Chapter Text
Stephen stood nervously next to Tony as the group from Kamar-Taj came through the portal. The look that the Ancient One gave him when she stepped through the portal before it closed made Stephen want to wilt. It wasn't anger or anything else he might reasonably expect, instead she looked at him like a naughty child that had gotten hurt with their antics.
"Ancient One," Stephen greeted carefully.
"Stephen," the Ancient One sighed as she ignored everyone else to step over and take his face in her hands and brought their foreheads together, offering comfort.
"I... don't know what to say," Stephen said quietly when she stepped back, releasing him in the process.
"Then say nothing and accept the comfort," Tony advised smugly.
"You knew," Stephen accused.
"I had a fair idea and she confirmed it before I actually ended the call," Tony shrugged.
"You hadn't ended the call by the time I tried to hide," Stephen groaned, immediately understanding what had happened. "They were on mute."
"Yep," Tony smirked. "Your mom wasn't exactly happy to realize why I was being overprotective when it came to who visited but she did agree to it after I sent you to get changed."
Stephen sighed and with a rueful smile relaxed, understanding that he wasn't in trouble for the brief tussle.
"Panic attacks are never fun," Tony sighed after a minute or so of silence. "This still has to all be checked over and you know why."
"Yes, yes, I do know why," Stephen agreed, still rueful.
"If you would be willing to show us where this happened? And introduce us to your children if you please?" the Ancient One requested. "I am satisfied with Stephen's... current health, for the moment."
"You mean you can't see any injuries on him right now," Tony corrected. "Yeah, I was sort of surprised about that with how he landed but Mind having my daughter relay that his old body died and he merged with his locally existing younger body before he got dumped at my feet could explain it. If nothing else it would explain why his hands are fine when in every alternate memory I got his hands had been crushed and he had to deal with major surgeries to avoid losing them to amputation completely. I am pretty sure that Mind is still wandering around the common floor where he arrived. J? Have Ultron meet us there since he was affected if only in a sideways manner. Friday? Please tell Pepper I am in an important meeting with my current important guests."
"Of course, Sir," Jarvis answered. "Should I... expect to need the party favors?"
"Yes, Boss! Oh! Can I tell Dr. Banner that he can watch any magic on the security cameras?" Friday requested eagerly.
"Brucie Bear? Yeah, sure. If Rhodey joins him then he has to count as under the SI NDA paperwork, mostly because it could technically fall under medical stuff for me or Stephen," Tony warned. "Make sure that you both are focused on the area when its time for your own check ups."
"Yes, Dad," the two AIs said cheekily in unison.
"Kids," Tony scoffed, a small smile gracing his lips.
"Ah, that does complicate a few things. They would likely be considered more along the lines of living artifacts," the Ancient One admitted. "This Ultron?"
"Also a living artifact," Stephen answered for Tony. "However he was recently affected by outside influences. Both Jarvis and Friday are purely Tony's artifact children. The other parent's for Ultron are... less friendly to life in general. I will go over what I know of the entire situation once everyone is settled. If you would, Master?"
"Already playing hostess, Stephen?" Tony smirked.
"As if you would know what to do with so many Mystic Masters," Stephen shot back with a light smirk of his own.
"Well, if you insist," Tony said, giving a mocking bow to Stephen.
Stephen rolled his eyes at the inventor and proceeded to sort out their visitors for Tony. The Ancient One lingered behind to speak with the inventor but Stephen decided he wasn't going to worry about that just now, especially since Tony wasn't going to let him go far anyway. Besides, they couldn't house Master Raja next to Master Lin without prior agreement from both that they wouldn't get into an argument over the comparative utility of Astral Projection magics to what was commonly referred to as the Hazmat set for unfriendly environments. At least he could place Master Seth between the two if Tony hadn't assigned them all to a single room to share.
Stephen quietly sorted them out while working with Jarvis and Friday to figure out where everyone who had come could stay. The discussion on how the AIs could count or not count to the magic as living artifacts turned lively and distracted the doctor for several hours. When Friday reminded him for the third time that they needed to order dinner Stephen realized he had left his Teacher and Tony alone for hours.
"Stephen, a word," the Ancient One summoned once they had all returned to the common floor.
"Yes, Master," Stephen said sheepishly as he followed her into one of the glass walled rooms off the main area.
"Stephen, you can sign the paperwork or not as you like," Tony told him before the door shut, leaving Stephen alone with his teacher.
