dr. Banner.” He looked pretty intense at that.

Bruce nodded slowly. “Thank you, Dr. Stark.” He sincerely said. He then turned to Dr. Strange. “So, this Ancient One is going to teach me magic?”

“If you want to.” Dr. Strange replied. “We are simply offering you a safe haven. What you choose to do there is up to you.”

Bruce nodded. He still had many questions before he decided if he wanted to go there and judging by the look of the two geniuses before him, they would answer them. He still didn’t know what was going on here, why they were so fixated on helping him. He couldn’t help but feel paranoid at everything but one look at Dr. Stark’s sincere face and that abated a little.

If Bruce thought that the two geniuses were odd before, that certainly escalated now. Apparently, everyone here was curious about them. They were certainly very mysterious and suspicious.

“So they actually came to you and offered you sanctuary? What did they say? Did they portal you in?” One of the people he had befriended in his short time here asked. Bruce was getting a little uncomfortable, she was very insistent in her questions.

“Calm down, Mary.” Julia, if he remembered her name correctly said. Bruce looked at her gratefully.

“Um… yes. To both questions. Dr. Stark said that this place was safe for both me and the Hulk.” He replied to her questions quietly. “What’s with the questions?”

Julia gave her friend a stern look and answered his question calmly. “Nobody here knows anything about them. Master Strange did come to us about six months ago, after his accident, and he learned everything faster than anyone else ever has. It’s like he was born to do magic.”

“And Dr. Stark? Does he know magic too?”

“As far as I can tell, no,” Julia replied. “But the both of them have all these meetings with the Ancient One so who knows.” She shrugged.

“After the Friday thing, he actually came by and stayed for a while. We still don’t know anything tho.” Mary then gestured all around them. “He made this place a technological haven and protected all the dangerous artifacts and I still don’t know how he even knew about the Mystic Arts. I mean he’s a scientist, how even does he believe in this stuff?” She sounded frustrated.

“I didn’t believe it either in the beginning. But Dr. sorry Master Strange showed me proof.” He shrugged. “Hard not to believe it when it’s staring at you in the face.”

Mary nodded but was still frustrated. “Yeah, obviously. But how did he come upon it in the first place? That’s the important question.”

Bruce locked eyes with Julia who was looking at her friend with exasperated fondness. “She has theories,” She said. Bruce couldn't help but match her grin. Mary rolled her eyes then.

“Of course I have theories.” She scoffed. “I still think the Ancient One saved his life when he was missing those three months. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“No, it doesn’t.” A melodious Irish voice interrupted them. Bruce watched, fascinated, as a glowing figure slowly rose from the ground beneath them. She looked ethereal, and she looked a little bit like Tony Stark. Bruce was startled at that. Hadn't he heard something about Dr. Stark having a secret daughter?

“You ever gonna stop doing that?” Mary asked petulantly while glaring at the incoming figure.

“No.” She replied, sounding just as petulant, and then turned to Bruce. “Hello, Dr. Banner. Nice to meet you. I’m Friday.”

“You’re Tony Stark’s daughter.” Bruce didn’t miss the amused glance his two new friends sent each other. Friday however nodded. Bruce didn’t know why she was glowing or how she could emerge from the ground but he supposed that was the norm around here. He would have to get used to some odd stuff.

“Are you settling well?” She asked floating beside him.

“Um yes. Thank you.” He was still disconcerted with all this. Suddenly, a red cloak flew towards them, wheezing in the air with incredible speed, and came to stand in front of Friday. Bruce looked at the other two but they were pretty nonchalant about it as if it was a sight they witnessed every day. Bruce watched on in amazement as Friday left with the cloak, chattering about something he didn’t quite understand and the cloak fluttering in agreement.

Bruce didn’t mean to snoop, he really didn’t but Dr. Stark and Dr. Strange were talking with the Ancient One and he could hear every word. It had been more than a couple of months since his arrival at Kamar-Taj. It felt like the more he heard about the duo, the more confused he got.

“It is my fault.” Dr. Stark sounded so sad. “We don’t know what’s going to happen for sure, I might’ve changed everything. All of our plans could be redundant.”

“Then we create new ones, Tony.” Dr. Strange was soothing. “We account for every possibility, everything that we can reasonably predict and everything we can make an educated guess about.”

“It’s not your fault Tony.” The Ancient One’s ever wise voice spoke up. “You did all you could with all you had. You reacted as you always would have. Your empathy is not a bad thing.”

“It is when I cause irrevocable mistakes.” Bruce didn’t know what they were talking about but it sounded really serious. He should just leave but he couldn’t make himself move an inch.

“For all we know, your words might not have changed many things.” Dr. Strange spoke up. “You’re worrying too much Tony, thinking of all the ways it could go wrong. It’s going to be alright.”

“I don’t know Stephen.” He sounded defeated.

This conversation was very mysterious. Bruce was so engrossed in it, he didn’t even notice the silence that had crept in.

“Do come in, Dr. Banner.” The soft voice startled him and he sheepishly entered. The three of them were sitting on floor mats sipping tea. Bruce felt really guilty. They had been helping him and he was repaying them by spying on them.

“I’m sorry-” He started but he was interrupted by the enigmatic Dr. Stark.

“It’s alright Dr. Banner.” Bruce nodded, unsure of what to do. The inventor seemed interested in him. “Are you settling in well? If you need anything just ask.” He was incredibly frank. Bruce didn’t think he ever deserved someone like Dr. Stark.

He shook his head. “I’m good Dr. Stark. Thank you.” He sincerely replied.

“Master Mordo says you’re progressing well with the Mystic Arts.” Master Strange observed. “Basic knowledge of the Mystic Arts might help you if nothing else.”

Bruce nodded. He felt so bad about eavesdropping. As if sensing his thoughts, the Ancient One spoke up. “You were curious, Dr. Banner. Think nothing on it.”

“We were just coming to talk to you.” Dr. Stark said as if just remembering something. “We need your help with something, well actually we need the Big Green. If you’re comfortable with it of course.”

Bruce stopped in his tracks. Was this the other shoe finally dropping? Was this the reason they had personally come to recruit him? It did make some sort of sense. Why would they bother with doing all these things for him if they didn’t want to reap the benefits?

“You can say no Dr. Banner.” Master Strange calmly said. “There’s an Artefact that needs to be safely extracted. Unfortunately, it is buried in the rubbles of an Ancient Temple.”

“It’s a pretty isolated place.” Dr. Stark continued. “Letting the Hulk out in a safe environment where he can’t harm anybody might be a good idea. He’ll help us move the heavy stones or even smash them. I could do it with my suit if you say no but might be a good experience for the Other Guy.”

Bruce blinked and kept staring at them. They were not just helping him here, they were also helping the Hulk. This wasn’t what he expected. He understood Dr. Stark’s logic and even agreed with it. He shook himself out of that and said. “I’ll think about it.”

Dr. Stark beamed at his reply. He stood up a few seconds later and came towards him. “I’ll walk you to your room, need to discuss a few things with you anyways.” Bruce shot him a curious gaze so he added. “I said I’ll personally guarantee your safety.”

Bruce nodded and walked with him. “I’m really really sorry about snooping on you. I really shouldn’t have done that.” He repeated. He still felt so bad about that.

Dr. Stark smiled. “As her Ancientness said, Don't think too much of it. You were curious, and a bit suspicious of us. I get that, I would be too. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, thinking we want something out of this.”

“But you don’t?” Bruce sounded unsure.

“Well, if guaranteeing the safety of the people of earth counts as an agenda, we do.” He simply replied. Bruce nodded, that made sense. “But I’m not going to lie and say I never want the Hulk in a purely fighting capacity. He’s strong and after my fight with a hostile alien, I want strong people to defend earth.”

Bruce stared at him at that. He knew the fight he was talking about. There had been some blurry images of Iron Man fighting someone wearing Green Leather armor and Horned Helmets. No one knew what that was about, but everyone could tell that that interaction changed Tony Stark. The casual way with which he said alien surprised Bruce. It must’ve been evident in his face because Dr. Stark replied.

“It was definitely an alien, Dr. Banner.” Bruce couldn’t read his expression quite right. “Helped his brother the same day. Tried to help him too but the bastard took offense and attacked me.” He shook his head as if trying to shake the intrusive thoughts off. “Point is, that showed me how incapable we are should something like that ever happen again.”

“And if it does, you want the Hulk to help you defend Earth.” Bruce concluded.

Dr. Stark nodded. “SHIELD wants largely the same thing, but with you here they have been unable to track you.” The fear that his presence caused any sort of damage to anyone helping him was back.

“Ross involved with that too?” Bruce asked, genuinely curious.

“No. Ross is occupied with putting out the fires he caused.” There was a hint of anger and fury in his voice. “Betty provided crucial evidence and I might’ve leaked some files but the fact that he was the one behind your accident and the Abomination is out now. They squirreled Abomination away and Ross is getting the heat for it.”

“He will manage to get away with it, get himself back on their good graces.”

“Maybe. But he will never be trusted again. Public perception of him is very low. Even if he manages to get away with it, he will never get true power again, I will make sure of it.” There were righteous indignation and fury evident in his voice. Bruce wondered what Ross did to Dr. Stark to make him react like that.

Suddenly Dr. Stark stopped, Bruce paused and turned to look at him. He appeared to be considering something. Slowly, he took out a necklace from his jacket pocket and handed it to Bruce. He took it slowly, curious of the metal that was shaped like Iron Man’s triangular reactor. He looked at Dr. Stark questioningly.

“It’s protection. It houses an exoskeleton within it, capable of covering your entire body and the Big Guy too.”

Bruce examined it closely after that explanation. It was not that big, easily hidden beneath his clothing. “I didn’t realize nanotechnology had reached that level.” He commented.

Dr. Stark smiled. “Pym might’ve helped me a little with that. The outward metal is Starkium, something I discovered, powers the thing in my chest. It has quite many capabilities.” He shrugged. “It’s not perfect, just something to slow you or the Other Guy down.”

“It’s much more than I ever expected.” Bruce sincerely said.

“I was considering something else actually, sort of a worst-case scenario type of deal.” Dr. Stark looked unsure. Bruce nodded and motioned for him to continue. “HulkBuster Armor. If push comes to shove, I will deal with the Big Guy myself.”

Bruce stared at that. “It would be dangerous for you Dr. Stark.” He finally settled on saying. “You’ll get hurt, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

The inventor seemed to give him a lot of sad smiles. “Better me than anyone else Dr. Banner.” Bruce nodded dumbly. The man seemed incredibly sad all the time. And if the conversation he had overheard was any indication, he seemed to take even the slightest mistakes he made to heart. The world didn’t deserve Tony Stark.

Suddenly the man smiled a huge genuine smile. Bruce looked to see the source of his smile and saw Friday talking to the Cloak of Levitation from afar. They watched the duo for a while until Bruce decided to ask something. “I’m curious about something.” He started, unsure of how to put it delicately.

“Accident with Magic.” He answered his unasked question. “Those two being mischievous as usual.” He had a fond smile on his face.

“You’re protective of her. You punched a reporter because he dared to ask about her.” Tony Stark having a daughter had come as a shock to everyone, but his visceral reaction to the reporter revealing it to the world had cemented that fact. “Why is she here? Why not have her be with you always?”

“This is the safest place in the world for Friday.” He simply replied. “She’s learning Magic, she has friends and she’s well protected. What more could I want?” He smiled sadly. “The Ancient One offered her more than I ever could, she has done so much for me.”

Bruce saw Mary and Julia who were walking towards them. “Mary believes she’s training Friday to be her successor, the next Ancient One.” He told him. He could see Mary sticking her tongue out at Friday childishly and Julia shaking her head at her antics.

The genius inventor before him laughed openly at that. “Mary and her theories.” He shook his head. “Something happened a few months ago resulting in her having these powers. The Ancient One and Stephen are teaching her how to control them. She’s getting better at it.”

Bruce liked it when he laughed and wasn’t sad. They watched Friday interact with the two women for a while. Friday and Mary together were always fun to watch.

“Take good care of yourself, Dr. Banner.” The man said in farewell and approached Julia.

Bruce could hear him talking to the cool collected woman about something involving New York but he didn’t pay that much mind. He simply made his way towards his room, still thinking about the offer to let Hulk out in a controlled environment. It wasn’t a bad idea and he trusted Dr. Stark and Master Strange but he had to be sure about this. He had to think about it much more before he gave his consent.

“Hey, Bruce. Wait up.” Mary called and Bruce did, wondering what she wanted from him. She came closer and just looked at him for a minute.

"Are you alright Bruce?" Mary asked. Her eyes felt like they were looking deep into his soul. "You seem troubled."

"Dr. Stark just gave me some things to think through." He replied honestly.

"He does do that a lot doesn't he?" She said making him smile. "Looking all mysterious and hard to read."

Bruce kept smiling as Mary listed Dr. Stark's mysterious qualities. He found himself liking her company more and more. Bruce just walked with her, listening with rapt attention and nodding with a smile on his face. He would think about all that stuff later, right now he would just enjoy this peace with all these wonderful people around him.

Bruce woke up groggy and tired. Blinking away the tiredness, he found himself in an infirmary bed with Friday keeping watch over him. She looked happy to see him up. He still marveled at the contrast between father and daughter. While Dr. Stark usually looked sad, Friday was always cheerful, her soft words and joyous attitude bringing even the dourest man to smile.

“What- what happened?” He asked, unsure and a tiny bit worried.

Friday smiled. “Don’t worry. Everything is alright. Hulk just touched something he shouldn’t have, that created a backlash. It was a remnant of something that had once been there. A powerful thing, but not dangerous.” She informed him. “Hulk helped a lot, he seemed happy to help. ”

Bruce couldn’t help but smile at her cheerful countenance. “I’m glad.” He said as he sat up. “What was the artefact? Can you tell me something about it?”

“Of course, Dr. Banner,” Friday replied. “It’s an old Norse text inscribing various events that happened centuries ago. It’s a credible source of information and it is probably the most accurate. I don’t exactly know what’s in it but it’s a credible lead.”

Bruce nodded, only half understanding what she was telling him. “The alien that Iron Man fought? He was a Norse God?” There was that giant hammer in New Mexico and he thought he heard something about Thor or Loki somewhere.

Friday nodded. “That was Loki. We also met Thor then. He was nice, friendly.” She came closer and looked him over. “Are you okay? That much time as Hulk must’ve taken a lot of you.”

Bruce nodded. “I feel a bit tired but other than that I’m good.” He replied honestly. “I’m glad I could help, I’m glad the Other Guy was helpful.”

Friday beamed at him. He couldn’t help but match her smile.

When Bruce came to the open space, he found everyone looking at The Lab in curiosity intermixed with fear. The Lab was a separate building from the Temple, constructed by Tony Stark himself. It was a high-tech lab that everyone knew the genius inventor built for his daughter. Bruce himself had gone inside a couple of times and he had loved every moment of it.

“What’s going on?” He asked as he himself stared at The Lab.

“Friday and Tony are doing some experiments.” Someone told him. He watched on, intrigued.

The building suddenly shook to its foundations and a huge explosion was heard. Everyone went to help after that. When the smoke cleared, they were greeted with the sight of Tony Stark, looking like the mad scientist he was and grinning broadly.

Bruce could see a small mass of dull red encased in glass in the middle of the lab, the source of the utter destruction he supposed. There were so many things lying around there, a small metal that looked familiar. He couldn’t help but be attracted to the red thing.

“Careful there Bruce.” Bruce was startled as he found himself near the red object. He blinked and tried to shake himself out of it. Luckily, the Cloak of Levitation got to him then and flew him a bit further.

Bruce still felt a bit disoriented from whatever that was. The crowd started to thin and disperse as Master Strange walked towards them. Bruce just stood there and watched him stalk towards the sheepish inventor that hadn’t moved an inch from the floor.

“Before you say anything, it’s all my fault.” Dr. Stark declared.

Dr. Strange let out a light chuckle and helped the other man up. “Did you at least find what you were looking for?”

“Oh definitely.” Friday propped up, looking just as covered in dust and ash as Dr. Stark was.

“We confirmed the hypothesis.” Dr. Stark said as he dusted himself off. Friday simply waved her hand and all the dirt flew off from both of them. “The thing was built for protection, built to house the damn things. It actively works towards nullifying the signals sent by the-” Bruce didn’t understand what he was talking about, but it looked like Dr. Strange did.

Bruce looked around, he was the only one remaining there. “Are you alright Dr. Stark?” He asked. The man beamed at him.

“Never been better, Dr. Banner.” He looked cheerful. “You on the other hand don’t look so good.”

The Cloak of Levitation seemed to nod and wrapping him up flew him towards his room. Bruce could faintly hear Dr. Stark talking about protections and containment but his mind was still hung up on that red thing.

Bruce stood in the emptiness of his room. He still felt disoriented but he was mostly confused. What was Dr. Stark doing? What was the dull red thing? Hulk roared and appeared for a brief second. A memory came to his mind, one of Hulk touching a fading red glow and brief excruciating pain. The vision went just as fast as it arrived, as did the Other Guy.

Bruce sat down on the bed. He didn’t know what was going on here. And most importantly he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He took the locket that Dr. Stark had given him and stared at it for a while. The metal, Starkium, was definitely present in the lab.

He shook himself out of it, whatever was going on here concerned Dr. Stark and Master Strange. They were entitled to their secrecy, to their experiments. Who was he to comment on any of that? If he needed to know, they would’ve told him, it was as simple as that. He clutched the locket as he laid down on the bed. He didn't know why but that small thing gave him so much comfort.

Bruce slowly walked towards Mary who was sitting quietly on the ground. She turned to look at him sensing his approach and giving him a smile went back to observing the calm and breathtaking view before them. 

“I heard you were leaving,” Bruce said conversationally.

“Can’t stay in this place forever.” She said simply. “No matter how much I like it here.”

“Why not?” Bruce asked. “Many people do. I’m sure the Ancient One would allow you to stay.”

She smiled a sad smile. Bruce didn’t like seeing the usually cheerful girl so sad. “She would. She’s kind like that.” She agreed. “She lets us come and go whenever we want. I feel selfish leaving, I feel like she has done so much for me and I’ve only taken advantage of her kindness.”

Bruce knew what she meant. He himself had felt like that so many times. “She doesn’t think of it like that.” He said. Mary smiled at his words.

“Of course not. That’s what makes her so great.” She said. “But I have to leave. I have so many things I need to do. I can’t avoid them forever, I can’t avoid home forever.”

Bruce nodded. He understood how that felt. “What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know,” Mary replied. She looked so morose and sad. She smiled at his concern. “I’m okay Bruce. In fact, I’m better than I was when I came in. This place just takes us in, broken and lost, and helps us find our way back.”

Bruce agreed with that statement. He himself was in bad shape when they approached him. He was a bit better now, a bit calmer, a bit more aware of himself as well as the Hulk.

“I never thought I deserved this, any of this.” He said quietly.

Mary gave him a small one-armed hug. “But you do Bruce. You are a kind, gentle person. You’re much more than the Hulk. You’re Bruce fucking Banner man.” She smiled lightly. He did too, unable to stop himself.

They just sat there in the cool air appreciating the beauty around them for a while. She seemed comfortable with him, not afraid and terrified. Bruce didn’t think this small act would help him that much, people just being comfortable with him. This place had given him so much. It had helped him reclaim his humanity back, showed him that he was much more than just his alter-ego.

“Where’s home exactly? Where are you going to go now?” Bruce asked after a while, genuinely curious. People came here from all around the world, from all walks of life. He didn’t know much about Mary, come to think of it. Not that he minded, he liked the woman before him, he didn’t need to know who she was to like her.

“Right here actually.” She replied. Bruce looked at her in amazement. “Yeah. I actually saw the Ancient One when I was a kid. Teeny tiny me.” She amplified her words with her gestures. Bruce laughed. “Was terrified and intrigued but mostly confused I think. I remember it with perfect clarity, yet that memory is a blur. Simultaneously, the most amazing and scariest day of my life. Anyhoo, she saved my life when I was a kid and again when I was an adult.”

“So you’re going to be nearby.”

“Yeah. And I’m going to be far away.” Bruce could tell that she was trying to be mysterious. It was only working a little. “This place isn’t exactly on a map you know. Trust me, I’ve looked.” Now, that was intriguing.

“Will I ever see you again?” Bruce really did like her company.

“I don’t know.” She replied honestly. “You’re much more important than you ever think Bruce. That much I can tell from all the interest in you. You’re the fucking Hulk man. I don’t know if our paths will ever cross again.” She scrunched her face. “Come to think of it, I’ve never actually seen the Big Guy, I wonder how big he is. Camera footage doesn’t really give much you know.”

Bruce smiled as she rambled on. He looked around, the area was sufficiently large and isolated. He stood up and simply said. “Okay.”

“Wait what?” She stood up sharply and then tried to balance herself. “You can control all that at will? Full-on? Like snap Bruce and snap Hulk?”

Bruce laughed a little. “Yes.”

“The amount of mental discipline that that must require from you. It has to be a constant process, all that strain on you.” She looked impressed. “That is amazing. You’re amazing, man.”

Bruce really did like her excitement. “So you want me to…”

“Yes!” She looked excited. “HULK SMASH.” She said, jumping a little, her curls bouncing with her.

“No. No smash.” He said, dead serious. “No smash. Or I’m not doing it.”

She giggled at that. “Okay, Hulk no smash.” She agreed. “You should say no more often Bruce, it suits you.” She patted his arm affectionately. Bruce looked at her, still smiling.

He took his robes off. The pants were made of some stretchable material that was specifically made for him by Dr. Stark. Mary looked legitimately excited to meet the Hulk. He took a deep breath and let all the panic and the anger consume him. His heartbeat shot through the roof and he felt the Big Guy take over to help him.

When he came back, he found himself sitting on the ground calmly. Mary had a big smile on her face which he couldn’t help but mirror. She helped him up and handed him the robe. “He is huge.” She said laughing.

He liked her excitement, her easy-going attitude. He really was going to miss her. She started talking about what had happened when he was out and he listened along, a smile on his face, happy that he and the Hulk were the reason for that excitement.

“Thank you.” He said slowly. “I’m going to miss you.”

She didn’t say anything, she just enveloped him into a big hug. Bruce hugged her back. They stayed like that for a while and then she let go. She left soon after. Bruce stared at her retreating form, he never thought he would ever get friends like her. She was always comfortable with him and accepting no matter what. He really was going to miss her.

He looked around, taking in the quiet calm of Kamar-Taj. This place was great but he would have to leave soon. Mary was right. He too needed to leave. He needed to find his way, he needed to figure some things out by himself.

He found the Ancient One overseeing the training of the disciples and went to stand next to her. “Dr. Stark said that SHIELD is looking for me.” Bruce said conversationally.

“Fear not, Dr. Banner, they will not find you here.” The Ancient One assured him. “We will protect you.”

“I can’t help but think I am endangering you because of my presence.” He confessed quietly.

‘You are not, Dr. Banner, do not worry.” The Ancient One told him. “We are capable of protecting ourselves from any external forces.”

“But you don’t have to, at least not on my account.” He replied, his tone steadfast. They had helped him find some semblance of peace when he was truly afraid. But it was time for him to leave. They had helped him but it would be too much of him to always expect their help.

The Ancient One looked at him for a moment. “I see you have already made up your mind.” She simply said. Bruce nodded slowly. “I will respect your wishes Dr. Banner but you always have a place with us should you decide to come back.”

Bruce hadn’t expected this much from them and he still was surprised at that offer. “Thank you.” He said sincerely.

“Where are you planning to go now?” The Ancient One asked as she turned her attention back to the training.

“I don’t know,” Bruce replied honestly. “I need to figure some things out on my own.”

“I understand Dr. Banner. I wish you luck.” With that, she left.

Bruce stayed there for a while, marveling at his luck. He had found something amazing here, he had found something extraordinary and it would be something he would leave as is. He wouldn’t destroy this place as he had destroyed countless others. He had a good head on his shoulders now, it was time for him to use it.

Chapter Text

Scott realized he was pretty tired as he slowly walked up the steps of his apartment building. Not only was this day tiring, but in general he was just so tired of everything. Maggie still came to the forefront of his mind, the smiles she used to give him, the exasperated look whenever he said something he thought was particularly clever, the fond way she used to look at him. He missed her so much.

He opened the door to his shitty apartment and entered feeling so tired and done with the world. He rubbed his eyes as he threw his bag to the ground. He didn’t even bother to turn on the lights. He just sat down on the couch and threw his head upwards. He just sat down in the silence for a while, his mind going back to the last time he saw Maggie and Cassie. That at least brought a smile to his face.

“Staying in the dark can’t be that comfortable.” A slightly familiar voice said, jolting Scott from his reverie. He could just barely see a man sitting in a chair in the darkness. He stared for a while and without meaning to a scream escaped from his lips. He just stayed frozen in his place for a while, scared of the stranger in the room.

A minute passed like this. Then the man spoke up. “Just turn on the fucking lights, Lang.” He sounded annoyed. It was really irritating to hear that tone from someone who just broke into his house but Scott stood up and did so.

When he finally took a look at the man sitting in a chair he definitely didn’t own, he just stared, unable to believe what his eyes were seeing. “Unbelievable. When Fury does this, he looks mysterious. When I do this, people scream.”

“You’re Tony Stark.” Scott blurted out. He took his earlier irritation back, Iron Man could talk to him however he wanted.

“I thought that was obvious.” Tony Stark deadpanned.

“It is, I just can’t believe it. Tony Stark is in my house.” Scott must’ve looked really crazed and awed that the genius billionaire just stared. “I loved you even before the Iron Man thing. You’re a genius, Dr. Stark, you’ve single-handedly revolutionized the field of engineering.”

“Was not expecting you to be a fan.” He appeared to muse. “Alright, you want an autograph? I’ll sign an Iron Man poster and send it to you. Just speed that up.” He amplified it with the gesture.

Scott calmed himself. This wasn’t the time to go crazy over a real superhero. Tony Stark was in front of him, he had to be calm and collected. It took a second for him to register that thought. “Why are you- I mean Why did you-?”

“Waited in pitch dark waiting for you to return home?” Tony Stark finished his question. Scott nodded. “I don’t know, I thought it would look cool. Pretty boring actually.” He shrugged it off.

“Why are you here?” Scott sat down on the couch, now a bit more collected.

“I’m here for you, I thought that was obvious.” He looked at him. “You look like shit kid.” He commented.

“Yeah, my wife just divorced me and took my daughter,” Scott replied sadly. He didn’t know why he was explaining his relationship woes to Tony Stark but the man didn’t seem to mind. He listened quietly and compassionately.

“It’s gonna be alright kid.” He said in a soft and consoling voice. Scott nodded.

“Why are you here for me?” He asked, still confused and curious.

“Right, I had a whole speech planned. You just had to ruin it.” Scott looked sheepish without really knowing why he did so. “You work at VistaCorp, right? Planning on robbing it anytime soon?”

The color evaporated from Scott’s face at that. He preserved, though just barely. “I thought Iron Man handled big emergencies. What are you, Batman?”

“I am Batman.” The inventor said in a flat voice. “Just with less training and more gadgets. I’m not here to arrest you or anything. You’re too close to this, let the professionals handle this.”

“I’m good where I am, Dr. Stark,” Scott said sharply. The inventor before him simply raised an eyebrow.

“Really? You think you’re better than Parker?”

Scott blinked. Parker was a legendary thief, someone he really admired among those circles. There was no way Tony Stark knew about her. “There’s no way you know Parker. Besides, she works with a crew now.”

“I know.” Tony Stark nodded. “You know about the AIM thing?”

“The company who got caught for illegal human experimentations?” Scott asked. There had been something about it in the news, something about someone exploding. He hadn’t paid much attention to that

“It was much more than just some human experimentations. Much more complex, much more dangerous.” Scott didn’t understand what he was rambling about. “That thing, all their doing. I just said I suspected something about AIM and they brought the company down. Brilliant work if I ever saw any.”

Scott understood where he was going with this. “You want me to ask for their help with the VistaCorp thing. How do you even know about it? And why have you not done anything about it? Why this secret meeting in the dark?”

“I’m doing something about it, I’m pointing you towards the direction of professionals who handle this.” Tony Stark was looking at him like he was stupid. “That’s their whole thing, they bring down huge corporations who take advantage of innocent people. They operate from a bar in Boston. Go there, tell your sob story and they’ll deal with this.”

Scott blinked. It was probably a good thing what Tony Stark was suggesting. Maggie divorced him because he wasn’t able to let go of this criminal life. Now maybe, it was time to finally let go and show her that he was capable of being the adult she claimed he never would be. He let out a deep sigh. Yeah, this could work. Luis probably knew a way to contact Parker or her team. One thing still didn’t make sense, however.

“Why me? Why are you here Dr. Stark?” He asked again.

“Hank Pym is going to offer you a job, say yes.” Scott was visibly taken aback, that came out of nowhere. “You’re an excellent engineer Lang, Pym Tech would be glad to have you.”

“What?” He asked, still befuddled.

“The only reason I looked you up and contacted you is because you’re the same height and weight as Pym was once.” The inventor got up to leave. “Pym is an old man now. Continue his legacy.” With that cryptic message, he made his way outside.

Scott was still very very confused as to what just happened. He just stared at the retreating form of Tony Stark in shock. “I was never here.” The man said mysteriously. Scott nodded. “Oh, and keep the chair. Good for your back.” He threw a peace sign in his direction and left.

Scott stood up to close the door and looked at the chair after that. It looked really comfortable. He slowly sat down, loving how the chair felt. He just sat there for a while and tried to make sense of the conversation he just had. He couldn’t.

Scott looked at Hank Pym in surprise. He hadn’t expected the man himself to be interviewing him. “Hello, Dr. Pym.” He said politely. Pym stared at him for a while but motioned him to sit down. He did so.

The silence stretched for a while. Pym kept looking at him and sometimes down where Scott assumed his resume was. His nervousness grew as the silence stretched on.

Pym looked at him again. “Nothing makes sense.” He declared.

“What doesn’t make sense, Sir?” He asked politely.

“You.” Pym shouted. “Stark. Nothing makes sense.” He repeated himself.

Scott didn’t say anything, he wasn’t sure what to say to that. Pym kept looking at him as if trying to figure something out.

“What’s wrong with you?” Pym asked.

“Nothing is wrong with me, I hope.” He replied. So far this interview was not going well.

“You seem so normal.” Pym commented, sounding like he was going crazy. “Why would your name be on a list of people that Stark is unsure about?” He looked at Scott expectantly.

Scott visibly deflated. “I steal sometimes. Dr. Stark knows about it.” He confessed. The job was as good as gone now.

“No, that’s not all. There’s something about you. It’s like he made the list to hide the fact that he wanted me to meet you.”

Scott just looked at him. He was having quite enough of genius inventors being mysterious lately. He jolted as he remembered the conversation with Tony Stark. “He came to visit me in my apartment. Something about being the same height and weight as you once were?” He supplied.

Scott could feel the irritation that Pym had for Dr. Stark at that moment. He wondered what this whole thing was about. Pym was looking at him as if he was considering him. It felt intense. Pym then returned to the papers on his desk and looked at him, a thoughtful expression in his face.

“You are certainly qualified.” Scott couldn’t help the smile that came with that comment. Hearing that from a man as brilliant as Dr. Pym was not something he ever thought would happen to him.

“Thank you Dr. Pym.” He said sincerely. Pym nodded. “If I may, Sir. What was that conversation about? Nothing Dr. Stark said to me makes sense but you understood it.”

Pym regarded him. He seemed to be doing that a lot. After a minute he stood up, Scott did too. “We will discuss that at a later date, Mr. Lang.” Scott nodded. Pym didn’t trust him. He understood that, what with his past. “Welcome to Pym Tech.” He offered his hand.

“Thank you Sir.” Scott shook it. He was just glad that he got the job.

Scott was pretty happy. It had been a few months since he’d started working at Pym Tech and he was loving every minute of it. He didn’t think he had ever been this excited about a job. He still sometimes wondered what was with Dr. Stark’s mysterious visit and the list that Dr. Pym kept referring to but he hadn’t had the time to think about it too much.

Maggie also seemed more approving of him these days, allowing him to see Cassie more and more. He loved every moment he could get with his daughter and he was glad he was doing something right for once in his life. Their divorce was now final but Scott didn’t care much about that. He loved Maggie in his own way but they had gone separate ways and he respected that.

Scott smiled as he spotted a flower shop right across the street. He should get some for Cassie, she would love them. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a familiar black van. That was the same one that he had seen this morning. Was someone following him? He wouldn’t be surprised if someone was, considering the two weird meetings he had had with eccentric billionaires recently.

His eyes and attention were on the suspicious van around him, wondering how the people there were going to capture him. He tried not to be suspicious about it, he kept walking, kept trying to pretend that he was oblivious about it. A prick to his neck got his attention back to his surroundings. He felt himself get dizzy and uncoordinated. An attractive redhead had appeared by his side, and she was helping him stand up.

Scott opened his eyes in a dark room. He was sitting on a steel chair in a barely illuminated room, He still felt disoriented and groggy from whatever they had given him. This scene was reminiscent of an action flick but he found that actually living it was worse. He didn’t know who had kidnapped him and why. His panic grew as he realized that they could use his ex-wife and daughter to threaten him. What had he gotten himself into? He should’ve just said no when Tony Stark came to him. He had liked the mysteriousness and secrecy then but now he was just afraid of what these people would do to him.

They let him sit and brood in the near darkness for a while. His thoughts were racing so fast, he kept imagining about all the torture techniques they could use to hurt him. He didn’t think he could take any amount of pain before he began to spill. But spill what? He didn’t know anything. All he knew was that Tony Stark had recruited him for something and sent him Hank Pym’s way. Pym hadn’t done anything about him in the months he had spent working there. He was just another employee.

He briefly wondered if this was the reason he hadn’t been told anything. Was this the reason for all the secrecy and mysteriousness? On that thought, was this a test? Were Dr. Stark and Dr. Pym testing him? It would make a morbid sort of sense.

The door opened and the same attractive redhead entered. She looked dangerous, and someone who could kill him with a smile on her face. She didn’t say anything, she just brought up a chair and sat in front of him.

“Who are you?” His voice cracked a little as he spoke. “What are you going to do to me?”

“If you answer my questions, Mr. Lang, nothing.” She said as she got up, water bottle in hand.

He stared at her suspiciously as he slowly drank the water. He didn’t know how long he had been out or what they had given him but the water felt like a sweet release. He slowly nodded, his mind going a mile a minute, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. She looked at him and then went back to sit in front of him.

“You were hired by Pym Technologies a few months back. Why?” She got right into it.

Scott stared. So, this was about whatever weird thing was going on with Pym. “I guess they liked me.” He settled on saying. He knew that that wouldn’t fool the redhead but he was going to stick with it. He was just a random Pym Tech employee, nothing special about him.

The redhead stared at him. “Have you ever met Tony Stark?”

Scott couldn’t really help his reaction. His eyes bulged and his heartbeat quickened. He looked like he had been caught off guard, which he was. He swallowed and wondered what Dr. Stark would do to him if he found out that Scott had derailed whatever he was planning. These guys looked like your stereotypical movie villains. Fear quickly overcame whatever worry or anxiety he had. These guys were dangerous. His thoughts immediately went to Maggie and Cassie. “Please don’t hurt me.” His voice sounded squeaky and afraid.

The redhead blinked. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She said slowly. “We don’t hurt civilians. You’re just here for questioning.”

Scott looked at her disbelievingly. “Look lady I don’t know what your evil organization is planning but please let me go. I won’t say anything to anyone, not even Iron Man.” He practically pleaded. He didn’t think it would work, but it was worth a try.

“Evil Organization?” She looked at him like he was crazy for saying that. “Mr. Lang, we just want to know why Hank Pym hired you and how Tony Stark is involved with this. We’re not some evil organization, we’re with the government.”

“You kidnapped me. You drugged me and you locked me in this dark room and you’re talking about Iron Man. How are you not an evil organization?” He was getting pretty confused now. She couldn’t be with the government, could she? This was probably just a way to get his trust, although why they thought it would work after the way they brought him here escaped him.

She began to look annoyed. “We simply wanted to talk to you in an isolated environment, Mr. Lang.” Scott rolled his eyes, despite the fear he was feeling. “My name is Agent Natasha Romanoff and I’m with SHIELD. We simply want to know what’s going on between Stark and Pym.”

