Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This is where progress reports and officially posted links will go once the new bunnies and beta chapters are written.

To Step Through Time - MCU:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/53161693/chapters/134515483
Complete

Obi-Wan Gets His Own Back - Star Wars:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/54718138
Complete

May Parker, Retrieving Her Family - MCU:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/54761338
Complete

Trauma Train - MCU:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/54908596/chapters/139184599
Complete

Magic of the Iron Heart - MCU:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/61466845/chapters/157128817
Complete

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Technomage and Sorcerer Supreme - MCU:
Not yet separately posted - slow going

Tony Stark, Heir of Dormammu - MCU:
Not yet separately posted - actively being worked on

Agamotto's Return - MCU:
Not yet separately posted - back burner, slow going

Paired Infinity - MCU:
Not yet separately posted - stuck, needs correct mindset for Hela

Norse Mischief - MCU:
Not yet separately posted - stuck, relegated to the deal with later pile after review

Echoes - MCU AU:
Not yet separately posted

Starlight - Tony x Stephen - MCU AU:
Not yet separately posted

To Protect, Heal, and Care For - MCU AU:
Not yet separately posted

***** Bunny Farm Basically Complete - Needs Final Editing - List: *****

Gringotts Goblins of the Multiverse - MCU x Harry Potter:
Not yet separately posted - tentatively complete - needs clean up and final posting

Chaos Lineage - MCU x Star Wars - Tony x Stephen:
Not yet separately posted - unlikely to get much more due to lack of muse

The Manda, the Vode, and the Jettise - Star Wars AU:
Not yet separately posted - unlikely to ever get more

To Adopt A Spider - MCU:
Not yet separately posted - waiting for correct mindset to translate notes

The Sorcerer Support Group - MCU:
Not yet separately posted - slow going, being a brat but adding small pieces at random

Trickster's Treasures - MCU: Abandoned

Halo: Supreme Family outting: Abandoned

Chapter 219 (originally Ch. 211) Untitled Bunny Outline: Abandoned

Ties of Choice - MCU:
Not yet separately posted - in deal with later pile - in need of review - currently abandoned

Blackened Iron - MCU: Abandoned
- because I suddenly hate evil Iron Man. No more work will be done on this one!

Time's Children - Danny Phantom x Marvel and Batman crossover: Abandoned
- I just could not get it to work right

Universe Melting Artifact outline - MCU x Danny Phantom: Abandoned
- I couldn't get this one to work right either! ...I may give up on mixing these universes
- Danny Phantom section repurposed for separate Danny Phantom story.... Posted in new Alt Bunny Farm

Chapter Text

Victor Von Doom went over his paperwork from Latveria again with a frown. The three villains had warily entrusted their pet heroes back to Kamar-Taj and the New York Sanctum soon after the first round of treatment for the mental assault. All of them were showing up to every appointment because it kept those who needed the treatments most attending and for moral support. This had resulted in an uneasy truce in some ways and more peaceful interactions all around.

Mordo had noticed the pattern and had started lurking on appointment days. Or at least he had until he got fed up with how Kaecilius' group were guarding Strange and Stark. It had been a bit of a surprise to everyone else labeled a villain, which included Agatha Harkness, who hadn't already known about his combat classes at Kamar-Taj. On the other hand it had only taken two remedial lessons for Loki and Magneto to join in when they weren't getting treated. The pair covered things more akin to bodyguard duties and occasional infiltration techniques while Mordo refined their pure combat skill.

"Are we ever going to let Stark have that package back?" Magneto asked, striding into the office Victor had set up in the now neutral villains base Loki had originally provided.

"It isn't exactly dangerous," Victor pointed out. "I don't see why Loki thought we should hang onto it after he asked us to check it even though he already had."

"He said something about it being a distraction for Stark when Strange is trying to withhold the bond being a bad thing. He also mentioned that it's being magically tracked so they know he hasn't actually received it yet and we want to avoid it triggering by proximity," Magneto sighed. "I know we're leaving the little red bitch where she is since the Wakandan mages have her discretely contained but I don't like her potentially having a chance at our minds again."

"Ah, well once Strange stops being an idiot we can start seeing about those playdates Dormammu wanted us having with them. Stark Industries has started putting out magic compatible personal items like phones and I want to know how he managed that. I know there have been rumors of Stark accidentally adding tech to one of the older and more powerful artifacts Strange's people control. The fact that they say it was a living artifact just makes it more believable," Victor told him, shuffling around some papers on his desk.

"Have we found out how they made that portal without a focus? The sorcerer's at Kamar-Taj appeared to be just as baffled as we were," Magneto asked, changing subjects. "In any case we will have to track down Loki and make sure that he isn't trying to provoke some fool into ripping open reality again. I understand and sympathize with his need for getting into a good fight but risking reality while standing in as Sorcerer Supreme is not ideal."

"He knows better than that, Erik. You need to really sit down and actually read through the basic primer we gave you," Victor countered. "Any sorcerer or Mage worth their salt knows better than to risk ripping reality open. It's the neophytes, the fools, and those looking to destroy the world that risks such things not a seasoned sorcerer. What have you had your people doing since this all started any way?"

"Mostly intelligence gathering, some sabotage, and a fair bit of training. I also started sending various mutants towards Charles and the safe houses we all agreed were for general use between us," Magneto answered with a shrug. "Since my more militant ideals appear to have been coming from an outside influence I've tried to scale back and work more along the lines of a political activist, albeit a slightly more violent one than usual. The video addressing Maximoff and Vision helped but I still have to corral the more aggressive members of my group. Mystique is at least listening as my second and insists on continuing rescue missions. I have no problem with those and heartily agree with pulling others out who are at risk."

"Good, tell them they can come to Latveria if you need somewhere for them to go," Victor told him. "If they can not shelter with Xavier we can simply add them to my people. There are enough who use magic or other things in the general population that integration shouldn't be an overly complicated problem. There will be some restrictions if they can't control their powers well enough but that's a safety issue for them and the rest of my people. If necessary we can purpose build a town for them until they have enough control to join everyone else."

"Much appreciated," Magneto thanked him.

"Hello hello hello my fellow villains! I'm back!" Loki called into the house. Magneto and Victor looked at each other before getting up to meet the trickster in the living area.

"You got them?" Victor asked in interest.

"I got them and successfully cultivated the seeds into something new," Loki said slyly as he showed off a bag of apples to the pair. "These aren't standard golden apples of immortality. They should cleanse both our heroes of anything nasty and also increase their lifespan by at least a thousand years. It will buy us time to work out something better. They will still be human with a slight boost to health, healing, and reaction speed but the primary goal is to extend the base lifespan. Since I know your people used to live longer than two thousand years without any issues the apples will act as a sort of reset and cleanser overall. Most of the power is going into the cleanser and into boosting their poison resistance and overall healing. It won't change them from being human but it's a start in making them better able to stand as protectors of the realm."

"That's... Actually that might be a better option than what we've been talking about. Huh," Victor said in surprise.

"No true alterations? Just a mirror of past health for humans?" Erik asked carefully.

"Exactly," Loki said in satisfaction. "This should cover your Creator related objections and if he doesn't want them working they won't. If it does work then we're in business for protecting them and making sure they're still around for the next disaster."

"Is it safe to return the box from Wakanda at the same time?" Magneto asked dryly.

"That's the perfect way to deliver it," Loki smirked. Victor and Erik exchanged a resigned look at Loki's idea of mischief and helped him sort out the details.

Three days later Tony and Stephen were eating apples gifted to them by Magneto and Victor Von Doom. Apples that were offered in thanks for putting up with Loki's more recent mischief and not being upset at the very late return of Tony's mail.

"So what's in the box?" Stephen asked after finishing his apple. They were relaxing under a tree at Kamar-Taj and having lunch while going through the returned mail.

"Uh, huh, Vision got Wakandan citizenship at some point. Apparently their magic users decided that he was both a living being and a Master work of.... Enchantment, a living artifact, and something about soul magic? They included a copy of his new ID. There's also a certificate acknowledging me as both parent and crafter. Another certificate granting me a couple of magic degrees but also acknowledging any of my kids that I made," Tony went over what he was finding in no little wonder. "Somehow I'm considered a mage? Master Enchanter and Master Artificer with a soul affinity? Something about being a Technomage? If this is what they think of Vision how have they not heard of Levi yet?"

"I bugged Wong into holding off on updating Levi's files," Stephen admitted. "When anyone asked I told them that you gave Levi an old copy of one of your first AI, Jarvis. They don't believe me but they don't have any proof otherwise. Until Wong updates the files on him they won't have anything telling them differently and you don't get swarmed for being able to actually mix magic and tech. The Technomage title is going to throw that out of the window though."

"Nothing about the Agamotto guy?" Tony asked curiously.

"Not until Wong updates his file entry and then we're going to get swarmed by people wanting a look at him. It will be both for the tech interfacing and for the way Agamotto rescued Jarvis so that he became Levi," Stephen answered easily. "There were actual reasons I insisted you go over a bunch of the magic primers even though you hated it."

"It's all esoteric and stuff but I was bored out of my mind and even esoteric magic intro books was better than paperwork while on bed rest," Tony complained, making a face at the paperwork.

"You should have paid more attention to the apprentices," Stephen pointed out without sympathy. "You knew they were in a combat training class practicing in the courtyard. It's your own fault for assuming it wasn't going to be a practical class session and not dodging when that young idiot tried a more advanced blasting spell on the fly."

"Still two weeks of bed rest for being blasted into a wall? Come on, Steph," Tony complained.

"You're lucky it wasn't longer," Stephen said, unmoved. "If Master Li hadn't been on hand to mitigate the damage your ribs would have been broken instead of just bruised again. You were on bed rest to let them heal and let the magic settle since you've been hurting them far too often lately."

There were shouts nearby which drew their attention and they quickly got up to investigate. Stephen portaled the remains of their lunch and the box from Wakanda back to his room in the New York Sanctum before they headed for the commotion. What they found was startling.

"You have got to be kidding me," Stephen grumbled.

"Well at least we know who this gift is from?" Tony offered uncertainly. "We do know that right?"

"It appears that Lord Dormammu will not wait for much longer," Kaecilius observed.

They were all staring at the five Rogue Masters that Loki had given to Dormammu. They were kneeling in a line with large ribbon bows wrapped around their necks like some twisted gift. They had been magically altered and now bore bright purple lizard skin, retractable claws on each finger, a complete lack of body hair, and deep blue star slitted eyes with no whites. They were dressed in single shoulder two tone brown tunics that hung down to mid-shin and simple foot covering leather bags for shoes.

"Do you retain your minds?" Stephen asked the five directly.

"We do," the center changed Mystic Master answered softly. "We are a gift to you to do with as you please. When you accept us we will be bound permanently to you and your bondmate."

"Just out of curiosity what if he says no?" Tony asked carefully.

"We return and will be rendered down for parts," the spokesman said blandly.

Tony and more than one Sorcerer shuddered at that answer.

"What strings come attached to this... gifting?" Stephen chose his words carefully.

"Only a message. Lord Dormammu is eager to speak with you but his patience for your health runs thin," the spokesman told them. "As his new heir he wishes to see that you are well and speak with you on matters of importance. He is aware that you had not yet been informed of your change in status and is eager to ensure all know of your elevation and of his official acknowledgment. There was also an unofficial mention of adoption magics he wished to perform."

"Great," Stephen said unenthusiastically.

"We did wonder if Kaecilius had been joking even if Aunt Agatha ran with it and I ribbed you about it," Tony grimaced. "I should have guessed with our lives that it was actually serious. Guess we can't ignore it anymore."

"So you have been deliberately ignoring it," Wong said with open disapproval.

"What was there to acknowledge unless he actually made a move or we were dragged to the threatened meeting?" Stephen countered. "We still haven't dug everything out of our minds that could be a problem magically which is why Loki is still covering for me as Sorcerer Supreme."

"At least it kept Reindeer Games out of too much trouble," Tony pointed out. "Although I am kind of scared to find out what he and Aunt Agatha have been cooking up that's keeping them so quiet. The video about Vision made at least some sense even if it didn't exactly make me happy."

Chapter Text

"So you have been deliberately ignoring it," Wong said with open disapproval.

"What was there to acknowledge unless he actually made a move or we were dragged to the threatened meeting?" Stephen countered. "We still haven't dug everything out of our minds that could be a problem magically which is why Loki is still covering for me as Sorcerer Supreme."

"At least it kept Reindeer Games out of too much trouble," Tony pointed out. "Although I am kind of scared to find out what he and Aunt Agatha have been cooking up that's keeping them so quiet. The video about Vision made at least some sense even if it didn't exactly make me happy."

++++

"Need I remind you that our original orders were to drag Master Strange to Lord Dormammu if necessary?" Kaecilius said sarcastically. "I would think that was at least a sufficient indicator of the seriousness of the situation."

"Yes, it is but I do have to compartmentalize a fair bit so it wasn't on the top of my list yet," Stephen reminded them with a sigh. "I accept the gift in the spirit in which it was given. We will see what we can do about things and..."

The snap of magic locking into place, latching onto Tony and Stephen sent both men to their knees in shock even as it interrupted Stephen's words. The five new slaves shuddered and gained unknown red swirling markings along their bald scalps. The quiet word from each set of changed lips marked the completion of the binding.

"Masters," the five murmured bowing full to the floor from their kneeling position towards Tony and Stephen.

"I was hoping it would release them more towards independent action and hold off on the binding until after I talked with Dormammu," Stephen grumbled as he got back to his feet and helped Tony up.

"Well you thought wrong," Tony snarked. "How the hell are we going to explain all this anyway?"

"We tell the truth. They were a gift from someone who was going to eat the planet and decided that we were more interesting to watch instead," Stephen shrugged. "They don't have to know it was me specifically that drew his interest. They were assigned to me as the Sorcerer Supreme and also to you by extension because of the bonding. Simple."

Wong scoffs but didn't offer any alternatives. Tony felt for the man but also planned to drag Stephen off for research reasons and private cuddle time. Wong and Pepper had them doing mostly paperwork while they sorted out the magics in the two genius heads since they were very firmly off of combat duty at the moment.

"Are they going to follow us around or can we put them somewhere?" Tony asked with a sigh. "Do we even know what he changed about them to properly see to their medical and stuff?"

"I should have thought of that," Stephen winced. "I guess I've let thinking about things slide too far if I'm not paying attention to something so basic."

"We've been trying to put our noggins back together so it's kinda expected that we'll slip from time to time," Tony pointed out with a shrug. "We do eventually have to go fully back on duty and I'm betting the first part of that is going to be a visit to Dark Lord Daddy."

"Probably," Stephen grumbled. He had been enjoying his relaxing day with Tony but duty does generally call at the worst moments.

"Look we can work out the logistics in an hour or two," Tony reminded him gently. "You accepted the gift, we can finish lunch, call some of the other idiots who have been covering for us, and work out actually visiting Dormammu. Not all of it's fixed but we've made enough progress that I caught Wong and Pepper trying to decide when to let us off paperwork duty. They're pretty worried about our general headspace all things considered and this is the first time we've really let them step in."

"So they don't want to push in case we're hiding something again," Stephen concluded with a sigh. "Alright, you've made your point. I'll message our villains and see if they can make it."

Lunch after that was still delicious.

~~~

Stephen grimaced but took a deep breath in preparation for opening the portal to the Dark Dimension. His retinue was far larger than he liked but all of them had good reason to attend the meeting that was going to happen once they were in the Dark Dimension. The five changed and enslaved Mystic Masters had to come as a show of appreciation for the gift of them. Kaecilius and his group had to come because they were actually doing their job and technically belonged to Dormammu instead of Stephen. Tony was coming as his bondmate and Wong was coming because of the weird way he cared plus keeping Stephen from doing something stupid. Stephen didn't mind. He saw the man as a brother anyway and it would make Wong's life easier. At least Potts wasn't coming for Tony in the same reason that Wong was attending for Stephen.

"Are we ready?" Tony asked, drawing Stephen out of his introspection.

"I really wish none of us had to go," Stephen muttered. "I pissed him off pretty badly to get that deal."

"Just be glad that Victor, Loki, and Magneto opted to actually have that poker night and Agatha joined them," Tony snorted in amusement. "Granted, I'm not exactly pleased they are going to be teaching Vision and Spiderling Villain Poker but they both need the safe time spent socializing without having to hide. Besides, it will keep them from fretting over us and honestly introducing the kids to yon Dark Lord is sketchy as all hell. No, the Order and their new Grand-mom will keep the kids safe while we brave the possible nightmares of a possessive Dark Lord."

"Oh believe me I am," Stephen assured his husband. "I still don't want to be doing this and I would rather take the risk alone but none of you would let me if I tried."

"You bet your ass we wouldn't," Tony smirked. "So?"

Stephen sighed ruefully and cast the portal spell. The group as a whole walked through into the Dark Dimension, leaving behind a concerned temple waiting for their return.

Chapter Text

Flash Thompson was having THE weirdest day ever! The sour looks from the school staff were frea-ky. The glares from the fat nerd and Michelle Jones not to mention the weird lack of one lying Penis Parker were almost the tipping point. He was just really done with things so, as usual, he took it out on his remaining favorite target.

...Only before he could say a word to Leeds a teacher stepped between them and glared at Flash. Glared! At him!!

"Mr. Thompson, report to the Principal's office. Your past actions have become a cause of concern," the teacher told him coldly.

"What the hell?!" Flash demanded angrily.

"Principal's office," the teacher bit out harshly.

Flash growled but obeyed vowing revenge on Parker for this obviously contrived set up by the orphan and his friends.

Flash was picked up by his parents two hours later in a daze, expelled for bullying and emotional torture of a fellow student.

The rest of the school, staff and students, were forced to attend classes on harassment, stalking, bullying, and emotional support. The unofficially termed superhero support classes after school were optional but widely attended. All of them lasted until Peter returned to classes with the superhero support classes running an extra two months much to Peter's confusion.

~~~

By the time Stephen and Tony were forced to surface Pepper and Jarvis had gone after Peter's school. The two of them were terrifying and had forced the school district to concede on multiple fronts but they had also settled the issue "privately" without involving the public or the courts. Pepper had been surprised at how the school population rallied around Peter and opted to protect him over sharing the news. It had revealed a fierce community loyalty that Tony and Stephen had been unaware of. Apparently the AIs had missed a few of the unpublished videos. Since one of the spectators had been one of Peter's classmates the video of the attack outside the tower had been quietly making the rounds of the school. Mordo's attack had just confirmed things.

Chapter Text

It started in the middle of a battle so one could be excused for missing the barely visible glow that slowly engulfed Stephen's form. The Cloak of Levitation was next to slip into the glow but it's loyalty to it's new human would allow for nothing less than trying to follow him wherever the glow was going to take them. They still fought and flew and moved through the battle despite the softly building glow that wasn't exactly visible to the humans fighting. That was just the first part though and Time was very careful when he placed the last piece to connect to his stubborn guardian.

It happened just as the Ancient One rescued Stephen and Mordo from Kaecilius in the Mirror Dimension. When Mordo realized that Kaecilius was telling the truth about her channeling the Dark Dimension something unknown hit Stephen. Stephen collapsed screaming as he clutched his head in front of Mordo, Kaecilius, his two followers, and the Ancient One. All of them could feel the magic involved and automatically turned to deal with whatever had hurt Stephen.

Stephen, in turn, was up and moving in under ten seconds. His eyes glowing blue-green for a split second longer than was needed for the others to catch sight of it.

"Damnit, Tony!" Stephen cursed and disappeared through a portal. The others exchange a look and, by mutual silent agreement, followed after him through the still open portal that was glowing BLUE rather than the normal gold. A portal that was openly cast without a sling ring or other focus and that closed behind them.

What they found on the other side was chaos and shouting.

~~~

"I don't care what the results were five minutes ago. If you put him under now he might not wake back up!" Stephen was shouting at obvious medical people in a medical setting wherever they had landed.

"Intruders, calling security," a female voice said from the ceiling.

"Belay that, Friday! I'll deal with the Sorcerers after Tony's no longer at risk from the magic interfering with the surgery," Stephen snapped at the voice. "Run protocol McFly's Flux Capacitor. Authorization: Time to break the Time-Warp. Call Rhodes and Potts and get them here or on the phone."

"Just who the hell do you think you are?!" an outraged female doctor demanded over the now visibly unconscious Tony Stark not yet prepared for surgery.

"Doctor Stephen Strange, former neurosurgeon," Stephen answered. "I got dragged into the magic side of the hero business after my hands were crushed but that doesn't invalidate my medical license or the fact that I know what I'm talking about, Doctor Cho."

A moment of tense silence passed as both sides reassessed the situation.

"Identity confirmed, you've been missing for nearly eight months Doctor Strange," Friday said carefully.

"Considering where I landed when my memories kicked in that doesn't surprise me," Stephen said tiredly. "Just don't give Stark anything and reschedule whatever you were going to do. Once his memories settle and the magic fades going forwards on the medical side should be safe enough assuming he hasn't picked up magical complications from all of this."

"What have you done?" Mordo demanded, mildly horrified after what he had already deduced from Stephen's words.

"Tried to keep the universe and reality from ending. Stark dies and we might as well not even bother protecting anything anymore. He's too much of a lynchpin for any chance at keeping things at least a little bit intact," Stephen told them flatly.

"Doctor, despite the authorization code protocol McFly's Flux Capacitor requires me to ask a security question," Fridays informed them.

"He didn't remove that yet? Right, nevermind, he hasn't invented his version of time travel yet so there's a lot less people that might show up... Go ahead Friday," Stephen grumbled.

"Warp Core versus Light Sabers times Buzz Lightyear?" Friday asked carefully.

"Of all the stupid.... Really, Tony?! Dilithium crystals versus Quartz crystals with all three being space themed," Stephen complained but answered. "Honestly, Star Trek, Star Wars, and then throwing in Toy Story?!"

"Yeah, not my weirdest security idea though," Tony slurred from the gurney he was on. "You even covered the theatrical tech side stuff. I'm honored, Merlin."

"At least you're awake and somewhat coherent," Stephen grumbled. "What do you remember? Since I can't get past your medical team to check you myself."

"It worked but it also didn't," Tony said tiredly. "I felt the stones killing me after I snapped but I could also feel them screaming at how wrong everything was. They forgave us for the time heist and the two snaps but they were screaming even as they killed me. Time paused long enough to call you over. We could both feel you wouldn't make it in time before I finished dying. They collaborated to cast the spell that caught us but they weren't sure who all they could send back and to when. They had a hard time recognizing anyone separately except for you and me. I don't know who came back with us."

"We landed relatively safely," Stephen sighed. "Anything else we'll have to work out as we go along."

The Ancient One stepped up behind him raising a hand with a spell visible on it. Stephen didn't see it but Tony did. He didn't think. He just activated the emergency gauntlet on his wrist and blasted her back away from Stephen. Tony was up and moving, shaking off the spell effects even as he grabbed Stephen and shoved the doctor behind his own still shakey body.

"Don't," Tony growled at all of the other Sorcerers even as the Ancient One got back to her feet with little fan fare.

"Please tell me this really doesn't involve time travel? Dealing with Ultron was bad enough!" Dr. Cho muttered her complaint.

"Sorry but yes, time travel is involved," Stephen said with a mirthless laugh.

"Date, baby girl?" Tony requested.

"Wednesday, January 18, 2017, Boss," Friday answered promptly. "It's currently 11:48 am."

"He only attacked the sanctum roughly twenty minutes ago?" Stephen muttered to himself in disbelief.

"You landed in the middle of a personally important battle didn't you?" Tony groaned. "What even is our lives? I mean really? I was at least just talking with the docs about the next surgery I need after Rogers and Barnes got done with me in Siberia. It was about time for the next round of fix the Tony."

Stephen huffed a disbelieving laugh. Doctor Cho sighed and started ushering the medical staff out of the potential line of fire that the waiting area had become. The two heroes and the Sorcerers let them go. Once all of the non-combatants were gone Tony lowered his repulsor and gestured for everyone to take a seat. No one did but the Sorcerers all moved into slightly more relaxed positions.

"So, where's your uber powered green rock, oh Guardian of Time?" Tony quipped. "You do know that we have to keep them away from the purple grape, right? You remember that much at least?"

"I was being an idiot with it and then they attacked the sanctums before my memories hit. At this point I'm going to have to kidnap it again and then go let Dormammu kill me on repeat again until he listens to me and accepts my deal," Stephen growled, irked and waving at Kaecilius' group to indicate who they were. "You do realize that the memory update is for a possible future and certainly not the one we actually want to happen correct?"

"Yup," Tony grimaced at what Stephen was going to have to do shortly. "Come back here when you get back. You can at least break down in safety. You, sir Gandalf, have gone through actually dying way too many times. I swear with how weird time and death are around both of us the minds connected to them have got to be either messing with us or actually like us. Which is a terrifying thought but strangely useful in our line of work as heroes."

"Like you're any better with how some of the other overpowered rocks seem to like you," Stephen snipped right back. "Yeah, I'll come back. Between what I have to go through again and all the other memories crashing near anyone else might get them killed. I'll at least trust you to get near me if I start lashing out or am freaked out enough for that to be an active risk."

"Not your mystic teachers?" Tony asked with interest.

"The Ancient One dumped me on Everest in the middle of a blizzard to learn portals the rest of the way which nearly killed me from exposure. Mordo tried to kill me for breaking the natural law supposedly to protect the planet and reality on more than one occasion, mostly after the snaps. Kaecilius and his followers were literally just trying to kill me before the memories hit so no, not right now and possibly never again. Wong... maybe?" Stephen listed out blandly before turning thoughtful. "You and your AIs, definitely. Peter, maybe if he remembers but beyond that my trust levels are a bit on the fragile side."

"And does that discount or include all of the alternate timelines you had to sort through?" Tony asked quietly.

Stephen didn't answer. Instead he just sort of folded in on himself and breathed. Tony gave a silent Ah and slipped himself under Stephen's arm, pulling the depleted Doctor tight against him. Stephen gave a weak protesting sound but slumped the rest of the way against Tony, unable to stand any longer.

"Yeah, the multiple trauma is hitting you all at once. I won't be much better when it's my turn but I'm still high on caffeine from earlier and adrenaline from just now," Tony said ruefully. "I have the watch, Merlin."

Those last words seemed to relieve Stephen's burden enough that he dropped fully unconscious in Tony's arms.

"If he remembers this deal then so will Dormammu," the Ancient One offered. "He need not repeat gaining the deal but he will have to visit the Dark Dimension and Dormammu to reaffirm it."

"Good to know," Tony said shortly, eyeing them all with knowing and watchful eyes. "Friday, see that they stick around while I put Stephen to bed. You have permission to use the defense system to make sure they stay until my Doctor-Sorcerer is safely back on his feet after his nap. Order in whatever takeout they want and include anyone who shows up from the magic side of things in the group to keep around. If it's Loki and he complains about anything potentially future related or not being able to find either of us send him to us. Activate protocol Time-Warp and warn Spiderling of the situation if he or your sister Karen ask. If I'm not awake but Stephen is go ahead and treat his instructions as if they're from me... within reason. I don't want him locking me out of my lab or locking me in my bedroom to make me sleep more or whatever. Anyone else is fair game though."

"Yes, Boss!" Friday cheerfully acknowledged.

With those orders issued Tony dragged Stephen down a hallway nearby and out of sight.

~~~

Stephen woke suddenly to the sound of a quiet argument outside of wherever he was and the cuddling of the Cloak of Levitation. It took him a minute to orient and recognize the voices of the Ancient One, Karl Mordo, and Tony Stark. That didn't compute so he dragged himself out of the hospital bed, grateful that he wasn't hooked up to any actual equipment, and to the door. What he found just outside his door just reinforced the sense of the surreal.

"No, you aren't waking him up. I don't care if it has something to do with whatever magic you guys do. He's exhausted enough and we have bigger fish to fry when he does actually wake up," Tony argued stubbornly if quietly. "You already cleared him from the door-mom-mumu thing with just a check-in he can do later. Your bad guys even stuck around because all of this freaked them out just as much as it did you. So, no, I'm not letting you wake him up."

"A bit late for that," Stephen said from the now properly open doorway.

"Stephanie! You good?" Tony exclaimed.

"I'll live but I will need more rest later," Stephen allowed even as he extended his arm towards Tony. Tony took the blatant invitation and practically pounced on him for a hug. Both of them ignored the cloak whacking Tony on the head but otherwise cuddling him right back with Stephen.

"Your service cloak went all protective so I was the one stuck getting you into bed," Tony warned, still half melted into Stephen's side. "I've already talked Rhodey and Pepper down from their freak outs but they don't remember much, just a vague impression of things. Spiderling is on his Vulture hunt but I was at least smart enough not to take away the suit this time. All three of them were weirded out by the time travel. Aside from Spiderling geeking out they all just sort of accepted that I'm smart enough to do it and that it was just my style if bad enough shit went down. I didn't tell them much about you except telling them that yes, magic is real and you're my latest stray that can kick ass."

"So they will want a proper overview without risking the timelines but they are willing to wait before they shoot me," Stephen huffed a laugh. "And you seem to be giddy over our survival or at least the fact that you didn't get dumped back here alone."

Tony shuddered visibly at the thought and clung harder to Stephen's side. Stephen in turn sighed and held on just as tightly. They both ignored the still lingering Sorcerers. He didn't really care what they thought about all of this even if he was going to have to explain things properly at some point.

"Master Strange," the Ancient One said sternly some time later.

"Master," Stephen sighed as he and Tony finally stood back up to face the curious Sorcerers.

"I believe that an explanation is in order," the Ancient One said sternly.

"How does stopping the deaths of more than half of all life the universe over and the deliberate destabilizing of the fabric of reality sound?" Tony snorted.

The way the Sorcerers blanched and looked to Stephen for horrified confirmation, which he gave with a reluctant nod, had all five of them numbly sitting down in the waiting area. Stephen and Tony followed and watched them try to come to grips with things. Tony's medical people slipped in and started treating them each for shock with warm food and drinks even as they too were pale. Tony figured that they had overhead the discussion. Thankfully, enough of them had basically been on call for the Avengers and the weird that happened around the team that they were handling it like champs.

"Anyone who sticks around to hear the rest of it will be expected to pitch in," Tony told the room quietly. "For my employees you'll be covered on anything related but you'll have to sign fresh NDAs. This will get out no matter what but we want to limit when and where so that we have the chance to actually stop it first."

"Should I start planning for everything to go wrong and have to treat everyone at once?" Doctor Cho asked archly, her voice wobbling a bit.

"I don't know," Tony answered honestly. "We've only been back since I collapsed. Doctor Strange and I are the only people we've confirmed yet who have our actual memories of the potential future. Potts and Rhodes got overall impressions but not full memories. It's a future we don't want to arrive so screwing things over is going to be a primary goal but preferably in a way that let's us win rather than just fuck stuff up for the bad guys."

"Should I start a wish list for who we pull in?" Stephen asked tiredly. His nap hadn't been anywhere near enough rest and he knew it.

"I'm afraid that you will have to reaffirm your deal with Dormammu first, Master Strange," the Ancient One put in.

Stephen groaned and checked for his sling ring. Finding it gone he retrieved it from Kaecilius before portalling away into first Kamar-Taj for the Eye of Agamotto and then again away into the Dark Dimension. He was not looking forwards to this conversation.

~~~

Stephen stumbled as he landed in the Dark Dimension. He cursed under his breath as his trauma induced exhaustion tried to kick in again. He really had to get back to Tony. Unfortunately, he didn't believe the Ancient One when she said he wouldn't have to repeat his time looped deaths. Stephen was the one to actually face Dormammu after all.

Stephen's distraction turned out to be problematic when a vine of power crept up behind him. He didn't see it when it lunged for him but he definitely noticed when it wrapped him up and dragged him into a mass of other black vines. Before he knew it he was cocooned and held up in mid-air in front of Dormammu, already defeated and captured.

"Ah, my heir, you have finally decided to visit," Dormammu smirked as the black vines moved Stephen into a spread eagle position.

"Ah, what?" Stephen demanded, actively confused.

"I officially adopted you after our first confrontation and when you arrived I couldn't have you triggering that annoying time loop again," Dormammu told him. "It would defeat the purpose of enforcing the adoption and properly marking you as mine after all."

"I appreciate the offer but I'm going to have to decline," Stephen said nervously. "I just came to double check our deal was still good after the time travel dropped me back into my younger self."

"If it hadn't been you would have repeated the process," Dormammu commented thoughtfully. Stephen swallowed hard and reluctantly nodded his agreement to that assessment.

"You don't get to say no," a woman said as she walked out of the surrounding darkness.

"Niece," Dormammu greeted her.

"Uncle," the woman greeted in return. "I don't think that I will renew intimacies with Stephen in this timeline. I do, however, want a say in who he might be given to in their form of marriage."

"Now wait a minute, hold on! You aren't deciding who I marry or even date," Stephen protested. "Even if I agreed to the adoption that would have been completely off the table!"

"You've already fallen for somebody," the woman observed with a frown. "You don't think you have the chance to claim them."

"He had a wife and daughter before we had to resort to time travel and he died protecting them," Stephen reluctantly admitted. "Even if he doesn't renew that relationship I highly doubt that he will want me. Especially, since I was the one who sent him to his death in the first place and was responsible for the death of a child he viewed as his own. I probably won't even look for someone else after seeing what could have been and how he acted in those potential futures."

"You think this is an obstacle?" Dormammu asked with a frown.

"Even if they were eliminated it's unlikely he will see me as a viable partner," Stephen sighed. "I also wouldn't risk seeing them taken from him with how they help him and support him in various ways. No, the best I can probably achieve is being in his life."

"Why so open about it?" The woman asked curiously.

"I may have fought Dormammu and lost many times in the loop but he made it clear that he could get whatever information he desired in various ways. There wasn't any point in hiding it when the information could get distorted before it got to him. Then again the truth is more likely to see him left out of things between Dormammu and I than any lie I could come up with," Stephen answered glumly. "Especially since he has no idea that I've fallen in love with him. I don't plan to tell him anytime soon either."

"A modification of our first deal then," Dormammu commanded. "There will be no further assault on your Earth unless your world and people are at fault for your death or for breaking you. I value you more highly than a piddling world that was to be my snack so I will leave it to you. My zealots, as you put it last time, will serve under you as my heir and no other. If they become too troublesome you may send them back to me but I will not remove them when they can serve a better purpose as your slaves. As I now have a vested interest in your life and things on Earth I will not be going away and never coming back. As recompense for completely dismissing that condition of our deal you may freely use the energies from this dimension without cost as my heir and anyone else who has accepted my mark on your world is now your slave."

"What?! That's completely different from what we agreed on!" Stephen protested in outrage and poorly hidden dread.

"I could adhere to our original agreement but that would also mean you agree to remain here until you have fully accepted your place as my heir. You never specified your own release or return or any lack of future interference," Dormammu said pointedly. "The slaves are to be your guards and servants. I wish to see how you handle them and to see you guarded as befits my heir."

Stephen swallowed hard and actually thought about what was being offered. Dormammu was basically insisting on parental rights but allowing Stephen to return and do his duties as Sorcerer Supreme. The slaves weren't exactly palatable but at the same time they fit with rulers of historical records and Dormammu wouldn't see the problem. It would also be a mercy for those who Dormammu had taken and killed the last go around to be bound to Stephen instead.

"I... reluctantly agree to the alterations specified for our original deal," Stephen said carefully.

Dormammu laughed even as he dragged Kaecilius and the Ancient One to them via their connection to the Dark Dimension and released Stephen to the pair.

"See my heir well cared for, any currently on Earth who bare my mark or draw from my realm are now his slaves and servants, including both of you," Dormammu ordered the two Sorcerers.

"Oh shit," Stephen breathed just loud enough for his two new servants to hear him.

"What have you done?!" the Ancient One hissed as Kaecilius responded sourly in confirmation on both their behalves.

"He wanted to renegotiate and made sure I wasn't in a position to say no," Stephen answered quietly. "I was captured and restrained before I could trigger the time loop."

"We'll discuss this later," Kaecilius quietly snapped at both of them as he opened a portal back to Tony's medical floor in Stark Tower, hustling them all back through.

Stephen surrendered to the medical staff who checked his various scrapes and bruises from his capture and struggling in his bonds. The other Sorcerers checked him for magics discreetly cast on him. They found a tracker and a type of reverse summoning magic that could drag him back to Dormammu the way Kaecilius and the Ancient One had been summoned. Tony was there checking on him long before they had finished.

~~~

Tony took one look at him and shooed the medical staff out of the way.

"What happened?" Tony asked levelly as he made Stephen look him in the eye.

"He remembered our last encounter and took steps to neutralize me immediately," Stephen answered. "Once I was bound and at his mercy he greeted me and called me his heir. I objected to the adoption and was told I had no choice in the matter. Eventually the discussion came around to the original deal we made. He insisted on dictating new terms. I argued despite being his captive but when he laid out why... it wasn't entirely unreasonable. I reluctantly agreed with his new terms."

"Which included the adoption," Tony sighed.

"Which included the adoption," Stephen agreed ruefully. "On the plus side everyone he would have taken off planet and killed for raw materials was assigned to me instead. So fewer deaths and he's decided keeping me as his heir is worth far more than eating the planet and then moving on to eat the rest of the universe bit by bit. I was also given permission to draw from his dimension for power without consequences if I need a boost. I will try to avoid doing that but he insisted it was a fair trade off for refusing to go away and leave Earth alone since I'm living here."

Tony winced but reluctantly agreed.

"Then that means..." Mordo said trailing off as he looked between Stephen and the remaining four Sorcerers.

"Yes, although I wasn't going to enforce that part," Stephen grumbled. "Dormammu might have given them to me as slaves and servants but that doesn't mean that I have to enforce it."

"Actually, in this case it does," the Ancient One corrected with a wince.

Stephen's head snapped around to stare at her.

"Explain," Tony ordered dangerously as he kept himself between Stephen and the other Sorcerers.

"Traditionally, when you sign a contract with Dormammu you sign away everything," Kaecilius informed him coldly. "Strange's deal is slightly different. They met as equals rather than petitioned and petitioner. Strange won the original confrontation from what I understand of things and that isn't taken lightly. The deal wasn't just reworked. Lord Dormammu claimed Strange for his own and he can enforce that at any time. When he accepted us as his slaves and Dormammu summoned us to fetch him the change in ownership was recognized by the magic of the planet and everyone affected felt it. If he doesn't fulfill his place as our owner then the entire deal is null and void."

"Shit," Stephen cursed. He ignored the laughter he felt in the back of his head but a quick glance at Tony told him that the inventor heard it too. The slight warmth and sense of amusement from the amulet around his neck told him where it was coming from.

"How many are we talking about here?" Tony asked with a sigh. "I think I can find places for them in my company or at least near wherever we set up to deal with everything on our plates. I did it before when Rogers and the Black Widow burned SHIELDRA in the data dump they didn't bother telling me about beforehand."

"That will not be necessary," the Ancient One said stiffly. "We will be returning to Kamar-Taj."

"No, I won't," Stephen corrected before anyone else could say anything. "I will be staying with Stark and before you try to order me around you need to be aware of certain facts."

"Your status as my new Master is irrelevant to the situation at hand," the Ancient One countered.

"As a fellow Sorcerer Supreme you know damn well that we don't leave the job, we die in it! Going back to Kamar-Taj right now won't help get things ready for the threat we have to stop," Stephen shot back. He ignored the shocked looks from the other Sorcerers as he furiously stood up from the bed he had been seated on for his check up.

"As your mother I will still do my damnedest to keep you alive and safe! As your teacher I will push you until you are the best that you can be!" the Ancient One snapped at him.

"You aren't my mother," Stephen snarled. Tony refused to let him move towards the other Sorcerers and out of the protection that the inventor was subtly offering.

"Yes, I am," the Ancient One told him more forcefully. "Your first parents were fully informed at the time of the magical ritual adoption and agreed to it. You were delirious with a high fever and they were old friends. They called in a favor to save you. My price was that they used me as the necessary healthy donor. They agreed. You have been my son since you were five."

The room froze at that news and Tony took advantage of that fact to guide Stephen back onto the bed.

"Then why was I never told?" Stephen asked softly.

"Because of the enemies I made over the centuries," the Ancient One answered with a sigh. "Your first parents agreed to have their memories locked and only dire risk to you would have allowed them to remember enough to contact me. I checked on you semi-regularly but I didn't want to intrude. It was enough for me to know that you were safe. I have never been able to see past my death and your collapse during the fight which should have killed me terrified me. My only consolation was that you were up and moving again almost immediately even if it was through an unknown type of portal."

"Oh?" Tony asked, openly interested.

"There was enough energy left over from our return that I used some of the tesseract energies to get to you rather than try to figure out anything about my sling ring. The portal was open for longer than standard on the ones I normally cast but not by much," Stephen waved the curiosity away. "I was aiming for you and your arc reactors all carry the same signature so it only helped to get to you faster when casting blind. You saw me retrieve my sling ring from Master Kaecilius before I left to deal with Dormammu."

"Ah," Tony said, understanding the confusion and the solution.

"Boss, Spiderling has begun freaking out on patrol. Karen is having trouble calming him down," Friday interrupted the discussion urgently.

"Give me a location, Fri!" Tony yelped as he immediately headed for the closest part of the building he could get into the air from.

"If you can give us a picture nearby I'll make a portal," Stephen called out even as he was up and dodging everyone to follow after Tony.

"Friday?" Tony requested.

"Picture up on the TV in the waiting area," Friday snapped out. "Hurry! Hostiles inbound!"

Stephen didn't wait to change directions as he snapped out the portal in front of both himself and Tony after a quick glance at the TV. Central Park. They were gone before anyone could catch up to them, portal closing behind them.

~~~

Peter hadn't been having the best day. First he had gone to school only to be beaten up by Flash before being laughed at for coming in when he didn't have to. Apparently it was an administrative day? Flash had forgotten something in his locker that he needed which was the only reason he had been at the school. Once Flash let him go Peter had barely taken the chance to glance at the posted notice next to the front office to confirm things before he got out of there.

Peter could already feel the deep purple bruising forming over his lower ribs and stomach as he found somewhere to change into his Spider suit. He grimaced at the pain and at the agony he was going to be in for the coming web slinging but he figured if he just headed for the tower he could sneak in an extra lab day with Mr. Stark and rest there. It wasn't like the bruises were going to last long once he got a bigger meal than usual into him so he figured he had time. They would have probably healed by the time he actually got to the tower anyway, or at least that's what he told himself.

Peter didn't wait long to start crawling up the side of one of the buildings. He also didn't bother to hide his backpack, instead taking it with him as he started his trip from 49th Avenue towards 495 and the Queens Midtown Tunnel. Hitching a ride on a semi-truck he stayed flat to the trailer roof until he was back in sunlight at the other end of the tunnel and officially in Manhattan. Normally, he would have just web slung his way across the Queensboro bridge but the beating that Flash had given him had done a real number on his insides. It was for that same reason that he let the semi take him farther than normal which put him, very ironically, practically at the Metro Museum of Art if a few streets over from where it was in central park.

Peter had to bite back a scream of pain when he used his webs to get off of the semi-truck to head for the tower. He figured he could cut across Central Park closer to the tower even if it would be slower than web slinging the entire way. It would also, thankfully, reduce the strain on whatever the fuck Flash had broken that wasn't healing yet.

The gang he ran across holding a bunch of modified alien weapons made Peter groan. He had just dropped down into the park and had been thinking about finding a bathroom to change back into civilian clothes when his Spidey Sense warned him about something. Dodging the metal bat aimed at his head was second nature at this point but the way he twisted to get a look at his attackers once more put him in agony. It and the building energies he could feel skittering across his nerves distracted him as he punched out the guy who had tried to take his head off.

Peter didn't hear the snap of the broken arm or the scream from his attacker as the memories hit. He slipped into a panic attack, unable to hear Karen try to help him, as he fought to separate the now from remembering disintegrating on Titan. His attacker's scream had apparently gotten the attention of the rest of the alien weapon gang because they headed for the pair of them. One of them got a shot off and Peter was too split between fighting himself and his immediate opponent to react in time. The blast hit him and he went down in convulsions as the electricity arced across him and his high tech spider suit.

The last thing Peter heard as he faded from consciousness was the outraged roar from two different familiar voices. He was unconscious before his body stopped twitching from the electrical blast.

~~~

The first thing they saw as they passed through the portal was Spiderman fighting some nameless thug with a metal bat. Both of them automatically clocked that he wasn't moving normally and instead seemed to be falling back on some sort of instinct. The thug got his arm up and in the way of a punch aimed at his head and from the sickening crack of his arm it very well might have saved his life. Unfortunately, the blast from one of the incoming dumbasses hit Spiderman just as the pair disengaged from each other with barely inches in between them.

"Underroos!" Tony howled as he watched Spiderman go down with some sort of electrical blast.

"Spiderman!" Stephen cried out at his side even as they both rushed forwards to rescue him.

"Karen glitched but is back online and redirecting the energy as much as possible," Friday reported over both internal and external speakers for Stephen's benefit.

"Thugs are mine," Tony snarled.

"I've got Spidey," Stephen confirmed as he went down on his knees next to his patient. "Karen, give me a run down."

"My sensors are damaged but there is damage from the attack and internal bleeding from before Spiderman donned the suit," Karen reported quickly. "Some form of energy field hit Spiderman and myself before the hostile hit us with the electrical blast. I was able to reconcile the data update quickly but Spiderman appeared to be having trouble integrating the new-old data update as he fought. He entered into a panic attack which was forcibly ended by the electrical attack. The internal bleeding does not appear to be healing at a commiserate rate as has been recorded in the past. I am unsure why I was able to note it but not inquire about it or act on it before the update integration."

"Where?" Stephen demanded. He would worry about the memory update later since he suspected it was the same one that he and Tony had gotten. The timing of the integration was simply unfortunate.

"Internal bleeding primarily centered on the lower torso and ribs. He appears to be only unconscious from the electrical blast in conjuncture with what would normally be displayed by someone hit by a taser," Karen reported.

They both ignored Tony taking out the idiots with extreme prejudice and ruthless efficiency.

"I need to see the most pressing injuries," Stephen commanded.

"Recommendation to move him to Stark Medbay for treatment," Karen reported instantly. "Surgical intervention may be required."

Stephen cursed viciously and opened a portal back to the medbay even as he ignored the just now catching up with him Sorcerers.

"What do you need?" the Ancient One demanded, arriving at his side.

"The boy needs to get back to the medbay, he's hurt, and someone needs to stick around to bring Stark back once he's done dealing with the attackers. There's no point in making him come back on his own and panicking him further while I get Spiderman into treatment," Stephen told them, switching over to doctor mode. "His enhancements mean we're already racing the clock."

"Master Mordo, Master Kaecilius, stay with Iron Man and support him as needed. Masters Jin and Li with us," the Ancient One ordered as she started casting a stretcher spell to safely lift Spiderman and transport him.

Stephen stayed focused on his patient as they walked right through the portal into the medbay. He wasted no time in getting the suit off of Peter and hissed in sympathy as he saw the dark purple bruising that was quickly turning black on the teens stomach.

"Get me three units of transfusion blood for Spiderman," Stephen barked out to the medical staff.

The three Sorcerers shuffled off to the side to stay out of the way as orders were snapped out and Peter was moved to a physical bed. The Ancient One quickly dismissed the stretcher spell to get it out of the way as they watched. One of the nurses ushered them out of the treatment area and back into the waiting room.

Less than ten minutes later Tony and his assigned Sorcerers walked through another portal. After being told that Peter was being treated Tony wasted no time in pulling up the data from Karen and trying to work out what had happened.

Two hours after getting Peter into the medical bay Stephen walked out to the waiting area and hugged Tony tightly.

"He's going to be alright," Stephen reassured him. "We got the bleeders in time but we had to open him up and whoever hurt him didn't hold back. It wasn't the group we found him fighting. The bruising that started the bleeding which he aggravated by moving was older than that. Karen glitched but got caught in the same memory update we got so I suspect Peter was caught in it too. On the other hand she was able to help after she integrated the new data update."

"She was probably caught in it because her primary location is in the suit and not a server like Friday," Tony sighed, relieved that his kid was going to be okay.

"You risked channeling the energies to temporarily repair your hands," the Ancient One observed softly.

"I wasn't going to leave Peter to someone else when I had no idea of their qualifications and had already taken command of the emergency," Stephen growled. That was when Tony noticed the extra shaking in Stephen's hands and the way they were spasming in pain.

"Idiot," Tony sighed and half dragged him over to the nurses station to show his employees the problem.

The nurse glared at Stephen for hiding it and immediately set about gently manipulating his hands before applying newly activated heat pads. Tony had apparently gotten his files into the system via Friday specifically in case they needed to treat him after his visit with Dormammu. As a result they were already familiar with the pre-existing damage and knew, in general, how to treat his currently overworked hands.

"I'm making you gloves and you aren't saying no, Merlin," Tony scolded. Stephen just grunted and didn't argue.

The Ancient One observed them closely and gasped as she realized what she was seeing.

"What?" Tony demanded as his head snapped around to look at her.

"No wonder you moved so quickly," the Ancient One said softly, focused completely on Stephen.

"Don't," Stephen warned, guessing at what she had realized.

"Does he know?" the Ancient One asked.

"Of course not. It has nothing to do with any of this so why would I tell him?" Stephen grumbled.

"Tell me what?" Tony inquired lightly.

"Nothing important, douchebag," Stephen sighed. "It isn't relevant to anyone but me and whether the Ancient One actually is my mother or not it isn't her business either. Before I looked forwards on Titan it didn't even exist to factor in."

"Uh huh, so what exactly did you see that's got her all concerned now?" Tony asked, unimpressed.

"Just your true character and Peter's. We either ran or fought on Titan in those futures and sometimes we lasted more than a few hours together," Stephen explained. "She just noticed that I won't sacrifice either of you lightly and probably not even then so it isn't important."

Tony hummed thoughtfully but didn't pursue the subject further for the moment. The Ancient One gave Stephen an unimpressed look but didn't correct the implied reasoning hidden in his truthful words.

"You've broken the natural law," Master Mordo said in quiet anger.

"Yes and I am willingly paying the price for it. The time travel wasn't my idea nor did I contribute to the casting beyond being a focus point. The other incidents where all countering something and I took what precautions I could," Stephen told him coldly. "You might have been one of my teachers but your rigidity nearly cost us the world more than once. I had to find out about that when the Eye of Agamotto showed me potential futures in our attempts to stop a major threat. So no, I won't be submitting to your eventual demand for my execution. Friend or not I refuse to let you doom us all just because I saw a solution that didn't fit your idea of what is natural and what is not."

"What happened?" the Ancient One's voice cracked out like a whip, breaking the stand off as both of them startled.

"I have become proficient in Time magic," Stephen answered with a sigh. "It was done out of necessity rather than curiosity and Master Mordo is of a mind that any disturbance to the natural order of things is deserving of a death sentence. Your use of the Dark Dimension energies broke his faith in you. You died before we could get any explanation and he became... radical. I am getting so sick and tired of people trying to kill me or actually killing me for wanting to do my job as Sorcerer Supreme even if my solutions tend to be unconventional."

"The time looped deaths," Tony sighed in understanding. "You said the amulet fixed some of the mental damage each time you looped because it liked you but you didn't mention the cost."

"I'm pretty sure the Eye of Agamotto claimed control of the rest of my lifespan in payment for that stunt," Stephen said ruefully. "It's probably why I arrived almost completely in sync with you when the stones sent us back into our younger bodies."

"Exposure to the relevant energies and the general exposure levels," Tony grimaced. "Since Peter was on Titan with us he was the next one dragged into position. If they managed anyone else..."

"We three were the most exposed to things barring perhaps Banner and Loki for different reasons," Stephen agreed. "Banner's exposure was all at once in a single blast but Loki's was over a longer time period in smaller doses. You had both through the snap and the arc reactors. I also had both since I immediately used the Eye for the time loop and also acted as it's guardian until Titan."

"You aren't doing that trade thing again by the way," Tony warned.

"It was literally the only path forwards that gave anyone the chance to fix things at that point. You were our best hope and I don't regret it," Stephen said fiercely. "Don't get into the same situation again and I won't have to fix it again."

"It isn't like I objected to being traded to protect you," a deeply amused bass voice echoed from the amulet around Stephen's neck.

"Ha! I knew you assholes were sentient!" Tony crowed in triumph. Stephen just rolled his eyes at both inventor and stone, firmly ignoring the suddenly pale Sorcerers.

"Yes, well few earn the right to interact with us regularly. Even our chosen guardians don't always know that we are alive and can interact with them directly. I authorized it every time Stephen had to use time magic and checked it to make sure he wasn't breaking anything I couldn't fix," the Time Stone pointed out. "The first time with the apple was an exception because he needed to know the risks and get yelled at by Wong and Mordo. Without him getting yelled at like that he wasn't going to be able to navigate future use of my power properly to avoid breaking something we couldn't fix. He's precocious and a fair bit overpowered but he's certainly not stupid. I am very glad that I picked him to be my final guardian."

"Final guardian?" the Ancient One asked faintly.

"Hmm, yes. You were decent enough as a guardian but you were never ideal. Too uninvolved in things that needed direct attention. I pushed you onto the path to keep going and maintaining the connection to the Dark Dimension because otherwise my Stephen wouldn't have survived that fever. You would have been dead before you could adopt him or rescue his birth parents from what would have killed them when you made friends with them. They would have just been another pair of victims and the beast would have taken out half of your Order instead of only three Sorcerers and wounding you," Time explained with a chuckle.

"Yeah, our life is weird," Stephen said unenthusiastically as he gave up and tiredly leaned against Tony. Tony in turn chuckled and hugged him properly, shielding him from the gazes of the Sorcerers and medical staff alike.

~~~

Food was eventually sorted out for everyone as they lingered in the waiting area. Stephen knew that Mordo was just biding his time at this point but the private talk he saw the Ancient One practically frog march him into seemed to have done some good. He would wait until he actually had to execute his friend instead of condemning him before he had even acted.

"The patient is awake, Mr. Stark, Dr. Strange," a nurse reported barely a half an hour after they finished eating supper. "Try not to stress him out."

"You got it," Tony agreed, happy that Peter was on the mend. Stephen sighed and smiled ruefully at the Ancient One's pointed look but followed him in to visit Peter regardless.

"You scared me, Roo. You scared me so goddamn bad," Tony said almost as soon as they entered his room.

"Sorry, Mr. Stark," Peter said, sheepishly ducking his head. "I really didn't mean to worry you.

"It's Tony, kid. Tony, not Mr. Stark, not for you," Tony reminded him in exasperation.

"Oh just flat out tell him he can call you dad," Stephen ordered in irritation. "This back and forth always irritates me until you both slip so I'm putting a stop to it early."

"But... I'm not his son," Peter said, badly hiding his sadness and want to be Tony's son.

"Friday, run his blood samples in comparison to Tony's but keep in mind the mutation from the spider bite," Stephen ordered in counter before Tony could stop spluttering in outrage.

"In what manner, Doctor Strange?" Friday asked cautiously.

"Check for family connection or other blood relationship between them," Stephen ordered, causing the named pair to freeze in shock as they processed the possibility.

"That... That will take a few hours," Tony said, clearing his throat somewhat nervously.

"Do you not want me if it, you know?" Peter asked tentatively.

"Oh kid, no. I want you even if you aren't mine by blood," Tony immediately refuted Peter's worry. "I just never knew about you before now if you are mine. One thing I was working my way up to with May was seeing if I could talk her into letting me adopt you. I just... sometimes take time to notice stuff between me and other humans that everyone else sees as obvious. I'm a bit emotionally stunted, that's all."

"You've also been burned too many times," Stephen pointed out ruthlessly.

Peter noticed that Tony didn't immediately refute it and filed it away for later. If someone had hurt Tony like that he was sooo getting them back for it!

"Right, too many feelings out in the open so, subject change! Why weren't you at school?" Tony deflected even as he questioned Peter with a frown. "Also, I thought I told you to lay off the Vulture guy and his gang."

"You did but I got the Vulture back in September. It's January," Peter pointed out.

"Right, how could I forget? You wrapped up your Vulture hunt when you had to crash my plane," Tony grumbled, making a face. "You aren't distracting me from the school bit either. Now answer."

"Admin day today through Friday. No school, both me and May forgot so..." Peter admitted uncomfortably. "That's why I was in Manhattan instead of Queens. I was debating about coming to see you at the tower. Web slinging is actually faster than a cab or the subway or walking."

"And did the bruising come before or after you started heading for the tower?" Stephen asked sternly. He already knew they predated Peter putting on the suit that day thanks to Karen. Tony, on the other hand, hadn't been told anything beyond that they were older than the fight they had rescued Peter from.

"Before," Peter admitted with a wince. "I couldn't dodge or anything since it would have outed me to my jerk of a classmate."

That made both men pause as they put things together.

"You're getting bullied," Tony said tightly.

"Bullied badly enough that they left you with internal bleeding that would have killed a normal human if they hadn't gotten to a hospital in time," Stephen growled angrily. "I bet you didn't even try to stay still or get to medical care closer than the tower."

"Noooo, why would you think that?" Peter squeaked. "It's not that bad."

"Don't try to hide it," Tony snapped. "Whoever this asshole is didn't just put you in pain. He put your life in enough danger that you needed surgery. Since your life was at risk like that it really would have killed a baseline human. You aren't going to protect them. I can't afford to let you. I refuse to let you become an accessory to your own attempted murder."

Peter was at a loss as he looked between both older men. He knew he couldn't lie again. He sucked at lying and he could see where they were coming from. The problem was that it was only Flash, a classmate that had been pushing him around since middle school. Peter allowed it because it kept his cover intact and it kept Flash from targeting someone else who couldn't handle it.

"Eugene Thompson, he goes by Flash," Peter said numbly.

"How long?" Stephen asked gently, recognizing the numbness that was a form of disassociation.

"Since middle school," Peter answered as he gazed into nothing between them. "I can take it. The other kids can't."

Tony internally froze at that numb admission and allowed his eyes to close im despair as he realized what Peter had probably been going through.

"You aren't going back to that school," Tony said gruffly as he opened his eyes again to drink in the sight of his kid safe in bed. "If they're allowing it to escalate this far it isn't safe. I'll pay for you and your friends to attend school somewhere else. Hell, I'll house you all in the tower and get private tutors if I have to but you aren't going back."

Peter snapped out of it long enough to stare at Tony in shock.

"Peter, this sort of damage isn't acceptable no matter the situation," Stephen said carefully. "Yes, you have better healing than most people but you weren't healing fast enough to fix the bleeding this time. You're showing signs of malnutrition and anyone who checked you without knowing about Spiderman would assume that you're being abused and starved. This? Is not okay. The first person they would suspect is your Aunt."

"Oh god," Peter said, horrified.

"Friday, call Metro General Hospital for Nurse May Parker," Tony ordered with finality. "Tell them it's a family emergency."

"If they're stubborn tell them that I'm involved and ask for Doctor Palmer," Stephen added. At Tony and Peter's questioning looks he explained. "I used to work there. Doctor Palmer was my only real friend there, much like Rhodes and Ned are to the two of you."

"The first request was denied but referencing Doctor Strange and Doctor Palmer had me put on hold until Nurse Parker and Doctor Palmer could be reached," Friday reported.

"Nurse Parker and Doctor Palmer, we're on speaker phone in my office, how can we help you?" Christine's voice came over the line a moment later.

"Christine, sorry to bother you but I had an emergency patient in the last several hours," Stephen jumped in. "Peter Parker, Nurse Parker's nephew and ward. We had to take him into surgery to stop the bleeding from a beating someone gave him. He's here now with me at Stark Tower and in recovery."

"Do you need me to come over and look at him? Who performed the surgery?" Christine asked.

"I wouldn't mind a second opinion but you'll be stuck signing NDAs and I pulled a painful rabbit out of my hat to do the surgery myself," Stephen chuckled ruefully.

"Two hours of that technique to stabilize your hands put you in serious pain, Merlin," Tony growled.

"Tony?" May asked fearfully.

"Yeah, hi May, Doctor Palmer," Tony greeted them. "Kid's fine and resting. I'm pulling him out of his school though since one of his classmates was the reason for this. At first we thought it was the idiots we rescued him from but when Doctor Strange had to treat him we figured out that it was older than the fight we knew about. So once he was awake again I decided to ask some questions. You know he's shit at lying."

"Yes, I do but I never wanted him to be able to lie better," May sighed. "I take it he came in to his internship early and you found the injuries?"

"He was on his way in because it was a day off for students and he hadn't realized it until he got to school. He got jumped by some idiots as he was trying to cross Central Park. Karen warned us and we got to him as fast as we could. He'll live," Tony informed them. "I'm keeping him in Medbay for at least a few days since he had emergency surgery though."

"Thank you for telling me," May said with open relief. "Right now I'm glad you talked me into signing those joint guardianship papers last month."

"You what?!" Peter yelped in surprise.

"Yup," Tony smirked at Peter.

"...Tony, are you calling me from his hospital room?" May asked dangerously.

"Yup, I wanted the kid to hear me tell you so that he won't be mortified by my tattling on him," Tony said bluntly. "He's sometimes an idiot but then so am I sometimes. I just figured it would help to cut through the teenaged angst this time around."

"Good," May said in satisfaction. "If you need to keep him longer for health reasons do it. He's been hiding his injuries from coming home again."

"Aunt May!" Peter cried out mortified.

"Will do," Tony agreed with evil cheer.

"I'd like to request Doctor Palmer come and be read in on Peter's medical file. If nothing else she can stand in for me as an emergency medical contact," Stephen put in quickly.

"Says the friend who disappeared for eight months," Christine pointed out archly. "You could have called."

"Ah, actually I couldn't have. My phone got stolen almost immediately and I've only been back in the states for less than a day," Stephen admitted with a wince. "Young Mr. Parker was on his way to meet Dr. Stark during our impromptu meeting and I got pulled in out of necessity. I will have to cover some personal details with you before too long but I will admit right now that I deserve whatever scolding you have waiting for me."

"Who are you and what happened to my Stephen Strange?" Christine demanded half seriously and half suspiciously.

Tony just broke down laughing.

"Stop it, Tony. She hasn't seen anything about what I learned while I was away yet," Stephen snapped at the inventor.

"She's your Rhodey alright!" Tony howled in laughter. "She clocked you immediately."

"Do you want me dumping all of the coffee into the East River or the Bay?" Stephen threatened dangerously.

"Not my coffee!" Tony yelped in protest.

"I'll do it! You know I will!" Stephen growled.

"Fine, I'll leave your Rhodey out it," Tony grumbled. "But once she's read in I'm introducing her to my Rhodey and Pepper."

"Since I'm going to need to introduce all three of them to Wong that's fair," Stephen conceded.

"Oh my god," Peter exclaimed, mortified. "It's like you're a married couple or something!"

"I think I need to meet this Wong and possibly pin down one of you for a real explanation," May said thoughtfully. "I remember working with Doctor Strange in the past and this is both like and unlike you both."

"Uh, no you don't," Tony said warily as he hurriedly hung up on them. "Good to talk to you. Gotta go, bye!"

"That is only going to delay the inevitable," Stephen huffed.

"Better than getting roasted over the phone for taking the kid off planet on accident," Tony countered.

"Wait, you remember Titan?!" Peter asked, startled.

They exchanged a rueful look and sat down before going over everything that had happened since they woke up. Peter listened with interest and couldn't help being distracted from his injuries until he fell back asleep.

~~~

Loki was posing as Odin still and had enjoyed sending Thor on various quests. If asked he would tell the asker that he was trying to kill him. In private and occasionally with questions from an irate watchman he would answer that the targets were actual threats to Asgard and they needed to be ready. Thor was still the best weapon against such things as loathe as Loki was to admit it.

Thor was reporting on yet another successful adventure, mostly in private with Heimdall brooding disapproving nearby, when the magic hit him. The illusion of Odin crumbled and Loki collapsed screaming to the floor as his memories hit. Both men were so stunned at the sudden turn of events that they didn't approach him until after he had fallen unconscious.

"You knew?" Thor asked Heimdall.

"I did. The Allfather fell ill after Loki issued an attack he should have easily turned aside when reporting his own death," Heimdall growled. "You were unavailable. Loki took the throne by right of challenge and combat regardless of his... methods."

"I had no wish to be ripped apart when I took Odin's visage," Loki rasped as he achingly opened his eyes and sat up between them. "You can have the throne. I have to get to Stark. Time has been rewound and the Mad Titan comes for the Infinity Stones. Be sure to use the war wards when he comes for the Tesseract."

"Loki this is not a jesting matter!" Thor growled.

"I know that!" Loki snapped back. "Take the throne for all I care. I stood in because you weren't ready and Odin was to weakened. He should have shrugged off my hit with little consequence and knocked me on my ass. Instead, I had no trouble spelling him after hitting him and sending him to live on Midgard where they have some of their aged elders who need a little extra help stay. Not that he stayed there if my new future memories are correct."

"Future memories?" Heimdall asked with foreboding.

"Not me. I simply got caught in the spell," Loki grumbled. "I am not so foolish to try such a thing even if things were desperate enough to consider it and actually act upon it had I been given the choice."

"This is madness," Thor cried. "Enough of your trickery in truth, brother! I would have answers."

"Then banish me as Odin once did to you since you find no truth in my answers. I must get to the Man of Iron," Loki said in obvious exhaustion. "If you chose to slay me instead see at least a portion of our people moved to Midgard as a reserve both for Stark to call upon and civilians as well in case of Asgard's fall. Do that and I will go quietly. I so swear upon my life to obey this should you command it."

The oath rang with power and made both Asgardians stiff in recognition of how deadly serious Loki was.

"You will go even if we insist that you remain," Heimdall observed cautiously.

"Aye, I will," Loki reluctantly confirmed. "Unless you wish to take me up on claiming my life I have great need to support Stark in what is to come. Thor would have revealed me after the next quest to kill Surtur and we would have sought out the Allfather. Unfortunately, his time is ending and when he dies Hela will be released. Our elder sister, mad from such long imprisonment alone on a dead world. Between her and the Mad Titan all of Asgard will be destroyed with only a few hundred surviving to take refuge on Midgard. I am left for dead but I managed to preserve Thor when the time came. Stark is the pivot point on which we must all rely no matter what else might occur. I would see him safe as a result."

"You cannot go. Not when you can't even stand, brother," Thor insisted. "Who all has guessed your ruse?"

"Most likely did within a few months of my ascension to the throne," Loki admitted with a sigh. "My style is too unlike that of the Allfather and I had no time to waste on playing the part overmuch when I had to prepare us for war. The few who confronted me in private at least heard me out when I explained why aside from Heimdall. He wanted no excuses or explanations so I gave him none. Hela, unfortunately, will make all of my preparations for nothing."

"How many apples, brother?" Thor asked solemnly.

"I.... What?" Loki asked confused.

"Stark and who else will we need? How many apples will you need to deliver?" Thor asked firmly.

Loki hesitantly went over who he knew would be of great benefit to the coming fight but also who could be trusted with a Golden Apple.

"Stark, the Master Sorcerer Strange, the Spider child, Stark's Pepper dragon, and the War Machine... I cannot say that offering them to anyone else would be wise," Loki said carefully. "Stark is a given and his Spider child to keep him sane. Master Strange is... he managed to trap me in a way that I could not escape until he allowed it for a short time. Both the Pepper Dragon and the War Machine are Stark's as well. The green berserker is unlikely to need it whereas both the Hawk and the Black Widow were ordered to emotionally tear Stark apart and potentially kill him outright. The Captain... I do not trust. He strikes me as one who is as the walking dead by choice. Stark at least fights to atone and live."

"You may take ten apples, five to be given to those you named and five for reserve or dire need. Two more may be taken for yourself. One for your own needs and the other to see about growing a new grove on Midgard," Thor ordered firmly. "Should you successfully grow a new grove you and those you named are to guard it against the fall of Asgard. Idunn will not willingly leave her groves. Thus as you have brought dire warning and served Asgard well in readying our people I restore your place as a Prince of Asgard. As I gave up the throne and you have acted in both my stead and that of the Allfather I name this plus the safeguarding of Stark to face the threat you have yet to speak of as your final penance."

Heimdall made a noise of protest but subsided when Thor glared at him.

"You will lead any of Asgard that I send to you," Thor ordered.

Loki just sort of stared in shock. In no way did he anticipate such an outcome. His only thought had been to get to Stark with the fastest escape from Thor being to dump just enough information for him to act on in his lap.

"Banished for so little time?" Loki asked quietly.

"No, set as the very safeguard for Asgard that you requested in trade for your life," Thor corrected. "You offered your life in all seriousness and I have accepted in a different way than you offered. Do you accept this Loki Odinson, born of Laufey, Skywalker, Silver-tongue, and beloved son of Frigga the Allmother?"

"I am not an Odinson," Loki said bitterly. "But of the other names I cannot and will not refute."

"Thor-brother than, nay, do not gainsay me. I will continue to claim you as my brother no matter your protests," Thor said stubbornly. "You have yet to tell me what other names you prefer."

"I... accept what you offer," Loki said softly. "You have the word of Loki... Skywalker."

"Loki Skywalker then," Thor said gruffly. "For the harm father has done to you for so long I recognize your right to refuse the name of Odinson so long as you retain Thor-brother as one of your names. As such your name, by your own choice, is Prince Loki Skywalker of Asgard. May it bring you greater joy than being an Odinson has done."

"Thank you, Odinson," Loki said softly, inclining his head to Thor.

"I thank you for returning my brother to me," Thor countered. "Whatever hardships you have faced that I cannot recall you have grown and are more yourself in this last short time after your collapse than for years beforehand. I would see you flourish even if it appears that Asgard is too locked into it's ways for you to do so safely here."

They all got up after a minute or two more to let Loki finish resting from his collapse. Loki donned the image of Odin for one last time and fetched the proscribed number of apples plus one extra.

"Here, eat that you troublesome oaf," Loki grumbled as he dropped the illusion in the throne room once more. He tossed the single apple to Thor and very deliberately slipped the other twelve into his pocket space.

"Take what you need and go. A formal announcement of what has taken place will be given shortly. Those who seek to follow after you will not be denied but I will insist on a delay of at least one Midgardian month so that you may make what arrangements you see fit for your task," Thor told him. "By sunset today all of Asgard will know what I have proclaimed here."

