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“Doctor, Boss requests your presence in his lab.”
“Why me, of all people?” Stephen asks the AI as he sips his tea, closing his book.
“I am unsure. He just requested your presence.”
“Okay then. Let him know I will be down momentarily.”
“Of course, Stephen.”
Stephen sets his book on the table next to him, finishing his tea. He then portals into the lab, right by the door.
“Sir, your wizard has arrived.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. announces. Stephen holds back a laugh at being referred to as Tony’s wizard.
“Hm? Where?” Tony asks, completely unaware of his surroundings as Back in Black from AC/DC blasts through the lab’s speakers.
“By the door, Boss.”
“Oh! Excuse me, I really am not aware of my surroundings.” Tony says to Stephen as the inventor faces the other man.
“It’s fine, Tony. So, why am I down here?”
“I’m just testing something.”
“So why am I here, Tony? This doesn’t pertain to me.”
“I like your presence. Sue me.”
“Don’t go around saying that, I might actually do that.”
Tony laughs, pink rising in his cheeks. “U-Uh, Wiz, can you hand me that wrench over there?”
“This one?” Stephen asks, picking up a random wrench that was on the table behind him.
“Yep. Thanks, dear.” He says with a soft smile as Stephen hands the tool to Tony, speaking as if he was speaking to the AI. Stephen’s cheeks turn red for a moment, something Tony doesn’t notice.
“Hey, Dumbledore? Can I test this out on you?” Tony asks after about ten to fifteen minutes later.
“What?”
“Let. Me. Try. This. Out. On. You. Please?”
“Do I have a choice?” Stephen asks, now fully focused on the inventor.
“No. But, you shouldn’t have this on you. I don’t know what the tech is gonna do to it.” Tony says as he pokes the Eye of Agamotto.
“With Thanos around here, I would rather not.” Stephen replies, moving Tony’s hand away.
“Only five minutes, please? I’ll wear it, keep it safe where you can see it. Even Cloaky can keep an eye on it. Is that good, Dumbledore?”
Stephen scoffs, watching as the cloak shrugs in a way that would say this may be a good idea .
The cloak lifts off Stephen’s shoulders with the Eye of Agamotto, placing the Eye around Tony’s neck. The cloak itself then settles on Tony’s shoulders as it had many times in the past.
Stephen thinks the “sorcerer look” as Tony would so call it, looks good on the other man.
Only if he trained in the mystic arts , Stephen thinks, then he may give me a run for my money.
“What is that.”
“A reactor core.”
“You are putting a reactor core on me?!” Stephen half-yells in shock, now more confused than anything.
“It’s formed after a reactor core. It’s housing for nanotech. A new suit. I wanted to see how it looked on someone. On you.”
Stephen sighs, surrendering to the inventor. “Go ahead.”
Tony places the housing for the nanotech suit on Stephen’s chest, tapping it twice to see the nanotech slowly encase Stephen in the suit, all but his helmet, which was still open, so Stephen could see Tony. And Tony could see Stephen.
The Cloak of Levitation moves in a way that could be seen as cheering, and Stephen tracks Tony with his eyes as the inventor walks around Stephen, checking out the suit.
“I really like this. This is amazing…” Tony mutters to himself. “How does it feel? To, uh, be in?”
“It’s not bad at all. It seems easy to move in.”
“Looks nice on you too.”
Stephen smiled. The Cloak moves in a wave-like motion on Tony’s shoulders, hugging Tony.
The cloak seemed to have taken a liking to him. Which was something Strange knew for sure after however long he’s known Tony for.
“You look badass as Iron Man, Dumbledore.”
“Call me Stephen.”
Tony smiles his signature smile, saying Stephen’s name slowly before kissing his cheek.
Stephen Strange’s face went red.
“Stephen~”
Tony double-tapped the nanotech housing, the nanotech disappearing back into it. And with that, the cloak pulls Stephen right against Tony, to which Stephen chuckles. “The cloak seems to like us.”
“Or it just wants me to do this.”
And with that, Tony kisses Stephen on the lips.
To say Stephen was shocked…
Well that would be the understatement of the century.
