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Title: The Strangest Stepfather – Tony and his Spiderlings
Fandom: Marvel | Avengers
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Marvel Comics for the creation of some of the most awesome heroes ever. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: m/m, fluff, family fluff, hurt/comfort
Main Pairing: IronStrange
Marvel Characters: Anthony 'Tony' Stark, Stephen Strange, Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Gwendolyne 'Gwen' Stacy, Bruce Banner
Summary: Stephen and Tony have been slowly going steady and Tony thinks it's time Stephen met Tony's three adopted teenaged kids from alternate realities. Is Stephen truly ready for that...?
The Strangest Stepfather
Tony and his Spiderlings
Tony Stark and Doctor Stephen Strange were the perfect match. The newspapers loved it.
Popular playboy Tony Stark finally settling down with someone. And not just anyone. No, a world-renewed neurosurgeon. Both were handsome, wealthy men who visually alone made for such a good couple. The newspapers were plastered with their faces, them arm in arm at some kind of charity gala, smiling for the camera, press conferences.
Sure, they had to deal with their share of homophobic idiocy. And Tony swore that if he had to spell out that he was bisexual one more time, he was going to riot. Reporters asking if that now meant that he was gay, or if he was going to get back together with Pepper.
Things with Pepper hadn't lasted and weren't meant to last. She didn't want him to be Iron Man, he was Iron Man – not just a persona, it was a part of who he was at his core. And then things also changed when Tony decided he wanted to be a father, while Pepper was not ready for that step. Tony understood that, he respected that – especially since she had just made career as the CEO of Stark Industries. That wasn't for her life-situation and it wasn't for them together.
So they had broken up, Tony got the shrapnel out and hit it off with his surgeon after things had healed. And it had started out as just sex. They had great chemistry, just fun. And then they got attached to each other and the press started trailing them around and somehow, accidentally, sex turned into something more. Into an actual, real relationship.
"So, now that we're apparently serious, according to the Times, I think it's time you meet my kids."
He was sprawled out on Stephen's chest, in Stephen's loft. The view was magnificent. Both, outside the large windows and on the bed. Stephen was quite the looker. Grinning to himself, Tony turned around and started running his fingers over Stephen's chest curiously.
Tony had taken three orphaned teenagers in, months after his break-up with Pepper, fostering them and making public statements about helping children who had a harder time getting a second chance. But back then, Tony and Stephen had barely just started sleeping around and Stephen hadn't worried about this. He had thought it would just stay a casual affair.
Because Stephen was not a fan of children – he never wanted children of his own. Back then, he had assumed that him and Tony would just have some equally beneficial sex.
Yet here he was, with the billionaire in his arms, looking up at him with those soft brown doe-eyes of his and the long lashes that Stephen wouldn't mind counting, had attempted to count on some evenings when Tony would just fall asleep on top of him on the couch and he didn't want to wake the other. Maybe that alone had already been a dead giveaway. Stephen had grown fond of Tony. He had developed serious feelings for Tony and, according to Christina, Tony was actually good for Stephen. Though Stephen refused to believe that.
"Well, there's some things we've been trying to keep out of the press", replied Tony with an innocent look on his face. "See, there's... So they didn't exactly find their way into my life through an adoption agency. It was more... a rip in time and space."
"Are you implying your children are from an alternate reality? And who exactly..."
"Come to dinner at the tower this weekend, mh?", suggested Tony amused.
He leaned in and kissed Stephen gently. The question was... what did Stephen want? He really was not a children-person. He never wanted children. But he truly cared about Tony. When the inventor smiled, it actually took Stephen's breath away. Stephen had even grown fond of the bots and he had come to appreciate the banter with Jarvis. What did Stephen want...?
/break\
Bruce smiled amused where he was leaning against the counter in the kitchen. He had been living at the tower for over a year now, since the attack on New York. And for the past few months, he had been listening to Tony talk sweetly about Stephen – Stephen's eyes, his well-groomed goatee, his abs, his snark. Honestly, Bruce could write a ballad about Stephen by now, from listening to Tony.
What Bruce had also been there for however was Thor's last big visit here. Well, not that Thor had contacted any of the Avengers. He just, dealt with an Infinity Stone, had it rip a literal tear into the fabric of reality and then left again with the source of it all, but leaving the mess behind.
