Chapter Text
Stephen was tired. No, he was exhausted. He had pushed himself hard the last week while Wong was off-world. He wasn’t sure he could face down another magical emergency. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to. If he could just get back to the sanctum, he promised himself that he would sleep for three days straight. Using the last of his magical reserves, he opened a portal to the sanctum. He let it fall shut the moment he had stepped through. Intending to sit in the nearby chair, Stephen took a step towards it. Unfortunately, his vision darkened at the edges then tunneled. Before he could reach the chair, his legs gave out as he fainted. If not for the Cloak of Levitation, he would have fallen to the floor.
The cloak eased Stephen to the floor. It removed itself from his shoulders and hovered over him, fretting. Normally, it would have fetched Wong, but that wasn’t an option. It patted at Stephen’s cheeks, but it was unable to rouse the sorcerer. It needed to find help and it needed to find it sooner than later. It suddenly perked up and flew from the sanctum, headed toward Stark Tower.
“Sir,” Jarvis called out into the lab, “you have a visitor.”
“Who is it, J?” Tony asked absently, his attention focused on his project.
“It’s not so much a who as a what.”
Tony groaned. Jarvis’ words couldn’t bode well. “Do I need to suit up?” he asked, standing.
“I am uncertain, sir. It is Doctor Strange’s cloak. It’s seeking entrance at the landing level.”
“Let it in.” Tony exited the lab and headed to the landing only to be met by the cloak on his way there.
The cloak didn’t waste time trying to communicate it’s needs. Instead, it settled on Tony’s shoulders and lifted him off the floor. Together, they zoomed through the penthouse and out the landing zone.
Tony wasn’t thrilled with his current mode of travel. He found he much preferred his technology to being manhandled by a bit of cloth. At least he had the nanotechnology housing for his suit on. If the cloak managed to drop him, he’d be able to activate it before he met an untimely demise.
Shortly, they arrived at the sanctum, the front door opening and allowing them entrance. The cloak carried Tony up the main staircase, down a hallway, and set him on his feet in front of a collapsed Stephen Strange.
“Jesus.” Tony didn’t waste any time. He knelt down beside the sorcerer. Adjusting his Stark glasses and inserting an earpiece, he asked, “J, what’s his status?” Jarvis’ voice came to him through the earpiece as Stephen’s vitals scrolled across the surface of his glasses.
“Doctor Strange appears to be suffering from physical exhaustion, though he appears to be stable.” There was a pause. “I cannot verify it, but I suspect he is suffering from magical exhaustion as well.”
Tony shot a look at the cloak. “Where’s Wong? Why didn’t you get him?” He shook his head. Those questions would have to wait for later. For now, he needed to take care of Stephen. He scooped the sorcerer up in his arms. “Where’s the bedroom?” he asked the cloak.
In response, the cloak took off down the hallway and led him to a closed door. Just as Tony started to reach for the handle, the door opened as if welcoming him in. With a mental shrug, he crossed the threshold into the bedroom and carried Stephen to the bed where he gently placed him on it.
“Might I suggest elevating his legs, sir?”
Tony nodded. “Right. Thanks, J.” He grabbed one of the pillows and shoved it under Stephen’s feet. “Now what do I do with you?” Tony asked out loud. “You don’t look very comfortable. And no one wants to sleep in boots.” So saying, he tugged on one of the sorcerer’s boots, taking it off, then he did the same to the other one. Next, he contemplated Stephen’s robes. Maybe they were more comfortable than they looked, because they certainly looked uncomfortable to sleep in. He decided they had to go.
With a glance at the cloak which was hovering nearby, Tony reached for the leather gauntlet on Stephen’s left forearm. With a little examination, it was easy to see how to remove it. During the process, his eyes fell on Stephen’s scarred fingers. He couldn’t help but caress them even as he wondered if they bothered the sorcerer. Giving himself a mental shake, he forced himself back to the task at hand and removed the gauntlet. The one on Stephen’s right forearm soon followed. Next came the belt. After that, Tony tried to remove the necklace thing Stephen wore. He knew it probably had some fancy name, everything surrounding the sorcerer seemed to, but he didn’t know what it was.
The cloak moved to intervene, but the Eye of Agamotto protected itself quite nicely and sent Tony sprawling across the room.
“Right,” Tony said, standing back up. “We’ll just leave that where it is.” He walked back over to the bed. “But doc, that better be the only surprise you have for me.” Tony examined Stephen’s tunic, trying to figure out how to remove it. After some time, he was able to get it off of the still insensate sorcerer. What he found beneath made the genius’ breath hitch. “You’ve been holding out on me.” Stephen was well built to say the least. That combined with his obvious good looks and his intelligence made him quite appealing even if they had gotten off on the wrong foot. Tony decided that Stephen’s pants had better stay put for the time being. He wasn’t sure he could take any more pleasant surprises. “What now, J?”
