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Tony Stark never thought that his life could turn out so wrong.

Intelligence had shone brightly in Tony ever since he was able to think for himself, impressing those around him with just how smart he was. As Tony grew, his intelligence grew right alongside. However, his arrogance also grew as he did... soon becoming exactly like his father before him, which was something he had never wanted.

He focused on his inventions, drank heavily, and slept around. He lived up to his reputation as a Playboy billionaire. He knew that he wasn't happy, but it did make him feel better.

Changes started occurring for him when he was abducted by The Ten Rings, a terrorist organisation that wanted him to build weapons for their attacks... they took him while he was in Afghanistan with little protection, using an IED to blow up his vehicle. Upon waking, he learnt that he had been gravely injured. A car battery was attached to his chest, which powered a magnet placed inside of his body... this magnet kept the shrapnel away from his heart. The crude design was the work of Yinsen, who had also been kidnapped.

Eventually, after 3 months, he was able to escape captivity at the cost of Yinsen's life. He went on to stop creating weapons and instead designed the Iron Man suit, allowing him to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.

Things changed further for Tony when he was recruited for the Avengers Initiative Program. He joined a team that he could consider true friends and found love with his long-time friend Pepper. Everything had looked up for him as he now had close friends, someone to love who loved him in return and people who relied on him to protect them. However, he had no way of knowing just how badly things could go wrong and just how out of control he really was.

Everything had changed with one simple mistake... the creation of Ultron.

When Tony thought back on everything, he realised that he had been played from the very beginning regarding Ultron; he and Bruce had brought the Ultron Program online after the vision he had been shown when they retrieved Loki's Sceptre... it was the work of Wanda Maximoff, who had messed with his head without Tony knowing that she had done it. Once Ultron came online, the Avengers had split, and many believed that Tony was responsible for the devastation while others knew that there was more than just one person to blame.

Only Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, and the newly created Vision really trusted Tony. The others on the team had all made their feelings quite clear. Tony had wanted to be rid of them right then and there. They couldn't be a team if there wasn't trust between them. However, he still wanted them to be his friends, so he kept them around.

Things went further south with the emergence of the Winter Soldier. Upon discovering that Bucky Barnes was programmed by Hydra, the split between the Avengers had been complete. Steve was using Tony's money and resources to locate Bucky, all while holding very sensitive information in regard to Tony's family. During an information dump by Hydra both Natasha and Steve had discovered that it was Bucky Barnes who had killed Tony's parents, Howard and Maria; he was under Hydra control, but the proof had been on camera.

Natasha and Steve had kept this from Tony, who soon discovered the truth while in Siberia with both the Winter Soldier and Captain America present. Tony had been understandably upset and had attacked both of the Super Soldiers, wanting to detain them for questioning.

Tony had been fighting to subdue... they had been fighting to kill.

It was a miracle that he had survived. Tony had been left in the severe cold of Siberia with a busted suit, seriously damaged body, and no way of contacting anyone. Steve had actually slammed the edge of his shield (the one Howard Stark gave him) into Tony's chest. The injured man knew he wouldn't survive unless help came for him.

The next thing Tony knew was that he was waking up in the hospital practically fully healed. No one had any idea how he had survived, but no one was questioning it either.

After everything that had happened with Ultron, the Accords, and the Civil War, it wasn't a surprise that Tony had hoped everything would settle down again... unfortunately, that had not been in the stars, an even worse threat was coming for the planet.

Thanos, the Mad Titan, had come for the Earth, and the Rogues were pardoned without punishment. They expected Tony to continue funding them despite everything that had happened. Tony had put up with them due to the danger they were in, but he never once trusted them again... it was also clear to him that Pepper hadn't trusted him for some time either. She had sided with the Rogues, which, of course, was the end of their relationship.

This split from Pepper hadn't been as hard on Tony as he would have thought. It turned out that the Sorcerer Supreme was, in fact, someone that he could very much love... Dr. Stephen Strange knew what pain and suffering were while also understanding the need to save people. The two men seemed to be a perfect match, and Tony could finally see how nothing good would have come from staying with Pepper. She wanted him to give up being Iron Man so they could be together. It was something that he wouldn't ever be able to do... people relied on him, and if that cost him his happiness with a woman, then there was no question of choice.

Stephen and Tony had decided to take things slow to see where things went. They were facing the end of the world, with the two of them being on the front lines. After losing half of the planet, including Stephen and Peter, the remaining heroes went back in time to try and prevent the future they had all lived through. It worked, and they once again faced off against Thanos.

Tony Stark himself was leading the charge. Some had wanted Steve to take the lead, but the majority of the heroes no longer trusted Steve... Tony was selected as leader, though it was clear that the Rogues weren't happy about it.

Right now, Tony and Stephen were fighting side by side. They were putting a serious dent in Thanos' army... but the Mad Titan himself was hiding, preparing himself and the stones for the snap that would end the world.

"That one future you saw where we won, is this it?" Tony asked once he had been able to take a breath, turning to look at his partner. It wasn't hard to see the pain that flickered across Stephen's face at his question. He had wondered what had been so different in a single future where they survived... with the pain on Stephen's face, it seemed that his guess was correct. If there was going to be a future, then there would have to be a sacrifice.

"We won Tony, but nothing is right. The Infinity Stones are what connect everything. With their destruction, the world will tear itself apart... it might not happen immediately, but it will happen." Stephen explained. He really didn't want this future to happen, but he also knew that Tony had figured everything out... he was smart like that.

"But it will give you time. It could take months or years... giving all of you time to prevent it from happening. If all it takes is my life to give you and Peter a chance, then there is no choice to make." Tony said confidently. Of course, he was scared to die, but he would do so without question if he could save those he cared about. He walked over to Stephen when there was a break in their fighting, holding the man close for what was likely the last time.

"Why does it have to be you?! You've been through enough, Tony!" Stephen practically screamed as he held on tightly. They hadn't even had the chance to be together, and Tony was already leaving him... he admired the man's strength, but he certainly wished there was another way.

"But it is me Stephen; you know as well as I do that you would do the same thing if you were in my shoes. At least we got some time together; I think it's better than nothing." Tony said softly. He kissed the other deeply... he ignored the tears that were streaming down both of their faces; others had stopped their fighting to watch the scene they were making. No one dared come closer, and some kept the enemies from coming any closer. This was clearly a goodbye, and it was one that no one wanted to interrupt.

"I know." Stephen said softly, the two stepping back after a couple more minutes.

Tony activated his comms. "Carol, bring me the Infinity Gauntlet." Was his simple command. Carol had been keeping close to Thanos, and with that command she surprised him, which allowed her to grab the Gauntlet... quickly getting it to Tony before moving to fight the enemies who got closer. Thanos was finally making a move and heading in their direction.

"And do you really think that a mere mortal can control the power of all 6 Infinity Stones? I will watch as you burn from the inside before removing the Gauntlet from your corpse." Thanos said. He had underestimated Tony Stark, so he wasn't making a move. The whole battlefield seemed to come to a standstill as Iron Man slipped the Infinity Gauntlet onto his hand... Tony could feel the power of the stones, but for some reason, they didn't feel dangerous to him. He raised his hand, allowing everyone a glance at the stones... all six were shining brightly, a clear sign that Tony was indeed able to use the power.

It was this sight that got Thanos to move, though it was clear that he would be too late to stop Tony. The Mad Titan's face was one of rage as he realised that a mortal had outmatched him. He even hit some of his own comrades in an effort to reach Tony.

"Guess a mortal can take down the Mad Titan after all, it's too bad that I won't survive this battle... I would have loved to see your face as your army fell, followed soon by you." Tony said, moving his fingers into the correct position. Other heroes on the battlefield seemed to realise what Tony was trying to do. Many people were now trying to get to the man... the Rogues stood back and watched the scene, which caused Tony to smirk. It seemed that even though he was going to die, they had no desire to try and help him.

"Stop! You may defeat us, but you will kill yourself in the process!" Thanos yelled desperately. He hoped that this mortal would value his own life more than battle... unfortunately, he had underestimated the wrong human. Tony was more than ready to give up his life for those he loved and those who never had the chance to defend themselves.

"Of course I will. No one in all of the worlds can handle all 6 Infinity Stones... but you neglected to think of a human who would give up their own life for others. That's where you went wrong." Tony stated. He then turned to Stephen, who had stepped back, but it looked as if it was killing him to do so. "I love you." He said softly, watching as the man shook his head as more tears fell from his eyes... he had just barely heard the whispered words of Stephen before he snapped his fingers, pain spreading throughout his entire body as the power of the stones filled his entire being.

Tony couldn't help but smirk as he watched Thanos stop in his tracks and finally show one emotion he wasn't known for... fear.

Every hero present on the battlefield watched the power that Tony Stark now held, watching as their enemies fell one by one. This was followed by the angry roar of the Mad Titan himself. He had lost to a bunch of mortals, and it was clear he wasn't handling it well. Once Thanos had been destroyed, there were only a few who cheered in celebration, including the Rogues and those heroes who were loyal only to them.

All of the other heroes took to a single knee before the body of Tony Stark. The man didn't even look damaged in any way; in fact, it merely looked as if he were asleep. Most were crying. Some were in shock, and some were angry at those cheering. Pepper Pott's was still standing with the Rogues, but she wasn't cheering with them as her gaze was locked firmly on Tony.

Stephen and Peter had collapsed right next to the body of the man they loved more than anything, both of them hoping that he had somehow been able to survive. Peter knew that his mentor and father figure was gone, his enhanced senses weren't picking up life... the teenager burst out into tears as he realised he had just lost another loved one, but he also felt pride that the man he thought of as his father was a hero who would sacrifice their own life for others.

However, the cheering behind him angered Peter in a way nothing else has; how dare those people cheer when the man who saved them was dead?

"How dare you! Tony is dead, and he died protecting all of you! Yet you are cheering and squealing as if it were you who saved the world. People like you make me sick." Peter said, his angry voice finally breaking through the cheers of those still standing. Steve and Pepper made to walk over, but people who were kneeling stopped them. No one in this group deserved to go near Tony after what they had pulled.

Steve, Pepper, and the rest of the Rogues looked around to see very few supporters... most of the gathered heroes had surrounded Tony's body, protecting him even in death.

"We need to gather the stones; Stark did his job, and now the safety of the Infinity Stones rests with us." Steve said, thinking that everyone would see the good in his plan. Therefore, he was shocked when only hatred was directed at him; Tony was now dead, which meant he was in charge... but it seemed that no one was going to follow his orders.

"Don't you worry, Peter, we will make sure to tell all of the worlds who it was that saved them. They won't even have a leg to stand on." Stephen said calmly. He held Peter close as he finally stepped away from Tony's body. Stephen then turned to look at the Rogue Avengers. "Tony planned this from the beginning. He decimated the enemy, but he also destroyed the stones so that no one could misuse them again." He finished, watching with grim satisfaction as the truth of the matter hit the Rogues—even in death, Tony Stark had managed to outwit them.

"Then he has doomed us all! The world won't survive without the power of the stones!" Wanda screamed; her connection with the Mind Stone had been shattered. Even now, she could feel her powers weakening. Pretty soon, they would be gone all together.

"He has bought us time, and we will find a way to stop the world from falling apart. But none of you will be part of it. It's clear to all of us that you hated him until the very end... you have no business helping others when you couldn't even help the one who saved us." Stephen explained, this put the majority of the heroes at ease... Tony would have planned for everything. He would have made sure that they could have a chance.

"You also have no say in the matter; I am Tony's partner and next of kin, so everything will fall to me anyway. Tony may have saved the world, but he also played a part in the enemy targeting us. The World Leaders will not listen to you." Pepper said calmly, and the Rogues smirked in agreement...though those smirks were gone when Clint stepped up.

"That's where you're wrong. Tony thought of everything and released the information he had been gathering. It was Wanda's magic that made Tony activate Ultron; it was Steve and Natasha who hid information from Tony; it was Steve who almost killed Tony; it was Pepper who abandoned Tony when it was clear he loved being a hero more than her; and it was the presence of multiple Infinity Stones on Earth that drew Thanos to our planet. All of his evidence was securely sent before we even embarked on this mission. He never trusted any of you, so he made sure that he had everything covered before the battle." Clint explained. He had wondered why Tony was making such plans... but with the outcome of this battle, everything had made sense. He knew that he was going to die and made sure that everything was in order.

Not a single one of the Rogues, their supporters, or Pepper had anything to say to that. If Tony had really sent all of the evidence to the World Leaders, then they were screwed. Bucky Barnes could clearly see that as he left Steve's side.

"It's over, Steve. I don't know why I stuck around with you for so long when I no longer believed in you. Tony was a true hero; I hope that his allies will forgive me, but I will not continue being with you." Bucky said, it hurt him to say this to who was once his best friend... but that man was not the Steve Rogers he remembered. He was full of himself, and that was not someone that he wanted to be around any longer.

"Tony had plans in motion for you as well, Bucky; he has granted you full use of the BARF system to de-program the trigger words and return your memory. When you have been given a clean bill of health, there is a place on the New Avengers for you." Stephen said, it would take time for him to forgive Bucky, but the man had been through enough. First, it was Hydra, and then it was Steve. It was Tony's wish to help Bucky, so he would make sure it happened. Bucky smiled in thanks as he joined the much larger group of those who supported Tony, taking a knee next to Tony's body in respect.

The Rogues had nothing to say after Bucky turned against them. They were seriously outnumbered and outmatched... they surrendered and were restrained for the trip back home.

Stephen carefully lifted Tony's body with his magic; Wong and some other sorcerers helped him as his magic was weak due to his emotions right now. Peter was tucked into Stephen's side as the portals opened to take everyone home. Tony would be put to rest in front of the entire world. No one wanted to televise Tony's funeral, but the man had saved the world, and many people would be grieving alongside them.

Unknown to everyone, Tony's soul hadn't been destroyed when using the power of the Infinity Stones. Normally, when one used the stones, their souls would be torn apart by the sheer power flowing through them. This wasn't the case with Tony's soul, as something impossible seemed to be occurring far away from the sight of any living thing.

Soft brown eyes opened to see bright light surrounding him. He blinked tightly before seeing the shapes of six different coloured stones shining brightly before him.

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When Tony had snapped his fingers, he thought that was it—he wouldn't get to explore his relationship with Stephen. He wouldn't get to see Peter grow up, and he wouldn't get to see the Rogues finally get what was coming to them. He never expected to open his eyes again.

So, when he opened his eyes to see the six differently coloured stones glowing before him, he was surprised and a little afraid that he hadn't been able to save everyone like he believed. Stephen and Peter would kill him if he sacrificed his life when there was no need to. Tony felt like he had done the right thing, but he would have preferred to live his life with his loved ones. The area around him felt warm and comforting, as if welcoming him home after a long period of time... which was impossible as he didn't recognise where he was.

"W... where the hell am I? Didn't I snap, save the world, and die?" Tony asked himself. He stood up from the floor where he had been lying and took a couple of steps. It felt as if he was still alive.

"You are in our realm, Tony." A soft voice said. It filled the air around Tony and made him look around. The voice sounded close, yet Tony couldn't see anyone in the near vicinity. The only thing that was around him was the six Infinity Stones hovering in front of him. Tony took notice that one of the stones glowed when the voice had spoken, but other than that, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

"Who said that? That sounded like it came from right next to me, yet all that is here are the stones." Tony said, once more thinking that he was talking to himself and not expecting to have another answer... in another voice.

"We're right in front of you, Tony; with the power of the stones, is it really surprising that we have a consciousness of our own?" This time, it was another voice that had spoken. It seemed less soft than the first voice he had heard, but it was still comforting to listen to. It was as if Tony had heard them before.

Tony took notice that the green Time Stone glowed this time when the voice spoke; his mouth dropped open in shock at the information. They were the most powerful artefacts in all nine worlds. It was possible that they had a sanity to them... Thor had always claimed that his weapon had thoughts of its own; Loki had claimed something similar when he had still been in control of the Sceptre all those years ago.

"The Infinity Stones can talk?!" Tony yelled, finally finding his voice after a couple of minutes.

"Of course we can talk. Did you really think that objects such as us would be so powerful and exist for so long without developing thoughts and personalities of our own? We were there when the world began, and we will be there when the world ends." This time, the red Reality Stone glowed when the voice spoke. It seemed to be a much older voice that sounded this time.

"But I destroyed the stones. There was no choice." Tony took a deep breath as the reality of the situation began to sink in. "Does that mean... I failed... everyone back home died anyway?" He said softly, thinking about Stephen and Peter along with all of the other friends he had made. Not to mention all of the innocent people on the planet; he had given his life to save them all, and it seemed that he had failed. He had given his life in vain.

"No! You did destroy the stones, and you saved your world, but you are no ordinary human being, Tony Stark. You have always been special, and you have had a destiny since the dawn of time. We have been waiting a long time for you." This elder voice came from the orange Soul Stone. Other voices sounded at the same time, each assuring Tony that his world had survived and that he had succeeded where all else had failed. Tony felt the weight lift from his shoulders as he heard the words, happy that he had been able to save the world and all of the people in it—even those who didn't really deserve his actions.

"Then how are you here... how am I here?" Tony questioned. If he had succeeded, then the stones should be destroyed, and he should be dead.

"Like Soul said, you are a very special human being, Tony. Did you know that when we formed everything, we saw the outcome everywhere? We were too powerful to be kept together, so we split up and hid ourselves away. No one was able to harness our power, and we didn't want to cause death. Unfortunately, over the many years we have been alive, many have discovered and sought our power. Many have died trying to harness just one of our powers. But we knew that while we caused disaster, when together, we could also cause greatness." The yellow Mind Stone glowed as it spoke, Tony listening with rapt attention.

"We learnt that a single being in all of the world's would be able to harness the power of us all. We didn't know when they would appear or where they would show up, but we would all sense the moment it happened. We sensed something back when the Ten Rings kidnapped you. You never figured this out, but... you really did die back in Afghanistan." The Soul Stone said softly, this would be a lot for anyone to learn... especially someone like Tony, someone who had been through so much already.

Tony listened in shock. "But how? It was confusing how I got out there with only the shrapnel damage, but it was clear that I got out of there with the skin of my teeth." He said he could remember feeling perfect when he woke up in the hospital after being found... the only damage being that of the shrapnel making its way towards his heart.

"Yes, but you were actually supposed to die when your transport was blown up. That is how history was meant to be written. However, it was when you were meant to die that we all felt something—the one being able to harness our power. Soul has control of life and death. They kept you alive while we did our parts to make sure everything played out how it should. We don't know why things went so wrong, but they did, and because of that, it required your life to set everything right." The purple Power Stone glowed as the voice spoke. This voice seemed to fit with the Power Stone; it emitted power just from speaking.

"Thanos never should have found Earth so soon; the Rogues were never meant to turn their backs on you; Wanda was never meant to have so much influence, and you weren't meant to die... again. Why do you think your Stephen only saw one future in which the world survived? The whole realm of time was out of alignment, even for someone like Stephen." The voice sounded from the Time Stone; the voice sounded guilty... though it was clear to Tony that the stones themselves weren't responsible; it was the people who used them.

"So, everything that happened wasn't meant to happen? Then what went so wrong for things to turn out this way?" Tony questioned if there really was a destiny, and it wasn't this... what had gone so wrong that this is how everything had turned out? He only hoped it wasn't his fault.

"Like we said, none of us have any idea why this happened... all we know is that it happened. And you are the only person who can do anything about it." The blue Space Stone glowed as this voice sounded. It was speaking for the first time since Tony woke up. It seemed to be the youngest voice of all of them. Tony took notice that it seemed nervous as it spoke.

"What do you mean? What can I do?" Tony asked confused, for one thing, he was a normal human who didn't have any special powers... on the other hand, he was currently dead, and in some kind of in-between world, there really was nothing that he could do.

"You seem to forget what we said, Tony; you are the only being who has ever lived and who will ever live that is able to harness our powers. You can use our full powers without consequence; you are literally made to channel our abilities. On top of that, we ourselves keep you alive, especially Soul, as they control life and death." Mind explained, pointing out the fact that they had made a short while ago, yet Tony had seemingly forgotten about.

"Oh, you did say something along those lines. Alright, if we were able to do something to change everything... what would it be that needed doing?" Tony asked. If he was able to do something to bring about a change, then he would jump at the chance. It was a chance that he wouldn't be able to give up if given the choice.

"There is but one thing that can be done to right everything... go back in time to change the outcome." The green Time Stone stated, Tony looked at the stone in shock.

"Back in time, are you sure about that?" Tony asked shocked; he knew that the stones were capable of amazing things, but Time Travel seemed a bit out of it. That was until he realised he had gone back in time before, though that was using science and not a glowing stone. He couldn't help the hope that bloomed in his heart. If he went back in time, he could do a lot of things differently... put things in motion much sooner, gather people much sooner, and start getting ready for the dangers that would soon come.

"It is the only way to ensure nothing is corrupt. Going back in time allows you to implement the changes needed and adjust the future based on those changes. You will have to be smart and only change what needs to be changed; you also won't pick the time in which you will travel... that will be up to Time." Reality said, making sure Tony understood everything.

"When you go back in time, the world that you are from will cease to exist; now don't be sad; you will be creating a whole new timeline that you can influence. But please remember that you shouldn't influence too many things; the stones worried about Tony abusing their powers for his own gain, which was, of course, the reason why Tony had been chosen to harness their power. Use your knowledge of this future wisely." Time said sternly. They didn't want Tony changing everything to fit the world that he wanted; his task was to make the world a better place for everyone. Luckily, Time knew that Tony would do the right thing. None of the stones worried about Tony abusing their powers for his own gain, which was, of course, the reason why Tony had been chosen to harness their power.

Tony was saddened to hear that his world would cease to exist, but it made him feel better that he would be in a new world that actually had the chance to be saved. He would do a great number of things differently this time around, making sure that only friends were involved in the preparation and making sure they all had the required training they were going to need.

Peter and Stephen came to his mind at this time. Both of them got their abilities after Tony became Iron Man; however, Tony would not stop anything from happening. He might be being selfish, but he wanted Stephen as the Sorcerer Supreme, and he wanted Peter as Spider-Man. He would most likely become a part of their lives earlier this time around, but he wouldn't stop anything from happening the way it had before, and he would be there for both of them.

"Then it looks like I'll be going back in time once more, though this time it's more on the magic side of things. And this time, I'll make sure that we're ready." Tony said confidently. He would change what was needed in order to ensure everything went much better this time around.

"Good to hear. Now you will be sent back to just before leaving for Afghanistan; as you remember, this was a major turning point in your life... plus, we didn't want you to have to live through the playboy persona, not when you are actually in love. You will still have to be kidnapped and create the Arc Reactor, but your body won't actually need it to live." Time explained, this was the time where Tony Stark had started becoming Iron Man and having an important impact on the world... it had been the perfect time for Tony to return to, as well as not living through all of the stuff he had done in the past before being kidnapped.

Tony sighed. For some reason, he had thought that it would be that location. It was when Tony Stark first started becoming a hero for others rather than himself. He was also glad that it was after his more playboy lifestyle, as he wouldn't keep that up with his feelings for Stephen.

"What will happen with you guys? You are the Infinity Stones, so will you be coming with me, or will you remain hidden?" Tony questioned. He didn't really want to hold such power, but he really wouldn't mind having them come with him; they were giving him a second chance to live his life. It was only right that they, too, got a second chance.

"Of course we're coming with you. We will form a bracelet that will hold all six of us yet dampen others' abilities to sense us. It'll be our spiritual forms from this world made physical; once you have found our physical forms in this new world, they will be given to their Guardian's while you will remain in control of these versions. We couldn't risk giving you our physical forms in this new world straight away; many people would panic at the disappearance of the stones... though there is no need to worry; our power is still infinite, so you will always have access to our abilities." Space said.

Tony saw the reason in that, the Sorcerer's had been guarding the Time Stone for a very long time. They would surely notice it going missing. The Aether, or the Power Stone, was guarded on Asgard for even longer and considered quite evil. Tony would have to be careful when using the powers of the Infinity Stones, especially those that people would recognise. He would have to answer a lot of questions otherwise.

"You don't have to worry. If someone discovers the truth, then you have permission to explain everything to them... most likely, it will be the Sorcerer's or Asgardian's, both of whom are quite trustworthy as you came to know." Time assured Tony, the man wore his expressions on his face, which is something he would have to work on in order to lie like he should. Tony would be emotional multiple times in his new world, especially when seeing loved ones again. On top of that, he would also be seeing those who betrayed his trust, which could prove disastrous if Tony let his feelings get the better of him in the future.

"Well then..." Tony took a deep breath as he collected himself. "Guess we better get this done. The sooner we get back, the sooner things will be changed." He said, the hope in his heart was now at full volume. He was being given the perfect chance, and it was a chance that he wouldn't be giving up unless he really had to.

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Tony Stark never imagined that he would get the chance to go back in time, let alone being able to do so twice.

It had been around 10 minutes since the 6 Infinity Stones had told him that he was being sent back in time, and they had yet to speak to him again. Apparently, affecting the timeline was a serious matter that needed to be discussed in detail. Every little thing needed to be planned along with backups... just in case something did go wrong (however unlikely).

There were feelings of nervousness, happiness, hope, and apprehension fighting within Tony. Doing this meant that everything that had happened in his timeline would be changed. Therefore, certain things wouldn't happen while new things could happen. Everything would rest on Tony's shoulders. He was going to have to think things through carefully to make sure that he was changing the right thing. He didn't want to make this timeline even worse than his previous one. His goal was to make sure there was a much better ending for everyone.

Soon, whatever barrier the Infinity Stones had placed around them had come down, which allowed Tony to feel their power once more. He wondered if things weren't going to play out as he had thought; he could feel the hope he was feeling begin to waver a little.

"You won't be here for much longer. The sooner we get you sent off, the better. It seems that someone has detected our power in this timeline. We need to move on before we have to fight. Unfortunately, you do not have any training in any of our abilities just yet. You wouldn't last very long in such a situation." The Power Stone explained, their holder would have to undergo a lot of hard training before he would be able to use their abilities. They didn't want to overwhelm Tony, and they didn't want to cause him harm. They would have to take their time.

"So, we are going back... for sure?" Tony asked, wanting to make sure.

"Of course, did you think that we would get your hopes up only to turn around and tell you that it was impossible? Though there are going to have to be some rules, we can't send you back without them." The Time Stone stated, as the guardian of time, it would fall to them to ensure that Tony understood what could be done.

Tony nodded in understanding. "I had a feeling that there would be rules. Creating a whole new timeline would require rules. So lay 'em on me." He said, with the confirmation of his travel, he was feeling much better than he was a couple of minutes ago. He could only hope that the rules wouldn't interfere with the things that he wanted to change—certain things he didn't want to happen at all while others he wanted to happen sooner or later. Of course, he would try to find a way around the rules if need be. He wouldn't let any of the bad things happen again.

As usual, when thinking about changing the past, Stephen and Peter were at the forefront of his mind. He was saddened to think he would have to wait for them to get their powers. He was even more saddened that they were going to have to go through the pain of getting their powers once more. Stephen's accident that had ended his medical career, while Peter lost his uncle before being bitten by the radioactive spider. It was a lot of trauma for both of them, but this time around, Tony would be there for them, so neither of them would be alone.

However, Tony had already decided that he would make sure that he was part of their lives much sooner in this new timeline. He would ensure that he was around when they got their abilities; he would be there for them in a way that he couldn't have been in his previous timeline and make sure that they would never want for anything.

At the same time, he was also thinking about the Rogues, Pepper, and many others who had betrayed him during his previous timeline. He wouldn't make the same mistakes this time around. He would make sure that they would have unlimited access to him and those he cared for; they wouldn't get the chance to see him or anyone else if he could help it.

Finally, he was thinking about Bucky Barnes, The Winter Soldier, who took his parents' lives. Tony was really on the fence when it came to him, and while it was true that it was Bucky's body that killed his parents, it wasn't his mind as Hydra was in control. Tony wouldn't hold the man's actions against him. He was fully intending on using his current and future technology to help Bucky remember his past as well as undo the programming done by Hydra. The man would be free to live a normal life or join his future team where they would do some good.

"The first rule you are already aware of is that you don't get to choose when you are sent back, as that falls to us... we have decided to send you back to just before the Ten Rings kidnapped you; that is when the world really started to see the real Tony Stark. You will still have to create the Arc Reactor, as that technology helped a lot more people once it was released to the public; however, your body will heal basically any injury, so you don't actually have need of it personally." The Mind Stone explained, the all-powerful beings thought this would set Tony at ease about injury; however, they watched as shock and sadness filled his face.

"So, are you saying that I'm immortal now?" Tony asked. If that were true, he didn't know how to feel about that. On the positive side, it meant that he wouldn't have to worry about dying or being injured. However, on the negative side, it meant that there was a chance he would outlive those who he cared about; he didn't know if he would be able to leave them.

"In a way, yes, you could call yourself immortal. What's really happening is that I will be keeping you alive and making sure that your body remains healthy. You won't age unless you really want to, and you will die when you choose to do so. I am the stone with the power over life and death. As my holder, you are given those same abilities." The Soul Stone explained. The abilities of the Soul Stone were the most sought-after. Many people in all nine realms would do practically anything to be able to harness the power over life and death.

"However, what Soul has neglected to tell you is that the power extends to others as well. As long as you trust them and they know that truth about us, Soul is able to do to them what has been done for you. Even we, as the Infinity Stones, have never truly been alone. We couldn't imagine doing such a thing to our champion." The Space Stone explained. With these words, Tony was able to relax, knowing that his loved ones would be given the same gift as him put him at ease. It also helped that they wouldn't be true immortals. They would be able to pass it on when and if they were ready for it.

"The second rule has also been touched upon. The truth of your time travel must be kept secret unless you truly trust another, and they trust you completely in return. Just because you knew them in your past timeline doesn't mean you can just tell them everything. They must trust you in return, or their memories of the conversation will be wiped." The Mind Stone explained, this was in place to make sure that only those that Tony trusted would know of the power he held.

"The third rule is that there are certain events throughout your timeline, among others, that you can't have complete control over. Your partner's accident, your son losing his uncle and gaining his powers, the betrayal of those closest to you, and even the formation of the Rogues are prime examples of this. You can interfere, but you can't change everything about these events." The Reality Stone explained, certain things happened in the previous timeline that made those people who they were... it would be wrong to change everything regarding them, or there would be a chance of them not being the people that Tony trusted and loved so dearly.

"Those rules seem pretty reasonable and all something I would have expected, but should I really be the only one to hold all six of you? You are the most powerful beings in all nine realms, and I'm just a normal human; I feel like I'm the wrong person for this." Tony said, his insecurities coming to the forefront as his time in this life was coming to an end.

"You have never been a normal human, Tony; you have always been exceptional. However, you can assign 5 fellow Guardians if that would make you feel more comfortable. 5 beings just as exceptional as you and who you trust completely, though I would suggest that you keep hold of Soul... they are the most temperamental; you notice that each of us were able to be used at some point whilst Soul was kept hidden." Mind explained, Soul had never trusted a being to wield its power; therefore, it was probably a good idea to keep Tony and Soul together.

Tony's mind was already going a mile a minute, thinking about people who would be perfect guardians for each of the Infinity Stones. He would be keeping the Soul Stone himself, as it was the oldest and more powerful; Stephen would also remain the guardian of the Time Stone. When Tony thought about the guardians, what he came up with included:
The Soul Stone, Tony Stark
The Time Stone, Stephen Strange
The Reality Stone, Peter Parker
The Mind Stone: Vision
The Space Stone, Loki
The Power Stone, Carol Danvers

As he thought back on the people he had met during his previous timeline, these were the 5 who stood out the most. He was shocked to realise that Loki was on this list, but the God of Mischief had proved himself in recent years. There were others that Tony trusted above all else, but he didn't think they were right to become guardians. Clint, for example, would want to stay with his family while T'Challa had an entire nation to run as its king.

"Seems to me like you already have guardians in mind, but keep in mind, all 6 of our physical bodies in this new world will remain with you until they have proven themselves to us. Only when they prove themselves and learn the truth will any of them become Guardians." The Mind Stone warned, they wouldn't accept just anyone... even if it was their holder who suggested them.

Tony nodded in understanding. He knew that he had chosen correctly, so he would just have to wait for the time to come. Though he found comfort that he wouldn't be alone in all of this.

"So how are you going to join me on this little field trip? In case you haven't noticed you are all powerful cosmic beings; I think people would take notice of 6 glowing stones following me around all of them time." Tony said, smirking; he already attracted a lot of attention, so pretty much everyone would notice such unusual stones following him around. The longer Tony could keep the Infinity Stones a secret, the better. He knew who he could trust, but there were people who were unknown at the moment.

There was a sudden glowing light, one that was so bright that Tony had to cover his eyes in fear of being blinded. This light only lasted for about a minute before it began to dim. When he felt that it was safe enough, Tony opened his eyes, only to look on in shock as he noticed that the six stones had seemingly vanished from in front of him.

"Look at your wrist, Tony." The voice of the Reality Stone stated.

When Tony looked at his wrist, he noticed that there was a bracelet resting against his skin that hadn't been there before. It seemed to be made of gold links with six stones resting between the links. The stones were all different shapes and colours, reflecting a miniature version of the Infinity Stones. With just a single look, Tony was able to identify each stone, though many who would see it in person wouldn't know what the stones meant; they would simply think it was a piece of jewellery. It also seemed like the bracelet stayed in a position where the stones faced forward, so anyone who saw the bracelet would see the 6 different stones resting there.

Now that the stones were so close to his body, Tony could feel their power a lot more. It was as if an electrical current was constantly running throughout his body. He was glad that the stones would be limiting their power, as other people would surely notice their power.

"This bracelet holds a physical form of our spiritual energy from this world; we will stay with you until the end of your days. Once you find our physical forms in this new world, they will be given to their chosen Guardians. In regard to me, I will merge with the Soul Stone of the new world and remain with you. That way, you will always have the power of each Infinity Stone with you... our powers are slightly depleted after our original bodies were destroyed, but our power is still infinite as our spiritual energy remains." The Soul Stone explained, Tony was glad that they would be staying with him.

"Now that is what I call hiding in plain sight. So, are we ready to do this?" Tony asked. He wanted to get a start on everything. He had come to terms with leaving his past life behind and focusing solely on the new timeline; he also agreed with all of the rules that he had to live by from now on and was well aware of who would become his guardians when the time came. He now felt ready to begin this new adventure. He was feeling the excitement as well as the nerves. He wouldn't be alone, but the stones were a mental presence rather than a physical one. He would just have to be patient and wait for the time to bring in those he trusted. Stephen and Peter are the ones at the top of his list, though he needed to get Clint away from SHIELD He also needed to make contact with Carol and T'Challa sooner rather than later; they too would have to be prepared for the coming of Thanos.