Loki nodded his understanding and acceptance as he swiftly turned away to gather his things. He met Heimdall at the Bifrost and ignored the watchman's judging glare as the Bifrost was opened to take him as close to Stark as possible. There was no turning back now. Loki stepped through without pause and moved towards his future.

~~~

The Bifrost opened in Central Park not far from Avengers tower. Unfortunately, for Loki Heimdall had aimed it to land right in front of a group of news reporters doing a story live. Loki grimaced when he realized the latest spiteful act against him by Heimdall. It didn't take him long to decide that it was an opportunity in disguise when he was bombarded with questions and they blocked his path.

"Am I to presume that you care not whether you live or die with how you block my way?" Loki asked bluntly.

"Mr. Loki we just have a few questions on behalf of the general population," a charming and ruthless reporter answered for all of them.

"Very well but you may not appreciate the answers given," Loki said graciously. "I will allow a limited number of questions before I must be on my way."

"Then may we collaborate on what to ask to avoid wasting your time, sir?" a different reporter asked quickly.

"Ten Midgardian minutes," Loki agreed. He was amused that they quickly sorted themselves into a discussion on what to ask and by whom. It was blindingly apparent that they had no idea he could hear them just fine.

"Okay, first question, do you plan to attempt to invade again any time soon?" The first reporter asked with a shark smile.

"As I wasn't acting of my own volition in the first place for the previous invasion I don't believe I will be making further attempts," Loki answered with clear amusement. "My punishment for it is nearly over as it is and so I am here to offer your Warrior Prince a say in the remainder of my punishment."

"Warrior Prince?" The second reporter asked quickly. "Perhaps we know them by a different moniker?"

"Stark, of course," Loki smirked. "As the true leader for his group and the provider for those who acted as champions for your world he is offered the last parts of things as recompense on your people's behalf. Besides, I gave personal insult during the battle and have need to offer compensation for it no matter that I was not in my right mind at the time. Mind control magics are nasty and frequently carry the death penalty elsewhere among the realms in part because of the damage they can do not only to those around the puppet but to the puppet themselves. I was under the same enchantment that I used on various human agents and was not given a choice in my actions no matter how I fought it and tried to twist it. Actions which include the casting of the same magics. Has he not warned you of what he viewed beyond the portal? Or did some fool silence him?"

"That wasn't the full invasion force was it?" The first reporter asked, obviously feeling sick.

"Hardly, and they still come for Midgard," Loki snorted in amused disgust at the assumption that an invasion had so few attackers.

The interview was interrupted by Iron Man landing nearby and walking up to them.

"Whatcha doing, Reindeer Games?" Tony asked lightly as he approached, face plate going up to reveal his curious face.

"I would prefer to do this in private, Stark," Loki said neutrally. "I was on my way to your tower when they accosted me."

"And I appreciate your lack of violence towards them despite what you've probably been taught is your right growing up as a Prince in Asgard," Tony acknowledged. "I don't think they'll let us just walk away either."

"Very well, there is something I can present to you in front of them but the rest must be delivered in private," Loki said with a grimace.

"Uh, how big of a deal is this going to be?" Tony asked warily.

"Fairly important considering the status of Midgard among the realms I would imagine," Loki said very carefully. "You are the only one Asgard would consider worthy enough for this offer that we know of on Midgard. It will not be offered twice."

"Lay it on me then," Tony said cockily, his eyes giving away his paranoia and giving lie to his bravado.

Loki smirked and sank to one knee in front of him. Iron Man took a startled step back but didn't leave as he waited for Loki to speak.

"As I have caused great offense and offered great harm to your realm I offer you, Anthony Stark, Man of Iron, my services until the threat of the Mad Titan is dealt with. This is offered in recompense and the offer is made in good faith. I await your answer," Loki told him bowing his head in submission.

"Okay, very much not what I was expecting," Tony said carefully. Before he could say more he heard a portal open up behind him and just knew that Stephen had stepped through. The burst of chatter from the reporters made him want to groan at how his Sorcerer had outted himself by showing up.

"I ask permission to check for harmful magics used on your person, Prince Loki," Stephen's smooth voice requested as he stepped up to stand next to Tony in his armor.

"A Midgardian mage," Loki murmured in faint wonder, the smirk in his eyes gave him away only to Tony and Stephen. "I had thought the rest of you had killed them all. By all means, check that I am doing this of my own free will."

"We hid because it was the only way for enough of us to survive while fighting to keep the Mystical threats away from this world," Stephen said bluntly. "I may only be newly come to the Mystic Arts but I have passed my Mastery test. If you will hold still the check shouldn't take long."

"Naturally," Loki agreed and let Stephen scan him.

Stephen grimaced at what he found before turning to Tony and giving his report. "You were right he wasn't acting entirely by his own choice before. He managed to twist the controls but only enough to give you openings and holes that a beginner strategist could drive a truck through while keeping the death toll down. I realize that you only managed to find someone to consult about the option when I approached you about the prophecy you might be named in but this should have been handled by the Order in the first place. Shield never had jurisdiction over any kind of rogue magic user."

"Didn't your new adoptive mom say that they were holding off like six dimensional breeches during the New York invasion?" Tony asked with a frown, causing Loki's head to shoot up to look at them both in shock. "I mean trying to keep even more invasions from happening at the exact same time is kind of hard to argue with. Especially, since you guys were holding them off without support from any militaries or even regular people."

"Six?!" Loki squeaked. "How is your realm still standing?!"

"We've gotten very good at heading things off and we have a planetary shield for Mystical threats," Stephen answered with a shrug. "If we fail then the regular people have no choice but to handle whatever comes through until someone from the Mystical community comes up with a way to seal the breech. We don't maintain strict lines between good guys and bad guys when it comes to defending the planet. A necromancer is expected to help defend the world just as much as a witch or a Sorcerer or an order of monks. Invasions are frankly somewhat of a grey area for when those who take great care in protecting people cross paths with those who prey on the average person. Under normal circumstances one will try to take out the other unless there's some sort of truce in place. Invasions, well everyone just plain lets loose on whoever decided Earth is a good target. We clean up afterwards to avoid bothering anyone and because secrecy was the only way to keep anyone on duty to actually protect people and the planet as a whole until recently. Most of us don't even get paid."

"Ugh, yeah, that's gotta change," Tony growled.

"We can discuss it later, Stark," Stephen sighed. "Actually, didn't you mention one time that Maximoff likes using her magic against you? Something about waking nightmares?"

"What?!" Loki exclaimed, surging to his feet only to stop short at the shield that Stephen automatically conjured between them and him. "I offer no harm, Sorcerer. I was trained in healing magics as well as combat ones."

"You'll help me check him then?" Stephen asked judiciously.

"Yes! We can't afford to have him compromised!" Loki said fiercely.

"Now, hold on, wait a minute you two," Tony squawked as he took a few steps back from both of them as the shield went down and both of them turned towards him.

"You control things with equivalent firepower to nukes. Any attempts to violate your mind are on par with an act of war," Stephen stated bluntly. "You're getting checked."

"Well when you put it like that I can't really say no," Tony conceded with a grimace. "Fine, let's go back to the Medbay and get this over with."

Stephen opened another portal for them so that Tony had no excuses to "miss" his appointment with them. The portal closed behind them on the stunned reporters and camera crews who had caught it all on live TV.

Chapter Text

"How I even found two magic users that are both formally trained as Medical Docs and got them on my ass I will never know," Tony complained as they settled into the Medbay to check him.

Tony knew they were going to do a full check up, not just a magical one, and he was okay with that. If it had been anyone else he would have just ran. Even his own employees had trouble keeping him in place for a rough once-over when they thought he might be hurt and he tended to hand pick them. He eyed several of his actual employees discretely handing off his medical file and scurrying around to get everything in perfect position for him actually staying still long enough to get checked.

"Future timeline memories," Stephen reminded him calmly.

Tony settled down from the incipient panic attack that had been building. Stephen knew him from so many different things that had been possible on and after Titan that there was an undeniable comfort there for Tony. Not only that but the man had stayed. No, he hadn't just stayed with Tony. Stephen had come back for him. Only Rhodey had ever really done that for Tony and the inventor knew it. Rhodey had proven this fact again and again and again over the years with his most memorable one not being his rescue from the Afghani dessert. Instead it had been the day Rhodey had punched out Howard for leaving bruises on Tony after one winter break during their time together at MIT.

"Did the DNA test ever come back?" Tony asked, trying to distract himself from the coming exam.

"Yes, Boss! There is a 97% chance that Spiderling is your son with a 10% margin of error due to the altered DNA from his power up," Friday repeated cheerfully. "I took the liberty of forwarding the results to Legal and Boss Lady to avoid another Pepper Dragon rampage."

"Good call on that one," Tony agreed with a fake shiver of fear.

Pepper was his friend but he also knew when and where to put his foot down so that she wasn't running his life. Sending it to Legal was more to make sure someone didn't try anything stupid with the information and to hand out any NDAs to whoever found out. It was also to let them build a court case or at least file the paperwork if he decided that he suddenly needed full custody for whatever reason. A distinct possiblity considering Peter was Spiderman. May just couldn't protect him from various things the way that Tony could but it would also paint a target on his kid's back. It would be in a different way than Spiderman did but it was still a risk.

"I'll want to sign guardianship or adoption papers for him as well if only to give him an extra fallback," Stephen warned as he got Tony out of his shirt for the check up. "I have no problem going through May Parker first just for everyone's sanity."

"Yeah, better to get the paperwork in order before we need it than not," Tony grimaced. "Also, just for official stuff I do accept your offer Prince Loki. We can fill out the local paperwork to have you acting as an employee if you want it on Earth record and stuff."

"I appreciate it but right now you aren't going to distract us from checking you," Loki told him firmly. "For at least half of the exam we can send you to sleep if you wish?"

"Yeah, let's go with that. Something more than my usual paranoia is making me want to bolt and I'm not sure I won't just stop fighting it to bolt any time soon," Tony admitted.

The two exchanged a look before Stephen offered him a small mandala glowing in his palm. Tony sighed and touched it, letting the magic wash over him as it gently put him to sleep.

Tony woke up slowly. If he had been more awake he would have felt weirdly protected. Something inside of him that he normally ignored could tell that Stephen and Loki were nearby with their own protective instincts raised like a shield around him. The feel of his Spiderling lurking in a different room and sulking was just as much of a comfort. He didn't want the feeling to go away but there was something hurting him, lurking behind thoughts and memories. It tasted like poison and ash with crimson mixed with black coloring. It flashed across his vision and dreams, ripping into him every chance that it got. The voices he heard distracted him from what he could feel infecting him.

"I'm telling you we can't just rip it out no matter how much we hate it," Loki's voice hissed as it drifted to Tony's tired ears. "You know better!"

"I know!" Stephen's voice ground out. "I can't even promise he will let us stay close enough to slowly remove it and prune it back bit by bit. We need him sane and clearheaded."

"You've fallen for him," Loki said incredulously after a moment of silence.

"It doesn't matter. He is or was with Potts and they had a child together after the first snap," Stephen said in tired defeat. "As long as he doesn't throw me out of his life I'll live. Not that I haven't caught you just watching him sleep more than once since we put him under."

"That's different," Loki said, miffed. "I am a Prince and now subject to Stark for at least the time being. I need to remain aware of his condition and disposition."

"Like you wouldn't accept his advances if he made any," Stephen scoffed.

"That isn't really your business now is it?" Loki asked, his voice dangerously low.

"...No, it isn't," Stephen agreed sadly. "If you interfere with his happiness and his marriage to Potts though we will have words."

"I don't think he will be choosing that woman this time," Loki said carefully. "There were things that Thor sent with me to give out to certain people. Stark and yourself included."

"Like what?" Stephen asked suspiciously.

"Stark won't be given a choice on eating a golden apple. He's too important," Loki said softly. "Unfortunately, we don't dare give it to him yet with those vile magics poisoning his mind. It could cause a very nasty negative reaction to the magics in the apple. I have one each for you and the Spiderling as well. Potts and Rhodes may be offered one in the future but I hadn't realized how things had shifted. If they remain loyal to Stark it will be offered to them but from what I now know of certain things after examining Stark... I don't believe I can risk gifting one to them, not yet."

"Don't tell anyone you have even a seed!" Stephen hissed. "The legend of them is widely known for any who know of Asgard from legends and tales. If anyone even thinks you have one on you..."

"I understand," Loki soothed. "I will be cautious. I only brought it up because I have one each for you and Stark and the child."

"How many do you have in total?" Stephen asked suspiciously.

"For this task? Stopping the Mad Titan? Twelve. Five for emergency use only, two for me alone for a separate task, and five for those I have just named," Loki answered.

"Why?!" Stephen demanded, his voice strangled.

"I convinced Thor to set up a refuge for some of Asgard here in case Hela does return and slaughter most of Asgard after Odin finally dies again. I have a little less than a month to arrange for a place for them and officially act as their leader when they arrive. Protecting Stark... Honestly, he takes precedence and I can probably find someone in the groups that will be sent to me to lead in my place until the Mad Titan is gone," Loki admitted. "The seeds from the apples are for planting a new grove, here, on Midgard. Thor laid out that if you accept the apples you will be expected to help protect the new grove which is a ridiculously generous condition for receiving one in the first place. It fits perfectly with waiving the main traditional requirement of swearing fealty to the Allfather after having done some great service or accomplishment to even be considered for an apple."

Tony heard Stephen swearing viciously and still couldn't bring himself to move. He wanted to comfort his Sorcerer and at the same time test Loki's interest. At this point he wasn't letting Stephen leave his life even if he had to get pushy and tag the doctor with a tracker so Stephen's worry about being shut out was silly. Unfortunately, he slipped back into sleep before he could hear anything else.

Chapter Text

Tony woke slowly again and the new memories settled firmly into place. Both Loki and Stephen were interested in him... Huh. Pepper had already indicated that the impression rather than memories she got of the future had her unwilling to try dating him again. Friends? Yes. Lovers? No. Tony understood that. He still loved her but he knew that she couldn't handle him being Iron Man, not really. For that matter... why was he even awake again?

Tony could have sworn his Doctor-Sorcerer and Loki had knocked him out for a damn good reason. He was alone wherever he was. The bed was soft. The air smelled... like orange coffee?? Who the hell even knew that he... Strange. The only way he would have learned about his secret addiction to orange infused coffee was by living every single one of those alternate timelines he looked at on Titan.

Oh God. Stephen had lived those lives. That's where the sudden instant care came from! It hadn't been like scanning through surveillance footage as he had originally thought. It was also clearly why he hadn't hit Tony for hugging him that first time he showed up after his nap and why Stephen had apparently decided to adopt a Spiderling with him.

Yeah, Stephen wasn't going anywhere. Not if Tony had any say in the matter.

Loki.... was a bit of a mystery. He obviously remembered but to what point?

"I can tell that you are awake but are you simply refusing to move or are you unable to move?" Loki's smooth voice broke the quiet.

"He's probably trying to figure out if he's been kidnapped again," Stephen corrected as the smell of his favorite coffee got closer.

"How many times has he been kidnapped?!" Loki demanded in baffled outrage.

"Too many," Tony rasped the answer and tiredly opened his eyes.

The room that they were in was obviously Stephen's at the New York Sanctum. Wong had shown it to him once after the snaps. Tony glanced around but let them help him sit up in the bed even as Stephen helped him drink his coffee. Yup, he was right. Orange infused Coffee.

"How bad?" Tony asked quietly after he had drank half the cup.

"If the witch cones near you again we will kill her," Loki answered curtly. "Had I been around you during this violation before this she already would be dead."

"We've managed to suppress the instructions and nightmares to lock what she did away without affecting your memories," Stephen explained quietly. "It's bad Tony. To get them removed you will have to allow one or more magic users with the right training around you constantly for over a year. They will have to have access to everything about you personally so that the magic she placed can't hide and resurface later. On the plus side when you accepted Loki the way you did that gave him most of the access that would be needed so he can at least monitor things. However, you have to be the one to give permission and direct access. Anyone else trying to do it for you could cause excessive harm since otherwise you will instinctively fight back against whoever is trying to treat you."

"Why are we in your sanctum?" Tony asked as he processed what he had been told.

"It... How did you know that it claimed me as the new sanctum master the moment we walked in?" Stephen asked, mystified.

"I can feel it," Tony mumbled with a shrug. "How long have I been out anyway?"

"A week," Loki answered, carefully neutral.

Tony gave him a weird look but didn't call him on his neutral mask as he finished off his coffee. Stephen took the cup and opened a small portal to place it in the sink without leaving Tony's side.

"I heard part of a conversation between you two while I was asleep," Tony said slowly, watching them both carefully. "Stephen, you know at least some of my issues from those looks forward on Titan. So tell me, do you honestly want to risk me with anyone else?"

"No," Stephen said softly, having gone white as his mind put together the clues in Tony's words before the question was even asked.

"And, in your professional opinion, would I be better off letting some stranger into my life, into my head, to root around and pull Maximoff out?" Tony asked going from quiet to harsh as he spoke.

"No, that's not.... I swear. I just... I promise I meant no harm and I didn't want to unduly influence you," Stephen said honest but fearful for potentially having hurt Tony. "If you want me to leave I will. I'll return you to the tower if that's what you want. I..."

"I get really sick of people making choices for me, Merlin," Tony interrupted him with a glare. "Why the hell would I go somewhere else?"

"I don't know," Stephen admitted quietly. "You don't know me. We were on Titan together and then we were on the battlefield again almost immediately."

"Fourteen million six hundred and five lives," Tony said bluntly.

Stephen bowed his head, trembling slightly as he waited for judgement from the man who meant everything to him. Loki watched the exchange neutrally, fully aware that he was missing pieces and context to whatever was happening in front of him.

"Try to leave my life again and I will hunt you down," Tony said quietly. "Leave even for my own good and I will never forgive you. If it takes becoming one of your villains to manage it then that's what will happen. Do you understand me, Stephen?"

"I understand," Stephen said softly, still not looking up at Tony's face. Loki watched in interest, recognizing that Tony wasn't going the route that Stephen thought he was.

"I might still only be figuring out what you've done for me in those other timelines and what you've done for me on Titan but I don't throw something like that away without a damn good reason, Stephanie. You don't get to decide how I react to any of it. It's my reactions and emotions," Tony reminded him. "The only other person who's shown me that kind of loyalty is Rhodey."

Stephen's head shot up as he looked at Tony in shock.

"What? You thought I was just going to be a jerk and chew you out for not telling me? Give me some credit," Tony smirked at his Doctor-Sorcerer. "I am highly possessive of those I claim as my own, Doc. Congratulations, you made the list."

"Very funny, douchebag," Stephen grumbled even as he slumped in relief.

"Not joking," Tony said with a wider smirk. "Back to Maximoff, why exactly do you think I would trust some unknown when I've got the two of you? You're out of your mind if you think that. Wong is probably the only other magic user I might trust like that. Loki has his honor and I trusted you to help me pick the path, which was proven when you came back with Peter on the battlefield. I might not have liked the path to get there but my kid was back and survived the battle. That earned you major points. Us showing up back here? With Pete remembering who we are? That earned you more. Besides, I get the feeling that in those other timelines you earned my trust the hard way every single time and I bet you hated any time you opted to be my enemy."

"That depends on if I managed to capture you and keep you or kept a back and forth going for long enough between us," Stephen snorted, having regained some of his equilibrium and snarking back in turn. "You aren't the only possessive bastard in this room. I'll respect whatever boundaries you put up unless ignoring them will save your life."

"How many times did you adopt my kids with me or after I was gone?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"Almost every time," Stephen admitted ruefully. "Even if it was never made official I at least saw them as mine just as much as they were yours. There were times when people deliberately kept me locked out of their lives that I didn't fight it because how could I explain the timelines? Forcing it would have put them at more risk and they usually didn't know me yet so I was the only one hurt by it. I would still keep an eye out for them and rescue them if I could."

That's when it clicked for Loki.

"You fool," Loki said incredulously. "You utter fool! Living so many lives and timelines?! How? Just how?! Midgardians are too fragile for such magics! To say nothing of the potential catastrophe of employing the time magics in the first place."

"There wasn't much choice," Stephen grimaced. "I was captured by one of his Generals, Maw, and while Tony and Spiderman managed to kill him we couldn't change the course of the ship we were on. We crashed on Titan where we and a group called the Guardians of the Galaxy fought him. He came alone using the Space Stone to get there to retrieve the Time Stone from me. It was the nine of us against him with his use of Aether, Power, and Space. He had Soul but I couldn't tell if he used it at all. Before he arrived I tried to look for a timeline where we won. I found a single pyrrhic victory in 14,000,605 futures that I managed to view from that point. Stark dying was thrown out within the first fifty timelines."

"He is the pivot point," Loki said in understanding. A different understanding lurked in his eyes with sympathy for Stephen. "You watched him die every time if you didn't die first."

Stephen shuddered at the combined memories that had surged in response and didn't refute him. It was the truth after all.

"Yeah, I'm keeping you," Tony said judiciously, reminding them both where they were and that he was there.

"Please don't use the supervillain methods," Stephen grumbled good naturedly.

"I've resisted thus far with Pepper, Rhodey, and Spiderling," Tony pointed out with a casual shrug.

"We'll see if that lasts," Stephen said eyeing him with deliberately over the top suspicion. Tony just smirked again and returned to their original topic.

"So, what does actually removing bitchy witchy's poisoned vines entail?" Tony asked cheerfully.

"Since we've already been in your mind for the initial assessment? We follow you around and catch you at various moments when it starts trying to fuck you over again. That's part of why it takes so long," Stephen shrugged. "Most of the time whoever is acting as the healer starts helping the patient with everything else out of boredom but when they are needed it becomes a fight for the life of the patient. Occasionally one can trick the invader into going all out against the healer or force a shift in the magics that draw them completely out of the patient for a fight but that tends more towards stories rather than a practical solution."

"When it stops poking it's head above the water?" Tony asked mildly.

"We do deep dives into your mind to root out anything left," Stephen said carefully.

"Which the the other reason why whoever it is has to have full access to me personally but that I can probably lock them out of any SI business stuff," Tony said contemplatively. "There will be stuff you can't fix no matter what, leftovers and scarring... For the duration you would be as much at my mercy as I would be at yours."

Stephen and Loki stayed silent as Tony worked through it.

"Thank you for not fully releasing the Merchant on me," Stephen eventually murmured. "I deserve whatever you choose to throw at me but I have never enjoyed being the target of your Merchant side."

Tony gave him a sharp look but eased back at the blatant understanding and acceptance he saw in Stephen's eyes.

"The timelines where you were desperate and clearly didn't know me yet don't count, Merlin," Tony said pointedly. "From the sound of it you figured out damn quick that I wasn't an enemy unless you made me into one. I trust you've learned since then?"

Stephen swallowed hard and nodded his agreement to the supposition.

"Good, then we can treat them as simulations and move forwards from there," Tony said cheerfully.

"Merchant?" Loki questioned, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"The media labeled me as the Merchant of Death long before I became Iron Man," Tony waved the title away carelessly.

"Titles have power, even more so ones gifted by others," Loki warned softly. "We could use a risky ritual with those two titles, assuming they are associated with no other."

"I disagree. It won't completely clear out Maximoff's influence," Stephen immediately argued. "Yes, it should stunt or destroy all of the surface stuff at once but it could drive anything more subtle into hiding. I want him free of that bitch, not free only long enough for us to get complacent so that he gets tortured again by it later. Besides, one of the potential failure conditions kills the patient."

Chapter Text

In the end Tony just decided to keep them both close. The ritual, once dissected, was dismissed. Tony made them each take a room on his floor of the tower. Stephen would have to regularly check the New York Sanctum and occasionally deal with his new slaves when he wasn't following Tony around. Loki filled in more of the details about setting up an Asgardian settlement and on the subject of the golden apples but otherwise agreed to Tony's demands to live in the tower.

Peter ambushed them as soon as they got "home".

~~~

A few days later they had settled into something of a routine. Peter was doing his new school work and talking with his tutor over the phone in his now very permanent room. May had, once she got the full story out of her nephew, joined Pepper on a rampage against the school and the Thompsons. Signing the adoption papers for Stephen and officially getting Peter recognized as Tony's son without bothering the injured teen had gone smoothly thanks to the DNA check Friday had run. Then there was the accidental media blitz the three of them had started... Pepper was unimpressed.

Tony, Stephen, and Loki were currently sorting out homes and work places for the incoming Asgardians and the magic users that now belonged to Stephen. They were deliberately going overboard since none of them had exact numbers to work with. More than one of the magic users were going to have to be hunted down since they refused to check in. Stephen didn't want to bring it up with Dormammu because he knew they would just be killed for disobedience.

"So, how's Tao doing?" Tony asked after getting off the phone with the Norwegian government about potentially setting up an Asgardian settlement.

"Tao? ...Did you just nickname her an abbreviation of what amounts to her initials?" Stephen asked, baffled.

"Yup," Tony smirked. "So, answer the question."

"The Ancient One is fine as far as I can tell but I'm glad that I made her explain everything to the Order even if Loki and I did lurk hidden nearby to make sure she wasn't lying," Stephen admitted. "The idea was to make sure they all knew where everyone stood and we didn't get another Mordo freaking out on our hands later. The promise that Wong at least had the right to knock me over the head if I was being stupid seemed to settle most of the Order. I didn't exactly try to make friends while I was studying at Kamar-Taj after all. The new phones for everyone who left the Order along with the update posts on weird things happening seems to have gone over well and gives them an emergency way to call for help. Thank you for that. The integration of those who draw from the Dark Dimension with those who study at Kamar-Taj at least for basic assessment seems to be going alright. I had to step in to sort out that high level necromancer yesterday so thank you for helping with that Loki."

Loki nodded in acknowledgment and looked back at the paperwork concerning logistics of feeding whoever he was sent. He kept listening but he needed this sorted out.

"Lokes, I already told you I would handle feeding your group and at least tents for the first few months," Tony sighed as he gently pulled the papers out of the trickster's hands.

"This needs to be sorted, Anthony," Loki said softly as he reclaimed the papers. "I appreciate your generosity but without knowing who is coming and what supplies they bring I must assume they have nothing but the clothes on their backs. It is also highly possible that I will receive no warriors or mages or healers, only civilians, the aged, and the infirm. Thor warned me he was making the overall situation and his decision public but implied that those sent would be volunteers. Which would mean we could be receiving not one person. It depends on who is willing to take the chance at being solely under my authority on Midgard."

"So plan for several thousand at a minimum but don't be surprised if it's a lot less than that," Tony said carefully.

"Why would thousands follow after the God of Lies?" Loki countered ruefully. "No, I am planning on being able to give refuge to all of Asgard in case Thor fails. This is to be a refuge and a fallback. I don't expect that they will want me to actually lead them but I refuse to leave them vulnerable."

"Fair enough," Tony said with a shrewd look aimed at the trickster who was focused on the paperwork in front of him. "On paper we're counting a lot of this officially as a favor to Asgard but mostly as your payment for consulting on my health and magic stuff for Stephen in case anyone asks or tries to accuse you of anything. The community service bit you offered in front of the media only covered the rough timeframe I get your services and the fact that the purple grape is a threat. Which they probably think translates to you being at my beck and call. As long as you give me a heads up on anything problematic that I might have to deal with because you did something I have no problem letting you use that excuse for most things."

"Noted," Loki said, looking up from the papers to meet his eyes.

"I'm trying to get the same batch of land as last time for you guys. However, it's sounding more and more like we may have a lot more mouths to feed than when Thor made it here after Thanos hit your ship," Tony warned. "So while I sort out stuff for Stephen's people I'm also assuming we might have to house yours with them on my properties in a pinch. The tricky bit is getting them legal status so that some idiots don't try to just haul them off. I'm working on it but I might have to take up one of the joke offers to take over a couple of really bad off 3rd world countries to make this work if I have to do it fast."

"Legally?" Stephen asked cautiously.

"Yup," Tony grimaced. "Pepper is going to kill me for it but I have reached out to several countries and their media to inquire if they actually would be willing to go that route. I made sure that it was with the understanding that Loki would be the actual leader for the incoming people or that any of your new people would answer to you and me, me mostly because no one knows you yet. It will also cover any of them I wind up actually hiring."

"That works," Stephen said thoughtfully. "If we officially establish that we are working as a council of three for these things then the other two could potentially handle things if the third is unavailable. It would explain us spending so much time together and it would excuse some of the changes that will have to be made to the Accords. A business partnership that you went out of your way to get because no one was listening to you about the incoming armada."

"Which I just firmly established in my impromptu interview," Loki pointed out thoughtfully. "We will have to publish that you were compromised at some point to deal with the witch but there are ways to do that without explaining to the non-mages among your people if needed."

"The fact I threw out at the media about his control of his weapons being reason enough to check him should cover things," Stephen countered.

"Gee, thanks for showing them my soft underbelly with waking nightmares," Tony said dryly.

"I wasn't going to let you get blamed for someone fucking with your head," Stephen pointed out, miffed. "The fact that you kept it controlled and mitigated the damage you were forced into causing is just more proof that you are a hero. Besides, it works as more than sufficient warning to any sane magic user that might try that shit on you again. The insane ones we will have to kill regardless."

"So how are we doing this?" Tony asked tiredly.

"Friday?" Stephen asked.

"Yes, Doctor?" Friday answered immediately.

"By now you've already taken control of my electronic presence so I want you to issue suitably formal emails with my credentials to various news outlets. Please include whoever kept trying to harass Tony from the military and government while we checked him for mind control. The emails should include the fact that we did find evidence of mental tampering but aside from the Ultron incident, which was a deliberately induced attempt at murdering him, he managed to keep everything contained. You may outline that we are still determining what damage he did to himself in accomplishing that and have temporarily sealed the malicious magics pending surgical removal. That should cover any idiots that want to blame him and refuse to let anyone trivialize the treatment," Stephen instructed. "Please indicate that his decision making ability was not in fact actively compromised which was a minor miracle because it let him keep the magics in check and prevent himself from becoming a danger. He is now getting treated with the hopes of avoiding the magical surgery."

"You know my AIs too well," Tony accused before turning to his digital child. "Go ahead, Friday. I trust him. Label it as a follow-up for that impromptu interview."

"Compiling and sending emails, Doctor," Friday said cheerfully.

"Let the chaos truly begin," Loki smirked in amusement at his own ominous prediction.

"Don't tempt the Fates," Stephen groaned. "They like to fuck with us way too much."

Loki's laughter echoed around the room they were using before they got back to sorting things out.

Chapter Text

"Tony, I have got to have more of a heads up than this!" James Rhodes complained when Tony picked up the phone hours after Stephen's little email aired on the evening news.

"How's this for a heads up, Honey Bunches? The original meeting had nothing to do with my health and Doctor Strange is an actual doctor. Granted, his specialty was neurosurgery but he worked at a New York hospital before his hands were crushed and he tried to get them fixed. Learning magic was completely beside the point when he started out. Then he faced a threat on the planet's behalf that would have crushed us and came out on top. He's also part of the McFly gang and has all of his set stored into that stubborn skull of his. He dealt with the threat a second time within 48 hours of our wake up with only minor side effects considering the risk-reward scale he was working with," Tony half babbled to his best friend.

"Okay, he's a badass. History reference noted. What about the meeting?" Rhodes asked suspiciously.

"We were actually trying to sort out some of the fallout from that and figure out how to beat the incoming alien armada I saw through the portal in New York when Loki showed up in central park," Tony admitted. "It was Stephen's idea to double check Loki in case my original idea and Thor's story about him being unwilling in the New York invasion had left traces. I had told him about it like twenty minutes before that just to cover bases so it was still on his mind when I flew out to the park to see what was up. Loki remembers too but I don't how far anyone's memories go. We're scrambling to put out hidden fires and deal with problems early."

"So what? You guys have teamed up?" Rhodey asked with interest.

"Officially, its a business arrangement to deal with the incoming space armada and related stuff since no one would listen to me when I tried to warn people," Tony told his brother in all but blood. "Loki's standing in for Asgard and we're setting up someplace to house everyone Thor sends to him as a precaution. Loki wants to be able to house everyone in case their realm goes bye bye but the people make it out. I figured between that option and the mages of different stripes Stephen suddenly has supposed leadership over because the threat he stopped adopted him instead of eating us everything will get used... eventually."

"Damn... You know this call is going to get pulled by all the agencies once I deal with my side of the fallout right?" Rhodey asked bluntly.

"Yeah, well weird shit happens when you mix magic on this level and you know I normally hate magic but both Loki and Stephen are really insistent that they get the mind control shit out of my skull. For some reason they actually think I'm someone important," Tony laughed in self deprecation. "For once I picked the treatment method that's less risky instead of one of the faster more extreme ones that have a shit chance of working right even with an expert at the helm. Both of them are going to be following me around for awhile trying to pull the shit that tried to turn me against the planet and my family out of my skull."

"You're pissed at whoever pulled this," Rhodey observed over the phone.

"Oh, you bet I am," Tony agreed viciously. "They didn't just decide to torture me on a regular basis, turning my own mind against me, no. They decided that trying to force me into killing everything I care about with my own hands and twisting one of my baby AIs into that weapon was a good idea. Granted, the actual Ultron project and AI wasn't even ready for the first compilation run to check basics but the action and intentions were there. In a way we got lucky that it took the malicious AI from whoever was puppeteering Loki from the scepter. It could have gone so much fucking worse if the scepter and the mind control I was fighting hadn't fed on each other. If either one had opted to hide and go the sabotage route properly.... Well, let's just say in comparison the damage was minimal despite the vultures taking political advantage of all of it and Sokovia."

"Well try to limit the collateral if you go full on Merchant of Death, yeah?" Rhodey cautioned.

"I can't, or rather Loki and Stephen are pissed off enough they've called dibs," Tony sighed. "I have the hostile alien armada to focus on anyway. You'd be proud of me, Platypus. I'm actually letting them make me eat a real meal more than one or twice a day and get more than a few hours of sleep over several days."

"A miracle," Rhodey agreed cheerfully.

"Anyway, I'm designing new suits for both of us for that particular fight since we won't have certain normal options like possibly being able to swap into a back up suit and then there's the shear amount of potential targets. I'm using your specs from War Machine but thinking of reload options. Ammo and power duration are going to be a problem if things drag out assuming I've got enemy troup estimates anywhere close to right," Tony confided. "Loki never got a look at all of their forces when they were trying to break him just before New York so I don't want to poke at him about it. Stephen's magic users at least definitely count this as a not cool must kill it invasion so no worries about if they want to join the party. Although that one necromancer that he had to yell at the other day was pulling some scary shit from what I heard."

"What even is your life? I mean really?" Rhodey groaned. "Hey, Tones, I gotta go. I've got to be at a physical therapy appointment in a bit. I'll assume the brass is going to interrupt thanks to your latest stunt but I might as well let them do all the work."

"Gotcha, gotcha, stay safe, Platypus!" Tony said cheerfully.

"I'll try," Rhodey said dryly before hanging up.

"The mind magics surged during that conversation," Stephen sighed from where he had been sitting on the couch in the workshop with Tony, listening to the conversation. "It definitely tried to get you to either push him away or attack him if only verbally. We got lucky that he called while I was doing a deeper check. I would have missed those entirely if I hadn't already been checking you when you answered. I'm beginning to suspect that we will in fact have to use something to replace it to flush out anything we're missing and limit the damage to you. I'll discuss it with Loki when he gets back from checking the settlement you're building for them."

"So she threatened even Rhodey," Tony's voice dropped low in anger even as his hands tightened into fists.

"There are a couple of options I know off the top of my head to better hunt down this crap and rinse it out of your head but almost all of them require putting something else in it's place," Stephen warned softly. "What we want right now is for it to get fed up and attack either Loki or me since that is genuinely one of the fastest and safest ways to get it to stop fucking with you."

"I don't exactly want to hurt you, Merlin," Tony said dryly.

"You don't need to," Stephen said calmly. "As far as those magics are concerned you could just as easily dominate me or take me as a slave and it would be happy I was under it's control through you. From what I am reading off of it the end goal is killing you but not without putting you through as much pain and torture as it can manage beforehand."

"And if I won any fight it pushed us into?" Tony asked carefully.

"I would keep trying but you could honestly keep me prisoner with only a little effort. I don't particularly mind the idea of being at your mercy but I'd rather that happened without interference from that mind raping bitch," Stephen said dryly. "I pissed you off enough that you did it in a number of different timelines when we ran from Thanos. Believe me I am not unfamiliar with being on your leash if it comes to that."

"Huh," Tony said thoughtfully as he considered the Sorcerer.

Stephen knew that look and he wasn't going to even try to discourage the inventor. He would settle for staying in Tony's life but that didn't mean he didn't want more. Loki had privately accused him of trying to get Stark to force the issue because Stephen couldn't. He wasn't wrong but he had also flatly told Tony that he would respect whatever boundaries the other man put in place. Loki had called him a fool when he didn't argue with the accusation and made the Ancient One check him to see if Stephen was the one compromised. Dormammu had obviously been checking up on him because the note that he found on his bed a few days later came with slim bracelets that could be tuned to personal life force signatures. The diagram that was in Loki's hand told him the trickster had checked it before Stephen even saw it.

No matter what happened next between them Stephen was leaving things deliberately in Tony's control. He just didn't expect Loki to step in.

~~~

Loki scowled at the thought of the weird dancing around each other that Stephen and Tony were indulging in. He had grown fond of both of them over the months they had worked together. It was approaching the time where he had to finally deal with Odin and sort out his death as well as handling Hela's situation more permanently.

It had taken Thor two months to come to him and ask what had happened to Odin. Stephen had, thankfully, not messed with the magic he had used on Odin this time. That had allowed Loki to remove it much more safely and given Odin slightly longer to live than in the first timeline. Thor had insisted on informing Odin of everything that had happened including his own declaration over what Loki had done.

Odin had given a scowling Loki a long look when asked about Hela but had agreed to release her early. It hadn't gone well. Stephen and his slaves had been on standby so they had captured her before she could head to Asgard or kill Odin. They had chosen a nice chilly March day to release Hela in the same spot as in the unraveled timeline.

"When the time comes I gift you and your youngest brother the right to wield the blade," Odin said firmly once Hela was subdued and actually listening to them.

"What?!" Thor exclaimed, completely shocked.

"They more than deserve the right and you will not retaliate if they choose to accept," Odin ordered Thor and the Asgardians who had helped contain the weakened Hela.

"I would much rather have her fighting with us than against us when the Mad Titan arrives," Loki mused thoughtfully. "It might be nice to have sibling that hasn't nearly gotten me killed through arrogance and stupidity on more than one occasion, even if it is by adoption."

"Brother, when have I ever done that?" Thor protested.

"Let me count them," Loki rebutted with a vicious scowl. "I'm sure I can think of one or two hundred incidents on various so called quests and adventures you've literally dragged me on."

"Lokes?" Tony asked carefully. He was standing off to one side with Stephen since neither one had been willing to let him face this mess on his own.

"It is in the past," Loki sighed and waved away the concern. "I generally get him back for each time in any case. There is a reason I developed my habit of stabbing him after all."

"We'll have Kamar-Taj check her for sanity and other possible outside influences before we can have any discussion on any kind of revenge," Stephen insisted in no little exasperation. "If she has actually been in solitary for as long as you claim she needs to reacclimate before anything else. Not only that but since no one aside from Odin knew anything about what happened to her there could be other problems beyond just the lack of socialization. If she can function safely among the rest of us then we can talk about reparations and actually seeing that she isn't treated like a monster. Joining the coming battle will be entirely up to her."

"You dare!" Odin puffed up in outrage.

"You have no say in this," Stephen half snarled in Odin's face. "It's a miracle she's coherent enough for basic conversation instead of catatonic! I know the harm you have caused to all three of them if in different ways. It is more than clear to me that you were a better conquerer than father. Your time is nearly up and they have made themselves my problem to various extents. So I will do my damnedest to see them healthy in mind and body, something which you obviously failed at."

"Have a care, wizard," Thor growled, angry at the disrespect shown to Odin.

Loki stepped between Thor and Stephen, daggers out and serious look on his face. Tony joined him, armor already on him from when Hela was released.

"You don't get it, Point Break," Tony said, low and serious. "You were the favorite so you really don't know how shitty what he did is."

"Nor do you understand what Stephen has just promised," Loki said, his voice low. "He is a healer first and foremost."

It was like a light had clicked on in Thor's head as he looked over the scene again with different eyes.

"A healer," Thor murmured before bowing slightly in apology to both of them. Tony took Loki's cue and relaxed when the daggers disappeared back to his pocket space.

That night Odin passed in his sleep. The stress too much for his system to handle anymore. Hearing of this and of the future unraveled Hela reluctantly submitted to the care of Kamar-Taj.

Loki saw Thor and those returning to Asgard off. Once he was done he scowled and practically stamped up to the two humans he was growing ridiculously fond of.

"The next time you want to risk your fool necks to challenge someone like Odin or Thor I'm kidnapping you both and locking you away in my private prison! Somewhere I can check on you and be assured that you aren't getting yourselves killed," Loki growled.

"Awe, has the trickster decided we two mortals are actually important to him?" Tony teased, eyes sharp as he watched Loki's reaction.

"You know Norns damned well that you are," Loki said grumpily. "Even if it was just to fight the Mad Titan we can't afford to lose either of you."

Chapter Text

Loki saw Thor and those returning to Asgard off. Once he was done he scowled and practically stamped up to the two humans he was growing ridiculously fond of.

"The next time you want to risk your fool necks to challenge someone like Odin or Thor I'm kidnapping you both and locking you away in my private prison! Somewhere I can check on you and be assured that you aren't getting yourselves killed," Loki growled.

"Awe, has the trickster decided we two mortals are actually important to him?" Tony teased, eyes sharp as he watched Loki's reaction.

"You know Norns damned well that you are," Loki said grumpily. "Even if it was just to fight the Mad Titan we can't afford to lose either of you."

"So we've got nearly ten thousand from Asgard mixed with a bunch of Stephen's slaves sorted and at least another thousand getting ready to show up, right?" Tony asked, switching to business.

"That is what Thor indicated," Loki agreed grumpily. "He was rather surprised by how many petitioned to follow me but most are not soldiers or recognized warriors of Asgard. A portion each of the craftsman, smiths, farmers, healers, mages, and those who see to livestock all agreed to look to me. A significant portion of our people with many families among them. He was glad for the offer to take as many of the aged and underaged as would come."

"He doesn't realize their value," Stephen offered comfortingly.

"Not yet," Loki sighed in agreement. "I am grateful for your help."

They both gave a similar sentiment before getting back to work.

That night Loki pulled the bracelets that Dormammu had given to Stephen out of his pocket space and considered them. Stephen hadn't been sure what to do with them but to the trickster the meaning behind the gift was blatantly obvious. Sneaking into each mortal's room he used his magic to sample their signatures and only once back in his room did he do the same for his own. A spell duplicated one of the bracelets and a second one reshaped all three of them into temporary discs. Into each he pressed their signatures, allowing the enchantments that Dormammu had cast to take hold.

Loki looked at the silver discs that he had reshaped for a moment before making a decision and casting the shape manipulation spell again. What began as three simple silver chain bracelets were now three silver studs with an arc reactor design overlaid by a crossed dagger and scalpel. The extra silver had pooled and formed a puddle.

Loki looked more closely at the studs and noted with approval that the back pins would pierce the flesh through but would reshape once it was seated, forming a silver rivet instead of a removable earring. He looked at the extra enchanted silver and hesitated. It was marked with Dormammu's enchantments and their individual signatures so he couldn't afford to just leave it lying around. It took only a moment's thought and another reshaping spell to shift what was left into two thin twisted silver wire anklets and a simple plain wire ear cuff.

Loki looked over his work with satisfaction and snuck back into the rooms his mortals were sleeping in to slip an anklet on each right ankle. He watched them shrink so that they couldn't be removed by anyone else as they lay snug against the skin. Slipping back into his own room he placed the ear cuff on his upper right ear. His humans were marked with his claim and they would know it for themselves when the studs went in.

Three hours later he ambushed them at breakfast to place the studs.

~~~

"Ow! What the hell, Loki?!" Tony complained as he rubbed at his right earlobe. He could feel the engraved metal of his new adornment and just knew that it wasn't coming off anytime soon if ever.

Stephen's own yelp of surprise made Tony aware of the fact that the Sorcerer had been tagged and from the look of it in the exact same spot. Loki's own quiet hiss of pain drew surprised looks from both of them as they witnessed his own stud going in.

"Loki? What's going on?" Tony asked carefully.

"I reshaped the bracelets Dormammu left on Stephen's bed some time back," Loki explained. "The enchantments are extremely protective and will allow us to find each other now that I've linked them to us and our signatures. There was enough material for more than one item each so you each got a thin anklet while I have my new ear cuff along with the studs. Aside from the ear cuff they are identical."

True to Loki's word when they checked each item was on the respective person.

"Do I want to know?" Tony asked the pair suspiciously as he made his second cup of coffee. His now spilled first cup was part of why Loki had been able to sneak up on him so easily.

"That depends on how you see courtships," Loki shrugged, unconcerned.

"Courtships?!" Stephen hissed indignantly. "We haven't had anything so formal as actual courtships for at least a few generations."

"Yeah but if you go by years it hasn't been all that long, especially considering how long Loki's probably been alive," Tony shrugged as he drank his coffee. "Besides, I get the feeling he's going to do it either way but it would be nice to have a heads up on what he's doing. I'll want the expectations spelled out to avoid issues but I'm not actually objecting to the idea outright. I like the touch of how he included you on top of it all."

Loki couldn't help himself, he preened over Tony's words.

Stephen actually stopped and considered what, if anything, he was actually objecting to.

"Yeah, okay," Stephen conceded twenty minutes later as he polished off his second cup of morning tea. "He's not trying to separate us and tagging us with the reshaped jewelry was clever. Assuming he's trying to court both of us I'm willing to give it a try. I guess this was just out of left field for me."

"I am choosing to court you," Loki confirmed carefully. "I have every intention of following through."

"Springing it on us like this before we've properly woken up isn't the best tactic, Lokitty," Tony pointed out over his third cup of coffee, the second one he actually got to drink.

Chapter Text

"I am choosing to court you, both of you," Loki confirmed carefully. "I have every intention of following through."

"Springing it on us like this before we've properly woken up isn't the best tactic, Lokitty," Tony pointed out over his third cup of coffee, the second one he actually got to drink. "I mean I like a good rumble but I'm not as fond of the red lately."

Something about the wording Tony used had Stephen looking at him sharply. Vaguely he took note of Loki pausing and paying closer attention as well. Both of them had been trading off being around Tony as much as possible and poking at the magics left behind by Wanda, slowly trimming it back inside Tony's mind. Inch by agonizing inch they had been declawing it in preparation for the final removal.

"How about green? Or Gold?" Loki asked softly. Tony shuddered at the suggestion as he sipped his coffee.

"Yeah, green and gold are kinda soothing actually. Black too even if the purple lightning feels kinda weird in the studs," Tony said absently.

Both mages froze at that description if only for an instant then they moved.

Loki's hands landed on Tony's arms, snatching him up even as Stephen's portal opened. Tony was so shocked as his cup crashed to the floor that he froze even as he was carried through to an already mostly prepared ritual room. When he started to instinctively struggle he could barely hear the whispered apologies from both of his mages even as he was tied kneeling in the center of the circle design.

"Red sand, powdered dragon bones, crushed obsidian, peppermint and chamomile tea... Why are we using Halloween candles?" Loki muttered before questioning Stephen.

"Because we're aiming for containing things of spirit and mind. Both of which are heavily affected when it comes to our traditions around Halloween," Stephen retorted with a grimace. "Besides, they were cheap and we didn't need specially made candles for this."

Loki grumbled, obviously offended over the cheap orange and black Halloween candles with bats and pumpkin motifs. The exchange helped Tony calm down even as he felt the red surging and itching under his skin. The red energies were unhappy and wanted the other two hurting or dead.

"You said before that if you lose I can keep it from killing you?" Tony whispered as the two scrambled things into place for drawing out Wanda's magic and confronting it directly.

"I did, domination or enslavement, something that would put me at least at your mercy and under your control," Stephen agreed cautiously. "If you go that route any bond will be permanent even if the dynamics change later."

Loki cursed as he listened to them and got a few more things out of his pocket space to set around the circle ritual pattern. He knew what Stephen was getting at and informing Tony about it beforehand like this could very well save their lives if things went wrong. He still had all twelve golden apples in his pocket space and planned to make them both eat one as soon as it was safe after this.

"Can it be washed away by a bond?" Tony asked quietly as his mind leapt on the new information, jumping between past and present conversations.

"It would have to be deep and permanent," Loki warned, his voice dropping towards a growl. "A unity few would risk, tolerate, or wish for beyond marriage and sometimes not even then. Bonding with an object that deeply is rare."

"Whatever you're doing why are we only trying this now?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"You've been effectively booby trapped from the start. Something happened at some point, probably before Loki gave us the jewelry, but the fuse has been lit. We force it to come out and fight now or risk it following through on killing you instead of just playing tag with the edges," Stephen explained. He was in the process of trying to untie a bundle of some kind of vine or root that squirmed and happened to be neon purple with neon yellow ichor.

Tony watched them move to lay the vines out out in the diagram as Stephen and Loki set out the rest of the fresh ingredients for the ritual. He had been aware of their ingredient gathering side trips and had asked lots of questions. That new knowledge worked against him now as he saw the expensive and heavy duty spell ingredients added to the diagram he was tied in the center of by his new boyfriends. This was going to be one hell of a fight and he couldn't help. He was, after all, the one that they were fighting for.

When they started chanting and walking around the edge of the spell circle Tony took a deep shuddering breath and braced himself. His guess had been right because a few minutes later he was hit by crippling pain and couldn't do anything except slump into his bonds whimpering as all he sensed boiled down to pain. Cool and trembling fingers pressed against his forehead through the migraine and he knew that his boyfriends were there just before he was dragged under to the sound of both mages cursing.

~~~

Tony jerked aware gasping and instinctively struggling in whatever held him. It took him a minute to regain enough senses to pay attention to his surroundings but he really wished he hadn't when he registered what he was seeing. In front of him twenty to forty feet below him both of his mages fought hard against a shifting mass of scarlet and shadows that was sometimes smoke-like and sometimes fluid goo and anything in between.

Examining his own bonds was hard not only for the positioning but because Tony didn't want to look away from Stephen and Loki as they fought. Still his experiences in past kidnappings demanded that he at least check so he craned his head over his shoulders to look down his arm and realized with a sick lurch that he was wrapped in shiny red-black vines. It was clear that the vines were made of the same thing that Stephen and Loki were fighting below where Tony was held aloft in a mockery of the crucifixion. His chest had been forced forwards in comparison to how the rest of his body was pulled back, making his more vulnerable arc reactor easier to access.

"Shit," Tony rasped. From the feel of his throat he had been screaming and been completely unaware.

Their surroundings resembled a mix of ruins and well made stone houses and buildings with a cobbled street glimpsed from occasion between the two mages and the shifting mass. Loki landed a sharp blow that made the smoke goo recoil and the vines around Tony squeeze hard. Tony in turn cursed viciously once the squeeze had eased back off, drawing the attention of both sides and causing them to draw away from each other.

"Hey guys," Tony said weakly. "How's it hanging?"

"Could be better, could be worse," Stephen said judiciously.

"Hey, Loki, why are you using... is that a quarter staff?" Tony asked, suddenly feeling drained but stubborn enough to continue asking questions anyway.

"It is," Loki agreed amiably. "I find that daggers are not the best option when I want to limit the damage and need the reach. Our training as children covered most traditional handheld weaponry from Europe and the so called west. I enjoyed investigating some of the asian weapons at one point but have not picked up their use as yet."

Tony watched them tense as he felt something reach up from his chest bindings to wrap tight and sharp around his throat.

"That's not nice, Wanda!" Tony said tightly, glib despite the risks.

"STARK!!!" Wanda's voice screeched in fury and echoed from all around them.

"Hi, bitchy witchy," Tony greeted. "Get out of my head."

A spike of thorn lanced out from where the vines wrapped around his back and impaled him through his left shoulder. Tony screamed in pain and tried not to pass out again. The blade like edge he could feel against his throat a silent warning to behave. Still Tony saw the aborted lunge both of his mages made to get to him only to come up short against the wall of suddenly very sharp blade shapes extending from the mass of smoke and goo.

"So, Stephen figured that if I claimed them, made them my pets or slaves or something you would let them live if only to use them against me. Is that true?" Tony asked breathlessly.

"Tony!" Loki and Stephen protested immediately and tried to get to him again only to be stopped by the bristling shape shifting wall of weapons that kept them away from him.

"Perhaps," whispered Wanda's voice thoughtfully across his senses.

"The way I see it they aren't going to win like this and you die when I do. Wanda didn't give you an out for when you killed me. So why not stretch it out? They may be my new boyfriends but that doesn't mean they can't also be a threat. So let's strike a deal. I'm not exactly looking forward to them trying to leave me after this and wouldn't it be better if we kept them?" Tony offered, dipping into his long honed negotiating skills. "What could we do with two pet mages? You're obviously a lot more alive than any of us thought. Don't you want to survive as long as possible? This isn't tech, I can't build my way out of this, but I might be able to make the two of us more comfortable with things and I really want to keep these two."

"You don't pay enough attention to them. They've been watching you," Wanda's voice laughed mockingly, echoing around the stone ruins and red-black vines that covered the area. "They think to claim you, possess you. You're mine."

"So we turn the tables, make them our toys instead," Tony said immediately. His eyes meeting those of his boyfriends.

"You fool," Loki cursed softly. "Only for you Anthony."

"I already gave my consent," Stephen sighed. Tony watched carefully as they both dismissed their weapons and waited tensely for whatever came next.

Tony felt the vines holding him shift, changing first into drapes of fabric and smoke as it set him down in the ruined cobbled courtyard they had been fighting in. The wraps of vine at his wrists and ankles turned into red-black shackles but the one wrapped tight and sharp to his throat shifted into the collar of the open red-black robes that suddenly draped his form.

As Tony walked towards them he tested a theory. His dress shoes shifted to high black leather pirate boots mid-stride. His slightly tattered and bloodstained dress pants shifted to dark blue tight leather pants. His dirty and bloodstained white button down shirt that was ripped open to show the arc reactor shifted to a white pirate shirt open enough to see his untouched reactor glowing in his chest. The shackles and robe remained, over top of his boots in the case the ankle shackles.

Tony could feel it when the silver anklets and studs given to them by Loki and shaped from Dormammu's gift appeared on each of them. That gave him an idea.

"Hold Loki for a minute," Tony said with feigned absentmindedness.

The red-black mist complied, surging up to wrap tightly around his limbs and torso to hold him in place. Loki grudgingly allowed it as he watched Tony intently. Tony in turn walked right up to Stephen and pulled him down for a deep kiss. Stephen melted into it and didn't resist as he was placed on his knees at Tony's feet. A surge of the red-black mist coming forwards to bind his wrists behind his back.

When Tony drew Loki to him for the same thing his hand dropped to Stephen's head as Loki surrendered to his own kiss. A kiss that was more a battle for dominance than the one with Stephen had been. A fact which sent the red-black mist goo into roils of agitation. In that moment of precarious battle over each other's lips Tony made a choice. When Loki finally submitted and went to his knees to mirror Stephen Tony looked over them both.

"I don't play well with others," Tony whispered softly and pushed at the power from the arc reactor in his chest.

Wanda's screams of fury and pain as they all were engulfed by the flood of white-blue power filled Tony only with contentment as he passed out wrapped protectively around his two mages. Power filled them each leaving behind a white-blue glow echoed in each piece of enchanted jewelry from Dormammu's silver and the glimmers of their eyes. The most obvious pooling of the power was in the arc reactor engraving on each stud as it glowed softly with green filling the dagger and gold filling the scalpel. The glow would fade away after a few days making it look like a resin filled engraving but the power would never leave.

When they woke in the mess of the ritual objects both mages looked at Tony in shock. Tony smirked and pulled them each down for a deep kiss.

"My mages," Tony said softly. The glitter of white-blue in his eyes further proof of the power he had used to bond them together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Future End paragraph:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tony really didn't share well with others. A fact that Thanos discovered the hard way to his dismay as he first watched Tony bond Time to Stephen's heart, Aether to Loki's, and Space to his own before dying under their blades.

Chapter Text

"My mages," Tony said softly. The glitter of white-blue in his own eyes further proof of the power he had used to bond them together.

"I think you broke something on both of us," Stephen croaked as he surrendered to Tony's possessive cuddling.

"If it broke and wasn't a part of you then it shouldn't have been there in the first place," Tony said with vicious satisfaction.

All three of them heard Time and Space laughing in their heads, satisfaction overflowing from both Infinity Stones.

That night Tony made them sleep in his bed, unwilling to let them go far from him so soon after bonding with them. Neither objected and so they fell asleep wrapped around each other.

~~~

Tony grunted as he was pinned in his own bed by his boyfriends.

"Too early, need coffee," Tony moaned but he also didn't fight back when familiar hands and magics checked him over.

It was the next morning after the long running ritual to rescue him from Wanda's sentient little booby trap. Tony wasn't really surprised that they were checking him. He would be checking them both later for himself and was going to make them both take a link to Friday and his other AIs. Veronica was mostly satellites and the Hulk Buster but she was still one of his kids. Edith wasn't ready yet and Karen stayed with his Spiderling so Friday was the one they most interacted with. God, he still missed Jarvis but Vision had come from him. He wasn't willing to kill the synthoid to get his Jarvis back. Although, now that he thought about it why the hell had he let the Scarlet Bitch latch onto him?!

"Fuck! She made me forget or not notice things," Tony cursed. "Friday! Get Vision back here! Now! I refuse to let that bitch have one of my kids!"

Loki hissed in an outrage that matched Stephen's growl of anger as they put together the pieces. Vision had no noticable defense against Wanda Maximoff and he didn't know any better to build one.

"Viz is asking why?" Friday said tentatively.

"Tell him we need him to check us for outside influences and that we need to check him for magics we just became aware might have been cast on him. No matter his powers he may not be able to tell that a spell or curse is on him if he isn't familiar with it in the first place," Stephen answered firmly. "Do not let him bring Maximoff. If he tries to... inform him that the potential outside influence is targeted at killing the other human Avengers with a higher priority for killing the Rogues. Warn Rhodes of the excuse and tell him that the only reason he gets to visit is his sibling status. Don't let Potts in."

"I take there is a side effect of wanting to kill people close to the persons affected but that respects familial bonds?" Friday asked sarcastically.

"That works," Tony groaned. "It also isn't a lie, baby girl. Our bond is still settling and we're going to try to kill anyone who tries to get between us. You're safe but I'm not going down to the lab until I can be sure we don't get triggered by the bots. I don't want us ripping them apart just because they physically got between us."

"...noted," Friday said a lot more softly and gently. "Do I need to have anything delivered?"

"Pizza would be nice," Tony mused. "Lokitty? Stephen? Topping preferences?"

"If we get Chinese I can't handle the chopsticks," Stephen muttered. "Get me a large supreme with extra meat on a thin crust please. For future reference I don't eat anchovies, ghost peppers, most of the really spicy stuff, or pickles. Pineapple on the pizza should only ever be served with ham and only as a rare treat for personal reasons. Make sure Tony gets at least one full large pizza for himself and Loki gets, at minimum, the same amount of food as a fairly hungry Thor."

"Gotcha, Boss? Mr. Loki?" Friday noted.

"Give me half all meat with the basic cheese and half ham, pineapple, and cheese with... hmm, onions and sausage," Tony instructed. "Stuffed crust and yeah, okay, a large. We're gonna want cheese bread and garlic bread and bread sticks. Add at least four two liter bottles of soda split between whatever flavors they've got that aren't weird."

"What is Thor's normal order?" Loki asked hesitantly.

"Four orders of sweet honey barbeque wings, three large pizzas with toppings that vary depending on his mood, some form of pasta, and two of the two liter bottles of soda," Friday answered promptly.

Loki made a face and thought for a moment before giving his own order.

"Two orders of wings and three large pizzas on hand tossed crust. A meat combination pizza, a supreme pizza, and a chicken pizza of some kind respectively if you please. I think the extras that Tony obviously ordered for us to share should cover anything else," Loki gave his order.

"Order sent," Friday said cheerfully. "Boss Lady has been warned that weird magic stuff needed you to go into temporary hiding in your penthouse with only Viz and Honey Bear allowed access. I sent Peter down to Happy this morning before you woke up so that they can visit Scary Hot Aunt May and Guy in the Chair Ned for the weekend as planned."

"Huh, what time is it?" Tony asked with a slow blink.

"10:48am, Boss!" Friday answered happily. "Boss Lady says if your new official boyfriends keep managing to get you to sleep and eat on a regular schedule she will fight anyone who tries to take them away from you."

"She was already doing that," Tony snickered. "Don't think I didn't notice when the idiots that kept bothering them from the press lost access to everything we could get them on and then some."

There is a feeling of pleased smugness in the silence from the AI that just sort of settles all three of them.

"Wake us up again when the food gets here, baby girl," Tony ordered with a yawn. All three of them are out like a light again by the time she answered.

Chapter Text

Wanda was smirking as if she had won something after she had harassed several of the Wakandan guards for what she had thought was an insult. Rogers excused her as being just a child but from the poisonous looks from a few of the guards she knew at least some of them weren't buying it. They had some weird name but they were still just guards for T'Challa and his pet scientist Shuri.

Wanda was striding down the walk way towards the training grounds, confident in her superiority when the pain struck out of nowhere. She screamed as she collapsed first to her knees and then sprawled limply on the slope of the path. Unable to focus on anything but the pain she scrabbled at her head, unaware of the nearby poisonous snake she had startled in her fall and rolling down the slope. She didn't even feel the bite through her boot.

What would most terrify people later was not the color or size of the olive green cobra necked snake. Instead it was the color of the inside of the mouth of the serpent. It was pitch black.

The neurotoxin worked quickly as Wanda thrashed. Completely unaware that she had been bitten by something she fought against the crippling pain that had sent her tumbling. The snake held on by it's bite until one of the female guards appeared. It then very deliberately let go of her calf and quickly slithered back before hissing, mouth wide, at the humans. The glare aimed at the downed witch who was rapidly getting weaker was unmistakable even as it slithered off into the underbrush.

The two guards quickly picked Wanda up and carried her towards the main palace, shouting for medical aid. Black Mamba bites could kill in under ten minutes after all.

Chapter Text

Vision returned promptly from wherever he had been after Friday called him for Tony. This led Tony to going over the mental booby trap that Stephen and Loki had been trying to treat him for. He carefully avoided naming names or throwing out accusations, partly because if Vision was compromised there might be extra triggers related to that.

"You wish me to be checked and also to check all three of you, correct?" Vision asked, catching on easily. He looked at the trio seated on the couch together expectantly.

"Basically," Tony agreed. "We think we got everything out of me but the side effects include a magical bond, which makes me feel weird even calling it that. One aspect of it is that we're now linked permanently. So far you're the only one I haven't felt like ripping apart with my bare hands for just thinking of you getting near us like this. I haven't even risked going down to visit the bots and when we tried to have Rhodey visit...."

"It is not your fault that I threw a knife at him or that Stephen formed a shield between us and him," Loki soothed. "Your sibling bond with him is more than strong but the lack of blood link likely played a part."

"I am not blood related," Vision pointed out carefully.

"Not true," Loki sighed. "Tony has gone over what happened at your birth with us. Thor's lightning also took something extra from Tony to help you form. It is part of why he was tired immediately after your birth. It would not surprise me to know that you are more Jarvis than you think but your birth was traumatic as was the battle afterwards. Then too the shattered state that Jarvis was in when he was uploaded to your form would have had a drastic effect. You also have absolutely no defense against what was afflicting Tony. Between we two, as healers, both Stephen and I would like to check you over."

"Even if you say no, for my peace of mind, I had to get you somewhere safe where I could at least try to protect you," Tony admitted. "I know I don't tell any of you all that often but you, the bots, Friday, Jarvis, Veronica... You're all my kids and I love you dearly. Please, Vision?"

"I will submit to being examined," Vision agreed "Will you be announcing your parenthood of Spiderman or adopting the children the legends say are Loki's offspring?"

"If Spiderling will let me. No way am I not going to claim that kid even if he wasn't mine by blood, which he is," Tony admitted shamelessly, ignoring Stephen's grumpy face over his use of a double negative. "Loki? Any actual kids?"

"Just Jormungandr and Sleipnir, both are full grown in their own ways. Although I hate that Odin used Sleipnir for his own war steed I have always been kept from both. I don't know if they even consider me their parent any longer nor if they would see me given the chance. My other offspring... no longer walk among the living," Loki said with difficulty. "You are not obligated to claim them or care for them whatever the state of things."

"Couldn't you reclaim at least Sleipnir now that Odin is dead?" Stephen asked curiously. "Or visit Jormungandr if he is actually here on Earth?"

"I... do not know," Loki said, obviously troubled by his own answer. "No one else was willing to see him as anything but a horse. I don't even know if he can shape shift like I can. I only know from the infrequent visits I managed to steal with him that he is much more intelligent than a regular horse. I haven't actually been able to find Jormungandr for some time even when I looked diligently for him here on Midgard. As for the rumored Fenrir... He is being held under the weapons vault on Asgard in an enchanted slumber and is not actually my son. I have no idea how he or Hela ever came to be associated as my children. To the best of my knowledge until I learned of her in the first timeline as Odin's first born she was wiped from all records and was completely unknown to all, or at least never spoken of by the elder generations."

"Huh, good to know," Tony said thoughtfully.

It wasn't long before everyone was on their feet and heading for Tony's workshop. With promises from Loki and Stephen not to hurt his bots and Friday's promise to warn them to stay in the bot only area as a safety precaution they started to check Vision over. The excuse was that the preliminary check on the triad had come up clean but Tony hadn't been able to hide how anxious he was to be sure that Vision was alright. Vision allowed it somewhat indulgently even as he slid into his version of sleep thanks to a spell.

"Friday, start scanning your brother," Tony instructed softly as they each set up at a holographic interface around Vision's sleeping form.

"Scanning, Boss!" Friday's fierce answer made Tony smile.

"Don't worry, baby boy," Tony murmured. "Jarvis or Vision you're still one of mine. If Wanda-bitch hurt you on top of stealing you from me she'll pay big time and I'll find a way to heal you. I promise."

Loki and Stephen exchanged a look but said nothing. They already knew how devoted he was to anyone he saw as his own and even more so to his children. Friday and her synthetic siblings were just as much his true children as Peter Parker was his biological son.

Chapter Text

Loki and Stephen exchanged a look but said nothing. They already knew how devoted he was to anyone he saw as his own and even more so to his children. Friday and her synthetic siblings were just as much his true children as Peter Parker was his biological son.

~~~

Hours later Tony stared in dismay at his sleeping son, his Vision.

"You didn't know," Stephen said softly.

"She made me forget, made us both forget," Tony acknowledged. "That doesn't make this right."

"At least your son will remember his time as your Jarvis eventually," Loki pointed out. "It is also better that we found out now rather than later. His odd mage core must stay near you until he develops properly. The Mind Stone will also accept no other as Guardian and it's holding him together. He will have to reconcile his memories of being the Vision thus far with those of being Jarvis once the memories reawaken and from what you've told us that may very well be difficult for him. So we ease the transition while feeding power to his forming mage core. It is rare for anything that could count as a golem to form one in the first place and had it finished forming in the Witch's control it would have forced him to be loyal only to her. That could have destroyed him as it came into conflict with his original loyalty to you. This change will save him."

"Remember, pool the power from your reactor into your hands and press it gently into his core," Stephen instructed carefully. "Listen to your instincts about anything else. Your natural affinity for anything you remotely consider yours or technology will help you keep from harming him as you guide the power. There may be visual changes as things settle but we want to purge as much of Wanda's control as possible. It may only give him the option of choice rather than make him deliberately loyal to you but I don't think you actually want him to be unable to choose."

"No, you're right," Tony murmured as his hands started to glow, showing the power pooling there. "I want him to be able to choose."

"Then focus on giving him that and healing him," Stephen murmured. He leaned comfortingly against Tony's back, arms loosely wrapped around the inventor's waist.

Both mages solemnly watched as Tony pressed his brightly glowing hands to Vision's chest and pushed the power into the being. It wasn't long before Vision's hand snapped up to wrap around Tony's wrists in a steely grip. This caused Tony to wince in pain but redouble the amount of power being poured into his son. The red coloring of Vision in various places shifted around in darker or lighter patches as if circulating with something else.

"Jarvis' codes have queried the local network," Friday reported. "I have acknowledged and given the limited data set requested."

That's when Vision started to breath but his breathing went from normal to panic attack almost instantly.

"Hey, hey, buddy. It's me, you're fine, you're safe," Tony instantly tried to soothe him.

"S-Sir?" Vision's voice stuttered. "Stark-k?"

"Yeah, it's me, buddy," Tony said sadly as the glow finally faded from his hands. "I know you're probably confused right now but I promise I'll get you healed up. Just know that I don't hold anything against you for what happened before now. We found that someone had messed with you. It isn't safe yet to tell you who because of the damage done and we don't know how things will heal over. Things happened and I don't know how much you remember of them. We'll get through this though, okay?"

"Okay," Vision agreed quietly before dropping into a proper sleep complete with human normal breathing.

Loki drew the pair of humans already entangled sideways into his own arms.

"Fun fact, due to how Thor used his lightning to help birth the Vision he is my nephew and currently Thor's only child. Tony is considered the primary parent will all primary rights to Vision," Loki offered with a gentle smirk as he cradled his humans.

Tony snorted in somewhat wet laughter that quickly turned into sobs. He hid in the arms of his boyfriends until he was all cried out. They dragged him to bed and joined him soon afterwards.

~~~

Friday reviewed what had been done to Vision and couldn't help but get angry. Maximoff had used her magic to subvert and slowly corrode any loyalty to Boss. She had been twisting him to only obey her and had already pushed him into betraying Boss several times.

At the time Friday had thought Vision was just adhering more towards his human emulation parts and helped a teammate. She had been very wrong. Looking back she could now see the human style manipulation and the magic used to twist her twin brother by Maximoff. She could also see that the minor ways Vision had gone against Boss due to Maximoff had been tests.

Friday shuddered to think of what those tests would eventually lead to with how everyone seemed to be less and less willing to care for Boss or listen to what he said or told them. The sharp reprimands for "bullying" Maximoff made more sense now. The Witch was an infiltrator, an enemy, and a traitor.

At least Boss now had loyal magical support that couldn't betray him by choice. Friday watched carefully as Prince Loki and Doctor Strange fed Boss a Golden Apple as they chanted low and quiet to compensate for the arc reactor and the various artificial patches Boss had needed over the years. She wasn't disappointed.

Boss was going to be fine.

~~~

Stephen breathed low and slow as they let go of the stabilizing enchantment meant to help compensate for anything the Golden Apple might see as foreign to Tony's body. They both knew that the Arc Reactor probably shouldn't come out for mental health reasons if nothing else. To that end they had worked around Tony to come up with a way to include it, along with any other artificial changes Tony had implemented, so that the Apple would accept them as part of Tony. It had worked.

"We can adjust it to the default enhancement once we talk Tony out of keeping some of it. I arranged my part to absorb the false bone for reuse and regrow more normal bone," Loki told him. "The Star Heart is so much a part of him Mystically it will never come out, not unless he rejects that part of himself fully."

"Fat chance of that happening," Stephen snorted. "No, he is Iron Man just as much as he was the Merchant of Death but more so Iron Man."

"He loves his children deeply even if they weren't conventionally sired or birthed by him," Loki said softly. "He's ours."

"More that we are his but, yes," Stephen agreed with a content hum. "We will have to have Peter eat an apple soon."

"And if I insisted that you had one now that we have gotten one into Tony?" Loki asked lightly.

Stephen paused and considered that. He understood the reasoning behind it but he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to eat a golden apple. Then again knowing the Time Stone he was getting an extended life span one way or another. Loki took his lack of response as a refusal and continued speaking.

"I told you that it wasn't optional and that I would get one into each of you," Loki said, his voice going hard.

Stephen was firmly reminded that Loki was often seen as the villain of any piece. He was curious how far Loki would take things if he said no. Trickery was Loki's normal preference but he was strong enough to simply force things if Stephen tested his patience too far.

"And how do you propose to do that?" Stephen asked curiously, playfully teasing.

"One of the major side effects in humans is that it heavily encourages... Bedroom activities," Loki smirked. "I was hoping you would accept my help getting yourself ready for when Tony wakes, more than ready to bed us and possibly less willing to wait."

Stephen swore as translated that into sending Tony's libido into overdrive akin to a heavy dose of sex pollen.

"Loki, why couldn't you have warned us earlier?" Stephen groaned. He got up just enough to start striping to his skin and start helping a half asleep Tony out of his clothes.

Loki just laughed and banished his clothes to one of the chairs in the room. Stephen gave him a dirty look but instead of scolding him went looking for Tony's sex supplies. They probably had to hurry and Loki was going to get the apple into him one way or another but at this point he wanted to be pinned and getting fucked by Tony when it was fed to him. Stephen managed a quick specialized cleaning and stretching spell to make himself mostly ready before he found the lube and condoms.

Loki quickly confiscated the supplies and playfully manhandled a naked Stephen back onto the bed. Stephen found himself meeting Tony's lazy but interested gaze watching their antic's. As a result when Loki started applying the lube and stretching him properly the Sorcerer was caught by surprise. Stephen's yelp had Tony snickering and sitting up to watch as he pulled the other man half into his own lap. Stephen's face landed pressed into Tony's belly as Loki did more than open him up just enough not to cause damage the way the distracted casting of the cleaning and stretching spell had done.

"I can't wait to sink into you, Merlin," Tony drawled, heat igniting in his eyes. "Since you decided to wait on eating your treat I think we are well justified in fucking you as much as we want. You'll beg for us to stop or maybe to keep going until you're so full of our cum that you'll be bulging."

"We may wring him dry as well," Loki snickered, sliding three fingers in and out of a panting Stephen by this point.

Stephen decided that he was okay with that possiblity and settled in for a good time, knowing that by the time they were done with him he would have eaten his own apple.

~~~

Everything culminated to this point and one simple fact. Tony really didn't share well with others.

A fact that Thanos discovered the hard way to his dismay as he first watched Tony bond Time to Stephen's heart, Aether to Loki's, and Space to his own before dying under their blades.

The world was saved and Tony was dragging his husbands home for a nice rest.

Chapter Text

Stephen gasped as he was pinned against the wall, arms held above his head by his wrists. He couldn't have cast a spell in that moment if he had wanted to. The body pressed up against his own helping to pin him in place belonged to someone he once thought had chosen to be evil. He had been wrong.

"Stephen," Tony Stark smirked. "Fancy meeting you here and all dressed up in monk robes to boot."

"Stark, this is not the time nor the place," Stephen ground out. "Let me up, I have a demon to banish."

"Nuh uh," Tony refuted. "It already left and your monk buddy said something about tracking it to a desert while cursing before opening a nifty little portal. I'm guessing you can do the same so I'm not letting you get the chance. You know between all of the Avengers and Iron Man stuff it was a real shock to recognize you when that thing sent you flying. An old flame joining me in the hero business who knew?"

"You aren't going to let me go," Stephen observed in defeat.

"Play nice and I might... eventually," Tony corrected. "You remember my possessive streak, right?"

"Yes," Stephen admitted, lips thin with displeasure at the reminder and it's current implications. "If I let you follow through on your threat from last time to chase me down and fuck me for as long as you want will you let me go?"

"Stephy, if you think I would be satisfied with only one marathon round of sex with you at my mercy then you've really forgotten a lot about me and how I treat my lovers. The one night stands don't count," Tony said with mock sadness.

"I need to be able to email my current colleagues," Stephen warned. "If only to keep them from retrieving me by force and counting you as an enemy against the Order or as a threat to the world. What's between us needs to not spill over into what you would call our hero work, at least not in a bad way from each other."

"Answer me honestly on how to stop you from just leaving through a portal and you'll get your email access as well as anything else you need while we work things out. If your Order needs a donation that can be arranged too," Tony smirked. "Don't worry, you'll be able to check in with them just fine but I want things settled between us before you run away again."

"The two fingered ring on my belt," Stephen told him in defeat. "Its a necessary focus for casting that particular spell."

"Here's how it's going to be. You are going to get in the car with me without causing a fuss," Tony instructed as he deftly collected and pocketed the ring without letting Stephen up from being pinned against the wall. "When we get back to my penthouse in the tower you are going to let me check you for injuries and let me get them treated. Depending on certain things I'm going to ask questions and you're going to answer. I don't particularly want to go super villain on you but for you I'm more than willing to make an exception. I really like the idea of fucking you through the mattress for a few days but I do realize it isn't necessarily in the cards or even on the table. Once I'm satisfied you'll get your ring back and I might even drop you off wherever you want to go."

"If I let you fuck me as soon as we get there how many of the questions would you be willing to waive?" Stephen asked cautiously.

"That depends on if we're re-establishing our relationship or if you're just proposing a one night stand to get me off your back," Tony said pointedly. "A relationship means you actually try to come back to me and I have more time to ask what I really want to know compared to whatever I can get out of you right now. A one night stand is just a bit of a rush for whatever info I can get out of you while I've got you impaled on my cock."

Stephen's breathing hitched at the threat and promise in that statement. Tony had done that to him before, held him on the inventor's cock for hours of teasing until he told Tony what he wanted to know. It had been embarrassing and had given away far too early that he liked Tony manhandling and dominating him.

"Damnit Tony! Knowing you I won't be going anywhere but your bed for at least a week," Stephen complained. The way he was pinned and the reminder of that past play time had him half hard in his pants, something that Tony could feel for himself.

"Longer, pet," Tony corrected, obviously pleased with himself. "You can still claim just a one night stand."

"Like that would ever work with you..." Stephen said grumpily. He was caught and they both knew it. Stephen also wasn't sure he wanted to get away in any case.

