Chapter 8
Tony was getting his son ready for school when he got a call from Steve.
"Boss, Captain Rogers is calling," Friday said.
"What does he want now?" Tony muttered, picking up the call. "Fri, connect him through."
"What is it, Steve?" Tony asked.
"Fury has set up an important meeting today. He wants all of us there. It's about new assistance for us," Steve said.
"Who is this new assistance?" Tony asked.
"I'm not sure. He just said it's important," Steve replied.
"Everything's important to him. Where's this happening?" Tony asked.
"At the SHIELD tower. Tony, you should come," Steve said.
"Alright. But I need to get my son to school first," Tony said.
"Sure," Steve agreed and hung up.
"Pete, Daddy has to attend a meeting now, so let’s speed it up and get you to school, okay?" Tony said, helping Peter into his shirt.
"Daddy won’t come back today?" the boy asked, frowning.
"I will. If I'm late, Aunt May will take care of you. Or I'll call Aunt Pep. Who do you want?" Tony asked.
"I want Daddy," Peter said.
"Pete, you know Daddy has important work. I'll do my best to come back early," Tony said, caressing his head.
"Okay. I like both Aunt May and Aunt Pep," Peter replied.
"Alright, let's see who's free today," Tony said. "Now, go get your bag. Let’s go."
Peter ran to grab his bag.
After dropping Peter off at school, Tony reached the SHIELD tower. All the Avengers, both new and old, were present. Even Thor had come from Asgard to attend the meeting.
"Who are we meeting today?" Tony asked, sounding disinterested.
"They're powerful sorcerers. I don’t know much about them," Fury replied.
"Are we joining a cult now? Is there some kind of black ritual we have to do first?" Tony quipped, chuckling.
"Behave yourself, Stark. We could use any kind of power we can get, as our challenges are becoming stronger every day," Fury said.
Tony just rolled his eyes.
As they were talking, an orange portal opened in the room, similar to the one Stephen had used in the park. A short, bald man emerged first, followed by Stephen. His Stephen.
Stephen glanced at Tony but quickly averted his eyes as the short man started speaking.
"Hello everyone, I'm Wong, Master of the Mystic Arts, and this is Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme and the protector of the New York Sanctum," the short man introduced them.
Sorcerer Supreme—so that’s what Stephen is, Tony thought.
"Please, take a seat," Fury said.
Stephen and Wong sat down.
"I know I don’t need an introduction for many of you, so I’ll get straight to the point," Stephen began.
"We are sorcerers who have practiced the mystic arts for thousands of years. We're all over the world, with major sanctums in New York, Hong Kong, and London. Our headquarters is in Kamar-Taj. We protect the reality of this universe from darker forces from other realms. We are not a threat to this world or any other."
"Then why were you working undercover?" Steve asked.
"The sorcerers have been fighting higher powers all these years, protecting our world. If we came out, we’d have to face lower threats, which we can’t afford," Wong explained.
"Then why did you interfere in the park incident?" Natasha asked.
"We weren’t supposed to, but some kids were in danger," Stephen said.
Not just some kids—his own son, Tony thought.
"Why are you coming out now?" Fury asked.
"We know SHIELD has been searching for us. We want to clarify that we are not criminals or cult members. We're doing the same job as you, but on a larger scale. So, we ask that you focus on your job rather than coming after us," Stephen said with a smirk.
"Since you're cooperating with us, I’d like to offer you a place in the Avengers. We could work together," Fury suggested.
"Sorry, Fury. We won’t be joining your superhero gang. As I said, you focus on your job, and we’ll handle ours," Stephen said with a scoff.
The Avengers fell silent. Tony sat there, baffled by all the information.
"I think there’s nothing more to discuss, so we’ll be going," Stephen said.
"Yes, but the offer still stands. You can think it over and let us know," Fury said.
"We will, but the answer will be the same," Stephen said, preparing to leave.
"Stephen, I need to talk," Tony suddenly said.
Stephen looked at Wong, who nodded.
"I'll be at the sanctum," Wong said before leaving.
The other Avengers also left, leaving Stephen and Tony alone.
"So, you're the Sorcerer Supreme," Tony said.
"Yes, I am," Stephen confirmed.
"Now that it’s not a secret anymore, I’d like to know what happened to you—if you want to tell me," Tony said.
"I’m okay with that."
"Alright. Are you free this evening?" Tony asked.
