This is my first foray into writing for the Marvel fandom, so I hope you all enjoy!
This was written for a prompt in the AO3 Writer Prompts Facebook group
Favs and Reviews are always appreciated :)
To my regular readers: THR is not dead, I promise, and I'm currently 4k into the next chapter. ALSO, I'm in the process of transferring it over to AO3, because I've gotten multiple requests to do so, their formatting is more polished, and there are a bunch of spelling/grammar/continuity errors I made my first time around writing each chapter that I just don't know how to correct on FFN. 99% of the content will stay the same, and I'll be updating both places once AO3 is caught up to here, but the AO3 version will be more polished. Help a writer out and please leave some kudos, bookmarks, and comments over there!
Of Pizza and Portals
Tony hated portals.
After three months of dating the Sorcerer Supreme, the engineer had slowly warmed up to most other manifestations of magic. He loved it when Stephen conjured him flowers from thin air simply because it was Tuesday, and the way Stephen cleared the sky of clouds when rain threatened to ruin their weekend runs through Central Park. He loved that the wizard had spelled his clothing to be impervious to motor oil so Tony could steal his shirts and hoodies without worrying about staining them in the shop, and how he painted pictures in the air when he couldn't find the words to describe what he was feeling because he had always been better with science and spells than self-expression. Tony had even won over the affection of the Cloak of Levitation and treated the garment in the same fond, human way he treated his AIs.
But though Tony had repeatedly asserted that he didn't mind Stephen portaling in front of him, the wizard knew better. He saw the way Tony flinched at them, how he had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to prevent his mind from slipping back to that day in New York so many years ago when he had nearly lost his life.
So instead of opening a hole that led directly into Iron Man's rooms in Avengers Tower, he conjured a circle of sparkling orange light that brought him to the threshold of a closed sliding metal door.
The sight brought him up short. Tony always made sure to leave the door open when he invited him over. Had he… forgotten? The thought was painful. Stephen had been looking forward to their date all week, and he had pushed himself to get through enough of his seemingly endless pile of work so he'd have the time to stay late.
Frowning, he ran his fingers down the door's middle seam -
- and jumped backward as a computerized female voice spoke in an Irish brogue. "Incomplete reading. Please place your hand on the sensor."
Hesitantly, the wizard pressed his palm to the door's cool metal.
"Welcome, Doctor Stephen Strange."
The door slid open of its own accord with a quiet whoosh.
"Wait, you're letting me in? I'm not - "
"Mr. Stark has added your biometrics to my database. You now have full privileges at all Stark residences, including but not limited to this location."
Stephen felt his face break into a large, silly grin. "He gave me a key?"
"This door uses handprint recognition, Doctor. There is no key." Despite the voice's robotic undertone, she still managed to sound as though she were explaining something simple to a small child.
"I didn't mean … it's an expression."
"Whatever you say, sir."
Stephen rolled his eyes. How very like Tony to program his AIs with attitude. Still, the comment was not enough to suppress the very good mood he'd found himself in.
His high spirits only grew once he entered the apartment. A trail of ruby red rose petals led from the front door and around the corner, contrasting beautifully with the dark hardwood floor. The scent of vanilla permeated the air, wafting from the candles scattered about the room which provided the only source of light. Stephen's large grin shifted to something softer, his affection for the man who had gone to such great lengths to create this romantic evening shining through.
He crossed the sitting room and followed the path of flowers down the hall. When he reached the dining room, he discovered that it was also lit exclusively by gently flickering candles. The trail of petals ended at the base of a high-backed wooden chair, and so he sat down there as he knew Tony was asking him to.
Glancing around the table, he saw it was adorned with what appeared to be a very expensive white silk tablecloth with more scattered red rose petals. A wine glass filled with dark burgundy liquid sat in front of him, and another was placed next to the setting across from him. Stephen assumed it was cranberry or pomegranate juice - it had taken a good amount of stubbornness on his end, but he'd finally convinced Tony that he was perfectly happy avoiding alcohol whenever they were together. Despite the other man's assurances that he didn't mind it when people around him indulged, it was the best way he knew of showing his pride and support.
Stephen wondered whether he should say or do something to let his boyfriend know that he was here, but before he put much consideration into either he heard sounds of movement coming from the kitchen. After a few moments, Tony's head popped through the doorway separating the two rooms. The rest of his body was hidden from view. The wizard's smile slowly faded to a frown when he saw that the other man's expression was guarded.
"Hey," said Tony.
"Hey yourself." He paused a moment, but Tony remained uncharacteristically quiet.
"This is amazing, Tony," he said softly. "Thank you."
"Well, I hope you keep feeling that gratitude…"
Stephen quirked his eyebrow at this. "I can't imagine what could make all this any less beautiful. Unless this is your way of telling me it's meant for someone else."
"No," replied Tony hastily. "No no no. It's for you. Pinky promise."
"Then why are you still standing there? Come join me. Do you need help carrying anything from the kitchen?"
The engineer appeared to wince a little at the question. "Just hold onto all these warm fuzzy feelings, okay?"
Stephen's confusion only grew when Tony stepped out from behind the doorway. Nothing appeared to be amiss. The man was fully clothed, wearing jeans and one of his own Columbia Med sweatshirts. A smudge of grease decorated his right cheek and the side of his nose, which was far from unusual. He seemed to be perfectly physically intact. All in one piece, two legs, two feet, two arms, two hands...
