Work Text:
Tony tries very, very hard not to use his senses at all.
It’s not that he doesn’t want them. He may have issues, but they aren’t those particular issues. He’d be happy to lean into those genetic advantages if, in his case, they outweighed the risks. Which they don’t. Three Sentinel and Guide centers (his local California Center first, then the California State Center, then the New York Center) all agree that Tony is, quote, “unusually susceptible to zone outs.”
Which more or less means that damn near anything can tip him into one, and damn near nothing can get him out of one. Pepper, despite being so weak a Guide she only just registers on the test, is the best at getting him out of them. Given a quiet place and about half an hour undisturbed, she can get him back about half the time. The rest of the time, there’s nothing to do but wait. He usually comes out of a zone after four or five hours. Usually.
Once, he had to be put into care in the S&G Center for three days.
No one enjoys that, least of all Tony. So he does his best not to give his brain the opportunity to hyperfocus, and he meets the Guides the Center sends to match with him, and he tries not to envy the Sentinels who can snap out of a zone with a few words from the right person.
Unfortunately, Tony’s work regularly involves intense focus on very small objects. Soldering a circuit board is legitimately dangerous for him, but like hell he’s going to give the job to someone else, especially when it concerns the armor. He tells himself that even when FRIDAY warns him against such work while Pepper is out of town.
The tiny…
…details…
…swallow…
…him.
.
.
The low rumble of a voice. A warm hand holding his, trembling faintly. The scent of tea and dust and something like but unlike ozone. It’s the scent that Tony follows back into the world. Blinking, Tony carefully straightens up from where he was hunched over his work bench. He doesn’t feel sore, which is unusual.
“Tony?”
Tony turns to find Stephen Strange sitting next to him, eyebrows knitted in concern. Tony clears his throat, but it doesn’t feel dry. “Yeah, I’m here. How long was I out?”
FRIDAY answers, “Fifteen minutes. With Ms. Potts out of town, I considered calling the S&G Center, but Doctor Strange is a registered Guide and I decided he was more likely to respond quickly.”
“You did good, FRIDAY,” Tony reassures her automatically, and then really registers her words. He turns to Strange. “You got me back in fifteen minutes?”
“More like ten, once I got here,” Strange says. “I’m sorry, it shouldn’t take that long.”
“That long?” Tony laughs. “Strange, that’s the fastest anyone has ever gotten me out of zone out in my entire life. That’s assuming they even can get me back. Are you bonded? Tell me you’re not bonded.”
Strange lets out an incredulous huff of laughter and shakes his head. “I’m not bonded,” he says. “And to anticipate your next question, yes, I’m amenable to a courtship.”
“Amenable,” Tony snorts, but he’s smiling. “Fantastic. FRIDAY, is there paperwork? If there is, get it started.”
Strange looks bemused, but in a good way, like he’s enjoying the ride. It’s a good sign, Tony decides.