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Stephen’s heart raced and his hands trembled so much worse than normal that he was forced to clasp them behind his back, but he had to do this. The words would forever linger on the tip of his tongue if he didn’t, and there were much worse moments to blurt them out. Before him, Tony waited.
“On Titan, when I viewed those fourteen million futures…” Stephen trailed off and Tony nodded for him to continue. Stephen took a steadying breath. “I came to know you quite well,” he admitted. “You, and Peter, and the Guardians. All those futures began in the same place, you see.” Surely it was better to establish that his feelings hadn’t come out of nowhere, that there was some basis—
But Tony was frowning. “You know me?” he asked. Stephen nodded. Tony’s frown deepened. “I don’t know you, Strange. Whatever you saw, it wasn’t me. Not this me, anyway.”
Stephen’s courage fled. He should have known. Tony had always been wary, hurt too often by too many allies to trust easily, and magic only amplified that. “I apologize,” Stephen said, fighting back the sudden prick of tears. He bowed slightly. “I won’t speak of it again.”