...which held two Lunchables.
Tony strode forward and placed a bright yellow package on each of their fine china plates, looking down at the ground to avoid his lover's gaze. He grinned sheepishly and fiddled with the short hair at the back of his neck.
"Yeah, about dinner..." he began. "I was going to cook for you, I really was, but I may have gotten caught up in fixing the new repulsors for the suit, and the lasagna may have burned…"
Finally he looked up to judge just how long of a stay in the doghouse he had earned himself. "Forgive me?"
Stephen smiled fondly. Though he'd been looking forward to a nice, romantic dinner all day - all week, honestly - he couldn't find it in himself to be upset. They had been together for three months, and by now he knew that the engineer's absent mindedness wasn't a slight against himself. Tony tried. He loved Stephen, and he always attempted to show it... to varying degrees of success.
So instead of getting angry, or snapping, or throwing a tantrum as his former self would have when things didn't go according to plan, he smiled.
"Won't Peter mind that we're stealing? The pizza ones are his favorite."
Tony knelt down next to the other man's chair and pulled him in for a deep kiss. "The kid can deal one night without his junk food," he murmured against his boyfriend's lips once they'd pulled apart for air. "I'll buy him more tomorrow. And for dessert -"
"You are the only sweet thing I need," Stephen cut him off. "Anything more and I'll get cavities."
Tony grinned. "Even after I fucked up?"
"You gave me handprint access to your apartment and decorated it like the cover of a cheesy romance novel. I think I may forgive you. Though you haven't actually said you're sorry…"
"Stay the night and I'll apologize properly, Dr. Strange," the other man grinned wickedly.
The sight of Tony Stark kneeling on the ground in front of him while saying such things was almost too much, and for a moment his mouth was too dry for him to speak.
"I - it sounds like a date, Dr. Stark. And since I was planning on giving this to you soon anyway…" The wizard snapped his fingers, and an ornate silvery key appeared in his palm. He handed it to his boyfriend, who took it and held it as if it were really made from precious metal.
"To the Sanctum?"
Stephen nodded.
Tony leaned in for another kiss, this one a little less gentle, and the rest of the world faded away -
- until they heard a loud, incessant knocking at the front door.
"Stark, get out here!"
Tony jerked away from Stephen's embrace, his eyes growing wide in panic at the familiar voice.
"Shit. Those weren't the kid's Lunchables."
"I mean it, Stark! Bring them out here now or I'll blast the door down."
"You stole them without being sure they were Peter's?" Stephen asked.
"Well how was I supposed to know the Scarlet Bitch likes Lunchables! I thought Spidey was the only one who eats this crap around here!"
"I know you're in there, I can hear you!"
"Close your eyes," said Stephen.
"Sweetheart, now isn't really the time for -"
"I need to portal. Unless you would rather open the door and give these to Wanda yourself."
"Oh." Tony took a deep breath to steel himself, closing his eyes. They were only closed for a moment, however, before the man squared his shoulders and purposefully opened them again. "Okay, hit it."
"Are you sure?"
A powerful burst of energy collided with the front door, creating a metallic echo that rang menacingly through the apartment.
"Last chance, Stark!"
"I trust you," said Tony. "Don't expect me to go through one any time soon, but I trust you."
Stephen grasped the other man's hand and pulled him to his feet. Interlacing their fingers, he called the image of the residential hallway of Avengers Tower to mind and used the Sling Ring on his other hand to create a portal. He felt Tony begin to tremble as the circle of orange sparks widened into a snag, then a rip, then finally a hole in the universe's fabric. Still, the man stood his ground. On the other side, he saw a furious Wanda Maximoff. Though her dark hair was flying around her head and her hands were giving off a faint red light, as of yet the door was still intact. Both men were impressed by her restraint.
As soon as the portal was large enough, Tony chucked the two Lunchables at Wanda's head. "Take them, just take them! I'm sorry, okay, I'm fucking sorry that I'm an idiot who can't cook lasagna without turning it to charcoal!"
It was a testament to her months of effort to gain control over her powers - and temper - that she only flipped off the two men before bending down, picking up the two bright yellow boxes, and stalking away rather than cut them up into small, meaty pieces to put on her pizza. Because it looked like she really wanted to.
The two men remained silent, standing hand and hand in a puddle of rose petals, which swirled around their feet in the wind the portal created as it closed. Finally, Stephen opened his mouth to speak ... but his stomach grumbled loudly before he could say a word.
Tony grinned and began to tug his boyfriend toward the front door. "C'mon, I think Cap has some ramen in the kitchen."
"Don't you think we should ask before we steal other people's food this time? Especially when those people are literally superhuman, and apparently obsessive about their food? Or we could order take in. Or walk to any of the twelve different restaurants on this block alone."
The engineer winked. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, ol' Spangles has it coming to him, he stole my Pop Tarts last week."
Stephen rolled his eyes, but didn't protest when the other man pulled him down for another kiss. Tony Stark was absolutely, utterly ridiculous… and he loved every minute they spent together.
Even if it meant he'd just ended up on the Scarlet Witch's hitlist.