Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. A. N. Happy birthday, scrub456! I hope you have an amazing day. This is a bit weird, but the bunny bit and wouldn't let me go. ^^''' In the same universe as my "Isosceles," "The Obligatory Endgame Fixit" and "Controlled Fall" – which I have just decided are tied. XD Also, I haven't seen any of the latest Marvel movies/series, so if Strange changed entirely in What if/latest Spiderman/is Multiverse of Madness even out, please let's pretend this is just another dimension, okay?

The Platonic Incident

One would think that Tony Stark, out of all the Avengers, would be the one who took Rowan (also known as the Cloak of Levitation) in stride. Well, except Wanda, maybe, but she's a special case, and most importantly, already in a committed relationship. Besides, the doctor has a disappointed former girlfriend already, even if she was inclined to try, Tony doubts that he'd risk it when splitting up could have the same effect on the universe. Stephen has a tendency to manipulate events for his own goals (who doesn't, really) but it didn't take Tony long to learn that, if anything, he's likely to try and absorb whatever damage is being inflicted, and keep the world safe.

Back to the point – Tony's focus is either 150% or in the negatives, which can lead to some awkward situations...Yeah, he should not even blink at Rowan. He's built – and interacted with – more AIs and random robots that he can even bother remembering (or prefers not to remember, coughUltroncough). He could squint and look at the cloak as a light version of one of his suits. But his creations...well, all the ones that didn't turn into threats to humanity, at least, listened. They'd offer input, sure, and mention all the flaws in his plans that were easy to calculate. But they didn't argue, or try to stop him, even when Tony was being suicidally stupid. Which happened too fucking often, in Stephen's opinion, but it was such a pot kettle situation it wasn't even worth scoffing at. And no, having a time rewinding gadget didn't excuse the sorcerer.

Rowan was opinionated. She would turn pages – whole chapters at once – when Stephen was studying something, because a different approach would have been better. Once, she'd slapped a menu out of Tony's hands, because apparently the smell of that particular cooking was hell to get out. Sure, that time Stephen had taken his new boyfriend's side, and opened a portal for Rowan to get away for the night if she really wasn't into it. And – she's a cloak (and a she, apparently, at least in latest years), no features to speak of, but Tony could have sworn she pouted when leaving that night.

Lately, something was up with her. Tony couldn't have said what. It's not like he could scan her and figure everything out (and wasn't that maddening) but one didn't have to be a sorcerer, much less supreme, to see the way she flitted about, unsettled. "Is Rowan feeling some oncoming danger, by any chance?" he asked, nodding towards her. She'd finally stopped, hovering above the sofa in a passable imitation of a sulk. True, it didn't look especially dangerous, but Stephen was the only one to ever bore a cosmic evil into submission, so who knew.

Stephen chuckled. "Oh, no. She's just missing her crush."

"Why doesn't she go to visit...whomever it is, then? I promise, I'll look after you in the meantime." A look said exactly the way he meant to do it.

"Parallel dimension," Stephen explained, with a shrug.

"Then open the way for her. Do you need a hand?"

"Don't underestimate me," Stephen snapped.

Tony raised his hands in mock surrender. "Just asking. Besides, she deserves it. After we're parading all the time in front of her? No wonder if she wants some action of her own. Sorry, Rowan." He actually nodded towards her.

Stephen sighed. "You do have a point." He immediately started...whatever it was he did with the sling ring. Tony had tried to sneakily analyze them, once, thinking there had to be some superconductor or possibly an energy source or anything else that might be fun to play with. He'd been utterly disappointed. Stephen had kissed it off his face, after scolding him. Been there done that – when things stopped making sense. "You're a lot like me," he'd said, "but I hope you'll never have to stretch yourself beyond science."

He'd been around Stephen while he "sorcered" so many times, and it had never mattered. After all, he knew enough not to bother someone in the middle of something. This time, when the portal started to open, he'd been curious. Who was Rowan's crush? Which kind of universe would host it? Maybe a whole universe of sentient cloth? To better peer, he balanced himself with a hand on one of Stephen's arms. It didn't impede his hands at all. And it's not like Stephen didn't know he was there, and would be distracted. He just...

But something had to have gone wrong, and Tony would admit it was his fault. Before he could even see clearly beyond the portal, Rowan had filled it, throwing herself through...and immediately slipped back in. He'd never seen a pissed off cloak, but when she did, he actually took a step to hide behind his boyfriend, considering if he should maybe summon a suit.

"But – Sherlock Holmes. I'm reaching out to him. How..." Stephen's explanation's were cut short, when Rowan dragged Tony around – without strangling him, luckily, and yeah, he went willingly, he knew better than fight this second – and toward the portal. "Tony, do you mind if we check this out?"

"We as we?" Tony said, pointing between them. When Stephen nodded, the billionaire's grin could have been a green energy source on its own. "You joking? I get to dimension travel and don't even have to figure out how first!"

