Made of Stardust

https://www.tumblr.com/airas-story/821887499443060736/tony-is-quite-literally-the-merchant-of-death-how?source=share

Sequel to this one.

”—my sister Doctor Donna Strange,” Stephen said, as he introduced Donna to the donor he’d been ordered to charm. “Who agreed to be my plus one for the evening. ”

“Ah, two doctors in the family,” the donor, a Justin Hammer, said. “I don’t believe I’ve heard your name.” He gave Donna a look that was both condescending and a little inappropriate.

“You wouldn’t have,” Donna said easily. “I’m a doctor of veterinary medicine,” she said.

“And the best veterinarian I know,” came a voice behind them. Stephen startled, turning automatically at the sound of Tony’s voice. He was dressed in an elegant suit, smile genuine and eyes warm. For a moment Stephen’s heart raced and he wondered who, here, was making deals, before he realized that this was not Tony Stark the merchant, but Tony Stark the man. “Hello Donna,” Tony’s voice was soft. “Stephen.”

Donna turned just as quickly as Stephen had and her eyes lit up. “Tony!” She stepped in, and Stephen watched her lean in to press a hello kiss to Tony’s cheek, completely ignoring the lack of proprietary. She had yelled at Tony only once, when she had learned that her life would eventually cost Stephen his. Then she’d cried in Tony’s arms and come out of it with some degree of peace that Stephen had never been able to give her.

I have finally put this one on AO3, so the link to all of the series is right here.

Magic. The word buzzed in Tony’s brain as Stephen leaned heavily against him, breath still a little uneven as he came down from the panic attack that Tony had inadvertently caused.

Magic.

Admittedly, Tony wasn’t as surprised about that fact as he wished he was. But he’d been sharing space with a flying, sentient—fully sapient, even—cloak for long enough that it would probably have been weirder if Tony hadn’t started catching a clue.

Stephen was magic too, or he had been and maybe still was. From context clues Tony could put together that Hydra had been trying to remove the magic from Stephen—or at least the ability to use magic, Tony really didn’t know enough of the details of how the magic worked to even guess at that.

Mordo, whoever he was, had likely been another magic user. Someone who had betrayed Stephen to Hydra. That made him dangerous in more than one way. Dangerous in how far he’d go. Dangerous in how ill-thought out the plan was. If Hydra did learn something from what they’d done to Stephen, some past alliance wouldn’t protect Mordo if they decided to turn it against him.

But that, Tony reminded himself, did not matter right now.

Right now what mattered was Stephen and helping him.

Sequel to this!

            “If you want to play an ice breaker, you’re going to have to go first.” Stephen chanced looking back at Tony and was met with the full force of Tony’s smile, satisfied and a little conspiratorial, as if he was inviting Stephen to participate in something secret.

            “Alright, let’s start with an easy one. What’s your name, gorgeous?”

            Oh. My. God. If he thought he’d been blushing before, he certainly was now. Tony Stark was flirting with him. In an inescapable forced-close-quarters situation. With his arms around Stephen who was fully sitting on his lap. It would’ve been a dream if it wasn’t such a nightmare.

            “Stephen. Doctor Stephen Strange,” he said belatedly, realizing he’d just been staring. “I know who you are, of course.”

            “Believe it or not, I actually think I know who you are, too. The Strange-Palmer technique, right?”

            Maybe this was a dream. There was no way Tony Stark was familiar with his research. “That’s right. I didn’t think surgical techniques fell under your purview.”

            “The research was promising for recovery from paralysis after a trauma. My best friend can walk today because of your technique.”

            Stephen couldn’t help it- he was too overwhelmed to do anything but tip his forehead down to rest on Tony’s shoulder, effectively obscuring his face. There was no chance that this was real. Perhaps he was trapped in some kind of illusion, or he was going into shock and hallucinating. There was no way that he was somehow personally relevant to Tony Stark’s life, enough that he knew Stephen by name. And yet everything felt real and he couldn’t sense any ambient magic in the immediate vicinity.

            “Are you alright?” Tony asked, his voice gentle.

            “I’m sorry, I- I’m just overwhelmed. This is-… not a situation I ever thought I’d find myself in. Several times over.”

            “I get that. It’s not every day a beautiful, non-hostile magic user portals into my house and then turns out to be a famous doctor who by all accounts disappeared in 2016.”

            “I was neither famous nor did I disappear,” Stephen shot back, choosing to ignore the compliment Tony had slipped in. “My friends knew I was alive and in New York.”

            “Well, when Dr. Palmer consulted on my friend’s surgery she didn’t seem to know where you were.”

            “When was that?” Stephen lifted his head, his embarrassment washed away by shock. Christine had met Tony Stark and she’d never mentioned it?

            “2016. Not that long after you disappeared.”

            “Ah. It did take me a while to… re-establish contact.” Perhaps Christine had been afraid that Stephen would react poorly to learning that the modern Da Vinci had looked for them after he’d lost his hands.

            “Did you go away to learn magic?” Tony’s voice was curious, but still gentle.

            “Yes, and no. I went to heal my hands. I found magic, instead, and realized that I could do so much more like this than I could as a surgeon.