"Yes and remember that if you want to speak to us, then we will answer. Whether we have a Guardian or not, you are our true holder, so we will answer... though you might want to speak to us in your mind, your loved ones might think you're going insane if they hear you talking to yourself." The Space Stone said. Tony could only imagine what his friends would do if they heard him talking to himself.

With a nod of understanding, the world around Tony started to grow dim, except for one spot right in front of him that seemed to be glowing. The ball of light started to grow in size until it was a little bigger than Tony himself. It was swirling and moving as if it were alive. Tony realised that it looked quite similar to the portal that formed over New York all those years ago, when Loki attacked them that very first time... when the Avengers had first been formed.

"All you have to do is step through the portal. You'll awaken at the site of the road bomb that damaged your vehicle." The Time Stone explained, they would have to keep Tony injured during his stay with the Ten Rings, though since it would be an illusion, Tony would feel nothing.

"Well, as they used to say... here we go again." Tony said, stepping through the portal. It felt as if a gentle bolt of lightning had passed through his body, leaving him feeling tingly. He couldn't help but turn around as he felt the portal closing behind him. He took notice of the fact that the world he had just been in seemed to be crumbling as the portal closed. The portal itself also seemed to be glowing even brighter. Once the portal had completely closed behind him, the area he was in now seemed to turn a brilliant white... Tony had to close his eyes once again because of the brightness. It felt as if his body was being squeezed through a small tube, though there was no pain. It was this feeling that really made Tony realise what was happening:

The next time Tony would open his eyes, he would be in a whole new timeline.

Chapter Text

Tony actually felt it when the environment around him had changed. The quietness of the Soul Realm was very different from the bustling sounds of his new location.

When Tony opened his eyes, he realised that he was in the back of the vehicle that had been hit by the road bomb. When he looked out of the window, he took notice of the desert surroundings and incredibly sunny sky. When Tony looked down at himself, he saw the expensive suit that he had worn during this event. It had been completely destroyed after the bomb had injured him. It was kind of surreal to be wearing it again. Of course, he would rather the suit be destroyed than his life cut short.

He was actually shocked that the time travel had truly worked; despite the immense hope he was feeling, there was still a part of him that doubted what was to happen. He knew that he should have known better than to doubt the power of the Infinity Stones. That was a mistake that he wouldn't be making again.

Tony looked around the vehicle that he was in, and he vaguely recognised the other people present. In his previous life, he hadn't kept in touch with his fellow survivors. They had been rescued much earlier than him, and he hadn't tried to contact them when he recovered. Tony remembered that he had denied travelling with Rhodey in the helicopter. It was amazing to think that if he had simply followed his best friend, none of this would have happened.

However, this time around, Tony had no choice but to play along. He knew that this was a turning point in his life. Many would say that this was the birth of Iron Man.

Before Tony could even say a word, the bomb went off right in front of the vehicle. The first time around, the billionaire didn't even know what was going on. This time, he knew exactly what was happening, though knowing didn't make it feel any better. The vehicle flipped over with the rest of the passengers screaming and trying to hold on for dear life. Everything was quiet towards the driver's end of the vehicle. If Tony remembered correctly, only the driver of the vehicle was killed during this attack. He would make sure to attend the funeral and support the man's family.

Luckily, the Soul Stone was working its magic; Tony knew that he should be severely injured, and yet he felt no pain. He was still unable to move, but it was as if the pain that he should be feeling was being blocked, which he was thankful for, as he vaguely remembered just how painful it had been during his previous life.

"Leave the others! The desert will kill them." A stern voice spoke, approaching the location where Tony was lying.

"Have you found him yet?! There will be hell to pay if you have killed him. We need him alive. It doesn't matter if he is mutilated." Another voice said, Tony recognised this one. This was the leader of the Ten Rings. This was the man responsible for his capture and Yinsen's death.

"I got him. He's alive... but I don't think he's going to remain that way for long." A more timid voice sounded this time. It was clear that this man was on the younger side and seemed to be quite new—either that, or he was unsure about the Ten Rings. Tony didn't remember anyone other than the leader. Back then, all he cared about was getting out and then his revenge. He would remember their faces and names this time around. He would give them their dues the right way this time... by arresting them and exposing their operation.

"Get him back to the base. It looks like Yinsen has a chance to prove himself." The voice of the leader sounded, and Tony held back his scowl when this man mentioned Yinsen. This time around, the elder man would survive, Tony would take care of Yinsen... by this point, the man's family would have already been killed. He'd make sure the elder man knew he was cared for.

Tony felt himself being picked up and carried. Whoever is carrying him was incredibly gentle with him due to his injuries. Though Tony was sure that they were only being careful so as not to disturb his injuries, they wanted his help so he would be useless if he died. Tony then felt himself being loaded into another vehicle. He was laid across the back seats while two more men seated themselves in the front. It seemed that the other members were either in another vehicle or they were walking to their location. Of course, he couldn't care less. Even though he wasn't in any pain, he knew that he was severely injured. He wanted to get help quickly rather than risk his second chance at life.

He opened his eyes a little to look back at the vehicle he had been in, along with the bodies that had managed to crawl out of the wreckage. Tony was put at ease, knowing they would be discovered in only a couple of hours. He would be long gone by then, but he felt a little better knowing that these innocent people would be rescued quickly. Tony then shut his eyes once more, pretending that he was unconscious.

The billionaire had always thought that the base of the Ten Rings was actually quite close to the bomb site. He was severely injured, and yet they managed to get him help in time. The best place to hide is where people least expect it, such as being right next to the bomb site.

Whatever drive they had was a short one, confirming Tony's suspicions that their base was close to where he had been injured. He was then taken from the vehicle and placed on an uncomfortable hospital bed. He knew when he was inside the base, as the scorching sun was no longer on his skin.

"You better save his life, Yinsen; you've disappointed us so far. This is your one chance to make sure your family is returned alive." The voice of the leader said sternly.

Tony then felt soft hands over his body, looking at his wounds and making small noises when he found another injury. This time around, Tony was pretending to be unconscious, so he knew what was going on around him. Yinsen was caring when examining his body, even though the man didn't know him yet. It was humbling and reminded Tony why he became Iron Man.

"He's got shrapnel in his chest cavity that's heading towards his heart; he's got multiple broken bones; he's bleeding from somewhere in his body; he has bruises and cuts all over his body, as well as a possible concussion. It's a miracle that he is still alive right now; I wouldn't hold your breath of him surviving." Yinsen's voice was just like Tony remembered. It had been many years since he had heard it. Time may have passed since Yinsen died, but Tony never forgot the man; after all, Yinsen was the one who inspired him to become Iron Man when he was rescued.

"Then your family will be killed before you join them. Tony Stark, will be in condition to work within the next couple of weeks... or you and your family will be joining him." The leader stated before turning and walking out of the room, the door shutting and locking behind him.

Yinsen sighed but got to work. Tony was glad that he wasn't feeling any pain, as he knew the procedure he would go through was incredibly painful. He didn't actually need the Arc Reactor, despite how injured he was. It was basically a constant, powerful illusion being cast on everyone around him... while his body was perfectly healthy, those around him would see serious injuries.

The hours passed quickly, but Yinsen worked efficiently while focusing mainly on the shrapnel in his chest but also setting his bones, stitching his wounds, and addressing his concussion.

Soul made sure that his body was in a state of rest. The machines hooked up to Tony would tell Yinsen that he was merely pretending. It was as if he was in a state of suspension. He knew what was going on around him, but he couldn't move, and his body was at rest. He actually found it very boring since he was such an active person. Of course, this gave him time to plan how he was going to escape and what he was going to do differently.

He didn't want to remain here for 3 months again. If he was able to escape sooner, then he was certainly going to try it. Tony was already thinking of making two sets of armour, one for himself and one for Yinsen. That was the main reason why Tony survived and Yinsen died. He was wearing the armour while Yinsen was not. This time around, they would both have protective armour, ensuring that both of them would survive. However, Tony was going to have to convince Yinsen to survive and continue on. The man's family had been killed, which is why he was happy to give his life so that Tony could escape. Tony was kept under for another week, allowing time for his 'body' to heal a little as well as get used to the new generator-powered Arc Reactor. When Tony opened his eyes, Yinsen sat at a desk and seemed hard at work, just as Tony remembered from his previous life.

"What the... where the hell am I? And who the hell are you?" Tony asked after taking a quick look around the room. He was going to have to pretend he didn't know where he was. He was also going to have to pretend he didn't know who Yinsen was or what he was doing there; luckily, he was a great actor and an even better liar, so he would have no problem doing that.

At the sound of Tony's voice, Yinsen stopped what he was doing and walked over, a grim look on his face, but his eyes were gentle. Tony remembered that he trusted Yinsen almost immediately during his past life. He never understood why he had done so, considering the situation. However, it was clear that the man cared despite his own fears and distrust... that soft look in the man's eyes was just as reassuring in this life, making him trust Yinsen even if he did not know who he was or what was going on in this place.

"Your vehicle was attacked during transportation, a bomb placed on the road, and a trigger-happy idiot. You were severely wounded from the explosion and wreckage, but these people needed you alive, so I was ordered to save your life. I was able to do so, though I don't know how long my measures will last." Yinsen explained, his voice wavering as he spoke. It was clear that Yinsen had wanted to do more in order to help Tony; however, he only had access to the things in their cell, and he had done the best he could with what he had... Tony remembered that it was the elder man who remained calm in these situations. He had been here longer than Tony.

"I'm guessing here, but I doubt they want my help with anything good." Tony said softly. He could see the grimace on the man's face. "And if I was so severely wounded, then why do I feel pretty good if not a little under the weather?" He finished, wanting Yinsen to explain the generator so that he could make a start on his more advanced Arc Reactor.

"They are members of the Ten Rings, a terrorist organisation with an unknown mission, but many lives are in their hands. They have seen the result of your weapons, so they hatched the plan for when they knew you would be here, bringing you here so that you could build them their own weaponry for their plans. They have been trying to get me to build weapons, but I'm a doctor and inventor mainly, not really in the weapons business." Yinsen explained. He wouldn't hide information from Tony as the man might come to distrust him, which is something neither of them needed when in this kind of situation.

The younger man sighed. "They planned this little attack out quite well, but my trip to Afghanistan was very public knowledge, so they would have no problems planning my kidnapping." Tony paused as he sat up. "Want to run through what you had to do to save my life?" He finished. He didn't need to look down to his chest, as he could feel the added weight as well as the wires powering the device.

Yinsen went on to explain the car battery that was powering a magnet to keep the metal shrapnel from entering his heart; it was such a genius device considering how limited the resources were and the amount of pressure Yinsen would have been under.

Tony then made it clear that they weren't going to take this lying down. They weren't monitored very often as the terrorists believed they would do what they were told... because of this, they could pretend to work on the weapons but were instead creating their escape. Yinsen had seemed a little unsure at first, but quickly came around when he realised that he would finally be able to get out of this little cave... Tony learnt that Yinsen had already expected his family to be dead, which is why he hadn't built any powerful weapons. That was why the older man was so reluctant to escape when Tony brought it up.

Now, he wanted to get out so they could bring the Ten Rings to justice.

Working together, they were able to create the Palladium version of Tony's Arc Reactor. It was installed by Yinsen with Tony helping where he could, then taking a couple more days rest to get used to the new device. Once Tony felt almost 100% again, they started working on the armour they would use to escape; Tony did the planning while Yinsen helped with the creation.

Luckily, they were only checked on a couple of times over the next few weeks. They were able to get the armour completed within 1 month after Tony first woke up in the cave. Their armours were nothing special due to the limited materials they had. However, they were more than enough to get out of the cave and get far enough away to be safe. Hopefully, Rhodey was continuously looking for him. If they were out in the open, they would be easier to spot... Tony knew Rhodey would be coming in a helicopter after all.

Yinsen and Tony were able to disrupt the video feed to their cell while they stepped into their armours. It was this loss of video that had members of the Ten Rings coming to their cell.

Before even opening the door, there was a blast that propelled the door into the oncoming soldiers. It was powerful enough to knock said soldiers into the wall and render them unconscious. The alarms started blaring with the noise of them blowing up the door. The two men knew that they were going to get company quite soon.

"Well, no use hanging around in this pleasant little cave. Luckily, you were able to map the base after being dragged to different places in here, which means we don't have to wander around." Tony said as they started walking towards the exit of the base. These armours were amazing, but they only had limited power due to not having the right number of resources; they would last only for half an hour each, which meant they had to make all of their moves worth it.

Tony would be using his armour mostly. If they were able to conserve Yinsen's power, they would have nearer to 1 hour of use rather than half an hour each, allowing them more time to get out of here and far enough away for them to be spotted.

Luckily, the armour they wore increased their speed, so they were already far ahead of those who were pursuing them; they were able to make it out of the cave before the enemies had even caught sight of either of them. Tony and Yinsen were keeping their sensors focused on the area behind them. They needed to know if their captors would spot them. It was unlikely, as the armour was colour-designed to blend into the environment. They would be hard to spot unless someone knew what they were looking for or were right next to them.

"Is it me, or did this go a lot smoother than we had planned for?" Yinsen asked as they continued to run from the base. Sensors in the armour had detected that the Ten Rings had exited the base, but they were now quite far away, so it was unlikely they would be found. They were going to have to ditch the armour soon though; it wouldn't be a good idea to find them both wearing armour just in case they tried to fire on them thinking they were the enemy.

Once they were further away from the base, they would hide the armour, making sure that no one would find it, though they would drain the power so they would be useless, even if someone did manage to find either of the armours.

"I don't think these guys were overly smart. Let's just keep the distance between us for now." Tony said, he definitely agreed, as this had gone much easier than the last time he did this.

Yinsen and Tony kept running for another few miles before slowing. The sensors had picked up that their captors were returning to base, and none of them were so happy about it. They were going to have to leave their little base since their prisoners knew where it was located. The two escapees knew that the leader wasn't going to be so happy with this. More than likely, many in that base were going to be killed in anger.

"Let's get out of this armour and drain the power. The best bet is to put them in that small cave and cover it with rocks as well as sand." Tony suggested, pointing to a small cave that would be big enough for their armour... but small enough not to be detected if it was covered.

The two males got out of their armours before draining the power and dismantling them; they also removed the water and rations they had placed on the armours so that they wouldn't die in the desert while awaiting rescue. In Tony's previous life, he had barely survived the walk in the desert after escaping the base. This time around, they took some water and food that would help them survive. They also took some extra cloth to block their skin from the sun. The scorching heat would have to be something that they just put up with for the time being.

Tony and Yinsen walked away from the hidden armour in the direction of where Tony had been kidnapped. Tony knew that Rhodey would be focusing on areas close to there. It would still take some time to walk towards that destination. A couple of hours in a vehicle would take much longer when on foot, which meant they were still looking at a couple of days before potentially reaching rescue.

Days passed slowly with the two of them talking about what would happen when they returned. Yinsen had accepted a position at Stark Industries working as a doctor. After helping invent the armour, the man had decided he wanted to focus on helping people medically. Tony was only too happy to offer him a position on his medical staff. Tony had admitted that he was going to completely redo Stark Industries. They would focus on other inventions rather than the weapons that he was currently known for.

Making the Arc Reactor public, medical equipment as well as other life-saving products would become the new Stark Industries... they would focus more on helping people rather than making the weapons that took lives, which once made his name famous.

Both spent the daylight hours walking and then sleeping when the sun fell with the night being cooler. Luckily, they had brought enough water and food for them to last just over a week without being rescued. If the rescue took any longer than that, then the two of them would be at risk of dying out here. It was a happy sight to see when they noticed the wrecked area of the desert where Tony had been kidnapped.

It means that they were much closer to rescue.

Luckily for the two men, they had arrived at the bomb site in the early hours of the morning while the sun was rising, they would be easy to spot from the sky.

Yinsen smiled brightly before turning to Tony, stating that he could hear a helicopter approaching... when Tony listened, he too could hear the distinct approach of a military helicopter coming their way. It seemed that he had timed their escape perfectly. He could only hope that it was Rhodey approaching them.

It was Tony's turn to smile brightly when he saw the military helicopter heading their way. It was definitely Rhodey that was coming for them. In their happiness, both men started jumping on their feet and waving their hands above their heads, letting out loud shouts so that they made sure they were noticed by the crew. Luckily, there was nothing to worry about as both of them were spotted immediately. They kind of stood out against the desert backdrop. Yinsen and Tony hugged one another when the helicopter started descending.

"Tony! Thank God you're okay!" Rhodey shouted once he had disembarked from the helicopter, quickly hugging Tony when he was within range. "And who is this?" He asked, noticing Yinsen standing quite close to his best friend.

"This is Yinsen. He saved my life when I was injured in the attack and then helped me escape. He is also the newest member of the new Stark Industries. He's very cool." Tony assured his best friend; he could clearly see the suspicion in Rhodey's eyes... he was going to put that to rest immediately. He wouldn't let anyone doubt Yinsen after everything they had been through together.

"Pleasure to meet you, Yinsen; thanks for looking after this idiot. Tony here can be a lot to handle... I'm James Rhodes, though you can call me Rhodey. Any friend of Tony's is a friend of mine." Rhodey said, holding his hand out to the other man. He had seen the look that Tony had sent him when he questioned who the man was; it was clear that the two men had obviously grown close in whatever situation they had been in, and he trusted his best friend's judgement.

"He was a perfect gentleman; I was in that base much longer than him, and I was never able to find a way out... I would probably be dead if not for his help." Yinsen said, shaking Rhodey's hand in greeting. Both Rhodey and Yinsen noticed that Tony flinched when Yinsen mentioned dying, but neither of them said anything on the matter.

"Can we go home now? There's a lot that needs to be done." Tony said confidently, the changes to Stark Industries would be happening immediately; he wasn't going to wait this time around.

Rhodey sighed. "Tony, you have just been through an incredibly traumatic event. The first place that the two of you are going is to a hospital. Depending on what they say, you will be taking a few days off before returning to work; this is non-negotiable." He said sternly, he would make sure that Tony took the rest he needed. Tony scowled but knew that Rhodey would ensure he stayed put, Stark Industries and Obadiah Stane would still be there after a little break.

"Rhodey is correct. We both need to take it easy for a little while. Don't forget how close to death you really were." Yinsen said, and Tony winced when he practically felt the glare being directed at him from Rhodey. He reluctantly nodded, surrendering to both of them.

The group then turned around and headed towards the helicopter, where the pilots were waiting for permission to take off.

Yinsen turned around and looked back in the direction they had come from. He had lost his family in this mess, but he had also gained some brilliant new friends as well as the chance to start over with a new life. Tony approached the older man and placed a hand on his shoulder. He smiled gently before leading Yinsen back towards the helicopter. Both of them were ready to make some very serious changes to their lives, both of which were for the better.

Chapter Text

The travel from Afghanistan to the New York hospital was a tense one, with Rhodey finally learning just what kind of danger Tony had been in.

When Rhodey had been shown the Arc Reactor in Tony's chest, he was shocked at first, then he was angry towards those who had done this to his best friend before becoming thankful to Yinsen for being able to save Tony's life. Rhodey had asked if there was anything that could be done at the hospital. He knew how much Tony hated the hospital... but if they could remove that device, then Tony's life would return to normal.

Tony quickly shot that down, explaining that the shrapnel in his chest was incredibly small and dangerously close to vital organs. A surgery right now would be impossible. Once Tony invented a properly working Extremis, he would use it on himself, allowing his body to 'heal' from the damage. He would then speak to Doctor Stephen Strange, who was qualified to perform such a surgery. On top of that, this situation would be the perfect excuse for both Stephen and Tony to meet in good settings. Hopefully, the two of them would click like in his previous life... and this time, their feelings would develop much sooner.

Yinsen quickly jumped at the chance to help create the new Extremis, a biological compound that could help heal a large variety of injuries and illnesses. If produced correctly, then this new Extremis could be used to regrow limbs over a period of time. Tony appointed Yinsen as the head of this new project. He would send Yinsen the information on the compound when they got to Stark Industries. It was going to be the man's first job with his new job.

Of course, Rhodey was a little unsure about all this. A compound such as Extremis could be very dangerous in the wrong hands, essentially forming super soldiers that could heal themselves. However, Tony wouldn't create something unless he knew it was the right thing. It would also allow people to heal from injuries that would otherwise ruin lives.

"We should be arriving at the hospital in the next few hours; we're trying to keep your rescue on the down low until you are healed... it's going to be a mad house when people realise your back." Rhodey explained. He could only hope that Tony would keep things on the down low for the time being. The world's focus was going to be on him for the time being due to him being kidnapped. Doing the wrong thing at the wrong time could prove disastrous. As awful as it sounded, he could only hope that his best friend had done some serious thinking during this incident, making him realise that being a drunk and playboy wasn't in his best interests.

Tony, on the other hand, was feeling a little on edge; Pepper was going to be present, and Obadiah was going to be close behind her. He had no proof against either of them, which meant he was going to have to play nice until he was able to get the proof he needed. Obadiah was easy as his transgressions were recorded, though hard to reach... Pepper, on the other hand, had betrayed him in the future, which meant he would need to find another reason to stay away from her.

Also, on Tony's mind was what should be first on his list. Dealing with Obadiah and creating Extremis was at the top of his list right now, as were those things that needed changing with Stark Industries from weaponry to other profitable items.

"Right now, I don't care what the rest of the world thinks. There's too much that we need to do, and there's a lot of things we need to prepare for. After my little visit to the hospital, I really have to get back to work... I also need to bring in some new people, one's who will be able to help." Tony said thoughtfully, already thinking about who he would bring in first.

If Tony was remembering correctly, there was a way to summon a God from Asgard, Heimdell watched over all the worlds, so he assumed that getting in touch with Loki would be a simple matter. Bruce was also a must to contact much sooner. He wouldn't let Natasha get her hands on him first... they were science bro's, which meant that Bruce was going to be able to help with some of the things he had planned. It would also be wise to get in touch with Clint. He needed to get the man away from SHIELD and convince him that he was better off away from them. He would also need to figure out how to contact Stephen when the time came. Once Stephen learnt his abilities, he would be brought onto The Avengers as another mage alongside Loki.

Finally, Tony was thinking about Peter; the boy would be quite young at this moment in time... but introducing himself sooner would make him feel better. It meant that he would be there when Peter needed him. He would provide training for Peter much easier this time around, meaning that the boy would be ready for the time when he got his powers... Tony was going to have to work his way around Aunt May; Peter would be much too young to use the excuse of being an intern.

Rhodey and Yinsen looked at one another confused. Tony was speaking very oddly yet looked to be very serious about what he was saying... so whatever was going on, Tony was very set on making sure that it was carried out.

Tony knew that he wasn't making much sense to the two other males, but there were a lot that needed to be done, and he would need their help with everything. However, he couldn't tell them that he was from a different world where he died, united the Infinity Stones, and was sent here to make sure his future didn't happen this time around.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Tony?" Rhodey asked, worriedly looking at his best friend.

Tony smiled softly. "I don't think I'll be okay for a little while, Rhodey. I was blown up, then I was healed by Yinsen, only to be tortured until I agreed to build weapons. Contacting a therapist when I'm checked out will be at the top of my list." Tony explained, further shocking Rhodey. In the past, it was very rare for Tony to admit he needed help. However, in this moment, Tony was admitting that a therapist would be needed. It seemed that being kidnapped and tortured had already changed Tony quite a bit.

All three males made small talk for the rest of their flight to the hospital. It was comfortable between the three of them... they mostly talked about plans for when Tony returned to work.

When they got to the hospital, Tony was a little disappointed that it wasn't the one where Stephen worked, though it was probably best to wait until he saw the man he was in love with yet didn't know about him yet. The hospital staff were already waiting for them when the helicopter landed, Rhodey having called ahead to give them time to prepare a room for him.

Rhodey and Yinsen were shown to a private waiting room while Tony was led into a private hospital room. He needed to have a doctor look at him and determine what needed to be done before anything else could be discussed. He wouldn't need to be operated on, which was good, but he would still have to do some treatment. Luckily, the doctors were people who were used to working with Tony. Therefore, they knew how to talk to him comfortably... Tony admitted that he could be a very difficult patient to deal with.

However, he was a perfect gentleman, answering the questions that he was asked and showing the doctors his injuries afterwards. The one thing he had been on edge throughout the whole visit to the hospital was about the Arc Reactor, quickly asking the doctors not to inspect the strange device when one moved to do just that, assuring him that he was indeed severely injured in that area... but that he had everything under control, and there wasn't any risk of further injury to himself. He just didn't want others touching the sensitive device. The doctors were clearly not happy about doing such a thing, but if the patient was well enough to make informed decisions, then there was nothing they could do about it.

After only a couple of hours in the hospital, Tony was allowed to leave with Rhodey and Yinsen, who had also been cleared for serious injury and could go home with Tony.

The next shock for Tony was walking through the doors to Stark Industries and hearing the voice of JARVIS talking to him. Vision had sounded just like his creation and had some of the same coding, but Vision had been his own person with only a small amount of JARVIS making up his genetic code.

"Welcome home, sir. I am relieved to see you have returned." The distinct voice was one that Tony had missed for a very long time. Tony had to control himself; he was trying very hard not to cry in front of Yinsen or Rhodey. He had no reason to do so, as he always spoke to JARVIS. He was going to have to control himself for the time being and in times to come when he met those he had lost as well as those who had betrayed him in his previous life.

JARVIS would be one of the only beings he would be able to tell his secret to; the A.I. was programmed to listen to Tony above all others. It was going to be a welcome relief for Tony to actually talk to someone about what he had been through. JARVIS would listen and might even have some suggestions for him. However, that could only be done when they were alone together. He couldn't risk anyone else overhearing him talking about such things. Even those closest to him would think him crazy for being kidnapped rather than believe such claims.

"Rhodey, could you please show Yinsen to his new lab before taking him to his room?" I'm planning on heading to bed right after a shower. We can go over everything tomorrow." Tony suggested he was feeling drained, though the main reason was so he could talk to JARVIS.

Once Yinsen and Rhodey had left the penthouse, Tony immediately locked down the area and went to the bathroom. After he had showered and changed into more comfortable clothes, he sat down and explained everything to JARVIS. The A.I. listened to his creator with rapt attention, rarely speaking until the end of the explanation. If Tony was being honest to himself, he was quite happy to get that off of his shoulders. It did actually feel like he was sharing the responsibilities of this new life. After Tony explained certain times in the future with clarity, JARVIS had no option but to believe his creator, no matter how outlandish it actually sounded.

Tony started two separate lists:
Number 1 was a list that focused on the issues at the forefront of his mind, such as Iron Man, Obadiah, Pepper, Stark Industries, Stephen, Peter, and Extremis. Thanos also crossed his mind here, but that was still years off, which would give them time to make plans.

Number 2 was a list that focused more on the issues for the future, such as the Rogues, Thanos, and SHIELD as well as Loki, Clint, Bruce, and the other New Avengers that had been brought in.

"JARVIS, start looking into Obadiah's activities in the mainframe. He might think he's hidden himself well, but I know what I'm looking for this time around; we're going to get the evidence against him and do things right." Tony stated, he didn't want Obadiah anywhere near him, so he decided to get him arrested much earlier this time around.

"What would you like done in regard to Miss Potts? You have no reason to distance yourself from her. Such actions would make others suspicious." JARVIS stated, the actual anger in the voice of the A.I. was clear to hear. Tony had invented his A.I. to have human-level thinking, which is why he was able to talk to JARVIS in such a manner... sometimes it was like talking to an actual human being rather than a computer. The speed at which the A.I. learnt was impressive even to its inventor. In Tony's eyes, JARVIS was a dear friend that he could always rely on.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done right now." Tony said, sighing in disappointment. He would just have to deal with her for the time being.

Tony closed his eyes and relaxed. He wanted to make sure that he had the evidence against Obadiah before he was able to sleep for the night. Only an hour later, JARVIS said that he had found what they were looking for, including bank transfers to the Ten Rings, proof of him stealing weapons and reselling them, as well as some other unsavoury things.

"All of the files we have discovered have been sent to the authorities; Obadiah Stane will be arrested by the time morning arrives, sir." JARVIS explained, Tony was exhausted, so as soon as he heard that news, he settled down for sleep.

The inventor had also decided on what he was going to tell Rhodey when the truth of Obadiah came to light. He would simply say that Stark Industries was going under a huge overhaul... as he was looking through his systems, he came across the truth of what Obadiah was doing. He had JARVIS send the information to the authorities and let them deal with it. Unfortunately, Tony had yet to create the armour that would make him Iron Man. It wasn't his job to help bring people to justice yet. Though the creation of the armour was at the top of his list, he wanted to bring Iron Man back sooner rather than later.

Once Tony woke in the morning, JARVIS was quick to inform him that Obadiah Stane had been removed from the building early that very morning. Apparently, he hadn't gone quietly and had to be dragged out. As close as they had been, Tony couldn't feel any sympathy for the man. He had discovered even more of Obadiah's plans during his search; the things that he was planning made even Tony feel sick to his stomach. He was glad the man was behind bars.

Tony had Pepper call a press conference for later that afternoon. When she pressed for more information, he denied telling her anything. He had lost all the trust he once had for her. She would not be getting a second chance... even though this Pepper had yet to do anything.

"What's going on with you, Tony? In all of the years that I have known you, I have never known you to dismiss Pepper in such a manner. On top of that, calling a press conference without informing your head of PR is also strange." Rhodey said, confused. In some areas, Tony was exactly as he always had been however, there was something very different about his best friend, something that Tony wasn't telling him. He would give Tony the time he needed to sort everything out, but he would watch his best friend more closely from now on.

"Nothing, Rhodey; there's just been some recent developments that I have to take into account. Please trust that I know what I'm doing." Tony said. He had thought that Rhodey would become suspicious of his new behaviour. Rhodey had been with him for years. If anyone was going to notice the difference, then it was going to be him.

Rhodey looked a little unsure before smiling softly. "I trust you with my life, Tones. I know that you will tell me what's going on when you are ready. Just know that I am here for you." He said, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder.

Tony smiled brightly at the show of trust, a true testament to just how precious the friendship was between them. For now, Tony's closest ally was Rhodey. He would be unable to tell his best friend the truth of what had happened in his previous life... but that didn't mean that he would have his plans from him; Rhodey would be taking an active part in everything he did. He was even going to develop the War Machine armour much sooner this time around; Tony wanted Rhodey as protected as humanly possible.

The next few days passed quickly, though much had changed around Stark Industries.

Obadiah Stane's secrets had been revealed to the world in a very public setting. The man didn't even have the chance to speak before he was detained and led away from Tony. It had also been announced that Stark Industries would be stopping all productions of weaponry unless necessary... Tony had then gone on to announce their new line of products, ones that would help people rather than bring more death.

All of these changes had brought the world to a standstill. Even those who didn't know Tony personally had noticed the changes in him, especially the women who were still throwing themselves at him despite refusing any of their offers.

However, the world quickly adapted once the new products had been released to the public. The amazing products were happily received. Tony found it ironic that he was making even more money this time around, that the objects that were helping people were making him richer than the weapons that he had been known for. There are still some in the world who believe that Tony was making a mistake by stopping his weapon manufacturing. One of those major opponents was SHIELD, who had greatly benefitted from Stark Industries weapons. After all, it was true that one of their founders was his own father.

With Obadiah's truths revealed and the weapons shut down, Tony's plans for change had begun in earnest; however, there was still a lot that needed to be done before Thanos arrived.

Chapter Text

A couple of weeks had passed since the announcements of change for Stark Industries, and everything had been pretty well received. Though the military was unhappy that they wouldn't have such amazing weaponry, they actually understood why Tony had made such a move.

The arrest of Obadiah Stane had received some backlash at first; the man had been a known close friend of Howard Stark and an honorary uncle to Tony himself. This gave the police no option; they had to release the information they had found on the man that had led to his arrest. Once the world had been made aware of what Obadiah Stane had done, the complaints about his arrest practically stopped overnight. To learn he was behind Tony's kidnapping and selling illegal weapons to their enemies shocked a lot of people.

Just as Tony had predicted he had gotten a visit from Nick Fury of SHIELD himself, of course the man tried to convince him that stopping weapons completely was against his father's wishes and that he should still supply certain organisations... Tony told the man to kindly stay away from him and that he would do what he wanted with his own money and company.

Nick Fury was not a pleasant or patient man, and while he had left when Tony told him to... the billionaire knew that the man would be back. In his previous life, he alone funded the Avengers Program, as well as developed weapons for both the Avengers and SHIELD. While the spy organisation was known around the world, they didn't have unlimited funds, which is why they relied on Tony a lot during his past life. That would not be happening this time around; SHIELD could play superhero all they wanted, but Tony would not be part of it. He would be forming his own team with the people he trusted, and his trust was something very few people in that organisation actually had.

Of course, his plans would further annoy Nick Fury; another separate team would be funded and outfitted by Tony Stark, which meant they would be better equipped and have more sway with the public. Especially in the last few weeks, Tony Stark had become royalty in New York, and people around the world were going to stand behind that character rather than the spy organisation, which few people knew much about.

People would rally behind his team rather than the Avengers this time around.

Tony had finally relaxed in his new life, so he decided that it was time to make progress on one of the most important changes he was making: introducing himself to Doctor Stephen Strange, a man who would one day become Sorcerer Supreme and the man that Tony loved.

If he was being honest with himself, Tony was a little nervous this time around. In his previous life, he knew very little about Stephen Strange when he was still a doctor; he had then only met the man after his accident and had already become the Sorcerer Supreme. The statement 'Love at First Sight' fit their situation quite well, though it had taken some time for both of them to be comfortable enough saying that they liked/loved one another.

Things would be different this time around, as Tony would be meeting Stephen when he was still a doctor. It was made even stranger by the fact that Tony knew a lot about Stephen while the man knew nothing about him; he knew what Stephen would become and what the world was facing, while Stephen would be kept in the dark until the time was right. It was going to be some hard work on Tony's end, seeing the man he loves as a friend and crush until the time they become something more... however, he knew that he would be able to get through all of that and do it for the both of them to have the happiness they desired.

"Where are you off to in a hurry? And why are you looking so nice?" Rhodey asked as he looked at his closest friend... Tony was putting on a suit jacket, a clear indicator that he was going out.

