Summary: Everyone knows that there is someone out there that shares their symbol; some of them are just looking to pass the time with their Soulless (people who are dating that do not share a symbol) until then. Some people, like Tony Stark, hides his symbol and doesn't care to see others'. But right when he thinks he couldn't care less, Doctor Stephen Strange enters the picture to fix his heart. Literally.
Against All Odds
I.
Tony Stark doesn't have a heart.
At least, that's the general consensus. While most people were actively in search of their soulmate, Tony kept his symbol on his forearm covered up so that no one else could know what it looks like. And if he decided to pursue someone, rather for a one-night stand or a promising weeklong rendezvous that left them crossing their fingers for more, he required that they keep their symbols covered as well. He didn't want to know if one of his escapades was his soulmate when he was just out to have a fun time.
Tony made his staff cover up their symbols as well. He could only imagine how messy that could get.
Of course, many times it was unavoidable - seeing someone else's symbol. Tony was sure some people went out of their way to show off their symbol to him, possibly hoping he'll recognize it as his own and begin courting them instantly.
So far, they've all been foreign to him. Not that he would act on it anyway.
"Here's your medicine in preparation for your procedure tomorrow, Mr. Stark," his red-headed assistant, Pepper Potts, says as she places a metal tray on his desk.
"What kind of demotion am I going to have to give you to get you to call me Tony?" he asks, having told her to drop the formalities months ago. He looks at the gifts she came bearing, seeing only a tall glass of water next to two small pills.
"A demotion to assist one of your other assistants that are more bearable?"
"My assistants don't have assistants."
"I noticed."
"No whiskey?" Tony pops the two pills to the back of his throat without even touching the water.
"No drinking the night before the operation, that's the rule," she pointedly places the glass in his hand.
Tony rolls his eyes and looks at the water like it's poison, "What, am I in middle school again with all these rules?"
Pepper purses her lips, truly thinking that her life would be so much better if she handed over her Stark Tower badge and walked away. If she wanted to deal with people like Tony Stark, she would have gotten a job at a daycare, "Rules are still part of adulthood. I'm sorry, that must be hard for you to hear."
"Is that the hell I'm in? Adulthood?" Tony smirks when she finally has enough and turns to leave. "You'll be joining me on the ride to the hospital tomorrow, right?"
She pauses, but doesn't turn around, "Is it mandatory?"
"N-yes," he quickly corrects himself. He has a strong feeling that she would decline if was only an offer.
"Then I will be joining you," Pepper answers as though she expected him to say that, then walks out of his lab before he could continue his banter with her.
"She loves me," he murmurs and puts the full glass of water back on the tray. He goes to his minibar and pours himself a shot of whiskey. He's been waiting on this heart surgery for too long to not drink. He drank when he was nervous, it's just what he did. And consultants constantly telling him that the procedure is high risk doesn't do anything to ease his mind.
But if he didn't have the surgery, then his time on earth was limited anyway. And he'd be damned if he didn't enjoy the forbidden fruit that was whiskey before he bit it one way or another.
Tony snatches his phone from the counter and is caught off guard when he sees he has a text from his best friend, Steve Rogers.
"Good luck tomorrow, Tony. You know I'll be there if you say the word."
He stares at this text like it's a passage straight out of Shakespeare, and he can't make heads or tails of it. English lit was never a passion of his. He was never good at reading the signs like others...not in people anyway. He always assumed too much. Assumed that the majority of people only took an interest in him because of his money and success; going beyond that would be way too much work.
After all, Tony Stark doesn't have a heart.
Tony sets his phone down without answering Steve's text. His literal damaged heart doesn't have the courage to say, "Yes, I need you there," without adding, "but just you." But Steve's soulmate, James (Bucky...but Tony absolutely hates saying that name, something about how it rolls off the tongue), was currently going through rehab and Steve was practically glued to his hip. Doesn't trust him on his own yet, or something.
Talk about working at a daycare. Tony may be stubborn, but at least Pepper walked away when it got too bad. Contrary to what she believes, he does know how to act like an adult. Most of the time.
