Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[loop number 14,000,605]

Five seconds.

The first thing Stephen sees when he opens his eyes is Tony Stark.

Four seconds.

The first thing Stephen sees when he opens his eyes is always Tony Stark.

Three seconds.

He couldn’t tell you, even now, if that was a good or a bad thing.

Two seconds.

He couldn’t tell you if Tony’s hand on his arms solid, unburnt and unbroken and, most importantly, real was a good thing.

One second.

“Hey, you’re back,” Tony says, when Stephen stays where he is for, not moving. “You’re all right.”

All right.

That’s certainly a way to describe Stephen.

Three seconds.

Stephen isn’t all right. Stephen hasn’t been alright in a very long time.

Two seconds.

Frankly, Stephen isn’t sure that, after everything he has been through, he will ever be alright again.

One second.

“Strange? Are you good?”

Two seconds.

He’s not. He probably won't be again.

But this is not the time. Time is all that matters (every single second, every micro-second and micro-expression counts) now, and time is the one thing Stephen never seems to have enough of.

One second.

“Strange?”

Second time Tony called his name.

Stephen finally steels himself, and raises his head to look at Tony.

He’s perfect.

Eight seconds.

His armour looks immaculate, with minor traces of dust on it. His hair is only slightly ruffled by the wind and the earlier fights. His lips are chapped, and Stephen knows that, under the gauntlet, his pinky finger has some traces of orange nail polish he hasn’t had the chance to properly cleaned.

Stephen also knows Pepper was the one to paint his nails that colour, and that Tony actually doesn't like orange all that much.

Stephen knows a lot. 

“Seriously, Strange,” Tony says, dragging his left foot against the ground. “Are you okay?”

Third.

“Protocol Happy Death Day,” he says.

Seven seconds.

Stephen takes the seven seconds it takes Tony to process the information to finally move. He ignores the blur of curiosity that is the Guardian, and allows himself just three seconds to look at Peter.

He's standing not too far from Tony, still a little crouched as if he might need to leap into a fight any time soon.

Peter is very protective of Tony, especially in the beginning.

Their eyes meet, and Peter's expression goes from curious to immediately concerned. 

“Are you okay, Mister Strange? You look–”

Time up.

Tony moves, putting a hand on Stephen’s arm again. Stephen’s skin burns despite the layers of clothing separating their skin, but he makes no move to stop Tony from manhandling him to the side.

He doesn’t correct Peter. Every time he corrects Peter, no matter how kindly, on his title, it makes Tony more stubborn and less likely to listen to him.

Stephen hasn't figured out why yet, but he has no interest in making the same mistake again. And really, does it matter?

In the grand scheme of things, this is probably at the bottom of the list of concerns Stephen has.

Tony releases him when they are far enough – in his opinion – from the Guardian to avoid being overheard. Stephen doesn’t exhale when he stops exactly behind the big rock with the crack on its left side. After all, there's still the possibility that it could all go horribly wrong; when it come to Tony Stark, every single second counted.

“How do I–”

Three words.

“'-Know for sure that this is a time-loop?'” Stephen finishes. Stephen doesn't change his tone of voice - Tony doesn't like it when he does. “'How do I know that you’re on my side? How do I know I can trust you? I like pancakes. Oh, you’re good. Vision is the last part of JARVIS I have, and I can’t lose him. I.”

Stephen takes a step back at the same time Tony takes one forward, his hand outstretched.

When Stephen allows himself to be shut up by Tony, it causes doubt. And the doubt, is always Stephen’s undoing.

“Holy fuck,” Tony says, eyes wide as he stares at Stephen. 

Fifteen seconds.

Stephen knows what he’s thinking, but he doesn’t say anything. He refuses to allow himself anything more than the very strict set of rules he has in his head and his memories.

He has a very limited amount of seconds for reactions and emotions. They are luxuries that Stephen quite literally cannot afford.

He has made the mistake of letting those tightly bottled emotions out too many times, and every time they had cost him something (everything).

Stephen is here to save... everyone. And to do that, he needs to focus on the time and the seconds, and on Tony Stark.

Without focusing too much on Tony Stark.

“Okay,” Tony says. He’s still staring at Stephen, forehead ever so creased in that latent doubt he will probably never be able to completely dispel.

Stephen had certainly never seen him without some doubt.

Three seconds.

This is okay. Tony wouldn’t be Tony if he wasn't a little suspicious of every adult around him he hadn't known since the early 2000s. Some doubt's okay.

The problem's when there is too much doubt.

“Okay,” he repeats. “You’re in a time loop. Say- I believe you. Wh–”

“Thanos needs to die, right here, and right now,” Stephen says. He doesn’t even have to think about the words, not anymore. This has been the easy part for the last millions of futures. Stephen could do this part with his eyes closed - but then he wouldn't really be able to look at Tony's eyes. That would be a problem.

“He needs to die in a very specific manner, for things to end well, and everyone needs to do the correct thing at the right time. No excuses.”

Eyebrow raise.

“Killing Thanos is not why I’m in a loop,” Stephen says, honestly. “Making sure the universe stays standing after that– the right way - is why I'm here.”

Brows furrow.

Ten seconds.

Lying to Tony is a terrible choice. Lying to Tony often causes trouble down the line, because Tony is really good at figuring out when he’s being lied to and about what.

He's not a genius with trust issues for nothing.

But telling Tony the whole truth is also a terrible idea. It leads to outcomes Stephen has by now deemed completely unacceptable. 

But he has learnt from the last loop. He has learnt how to best balance the truth with the lie to guarantee the best possible outcome.

It wasn’t perfect, the last time.

Stephen made a mistake. Stephen made a couple of mistakes. But he has learnt from them now, and he knows how to make it right. How to make everything right.

“The right way,” Tony repeats. “According to who?” 

“Me,” Stephen says. “And you.”

“I approve?”

Tony sounds sceptical.

“I persuaded you,” Stephen says.

Suspicion. 

“Why–”

“'-Aren’t you predicting my sentences and questions anymore?' You dislike it. It increases doubt and suspicion that does not align with the fulfilment of our goals.”

“Huh,” Tony says.

Four seconds.

“You didn’t talk like that before.”

It’s not a question, but Tony likes it when Stephen answers it the most.

“A lot of choices,” Stephen explains. “A lot of reactions. I need the easiest way to remember the steps I took to get the response I need.”

Less doubt.

Two seconds.

“How many loops?”

Three seconds.

“14,000,605,” Stephen says. 

Twenty three seconds.

The larger the number gets, the most shocked Tony becomes. His eyes widen, and he takes a half step back, as if he wants to look at Stephen in his entirety, as if he wants to somehow see the difference between the Stephen he knew in the spaceship and the Stephen he has in front of him.

Stephen now knows that Tony does not actually want to see the difference.

Tony doesn’t trust magic, and the stone around his neck and the years in his eyes are nothing but fruit of pure and uncontrollable magic.

So, he shifts his head only slightly to the left, letting the sun that isn’t a real sun shine just right over his eyes that it makes them look absurd in their normality.

It makes Tony breathe a little easier, and it stops the automatic question from leaving his lips.

‘How long was the longest loop?’

The larger that number becomes, the less Tony trusts him.

If Tony asks, Stephen will have to be honest with him – because Tony is good at figuring out when he lies, and Stephen should not lie to him. 

But if Stephen says thirteen years, Tony will get confused. He will start growing doubts and asking questions, questions Stephen cannot answer honestly without having to start a new loop.

“Jesus,” Tony says. “That is... fuck, Strange. That’s a lot of fucking loops.”

“You took a nuke through a wormhole,” Stephen reminds.

Six seconds.

Tony frowns, lips opening just slightly in confusion.

Stephen does not look at his lips. Tony notices that, every single time, and it makes him realise things. And when he starts realising things, Tony also starts asking questions.

“That’s different,” Tony eventually says. “I was trying to save New York.”

Stephen nods – just once; Tony has a slight distaste for people who clap too long, or nod or shake their heads for too long. He doesn't know it, but Stephen has noticed. “And I’m trying to save the universe.”

Tony never asks for clarification.

Stephen never volunteers it, either. He doesn’t know how it will make Tony react, but he knows it won’t be good for him.

“Still,” Tony says. There’s some pity in his gaze, now, as he looks at Stephen. “That’s a lot.”

“It’s worth it,” Stephen says.

He doesn’t look at Tony, as he desperately wants to. Instead, he looks at Peter.

Peter can hear almost everything they are saying but, so long as Tony is the one who dragged him aside, he will make a solid effort to not listen. He still notices their eyes on him, and he awkwardly waves at them.

Tony follows Stephen’s gaze to Peter, and Stephen observes, from the corner of his eyes, the way a part of him breaks.

He doesn’t ask the question, but Stephen answers anyway.

“I can keep him safe,” he says. “We can keep him safe.” He turns his head so that he’s looking at Tony directly, and he shifts so that the lapel of Cloak is covering the Eye of Agamotto. “Trust me on this.”

There are still mysteries of the Cloak that Stephen hasn't figured out yet. But on this, they are both on the same side.

It makes the entire affair less lonely.

Seventeen seconds.

Tony looks between Stephen and Peter, and then back at Stephen. His brows are slightly furrowed, and the corner of his lips downturned.

Tony doesn’t like this – any part of it. He doesn’t like trusting people, especially magic users he doesn’t know.

He likes Peter being alive, however.

And Stephen is giving that to him.

One second.

“Okay,” Tony says. He swallows, and makes eye contact with Stephen again. “Okay. What do you need me to do.”

Zero.

Stephen doesn’t smile. 

He doesn’t need to.

This is the easy part.

Four minutes.

Thirteen is the exact number of steps there have to be between Tony and Stephen to ensure he doesn’t ask any questions.