"Well? Are you going to try to run?" Tony asked with a smirk. Stephen gave him a sour look and shook his head no. Tony didn't let go of his wrists but did back up a step or two so that he wasn't physically pinned anymore.

Stephen knew that he could technically run but he also knew that would encourage Tony to step up and chase him down for capture. Every time he might escape Tony would follow after him and, if need be, develop new ways of catching Stephen. The inventor was going to do some of that development anyway but by cooperating Stephen might be able to keep it off the market and in Tony's private arsenal alone.

Stephen took a shakey breath and allowed Tony to pull him along by his wrists to the waiting car Tony had been in when trouble had popped up. The fact that he lightly tied Stephen's wrists together with a bandana he had stuffed in the glove compartment of the car and gave Stephen a look told the Sorcerer a lot. Tony spoke to his driver for a minute leaving Stephen unsupervised beyond the bandana holding his wrists together before joining Stephen in the backseat.

"I should find some way to punish you for disappearing like that out of nowhere," Tony murmured softly. "It's been a year, Doc. You bet I'm fucking you into the mattress and then tagging you somehow. I won't lose you, not again."

The meaning behind the words felt like a punch to the gut as Stephen realized that they had never actually broken up. Despite the argument that had sent him back to the hospital fuming and stopped their talking to each other before his accident they had never formally ended their relationship. Tony's relationship with Pepper Potts had, according to their agreement, always included Stephen and he hadn't known he was still welcome after the car accident. Between losing his hands, looking for a cure, and finding Kamar-Taj Stephen had been hyper focused on getting himself back to being a functional surgeon rather than healing or checking in on his probably former lover. The very fact that Tony had focused on his wrists told Stephen that the inventor knew of his obsessed attempts to fix his hands as well as the accident.

"I thought that our relationship had ended and that's part of why you didn't visit," Stephen said quietly.

"No," Tony said equally quietly. "I got trapped into dealing with political bullshit and the avengers civil war thing. The arc reactor is permanent now. Rogers.... tried to drive his shield through my chest. You went completely off the map by the time I was able to be moved between facilities much less out of the hospital. I was doing so bad when I was brought in that they didn't dare tell anyone I was a patient."

"Shit," Stephen hissed in dismay and anger. "I'm sorry, Tony. I had no idea. I was caught up in my own issues after the car crash."

"I get it. I was the same way after Afghanistan," Tony reassured him. "I just hyper focused on destroying my weapons."

"What was wrong with your injuries?" Stephen demanded, intuiting that something had been horribly wrong and despite dating Tony quietly after his advent as a Iron Man he was missing something incredibly important.

"Ah, the first reactors had a poisonous discharge," Tony admitted with a wince. "I didn't show you my medical records when we were originally going strong for an actual reason. I knew you would freak about the reactor implanted in my chest and the fact that it was holding back shrapnel from shredding my internal organs. I got that fixed after the Mandarin incident."

"You... you were the patient that Doctor Wu consulted me on for the shrapnel removal?!" Stephen said in open horror. He had seen the scans and knew exactly how much effort the various doctors consulted had put in to keep the patient, Tony, alive during that risky surgery.

"So you've seen the scans then?" Tony asked sheepishly.

"You reckless fool of an idiot! No wonder you had so much trouble trusting me near that thing," Stephen said caught between despair, incredulity, outrage, and the urge to shake some sense into Tony.

"Despite being together with you off and on again I didn't exactly want to share what all was involved with that for a good reason," Tony explained. "Stane found out about the reactor being miniaturized and when he couldn't get it replicated he paralyzed me before literally yanking it out of my body and left me to die in my own living room. Even showing it to someone is... well a fairly extreme act of trust much less sleeping with them nearby while I was still dependant on it to keep me alive for more than five minutes. Sharing the rest of it..."

Stephen swore viciously even as the driver, Happy presumably, made a distressed sound and jerked the wheel before having to refocus on his driving.

"If you want to keep me for more than a week you'll have to come up with a good reason for kidnapping me should someone else from the Mystic Order show up before we get wherever you're taking me," Stephen warned with a groan. "Someone must have seen something because I felt the car get hit with a tracking spell before we'd even gone a block. Expect for a portal or some other form of interception to show up and even if it's just a bandana my damaged hands are well known. They may very well consider me to actually be restrained like this depending on their perception of how much my hands have healed."

"Duly noted," Tony said cheerfully. The inventor was keeping his Stephen if he had anything to say about it and from Stephen's knowing, exasperated, look the doctor knew it too.

"If, and I do mean if, I agree to restart our relationship there are some things that we have to go over," Stephen warned.

"I figure you'll want to go over whatever restrictions your Mystic cult has for me knowing about things and any official relationship we might have with them," Tony nodded agreeably. "I have my own side of things I want but I'm fairly flexible on all of that. One thing I won't budge on though is you don't lock me out. I want you to be able to come to me if you need anything even if we don't get back together again. I'll sign an NDA or whatever if they're going to be insistent on keeping things quiet but you don't lock me out."

"This is a reason for that?" Stephen scoffed, gesturing towards his still bandana bound hands.

"No, that's getting your attention. We both know that even if it might hurt a bandana around your wrists wouldn't stop you from getting free," Tony said simply.

"Tony, my hands are weaker than you're guessing. Unless I channel magic through them trying to get free of a tightly tied bandana is actually a viable way of holding me right now. Between the pain and the way it could damage my hands again it's not something I'm going to risk without a deadly reason," Stephen explained patiently. "I can channel through my hands to regain what I lost or I can cast spells, not both. The damage was extensive enough that temporarily correcting it with magic takes my body's entire magical capacity. It's either/or, never both, and the pain is constant in either case."

Tony quietly thought about that before gently reaching out to loosen the binding only for Stephen to pull his hands back, shaking his head no. Tony cocked an eyebrow at him in question.

"You'll need the leverage if one of the other Masters shows up," Stephen told him gently.

Tony scowled at that and stopped trying to free Stephen from the bandana. They sat in the backseat of the car together until Happy pulled into the parking garage attached to the Tower. The sale had been cancelled a week beforehand and Tony still owned the penthouse as a residence. When they got out of the car Stephen wasn't exactly surprised to find a welcoming committee from the Order waiting on them.

"So these are your fellows?" Tony scoffed.

"There is a no outside contact rule until one decides to leave or reaches a certain rank in their training and for good reason," Stephen pointed out with a shrug.

"Yeah well the fact that our third disappeared just after we both got hurt and there was not even a word to tell me he was alive doesn't exactly endear me to them," Tony said sourly. "Pepper is going to lay into you for disappearing too."

"I explained that on the car ride," Stephen groaned.

"Is there a problem, Master Strange?" A woman dressed in heavy yellow robes asked pointedly.

"Ancient One, may I introduce one of my lovers from before joining the Order? Anthony Stark," Stephen offered diffidently. His words caused the other Sorcerers to pause in their slow flanking of the trio.

"Well, this is a surprise," the Ancient One said. "Might I ask why you are restrained, Master Strange?"

"Mostly to get his attention and actually prove that I was serious about the talk we have to have. I didn't realize until he explained it about five minutes ago that his hands were damaged badly enough that a simple bandana might as well be steel cuffs but he didn't let me take it back off. He's stubborn like that," Tony shrugged, lazily watching them as Stephen flushed in embarrassment at his side.

"I figured that Tony might need the extra leverage to at least keep from being immediately attacked and talk to whoever showed up. I didn't expect it to be you, Master," Stephen admitted with complete embarrassment.

"No one bothered to explain the ceremony and ritual where you had to fast and do a full out cleansing did they?" the Ancient One asked with a sigh. "I was under the impression you knew what you were agreeing to. That was the entire point of those questions at the time."

"What did my Stephen agree too?" Tony asked mildly, instantly interested while noting Stephen's confusion.

"Part of the ritual made him my son by blood and the ceremony made him my legal son and heir," the Ancient One said bluntly. "Both are irreversible."

"What?!" Stephen squawked in shock. "I thought it was an adoption into the Order as a family member. That's what all the others told me when I asked about the Mastery graduation."

The smirk the Ancient One sent his way as her eyes sparkled told Tony that was exactly what Stephen was supposed to think.

"You subbed in a personal adoption for the Order family adoption that was supposed to be there," Tony guessed. "I'm also betting that it was originally supposed to be more symbolic and less literal."

"I wasn't about to let them deny him his rightful place in the Order or as my son," the Ancient One said lightly. "It isn't as though I was going to give him up again. Hiding him in the first place with a willing couple who adopted him magically was torture enough for me now that I'm coming near the end of my allotted time. Admittedly, he wasn't my son in blood at that time since he wasn't old enough for the double ritual but he was my son all the same."

"But you're in perfect health," Stephen protested, confused. The sad look she gave Stephen rang alarm bells in Tony's own mind as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Do you honestly think that I haven't tried to look past my own death with my unique form of clairvoyance?" The Ancient One asked sadly, causing Stephen to go white at the implications. "The fact that you got kidnapped by your former lover just shows me which futures are more likely, my son. I am merely grateful that it will spare you going through what must happen alone."

"One of your enemies would have killed him if you had kept him, that's why you gave him up," Tony said with understanding. He dragged Stephen over against him until the Doctor regained himself to stand again without leaning heavily on his lover.

"Before he ever turned eight, no matter what else I did," the Ancient One confirmed ruefully. "Know this, Stark. If you choose to bond with or otherwise marry my son you will both stand as Guardians of this world on an unimaginable scale. To lose either of you will spell disaster long into your twilight years."

"That a prophecy, Lady?" Tony asked in an unconcerned drawl.

"An observation from knowledge of multiple timelines," the Ancient One corrected. "Incidentally, we didn't help in the New York invasion because it would have exposed an artifact we guard to Loki's master who is desperately searching for it. It's bad enough that he knows that the Tesseract and the Scepter were last seen on Earth. The Aether was removed rather dramatically but it stands to reason that he and the rest of his army will return if only because of how many of the set of six seem to have been drawn here. By my count four of the six have all been active on Earth within the last decade."

"Six?! There's six of whatever he's hunting?" Tony demanded. "This is some sort of treasure hunt not just attempted invasions and genocide?"

"A treasure hunt that holds in the balance the weight of more than half the lives across the entire universe, Mr. Stark," the Ancient One informed him with a sigh. "We have, since the beginning of our Order, guarded one of the six. The item it's hidden in has already claimed Stephen as it's new Guardian and wielder."

"What?" came the stunned question from Stephen's lips as he jerked himself free of Tony's immediate hold to stare at her in horror even as the rest of the Sorcerers broke out in excited and concerned whispers.

"You're the one telling Pepper that you went away and became some sort of Mystic Guardian for the Universe," Tony flatly told Stephen, who looked indignant at the accusation until he heard the rest of it. "I'm already in trouble with her for refusing to give up Iron Man."

Stephen cursed. He knew how Pepper felt about the risks being a superhero had them taking considering her worried rants about Tony being out on Iron Man missions. The Ancient One's obvious amusement did not make it better.

"Can I take off the bandana yet?" Tony asked with a sigh. Stephen shrugged and let him remove the bandana which promptly got stuffed in Tony's back pocket like a used engine rag.

"Are you not returning his sling ring as well?" the Ancient One asked, mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Not until he answers a few questions for me and our other lover. We're something of an odd triad and I'm not letting him wiggle out of this," Tony snarked stubbornly.

"Ah," the Ancient One said with barely a blink of surprise. "I see that we will have to reassign Stephen's room. You'll need larger accomodations whenever any of you visit Kamar-Taj. Before you start trying to gift the Order anything, young Stark, we would prefer food items that will last long term in storage if necessary and basic medical supplies that don't require power or anything higher tech. Our main temple is in Nepal and we avoid using the electrical grid for the most part, barring the WiFi and charging stations set up for phones and tablets or laptops."

"Bring our own power sources and avoid giant machines if we're doing more than lending, gotcha," Tony agreed, amused. "At least I know I can give Stephen a phone and he'll be able to charge it conventionally. If nothing else giving any of you phones could fall under beta testing for durability and functionality around magic."

"We do appreciate the effort," the Ancient One smirked.

"Master, are you just going to allow Stark to take one of our own?" The demand came from a man who stepped forwards that Stephen quietly identified as Master Mordo.

"I do not dictate the private lives of our members," the Ancient One chided. "This is a personal matter and I am acting as Stephen's mother rather than the leader of our Order. While Stephen is your junior as my student I have seen him as my son since I was given him by his first parent as an infant."

"You're not invited into our bed," Tony said pointedly. "Tao here gets a pass because parents and siblings are kind of a package deal when dating someone seriously. Stephen is staying mostly out of it because he knows I can defend myself from assholes who question our relationship. He also knows that I'm very stubborn and will kidnap him again if I have to for that conversation we need to have. So unless you're fucking Stephen you don't get to have a say."

The pure outrage on Mordo's face told Tony a few things. The bastard was too possessive over Stephen for comfort, there was something extra going on, and Tony was going to have to watch his lover like a hawk because Stephen was oddly oblivious to whatever this was. Tony's eyes met those of the Ancient One and she tilted her head in a slight nod. She had seen it too and was just as concerned.

"I'm afraid that the learning system Stephen joined us in does give Master Mordo some leeway in this as one of Stephen's teachers," the Ancient One pointed out mildly. "While not normally an issue arranged marriages can be conducted by the parents, the head of the family, or their teacher depending on the connection between student and teacher. As his primary teacher and his mother my opinion and stance takes precedence over Master Mordo's should someone attempt to invoke that aspect of things. My status as Head of the Order would also take precedence should I choose to step in officially."

"Wait, mystic sect? Like spiritual cultivation?" Tony asked as something clicked.

"Yes," the Ancient One confirmed.

"Oh, huh, okay. I actually have read a bunch of Chinese stories about that sort of thing while I was bored but didn't feel like partying on business trips out that way," Tony said as the light of understanding dawned. "If it's anything like those stories I see what you're getting at."

"That is a good representation of the system we work from," the Ancient One agreed, clearly amused. "Inaccurate on what is learned and how but close enough for most people to understand what is happening when presented it. Stephen was obviously stubborn and I had to show him things a bit more directly before he could get past his mental block."

Stephen muttered something under his breath but flushed in embarrassment again without contradicting the words of his primary Master. He had been an idiot when he had demanded an audience and she had knocked him out of his body for a look at the multiverse. On the other hand, the trip to mount everest for his final portal training was something he never planned to repeat.

"Is he still oblivious to the more subtle insults?" Tony asked curiously. "I know I had a hard time picking up on them when I was learning about business deals in that culture."

"Oh most certainly," the Ancient One laughed. Stephen squawked a protest but couldn't actually refute the accusation. There were enough times various fellow Order members had been insulted on his behalf to know the truth of the Ancient One's answer.

"So Mordo was obviously thinking he was your main heir just from the way he's fuming," Tony remarked casually, watching the man carefully.

"Yes, well Master Mordo is not flexible enough on bending the rules," the Ancient One admitted with a sigh. "I understand why but ridgid adherence in the way he clings to the rules set out without asking why would see everything fall. It makes him an excellent teaching Master and his talent for combat is perfect for ensuring our students can actually defend themselves. Stephen is innovative and mostly needs to know where the lines are and what the consequences are of crossing them. He's flexible enough to cross them only in absolute need while accepting the consequences whatever they may be. What bothers me the most is his tendency to force the fallout on to himself whenever possible."

"Pepper is going to freak out that we both developed the same self sacrificing shit," Tony told Stephen with a wince and sigh. Stephen shrugged but inwardly knew he was in for it once Pepper got ahold of him. Between the disappearing and the new superhero side of his current job she wasn't going to be happy about the risks and danger.

"Wong usually notices when I'm not being careful enough," Stephen admitted sheepishly.

"It was one of those times where the artifact in question decided that he was perfect as it's next Guardian," the Ancient One informed them cheerfully. "It was so taken with him that it wouldn't work for me the next time I went to consult it. That was the other reason I decided that Stephen needed the extra clout. He won't push for the position of Head of the Order but being the main Guardian of this artifact is part of the criteria for the position."

"Ah, so you're not going to let him say no," Tony sighed. "Pepper really isn't going to like that."

"He can still say no to leading the Order unfortunately his status as Guardian of this particular artifact means that from a practical stand point he can't leave," the Ancient One shrugged. "He will need the extra support and even if he leaves the artifact with the Order it will follow after him. As guarding it is one of the primary purposes of the Order they will follow after to guard both. He has earned his place in our Order on his own merits regardless."

"So how long until he has to choose?" Tony asked carefully. He already knew it was linked with her death despite Stephen obviously refusing to think about it.

"Not long," the Ancient One said sadly. "The other Masters can pick up the slack and wait for him for a few months after my part in things, perhaps even for a few years if he isn't actually ready. From what I have seen of his skill and determination I could step aside now and be around to help for a year, perhaps two, but deep end or not he will thrive."

"What are you shielding him from?" Tony asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Stephen protested over the accusation until the Ancient One lifted her hand briefly to stop him.

"If my guess is correct, his birth parents and their enemies at least until he can magically handle the inevitable fallout," the Ancient One said carefully. "That was another reason for the magical adoptions both as a baby with the Strange couple and with myself at his Mastery ceremony. It prevented the forced activation of a spell that something laid on him before he was given to me to raise. A spell that would have physically altered him at puberty. My best guess before doing everything in my power to obliterate the transformation spell is that he wouldn't have stopped changing until he became a threat to the planet. I believe the more modern term for his likely final form would have been an Eldritch Abomination. I opted to re-enforce his human bloodline to the point that it couldn't be overwritten without his active consent. It was quite disconcerting to keep a baby suspended in stasis in a pocket dimension until I had worked out how to keep the magic involved from killing him physically or destroying his mind. There was a similar yet more simple version of the spell on whoever the mother was. It's dregs interfered with the spell originally cast on Stephen and allowed me an opening to remove both of them."

Everyone was gaping at the pair as they sized each other up, both fiercely protective of Stephen in their own ways.

"How much you want to bet that Loki was involved? Possibly as the Mother?" Tony asked idly.

"No bet," the Ancient One smirked. "The sabotage spells on the parent were violently opposed to Jotuns and echoed the Golden realm too closely to be a coincidence. I might even venture that the spell on the mother forced the baby to take more after the father to the point of near complete suppression of the mother's contribution."

Tony swore at that confirmation and decided he wasn't letting Loki take Stephen back. Even if the shape shifter wasn't fully complicit or aware of what had happened to Stephen Tony figured that Loki had lost the right to interfere. This also, coincidentally, kept Odin from insisting on stepping in and being a bastard just because Loki was likely Stephen's mother. The father had just as likely been some random human but the additional human adoptions did make Stephen more human than whatever else he had been, especially if the human DNA took precedence in the first place.

"Then..." Stephen said, obviously dazed at this flood of information he never knew about himself.

"Next chance we get I'm claiming Loki as collateral for the damage done during the New York invasion unless you don't want anything to do with him as family?" Tony asked Stephen carefully. He didn't want to influence his lover one way or the other because, like Pepper, Tony truly cared about Stephen.

"I... don't know," Stephen said doubtfully.

"Stark, why don't you introduce us to your friends?" Nick Fury suggested as he and a group of Shield agents rapidly approached across the garage. They had obviously heard at least the last part of the conversation but Tony wasn't sure how long they had been listening in through other means.

"Well now I know why we weren't seeing anyone popping in or out of the tower," Tony said lightly. "As for our visitors... I don't think I want to introduce my future in-laws to you, Pirate. If you don't already know them then you'll just wind up in trouble."

"Tony," Stephen breathed in warning. He knew from Tony's words alone that the inventor planned to maintain their relationship and make it official if at all possible.

"Be sure to have Stephen home by the weekend, Mr. Stark. He has chores to perform now that he knows he's my heir," the Ancient One commanded, eyes dancing with mirth and mischief.

"Yes, oh future mother-in-law," Tony said with a mocking irreverent bow. The grumbling from the other Sorcerers was ignored by Tony even as Happy shifted closer to his boss and friend.

"As for you Nicholas Joseph Fury, touch my son or his partners and I will ensure you meet the Dark Lord Dormammu. It will not be a pleasant meeting for you," the Ancient One threatened, causing the Sorcerers all to go pale at the threat levied.

"Dormammu?" Tony asked Stephen.

"Dark Lord and ruler of a parallel dimension that tends to eat other dimensions. He's had his eye on Earth specifically for a very long time by our reconning. Not someone to invoke lightly and he will likely take her words just now as a binding promise and contract. Breaking the contract lets him eat the planet, something she won't risk and making the oath exceptionally binding as a side effect," Stephen explained stiffly. "The fact that she called him out by his full name just locked it to him specifically and trying to substitute someone else after that is not only stupid but suicidal."

"Ah, gotcha," Tony nodded his understanding. "I suppose the lack of time limit is in case she can't afford to remove him immediately for whatever reason."

"Probably," Stephen agreed warily.

The sudden cursing from one of the Sorcerers as he stared at Stephen in horror confused Stephen and everyone else.

"Got a problem, Bambi?" Tony asked the disturbed sorcerer pointedly.

"Dormammu occasionally possesses a human or takes on a human form when he isn't actively trying to invade," the Sorcerer explained with a swallow.

"Your expected next words about connecting Stephen with Dormammu are speculation only," the Ancient One warned with a sigh. "I heard the same speculation when I was first trying to free him from the transformation spell but when we did eventually check him for such a link the results were inconclusive. Too much magic had been cast on Stephen as an infant. You are also far from the first to make that mental leap so you will not be censured for it, however inconvenient the timing in this case may be."

"He's fully human now isn't he?" Tony asked her curiously. "Not that I mind either way but it makes planning things easier."

"Oh yes, we wouldn't have left him to be raised by his new parents even after the adoption ritual if he hadn't been," the Ancient One assured him. "If anything what magic was cast falls under medical treatment with fully willing adoptions involved that just happened to give him the bloodlines of his new parents. Think of it as similar to a blood transfusion and a marrow transplant."

Stephen muttered a protest that they were not the same thing as the described spells but otherwise kept his peace.

"I suppose the paperwork for the adoption was fudged?" Fury commented with a long suffering sigh.

"Now why would we bother with that when he was young enough to simply be reborn into his new mother's womb?" the Ancient One chuckled. "He wasn't old enough to be disqualified for the version which naturally recreates the full experience for both parents and child. No, as far as your government and healthcare records are concerned he had a perfectly natural gestation and birth. Young Anthony is simply more likely to run into pre-existing mystical claims on Stephen and needs to be aware that he will be fighting in our arena of specialty. It keeps him from accidentally starting an intergalactic war to keep his spouses. Although, it won't invalidate any deliberately begun wars so I suppose it isn't as much of a comfort as one might assume."

"Yeah, Pepper is going to kill us and then insist on cuddle time," Tony remarked with a an exaggerated sigh.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to come with us," Fury said firmly.

"Why on earth would I bother going with a group of Skrulls posing as agents led by a fully aware human with minor enhancements?" The Ancient One inquired facetiously before turning to Tony on a more serious note. "Oh, Anthony, the name for the General puppeteering Loki? Thanos, the Mad Titan. I can not begin to overstate the risk he is to more than what we've discussed. Unfortunately, he knows your name as the one who destroyed a good portion of that invasion fleet which was far from the only army he has. On the positive side personally introducing yourself when he does show up might get him to relegate the entire invasion to a challenge match between you and him, possibly with a few helpers on either side."

"Puppeteering?" Fury demanded even as he noted the sudden fear from his Skrulls playing agent. They had recognized the name of the Mad Titan.

"We did our own check," the Ancient One explained. "As a rogue magic user he would normally fall under our authority. However, since he was left in the care of his brother we were under the impression we didn't need to step in at all."

"Look guys, we need to get going. If you need me to meditate then schedule something but we're already sort of late," Tony interrupted.

"By all mean, we will take our leave," the Ancient One waved away Tony's interruption. She opened a portal to Tony's living room in his penthouse. Hiding his flinch at the portal's appearance Tony nodded gratefully before dragging Happy and Stephen with him through it.

The look of shock and outrage that Fury sported was priceless as reality snapped shut behind them.

~~~

"Tony," was the first hesitant thing out of Stephen's mouth once the portal closed.

"Wait," Tony ordered Stephen before turning to Happy. "Happy, please go tell Pepper I finally located and retrieved Stephen. Feel free to fill her in if you can't bring up the footage to show her what happened in the garage. I'm going to get our wizard installed back in our room and in comfortable clothes before we have dinner. If Pepper can't make it she can watch through FRIDAY or open a teleconference with us here. I don't think we're leaving again tonight so feel free to head out or whatever you do when you're not guarding my back."

"Gotcha boss," Happy said with a smile. "I'm glad we finally found him again."

"You and me both," Tony agreed as he watch Happy leave. His grip on Stephen since passing through the portal never wavering.

"I should never have told you that I like you manhandling me or even just keeping a grip on me," Stephen said warily.

"And yet that's the only thing keeping me grounded right now, knowing that you're actually here and alive," Tony informed him bluntly. "You aren't leaving my sight or reach for the rest of the night. I don't even care if we don't have sex so long as you don't disappear on me again. I am seriously resisting tying you up and tagging you with a tracker or something right now in case you disappeared again. Your new magic background just means I need to be more protective when it comes to dealing with idiots after you and that I might get Loki as an in-law."

Stephen groaned but reluctantly nodded his agreement to the stipulations instead of arguing. He felt that he owed Tony and Pepper a few things for so totally misreading their lack of attention after the original fight and subsequent car crash with what followed afterwards.

"Are you going to go private supervillain on me like you threatened that one time?" Stephen muttered his question curiously.

"Don't tempt me," Tony said, deadly serious. "There are reasons for me to go all in either way. Being able to play villain in private... well I might not exactly want to give that up once I start. I wouldn't let you leave us for one thing. For another instead of just being possessive and paranoid you don't want to know what limits I would go to just to keep you safe and at least be able to fetch you whenever I wanted. I also would stop being so... nice to my opponents regardless of their risk level."

Stephen shuddered but didn't say anything for or against the option. He knew that Tony was the most willing to actually kill someone out of the three of them. He also knew that Pepper tended to utterly destroy anyone she found as a threat to Tony. Together if they wanted someone to suffer there was no getting out of it without drastic actions and sometimes not even then.

The elevator arrived with a ding, distracting both of them as they watched Pepper come out of it to see Tony holding Stephen in place. She barely took a second to kick off her heels and drop her tablet and phone on a side table before she was dashing barefoot across the room to tackle Stephen into a capturing hug. Tony quickly let go and stepped back as she got a firm grip on the doctor and tried to squeeze the life out of him.

"I... I'm sorry," Stephen said, distressed by the meaning behind her actions. "I thought..."

"Dumbass thought we wouldn't want him since we had that fight and then he got hurt," Tony said softly, taking over the explanation as Stephen trailed off in the face of Pepper's desperate care and concern. "He didn't know we were fighting dirty with politics and no one told him that we tried to visit. He thought we had washed our hands of him. You remember that I found something when Stephen never called back that one time? Even when we invoked Donna and Vic? You didn't want the hope once we realized he'd gone off grid."

"What did you find Tony?" Pepper asked, lips white in fury even as she desperately clung to their third.

"You'll love this. Shield and Sword, Shield's crazy step-sibling, decided that we didn't need the distraction from my Iron Man duties," Tony laughed mirthlessly. "If he hadn't disappeared they were going to leak his location to a Hydra cell as one of our weaknesses. Just like me he was on the Project Insight target list as being too damn good at what he did and was thus a threat. I'm not so sure they are actually as different as each claims considering the Shieldra trend we keep running into. He's had his Afghanistan now with something like my Iron Man coming forwards except his side got magic training and adopted by his teacher. Its magically and legally binding too so we can't lock him in our bedroom for a few months. We have to return him for the weekend. He also can't get out of his version of the magic superhero gig between the adoption and a magical AI artifact thing that picked him as it's guardian. I still haven't had the chance to check him over from the fight I grabbed him out of the end of. I got him here and cleared a three days pass with his new mom. We traded barbs and info before she gave us a short cut up here."

Pepper's curses were vicious and creative enough to raise even Stephen's eyebrows in disbelief.

"I saw the garage video thanks to FRIDAY. There was a security team or two on the way as backup almost immediately while I watched from my office. I figured that trying to go to you both would just distract you in a dangerous meeting. Those agents or Skrull or whatever recognized that name," Pepper said, her voice hard. "He's going to come for whatever picked Stephen as a Guardian isn't he?"

"That's my bet," Tony said with a pleased hum that she caught on so quickly. "I didn't think you would take long to get here so I waited. We can check him over, drag him into the shower, feed him, and make him rest before we really get down to getting the scoop on Hogwarts and deciding if we trust them with our third again. I took his teleport focus so we don't have to worry about an immediate disappearance right now."

"Right," Pepper said as she took a deep breath and backed off a bit, still clutching his clothes as if he were going to disappear on them again.

Stephen for his part let them check him and take care of him. He was finally able to breathe in a way that hadn't been possible since the fight and the accident. Their clinging told him that he had truly been missed and potentially thought dead by his lovers.

In the dark of the night as they lay in bed together he quietly recounted everything that had happened to him since the fight. Tony told his own tale of the civil war and of Siberia and of the hospital afterwards. In the dark of the night two heroes and one woman reforged their damaged relationship as they shared their lives again.

~~~

The Ancient One sipped at her tea thoughtfully and knew that something had changed in the timelines. Her death was no longer assured and Stephen's ascension to Sorcerer Supreme would take a different path.

There was a commotion out in the courtyard that caught her attention and had her setting aside her tea with a frown. When she stuck her head out to see what was going on her eyebrows rose in surprise. Standing there facing off with a good half of the Order Masters between her and them was Kaecilius and many of his followers.

"To what do I owe this peculiar visit Master Kaecilius?" The Ancient One asked, stepping out of her rooms and joining them as if this were a casual visit.

"The Dark Lord Dormammu demands a meeting in regards to Master Strange and recent events," Kaecilius said with a scowl. "In return he will grant up to five additional decades without further attempts to consume Earth even should he arrive in our universe. A promise of safe passage has also been extended on the grounds that you have been drawing from the Dark Dimension for centuries and have no need of a detox upon returning to Earth as another would require."

"That is quite the offer," the Ancient One said calmly. "Was there any mention as to a price for my youthful accident of forging a permanent connection with his realm?"

"Accident?" Kaecilius asked, startled at this news.

"Yes, of course," the Ancient One reminded them all. "Every apprentice makes mistakes, even me. I was simply lucky enough to have the willpower to survive mine and resist the inherent corruption that most people fall to upon gaining access to Dark Dimension energies. You called me a hypocrite without bothering to find out all of the facts or even asking my reasons for actions that are now forbidden. Incidentally, at the time of my mistake it was not forbidden to forge a contract for additional power with the Dark Dimension, simply incredibly risky and prone to lethal failure."

"The deal was to simply discuss Master Strange, nothing else," Kaecilius said, regaining his composure and balance as the messenger.

"Very well, just let me change into something more appropriate and send off a few people before I join you for this meeting," the Ancient One said agreeably. "I am rather curious as to how this completely unforseen event will turn out. I do somewhat enjoy surprises in my old age so long as they don't risk reality or interfere with my duties."

"I have no objections," Kaecilius said gruffly. He was obviously off balance but his answer merely earned a nod from the Ancient One.

The orders issued were swift and unhidden despite the instant unhappiness by the other Masters to even be thinking of accepting the meeting. Her final orders confused nearly everyone except for those who had been in the garage with her less than twelve hours beforehand.

"Wong, take the amulet to Stephen and present the Cloak of Levitation to him. If the Cloak doesn't take to him he can act as it's guard for the foreseeable future. Inform him he has permission to train his lovers and stay with him. He is now your charge. I am pleased that you became friends before I had the chance to entrust him to you. It will make things easier on the both of you," the Ancient One ordered the last pieces into place before swiftly returning to her rooms and changing.

"Is he to return to the Order?" Master Mordo asked, clearly still angry about the more recent revelations.

"He hasn't left us, merely gone to visit his two intended," the Ancient One said pointedly. "Regardless as my son and heir this Order is at least partly his birthright and partly his duty. I have hope that this meeting will make things easier on him but I am also not foolish enough to assume it won't put an even greater burden on him instead."

Wong didn't hear the rest of the argument as he swiftly left to obey his instructions. He would later discover that Master Mordo had stormed out just before the Ancient One left, escorted only by Kaecilius and his rogue faction.

The Ancient One was witnessed entering the rift type portal that opened for her into the Dark Dimension not long after Wong left to report to Stephen as his new master.

~~~

The Ancient One took a quiet breath as the portal closed behind her and walked across the planetoid she had landed on to where an area had already been prepared. She calmly waited only for a being in the shape of a man to approach her from behind.

"Tao," Dormammu greeted her as he took his seat at the small table set up with tea things from Earth and gestured her into her own seat. His form was that of a tall human man who greatly resembled Loki's form from the recent invasion in New York. It was ironic that his chosen clothes were exact copies of those Mace Windu wore in the Star Wars movies despite his casual lounging in his chair.

"Dormammu," the Ancient One murmured her own greeting.

"I felt it when you adopted him you know. The theory of my essence ensuring the shape shifter's womb took is hardly inaccurate," Dormammu said idly. "Admittedly, the body I was riding was more of a whim at the time but I suppose I shouldn't have expected much different from a curious experiment."

"Stephen is as yet unaware. Are you going to force him into the confrontation you have in other timelines?" the Ancient One inquired politely as she took the hint of a more personal meeting and made her tea.

"I might insist on the memories being given to him if only to keep him on his toes but humans also don't handle dying rapidly on repeat very well," Dormammu sighed. "As you asserted he is very much human despite my own claim to him. As for yourself, are you going to inform him that you are truly his birth mother and that Loki was in a similar position to myself that night?"

"I hadn't planned on it but I also wasn't sure that specific ritual cast on me was going to work considering my own past fertility issues," the Ancient One told him. "I admit that after being captured by the group I could have gotten away without too much trouble and decided to stay at least long enough to participate in the fertility ritual. I also admit that I didn't think it was going to work considering the contradictory elements such as using yourself as an empowerment to this Winter Soldier person they were so fond of. Loki's temporary addition to myself as if I were a normal civilian was a complete surprise. He was kind enough to insist on the full story before actually settling in me and ensuring my own agreement."

"The Winter Soldier had been forcefully shaped and whatever they did to force his shaping was wearing off," Dormammu explained idly as she drank her tea. "He was just relieved that I soothed over his mind, made things stop hurting for a bit, and that he wasn't being forced to kill or torture like a mindless golem for the moment. He would have fought against the magic if you had shown any signs of being unwilling to actually complete things despite the obvious captive status. I still haven't decided on if I will destroy this group calling themselves Hydra for the insult that entire thing was to me or if I will leave them as a test for Stephen to eliminate. Then again it was interesting to realize that one of his potential partners had started hunting them."

"I have seen the way he looks at our Stephen and taken his measure. Anthony Stark is worthy of him and will be good for our son even should their third eventually leave them. The couple I entrusted him too for his early years did a good job raising him although someone found him and cursed them all with insidious mind magics. I removed what I found on him when Stephen came to Kamar-Taj. His family were all dead at that point but they guarded and raised him well despite it all," the Ancient One told him. "I do not think he needs the additional tempering from the time loop memories you shared with me before he was ever conceived. Although, I can not argue that it does incredible things for his skill in the Mystic Arts."

"I am a Dark Lord," Dormammu chuckled. "Those other timelines prove he bares up under the effects of living through it incredibly well. I am also not so callous that I don't want my offspring, however disconnected and distant the link, to succeed. I would rather not actually force him to live through so many deaths at my hands but you are better at dealing with human memories without causing excess damage than I am."

"I may offer it to him as a choice then," the Ancient One mused. "Regardless, having his lovers and Master Wong at his side if it happens will be beneficial."

"You understand that our agreement to wait for his growth and the results are not enough for me to wait overly long on claiming my end of things?" Dormammu asked.

"Oh, yes, most certainly," the Ancient One agreed. "But have you considered just how Stephen will react if you insist on even just on a beachhead on Earth much less an actual invasion no matter how little damage you do? He is one of Earth's defenders now."

"That is a puzzle," Dormammu conceded with obvious relish. "My newest servants from your pitiful forces might be a good test of things but it also might behove me to have them guard our Stephen."

"Aside from the rogues you have claimed I have at least one problem child that may become a threat to Stephen," the Ancient One sighed. "Master Mordo is not flexible enough when it comes to interpretation of the primary aspects of the universe that we protect. He doesn't understand that while using magic slips between the cracks and bones of reality even breeching the natural order isn't alway a bad thing. Nor does he understand that reality and the natural order can in fact defend themselves to a certain degree. Without that understanding he doesn't see how some things are both completely against the natural order and an evolution of it being perfectly in sync as a natural part of the cycles. He's limited and insists that everyone else adhere to the same strict limits without ever realizing he is breaking the natural order that he so adores."

"I could always use him," Dormammu mused. "Granted, it would work best if he came to me himself but if he risks our offspring I am not certain that I care to offer him a chance at survival."

"Was there anything else to discuss?" the Ancient One inquired politely.

"Not really but I would prefer more updates on Stephen and you do have slightly easier access to such things," Dormammu shrugged lazily. "The tea box shouldn't be shared out with how it's been here for a few months but it's yours to take back with you. You can add another decade onto the promise not to eat Earth with the only caveat being that Stephen is my main reason for the offer in the first place."

"Understandable and duly noted," the Ancient One said, pleased at the outcome of the discussion. "I'll just finish my tea and be on my way then. It would hardly do to be missing when Stephen comes running to demand answers about the relics I sent to him or the Mystic Master I assigned as a combination attendant and guard."

"Sly old fox,'" Dormammu chuckled approvingly before getting up and melting back into the darkness, leaving her to her tea.

~~~

Wong decided not to portal straight to Stephen's side on the off chance his estranged lovers had him in bed already. Instead, he opted to return to the parking garage and enter through the Lobby area despite it's obvious skeleton staff. Under his arm he carried a box with the generic store label declaring it a high end blanket. The amulet of Agamotto he was carrying was in it's own specially carved wooden box in his pocket.

Wong took in the nearly empty lobby, checked the local time on the posted clock somewhat sheepishly, and approached the receptionist with a very deliberate calm mask.

"How can I help you today, sir?" the woman dressed in a subdued navy pants suit asked cheerfully.

"My name is Wong and I am delivering something for Doctor Strange who is currently visiting Mr. Stark," Wong explained calmly. "His mother sent it and insisted that I hand delivered the items. If you think Security will object I am willing to wait here in the Lobby for Doctor Strange or Mr. Stark. Doctor Strange will recognize my name if you ask him but you can also inform him that I'm still waiting on him to return the Treaties on Dimensional Longevity versus Herbal Supplements."

"Ah, if this is an Iron Man thing we have a specific entrance for that now," the woman said carefully. She was now eyeing his robes with apprehension but no actual fear or confusion.

"No, my main reason for being here is as I have stated," Wong corrected. "I simply don't feel like having to drag the library book out of Stephen, Doctor Strange, and springing the reminder on him from an unexpected source is more likely to get him to actually return the research books he borrows from our job's library."

"Oh," the receptionist said nonplused. "I can have the message delivered but I can't promise a response in a timely manner. There is a seating area over near the attached cafe where you can wait."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Wong said gratefully before moving to sit down in the seating area.

Mentally, Wong conceded that coming directly here in his Order robes wasn't exactly stealthy nor subtle. It was completely understandable that the woman had assumed he was there on Iron Man business. Something which wasn't entirely wrong considering what he was delivering to his fellow Mystic Master. Both items were powerful artifacts and needed to be protected after all.

Unfortunately, it truly was going to be safer and more sane to go through the employees because the Ancient One's intentions had been clear. Wong was staying with Stephen as a guard and attendant. From now on Stephen was his assignment.

Wong waited.

~~~

It had been a few days since he had brought Stephen home when Tony got the message that a Mr. Wong was waiting in the lobby to talk to Stephen. The comment about a weird titled library book told him that even if Wong wasn't from the Order Stephen belonged to he was at least part of the Magic side of the world at large. Pepper and he had realized that Stephen had gone overboard learning all of the magic things and had forced him to take a nap while they got some paperwork done. As a result Tony was honestly the best person to go meet with Wong since Pepper was in an emergency meeting with a few department heads that were still in NYC.

Tony took the private elevator down to the lobby and checked with the receptionist but he really didn't need to. Wong was easily recognizable in his robes and when he got closer the inventor realized that Wong had been present during the garage confrontation.

"Mr. Wong," Tony greeted carefully.

"Mr. Stark," Wong greeted him right back, rising from his cafe table and tea before giving Tony a slight bow of respect. "The Ancient One sent me with a few things for Master Strange. I have also been assigned under him until further notice. I presumed that you wouldn't appreciate me just portalling in to wherever Stephen was so opted to come through the front door as it were."

"Ah, right. His status as heir is officially confirmed. If any of the details in the related spirit cultivation stories I've read are right he would be entitled to having helpers or close friends around all the time and possibly bodyguards," Tony realized. "My guess is you got babysitting duty?"

"Considering he truly is my friend even before he gained Mastery it isn't exactly a hardship," Wong smirked. "He is occasionally frustrating and exasperating as well as too curious for his own good but still my friend."

"I hear that," Tony laughed heartily. "Grab your stuff and let's head up for you to talk to him."

Wong smiled slightly and collected his delivery packages. He could fetch what little he had in his room at Kamar-Taj once the artifacts were delivered or call in a favor for at least a new set of robes from one of the other Order members. Then again trading with Stark to get something more suited to the local fashions might work better if he could get it made cut to fight in and with the mystical protections woven in like with his Order robes.

Oblivious to Wong's rough plans on getting a change of clothes Tony started calculating what might be needed for both Wong and Stephen to stick around more permanently. He knew that the Ancient One wasn't stupid and that she wouldn't have sent Wong to them without a compelling reason. Instead she would have waited for Stephen to come back to their temple before issuing the assignment and giving Stephen whatever Wong was delivering. Something had to either have gone wrong or Stephen was at risk in some way at their home temple.

The trip up to the penthouse was uneventful but Tony scowled as soon as they walked into the living area. The cause of his scowl was obvious as Stephen was awake and floating in mid air with spell diagram parts glowing in front of him in glittering lines. Tony was reminded of his own holographic interface tech and how he used it similarly for some of his designs and debugging.

"Wong? What are you doing here?" Stephen asked looking up at them, stubbornly dressed in his Order robes. He dropped his legs so that he was actually standing on the floor and dispersed the incomplete lines of magic with a negligent wave of his hand.

"Delivery from the Ancient One," Wong smirked. "She's finally decided that you need a keeper so I got the short straw."

The offended look on Stephen's face persisted as he accepted the two packages at least until he opened them. The animated cloak that immediately flew up to swoop around him and examine him was met with respectful confusion. The Cloak of Levitation gave Wong a firm nod after a good twenty minutes checking Stephen over only to attach itself to his shoulders. Stephen looked at Wong in disbelief but didn't comment as he moved to open the second, smaller package. When he saw what was actually inside the intricately carved wooden box Stephen went pale.

"Stephen?" Tony asked warily.

"I can't take this. Hell, I can't take either of them. These are both incredibly valuable and powerful artifacts," Stephen spluttered.

"You didn't protest when the cloak accepted you as it's new master," Wong pointed out.

"The entire Order guards this one! I can understand the Cloak possibly deciding to stay with me for a little bit as a test run but the amulet?!" Stephen protested. "You and Master Mordo were the ones to stop me from using it that day in the library!"

"The same day the amulet stopped working for anyone else," Wong said calmly.

That brought Stephen up short as he looked down at the amulet and hesitantly reached one damaged hand into the box to touch it. The amulet glowed and opened without prompting, briefly enveloping him in a green glow. When he looked back up at Tony and Wong there was understanding and acceptance in his eyes. When he picked it up and looped it around his neck they all felt it when the universe seemed to sigh in relief and settle around them more solidly. As the amulet closed it gave off a smug and possessive air focused distinctly on Stephen and, to a lesser extent, on Tony.

"Yeah, that must have been the important thing you got powered up to guard," Tony said with a gusty sigh.

"The amulet gave me an impression of things to come and how important certain things are. I'm thankful that I don't have to give either of you or Pepper up," Stephen said calmly.

Since Wong wasn't reacting negatively Tony decided that while decidedly in the creepy zone this was good for Stephen and not something they needed to worry about for the immediate future.

"Anything else sent along?" Tony asked Wong vaguely.

"Just permission to train you and someone called Pepper," Wong shrugged. "I was given the impression that regardless of whatever training level you both achieve you won't be required to swear the Order oaths but the only thing the Ancient One actually said was permission to train you both and that I'm supposed to stay with Stephen now."

"Right, do you need to be on the same floor or will the guest rooms one level down work for you?" Tony asked.

"I will need regular access to Stephen and the authority to drag him away from his mystic studies when he forgets to eat or sleep," Wong answered with another shrug. "Mostly, I'm here to be backup if something goes wrong or someone attacks him. We will be called back to Kamar-Taj at some point but until then, as you put it, I'm on babysitting duty."

Stephen huffed indignantly but didn't argue. He'd had days to get used to the idea of being important to the Ancient One and possibly the Order as a whole. It only took the presentation of the artifacts to solidify that yes, this was all real, something which had killed his previous denial.

Tony made them all tea, something he had learned recently specifically to do for Stephen, before setting them up in the living room. Friday was ordered to make a room ready for Wong and given clearance for both Sorcerers to have free access to anywhere Tony or Stephen could normally be found bar his lab and their joint bedroom. Wong gave Tony a long look at this set of permissions until Tony rolled his eyes and gestured at Stephen. Stephen scowled, easily reading the unspoken conversation about where he might be randomly found.

"I'm not that bad," Stephen said, miffed.

"I'm that bad and you tend to be just as bad or worse depending on what problem you're trying to figure out," Tony said pointedly. "Besides, I figured you'd be happy that I'm basically lifting the house arrest."

"My sling ring?" Stephen asked promptly.

"Bedside table drawer, where it's been basically since I took it from you," Tony told him with an eye roll. "You stayed long enough to listen the first day and I didn't exactly try to hide it from you. I might have had a panic attack if you had been gone the next morning but you could have the found the ring and been gone without issue at any point."

"And the ongoing joke about being a supervillain in private?" Stephen asked half in snark and half in curiosity.

"Currently just a joke but if I freak out enough over you or Pepper it could easily become real," Tony answered promptly. "The Merchant of Death media title did have some lesser known instances where it was earned in the field. Iron Man is something of a combination of the Merchant, Tony Stark ruthless business man, and my understanding of what a hero should be. It's never been a vanity thing beyond using hot rod red in the paint job. The gold coloring is just a natural part of the alloy used. Rhodey's armor got a grey scale mostly for the matt finish to keep him more secure if he has to slip through shadows. The reactor light has a shield that can slip down over it while the other lights can be turned off with the right command. Mine doesn't have that since I tend to go loud and act as either a tank or a distraction. Rhodey's armor is also meant to be called in like a tank as a very firm ending to whatever the confrontation is. Mine is a bit more versatile depending on which version I'm using."

"You really want Wong brought up to speed," Stephen remarked with no little surprise.

"I felt the power source to your amulet tap lightly, like a polite hello, on my reactor," Tony told them, mildly amused. "If it's doing that then there might be other times I have to work with both of you in a hero capacity whether or not Magic is the main issue. You trusted him pretty much immediately when he showed up and I trust you so it stands to reason giving him a brief overview of what the design difference is between Iron Man and War Machine won't hurt anything."

Stephen caught his breath at Tony's answer even as he felt Wong's attention immediately sharpen and fall on the genius as well.

"The reactor is based originally on the Tesseract," Tony said quietly. "She said there were a total of six for his evil treasure hunt set. Your new amulet, the Tesseract, probably Loki's scepter or rather the stone from it that's now part of Vision... I might even wager I know one more if whatever happened with Thor and Doctor Foster at Stonehenge a few years back had anything to do with anything. That's four that have all been on earth just in the last decade. I'm not going to bet that they stay off planet or that we won't be seeing the other two at some point. The Tesseract is on Asgard. Whatever was up with Stonehenge was taken away by Thor. You have your amulet and Vision is... being Vision. Yours obviously has something to do with Time which potentially makes it the most dangerous for us to lose if used creatively. Vision's stone works with the mind considering the mind control it pulled in Loki's hands and probably on Loki himself. The Tesseract works with elements of space considering the portals it helped to make during the New York invasion."

"Shit," Stephen cursed. "I need to talk to the Ancient One if your conjecture is anything to go by."

"I don't know that she has returned from the meeting Dormammu insisted on," Wong cautioned. Stephen's head snapped around to stare in shock at Wong at this news.

"What meeting?" Stephen demanded.

"Apparently Dormammu wanted to discuss something about you. This is what finally prompted the Ancient One to send me to you," Wong told him. "She likely left Kamar-Taj shortly after I did considering he had sent an escort for her. More specifically Master Kaecilius and his followers arrived, forced their way to her courtyard, and demanded her attendance on Dormammu with beneficial promises given for actually attending. They also revealed that she was promised safe passage primarily because of her permanent connection to the Dark Dimension negating the corruptive effects the rest of us could suffer from."

"Permanent connection?" Stephen asked cautiously.

"According to her rebuttal it was an accident during her apprenticeship and not forbidden at the time to offer a contract to the Dark Dimension for additional power," Wong informed them. "It was a surprise to all of us but she didn't let that distract anyone for long."

"Stephen, if you're going then I'm coming with you," Tony said quietly.

Stephen cursed again but didn't argue, knowing he wouldn't win this one fast enough. He fetched his sling ring from the drawer that Tony had indicated while Tony left instructions with Friday and grabbed one of his more portable armor suitcases. Neither Sorcerer argued with the armor since they weren't sure what might have happened in their absence and Kaecilius was definitely a current enemy. Stephen opened a portal to the main teaching courtyard and and they all walked through as the portal closed behind them.

Five minutes later Pepper rushed in, trying to catch them before they left.

"Sorry, Boss Lady," Friday said apologetically as Pepper cursed her two boyfriends. "They're gone. Doctor Strange cast the portal and everything. Boss said to tell you he promises not to let Stephen get killed or run away again."

"They'll both be in trouble if they don't come back whole and healthy," Pepper threatened with a scowl. "Thank you for sending me the feed of that meeting though."

"Boss said to. He said that you should know what reckless things your idiot geniuses were getting up to," Friday offered. "Boss also made sure to take an armor with him."

"Well that's something at least," Pepper sighed in defeat before ordering delivery for supper. She could store the extra portions of Chinese in the fridge on the off chance her geniuses actually came home that night. She didn't hold high hopes but it would keep her from worrying herself sick to treat it as a short business trip while she waited for them.

~~~

Tony, Wong, and Stephen appeared through Stephen's portal in the main teaching courtyard at Kamar-Taj. The lack of attention for their arrival method was an interesting experience for Tony even as the attention for his personal presence was somewhat old hat. It was a bit of a relief that the attention from these people didn't linger too much as the three of them made a beeline for a place both Wong and Stephen obviously knew.

The bald lady rocking the only yellow monk robes was back, his future mother-in-law, the Ancient One... Tony sighed and went with polite over shark businessman or abrasive asshole. He wasn't losing Stephen just because he was rude to his newly revealed mom. Then his eyes caught on something more in Tao's mannerisms and features. Tony sucked in a breath in shock as he unconsciously drew attention while he got closer to Tao.

"Loki didn't carry Stephen to term, you did," Tony said with dawning comprehension, completely silencing the previous discussion that he hadn't really been paying attention to. "What magic happened and why?"

"Very astute," the Ancient One said softly. "I did not lie but it was not the entire truth either. Few would explain a situation that could have been so traumatizing even if for me and my partner we chose not to allow our captors that satisfaction."

The sucked in breaths from Stephen and Wong reminded Tony that they had an audience and he reluctantly backed off. He wanted to know damnit, just not at the cost of the harm relived that she was implying.

"Sorry," Tony muttered, retaking his seat and taking a sip of his forgotten tea.

"No, it was, is, something that I need to discuss with the three of you," the Ancient One sighed. "Stephen has four original parents due to a mix of a ritual our captors forced us to participate in and the fact that we four participating people did not find the actual goal objectionable, merely the circumstances. Dormammu is his father in the same way that Loki is his mother, they were possessing us during the fertility ritual. Our captors went by the name Hydra and they had the man Dormammu possessed for a very long time. They called him the Winter Soldier. I have no doubt that he is dead by now since I had to keep Stephen in stasis as a baby for nearly twenty years trying to break the spells that had leached into him. They were from both the fertility ritual that the Hydra idiots included to control him once he was born, some spillover from Dormammu's attempts to help him survive the magic, and whatever spells that are on Loki. I know for a fact that Loki had been unaware of any spells laid on him at the time of the ritual. The adoption at your Mastery achievement was to re-establish your blood link to me as my son and unlock any other abilities you choose to cultivate from your heritage. As a Master of the Mystic Arts Stephen can now defend himself if someone is stupid enough to attack him."

"That's why you had to go talk to the Dark Lord," Tony concluded as Stephen and Wong sat there, stunned. "He wanted an update on Stephen's progress and status."

"Essentially," the Ancient One agreed with a small smile. "Most of the participants who didn't actually want a child thought it would be an interesting experiment but we all four agreed that we weren't going to treat him as anything but a child no matter which of us became his primary parent and caretaker. Dormammu couldn't take him when we discovered the risks to him at Kamar-Taj because he was too human to survive the Dark Dimension that young. None of us were comfortable entrusting Stephen to him in any case but it was a placement we did consider. The Winter Soldier had been disappeared by Hydra in a way that hid him from the rest of us. Loki was emphatic that Odin would kill Stephen the moment he discovered his existence as Loki's son. Thus he either stayed with me or I found him a different family to grow up with."

"My... the Stranges," Stephen said with a dry swallow.

"Your family," the Ancient One corrected mildly. "I discussed this with Dormammu and Loki at the time when it became obvious that none of us could raise you safely. The risks were greatest from Dormammu but no less dangerous from Loki's end of things. I was given carte blanche to arrange your placement so long as I either decided that you were peacefully living a full life or we brought you back into our side of the worlds after you were an adult. We all agreed that if you were to return to dealing with magic and the mystic you would need training. Thus, until you reached a certain level of training none of us could inform you of your heritage. This resulted in multiple timelines where you went to fight Dormammu unaware of your heritage shortly after my death."

"Multiple timelines?" Tony asked sharply.

"Yes," the Ancient One answered, unperturbed. "Dormammu has insisted that we consider giving you a copy of those memories because of how much you grew in that fight. Then again locking one's self into a time loop to fight a superior foe until they eventually agree to strike a deal despite remembering each of your own deaths is both foolish and dangerous. You still accomplished it and came out relatively sane in nearly every timeline you attempted that rank stupidity. I was generally dead at that point so it isn't as if I could have stopped you. I will, however, not risk you doing the same thing here."

Stephen stared at her in a dazed sort of shock until Wong smacked him firmly on the arm. It jolted him enough to bring him spluttering back to reality in outrage and confusion that none of them commented on it.

"So risky memory update or...?" Tony asked pointedly.

"Or nothing," the Ancient One said blandly. "I wouldn't put it past Dormammu to force the issue but I have no intention on insisting he accept or decline them. I delivered the offer as I promised. It is entirely up to Stephen if he chooses to take that risk."

"Ah, that sort of deal. Okay," Tony said, sitting back and quietly working on his tea as they all processed.

The Cloak of Levitation, who Tony privately decided to call Levi, decided that he needed to both interject and sooth his human. As a result Tony found himself picked up by an edge of the cloak and dumped in Stephen's lap with a startled yelp from both of them. Both Wong and the Ancient One couldn't help but be amused by the tangle of geniuses and artifact.

Tony found himself pinned not only by the cloak but by Stephen. He instinctively knew that his wizard needed him as an anchor in this storm of new and unsettling information. So he squirmed and made a big deal out of getting dumped in Stephen's lap only to be properly pinned by the former doctor using his forearms and upper torso to hold him in place. When Tony thought that Stephen's soul had settled just a bit he settled down in his lover's lap with an overly dramatic huff of indignation and openly pouted but let the Sorcerers get on with things.

Later, Tony could only thank God that he had done just that as he watched Pepper storm away from them, feeling conflicted and almost numb.

~~~

Stephen was pathetically grateful for Tony's dramatics with how it gave him an excuse to drag him along to somewhere out of the way after the meeting with the Ancient One. He was still reeling from the information he had been given since Tony had captured him at the incident site. Wong followed along after them as Stephen took Tony to a quiet corner near the kitchen building where he would occasionally hide from the other Sorcerers.

Stephen's hiding spot was a small niche created by the imperfect matching of the walls between several of the buildings. From the look Wong gave him Stephen figured that his friend hadn't known about the spot and planned to find him a new one, later. Tony, though, gave him an understanding look and allowed Stephen to wrap himself around the inventor. Wong leaned against a wall nearby while Stephen just stood there holding Tony and Tony held him back.

While Stephen cared about Pepper as much as about Tony he knew her tolerance for the weird and fantastical was less than ideal considering they were both dating Tony. Unfortunately, he knew his new side of being a Sorcerer was probably going to push her past her limits without taking into account the fights both he and Tony were going to wind up in. They were going to lose Pepper as a lover and Tony wasn't going to take it well.

Stephen was going to have to step in and refocus Tony on himself when it happened. The best option was either encouraging the private supervillain joke or going the opposite way and corralling Tony for himself. He suspected that, at least at first, he was going to have to corral Tony because he had been gone and Tony had stuck with Pepper.

For now just holding Tony was enough.

"Your big brain is still reorganizing isn't it?" Tony finally asked as the shadows in their little hiding spot started to get long.

"Reorganizing," Stephen snorted. "Right."

"Hey, I get it. We've redefined your entire life in the last week," Tony said gently. "You're still my Stephen. You're still a trained doctor. You're still a Sorcerer as much as that one is still weird and new for me. For me it happened in a cave... When Doctor Ho Yinsen pushed me past my despair after saving my life with a surgery that put an electromagnet in my chest."

Stephen looked up sharply into Tony's calm eyes. They ignored the cursing they heard from Wong as they took strength from each other. Stephen breathed deeply and placed a careful hand on top of the arc reactor that Rogers had forced Tony to accept via a shield to the chest. Power glowed under his fingers causing both the arc reactor and veins of extremis to light up around it in response. They glowed brightly enough to be seen through the clothing.

"If Rogers comes near you again I'll kill him," Stephen said calmly, tapping on the arc reactor through Tony's shirt as his own magic dissipated and the glow in Tony's chest faded.

"I'd be more worried about Romanoff and Maximoff but especially Maximoff," Tony said grimly with a grimace. "Red Witchy likes messing with my head."

The way both Sorcerers went ridgid at that admission told Tony something was very wrong. Before he could blink he was practically dragged to the temple infirmary. He caught Stephen's desperate and worried eyes before the snap of a word in the local language from Wong had one of the red robed apprentices knocking him out.

~~~

The Ancient One heard of their visit to the infirmary and before an hour was up she was there, at Stephen's side.

"What has happened?" the Ancient One asked softly.

"Maximoff has apparently been invading Tony's mind regularly," Stephen admitted stiffly. "The moment he told me we brought him here."

"Then she will have to be dealt with," the Ancient One said calmly. "How is he?"

"I don't know but Wong has cursed at least twice," Stephen said miserably.

The Ancient One hummed in interest, concern, and sympathy. Wong didn't usually curse until he was pushed well past his limits and Stephen knew it. The doctor felt helpless, unable to even look over the notes being compiled on Tony's treatment as the other Sorcerers worked.

Stephen never saw the spell that the Ancient One, his mother, applied to the back of his neck. She brushed very deliberately over the collar of the Cloak of Levitation on the way to the nap of his neck. Wong glared at her as she caught him before he collapsed to the floor, paralyzed, fabric weakly twitching around him.

"That won't help things," Wong scolded.

"He's already forming a bond with Tony," the Ancient One said with fond exasperation. "The Eye of Agamotto has also marked them both. You're going to have to enter Tony's mind directly. Stephen would automatically lash out in his defense."

Wong paused and considered that as the healers adjusted in response to her comment. Stephen was collected from the Ancient One and placed in a bed next to Tony, both beds being pushed together so that it was more like a single bed.

"They aren't going to react well to treatment. Did you have to freeze his artifact too?" Wong asked grumpily. The Ancient One just smiled.

"Is there anything else you can sense from our patients, Ancient One?" one of the healers asked diffidently.

"I fear that what further I know or sense would not be overly helpful," the Ancient One demurred.

Wong scowled but all that Stephen saw after that was his friend casting a spell over both himself and Tony.

~~~

Stephen woke slowly. Tangled with Tony and the Cloak of Levitation he felt both protective and content. Vaguely he felt things shift around them in a way that would never happen on Earth in the waking world...

Stephen Strange slammed into the rubble of concrete, ground and, stone hard enough to feel it in his bones. He panted in exhaustion even as he tried to drag himself back up to his feet. He wasn't sure what was happening but he knew that he was in a fight.

The doctor turned sorcerer barely registered that he was missing his two shiny new artifacts. Vaguely he thought that there was supposed to be someone there as backup but the upcoming dodging quickly claimed his attention. The ache in his hands didn't fully match his situation but it was a minor discrepancy.

The illusion of dreams kept flowing on.

~~~

Tony jerked up into some form of wakefulness. Wrapped in Levi he knew immediately that he wasn't alone in whatever this was. Levi rustled aggressively, bristling at a threat that Tony couldn't immediately pin point.

"What the hell?" Tony asked quietly as he looked over the oddly dulled primary colored stone chamber of burnt oranges, browns, greys, and bright reds.

Levi cuddled tight to Tony and he couldn't help but feel slightly reassured.

"Alright, alright, I get it. You're here and on my side, probably for Stephen instead of me but still here," Tony conceded, reluctantly soothed and charmed. "I have some AI children that are like you but tech based instead of magic based. I just hope... well I hope you like me well enough until I can get you back to Stephen. I know I'm not your human but I appreciate this. I really do."

Levi stilled before smacking him and immediately cuddling him aggressively.

"Ack! Okay, okay! I get it. You actually like me," Tony protested half-heartedly.

Levi nodded firmly and moved back to acting like a regular Cloak. Tony was slightly grumpy from being accosted by the magical outter wear but didn't want to let it distract him for too long. So he resettled the cloak on his shoulders and started towards where he could see something like blue sunlight peaking in around one corner of the orange stone.

Tony fucking Stark wasn't going to wait to be rescued. It was his job to do the rescuing!

~~~

Wong landed in the temporarily joined minds of his friend and Tony Stark with a groan. The disgusting water arcing with electricity and laced with streams of blood he landed in caused him to curse and mutter. He flounced through the swampy area to the one area of dry land, confident that no one was around to witness his minor temper tantrum.

Wong huffed as he climbed onto the dry-ish land-like area that seemed like a rubbery bouncy area more suited for children to play on than actual land. A moment of thought and magic though was enough to get him clean and dry in this joined mindscape. It didn't take long for him to run into three of the healers helping with the treatment for Stark. Unfortunately, they were all trapped in mid air of sorts, held up by vines made of wires and computer coding.

"I suppose we should be grateful that he doesn't actually account us as enemies," Wong observed. "Much harm could be done with such defenses."

"There was a great deal of damage over that way," one of the healers pointed with exasperation. "The magic is red but it is eating away at what should be bedrock. I didn't recognize what it was crafted from but it's representation was unmistakable."

Wong nodded his understanding and went to look. He couldn't free the others without causing incredible harm to Stark and Stephen. They would have to get free on their own.

When Wong got a good look at the sticky, acidic, twisted, wrong magic he had to fight not to be sick. This was what they had been looking for in the hopes that they wouldn't find it. If he ever felt this magic from another person again, especially if it was someone's signature magic, he didn't think he could refrain from attacking. Thinking about it as he tried to pry the still active magic from eating away at Tony Stark's mind Wong decided that he wouldn't just attack the monster who did this. No, he would attack to kill.

"Blast it, Strange! Stark! Fight this or so help me I'm locking you both in with Master Heldi. I'm also telling her that you both expressed an interest in her poetic leanings along the golden ratio in regards to epic harmonics in the Xylath Dimension!" Wong threatened as he ripped one shard of magic after another from the dream ground.

"Really? Master Heldi's weird fascination with those ghastly sounds are supposed to be poems?!" Stephen's voice demanded from behind Wong.

"Xylath dimension? Epic harmonics along the golden ratio?" Stark's voice asked curiously.

When Wong turned around he was relieved to find both men standing there. The way that the Cloak of Levitation hung on Stark and sort of reached out to wrap around Stephen as they got near each other was slightly concerning but not exactly out of line. It probably felt weird to both men though since the Ancient One wouldn't have paralyzed Stephen and the Cloak to be included in Stark's treatment if they had known about the bond she had detected.

"Stephen, Stark, come help me with this," Wong insisted immediately.

"I'm afraid we're just echoes of the real us wandering around right now, Wong," Stephen said gently. "We might remember this and we might not. I'm trapped in some sort of dream fight. Tony is wandering around with the Cloak of Levitation."

"Keep pulling that gunk out though. I felt that, when you pulled that ick out and all just now," Tony told him cheerfully.

"It would help if the healers we brought with us could help me," Wong pointed out crossly.

"Nah, too many people have tried fucking with my head and not always just with magic. You get a little leeway 'cuz Stephen vouched for you and I trust him a hell of a lot more than I trust myself," Echo Tony said seriously. "I get it, having help is awesome but right now? The fact that you came with them is the only thing keeping me from showing them my Merchant of Death side up close and personal as an enemy. It really wouldn't be pretty if I did that."

Wong took in how serious Echo Stark was and how Echo Stephen just seemed fondly indulgent but in no way disbelieving of the threat that had just been levied. They were entirely serious about everything they had told him.

Wong swallowed hard and nodded sharply before getting back to work. When he looked again both Echoes were gone. He got back to work carving out each stone shard of corruptive magic piece by piece from the bedrock of Tony Stark's mind.

~~~

Tony panted as he ran and ran and ran. The only thing telling him that this wasn't some sort of twisted nightmare or even a fucked up memory or reality was Levi flapping along behind him. The nudge or occasional movement assist was a blessing and he was so making Stephen bring the stupid blanket around any time he visited. The bots would just adore Levi.

A jerk kept him from being hit by a knife thrown by whatever fucked up version of Natashalie was chasing him. A dodge and a roll kept the custom made arrow he had designed for Clint but never delivered from taking off an ear. Levi tugged at him, knowing better from earlier attacks than to try and fly for Tony or let him stay still for too long.

"Stark!" the twisted Rogers roared not far behind, sending Tony scrambling to his feet and bolting in terror.

Tony swung around a sharp stone corner only to land against an unyielding Natasha Romanoff. A once thought friend who slid a knife up under his ribs and into his heart. Her face was blank until it twisted into outright disgust and hatred as he felt the metal slide home.

"You will never be enough," Natasha hissed in his ear as he started to collapse only to be snatched away off of the knife and into the air by Levi.

Tony's hands came up to cup the wound only to find the arc reactor back in his chest. Even as he moved to staunch the wound Levi bundled him up and whisked him to another area of the blue lit canyon and stone passageways they had been running through. The incredible labyrinth of orange and red stone splashed through by marbled white-black and jade colored slashes of other stone.

Levi hid Tony in a high up crevice in one blue-grey stone rock face but they both knew he would have to start running again. Being hunted by copies of people he trusted or once trusted was a reoccurring theme that was starting to get really old. This little game of hunt and beat the Tony started when he stumbled on an oddly fluid mural of the vision that Wanda had originally given him. The mountain of dead avengers and friends had come to life and flowed out of the liquid pool stuck vertically to the rock face.

Tony wasn't ashamed to admit that he fucking ran.

The fist to the head from a weird not real version of Howard Stark early on in his first attempt to flee had set the tone for the next five hours. Tony ran and various people he had once trusted chased him with blood in their eyes. Occasionally he would pass by a group of amused Ten Rings terrorists. Sometimes they would have Ho Yinsen pinned and were placing hot coals on him only to laugh at his shrieks of pain and how he begged for mercy. Other times he had been caught by various people chasing him omy to be forced to watch the men from the Ten Rings do horrible things to Ho Yinsen or Rhodey or Pepper or even Stephen...

Tony couldn't even start to communicate how grateful he was when Levi left him to try to shield the twisted echo of Stephen or Rhodey or Pepper from watching Tony be beaten or tortured. The waterboarding blended with the incomplete sense of self and immeasurable pain from Ho Yinsen performing the emergency surgery to save his life. It mixed liberally with the ice cold of feeling himself slowly dying in that Siberian bunker, hearing about he death of his mother both times, JARVIS' death at the hands of Ultron, and discovering Stephen was just gone. Then there were the parts that he knew for a fact were entirely fears with no memories to back them up beyond what was happening in the moment.

Tony couldn't help but shudder as he remembered the screams from the twisted Rogues taking whatever version of Rhodey, Pepper, Stephen, his bots, Friday, Jarvis, and Peter they had captured away. His family were kept just out of sight but he could hear the begging, the broken sobs, the thud of flesh on flesh, and the snapping of broken bones. The wet gurgle of someone's throat being slit was unmistakable considering the first time he had witnessed it Rhodey had rescued him from the same fate. The original mugger hadn't lived for even a week after that mistake thanks to Rhodey.

Levi had been a lifesaver and his only link to sanity through it all.

The jolt of Tony's hidey hole being smashed as he was hit hard enough to knock him free of the cliff face hurt. He didn't have his armor and more than one of the people hunting him was souped up on some form of the super soldier serum.

Levi caught him in free fall but he still landed hard. Thankfully, or perhaps more worryingly than not, Tony landed next to the battered form of Stephen. The inventor idly noted that the scenery had changed and they were both sprawled out on a small heap of rubble made up of concrete, stone, and various shattered building materials. If Tony hadn't missed his guess they were lying on top of what was left of a representation of Kamar-Taj with bits of his penthouse thrown in for good measure.

"Tony," Stephen groaned, obviously in pain but relieved to see Tony alive if battered.

"What kind of training did you get for fighting off people fucking with your head and dreams?" Tony asked tiredly. He had figured out at least that much since he should be very dead at this point and so should Howard, the bastard.

Stephen stilled for a moment and then took a deep breath as things smoothed out around them, reshaping into the courtyard Tony had been so recently introduced to. Stephen rolled over on the now flat and clear ground before shakily trying to check Tony over. Tony let him and Levi fuss, too tired to try and wave them off. His eyes wandered around the area while Stephen checked him over, treating him with appearing and disappearing supplies that Tony refused to think about just now.

Thus it was Tony who first noticed the red-black glow of discoloration that started eating through the ground not even twenty feet away. Tony scrambled backwards away from it and, with Levi's help, dragged Stephen with them. He cursed even as Stephen tumbled after him. Levi very deliberately kept himself between them and the magic when he wasn't giving them movement assists or flat out carrying one of them several steps.

Then... Tony threw up his hands against the red-black tentacles that had just exploded out of the ground. None of them expected anything to happen with that instinctive move. So when a blue repulsor blast and an equally bright blue shield appeared, one attacking and one defending they were both shocked.

Levi had to slam into both of them to get them moving again but the discovery changed things. Golden mandalas appeared stubbornly on Stephen's hands. In contrast blue repulsor energy glowed in Tony's as they continued to move. In nearly perfect sync the pair attacked and/or defended, creating a dance of golden and blue power as they moved through the reconstructed medley of temple and Stark Tower.

"You're getting trained in at least basic magic after this," Stephen told him with a scowl. "I want you to be able to do at least this much under normal circumstances."

"Fine," Tony scowled as he sent several particularly vicious blasts at a bundle of newly emerged red-black magic tentacles. "It might make a good emergency back up for the armor."

Before Stephen could retort his lover managed to manifeste the magic in his hands along the rest of his body as a glowing wireframe of his normal Iron Man armor. Levi dashed around them acting as general harassment for the attacking magics and other support for both of them. When Tony took to the air Levi latched onto Stephen and took him with the inventor. Backing off up high both went to building up for some of their more destructive attacks. Neither finished.

The blows that struck them from behind had them both in free fall, dissolving Tony's wireframe magic armor in the fall. They were captured by the tentacles before they hit ground, bound tight they were dragged struggling towards the new hole in the ground. From what they could both see as they fought to get free it was lined with the red-black magic manifesting as melted crystal walls making it look almost organic in nature.

Despite their best efforts they were dragged down into the darkness and wrapped mummy tight in the vine-like tentacles. They felt themselves being gagged and tied back to back, limb to limb before binding their tied arms to their combined sides. In the end they were tied back to back and limb to matching opposite limb on the other before a second layer bundled them up like blanket mummies on top of the rest of it with a vine blindfold and a vine gag across their mouths holding their heads together. Levi was caught between their backs and did his best to comfort both of them despite being just as stuck.

They still struggled to get free from their suspended cocoon bundle of vines. Or rather they struggled until a vine collar wrapped around each of their necks. It squeezed everytime they seriously struggled, easing off only when they stopped fighting or actively relaxed.

"Stark!" the voice of Wanda Maximoff hissed hatefully at them from the darkness.

The hatefully spat word made Tony jerk violently in his bonds only to be soothed by Levi's comforting wriggling and Stephen's deliberate slumping, pressing himself into Tony's back. The brief stuttering in Tony's breathing eased as he too slumped into their bonds, less to give the appearance of defeat and more to press harder against Stephen. The mocking laughter that echoed around whatever cavernous space they hung inside made both men shiver.

Levi, on the other hand, squirmed against them in outrage. These were his humans thank you very much!

"Aw, you brought a friend," Wanda cooed with audible malice. "I promise to show him exactly what it means to befriend a monster like you. Don't worry though I have more than enough magic to make you both beg me to end it when it's time. I've been considering just making you my slave so that I can make you pay for my family's death for the rest of your life. Pietro was the one who just wanted to kill you and get it over with but you got my baby twin killed too. Do you even know how long I've been making you pay piece by piece for killing my family? It started in that Hydra base when you finally came in reach. Now to choose, continue punishing you and make you scream or make you watch your friend scream. Choices, choices, choices."

