Tony Stark was nervous.
But why should I be nervous, he wondered.
He went to Greenwich Village because he needed to consult a sorcerer.
Do I really need that? he asked himself. Or do I just want to see him again?
That made no sense. Tony didn't even like the guy. He was pretentious, arrogant, irritating and incompetent.
...and mysterious and fascinating...
After their encounter in the park, he had googled the name Stephen Strange and learned about the brilliant neurosurgeon, who had been involved in a tragic car crash. All the other mentions of Stephen Strange he found online had been medical articles of Strange's work and research papers spanning a decade before the accident, but after the crash, he had vanished completely off the grid.
In Tony's opinion that was a real loss. He was fascinated by the research of the doctor and how he had progressed the field of neurology.
Ever since Extremis the engineer had secretly tried to reincorporate the controls of his armor more and more into his own nervous system, to reduce reaction time and to improve the communication speed between his brain and the suit. Of course, he hadn't told anyone about this. Especially not Pepper. He knew she would have freaked out if she discovered that he had started to experiment on himself again.
Not that it was any use. Eventually, she had found out, and she had given him an ultimatum: Either he would stop 'this stupid shit,' or she would leave him for good this time. In his efforts to build a better armor and to be able to protect his loved ones better, he wouldn't compromise, not this time. He knew there was something out there. He knew there was a big thread that he couldn't name. It lurked in the darkness of space, but nobody believed the engineer.
Tony shook himself and returned to the present. Best not to dwell on that now, there would be time for this later. Now, he had a different goal.
When Tony finally arrived at the address, the wizard had given him, he couldn't help, but feel a bit disappointed. It was just a slightly fancy looking building in a nice neighborhood.
Idiot, he thought, what exactly did I expect? A spooky castle with a magical aura or something?
He went to the entrance and rang the doorbell. After a while, a man who was apparently not Stephen Strange opened the door.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm looking for a Dr. Stephen Strange?"
"And who shall I say wants to see him?"
"Come on, man. You know who I am," Tony said, irritated. "Who are you?"
"I'm Wong."
"Wong... And what else?"
"Just Wong."
"What? Like Madonna or Cher?"
Wordless and out of the blue, Wong slammed the door in Tony's face. The shocked engineer could hear him yelling inside.
After a minute or two, the door was opened again, this time by a very bewildered Stephen Strange himself.
"Mr. Stark? What did you do to Wong?" He looked around as if he was searching for another person.
"I don't know," Tony answered confused. "What did he say?"
"I didn't understand most of it, but it sounded like 'may the Vishanti have mercy on me, now there're two of them!'"
"And does that make any sense to you?"
Stephen just shrugged. "Not really." Then he smiled at Tony. "Nevermind, what can I do for you, Mr. Stark?"
"Call me Tony."
"You came all the way here, to tell me to call you Tony?"
"What? No! I'm just..."
"Just joking."
Tony pulled himself together and replied as casually as possible, "I knew that."
That caused Stephen to laugh. "Of course, you did. So, what can I do for you... Tony?"
"There is this old piece of parchment that we found on a mission last week. Keeps behaving weirdly. You know, glows and stuff. So, I thought it'd be a good idea if you had a closer look at it, to be sure that it's not dangerous or something."
"Oh? Then come on in! I'm happy to examine it for you."
He stepped back and motioned Tony to follow him. Behind them, the door slammed shut.
Tony looked around in awe. "Yes, this is more what I expected - creepy castle."
"What?"
"Nothing." Well, the cozy kind of creepy castle, actually.
There was a small fireplace surrounded by comfy looking chairs beside the impressive stairway and Tony couldn't help, but think how lovely it would be to sit there with the sorcerer to read some of the old books on the bookshelf there.
"This way." Strange walked past the fireplace to a grand double door, where he waited for Tony. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect any visitors. It's a bit messy. The trees in the living room need to be trimmed, but honestly, I like them a bit wild." He opened the door. "Oh, and beware of the bats in the old dead trunk over there. They don't like to be disturbed. Pesky little critters."
Tony followed him skeptically, but even the words of the sorcerer hadn't prepared him to the weirdness of the room. It looked like someone had put their living room furniture into a forest. There was a fireplace that was bigger than the one in the foyer and antique looking chairs and sofas, precious old carpets on the floor and bookshelves on every wall, but in between grew huge, ceturies old trees.
