Prompt #5 Fill 1

Siren/merman Stephen first met Tony very briefly when Tony’s Malibu house went into the ocean and Stephen gave Tony air.

Maybe… months later he shows Tony his earliest memory of being trapped in the metal cage(his wrecked car sunk to the sea floor).

Savior of the Sea by klimt-cumberbatch

When Tony Stark is blasted out of his home by the Mandarin’s forces, he sinks to the sea floor, left for dead. Luckily, a certain sea sorcerer has been watching Tony, and saves his life. But who is this merman? And how can Tony find him again while keeping his friends, family, and himself alive?

A siren fic that I’ve been sitting on for too long lmao - chapter 1? Maybe?

Also Stephen is derivative of a red-tailed butterfly fish (but with more blue) thanks to the doctor strange discord group lmao

Tony could never remember the sun having been so damn bright. When did it get that bright? He could feel it burning into his skin, he could barely manage to look at it from a squint, he could taste the rays on his tongue.

When the hell had it gotten to be like that?

He felt something of a hand press up against his face, turn it to the side. He realized he was coughing, then - and it burned. His lungs stung with sea water, the salty tang enough to bring tears to his eyes, tears that did nothing to weaken the shine of the sun above him.

The hand-thing was cold, and wet. It caressed his cheek as he spat and sputtered ocean out into the sand beneath him - sand? Sand. The grit was hard and chill to the side of his face. Definitely on a beach, then.

A series of quiet chirps and purrs sounded in his ear as Tony finally managed to catch his breath, turning back onto his back and staring up again at the bright, impossibly bright sun.

Was he dead? Is that what happened?

The last thing he remembered was the helicopters, and explosions, and falling -

“Oh, shit,” he wheezed, shoving himself to sitting up, looking over at where his house was.

Well, used to be.

It was a massive pile of crumbled rubble, still smoking, the too-bright sun quickly being obscured by copious clouds of thick, choking smoke.

Fuck.

“Fuck,” he gasped, moving to stand.

The last thing he remembered was going into the water. The suit had been mostly offline, he’d been getting ready to drown, his thrusters were shot -

He turned back to the shore as there was a sudden splashing of water. Whoever had pulled him to safety was gone. The suit was spread out, piece by piece, just about five feet from where he was standing. It was all present and accounted for, as far as he could see.

He took a deep breath, letting the air smooth over the sting in his throat. What was he going to do now? He looked back to the sea, and then back to what was left of his mansion. His heart stopped, and he took off at the best sprint he could manage.

Pepper.

He had to find Pepper.

—————————————

Stephen had been tending to his coral garden when the sky above him exploded.

He cursed himself as he swam as fast as he could towards the mouth of his little cave, hoping that whatever the hell the humans above were doing wouldn’t ruin his fields. He knew it was partially his fault, living this close to the shoreline. But here was the safest for him - his bright blue and pink tail was too eye-catching for living in open waters, traveling with the rest of his people.

That, and being a sea sorcerer, even in siren society, was considered rather taboo.

Best to live alone, then.

He let out a panicked trill as massive pieces of debris began to fall into the water, coming dangerously close to his corals. He dove into his cave, tossing his relics this way and that until he finally found his amulet - a pearl oyster strung together on shark’s teeth adorned with all manner of ocean treasures. He slipped it over his head and swam back out to his fields, closing his eyes as he channeled the magic from his amulet into his being.

With a few complex movements of his scarred hands, he managed to summon several runes in the water, pushing them together and then outward. He crafted a massive dome shield over his garden, swimming to the edge once he was sure it would hold.

He could just make out the house on the cliff overlooking his inlet, and he felt his heart sink. He often spent his spare time bobbing just above the surface, his sea glass eyes watching the man that lived in the house walk in front of the windows, or descend the stairs to where Stephen’s eyes couldn’t follow.

He hoped he was alright.

Stephen continued to watch, his tail flicking in agitation any time a piece of the home or furniture shattered against his conjured shield. It would take him time to clean all of this up, time that he could be using to study, or meditate.

He was just about to wait the rest out in the cave when he saw something glowing fall into the waves and drop to the sea floor like a stone. He swam closer to his barrier, pressing his webbed hands up against the crystal blue forcefield of magic.