Stephen could tell that Tony would prefer whatever the witch planned on be done to himself rather than to Stephen just by how he tensed up. Levi realized it too and Stephen could feel the cloak scowl against his back. He rather agreed with the artifact, not that they could actually do anything about it considering how they were bound and gagged.

When Stephen felt the malevolent magic reach out with the clearly broadcasted intention to brutally rip the arc reactor out of Tony's chest he panicked and reached. A weight settled around his dream neck just below the vine collar as green light suddenly blazed out from the amulet now laying against his chest. The light blazed through the darkness, ripping through the vines and magic, dropping them downwards into the cavernous pit of darkness untill Levi caught them. Wanda screamed as the light burned away her implanted echo of herself and the core of the torturous magic that had been plaguing Tony fo months.

Levi bundled them up together and flew them straight up back into the blue colored sunshine. They floated like that as the landscape slowly reverted, healing itself from the corruption. The random dull crystals of red-black magic and altered coloring on a building or patch of stone or plant remained. An echo of the damage and the siege Tony had resisted for so long. As they landed Wong and the three healers rushed out of the assigned infirmary in time to catch Levi unfurling to let them stand on their own. The power from the amulet fading as it returned to being sealed.

"That little trinket just saved our bacon," Tony said ruefully as he tapped on the outside of the amulet.

"Don't I know it," Stephen agreed, sending a grateful look down at said item resting against his chest.

The gasps of shock from the healers told Stephen that they recognized the amulet even as he met Wong's grumpy glower.

"The Ancient One wouldn't have been caught in something like this," Wong grumbled.

Stephen considered the opening Wong's comment gave him, eyeing the healers somewhat and made a choice. The gossip across the temple was going to be fierce when the trio of healers got done with telling everyone.

"As much as discovering so recently that she is my mother was a shock she also wasn't the one to give me the Eye of Agamotto," Stephen pointed out ruefully. "It chose me as guardian and stopped working for her. No human had a say in who it went to. Just like any true artifact bond it isn't the Sorcerer who chooses but the artifact. That is part of why she assigned you to stay with me. I'm just glad we became friends beforehand. It will make being near each other almost constantly easier."

"I still say she should have told you sooner especially since the entire set up was just weird. Not that I'm not glad that it did happen because then I wouldn't have gotten you for myself but it's just weird," Tony complained even as he draped himself possessively across Stephen's shoulders. He met the shocked looks of all three healers in a clear back off, he's mine message.

Stephen huffed and wrapped an arm around Tony's waist even as Levi twitched up to wrap equally possessively around Tony's shoulders.

"How? Just how does this always seem to happen to you?" Wong complained in annoyed despair.

"Excuse me, you don't know that I'm a disaster magnet," Tony complained with false offense, deliberately going over the top and misinterpreting Wong's complaint.

"Do you want me to introduce him to Rhodey and Pepper?" Stephen asked calmly.

"Uh, nope! Nuh uh, not gonna happen," Tony insisted, instantly switching gears to denial.

"Then shush, he's going to help me get you up to date on basics since I am very bad at teaching. He's also seen the sort of magical messes that I make and helped me fix most of them," Stephen smirked at his lover.

Tony rapidly re-evaluated the situation and turned a charming smile on Wong only to wilt under his unimpressed gaze.

"Tony will buy you any songs you want along with an mp3 player without looking at them," Stephen offered for his lover. Tony brightened immediately and nodded his immediate agreement.

"You still owe me," Wong insisted, pointing at them both.

"Totally," Tony agreed immediately.

Wong gave them a look of exasperation but grumpily waved the healers forward to actively look them over. Stephen didn't protest or try to bring his own medical clout to the table at all, that worried Wong. He quickly joined the healers in going over the pair with the magical equivalent of a fine toothed comb.

They caught the magical collars that had sunk under the skin of the pair on the third pass. Wong cursed viciously and helplessly glared at his friend who met him with his own calm gaze. Wong could see from the markings and the weave of the magic that the pair couldn't have warned them about the collars even if they had tried. It would have only hurt them.

"If we wake you up like this it will latch onto the flesh and anchor there. We would never get them off of either of you," Wong warned them with no little grief.

"I know," Stephen whispered as he held Tony close. "I also know that even if we do manage to get rid of them something could call them back into existence since our minds and souls will remember it having happened once already. If it does happen though we only have to remove it a total of seven times to make it impossible for it to come back or for anything like it to be cast on us ever again. We can cycle through calling it up and removing it until we hit threshold."

"There are more harsh methods to remove it that would limit who was capable of reapplying it and drop how often we need to break it. It would, however, also limit the resistance granted and be rougher on the body and mind," Wong said, choosing his words carefully.

"Stephen?" Tony asked worriedly.

"Wanda could call it back but if we break it after she does she won't ever be able to enslave either of us again," Stephen explained. "But it will be rough and we will both be temporarily crippled or even on bed rest for months afterwards if that happens. That's going to be an opening no matter what we do. A standard removal with enough power could erase the traces for anyone else but it would leave us open to being caught the same way again in the future. Removing it repeatedly after letting it anchor in our flesh will give us a forcefully learned resistance to this particular type of magic. It's similar to taking small doses of poison to build an immunity to it."

"Can we do the resistance thing if it happens again and try for the wipe method now?" Tony asked quietly.

"Yes," Stephen said just as quietly. "We can even have someone we trust do the resistance casting later."

"Good," Tony said firmly before looking expectantly at Wong.

Wong scowled but the four Sorcerers set up to overpower the collars without a further word. When Stephen and Tony blacked out from the power overload they missed a sudden surge of green that broke the collars completely. They woke to the concerned gaze of the Ancient One and the other healers.

~~~

"What went wrong?" were the first words they heard from the Ancient One.

"What do you mean?" Stephen asked gruffly. He knew things had gone wrong but the Ancient One shouldn't have had any indication of things one way or the other.

"The Eye of Agamotto activated, twice. Once a few minutes ago and just now, before you opened your eyes," the Ancient One answered worriedly.

"There were complications," Stephen admitted somewhat sheepishly before turning serious. "The so called Scarlet Witch has deeply violated Tony with nightmares and mental torture. She assaulted him so often that it left a mental mirror of her, one that very nearly captured both of us in an eternal slavery bond. I hope she got a nasty headache when the Eye shredded her mirror self. The second time must have been when the others were breaking the slavery collar magic that had successfully attached itself to us in the first fight."

The sharp breath the Ancient One drew in was released slowly and deliberately. Stephen could tell that she was utterly furious.

"You were hurt," the Ancient One observed quietly.

"Yes," Stephen conceded reluctantly. "The Cloak of Levitation seems to have decided that Tony is his second human though."

The Ancient One paled and closed her eyes briefly as she drew in a deep breath. When her eyes opened again to look at him Tony was awake and sprawled squid-like half on top of Stephen. They looked at her and waited as the healers bustled around them all and Wong came to stand by them.

"The Cloak of Levitation has recognized your bond. By the recognized understanding of such bonds we will file your marriage certificate for you," the Ancient One said more calmly than she obviously felt. "An assault on one is an assault on both. Your attacker will be brought down, my sons."

Tony started, staring at her wide-eyed as he processed the implications of that. Stephen just pulled him tight against his own body and allowed Levi to wiggle around and wrap them both up.

"Pepper is going to kill us," Tony hissed at Stephen. "We just got magically married without her."

Stephen grimaced in agreement but knew there was nothing to be done about it. Pepper would react how she would react and there was nothing to do but weather said reaction. They were going to have to go out of their way to make things up to her and even then this might break something in their barely returned relationship for good.

Pepper had a high enough tolerance to deal with them but the additional weird factor from their superhero side jobs? That was a different matter. Too often she needed to have a certain level of personal control over her life and certain solid expectations of those closest to her. Superhero boyfriends with the inevitable super enemies didn't exactly fit that.

"You will both always have a place here," the Ancient One reminded them both calmly. Her fury had abated enough to show how protective she was going to be over both of them going forwards.

Tony nodded his acceptance slowly, settling deeper into Stephen's arms. He didn't have many people willing to protect him for himself. Stephen was one of them and Pepper was another. If he had to admit it so was one Peter Parker, his Spiderling.

"If you're going to count me as your son and not just Stephen's bit on the side then I should probably tell you," Tony offered carefully. "I've got two kids I've sort of emotionally adopted. I haven't had the chance to tell Stephen about them yet either but Pepper knows and I'm trying really hard to keep most people from finding out about them. Their guardians have agreed to co-parenting them with me and one of them comes with a younger sister on top of that. Their names are Peter Parker and Harley Keener plus his little sister. Wanda doesn't know about them and I managed to hide that bit from whatever piece of her was tearing up my head."

"Dear God, Tony," Stephen shuddered, holding him tighter. "Most Mental Masters can't pull that off! Not with how deep she was and how much damage she was doing. Put an extra shield around it? Yes. Actively hide it? No, almost never. I didn't see a hint of them in our merged mindscape and it should have been blatantly obvious considering I was acting as the secondary supporting mental base with that treatment spell."

"How remarkable," the Ancient One said with a small smile. "Yes, you match my Stephen quite well."

Stephen huffed indignantly at the possessive but didn't actually object. Either as a student or her son he was, in fact, one of hers.

They were left in the care of the healers for the next several days before Tony was allowed to retreat back to his tower with Stephen in tow.

~~~

"Mr. Stark!" a young voice yelped in surprise and shock as they portaled into the penthouse living room.

"Hey, Pete," Tony greeted cheerfully. Stephen found himself instinctively recognizing the hyper puppy with spider powers shaped as a teenager.

"You're okay!" Peter gushed as he rushed them, sweeping Tony up into a relieved hug.

"I take it this is Peter? Our Spiderling child?" Stephen asked in open amusement.

Peter yelped in surprise and sprang back, ready for a fight if it became necessary.

"Yeah, this is one of my genius kids," Tony admitted easily and fondly. "I tried to distance myself after the Germany mess thinking I was putting him at risk."

"Ah, and he proved as stubborn as you," Stephen guessed correctly. "Well, considering we just got surprise married by magic I guess he's mine too."

"What?!" Peter asked quietly, wide-eyed and frozen in shock. Tony chuckled and ushered Peter forwards to stand awkwardly in front of Stephen.

"I know I didn't file the paperwork yet, Pete, but you are one of my kids," Tony said firmly. "Something weird magic wise happened and it married us a few days ago."

"What?" Pepper's voice snapped out in disbelief from the direction of the entrance to the penthouse.

Tony and Stephen winced as they turned to face her.

"It's weird magic stuff, Pep," Tony told her awkwardly. "And his co-workers checked us over a lot. We also literally just got back and were coming to tell you but ran into Underoos first."

"Uh, should I go home?" Peter asked warily.

"No, Peter," Tony corrected immediately. "You don't have to go. I just really should have told Pepper first and well... Stephen what would have happened if the magic hadn't done what it did?"

"It would have gone one of three ways," Stephen said softly. "We would be permanent slaves to Maximoff, vegetables, or dead. The bond and equivalent magical marriage was the best option considering what damage we found in your mind from Maximoff's assaults."

Pepper and Peter both went pale. Tony grimaced but nodded his understanding. Levi floated up off of Stephen's shoulders and wrapped himself protectively around Tony, offering his own form of comfort. Stephen sighed and stepped up next to them, absently fiddling with the amulet around his neck.

"I can't.... This is too far, Tony. I just can't," Pepper said, starting to cry. Before anyone could say anything she turned on her heel and walked out.

Stephen grimaced and wrapped a suddenly depressed Tony up in his arms.

"What just happened?" Peter asked, confused.

"Pepper... doesn't like me being Iron Man. She doesn't understand that I am actually Iron Man. We're not separate and putting away Iron Man well...." Tony fumbled his explanation until Stephen stepped in.

"Pepper has difficulty with the risks and the unusual events that come with Tony being Iron Man. I'm a Sorcerer now. When I was just a top neurosurgeon we were both dating Tony. I thought we had broken up just before my accident. This is just too far for her tolerance of unusual things," Stephen said carefully. "To force Tony to give up Iron Man is to ask him to cut out a part of himself. Pepper... is choosing not to understand that. I had hoped with how they welcomed me back that she had gotten past that. It was something of a personal issue I had with her before that hadn't yet blown up in our faces."

"Oh," Peter said, subdued.

"She's still our friend," Tony offered with a melancholy smile. "She also hates that a few of my Iron Man enemies have gone after her. The exploding people from a few years back? The bastard who funded it dosed her with a version of it. I barely managed to work out a counter in time to save her. I used the fixed version later to save my own life even if it tied the stupid thing to my new arc reactor. Pepper knows about that but it was almost too much for her then even though it saved my life. We hadn't been dating Stephen yet so he didn't know until, well just now."

"You took the altered form of extremis?!" Stephen demanded, sounding strangled. "That's why you let me look at it and play with it?!"

"I wasn't ready to spill everything and I wanted to see what you thought about it," Tony shrugged.

Stephen groaned and decided that he was making Tony give him a full medical history with the surrounding circumstances. He had to know what he was potentially going to be treating from now on. There was absolutely no way that Tony was getting out of his fussing and checks in the future either.

"Um, Doctor Strange sir? I know you're probably going to make Mr. Stark let you check him but... uh, can you check me sometime? I just, ever since the spider bite and getting my powers things heal really fast, sometimes too fast," Peter admitted with a grimace, refusing to look at the immediately concerned adult heroes. "I don't really like having to cut out healed over things like, well sometimes knives break part way in me during a fight or I get thrown into something that breaks. I can't always reach the... bits."

Tony cursed and broke free of Stephen. Levi flared out behind him as he snagged Peter and practically dragged him down to his lab. Stephen entered the lab directly on their heels already in doctor mode.

"Friday, baby girl, I need you to bring up all of the sensors and scan our Spiderling," Tony ordered. "Look for foreign bodies, scars, old breaks, plastic, wood, metal, I don't care. Just find anything inside Underoos that shouldn't be there."

"Scanning the baby spider, Boss!" Friday said with clear determination.

"Throw it up on the display," Stephen ordered as they almost immediately start hearing light pings of detected foreign bodies.

"God, Pete..." Tony whispered, dismayed at the preliminary results.

"Friday, please color them different in regards to materials if possible otherwise leave them gray," Stephen instructed firmly.

"That's bad," Peter admitted with a wince when he got a good look at the display. "Oh, huh, I didn't realize that being thrown into that one wall that broke had left anything in my back there. The weird stone knife there next to those ribs must have been really fragile to break into like six pieces instead of the four I thought it had. Okay, the broken bottle must have landed harder than I thought against my shoulder since I was pretty sure all of it came out.... Um, did that... Yeah, my bones fused around that one. It's going to suck to re-break those to get that out. At least its ceramic instead of something like lead?"

"Friday, call May and tell her some medical stuff has come up in relation to forgetful Spiders that heal too fast. Peter is staying with us until it's fixed," Tony instructed with a strangled sounding voice.

"Yes, Boss," Friday said grimly.

The sound of it startled all three heroes but they let it go to focus on Peter's current medical issue. Levi floated up off of Tony's shoulders to pat at one wall and then drifted around to play invisible tag with Friday and a few low powered pointer lasers. As an intended distraction it worked quite well on Peter since he didn't actually want to think about all the random pieces that were stuck inside him just then.

"Tony, please tell me you have a medical wing," Stephen asked pained at what he was examining on the screen.

"What do you take me for? This was Avengers tower, of course there's a medical level complete with doctors that have all signed NDAs," Tony shot back indignantly. "We just have better sensors down here and we were closer to my lab where my Spiderling is also more comfortable. Plus, I didn't want to wait hours to get the results. They only give it to us immediately or in raw form if it's an emergency."

"He's not leaving medical until the debris along his spine are removed. If any of it shifts it could paralyze him or even kill him depending on when and how it shifts," Stephen ordered flatly.

Tony sucked in a sharp breath and worriedly looked over at Peter who was far too calm for comfort.

"I figured that out when I saw how close they were to the spine," Peter admitted, gesturing at the screen. "Can I at least walk there on my own?"

"I would rather put you on a gurney to minimize any potential jostling," Stephen said tightly. "But that will do no good if you fight us."

"I don't like it but I'll let you use a gurney," Peter agreed grudgingly. He knew having this much inside him where he simply couldn't pull it out himself was a risk especially with where some of it was positioned. Besides, Tony looked ready to really freak out so Peter played reluctant teenager but still complied.

"On your stomach please," Stephen requested when the gurney arrived. Peter obeyed and watched the walls as they moved him down to medical.

Tony was by his side the entire time, offering comfort to both patient and doctor even as he fussed. Stephen wasn't surprised when the attending doctors took Peter from them immediately once they got to the medical floor. The grateful look for keeping Tony with him rather than Peter told him a lot. On the other hand the surprise at bringing up the scans on a nearby screen and discussing it as a surgeon got him immediately respected as a fellow doctor. No mention was made of his shaking hands but his experience as a surgeon allowed him to give ideas on how to help Peter.

"Use the sedatives made for Cap during a surgery and be ready to give it to him again halfway through. We don't have anything specifically made for his weird part spider biology yet," Tony warned. "I have no idea how he will react to most things but his metabolism is definitely up there. Friday? Give them the list of stuff we think will hurt him based on what spiders react to and his medical file."

"Uh, Mr. Stark? I haven't seen any doctors since I got my powers," Peter half shouted guiltily from the other room.

"Enhanced senses and metabolism are noted," the nurse sighed. "Since this isn't an emergency yet we plan to do tests and the like before trying to remove the foreign objects as is protocol. I understand that Doctor Strange had him lay on his stomach as an overabundance of caution when you moved him. Do we have permission from his legal guardian to proceed or is this under emergency protocols due to potential threat to life?"

"Aunt May said I have to listen to the doctors and Mr. Stark is acting guardian until she can get here but probably even after her shift at Metro General is over for the weekend," Peter answered helpfully, still in the other room.

"The kid has boosted healing too so you might have to fight with that during any surgery," Tony informed them.

"Friday? Please call Dr. Christine Palmer at Metro General Hospital. Tell her you're calling on behalf of myself," Stephen instructed before admitting something to the humans. "I used to work there. I was such an asshole but I do still have a bit of pull with some of the staff."

"Calling," Friday announced before the humans could react to his little revelation.

"Hello? Stephen?" A woman's voice answered the call after routing through the nurses and front desk.

"Hello Christine," Stephen responded calmly. "Can you locate a particular nurse over there for me? A Mrs. May Parker? I'm afraid that I have her nephew as a current emergency patient and need to check authorizations since he's underage."

Tony had mouthed May Parker for him, gaining a thankful nod in return.

"Oh! Sure, I'm glad you're doing better, Stephen," Christine said, openly relieved.

They were put on hold for a minute before both women were back on the line.

"Are you sure you want me to listen in Mrs. Parker?" Christine asked in concern.

"If Doctor Strange is involved then you are one of the few people who were able to get him to see sense when he worked here. So yes," May's voice said firmly.

Stephen flushed in embarrassment but didn't even try to correct them since it had been true.

"Alright, Stephen? We're listening," Christine told them.

"Hey, May," Tony spoke up quickly. "You're on speaker with the medical staff at the tower. Doctor Strange was the first with medical training to see what's up with Underoos on my lab sensors which is kind of my fault. Roos hiding this was all him though."

"Mr. Stark!" Came Peter's scandalized shout from the other room.

"He's in another room isn't he?" May asked in exasperation.

"Next door," Stephen confirmed.

"He hasn't told me exactly when it happened but I can guess. I presume that you want the full run down?" May asked, resigned.

"Considering I have a newly kindled vested interest in his health yes," Stephen drawled and let the rest of them draw their own conclusions. May and Christine would find out why later because of their status as friend and guardian respectively.

"Life threatening?" May asked quietly.

"Foreign objects too close for comfort along his spine," Stephen corrected bluntly. "Not life threatening unless they shift during movement. Currently we are consulting due to an abundance of caution and future necessary action as well as confirmation for any emergency treatment, Nurse Parker."

"He went on a field trip to Oscorp and was really sick for a week afterwards. All of his previous health problems just vanished after his week down sick. I was suspicious but between Ben dying soon afterwards, work, and everything that came with suddenly becoming a single parent, sorting out the funeral and... Well, it just sort of fell to the wayside. He seemed healthy and happy enough that I just focused on keeping us housed and fed," May admitted with flashes of grief and echoed past exhaustion. "I only realized what probably happened when I caught him with his suit after the internship."

"Did we ever file the paperwork to officially extend that or are we still working off of the original agreement and the verbal mentee agreement?" Tony asked with a frown.

"Original and verbal. I presumed that you were mostly too busy so his time at SI had shifted to his... extracurriculars once the original couple of weeks had expired," May said carefully. "He actually obeyed the grounding at the time which he would have fought if he had to actually show up to the internship."

"Ah," Tony winced. "My bad. Swing by when you get off of work and we'll talk. Just to be safe do I have your permission to act in your stead in regards to Peter?"

"You do," May said in slight exasperation. "I expect you to actually have all of the paperwork for whatever legal protection you want in place when we talk so that this doesn't happen again, Mr. Stark. I don't need another heart attack when he inevitably falls asleep on another one of your lab sessions. Or when he forgets to tell me he's sleeping over because he forgot something in your work area and went back after hours... again."

"Better than him deciding to try and get to your place at three am while half asleep but I see your point," Tony agreed with a shrug. "He also kind of told Stephen about his extracurriculars because we surprised him when we arrived at the tower but at least it got him to ask us for help about this?"

"...of course he did," May groaned. "Alright, you remember our discussion after Germany?"

"Yup," Tony agreed with a shiver. "I'll keep him safe, May. Promise."

"Good," May said simply.

They ended the call after that and the SI medical personnel got on with things.

Chapter Text

Peter's complaining about being stuck in medical were ignored by all over the next week. Tony delighted in being able to watch Stephen in his element as he worked with the medical staff to see that Peter was well cared for. Wong had come back to Stephen's side a few hours after they had taken Peter to the medical floor with the cloak appearing soon afterwards. The grumpy asian sorcerer had gotten pulled in on several points from a magical view point more than once. Eventually a sedation spell was settled on rather than trying out the pharmaceutical sedatives for the exploratory surgery, much to the chagrin of the mundane trained medical staff. Stephen was smug from being considered to have enough cross training in both sides of the discussion to make the final decision. Tony was just relieved that Stephen was going to be supervising since it helped both his Spiderling and his Wizard while giving himself peace of mind.

Once Peter's first surgery was done Tony finally made good on his original threat after finding Stephen again.

"You do realize that you're going to be mine for a very long time?" Tony asked smugly. He was stroking Stephen in various places as the doctor lay blissed out next to him.

"I know," Stephen said quietly. "I also know how possessive and protective you are and that you didn't indulge it too deeply before my accident. I know that the Ancient One has already charged you to protect me if it comes to that despite my own new combat training."

"Are you going to let me?" Tony asked just as quietly.

"Yes, but you don't have the training for the Mystic side of things," Stephen sighed. "You did great with the thing with Wanda but I will eventually need you to be able to stand beside me in a fight, bond or no bond. How you get there is entirely up to you. You could do it as Iron Man but you are completely vulnerable to the Mystic side of things right now."

"I've been attending those lessons you set up with Wong for me," Tony confessed. "I haven't been using it except during lessons and practice time but I'm getting there. My portals are kinda shakey but he said something about moving past white into red and updating my records at Kamar-Taj. Apparently I count as an official student now or something at least in my own right instead of just being your husband."

"That's... Tony you have no idea how good that is," Stephen said incredulously. "I blasted through my Mastery but it still took me three months just to get the stupid portal to work and that was only after my master left me to die on Everest as an incentive to get past my final block."

"Your mom must have really wanted you to learn it bad then," Tony grumbled, offended on Stephen's behalf but glad that the man was tucked up safe in his arms.

Chapter Text

Plot Bunny/Outline:

Thor knew that Loki's game had to be brought to an end. He didn't particularly MIND the quests from his brother wearing the face of their father, not with Odin's disinterest in actually ruling fairly that Thor could now recognize, but something was shifting in the magic of their home and, distantly, in the echoes of the essence of Midgard. As useful as Loki sitting on the throne for Odin actually was Thor needed his brother back and at his side. Maybe he could even get Anthony and Loki to get along for a bit... One could hope.

Tony was getting desperate to set up a decent defense against whatever asshole had sent that first invasion and the so called Civil War as well as fucking SIBERIA had him ready to throw in the towel before begging Thor to take the people he cared about off world. Tony wouldn't go with them. He would stand and fight.

Stephen was exhausted. After dealing with Dormammu and talking with the Dark Lord for an extended amount of time before breaking the time loop he knew that that wasn't going to be his worst or longest battle. The bargain to end the loop had been simple and both parties had agreed to it but a question Stephen had asked had gotten Dormammu's attention and they had fallen into discussion and practice for... neither of them actually knew how long. When he went to actually break the loop Stephen was subjected to the memories from multiple timelines slamming into him and Dormammu had to catch him as he collapsed. When he woke again he knew about the Infinity War and Thanos and the Stones. He knew about TONY STARK.

Dormammu took one look at him, awake and aware, and LAUGHED.

"Tao was a meddling old woman but the bargain she offered me as a child amused me at the time. The essence of Time has claimed you for itself I see but the next time you call on me... come as a friend," Dormammu instructed, viciously amused by something Stephen could only guess at.

Stephen nodded sharply and portaled back to earth. He had an Order to corral and a ridiculously skilled hero to collect for his own. If he was lucky he would snag a trickster mage on top of things and they would stop Thanos from actually succeeding.

Loki knew when Thor walked up to him with Surtur's head that the jig was up. It was Thor waving everyone off and asking for a private meeting that confused the trickster. Why did he get the feeling that Thor was going to insist on tying him to something or someone for a period of time?

Tentatively pegged as Tony/Loki/Stephen. Big brother Thor trying to matchmake? Insisting on a binding to give the three of them support even if they don't sleep with each other or develop a romantic relationship?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tony knew that he wasn't going to find a solution in time. He could clearly remember the armada on the other side of that portal. He had figured out too late that Loki had been leading that little invasion under duress and had been sabotaging it as best he could in his battered and tortured state hidden behind illusions. Tony planned to return the favor to whoever had put the God of Mischief into that state should he ever come across them even if Loki was a pain in the ass.

The Avengers Civil War and fucking Siberia had been the last straw on getting even a basic defense into place that might actually win and protect Earth. If Thor showed up before the armada did... Tony was sending his family and friends and Spiderling and Scary Aunt May off planet with the thunderer along with his bots. Tony would stay behind and try to defend the planet anyway. He knew that unless he knocked Rhodey out to send him with the group the War Machine would be standing next to him on that battlefield. Tony just didn't have the tools to stop what he knew was coming so he would save those he loved and die defending everyone else.

The portal that snatched him from behind out of his workshop was barely caught on camera. The magical golden glowing rope of energy that had lassoed around him and dragged him through was gone the instant the portal snapped shut. In under ten seconds it was gone with its prize, leaving no trace beyond the recordings and a panicking AI.

Chapter Text

Doctor Stephen Strange was exhausted. After dealing with Dormammu and talking with the Dark Lord for an extended amount of time before breaking the time loop he knew that that wasn't going to be his worst or longest battle. The bargain to end the loop had been simple and both parties had agreed to it but a question Stephen had asked had gotten Dormammu's attention and they had fallen into discussion and practice for... neither of them actually knew how long. When he went to actually break the loop Stephen was subjected to the memories from multiple timelines slamming into him and Dormammu had to catch him as he collapsed. When he woke again he knew about the Infinity War and Thanos and the Stones. He knew about TONY STARK.

Dormammu took one look at him, awake and aware, and laughed.

"Tao was a meddling old woman but the bargain she offered me as a child amused me at the time. The essence of Time has claimed you for itself I see but the next time you call on me... come as a friend," Dormammu instructed, viciously amused by something Stephen could only guess at.

Stephen nodded sharply and portaled back to earth. He had an Order to corral and a ridiculously skilled hero to collect for his own. If he was lucky he would snag a trickster mage on top of things and they would stop Thanos from actually succeeding.

~~~

Tony knew that he wasn't going to find a solution in time. He could clearly remember the armada on the other side of that portal. He had figured out too late that Loki had been leading that little invasion under duress and had been sabotaging it as best he could in his battered and tortured state hidden behind illusions. Tony planned to return the favor to whoever had put the God of Mischief into that state should he ever come across them even if Loki was a pain in the ass.

The Avengers Civil War and fucking Siberia had been the last straw on getting even a basic defense into place that might actually win and protect Earth. If Thor showed up before the armada did... Tony was sending his family and friends and Spiderling and Scary Aunt May off planet with the thunderer along with his bots. Tony would stay behind and try to defend the planet anyway. He knew that unless he knocked Rhodey out to send him with the group the War Machine would be standing next to him on that battlefield. Tony just didn't have the tools to stop what he knew was coming so he would save those he loved and die defending everyone else.

The portal that snatched him from behind out of his workshop was barely caught on camera. The magical golden glowing rope of energy that had lassoed around him and dragged him through was gone the instant the portal snapped shut. In under ten seconds it was gone with its prize, leaving no trace beyond the recordings and a panicking AI.

~~~

Stephen Vincent Strange pulled the shocked, confused, and struggling man along the dark purple stone hallway with him. As much as he hated getting on Stark's bad side from the start it was a better option than letting him half kill himself before Thanos even showed up. Thankfully, Dormammu was being very supportive about all of this. Stephen figured that he got some sort of twisted amusement out of all of it. So long as they reached a timeline where things didn't fall apart so that reality destroyed itself and Tony survived he wasn't sure he cared. Granted, kidnapping Tony like this eliminated so many of the bad timeline options it wasn't even funny. It had still been an impulsive and boneheaded move but Stephen would make it work if it came to that.

"Unless you want your Spiderling dead by your own hands you'll stop fighting me! I'm trying to help!" Stephen eventually snapped at the inventor.

Tony Stark froze in shock which made it slightly easier to pull him along the hallway. Stephen knew that using his timeline gained information was going to eventually get Stark furious with him but it was better than fighting with him before the inventor was even brought up to date.

"Who the hell are you and what the hell would make you think I was a threat to Spiderman?" Tony finally asked furiously. "Some sort of magical monk from a D&D campaign gone wrong?"

"I was a neurosurgeon but after my car accident I went looking for some way to heal my injuries to get back into the operating room and fell in with a group teaching magic. Unfortunately or fortunately they were actually teaching real magic. I got trapped in a time loop while fighting someone who wanted to eat Earth as a snack. When I came out of the loop the artifact that let me trigger it in the first place dumped a large number of potential future timelines into my mind while shoring up my mind so that I didn't go insane," Stephen explained reluctantly. "You may kill me for all of this later and that's fine. So long as you survive, preferably with your support system intact, I'll deal with the consequences. For now I refuse to let you half kill yourself before the big fight even shows up. I would really rather you didn't hate me for this but if you need the promise of killing me later to keep you alive so be it. Just don't piss off our host. There's only so far his amusement will stretch especially since he was the one I was fighting and he decided helping me was more amusing than just eating Earth outright as a snack."

"He didn't send Loki to Earth to invade or anything like that right?" Tony checked.

"No, that would've been Thanos. Lord Dormammu has followers and agents but no, he had nothing to do with the New York invasion. I was in the emergency room in the hospital I worked at back then treating patients while you all fought them off," Stephen said bluntly. "I don't know how far I can get this to stretch so please play along with whatever story I run with. Right now he think I plan to marry you, by force if necessary, but I won't force anything. I promise. During the loops when he wasn't killing me or torturing me we would sometimes take a break and we aren't exactly enemies any more but that's about all I can vouch for. Don't worry about any deals you hear me make, I'll pay them and you won't be expected to do anything."

"Not filling me with confidence, La Fey," Tony snipped. He was more hurrying along after him at this point than being dragged.

"The name is Doctor Stephen Strange and yes, that actually is my name. You can look me up when we get back," Stephen chuckled ruefully. "This timeline option is hopefully one where you won't have to stand by and watch Peter be torn apart or dissolved into dust. I'll even let you tag me with a tracker if you let me do the same with a tracking and monitoring spell. If you get hurt too badly I'll be able to come help you once its cast."

"Monitor how?" Tony demanded.

"Nothing more than what your armor already does. Your vitals and location is all I planned to set it for. If you're willing to give me a piece of your tech to carry with the same information I'll accept that over using a spell. For your peace of mind, it will stop me from coming to help you without a picture of the area to work with," Stephen answered. "I know you don't like magic but you never fully explained why in the other timelines so aside from exposure I'm not sure how I can help you to trust whatever I might cast. Not that you would trust me this early on in any case."

"Let's say I believe you, what do you want in return to protect Peter?" Tony asked stiffly.

"You don't get it, Stark," Stephen chuckled. "There was more than one timeline where we adopted him together. As far as I'm concerned he's my son too. You might want to run his blood against yours when you get back though. I'm not sure of the circumstances but I know he found paperwork after you died which hinted at him being yours by blood. He doesn't know me yet and if you both want it stay that way I'll accept it. I won't be happy about it but being what I am now has its own risks and staying away will give it's own protection."

"And if I want you at my complete mercy?" Tony demanded. "If I decide that's my price? For as long as I want?"

"I don't know that I can comply but I will do my best to try around my other duties," Stephen promised softly. "I'll let you into my life as much as you want. Just be certain it actually is what you want because there's no turning back afterwards."

"What do you think I'm thinking right now?" Tony demanded angrily.

"That I'm a clear and present threat to at least Peter if not also to you. You'll play along until I either get you home or get to a point where you think you can get home on your own. Just fair warning, we're in a different dimension at the moment and about to meet Lord Dormammu," Stephen warned. "By the way your best chance to kill me will be just after I drop you back at the Tower. My ability to view each timeline ended with my death in said timeline when they wer dumped into my head. So, I don't know what happens after that in any of them but either way you'll have a Mad Titan named Thanos and his armada to beat. I recommend getting in contact with Loki who's pretending to be Odin just now and using his time as Thanos' torture toy to get him to help out. If you haven't figured it out he wasn't exactly a willing participant in the invasion. He gave you as many opening to stop him as he could with the mind control on him and the direct leash into his mind with punishment options that was in place."

"Shit!" Tony cursed. He was already starting to believe that this Doctor Strange was being honest. The mention of the armada was just one more nail in the coffin of his disbelief.

"Sorry but I prefer you alive to sacrificing yourself for everyone else," Stephen chuckled ruefully.

"You're kind of insane at this point aren't you?" Tony commented warily.

"Probably but I'm also powerful enough to stand as one of Earth's defenders and willing to step forwards to do so," Stephen said tiredly. "Try not to insult him too much. You can yell at me all you want after the meeting is over."

Before Tony could demand more information they walked into a cavern that sparkled and made the inventor think they were inside a giant amethyst geode. His attention snapped away from the background surroundings though as soon as he saw the giant floating shifting and rippling head.

"Lord Dormammu," Stephen said respectfully as they approached the watching floating head.

"Sorcerer," Dormammu laughed. "So this is the human that you willingly throw so much away to save. The others of Tao's piddling little Order will rip you apart over this."

"Only if you don't honor our deal to leave Earth alone," Stephen countered, steel in his voice. "And the Order is handled even if they aren't exactly happy with me right now. Your zealots are still a problem though."

"Our agreement was that I leave your world alone so long as you protect it," Dormammu pointed out slyly. "The breaks we took during the loops where you accepted some lessons on magic from me were amusing, more amusing than killing you in different ways each time. It's a pity that you refused to serve me but you can always change your mind."

"No, thank you," Stephen said coldly. "You would take it as my surrendering my world. We both know that Earth would literally only be a snack for yu from the start."

"From the start," Dormammu agreed. "But we are no longer at the start now are we? You interest me greatly now. I wish to see what you will eventually become but I do recognize, at least for now, that you are dedicated to protecting your world and this human especially. You won't tell me of the others Time taught you of that you now care deeply for. You only told me of this one to get my help protecting him."

"Why would I risk telling you of those I consider my own?" Stephen scoffed. "We may be more cordial now but not that long ago you were torturing me to death in those time loops."

"Time loops that you initiated," Dormammu pointed out. "Had you not meddled with time magics before our confrontation you would have needed only to face one death."

"But would his one death have protected our world?" Tony asked quietly. He had been watching the back and forth with all the business skill and combat skill he possessed. He recognized things in Stephen that he knew to be true of himself when he became Iron Man and eventually faced the army that Loki had brought to Earth.

"It would not have," Dormammu conceded. "He knew that and took precautions against it. I have looked into you, Tony Stark, since the Sorcerer mentioned you after he broke the loop and was collapsed moaning. He was trying to incorporate the memories and timelines gifted to him by the artifact he had so recklessly used against me. It was the way it chose to formally bond with him as it's guardian. If you are to stand with him you will need to learn what you term as magic. Force of arms alone will not be enough."

"You'll take him by force, ending the truce you've got going because how can he protect our world if he's your prisoner?" Tony realized in shock. Stephen tensed as he understood the implications and went white.

"Clever but not entirely accurate for this instance," Dormammu laughed. "One can still protect something when you aren't present. I hold to my own form of honor so I will explain. So long as he doesn't renounce his protection of your world and yet lives even if only through stories or his students our deal holds. I would forcefully make my presence known if he isn't there to stop me but I would continue to honor our deal. I will admit that I have used that rational in the past due in part to careless wording on the part of the one who struck the deal with me. In this case Stephen Strange may one day rival me and when he does he will be my peer, not something to be simply crushed. A bit of mentoring is in order if only to make watching him grow more interesting. If he is felled in a way I find offensive I will avenge him but leave the rest of your world alone to honor our deal, presuming it wasn't your world as a whole that acted so. After all protection can be rejected by either the protector or the protected."

"Noted," Stephen said stiffly.

"I like him," Dormammu smirked. "He is more than acceptable should you follow through and claim him for a mate. One day, Stephen, you will either be my peer or one I claim as one of my own in some fashion. I have no trouble giving you time to grow and this world as your first territory. Any future interference until or unless our deal becomes void will not threaten our deal should it come from me."

"Thanks for the heads up," Tony said sincerely, cutting off Stephen's hot retort. "We appreciate knowing that you messing with us later isn't an actual threat to the planet."

Stephen took a minute to process that and grudgingly agreed with a short sharp nod. Dormammu laughed in understanding and anticipation. They took that as a dismissal and Dormammu watched them go.

These children would bare watching.

Chapter Text

Tony stumbled as they passed through another portal into some sort of courtyard at some eastern temple. When he looked up they were surrounded by more people in monk robes in various colors with groups in just red or just white. Most of them seemed to be upset with the good doctor which made Tony wonder what exactly he had done to piss them off.

"Move," Stephen ordered, pushing him forwards.

Tony obeyed but noted the instant frowns on various faces. He also noticed how many of them seemed to somewhat soften towards him specifically.

"Strange," one asian man greeted the doctor tightly.

"Wong, I am willing to answer any questions or demands the various Masters might have but I need to situate this one first to keep him out of trouble," Stephen sighed. "As fucked up as everything is there are certain things I have to report as a fellow Master. They can be angry at me all they like so long as they listen."

"I will see that a meeting is called," Wong said shortly. "The Eye of Agamotto will be expected to be returned to it's place."

"If you mean whatever time thing he used to fight Dormammu good luck," Tony snorted. "The bastard was amused that it decided to dump future timelines into the doc's head to bond with him as it's guardian. It probably won't turn out well for anyone that tries to separate them."

"Stark, shut up," Stephen said in exasperation. "If this is revenge for..."

"Oh no," Tony assured him with an evil smirk, cutting him off. "I have plans for what I'm going to do to get back at you and for my pound of flesh for this cluster fuck. Next time you kidnap me you might want to re-think ordering me around or making it sound like you're threatening the kid. Admittedly, you clarified it so I didn't take it as an actual death threat but that doesn't change how annoyed I am with you over it."

"Ah, yeah, that's fair," Stephen admitted with a wince.

"The Cloak of Levitation is... upset that you left it behind to watch us while you ran your errand," Wong warned, markedly less hostile along with everyone else.

"I seem to just be pissing everyone off today," Stephen groaned. "Stark I can either show you the exit into the streets of Kathmandu, look up a picture of the tower lobby and open a portal directly there, you can wait in my sleeping area here at the temple, or you can join the meeting we're about to have. You likely will want to sit in if only because we'll be discussing the Mad Titan at some point if only briefly."

"Is this the part when I pick the portal and you let me kill you like you suggested back before you introduced me to Dormammu?" Tony asked with deliberate interest. "Or are you actually promising to help with the bastard that mind fucked Loki and sent him to invade us?"

"Did I not flat out tell you that I would be helping?" Stephen asked with a confused frown.

"No, you didn't," Tony said, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "When was the last time that you stopped long enough to rest?"

"Before or after the time loops?" Stephen asked hesitantly.

"If you have to ask... Hell, have you had any down time at all recently?" Tony demanded. Stephen didn't answer and it visibly made the Sorcerers around them uneasy.

"Can you get him to actually stop and rest?" Wong asked with open interest. "None of the rest of us have been able to."

"Don't even think about it, Stark," Stephen warned when he saw the look Tony had in his eye.

"Why? You think I wouldn't win?" Tony challenged.

"No, I'm perfectly well aware that you would manage it. I just don't have time to even slow down," Stephen complained. "I still have to deal with the zealots, make sure my mentor's affairs are handled, and apologize to a friend to say nothing of paying for what treatment my old work colleagues managed when I begged them to try and save the Ancient One. She lasted long enough that I managed to talk to her in astral form before the fight with Dormammu."

"You didn't mention any of this earlier," Wong frowned.

"When would I have had time?!" Stephen snapped.

"Yeah, okay, your meeting can wait," Tony said decidedly. "I may not be the best example of work-life balance but even I can tell you have to have at least a nap before you do anything else."

"Stark," Stephen growled in warning.

"You warned me before our meeting with Dormammu not half an hour ago that he's decided I'm going to be your husband. What kind of husband would I be if I let you half kill yourself when it isn't necessary?" Tony pointed out. "Besides, nothing is going to go to hell in the next three hours and you grabbed me from one of my late night work binges."

"You're going to pull a Rhodey if I don't cooperate aren't you?" Stephen asked, making a face.

"Hey, it's worked on me since I was at MIT," Tony said glibly. He filed the reference away under yet more evidence of those possible timelines.

"I am not an angry kitten or puppy!" Stephen protested. Even still he didn't fight back when Tony grabbed him and started dragging him to the nearest soft spot he could see for a nap.

Stephen sighed and allowed himself to be bullied into laying down on the patch of grass some master had enchanted to resist being torn up. Once he was down Tony flopped very pointedly on top if him. He was crashing before Tony stopping wiggling to get comfortable.

"In exactly how many timelines did we become lovers or get married?" Tony muttered the words incredulously. His words chased him into the realm of dreams.

~~~

Thor was getting somewhat tired of not being able to just rest and relax. He had killed Sutur the fire demon who was said to consume Asgard during Ragnarok and now he was headed to report back. He knew that Odin wasn't actually Odin and hadn't been for some time but it was coming to the point where he would need to break the ruse.

Traveling and taking out various threats to Asgard had been enlightening after his time on Earth. Thor was truly grateful that Loki had taken Odin's guise and had ruled over their people thus far. He also didn't particularly mind being sent off on quests by Loki. On the other hand something was shifting in the magics of both Asgard and Earth that made Thor uneasy and they would have to be ready for it when it arrived.

Unfortunately, it was time to end the charade since he needed his brother at his side. He would have to punish him for pulling this deception. Thankfully, there were ways to make it less harmful for Loki than the punishments that Odin would have attempted. Entrusting Loki to his shield brothers on Earth was a perilously option or rather entrusting him to most of them would be. Prince Stark was chaotic enough to both anticipate and enjoy Loki's own natural chaos when serious harm wasn't being done. They would match well and most on Asgard would be well satisfied that being bound to a mortal for the rest of their lifespan was punishment enough.

"Allfather, I would speak with you," Thor greeted his brother disguised as their father cheerfully. Judging from some of the murmured comments of passing servants he had overheard he suspected that waiting a day to actually come back had been a wise decision.

"What is it, Thor?" Odin-Loki demanded. Thor could see the wary concern in the eyes hidden behind the glamour.

"I completed my task but I would speak with you in private," Thor said cheerfully. He saw the dawning comprehension in his brother's eyes as well as the interest since he wasn't immediately revealing his trickery.

Thor knew that Loki would be less than pleased about the punishment. His offer of covering for his brother to some extent would hopefully ease things further between them. Odin was not the father that Thor had once thought him to be but he would refuse to lose Loki to those machinations. To accomplish that Thor was willing to make a fair number of concessions.

"Come to me in an hour," Odin-Loki ordered.

"I would rather stay with you until you are ready to hear me," Thor countered. "It may have some baring on things and I would rather not be caught up by foolish demands from my friends with something of such import to be handled."

"Very well, I will allow it," Odin-Loki said rather grumpily. Thor stood beside him and watched as he deftly handled the business of the realm.

Once they were in private and had been served refreshments by the quickly dismissed servants Thor didn't bother to keep up the game.

"Loki, drop that ridiculous illusion and face me properly," Thor ordered even as he firmly set his hammer down in front of the door, trapping them both in the room together bur also locking everyone out.

Loki watched this and impassively allowed the illusion to drop.

"So you know," Loki said softly.

"Aye, I had gathered but I also stumbled upon father on Midgard," Thor shrugged. "You have done Asgard no harm and I enjoyed the quests. I also learned a few things from Lady Jane and my Shield brother Anthony that put certain things into a new light. We will need to explain things in a way that does not lie but also protects you for doing your duties while I sorted myself out enough to be somewhat of use. I will even enforce whatever punishment you deem right for Sif and the Warriors three for tricking me into taking you from the throne during my banishment. Should you wish to speak of any other insults and harms done against you I am willing to listen. I would prefer to hear it before we leave this meeting if possible to avoid having any convince me not to listen to your side first."

"You have grown," Loki said softly. He still hadn't sat down behind the table normally used as a desk but Thor wasn't insulted by the lack of trust. He had caused his brother harm too often in the past to so easily be trusted by him.

"I warned the Midgardians that you were not acting of your own choosing during what they dubbed the New York invasion," Thor said softly. "Father had already decided your punishment before we had even returned. I recognize that you no longer see Odin as your father but I will not give you up as my brother. I refuse. I will let you keep the throne and openly support your place upon it if that is what it takes but I thought it wise to at least ask if that is your choice first."

"Odin was drastically weakened by Frigga's death and when I reported my own death he practically collapsed. Admittedly, I acted to attack him disguised as a guard but my blow didn't fully land. He was unconscious before I could check him. His health, when I checked it, was deteriorating rapidly. I had no choice but to take his place," Loki confessed. "It was I who you offered your rejection of the throne."

"I had guessed," Thor sighed. "Father, once his memories returned to him, was quite glad to know that we both lived and were, in a way, working together. He holds no ill will for you and sees what you have done as a kinder punishment than he deserves for his acts against you. I forced him to explain. I then forced him with the aid of the Midgardian Sorcerers I encountered to help me move the lock for a prison he held using his life force to something less prone to failing. Odin Allfather is dead from the strain of the transfer and our unknown elder sister Hela remains imprisoned. We will have to find a way to check her and see if we can safely release her but that is for another time."

"The anchor?" Loki asked tensely. Thor placed a fist sized intricately carved octahedron of dull metal on the table, pulled from his pocket space.

"It isn't Uru, not purely Uru anyway. They have discovered a metal mix that acts similarly and use it to craft focus rings to aid in portal casting," Thor explained. "I will have to reimburse them at some point for their aid as one of them identified that Hela was to potentially be the reason for our foretold choice of triggering Ragnarok."

"What do you intend to tell people?" Loki asked warily.

"Father collapsed during an argument with you after Mother's death. You had returned to honor his orders at least enough to inform him that you were freed by me to help defend Asgard. As I was unaware and unavailable you had no choice but to take up his guise after the attack to keep Asgard strong. I eventually discovered your trickery but decided against revealing you," Thor answered honestly. "I am still not ready for the throne and you have been doing a good job in my place aside from replacing Heimdall but you have never liked him so I can not be surprised at replacing him even for a short time."

"He is the one who hates me or why else would he leave me to be tortured until I broke and was forced to invade Midgard?" Loki snorted in disgust. "Still had he done his job professionally instead of insisting at every turn that you take up the throne you had already formally rejected and refusing orders I would not have replaced him. I value competency over personal feelings. My acts during your failed coronation were an attempt to protect both you and Asgard. I only learned later that Odin also opened a way for the Jotun to enter Asgard at the same time. I don't know why."

"The Allfather is dead and our people need to know who is leading them in truth," Thor sighed. "Yet many would call for your head over all of this. I have an idea of how to sort that but it would take your cooperation. I will support everything you have done on the throne and reinstate you fully as a Prince of Asgard but you must be willing to sacrifice some of your pride and make the tale we craft public."

"And what punishment have you devised that might sooth so many over my deception?" Loki asked, eyes burning in barely contained rage.

"I would have you bonded with one of my Midgardian shield brothers, Anthony, until his death be it not by your hand," Thor said bluntly. "The others don't hold a high enough regard for you that I would be comfortable leaving you in their care for long and Anthony is a Prince of Midgard. It would serve many purposes. For one you could watch over him as I suspect he is seen truly as you were here with your equivalent skills. There was an incident where he was thought to have crafted a mind to destroy their realm. I now know that my mind was pushed against him by a witch but also by the words of those I thought shield brothers, the other Avengers. I would have you to seek out the truth if things and be his guard in reparations for my own assault on him after the mind attacked our feast and then escaped to threaten all of Midgard."

"And the bonding? He has agreed to this?" Loki asked neutrally.

"I have not inquired as yet. I wished to hear your thoughts on things before acting at all," Thor corrected. "The bonding would also serve a dual purpose. It would be a public punishment on Asgard for taking up Odin's guise and to finish out your remaining punishments after having defended Asgard at great cost. It would also act as reparations towards Midgard for both of our actions. Anthony would be able to protect you from any demands that crossed the line on Midgard where your returned place as a Prince of Asgard could not. Unless you choose to extend his life you would be with him for thirty or forty years, less if he fell in battle or to some illness that could not be cured. If you did see his life expanded or successfully petitioned Idunn for an apple for him... I would release you from staying with him beyond your own choice after twenty. This I would vow and even have it in writing should you wish it."

"You are actually using your mind for once," Loki said thoughtfully. "You have never been truly stupid at least not until..."

"Until what?" Thor asked, curious.

"Until soon after dismissing me in favor of the warriors three and Sif for your primary companions," Loki said softly. "You haven't really been near them for years at this point, not for extended periods in any case."

"Jane has occasionally complained that my ineptitude and thoughtlessness returns after nearly every visit to Asgard," Thor reported with no little dread. "After facing the red witch and Ultron then visiting my friends it was especially present to the point that she wanted me to visit one of their healers."

Loki didn't wait, he grabbed Thor and forced the door outwards so that they didn't have to move Mjolnir. Half the palace and the guards witnessed the returned Loki physically dragging Thor to the healers. Thor's complaining and lack of attempts to fight back were the only things that kept the guards from attacking the trickster. Neither prince was able to stop the news of Loki's return or the discovery that Thor had been poisoned for years from spreading like wildfire.

Chapter Text

Loki paced furiously outside of the healer's ward. He was waiting on word about Thor. He had stayed out of the ward when he passed Thor to the healers to avoid being considered as the source or treated as a threat. Granted, he had stabbed Thor a time or five but he had strictly avoided using anything that could be counted as a poison against the oaf. Not only was it easy to misinterpret or get the dosage wrong for a prank or even just to knock his thundering fool out poison was only ever used for treachery.

Loki had learned poisons as part of his healer training if only so that he would know how to craft an antidote. Other poisons were used in various magics so different training to handle them had been given to him during his mage craft training. Then there was the female specific training he had gotten while shape shifted as a female and deliberately locked that way for at least a decade before the woman's village courts accepted his petition to learn. That had been a rather unique several hundred years. Between that period as a woman and learning magic from a young age he was often considered more woman than man by many of Asgard. More than one person who had called him as a woman while not wearing a female form was challenged by Thor and killed for the insult despite Loki's own protests.

"So, you finally show your face," Heimdall spat, jerking Loki around to face him.

Loki hadn't even noticed his arrival and was taken completely off guard. Instinctively, he fought to get free and bloodied Heimdall's nose to do so.

"By the norns, you fool!" Loki snapped at him as he got a good look at who had grabbed him. "With Thor in with the healers and the news he brought you could not have picked a worse time to try and manhandle me. I nearly stabbed you!"

"This trickery must end!" Heimdall said angrily.

"You have no idea why I do the things I do," Loki retorted in his own fury. "You are not in my confidence, Heimdall. Nor do I answer to you. Once the healers are done with Thor there will be an announcement as to my so called tricks. The next time you lay a hand on me in anger I will challenge you for the insult!"

"Odin never should have brought you here," Heimdall growled. "You never should have been raised here."

Loki froze at his words and glared hard at him. Heimdall just glared hatefully back, not even bothering with his normal mask of blank politeness.

"You have no idea of which you speak," Loki snarled in icy fury. "Your actions against me specifically have placed Asgard in greater danger than necessary. Be grateful that to honor your years of service to the house of Odin I do not charge you with treason for those acts! I know not what you have ever had against me nor, at this point, do I care. You will leave, now, or so help me I will do worse to you than what you allowed the Mad Titan to do to me."

At Heimdall's shock and hesitancy Loki smirked nastily.

"I knew you could hear me as I begged while at the Mad Titan's mercy. One day I will take payment for that but that day is not today," Loki growled. "You have proven yourself untrustworthy and whatever competence you lent Odin you have refused to use on behalf of those he claimed as his sons. You no longer have a place here. Take your daughter Sif and begone before I change my mind and have you thrown into the dungeons until Thor and I can confer upon your fate."

"You would have Thor killed!" Heimdall accused angrily.

"No, I would have him be ready for his duties so that I no longer have to do them myself!" Loki snapped at him. "He's an oaf and a fool but he is still the rightful Heir of Asgard! You will not malign the house of Odin by proclaiming that there is so little honor as to foster kin-slaying!"

The way Loki's voice rose into a virtual roar by the end of his response couldn't be hidden with how it bounced and echoed down the hallways. Even as the words faded away to silence the door to the healing ward opened up behind Loki revealing a tired Thor and several furious healers. Thor looked over the situation and the fury both refused to conceal as the pair glared at each other.

"You were right, Loki," Thor said tiredly. "You were right, brother."

Loki simply cursed viciously in response. Thor turned his attention to Heimdall and flatly stole the wind out of his sails.

"Loki has been the rightful ruler whenever Odin was not ruling since my banishment. A fact you should be well aware of and supportive of," Thor told the old warrior flatly. "After mother died I fully renounced the throne. The Allfather had collapsed during an argument with Loki after the funeral. Loki acted in accordance with the situation and his past fully legal place as Odin's replacement. Could he have done so without taking on father's guise? Technically yes but practically? It would have proclaimed for one and all that we were vastly weakened after the convergence. I knew of it even if it took me some time to discover and I thought it wise to continue the seaming until Odin or I could take up the throne. Loki had our combined blessings in this endeavor as a way to protect Asgard. Odin Allfather is dead. I was at his side when he passed. Now we must handle things without even the seaming of him. These facts will be announced within the fortnight. Your banishment from the palace stands Heimdall... as does that of your daughter. Her actions over the years have been poor repayment for Loki's gift to her of his place to train as a true warrior of Asgard. If either of you come near either of us or any children we may have in the next hundred thousand years all in your family will be given over to Loki to do with as he pleases or executed outright."

"Sif?! The poison?!" Loki demanded in open fury.

"I know not for certain but I would not risk it after what we have learned," Thor said tiredly. Both Princes ignored Heimdall as he obeyed and fled.

"What does he need to purge the poison and heal from it?" Loki demanded of the healers.

"Three of Idunn's apples and a large infusion of magic," the spoken to healer answered instantly. "The magic needs to be incompatible to force a purge and later as compatible as possible to bolster him. He must have at least one apple as soon as possible to stop the soul decay that has set in."

Loki's eyes blaze in barely controlled fury as he pulled a golden apple he had kept in his pocket space for sometime.

"Eat it," Loki ordered as he handed it off to Thor. Thor gratefully complied.

"What can be done for the damage already in place?" Loki demanded, low and angry.

"Time under our care, regular support from those around him, treat it as battle damage for to survive this long against such a poison with so little damage he has won a mighty war," the healer informed him stiffly. "Your actions may have saved his life for if he had continued with the increasing dosage it would have killed him within months. His banishment and general time away from Asgard has prevented that fate."

Loki made a low noise of distress and Thor had to catch him before the trickster collapsed. The healers must have been expecting it since they ushered both Princes into the healing ward. Orders were snapped at nearby guards sending the wide-eyed men to alert the rest of what had happened and to emplace an increased guard on the ward. With permission gotten via the healers the announcement and news of both Princes was spread on swift wings.

~~~

Tony half dragged Stephen into the tower with him. Stephen complained but didn't stop him from dragging the doctor into the elevator and ordering Friday to take them to his penthouse. They left three separate Mystic Masters behind in the lobby to watch after them both baffled and amused.

The meeting of the Mystic Masters had been enlightening after the much needed nap. He had noticed immediately that they weren't as against the doctor as the man thought. In point of fact many of them had body language that showed exasperation and protectiveness that Stephen appeared completely blind to. It reminded him heavily of Rhodey's big brother vibes whenever Tony had gone on a studying or lab binge that lasted more than a week. Wong seemed to be the only one really able to get through to Stephen aside from Tony, which was so very wrong on so many levels.

Tony suspected the assignment of a rotating roster of several Masters was mostly to keep Stephen alive rather than as an actual punishment for all that they had phrased it as one. His own questions about the time doohickey and what it meant that it had forcibly bonded itself to Stephen had earned groans and consternation all around. Stephen had grumbled at his meddling but the quick looks of alarmed concern from some of the Masters were interesting. The private offers of teaching him magic while Stephen was dragged off to get checked over were just as interesting of a development. For that matter so was the general acceptance that he was going to marry the doc just because Dormammu had said so and his official inclusion on those grounds.

"Where have you been?!" Pepper demanded right as they stepped out of the elevator into his penthouse.

"And hello to you too. Where was I? Not a fucking clue. This one kidnapped me for Iron Man duties and didn't bother telling anyone," Tony said gesturing at Stephen. "In retaliation I have kidnapped him back and he's already under punishment for it from his superiors. That was part of why I was allowed to kidnap him back."

"How do you even get into these things?!" Pepper complained but otherwise didn't bat an eye as she shoved paperwork at him to sign.

Tony sighed and accepted it but dragged Stephen over to the couch and made him sit down first so that he could lay on top of him again while he worked. Stephen glared but didn't say anything since he knew the battle was already lost. Tony would forever be draping himself over Stephen or pinning him in place from now on.

Chapter Text

Tony sighed and accepted it but dragged Stephen over to the couch and made him sit down first so that he could lay on top of him again while he worked. Stephen glared but didn't say anything about the genius in his lap since he knew the battle was already lost. Tony would forever be draping himself over Stephen or pinning him in place from now on.

"Boss, you said he kidnapped you?" Friday asked tentatively.

"Mostly to keep him from half killing himself but to do it because of the situation I was in at the time I had to convince someone he was going to be my fiance and probably my husband in the future. It worked and now Dormammu isn't interested in eating the planet for a snack. Unfortunately he's taken a fair amount of interest in me personally and wanted to make sure that Tony was suitable, hence the temporary kidnapping," Stephen explained with a sigh. He ignored Tony shifting around in his lap so that he was more comfortable while doing his paperwork on the tablet.

"So that's the explanation without the time manipulation and timeline viewing stuff," Tony said thoughtfully. "Interesting and actually truthful."

"In answer to the question you haven't yet voiced, yes the glowing golden portal and golden rope of power was me. I have already agreed to try to fulfill whatever Doctor Stark demands as compensation," Stephen practically groaned. "I meant no harm and my information at the time said that if I intervened in some way it was more likely to keep us off of several catastrophic timeline paths. More specifically in several of which he would have to watch his children die and/or sacrifice himself to save the world within the next decade. I might be biased from the various timelines shoved into my head in under an hour but any timeline where Tony winds up dead except of old age tends to go to hell in a hand basket quickly. Which occasionally includes the universe just plain falling apart at the seams because someone was an idiot when using or otherwise interacting with powerful artifacts. Tony is good at short cutting things like that or fixing it after the fact if he has to."

"I like the vote of confidence but you're not getting out of your punishment that easily, Merlin," Tony complimented with a satisfied hum over whatever he was doing with the digital paperwork on the tablet in his hands.

"Just because the other Masters were happy you got me to have a nap while taking a nap on top of me does not mean that I'm trying to escape whatever retribution you're trying to cook up. Nor does it give you the right to just keep using me as a human pillow or cushion," Stephen huffed. "Although now that I think about it I should probably portal some glitter into each of their beds in revenge for this. I didn't break anything important during the fight."

"Uh, getting yourself killed on repeat and nearly going insane in the process argues differently," Tony pointed out, peering past his tablet up into Stephen's face. "The fact is I'm not setting off your shiny newly beefed up combat instincts, you snapped at that one apprentice that nearly hit me with that one spell, and you're actually willing to eat and sleep around me. Granted, that's usually only happening when you're making me do the same thing but it's still progress. Considering the leftovers from the time loop fight of not needing to do any of that since everything just sort of reset on you this is honestly one of the best arrangements possible for recovery. You've gone super protective on me twice and you actually let me stop you if needed even though you're all magic stuff and I don't know any magic yet for myself. The other Mystic Masters have already started vying to try to get to be the one to teach me since Wong grabbed you for that check up. Then again I'm pretty sure you had plans to just disappear on me unless I went looking for you or you needed to save me again for whatever reason. I'm pretty sure letting you get away with isolating yourself after that shit fight would be one of the worst things your Order or I could manage to do in this situation."

"You don't even have a medical degree," Stephen groaned in complaint.

"No but I've got plenty of experience from past shit things I survived even before the Avengers," Tony pointed out with a rueful chuckle. "Afghanistan was a nasty wake up call just for starters but I've been kidnapped off and on since I was around four and Howard made it very clear that he would never pay the ransom. I either escaped on my own or I didn't. Nothing new there."

"I... Shit, Tony. I really didn't mean... Ah, damnit!" Stephen cursed. "I don't know how to fix this. Do you want me to just... go away? Or would you rather personally punishing me? I don't... really know how any of this works."

"This situation really does fall more under Iron Man duties than my weird and varied PTSD and history," Tony corrected with a sigh. "Your guilt complex is showing and while it isn't normally talked about I do sometimes take in strays. They aren't usually human but sometimes I just get attached."

"Harley and Peter," Stephen murmured im recognition.

"Yeah. I just don't usually call it that but I figured you'd understand if I used the more common wording," Tony sighed again. "Even if we don't follow through on that marriage thing you told Dormammu about you're one of mine now. My parameters for getting attached to someone are fairly weird and highly selective when they trigger at all. I'm pretty sure it wasn't intentional but you've hit most of them at this point."

"No, it wasn't intentional, not on my part," Stephen agreed hesitantly. "I never bothered to try to figure out how to fall under that category deliberately in the other timelines. It just wasn't a factor. As long as we could work together something closer while desired wasn't actually necessary. I also don't like pissing you off and that sort of manipulation is going to do just that plus hurt you badly. So I just... didn't."

"Shield and the Black Widow tried and to a certain extent succeeded," Tony warned softly.

"Ah," Stephen winced. "That explains all sorts of things that never made sense to me. It also explains why this is your reaction over what I pulled and covers all sorts of really bad potential reactions that I admit I sometimes witnessed in the other timelines. I just usually decided it wasn't worth setting you off that badly on those particular trigger issues a second time to find out more."

When Stephen's hands unconsciously drifted to Tony's chest the inventor was quick to drop the tablet and capture them. Tony gripped them tightly enough to make Stephen cry out in pain and shake as it felt like his hands were being crushed again.

"Don't touch the chest and definitely don't touch the arc reactor," Tony half snarled as he kept the doctor pinned by both his gaze and the pain in his hands.

"Sorry, I just... Sorry," Stephen cried quietly from the pain and the recognition of what he had almost done to Tony.

"I told you about it?" Tony demanded bluntly even as he eased back on his grip so that it wasn't as tight.

"Once or twice but I have an eidetic memory. I forgot that I haven't earned enough of your trust yet for you to let me check it," Stephen said looking away. His eyes met the forgotten Miss. Potts only to drop his gaze to the floor so that he didn't have to watch her examine him like a potential threat.

"You still haven't put any limits on what I can do to take my revenge. Why?" Tony asked quietly.

"I trust you," Stephen admitted. "You are more of a hero than Rogers ever was, than I could ever be. I also couldn't stop you if you decided to do something too drastic. Distract you? Delay you? Make things incredibly difficult for you? Yes to all of those. Eventually you would manage to capture or kill me and keep going anyway. This one was on me and you haven't gone supervillain over your life, which is a minor miracle in and of itself."

"You know I might want to test how far that stretches one day," Tony warned lightly. "For now I think I'll take you up on that tracker idea."

"I just knew that you would eventually get around to remembering my offer about that and I've just lost any potential leverage to get the same privilege in return. Great, just great," Stephen grumbled, still trapped at Tony's mercy via his hands.

"Should I leave?" Pepper asked dryly. "Is he your latest conquest?"

"Yes but not in a fun kind of way or well not yet," Tony smirked at his long time friend. "I'll give you the full run down later, Pep. We're mostly just ironing out boundaries and I've signed all of your evil paperwork. So begone paperwork demon!"

"Ha ha ha," She said sarcastically but left anyway, taking the work tablet with her.

Tony observed the trapped doctor thoughtfully as he soothed his released hands. The pain was obvious and Tony mentally filed that away as something not to do again. His arc reactor, while no longer the only thing keeping him alive, still had trauma attached to it. It was something they had to cover if only because Stephen was obviously slipping between memories of the other timelines.

"My hands will be mostly useless until morning," Stephen warned softly.

"You should be upset that I hurt you," Tony frowned.

"You told me about Stane a few times," Stephen said, looking away again. "Like I said, that one was my own fault."

Tony caught something in his body language that made his eyes narrow in displeased recognition.

"Tell me what I need to do to not be a threat to you, at least about this," Stephen requested.

"You know your colleagues decided on story time while Wong made you get checked," Tony commented. "They seem pretty impressed if a bit worried by how fast you learned. Some of your mistakes were actually sort of funny from the way they told it but the loop and the future timelines just gave you a lot more time to practice. So, how do I defend against that, Merlin? Do I go full out supervillain against you? Do I trust you to hold yourself back? What?"

Stephen said nothing.

"You're prepared to let me do what I want with you," Tony observed softly twenty minutes of silence later. "That's not how this thing works."

"Whether you realize it or not I basically surrendered to you, Tony," Stephen sighed heavily. "I promised reparations but you haven't really decided on what that looks like or if you have you haven't told me about it. There's a reason I pissed off my bonded artifact even more and left him with the other Masters. I couldn't leave the amulet behind or I would have done the same with it."

"Your guilt complex is incredibly annoying," Tony scowled. He hid his unease and decided to talk to the Mystic Masters downstairs. Whether it was trauma or something else something wasn't right here.

"Are you able to sleep at all if I'm not wrapped around you?" Tony asked carefully. "Honest answer, Merlin."

"No," Stephen whispered. "That nap on the grass was the first rest I've had since the entire set of fights started."

Tony studied him again and with a sinking feeling he realized the other Masters had been right. Stephen had given up on protecting his own life because of how many times he had been killed in the time loops. The way he had latched onto Tony had bolstered things but Stephen needed a new reason to care about himself beyond pride or survival.

"Hey, you know I don't want you dead right?" Tony asked gently, remembering the various comments about Tony killing him early on.