            “That’s quite admirable. It’s not always easy, choosing to help people like that.”

            “I bet you know a thing or two about that.” Stephen’s voice came out much softer than he intended, and Tony offered him a smile that was a little bit sad and a little bit resigned and entirely removed from the smiles he gave people at events and things. For whatever reason, Tony clearly trusted him enough to get a little vulnerable, and he didn’t want to make that trust misplaced.

            “Yeah. Anyway, I think it’s your turn to ask an ice breaker.”

What about a shorter one for inspiration this time? I have a great fondness for the “magic turned Stephen temporarily into a cat” trope. Maybe he enjoys being a cat, but still has bad pain days with his hands/paws, and comes to appreciate Tony’s newly discovered weakness for pampering cat!Stephen.

Thanks for bringing it up because I want everyone to know that there's no such thing as hogging my prompts! The more prompts that are sitting in my inbox, the more likely I'll see one that grabs my brain and allows me to write it for the day. To that end, if anyone has sent a prompt in that I haven't delivered on, know that I have been thinking about how to proceed with it and it'll show up someday! If I pass on a prompt, I'll do so pretty quickly once it comes in, so if you haven't seen your prompt come up it is still sitting in my queue waiting for inspiration and opportunity to line up.

Now, on to the actual prompt!

Stephen bit back a grimace as another spasm caused his right hand to sieze painfully. It was dreadfully cold today, and his hands had been crushed tightly to his chest in a fight with an errant soul squid, so it was safe to say that in pain was an understatement. Sure, he was used to pain, but that didn't stop it from hurting.

He'd already taken what medication he could and now there was little he could do but wait. He couldn't even Astral project to escape the pain- they weren't called soul squids for nothing- and the only other thing that even sort of worked aside from knocking himself out was now ruined forever, because Tony Stark had swept in and improved it and it wasn't the same without... those improvements.

Well.

There was one thing he could do. He could call Tony and beg him to have pity on him. The very thought of doing so made his heart race. Lately, every moment they spent together was draped in tension. It was as if there was an invisible spring between them that kept winding tighter and tighter with every inch they grew closer, and sooner or later it would snap.

Stephen's bet- and his hope- was that it would be soon. But asking Tony for this felt entirely too soon. It was the kind of treatment one gave their partner, and the only reason he'd gotten it before was because he'd gotten attacked on his birthday and Tony had demanded to try and 'fix' his day.

What had followed was the most comfortable and physically satisfying evening he'd ever had in his entire life, and they hadn't so much as kissed. Tony had run him a bath and cooked him dinner and given him a massage, which he was unfairly talented at. And then... he'd indulged one of Stephen's deepest wishes, the kind of thing his touch-starved, emotion-choked childhood self had daydreamed about. He'd let Stephen retreat into his second form- a cat- where some sensations were pleasantly dulled and others were pleasantly sharpened, and then he'd spent nearly two hours lavishing that form with the same kind of attention.

Normally, on nights as bad as tonight, he retreated to his second form, but after experiencing Tony's attention he knew it would feel hollow, and he might do something he'd regret. A sorcerer's second form was a representation of their being, usually taking the form of an earthly animal. The second form was a mark in mystic education, and it was meant to allow a sorcerer to gain a greater understanding of their feelings and desires. For Stephen, it was also a reprieve from his pain, especially in his hands- physical touch was slightly duller but warmth was stronger, and the magic supplemented his paws to allow him to walk on them. It was the most comfortable he ever got these days, but he knew it would no longer hold the same comfort it had before.

The last time he'd been in that form, Tony had been there. Tony had held him, and petted him, and didn't seem at all phased by the fact that he could do things like scratch between Stephen's ears and idly stroke his tail and best of all, the most hedonistic thing Stephen had ever experienced: he'd ever-so-gently massaged Stephen's paws. Tiny, gentle-pressed circles and careful stretches and slow soft pressure that not only pushed the pain away completely, but replaced it with pure comfortable pleasure. It was so, so rare for him to feel a resting neutral, to be not in any pain at all- to be granted a reprieve from his pain and receive pleasure in its place was something he'd long given up the hope of achieving. And yet Tony had gone and done it, casually, as if there was nothing wrong with Stephen needing to be a cat, as if he was just as worth being around in that form as he was a human who could meaningfully reciprocate interaction.

Taking his second form had brought him comfort before, but nothing could compare to sinking into Tony's extremis-enhanced warmth and being massaged and petted and utterly, perfectly comfortable and content. The second form was meant to let sorcerers get more comfortable with their desires, and he knew that he could never take his feline form again unless Tony was there, or there was a strong chance he'd go to wherever Tony was and demand his attention again. He could not let that happen.

No, if he was going to ask Tony for something so... intimate, he would have to do it person to person. And he didn't feel he had the right to do that. So, he resigned himself to an uncomfortable evening sulking in bed. The Cloak was wrapped around his hands, gentle but warm, and he tried to focus on that instead of on the gnawing desire that had been ignited since the moment he knew it was a possibility.