"What were you thinking?! You could have caused an incursion or gotten yourself killed!" the Ancient One hissed angrily.
"I take it that Tony shared what memories he had of the situation?" Stephen asked with a wince.
"Considering he is concerned you might be at least partially suicidal? YES!" the Ancient One snapped. "Dormammu contacted me about you yesterday and I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, then he said your name. Do you know how terrified I was he somehow had you before you had even started training?! Before you reached Mastery you would have had no chance to survive meeting Lord Dormammu!"
"I wouldn't necessarily say that I did survive meeting him," Stephen admitted. "I put us both into a time loop until he promised to leave Earth alone... It was not pleasant."
"You..." the Ancient One said going from furious to pale in an instant and staggering at the change in her blood pressure. Stephen had to quick step forwards and catch her before helping her to a nearby chair in the glass enclosed meeting room they had stepped into.
"I am sorry. That was thoughtless of me. It has been a part of my personal history since shortly after you died and it didn't occur to me what a shock it might be to hear it outright," Stephen apologized. "Let me check you and then we can..."
The sharp smack stopped Stephen in his tracks just long enough for her to drag him down into her arms as she clutched him close and started to weep over him.
"You fool! I never should have let that fight finally kill me. I thought you would be fine, that I had taught you enough to keep you alive, that I could rest and know you were able to at least defend yourself. I never should have let that blow land," the Ancient One wept. "What else did you face from my failures, my son? No, I never should have allowed this. You were supposed to at least have the rest of the Order as back up!"
"Anything wrong, Doc?" Friday asked carefully.
"No, just... a shock from some of my news. You can reassure Tony and the others. I might have a bruised cheek but that is hardly less than I deserve with my thoughtless presentation," Stephen responded, choosing to hug the Ancient One back and allow her to mourn what he had lived. "You might want to warn Tony that the others are probably going to take my news badly considering how the Ancient One reacted to only part of it."
"...Boss asks if you need him to play gatekeeper or hold you to the binding?" Friday relayed.
"Not yet but he might want to make a show of knowing how to use the binding later if things... go more poorly," Stephen admitted, ignoring how the Ancient One's grip tightened on him nearly to bruising. He currently suspected that if he couldn't convince the Ancient One that Tony was the right person to permanently be in his life then he was going to have to fight to stay with the inventor.
"...Boss reminds you that you picked this and that the stones aren't likely to be willing to reverse anything they helped to make," Friday said pointedly. "He also reminds you that he doesn't give up his own."
"He can trap me in cuddles later," Stephen sighed. "Right now I need to see that the Ancient One recovers from realizing I was tortured by Dormammu during my confrontation with him."
"...Boss reminds you that he's still unhappy about your attempt to hide who threatened you and points out that telling him you were tortured by anyone aside from Squidward, who he killed for it and for threatening Earth, is not the safest thing right now. He also told you that you aren't allowed to let any enemies capture you again or he will be very upset," Friday reported. "Also, Ultron says that if she hits you again he will come retrieve you by force for Boss."
"Noted," Stephen grumbled. "Ultron needs to learn when people are ignoring attacks on purpose.... Jarvis, would you teach him about that please? I don't know if Friday is old enough yet to tell the difference and you've been with Tony longer."
"Of course, Doctor. I have no problem updating my bother's threat recognition protocols," Jarvis said smugly.
"Not what I meant and you know it," Stephen snarked even as he refused to pull away from his teacher's death grip.
"Don't care. You belong to Boss now," Friday said just as smugly.
"Not for long," the Ancient One growled, refocusing in a way that concerned Stephen.
"Master?" Stephen asked in concern.
"If you think I will let this stand then you need remedial training," the Ancient One said with a scowl, finally letting Stephen stand up and step away. "Now, I did as Mr. Stark suggested and brought the necessary paperwork to confirm your place as my son."
"Master, you are my teacher and while I care for you I don't know that Tony would agree with this," Stephen said hesitantly.
"Sir made it clear earlier that it was your choice to sign the paperwork or not," Jarvis put in. "He also indicated that if you refused he would refuse further involvement of the Mystic Order to protect you."
"Oh," Stephen said, troubled as he watched the Ancient One pulled out the necessary paperwork.
"Boss indicated that he isn't sure there is anything to be done except live with what the stones did, Doc," Friday added. "H really wanted you to choose for you."
