It started out as a bet.
Stephen and Loki had been rivals almost as long as they'd been lovers. They were constantly arguing over whether Asgardian magic was better than human mystic arts, which often led to fights of epic proportions.
The fact that most of those fights also ended in sex was besides the point.
It was after one such heated "debate" that Stephen came up with a brilliant idea.
"We need to get an apprentice."
Loki, who'd been dozing off on his lover's chest at this point, snapped his head up to give him a look of incredulity.
"Come again?"
"Think about it, we find someone willing to learn magic, then each of us spends time teaching them our craft. Whoever's magic is preferred wins."
"Hmm...and what does the winner get?"
"Good question," Stephen mused as he regarded the Trickster with a raised brow, "what do you want?"
"Oh that's simple," Loki drawled as he raised up and straddled himself over Stephen's hips, "I want you to declare me Sorcerer Supreme for a week and acknowledge that my magic is superior."
"Very well, but if I win...I get the Tesseract."
"That's just downright evil," Loki said with a grin that clearly indicated otherwise,"now who exactly are we going to train?"
"It will need to be someone who doesn't know magic, but has had enough exposure to not be skeptical."
"I think I know just the person."
*
Tony Stark had seen a lot of strange things in his life. Being friends with a jolly green giant and a literal Norse God should have been at the top of the "weird life experience" chart. But then a portal opened up into his lab, and two guys stepped out of it.
Two extremely hot guys.
Both of them were taller than him by several inches and wearing strange clothing. One had short, dark hair with graying on the sides and beautiful seaglass eyes. The other was pale with a gaze of piercing emerald and long, black curls that Tony could spend all day running his fingers through.
He was drooling at the thought.
"If this is some new age Tinder, I am definitely swiping right on you guys."
Stephen let out a groan as Loki smirked and walked towards the inventor.
"You are Anthony Stark, yes? The one Thor refers to as the Man of Iron?"
"I am...you a friend of point break's?"
"Brother, actually. My name is Loki, and this," Loki makes a sweeping gesture towards Stephen, " is my lover, Doctor Stephen Strange. We have a proposition we'd like to discuss with you."
"Well, I never was one to turn down a pretty face, so lay it on me Lo-Lo."
*
Tony agreed to their deal rather quickly, with a few modifications of his own. He'd spend three days with each sorcerer learning magic, then the last day of the week they would let him teach them about his various tech. Loki,who was always enthusiastic about learning new things, happily accepted the additional clause.
It was on one of Loki's teaching days that Tony asked the question that had been tingling at the back of his mind.
"So, I noticed you don't have the typical space Viking look Thor does, why is that?"
"Because I'm not an Asgardian by blood, Odin found me in a temple where I'd been abandoned by my birth parents. I'm actually a Jötunn, commonly known as a Frost giant."
Tony scrunched his brows in confusion," but...you don't look like a giant...or frosty for that matter."
"I'm considerably small in comparison to other Jötnar. As for not looking 'frosty', I use a glamour to hide my appearance."
"Huh..can I see it?"
Loki looked at the inventor like he'd grown a second head.
"What?"
"I want to see what you look like under the whole," Tony made hand gestures to encompass Loki's frame, "ivory space hottie thing you've got going on."
The silence was deafening as the God debated on what to do. He never revealed his true form to others. Even Stephen had only seen it briefly, and that had been by accident.
"It's monstrous," he whispered.
"Let me be the judge of that."
With a resigned sigh, Loki closed his eyes and slowly pulled back his Æsir appearance.
He waited with baited breath for the judgment and scorn, but was surprised to feel hands caressing his face instead.
"Wow Lokes, you're beautiful."
Loki opened his eyes to see nothing but awe and admiration on the inventor's face. He slowly let his skin fade back to its usual paleness as Tony lowered his hands.
"I...Uhm...think that's all we'll cover for today."
"What? Oh...yeah, no, you're right," Tony said as he scrambled to hide the rising crimson in his cheeks, "let's pick this up again next week?"
"Yes, let's."
Loki watched as the mortal walked away, wondering when his feelings had changed for his apprentice...and what he was going to do about it.
*
"So the wiring that runs through here is pretty complex and requires a delicate touch when working on it, kinda like surgery. Weren't you a surgeon once?"
"Yes, neurosurgeon to be exact."
"Why'd you give it up for the Harry Potter gig?"