Tony looked up to see how tall they were, to realize that this room had to be higher than the entire building.
"Doc?"
"Yes?"
"This house... Is it inside bigger than outside?"
"That depends entirely on your definition of 'inside' and 'outside'."
"Of course." Tony nodded. "I mean, why the hell would I want a clear answer to my question?"
Strange just shrugs. "I know it's weird. But in my line of work there sooner or later comes the point, when you stop questioning those things."
The room behind the living room was disappointingly ordinary. It had a large wooden desk in the center and shelves on the walls, where a crude collection of scientific instruments and artifacts from all over the world was on display, but overall it was surprisingly tidy and clean.
"You can put your parchment here." Smiling, Strange pointed at the desk.
Tony pulled a small metal tube out of his pocket, unscrewed the cap and took out a piece of parchment. It was approximately ten by five inches in size and covered in unreadable scribbles. When Tony tried to flatten it with his hand, it began to emit a bluish glow.
"Interesting," commented Strange. "You can see the glow?"
"Yes, why?"
"Not many people are able to see magic, only the ones with the gift for the mystical arts – and even then, most of them have to practice this ability to be able to see." He sounded intrigued.
"You mean I shouldn't give up the hope that one day I might get my letter from Hogwarts after all?"
"To say you are force-sensitive would describe it better," Strange clarified.
"So you're telling me that you wizards are secretly Jedi? Using the Force to protect the galaxy..." Tony joked.
"You would be surprised how often the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj have saved our reality, without you even realizing that it was in danger."
"You're kidding me, right Doc?"
"Nope."
Tony thought, he should be more worried by these revelations, but he was lost in the beautiful gray-blue eyes of the other man.
What is wrong with me? It's like I'm fifteen again.
He tore his gaze away from Strange, and the wizard turned his attention back to the scroll. With a movement of his hands, he opened the eye in the amulet he wore, which cast green light onto the parchment.
"What is that?"
"The all-revealing light of the Eye of Agamotto. It helps me to analyze the spell on your parchment." Carefully, he took it into his hand to have a closer look. After a moment he began to smile. "You don't need to be worried. The spell on this document is just for protection. As long as you don't try to damage it, it is harmless."
"Why would somebody go to such lengths to guard a piece of parchment? Can you read what's written on it?"
The doctor nodded. "It is a love letter," he answered with a distant smile, while he ran his fingers gently over the tattered edges of the letter, "and going by the state it's in, the addressee carried it with them wherever they went."
Tony looked at Strange, and his smile touched something in him.
So, the Doc is a romantic.
"It is a beautiful piece. Would you consider selling it, Tony?"
"You want to buy it?"
"An elegant spell like this would fit very well into my collection." He motioned to the sideboard.
"I'll give it to you for free." A stupid idea struck Tony. "Under one condition."
Strange furrowed his brow. "What condition?"
"A date. With me," Tony babbled before he could lose his courage.
"Deal!" blurted Strange instantaneous. He seemed surprised by his own answer.
"Good. It's a date, then."
"Great!"
They nodded both and grinned awkwardly.
"I should go now. Thank you for your help, Doc."
"You're welcome, Tony. Any time." He moved to the door. "Come on. I'll show you out."
-–-
In the big entrance hall, just as Strange was getting the door for Tony, the doctor turned and said, "I'm free tonight."
"What?"
"Our date. I am free tonight, so if you want..."
"I didn't expect you to be so eager to see me again."
Strange tried (and failed miserably) to act indifferent. "Maybe I simply want this to get over with. Contrary to your belief you are not the greatest thing since hulk-proof stretch pants."
"I invented those."
"Of course you did..."
Tony just grinned and shook his head. "Tonight is great. I'll pick you up at eight PM?"
"Sounds good."
They shared a smirk, then Tony stepped outside.
"I'll see you, Doc."
"Call me Stephen!" The sorcerer winked and closed the door.
Grinning like an idiot, the engineer floated on a cloud of endorphin back to his car.
I think he likes me.
-–-
The time until evening passed in a flash because there were so many things Tony had to take care of. He instructed F.R.I.D.A.Y. to book a table in his favorite restaurant, argued for an hour with her about his outfit for the evening, organized a small private concert just for two, and last, but not least he had to tell Peter that he had a date.
"You? A date? Do I know her?"
"Yes, you know him. It's the weird wizard from the park."