What was that thing?

Then he saw it move. And he saw fingers, and a face.

A man!

The man!

He’d seen him in this form every now and then - but why wasn’t he flying away?

Stephen watched in horror as more pieces of the foundations of the man’s home fell into the sea, and directly on top of him. He couldn’t just sit back and watch as the man drowned.

He rolled his eyes. Humans. Learn to swim if you’re going to live on the coast.

He created a small gap for himself in his shield, tail pumping as hard as it could to reach the man in time. He focused his magic into his hands, easing their shakes as he shifted massive pieces of concrete and marble off of the man. He grabbed the man’s foot and tugged, pulling him out from where he was trapped and towards safety.

He swam for the shoreline, dragging the heavy piece of metal up behind him. He began methodically tearing the pieces off of the man underneath, relying on his spells to help him find seams and weak spots. Finally, the man laid bare before him, in sodden clothes and unconscious.

Oh.

Stephen ignored the jolt that ran through his body when his fingers finally made contact with the beautifully bronzed flesh before him - he had a job to do. He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to the man’s, breathing into him and filling his lungs with oxygen.

He pulled back when the man jerked to life, turning him onto his side and gently petting his face as his body gave up the sea.

He was handsome, there was no denying that. Handsome, and strong. Stephen felt the spirit of the man beneath him, and he felt brave and protective, a defender of his family and his people. Stephen smiled, his sharp teeth just barely visible beyond his cupid’s bow lips. This was the man he had been watching from afar for so long.

And here he was, up close. A treasure to be guarded carefully.

Stephen was just beginning to contemplate dragging him back into the ocean when the man’s eyes opened. Stephen kept him on his side as he cleared his lungs, crooning softly to him, offering clicks of his tongue in gentle consolation.

When he was certain there was no more ocean left in the man’s body, he pulled away, making his way clumsily back towards the water. It wouldn’t do to have a human know he lived so close - although, by the state of the wreckage, Stephen doubted the man would live there anymore.

He was well beneath the waves when the man found his feet again, and he watched him pelt off across the sand towards the wreckage. He keened sadly - he wished the man well, even if they were never to meet again. He turned back to his section of the ocean floor and began to clean up, obliterating the pieces of human construction with his spells.

Back to work. Always back to work.

—————————————

Later that night, stowed away in a hotel, Pepper sleeping on the opposite side of the bed, Tony was kept awake by vision after vision.

A splash along the ocean’s edge. A massive red and blue tail waving in a gentle current. The smell of salt, and seaweed.

Every time Tony thought he’d finally found sleep, he kept seeing the same face.

A grin that revealed a row of pointed teeth. Eyes as green as the sea, as bright as the sun, as intelligent as his own. A handsome human face, dark hair streaked with grey at the temples.

Soft lips pressed against his, and life-giving air being blown into his body.

He stood from the bed, heading into the bathroom to splash water on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror, shrugging his shoulders as tap water dripped from his goatee into the sink.

Where was all this coming from?

He glanced at the clock - nearly four in the morning.

“Fuck it,” he sighed. “I’m dealing with this shit tom - later today.”

He shuffled back to bed, laying down beside Pepper. He stroked her cheek gently, letting his eyes slip closed. He had to get some sleep, or she’d be worried in the morning. She was always worried.

His clothes that he’d been wearing earlier were hanging in the hotel bathroom, the salt crusting as they dried in the cool, artificial air. And tucked just in the right front pocket was a tiny pearl - a parting gift.

But from who?

Who was this magical man that wouldn’t let him sleep?

Tony sighed, putting his arm over Pepper’s waist. He kissed her forehead, trying to relax. He’d find out tomorrow.

He had to.

Prompt #24 Fill1

A pining Stephen shows Tony all the little glimpses of the future that made him fall in love with him.

Not Even Death Can do us Part by starks-spareparts

“Then I’ll make you,” Stephen spoke, quite softly yet still keeping his stern demeanor from behind Tony. The smaller man’s back was to him; they had gotten into an argument.

“You’ll make me what?” Tony retorted, his arms folded and a sad scowl painted on his face. He ignored the feeling of Stephen’s hand on his shoulder before the sorcerer passed him.