Any less, and it makes Tony wonder where he is and what he’s doing. It makes him think about Stephen’s choices and sacrifices, and then Tony starts to ask if this is ‘it’. If this is the future where they ‘win’.

Any more, and it makes Tony wonder why he’s still around. It makes him think critically about Stephen, and why he picked Tony specifically, and then Tony starts questioning why ‘him’. How the others plans had failed, in all of the previous time loops, if this is how easy it could really be.

Both end with Tony questioning the time loop itself. What resets it? How did it start? How can Stephen be sure this time it won’t again?

Stephen cannot answer those questions. If he’s too vague, Tony starts doubting him. If he’s too specific, Tony asks more questions.

Either way, Tony stops believing and trusting Stephen, and Stephen needs him to trust him. He needs Tony to believe him, because that’s the only way any of it works.

It’s the only way.

At seventeen steps, Tony doesn’t ask him questions. Tony doesn’t stare at him and quietly wonder, doesn’t feel the need to ask why he  trusts him.

At seventeen steps, Tony doesn’t wonder how it took that long to come up with this easy way to defeat Thanos.

At seventeen steps, Tony doesn’t question why Stephen doesn’t immediately teleport them to Earth to fight with the Avengers in Wakanda.

At seventeen steps, Tony doesn’t ask why Stephen is still not completely at ease even though Thanos is now dead.

At seventeen steps, Tony doesn’t notice the glances Stephen keeps shooting at him, or the slightly apathetic manner in which he informs Quill that Gamora is dead and never coming back.

Nebula might. Mantis, most certainly.

But it doesn’t matter; they don’t know Stephen, and they don’t know Tony – will never get to know Tony – and so, will never have the chance to ask him. 

At seventeen steps, Tony doesn’t question anything.

He just holds Peter in his arms in a too tight hug that’s covered in blood and that the teen strongly objects to, and when he catches Stephen’s eyes, he nods in thanks.

At seventeen steps, Stephen doesn’t need to start another loop again.

It works.

Chapter Text

The first time Stephen meets Tony Stark, they’re at a gala.

It wasn’t a particularly interesting or memorable one and, despite his eidetic memory, Stephen can’t for his life remember what it was for.

At the time, his thought process after seeing Tony Stark had been: what sort of event had a top class neurosurgeon and a war profiteering man child attending at the same time?

He's still not sure.

He remembers the suit he wore. He remembers Christine eating all of the finger foods being delivered because she had forgone lunch and Stephen judging her immensely for it. He even remembers the way West slipped on his too polished shoes and ripped his pants with a cartoonish riiip.

Mostly though, what Stephen remembers from the gala is Tony Stark’s attitude.

Stephen hadn’t even wanted to speak to him. Sure, Tony Stark was famous, and he was rich, and he was in magazines and newspapers for good and bad reasons every other week: getting into his good side would probably benefit Metro Hospital a whole lot.

But Stephen's core formative years had taken place in Nebraska, where he had been raised to have a natural dislike for anyone who had more money than sense. He had been raised on a farm by a functionally illiterate mother and father who might as well be illiterate, and had made it out of there with his brain and intellect.

Tony Stark, on the other hand, had probably learnt at an early age how much money to hand over in other to push his way forward in life.

Now, Stephen knows better. Now, he knows that despite the money Tony’s life hasn’t been easy at all.

At the time, he hadn’t.

And so, when his boss had ‘nudged’ him for the fifth time and given him yet another expectant look, Stephen had downed the glass of champagne in his hands and approached one Tony Stark.

To do or say what, Stephen wasn't entirely sure. It didn't really matter, in the end: he didn't even manage to introduce himself.

Tony - Stark, at the time - had been surrounded by wealthy and famous possibly future investors and sponsors, holding court by telling them a story about how he had embarrassed a man named Justin Hammer in front of a rather important General. 

All things considered, he hadn’t been nearly as obnoxious and horrible as Stephen now knows he could have been. He had been so drunk he could barely stand, and yet he had managed to sound coherent the entire time he was telling his story.

Tony’s eyes had stopped on him as soon as Stephen had joined the small circle around him. His gaze - drunk - had ran over Stephen’s figure and then, barely pausing in his speech, he had passed his glass to Stephen and said, “Get me something stronger, hon.”

Stephen had, for a moment, been shocked speechless.

What? Why was Tony Stark talking to him? Why on Earth was Tony Stark calling him 'hon'?

And why the fuck was Tony Stark asking him for a refill? 

“I’m not a server,” he had said, still uncertain on whether he should be offended or if this was just Tony Stark’s brand of humour.

That had made Tony pause. He had paused, and looked Stephen up and down one more time, the glass still outstretched in his direction.

Then, sounding genuinely baffled, “Then why are you dressed like one?”

The worst thing was that Stark hadn’t meant that as an insult. Stephen now knew enough about Tony Stark to know that when he delivered an insult he meant, he made sure everyone understood it, and that you knew it was aimed at you.

At the time, however, it hadn’t mattered what his intention was. What had mattered were the couple of gasps and titters from the people surrounding him as Tony continued to squint at Stephen, clearly waiting for an answer, and the burning wash of humiliation now radiating from his stomach.

“This is Tom Ford,” Stephen had said, knowing his neck was probably warming up under Tony’s squinty gazed. His fists had been clenched at his sides when that only garnered a couple more laughs.

“Whatever you say, hon,” Tony had said, and clinked the ice cubes in his glass, still looking at him expectantly. “Refill?”

And then he had just gone back to his story, completely dismissing Stephen and his presence.

Stephen hadn’t gotten him a refill. Stephen had walked away without any further words, ignoring his latent "Was it something I said?" and feeling as if he was burning from the humiliation and embarrassment.

Then, he had spent the next couple of years despising Tony Stark.

A Tony Stark who probably, had they met again the very next day, would not have even recognised him.

It didn’t matter to Stephen. As far as he was concerned, Tony Stark was the devil and now his number one enemy.

A part of him that he doesn’t like to acknowledge anymore had even been happy, when Tony had been kidnapped.

He had thought, to himself, that this is was what his war mongering self deserved for all the destruction and death he and his weapons brought, and most of it had really been fueled by the personal slight from all those years ago.

He hadn’t been upset when Tony had come back alive: he wasn’t a sociopath. But he had definitely been annoyed at how his face was suddenly everywhere and impossible to avoid. 

And when the Iron Man reveal had happened, Stephen had been... begrudgingly impressed. 

It wasn’t as if Stephen thought everything Tony Stark achieved had been bought and paid for with Daddy and blood money. He knew the man was probably very smart.

But he, alongside the rest of the world, liked to pretend it wasn’t so, and when Tony came out with a fully operational robot suit and a brand new element within a year of escaping from terrorists, well. It was a good way to remind them that, as arrogant and annoying as the man was, he had reason to be.

It was hard to hate him after that. Or after he joined up with five other clowns in costumes and saved Stephen's hospital and essentially his entire city from an alien invasion and the follow-up nuclear explosion.

Stephen had been in Metro hospital, that day. He had been at work when the sky had opened and thrown up hundreds and hundreds of creatures and aliens on them.

Iron Man had been the one to stop one of the flying creatures from crashing directly into the hospital and, when he had gone through the wormhole, Stephen had held his breath alongside everyone else. He had only breathed again when someone had shouted, “He made it! He fell back!”

And maybe even then he hadn’t relaxed until a guy in a black uniform had come to check whether the hospital was working and could be used and relied on and told them that Tony was alive and well and as annoying as ever (the man's own words).

It was hard to hate him after that.

Stephen had ended up shielding the hate and exchanging it for some general dislike that he had held on from that day in New York, throughout his becoming a sorcerer and the Sokovia and Civil War nonsense, all the way until his 234th time loop.

It had taken Stephen around 200 loops to 'understand' and become allies with Tony Stark.

It had taken Stephen around 300 loops to go from being allies to becoming friends with Tony Stark.

It had taken Stephen around 500 loops to go from friends to realise he felt something else completely for Tony Stark.

It had taken Stephen 612 loops exactly to go from feeling ‘something else’ to admitting to himself he was completely and irrefutably in love with Tony Stark.

It hadn’t taken Stephen 14 million loops to defeat Thanos.

It hadn’t taken Stephen 14 million loops to defeat Thanos and keep the universe safe.

It hadn’t taken Stephen 14 million loops to defeat Thanos, keep the universe safe, and make sure Tony survived the fight.

It had just taken Stephen 14,000,604 loops and counting to get as close to the perfect ending as he could.

Now, as he watches James Rhodes and Tony Stark embrace, the carcasses of Thanos’ army littering the grounds of Wakanda, Stephen allows himself a moment to breathe.

Two minutes and twelve seconds.

This is not the hard part. Killing Thanos and stopping his army? In the grand scheme of things, it was easy to do.

It had taken Stephen less than 2000 futures to figure out the best way to put both the Hydra and its many heads down.

Forces tended to raise in the vacuum created by Thanos’ passing, especially with the Infinity Stones still floating around, but even that was something that Stephen by now knows how to deal with.

Magic, villains, alien technology – all of this was stuff that Stephen, by now, knows exactly how to deal with.

What he never seems to be able to deal with, what it turns out he's never really actually been prepared for... it's Tony Stark himself.

There is no way to fully and completely be able to predict Tony Stark and the way his mind works. There is no way to be even a couple of steps ahead of him because Tony has the habit of flipping the script on himself and you both as soon as you think you know what's going on.

If Stephen takes a step to the left instead of a step to the right, the questions Tony ask him change completely. If Stephen blinks too fast or too slow, Tony decides to do something he has never done in any of the previous futures. If Stephen smiles at him for too long or not long enough, Tony suddenly decides that he no longer trusts him.

It's exhausting, and confusing, and tiring, but Stephen... well, Stephen could not step away.

Can't step away, not anymore.

Not after everything he has already done, not after all of the futures he has lived through – not after all of the promises he has made.