"I always look like a million dollars Rhodey Bear." Tony said with a laugh, before his face and tone became more serious. "There's a charity event tonight that I'm wanting to get a look at; I've been out of that scene for a while... it's time that I start attending them." Tony explained, of course he wasn't going to tell his best friend about Stephen even before they had officially met in this life.

Rhodey was shocked at the answer his best friend gave. Tony had been out of the charity gala scene for a few years. He liked going to parties, getting drunk, and hooking up with gorgeous women that threw themselves at him. However, Rhodey had noticed that Tony had yet to touch a drink since he had returned home weeks ago. As well as that Tony hadn't brought home any women or even flirted with any women since his return home. And now he actually wanted to attend one of the charity gala's... something was very different about his friend, and he wasn't sure if it was a good change or not.

"And should we be expecting you to have company upon your return?" Rhodey asked; he had never agreed with how much Tony slept around... but Tony was his best friend, so he kept his mouth shut, though he had a feeling that Tony knew just how much it upset him when he did it.

Tony sighed, though he guessed that he should have expected such a question. His past hadn't been a good one, even though he hadn't shown signs of doing the same since he had returned, so he shouldn't have been surprised that Rhodey would ask such a question. Even when he had admitted his feelings to Stephen in his previous life, his past had caught up with him, as Stephen questioned if he truly liked him or just wanted another person to warm his bed at night. Though that was only for the first couple weeks of their relationship, they both proved themselves to each other.

"No, you won't... I'll be coming back alone." Tony said simply; his tone was calm and serious.

Once Tony had finished getting ready, he had Happy drive him to the location of the gala. He had arrived quite early, as he wanted to get some donations done first before he would locate Stephen. He really hoped that the man wasn't seeing his friend Christine at this point; he clearly remembered that Stephen had been in a relationship with the woman for a few months during the time when he was still a doctor... he had soon realised that they didn't fit together, mainly due to the fact that Stephen liked men and that he couldn't give Christine the life she wanted. If his calculations were right, then the accident was still a few months away, which meant that Stephen should be single right now.

"Mr. Stark! We weren't expecting you here tonight." One of the organisers for the event stated that as soon as he had entered the venue, the excitement was clear in their voice... but they were also a little on edge having Tony Stark himself at their event.

"Well, here I am. I wanted to get here a little early so I could make the donations privately. If you could please lead me to the area, I would appreciate it." Tony said politely, it seemed that he wasn't the only one who had thought to come early... there were a number of people already in attendance, most of whom already had a drink in hand and were making small talk.

"Of course, please follow me, sir... and we appreciate your donation." The organiser said in a rushed tone, she started leading Tony to one side of the room where a long table was set up with different donation jars for each of the various charities being represented here that night. The organiser explained which charities were being donated to and what they did. Tony was quite happy to donate a large sum to each of them, as they were all charities he believed in.

The majority of people who attended these events only showed up for the publicity of showing their faces at such a party, though there were some who came to actually donate seriously. Stephen and Tony were among two of those people, those that came to the charity for the actual charity work rather than the fame; they had attended some in his previous life when their relationship had been made public. Of course, the presence of Tony Stark/Iron Man and Stephen Strange/Sorcerer Supreme was fame enough for them.

As Tony was filling out the various checks he would be giving that night, he heard a familiar voice, one that he had been both hoping and dreading to hear.

"...Enough!" The familiar voice of Stephen Strange, though the man didn't seem to sound quite happy right now. When Tony turned to look in that direction, he saw the young, handsome face of the man he loved. He also took notice of the woman who was standing at his side. It seemed like Stephen was trying to keep his distance from her while she wanted to be much closer.

"...Come on, why don't you admit that you still like me? Why else would you invite me to this thing?" Came the voice of the woman standing with Stephen; Tony recognised her from his previous life too. This was Christine Palmer, the only other person that Stephen had dated and one of his biggest regrets. This woman had become a major problem for them when their relationship had gone public; she was extremely homophobic and told everyone how Stephen had led her on before cheating on her with Tony. Of course, the public didn't believe a single word she said, especially after the two males went public with what really happened.

Christine Palmer's career and life were practically over after that; no one wanted to be around the woman who tried to hurt two of their heroes. She was also a public pathological liar, something that employers didn't want in those who worked for their companies.

"Because it's not true, Christine, we went on a few dates, and that was it... I told you that I didn't think we matched well. As for why I came with you, I was forced to come here with you as my plus one. You are excellent in your field, so the hospital wanted you out more; they thought seeing you with me would increase your chances." Stephen explained, sounding quite sick of his life at this point... Tony was a little shocked too; he didn't remember Christine behaving like this until their relationship was revealed, which hadn't happened yet.

The woman was just about to say something else when Tony decided to make his presence known, keeping his emotions in check for the moment.

"Well, well... Doctor Stephen Strange, didn't think I would actually meet you at a gala like this." Tony said as he walked up to the two, Stephen's attention was on him immediately, as were Christine's only moments later. Tony watched as her eyes widened and then softened, quickly stepping away from her former boyfriend, though not too far. It was clear to Tony that she was going to try and get his attention, which did nothing but disgust him.

"Doctor Stark, it's been quite some time since you attended an event like this one. I am glad to see that you seem to be doing well, especially after everything you have been through recently." Stephen said, his attention now solely on Tony... which seemed to really annoy Christine, whose face turned angry when both males’ attention was solely on each other.

"I have read about your work; you are the best of the best in your field. I was hoping to talk to you about consulting with my company; we're planning on a wave of medical equipment and procedures that have never been seen before... I would quite like to have someone of your background on the team as well." Tony explained, he had figured this would be the best chance of them spending time together before everything began.

"Oh, that sounds quite interesting. I didn't know you were planning to enter the medical field with your work." Stephen said, he wasn't ready for such things in the news being planned.

"You wouldn't; we're actually keeping it close to home until some projects have been completed and tested... I just think you would be a good addition to the team given your experience in the medical field." Tony paused to take the man's appearance in; Stephen was definitely interested in his proposal and in something more. Stephen had apparently been checking Tony out in a very subtle way that most wouldn't notice; however, Tony wasn't most people and had noticed the action straight away. It seemed that Stephen was already quite interested in him.

Before either male could say anything else, a female voice quickly jumped in to cut them off.

"Uh excuse me, you do realise that you are practically ignoring my existence here." Christine's grating voice sounded from beside them; she was also in the medical field so she could help. The likelihood of people noticing her hanging with these two men would certainly help her.

"And you think the right thing to do is interrupt two people having an important conversation? Come on, Christine, what's happened to you in the past few months? You never used to be like this." Stephen said, shaking his head in disappointment. Christine Palmer had been his best friend, which is why he had tried his hand at dating her; however, he quickly realised after a few dates that they were better off as friends. Once he explained this to her, she started changing, becoming angrier and more unlikeable as time went on.

"I know about you as well, Miss Palmer, but you have no interest to me. Now if you would be so kind as to excuse us, me and Doctor Strange need to talk alone." Tony said, his already low control on his emotions slipping a little at her presence here.

"Are you going to let him talk like that to me, Stephen? I heard that Tony Stark was a real piece of work, but I never expected him to be such a horrible person." Christine stated, turning her wide and pleading eyes in Stephen's direction. She thought that since she was Stephan's close friend, he would take her side and make a fool of Tony Stark while protecting her; however, she was shocked to see the clear disappointment and slight disgust in his eyes when he looked at her.

"Actually, I'm with Doctor Stark on this one; we have business to attend to, so please go mingle with the other guests and I will come get you when it's time to leave." Stephen said softly; he then followed Tony as he was led further away from the public gala.

Christine was left standing there in shock. She had thought that this party would fix everything between her and Stephen—that she was the perfect woman for him if he would just give their relationship a chance; however, Christine had also seen the look in Stephen's eyes when he met Tony Stark for the first time. There had been very clear romantic interest in the man's blue eyes; she couldn't help but wonder if she had been used by Stephen to see if he actually liked women... if what she had just seen was any indication, it seemed like her friend liked the male anatomy.

Stephen and Tony walked outside while making small talk. When they were alone, they started talking about the many projects that Tony had floating around in his brain... Tony even went on to explain the basics of the Iron Man armour and Legionnaire. Stephen seemed quite interested in that particular topic and stated that it would help save a lot of lives in the future.

Tony also explained about Extremis and his study of the Super Soldier serum. Stephen was a little apprehensive about this subject given his oath as a doctor. Tony explained that Extremis was the main project in the medical field, going on to explain what the substance would do. The other doctor admitted that the substance sounded amazing. If it could be perfected, he would lend a hand on this project, but he would do it with some reservations. The Super Soldier Serum was a bigger issue for Stephen; in his eyes, it was an enhancement drug that never should have been invented... Captain America had been a successful product of the serum, but a lot of bad things had also resulted from that same serum, some of which outweighed the good of it.

It did take some convincing; Tony explained that he would only be studying the serum his father helped develop; it was much too dangerous to actually administer. Tony went on to explain about HYDRA and their use of the Super Soldier serum; if he could find a way to reverse the effects, then he would be able to take those people down.

As well as everything else, it was still a failed experiment in this day and age. The same serum that gave birth to Captain America also made Doctor Bruce Banner turn into the Hulk, an incredibly powerful being that the man had practically no control over. If he could improve the serum, then he could give Bruce Banner the ability to have more control over the Hulk.

"You have made your point and a compelling statement. I shall help you to the best of my abilities, though I don't know how much help I'll be. After all, I specialise in neurology." Stephen explained, he would be willing to help Tony, but he didn't know how helpful he would be. Tony assured the other man that he was going to be a big help, and if nothing else, they were going to become great friends over doing this.

"Well, I think that I better catch my ride home. I'll see you tomorrow at Stark Industries; once you have gone over the contract I draft, then we can get to work; there's a lot to be done and very little time to do it in." Tony said softly, not realising what he had said right now.

"What do you mean by that? Is there a time issue when it comes to these projects? You confuse me, Tony; sometimes I see flashes of the man I read about in the news, but most of the time you talk like you’re from a different time." Stephen said, not missing how Tony's eyes widened. Tony Stark was a mystery wrapped in a handsome package, and it was a mystery that Stephen was all too willing to figure out... Stephen had long accepted the truth about himself after dating Christine in the past; it seemed that he was very interested in spending more time with this man.

"Oh, nothing serious; just ignore me when I sprout nonsense like that. I will see you tomorrow, Stephen, bright and early." Tony said, shaking the man's hand before walking away.

Bright blue eyes watched as the man walked away before he decided that he wanted to leave the party, quickly looking around to find Christine so that they could leave. He found her flirting with a millionaire in a large group of people; he sighed before walking over in that direction.

"So, are you finally going to tell me what's going on, Stephen? I'm your friend, aren't I? So shouldn't I be part of whatever you are doing?" Christine said once Stephen had returned to her, pressing close to him to try and get his attention. The man brushed her aside and told her it was time to go; she said nothing further as she left the party a few steps behind her friend.

That night Stephen and Tony lay in their own beds, both of them wondering what tomorrow as well as the future was going to bring them.

Chapter Text

Things for Tony had been progressing well for the last couple of weeks.

Stephen paid regular visits to Stark Industries after their meeting at the gala. They had become fast friends and worked on the planning as well as prototypes for the equipment that Stark Industries was developing.

It was amazing just how well the two males had gotten on. They had clicked immediately... even Rhodey was a little shocked at just how quickly Tony had opened up to the man. Tony was happy that Rhodey and Stephen got along well, too. They were his closest friend/lover in the future he was envisioning, and he wanted them to get along.

Stark Industries had announced their line of medical equipment and introduced Doctor Stephen Strange as their partner for said equipment. Many were a little caught off guard by the sudden change in development... but it did make sense to some; Tony had been kidnapped, and no one really knew what he had through during that 1 month. The man had never revealed why he wanted to stop creating weapons and instead focused on other projects, but many knew that it had something to do with what happened to him... of course, no one pushed for answers when there wasn't any being offered to them freely.

Now that he had some downtime, he could focus on his major project that he had been keeping secret—the creation of his Iron Man armour. With his knowledge of the future from his previous life, he was able to develop the nanotechnology much sooner this time around; it had already been tested and used in the medical field for parts that would grow as the patient did. It was so revolutionary that many of those in the medical field were buying from Stark Industries. Tony guessed that it was lucky he was able to keep up with such large orders.

With the development of nanotechnology already out there, the Iron Man armour wouldn't be too ahead of its time... unless someone was to look inside.

Tony had also been deciding whether or not to reveal his identity as Iron Man when the time came. In his previous life, he had revealed the truth very early on... in fact, every member of the Avengers (except Spider-Man, Deadpool, and some others) had revealed their identities to the public at some point... many thought that the public deserved to know the faces of their heroes, some others decided that keeping their loved ones safe was more important.

Unfortunately, there were both pros and cons to revealing his identity... he would have to think about it a little more and decide if it would be worth it. He remembered just how invasive people were when he was out in public—even more so than when he was just Tony Stark.

Another important project that Tony was working on... is the Stark Tower.

Eventually, Stark Tower would become the Avengers Tower unless a different name was decided when the team was finally formed. Tony had a feeling that Nick Fury would still push for the Avengers whether Tony joined the team or not. He wanted to forge his own team with people he trusted and who trusted him in return. At the end of the day, that was the issue in his previous life. His team/friends hadn't trusted him and had turned on him at the first sign of trouble.

Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, War Machine, Thor, Loki, Hulk, Ant-Man, Wasp, Winter Soldier, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Deadpool... these were the names of people who would be welcome in his team. These would be the core members, and more would join as time passed.

When the time came, Tony was going to contact Captain Marvel, War Machine, Hawkeye, Hulk, Wasp, and Ant-Man, as these were the only active people he could get in contact with. While Thor, Loki, Doctor Strange, Deadpool, and Spider-Man would be recruited in the future... mainly when their accidents or arrivals had happened. He was also going to start the search for The Winter Soldier. He would reverse the damage that HYDRA had done to Bucky Barnes, and he would bring the man home... once the programming was gone, he could make the decision himself... start a while new life as a civilian or join one of the teams being formed.

Tony was careful with his selection, remembering every face he had met in his previous life and judging his relationship with all of them. Part of him didn't want to judge them based on what he knew of them in a different time, but he also knew who he could and couldn't trust. The Rogues were definitely out; Fury would recruit them for the Avengers so they would have no place on his team. Tony was also on the fence with Black Panther and Wakanda. T'Challa had housed the Rogues for months after they were declared criminals; however, the King had admitted that he was wrong to do so and that he was trying to protect the man who had been used so much throughout his life.

The billionaire understood where T'Challa was coming from, but he had gone about it the wrong way. More than likely, he would contact Wakanda when the time was right. He would bring up his plan of forming a team and welcoming Black Panther. They would go from there.

Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, would join in on the training and meetings, but he would be joining as a reserve member. The boy wasn't even 18 yet, and Tony would prefer that he get the training he needs, but he wouldn't be joining any missions unless he was needed. Deadpool would also be a reserve member, as he, too, was on the younger side. Training in teamwork was also needed with Deadpool since he was so used to working on his own.

Tony was currently down in his lab; Stephen had been there earlier but had been called away for a surgery that left him alone. Tony knew that he had been putting the Iron Man armour on the backburner, now that he had some time alone, he would begin building his treasure.

"Hey J, bring up the file labelled 'Iron Man', please." Tony said, his tone soft as he spoke to JARVIS. He had been here for months now, and yet he was still emotional whenever he heard his creation talking to him. He was well aware that he had missed JARVIS in his previous life. Now he was realising just how much he had missed now that he was back with him.

"Of course, sir, but may I enquire as to why you are building a weaponised suit of armour? I thought that you were no longer building weapons." JARVIS said. He was confused about why his creator was creating a weapon when he said that he wasn't building them anymore. As well as that, he had been informed that Tony was creating another A.I. for the building, stating that JARVIS needed other 'people' around beside him. They had designed the base code themselves and given the A.I. the name Friday, which Tony had been adamant on.

Once this Iron Man armour was completed, FRIDAY would be integrated into the building and the suit. It would be down to JARVIS to teach her everything she needed to know. JARVIS would be lying if he said he wasn't excited about this new challenge.

"This suit will not be mass produced; I might be making two at most... the world isn't prepared for what's coming. It's about time that we took notice of that. This suit is made to help people, the weapons to be used on those who would hurt others... Iron Man will become a symbol of hope for people, letting them know that there is someone out there who is powerful enough to protect them." Tony said softly, feeling the bracelet on his wrist give off a comforting heat that let him know he was heard... Tony had yet to hear the voices of the Infinity Stones once more, but he did get that comforting heat to reassure him that they were still there with him.

"I understand that sir, but why does it have to be you? You have been through so much already. Why do you think that you need to be the hero?" JARVIS said softly, his creator had been through a lot, and he had already given a lot back. He didn't understand why Tony had to do this.

Tony had come to understand that his power with the Soul Stone was predestined due to the fact that he had a habit of creating souls. His robots, JARVIS and FRIDAY, had always felt human to those who knew about them. They were more human than A.I. in many ways; Tony had come to know that he had created them with actual souls—the first living being who was able to create souls other than the Soul Stone itself. That is why the Soul Stone felt such a connection to him. It finally hit home to Tony that he was something special and that he was always supposed to live his life like this.

"It doesn't have to be me, J, but I have decided that it is going to me. Eventually, I will create a team to help out, but for right now, I am happy to use my 'power' to help others... I'll prove to everyone that you don't need to have superpowers to be a superhero." Tony stated passionately. He knew that JARVIS understood where he was coming from—he always had done so.

The billionaire spent the next few hours going over the designs for the armour. Like his previous life, he was going to create multiple armours for different situations... they would be remote piloted by JARVIS and FRIDAY while he operated the main unit, allowing his armour to be in multiple places at once, depending on what needed doing. In his previous life, he had been known as the one-man army. He had a large amount of armour that could be controlled remotely, which allowed him to be all over the world at once.

In this life, he would certainly live up to the name he had been given.

"Design has been fully uploaded onto the server; manufacturing and painting will begin. The estimated time until completion is 37 hours." JARVIS said. He might not want Tony to be the hero, but he would help make sure his creator stayed safe and happy.

"Go ahead and activate it, JARVIS. Stephen should be returning soon, and I'm not ready to reveal this to him yet." Tony said. He waited for the production to begin before leaving the lab and locking the door. Once everything was secure, he headed up to the living area of the penthouse. He was going to get a quick snack before Stephen returned, as they had planned to eat out for the night if both of them were free.

Only an hour later, Stephen returned to the tower, entering the penthouse with a simple press of a card. Stephen had full access to the tower, giving him permission to enter any room in the building without being questioned about it; however, it didn't take very long for Stephen to notice that something was bothering Tony.

"You wanna tell me what's really going on? I've known you for a while now and have been hanging out with you for months. I think I know when you are keeping secrets. You know that you can tell me anything. You've never judged me on anything I've told you in the past." Stephen said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder as a sign of comfort. He smiled when Tony leaned into the touch, a sign of utmost trust between the two of them. It had been a slow process; they were both used to people liking them for one reason or another, so it had taken a little while for them to open up to each other completely when they first started hanging out.

Stephen certainly had a way with words; Tony could feel himself giving in.

Tony sighed deeply. He should have known he couldn't keep this a secret, especially not from Stephen. Of course, he had loved Stephen in his previous life, but those feelings had only grown stronger after meeting the man in this life. In the last few months of them being together, he had to wait as his feelings for the man grew, yet he was unsure if Stephen felt the same about him. Now, though, he had no choice but to explain Iron Man to the other man.

The two men walked down to Tony's lab, where Stephen saw the armour being painted. The actual armour was completed now... all that was left was the paint job, which Tony had decided to keep the same as his previous life. After all, red and gold were iconic for him.

"Just what is that, Tony? I thought you weren't creating weapons anymore. That suit seems to be reinforced and carries a lot of weaponry... not to mention it looks like it's powered by the Arc Reactor, making it even more powerful." Stephen said. He didn't sound angry, but he did sound confused. Stephen had been very happy when Tony stopped the creation of weapons, and Tony looked very happy about it himself, so he didn't understand why the man had seemingly built an even more powerful weapon than the ones he had built previously.

Tony spent the next 45 minutes explaining about the Iron Man armour and his plans for it. Stephen sat there and listened with rapt attention as Tony explained everything.

"Please say something, Stephen. I wasn't ready to tell anyone about this yet... but this is something I need to do, and I really hope you can help me." Tony said desperately. He didn't want to lose Stephen over something like this... Iron Man was important to him, just as important to him as the man before him. He didn't want to have to choose between them, which is what ended up happening with Pepper in his previous life.

"Of course I'll help, though I don't think I'll be very much help... you're an amazing man Tony, after everything that you have been through, you deserve to just take it easy. Yet here you are, designing an armour that you will use to protect people. I wish I was half the man you are." Stephen said confidently. He had never met a man like Tony Stark before. The real man was very different from the man depicted in the news. This man had a heart of gold, cared for those around him, and was willing to do practically anything to help others.

"I think you're pretty amazing yourself. You didn't have an easy life growing up either... yet you pushed past everything to become the top neurology surgeon in the world; that isn't easy either." Tony said softly, offering Stephen the same support he had just been given.

Stephen laughed softly as they returned to the living area of the penthouse, quickly putting an order in for food from their favourite location before settling on the couch. This place had become a second home for Stephen. It was much better coming here to Tony and JARVIS than staying in his apartment on his own... Stephen would be forever grateful that Tony had approached him at that charity gala. It had started their friendship.

"We're quite the pair, aren't we? Both with crappy childhoods, hardships throughout our lives, rich and judged by practically everyone." Stephen said once they had settled, they were going to watch some movies while they ate... he would be staying over that night, which had become a common occurrence for them. Stephen had his own room on the penthouse floor of the tower that he had decorated and furnished himself. However, the majority of the time, they just slept in the lab or on the couch... basically, wherever they were when they fell asleep, Rhodey had caught them in the lab or on the couch multiple times since Stephen started coming over.

"You know I agree, but those things have just made us stronger. Besides, I think that those things brought us closer together." Tony said, a soft blush on his cheeks.

Stephen also felt his cheeks flush a little. He had known for quite some time that he was attracted to men, especially after that fiasco of dating Christine. Tony was incredibly handsome; he was gentle, and he was loving... Stephen didn't think that he was in love with Tony yet, but he was well on his way to it. Stephen knew that he had to accept those feelings and judge what Tony's feelings were. He didn't want to destroy their friendship if he was wrong.

Tony, on the other hand, was quite sure that Stephen felt something for him, yet the man either wasn't sure what it was or wasn't confident in Tony's own possible feelings... Tony decided that he would be a little more forward, making his flirting a little more obvious so that those doubts would vanish.

It was the following day when Tony made the front page once again, though this time he was wearing a red and gold suit of armour, holding a crumbling bridge together as he sealed the damage that had been done. Many were congratulating and thanking their new hero, though there were some people who were less welcoming... the big hug from Stephen made everything worth it, congratulating him on becoming the hero that everyone needed.

Iron Man soon took the world by storm. He didn't just operate in New York, as he had been sighted all over the world—sometimes it was Tony himself. Other times, he sent some of his other armour so that people knew they existed. The newspapers, magazines, and talk shows were all filled with those who were trying to discover the identity of Iron Man. Some of the guesses had Tony and Stephen in stitches with just how out there they were. However, both of them were shocked when some theories emerged that said Tony Stark was Iron Man, stating that the suit would have been expensive... few people would have the money to continuously fund such an advanced suit or make all those trips around the world.

Tony had decided to keep the truth between himself, Stephen, and Rhodey for the time being. When he felt the time was right to start recruiting for his team, that is when he would reveal his identity to the public for the very first time.

Chapter Text

The months passed quickly for Tony after once again becoming Iron Man.

His days were filled with inventing new projects, spending time with Stephen as well as Rhodey, and, of course, making his presence known as Iron Man. The armoured hero was still the talk of the world, with many people claiming that they knew who the hero was while others claimed that they were Iron Man. Though the majority of the world had welcomed this new hero, many were still unsure about the abilities of such armour being in the hands of one man.

Tony knew where those opinions came from. At the end of the day, his armour was heavily weaponised. He hadn't had to use extreme force at this point, but it was clear that his armour was indeed powerful. The military had already shown interest in the suit, since they didn't know the hero's identity they were quietly digging... but nothing got passed JARVIS, especially when it came to the well-being of his creator. JARVIS had been monitoring everything related to Iron Man, relaying it to Tony when he thought that something was an issue.

Things had also progressed in his relationship with Stephen. They had known each other for a while now, and it was clear things were already changing between them.

Stephen had definitely picked up on the more heavily flirting that Tony was often throwing at him, even joining in and teasing Tony back. They both knew that they were flirting and teasing each other, but neither of them had made a move on the other. While they may know that the other had feelings for them, they were still nervous, and they were nervous about losing the close friendship they had gained over the months that they had been together.

Rhodey had also picked up on the shift between the two friends, often throwing Stephen suspicious glances while looking at Tony with a smirk on his face. Rhodey had cornered Tony once when it was clear that things had changed. Knowing he couldn't lie to his best friend, Tony admitted to his feelings in regard to the doctor. Tony explained that he wasn't in love with Stephen as it was too soon for that, but he definitely liked the doctor in a way that he had never liked anyone else before.

After hearing how passionately Tony was speaking about Stephen, Rhodey was convinced. His best friend had been with a lot of women and some men in the past, but he had never talked about them like this. It was clear to him that Tony was very serious about this man, something that had never happened in all the time he had known Tony.

Stephen was spending more and more time at Stark Industries, and with Tony, whenever he wasn't in surgery or on shift, he was spending his time with Tony. Stephen was shocked to discover that he was sleeping in his room at Tony's more often than he was staying in his own apartment. It had been a big shock, though it wasn't an unwelcome one. Stephen felt more at home when he was spending time with Tony rather than being at home on his own.

According to Stephen, Christine was not very happy with his new habits. She had made it quite well known that she disapproved of the amount of time he spent with Tony; she didn't give any reasons for this, but it was clear to everyone that she was jealous, and for multiple different reasons. Stephen spent with someone other than her; the fact that she had a crush on him, and he wasn't interested in her like that, plus the fact that it was Tony Stark he was hanging with, certainly didn't help matters.

Christine had gotten so unbearable at work that Stephen had requested that they not work the same shifts. He quickly realised that she didn't bother him if she wasn't around when he was. So far this method has worked; Christine hadn't been alone with him since the charity gala.

Things weren't going much better for Tony when it came to Pepper. She seemed to be trying to get into his more personal life. Questioning him about the time he spends with Stephen and Rhodey, asking what he was doing while not working, and inviting him to parties that had crossed her desk. Pepper had never been this forward in his previous life; Tony had absolutely no idea what could have changed her so much in this amount of time, but he wasn't having it and often had to get her to leave before he said something he wouldn't regret.

JARVIS explained that Tony was very dismissive of her when he first started changing things. They had been the best of friends, and then Tony was suddenly very cold towards her.

According to JARVIS, she was doing everything in her power to get into Tony's good graces once more. Going off of things from his past, she was trying to be like one of those women that Tony had often slept with. It seemed that she didn't realise he wasn't sleeping around anymore, that he hadn't brought a woman home with him in quite some time.

Tony and Stephen didn't let these two women get in the way of what they were building with one another. They had the chance to have something special between them... there was no way that two jealous women were going to come between that. Neither of them (nor Rhodey and JARVIS) would allow such a thing to happen. They continued staying away from the women who were tormenting them, spending more and more time with each other.

They both allowed their feelings to develop over the months they spent together; it was a different feeling for the both of them, but it was one they both quite enjoyed and something that they both wanted to further develop as time passed.

Everything changed for them one day... and it was all thanks to terrorists, in a way.

Stephen had been on call at the hospital since early that morning; Tony had been asleep, so he hadn't said goodbye before leaving the penthouse. He had been in the middle of surgery when an announcement had come over the intercom, stating that Stephen had an important call coming through. Stephen had tried telling them that he was in surgery and couldn't quite come to the phone. The receptionist said that it was important—Tony level important.

No one other than Stephen knew what that meant, but as soon as Stephen heard those words, he was passing his tools to his second and practically running from the room. The other doctors and surgeons in the room were staring after him for a full minute before returning to their work. They had never seen Stephen running from a surgery like that before... something about this Tony person must have been really special to get Stephen to leave like that.

The surgeon arrived at the front desk a little of breath, holding out his hand for the phone while the women at the desk simply stared at him while still grasping the phone. Stephen glared at her, which finally snapped her out of the shock enough to hand him the phone.

"This is Stephen!" The still out of breath surgeon practically yelled, drawing the attention of everyone else who was standing or sitting in the lobby.

"Stephen! Thank God I was able to reach you! I was worried that you would be in surgery." It was clearly a distressed Rhodey on the other end of the phone. The tone of Rhodey's voice was enough to worry Stephen, who was already thinking of everything that could be wrong. Unfortunately, that was a long list. Tony was a hero who saved people and had a lot of enemies while also being a billionaire. There were a lot of things that could go wrong in that situation.

"I was in surgery, but as soon as I heard that it was Tony-level important, I passed the tools to my second before running to the front desk. Something is wrong with Tony, isn't it?" Stephen said quickly. It was the fact that Rhodey had said Tony in his message, along with the fact that Tony's best friend seemed so worried... Stephen had heard that tone of voice many times throughout his career. The fact that he was hearing it now just made him even more worried.

Rhodey was quiet for a minute before starting to talk. "Yes. He was called in by the military to help a village under attack by terrorists. He left immediately after sending a word to me. When I finally got out of a meeting, I questioned the personnel where the call came from. They hadn't heard anything about such an attack... it was a trap. He was cornered. His suit is incredibly powerful but still susceptible to electric attacks. They drained his suit and started firing. When we found him, he was surrounded with various weapons being unloaded on his suit. We dispatched the enemies before bringing him onto our aircraft and retreating. We're lucky JARVIS managed to send a distress signal. Otherwise, things could have been fatal." Rhodey finished, taking a deep breath in order to calm himself down.

Stephen also took a deep breath, which sounded too serious for comfort. "And how is he doing... is he going to make it?" He said shakily, he knew what Tony did was always risky... but to be purposefully drawn out like that was a worrying prospect.

"It's... it's touch and go at the moment, but I need you. Tony is stuck in the suit because of his identity being secret. We can't just let anyone look him over. We called in a trusted specialist, but he's still a ways out. I know this isn't your field of expertise... but having a rough idea before he gets here could make all the difference." Stephen could hear the desperation in Rhodey's voice, that let Stephen know just how serious Tony's injuries could be.

"I'll be there in 30 minutes, and do not let anyone take off that suit!" Stephen said goodbye before hanging up the phone. He was calling his boss as he was leaving the hospital. His boss wasn't happy that he was leaving in the middle of his shift, but the desperation in Stephen's voice convinced him to let the man go—he didn't want to deal with an angry Doctor Strange.

Stephen practically broke the law to get there as fast as he could. He found Rhodey practically dragging doctors out of the room, each of them wanting to help the man on the bed. Stephen took charge, ordering everyone out of the room other than Rhodey. He stated that he was a surgeon, and he would be taking over Iron Man's case. Luckily, the doctors accepted this and left. Once everything was locked and secured (thanks to JARVIS), Stephen got to work. All that time looking over the armour really came in handy when trying to carefully get it off.

Tony was unconscious when the suit had finally been removed. It looked like none of the bullets or other weapons penetrated through the Nano Technology suit. The little Nanobots were very advanced, hardening the areas where the weapons were attacking. They weren't miracle workers, though, which is why the suit was heavily dented. Some of those dents had actually dug into Tony's body, which had caused some pretty deep injuries. The most serious being those close to his chest where his Arc Reactor was situated and where his sternum was heavily compromised due to his time with The Ten Rings.
Stephen got to work doing damage control on what he could. He didn't even want to touch the Arc Reactor or Tony's chest; he didn't know enough about the damage to do anything.

By the time Stephen had stabilised the rest of Tony's body, the specialist had arrived... Rhodey explained that he was the only medical professional (other than Stephen) that Tony trusted. He was called in when Tony needed treatment away from the public eye.

The specialist got to work quickly, nodding to Stephen after looking over the work that he had already done on the still unconscious man. Stephen and Rhodey waited outside for what felt like hours and hours, either sitting down or pacing along the corridor. After 2 hours had passed, the door to Tony's room was opened and the specialist emerged. It was clear the man was exhausted, but there was a smile on his face, which seemed like a good sign.

"I have been able to repair the damage, and he should make a full recovery, but we need to find a way to remove that Arc Reactor from his chest. It is keeping him alive for now, but one attack in that area will break his sternum... we were lucky this time around." The specialist stated, he had been worried when first seeing the device that was keeping Tony alive. Now there was just too much risk; if the device stayed in Tony's body much longer and he continued to be Iron Man... then there was a chance that his hero work could end his life sooner rather than later.

Stephen and Rhodey sighed. They were well aware of that fact. But there was nothing that could be done about it. The shrapnel was much too small to be removed quickly, and removing the Arc Reactor would start their travel to Tony's heart. There was just too much risk at the moment.

The specialist soon left after assuring the two males that Tony was stable. He would be along in a few hours to check on the man's progress. Rhodey also had to leave. He needed to report to Stark Industries that Tony would be off for a couple of weeks. He also needed to get back to work, as he had left quite suddenly when news of Tony reached him. Rhodey said goodbye to Stephen, making the man promise to call him if there was any change in his best friend.

And just like that, Stephen was left alone with Tony.

"Why does it seem to always be you, Tony? After everything you have been through, why is it you that continues to be injured?" Stephen asked, knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer.

Stephen took a deep breath before continuing. "You know, I've always suspected that I liked men more than I liked women... dating Christine really cemented that for me. You must have noticed how attracted I was to you when we first met; I don't just follow any stranger to their home only a day after meeting them. But I was pleasantly surprised by you, and as time passed, I realised that those feelings of attraction were only getting stronger." Stephen took another pause, especially when he seemed to feel Tony's hand move in response to his words.

The surgeon squeezed the hand gently before continuing. "I can't say that I am in love with you right now. We have only known each other for almost a year. But I can safely say that I am well on the way to falling for you, almost losing you today... I have never been so scared, other than when I lost my sister. It made me realise that time is precious; I shouldn't be scared to confess my feelings to you because time could run out for either of us before I ever had the chance." Stephen said, promising himself that as soon as Tony was awake and on the mend... he would confess his feelings, even if it was heartbreak that awaited him.

There was the sound of a chuckle before a cough followed. "You kinda already did, doc; guess I woke up at the right moment." A welcome voice sounded from the bed. Stephen's head snapped up, locking onto the warm chocolate brown eyes of Tony.