Jane Foster had come to find the Avengers – explaining it to them what had happened and where all those strange things had come from. Because Thor had not noticed the ripple-effect. Other realities had bled into theirs. Monsters, villains... and three teenagers.
Apparently, the Avengers existed in most realities, in some way or shape. So all three teenagers had somehow found their way to the tower, hoping for help from the Avengers. Needless to say, Jane, Tony, Bruce, Steve, Natasha and Clint had looked justifiably stunned when three teenagers dressed as spiders had appeared. They all had come from different realities. While the Avengers went out to gather up anything and anyone who had slipped through the cracks, the three teenagers somehow got comfortable at the tower, where – despite Tony's invitation after the invasion – only Bruce and Tony lived. While Bruce was fine being the 'cool uncle' (Peter's words, not his. Whatever was cool about a tired middle-aged scientist. "You're the Doctor Bruce Banner!", was the answer he usually got in return), Tony had taken a more... parental role in the teens' lives.
"So the doc's really coming over for dinner, huh?", asked Miles.
"Stephen. Yes", confirmed Tony. "And I need you all to be on your best behavior."
"Aren't we always?", asked Gwen with the brightest, most innocent smile.
"The most innocent, sis", confirmed Peter, batting his eyelashes at Tony.
Tony heaved a deep sigh and threw his hands up in the air. "No spidering! No one should know you have powers, especially not my very normal, totally regular boyfriend."
"Your very normal, totally regular boyfriend is a millionaire neurosurgeon. Dunno how regular or normal that is in this reality, but it sure is not in mine", pointed Miles out, eyebrows raised.
"It's normal by Tony-standards", assured Bruce lightly.
"Et tu, Bruce-tus?", gasped Tony.
Bruce chuckled and shook his head, not commenting otherwise. He did wonder whether or not the three spiderlings would manage to keep their powers to themselves for long enough though. And how good Strange was going to handle this all. This was going to be a very interesting dinner and he had already inquired with Jarvis to take a highlight reel of it.
/break\
The teenagers were making Stephen uncomfortable. Gwendolyne – or Gwanda, as Miles kept calling her? - had messy blonde hair with pink-dyed tips, wearing a white hoodie and chewing pink bubblegum in quite the obnoxious manner. The two boys, Miles and Peter, were bent over a piece of paper together, doing what looked like homework. Or, well, Peter was anyway. Miles kept doodling in the corners and every now and again filling out a formula when Peter was stuck.
"I'm trying to keep them straight-", started Stephen.
"That won't work. I'm asexual", interrupted Peter.
"To—otally a huge lesbian over here", called Gwen out, waving one hand without looking up from her phone and still typing on it with the other.
"Bisexual", piped Miles up, looking at Stephen with a grin.
Taking a deep breath, Stephen closed his eyes and counted to five. This was part of the reason why he did not want children. They were exhausting. Opening his eyes, he turned toward Tony, who stood in the kitchen in an apron. He had ordered in from his favorite Italian place (Stephen had seen the containers earlier) and was currently pretending he had cooked it. Just seeing that and hearing Tony's laughter at what the children had said was enough to make Stephen smile.
"Not the straight I meant", sighed Stephen. "Keeping you... apart."
"Yeah. Pete and I are a regular set of twins", agreed Miles, looking Peter up and down. "Don't know how anyone can keep us apart, huh?"
"It's like looking into a mirror", confirmed Peter seriously.
Again, Stephen closed his eyes and counted to five. "Again, not what I meant."
"Stop giving Stephen a hard time, kids!", warned Tony from the kitchen, sounding amused.
"Sorry, dad", chorused the three teenagers innocently.
"Okay, what do you wanna know, doc?", asked Gwen, finally putting her phone down.
"Tony explained to me that all three of you come from alternate realities. Different ones or the same?", inquired Stephen. "And are you... looking for a way back, or is the..."
"He wants to hear our sob-stories", concluded Gwen and nodded. "Mom's not interested in me and my dad was a cop before he died. I've kinda been doing a solo thing until, well, reality broke."
"Villain attack", was all Miles stated with a half-shrug.
"My parents died when I was really young and my aunt and uncle raised me... until a robber killed them both", tagged Peter on, looking away. "Guess that happened differently in this reality. This reality's Peter Parker still has his aunt May at least."