And then the air shifted with the soft whoosh that came with the Sanctum's warping, and Tony Stark was suddenly standing in his bedroom with one hand raised as if to knock on the door.

"Stephen!" Tony exclaimed, clearly just as shocked as he was. "Did you do that or did the Sanctum? I didn't even manage to knock on the front door."

"The Sanctum must've done it. I wouldn't warp you without telling you first."

"Okay. Uh, can I come in? I meant to knock."

Stephen couldn't help but smile- sometimes Tony seemed almost shy in a way that was utterly endearing. "Yes, you can come in. You can sit, too, if you'd like."

Tony offered him a cute, shy smile and stepped forward to sit on the edge of Stephen's bed. Stephen counted himself lucky that he'd been sitting up in bed when Tony had arrived- it saved him the trouble of revealing how sore he was by trying to move now.

"I brought some food, if you're hungry. I heard you had a rough day so I brought a utensil option, a finger food option, and also a drinkable soup." As he spoke, Tony set the bag he'd apparently been holding down on the bed, as if in offering.

"I-..." Stephen was overwhelmed by the care displayed in Tony's actions, which of course only made his hands shake harder. "I'm honestly not sure if I can hold anything right now. It's been a bad day for my hands."

"Are you hungry? I can and will feed you if you want me to."

"What, you want to nurse me back to health on your night off?" It was meant to be a joke, but he sounded a little too shocked for it to really land.

"You think I've got something better to do than bring you a little relief?" Tony asked, knocking him completely off any axis he'd been clinging to. "So do you want pesto ravioli, charcuterie-snack-box-slash-appetizer-plate, or soup? I've got congee with a little extra broth and egg drop soup."

"You brought all of this just because I might be hungry?"

"No, I brought all of this because I thought you might not have eaten. I knew you'd be hungry eventually so the food would get eaten no matter what."

Stephen was quiet for a moment, processing that. Tony wanted to care for him so much that he was building contingency plans into his attempts. If it hadn't been before, his heart began to pound. This was a kind of care and intimacy he'd never been afforded by anyone. And here Tony was, offering it freely as if it were easy to do so, as if it were fact. The spring coiled tighter and for a moment he thought it would snap.

Then, Tony opened a box and the smell of something deep-fried hit Stephen's nose, and his stomach grumbled- loudly. To make matters worse, Tony laughed. Moment thoroughly broken.

"Do you want a fried pickle chip? I've also got fried onions and fried green beans- wasn't sure what you'd prefer- as well as mozzarella sticks, Mac and cheese bites, and popcorn chicken, plus the charcuterie stuff."

"Tony, that's so much food."

"It's one of every appetizer on my home chef quick menu that doesn't require dexterity to eat."

Another shockingly thoughtful layer to the action. Stephen couldn't help but blurt out his most prominent question. "Why are you trying so hard to take care of me right now?"

"Because it makes you happy," Tony responded simply and without hesitation, and Stephen immediately felt his face flush. "You deserve to be taken care of just as much as anyone, and I know you don't get that enough. If I can provide that, why shouldn't I?"

For a moment, twin flames of exhilaration and panic burned bright in his chest and Stephen could do nothing but stare at Tony, shocked and red.

"You told me that your birthday was one of the best nights of your life," Tony continued, reaching out to lay a hand on Stephen's leg. "If dinner and a massage is all it takes to give you that kind of happiness, I want to do it for you regularly. You deserve the opportunity to have those needs met."

"I don't need-" Stephen began, but cut himself off roughly. The truth was, he'd been touch-starved since Donna died, and that night with Tony had eased an ache that was damn near permanent. Despite himself, he'd been unable to hide the impact it had had on his mood- he'd ridden that high for almost two weeks. Of course Tony would have noticed that. "I- what do you get out of this, exactly?"

"Peace of mind, knowing that you've eaten well. A sense of fulfillment, knowing that I'm giving you something you need- something we both need- via physical touch. A sense of pride, knowing that I was able to stop your pain for even a little while. And, selfishly, a sense of pride in knowing that you trust me enough to let me see you in your other form- if that's something you'd be interested in doing again."

There was a hopeful edge to that last statement, and Stephen took a slow breath to try and calm his racing heart. "You want to do that again? It wasn't... off-putting?"

"Off-putting? Try captivating. Stephen, getting to- to hold you and pet you was exhilarating. That you'd choose to take on such a small, fragile form and then place yourself in my arms, that you let me massage your paws, that it helped? I loved it. I've always had to fight for people's trust. My whole life, I've had to earn the trust of my loved ones and the media and the public over and over again, but you... you just give it to me freely, like it's not even a question. And I know you're not like that with everyone, and it makes it easier for me to trust you. Isn't that... special?"

Stephen's heart soared, and a wave of fondness crashed over him, leaving behind a spark of desire. "Just to clarify, are you hoping for a platonic arrangement or a romantic one?"

"This is on a separate axis from that. I would want to do this with you regardless of whether it were romantic or platonic. This is something that you and I can do that's undeniably intimate, yes, but it doesn't have to be one or the other. What you and I have is what you and I have, and it matters to me regardless."

