All Stephen could do was watch as Tony snapped his fingers. He had seen up until this point and could see no further when they were on Titan, but he still had time on his side. With a wave of his fingers, he froze everything and everyone in place, then made his way over to Tony, who was still breathing, but he knew he only had a few minutes left.
“Stark.”
“Strange.” He looked into Tony’s eyes and knew he had little time.
“Tell me what you want. I can’t reverse your injuries completely, but I can get you home to your family, over time you will heal and -”
Tony looked over at Peter, tears already streaming down his face; Pepper, so strong, the smile that was beginning in her eyes telling him she would be okay without him if he wanted to rest, and Rhodey. Rhodey wasn’t ready, he wasn’t ready to lose him. He looked into the sorcerer’s green eyes, and saw that he was hoping against hope that he could cheat time and fate in his favor one last time. “I want to go home, Doc, get me home to Morgan, please?”
Stephen nodded, then closed his eyes and with the help of the sorcerers present and past focused their white magic onto the singular man who had risked everything to save the boy who was now kneeling in front of him. Stephen realized then that the universe was just an afterthought.
“Mr. Stark. Hey, Mr. Stark. We won. Tony - please?”
Tony took a deep breath and nodded at Stephen, then reached over and wiped Peter’s tears away with his good hand and murmured, “yeah, kid. We won, we finally won. Now help me up before anyone sees me like this, huh?” Peter helped him to his feet, and wrapped his arm around his waist. Tony blinked at the destruction around him, then turned to the man who had saved him again.
He began to speak, but Stephen shook his head at him. “Don’t thank me, Stark, there should have been something else I could have done on Titan, and even before then, and you will be in pain -”
“Doc. I’ve been in pain since Afghanistan. Pain reminds me that I’m still here.” He stopped speaking as Stephen allowed time to move forward again, and Pepper was there in front of him, smiling into his eyes, and he forgot about the pain. “Can you get us home, Sorcerer Supreme?”
“It would be my honor, Stark.”
As the portal opened, Tony turned and looked at him one last time. “Maybe someday, you’ll call me Tony?”
“Perhaps one day, my friend,” he whispered as he watched Tony, Peter, Pepper and Rhodey walk into the rustic cabin. He could see Morgan run to her father as he closed the portal and knew he had made the right choice, the only choice he could have made. He closed his eyes and fell to his knees, as he knew there was still much work to be done, and he would have to do it without Stark.
“Strange.” Wong was at his side, helping him to his feet, and Stephen shook his head.
“Don’t start, Wong, don’t start. Let’s get everyone home first, hmm?”
“You have been missed, my friend.”
Stephen turned to look into his friend’s eyes and was surprised by the raw emotion he saw there. “I couldn’t let him down again, Wong -”
“I know. You are a great sorcerer, but a better man. There is still work to be done, but today was a good day, Stephen. A very good day.”