Stephen didn’t answer Tony’s question with words, but instead gestured with a flair of his arm and cloak, to face an empty area about a meter off the ground. Orange sparks appeared, creating a portal unlike any Stephen had ever before; It didn’t have a destination. Inside, a familiar place with an unfamiliar scene appeared. It flickered through, like a television losing signal, but nonetheless, Tony saw.

He saw himself singlehandedly take down the titan Thanos, sacrificing himself over all the other lives in the universe.

“That’s…” Tony breathed in disbelief. No one else but Stephen had seen the possibilities before.

“You. Possibility 1 out of 14 million.”

There was a pause as Tony thought, he looked over at Stephen to see his face twitch into an uncomfortable sorrow as he watched the future on repeat.

“But…we didn’t win, Stephen.”

“We didn’t need to win for me to see your strength.” He bowed his head, refusing to look again at the vision.

Stephen, with a flick of his wrist, showed Tony another possibility. It was him protecting Peter, using his body as a shield to keep the boy safe. He couldn’t see what happened next, for Stephen was already onto the next future. He was skipping through them faster, not looking at them as they flew by.

He flicked through futures like pictures in a phone’s camera roll, showing off that in every future Tony sacrificed everything.

“Even then, I kept falling for you, Tony. In nearly every timeline, when we thought we had won but hadn’t, I saw this,” Stephen spoke, his tone an odd sincerity to it that Tony hardly ever heard from the sorcerer. His head was no longer bowed.

It took him a moment to stop looking longingly at the sorcerer, his heart warming as his self loathing was whisked away by Stephen’s profession of love, and to look back at the fizzling portal. The image of the men slow dancing at a formal event shone through. They were both dressed in dark tuxedos, Stephen’s accompanied by the cloak that made itself into the form of a cloth in his breast pocket. Tony’s mouth hung open in awe for a moment, looking for the words.

“Are we-?”

“This is our wedding.” Stephen said, smiling.

Truthfully, Tony didn’t know if he was smiling, it just felt like he was smiling. Tony never took his eyes off the vision in front of him. Stephen’s arm hung loosely over his shoulder while his other hand was firmly in his own. Tony could feel it- the soothing chill of Stephen’s hands against his palms and his lean body pressed against his in a romantic dance.

The men enjoyed the vision for a bit longer until Stephen spoke up,

“I’ll make you believe I’ll always love you.”

Prompt #30 Fill 1

Tony can see Stephen’s astral form even before he has broken through to reality/made himself visible to others.

By bananasofthorns

Tony looked up from his tablet as a cold breeze brushed along the back of his neck. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It was the middle of October and he was inside, there was no reason for a breeze to be here. Tony turned, blinking in surprise.

Stephen Strange’s ghostly body was floating behind him. Tony stared at the sorcerer quizzically, wondering what he was doing. Stephen’s actual body was a few feet away on a couch. It looked like he was sleeping, but now Tony wasn’t so sure.

“Strange? Why is your ghost floating creepily behind me?” Stephen’s see-through form tensed. Tony looked at him expectantly. “Well? Do I need to call an exorcist?”

“You can see me?” Stephen’s voice sounded odd. Tony raised an eyebrow.

“Of course I can see you. You’re floating directly in front of me, I’d have to be blind not to.” Ghost-Stephen rolled his eyes.

“You shouldn’t be able to see me. I’m in my astral form-”

“Your what?”

“-and I haven’t broken through reality. Why can you see me?”

Tony shrugged. “Look, I know absolutely nothing about astral forms or breaking through reality or any of your other wizard stuff. I just want to know why you were creeping behind me.”

“I was trying to see if I could affect reality without actually being in it. You’re evidently not the best test subject if you can see me right now.”

“Yeah, that’s incredibly obvious. Not. What are you talking about?” Stephen just shook his head and disappeared.

Prompt #15 Fill 1

7PM at the Meadowlands

Dulcinea

Summary:

Tony takes Stephen to a rock concert. It's an offer he can't refuse, for reasons.

Notes:

From the ironstrangeprompts Tumblr: Prompt #15 - Tony takes Stephen to a rock concert. Suggested by @mistressstrange.