"So the actual reason why Tony has been keeping you out of the press is because you all... exist twice now", questioned Stephen curiously, leaning forward.
"Nope", replied Miles. "Time seems to work differently in this reality compared to mine. In mine, Peter's like an old man. Like, really old. About as old as you and Tony. My... parents are around though. Heh. Still high school age. I'm not born yet."
"But since Peter exists here, we are keeping a low profile too. Wouldn't want anyone digging too deep and finding out that we don't exist here", tagged Gwen on. "Even though Jarvis did a bang job on making us fake birth certificates and backgrounds and all."
"Thank you, Gwen", chimed Jarvis in, sounding indeed quite proud.
"And neither of you are planning to return to your own reality?", asked Stephen slowly.
"I mean...", started Miles and shifted some. "I dunno. It's not like that's an option. Not any time soon. And Tony, Peter and Gwen have been more family than I had since my parents died..."
"Oh, I am definitely here to stay", grunted Gwen. "Nothing to return to."
Which, was true. Ghost-Spider had been framed for her own parents' murder. There really was nothing left for Gwen to return to. She'd rather stay here, become an Avenger – 'When you are older, young lady', had been what Captain Rogers had said with both eyebrows raised.
Stephen nodded slowly, a frown on his face. Gwen grinned amused and turned to look at Miles and Peter. Oh, Stephen was most definitely not ready for a relationship with a man with three kids and he was kind of hoping for an easy out, like them leaving. They were not going to leave. Peter had contemplated it, thought about contacting May from this world, but they didn't even know if this world's Peter was a Spider-Man and things would just get too complicated – and also, Peter had grown attached to Miles and Gwen, as the siblings he never had, and he had always admired Tony Stark, even in his own reality, so to live here under his guidance was amazing.
That did not stop the kids from giving Tony's boyfriend a hard time though. The three had agreed upon that. Over the past months of living here, they had grown very attached to Tony. Sure, Tony could not replace any of their parents from their own worlds, but those were gone – both, their parents as well as their worlds. And Tony was here, he was here for them. And the trio knew that Tony's heart was fragile. Not just literally due to the whole scarring and shrapnel that had been in it and all, but also because he loved and tended to get his heart broken. Not that they blamed Pepper for the breakup, sure they were teens but they understood that two people with fundamentally different life-goals were not meant to last. Still, it had left Tony in pieces.
They weren't going to allow a stranger to come into their family and break Tony any more. If this Strange fella couldn't handle three teens, he'd have to go; because Tony had made it clear that he would have the kids with him as long as they wanted to stay.
"Now, dinner is ready!", exclaimed Tony, carrying a tray over with a smile.
The teens cleared out to go and help set the table. Stephen remained seated, staring after them with a thoughtful and partially frustrated expression on his face. Those children... meant the world to Tony. He turned slightly to look at Tony, who put the food down and went to kiss his temples.
"They're not giving you too hard a time, right?", whispered Tony concerned.
"No, absolutely not", assured Stephen with a thin smile.
It was so important to Tony that Stephen got along with the kids. And... Stephen had come to care too much about Tony to even want to imagine the disappointed and heartbroken look on his face if that weren't the case – no, not the 'l'-word, regardless of how much Christina insisted on it, Stephen was most definitely not in love with Tony Stark. Dimples and puppy-dog eyes be damned. It wasn't like Stephen had gotten lost in honey-colored eyes for minutes on end just listening to Tony tell some kind of story of what the Avengers had been up to, or what science project him and Bruce were working on. And Stephen had most definitely not adjusted his own play-list according to songs that Tony sang along to in the shower, shaking his (very perfectly shaped) ass to it. No, Stephen had most definitely not gotten used to waking up with the billionaire in his arms and had not come to thoroughly enjoy their routine of grooming their goatees over banter.
...Damn it, Stephen had fallen in love with Tony Stark.
"Sir, there appears to be an emergency", interrupted Jarvis.
"What. No. No emergencies. Only family dinner. We agreed on this. Steve promised to cover for me and even Bruce said he'd let the Hulk out before they'd call me", complained Tony.