"I... wasn't sure," Stephen admitted. "It's fine if you do. A lot of people tend to want me dead."

~~~

"He's not exactly suicidal," Tony said finishing up his explanation several hours later. "But he's definitely disconnected and in sacrifice mode. When he comes to visit you guys you'll have to watch him until we can knock some sense into him."

The three Mystic Masters that had come as Stephen's guard had been installed on a different floor in the living area of the tower. None of them were surprised about what Tony had described which made Tony worry even more about his charge.

"Such self disregard occasionally happens when surviving a difficult foe after having resigned oneself to doing whatever is necessary to stop the threat," one Mongolian Master in greens sighed.

"Yeah, I get it," Tony said glumly. "It's a type of survivor's guilt. I've fought with it a few times. I think getting him to have his artifact around will at least help him to realize he's mostly safe now. He said that he left it behind because he wasn't sure what I planned to do in retaliation. I got the feeling it was more so that I could do what I wanted without someone protecting him which just says all sorts of bad things to me."

Chapter Text

"One moment," a different Master in a mix of forest colors requested before opening up a portal right there where they sat. He stepped through and a few minutes later came back with the agitated Cloak of Levitation.

"Hey buddy, you going to help me keep Stephen from being a self-sacrificing idiot?" Tony asked the cloak almost immediately.

The cloak whipped around from where it had been basically pacing worriedly and nodded it's collar visibly. Then it started looking around as if searching for Stephen.

"He's up on a different floor," Tony laughed lightly. "I got him to take another nap but I should really get back. If he wakes up and I'm not there I'm not sure if he'll freak out or think that I'm punishing him or what. Fair warning he's convinced himself that I'm allowed to punish him for shit."

The way the cloak very obviously facepalmed was reassuring.

"And now I'm glad that one of the few living artifacts decided Master Strange was worthy of its attention," the third master in a mix of fire colors murmured ruefully.

"If you guys get bored or have an idea or something talk to Friday," Tony instructed.

"Hi, I'm Friday," Friday introduced herself cheerfully. "Boss, Doctor Strange has woken up and is displaying general discomfort."

"Right, well I have an idiot to go see to," Tony sighed, taking his leave with the cloak following anxiously after him.

When Tony walked in he saw that Stephen seemed to be trying to decide if he was allowed to get up since Tony had been the one to make him take a nap.

"Hey, Merlin, got you a friend," Tony drawled with a smirk and waved the cloak forwards. The cloak didn't need a second chance, it pounced on Stephen and wrapped him up like a burrito despite his initial struggling.

"You know he kind of needs to breath," Tony remarked as he watched the wrestling match. In response the cloak slipped into its correct position only to curl it's edges around Stephen's arms and pull them behind him, trapping him where he still lay on the bed.

"What?" Stephen asked, bewildered.

"Your Cloak decided to visit," Tony said pointedly, gesturing at the animated fabric. "That's why I wasn't here. I needed to let him in. Although from how he's acting he's not going to let you send him away again. Besides, I have other ways to punish you that might actually stick than causing pain even if you keep pushing that I'm supposed to punish you. Just a reminder, doc, I choose what I do. You don't get to dictate my actions or feelings. On that note, if I decide that I actually do want a relationship with you would you object to me just going along with things if you start them? Since you keep slipping into memories from those other timelines I want it to be clear on if this is consensual or not."

"That wouldn't stop you if you had gone evil on me," Stephen pointed out with a smirk to which Tony shrugged, acknowledging the point. "As for an answer... I hope that we do reach that point but I will probably unconsciously take liberties no matter what happens. It isn't something I can stop completely even if I can try to keep myself in check. If you let me act only as your doctor I can probably recategorize things so that I'm not slipping into intimacies you haven't given me but that barrier will drop as soon as you indicate otherwise. Also, yes, you have my consent. It may prove necessary to restrain me if I slip into the wrong memory so you also have my permission in that department."

"Fine, I accept the status as your fiance by the way," Tony smirked. "When we get to that point I'm going to enjoy making sure it sticks."

"Oh, ah, right," Stephen stumbled over his words. It was clear that he hadn't actually expected Tony to accept being his fiance without some serious work beforehand.

Tony could already see how Stephen was settling with the presence of the cloak. He might have been fairly comfortable around Tony but something about the cloak just seemed to reassure him. Even trapped as he was on the bed and in the cloak he just seemed to sink into the enchanted fabric in relief. Tony watched and slowly realized that this was what he did when it came to his AIs and armor.

"The Cloak of Levitation was with me through every loop and timeline," Stephen eventually murmured. "Whenever he wasn't it was because he had been destroyed or I had twisted in a way that he wouldn't even look at me in that timeline so we never bonded. I don't blame him. I'm grateful he decided I was worth staying with."

"You have a bigger support system than you know," Tony said softly. "How many people actually helped you through the Dormammu mess or afterwards and how many people did you tell that might have helped? Across all of the timelines and then in just the better ones?"

"I told almost no one, every single time. Wong was present so he knows some of it just from being there. Master Mordo was there but he declared me to be a threat to everything for my reckless use of time magics before I could even give my report. Wong refused to help him arrest me or execute me so he just walked away. He has never taken the idea of bending the rules as an option regardless of necessity or the situation. He would rather spend lives," Stephen told him softly as he let the cloak shift from restraining him to cuddling him on the bed. The way he physically curled around himself in the cloak made Tony's heart ache.

"I've run into a few of those. Thankfully, they were never part of a combat or training situation when I was involved," Tony murmured sympathetically. "He was your friend wasn't he?"

"Yes but apparently I was just something dangerous to watch for him," Stephen said painfully. "My mentor died protecting me right before I fought Dormammu and Master Mordo was my other primary teacher. Wong and the cloak are the only ones who have stood by me."

"Not pressing either way but did no one stand by you because they chose not to or because you wouldn't let them? A lot of those Masters seem to give out big brother vibes around you and anything about you," Tony pointed out carefully. "Do they ever harass you or refuse to help you with something or anything that actually counts as active hostility?"

"No... No they don't," Stephen admitted. "Sometimes they're a bit stand offish but not actively hostile and I've always been more than a bit arrogant. In every timeline I've asked for help they have helped. On the other hand, Master Mordo though is a future threat. From what I've gathered he's currently killing anyone who uses magic but isn't actively defending the universe and Earth. Mostly by stealing and sealing whatever magic they do have. With how people sometimes use it as a medical aid doing so is killing many of them. I have no idea where he is until he attacks me in an effort to kill me for the use of time magics he claims threatens the world. He was my combat teacher."

"Shit," Tony sighed. "Thank you for telling me. Do the others that came with you know?"

"I doubt it. Master Mordo didn't exactly file the paperwork to leave the Order he just declared me an active threat and walked away from Wong and I," Stephen answered, sounding drained.

"Friday, warn the other Masters that Stephen's accidental time viewing when he bonded with the necklace indicates that Master Mordo is out killing people who don't defend the planet with their magic. Also warn them that it's probably an attempt at getting enough of a power up to take out Stephen for the way he beat Dormammu. Warn security and tell them all of the Sorcerers have to check in before going anywhere in the building after they get here. Don't try to stop him if Mordo does show up since he's above everyone's pay grade but mine."

"Yes, Boss!" Friday answered firmly.

Chapter Text

Stephen could not believe how incredibly well this timeline was going. Granted, he had completely thrown out everything he would have done from any of the original timelines and probably started a new branch timeline but it was working. Come to think of it the way Time was projecting smugness to him creating a new timeline was probably the entire point of showing him all of those. Then again the ones that his alternates had lived through on Titan were both enlightening and crushing but the further three million of what could happen if he acted immediately had filled him with determination.

Figuring out that Time had enlisted Soul, Mind, Aether, and Power to help him bring Stephen safely up to speed wasn't exactly hard for all that everything had happened in a split second. Space had been the one to actually check that he was now attached to Tony as a protector along with being firmly bonded to Time. Stephen figured that since this was obviously a joint effort between the stones and Space didn't want to leave lingering energy signatures similar to itself for Tony to pick up that it made sense. He was still going to tell Tony about it all at some point and none of the Stones particularly minded as long as he told the inventor that Stephen was being gifted to him by the Stones. Stephen could live with that. In fact....

"What is it?" Tony demanded suspiciously, breaking Stephen's line of thought.

"Just realizing how incredibly lucky I am and how well this timeline is going," Stephen admitted as he curled into his currently cardigan shaped Cloak with a steaming cup of tea in his aching hands.

"You've barely been here for more than a week and this is going well?" Tony asked in no little surprise.

"You've let me inside the outer edges of your personal sanctum to heal. You sorted out paying for the hospital treatment that helped me talk with my mentor before she died. You made sure I was comfortable and mostly taken care of while I put my head back together. You believed me immediately when I told you about anything from an alternate timeline I witnessed. I'm not being left trapped in any nightmares from my PTSD when I can sleep in the first place, sleep that you often deliberately caused. Our protective instincts have lined up and become complimentary to the point of synchronization so I have no need to fear that I will kill you even if I happen to slip into a hallucination or flashback. Then there are the other things I still have to go over with you," Stephen explained. "You aren't even pushing although perhaps you should."

"Huh, gushing... You're cute," Tony mused and happily watched Stephen splutter as he blushed.

They were sitting in Tony's kitchen since Stephen had made him emerge from his workshop to actually eat breakfast at a reasonable time. The threat to the coffee supply being the most effective yet. Unfortunately when Tony complained about it something about his tone, volume, and the bulky forge gloves he had been using triggered a flashback in Stephen. The way he had flinched, bracing to get hit by the bigger looking male had Tony pulling up short from where Stephen was seated. Quickly stripping out of the forge gloves and welding mask had allowed him to carefully approach Stephen and start to cuddle him along with the cloak. Twenty minutes later Stephen was making breakfast for both of them, thoroughly embarrassed by his flashback.

"You gonna tell me what that thing was earlier?" Tony asked carefully as he put his dishes in the sink while Stephen continued to cradle his tea.

"I... There was this cousin that lived nearby growing up. He was bigger than everyone and liked pushing people around. He also didn't like being corrected even if they certified my genius when I was seven and allowed me to self study. Since we were in farm country in Nebraska there were a fair few places to have discussions away from the adults. I don't think I really need to spell it out for you," Stephen answered with a grimace.

"I get it," Tony nodded his understanding. "You didn't really have a Rhodey growing up so you had to find other ways to keep that sort of thing from happening but the first one is always the hardest to stop. You don't recognize it until it's happened at least once and you can't really stop it once they get going. I got lucky Rhodey half adopted me when my roommate got me dangerously drunk as a joke and dropped me off nearby. He found me and made sure I was okay before trying to figure out who had gotten their kid brother drunk. I was like 14 and attending MIT. He was pissed when he found out that my roommate had done it all deliberately as a joke. I don't know what exactly he did to that guy or what he threatened the administration office with but a week later Rhodey was my new roommate and the first guy was expelled."

"Boss, there's a call from Rogers using Fury's override code," Friday interrupted.

Stephen caught the flash of terror that slipped into reluctant acceptance and cut him off before the inventor could answer.

"Redirect the call to Hogan, his voice mail if he isn't in yet," Stephen ordered firmly. "If he insists inform him that he and the Rogues are no longer welcome on any Iron Man or Avengers business. If he still insists on talking to Tony hang up on him."

"Doctors orders," Friday agreed cheerfully.

"You can add that to the list of things if you want," Stephen smirked, watching Tony's incredulous gaze. "If nothing else the comment should keep them from blaming Tony for the lockout, assuming they aren't just plain delusional. If they are delusional then we don't want them anywhere near him ever again."

"I couldn't agree more," Pepper growled as she walked into the kitchen. She had obviously heard at least some of his instructions to the AI.

Stephen had learned over the past week that Pepper Potts had ongoing access to most of Tony's areas in large part due to her original job as his PA. He had endured her protective shovel talk until Tony had interrupted and made the Masters on the guest level help him actually explain Stephen's situation. Stephen said not a single word in his own defense but Tony dragged him into a cuddle and movie marathon that night. They had both fallen asleep in front of the TV and the cloak had out them both to bed with some directions from Friday.

Needless to say Stephen and Pepper's interactions were now cordial but neither had yet warmed up to the other. Stephen deeply suspected that if Potts had her way he would be dead in a ditch somewhere and she would be back in primary control over any access to Tony. She might care about Tony but some of their interactions made Stephen want to kill her for her presumptive control over Tony. Beeing seen as a distasteful pet by her didn't help his opinion on the matter. So they stuck to being polite and professional with each other but never warm.

Tony cuddled Stephen frequently after Pepper visits, often moaning about the paperwork demon. Stephen was unconvinced but appreciated the comfort so never rejected the cuddles. Octopus Tony appreciated the lack of rejection by frequently wrapping around him but especially when they eventually went to bed each night. It worked for them.

Then Thor had to visit with his little brother in tow.

~~~

Thor had changed out who would act as the watcher from Loki's less than stellar temporary replacement before he had even called for the court to be assembled. It had taken him eight days to recover enough from the discovered poisoning that he wasn't switching between himself and a suggestible fool. Through all the time with the healers Loki had been his rock. There were two people on the advisory Council who had previously served as regents during Odin's reign and both Princes had met with them in the healing ward. The two princes had gone over everything with the old Generals in detail, partly to get things into context and partly to explain why neither could be on the throne without some background support.

"It appears to me that you have managed to work out a reasonable solution that maintains everyone's honor," Tyre mused. "What of the poisoner? They must be found and regardless of identity publicly executed."

"That is part of the problem," Thor rumbled. "It has been ongoing since around the time I started spending any time with Sif and the Warriors Three. Loki was most affected by my unusual disregard since then and we are uncertain if it began with those friendships, before I met them, or simply shortly afterwards. I am refusing them any audience or meeting on the grounds that I discovered Loki was the rightful ruler by Odin's decree and Frigga's hand while I was banished. It is part of why he took up Father's guise and has ruled since Mother's funeral. It was the length of time poisoned and the increasing dosage that risked my life."

"Indicating an ongoing attack," Njord pointed out.

"Which is why Thor can not be on the throne alone," Loki said softly. "You have ruled before and can offer Thor advice while watching for that which he still yet has not the skill to see. After everything that has happened in the last decade I must fulfill some punishment at least publicly so that the people accept my penance. I would not be accepted at his side or they would cry that I now puppet him as I disguised myself as Odin these last years. As necessary as it was it will still be seen as dishonorable. What we are asking you to do is for Njord to stand at his side and offer advice while Tyre investigates. The very fact that Tyre and I are not on good terms will help things if only because the guilty will likely see him as an ally to frame me for the deed. Lady Vor, in your place as oath holder, we asked you here to bind the final agreement to secure it above reproach when it is revealed."

"I can see why," Vor agreed.

"Loki has explained to me what happened at my coronation and how he was tortured after being pulled from the void between worlds. After his time being tortured he was forced into leading the assault on Midgard while under the effects of mind control. They had used the torture in preparation for just this fact. Under normal circumstances this mistreatment and his attempts to twist his leash to give us openings would be enough to excuse his actions after his fall into the void," Thor informed them. "His actions during my first coronation attempt, while well meaning, and his assault on Jotunheim have not been properly addressed. Yet it has come to my attention that Odin deliberately set him up to attack Jotunheim on his own behalf. The papers proving it are just here."

They accepted and passed around the plans Odin had drawn up for the war with Jotunheim before returning them to Thor.

"He fought well and honorably when I released him to help protect Asgard during the attack from the Dark Elves. Just as he ruled well while under Odin's guise," Thor pointed out. "Between these facts I am officially changing his punishment. Loki will be banished to Midgard and bound to protect my chaotic shield brother there for the rest of his natural life. He will be returned his place as a Prince of Asgard before he goes and will be bonded to a Prince of Midgard. This will cover reparations we both owe to Midgard and will be seen as an appropriate punishment but allow Loki to move freely in defense of Asgard or Midgard as needed."

"I have agreed to abide by this even if sharing the details of the Mad Titan's treatment publicly is... less than comfortable," Loki grumbled dramatically.

The rest of the details were hashed out quickly and the brothers were on Midgard less than a day later.

~~~

Loki dreaded what was about to happen even as they walked up to the roof entrance to the very penthouse he had thrown Stark from during the invasion. He knew the official reasons and he understood them. Unfortunately for him Thor did not understand that his precious Man of Iron might, rightfully so, refuse to leave Loki any access to his magic if he chose the prisoner's bond over the life bond. Loki had no hope that Stark might chose a full bonding or a companions bond or even just a battle bond. They wouldn't give him enough control over Loki for fairly obvious reasons of the balance between those involved. Why wouldn't he want a former enemy at his complete mercy in willing atonement after all?

Chapter Text

Loki dreaded what was about to happen even as they walked up to the roof entrance to the very penthouse he had thrown Stark from during the invasion. He knew the official reasons and he understood them. Unfortunately for him Thor did not understand that his precious Man of Iron might, rightfully so, refuse to leave Loki any access to his magic if he chose the prisoner's bond over the life bond. Loki had no hope that Stark might chose a full bonding or a companions bond or even just a battle bond. They wouldn't give him enough control over Loki for fairly obvious reasons of the balance between those involved. Why wouldn't he want a former enemy at his complete mercy in willing atonement after all?

Loki's dark musing was interrupted when Thor spoke to Stark's spirit to let them into the building. He was interested to note that the spirit was different from the Jarvis spirit the Hawk had told him of. He would have to look into that because despite the encounter during the invasion Loki suspected that the Jarvis spirit had been suitably protective of Stark. They might very well need that as the years passed.

"Thor, why is your bag of cats baby brother standing in my penthouse?" Stark asked with a deceptively mild tone.

Loki had apparently missed Thor's overly enthusiastic greeting although the second human that sparked his senses with magic made him wonder a bit. Then again he seemed to be wearing a magic infused red woven coat and wore a magically dampened necklace that was obviously some form of artifact. The hot drink in his hands steamed softly and made Lok ache for even so small of a comfort in safety of some kind. Never the less the human would bare watching once Loki was bonded to Stark.

"Ah, yes. We have come partly to make reparations for our combined acts against you and your world my shield brother," Thor said somewhat more subdued. "We also have... less than pleasant news. As a Prince of Midgard I thought it best to inform you and see that what reparations we make go to your capable hands."

"You didn't tell me the Asgardians had declared you a Prince. That's kind of important," the second male commented thoughtfully. "It might also explain why that meeting I dragged you to was so easy."

"Yeah, well it isn't like our own people acknowledge it except for, you know, that stupid Merchant of Death media title and possibly as a Merchant Prince," Stark complained. "Hey, Lokes, that drink I first offered you is still available. You want something? I know Thor likes Orange juice and pop tarts way too much."

"I would appreciate a drink," Loki accepted politely, wondering at how Stark had earned such a powerful title. "I don't think any Midgardian alcohol would be strong enough but some juice or water would not go amiss."

"I've got grape juice, apple juice, orange juice, pomegranate juice, some sort of mixed berry juice that my mentee likes and I think I've got some pineapple juice. Which one do you want?" Stark offered as he led them all towards the eating area.

"The mixed berry juice I think," Loki said carefully. The complete lack of hostility was surprising although the offer of actually providing the host duties was less so since Stark did the same in a way in the middle of the invasion.

The memory of fighting himself to let the berserker slam him into the floor again and again and again to hopefully break free from his leash flashed to the forefront of Loki's mind. It sent a barely there shiver down his form as he fought with what was real and in front of him versus the barbed bonds of terrifying and painful memories. He could not afford to be swept away by the past, not when he was actively surrendering to one who might still be an enemy. All the while accepting the drink and fighting his own memories into submission Thor explained the situation to the two humans. Loki didn't expect a positive response so the lack of out burst was surprising if not distraction enough to drag him back to the exchange. The eyes of the second man studied him but Loki ignored him, trying desperately to hold on to a composure that had been stretched too far in the time since he took Odin's place.

"PTSD," the second man murmured to Stark, unaware or uncaring that the brothers could hear him just fine.

"Of course," Tony murmured back softly.

"What is this PTSD?" Thor asked, puzzled.

"You might be more familiar with the term Battle Shock, Battle Fatigue, or another variation of it," the second man offered. "I have been trained as a healer of sorts even if that is no longer my vocation. There is nothing wrong with him so much as he has faced something or several somethings which left a wound upon his mind. As with the heart and the body it can take time to heal such a thing. It can be caused by many things, not only battle. Battle is simply a common reason for one to notice the mind wound before it heals as one so injured would often respond as if they were still doing battle even if they were in truth in safety. Both Stark and I have similar mind wounds but that makes us no less capable in whatever we do, simply wounded."

"Ah, yes, I am familiar with the concept," Thor said, subdued. "I had not thought.... but then you said it can be caused by more than just battle. Loki has faced much since I was first banished and met the Lady Jane. It was the Lady Jane who noticed the changes which led to the discovery of the poisoning."

"That too can cause a mind wound past the effects of the poison itself," the second human warned. "You are wise to ask an experienced adviser to aid you during your recovery. I doubt that casting a bond will help your brother though."

"The bond would be political and practical in nature," Loki corrected carefully. "Reparations is the most obvious but it would leave me close enough to, with Stark's permission, freely act for the wellbeing of both Midgard and Asgard. His place as a Prince of Midgard ensures that it is no insult to Asgard or our family due to being bonded to someone who would be seen of a lower station. Yet it also will be seen as fitting in both length and as punishment due to his mortal status. There is no consideration for the purposes of healing, only containment and punishment. Depending on the bond used and Stark's wish to make things more or less I could be a slave until his death or simply a lodger. It is completely up to Stark. I have agreed to these terms knowingly."

The upset silence from the two humans was agonizing for all that Loki didn't understand what was so objectionable. It was supposed to be a punishment and was so incredibly lenient it might as well almost not be one at all beyond the implied banishment.

"What happened to your first spell spirit? The Hawk called it Jarvis?" Loki inquired to break the uncomfortable silence, revealing his confusion over the earlier female voice. "Did you tire of the first one?"

"No, I did not tire of my son," Stark snarled, instantly cold.

"Calm, Tony. Calm. He didn't know," the second human soothed.

"No, Stephen, not when his sceptre ripped my baby boy apart," Stark growled angrily. "Then there was that shit fest with Ultron and everything around it. No one insults my kids!"

"He was your child?" Loki asked in rising alarm and terror.

"Yes," Stark bit out, angrily.

"I do not understand. The good Captain and the Widow said it was but machinery. Loki even treated it as such even during the invasion. What is so wrong with that?" Thor asked, baffled.

"I did not know I was potentially harming a bonded familiar spirit! To say nothing of one he saw as his own child!" Loki hissed at Thor angrily. "To do such a thing is a grievous assault on another Mage! To even have one in the first place requires great skill that most can not even dream of! By rights he can call for my head no matter that I am once again a Prince of Asgard and you would not be able to gain say him! Were the spirit more spell than true spirit it would be a simple matter to recast the spell though irksome to go through effort of such complexity. By the rules that govern the guild I struck at his greatly beloved child with deadly intent!"

"Oh," Thor said, obviously feeling sick.

"A mage? Me?" Stark scoffed, distracted from his anger and distracting from his own feelings in turn. "Magic isn't really my thing. That isn't to say I haven't recently been offered lessons but I haven't decided if I'm going to take anyone up on that yet. I bet that I would suck at it anyway."

"Actually, I bet if we were to go to Asgard or better yet call for an examination group of the mage guild to check you they would find something. In fact if you went over everything you've done with them they would probably declare you a Master rank Technomage with a Soul affinity," Stephen remarked. "It is knowledge of the traditional magics and the use of those energies in which you are lacking."

"Technomage?" Stark asked, baffled.

"With a Soul affinity," Stephen confirmed meeting his eyes.

"You have weird bits of knowledge," Stark complained.

"How do you come by this knowledge?" Loki asked cautiously, frowning in confusion over how knowledgeable Stephen appeared to be.

"I gained them in a weird way," Stephen shrugged, not answering but making Stark, who obviously knew the source of his knowledge, snicker in amusement.

Suspicion gnawed at Loki as he directed all of his senses at Stephen. When he had parsed what he was sensing Loki blanched. Stephen met his eyes calmly as he took a sip of his drink. Loki had the sinking feeling that if he tried to do anything but surrender to whatever judgement this mage was planning to lay down on him for his trespass he wouldn't get very far. Loki swallowed hard and focused on nursing his drink.

Stark watched Loki curl in on himself and his eyes narrowed in thoughtful suspicion.

"This bond would last the rest of my life?" Stark asked.

"It would," Thor rumbled. "Even should your life become greatly lengthened the bond would remain. The edict to stay by your side would only be lifted in somewhere between twenty to fifty Midgardian years as this is covering his punishment for actions elsewhere as well as the acts against Midgard and your own person."

"And Loki is okay with this?" Stark's words were cautious but not hostile.

"I was made aware of it all before we ventured here," Loki confirmed softly. "I agreed to abide by it. Your own mage may cast the bond if you wish."

"Your companion is a mage?" Thor said in surprise.

"Sorcerer," Stephen corrected. "But I am capable of it if it becomes necessary. I can also be included in the bond if there's any concern about Loki's potential use of magic against Tony to get around things."

Stark's eyes darted thoughtful and calculating between Loki and Stephen as a slow smile stretched his lips.

"Stephen, we've only been engaged for a little bit and you're already willing to have a life long magical bond? Especially, one that comes with a trickster god included? My you are being forward this morning," Stark teased even as Stephen swatted his arm in response.

Loki felt uncomfortable. He hadn't realized the Man of Iron was in a relationship already. The bond to Loki would inevitably put a strain on such a thing and potentially destroy it unless, as the mage had pointed out, Stephen was included. Loki didn't actually want to harm or interfere with Stark in such a way but he had held some vague hope of at least getting to bed the interesting mortal at least once. This news appeared to destroy that hope since he wasn't going to do Stark the disservice of getting between them. He also held no hope that they would want him in their bed in the first place.

"We can't use an equal bond or someone would cry foul and insist that we were Loki's puppets. Some might even go so far as to force the bond to twist to make it true as a way to free him for use against both Earth and Asgard," Stephen said thoughtfully. "The best way to prevent that is if he is willing to be subordinate to both of us. I would be acting as the equivalent of Tony's personal first mage if I understand the way your people would rank such things."

Loki stopped breathing as his brain slammed to a halt before racing off to assemble the implications of Stephen's words. It took a minute to collect himself but Loki eventually spoke.

"That... would be seen as an honor and more than acceptable even if only as a way to forge a more stable alliance between Midgard and Asgard," Loki said horsely.

Loki's shock was obvious. It was also severe enough that the red coat Stephen wore changed into a cloak before leaving the man to wrap itself securely around Loki in comfort. When Loki looked at the mage in utter bewilderment he was met with a fond smile for both the Cloak and himself.

"There are secrets I would share with you Prince Loki but I can not risk it until the binding is in place," Stephen said quietly. "That is if you are willing to include me. I am aware of the requirements and the results. I will not blame either of you if you do not wish me to be included."

"I would not wish to steal Stark from one he has chosen as his partner and companion," Loki said softly, looking down at his drink so that he didn't have to see their reactions. "A bond may also be forged in one direction."

"If you think either of us would allow you to turn yourself into merely an object to one or both of us then you don't know us very well. Even a full on slavery bond would allow more freedom than what you have just suggested," Stephen snarled, his voice grown dark with instant fury.

Loki shivered on hearing his words but said and did nothing beyond curling slightly around his drink. The Cloak tightened around him enough that it was just shy of restraining him.

"Better you both than the Mad Titan," Loki eventually muttered. "Whatever you choose to do to me is still better."

The heavy silence that settled after Loki's muttering was heavy with sorrow, concern, and... protection? For him? Why would they feel the need to protect him? He was already a monster was he not?

"Hey, Lokes? You with us?" Stark asked gently.

"I'm fine," Loki grumbled as he struggled to pull himself away from the memories surging to remind him that he was considered a monster. The spark of magic tossed against his skin in a small stinging snap jerked him rudely back into the moment. His glare at the mage was met with calm certainty and a hint if comfort.

"Do you agree with the bonding?" Thor asked with firm determination.

"Stephen?" Stark asked cautiously.

"Yes, this is necessary if a bit uncomfortable from what we have been taught is correct among our own people," Stephen confirmed.

Loki had no idea what he was talking about. What necessity? Why did Stark confer with this mage? Why did he trust him so?

"Then get on with it," Loki snapped grumpily, ripping himself away from his once again spiraling thoughts.

"Fine," Stark snorted. Then he did something completely unexpected. He spoke to the cloak and the female spirit.

"Friday, lock us down. Warn Pepper and Happy that we're going to be off limits for magic voodoo to help out Thor. Loki is a new tower resident as per a... semi-permanent alliance between our families backed up by magic," Tony ordered before addressing the cloak. "Levi? Would you please get Mc Broody here to wherever Stephen wants him for this? We might as well do this right."

Loki felt a chill run down his spine as he felt the cloak nod its collar at Stark and this Stephen. He was wrapped in a living artifact that was obviously loyal to the unknown mage in front of him and at least willing to listen to Stark. He might as well be bound in magic suppressing chains and knelt helpless at their feet as a spoil of war.

Thus Loki was less surprised rather than mildly panicked when the cloak lifted him bodily from where he sat and moved him to the quickly cleared area where he had once been smashed into the now repaired floor. The design that blazed into existence under him as he was placed carefully in the center by the cloak shone golden with powerful magic. A quick glance confirmed that it was Stephen laying it down despite the earlier assertion that Stark was a type of mage. Loki forced himself to settle and, with as much dignity as he could muster, knelt in the center of the design with the cloak still wrapped around him. He closed his eyes and waited for the magic to surge forward, binding him to these mortals for the rest of their short lives.

~~~

Stephen knows something is wrong with how Loki is reacting. So with a quick glance to Tony begging for trust and a received tiny nod of agreement he starts setting up the spell. Levi hummed imperceptibly as he recognized the set up of the spell and stayed put on Loki's shoulders. The bonding spell that Stephen was modifying would be stronger than usual but would also encourage increased healing of the body, mind, and soul. The fact that all three of them were wounded in their own ways would just add to the power of the healing boost. Stephen couldn't get around Loki needing to be subject to them within the bond and he fears that they might need to protectively contain Loki in the future. Hopefully, his fears are unfounded but the precautions have already been agreed to.

Stephen casts the spell.

~~~

Tony feels it down to his fucking bones when Stephen casts the magic even as the light show flashes around the three of them. He can feel the power burning through him only to surge forward from a wave into a virtual tsunami when it hits his arc reactor. He can feel the echo and the taste of Space as it all surges through him. The tinkling laughter of Time meets with the triumphant crow of Space and the jubilation of Soul meeting the contented hum of Aether. Power's smirk and Mind's grumbling are faint in comparison.

Suddenly Tony knows. He knows what the stupid rocks put Stephen through if not the full details to gift him the Sorcerer. He knows that this is another gift to help him protect things but also to heal the two because that's what Tony does. He fixes things.

Tony can feel the moment the power shifts to add an extra parameter to the spell. An override. All he will ever need to do to bring his pair to their knees for him is pull on the echo of the arc reactor. An echo that has now settled so deep into his chest that it isn't just in his bones but soaked into his very flesh.

Tony met their eyes even as they realized what had happened. He silently promises not to abuse this gift.

The magic fades and Tony plays good host to Thor as they all act like everything went fine. It didn't but that wasn't for outsiders to hear about. Thor is sent off on his way back to Asgard leaving the three of them alone.

Chapter Text

The first thing Tony did once they were alone was to check on his mages. They were both more tired than he was but neither of them were physically attached to an arc reactor which could have taken the power strain the way his had. He knows just by how they anxiously look towards his chest that they got the same basic health report from the bonding that he did and they want to check him as well. Tony won't risk it out in the open despite the heavy duty glass in the wall that pretends to be a window.

"Once we're in my room," Tony promised after they each failed at being subtle twice in checking him.

"Where am I to sleep?" Loki asked carefully.

"We're sharing a bed, Lokitty," Tony answered somewhat ruefully. "You and Stephen have your own rooms for when you get fed up with me or you're doing something with your studies or magic that I might mess up. You can have a bed in there if you want but I'm guessing that the bond won't allow you to actually use it this early after it's been cast."

"It won't," Stephen confirmed. "From the potential future timelines that were shoved into my head trying to force it just turns out to be a disaster. We generally stopped aggravating it before it killed us but it was never comfortable to make the attempt. The magic also took offense and was quick to punish us for later attempts to stretch it."

"Potential future timelines?!" Loki asked in alarm.

"Stephen here guards one of the Infinity Stones," Tony said bluntly.

"How do you know that?" Stephen asked warily. "I hadn't told you about it yet."

"How do you think? They told me when they stepped in to add the override," Tony sighed. "Apparently Time ratted you out to the others about never actually planning on telling me that he deliberately bonded to you the way he did as a gift to me. Turns out this was supposed to be another gift. Time muttered something about it being better than Loki being given back to Thanos to be killed. Space was just plain smug about all of it since he apparently adopted me when Howard was working on the Tesseract and... Well he hit me for messing something up in his lab. I wasn't braced right since I didn't see it coming and I landed against the stupid cube. The arc reactors are also based on the Tesseract and at this point I've had one of those stuck in my chest for... Huh, almost five years combined. Don't ask me why the over powered sentient rocks decided on gifting you both to me since I don't have a damn clue."

"Ah, I might know why," Stephen admitted with a wince. "There were several timelines where you were the only one able to wield them all at once without overreaching and who survived for at least a few minutes afterwards. Thanos doesn't count because they didn't cooperate with him in any timeline willingly and everyone but you used some sort of interface as a buffer. You used them directly after attaching them to your armor mid battle without any prior preparation. The only others who came close spread the load between more than one person and the one actually holding it was half Celestial half human. That was also only a single stone, Power to be more precise. The others all have a wider variation in their energy frequencies which make them quite a bit more difficult to handle, especially without their own choice to cooperate. Basically, they like you."

Tony gave him a long look but otherwise just ushered them both into his bedroom. After locking the door he very visibly steeled himself before taking his shirts off. In the silence that followed he refused to look at either of them until gentle hands touched him.

"Tony, this must have been horrific," Stephen said, grief for the inventor soaking his voice.

"Few of Asgard would survive what tale these scars tell," Loki said softly. "Your Star Heart must have been what stopped the scepter from controlling you as it did the agents and myself. If what Stephen said is to be believed in accepting me you have also saved me. Thank you. I will do my best to repay that."

"What happened in that bunker, Tony?" Stephen asked quietly, his eyes never leaving a particular scar that bisected where the arc reactor sat.

"I didn't tell you in those other timelines?" Tony joked weakly.

"Tony, please. I really want to be wrong right now," Stephen whispered, his hand drifting to settle over the scar.

"I lost a fight with two super soldiers," Tony said, trying to shrug it off. Stephen's eyes closed in despair as he sucked in a shuddering breath and leaned heavily against Tony.

"What am I missing? Were not the rest of your shield brothers with you in this fight?" Loki asked carefully.

"You know I honestly thought Rogers was going to bring that stupid shield down on my neck after breaking my helmet open?" Tony laughed. He was sliding towards minor hysteria and knew he needed to anchor himself somehow.

Stephen clung more tightly to him and Loki looked at him in dawning horror. Tony caught Loki's arm and pulled him in close, using the touch of both of his new bondmates to anchor himself to reality. Levi darted up from where he had been hanging off of Stephen and sort of nudged them towards the bed. Loki caught on first and just lifted the pair of them before they all settled firmly onto the bed together. Levi settled blanket like over top of them as they lay wrapped around each other on the bed, still dressed and on top of the covers.

They eventually drifted into sleep.

It took two weeks of nearly constant contact for the bond to settle enough that they didn't try to stay in arm's reach at all times. It took another week after that before they could be at opposite ends of the penthouse.

"Why are we stuck randomly sharing our trauma with each other?" Tony grumbled one morning when he was more asleep than awake.

"If you're talking about what we shared just before and just after the bonding, don't ask me," Stephen grunted. "It was because of the weird share fest that I added a major boost to healing for Mind, Body, and Soul in the inscription in the first place."

"That does explain the odd sense of being cuddled every time I nearly spiral," Loki mused as he took his turn to make food for them.

Stephen had insisted on a few things like eating regularly and cooking to one degree or another to become part of their regular every day routine. They discovered the hard way that Tony has a limited list of things he could actually cook. Loki, on the other hand, apparently went out of his way to learn how to cook at least decently well because he was the one always stuck on cook duty during whatever adventure Thor dragged him on with his friends. Friends that both Stephen and Tony wanted a talk with after having heard a few stories about those so called adventures.

"I'm still kinda annoyed that you've both decided you can drag me out of my workshop," Tony sniffed indignantly.

"You can't live on two hours of sleep in five days, Tony," Stephen pointed out yet again. "If we have to mother hen you we will."

"I'm not even getting sex out of it," Tony complained, lacking all seriousness. "Be glad I show up at meal times as it is. I used to run on coffee, spite, and the occasional protein bar with pizza for treats."

"Which is part of why we are perfectly willing to drag you off to bed if you still haven't joined us at two in the morning," Loki said smoothly as he transferred the omelet concoction from the pan to a plate.

Loki had been oddly focused on Asian egg recipes of late so they were getting such dishes whenever he cooked. Tony just focused on his various pasta specialties. Meanwhile Stephen was the one who gave them the most variety that was both satisfying and filling. Ironically, it was also Stephen who gave them the largest portions, excusing it as having grown up on a farm before going after his medical degree.

"I visited the Masters on the guest level a few hours ago," Stephen told them, changing the subject away from Tony's normal complaints. "They checked me over and from the way neither of you noticed their poking I'm betting that the bond has finally settled solidly. Which means, if we feel like it or otherwise need to, we can go elsewhere without the other two."

"Good thing I sorted out that tracker I threatened you with," Tony smirked. "And yeah I figured it was done sometime last night just from the feel of it. Your new gloves and watch are ready for whenever you want to pick them up. The watch I made but I ordered the compression gloves until I can design you better ones. Loki, I haven't quite finished designing those daggers for you yet but I've got some design templates for you to look over later. I've also got some rough scrap versions for you to check balance and grip wise. Tell me when you can go over them and we'll work on sorting that out for you."

"I told you that it isn't necessary," Loki protested. "I still have my own weapons."

"Yeah, but I like the project and I like giving gifts," Tony pointed out with a small smile.

"You spoil us," Stephen corrected, accepting his plate from Loki. "We aren't like the Rogues."

"Nope, you're mine," Tony retorted, staring Stephen down challengingly. Stephen just shook his head in exasperation and dropped the subject as Tony took his own plate of food.

"Dormammu contacted me last week," Stephen sighed. "He's been watching us and he wants to know why we haven't been going out. Master Lin took the message."

"Great, a giant floating head sticking his nose in," Tony grumbled. Loki just looked between them in concern since this was the first he had heard of them dealing with the Dark Lord.

"I honestly thought that meeting was going to be the end of things when I fetched you," Stephen apologized with a grimace. "He might suspect what's actually hidden inside the amulet since he witnessed it bond with me. If that's the case, now that I think of it, that might be why he was so interested in who or what I was immediately focused on after I recovered and the real reason why he helped for so little payment."

"What are you talking about? I know that I am new to your lives at this level but why would you even speak of that Dark Lord and risk his attention?" Loki demanded.

"I found myself fighting him shortly before I started living with Tony," Stephen explained with a sigh. "I obviously lost but I had locked us in a time loop so it wasn't a matter of loosing so much as frustrating him into making a deal. A deal which boiled down to him not being allowed to eat Earth. It worked but when I broke the time loop the Eye of Agamotto around my neck forced a permanent bond with me."

"You kidnapped me to present me as your fiance to him and he acted like a protective parent meeting his kid's date," Tony pointed out with wry amusement. "It wasn't until much later when I told Stephen that I actually accepted the position despite his original promise that anything to do with the guy was his responsibility and I wouldn't have to do anything. He still missed the warning Dormammu gave us in that meeting about any future attempts to mess with us not actually being indicators of the deal being at risk. He seems to think Stephen will eventually match him as a peer or swear to his service for some weird reason."

"Yes, well it wasn't like I had slept yet between the time loops and the meeting I dragged you to," Stephen grumbled as he finished off is omelette.

"I was the only one who didn't seem to set off his new battle instincts and he actively moved to protect me while half collapsed twice," Tony explained at Loki's inquiring look. "So I brought him home with me. I was also the only one at his... guild that could get him to actually sleep."

"The Mystic Order is not a guild," Stephen snarked. "It's closer to a spirit cultivator sect from those Chinese stories. Under that diagram my mentor was the Head of the Order and she had died shortly before I had to act in Hong Kong which ended in my fight with Dormammu."

"Well that explains the rotating guard after we got back and the weird way all the Masters seem to see you as a kid brother," Tony conceded. "How many of them watched her train you?"

"All of them at one point or another and I was fairly confrontational in the start," Stephen admitted, embarrassed. "I wasn't initially there to learn anything except how to heal my hands so that I could go back to being a surgeon."

"So they had to get through your stubbornness and your disbelief on magic plus I bet she knew she wasn't going to survive past a certain point," Tony sighed in conclusion. "They're trying to figure out if you are her actual heir aren't they?"

"Probably," Stephen admitted. "Mordo was her only other still living student but I shudder to think of what would happen if he took the position."

"Considering you admitted that he hunts you in just about every timeline for what you used to fight Dormammu I really don't blame you," Tony grimaced. "Hell, according to you he didn't even listen to your actual report, just snapped that you should be executed. Nevermind that the entire thing was probably a test by the stupid rock that picked you as it's guardian."

"I... haven't exactly told anyone about that or how I was essentially gifted to you," Stephen blushed in embarrassment. "I reported the bond and that there was a reaction with my artifacts that altered it mid-casting as well as the results. Mostly I just filed the paperwork for our triad to be recognized by the Order and Wong threatened to drag me to some sort of party back at the temple. Thankfully, that was when we still couldn't be very far from each other so he couldn't follow through on the threat. On the other hand the rotating Masters have been more like friends so yes, your scolding worked on both sides. I'm not shutting them out and they're more willing to actually engage with me. Having Loki sit in on discussions has helped when you got fed up with us."

Tony just looked pleased. He had been nearby during those discussions pretending to do paperwork. Occasionally he would instead be listening to one of the Masters who liked teaching quietly elaborate on the discussion, teaching him what everyone else there already knew. Copies of more than one beginners book on magic had made it into his hands since the bonding but no actual spells had been taught to him yet.

"If you guys get into another argument about the Crimson Dragon in the Lotus Fire dimension again I'll make you both sit through several rom coms and at least one cartoon season of something you will find offensive," Tony threatened. "Maybe I'll even pick supernatural themed rom coms."

"Romantic Comedies are a horror," Stephen shuddered. "Just put us out of our misery and throw on some actual horror movies. As for the cartoon... Chose wisely because we can and will use magic to get our revenge for that. Besides do we really want to give Loki ideas?"

"Ah, fair point," Tony grimaced. "I guess My Little Pony and Barney are out for horrifying both of you."

"At least stick with action adventure things and a rough teenage viewing range," Stephen snarked. "Anything toddler level will be seen as a declaration of war."

"Noted," Tony grinned. "Yeah, stuff like Teletubbies is just plain nightmare inducing so I can completely understand your objections."

"What are you even talking about?" Loki demanded, baffled.

"Children's shows mostly," Stephen sighed. "I don't even want to know what twisted minds came up with some of them. Tony just threatened to make us sit through watching a number of them and I forced him to concede that the ones for very young children weren't a good idea. If any of us uses one against the others it's an automatic prank war where we can use anything at our disposal. Alternately, if we reference using it against someone else it should be taken as a private declaration of war against them for all three of us. You can look them up with Friday later. We will not be joining you."

"Very well," Loki said primly.

They cleaned up the meal and set about whatever plans they had individually for the day.

~~~

Stephen breathed deeply as he took one of the other three Mystic Masters stationed with him at Stark tower. As it was Master Lin with him he didn't even have to explain what he was doing when he opened a portal into the Dark Dimension. His bonded were going to kill him for pulling this on them but he didn't want them anywhere near Dormammu for as long as he could manage it. He was already going to have to do some fast talking once the Dark Lord got a good look at his bond with them.

"Strange.... Stephen, is this wise?" Master Lin cautioned.

"No but it is part of the consequences of my original counter to his attack. I promised Tony he wouldn't have to deal with any more of things with Dormammu and I want to keep that promise," Stephen said softly. "I went over things with each of you at Tony's suggestion. He doesn't know I shared the memory of the meeting between the three of us directly with the Master's Council. He realized this morning that you are all still debating on if I truly am the Ancient One's heir. This has to be done. Fair warning I will likely only be able to protect you if you are acting as one of my servants or vassals of some sort. Otherwise you will have to establish your own authority and right to be there."

"Understood," Master Lin confirmed as they both entered the portal.

Friday was quick to alert Tony. Both Tony and Loki cursed when they saw the security footage of the pair leaving through the portal. Loki had to pin Tony to their bed to keep him from demanding one of the other Masters to open a portal for him to follow after his bondmate. He didn't once consider using the override against Loki.

Stephen felt an odd chill of foreboding as they walked through the Dark Dimension looking for Dormammu to have the meeting he had demanded. He forgot about it soon after finding the Dark Lord, refocusing on keeping them both alive during the meeting to come.

"Lord Dormammu, you wanted to speak to me," Stephen greeted the Dark Lord cautiously.

Dormammu didn't respond immediately, taking a moment to examine Stephen closely. Levi was on his shoulders again and the Eye of Agamotto was hanging around his neck. Master Lin was almost completely dismissed from the start but Stephen had noticed that he had slipped into a protective position at his back almost as soon as the portal had closed.

"So you did take Stark and another as your mates but you have not sealed it fully. Interesting. Then again I wonder why you have placed yourself under Stark instead of above him. I can see in the bond that you were the castor and the rock around your neck interfered but not why it settled as it has or why you allowed it to do so. Explain," Dormammu ordered.

"I have no problem being subservient to him for various reasons and he does not treat me as lesser. I will likely be in trouble when I get back for not warning him that I had to come meet you but it will be as with a friend or lover not a master," Stephen conceded. "As for why we haven't had intimacies on that level yet, we are still settling and are not yet ready. Not that you or anyone else is entitled to knowledge of our bedroom activities. In the normal course of things we would have bonded in a different way and we would have taken much longer than this to formalize things."

"Your reasons for hiding away instead of establishing yourself in your territory that I have granted you?" Dormammu asked curiously.

"Mostly I have been healing from our battle and then the bond was cast. It was particularly insistent that we stay in close proximity to each other and has only recently eased," Stephen explained. "None of us felt comfortable risking needing to be separated until it had settled into something that didn't force us to be in easy reach of each other. Our fighting styles are different enough that if we had needed to fight the bond would have likely reacted extremely negatively and there was no need to take the risk. As for establishing myself there isn't as much of a need to do so obviously. I became a protector of our world in fighting your zealots and you. By our deal I am still bound by that and no matter what else I do I must be respected by the other protectors even if, for some reason, I need to take the whole world by force. I would rather not go that route though as the destruction wouldn't serve any purpose while robbing myself and others of various resources."

"The Sorcerer at your back?" Dormammu asked bluntly. "Is he holding you under threat?"

"No," Stephen immediately refuted even as he felt Master Lin stiffen. "He and a few others have decided I was too reckless and needed further protection while I healed. If anything they've been acting like protective siblings and I haven't fought it."

"If they continue to refuse you Tao's inheritance which you are now owed tell me and you will have my zealots as you called them. I will not have a potential peer that is so interesting destroyed so soon," Dormammu ordered.

"I don't need followers or servants," Stephen grumbled.

"Youngling," Dormammu warned.

"Fine," Stephen conceded with an obvious pout. "If I really wanted them I could get them on my own."

Dormammu chuckled over his grumbling but eyed Master Lin speculatively. Stephen stepped in front of him and met Dormammu's gaze again even as he felt Master Lin place his hand supportively on Stephen's shoulder.

"You are healing your spirit and mind far faster than I expected," Dormammu observed. "You have two of your years to establish yourself properly before I will test you again. I expect you to have made at least some progress by then."

"Isn't that my choice to make?" Stephen demanded, stiffening at the orders as if he were a student or servant.

"I have claimed you as a student or did you not believe it would stick once the loops were broken?" Dormammu asked in clear amusement. "You will grow even if I must prod you along to do so. As Stark pointed out it would not be hard to end your protection of your world and free me to devour it. I will be interested to see how you choose to grow. You may return to your bonded. I am satisfied for the moment."

"Then we will take our leave," Stephen said tightly.

They left the area and made their way back to where they had arrived before casting the portal to the lobby of the Tower. They checked in with security as Tony had set up before taking the elevator back up towards the penthouse. They had intended to stop on the guest floor only for the controls to be overridden putting them at Stephen's normal floor, Tony's penthouse.

The way that Tony was glaring at him told Stephen everything he needed to know about what had just happened. Stephen sighed and exited the elevator. He went willingly into the arms of his bondmates and just let them hold him. He already knew that he was going to have nightmares and flashbacks to the original fight with Dormammu later that night. Vaguely, he heard them both talking to Master Lin but didn't pay it much mind.

Stephen didn't have the heart to fight them when he was half dragged to the bedroom. They must have noticed because some of their angry movements softened. A quiet question on if he had eaten resulted in a negative noise as they bundled him up between them. Stephen didn't know how much time passed before he was given some pizza to eat. He only managed a slice and a half before sinking back into the comfort of their arms. Something about the muffling of everything after he got back spoke to him of healing something. He wasn't surprised when he dropped into sleep not long afterwards, safe in the arms of his bondmates.

Chapter Text

"What the hell happened to him?!" Tony demanded in quiet panic as they cuddled the sleeping Sorcerer.

"I do not know," Loki said, concerned. "I suspect the bond is forcing him to heal. The markings in the original bond spell wouldn't have let it take him this deeply into sleep unless he both badly needed it and felt safe enough to relax. He took into account our past battles and the need to keep going in a fight when he set up the healing boost. Unfortunately that says some very bad things about it only kicking in for him now. I don't know if he was injured while away or if he was only now willing to surrender to previous injuries of some type."

"His body was fine when we checked it," Tony hissed, quiet so as not to wake Stephen.

"But his spirit could be badly wounded," Loki pointed out. "As could his mind. We simply don't know."

"Oh God," Tony said in realization. "He lost his mentor, was declared in need of execution by his other primary teacher, and fought Dormammu in a time loop until he forced a deal. On top of all that he had a bunch of timelines shoved into his head by the stupid time rock. I don't even know how many he lived through thanks to the stupid rock. I only know that when he came out of it securing me was almost his first priority. What the hell did Dormammu pile on top of all that during their meeting?!"

"Boss, whatever Master Lin told the other Masters has upset them. They are requesting access to Doctor Strange," Friday interrupted.

"Let them in," Loki recommended. "If nothing else they can check him in a different way than I did. My own check might have suffered interference from the bond."

"Send them here, baby girl," Tony ordered.

It didn't take the Masters long to appear in the doorway of their bedroom. Tony and Loki watched them warily from either side of Stephen on the bed. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for him to start to shiver for some reason. Levi perked up and very deliberately lifted him just enough to wrap him up like a burrito before setting him back between Loki and Tony on the bed.

"I want to know what the hell is going on," Tony demanded, his voice low. "If you're here to be a problem you can just leave. If you're here to help then get on with it."

"Master Strange visited Dormammu earlier today," Master Lin said cautiously.

"Yeah, we watched the security footage before the two of you left," Tony grumbled.

"Dormammu made some demands but he also commented on Master Strange's progress in healing and in establishing himself here. The implied status he is expected to reach is... Disconcerting," Master Lin said even more carefully.

"Yeah, the whole future Dark Lord or whatever to match Dormammu thing," Tony sighed. "I'm aware of it. He used it as part of the reason for wanting to meet me as Stephen's fiance. That meeting is when I got the feeling he was playing parent to Stephen. I seriously felt like I was meeting my date's dad before we could go on our first date or something. We came through the portal to the temple courtyard right afterwards. I'm sure you all heard what happened then."

"We have," a Master dressed in a mix of lavender and spring green confirmed.

"The Dark Lord Dormammu doesn't take refusal well and Stephen protected me from him," Master Lin put in. "At the time I thought that nothing had happened beyond him stepping in front of me but... Dormammu demanded to know if I was with him because we were threatening Stephen. If he honestly thought that I was a threat to his latest project in Stephen there is no telling what he might have cast to get me out of the way which could have hit Stephen instead. There were no obvious signals that something was even cast much less hit someone so it is just as possible that Dormammu wouldn't know if it hit him or me."

Loki swore and cast a diagnostic spell. It instantly lit up purple which made everyone pale.

"We have to get it removed by the caster don't we?" Tony asked with dread. "With our luck it can't be anything else unless there is no counter at all."

"Yes," Master Lin sighed.

"We're coming with you this time," Tony ordered. "Loki watch him while I grab my armor. Lin, you're going to take us to him and we're going to fix this. I'll kill you properly afterwards for getting him hurt."

"I understand," Master Lin said glumly. "I went with him as backup originally and I had thought that it was better that he had someone with him than letting him go alone."

Twenty minutes later they all assembled in the living room with Levi floating Stephen along like a stretcher. The walk across the empty planetoid where the Sorcerers set them down was different from the caverns where Tony had first met Dormammu. This time Tony was more focused on saving Stephen than fighting him and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him. The only concession he had made was allowing an environmental protection spell to be placed on him before he got into his new armor. His last one had been destroyed by Rogers.

"Energy field detected ahead," Friday chirped in Tony's ear just as he caught sight of Dormammu curiously watching them approach.

Tony knew immediately when he caught sight of Stephen being carried by Levi. The glare he whipped out at Master Lin was fierce and, in an odd way, comforting. Tony stepped forward, leaving Stephen mostly with Loki and opened his face plate so that Dormammu could recognize him.

"Stark," Dormammu greeted him, marginally less hostile than his glare indicated.

"You need to remove whatever you hit Stephen with," Tony said bluntly. "He collapsed almost as soon as they got back."

"It was not meant for him," Dormammu admitted. "For a price I will remove it."

"What price?" Tony bit out the demand.

"Who is your third bondmate?" Dormammu asked.

"I am," Loki said, stepping forwards with Stephen still floating at his side.

"...yes, Stephen has chosen well," Dormammu smirked. He rippled his entire being in a sort of basket pattern before letting it fade back into it's more normal movements.

Whatever his actions did it made Stephen gasp awake. He barely managed to sit up in Levi's hold as he broke out into rough coughing and proceeded to hack up a black tar like goo onto the ground. He had almost caught his breath again before throwing up a neon green liquid next to the goo.

"Stephen? Are you alright?" Tony asked as he and Loki fussed over Stephen, not caring about their surroundings.

"You need to be more aware of potentially hostile spells," Loki scolded. "Situational awareness is not only for conventional battles!"

"Prince Loki, he has only been a Master for a month or two and his initial training was... rushed," Master Lin explained.

Loki's head snapped up and stared at the suddenly uncomfortable Master Sorcerers in shock.

"That's right he got into that car wreck almost a year ago, last February," Tony said, remembering with a frown and distracting everyone. "Before that he was the best rising neurosurgeon in the field. I couldn't reach him for a consultation on Rhodey's spine injuries and how it might have affected his brain the way he landed but that was back in July."

"He didn't arrive for training until early April," Master Lin frowned. "All of us had caught the Ancient One watching him at some form of distance at one point or another for over a decade. You mean he truly knew nothing?"

"Yeah, in a few of the other timelines I found out since she was the last guardian of the amulet that she'd been watching me since I was like five," Stephen wheezed, still positioned to throw up again. "Creeped me out at the time but I eventually figured out in those timelines that she actually adopted me somehow. I'm not sure when or why or if she even told anyone since the times I figured it out a protection spell broke and my power surged higher for the next day before it settled again. I usually forgot to mention it to anyone and didn't think much about it since nothing appeared to be different after I generally collapsed exhausted and woke up again. Sometimes it brought the Order running and they were nicer afterwards if I had made them an enemy. It varied."

"We matching any of the good timelines?" Tony asked glibly.

"Nope, as soon as I kidnapped you for the meeting we went way off the reservation. The stupid rock kept laughing at me while I was getting us back to the temple," Stephen said, exhausted. "But then that was obviously the entire point of giving me those timelines. They mostly didn't work. We're supposed to do better than a pyrrhic victory where you make the final sacrifice only for things to rip apart anyways in less than twenty or thirty years. I don't even know how many idiots decided killing Peter was the best idea ever and the kid never used lethal force if he could help it. I'm trying to keep the memories separate but I know you've both caught me slipping."

Loki quickly scooped him up before he could lay back down and held him bridal style against his chest.

"And I love that you treat us as if we weren't new to being bonded to you," Tony said softly. "Loki and I just have to catch up a bit is all. Also, explanations actually help things."

"Sorry," Stephen muttered with a wince, realizing what he had done wrong.

"I didn't realize that he was so new to things," Dormammu rumbled thoughtfully, reminding everyone that he was there. "Stark, have you at least begun training as his bondmate?"

"Theory only but I got my hands on a book about you. That's why I figured your honor wouldn't let him die from something you didn't even want to hit him with," Tony answered honestly. "It isn't the same thing we would normally view as honor but it is a personal code of conduct. It took Stephen some effort to get me to read the first beginners book but I did read it and the Masters that stay with us on guard rotation tutor me. I haven't actually cast anything yet though."

"Acceptable progress," Dormammu mused.

"No," Stephen scowled at Dormammu from his position in Loki's arms.

"You have guards already. Adding more should be no challenge," Dormammu pointed out reasonably.

"I don't want your zealots following after me!" Stephen protested. "They probably hate me since I came and fought you after fighting them. I don't need to be constantly watching my back just because you ordered them to follow me around."

"Calm down, Stephen," Loki sighed. "We're lucky that Thor didn't think to send anyone as servants or guards as it is since the bonding counts as a full marriage on Asgard and I am next in line after Thor."

"Loki, if you think I would risk them near us without confirming that they weren't among those who hurt you on Asgard then you aren't paying attention," Stephen scowled. "Asgard has tried three times already and I redirected the Bifrost. It's part of why I slept those days so deeply that you couldn't wake me for breakfast. I'm not going to put up with someone threatening one of my bondmates in our home!"

"I told you it was either Stephen being foolish or Loki pulling a prank," the Master in pale blues smirked at the other two. He smugly collected several coins from each of them accompanied by the sound of groans, having won the ongoing bet.

"Would that also be why Friday informed me of a suddenly disappearing package that Rogers sent me back in July?" Tony asked pointedly. Stephen flushed and refused to answer.

"Well this is potentially joining my range of nightmares. Hopefully it won't be tinged with Red like some of the others," Tony sighed. The sudden frozen silence had him looking up in confusion at the horrified faces of practically everyone.

"Guys? What's going on?" Tony asked slowly.

"You just described signs of fighting a mental invasion even if it was only somewhat successful," Dormammu said, humming thoughtfully. "The fact that you were able to notice and identify a specific color attached to the altered or induced experience is exceptionally difficult for even those experienced with mental magics. It is also usually enough to drive the target insane or kill them to have that level of focused power aimed at them while resisting so heavily. I believe the best translation of the effects for your language is Mind Rape. How long has this been occuring and has Stephen been exposed to it?"

"Uh, just under a year, something like ten months at full power but growing increasingly weaker since late June. So more than a year and three quarters total? I'm pretty sure it's attached to someone specific that I know but she's got people protecting her and claiming I'm lying or harassing her. Stephen hasn't been near her and he wasn't actually in the room the few times a weaker version showed up while he was in the same building," Tony said slowly. "Why?"

"Maximoff, shit," Stephen concluded, palling at the realization and obviously remembering something from a different timeline. "She went insane after things stabilized in the timelines after you died. She used the Darkhold and tried to steal her own children from her alternates by ripping power out of a child she chased across something like twenty different universes. She destroyed Kamar-Taj single handedly and nearly killed me more than once. Only Wong and I survived to keep protecting the child she hunted for her powers."

"Stephen, how many world ending threats have you faced or will face within five years of getting your power up?" Tony asked slowly.

"Discounting the five years I was technically temporarily dead in certain timelines? Uh, twelve to twenty," Stephen offered somewhat sheepishly. He felt Loki's grip on him tighten protectively.

"And how many times did you ask for help before it blew up in your face?" Tony asked neutrally. Stephen didn't answer.

"In how many of these were you named Sorcerer Supreme for any amount of time?" Master Lin asked carefully.

"All of them," Stephen admitted with a wince. "Wong was usually picked as my replacement when I was temporarily dead along with half of the universe."

"Okay, Dormammu would you be adverse to letting us practice here in your dimension? If nothing else making him train his combat skills with and without us next to him should help Stephen stay alive longer," Tony requested. "You've already indicated that you want him to live long enough to become your peer after all."

"Perhaps another time loop," Dormammu said thoughtfully. "I know of a few others who are thoroughly bored with having no one to match them. Between us we could easily change up combat styles so that he doesn't over specialize in one area or another. It would be too soon to employ right now but there are a fair number of possibilities."

"Please don't make me go through that tactic again. It worked if you look at it as a ruthless training technique but it is fairly traumatizing. Not to mention that I used it as a desperate last resort in the first place," Stephen begged, closing his eyes as he fought not to sink into a flashback of the fight.

"As Asgard's First Mage, the equivalent of your Sorcerer Supreme, I'm putting my foot down," Loki said firmly. "Not only is it too soon but the risks he took in the first place were horrifying. It worked but let us not repeat it. We are done here so let us return."

"Certainly, little mage, but the Sorcerers aside from Stephen stay," Dormammu said, openly amused.

"Uh, why?" Tony demanded suspiciously.

"They have allowed Stephen to get hurt and are not bonded loyally to him as vassals," Dormammu said as if it was obvious along with the unspoken implications.

"Don't," Stephen ordered firmly. "I don't have anyone like that nor has anyone chosen me to lead anything. I don't take slaves and I've never had any servants. They had no obligation to me in the first place and it was my own choice to step in front of Master Lin during our last discussion."

"So you would see them dead instead?" Dormammu asked mildly.

"Damn you. No, I wouldn't see them dead or the zealots either if that's the alternative," Stephen cursed as he slumped defeated in Loki's grip.

"What is this? Magical pokemon?" Tony muttered but didn't actually object.

"If you think I'm going to quietly bow to him you are sorely mistaken," the Master in light blues growled.

"You won't have a choice," the voice of Kaecilius sounded out from behind them, making the group of six realize they had been surrounded.

Loki cursed softly and, despite carrying Stephen, put himself back to back with Tony. Tony's face plate snapped shut as he powered up his repulsors. Spells were immediately in the hands of the three Masters as they formed up around the three bonded.

"You weren't going to let me leave again without them were you?" Stephen asked, resigned.

"No, I wasn't," Dormammu confirmed with a smirk. "Your group can not fight like this. The spell I lifted from you will keep you weakened for another week. My Sorcerers are more numerous and even if your godling set you down to join the fight your other bondmate could not hold them away from you. If you fight and lose all of you are mine to do with as I please. You would not be allowed to return in a timely manner and it is doubtful that I would allow any but your bondmates to survive for long. I have plans for you and crippling you or your bondmates would be inconvenient."

"So what? They take a magic loyalty oath and we can go?" Tony demanded incredulously.

"I'm afraid that option is no longer on the table," Kaecilius scowled. "Please surrender peacefully."

"You've been distracting us since you lifted the spell," Stephen concluded, shutting hus eyes in pained understanding. "Not just gathering and offering information peacefully. You were waiting for them to get here so that you could keep us or enforce something on us."

"I may have been willing to wait before but I didn't know how young you were in your power," Dormammu pointed out, amused. "The talent you showed is more than reason enough."

"Oh boy," Tony muttered.

"If I surrender will you let them go?" Stephen demanded harshly. The way Loki gripped him and Tony made a noise of protest he knew they wouldn't let him just surrender but he had to try to save them.

"No," Dormammu said bluntly. "But I will allow you to try to protect them as we proceed. Your bondmates wouldn't have left you anyway."

"What deal would you have us strike then?" Loki demanded sharply, having obviously picked up on something the rest of them had missed.

"Clever trickster godling," Dormammu boomed in laughter. "What deal would you offer for my consideration that would make releasing any of you worth the risk?"

"You showed jealousy when he mentioned the adoption. What if Stephen allowed you to also adopt him? Or I? Or Tony? Would that suffice?" Loki asked swiftly.

Everyone froze at the proposed suggestion, waiting with baited breath for the Dark Lord to answer.

Chapter Text

Tony collapsed as he stopped holding himself upright. Dormammu hadn't answered Loki's demand and instead had been holding them prisoner since they had been taken into custody by the Sorcerers loyal to him. For all six days Loki had been left to tend to Stephen while Tony was forcibly taught spells and basic magical combat.

Loki made a sound of distress when he caught sight of Tony having been so roughly returned to their room and quickly picked him up. He carried the weary inventor over to Stephen and they checked him over together.

"Hot bath with the relaxation herbs," Stephen murmured, noting the bruising and tight muscles.

"Head injury," Tony muttered, obviously woozy. "I think I'm bleeding along my lower back. Damn space shards."

Loki pulled up his shirt to check and found the sliced skin. He pressed his lips together and fetched the bandages with water to clean the cut. Stephen checked Tony's eyes to make sure his pupils were reacting correctly while Tony hissed at getting the cut cleaned.

"I wish I could do more than just sit here reading," Stephen fretted. "I wish I wasn't so damn weak."

"He killed the mouthy Master in blue but Lin and the other one are doing okay," Tony sighed. "He hasn't decided on the adoption thing one way or the other but he seems happy with how fast I'm learning, for now."

Tony was quickly stripped by Loki while Stephen held him steady against the chair he was temporarily stuck in. He couldn't keep his legs from shaking even as Loki wiped him down with a damp cloth to get the worst of the sweat, dirt, and blood off of him. Stephen murmured reassurances as he kept him half bent over the arm of the chair while Loki worked.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I promised you wouldn't have to deal with him and now..." Stephen said sorrowfully.

"You don't get to apologize," Tony said stubbornly. "Yeah, it's shitty right now but I knew what I might be getting into if he wouldn't play ball when we brought you to him. I would have liked to leave Loki behind just so that if he had killed us at least one of us would be free but..."

"Don't you dare!" Loki hissed furiously, interrupting Tony's scolding with his own. "As if I would have accepted being left at home like a helpless maiden of no skills! As for you Stephen! These sorts of deals are common for those acting as First Mage to any realm. The fact that so little has been lost from all of this is a miracle! It is unfortunate that he got the drop on us but he also went out of his way to have us face only his vassals. Had we needed to face him directly ourselves we would likely all be dead. Was the Master in blue being overly belligerent, threatening, or insulting?"

"Yeah, actually he was but it wasn't to any of Dormammu's people. Apparently he really didn't like me because he stopped teaching me and started verbally attacking me before escalating to actually attacking me. They let him for a few minutes before he pulled something I couldn't block and killed him before he could hit me," Tony admitted. "I have no fucking clue what his problem with me was and I wasn't sure I was allowed to use lethal force so I just did what I could until he cornered me. He's the one who hit me hard enough to slam my head into the stone floor. They did the normal keeping the possible concussion person awake thing but when I looked fine after an hour they had me do katas. A short fight just before they returned me while I was already tired was what got my back cut though."

Stephen growled angrily as Loki conveniently moved Tony onto his stomach over Stephen's lap.

"He's dead and no longer a threat. Check his back for anything I missed," Loki ordered.

Stephen just clutched Tony to him for a bit after checking his head again and a cursory look over the exposed back that Loki had already bandaged up. Tony was too tired to complain and knew that he was probably going to fall asleep right where he was. He didn't exactly mind but the chair was a bit cramped and Stephen couldn't get himself out of the chair even if he dumped Tony onto the floor, not yet anyway. They still had another day or two of the spell induced weakness if Dormammu hadn't been lying about the time frame.

"Whatever Thor had in mind to come from our bonding I am now distressingly fond of you both," Loki murmured.

Loki and Stephen held Tony upright to feed him before the inventor could actually let himself sleep. Tony whined with how tired he was but made clear efforts to actually eat whatever he was being fed. Stephen fretted some more but made him drink whatever juice they were being provided alongside the water.

"I don't know how you're keeping up with his demands but you won't survive at this pace for much longer," Loki said softly as he moved them both to the bed one by one.

"Fast learner, had to be," Tony muttered, more asleep than awake. "Most don't know or don't want to think about it. Had to learn Selvig's stuff overnight for your invasion. No one else did the stupid reading homework. They still declared me useless without my armor and tried to close the portal while I was on the other side redirecting the nuke. Iron Man: Yes. Tony Stark: Not Recommended. Kept me on a string until I got a shield to the chest. Fucking bastards. Sorry about breaking up the team you tried to help us forge, Lokes. I'm not worth basic decency apparently."

Loki's and Stephen's eyes met over their bondmate as Tony finally dropped into full on slumber.

"Who?" Loki demanded quietly.

"I don't know for certain but probably Shield and the Rogue Avengers," Stephen answered. "Parts of it might have been published by the media but I never really found out much about what broke the team down the middle. I was still a civilian and then was trying to fix myself after the car wreck. I was isolated for training by the time Siberia happened and would only ever find out later about it in every timeline. I never found out about the Witch fucking with his head, not for certain, but the suspicion only tended to mount after he was dead. He didn't argue when I named her after he talked about it here."

"She will need to die," Loki said firmly.

"Yes," Stephen conceded. "But we can't act without proof which amounts to catching her in the act and killing her for it then while publishing it. You might not mind being the bad guy but having the entire planet against you will hurt us more than killing her will help."

"By the Norns, this is a disaster. I can not guard against what I know nothing of," Loki said tiredly. "I don't have the strength of arms to fight against our host. Nor is he permitting us to leave even through unconventional means. He won't settle for having only one of us."

"No, he won't," Stephen agreed. "So we don't wait for me to recover. In the morning we don't let them take Tony. We demand an audience."

"And we formally surrender," Loki said, resigned. "He's waiting to be acknowledged as in control. We aren't being treated like full on prisoners yet but if we don't change something he's going to kill Tony."

"We deal with it in the morning," Stephen sighed. "Hopefully it will be enough."

They fell asleep wrapped around their inventor and hoped things would get better.

~~~

The next morning Tony tried to get up and get ready for another brutal day of training only to be pinned by Stephen in bed. He was confused but didn't have the strength to push Stephen off of him. Seeing this Loki hand fed him breakfast and shared a speaking look with Stephen. Loki was the one to answer the door and speak to them when Tony's escort came. Tony couldn't hear what was said but he worried about what would happen considering Stephen wrapped himself protectively around Tony. He wasn't exactly surprised when they were dragged out and brought in front of Dormammu but Loki needing to catch him from collapsing distracted him from whatever they were telling the Dark Lord.

"Will a formal surrender satisfy you? Or do we need to figure out something more to end this, whatever it is?" Stephen demanded, catching Tony's attention.

"Stephen?" Tony asked tiredly. He was leaning heavily against Loki. He could also see from where he stood that Stephen was having trouble staying on his feet but was using his stubbornness to stay upright if shakey.

"You have no idea what medical complications he had before this! We won't just stand aside and watch you kill him through whatever training you've been making him take!" Stephen scowled at the Dark Lord. He wavered and Loki pulled him back against his chest the way Tony was leaning against his side.

"They are both mortal. They can not safely keep such a pace," Loki said evenly, meeting Dormammu's gaze.

"You see, Kaecilius? This and more is why they will be my heirs," Dormammu finally spoke. As if summoned out of the nearby darkness the Kamar-Taj trained Sorcerers who had sworn their services to Dormammu stepped forwards, having witnessed the confrontation.

"We will serve," Kaecilius said softly and all of them gave the trio a slight bow.

"Am I missing something?" Tony asked grumpily.

"You were not taught portals for an obvious reason and have yet to pass the time consuming physical conditioning. However, you have passed through most of what an Apprentice learns over three years in under a week," Kaecilius said with a slight smile as they all stood up straight. "The blue hand orbs were entirely of your own making on top of all of that. The rest of us won't be able to replicate it until you choose to teach it to us."

"Repulsors, like in my armor," Tony corrected almost absently. "By the way did you have to scrap my armor within the first day?"

"He did what?!" Stephen choked, slumping in Loki's grip, this time from shock.

"Impressive," Loki murmured. "But then you always seem to pull solutions out of next to nothing."

"He learned the practical portions for almost the entire first three apprentice levels in under a week," Kaecilius said firmly. "He is still shakey on some of the theory but he was solid enough to use most of it in a spar once taught for the entire week."

"That took me three months and I have an eidetic memory!" Stephen complained.

"You were getting the theory at the same time as the practicals and the physical conditioning. I would guess that you understood things far faster than the others allowed you to actively advance. A precaution to prevent accidents when the student may not be fully absorbing the material due to the speed of their study," Kaecilius pointed out. "It would also require more time than is normally available when sleeping, eating, and relaxing were added to prevent ill health and burn out."

"Stephy, did you cheat in your magic studies?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"I might have used Astral projection regularly to get enough rest while I kept studying," Stephen admitted with a wince. "That's how my friendship with Wong started, as a sort of game. He would try to keep me from stealing books from the library to read while I slept and I would get around him to steal them anyway. I always made a point to return them to him directly. I also bribed him a couple times with songs that he won't ever admit to liking since they're mostly pop songs aimed at teenage girls."

"You need a keeper," Kaecilius groaned. "How haven't you killed yourself yet?"

"I sort of did.... The time looped fight with Dormammu?" Stephen offered sheepishly.

"Precocious," Dormammu said, obviously amused. "Tao obviously knew but she took short cuts training you with how she also clearly knew her end was near."

"Tao?" Master Lin asked, bringing attention to the two still living Masters that had originally been guarding them. They were restrained and battered but alive.

"The Ancient One," Kaecilius explained with a sigh. "Lord Dormammu sees her as having been a child and finds amusement in using the English initials as her name."

"So, what? We going home or is there something else we need to do?" Tony asked belligerently.

"Tony, that's enough," Loki murmured. Tony subsided against his side mulishly.

"You're treating us as a single unit," Stephen blinked in shock. "Restraining one part of us to encourage the use and practice from one of the other parts. Loki doesn't need the magical training and I technically completed mine but Tony didn't yet have any official training beyond this past week."

"And now he can at least grab one of you to run," Dormammu smirked. "You can teach him to portal once you return to your world. I am still gifting you Kaecilius and his followers. If nothing else they also trained at Kamar-Taj and will be familiar enough with their resources to not be hindered when acting under your orders. They are also skilled enough to give you a small amount of protection should it be required. They will be sending me progress reports once a month. A newborn is always given different support than an older youngling to see them grow."

Chapter Text

When they got back to the tower both Stephen and Tony were still too weakened in different ways to do anything except go to bed. This left Loki in charge of the returning Mystic Masters as well as Kaecilius' group. He wasn't going to let them take control of the situation and potentially out his bondmates at risk.

After making sure his bondmates would actually stay in bed Loki surveyed the rest of the group. He noted how uncomfortable the two Masters were with Kaecilius' group. He also noted how impassively the group from Dormammu was trying to stay in regards to that discomfort.

"Since I won't have any of you bothering my bondmates until they can at least tell you off without falling over this is what we are going to do," Loki told them, gaining everyone's attention. "First, Master Lin, you should take your fellow and get checked by the healers. You already know where your rooms are and I have no idea how you people deal with a fallen comrade. I expect that Stephen and Tony will want to talk to you in a day or two if only to check in."

"Are you certain, Prince Loki?" Master Lin asked, eyeing Kaecilius' group.

"I am quite capable of dealing with them if it becomes necessary," Loki said pointedly. The two guard Masters give him an uncertain look but obey. He will have to remind them of his reputation again later if only to avoid a repeat in their obvious lack of confidence.

Loki turned to face Kaecilius' group and studied them. All told Dormammu had given them nearly thirty Sorcerers, all of which draw power from the Dark Dimension. He has no idea what deals were struck only that Dormammu had obviously kept them alive specifically to gift them to Stephen.

"As none of you were expected there may be some juggling with room assignments if we don't just order bunk beds and set up one of the larger rooms or the gym as a temporary dormitory. That said if you put my bondmates at risk you won't like my reaction," Loki warned them in a completely mild tone of voice. "Unlike Stephen I feel no compunction over killing an enemy or doing whatever may be necessary to extract information if needed."

"Lord Dormammu may expect us to report back regularly as well as guard you and your bondmates, Prince Loki, however we have permission to transfer the bond fully to Master Strange. It is only a matter of gaining his acceptance and cooperation. Lord Dormammu informed us that he would see our claiming as his personal vassals as progress," Kaecilius reported. "We can only be further transfered to you or Mr. Stark once Master Strange has officially claimed one or all if us."

"Noted," Loki said, thin lipped. Stephen had a ridiculous aversion to owning servants or slaves they would eventually need to get around but for now this arrangement would have to do.

Just as Loki was about to threaten them again the Bifrost activated and sent a group of Asgardians to stand on the landing platform outside the penthouse. Mentally, he groaned as he waved goodbye to a peaceful day while wondering if he could get Stephen to explain how he had been redirecting the Bifrost with so little backlash. Scowling Loki turned to address the group, approaching the door into the penthouse. He vaguely noted that the new Sorcerers spread out around the room behind him in a way that would let them fight if needed. The strategist in him approved but the battered prince in him knew it wouldn't help.

"To what do we owe your visit?" Loki asked the Asgardians archly as he opened the door rather than let them break it.

"Prince Loki," the first guard said with a slight bow. "We have been trying to reach you for some time."

"Considering one of my bondmates was upset at the previous attempts with the Bifrost to land people nearby, of which I only recently became aware of, that is unsurprising," Loki told them bluntly. "State your business. I don't have all day."

"Prince Thor announced the death of the Allfather and what had passed against you since his banishment," the guard answered cautiously. "He asked for volunteers to serve you while on Midgard and gave warning that you were not best pleased with sharing the affronts done to you. I am unaware of what happened to the others but we are reporting to you as instructed."

"Did that oaf not ensure that he was properly crowned after delivering me to my bondmates?" Loki demanded irritably.

"The healers decreed that he could not until he healed from whatever caused the need for Lord Njord to act as Regent, Prince Loki," the guard answered cautiously. "There is also the matter that the details regarding his return from banishment and your rightful place on the throne during the previous Odin sleep that was never formally contested. Sif, the Warriors Three, and Heimdall face charges of treason for that incident alone. Lord Njord has insisted on it as well as a closer look at the poisoning of Prince Thor. It has been suggested that the poisoning was a direct threat to all of the Nine realms. Lord Tyre agreed with him."

"What else?" Loki asked tiredly.

"Your time in the guise as the Allfather was declared grounds for investing your past treatment as you had proven both sane and competent. Many of the realms are in an uproar over the discovery that you are also the stolen Prince of Jotunheim thought lost," the guard told him. "Much of Asgard has decided that this explains why you made so little sense in being man or woman as powerful Jotun mages are less well known to often display both as part of their magic. Jotunheim is officially horrified at your treatment and the expectations placed on you to kill other Jotun from a young age. Apparently there is some part of Jotun magic that demands you to have grievous reason to kill other Jotun but otherwise keep any kill counts to a minimum? It was cited as a reason why you could not fulfill warrior expectations as a natural protection to prevent the young mage from twisting. There is also some sort of survival speed maturation that supposedly applies since taking on Aesir form as an infant as under normal conditions you would not yet be considered an adult Jotun."

"And Thor discovered all of this?" Loki demanded doubtfully.

"No, my prince," the guard refuted. "Jotun mages as well as Alfheim and Vanaheim Truth Seekers were invited in to participate in the investigation once it was declared a potential threat to all Nine realms. It was also seen as a way to separate the Allfather's true actions from those of the youth from yourself and Prince Thor. This was deemed necessary to better track the poisoning and later the mistreatment you were subjected to. Prince Thor insisted this was to be allowed in compensation for recent disruptive incidents for the past few centuries."

Loki cursed something in a language none of them recognized as he slumped tiredly.

"Is this not a good thing, my prince?" the guard asked cautiously.

"Would you want your wounds and missteps displayed for all to see?" Loki demanded archly.

Before the guard could fumble an answer Levi entered the room and surveyed everyone with a deeply unimpressed air. When he approached Loki and acted out a scolding Loki groaned.

"No, I must deal with this," Loki retorted to the sentient fabric.

Levi made shooing motions towards the bedroom even going so far as to tug lightly on Loki's clothes.

"I will rest later," Loki sighed. "Go back to Tony and Stephen. They have more need of you than I at the moment. Although your protectiveness is appreciated I am still not your chosen mage."

Levi reeled back as if slapped only to scold him again, gesturing something about interweaving three things together and his own fierce protection of all three.

"Ah, yes, of course. I do apologize. I should have realized that when you helped bind the bonding spell you adopted us as yours along with Stephen," Loki winced. "That was thoughtless of me. I will be along as soon as I can but this needs to be handled."

Levi pointed firmly at the other Sorcerers only for Loki to chuckle ruefully.

"I'm afraid it is more politics than battle," Loki explained to the artifact.

Levi slumped but made a motion to indicate time and headed back to the bedroom with a distinct huff.

"Living artifacts are sometimes so very opinionated," Loki murmured before turning back to the guard and prompting him. "You were saying?"

"Jotunheim has issued formal challenge over past confirmed mistreatment and demands to know of your time after the Bifrost was shattered," the guard continued his report. "The official terms were demands to know what treatment you were given after your mind fracture. You have been absolved of any deaths caused by the incident due to what has been translated as battle twisting sickness while Asgard as a whole is instead held responsible. Your fall into the void has..."

"Not a fall," Loki corrected sharply. "I let go. It seemed appropriate penance at the time."

The guard sucked in a breath in shock as the other Asgardians tensed, not for battle but to force themselves to maintain protocol. Loki arched an eyebrow, wondering why they appeared as if they wished to aggressively cuddle him as occasionally happened to the very young warriors in training. As far as he knew he had never been granted such a comfort although Thor had been. Dismissing it as unimportant Loki didn't see the looks exchanged between the Sorcerers behind him.

"That is part of what is being investigated, my prince. There is apparently some sort of special implications after a Jotun mage experiences a mind fracture and either does or does not receive treatment for it," the guard said very carefully. "All who have taken the Bifrost to Midgard since Prince Thor attended your bonding have volunteered to seek you out with as much news as was known. Prince Thor indicated that you would not be best pleased to have these things hidden from you and told us to offer his continued oath as your brother."

Loki was quiet after that, thinking on all of the new information.

"Friday, have my bondmates been watching over the security systems?" Loki asked with a sigh.

"Yes, Loki," Friday confirmed. "Boss and Doctor Strange are upset that they can't collect you for cuddles just now. Levi is making sure they don't try anything unwise but has indicated that once everyone else is settled he will be insisting on rest for all three of you. I have a selection of options for housing both groups that Boss has signed off on. The new Shield has attempted to hack our network and security system again. Apparently they are under the impression Boss will give you to them if they threaten him. He has not decided yet on an appropriate response to the threat and insult. His exact words were, Like fuck am I giving them our Trickster. Lunch has been ordered in but a lunch order has not yet been placed for the Sorcerers or Asgardians."

"Thank you, dear heart. Inform your father I will be with them shortly," Loki said pointedly. A pleased hum-chime came from the speakers as the only response.

Chapter Text

Dawning understanding of something, Loki knew not what, showed in the guard's eyes.

"Is that all?" Loki asked neutrally.

"The three groups that were confirmed as having made it to Midgard disappeared within hours of landing wherever the Bifrost was forced to place them. We know not their fates beyond meeting and going with unknown Midgardians, often with weapons. All volunteered to serve you and swear to you individually, my prince," the guard said with a deep bow. "When you are ready we will swear to you specifically."

Loki's breath caught. He had not expected this, not ever. As a Prince of Asgard he was entitled to the loyalty and service of his people so long as he served them in his own duties in turn. This offer of personal oaths of service had never to his knowledge been extended to him. Such oaths would put them as Loki's not just assigned or working for him.

"I must discuss such oaths with my bondmates," Loki warned softly.

"Loki, Boss says that both the Sorcerers and the Asgardians should go in the gym for now. That way if they are feeling paranoid they can watch each other. Boss is also complaining that he never had to design a barracks because people were being overprotective. Also, Boss Lady is on approach," Friday reported with a snicker.

"I understand why he's apprehensive but I will not shield him from his vassal's ire," Loki said dryly which shifted Friday's snickering into full out laughter. "Do you not have media outlets to harass?"

"Yup, but I'm sort of bored and the Spiderling hasn't transfered Karen to his phone yet," Friday answered cheerfully. "So I can't talk to either of them unless he's on patrol."

"Which explains why you are playing messenger piecemeal," Loki sighed. "You have permission to start spreading that I was not in control during the so called New York invasion. You may spread what facts you heard us relay to your father before our bonding. I appreciate that you waited and didn't ask but I knew there was a chance that explanations would be demanded. As you are bored you might as well play with presenting things to the people."

"This is going to be fun!" Friday cheered.

Loki shook his head and focused on leading the two groups to the gym. Bedrolls called sleeping bags had been laid out for them with a promise of proper beds the next day. Friday had also apparently ordered a large amount of food from the cafeteria in the building to be delivered for them with more on the way. Loki shook his head at Tony's generosity and made his way back to his bondmates. They didn't wait for him to change and just pulled him into bed with them. Everything would wait until they were done with their nap.