The warmth that had crept up Stephen's neck and across his cheeks spread across the rest of his body as Tony rambled. It was better than an admission of romantic feelings- Tony had just boldly stated that Stephen was important to him in any capacity, that he was worth keeping around even if their entire relationship was on Stephen's terms.

"While that was perhaps the best answer I could've gotten, I'm asking because I want to know if I can ask you to kiss me."

"Oh!" Now it was Tony's turn to flush, and Stephen couldn't contain his grin. Tony was adorable. "Yes. Yes, please."

"Tony?"

"Yeah, Stephen?"

"Come here and kiss me."

Tony's smile was as radiant as the sun as he scooted closer and leaned in for a kiss. Stephen tried to meet him partway, but Tony must've noticed his stiffness because he gently guided Stephen back with a hand on his chest.

The kiss was gentle and languid, like Tony wanted to savor it. Stephen hummed, freeing his hands from the cloak's makeshift muff to reach for Tony, one shaking hand curling loosely over his waist and the other coming up in a weak approximation of grabbing his shoulder. Even the sheer act of laying his hand on Tony's shoulder was enough to trigger another strong spasm, which made him gasp, regrettably cutting the kiss short.

"As nice as that was, we should get some food in you so that I can help you with that. If you'll allow me to."

Stephen smiled despite the pain- even now, Tony was acting like it was a privilege to grant Stephen's most selfish desires.

"Why wait? I'm not hungry."

Without waiting for a response, Stephen slipped into his second form, which to Tony would look like him flickering into a cat. Tony gave a single shocked laugh.

"Okay, but I will make sure you eat before going to bed, which means you can't cat nap on my chest all day."

Stephen paid him no mind as he climbed onto Tony's lap and settled there, just barely managing to withhold his purrs until Tony's fingers skimmed over his fur. He was far too eager for this to wait long enough to eat first, no matter how hungry he was. And even if this meant this session had to be shorter, something told him that Tony would be willing to indulge him again very soon.

Summary

They started as comrades in arms, became friends, and are now lovers.

How should they deal with such a change? How can they avoid the mistakes of the past? Tony and Stephen are taking their first steps in their new relationship.

It's not easy, but it's worth the effort.

Notes

They just deserve both so much love...

On Ao3

Rating G - 1797 words

“Boss, Doctor Strange is at the front door.”

“Serious question,” Tony started.

Laying on the mat beside him, Stephen made an inquiring noise, clearly under the impression that forming actual words was too much work. Tony didn’t blame him, he didn’t particularly want to be putting in the effort either. Tony didn’t know who had thought it had been a good idea to have a “week-long bootcamp”, but it had been a bad idea and Tony should have faked an injury on day one.

“Can we just never move again?” He stared up at the ceiling, his whole body feeling sore—he wasn’t even sure if it was a good sore or a bad sore at this point, it was just sore—as he contemplated the best ways to never have to move again. The suit was pretty adaptive right now, it could probably just float him along.

“I can’t currently think of a good reason for why we would need to,” Stephen said. “But that might change once the sweat settles.”

Just the thought of it made Tony shudder. He actually enjoyed working up a good sweat—a good workout, heavy work in the lab, sex—but he hated staying sweaty. Worse, now that Stephen had mentioned it, Tony could feel the sweat where it was cooling on his body. “You just had to say that. Now I have to move.”

“Shame on me,” Stephen said, sounding not at all ashamed.

Tony rolled his eyes, thinking longingly of getting into a nice, hot both. “I miss my Malibu mansion bath,” he said. “Or the tower bath. That one was nice, too. The compound is just so… practical. Don’t get me wrong, the water pressure is great, the heat is phenomenal. But just so… economical. I should have stayed a hedonist. What was I thinking?”

Could we get continuation to hydra hostage Stephen?

I hope studying is going well!! Good luck with MCAT studying, you've got this! Sequel to one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen.

It was a good middle ground, Stephen decided, as he and Tony waited in Tony’s mostly-unused office within the company parts of Stark Tower. It meant Stephen didn’t need to leave the tower, but kept Tony’s apartments untouched by this interaction.

As guilty as it made Stephen feel, he didn’t want Wong to be able to visualize Tony’s apartments. He didn’t want Wong—he didn’t want anyone—be able to reach him too easily. Even though he knew that Wong wasn’t at fault for what Mordo had done, it felt impossible for Stephen to extend the entirety of his trust to anyone right now.

The Cloak and Tony being the exceptions that proved the rule.

Although… he looked at Tony who was at his desk, busy on a tablet—gaze darting up every ten seconds or so to check on Stephen in his chosen corner—and felt another twinge of guilt. He had no doubt that Tony had realized that there was more to Stephen than Stephen had shown. The Cloak, after all, was a glaring neon sign that there was more to the story. But Stephen hadn’t been able to tell Tony any of that, yet. He had barely told Tony anything at all.

Why was Tony doing all this? Why was he so patient with Stephen? It was a question Stephen didn’t have an answer to. It was a question he was terrified to ask, lest he draw Tony’s attention to the foolishness of it all.

It was probably ironic, then, that it was after the Mystic Arts, after he learned to set that need aside, after he had accepted that it wasn’t about him, that he found someone who saw him—understood him—perfectly.