"Your... how are you awake right now? And for that matter, when did you wake up?!" Stephen yelled, practically jumping to his feet. Tony smiled softly before taking Stephen's hand once more, the surgeon quickly sitting back down as Tony started talking.

"Just after you started confessing your feelings. Why haven't you said anything up until now? I haven't exactly been subtle in flirting with you. Even Rhodey and Happy caught on; each of them has been pestering me about you for quite some time now." Tony said, his gaze reflected the confusion he was feeling. He had been obvious with his flirtation. He had thought that Stephen was aware of what he felt for him and wasn't sure of his own feelings, so he was waiting a little longer before saying something.

"I was scared... I've never had feelings for another person this strong before, and your reputation before we met is quite well known. I had my suspicions, but I wanted to wait. I wanted to make sure that we were both serious about this... I didn't want either of us getting hurt because of the other." Stephen explained. In reality, he just hadn't wanted to be another one-night stand for Tony; he wanted all of the romantic dates, going away with each other, and basically just being happy to be with each other.

"And you think I wasn't scared. My past is clearly written about, so I am in the same boat as you. We can learn together once I'm able to leave this prison bed." Tony said, a soft smile on his face. This was happening sooner than he had planned, though he hadn't planned to be ambushed by terrorists and getting injured. Tony couldn't help but feel slightly thankful towards those people who had tried to kill him; at the end of the day, they had given both him and Stephen the confidence to confess their feelings for one another. This was a major change from Tony's past life. They would be starting a relationship much earlier than their last one, which could change a lot of things as a result.

Stephen returned the soft smile, leaning over to press a soft kiss to the man's lips that only lasted a couple of seconds, which caused Tony to pout when the man pulled away after that quick press. The surgeon smirked and promised that there was more of them for when he got better.

Tony spent the next couple of days in the hospital while the specialist and Stephen looked after him. Stephen came back to Tony's when he was finally released from his prison (as Tony called it).

"Hey, I've been thinking of starting a new project." Tony said it out of the blue. He and Stephen were cuddling on the couch in the lab after a hard day. Stephen had not long finished a lengthy shift at the hospital, while Tony was still recovering from his injuries.

"Oh really, you're supposed to be relaxing... even that big brain of yours needs to relax as well." Stephen said teasingly, running his fingers through the soft brown hair. Stephen loved moments like this, where the two of them could just sit back and relax with each other... basking in these little moments alone, where their entire focus was on each other.

"I think I'm gonna call it the Young People Program. It'll be where children with exceptional talents will be trained by specialists I bring in; they will be from all over the world, and everyone will be welcome. In this day and age, the talents of children should be nurtured properly. I won't be able to help everyone... but at least I can help some." Tony explained. He wanted to have Stephen's support with this little project, as well as the man's help in the matter.

Tony had a lot of time to plan this little project while he was kept unconscious after the attack. He had heard everything from the moment he was found to the moment he was allowed to wake up. The Infinity Stones kept him company while he was undergoing that surgery. He would never tell anyone that he hadn't actually needed it. He was even starting to confuse himself on how this new body and the illusions worked. He decided that it was best not to think about it.

During his little sleeping session, he realised that it would be easier to meet Harley and Peter at a younger age. This program was the perfect excuse for that. On top of that, he would be helping other young people achieve their dreams at the same time.

Stephen smiled softly. "That big heart of yours, always trying to help others even when you're the one recovering from serious injury. I think it's a brilliant idea; it would make specialised training much easier to obtain for those who can't do it themselves. But make it more reasonable; open branches around the world rather than bringing everyone together... even you have to realise that you can't help everyone in the world." Stephen said, giving Tony his support while also assuring Tony that he didn't need to help everyone in order to be doing the right thing.

Tony smiled happily, glad for both Stephen's support and his suggestions. He also understood where Stephen was coming from. He needed to realise that he was just one man and there was only so much that he could do. The idea of having multiple branches of the program around the world was a good idea. It meant that children wouldn't have to leave their homes or families in order to be part of the program... Tony was shocked that he hadn't thought of such a thing; it was quite a glaringly obvious thing when he thought about it.

"And I am assuming that you already have some young people picked out." Stephen said it more as a statement than a question. He knew Tony, and he knew that the man would have thought of everything before even broaching the subject with him.

"Of course, there's a couple of kids that I've had my eye on for a little while now, but I have never had the excuse to approach them... this program would give me the perfect opportunity to meet them, as well as develop their talents." Tony stated. He was mainly thinking of Peter and Harley when he said this. However, he realised that there were other young people who would benefit from such a program... many of the people he met in his previous life would still be on the younger side at this time, making this program the perfect excuse to gather them all.

"And this could be something that you personally fund, which means that it has no relation to Stark Industries at all." Stephen said, Stark Industries did a lot of good... but there was also the more shady side to some of the older board members. He would feel better if this program was far out of their reach so they couldn't interfere.

"On top of that, I mean it when I say anyone is welcome. Mutants and enhanced humans are becoming a more regular occurrence; my program won't discriminate." Tony said passionately. He had met a lot of enhanced humans and mutants in his previous life, many of whom had lived hard lives due to their abilities or powers, and his program would give them a home as well as the space they would need in order to control and progress their powers.

Tony and Stephen spent the rest of that evening talking about this program. Tony explained all of his plans in regard to the program while Stephen put in his own opinions, which usually agreed with what Tony was suggesting or gave little subtle changes that would prove better.

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of months since Tony and Stephen had finally admitted their feelings for one another, with things progressing incredibly well... in many ways, nothing much had changed. It was the little things in their relationship that had changed after their confessions. Soft kisses and gentle touches had replaced the longing glances, and whispered words of affection had replaced the friendly banter, though the teasing remarks and jokes were still present.

Only Rhodey, Happy, and Yinsen were aware of their relationship at this moment in time. They hadn't wanted to keep such news from those closest to them. Rhodey and Happy were glad that their obvious flirting would stop, while Yinsen was actually surprised at the news. He was busy working a lot of the time, so he rarely saw Tony and the others.

However, their relationship had yet to go public at this time.

Neither Stephen nor Tony wanted to turn their relationship into a frenzy for the press to study. They were both pretty well-known around the world, so their relationship would never be private once the truth was made public. Unfortunately, they would have to reveal it sometime in the future, but they wanted to keep it between them for as long as they possibly could. For the moment, the two males were basking in just how new everything seemed between them.

While not much had changed between them, they both made sure to make time for each other no matter what they were doing. Friendly meetings in the lounge made way for dinner dates in private restaurants, and inventing in the lab made way for doing something in the town every once in a while. They both wanted to work on their own things, but they also wanted to spend private time together to work on their developing relationship. So far, everything is going amazingly well. They had time for each other while also maintaining their own individual interests and jobs.

Another big change in their lives had been in regard to the new program that Tony had wanted to put into place. A lot of progress had been made on the Young People Program.

A building near Stark Tower was already nearing completion, which would provide the educational space for training as well as personal space for those who would choose to move into the building. When you were called the one-man army, constructing a building in only a couple of months became a piece of cake.

Tony had decided that he wouldn't completely fund the Young People Program himself. Instead, he would also use the Maria Stark Foundation. This program would actually fall under the charity's speculation, as the program would provide housing and training for specialised children—something he knew his mother Maria would be proud of. With Tony himself and the foundation providing funding, this program would be around long after he was gone, allowing future generations to get the help they needed as well.

Stephen had been all for it, as this foundation was also kept separate from Stark Industries. As Tony set up the charity in his mother's name, it meant that the program would still fall completely under Tony's control, keeping it away from those at SI.

It was clear that there was excitement in the air as The Young People Program came ever closer to becoming a reality; the building was nearing completion, and Tony was already contacting the chosen children as well as their families in regard to joining the program. Few people were aware of the creation of this program; Tony wanted to keep it secret until everything was ready, and the children had been approached about said project.

Many children had been chosen, but only those in the New York area (or specially chosen by Tony) would be joining right now. Only the New York building was in the works... they needed to make sure that this program was the right thing to do before getting children's hopes up only to crush them if things didn't work out. Some children showed exceptional promise in the sciences, math, art, music, and many other specialities. Then there were those with powers or those who would come to develop powers in the future.

Tony was using his knowledge of the future to know who would develop abilities later in life. He wanted them to have some training before getting their powers.

Children such as Sam Alexander (Nova), Luke Cage, Danny Rand (Iron Fist), Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), Jessica Jones, and many others were being brought in. Many of them hadn't developed or gained their powers yet, but Tony wanted them to be ready for when that moment arrived. He would make sure they were trained and prepared for when they got their abilities.

Professor Charles Xavier and Logan had agreed to live and work the program. They had both been reluctant when Tony had approached them due to the school they were already running for mutants... however, at the end of the day, this program would get much more public opinion, so they ultimately decided that it would be best for them to work here. Tony suggested enrolling their current students into the program, while the current teachers would also be brought in... Xavier and Logan immediately agreed when they knew that the children would be safer.

Tony had wanted the best for these children. Having mutants for teachers would make the children much more comfortable. Tony wanted everyone to be treated equally in this program, which started by showing the children there was nothing to fear from the mutants, which would open them up to the idea of understanding them more.

Many of the children had already been contacted, and their families were informed; every single one of them was more than happy to be part of such a prestigious program. Most of them had also expressed a desire to live in the newly designed building. Some of the families had agreed to move in as well. Though many were just sending their children due to jobs and other obligations, open visitations were established so that families could visit their children and look in on some of the classes they would be taking as well.

"Things are progressing much quicker than I thought; then again, I should have expected as such since this was your idea." Stephen said, shaking his head fondly at the other man.

Currently, the two of them were relaxing in the lounge together. While they loved their trips/dates out of the tower, they really loved just spending time like this... in a space that they both loved, almost completely alone and away from the prying eyes of everyone. Even Rhodey and Happy had become quite annoying, often making kissy faces or lewd comments when they were just trying to relax together.

"You're right. You should have expected it. But I'm glad things are going so well; I just hope that things will continue to go well. You know just how bad the prejudice is against mutants. We will have both children and adult mutants involved with the program... some people might try using that against us." Tony said, snuggling closer to Stephen. They were both sitting on the extremely comfortable couch in the lounge, Tony wrapped tightly in Stephen's arms, while Tony was only too happy to seek the warmth coming from the man he loved.

Stephen kissed the top of Tony's head. "And if that really did happen, then you would take care of it. Don't forget, you have some pretty powerful people on your side... both politically and practically." He assured the shorter male, he never got over moments like this.

Tony always seemed like he was in control, that he knew everything that was going to happen... however, it was moments like this where the true Tony came through, a man who wanted to believe in the good of people and yet was often burnt by that belief. Stephen didn't know it, but this Tony was much less trusting than he had been in his previous life. He had been through the betrayal of those closest to him too many times... he thought things through much more this time around, though he still wanted to believe in the people around him.

"You always seem to know just what to say." Tony said, leaning up slightly to place a kiss on the man's chin. "What are you fancying eating? We can't just stay here all night. Otherwise, JARVIS will be on our case." He asked. He was starting to feel a little hungry despite how comfortable he was right now. More than likely, so was Stephen, as he did have a shift at the hospital that day.

"I think we can just order something in; I don't really want to go out when we're this comfy. I think I'm up for some good old Chinese." Stephen said, he and Tony both loved Chinese... as long as it was the proper food and not some cheap knock-off. While he would have enjoyed going out with Tony that night, he was tired, and he was comfortable. The last thing he wanted to do was leave his spot for longer than he really needed to.

"JARVIS..." Tony said he didn't even need to finish his sentence before JARVIS had already ordered their regular order from an amazing Chinese restaurant nearby.

The two males just stayed cuddled together until their food order arrived, with Stephen getting up to collect the food when it arrived. Stephen made a detour to the kitchen in order to get some plates and cutlery, as well as their favourite sauce to go with it. Returning to the living room, Stephen found that Tony was setting up a movie on the big screen. They often watched movies when they decided to eat at home. Currently, they were watching a film series that they were both really enjoying.

"Now this is what I call good Chinese." Stephen said after a couple of bites. "Now, how is the project going? Based on what you have already said, we're getting close to bringing in our special guests." He asked. They were still paying attention to the movie... but they still liked talking to each other while eating like this.

"Everything is progressing amazingly. The building is almost complete. It just needs furnishing, which will take a few weeks... each department needs different equipment, not to mention the living areas also need furnishing. Once that's done, people can start moving in immediately." Tony explained, even though he was a little shocked at just how quickly things were going. The children and their families could start moving into the building sometime within the next two months; the program would be fully operational a couple of weeks after that when all of the children got used to their new surroundings.

"Guess having an army of incredibly powerful suits comes in handy. The teachers of each department are already working on plans for classes; I have been asked to consult for those in the medical field, and you are helping with the engineering. Between the project, Iron Man, and working at the hospital... things are going to get very busy soon." Stephen said, though he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Ugh, don't remind me. The military keeps contacting me, wanting me to make highly weaponised suits for their departments... apparently, they want to send out the suits rather than their soldiers, and normally, I wouldn't be against saving lives. But the Iron Legion are rescue units and weren't built for battle; I don't want to build more suits that have weapons on them." Tony said, remembering a call he had taken earlier that morning. He had already decided that only Iron Man, War Machine, and Iron Spider would have weaponised suits; he wasn't going to budge on that, no matter how much someone offered to pay... or who told him otherwise.

"Maybe it's time to call in that favour of President Ellis. They can't keep calling you for weapons when you have already made it clear that you're not making them anymore." Stephen said, he wasn't happy that these people were still wanting things from Tony after being told no so many times.

President Ellis was the only one other than the two of them who knew for sure that Tony was Iron Man, though the idea of Tony Stark being Iron Man was becoming much more popular these days.

The Iron Legion looked quite different from the armour of the Iron Man. However, they were also similar in many ways. Many people have already drawn the links between the Iron Legion and Iron Man; those who didn't believe that Tony Stark was Iron Man thought that he had designed the suit for someone and was well aware of who was behind the mask. Tony had said nothing on either of those subjects. He wasn't ready for the world to know who he was just yet.

"You might be right. If this keeps going, then I will contact him... I have better things to be doing than telling people who already know I'm not going to change my mind." Tony said, relaxing back into Stephen's strong hold. His short height had always been an issue for him, but he loved moments like this when Stephen would just hold him close.

The two of them were quiet for a while, focusing completely on the movie that was playing. When the movie ended, neither of them really wanted to move from where they were.

"Want to explain why there are two names on your list that haven't been crossed out? I don't recognise them, so they haven't been approached yet." Stephen said, they were relaxing back on the couch and enjoying the silence. Sometimes, they just liked sitting like this with each other. Tony's list of the children involved in the program was out, and he was looking over the shorter males shoulders.

It was the last two names on the list that Tony was staring at—Peter Parker and Harley Keener.

Tony sighed, cuddling close to the other man. "These two are special; I can't tell you why, but there is just something about them. I'm planning on taking them both under my wing; I'm just wrapping my head around everything." He explained. He felt bad about not telling Stephen everything... but it's not like he could tell the other man that he knew them from his previous life, and he wanted to get to know them (help them) sooner this time around.

Stephen looked confused, but he didn't push the issue. He knew that Tony had his secrets, and he trusted the other man completely; Tony would tell him when he was ready to do so.

"You're going to have to approach them soon if the project is nearing completion. You don't want to leave it too late and to the point where you're rushing around last minute." Stephen said Tony had a habit of pushing certain things to the back of his mind if it was hard on him. He would then leave it until the last minute, where he would have to rush around trying to do everything quickly. Stephen didn't like it when he did it, so he tried pushing him to just get things over with.

"I know, I have already planned it for this week. I'm hoping that I can convince them to live in Stark Tower with us, though that's going to come down to their guardians." Tony said he knew that it wouldn't be an issue as Harley was in the adoption system... it would be Peter that would be hard to bring back with him. May Parker was a fiercely protective woman.

Based on the research he had done; things had already changed. Harley Keener was in the foster system after losing his mother and sister, along with his father walking out on him. Tony was thinking of fostering Harley with the hope of adopting him in the future, but that was something he would have to talk to Stephen about before making any other moves. Stephen had a day off from the hospital in a couple of days. He would approach the subject then... he wanted to bring Harley home as soon as possible, which meant explaining his plans to Stephen. He knew that Stephen wouldn't be against the idea, but they would both have to meet the boy before going through with anything... Stephen wouldn't let just anyone join his little family.

Peter was a different story, as both his Aunt May and Uncle Ben were still alive. He also wanted to be able to adopt Peter as well, but he didn't want to take the boy away from his last living family. He decided that he would mentor the boy for the time being. He would watch over the Parker family and adjust his plans accordingly. The situation with Harley proved that things were already changing from his previous life. He would have to wait and see what the situation would bring him in the future.

"You're going to have to explain why you are going so much further for these two boys in the future. You haven't done that for any of the other children." Stephen said. He knew there was something more going on here; he just didn't want to push Tony before he was ready to share.

Tony smiled softly. "I'm planning on it." He said, leaning up to kiss Stephen softly.

Chapter Text

There wasn't much that could make Tony Stark nervous... yet his stomach was in knots, and his breathing was a little heavy.

It had been a week since Tony went over some of the things in regard to Peter and Harley with Stephen, and it was finally time for him to make a move. The Young People Program was well under way, with many of the participants already moving into the building, and he wasn't able to put off the meeting with Harley or Peter for much longer.

Harley was who they talked about the most. Tony explained that boy was a genius and would be an amazing addition to the program. He also explained that Harley was in the foster system and based on the smile that Stephen had given him, he already knew what Tony was going to ask him. Tony was thrilled when his partner said that they could foster Harley. They were hoping that the boy would grow to love them, and they would be able to adopt him sometime in the future.

They had already set things up in their home for both boys, so they hoped everything went well.

In regard to Peter, it was decided that the two of them would meet with his guardians, May and Ben, in order to convince them that Peter would be better off living with them while he was taking part in the program; however, Tony thought that something was off. There was plenty of information on May and Ben Parker, but there was very little in regard to Peter.

Once Tony did a little more digging, it was clear that there was something wrong with the Parker family. There was almost no information on Peter... which there should have been since he should have been in school. They were going to be visiting Peter's home with a social worker; the bad feeling was so bad that they wanted to be prepared for everything. If their feelings were unfounded, then they would simply ask about Peter attending the program. However, if there was something correct about their feelings... then they would make sure Peter was placed in their care, which Tony couldn't help but want more than anything.

Tony had to remind himself that both Harley and Peter were still young boys at this point. They were going to need constant care and love, which both Stephen and Tony were only too happy to provide them. Tony also had to remind himself that these were not the children (and later teenagers) that he knew. He would love them all the same, but they would be different.

"Are you feeling nervous?" Stephen said, coming up to hug Tony from behind. It wasn't often that Stephen got to see his partner so nervous. He didn't really understand why, but he would offer the comfort that Tony needed.

"Yeah, a little. There is something special about these boys; we might actually be fostering one of them, and we have a concern about the other. I just don't want to let them down." Tony said. He had let both Peter and Harley down in his previous life—more times than one. He didn't want to be letting them down this time around. He would help them however he thought best.

"And you won't. That is because you have a heart of gold, and you trust your feelings. I don't want anything to be happening to Peter Parker... but I definitely wouldn't mind taking him in along with Harley. Who knew that we would become parents so soon after starting to date?" Stephen said, Tony often responded to slight jokes in order to improve his nervousness... his plan worked as his partner let out a soft laugh, and his breathing started to even out a little.

Stephen turned and kissed Stephen softly. He loved that the other man was able to calm his nerves with just a few words—something that Pepper had never been able to do.
Their first stop was going to be picking up Harley.

Harley was their first destination due to the fact that they needed to collect the social worker at a specific time in order to see Peter, so that was booked in for two days' time. Even though they had to wait to check on Peter, they were able to head for Harley immediately, so they had decided that collecting Harley first would be the better option.

"Thanks, love, now come on... we have a little genius to bring home." Tony said. He gave Stephen one last kiss before they headed out of their home. They were glad that Stark Tower was so large; the two of them and their (hopefully) two charges would live on the penthouse while the rest of the living floors beneath them would be for the team that Tony would create. There were labs, workshops, as well as public areas... Tony knew that this building was going to become Avengers Tower, but this time around, only people he trusted would be living here.

Tony and Stephen got into the car; they would be taking turns with the driving so that they wouldn't have to take long breaks... Harley was located quite far from New York, as he was in a Tennessee orphanage. It was one of those times when he was disappointed to take the car rather than using the Iron Man suit.

A couple of hours had passed, and Tony kept yawning as he hadn't slept well the night before. "Why don't you get some sleep, love? I'll wake you up in a couple of hours for your driving shift." Stephen said softly. He knew that Tony hadn't slept very well, and he would need the rest. He took Tony's hand into his own, nodding his head when Tony turned to look at him... Tony smiled in return, tightening his hold on Stephen's hand before he settled back into his seat and closed his eyes.

Stephen kept hold of Tony's hand as the other male slept. He was glad to hear even breathing coming from Tony, which was a sign that the man was asleep.

It was decided that they would take turns driving in 4-hour shifts, allowing them to rest during the long drive. When Stephen's 4 hours were over, he gently shook Tony awake as he pulled over at a layby. They quickly changed seats before having something to eat and getting back on the road. They were both glad that their chef had prepared them a meal for heading to the orphanage as well as heading back home; luckily, their chef was magic in the kitchen and had prepared food that was quick and easy to eat... yet remained absolutely delicious.

The hours passed in much the same sequence, with one of them driving while the other slept. Before long, they had arrived at their destination. It was after pulling up at the building that the nerves Tony had been feeling returned; there was a chance that Harley would not want to come home with them. If he didn't want to come with them, then Tony would not force him.

"Hello, welcome. Can I ask your names, and what is your business here?" A kindly middle-aged woman asked. She was sitting at the front desk and seemed to be the one greeting people. Tony and Stephen weren't the only visitors to the orphanage. There seemed to be a few other couples who were having a look around. There were also some older kids walking around with younger children. It seemed that they were free to move around however they liked.

"Hello. My name is Dr Tony Stark, and this is my partner, Dr Stephen Strange. We have heard some good things about this place, so we wanted to check it out." Tony said, not really lying to the woman... though there was a specific child they were after. The woman's eyes widened at what she had been told; even this far from New York, Tony Stark was a well-known name... it was known around the world, so it made sense that she had heard it before. She didn't know Stephen's name, but he was still a doctor, which automatically impressed a lot of people.

"Tony. Stephen. Welcome, now, is there anything that you are looking for specifically?" The woman asked kindly; the two men seemed like nice people, and there were quite a lot of children who were in need of a good home. She was sure that there were multiple children who would fit quite well with this couple. She just needed to know what they were looking for.

"Actually, we're here for someone specific. If you don't already know, then we have a special program for talented children called the Young People Program. One of your children has been on our radar for a while now. Harley Keener." Stephen explained. They watched with suspicious eyes as the woman's eyes widened, and she gasped. They had done their research on this place, and it looked very good on the surface... but after JARVIS did some digging, it was clear that not everything was as it seemed. Some children were treated better than others; those who the staff believed would be adopted quicker were treated nicer than other children in the building.

Unfortunately, Harley was one of those many children who were looked down on. Because of his intelligence and social interactions, he kept mainly to himself. More than likely, he hadn't had luck with a family when he was first brought here, making the staff think he wouldn't be adopted.

"Of course, please follow me." The woman said she saw the look in their eyes, so she decided that it would be best not to question them on this matter.

Stephen and Tony dismissed the woman after she had led them to a room in the back of the building, politely knocking on the door when they were sure that she was gone. Tony had to hold his breath as the door was opened, revealing a young boy with suspicious eyes looking at them. Tony had to hold in tears at the sight. Based on their research, Harley was around 12 years old, and he looked exactly as Tony remembered.

"Yes? Who are you people, and what do you want?" The young boys asked, opening the door fully so that the men could enter if they wanted.

"Hello Harley, my name is Dr Tony Stark, and this is my partner, Dr Stephen Strange. Are you aware of what the Young People Program is?" Tony asked, both he and his partner entering the room and shutting the door behind them. They settled into some seats in the room.

Harley nodded his head. "Yes, a program for children who are considered geniuses in different areas of interest. What does that have to do with me?" He asked, though it was clear to Tony and Stephen that he was hoping to get out of this place. Harley just wanted to find a family and leave the orphanage, but he had been disappointed too many times and wasn't expecting this time to be any different from all of those other times.

"We want you to join the program. You are an amazing inventor with intelligence that could one day rival Tony's. More than that, we want you to come with us as a foster child." Stephen said quickly. It was better getting things out on the table sooner rather than later.

The eyes of the young boy widened at the news. It was one thing to be asked to join such a revolutionary program... it was quite another to be asked to become the foster child of Tony Stark himself. He was hopeful but also a little on edge. They had suggested that he would be a foster child, which meant that there was a risk of them just sending him back if they didn't like him. That was something that had also happened in the past. Harley just didn't know if he was ready to be hurt again or if he wanted to take the risk and trust in these two men.

Tony seemed to know what he was thinking. "We are only suggesting fostering you for the moment in case you become uncomfortable with us; we are a same-sex couple, and that can be hard for some children. On top of that, there are a couple of other things that would have to be taken into account... we need to make sure that you are comfortable with us. If you still want to remain with us after a few months, then we will petition a full adoption." He explained. He wanted Harley to understand where they stood from the very beginning. Everything would depend on his opinion; Harley would be the one to decide if he wanted to stay or if he wanted to leave.

Harley seemed thoughtful as he mulled over what he had been told. Their reasons for wanting to foster him were valid ones. Though he knew that he wouldn't have trouble with their relationship, everything would depend on these other secrets as well as how well they got along together.

"I would like to try it. Anything is better than staying here." Harley said confidently. It's not like he would turn down the chance to live with Tony Stark—the man was his idol and the one who got him into inventing his own little gadgets. He had also wanted to get out of Tennessee for years, and this would give him the chance to do so.

Tony beamed at the news. "Great! Stephen and I will handle the paperwork while you pack the belongings you wish to take with you. You have your own room in the penthouse, and we will go shopping for clothing and furniture." He said, excitedly. He seemed even more excited about this than Harley did. Tony couldn't help it, though. He finally had one of his boys with him... he could only hope that his second visit would go as well as this one had done.

It took a further hour for the paperwork to be completed and for Harley to pack his belongings. The boy didn't even say goodbye to the staff as they left the building.

Harley had slept for practically the entire drive to New York. The boy was a bundle of different emotions, and it seemed to have hit home once he had gotten in the car. This allowed Stephen and Tony the chance to reflect on the fact that they were now responsible for raising a child, a completely new challenge that they were looking forward to taking on.

"Welcome home, Harley." Tony and Stephen said, once they had pulled up at Stark Tower... Harley was looking up at his new home excitedly.

Two days had passed since Tony and Stephen had brought Harley into their home. The boy was settling in very well and seemed to be warming up to them... he still had a little trouble asking for things due to the fact that he had been alone for some time now. Stephen and Tony made sure that Harley knew he could ask them about anything. They were there for him and his needs; he didn't have to do everything by himself anymore.

Harley had also made his room his own. They went shopping together and may have gone overboard in getting everything Harley had wanted; this room looked nothing like the room he had in the orphanage; it looked every bit like the room of a young boy. At first Harley only wanted a few bits, as he was not used to others buying for him. Tony had to point out that they weren't hurting for money and that if there was anything he wanted, then he could get it. Seeing how stubborn Tony was, Harley just accepted it and got everything that drew his attention.

They had also informed Harley about Peter, stating that there might be a possibility of them bringing another boy into their care. Harley had been thrilled, stating that he would love the chance to have a sibling once more. He seemed more excited about Peter than they were.

It was today... Tony would finally be seeing Peter again, for the first time in what felt like years.

"Are you ready for what we might find here? We suspect that something is wrong, and you are strangely invested in both of these boys. You need to make sure you're ready for what might happen." Stephen said softly. He didn't understand why Tony was so different regarding these two children compared to the others in the program... but it was clear that there was something going on. He just wanted Tony to be prepared for anything if their suspicions proved correct.

Harley had been left at the tower with the staff and JARVIS watching over him. The two of them were getting ready to meet with the social worker who would be going with them to the Parker residence. They would be keeping his identity a secret for the time being, simply saying that he was a friend who was coming with them. If something was going on, they didn't want May or Ben Parker trying to cover it up since a social worker is present. Tony couldn't help but feel even more nervous about this visit. He had always been closer to Peter than Harley—something he would change this time around as he wanted them all to have the same relationship.

"Yes, I don't want to think that something is going on, but I also can't ignore the bad feeling I got about the situation. Let's just get this over with. Get him out of that house if something really is going on." Tony said confidently. He knew better than to hurt the Parker's no matter what they found during this visit... he would make sure to hurt them in the best way possible, by taking their nephew somewhere safe and putting them through the justice system.

Stephen and Tony picked up the social worker that had been assigned to their case; they were driving together so that it wouldn't look suspicious. They made small talk as they travelled, mainly talking about what was going to happen if something was discovered.

Finally, they pulled up to the Parker residence, which looked completely normal on the outside.

Taking deep breaths, the three males walked up the pathway; Tony was the one who knocked on the door, with May Parker opening the door only a minute later. She had a smile on her face and looked younger than Tony had ever seen her in his previous life.

May Parker's eyes widened when she noticed just who was on her doorstep; Tony's suspicion and concern only increased as the woman turned to look wide-eyed into the house... Tony could only assume that she was looking at her husband. Just their appearance shouldn't have had that effect on May; Tony couldn't help but wonder if they were trying to hide something.

The woman invited them in, Tony and Stephen noticed that the social worker got to work immediately. He was looking around the area that they were being led through, looking for any clues as to any trouble in the house. Even Tony and Stephen could see one major problem: there was absolutely no sign of a child living here... Peter should have only been around 11 years old at this point. There should be signs of a child living in the home. There were no toys in any of the rooms, there was no childproofing, and there was not a single thing out of place.

"What can we do for you, Mr Stark? It's not every day you have a celebrity turn up on your door." Ben Parker asked, quickly looking at his wife, though he tried to hide doing so.

It was clear to Stephen and Tony (as well as the social worker) that the man was nervous. Something was obviously wrong. Tony was ready to move in an instant. If there is danger, then JARVIS would dispatch the armour... he was not afraid to use force to keep them safe; Peter was also included in that. It was worrying that a curious child had not approached the strangers, especially considering one of them was Tony Stark himself.

"We are here to talk about your nephew. You are aware that we fund a special program for children who show special talents in various different areas. Your nephew has been considered for this program, and we have accepted, due to his high intelligence and his knack for inventing things. We believe that he will be a good fit for it." Stephen explained. He noticed how clenched his partner's hands were. It was clear that Tony had also spotted the signs. It seemed that their bad feelings had reason to be there.

Tony sneered when he practically saw the dollar signs appear in their eyes. It seems they knew just how talented Peter was, and yet there was no evidence that they were helping the boy reach his greatness. These people reminded Tony of how his own father was with him, especially when he was younger.

"Yes, our boy is incredibly talented. It's too bad that he is not here to meet you in person, though I'm sure he will be happy to take part in this program." May said, her tone suggested happiness, but it was clear that she was hiding something from them. That was soon answered by a sound coming from above them, as well as the scowls that appeared on the faces of the Parker adults. That sound was clearly from a person, and since there could be only one possibility, it was clear that they weren't being told everything.

"And just what was that sound we heard? It seems odd that you live with a young boy, and yet there is not a sign of a young child living here. Please tell us where the boy is at this moment." Tony said, his voice was calm and direct, though it was taking everything in his power to not call the armour. Ben and May had not been a bad influence on Peter in his previous life, then again, Harley had not been in the foster system either... things were already changing.

"Please excuse the noises. The cat is quite active at this time of day." Ben Parker explained, though it was clear that he didn't even sound convinced with his words.

"Excuse me, but this is where I step in. I am actually from social services; I have been here on a surprise inspection after these men expressed concerns about Peter Parker's living conditions. Based on everything I have seen here; I am authorising them to search the house. If there is any truth to their concerns, he will be removed from this property pending further investigation." The social worker stated, stepping forward to introduce himself.

Stephen and Tony hid a smirk when they saw the fear expressed in their faces. They had bought their trick, so they had dug themselves a hole. Tony and Stephen quickly left the couple with the social worker before heading deeper into the home. JARVIS had already scanned the property, and there was one room that seemed to have a heat sign.

The door was locked from the outside, causing Tony to pick the lock in order to open the door.

As soon as the door was opened, a voice filled with panic came through. "I am so sorry, Uncle Ben, Aunt May! I didn't mean to make any noise!" Tony quickly entered the room and saw Peter. The young boy was standing beside some knocked-over toys, which were obviously the things that had caused the noise they heard.

"Everything is okay, Peter. Do you know who I am?" Tony said, stepping into Peter's line of sight so that the boy could see him. Peter immediately relaxed when he noticed who was standing there. He stood there for a full minute before sprinting towards Tony. The boys' words were flowing a mile a minute. He was very surprised and happy to see both of them standing in his room. There was no evidence of physical abuse based on what Stephen and Tony could see, but it was also clear that the boy wasn't looked after in this home.

Tony and Stephen photographed everything. This room didn't even look like it belonged to a child, as there were few toys, and it lacked colour.

"Let's get you out of here, Peter. Why don't you pack this bag with things you want to take with you? Everything that you don't want to leave behind." Stephen said, he could see that Peter would be coming with them, as they weren't going to be leaving him to live in this state. Tony explained that they were nipping downstairs to talk to their friend while he packed. Peter quickly got to work, though it wouldn't take him long to pack everything.

Stephen and Tony practically stormed down the stairs. "They haven't physically abused the boy, but it's clear that he is being neglected in this home... hell, his room didn't even look like a little boy was living in it." Tony told the social worker, handing over a hard drive that had all of the evidence he had taken from upstairs... sometimes it came in handy having JARIVS with him.

"Very well, you will take Peter with you while I take these two with me. Young Mr Parker can stay with you while we look over everything and interview Mr and Mrs Parker. Based on what we find, you can petition to adopt the boy in a few days." The social worker stated, he had already seen enough to remove the boy from their care, while Stephen and Tony had already expressed a desire to adopt the boy if a problem was found. This might be the quickest case of adoption that he had ever been a part of.

"You can't do this! You can't come into my home, take my nephew, and then accuse me of neglect!" Ben Parker yelled. There was no way he was going to let anyone come into his home and suggest such things; he didn't care who it was that was doing the suggesting.

