Work Text:
Stephen Strange was having a bad day. His morning had been dampened by a lost dimension traveller, who had dropped right onto his bed at the ass-crack of dawn, unconscious. He had then spent a better part of his morning helping the young traveller into the infirmary and then spent the rest of it pouring through the books in the library at the London Sanctum, looking for a solution. And when he returned back to New York with a fully-fledged plan, he had been informed by a bewildered Wong that the traveller had woken up and gone off into a portal. Apparently, he had been quite angry at being taken hostage and had then run off, which meant that Stephen had done all that work for nothing.
His afternoon was not much better. It had struck him then, that it was his birthday. Birthdays, among the sorcerers, were a quiet affair. There was not much fanfare and they usually went by unacknowledged. This time however, Stephen wished for a little company. Saving the world, fighting off evil and being a superhero, while all noble tasks, took a toll. They meant having to sacrifice any personal life; and any friendships that could be maintained usually fizzled out. Not that Stephen had had any personal life before his accident. Before he was an arrogant, egoistical man who had no interest in people and now, though a changed man, he was still lonely.
He supposed that he could stop by the Tony’s house. He would definitely find himself company there, between Peter and Morgan, and Tony and Pepper themselves, he would definitely be occupied. But the thought of seeing Tony and Pepper bought butterflies to his stomach. He had developed somewhat of a fondness for the couple. Defeating Thanos by Tony’s side and having Pepper fly in to ‘Rescue’ them had definitely brought them to his attention. He had then managed to develop a crush on both of them and it made him feel guilty. He felt like a schoolboy, stewing in these one-sided feelings for two people.
What didn’t help his conscience was the fact that acting on his feelings would be disastrous. He would be coming in between a loving couple and since he liked both of them, he didn’t find it in him to choose one of them. The probability of the both of them liking him back was also non-existent and he loathed himself for having these feelings.
He decided then that he would go to Tony’s place, enjoy their company for as long as he could and revel in his feelings without saying a thing. He would take whatever they gave him, their friendship and loyalty and he would treasure it forever, never acting on it. He would protect Morgan and Peter and keep them safe to the best of his abilities. He would be a part of that family for as long as he was allowed to be, for as long as his feelings went undiscovered, because if they were revealed, surely Tony and Pepper would hate him for trying to come between them.
With this thought in mind, he opened a portal to the lake house. The Cloak of Levitation settled on his shoulder and ran an edge along his back, stroking him, comforting him.
-
Tony and Pepper Stark stood on the patio. Hand in hand, the couple stared at the lake in front of them. Pepper rested her head against Tony’s shoulder, her hair fluttering with the wind. Somewhere behind them, Peter ran and after a giggling Morgan and picked her up.
Tony ran his hands through his hair, and shifted his weight from one foot to another. His thoughts ran wild as he thought about doing what his mind told him not to. It had been a few months since the final fight with Thanos, since the endgame and it was by a sweet holy miracle that Tony was even alive right now. And though the nights since the fight had been filled with constant nightmares and sleepless nights on both his and Pepper’s part, they had pulled through. Peter and Morgan were their source of constant delight and happiness and they kept them going. Though he could now think of another reason for being thankful for being alive, Stephen Strange, sorcerer extraordinaire. The man was equal parts snark and science, and he was highly appealing to Tony. His striking and sharp features were an amazing advantage and Tony couldn’t help but admire the man.
“Tony,” said Pepper, pulling him out of his thoughts. He turned his head to face her, and rose an eyebrow in question.
“Going to tell me what’s on your mind? Or do you want me to ask again in a few weeks?” continued Pepper with a smile.
“If I say I’d like a few more weeks, would you really give them?”
“No. Now tell me what’s up. Is it something to do with a certain Doctor Strange?”
He turned in surprise to fully face her. She was looking out towards the lake in with an innocent look, though the smirk on her face told another story.
“What? Doctor Strange? Pfft no. Why would he be on my mind? He is the last thing on my mind. I mean come on Peps -”
“Uh huh. You and I both know you like the man Tony. You’re just in denial about it.”
“Wait a second Ms. Potts, do I see you teasing me about it? How are you not mad!?”