This is my first IronStrange fic ever! I hope this came out OK. Very nervous. But I am glad it is done.

Work Text:

Tony Stark stepping foot in the Sanctum became a regular occurrence once everything in the universe went back to normal, post-Gauntlet. This pissed Stephen off, because while keeping Tony alive was one of the reasons why they won (on top of many other reasons), he didn’t like the man. He would never like the man, ever.

He didn’t expect Stark and Wong to befriend each other, though.

“Hey Gandalf, how’s it going?”

Stephen’s eye twitched from where he sat, holding a tomb of Sanskrit in his hands. “Wong’s upstairs.”

“Thanks, buddy!”

How the two bonded didn’t surprise him at first. He found the two of them in one of the Sanctum’s many libraries with headphones on and a laptop open, Stark grinning from ear-to-ear, and Wong, astoundingly, bug-eyed. Before he could interrupt, Wong yelled at him, “HOW HAVE YOU NEVER INTRODUCED ME TO HER BEFORE?” And then proceeded to actually headbang his head off like he was from the 1980s.

When Wong scurried away to do some work (and grumbled about it), Tony flipped the laptop around. On the screen, Stephen saw Cher’s fishnet thighs, PVC leotard, curly hair and knew what song it was immediately, but Tony just had to rub it in and hum the tune “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

He never did get an answer from Wong on how he could headbang to that song.

Wong’s newfound love of Cher, then Madonna, and then Adele didn’t surprise him either. What did shock Stephen was how many times Tony came into the Sanctum, when he could have easily called, emailed, texted or done anything but show up in person. It was to the point where if he turned a corner, there was Tony. Playing a song on a laptop. Reading some book Wong handed to him. Looking at the relics with Wong’s supervision.

One day, he snapped, “Don’t you have things to do?”

Tony shrugged. “I’m on an extended vacation.”

“It’s been two months.”

“I think I’ve earned it.”

“Fine, but you could do it elsewhere.”

“Aww, and be away from my buddy Wong here?”

“Skype exists for a reason.”

“Yeah, true, but I get to annoy you too, so…”

Stephen glared.

Tony answered with a gigantic, blinding smile.

A rap of knuckles on his door knocked Stephen out of his thoughts. He closed his book and looked at the opposite end of the room.

He groaned. Speak of the devil.

Tony stood in the doorframe, hands latching behind his back. “Oh Wicked Witch of the Weeeest…”

“You know I hate that one.”

“Glinda it is, then. Answer me this. When’s the last time you went out?”

“Out.”

“Yup. Outside. Without those—” Tony stepped inside the room, a hand reaching out to gesture to Stephen’s body. “Robes on. Normal human clothes. Remember jeans? T-shirt?”

Stephen rested the book on his lap, crossing his hands on top.

“I’ll take that as a no. Honestly, that’s okay. Because!” Then Tony smiled – that irritating, blinding smile – and he whipped up from behind his back, with his other hand, a pair of laminates, the plastic and black rope dangling from his fingertips. “I’m taking you out.”

He blinked. “Me.”

“Yup. You.”

“Why?”

“Wong doesn’t like heavy metal.”

“And you’re assuming I do.”

He dangled the passes, walking closer. “They’re side stage, VIP passes, maaan. A nice catered buffet, the best view in the house, no smelly metalheads rubbing up against you, hanging out with all the stars backstage—”

“No.”

“You don’t even know who it is.”

“I don’t like metal either.”

“Your Spotify account says otherwise.”

“I do not have a Spotify account—”

“Wong set one up for you and synced it to your iTunes.”

“—as of today, because I am going to go delete it.” He slammed the book onto the table beside him and stormed right past Tony, heading for the door.

Behind him, Tony shouted the two words that stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Iron Maiden.”

Slowly, Stephen turned around.

Tony hadn’t turned back to face him. He still looked forward, right where Stephen had last sat, still dangling the two VIP passes in his hand, and if Stephen had to guess, there was most definitely a huge shit-eating grin on his face.

His suspicions were confirmed when Tony glanced over his shoulder and peered over his glasses. “Buuut I could always give these away—”

He snatched them right out of Tony’s hand.