"Yes, but I need to check with Wong," Stephen replied.
"Wong’s your boss or something?" Tony snapped, unaware of his tone.
Stephen frowned at the reaction.
"I’m sorry. You can ask him and let me know," Tony said, leaving the room.
Stephen portaled back to the sanctum, where Wong was waiting for him.
"What did Stark say?" Wong asked.
"He wants to talk. He asked if I could meet him this evening," Stephen said.
"You should go. He deserves an explanation. But, Stephen, he hurt you once. Don’t let him do that again," Wong said before going inside.
Stephen had been hurt many times in his life. His heart broke when his sister drowned, and following that, he lost everyone: his father, his mother, and his little brother. Each death made him more stoic and cold. He buried his sorrow and loneliness, focusing on his career and becoming an arrogant doctor.
Then he met Tony.
Tony touched his heart in a way no one else had. He saw through Stephen's cold demeanor, and for the first time in a long while, Stephen felt loved. Tony broke down the walls Stephen had built. Stephen was content and happy with him, even after the accident. But what shattered him was learning Tony had cheated. And he didn't hear it from Tony—he heard it from a third party.
Stephen was devastated. He had hoped Tony would deny it, say it wasn’t true, say he was the only one Tony wanted. But that didn’t happen. Tony slept with someone else, leaving Stephen and their son at home. Worse, Tony blamed Stephen, saying he wasn’t satisfying him enough. Stephen felt worthless afterward. The one person he had loved and trusted completely, the father of his child, had betrayed him. Stephen knew he could never forgive Tony for this, and he would never trust him again.
But for Peter, he had to do this.
Stephen dressed casually and portaled to the venue Tony had chosen—a place where they had their first date. Walking inside, Stephen saw Tony dressed up in a suit, seated at a candlelit table. It was their favorite spot. Stephen didn’t know what Tony was trying to do, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it.
Stephen sat across from Tony.
"Hi," Stephen said.
"Hey. I thought of many places to meet, and then I remembered how much you liked this one. I thought this day would be... well, I thought it would be best if we met here," Tony explained.
"Stark, why did you want to meet?" Stephen asked, cutting him off.
"I… I wanted to know where you’ve been all this time. How did you become a sorcerer?" Tony asked, disappointed by the shift in conversation.
"I was searching for a way to heal my hands. My physiotherapist told me one of his patients with a spinal cord injury had started walking again. I didn’t believe it at first, but I went to see him and learned about Kamar-Taj, where they practice sorcery. I just wanted to fix my hands, but my mentor was killed in a fight, and I was burdened with leading the sanctum. She said I had a greater responsibility than being a doctor. So, I accepted it and became the Sorcerer Supreme," Stephen explained.
"You never thought about coming back to your old life?" Tony asked.
"I can never be the old Stephen Strange. I’m the Sorcerer Supreme now. But for Peter, I’ll be there. I’m sorry you had to take care of him all these years alone," Stephen said.
"It’s fine. He’s my son too," Tony replied, trying to hold Stephen’s hand on the table.
"But that’s it. We’re never going to be more than co-parents for Peter," Stephen said, pulling his hand away.
"I know you still hate me," Tony said with a sad smile.
"I don’t hate you. I’ve moved on from all those emotions," Stephen said.
"Do you know what today is?" Tony asked.
Stephen was clueless.
"It’s our wedding anniversary. I thought you’d remember. I know our marriage is over, but I thought we could have a drink for old times' sake. But it's best we go our separate ways," Tony said.
Stephen finally realized—it was May 14th, their wedding day.
"I’m glad you’ve moved on. But I’m still standing in the dark room where you left me," Tony continued.
"And whose fault is that?" Stephen asked, a hint of anger and sadness in his voice.
"I did. I'm the only one at fault. And I don't even have the right to ask for forgiveness," Tony said in a small voice.
Stephen was overwhelmed with emotions. He wanted to yell at Tony for hurting him, yet at the same time, he wanted to hug him and stay there forever. But he couldn't. It wasn’t that easy to forgive Tony.
"I should go," Stephen said, standing up.
"You can come to the tower whenever you want. Or if you want to take Peter with you to spend time with him, I'm okay with that too," Tony said.
"Thanks," Stephen said, and left.
Tony sat there alone at the fancy table. He knew Stephen wouldn’t come back into his life again, but he had hoped they could work things out. Now, that hope was gone.