“I suggest that you wait for him to wake. When he does, reassess the situation,” came the calm reply through the earpiece.
“Right.” Tony sat in the large wingback chair that was in the corner of the room. He couldn’t help fidgeting, and it was almost impossible to keep his hands to himself, but he managed it because he wasn’t sure which items around him would be safe to touch. To pass the time, Tony had Jarvis scroll through some of his smaller projects on his glasses so he could consider what direction to take them. He had Jarvis take notes on his ideas for later expansion. Eventually, he was rewarded with a groan from the direction of the bed. Looking up, he saw Stephen trying to sit up. He sprang across the room and placed a hand on the sorcerer’s chest. “Nope. We’re not doing that. You need to stay where you are. You’ve exhausted yourself.”
“M’fine. Just— just tired,” Stephen insisted weakly.
“Sure you are, doc. That’s why your cloak dragged me across the city to find you passed out. No. You need to take it easy.” Tony didn’t move his hand until he felt the sorcerer stop fighting him and relax against the pillow.
“I didn’t pass out,” Stephen complained.
“Right,” Tony said dryly. “You just gravitationally relocated to the floor. Very dignified.”
Stephen tried to sit up again, determined to regain some of that lost dignity.
“Nope,” Tony said “Stay. Try that again and I’m zip-tying you to the bed.”
“You’d enjoy that.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
There was a loaded silence, their breathing the only sound.
“You need water,” Tony finally said to break the silence. “Where’s the kitchen?”
The sorcerer raised a shaking hand and made a gesture causing a glass of water to appear in it. It was almost enough to send him back under and he nearly dropped the glass. Tony lunged forward and caught it.
“That was bright. Are you going to pass out on me again?” Tony asked.
Stephen just glared at him. “I didn’t ask you to come.”
“No, that was your cloak that did that,” Tony said. He held the glass up. “Drink. Small sips.”
Stephen glared at him again. “I can hold my own glass, thank you.”
“You see, I think that’s where you’re wrong. Now, small sips,” Tony said, gesturing with the glass. “And if you try to chug it, I will smack you with it.”
“Threats now?”
“Consequences,” Tony corrected. “We’re professionals.”
Finally giving in, Stephen took a few sips of the water. It tasted heavenly.
“You’re pale,” Tony muttered.
“You’re bossy.”
“And yet I am upright,” the genius said, smirking. “Look, just lie there, breathe, and let your blood pressure figure out what planet it’s on.”
Stephen sighed and dropped his head back on the pillow, resigned. “How long am I to be graced with your scintillating presence?”
“As long as it takes for me to be convinced that you’re not going to collapse again, or until Wong returns. Whichever comes first. Speaking of which, where is Wong, anyway?”
“He’s off-world at the moment. He won’t be back for days.” Stephen groaned. “I’m stuck with you, aren’t I?”
“Yes, you are, doc,” Tony agreed with a smirk. Then he grew serious. “You’re still pale. You need something light to eat. Do you have some fruit in this place? Or crackers?” When the sorcerer started to lift a hand, Tony reached out and grasped him by the wrist. “Oh no, you don’t. Not after last time. I’ll go get it. Just tell me where the kitchen is.”
The cloak chose that moment to zip from the room.
“I think my cloak has gone to get something.”
“So it does more than kidnap people,” Tony snarked. “That’s good to know.”
“I’m sure it didn’t kidnap you.”
“No, but it was rather insistent.”
The cloak returned bearing a tray that contained crackers and sliced cheese. It placed the tray gently on the foot of the bed then went to hover in the corner.
Tony grunted. “J, remind me to tell the bots that they’ve been shown up by a piece of cloth.” He directed his next words to Stephen. “You’re looking better. Let’s see if you can sit on the side of the bed, but move slowly.” He held out his hand. Stephen hesitated, but finally took it, accepting his offer of help.
When the sorcerer finally found himself sitting, he realized just how fatigued he was. He could barely keep himself upright. Of course, Tony noticed.
“Easy, doc.” Tony reached out and steadied Stephen with a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you should lie back down.”
Stephen shook his head. “No, I just need a moment.” He closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping himself steady. It slowly became easier. After a bit, he opened his eyes. He must have looked better because Tony removed his hand from his shoulder. Stephen was surprised when the genius sat next to him on the bed
Tony lifted the tray of food onto his lap and fixed Stephen some cheese and cracker ‘sandwiches’. “There you go, Dumbledore.” He handed one of the sandwiches to the sorcerer who took it in his shaking hand. Tony noticed, but pretended not to.
They sat there while Stephen ate, taking sips from the glass of water from time to time. Slowly, he began to look more like himself. “You’re looking better, doc.”
“Does this mean you’ll be leaving?” Stephen asked. He’d meant it to sound hopeful, but it came out sounding oddly disappointed.
“What? And deprive you of my stunning personality? Never.”
There was a pause, then Stephen said, “Thank you… douchebag.”
Yes, he was definitely feeling better.