"That... I can't only choose for myself," Stephen said. "Tony has more say in this than I do now that the binding is in place."
"What do you mean?!" the Ancient One asked in alarm.
"This will affect Tony and he has final say on anything to do with me now, Master," Stephen admitted. "That was a key part of the binding so that I couldn't hide anything he might find important and.... so that I couldn't refuse anything he wanted in repayment for tricking him into dying for the world."
"Boss is watching and said to tell you that if you are using him as an excuse to refuse what you actually want he is going to make you watch three seasons of Doctor House M.D. and you won't be allowed to correct it. He also said that you already earned serious cuddle time and pampering that you always refused before," Friday informed him. "Mind also put in that he won't let them force you to forget. Apparently messing with the mind of a Guardian of Infinity is something none of the stones will stand for. Guardian tests are a separate issue and you passed yours during your fight with Dormammu."
"Oh," Stephen said quietly. He saw the Ancient One relax slightly when he accepted the paperwork to look over.
"I won't be leaving without those being signed at an absolute minimum, Stephen," the Ancient one warned. "I have no plans to leave without you either."
"You may be disappointed, Master," Stephen warned idly as he focused on the paperwork. "If I could out stubborn Dormammu bent on devouring our world then I very much doubt that many people could force me into something."
"Boss reminds you that he will not let you sabotage a chance to keep your Hogwarts membership even if he has to rock the boat," Friday warned cheerfully. "He also says that he will take keeping you over Hogwarts if you need the reminder again."
"Pushy man," the Ancient One scowled.
"Protective," Stephen corrected. "I am also the reason he will never get his family back. he has more rights than you realize to do whatever he wants with me even if the binding wasn't in place."
"... I am informing Sir that you need to be corrected about his choices again," Jarvis said with open disapproval. "Your survivors guilt is... irritating but perhaps better focused than Sir's was after Afghanistan."
"I think we just need to have Ultron drag him to Boss for cuddles," Friday said thoughtfully. "Doctor Strange has been on duty for too long. He's burnt out."
Stephen decided to ignore the unfortunately correct by play between the two AI Starks as he focused properly on the paperwork. The Ancient One had covered what they represented accurately. She wanted to adopt him as if he was her son by blood. The ritual to make the magics acknowledge the adoption was on a page six into the official stack, obviously copied by an apprentice on punishment duty to help keep certain things preserved in multiple copies within the Order.
"A full adoption bond? Why would you want that?" Stephen asked, confused as he held up the ritual outline that was part of the adoption proposal. "This would be recognized by beings like Dormammu if you went through with it. It wouldn't be only a human recognized adoption, Master."
"Correct," the Ancient One confirmed. "This should have been given to you within three months of reaching Mastery in your first timeline. The fact that you have never seen it before means that the Master's Council ignored my final wishes more than just banishing you to the New York Sanctum the way Mr. Stark mentioned. I don't know what happened after I died but I refuse to allow it to repeat this time."
Stephen knew from the look in her eyes that she was deadly serious about this and it didn't matter to her if he signed the adoption papers or not. As far as she was concerned he was her Son and not just her Student. Stephen looked down and pulled the ritual out of the pile to set it aside before signing the rest of it.
"The ritual will have to be a different one. This one could interact badly with the binding and I will let it kill me before I let it hurt Tony," Stephen warned before returning the paperwork.
"Stephen, son, is he your choice? Truly your choice?" the Ancient One asked carefully.
"He is," Stephen confirmed. "I died millions of times trying to protect him or give him what we needed to defend our world and the universe. I know him deeply and he knows me better than anyone else. This was not done lightly and anyway the stones placed a lighter binding than I wanted. I can still lift a hand against him. My choice of binding wouldn't have even allowed that much and would have punished me harshly for even trying. This one still lets me fight back to a certain extent unless Tony clamps down hard on it. I won't refuse him if he chooses to bed me, Master. I already told him he could do as he likes with me and even if you do manage to break the binding somehow I will still hold to that. If he demands I hold still for him to kill me then I will and hope that he is feeling like making it quick instead of furious enough to draw it out. This is still my choice."
The Ancient One failed to hold back a wounded sound before dragging Stephen back into her arms again. It took another half an hour to calm her enough to let go of him but they did eventually rejoin everyone else who had been watching through the glass walls.
"Stephen?" Tony asked mildly, hiding his feelings on what had happened as far as they had witnessed.