Stephen moves his foot slightly to the left, and even this move, innocuous as it seems, is calculated.

Because whenever he moves his foot to the right, the movement catches James Rhodes’ attention, and catching James Rhodes’ attention is as dangerous as letting Tony Stark really think through everything that has happened in the first place.

Tony wants to keep the world safe.

James Rhodes? James Rhodes wants to keep Tony Stark safe.

And no matter how many times he tries, no matter how careful he is, James Rhodes never quite ends up trusting Stephen Strange.

He always manages to charm Pepper Potts. He is pretty good at making Happy Hogan drop his caution. Peter Parker is easy, and while Harley Keener is... complex, Stephen has, by now, a handle on him.

But James Rhodes?

No matter how long they know each other for, no matter how hard Stephen works, no matter how much he tries to help and be a good friend to him and Tony both, James Rhodes does not trust him.

Had it been hatred, Stephen might have understood it. Had it been a situation like his and Tony’s first meeting, where James Rhodes' dislike was fueled by a bad first meeting, things might have made sense.

But it isn’t hatred. It's not even dislike.

James Rhodes simply does not trust him.

No matter what he says, no matter what he does, no matter who Stephen saves: James Rhodes refuses to trust him.

And he most specifically did not trust him around Tony.

“I don’t like the way you look at him,” James once said, many futures ago. “Like he’s yours. Like you have a claim on him, like you want to possess him. Spare me the bullshit: I have seen that look before. I don’t know what you want from him, yet, but I know you’re here for something. And I will not let you get it. ”

Unfortunately for James Rhodes, Tony Stark is not very good at listening.

Once he decided that he liked you, you were in.

Staying in... that is a completely different matter.

Stephen personally blames Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers for this.

Tony had been betrayed plenty of times, by plenty of close friends, but their betrayal had left him with some deep scars – him and Rhodes both.

Which means that now, no matter how hard Stephen tries, no matter how strong he makes the trust between them, there will always be something like hesitation and distrust embedded deeply in Tony and Rhodes both.

That lingering doubt that reared its head at the worst possible time, destroying everything Stephen had worked too hard for, and feeding off Rhodes’ distrust.

But Stephen had managed to make it work before. He had been going farther, going longer.

So long as he did everything right and did not give Rhodes a reason to hate him, Stephen could still make this work.

He had to make this work.

Time’s up.

“Rhodey,” Tony says, letting go of his friend and glancing over at Stephen with a smile. James Rhodes keep a hand around his waist, and Stephen does his best to not look like he wants to rip it off. “This is Stephen Strange. He’s basically the reason we are all still alive.”

“Ah,” Rhodes says, with a smile that does not reach his eyes even as he approaches him with an extended hand. “Nice to meet you. Thank you for keeping him safe, out there.”

Stephen shakes his hand, ith a perfectly curated smile, and pretends Rhodes' hold isn't a little too tight to be friendly.

Stephen has gotten really good at pretending.

Chapter Text

The problem is, that it doesn't work.

It doesn't matter how long Stephen manages to make it last for.

It doesn't matter how careful Stephen is with all of his actions.

It doesn't matter how much Stephen learns, loop after loop.

It just never works.

It never lasts.

[loop number #381]

“I know that I have asked this before, and I know that you have answered this several times already, but I feel it's important that I pose this question again."

Stephen looks up from the book he had been carefully translating, a frown on his face. Tony is half sitting, half lying in the captain chair of the ship, chin resting on his palm and eyes fixed on Stephen himself.

He has retracted his suit for the time being.

“Uh?”

Tony lets out a very theatrical sigh.

“Why is it that you can’t just bidibi-boo some food, again?”

“Mr Stark,” Peter says with an 'exasperated' sigh, while Stephen rolls his eyes. “You can’t just make things out of nothings. That’s like number one rule of magic and physics and magical physics.”

“The number one rule of physics is that magic isn’t real,” Tony corrects. Then, he points a finger at Stephen. “Everything this man does seems to imply physics is wrong - and I can't believe you're making me say this out loud. So, why can he make portals and all that kung-fu magic bullshit out of nothing, but he can’t make a juicy freshly made cheeseburger appear in my hands right now?” He shoots Stephen a dirty look. “I think he's doing it on purpose, out of some sort of buddhist monk Buddhist propaganda.”

“Don’t you think that if I could shut you up indefinitely by shoving something in your mouth, I wouldn’t?” Stephen asks, giving Tony his most unimpressed look. Then, realising his own words, he quickly adds, “Wait, don’t–”

“Why, Doctor Strange,” Tony leers, twisting his body so that he can get more comfortable on the chair as he faces him directly. “My reputation precedes me. I know you know I will never be opposed to letting people put things in my mouth. You need only to ask and give me a safeword.”

“You’re disgusting,” Stephen informs him, using every single magic and meditation technique he has learnt to ensure he does not blush like a virgin at Tony’s words.

He's not sure he manages to, considering Tony's smirk only grows.

“And you want me so bad it makes you crazy in the head.”

“You–”

“Are you flirting?” Peter asks while looking between the two of them, brows furrowed. “I have nothing against it, you know - Talk Valentina, ally and all - but like, I would like to know in advance if I should go hide out or what.”

“Your room?” Tony asks, momentarily confused.

“Yeah. I mean, no.” Peter makes a face. “You know the corner I sleep in, with all the buttons? I call it my room. I mean, it basically is, isn’t it?”

Tony’s next smile is a lot more strained, though Stephen doubts Peter has noticed.

It's easy to joke around and act like everything is fine. To act as if being on a spaceship, floating miles away from their home, trying to outrun a genocidal Titan gunning for the Time Stone around Stephen's neck is normal and not something that could possibly lead to the end of the universe as they know it.

It has been a month since they got on the donut ship as it left Earth, and Stephen isn’t sure that even Tony, with all his engineering and piloting tricks, would be able to fly them back home.

There's a distinct possibility that they will never go back home again.

The fact that it didn’t have to be like this is not lost on Stephen. He could have sent Peter back. He could have sent Tony back. He could have gotten on a spaceship by himself, and spent the rest of his life running away from Thanos, trying to go as far away from the man as he could.

In many loops, he had done exactly that.

He had left Peter and Tony with the Guardians, and left.

In none of those universes, however, had Peter and Tony survived.

Not a single one.

And maybe it was selfish of Stephen to keep Peter from his aunt or Tony from his fiance’, but he would rather have them with him, miserable but alive, than back home, dead.

He hasn’t told them that, either of them.

He told them as little as possible, before getting them to help him incapacitate the Guardians and flee.

He doesn't really want to think of why.

“We still have those bean looking things from the blue planet,” Stephen offers. When Tony glances at him in question, he clarifies, “If you’re hungry. I can get a fire going so we can cook them.”

“Which one was the blue planet? The one with the smurfs?”

“We didn’t get any food there, we nearly got eaten,” Peter reminds him. “The blue planet was the one that looked like it was covered in water.”

“Oh, right! The beans that Stephen scammed from them.”

“It wasn’t scamming,” Stephen protests. “I was negotiating a better deal.”

Tony glances at Peter. “Scamming.”

“Totally scamming,” the young boy says, and both of them chuckle at the glare Stephen levels them with.

They are still laughing when a purple hole appears on the side of the ship, sucking Stephen's unanchored body straight out of it.

Then, they aren’t making any sounds at all.

The loop starts again.

[loop number loop #529,304]

Stephen would have preferred a different house.

Maybe somewhere deep in the mountains. Somewhere by the beach? Near a farm?

Maybe even somewhere in another state altogether. In another country.

He has seen far too many futures starring Tony in this particular house. 

Sometimes, it's picked out by Pepper. Sometimes, it's picked out by Happy. Sometimes, it's picked out by Rhodey. 

Stephen never chooses it. In fact, Stephen always does his best to not even make the lake house an option.

But, like many other constants in these loops he kept starting, the lakehouse kept resurfacing.

The few times Stephen had tried to burn it down or otherwise remove it, things hadn’t gone so well. So now, whenever Tony decided to move there, Stephen was simply forced to accept it.

It didn’t mean he liked it.

He likes the location, though (far away from the city and from... most people). And he likes the privacy that the house allowed them.

A little corner of paradise in the chaos that was New York City after Thanos and everything else that had followed.

Stephen glances at where Tony is sitting at the kitchen table, several empty cans of beer in front of him and an old photo album in front of him. Tony has never really been a beer guy – used to say he didn't enjoy the taste – but, as of late, he has taken to drinking more and more of the stuff.

It's worrying. 

Tony has always been a bit of a drinker, but this was the first future in which he has become something Stephen has started to consider an actual alcoholic. And with the way he has been treating his body for the past few years, between playboying, Iron Man-ning, and Avenging, and the world they now lived in, his liver was not going to thank him for this new pattern of alcohol abuse.

But they aren't together, here and now. They aren’t lovers, or paramours, or anything of the sort.

They are just friends who have been marked by the same terrible tragedy and fate, who have found a safe place to finally rest after the pain of the past couple of years.

Sure, they have defeated Thanos, once and for all. But it doesn't mean that the defeat had been easy to achieve, or that they have won.

They had lost – just at a lesser degree than usual.

They wear the scars to prove it.

At least they have each other, is what Stephen focuses on.

At least, they are together. Not happy, no. 

But healing.

“I’m going to get some vegetables,” Stephen says, shaking the last dredges of melancholy off his shoulders that always came from reminiscing. “We can make some stir-fry.”

Tony does not look up at him. His eyes stay fixed on the album in front of him, glued on a picture that the light stops Stephen from seeing at a distance.

“Tony?” Stephen tries again, moving closer and placing a hand on his shoulder to gently shake him. “Are you okay?"

From this angle, Stephen can see the picture and, as soon as the faces staring at him register, he feels his heart clenching.