"Oh, believe me, we can. I will throw everything at you if further abuse is found. Your family trusted you to look after their child, and this is what the both of you do. People like you make me sick." Tony said. He was practically snarling at this point. Little footsteps came down the stairs, making all of the adults face that direction. Peter practically sprinted for Tony and Stephen, especially when he saw the faces his aunt and uncle were giving him.

"Peter, would you like to go with Tony and Stephen?" The social worker asked. He needed to make sure that the boy wanted to go with the two males before letting them leave.

"Yes, please! I don't really like it here, and they are my idols!" Peter yelled. He was holding onto the pants legs of Tony and Stephen, looking up at each of them with a look of awe on his face while bouncing on his feet. The social worker smiled and nodded. He didn't see any issue with them taking Peter while things were sorted out.

Tony and Stephen couldn't get Peter out of the house fast enough. Tony took the young boy into his arms while his partner carried the small bag that Peter had packed. Happy was already there with another car; the social workers colleagues had also arrived. They would take Ben and May for an interview while the police investigated the house. Hopefully, this was only going to take a couple of days, so there wasn't further risk to Peter from them.

Both Tony and Stephen had been worried about the two kids' meeting, but they had quickly hit it off. Due to the neglect, Peter was wary at first but quickly got accustomed to Harley when he realised that they had a lot in common with each other. The boys had decided to share a room for the time being Peter would have his own room, but they wanted to share one. It meant doing a little more shopping for Harley's room as well as Peter's, but neither Stephen nor Tony had an issue with doing that. They were more than happy to be spoiling the boys.

Now all they had to do was wait to hear back from social services; the sooner they knew if they could keep Peter, the better for all of them.

Chapter Text

Tony couldn't be more happy with his life at the moment.

He had the love of his life with him; he had adopted Harley as his son, and now Peter had also joined them in living at the tower. Tony was in the process of getting custody of Peter; the boy was just staying with them for the time being. As soon as he was able to, Tony would be adopting the boy. Stephen had been his rock throughout everything; he was potentially going to have two children to help raise, despite them only being together for a short amount of time... and yet Stephen never complained.

Peter and Harley had now been living at the tower for a couple of weeks. Tony was very surprised to see that the two boys were pretty much inseparable. He had always known that they would have gotten along in his previous life, but he had never had the chance to introduce them.

Rhodey had been shocked to learn that Tony was adopting two children into his life, especially since the man had never expressed interest in children before. However, the two boys quickly grew on the man once he met them. Rhodey had quickly turned into the cool uncle that got them whatever their hearts desired; Tony found it hilarious just how attached his best friend was to the two boys.

Life as Iron Man had also steadily progressed; most people who followed his activities closer had figured out that Tony Stark was indeed Iron Man; however, he had yet to confirm anything.

Whether he was Iron Man or not was still heavily debated, but everyone knew that Tony Stark had designed and built the armour being used by Iron Man. Only Stark Industries would be able to produce something that advanced, and only Tony Stark would be able to build it. Tony had offers coming at him left and right for the blueprints of the armour, as well as the miniature ARC Reactor he was wearing in his chest. Tony had declined all offers for his tech, explaining that they were highly dangerous in the wrong hands; he would be keeping their design close to his chest for the time being.

Now that everything in his personal life had settled down, Tony decided it was time to make another change that would improve their chances of winning in the future. His advanced technology gave them the edge, but that was nothing compared to the strength of Gods.

Tony had decided that it was time for him to try contacting Thor and Loki.

Luckily, Tony had read up on Asgardian culture and knew that there was a way to contact specific gods if one believed in them enough. Apparently, it had been created when belief in the Greek gods was at an all-time high. Many people prayed to specific gods and believed their prayers were answered. Tony knew that Asgard existed, so he believed in them greatly, which meant that he should be able to contact them with this method.

Stephen had quickly noticed that something was bothering his boyfriend; Tony was a little more on edge and seemed to be researching something called Asgard. It got to the point where he confronted the man he loved, wanting to know what was distressing Tony so much.

"I was hoping that I would have more time to figure things out. You remember when you told me that you believed in the supernatural, despite not having any experiences?" Tony asked; he had been shocked when Stephen said such a thing during one of their movie nights. He had believed the doctor didn't believe in such things until after the accident, when he was given literally no choice but to believe it.

"I believe my exact words were that I didn't disbelieve the supernatural; I can't say for sure if such things exist because I haven't witnessed them myself, but I also can't dismiss the possibility. What does that have to do with anything?" Stephen asked confused.

"I had a dream last week, a very vivid dream. We were all years older, and there was a battle—an alien race fighting against a group of heroes... I thought it was just another dream, but there were people I recognised in it. I didn't want to believe it, but I couldn't just forget. Two of the figures I knew were Thor and Loki of Asgardian mythology, hence why I'm studying it." Tony explained, it sounded silly even to his ears... but it was the only thing that he could think of that would explain why he knew so much about beings he didn't even know were real.

Tony would also be using this excuse to give to Thor and Loki when they asked how he knew about them, let alone about the summoning of their kind. He would let them believe that he had some sort of vision about the future that had them in it, as well as how to summon them. He would mention aspects of his previous life as if he had dreamed them, warning them of Thanos and the issue of the Aether. If he could convince them that he was telling the truth, it would be a game changer. Loki would never be tempted with the Mind Stone, which would prevent him from falling into the hands of Thanos, bringing another powerful ally to their side.

Stephen just looked intrigued. "Thor and Loki, huh, the two princes of Asgard. Who else did you recognise in this dream? I doubt you would be this sure just by two beings of myth being present in a dream." He questioned; it sounded strange to him... but he knew this was important to Tony, and anything was possible in the world they lived in.

"The Black Panther was also present; all I know about him is that he is a being who looks after Wakanda. Apparently the King of Wakanda is also the Black Panther, but he rarely leaves his domain, hence why many people believe the place is a myth." Tony explained, watching as Stephen processed the information. Wakanda was an especially advanced civilisation, with technology that rivalled his own. Many people still believe that it was made up.

"I can believe that; it was no secret that the shield used by Steve Rogers was made out of vibranium, and Wakanda is the only place in the world that has that substance." Stephen had also grown up on the legacy of Captain America; he knew that the man had saved multiple people and helped them win the war; however, Stephen believed that they had glorified the man a little too much. He still went against orders; he did things his own way and got people into trouble sometimes, not to mention the fact that he agreed to human experimentation. Stephen could admit that the man was a hero, but he was not the best hero out there.

Tony hid his shudder at the mention of Steve, though Stephen noticed he didn't say anything on matter, knowing Captain America and his father were sore subjects for the man.

"Thor and Loki I simply remember from the legends I read when I was younger that their descriptions and abilities are an exact match. The summoning was also featured in the dream, which is why I'm trying to contact them first... maybe they might know whether this was simply a dream or something more that I was seeing." Tony explained. He had gotten used to the idea of working with Loki, and Thor was a powerful ally to have; this time he would make sure that they all worked together as a team rather than feeling left out.

Stephen nodded; he could see the reason behind it. Asgardian myth was heavily involved in magic and divinity, which could explain this prophetic dream Tony had envisioned. "Makes sense to me; them simply showing up would lend credit to this dream." He said thoughtfully. It also served as proof to Stephen that there was something more out there.

"The only other person I recognised was Captain America himself; he didn't even look much older than the last recorded photo of him. I seemed to keep my distance from him; it looked like he was closer to one team, and we were closer to another team... with many other allies around us, based on what I saw, it seemed like we weren't friendly." Tony finished. Not friendly was as normal as he could explain their issues; even if this Steve was different, he would never be able to trust the man... Steve was quick to turn on you if he thought you were against him; they were close friends when they had finally gotten to know one another. But Bucky had always come first; Steve had proven that back in Siberia when he nearly killed Tony.

"But how is that possible? Captain America lived over 70 years ago and went down in the frozen sea with a plane. There is no way someone could survive that, even if he was a super soldier." Stephen was shocked. He just couldn't imagine anyone surviving such a thing, let alone staying alive in the frozen waters of the sea; it just went against everything he knew as a doctor.

"I did some research, and it could be possible. Steve was injected with that super soldier serum, and it worked wonders on his body. It is quite possible that the serum is keeping his cells alive but in a state of suspended animation... keeping him alive but frozen." Tony stated thoughtfully. He had fully studied the case of Steve Rogers when he was pulled from the ice alive; he finally noted that it wasn't the man who was special; it was the serum keeping him alive. The serum had changed his DNA the moment it entered his bloodstream; when Steve was in danger of dying, his cells remained alive but frozen until he could be awakened.

"That might prove to be a problem; I know that you have an issue with Captain America even though I don't fully understand it. Why would you be on a battlefield with a man that you don't trust?" Stephen said worriedly. He loved Tony, and he would do anything for the man.

"Maybe that future me thought that the safety of the world was more important than simply not trusting the man, who knows." Tony said dismissively. He knew that Stephen would be even more against Steve's involvement when his lover learnt the truth about what Steve had done to him. Stephen had been during his previous life; Steve and the Rogues being pardoned had just increased that rage as time went on... Tony had fallen in love with the fact that Stephen was angry on his behalf and that he was willing to break his oath for him.

"That is no reason for you to be on the battlefield with people you don't trust; in the middle of a fight, you rely on those around you for support. If you don't trust them, then you shouldn't be fighting together." Stephen said passionately. He wrapped an arm around his boyfriend when he noticed that Tony was shaking, calming himself down in order to focus on Tony.

"And... you were there as well. Older, just as handsome and standing at my side in the battle." Tony said softly, watching as Stephen's eyebrow rose. He could understand his partner's confusion as he didn't have a suit and had no special abilities. What would he be doing on the battlefield? "You were different, wearing robes and a cape that made you look powerful as well as sexy... you had some kind of magical ability; you were fighting while protecting all of us." Tony finished, watching as Stephen looked at him shocked.

"That one is a little less believable; it's quite clear that I don't have any magical ability, and there hasn't been proof that magic is real. If I had it, then I've either got secret powers or I was trained, neither of which have happened." Stephen said thoughtfully. It wasn't that he didn't believe Tony; it just seemed so unlikely that he had trouble understanding.

"No one can predict the future; who knows what happened in the future for you to be magical and for us to be on a battlefield and fighting? Like I said, this could be just a dream, which is why I was doing that research. If I can summon Thor and Loki, then there could be some truth to this dream, which means we need to start preparing... if they don't appear, then I'm labelling it as a weird dream and moving on." Tony explained. He wasn't going to push the issue, though he had a feeling that the summoning was going to work as planned.

"Then let's get to work; luckily we are alone in here, so any visitors won't be found out, and no one will know that we are summoning people from another world. Do you have everything you need?" Stephen asked. He was intrigued, if a little sceptical; his entire view on the world could be shifted within the next few minutes. It would also lend credit to the dream that Tony had seen, which had started all of this. He didn't know how to feel about that if it proved this was a vision rather than a dream. Tony stated that he had magical abilities, which he didn't have. That meant something had happened in the future that had caused him to learn magic, and that was a little worrying to him.

"Sir, may I suggest that you do this summoning outside where there is less risk to the structure of the tower?" JARVIS interjected. He had been listening to his creator from the very beginning but hadn't interrupted Tony; he was also well aware that the man was still hiding quite a bit from them... but Tony would tell them when the time was right to do so.

"Good idea; who knows what'll happen when we try this?" Tony said, taking Stephen's hand and leading him out to the balcony of their penthouse.

Stephen stayed silent next to Tony as he shut his eyes. Tony's hands were crossed over his chest and his head bent down in a slight bow. Stephen copied his movements; he hadn't been told what this ritual entailed, but he could already tell something was happening. The wind had picked up and seemed to be gathering in front of them; Tony didn't seem to be affected by it as he remained rooted to the spot, though his body was a little more tensed than before.

"What have you done now, brother? Where are we?" A slightly angry voice sounded, one that caused both Tony and Stephen to open their eyes, both of them gaping when they noticed that there were now two men standing in front of him who hadn't been there before.

The first male, the one who had spoken, was lean and slight of stature with incredibly pale skin and raven black hair that fell to his shoulders. His eyes were the colour of emeralds, and his features were sharp, reminding Stephen and Tony of Aristocrat's. He was wearing a lot of leather in the colours green and black; they fitted him well while matching his eyes and bringing out the paleness of skin. The second male was the complete opposite, with much more pronounced muscles, tanned skin, and golden blonde hair. His eyes were the colour of the sky, and his features were softer; he looked to be the more innocent of the two. He was wearing silver armour with a red flowing cape blowing in the breeze. A large hammer was grasped in one of his hands, which was clenched at his side.

"Hey! This wasn't my fault! You're the one with the magic, Loki; I should be asking you where you have taken us!" This statement came from the blonde male, who was looking at the other male (evidentially Loki) with anger on his face for being blamed.

"Actually, we brought you here." Tony said softly. He didn't move; he didn't want to scare them into attacking them before he explained himself... Thor had the tendency to attack first and ask questions later; he would have to deploy his Asgardian armour in order to fight these two. Loki and Thor stiffened at the unfamiliar voice, both turning to look in the direction it came from. They were confused when they saw two Midgardian males standing there with them.

"Who are you two? Where are we? And how did two Midgardians manage to bring us here?" Loki asked quickly. He could get them home easily, but he wanted to know why they were brought to Midgard. This world hadn't accepted the truth of aliens, magic, or interdimensional beings, so he didn't understand how these two had managed to summon both him and Thor.

"My name is Stephen, and this is my boyfriend, Tony. You are currently on the balcony of Stark Tower in New York. You are on Earth because we need your help. Tony was able to summon you using an old ritual dating back to the Greek Gods." Stephen said confidently. He might have sounded confident, but he was feeling anything, but these two men were gods of incredible power. They could take both him and Tony without breaking a sweat; he would remain on edge until he was sure that they wouldn't attack either of them.

"Wow, that summoning thing actually works. I thought for sure it was just something that was made up; who knew that we could be transported so easily?" Loki said, intrigued. Thor was a little more on edge; they had been sitting in Thor's room going over a prank of Loki's when they had reappeared here for no reason. He was the battle-hardened warrior and older brother; he would make sure these people weren't going to harm either him or his brother.

"You said you brought us here for our help; I don't understand why you would need our help." Thor said he had calmed down a little after that explanation... these two men weren't going to hurt them, so he would stay and hear what they had to say.

Tony and Stephen led the two back into the suite so that they would be more comfortable while they talked. This would be a serious conversation, and he didn't want to have it outside where anyone would be able to hear it easily enough. On that note, he didn't want to risk anyone stopping this meeting or listening in.

"JARVIS lock down the suite; we can't afford anyone interrupting us, and we can't afford any bugs listening in." Tony commanded, looking to the ceiling.

"Right away, sir, the entire penthouse has been locked down. Though there are no bugs on this premises, do you really think I would endanger Peter and Harley like that?" JARVIS said, his voice sounding almost petulant.

The new voice startled Thor and Loki, who looked ready for battle at any second. They calmed down when Tony explained that this was his creation, the first artificial intelligence of its kind and the first child of Tony. They were impressed that this man had such advanced technology; most other worlds still believed that true A.I. was impossible.

Everyone settled down and had something cool to drink while they talked. Tony explained the dream he had and what he thought it meant—the dream had been so strange and jarring that he had summoned Loki and Thor. The two Gods understood where this human was coming from; even back on Asgard, prophetic dreams such as these were incredibly rare... it could be months for an oracle to have such dreams, and they were the closest to divinity.

"Interesting... but there must be some truth to this dream of yours; you knew we were real, and you knew how to contact us. And that monster you described..." Thor trailing off as he spoke. He remembered the stories that his mother had told both himself and Loki when they were young.

"Thanos, otherwise known as the Mad Titan. Unfortunately, he is a real being, despite many believing that he is a myth. He grew up in a war-torn environment and wants to court Lady Death; his answer for that is wiping half of life on every planet. He brings nothing but death; he is such a horror that many believe that he is a story meant to scare little children." Loki continued; he too remembered those stories he had been told as a child. Odin and Frigga had told them stories of the Mad Titan, but they told the children that the monster was as real as they were, telling them to run if they came across said monster.

"So... it's true. This dream he had, where we're in a battle for all life on our planet... that's really going to happen?" Stephen couldn't believe it. He had wanted to trust Tony with his life, but that dream was something he didn't want to have happen. Now he was being told that it was most probably true that they would have to face this monster sometime in the future.

"We can't know for sure; certain aspects of his dream do appear accurate. How else would a mortal have knowledge of the Mad Titan? But that doesn't mean this battle will play out exactly as it did in his dream; even the most vivid vision of an oracle can change with a single choice that is made." Thor explained. He remembered when the royal oracle had a vision of Loki and himself fighting to kill. After learning about the two of them, he sat down with their parents to talk about everything. Things still weren't perfect between the four of them, but the relationship between them was stronger than it had ever been.

If it hadn't been for that oracle telling them of their vision that it might have been true, which would have hurt a lot of people in the long run.

Tony would admit he was slightly shocked. Thor from his previous life wasn't stupid, but he wasn't the smartest person. This Thor was knowledgeable, and he thought things through; it showed Tony that these people were not the ones he knew and that he was going to have to learn about them all over again, though this time he would be a little more guarded.

"So, we are just going to have to wait and see. However, I think it would be wise to start gathering people you trust and who are able to fight; if the Mad Titan is truly on the move, then we all need to work together; he won't go down easily... even for Gods." Loki explained. Tony had already been planning on that very thing. He was thinking of ways to gather or create his team for the upcoming battles. He would gather people he could trust with his life, and together they would form a team, one that wouldn't abandon their members at a moment's notice.

They would not be the Avengers.

Tony had yet to think of a name for their future team, but it would be very different from the Avengers; he was starting over, and that meant creating a team that he could trust who would also trust him in return.

Unfortunately, the Avengers would still form with Captain America leading them and under the control of SHIELD. Some governments would back the Avengers with Steve leading them, but many more would back the team with Tony Stark leading it, and that was something Tony was counting on. Tony already knew who would be joining that team; he was just glad that they wouldn't be with him.

"Already planned on doing so; there is an open invitation for you two to join whenever you are ready." Tony stated, smirking at them. Thor and Loki looked shocked before smiling softly. Tony had already seen them fighting side-by-side, so it made sense that they would be invited to join this team that was being created.

"We would love to, though we have to head back home for a while. Our parents have upped our training now that we are actually getting along; we are both princes, and there are a lot of things that they need to teach us. Once we have completed our training, we will return and join your team. I always wanted to face the Mad Titan in battle." Thor said confidently. Loki shook his head fondly at his brother, while Thor had changed and used his head a lot more. He was still a battle junkie who rushed into battle without thinking; there were multiple times where he had to save his brother after the blonde had rushed into a fight.

"But you know how to contact us now; if something serious happens, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We should only be gone for a few months, but we know that a lot can happen in a few months... so if something does change or you have another vision, please don't hesitate to let us know about it." Loki said softly. He had just met these humans, and they seemed really nice. Tony was protecting the world based on a dream alone, while Stephen was staying with him despite how crazy everything sounded.

"Mother and father will be sad to see us moving to Earth." Thor said sadly. Loki felt sadness too, but it was easy enough for them to go home and for their parents to come to Earth. It wasn't like they weren't going to see them again.

"Don't you worry; once you move here permanently, we will establish a treaty between our people so that we can share technology. You will be able to contact your parents whenever and wherever you want." Tony said it understandingly. He was already planning on draughting a document that made mutants, enhanced, and normal humans responsible for their actions. He was hoping that this would stop the accords from happening. Every hero, mutant and enhanced, would be required to read through the document before signing it; if they don't sign and use their abilities in public, then they would be held accountable for breaking the law.

Tony would make sure that everyone was safe and had the training they needed for their abilities; only once fully trained and after signing would they be able to help others.

Loki and Thor looked at one another before standing; they stated that they needed to head home and talk to their parents... better them finding out sooner rather than later. Tony and Stephen had understood, walking them out of the penthouse to the balcony. They bid one another goodbye before watching as the two gods vanished from their sights. Stephen turned to Tony with a sad look on his face.

"I am sorry. I didn't want to believe that the dream you had was a vision; everything sounds so bad in the future." Stephen said softly. Tony smiled and took Stephen's face in his hands, raising the others heads so that they could lock eyes. Stephen looked about ready to cry; it was clear that he had wanted to believe Tony because he loved him... but the future sounded so bad that he didn't want either of them (or their future friends) to live through such a thing. Though he should have expected it, his love was parading around in weaponised armour to save people all over the world.

"Don't be sorry; no one wants to believe that a fight for their life is where their future is heading toward... but we can't think about that right now. We have each other, we have our two children, we have two gods on our side, and we're going to create a team so powerful that Thanos will run away when he sees us... but most importantly, we have time; that vision was many years into the future, and a lot of things could change before then." Tony said softly. He would make sure that he changed as much as he was allowed so things would be easier this time around; they would all live... even the Rogues. Tony smiled softly when he saw the smile appear on his lover's face; it seemed that his words had gotten through to him.

"You always know how to make me feel better. Let's head inside; I'm craving some food, and then we have to start thinking of people to join our team." Stephen said, pecking a kiss on Tony's cheek before starting to head back inside the building.

"Our team, huh." Tony said fondly. He really liked how that sounded. Stephen would be his second-in-command, so they would be leading the team together. They would make this work between all of them in a way that had never happened in his previous life. He couldn't wait to get his true friends together again, already thinking of team movies and training nights as well as designs for rooms.

"Of course, you saw me fighting by your side. It looks like I'm going to have to start training now; I have magical abilities I need to discover." Stephen said, taking Tony's hand.

Tony smiled as the two of them finally got back inside their penthouse; Peter and Harley were already waiting in the living room for them. Both of them were getting hungry and had their own suggestions for what they wanted to eat. Tony smiled as the two boys crowded around him and Stephen, with both of them trying to talk over each other.

This was Tony's new life at the very start, and he was already loving it.

Chapter Text

Things seemed to progress slowly for Tony, which was strange considering he had two young children living with him.

Tony focused on developing his suits as much as possible, he wouldn’t be able to get his technology to as good of a standard as it had been in his previous life… he was already pushing the boundaries for his technology for this time period, he really didn’t want to draw even more unwanted attention to himself for the wonderous technology he was keeping hidden. After all, Nano technology had only been thought of as an idea, which is why his suit was so secretive… only Stephen knew the truth about the design.

There had been no word from either Thor or Loki since they had been summoned by Tony, with Asgard’s lack of technology it wasn’t like they could just keep in contact with one another.

Stephen had also been pretty busy since the discovery of Tony’s prophetic dream; as soon as he heard that he would be standing beside Tony during this battle he immediately started his own form of training. As was expected he had yet to unlock this magic that his boyfriend had seen him using, he had a feeling that something incredibly specific had to happen in order for him to discover this ability. He had yet to ask Tony for more information on the how and why, he didn’t want to risk things changing by doing something that he wasn’t meant to do. Stephen focused on working out, dieting, studying and keeping in shape… he wanted to be ready for the moment that this magic unlocked within him.

Peter and Harley had seen both of them training their bodies once the regime became more routine, they both wanted to join them despite their young age. Tony and Stephen had discussed it and decided that the dieting, studying and working out could start pretty much right away… however, the martial arts would be left until the boys were older, they were just sparring but they still bruised and hurt one another which was something that they didn’t want to happen with the children. The two boys pouted but accepted the rules as they would still be able to join in when they were older.

Shockingly it seemed as if SHIELD was starting to make their move in regards to Iron Man, Tony had already seen Natasha Romanov walking around his building with a name tag identifying her as a member of the staff… no doubt Pepper had accepted her, thinking that she would be just what Tony would want. This time around, the spy was not working closely with him or his office, she was working under Pepper which meant that she didn’t have much access to him unless she saw him around the building. Tony was disgusted to see that Natasha’s special training was starting to come into play, she was wearing more provocative clothing and trying to get his attention… she hadn’t been this bad in his previous life, so she seemed pretty desperate to get the information she wanted. Tony avoided her as if she were the plague, she seemed to have alienated everyone in the building other than Pepper which made it easier for him to avoid her.

Tony had a feeling that one of her missions was to get close to him in order to discover if he really was Iron Man, many more theories had popped up that Tony Stark and Iron Man were one in the same… there were still people who doubted that Tony would do such a thing, others were sure that only Tony Stark would have the money to design, create and maintain such a powerful suit.

“She is doing my head in; she doesn’t even work with me and already she is starting to get on my last nerve. I haven’t been seen out in public with a woman for ages, what makes SHIELD think that I would be interested in one now.” Tony ranted to Stephen. The two of them had retreated to the penthouse for some time alone, both Peter and Harley were on one of the lower floors with their personal tutor… Tony and Stephen often taught their children, but they were very busy men, so they had hired a personal tutor for the times where they couldn’t teach their children.

Stephen already knew who the ‘she’ Tony was referring to, he had pointed out to him pretty early on about SHIELD and what tactics they might deploy in order to get the information they wanted. If he was being honest with himself, Stephen was disgusted with SHIELD and what they thought was right… this was basically stalking his boyfriend, trying to seduce him and all of that for some information that they didn’t have themselves. Tony had told him all about this Natasha Romanov, including her speciality of using any methods to get information… he was shocked that Pepper had allowed the woman in the building after seeing her advances towards Tony, it was clear that Pepper wanted Tony to be with her so it was surprising to see that she was keeping Natasha so close.

“What has she done this time?” Stephen said softly, stroking his fingers through Tony’s soft hair… a method he often used to calm his boyfriend down.

“She cornered me in the elevator after I was visiting one of the labs, they reported a problem with one of the equations they were working on and I had the spare time… so I headed down myself. We got everything figured out and I headed back to my lab, when she entered the lift and immediately backed me into the wall. Another lab worker was trying to reach the upper floors and she made him get out. I actually had to remind her that she doesn’t order my workers around and said he could enter. I might have pushed her away from me a little too forcefully because she went flying into the opposite wall of the lift, I told her to leave me alone and that I wasn’t interested before leaving the lift and walking up here.” Tony took a deep breath, even talking about the situation annoyed him to no end. “What right does she think she has over me, to corner me like that and try to get me interested in her.” He finished, snuggling closer to Stephen’s welcoming warmth.

Stephen scowled, he really didn’t like having that woman in his home or workplace. He was possessive over his boyfriend, he knew that Tony felt nothing but hatred for her… but she was still trying to seduce his boyfriend, and that really annoyed him to no end. He was wondering if his training would actually prove useful very soon.

“Are you sure there isn’t a way for us to get rid of her? Surely her behaviour would count as stalking and assault in regards to you, that should be more than enough to get her arrested in normal circumstances.” Stephen said, the pout as well as the anger clear in his tone of voice. Tony smiled softly when he heard those emotional tones, it showed that Stephen was angry with her advances and proved that he was with him for the long haul… something that always excited Tony when it happened.

“Unfortunately, this situation is anything but normal. As I have previously mentioned Natasha works for SHIELD, she is one of their top agents and very high up in the ranks… she has help in very high places and we would need more than what we have in order to get rid of her. And even then, we wouldn’t be able to get rid of her permanently, she would just keep coming back in different ways until she is able to get the information that she is after. We’re just going to have to wait it out, eventually they will get bored and pull her out before trying to figure out something else to try.” Tony said, stroking Stephen’s covered chest in an effort to calm the other man down… Tony loved seeing this possessive side of his boyfriend as it didn’t happen very often, Stephen kept strict control over his emotions even when around Tony and their children, so it was nice when the man let that possessiveness through.

“And neither of us are ready for our relationship to be made public… though I’m pretty sure many have guessed at the nature of the relationship due to how often we attend gatherings together, we are both seen out with two children and neither of us have been seen with a woman in a long time.” Stephen sighed. He knew why they were keeping their relationship as well as the children as secret as they were but he also knew that a lot of their problems would be solved if their relationship was made public.

“You have no idea how much I wish we could reveal everything to the public tomorrow, I would love to be able to walk around outside while holding your hand with our children running about and asking endless questions about anything… but that just isn’t possible right now. There is just too much that we have to do in regards to training, preparing for whatever is coming and gathering people who can help us with this fight… on top of that we’re both very public figures and we can be used to hurt each other just like Peter and Harley can be used to hurt us. Until we can all be protected, we have to keep everything close to our chests.” Tony said, he knew that Stephen understood why they were doing this… neither of them were happy about it, but it was something that had to be done for the time being.

“The sooner this magic thing happens the better, I’m sure I would be able to conjure something to protect all of us even if the worst does happen. One thing is clear though, our children are going to be the most protected kids in the world. Iron Man and a sorcerer as their parents, a high-ranking military officer with his own suit as an uncle, a highly trained bodyguard as an uncle, two Asgardian Gods that would stop at nothing to help us and the most advanced technology being controlled by the most advanced A.I. ever made… I don’t think even the royal family has such security for their children.” Stephen said, a smirk was on his face and the pride was clear in his voice. Peter and Harley were the two most important people in their lives, aside from one another and their friends… they were both happy to know that the children would be protected, even if something were to happen to the two of them.

“That’s the genius I fell in love with, already planning on how to use magic that he doesn’t even have access to yet.” Tony said softly, leaning up slightly to place a kiss on the side of Stephen’s neck… which caused the man to shiver a little from the sudden touch. Before anything else was said (or done) JARVIS’ voice sounded from around them.

“Sirs, I am sorry to interrupt, but I have detected a hacking attempt to my main servers.” JARVIS stated, causing the two males to separate… though neither of them were too happy about it.

“Really, they really thought it was a good idea to try and hack you? Are they a stupid spy organisation, they should have known better than to try and hack the most intelligent man on the planet.“ It seemed that Stephen was on the same wavelength as he was, they both had a pretty good idea on who was behind this little attack on their privacy.

“Well, we have already said that they aren’t the smartest. Give me the information JARVIS, who is it and what is it they are looking for?” Tony asked, waiting for JARVIS to display the information he needed. He already had an idea on what it was they were looking for, anything that they could use against him that would bring him around to their way of thinking… blackmail was a primary weapon of an organisation like SHIELD, they had used that very same method on him during his previous life. Tony still got angry when SHIELD threatened to expose Peter as Spider-Man when he didn’t do what they wanted, he was not going to be pushed around this time.

“I believe it is this spy organisation you have spoken of in the past, the technology they would need far surpasses that on the market right now. The signal is also coming from a large object in the sky over New York, it fits the description of this Helicarrier you have briefed us on.” JARVIS explained, displaying the information for Tony himself to see. “Right now they are only seeing what we want them to see, they will be unable to break through your main firewall.” JARVIS said confidently, he trusted both his and his creators' protections for both the information as well as JARVIS himself.

Tony smirked manically; it seemed they had tried to hack him in this life as well.

“Keep an eye on it JARVIS, let them find what we talked about before kicking them to the curb painfully… let’s remind them what it is I am known for, remind them that I’m not my father and I won’t be pushed around by SHIELD like he was.” Tony said sternly, stalking him in his own building at work was one thing, but hacking his personal life was quite another.

“Is it wrong that I find you incredibly hot when you're planning the demise of evil organisations?” Stephen said, pulling Tony back down so that he was able to kiss the side of his neck. Tony laughed happily, he would later deny the fact that JARIVS called it more of a giggle than a laugh… Tony Stark did not giggle, not even for his boyfriend. The two of them settled back down in the position they had been in before being interrupted by JARVIS, they both knew that the A.I. would handle everything and let them know if something important came up.

“Of course not, I would find it suspicious if you didn’t find me hot at all times. Though based on those dreams you seem to get even hotter, with the magic robes and cloak… not to mention those grey streaks in your hair behind your ears.” Tony said, smirking into Stephen’s neck which caused the other man to shudder slightly. Tony couldn’t help but tease his boyfriend whenever he got the chance, he personally found those grey streaks of Stephen’s quite hot… it made him look dignified and extremely handsome, he wasn’t the only one in his previous life to see just how gorgeous Stephen was. They had both had many fans vying for their attention in his previous life, he was sure that it would be the same this time around.

“Grey streaks? Are you being serious right now?” Stephen said, Tony could practically hear the pout in his tone of voice which caused him to laugh softly.

“I can assure you that you looked just as gorgeous in my dreams as you do right now, those streaks are most likely proof of how hard you worked to get where you are… people often get early grey hair or streaks of grey when they are under great stress, it is proof of your hard work rather than your age.” Tony said softly, wanting his boyfriend to understand that nothing would change his feelings in regards to the other man… it would take a great deal of force for him to leave Stephen this time around, he would make sure that even death could not separate them this time.

Tony leaned back, staring deeply into the others as he conveyed his emotions to his boyfriend… Stephen smiled softly, seemingly getting what Tony was trying to say without words. They started to lean into each other, both of their eyes slipping shut as they grew closer… only for JARVIS to interrupt them once again.

“I am sorry to interrupt you once again Sirs, but we seem to have an intruder. A man wearing an eyepatch has hacked into the lift in the main lobby and is making his way to the penthouse. Would you like me to stop the lift where it is, or detain him with force?” JARVIS said, already starting to get move measures ready depending on what his creator wanted. No one had ever tried to hack the lifts in order to reach the penthouse so he had overlooked the maximum security measures, people knew better than to try to hack Tony Stark's personal business… it seemed that he was too gentle with the security despite no one having tried before, that was going to be a mistake that he would fix immediately as he was already upgrading the security to all of the lifts in the building that reached to the penthouse.

Tony actually growled this time, which shouldn’t have excited Stephen the way it did, before getting up from the comfortable position they were in and starting to pace the floor. “What the hell is he doing here?! Other than darkening my life with his presence.” He said angrily, he had more time in his previous life before he was cornered by Nick Fury… it had actually been Coulson who approached him first once Natasha had failed, only after Coulson did Fury approach him.

If he was being honest with himself he didn’t mind Coulson in the least, in fact, he quite liked the agent and had done so very early on in his previous life. Coulson was one of the only agents of SHIELD that he trusted completely, along with Clint and his wife Laura (who had been a former SHIELD agent)… he just wished that they hadn’t relied on Fury so much when everything was first starting to come together, this time around he would make sure that both men were away from SHIELD as soon as possible. He already had plans to invite Clint to his team with a better offer for himself and his family than what SHIELD was giving him, Coulson would be another matter entirely as he deeply trusted Nick Fury and breaking that trust would take a lot of work.

“How was he able to hack the lift? The lifts in the lobby shouldn’t even be able to reach the penthouse without a code.” Stephen said, also getting up and grabbing Tony to stop his pacing. Tony only got like this when he was worried about something, he would need to calm the man down before he could face Nick Fury.