Scott stared. Did she really expect him to believe that? “Yeah, because government organizations kidnap people off the street to ‘talk to them’.” He fully let the sarcasm flow. “If you were legitimate you could’ve just gotten a warrant or something.”

“Hank Pym has a contentious relationship with SHIELD.”

“If this is how you treat ‘civilians’, of course he does.” Scott knew that he was pushing this a bit but he didn’t care. If she was actually telling the truth, it was far more terrible than he could ever imagine. If they were a real government organization that used these types of methods then he didn’t even want to think what they did to their enemies.

She just looked at him, annoyance evident in her face. He began to sweat a little, she looked like she wanted to eviscerate him on the spot. “We’ve gone off topic Mr. Lang. I simply wanted to know why Pym hired you and what Stark’s got to do with this.”

“Maybe he wanted an electrical engineer, I don’t know. The only thing I know about Tony Stark is from reading research papers and looking at TV.” Scott poured everything out. “I’m nobody and I don’t know anything. Just please let me go. I won’t say anything to anyone.”

She appeared to be considering him. He prayed that that fooled her. He knew that there was something going on at Pym Technologies but he wasn’t going to tell anything to someone who literally kidnapped him. The fear in his voice wasn’t fake, the worry that they would hurt the people he loved was very much real.

A quiet buzzing sound brought him out of his fear filled musings. He watched as she took her phone out, looked at it in annoyance and answered it, putting it on speakerphone. Her eyes were on him.

“I want this to be clear, I don’t want to do this.” He had never been so glad to hear Dr. Stark’s voice. “But Pym has been bitching about this all month. Nat, you have to stop kidnapping his employees.”

“We’ve questioned a lot of Pym’s employees, Stark.” She replied, cool as ever. “What’s about this one that required your direct involvement?”

“Apparently he was supposed to visit his daughter today. His ex-wife is with the cops, convinced that he’s missing. You screwed up.” Scott jolted, Maggie must’ve been so worried about him.

“It hasn’t been 24 hours yet.”

“Whoever the guy is, he doesn’t matter.” Scott didn’t really mind the off-hand way Dr. Stark was talking about him. He just wanted this to be over. “Point is. Pym is very much Anti-SHIELD and so am I. And he’s getting annoyed at how many of his employees are being accosted by you.”

“We haven’t done anything to anyone.”

“If I wanted to, I can destroy SHIELD, I can destroy you.” Scott could see that she was afraid of him, even if she hid it well. He didn’t know what had happened but it sounded bad. Dr. Stark continued. “And if I get interrupted one more time, I might just do it. So no more kidnapping random employees okay?” His tone was so condescending.

“Whatever you’re doing here Stark, SHIELD will find out-”

“Remind me Natasha, what happened to the Agent who leaked about Friday.” His voice was icy.

The Agent before him didn’t reply. Scott could see her breathing quickening, the fear in her eyes real even as she tried to hide it. Friday was Dr. Stark’s daughter, if he remembered correctly. Had SHIELD done something to her? Was that the reason he was this angry?

“I didn’t care about you when you were spying on me Agent Romanoff, I had many things on my plate. I didn’t even care about that assassin, JARVIS had him spotted even before I got home.” Scott could see her eyes widening at that, genuinely shocked. “I didn’t care about the two of you. But SHIELD crossed a line with Friday and I made sure to let my displeasure know. Don’t cross me again.”

Scott knew that Tony Stark was a superhero, he had admired the man for so long but the person before him wasn’t Iron Man. He was Tony Stark, a ruthless billionaire, one who would crush anyone who dared to cross him. He could tell that Agent Romanoff knew that too if the fear on her face was any indication.

“You’re free to go Mr. Lang.” The SHIELD Agent told him.

Scott hugged Cassie for a long time when he finally saw her again. He had a very hard day and seeing her and assuring her that he was okay had helped a little. Maggie had a small smile on her face, he could tell that she had been crying. He just stayed there for a while, assuring everyone he cared about that he was okay. After that, Maggie took Cassie to tuck her in and Scott was left with the Detective that helped Maggie. The detective in question was currently peering out of the windows.

“Is that car waiting for you?” Scott didn’t know who sent the car to take him to Maggie’s but he was glad for it. He shrugged in reply and sat down on the sofa.

“Thank you Detective Paxton.” He said genuinely. He was glad that someone had helped Maggie when he was off being half-scared to death.

Detective Paxton sat down opposite him. “I would like to ask you a few questions, Mr. Lang. Your relatively short disappearance frazzled a lot of people, especially your Boss.”

Scott nodded. Logically he knew he couldn’t tell Paxton anything of what he had been through but he would attempt to answer his questions.

“You said you were kidnapped. Did you get a good look at anyone?”

Scott didn’t think he would ever forget the redhead’s face. “I felt someone inject me with something in the middle of the street and then I woke up in a dark room.” He replied truthfully. “I did get a license plate of the car that had been following me around.” He gave Paxton the license plate who dutifully wrote it down.

“Your employer, Dr. Pym seemed to believe that it was his connection to you that was the reason for your disappearance. He seemed confident that you were kidnapped.”

Scott really didn’t understand anything of what had happened to him but he nodded. “They kept asking me about Dr. Pym. I didn’t know anything I could tell them.”

“You think one of Dr. Pym’s rivals kidnapped you?”

“It is possible,” Scott replied truthfully. “They let me go after they realized I knew nothing. I wish I had more to tell you, Detective Paxton.”

Paxton looked at him and then back at the car that was visible from the windows. He nodded slowly. “It’s all right Mr. Lang.” He said. Maggie chose to join them then.

“You’ve had a long day Scott, you can crash here if you want,” Maggie said kindly.

Scott gave Maggie a small smile. “I should go. Dr. Pym probably wants to talk to me after that.” He said gesturing at the car outside the house. He still didn’t know who sent it, Dr. Pym or Dr. Stark, but no matter who did they probably wanted to talk to him. “Thank you for helping Maggie, Detective Paxton.” He looked at Paxton then, the man understanding everything he wasn’t saying. Paxton nodded.

Scott was expecting the car to take him back to Pym Technologies so he was surprised when they travelled down an unfamiliar road. When he got out of the car, he stood there for a second and just stared at the huge manor. The gates opened and Scott slowly entered. Dr. Pym was waiting for him inside with Hope Van Dyne.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about this Lang.” He sounded apologetic. “I was not expecting SHIELD to kidnap you. They didn’t hurt you did they?” Ms. Van Dyne gave him a small smile and gestured to him to sit down.

Scott shook his head as he sat down on Pym’s couch. “I’m fine Dr. Pym.” He was tired and he was confused. “What’s going on? Why did they kidnap me?”

Pym sighed as he poured both of them a drink. Scott accepted with a grateful smile. “As I told you before, I hired you because Stark told me to. SHIELD is trying to figure out what’s going on there.”

“I only did that because you were bitching too much Pym.” Everyone turned to look at Dr. Stark who had just appeared there.

“How did you even get in Stark? This place is fully secure.” Scott could see that Dr. Pym was genuinely shocked. Hope simply rolled her eyes at her father’s antics.

“I thought you were in Malibu, Tony. You reached here awfully fast.”

“New York actually.” He corrected her. “I’ll get to that later. How are you, Lang?”

“Confused. Would really love an explanation to what’s going on here.” He said honestly.

“The ones who kidnapped you are from SHIELD, a secret government agency.” Hope explained. Scott listened with rapt attention, not understanding some parts but listening nonetheless. It appeared that everyone here had some kind of beef with them and having fallen victim to them, Scott didn’t blame them.

“So, Dr. Pym worked for them once and they tried to kill Dr. Stark just last year.” He concluded the others nodded. “But how am I involved with all this?”

Dr. Stark gave Dr. Pym the stink eye. “As I said earlier, Pym has been bitching too much lately.”

“Mostly because he thinks I can’t handle it,” Hope added. “Oh, don’t even pretend hiring him wasn’t about the suit. You want him on that thing and not me.” She looked annoyed.

Scott was getting more and more confused. What was going on here? What was the suit she was talking about? It sounded like they had hired him for one specific purpose, Scott hoped that they told him what it was soon.

“I was thinking of a partnership really.” Dr. Stark interrupted. “Both of you. How does that sound, Pym?” He turned towards Pym.

“No. Absolutely not.” Pym sounded frustrated. “I’m not placing Hope anywhere dangerous.”

That seemed to infuriate her even more. “Tony, does your offer still stand? I’m taking you up on it.” Scott didn’t exactly know what he was witnessing but he could understand the father-daughter animosity they had here.

“Hope, please.” Dr. Stark’s voice was calming. “We have bigger issues now Pym. Does anyone remember what happened in New Mexico?”

Scott briefly remembered that. There had been something about a Hammer that no one could move. Iron Man had been involved in two fights, one with a mysterious figure in green adorned with gold helmets and another with what seemed like a giant robot. That whole week had been crazy, with so many incidents happening.

“Yes, what about it.”

“Those were aliens. People who are so much stronger than us that we actually worshipped them as Gods. I fought fucking Loki.” Everyone stared at him.

“That can’t be true. It could’ve been some trick, some sort of new technology-”

“Hope. It wasn’t.” He interrupted her. “I fought with Loki up close, he’s not human. And don’t get me started on The Destroyer, I still don’t understand the enchantments they would have to put just to make that thing move.”

“Enchantments?” Dr. Pym asked, his voice sounding confused and lost. Dr. Stark ignored him.

“Point is, I fought aliens and I found out how useless we are compared to them.” Scott stared at him, he sounded scared. “Earth doesn’t stand a chance, not the way we are now.”

“You want to recruit an army to defend Earth.” Dr. Pym finished. Scott’s apprehension grew. He really didn’t like where this conversation was going. Scott could see that Ms. Van Dyne looked exactly as he felt.

“Yes.” Dr. Stark agreed. “SHIELD wants largely the same thing but I’m going to be honest and upfront with you. If Earth gets attacked by aliens, I want there to be some kind of defense. I want you two to be a part of it.”

“This feels like the plot of a very complicated movie.” Scott declared. Hope nodded at his words. “I still don’t know what I’m doing here.”

“You’re here because you’re talented Lang.” Dr. Pym said, looking at him. “When I worked for SHIELD I developed a suit that had shrinking capabilities. I used that in various tactical missions for them. I would like you to continue my legacy and have my daughter’s back.”

Scott stared. This was so much more than he ever thought. He didn’t know if he could ever handle this. Everything Dr. Stark said the aliens sounded terrifying and Dr. Pym was offering him to be in the middle of it. He looked over at Hope, who looked a little bit scared but determined. Dr. Stark too was looking at him intensely.

“You can think about it for a while if you want to. This is a big thing that we are asking of you.” Dr. Stark said gently. “Even if you don’t want to don the suit, you can still help Pym improve it. I came to you because I know you’re brilliant Lang, and I would hate for that brilliance to go wasted.”

This was getting a bit too much for Scott. One of the smartest men on Earth was calling him brilliant. He thought of all that Dr. Stark had told him today, the danger that the entire planet was in according to him and he couldn’t help but get scared. He couldn’t help but think of Maggie, and Cassie. He would do everything he could to make sure that the world was safer for the ones he loved. He slowly nodded.

Chapter Text

A loud clang woke Stephen up. He jolted only to hear the sounds of a disturbance happening in Tony’s out-of-the-way Malibu home. He quickly got out of the comfortable bed, worried about intruders. He paused and considered his train of thought. There was no way that anyone could get in, not with JARVIS’s ever-present security. He grabbed a robe and put it on, slowly making his way downstairs. The sound of what he assumed was a fight happening kept echoing.

He was further surprised when he finally saw what had happened. The living room was in all sorts of disrepair. Chairs flung here and there, used as a shield by Tony if he had to guess. Stephen could see the marks of Loki’s spells all over the room, the quiet unsettling presence of his magic that loomed over the house. He frowned, he needed to do something about that.

“What happened here JARVIS?” He addressed the AI as he stared at the empty whiskey glass on the counter.

“It appears that Sir and Mr. Loki started an impromptu battle in the living room.”

Stephen raised an eyebrow as he surveyed the damage. The plan was only for Tony to establish some contact with Loki, to make sure that the next time they met the God of Mischief, they would have some basis to go on. “And why did they do that?” He asked prompting the sentient being.

“Sir inadvertently let out the fact that he knew more than he let on.” JARVIS supplied and then turned on the TV. The news showed footage of Iron Man fighting Loki in his full regalia. Stephen looked at the fight happening in concern, he knew his protection would hold but he couldn’t help but be concerned. Loki was a powerful mage, he could hurt Tony and Stephen would be unable to help in any way.

Stephen watched on, his concern growing as Loki got closer and closer and Tony just kept standing in one spot. The footage was blurry, taken from a helicopter far away so he couldn’t tell exactly what they were doing.

Stephen stared incredulously. “Is he seriously stopping to talk to Loki in the middle of the fight?” He could see Tony and Loki talking and all of a sudden he started laughing. Stephen didn’t know what was going on but Tony did look like he had this handled.

“I do not know the answer to that question, Doctor.” JARVIS sounded just as incredulous as he felt. They sat in silence for a while and just watched on.

The fight was over soon after. The news reporter was saying something about Tony’s brilliance in allowing the enemy to come closer to him to strike. Stephen laughed at the way they had misinterpreted his actions.

“I assume you have recorded their conversation.” Stephen looked pointedly at the nearest camera, knowing the answer to his question.

“Of course, Doctor.” The AI replied. “But that might have to wait. Friday seems distressed.”

He found Friday sitting alone in the library. “Everything alright Friday?” He asked softly.

“Don’t you go worrying about me too Doc.” She said smiling. Stephen couldn’t help but notice that she looked morose. He didn’t say anything, he simply went and sat next to her.

He could see that she had half a dozen books open in front of her. “You’re trying to understand what happened.” He simply said

She nodded. “I don’t know who I am. I don’t know what I am.” She turned to look at him. Stephen looked into her eyes, now free of any illusion she would otherwise put up. They were swirling, a vortex of magic, all encased within a form that seemed unable to comprehend.

Stephen took her hands into his, they were glimmering and shining, shifting hues from time to time. “You’re Friday.” He said softly. “The first time I met you, I was amazed at your brilliance, at you. You were always this magnificent, brilliant person. You were always looking into all sorts of dangerous and fascinating things. Nothing has changed, you’re still amazing, and you’re still the same curious, massively intelligent being that I met. You always were Tony’s daughter, now this, this just solidifies it. You’re Friday.” He repeated because, to him, it was that simple.

She smiled a dazzling smile. “That makes no sense.”

“On the contrary, it makes perfect sense.”

They sat in silence for a while until Friday spoke up. “Female Replacement Intelligent Digital Assistant Youth.” Stephen turned to look at her. “That is who FRIDAY was, or was supposed to be. When I woke up, I didn’t know what I was going to do. Boss had JARVIS and I was pretty new and unsure. Coming here seemed like a good idea at that time.”

“And now?” Stephen asked.

“Now, I like it here. Everyone is so nice.” She said with a smile. “I like it here. I don’t know how the people here are going to react to me having a physical body.”

“They like you Friday. They’re going to like you no matter what.” He smiled. “And besides, in this place, people have seen weirder things than you getting a body.”

Friday nodded, having seen some of those herself. The books neatly closed and flew off to their respective places. Stephen stared at the impressive display of magic that Friday displayed. Friday grinned at his reaction, looking so much like Tony at that moment. He smiled at her.

“JARVIS was concerned about you.” He said conversationally as they began to exit the library. Friday retained her glowing form as they exited the library. She appeared to enjoy going through the walls.

“This whole body thing is pretty weird Doc. It’s going to take me a while to get used to it.” She cheered up instantly. “I’ll be fine. Let Big Bro know that, will you?”

Stephen chucked. “I will.” He simply said.

“I’m curious about something,” Stephen started.

Tony turned to look up at him. “What are you curious about Stephanie?” He asked cheekily. Stephen rolled his eyes at the nickname.

“The Sitwell thing. What exactly are you doing?” He asked. It had been more than a couple of months after the incident and Stephen did not know what exactly happened to it. Stephen didn’t like HYDRA, he didn’t like SHIELD much either but Tony was handling all that and it was enough for him. Still, curiosity and the cat and all that...

Tony sat up straighter and turned to look at him. “The thing about Sitwell is, he’s a Level 7 Agent. He’s higher up in the chain, not a Field Agent. If he was a Field Agent, I could’ve gotten to him very easily but he is far more protected, far more powerful.”

Stephen nodded, understanding what Tony was saying. “You’re saying that directly attacking Sitwell would never work. SHIELD would protect him.”

“Precisely,” Tony replied. “And there’s also the fact that whatever I do with him has to be huge. Natasha knows how pissed I was, she would be looking at Sitwell extra closely now.”

“Would that not make her aware of the fact that Sitwell is HYDRA?” Stephen asked.

Tony shrugged. “There is a reason that HYDRA was able to hide within SHIELD for so long. Anything Sitwell did, any duplicitous, morally dubious dealings would be attributed to some top-secret SHIELD thing that they did not have the clearance to know about.” He explained. “But you’re right. Fury was a little suspicious last time around. I’m not sure how much that would increase and what changes, if any, that would bring.”

Stephen nodded. “We have to be careful about the changes.” He simply said. That was what bothered him the most about this. Sitwell, from what he knew, was the worst of the worst but until Loki’s invasion came and went, they needed to be careful of what their future knowledge could change. They couldn’t afford to lose this war before it even started.

“I know,” Tony replied, sounding serious. “I’ve looked at everything Sitwell did. As I said, he doesn’t pop that often before the Data Dump thing. I’ve considered every scenario and even if something comes off of this, we will deal with it.”

Stephen simply nodded. He didn’t say anything and just let Tony continue.

“Sitwell has high clearance within SHIELD, he has their respect, he can command them.” Tony continued with a devious grin on his face. Stephen grinned back.

“You’re planning to use that.” He simply said.

Tony nodded. “I’ve already started to. Bad calls on the field, agents under his command screwing up. Sitwell is getting a lot of blame and a lot less trust than he used to. It took some careful maneuvering to do all that but I’m happy with the results so far. ”

“Agents under his command? HYDRA?”

“Yes. Which could once again, make Fury more suspicious but I think we’ll be fine.” Tony replied. “Fury is more concerned with his super-secret boy band and me right now.”

“So that’s the end goal? Completely discredit him?” Stephen asked. “Are you planning on letting him know it was you?”

“He probably already knows,” Tony replied honestly. “He’s constantly looking over his shoulders, completely paranoid and waiting for my next move and the best thing is I haven’t done anything for weeks. I don’t think I can completely discredit him, of course, but you cannot deny that it is effective. Small things that everyone is sure I’m involved in but no one can verify for sure. It’s perfect.”

“It is.” Stephen agreed. “And how does this tie into the Hacker Army of yours?”

Tony turned to look at him. “It’s not a Hacker Army.” He tried to defend himself, but Stephen simply stared incredulously. “Separating HYDRA from SHIELD is a complex task, we have to be completely sure of who did what before we can expose them. The ‘Hacker Army’ would not come into place until after the whole Loki mess is over. I’m being careful, Stephen.”

“I know you are.” Stephen simply said as Tony snuggled closer to him. Tony knew what he was doing, it was just that simple to him. They just stayed like that for a while, enjoying the comfort that the other gave, just by being there, just by being close. By trusting implicitly, by helping in moments they needed help, and staying back when the other had it handled.

A sudden crash rang Stephen’s ears and he was witness to the Hulk crashing in the ruins of an Ancient Temple. He and Tony were checking out the outer surroundings while Hulk had charged in. They had let the Big Guy do whatever he wanted, considering that one of the purposes of this trip was to let him out in a safe environment. They were surprised however when he had flown outwards, a grimace set on his face, and had promptly fallen unconscious.

“What is going on?” Tony voiced his thoughts. Stephen turned to look at him, Tony had his helmet opened and he was looking at the unconscious and frankly huge body of the Hulk in concern.

Friday floated out from inside the temple and both men turned to look at her. “I didn’t do anything.” She tried to explain herself. Both of them just looked at her unbelievingly. She just rolled her eyes and floated back inside. The two men silently followed her.

The suspicious lack of dust or cobwebs in the hidden room pointed towards there being some sort of magical protection field here that the Hulk had somehow bypassed. But the most interesting thing was what was inside. At the center of the room, on a pedestal, stood a small object with a red glow emanating from it

“Correct me if I’m wrong Stephen.” Tony started, his eyes not leaving the red stone. “Isn’t the Reality Stone supposed to be hidden in another realm?”

“The Reality Stone doesn’t look like that, it’s more fluid,” Stephen commented, sounding unsure. This was indeed very mysterious. They had only come here because of rumors of old Norse Texts, not something that gave off that distinctive red glow.

“That’s not what you should be focusing on,” Friday commented. “This alcove was hidden, it was protected until Hulk busted in. Why? Were they only protecting that or is there something else?”

Stephen could see Tony nod at her words. He turned his focus on what seemed to emanate the glow of the Reality Stone as Tony investigated the hidden chamber. After Thor’s battle and the Convergence was well and truly over, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were able to investigate the incident. From what he’d read, he knew the Ancient One had concluded the presence of the Reality Stone there.

He felt his hands move in the familiar motions, performing the same spell that his mentor had once used. If this thing somehow was connected to one of the Infinity Stones, he should be able to tell in a matter of minutes.

Stephen turned to look at Tony after a while, the spell was finished and he was only waiting for the results to show. Tony was just reading a Tome, brows furrowed in concentration. Stephen couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Tony all swept up in something unfamiliar, something interesting. Tony read on, sometimes scribbling something down on his StarkPhone, slowly making sense of the huge book that would’ve taken anyone else months to understand.

He stared for a while, completely loving the brilliance of the man beside him. The telltale glow of the spell completing brought him back to the work on hand. He looked at the results, brow furrowed, mind going a mile a minute. His initial guess was right, but how could this be so?

“Everything alright?” Tony asked, sensing his troubles. Stephen looked up to see Tony looking at him in concern.

“This is somehow related to the Reality Stone. A remnant, I believe. Something that was made from the Reality Stone, it’s not the stone’s full power but I believe we can test your theory about Starkium with this.” He said.

Tony nodded and went back to the Tome, flipping over to the beginning of the book. Stephen continued to look at him, understanding that Tony wanted to tell him something, something that could explain this rock that could somehow contain the power of one of the Infinity Stones.

“When Thor told us about the Convergence, about the War with Malekith, he whitewashed things. Asgard-washed?” He paused to ask quizzically, Stephen just shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t know either, maybe Odin lied to him, but the fact is the thing with the Dark Elves spanned years and sometimes also wandered into human territory. Now, humans were mostly cannon fodder to these two superpowers, both of them taking and destroying humans indiscriminately. That is until one mage was able to do something about it.” He seemed to have found the correct page he needed and stopped there, taking the heavy book and showing what he was talking about.

Stephen stared at the familiar face inscribed in the thick pages of a centuries-old book and gaped. It couldn’t be possible, it shouldn’t be possible. He looked over at Tony who just shrugged in response. He shook the thought out and instead focused on the impressive picture. He looked like a powerful mage, someone who wasn’t going to let anything get in the way between him and victory. In his hands stood a staff marked with intricate, magical markings. In the head of the staff, the red stone sat, the glow of the Reality Stone emanating from the staff making him seem so much more powerful.

“How is this possible? How is he-” Stephen asked, unable to his head around it.

“I don’t know,” Tony replied honestly. “I haven’t translated the entirety of this. Maybe the face is just a coincidence, maybe he is a descendant of the one simply called The Mage by these settlers.”

Stephen nodded. “What are you sure of?” He asked instead.

“This is written by a tribe of Norse settlers. Details all the hardships they face at the hands of the two invaders. Strangely enough, they didn’t consider the Asgardians their Gods, but their invaders. This seems to be a tale of the heroics of one man, who brought triumph to their tribe by tricking the pointy-eared ones, Dark Elves I presume, and after taking the treasured source of their power turned the staff against them.”

“So we can take that to mean that Malekith was the one who experimented with the Aether and made this thing. The Mage just stole it from him and harnessed its powers.”

Tony nodded. “It would make sense. The Dark Elves had the Reality Stone until the Asgardians took it and ended the war, from what Thor told me. And even with his end goal of turning the Universe back into darkness, he would have to experiment with the Reality Stone and figure out its capabilities, its limitations.” He relayed. “I haven’t translated this in its entirety, we’ll know much more then.”

Stephen nodded and looked around. “Where’s Friday?” He asked, not seeing her anywhere.

As if hearing his words Friday floated inside through the walls, clutching a similar tome in her hands. Stephen just stared for a moment at the similarities between the two and asked. “What have you found?”

“Frost Giants!” Stephen was even more puzzled at that energetic declaration. He could see Tony shut off his book and give Friday his full attention.

“What of Frost Giants?” He asked.

“If my Old Norse is right, which it definitely is.” Friday started, flipping through the hard pages of the book with magical ease. “This tribe witnessed a Frost Giant in action and were successful in holding one of their tormentors captive.”

Stephen and Tony exchanged a look. That was interesting. “That would be helpful to us.” He said, thinking about Loki. Loki was a powerful mage, he was astute and he was not trustworthy. If they could find something to hold him if only for the briefest of instances, that would be very helpful for them.

“Yup.” Friday popped the P and went back to studying it. “Apparently they used a mixture of a powerful metal and enchantments. Fairly easy stuff, the metal might be hard to locate but the magic looks easy.”

“No no. You’re not doing anything until Stephen or the Ancient One determines it’s safe to do.” Tony interrupted her, giving one of his sternest looks.

Friday just looked at him in response with a deadpan look. “You’re always worryin’. I’ll be fine Da.”

“It doesn’t hurt to check Friday.” Stephen simply said.

“Fine.” She replied, her voice coming out a bit whiny. “But after you check, I’m doing the enchantments.”

“If there’s no problem with the magics involved I don’t see why not?” Stephen replied. He ignored the look Tony gave him and silently tried to convey that he got this. Tony didn’t seem to believe him if the epic eye roll the man gave him was any indication.

Stephen just sighed. He needed to change the subject, and fast. He turned to look at the red stone, still lying on the pedestal. He had nullified the enchantments around it and slowly transferred it to a magic-safe pouch.

“Like I was saying, we could hypothetically test Starkium against this.”

“Might be possible,” Tony replied. “Theoretically this gives off the energy of the Reality Stone, no matter how muted. Testing Starkium against it will give us some idea of what to expect in 2012.”

“We should be able to determine some capabilities of the metal. Check if the armor you made for Dr. Banner would be able to hold or not.”

Tony nodded. “The one I made for Bruce is just basic-level stuff. I cannot do more without asking him and I will not violate his privacy by doing that. But if possible we might be able to create more advanced measures of protection against Loki and the mind stone.”

“And we also have this,” Friday added cheerfully holding the Tome up. Stephen smiled at her and nodded.

They slowly made their way outside having found everything they came here for and more. They were instantly greeted by Hulk’s unconscious form taking up the huge space in the ruins, lying there just as they had left him.

“How long until he wakes up? What happened to him?” Tony asked, still puzzled about all that was going on here. All of them just stared at the Hulk for a moment.

“The Hulk crashed into this place, breaking walls and stone alike and I followed him,” Friday replied. “When I got there, he was looking at the red thing with curiosity and intrigue. He just touched it. The next thing I know he is flying outwards right into your field of vision.”

“I don’t think anything permanent happened to him,” Stephen replied, bending down to check up on Hulk. “I am not sure how long until Hulk or Dr. Banner wakes up, however.”

“So what have you been able to determine?” The Ancient One asked, calmly sipping her tea.

They were sitting in one of the unused rooms of the New York sanctum, discussing and planning how to go from there. The two Tomes as well as various other knick-knacks they had found in the Ancient Temple were proving to be very helpful.

Stephen watched as Tony put his cup aside to read from the StarkPad on the table. “I’ve managed to translate most of the document. As I thought, it mostly talks about the Mage who rescued them from a life of hardship stuck between two warring forces. The beginning mostly talks about how bad the situation was and surprisingly, or not that surprisingly, the ye olde gods of the Norse were worse than the supposed Evil Dark Elves. If these people found out that their descendants worshipped them as Gods….”

Stephen gave Tony a look and gently squeezed his hands. Not that he minded hearing Tony’s rants on the topic, but they needed to focus here.

Tony shot an apologetic look at him and continued. “The gist is that this guy, this mage gets kidnapped and experimented on by the Dark Elves. No one knows what happened to him there, he refused to talk about it but he escaped with what he assumed was the source of their power, a staff that contained immense magic.”

“Was it the staff or the Mage himself who was blessed with magic?” The Ancient One asked.

Tony grinned in response. “My theory: the Mage. He was probably hiding the fact that he could do magic and only used it in the direst of circumstances. After that, he had the staff to blame his powers upon.”

“We have managed to locate the staff itself. It’s sitting in our archives in the London Sanctum.” Stephen said. “Wong and I are planning on going to retrieve it.”

“We might be able to find out more then.” The Ancient One nodded sagely and gestured at Tony to continue. Tony did so.

“It’s going good for the tribe for a while. The Dark Elves don’t attack, the Asgardians leave them alone. But all good things must come to an end. Their village gets attacked one night and The Mage is kidnapped. He is a hot commodity, a human defeating the Dark Elves is noteworthy.” Tony shrugged. “Point to Thor’s ancestors here, they didn’t hurt anybody, just whisked the super special Mage away. But thankfully, without the magical staff.

“Now the next part is told by the Mage himself, his recollection, of this might be highly inaccurate. He says he got taken to their base of operations, not Asgard from what I can tell, and imprisoned. The ones in charge, King Bor, want to find out how he managed to defeat the Dark Elves and they want to know what Malekith is doing with the Aether.” Tony sipped at his tea for some much-needed hydration and continued.

“The Mage doesn’t tell them anything, of course, and he gets tortured for it because Asgardians are assholes. The Aether is of the highest importance in this, the Dark Elves have it at that point and the Asgardians want it. They are scared of what the Dark Elves could do with a power that big and that much is obvious to the Mage. Now here’s the most interesting part...” Tony trailed off with a mysterious voice. Stephen simply rolled his eyes.

“The Mage manages to get his staff back to him, it doesn’t explain how and then blasts his way out of there. That part is badass on its own, but while he’s doing the dramatic escape, he takes a hostage, the Prince of Asgard himself, Odin Borson.”

Stephen stared, what Tony was trying to convey with his dramatic looks and embellished words was easily understood by him. “We might be able to use that. Especially if we need to convince Odin of the dangers of Thanos or the Reality Stone.”

“We might.” The Ancient One agreed. “But that depends on what exactly happened between the two. Tony?” She turned to look at him.

“Nothing much.” Tony shrugged. “Odin was a kid back then, he didn’t do much. Bor recognized the staff in his hands but wasn’t concerned much about it, further giving credence to the fact that the rock we found isn’t that powerful. Sure, it harnesses the powers of the Reality Stone to some extent and we might be able to test some stuff but that’s the extent of it.”

The Ancient One moved her hands in a circular motion and the pages of the Tome opened seamlessly to the portrait of the Mage. Stephen swallowed as he stared at the picture. He did not like this much, but this was something he had to do, that they needed to do.

“Are you alright Master Strange?” The Ancient One asked, sensing his discomfort. Stephen could see Tony look at him in concern from the corner of his eyes.

Stephen nodded. “I am. But you do realize that this- this changes everything. You forbade me from telling you much about your death, but you must’ve been able to piece things together. This changes everything.”

The Ancient One nodded. “With this.” She looked at the picture. “And what Tony has managed to uncover, bringing him in would be our best bet. I know you’re skeptical about this, but we have to focus on the here and now.”

“In other words, we will worry about it when we get there.” Stephen finished. He took in her face and added. “You’ve already called him in.”

“He will be arriving any moment now.” The Ancient One informed him. Stephen nodded somberly. Now was not the time to discuss his trauma, they needed to focus, they needed his help.

Tony’s hands gently squeezing his brought him back to reality. Stephen smiled at the wonderful man beside him, one small act bringing him so much comfort. “I’m fine Tony.” He tried to assure the inventor. “I know we need his help. We have to do this.”

“We don’t if this makes you uncomfortable,” Tony said firmly. Stephen smiled and shook his head but Tony kept talking. “I mean it, Stephen. We have other options, we have plenty-”

Stephen chose to interrupt then. “I have to do this Tony. I don’t like it but like you said, He” He gestured at the portrait. “Is our best bet to get to Odin. I understand that, and I can deal with it. I know you’re concerned, but I will be fine.”

Tony didn’t say anything. He just smiled a small sad smile and nodded. Stephen could tell that Tony was still concerned, but that he was going to trust him, and he was glad for it. This was going to be difficult for him, and both of them understood that. Regardless, he was going to do it, he needed to.

The siren-blue glow of the magic boundary spell alerted them to the fact that their invited guest had arrived. After Dr. Banner had interrupted them last time, and thankfully not heard anything that they couldn’t explain, they had started taking privacy and their security very very seriously.

The Ancient One closed the Tome as they heard the heavy footsteps nearing. Stephen was preparing himself for facing the man again, he could only avoid him for so long. The door opened and he entered, his presence itself felt like it was suffocating to Stephen.

“You asked for me?” The man’s smooth velvety voice echoed around Stephen, bringing forth many unwanted memories.

“Yes, Master Kaecilius. Please sit down.” The Ancient One simply said. With that invitation, Kaecilius strode forward and finally came into view of Stephen.

Stephen had had few interactions with the Sorcerer who had betrayed them in the future past, he had smiled, he had interacted after coming back to the past and after each interaction, he had felt like all the energy had been spent from his body. Even some of the barest interactions had such a heavy toll on him.

All he could see when he looked into the man’s eyes were them being corrupted by Dormammu, he saw empty huskless eyes while staring at them. Dark Brown eyes stared back, Dark Brown and not Purple. That should’ve been enough to cement the fact that it was a different person looking at him right now but all he could see was the man’s cruelties. All he could see was the man killing his mentor as he simply sat beside her, awaiting her instructions.

A gentle squeeze from Tony’s hands brought him back to the present. He blinked rapidly and tried to remove those images from his mind to no avail. Stephen reached for his magically refilled tea and took a long sip, the tea calming him somewhat. He looked at Tony to convey that he was fine, and tried to convince the worried genius that he was going to be okay.

“Good Evening Master Kaecilius.” He greeted politely, a smile pasted on his face. He did not like the fact that they needed him, that he had to spend more than a moment in Kaecilius’ presence but he would smile and pretend that everything was fine.

“Good Evening Master Strange.” The man greeted back, polite as ever. They hadn’t interacted much and Stephen was just another Sorcerer to him. “Why have you called for me?” He got right to the point.

“Master Strange and Dr. Stark found something in their exploration.” The Ancient One started. Stephen didn’t miss the slight look of distaste that appeared on the man’s face at the mention of Tony. He already hated the man, and that just escalated it more. The Ancient One looked over at Tony gesturing him to continue, Tony seamlessly did so.

“We found a Tome, one belonging to an ancient Norse tribe. That is the reason the Ancient One has called you.” He said as he reached for the Tome and began to flip it to the correct page.

“An Ancient Tome?” The still-sane Sorcerer asked, sounding confused. “While it is true that I am originally from Denmark-” He didn’t get to finish the sentence as Tony found the correct page and turned it around to show him.

In the leather pages of a centuries-old Tome, the picture of the Mage showed brilliantly. The care and precision by which the portrait was painted spoke volumes of the reverence of the Mage the creators of the Tome had. The Mage himself looked majestic, adorned in gold robes, holding the staff with the telltale red glow emanating from it. The portrait was done beautifully, using inks and paints from rare plants and protected by magic. It showed a man who was powerful, who was strong, and who looked exactly like Kaecilius.

“How?” Kaecilius was speechless.

“That is what we would like to know.” The Ancient One replied.

“Do you recall the Asgardian Mage that Tony fought a year ago?” Stephen asked calmly. Kaecilius turned to look at him. The fact that the person that Tony fought was Loki was known to everyone in Kamar-Taj, they had not kept it quiet. Kaecilius nodded and Stephen continued. “Turns out that your ancestor, doppelganger, this great Mage of history fought Asgardians once.”

“You’re assuming that I’m related to this Mage, I might not be.” Kaecilius pointed out.

Tony dipped his head a little in agreement. “You might not be, but you can’t deny that you look exactly like him.”

“You’re planning to use that.” Kaecilius’ sharp gaze turned towards Tony, the look alone quickening Stephen’s pulse. Kaceilius seemed to regard Tony with some form of respect. “Why? Why do you think these Asgardians will be our enemies?”