Pepper Potts, standing between Peter Parker and Harley Keener. In each of the boys' hands, a fresh 'Stark Industries Intern' certificate.

"Tony," he says, and his voice maybe comes out with a little too much pity, because it breaks Tony out of his reverie.

"Uh?" He glances at Stephen, and his lips twitch in a pathetic mimicry of a smile. "Oh, sorry doc. Got lost in my thought again."

For a moment, Stephen observes him.

He remembers the days where he would have sworn Tony Stark was a ‘fun’ drunks. He remembers the magazines and the journal articles and the news, where an inebriated Tony Stark was dancing and making a nuisance of himself and feeding Stephen's belief that he was a man made with absolutely zero substance.

Then, all those loops. All those moments in which Stephen and Tony had drunk together, or Tony and the Guardians, and Tony and Rhodes. With the way he had behaved a lot of times, Tony had started to believe that, rather than fun, Tony was a ‘flirty’ drunk.

But this Tony... This Tony's different.

This Tony has seen and gone through things the other Tonys could only imagine.

He needs help – maybe more help than Stephen could ever give him.

The problem with that is that Stephen's not sure he can trust anyone else with Tony. Not after everything he they have been through, not after everyone they have lost.

Not after all the deaths and after all the pain.

Not after Peter.

Stephen had done the 'right' thing, the 'smart' thing, and he had let given watched Peter go back to his aunt.

And now Peter is gone forever.

Now Peter is dead.

No, Stephen decides, removing his hand from Tony’s shoulder and offering Tony a much more real smile. He's not leaving him alone letting him go again, nor is he letting anyone else get their hands on him.

“I’ll be right back,” he tells him. "Need to get some veggies for the stir fry, we're all out. Want anything?"

"No," Tony says, shaking his head. "Will you see Wong, when you go out? Christine?"

Stephen hates mentioning his friends, considering what happened to Tony's. But he doesn't like lying to him either.

"Probably. Unless-"

"No," Tony says, and this time his smile is a little more real. He stands up too, picking up his glass and the photo album. "Please do. I feel like I'm always keeping you from them."

"You're not," Stephen quickly reassures. "I like being with you. You know-"

"It's okay," Tony says, waving him off with his glass. "I'm going to go talk to Rhodey. I'll tell him you said hi."

Stephen should probably say something about that. He should probably not feed into Tony's drunken delusions, and remind him that Rhodey is dead. That Rhodey has been dead for a while, now, and there's no way Tony is going to get anything but his voice mail.

But this is the first sign of life in Tony's face since he started drinking, and he even gives Stephen something like a hug (1 second, not a real hug, not a Tony hug) before wandering towards the bedroom area, and Stephen doesn't have it in his heart to say anything.

So, he doesn't.

He just says 'Bye' like a coward, before he opens a portal and steps through it.

It's fine. He'll talk to him about it tomorrow, once he sobers up.

+++

Stephen returns an hour and nineteen minutes later, with a bag of vegetables in his hands.

“Tony?” he calls out, looking around the spotless kitchen and living room area. “Tony?”

He keeps the bag clutched in his hands for thirty-four more seconds, as he walks around the strangely quiet and dark house, and only drops it when he gets to the bathroom's open door.

He only drops it when he sees the empty can of beer on the floor, and the red blood still trickling from the perfectly shaped hole in Tony’s forehead, the smell of alcohol and gunpowder thick and heavy in the bathroom.

On the floor, the picture of Pepper, Harley and Peter lays, drenched in blood.

For seven minutes, Stephen grieves.

For seven minutes, Stephen's knees stay flat on the floor, and he sits there trying not to retch while vegetables he will never cook lay scattered all around him.

For seven minutes, Stephen's hands shake more than they have ever before, and it has nothing to do with his accident.

For seven minutes, Stephen stays where he is, and tries to make sense of how he's still alive when his heart had just exploded into a thousand of little pieces.

Then, he Stephen stands up again.

The loop starts again.

[loop number #8,097,356]

Stephen loves Wong, he really does.

After everything that has happened to him, after the Ancient One and Mordo, after Christine and Dormammu, Wong has become the last real friend Stephen really has.

He's a bit of a bitch, at times, and far too dramatic for his own good, but he's a very good friend to Stephen. Someone Stephen trusts and cares about, someone Stephen can stand two steps away from without having too worry.

Which is why this is so painful.

“Strange,” Wong says, breath coming out shakier than usual - probably because of the rope tied around him. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Unfortunately, I do,” Stephen says, shaking his head ever so slightly. He keeps seven steps between them as he works, because Wong is quite crafty when he wants to be. “It’s the only way to make sure things stay right.”

“Things stay– do you hear yourself?" Wong appears very distressed. "This isn’t right – nothing about this is right!”

“Oh, so when Maximoff does it, she’s a going through something and we should mind our own business because we're not Avengers; but when I do it, suddenly it’s wrong,” Stephen says, rolling his eyes. “So typical."

“Maximoff?” Wong looks at him as if he has grown a second head. “Maximoff is dead. Maximoff died years ago, what are–” A dawning look of realisation. “Oh. Oh, Stephen, don’t tell me–”

“That I’ve done this before? That I have done this multiple times before?” Stephen shrugs, bringing the bowl closer to Wong - four steps, he has to be careful. “I won’t tell you, then. In my defense, I thought you already knew.”

“What have you done?”

He sounds so hurt and scandalised. As if Stephen has committed some grave sin instead of simply having tried to make things in his life go right, for once.

“I did what I had to do,” Stephen says. “To defeat Thanos the right way.”

“What is right about forcing Stark into your caricature of a happy life? It’s–”

“It’s safe!” Stephen snaps, pausing to glower at Wong. “This is how I can keep him safe – don’t you understand? He’s away from harm, away from hurt, everything is fine. Everything is perfect. I'm not hurting him, I am not making him do anything immoral or that he wouldn't do himself. All I'm doing is making sure he's safe.”

“Are you hearing yourself?” Wong asks, shaking his head. “Do you think that’s what he’d want?”

“It doesn’t matter what he wants,” Stephen almost hisses. “Not when what he wants always - always - ends up with him dead. He doesn't understand, doesn't realise-" He takes a deep breath. "I am giving him what he really wants. I am simply making sure that for once, he puts himself first. What matters, Wong, is that he’s alive. That he's okay. This is how I make sure he’s okay.”

“It doesn’t matter what he wants?”

Stephen freezes.

That wasn't Wong's voice.

In a way, he should have known.

Wong is too smart to figure out something and immediately confront him with the information if, for even a second, he believes that Stephen is dangerous or has done something particularly inexcusable.

Wong, unlike many others, has never underestimated Stephen Strange.

“Keep your hands where I can see them,” Rhodes says, voice firm like steel.

The man has never liked him. He has probably been waiting for the moment he’d be able to prove to himself and everyone else that Stephen was the villain he had always thought of him as from the second they had met in Wakanda.

And sure, Stephen could technically beat him in a fight. With Wong immobilised and Stephen still at full power, it would be easy, even.

But there is no way Stephen can hide Wong and take Rhodey out or even alter his behaviour without Tony noticing.

The last time he had done anything like that had been more than enough.

There is only one thing he can do.

“Strange, what are you–”

Stephen doesn't bother explaining.

His hands go to the Time Sone.

The loop starts again.

[loop number 14,000,605]

The worst part of it is that he always gets so close to a happy ending.

He always almost makes it, always almost wins – and then something happens, or he says the wrong thing at the wrong time, and everything breaks all over again.

“How did you know?” Tony repeats, staring at Stephen with a frown. “How did you know that was the name of the movie?”

Stephen personally blames the Avengers for this. Sure, he already knows that Tony has always been someone with too many trust issues for his own good, but the Avengers have only exacerbated that.

“I never told you. You didn’t look it up. You just– you just knew.”

It's like no matter what Stephen does, no matter how many good things he manages to do for Tony – everything he has done has been for Tony! Every action he has taken had been to ensure Tony was safe, that Tony was well! – the man always nurses some doubt.

Even though Peter is alive, Harley is alive, Happy is alive, Rhodes is alive, Pepper is alive–

Even though Stephen has taught him a way to defeat Thanos, even though Stephen is the reason Thanos' army hadn’t managed to destroy Earth, even though Stephen has figured out a way to win without risking Tony–

“You lived this before, didn’t you? This was not– Your loops. They are not what you made us believe. This wasn’t the only way to defeat Thanos.”

All he wants is for the people he cares about to be safe. He wants Peter to not have to fear Mysterio, to not lose his aunt. He wants Tony to be happy, with or without Pepper Potts.

And he wants... well, he wants to be happy too. He wants to have a real life, a life in which he keeps the people in his life alive and well, and doesn’t lose them to pain, tragedy and strife.

“You chose to come back here. You chose to live this life again. You have a Time Stone– why are you stuck in a timeloop? What started the timeloop?”

It wasn’t fair.

Rogers got his happy ending. Maximoff got her happy ending. Barton got his happy ending. Because of Stephen, even Romanoff got her happy ending.

Every single hero got their happy ending apart from Stephen, Tony and Peter.

Was it that wrong for him to try and keep them all happy? Was it?

“You did, didn’t you? You created the timeloop. You– no, this isn’t a timeloop. You keep... you keep resetting the timeline.”

“Why?” Stephen finally asks, looking at Tony with all of the desperation he has been keeping from him for the past few centuries – the past few millennia. “Why can’t I be happy too? Why can’t you let me keep you safe?”

“What?” Tony asks, looking at him as if he thought him crazy. When Stephen takes a step forward, Tony raises a suddenly gauntleted hand. 

Stephen ignores it. “I just want you to be happy. I just want us both to be happy. I can keep you safe, I can make you happy. Please– why do you have to do this every time? Why won’t you let me give us a happy ending?”