Tony cackled and clapped his hands. “Sweet! You won’t regret it.”

“What time?”

“We can show up at 7 tonight, show’s at 9. In Jersey.”

“Meadowlands?”

“Remember your nose plugs.”

“Don’t need to be told twice on that.”

Tony grabbed the other VIP pass. “I’ll meet you at the venue.” He tapped it on Stephen’s shoulder, heading for the door. “And I’m telling you, Strange. Jeans. Wear them.”

“No.”

“You will!”

“No, I won’t.”

At exactly 7 at night, Stephen walked through the portal from the Sanctum to the VIP entrance side of the Meadowlands, wearing a plain black t-shirt, a red trench coat (the Cloak in disguise), his yellow gloves, a black belt and dark grey jeans. He didn’t acknowledge Tony’s wolf-whistle, walking right to the bodyguard and getting the pass around his neck scanned.

Tony looked right at home with everyone backstage, with his hair ungelled, faded blue jeans and a Killers t-shirt that caught many people’s attention. From what Stephen heard from conversations around him, Tony sported a really, really rare, vintage t-shirt from Maiden’s first tours in England. More than once, a few backstage crew and some fans from the meet and greet asked where he got the t-shirt and if they could purchase it from him (to which Tony always said no).

It amused Stephen how people cared more about Tony’s t-shirt than the fact he was Tony Stark on first meeting, until they remembered who they were talking to and then proceeded to gush over him, asking for autographs, pictures and professing many thanks. Stephen got the same attention too at times during the evening, but it mostly went to Tony, and he was more than fine with that. More time for him to enjoy some peace and quiet. Once upon a time, he was like Tony, relishing in the attention and praise. There was a piece of him that still love it, but his time as a Master of the Mystic Arts taught him otherwise. It didn’t feel right anymore. It reminded him of a past that he rather forget, of who he was, what he did. That wasn’t him anymore. It couldn’t be him anymore. Because it wasn’t about him anymore.

He glanced at the people inside the catering tent. All these people were saved. All these people. Who didn’t get saved the first time though? Who got hurt before Thanos? Was what they did enough? People couldn’t remember Thanos at least, they forgot what the world was like, but still. Was it enough? Was he enough—

Ping!

Stephen shook his head. When he refocused, he found a Megadeth pick stuck in the middle of his plate of chicken, broccoli and mashed potatoes.

“Stop it,” Tony said.

He glanced up.

Tony chewed on a piece of broccoli, the stem end resting between his index and thumb. “No brooding allowed.”

“I’m not brooding.”

“Sure. Right.” He flicked the stem right into Stephen’s chest.

“Hey!”

“Next time it’ll be a chicken piece. Fess up.”

Stephen sighed. “Honestly, it’s nothing worth getting into.” He picked up his fork again, pushing some potatoes around. “I’m listening to the band anyway.”

“Megadeth went off the stage five minutes ago.”

“Huh. Well.”

“Yeah.”

To Stephen’s relief, Tony went silent. For the next half hour, they ate their food from the back of the catering room, away from fans and the press. Only the backstage hands who couldn’t care less about who they were came in and out. They heard the roar of the crowd, the instruments tuning up, the mic checks and the bustle of voices rising and falling backstage like ocean waves.

Just as Stephen finished his last bite, Tony said, “You’re better than this.”

He met Tony’s eye. “Than what?”

“Me.”

He dropped his cutlery.

Tony crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. “I don’t know all the details about what happened to you. I know all about your accident. I know you lost a big piece of your life. From what Wong said, you also sacrificed a whole lot to protect this planet before Thanos came around. And from what I can see, you can’t let go of anything. We’ve all found ways to move on after Thanos, and I think you have too, but there’s so much more you need to deal with. And I get that. It’s not going to be easy, or pretty. But if you want to live your life, you have to realize the same thing I did.” He jerked his head up and met Stephen’s stare. “It will never go away. You can’t move on. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of it. It’s like a disease. You learn to live with it. You fight it every day. The thoughts, the doubts, all of it? They’re never going to go away. But you learn safe ways to cope. Constructive habits, you know? Goodness knows I still have my bad habits, but I recognize they’re bad habits. I still beat myself up when I do fall into the bad habits, but that’s what I’m working on. But do you get what I’m saying?” He leaned forward, resting his hands on the table, one hand dangerously close to his own. “Be better than me, Stephen. Be stronger.” He smiled – a small, sad smile. “Never thought I’d say that, huh?”

