AHHHH FINALLY CAUGHT IT WHILE DOING FLASHCARDS FOR MCAT STUDYING
Could we get continuation to hydra hostage Stephen?
I hope studying is going well!! Good luck with MCAT studying, you've got this! Sequel to one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen.
It was a good middle ground, Stephen decided, as he and Tony waited in Tony’s mostly-unused office within the company parts of Stark Tower. It meant Stephen didn’t need to leave the tower, but kept Tony’s apartments untouched by this interaction.
As guilty as it made Stephen feel, he didn’t want Wong to be able to visualize Tony’s apartments. He didn’t want Wong—he didn’t want anyone—be able to reach him too easily. Even though he knew that Wong wasn’t at fault for what Mordo had done, it felt impossible for Stephen to extend the entirety of his trust to anyone right now.
The Cloak and Tony being the exceptions that proved the rule.
Although… he looked at Tony who was at his desk, busy on a tablet—gaze darting up every ten seconds or so to check on Stephen in his chosen corner—and felt another twinge of guilt. He had no doubt that Tony had realized that there was more to Stephen than Stephen had shown. The Cloak, after all, was a glaring neon sign that there was more to the story. But Stephen hadn’t been able to tell Tony any of that, yet. He had barely told Tony anything at all.
Why was Tony doing all this? Why was he so patient with Stephen? It was a question Stephen didn’t have an answer to. It was a question he was terrified to ask, lest he draw Tony’s attention to the foolishness of it all.
“Sir,” JARVIS’ voice came on. “Mr. Wong has arrived. Shall I direct him up?”
Tony looked over at Stephen. “Do you want him to come up?” he asked, one last chance to back out.
Stephen hesitated and the Cloak squeezed his shoulders gently. Stephen took a deep breath then nodded. “Yes,” he managed, the word hoarse.
“You heard him, JARVIS,” Tony said. “Let him up.”
The minutes seemed to drag, Stephen’s nerves spiking as he waited.
When the door finally opened, it was almost a relief. Wong stood there in the doorframe for just a moment before he stepped fully into the room, though he didn’t move beyond the entrance as the door shut behind him.
Stephen stiffened a little as Wong’s gaze focused on Stephen, taking him in. “It’s good to see you in one piece,” Wong said, breaking the tense silence. “We’ve been worried since you disappeared. We couldn’t find trace of you, and our search for Mordo to gain answers had yielded us nothing.”
The flinch at Mordo’s name was entirely involuntary. Stephen licked his lips nervously, trying to figure out what to do. For all that Tony had given him several days to prepare, Stephen still didn’t know what to do. Tony had never made him talk, and while Wong wouldn’t force him…
Stephen shifted to look at Tony, knowing his plea for help had to be visible in his eyes, trusting that Tony would understand as he always did. Tony knew, after all, where Stephen had ended up.
Tony stood, moving from his desk to close the space until he was sitting next to Stephen in the corner chair he’d chosen. He rested his hand palm up on his knee and Stephen realized, startled, that Tony was right. He didn't need Tony to answer for him. He just... he just needed Tony. He reached out and caught Tony’s hand and, as though it was its own type of magic, Stephen felt the tightness in his chest ease.
He looked back at Wong who had watched it all with a thoughtful expression. “The bill came due,” Stephen said, voice wavering only slightly. “Mordo…” He licked his lip nervously again. “He made a deal, I don’t know what, with Hydra.” He closed his eyes so he didn’t have to see Wong’s expression, trying to breathe through it. “They had me for—” He paused, realizing he wasn’t actually sure how long any of it had been. He didn’t know how long Hydra had him and he’d lost too much time in the aftermath to have accurately tracked how long he’d been free. “Tony found me,” he said, instead of trying to figure that out. “He’s…” How to describe it? He’d gotten Stephen medical care? He’d taken Stephen in? He’d taken care of Stephen? “He’s helped.” How utterly insufficient.
Wong’s expression was touched with grief and a little anger—anger Stephen knew wasn’t directed at him, but still made him want to flinch away—even as he nodded in understanding of all the things going unsaid. “I’m sorry, Stephen. That should have never happened. None of us could have ever thought Mordo was capable of that.” He glanced at Tony for a split moment. “I am not here to demand anything of you, Stephen. Just to ensure that you are well.” Wong’s brow furrowed slightly. “What do you need, Stephen? How can I help?”
I do realistically know that Kirima and Wong looking 30 is supposed to be their actual ages (with a small margin of error) but I think it would be kinda funny if Kyoshi just guessed completely wrong when it came to their age.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Summary:
Stephen Strange lied. He saw 14,000,606 futures, not 14,000,605.