"The Hulk is out and Captain Rogers has what you have previously described as a 'guilty puppy' look on his face, sir", replied Jarvis. "I'm sorry, sir, but Doctor Doom has let loose a dozen doombots that have torn down large parts of downtown."
"Doombots?", echoed Peter and squinted. "I could take out a dozen doombots-"
Gwen elbowed Peter with a pointed glare. Their powers needed to stay a secret. Even though Peter was right. The teens could take care of doombots on their own, why couldn't the Avengers?
"Apparently, the attack was aimed at the Enchantress and there is a... squabble going on between her and Doctor Doom", elaborated Jarvis. "The combination of them is what proves a problem."
Tony heaved a sigh, but Stephen already reached out to squeeze his hand. "It's fine, Tony. Go, save the city. We can heat dinner up later and eat it."
That made Tony smile, albeit only faintly. This was why he had fallen in love with Stephen. While in disbelief about some of the things Tony encountered, he was also supportive of Tony's choice to be out there as a hero. Leaning in, Tony kissed Stephen briefly before making his way out.
"So... wanna play a card-game while we wait, doc?", asked Miles slowly.
Stephen looked mildly constipated at that, making Gwen and Peter grin. For now, they put the food away again to be heated up later on. Gwen went back on her phone and Peter and Miles returned their attention to their homework for now. Stephen however found his way over toward the large windows to watch – the tower was high and Tony lived in the penthouse. He could see where the fight happened. And it was... disturbingly close. Stephen frowned concerned as the battle seemed to move closer toward them and at a rapid speed – especially when Jarvis' alarm sounded.
"The battle seems headed this way. We should...", started Stephen cautiously.
"Move to sir's private panic-room", continued Jarvis for them.
Gwen, Peter and Miles got up and led the way. They kept side-eyeing Stephen, who misunderstood.
"It's okay", assured Stephen, back straight as the door closed behind the three inside the panic-room. "Tony is amazing, he will solve this in no time."
"That's... we're not worried about him", offered Gwen, trying to hide her amusement.
Of course. They were worried about themselves. They were just helpless children, after all. Stephen frowned as he stood tall in front of them, reaching out in a protective manner.
"It will all be fine", tried Stephen, voice softer. "I won't let anyone hurt you, you're safe with me."
The three teens exchanged small grins as they huddled close, trying to act like the frightened teens Stephen assumed them to be. Okay, maybe this doc wasn't so bad after all. Even though he was clearly uncomfortable with the teenagers, he was still trying to be reassuring and even promised to protect them. He seemed to really care a great deal about Tony.
/break\
"I'm so sorry", sighed Tony frustrated as he leaned against Stephen's chest. "We didn't even get to eat properly. Stupid Doom. And I left you at the wolves' mercy for hours."
"It was no problem", chuckled Stephen, kissing Tony gently. "They have taught me a lot about... Star Wars. More than I ever thought I'd need to know, really."
Tony laughed softly, nuzzling Stephen's neck. "Good night, Stephen. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow it is", confirmed Stephen. "And Doom won't ruin our date."
Tony smiled to himself as he watched Stephen go. When he turned around again, he was faced by three teasingly grinning teenagers. Oh, those three just lived to torment and tease him.
"So... what's the verdict?", asked Tony a little nervously. "Oh god, you hate him. He was... too stiff? Not up on his memes? What is it. Tell me."
Peter walked up to him... and then just hugged him, wrapping his arms around Tony's neck. Miles and Gwen attached themselves to him from either side, confusing Tony even more.
"We like him, dad", assured Peter, squeezing tighter (too tight, super-strong spider-boy).
"Yeah. He's not up on his memes, but that's okay. We can teach him", chuckled Miles.
"Besides, he makes you happy and he seems to care a great deal about you. That's all that matters", tagged Gwen on with a grin. "Though... I wonder how good he'll handle it when he learns his three future step-children actually have super-powers."
"Hey, it's a crazy world, maybe he'll end up gaining super-powers too?", joked Miles.
Tony just laughed breathlessly and relieved as he hugged his kids.
~*~ The End ~*~
Author's note: So a little while ago, I took Marvel requests over on tumblr (come visit me at takaraphoenix) because I want to write more in this fandom, but there is TOO MUCH I want to write and thus I decided a good start would be when others kick me with what they want to see! And this is the outcome of the first of those. ;)