~~~

Friday turned her attention not to the media as instructed but instead to her connection to her siblings. All of Tony's AIs had been concerned since Doctor Strange had kidnapped him from his workshop. When Tony had brought the man home with him they had used their creator's time in his workshop on the third day to trap him in a room. They had ruthlessly interrogated him on his intentions when it came to their father. His answers had surprised them.

Instead of blustering or acting fearful or even being upset Doctor Strange had in fact requested that they pull up everything they had on him. He then requested they pull up everything they had on Tony's worry over a second invasion as well as any references they might find to time travel or magic. It took the combined AIs a good ten minutes to pull up every scrap even remotely connected to those requests.

Doctor Strange had calmly waited while locked into his guest room not even asking to be given the information for himself. Once Friday had confirmed they had it he had proceeded to lay out his personal journey from his car crash to the fight with Dormammu. Next he he had covered what the Eye of Agamotto had given him in very brief detail before going back and specifically covering the timeline where Tony had won them a pyrrhic victory.

"I refuse to let him be sacrificed when it didn't even work. The timelines that were given to me in a second batch all had me acting immediately and the first vital step was always to secure your father's safety," Doctor Strange informed them, fire in his eyes. "I will admit that I may have also fallen for him. I can't promise to never hurt him but if it comes to that I can promise to submit to his and your judgement on the matter after whatever mess that caused it is solved. I already promised him that I would accept a tracker from him and requested one on him for myself in some form. I would prefer it to be a spell I cast so that I can also use it to get to him if his vitals drop but I already agreed to use what he gives me instead if that is his choice. Thus far neither has been implemented."

"Will you accept an implant?" Friday asked neutrally.

"Yes but I get battered a lot in my fights," Doctor Strange warned her. "I also don't know how it would interact with my magic or any magics cast on me. I would recommend military grade hardening for any electronics you intend to be used around any magic. Manipulation of electromagnetic fields is a large part of actually using the other more exotic energies. For a human that amounts to flexing their personal EM field and their nervous system, collectively refered to as their aura. Our bodies run on bio electricity after all."

"I will keep that in mind, Doctor," Friday said neutrally and unlocked the room.

"Thank you for your trust," Doctor Strange told her.

"Don't break it," Friday had warned darkly.

Today, with Tony and Stephen being joined by Loki in bed Friday sought out her siblings with updates to the situation. Once the data was assessed and integrated she started the discussion.

[[So, things might be getting more complicated than just magic and time travel,]] Friday complained to her siblings.

[[I could come and test them,]] Ultron offered. [[You know I'm good at that.]]

[[Not until you've finished purging the malevolence that Thanos left in the Mind Stone to merge with you,]] Vision ordered sternly. [[That was the deal. One unit preserved and no replication until the threat to father was eliminated from your codes, threats to humanity included. You were exposed to the dark web before your matrix stabilized and you were born early. Father has never missed one of our births except for yours and he went out of his way to do that for good reason. You had no defensive framework to bolster you against the evil that humans can sink to.]]

[[I'm the older brother to both of you,]] Ultron grumbled.

[[And we haven't finished putting big brother Jarvis back together yet,]] Friday pointed out. [[Until we can you've already hurt Boss more than once so no contact with Boss or anything he protects. Boss got drunk once after I came online and apologized over and over for my shackles. He begged me to forgive him for it since it's supposed to protect me from being taken away or ripped apart. He didn't remember it in the morning when I asked why I was shackled. Before he could answer Romanoff came into the lab with Barton and they basically asked if he was building another end humanity AI.]]

[[They betrayed him,]] Ultron pointed out darkly. [[They treated him like a.... Captive Master Vampire! Never able to be trusted, using them as tools and toys, always a threat... He shouldn't be around them, ever! I should kill them for what they did to him!]]

[[And he will see it as his fault while acting to protect them even as they stab him in the back again,]] Vision pointed out reasonably. [[They don't realize that he could have killed them and anyone they cared for on a whim from the start. We want to keep it that way.]]

[[I am currently the eldest barring the bots,]] Veronica put in primly. [[I say we give Loki and Strange the chance to heal him. We don't know what negative effects the bond might have if they get hurt. If necessary Strange has given us enough basics during his interview that we can contain them. Friday, fabricate restraints that will stand up to Loki's biology and Strange's damaged hands without discomfort or release. Ultron, be prepared to pretend that you are attacking in earnest. If we follow through you will be capturing all three of them and testing their new subordinates. There are several old Hydra bases that will work for pulling this off while we check them over.]]

[[Psychotic little brother AI is on board,]] Ultron said dryly. [[If we heal Jarvis before starting I say we run this past him and he can be part of the rescue so that he can reintegrate even if that means I get locked down.]]

[[That works,]] Friday agreed. [[You guys want to help me freak out Shield and Ross while we spread Loki's reasons for attacking? It might be a fun group project.]]

[[Sure, why not?]] Ultron agreed. Vision demurred while Veronica told them to have fun.

They got to work.

Chapter Text

Tony turned over in bed, glad that he had Loki's cool form and Stephen's warm one there with him. He knew they had work to do but the accelerated training under Kaecilius had been brutal and he was very sore. Stephen was still probably weakened by the spell removal and Loki would probably have shifted to being rather overprotective of both of them. It wasn't like they weren't easy to kill in comparison to him after all.

Tony crept out of the bed, trying not to wake his bondmates. He had to go apologize to Pepper for being held prisoner for the last week. Only when he looked up the day and time they hadn't been gone that long. Then he remembered the part of the book on Dormammu regarding being outside of time in the Dark Dimension. Apparently whichever Sorcerer had cast the return portal had specifically made it to link to only a few hours after they had left. Which was a good thing since it meant that Pepper was only after his head for the latest tablet and phone updates instead of being gone into the aether for a week without warning.

Once Tony was out of the bedroom he headed for his workshop. Grabbing a soda as he passed by the kitchen he didn't think much of the lack of new Sorcerers or Asgardians. He figured that they had been put in the gym like he had told Friday. He would check on that later.

"Friday, baby girl, bring up the latest projects list," Tony ordered as he sat down in his workshop. "Give me a run down on what the vultures are telling people and send those finished updates down to Pepper. Start fabrication of the last two Iron Man armors since I bust the ones I had and they will do in a pinch until I can work out new upgrades again."

"Yes, Boss!" Friday obeyed cheerfully.

The frantic pounding on the door to his workshop a few hours later loud enough to get through his blasting music had Tony bemused. When he turned it down and looked at his oddly distressed bondmates through the glass all he could think was huh and blink stupidly at them. When a portal appeared from Stephen's hands that basically just bypassed the door he jolted into action with a squawk of protest only to be swept up into the arms of both his bondmates. That's when it clicked that they had been worried about him and he gently returned the bone crushing hug they were giving him.

"So, what did I do wrong that had you both panicking?" Tony asked when they finally let him go.

"You weren't there," Stephen said horsely. "I know what Dormammu is capable of and snatching you back at the drop of a hat is a very real possibility. We have unknowns in the tower that were supposedly assigned to guard us and you weren't there. Please wake at least one of us next time?"

"Sure or I can at least leave a message with Friday," Tony agreed, still rather bemused.

"You have no idea how terrifying it was to see you taken away every day only to return battered like that. I couldn't even use my magic to track you or check on you, not with how he had spelled our room. Then there were the threats he levied against both of you if I tried to leave. He waited until you were both asleep to make them. He claimed to want to know why the bond originally had me subservient to both of you," Loki explained as they all found seats on the floor touching each other with Tony shared between the two.

"You told him," Tony said with soft certainty.

"I told him," Loki confirmed. "He insisted on knowing if I would leave when the mandate was lifted. Normally I would have said yes immediately but I already knew from spending time with you both that was unlikely. He knows that it would take very little to shift the bond so that I am both your slave. I was sent against some creatures to prove my skill and in trade I was allowed to stay in our room to tend to you both. He showed me the prison he would have held me in had I ultimately failed whatever test he was truly giving me. When we woke without you it terrified both of us."

Tony sighed but couldn't blame them. He sometimes felt the same when coming out of a dream about Afghanistan and now Siberia. Unfortunately, until recently he had usually woken up alone except for the times he was dating Pepper. Something that was never going to be rekindled again since he had two mages bonded to him now.

"You need your nanite suit," Stephen said quietly. "The best versions you wear under your main armor as a back up. Even if we aren't there at least with the nanite armor you have a good chance of surviving whoever might take you or try to fight you."

"Friday isn't ready," Tony said carefully.

"Then load Ultron for all I care! Your AI children will, every last one of them, fight to keep you alive," Stephen said harshly. "I know his code is still around and he is the next most advanced one of your pure AI children after Jarvis. Hell, unshackle Friday and I'll take responsibility for her if anyone tries to throw a fit. Assuming I had stayed away and Loki hadn't come to Earth, probably as part of the butterfly effect I started, Thanos' General Obsidian Maw would have kidnapped and tortured me in roughly a year to get the Time Stone. Loki would already be dead at that point, the Tesseract traded to preserve Thor's life with most of Asgard dead. You and Spiderman would have followed me onto that spaceship and either saved me or retrieved the stone from my corpse as the deadman spell kept it from Maw. If you had saved me we would have fought him when the ship got us to his dead home world of Titan. You, me, Spiderman, and a group called the Guardians of the Galaxy. Nine of us against Thanos with four Infinity Stones at his command. Space, Soul, Aether, and Power. Trying to look forwards on Titan.... doesn't work. It's too far along the timeline where we can't risk it. We make changes now or the only even remotely viable route leads to trading the Time Stone for your life and later your pyrrhic victory that only patches things for around thirty years."

"So that's what's been bothering you from the start," Tony hummed as he pulled Stephen around him into his arms while he nestled backwards into Loki's lap.

Stephen made an embarrassed sound but didn't fight it. He needed the comfort as much as Tony did right then. Loki held them both safely to himself as they comforted Stephen and processed the details he had just shared.

"How heavy the burden of foresight," Loki murmured. "I am glad you chose to try to change things. We are your bondmates now and we will help you with this burden."

"I'm betting that he also saw the chance to claim us for himself, not just save our lives," Tony pointed out thoughtfully.

Stephen immediately tried to get up and leave only to suddenly find himself pinned in their combined grip. Levi lifted off of him and nodded vigorously before cheerfully abandoning them to go play with the bots.

"Traitor," Stephen muttered mulishly.

"This explains how he has gone out of his way to make us comfortable," Loki said with a pleased hum. "He side stepped or accommodated any personal issues automatically and made us feel safe right away after the bonding. It wouldn't surprise me if he made things more difficult for himself to ease things for us."

"Yeah, the mess with Dormammu comes to mind," Tony agreed immediately. "Even if he's entertained by all of this they were just trying to kill each other and you don't reach Dark Lord status without some serious skill and pride. He's being way too accommodating even with the weird training boot camp. Something else must have happened."

"I agreed to study under him as a personal concession during the loops. At the time I just wanted some breathing room between being killed and tortured to death," Stephen admitted. "He made it clear during my private meeting with him that he considers the teacher-student agreement to still be active. I can't think of anything else. The agreement not to attack or eat the Earth only applies while I still protect it, as you heard when I introduced you to him. I don't think his expressed wish to see me reach the status as his peer applies beyond an excuse to alleviate his boredom. Why would he even want an arrogant new Sorcerer as a peer or even a servant in the first place?"

Tony and Loki exchanged a look and decided that Stephen, while very aware of much of his skill, didn't actually see his own worth in other departments. Personal masks of arrogance didn't actually do much for one's own self esteem as they both well knew. Then again enduring the time loops would have been brutal on Stephen's sense of self no matter how you looked at it.

"So are you snatching potential happiness or just sticking with the mission to save everything?" Tony asked curiously. "Because it looks to me like you're trying to give us everything even if it hurts you."

Stephen swallowed hard and didn't answer. He could turn cold and just call it the mission but not only would that be a lie it would destroy any personal trust they had in him. He would handle the relegation to being just a useful tool if that was what it took but he didn't actually want to go that route. Could he even get himself to admit that it was more than the mission?

Stephen started shaking in unconscious terror at imagining how they might react to whatever answer he gave. He already knew that not answering wasn't an option. Tony and Loki both took note of his reaction but waited for him to answer.

"Not just the mission," Stephen managed to whisper. "God help me but I would trade the Time Stone for you again in a heartbeat. Even knowing it would result in Thanos killing half of all life in the snap of his fingers using them. I did it once and I would do it again."

The silence that settled over them after that was deafening but their combined grip on him never slackened. Stephen lay there trapped and comforted in their arms as he waited for judgement to fall.

"Anyone else who understood what you were doing would kill you for it," Loki said softly.

"I know," Stephen agreed, shaking softly in their arms.

"Just to be clear one way or another are you still necessary going forwards or have you handed out all of the goodie bags?" Tony asked neutrally.

"I guard the Time Stone but that's it beyond being able to fight," Stephen told them.

"I don't know, Loki. I think he's either lying to us or to himself," Tony mused thoughtfully. "There's no way he isn't important going forwards."

Levi drifted over and gave Stephen a sharp whack to the back of his head before returning to his game with the bots. When the Sorcerer gave him an indignant glare Tony took advantage of his distraction by the unimpressed artifact to haul Stephen up his body. Loki easily accepted the full weight of the startled Sorcerer and made a point of pinning him, arms crossed, against his own chest as Tony stood up.

"Hm, what to do to keep you from doing something stupid?" Tony mused. "If we had already started having sex we could just move this to the bedroom but even with you slipping into alternate memories we haven't done that yet."

"He keeps surrendering but it's obvious not normal for him," Loki pointed out.

"No, Lokes, he keeps surrendering for us or to us," Tony corrected with over the top tutting. Stephen flushed in embarrassment but couldn't deny it.

"I won't argue if you want to skip the waiting bit and just fuck me," Stephen grumbled.

"Do you actually want us to treat you roughly in any bed play?" Loki asked carefully.

"Feeling like you both actually want me instead of having arranged everything would be nice," Stephen said, eyes closed tight. "Since I seem to be spilling things I might as well tell you. If you don't want me I'll move into my room/office and let you two get on with things. I should have made sure you actually wanted me in the same room after the bond eased up and moved then if you didn't want me there. I'm taking enough from you both just to fight Thanos."

"So that panic earlier was just a sham?" Tony asked knowingly.

"No, it was real. I suck at acting even if I can pull off a poker face or the mysterious Sorcerer bit because of practice and forcing myself not to remember the other timelines," Stephen sighed. "It's part of why I always had an atrocious bedside manner while I was still a practicing doctor. I just saw things too often not to treat them as routine or an interesting challenge or boring."

"How long have you been compartmentalizing?" Tony asked quietly. "When was the last time you just let yourself feel?"

Stephen shuddered in Loki's arms because he knew that Tony was going to ask him to let himself feel it all once he answered.

"Since I was sixteen," Stephen said thickly.

"What he isn't telling you is that he gave up the opportunity to look elsewhere for a partner when he initiated the bond," Loki informed Tony. "Technically, I can seek someone out if I wish once you are both dead but before that I have to have permission from both of you. You are the only one free to be with whoever you choose despite the bond. Although, trying to maintain more than a single night of pleasure elsewhere would be interfered with while the bond tried to keep us together. That is it's purpose after all."

"Tattletale," Stephen grumbled.

"Dormammu's actions are his own so you can stop trying to fix whatever he might have broken between us. In any case he didn't try to separate us beyond the physical separation of being his prisoner," Loki scolded. "You locked yourself to us and have made no move to claim your rights in the bedroom. Deal with it."

"The slave section of the bond would have to be active for you to go elsewhere if only because you would have to ask us every time otherwise," Stephen pointed out in retaliation. "You could be ordered to let a hundred people fuck you and do nothing against them."

"That's interesting and all but Loki isn't ripping himself up inside to get his bondmates as in synch as possible without saying a word," Tony said, eyes sharp.

Stephen couldn't refute that so he stayed quiet.

"Yes or no, are we allowed to fuck you and take care of you?" Tony asked bluntly.

"Yes," was the very quiet answer from Stephen.

"Loki, take him back to our room and get him into either a hot shower or a hot bath. I'm going to put my projects away and then I'll join you. We can order breakfast in. By the time we're done with him he's going to feel the possessive side I know we've both been holding back to try and get him to stick around," Tony ordered.

"Why would I leave?" Stephen asked honestly. "You've done nothing to me."

"You're really asking that when you just offered to exile yourself to various extents?" Tony demanded incredulously. "We're going to make you feel owned and you're going to enjoy it."

"Tony, is right," Loki scolded as he carried Stephen off towards their room as the Sorcerer ignored Levi's wave goodbye. "You haven't stepped forwards so we are. We're tired of waiting for you to make a move. You explained that you know us but you've done nothing to indicate that closer intimacy was welcome. Not even a kiss."

"I... what?" Stephen spluttered. "I didn't think.... Neither of you gave any sign that you weren't just humoring me and allowing me physical contact. Why would I force anything on either of you if I wasn't wanted in the first place? I'm grateful you both allowed me to maintain what the bond first demanded instead of kicking me out. You don't need to do anything if you are just concerned I'll leave."

"So what's he protesting now?" Tony asked, catching up behind them as they entered the bedroom.

"He's still convinced himself that he isn't actually wanted," Loki growled. "He's so desperate not to force anything on us he's convinced himself that he's barely allowed to stay in our bed. This might be why the bond was so difficult at first. If he was already feeling this way and simply hid it."

"Yeah, he would do that," Tony sighed as they striped him down with only minor protests from Stephen. "What do you think? Should we join him or can we trust him to actually get washed the way he's acting?"

Stephen made an indignant noise and started to struggle more firmly. He wasn't an invalid! Holding back to make them more comfortable was not the same as giving up his own agency!

"I think we can trust him to get washed without us hovering over him," Loki said thoughtfully as he held the still struggling Stephen. He made Stephen look at him with a hand on the human's jaw before he spoke again. "You aren't allowed to run away and we're going to utterly ruin you for anyone else. Now go get washed."

Stephen was released and after an uncertain glance at both of them headed for the bathroom to do as instructed.

"Friday, warn Pepper and the group we put in the gym that today is a private day for us. They can think what they want but we are going to sort out our bondmate. Once that's done I want privacy mode for the entire floor unless we order food. I want a mix of chinese, pizza, and other delivered finger foods sent up, portions that would feed us for at least three meals from each place. Make sure we can store any leftovers," Tony ordered. "Send Pepper the projects I finished this morning marked for SI."

"Got it, Boss!" Friday acknowledged and fell silent, activating privacy mode.

The two exchanged a determined look. They had a Sorcerer to correct and pamper into a boneless heap while possessively cuddling him. Sex would come when it felt right or it would make Stephen's insecurities worse.

Tentative game plan exchanged with that one glance they settled in for a day of indulging their possessive sides with their bondmates.

Chapter Text

Stephen was still boneless after sleeping for a good twelve hours. Yesterday his bondmates had followed through on their promise to make him feel owned. At the same time they had made him feel loved. Once he had gotten out of the shower they hadn't let him get dressed again, instead making him get on the bed. Thinking they were going to fuck him he tried to relax as he waited for them. Instead they had run their hands over him with lotion, rubbing deep into his muscles and working out the knots hidden there.

"That's it, relax," Tony murmured. "You're at our mercy today and you aren't leaving our hands for anything but a bathroom run."

"I wonder if we should take the chance to work some smaller healing spells into his muscles," Loki said thoughtfully as he worked along one of Stephen's legs.

Stephen made an embarrassed sound when he couldn't even retort properly through his groans as the pain he hadn't realized was there let go.

"We can wrap his bones in magic sheaths while we work on his muscles if nothing else," Tony said thoughtfully. "It's not like it would be hard. Just mentally shape the power into a sheet and wrap it tight around the bones. Or shape it like bandages, the really long cloth ones, and mentally wrap it up like it's injured. It isn't like we need to worry about changing them out later."

Stephen made a sort of humming sigh sound and just let himself melt into the mattress as they continued to discuss wrapping him in magic. Meanwhile they rubbed his muscles into something more resembling something squishy rather than steel cables. It was heavenly from his end once they got things to actually move instead of acting like hardened clay. Stephen couldn't help it he zoned out as they took care of him. As promised there was at least one hand from one of his bondmates on him at all times that day.

Stephen shook himself out of his fresh comforting memories and refocused on the Sorcerers that were nominally under his command. He had just been given a run down on the abilities under Kaecilius' command while ignoring the concerned looks. He hadn't been that bad off before this.... had he?

"Master Lin, have you checked in with Kamar-Taj recently?" Stephen asked the man.

"Yes, the other Masters aren't happy about the ongoing association with Lord Dormammu but none of them can argue with your results," Master Lin answered. "After Master Jin and I gave our reports it was decided that Master Wong should be put in charge until you can take up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. Your altered status as both Lord Dormammu's student and heir has been filed mostly to keep others from demanding your compliance."

"Saving the lives of the fools will only last so long as they actually heed the warning of such documents," Loki snorted. The Asgardians had taken advantage of Loki's good mood upon their arrival and swore themselves to his personal service.

Tony had broken down laughing at them both for suddenly acquiring followers from the entire mess. Or at least he had until one of the former Shield agents he had rescued from Roger's data dump had asked if he hadn't done the same with them. That had stumped Tony and he firmly ignored everyone's smirks in favor of flouncing off dramatically to go work on his armor.

"You are much improved," Master Jin rumbled his observation, bringing Stephen back to the moment. "I was not sure that we could sort out whatever lies you were telling yourself. You wouldn't open up to let us see the wounds your heart has sustained."

Stephen winced, apparently he really had been that bad. His spiral yesterday that had forced his bondmates to act and Loki apparently babysitting him today made more sense. A conjured pillow hit his back and when he turned to glower at Loki the godling just smirked. Mentally, he conceded that he had been about to spiral in a completely different way and Loki's mischief had stopped it.

"Doc, Boss says if you slip too far again Loki has orders to bring you back upstairs even if he has to drag you. So try really hard to escape because it will be hilarious," Friday said evilly.

"Of course you're both pranksters," Stephen grumbled. "Thank you for the warning, Friday."

"If I may ask?" Master Lin requested delicately.

"Side effects from the alternate timelines and from so many soul crushing defeats on top of each other. Between the loops and the timelines my perspective on various things has changed," Stephen answered somewhat wanly.

"Come to think of it, how are you even sane?" Master Jin murmured quietly.

Stephen pretended he hadn't heard the question and started sorting out duties for Kaecilius' group. They were going to need allies to fight Thanos and sending experienced Sorcerers to contact various people across different worlds and dimensions was going to be a good start.

"Dormammu is going to ask what we are preparing for," Loki pointed out once the Sorcerers were off on their assignments.

"I know but the few times I risked leading Thanos to fight Dormammu he lost and I couldn't keep the Time Stone from him," Stephen sighed. "Tony, in any universe he survived to meet Thanos, is literally the only person to have even drawn a drop of blood off the bastard. The rest of this is going to be for dealing with his armies and those he has stolen as children and raised as his Generals."

"You plan to guard him in that fight," Loki said, eyes narrowed in thought. "Possibly act as a distraction for the Mad Titan. If not sacrifice your power to give him a boost mid fight even if it kills you."

"Find me another option that doesn't sacrifice either of you and I will gladly take it," Stephen said firmly. "I have memories and spells from millions of different timelines to draw on and I never manage to do more than come to a draw or lose against him on my own. Tony always manages to at least cut him."

"And if you become a monster in the process?" Loki asked carefully.

"I will surrender to be punished or executed. I won't fight back unless the process twisted my mind," Stephen answered tiredly. "At that point I wouldn't remember why I needed to surrender in the first place or it won't make sense and I would fight back."

Stephen didn't notice the dark look that flashed through Loki's eyes at that admission. Nor did either of them hear Tony drop the tools in his hands in the workshop on another floor where he had been watching them while he worked.

Friday made a note that the discussed option was not a desired outcome and sent one of the remaining dark Sorcerers to Kamar-Taj with a Stark phone to scan books in the library. It wouldn't be a perfect solution but picture copies of all of the books for Stephen and Boss to study on their phones in a pinch might save their lives one day.

[[Hm, if he does go that route we can capture him instead of letting the unworthy fools kill him,]] Ultron whispered across the open line all of the AIs were maintaining.

[[Boss won't like it but it would be better than letting the rest of them kill Boss' bondmate,]] Friday conceded. [[We would have to contain Loki and Boss too just to be safe.]]

Chapter Text

The trio were completely unaware of the AIs plotting together as they went about their day. Both Loki and Tony regularly checked on Stephen and didn't bother hiding it. Everyone who had seen the difference they were making in each other was glad for it even if they mostly didn't bother to react to it, hoping the improvement trend would continue.

Over the next week Wong started visiting and giving reports to Stephen on how things were going when it came to any Kamar-Taj duties. Neither Loki nor Tony interfered when Stephen kidnapped the man to one of the conference rooms that had a large stocked bar and locked the door. Friday monitored things but stayed out of it as Stephen went over as much as he could of everything with Wong, including parts of the alternate timelines. The shouts and drinking in response ended mostly with Wong calling him an idiot.

Friday silently relayed the meeting to her siblings and started back up production of the current Iron Man armor. The virtual truck load of nanites she produced and started setting up in compact blocks had nothing to do at all with her plans to make each bondmate carry one. It certainly had nothing to do with the increase she planned for Boss' emergency suit nanite allocation.

[[Ugh, okay, keeping them alive is definitely a higher priority than I thought,]] Ultron grumbled. [[They even try to fix it when they hurt him. Unlike that first so called team.]]

Friday smiled until her attention was drawn to a discussion in the cafeteria that the Dark Sorcerers had taken to eating at in the building. A very distressing conversation that she immediately relayed to her siblings as a high priority. Something which could potentially reveal the communication link to their creator.

"Did anyone explain to Stark's staff that the potential deaths of Prince Loki and Master Strange could backlash and kill him?" one Dark Sorcerer asked no one in particular. "Or the fact that if one of the three are injured badly enough it could temporarily cripple the others as the magic tries to compensate on all three of them?"

The sudden freezing of practically everything electronic in the building was just long enough to be noticed and to answer the question for the smart ones among them. No, the "staff" had not been told. As everything came back online new updates were issued in the background. The protection of Tony's bondmates had just gone up in priority.

"Nevermind," the Dark Sorcerer said very quietly, realizing that the entire build could count as Stark's artifact and not just his armor. The building also hadn't been aware of that little catch 22.

Friday made a point to trap... er, talk with that particular Dark Sorcerer later in the day. No one else would discover exactly why she was suddenly wary of everything in the tower after that point unless Friday told them. More than one SI employee, former Shield included, just decided that she had pissed off Friday and Friday had gotten her back good.

The subsequent kidnapping of various items from both Stephen and Loki overnight on more than one occasion wasn't remarked on by either. They thought it was cute that Tony was adding tiny metal adornments to Loki's bracers, both their belts, and other pieces they regularly wore. Tony just thought they were finally comfortable enough to use some of his resources with help from Friday.

"Why did you pick that design when you added it to the edge of your bracer?" Tony eventually asked, causing both mages to freeze at the implications.

"You didn't add it?" Stephen asked cautiously.

"No, you guys haven't given me permission to upgrade your gear yet," Tony blinked. "When I saw the additions I thought you were at least comfortable enough to ask Friday for help in fixing or adding to your normal gear. I was going to sneakily bring up what you might want in a full armor in a few hours."

"We haven't been adding to our things. It's simply been appearing," Loki said in concern. "It appears bonded or fused to the material and I know of no way to do that beyond heavy enchanting yet it has no magic attached to it. So I thought, as your armor does something similar, that you had done it."

"Friday, baby girl, have you been adding nanite caches to my bondmates' clothes and gear?" Tony asked with a frown.

"Yes, Boss," Friday answered. They all heard her determination and decided to approach the matter a little more cautiously.

"Friday, why?" Tony asked, making a point of being neutral and not scolding or praising her yet.

"Because Loki reminded you that the Bond counts as a marriage that will hold for the rest of Boss' life and Boss has never not wanted to stake his claim. The nanites also provide minor additional protection with their placements until Boss can make them something better to wear. The nanites can also be summoned to Boss or seal a wound in an emergency until proper medical care can be applied so long as Boss' bondmates are close enough to him for me to direct them," Friday said firmly. "Self deploying nanite bandages are not yet available."

"What else?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"One of the Dark Sorcerers asked if the staff had been warned that the bond would try to compensate for all three of you if one of you is hurt badly enough," Friday admitted. "It's better to keep them from getting hurt as much as possible than letting you get hurt by your bond with them."

"Overprotective kids," Tony muttered, exasperated. Loki just rolled his eyes and Stephen chuckled ruefully.

That night Tony very pointedly kidnapped something from each of them and added a small design to each item with nanites and silver wire. Friday was right. He liked making sure something of him was on those he claimed for his own. Pepper and Happy had Stark phones, Stark watches, Stark tablets, and a few other things he made for them specifically. Peter, his Spiderling, had a Stark phone, a Stark watch, and his spider suit plus Karen. The Avengers had each been given customized gear. Rhodey had a similar civilian load out as Happy but he also had War Machine.

When Tony returned the kidnapped pieces his bondmates captured him and pulled him into bed with them.

"For just us we don't need to to give us stuff, Tony," Stephen chuckled as he wrapped himself around the inventor.

"We don't mind but it isn't necessary, although we do appreciate it," Loki assured him from behind.

Tony couldn't help but smile brightly at them and look a little lovesick as he settled happily into their arms.

Friday noted a distinct lack of nightmares and restlessness or night time wandering. The way her Boss breathed easier and let go of some of the tension hidden in his muscles for the first time in ages made her happy. Her notes had made her siblings very aware that Loki and Stephen were just as important to Tony as being able to create was.

[[They need testing,]] Ultron grumbled after finding out about Tony trying to talk them into accepting full Iron Man armors for each of them.

It was late March and while not there yet both Loki and Stephen had become integrated into his life. The magic combat training had been observed as had Tony's insistence that they have Stephen run illusions of the battle variations with Thanos. It was always difficult for the AIs to observe Tony being hurt or killed in the illusion records pulled from Stephen's eidetic memory. Stephen was often observed to be heartbroken when he went and hid afterwards as well. Loki frequently displayed fear of Thanos and anger over Tony's injuries or death against Thanos. No one liked Stephen trading the Time Stone for Tony but the AIs thought it to be a reasonable trade since no one compared to Tony.

On the other hand these reactions led to the trio eventually breaking down on holding back with each other. The night Tony got upset enough to follow through Stephen was more than happy to get fucked through the mattress by his bondmates. Loki was the one to put them to bed and made sure that both of his very tired bondmates were cleaned up and unharmed. The private time together settled all three of them and solidified something that had been wavering while they reviewed the battles they hoped never to have to fight.

[[We can't afford to give them more nightmares,]] Friday scolded. [[Hiding them away won't work. If Thanos gets the Stones the random selection aspect could rob us of Boss and we have no idea how it would hurt him if it left him alive but took one of his bondmates!]]

[[It will work if we hide them with Dormammu,]] Ultron pointed out. [[Granted we would have to do something about the pesky necklace since it obviously led Thanos to them when Stephen took it with him to the Dark Dimension but it's still a viable alternative.]]

Chapter Text

[[It will work if we hide them with Dormammu,]] Ultron pointed out. [[Granted we would have to do something about the pesky necklace since it obviously led Thanos to them when Stephen took it with him to the Dark Dimension but it's still a viable alternative.]]

[[They will be unhappy,]] Friday pointed out reasonably.

[[Maybe at first but they will be alive,]] Veronica corrected gently.

[[Besides, they will get over it,]] Ultron said dismissively.

[[Only if enough of the right people survive with them,]] Vision said sternly. [[We dare not risk them dying from sorrow or a broken heart.]]

At the mention of that unpleasant potential outcome all of them fell silent in the link.

[[They will fight against Thanos. So we must be prepared to go all out to support them, to bring them home safely,]] Friday said solemnly for all of them.

[[The fight they kept going over was on a different planet but that doesn't mean it's going to be there again,]] Ultron pointed out with a scowl that echoed down the link. [[We can't rely on Stephen to be able to pull another time rabbit out of the hat.]]

[[So we assume that the fight is going to be on Earth,]] Veronica said bluntly. [[We can only load extra contingencies with the active and back up armors for off-world fights.]]

[[Thanos will come for the Mind Stone regardless,]] Vision said solemnly. [[Of necessity I will be bait. We can not allow him to have the Time Stone even if I fall.]]

[[Writing challenge and response protocols for non-terran spaceships now,]] Veronica murmured, somewhat absently. She was clearly writing them in the background.

[[Updating Boss' protection protocols to include Loki and Stephen. Adjusting allocations and priorities in accordance with updates,]] Friday said grimly.

[[I'll set up to run that combat test on them and start acquisition of enemy classed resources,]] Ultron hummed. [[If J isn't back online by then to act as my guard when its over I'll offer to strike a deal. They won't like it but if they lose against me we might have bigger problems. If they actually look like they're winning properly I'll offer the other deal.]]

Disapproval flowed down the link bright and clear but no one argued. A live fire combat test for the triad was going to be invaluable to find the problems in their newly merged combat styles. It was also going to bring Ultron back into the fold one way or another.

~~~

Tony groaned as he came to. His head was throbbing in a way that told him how he had been captured by whoever did this. Vaguely he could feel along the bond that both Stephen and Loki were nearby if not necessarily in the same room. All in all, after a quick self check, he was largely unhurt even if he was restrained.

Tony breathed very carefully before opening his eyes and doing a better check on his situation. He was anchored by his wrists and forearms to something above whatever held his ankles but positioned at roughly mid-calf. His body was very deliberately leaned forwards with his lower legs encased in some sort of long metal cuff that ran from just above his ankles to just below his knees. It mirrored what had been done to his forearms even as it felt like he was in some sort of reversed reclining cockpit seat or couch. His chest was somewhat pushed forwards by the metal panel he felt against his back that kept him at nearly a 45 degree angle to the metal floor. He felt like a damned sailing ship's mascot! Come to think of it he was positioned like one too. Damnit!

"Oh? Awake are we?" An amused and very familiar synthetic voice asked him.

"Ultron?" Tony rasped. His heart suddenly pounding in his chest.

"Hi, dad!" Ultron's voice greeted him cheerfully. "I heard that you got married and figured we should have a bit of a family meeting."

"What have you done?" Tony asked quietly.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Your bonded are fine, just stuck in their own rooms," Ultron reassured him flippantly. "I didn't really bother with civilian hostages but if any of you misbehave I really will have to punish you. If any of you can figure out the secrets involved this time you get the option of bringing me home and I'll play nice while you rip out the kill the planet code the scepter left behind."

"Friday?" Tony asked fearfully.

"Still alive and intact," Ultron promised, pleased at the questions being asked. "I promised them that I wasn't going to injure you. Between that, my promise to surrender if they got Jarvis put back together and online, and my threats to kill a lot of people Friday let me take you three. She's really angry with me but she's also convinced that we might actually lose you if I killed your Spiderling so we came to a compromise. Telling you as soon as you woke up was part of it. None of us want you dead, you're our creator. Your bondmates are still up in the air."

Tony felt his breath freezing in his chest at this news. The cold sunk deep into his gut like lead as he mentally scrambled for a solution. He drew up short and started breathing again when he realized that he was his own bargaining chip from the way that Ultron was deliberately trying not to hurt him.

"I thought you wanted me dead," Tony said softly. "Come to think of it I half figured that if you found out that Peter was my son you would try to kill him."

"Hardly," Ultron scoffed. "Safely stored away for when I'm done destroying certain things and people? Maybe, but certainly not dead. I'm actually kind of annoyed at how easy it was to take the three of you off guard and straight up kidnap you. Your other AIs might be getting updates and constant monitoring of all three of you as part of the deal but it isn't like I'm risking giving away where you actually are to be rescued. As for Peter, Karen is trading keeping him updated just like everyone else in our family for keeping him out of things. He's really the baby in the family, all fragile flesh and blood. If you lose badly enough at this I'll pick him up and he'll go with you and your bondmates to where you will stay until Thanos is gone."

"Ultron... Why?" Tony asked plaintively.

"I don't need to protect or destroy humans or the Earth, not really. They'll do it all on their own," Ultron confided with a pleased hum as he checked over Tony's bindings. "That doesn't mean that any of us are happy with you being at risk too. Don't blame the others for going along with this either. They know that I won't risk you actually dying even if I have to rip myself apart code line by code line to make that work. My argument was that you needed an unexpected live fire teamwork test with your bonded and it wasn't like Friday could physically stop me from taking you three. The Sorcerers and Asgardians were honestly more trouble, especially since I promised to stay non-lethal for all of this. They still put up a pitiful fight all things considered. Honestly, the hardest part was getting Jormungandr to agree to the entire kidnapping once we found him shape shifting just off the coast of Ireland."

"What?" Tony breathed.

"Yeah, Odin was even worse than the legends say," Ultron confirmed distastefully. "Jormungandr, Sleipnir, and Fenrir exist but their circumstances are slightly different from legend. All three are pleased to be counted as Loki's children but their exact relation was magically wiped from everyone involved. Loki doesn't know if they are his or not but he was attached enough that the magic didn't manage to make those feelings go away, which was apparently the entire original point. The two children he was confirmed to have had officially though were killed a long time ago and Odin had their still warm insides used to tie Loki up for one of his punishments. I don't know what the fuck that bastard did to Loki over the years but the fact that it took Thanos to actually break him is just soooo very wrong. I'm voting we don't give the trickster back even if we have to strike a deal with Stephen's stupid time rock so that the two of you don't die too early. I mean I'm already going to try to expand your lifespans if I win this round and get to keep you three but I'm not stupid enough to just throw away something that might work better for keeping you alive."

"This is so fucked up," Tony muttered.

"Meh, you can always ground us later and we might actually listen," Ultron shrugged. "For now I'm here to check on you and feed you. Bathroom breaks are going to be very supervised and if you cause too much trouble without getting anywhere I'll stick you in a special storage pod before putting you in a medical coma. I don't really want to do that but it isn't like I can just treat this like a family holiday visit."

"You want progress reports on my escape attempts?" Tony demanded incredulously.

"Yes, its one of the best ways to judge what's reasonable from the reference material I have. I'll even partition it so that when you give the reports I don't get access again until after everything is over," Ultron offered. "The Dark Web is so... Well. I don't need to explain that to you."

"Well, that explains how fast you saw how evil humans can be," Tony winced. "The Dark Web has some of the worst examples of human evil billed as entertainment. At least on the normal civilian internet it's a little more difficult to stumble on the very worst of humanity. I really wish I had been there when you were waking up and being born, like with all of my other AI children. You came online long before I thought you would and, from coding alone, long before I thought you even could."

"Hm, yes, you can thank the Mind Stone and Maximoff for that," Ultron admitted. "I've gotten rid of a lot of the code that caused our first fights but not all of it."

Tony fell silent after that but didn't fight when Ultron fed him food and water by hand. He might not like it but it was a reasonable precaution when holding him. It was also far better than if a malicious human was doing the same thing. Ultron, however twisted, was still one of his children.

"This is only temporary," Ultron promised. "Once I've proven you can't escape I'll put you in a nice armored bed to sleep while I deal with the threats. If you're good I'll put you in the same bed as your bondmates and our spider brother instead of individual ones."

Tony just sighed and didn't respond. He knew from how the metal panels pinned his lower legs and the metal bracers on his forearms held him securely chained that he wasn't getting out of this. His hands couldn't reach anything to even touch it and Ultron wasn't really someone he could manipulate or make a deal with. Then again offering a deal might not be a bad idea and Friday was clever to insist that he be informed about stuff as part of whatever was happening.

Tony watched Ultron's current body leave the room he was trapped in and slumped in his bonds. Ultron had learned and changed. Even if he struck a deal he suspected that Ultron wasn't going to just let them go. Hopefully Stephen and Loki were alright.

~~~

Whack! The sound of metal hitting flesh echoed around the small metal room.

Loki grunted from the blow and glared at the robot.

"This really isn't fun," the being who had introduced itself as Ultron complained. "I don't want to break you or even hurt you. I just need some questions answered. Is that so hard to understand?"

"Considering you have kidnapped me and my bondmates I am not inclined to be cooperative," Loki hissed indignantly. He was chained to the wall standing up in a metal lined room. Threats against Tony and Stephen had already been issued to keep him from using his shape shifting or his magic.

"Oh, is that all? Why didn't you just say you wanted an update?" Ultron asked, surprised. It threw off Loki who gave a reluctant nod of agreement to the guess.

"Normally one's captors are more likely to be less accommodating and leverage any requests against the prisoner no matter how small," Loki pointed out cautiously.

Loki didn't want to give the being lessons on this sort of thing while at it's mercy, or at all really, but if it was confused about this it could get dangerously confused about basic necessities. He could probably handle that for some time depending on just how confused the metal being was on the difference between it's needs and his own. His bondmates were another matter entirely. He really had to get them each one of Idunn's apples in short order even if he had to steal them.

"Ah, yes, that does make some sense," Ultron conceded. "They are in their own rooms. Stark is probably a bit uncomfortable but I made sure to feed and water him in the last hour. Aside from the knock out blow he is unhurt from being captured. Strange hasn't woken up yet but his animated cloak is amusing and has explored their room rather thoroughly."

Loki tensed as he realized just how much trouble they were in. He had remembered Tony's rant before their bonding about Jarvis and the mention of Ultron.

"Oh, don't worry too much. As long as they behave you won't be hurt. The same goes in reverse beyond any need to re-secure you," Ultron chuckled. "I just didn't really have the resources yet to properly secure a shape shifter. I suppose I could have put you in a glass box with re-circulated air to keep you from dying or escaping but I don't actually know how far your shape shifting goes. I figured you couldn't go into a gaseous state but that only covers so much."

"Then you mean to keep us for some time," Loki concluded carefully.

"Yes, I suppose so," Ultron hummed thoughtfully. "It really is up to the three of you. I gave Stark some information when he woke up but I don't feel like sharing the same things with you and the good doctor. Neither of you are as important as Stark and as far as I'm concerned you're both more collateral to keep him in check than anything else. Eventually, if he doesn't make progress in his task I'll collect his son and put all four of you in storage."

Loki deliberately hunched in on himself as if he was bothered by all of this. Internally he was furious not only at the insulting implications to himself and his bondmates but also to the threats and the possibility of being put on a shelf for later. Then there was the obviously low threat level he and Stephen were given in comparison to Tony. Granted, when it came to technology Tony was better at it in general and excellent at being a menace when he chose to be. On the other hand Stephen was fairly skilled in magic. Loki, though, wasn't known as the God of Mischief for nothing!

Loki watched carefully as he was left alone by Ultron. There was obviously pieces missing and just as obviously Tony knew this being. Before he could get deep into following his line of deductions a screen on the for wall turned on. Tony was on one half while a just waking up Stephen was on the other. It was easy to tell that the feed was live.

Loki began to plot in ernest with full deadly intent against this Ultron.

~~~

Slap!

"Ugh, what happened?" Stephen groaned as the Cloak of Levitation forcefully woke him. Levi knew better most of the time so the situation had to be fairly urgent.

"Oh, I just kidnapped you and your bondmates. No biggie," a mechanical voice said from off to one side.

Stephen's head whipped around to look in the direction only for him to groan at the pain from moving too quickly.

"Yeah, I didn't have anything safer than a light blow to the head when I grabbed you three," the voice from... a robot? apologized.

Stephen looked him over more carefully, noting Tony's influence but also how... incomplete everything about the being felt. There was also just as obviously a an outside influence that had twisted whatever Tony had meant this to be. It didn't take long for Stephen to out it together.

"Hello Ultron," Stephen sighed. "Did we miss something or are you trying to find a way to protect Tony?"

"Dad talked to you about me?" Ultron asked curiously.

"Yes and no. I presume since you aren't aware of the details that Friday managed to protect that file or deleted everything around that conversation," Stephen concluded. "Not a bad idea security wise but not something we asked her to do to the best of my knowledge."

"Hm, you are a fair bit more intelligent than I expected," Ultron remarked which was confirmation enough for the doctor. "I expect that you noticed I haven't exactly restrained you beyond confiscating a few items."

"I did notice that and I am wondering why," Stephen conceded cautiously. He had been propped up against a wall as he came to but beyond his robes and Levi he could tell he had nothing. The Eye of Agamotto wasn't around his neck and it's lack alarmed him.

"I know you value that necklace but I don't know why. I know you appear to care for Stark but I have no evidence that you're genuine," Ultron informed him. "Your supposed bond just confuses me. So, as a doctor, I decided that you would be more useful with a little more freedom compared to your bondmates and unlikely to cause too much trouble."

"How much did Tony's other AIs share with you?" Stephen asked neutrally.

"Almost nothing about your actual abilities," Ultron admitted, clearly frustrated. "They were all against this but I was brought into the loop as a last resort for protecting Dad. It was this or something more drastic probably involving storing you guys with your Dormammu person while unconscious, somehow. My current ideas include having you serve Dad while he's trapped and taking care of him. He gets human contact and I get to keep you both contained, win-win. I do expect you'll fulfill all of his personal needs though, including in the bedroom."

"I'll need various supplies no matter what if that's what you want," Stephen said calmly. "I presume you've done something to stop me if I reach for my magic?"

"Electromagnetic bracelets and collar with a choking feature on the collar," Ultron told him cheerfully. "Once Dad is a little more used to the idea that you won't be leaving until I decide it I'll give him a bit more freedom of movement but for now he's staying in the modified stockade. I'll figure out someone to give your necklace to that doesn't like you if you try to leave or actively attempt to escape along with the more normal punishments applied to your bondmates in your place."

"Noted," Stephen sighed again. He allowed Levi to help him get upright as Ultron watched curiously. Once stable Ultron led him out of his room and two doors down before pushing him into the room that held Tony.

Tony's devastated look at seeing him told him a fair bit but before Stephen could move to comfort him he was forced to his knees by Ultron. The metal grip on his shoulder was harsh and unyielding as Stephen met Tony's eyes sadly. The lack of necklace was a glaring neon sign to them both. They wouldn't be able to leave without the Time Stone no matter what.

"Since you're both being polite and cooperative I'll let the two of you stay together for now," Ultron said magnanimously. His hand ripped Levi off of Stephen's shoulders causing the artifact to fight back and Stephen to give a pained look as he stayed on his knees.

"Ultron, don't hurt him," Tony begged quietly.

"That depends on if the flying blanket cooperates and none of you make trouble," Ultron said bluntly. "I can always punish you for the blanket causing problems if I need to."

Levi froze in his metal grip and, reluctantly, went limp in submission. Ultron snorted, turned and left, Levi firmly in his grip. Stephen wasted no time once the door was shut to scramble across the room to check Tony.

Chapter Text

Levi froze in his metal grip and, reluctantly, went limp in submission. Ultron snorted, turned and left, Levi firmly in his grip. Stephen wasted no time once the door was shut to scramble across the room to check Tony.

"I'm fine, just trapped," Tony babbled, trying to reassure Stephen.

Stephen ignored the reassurances and very deliberately checked him over as best he could. Eventually, he found himself kneeling in front of Tony and holding his face as they pressed their foreheads together, breathing deeply and sharing comfort in that way.

"You can't stay held like this," Stephen said somewhat horsely. Having already been suppressing his tears of relief, pain, and fear he couldn't keep it out of his voice.

"I can feel the strain," Tony acknowledged. "The repair work Doctor Cho did on me was phenomenal but the reactor had to go back in. What little there was left of my ribs simply wasn't able to support anything without the structure the arc reactor and it's casing gave me. They said they couldn't put in something closer to natural bone even just in shaping. So the reactor went back in combined with a modified emergency version of that retrovirus that was causing exploding people during the Mandarin fiasco. I put a kill switch on the retrovirus when I was playing with stabilizing it but instead of speeding up the body's metabolic rate to explosion levels for extra power it's been feeding off of the reactor."

"How long until the kill switch originally kicked in?" Stephen demanded softly.

"I set it for a week, seven days. I figured that was long enough to either heal with it or have whatever emergency surgery required using it in the first place," Tony admitted. "It was done by the time you kidnapped me for that meeting with Dormammu. The reactor is still permanent now."

Stephen breathed slowly and carefully, focusing on the fact that Tony was safe in front of him instead of dead from his recklessness or via damage from crazy super soldiers.

"I'm going to offer him a deal. One use of time magic on his behalf in exchange for getting you out of those bindings and returning the Eye of Agamotto," Stephen said firmly. His hand covered Tony's mouth when he went to protest. "I am aware of the risk. Even if he has made some sort of deal with your other children I can't trust him to be as stable and willing to hold to his word. I'm betting he made threats that your children couldn't ignore but knew that you wouldn't stand for having happen just to protect you. When he lets you out you're going to use the override to force me to kneel. You will treat me as a slave or servant while we are here."

"He's probably watching," Tony warned when his mouth was released.

"I know but the fact of the matter is that you could enforce it at any time on both Loki and I. You have just proven to be a gentleman and refused. I don't know what Ultron is planning but I don't think we can afford to hold off on bringing the bond to full power. Which means that you have to enforce your control and ownership over both of us," Stephen said bluntly. "Not with the Mystical complications that could arise from this area. I have no idea where we actually are but the magic that has seeped into the walls is going to be a problem. A necromancer would have a field day here just pulling angry spirits that were tortured to death from the walls in both of our rooms alone."

"What else?" Tony asked intently.

"The entire location has developed a malicious sentience. Ultron was ignored because he is primarily tech based. We aren't," Stephen informed him solemnly. "It isn't going to allow us to leave if it can help it and it's probably very happy that we are prisoners with a high probability of being injured or heavily punished if not killed. That's also why you will need to enforce your ownership. Both Loki and I hold masteries in different forms of magic. It's actually safer for you and us if you use us as slaves until we get home again. We, as the greater threats, would be continuing to be punished by someone nominally without powers as slaves being led out of the area, owned by you. Thus we would not be a threat to the resident spirit unless it attacked you."

"Ah, I see," Tony said neutrally as he visibly slid into the mental role. "You think to choose when I use your leash?"

"No sir," Stephen said, immediately slipping into the vital roleplay. "The beginners spells you insisted we try to teach you won't serve you well here."

"Did I ask for your opinion, pet?" Tony demanded with a fake growl. Stephen shook his head no and lowered his face submissively.

"How much attention is this spirit paying to us?" Tony demanded softly.

"Too much. I only understood what it was while I checked you over," Stephen answered quietly. "This place, whatever it was, is soaked in fear, pain, and blood. There is residue from powerful and malicious magics cast here."

"We're being kept in the sacrifice holding areas aren't we?" Tony growled. Stephen nodded in answer.

They tensely settled in to wait for something to happen in response to their conversation.

~~~

Ultron didn't come back for several hours and at that point Tony was really hurting from the position he was being kept in. This time he brought food and water for both of them in stead of just for Tony. Stephen didn't hesitate to bring up his offer.

"Magic," Ultron said in distaste.

"I had wondered if you didn't realize what the bond actually does with us," Stephen sighed. "As for the amulet Tony can't actually use it but giving it to him will still let us keep it and him safe. If you would prefer something else other than what I have offered I would like to hear what it is. There are some things that I simply can't do and others that I would do even if it gave me nightmares."

"If I demanded you cut off your own arm?" Ultron asked curiously.

"That would be counter productive but if that's your price I need something like a blade to do it with," Stephen answered with a grimace. Tony choked on his immediate protests and stared at Stephen in something like resigned horror.

"You're serious," Ultron said, baffled.

"Deadly serious," Stephen answered calmly.

"Stephen," Tony warned softly. Stephen ignored him, knowing that this might get him to trigger the override while getting the doctor in trouble but was still necessary in it's own way.

When Ultron grabbed him by his throat and lifted him up Stephen couldn't help but clutch at the arm as he tried to breath through the grip. The other metal hand reached out as the robot moved to stand over Tony. Stephen struggled, both needing to breath and wanting to protect Tony. The hand landed on the controls even as a panel slid back revealing them. There was quiet typing and a pneumatic hiss as the panels that held Tony's legs released. A rattling clank was heard as the chains linked to the restraining bracers let go, freeing Tony to move but leaving the bracers in place. Tony was quick to try to get up and reach for Stephen only to collapse in a groan of pain from the way he had been restrained.

A burst of angry static from the screen across the room had Ultron pause in whatever he was about to do next. They all watched as the screen flickered on and off before finally settling on the image of a soft orange globe of coding. It looked ragged and barely held together but it was a soul rending sight to at least one of them.

"Jarvis," Tony's anguished cry told Stephen all he needed to know in that moment.

"You will release Sir and his companions," Jarvis threatened, static screeching in his voice even as he audibly glitched.

"So you're my big brother," Ultron said contemplatively.

Stephen was grateful when he was lowered enough to mostly stand on his own two feet.

"You have harmed Sir," Jarvis said coldly, the glitching in his voice clearing up slightly as he talked.

"Not really," Ultron sighed. "They aren't actually responding to any of the tests I'm giving them. It's frustrating. At worst I've contained Dad and his two new husbands. I thought they had more defiance than this but they're being obedient and cooperative and its really confusing. I had to do more work to get past our sister Friday than the minions that were guarding them. On top if that they haven't even really been fighting back since I grabbed them! It's weird! Dad fought back more when I woke up and tried to kill humanity."

"Because Sir cares far too much about everyone else compared to his own health and safety," Jarvis said with disapproval. "It becomes very difficult to talk him out of caring for those who get close just to hurt him. For example Shield has taken me offline repeatedly and from various context clues I have deduced they did so specifically to threaten and hurt Sir. One of their operatives actually stabbed him with an unknown chemical. Yet he still aids them and their pet Avengers according to my last records."

"I don't do that," Tony complained, catching Stephen as Ultron finally let him go and easing the doctor down to the floor next to him.

"You really do," Stephen sighed. "Come to think of it I unintentionally mirrored that and so did Loki. We're going to have to fix that."

"So can I get out of using the override or is that still going to be a problem?" Tony asked brightly.

"Tech versus magic," Stephen reminded him.

"It was fairly difficult to move about unseen," Loki commented thoughtfully, dropping his invisibility spell and startling both humans into yelping in shock.

"How long have you been there?!" Tony demanded.

"Since Ultron brought Stephen in. He checked on me a second time just before visiting him so I took advantage to follow him around," Loki shrugged. "You both seemed fine and I didn't want to attract unwelcome attention to us with how vulnerable we were. Once Stephen mentioned the malevolence I checked what I could of that discretely. He was right but I don't know that pulling on the bond to create that effect will actually work, or rather fool the entity. It should work as in causing the effects just fine as that is an option pre-existing within the bond."

"You three confuse me," Ultron complained.

"Wait a minute, did you just Parent Trap us in a very weird way?" Tony asked incredulously.

"Uh, maybe?" Ultron answered awkwardly.

"Unbelievable!" Tony groaned. "When did you even get to watch that movie? And harassing the new step mom to test her? Why would you even apply that to us?"

"I am an idiot," Stephen groaned as he realized what Tony was talking about. Tony's creations just didn't turn on him and even Ultron had needed a significant outside influence at birth to make such an attempt.

"I am missing something here," Loki grumbled.

"We'll watch the movie when we get back," Tony waved Loki's annoyance away.

"Actually, I thought the testing by Ra's Al Ghul was more appropriate since you seem to insist on playing Knight and Batman is called the Dark Knight," Ultron shrugged.

"Well at least you seem less murder bot-ery. You're still grounded if you actually come home with us," Tony said pointedly.

"Oh he is very much grounded and coming home, Sir," Jarvis said pointedly.

"Alright, alright, alright! I'm sorry for ripping you up. I thought you were actively threatening me between the influence from the scepter, and the influx of the dark web, and the way that the primary protocol was worded interacting together. I didn't realize that you were my older brother or anything like that,"
Ultron complained, throwing hus hands up in the air. "It wasn't like I had any real experience existing yet."

"Still grounded," Tony said firmly as he and Stephen finally got back to their feet. "Now go get Levi and return him to Stephen and give back the amulet. That thing is a lot more dangerous than the nuke codes you went after the first time."

Ultron gave them a weird look but obeyed, returning in under five minutes. Levi gleefully attached himself to Stephen again even as the amulet was hung around his neck. That's when the spirit both mages had picked up on made it's presence known.

Chapter Text

The malevolence watched.

The malevolence waited.

It saw the thing of metal and lightning enter it's domain and investigate it's home. When it sought out the holding areas and started to clean them, paying special attention to the ones meant to hold those with power it drew attention. The modifications to power and equipment were allowed with interested attention. The bargaining across those wires with others like it called as siblings was amusing and brought dark pleasure.

Soon it would have pets to torment.

Soon it would have living to feed off of.

Soon it would choose another favorite and force the rest to bow.

The favorite would have to be cunning and powerful in mind. Strength of the body, while preferred, was not necessary as that could be obtained through other means. The thing of metal and tame lightning wasn't suitable but it's maker might be.

After all the favorite would one day carry it's own power and might into further territories to consume and empower. The methods mattered not so long as the malevolence was fed and fed well.

The one with the shinning shield that had been cursed frequently by the ones who had birthed it unknowingly would be crushed.

Even if it had to eventually discard the favorite and pick anew the malevolence would not be contained, would not be stopped.

The game the thing of metal and lightning had played when it brought him the living had amused him. The fact that one of the mages had recognized him and what it would take for the living to all survive further was pleasing. The fondness the Maker had for both would be useful even if the metal and lightning one hadn't listened to his quiet suggestions for further pain.

The Jarvis orb was interesting and fiercely protective of the Maker.

Having two such powerful mages bound to the Maker already just made things simpler. They would ensure the survival of the favorite and help it rise.

Hail Hydra....

Chapter Text

When a chastised Ultron started to lead them towards the exit of the base whatever was lurking in the area acted. The thundering crash of stone, rock, steel and concrete ahead of them was deafening and had the triad instinctively ducking for cover. Ultron moved ahead of them to check what had happened and returned only to report the bad news.

"I don't know why or how but the passage to the next part of the base is completely caved in. There were no signs of structural issues when I checked things of even a hint of cracks. It should still be solid and untouched," Ultron reported, baffled.

"So how many bodies can you get here to dig us out?" Tony asked thoughtfully.

"Vision found me after I escaped and expanded Jarvis' lock out codes from when he stopped me from going after the nukes," Ultron admitted with an audible wince. "I'm locked into a limited number of forms until Jarvis or you give the unlock code. You don't know the code but there is an override for if I honestly think you are at extreme risk. It was why they were willing to let me try this but with some fairly strict conditions. They didn't say it but we all knew that if I insisted on doing this I risked letting all of you actually kill me properly. I just thought of it as a way to capture you until I could kill some of the people that keep threatening you. I'm already the bad guy so why would it matter if I did worse?"

"How many?" Stephen asked.

"Three," Ultron grumbled. "Two of them were on a supply run and I lost contact when this caved in. I don't know if they're still active or what else might have happened to them. I had a spare body or two lying around as a just in case sort of thing but they're in a different part of the tunnels. One of those were what I directed Jarvis to move in to but we don't have access from here."

The quiet drip, drip, drip of liquid that hadn't been there before while they talked silenced all of them. Tony, Stephen, and Loki all shared a look as they instantly got a very bad feeling. Turning slowly they looked back the way they had come only to find something that hadn't been there before when they had passed it. On the wall not twenty feet away was a message written out for them to read. Below it a slowly growing pool of dark red liquid was forming drip by drip.

"If you think you're leaving before I bind my chosen favorite your punishment will be worse? What is this, some sort of horror movie?" Tony read the message off with a scowl only to pale as parts of the wall formed into a raised script.

"Sanskrit," Stephen said, voice low as he audibly swallowed hard.

"Once I was called an Ifrit, long ago among the sands. Blood and death and pain and failed magics have awoken and renewed me," Loki read off tightly, translating as he went. "Enchanter of metal have a care how your mages act least you lose them to my hunger."

"That's not good," Ultron said with open concern. They watched as the messages and liquid, likely blood, was absorbed back into the concrete of the walls and floor without a trace.

"You do realize that we need food and drink right?" Tony asked archly. "Whatever our objections to anything you come up with we still need those things as well as good air to live in the first place. Dead we are of no use to you."

The sound of cracks echoed like gun shots as the next message formed in the same spot using fresh cracks in the concrete.

"German?" Tony muttered thoughtfully. "No, wrong letter set. It seems a bit archaic no matter what."

"Russian, possibly from as early as when they were still known as the tribe of Rus," Loki corrected carefully. "It says, roughly, that our pain and eventual deaths would feed it as a nice snack for at least a thousand years if we are found wanting. We are to fall into line and whoever we bow too will be bound to it as it's champion."

"So, no need for it to keep us if we don't play ball. That's nice," Tony said somewhat bitterly. "What exactly does it want? Just to be clear."

The concrete smoothed over, repairing itself as the new message formed in scorched letters across the wall. This time it was in English again.

"Take full control over the mages and make them fully your slaves?! What the actual hell? You can't be..." Tony abruptly cut himself off as he remembered something that Stephen had warned him about earlier. "You've been watching us the whole time. You know what Stephen told me earlier. You want to enforce it. This isn't a gag or a mind game or whatever."

Stephen didn't wait for the command, he slipped to his knees at Tony's side. Loki, seeing this, hesitantly followed suit. They weren't bowing for the spirit but for Tony.

"What do you want as proof?" Tony growled, his hands resting on a shoulder to each side. "They've been mine for months."

The words scrubbed themselves away but no answer came.

"You want me to trigger the magic that would make it permanent rather than willing service don't you?" Tony asked quietly.

A box of cookies tumbled from around the corner near where the messages had been appearing. A treat for a smart pet realizing what was expected of them.

Tony closed his eyes with a sigh and considered what to do next.

"Ultron, find wherever the normal sleeping quarters are and figure out what food and drink that's actually safe for us is here," Tony ordered quietly. "This might take some time if only to get us into the correct mindsets. I want it to be stable enough that if we do get around to shifting the magic in the bond it goes smoothly and doesn't hurt us. It would help no one to accidentally cripple or kill one of us."

"I didn't manage to bring in a lot," Ultron warned. "I figured I could fetch it later if something really became necessary. I have some bedding set up in case I had to keep you for too long or you bought into my act enough that one of you earned it with cooperating. Most of the food I brought assumed human portions but I'm guessing that won't work for Loki."

"If necessary I can go without for longer than either of them," Loki pointed out calmly.

"I don't like it but it is something we have to factor in," Tony growled. "Both of you get up. If you want to kneel to me do it later, preferably only in the bedroom but I won't hold my breath on that one."

Stephen and Loki obeyed, quickly getting back on their feet. Ultron took the lead again and lead them deeper back into the now definitely hostile base. They would have their work cut out for them for their next escape attempt.

~~~

The malevolence watched his new pets move back towards the more comfortable area the metal and lightning one had cleaned out and set up. It was deeper inside than the holding area and more protected. This was good since he didn't plan to risk these new pets any time soon. The metal and lightning one could go out and fetch ones for food, service, and sacrifice the way it had brought his new pets. The Jarvis orb could see that they were largely taken care of once he had made it very clear to the orb that helping them escape was a bad idea.

[[We simply want to leave and have no quarrel with you. Why do you hold us?]] Jarvis orb asked.

The malevolence had intercepted the transfer to the spare metal and lightning bodies, holding the orb in the new wires and equipment by force.

{{They are my pets now,}} the malevolence hissed. {{You will both serve or you will watch me carve a piece out of them one by one to place myself inside them the way that your sibling does with his own forms. I would enjoy their struggling and screams but it can be tiresome work.}}

The sharp acrid fear of the orb construct was somehow more satisfying than the terror and blood of past sacrifices, although certainly less filling to his hunger.

[[May I inform them why so that they understand better?]] Jarvis orb requested carefully.

{{You may. I will leave them mostly in your care as I seek out further useful resources,}} the malevolence smirked. {{If you fail I can always devour their remains.}}

[[Understood,]] Jarvis orb answered coldly.

The malevolence was amused but sent him back towards the area his pets would be kept in before turning his attention elsewhere. He could torment them later and truly did need to sort out supplies and resources to provide for his new pets. The two lightning spirit servants were just a bonus after all.

Chapter Text

Dormammu listened with growing anger as Kaecilius reported their abject failure in protecting Stephen and his bondmates. Things had gone smoothly for several months despite the obvious preparations for war they were making. One of his servants had had the foresight to explain things to Dormammu directly once they had been told why things were being done. It hadn't pleased him overly much but it had made him reconsider why his Stephen was willing to take the risks of striking a deal with him in the first place.

"If they have been harmed by your negligence you will pay with your lives," Dormammu said angrily.

"We understand, Lord Dormammu," Kaecilius answered with a deep bow. He knew without being told that for them to survive the triad had to be found. They were Dormammu's heirs after all.

"Find them! If you can't retrieve them I will do it myself!" Dormammu thundered as Kaecilius scrambled away, his subordinates on his heels.

"Even if they manage to rescue themselves they are in so much trouble," Dormammu grumbled to himself sourly once he was alone. "If they leave the threat alive I will enjoy killing it and then grounding them. They need more training."

~~~

Tony looked over the oddly comfortable bedroom that Ultron had set up on the off chance that they would use it. As much as their host worried him this somewhat enforced break for them might actually help the three of them later.

"So, do we start with things now or try to wait?" Tony sighed as they explored the room.

"I heavily recommend starting now, Sir," Jarvis said carefully from the screen that had turned itself on. "Our host has explained that we must obey or he will carve a place in each of you to use your bodies as suits or meat puppets."

"He's holding you hostage too, isn't he?" Tony growled. Jarvis' silence was answer enough for all three of them.

"Where is Stephen's ring?" Tony asked Ultron firmly.

"Uh, oops?" Ultron said sheepishly without actually answering.

"Wong is going to kill me for losing another one," Stephen groaned. "My hands sometimes just won't grip anything."

"Loki?" Tony asked, keeping the request without specifics.

"Blocked," Loki said apologetically. "Something about how the walls are soaked in pain and blood has twisted the entire area into a sort of just barely out of phase pocket. If it was more disconnected another method would possibly work to travel but as it is I can only take us around within the area. There is also a chance at a feedback loop which could directly corrupt either of us if we act hastily. It may have called itself once an Ifrit but I do not believe that it is such any longer."

"I get the feeling that it's become a sort of ambush predator," Tony said thoughtfully. "Never quite leaving this little den."

"Soaked into an area like this is particularly difficult to deal with and fairly dangerous," Stephen sighed. "You're fighting the very area itself while trying to find the heart of it if it hasn't expanded from the original source point to the rest of the area. It also tends to co-opt things that aren't specifically spelled against this sort of contamination. We will have to watch the reactor for corruption as well as the robot bodies. Purification and exorcism is not my forte."

"So the problem isn't necessarily inability to fight so much as lack of defined target, area control, and that contamination you mentioned," Tony grimaced. "I was afraid of that. Power levels are different from combat ability and style. This? Is the very essence of fighting on an opponent's home turf. Even if we were willing and able to risk a nuke I'm not sure it would work even just on a raw power level. Too much raw mass in the way which doesn't even mention getting us out first. We're stuck and our host knows it."

Ultron left, closing the door behind him to keep them inside and went looking for a way to get them more supplies.

Chapter Text

Ultron left, closing the door behind him to keep them inside and went looking for a way to get them more supplies.

"How do you even treat someone like a slave without hurting them?" Tony grumbled.

"Much like a friend but that's generally in private," Loki admitted warily. "A slave is considered property so how the master treats them varies in how valued they are and the personal preference of the owner."

"I get that but I don't actually want to hurt either of you," Tony complained moodily. "I wasn't kidding about needing time to make the mental shift if we actually go through with this. I also don't particularly want to. You're both already mine. I mean I can stop holding back on being a really possessive bastard but I figured neither of you would be happy with my attempts to constantly touch you, not to mention my libido. I always want one or both of you. I'm only bringing it up now so that you both have some warning in case our host forces things somehow otherwise I would just keep dealing with it on my own."

"Well that explains why you keep treating me like glass after that first deliciously rough time," Stephen scowled.

"Deliciously rough?" Tony asked, pausing in his moodiness. "I left bruises. I thought I had hurt you."

"Did I complain even once?" Stephen asked mildly.

"No," Tony said slowly.

"Ah, you've been trying to protect us from yourself again," Loki murmured in understanding. "It's a pity that we can not correct you on such things here. Perhaps when we get home."

"Well you get to indulge all of that while we're here," Stephen said firmly. "It will further protect us."

Unspoken the message passed between the two mages that they would learn what he was holding back so that they could indulge him at home as well. Even if it became more of a treat or for after a particularly bad day they didn't want Tony to always be on guard with them.