Doctor doctor, please -- oh, the mess I'm in…

Tony leaned back, sliding his hands away. “Sounds like the band’s getting ready.”

Stephen blinked a few times. He leaned back into his chair, recapturing his breath. His body felt warm all over, especially on his cheeks, and a small wetness in his eyes. “Um. Yeah?”

“You’ve never seen them live, have you?” That blinding smile of Tony’s came back, and for once, Stephen welcomed it. “It’s a UFO cover. Let’s the fans know they’re coming to the stage. You know, like Metallica does with the Ecstasy of Gold?”

“I’ve never seen them live either.”

Tony laughed, and in time with the music Stephen heard, he sung, “Doctor, doctor, pleeeease! Oh, the mess you’re in.” He stood up from the table, pointing at him. “Let’s go break your Maiden cherry.”

In a few minutes, Tony led him to the greatest view Stephen ever had at a concert. From the side stage, he saw the thousands filling up the Meadowlands stadium. Behind the amps, he saw all the props, the instruments, the backstage crew working to set everything up. A little skip came in his heart when he saw Steve Harris wave their way, bass guitar in hand, and he felt a little faint when Bruce Dickinson rushed over to give Tony a quick high-five and Stephen an even quicker handshake. Then the music stopped, Churchill came over the PA, a huge WWII plane revealed itself on stage, we shall never surrender! – and then BOOM. Lights, pyro, the band stormed the stage and Stephen lost himself in the music of his college days, the world fading away.

With every song the band played, he fell more into a world that felt comfortable. Gone were thoughts of beforehand, of everything. All Stephen focused on was the amazing stage show, the energy, the pyrotechnics, and the small bits of personalized interactions he got from the band itself. Near the halfway point of the show, his voice was sore, he had a pick from Adrian Smith in his pocket, and a drum stick from Nicko already. Then Harris came over and let him hit his bass strings during The Trooper and Stephen felt like a little kid and couldn’t stop himself from geeking out.

He snuck a glance at Tony at that point, and he felt the heat on his cheeks turn into a burn, all because of the look Tony gave him.

It was so…

Loving?

Stephen turned his attention back to the band, singing along to The Trooper and enamored by Dickinson’s boundless energy. But his cheeks didn’t fade in warmth, his breath had a hitch, and the skip in his heartbeat didn’t end by the song’s finish.

It did go away though so he could focus on the band and not about the man next to him. He soon felt a crink in his neck as he headbanged to Fear Of The Dark, but it didn’t matter. This was one of his favorite bands, up close, personal, with the best view in the house, playing songs he heard all the way through college and med school, and it was all because of this pigheaded man beside him taking him out.

This stubborn, brilliant, self-sacrificing, sweet, endearing, funny, kind man, who saw right through him. Who seemed to get him. Who knew Iron Maiden. Who took the time to check into a Spotify account he had no idea about and got him these tickets and was spending time with him. Who said those words. Who was there, and…

Just knew. Tony got it.

Stephen glanced over his shoulder. He found Tony singing along to the song as well, and he allowed himself to laugh.

Close to the end of the show, Tony yelled over the guitars of Run to the Hills, “You’re welcome!”

His body reacted before his brain, and Stephen answered by flinging his arms around Tony and crushing into a gigantic hug.

With his lips against Tony’s ear, he said loud and clear, “Thank you.”

And then kissed the lobe.

When he pulled away, Stephen saw the flush and rise of red on Tony’s cheeks. He allowed himself to smirk once he turned his attention back to the band.

For the final encore, Maiden played Stephen’s favorite song, one that the band played often on this tour as the ultimate closer. As Stephen sang alon, he felt Tony lean up against his side, singing the lyrics as loud as he was. He leaned back into him, their hips and shoulders touching as they stood cross-armed. They met gazes, both singing as one with the crowd, Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years, and they smiled together. Then Stephen winked at him and Tony rolled his eyes, shoving his hip into Stephen’s.