That last one, he didn't want to come to pass, even if it was one where they won. In that one, through the slightest change of events, he has to give himself to Thanos- As his consort. As the father of his children. There are several ways that future can go, and Stephen doesn't want it to go that way, but when it's the only choice left, he gladly makes the bargain with Thanos.
He goes to the Garden with Thanos. Becomes the consort of the Mad Titan. The father of his children.
It's for the future. The future where they win, where all the wrongs are righted, even if it takes five years to do it. Compared to what they will have, Stephen giving himself to Thanos is a small price to pay.
It's for the future. And for the future, Stephen will bear what that future brings, even if the price isn't one he wants to pay.
Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: Multi
Fandoms: Doctor Strange (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Relationships: Stephen Strange/Thanos, The Cloak of Levitation & Stephen Strange, Stephen Strange & Wong, Tony Stark & Stephen Strange, Pepper Potts & Stephen Strange, Natasha Romanov & Stephen Strange, Stephen Strange & Thor, Christine Palmer & Stephen Strange, Hamir the Hermit (Marvel) & Stephen Strange
Characters: Stephen Strange, Thanos (Marvel), The Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Wong (Marvel), Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Christine Palmer, Hamir the Hermit (Marvel)
Additional Tags: AU, Not Canon Compliant with Movie: Avengers: Endgame (2019), Stephen sees 14000606 futures instead, Bargaining, Deals, Forced Relationship, Forced Pregnancy, Somewhat, Consort Stephen Strange, Stephen agrees to be Thanos's consort, Mpreg | Male Pregnancy, Body Modification, Reality Stone used for body modification, Stephen Strange has a vagina, Stephen Strange has female reproductive organs, and male, Dubious Consent, Extremely Dubious Consent, Stephen says yes because of the future he saw, Sexual Content, Injuries as a result of sex, Hurt Stephen Strange, Protective Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Thanos's Snap (Marvel), The Blip | The Five Years Between Thanos's Snap and Hulk's Snap, Stephen Strange Has Chronic Pain, Stephen Strange Needs a Hug, Pregnancy, Medical Details, Medical issues, Medical Inaccuracies, Blood, Violence, Injury, Injury Recovery, Mild Gore, Angst, Whump, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Stephen feels guilty for the Snap, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Not James "Rhodey" Rhodes Friendly, Protective Thor (Marvel), Protective Tony Stark, Canonical Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Discussion of Abortion, Protective Wong (Marvel), Wong is a good bro, Mpreg, Childbirth, Graphic Description of Labor, graphic description of childbirth
The next part for Stephen without memories and Tony having them instead would be great! The last part was just now, on the 11th May I think. Thanks so much!
Sequel to one, two, and three.
Stephen knew it wasn’t anyone’s fault—well, not true, whoever had sent that spell at him was clearly somewhat at fault—but he couldn’t help the frustration that was growing stronger and stronger, an ugly pit inside of him.
He felt useless.
Tony and Wong had been researching, talking through potential causes and hopeful fixes. It looked like they were making progress, at least to Stephen’s currently uneducated eye.
“This ones useless,” Tony muttered, setting a book on a pile and then making a quick gesture. A flicker of orange danced around his fingers as the books put themselves away.
“Did you just do magic?” Wong demanded.
Tony looked up, expression teasing. “I know, I know. No magic in the library. I feel like the urgency, however, should give me a little leeway.”
“Stark,” Wong said slowly. “You don’t know magic.”
It took a second, but then Tony’s eyes went wide and he nearly jerked out of his seat, flailing backward and away. “I need—”
He disappeared and Stephen let out a shocked noise. “Where did he go?” he demanded, concern twisting in his chest. Tony was all he remembered, and that fear on Tony’s face… Tony wasn’t supposed to be terrified. Not here and now. Not in a place he was supposed to be safe.
“He must have asked the Sanctum to take him somewhere,” Wong said, tone grim. “The Sanctum is fond of Stark and sought to protect him.”
Stephen looked up at the ceiling, hoping that it was the situation the Sanctum had tried to protect Tony from, and not Stephen himself—the inadvertent cause of Tony’s fear. “I want to help him,” he said, feeling a little desperate. “Will you—”
A shift cut him off as the library disappeared around him. He found himself on the roof. Tony was only a few feet away, on his knees and breathing heavily, staring at his hands where they were flat on the ground. “I am Tony Stark,” Stephen heard him say, a desperation in his tone. “I am Tony Stark. I am the son of Howard and Maria. I have no siblings. My best friends are Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy. I became Iron Man. I am Tony Stark. I am Tony Stark.”
“Tony?” Stephen shifted carefully closer. “Are you okay?”
Tony let out a harsh laugh. “Define okay.”
Stephen grimaced. He didn’t think there was a definition of okay that Tony would want to give an honest answer. “What can I do?” he asked instead.