“It isn’t the first time that you’ve been with someone while admiring someone else Tony. Besides, I’m not blind sweetheart, he’s a delight to look at.”
“Is this you admitting that you like him too?”
“It might be. But you do know that if we act on our feelings, it would not be a one-time thing. I like Stephen. And I would love to see how the three of us would fit together Tony.”
“Took the words right out of my mouth Pep”
They stood in silence then for a few moments then, each thinking about what could be.
“So, we tell him?”
“We tell him. And what better day than today?”
Tony couldn’t believe he had been so ignorant. They had both developed feelings for the man and while Pepper had seen it in him, he hadn’t noticed it. And it was absolutely wonderful that they were both in agreement of their feelings or else this talk would have turned around really quick. Now, they just had to convince Stephen to give them a chance. A chance to see what the three of them looked like together.
-
Stephen stepped out of the portal. The cloak flew off from his shoulder and towards the sounds of Peter and Morgan. He could see Tony and Pepper at some distance talking. They looked peaceful. Maybe he shouldn’t disturb them, he could spend his day in some alternate dimension working on a particularly difficult curse. He was backing out of his decision of having come there fast when Pepper turned around and looked right at him.
She smiled her wonderful smile at him and Stephen was glad he had come. She said something to Tony and he too turned around to look at him. He looked hopeful.
Stephen felt his heart flutter. How could he have thought that he would have been able to deny his feelings?
They headed towards him and he started walking in their direction as well.
“Stephen! What a surprise. How are you?” Tony asked.
“I’m fine. I was in the area and I thought I’d drop by,” Stephen chastised himself. He was acting like an idiot.
“Well, it’s wonderful to see you. Tony and I were just talking about you,” said Pepper.
“You were?” Stephen felt caught.
“Yeah, we’d like to discuss something with you. And if you’re willing, we’d love to see it put through”
He looked towards them and thought of all the things that they could say. Maybe they’d reject him and tell him to move on; tell him to stay away for a while, until he could be around then sans his liking for them. And while he did not think of them to be as cruel as to just remove him from their lives, he couldn’t help but consider that possibility.
Some of his apprehension must have shown on his face for then Tony put a hand on his back and started leading him forward. Pepper slipped her hand into his and together the both of them lead him ahead. He felt trapped. He wanted to run away and hide himself. This moment felt strangely heated. He felt extremely conscious of the heat of Tony’s hand through the fabric of his shirt, of the warmth of Pepper fingers laced through his. It was overwhelming.
He couldn’t do this.
He stopped abruptly.
“I like you both. I have for a while and I’m sorry. I do not wish to come between the two of you and I completely understand if you want me to leave”
He said it all in a breath. It was done. There was no taking it back now. He looked straight ahead, too afraid to glance either way to see any of their reactions. Had he looked at them, he would have seen them exchanging astonishing looks and then smiling widely.
He felt Tony slip his hand from behind his back. Pepper’s fingers untangled from his. And it wasn’t surprising in the least, after all wasn’t this what he had been expecting after all?
But then, Pepper’s hands took both of his and tangled them. Tony’s hands came up to his face and cupped his face, angling it towards himself. This, he was not expecting. He was forced to look Tony in the eye and saw nothing but earnestness. He hoped a glance at Pepper and saw no discomfort or hate.
“We like you too Stephen” said Pepper, “This is what we wanted to talk to you about.”
“And you have taken the words right out of our mouths. You don’t have to leave. You never did have to.” continued Tony.
“B-but what about you two? And Morgan? I don’t want to push-”
He was cut off by a pair of lips on his. Their mouth tasted faintly of honey and their lips were soft. As they broke away, he could see that it was Pepper who had kissed him. He was about to follow her mouth with his, when her hands on his face gently turned him towards Tony.
“Don’t I get a kiss too?”
Stephen moved forwards and was met by an enthusiastic Tony. While Pepper had been soft and warm and like a fierce fire, Tony felt rough, the stubble on his jaw poked at his cheek and his kiss felt hot and intense. As they broke apart, Stephen felt hopeful. He had a chance at this relationship and he would cherish it.