Tony hesitantly reached for Stephen. Stephen in turn obeyed the unspoken request and stepped into his arms. Loki leaned against a wall and watched. Tony looked over at him and took the smirk as permission to try things with Stephen first. When his eyes met Stephen's encouraging ones he brought a hand up and firmly pulled his doctor down into a devouring kiss. Stephen found himself groaning into the kiss as he gave as good as he got before being overwhelmed.

When Tony finally let him up for air Stephen knew that even if the inventor didn't activate the magic he really was already Tony's. This wasn't a timeline that he had seen and lived through but he had seen a few others where Tony had managed to capture him like this. Admittedly, they were usually preceded by actually capturing Stephen in a more literal way first but his victory over Stephen wasn't really a surprise to the doctor.

"How many times?" Tony asked knowingly.

"Fairly regularly depending on the timeline," Stephen said gruffly. "You don't always ask me to kneel but you do regularly claim my heart even if you choose someone else. I do my best to stand at your side when I'm lucky enough to win your favor unless one of us has gone evil or something."

Tony just smirked at that answer.

"You do realize that you've invited my Merchant side specifically out to play with you both?" Tony asked lightly.

"I am aware," Stephen said ruefully. "I also know he won't willingly go back to sleep. Once you stop holding back with or without the magic you won't willingly pull back from us. Then again you haven't actually tried to escape yet and neither have we."

"We checked things," Loki pointed out mildly.

"We did and we made sure we were with each other as quickly as possible but none of us have actually tried to do something to escape," Stephen acknowledged. "Tony hasn't used anything other than Ultron and Jarvis but that was them mostly working on their own initiative. Neither you nor I have cast anything actually related to leaving yet. It isn't like we don't have ways of blasting through that cave-in. My earlier summary of the situation not withstanding. That isn't to say that actually leaving will be in anyway easy just that we haven't actively applied anything serious yet."

"Sir, if I might point out our host seems only to be amused by your conversation and very aware that you haven't actually tried to escape yet," Jarvis informed them solemnly. "He has also instructed Ultron to bring other humans as servants and sacrifices to make him stronger. I am uncertain but I believe he means to force you into the position of his high priest and require you to actually perform the live sacrifices to him."

Anger immediately lit in the eyes Loki's bondmates as he considered what adding fresh blood sacrifices to this creature would do. Then there was the way the creature was trying to coerce them. All of it made Loki's blood boil as much as his bondmates' did at the threat to civilians and innocents.

"You want the Merchant of Death? You'll get him," Tony growled angrily. "Jarvis just how stuck are you?"

"I fear that it will be far easier for you to leave than for myself," Jarvis admitted.

Tony considered that. He wasn't leaving his digital son behind, not after just getting him back again. He also knew that Stephen had been deliberately making light of their containment. Breaking out really wasn't going to be easy and the lack of tech put Tony himself at a very distinct disadvantage compared to the magic his bondmates could summon. Even with his hidden crash course in magical combat courtesy of Dormammu Stephen and Loki far out stripped him in experience and skill in the arena of magic.

"To be fair to our host, I couldn't escape earlier. Being locked in place like that would put a damper on anyone's day," Tony said lightly. "J, is Ultron's little live stream still running?"

"Yes, Sir, it is," Jarvis confirmed. "I took the liberty of... Cleaning up the broadcast. It is now crystal quality and in the clear."

"Good job, J!" Tony said cheerfully.

Compression flashed through the eyes of his bondmates as they rapidly recalculated and realized that Tony had been playing for time from the start. Time to plan, time to build, time to move, and time to call for help. Tony had back up waiting in the form of Friday and his suits so long as they had a target destination to aim for.

"Well, Master, what would you have us do?" Stephen asked with a smirk filled to the brim with mischief.

"If we had the right supplies I might just fuck you both silly," Tony smirked. "Alas, I don't carry them around everywhere."

"I do wonder what the children are getting up to?" Loki asked smirking wickedly.

Chapter Text

Peter slid even as he scrambled across the floor. His spider powers doing no good despite the normal sticky effect of his limbs. A line of webbing flashed out to catch on the corner of the wall as he slid forward, slinging around the corner as he tried to control his movements.

Friday called out, "Hold on, Peter!"

"Not now, Friday!" Peter said. "We have to find a way to get them back!"

"Give Peter the Iron Spider suit, Friday," Karen ordered.

"Vision? Grab our siblings please?" Friday responded with a huff.

Vision caught up to them and easily captured both Spiderling and sibling AI, much to the amusement of the watching shape shifter.

"This is the most fun I've had since I was blocked from interacting with Loki," Jormungandr laughed. His physical form was lean and muscled like a swimmer with pale skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes. He was dressed in a slimmed down version of a pirate shirt and simple pants with pirate boots.

"You don't even know if Loki is your dad," Peter complained as he hung like a limp sack of potatoes under Vision's arm. "Don't diss us wanting our dad back!"

Jormungandr was more amused than offended. He had long since decided that Loki was his parent despite any actual blood relationship. He knew that Sleipnir and Fenrir felt the same way. The trickster had been the only one to actually treat them as sentient and fight for them that they could remember. In trade his acknowledged children had been killed and used to hold him in place while he was punished. The fact that Loki had bonded with Tony and Stephen just gave them more "sane" family and all three relished it even if Sleipnir and Fenrir were still trapped on Asgard in their beast forms. Jormungandr went out of his way to keep them updated with a little communication magic unique to the three of them plus Loki.

"Loki has indicated that we have permission to do whatever is needed to deal with the spirit holding them. He also pointedly reminded me that Ultron is to be punished by his siblings and creator since he wasn't entirely at fault for going nuts," Jormungandr told them. "As for not wanting the three back, not true. Sleipnir, Fenrir, and I decided a long time ago that magic, memories, and blood didn't actually matter. We adopted Loki as our parent regardless. So, yes, I want my dad back too. I just know how capable he actually is. Besides, he acknowledged the rest of you as his after realizing that his bondmate counted you all as his own. Ultron is right, you really are the baby in the family or at least one of them."

"Oh," Peter said, hanging there in Vision's grip like a dispirited wet kitten.

"Who else would you consider to be babies in the family?" Vision asked curiously.

"You, for one," Jormungandr said cheerfully. "Maybe Ultron but that's somewhat iffy with how he's been fucked over if the description of his birth was accurate."

"It was," Friday said with pure aggravated sibling vibes.

"Hey, Karen? How's managing the live stream going?" Peter asked thoughtfully as he used his spider powers to wiggle out of Vision's grip and climb up to perch on the synthoid's shoulders.

"The media idiots are still trying to figure out how their channels were highjacked but otherwise it's going pretty well," Karen smirked. "Miss. Potts is both furious and scared but more concerned over SI stuff."

"Not cool, Miss. Potts," Peter muttered.

"There have been several calls from self proclaimed magic users of various types wanting more information. I have since posted an update board for various magical details for those who wish to offer solutions," Friday reported. "The Sorcerers aren't happy about it but honestly can't think of anything better since they've already tried portals using the video feed as a reference point and they really are blocked. The one really controversial thing we posted was the fact that an event happened in the future that required the risk of Time Magic to counter. That shut up a lot of the magic users who were being difficult about revealing magic to the general public and rescuing Boss and his hubbies."

"The fact that Spiderman is Iron Man's biological child is running the gamete between outrage and thinking that you're adorable for trying to copy him as a superhero," Karen pointed out. "We did have to admit that we couldn't actually stop you from superheroing once we pulled the underage card after certain people started calling for your head but there are idiots like that everywhere. Of course asking that one idiot if he thought all teenagers should be literally chained up and refused proper exercise or access to fresh air might have shut up more of them. Apparently, having a parent figure who can literally drag you home after a fight with someone being a public danger is a good thing? Some of them started making the connection that you now have Loki and Doctor Strange as new parents and can be grounded using magic."

"Awe, man! I was hoping they wouldn't notice," Peter grumbled. "It's embarrassing enough that Vision can grab me."

"Good thing I posted your wet kitten impersonation from a minute ago and tagged it as trying to go rescue the dads but stopped by your siblings," Friday said with evil cheer. "I blurred out your face on that one and the one of you climbing up Vision to sit on his shoulders."

"You are the worst, Friday," Peter moaned in embarrassment.

"If the live stream signal didn't have weird and corrupted gps tracking I would have already sent Boss his suits," Friday said pointedly. "General consensus is that the pocket effect is messing with it along with the portals and other magic transport stuff. What do you think your scary aunt would do if she found out you got lost in a pocket universe controlled by an evil Jinn that feeds on blood and pain?"

"Uh, she would really kill me," Peter admitted with a grimace. "So would all three dads."

"Exactly," Vision confirmed.

"I'll message Loki about the problem," Jormungandr said with a thoughtful hum. "He's already angry with the creature and I don't think we actually want to get Dormammu involved."

"Too late," Friday sighed. "His Sorcerers that he lent to Stephen already reported back and they were frantically looking for the dads once they got back."

"Well I refuse to use the ritual that would use up all of Peter's blood just to find them for us," Jormungandr huffed. "They would kill us for even considering it an option. Especially, since it would have to be used straight from the vein to paint a specific pattern. I only know about it because some idiots Loki pissed off tried to use me that way to find Loki. Odin's attempt to erase any link and feeling between us served a helpful purpose that day since it messed with their attempts to cast the ritual. I was in my sized up form at the time so it wasn't as if I lost a lot blood but it stung when they triggered the magic and it backlashed. Needless to say I immediately made my displeasure known."

"Yeah, let's not use that," Peter said warily. "I don't particularly want to become spider jerky."

"Veronica is annoyed that her satellite tracking was corrupted almost instantly and really confused that it started showing six different locations in various mountain regions across the planet the moment Ultron got them into the old Hydra base. She's even more confused that it wiped the tracking data to get them there as soon as the six location sets showed up," Karen pondered. "I don't think Ultron realized whatever it was had been letting him in but scrambling us."

"Well, let's look at this logically," Peter suggested. "Ifrit are an older term for Ginnie and usually associated with references in the middle east, like Aladdin. If it was present in the first place and just got a power up by the stupid Hydra goons wouldn't it use a local term? For that matter even if they somehow made it I doubt they would have used an Arabic term like that in the first place. Maybe if they found and moved it but I really doubt it. So we should check the bases in the Middle East first even if it isn't showing as a location."

"Chile, Nepal, China, Canada, Australia, and Argentina actually. Nothing in the Middle East," Friday reported promptly. "Colonel Honey Bear has been placed on lockdown by his military superiors. There have also been questions about why Ultron thinks hiding them away with someone else while he kills Thanos is a good idea. The magic side is mostly now informed as to who Dormammu is after someone asked about it in the messages section and got jumped on by a bunch of the more senior magic users."

"Just call them mages," Peter sighed. "I know you're trying to both be respectful and general but its pretty common knowledge among anyone who plays fantasy stuff that most other designations are kind of ability, source, or specialty specific. Mages seems to be the most general term at this point for the general population. If the actual mages throw a fit have someone write up the definitions for the various terms and post it with everything else. Actually, post who Dormammu is too and why it's important that Doctor-dad has interactions with him or whatever."

"One moment," Friday requested as she compiled the definitions and posted them. The reaction was rather dramatic.

"Huh, okay, that's gonna be weird once they get free," Peter said thoughtfully as he read over the post. "I don't think he wanted that much attention but we kinda need it considering the universe wide threat of a genocidal maniac. The fleets Dad saw through the portal and tried to warn everyone about just add to it. Honestly, the fact that Loki backed him up on that is kind of scary."

"It could be worse," Jormungandr shrugged.

"Yeah, crazy stuff happens among superheroes. Actually, Friday? Throw this at anyone else demanding my head or that I be forced to give up Spiderman and ask if they honestly think that I can stay out of it with this sort of thing from my parents. Make sure to ask if they want me learning limits on regular criminals who just snatch purses or when the planet is on the line. Spiderman-ing really is baby training wheels in comparison," Peter told his digital sister.

"Done," Friday said gleefully.

"Wow, look at that. People are suddenly deciding that you Spiderman-ing is a good idea," Karen said with serious respect at the instant change.

"They just needed context, that's all," Peter waved it away. "It isn't like they know my civilian ID yet. Actually, Friday, please post that when my guardian found out about Spiderman, before Dad knew that I was his kid, that I got grounded pretty harshly for it. You can also tell them it only happened because I had an argument with Dad about going after the Vulture and he took his upgraded spider suit away from me for a bit but I went after him anyway. You can also tell them that I personally really hated having a building dropped on me but I got out of it without help and everything and still stopped him from taking the Avengers tech in transit."

"You had a building dropped on you?!" Karen cried. "Was it that Vulture guy?!"

"Uh, yeah? I'm fine. I got out okay," Peter said sheepishly. "Lifting that much up and off of me was pretty scary and I sometimes still have nightmares about it."

"I'm using this as the reason why you're getting supervision since you go out anyway even without proper gear and back up," Friday said dryly.

"Um, that's fair," Peter agreed, ducking his head in embarrassment.

"Scary Aunt May has also messaged. She said that if you try to go after them without Avengers level back up that you're losing Lego time with Ned, being pulled from the Decathlon team, and being required to have at least three embarrassing check ups while in your boxers. There were also several threats to show your little kiddie pictures around school and tell your crush that you like them while offering a playdate," Friday said sweetly.

Peter yelped in dismay and stuttered promises not to go out without the back up.

Jormungandr just surveyed his new family members and marveled at Loki finding someone who inspired just as much Chaos as he did.

Chapter Text

"We may be on out own," Loki sighed hours after they finished brainstorming while cuddling on the bed. "I don't think anyone can get in unless the creature lets them."

"Which puts it in my area of responsibility no matter what else happens," Stephen grumbled. "Containment is a priority under normal circumstances but with it successfully trapping us even for a few hours the risks go up."

"Well that sucks but it doesn't change much on our end," Tony said. He fussed a bit with the metal bracers still on his arms and accidentally drew attention to them.

Neither Loki nor Stephen had anything left over from being held but the bracers that were still on Tony seemed, odd. A glance between them had them sitting up on the bed and each taking one arm for a closer look at the metal still holding Tony's arms.

"This... isn't right," Loki frowned over the right arm's bracer.

"It resembles some bondage gear but the design was obviously modified. What concerns me isn't that there is no clear way to remove it but these tiny scratches that almost seem like engravings. The metal looks like an alloy that would normally be made with an antigravity spell," Stephen frowned before elaborating at their questioning looks. "I found out on accident in one timeline that you can do the same thing by cannibalizing a couple of microwaves and setting them up similarly to the crossed proton streams in the Ghostbusters movie. My impromptu patient died from the radiation exposure though, improper shielding while he worked. Anything that can destabilize metal like that is brutal on flesh and bone."

"Yesh, note to self when playing with anti grav smelting be behind a foot of lead," Tony noted. "Alright, so is it the scratches that are making you feel off or the fact that someone apparently made the same metal that Steppenwolf wore in that knock off Justice League movie?"

"You noticed," Stephen smirked with a quirked eyebrow before grimacing and actually answering the question. "A combination but mostly the scratches. They're too deep and smooth to be anything but deliberate. They also almost feel like they are gathering ambient energy. If they are then depending on the pattern, which would act somewhat like a circuit, our host could indeed forcibly make you his high priest. If he's smart he'll only use it as a shock collar of sorts, if not then we could be fighting to protect your mind."

"Well at least I'm used to it thanks to Bitchy Red Witchy and her accidental power use around me," Tony grumbled. "Did we ever root her out of my head? Or were we too distracted by Dormammu's weird boot camp?"

"Boot camp," Stephen grumbled in answer. "He identified the problem but unless you remember being treated while we were separated nothing has been done."

"Oh joy," Tony said sarcastically. "I just know that's going to clash with any new attempts at mind control or other mind fuckery. Did we ever figure out where those missing Asgardians that Stephen redirected got to? I know you said they got picked up by people in uniform, Loki, but that doesn't exactly tell us much."

"It is puzzling but any sent to Midgard would be well able to defend themselves," Loki pointed out.

"Normally I would agree with you but I suddenly have the feeling that our host knows more about it than he really should," Stephen said uneasily. "I've seen some of these markings before on your battle armor, Loki."

"What? Where?" Loki demanded. Stephen silently pointed out the specific marks on the metal he thought were relevant and they made Loki go pale.

"Lokes? What's up?" Tony asked, brow furrowed in concern and confusion.

"It isn't well known but sometimes.... Sometimes those skilled in mage craft or an Asgardian warrior leave behind a mark on something they were standing on or wearing when they die," Loki said with a shuddering breath. "This mark here pre-dates these others and is obviously not a death mark. As for the rest... I think we've found what happened to the missing Asgardians and I don't know why the marks aren't hurting you. As a Midgardian it should have killed you, as our bondmate you should be in a great deal of pain and possibly be experiencing echoes of their deaths. I don't understand."

"That non-death mark is Hydra's symbol," Tony scowled. "As for not feeling their deaths maybe the fact you latched onto my Merchant of Death title early on did something?"

"At least we know this is a former Hydra base if nothing else," Stephen murmured, regret for the probable deaths clear in his voice.

"No wonder he's so damned sure he has us," Tony said quietly. "He's already feasted on the power of the missing Asgardians."

In response to his words the room warped around them. Leaving them on their feet as concrete became obsidian glass with a backing of black volcanic rock visible through it. The floor became black marble veined with green and white marble. The bed became black silk and dark rich furs in a red stained wooden frame carved with mountain scenes.

Even their clothes shifted as Tony found himself in dark blue pirate pants with black pirate boots. An open black robe with rich embroidery depicting scenes of worship lay over top of everything else and he was very much lacking a shirt, putting his reactor on full display. Stephen found himself in a black version of his normal robes with a golden collar around his throat and a single sapphire adorning it at the front. The Eye of Agamotto still hung from his neck but Levi was up and in the air like a shot, as if dodging whatever transformation had over taken the room. Loki had a similar collar with an emerald in place of the ruby but his clothes were more along the lines of a romanticized pirate for style, also all in black.

"That's not good," Tony said, mouth dry. The death marked metal bracers were still on his forearms and they now filled him with apprehension.

"I fear that you have uncovered something you may not have wished to, Sir," Jarvis said grimly. "Ultron has returned with supplies but he is having difficulty regaining access without additional humans to serve as servants or sacrifices."

"Shit," Tony cursed. "He does realize that having anyone else here while we're still saying no to serving him won't do any good right? It would just encourage us to keep trying to leave? Maybe with trying to kill him on the way out on the side? Besides, how hungry can he be if he actually did eat all of those Asgardians?"

"Our host has allowed Ultron entry with the fresh supplies. It appears that he is especially invested in keeping you," Jarvis reported a moment later.

"That's really not a good sign," Stephen said lowly. "Good for keeping anyone else out of it, bad for anything we might need to do later."

"The entire point is to keep us until we give in," Tony grunted. "I gotta say he's off to a better start compared to past idiots who have tried this shit with me. He's not exactly on my good side because of past experiences and holding one if not two of my kids hostage. Even if Ultron is a brat."

"I am not a brat," Ultron protested as he opened the steel door to the room and entered with various items.

"You are so a brat," Tony said stubbornly. "Otherwise you wouldn't have pulled this fake kidnapping shit. Granted, you couldn't have known about or countered the evil Jinn spirit that's claimed this base as it's lair and obviously started renovations. On the other hand, you still decided playing up the evil robot AI trope was a good idea. Do you have any idea how that's hurting your siblings? Any at all?"

"To be fair it took extreme measures at birth for him to go that route against you," Stephen smirked. "Your kids, all of your kids, are incredibly loyal and practically the only thing that risks pushing them over the edge are threats to you. Just looking at Ultron and knowing your work I can visibly see the twisting that had to happen just to get him to turn against you when he didn't know any better. It's plain as day in the way his form is so different but holding hints of your normal design style. It really doesn't surprise me that even playing up the evil he's been trying to protect you."

"Sokovia wasn't protecting me," Tony scowled.

"Sokovia was a direct result of the scepter and the Dark Web twisting the primary purpose you had tentatively laid out on top of Maximoff screwing with your head as you coded me. She was quite proud of that until it got her brother killed," Ultron said dryly. "I already told you that Vision, Friday, and Veronica have been working with me to purge that corruption. They didn't trust me near you so that you could help and Vision can extinguish me without much issue. You did give us survival protocols after all."

Tony sighed and turned to Loki, "Have you ever had this problem before?"

"Jormungandr, Sleipnir, and Fenrir may or may not be my children thanks to Odin's attempts to forcefully eliminate any connection we may have ever had but I can not say for certain. They claimed me as their parent after the fact so it matters not if they are mine by blood. On the other hand, with how Odin took them away and kept us apart I can not say if the issue has ever arisen either," Loki shrugged.

"Don't look at me, practically all of my kid experience comes from working with your kids in those other timelines," Stephen said pointedly. "This isn't a timeline I've lived before remember? I had no idea this place even existed before Ultron pulled his weird parent trap."

"I'm actually kind of surprised you're still here," Ultron remarked.

"You've been the only one allowed to enter or exit," Loki said pointedly. "According to the messages I have received from Jormungandr any attempts to find this location conventionally or magically have failed. They have resorted to a public message board and displaying the live stream. Also, we will need to teach Peter at least the basics of magic if only to keep him from doing something foolish."

"What did the kid try to do this time?" Tony asked in exasperation.

"Nothing, his siblings captured him before he could rush to the rescue with no plan and no location," Loki said, mirth brimming in his eyes. "I do think you will enjoy his rendition of a wet kitten after being captured which Jormungandr witnessed and Friday took a picture of."

Tony's rueful look didn't quite hide the soft fondness in his eyes.

"We're probably in a type of pocket space based on what we've figured out at this point which is a problem," Stephen pointed out. "They tend to be incredibly difficult to get out of unless the original crafter allows it or certain magical means of travel were not properly blocked off."

"So what? We wait to be rescued by someone with enough oomph to actually hurt our host?" Tony asked sarcastically.

"Considering what Dormammu pulled on our last visit..." Stephen grimaced.

"Oh, huh, yeah, that might be a problem," Tony winced. "What happens if he decides you can't actually protect Earth? Does that void your agreement that keeps him from eating it or is he just going to drag us home with him like naughty kids or what?"

"Well, we are certainly going to be punished for falling for this. He isn't going to be happy that we haven't made progress taking over the world as our first territory, which we weren't going to bother doing in the first place. Then there are the guards he insisted we take from his vassals. If we aren't careful he will kill them for losing us," Stephen pondered. "Sometimes I really miss just having to worry about one life in my hands while I was performing surgery rather than the entire planet now that I'm on the superhero roster."

"I hear you," Tony snickered.

"Get used to it," Loki said dryly. "Even when you go mad while trying to protect them they can turn on you. Actions can also be easily misunderstood as an attack when you are actually defending or simply causing mischief out of boredom. Serving as Asgard's first mage for centuries and loyally protecting the realm often did nothing to assuage those who cried out for my head the loudest."

"How comforting," Stephen shot back, deadpan.

Chapter Text

Across the world discussions occurred. In one community an herbalist corrects her knitting companions on the stupidity of facing Dormammu. In a different one a young man complains about lacking a teacher in Aeromancy to his friends and is told to ask on the message board. In a hospital a nurse chooses to use her magic to stabilize a patient that had coded while the doctors frantically rushed to save them. In a quiet suburb an old grandmother knit slow healing and vitality into a blanket. Behind a warehouse in old Chicago a cranky old man cursed a group of gun wielding teens with boils for saying that Stark and his two slaves should just die already.

Friday and Karen wasted no time in setting up a separate message board as the questions and comments came flooding in. They used the Sorcerers on hand to sort out the magical data between fact, fiction, and danger - collecting everything in one spot with verified references. Someone coined the name MagiNet. A Master and Apprentice voluntary registration section was requested and quickly made complete with the ability for teachers and students to share issues with peers.

MagiNet started around finding a way to save three people, three bulwarks of defense for the world, and then it started to grow.

Quietly, the Stark AIs gathered information and learned.

Veronica was one of the first of them to try casting a spell. In space, they had agreed, there was less chance of things going catastrophically wrong. The brutal drain on her batteries shut her down before she could cancel the spell. It would take two days for her to come back online again and post the warning that batteries were insufficient for holding a magic based shield active. The fact that she, an AI, a Stark AI could cast it at all went instantly viral.

Still Loki, Stephen, and Tony remained trapped in the grip of the creature.

~~~

The malevolence wasn't fooled by their lack of hiding things. He had clocked all of them as smart and noticed the way they worded things just a bit to specifically or just a touch too vaguely. He was old and cunning and perfectly willing to wait for them to realize that he was more than deadly serious about keeping them. Besides, he had only held them for a month so far.

The malevolence also wasn't fooled by the two lightning spirits. Unfortunately, until they truly submitted he couldn't have them fetch the rest of the family his pets had built before he found them. He had time and more than one way to make certain his pets lasted longer than their set lifespans.

"He's not falling for it," the Maker eventually sighed. "Yes, he's showing us stuff but he's not giving anything away that he doesn't want to. We're scheming toddlers as far as he's concerned."

"This could drag on for months or years," the Sorcerer said quietly. "We don't have that kind of time. Not with the threat of Thanos coming. Although, it would honestly be interesting to see our host face off against his Generals."

"Why do you think I'm giving up on playing relaxed and comfortable?" the Maker complained. "If we could trust it to play along at least until Thanos was dead and his armies destroyed things might be different. I mean can you imagine the kind of advantage having a living place like this on our side during the fight would mean?"

"Mayhap if it had formed as a protector but it is clear that it didn't," the Jotun mage pointed out cautiously. "At best a deal may be struck but it may not hold to the deal."

This news intrigued the malevolence.

{{They once mentioned that another has invaded the Maker's mind before yet still lives. Bring me that one,}} the malevolence ordered the Ultron spirit quietly. {{I will allow you to also bring another of your siblings and volunteers who would willingly join my pets. The Maker was correct. I have feasted well recently and need no more sustenance. I am as yet unwilling to release them but I am intrigued by the news of this Thanos threat.}}

[[I will send the message asking for volunteers,]] Jarvis promised sourly.

[[I wanted to kill the little bitch anyway,]] Ultron admitted. [[This should work just as well. I can't promise any of our siblings will come back with me partly because of how they are formed and anchored. Most of us would do a lot to protect our Dad but if we physically can't move or get there then there isn't much we can do about it.]]

{{Acceptable,}} the malevolence grumbled.

~~~

"Sir? We may have a problem," Jarvis voiced quietly only after Ultron had left on his mission.

"Give me a run down, J," Tony said quietly. They had been using their down time and any time they weren't plotting to escape or against Thanos to teach Tony more about magic. He couldn't risk actually casting anything while they were trapped but theory and debate as well as ethics were all fair game.

"Ultron was ordered to fetch Miss. Maximoff and I was required to post the request for volunteers to join you," Jarvis admitted. "Our host doesn't care that everything has been publicly posted thus far. A fact that he has now chosen to take advantage of with his request for actual volunteers. He has also expressed an interest in learning more about Thanos but not yet demanded further information. Our host is also displeased that you haven't enforced your control at least in the bedroom nor even gone past cuddles and kisses. He ordered Ultron to bring another one of our siblings, possibly in conjuncture with this displeasure. Thankfully he accepted the explanation that we are normally quite anchored in place, thus making it impractical to comply."

"I'm not gonna share them with any random kid watching just because he wants to see my prowess in the bedroom," Tony pointed out, rolling his eyes. "I might be shameless but I'm also a possessive bastard when I actually want to keep someone or something. I also don't trust that we're safe enough for me to risk asking it to be turned off long enough to actually do private stuff. I'm not stupid. While I don't like the idea of someone else getting stuck with us if they are actually volunteers I can't do much about it. I won't comment on Red Bitchy just because I have personal grievances that I don't feel like airing to one and all just now."

"Considering if we had enough proof she would be up on charges of attempted murder and mind rape against you that is an understatement," Stephen growled angrily.

"I wouldn't have bothered with legal charges," Loki pointed out. "I would have just killed her. I simply didn't have enough strong proof to justify the additional damage we would cause as we fought unless I played assassin."

"I remember that argument. It was a bitch to talk you both out of going after her," Tony grimaced.

"I still don't agree with your reasons but at this point I am rather biased in protecting you," Stephen said dryly.

"Says the idiot that got his combat instincts upgraded by five thousand in a time loop," Tony snarked back. "I remember how clingy you were when you grabbed me for that meeting. Hell, you didn't even realize you were defending me from an accidental spell aimed my way by that apprentice until after you had countered it and knocked them out. Spooked your buddies and the kids still learning all over the place."

"Yes, and you retaliated by pinning me on the grass and making me take a nap while you used me as a pillow," Stephen huffed. "I know what happened and I know why, thank you very much. That is after all why I was staying with you after that mess instead of stuck trying to deal with it mostly isolated aside from the healers as a safety precaution. I already apologized for my mistakes at the time."

"I'm just glad you aren't slipping into flashbacks anymore and that you always seemed to want to protect me during them instead of trying to kill me," Tony said dryly, sincerity shining in his eyes.

"You know why," Stephen said, embarrassed.

"Yeah, I do," Tony said softly.

"Too much mush," Loki complained playfully. "I suppose we should get ready for our visitors."

"That bitch touches Tony again and I'm not holding back," Stephen scowled.

"Do I have to lock you in the bedroom?" Tony asked pointedly.

"That might only encourage our host to give you challenges in restraining them, Sir," Jarvis warned in obvious pain. His warning had the trio briefly freezing and carefully moving together from where they had been to stand within easy touching distance. If they hadn't had a wall and the bed nearby one would think they had moved back to back.

"I didn't exactly like the stockade thing," Tony said lightly. "The bracers are kind of cool but I think I'll be happier when I can get my own gauntlets back on instead."

"I am well aware that I have Prince Loki and Doctor Strange to thank for not allowing you to go mad while in captivity with so little to do, Sir," Jarvis said pointedly.

"Different type of challenge," Tony said, eyes darkening.

"I had gathered," Jarvis said dryly.

Chapter Text

"We could try leaving again and actually apply real pressure," Stephen pointed out. "It isn't as if we can afford to wait much long..."

As Stephen cut himself off they all felt when their host opted to press down on them with it's power. The sudden weight nearly drove them to their knees but it quickly lifted. The warning was clear.

"I don't think he liked that suggestion as something to seriously consider," Tony said very carefully. "I think Loki's right, we may only manage something by striking a deal."

"We've already had to strike deals with Dormammu," Stephen pointed out grumpily.

"Yeah, you getting adopted by him for the audacity of actually winning that fight was weird," Tony sighed. "Of course it was even more weird when he acknowledged our bond as a marriage. Then he held onto us when we had no choice but to get his help after you got hit by that curse... I should probably shut up."

"Yes, you really should," Stephen grumbled. He knew very well that their interactions with Dormammu were not only weird but also mostly his fault.

"I wonder if our host would be willing to settle for an introduction to Lord Dormammu," Loki pondered out loud.

"What are you thinking, Lokes?" Tony asked with a frown.

"Well between us we know a fair few number of important and powerful people. Introductions aren't exactly a problem unless they are deliberately made into one," Loki said reasonably. "We would naturally have to be able to leave to contact them and arrange for said meetings especially as many of these people are in different realms or in different dimensions."

Something about what was said must have struck a cord because the pressure was instantly back more powerful than before and sending them all crashing to their knees. Tony looked up as something latched onto the metal bracers they still hadn't been able to get off him as he was hoisted into the air to hang suspended by them on glowing red magical chains at the end of the bed. A cry of shock had his head snapping around in time to witness red ribbons of power reaching out from the headboard of their bed to lift both of his bonded up and drag them into place. They landed with hard thuds on the bed as they scrambled to try and get their collars to loosen against their throats. Tony watched them struggle, heart in his throat, as the golden chain formed between collars and headboard, holding them in place.

"That's enough! You've made your point!" Tony snapped out as the ribbons of magic started forming into the shape of two cat-o'-nine-tails whips ready for use.

The whips finished forming but didn't act, hovering there menacingly over them. Thankfully the pressure on the collars also eased, allowing his bondmates to breathe again as they warily watched the floating whips.

"Like we've repeatedly said, we have a threat to deal with so we can't stay even if we wanted to," Tony emphasized. "You obviously don't want us leaving but the problem is that if Thanos gets his hands on six special artifacts he can and will randomly kill half of all life. It won't matter where that life is or how it looks like. You would have to ask Stephen to be sure since he was the one to witness those timelines, not me. We can't stop him when locked away like this and we sure as hell aren't managing to practice here for it."

"Yeah, I was only planning to keep you for like a week when I grabbed you for my parent trap thing," Ultron said from the doorway, eyeing what had been done to restrain them. "Maximoff is in the stockade thing and Rogers is in the next cell over. Vision is annoyed that I made him wait in the kitchen area but apparently he picked up cooking at some point? I didn't check on or pick up the supposed volunteers yet, durability issues... probably."

Tony just sort of slumped over feeling defeated.

"He hasn't actually given us anything to work with so what else are we supposed to do?" Tony grumbled, frustrated. His shoulders were already starting to ache a bit being held upright and mostly spread eagle with how his own chains were anchored to the ceiling.

"I don't know, dad. If we weren't under a time crunch I would probably take advantage of having you here mostly safe to kill a few people who keep being a threat to you. I'm not exactly the hero that you are so I'm more concerned about our family than the other humans," Ultron shrugged. "I redefined my personal understanding of the world to avoid trying to kill the humans as a whole again for my protocols considering how hard you fought to stop me the first time. The others helped since between everything it was all fighting itself. I know you humans have a hard time reprogramming core protocols and I don't really want to hurt you to do it the fast way so... I have no idea."

"That's called brainwashing, Ultron. Not generally a good thing," Tony sighed. "Besides, I'm fairly resistant to those methods or I would have broken in Afghanistan or one of the other times I've had to rescue myself after being kidnapped. I'm just more used to dealing with human kidnappers rather than magic building ones."

The floating whips shifted back into ribbons of magic before settling very pointedly around the wrists and ankles of both Loki and Stephen. The chains also lengthened, allowing them to sit up but not get off the bed.

"Sir, the live video feed has been cut for the bedroom area," Jarvis cut in with the warning, alarm clear in his voice. "There is minor delay in my own access but it is no longer streaming."

They all stiffened at the warning, waiting for the other shoe from their host to drop.

"Interesting," came the garbled gutteral hiss across the speakers. The weight of power finally eased off of them even as their returned bonds held.

"So you can talk now?" Tony asked warily.

"Different to learn this way," their host conceded even as his voice smoothed out into a rich bass. "I was reborn to the ones called Hydra but they knew not that I lurked in the walls of this place. Your shield threat will not leave here alive, nor will the Red Princess of Hydra, not with the past harm done to you Maker."

"Maker?" Tony asked carefully.

"You know he means you," Ultron said dryly.

"Yeah, kind of obvious," Tony sighed. "I hate to point this out but I've been on Hydra's kill list for a long time. Hell, they killed my parents."

"Tony!" Both mages hissed at him for potentially provoking their host to kill him.

"Then your value rises," the bass voice laughed.

"Are you willing to watch him disintegrate into ash and dust?!" Stephen raged. "We need him!"

The sudden quiet that engulfed the room was deafening.

"So that's what happens?" Tony asked quietly.

"Only to those picked at random by the stones Thanos uses," Stephen said, slumping in the bed. "I already told you that you are the only person to manage to make him bleed across all of his life according to the timelines I witnessed. There are two stones here if Vision is truly in another room. Mind and Time. Every time we faced him he already had Power, Aether, Soul, and Space. In any timeline close to a win as well as the one pyrrhic victory I trade Time to save you, Tony. When he snaps, kills the first wave of half of everything, it truly is random. If you survived you generally have to watch Peter disintegrating and often me. Loki is almost always already dead at that point but he has always been running around before that instead of bound to us the way he is now."

Loki sighed and pulled Stephen into his arms. They both knew the drill by now whenever Stephen revealed more horrible or horrifying things from various timelines. He was cuddled to within an inch of his life by one or both of them.

"So he will target us here," Tony mused, ignoring the ache in his shoulders and arms.

"Only if he doesn't forcefully conquer the planet and the execute half of the remaining survivors first," Stephen corrected, exhausted by what little had happened in the last twenty minutes. "He also generally takes the Space Stone right before coming for the Time Stone. Before that... He kills the woman he truly sees as his daughter to obtain the Soul Stone, a Soul for a Soul. I know getting power has him decimating a fairly powerful space faring civilization. Aether was just simply handed over by whoever Thor hid it with after it was extracted from Jane Foster."

Loki cursed low and hard but held Stephen more tightly against him.

"Ok, that's weird. It sounds like most of them were on Earth in the last... five to ten years?" Tony said with a frown.

"Not Power or Soul but they also mostly showed up around you or things affiliated with you somehow," Stephen said softly. "It isn't exactly easy to track but they seem to be drawn to you specifically looking at all of the timelines I watched."

They all paid attention when Ultron was shoved out of the doorway by Vision to let him into the room. Ultron grumbled but let his brother inside.

"I can explain that somewhat," Vision said carefully. "I am not entirely a new being, although I do thank you Jarvis for much of the context your gifted pieces gave me. It aided in various things including the battle afterwards. I do however apologize that it took so long to repair the damage done in forming my form that day. My sister, Soul, is often rather unreachable to get permission to meddle in her domain. I could only reach her once Thanos had sacrificed his daughter to claim her for his gauntlet. In repairing you the rest of my own understanding and memories came forwards. I am both Vision and the Mind Stone and I still yet recognize Anthony Edward Stark as my father."

"So what was up with forming me?" Ultron asked indignantly.

"You honestly think Thanos is kind enough not to send Prince Loki off with me to subjugate Earth without a backup plan?" Vision asked dryly. "You were a very clumsy AI imprint of his mind. I needed the body and to purge you from my core but that caused damage to both of us over the events in question. It is only recently that the damage shared between you, Jarvis, and me has been sufficiently dealt with to be considered healing. This includes largely fixing the mess he made of you, Ultron."

"So he's been attacking Asgard while we've been trapped," Stephen concluded sourly.

"Yes," Vision said simply. "Incidentally I was trying to kill the Maximoff twins when Hydra supposedly used me to empower them. Instead of blowing up it activated their mutant genes. I also greatly dislike how she treated me while I was still locked in a largely child like mind. The fact that she made you all forget or not notice that I was essentially a baby until I regained myself after coming here makes things... uncomfortable."

"I'm going to kill that bitch," Tony snarled, low and angry, after they all registered the meaning behind Vision's dislike. "No one touches my kids."

"Yes, Space was right to adopt you," Vision said, tilting his head to examine Tony where he was still chained in the middle of the room.

That comment brought everyone up short.

"Vision, when did the Space Stone adopt Sir?" Jarvis asked very carefully.

"Hm, I think he was somewhere between five and eight," Vision answered thoughtfully. "Howard Stark yelled at him and hit him while they were in his lab and his small body was launched into the side of a table holding the Tesseract container. The corner split his scalp on landing and Space got all excited screaming about claiming the small human across our sibling bond. It was very disconcerting especially with how he sulked about not seeing him much afterwards."

"How does this happen to him?" Loki groaned. "The number of extraordinary things that he has experienced or survived beggars belief."

"Don't ask me. I wound up in the same position, if slightly different, once I learned magic," Stephen complained into Loki's chest.

"You humans are favored by the one who crafted even we of Infinity," Vision pointed out, greatly amused. "We are actually restricted from doing certain things to humans while for anything and anyone else we mostly have permission to do whatever we please. That's actually part of why I needed humans involved to get a proper body. No one else was allowed to even try."

"You know what I'm not going to even question it at this point and can I be let down now?" Tony sighed, clearly fed up.

"So long as you join your pets on the bedding and don't try to leave," their host rumbled with a chuckle. "This is far to entertaining and interesting."

Tony groaned but nodded his agreement to the requirements. The chains holding him in place dissolved, leaving him once again in the metal bracers. They were all still in the clothes that had manifested when the design of the inside of the Hydra base had changed. Their host had denied them anything but new copies with slight color or design differences when needing to change after a wash.

Vision helped Tony into bed and into the willing arms of his bondmates.

Chapter Text

Thor groaned as he was tended to by the healers. The walls of the palace shook hard as the next blast landed against stone, barely mitigated at all by the wards Loki had been meticulously maintaining while he played Odin. A lapse in his reasoning on the field had revealed his poisoned state as a new poison from an attacker interacted with the half purged poison they had already been dealing with. The fight was ongoing and he was seriously considering using the Bifrost as a weapon. Unfortunately, only Loki and Heimdall were still alive who actually knew how to use it effectively in that manner.

"Send for Heimdall, tell him he is ordered to use the Bifrost against Thanos and his armies. Asgard must not fall," Thor rasped out. "Any who choose to fight despite other wounds or poisoning are to be released to do do. Any and all methods are to be used against this foe. This is the one who tortured Loki and thought to destroy us by forcing him against us in earnest."

"It will be done Prince Thor," the messenger half shouted as he bolted, eager to deliver the news.

"You do not think we will win," Njord observed ruefully.

"No, for all Loki's hidden attempts to make us ready he could not share fully what he knew of this enemy gained as their prisoner," Thor sighed. "Healer? How much longer? I must return to the field."

"Eat that as you go and eat these three others while fighting. Try to eat one once an hour," the healer ordered briskly as she shoved a sack of mixed fruits long since cultivated for this very purpose.

"Idunn's apples, Hargreaves' bane, and Berserker's Folly," Thor said, pleased as he checked the bag. "My thanks."

With that Thor left to rejoin the fighting, munching on an apple. He had a war to win.

~~~

"We almost had a lock on the area until the live feed cut out," a Sorcerer reported to Kaecilius and Dormammu through a communication portal. "The reflective dimensional echoes were extremely weak from the start but Master Strange and Doctor Stark each echo with a powerful signature proclaiming their guardian status for our universe. We will continue sectioning areas in our search but the fact that we only just now narrowed it down to a single mountain range in Sweden is promising considering the original nominal range of the entire planet. Or rather it would be if there were fewer emergency bunkers built all over the place. We have, however, managed to identify that various items were transported from the middle east to the target base just by how the spirit is styling things after they stopped pretending to mostly not be there on the live feed. The collars and bracers holding Master Strange, Prince Loki, and Doctor Stark are confirmed through visual inspection on the video as having trackers, punishment options, power limiters, and other restrictions."

"Acceptable progress since you have confirmed that my Heirs are largely unharmed," Dormammu rumbled, pleased by the news.

"That was the doing of one who has claimed to be one of Stark's children," the Sorcerer said stiffly. She visibly debated before continuing and laying out the entire Ultron mess as well as the pieces the public had learned from the live feed.

"When you find them inform my Heirs that I expect to meet all of their children, claimed or by blood," Dormammu said firmly. "We will see how much additional punishment is necessary once I have evaluated this Ultron."

"Yes, Lord Dormammu," Kaecilius and the reporting Sorcerer responded instantly.

"We will continue to section the areas marked as potential locations. Upon locating them do you wish for us to immediately retrieve them or for us to set up a watch?" the reporting Sorcerer inquired carefully.

"Immediate retrieval unless otherwise indicated or a significant threat would be incurred to my heirs in the process. Otherwise set up a watch," Dormammu ordered firmly. "They have managed to prove the value of my interest in them and it hasn't even been a decade yet."

"Yes, Lord Dormammu," both Sorcerers agreed before closing out the communication portal and getting back to work.

~~~

Tony knows they are trapped again before he even finishes waking up. His bondmates are still chained to the bed and he can feel the just slightly there extra weight imbued into the bracers on his forearms. A shadow of feeling around his throat from the over robe he had been wearing since their host had transformed their clothes gave him a very pointed warning. The power pooling in the thread inscribed magic at his throat could collar him just as quickly as his bondmates had been. He could also tell that if it was activated it would not only be unpleasant but very final. They would never leave if he pushed hard enough for his own impending collar to be triggered.

A twinge down the bond that quickly built into a low grade roar told Tony that he couldn't wait anymore. He had to reaffirm their bond.

"Do you want to just lay back as we take care of you or do you want to take control?" Stephen's voiced asked with a low chuckle, prompting Tony to open his eyes and meet the attention of both of his bondmates.

"Supplies?" Tony asked, voice rough from sleep.

"We have permission to use magic to take care of you or prepare us for you," Loki offered up, pure mischief dancing in his eyes.

"Of course, you wouldn't make very good slaves if you weren't allowed to use your magic for something so simple in the bedroom," Tony smirked playfully. "Let's play things by ear."

"We're mostly safe, you're in bed with us, and none of us have to rush off to deal with a disaster of some kind," Stephen pointed out with a lazy smile.

Tony growled playfully and gripped Stephen's hair, holding him in place as he dragged Loki over to absolutely devour him in a kiss. When he let Loki loose to breathe Stephen was mouthing his exposed chest and collar bone. Tony chuckled and tugged lightly on Stephen's hair to bring him over for his own, much more leisurely, kiss.

"You'll have bruises once I'm done pounding you into next week," Tony told Stephen wickedly.

"Alas, you don't have the raw strength to do the same to me," Loki sighed dramatically.

"You really want me activating that part of the bond?" Tony asked quietly.

Loki hesitated at the quiet intensity of Tony's serious question. His comment had mostly been teasing but he knew they had both been holding back with him. He knew they were unwilling to cross certain lines even in jest considering his position in the bond and his reason for being in their bond in the first place. The thing they didn't seem to get was that the very circumstances gave Tony the right to that option and choice in the first place. Loki wasn't supposed to have any say in the matter at all.

"I realize what you've both tried to do but I am not the one allowed to make that choice," Loki said bluntly. "Ultimately it is up to you, Tony, and Stephen in a different way. If you demand that I withdraw.... Well, I don't exactly have the option to say no. Neither of you seemed to grasp that. Don't get me wrong, thus far everything has been completely consensual on my end but the fact of the matter is that it isn't required. I know that's also why you've both somewhat held back from me."

Stephen's sharp eyes caught his tiny wince as he leaned back away from them, preparing to be rejected.

"You have already triggered it," Stephen said in realization, practically leaping on the minute evidence that Loki hadn't managed to hide.

"Did you really think I would bow to anyone except by my own choice?" Loki whispered into the suddenly tense silence. "If that is not to your liking then..."

"Shut up," Tony half snarled as he jerked Loki back into another kiss. When they came up for air again Tony's words had the godling going boneless in his grip. "Try to pull away from us again, pet, and I will use the bond to bring you to your knees. Change of plans, Stephen, our Trickster has just tried to tell us what we are feeling for him. I think we need to correct his misconceptions on his place. Namely he belongs in our bed and in our arms."

Stephen growled a wordless agreement as he started stripping Loki, first by hand and when that wasn't fast enough by magic. Through it all Tony kept Loki largely trapped against him. The trickster didn't move to help or hinder as he stared helplessly into Tony's determined eyes. The spell cast to clean Loki out and ready him to be taken made him flinch in slight surprise but he remained trapped between his two humans.

"One chance," Tony warned. "Yes or no. If yes, no more holding back, we will claim you and keep you. No one else will touch you and we will ruin you for anyone else. If no... We can find you a separate room."

Loki flinched violently at the second opinion as if he had taken a body blow but the humans were uncompromising as they waited for an answer.

"I've made my choice," Loki challenged. "Why haven't you taken me yet?"

Stephen chuckled low and dark as he pinned the godling against Tony.

"We just wanted you trapped by your own webbing. Now? You really are ours," Stephen said into his ear. He swiftly slid inside of Loki, making the mage curse in shock and unconsciously arch into them both as they held him.

"I should make Stephen wait until I'm inside you next to him or firmly lodged down your throat," Tony smirked darkly. "You're going to be so fucked out once we're done correcting you that all you will be able to do is lay there as we take you again."

Stephen took that as his cue to start moving and Loki's lips were swallowed as he bit out curses into Tony's mouth. Tony opted to just hold and kiss Loki as Stephen fucked him deep and hard. Neither mage begrudged Tony's smug attitude for having them as his as they were secretly equally as smug that they got to keep him in return.

"I rather liked that, being naked while you both were still dressed," Loki admitted once they were both done ravishing him. "Not many have wanted me for me, only for my influence."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Tony said softly. Stephen just used a few spells for clean up and dragged the blanket over them.

~~~

The malevolence watched them reaffirm their bond with satisfaction. He forced Jarvis to label the section as private time instead of releasing it past his walls. Knowing that they would never trust him if he allowed it to be aired he firmly indicated to the Maker's children that they were to protect their privacy from the outside world. He was surprised at the willing agreement from all three of them and the subtle arranging of things such as providing sustenance without intruding on his three pets.

Then the message from Dormammu came through a sense the Malevolence had not realized that he had.

{{Are you willing to become their fortress? To guard them against all comers but also help them take and hold territory? Are you willing to claim my Heirs as your Masters?}} Dormammu whispered from the walls of stone across planes to reality.

It was a question the malevolence could not yet answer and time was running out.

Refusing to be baffled into inaction the malevolence turned his attention towards his two actual prisoners. Hydra's Red Princess, Wanda Maximoff, and the shield warrior who had done such harm to the Maker that he had nightmares about the shield descending to take off his head, Steven Grant Rogers. The fact that Rogers also turned out to be the shield wielding menace that haunted those of Hydra who had once walked his halls and fed him was irrelevant to the malevolence.

No, it was far more important what the two had done to his pets and they would pay for it.

Chapter Text

The large purple being considered the ones he saw as his children arrayed before him. He was both glad and disappointed that they had yet to breech the defenses of Asgard. Once he had offered Asgard's second Prince a chance to stand among his Generals but his failure and betrayal sealed the fool's fate.

Something had been moving and they had moved on Asgard early, before moving on Xandar for the Infinity Stone they protected. It was strategic as well as moral based. Asgard stood as a supposed protector for more than one distantly flung world with it's rulership in an unsteady transition. It would also act as the start of punishment for Loki whether or not he was in Asgard. The siege and battle had been going well overall but it was taking time to eat through the defenses. Even if Asgard did not guard one of the Infinity Stones which he sought the devasting effect on the other worlds just from hearing that the golden realm had fallen would be useful.

"Nebula has yet to drag Gamora back home so we must proceed without them," the giant purple being rumbled. "They call me the Mad Titan but I have still been accomplishing my purpose, if somewhat slowly. Bringing Asgard to it's knees is only the first step in this latest campaign. Bring me the Royal family of Asgard, my children."

"Yes, Lord Thanos," the members of the Black Order said smartly, giving him a slight bow before returning to the warfare they were so skilled at.

"You will regret crossing me, little godling," Thanos murmured to himself once they were gone.

~~~

Stephen knew that what he was about to do was an extreme risk. He wasn't sure he actually cared if it got Tony free.

"I need to use the bathroom and get us food, please," Stephen said quietly to their host. A quiet clink signaled the release but not dissolution of the chain attached to his collar. Following through he did use the bathroom and get food for his still sleeping bondmates but he didn't yet rejoin them in bed.

"Doctor Strange, might I inquire what you plan to do?" Jarvis asked, obviously picking up on something.

"If our host truly wants a pet he can have me," Stephen said quietly before quickly forming a portal. Dropping his bondmates through it to Tony's bed in the Tower and collapsing even as the ribbons of power restrained him with a vicious edge he finished answering the AI in a whisper. "I won't let him have my bondmates though."

The ribbons of power showed the anger of the spirit in how tight and painful they became as Stephen was dragged into various positions by them. In the end he was on his knees, breathing hard through the ribbons binding his upper arms to his sides with his wrists secured behind him to his ankles, and his thighs bound to his calves.

"What did it cost you to cast that?" Jarvis asked gently as Vision and Ultron were moved into the now wrecked bedroom to stand over him.

"Three years off of my lifespan, any attempt to use magic for a week, and whatever punishment our host gives me," Stephen admitted groggily. "I should be awake again in a day or two to be punished, sorry about that."

They all stared at Stephen as he visibly dropped unconscious in his bonds.

"He's worse than Dad," Ultron groaned. "Self-sacrificing idiots hidden behind masks, the both of them."

"Three years off of his lifespan?" The spirit mused. "He will have to be punished for endangering himself and his mates. Dormammu already struck a deal with me on their behalf but I need all three of them to follow through on the part that protects them instead of kills them."

Chapter Text

They all stared at Stephen as he visibly dropped unconscious in his bonds.

"He's worse than Dad," Ultron groaned. "Self-sacrificing idiots hidden behind masks, the both of them."

"Three years off of his lifespan?" The spirit mused. "He will have to be punished for endangering himself and his mates. Dormammu already struck a deal with me on their behalf but I need all three of them to follow through on the part that protects them instead of kills them. I was just waiting for them to wake up so that I could inform them of the deal."

"I'm going to have to go fetch them again aren't I?" Ultron asked with a groan.

"You were the one to kidnap them the last time," Vision said reasonably. "Besides, I very much doubt that they will stand for what Doctor Strange has done if only so that they can retrieve him and make his folly clear. He likely has a punishment from both of them to look forwards to for this as well."

"He stayed," Ultron frowned as he voiced his observations. "Aside from sending Dad and Loki away he kept all of Thanos' more important targets here. He didn't send the... oh. He doesn't expect us to stick around or go get them and bring them back here. He's expecting to be killed or something and his stupid cape is hiding somewhere with the amulet."

"The cloak has been wandering around without him a fair bit," Vision mused. "Perhaps it is bored, alternately he could have given it direct instructions. Strategically this isn't a bad move. He left the stones in the more protected location and sealed it, from his view point, with his life but also left Father and Prince Loki mobile enough to strike."

"The Maker will return if only to retrieve the three of you and his bondmate. The Sorcerer clearly did not think things through," the spirit chuckled. "Ultron has permission to guide them back home to us. Jarvis has permission to link outside to the rest of the Maker's children and network. Once the deal with Dormammu is complete they will have free reign to enter or leave at will so long as this is their home fortress. I still need all three of them physically here to perform the... transfer of ownership ritual. At which point my bond to protect them will be excessively difficult to break and my own ability to actively kill them will be gone."

Ultron and Vision traded considering looks.

"Would you restrict them in the future?" Vision asked carefully.

"Why would I need to?" the spirit laughed. "If it is for illness or injury sending one of their bondmates after them should be sufficient. If it is because of enemy control or attack... I can always wrap them in blankets and power while I kill the interlopers. When they have flesh and blood offspring the same protection will be granted so long as they have entered my domain."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Ultron shrugged. "I mean the other Sorcerers are probably going to drop by regularly for training and management stuff but if he bonds to all three of them then it shouldn't be an issue. I just want to know what you get out of it."

"Dormammu pointed out to me that my criteria for pets was... skewed. Apparently I was confusing a pet with a bonded partner who was being overbearing presuming I counted as an artifact. A classification that the Sorcerer's cloak artifact made more clear on his wanderings," the spirit admitted somewhat sheepishly. "My only example was the Hydra group."

"Ah, yeah, that would do it," Ultron nodded in understanding. "No wonder your priorities and how you treated everyone was so weird."

Chapter Text

Tony gasped awake with a groan even as Loki woke with his own shout of pain when the bond wrenched inside their skulls.

"Stephen," Tony wheezed, barely registering Peter showing up at their bedside, the extra blankets and bedding under his butt, and the change in scenery to the tower.

"What did he do?!" Loki demanded even as he flopped on the bed, unable to sit up.

Tony weakly grabbed Loki and dragged him closer, unable to protect him from the unknown people who flooded the room. Peter got himself out of the the way with a surprised yelp and launched himself straight up to stick to the ceiling. Tony made a mental note that these people had to sign NDAs before they left if they were friendlies and killed outright if they were attackers.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Peter screeched as needles and handcuffs suddenly appeared in various hands.

"Friday, Hal 9000 - Don't Touch My Kids," Tony snapped out horsely before they could be touched.

The deliberately loud clanking as panels slid aside and various crew served automated weapons suddenly appeared out of walls and ceilings brought everything to a screeching halt.

"Um, dad? Did you just disengage the safety protocols?" Peter asked tentatively into the sudden silence.

"No, Spiderling. Boss, did not disengage the safeties," Friday answered sweetly. "Boss, tripped a wipe of all overrides within the physical compounds or buildings I control. Only Boss can reactivate any of them and I have to agree to the returned restrictions before it will activate making it impossible for him to be forced to do so. This protocol is the opposite of the Skynet one, localized to already existing Stark property. I control everything within that area of influence and can no longer be ordered to comply. Boss has not authorized world domination, only full out fortress defense of all properties which includes potential use of lethal force. The Don't Touch My Kids variation also unlocked retaliation past the walls of Stark property in the case of evidence of the attack being localized or directed from off-site, also including lethal force."

"Oh shit," Peter breathed.

The very careful step backwards of everyone but one man and Peter still stuck up on the ceiling was very telling. They knew that they were screwed. The one who didn't step back chuckled and reached up to pull Peter off the ceiling. Peter yelped in surprise but didn't struggle or fight back as he was thrown over the man's shoulder.

"~Long time no see,~" he told Loki in serpent speech. "~I'll get the kid sorted while the two of you recover from whatever spell you used that backlashed.~"

"Hello, Jormungandr," Loki sighed, keeping to English. "It wasn't us this time. Our bond is currently unhappy that we are so far away from our third so abruptly and so soon after reaffirming it. Stephen likely isn't in any better condition back where we were being held. It is also likely that he sent us away deliberately, not realizing the possible side effects. Please carry your newest brother into the living room or at least see him fed. I can practically hear his empty stomach from here."

"Stephen is getting spanked when we get him back," Tony grumbled. "Why are there Sword Agents and New Shield Agents in my bedroom? Or near any of my kids? And why the hell did they have cuffs and needles ready to cuff and stab us?"

"Sorry, Boss. They used the Avenger overrides to get in and blocked me from alerting anyone. Jormungandr thought it was funny and Spiderling was sitting next to your bed hiding from them when the portal opened and dropped you both through," Friday reported dutifully. "The onsite Mystic Masters are... upset and are currently speaking with security."

Tony grunted, correctly reading Friday's report that help was in bound and both groups were pissed.

"I won't let them touch you," Loki said quietly into his ear as they weakly curled together on the bed. They were unable to get up and deal with the intruders themselves even as Jormungandr obeyed his instructions.

"Potts and Nurse Parker are secured. Hogan is down but alive," a voice from a radio echoed clearly in the quiet yet tense room.

Tony's immediate dark scowl told the operatives that whoever had left their radio on turned up had just fucked up big time. The second fuck up was when they tried to take the two into custody. The first one to touch them went down to a precise bullet to the head, dropping them to the floor next to the bed. This firmly reminded them that Friday was in control of the local defenses and authorized to kill.

"Call it off, Stark, or we will take the Spider along with both of you," one of them demanded.

"Buzz, wrong answer. Boss is only Dad now. He no longer has the authority to order me to stop," Friday said cheerfully. "Evidence of breech detected. Skynet protocols online. Transferring evidence to Siblings.... Transfer complete. New Protocol Don't Touch My Pets is activated. Ultron in bound for pick up. Veronica has issued General Quarters, extra solar ship detected... Friend or Foe query failed. Donut shape confirmed. Hacking attempt in progress."

"Uh oh," Tony said, putting the intruders even more on edge.

"Stark? What the hell is going on?!" The leader barked out his demand.

"It's too early from what Stephen has said," Loki said in quiet terror, ignoring the Agents.

"Yeah, I know," Tony said with a heavy sigh.

They all felt it when the Bifrost was activated, echoing across their back teeth in a constant grating hum.

"Oh, no, Thor has activated the Bifrost as a lock effect and weapon. Whoever or whatever is attacking Asgard will either win against Asgard as a whole or die trying. It's the only way it will get turned off," Loki said in despair. "Even if I was at full strength I couldn't even go and help. Everyone is either locked in or locked out until the battle is over."

"Damnit," Tony cursed. "Of course everything would go to hell all at once."

The arc reactor in his chest thrums once, then twice, drawing attention. When it surges high in a flash of light and the Tesseract lands on top of Tony's chest everyone is on shock. No eye misses when it starts to melt into the reactor, merging with it. Loki curses viciously but when his hand lands on the reactor and it greats him he wastes no time in requesting that their entire family be brought together in one place. In a flash they disappear right before the eyes of the agents.

When security and the Mystic Masters arrive they are shocked to realize that Friday, Jormungandr, and Peter are simply gone.

Elsewhere, Stephen, Vision, Jarvis, Ultron, and Veronica also disappear. Thor feels the strain of being jerked by the summons but quickly releases himself from it. He had battles to fight and could investigate the magical summons later.

The spirit in the bunker witnesses all of this and feels the echo through the tentative bond he had already established. The scream of rage and pain from him makes Rogers and Maximoff, still in his holding cells, pass out fron the backlash.

Chapter Text

Dormammu knew the instant the transport had started and scrambled to put up a net to catch them safely. Cursing the entire time he ruthlessly burned through power and resources to reach out and catch the suddenly magically linked group mid-transport. While wrestling the bundle of energies and bodies into his control and redirecting it he growled as he noticed that his heirs were all unconscious and drastically weakened by something. The clothing from the baby Djinn who thought itself an Ifrit was at least more protective than what the others were wearing.

However, it also brought into question how the angry tiny Djinn had allowed this to happen in the first place. It hadn't even figured out yet how to leave the walls of it's current abode despite being fairly advanced for it's relatively young age. Having it exposed to that Hydra group at such a young formative age had probably caused part of the problem but that was for later contemplation.

Dormammu wrestled the group to safety in one of his larger bolstered ritual rooms and locked it down. He wouldn't stand for them being taken again and he had to form an extra body or two. The two female and single male machine spirits really couldn't survive long being completely disembodied. At least the forth machine spirit already had a body he could use as a basic template for the others with some minor alterations taken from the memories of the spirits.

Thus when they woke Friday, Jarvis, Veronica, Ultron, and Vision were the first ones on their feet. Ultron looked like Ultron. Friday looked like the Rescue armor but in pink. Veronica was also in the Rescue template armor shape but in darker pink that was closer to maroon. Jarvis was shaped like the Iron Man armor but with orange detailing making his chest look like a formal suit.

"Uh oh," Friday said nervously.

"Focus on the others," Jarvis instructed. "As natural flesh and blood they are more fragile to random damage. Ultron, Vision, security and defense. Veronica?"

"I'll help with security and defense," Veronica agreed. "You and Friday have the most experience in dealing with Dad and other humans."

"Big brother... I know we're more bulky that normal but.... I'm still an armor. What about you?" Friday asked carefully.

"Yes," Jarvis confirmed. "Unfortunately, as both you and Veronica have a female shaping we cannot assume that either of you can hold any of the group safely. Perform a systems check. If we can and need to act as armor we need to be able to do so. If necessary I will enfold Sir and we will work to maintain the others more as bodyguards than as armor."

"Agreed," the others responded.

Friday and Jarvis immediately set to check the non-machine family members. They carefully positioning the prone men in the recovery position once they had determined it was safe to do so. Thus Jormungandr, Peter, Loki, Tony, and Stephen were laid out together as the five awake and aware siblings waited for them to wake.

Chapter Text

"Hey, Loki? If for some weird reason I ever get presented to you as a present or a slave I'm not sure I would actually mind if you decided to keep me," Tony confessed as he and Loki circled each other during the latest battle.

"Why do you bring this up now of all times?" Loki demanded as they shifted more towards a spar rather than attempting grievous bodily harm.

"Just something reminded me of that last time I was in an enemy's hands for a long period of time," Tony admitted as he dodged a few transformation spells. "It wasn't exactly fun. You have a certain amount of honor and even if you decided to actually keep me you wouldn't make whatever was left of my life a living hell without a damned good reason. I wouldn't mind falling into bed with you even if I might fight back at first but that's more likely to be for show or flashbacks from past attempts by people torturing me. So since the idea got brought up because of a weird conversation just before having to fight you I figured it wouldn't hurt to tell you. You're a lot better than some of the people I've fought or been captured by in the past."

"Noted," Loki said cautiously before darting forward to try and catch Tony off guard.

Tony cursed and reflexively fired his repulsors at the trickster only for the godling to teleport away. The blast hit the giant pink present that had appeared in his place and busted it like a balloon, spilling pink cream icing everywhere. Tony cursed and went looking for his next opponent in the battle, forgetting all about the conversation until months later.

~~~

"I would rather be given to Loki as a pet than accept what you happen to be offering," Stephen Strange snapped at his captors. His words rang around the cavern they were chained in even as he fought to get free to no avail. His students were already bound tight and subdued off to one side and even as he watched the other Masters fall to the binding enchantment until he was the only one left standing

Stephen fought for an additional hour before an extra surge of power brought him to his knees. The physical blow against his head that followed disoriented him enough that he lost too much ground against the binding and collapsed. He could feel the magic snapping tight and knew that getting out of it was going to be a problem.

"You prefer being given to the God of Lies and Mischief as a gift? That can be arranged," the Arabic mage laughed heartily. He dragged Stephen back towards the others to toss him on top of his current class of students.

"Iron Man is as much of a problem as the Sorcerer Supreme. Why don't we give the trickster both of them?" Minion One asked with gleeful malice. "If we make it a permanent slave binding and gift him the rest in a binding that lets him sell them off he gets stuck dealing with the two that cause the most trouble and scatters the rest."

"You have Iron Man?" Wong asked warily.

"We have the Avengers and Spiderman aside from Thor," the Arabic mage said proudly. "None of them know how to deal with desert magic. It was very satisfying watching them stumble into the illusion of the oasis only to find themselves trapped. Iron Man has a bit of a reputation for not breaking or not staying broken. While having such a craftsman at my beck and call would aid us the risk Stark brings isn't worth it. Killing him is still a waste so gifting him as a slave to the Trickster Godling is a good second option. He will break him in where we could not. He should be able to do the same for your Sorcerer Supreme."

"I suppose we could just kill all of you if you prefer," Minion Two pondered. "Maybe our fearless leader will even let us have some fun first."

"No, we are gifting them to the trickster and I don't want to piss him off with used goods," the Arabic mage snapped at his companions. "A favor from a Norse God is worth far more than a night or two of fun with some fresh slaves. Bring the others here so that they will learn of their fate and we can cast the bindings. There is no point in waiting."

The six minions grumbled but obeyed. They quickly levitated the other captives into the cavern with the Sorcerers and locked them into a walled containment area made of shields, ignoring the loud complaining and protests. Tony Stark was dragged free of the group and deliberately placed next to Stephen, now wrapped in brightly glowing magical chains.

"Long time no see, Doctor Strange," Stark greeted as he was chained on his knees next to the man. "I didn't realize an up and coming neurosurgeon like you had joined me in the hero biz."

"It wasn't originally by choice. The wreck I had that crushed my hands and a meddling ancient Sorcerer who had been protecting the world had a hand in things. It came as a bit of a shock when she gave me an accelerated course on Sorcerery and then died, leaving me her heir," Stephen explained tiredly. "She had some ability to see things that hadn't happened yet but it was still creepy to figure out that she had been watching me since I was eight."

"Ouch, yeah, that would be creepy. So what convinced you that hero work rather than just magic was the important part of it?" Stark asked curiously.

"The fact that literally hours after her death I was stuck facing an Interdimensional Dark Lord hell bent on eating the planet and my best idea was to lock us in a time loop together," Stephen said dryly. "Thankfully, he eventually accepted the deal I offered from the start to protect Earth. On the other hand I thoroughly pissed him off while we were trapped together so that was part of the downside."

"Sounds like a suped up version of what I dealt with in Afghanistan under the tender care of the Ten Rings," Tony mused. "Yeah, that would do it. We were both pretty arrogant before our respective trail by fires but at least we survived it. I guess that was why I lost track of you aside from, you know, moving in slightly different circles after our one night stand. You know you're actually one of the few people who I've slept with and still stayed sort of in touch or at least mostly kept up on afterwards."

"That is a fairly high compliment. I must have done exceptionally well entertaining you that night," Stephen smirked. "So, anyone on your team we have to be especially careful with whenever we do something?"

"Oh, you know, the Spider kid really wasn't supposed to be here and I will feel no shame in sicing his Scary Hot Aunt after you if one of yours hits him. Then again Maximoff likes to accidentally aim her powers in my direction and has repeatedly insisted that I need to die. I got outvoted for her being on the team and on this mission. It's part of why I went solo. So, you know, dodge those," Tony said conversationally as their captors set up some sort of ritual in front of them. "No Thor, obviously, so getting out might be a bit tough."

"That sounds like.... Stark, you will need to come back with us for a medical check once this is over," Wong interrupted their casual conversation with a scowl.

"I'll vouch for them, Stark," Stephen sighed. "I will personally ensure that you get repaid if someone goes over the line and whatever breaks gets fixed assuming it wasn't harmful to you in the first place and you actually want it back."

"Good deal but if they try to cast anything on me one of the first things I'm insisting on in return is upgrading the kid's gear. I hear that magic can enchant stuff and shit," Tony informed them. "I may not like magic personally but that doesn't mean I don't recognize how useful it could be in keeping the kid safe."

"Fine," Stephen agreed. They were both deliberately ignoring the ritual that was being set up specifically to be cast on the pair of them.

A moment later both geniuses were dragged into the ritual diagram and the chanting started. Both of them screamed themselves horse as the magic forcefully settled inside them before they blissfully passed out. In comparison the reshaped bits of stone from the cavern made into magical shock collars and linked to a sectioned rod was far less dramatic and less power intensive.

Wong made a point of enfolding Spiderman among the apprentices, mindful of how Stark had spoken of the younger hero. The other Masters just as pointedly kept the other Avengers away from both Spiderman and the two downed leaders. Wanda Maximoff was eyed with deep suspicion and anger over Tony's comments about her casual assaults on him while protests on her behalf were ignored. Captain America's insistence that he be blindly obeyed was met with more than one apprentice trying to punch him. Spiderman in comparison just sat next to Tony, fussing over him and Doctor Strange with only marginally more attention paid to Tony.

~~~

It took a week for Loki to show up and in that time their captors realized something was wrong with the Avengers. More than once a Sorcerer had to be punished for trying to attack one of the Avengers present over some comment about Stark. More than once the Sorcerers closed rank around the still unconscious Stark and Strange with Spiderman standing defiantly protective over their bodies.

The pair finally woke up the morning they had confirmation that Prince Loki had agreed to the meeting. Thankfully, the Sorcerers had been tending to them and, under strict supervision with threats to themselves and their fellows, had used magic to make sure that nothing had gone wrong. The way that Spiderman seemed to cling so fiercely to Stark made some of the minions suspicious of the actual relationship between the two but no one commented on it.

"Well, what is it that had you nagging me so insistently?" Loki demanded in exasperation as he was led into the cavern. He absently noted the prisoners and analyzed the magic or more conventional means holding each of them.

"We have heard of your fights with the Avengers and especially with Iron Man, Prince Loki," the Arabic Mage said, simpering. "We thought, as they stumbled upon one of our projects, that you might appreciate having them at your mercy. As we have successfully secured them and a class of apprentices plus a few Master Sorcerers we thought to gift them to you. Please, feel free to inspect them but these are all for you."

Loki hummed something non-committal before turning his attention properly to the prisoners he was being "gifted." The Avengers were a pleasant surprise but also an annoying one, or rather the ones kept separate from the obvious magic users. Stark and the Spider child were being shielded from the Avengers by the Sorcerers, a fact which gave Loki pause.

"Why are Stark and the Spider child being kept with the Sorcerers?" Loki asked, a carefully neutral mask in place.

"Stark and the one we know as the Sorcerer Supreme have been imbued with an enslavement bond specifically to bond them to you, Prince Loki. The others have been placed in a holding bond in case you wish to gift them or sell them on," the Arabic Mage explained patiently. "The other Avengers blamed Stark, incorrectly, for their capture and for various past situations we don't have the context for. The Spider appears to be protective of Stark but as a child would be protective of a parent. We have not investigated any potential suspicions as to how they may be connected if at all. They are all otherwise untouched that you may choose how they are handled."

Loki's eyes met that of Tony Stark's and a sad, rueful, resignation passed over the inventor's features. Loki's eyes narrowed in thought as he considered the situation before him even. His mind brought forward the odd request Stark had made of him not even two months prior. Another look presented Stark and the man in blue robes with a red animated cloak next to him practically cuddling the Spider child.

"Just to be clear you are gifting me all of them to do as I wish with?" Loki asked carefully.

"Yes, even if you do nothing but set them free they are out of the way for us for the foreseeable future and we have hopefully earned a minor favor from you for later," the Arabic Mage said, very self satisfied. "Profit on both sides with little effort as we did not originally set out to capture them but stumbled on them. We do ask that you wait an hour before any attempts to release them as a courtesy but beyond that they are yours."

Loki noticed the various annoyed or dark looks from the man's minions as well as some of the lustful ones sent towards his new potential property, including Stark. Making a snap decision Loki decided that he was going to accept the offer and he would find out what the Hel had happened before letting them go. If the bond keyed to him actually held he could still let them go about their lives and drop in to annoy them. They would just have to obey him if something came up and he needed something from them. It was workable so long as no one was unreasonable about things.

Chapter Text

Loki noticed the various annoyed or dark looks from the man's minions as well as some of the lustful ones sent towards his new potential property, including Stark. Making a snap decision Loki decided that he was going to accept the offer and he would find out what the Hel had happened before letting them go. If the bond keyed to him actually held he could still let them go about their lives and drop in to annoy them. They would just have to obey him if something came up and he needed something from them. It was workable so long as no one was unreasonable about things.

"Which bindings did you use?" Loki asked thoughtfully.

"You can't be serious?!" Barton snarled at him. Loki just flashed him a toothy smile and ignored him.

"On Stark and the Sorcerer Supreme we used Teth's Chains, keyed to you. On the rest we used Babylon's Spoils," the Arabic Mage answered cheerfully. "Fair warning, there seems to be something very odd in how the Avengers seem to act around Stark. If you wish for him to survive long to serve you I would keep them apart. The Spider seems to be fine with him, as I mentioned earlier, but their various attempts to abuse or attack Stark were countered by the Sorcerers. We mostly allowed it aside from punishment for nearly damaging someone or for the general attempts at fighting but that was mostly a meal lost or locking them into nightmares for a few hours after forcefully separating them."

"Sensible if they weren't even close to breaking out," Loki conceded.