For a long moment, Tony didn’t answer. “I just… I need to figure out how to get your memories back to you,” he said.
Stephen wanted that, too, for more reasons now than even before. Tony had said it had taken himself time to figure out whether he was Tony or Stephen, but Stephen hadn’t fully realized what that meant. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “This shouldn’t have happened to you.”
“Not your fault,” Tony said. “And if me temporary holding your memories is the alternative to you truly losing your memories, then… then it’s worth it. We’ll get them back to you. We’ll both be… we’ll both be ourselves again.”
Stephen moved closer again, kneeling next to Tony. “Do you need to take a break?” he asked. “Maybe work in the lab. So you feel like you again?” He had a number of memories in Tony’s lab. Tony always looked comfortable there.
Tony looked over at him, brow furrowed. “Stephen, I’m not going to leave you without your memories.”
“I know,” Stephen said. “But if you need to ground yourself as yourself…” he trailed off. “Well, I already lost my memories, I can’t exactly get worse off. A day or so for you to—”
“No,” Tony said, voice sharp. He softened a moment later. “Thank you, Stephen,” he said. “For offering. But I know this is hard for you, too.”
“I don’t want you to lose yourself trying to help me,” Stephen said quietly.
Fear flickered in Tony’s eyes. “I won’t,” he said. “Just… I’ll take ten minute breaks. Eat something. Talk about engineering. Listen to AC/DC.”
“We can do that,” Stephen said. “Play AC/DC while you research.”
Amusement tugged at Tony’s lips. “Wong would kill us.”
“If it will help you, I don’t care,” Stephen retorted.
Tony finally seemed to truly relax. “We’ll save that as our backup plan,” Tony said, a smile in his voice. “Just in case. But let’s not risk Wong’s wrath quite yet.” He pushed himself to his feet, helping Stephen up after him. “Now, let’s try this again. I think Wong and I were almost onto something before… well, before. Let’s get you your memories back.”
Hello! Can I please request a continuation of the Under the Spell Tony? 🤩
Sequel to one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight.
“How common are love spells?” Stephen asked Wong.
Wong arched an eyebrow at him. “You mean how common is what happened to Tony?”
Stephen nodded.
That earned him a sigh. “Not very common, truth be told. Though I suppose there’s a chance it is more common than we know and it simply goes unseen.” He waved at Stephen. “After all, no one sensed anything wrong, despite the months Sofia had him. If Sofia had convinced Tony to send you away before she went after FRIDAY, we might not have ever known.”
That was something Stephen tried desperately not to think about, even as he thought he would be grateful for that single misstep for the rest of his life. “So there’s no protocol on how to handle the aftermath.”
Wong stared at him for a long moment. “You mean the fact that you’ve been in love with Tony for almost as long as you’ve known Tony?” he asked. “And you don’t want to take advantage of him right now while he’s vulnerable?”
That about summed it up. “He told me that, before Sofia, he’d been thinking of me. He’s been… seeking affection from me.” Stephen was loyally paying the kiss tax, more than happy to do so, but that didn’t mean he didn’t worry about taking advantage. “But I also know that his trust issues have an army of trust issues behind them right now and that he just so happens to trust me and I don’t want to take advantage of that trust.” He sighed. “I would sacrifice having his love if that’s what’s necessary to keep his trust.”
“Stephen,” Wong said, tone gentle. “You don’t just love Tony, you know Tony. Trust that.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “And if you’re going to keep to your schedule, you should get going. You’re already late. Tony is undoubtedly expecting you.”
There was no condemnation in the words, for which Stephen was grateful. If Wong was standing at the side criticizing, it would only validate Stephen’s fears. But Wong… Wong trusted Stephen to not take advantage. Tony trusted Stephen to not take advantage.
Stephen supposed it was about time that he started trusting himself to not take advantage.
“Thank you, Wong.”
He reached for his sling ring and only a few moments later he was in Tony’s lab to silence, which he realized quickly was because Tony wasn’t there. “FRIDAY?” he asked. “Is Tony around?”
“He’s in the garage,” FRIDAY informed him. “And would be happy for you to join him.”
Stephen nodded, opening another portal—loud music immediately blasting through—and stepped into the garage to find Tony bent over the engine beneath the hood of what, to an untrained eye, would look like a junker. But while Stephen was no Tony, he did know his fast cars—even if he no longer got behind the wheels of them—and this was no junker. This was a Classic Aston Martin. An Aston Martin that had clearly seen better days.
Tony was singing along to the music with a little bounce as he worked.