"Good for you. I didn't think you were..."
"Bisexual?" Tony interjected.
"...over Pepper yet."
"Oh... Well, I think I'll never get over her entirely. But it's no use – I have to move on."
Peter smiled sadly. "Have fun. Just don't do anything I would do and definitely don't do anything I wouldn't do. There's a little grey area there, and that's where you operate."
Tony grabbed his head with one hand and slung the other one around the boy's shoulder to hug him. "Thanks, Kid." He ruffled Peter's hair and turned to leave. At the door, he paused to ask, "Do you plan on going out tonight?"
The 'doing Spider-Man stuff?'-part of his question was unspoken but heavily implied. It always was.
"Maybe, why?"
"You have school tomorrow, so don't stay out too late. And I'll inform Rhody to be on standby if you need someone."
"Tony, I don't need a babysitter!"
"I know you don't need a babysitter, but isn't it a nice thought that there is somebody you can call, in case you need help?"
"...Yes. You're right. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Kid," he replied and was already through the door.
-–-
Three minutes before eight Tony rang the doorbell.
Now I have at least a reason to be nervous.
This time it was Stephen who opened the door.
Wow!
Tony's mind went blank.
The sorcerer was dressed in a midnight blue suit, which looked stunning on his pale skin. Underneath he wore a tight, white shirt without a tie. The top buttons were casually undone, so Tony had a great view of his long, slender neck.
"Wow, you look like the male lead in one of those cheesy romance movies."
"You're not so bad either, Mr. Stark."
Tony was glad he had chosen this particular tailor-made suit. Although it was a bit last season, he loved it. It was a dark grey, the material felt silky soft, and the pants were very tight in exactly the right places. He knew he had a great butt, so why not show it?
"You ready?" the billionaire asked, grinning.
"Yes, I'll only grab my coat, then I'm with you."
That sounded reasonable, it was nearly December, after all. Moments later Stephen stepped out, wearing a long crimson red coat with golden buttons. Going by the color and patterns of the fabric, Tony suspected that the sorcerer had transformed his cloak. When the collar waved at him, he knew for sure.
Stephen's eyes followed Tony's gaze. "I think it likes you."
"That's good to know." The engineer wasn't sure what to think about this statement. He decided to ignore it for the moment and cleared his throat and looked at Stephen. "Shall we go? My car's down the road."
The doctor hesitated.
"What's wrong, Merlin?"
"Cars... I am not overly fond of those since..." He lifted his scarred and shaking hands. "Accident."
Of course! That car crash!
Tony felt stupid. He should have predicted that the man would have a problem with cars after such a horrific experience. After all, the billionaire knew very well what dealing with a trauma felt like.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think, Stephen."
But the doctor shrugged his shoulders. "That's not that big a problem. I could portal us if you give me the address."
"Or we walk. It's not far away."
Stephen smiled. "Yes, why not."
They stopped by Tony's car so that the engineer could get his coat before they set out for the restaurant. On the way, they talked about nothing in particular: just a bit small talk about the weather, and the progress of the renovations of Stark Tower and Tony's son Peter.
"I wanted to sell the Tower," Tony explained, "but Pete goes to school here, and he had to cope with enough changes... I know, Manhattan is not Queens, but it's at least closer than the compound upstate."
"When will you move back?"
"To the tower?" Tony scratched his head. "Our apartment should be ready in about two weeks. Why?"
"I like the thought of having you closer."
"You can teleport instantaneously everywhere on earth."
"Nonetheless, it feels nice to have you close," Stephen insisted.
Those words kindled an unexpected warmth in Tony's chest, so unlike the cold glow of his arc reactor.
They arrived at the restaurant – which was ridiculously expensive and hip – and a waiter brought them immediately to a secluded table next to a window.
Stephen looked at all the patrons on the bar who waited for their tables and chuckled while shaking his head.
"Something wrong, Doc?"
"No, everything's perfect. I think I've been here before." He looked Tony in the eyes. "Even at my best times as a famous neurosurgeon, I had to book a table here six months in advance... and you, Tony Stark, can just call, say you need something for tonight, and they are: 'Sure, whenever you like!'"
"I don't know. F.R.I.D.A.Y. made the call."
The look Stephen gave him, told Tony that this wasn't the right answer. "What do you want me to say? I know the owner. He owes me a favor. No biggie." Tony shrugged.