“Okay, FRI, call the hospital – Dr Who is losing it.”

“I can be good,” Stephen pleads, automatically dropping down to his knees. “I can make our life so good, I can be so good for you, Tony.”

Tony's eyes are wide with shock, even as his arm stays steady. “What the fuck.”

“I just– it’s not fair!” In a second he's back to his feet, and Tony swears as he tries to put more distance between himself and a rapidly approaching Stephen. “Why won’t you let me keep you safe! Why do you have to be so... so smart?! Why do you sabotage everything I do– why won’t you just trust me? I am doing this for you, Tony! All of this, all I’m doing– I am doing this for you!”

“FRIDAY, any minute now!”

“On it, Boss!”

“What will it take?” Stephen demands, only stopping his approach when Tony’s gauntlet started burning brighter. “What will it take for you to finally trust me?”

“The truth, maybe? Just a thought.”

“I tried the truth,” Stephen says, shaking his head. “It made you trust me less, every single time. And then, you died.”

“Oh,” Tony says. He doesn't look appropriately upset or hurt by this- he never cares enough about his own life, and that just pisses Stephen off even more. “Sucks, I guess?”

“Stark–!”

“What do you want me to say?” Tony protests, still looking at Stephen like he was the insane one. “My issues are far older than Thanos. There is no way that you– Oh, what is that? What is that look? I don’t like that look, FRIDAY–!”

“Mr Wong is on his way!”

Tony’s issues are far older than Thanos.

Which only means one thing: the futures are not the key to keep Tony alive.

“Oh hell no, Strange...!”

The past is.

Tony reaches out to grab him, to stop him, but he's never been fast enough to catch him.

With a flick of his wrist and a mandala, Stephen is gone.

Chapter Text

[???]

[ loop number  #14,000,606 or - 000,000,001]

One thing Stephen has learnt from Thanos is the value of keeping one’s mouth shut.

Thanos – and most villains – have this bad habit of capturing their nemesis and then force said nemesis to listen to a whole soliloquy on their greatest hits and future plans and actions.

It’s like they could never help themselves. Like they were scared that if they did not tell their number one enemy every single secret plan they had ever created, they would die.

Stephen had never understood it.

How many times did they have to see that very same nemesis escape by the skin of their teeth now armed with the knowledge they had freely given them, before they started to realise that maybe monologuing their plans at them wasn’t the smartest decision?

Stephen’s not sure, and honestly? It’s not like he really cares for the psychology behind it.

He's just never going to do that himself. 

From within the old mirror, Stephen watches a much younger - and much weaker - Stephen Strange lock the door behind him before he collapses on his bed, breathing hard, body shaking and beads of sweat visible on his forehead. His Cloak is wrapped tight around his frame, trying to soothe him in the only way it knew how.

There’s a part of Stephen, a distant part of him lost in a memory 13 million lives ago, that is screaming at him as he watches this past version of himself. A part of him that is saying that he can still go back, that he doesn’t have to do what he’s planning to do, that this is not right.

Stephen doesn’t pay that part of him any attention.

He has tried. He has tried so hard to be good, to make everything right, to love Tony and Peter the way they were supposed to be loved. To be there for them, to stand between them and the end and the world, and to keep them safe.

But the world wouldn’t let him them. Tony’s heart was too jagged, Peter’s loyalties too conflicted, and the rest of the world schemed and fought against them against Stephen.

And even when Thanos died, there was his army. 

And even when the army was defeated, there was Rogers.

And even when Rogers left, there were the Avengers.

And even when the Avengers stepped down, there was Pepper.

And even when Pepper wasn’t around, there was Rhodes (and Happy, and May, and Harley Keener, and–).

There was always someone, always someone else, always someone closer.

All Stephen has ever wanted is a chance to be among those people. All he truly wants is to be one of the people Tony calls ‘his’, one of the people he lets stand behind him, trusts to keep his heart safe from the world outside.

Stephen would fight anyone and anything to protect Tony, and yet Tony won’t let him. And yet Tony doesn’t realise – refuses to realise.

Because Stephen got there too late.

Because Stephen got there after his heart had been welded shut again, and no matter what he did, what he does, no matter how much he makes and unmakes for him, he simply has no real chance.

And so, Stephen has come back to the moment Tony Stark’s heart was broken for the last time – before it was repaired, before it was closed to anyone new who wasn't his future biological daughter (and no, of course Stephen isn't jealous that she managed to get to Tony before she was even born by virtue of being his and Potts' biological daughter while he went years without even getting some real trust. Of course not. Stephen would never be jealous of a child).

The other Strange doesn’t even see him coming.

He’s too busy trying to distinguish what’s real from what’s not real, reeling from the torture that Dormammu forced him through. His Cloak raises to his protection as soon as Stephen steps out of the mirror, but Stephen’s Cloak is stronger too (his poor Cloak; as jaded as he is, as tired as he is, as hungry as he is).

Wong was a great Sorcerer Supreme, who had risen to the position through hard work and talent both. He had the knowledge, the years, the theory and the training, and Stephen had always known to never underestimate him.

Had this very same thing happened around the time of Thanos’ arrival, Stephen is certain that Wong would have noticed the temporal imbalance left by his spell and attempted to stop him.

Had this happened at any point in those futures after Thanos' defeat, Wong would have locked him in the mirror before Stephen could even try to attack his younger self.

But the Wong of right now is not the Sorcerer Supreme. The Wong of right now is a sorcerer who barely knows Stephen Strange, and who's too busy trying to find any other survivor of Kaecillius’ rampage to notice the aftereffects of a spell he might not have ever even heard of.

It was a simple spell, all things considered - the most dangerous spells often are. Hadn't even needed the Time Stone (which Stephen had taken care to hide somewhere Wong or the people of Kamar Taj would never be able to reach).

A simple search of the most compatible universe through the Cauldron of Cosmos.

Then, a trip across the Multiverse courtesy of a spell Stephen had learnt in the 927,113rd loop while trying to use Dormammu to defeat Thanos (Dormammu had ended up killing Tony out of spite, and Stephen hadn't used the demon ever again).

Wong might notice that something is odd about Stephen Strange, when he returns.

He might realise that the Cloak isn’t acting exactly the same way it used to.

He might wonder if everything is as right as it appears to be.

But what does not-Sorcerer Supreme Wong know of what happens to someone who uses the Time Stone to trap Dormammu in million of timeloops?

Nothing.

As Stephen watches his new-old face in a mirror now containing a younger version of himself and of his Cloak, both of them trying to communicate with a Stephen who has no interest in listening, he can’t help but wonder if this is what Mordo meant when he said that ‘the bill always comes due’.

It certainly fits – if two timelines and 14 millions time loops late.

“Come, old friend,” Stephen finally says, beckoning his Cloak over. “It’s time we go find him. But first–” Without even looking, Stephen sends the mirror – and the young Strange and his Cloak – crashing against the floor, breaking the glass in hundreds of tiny little pieces. Then, with a flicker of his fingers, he makes every piece disappear.

Heroes, Thanos had once said, had the nasty habit of coming back to life if you didn’t kill them hard enough. Like cockroaches.

Stephen, as possibly one of said resourceful roaches, can’t deny he had a point. Probably the only point Thanos has ever actually made.

Instead of spending any more time focusing on this, Stephen opens a mandala, and steps through.

+++

In some futures, Tony trusted him more than in others. Surprisingly enough, that happened the most in the futures in which Stephen, Tony and Peter found themselves running for their lives in space instead of the futures in which they returned home.

Stephen has a couple of theories on this.

In those futures, where they ended up awake staring at the stars and the darkness of space while their loved ones lived or died lightyears away, Tony always ended up telling him about his darkest memories. He would tell him of his biggest regrets, and all about his most devastating losses.

He told him about JARVIS. About Obadiah Stane. About Howard.

About Potts, and about Rhodes.

About the Avengers.

About ULTRON.

About Maximoff, and about Thor.

About Loki.

About Steve Rogers and James Barnes.

About Siberia.

In seven futures, Tony had begged Stephen to remove every memory of his life from his mind.

It’s those memories Stephen pulls on to create the portal to that bunker in Siberia.

As soon as he does, Stephen almost wishes he hadn’t.

Tony is laying with his head against one of the walls, in a position that cannot be at all comfortable. He has managed to drag half of himself out of the suit, and is now breathing – trying to breathe – shakily through his nose.

The shield is at Stephen’s feet, and the metal arm is not too far.

A picture could not have said more words.

The Cloak ruffles behind him, having become quite fond of Tony over the past million lifetimes, and that's what catches Tony’s eyes.

“What–” Stephen observes the way his eyes widen at the sight of Stephen, his Cloak, and the open portal behind him, panic and adrenaline kicking in immediately. “What the fuck is this? What are you– HYDRA? Since when does HYDRA have monks? In Siberia?”

Stephen knows that he could track down Steve Rogers, if he wanted. He could track him and James Barnes and even Prince T’Challa before they make it to Wakanda. He could track them, and then he could let them know why hurting Tony Stark is a bad idea.

Just to ensure they never did something like this again.

It would be so easy.

But Tony wouldn’t like it and what Stephen wants – what Stephen needs is for Tony to like him be happy.

For Tony to trust him.

So, he doesn’t do that.

Instead, he takes a step forward, raising both of his hands in a gesture he hopes conveys peace and innocence.

“You’re Tony Stark, aren’t you? Iron Man.” In three loops, Stephen had to wipe Tony lost his memory, and Stephen had to speak those very same words. He had vowed that nothing like it would happen again, and to be fair, it hadn't since. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

Tony’s eyebrows manage to climb further up on his face, even as he winces in clear pain.

(Fifteen breaths before Stephen's blood stop burning so much)

“You appear out of nowhere in a supposedly abandoned Siberian HYDRA Bunker with supersoldiers and superserum everywhere, and I’m supposed to believe you come in peace?”