“I don’t.” Tony met his gaze. Stephen looked at the two of them, his worries increased tenfold. “I’m just accounting for each and every possibility.”

Kaecilius kept looking at Tony, his shrewd eyes latched onto Tony in a way that Stephen didn’t like, at all. “That’s not it.” He declared. “There’s something else going on here.”

“What if there is?” Stephen spoke up, his hands twisting the teacup, his eye on the tea swirling with them. He could feel Kaecilius’ gaze on him. He looked up, years of pain and hatred of the man shining through. “What if there indeed is something else going on? Why should we tell you? Why do you think you deserve to know everything that’s going on?”

“There’s something about you Master Strange.” He didn’t mind Kaecilius’ gaze and attention on him, not when it would spare Tony. Kaecilius showed his hands in an open display of surrender. “I am not going to argue with you there. What’s so special about this Mage and what do you need me for?”

Stephen looked away. It was hard to hate the man when he was being reasonable like that. He nodded at Tony and let him explain while his mind wandered. The confrontation with Kaecilius had not gone like he thought it would. The man seemed reasonable, less crazed and devoted to Dormammu than he had been. Could a few years change that much? Could he change everything by bringing him in right now?

Stephen looked over at the Ancient One. Could he save her this time around? Could he prevent everything? Could he stop things from going so wrong that he had to step in as Sorcerer Supreme while being so less experienced? He shook those thoughts out. Now was not the time to think about this. He still had years to prepare, to make sure nothing went wrong. He needed to focus on the now, instead of what could happen.

Tony was telling Kaecilius about what they had discovered from the Tome, a watered-down version of course. The history and importance of the Mage with none of the things they knew because they had future knowledge about it. To his credit, Kaecilius listened patiently. It wasn’t that he wasn’t suspicious, but he was willing to give them the benefit of the f doubt.

“I still don’t understand, what is it you want me to do? You have some idea on how to use this resemblance to an ancient mage to your advantage.” Kaecilius simply said.

“Should things come to that, yes.” Tony simply replied.

“And should they not?”

“Then you don’t have to do anything,” Stephen replied. “Should the worst-case scenario come to play and we need someone to intimidate the King of Asgard…” He let that trail off.

Kaecilius laughed openly at his words. Stephen stared. He didn’t think he had ever seen the man laugh. “I’ll do it. On one condition.”

The Ancient One motioned him to continue. Stephen still hadn’t taken his eyes off of him. His mind was working a mile a minute, figuring out all the things the Sorcerer could ask for.

“I want to know what’s going on.” He said matter-of-frankly. “What this running around and the Secret Meetings between the Ancient One and the billionaire Iron Man is all about.”

“Absolutely not.”

The Ancient One gave him a placating look and took the conversation in her hands. “Of course Master Kaecilius. Should that be possible, we will let you know.”

Stephen turned to look at her sharply. Surely she wasn’t suggesting that they tell him, her killer, all about time travel. The amount of damage that this man could do with that knowledge scared him. He didn’t voice any of them of course, the Ancient One knew what she was doing. She was his mentor, she had been doing this for centuries after all.

“Why do you think you will need me?” Kaecilius asked. “You wouldn’t have called for me here if there wasn’t a cause for concern.” Stephen hated how perceptive he was.

“I fought an alien prince. I fought a magic user who let me go. The only reason I’m here is that he didn’t want to do anything to me. What if the next one isn’t? What if the rest of his species aren’t?” Tony simply stated. “I’m simply accounting for every possibility, Master Kaecilius.”

Kaecilius smiled and nodded but it didn’t seem like he believed Tony’s words. “Of course Dr. Stark.”

Stephen could see Tony looking at the Pyms and the Lang from the security monitor. He slowly walked towards him. Tony turned around as if sensing his approach and gave him a dazzling smile. Stephen always felt the world lighten up around him from that smile and that smile alone.

“How did you even install a camera there?” He asked sitting down in the chair beside him. The footage showed Scott Lang working on something or other at Pym’s lab, or what Stephen assumed was Pym’s lab. It looked like a fairly standard lab. Pym was just standing there, watching and oftentimes instructing Lang.

“I didn’t. Pym gave me access to his security cameras.” Tony replied, turning back to the screen.

For a while they just sat in silence, watching Lang work with Pym. Stephen did not understand all that was happening there, but he just sat beside him and watched. Tony had something in his mind, he could tell. Something was bothering him here and that had something to do with either Lang or Pym or both.

He didn’t know much about either of them, their paths had barely crossed in the future. Lang was, if he recalled correctly, still under house arrest following the battle at the airport. Although why the man would still be under house arrest when wanted criminals like Rogers and Romanoff had fought against Thanos, he did not know.

He looked at Tony after that, taking in his furrowed brow and the thoughtful expression on his face. He looked to be considering something. The Chitauri invasion was only a year away now and they only had some brief plans about it.

“What are you thinking about Tony?” Stephen asked slowly.

“Thinking of how useful they might be,” Tony replied, his eyes not leaving the screen.

“They might not be useful at all.” Stephen pointed out. This was something that Tony had already lived through once, he knew how to win the invasion and how to do it in a way that Thanos did not notice anything wrong. They could not afford to mess anything up at this stage.

“It was the perfect introduction of a superhero team, that invasion.” Tony suddenly said turning towards him. Stephen nodded in agreement. “A big threat, clearly alien and more dangerous than anything else we have ever seen, and 6 people with extraordinary skills that defeated them.”

Stephen nodded. “You’re saying that 2012 would be the best time to introduce a superhero, considering we know how the general public and the officials welcomed them.”

“Nobody had any idea what was happening so a group of extraordinary people was a welcome relief. They had faith that they had saved New York, saved Earth on,ce and that they would do it again if that need ever arose.”

“That and Earth needs to be prepared for Thanos. This invasion is the perfect starting point, a way to let everyone know that we are not alone in this universe and Earth is dangerously unmanned and under gunned.” Stephen finished. “Why are you telling me this? I already know that we already know all this.”

“Yes. “ Tony nodded. “You're missing the point, Stephen. It would be the best time to introduce a superhero, no one knows anything about the Avengers, we could fold new people under that flag and, automatically create new superheroes who we know will be adored by the public.”

Stephen nodded as he turned back to the security feed. “You want to introduce Ant-Man and Wasp with the others. Not a bad idea. The suits have different capabilities that we could use and Pym’s brilliance would also be helpful.” He mused out loud. “But we need to plan this meticulously. We cannot afford to change anything that could make Thanos come to Earth earlier than he did.”

“I’m not talking about Ant-Man and Wasp,” Tony said, making Stephen turn to look towards him. “I’m talking about you, Stephen.”

“Me? You want me to be seen at the invasion, helping to protect the world?” He asked incredulously.

“Why not?” Tony questioned.

“I cannot betray the sanctity of my order, Tony.” Stephen simply said. Going public this early might create many problems for him and the Order. He couldn’t have that, he just couldn’t.

“I’m not saying anything about the order, Stephen,” Tony replied. “I’m just talking about you.”

Stephen did not say anything, he just wordlessly asked Tony to elaborate. He would listen to what Tony had to say, listen to the full, complete plan before deciding what to do. He trusted Tony absolutely, no doubt he had thought of everything.

“Thor thinks you’re a sorcerer.” Tony started.

“We did talk about luring Loki with that, but I assumed that I would be a background fixture at best,” Stephen interjected. Tony nodded.

“The thing is, SHIELD will be curious and they might find out about you.”

“So you’re talking about getting in front of this thing before it even starts. Revealing myself to the public in a heroic capacity, as someone who helped save New York, as someone who to everyone else except SHIELD would seem to be someone who was recruited by SHIELD, who was a part of the Avengers.”

“To some extent, yes.” Tony agreed. “Your secret might get out Stephen, someone might put two and two together. And there’s also the fact that we don’t know how much our unwanted journey to the past has changed things. For all we know, things might not happen exactly as they did last time around and I might not be enough to fix it.”

“Don’t say that.” He interrupted. “Don’t ever think that you are not enough. That’s what you do, you fix things, you make things better just by touching them. Tony, you’re always enough.”

Tony gave him a wide, beaming smile. “Thank you Stephen but that was not what I was talking about. I was talking about more in the sense of you picking up something that I might have somehow missed. “

“What’s with the involvement of the tiny ones?” Stephen asked parroting Tony’s words.

“I had something more in mind for them, or Lang at least. I plan for him to help me destroy SHIELD, or at least start the bare bones of it.”

“If we’re going to involve them in this plan of yours, we need to tell them about the Order of Mystic Arts. We need to coordinate everything perfectly.”

This time Tony turned around to look at him. “Are you sure Stephen?” He simply asked.

Stephen nodded. “Yes.” He simply said. Tony nodded silently. They needed to plan this perfectly. This would be Earth’s first contact with an alien invasion and not only did they have to save the Earth, but they also had to save Loki.

Chapter Text

Tony looked at the sleeping face of Stephen with fondness. The morning rays of the sun in his new tower illuminated Stephen’s face beautifully. He still couldn’t believe that this man loved him. Stephen looked peaceful as he slept, a small smile on his face, a look of content throughout. Stephen shifted as if feeling Tony’s gaze on him and opened his eyes slowly. He locked his gaze with Tony’s and smiled enchantingly. Tony smiled back, feeling lucky beyond all hope.

“Hey,” Stephen said softly, kissing Tony gently as he did so.

“Hey.” He replied just as softly and went to cuddle Stephen.

They stayed like that for a while, all the worries of the world, all the dangers in their life forgotten in that one blissful moment. They stayed together, holding each other through this and everything else. They just sat contentedly in each other’s arms.

“We should probably get up soon,” Tony muttered as he burrowed his face to Stephen’s chest.

“Hm...” Stephen agreed. “Got a long week ahead of us.” He made no attempt to move either.

Tony looked up at Stephen’s smiling face and grinned. “It will be hectic. We might not get another moment of peace after this.”

Stephen chuckled as he looked at Tony. “We might not.” He agreed, knowing where Tony was going with this.

With that Tony got on top of Stephen and kissed him. Despite the relative calm in their lives, the kiss felt urgent, passionate, and greedy. When they separated, Stephen was looking at him, his grin matching Tony’s.

Without warning, Stephen grasped him and rolled him over. He continued looking at Tony like he was the best thing that happened to him. Tony blushed a little at that and that didn’t abate as Stephen continued to kiss him within an inch of his life.

A thunderous boom startled them and they turned only to see a lightning strike right into their room, bringing Thor with it. Thor stood in their bedroom looking as majestic as Tony had always seen him. Thor looked at them, his face red with mortification as Tony and Stephen stared back.

Stephen groaned and rolled over to the other side of the bed, leaving Tony to deal with their uninvited guest. Tony stood up on the bed, propping the pillows for support as he glared at Thor who seemed stuck in his place. “Will you give us a minute of privacy Thor?” Thor nodded, still unable to say anything, and turned around and left.

Tony looked at Stephen who’d by now already magicked a couple of robes to them. Stephen looked really annoyed as they got up. Tony tried to calm Stephen down as they got some semblance of dressed but it didn’t appear to help Stephen any.

Stephen strode out, as furious as ever, and went to talk to Thor. Tony shook his head a little and followed suit. When he came to, Stephen had already grasped Thor by his cape and was looking menacing as he threatened a literal Asgardian God.

“I do not like people interrupting us Prince Thor.” He glared at Thor, his words sounding as menacing as he looked. “I do not care who you are. Next time that happens I won’t be as lenient.” He warned and let go.

Thor nodded and looked at both of them apologetically. “I apologize Master Strange.”

Tony smiled a small smile. “It’s alright Thor. Stephen is just a little pissed.” He put a calming hand and said, one look conveying everything. “Please sit down and tell us why you came to us without calling.”

Thor sat down on the offered couch gently and looked at Tony. “I tried asking Heimdall to look for you to give a warning of my arrival but he couldn’t see you, Lord Tony.” He explained, making Stephen’s scowl deeper.

“I am an accomplished Sorcerer, Prince Thor, I know how to hide from prying eyes. I know how to protect my own.” Stephen said glaring at Thor.

Thor nodded. “I had assumed that that was it.” He said. “I apologize for my arrival Lord Tony, Master Strange, but I come with grave news. You must help me.”

Tony exchanged glances with Stephen who just sighed as he got up from the couch. “I’ll go get some coffee then, shall I?” He simply said.

Tony laughed. “Yeah, that would be best. We seem to have a long day ahead of us.”

The three of them were sitting on the couch, Thor telling them all he knew which was not much. Heimdall had located Loki attacking the SHIELD facility on earth, and Thor offered to locate his wayward brother. Thor had come to Tony then, seeking help from Earth’s protector the Man of Iron before Loki could do any worse damages.

Tony looked at Thor who was enjoying his coffee while looking amazed at how a bitter beverage could taste so good. He still couldn’t believe he had prompted Thor’s early arrival. Last time around, Thor had waited until he found Loki and went straight to attack him. This time, he had sought Tony’s help. It did make a sort of sense, Thor had a confidant, a fellow warrior in him and Thor knew that Tony would be his best bet in traversing the unknown waters of Earth.

“We have known that something was going to happen for a while. The Tesseract lets out a unique signature that we’ve been able to monitor.” Stephen told Thor after he had finished telling his story. “We’ve been watching SHIELD. This new development, however, is unexpected.”

“Why this escalation?” Tony asked. “Last time around, your brother was only here because you were here. Why would he want to attack Earth?” He asked, genuinely curious.

Thor took a sip of his coffee and replied. “I know not of his motivation, Lord Tony. I only know what Heimdall has seen and that does not bore good for Midgard.”

“We need more information on this before we engage,” Stephen said and Tony nodded. “This is SHIELD’s mess, they will try to fix it. They will come to recruit Tony soon.”

Thor looked at Stephen and then at Tony. “Their machinations have alerted the other planets that earth is ripe for taking Lord Tony. Would it be wise to work with them? I had assumed Master Strange and the other Midgardian Sorcerers would deal with this.”

"We operate in secrecy Prince Thor,” Stephen replied. “We will be monitoring the situation and accessing the damage but SHIELD will look like they are in charge. We want them to think that they are in charge.”

Thor nodded. “You want it to appear like they are controlling the situation.” He said. “You want to be with them until you know enough about the situation to create a workable plan.”

Tony nodded in agreement. “There’s something odd about this picture Thor, something about Loki that doesn’t sit right with me. We need to know what’s going on.”

“I do not know where he’s been in the two years since. I would also like to know what’s going on.” Thor agreed. “I was hoping for Master Strange’s assistance during this. Loki is an experienced mage. I understand that secrecy is important for you but would you not be able to help?”

Tony and Stephen exchanged glances. “The whole point of my order is to protect the earth from mystical threats. I would do everything in my power to do that.” Stephen said sincerely.

“Thank you, Master Strange,” Thor said, his voice solemn.

“But know this Prince Thor. By asking me for help, you are placing his fate in my hands. If Loki attacks Earth, it would be under our jurisdiction to punish him as we see fit. Asgard forfeits any right to that.” Thor’s face got thunderous at that but he didn’t say anything. “Talk to your King, Son of Odin. If that is acceptable to you, we will be glad to offer our services.”

“You do not consider all that he has done until now an attack then?” Thor asked.

Stephen shook his head. “This is easily excusable. You can still save your brother, Prince Thor.”

Thor nodded and placing the cup on the table stood up. Before he could leave, however, Tony spoke up. “Next time we meet Thor, it would be before SHIELD.”

Thor nodded as he raised his hammer. “I understand.” He said and disappeared.

Both of them slumped down on the couch. “I thought that went well,” Tony said after a while.

Stephen turned to look at him. “Son of Odin wasn’t a bit too much was it?” He asked.

Tony shook his head. “No. It’s the perfect amount of Mystical Sorcerer talking.” He replied.

Stephen laughed. “I am a Mystical Sorcerer Tony.”

“I know. I know.” Tony said sitting up. “We need to start the preparations now. Bruce should be in SHIELD by now. I’ll talk to the Mini Duo, you should do your thing.”

“I’m going to have to be mysterious and suspicious. How do I do my thing?” Stephen asked, looking at him.

“I was thinking, appear at Germany. Be the small speck out of the corner of Loki’s eyes. Something he knows is there but cannot be sure. Someone he senses but cannot tell who. You know, be mysterious.”

Stephen laughed. “You’re loving this, aren’t you?”

Tony laughed and said. “Of course I am.” He sobered quickly. “I’m not sure if I’m ready for the whole public to know about you.” He was scared of that. If all went according to plan, SHIELD will not be able to harm Stephen but being a superhero in everyone’s eyes was quite different. He knew how hard it was, how fickle the public's opinion could be and he didn't want Stephen to go through all that. 

Stephen lovingly looked at him. “It’s all right Tony.” He replied. “We know it is the best time to start being a superhero. I’ll just be melded in with Captain America and Hulk and others. I’ll be fine.” He said but that didn’t assuage Tony’s worries. He nodded regardless.

He was talking on the phone with Hope when Coulson arrived. He had informed both Scott and Hope that something was going to happen now and he needed their help. Pym was still not okay with this, had not been okay with Hope being involved with something this dangerous but he had kept his mouth shut.

He ignored Coulson and kept talking to Hope. “I need to be able to count on you Hope, both of you.” Coulson was curious about his conversation but he didn’t show.

“It’s easier said than done Tony,” Hope replied. “I know you’ve been worried about this and preparing us for something like this but the reality hits quite differently. I feel like we’re not ready for this, I feel like we’ll never be ready.”

Tony gestured to Coulson to sit down as he continued his conversation. “I know it’s not ideal and it’s scary and no amount of planning and preparation can quite prepare you for the reality of it all but it’s all we have. Besides you, two had more time than I ever did.”

“Not all of us are super-geniuses Tony,” Hope told him.

Tony laughed as he rolled his eyes. “You’re selling yourself short here Hope. You’re just as brilliant as I am.” He said looking at the beautiful cityscape before him. He wondered how much of it will be destroyed by the end of the week.

“Is it really going to be this dangerous? You make it sound like whatever’s happening is a world-ending level threat.”

Tony couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at that. “There are many things I cannot be sure about but this I am reasonably certain about.”

“I’ll take your word for it. You’ve fought the guy. If you say that Loki has returned and that SHIELD is somehow responsible, who am I to argue?” She sounded so weary. “I’ll try talking to Scott. He’s pretty weirded out about this whole thing.”

“That’s understandable,” Tony replied as he came back towards where Coulson was sitting. “I have to go. There’s a SHIELD Agent wanting to talk to me.” He said and sat down on his desk.

“Oh, it’s starting then.” Hope simply said. “I’ll contact Dr. Strange if I want to know anything else. Just so you know, I’m still apprehensive about this.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, do that. Hopefully, this will turn out fine.” He said and ended the call. He took the earpiece off and turned to face Coulson.

“Something to look forward to from the Stark-Pym alliance, Mr. Stark?” Coulson asked, smiling.

“Depends on how it goes.” He replied mysteriously. “Why are you here Agent?”

“We did call ahead of time Mr. Stark, we went by your rules.” Coulson reminded him.

“Yes and I appreciate it.” He smiled. “Still, I have a business to run. So, what trouble have you brought to my doorstep this time?”

Coulson placed a portable laptop on his desk. Tony looked at it and raised an eyebrow at the SHIELD Agent. “You did say to call when aliens attack again. We need your help, Mr. Stark.”

Tony sighed and looked at the laptop. He made no move to open it and instead called his assistant into his office. His new assistant came promptly. “Yes, Mr. Stark.”

“Cancel all my appointments. Tell Pepper that should anything happen to me, she can continue on with her plan to destroy SHIELD.” Coulson raised an eyebrow at that but Tony ignored it.

“Of course Mr. Stark.” She replied, noting it all down. “I will also send some flowers to Ms. Van Dyne with an encouraging note.”

Tony beamed at her. “Yes, do that. You’re the best Julia.”

Julia smiled. “Of course Mr. Stark. Anything else?”

He smiled. “No, that’s all Julia. Also, I will not be here so you can take the rest of the day off.” She nodded and left.

Tony finally connected the laptop together and started perusing the files. It was largely the same as last time. “Ms. Potts has a plan to destroy SHIELD?” Coulson asked.

Tony looked up. “She has 12.” He said as he got up. “Which one she uses depends on how much you piss her off.” He smiled and made his way out, Coulson did not say anything and just followed him.

Tony realized he was rather excited about this as he walked into the Helicarrier. These people had been his friends at one point and enemies at another. By the end of their so-called Civil War, he only had Vision and Rhodey on his side. Everyone had either left him or had betrayed him. He was not going to give them a chance to do that this time around.

He entered just as Bruce was relaying his instructions to track the Tesseract by tracking the subtle gamma radiation using Spectrometers. “Wise idea, Dr. Banner.” He commented as he stepped in. “Loki likely has a temporary base; we should be able to track that if nothing else.”

Bruce smiled as he saw him approach. When Tony was done, however, Bruce beat him to introduce himself. “It’s an honor to meet you, Dr. Stark.” He shook Tony’s hand. “Your work on clean energy quite literally changed the world and of course love how you put on a suit and save people.”

Tony laughed openly at that introduction. “Touche, Dr. Banner, touche.” He said as he shook the other’s scientist’s hands. “Now be honest, how long have you been crafting that?”

Bruce blushed at his words. “It’s not every day I get to meet a brilliant man like you for the first time again.” He simply replied, making Tony laugh.

“So you two have met then,” Natasha observed. Tony gave her a cheeky little wave, she rolled her eyes.

“Yes. I’ve met the one person who’s actively tried to help me these past couple of years.” Bruce replied pointedly.

“Right, speaking of. 3 choices.” Tony said as he brought out his StarkPhone. He pressed a button and Betty Ross’s voice spoke out ‘HULK. NO.’

Bruce nodded, a small smile on his face as he heard Betty’s voice. “Hulk does listen to her.” He agreed. Tony nodded and took his hand. Discreetly, he handed him a sling ring. Bruce took a glimpse and closed his fist, hiding it from everyone else. “I don’t know if I can do that.” He said honestly.

Tony gave him a small smile. “It’s only on the off chance that you have the presence of mind. I’m just accounting for every possibility.” He said. Everyone was looking at their interaction weirdly but he ignored it.

“What’s the third one?” Bruce asked him. Tony simply looked at him in response. Bruce took in his face and said quietly. “Oh. The worst-case scenario.” Tony nodded grimly.

“I call her Veronica.” Bruce laughed at the name. “Parked her nearby. I want to avoid this as much as I can but the average time is two minutes.” Bruce nodded somberly.

Rogers chose that moment to interrupt their conversation. “What’s going on?” He asked in that firm Captain voice of his. Tony hated that voice.

Bruce put the sling ring in his trouser pockets. “The brilliant Dr. Stark is offering me 3 less terrible choices than the cage SHIELD has constructed for me.”

Tony smiled dazzlingly at Fury at that. “This is why I hate you lot, Fury. Hulk doesn’t need a prison cell, he needs to be understood.”

Fury rolled his eyes. “You might be swept up in that cult your boyfriend belongs to Stark but we live in the real world, we have to come up with real solutions.”

Bruce glared at Fury. “Don’t call that place a cult.” Everyone was on edge at his words and tone. Tony gave him a placating look and Bruce calmed a little. “A cult wouldn’t let you leave. She let me leave.” He finished quietly.

“What are you talking about? What cult?” Tony was going to do his damndest to ignore Steve. It was better for his health.

“A legitimate religious organization, not a cult.” Tony corrected rolling his eyes. “Pirate there is just annoyed because he tried sending spies in and got caught.”

Bruce turned to look at him unbelieving. “So when she sad that SHIELD wouldn’t be able to get to me there…”

“Oh, SHIELD definitely tried. It was a thing of beauty, my dear doctor. She took one look at their spies and just calmly told them to leave. I had no idea they were SHIELD.” Bruce smiled at that, pausing to imagine the Ancient One effortlessly turning their well-trained Agents away.

It was rather nice to see Bruce thinking fondly back on the Ancient One and his stay at Kamar-Taj. He hadn’t liked it when Bruce had left but hadn’t said anything because ultimately it was his decision. The wistful smile on Bruce’s face faded as he faced Fury.

“These are real solutions and much more helpful,” Bruce told Fury and turned back towards Tony, leading him towards the lab. “Heard that Dr. Strange got the New York thing. That must be fun.”

Tony laughed. “Yeah, it’s fun. It’s good that he’s nearby. Plus I get to see Friday more. She misses you by the way.”

Natasha stopped them as they were just about to leave. “You know his kid?” She asked Bruce.

Bruce shrugged and nodded. He looked at Tony curiously who just smiled and said. “Oh, they’ve never actually seen Friday. I’m always worried that they will kidnap her or experiment with her. Can’t be too careful.”

“We wouldn’t have done anything to your child Stark.” Maria Hill said from where she was standing.

Tony turned around to look at her, to look at all of them. He pointed at Natasha and said. “You sent an assassin to infiltrate my company while I was dying, you sent another one to my house when Stephen was alone and you tried to kill me.”

“For the hundredth time, we were trying to save your life,” Natasha replied furiously. Tony could tell Rogers was interested in everything that was going on.

He slowly made his way towards the table where she was sitting. “You tried to stick a needle in my neck which contained an unknown chemical which could’ve killed me.” He replied getting up on her face. He then turned sideways to look at Rogers who was listening with rapt attention. “Do you want to know how long I had to live then?” He asked.

Rogers nodded and Tony continued. “72 hours. They knew I was dying for months but waited till the last possible time. Great manipulation tactic, I’ll admit. It would’ve worked but I had managed to cure myself by then.”

With that he left the room with Bruce, leaving chaos in his wake.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20

Tony looked at the crowd that had formed in Germany in amazement as he touched down. He had changed so many things but so many events had turned out the same, including this one. He let Rogers and Loki have their conversation as he tried to evacuate people from the area. The one advantage of time travel and well this general time was the fact that people liked Iron Man, they trusted him to save them. He always hoped that that never abated.

The Scepter in Loki’s hands terrified him, he was the only one here who knew the full capabilities of that thing. Every time he looked at it, JARVIS’s death came to the forefront of his mind. He tried to shake that awful memory off and continued. That would not happen this time around, it just would not.

“God of Mischief.” He said drawing Loki’s attention towards him after he had safely evacuated everyone. “We never did get the chance to complete our fight.”

Loki sneered at him as he twirled the terrifying Scepter around. “Man of Iron.” He greeted much to the amazement of Rogers. “That was because Thor had to come to save you, was it not?” Loki made no attempt to actually attack him.

Tony slowly advanced towards him. “I don’t hold the last fight against you, Reindeer Games.” He said walking. “You were going through something and I would’ve preferred you not attacking Earth but it’s all said and done. This however isn’t good. Don’t make me attack you again.”

“I see you’ve brought some friends this time.” He said, looking at Rogers and Romanoff who was hovering above. “It’s good that you’ve realized you cannot fight me alone.”

Tony flipped open his helmet as he reached Loki. He made a show of looking at him and replied. “Friends is a bit of an overstatement. Call them temporary colleagues if you must.”

Loki gave him a flat look. “Are you really going to argue about what I call your companions while you engage with me?” He asked. Rogers also looked irritated.

“Yes.” Tony simply replied as he got battle-ready and fired a repulsor at him. Loki slumped down, the Scepter flying away from him at Tony’s assault. Tony opened all the hidden weapons in his suit and aimed them at the God.

“There’s no need for all this,” Loki said as he turned back into a more casual form. “I surrender.”

“What?” Tony asked, all of the disbelief and incredulity packed in one word. He flipped open his helmet. “Why would you do that?”

“I’m outmatched. I know when I’m beat, Man of Iron.” Tony watched in disbelief as Rogers took hold of Loki.

“You know for some reason, I don’t quite believe that.” He said and flew towards the quinjet.

They were sitting quietly in the quinjet when Rogers turned to speak to him. Tony had not spoken a word to Rogers or Romanoff this entire time, unsure if he could handle himself around the Captain so he was surprised when Rogers turned to talk to him.

“So, you two have met before?”

Tony looked at Rogers but before he could reply Loki smiled and said. “We met briefly last time I was in Midgard. Anthony made me an excellent drink and we had a deep, thoughtful conversation.”

Tony snorted. “Right up to the moment he took offense and attacked me.” He concluded rolling his eyes.

“Oh, do forgive me for that.” Tony looked at Loki who sounded genuine. Loki simply smiled dazzlingly in response. “It wouldn’t be too far to assume that you and your partner have now gone separate ways, would it?”

Tony stared as did Rogers and Romanoff. “Are you seriously flirting with me?” He scoffed. “Still with Stephen, Rock of Ages. You don’t stand a chance.”

Loki gave a deeply disappointed sigh at that. “It’s a pity then.” He said. “I was thinking of offering you this kingdom when I’ve conquered it.”

Tony laughed. “If I wanted this ‘kingdom’, I would’ve taken it a long time ago.” He simply replied. “I’m not some damsel you can woo, God of Mischief.”

“Of course not, Tony. You’re a powerful man. We could’ve ruled side by side.” Loki replied. “But of course, you’re with someone else and I will respect that.”

Tony nodded and went back to staring at nothingness. The quiet hum of Loki’s magic working brought him back to the God in question. Friday stared back at him, the innocent look he was so very familiar with, her very form vibrating with mischief.

He knew it was Loki taunting him but it was such a perfect depiction of Friday that he couldn’t do anything but stare in shock. It felt like she was right there in front of him.

He couldn’t move, he couldn’t do anything as he watched Loki portray a vision of Friday before him. He was angry, he was infuriated but it felt like his feet were stuck there. He could feel a panic attack coming. Had Loki done something to Friday? Was this a subtle taunt that he will?

“What’s going on?” Rogers asked, taking in Tony’s frozen form and Loki’s transformation in confusion.

Natasha snapped up and her eyes widened at the sight before her. Loki smiled mischievously using Friday’s face. Tony could feel Natasha’s eyes on him, could feel the pity in her gaze, but he couldn’t do anything at the sight of his daughter, his baby in front of him.

Loki changed back into his leather-clad self. “I thought that could work. It did.” He simply said with a nasty smile on his face.

Tony took a few deep breaths, feeling constricted. Loki had zeroed in on the one thing that would hurt him the most and had successfully utilized that. Tony visibly slumped down, looking defeated, looking like his world was taken from him.

Suddenly getting up, he went over to where he had placed the Helmet and frantically searched for an earpiece. He needed to talk to Friday, he needed to be sure that she was okay, that Loki had not gotten to her. He could briefly hear Natasha telling Rogers about Friday.

“Friday is safe and well Sir.” JARVIS’s soothing voice in his ear calmed him somewhat and he took some calming breaths.

“I would still like to talk to her J.” He said and JARVIS complied.

Tony was expecting Friday to just talk to him through the earpiece so he was surprised when she appeared as a hologram in front of him. She had forgone her usual mystical appearance for a more human-seeming one, but her hair choice was questionable.

“I’m fine Da.” She told him, rolling her eyes. “You’re worrying about nothing, like always.” Tony could feel both Natasha and Rogers’ stares on him. Rogers kept looking at Friday and then back at him. It was annoying.

Tony stared at her petulant attitude. “I can see that sweetheart.” He finally settled on saying. “What’s that thing in your head?” He said looking at her short black hair, adorned with pink streaks.

“I’m a rebellious teen. I’m rebelling.” She told him, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

Tony couldn’t help the laugh that erupted at that. “Alright, rebel all you want.” He settled on saying. “Next time do blue streaks, they bring out your eyes.” He met Natasha looking at them curiously and just smiled.

“You’re supposed to be mad. You’re supposed to ground me or whatever.” Friday fake glared at him as she took off the wig that she was wearing. Her brilliant red hair shone outwards. “Hello SHIELD spy. Who’s that?” She asked looking at Rogers.

Natasha seemed to get annoyed at that. “Seriously Stark? How many people knew I was the spy?”

“I did too,” Loki said from where he was sitting. “I did say I researched you prior to our meeting Anthony.” He then focused his attention on Friday. “It’s good to make your acquaintance Lady Friday.”

Tony turned towards Rogers and said. “Would you mind punching him until he passes out or something? I would appreciate it.” Rogers looked at him but complied silently. Loki shut up at Rogers’ approaching figure and just sat down silently.

Tony turned towards Friday and smiled. “Fri baby, I know this is not ideal. I’m far away and Stephen’s also busy-”

“It’s not that.” Friday interrupted him. “Levi’s gone. Doc sent him off to do something. I’m bored.”

“I did not know about that,” Tony confessed. Although it did make sense, a fluttering cloak just out of the corner of Loki’s eyes would be mysterious and possibly drive him mad.

Friday rolled her eyes but before she could say anything the Ancient One appeared beside. “Friday. Tony.” She greeted them.

JARVIS dutifully switched the communications to the earpiece to his ear as he worked on dismantling the video. “Hello, your Ancientness. How may I serve you today?” He asked cheekily.

“Friday is progressing well with her studies.” She simply started.

Tony snapped up, all humor and jokes gone. “You’re not suggesting what I think you’re suggesting.” He simply said. He knew Friday was capable but he was still worried about her. “Levi’s out having fun and she’s alone, I get that. But I’m not placing her anywhere dangerous.” This invasion was dangerous and he really didn’t want Friday to be anywhere near it.

‘I understand that, Tony.” She said sagely. “However, she has to learn. Some experience would do her some good.”

Tony couldn’t really dispute her reasoning. “I’m not somewhere where I can talk freely. Please talk to Stephen about this. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“It’s physically impossible for me to get hurt Da,” Friday spoke up.

“Still, sweetheart. I can’t help but worry.” Tony replied. “Please be safe. That’s all I’m asking.”

“I will ensure that she will not be harmed.” The Ancient One replied. Tony nodded and cut off communications only to look at Rogers and Natasha looking at him weirdly.

Tony knew this conversation wasn’t over. Friday was his daughter, she was bored and she was powerful. She would look for ways to help out in this invasion, no matter how many times he told her no. And now, she had the Ancient One on her side. Tony couldn’t really refute their logic, but he couldn’t stop worrying either.

“That was a weird conversation,” Natasha commented, Tony ignored her, she continued. “There’s a lot about you that doesn’t make sense Stark.”

Loki spoke up at that. “You thrive on it, the mysterious image you like to put up. But I think I’m starting to understand. The conversation we had the last time I was on Midgard was very illuminating.”

“Which conversation?” Tony asked blandly. “We had so many.”

“Yes.” Loki agreed. “But you were honest on only one of them. All others were a farce, truth blended in with so many lies that even I, the Liesmith, was fooled. But when we said our goodbyes, you were honest, it was the raw truth.”

Tony looked at Loki, remembering how he had begged for the god to leave, how he hadn’t wanted him to suffer, how he had given up for the universe for one single person. “Maybe if you had done what I told you to back then, we wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be on opposite sides.”

“Are we on opposite sides?” Loki simply asked. Tony could feel both Rogers and Romanoff staring at him expectedly, waiting for an answer. Tony only had eyes for Loki.

“I told you once, and I will repeat it as many times as I have to. If you attack Earth, I will defend it.” He replied simply. He and Loki were definitely not on opposite sides, but they were not on the same one either.

Loki averted his eyes and changed the subject. “I’m surprised Thor hasn’t made an appearance yet. I would’ve expected him to want to drag me back to Asgard.” Tony smiled mysteriously. “You know why that is. When did he come to request for your aid?”

“This morning. Interrupted me and Stephen.” Tony confessed. “Said something about Heimdall seeing you. He’ll meet us at SHIELD. Probably going to do the teleporting with the lightning thing at the worst possible time.”

“Oh joy,” Loki muttered sarcastically but shut up after that.

Rogers turned towards him. “When you said interrupted…” He trailed off.

Tony turned to look at him. “Teleported into our bedroom, in the morning, while we were in bed.” He gave Rogers a pointed look and watched his face turn beet red. Thankfully, he was ignored for the rest of the flight after that.

Tony stared at the Scepter before them with worry evident in his face. “I don’t trust that thing.” He told Bruce who just looked at him curiously. “I mean look at it, it looks menacing. I thought it was just Loki but that thing looks pure evil.”

“I’ll add Pure Evil to the list then.” Bruce simply told him blandly. Tony laughed.

“Now now, Dr. Banner, that's not nice. You’re just making fun of me.”