As the band took their bows and final goodbyes to the crowd, Stephen conjured a portal to the Sanctum. He gestured to it, looking at Tony.

Tony thumbed over his shoulder. “No wild parties with the band?”

“It’s eleven o’clock. I rather have some tea and read a book.”

“Party pooper.”

“Suit yourself.” He stepped inside—and stopped when he felt a tentative hand slip into his gloved own.

Tony looked up. “You better have cable at least.”

He squeezed Tony’s hand. “Is Direct TV okay?”

“DISH? You cheapskate!”

The portal closed to the sound of Stephen’s laughter.

Prompt #14 Fill 1

Tony taking care of Stephen who was blinded/deafened(temporarily?) in a recent fight.


By irnstrangethot

Tony wasn’t sure how everything happened but his mind kept replaying the moments as he took steps towards the man who laid on the ground. He could hear his shaking breaths, he could see his scarred hands over his eyes, and he could feel the pain radiating off of him.

Everything had happened so fast.

The two of them had been called out on a mission specifically by Fury. Some woman was discovered to have powers that made stings of plasma shoot from her hands. She was classified as a mutant and needed to be brought in or even just talked to to settle her down. When they got there, she was afraid. Tony could see it in her pale blue eyes and her heaving chest. His partner did what he usually did. He used his soothing voice, trying to calm her down. His green, stormy merman eyes seemed to help a little. He had looked gorgeous through the whole process, Tony including his own commentary. She almost seemed like she wanted to go with them.

But then someone came. Tony had no idea who /they/ even were. He had guessed Hydra but there wasn’t much time to guess. As men ran up and started to grab her, she started to fight back by raising her hands and shooting out the yellow stings. Tony suited up while his partner’s hands majestically conjured up a spell, orange sparks flying.

“You lied to me!” the woman hissed, her eyes glazed with fury and sorrow.

“This isn’t our men!” his partner replied, “Just calm down we can get you out of here. We’re only here to help you”. Tony nodded in agreement, his hands out and ready to blast the men who had come in. There was tension as everyone waited for each other to make the first move even the first breath. There was silence clinging to the air. Tony‘s heart beat loudly in his ears making him bite down on his lip.

But that’s when his partner made a stupid mistake which caused this whole mess. Though his intentions weren’t stupid, his heart was controlling him more then his mind. Or maybe he was rushing, Tony had no idea but he was left to just watch everything unfold.

“Trust us”, he started, taking a step with his magic settling down and disappearing. This caused the girl to jump and shoot her sting, sending his partner back. Tony immediately called S.H.I.E.L.D, the new agents running in to help the mutant while the others got to the guys on the other side of the woman. Tony made sure everything was ok before he took off to go help his partner.

And here he was walking over to the man on the ground. Before he knew it, Tony was on his knees beside the sorcerer looking for where the sting met him.

“Steph, where did it hit you”, Tony asked quickly, placing a gentle hand on Stephen’s scarred hands that laid over his eyes. The man didn’t answer, still taking in deep breaths. Tony gently took his hands off of Stephen’s face murmuring soft words to him to ease him. Then he saw the dilemma.

It was like the sting had become a poison on his face, maybe even an acid. Stephen’s eyes only stared up but Tony could smell the burning of skin and hear the slight sizzle of the venom on Stephen’s eyes.

“Tony?” Stephen asked, his eyes seemed to falter as they didn’t look directly at the man next to him, “It burns”. His hands started to go back to his face but Tony blocked it.

“No, don’t Steph. Don’t get it on your hands. I’m—I’m going to help you. Just stay still”, Tony said. He started to pick Stephen up from the ground, immediately feeling the man tense up in his arms. The armor around Tony’s body obviously wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world so he stayed gentle with his lover in his arms. As Tony started to walk up to where the agents were, the exhausted man in his arms blinked furiously as if he were trying to blink the poison away. It obviously didn’t work.

“I got you, Steph it’ll be ok”.

“Tony. I…I can’t see”.