It’s weird, having to start again. Having no basis to go on from.

Sure, Stephen has all of his loops, but Tony Stark was unpredictable when Stephen had been at his side for millions of lifetimes; this is a completely different and brand new Tony. A Tony Stephen doesn't know, a Tony who doesn't even know Stephen's name.

But a Tony nonetheless.

And Tony - every Tony - likes and values the truth.

“My name is Doctor Stephen Strange,” he says. “I’m a doctor – a medical doctor. I am also a sorcerer.”

“Sorcerer?” Tony repeats. He winces when he breathes next, and Stephen only shifts his foot to the right once. Tony doesn’t appear to notice. “Like magic? Alakazam and expelliarmus?”

“Less Harry Potter and more skilled than Elphaba,” Stephen says, and then it’s his turn to wince when Tony’s chest makes a distinctly rattling sound as his next breath. “Also, more Doctor House than Doctor Who. You need help.”

“Oh, really? Hadn't noticed.”

“I can–”

“Uh, no. I learnt that lesson about stranger danger at eleven years old.” Stephen frowns, and Tony makes a face. “Okay, a bit later than most, fair. But I still learnt it.”

Stephen could drag him to a hospital. He could make a portal appear under him and take Tony back to the Sanctum or to Christine.

Or he could drop him off directly in the Compound, if that's where Tony preferred to go.

Tony would know he was an ally then.

But Stephen is not sure Tony would ever trust him again, after that.

“Okay,” Stephen says. He ignores the suspicious and slightly surprised expression on Tony's face, and pulls out a phone from his pocket. A StarkPhone, ironically enough. “How about this? I give you this, and you call whoever it is that you trust who can come and get you? And I'll stay here, twenty-one steps away, and won’t come anywhere near you unless you start going into cardiac arrest.”

Tony still looks extremely sceptical of Stephen and his motives, but he has perked up ever so slightly at the sight of the phone. “And why would you do that?”

There are so many answers to this.

Not all of them are real.

“I’m a doctor,” is what Stephen says. It’s not a lie. “And I made an oath.”

Tony does not say anything to that. He stays right where he is, and though he stiffens when the phone starts floating towards him, he does not flinch away.

He lets it fly and drop just a half step from his hand. Then, keeping his eyes on Stephen the whole time, he picks up the phone.

Tony has a way to hack every single thing/device his company makes. A little trick he has perfectioned up after ‘the whole Afghanistan thing’.

Stephen is not supposed to know about this, though, so he remembers to frown when he sees Tony clicking something on his screen that doesn't look like him starting a phone call.

“What are you doing?”

Tony glances at him, his face an almost perfect picture of innocence.

“Calling for air support,” he says, continuing to type for way too long. “You don’t have to stay, you know. I’m not going into cardiac arrest any time soon – I am Iron Man.”

“And your lungs sound like they’re playing xylophone with your ribcage,” Stephen says. Tony snorts, and Stephen pretends the way he coughs and wheezes with pain straight after does not make him want to chase those fugitives down himself and make them experience ten times of the pain Tony is going through. “I’ll stay.” He makes a show of glancing at the shield on the floor. “Is Captain America coming back any time soon?” He points at it, and acts like he doesn’t see the way Tony’s jaw clenches. “He sort of needs that to fight, doesn't he?”

“Yeah, well,” Tony says. He fails at taking a deep breath and takes two short ones instead. Stephen shifts half a step closer. “Turns out Rogers prefers the old to the vintage.”

Stephen watches his face contort in pain for a moment longer.

“You know, with the whole Avengers clash on the news, that shield over there, that arm over there, and your armour being caved in at the chest while you struggle to breathe, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out something... something big happened.”

Tony glares at him. “I thought you said you were a sorcerer turned medical doctor.”

“A doctor turned sorcerer,” Stephen corrects. “And a genius with eidetic memory.”

“Of course you are,” Tony says, finally putting Stephen’s phone down and pushing it in his direction. “Just my luck.”

It skitters to a stop a few steps away, and Tony flinches when the Cloak disentangles from Stephen’s shoulders to pick it up with one of its lapels. With the other one, Cloak waves at Tony, who hesitates a second before waving back.

“A genius with a... magic Cloak?” Tony asks. He sounds confused but his eyes – Stephen sees it in his eyes. The realisation, the re-evaluations, the concern.

“Sentient,” Stephen says, and he smiles as affably and non confrontationally as possible. “They go by Cloak of Levitations.”

“That’s a mouthful.”

10,529,118 times.

Tony nods in the Cloak’s direction. “Pleasure to meet you, I suppose.” Then, his eyes fix on Stephen. He’s still not at ease, but Stephen cannot help notice the way his shoulders have dropped a fraction.

Tony doesn’t trust people he perceives as ‘too powerful’.

Tony trusts people who hide being too powerful even less.

People who show off their power? He tends to hate them on principal.

People who simply let it be a part of them? That’s something he can respect.

Not trust – not yet. But respect.

“So, what’s a medical doctor turned sorcerer who has a sentient cape–”

“Cloak,” Stephen interrupts. He’s not angry, and the Cloak’s not offended – they’re both used to it.

But Tony likes the firm shut down, the being forced to use the correct terminology.

He does the same with his bots.

Forming a link - 78.21% chance of success.

“Cloak,” Tony corrects with half a nod. He gulps in a breath that sounds like it hurts, but then continues. “What’s a medical doctor turned sorcerer who has a sentient Cloak doing in a frigid ass Siberian HYDRA bunker?”

“Running away,” Stephen admits readily enough.

It's not a lie.

“From?”

“My past,” Stephen says. “My future.” He shrugs. “In my defense, I did not know this place belongs to HYDRA.”

“Belonged,” Tony corrects. “Not sure of the current ownership.” He gives Stephen a sceptical look. “So I’m supposed to believe it’s just a coincidence that you’re here?”

Stephen shrugs again. “One thing magic has taught me? There is no such thing as coincidence.”

An even more disbelieving look. “Fate brought you here? I’ll take ‘what’s bullshit’ for 400.”

“Call it what you want,” Stephen says. “Either way, something or someone must have loved or cared about you very much to guide me here to help you survive until you’re rescued.”

“Not to rescue me?” Tony asks.

Stephen smirks. “Sorry, Stark. Don’t think you’re really the damsel in distress type.”

And Tony. Tony laughs.

It's short, and it's clearly painful, and it's barely a laugh at all.

But usually Tony doesn't laugh at things Stephen says.

He laughs at Rhodes. He laughs at Peter's jokes. He laughs at Potts and Morgan and Happy.

When he's feeling mean, he laughs at the people he thinks beneath him.

He's laughed at something Stephen said 497 times.

This makes 498.

Tony doesn’t ask Stephen to leave, when the Vision and a couple of Stark Industries medical personels land in Siberia a while later. He smirks when Stephen acts 'shocked' at their quick arrival, but doesn't say anything when Stephen closes the portal and climbs the jet with them, keeping only a five steps distance between them.

Stephen is not necessarily sure of what it means, but he’s pleased over not having to be separated from Tony just yet.

It's shocking what sort of difference a simple two years can make. 

It’s not like Tony looks particularly younger or calmer or innocent or anything of the sort.

And yet, there is something drastically different in the way the two Tony’s carry themselves that is, at the same time, still completely Tony.

Stephen isn’t sure he can verbalise it.

Nor is he use he can verbalise his feelings when it comes to the younger versions of Vision and James Rhodes.

Stephen has never had a particularly strong relationship with Vision.

In most of the futures he recalls, Vision was either already dead or too busy being in love with Wanda Maximoff to be of any real help. He was good at what he did, and he clearly wielded great power. But he made Tony upset, and Stephen had come to the realisation that he did not like things or people that made Tony Stark upset.

This is a different Vision from that one. This is a Vision who’s watching over Tony with a metaphorical rain cloud flying over his head and puppy ears perpetually facing down, clearly filled with guilt and upset over something. He’s clearly curious about Stephen, and the why he’s in Siberia or even around Tony at all, but he doesn’t ask.

He just keeps hovering.

Stephen’s again not sure if he’s annoyed, disappointed or pleased.

Either way, he keeps eighteen steps between himself and Vision at all times.

And then, James Rhodes.

When Tony had allowed Stephen to accompany him ‘back’, Stephen had been expecting them to be flying back to New York. He could tell that part of the reason Tony was still keeping him close was because he was suspicious of him and everything he represented, so going to the Compound was probably the best and safest choice.

When they land in Germany – way earlier than Stephen had anticipated – Stephen is mostly confused. Tony had – horrifyingly enough – seemed to not be too worried over his injuries even though he was still breathing like he was a human rainstick; he had barely let his people or even Vision look him over. If the injuries were worse than expected, why not land in a hospital in Moscow? And if they weren’t, why not wait until they made it to New York, where Tony could have all of the privacy he so clearly wanted?

His confusion lasts until they make it to the hospital and to the room prepared in advance, where Stephen realises James Rhodes is also being kept.

While Stephen hasn’t forgotten what the so called Avenger’s Civil War had cost Rhodes, Tony’s braces and the ease with which Rhodes operated them had made him forget how serious and devastating the injury must have been at the beginning.

Rhodes had never shown any sign of being in discomfort or depressed, but Stephen, better than most, could tell. Certain things, you could never hide from a doctor or a fellow disabled person - and Stephen was both.

Still, he didn't expect Tony to let him tag along with him as he was wheeled in the room Rhodes was in.

He didn't expect Rhodes to be awake and completely unfazed when he saw Tony, Stephen and Vision walking in with a team of doctors, Tony clearly bedbound.

Disappointed, yes. Fazed? Not at all.

And then Rhodes glances at Stephen as the doctors surrounded an already irritated Tony Stark.

