Chapter 16
I work in the lab with Bruce and Peter for most of the day, not finding much more information on the strange egg.
Eventually we leave the lab, moving to the living room and flopping down on the couches.
“Has Mr. Doctor Strange texted you?” Peter asks, stretching as he pulls out his own phone.
I shake my head, checking my phone again.
“Not yet.” I answer. “He’s probably still in his astral realm or whatever.”
Bruce laughs under his breath as he runs his fingers through his hair.
“You’re marrying a man with advanced sorcery capabilities, and you just casually throw out ‘astral realm or whatever’ without questioning it.” He mutters, crossing his arms over his chest.
I laugh too, shrugging.
“Don’t mix magic and science Banner.” I answer. “Trust me, it gets way too complicated.”
He considers it for a moment before nodding, taking my answer as valid.
We all sit in the room in silence for a while, resting after a long day at work.
A bright orange light floods the room, and I stand up, walking towards the portal as Stephen steps through with Wong.
“Hey.” I say, smiling at him and nodding to Wong as well.
Wong smiles back, bowing slightly as Stephen steps closer, wrapping an arm around my waist as he kisses my forehead.
“How’d it go?” I ask, looking between the two of them.
Stephen takes a deep breath as Wong looks down, taking a step away from us.
“We found what it is.” Stephen says lowly, leading me back to the couch and sitting, keeping me tucked under his arm. “I think.”
I nod, looking at Wong as he awkwardly sits beside Bruce.
“But?” I say, trying to get him to break this tension he’s brought with him.
He takes another deep breath.
“But… I have to go to space to dispose of it.” He says, his voice dropping to a quiet mumble by the end.
I stand up, looking down at him.
“I’m sorry, I must have misheard you.” I say with a forced laugh. “I know you didn’t say you have to go to space.”
Stephen looks over at Wong before looking down at his hands.
“I do, Tony.” He says lowly. “I have to get rid of it, but it’s going to be big and there isn’t a place on this planet where I can do it safely.”
I look at him incredulously, and Peter shifts uncomfortably on the other end of the couch.
“Then I’m going too.” I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest.
Stephen stands then, resting his hands on my shoulders.
“There is no way in hell.” He says, looking down at me. “Not after what just happened, and not when I’m more than capable of doing it alone.”
I run one hand through my hair, sighing as I do.
“And what the hell do I do while you’re up there?” I ask, my voice edging on hysteria.
He squeezes my shoulders gently.
“Tony.” He says quietly. “My love, for once, you do nothing.”
My mouth drops open slightly as I look up into his bright blue eyes.
“You do everything for everyone.” He says quietly, his hand moving to cup my cheek. “Literally, for everyone in the world. Let me do this for you.”
I clench my jaw tightly as I look at him, considering it.
“I’ll take it up there, bring it to a dormant planet, and destroy the planet.” He says, his thumb running along my cheekbone. “I’ll be back before you can even find a way to track me.”
He winks then, and a laugh slips out of my throat.
“Fine.” I say after a minute. “Stephen Strange wants to save the world, fine.”
He rolls his eyes, pulling me into a hug as his head rests on my shoulder.
“Tony Stark.” He mumbles, just loud enough for me to hear. “How many times do I have to tell you? It’s never been about the world, just about you.”
I laugh again, pulling him closer.
“Alright.” I say, stepping back. “When do we do the damn thing?”
Wong stands up, walking over to stand beside Stephen.
“We should do it as soon as possible.” He says, looking between the two of us.
I look back to Stephen.
“Are you asking me to do it now?” I ask.
Stephen just nods once.
I take a deep breath before nodding back, taking Stephen’s hand and leading the group to the training center.
Bruce goes to his lab, getting the egg before meeting us there, handing it to Stephen.
Stephen stands in the center of the room, and everyone else stands on the edges of the room.
I walk to the center, holding his face between my hands.
“Stephen, I can build a tracker in about twenty minutes.” I murmur, my hands trembling against his skin. “So be back before then.”
He chuckles under his breath, turning to press a kiss against my palm.
“I will be.” He whispers. “I love you.”
I pull his face to mine, kissing his lips briefly.
“I love you.” I whisper back. “Be careful.”
He nods as I step away, joining everyone on the edges of the room.
Stephen opens a portal, and steps through, disappearing as the orange circle closes behind him.
Wong closes his eyes as he sits on the ground, his lips moving silently as he keeps track of Stephen through space.
Peter tips back and forth from his heels to his toes as we wait, the entire room filling with nervous energy.
My eyes stay trained on the clock, watching the minutes tick by as we wait for Stephen to return.
As the clock ticks to the seventeenth minute, the room fills with orange light.
I run to the center, catching Stephen in my arms as he falls out of the portal.
“Are you okay?” I breathe, pushing his hair back as we slowly collapse onto the ground.
He looks up at me, nodding as he breathes quickly, his face covered in dirt and superficial cuts.
Wong runs over beside me, laying his hands on Stephen’s chest as he closes his eyes.
“He is fine.” He says after a minute. “Magically depleted, but nothing an hour of regeneration won’t heal.”
I smile down at Stephen, smearing some of the dust around with my thumb.
“You did it.” I whisper. “You did it. Thank you.”
He grins up at me, covering my hand with his.
“Am I an Avenger now?” He asks, choking back his laughter.
I roll my eyes, groaning as I lean down, kissing him gently.