He did kiss Tony back. Barely a fraction of a second of hesitation. Though Stephen considers it more shock than hesitation.
“I think you look better like this.” Tony replies, still stuck practically chest-to-chest with the sorcerer, all thanks to the sentient cloak.
Stephen fought back the urge to say something that Tony would most definitely reply in this situation.
“Though I think there’s only one way you’d look even better,” Tony says after a second. “And I think we both know what that looks like.”
Curses, Stark.
“Cloaky, can you please let us go now? Not that this isn’t nice, I just gotta tinker a bit more.”
The cloak nods and wraps back on Tony’s shoulders, giving a very stunned Stephen a ‘look’ of I like this man , with a wave of its fabric.
“Oh look, Cloaky, our poor boy’s stunned. Sorry, tesoro.” Tony says with another kiss to Stephen’s cheek as he takes the nanotech housing off Stephen’s chest, placing the Eye of Agamotto in its rightful place around the sorcerer’s neck.
“Damn you, Stark” Stephen mutters, not even noticing he said that out loud.
“Hm?”
“Damn you, Stark.” Stephen repeats, this time clearer. You being yourself and being flirty like this-
“Did you like the kiss, dear?” Tony asks again, half-focused on his work.
“Very much, yes.” Stephen admits, sitting a few inches away, watching Tony work.
“Your face is bright red.”
“Yeah, well so is yours.” The sorcerer deflects.
“Well I could make your face more red if you’d like.”
“Flirt.”
“Blame the cloak.”
Stephen smiles with a soft laugh.
Tony yawns after a while, eyes nearly closing. It was easy to see how exhausted Tony was just by a look.
“Now just how long have you been working on this?”
“He’s been down here for 37 hours, Doctor.” The AI responds, all before Tony opens his mouth.
“Go to sleep, Tony. Really. Being up this long isn’t going to help you.”
“But I’m working .”
“And you can work after.”
“But-…this is important, Wiz.”
“How so?”
“It can help…defeat Thanos. Get the kid and everyone else back…”
Stephen sighs as he sees a most definitely exhausted Tony Stark put his head in his hands, the collar of the cloak undoubtedly wiping a tear or two from his face.
“Tony. I get you care about them and want them back, we all want them back. But you being exhausted is not going to do anyone any good. Take a nap, at least an hour, get some food and take a break .”
Tony rests his head on Stephen’s shoulder. “I can’t sleep, Steph. I tried but all I see is the kid …y’know? And you…you and Pete. It hurts too much to see that so I…I try not to sleep…”
Stephen’s heart nearly breaks hearing that. Seeing Tony like this…
“Please take a nap, Tony. The cloak isn’t going to leave you and I am right here , okay? Right here.” Stephen kisses Tony’s forehead as he speaks, trying to comfort him.
“Can you…god this is embarrassing but…can you stay with me? When I sleep?“
“Whatever you wish, tesoro .” Stephen replies, repeating one of the pet names Tony had called him a few minutes prior. He opens a portal to Tony’s bedroom, in such a way that they fall onto his bed.
“No worries, F.R.I. will lock up the lab.” Stephen says softly as Tony yawns once more.
Tony just nods in response.
“You miss them a lot, don’t you?”
“I miss Peter , dammit. You…god…Peter got dusted in my arms and I had to see you get dusted right after. And I have you but I don’t have him and I want the kid back…”
“And we’re gonna get him and all the others back. Just sleep for a bit and we can talk about ideas and whatever else after, okay?”
“Okay.”
The cloak wraps around Tony like a hug before pulling him to Stephen. Tony moves comfortably to rest on Stephen’s chest.
The Cloak of Levitation moves over the two men like a blanket, something that the sorcerer silently thanks it for as the other man closes his eyes. Stephen relaxes as well, playing with Tony’s hair as he tries to get the man to sleep. Tony staying up for over 24 hours isn’t good, though Stephen understands the feeling of not wanting to sleep because of nightmares, anxiety, PTSD, and the like.
The half-asleep Tony Stark pulls one of Stephen’s hands in his, pressing kisses to the scars. “Thank you, Steph.”
“Anytime.”