"Is there anyone in this city who doesn't? …Owe you a favor, I mean."
"I don't quite understand. What are you implying, Stephen?"
Stephen stared down at his hands. "Well, isn't it obvious? Without you, there wouldn't be much of a city left. This is a fucking biggie!" He looked up, into Tony's eyes with such intensity that it felt as if he could stare straight into his soul and there was this unexplainable warmth in Tony's chest again. "I was here when the Chitauri attacked New York. I had snuck on the roof of the hospital to have a cigarette – as you can imagine, it was a busy day – where I had the best view in town and I saw the bomb flying towards the city. At that moment I was resigned to die, but I didn't," he paused, "because Iron Man flew it through the sky portal-thing and saved us." He took one of Tony's hands into his. "You've been my hero ever since."
Tony swallowed. "You're welcome." Touched, he stared into the menu, but he didn't let go of Stephen's hand.
The rest of the evening flew by like minutes. It was so easy to talk to the doctor and so much fun to listen. After their meal, they went to the jazz club where Tony had organized the private concert, to realize that Stephen was not into jazz.
After half an hour he practically begged, "Please, Tony, this is awful. Let us go!"
Giggling and armed with a bottle of whiskey, they headed out into the cold November night. Outside, Tony started to shiver.
"Damn those cold New York nights. Man, sometimes I miss Malibu."
The sorcerer lifted one hand and made a circling motion with the other one until a ring of sparks appeared in front of them.
"What's that?"
"After you, Mr. Stark," he said, grinning.
Cautiously, the billionaire stepped into the ring of light. A mild breeze greeted him on the other side. The air smelled of saltwater, and he could hear the sound of waves. When he looked around, he realized that this was the place where is Malibu mansion had been.
"How did you know the address?"
"Tony, you told it the whole world in front of hundreds of TV-cameras and news reporters."
"Right. I forgot that part." He turned back to Stephen. "But why do you remember?"
"Eidetic memory. I remember things."
"Neat."
"There are things I wish I could forget."
"Yeah. I know the feeling." He shed his coat, put it on the ground and sat down on it.
Stephen was shocked. "Tony! That thing is worth several thousand dollars! You can't just use it as a picnic blanket!"
"Why not? Do you want me to ruin my favorite suit? Come here; there's enough space for both of us." He patted the vacant spot beside him.
Sighing, Stephen sat down beside him.
Tony took a big swig off the bottle and handed it to the doctor, who accepted it and sipped carefully. "How barbaric to drink stuff that expensive straight out of the bottle."
Tony just shrugged.
Stephen looked around. "Why didn't you rebuild it?"
"Dunno. I think... well, my life's in New York now. It felt wrong to move back here. But man, I miss the place! I miss J.A.R.V.I.S., and I miss how easy and uncomplicated things used to be, back then. You know, back when you clearly could tell who the bad guys were, and your friends had your back." He took another mouthful of whiskey and gave the bottle back to Stephen.
"I'm sorry, Tony. Now I killed the mood. That wasn't what I had in mind when I brought you here." He ran his hand over the red fabric of his coat and slowly, it changed back to its regular form. "How about a magic carpet ride over the sea?"
"Are you kidding, Doc?"
"No. Cloakie is strong enough to carry two people."
"Cloakie?"
"Well, I know it is not the most creative of names, but you'll have to agree that 'Cloak of Levitation' is a rather a mouth full."
"Right, Cloakie is much more snappy."
"So, what do you think, Tony?"
"Yeah, no thank you, I'll pass."
"Afraid of flying?"
"I am Iron Man!"
"You have no idea what flying really is like unless you have felt the wind in your hair and the starlight on your skin... unlike you in your tin can, all shielded and disconnected." He stood and offered Tony a hand to help him up. "I can show you the world." He sung.
"Shining, shimmering splendid?" Tony answered also singing.
"Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?"
The man knows his Disney movies, hu?
"Why am I the princess?"
"Because you're the one in the golden cage with all the money and I'm the poor beggar with the magic carpet... and you have the most beautiful brown eyes I've ever seen."
Now, Tony started laughing and took the offered hand. "You must have been a lady's man in your time."
"Are you kidding? I was an asshole before the accident! No one liked me. Not even me liked me."
Tony felt a slight sting in his chest. That sounded far too familiar. But it seemed that Stephen was already a bit drunk and hadn't realized what he had just said.
