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Tony looks around, trying to accept the fact that they had just lost. He gave everything he had, almost literally, since his suit is now in shreds, he nearly died, and it meant nothing. In the end, he had failed. And Strange had done the one thing he promised Tony he wouldn't do. He gave away the stone to spare Tony's miserable life.
He stares at the sorcerer again, still trying to understand what the hell he meant by we're at the endgame now. Tony notices Strange is watching him back. He gets up with some difficulty, approaching Strange and sitting back down close to him.
Tony looks around to make sure no one is paying attention to them. He wants this to be a private conversation.
"Tony." Strange calls, worried, making Tony frown in confusion, because he had yet to hear Strange using his first name. Especially in that caring voice. "Are you okay? Let me take a look at your injury." He leans closer, hand reaching for Tony's wounded stomach.
Tony smacks his hand away somewhat angrily, but still careful not to hurt the man. He has noticed the scars in his fingers and the trembling in his hands and he knows what it means.
"I'm perfectly fine." He lies through his teeth. "You promised me." Tony accuses, upset. "You promised me you wouldn't give up the stone for me."
"I believe I was threatening you and not promising at the time." Strange corrects, eyebrow raised.
"It doesn't matter what you were doing, Strange! You said you wouldn't do it. And the first chance you got, what did you do? Offered the damn thing." Tony hisses. "He hadn't even asked! You literally offered."
"I am aware." The sorcerer nods, a hint of amusement in his face that pisses Tony off even further.
"So, I'm gonna ask you again. Why'd you do that?" Tony crosses his arms.
"Because I love you." Strange declares simply and Tony moves back with a jolt, certain he heard it wrong, because what the fuck?
He opens and closes his mouth for some time, intending to ask Strange to repeat what he just said, but the look on the man's face tells him he probably heard him right.
Tony turns back to the rest of the heroes. "Guys, we need some help here." He shouts, distressed. "Strange needs medical attention, I think he has a concussion."
Everybody turns to look at them as Strange snorts and grabs Tony's waving hand, putting it back down. "I'm perfectly fine, Tony is mistaken." He assures loudly so the others can hear and they just get back to whatever it was they were doing. "I don't have a concussion." Strange rolls his eyes.
"Then, what?" Tony asks, genuinely confused. "You're just insane? Because I'm pretty sure you just said you love me."
"I'm not insane." The sorcerer protests. "I would be insane if I had gotten to know you so well and tried to deny how you make me feel."
Tony notices Strange is still holding his hand and pulls it back. "Okay, Sabrina, you got me. That has to be a joke of some kind. Because we've known each other for exactly six hours and you've spent a huge part of these hours making perfectly clear that you don't take me seriously and that you think I'm a narcissistic asshole." Tony raises an eyebrow at the sorcerer. "Bottom line, you don't know me at all and what I make you feel is anger."
"That was before." Strange protests, raising his hand to caress Tony's face. "And I never said you were a narcissistic asshole." He raises a finger when Tony opens his mouth to contradict him. "Yes, I may have implied that. Possibly. But I never downright said it and, anyway, I know now how mistaken I was."
Tony pulls his head back and out of Strange's reach, huffing annoyedly. "Will you stop with the unrequited PDA?" Tony hisses, slapping Strange's hand away again. "You're creeping me out."
"I'm sorry." Strange nods, pulling his hand back. "It's just that we've fought together so many times. I tend to forget you don't know me as well as I do you."
"You do me?" Tony repeats, confused. He sees the smirk blossoming in Strange's lips and rolls his eyes, back from confused to annoyed. "Not gonna happen." He shakes his head. "Anyway, what nonsense is this? What you're talking about, we've fought together so many times? We've just--" Tony stops, remembering something. "The weird thing you were doing with the time stone." He slowly realizes. There is a pleased smile in Strange's face now. Something dreadful sets in Tony's spine. "Strange, exactly how much time did you spend doing that?"
The sorcerer cocks his head to the side, considering Tony. "A few months." He admits.
"A few months?!" Tony screeches, eyes widening. "Strange, what the hell?"
"Oh, that's nothing. Once I spent years dying by the hands of an interdimensional demon until he ran out of painful ways of killing me."
"It does not make it any better!" Tony exclaims, louder.
"Are you worried about me?" Strange asks and he has a smug smile in place and some mischief in his eyes.
"Yes!" Tony says, as if it is obvious. "I am once again worried about your sanity if you go around pulling this kind of shit. It can't be healthy."
