Chapter 15
Tony was working in the lab, whistling a song. It had been one week since his first date with Stephen, and the bandage on his hands had finally been removed. The date had been amazing; he wanted to make breakfast for Stephen and let him stay, but Stephen had to leave soon because of work.
Tony didn’t want to push things too much since it was only their first date. He hadn’t seen him for the rest of the week, but he was happy that Stephen had agreed to meet him tonight.
“Boss,” Friday called.
“Yes?”
“Peter Parker is here for lab time,” Friday informed him.
“Oh, yeah. Let him in,” Tony said.
“Hi, Mr. Stark,” Peter said, entering the lab.
“Hey, kiddo. What’s up?” Tony asked.
“I’m good, Mr. Stark. School was a little chaotic, but overall it was good,” Peter said, putting down his backpack.
“Good to know,” Tony replied.
“What are we working on?” Peter asked.
“Some suit advancements for you,” Tony said.
“For me? My suit’s already cool,” Peter replied.
“I want to make it perfect. We need to be ready for bigger fights,” Tony explained.
“Okay,” Peter said.
“What do you want to improve in your suit?” Tony asked.
“I think it’s perfect, Mr. Stark. But…” Peter trailed off.
“But?” Tony prompted.
“Doctor Strange told me he could use protection spells on the suit if I wanted,” Peter said, unsure.
Tony kept looking at him.
“If you don’t like it, I’ll say no to him,” Peter quickly added.
“Why wouldn’t I want that? The whole point of updating the suit is to keep you safe. If Stephen can offer it, I’m okay with it,” Tony said.
“Oh, thanks. I thought you wouldn’t allow it because you hate magic,” Peter said, relieved.
“I don’t hate Stephen’s magic,” Tony said, smiling slightly.
“Cool. But I have a couple of ideas to update the suit,” Peter said.
“Okay, go on,” Tony encouraged.
Peter started explaining his ideas, and Tony listened carefully. He was so proud of the boy and really wanted to give him the world. And he would do it.
Meanwhile, Stephen was training with the masters at Kamar-Taj. After the session, he went to see Master Hamir.
Hamir stood up and bowed to Stephen.
“Master Hamir, you don’t have to bow to me.”
“It’s tradition, Master Strange. We should bow before the Sorcerer Supreme,” Hamir replied.
“Alright. I have something to ask you,” Stephen said.
“Sure.”
“What would be the consequences if we tampered with reality?” Stephen asked.
“Changing reality can create branches in the timeline, which ultimately results in the end of that timeline,” Hamir explained.
“So, what can we do to prevent that?” Stephen asked.
“Nothing. The tampered reality is doomed,” Hamir answered, making Stephen’s heart sink.
“But reality will try to mend itself by altering the chain of events and ensuring that similar events happen here as well,” Hamir added.
“How long would it take for the consequences to appear?” Stephen asked.
“It depends on the significance of the changes. If they’re substantial, the doom will come sooner,” Hamir replied.
Saving Tony had been a major change, and being in a relationship with him was another. But no consequences had manifested yet. Maybe reality itself was correcting the flow of events.
Stephen tried to find some peace of mind.
“Why did you ask, Master?” Hamir inquired.
“Nothing. I just wanted to know,” Stephen replied.
Hamir nodded and left. But Stephen remained troubled, wondering if his choices would endanger the universe. If so, he wanted to find a way to prevent it.
Later, Stephen was reading ancient books about realities in the Sanctum library when Wong entered the room.
“Stephen?” Wong called.
“I’m busy, Wong,” Stephen replied without looking up from his book.
“Stark is here to see you,” Wong informed him.
“Oh? Is it already 8?” Stephen asked, checking his watch.
“Yes. You always lose track of time when you’re studying,” Wong said as he left.
Stephen closed the book and went to meet Tony.
“Hey, aren’t you ready yet?” Tony asked, noticing Stephen was still in his robes.
“I’m sorry; I got caught up in something,” Stephen explained.
“It’s okay. I’ll wait,” Tony said with a smile.
Stephen went to his room to get ready. He put on a shirt and jeans and checked himself in the mirror. He was still worried about what Master Hamir had said. He thought about discussing it with Tony but didn’t want to worry him unnecessarily.
Stephen joined Tony.
“Hey, you ready?” Tony asked.
“Yes, I am,” Stephen said.
“Okay, let’s go,” Tony said, holding his hand.
Tony opened the car door for Stephen.
“Where are we going?” Stephen asked.
“A restaurant. Don’t worry, it’s not too posh, and it’s not crowded. We’ll have privacy,” Tony assured him.
“I doubt anywhere you pick would be less crowded,” Stephen remarked.
“I assure you, no one will bother us,” Tony said, smirking.
“Alright,” Stephen replied.
Tony started the car. Stephen sat silently, looking out the window. Tony noticed how quiet he was.
“Steph?” Tony called.
But Stephen was lost in thought.
Tony snapped his fingers in front of Stephen’s face. Stephen came back to reality.
“What?” Stephen asked.
“Are you even here?” Tony asked, chuckling.