"You sure this is a good idea, with all the booze you've had?"
"Don't worry. I'm not the one who's doing the flying, and Cloakie is perfectly sober! Y'know, it really likes you. Consider that as a compliment. Usually, it is very picky who it likes."
"It likes me? You talk about it as if it was a person."
Tenderly Stephen stroked the cloak. "Let me tell you, this magnificent piece of magical clothing has more personality than most of my colleagues back in the day when I was a surgeon!"
"I think I'm beginning to understand why they didn't like you..."
"Touché!" He shed the cloak. The fabric spread itself and floated two feet above the ground.
"Come on! I promise you it's perfectly safe."
Uneasy, Tony climbed on the cloak and sat down. Stephen took a seat behind him and wrapped his arms firmly around the engineer.
Slowly, Cloakie rose up. When it reached a certain height, it started to move forward, over the cliff and towards the sea. At first, its movements were cautious and gentle, but as Tony began to relax gradually, it grew bolder, performing increasingly complicated maneuvers in the air.
...and all the time Stephen didn't let go of him. He was a firm presence behind him, radiating a feeling of both safety and serenity.
When the cloak stopped near the ground after a particularly wild looping, Tony hopped off and screamed, "Wow! That was fun! What do you wanna do now?"
The doctor had this soft smile on his face, as he walked closer to Tony. "I think I want to kiss you..." He stepped into Tony's personal space and put his arms on the engineer's shoulders.
"Sounds like a stupid idea."
But Stephen had already leaned in and connected their lips. His goatee felt bristly on Tony's face, and the billionaire realized that it had been ages since he kissed another man.
He put his arms around Stephen's waist to pull him closer.
"'s not so stupid now, is it?"
"Shut up and kiss me, Doc." He took Stephen's face in both hands and pulled their lips back together. The doctor relaxed and let him take control. Shaking hands made their way underneath Tony's jacket and slowly began to stroke his sides. With a small outcry, Tony leaped forward.
"What was that, Mr. Stark?"
"Ticklish..."
"Well, well, what a shame if someone took advantage of this." Now he began to tickle on purpose.
The engineer began to laugh and pushed him away.
"You are a menace!" He stepped backward, away from Stephen, but he tripped and dropped on his butt.
"Tony! Are you okay?" the doctor asked concerned. With two steps he was at Tony's side and helped him up.
Tony rubbed his hurting rear. "Yes, only hurt my pride."
"I'm so sorry, Tony!"
"Wasn't your fault, Doc."
Awkwardly, they stood in front of each other, the magic of the moment was entirely lost.
"We should go home. It's late..."
Stephen nodded reluctantly. He walked over to Tony's discarded coat on the ground, picked it up and handed it to him. He tried to hide his disappointment, but Tony wouldn't have none of it. Determined, he grabbed Stephen and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"I would ask if you want to come with me to my place, but I live currently with a bunch of Avengers, some of which have absolutely no clue about the concept of privacy."
"Oh... I see... You know I live in a massive building, all by myself?"
Tony laughed, "...and?"
Stephen's voice dropped even deeper than usual, as he said seductively, "We could go to my place and enjoy the privacy there."
"Well... when you put it like that, how could I refuse?"
Stephen opened a portal, and hand in hand they walked through it.
Notes:
So, I'm leaving it here, because if I continue, I would have to change the rating. And to be honest, I don't feel comfortable writing smut, which I've never done before. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maybe later. Or never. We'll see…
-–-
There are some small details I want to talk about:
Extremis:
This is more a reference to the Extremis Virus in the comics than Iron Man 3. Tony used it basically to be able to control his armor directly with his mind. And isn't that a cool concept?
The Sanctum Sanctorum:
Ever since I started to read the Comics (especially the run by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo from 2015), I noticed how tame and mundane the movie version is in comparison. I love how the Sanctum Sanctorum is portrayed as this impossible building that has a forest in the living room, a staircase that resembles an M. C. Esher painting, a swamp in the west wing, a haunted elevator and where the contents of the refrigerator want to kill you.
So this here is a combination of the movie and the comic version. It has the foyer from the movies, but it also has trees in the living room. ^_^
The Eye of Agamotto:
In the movies, it is just used as a container for the Time Stone, but in the comics, it's a powerful magical artifact with abilities that have nothing to do with the Infinity Stone.