Of course, if Stephen had ever considered what sort of person out there would be capable of seeing Stephen for everything he was—and appreciating him despite, or perhaps because, of it—he would never in a million years have guessed someone like Tony Stark.

Until, of course, he met Tony and realized that if Tony saw Stephen, then Stephen saw Tony just as clearly. And Tony… Tony was not who Stephen’d thought he was. Sometimes he thought Tony wasn’t who Tony thought he was.

Stephen couldn’t quite help the way he gravitated to Tony in the aftermath of Titan and that near end of everything. Tony had his own gravity and Stephen was helpless to it. He’d be more disconcerted if he didn’t think Tony felt something similar. Because Tony’s gaze found him just as unerringly as Stephen’s found Tony.

For all that, though, it wasn’t intense. All right, not always intense—the intensity was thrilling and intoxicating. No, there were times when they sat together on the roof of the Sanctum or in the chaos of Tony’s lab and it was just them and the comfort of being seen and known.

“I should hate you, you know,” Tony said. They were leaning against each other, Stephen with his book exploring the source code of the universe and Tony with his projected schematics, the sort that would remake the world.

Stephen glanced at him, arching an eyebrow in question, because that was hardly the normal start to conversation. “You should, should you? Fascinating insight.”

Tony just hummed in acknowledgment. “I lived my whole life trying to ensure people never saw me, just my shadow.”

“Can the sun cast its own shadow?” Stephen asked philosophically. Tony rolled his eyes, even if his lip tugged up in amusement. “I assume that’s why you ‘should’ hate me?” Stephen asked. “Because I see you?”

“Should,” Tony agreed. “Yet somehow don’t.”

“I always wanted someone to see me,” Stephen said. “I should love you for being the one who finally did.”

“Should?” Tony asked. “Yet somehow don’t?”

Stephen shook his head. “Oh, no. Unlike you, I don’t automatically try to do the opposite of what I should.”

Tony’s hands paused where he was play with his schematics. “Really?”

“Really,” Stephen said.

I admit, I was very nervous to write my first Midnight Suns snippet. Hopefully it turned out okay.

Tony glared at the forge—and very much did his best not to think about whether the Sumerian Fire Demon was staring back—in discontent. He’d already analyzed the gamma coils from the last mission and the Hunter had yet to give any feedback on the latest suit that Tony and Stephen had developed for them.

Of course, when the potential end of the world was involved there was always something to do, but Tony found himself feeling strangely out of sorts and he didn’t know why.

And there was always a why. Tony’s default setting was working on some other invention of another. Just because he’d lost his beautiful labs in exchange for the scary demon cave didn’t change that. Admittedly, he preferred being in the forge when Stephen was around, aforementioned Sumerian Fire Demon did give Tony the occasional creep. But it wasn’t just that. Stephen was one of the best lab partners he’d ever had, even if he did at times go a little more verbose than the average lab partner.

And Tony wasn’t just saying that because Banner had gone to the dark side and didn’t seem likely to come back.

But Stephen was currently out on a mission with the Hunter and Blade to deal with a Hydra transport they suspected had a few of the Sanctum’s artifacts. It made sense that the Hunter had taken Stephen for the mission, though Tony thought he would have helped just as much as Blade could. Not that Blade wasn’t competent, he was. But Tony knew Stephen’s fighting style better than probably any of the others. He would have been far better backup.

Tony let out an annoyed breath. Mostly with himself. Since when did he care so much about being picked? This wasn’t recess in the schoolyard. He just… He just didn’t like the fact that Stephen was out there without him.

The thought, finally fully coalesced, practically knocked him over.

Tony liked his fellow Avengers, even the Midnight Suns were growing on him, but he wasn’t particularly bothered either way about which of them went on which missions. But Stephen…

Tony fought better with Stephen. Tony knew Stephen and Stephen knew Tony. It just made sense. They were better together.

In the fight. 

Here in the forge.

They just were. And it wasn’t just because—

“Shit,” Tony realized. “I love him. I somehow lo—”

He stopped himself. NOPE. Not thinking that. There was no time for things like that at the end of the world.

He glared at the forge again, this time with actual intent. “Don’t you dare tell Doctor Spooky I said that, Babs.”

The fire of the forge just crackled in what was probably fire demon laughter.

https://www.tumblr.com/airas-story/815107845849858048/oh-finally-i-get-to-see-prompts-open-that

Sequel to one and two.

Wong had disappeared some time during Tony’s greeting—and kissing—Stephen. Which was somewhat of a relief, because that meant Tony didn’t need to try to explain anything… or deal with the judgment that was sure to be on Wong’s face.

He got Stephen to the bathroom, mentally trying to figure out what he was going to say and how to say it.

But that could wait. First he needed to focus on checking Stephen over.

The head wound, once the blood was removed, only required butterfly bandages, but it wasn’t as bad as Tony had worried it might be. Though Tony had to admit it was a little distracting, trying to pay attention to Stephen’s wounds when Stephen was looking at him like that. There was something soft and warm in Stephen’s eyes. Which wasn’t necessarily unusual, except for in the extra intensity behind it.