"Don't worry." Strange waves dismissively. "I'm fine." He assures. His face softens as he watches the other man. "But I'm telling the truth, Tony. We fought together many, many times and I got to know you very well. More than fourteen million timelines and it only took me twenty seven to fall in love with you."
Tony swallows, not knowing what to say. It's certainly very flattering to hear a powerful and smart man like Strange telling him that. And it's not like Tony doesn't fancy men, since he came out as bisexual many years ago. Also, Strange is very attractive, he can't deny. But all of it does not dampen the weirdness of hearing him saying it so suddenly.
"You don't have to say anything, Tony." Strange declares, taking pity on him and whatever expression is in his face. "I just wanted to let you know how I feel before I go." He takes Tony's hand one more time and kisses it, closing his eyes while briefly holding the hand to his face. Then, he lets go with a smile. "Also, you should know that when all of this is over, after you defeat Thanos and save us all, I'm going to woo you properly."
Tony snorts at that, crossing his arms and trying to ignore the way his hand is tingling where Strange just kissed. "You do realize I am engaged, right?"
The sorcerer just shrugs, as if Tony being engaged to someone else is merely a minor hiccup in his plan of getting the genius to love him back.
"Wait." Tony frowns, replaying Strange's words in his head. "What do you mean, before you go? Where are you going?"
"Don't worry about it right now." Strange advises kindly, with a sad smile. Tony has a bad feeling about what is about to happen.
He lets out an annoyed sigh. "Why do you keep saying cryptic shit that can mean anything? Is it part of the hot wizard aesthetic?" Tony realizes what he just said and keeps on babbling, hoping that Strange won't focus on his past words, but by the smirk the wizard is giving him, he already did. "Also, you just said you love me. You can't say this and then abandon me on some godforsaken planet."
"Hey, you're the one who can't reject my love for you and then use it against me." Strange argues, raising an eyebrow.
"I did not reject it."
"Oh, you didn't? Good to know."
"Now you're just twisting my words." Tony huffs, rolling his eyes. Strange is insufferable.
"Since you're not rejecting it, how about you give me a kiss before I go? You know, just something for the road." Strange winks at him, the same way he did back in New York.
"Yeah, you wish, Elphaba." Tony answers, unimpressed.
Before he can ask one more time where is it that Strange is going and why, Mantis catches their attention to say there is something happening and then... everything goes to shit.
~~
After those who were left manage to take down Thanos and Tony wields the infinity gauntlet to bring everyone back, Stephen wakes up somewhat confused. He looks around and sees everyone who fought with them in Titan as well as the rest of the Avengers. He smiles to himself, because Tony did it. He saved them all, as Stephen was sure he would do. As that single future in which they won had showed him.
Stephen searches for Tony and catches his eyes among the crowd of people either coming back from the snap or happily hugging those who had been dusted, but before he can say anything to the genius, Tony is throwing the gauntlet away and pulling Stephen closer with intent, kissing the sorcerer in front of everyone.
Stephen quickly gets in with the program and kisses Tony back with the same entusiasm, satisfied with this turn of events. He thought he would have to spend a few months after coming back from the soul world courting Tony before they got to kissing point, but if Tony is already there, well, he won't be the one complaining.
When they finally part from the kiss, which had been going on for a very long time, Tony grabs the front of his robes as to keep Stephen where he is and looks him in the eyes, searching for something.
"I love you too." Tony declares, after finding what he was looking for.
Stephen can barely breathe. He thought Tony was just giving him a welcome back gift, but to hear the man saying he actually reciprocates his feelings is more than he could hope for right now.
He raises trembling hands to reverently hold Tony's face and this time the genius eases on their touch instead of slapping them away. Tony's hands come up to hold on to Stephen's wrists, keeping him there.
"How?" Stephen asks quietly, still enthralled by the feeling he can see in Tony's warm brown eyes.
"You're not the only one who fell in love with several versions of a person." Tony leans in to press their foreheads together. "We had to visit a lot of alternate dimensions to find a way to win this thing." He admits. "They all had you."
Stephen hums happily and seals their lips together again, content to stay exactly where he is for the rest of his lifetime on Earth. With Tony in his arms, everything is just perfect.
He pulls back a minute later, though, narrowing his eyes. "Wait a second." Stephen starts, confusing Tony with his seriousness. "Have you kissed any other version of me?"
The genius groans, rolling his eyes. "Oh my god, you possessive son of a bitch, I did not!"
"Good." Stephen approves, hand on Tony's hair pulling the genius to him again.
Yes. He is definitely satisfied with this turn of events.