“I’m sorry. I was thinking about something,” Stephen replied.
“And what might that be?” Tony asked.
“Nothing. Really, it’s nothing,” Stephen said.
Tony sensed something was off but chose not to push him.
The rest of the ride was quiet.
The two were seated at their reserved table, making small talk. But Tony could tell Stephen was distracted.
“Is something going on?” Tony asked.
“No, nothing. Tell me about your day,” Stephen said, forcing a wide smile.
“Peter came over to the Tower today. We worked together, and I heard something interesting from him,” Tony said, smirking.
“Oh? What?” Stephen asked.
“You’re going to cast a protection spell on his suit without telling me,” Tony teased.
“Uh, no. I offered to help, but I’d never do it without your permission,” Stephen rambled.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I know you’d never hurt him,” Tony said, holding Stephen’s hand to calm him down.
“I’d never hurt him,” Stephen said, smiling.
“I know. And I’m glad the kid likes you. He’s very important to me,” Tony said.
Stephen nodded.
“What do you think about telling him about us?” Tony asked.
“I don’t know. Isn’t it a bit early?” Stephen replied.
“Okay, whenever you’re ready,” Tony said, a bit disappointed.
Tony really wanted to tell the world he was dating Stephen, but he was willing to wait.
“I haven’t seen him for a few days,” Stephen mentioned.
“You can come to the Tower tomorrow. He’ll be there. Or… you could stay at the Tower tonight, you know,” Tony said, intertwining their fingers.
“I’m in,” Stephen said, smiling back.
“Great. Do you want to finish the meal, or…?” Tony asked.
“Take me home, Tony,” Stephen interrupted.
“Alright,” Tony chuckled.
They got into the car, and Tony gently held Stephen’s hand, making him smile.
“Eyes on the road, Tony,” Stephen said, smirking.
“Friday, activate autopilot mode,” Tony instructed.
“Yes, Boss,” Friday responded.
Tony unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned closer to Stephen. Stephen leaned in too, and they shared a kiss.
As the kiss deepened, Tony climbed over to Stephen’s seat and inclined it, surprising Stephen a little.
“Here? Really?” Stephen asked, breathless.
“Problem?” Tony asked in a gravelly voice.
“We’re not teenagers,” Stephen said, amused.
“We can be if we want to,” Tony replied, kissing him slowly.
Tony’s hand traveled down Stephen’s lean but perfect frame. Stephen grabbed Tony’s brown hair, pulling him closer. Tony kissed and nibbled on Stephen’s neck, making him moan softly. He slowly unbuttoned Stephen’s shirt, still kissing him, and moved to unbuckle his pants.
“Boss, we’ve reached the Tower,” Friday announced.
Tony pulled away.
“Maybe we can continue more comfortably, hmm?” Tony whispered.
“Mmh… Yeah,” Stephen agreed.
Tony led him to the bedroom, cupping his face once more.
“You haven’t changed your mind, right?” Tony asked.
“No,” Stephen replied.
That was all Tony needed to hear. He wasted no time, making sure Stephen felt comfortable with every touch and kiss. They shared a wonderful night together.
They lay together, breathing heavily.
“Hey, are you alright?” Tony asked.
“Yeah, I haven’t done this in a long time,” Stephen replied, catching his breath.
“You were great,” Tony said, gently running his fingers through Stephen’s hair.
“You too,” Stephen replied, snuggling into Tony’s side.
Tony chuckled.
“What?” Stephen asked.
“A year ago, I never would’ve imagined having sex with the Sorcerer Supreme,” Tony admitted.
“A year ago, you didn’t even know I existed,” Stephen pointed out.
“True. But you knew about me. Ever think about this?” Tony asked.
Stephen remained silent.
“Stephen?” Tony called.
“What?”
“I asked a question,” Tony said, gently nudging him.
“Yes,” Stephen admitted softly.
"Oh, when?" Tony asked, smirking.
"Shut it, it's stupid," Stephen said, hiding his face against Tony's chest.
"Come on, it's just us. Tell me. When?" Tony pressed gently.
"It was a long time ago."
"How long exactly?"
"When I was in high school. You were... like my first crush," Stephen admitted, his face turning red.
"I was your first crush? Oh my god," Tony said, laughing.
"See? It's stupid and embarrassing," Stephen said, pouting.
"Hey, it's not. I'm just surprised, that's all," Tony said, smiling.
"Why so? Many teenagers had crush on you at that time" Stephen asked, frowning.
"I never imagined you would’ve had a crush on me. But it's nice to know," Tony reassured, kissing the top of his head.
"Mmh... I should go," Stephen said, sitting up.
"Stephen, stay, please," Tony said, grabbing his wrist.
"Why?" Stephen asked, glancing back.
"I know it’s a bit early to ask, but could you stay for breakfast? I'd like to make you something," Tony offered.
"Okay, I’ll stay," Stephen said, kissing Tony's hand.
"Thanks," Tony said, his smile soft.
Stephen lay back down beside him, and Tony wrapped his arms around him as they drifted off to sleep.