Dreams are Weird
He wakes with a jolt, the ‘dream’ still vivid in his mind.
He could hear his variant’s thoughts. Was that normal?
He could feel and hear everything. The condescending tone of Tony Stark’s voice playing through his head.
He wonders what this variant of himself did to this Tony.
He betrayed Tony, his thoughts answer.
But how did his variant betray him?
Also…how in the name of Vishanti was he supposed to explain this to anyone?
Sure, the sorcerers knew that dreams were doorways, per se, into the lives of your own Multiversal variants, hell, America was the one who explained that to him, but it was insanely difficult to figure out what to say and how to do it. Even to people who understand this. To any extent.
He reorients himself, quickly coming to terms he is in his bedroom, at the Sanctum, perfectly not-dead or injured in any way. He isn’t on some other planet or some other place with some silver Tony Stark who killed him. He’s alive on Earth-616, and he is perfectly fine and perfectly alive.
“How was your night?” America asked as Stephen arrived (via portal) at the main room of their living area at Kamar-Taj. “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”
“My night was shit.” Stephen replies as he starts making some tea.
“Elaborate.”
Stephen shrugs as he finishes making the tea, putting it in a mug and taking a sip.
“Nightmare?”
Stephen nods. Getting used to communicating non-verbally.
“Christine?”
He shook his head ‘no’ as he sips his tea.
“Spider-Man? Peter?”
Another shake of the head.
“Tony. It’s Tony, wasn’t it…?”
America sees as Stephen’s expression falter at the mention of his name.
“So it is. Tell me. About the nightmare. Promise I won’t judge.”
So Stephen recounts the dream, that he still remembers in horridly vivid detail.
“Oh shit-...that means…you watched yourself die?”
“A variant of myself. And it was more like…living it.” Stephen corrects, sighing.
America’s eyes widen in a look that reads nothing short of Holy Fuck.
“So, aside from watching yourself die…you were killed by a variant of the man you love?”
“Yes. Silver armor, Not…exactly…Tony Stark. He was…condescending…cruel…even a tad bit sadistic. He said this variant of myself…betrayed him. And that is why I was publicly executed by his own blaster. I don’t know what I was to Tony in that universe…but I was…supposed to be important. There was some…romantic relationship between us. I think. I could tell with…how he acted.”
“He killed you…variant-you, but you.”
Stephen nods as he finishes his cup of tea, setting it down on a table.
“You’re interested, in these dreams…this isn’t the first one you’ve had, is it, Stephen?”
“Kind of…This is the first dream I’ve had since our altercation with Wanda…that I died in.”
“You want to know if somewhere in all these infinite universes that a variant of yourself is happy with his Tony…his Peter. The unofficial family you wanted but couldn’t have.”
“It’s like you can read my mind, kid.”
America smiles. :Logically. In at least one of the infiniteuniverses, you have what you want. Some variant of you is happy with his version of Tony Stark and his version of Peter Parker. You better believe that.”
And logically, he does. He know it.
But he wants to see it for himself.
Like how Wanda saw her children on Earth-838. Where she got what she wanted, even for just a short time.
Stephen knew he wouldn’t resort to Dreamwalking like she did, especially with the Darkhold gone, but he just wants to see for himself if a variant of himself is happy with Tony Stark and Peter Parker.
“How about we do some Multiverse-hopping again?” America asks with a big smile just at the prospect of her mentor agreeing.
“Last time I tagged along, I caused an Incursion.”
“What if I promise that we won’t go fucking up the lives of your variants? We can just…look around the universes? Maybe actively search out Tony Stark and Peter Parker…?”
“You are not doing that again.” Wong says as he enters the room much like Stephen Strange had earlier, via a portal.
“Come on, Wong, it’s not gonna kill us.”
“It nearly damn well did the last time.” Wing retorts with an eye roll. “We don’t need another Incursion.”
“We aren’t looking to fuck up anything, Wong. Think of it as…Multiversal tourism…”
“And what do you mean by that, Stephen?”
“He means that we’d just be looking around other universes, like we were tourists in another country, as he puts it. We aren’t going to mess with anything or kill anyone. And I’ve been to 73 different universes, without causing an Incursion.” America says as she looks up from her phone.
“The kid has a point.” Strange retorts. “We caused a mess already and we rather wouldn’t do that again.”
“Does this have to do with Christine?” Wong asks, deadpanned.
“No, actually.”
“Wanda?”
Stephen shakes his head. “Not her.”
Wong stares at Stephen, attempting to decipher his expression.
“It’s him, isn’t it?”
America shot a confused look at Stephen, the Sorcerer shooting another back, to indicate we were just talking about him.
“Oh.”
All three of them knew who this ‘him’ was: Tony Stark.
Wong just barely catches the nod, and the switch in expression in Stephen’s face.
“Peter too.”
“But why? Here…they’re gone…-”
“As if I don’t know that, Wong!”
“Stephen, hush. Relax, please. I was just asking why you’d go through seeing that…when you could go through a hell of a lot worse.”
“I know that, okay? I know. And I’m not telling you my reasoning for it.” Because you’d see it as pathetic. You’d see me as pathetic.
“What if I disallowed you from Multiverse-hopping, as you call it?”
“Well, considering the Darkhold is gone…Dreamwalking isn’t a possibility.” Stephen opens the third eye on his forehead. “Plus I have this already. No need to have more…unnecessary and extra body parts.”
“You are still the only person I know who has used the Darkhold and gained a third eye.”
“I wouldn’t call this a gain, Wong.”
“It’s still so…odd.” Wong says, getting closer to the other sorcerer, just barely touching the eye on his forehead.
“Ouch! Fuck, Wong, careful.”
“My apologies, Stephen.”
“It-…It’s fine.” Stephen says as he closes the third eye, it soon disappearing to look like it was never there. “And as I said. The Darkhold no longer exists, making Dreamwalking impossible, as if it wasn’t already dangerous. Multiverse-hopping isn’t the worst thing in the world.”
“It actually is.”
“If we promise not to do trans-Multiversal murder sprees, will you be fine with me taking Stephen to a few universes?“ America asks, waiting to see Wong’s reaction. “This is about him, after all.”
Wong looked at America and then at Stephen.
“Do not cause any Incursions or do anything to tamper with the universes you travel to, capisce?”
Stephen nods with a “thank you.”
“You’re going to regret this, Stephen.”
“I saw the man die in so many universes during that War. I knew the only way our Earth wouldn’t end up as a wasteland taken over by a Mad Titan would be if Tony Stark snapped, therefore sacrificing himself and dying. I knew it for years, and I couldn’t stop it.” And to make matters worse, I saw Peter Parker die in an attempt to save Tony. Because he knew what would happen.
“But that doesn’t mean that you should go searching for him.”
“I’m not going to interfere with their lives. Or my variant’s life. Okay?”
“Don’t let your feelings overcome your logic, Stephen.”
“Who said I would?”
“You have before. But, granted, that was a variant of yourself.” America admits.
“Right.”
“Keep me out of this, you two.” Wong mutters as he opens a portal. “Sorcerer Supreme duties call.”
And then the portal disappears behind Wong.
“Shall we, then?” America Chavez asks, moving her hands into the position to form a multiversal portal.
“Let’s get to it.”