"I signed the adoption paperwork and she isn't pleased at finding out certain things she missed during her own guardianship of the amulet," Stephen admitted. "Granted, most of the problem incidents happened after her death but she is still justifiably upset to learn of them. There is no danger, Tony."
"So long as that stays true," Tony warned. "Alright, lady. I think we have the start of an alliance so long as you remember Stephen is bound to me and I get finial say on anything to do with him."
"Stephen has already declared that you are his choice, Mr. Stark," the Ancient One said stiffly. "I will not stand to see you abuse him but I will also not refuse him his choice in life partner."
"Life partner?!" Tony demanded. "He didn't say anything about marrying me."
"Did he not? Then what do you consider this bond?" the Ancient One asked, amused. "Simply because he made sure you could reject him without consequences and he would still be able to protect you does not make it any less of a life long bond between partners of sorts."
"Stephen?" Tony demanded.
"If you don't want me like that then you don't need to do anything about it," Stephen pointed out. "Just place me where you want me."
"...How much of this is spill over from those promises the stones made sure I remembered?" Tony asked suspiciously.
"I can't answer that because it makes no difference to me," Stephen informed him with a small smile.
"Do you need him tonight?" Tony asked the Ancient One, completely ignoring the way the other Masters watched all of them in open concern.
"I would prefer he stay with the rest of us for the time being," the Ancient One said stiffly.
"Nope, he is due forced cuddle time for being an idiot and I am not letting him stay with you after you hit him," Tony snapped, his temper obviously fraying.
"Tony, it was nothing," Stephen tried to explain.
"Stephen, I watched her hit you," Tony said flatly. "You are lucky I let you handle it instead of dealing with it Iron Man style."
"That would have only escalated things in a bad way," Stephen grimaced. "Alright, fine. Your point is made. I take it you want me out of easy reach of any of them for at least twelve hours?"
"Easily," Tony agreed grumpily.
Stephen felt the Ancient One grab his arm to keep him from stepping to Tony's side. A quick twist of his arm freed him as he stepped over to his inventor. Tony dragged him close a soon as he got in reach and Stephen moved with it, allowing Tony to tuck him under his arm.
"Stephen," the Ancient One said, in a pained voice.
"He is my choice... mother," Stephen said, hesitant to use the new connection he had to his teacher.
"I do not agree but I can not see you trapped," the Ancient One insisted with a growl.
"My choice," Stephen said again.
"So that's what has been bothering you," Tony said thoughtfully. "Okay, regular visits and check ups is something I can live with. If I need to learn your magic then I will. I can handle Stephen and he knows it. He also knows that I won't let him turn self destructive. I think he's holding on so hard that if we try to force things then he won't bend with it even if he is capable of it. I think he will choose to break. That was part of what I was warning you about. I won't let him break, not like that."
"Then... you had better take good care of my son, Mr. Stark," the Ancient one warned.
"I plan to," Tony promised smugly, holding Stephen close.
Everyone said their good nights and Tony escorted Stephen back to their bedroom. The doctor wasn't surprised to find himself pinned to the bed once they were ready for sleep. He also wasn't surprised at the disorienting kiss that Tony gave him.
"Friday and Jarvis told me about you admitting that you wanted the binding stronger. I don't need magic to enforce that, Stephen," Tony growled. "Answer me truthfully, do you actually want me or is it just about what I want?"
"I want you," Stephen breathed. "I just refuse to take what is not offered freely even if that makes me nothing more than your pet again."
"As soon as I take you I won't care about any magic binding. I won't give you up," Tony warned.
"I know," Stephen whispered. "This is my choice. I am yours."
Tony drew on the magic he had learned in the other timelines and not bothered to inform anyone about. Stephen watched his hand begin to glow arc reactor blue. When Tony placed it over his heart he pressed down with both his hand and the power, causing the magic to sink into Stephen's chest. Stephen grunted as he forced himself to accept whatever Tony was doing only for the counter point power of time to flood his veins. A spiral of arc reactor blue and time green began cycling between the two of them before sinking under both of their skins and settling a mutual bond as the original binding from the stones dissolved.
"My Merlin," Tony smirked and kissed Stephen breathless again.
They curled up together and slept, knowing that it was no longer what they thought it had been from the start. Before breakfast Tony finally took Stephen in bed. Tony kept Stephen close for the rest of the day, refusing to let the other sorcerers get him alone.
It was the start of things no one could foresee.