He checked over the rest of Stephen. “Well,” Tony said, once he’d satisfied himself. “You’re not going to die.”

That earned him a bright laugh, though Stephen grimaced at the slight exertion. “I could have told you that. You just happen to be a worrywart.”

“Only because I have someone worth worrying about,” Tony said, watching a smile tug at Stephen’s lips. “Which brings me to what I need to talk to you about.” He licked his bottom lip nervously. He could not mess this up. 

“Tony?” Steve hissed. “Stephen?” There was no answer except for the sound of something hitting the door. Steve went quiet, wondering if that had been a subtle attempt to tell him to shut up. He could hear strangely hitched breathing, but the steps of their unexpected visitor had faded away a few minutes ago.

They had heard steps coming on their patrol, and they’d all gone for the closet, only to find it was tiny. Definitely too small for all three of them, but it might have fit two. Tony had declared he had an idea, had shoved Steve into the closet—which Steve had obediently gone along with, because Tony’s spur of the moment plans did tend to work out—before shutting the door behind him.

“Tony,” Steve hissed again. He nudged at the door, feeling slight resistance, like someone was pressed against it. Steve could open it anyway, but he was pretty sure it was either Tony or Stephen resting against the door, and he didn’t want to send them flying into the opposite wall by shoving the door open. “The patrol passed.”

There was an annoyed noise at that, but it was only a few moments later that the door was opening.

Steve stepped out, brow furrowing a little as he took Tony and Stephen in. It looked like the two of them had been the ones to end up in the closet, not Steve. They both looked a little rumpled, almost as though they’d… “Seriously?” Steve asked as the most obvious explanation hit him. “Did you two make me wait in the closet while you made out?”

Tony’s expression was perfect feigned innocence. “Steve, we’re on a recon mission. I treat those very seriously. We had to make sure the coast was really clear before we let you out.”

Steve gave Tony his best exasperated look. “Right.”

“It had to look genuine,” Stephen added, adjusting his shirt slightly so it didn’t look quite so rumpled. “Like Tony and I really had gotten lost in our… passion-fueled wanderings.” 

“Why was I the one who ended up shoved in the closet anyway?” he asked.

Tony smirked. “Jealous?” he teased. “Which one of us did you want to be making out with?”

Steve spluttered. “What? No! That’s not— I didn’t mean—” He covered his eyes with his hand, feeling a heavy blush staining his cheeks.

“I didn’t think either of us were your type, but if you’re looking for a three way…” He waggled his eyebrows lasciviously.

“Stop,” Steve pleaded, because Tony was never going to let this go, and the moment the rest of the Avengers found out, Steve would never live the question down. He shuddered at the thought of Sam and Bucky’s teasing. “What happened to taking recon missions seriously?”

Stephen laughed, nudging Tony gently. “We should finish,” he said. “Then you and I can go back to the Sanctum to… practice our diversion skills.” Never had those words sounded so loaded with innuendo. It was probably for the best that the two of them hadn’t ended up in the closet, Steve realized, because Steve didn’t want to know what darkness and very, very close quarters would have led to. “While we got the job done, I think we can do better next time.”

Sequel to this one.

Well, this was infuriating. After all that work trying to find the strange magic do-gooder, and the strange magic do-gooder found him. Or rather, the strange magic do-gooder saved him. Not that Tony couldn’t save himself. He totally could have, even if he’d still been trying to figure out how in the world to deal with the hundreds of little fairy type things that were annoyingly hard to hit with a repulsor blast without causing more damage to the things around the fairy things.

Still, never let it be said that Tony couldn’t take an advantage of an opportunity. He caught the man’s elbow, before the man could vanish. “So,” he said. “Who are you? What the hell was up with the fairies? And can you please explain how your cloak became sentient?” He hadn’t realized that from the footage he’d had of the man, but the Cloak that had been in most of the footage had oodles of personality that really couldn’t be simulated.

For some reason, that last question seemed to be what actually made the man stop and look at him.

“Of all your questions, that’s one of them?”

Tony shrugged. “It is clearly a very remarkable cloak.” The cloak preened at that, which totally proved Tony’s point, that sort of preening was very real. “If I’m going to thank you—” which he was still on the fence about, yes he was grateful for the assistance, but this man had been aggravating Tony for months which put a damper on that gratitude, “—then I need to thank the cloak, too.”

The cloak poked the man in the cheek, preening some more. Tony was pretty sure he was putting himself in the Cloak’s good books, which… not something he’d thought he’d be saying today, but it was an almost pleasant addition to the aggravation of the situation.

It made the man smile, which Tony noted with aggravation was entirely attractive. He was not allowed to find this man attractive until he’d verified whether this man was trustworthy.

The man sighed. “My name is Doctor Stephen Strange. They were pixies, not fairies, and they snuck into our dimension from a crack in reality.” That answer had opened so many more questions than Tony wanted it to. “And as for the Cloak…” Strange paused. “Well, actually, I don’t know how the Cloak came to be.” He tilted his head to look at the lapels near his cheeks. “How did you come to be sentient?”