Whenever Stephen and Rhodes met, it always went the same way. It didn't matter what Tony said or how he said it. Stephen introducing himself directly also never changed anything.

Rhodes always glanced at Stephen with narrowed eyes and looked at him up and down a couple of times with clear judgement in his eyes. Then, he wiped the suspicious look from his face and shook Stephen's hand, a little harder than necessary when he didn't know about Stephen's accident.

The suspicion then remained for the rest of their relationship.

This isn't what happens.

Rhodes looks at him with no trace of the malice or dislike Stephen has become so accustomed to seeing in his eyes. He smiles at Stephen - smiles! - and then he thanks him, eyes filled with tiredness but, most of all, sincerity. 

Stephen might have remained standing and staring at him in shock, had the German doctors not kicked him and Vision out right at that moment.

Stephen doesn’t loiter, after he's asked to leave the room. He could do it through magic in a way that Tony and Rhodes wouldn’t notice, but the downside of not interacting with Vision all that much is that Stephen doesn't really understand the being's powers. And Stephen does not trust Vision as far as he can throw him – and with his Infinity Stone and Vibranium skin, that isn’t very far.

He doesn’t like not seeing Tony, especially when Tony is in a situation where he cannot defend himself. Rhodes is also out of the count, and Vision is compromised.

If someone were to attack Tony, right now... it would not end well.

Tony is vulnerable, and Stephen doesn't like it. He doesn't like Tony being where he can't see, where he can't keep an eye on him.

But he needs Tony to like him. He needs Tony to trust him.

Tony survived this before, and so Stephen needs to believe he will survive again.

Stephen as to trust Tony.

... He ends up casting a small spell that will let him know the moment something goes awry - just in case - but then, in the end, he opens a portal back to his room.

Even though it’s been hours, the door is still locked - Wong hasn't even come to check on Stephen.

Stephen should probably wonder at this lack of friendship care, but really, all of his thoughts that aren't focused on Tony and his wellbeing, go back to James Rhodes and his behaviour.

Every time Tony Stark introduced Stephen Strange to him, Rhodes had had to fight back his urge to outright glare at him. There has always been a certain distaste clear in the way Rhodes interacted with him, a dislike and suspicion that continued for whatever length of time the two know one another for.

After fourteen millions loops, Stephen had just assumed that there was something innate about him that James Rhodes didn’t like. Or that maybe, like with himself and Tony, the two of them had crossed paths at some point in the past, and Stephen had made a terrible first impression.

Now, after Rhodes’ quiet appreciation without a hint of his normal dislike, Stephen some new theories.

One, Rhodes’ pain meds have made him very loopy and therefore less suspicious than he’d be naturally.

Two, just like Tony, something had broken in James Rhodes after the Civil War. And like Tony’s heart had put all of the people he cared about inside of it before hardening forever against everyone else, so had James Rhodes'.

Or three, someone telling him they had saved Tony Stark against Thanos in the middle of a battle to save humanity hit different than someone telling him they had saved Tony following a fight his so called teammates had left him behind in.

Tony Stark cared about the world’s safety, but James Rhodes? After the military discharge, his first priority had become Tony Stark himself.

And this was the first time, in Rhodes’ eyes, that Stephen Strange saved Tony Stark for Tony Stark.

At least in Rhodes' eyes.

Stephen's not sure this is a fair assessment of his behaviour, to be honest.

With Thanos coming directly their way, even if Stephen was saving Tony because he cared about Tony and wanted to keep him safe (which had been the case, after a couple of hundred futures), it would always look like he was saving Tony because he needed him to help in any future fights they might get into.

It wasn’t fair, but... it did explain why Rhodes had disliked him automatically for so long.

Or it could be something different altogether.

Stephen has never really tried to understand James Rhodes, and he's not about to start now.

So he stays where he is in his room, a mirror open to the image of Tony, surrounded by doctors, with his chest open, and focuses on that instead, until Wong comes calling.

Tony calls him eight days later.

Stephen’s ‘shock’ at Tony having managed to create himself a contact and a ringtone when last Stephen checked it wasn’t anywhere in his contacts seems to amuse him (it’s a running gag for Stephen, at this point, but Tony seems to find it genuinely amusing every time he pulls this move).

“You know, you don’t sound that shocked. What gives?”

“I would have been more surprised that the creator of the Iron Man suits hadn’t managed to hack my phone after using it to contact his android friend - a phone that happens to be a Stark Phone, mind you,” Stephen says.

It’s not a lie, and Tony laughs once more.

Tony laughed in the future, but usually it wasn’t this easy to get him to do it. Usually it took many more weeks or months for Stephen to get anything close to a laugh, and usually Tony stopped as soon as he realised what he had done.

This is mere days after the Civil War. 

It doesn't make logical sense, and part of Stephen is confused.

But part of Stephen remembers the trauma victims in the hospital, and their automatic attachment to the people who saved them from dying/harm.

Tony is not a victim – not in that sense – and he has probably gone through much more traumatic episodes than being left for dead in Siberia by a man who he thought his friend: but for some reason, he has formed some sort of attachment to Stephen.

It warms something inside of him that tiktoks like a clock and measures every step he takes and counts how many times he blinks, and it makes his rage at the Avengers and the destruction they wrought into Tony’s life grow.

Things that having seen the future helped with: you knew people better than they know you.

Things that having seen the future did not help with: virtually everything else.

Two weeks - nineteen days - after returning to the past, and Stephen is almost vibrating out of his skin.

When you travel to the past, you’re not meant to change things. You’re meant to keep everything as the same as possible in order to ‘preserve’ the timeline. If you change things too much, either the universe corrects itself or you complete lose your foresight and any advantage you might have had.

This doesn’t apply to Stephen, not with the spell he cast.

The future he has come from is no longer attached to this timeline because of Stephen’s actions (the Tonys Stephen fell in love with doesn’t exist anymore).

What does exist is a number of threats that appeared before Thanos that had not technically caused too much harm to Tony or Peter – but had caused some.

And Stephen is now in the unique position of being able to stop at least some of them.

So, when Tony starts to casually talk about the Sokovia Accords, Stephen immediately takes the bait.

He doesn’t particularly care for a lot of the wording used in the documents, and he knows that Wong will have some serious words for him if he decides to sign anything without talking to the other sorcerers about it.

But he knows Tony even when he doesn’t, and he knows Tony would trust him more if he at least considered them and proved that he really was on his side.

Sure, Romanoff signed and then breached the Accords. But Stephen wasn’t Romanoff. Stephen had saved Tony, not attacked him.

And Tony’s reaction – that little hitched breath that he does when he’s relieved, that Stephen used to starve so much for – is 100% worth it.

+++

Stephen does not have any problem with Pepper Potts.

He thinks she’s quite brilliant – a smart and capable woman. She is right where she belongs within the company, and she achieved that success through nothing but hard work.

It’s impressive.

Stephen just doesn’t like it when she’s attached to Tony.

He knows she loves him. He knows Tony loves her. When they make it work between the two of them, the love is palpable, and they always get a precious daughter out of that union.

It’s... adorable.

But whenever Pepper is involved, Stephen cannot protect Tony properly. Tony is always busy with Pepper or with his daughter, and it’s understandable – but it’s not right.

He always ends up in danger, because Pepper does not know how to save herself, does not know how to keep herself out of danger. He always disregards his safety for hers, always takes extra risks in order to save her.

It’s not right.

And it always always ends up with Tony’s death.

So this – Stephen sitting next to Tony with a packed lunch, the Sokovia papers in front of them, only three and half hand lengths between their thighs and the Cloak wrapped over Tony’s shoulders because he felt cold – it’s really to help Tony.

It’s to protect Tony.

Tony always ends up dying when he gets together with Pepper.

Stephen, on the other hand, knows how to protect himself. And Stephen also loves Tony. He loves him deeply – so much. He loves him more than the universe itself. Loves him more than Pepper Potts ever could.

Stephen would never let harm befall on Tony.

It’s why Stephen is here. To help Tony– to protect Tony.

“And– why are you looking at me like that?” Tony suddenly asks, glancing up at Stephen with a frown.

They’ve known each other for only weeks, so Stephen cannot lean in and kiss Tony. He cannot do too much – because Tony will spook, and start distrusting him.

He doesn’t necessarily trust him, right now. But he doesn’t distrust him, either.

He might like him – like his personality, his way of speaking. Stephen has changed it especially for him.

But that's not indefinite.

It could still change.

It's a balance Stephen needs to be careful with.

“Nothing,” Stephen says, and blinks a couple more times than he needs to be. “Just realised you have a bit of partial heterochromia.”

“I do?” Tony asks. He sounds puzzled, and his eyes go a little cross eyed as if he's trying to look himself in the eyes. His knee is bouncing just ever so slightly.

“Mhm,” Stephen says, and forcefully shakes his head, focusing back on the paper. “What were you saying?”

A beat. The heat of Tony’s body remains at the same distance, but gets just a little bit warmer.

Unintentional, obviously. But Stephen knows better.

Pepper is not here, right now. Pepper did not have reason to run back to Tony’s side because he had gotten hurt – Tony had been supported by Rhodes and Vision, and a little by Stephen too.

Stephen is. And Tony likes Stephen right now.

Tony shakes his head, but when he shifts on his chair, there is only three hand lengths distance between them.

“Anyway, this whole bit–”

The Scarlet Witch is powerful. With powers derived directly by the Mind Stone, powers that are dipped in chaos magic, there is very little that can stop her.

Stephen could probably never defeat the Scarlet Witch.

But Wanda Maximoff is not the Scarlet Witch.

Not yet.

Wanda Maximoff barely flinches in her sleep when Stephen appears beside her bed in her room in Wakanda, dead to the world.

It would be so easy to end her life right here and right now. So easy to reach into her chest and stop her heart.

