Are you happy, Stephen?

“You’re going to tell me a little bit more than that.”

“They asked me to find you, Stephen.”

“Okay. Where are they?”

“My quarters, for the time being, anyway. This is important.”

Stephen nods. “I bet it is,” he then turns to America and flashes her a smile. “I guess we’ll have to continue this later. And, America, your mothers would be so proud to see you now.”

The Cloak of Levitation moves in a way as if it were nodding, agreeing with the sorcerer.

“So really, Wong. Tell me who decided to meet me after all these years.”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

When the door opens, Stephen is Meg with Rhodey and Bruce. And he then thinks about how long it’s been since Tony’s and Peter’s deaths and how long it’s been since he’d spoken to either man.

“I will leave you three some privacy.” Wong says as he exits the room, shutting the door behind him.

Stephen doesn’t speak for what feels like an hour. He was quite notably in shock from seeing the two men, who he had barely spoken to in recent years.

“Stephen.” Rhodey says, snapping the Sorcer out of this thoughts.

“Hm? What?”

“We were trying to talk to you about Tony.”

“What…What about Tony?”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. revealed something last night. Something he kept secret for five years after his death for you…well you and Peter.” Bruce answers, seeing Stephen’s puzzled expression.

“It’s really been five years?”

“It has.”

“Shit…why…why hadn’t you found this thing…whatever it is…that Tony wanted to give to me before?  Before I left the Tower…”

“I think it was made so we’d only find it five years after his death.” Rhodey starts.

“He knew that when he snapped there was a high chance he would die…so he must have kept something for you and Peter for…after that. Aside from what he gave you already…”

Stephen thought back to an arc reactor he had kept. One of the first few iterations (gladly one that wasn’t poisonous), similar to the one Tony had…the one that was shown to “prove he had a heart” at his funeral.

“Just come back to the Tower. One day. Just to see what he left you.”

Why should I?

Something tugs at his heart, just thinking of possibilities. 

“Do you know what it is? Or what he left for Peter?”

“His aunt has the gift for Peter. I think either she kept it or gave it to Peter’s girlfriend.” Rhodey says. “And no, I don’t know what he gave you.”

“Fine. I’ll go. But just for the day. I do have other duties.”

“That’s all we ask.”

Stephen opens a portal to the Tower. It’s been rebuilt since the events of the “Infinity War”, though it looked the same as it was before it. Only difference was now there was plaques, of sorts, on the wall. 

Tony Stark. Peter Parker. Natasha Romanoff. Steve Rogers.

Tony Stark and Peter Parker died during the “Infinity War”. Natasha Romanoff died as a sacrifice for the Soul Stone. Steve Rogers died after living a whole other life with Peggy Carter. After giving the mantle of Captain America to none other than Sam Wilson.

The rooms of the fallen Avengers still stood, all but Peter’s, not like he actually had a room anyway. Even those labs were the same, practically untouched.

Rhodey had walked him down to the lab, half-expecting the sorcerer to tear up the second he walked in. 

He was greeted by F.R.I.D.A.Y., with a “long time no see, Doctor Strange.”

“I thought Tony had the name ‘Dumbledore’ programmed into my file,” Stephen says with a soft laugh, seeing a box on one of the tables. It wasn’t wrapped or anything, just a simple box that had the name ‘Dumbledore’ written on a card, his actual name written in parentheses underneath it. 

“Tony and his Harry Potter jokes.” Rhodey said softly after the ‘Dumbledore’ comment. 

“Yeah…always a fan of those. They were annoying at first but actually became quite endearing.”

Rhodey notices Stephen’s hands shaking. More than they usually did. He debates if this was too much for him, if it was any sort of…issue, per se. 

“Stephen…”

“I’m fine, Rhodes.”

“If you say so.”

Rhodey could tell just how nervous Stephen was, probably still shocked that it had been five years since the deaths of Tony Stark and Peter Parker.

The gift that Tony had left for Stephen was actually two gifts. One was his watch, one he’d worn every day (or close to it). Stephen was an avid watch collector, something Tony knew and took into account. The other was a fantastic piece of tech that Tony had been developing between issues during the “Infinity War” period, something for Stephen to use to, if not lessen pain, increase mobility and decrease the shaking in his hands. It was red and gold, the colors of the classic Iron Man suits. 

The gift itself, the nanotech, had a housing in two thin bracelets on his wrists, one was set to fit snug against the watch. 

“Try them.” Rhodey replies, watching Stephen hold the note Tony had left him with a shaky hand, learning the instructions on how to activate the nanotech. The movement itself isn’t unlike ones he’s performed before as a master of the mystic arts. It’s a simple motion, gratefully, and after he performs it he watches the tech maneuver up his palm and fingers. The nanotech doesn’t cover his whole hands, though it works to keep them stable, from his wrists up. A band of nanotech around his wrists and on his fingertips, semi-intricate designs trailing up the sides of his hands and his fingers, the joints on his fingers free so he can move them as normal. His hands felt slightly heavier but it didn’t do much to affect him, but he does notice that his hands barely shake. 

He sees something written on the back of that note Tony left him. Tony’s handwriting.

I also asked your buddy Wong to put a permanent protection spell on the bracelets and the watch. Says it should keep the wearer from harm. Stay safe, Dumbledore. 

Stephen looks at his hands again, noticing those intricate designs were actually protection runes. They were around his wrists and wherever there was enough metal to fit them.