"Not much choice really,car accident made it impossible to do surgery," Stephen sighed as he looked down at his hands that were slightly shaking,"my magic helps me function for the most part, but I'll never be rid of the tremors completely...or the pain."
"Doesn't Loki help?"
"He tries, but even his magic hasn't had much of an effect."
"Hmm," Tony scratched his beard in thought before a look of realization crossed his face," let me try something."
Tony went over to a cabinet on the other side of the lab and pulled an usual looking cylinder out. He came back and grabbed Stephen's hands into his own. The sorcerer noticed how warm and rough the skin felt, a complete opposite of the cool silk of his lover. The inventor pressed the cylinder onto each hand. Stephen felt a small prick, then suddenly the tremors and pain were just...gone.
"How did you..."
"I was suffering from similar problems when I got the arc reactor," Tony explained as he rubbed his thumb over Stephen's knuckles," I invented this solution to help. It usually lasts for a month at a time.I've only got this one right now, but I can definitely make some more for you."
"I would appreciate that, thank you Stark."
"Please, call me Tony."
"Alright," Stephen said with a soft smile," Thank you, Tony."
*
Stephen was looking over an ancient tome when Loki teleported into the room. With a harsh movement he flung the Tesseract at the sorcerer.
"Loki what..."
"Call off the bet, Stephen! I'll give you whatever you want, just don't make me go around Stark anymore."
Ignoring the glowing cube on the table, Stephen got up and walked over to the God, pulling him into a tight embrace.
"Sweetheart, what's really going on?"
" It's just...I can't handle being in Anthony's presence anymore. He's annoying, and infuriating, and..."
"Wonderful?"
"Yes, wonderful," Loki sighed as he buried his face into Stephen's neck, " do you know he saw me? The real me? He actually said I was beautiful."
"That's because you are beautiful, no matter what form you take."
"Noone but you has ever thought that about me. Stephen I...I feel things about him that I've only ever felt about you. I'm afraid if I act on those feelings I'll hurt us, but if I don't I'll hurt him and that's unforgivable."
Stephen let out a breath and squeezed Loki tighter.
"Love is something that can't be defined by boundaries. Sometimes it takes more than two parts to make a whole," he tilted Loki's chin up so he could look at him," I feel that way about Tony too, but it doesn't change my love for you in the slightest."
That seemed to relieve the Trickster, but then another thought made him frown.
"What if he doesn't he feel the same way about us?"
"Well, tomorrow is the day he teaches us about his tech. I suppose we can find out then."
"I suppose we can."
*
When the portal opened into Tony's lab, he was standing there waiting for them with an odd metal sphere in his hands.
"Hey guys, glad you could make it. I've got something to show you."
"Oh? Do tell Anthony."
"Well you see, I've finally come to a decision about which type of magic is better."
Stephen and Loki looked at each other in alarm before looking back at the inventor.
"Go on."
Tony threw the sphere into the air where it hovered in place. He made a motion with his hands and surrounded it with red rune circles similar to Stephen's, before tendrils of blue Asgardian magic weaved through it, turning the orb purple. It started to warble and change shape, eventually splitting into two intricately carved roses that floated into the palm of each mage.
Loki was the first to recover from the shock, "Did you just combine both magics into one?"
"Yup. You see, I couldn't make a decision about which type was better because each one is important to me," Tony grabbed each of their hands, "I love both of them...just like I love both of you."
Before he could blink, Tony was caught up in a bear hug from both mages.
"We love you as well."
*
Things fell into an easy rhythm after that. Loki moved into the tower permanently, and Stephen reduced his time in the Sanctum to only three days a week. They still traded lessons of magic and technology, but now those were accompanied by dates, cuddles, and lovemaking.
One night Tony and Stephen were snuggled on the couch together when Loki apparated next to them.
"Bambi! We missed you! Where have you been for the last several days?"
"Asgard. I had to pick up a couple things."
He made a wave with his hand and two golden apples appeared in the air.
"Are those..."
"Iðunn's apples,yes," Loki replied as he handed one to each of them, " I wanted to ensure that the pieces of my heart are never lost to me. Will you accept them?"
"You bet your fine frosty ass we will."
Stephen chuckled at Tony's enthusiastic response before taking a bite of his own apple. Immortality with these two was certainly going to be interesting.
He wouldn't trade it for anything in the universe.