Stephen had done it once before, to Thanos.

Nobody would even know. Nobody would begin to guess he has ever been there.

But Tony now knew about sorcerers. Tony now knew about magic, and when he found out that Wanda Maximoff was dead - and if Wanda died, Steve Rogers would tell Tony immediately - Tony was bound to ask Stephen if he knew who had done it.

And Stephen was not supposed to lie to Tony. Tony didn’t like being lied to.

If Tony asked Stephen if he knew who had killed Wanda Maximoff and he asked why, Stephen would have to say he had done it for him.

Tony wouldn’t like that.

But if Tony asked Stephen if he knew why Wanda wasn’t able to use her powers anymore, Stephen could tell him he had done it for him, and Tony would like that better. 

It would take far longer for Tony to find out that Wanda didn’t have her powers anymore than it would to find out she was dead. Wanda wouldn’t advertise it, nor would Rogers and the rest of his team.

Without the connection between Wanda’s magic and Vision’s Mind Stone, Stephen was sure their fledging relationship that had damned an entire town wouldn’t happen. Vision would no longer try to be around Wanda and would instead stay more by Rhodes and Tony.

Stephen might not care about Vision but Tony did, Tony would enjoy that.

The only person who might figure it out, who might care enough to look into it was Wong – and maybe Agatha Harkness. But Agatha Harkness only came around because of Wanda’s chaos magic, and Wong...

Well. Wong might be very confused by a lot of Stephen’s actions, and he might be looking at him with a uncertain expression whenever he thought Stephen wasn't paying attention, and he might be observing the Cloak very closely, but this Wong wasn’t the Sorcerer Supreme yet.

And if Stephen had managed to keep a lot hidden from him when he had been the Sorcerer Supreme, there was even more he could keep from him now.

Stephen glances down at Wanda, and once more he regrets not being able to just rip her heart out of her chest.

He reaches for her magic, instead.

Wanda frowns and shifts uncomfortably on the bed as piece after piece of thick viscous red is taken from her, as more and more unnatural chaos is detached from her soul and her heart.

At one point, she even makes a short noise of pain.

But she doesn’t wake up.

Instead, she sags on the bed with a relieved sigh when Stephen is finally done.

It’s certainly a contrast from Stephen, who’s entire body is shaking while sweat trickles from his forehead.

She somehow looks younger. Not young enough to merit Rogers’ nickname of ‘kid’, mind you. Just young enough that Stephen is not completely disappointed he hadn’t just killed her.

Either way, she will no longer be a threat to Tony.

She will never be a threat to Tony again.

That's almost good enough.

After Maximoff, Stephen decides to go after a man in New York who had given a lot of trouble to Peter upon his return from Berlin. Not the Vulture – Stephen knows from Peter and Tony both that some important lessons had come out of that fight. Just a low level man who he knows ended up breaking Peter’s arm.

He’s laughably easy to get rid of.

Then there is the terrorist who had tried to blow up Stark Tower.

After that, a man who had plans to kidnap Pepper. He had given her a scar, and that had led to Tony and Pepper rekindling their romance fully the first time around.

This time, Stephen and Tony go out for lunch on that day instead, and Pepper stays in California.

Wong knows. It’s not like Stephen can hide his magic vigilantism from the man, and he doesn’t really try.

What is surprising is that the man doesn’t argue much against it. After seeing Tony and Stephen’s work on the Accords, he had refused to sign Kamar Taj anywhere on the document, but had been willing to allow Stephen and every sorcerer who wanted to sign to go ahead and do so for themselves.

He never confronts him about it. From the pointed remarks he has made since Stephen’s... arrival in this timeline, it seems Wong has decided Stephen lost a couple of screws during his fight with Dormammu but isn’t dangerous enough to be put down yet.

He couldn’t be more wrong, but of course Stephen doesn’t tell him that. He stays six steps away from Wong, and hopes for the best (six steps is a lucky number with Wong).

+++

Tony finding out is not something Stephen had been prepared for.

“Can I ask you a question?”

It’s been five months of them hanging out and getting to know each other and slowly becoming something stabler than allies. Something as solid as friends.

There is no more doubt and suspicion in Tony’s eyes, and the distance between them has gone from three hands to almost none at all.

Usually it takes Stephen a year of relationship to get anywhere close to this.

Now Stephen can sit in Tony’s workshop while Tony is working on something regarding his armour, and it appears completely normal.

“When have you ever needed to ask?” Stephen asks, not looking up from his book.

“Oh, god forbid I try to be polite,” Tony complains, even as Stephen hears him come closer to the ridiculously comfortable thing he calls couch. “I’m rude, and everyone scolds me for it. I try to be nice and everyone acts all suspicious like I’m hiding palladium poisoning again.”

“Again?”

Stephen knows about the Palladium poisoning.

But Tony doesn’t know that Stephen knows, so Stephen doesn’t show that he knows.

Tony waves him off, as he drops on the couch next to him. His shoulders are touching Stephen’s and so are his legs.

It makes Stephen’s skin burn as usual even though there are layers of clothing between them and, as usual, Tony doesn’t even seem to notice. He just–

“Why are you going around taking out Peter and I’s so called enemies?”

Stephen pauses. That’s... that’s not what he had expected Tony to say.

He doesn’t know what expression his face makes, but Tony quickly continues.

“I mean, thank you for that, I love not having to spend my evenings fighting criminals, but it is my job. And you’re also busy. So...” A confused expression on his face. “Why?”

There a lot of reasons why.

None of them are good enough reasons to give to Tony.

They have only just cemented friendship, and he doesn't want to give a reason for the suspicion to return. 

11,008 loops and 71,23% success rate.

So Stephen does something else instead.

He leans over – and he kisses Tony.

Stephen has kissed Tony more times than he can count (21,928,201).

Sometimes, they were in space. Sometimes, they were on Earth.

Sometimes, Tony was still with Pepper (and rejected him or pushed him away when he did - sometimes kindly, sometimes less so).

Sometimes, Tony and Pepper were separated. Sometimes, Pepper was dead.

Everytime, Stephen just wanted to kiss him again.

Everytime, kissing him felt like a shot of adrenaline injected directly in his heart or being hit by the heat of a new born star.

Everytime, Stephen spilled a little too much of himself, of his devotion, of his passion, of his love and adoration in the kiss.

Sometimes, this creeped Tony out.

Sometimes, it made him suspicious.

Sometimes, it confused him.

Rarely, he reciprocated.

Rarely, he accepted it (out of grief, out of solitude, out of genuine affection).

Never before did Tony reciprocate and then look at Stephen as if he had just been proven right about something, and felt extremely smug about it.

“I knew it,” he says, as soon as Stephen leans back. He’s grinning. “You’ve wanted me bad since the moment I mistook you for a waiter.”

It throws Stephen for a loop before his scrambled brain finally makes the connection.

“You remember that?”

“Of course. I remember every pretty face I come across, especially when it comes in such a pretty package,” he lies.

Stephen stares at him.

Tony snorts, and runs a hand through his hair too arrogantly to be read as sheepish. “I might or might not have googled you at the beginning and tried to find any other interaction between me and you. I’ve had quite enough of letting people who seem like friends into my life just to later find out that they lied to me about everything.”

A part of Stephen remembers all the little omissions, and cringes.

Stephen himself stays stoic. He is doing this for Tony. To protect Tony. To let Tony love and be loved.

He’s right.

“So?”

“So?” Tony rolls his eyes. “So shut up and kiss me again. And then–” he adds, when Stephen makes to move, “We will talk about how I’m a grown man and I can take care of myself and do not need a bodyguard vigilante or whatever you fancy yourself as.”

“But–”

“Ah,” Tony interrupts. “Later. Now, kissing.”

Stephen obliges.

There is no distance between them anymore.

Everything is so much easier after that.

When Thanos comes, Tony (and Stephen) are ready. Ebony Maw and his donut ship never get to kidnap Stephen from Earth.

Vision is protected long before the other Black Order children arrive, and his Mind Stone is removed without issue by Tony and Bruce Banner with Stephen and Wong’s help.

Steve Rogers is called by Banner, but Tony does not appear particularly concerned when his team arrives and Wanda Maximoff is nowhere to be seen.

When Thanos himself lands on Earth, Stephen is ready.

The Titan does not leave the planet alive.

Stephen and Tony’s relationship grows. Stephen’s relationship with Rhodes, Pepper and Happy also grows. Stephen’s relationship with Peter and Tony’s other pseudo children grows.

And sometimes Tony still looks at him like he can’t understand how Stephen and he ended up in each other’s lives, but he never brings it up anymore. With Rhodey in his corner and less and less villains to fight every month, Tony lets himself be happy.

He lets himself be safe.

FRIDAY is more than willing to help Stephen cover his tracks when he decides to go after someone before they can take down Tony.

She doesn’t even say anything when Steve Rogers randomly disappears from the Earth following an argument with Tony, or when Natasha Romanoff cuts communications with Tony.

If Tony links any of the people he doesn’t like randomly disappearing from his life and Stephen’s busy schedule, he never mentions it.

James Rhodes definitely has an idea of what he’s up to. But, as if by some silent agreement, he doesn’t mention it either.

Tony is safe and sound, and that’s something they both care about.

And maybe sometimes the sorcerers and Wong in particularly look at him like they don’t quite know what to do with him. Sometimes Wong might act like he finds Stephen a little off, or like he finds something about him weird and unusual.

But he never comes out and says what he suspects, and Stephen is willing to let him continue to be suspicious so long as he doesn’t try anything.

If he does, Stephen will have to deal with him.

He won’t like it – but in order to keep everything right, to keep Tony safe? He’ll do it.

For now, though, Stephen is content to lay next to Tony in bed, and let the sight of his cheeks bright and eyes without any eyebag soothe the sleeping beast within him.

Tony is safe.

Everything is finally right.