They walked right into someone's flat. There were no sentient objects around – or at least they were quiet – but it was obviously a different era. These were gas lights. Tony was half tempted to start upgrading the place right now, even though it would probably not be well received. Then again, back then didn't they put arsenic in the weirdest of places? Or this being a parallel Earth, maybe they didn't? How subtle could changes be before they spanned a different dimension?

Too many questions, no answer at all. Not even for Stephen, it seemed, who was wandering through the place as if he expected it'd change if he so much as blinked. At least, the room was empty, so no one had protested their unorthodox entry. But of course, it was good to last.

The two people coming in were obviously at home, given that they didn't bother knocking or announcing themselves in any way. And fine, a pair of strangers in your sitting room did warrant a gun being pulled on them by one of the two. Still. Damn. Tony doubted he could summon anything now, and being at home with Stephen, he didn't exactly go around with anything that would be useful right now. All Stephen did was inhale sharply, and gun dude's eyes went from Tony to his own companion, and – uh. He'd been distracted by the immediate threat, and never noticed how awfully similar he was to one of their hosts. Except...

"Why is it always a lack of facial hair?" Stephen grumbled, as if it made any sense.

The gun wavered, while the man holding it asked, "Another brother, Holmes?" He smiled at...well, Holmes apparently.

"Holmes? Sherlock Holmes?" Stephen asked, going towards him, which wasn't the wisest idea, if you asked Tony.

"Yes," Holmes confirmed, "but why wouldn't Mrs. Hudson mention we had clients waiting?"

"I hope she won't be in trouble," Tony interjected, with his most winning smile. If they messed with this universe, he was at least going to make sure no innocent woman paid for it.

Gun-dude snorted, pointing to Holmes. "He's more likely to be."

"Hey, I'm not -" Holmes protested, before giving in at a glance from his...friend? Partner? The interaction was rather old married couple, but depending on the differences, it might not be a good idea to remark about it.

"We're not, exactly, clients," Stephen said, coming to stand at Tony's side.

"Then what are you?" Holmes'...something asked, voice sharp.

"How open are you to the supernatural?" Stephen asked back.

"Oh, no." It was a desperate moan. So, Holmes wasn't into it. "I don't care if Doyle sent you or if it's an initiative of your own. Get out. If we want a ghost story, we can buy as many as we like for a few shillings."

Holmes' maybe husband opened the door, with a little, apologetic shrug, and Stephen pulled Tony through, before he could defend his boyfriend's honor. The door had just closed behind them when the sorcerer opened a portal, and in seconds, they were landing back home.

"In your shoes, I would have done so right in the room," Tony grumbled.

"I know," Stephen sighed, "and a year ago I'd have, too. I'm trying to get better with my ego, please don't feed it. And stay back – I'm going to give Rowan what she wants."

Tony wasn't going to argue this time. Or move. Soon, the cloak was gone. "Do we –" But the portal closed before he could finish that sentence.

"You weren't thinking she needs supervision, were you?" Stephen said, one eyebrow raising.

"No, I just wanted to see." Tony shrugged. "But I can always think of something to do..." His voice hit a lower octave.

"Actually, I might have to hit the books." Stephen rubbed his nape.

"What?" Tony's arms crossed without his conscious input.

"Well, the point is...You and I, and Plato, and there may be some cross-dimensional ties at play, and..."

"Stop the gibberish, love. What's the matter?"

"I just need to make sure I'm not – neither of us is – a bigger narcissist than people have accused us of being for ages, ok?"

"Ok...If you explain to me what a long-dead philosopher has to do with it. Is he just another narcissist?"

"No, I..Sherlock Holmes? You've seen him. It was you. Well, parallel universe you, but – close enough. And Rowan met her crush because, when I was starting dimension-hopping, I landed in Sherlock Holmes' flat. But he was me. And I've observed enough similarities between the two flats to deduce that's not just a homonymia situation, which would be, well not easy in one world, not with that name, but across universes? I wouldn't even consider it. No, they're the same person. In a way."

"But we aren't. I mean, different universe. Does it matter?"

"Well, Plato actually mentioned a funny theory about soulmates –that people were originally round, two faces, four arms, four legs..."

"Two dicks?" Tony couldn't help but quip.

"Sometimes. Or two vaginas, or one dick and a vagina. Depending. They pissed off Zeus – pretty easy to do – who split them in two, and have since been looking for their other half. And, if you'd asked me yesterday, I'd have said soulmates were more silliness...just because I've joined a cult, like Christine would say, it doesn't mean I'll swallow any nonsense. But. "

"But you got to double-check if there's a chance we might be. If you happen to be the lucky one, even if, from what I've seen, it's not like the other me – I'm hoping the other you, too – are completely loveless."

Stephen nodded. "Hit the books, then, you sap. I want the answer, too!"