“Romanov. Unfortunately, Pepper was my P.A. and had access to the codes for the lifts… most likely she gave them to Natasha in order to try and “entice” me into her good books, since all of her attempts failed she has gone running to her boss with the codes.” Tony said, sighing as he rubbed at his eyes. “Remind me to look into ways we can fire those two women, I am getting sick of having them in my building.” He stated, he was going to leave it alone for a little while… but this latest stunt made him want them gone, as soon as possible.

Stephen scowled, even now, those women were trying to get to his boyfriend… like hell was he going to let them keep getting away with it, even if he had to fabricate a reason they would be gone soon.

“Let him through J, if we don’t talk to him then he will just keep coming back and none of us want that. But do a full body scan J, make sure it’s kept on record along with both hacking attempts… who knows when both of those things will come in handy in the future. Also keep him registered in the security system, alert both Stephen and I if he is ever spotted in the vicinity of this building.” Tony said sternly, he was through being the nice guy at this point… he had warned Fury about the hacking attempt, now he would get a little more prompting to leave them alone. Both Tony and Stephen heard the lift arriving at the penthouse, the two of them retreated to the back wall of the room they were in… the wall actually opened up to give quick access to Tony’s personal lab right below them, it would give him immediate access to the suit if something were to go wrong with this meeting.

Tony kept Stephen close, the other man had been training relentlessly but he was still without his magic and without the Cloak of Levitation… there was no way that Tony was going to risk his boyfriend with Nick Fury in the room, he didn’t care if the man figured out their relationship, he just wanted to make sure that Stephen remained safe.

As the lift pinged with its arrival and the doors opened, Tony squeezed his boyfriend's hand as they moved slightly closer to the area that led down to Tony’s lab… he would make sure that he had clear access to his suit if Fury were to try anything. It would reveal his identity as Iron Man to a man he hated, but it would be a risk he would take in order to protect Stephen. Tony’s scowl darkened when he realised that Fury hadn’t come alone, Romanov was with him, which made sense as only someone who worked in the company could access the lifts in the building… they were biometrically updated with the fingerprints of those who worked in the building, which is why Romanov had been incorporated.

“Fury. To what do we owe this… pleasure of your visit.” Tony said, the sarcasm clear in his tone. Romanov didn’t seem to have gotten the hint, she had still come in her work attired and making it clear what she thought of Tony… though he could clearly see the hatred buried deep in her eyes.

“Oh can it Stark, I want to know what it is you are playing at… there is something you know that you aren’t telling anyone, and I want to know what it is.” Nick Fury demanded, to normal people this would be quite the intimidation tactic. However, Tony had dealt with this many times in his previous life with it not affecting him one bit, that definitely wasn’t going to be changing during this timeline… all of the worlds would end before Tony was ever scared of Nick Fury.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, I’m just running my company and helping people however I can… I have no idea what that has to do with SHIELD.” Tony said, his tone and face were not giving any indications… it was best to keep everything blank when talking to these people.

“All of our attempts to speak to this Iron Man have gone unanswered, some people might not be smart enough to figure it out, but we are. We know that you are either Iron Man or you know who he is and are supplying his equipment, we want you to put us through to him.” Fury said, he had a feeling that Tony himself was Iron Man but he had no proof of such a thing so he wouldn’t approach Tony with that until he had evidence.

“I think that should be up to Iron Man himself, even if I knew who he was, I wouldn’t tell you unless he gave permission.” Tony said calmly, he knew that Fury had nothing to go with so there was nothing for him to worry about.

Fury scowled and Natasha frowned, he had them at that point, there was nothing they could do without any evidence.

“Why are you here Romanov? This wasn’t going to protect your identity.” Tony said, smirking when he saw Romanov and Fury stare at him in shock. “Oh please, I’ve known since the moment Pepper hired you. Did you really think I didn’t look into my employees even if I didn’t hire them? I can hack into pretty much anything and I found your SHIELD file, why do you think you have such little contact with me or any major areas in the building?” He finished, looking at them as if they were more stupid than he already believed them to be.

“So you know, I’m a bit surprised that you kept her on the staff if you knew who she really was.” Fury said, he kept his tone calm but it was clear that he was shocked that Tony had seen through their little plan… Natasha was his best agent, she had never been figured out during her operation before. Fury and Natasha scowled when Tony just laughed at them, actually bending over and holding tightly to his boyfriend in order to keep him up straight.

“Of course I did, she was right under my nose the entire time and she was monitored ever since she first walked through the door. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough evidence to get rid of her beforehand… plus, I wanted her close where I could keep an eye on her.” Tony explained, once he had calmed down and stopped laughing so that he was able to talk once more. He could clearly see that Natasha was furious, he knew that she had a clean operation record when he met her in his previous life, more than likely, this is the first time she had ever been caught before the end of her mission.

“There’s many things I keep to myself until the time is right, you should know that my best weapon is my mind and strategic thinking… isn’t that why you wanted me to be a consultant for this boyband you're putting together?” Tony said, a smile on his face.

“And that Arc Reactor in your chest? The one that is slowly killing you, are you going to keep that close to your chest until you are ready to reveal it.” Romanov said, her gaze directed towards Tony’s chest where the light of his reactor was visible. She knew this was a risk, bringing up this much earlier than they had planned… but they needed a way in, and this was the only thing that they had up their sleeve.

“What gave you such an idea? The first reactor did put Tony’s life in danger, but it was built in a rush while he was kidnapped. As soon as he returned home he got to work on developing a better element for the main power source, luckily, he had been planning a Stark Expo in honour of his father and happened on an element Howard found… an element that he found but was unable to synthesize, we have those capabilities. So thanks for your concern about Tony, but he is completely fine.” Stephen explained, speaking up for the first time since the two spies had arrived. His tone was calm but it was clear to Tony that he was angry, they had just tried blackmailing his boyfriend with his life, like he was going to let them get away with such a thing.

This time, the shock was clear on both their faces. They had believed that Tony wouldn’t know anything about the element his father had discovered, they believed that he hated his father so much that he wouldn’t go looking through his work… this meant they had nothing, Tony had pulled one over on them once again.

“You don’t want to put your partner in danger because of this do you? As I understand it he is a simple Neurosurgeon, a brilliant man in his field, but someone without powers and without the ability to protect himself… he would be at a severe disadvantage if he were to be attacked, or threatened.” Fury said, his beady eye locked onto Stephen. To his credit Stephen didn’t even flinch or bat an eye at the harsh look he was being given, this man did not scare him and if Tony did not trust him then he didn’t either… it seemed that Nick Fury hadn’t done his research on Stephen, the Neurosurgeon certainly wasn’t useless when it came to a fight.

Tony scowled deeply, he could hear the underlying threat in that tone, threatening him was one thing… but threatening the man he loved was a totally different matter.

“Better leave Stephen out of this, he can protect himself just fine, but you must remember that he is my boyfriend and therefore under my protection. That sounded like a threat to me, so if something does happen against him… I know who I will be coming after, and you know that I am not someone you should have as an enemy.” Tony said, he was growling and practically frothing at the mouth as he spoke. Though he still kept calm, the anger was clear in his tone, but he wasn’t shouting at them.

“I think you two should leave, I believe that the two of you have definitely overstayed your welcome. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Stephen said, he could feel the anger practically vibrating off of his boyfriend. He needed to get these two out of the penthouse so that he could calm down his boyfriend. “And Ms Rushman, consider this you being fired as well.” Stephen finished, waving them off before turning his attention to Tony. Fury and Romanov scowled but turned around and left, they would have to look at all their options and figure out when they could go next… they would return, but only when they had something over Tony or Stephen.

With the two SHIELD members now out of the room, Stephen turned his attention to his boyfriend, Tony still had his hands curled into fists… it made him worry that Tony was ready to deploy the suit even though they had left the room without being forced to do so.

“I should be deploying the suit! How dare they threaten the man I love just because things didn’t go their way!” Tony yelled angrily, he was rooted to the spot as Stephen was sure if the other male moved it would be towards his various suits. Stephen gently grabbed his boyfriend's hands and led him away from the entrance to the lab, leading the other male to a loveseat near the television in the room. He settled Tony onto the seat before taking a seat beside him, wrapping his arms around Tony and pulling him close… despite the anger Tony was feeling he snuggled into the familiar touch of the man he loved, relaxing slightly, though the anger was still very much present.

“They are gone, please calm down. Nothing good will come if you attack them now, you said it yourself, they know some pretty powerful people and have their fingers in pretty impressive pies.” Stephen said, making sure to keep his voice calm. He needed to keep a level head, if there was even a hint that the words had gotten to him then Tony wouldn’t calm down which is what they needed right now.

Tony sighed, before settling back against Stephen. “I wish you didn’t make so much sense, my love, I want to be angry at them for what they said and what they suggested in regards to you.” He stated, sighing once again as the last of his anger left his body for the moment. He was still upset with what had happened but he had it under control, it seemed that Fury and Romanov still got under his skin even in this new version of reality… he was also quite happy that this had given him ample reason to get rid of Natalia Rushman, if she challenged it then Fury would have to explain why he sent a spy into Tony’s company when he had no right to do so. Fury wouldn’t want to explain himself so he would make sure Romanov was out of their building, though Tony was sure that she would try getting in the hard way.

“One of us has to keep a level head in such situations. I love that you always show your emotional side to people, but sometimes you are quick to anger and I need to remain calm enough to get you to relax.” Stephen said fondly, he loved that he was one of the few who could calm Tony down in such a way… the others being their children, Happy and Rhodey.

The man rolled his eyes as he settled further into Stephen, he didn’t think he could love this man more than he had before, but it seemed he was falling even more in love with him.

“Come on, after all of that I really need to relax and watch a sappy love movie. JARVIS…” Tony said, he kissed the side of Stephen’s neck in thanks before standing up and holding out a hand to the man still on the loveseat. Stephen shook his head fondly before grasping the hand being offered to him, quickly pulling slightly so the two of them were pressed close together… sharing the kiss that they had been so rudely interrupted from when this whole mess started.

“Sir, an order of food from your favourite Chinese Restaurant has been ordered and The Notebook is queued up in your room.” JARVIS stated, he would be keeping an eye on everything throughout the building while his two humans relaxed… though he would make sure to inform them if something was seriously wrong or if something important came up, he knew they needed some time together after everything they had been through today. He would make sure that they got that peace, the only way he would be interrupting them before the following morning was if the world was ending.

Both Tony and Stephen smiled once their kiss ended, Jarvis always knew just what they wanted without even

“How are Peter and Harley doing? I don’t like having them away from us for this long.” Stephen said softly, those two boys were their whole world and he really didn’t like them being away from him… even though he knew where they were and trusted the people they were with.

“They are well, they have been learning all about the mutants in the institute… although they do keep bugging Magneto to make them float around the room with his abilities, they are especially fond of Logan, they seem to love the claws that he has.” JARVIS said, you could practically hear the love in the A.I’s voice as he spoke. Those who didn’t think JARVIS had any emotions were stupid, the emotions were clear in his tone of voice, it was just the way he conveyed his feelings as he didn’t have a body.

Peter and Harley were staying over at the institute for a couple of days, they had made quick friends with the mutant students and teachers that attended the school… the mutants had grown to love the two just as much, they were on the list of those few people that Tony and Stephen would trust with their children. Tony’s plan had worked perfectly, the two boys had made friends with members of the enhanced community, which helped the two of them in the long run… especially Peter, who would be joining that school if he was bitten earlier than he had been in his previous life. Harley would then insist on following his brother, which meant both boys needed to have this special relationship with the mutants.

“They will be back tomorrow morning my love, let them spend some time with their friends, you know they are in no danger and that they will contact us if they really need to get in touch with us. Now come on, we have a movie and some food to enjoy with some peace before our little monsters return home.” Tony said softly, leading Stephen to their room.

Stephen pouted but nodded, some time alone with Tony sounded pretty darn good right about now.

Chapter Text

Tony was glad that SHIELD had kept their distance from his family since his last ‘meeting’ with Nick Fury.

It seemed that they had gotten the message that he wasn’t interested in anything they were offering, and that he had the abilities and powers to do something about it should they do anything wrong. Tony knew that they were still keeping a close watch over him, he let them think they were going unnoticed, but not much escaped his attention these days.

Stephen and Tony were both happy with the way their lives were going, they both had their jobs that kept them occupied during the day, though it did keep them apart for most of the day, they both loved what they did and wouldn’t change it for anything. Their nights were always spent together, most of the time they spent their evenings with their children … however, there were some nights that they went out to have date nights, where they could be alone and have time to themselves. It was important to spend most of their time with Harley and Peter, but it was just as important for them to spend time alone together as well.

Iron Man was becoming more and more popular around the world, as he performed more saves around the world, the more people were coming around to the idea of their hero… even those who had doubted him before were more welcoming now, he was actually becoming just as popular as Captain America was which made Tony a little smug when he saw the ratings. Iron Man was also asked to make more public appearances such as attending events, doing interviews and talking to the public. More and more people were drawing connections between Tony Stark and Iron Man, they already knew the two were connected as the Iron Legion looked just like the Iron Man armour, but there was something else that was glaringly obvious. Despite being closely in contact no one had ever seen Tony Stark and Iron Man in the same location, it made many people wonder if the two of them were one and the same.

Peter and Harley were both happy little boys, they spent most of their time in the penthouse with their parents where they were training alongside them. They still had their lessons with their private tutors, though both boys still preferred learning from their parents. The two boys had completely settled into their new lives, neither of them dwelling on their pasts and both of them looking forward to their futures. They were also spending a lot of time at the school for mutants, both of them had made close friends with the students as well as the students at the school… the mutants had gotten used to the boys quickly, all of them welcoming the children with open arms. It would make things easier when Tony approached them in regards to forming a team, they would be much more welcoming of the enhanced and regular heroes that would also be on the team.

What had Tony really on edge at the moment was something much more personal, if memory served him well, then this was around the time of Stephen’s accident. The man had been very distant when they had started getting together and didn’t want to open up in his previous life, even when they admitted that they were dating he still kept much of his past to himself. Until Tony had been the one to help when Stephen had a nightmare, Stephen explained everything from his accident to discovering that he couldn’t use his hands anymore… all the way to the moment he discovered Kamar-Taj and his training, as well as the loss of the Ancient One and his ascension to Sorcerer Supreme.

If Tony’s memory was correct, then the moment of that accident was approaching quickly. He wished that he could stop this from happening, however, he knew that this was something he couldn’t (and shouldn’t) change… even if he had the power to do so.

It was just a normal day when it happened, not even Tony was expecting it to happen when it did.

Tony Stark headed to a board meeting early in the morning, he still despised all of these meetings that he had to attend. However, he was doing things differently this time around which meant taking a more active role in his company… sometimes that meant doing things he really didn’t want to do, and since he no longer trusted Pepper it meant that he had to attend to them himself. Stephen was going to wait for their son’s tutor to arrive before heading to the hospital for his shift, the penthouse was incredibly protected, but they didn’t like leaving their children on their own unless it was something incredibly important. With the tutor arriving right on time and the protocols in place, Stephen left the house and drove in the direction of the hospital… it was going to be an awful shift, Christine was going to be on shift with him and he really wasn’t looking forward to it.

Despite the many rumours of him and Tony Stark being in a romantic relationship, Christine still thought that she stood a chance. She had become much more persistent, especially when she learned that the two of them had children living in the penthouse… he denied her every time and demanded that they not work the same shifts at the hospital, unfortunately their schedules did cross sometimes which is what was happening today.

He arrived at the hospital early, getting a cup of coffee that would help him get through the first few hours until lunch started. Christine arrived a few moments late and immediately zeroed in on Stephen, quickly walking over to him as he was drinking his coffee.

“Hey Stephen! It feels like ages since we’ve been on the same shift!” Christine yelled when she got closer, she ignored everyone around her as she got directly in his face. In her mind he was just playing hard to get, she knew that he liked her romantically, he wouldn’t have asked her out if he didn’t. He was just confused and was wanting her to feel jealous, she would play his game for the time being… but soon, Stephen Strange would be hers, or she was going to make sure he didn’t belong to Tony either.

The Neurosurgeon sighed, he had been hoping to avoid her a little while at least. “Back off Christine, what do you think you are doing getting in my face like this … and you know I asked for our shifts to be kept separated, it’s just bad luck on my end that today they needed both of us.” He said, a scowl on his face. He would be talking to his boss, making sure this never happened again. He gently pushed her away from him and stood up, while he wished that he could have moved her more roughly, he didn’t want to risk her pressing charges of assault and then try black-mailing him… he was sure that she would be that petty. He quickly headed towards the lockers where their coats and scrubs were located, he needed to get away from her for the time being if he was to get through this day.

Christine scowled as she once again rejected, she didn’t understand why Stephen was acting like this towards her… he wasn’t the man that she had grown to like.

As the day progressed Stephen was feeling a little more on edge, he felt that something bad was going to happen soon though he had no idea what it was. He just wanted to head home for his lunch so that he could see his family, he did this every day when his lunch rolled around. He would leave the hospital and drive home, where his boyfriend and sons would be waiting for him with a delicious plate of food ready and waiting. It was nice, very different from what his life had been before meeting Tony… instead of sitting at the hospital with awful food on his own at lunch, he now went home to his family with a home-cooked meal waiting for him. He only had to wait a short time now, luckily no major surgeries had come through which meant that it had been a pretty boring shift so far, he could only hope that things looked up come his afternoon shift.

Stephen couldn’t wait to get home, as soon as his shift was over he headed to the locker room, quickly changing into his civilian clothes before heading towards the lift. He was aware that Christine was staring at him as he was leaving, hoping to get his attention, Stephen ignored her completely though he did bid others a good lunch when they walked by.

His drive home was relatively peaceful and quiet, the radio was on so he had something to listen to as he drove home and the traffic was light so he would get home quickly. He was nearly home when everything went wrong, he could hear something loud approaching… it sounded very much like sirens and they were heading right towards him. It seemed that other cars were also noticing the noise as they started driving close to the side of the road, Stephen himself moved a little but he didn’t want to risk getting too close to the pedestrian’s. Soon a speeding car appeared behind him with a police car chasing it, this happened quite a lot in New York so people were used to it.

As the speeding car came closer, Stephen knew that something was wrong, it was very close to the cars it was passing… it was practically clipping other cars as it sped down the road, luckily it seemed to avoid other vehicles by the skin of their teeth. However, it seemed that their luck was running out as it got closer to where Stephen was driving.

“Oh… no…” Stephen whispered, he knew something was going to happen, he just hoped that he didn’t injure anyone else when it did.

Unfortunately, his prediction came true as the car approached him. The car was incredibly close to his own and roughly hit the back right side of his car as it sped past… this caused Stephen’s car to lurch forward at an incredibly fast speed before hitting the car in front of him, this then caused Stephen’s car to roll uncontrollably. The car continued rolling for what seemed like forever, until it came to a stop against the side of a building. It had been a horrendous accident with multiple cars, buildings and people involved… the police who had been chasing the speeding car had stopped once the accident had occurred, quickly talking into their radios and starting to evacuate the scene. It didn’t take very long for emergency services to be dispatched, in such a localised area they were quite close to the accident site, enhanced humans and mutants in the area were also lending a helping hand to those who needed it.

Stephen couldn’t feel anything, not even the pain he knew he should be feeling. He could tell that his car was upside down and was in a strange shape, he was honestly surprised that he was still alive and thinking clearly despite such a large accident.

He was also well aware that Tony would be coming here as well, knowing his boyfriend had already heard of the incident and checked the cameras… Iron Man would be dispatched to help anyway, Tony would just be quicker when he noticed that his car was also involved. There was nothing more that Stephen wanted right now, he knew he was alive, but he wanted to see his boyfriend and children as soon as possible… just in case he doesn’t make it.

Luckily he was attended to quickly, the car turned the right way up before they started the process of cutting him from the car. Stephen didn’t know how injured he was, though he was starting to get the painful feeling back throughout his body… though it was incredibly painful this was a good sign, it meant there was nothing wrong with his spine or nerves. He could tell that there were a lot of broken bones, scrapes, bruises and quite possibly a serious concussion as well. He was being jolted as the car was forced open, he could slightly hear a paramedic talking to him as he was freed… his head was being supported by the paramedic and he was being distracted from the pain as he was removed. Just as he was being removed from the car and placed on a stretcher there was a welcome sound that Stephen was all too happy to hear… the sound of Tony’s repulsors coming closer to the scene.

“It’s Iron Man!” A civilian watching the scene announced, pointing to the hero coming in to land at the scene.

Tony looked around him, he had watched the entire incident on the camera’s around the street (before sending them to the authorities) and he was shocked that all of this damage had resulted from a police chase of a speeding car. There were multiple police cars, ambulances and fire engines along with the police helicopter in the sky as well as the air ambulance and reporters. Tony had seen carnage of many levels, but an accident like this was always one of the worst… even when his boyfriend wasn’t involved. As Tony surveyed the scene he saw the state of his boyfriends car in person, he had to restrain himself from running over to check on Stephen, the world didn’t know that he was Tony Stark and he wanted to keep it that way for a little while longer. Stephen was the most injured at the scene, which meant that he was the priority at the moment, meaning Tony could check on his lover quickly.

“What’s the situation here?!” Iron Man asked quickly, though he already knew about what had happened, he needed all of the details from those on site. Stephen seemed to relax completely at the sound of Iron Man talking, even though there was a voice changer equipped to the faceplate, Stephen could still recognise the voice of the man he loved.

“A routine police stop gone to hell, I’m afraid.” A police officer said, walking over. “The car took off when the officers started questioning them, the chase was about to be called off as he entered this area because of the danger to the public. As far as we can gather the speeding car clipped another car at great speed which caused that car to accelerate rapidly, it must have hit another car and started rolling before coming to a stop in the side of a building.” The officer explained, pointing out the evidence that supported what he was saying.

Tony had to control his emotions, he’d had a rough idea of what had happened before arriving… but it was very different seeing it in person. “And the driver of the clipped car? Are they alright?” He asked, almost fearful of the answer. In his previous life he had been well aware of just how serious Stephen’s injuries had been, he was incredibly lucky to have still been alive at the end of the entire ordeal. However, this was a whole different time and there was a high likely-hood that things would be different this time around… based on what Tony had been told, this accident was different from the one in his previous life. Stephen had not been paying attention to the road and he was speeding, with those distractions he spun out which is what caused the accident. That didn’t happen this time around, which meant that the man could be more seriously injured than in his previous life or he might not be as injured as he had been.

“He is alive, though in critical condition… no spinal or neck injury, but many broken bones and a suspected concussion. He is being taken to the hospital as we speak, we’re lucky that it was a relatively quiet day today, otherwise we would have been looking at casualties… despite the situation there has been no loss of life, though many are injured.” The officer explained, handing over a preliminary report with all of the information on it. Tony scanned the information, asking JARVIS to look through everything and sort it out.

“Very well, keep me informed of your findings.” Tony said, quickly taking to the air in order to lend a hand where he could. He wanted to go to his boyfriend, but Iron Man was needed more right now, he would be Tony Stark when all of this had been sorted out.

Hours later the Iron Man suit had been returned to Stark Tower and Tony was making his way to the hospital, he had informed Peter and Harley that they needed to remain with Rhodey for the time being… he told them that Stephen had been seriously hurt earlier that day, both boys had wanted to see Stephen and make sure he was alright themselves. Tony had told them that Stephen wouldn’t want them seeing him like that, neither boy was happy that they were being kept behind when one of their parents was hurt and needed them… hearing their words had filled Tony’s heart with love, it just proved that Stephen was just as much their parents as he was. He embraced his children, assuring them that Stephen would be fine and that they could see him after he had healed up a little and was settled… the boys weren’t happy, but made him promise to take them to the hospital as soon as possible.

Tony arrived at the hospital in record time, quickly asking the receptionist where his boyfriend was being cared for. After proving that he was Stephen’s emergency contact, they had changed their emergency contacts when their relationship got more serious, he was shown the way to the recovery rooms.

It had been much later than Tony had wanted when he finally left the scene, then he had to return home in order to get out of the suit as well as contact Rhodey to look after the boys and explaining what was happening to his son’s… this meant that Stephen had been through surgery and recovering by the time he arrived at the hospital. Tony thought that he had prepared himself in the hours leading up to seeing Stephen, but seeing his boyfriend lying on that bed almost killed him. Stephen was incredibly pale and still, his body was covered in bandages and stitches, one of his legs was in a cast along with one of his arms, his head also had a bandage wrapped around it… the wires coming out of Stephen’s body made Tony shudder, though they told him that Stephen was alive.

“Give me the information, what is the damage?” Tony said sternly, he really didn’t have it in him to be nice and polite right now.

The nurse on duty didn’t seem to mind his sharp tone, giving him a soft smile before explaining the injuries as well as what had been done in regards to said injuries, as well as what the recovery time would be like. Tony listened with rapt attention, his eyes not leaving Stephen once.

Apparently the most serious injuries were the broken bones, especially the ones in his leg which had practically been shattered, and the concussion where he had hit his head as the car was rolling… all in all they weren’t the worst injuries that Tony had been expecting, it seemed that Stephen’s injuries were much less severe this time around, it would still be a long road to recovery but his boyfriend would be right as rain soon enough.

Tony was thrilled, his boyfriend was still seriously injured, but his hands were completely free from lasting nerve damage… this meant that Stephen would retain control of his hands this time, however, this then presented a problem. In his previous life, Stephen had gone looking for magic in order to cure his hands, he wouldn’t have found Kamar-Taj if he hadn’t lost the use of his hands… if his hands would make a full recovery, then what was going to get Stephen to Nepal where he would become the Sorcerer Supreme? Tony was going to have to let everything play out as it was supposed to this time around, unfortunately he had no information to go off of this time.

Days passed slowly for Tony, Peter and Harley… the boys had been allowed to see Stephen 4 days after he had been settled into the recovery room, the two boys had burst out in tears and asked to be put on the bed gently beside their father. This was a lot for children their age, they had depended on Stephen for some time now, seeing him in such a state was a shock to them both.

On the eve of 6th day since Stephen had been admitted the boys had been forced to return to the penthouse, neither boy wanted to leave, but they needed to get some normalcy back into their lives… Stephen would kill him if those boys let his injuries distract them from their lives, that was just the type of man Stephen was. The nurse had already been to check on Stephen as well as administer the pain medication and record his information, leaving Tony alone in the room with Stephen. He had practically forced the hospital to let him stay over night, normally visitors were only allowed to stay until a certain time, Tony had used his money as well as his fame (and some slight blackmail) in order to encourage the medical staff to let him stay as long as he wanted … and no one really wanted to argue with Tony Stark in such a state.

Tony had actually been able to settle down for sleep this night, he hadn’t had more than a couple hours sleep since the accident and his body must have finally reached its limits… forcing him to sleep in order to let his body and mind rest, Tony didn’t want to leave his boyfriend (not even for sleep) but he had drifted off unexpectedly. He could imagine that the nurses would be thrilled that he was finally sleeping, he had ignored all of their suggestions for him to go home and rest.

A low groan could be heard in the room, coming from the bed where Stephen’s eyes were twitching with the effort to open.

Darkness was the first thing that Stephen saw when he opened his eyes, he shut his eyes quickly when he realised how heavy they were, it took a few tries before he could keep his eyes open. Once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness he quickly noticed that he was in a hospital room, by the looks of things this was the hospital where he worked, Tony probably had him brought here as he trusted (most of) the staff completely. He also noticed that Tony was sleeping in the comfortable chair next to his bed, looking at his boyfriend and the state of the room, it was clear that Tony had practically been living here since the accident… which told Stephen that he had been asleep for quite some time most likely worrying his boyfriend, sons, friends and colleagues.

That was the moment he remembered the accident, the speeding car that had hit him and caused him to hit the side of a building, he was honestly surprised that he had survived such an extremely horrific accident. Though he was thankful, things had been looking up for him and he hadn’t wanted to lose any of that.

Stephen gently moved his fingers and hoped that he could feel pain, he remembered that his hands had been crushed against the door when his car had rolled and been trapped under his body when the car had landed upside down. It was clear that he had injuries all over his body, he could also tell that he had a concussion due to the pounding in his head … his hands were what worried him the most, he loved being a surgeon and losing his hands would put an end to his career, he wanted to keep helping people in the way he knew best. There was a shooting pain in both of his hands as he tried moving them, this caused Stephen to feel relief as it meant there was no nerve damage, though he could tell his hands were still injured (most likely broken). It was going to be a very long road to recovery for him, though he knew that he could do it, he had his boyfriend and sons with him along with his friends and colleagues.

All of the movement coming from Stephen eventually woke Tony up from the nap he had been taking, he stretched his arms above his head and yawned as he stretched… as usual the nurses had been correct, he felt so much better after having a decent amount of sleep. He heard a soft chuckle at his actions which caused him to freeze, there should be no one in this room other than himself right now, Stephen wasn’t due any medication for another hour so this room should be empty other than himself and Stephen.

“Hello gorgeous, have a nice nap?” Stephen said teasingly, a bright smile on his face as he looked at Tony, who could only blink at him in shock.

“Please… tell me I’m not dreaming.” Tony said softly, he sounded so quiet and unsure that Stephen felt bad… the accident wasn’t his fault nor were his injuries, but he still felt bad that he was the cause of such worry and pain in the man he loved more than anything (other than his sons).

“No, you're not dreaming Tony, I’m really awake.” Stephen said, just as softly. He really wanted to touch and hold his boyfriends, but he knew that the pain would be extreme and he didn’t want to cause Tony further worry… he settled for giving Tony a bright smile, one that showed Tony he was alright. That seemed to be all Tony needed before he started crying, laying his head on the bed and gently resting his hand over Stephen’s cast. He let all of that worry he had been feeling make way for relief, he was still worried as anything could still go wrong, but right now he was just relieved to see those eyes he loved so much open and aware of what was going on.

Tony couldn’t have been more thrilled, Stephen had finally woken up, he was clearly in pain and a little confused… but he was awake, talking and moving around.

“Let me call the nurse, they’ll want to know you're awake and you clearly need more pain medication.” Tony said, pressing the call button beside Stephen’s bed, he was glad that he had never had to press the emergency red button which was right next to the call button. Everything would be fine now that Stephen was awake, there was a long road to recovery, but the important thing was that said recovery could now begin with Stephen awake. “While the nurse

“But you’ll stay in the room right?” Stephen asked softly, he knew that it sounded quite childish and that he was safe at the hospital… but he had thought that he would never see those closest to him again, so he wanted to make sure that Tony stayed with him for the time being.

“Of course I will, I don’t think I’ll be letting you out of my sight for quite some time after this… we nearly lost you.” Tony said softly, he and the boys had never discussed what would happen if they lost Stephen because that was not an option, Tony wasn’t going to have come to this new world just to lose his boyfriend so early. He would make sure this never happened again, all of his boys would be given the best protection that he could think of (yes Rhodey included) … Stephen honestly didn’t think he would mind that, Tony was only trying to keep them safe and they had a close call this time around, so it made sense that he was already thinking of the best protection for those closest to him.

“How long was I out for? Based on the state of this room, you and the boys have been here for a while, enough time for you to make yourselves comfortable.” Stephen said, he recognised some of the toys in the room as the boys’ favourites, which meant they spent a lot of time in the room. Tony also had paperwork scattered around the room along with various little trinkets in various states of completion, another sign that he had been for days at the least.

“You’ve been out of it for nearly a week babe, your injuries were really quite something though it’s miraculous you even survived such an accident. Your head was their biggest worry and the reason that you have been unconscious for so long, the concussion you had was a bad one, that week long sleep you’ve had was mostly likely what allowed your brain to heal, it's a good sign that you are awake.” Tony explained, Stephen was a doctor so he knew that he would want to hear all of his injuries. “You have multiple broken and fractured bones, scrapes and bruises as well as slight burns to your body. The most worrying was your concussion and your left leg which was practically shattered on impact. It can be healed but you might walk with a slight limp for quite some time … and you say I’m more at risk of ending up here.” Tony said the last sentence in a teasing manner, Stephen always told him that he would be hospitalised because of his work as Iron Man, neither of them thought that Stephen would be the one in hospital with such serious injuries.

The bed-ridden man was shocked to hear how long he had been asleep, he now understood why his boys had been so worried about him.

Before anything else could be said a nurse entered the room and smiled upon seeing that Stephen was truly awake. “Welcome back to the world of the living Stephen, I’m just going to call your doctor to have a look over everything. We can then administer more pain medication, go over everything you need to know and then see about moving you into Mr Starks care.” The nurse explained, she had a bright smile on her face though her eyes were thoughtful as she looked over his chart and the multiple machines in the room.

Stephen recognised her as one of the full-time nurses at the hospital, she always stopped to bid him hello whenever she saw him, she was a very nice woman who cared about her patients… though this was the first time Stephen was seeing her work from the patients side of things.

“Wait, you're releasing me to Tony’s care so quickly.” Stephen ignored the pouting look of his boyfriend as he said that.”I thought I would be stuck here for days or weeks, my injuries were quite severe as I understand it.” He was a little confused, he knew just how serious his injuries were, the shattered leg and concussion being the most serious by far… it was very unusual for a patient with such injuries to be let out of the hospital so soon after waking up. He hoped that it wasn’t because he too was a doctor, in the state that he was at the moment he would be relying on Tony and his sons for quite some time, which meant that he wouldn’t be able to care for himself. Tony shook his head fondly, Stephen was a smart man and knew of his capabilities better than anyone else should… he would chalk this up to the medication that Stephen had running through his body, along with the knock to his head.

“Under normal circumstances that would be the case, however, Mr Stark has the training and practical facilities to care for you properly… we would just need to give him your medication and dosage, if you're lucky, you might even get home within the next couple of days. You’ll be bed-ridden for a short while and even after that it’ll be light work, but you’ll be out of the hospital.” The nurse said, smiling when Stephen sighed in relief. It was normally done, allowing patients to leave hospital care so quickly after such a serious accident, but Tony had the training and equipment to give the care Stephen needed while at home… getting a patient back home was always the best part of the job, even if this patient was leaving a little early.

Stephen’s eyes widened in understanding, his boyfriend was Tony Stark, the man who also had medical training as well as the facilities and equipment to treat almost anything from the safety of their home… it needed to be this way in case Iron Man got injured on a mission, he could really go to a public hospital if he got hurt while in the field. Tony had always wanted intense medical training, Iron Man provided the excuse to get a state of the medical ward installed in the tower.