The Cloak radiated smug wouldn’t you like to know in a way that was truly remarkable from a piece of fabric.

“Now, if that’s all…”

“It is absolutely not all,” Tony protested. “I have so many questions.” He could tell the man wasn’t interested in answering them, so Tony turned to his new friend. He looked at the Cloak. “I have some very quality laundry detergent and fabric conditioner,” he said. “I will spoil you with all of them if you convince Strange here to answer my questions.”

The cloak straightened, clearly excited.

Strange looked horrified that Tony had just recruited his Cloak to work against his attempts to be mysterious.

https://www.tumblr.com/airas-story/813201071572975616/you-know-the-one-where-tony-and-stephen-are-dating

How’re they coping after all that?

Sequel to one, two, and three.

Tony didn’t know what to do as Stephen shook in Tony’s arms, like Tony’s embrace was the only thing keeping him from falling apart. None of what had happened in the last few minutes had gone as Tony had expected when he’d finally bit the bullet to end his and Stephen’s relationship.

“Please,” Stephen whispered. “It wasn’t me. I swear. It wasn’t me.” The words made no sense, and yet the way Stephen said them, they felt terrifyingly real. But what the hell did that even mean? “Don’t leave me. Please, Tony, don’t leave me.”

Tony didn’t know how to respond to that. “Okay,” he said quietly. “I’m not leaving.” For now, at least. Because he loved Stephen. But he couldn’t stay in a relationship where Stephen didn’t love him back. The last few months had been agonizing, Stephen’s subtle disinterest cutting into Tony more and more each day.

Except now Stephen was shaking in his arms, desperate for Tony not to leave.

“It wasn’t me,” Stephen whispered again.

What the hell did that even mean? “What wasn’t you?” he asked. 

“He’s been in my head,” Stephen said, choking on the words. “He’s been controlling me. He was me, but not me. A different Stephen Strange.”

Unease trickled down Tony’s back. “Stephen, I think we need to get you to the hospital.” It hadn’t looked like Stephen had had a seizure and Tony didn’t think Stephen was experiencing a break in reality. But what the hell did that even mean? A different Stephen Strange controlling him?

And if Stephen had seemed so different the last eight months… then there were rational reasons for that. Right? Not possession from some alternate Stephen Strange from somewhere.

“I don’t need the hospital,” Stephen snapped, then flinched, burying his face into the crook of Tony’s neck and one hand clutching at Tony’s shirt in a way that screamed ‘sorry, sorry, don’t leave me’. Tony didn’t intend to, even if nothing made sense right now.

“All right,” Tony said after a moment. He’d keep an eye on Stephen, and if there were any other signs that something was wrong, he’d press the hospital issue. “No hospital, but—”

“You’re supposed to be a multiversal truther,” Stephen said, but the words weren’t teasing the way they were when he listened to Tony rant about close-minded idiots who said that just because they couldn’t prove the multiverse was real right now, didn’t mean they’d never be able to. No, Stephen sounded dead serious. “He was me, from somewhere else, and he had… he had magic. He took me over. And I couldn’t…” Stephen took a deep breath. “I wasn’t strong enough to evict him. But you were going to leave me. You were… I couldn’t, Tony. I couldn’t lose you.”

Tony’s breath caught in his chest at the implications. The multiverse and the magic weren’t even as startling as the implication that Stephen had fought so hard to get rid of the other Stephen—because that was what Stephen was claiming happened, right?—because of Tony. If all of it was true.

If.

It wasn't that Tony didn't believe Stephen, it all just seemed so... impossible.

I had to dig through your Tumblr all the way to November 4, but I found the most recent Pen Pal AU ficlet: https://www.tumblr.com/airas-story/799336335106260992/pen-pal-for-the-drabbles

Oh wow. It's been a while for this one! Sequel to one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen.

Tony kept his expression genial and open, doing his absolute best to keep his amusement from showing too visibly as several of the nurses at the desk quizzed him while trying to pretend they weren’t quizzing him. He was trying to make a good impression on Stephen’s coworkers. Stephen’s position in the hospital was important to him, and while Stephen would claim fiercely that he didn’t need anyone’s approval, it would make Stephen’s life easier if people weren’t judging him for dating Tony of all people.

So far, it seemed to be going well.

Which was good. Stephen had already made a good impression on Pepper, so Tony needed to start doing his part on making a good impression on Stephen’s side of the equation.

“Doctor Strange will be coming out of surgery soon,” Jessica told him, giving him a smile that was just a little flirty. Tony didn’t take it seriously, it was pretty clear to him that Jessica was like him in that way, flirtation came as easily as breathing to them. She’d made it clear, in that subtle way that Tony had learned to do himself, of making it clear it was all in good fun and not with intent. “I can page him down here once he’s scrubbed out.”

“That would be great, although…” He leaned in. “I don’t suppose you’ll help me with a bit of an inside joke?”

Jessica mirrored him by leaning in herself. “Of course,” she said, eyes glinting with excitement. “What do you need me to do?”

“Well, first, don’t tell Stephen just why he’s being paged down here, after that… I just need you to give him a thing. Or two.”