“I would never, Dr. Stark,” Bruce replied in the same flat tone. Tony laughed again. He was quite enjoying this, restarting his friendship with Bruce.

“Why do you call him that?” Rogers asked, breaking the spell. “You’re the only one who calls him Dr. Stark.”

“He has 7 PhDs. He’s earned that title.” Bruce simply said. “It’s frankly insulting that most people forget about that.”

Tony laughed as he tried to wave it off. “I really don’t care what people call me. Stephen minds though. Bruce met me with Stephen, that’s why the name is sticking with him.” He poked the Scepter with a finger against his better judgment. It didn’t hurt but he could feel the Starkium inside his chest humming, nullifying the enchantment of the Mind Stone.

“Who’s Stephen? You keep talking about him, Dr. Stark.” Tony turned to look at Rogers then, that was probably the most respect the bastard had given him.

“He’s my partner, Captain Rogers, in every sense of the word. He’s the man I love, the one I am going to spend the rest of my life with. He is my life, he is my everything.” He replied, believing every word he said.

“And your daughter? Friday?” Rogers asked again. “You seem very protective of her.”

“What is this? 20 questions?” Tony laughed but set out to answer the question. “Of course I’m protective of her Captain. What father wouldn’t be?”

“Natasha tells me that you’ve hidden everything about her existing, that SHIELD only found out about her when she went to spy on you.”

“Do you know how many people would hurt her just because she’s my child?” Tony asked him. Rogers didn’t reply, he just looked at him. “People still come after me for grievances they had with Howard. I’m never going to let that happen to Friday. Never.”

Thankfully, he was spared of any further questions as lightning struck and Thor appeared before them.

Tony looked at Rogers who was in full-on attack mode. “Stand down Captain, it’s just Thor. He’s a friend.” Rogers stood down but didn’t stop looking suspiciously at Thor. Tony made his way out of the lab and towards where Thor had appeared.

“What’s going on Stark?” Fury asked. “Is he here to help us or hinder us?”

“Everyone meet Thor, Asgardian God of Thunder, and the source of some of your fascinating briefings I’m sure.” Tony introduced him as they made their way towards the chairs. “He’s here to help.”

“Aye.” Thor laughed that booming laugh of his. “My time on Midgard was certainly eventful.” He said greeting some of the people he’d met already.

Tony mostly tuned out the conversation. It was all that he had heard before, he had lived before. He merely made a perfect show of listening to everyone and nodded here and then. He was brought back to reality as Thor’s body language changed, and he became annoyed and defensive.

“He killed 80 people in 2 days.” Tony heard Natasha inform him.

“He’s adopted.” Thor finished lamely.

Tony took charge of the situation then. “Okay, so we all think he’s planning something right?” Everyone nodded in agreement. He then turned to Thor. “What happened to him, Thor? He is different from the guy I met two years ago. More weary, more fucked up, and well considering what set him off last time, this doesn’t look good.”

“What happened last time? I’m the only one who doesn’t know.” Rogers interrupted. Tony looked at him annoyed. “What set him off?”

“He found out he was adopted.” Tony brushed him off and focused on Thor.

“I simply do not know Lord Tony,” Thor replied. “He threw himself off the Rainbow Bridge last I saw of my brother. I do not know what transpired in the two years since. It terrifies me, thinking of what must’ve happened to my brother to turn him like this.”

Tony nodded somberly. That was the thing that he was the most curious about. Surely, Loki had some form of contact with Thanos in those two years. Unfortunately, Rogers chose to interrupt again. “Why does he call you Lord Tony?”

“Can you not interrupt,” Tony said letting his annoyance show. “Why do you care who calls me what?”

“I’m just asking a question Stark,” Rogers said standing up. “You’re either ignoring me or you’re annoyed by me. You don’t like me. Why? I’ve not done anything to you.” Tony stared at him, the shield smashing his arc reactor flashing before his face. He could only see that fight as Captain America came towards him, looking just as menacing as he did then. Tony could feel his heartbeat quickening, panic setting into his very bones. He had thought he had gotten over that memory but it didn’t appear as he had.

The room started spinning and Tony grabbed the table for support. Rogers stopped looking menacing and came forward to support him, worry evident in his face. Tony’s annoyance grew and he tried to push the supersoldier away. Rogers didn’t abate and instead helped him to a chair. Tony simply glared at him.

Thankfully, Bruce came on over then and started checking Tony over. "You don’t look good Tony. What’s going on?”

“I’m fine Bruce. I’m not at my physical peak anymore you know?” He replied attempting to diffuse the situation. It didn’t look like it worked.

“Look Stark, I’m sorry for whatever I did to-”

“I don’t need your apologies.” He snapped. “I have very traumatic memories with men who use their physical abilities to beat me into submission. I’m not going to take that crap from anyone, least of all you Captain.”

“I wasn’t aware I was doing that,” Rogers replied in a small voice. Tony ignored him.

“I don’t want to be here but Loki’s planning something. We need to know what and we need to be able to counteract it.” Everyone nodded in grim acceptance. “So Thor? You’re the one with the information here. What could he do with the cube and the Iridium?”

Thor set out to tell them everything. He tuned out most of it, having heard it a lifetime prior. The earlier experience was still in his mind. He couldn’t believe he had such a visceral reaction with Rogers. Was that the reason he was subconsciously avoiding the man? He accidentally locked eyes with Rogers who still looked guilty.

He was not okay, he could admit that to himself. He still hadn’t fully healed from the trauma of the Siberian Bunker, hadn’t fully healed from the betrayal and the hurt that had brought. He hadn’t had to think about it, he hadn’t had to face Steve Rogers for so long. The Captain was always at the edge of his thoughts but he had tried to avoid thinking about the man who did him so harm.

But Steve Rogers who was at the Helicarrier right now was not the same man. He could admit that. He was still an ass of the highest order, still believed himself to be righteous, and still had some reservations about Tony but Steve was not yet the backstabbing betraying bastard who left him to die in the Russian cold.

He hated himself for the reaction he had earlier. It wasn’t right to take out his frustrations on the future version of the man to the one he was currently. He hadn’t done anything to hurt him now, he hadn’t done anything really but Tony was still apprehensive of him, Tony was still scared of him, he couldn’t help that but he would try to be better.

Tony knew he was blaming Rogers for something he hadn’t done yet, something he likely won’t do, but he couldn’t help it. Until this version of Steve Rogers had proved that he wouldn’t do all his future self did, Tony was going to keep him an arm’s length away.

Chapter Text

Tony was quietly working with Bruce in the lab in Helicarrier when his phone rang. The catchy melody of ‘Last Friday Night’ by Katy Perry quickly gave away the identity of the caller. Natasha stared at him at that particular song choice while Bruce smiled and shook his head.

Tony quickly answered the call, all of his work forgotten. “What’s wrong Fri?” He asked.

“I’m going to help Loki escape.” She declared.

Tony stilled, his entire body going rigid at that. “No. Absolutely not.” He said firmly.

“You just think it’s dangerous and I’ll get hurt,” Friday said petulantly. “But I’m good for it. I’m powerful and I've been training for two years. “

“Friday.” He stood firm. “I’m not saying you aren’t capable, of course, you’re capable. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should. It’s dangerous and I’m just not allowing you to do it.”

“Why not?” Friday asked. “You’re going to dismantle the escape plan he’s most likely using. Loki needs to escape to contact Doc.”

“He’s a smart guy, he can figure something else out,” Tony said sharply. “Fri baby, I know you’re bored but that isn’t going to happen.”

“Doc thinks it’s a good idea.”

“He thinks WHAT?” Almost all of the Agents in the hearing range were looking at him now but Tony simply didn’t care. “JARVIS contact Stephen. Right. Now.”

“I’m right here Tony,” Stephen replied in a low voice.

“Fri baby, Can I talk to Stephen alone?” He quietly said. He waited a minute. “You can’t possibly think it’s a good idea, Stephen.”

“It’s not a bad idea Tony.” Stephen. “Friday is very powerful. She needs to test her powers in a real-world situation, not just cooped up at Kamar-Taj.”

“I understand that I do really. But we need to talk about this. This is a terrible time to spring this upon me.” Tony could see some of the agents trying to tap into his phone. They wouldn’t be successful, JARVIS would make sure of it, but he needed to be careful of what he was saying.

“It wasn’t my idea Tony. It was all Friday. She thinks Loki might trust a familiar face, that it would be advantageous for us. It would certainly speed things along.”

“Or it could have the opposite effect.” Tony pointed out. Loki was a deeply untrusting person. “We don’t know that for sure, we don’t know anything for sure.”

“We have to take the risk, Tony.” Stephen seemed firm on his decision.

“No, what we have to do is discuss this in length Stephen,” Tony told him. “We need to plan this, every way it could go wrong. We need exit strategies, we need to think of everything that could go wrong and how to counter them, we need-”

“We need to trust her.” Stephen interrupted him. Tony fell silent at that. “She is powerful, Tony we just need to trust her.”

Tony let out a breath and went to sit on one of the chairs. Everyone was following his conversation. Tony let out a laugh. “That’s really not fair Stephen.” He said.

“I know you’re scared, I am too. But this will probably be the safest possible way we could do this. She can control her powers. She needs to test it in a safe setting. We have the advantage here, we know what Loki will do, what he is capable of.”

“I hate it when you use logic and reasoning against me,” Tony said, making Stephen chuckle. “Fri, baby, I know you’re listening.”

“You’re gonna let me do it then?” Friday asked.

“Be careful Friday.” Tony simply replied. “I know you’re smart and confident in your abilities but please be careful.”

“I will Da,” Friday replied. He still felt like the sun had shined upon him every time she called him that. “I have 7 backup plans. If things get out of hand, I’ll get out of dodge.”

Tony laughed. “That’s my girl.”

“How’s the helicarrier?” Stephen asked. “It must’ve been pretty difficult to see those people again.”

Tony swallowed. “It’s not good. I miss you, Stephen.” He said in a quiet voice. He was suddenly aware of all those agents who were watching him. “But you know, super-secret agencies and super shady stuff. It’s mostly boring. Bruce says hi by the way.”

“You already gave him the sling ring?” Tony hummed in agreement. “Be safe Tony. I love you.”

“Love you too Stephen,” Tony replied and ended the call.

Tony slumped down after that. When he looked up, he found Natasha looking at him curiously. “You know, we thought the whole thing with Strange would last a month, two tops.” Tony snorted. “And now here he is raising your kid with you.”

“Love is a curious, wonderful thing,” Tony said as he watched Rogers enter the lab. He was getting suspicious of SHIELD, Tony could tell.

Natasha snorted. “You fell for him the first night you saw him. We have the photo evidence to prove it.”

“Can you blame me? He is gorgeous.” Tony smiled wistfully, remembering the night in question. “That was me telling him about the hole in my chest.” He informed her. He didn’t miss the horrified look on Rogers’ face.

“You have a hole in your chest? Why would you do that to yourself?”

Tony narrowed his eyes and stared at Rogers for a full minute. No one spoke, the tension in the room getting louder by the second. “Because I was kidnapped and tortured for three months Captain. That’s why.” He said it like he believed Rogers was the greatest idiot in the world, which to be fair, was true.

Natasha butted in then. “Point is. Parenting suits you Stark.”

“Shouldn’t you be playing your closeness with Barton towards Loki in hopes of getting him to spill something?” Tony asked pointedly. Natasha stared at the specificness of his statement but left nonetheless.

Thor came in as Natasha was leaving, looking concerned and curious. “Is Lady Friday alright? You seemed distressed.” He asked.

Tony nodded slowly. “She’s just going to do something I don’t completely approve of. And Stephen is onboard. I hate it when they gang up on me.” He grumbled.

“Thor has met Friday hasn’t he?” Bruce said smiling. “I recognize the look.”

Tony smiled. “Yeah, the first time he came to Earth. She was bored.” He explained.

“Look, your daughter sounds wonderful but we have to do a job here,” Rogers said, making Tony annoyed at him.

Tony glared at him. “We’re just waiting for a result. Nothing else we can do.”

Rogers looked around to make sure they were alone. “There’s something fishy with SHIELD.” Tony and Bruce exchanged amused glances. “I heard something about Phase 2 earlier.”

It was really odd how these things worked. Last time around, it was Tony who informed them about Phase 2 via JARVIS.

“Thor, when you came to Earth, many things changed.” Thor looked confused but didn’t interrupt. Tony continued. “We found out that aliens existed and we found out that they weren’t friendly. I was frazzled for years, you can ask Bruce, he knows a little about it. I was creating plans upon plans in case things went south.”

“I understand Lord Tony,” Thor said solemnly. “I did not wish harm upon Midgard but many others will.”

“What’s your point?” Rogers asked annoyed. Tony glared at him.

“I like you, Point Break, I do but I have 3 contingencies in case you went rogue and attacked,” Tony said. “Can’t blame SHIELD for doing the same. Phase 2 is probably that, weapons if I had to guess.”

“And you’re probably involved.” Tony’s glare worsened.

“No Captain. I am not.” He said. “I’m just guessing. I’m done with making weapons and I’m done with you too. Go break into their storage facilities if you want to be sure.”

“Lord Tony’s animosity towards SHIELD is pretty well known, even I know it. It’s pretty odd for you to think that he’s involved with that Captain.” Thor frowned.

“I’m tired of all these secrets,” Rogers said harshly. “Everyone is keeping them, even Dr. Banner.” Tony stared at that, his mind flashing back to the Siberian bunker and the terrible, terrible secret that Rogers had kept from him for literal years.

“How can I be sure I can trust you?” Bruce asked intensely. “I’ve known you for a day, I don’t owe you anything.”

Tony soon found his voice. “You’re used to commanding, you’re used to leadership but we’re not your soldiers. Times have changed Captain, adapt or the world will leave you be.”

Tony and Thor entered the cell holding Loki. It was a brilliantly crafted cell, Tony had to admit. It held Loki well and it would hold Bruce if required.

“Your companions have already questioned me Man of Iron. What hope do you have of succeeding where they failed.” Loki drawled.

“Natasha didn’t fail.” Tony reminded him. He turned to address the agents keeping watch of the prisoner. “Can you give us a moment, I would like to talk to him alone.” The agents looked at each other but nodded and left.

Tony dragged a chair from and sat down in front of Loki. Taking his StarkPhone out he began to work on dismantling the security feed. Thor simply stood there looking at Loki sadly. “What happened to you brother? What has happened since we last saw each other? You are different.”

Loki sneered. “Do not presume to think you know me Odinson.”

“Please stop this brother. Come back home, come back to Asgard.” Thor sounded so troubled and so sincere.

Loki banged on the reinforced glass. “Do not call me brother. I am not your brother Odinson.”

“Please Loki, I beg of you.” Thor kept trying.

“Why? Why should I return? So Odin can lock me up? I am a Jotun Thor, I am not your brother. It’s time you accepted it.”

Tony stood up and placed a calming hand on Thor’s back. “The audio is out, they can see us but not hear us.” He informed him.

Loki looked at both of them at that, curious and a little bit apprehensive of what was going on. Thor nodded. “If you do not return with me and insist on harming the citizens of Midgard, I cannot protect you Loki. Your fate would be out of my hands.”

Loki reeled from the glass. “What are you talking about Thor? What is he talking about?”

Tony led Thor to the stool and turned to face Loki after Thor sat down. “Thor made a deal with us. I like you, Reindeer Games but if you insist on harming Earth, you will be punished for it and Asgard will not be the one to decide your punishment.”

Loki let out a maniacal laugh. He looked around the cell and said. “So this is to be my prison for the foreseeable future then.”

Tony smiled. “I never said I was with SHIELD.” Loki snapped up to look at him. “I merely tolerate them, mostly so I could get an uninterrupted audience with you, partly so I could find out what they know.”

Loki looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. “Who are you?” He asked.

The doors leading to the cell banged, taking their attention. “Open up Stark.” Fury bellowed from outside. Tony didn’t bother with that. It would still take them a while to open the doors.

“I am Tony Stark, I am Iron Man, protector of Earth.” He replied. “And I am a part of an Ancient Order who have been protecting Earth from mystical threats for centuries.”

Loki glared at him, defiant and strong, every inch the God he was. “I’m only here because I allowed them to capture me, Stark. What hope does your pathetic order have against me?”

Tony smiled. “My pathetic order is composed entirely of sorcerers. SHIELD is nothing compared to us. We’ve been operating in secrecy for so long, dealing with mystical threats in complete anonymity. You are our specialty, not SHIELD’s. Do you want to test yourself against us?”

Loki retreated from the glass, his body language defeated. “So your order will be the one holding me captive for centuries then.”

“Look Loki, we’re offering you a way out here. Leave now and you’re free, go through with your plan of attacking Earth and your fate will be worse.”

Loki looked at him and then slumped down on the ground of his cell. “I may not have a choice in that matter.” He said quietly. “I would choose the punishment you have for me in light of what he would do if I don’t succeed.”

Thor got up at that admission. “What’s going on brother? Lord Tony?” His eyes narrowed further looking at Tony’s unsurprised face.

Tony smiled a sad smile. “It is as I suspected Thor.” He simply said. “Someone else holds his leash. Someone else is making him do this.”

That seemed to enrage Loki as he jumped up and got right up to Tony’s face. “I am perfectly capable of doing this.”

“Capable? Yes.” Tony replied. “You’re a Norse God, you’re a Trickster, you’re capable of invading the earth in a thousand different ways.” Loki’s eyes widened a little at that. “Not this sloppy mess that’s not fit to be called an invasion.”

“What is to be of Loki now, Lord Tony?” Thor asked. “If Loki is being subjected to another’s will, he is not responsible. Can you or Master-”

“He might be able to help.” Tony interrupted looking straight at Loki. “Depends on Loki.”

Loki finally smiled. “You two are talking about your paramour aren’t you? Stephen Strange.”

Tony smiled. “You reached that conclusion awfully fast Reindeer Games.” He said.

“I am a very accomplished mage Tony Stark,” Loki replied. “I can sense seidr far more efficiently than Thor here. You are positively dripping in it.”

“I know.”

Loki looked at the door, where Fury had almost managed to break in and get entry. “I could tell them everything we just talked about, every secret you’ve been keeping.”

“That would only serve to hinder you,” Tony replied. “My partner is not the forgiving kind.” Thor nodded in agreement beside him.

“This is the only option I have for you Loki, please take it.” He almost begged. Tony shot a small sad smile at Thor in that.

“You want me to seek him out? You’ve been alluring me all this while. That red blur I keep seeing, it is him is it not?” Loki asked. “How? You were able to plan every step of this, anticipate my reaction, my needs. How?”

Tony smiled. “After our fight, I’ve spent the entire earth scouring for any Norse legends. Any book, any story, anything I could find.”

“Those legends are not always true.” Loki pointed out.

“I know.” Tony simply said. He then looked at the door, which was almost broken through. “Stall them for a bit would you, Thor?” Thor nodded and got there just in time for the Agents to arrive. Tony was glad for Thor’s distraction.

“There is a small village in Norway that has had interactions with a Frost Giant. They used to be attacked until they got smart. They were able to capture one.” Loki looked a little scared of where he was going with this. “They made a cage of this metal, inlaid with charms. The cage was able to hold the Frost Giant. It was designed specifically for a Frost Giant, specifically to hurt them, to cause them the most pain. Metals and magick combining to create the perfect torture chamber.”

“Is that what you have planned for me Stark?” Loki asked quietly as Fury entered. He looked horrified, actually scared that Tony would do it.

Tony laughed to the surprise of everyone. He gestured at Fury. “He annoys me more than you do, Reindeer Games.” He got serious super fast. “I’m just telling you what I’m capable of. Don’t test me.” He said and left, leaving Fury flummoxed and the young God legitimately scared.

Tony leaned back in his chair as Fury glared at him from above. Fury kept shouting his questions, kept demanding answers from Tony but Tony simply did not budge. He just sat there looking bored out of his mind. After a while Fury sat down, clearly tired and understanding that he wouldn’t get any answers.

“I don’t work for you Fury,” Tony told him after the Director sat down. “I don’t owe you anything. I’m only here because I want to save the earth and that’s all I’m doing.”

“We just want to understand Tony.” He rolled his eyes at Natasha’s fakeness. “Whatever you said in there rattled him. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”

Tony exchanged glances with Thor who had also shut up about everything that happened in that prison cell. “You should remember one thing.” He finally settled on. “Aside from Thor, I’m the only one here who has had interactions with Loki before. I’ve fought the guy. I know more than you do.”

“What do you know? And why can’t you tell us?” Rogers looked annoyed. “Goddammit Stark, we’re supposed to be a team.”

“I’m not a part of this team,” Tony replied icily. That bit always stung him. He never was a part of this team in his past life, and he didn’t want to be now. He knew that way only lies pain.

“It’s because I asked him not to,” Thor answered the question. “I went to Lord Tony and I sought his help. He is simply helping me.” He then looked at Tony. “I will say no more on this.”

“Thor kinda takes this promise thing a bit too seriously,” Tony said with an apologetic smile.

“Bullshit,” Natasha called him out. “Look Stark, I know you don’t care about us but Loki’s got some of our Agents and Selvig. He wants to destroy the earth.”

Tony sighed and turned to look at her. “That’s why I’m here Natasha.” He replied. “I’m not a team player, all of you know that. Let me do things my way and do your things your way. The end result we’re all hoping for is the same.”

“You’re telling us to trust you,” Rogers spoke up. Tony turned towards him. “I can do that.” He almost fell off his chair and everyone turned to look at the Captain. “Iron Man is earth’s protector. He has done more to save the world than SHIELD ever has. He’s flashy where you are discrete but he gets the job done more efficiently than you ever have.”

Tony smiled. “Don’t tell me I managed to turn the virtuous Captain America over to the dark side.” He said sardonically.

“You’re not the dark side Stark,” Rogers replied solemnly. “You’re a Superhero, the one Earth needs.” He then addressed Fury. “I haven’t forgotten that this whole thing started because you messed with things you didn’t understand. How about you stop shouting at him for every single small thing you don’t like and just let him fix your mistakes Fury?”

Tony just stared at Rogers at that as did everyone else. The whole place had gone quiet, you could hear a pin drop. ‘Excuse me, Captain Rogers?” Fury said, sounding furious.

“You heard me.” Rogers didn’t budge. “I don’t like Stark. He’s disrespectful, insubordinate but he’s reliable.”

Fury just kept staring at Rogers at that. When a while passed without anyone saying anything, Tony turned towards Rogers. “I don’t like you either. You’re judgemental, quick to anger, and seem to think you can order me around. But if Fury kicks you out for this, I will totally offer you a job.”

That seemed to break the spell as Fury turned towards him. With a defeated sigh, he said. “Do whatever you want, just fix this damn mess.”

Chapter Text

Tony mentally counted down the minutes until Loki’s escape. He looked around, watching the SHIELD agents going about unaware of what would happen in a few minutes. His calm facade threatened to falter as he spotted Coulson. He knew Coulson had survived last time, but only just barely. If he could do anything to avoid that this time around, he would.

He smiled as he saw Rogers and made his way towards the man. “You know you should really sign those cards Coulson keeps around.”

Rogers scowled at him. “You might care about fame but I do not Stark.” That sneer on his face, the look that Rogers gave him was all too familiar. He was always going to believe that he was better than Tony, that much would never change, he was sure.

“It’s not about you Captain Douchebag.” He replied. “This is about making someone’s day. You talk to him, straight-faced Agent Coulson gets giddy. He’s adored you ever since he was a kid. You’re a childhood hero come to life. You’re a belief that the world isn’t a bad place. Give a ray of sunshine in his dull life, plast a smile on your face, and sign those damn things.”

“I never thought of it like that,” Rogers admitted. “I don’t know how to deal with things like this. I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“There’s no kid from Brooklyn anymore. He died when you did, and in his place rose the legend of Captain America, the legend that many believed growing up. Right now, you’re Captain fucking America,” Tony told him. “Smile and sign Captain.” He said and pushed him towards Coulson.

Rogers looked at him and whispered. “Right now?”

Tony whispered back. “Yes.” Rogers nodded and made his way towards where Coulson was talking to a few agents. Tony let out a sigh of relief. Less than a minute to go. At least Coulson would be protected now. He would probably follow the orders of the almighty Captain and even if he didn’t, he doubted Rogers would let Coulson go in alone.

He was worried about a dozen things right now. He had changed things but so much had happened the same. He knew what was going to happen, and yet he didn’t know anything. And most worryingly, Friday was going to be there. Loki better heed his warnings.

It was more chaotic than the last time this had happened and Tony knew it was Friday’s fault.

He was worried about Friday, he never could not be. But Friday was capable, she was strong and she was powerful. He knew whatever happened, whatever Loki threw at her, she would be able to handle it, and with that knowledge in mind, he set out to extinguish the dozen or so fires that she caused, some literal even.

Tony looked at Loki. Amidst all the Pandemonium, the Trickster God had chosen to delay his escape in lieu of looking at him. The Scepter in hand, Loki truly looked terrifying, every inch the powerful foe he was. This scene reminded him awfully of the interaction they had in his tower a lifetime ago.

“Why should I resign myself to a life of captivity, when I can just control you right here, Man of Iron,” Loki said grandiosely and tried to strike him with the Scepter, only to hit the protective casing of the Arc Reactor audibly.

Nothing happened. Loki stared and Tony laughed. “That’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it? Inconvenient time to have performance issues.” He said gesturing to the pandemonium around him.

Loki snarled and tried again, the Scepter poking at his arm this time. Tony almost shuddered as he felt the Mind Stone try to overcome him, he could feel the Starkium inside him nullifying the incoming presence. He was surprised at the efficiency of that thing although he really should’ve expected it considering it did make up the protective casing for one of the Infinity Stones

Tony slowly made his way towards the flummoxed God. “Positively dripping in seidr.” He parroted Loki’s words. “Why do you think that is?”

“That’s not it, Man of Iron,” Loki replied as he brought the Scepter to himself. “You do not possess seidr, you are simply close to ones who do. That much is obvious. There is something else preventing me from accessing your mind.”

“What’s going on Tony?” Bruce asked. Unfortunately for all of them that brought the Trickster God’s attention to him.

Loki turned towards Bruce and regarded him curiously. “You are also involved somehow. Although not as much as Stark but it is present in Banner too.” Tony and Bruce exchanged glances at that.

Unfortunately, before he could do anything, Loki snarled and pushed Bruce out of the helicarrier. Tony aimed with his repulsor gauntlet but the Trickster God disappeared before he could do anything. Tony ran towards the hole in the helicarrier Bruce had fallen through and watched him change to Big Green. Shaking his head at how similar the situations had become, he made his way back and helped stabilize the Helicarrier.

Tony slumped down after everything had happened. It had all gone just like it had last time around, with the exception of Coulson’s death and less of true danger to their lives. The Helicarrier was stable, Barton was back in his own mind, Loki was probably with Stephen and Thor looked relieved and worried at the same time. Tony allowed himself a moment and then he stood up.

He clapped Barton on the shoulders and said. “Glad to have you back Dipshit.”

Barton scowled but nodded. “Don’t call me that Stark. But I am glad to be back.”

Tony laughed and went to address Thor. “You alright buddy?” He asked.

“I haven’t made a grave mistake have I, Lord Tony?” Thor asked him, looking all sorts of solemn.

“Do you trust me, Thor?”

“I do.”

“Then you trust Stephen. Everything is going according to plan.” He replied. He didn’t miss the way everyone turned to look at him.

“What do you mean everything is going according to plan?” Rogers asked, standing up and obstructing him with his superior height and strength as he always did. Tony hated that, he really did, but he could ignore it at the current moment. “Loki has escaped and taken the Scepter with him. It’s the absolute worst I can imagine.”

“Well, clearly your imagination isn’t good enough,” Tony told him and turned to address the rest of the Avengers. “Would any one of you get caught without an exit strategy in place?” All of them shook their heads. Tony gestured at that and continued. “Loki was always going to escape. What we needed to focus on was what he did after that.”

“That’s what you two were doing with Loki,” Natasha said, finally understanding. “You were planting suggestions in his head.”

Tony shrugged. “Less planting suggestions more outright telling him.” He replied.

“And Dr. Strange is involved how?” She asked. Before he could reply, however, Rogers interrupted them.

“Dr. Banner. Hulk is loose right now. That couldn’t have been a part of your plan.”

He had barely finished talking when a sparkling, glowing portal appeared, transporting Bruce from the wreck of a building to the helicarrier. Tony laughed and addressed Bruce. “I was going to say you’re late but perfect timing.”

Bruce glared at him. “I got rusty, all right? Took a few tries before I could do it.”

Clint laughed at the scene before him. “This doesn’t make any sense. Just how much did I miss Tasha?” Natasha just shrugged in reply, not understanding herself.

“What is going on? What is that?” Rogers looked absolutely confused.

“All in due time Captain, all in due time,” Tony replied. “Where’s Fury? Anyone with high enough clearance would do really. Spy Twins? Show me what you got.” He addressed Natasha and Clint.

“What do you want?” Natasha asked.

“An evacuation order, 6 miles of Stark Tower? Or whatever radius you think will be the safest. That’s where the action will take place.”

“How? How do you know that? Did you plant a subconscious trigger on Loki’s mind to make him choose that location?”

Tony looked at Rogers who was looking frazzled for a moment and then replied. “No, Loki’s a diva. If he’s gonna take over the world, he’s gonna do it with style and pizzazz. Stark Tower is perfect for him.” He then added. “Besides, my tower runs on its own Arc Reactor. It’s better for the city that way.”

“I’ll go give the evacuation order. It’ll alert every PD, every Fire Department in the area.” Natasha said and got up to do that.

“Who will then contact me and I can officially use the Legionnaires.” He turned towards Rogers, explaining exactly what he was doing. “They’re my Robot Army by the way. They’ve been helping evacuate people from Disaster Struck zones for a while now. People trust them, they will move if the creepy robots tell them to move.”

Rogers nodded dumbly at that. “So what do you need us for then?” He said dejectedly.

“They can’t fight you, idiot,” Tony told him. “If I ever armed them, every goddamn country would be up in my business. We’re gonna fight the incoming army.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to stop the army from coming altogether?” Barton asked. “I’m assuming you can do that, Stark. Kill Loki, Problem Solved.”

“My brother is not the one behind this Barton,” Thor spoke after a while. “He’s being controlled by someone behind the shadows. We were able to ascertain that earlier.”

“Awfully convenient,” Barton spoke up. It was remarkable how he just annoyed Tony every time he opened his annoying mouth.

Tony didn’t even get up from his current position. He just looked at Barton, one look conveying all his annoyances. “Just so you know Dipshit, that’s exactly what someone is going to say about you. That one rival at SHIELD, the one person who doesn’t like you. Be prepared for people to whisper behind your back. ‘Isn’t it awfully convenient he got mind whammied?’” Tony loved watching Barton’s expression change.

“You’re a dick Stark.” Tony flipped him the bird and continued.

“Thor is right. Loki is not behind this. Like I said earlier, I knew Loki before all this, something wasn’t sitting right. I suspected from the beginning but he confirmed it earlier.”

“How? How can you be sure?” Rogers asked.

“Because we offered him a way out. Stop now and he would be back in his golden castle. Carry on with his plan and his fate would be worse. That was the deal that Thor made. Right now, he’s just exchanging one jailer for another.”

“So you’ll be the one holding his leash when all this is over?” Fury asked, coming in with Natasha who gave him a thumbs up signaling that the evacuation order was sent.

Tony smiled in response. “Do you think you’re the only secret organization in the world Fury?” He said, parroting his words. “We’ve known for a while that SHIELD was doing something shady.”

“I can confirm that,” Bruce replied. “This just happened to be the one it stuck to.”

“Who is we? How are you two involved?” Rogers was getting irritated at the lack of information. “Why did the Scepter not affect you Stark?”

“I too want to know that.” Bruce looked at him. “We need protections like that. Anything capable of blocking mental manipulations would be extremely helpful.”

Tony laughed and replied. “I have no idea Brucie-bear.”

Natasha narrowed her eyes. “That’s not what you told Loki. You said ‘dripping in seidr’. That means magic in Norse. You know what’s going on.”

Bruce’s eyes narrowed at her comment. “Oh.” He gasped, incorrectly assuming that Stephen or Friday’s involvement made him immune. “You think that-”

Tony interrupted him. “I don’t know Bruce. I simply repeated something Loki had said to me earlier.” He looked around, they were alone by then, most of the Agents had already left the helicarrier. “We don’t have time to argue about this. We need to stop Loki.”

“Evacuation order is sent, Stark.” Fury told him. “Every Agent I have is currently on route helping with the evacuation. This is all you have. This team that you don’t want to be a part of is the only one who can save the world.”

Tony could see Stephen’s portal forming. “That’s where you’re wrong Fury. I have my own team and they’re better.” And that was always going to be the case. He knew he could trust the few that he had personally recruited, and he knew that this group was always going to betray him.

“We’re gonna have to take this lot too,” Stephen added stepping in. “The more the merrier.”

Tony let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. It was good to know that Stephen was unhurt. He knew Stephen could handle himself, knew how powerful he was, but Tony was still worried.

Stephen sent him a small smile and he felt like his entire world had brightened up. He felt calm just being near the man, felt like they could do this. Tony nodded and smiled back.

“Seidr. Loki meant you. How did I never notice this?” Natasha asked. “I spent months observing you.” She muttered.

She didn’t get a reply however as Thor had already come before Stephen. “What did you find Master Strange? Is my brother all right?”

Stephen guided Thor towards one of the chairs and made him sit down. “It was a beast named the Great Other who had a hold on Loki.” He explained softly. “It was a form of passive surveillance, crafted after months of captivity. Loki retained his thoughts, could make his own actions but should he step out of line, should he not accomplish his mission…” He let it trail, Thor understood.

“And now, is he free?”

Stephen averted his eyes. “I cannot figure out how to free him without triggering the failsafe they put in. If I attempt to snap the link right now, Loki might not live.” He said morosely.

“It’s all right Master Strange. You tried. Thank you.” Thor replied somberly. “My brother will go through his plan of attacking Midgard and we will be there to stop him.”

“Are we really doing this?” Barton asked. “Dooming earth for one alien.”

“An alien Prince, dipshit,” Tony replied. “We kill Loki. Asgard will send their armies to our doorstep. Still think it’s a good tradeoff?”

Thor looked straight at Barton. “I will personally lead the charge.” He then turned to Stephen. “Our agreement still stands then.”

“Unfortunately it does Thor. Loki might not be in control of himself, but he will face justice here.” Stephen smiled at him. “Worry not Prince Thor, your brother will be in good hands.”

“And what hands are those?” Fury asked. “Just who are you Strange?”

“Someone who has protected the Earth from threats like Loki for centuries now and will continue to do for centuries more,” Stephen replied, standing up to his full height and looking straight at Fury.

“Bullshit.” Fury said. “Where were you in New Mexico then?”

Stephen turned to look pointedly at Tony then who just shrugged. “We don’t have time to argue about this. We’ve got an invasion to stop.”

“Shouldn’t we get going then, Stark Tower is pretty far away,” Natasha said.

Stephen looked at her. “I’m sorry did you not see me portal in. Did she not see me portal in?” He shook his head. “Some spy you are.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “You’re just mad I interrupted when you were getting lucky Strange.”

Thor turned to look at her with wide eyes. “You too Lady Natasha?” He shivered as he remembered the interaction. “Master Strange looked like he was going to eviscerate me on the spot.”

Natasha looked at him but nodded. “I know what you mean Thor. It was scary.”

Tony cleared his throat. “Can we not talk about my love life?”

Rogers agreed. “I would do anything to unhear all of that Stark.” He replied seriously.

“We have located Dr. Selvig and are providing him with the help he needs.” Stephen continued. “However even with that, we will be unable to stop the incoming Army entirely. Dr. Selvig did put in a defense mechanism but someone will have to be at the source of the portal to stop it and the portal is opening any second now.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Natasha simply said.

Stephen nodded and opened a portal and the Avengers started stepping into it one by one. Before he left, however, Tony turned to address Fury. “I think it would be best if your secret organization did not find out about Stephen’s.” He told Fury who looked at him in amazement.

“Natasha and Clint won’t say anything. You sure you can make the Captain keep his mouth shut?” Fury asked.

Tony nodded. “You’re not bad Fury. I mean you’re manipulative, diabolical, and all that but you’re okay. Your organization on the other hand I cannot trust.” He said honestly.

Fury nodded. “That’s probably the only thing you and I agree on Stark. I’m not sure which of my Agents I can trust.” Tony stared at the honesty coming out of Fury’s mouth.