“Did you forget who you are dating, my love.” Tony said, a smirk on his face which only widened when Stephen blushed darkly because of his teasing. Stephen shook his head once he had gotten his blush under control, they had been together for a while now, and Tony still made him blush far too easily.

Both Stephen and Tony listened as the doctor went over his condition, the medication he would be taking, doses and how to take the medication as well as what he could and couldn’t do. Stephen was not happy that he would be bed-ridden for at least a week, he was further upset to discover that he would be taking things easily for quite some time. His leg in particular would take quite some time before he could walk properly, this of course meant he would be stuck at home for at least 6 weeks, which he really wasn’t looking forward to… Stephen was a very active man and he liked to be doing something in order to stave off the boredom, unfortunately, this meant Stephen was going to be quite bored for a while.

“This is going to suck.” Stephen said, his tone conveying just how upset he really was about this… he was more upset about work, helping people would have to wait for a while.

“I know it is, and you are going to hate every moment of it… but you will be doing what you are told. I would prefer you being unhappy and healing, rather than doing what you want and causing even more damage. I’m pretty sure the boys will help me keep you in check.” Tony said, he knew that Stephen wouldn’t be thrilled about his healing process but he would make sure that he followed the rules they were being… even if Stephen hated him for it.

“Oh I’m pretty sure they will be more protective than you are, and I know where you are coming from, I would rather suffer through healing now rather than injure myself further to then have to suffer through further healing. Besides, it just means that I can stay at home full-time for the moment.” Stephen said softly, that was something he was looking forward to. Tony worked a few floors under where they lived while he worked a couple miles away, which meant that he was kept from home all day (except for his lunch period). This healing period would allow him to remain at home full-time for a while, which meant more time with Tony and his children. He was most looking forward to helping his children in their studies, they would cancel the tutor for the time being as Stephen would be there to go through their learning for a couple months (granting their tutor a couple months holiday).

The next few hours passed quickly, Tony making sure that JARVIS had all of the information in regards to Stephen’s recovery… the doctor wanted Stephen to remain overnight for one last time, wanting to make sure that there were no sudden changes now that Stephen was awake… Tony would, of course, be staying with him for this last night.

“The kids can’t wait to get you home tomorrow, they were upset that they can’t see you until then but seeing you tomorrow made them happier.” Tony said, he was still smiling when he remembered the excited screams of Peter and Harley when he had told them the news. They had wanted to come to the hospital straight away but Tony informed them that Stephen needed to rest one more night if he was to come home the following day, which seemed to settle both kids down… though neither of them were happy about it.

“And I can’t wait to come home, I’ve missed them, and I can’t imagine how stressed they’ve been with me stuck in here unconscious.” Stephen said, upset with himself that he had caused those closest to him pain and unease. The stress had been obvious on all of their faces, more clearly on Tony’s though he had seen that Peter and Harley were also struggling with sleep… they had a video conference with the boys so that they could see Stephen and be assured that he was awake, Stephen was not too happy when he saw the bags under their eyes. Tony explained that they were sleeping but not too much, both boys had taken to sleeping in each other's rooms due to the nightmares and worry keeping them awake.

Stephen and Tony relaxed into more comfortable positions, settling down into what they hoped was their last night in this hospital before returning home.

Chapter Text

4 weeks had passed since the accident which had almost taken Stephen’s life.

When Stephen had returned home after the incident he was welcomed by two very excited little boys, who were thrilled that he had come home and seemed to be a lot more healthy than they had seen him this last week… they had been seeing him unconscious for almost a week, seeing him awake showed the two of them that Stephen was healing.

Peter and Harley had rendered both Tony and Stephen speechless, both of them bursting out into tears, as they had called them parents for the very first time… the two boys had been with them for a while now, yet they’d never called either of them by a parental name, it was always Tony or Stephen. However, the day that they had returned from the hospital both Peter and Harley had shouted out a specific word that had both older males freezing on the spot… they had shouted Papa.

Both Stephen and Tony were so shocked that they had stayed rooted to the spot until the two boys had reached them, the two boys almost knocked them to the ground because both older males were so caught off guard. Peter and Harley snuggled in close, pulling Stephen and Tony as close as possible so they were touching each other, both boys were crying harshly (though it was clear that these were really happy tears). Stephen and Tony quickly got over their shock, hugging the boys as close as possible while also making sure to watch Stephen’s injuries… Rhodey had been standing back and watching the family becoming whole once more, smiling softly at the sight before him, especially when the two boys finally called them their chosen parental names.

“Where did you two hear those names?” Tony asked, once the two of them had regained control of themselves. Neither he nor Stephen had wanted to rush the boys, they wanted Peter and Harley to decide when they were ready to call them such things… neither boys had good experiences with family in the past, so they didn’t want the boys to feel like there was any rush to accept them.

Harley and Peter looked at one another before smiling. “We asked JARVIS to display different names for a male parent other than father, only one of you could be dad after all, and we decided that Dad and Papa sounded quite good together. You should have seen the looks on your faces when we said them, that means that surprising you was the best plan ever!” Peter yelled excitedly, he had wanted to surprise them with their new names while Harley wanted to ask them about it first… it looks like he was right, and Harley was wrong.

“We know that you never brought up any kind of names around us on purpose, you didn’t want to rush us, wanted to make sure we were ready to take such a big step. We’ve been talking about it for weeks now, and nearly losing Papa put it into perspective, we decided that it was time you heard us address you in such a way.” Harley said, it was clear that he was trying to remain calm as he spoke, wanting to show that he was strong and not worried about their reactions. However, Stephen and Tony knew their sons so they were both aware of just how worried both Harley and Peter were about their reactions to the names … it was disconcerting just how grown up these two boys sounded sometimes, and other times it was clear they were both still children.

Tony was now called Dad, while Stephen was called Papa.

Eventually the family (plus Rhodey) returned to the tower, to Stephen it felt like he hadn’t been home in a very long time… it was a little more messy than he would have liked as he preferred keeping this tidy and clean, though he could forgive them for the penthouse being in this state due to the condition he had been in.

“Welcome home, love.” Tony said, holding Stephen close as they stepped into the penthouse.

Peter and Harley quickly headed to the living room, gathering some papers before running back to their parents and handing them to Stephen… who looked shocked at the amount of pictures he had been handed, all of them featuring the members of their family (including Happy, Rhodey and JARVIS). Tony explained that the kids had been missing him for quite some time and they weren’t allowed to stay in the hospital overnight, so they took to drawing a lot of pictures to get them through it.

Stephen had actually cried and hugged the boys close once he heard that, he didn’t like that he had caused them so much worry but he was touched that they cared about him so much to miss him in such a manner… he promised himself once more that he would protect these people (his people) with his very life.

Life returned to normal with Stephen home and healing well, except for the medication and small exercises that Stephen had to go through, on top of that he couldn’t join in on the training they had been doing for many months now… he still watched from the sidelines as his sons and boyfriend continued their training, Stephen itching to join in. The boys had been thrilled to learn that Stephen would be taking over their education for the time being as it meant spending more time with their Papa, Tony was also spending much more time in the penthouse, only going down to the labs when he was really needed or to check on the progress of projects. This accident had brought the family even closer than they had been before, the idea of losing one of their loved ones was a horrible notion to have, so they were spending even more time together than they had been.

Everything would be perfect when things returned to normal and Stephen could get back to actually doing things, though he had to promise Peter and Harley that he would cut down the amount of hours he was working so that they could have more time together during the day… Stephen would cut his hours a little, no one could resist those puppy dog eyes of his children.

It was a week later when things fell into place, and it all started with Stephen recognising a man on TV who was making some sort of presentation.

“So, what are you up to? Don’t think I didn’t notice those were hospital documents.” Tony said, coming up behind Stephen to see what his boyfriend was up to. It had been almost 3 weeks since the accident and 2 weeks since Stephen had returned home, he was allowed to move around and do minor workouts, but he was forbidden from doing heavy lifting and he had to be careful with how much walking around he was doing. Stephen was glad that he could finally leave their room, even if it was just for short periods of time… being cooped up in one place for such a long time was his literal nightmare, he preferred being out and about doing things.

“Just going over some cases I was involved in a few years ago, I recognised someone on the TV a little while ago and it's been bugging me. He looks familiar and I’m sure he shouldn’t be able to walk around like he does, so I’m looking over my old surgeries to see if I can find him.” Stephen explained, lifting the papers he was looking through. It had really been bugging him since had seen the man on TV, Stephen was sure that the man was called Jonathan Pangborn and he had suffered in a car accident a few years ago. Unlike Stephen, his injuries had been more serious, Stephen had overlooked his operation and knew that he shouldn’t be able to walk around. His spine had been severely damaged in the accident, so much so that he wouldn’t be able to walk again, his brain injury was also much more serious than a concussion… he shouldn’t be able to walk around as Stephen had seen him do on TV.

Tony hid his shock well, he knew how Stephen had discovered Kamar-Taj in his previous life, a counsellor he was talking to informed him of a man who had suffered similar injuries and recovered completely after vanishing for a few months. The man had never talked about his healing period, simply stating that he had gone somewhere to heal his mind rather than heal his body, Stephen followed his example which is how he met the Ancient One and started his path of becoming the Sorcerer Supreme.

“And have you discovered anything?” Tony said, keeping his voice calm as he spoke. Could this be the time where Stephen discovers Kamar-Taj? Stephen learned quickly in his previous life and he hadn’t wasted time in traveling to Nepal with the thought of healing, he couldn’t help but wonder if Stephen would rush off this time as well.

“I have Jonathan Pangborn, he was in a car accident a few years ago and had much more serious injuries than I did. I was asked to look over his various surgeries and monitor his brain injury, based on what I saw he was healed to the best of our abilities but he wouldn’t ever be able to walk again. I even have images of him using his wheelchair for over a year and a half, he then vanishes off the face of the map before turning up and being able to walk again. That shouldn’t even be possible, his spine would have completely fused in place once fully healed, he should have been stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life… hence why I am so confused after seeing him walking around on TV.” Stephen sounded so confused, he was a man of science, and that science was telling him that this man shouldn’t be able to walk while his eyes were clearly showing him something different. Tony had shown him that magic and other worlds existed after summoning two ancient Gods, he wondered if Jonathan Pangborn had come across a magic/ability that allowed someone to do the impossible… fully heal from serious injuries.

“Sounds pretty impossible to me, especially if his injuries were as bad as you say they were. You're sure that you saw the same man.” Tony said, it was spoken more as a statement rather than a question as he knew better than to question his boyfriend… Stephen paid more attention to everything than the average person, if someone was to notice something was amiss then it was going to be Stephen who discovered it. Tony had learned such a thing in his previous life, he had learned to trust Stephen with his life.

Stephen smirked, reaching into the pile of paperwork, as if he had been expecting to be asked this question. Tony watched as Stephen held up two pictures, one of them was clearly of a younger man from a hospital document, while the other was an older man taken from the television… even from just a quick glance, Tony could tell that these men were the same person. He should have expected that Stephen would have been prepared for such a question, though he did smile at the smug look Stephen gave him when he realised that the pictures were of the same man… Tony playfully pouted at his boyfriend, which caused Stephen to reach up and press a kiss to Tony’s cheek in apology.

“JARVIS, pull up the financial information of one Jonathan Pangborn from the last 7 years, see if there are any discrepancies.” Tony said, why search for the information when JARVIS was able to get it all pretty much instantly. Tony already knew what information would be given, specifically the trip to Nepal that happened out of the blue… more specifically, Kathmandu.

Tony blushed when Stephen smiled up at him happily, Stephen was glad that Tony was helping him with this, it always felt better when they worked together.

“Here is the information you requested, Sir.” JARVIS said, pulling up a holographic screen in front of the two men. “His finances seem pretty normal for the work he has been doing since his accident, there is also no suspicious activity in the documents… however, there was one discrepancy that seems a little out of place. Seems Jonathan Pangborn made a trip to Kathmandu, Nepal a few years ago. Based on the information I have collected he was in a wheelchair before this trip, but when he returned from Nepal he started his new line of business, which seems to be when he started walking again.” JARVIS explained, showing the pictures taken at security of Jonathan before leaving for Nepal and months later when he returned from the trip… the difference was obvious and not just the walking part, the man looked stronger and much healthier despite being in such an isolated location for quite a few months.

“What an unusual trip, there’s not much in that region other than the mountain itself to climb, which wouldn’t be something a man in a wheelchair would want to do… there must be something else there, something that helped a man walk again.” Stephen said confidently, he had never believed in magic till he met Tony and while he still had doubts it was hard to give another reasonable explanation for what he had discovered.

Tony smiled softly, his boyfriend was already making connections without him having to do any pushing… Tony felt that it was better for Stephen to discover this himself.

“How about we get you on the next plane when you are cleared to travel? It won’t be for another couple weeks, but we can make the arrangements now so they are ready when you are.” Tony suggested, he knew that this was going to be a trip that Stephen made himself… he wouldn’t be able to help him, which made Tony a little uncomfortable. He would make Stephen remember to contact them every day he was gone and inform them of what he was up to, both Tony and the boys would miss him dearly… but Stephen needed to satisfy his curiosity and he wouldn’t be able to do that being stuck in New York.

“Me… what about you? Will you not be joining me?” Stephen asked, feeling a little worried. He had not been separated from Tony for more than a couple of hours since they first met, this would be the first time that they had been apart for so long… he didn’t know if he could handle that.

“Unfortunately not, I can’t leave my company and someone has to stay here and look after our little monsters… this is something that you need to discover for yourself, though you better make sure that you keep in contact with us. Peter and Harley will not be happy if you stay out of contact for too long.” Tony said, it hurt that he wouldn’t be able to join Stephen on this important journey… but he would stay behind to look after their children and business, besides, he could travel to Nepal very quickly if Stephen wasn’t allowed to leave the temple.

Stephen was a little unsure about doing this without Tony, but his curiosity had peaked and he wouldn’t rest unless he got some answers.

“Very well, let’s make the arrangements and get everything planned out… along with what we are going to tell the boys. They are not going to be happy that I am leaving so soon after waking from a week long coma.” Stephen said, flinching when he thought about how upset Peter and Harley would be with him.

“You're right, they aren’t going to be very happy about this. But explain what is going on in detail and why you feel like you need to go, they are incredibly smart boys and will understand as long as you are forthright with your reasoning… those boys remind me of us more and more.” Tony said, shaking his head. He too would be missing Stephen like crazy, but this was something that he needed to do and it was something that Tony was going to have to let him do on his own.

The weeks passed more quickly for Stephen, his healing progressed quickly and he was able to move around a lot more as well as do more physical activities… he was very glad to be able to work out once more, having been doing it for a while his long rest period had made him quite twitchy. He still couldn’t take part in the sparring matches as that could get a little rough, and Tony (as well as the boys) were still keeping a close eye on him, but he had a lot more freedom now that he was almost fully healed. The excitement of his upcoming trip also filled Stephen with happiness, he had never really done a lot of traveling, especially to a location such as Nepal. He was going there for research and to discover some answers, but it was still going to be a trip to somewhere very new to him… so he felt quite excited about it.

Harley and Peter had not been very happy when they had been told that Stephen would be leaving for a while, stating that they had already gone a week without their Papa and now they were losing him once again… Stephen held them close and told them that he would be in constant contact with them, that he would be free to talk whenever they wanted him. Stephen’s interest in Nepal almost cracked when his children had asked him to stay, but it felt like something was pulling him to Nepal and he needed to know what it was.

While the two boys were still not happy that Stephen would be away from them, they understood that this was something their Papa needed to do… though they made him swear to talk to them as much as possible, threatening him with small pranks if he ever missed a day of talking to them. Stephen cried softly at that, promising that he would talk to them so much they would be sick of him.

Eventually the day arrived, Stephen was packed and ready to leave for Nepal.

Happy was driving the family of four, along with Rhodey, to the airport where the Stark private jet was on standby… the boys were wide-eyed at the sight of the private jet, it was an amazing sight and the best jet on the market (Tony had of course made some modifications to the machine himself). Rhodey and Happy said their goodbyes first, they both wished their friend good luck, warning him to watch himself when he was in such a remote area of the world. Tony, Harley and Peter were the next to wish him goodbye though none of them were happy about it… Stephen couldn’t keep his tears at bay when the boys started crying as his departure neared. He assured them that he was going to keep to their agreement, no matter what he found in Nepal they would always be his family, if they needed him or he needed them… he would drop everything and return. This seemed to settle the boys enough to let Stephen go, rushing over to Rhodey and Happy so that Tony could also say his goodbyes to the man he loved.

“That was a lot harder than I thought it would be, part of me just wants to put a stop to this now and stay here.” Stephen said, stepping into the strong but gentle arms of his boyfriend. Tony laughed softly and shook his head, those two boys had both their parents wrapped around their fingers.

“I think it’s this bad because it’s so soon after the accident, they understand that this is something you need to do but they also worry about not seeing you again.” Tony said softly, kissing the side of Stephen’s neck before pulling back to look at him. “No matter what you find out there, know that we will love you no matter what, take as long as you need but don’t let anything keep you away from us… those boys would walk to Nepal and drag you back themselves.” He said, his eyes were also watering as he said goodbye to the man he loved.

Tony knew that nothing would go wrong, Stephen would be able to visit whenever he wanted, as soon as he learned how to summon portals he could visit even more… Stephen would return stronger and ready to join Tony as a hero, they were just going to have to be a little patient to have him back full-time.

“I am sorry to interrupt Sir, but it is time to depart.” The pilot stated, he hadn’t wanted to interrupt the family as they said goodbye, but they needed to get in the air as soon as possible.

Stephen shared one last hug with his boyfriend, sons and friends before boarding the plane with the pilot following close behind him. The plane was on the move within moments of Stephen buckling himself in, he waved out the window to his family as the plane started ascending into the sky. The tears that had just dried threatened to fall once more, he wondered if this pull should be strong enough to make him leave his family so out of the blue.

Once Stephen was out of sight of his family he felt very alone, he knew that he needed to do this, but he also wanted his family with him… he shook these thoughts from his mind, he needed to keep focused and his family was only a phone call away. The flight was still a long one so he made sure to pack things to keep him occupied, catching up on work at both the hospital as well as Stark Industries, as well as going over Tony’s ideas that he wanted to put into production as soon as possible. When he finished looking over everything he turned his attention to his Stark Tablet which had hours upon hours of TV Shows, Movies and Games… Tony had wanted to make sure he wasn’t bored at any point during his trip. Stephen smiled softly at the thought, it was wirelessly connected to the Stark Satellite, so he could do everything on the tablet even if there was no internet connection where he was going.

Hours passed slowly for Stephen, he was so used to having Tony and his sons around him, that it felt wrong not having them with him. He ignored the feeling of homesickness he was feeling, he would discover what was out there and return to his family as soon as possible.

“Sir, we are making our final descent into Kathmandu, Nepal.” This was the second pilot of the flight, having taken over from the first half-way through the flight. Stephen quickly put away his tablet and buckled himself back into his seat, settling in for the final descent into Nepal. There was snow for miles around and vast mountains were surrounding his every vision, it was a very beautiful nation, and Stephen wondered what could be out there that would help a man walk again. The landing was as smooth as butter with hardly a jolt to the plane, Tony only ever had the best so it made sense that this was the best flight Stephen had ever been on.

Stephen quickly checked into the hotel that Tony had found, how his boyfriend had managed to find such a nice hotel in the middle of nowhere Stephen didn’t know, but he was grateful that he had somewhere nice to stay while he was here. He didn’t unpack anything as he wanted to start his search right away, not even JARVIS could track where Jonathan Panbrook had gone after arriving in Nepal, it was as if he had vanished off of the face of the Earth… so wherever he went, it was somewhere quite remote, which led Stephen to think the answer was somewhere in the mountains.

It would be 4 days into his stay in Nepal when Stephen finally made a breakthrough.

After talking to some of the locals in the area he had discovered that there was strange activity in a certain region of mountainous terrain, it was a hard area to reach and the legends regarding that area made the locals keep their distance from it… of course Stephen found this interesting, it sounded like the perfect place for people who didn’t want to be found. He found a guide who was willing to take him as near to that area as they dared travel, before giving him directions to travel further on his own. Stephen was glad that his loved ones had made him wait before traveling, he wouldn’t have been able to make it this far if he had gone while still injured.

Stephen had kept to his promise, contacting his family multiple times a day and updating them on what he was doing while also listening to what they were up to… he was glad that his tablet, laptop and phone were connected directly to the Stark Satellite as there wasn’t much signal out here… many of the locals didn’t even have personal phones, there were payphones placed in strategic points where there was constant signal and a single (but small) area where people could use computers.

The locals had been right when it was said that the trek to the area of legend was hard, there was soft snow that could cause an avalanche, there were hidden crevasse that you could step into, steep cliffs that you could fall of and hidden ice under the snow that could make you slip… not to mention the unstable rocks that surrounded the area, which were big enough to kill you should one of them fall on top of you. After hours of traveling the guide finally told Stephen that he would travel no further, before giving him specific instructions to the area that he was searching for… Stephen thanked him before paying the guide, the man had taken him further than he had imagined and he didn’t want the guide going further than he was comfortable. Once the guide was out of sight, Stephen started heading in the direction that he was given, wondering what it was he would find out here in such a remote location.

As the hours passed Stephen felt the pull that he had been feeling grow even stronger, an indication that he was heading in the right direction. Stephen had been trusting this feeling since he first landed, it had been calling him out here from the moment had set foot on the ground here… but he had wanted to hear from the locals before progressing further, he didn’t know if he completely trusted the feelings he was following, it had led him away from his family.

He was passing an old but sturdy bridge over a canyon when a beeping came from his phone, he shook his head before coming to a stop with a smile on his face, pressing a button on his wrist that activated the device that was constantly in his ear. With an answering beep in his ear he continued his walk, he really didn’t want to stop on a bridge that could collapse quite easily.

“How’s things going out there? Sounds like you're outside.” Tony’s voice came through the device, Stephen smiled at the sound.

“I am, I was finally able to convince a guide to bring me close to this place of legend they have out here… luckily it's a calm day out here, this trek is quite hard.” Stephen said, finally crossing over the bridge and not looking forward to going back over it on his way back to the town. This terrain looked a little flatter than what he had been traveling through since this morning, based on what he was seeing in the snow, there was human life nearby… the multiple footprints in the snow seemed quite fresh, which meant there must be life somewhere near this location. Stephen could only hope they were friendly, he had heard rumours that there were cannibals living out here (one of the legends that kept locals from traveling this area).

“You’re being careful right? The terrain is dangerous out there and the weather can change in an instant.” Tony said worriedly, he knew how distracted his boyfriend became when he put his mind to something… he wanted to make sure that Stephen was being safe. Harley and Peter had a trip to the Mutant School already planned for this week, they had wanted to put it off so they could speak to Stephen, but Tony managed to convince them that seeing their friends was just as important… he made sure to inform Logan (who had picked them up) that the boys were feeling a little down due to their Papa being gone on his trip, so it might take them a little time to be as open as they normally were. Logan assured the man that he and the other teachers would keep an eye on the boys, promising to call if their mood really took a turn for the worse.

“Of course I am, though I am sure you already know my exact location.” Stephen said, shaking his head fondly as he continued working. It had been one of the conditions for Stephen to go on his own; there was a great deal of equipment in his Stark Technology that kept track of his location, health and the people he had come into contact with. It also tracked the weather very accurately, allowing Stephen to take adequate cover if the need ever arose.

“I do and I know you're in amazingly good health, but I still prefer hearing it from you. The boys were so disappointed that they had to miss your call, I convinced them that going to see their friends was a good thing and that they would still speak to you later.” Tony said softly, remembering how upset Peter and Harley had been that morning before Logan had come to pick them up.

“ That’s too bad, I was excited to hear about what they learned about in their morning lessons… but I’m glad that they are trying to get back to normal life, even without me being there.” Stephen said, he was a little disappointed to miss talking to his boys but they had another call later that evening so he would still be able to talk to them later. He knew that they wouldn’t have been happy to miss their call either, they looked forward to these call almost as much as he did, so he knew how gutted they were going to be… but he was also glad that Tony had convinced them to go and see their friends, canceling their plans would have upset them even more than they already were.

“I am sorry for interrupting you Sir, but the devices on Stephen’s watch have detected some kind of large structure a short distance up ahead… based on the preliminary readings, there are signs of life and a lot of it.” JARVIS interrupted, wanting his creator to know as soon as possible. He was already preparing the contingency plan for if something went wrong, some units of the Iron Legion were on a satellite that was orbiting around Nepal (named Veronica)... they could be deployed and reach Stephen within minutes if the need arose. Stephen had felt like that was a little much, but he also knew that Tony wouldn’t relax if there wasn’t some measure in place that was able to protect him within a moment's notice. He had relented, allowing Tony to place a small number of Iron Legion units on the satellite, that would only be released if the situation was dire.

“Guess you were right, love, there is something hidden out there. We will leave it to you, but please be careful out there, and press that panic button at the first sight of trouble… I love you.” Tony said, he was glad that Stephen had reached the temple so quickly… the sooner he learned how to create those portals, the sooner he and the boys would be able to see him in person.

“I love you too, please don’t worry about me, for some reason I don’t think there is any danger to me out here.” Stephen said, ending the call as he got closer to this structure that his equipment had detected. Stephen was at a loss of how that was possible, there were constantly satellites passing over this area as they monitored everything around the world… if there was a structure of this size, with people living there, then how come it hadn’t been discovered until now. JARVIS hadn’t even detected it until he was quite close to the structure; he couldn’t help but wonder if it was shielded from technology until it was much closer.

Stephen continued his traveling before coming to an abrupt stop, there was another bridge in front of him, while this one looked old it was much more sturdy than the previous one had been… when he looked to the other side of the bridge he was shocked, there was the large structure that JARVIS had pointed out, and he could see people walking around within it. He wasted no time in crossing the bridge, wanting to get a closer look at the structure he wasn’t sure if he was really seeing. He continued forward and was able to see a large gate that led inside the structure, his curiosity was much too strong as he made his way even closer to the strange location.

It sort of tingled when he passed through the gate to this structure, now that Stephen was closer it seemed to be a large temple that was surrounded by multiple smaller structures, he noticed that some of the people were wearing the same outfit while others were wearing normal clothing… he couldn’t help but wonder if this was a new culture, similar to the various monks dotted around the world, who hid themselves away for enlightenment and to discover themselves through meditation. There was a man wearing those same robes standing just inside the gate that approached him with a friendly smile, holding his hand out for Stephen to shake… Stephen did so, though he was feeling a little overwhelmed with everything… the man then gestured for Stephen to follow him, granting him further views as he entered the area.

“Welcome, Stephen Strange, to Kamar-Taj!” The man who had shown him inside said, gesturing to the area around them. Stephen was shocked to discover that he was no longer feeling the cold, there was no snow within the temple that he could see (despite the courtyard being open topped) and there were people walking around as if it were any other day.

“Kamar-Taj? I’ve never heard of such a place.” Stephen said, then turned in shock when he registered something. “...And how do you know my name?” He asked, backing away from the man a little now that he knew this person knew his name… he hadn’t given his name, so there was no way that this person should have known it. He wondered if this had been a mistake, was this some kind of elaborate trick to bring him out here? It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had targeted him, especially since he was openly dating Tony Stark now.

“Well you wouldn’t, doctor, we keep this place hidden from the outside world.” A feminine voice sounded from behind Stephen, he quickly turned around to see the newcomer. She looked quite young with sharp features and pale skin, she had no hair on her head and was of average height and build… but it was her eyes that interested Stephen, they were a normal colour for eyes, but the wisdom he saw in their depths seemed infinite. They were the eyes of someone who should be much older than this woman. The other thing about her that interested Stephen was the pendant she wore around her neck, it seemed ancient and had the shape of an eye… he felt a sharp pull when his eyes landed on the pendant and he swore that he saw a flash of green that vanished as quickly as he had seen it, he quickly shook his head and focused on the woman before him once more.

“Who are you?” Stephen asked, for some reason that constant pull he had been feeling settled as soon as he met this woman, could she be the thing (or in this case, person) that he had been looking for since this trip had started. “And how do you know my name?” He finished, really wanting to understand how these people seemed to know his name.

“My name has been lost to time, I am known as the Ancient One, and I am in charge of everything you see around you.” The Ancient One stated, gesturing around her at the area Stephen now found himself in. “As for how we know your name, your arrival here has been foretold for quite some time and many of us have been awaiting it… you are earlier than we expected which is why you are getting the attention you are now.” The Ancient finished, stepping aside so Stephen could clearly see around him.

Stephen noticed that a crowd of people had gathered around them, each bowing in respect to the Ancient One before looking at Stephen in curiosity and wonder… Stephen practically felt naked under their watch, it was as if every single one of them was looking into his very soul. Thankfully, most people moved on after getting a look at the scene, while others stayed behind and didn’t look like they would be moving any time soon. He couldn’t help but blush and focus his attention back on the Ancient One, who smiled at him and gestured for him to follow her… he knew that he should be a little more weary of these people, they knew his name and even seemed to have been expecting him for a while now, however he felt completely at peace as he followed her. He had Tony watching over him despite being so far away and JARVIS would constantly be monitoring for any sign of danger, there was nothing for him to worry about… there was also the fact that he seemed so calm in this area, as if he knew that these people meant him no harm, he had learned to trust his instincts as well as his feelings and he would trust them now.

The pull in his chest finally settled, though it returned full force when his eyes fell to the pendant around the neck of the Ancient One, as if there was still one thing calling out to him.

Chapter Text

Stephen was following after the Ancient One, he knew that he should be a little more on edge that these people seemed to know about him and his visit for quite some time, yet he felt completely safe and that this was what he had been searching for.

The pulling feeling that Stephen had been sensing for a while now had lessened, though they quickly reappeared when he looked at the pendant the Ancient One wore.

“So what is this place, you only appeared on the sensor after I got remarkably close to the structure. There are also so many legends and myths related to this area, I can’t help but wonder if that is to keep locals out. “ Stephen paused before sighing. “I am so sorry for just stumbling in like I did, I just…” Stephen was interrupted.

“We know why you have come to us, or I should say, that we thought we knew why you were coming to us. Your appearance here has been known for many years now, but it was always said that when you arrived it would be to be healed after an accident, after being told that a former patient could walk once again.” The Ancient One paused, looking at Stephen intently as though looking through his very being. “You were to spend years here, training rapidly in the Mystic Arts to become one of the most powerful Sorcerers ever seen, however…” She trailed off, looking to her side where a man was standing.

“Greetings Stephen Strange, my name is Mordo, I am one of the teachers here and was also present when your arrival was foretold. It’s really quite shocking that you are standing here years before you were meant to arrive, you also have your sanity and do not need any form of healing… forgive us for being so forward in asking questions about you, but you must understand that our predictions are rarely ever wrong.” The now named Mordo said, he was truly apologetic as was the Ancient One. Stephen didn’t think they were being too invasive though he was a little uncomfortable with all of the stares being sent his way as they walked, it seems that their predictions weren’t wrong very often and his appearance here so early was wrong… they were just curious about how they had gotten things so incorrect.

“How did you come to travel to such a remote place, since it appears you don’t need any healing?” The Ancient One asked, she needed to know. Stephen Strange was predicted as the next Sorcerer Supreme, but something had gone wrong as he had arrived perfectly intact but curious and much earlier than was foretold.

“Yeah, for one thing I’m not injured, though I did have an accident it wasn’t too bad and I was healed in a few weeks. As for wanting to find this place I came across a former patient on the TV who could walk, despite being told he would never be able to do so. My boyfriend took a quick look into the years after his accident and discovered he took a trip to this area. I was curious so I followed… and here we are.” Stephen explained, a little confused on why they were asking him this. Though it was strange, they seemed to have foretold his arrival, but it also seemed that nothing they expected had happened.

“Your boyfriend?” The Ancient One asked, sounding intrigued. In their many predictions regarding Stephen Strange there was no mention of a boyfriend, instead Stephen was said to be caught up with a woman called Christine Palmer, a woman he loved but could never have as she married when he left her… it seemed that this man went against all of the predictions made about him, Stephen Strange was an anomaly and she needed to know why.

Stephen sighed, thinking about his family back home. “Yeah, Tony Stark. Met him quite some time ago and there was this instant connection, we understand one another. We have two little boys, Peter and Harley, who just started calling us Dad and Papa… they are my entire life, I would do anything for them.” He said passionately, and he was telling the truth… he had started training his body right after Tony had that dream of them being heroes, the boys followed after them when it was discovered that they too would be heroes (though Tony assured him that they would be correctly trained, and only called if needed.) He was still looking into the magic that Tony had seen him using but so far there had been no sign of him having any, he thought it was going to be something he learned over time rather than unlocked.

“Tony Stark…” The Ancient One trailed off, looking back at Mordo with an unusual look in her eye.

Mordo understood why he was being sent that look, they too had predictions about Tony Stark, the man who would become a hero known as Iron Man. But the information they had about Tony was that he was in love with his best friend Pepper Potts, who he would later marry and have a daughter with. If what Stephen had told them was true and they were together romantically then another prediction had been false… having the predictions of one person be false was one thing, but the predictions of two separate people being incorrect was unheard of and would need further investigation. On top of that Stephen and Tony were together, which meant they knew one another incredibly well, it couldn’t be a coincidence that the predictions of two people who knew one another so well would be wrong.

The Ancient One predicted that she would be meeting Tony Stark in the near future, something was going on, and she needed to see for herself that it wasn’t dangerous.

Stephen on the other hand didn’t know why they were looking at one another like that, he was going to ask if he could look at these predictions about him (and apparently Tony was known as well), it seemed like none of these predictions had come true and he was curious about what they had expected.

“We can discuss this later, right now we need to talk about what happens next. This area is known as Kamar-Taj, it is a sacred sanctum where people come for training in the Mystic Arts. Some come searching for help to hone their abilities, some come for the peace and tranquility of the space while others come to learn the arts of sorcery… everyone who needs Kamar-Taj finds their way here, some stay behind while others return to the modern world once they have found what they are looking for.” Mordo explained, gesturing to the many buildings and people that surrounded them… to Stephen it seemed like they lived completely separate from the outside world, keeping to themselves completely.

“If you want to learn what we do here then you are more than welcome to stay, it would be an honour to teach you.” The Ancient One said, she was a little on edge to their predictions being incorrect but there was no warning from the Eye, so she was sure that everything would be fine.

Stephen was shocked, this place was somewhere people went to learn magic, could it be that this is where he finds the magic he uses to help Tony in that dream he once had… he had believed his boyfriend when he first brought up the dream and he further believed it when he summoned two God’s to their home, but with this trip it had proved without a doubt that Tony’s dream had been accurate… he would have the chance to learn magic, to make Tony’s dream of them fighting together a reality.