There was no need to announce himself, because Tony turned just as the portal closed. There was a smile on his face that Stephen hadn’t seen in ages. “Hey,” Tony said, voice warm and happy. He came close for his kiss, one Stephen happily gave. “I know you don’t like being behind the wheel of a car,” Tony said when he pulled away. “But does that extend to being under the hood of one?” He waved a hand at the mess of a car. “I could use some help.”
“I don’t have much expertise under the hood,” Stephen warned.
“I’ll teach you,” Tony said, sounding hopeful.
Even if Stephen had an issue with getting beneath the hood of a car, he’d have given in immediately at that tone. Thankfully, he had no issue with getting beneath the hood of a car. In fact, having Tony teach him how to work on an engine sounded wonderful.
“You’ll find I make an excellent student.” He waved a hand at his clothes, switching his robes for a t-shirt and jeans. “Can I ask what inspired this restoration project?”
Tony looked back at the car, something determined in his eyes. “The person who had this car before me destroyed it. They didn’t care. The car didn’t deserve to be treated that way. I just… I want to prove that there’s something after that destruction.”
Stephen understood immediately. “All right,” Stephen said. “I’m ready. Teach me.”
Umn, next part of Stephen losing all his memories except for Tony? How about a Tony POV? I’d love to see his POV of gaining all those memories, what it was like to figure out who he is.
Sequel to one and two.
There was a penetrating silence in the aftermath of Wong’s declaration.
Some part of Tony felt like he should have a raging headache, what with two lives worth of memories crowding in his head and constantly disorienting him. It was easier, now that Stephen was here. Because if Tony could see Stephen, then obviously he couldn’t be Stephen… right?
—The knowledge that Stephen had, in fact, experimented with cloning twice and had, therefore, seen himself was something Tony was trying not to remember, literally, because that way lay confusion—
Before, Tony’s biggest stabilizer had been his hands. The lack of scars there—or at least the lack of Stephen’s scars, Tony was becoming oddly fond of the small burn scar from a misplaced soldering iron and the cut along his thumb from a jagged piece of metal, both of which meant Tony was Tony—was the easiest way to ground himself.
He looked at them now, running one finger over the burn scar. He was Tony. He was Tony.
“What do you mean that we can't fix this?” Stephen asked, finally breaking the silence. He sounded a mixed of terrified and lost. Funny in an entirely morbid way, neither he nor Stephen really knew who they were right now for entirely opposite reasons.
Wong took a deep breath. “I don’t know if we can,” Wong corrected. Tony knew from hundreds of little memories and snapshots that Wong was deeply concerned and just a little afraid, the memories stark and vibrant, even as Tony tried not to let them in. “I will research, of course.”
Tony forced himself to look up from his hands. “Well, we know it’s fixable,” he said. “The how is in question, yes, but not the if.”
Both Stephen and Wong looked at him. Stephen looked hopeful while Wong looked skeptical. “Why are you so sure?”
“It’s discussed in a book I read, the Nexus Animae et Memoriae. The fact that Stephen has memories of me means there’s some sort of connection, likely at a soul-deep level, that is trying to protect both of us. When Stephen’s memories hit me, it was because something was threatening them. The fact that memories of me didn’t come along with it, was trying to protect me. Having dual memories of singular moments would have been incredibly dangerous to me.” More so than this already was. “But the connection is still alive, which means things can be replaced.”
Wong was giving him a weird look. “When did you read that book?” he asked.
Tony stared at him, confused, before realization set in. He looked down at his hands again, touched the burn scar. “I didn’t,” he said. “Stephen did.” He grimaced. “Sorry. It’s still… confusing.” He could remember it perfectly though. He’d stolen the book with a portal behind Wong’s back and had read it late into the night, moving into his astral form as it had gotten a little too late and his body still needed sleep.
Except. No. He hadn’t done that.
Stephen had.
Stephen had.
“Did the book reference a scenario like this?” Stephen asked.
Tony looked up at him, musing on how odd it was to see those eyes outside of a mirror—it shouldn’t be weird, he’d looked into Stephen’s eyes more than once, but the memories of looking in the mirror outnumbered them. “No,” he said. “It’s just… you have enough information in your head.” He grimaced, because that was thoughtless to say. “Well, in my head, right now. It’s so many things you’ve learned instinctively connecting. I can’t… I can’t follow all the threads very well. But the part of me that’s you… well, that part knows it can be fixed.”
Stephen looked unnerved.
Tony felt it, so he understood.
“Well,” Wong said. “I suppose we should start with that book. Once you’re cleared to leave the hospital, you should join us in the Sanctum. We’ll need Stephen’s knowledge.”
Stephen looked irritated and pained by that. Likely that Tony was the one who was providing Stephen’s knowledge.
Tony understood that too.
“Anything we need to do to fix this,” he said. “I want Stephen to be Stephen again.”