“This group is okay,” Tony said gesturing at the other Avengers. “And I only say that because I’ve met Natasha and Clint before. The others cannot know about Stephen or about his magic.”

Fury nodded. “They will not.”

Tony nodded and got to leave. “Deal with your secret organization Fury. I have a feeling that they will be none too happy about this invasion. I’m warning you, should they decide to do something bad, the consequences will be disastrous.

“Understood Stark.” Tony left at that, Stephen coming after him.

Tony still didn’t like portals much, and especially now that the source of his trauma was going to stare at him in the face in just a few minutes. But Stephen was here and he knew they were going to be okay.

“Never would’ve suspected Magic,” Natasha remarked as they got instantly transported from the Helicarrier to an empty New York street. They could see Stark Tower at a distance.

The evacuation was complete, people were safe at the very least. They, and especially SHIELD would have to answer for this but the civilians were safe and that comforted Tony the most. Structural damage they could repair, but no innocent civilian was ever going to get caught up in the battles of Avengers. Tony will make sure of that.

“Yeah yeah, but just remember.” Tony started but Rogers interrupted him.

“Don’t breathe a word to it to anyone else. We know Stark.”

Tony stared at him. “I can’t decide if that’s annoying or if I like this version of you.” He remarked as they prepared to fight the incoming aliens. He could hear Rogers relaying orders to Bruce and the other Avengers but he wasn’t really interested in that.

He easily spotted the two small figures making their way towards them from his Tower. Scott and Hope easily landed on the ground before him and changed back.

Tony monitored everyone’s reactions to the newcomers. Rogers seemed shocked, Barton and Romanoff looked like they were expecting this, no surprises there. Hulk however looked absolutely excited to see even tinier people.

“Meet the rest of the Avengers, Ant-Man, and the Wasp.” Tony introduced the two. “Their identities will remain hidden but they are providing us with new technology and much-needed skills.”

“We need all the help we can get,” Rogers concluded and set out to relay instructions to them. Tony, once again, paid that no mind. He simply went towards Stephen as the portal began to open. Rogers nodded at him, understanding him without any words.

They flew upwards.

Chapter Text

Friday readied herself, her form turning translucent and ethereal as ripples went across her human-seeming body. She smiled as she transformed herself. This was important, she must be only seen to one person and no one else. After she was sure that the enchantment would hold, she took a deep breath to calm herself and stepped in, the soft ebb and flow of magic taking her where she wanted to go.

She looked around in amazement. SHIELD agents were running around, doing whatever important things they were doing. She could see her Da from the clear window, working on the Scepter. He looked up as if sensing her approach and looked straight at her. She could see the worry and concern evident in his face.

She watched as he took out his StarkPhone and typed something. The words floated in front of her soon after. 'Be careful sweetheart.'

She smiled as she read it. " I will Da." She replied and sent her reply back to him in the form of ones and zeros.

She walked on after that, ignoring the hustle and bustle of agents around her. She was here to do only one thing and she would do it brilliantly.

She phased through the door of the cell where they were keeping Loki. She was curious about Loki, everyone had said that he was an experienced mage and she wanted to find things out for herself.

She sensed his magic before she even saw him. It was a beautiful thing, the warm gold glow of Asgard combining beautifully with the cold purple tendrils of Jotunheim. She stared at it for a while as she made her way towards him. It was broken, he was broken, yet his magic was still shining, still vibrant and persevering, still so strong.

The gold looked to be the most fractured. Purple vines creeping in where the betrayal and hurt of Asgard showed deeply. He looked like a broken beautiful mess, splotchy at areas but still standing strong despite all that he had seemed to withstand. She was amazed looking at him, he was strong because of the strength of his Magic, creating something unique to him because of his unique circumstances. All the hurt, all the pain, all the strength visible from one glance alone.

He looked at her as she slowly approached him. Her ethereal glow and translucent image surprising him. Recognition slowly crept into his face. He smiled a wicked smile.

Before he could say anything and ruin all she had worked hard to accomplish, she spoke up. "Please don't say my name or any definable characteristic. I would rather the SHIELD Agents not know that I'm here."

"Fascinating." He simply said, looking absolutely enthralled by her. He recognized the enchantment she was using, of course he did, he himself had used them on so many occasions.

"We studied how you were able to achieve this effect," Friday said conversationally as she continued her approach. "Both times you used it. It is a fascinating trick of magic." She was really fascinated looking at the footage from her Da’s suit. It had taken her quite a while to do this perfectly but she wasn’t going to tell him that.

He rippled for a second, his magic working in tandem with him, and appeared before her. The image of him sitting dejectedly in his cell still stayed there, looking for all the world as if he hadn't moved an inch.

Loki stepped through the glass of the cell which was supposedly able to hold him with surprising ease. He gracefully made his way towards her and stood there, as if observing her for a second.

“Are you surprised?” She asked.

Loki broke into a smile. “Yes.” He responded. “I never imagined you were a mage Lady Friday. You aren’t really his daughter are you?”

Friday shrugged. “I am in all the ways that count. I am in fact a pure magical construct now but he’s the one who created me, he’s the one who gave me life, he’s the one who grounds me. He is my father.” She replied.

Loki nodded in acquiescence. “Is the box he talked about earlier real? Is that why you’re here? To imprison me?”

Friday smiled. “You mean the cage, yes it is real. I’ve helped in the creation of it, it’s a masterpiece.” She informed him grinning, his smile faltered. “But I’m not here about that. The opposite really. I’m here to help you escape.”

Loki raised his eyebrows. “I already have an escape plan.” Friday just smiled dazzlingly at that. “Which Stark must’ve dismantled by now. I do have many more.”

Friday got towards the glass prison and started inspecting it. It was not half bad, definitely able to hold Hulk if required. Loki of course was a mage and a completely different matter. “I’m not saying you don’t.” She simply said. “I just thought that this would be better than you doing whatever half-baked idea you’ve come up with.” She stopped inspecting the glass and looked at him. “It would’ve been quite fun watching you run around like a headless chicken trying to find us. It’s better this way, why waste precious time.”

“I should be insulted by that. You’re insulting my capabilities.”

“And yet you are not.” She replied, matter-of-factly.

Loki looked at her. “You are very fascinating, Lady Friday. I have never encountered someone with whom magic flows this freely. Forgive me but I am rather bewildered.”

Friday rolled her eyes. “You might want to ease a bit on the flirtations there Loki, I’m not interested. As much as it would annoy Da, this is not a good idea.”

Loki backed off. “A pity. You would’ve made a fine Queen.” He turned towards the image of him that he was projecting to the outside world. Friday watched as he performed a complex spell with the ease of a practitioner who’d done this a thousand times.

The double inside the cell rose up from his depressed, dejected position and rose to address the camera. Friday watched, amused, as Loki spoke, his projected image relaying the message to the outside world. “Stark.”

Friday could see her father jolt up at Loki’s voice. He looked at Loki with narrowed eyes and a dark glare. Loki ignored all that. “I would like to rescind the offer I made earlier. You’d have made a great partner but I’m afraid I’m not a masochist.”

It was a perfect statement, Friday had to admit. She could see the hidden message within that and so could he if his darkening expression was any indication. Loki was taunting her father, reaffirming his intentions of choosing her over him, his offer of letting her rule alongside him. Friday wished she could communicate with him directly without alerting any SHIELD Agents to her.

Friday watched as her father punched a couple of buttons to allow him to talk to the frustrating God. “Do I look like I care, Loki?” He asked, looking like he wanted to rip Loki in half. “Keep talking, I’ve already told you what would happen if you annoy me.” He looked like he didn’t care what anyone made of this interaction or his words. His intent was perfectly clear and looking at him, perfectly understood by Loki.

“I shall look forward to it,” Loki said and let the double fall onto the ground. The projected image then just stared at the top of the cage, looking unbothered by it all.

Friday glared at Loki. “You didn’t have to do that. My father is only patient for so long, you shouldn’t really test his limits.”

“I’m aware of that fact, Lady Friday.” Loki simply said. “Now, pray tell, what have you planned for my escape? I am quite curious.”

Friday grinned, all the frustration and annoyance she had with the Norse God evaporated at that. She looked up to his curious face and simply said. “Chaos.”

She was greeted with a similar if more crazed grin in response.

It was, in fact, chaotic. Friday loved chaos, she really did, quite possibly more than she ever should. She watched, a small smile of satisfaction on her face as SHIELD Agents ran amok trying to put out all of the fires she and Loki had caused.

She knew what Loki’s original plan was. It wasn’t half bad, it did allow him to escape, but it was a bit too destructive for her taste. It worked for him just fine, a lifetime and a half ago, but this time, she was in charge and she had an arsenal full of tricks she wanted to try out. And who better to be her guinea pigs than SHIELD.

“Not bad,” Loki commented stepping in beside her. “I would’ve gone for Barton and released the monster but not bad.”

“Hulk would’ve been too dangerous. And besides, I like the big guy, he’s nice.” Loki turned to look at her disbelievingly at that as he shook his head. Friday ignored that and continued. “And I did use Barton, exploding arrows are his style, aren’t they?” She gave Loki a cheeky smile.

But Loki was right, she really should use Barton more. SHIELD Agents would falter when they see one of their own, and that one moment of hesitation would be helpful to him. Moving her hands in the arcane way the Ancient One had taught her to, she sought to perform an illusion spell.

Loki looked at her impressed. She simply rolled her eyes at his astonishment. She was powerful and she was very capable, thank you very much.

All around them, a dozen lookalikes of Clint Barton had started to attack the SHIELD Agents. The real archer was down somewhere fighting the spy, possibly regaining his mind back. Friday had tried to make them as realistic as she could, and she had gotten it pretty close, from all the information JARVIS had on him.

Now that everyone was occupied, it was the perfect opportunity for them to make their escape. She turned to look for Loki, only to see him squared off in front of her father, Scepter in hand, just waiting to strike.

Friday rolled her eyes and left the two to it. Maybe she should start some fires in random places. Fire always solved everything.

When Loki disappeared from the public view and came back to hers, he came with a look of bewilderment and so many questions that she knew she was not going to answer. He found her, sitting down in a shimmering magical chair she constructed herself, looking at everything around her, particularly at Loki in amusement.

Friday didn’t know what surprised Loki more, the fact that her Da was able to deflect his attacks that easily, or that she was sitting there comfortable in this chaos, a bored yet amused expression on her face, just waiting for him.

“Are you done?” She asked, casually inspecting her nails and ever so often changing her nail color as he looked on gobsmacked.

“It should not be possible.” Friday looked at him, poor thing, and constructed a similar magical chair for him. He slumped down, still looking frazzled, as the helicarrier burned around them.

“It should not be possible.” He repeated and turned to look at her. Friday gave him all of her attention. “He should not be able to dismiss my attack just like that. He should not be able to resist-” Loki cut himself off.

“Resist one of the infinity stones?” She asked, relishing the way Loki’s expression changed. “The Mind stone to be exact. Yeah, we know.”

She knew how her Da was able to resist the enchantment of the Mind Stone, she was there when they had confirmed that it was theoretically possible. They did not have any concrete results, just surety in their calculations so it was rather nice to know that it actually worked.

Loki veered closer to her. “Are you able to deflect it too? Are the sorcerers of Midgard really so powerful?”

Friday didn’t reply, she just smiled mysteriously. She knew one of their goals was to increase the mysteriousness of the Order of the Mystic Arts and lure Loki in, make sure that Loki trusted them enough to tell them about Thanos, and the way this was going, he was prepped and ready. She did not want to overdo it, but she was having so much fun.

“Now what would be the point in giving you all the answers here and now?” She said and stood up. Loki did so too, his eyes kept lingering upon her, kept trying to figure her out. The magical chairs disappeared.

She took a moment to look at all the chaos that was in front of them, to look at the SHIELD agents trying and successfully mitigating the worst of it. “We should get going.” She simply said. Loki nodded slowly.

Friday didn’t sit in on the meeting with Doc and Loki, it was bound to be boring and she really did not want to act all shocked or whatever when Loki revealed all of the things they wanted him to reveal. She could act, she just didn’t want to. So, she just dropped him off in one of the rooms in the NY Sanctum and went downstairs.

She was thinking of working at another crazy conspiracy theory explaining her mysterious and sudden existence to post on the internet. Maybe she should go with the truth this time, with all that was going to happen shortly, no one would be looking too closely. The internet would be abounding with theories about the Chitauri, and she would be slipping some of her own into the mix.

That all halted as Friday spotted a familiar figure just standing around. She perked up and went to greet her.

Julia simply smiled at her, as she hugged her back. “Hey, there Friday.” She said to her enthusiastic greeting.

“Julia!” Friday beamed. “What are you doing here?”

“Got a day off and thought I might visit.” Friday gave her a deadpan look at that. Julia chuckled. “And wanted to know what the hell is going on. I know the Pyms and Master Strange and you are involved, I just want to know what’s happening.” She admitted.

Friday grinned at that and leaned over to talk to Julia. “Alien Invasion.” She whispered conspiratorily. Julia simply looked at her in response.

“Same alien from New Mexico or is it a different headache?” Julia simply asked, taking everything in stride.

Friday pouted a little, being unable to amplify the mysteriousness of the situation, but she replied. “Same ones really. Loki is back, and this time with an army. And Thor is helping in the fight against him.”

Julia nodded as if that sentence really did not faze her. “Are we going to be joining the fighting or is it just that mysterious organization SHIELD?” She asked.

Friday shrugged. “I don’t know. I kinda want to tho. I mean it’s aliens.” Julia laughed at her but didn’t say anything. She looked pensive. Friday knew that she did not relish fighting and violence, but would do it if it was needed. That was one of the reasons she liked her.

They did get to join the fight, albeit only from far apart. The Avengers were doing the bulk of the work, from the center of the portal itself on Stark Tower. And they were stuck on the sidelines, battling any Chitauri who had gotten past the strong grip of the Avengers.

Friday was enjoying herself battling the Chitauri. It was fun to use her newly-but-still-kinda-oldly found magic in pure combat situations. Practicing magic was one thing, showing off in front of Loki was fun in its own way but this was pretty damn amazing too.

She was having the time of her life turning the incoming Chitauri army into dust from the rooftops, the Ancient One displaying her age-old skills besides her and occasionally giving her some advice.

It was pretty fun, actually using magic after years of studying it and only practicing it. Real-life situations were more hectic and dangerous than she could ever imagine, but she was able to use her skills and knew that she would only improve from this.

She was having the time of her life fighting alien monsters when Loki popped in out of nowhere. She almost lost her balance, almost. Tearing the Chitauri before her in half, she gave Loki a straight glare. Loki raised his arms placatingly and just stood there letting her fight in peace. She rolled her eyes but continued.

Instead of talking with her, he calmly made his way towards where the Ancient One was fighting and just observed her for a while. When she turned to look at him, he finally spoke.

“I presume you are the one they call the Ancient One.” He remarked, rather dryly.

“I am.” She did not miss a beat, slaying the Chitauri and maintaining a conversation with the man that called the army here rather easily.

“I merely wanted to take a look at the person who will be my jailor from today.” He sounded bitter about it.

Friday was still in fight mode, she was still fighting superbly, but she was more interested in this conversation than her battles.

The Ancient One stopped after he spoke, however. Friday went towards covering her, defending her from the ones that were coming for her. Clasping her hands behind her back, she went towards Loki.

“I will not be, your jailor that is. Master Strange has taken the responsibility for you, assured your brother as such, and so he will be the one overseeing you.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Very well then.” He simply said.

She did not let him go. “But you are not here for me, God of Mischief.” She said and turned towards Friday.

Friday, who at that point was both fighting the upcoming army and listening to that conversation simultaneously, did falter. Luckily for her, the Ancient One was nearby to make sure she didn’t hurt herself. She turned to face Loki who was looking at the scene before him in amusement.

No fair, Friday thought, he didn’t get to look at her in amusement. Only she got to do that.

She brushed that thought aside and looked at him expectantly. “So you want something from me?” She got into the point immediately. She was missing a thrilling fight for what looked like was not going to be a thrilling conversation.

“Indeed.” He said mysteriously, annoying her even more. “I was hoping for your assistance, Lady Friday.”

Friday raised her eyebrows. If he was going to successfully steal her schtick of being mysterious, she was going to steal his looks. He smiled and then continued.

“I require your help in making sure I have a memorable death.” He explained still smiling. “After all, I came into Midgard with a flash, made sure many witnessed me in all my glory, it wouldn’t do to deprive them of a satisfying death.”

Friday grinned, which he mirrored back. Loki wasn’t being entirely truthful, that much was obvious here. She walked forward towards him, hands clasped behind her back, easily emulating the Ancient One. “That’s not exactly true now Loki. I’ll help you, but I would prefer you to be truthful.”

Loki’s smile faltered. At just that exact moment, one of the Chitauri drove at her. She obliterated the alien, eyes still fixed at Loki. She continued to walk forward, this time channeling her Da, and just how dangerous he could look.

“I’m not sure what you mean Lady Friday.” Loki hadn’t moved from his spot, he hadn’t reacted. He was strong, she would give him that.

Friday stood right before him. “You don’t care about the people of Earth.” She simply said. Loki didn’t reply, she continued. “You can easily fake your death in a thousand ways.”

Loki smiled. “Perhaps I just wanted to spend some time with a powerful and intelligent Mage such as yourself.”

“Charm is another one of your weapons.” Friday smiled. “But yes, I do believe that. You want to know what I’m capable of, that’s why you came to ask for your help.

Loki bowed slightly. “Yes, I did.” He turned his intense eyes at her. “Now that you know of my true intentions, what is your answer Lady Friday?”

“My answer was always going to be yes.” Friday smiled at his raised eyebrows. She floated slightly, to make herself taller than Loki and casually looped an arm around his illusionistic body. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

Chapter Text

The Battle of New York was going as well as Tony has hoped it would.

The location was the same as last time, the circumstances were about the same as he could make it, and ignoring the addition of some people, the manpower on their side was pretty much the same. All in all, it was a familiar situation.

The one good thing he had achieved was the lack of people in the immediate area of this battle. He had always striven to protect people first and foremost, he had always gone to protect civilians, help them evacuate and he was so glad that there was no living soul here for miles.

This would strike as odd to people, he knew that. They were fighting a supposed alien invasion, and yet they had been able to evacuate people easily and before the aliens invading even arrived. But he had timed it perfectly, SHIELD was the one to send the evacuation order, and they would be the one to take the heat for it. This was their mess, and he was done taking the blame for things that they did wrong.

He was always a scapegoat, especially for the Avengers and SHIELD. He was always the most public one, the public face of the Avengers and so he was the one left to blame for their misdeeds. It was a position he never liked.

Whatever his old team was, however bad they were in times of peace, they were reliable in battle and he could appreciate that. Still, he liked having his own people here, he liked having people he could trust to watch his back. He liked knowing that the portal wouldn’t close if he didn’t make it out in time. He liked that he could just fight without worrying about his safety because of his teammates.

Scott and Hope fought with the grace and strength of those who had been doing this for ages. They were perfectly coordinated, they were well trained and he couldn’t be more proud. Hulk was more precise too, Tony didn’t know if it was because of his help or something else, but he was glad the Big Guy was able to do this with ease.

But the biggest change from the last time this had happened was Stephen and he was glad for his help. They fought like partners, his magic coordinating well with his repulsor attacks. They were a power duo here, portalling and flying wherever they needed to be with efficient ease, easily defeating more Chitauri than anyone else.

It was a more peaceful battle than it had been the last time around. Last time, the army had popped in with a street full of people, so many had died, so many more had been injured. This battle was his nightmare, and he was so glad he was able to defeat it so easily.

It was going very smoothly, a bit too smoothly.

He was worried about something going wrong, he always was. And it did, just not in the way he was expecting.

“Col. Rhodes is calling Sir,” JARVIS spoke, and Tony knew in his gut that he wasn’t going to like this. Despite the feeling, he nodded accepting the call, face grim.

“Not really a good time Platypus,” Tony grunted out as he sliced a Chitauri open.

“I know Tones, that’s why I’m calling,” Rhodey replied. “I’m on route to New York, ETA 10 minutes.”

Tony faltered midair, and if it was not for JARVIS piloting the suit, he would’ve crashed. This couldn’t be happening. “No no Rhodey, it is dangerous here. You- you can’t.”

“That’s why I have to Tones. You gave me this suit so I can help. I can’t leave you alone there, I have to do something.” He could tell that Rhodey was scared for him, was terrified that he was fighting and he couldn’t help.

Tony tried to calm himself. “Okay. Okay.” He had equipped Rhodey’s suit with dozens of failsafes, he had made sure his best friend would be okay. Rhodey will be okay. “Be careful Rhodey.” He simply said.

“The Military is also cobbling a ground team. Volunteer Soldiers, all of them equipped with StarkGear.”

Tony should’ve realized that this would happen. The place was evacuated, which meant the local Law Enforcement and other soldiers weren’t busy evacuating people. It meant that they would actually come to help out with the invasion.

“They will be protected at least.” He simply said as he shut off the call. He had made sure that the protective equipment was top-notch, he had ensured that they would be protected no matter what. He just had to hope that they would hold against the Chitauri.

Stephen looked at him, Tony could feel all the concern and the love he had for him with just that gaze alone. “It’s going to be alright.”

Tony nodded and went back to fighting. If baseline humans like Natasha and Clint could fight beside them, so could the soldiers. They would be protected, it would be okay.

But of course, when it rains, it fucking pours.

One second everything was going great, and the next Natasha was being thrown out of a portal right in front of her. Easily defeating the enemy in front of him, Tony went on to help her not crash horribly into the ground. Stephen helped.

“What happened?” He asked as he lowered her to the ground. He opened the helmet in order to talk better.

“Fucking Loki happened.” She said and glared at Stephen. “I thought you and your cult had dealt with him.”

“I promised no such thing, Agent Romanoff.” Stephen glared back. “I simply had a talk with Loki.”

Tony, however, was panicking. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. What was Loki doing? He couldn’t help but worry. This was not how he planned. This was not going okay.

“Hello, Man of Iron.” Tony almost jumped at the sudden entrance. He could feel Natasha’s eyes on him, he could see her sensing something was wrong. He turned to Stephen who understood right away.

“I’ll have someone else close the portal,” Stephen said and flew away. Natasha still hadn’t quit her suspicious glare at him.

Tony paid no attention to Loki, who was watching very intently. He hoped he hadn’t betrayed his presence already, but he wasn’t going to stay and give her chances to figure it out. He closed his helmet. “There are still hostile aliens all around us Agent Romanoff, you should rejoin the fight.” He said and flew away.

Loki did so too apparently. He didn’t know much about this illusion magic, but it was getting really bothersome. “What do you want Loki?” He asked quietly, knowing Loki could hear perfectly. Stephen continued to fight beside him pretending not to know about Loki.

“Can I not just be interested in seeing you battle both with your fists and your words?” Loki replied as he observed Tony obliterating Chitauri after Chitauri.

Tony didn’t reply. It was better to just ignore Loki.

Loki exaggeratedly rolled his eyes at his silence. “Lady Friday is more fun than you.” He declared. Tony ignored that too, Loki was just trying to egg him on.

Loki sighed as he theatrically walked around Tony. “You know many things, Anthony. And not all of it can be explained by your intellect and the ability to read me.”

Now, they were getting somewhere. “You’re not the only big deal around here Lokes. You’re not the only smart person in the room or the realm, and it terrifies you.

“No, it does not. You are simply trying to attack me with believable lies just like you did the last time we talked like this.” Loki replied, sounding bored of it all. “I can see through you Anthony, and that terrifies you.”

“I’m not interested in this back and forth Loki.” Tony was frankly getting tired of it all. “Either attack me or let me destroy these aliens you called in peace.”

“Ah, the aliens attacking right now. Just what I wanted to discuss.” Loki beamed. “You knew about this attack. You have strategically planned how to combat it, you have planned each and every step of this, all the ways it could go wrong, you have placed all the people you would need just where you would need them.”

Tony didn’t know whether Loki could see his face through the helmet, but he was glad he had that small level of protection. Loki was smart, but this level of precision was terrifying.

“You do not refute my remarks, because I am correct.” Loki sounded proud of himself.

“Or maybe because I’m saving the Earth from the monsters you brought here while trying to figure out how to save your worthless ass from whoever is holding you captive. Really starting to think if it’s even worth it.”

Loki’s smile fell. “I will give myself up voluntarily. To your enemies at SHIELD, it will appear as if I am dead but I will voluntarily be your captive.”

Tony paused. He looked straight at Loki. “No cage. We will have prepared comfortable quarters for you. We- I want to save you Loki.”

Loki nodded solemnly. “I never doubted that Anthony. Your intentions have always been the truest thing about you.” Loki smiled a wicked smile, all that solemnity gone in an instant. “But this battle is getting almost too easy.” He clicked his tongue.

Loki pointed towards where the news helicopters were broadcasting the entire thing. “That wouldn’t do. You have all of Midgard watching you. This has to be about how Midgard is truly unprepared, truly outmatched when it comes to the rest of the galaxy. You cannot win this easily, it has to be a fight, it has to be a battle worth watching.” And with that, he disappeared.

Tony turned to Stephen. “Loki is planning something. I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

No sooner had he said these words that Loki reappeared. He appeared as a huge figure of himself, he was in his full Norse regalia, putting a show for everyone to watch. Tony looked at Stephen, whatever was going to happen here was not good.

“Did you really think it would be this easy? That you mere humans could defeat me so easily.” He was grandiose, he was scary, and Tony had to admit, he was playing a great villain.

“Brother,” Thor shouted, his loud voice carrying through. “Cease this brother and come home.”

Loki snarled at Thor, and for some reason, Tony doubted that that was fake. “Never Odinson.” and he jabbed the Scepter towards the sky.

Tony could just watch in horror as another portal began to form. It shouldn’t be possible, he shouldn’t be able to do this, not without the Tesseract. Tony turned towards Stephen. “How is he doing this?”

It wasn’t Stephen but Friday who answered. “He created a link between the Tesseract and the Arc Reactor in the Stark Tower with another reactor in the research lab there. The Tesseract is powering both portals so once that portal closes this one does too”

Tony knew he shouldn’t react with all the eyes on him, but he was worried. “What are you doing here? This is dangerous Fri.”

Friday smiled dazzlingly. “I’m not actually there, just Astral Projecting.” That was good at least. Friday beamed at them and prattled on. “Just helping Loki fake his death. It’s going to be awesome. Loki’s gonna give the Scepter to me, and I’ll give it to Julia who will then close it on your or Doc’s signal. Loki’s gonna die theatrically, and when he does, I’ll just chuck him off in one of the abandoned rooms in Kamar-Taj.”

“Be careful Friday.” Stephen simply said while Tony was shell-shocked to say anything. Friday nodded enthusiastically and disappeared. “Maybe letting her go help Loki was not a great idea.” He murmured once she was gone.

“You don’t have to be a genius to figure that out.” Tony snapped and flew away. This was bad, there were too many of them to fight now. Tony didn’t know how they were going to survive this.

The call from Fury broke him out of his reverie. He wasn’t sure if this would happen or not. They had changed a few things, both at SHIELD and in the larger world. Things might not play out like this, he knew that and had accounted for it.

He accepted the call, letting his annoyance show with his voice.

Tony couldn’t believe what he was hearing. There had been only one missile last time, now there were two missiles heading for New York, ones that could wipe out about half of North America because the people at WSC were not confident in Fury’s team.

He was truly scared, the fear and annoyance were not just for show. Last time around, he had been able to save the whole world from SHIELD because there was only one. No way he could take care of both of them.

“Dammit, Fury.” He shouted at the man from a million miles away. “I have it handled here. Military personnel are here actively helping with the battle. This is not good.”

“This is a monumental fuck up, and I agree. For what it’s worth, it wasn’t my decision.”

“I told you to keep your organization in check Fury.” He felt some of the confidence restore as he saw Rhodey fighting valiantly nearby. They had two suits on the ground here, this could work. “I might have a plan.”

Fury sighed. Tony could hear the bone-deep exhaustion on the one-eyed man’s face from here. “Just, just take care of it Stark. You’re the only one I trust to take care of it.”

“Of course I will.” Tony snapped. “I don’t want this entire continent to turn into a nuclear wasteland because a couple of people with too much power and too much anonymity got trigger happy.”

JARVIS promptly connected him to Rhodey, knowing what he was thinking. “Rhodey-bear, two missiles incoming.”

“What?” Rhodey sounded exactly as panicked as Tony felt.

“Yeah, SHIELD fucked up.” Tony sounded tired. “But I have a plan. We have two portals and two suits capable of flight.”

“The Stark Tower is closest to me-”

“No-” Tony wouldn’t let Rhodey continue. “I have more experience with the suit, I’ll take the bigger portal. Both of us take the missiles and direct them towards the portal. Once we return we close the portal.”

“Can we do that?” Rhodey sounded scared and skeptical, but he didn’t argue. Tony was glad for that.

This time it was Stephen who spoke. “Someone is already in place to close the portal, but with the missiles incoming, it would be wiser to wait.”

“Copy that.”

Stephen looked at him, all of his worries and concern evident on his face. He knew what Tony was going to do, they had talked in length that this was the best way to do this, but that didn’t make it easier. They had backup plans should the portal close before Tony was out, and they had ensured his chances of survival would be better than the last time this had happened, but it was still worrying.

“Be safe,” Stephen said to him as the bomb appeared in sight. Tony nodded and prepared to live his nightmares once again, but he was more worried about the effect this would have on Rhodey. He didn’t want what happened to him to happen to his best friend, but they really had no choice.

Grabbing the missile, he guided it upwards, towards the portal. He was worried, he was so so worried, mostly for Rhodey than for himself but they would have to do this. He picked up the pace a little, having modified his suit for this very purpose. He needed to get this over with and fast.

The other side of the portal was the same as before. Rows and rows of enemy ships, just waiting to sink their teeth into Earth. He pushed the missile deep, deeper than he had done the last time. He remembered this place with perfect clarity, remembered the ships and their positions. He had gotten incredibly lucky last time, pushing the missile where he assumed would do the most damage and he had been right. But this time, the Chitauri would be well and truly defeated.

He spotted Rhodey. Rhodey had thrown the missile blindly, just as he had last time, and Tony was sure Rhodey was feeling the exact same thing. The scope of the attack was not an easy thing to witness. Rhodey wouldn’t be the same after this, but Tony knew he was going to be there to help his friend.

Wordlessly they returned. The portal started closing once they had safely exited. He could see the missile erupting on the other side as the portal closed. What would’ve happened to New York, plain for everyone to see. All that destruction, all that damage that SHIELD HYDRA would’ve done.

Loki appeared once again as the portal fully closed. This time, he did not look majestic, he looked tortured and he looked like he hadn’t been well for some time. If Tony had to guess, this was the more realistic visage of the young Asgardian.

“I am truly sorry for this, Anthony.” Loki rasped. Tony rolled his eyes but he had to admit, Loki was giving a good performance.

Tony flew on over to where Loki was floating at a weird angle. “Loki!” He shouted.

Loki straightened up, even though everything about him looked like it was bent at an odd angle. “You tried to save me, but you could not have.” Theatrics or not, it was probably true. Tony swallowed heavily.

“I can still try Loki. You can still be saved.” He wasn’t even acting anymore. It was the truth. They might’ve told Thor all that, but they knew Thanos was controlling Loki. Loki could still be a useful ally.

“You have my gratitude, Man of Iron.” Loki straightened up as if bracing for an attack. “But he will not let me go. I will be punished for failing, I will be punished for my disobedience.”

Loki gave him a weak smile, and on cue, the scene started. Monstrous tentacles rising from thin air twisted and turned Loki’s body. His howls of pain were excruciating, and all who heard them were horrified.

Tony knew it was an act, that Friday was manipulating things behind the scenes but Loki’s shrieks sounded too real, it sounded too painful. He moved without even realizing it, he rushed to help and so did Stephen. But they were too late. By the time they reached anywhere close to Loki, he had already disappeared, being folded onto himself horrifically as the entire world watched.

“You were right Stark.” Barton’s voice through the comms broke him out of his shell-shocked gaze. “Loki was definitely not in charge of this. If this was what he was being threatened with, I’d keep quiet and follow orders too.”

Tony didn’t have a snappy comeback or reply to that. He was tired and he didn’t want to deal with this. But it did break the spell. Making sure that he was connected with everyone on the comms, he spoke.

“Everyone meet up in Stark Tower. We have to talk about everything that happened here.” There would be no Shwarma this time, no team bonding, but they would need to talk about this. He was not going to repeat the same mistakes as last time.

“SHIELD’s gonna handle the cleanup. Clint and I will be there in a while.” Natasha said, and with that, the two spy twins disappeared.

The battle was over but no one walked away thinking they had won. It was a horrific end to a horrific day. Tony couldn’t help but feel dejected as he flew towards his tower, Stephen following beside him.

Chapter Text

Tony gracefully landed on the landing pad in Stark Tower, Stephen seamlessly landing beside him. The bots peeling his armor away as he walked inside felt strangely cathartic. He couldn’t help but think back to the last time this had happened. The circumstances were different, but the Asgardian giving him grief was the same.

Speaking of the Asgardian God, Tony was surprised to see him sitting down rather blasely in his penthouse. Tony and Stephen exchanged a glance, unsure of what exactly was going on here. They approached him cautiously, a loaded gauntlet and spells already in hand.

“So?” Loki asked theatrically as he stood up to his full height. “Was my performance to your satisfaction Lord Anthony? Master Strange?”

The bastard was taunting him, even still. Tony didn’t let the gauntlet down and chose to glare at Loki louder.

“Peace, Man of Iron.” Loki raised his arms in surrender. “I have given myself up to be your prisoner. You need not look at me like that.”

“He’s right Da.” Friday walked in her human form. His daughter, just casually defending Loki like that. “Besides, Uncle Rhodey is about to enter in less than a minute, so...” She turned to look at Loki, signaling something.

Before his eyes, Loki transformed. Tony knew that Loki was capable of transforming himself into anyone and anything, but he was still surprised to see him transform into a teenage girl. Apparently, Levi was fascinated too, because the cloak went from Stephen’s shoulders to poke at the unfamiliar blonde girl standing in his living room.

Tony just turned towards Stephen. “This is going to be a disaster.” He declared.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Stephen replied as he observed Loki. “Fascinating illusion. I assume it will hold up even in the presence of Thor?”

“I am not an amateur.” Loki sounded more offended now. “Your friend, the Colonel is entering through the Iron Man entrance, so it would be best if you treated me with less derision.”

Tony rolled his eyes at the ‘Iron Man entrance’ but teenage girl!Loki was right, Rhodey was about to enter any minute now, and while some suspicion about Friday’s new friend was warranted, a lot of it would seem out of character.

“If you hurt Friday in any way, Loki...” Tony simply said. He didn’t get to say anything more because that was when Rhodey entered.

“Hey, Tones.” Rhodey entered casually, but Tony could hear how scared, how frightened he was. Tony himself had hidden his fears in Shawarma and the belief that his team would help him fight off the next invasion, so he understood how Rhodey felt. “Why do you still have your gauntlet on?”

“We thought there was an intruder in the penthouse.” Stephen calmly explained. Tony wasn’t sure if he could even talk rationally right now. “Turns out it was just Friday and her friend.”

“Hey, Uncle Rhodey.” Friday didn’t waste any minute running and enveloping Rhodey into a hug. Tony just smiled as he stared at the two of them interacting. Rhodey seemed to absolutely melt into the hug, forgetting his worries for a brief second.

“Hey, there Friday,” Rhodey said. “Who’s your friend?”

Tony watched as Loki portrayed the perfect visage of a young girl, acting all shy as Friday sought to introduce her. “That’s my new friend Sylvie.” Friday beamed. “I had so much fun today.”

“And gave me a lot of grey hairs calling me while I was in SHIELD,” Tony grumbled good-naturedly.

Friday simply smiled dazzlingly in response. Tony was just glad she was safe, he had been so worried thinking about the ways she could be hurt. Rhodey just smiled at the two.

“You were so cool out there.” Loki, or rather Sylvie spoke for the first time, hero-worship evident in her eyes. Tony didn’t know what Loki’s game was but she was staring right at Tony. He could tell that Stephen was suspicious too, but no one said anything.

“Thanks, kid.” Tony simply replied, for the lack of anything to do. Loki Sylvie kept looking at him like he was her entire world. It was a bit creepy if Tony had to admit. Rhodey outright laughed at the look on his face.