Stephen: Due to personal reasons I'll be marrying Tony

Tony, looking Stephen up then down: I'm going to allow that.

Thank you for your service 🙏

“—obviously it’s Tony,” Rhodey was saying as Stephen entered the room where the group was gathering for a movie night.

Wong snorted. He’d beaten Stephen here, having cared less about sprucing up a bit before the movie night, and it looked like he’d taken that extra time to find some sort of disagreement to engage in. “I’ll give you that Tony is audacious, but I assure you, Stephen has him beat by miles.”

“What have I beat Tony at?” Stephen asked as he examined the couches and who had set up where and—more importantly—where he’d have the best chances of getting Tony to sit next to him. He’d already bribed Wong to sit next to Rhodey, which took out his biggest competition. Stephen had, of course, stacked his odds by bringing sour gummy worms, which Tony had a slightly unhealthy obsession for.

“Who in the group is the most audacious,” Steve informed him. “And sorry, Stephen, but it’s going to be Tony.”

Stephen arched an eyebrow at that as he chose his couch. “You think Tony is more audacious than I am?” he asked, a little amused. He could understand where that assumption was coming from. Because Tony was… well, Tony was Tony. Maybe it might have even been true—though Stephen suspected he’d always have given Tony a run for his money—but Stephen had had several million timelines to lose any hesitation he might have once had.

“It’s Tony,” Steve said, as though it was explanation enough.

“What’s me?” Tony asked as he strolled in.

Stephen turned toward him, smiling. “The person I’m marrying,” he said.

“What?” came from several directions, the question ranging from please repeat I had to have heard that wrong to utterly baffled you would say something that wild.

Stephen just shrugged, pretending there was nothing odd about the declaration. “Due to personal reasons,” he started, as though clarifying, “I’ll be marrying Tony.”

Tony blinked at him for a moment, before giving Stephen a slow, appreciative once over. “I’ll allow that,” he decided.

“Wait did you just propose to Tony to prove a point?” Rhodey asked, sounding offended on Tony’s behalf. 

As Stephen had known it would—someone would have asked, Rhodey had just gotten there first—that made Tony laugh. “You’re using me to make a point?” he asked. “Is it a good one?”

Stephen shrugged. “They didn’t think I was audacious.”

“So you decided to prove you were audacious by proposing?” Tony asked, grinning.

Natasha snorted. “I don’t think that really counts as a proposal,” she pointed out. “More a declaration.”

Tony moved over and fell onto the cushion next to Stephen. “I love a man who will go to any lengths to prove a point.”

“So you’ll marry me?” Stephen asked.

Tony answered by shifting a little and then reaching out to pull Stephen in for a kiss.

Stephen really hadn’t planned on their first kiss having such an audience, especially when a subpar kiss might mess with Stephen’s chances on getting that wedding. Which meant Stephen didn’t let his audience deter him from making it a very good kiss.

When Tony pulled back, he looked very satisfied at Stephen’s efforts. “Oh, yeah. We're getting married.”

Stephen smiled at him, victory blooming hot in his chest.

In the background, he heard Wong sigh, clearly exasperated with Stephen’s antics. “I told you. He takes audacious to whole new levels.”

It wasn't a problem, but for future reference, it's a little easier for me to have the link to the snippet you want a sequel to, rather than the original prompt. Sequel to this one.

Tony stared at the cup of coffee that Stephen had just handed him, knowing without a doubt that it would be delicious when he got around to actually taking a sip, at least if the last time Stephen had made him coffee was any indication.

“You’re deep in thought today,” Stephen said, tone indicating that Tony could talk to Stephen about anything.

Except Tony wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it, yet. Or rather, if he wanted to ask the questions that had plagued him the last few days as he tried to figure out what Stephen wanted. He took a sip of his coffee to buy himself some time. The flavor was rich against his tongue, with the perfect balance of sweet and nutty. It was silky smooth and the temperature perfect against his tongue, eliminating the almost ritualistic tongue-burning first sip that he was always too impatient to avoid.

“Seriously, how do you make this coffee so good?” Tony asked. “I am a coffee aficionado and my coffee isn’t this good.”

Stephen laughed. “I have a gift.”

“Shit,” Sam said, leaning back in his chair as they watched the video feed of the security cameras of the cruise ship from the helicarrier, far enough from the cruise ship to be out of sight as long as their retro-reflective panels kept working, ready to be called in if necessary. Not that he thought it would be necessary, Stephen and Tony were both competent on their own. Together? Sam honestly didn’t think there was much they couldn’t handle. They had worked well together from the start. Watching them? Sam was starting to think there were a lot of things about the two of them that… worked well together. “Do they realize?”

Steve gave Sam a confused look while Natasha shook her head. “They have literally no idea.”

No idea. How could they have no idea? Watching them it just felt so obvious. Stephen and Tony had finagled their way onto this specific couples cruise last minute, and now they were ‘playing’ at being deeply in love while they carefully planted a few bugs on a certain select people and in certain select places. Sam had to admit he was impressed, because even watching he hadn’t actually seen Tony place any of the bugs, but four had already gone online after being properly set.