I’ll thank Wong for that next time next time I see him.

“Those look really cool, Wiz.” Rhodey said as he watched the wizard move his hands. The cloak around Stephen’s shoulders moves as of to nod ‘yes’. 

“They do. They have protection runes on them. Tony got Wong to do it for him. He got Wong to engrave protection runes into a gift.”

“He cared about you a lot, Stephen. It’s no surprise he’d use magic to show it. And you do have one of his nanotech suits too. To protect you.”

“He couldn’t put a suit of armor around the world, so he put a set of armor around his world.” Stephen mutters, quoting something the late Spider-Kid’s girlfriend, MJ, once observed. Something Peter himself observed himself during the war that ended up killing him. 

That ‘world’ of Tony’s consisted of Rhodey, Peter, Pepper, and Stephen himself. Stephen never once used any Iron Man armor, he often had magic to protect him: the Time Stone, the Eye of Agamotto, and of course, his cloak. But he had it should he need more protection.

“You’re right. Tony protected all of us one of the only ways he knew how…and he damn sure tried to protect you and the kid even more. He loved you two, you were as close to a family as he had. I think his one regret in life, all his chaotic life, was that he tried his best to save Peter’s life and couldn’t. Because Peter wanted to save Tony’s.”

Stephen nods. “Peter thought that he’d survive because his body was enhanced, that even with the Iron Spider gauntlet he had a chance to live…And Tony couldn’t see his kid sacrifice himself like that. He knew he had to be the one. If viewing 14,000,605 realities means anything, I knew Tony was the one who had to. I regret I wasn’t prepared for Peter’s sacrifice…and death. I wish I could’ve saved them both.”

“Right…you…you knew. You saw all those realities and only in one of them did we win. And you saw Tony, a man you care so much for, die. And you knew it was the only way we’d win and you couldn’t stop it.” Rhodey realized, nearly beginning a tangent. “That must have been so hard for you. Knowing that and being unable to do a thing.”

“It nearly killed me.” Stephen confessed, staring at the mechanical glove-type braces on his hands, tracing across every engraved protection rune, wondering just how much begging from Tony it took for Wong to agree.

Tony was a stubborn pain in the ass. He never let up if he thought something was important to him. And Stephen…Tony loved Stephen. He was of the utmost importance to him, aside from Peter. So Stephen knew Tony most likely begged Wong for days. Weeks, even. And he’s incredibly thankful for it. 

“How has everything been for you, Rhodes?” Stephen asks as he sits on one of the chairs nearby, a faint memory of a late-night lab day playing through his mind.

“Tough. Peter’s identity was released shortly after his death. Which you…knew…I think anyway. May Parker hasn’t spoken to us much, I believe it’s because Peter…died…”

Stephen nods in confirmation. “Blamed me and Tony…Tony because…he got Peter into the Avengers. Made him an Avenger…and me because…I was the one who told her. I was the one who saw over fourteen million realities and couldn’t stop the death of Peter Parker or Tony Stark. I blamed myself too. Which is kind of why I…dropped off the face of the Earth for a while.”

“Do you still…blame yourself?”

“No. I don’t…not…not really anyway. It’s been a lot.”

“I assumed as such. But Tony and Peter loved you to death in their own ways. Tony understood why you didn’t say a word. It was for the better of the universe, and if you tried to stop his death, we all would have lost.”

“I know. We would have lost absolutely everything…the entire universe as we knew it…would be non-existent. I just wish it didn’t have to come at the price of Tony, Peter, and Natasha’s deaths.”

“They all knew what they were doing, Strange. As sad as it is, they knew losing their lives would save billions of others. And they’re gone…but not completely.” Rhodey said as he gestured to the watch on Stephen’s wrist, and the rune-adored nanotech on his hands. 

They are gone. Stephen thinks. From 616. They’re gone completely, nothing more than just a memory. In other universes they have to be alive. I’m at least one, all of them are. 

Stephen thinks back to 838, when he travelled there with America. His 838 variant was dead. But the 838 Iron Man, Tony Stark, was still alive. He just knew it. Even if it wasn’t his Tony, it was a Tony. 

And in other universes, they were alive. He was sure of it.

Optimism. Looks good on you, Wiz. Tony’s voice played through his head, remembering that quote. He doesn’t remember when Tony said that. Maybe during a bout of chronic pain Stephen had. He hated his hands for it.

“In this universe, they’re gone, Rhodes. Hate to…burst your bubble. But I get what you mean. Memories. And my eidetic memory. Keeps them alive, in some form.”

Rhodey nods in agreement. “Tony would love to know you adore the gifts, Strange. Truly. If anyone would know it’d be me, after all.”

Stephen nods. “I really…should head back to the Sanctum…or Kamar-Taj…”

“If you feel you should, by all means go. It was nice to see you again, and I’ll let the others know you came to visit.”

Stephen fixed the cloak on his shoulders, keeping the Stark nanotech on his hands, before holding out a hand to Rhodey.

Rhodey shakes his hand. “Truly nice to see you again. Hopefully we can see each other again on…better circumstances.”

“Agreed.”

“Take care, Stephen.”

“You too, Rhodes. Keep the rest of those guys in check, please.”

“I’ll do what I’ve been doing for the last five years. Now go keep the universe in check.”

“That I will. Thank you. For this.”

And with that, Stephen uses his sling ring, which thankfully had a place among the nanotech on his hands, to open a portal, returning to the Sanctum Sanctorum.