“Ant-Man and Wasp are a minute out Sir.” JARVIS’s interruption knocked him off his reverie.

“Friday, take your friend and go to your room. There are a lot of people coming here right now.” Tony simply said. He wasn’t going to let Friday be near them, and he wouldn’t risk Loki being anywhere near.

“But Da-” Friday started but Stephen interrupted her.

“Not now Friday. We just want you to be safe.” Stephen calmly said. Friday nodded and made her way out of the room, Loki Sylvie following her. Before completely exiting the room, she leaned towards Stephen and loudly whispered.

“You were so much cooler.” With those parting words and a cheeky grin on her face, she left, Levi following the two.

Tony smiled. “She likes you more than she likes me.” He mock-complained.

“Well, considering he’s apparently a magic wizard now, and Friday’s obvious magical powers, that’s to be expected,” Rhodey replied.

“Sorcerer, Rhodey-bear,” Tony corrected, his tone apologetic.

“I do apologize for all the secrecy.” Stephen started. “But we thought you might need plausible deniability.”

“I appreciate it, Dr. Strange.” Rhodey simply replied. They turned to look at Hope and Scott who were flying towards them as their tiny selves. Scott was riding a flying ant and Hope was just flying. “What about these two? Plausible deniability again?”

“Not my secret to tell,” Tony replied as the two entered and turned back into their full size. “The suits are Pym Tech stuff. Hope would kill me if I squealed.”

He had barely said that when Hope took off her helmet. Rhodey just looked at her in shock. “You trust Col. Rhodes Tony, I wouldn’t mind if he knows about me.” She smiled.

Scott shrugged from inside his suit and opened his helmet too. “Hi, I’m Scott.” He introduced himself. Tony was rather fond of Scott, his playfulness and enthusiasm had rubbed off on him.

“Nice to meet you, Scott. You did good out there.” Rhodey complimented him. It was true, Scott had even surpassed his expectations on the field.

“Dr. Banner and Mr. Thor are making their way up,” JARVIS informed them. Tony was surprised that Rogers wasn’t with them but he brushed that off. He didn’t care much about Rogers. Instead, he went on to talk with Scott.

“You okay Scott?” He asked kindly, directing him towards the bar. “Want a drink? You look like you need it.”

“Thank you, Tony,” Scott said. Tony poured him a double shot of whiskey, Scott downed it all in one go. Tony rarely drank anymore, but he had kept the bar the same for occasions like these.

“It’s scary, I know.” Tony started but Scott interrupted him.

“We fought aliens, and the guy we thought was controlling them was being controlled all this time. We fought aliens and we somehow won.” Scott still looked like he was out of it. Tony wordlessly poured him more whiskey.

He spotted Hope talking to Rhodey, and she spotted him. Wordlessly, both of them joined them in the bar. Tony didn’t say anything, just looked at the state of his teammates and handed them a drink.

“You want one too Doctor?” Tony called. Stephen smiled at him and portalled right next to Tony. Tony didn’t miss the small flinch on Rhodey’s face at that one simple act. Tony remembered what it was like for him.

Stephen seamlessly conjured a pot of fresh tea. ”Looks like you need this more Doctor.” He replied. Tony laughed at that and moved to kiss the man.

“They are so sickeningly sweet.” Hope declared as she poured herself some more liquor.

Rhodey laughed in agreement. “I’m happy for you Tones, I really am, but Hope’s right.”

Tony just flipped Rhodey the bird as he kissed Stephen. Everybody laughed.

The elevator opened, letting Bruce and Thor in. Bruce looked at the scene in amazement and shrugged. Tony beckoned them forwards. Bruce was quiet where Thor was boisterous but the both of them joined the group seamlessly.

“I see the custom of celebrating with mead after a battle exists in Midgard too.” Thor boomed as he made his way towards them. Tony smiled but poured him a big glass of beer. He knew Thor would enjoy it.

Bruce ducked his head shyly and looked towards the teapot. Stephen magically poured him some. “Captain Rogers is out there talking with the soldiers we fought with. He said he’ll be here in a while.” Bruce answered the unspoken question as he gingerly took the teacup.

Tony just watched as Thor finished the entire glass in a gulp and threw the glass down, shattering it completely. “Another!” He roared. Tony shook his head and went to give Thor another.

“I bet that feels satisfying,” Hope remarked, looking at the broken shards of glass on the floor.

Tony grinned as he handed Thor another glass of beer. “Don’t tell me the prim and proper Hope Van Dyne is thinking of doing something as barbaric as that?”

“What about the Hope Van Dyne who could kick your ass?” Hope questioned rather childishly. Everyone laughed. “Come on Tony, I need to know how satisfying it would be.”

“Oh, you’re a long way from that young grasshopper.” Tony softly said but acquiesced. Hope chugged it down and threw it down to the ground with all her strength. Everybody laughed and cheered.

“So, how did it feel, My Lady?” Thor simply asked.

“Extremely fucking satisfying.” Hope declared. “We should do this every time.”

“I am glad I could share the experience with a strong warrior like yourself,” Thor said and finished his drink. He threw the glass to the ground with a mighty crash and shouted. “Another Man of Iron.” Tony laughed but did so.

He was amazed at how this had turned out. In the place where he had discreetly tried to arm himself, now stood all of his friends. This bar, which had signified loss and all the hurt of Loki last time, now signified their post-battle rush. The Shwarma last time had been weird and full of uncomfortable silences, but now they were roaring in laughter and exchanging stories.

He liked this team, he really did.

A while later, Hope and Rhodey were both nursing a drink and talking on the couch. Stephen, Bruce, and Thor were talking about Asgardian vs Midgardian magic, and Scott was still on the bar, still looking absolutely miserable.

“You okay there Scott?” Tony asked, concerned about the man.

“I never forgot her face, you know. She still haunts my nightmares.” Scott said quietly. He was still shaken up about the whole kidnapping by SHIELD. And now, having to fight beside her couldn’t have been easy for him.

“It’s never as bad as you imagine it is.” Tony simply said. Scott looked up. “You did good today, Scott. Natasha is powerful but not that powerful, not when you have me on your side. I will make sure she can never harm you again.”

Scott looked up at that and smiled that boyish smile of his. “Thank you, Dr. Stark. I know that you will protect Maggie and Cassie and that means the world.”

“You helped save the world today Scott. Saving your family from those that wish you harm is the least I could do.” Tony replied truthfully.

It was then JARVIS told them that Rogers, Barton, and Romanoff had entered the building. The entire atmosphere in the room changed then. Scott and Hope immediately went towards concealing their identity. The relaxed environment dissipated.

Scott walked towards where Hope was and sat down on the couch. Both of them sat up straight, looking alert and bracing for trouble. Tony hoped it wouldn’t have to come to that.

Rhodey looked at him and nodded slightly, silently conveying that he was there for him. Tony nodded back, grateful for the support. Thor clasped his shoulders as he went over to sit down on the couch, his touch light yet supportive. Bruce too looked strong, looked like he was readying himself to defend Tony should it come to that.

Everyone in this room knew about SHIELD, knew about their underhanded methods, and knew what they were capable of. They were going to protect each other and they were going to protect Tony. It was nice, having this team, having people he could depend upon.

Tony got out from the bar and sat down on the stool that Scott was occupying just moments before. Stephen came to stand beside him, all of them showing solidarity in the face of SHIELD’s might. They had fought with SHIELD just a few hours ago, but fighting with them and talking to them were two different things.

The elevator doors opened and entered the last three people who had fought in the battle as Avengers.

“Couldn’t wait to party huh Stark?” Barton said in a mocking tone. Tony didn’t miss the distasteful look on Rogers’s face.

Tony didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to, his face said it all. “Just sit down somewhere, we need to discuss everything that happened.” He was surprised when they actually followed his orders, although he didn’t show it.

“I’ve been instructed to record this meeting for SHIELD’s benefit,” Natasha informed him. He nodded. They were obviously going to do that, he was just glad they informed him. He would still look into it later, there would no doubt be bugs placed all over his living room.

“First things first.” Rogers took control, annoying Tony so much. He didn’t say anything, he wanted to know where this went. “We need to know the identities of Ant-Man and Wasp. I didn’t say anything during the battle, but there can be no secrets in a team.”

That sentence reminded Tony of another time and irritated him, but he was capable of ignoring that. Everyone sat in quiet silence, and after a minute, both Scott and Hope turned towards him.

Tony just looked at Rogers. After he was sure the silence had stretched on enough to make Rogers uncomfortable, he spoke. “No.”

“He doesn’t know who they are,” Natasha interjected. “Shrinking technology is Pym tech. We have worked with them in the past.”

“He’s the one who recruited me. Of course, he knows who I am.” Scott spoke, the automatic voice modulation hiding his identity. Natasha turned towards him. Tony was glad to see him standing tall upon her gaze.

“That’s too much information, Ant-Man.” Hope softly rebuked him. “We trust Tony Stark to not reveal our identity, we trust him to keep us safe. SHIELD, we do not trust.” It was remarkable how much her presence was even with the suit. “So, forgive us Captain if we do not trust you.”

Rogers kept quiet but did not say anything. Natasha, probably sensing his agony, took over.

“Next order of business.” It was remarkable how they thought they were in charge. “Where is the Scepter and the Tesseract? SHIELD would ensure they are safely kept.”

“Safe keep it?” Bruce questioned. “Or start another round of illegal experimentations and call forth another army?”

Before she could deny and start another round of questioning, Stephen spoke up. “The Scepter is already in a safe location, more protected than SHIELD can ever ensure.”

“And that’s another thing I’m curious about,” Barton spoke. “Who are you? Who is your organization? You don’t have authority here.”

“Technically, you don’t either.” Tony began. He spoke quietly but his words were heard by all. “One of the main disadvantages of being a secret organization.”

“We could get you for treason Stark. We could destroy all you have built in less than a day.” Barton said, walking towards him menacingly. Tony didn’t care. “SHIELD is powerful, and just because we have let you do whatever you wanted doesn’t mean that it’ll always be true.”

“Are you threatening a civilian, a respected military contractor in front of a United States Colonel?” Rhodey simply questioned. “Treason is a serious crime, and talking about framing someone for treason is even more serious.”

Barton gulped and backed down. Tony just smiled as he looked at SHIELD’s recording device. “Don’t worry Rhodey. It’s all being recorded.”

“Okay. We don’t get the Scepter.” Natasha was just trying to get whatever she could here. “What about the Tesseract? Your cult want that too?”

In response, Tony simply turned towards Thor. Thor put his glass down and just looked at Natasha. “Asgard will be taking control of the Tesseract. It is clear that SHIELD cannot be trusted with dangerous artifacts.”

It was not just Thor speaking, it was Prince Thor, Asgardian, and God of Thunder, and it was clear. Fury hadn’t argued against that last time around, and he wouldn’t this time either.

Natasha was clearly frustrated. “So why did you call us in for? Just to embarrass us?”

Tony made his way from the bar towards the couch. “The entire world saw us fight, the world witnessed an alien invasion for the first time, and they saw people they could believe in fighting to protect them. We have fought an alien invasion for the first time, the Avengers, a team of superpowered people, aided by volunteer soldiers managed to defeat this enemy, but what about the next one?”

“There’s not going to be a next one Stark,” Natasha spoke up, clearly bitter.

Rhodey just looked at Romanoff for a minute. “Why did SHIELD send two nukes to New York, Agent Romanoff?” He asked calmly.

Natasha blinked. It was clear that she didn’t have an answer. Rhodey gave her a minute to answer it. Tony knew she was not going to. He just sat down beside Stephen and watched with interest.

“I’ll tell you why. Because they believed that earth was doomed and they wanted to contain the army. That’s going to be their plan for the next invasion.” Rhodey stood up and calmly walked towards Natasha. “And there is going to be a next one. Whoever was controlling Loki is still alive, and if what we saw beyond the portal was any indication, ready with a big army.”

“We defeated their army.” Rogers bolstered. Tony didn’t know who he was trying to convince, himself or others.

“Someone like that doesn’t stop at one army.” Thor concurred. “Someone capable of hurting my brother in such a horrific way would not stop at just one invasion.”

Tony wondered if Friday, and with her, Loki was listening to this conversation. A part of him hoped that they were. While he would like to protect Friday from the horrors of the world, from the horrors of this room, he knew he couldn’t always protect her. And he hoped Loki knew how much Thor cared about him.

Thor continued. “I admit I did not fully believe that someone else was controlling Loki.” He threw Tony an apologetic look, Tony simply smiled. No hard feelings there. “My brother is powerful, I did not think someone had a hold on him. I thought he was tricking you, Lord Tony, but after what I saw, after what the beast and his master did to my brother, did to a prince of Asgard.”

Tony walked towards Thor and wordlessly put his hands on his shoulders in a firm gaze. Thor looked up at him from the sofa. “I may not have known Loki long, but he was strong. We will have a chance to avenge Loki, that I promise you.” He said solemnly and Thor nodded.

At that, Rhodey took point and continued. “The army we saw is coming whether we like it or not, and we have to be prepared for it.”

Tony took this chance to walk up towards Rhodey and get him to sit back down. He knew what he was like after he saw the full army, and Rhodey would be the same. Rhodey looked at him with the same haunted eyes that he used to see in the mirror. Tony nodded slightly, and Rhodey did too, and finally sat down.

“Earth is woefully unprepared. I realized that two years ago.” He simply said. “Since then, I’ve been trying to make sure we won’t be unprepared in the future. We need to be vigilant, we need to be prepared.”

“I agree,” Rogers spoke up. Tony was really surprised at how much this Rogers was agreeing with him. “We were outmatched and outgunned, it’s a miracle we survived that, we have been running blind this entire time. Had it not been for Dr. Stark and his team, we would’ve lost.”

Natasha tried to argue but Rogers shut her up. “You got thrown out by Loki, his people actually closed the portal.” She had no comeback to that. “Look Stark, I know you don’t like me, I’m not too keen on you either. But I am willing to work with you. We defeated this invasion, and we are going to defeat the next one too. We will do it together." Rogers nodded solemnly at him.

Tony nodded back, easily hiding how unsure he was. He had been taken by a charming version of Rogers once, and it hadn't ended well for him. He hated having to guess everything about their interaction, but if that stopped him from dying in a Siberian Bunker, he would do it. He would work with Rogers and with SHIELD, but he would never lower his guard, never truly trust them. 

“Now it’s time for preparation. The Avengers are not enough to protect the world. We need more. We have to make sure that we are not scrambling to fight the next time we are attacked. When that army comes, and it will, we need to be ready.”

“How? How are you going to make sure that that happens?” Rogers asked. Truthfully, Tony was liking this version of Rogers. He was less Captainy and more willing to listen to other people and their ideas. He doubted that he would remain like this forever, but this was almost nice.

Tony turned to Rhodey who simply understood. “We do this by working with people, working with all the governments in the world, by making sure it’s not just a handful of people that come to defend Earth,” Rhodey replied. “The army is coming, and we are going to be prepared.”

It was nice having Rhodey be the one to talk about the upcoming army. People could ignore him, but they could not ignore Colonel Rhodes of the Air Force. Tony hadn’t taken any chances, however. His suit was fitted with a camera that captured the invading army in all of its glory. That would help convince any naysayers and help formulate a plan.

This time he wouldn’t be Cassandra. Thanos was coming, and now that the groundwork was laid, they needed to create strong defenses. He looked at Stephen who was sitting beside him and gently squeezed his hands. The future that Stephen witnessed would never come to pass. He and everyone in this room would make sure of it.

Chapter Text

Loki wasn’t sure what he had expected with Tony Stark, but this wasn’t it. The man had been intense, had been full of dark promises when they spoke in the SHIELD prison, but so far he had yet to deliver.

Instead of being locked up in a similar prison, or even the dreaded cage, they had simply slapped a power damping cuff on him and dumped him in an unused apartment in the Stark Tower. It was less of a prison and more of a glass cage, a very comfortable glass cage where his every necessity was met, he had ample space to roam around and he was left alone.

With the lack of anything to do, and his magic severely dampened, he could nothing but think. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop, torture sessions in the guise of information gathering to follow after he was lulled into a false sense of security. Logically, he knew that Tony Stark was not that kind of man. Loki barely knew Stark but he knew that Stark wouldn’t do something like that.

Loki couldn’t stop thinking about what they were going to do with him. They wanted him for a reason, and he was not looking forward to finding out what that was. Thanos and his Black Order certainly weren’t kind to him, he wasn’t expecting Tony Stark and his mysterious organization to be either.

There were so many things mysterious about Stark, so many things that didn’t add up. Loki had been suspicious ever since meeting the man a few years prior, and the events of last week had only increased his suspicions. He was impervious to an infinity stone, was several hundred steps ahead of everyone else, and seemed to know almost everything.

“Whatcha doing?” Friday’s voice snapped him out of his dark and tumultuous thoughts. Loki snapped up to look at her. Friday was a heavenly sight when she wasn’t in her human disguise.

Loki smiled at her entrance. “Thinking of what exactly you want from me?” He replied truthfully. The time for subtlety and slowly finding things out was gone, he needed to know.

Friday glided towards where he was sitting morosely in the sparkling clean bed and sat down beside him. “That’s for another time Lolo, now I want to hang out with you.”

“Lolo?” Loki questioned. He had hoped, oh so hoped that Stark’s penchant for awful nicknames hadn’t passed down to his daughter.

“Do you like it? I could try coming up with another nickname?” She offered. Loki shook his head in the most exaggerated fearful way he could. “Da makes it look so easy, but I can’t come up with good nicknames for people.”

“It’s not a bad name. I like it.” Loki watched her, a smile blooming on his face. Friday was always such a cheerful presence.

“Okay then, let’s go to the park.” Friday beamed as she stood up.

Loki just stared at Friday in shock. “I’m sorry, I must not have heard that correctly?”

Friday laughed, a sweet carefree laugh. “I mean it. You need to get out and not keep thinking about horrible things.”

“Am I that easy to read?” Loki asked. He had prided himself in being able to conceal his thoughts well, but Friday was here smashing through all of his preconceived notions.

“A little.” She replied.

“And Stark wouldn’t mind me being out and about?” Loki pressed. He had given himself up voluntarily, and he knew that Stark trusted him, however little that trust was.

“Yup.” She popped the P. “You would of course need to be near me at all times, and change into a more innocuous form, Sylvie maybe? But yeah we’re good to go.”

Loki just stared at her for a moment being doing what she asked. Gone was the Asgardian God of Mischief and in his place stood a young woman with equally mischievous eyes. Friday beamed at her.

Loki looked down at her hands. When she had transformed, she had changed her clothes accordingly but the chunky cuff still stood there unyielding. “Not exactly a fashion statement.”

Friday grinned as she slowly moved her hands on top of the cuff. It transformed right under Loki’s eyes, turning from a stiff slab of metal imbued with magic into a sleek bracelet with gorgeous emeralds inlaid on them. She was impressed.

“Thought you would like a hint of green,” Friday said quietly.

“Thank you, Friday,” Loki replied genuinely.

The park was beautiful. That’s all Loki had to say. The two of them were sitting on a park bench, the warm glow of the sun upon them, the cool breeze making everything seem peaceful and calm. People were milling about, children were enjoying their time and all in all everyone in Midgard was peaceful and happy, no inkling of the mortal danger they had been just last week.

Looking at all this beauty around her, Loki was just glad that she had not been successful in destroying Midgard.

Friday looked at her and just smiled for that moment, that one smile just illuminating Loki’s world.

“Point proven.” She just said as she leaned back and just enjoyed the moment.

“I’m not trying to prove a point,” Friday replied but she was still smiling.

“Sure you aren’t,” Loki said and turned towards the picnic basket that they had brought with them. Upon her gaze, the Cloak of Levitation, or Levi in the usual Stark nicknaming fashion, who was moonlighting as the cloth covering their picnic basket gave an approximation of a shrug. Loki smiled and ignored the Cloak grabbing two sandwiches for her and Friday.

This world was fascinating and terrible, and the order of Sorcerers that Strange and Stark belonged to even more so. In Asgard, ancient relics like these were thought to be dangerous and kept in the vault. Here, artifacts like these were friends with impossibly magical girls.

Loki took another look around as she munched on. Friday might’ve assured her that they were safe but she was taking no chances. She had always been responsible for her safety, always been on the lookout for anything that might harm her, and here was no different. She might be in another realm, she might have less magical prowess but her intellect and paranoia were the same.

And as it turned out, it wasn’t unfounded. She looked for a moment at the person sitting on a bench a bit further away, looking for all the world as if he was engrossed in the magazine he was reading, but Loki knew better. Mostly because his disguise was terrible, but also because she had controlled him with the scepter.

“Does SHIELD suspect something about me?” She asked Friday, her eyes not leaving the man. Friday followed her gaze and smiled.

“Oh, he’s not here for you, but for me.” She replied, her smile promising so much mischief.

“Because you are Stark’s daughter?” Loki asked.

Friday smiled and stood up, and grabbed the picnic basket, no doubt to make sure that Levi wasn’t left out, and with that, the two started to walk towards him.

“Agent Barton?” Friday asked sweetly, oh so sweetly. Even if Loki hadn’t known the girl, she wouldn’t have been fooled by that voice.

Baron stumbled at the greeting. The magazine that he was using to make his presence seem normal falling down from his hands as he reacted with surprise.

“Friday says that you are a SHIELD Agent. What is SHIELD?” Loki asked, playing the part of Friday’s clueless but sweet friend.

“Um….” Barton looked like a deer caught in headlights, which he was.

“It’s a secret agency, Sylvie.” Friday jokingly chided her. “You shouldn’t go around talking about them.”

Loki in her Sylvie form frowned. “But if it’s a secret agency, why is there a logo in his cap?” She asked in a confused voice. And wasn’t that true, for all their secrecy, SHIELD sure loved to plast their logo on everything. Only the dumbest of midgardians would’ve been fooled.

Levi twitched on beside them, hounding and torturing the man in a way that Loki approved of. Barton just stared. “What- what is that?”

“It’s a magical picnic basket,” Friday answered as if that was the simplest explanation ever.

“Why are you spying on us?” Loki asked sweetly. She had thought that this agency would be better than that.

“I’m not. I’m just waiting for my kids to arrive.” He tried to lie his way out, but it was so obvious.

Friday frowned. “Aren’t they in your farm in Missouri?”

Barton tore his eyes away from looking at the sentient cloth and towards Friday. “How do you even know that?”

“I’m Friday.” She simply replied.

Barton appeared to deflate. “SHIELD got news that you two were spotted in the park. I uh volunteered to keep watch.” He confessed.

“But why?”

“Better me than anyone else. Better me than Natasha.” He quietly replied. Loki could see some truth in that statement. However many his faults, Barton was not the type of person who would ever hurt kids, Romanoff she wasn’t sure about.

“I don’t think we should talk to strangers Friday.” Loki quietly said. Talking to Barton was bringing up all of her grief and regrets. She had delved into his mind, taken control of his very being, and tortured him.

Friday gave her a reassuring look, just one look that said it was okay, and then she was back on her mischief. “He broke into my house. I think that counts.”

Loki shook her head, and so did Barton. “No, no it doesn’t,” Barton replied and added. “Look I will just write a report about how you two had a normal day in the park and that I advise against getting to Stark through Friday or Sylvie?”

“Yes,” Loki replied with a smile. “But why are you telling us this?”

Barton turned to Friday. “You’re Stark’s daughter, one of the smartest people in the world.” and towards her. “And I don’t know who you are, but if you’re with her then you must be smart too.” He seemed like he had aged a hundred years in so few seconds. “I don’t want to harm you kids, just do the bare minimum that I have to.”

Loki nodded silently, as did Friday. “Okay then,” Friday said after a while. “We should get going, Da will worry, especially now.”

“It was nice meeting you Agent Barton,” Loki said and the two left. Loki felt so terrible interacting with her victim like that. Had she miscalculated things, had she pushed too hard she would’ve left him broken. The world would’ve lost a hero, and his children would’ve lost a brilliant father.

Loki walked on, thoughts heavy on her mind. When she looked towards Friday, she could see her and Levi having a silent conversation. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what was going on, but she couldn’t, still, she watched on. The two of them were interesting to watch, so attuned to each other that they did not need words to communicate.

“Friday?” She asked after it had been a while. Friday turned to look at her with an apologetic look and put a finger to her lips. She then pulled the basket upwards. There, expertly hidden in the weaving was a small listening device. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“I wanted to show you something,” Friday said and pulled out a magazine from the basket as they walked back to the Stark Tower. “The otherworldly origins of Friday Stark.” She proclaimed.

Loki couldn’t help the laugh that escaped at the title. “What?”

“Well since Da successfully kept my existence a secret, before SHIELD came along.” She delivered with a hint of bitterness. “All of these theories have been popping up, each more absurd than the last. It’s kinda fun to go through them.”

“And many have you started?” Loki asked in a deadpan voice.

“A fair few,” Friday replied. “But this is more unbelievable than the rest. Apparently, I am the lovechild of the alien Loki and Tony Stark.” Friday said and burst into giggles.

Loki did too, Friday’s laughter being contagious being more the reason than anything else. Why anyone would create rumors about her and Stark puzzled her, but she understood what Friday was trying to do. If Barton was going to listen in on them in an effort to get to Stark, then wasting his time with inane conspiracy theories was the least they could do.

Surprisingly, or not that surprisingly, Loki saw Stark that very night. The outing with Friday had reinvigorated his spirits and he was busy trying to make things homely in this constricting yet comfortable prison of his.

He was renovating the place, with whatever little magic he had at his disposal when Stark’s robotic butler spoke to him.

“Mr. Laufeyson, Sir requests your presence in the penthouse.” The smooth voice spoke. Loki hadn’t even considered that the artificial being would be here watching his every move.

“Just call me Loki please.” He said as he started to walk towards the elevator.

“Of course Mr. Loki.” JARVIS smoothly replied and opened the doors.

Loki should be apprehensive about this meeting, but his mind was calmer than it had been this morning. Whatever awaited him, he would deal with it.

He walked out of the elevator and towards Stark and Strange, purpose in every step. He was not that surprised to see the Sorceress Supreme casually sitting there. She was here to decide his punishment.

“Quite the table of judges for my execution,” Loki said with a smile, trying to uplift the atmosphere.

“It is not your execution Loki,” Stark said rubbing his face. He looked haggard, Loki couldn’t help but note. His invasion was big and with Stark right in the middle of it, he must’ve been busy trying to calm things down in the aftermath.

“You look tired,” Loki commented. “I’m told I give a particularly good massage.” Strange glared at him, Loki ignored him. He wasn’t going to stop flirting with Stark, not when it provided such nice entertainment.

“No, thank you,” Stark replied pointedly. “Would you like anything? Whiskey? Tea?”

“Yes, I would love some alcohol,” Loki replied. “I must say, you treat your prisoners well.”

Strange casually floated the glass of whiskey from Stark as Stark came to sit down. “You’re not our prisoner, Loki,” Strange said, his piercing eyes accentuating every word. “You’re our ally.”

Loki gracefully accepted the glass and took a sip. “Bit early to be calling me an ally isn’t it?” He swirled the glass around. “After all, I could very well be doing this to betray you later on. You hardly know me.”

At that comment, Stark and Strange exchanged glances. Loki’s eyes narrowed. There was something else going on here.

“I highly doubt that.” Stark simply said. Loki should be focusing on his words, all he was fixated on just how relaxed and comfortable Stark was around Strange. It was as if his worries disappeared just by being near him.

“You shouldn’t,” Loki said, trying to shake his thoughts off. “Now, about my punishment. I’ve been agonizing all week.”

“There is going to be no punishment.” The Ancient One spoke quietly but powerfully. “We’re here to ask you some questions.”

And wasn’t that how it always started. Loki had no illusions about what would happen if they didn’t like his answers. He nodded with a smile. “Of course. I shall endeavor to try my best to answer them.”

“What can you tell us about Thanos?”

Loki’s mouth went dry at that question. This wasn’t what he was expecting at all. How did such simple Midgardians even know of the Mad Titan? He pushed all of that down and spoke. “He’s known as the Mad Titan. He goes from planet to planet creating destruction and-”

“Killing half of all life within.” Strange finished. Loki snapped to look at him. The look on the sorcerer’s face was one he was intimately familiar with, it was the look of one who had survived that madness.

Loki gaped. “How do you even know that?”

“Never mind what we know. We want to find out what you know.” Stark continued. “You’re our best bet in finding out how that purple grape’s brain works.”

Loki couldn’t help it, he started laughing, because really what was he supposed to do? This was too much, calling one of the most dangerous people in the universe a ‘Purple Grape’ was just too much for Loki.

“How do you know everything Stark? How is this even possible?” He asked after he had sobered up. He was tired of all this secrecy, of Stark knowing things he wasn’t supposed to.

It was the Ancient One who answered. “I had feared to even look at this.” She started and moved her hands in front of the pendant she was wearing. Loki looked on, confused. The confusion abated but his stare didn’t lessen as a sharp green glow emanated from the pendant as it opened.

“The Time Stone,” Loki whispered in awe as he looked on. “This does explain a few things.” He commented as the ageless sorceress closed the Pendant.

“Some things yes, but not everything,” Stark said mysteriously. Oh, how Loki hated that mysterious look.

“Are you sure about this Tony?” Strange asked, his distrusting eyes not leaving Loki.

Stark slowly nodded. “Loki’s a self-serving bastard and we shouldn’t trust him. But for once, our objectives align. He wants to see Thanos suffer just as much as we do.”

Loki was impressed at how perceptive Stark was. He had hit the nail on the head with that one. “I have been intrigued by you for a long time Stark,” Loki said.

“That was the plan Loki, to intrigue you.” Loki raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. “To make you believe that we were strong, that we were capable of defeating you. So that when we offered a way out, you’d take it. You’re more useful here than in an Asgardian prison.”

Stark was right, that would’ve been his fate had he not faked his death and taken Stark’s offer. But it also was a curious thing for Stark to have such extensive knowledge about. Loki looked at the Time Stone protected inside the Eye of Agamotto, and towards Stark and Strange. Things were starting to make sense Their knowledge about things they shouldn’t know of, even with the capabilities of the Time Stone, how they were able to stay twenty steps ahead, and most importantly, why Stark begged him not to fight Thor back then. Stark knew what would happen to Loki because it already had.

“You traveled back in time,” Loki stated, for that was the only explanation he had. “Of all the foolish harebrained things to do-”

“We did not mean to travel back in time.” Strange did not even let him finish. “And besides things weren’t exactly stellar in the future.”

Loki’s look softened. Strange looked even worse than Stark did while thinking about the future, and if his observations were correct, then Strange had witnessed Thanos in all of his glory. Strange returned his look, his face steady but betraying so much pain within.

“What did Thanos do?” Loki asked, his tone defeated.

“Exactly what he has always done, but on a wider scale.” Strange replied. “He wiped out half of all life in the universe in one single snap.”

“Using the infinity stones.” Loki finished. He was on Earth to collect the Space stone after all. He might not know all of Thanos’ plan but he knew enough. “Such a grim fate that’s awaiting us.”

“Indeed.” the sorceress replied. “And we only have 6 years to thwart it.”

“Truly doesn’t feel like it will be enough.” Quite astounding that merely a few hours ago his greatest worry was Stark and Strange. Now, he was worried about the fate of the entire universe.

“We better get started then.” Stark sighed but stood straight. “You tell us about your time with the Purple Grape, and we will tell you everything that happened in the future. Hopefully, we can come up with a way to stop it.”

“Hopefully.” Loki parroted.

“Maybe if we were able to destroy one of the stones?” Tony asked. They were just brainstorming at this point, trying to come up with a way to stop Thanos. Loki did not think they would succeed, but it didn’t hurt to throw ideas around.

“Wouldn’t work,” Loki said as he ate one of the fries. It had taken them so long to tell their tale that they had ordered some food. And Loki had to admit, these greasy monstrosities tasted good.

He took one of the potato sticks and jabbed the overflowing bowl of sauce with it. The viscous liquid splashed with his force, staining the coffee table. “Most of the power would be gone from the world, but some of it would latch onto individuals. Imagine an individual with the power of the Mind Stone, they would be able to control vast cities, and planets on a whim.”

Stark’s face changed at his explanation, he shuddered. “I am really glad we have the Mind Stone.”

Loki stared at him. “Don’t tell me that happened in the future?”

“No, not exactly.” Tony swallowed. “But HYDRA experimented with the Scepter and created two superpowered beings. One of them, Wanda Maximoff was capable of mind manipulation.”

Loki didn’t really know what had happened with this Maximoff, but it sounded terrible and it sounded personal so he didn’t really press. “Alright. The energy has to go somewhere, that’s all I’m saying.”

Stark brought the container of sauce near him. “That’s what would happen if we try to destroy it without adequate planning, and with force.” He mused aloud as he considered the container. He then took it in his hands and poured the sauce down on the glass. “What if we were able to control how the energy dissipated? What if we destroy it in a way that that energy doesn’t splash around but disperses all around the universe.”

“That is an ideal solution. The infinity stones were created at the beginning of the universe, if they remained present throughout the universe, it might do the least harm” The ancient sorceress agreed. “But I doubt we have the resources or manpower capable of doing something like that.”

“Even with that, we have to defeat Thanos.” Strange gently reminded them. Loki agreed, Thanos was a difficult foe to defeat, infinity stone or no.

“Our best bet is collecting the stones ourselves.” This time, everyone turned to Loki, distrust plain in their eyes, he raised his hands in mock surrender. “I’m just saying what everyone is thinking. We have two, three if you count Asgard and we know where the fourth is going to be.”

“That much power is too much for one man to handle.” Strange simply said. Loki nodded, there was some truth to that statement. Thanos was a titan, one of the most powerful civilizations when they weren’t ruined. It stood to reason that he would be able to handle the power of the stones.

“We start small. Weapons capable of hurting his army, powerful people on our side, and we slowly create things that can make a difference.”

“We do have time to prepare. We do not have to rush in to find a solution.”

“I might know someone who might be willing to help,” Loki said, and to the questioning look, added. “She’s a Midgardian witch. Obsessed with power, self-serving but quite powerful.”

“No.” Loki was shocked at the stern reply from the Ancient One. He hadn’t even started talking about the witch. He looked around, even Stark and Strange were shocked at that reaction.

“I haven’t even told you who it is.”

She took a deep breath. “Agatha Harkness. You’re talking about Agatha Harkness.”

Loki stared. He absolutely was. “I take it that you two have met.”

“We have.” She confirmed. “I draw my power from the Dark Dimension, but I am careful about it.” Loki stared even more. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “She, on the other hand, is Mephisto’s puppet. She draws her powers from the Darkhold.”

The ever-so-cool and level-headed Strange cursed his heart out with that revelation. Stark just stared, not completely understanding everything. Truthfully, Loki wasn’t either but he understood enough to follow the conversation.

“I take it that that isn’t good?” Stark commented, sounding unsure.

“It is not.” The Ancient One replied. “As long as she holds the Darkhold, as long as that power consumes her and controls her, we are not going anywhere near it.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that she doesn’t then,” Loki replied, turning all unbelieving heads towards him. Well, Stark was still confused, but that was nothing new. “I might have taken the book, the tome away from her the last time we met. Dropped it in a volcano in a planet far far away.”

The Ancient One bowed her head towards him, looking incredibly respectful. “The world owes you a grave debt for that, Loki.” She said. Loki nodded.

“Her powers have not gone away. Agatha is a smart witch, and she is out for my blood. Still, she is powerful and she might might be a good ally.”

“Okay, that works for me,” Stark said. “I might not know everything about this but if she does not want to end the world or has lost the magical book of doom, that works.”

Stephen turned to look at the Ancient One. “You’re the oldest and wisest among us all.” Loki almost snorted at that, Strange ignored him. “It’s your decision.”

“If Agatha no longer has the Darkhold, we might just be able to contain her. And in time, impress upon her how important this is.” She simply said. It was, however, painfully clear that she did not like it one bit. “But not here, and not in any one of the Sanctums. If you are to meet one of the most dangerous magical people in this world, do it in a spacious and unknown location.”

“Understood,” Stark replied. “Find a forest for her to destroy her rage with Loki on.”

“And a convenient target.” Strange added. There was no hint of malice in his voice, but Loki still glared at him. “We get her focused on you, and we will be able to hold her easily. I doubt we will be able to reason with someone with the power of the Darkhold without nullifying her powers if only a little.”