Weeks passed from the incident and Tony watched Stephen try to adapt to the new blindness he had. Tony constantly was by his side, maybe not touching him but making sure he didn’t bump into anything. A friend of S.H.I.E.L.D introduced a man that would be good for Stephen named Matt Murdock who was blind but knew ways to get around. He ended up being a really good guy who taught Stephen to learn how to use his other senses and heighten them. Tony noticed that it wasn’t too hard for his boyfriend because he stayed calm and learned quickly. But every time Stephen accidentally knocked something over or Tony made a gesture that Stephen couldn’t see, Tony felt the guilt wash over him until it came to the point that he started working in his lab.

Tony still made time for Stephen but it only caused him to stay up later. Stephen did learn how to do things easily without his sight, but Tony knew Stephen hated every moment of the darkness. Stephen actually never explained it as darkness or black, he more explained it as a bunch of fog in front of his eyes with yellow spots. Tony hated every time that Stephen described it. It hurt his heart.

He needed a cure, more than anything else. He worked until he heard Stephen call his name in concern or when he eventually would pass out.

The mutant woman ended up being friendly and kind, like how most mutants ended being of people just decided to understand them, sharing her sting to the agency as a way to be studied. She even apologized to Stephen in person for the whole incident. And to Tony’s surprise, Stephen brushed it off and accepted her apology. How could he? He was blinded, he needed Tony’s help for almost everything and yet he never felt any anger.

One night Tony was working on the cure, the antidote, something and he felt the pressure bear on his shoulders. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his heart beat out of control. His breathing was unsteady just like how his hands were shaky.

“God, why is this so damn hard?” Tony mumbled, rubbing his temples. The headache forming in his eyes and back of head was starting to really hurt now. But before Tony could reach over to the meds he kept on his work bench, two hands felt his shoulders and down his arms. The fingers were soft and caring and soon enough they became arms that wrapped around his waist when they found it.

“Tony…”, came Stephen’s soft murmur. His fingers gently traced lines of tension.

“Come back to bed, Tony”.

“I can’t. I’m trying to fix this mess”, Tony replied, almost trying to brush Stephen off of him. He needed all the time he could get to study the sting and how it worked and most importantly how to undo its effects. Stephen took in a deep breath and released it, his warm breath hitting the back of Tony’s neck. Tony felt himself sink a little in Stephen’s arms.

“Tony, it’ll be ok. I can hear your heart from the other side of the compound, you need rest. Matt taught me these things for a reason, come with me to sleep”.

“I can rest when you can see again. Steph, do you not understand what’s happened? You’re blind because I didn’t move fast enough. I have the technology to fix it but here we are”, Tony mumbled angrily, “I have it all in my hands and I’m still failing at it”. Tony heard Stephen’s body shuffle a little to have his chin eventually rest in Tony’s hair. Stephen didn’t know what to say.

“I can do this, Steph. I just need this time now”.

Tony felt a soft kiss on the top of his head, his hair settling under the lips of his lover.

“You work too hard Tony but to say that I’m the blind to the situation, my vision is finally clear. I’ve experienced things I’ve had to, I’ve learned, and most importantly I know that my boyfriend would do anything for me”, Stephen whispered soothingly, Tony taking deep breaths, “I know you want to fix this but that’s not going to happen if you’re absolutely and totally exhausted. Come to bed, Tony. You’re so much better than the heater”. Tony thought about the choices, really thought about them and made one. He pushed out of the chair, careful of Stephen, and took his boyfriend’s hand. He gently placed his hands on Stephen’s face, caressing him. He looked into the clouded green eyes belonging to the sorcerer across from him. They were pale and unseeing but they still smiled at Tony, calmed him even. Tony gently kissed those perfect lips, smiling when Stephen kissed him back. This man had his heart.

“In the morning, I’ll make you an amazing breakfast”, Tony smiled softly, taking Stephen’s hand.

“Or we could just sleep in and cuddle and then take Pete out to eat at iHop or something”, Stephen replied. Tony whispered back an “ok” and then started to lead Stephen back to their bed. Tony had never felt his heart gush more than when he was with this man. He made him feel good in the times he felt worthless. And this experience, just like Stephen said, made his poor sight finally clear. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Stephen. And an obstacle like this wouldn’t ruin it.