“If that’s alright, I would love to train here… something tells me I will learn a lot.” Stephen said softly. It meant being away from his family for who knows how long, but he felt like this was something he had to do. He also had a feeling that Tony was expecting him to remain here, he was the one who suggested he come here and he was the one who had that dream where he used magic… maybe more had happened in the dream than Tony had told him, though he pushed Stephen in the right direction. He would remain here and he would learn how to master the Mystic Arts, he would then return home and be able to help Tony fight any battle that would come.

“I will train you myself, it has been some time since I took on a student, but I think that I would like to see your growth for myself.” The Ancient One said, based on the shocked look on Mordo’s face it was clear that this didn’t happen very often.

“You have the choice as to what you learn first… Astral Protection is the easier skill to learn, this skill allows you to continue studying while your body sleeps as it unlocks your deep connection to the spiritual plane, with intense training you will be able to control your dreams and make certain things reality… Portals is a much harder skill to master as it is repeated steps over and over again until you form a portal, this skill is self-explanatory as it allows you to form portals, though they will only form to places you have been to before so they won’t take you to place you have never seen.” Mordo explained, most people actually chose the Astral Projection as their first skill to start learning… not many people had the patience to learn portals first, they’d rather have some experience in magic before trying to unlock that ability.

It was no question to Stephen which he would be learning first, Astral Protection does sound easier and quite handy, but the portals would allow him to return home

“Is there any rule that I have to isolate myself here while I train?” Stephen asked softly, he shouldn’t have said yes until he knew if he had to stay here, he didn’t think that he would be able to stay away from his family for so long… this training could take many years to master. “Also, I would like to start with portals if possible.” He finished.

Both of the sorcerers smiled at him. “No, though many people do submit themselves to this lifestyle completely, it is not an absolute rule. We request you to be present here until you learn how to master your portals, once you have done so, you will only need to come here during designated hours of the day. You seem to have a family back home, we couldn’t request you to stay here and away from them for so long.” The Ancient One explained, now she understood why Stephen wanted to start with portals, they would allow him to return home in an instant and return here just as quickly… it was an invaluable skill, and she was sure that he would master it in no time at all.

Stephen sighed in relief, he would have to keep phone contact with his family for a little while longer, but once he mastered portals he could go home every night and return the following morning… Stephen just hoped this didn’t take a really long time, he was seriously homesick and missing his family.

That very night, after he had been shown to his room, Stephen quickly contacted his family and explained what had happened… Stephen quickly noted that Tony didn’t look too surprised about what was said, almost as if he knew that this would happen. This only enforced Stephen’s belief that Tony had seen more in that dream than he had told him, or he’d had multiple dreams that warned him about this. Peter and Harley were a little upset that their Papa would be away for so long, both boys had missed their Papa

This was their first time away from one of their parents since they had been adopted, and neither boy was too keen on the feeling that gave them… however, he was able to convince them that this was important and that he wouldn’t be gone long which gave Stephen even more incentive to learn portals quickly.

Magic training would be starting first thing in the morning, Stephen had been given books on Kamar-Taj so that he could commit to the culture for the time he was here, clothes from the outside as well as technology were to be kept in his room and away from the public areas. They had customs here for many, many years and Stephen would have to adapt to them whenever he was outside… Stephen was more than happy to do this, it was always interesting to learn new things in such a way.

As time passed, Stephen started to understand why people didn’t immediately start with portals, especially when they had no experience of magic beforehand… it took a lot of concentration and repeated movements, on top of that Stephen had a harder job. While he was concentrating and doing those movements he was also reaching deep into his soul to actually unlock the magic hidden inside him, without unlocking his magic, the portals would never form. Stephen was thankful for his training before coming here otherwise he would have tired himself out too quickly, his photographic memory help him learn spell after spell from the incredibly large library… he couldn’t yet perform any magic, but once he ready something he would remember it completely, so he was doing the mental training before the actual magic training.

Under the watchful eyes of the Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen began to flourish quickly.

Stephen was confused at first when he was handed a golden ring known as a Sling Ring, he was informed that channeling magical power into these mystical devices allowed portals to open, he later learned that portals to through the multiverse were possible but portals through time were not. When Stephen first started learning to use the Sling Ring it was incredibly difficult, while others learning this technique could summon portals quickly, all Stephen could do was create orange sparks of magic.

When time progressed and Stephen still hadn’t formed a full portal the Ancient One did something drastic, using one of her own portals she took Stephen to the top of Mount Everest and left him there, telling him that the only way to save his life was to summon his first portal… Stephen didn’t dare tell her that he still had his watch, which looked completely normal except that it could send a distress signal to the satellite connected to his phone. If he pressed the face of the watch 3 times then the signal would be sent and it would dispatch the Iron Legion to his exact location, Tony would soon follow and he wouldn’t be too happy once he found out. Stephen decided against sending the signal for the time being to see if this fear of death actually helped him unlock his first portal… he stood there for 10 minutes trying to open a portal, with nothing but bigger orange sparks being produced. After standing in the freezing cold for 24 minutes he was seriously debating on activating the signal when the sparks he had just formed started mixing together, finally forming his first portal after so long training… he quickly stepped through and was met with the smiling face of his mentor.

Tony was not happy when he was informed that Stephen had been left on top of Mount Everest to freeze to death in order to finally summon a portal, he was more than ready to fly to Kamar-Taj and give this Ancient One a piece of his mind. Stephen was able to dissuade him from doing that, saying that he was the one who chose the harder path and this was needed in order to create his portals… Stephen further eased Tony when he was able to summon a portal directly to his boyfriend, Tony stood there for a full minute before rushing at Stephen and kissing him intently. They were quickly interrupted by two little devils throwing themselves at them, it seemed that JARVIS had informed their sons that Stephen was back, with both boys not waiting a moment to see their Papa in person.

Everything progressed quickly once Stephen was able to summon his portals, his magic was completely unlocked and he took to it like a duck to water… all of those spells he had read up on during his earlier training came to him easily, it only took a few attempts for him to master a spell. The Masters who were helping him were shocked, no one had seen such innate talent since the Ancient One, it was clear to everyone that Stephen Strange was someone special.

Stephen would eventually learn practically every spell available in the library, Astral Projection, Energy Manipulation, Object Conjuring, Illusions, Telekinesis and Mesmerism are among his arsenal of abilities. Some time into his training Stephen was chosen by an ancient artifact that was stored at Kamar-Taj, there was an entire sacred room that contained hundreds of mystical artifacts that had been collected throughout the history of Kamar-Taj… when Stephen had first started training this room was on the tour, he was told that an artifact might choose him when he was ready, he had felt a strange pull once he passed certain artifacts but nothing had chosen him. The second time he visited this room the pull was much stronger, a red cape broke out of its own case before settling on Stephen’s shoulders before he could even register what was happening.

He had been informed that this was the Cloak of Levitation and it had chosen anyone since it was brought to the temple, Stephen quickly realised that this cloak was quite sentient and welcomed it with open arms… turns out the children loved the cloak even more than he did, even nicknaming it Levi after its name (levitation.)

When Stephen went home he spent time with his children and boyfriend, he continued with his physical training in the comforts of home… although he was taught a martial arts style only taught at Kamar-Taj, with the permission of the Ancient One, Stephen was able to teach this style to Tony and would later teach the boys when the time came. Stephen would spend his nights, early mornings and evenings with his family while he spent his late mornings and afternoons at Kamar-Taj… it was a busy schedule but it was one that he was happy to commit to, it would make him strong enough to help Tony but also made sure that he was still with his family most of the time.

Peter and Harley still weren’t happy when their Papa had to leave every morning, since they were homeschooled they were present when Stephen had to leave… though they had gotten more comfortable as time passed, knowing that their Papa would return every evening made them settle. Stephen was glad, and he made sure to tell the boys everything he did when he was away from them which thrilled the boys to no end.

Stephen still hadn’t asked Tony about the true dream that he had, it was clear that more had happened than what he had been told, but he wanted Tony to tell him when he was ready… he would only push his boyfriend if something endangered those closest to him.

He had been shocked when he was able to see the predictions of Kamar-Taj for himself, those made about himself and Tony, as well as the future of their two children. Things were very different … he had a feeling that the Ancient One knew something about these drastic changes, but she wasn’t saying anything to anyone, though Stephen had noticed she seemed quite interested in his boyfriend. She was always asking questions about him and what he did, which Stephen found a little strange.

One thing in his life that had drastically changed was his job at the hospital after deciding to stay in Kamar-Taj. Tony had informed the hospital that his boyfriend would be taking some private time and would be in touch when he was ready… after months of training and spending time with his family, Stephen had decided that he would quit his job at the hospital, it was with a heavy heart as he loved working as a doctor. But with his time split between home and Kamar-Taj he just didn’t have the time, if he was going to start helping Tony with his hero work then he definitely wouldn’t have time to work at the hospital. They were sad to see him go and asked why the sudden change, Stephen kept his answers discreet and simple, telling them that he had wanted to try something different.

Tony had understood and stayed by him, Stephen just didn’t have the time to return to work and it wasn’t like their family needed the money, Tony himself was looking for a trusted advisor to run Stark Industries in his place so that he could focus on other things… those other things being Iron Man, his family and the many new inventions he was thinking of. Harley and Peter were happy with these decisions as it meant their parents were home pretty much full-time, except when Stephen left for Kamar-Taj… it was decided that Stephen would have the weekend off from magic training so that he spent the entire day with his family.

As the months went on Stephen only grew more powerful, as time passed it was clear that Stephen was becoming even more powerful than most of the teachers that had been teaching him since the beginning… only the Ancient One was clearly more powerful than him, but Mordo could definitely still give Stephen a run for his money.

Many were already wondering if Stephen Strange would be the next Sorcerer Supreme, the power he held was out of this world and the rate he learned was phenomenal… not to mention he was able to escape their predictions which had been made many years ago, such a thing had never happened before which only made people question further. The Ancient One hadn’t said anything on the matter, not even when asked directly, simply stating that Stephen was an amazing student and one of the best sorcerers she had seen in a long time… there was no mention of passing on the Eye of Agamotto anytime soon, Stephen however knew that something was happening. He had learned he was a Sensitive, which is why he often felt pulled towards important matters (such as Tony, Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One and lately the Eye of Agamotto.)

Ever since unlocking his magic the pull towards the Eye of Agamotto had increased, it had increased even further when he had been chosen by the Cloak of Levitation, he couldn’t help but feel like the Eye belonged with him for some reason… that it wasn’t right for the Ancient One to have it, that he should be the one wearing it. Of course, he kept this information away from those at Kamar-Taj, who knew what they would do to him if they found out he felt more suited to the Eye than the Ancient One was.

Stephen had told all of this to Tony but not the Ancient One, he didn’t want her thinking that he was after her place in the world, after she had held it for such a long time. Tony had told him to let things play out as they should, if he was destined for the Eye, then he would get it when the time was right.

After almost a year of training Stephen was finally granted the title Master of the Mystic Arts, according to records, he was the youngest to be given this title since the very beginning… he was allowed inside the inner sanctum, as well as the 3 sanctums that maintained protection around the planet against mystical attacks. He was also allowed access to the more dangerous and sacred tomes, that were hidden away from apprentices and trainees.

After being together for a couple of years, Tony surprised him with something special on the night of their anniversary.

Tony, with the help of Peter and Harley, had surprised Stephen with a home cooked meal prepared completely by the three of them… he had sat down and they exchanged stories about their days just like they normally did

“Stephen, when we met, everything in my life was starting to fall apart. When I met you I couldn’t help but feel some kind of pull to you, I approached you despite you being there with a woman. I then discovered that we had a lot in common, most would say that we got together too soon after meeting, but I don’t think it was quick enough. And now we have two wonderful children that I love just as much. I never thought I would have this, and certainly not with such a wonderful partner…” Tony paused, reaching out for a box that Peter placed in his hand, both boys were standing on either side of their Dad, both with bright smiles on their faces.

“...Will you marry us?!” Tony, Peter and Harley all asked at the same time. Tony held out his hands and opened the box, inside was an extravagant but still masculine ring resting on a crimson cushion of silk. It was over the top and certainly very expensive, but not too gaudy and more masculine than feminine… Stephen loved it.

“Yes!” Stephen yelled, quickly crouching down to pull all three of them into his arms, which was doable since he was the tallest among them. Tony pulled back from the hug after a few minutes, taking the ring out of the box he slipped it on Stephen’s left ring finger before raising it to his mouth to press a kiss to the ring… he then leaned up to press a quick and chaste kiss to Stephen’s lips, they would celebrate themselves later on that evening when the two boys were in bed.

The Ancient One had a smile on her face when he next went to Kamar-Taj, making sure to look at his left hand where his engagement ring now rested… his Sling Ring was on the ring of finger of his right hand, while his new engagement ring was on the ring finger of his left hand, and he loved both of them.

Stephen was congratulated on his engagement by everyone he met when in Kamar-Taj, it seems that the Ancient One couldn’t keep a secret for her life and informed everyone that their newest Master was now happily engaged… the entire population of the sacred temple was thrilled for Stephen, and for him to be marrying Tony Stark, was even more impressive. Everyone in Kamar-Taj felt like they already knew Tony on some level as Stephen often talked about his (then) boyfriend, children and his friends back home… he never told anyone the more private details of his relationship, or how they came to adopt two boys from different families, but he loved bragging about his loved ones to anyone that would actually listen to him talk. Which seemed to be everyone in Kamar-Taj.

After a long day, and even longer night, Stephen had relaxed to tea with the Ancient One in her private sanctum… not many people were allowed in this sacred space as it contained items of personal connection to the Ancient One, Mordo had only been here a few times and this was Stephen’s first time.

“Not that I’m not grateful, but why are we here? I know that this is your sacred space, and I know that even Mordo has only been here a handful of times despite him knowing you for such a long time… I am a newly minted Master, so I shouldn’t be given such special treatment.” Stephen started, talking politely but firmly. “So that makes me think that you asked me here for a reason other than tea.” He finished, settling down his cup and looking at the Ancient One. She smiled softly at him, however, Stephen had been around her for such a long time that he could see something else in her eyes… she seemed worried, curious, intrigued and confused all at once.

The Ancient One smiled, she should have realised that Stephen would pick up on the smallest thing, she had taught him a little well.

“I think it's time that I meet this Tony Stark of yours, there’s a couple of things I need to ask him.” The Ancient One said, after one of their training sessions. Stephen was concerned, he had noticed her asking more questions about Tony, but he didn’t understand why she wanted to meet with him… Tony wasn’t interested in learning magic, only knowing what Stephen told him about Kamar-Taj, there was literally no reason she should want to see him.

However, when he brought this up to Tony he was all too ready to meet her, and Stephen didn’t know if he should be worried or not… the look on the Ancient One’s face when she brought this up worried him, she was in charge of maintaining mystical balance over all the worlds which meant she was very sensitive to anything magical and mystical. If anyone was going to find something unusual then it would be her… Stephen had not told the Ancient One about Tony’s dream in all the time he had known her, was it possible she had figured it out and thought Tony was a threat.

Chapter Text

Tony couldn’t help but feel a little nervous about the upcoming meeting with the Ancient One, he had never met the woman in the previous timeline, but Stephen had spoken of her fondly and with great respect. He knew that his fiancée was the most powerful Sorcerer ever discovered, but right now, the Ancient One held that title… and he was a little on edge about it, she seemed insistent on meeting with him, and there was only one reason for that.

All six of the Infinity Stones helped transport him to this new version of his life, but it was the Time and Reality stones that had done the most important jobs… sending him back in time to a certain point where he could start changing things, and being able to send him to a whole new reality.

The Ancient One was deeply connected to the Eye of Agamotto as she was the Sorceress Supreme at the moment, this in turn meant that she was connected to the Time stone. It would make sense that she would feel something was off with him due to both of them having such encounters with the same Infinity Stone… Tony didn’t think that she even knew what it was that was making the Eye react to him in such a way, she was just following what she knew, which led her to him. His answers would probably not be what the Ancient One is looking for, he knew Stephen would be in attendance, and he just wasn’t ready to share the entire truth just yet.

Tony knew the time was coming soon, he refused to marry Stephen without telling him the whole truth, the man he loved deserved more than lies when they started this new chapter in their lives.

Many things were happening at once, Tony wasn’t just focusing on the upcoming meeting with the Ancient One.

His family and friends were always at the forefront of his mind, followed by his duties as Iron Man. If he wasn’t busy helping his two children with their learning then he was out on missions around the world… both of which kept him pretty busy as is. He also had his work as Tony Stark as well, keeping his business running while also developing his many ideas, though Yinsen was a very big help with this. Tony trusted Yinsen completely, allowing him to leave many of the projects in his capable hands.

There was also SHIELD Tony knew that they wouldn’t just go away, so he was making sure to keep monitoring them, he needed to be aware of their movement. Romanov, Fury and Clint were monitored closely by JARVIS at all times and would alert Tony if there was any suspicious activity by any of them… so far, Clint seemed clean and Tony was looking forward to seeing how Clint differed from the one he knew in the past. Fury and Romanov seemed to be having a lot of secret meetings in the past few weeks, unfortunately Tony didn’t know what these meetings were about… but JARVIS was keeping an eye on them.

Bruce Banner was also a top priority at the moment, he was having JARVIS scanning every camera in the world, looking for any signs of the man who would come to be as close to him as a brother… so far there hadn’t been any news on Bruce’s location, but Tony wasn’t going to give up.

Like with everything Tony was on top of everything, he already had a file on General Ross, of everything that he did under the Government’s eyes… including his interest in experimenting on the Hulk in order to recreate the serum. The end goal was to create another Super Soldier Serum like the one used on Captain America, but the reaction that created Hulk was also very interesting to the General. If it was up to him then hundreds of people would be subject to experimentation in order to recreate either of these miracles… Tony wasn’t about to let that happen, so he had piling evidence as soon as he could.

Once he had located Bruce he would release his information to the public and to the Government, with the data he had, Ross would be locked up quicker than he could imagine. This of course would allow his ‘brother’ to be free, Bruce would be free to come to the tower where he could work on his ideas as well as work to control Hulk. Tony wasn’t going to let Bruce ignore Hulk this time around, they needed to work together in order to be at their best, he had seen what they could do when they worked together.

On top of all this, he also had a wedding to plan, though his children and Stephen were a very big help… both he and Stephen had refused to hire a wedding planner.

Both Stephen and Tony were very particular, they were also that neither of them were good at following orders they didn’t agree with, therefore they knew that they would clash with any wedding planner that was hired. The only solution was for them to plan the wedding themselves, which suited them just fine, they of course had two little helpers who were more than happy to provide them with ideas… Peter and Harley would be a big part of this milestone, so it was only right that they also had a say.

There was also the matter of releasing their engagement to the public, which was going to be a big thing in and of itself. Most of the public had accepted their relationship from the very beginning, everyone happy that Tony had finally found someone he loved so completely. Others accepted their relationship after it had lasted for months, thinking that it had just been another fling on Tony’s end… though they were glad to be proven wrong when the relationship lasted for so much longer than anyone expected. Then there were those few people who were against their relationship, simply because they were both men, despite living in the 21st Century there were still some people who believed that two men (or two women) shouldn’t be in a relationship… Tony and Stephen ignored these people, and many others like them looked to the two of them as role models.

One brave reporter had written an article on homosexuality and how Howard Stark would be disappointed in his son for being with a man, it was no secret to anyone that Howard wanted his company kept within his bloodline which meant he would have looked for a suitable wife for Tony… should he have remained alive, that is. Tony would like to think that his parents would have liked Stephen, especially once they got to know him. Tony had gone after that reporter and paper for everything they had, a testament on what Tony would do to those who bad-mouthed people he cared about… even if they were no longer with him.

The meeting with the Ancient One was fast approaching, only a couple days away, and Tony was thinking about what he could and couldn’t say to her.

“You seem nervous Tony, surely meeting the Ancient One isn’t freaking Iron Man out this much.” Stephen said teasingly, leaning against the door of the lab as he looked at the man he loved… who was looking at a formula for a new project, the same one he had been looking at an hour ago when he had popped back home.

“Freaking out Iron Man, no. But Tony Stark is another matter, this is a whole new society that I know nothing about.” Tony said, turning to look at Stephen, who raised an eyebrow at him. “Yes, I know you’ve told me everything about this place and their culture, but I’m still on edge. I always am when I go somewhere new and meet the locals, the last thing I wanna do is insult some all powerful magician who could kill me with a wave of the hand.” He finished, his voice was calm but Stephen could easily detect the nerves embedded there.

“Relax, love. She isn’t going to do anything to you, I don’t know why she wants to speak with you so badly, apparently it's practically unheard of to bring an outsider into the temple. I trust her with my life, and I’ll be right there with you.” Stephen said, trying to reassure Tony that everything would be fine.

Stephen had tried asking his master why she wanted to speak with Tony so badly, she seemed unnaturally interested in the man he loved and he needed to make sure that he wasn’t bringing Tony into danger… she assured him that all she wanted to do was speak with Tony and that he wasn’t in danger from her, though she refused to tell him what it was that she wanted to talk to Tony about, stating that he would learn at the same time as the man himself.

Tony nodded, leaning into Stephen’s solid presence when the man walked over to comfort him.

“Sir, I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I have news on Doctor Bruce Banner.” JARVIS said, breaking Stephen and Tony apart quickly. Stephen shook his head fondly, if he didn’t know Tony better then he would be jealous of just how much Tony cared about this Bruce Banner. When Tony first started looking for the man he had been jealous and Tony was quick to pick up on that, explaining that Bruce was an old friend who had a terrible accident… one that caused him to isolate himself from the rest of the world, he had the evidence to bring Bruce back but he needed to find the man in order to do so. He assured Stephen that there was nothing for him to worry about, he was the only man in Tony’s heart… and it was going to stay that way for a very long time.

“Where?!” Tony yelled, asking for JARVIS to pull up the security footage he had found. It was definitely Bruce, looking younger than Tony remembered him being but also looking as on edge as always. He was being very careful to block his face from the cameras, but JARVIS was able to analyse different angles from just one bit of footage, it wasn’t hard for him to recreate the image using such means. “It’s definitely him, looks like he’s in Romania.” Tony said, looking at the map. Bruce had been discovered in Romania by Natasha in his previous life and she brought him home, making Bruce (and eventually Hulk) come to respect her… Tony would not allow that to happen this time around. He was already making preparations within seconds, calling the private jet in order to make the trip.

“Tony, did you forget that I can teleport?” Stephen said softly, causing his love to look at him. “As long as you can give me a clear picture of the general area where Banner is, then I will be able to portal us there in an instant.” He said smirking, in his excitement it seemed that Tony forgot that he had Sorcerer for a Fiancee.

“Are you sure that's okay? I don’t want to keep you from your training.” Tony said softly, though the hope was clearly in his eyes, he wanted Stephen to come with him.

“Of course, do you really think I’m going to let you go alone, this Bruce Banner needs to understand that you are a taken man.” Stephen said, winking at the shocked look on Tony’s face… before looking at the holographic screen of the area where the man was hiding, brought up by JARVIS. Tony shook his head before pouting at his partner, he knew Stephen was joking, but he was still shocked to hear such a thing from the man he loved.

Stephen studied the images of the area and committed them to memory, Tony made sure that he had all of the evidence on his phone before nodding at Stephen, he was ready for the portal. It had taken a little time to get used to traveling through portals again, Tony had bad experiences in the past and it seemed to have carried over to this new reality… traveling through them with Stephen made it easier, though it had taken a couple of tries for him to be able to pass through them with no issues. Stephen had been patient with him, bringing them to places that were familiar to Tony and bringing them home as soon as Tony showed signs of discomfort. Tony eventually conquered his fears, being able to travel through portals calmly and with no chance of panic attacks.

The portal came to life before them, Stephen stepped through first before gesturing for Tony to follow, Tony instructed JARVIS to hold all calls unless extremely important and to direct all non-essential missions to the military for the next couple of days… he had a friend to bring back home.

Both Stephen and Tony stepped through the portal, with Stephen making sure to close it behind him. Tony looked around, noticing that this was definitely a different region of Romania, it seemed that Bruce had stayed in this country for quite some time before Natasha had found him. As he was looking around Tony sighed softly, it looked like Bruce had moved on from this location… though the man couldn’t be too far from them, it had only been minutes from Bruce being in the footage to them arriving here.

“Why don’t you head towards the town, just in case he was heading in that direction. I’ll head towards the forest, he might want to keep to himself and away from those he would see as people he could hurt.” Tony said, Stephen sighed but nodded his head. He didn’t want them to separate but even he knew that things would be done quicker if they looked in different locations. There was also the fact that the man he loved was incredibly stubborn, once he had made up his mind about something it was incredibly difficult to change that decision… it was one of the things Stephen loved about Tony, though it could drive him up the wall sometimes.

“Fine, but you will contact me as soon as you find him, you might trust him… but I haven’t met him yet.” Stephen said, kissing Tony softly. Stephen knew that many would consider him a little over-protective of fiancee, but Tony seemed to love it when he doted on him a little.

Tony smirked and nodded his head, the two of them shared one final kiss before heading in different directions. Tony couldn’t help but feel a little nervous as he walked deeper into the forest surrounding the area, Bruce and he hadn’t parted on such good terms in his previous life and they had never talked about Bruce leaving him after Ultron… the battle with Ultron happened immediately after the others return, so they hadn’t had time to sit and talk. Tony needed to forget what happened in the previous timeline as Bruce hadn’t done anything like that, this would be like meeting a whole new person. He had to show Bruce there was nothing for him to fear, and prove that he wasn’t going to be like General Ross… it was going to take some work, but Tony was stubborn like that.

As he kept walking he started hearing guttural noises coming from up ahead, they were either an animal or it was Bruce when transformed into the Hulk… Tony remembered that Bruce tried suppressing Hulk during his time in Romania, he didn’t think that Hulk would be too happy with that. He kept walking, though made sure that JARVIS was in constant contact, a suit was ready to deploy if Hulk decided to attack before listening to what he had to say.

When Tony entered a clearing he couldn’t help the smile on his face, the large green-machine was standing out in the opening and growling to himself… it wasn’t that much of a stretch to guess that Hulk was trying to talk to Bruce, he knew that later on down the road the two of them were able to communicate with each other inside their minds. But it took some concentration in order to reach that level of synchronicity, this version of Bruce and Hulk weren’t getting along, so he doubted that there was any synchronicity between the two of them… something that he was going to have to change.

“Hey big guy, mind if we chat for a minute?” Tony asked softly, holding up his hands as a universal sign of surrendering… even Hulk would see that he didn’t mean any harm.

Hulk turned around at the sound of a new voice, taking note of the human now standing in the clearing looking at him. The human was small and looked well-dressed, he also had his hands raised and looked a little vulnerable… Hulk didn’t feel very threatened by him. He also took note that Banner was yelling within their mind, demanding Hulk to hand him control so that he wouldn’t hurt the human who had approached them.

“What… doing here?” Came the broken sentence, Hulk could speak properly in his mind when trying to talk to Banner, but he was unable to form the words properly when talking to other people… which is why his sentences came out in such a manner.

“I have been looking for the two of you for a while now, you guys sure are hard to find when you don’t want to be found. There’s something I need your help with, and there’s something I can do for you in return.” Tony said, feeling comfortable enough to lower his hands. Hulk seemed much calmer than Bruce had made him out to be this early on, he still spoke in broken sentences and seemed ready to fight at a moment's notice… but he wasn’t the out of control monster that his friend had said he was, this meeting might just be a little easier than he thought it would be.

“Banner… talk.” Hulk said, the green of his skin starting to recede and his size starting to shrink down to normal. Within minutes Bruce Banner stood before him, in nothing put a pair of ripped pants. Tony smiled softly, holding out the backpack that he had been carrying, which contained a new pair of pants and top along with some socks and shoes. Bruce took them a little warily, even he knew who Tony Stark was, and he didn’t understand why the man had been looking for him. There also weren’t too many people who knew that he and Hulk were the same entity, yet this man appeared to talk to him and was carrying a spare change of clothes. Bruce was a little nervous and he remained ready to run if the need arose, though he was curious enough to hear what Tony Stark had to talk to him about.

“You’re a hard man to find Doctor Banner, please wait a moment for our conversation… my fiancee would not be too happy if we started without him.” Tony said, already getting JARVIS to send his location to Stephen. Within seconds the portal shimmered into place beside, drawing a frightened but shocked look from Bruce.

“Should have known you would be the one to find him love, he doesn’t look how you described him.” Stephen said, taking account of the messy look this man had going for him… didn’t look anything like the picture he had seen of Bruce Banner. He supposed that spending so much time alone and away from civilization would explain it. Seeing that this newcomer wasn’t going to be a threat settled Bruce down a little, though he still remained ready to leave any moment.

“What do you guys want with me? You mentioned needing my help with something, and in return you would be able to help me? I’m sorry to say that in my condition, there isn’t very much that I would be able to help you with these days.” Bruce said, feeling comfortable enough to sit down on one of the large rocks nearby.

Tony and Stephen also sat down, though they remained a distance away from Bruce, wanting him to feel comfortable enough to talk to them.

“In regards to the help you can give us, that is for the two of you. We need Bruce Banner for help in labs, you are almost as smart as Tony himself is and there are certain upcoming projects we would love to get your opinion on.” Stephen said softly.

“We also need the help of Hulk. This hasn’t been made public but there is a team of enhanced, mutant, super-powered and gifted people being formed by the government. There will be rules that need to be followed, set leaders and various teams within the whole that do different missions. Bruce Banner will work behind the scenes, but we want Hulk on the front lines, his abilities make him a great asset to have when fighting villains or even during disasters.” Tony explained, it was better to get everything out there right off the bat… they needed Bruce to trust them, and he wouldn’t if he found out they had lied to him when discussing this.

“The government, please, they have been trying to get rid of Hulk since he first emerged. He’s not a monster like people say, but the damage he can do shouldn’t be let out onto the streets.” Bruce said, not sounding convinced of the proposal they were giving. On top of that Ross was still after them, if Hulk went out into the open on a mission then that would make them easy targets… making them stay in hiding the better option.

“And that is where our proof of safety comes in, Ross’ division will no longer be able to hurt you.” Tony said, he was smiling as he held out a device for Bruce to see. As Bruce looked at the device he couldn’t hide his shock, it detailed every little bit of dirt on General Ross and what he had been doing since he was made General. “This has gone out to every media outlet as well as the highest states of government around the world… based on what my AI is showing, they are in the process of arresting Ross and his followers at this very moment.” Tony finished, shifting the screen to show Ross being arrested at the Army base he was working at. Bruce took the device with gentle hands and watched the images with hope and relief in his eyes, in his mind Hulk was cheering that they weren’t going to be hunted anymore.

“Were you serious… about wanting both me and Hulk?” Bruce asked, sounding small as he handed the device back to Tony.

Bruce felt relieved that he was free and he felt grateful to these men for making that possible, but he still wasn’t sure about Hulk joining this team… he was still an unknown despite him not wanting to hurt others, being out in front lines around the world could be asking too much of him.

“We are sure, the proposal of both you and Hulk has already been approved, though there are conditions.” Tony said, noticing how Bruce seemed to take a deep breath at that. “You will spend some time with Stephen here, he thinks that he has a way for you and Hulk to become more understanding. On top of that you will both have to go through a probation period, to make sure that both of you are able to handle the work you will be doing. This leaning more towards Hulk, we need to make sure that he understands the difference between helping and causing too much damage.” He finished, the last thing they needed was for Hulk to smash everything in the heat of battle… collateral damage was obvious when dealing with their team, but if there was too much damage then they would be held accountable for it and the team would suffer.

“You will spend time meditating with me, we will open your third eye in order to connect both you and Hulk on a more spiritual level, we’re hoping it will bring the two of you closer together. Make you understand him more, and make him see the difference between right and wrong. Eventually the two of you should be able to communicate mentally, which would make you both much more suitable for battle.” Stephen explained, Tony had come up with this when he heard how Stephen had conducted his own training.

Bruce went incredibly quiet as his skin tinged green, a sure sign that Hulk and Bruce were speaking, it wasn’t anywhere near as strong as it would be with training… but the fact that they could speak to one another told Tony that they were closer than he first thought they were.

“We accept those conditions, and we would love to join your team.” Bruce said, he was still nervous about this, but something told that he could trust these men.

Tony jumped up excitedly. “That’s great news! Unfortunately the building being created for the team won’t be complete for quite some time, even my workers need all the time in the world to create such a large building. In the meantime, members who we are recruiting now are moving into our mansion… which has everything we will need. Up to now, you will be the first to live there, other than me and Stephen.” Tony said, he was already contacting JARVIS to get the room ready for Bruce, he also had JARVIS order something that Bruce was going to need… the man didn’t have very much to his name after all.

“There are also two children living there as well, Peter and Harley are two young boys that we adopted… they are actually pretty excited to meet you, Peter especially, as he loves science more than anything.” Stephen said, smirking when Bruce reared back as if struck.

“You’re trusting me around your children?! Are you not worried that they will be in danger with me there?!” Bruce yelled, he was in shock. These men had never met him before and they were offering everything he could ever want, they were also trusting him and Hulk around their children… it was children in particular Bruce had always been worried about, Hulk was incredibly strong, just wanting a touch/hug from him could kill a child much easier than an adult.

Stephen and Tony smiled softly. “We are going to need to work on your self-esteem and Hulk’s issues, there is nothing wrong with either of you other than being dealt a bad hand in life… the children are dying to meet you, and once they do, I don’t think either of you will be going anywhere.” Tony said, thinking about Peter and Harley. Both boys loved science and Bruce specialised in an area that Peter liked especially… Bruce was also really easy to like, so there would be no problems with them getting along. Hulk was also a big green mystery to them, which the two boys would be more than happy to figure out. Bruce would become Uncle Bruce in a matter of days.

“Are you ready?” Stephen said softly, gesturing to the portal that he had created, one that would be taking Bruce home. Stephen was no longer concerned about this man taking away Tony, even he could see the brotherly bond forming between them… he didn’t mind opening up to the man now.

“Yeah, we’re good to go.” Bruce said, looking at the comfortable home on the other side of the portal. He took one last look around the area, Romania had been good to him for the last couple of years… but he couldn’t hide the fact that he was glad to be leaving, he was rather looking forward to being human again. He had no one to say goodbye to as he had kept to himself all these years, he would leave without anyone knowing he was ever here.

With those last words Bruce stepped through the portal, he didn’t even turn back as he heard it closing behind him.