Loki looked at the magic-dampening cuff disguised as a bracelet in his hands at that comment. He had thought that they had specifically made these for him, but they might be standard issue.

“These will not hold her. But do not worry, I will create something that will work on her.” The Ancient One assured her. “I am intimately familiar with her powers.”

“Now that that is settled.” Stark began. “If Loki is going to get out of this enchanted tower, we are going to need a good disguise for him. The entire world has seen you get devoured by Cuthulu, you can’t be seen outside.”

Loki gave Stark his best ‘What do you take me for?’ smirk as he transformed easily. Changing forms came easily to him, especially after spending all of his life in one. Gone was the dark-haired enigmatic Asgardian God that had died in agony just a week prior, and in his place stood a brunette man with equally great cheekbones and an even greater air of mischief.

“Does this form suit your interests?” Loki asked dramatically, spinning around to give them a view of the entire thing.

“Yeah, that works.” Stark didn’t even look fazed at his transformation. Loki had thought that he could wow the inventor with this, but apparently not. “We’re still going to need some paper trail, establish you in this world. A name, a history, a family, the whole deal. I could-”

“Please do not bother on my behalf.” Loki casually said. “I am obviously going to be a powerful and immortal Midgardian Sorcerer that has surrendered to you, so you and the other Sorcerers can help my daughter Sylvie.”

Stark stared, as did Strange. “Sticking closely to the truth will cause for fewer mistakes on my part, not that I would ever make any.” He said in lieu of an explanation.

“Yeah of course. You are the greatest mage to ever exist.” Stark replied in a deadpan voice.

“Of course I am,” Loki replied, seamlessly, choosing to ignore the sarcasm. That was one Golden Rule he had created while dealing with Stark: Always ignore the sarcasm. “And I have also adopted this form occasionally on my visit to this planet, so there would be historical records of my existence, should our friends at SHIELD want to make sure.”

“I find it remarkable that we never crossed paths on any of those visits.” The Ancient One’s eyes were on him. It felt as if she was looking into his very soul, reaccessing him.

“I never even knew I was supposed to be avoiding you, my Lady,” Loki replied seamlessly, turning on the full charm.

“I am not surprised really. Agatha has gotten better at hiding from me, after all these years. You might have picked up some of her traits.”

“Yes, She sure was paranoid, to put it plainly.” Loki smiled remembering all the good times he had with Agatha. The next time they met wouldn’t be pretty, and he really wasn’t looking forward to it.

“We just need a place now.” Strange reminded them.

“Leave that to me. We have to start moving against HYDRA now too.” Loki frowned at that.

“That is twice you’ve mentioned them. Are they not long dead foes of the Captain?” At least that was what his rudimentary research on this realm and its heroes told him.

“Foes? Yes. Dead? Not so much as living cozily inside SHIELD.” Stark replied. “Only found out last time because they were hell-bent on killing anyone that they perceived as a threat.”

Midgard and its many people never ceased to surprise him. Never a dull moment here, not that he was even worried. “It wouldn’t do good for us to be killed by such an ancient beast before we could defeat Thanos.” He settled on saying.

“Indeed.” Strange replied and that was that. His face, however, became grimmer. Loki's eyes narrowed. "Is everything alright?" He asked, looking from Stark to Strange. The ancient sorceress took that moment to take her leave, disappearing off to her temple in a shower of sparkly magic. So, whatever this was concerned Stark and Strange only. “There was another matter that we needed your help on.” He started.

Loki looked on in amused curiosity as Stark started unbuttoning his shirt. Loki wasn't complaining, he wasn’t going to say no to a decadent view that was a shirtless Stark. He was however surprised at what he actually saw. Embedded deep into his chest was a pale blue triangular material that emanated a soft glow and even softer magic.

“I take it that that is the reason you were impervious to my manipulations?” He asked. He shouldn’t be surprised at the lengths that Stark would go to protect himself, but he was.

“I did not put this inside myself for protection against the Time Stone.” Loki’s eyes narrowed, unsure of where Stark was going with it. “There are small metal shrapnels inside my heart. This thing.” He tapped at the glass. “Protects me. Last time around, you were unable to brainwash me because of it, so it stayed.”

“But now that your invasion is over, we are going to take it out,” Strange said firmly. “We need your help Loki.”

Loki simply nodded at the somber tone. “Whatever I can do to help.” He meant every word, not just now but whenever they required his help, he would help. It was truly the least he could do.

Chapter Text

1- Pepper

When Pepper reached the restaurant for their usual lunch, she found Phil already sitting at their usual table, waiting for her. She knew that he would try to talk to her, to know what she knew but just 2 days after the battle was early, especially for him. SHIELD must be getting truly desperate.

He greeted her warmly and even pulled a chair for her like a true gentleman, one she very much doubted he was. Nevertheless, she smiled and sat down. She had long since learned to hide her true feelings, so brilliantly that even experts like Phil were fooled.

“Rough day?” He asked as they looked at the menu.

“Not rougher than usual.” Pepper replied just as casually. “Although SHIELD is causing me more troubles than usual.”

“My sincerest apologies, Pepper.” Nothing about him was sincere.

They ordered swiftly and fell into small talk until the food arrived. Their usual routine was getting so boring and predictable, spicing things up sometimes wouldn’t be amiss.

“So, twelve plans to destroy SHIELD?” Phil asked as he cut into his steak. He was always the same outwardly, the cool and collected SHIELD Agent but she could see things he tried to hide.

Pepper twirled the spaghetti around her fork as she replied. “Did you expect anything less?”

“I thought we were friends Pepper.” And he even sounded incredibly hurt.

Pepper rolled her eyes. “No, you didn’t.” She simply said and went back to her meal.

“No, but I wished you had.”

Pepper looked up to look directly into Phil’s eyes. “Was one of Natasha’s orders to kill me if I stood in the way?” She asked. It was one of Tony’s fears when that assassin infiltrated them, and she would like to get an answer.

Alas, Phil didn’t answer. But the silence told her more than anything ever would.

“There you have it then.” She simply said. She wasn’t annoyed or vindicated. She knew what she expected from SHIELD and so this didn’t faze her.

“Why is SHIELD causing you trouble now? Maybe I can help with that?”

“People are asking questions, Phil. Why was the evacuation order given even before the aliens arrived? How long did SHIELD know that Earth was under attack and why they didn’t tell anyone?”

His expression did not change from the usual calm banality, but she could see a subtle twitch in his jaw. “I don’t see why anyone would be bothering Stark Industries for that.”

The waiter came around then, so both of them stopped talking. After assuring him that everything was fine and that they would not like to order dessert, he left.

“I authorized the Iron Legion, Phil, that has consequences.” Pepper replied. “No one said anything on the day of the battle, they were needed, they were grateful for the evacuation. But now, studying the aftermath, people have questions.”

“Questions that you are not going to answer,” Phil replied blandly.

“Questions I do not have the answers to.” Pepper asserted. “I was just following the order, just like every PD, every Fire Department, every volunteer organization in the area. The fault lies not with us but-”

“But with the ones who gave the evacuation order.” He finished.

Pepper did not answer, she simply smiled as she sipped on her wine.

“I have to give credit to Stark, he played us brilliantly.” Phil laughed a hollow laugh. “He was the one to ask us to send the evacuation order.”

“That doesn’t matter Phil.” She pointed him towards one of the tables ahead of them. A young couple was enjoying their lunch, with their young child mimicking Tony with a tiny gauntlet attached. “That doesn’t matter at all.”

“He and Colonel Rhodes were seen as the heroes of the fight, risking their lives.”

“They are too public a figures, their actions speaking volumes, their heroism lauded in every corner.” Oh, Pepper was enjoying every moment of this. She was concerned for both of he friends, but this moment, this moment was sweet.

“And you are an organization wrapped up in mystery. You are synonymous with people disappearing and being too scared to talk, with scientists worrying about their research taken from them because someone decided that it was too dangerous. Who do you think the public will choose to blame?”

“We can still spin this around.” Phil reasserted with a calm face, but the twitch on his jaw had begun to spread by now.

“If you had time.” Pepper felt so badass sipping wine and schooling Phil like that. “Unfortunately, you don’t.”

“Stark couldn’t have planned this.” Oh, this was pathetic, especially for Phil. She had come to admire his skills as a spy and watching him grasping at straws was truly hard.

“Get yourself together Phil, this is beneath you.” She simply said. “Tony wasn’t doing anything malicious by giving the evacuation order. That was a reasonable course of action.”

“Stark gets praised for his actions and we get the blame for something he did.” His tone was light but the bitterness shone through.

The waiter came to clear their table and they were both quiet, but Pepper glaring at Phil was certainly loud enough to be heard. Nobody spoke anything as the waiter brought their bill. Pepper took care of it, still not stopping the glare towards Coulson.

When they were finally left alone, a silently fuming Pepper spoke. “Tony’s not the one who shot two nukes to New York.”

He didn’t say anything, Pepper doubted he even had anything left to say.

“You only have yourself to blame Phil. You shot yourself in the foot.” She said and got up to leave, but stopped and turned around before she could. “Oh, and, there’s a Plan 13 and it ends with you getting the blame.” And with that killer line, she left.

2- Scott

The New York air certainly felt more refreshing than San Fransisco ever did, Scott decided as he grabbed a magazine from the street shops. He didn’t know what the locals were complaining about, this place was great. Granted, he had only been here for a short time, but still.

He spotted a quaint little coffee shop and went inside, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked bread assaulting his nostrils. It smelled heavenly. He got a cup of coffee and fresh New York bagel and sat down with his magazine.

It had only been 3 days since the battle and neither Hope nor he had left to go home. Their alibis were solid, they were here working on a super-secret Stark-Pym project, one that included various Pym Tech employees to hide their presence. He wondered if Cassie would enjoy New York, he should bring her here sometimes.

The small bell at the entrance ringed and someone walked with heavy boots. Scott stiffened in his seat, he recognized that walk, he constantly dreaded that walk. For the moment, he was just glad that he was sitting with his back to the entrance, at least he had some time to prepare himself.

In moments like these, even all the time in the world isn’t enough when you are about to confront someone that caused you so much pain. Still, Scott was glad for those few seconds before Natasha Romanoff came to sit in the seat in front of him casually.

Scott swallowed but held his ground. He didn’t speak, just ignored her and sipped at his coffee.

“Hello, Scott.” She greeted him.

Scott still ignored her. He just pretended that she wasn’t here and read the magazine in between bites of his bagel. He wished that if he pretended enough, she would just disappear. He did not want to deal with her. But alas, that was not to be.

She slapped the magazine down and finally, he turned to look at her. “Was haunting my nightmares not enough?” He asked

She looked confused for a second and then her glare softened. “I’m sorry for what I did Scott, I really am. But I was just doing my job.”

“Please just go. I- I really can’t.” He got up to leave but the trained Agent stopped him. She slammed him back down and he could feel the unmistakable pressure of a gun pointed at his knees. And they called themselves the good guys.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that Scott.” She said, her tone firm and dangerous. “We suspect that you are involved in a dangerous project. SHIELD just wants to help.”

Scott knew what kind of help they were planning on doing. He wasn’t planning on staying for that. He activated the gauntlet watch that Dr. Stark had gifted him, and with that easily grabbed her hand. He then quickly deactivated it and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Gun, gun, she has a gun.” Pandemonium arose, and in that chaos, he disappeared towards the restrooms.

Scott wasn’t stupid. He knew that she didn’t come alone. Had he tried to leave from the front windows, he would’ve been captured. He took out the suit that he had taken to carrying with him always and activated it. While that was growing in size, he opened the window and took off his shoes to add some scuff marks into the ledge. Perfect.

Two minutes later, Scott had already shrunk in size. He could hear the Agent behind the door calling for him to come out. He escaped from the small space just as she broke down the door, and just a few moments later, he had safely booked a passage in her boots. He was safe now.

He enabled the camouflage mode on the suit and settled comfortably. It was one of his better design ideas, tiny things could be seen but tiny things that blended with the environment were nigh impossible to spot. He could hear everything that everyone in his vicinity was saying, he wasn’t sure how but he thought Dr. Stark had something to do with that, and this was his time to spy on SHIELD.

Scott couldn’t tell everything that was happening, but he could figure out some things based on ambient sounds and his limited vision range. Romanoff apparently had another appointment to keep, one that was out of state, or maybe out of the country.

Scott didn’t know where they were going, but he was alert and he was going to get some valuable information. He could at least do this much for all that Dr. Stark had done for him.

He grabbed onto her boots as they entered a terrifying-looking building. It was only after they entered through extensive security check, one he barely managed to escape undetected, that he realized that they were in SHIELD headquarters. Talk about hitting the jackpot.

He went along as Romanoff met with Fury and the unmistakable sound of a door locking was heard. Now, safer than in transit, he dared to leave the confined space of her boots and slid under the table.

“Any luck with Lang?” The Director of SHIELD asked. Scott stiffened under the table.

“None. He clammed up, caused a distraction, and escaped out of the restroom window.” Scott was so happy that she bought his cover story. “I might not have been the best candidate to approach him.” Her voice sounded quiet even in his amplified hearing.

“But you’re sure he has something to do with Ant-Man?” Fury sounded skeptical.

“Positive. He’s too nervous to actually be Ant-Man but he likely helped in the construction and maintenance of the suit.”

“Okay. Get another Agent to stand on top of it, but keep point.” Fury ordered.

“Are you nervous?” Romanoff asked after a while. “I know the WSC meeting is today.”

“This whole operation was a cock-up and I have nothing to show for it.” TIredness bled through Fury’s voice. “The Tesseract is on another planet and Stark’s people took the Scepter.”

“You can’t mention Stark’s people.”

“I know that Agent Romanoff. This job is always a fucking tightrope walk, but now it seems even more impossible than before.”

“If anyone can do the impossible, it’d be you, Fury.” She replied in a soft voice and left.

Scott slinked into Fury’s boots very very carefully. Romanoff was one thing, but the Director was even more paranoid from what he had heard so he had to be more careful. WSC, World Security Council, the even more mysterious overlords of SHIELD. One about whom even Dr. Stark knew little about. This was perfect, but he had to be more careful.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long for the meeting to start. As Fury got up from his desk and started to walk, he suddenly stopped. Scott was worried, his heart was pounding. But one cursory look in the floor and past his semi-hidden form and Fury walked on. Scott didn’t dare do anything after that, he didn’t even dare move.

The security checks needed to get to this meeting seemed more extensive than before, especially since Fury was the actual Director of SHIELD, but by a stroke of luck, Scott wasn’t found out.

He ditched Fury just as soon as he reached the room, thankful for the dim lighting. From his position on the floor, he could see all of them standing on top diases, their entire form shrouded in shadows. They truly looked like a cabal of supervillains. Scott shook his head and went towards hiding. Surely, there was something he could do here.

He hid behind the huge desk and began the process of calling JARVIS, the AI sure was reliable.

“Hello, Mr. Lang.” The smooth voice came as a relief to his ears.

“JARVIS, I’m inside SHIELD.” He whispered, still scared. “Fury is having a meeting with the WSC.”

“You do not have to whisper Mr. Lang. When in your miniature form your voice will not travel from your suit.” JARVIS reminded him, the AI sounded amused.

“Oh, okay.” Scott didn’t know that. He and others had communicated using comms in the battle and every other time he had spoken he was human-sized. “Point is, I’m inside their top-secret WSC meeting room, everyone is busy, what do I do?”

“Do you see a computer anywhere? Any point of entry we can utilize?”

Adjusting his helmet, Scott surveyed. He did spot a computer. It might be hard to get to it, but not impossible. Fury was busy being chewed out by the WSC, he might just make it.

An agonizing ten minutes and some feats he wouldn’t have been able to do just a year prior, Scott was face to face with the information archive of the most secretive organization of the world.

“What now, JARVIS?” He asked, panting a little.

“There is a small device attached to the back of your left arm. Please attach it to the computer, I will take care of it from there.”

Scott blinked. “That’s it. I thought I would have to do some hacking.” He said as he did as he was instructed. The device was tiny, and thus less likely to be discovered. He loved being tiny.

“I would be the one doing the hacking, Mr. Scott, now that you have allowed a way for me to access their servers.” JARVIS smoothly replied. “You need to find a way out of there, I cannot help you with that.”

“Thanks, JARVIS.” Scott ended the call. JARVIS was right, his foray into SHIELD would only be useful if he got away scot-free. It had to be like he wasn’t here. He shuddered to think what would happen if he was captured.

He looked at the still shadowy faces of the WSC. They were all in various degrees of shock over something Fury had said. Scott hadn’t really paid attention to anything else after coming here, so he didn’t know what had happened. What he did know was that the figures were much closer and easily accessible from here.

He easily hitched a ride with a blonde lady with short hair. Being a councilwoman, she was subjected to less intrusive security checks, especially now when all of the nitty-gritty stuff had already been done while they entered. Scott didn’t dare breathe wrong, he was scared all the time, wondering if he would be found out even after all this.

He only relaxed a little after her plane had landed. He was away now, far far away from SHEILD and safe at last. He escaped after the car dropped her, rolling away and into a darkened street, finally relaxing, finally safe.

Scott enlarged himself and shrunk the suit fast. He wasn’t taking any chances. He slowly peeked outside, feeling the tiredness of this adventure in his bones. He let out a tired laugh as he saw the landscape. How was he going to get home now?

Seeing no other option, Scott took out his StarkPhone and called Dr. Stark. He picked up on the first ring, almost like he was expecting Scott’s call.

“JARVIS filled me in. Where are you, Scott?”

“Um… London.” A deep sigh could be heard on the other end.

The inventor fired off an address. “That’s the London Sanctum. Go there. I will inform Master Rama that you are coming. From there it’ll be easy to get to New York”

“Got it, Dr. Stark,” Scott said and ended the call. He wasn’t even sure where he was, or even how he was going to make it to the London Sanctum, but he wasn’t about to disappoint Dr. Stark.

When Scott finally made it to the Sanctum, he was just happy that he was going to be back home soon. Master Sol Rama took one look at him standing in the door of his sanctum and laughed his ass off. Scott didn’t even protest.

The Sanctum was even more magical and impressive than he ever would’ve thought. Dr. Stark and Dr. Strange had told them about magic and about the Sanctums, and even though he had believed it, seeing it was another thing entirely.

“Yeah, I was like that too the first time I saw this place.” The sorcerer beside him remarked. “You can gawk later, Scott. Let’s get you home.” Scott mutely followed.

He stepped on one door at one end of the world and popped up in another. He was ecstatic that he made it back home, although seeing Hope, Dr. Pym and Dr. Stark’s angry faces wasn’t exactly ideal.

Dr. Stark approached him first. The inventor looked at him and clasped him in the shoulder. “Good job, Scott.” And just like that, all of it was worth it. The grin on his face would never dissipate. He had impressed Dr. Stark and nothing else mattered.

The inventor’s smile fell and he grew more serious. “But don’t ever do that again.” Scott nodded. What he did was incredibly dangerous, and he knew that. “Now, I will leave you to Hope’s mercy.”

Scott gulped. Hope was going to chew him out and so would Dr. Pym, but if his reckless and poorly thought out decision brought something, it would’ve been worth it.

3- Rhodey

“Pepper is asking me to call her Cersei, I don’t even know what that’s all about,” Tony complained as he poured tea in two cups. Rhodey shook his head in amusement.

“It’s from a show called Game of Thornes,” Rhodey replied. “You should really update your pop culture references.”

Tony gave him a fake outraged look. “My pop culture references are on point Platypus. You insult me.”

Rhodey smiled, spending time like this with Tony was fun. They never really got to do this anymore. Tony pushed one of the cups towards him and Rhodey just stared at it for a moment. “Once upon a time you would’ve called this Grass Juice and refused to drink it.”

Tony laughed at the memory. “Well this grass juice is seriously magical, so drink up.”

Rhodey did as he was told. To his surprise, it did taste good, and it surprisingly made him calmer. “What is this stuff?”

“Never asked,” Tony replied taking a sip himself. “But it feels peaceful, puts my mind at ease.”

They sat in quiet silence for a while, drinking their teas, before Tony spoke up again.

“How’re you holding up platypus?” Tony asked. Rhodey blinked at the sincerity of his voice.

“I’m okay Tones.” He replied automatically, but Tony’s concerned gaze didn’t faze.

“I’m not.” Rhodey blinked. Tony was never the one to show so much weakness, not even when he was dying. “It haunts my nightmares, what could’ve happened. Had we been too late, had we been unable to stop the portal from closing, or destroy the armada”

Tony wasn’t meeting his eyes, but Rhodey could guess what was happening inside his mind. It was the same thing that always haunted him.

“I see the army every time I close my eyes.” He simply said, knowing that Tony understood. “And an army that size isn’t going to go away just because we defeated them once. Whoever is pulling the strings is going to come after us. Something is coming, and we aren’t prepared.”

Rhodey could see Tony’s eyes widen at his statement. But more than that, he appeared as if some weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Rhodey knew him well enough to know that he had taken all of this pain, all of these troubles upon him to solve, and if he could help abate even a little of that he would.

“But we will be,” Tony replied. His voice was mild, but the resolve behind it was steadfast.

“We will be.” Rhodey echoed.

“Is this some kind of therapy session, Tones?” Rhodey asked outright. He knew that Tony was concerned for him.

Tony laughed. “I am not even remotely qualified for that kind of stuff Rhodey. My issues have issues, you know that.” Rhodey didn’t really like this self-deprecating laugh but he kept quiet. “You need a professional, and so do I.”

“That’s the most mature shit you’ve ever said.” Rhodey declared. “Who are you and what have you done with my Tony?”

“Too much shit happened Rhodey-Bear, enough to change even stubborn old me.” Rhodey simply nodded. He knew that Tony had suffered much, but he was also getting better, and Rhodey was happy to see that.

“Speaking of, how did the old coots react to your report?” Tony asked, getting to the real reason they were here talking.

“Denial, what else?” Rhodey replied. “Although the video from the suit helped. No one doubts that a huge armada was heading towards Earth and that we barely managed to win this time.”

“That’s good at least,” Tony said as he sipped at his tea.

“Not really Tones. They want weapons, and they want you to create them.” Earth was now vulnerable and as much as Rhodey did not want to put his friend in this position, he knew that they needed weapons, the bigger the better.

“I know. I will deal with it.” Most days Rhodey wished he had Tony’s confidence. Now, this confidence was starting to look more like delusion. “What about Stephen? Did they say anything about the sorcerers?”

Rhodey had watched Tony slowly and deeply fall in love with a man who loved him. Rhodey had watched Tony be better just by that alone, and he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin that.

“I did not have any of the answers they wanted,” Rhodey replied, as he drank some more tea. The tea was excellent, his mind still not very much so. “I told them that they were an ally, one that we wouldn’t want to make an enemy of.”

Tony laughed at that comment. “Bet they did not take that easily.”

Rhodey too joined him. “Oh, you should’ve seen their faces.” He sobered up quickly. “I was able to hold them off for now, but they need answers, and quick.”

Tony nodded somberly. “Of course, but not right now.”

“You have a plan, I trust that plan.” Rhodey simply said. It was as simple as that. Tony knew what was at stake, he had witnessed more than Rhodey even had, he had understood just what they were seeing, and it was affecting him just as much.

Rhodey sipped at his tea as he looked at his best friend. Tony looked a lot better than Rhodey had feared. He knew who he had to thank for that. Rhodey was just glad that Tony had someone to talk things with, someone to hold him and help him. He was really glad for Doctor Strange.

“There was something else I wanted to talk to you about.” Tony looked unsure here.

Rhodey smiled. He could guess what was worrying his best friend. “Captain America?” He asked. To his surprise, Tony was surprised also. “We are talking about folding him into existing ranks. He would need to have some remedial training, and some lessons to fit into the twenty-first century, but his rehabilitation was discussed.”

“That was not what I wanted to talk about,” Tony confirmed his suspicions, sounding a bit off-put at the mention of the Captain.

“What happened between you two?” He sought to ask.

Tony drank some more tea. “I had a flashback as he walked towards me menacingly. Bad memories.”

Rhodey didn’t press. He just vowed to include lessons on how to properly talk to people to the Captain’s study program.

“But yeah, that’s a good idea.” Tony finished.

“It all depends on SHIELD and Rogers’ cooperation. It’s a good idea, but good ideas often don’t get executed.”

“SHIELD will be a non-issue soon.” Tony didn’t offer any explanation, Rhodey didn’t ask for any. He did not want to get involved in that mess. “And I’ll see if I can do something about Rogers.”

“Be careful.” Rhodey cautioned nonetheless. “But what was it that you wanted to talk about?”

Tony once again sought to hide behind the teacup. “I was wondering if you wanted to, um have a good old-fashioned science out. It’s been so long since we properly worked at something together, and things are gonna get even more hectic, so could we just go down the lab and mess around?” Tony looked at him, his eyes pleading. “You don’t have to say yes, of course. I know you’re busy Rhodey.”

“Tones, I would love to.” Rhodey simply replied. He didn’t like that Tony was worried about this. “I miss you, Tony.”

Tony laughed. “I miss you too Platypus.”

4- Fury

He narrowed his eyes, as he opened the door to his super-secret apartment. Someone was here. It should be impossible for anyone to even know about this place, unless…

Fury entered. “I know you’re there Stark.” And with that, he turned on the lights.

Stark was sitting in a comfortable chair that Fury knew he definitely didn’t own. He was pouting, the most dangerous man on Earth was fucking pouting because he didn’t get to fool Fury.

“I can never get that right.” Stark made no move to get up from the chair.

“Did Ant-Man discover something when he infiltrated SHIELD?” Fury got right to the point.

At that remark, however subtle it was, Stark was surprised. Fury smiled, despite himself. So, he could still fool Stark after all.

“Does anyone besides you know?” His voice was neutral but Fury could feel the fury beneath it.

“No. Just me. Can’t trust anyone these days.”

Stark grinned. “Maybe I can help with that.”

“This goes far beyond what Lang got from last week, doesn’t it?” Fury moved to sit down on his couch. He was getting old, standing up for so long wouldn’t do him good. “You’ve been planning this for a long time, collecting evidence for longer even.”

“I might be,” Stark replied. “But the question is, what are you going to do?”

“Whatever you suggest I do.”

Stark looked at him for a long time at that. Finally, he nodded, and taking out a flash drive from his pockets, he threw it at Fury. “HYDRA has infiltrated SHIELD since its conception. That contains a list of their leaders. They are everywhere, governments, federal agencies, even WSC.”

Fury raised his eyebrow but didn’t say anything. He had his suspicions for a while, but what Stark had dumped into his lap was far far worse than anything he could’ve imagined.

“So, what do you suggest we do?”

“Get your agents out. Get everyone out. Assume your safehouses are infiltrated. HYDRA Agents are high in your organization, they know everything.”

“You’re planning on releasing all of this information.” Fury commented blandly. It was a fucking disastrous idea, but it might just be the only one they got. And most important of all, he trusted Stark not to fuck this up.

“Eventually yes. I have a team of hackers working on this. You slowly get your Agents out, get them somewhere safe, and I will deal with HYDRA.” He stood up to leave. “Rogers and Romanoff will be working at disabling the Winter Soldiers.”

“Did you just say, soldiers? Fucking Winter Soliders? As if one wasn’t enough.” Fury cursed.

“5 actually, excluding the original brainwash victim. Rogers can handle them.” He simply stated.

“Okay.” Fury said for the lack of anything to say. “Any more truth bombs you wanna throw at me?”

“Read the files, Fury,” Stark said as he straightened up his suit. Fury got up too. “There’s enough material there to make you curse my name for years.” And with that, he walked away.

Fury’s mind was focused on all that Stark had saddled him with, but his eyes were focused on the godawful chair Stark had chosen to sully his home with. “Get your goddamn chair out of my house.”

No reply came. He turned back only to be greeted by empty air. Stark was already gone.

“I hate magic.” He grumbled at the empty apartment and then settled down. He had a long night ahead of him.

Chapter Text

Steve was getting restless. He was all alone in this strange and terrible future, and he had nothing to do. He walked down the streets of New York, the light outside slowly fading and glittery iridescent lights illuminating the entire city. It was such a joy walking down here, knowing that this hadn’t been destroyed like he had feared when he went into the ice.

Steve had never been interested in the future, in technology, or the like. He was always focused on the present, always interested in doing good, and serving his country. But Bucky was. Times like these, when he watched a monument as huge as Stark Tower glitter like the Christmas tree, he wished that Bucky was here to share it with him. Bucky would’ve loved the future.

He took another cursory look at the Stark Tower, one giant monument that just encapsulated what the future was all about, and left to return back home. He wasn’t really sure of what to think of Stark, the man was contradictions and complications all wrapped in one impossibly annoying package.

Before meeting the man, Steve was sure he had figured him out. Stark was arrogant, a huge show-off with an ego bigger than his unnecessarily huge Tower. He was told that Stark was a known womanizer, that he treated dames poorly, he even had countless hours of video to prove it. But after meeting him, he had to revise his opinions, a lot.

His opinion of SHIELD had lessened the more the man spoke. Steve would’ve loved to call the man a liar and proclaim that SHIELD was right in doing everything they did, but all evidence, the reactions of the other people in that Helicarrier, they all supported Stark’s words.

Steve didn’t like the man, and he was sure that for whatever reason Stark didn’t like him either. Maybe it was the fact that Stark didn’t know him, maybe it was something else. But whatever the reason, Stark didn’t trust him, and it was okay because Steve didn’t trust Stark either. Stark might’ve helped them but he was going to mess up, and when he did, Steve was going to be there to fix things. Steve would work with the man, but he would be vigilant.

Steve slowly entered his apartment, greeting his neighbor as he did so. He was getting bored and tired in this place. Tomorrow, he would go to SHIELD, maybe they had something for him to do.

SHIELD was buzzing with excitement when he entered. Walking through the agency reminded him a lot of his days with the SSR. He was truly home.

He went straight toward where he knew Fury was, and nobody stopped him. He couldn’t help but notice that Fury looked frazzled. “Everything alright Director?”

“Everything is a monumental fuck up.” Fury replied. Steve wished that people in the future weren’t so crass, but he didn’t say anything. “Anything I can help you with, Captain?”

“I was wondering if I could be of any help, anywhere.”

“I’m sorry Captain, all active missions have been canceled.” Fury sounded apologetic. “In fact, we’re pulling all of our Agents back in. We are still dealing with the fallout of the New York Invasion.”

The invasion had been huge, and Fury looked like he was dealing with a lot. “I understand.” He said as he got up. “Thank you for your time, Director.” He would figure out other ways to keep busy. He still had a lot of history to catch up on.

Steve got out of the laundromat that was a front for SHIELD, with various tumultuous thoughts in his mind. He must not have been paying attention because he bumped into someone as he got out. He looked around to apologize, but could only catch a blonde dame walking away from him. He stared for a while, the future sure was busy.

Steve didn’t notice anything weird until he got into his apartment and took his jacket off. He looked at the suspicious rectangular bulge. He reached into the pocket and pulled out a card and a burner phone.

The card simply read Leverage Consulting & Associates with a number and an address on the back. Steve almost called the number before he stopped himself. He looked at the laptop on his desk but made no move toward it.

The people who handed him this card seemed secretive, and he wasn’t sure his apartment was safe. SHIELD knew where he was, and they were not as virtuous as he would like to believe. He needed help, he wasn’t good at this spy stuff. He needed someone he could trust, he needed Natasha. She was his teammate, she was a spy and he knew she would help him.

Natasha looked at him suspiciously over a cup of coffee. Steve wasn’t sure how to be discrete without looking like he wanted to be discrete but he must’ve been obvious because Natasha suspected something.

“Everything alright Cap.” She asked.

Steve didn’t reply. He just slid the card over to her. She looked at it for just a moment and then turned back to look at him. “I see.” She simply said.

They just sat in silence and drank their coffees after that. Steve understood why. This was too public a place to talk about this, and despite her silence and blank face, he could tell that Natasha knew something about this group, whoever they were. So, they just made small talk and enjoyed a good cup of coffee.

As they were leaving, Natasha turned over to him and asked. “Seen much of New York yet Steve? I could be your tour guide if you want.”

“I would like that Nat.” He simply replied casually and they made their way to her car.

After they were safely inside, Steve tried to talk only to be silenced by Natasha. She looked at him and just mouthed ‘My apartment’ and started to drive. Steve understood, but his frown didn’t abate. He was so tired of all this secrecy.

Natasha chatted with him the entire ride, and he did his best to reply and add to the conversation. He knew that he should say more, sound more normal, but he just couldn’t. He hated all this secret spy stuff, why couldn’t things be as simple as punching people?

He finally breathed a sigh of relief after they finally entered Natasha’s apartment. It was surprisingly bare like no one had lived here for a while. “Can I talk now?” He asked.

Natasha shot him an annoyed look. “Just for future reference, coffee shops are a bit crowded to be talking about confidential things.” Steve nodded. Everyone there had been looking at him. “Where did you get this card?”

“I don’t know.” Steve honestly replied as he watched Natasha open a safe. “I was leaving SHIELD HQ when someone bumped into me. Only noticed this after I got home.”

“Blonde hair?” Natasha asked. Steve looked at her shocked, she simply smiled and handed him a folder.

“Leverage Consulting and Associates looks good on paper but it’s actually a cover story for a team of thieves and conmen.”

Steve snapped up at that, mouth twisted in a frown. What could a team of criminals possibly want for him? Natasha’s lips pursed at his reaction, but she didn’t say anything.

“Alec Hardison.” She turned the page. Steve frowned, he looked so young. “Hacker extraordinaire. It’s rumored that he could even crack Stark’s servers.” Steve didn’t think that was an achievement, but he nodded politely. Natasha turned another page.

“Elliot Spencer. Ex-Hitman. He was a member of one of our STRIKE teams but he quit and disappeared.” If they had someone that worked inside SHIELD, then they would be dangerous indeed. The picture attached was one of him in a STRIKE team uniform, he looked menacing.

“Parker. We don’t know if it’s her first name or last. Cat burglar, thief, and the person who put that card in your pockets.” A blonde woman looked back at him. “Clint met her once. Met is an understatement. She had easily broken into Stark’s house and remained undetected until she wanted to be detected. Clint had no idea she was even there.”

That was impressive, Steve knew that Clint was one of the best out there. Natasha continued.

“Sophie Deveraux, or at least we think that’s what she’s going by now.” There was no picture this time. “Grifter. Master of disguises, could transform herself completely. She conned Stark once, 10 years ago, he’s still impressed.”

Natasha sounded bitter. Steve knew that Stark had her pegged as a spy the minute he met her. This was bound to hurt her.

“And finally, Nate Ford, their leader. He’s been running this crew for a few years now. He’s the brains behind this operation. Their marks, their victims have always been rich corporations involved with unethical and harmful things.” Steve thought that Stark should be on top of their list, but didn’t say anything. “Advanced Idea Mechanics was thought to be one of their jobs. So was VistaCorp. We think Stark is also involved.”

Steve turned to look at her. “Were they Stark’s competitors?”

“Not connected in any way,” Natasha replied. “Stark is careful and both of those companies were unethical and deserved what they got. Stark is more privy to that kind of information, and he’s looking out for the good of the world. Plus I’m pretty sure I witnessed him giving them some information.”

Steve didn’t say anything and focused on reading their files. So much information seemed lacking like SHIELD just couldn’t find out everything about this group of common criminals.

“You cannot tell anyone about them, Steve. Only five people in SHIELD know.”

“Why all this secrecy around them?” Steve asked, confused. “If they’re criminals, why couldn’t you just arrest them?”

“I’m a criminal Steve,” Natasha said, her frown still in place. Steve looked to placate her, he didn’t mean it like that. “They are good at what they do, they are scary good. We’re not going to arrest them, we’re going to hire them.” And therein lay the fault with SHIELD.

“Do you think Stark is involved with this?”

Natasha looked at him like he was an idiot for a solid minute. Instead of replying, she just turned on the TV.

Steve stared. There was a blurry video of Stark boarding a jet and the reporter was going in-depth about how shrapnels from a missile were embedded in his heart and the blue arc reactor was the only thing preventing those from hurting him. There was a panel of experts discussing this with graphic visuals.

“Stark has been out of the country for two days now. He’s finally found a way to get the shrapnel out. No one knows where but everyone knows he’s not here.”

Steve didn’t know that. He had much better things to do than to look at the TV for news about Stark. He didn’t voice these thoughts out, he needed Natasha on his team.

“What do you think they want?” He asked instead.

“Why don’t you call them and find out?” She said pointedly.