Ignoring Steve may not be his proudest adult moment, but what else was he supposed to do? He and James did not see eye to eye, and it made sharing Steve a bit of a challenge. Not that Steve is, or ever was, Tony's.
But that was neither here nor there.
Tony started tinkering with his tools, preparing to work on something, because there was going to be no sleep for him tonight. He just wants to live this last night doing what he loves most, which is working with his hands. He briefly considers going out to find a quick hookup, but his mind is not in it. And if he is remembering correctly, no sex (or, extracurricular activities, to be precise) is also on that list of rules he's supposed to be following.
"No fun for the dying," he says aloud, pushing his phone away with a screwdriver before using it to get to work.
The morning sun rises faster than he expects. Then again, why would the night grant him any extra hours? Nighttime either sped up time when he was working, or insisted on lasting forever when he was trying to sleep but plagued with nightmares.
But that's what sex and alcohol are for.
"One of the rules was to get proper rest the night before," Pepper greets him with these words as Tony steps outside to his car. He places sunglasses over his eyes, the sun being his enemy just as much as the moon. He hates both of them.
"Don't you think you should've told me that last night?" He quips as he slides into the backseat. Normally he would drive himself, but he's definitely not going to be driving after the operation, and sometimes it really was just easier to let Pepper win.
"Excuse me for thinking you read the email," she slides in beside him, slamming the door after her with excessive force. "And you stink."
He slumps down in his seat and stares out the darkened window, "Didn't think I had to be snazzy for this particular event."
Pepper has a million different comebacks swimming around in her head, but she says none of them. Tony's eyes may be covered, but the fright and anxiety is radiating off of him just as much as his odor.
When she first started working for Tony Stark, she wondered how he managed his whole life being...well, him. He was irritating on his best days, public enemy number one on his worst. Though that still held some truth, spending so much time with him allowed her to see glimpses of the man behind the tech.
And he was broken.
So she's being the adult now and letting him sit out the car ride in peace without her questioning his many questionable choices. She wants to tap his hand and tell him it'll be all right, but she doesn't know that for sure, and she's not in the business of lying.
Tony doesn't even look at Pepper when he leaves her in the waiting room. Truth is, she's been too good to him and he doesn't know how to form that into meaningful words, so he opts out of any and all words. Easier that way.
Next thing he knows, he's stripping off all of his clothes and lying on a cold surgery table.
"Good morning, Mr. Stark. My name is Claire Temple and I'll be your nurse today," the dark-skinned woman says as she brings some machines with tubes closer to him, "I'm going to start setting up; the doctor will be in shortly. Do you have any questions for me?"
"What are you doing later today?" Tony asks, glad that he can't see her symbol from where he's lying. That would be a bitch to meet his soulmate on the day he could possibly kick the can.
Despite the request, Claire smiles at him and wheels a metal table full of medical instruments to his side, "I'll be celebrating the success of your operation with my boyfriend."
"Hint received," he says, now suddenly feeling more at ease, "So you two got the Soul Symbols?"
Claire begins attaching a needle to one of the tubes filled with liquid, her eyes focusing solely on her job, "Unfortunately...no, we do not share symbols."
"Why waste your time then?" Tony looks away when she goes to stick the needle in his vein.
"Well, I still love him. And it's better to waste your time with someone you love, than alone. Right? We both know it won't last forever, and we're okay with that."
Tony shakes his head and closes his eyes. The conversation isn't as much fun as he first anticipated, and he just wants her to drug him and put him out of his misery.
"I'm here, thanks for getting everything set up, Claire," a man says when he walks into the operating room. Tony doesn't open his eyes. He tries to listen to the doctor washing his hands, to the low voices coming from a few other doctors talking amongst themselves, to the clinging of metal objects, to the soft footsteps coming over to him.
"Tony Stark."
Tony slowly opens his eyes to see the man looking down at him, upside down from Tony's perspective. The first thing he notices is the confidence radiating off of the doctor, the perfect mixture of blue and green in his eyes showing determination and knowledge.
"I'm Doctor Stephen Strange, and I'll be fixing your heart today."