It takes maybe twenty minutes for Tony to fall asleep, his head on Stephen’s chest, over his heart.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y., lights to five percent, please.” Stephen says, knowing that with the light at that level, it would be dark enough for Tony to sleep, and Stephen to see if he needs to get up or anything.
“Got it, boss.”
Boss. Nice.
“Thanks, darling.”
I am becoming more like Tony Stark by the day.
Stephen still plays with Tony’s hair, knowing it was something that Tony himself did to Peter in similar situations. He hopes Tony feels comforted by this.
A bit later, the door opens to reveal Natasha, who looked at Stephen very confused.
“He spent 37 hours in the lab. I forced him to sleep but the nightmares he’s been having overwhelm him too much. He wanted me to stay in the room, and my cloak decided to play some games.”
“Ah. If anyone asks for either of you I’ll say you’re at the Sanctum and Tony is asleep. Or in his lab not wanting to be bothered. But you’re the only one who’s gotten him out of the lab so far. Proud of you.”
“Thank you.”
“I will let Tony sleep now, and hopefully you as well.”
“Good night, Natasha.”
“Good night, Stephen.”
The door shuts and Stephen faces back to see Tony crying, still asleep. The Cloak senses it and wraps around Tony tightly. The cloak has always been subservient of Stephen’s feelings, and Tony’s as well, but it’s never outright wrapped around Tony like this until today.
“Hey, Tony…Anthony… miele , wake up…” Stephen says, his voice barely above a whisper, with a soft shake to Tony’s body. Tony snaps awake a few minutes later with red eyes and tears down his face. “Oh, poor love, everything will be okay, hm? Everything will turn out well.”
Stephen kisses away some of Tony’s tears, and Tony grabs Stephen and hugs him tight, biting his face in the crook of the sorcerer’s neck.
“Tony…what happened?”
“N-Nightmare.”
Stephen holds Tony tighter, rubbing his back, once again taking tricks from how Tony cared for Peter. “Talk to me about it.”
“You…you…d-d-died…Peter…d-died…all the Avengers…they died…and Thanos…he…he killed all of you…”
That is a very real possibility.
A very damn real possibility that has a chance of happening.
Which is why that is so terrifying.
Stephen doesn’t even know what Tony saw, but he knows that Virgo f them know how real they could end up being. He cups Tony’s cheeks and kisses him without a second thought, his own thoughts thinking of anything that could cheer him up while also spiraling into a “what if this happened and how could it go worse” .
“We…we will all be okay. We will be perfectly fine and we will all live.”
“You out of all of us should know that isn’t set in stone.”
“In one universe it is…” Stephen mumbles. “It isn’t, but I can damn well hope that we all stay alive. And we’re prepared…we’re preparing. We’ll beat that asshole Titan. You saw me, I could defeat Thanos without using the time stone . We have a chance.”
Tony sniffs. “You…are you sure?”
Stephen only nods, knowing how small of a chance they have but wanting to make sure Tony is okay. That he won’t worry.
“We can beat him. Dammit, I’ll make sure of it. Things will be good. I’ll make sure of it.”
“You’re going to duck with universal plans to keep us alive?”
“As much as I’m allowed.”
“Thank you, Steph.”
“Of course. Also, you said I’m one of the ones who perished there. I’m saving my own life and the kid’s if there’s anything I can do about it.”
“Thank you.”
“Again, I will do my best to have our desired outcome.” Stephen responds with a soft kiss to his forehead. “Now, rest again, please.”
“I don’t want to…that…scared me a bit too much. Can’t you just…sleeping-spell me or something?”
“I guess I can. Are you sure you want that?”
“Mhm…I don’t…want to dream. It’s going to be too bad.”
The Cloak of Levitation hugs Tony tightly.
“Okay. I’m sorry all this is so bad for you.”
“I…I’ll be fine. How is it not bad for you? You’re the Sorcerer Supreme…you can…you saw every outcome we had …how are you not scared out of your mind?”
“I am. I’m terrified. But, I’m hoping I can do all I can to make it so the outcome we get is the best outcome.”
“You’re brave, Stephen Strange.”
“As are you, Anthony.”