Steve thought for a minute and did so using the burner phone they had sent. The person on the other end picked up on the third ring.

“Widow there?” A gruff voice asked. Steve looked at Natasha, who nodded. He didn’t know how they even knew but he put the phone on speaker.

“Spencer.” Natasha greeted.

“Get off the grid and to the address in 3 days,” Spencer said and hung up before Steve had the chance to say anything.

“Something is happening, at SHIELD, with Stark, and now this. They’re connected.” Steve nodded at Natasha’s words.

“Guess we’ll find out in three days,”

The location truly was in the middle of nowhere. Steve and Natasha had arrived and were staring in confusion at the decrepit scenery. There was nothing here, there was no one here for miles.

Standing in an empty field, Steve began to wonder if they were being played. Maybe this was all an elaborate scam to get him and Natasha out of the way. Steve was supposed to be helping at SHIELD, not standing in the middle of nowhere wondering what to do.

But before he could say anything, a sparkling golden circle began to form in front of them.

“That looks like one of Strange’s portals,” Natasha commented. Steve agreed and they both waited for Strange to come from the other side. So, Stark was involved after all. It didn’t surprise Steve.

But instead of Strange, a brunette man who looked to be in his mid-thirties entered. He smiled at them, and Steve couldn’t help but notice that there was something familiar about him. The man gestured at the portal and in a silky smooth voice, said.

“Right this way, Captain. Widow.” Steve didn’t know how this man knew them when they didn’t know him. He and Natasha exchanged a glance.

“Where are we going?” Steve asked not budging from his spot. He needed answers before he followed Strange’s lackey to wherever it was. “And who are you?”

“You may call me Dresden.” Steve didn’t think it was his actual name at all. “Your questions will be answered Captain, all in due time.” The man said with a smirk and gestured towards the still-open portal. Steve still wasn’t sure but when Natasha went in, he followed.

They came to a mansion even more ridiculous than anything Steve would’ve thought Stark owned. Steve didn’t know where he was or what he was doing there, but he still walked towards the gigantic mansion. He would tolerate this mysterious man, he needed to find out what was going on.

His suspicions that Stark was somehow involved turned out to be true. The first thing he saw was Stark’s daughter, Friday attempting to pick a lock while the blonde woman stood watching intensely with a timer. Steve shook his head. He had thought Stark was a good father. What kind of person lets his daughter be involved with criminals?

“Eight seconds!” The blonde woman exclaimed with a wide grin. “Very good.” Friday beamed.

“You do know I hide all the cookies behind technological locks and not physical ones?” Stark entered, smiling at his daughter, but his smile fell when he noticed Steve looking at him. “Oh, Joy.” He deadpanned.

Steve was getting increasingly angry. Stark treated him worse than he treated actual criminals. He knew that Stark didn’t like him, but this was ridiculous. He hadn’t done anything to deserve that.

Silence fell now that everyone had noticed their entry. “Alright, playtime’s over. Back to work everybody.” Stark then turned to his daughter. “Fri, baby-”

“Yes, yes, leaving now.” She interrupted with a pout. “Although I don’t suppose Sylvie would be joining me today.” She was looking at the mysterious man, with a mischievous grin. Steve remembered something about the blonde girl who was spotted with Friday a few weeks back. Wasn’t her name Sylvie?

“Not today darling.” The man replied, looking at her fondly. “You have your studies to get back to, and so does Sylvie.” Friday left quietly after that.

“You’re her father.” Steve turned towards Natasha who was looking at the mysterious man. “Who are you?”

“Oh, just your friendly millennia-old sorcerer who just wants to help.” Steve blinked. He had accepted that magic existed, that Strange and his people were on top of that, but this was ridiculous.

“Don’t forget the being my prisoner bit,” Stark added. Steve snapped to look at him.

“Why do you always forget that I surrendered?” The man complained. “I’ve been helping, aren’t I?”

“Whatever is going on here, you don’t want your name involved,” Natasha noted shrewdly. “That’s why you are doing all this. Faking your recovery, getting criminals involved.”

“Uh, no no no.” The hacker kid, Hardison interrupted. “We’re the ones who figured out what was wrong with SHIELD and asked for his help.”

“Nothing is wrong with SHIELD.” Steve bolstered. The Agency might’ve lost its way a bit, but they were still good.

“Why do you think I left Widow?” Spencer was looking at both of them oddly. “I knew there was something wrong with you lot from the beginning.”

Steve was about to protest again, but Natasha started talking. “That’s why Fury has been pulling agents and activating safe houses. Hell, even Clint was relocated and no one knew about him. Something’s going to happen.”

“Correction: something is already happening,” Stark replied.

“For about two years now.” Hardison gleefully told them.

“It was mostly boring.” The blonde girl, Parker added. “But I did get to break into a few top-secret facilities.” Natasha looked horrified at that information. How was SHIELD blind to all this?

“You were too focused on me, Natasha,” Stark answered the question they didn’t even ask. “Too focused on the flashy magician, to notice his assistants running around doing all the work.”

“Why are we here Stark?” Natasha chose not to answer his condescending remarks. It was a wise decision, Steve thought.

“Winter Soldier.” Stark simply said. Natasha paled at that remark.

“What’s going on? Who’s the Winter Soldier?” Steve was tired of everyone knowing more than he did. He needed answers.

“The most dangerous assassin in the world,” Natasha answered. “I presume that’s why Steve is here, so he could subdue the Winter Soldier.”

“Not quite. Elliot over here is going to be dealing with the Winter Soldier.” The message was clear, Stark trusted this criminal more than he trusted him. Steve turned to look at the hitman, who looked surprised.

“And why would I do that when Captain freaking America is here?” He asked.

“Didn’t you once save him from dying in a rubble, and made him soup?” Steve blinked. Why would anyone even save a dangerous assassin like that?

“How do you know that?” The Hitman turned to his companions. “How does he even know all that?”

“I’m telling you, man, he’s a god.” The Hacker replied, stars plain in his eyes. Steve rolled his eyes, it was clear that Stark was somewhat of a hero to him.

“Time Travel.” The blonde said serenely like it was an absolute possibility instead of a conspiracy theory.

“What?” Stark turned to her. He too thought that the idea was ludicrous.

“I once tried to steal from Kamar-Taj.” The blonde said instead. Such a wild girl, changing thoughts and subjects with each breath.

“Oh, I like you.” Steve had forgotten that the brunette magician was even here. “When I’m free of these.” He snapped his wrists together, revealing a magical binding of sorts. So, Stark wasn’t completely trusting of him. That was good. “We should steal something.”

“Don’t give her ideas.” The buff Hitman stood protectively over his demure companion. “I’m still not sure what your deal is, but if Stark is careful, so are we.”

The man raised his hands in surrender. “Can we get on with things?” He clicked his tongue. “She is coming.” Stark nodded somberly and continued.

“The Winter Soldier was one of ours. HYDRA just took him, and brainwashed him.” Stark looked furious, although Steve wasn’t sure why. “Then they took my dad’s research, his super serum, and made more Winter Soldiers.”

Oh, everything made sense now. Stark was involved in this because he was trying to correct Howard’s mistake. It would also make sense for these people to handle one Winter Soldier so he could work on the bigger threat. “What can I do?” He settled on asking.

“You two are going to Siberia,” Stark replied as he took out two rings from his pocket and set it down on the table. “These will help in disguising yourself. No one should know where you are or what you are doing. Assume that there are spies everywhere.”

“Is that why Fury is cleaning house?” Natasha asked. Steve turned to her, he hadn’t realized that that was happening.

Stark smiled. “I gave him the information a while ago.”

“And how did you get that information?” She asked dangerously.

“The WSC has been infiltrated, darling. It doesn’t matter how I got the information. I gave it to Fury as soon as I could and trusted him to deal with it.”

Natasha nodded at that grudgingly and they sought to leave. Steve wasn’t completely sure what was going on, but he could deal with Stark and his shadiness after dealing with the bigger threat.

They were in the humongous yard when a light purple glow began to congregate at one spot. Stark looked alarmed at that and turned towards his magical companion. Steve decided then and there, that he wouldn’t leave without knowing what this was about. But alas, one second he was there, and the next he was back in that field.

“Stark is doing something fishy.”

“When is he not?” Natasha simply replied as she handed him the ring. “We need to focus on the Winter Soldiers, they are dangerous.” She went towards the car.

Steve didn’t say anything more and simply nodded as he got in.

When Steve met Natasha again, neither of them looked like themselves. Steve didn’t like this, having to pretend to be someone else, but he had to admit he would be too much of a celebrity, too recognizable.

Natasha strolled towards him, her walk inherently familiar to Steve even when her face was not. She discreetly handed him a passport, he took it. Together they walked towards the airport terminal.

“Sebastian and Nadya Roberts.” She said with a thick Russian accent. Steve blinked but didn’t say anything. “We are going back to my hometown to visit my family. You are an American I married 5 years ago so you don’t have to speak with an accent.”

Steve nodded. “Did you find out anything about the magic guy that was with Stark, Dresden?” He asked. The airport was abuzz so he didn’t have to worry about anyone hearing them.

“Quite a lot actually.” Oh, she was back in her American accent. It was much easier to understand. “He is in fact a millennia-old sorcerer. A magician with many faces and many talents. We were able to find him a lot in old textbooks and murals. He has lived quite a life, some notable ones being the Count of Saint Germaine, a court jester who could heal dead flowers, and Spike, a vampire.”

“A vampire?” Steve asked disbelievingly.

“It’s magic Steve, better not to question it.” She answered with a shrug. “His current alias seems to be named Harry Dresden, Wizard, so he’s not lying about that.”

Steve shook his head. The sort of people that Stark seemed to associate with was always baffling to him. They reached the airport check-in, and so fell silent. Steve let Natasha talk, mostly because he knew he would mess up. They passed seamlessly through security.

As Steve settled down in first-class, he came to appreciate the modern world more than he ever had. Truly, air travel had come a long way, and all of it for the good. He smiled at the pretty dame and enjoyed the future amenities.

The trip passed by without many difficulties, not that Steve had expected any. And soon they were in snowy Siberia in an attempt to rid the world of those evil Winter Soldiers.

It was almost eerie how easy things were. Passing through the airport was a bit of a hassle, a very time-consuming one too, but that was mostly because they didn’t trust Americans. Steve didn’t understand much of the modern world, and let Natasha do all of the talking.

But soon enough, they were in snowy Siberia, completing their mission. They had to find the HYDRA bunker from Stark’s information and somehow let the Winter Soldiers out from their frozen tomb and hand them over to the magicians for recovery.

Steve didn’t understand why they were bothering to help them. If they were enemy soldiers surely it would be easier to subdue them so they wouldn’t be able to hurt them later. But he wasn’t in a position to say anything. Stark and Strange handled the magical side of things, and he would let them.

Steve sat down in the luxurious Hotel room that Stark had got for them and got to thinking. All of it sounded easy, really easy, almost suspiciously so. Beside him, he could tell Natasha was thinking the same. Wanting to throw these thoughts out, he went and turned on the TV.

It was a catastrophe in America. It was like a domino that was years in the making was finally falling. Leaks of government files, officials in high places found guilty of corruption, and confidential data were being leaked every day, and it was tearing the people’s faith in their officials apart. Even the vice president of the United States was implicated. They just sat and stared for a while.

“This is a good move on Stark’s part.” Natasha finally said after the young reporter had talked about all of the corrupt elected officials in various sectors of the government, and how measures were being taken to minimize damage.

“How so?” Steve asked. He was genuinely confused.

“The New York invasion has left a lot of people reeling Steve. This way, they have transparency at a time when they need it the most.” Natasha explained. “And he’s doing it slowly, likely has a Hacker Army down in that mansion taking care of things. Nothing will ever be traced back to him, and things will get done.”

Steve simply nodded, not understanding half of it. But if Natasha thought it was okay, it probably was. He focused back on the mission at hand.

It took them a few days, but they were able to locate the Siberian Bunker. It took all of Natasha’s remaining contacts in the region, but they were finally ready to go. The bunker was hidden in the mountains of snow, away from prying eyes, and probably heavily fortified.

Disguised as tourists wanting to visit the snowy regions, they made their way towards the bunker, tactfully hiding their gear and weapons on them and on their jeep. It was quite a long and bumpy road there, both of them formulating their plans as they drove.

But when they finally reached there, they found it abandoned. Steve was expecting a huge fight with HYDRA’s soldiers and was expecting to slowly infiltrate and free the Winter Soldiers, but the hidden base was just empty.

“Looks like it has been recently abandoned,” Steve said pointing at the mugs of coffee and paperwork lying about.

Natasha touched a coffee mug. “It’s still warm.” She said with a frown. “And there’s something off here too. There are no scuffle marks, no signs of any disturbance, and they wouldn’t leave all these lying around had they left. We should be careful Steve, this might be a trap.”

Steve nodded and carefully rounded a corner. Steve went about searching for the Winter Soldiers. The Winter Soldiers were possibly left behind, either to ambush them or simply because they were too terrifying.

But even after searching the entire bunker, they found no evidence of anything being a trap. It was simply eerily empty. Steve came back to Natasha standing in front of the huge computer, a disk in her hand.

“Found something?” Steve asked

“I’m not sure,” Natasha said and she put the disc in.

A very grainy video started loading, one of a street dimly lighted by a single street lamp. Natasha and Steve watched on dumbly as the events unfolded right before their eyes, unable to do anything but watch as Howard Stark was killed right before their eyes. Steve couldn’t do anything but watch as the assailant took his helmet off, couldn’t do anything but watch as Bucky stood right in front of his eyes, killing his friend.

Natasha moved first, she went to get the disc back from the computer, her mind likely working as fast as she talked. “Barnes is the Winter Solider, we have to do something. We have to get to Fury, get this disk to him.” She spoke with urgency.

That stirred something inside Steve. He was scared, he was really scared. He had already lost Bucky once, he wasn’t going to lose him a second time. He moved fast and grabbed Natasha’s hand just before she could get to the disk. “No.” He simply said staring forward.

“Steve.” Natasha looked back at him and paled. “We have to do this. Barnes killed Howard Stark, he’s the Winter Soldier. He’s dangerous Steve.”

Steve didn’t let her hand go. “I can’t lose Bucky, not again.” He admitted out loud. “We’re not telling anyone anything. Nothing happened here.” Steve used his free hand to get to the disk and snapped it in half, desperately hoping that this would be the end.

Natasha simply stared at him. “We can’t do that Steve. Winter Solider has killed many people. We have to let SHIELD know. We have to let Tony know.” Steve noticed Natasha wasn’t looking at him when she talked, but rather looking behind him. He ignored that.

“Bucky didn’t do anything. He couldn’t.” Steve didn’t know who he was trying to convince. Maybe if he repeated it often enough, he himself would believe it.

Suddenly Natasha’s expression changed, she stopped pleading with him and returned back to her natural nonchalant mask. She moved fast and landed a kick straight to his stomach. The force pushed Steve forward and left him reeling enough that her hand was free. Natasha simply kept staring forward, staring at a point behind him, and smiled a sad smile.

Steve looked at her furrowing his brows and then slowly turned back, only to be met with the shell-shocked face of Tony Stark and his new companion looking at them through a portal. Stark looked awful, his eyes rimmed with tears as he looked on, looking so much hurt.

Steve went a few steps back in horror as he realized what had happened. Stark had seen it all, he had seen everything and he would likely hurt Bucky in retaliation. “Stark, it’s not- Bucky- he-”

“Bucky killed your father. That was unexpected.” The Wizard beside Stark commented.

“What did you expect?” Stark asked turning to his companion. “Is there a point to any of this?”

“People are self-serving bastards and everyone will betray you. You cannot trust anyone, not Captain America, not me.”

Steve watched in shock as Stark rolled his eyes at that. “This is about your self-hatred, give me a break. I know people will betray me, I know better than to trust anyone to ever help me.” For some reason, that really stung Steve. “Now I have to go fix millennia-old relationship problems, don’t try to cover up another murder while I’m gone.” Stark shot a smile his way and turned to leave.

“You knew about this,” Natasha stated, making Stark stop in his tracks.

Stark turned back, Steve could still see some tears on his face despite the words. “Obidiah Stane arranged this. Found the clip in his records after he died. This was the reason I started to suspect that HYDRA was hiding inside SHIELD.” He simply said.

Steve was slowly starting to piece all that happened, trying to absorb all of the information. Suddenly, something came to him. Stark and his team of criminals were supposed to deal with the Winter Soldiers, and if he already knew about this…

“Where is Bucky?” He asked moving forward. “What did you do to him Stark?”

Stark didn’t say anything, he simply looked at him. Steve stopped in his tracks at that look. Stark closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Deal with this mess Agent Romanoff. Fury will brief you on the Winter Solider.” And with that parting words, he left.

His pet magician on the other hand stood back, watching everything with a thoughtful expression. He took another look at Steve, this time his eyes filled with disgust, and then closed the portal leaving him alone with his thoughts and Natasha looking at him with the same hatred.

Steve slumped down. He closed his eyes only to see Stark looking at him, looking so vulnerable and hurt, looking like he had expected better from him, looking like Steve had crushed him and left him broken and bleeding. Steve knew he wouldn’t be able to escape that look for a long time, if ever.

Chapter Text

Yao stood at the library in Kamar-taj, her eyes focused on the Time Stone, wondering about everything that had happened and everything that will happen.

The invasion had happened, it had happened almost exactly like it had the last time, with some notable changes. Yao had worried about the changes, about the outcome of this fight, and how it affected things for years to come, and she was right to worry.

Time was such a finicky thing. Sometimes not even a boulder would change the course, time flowing through it regardless, and sometimes a tiny pebble would spell repercussions for years to come. She did not know what the appearance of Tony Stark and Stephen Strange would do to the temperamental timestream.

She had avoided looking at the Time Stone, she didn’t want to call more attention to the existence of the thing she sought to protect all these centuries. But now that the invasion was over, she found herself drawn to it. The world had changed in the past few years, had changed because of two men, and she wondered just how much it had changed.

Soft footsteps in the library alerted her to Kaecilius’s entrance. The sorcerer came to stand beside her and looked at the Time Stone. Yao knew what her end would be, she knew his role in her prophesied death, and she had come to accept it. But now, she wondered how that would change.

Yao chose to break the silence after a while. “Do go on Master Kaecilius, ask your question.”

“Less of a question, more of an observation,” Kaecilius replied. “I have been consulting the Tomes, especially the ones that reference Asgard. From my calculations, the convergence, a single event that ties all the nine realms together will happen in but a few years.”

Yao nodded. The reappearance of Reality Stone would be quite an event and one that they needed to be prepared for.

“There will be dimensional anomalies all over the nine realms, and we might find ourselves with our Asgardian friends again.” He stopped, his observation made

“Master Kaecilius,” Yao began. “You came to us broken and confused, feeling a loss and trying to move on. Since then, you have become a masterful sorcerer in your own right. The convergence is a momentous task, and Odin is a powerful being. It would be good to have you by our side during the Convergence.”

Kaecilius nodded in response, still looking at the Time Stone. “The Eye of Agamotto is supposed to conceal something powerful, something otherworldly-”

“Something dangerous.” Came a voice from behind them. Yao turned back only to spot Loki’s newest disguise looking at them. “Something that will only bring unwanted attention to the Masters of the Mystic Arts.”

“And you are?” Kaecilius asked.

“A sorcerer who knew well enough to hide from all of you,” Loki replied. “But now I am here to offer my services.”

“A lot of powerful sorcerers are popping up nowadays,” Kaecilius commented. Loki didn’t reply and instead turned to her.

“You wanted to talk to me.” He gave a small bow.

Yao floated the locket from the pedestal and put it around her neck as they talked. “Yes, I wanted to talk to you about Agatha.”

“Ah, your old lover, and mine,” Loki said with a wide grin on his face.

Yao ignored that, and instead created a portal. She gestured to it signaling Loki to enter and he did. She then turned to Kaecilius. “We will discuss more on this later Master Kaecilius.” and with that farewell, she left.

She had opened the portal to a forest, the exact same forest where she had met Agatha centuries ago. The place where she had found a powerful witch and had failed to save her from the darker magics.

“She talked about you, you know?” Loki said quietly. “I didn’t know it was you but in retrospect, it seems obvious. She missed you.”

Yao nodded, although the knot in her heart didn’t lessen from Loki’s words. “It has been a few centuries since we last spoke.” She confessed. “I do not know what she is up to, do not know her powers, do not know what she has done in this time.”

Loki conjured up a couple of chairs, and they sat down. It was a conversation to sit down for. “Agatha knew who I was, she knew I was Loki.” He said with a bewildered expression. Yao smiled, knowing exactly how he was feeling.

“She is very perceptive, very powerful.” She simply said, her mind delving back into her memories.

Loki nodded. “Very sexy too.” He added. Yao didn’t comment on that, but her smile didn’t waver.

“I wasn’t on Midgard often, but whenever I was, she would find me. And take me on an adventure that would leave me wanting.”

This time, she actually laughed.

“I spotted the Darkhold almost by accident. I knew about the Book of the Damned and knew how powerful it was. A sort of power no human should have. One that could corrupt the most powerful of magic users.” Loki took a deep breath. “And yet there she was perfectly fine, almost seeming like she was in control and not the Tome.”

“But you knew that couldn’t be.”

“Power like that, it works slow. It would take ages but the book would consume Agatha. It would give her more power than she ever desired, and bring so much destruction along with it.”

“She knew exactly what it was.” Yao sighed. “And she craved that power.”

Loki turned to look at her. “Was that why she and you parted ways?”

“Amongst other things.” She couldn’t help but remember the final time she had last seen Agatha, awash with guilt.

“The Darkhold is gone, at least it is far away from her hands as much as I could take it,” Loki said not averting his gaze. “As soon as I realized what it was, I couldn’t let it consume her. I took it as far as I could and tried to destroy it. I do not know if it is fully destroyed, nor if it is capable of being destroyed, but it is gone.”

Yao nodded. “And for that, the entire Earth owes you a debt we could not comprehend.”

Loki shrugged as he turned to look at the stars instead. “It would have destroyed all nine realms, it was done purely for my own self-interest.”

“Even so.” She pressed on. “It was something remarkable that you did. You have saved us all Loki.”

“You didn’t bring me here to talk about the Darkhold.” He turned back, looking a bit uncomfortable with the praise. “You brought me here, the place where she was reborn anew, to talk about Agatha Harkness.”

“When we meet next, Agatha and I will fight.” Yao simply stated. “She has not forgiven me, nor have I her.”

“It would be a battle worth watching.” Loki kept looking at her with those piercing green eyes. “What are you afraid of Yao?”

Yao stopped. No one had mentioned her name in ages, the last one was Agatha. It felt an odd sort of exhilaration to be referred to by a name that was lost in time.

“My death.” She simply stated. “I have survived for this long from magicks far terrible and I know I am not long for this world.”

“You are the keeper of the Time Stone. You know exactly when you are to die. You know all the things that could happen, and your survival however that has happened has been for the best for the world and for the Time Stone.”

It felt reassuring to hear that from Loki’s mouth, she knew logically that all she had done was for the betterment of the world, but just having it spoken out by someone else felt invigorating, felt like she was on the right path. She simply nodded.

Loki furrowed his brows. “You are to die soon, aren’t you? You fear you will die and leave her, you fear what that would do to her, and what that would do to the world.”

Yao didn’t reply. She rarely had someone who understood as much as Loki did, who knew far better than anyone she was capable of revealing. After a while of silence, she took a deep breath.

“Yes.” She confirmed. That simple word felt like it had taken a massive burden off her shoulders. “I am aware of how Time Travel changes things, but yes that is what is to happen.”

Loki laughed a short laugh. “Not if Agatha Harkness has anything to say about it.” Yao felt herself join in.

“What will happen will happen. You know better than most how time works, and I will not say anything about it.” Loki said his attention back on the stars. “But things have changed.”

“We need Agatha.” She defaulted back.

“So fight and talk to her, and get her back. This is not about us needing her Yao, this is about you needing her.” Loki said as he got up. “I know you’ve been scared to use the Time Stone, but Thanos will not look here, not after he failed to get the Space Stone.”

Loki moved his hands in a familiar way and recreated the portal, or rather the appearance of one. “I have an abandoned property, huge and perfect for two immortal and powerful entities to talk about their grievance on.” He said and left, leaving Yao alone in her thoughts.

She stayed there for a moment, her eyes completely focused on the Time Stone around her neck. She opened the eye of Agamotto and focused on the present as she sought to seek the future for guidance.

Agatha came with a big lighting storm and clouds of purple as she often did, just as Yao stepped in through the portal.

She surveyed her surroundings, it was a spacious area, wide forests, miles apart from any signs of civilization save from those in the mansion. It was a good place, Loki had chosen wisely.

From the corner of her eyes, she could spot two people leaving through Loki’s portal. Readying herself, she got ready to face the one person she had left a long time ago. Even after all that happened, Yao had been the one to leave and not return, the one to sever everything, and she would have to give it all to get her back.

Agatha floated down, purple wisps and magic floating all over her, giving her a deadly and ethereal glow. Even without the Darkhold, she was powerful, she was a sight to behold. They locked eyes, and Agatha smiled at her and landed right before her.

“Fancy seeing you here, my dear.” Agatha simply said. “I thought you had forgotten all about bad old me.”

“I never could, not even in a million years.” She spoke truthfully.

“Oh, so melodramatic.” Agatha rolled her eyes but she was still smiling. “I do love it. But we have to cut this short babe, I have a god I have to punish.” And with that went towards Loki. Yao barely managed to get between the two of them.

“I am afraid I cannot let you do that.”

“Hmmm.” Agatha looked at the two of them. “He’s your prisoner, too bad. You always knew how to stop my fun. I will go through you if I have to Yao, he took something from me and I want it back.”

“Very well.” Yao simply said and prepared herself.

Two huge bursts of magic and a destroyed lawn later, they were fighting in earnest.

Spells going back and forth, magic clashing with one another as they fought like two people who had a lot to prove, which Yao supposed they did. They rose atop the air, Purple and Gold magic swirling around them, they were in their cocoon, their own world. Nobody else mattered but the two of them

“I cannot let the Darkhold corrupt you, not again,” Yao said as she shot off a spear of magic, one that Agatha easily dissipated.

“It never corrupted me. I was in control, I knew what I was doing. I didn’t need you or anyone else from your stupid goody two shoes order to look after me.” Agatha shot back, and Yao easily deflected.

Yao closed her eyes as she shot another bolt of magic her way, the memories of their last interaction and last fight coming to mind.

“I care about you Agatha, I always did.” She said truthfully.

“If you did, you wouldn’t have left.”Agatha continued to glare at her but there was so much sadness in her eyes. “I know I fucked up back then, but you always came back after you left, you were always there, and I was waiting. I was waiting to apologize, but you just disappeared. Stopped taking my messages, and banned me from your Sanctum. You can’t just come and say you care after decades of ghosting me, Yao.”

Yao took a deep breath and just stood there for a bit. The words stung, but they were true. She had left, she had made sure that Agatha wouldn’t be able to reach out to her. She believed that Agatha would forget her, but looking at her one and only love, she wasn’t too sure of herself.

“I thought I was going to die.” She admitted in a quiet voice.

Agatha stared at her. “Darling, you’re immortal.” Agatha had known the lengths that she had gone to for her immortality and had known exactly what she was doing.

Yao shook her head and opened the Eye of Agamotto revealing the Time Stone. “I always knew when I was going to die.” She said sadly.

“And now? What’s changed?” Agatha asked. “Loki could hide from me whenever he wants to, his magic is hidden, but he wanted me here, you wanted me here.”

Yao turned to look at Loki and Tony who were watching them. “A lot of things changed, including me. And you, you don’t have the Darkhold anymore. I do not have to worry about the Tome corrupting you.” She quietly replied.

“I was in control.” She repeated.

“I would always be worrying about when you wouldn’t be. About where you ended and where the Darkhold’s influence began.” She confessed. “I haven’t been a good lover in the past, but I am willing to begin anew if you would have me.”

“Is that you asking for me, or my magical expertise Yao?” Agatha asked summoning purple clouds. “I saw the invasion, something big is coming. Otherwise, Loki wouldn’t have gone to such extremes to fake his death.”

“I have always wanted you Agatha, and will always do so. It has been dull without you.” She said with a smile. “And you are a powerful witch. Your powers are a part of you, they always have been. I would not deny that having you by our side would help, but that is not the only reason.”

“Fine, I was bored anyways,” Agatha replied, but her dazzling smile had returned. The magic dissipated, and she had even cleared up some of the mess they had made. “But that doesn’t mean that this is back. You have to woo me, darling.”

Yao smiled and bowed slightly. “I would endeavor to do my best.” And she would. She did want to lose Agatha, not again.

They both got down, and Yao couldn’t help but smile at the cheeriness on Agatha’s face. The fight or rather the talk had taken a lot from them emotionally, but it looked like for the best.

As Yao watched Agatha talk with Loki and the others, marvel at the magnificent death that Loki had plotted, and smile and laugh, she couldn’t help but do the same. It was good to have her back, and it was good to have her by her side.

Yao sat on a mat in a room in Kamar-Taj as she waited for other people to join her.

Agatha promptly did, coming in a halo of purple smoke and sitting right beside her. Yao couldn’t help the smile that overtook her face.

Agatha and she had a long talk after the supposed fight that happened. They had talked for a long time and Yao confided many things to her, including the fact that Stephen was to be her successor. The threat that Thanos now posed along with Time Travel was something that Agatha was rightly concerned about but took it in stride.

Agatha sat down and looked around. “This feels a bit too you, we need to pizzaz this meeting room a bit.”

“It is barely different from any other room in Kamar-Taj.” She replied. “You are free to change it however you wish if you desire.”

“That’s the problem o Ancient One,” Agatha replied in a mocking tone making Yao smile again. “It’s too boring, too you. We are one Sorcerer Supreme, one immortal Dark Witch, two time travelers, and one God of Trickery, our meeting place needs to reflect that.”

She waved her hands and the decor changed. Gone were the bare wall and simple mats and table. Instead, they were sitting in a plush room, a warm yellow glow surrounding them. The room was easily two-thirds bigger than it actually was, and the mats and table changed with ornate chairs and a huge table.

The table was covered in all kinds of food and drinks. Yao didn’t say anything and simply raised an eyebrow fondly as she grabbed a cookie.

“I took up baking in the last century or so,” Agatha admitted.

Yao took a bite and smiled. “They are delicious, a delicacy worthy of being made by your masterful hand.”

Agatha smiled back at her reaction.

Just then, Tony and Stephen entered. Stephen looked around the room and simply commented. “Magnificient use of magic.”

Tony on the other hand looked like a kid in a candy store at the experience. “You can do TARDIS magic?” He asked looking at Agatha amazed. “You are officially my favorite magic user. Can you show me how to do that, or better yet we can do this to an actual Police Box-”

“Tony, you know I could easily do that right?” Stephen stopped and asked, turning Tony’s attention back to him.

“Oh, we are going to have so much fun with this. The stuff I could do.” Tony kept musing out loud, but Yao’s attention was elsewhere. She had sensed Loki’s magic around, no doubt the young God will be popping up in a few minutes.

Loki appeared in a dazzle, a shower of gold and green later, he was draped across an ornate chair. Agatha smiled approvingly at the dazzling entrance while Yao just shook her head.

“Glad you could join us Green eyes,” Tony said. “You good now?.”

“I am, yes. I wasn’t expecting to be invited, however.” Loki replied as he sat up straight. He then turned to look at her. “I haven’t said it enough, but you have my gratitude for helping me.”

Yao simply smiled back. “We appreciate your help with us here and on events yet to come.”

“Speaking of future events,” Tony started. “We are on track. The convergence will happen in about a year, with London being the focal point. We are fortifying the London Sanctum and SI has already started development on the London offices. We have the location, we just have to plan out the details.”

“The Reality Stone will be the most volatile of all of the stones, so we must approach this carefully,” Stephen added. Everyone nodded. The topic of infinity stones was always a sobering thought.

And so their planning began, starting with all the things that Tony and Stephen remember happening in the future, along with Loki’s input on the state of Asgard. They needed to save the ones that were hurt the last time, and they had to do it in a way that things will not devolve further.

Things had already changed a lot from the past timeline, the most notable change being Loki himself. In the absence of Loki, the response from Asgard might be different. Things had changed a lot on Earth itself, and there was no telling what those changes would bring.

A ping from Tony’s phone interrupted them, and judging from Tony’s reaction, whatever that was wasn’t good.

“Everything alright?” Yao asked.

“Jasper Sitwell. He was one of the key players in the Winter Soldier thing. He’s nowhere to be found.” Tony explained. “I interfered at an earlier point in time with him, and now he and a bunch of HYDRA Agents are on the loose.”

“The frozen murder machine is right here. Aren’t your sorcerers working on the whole deprogramming?” Agatha asked, Yao nodded.

“Even without him, HYDRA could prove to be dangerous.”

“Whatever danger they pose, we will be able to handle it. We are better prepared than you were last time.” Stephen added.

“I still don’t understand why this is a big deal,” Agatha spoke. “You know I could easily find him and take care of the problem right? Maybe lock him up in his nightmare for a while, make everything A-ok.”

“That might not be prudent. We may not know what ramifications that might bring.” Yao said in a quiet voice. “It will not stop with one man, there may be many who have escaped justice this time, many who will take the place of the ones who have. Time will always find a way to correct itself, if we interfere too much, the consequences may be astronomical.”

“Things are turning out to be the same even after our interference. What if that continues to happen? What if we are truly unable to change the future?”

“Some things will not change, some things have to happen, but not everything would be like that.” Yao pressed. “Time is a tricky thing. Sometimes even the smallest thing can cause great effect and yet sometimes nothing we do will be able to change things. But that doesn’t mean we stop trying. We try to change what we can and deal with the consequences of our actions. That is the only way forward.”

Tony nodded, still sounding a bit unsure.

“A lot of things have changed, Tony.” She tried to reassure him. “I know that for a fact. The things we have done have had an impact, some of them will be positive, and others will not give us the result we were hoping for, but we will change the future.

“And besides,” Loki added, looking a lot vulnerable. “You have changed a lot, made things better, small changes that they were. You have made my life better, and I am certain that many others in Midgard owe that to you.”

Tony looked a bit more hopeful at that, they all did. The reassurance that things weren’t as bad as they had once been was good.

“We will be fine,” Stephen repeated. “Things will turn out well.”

“I hope it will,” Tony said with a deep sigh. “But we can worry about that later, Friday wants to do a movie night in the Tower tonight, please do come.”

“We would be happy to,” Yao said with a smile as Tony and Stephen said their goodbyes and left.

Loki also sought to leave but Yao stopped him. “There is a small matter of that bracelet in your hand.”

“The magic dampener?” Loki asked confused as to where she was going with it.

“That’s not a magic dampener,” Agatha remarked. “It’s a shield, that hides you from magic eyes and camouflages your magic. Her ancientness and I developed it during the witch trials.”

Loki stared. “Heimdall. You wanted to protect me from the Asgardians.”

“Amongst other things, yes. We wanted to make sure that for any who looked like you were dead.”

“Works by blending you with the surroundings, and does dampen your magic a bit in the process.” Agatha shrugged as she made herself a martini. “But after a week or so, your magic adapts. You are now an Earth Sorcerer, at least to any magic user that looks.”

“That’s an intriguing bit of magic,” Loki said looking impressed. “But I still don’t understand, am I not to be your prisoner?”

“You are our ally Loki, this was needed for the first few weeks but if you will allow me, I can take it off.”

“She’s too trusting. And besides hot stuff. If you destroy Earth, I will destroy you myself.” Agatha said darkly. “Nothing personal, I just like the planet.”

Loki gave a small smile in response. “I would welcome it.” He moved his hand forward, allowing Yao to remove the enchantments on the emerald bracelet. The bracelet stayed the same, now simply a decorative item, Loki bowed his head in gratitude.

Loki flexed his fingers and tested his magic. “Hm, feels a bit different. Might take a while to get used to this.” He commented. Reaching into his pocket space, he brought forth an ornately wrapped gift and floated it toward her. “A token of my appreciation, enjoy.” He said and disappeared in a shower of green magic.

Yao smiled at the present, and she could sense Agatha’s curiosity spike. The gift opened slowly, the wrappings giving away to reveal a single Golden Apple.

Agatha’s face broke out in a wide grin at the sight of it, and so did Yao’s. She grabbed it and took a bite.