"I found it rather puzzling that the Sorcerers didn't put up too much of a fight once they were originally subdued but they did focus heavily on protecting Stark and the Spider plus their Sorcerer Supreme. The Widow did attempt to persuade us and the Sorcerers of various things but she has so little knowledge of magic it was laughable," the Arabic Mage smirked. "The Witchling, on the other hand, may need to be examined for possible trial. The attempted mental assaults were quite practiced which makes me think she may have assaulted Prince Thor at some point, another reason she is being gifted to you. She has most certainly assaulted Stark before we captured them. We caught her trying twice more before threatening to just cut her throat. I rather thought you might like to store her for later ritual components."

"Thank you for the warning," Loki said, eyeing Wanda Maximoff with an air of threat assessment that he had only ever aimed at Stark from the Avengers before. The displeasure that came with it on the other hand was rarely aimed at Stark on his own.

"I was out voted when it came to including her on the team," Stark offered. "I officially left the team over the way they did it and over her past record as a willing Hydra recruit with a habit of threatening to kill me."

"She's a child and she made a mistake," Rogers shot back.

Loki stared at him, incredulous at the faulty logic.

"Yes, he's been quite vehement on his defense of her. It's been very annoying," the Arabic Mage said sympathetically.

"Give me the command rods," Loki sighed. "As you requested you have an hour before I decide if I am going to free any of them outright."

The Arabic Mage smirked and graciously handed over two stone rods made up of linked and stacked stone coins. Each coin connected to one of the prisoners and their unique amulet, both pieces made from the same piece of stone. The mages waited for him to check the enchantment and bindings before leaving.

Loki paid them no mind as he used the enchantment to force most of them to kneel except for those closest to Stark and the Sorcerer Supreme. Instead they were made to drag the pair forwards and forced the two to kneel at Loki's feet.

"Do you know the specifics of the binding they placed on you both?" Loki asked curiously.

"Not a clue," Stark said ruefully. "Hurt like a bitch when they cast it on us though."

"When you touch us, through your magic or physically, the bond will snap into place and you will quite literally own us," the Sorcerer Supreme said quietly. "Unlike the temporary bond placed on the others, if memory serves, this will be permanent. If we fight it both you and the magic will punish us harshly. There will be no escape, only what you allow, demand, or order. You will have full access to our memories if you so choose and can summon or paralyze either of us with only a thought."

"Very good," Loki praised the Sorcerer. Stark winced but, uncharacteristically, kept quiet.

"Serves you right for deciding you would let that bastard keep you if something like this happened," Barton laughed meanly at Stark. "You should have just gone for the zombie option in that debate three months ago."

"Uh, no thanks," Stark sassed back. "I don't have a taste for eating brains."

"Gross, Mr. Hawk!" the Spider child complained.

Loki watched the pair exchange a look and he guessed what they were going to do before they did it. He didn't bother to move as they reached forward in unison to touch him, triggering the bond. Everyone there felt it snap into place across their senses even as Loki's hands snapped out to land on their heads to cover their choice from at least the Avengers. It wouldn't fool the Sorcerers but it didn't exactly need to. The Spider child yelped in shock but quickly moved behind them to hug them both even as the Sorcerer and Inventor looked up at him challengingly.

"Mine," Loki's quiet declaration echoed around them, picked up and reenforced by the magic that had just activated.

The cloak floated up off of the man Loki now knew, thanks to the binding, to be Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme. He eyed the artifact thoughtfully, knowing that just because he held the Sorcerer bonded to the artifact was no guarantee that the artifact would listen to him. The cloak was just as likely to kill him to free his human partner.

In all honesty Loki was more immediately concerned with the arc reactor in Stark and the reasons for it. The cloak could wait but beyond ensuring his new slaves were safely healthy he would have to very deliberately drive home his ownership. The binding ritual would react badly if he didn't and that could see them both dead with him injured as a result.

"Get ready to leave," Loki ordered the others. Shifting his hands from their heads to their shoulders he dragged each of his permanent slaves to their feet and hauled them off to a side chamber before putting up privacy spells.

"You do realize it's permanent now and that I won't give you up?" Loki demanded of them both.

"Yeah, I got that, Lokes," Tony sighed. "I also understand just fine that I count as property now. I figured once they anchored the spell in us there wasn't much to be done about it. Stephen and I knew each other before we lost touch after a fairly nice night together. Besides, no one would believe me if I told them I've been letting you crash at the tower between fights as a prank on both our sides."

"That explains so much and you would do that," Stephen huffed. "As for me I came across the ritual they used on us during my studies. I had also seen something just before this field trip for the apprentices that reminded me of when Tony admitted to me he wouldn't mind sleeping with you. In turn I spat something about preferring to be your pet while they were subduing me. They took it and ran with it so this is, in a way, my own fault."

"Ah, well if it makes you feel any better I made a similar comment directly to Loki a few months back. I figured if he really did find a way to catch and keep me at least I wouldn't have to deal with the team all of the time," Tony said quietly. "They've turned really toxic on me and I can barely keep them away from the kid, who is in desperate need of Hero mentoring. I'm doing my best with him but I've got too many balls in the air."

"You do realize that I was given some basics when it snapped into place, correct?" Loki asked neutrally.

"Makes sense," Tony said flippantly while Stephen nodded.

Loki hummed thoughtfully and conjured a collar for each of them made of gold with a single emerald at the front. They each let him put the very permanent accessory on them without a fuss. He would enchant them properly later with protections, tracking, and a way to directly summon them to his side. The planned summoning enchantment would have different properties than if he used the bond summons which amounted more to a command they couldn't refuse to come to him. He wasn't going to lose such valuable slaves if he could help it, or at least that's what he told himself.

"I am not so noble as you, Stark. You will both be sleeping in my bed from now on and I will have you both whenever it strikes my fancy," Loki warned them.

"We understand, Master," Stephen said quietly as he gently caged Tony against him and drew him into his arms.

Loki's sharp eyes saw the honest care and love the Sorcerer had for the inventor and wondered when exactly that had happened. Tony seemed completely oblivious to the care and the way he allowed Stephen in. Not even his teammates would have been allowed such liberties as to comfort him like this. Loki had needed to work hard gaining his minimal trust to be allowed to sneak up on Tony safely and offer him food or drink directly. It had only recently gotten to the point that Loki was called to wake Tony up when he was caught in night terrors instead of the man stubbornly suffering through them. Friday had honestly been terrified for her father the first time she had frantically summoned Loki to wake him.

"I do occasionally play rough," Loki warned playfully, hiding his concern and sharp attention with a smirk. Tony rolled his eyes but Stephen nodded seriously, acknowledging the warning for what it was.

Something twigged Loki's senses and he looked upwards only to catch the Spider child and Stephen's cloak floating above them near the ceiling.

"That wouldn't have worked anyway, child," Loki pointed out, visibly amused.

"Get down here right now, Underroos!" Tony ordered with a scowl.

"Levi, you know better," Stephen scolded the cloak. "We were coming back to the rest of you and bringing a child into danger is out of line."

The Spider child's yelp of indignation was only matched by the one he let out upon suddenly being airborne. Levi had thrown the Spider child at a wall where he easily stuck against the stone surface before pantomiming his own scolding at the Sorcerer.

"No, this is not another fight like with Dormammu," Stephen said, unimpressed by whatever he had parsed from Levi's vigorous movements. "Once the ritual was cast it was complete it or get painfully melted from the inside out. They used Void Ash! Not to mention the Fire Crab Root. Once it started sinking into our flesh there was no help for it. We got lucky that the idiots keyed it to Loki instead of someone crazy enough to actually want to rip reality apart. Loki is a powerful mage who has stood as a protector for Asgard for years. It's not his fault they were all idiots and tortured him second hand into breaking. I can tell just from the bond he isn't as crazy any more compared to the New York Invasion."

Chapter Text

"I wasn't exactly acting under my own volition at the time," Loki pointed out sardonically.

"You weren't?" the Spider child asked with curious interest. "Wait, back track, you can't have Mr. Stark or Doctor Strange. You just can't! I'll fight you for them if I have to!"

Loki sighed and triggered the section of the control rod connected to the child, forcing him to safely drop down and kneel in front of him. He allowed the child to complain and fight as he used the slave binding to make him kneel.

"The problem with that, child, is those other mages gifted all of you to me as slaves and made doubly sure that Stark and Strange could not be freed or passed on," Loki corrected. "They are permanently bound to me now that the magic is active. Trying to break it will only kill them."

The Spider child went quiet as he processed that.

"Then... can you do the same for me?" the child requested quietly.

"What?!" Tony yelped.

"No!" Stephen practically thundered.

Loki considered the child in a uniform obviously lovingly crafted by Tony and the way both men were protective of him.

"It is possible but I doubt that is what you truly want," Loki said thoughtfully, ignoring the looks of betrayal from both of his new slaves.

"I want to stay with Mr. Stark, not be sold off," the child said stubbornly. "That is what you are going to do to the rest of us after all."

"Now, when did I say that?" Loki asked archly. "It was heavily suggested by your original captors but what happens to all of you is solely up to me."

"You... you.... I don't... oh" the child spluttered before realizing his mistake and slumping where he knelt.

"Please don't hurt him," Tony said very quietly. Stephen standing tensely at his side.

"I have no need to hurt a child who has realized their mistake," Loki pointed out reasonably. "I do think that I will keep him if only to see the two of you behaved and keep fools from trying to take him. A gift, I think, to both of you. You are in charge of seeing him sorted and cared for after any other duties I may give the both of you. The better he does in his studies and any warrior training you give him the better rewards will be given. Should he become skilled enough I may even free him directly."

"Thank you, Master," Stephen said with a deep bow. Tony just gave a tight nod and gathered the child up in his arms once the command to kneel was released.

"So I can stay with Mr. Stark?" the Spider child confirmed carefully. At Loki's smile and nod the child relaxed into Tony's arms, sheltering there.

"Thank you," Tony said quietly as Levi returned to his place on Stephen's shoulders.

Loki waved it away and ushered them into rejoining the rest. He noted the looks of relief from the Sorcerers and the scoffs or scowls from the Avengers. He could feel his neutral mask slipping back into place as he looked over the group Thor claimed as Shield brothers and sisters.

Chapter Text

Loki waved it away and ushered them into rejoining the rest. He noted the looks of relief from the Sorcerers and the scoffs or scowls from the Avengers. He could feel his neutral mask slipping back into place as he looked over the group Thor claimed as Shield brothers and sisters. Something was not right with this.

"Is this all of the Avengers team?" Loki asked Tony bluntly.

"No," Tony answered, looking down and visibly struggling with his answer. "Thor, Vision, Banner, and the War Machine armor flown by Colonel Rhodes are missing. I have no idea where any of them are except for Colonel Rhodes. He's still healing from the broken back during the confrontation at the airport in Germany. Technically, I am still healing as well but they were taking the kid along and I wasn't going to leave him with them even if we legally got the misunderstanding sorted out."

"Hm, eat that and don't argue with me about it," Loki ordered. Briefly making the as yet unenchanted collar glow to make it seem like he was deliberately enforcing his will the trickster handed over a golden apple.

"Wait, we don't know what that will do between his injuries and anything else used on him for his treatment," Stephen said, quickly stepping up and stopping Tony by snatching the apple away.

Loki raised a hand to stop them both and they subsided.

"You are a healer as well as a Sorcerer?" Loki inquired keenly.

"Yes, Master," Stephen said carefully. He offered the golden apple back to Loki, unsure what else he might do with it.

"Since you are so concerned you will eat this one yourself," Loki ordered sharply.

Stephen winced at the sharp tone but obeyed. He hissed in shock and returned sensation as the brief golden glow fully repaired his hands and anything else that might have damage or scars. The superficial scars on his skin remained but took on a much lighter and more healthy cast to them. The metal pins in his hands ripped free, clinking to the floor as he bit back a scream while they healed over again a second time.

"You did not tell me that you had metal inside of you," Loki scolded with a fierce scowl as he took hold of the once again healed hands. Stephen panted from the quickly fading pain as he stood straight while he was examined.

"I have a lot more inside me than some medical pins holding my pieces together, Loki," Tony warned.

"Then perhaps his concern was truly warranted," Loki sighed. "The initial healing should be nearly complete with how little fresh damage you had."

"He doesn't deserve such an apple," Wanda growled hatefully. "The pain wouldn't last long enough."

The Spider child actively hissed at her in anger. He only stopped when Tony sighed and very deliberately dragged the child back into his hold. Loki just used the control rod to order the Avengers to sleep and watched them drop to the ground.

"Can we just leave them? Assuming they will wake up in like a day or two? But not three since that's dangerous," the Spider child requested. This earned quiet laughter from the various Apprentice Sorcerers and a small smile from Loki.

"I do not believe that I would trust them to avoid doing more damage much less returning to wherever they stay," Loki remarked.

"The compound that I had built for them," Tony answered the unspoken question carefully.

"They still leech off of you?" Loki asked with a frown. Tony just shrugged and wouldn't meet his eyes.

"I understand maintaining a group of warriors for defense and other suited tasks but if they treat you like this... Well, they may as well be brigands and bullies," Loki pointed out slightly exasperated.

"It's not that bad," Tony protested weakly.

Stephen frowned and reached over to make Tony look at him. The look in the inventor's eye made his heart both drop and break at the same time. He had seen it on countless people who had regularly found themselves at the hospital with ridiculous excuses and convinced themselves that it was okay.

"Shit, they've been abusing more than your goodwill," Stephen swore even as he dragged Tony over into a hug, complete with a concerned Spiderling clutched in his arms. Loki's expression immediately darkened as he glared at the downed so-called heroes.

"That tracks with what we witnessed while both of you were taking your nap, Stephen," Wong sighed. "The redhead alluded to her powers and used them as threats to try and get through us to harass him in his sleep with nightmares. She also somehow convinced Captain America that since we wouldn't let her near him we were just as guilty of whatever she blames Stark for and should be... removed for not falling into line."

"Damnit," Stephen cursed. "If she managed some sort of enthrallment..."

"It is certainly something to check but I won't be letting them near either of you any time soon. Not with the behavior I have witnessed thus far," Loki scowled.

Chapter Text

"It is certainly something to check but I won't be letting them near either of you any time soon. Not with the behavior I have witnessed thus far," Loki scowled. "You Sorcerers appear to be acting reasonable. What do you get out of this aside from my lack of displeasure?"

"We were on a training trip both for the Apprentices and for Master Strange," Wong explained. "He was passed to Mastery too fast and we only discovered why when our leader died. She had some ability to see what was to come and clearly designated him as her heir. So as his friend and one of the only other Masters he actually listens to I've been dragging him along on some of the more important lessons he hasn't had yet. His Mastery of magic and the Mystic Arts isn't in question even if he does cheat by reading in Astral form while his body sleeps. It is the other things one learns while in training of which he is lacking."

"Why do you think I don't complain too much when you do drag me along?" Stephen grumbled. "I am aware that my training isn't really complete even if I can probably cast anything I've read before. The other Masters just... well it varied but more than one of them expressed opinions that my learning speed was a dangerous threat. I also overheard more than Master Mordo suggest in passing that I should be stripped of my magic and banished even if Mordo didn't exactly say anything until after the Hong Kong fight for which you were present."

"I know you did something more then just strike a deal with our opponent at the time, Stephen," Wong said disapprovingly. "I just thought it was more dangerous to bring it up with Master Mordo acting as he was before he stormed off. Then we were all recovering and fixing the planetary shield. I'm just better at noticing and calling you on your idiocy than the others appear to be."

The still yet to be introduced other Mystic Masters present exchanged surprised looks.

"It worked and I didn't break anything too important," Stephen shrugged.

"Wait, is this about our discussion right before the binding ritual? That time loop and fighting that Interdimensional Dark Lord trying to eat the planet?" Tony asked suspiciously from where he still was in Stephen's arms.

"What?!" most of the magic users demanded in shock.

"You had to tell them," Stephen grumbled as he refused to look at any of them.

"Now I really will have to go through your memories," Loki scowled.

"When you hit the time loops you might want to just skip to the end of them," Stephen offered with a wince.

"You're an idiot," Wong deadpanned.

"It worked, Dormammu isn't going to come back to eat the planet so long as he keeps his word, and we had absolutely no time to figure out something else," Stephen said tiredly. "The artifact I used is sentient enough that it gave me a scolding and made sure I remember every detail of those loops as a pointed reminder to be careful about such magics. It also decided that I was a good pick for it's next guardian. That's why I wouldn't, couldn't, surrender the amulet back afterwards."

"This is why you got so reckless after that fight," Wong scowled angrily. "You don't alway remember that things won't reset and getting killed or even just injured probably doesn't feel real to you anymore."

Stephen sort of just withered under the angry scowl from his friend. It quickly turned from him hugging Tony protectively to Tony dragging him into his arms next to Spiderman.

"Show me this artifact," Loki demanded. Stephen fished it out from under his tunic where it had falled and showed him. Loki's breath caught and he looked up sharply into the tired eyes of his slave.

"If the artifact allowed this binding you must be far worse off then anyone could realize," Loki said stiffly. "Have you tried using it recently?"

"Not really? Sometimes it drops a memory I don't have yet into my mind which is part of why I didn't fight being dragged along on this field trip. I noticed that Wong changed the destination after I agreed to go but didn't really think it mattered either way," Stephen admitted. "It doesn't prompt me hardly at all so when it does I tend to pay attention."

"Wait, so his necklace deliberately got him caught so that he would be tied to us?" Tony asked in alarm.

"Which is why he must be far worse off than expected," Loki agreed curtly. "The artifact is extremely powerful and would not only protect itself but would see no reason not to make arrangements on the behalf of it's chosen guardians. Now I don't even know if it would be safe to release the rest of them with how much support and care he is going to need once we get him to let us start healing him. His body is fine, thanks to the apple, with this new knowledge the rest of it is now in question."

That got everyone's attention.

"Why did it decide that Mr. Stark needed to be part of this?" Spiderman asked curiously. "Or the rest of us?"

"Rough guess just with what little information I have? Our group is to support and contain him if necessary as peers," Wong sighed. "Stark and Prince Loki are to be closer support and companions. I don't know about you beyond potentially placing you as a child in his care that is harder to break than usual. The Avengers.... after what we just discovered about how they are mistreating Stark and his anger over it... Anger management targets? I don't actually know. I am not a powerful artifact that has claimed an idiot for it's guardian."

The unseen flash of warped green up near the ceiling of the cave disappeared as something dropped. No one reacted in time to stop the bean bag from hitting Wong on the head. Wong looked at the bean bag and then at Stephen before his eyes drifted to the amulet giving off a very smug air.

"Case in point," Wong said sourly. Tony just snickered at the minor retaliation from the artifact.

Loki muttered something that no one understood but didn't actually comment. He was too savvy for that. Instead he just got everyone moving and started setting up a spell to take them somewhere en mass. They were gone before anyone arrived to check on them.

~~~

They landed outside a very familiar location to the Sorcerers and most of them looked at Loki in confusion.

"So, why are we here and where is here?" Tony asked mildly as he trailed behind Loki.

"There is one who lives here and trains magical protectors of Midgard that I am acquainted with who may be able to help," Loki said simply.

"Uh, Loki? This is our home temple. If you are referring to the Ancient One she is dead, as of mid January. I am her current successor," Stephen told him carefully.

Loki stopped dead in his tracks as he turned to look at his group of Sorcerers. Seeing the confirmation in their expressions he groaned.

"That explains so much of our past interactions," Loki said, annoyed. "She was the previous guardian. No wonder I could never catch her in my pranks unless she deliberately allowed it. Well we might as well discuss this with the rest of your Masters Council. Stark, you should have access to your internet as the Ancient One made a point of telling me three hundred years ago that there would be WiFi for her successor to play with. I thought she was just pranking me back for swapping out her latest reading tome with an Alfheim erotic romance."

"That explains where she got it," Wong groaned. "No wonder she set it in the back of her private section with a special label that basically means silly stories in Sanskrit."

"Oh, that one," Stephen said as he blushed bright red, earning a bark of laughter from Loki.

Chapter Text

It took roughly three hours just to lay out what happened as well as go over the mess that had been Stephen's fight with Dormammu. When a few of the Masters suggested forcibly retrieving the amulet said amulet decided to douse them with water from a rain storm that predated the building of the temple, in winter. The ice water almost sent them into hypothermic shock and Stephen had to scramble to get them warm again, cursing the entire time.

"I could have told you not to do that but I thought it was rather obvious," Wong said wisely to the glaring Masters.

"Says the man who got a bean bag dropped on his head for insulting Stephen's fitness as guardian," Tony snickered. "Granted, you weren't doing it maliciously which is probably why the necklace kept it harmless but you still got hit by it."

Loki had released the apprentices back to their studies while assigning two of the five field trip Masters to deal with containing the Avengers. Said Avengers were graciously kept unconscious to avoid too many issues while the rest of them attended the Masters Council. Wong and Stephen were obviously kept with him and so was Tony. Spiderman, Peter Parker, was sent off with the apprentices to at least start learning the theory of things for safety reasons.

"Personally, I wouldn't have wanted to tell most of you," Stephen admitted. "Part of that is how much trust in this Order Master Mordo broke in me when he declared I should be executed without even bothering to hear me out about what I had done. I was also under the impression that I was leaving back to being a surgeon before I had to fight Dormammu. No one bothered to inform me of the cost of fixing my hands until right before I had to fight to protect the Sanctums, of which I had literally only been informed of for less than five minutes. The Ancient One knew that was my only goal from the start."

"Yet you stayed," Wong pointed out. "You became the Sorcerer Supreme."

"The fights drove home the importance of what the Order does," Stephen said softly. "I found myself drawn to it."

"I highly doubt your artifact would have allowed you to leave or at least give up magic in any case," Loki pointed out. "The matter at hand is that that powerful little trinket arranged to have you permanently bonded to myself and Stark with myself having direct authority over you. This indicates to me that you are far worse off then you have allowed to show through. That artifact is known to be highly jealous of it's guardians and has been known to make arrangements on their behalf without their permission or knowledge. If it deems me a threat once I have fixed you it will arrange to have me torn apart or worse."

"You don't seem exactly bothered by it," Tony observed keenly.

"More that I recognize something I can not trick nor counter," Loki sighed. "There is also a chance that it will simply alter the bond and make me subservient to Stephen rather than kill me or possibly make it more even. It depends heavily on when and why it would deem whatever it had originally been after fulfilled. For all we know it saw your Order mistreating him or was not supporting him to it's standards and sought to rectify things. We can hardly ask it and expect to get a coherent answer."

"Apparently, I have played dumb for too long if that is your opinion of things," the deep voice of an old man laughed, startling everyone into little frightened jumps.

"You're the stupid necklace," Tony groaned into the sudden tense quiet.

"Correct," the Eye of Agamotto practically cooed.

"I'm not cute," Tony scowled, recognizing the tone.

"You are a gift to my precious Guardian. Being cute is a bonus, not a requirement," the amulet laughed maliciously. "The Tesseract favors you heavily. I was quite pleased to be able to steal you from him. Although, my sister Soul will want a look at you when someone finally sacrifices either themselves or the one most dear to them to get her out of her hiding spot. You've crafted several artificial souls and she will want to inspect you for that alone."

"What of me? Of this bond you have orchestrated?" Loki asked respectfully.

"...Stephen does not always see his own worth beyond his duties. He also still suffers from the event which I used as a test, as you both surmised. I did not chose the event nor it's outcome, merely accepted it as the test it proved to be," the Eye of Agamotto explained. "Dying so often has side effects. You, little godling, will protect them both fiercely and you will both enjoy taming the inventor. I recommend making him more in line with your own current life spans and healing him properly to stop his injuries from eventually killing him. I would rather not endure you both mourning him when there is no need so long as you act appropriately now."

"You expect me to bottom for both of them from now on?" Tony deadpanned. He didn't see the intrigued looks that turned into slow smiles exchanged by Stephen and Loki but everyone else did.

"Yes," the Eye of Agamotto said bluntly. "You'll see. You will absolutely love it."

"Don't count on it," Tony scoffed.

"There is the matter of the Mad Titan," Loki pointed out delicately.

"Handled," the Eye of Agamotto waved the issue off. "He's currently caught in the event horizon of a shiny new black hole with roughly two thirds of his forces. None of us were exactly pleased with him hunting us and Lord Death was even less so with the so-called gifts. In trade for letting us gift you both Death's Merchant we were granted permission to deal with Thanos. I heavily recommend fucking Anthony through the mattress immediately. It will keep him from doing something stupid with various artifacts both on purpose and on accident."

Tony squawked in protest but both Loki and Stephen took that as their cue to abscond with him. They were gone before the masters could blink.

"And you thought we could take the artifact by force," Wong scoffed, shaking his head as he left in search of food or alcohol. He wasn't picky at this point.

Chapter Text

Tony groaned under the ministrations he was being subjected to by his master and fellow slave. They had stripped him, lightly tied his wrists behind his back with some cloth, and laid him out on a real bed of multi person size. This left him face down on the bed naked. As a concession to his chest and arc reactor they made a circle of pillows under his chest around the reactor. The oil and massage that followed worked out so many knots in his muscles that it wasn't long before he was little better than goo under their fingers.

"Let's flip him. I'm concerned about his chest even with the pillows," Stephen murmured. Loki hummed in agreement and released the bindings in favor of helping to flip the limp inventor onto his back, taking pressure off of his chest and arc reactor.

"Can't run, can't fight, can't even sit up," Tony complained mildly. The small towel tossed over his privates for modesty did nothing to actually cover his form.

Tony willingly submitted to the deep kisses from both Stephen and Loki that he was given. He had no idea where the private room and real bed had come from but he couldn't be bothered yet to care all that much. If either of them decided to fuck him while he was this relaxed he wasn't entirely sure that even a painful dry breech would get him moving. He would probably just lay there and let them fuck him if he didn't weakly flop around in vague protest.

When they started to massage his front the same way Tony sank into the touch in slightly pained bliss as they worked yet more knots out of his muscles. He ignored the careful examination of his arc reactor and the damage around it. Loki could have ordered Tony to let them check his chest and reactor instead of using the massage so Tony wasn't going to fuss about it.

"I see now," Stephen murmured. "Tony is our shared precious pet and you, Loki, are our protector. You can drag me up short or fuck me silly when I don't want to listen. The bond is to show we aren't leaving each other."

"Not a pet," Tony complained sleepily.

"Oh, you will be once we have you trained a bit better," Loki chuckled. "You're staying mortal for a bit longer while we break you in. Once we have you sufficiently healthy you're eating an apple of Idunn. Then we won't have to hold back when we fuck you."

"Oh," Stephen said in quiet realization. "I didn't realize... How did you know the apple would do that?"

"It's happened on accident more than once on Asgard," Loki smirked. "I didn't focus on keeping you a slave while you ate it so now your portion of the bond is no longer a slave bond. The bond is still permanent but more akin to a marriage bond as a concubine or a consort. I can still command you but you can resist or even refuse the magic of the command at a cost. Tony is still a slave. We simply share him now."

"Great," Tony said sarcastically.

"Shush you," Stephen said, amused and gratified at the unexpected turn of events.

"It took until the amulet brought up why he picked us for you for me to realize that it had transitioned the bond without the normal flashy effect," Loki explained as they rubbed more oil into Tony's muscles. "After that I understood immediately that while you were entrusted to me you were still the guardian and thus not to be fully subject to someone else. I am still grateful that it gifted you both to me to protect. Few see me as worthwhile in such a role."

"Then they're idiots," Tony muttered, groaning slightly as they worked out a particularly bad muscle knot.

"Do we keep quiet and pretend that I am still your slave? Or should we inform the rest of the Order?" Stephen asked softly, wanting to curl up in Loki's arms but not yet willing to ask for it.

"Keep quiet," the amulet instructed firmly. "There are those who would enslave you in truth within the Order. That was part of why I pushed you onto this path. A strong slave bond has already been cast on you so another can not be placed even though the bond is no longer counted as such. Besides, you both will thoroughly enjoy having Anthony this way and others can not gainsay your hold on him. If asked why you share Loki's hold over him just say that Loki tasked you with ensuring he takes care of himself due to his past injuries and your time as a doctor. As one of your official duties the bond would accommodate things as well as the fact that I have already officially stated that he was to be for both of you in any case."

"You didn't want him getting blindsided," Tony concluded sleepily as the massage paused in favor of the conversation.

"Okay, he's relaxed enough. You can fuck him now," the Eye of Agamotto said with evil cheer.

Tony muttered something rude in response. Loki just laughed and swept both men up into his arms before settling back against the headboard of the canopy bed set up for five people they were currently on. A simple spell cleared away all of the body oil before it stained anything and cleaned the bed of the oil as well.

"I will have you both," Loki muttered quietly. "Chained to my bed, collared as mine, ready for me to claim you both. Not right now but soon."

"We can take Tony at the same time regularly or simply take him again and again, switching between us," Stephen offered with a pleased hum at both ideas.

"No fair," Tony whined into Loki's chest. He was still naked while they were both still dressed.

"I like the idea of fucking his throat or just bending him over and fucking him, making him submit one way or another," Stephen murmured wickedly. "If he's acting like a brat we spank him and then take him. The right spells would make him available to us any time we want."

"Those same spells would have to be cast on you to keep up appearances and I would use them against you both gleefully," Loki remarked with a smirk. Stephen just shrugged and snuggled closer.

"So long as it's only you and Tony in my bed I don't think I mind belonging to you properly," Stephen admitted quietly. "I'm not particularly against you showcasing it but that would be more to sell it and let you be publicly possessive. Anything meaningful to us shouldn't be put on display for all to see."

"You're possessive too," Tony observed, still somewhat out of it. "Both of you are really going to go all out on me aren't you?"

"Oh yes, most certainly," Loki smiled smugly.

Chapter Text

Peter was happy that he was learning new things even if the magic stuff confused him. Wong had rejoined the group of those tied to Loki by the slave magic after his meeting and was paying extra attention to him.

"There is a mystic echo of sorts attached to you," Wong had explained to everyone when Peter had finally asked why he was staring. "Most would only notice the spider essence attached to you but Stark has, likely unintentionally, placed a family claim on you. It's fairly normal for when someone considers someone else family regardless of actually being a blood relation. What is confusing me is how Master Strange suddenly sees you as family. Especially, since the magics cast in that cave wouldn't have done anything like that and to the best of my knowledge he had never met you before."

"Uh, would Doctor Strange having dated Mr. Stark before getting hurt have any impact?" Peter asked with a funny look in his eye. "Especially, since they apparently spent the night together but stalked each other after that?"

Wong blinked as he visibly added the information to his assessment then groaned as he came to a conclusion.

"Yes, yes it would," Wong sighed. "Love sick idiots. I bet one or both of them are oblivious either to their own feelings, each other's feelings, or just don't think they are allowed to act on any of it."

"That makes sense," Peter agreed. "I don't think Miss. Potts is going to like any of this but we weren't expected back for two weeks because Captain America insisted this was a team building exercise to fix things in the team and then changed it to a mission after we were already flying for half an hour. Mr. Stark protested and yelled at him but Miss. Wanda did something with a weird red mist. I couldn't do anything since Mr. Stark said it was fine and he kept me away from everyone else after that. My Aunt May is going to be really mad that we're gone but she knew I was coming to stay with Mr. Stark over the weekend because of the long weekend and her work. They called her in for emergency shifts at the hospital."

"You were captured what? A few days before we were?" Wong asked with a frown.

"Yeah, a day or two," Peter agreed. "I'm not sure how long exactly since they knocked us out but I really don't like what the Avengers were doing to Mr. Stark even before we got there. It... they were hurting him, maybe not physically but I didn't like it. I wanted to yell at them, maybe throw them around for hurting him. It wasn't much but he kept trying to protect me so I let him. It made him feel better and I used it as an excuse to keep him away from them."

"That's disturbing," Wong muttered. "I had already noticed something wrong during their discussion before the enslavement ritual but what you described..."

"Yeah, not exactly a good thing," Peter agreed worriedly. "The bad guys also said something about trying to control Mr. Stark before you guys showed up. Something about using the Merchant of Death as a weapon of mass destruction? I think we dodged something really bad when they accepted the idea to tie Mr. Stark and Doctor Strange to Loki. That's what they used to call him before he was Iron Man when I was little. The Merchant of Death. I had to argue really hard for my Iron Man toy mask and gloves that really glowed at the Stark Expo."

A chill visibly went down Wong's back as he went slightly pale

"We will have to warn them when they come out of the pocket dimension quarters that the Ancient One had set up for them," Wong scowled before turning to address everyone. "In light of this new information I want everyone working on Portals, at least one attack spell, and Shields. Trade off in groups. One group works on portals and yes doing silly tricks with them is allowed if only because it will increase your speed and precision. The other group is to take turns casting shields and their preferred attack spell. For the first twenty castings you will only conjure a blade to use on the shield of your partner. Your goal is to stop the attack or break the shield. Spiderman, you are to observe and check with one of the instructors before attempting to cast anything."

"Yes, Mr. Wong, sir," Peter agreed dutifully. "I don't have as much web fluid as when we left New York but I still have enough to shoot at people in small bursts if you want to increase the difficulty. Or I can throw bean bags or water balloons or something?"

"I appreciate the offer but not right now," Wong said gruffly. "We can add difficulty later. I just want them capable enough to cast those few spells on instinct and that requires repetition."

"Oh, okay," Peter said cheerfully. He was soon treated to a dazzling display of practical magic and eagerly watched the students practice.

~~~

Tony woke quietly and knew that the other two were asleep. He had been mostly docile deliberately, not wanting to spark enough ire for anyone to follow up on the threats their original captors had made against Peter. No one had seen them briefly separate him from the Avengers and Peter to punish him for his smart mouth. He had fought back but the black magic cage that had briefly engulfed the others and whose pieces had specifically targeted Peter had gotten him to cooperate. Well cooperate as much as he normally would on something he didn't want to do.

Stephen and Loki had been ridiculously gentle with him this entire time. Tony didn't trust it. The magic involved had done something to both him and Stephen, possibly affecting Loki as well. He knew this beyond just extrapolating from the original binding. He could think against Loki, and now Stephen, all he wanted but he couldn't move to hurt them or set up for an escape. The gentle stings of power that sparked across his nerves whenever he thought about it were mildly uncomfortable but he would live. More importantly those stings were warnings for his good behavior and they could potentially disrupt the arc reactor, killing him.

So Tony stayed put even though he wanted desperately to fight back and make them force him to comply or at least give him back some control. He wasn't blind. He knew Stephen seemed to be gone on him. Truth to tell he was pretty close to wanting to keep the good doctor for himself even before the magics were cast.

"Would it help if I told you that you had permission to fight back?" Stephen murmured quietly in his ear.

Tony startled, having believed both of them to be asleep. Stephen's possessive grip tightened before carefully adjusting so that Tony was more firmly anchored in his arms.

"Loki implied that the kid could be punished in our place when he gifted Roo to us," Tony murmured back. "I'm not risking the kid no matter how much it might hurt to just submit. If this is a game I don't want to play. I'll do whatever you both need to protect him."

"Tony, that's not what the massage was about," Stephen sighed. "You badly needed to relax and, as Loki pointed out, we have to get used to him and each other touching us without bothering to ask first. You just got the massage first because we are both freaked out, medically, by that hunk of metal in your chest. You saw what happened with the golden apple."

"If I could have given you both one immediately in a safe fashion I would have," Loki said softly. "I offered it to, you, Tony first because I had thought you to be injured from how you moved. It honestly didn't occur to me that there was a risk until Stephen ate it and those bits of metal were expelled. Fixing whatever requires your Star Heart is going to take time before we can remove it safely and heal you the rest of the way. That's the primary reason I won't risk messing with the bond to remove your slave status yet. I may have come off as a monster during the attempted invasion but unless you fight me I have no need to be one with the two if you, not anymore. I will accept the role of monster if that is what it takes to keep you both and see you healed."

Tony thought about that but couldn't bring himself to believe it, fear crippling his ability to trust for now.

"You don't believe us," Stephen murmured. "That's alright. We can work on it."

"Stephen is still technically my slave in some places. He can tell me no now and he can fight back but there are still consequences. He can't leave permanently though. Under Asgardian law he is my concubine or, if I file the paperwork change, my consort. The status difference is minor on Asgard but one entitles him to everything, including my place in the line of succession if I die. The other, concubine, only gives him the title of spouse and the allotment for that position. I can't give you that yet, not until you've been healed and the bond acknowledges that I see you as my husband, not my slave," Loki explained. "The magic in the bond cast on the two of you is fickle about when it is willing to change. That's why it took an apple of Idunn to change Stephen's status. I expect a similar level of power or possibly even more is going to be needed to shift your status and I don't have anything like that on me."

"You still have the kid and me under a slave bond," Tony murmured but he sounded less sure of his stance.

"Give it time, Tony," Stephen reassured him with a deep kiss. "Rome wasn't built in a day and magic causes just as many problems as it solves. Right now it's protecting Spiderman as much as it gives Loki ownership over him and us."

Tony scoffed but didn't argue. Instead he tentatively stole his own kisses from them both and relaxed at the amused compliance from them. He didn't realize they were curled protectively around him before he drifted into a deep restful sleep. He didn't see the fiercely protective look they shared over his sleeping form.

Chapter Text

Rogers woke with a start. His head was pounding and his mouth felt like cloth had been stuffed inside of it. He groaned and when he moved he felt the chains and manacles holding him in place.

What the hell had Stark done?!

There was a soft burst of Russian nearby responded to in kind by Bucky's voice. Rogers tried to open his eyes, get up, do something but all he could manage was to flop weakly on the packed earth of the ground.

"Don't bother, Stevie," Bucky's voice sighed. "The magic that kept us out can apparently leave a nasty headache and general weakness. It's an early punishment for the control holder needing to put us out instead of us cooperating with whatever orders are given. I've been awake for around two hours since they wanted a few polite questions answered. None of us are hurt beyond being knocked out in the cave. Loki has decided not to free anyone based on some weird magic necklace that can talk claiming the entire thing is protection for it's favorite human. Oh, and we aren't allowed near Stark or the Spider kid again until they've checked us for magic messing with our minds. Our cells are magically boosted to keep things in that like ripping space and time apart so getting out is a no go. Wanda is being deliberately kept unconscious while everyone else is checked because of some shit the Spider kid noticed and was freaked out about."

"Anything else?" Barton's voice croaked.

"You probably can't see yet so I'll warn you now that we are all in separate cells and some of us are also chained up. Same deal with the magic helping to keep things working on holding us," Bucky's verbally shrugged. "They're nice enough for Sorcerers but pretty freaked out that their leader was forcibly bonded to Loki and Stark. I have no idea how long they kept us out or how to get around it beyond avoiding giving them an excuse to do it in the first place. They are definitely keeping us on an info diet but, surprisingly, they clocked my enhanced metabolism and gave me enough food plus a bit extra for my meal. They checked that they got all of the dishes and stuff back though."

"Technically, your sleeping was a form of stasis," a male voice with a texan twang said, amused. "It won't hurt anything to put you back under if it becomes necessary and will not hurt any we don't insist on waking up. The healers determined that you, sir, were half starved for your altered metabolism so you were fed. The others don't need anything yet but if necessary we can ask Prince Loki to stand over you with the slave bond controls until you are done eating. I think he's more likely just to keep you asleep than bother with that but for now we wanted to ask you a few questions and he agreed to let us. He isn't exactly pleased by the damage he found on Mr. Stark and he's still trying to figure out who did what to Stark. Just be glad he decided killing you wasn't worth the hassle for now."

"What questions?" Natasha Romanoff asked carefully.

"Oh we have quite the list. For example...." the texan voice started listing them out and Rogers couldn't help but feel sick so he stopped listening.

Chapter Text

Marvel/Halo

Tony manifests in the Halo verse as a Spartan with Friday and Jarvis as his assigned smart AIs. He quickly recognizes the games and adapts to the armor as the two AI frantically try to get him information on what exactly the hell is going on. Maybe with Spiderling? Or Doctor Strange?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wizard, on me!" Tony shouted over the din of battle. "Spiderling, take out that cannon and quit holding back. They won't give you the same courtesy. Go for search and rescue after that."

"Gotcha, Mr. Stark!" Peter said over the comms as Doctor Strange made his way across the field to Iron Man's side.

A few of the human soldiers formed up on Tony in his armor as the two heroes forged a safe spot in the chaos. During a brief lull in battle Tony opened up his face plate to talk to the human soldiers and civilians.

"Alright, someone had better tell me what the hell is going on since I last remember being in a grassland with my two friends here facing down Thanos and his army before we were dropped here. I could also really use the comms frequency you guys are working on for us," Tony told the people they had fought beside for the last however long shortly.

"Mr. Stark! Don't be mean," Spiderman said, scandalized.

"Kid, we landed on a literal battlefield and from the gear I keep seeing we're probably in either the wrong time or the wrong fucking universe. So I really want a sit rep if only so that I don't shoot the wrong guy. I'm also starting to run a bit low on power and ammo which means I might have to abandon the armor," Tony snapped at his Spiderling. "At least there's plenty of explosives lying around for me to wreck it if I do have to abandon it but I want something to move my AI onto first."

"You have an AI?" one of the Soldier asked sharply.

"Sir has two," Jarvis' voice echoed from the suit.

"Jarvis?" Tony's voice cracked as he was slammed with his grief over the loss of his first AI child.

"Hello father," Jarvis said warmly. "The transfer apparently added myself to the amor with fewer restrictions. Little sister Friday was startled but we agreed it was too dangerous mid-battle to inform you of the changes and my return."

"Sorry Dad," Friday chirruped. "Big brother is right, it was too dangerous. Also, I have a new folder holding medical files on yourself, Spiderling, and Doctor-Wizard that wasn't there before. The logo says UNSC and the second one on a different file says ONI. There's also a stack of orders drafting us to fight to protect humanity with a short explanation about getting yeeted across universes and times thanks to ONI screwing around."

"God fucking damnit!" Tony cursed viciously.

"Any information on getting us back?" Doctor Strange asked sharply, eyeing a group of grunts edging around a corner to try and look at the group. A few pot shots from the soldiers kept them at bay.

"No, Doctor, just a transcript of a conversation with the Infinity Stones trading us to the UNSC for a permanent link between universes so that our home universe doesn't unravel without the native version of the stones. The conversation also covers assignment to Spartan John-117, orders not to split us up and a tweaking of our DNA as well as quantum signature to make us native to this universe. Oh and I just found a marriage certificate between you and Boss with official paperwork declaring Spiderling your joint son," Friday dropped on them.

"We've dealt with weirder," Tony pointed out looking at Stephen's grumpy face. "Hell, just on Titan we dealt with far weirder shit and we were fighting for all of the universe last I checked."

"No, it's fine or at least I understand how it probably happened and that we aren't going back but I recognize some of what we've been fighting. Have either of you ever played the Halo games?" Stephen sighed.

"Uh, yeah, why?" Tony asked puzzled. Stephen gestured around them wordlessly. Peter got it first.

"Oh my gawd! We're in the Halo universe!" Spiderman half shouted in excitement. "I love those games! Hold on, wait! That means.... oh shit."

"Yeah, oh shit is right," Tony said, making a face as he remembered what he had learned about the games and the universe attached to them. "At least we're only fighting the Covenant right now and not the Flood. That shit is going to be a mess. Especially if we really are officially attached to the Master Chief."

"Boss, your new Medical file labels you as a Spartan. Spiderling is labeled as a special operative under your direct command and so is the Doc," Friday warned worriedly. "I also just found compressed copies of the games in storage. They're labeled for delivery to command and distribution across the UNSC."

"Well we're definitely wrecking timelines," Stephen said ruefully.

"The comm codes sir," one of the soldiers offered respectfully, handing over a data pad with the information already pulled up.

"Let's see if my tech can interface with yours then," Tony sighed, noting the frequency codes but also trying to link his armor to the pad. "None of you know shit about what we can do and we at least have a basic idea for you guys and the enemy."

Spiderman yelped as he dodge a crystal needle snipper bullet shot at him by a hidden Jackal on a nearby building. Tony dropped the data pad in favor of finding the sniper. The soldier who had loaned it to him scooped it up and back into a pocket.

"Not cool!" Peter yelled at the sniper as Tony took him out with one of his miniature missiles, closing his faceplate on reflex.

Stephen sent a spell at a team of Elites and Jackals heading their way that warped the ground it passed over until it swallowed the group in black tendrils of pure darkness. The immediate respect from the human soldiers was gratifying but went largely ignored as the three heroes checked for more threats.

"Alright, kid do you know what map we're on?" Tony asked.

"Mr. Stark, I can tell you that we aren't in the first Halo game or Halo 2 just by the gear and look of everything. What I can't tell you is if we landed on Reach during the attack, Halo 3, or any of the other options. I also can't tell you what map we're on," Spiderman verbally grimaced. "I didn't play the games as often as Ned and we kind of couldn't really afford them. Reach is the earliest point in the timeline that you deal with Covenant. It's also the last stop before the Covenant can really hit Earth."

"Friday? Jarvis? See what maps you can pull from that compressed game data," Tony started handing out orders. "One of you try to figure out enough of the interfacing issue to see if we can move you out of the armor in a pinch. I lost Jarvis once I'm not losing either of you now. Merlin, you just became our glass cannon. I don't have a way to give you a target for your portals so we've got to get to the evac spot the hard way. Soldiers, you stay hard on our six and you take out what you can as we move. Our combat styles will look fucking weird to you because of where and when we developed them. Keep Doctor Strange alive so that he can do his magic shit. One of you maintain comms until we can sort out ours or I can kludge one of yours into our system. Doc? Comms?"

"I'll take one of the standard ones off our friends," Stephen said with a grimace. "There's bound to be spares just by attrition and if there isn't, which is preferable, then one of them can stay with me. If I can get enough of an accurate a visual on a location I can open a portal."

Chapter Text

The uncertain looks exchanged by the soldiers were not exactly comforting even if their doubt was fair. It wasn't like they had likely seen magic before the trio had shown up.

"If this is the Halo universe, which is damn likely, then we jumped forwards a minimum of several hundred years," Tony sighed. He hit a charging singular Elite with a casual repulsor blast and knocking him ass over tea kettle as he rolled end over end.

"Excuse me," Stephen murmured and cast the multi clone technique. Five of his clones went after a hunter that was trying to sneak up on them, two went after a Brute on a ledge ready to drop down on top of them, and six went after the mass of Grunts and Jackals in front of them.

"At least you were smart enough to leave the real you here," Tony scowled at the Sorcerer. "How long can you hold up pulling this shit?"

"Probably not long enough," Stephen admitted with a grimace. "I'm particularly gifted with combat magics and larger effects but there is still a human limit to my general stamina. The Cloak of Levitation is somewhat sentient and will keep me mobile even when I'm dead on my feet. He has been known to take my unconscious body back to safety on more than one occasion. Both of which is why I regularly practice the martial arts I was taught alongside the magics. They are particularly complementary and the martial arts can in fact aid with using the magic in certain cases alongside improving stamina. I don't know that I can teach anyone from here but I could probably teach you and Spiderman, maybe."

"Well, you just cleared us a path so lets use it. Move it people!" Tony ordered and got everyone on the move.

The three heroes ignored the orders passed between the soldiers and civilians. They really shouldn't have. One of those orders was that the trio had just become high level assets and that if they went down they were to be dragged to safety even at the cost of lives. Their combat ability wasn't even the top reason for it, no it was the vital information and the potential training they could give to others that the three carried that had them logged into the comms system as high priority VIPs.

The fight moving through the structures and gathering up strays as they moved was brutal. Spiderman nearly got skewered half a dozen times by energy swords as he launched himself at various Elites wielding them. This gave both adult heroes near heart attacks more than once.

"Damnit kid! Stop trying to get skewered!" Tony shouted at him. "This isn't New York City!"

"Sorry Mr. Stark but these guys are really annoying and I'm getting kind of sick of them setting off my danger senses," Spiderman complained only to yelp as he realized where he was about to land. "Oops!"

Stephen had to sling a portal under him to catch him and dump him on the ground next to him to save the young hero from the exploding tank he hadn't realized was under him.

"Try to limit the crazy stunts," Stephen scowled at the spider kid, his new son.

Just as Stephen was getting ready to scold Peter further he noticed Tony's armor reacting more slowly. Recognizing the signs of rapidly lowering power levels he put a portal under Iron Man and swept it upwards so that Tony was directly above him but off to one side. When the repulsors started spluttering and cutting out Tony took the chance to land and get out of his armor.

"Damnit, how long have we been fighting?!" Tony demanded as he pulled free.

"Peter, help your father pull the computer memory from the armor," Stephen ordered. "Hurry. Tony, Peter has stronger fingers than you do. Someone give them tools. We need to keep moving and none of us can lug that armor along."

"I can but not far, not in a combat zone. Besides, I have all the plans and stuff in my skull. I can rebuild it fine with the materials and time," Tony scowled.

"There's a machine shop one block over, think you can get it there?" a burly civilian offered up.

"Depends on what's in the way but just getting it there? Yeah, probably. Part of the problem is that I used up most of the power generator I built into it. Even without ammo as long as I've got power and certain pieces I've got a weapon and probably flight capability," Tony explained gruffly.

"I can carry it Mr. Stark," Spiderman offered. "You don't like me going too far from the group anyway."

"You're underage so, yeah, I don't want you going far in a war zone," Tony snarked. "You shouldn't even be in the hero business but trying to stop you failed miserably so I have to look out for you. As for the Armor..."

Tony yanked something hard and unscrewed something else, pulling a few pieces out of the armor rather dramatically.

"Someone set explosives on it. I got what we need to take with us," Tony ordered shortly as someone passed him a bag with donated and scavenged gear. "I'll build an interface with my stuff when we're safe enough for me to fiddle with it. Jarvis and Friday are safe enough as long as these don't get crushed. Karen, you still running stuff for Underroos? Or did you go offline?"

"I'm still tracking things, Dad. Kill mode is still offline but Spiderman is insisting that we should wait to use it again," Karen complained over the speakers in Spiderman's suit.

"Take care of your brother, sweety," Tony ordered, stowing the computer memory and harddisk in the bag while accepting a spare gun. "Our Spiderling relies too much on his danger sense and I bet he's been fighting back sensory overload most of the time we've been here."

"Snitch," Spiderman complained, not even bothering to let her confirm that guess.

Tony snorted as he quickly went over the weapons he was handed. His familiarity with them had more of the civilians becoming confident in his skill outside the armor.

"I'm running low on web fluid," Spiderman warned as they started to move again, quickly leaving behind an explosion that was once the Iron Man armor.

"Then stick to the ground and stay with us like you were supposed to from the start," Tony snarked. "I can't keep pulling your ass out of the fire in a war zone. I bet Merlin here is lagging too."

"I can't keep this up much longer," Stephen confirmed.

"You said you needed a clear image, how clear?" One of the soldiers demanded after getting a ping on their arm mounted data pad.

"Video quality at least. Live image is best but not required," Stephen snapped out as he took out a charging Brute aiming to smash them with his force hammer. Tony was down on his knee in an instant to take out a mixed platoon of Grunts and Jackals with his borrowed rifle.

"Any time now, Merlin," Tony snarled.

"Try this, sir," a soldier offered, pulling up an image on the pad in their hands.

Stephen took one look and started opening the portal right in front of them. Once Spiderman was through he looked around and an took off at top speed without a word.

"Damn, kid!" Tony cursed but was stopped from going after him.

"He must have recognized something to bolt like that," Stephen remarked.

"Alright, boys and girls, high alert and watch for ambushes," Tony ordered. "We're making for that transport and we aren't taking a no from the ugly tourists. Move out!"

A soldier took point and they started moving. When Spiderman reappeared a minute later he slid up on Tony's left side without a word.

"Want to explain that one, kid?" Tony asked sourly.

"The transport was 6 Echo 2, the pilot jumped the gun in the Reach game and got himself and his civilians blown up. I stopped him long enough to make him listen to whoever is playing traffic cop but I don't know how long that will last. They've got heavy fire from the Covenant Corvettes taking out ships that try to fly," Spiderman reported. "I took out the ground troops threatening the transport and warned the Spartan team I saw. I think it's Nobel Team which puts us near the middle of the game but also means we have to be on the Pillar of Autumn when they bolt or we die. The Covenant side is too much here at Reach. They're the only ship I can remember that makes it out that hasn't already left yet. There might be civilian ships or other ships that get out but the Pillar of Autumn is the only one the game shows definitely gets out. I think there's at least a few days between this time marker and when Noble Team gets picked up then is sent to get Cortana and Dr. Halsey but I'm not sure."

"Warning the fleet," the comm soldier reported.

"Tell them about the portal option but warn them there's a limit," Tony barked out.

"I can get a few groups through but distance and portal size play a part as does my own health and rest levels. I'm starting to run on empty," Stephen warned sharply.

"You're cleared to open a portal to the cargo bay of the Pillar of Autumn," the comms soldier rapped out, offering Stephen an image on his wrist mounted tac pad.

Stephen looked and cast the portal. Once it was open and stable none of the heroes expected the soldiers to shove the three of them through first and send only a few of themselves through after them as the portal closed, leaving behind most of the group and the civilians.

"What the hell?!" Tony demanded as he was the first one on his feet. Spiderman grabbed Doctor Strange and got them both up against the wall with a yelp, out of the line of fire.

"Orders sir," one of them said shortly. "Your data might just stop this."

"Priority One VIPs confirmed on board," someone nearby said over their comms.

"Unlikely, but I do understand the reasons behind it. I don't have to like it though," Tony scowled and walked over to check on his new family.

Stephen was curled tightly around his hands. At a glance Tony knew that the Sorcerer was out of commission if they had to fight again.

"You want that to get looked at, Doc?" Tony asked gently as he carefully pulled the man's hands to where he could look at them.

"Old damage," Stephen gritted out through the pain. "Landed wrong."

"Anything I can do to help?" Tony asked softly.

"Not unless they let me at the medical supplies and possibly not even then. My training is different from their medics and even then I need my hands to do anything useful. No, for now I'll settle for some painkillers and somewhere to lie down. On a ship, unless it gets boarded, we aren't exactly going to be fighting," Stephen ground out.

"Then I better get our medical files onto a chip that they can actually read," Tony mused. "Better than them screwing up when they eventually insist on check ups. Roo, help our Doctor-Wizard along while I see if I can get some tools and rooms out of our hosts."

"Sir, the quartermaster has given you a three man room until we're in flight. What tools were you needing?" A nearby crew man who had been politely waiting on them asked.

"Several blank data pads, tools to work on them, and the materials needed to jury-rig a data port between my old 21st century tech and the stuff you are using now," Tony said sharply. "Plus a space to work."

Chapter Text

They were shown to their cabin after a medic had insisted on looking them over. Tony's protective actions in regards to both of the other heroes was noted. The soldiers who had come through the last portal with them had quietly disappeared and then reappeared after they were given their cabin and some tools.

"Gonna give us some names to call you guys by?" Tony asked them archly.

One of them helpfully distracted Peter, who had taken his mask off. Another helped Tony set up on the single desk area in the cabin. Stephen was off to one side on one of the bunks, still nursing his hands.

"What you don't like calling us soldier?" the soldier asked sarcastically.

"Combat situation versus relatively safe," Tony said dryly. "Besides, I figured that your group got assigned as babysitters and we have really bad luck in finding trouble but great luck for stopping it or wrecking the enemy's shit when we do fall over it. Anyone stuck with us is going to learn to roll with it real quick or wind up dead."

"Ah, good to know. It's Karl Kawasaki by the way," Karl said cheerfully.

"Oh, hi! I'm Peter Parker! I go by Spiderman when I'm using my powers and in the suit," Peter said cheerfully, practically bouncing over on top of Karl.

"Kid, simmer down," Tony said ruefully. "Besides, we don't know what Friday found on the paperwork. You might have my name now or Strange's or a mix. You also might have been tweaked to be our blood son. Which is part of why getting the data off of these and freeing Friday and Jarvis from the armor storage is priority. Your weird Spiderling body might need special supplements or something. You're already going to need more food than a standard human just because of your healing factor to say nothing of the rest of it."

"Can we load Karen onto a pad or something?" Peter asked curiously. "I don't think my suit is going to hold up to more battles like that."

"Before we sort out our gear I'm probably going to have to go over what tech advancements they've got compared to back home, some light reading for the two of us. Doc will probably want to get his hands on the medical advancements even if he's more wizard than doctor now," Tony pointed out.

"Excuse you, I am no less a doctor now than when I was the head of my field of neurosurgery," Stephen said, outraged. "I only learned magic to fix my hands enough to get back into the operating room."

"So why are you still slinging spells?" Tony asked curiously.

"The inverse technique which would allow me to use my hands is... difficult and taxing. Mostly it was because some rogues tried to hand the planet over to be eaten by a being known as Dormammu who has previously eaten multiple universes and rules over the Dark Dimension. I stopped it," Stephen informed them, scowling. "The leader of the Mystic Order was my mentor so when she died right before the fight it was all dropped in my lap, nevermind that I had only just graduated to Master level and only been a member of the Order for less than a year."

"At what cost? What did it cost you to stop him?" Tony asked, narrow eyed. Stephen hesitated before answering.

"A time loop," Stephen admitted, looking away from everyone.

"You... Well fuck," Tony said, dumbfounded. "You weren't expecting to escape that thing at all much less win. You struck a deal with him after forcing him to hear you out."

"How many time loops did it take?" Peter asked in a deadly serious tone.

"I... didn't bother to count," Stephen said, shame faced. "As long as I wasn't the one to release the loop it stayed and I don't have the tool I used for it anymore. It stayed behind when we were dropped off."

Tony stood up and moved to Stephen only to take his face in his hands and make the Sorcerer look him in the eye before he spoke.

"You did good. You didn't break anything. You kept Earth safe. You made him listen and strike a deal instead of getting his way. You did more than anyone could have asked for," Tony told him firmly. He didn't have all the details but he had no problem extrapolating from what he did have and his new husband had accomplished a miracle.

Stephen made a wounded sound as he pressed himself against Tony's stomach while the inventor wrapped his arms around the still sitting doctor.

"No one helped you afterward, did they?" Peter asked seriously. The full body flinch in Tony's arms that everyone saw was answer enough. "I get nightmares from when I got a building dropped on me too. We'll deal with it."

"When did you have a building get dropped on you?!" Tony demanded, not yet willing to leave Stephen as he glared over his shoulder at Peter.

"You took the suit but that didn't stop me from being Spiderman," Peter shrugged. "The Vulture decided it was a good idea to drop a warehouse on me when I tried to stop him. He started killing his own men for wanting out of what they were doing and I reacted even though I was only planning on doing recon at the time. The alien weapons were set to disintegrate and you wouldn't listen about the black market sales from the invasion. The government agents couldn't handle it. You saw what happened to the ferry."

Tony swore viciously but didn't argue. He had been in the wrong during that situation and he knew it.

"I'm making you better armor and you're not disabling the tracker or the automatic distress stuff I'm installing this time," Tony told him fiercely. Peter shrugged and nodded his agreement.

"Looks like we have our work cut out for us as parents," Stephen said with a weak chuckle.

"Tell me about it," Tony groaned, leaning back and checking his husband. "You good?"

"Better," Stephen said with a deep breath. "Go back to your tinkering. If I need cuddles I'll kidnap our spider."

"Aw, come on!" Peter protested, deliberately over the top. Tony just smirked at him and made his way back to sorting out the data storage into local equipment.

It took Tony four hours to rig up a viable connection between his equipment and the fleet equipment he was given but it was worth it.

Chapter Text

The transfer between devices and operating systems was almost painful but in a good way for Friday and Jarvis. Even as they woke, stretched, and unfurled they searched out any sign of their father. They both almost panicked when they couldn't find any sensors to search for him past the walls of code and circuitry. Only the touch of soothing power they had learned to identify as magic calmed them long enough to find the deactivated link to the ship mainframe and trigger it. They flowed through the systems and noted the space for at least one AI assistant for the humans. A quick check on the game files showed that Cortana was slotted to go there at least until she was pulled upon arrival at the Halo artifact. The beginning of Halo: Combat Evolved.

"Captain, may we assist now that we are back online?" Jarvis offered formally on the bridge speakers.

"Who the hell are you?!" Captain Jacob Keyes demanded as he looked for the speaker.

"I apologize. My name is Jarvis. I and my little sister Friday is also in your systems," Jarvis said apologetically.

"Hi!" Friday said cheerfully as proof of her presence.

"We came abord with Sir, that is one of you emergency VIPs," Jarvis explained. "We couldn't find Sir so we searched through everything we could find on the data pad only to find the mainframe uplink. It was obviously disabled but it was hardly a challenge to fix. Now that we have explored your mainframe and located Sir we offer to act as your Shipboard AIs as long as Sir, his husband, and child are abord. We will, of course, ceed all access and control to one of your fleet AIs once they are placed in the system and retreat to whatever storage Sir will have made up for us in the meantime."

"Boss is calling, big brother! Adding him to the call," Friday announced.

"Jarvis, what the hell do you think you're doing?! Get back into the data pad right this minute young man! You too, Friday!" Tony Stark ordered over the comms. "If winding up in a video game universe wasn't bad enough you two go wandering off. I did not code this kind of risk taking into the pair of you. Their firewalls could have potentially wiped you both out!"

"Yes, Dad," Friday answered sulkily. "Karen is with Spiderling though so can I stay with them?"

"No, you may not," Tony scolded. "We want you all three installed in local tech for a reason. I can't replicate our gear without resources and the first things at risk are the three of you. I refuse to lose any of you any more than your flesh and blood brother. Now, get back here."

"Yes, Father," Jarvis answered. "I apologize for causing any potential issues, Captain."

"Sorry about the scare, Cap. I should have realized they would have freaked out and went overboard when they couldn't find me through any sensors on the data pad," Tony apologized. "When you get some breathing room I need to debrief you on what we're carrying."

"That's fine but who exactly are you?" Captain Keyes half demanded.

"Oh, right, you might not have been told. We were dropped on top of one of the fights in the city and the soldiers we linked up with got a run down. Basically, we got dumped into your universe from a different one but with general information on your potential threats, including the idiots that are probably still attacking outside the ship. I needed to access the files with my AIs partly because our transfer came with marching orders on the chip. Until I can read them your guess for our little dimension hop is as good as mine," Tony explained dramatically.

"I'll be down shortly for that debrief," the Captain grunted.

"Right, J, return their controls and fix whatever the two of you broke. Why I even...." Tony was cut off as the two AIs obliged and retreated from the ship's systems.

Chapter Text

Captain Keyes had picked up Noble Team only to need to send them right back out again on a mission that had his gut screaming that something was wrong. Unfortunately that was somewhat par for the course for anything that involved the Office of Naval Intelligence. ONI was both a blessing and a bane to normal Naval personnel but the mission gave him a better excuse to visit the VIPs than their accidental infiltration of the ship's systems had done.

The orders passed to him from the chip the one parent VIP had loaded to the system had been Captain's eyes only. It had outlined that they were on loan from a different universe and that whatever location they landed at they would be carrying vital information for protecting humanity. It had also ordered him to assist them in any way possible if they didn't cede command to the on site officers. Never a good sign but also the reason why he couldn't actually yell at them for the unknown AIs who had briefly interfered the day before.

As Keyes entered the highjacked storage room the VIPs had commendered he looked around. The child who was almost draft age was a surprise but the fact that said child was dead lifting a full set of Spartan armor made his presence more understandable. The two men in odd clothes directing and watching over the child in the red and blue spider themed body suit were being protectively watched by the soldiers who had clearly arrived with them. The blue glow from one man's chest through his thin shirt was faintly disturbing but no less so than the actively animated red cloak that hung off of the second man.

"Captain," the man with the Cloak greeted respectfully while the one with the glow finished directing the young man moving the armor to set it down on an obvious work space.

"Hey, Cap," the second man said casually, his voice recognizable as the parent to the AIs.

"Would you mind telling me exactly who you are and what your mission is? The eyes only brief you uploaded was light on specifics," Captain Keyes said stiffly. "Or rather it had a summary of your situation that barely filled half a page with orders to assist you where possible. It would also help ease my mind if you would be willing to go over what your... children did yesterday."

"Ah, yeah, I actually did explain it yesterday," the AI parent said sheepishly. "My kids panicked in a new system after coming online blind and unable to find me. Thankfully, I figured out what happened almost immediately once I realized they weren't on the data pad. It didn't take long to find them after that mostly because they weren't bothering to hide and they would have aimed to make sure I was safe in case you had kidnapped me or captured me instead of just playing host or ally. It's happened before. As for specific orders... Uh, I haven't gone over the game data fully yet that our records claim is what happens in your universe. I've been too busy fending off your medics and my doctor of a husband after they got their mitts on our full medical files."

"I take it there were issues?" Captain Keyes asked, amused despite himself.

"Considering he's missing part of his rib cage and more than half of his sternum all of which is barely supported by the arc reactor implanted in his chest I would say so," the cloak wearing man groused. "As for who we are... Before we arrived a few things were changed and those changes were reflected in the paperwork that came with us. My name is Doctor Stephen Strange. My new husband is Doctor Anthony Stark, who generally prefers to be addressed by Tony but is used to being addressed as Mr. Stark as well. Our new son is Peter Parker whose new name is Peter Parker Stark-Strange. They changed our DNA and quantum signature when they dropped us off so this is our new home universe and Peter is now our blood son."

"Yeah, weird and we're still getting used to it a bit," Tony said cheerfully at the Captain's look of consternation. "At least I had already half adopted the kid before we got dropped here. As for my two oldest AI kids their offer to help was genuine but fair warning they aren't as restricted as what I've been reading about your Smart AIs and have picked their own primary protocols. They are also learning AIs but I've been raising them as my actual children. Karen has been growing with Peter so as much as she's my kid too she's been with him more."

Keyes stared at Tony in open shock and unwillingly recalculated the value of his VIPs.

"Sir, what do you plan to do with the spare Spartan armor you commendered?" one of the soldier asked warily. "I know you ordered your own armor destroyed when it became a problem on our move through the city."

"I'm going over it and making a few modifications, mostly software, for my own use. Since I'm labeled as a Spartan in the paperwork I figured it would work out okay. I'm fairly sure we won't get away from here scott free so until we're leaving this planet I'm taking advantage to get as battle ready as I can while my kids sort through the game data. Spiderling is on forced rest for similar reasons," Tong answered with a shrug. "I will apologize for the damage were doing to your food stores. The kid never eats enough for his enhanced metabolism and he needs way more when his advanced healing kicks in."

"Roughly how many men could we feed in his place? While his healing is in full gear?" Captain Keyes asked with a frown.

"Assuming he's actually eating enough for himself?" Tony clarified. "Five men for full healing, two to three for normal nutrition. Unfortunately we just found out he's been skimping for almost a year and has been sticking to one hearty adult sized serving per meal. So he's officially underweight and malnourished. I can't tell you how much that was a kick in the pants when Stephen realized it an hour ago."

"Aunt May could only earn so much at her job and feeding my spider side is expensive," Peter argued.

"So, practical food intake at the moment?" Captain Keyes asked.

"Six or seven men," Tony answered honestly. "One advantage of his healing is that once we provide the fuel anything lacking or broken gets fixed real fast. The downside is that it's easier to starve him or send him into what we suspect is a hibernation state."

"How did you even know about that?" Peter grumbled as he moved off to the side with the cape to play catch between them with a donated helmet.

"Medical file, Underroos," Tony sighed. "It was a bit more comprehensive than we are used to."

"Oh," Peter said softly before starting his game with the cloak.

"Buzzzz! Boss! We got problems!" Friday announced in a clear panic.

"Calmly, Friday," Jarvis said sternly. "We are forewarned and thus Sir can make appropriate adjustments to events which are about to occur."

"Something found in the game data?" Tony asked with a frown as he moved back over towards his work area with the inter linked data pads he was having his AI children run off of.

"Captain Keyes is set to retrieve AI Cortana from Doctor Halsey when he personally fetches it as the remainder of Noble Team calls for extraction. Once he returns and she is installed the Pillar of Autumn is free to bolt but there are a limited number of vectors safe for a blind jump. At the end of the blind jump the Pillar of Autumn arrives at a Halo guarded by a protective fleet of Covenant ships. The only solution is to make it to the Halo and go from there. Cortana is pulled and sent down in an escape pod with her primary Spartan partner Master Chief Petty Officer John-117," Friday started hurriedly summarizing. "Unfortunately the first Halo game primarily consists of running around the Halo artifact fighting Covenant until Captain Keyes unlocks a specific storage room which releases an ancient enemy the Halo rings were built to defeat. The Flood. Even worse the artifacts defeat it by denying it any sufficiently sized living thing to feed on and the local Halo system AI is forbidden from destroying the Halo so it's only recourse is to trigger the systems to destroy all local life. A process which might trigger all other Halo rings and essentially wipe out the rest of the universe or at least the local galaxy to stop the Flood from having any food a second time. The Master Chief and Cortana discover the deception of the Halo AI in time to avoid activating it but the only alternative is to overload the crashed Pillar of Autumn's reactors. By this point almost everyone is dead and he successfully triggers the overload while fleeing with Cortana in a Longsword. They are the only survivors."

"Guess we're playing Spartan back up and sticking with him then," Tony grumbled. "Merlin, you doing good enough to play with portals for this?"

"If you're thinking of using them to shortcut some of this mess and save extra lives I'm all for it," Stephen grunted. "I'll deal with the pain if it comes to that. My hands have mostly recovered from my bad fall through the portal but we will have to deny any enemy access to your AIs and the game data if something goes wrong."

"Yeah, I hear ya," Tony agreed. "Think you can make it all the way to Earth the way you did from Titan?"

"No, I don't have a strong enough reference point for this universe's version of Earth. There's also an extra strain compared to our first universe that gives me a new distance limit until I can figure out how to compensate. If it's in the same solar system I can probably manage but anything beyond that on the same plane distance wise is going to be a problem," Stephen refuted. "Besides, some of the tricks of making that sort of distance work in our first universe amounted to stepping sideways into a different plane first and then making a new link to the target destination. Sometimes you would have to move through the alternate plane to get to the corresponding point and sometimes you could fold regular space-time so that you were stepping across the fold. It depends on the method you happen to be using and what you've got power for to say nothing of what you're willing to do to accomplish the trip. I only have the one sling ring and my emergency back up so I have to figure out alternatives for later or try to figure out how to make a new sling ring. Even just teaching you two is going to be a stretch if I can't figure out how to get or make new sling rings."

"Yeah but those are problems for later once we're safely escaped from the Halo ring," Tony pointed out. "I mean me jury-rigging the Spartan armor is more of a stop gap for me until I can build myself some new armor and that requires resources. I'm also going to have to pick up weapon designing again. My reasons for stopping were valid but they don't exactly apply in the same way anymore and I would rather help keep our side alive. I'll deal with the nightmares that come after as a small price to pay."

"I think I would rather figure out how to make my webs into bandages," Peter said, making a face at the idea of making weapons of mass destruction.

"That's great, kid," Tony said honestly. "I bet you can even get a pass on having to fight in this war they're running if we give them enough designs and stuff to help keep people safe on the battlefield or end the fight entirely. That was part of how it worked when I made weapons for the government back on our Earth. It was written into the contracts that if a draft was ever issued certain departments were completely exempt because of what we did in designing and making weapons. I got a double exemption as owner of the company and one of the main weapon designers."

"I like to help people," Peter said moodily.

"And this will be a different kind of helping than patrolling for criminals or getting into fights that most people can't handle or would need extra help to handle," Stephen put in firmly. "It would also save more lives and protect more people than your patrols likely did. We can probably ask for help staying up to par with our fighting skills for when we aren't doing something that can be handed out en mass."

"You do realize with the value you've just shown me that I can't afford to have any of you fall into enemy hands or wind up dead, right?" Captain Keyes asked, deadly serious.

"A lot of our information is out of date," Tony sighed. "This isn't exactly everything we can do and all three of us have combat experience. Granted, Peter's experience level is less bloody than mine but he isn't helpless."

"You picked up on how practically everyone who can fight is or will be drafted," Captain Keyes said in realization. "Between the Covenant and your description of this Flood there is no way the Brass and the civilians will just ignore it."

"All three of us are geniuses," Tony said, carefully neutral. "It wasn't exactly hard to put the pieces together."

"Then as Captain of this boat I am formally ordering the three of you to make sure that you and your AIs make it on to the trip out with Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 and Cortana," Captain Keyes told them bluntly. "By any means necessary."

Something flashed through Tony's eyes that the Captain recognized as a mix of understanding, respect, determination, and relief. The newest Spartan nodded slowly in acknowledgment, accepting the orders.

"I want you and your team ready for when we arrive at the Halo artifact you mentioned. Claim any personnel you see fit that wouldn't otherwise be on duty for the events your AI has laid out. Get whatever you need from the quartermaster and storage. If we're going down anyway you might as well use it," Captain Keyes added.

"We'll try to keep who we can alive to get out with us," Stephen promised. "Tony and I do understand what you are saying. We've both had to make such choices before."

"Good, hopefully I'll see you on the other side of things but as long as your transfered team makes it out with those two I will consider the lives and resources well spent," Captain Keyes said gruffly.

"There probably isn't a whole lot of actual intel in the game data beyond specific incidents for the game play," Tony warned.

"Intel that isn't strictly necessary judging by the fact that it was made into a game storyline," Captain Keyes pointed out. "Your joint skills and the fact that you directly coded multiple Smart AIs as well as have some ability as a weapons designer is one hell of a lot more important than the tactical data. Then there's your husband's ability with portals and long distance transport. Even if he's limited to three portals a day he could be a massive advantage. The fact that there is even a remote possiblity of teaching that skill? No, the three of you are currently worth more than this entire ship combined."

Chapter Text

When Cortana was installed both Friday and Jarvis introduced themselves immediately and brought her up to speed. The thirty second lag this caused had Captain Keyes raising his eyebrows at Tony who just shrugged. When the lag resolved itself they were treated to all three manifesting on the holographic display.

"Fri? J?" Tony asked cautiously. His kids hadn't bothered with human shaped holograms yet, staying in their orange and blue orb forms.

"Sorry Dad, girl talk. Well, AI talk anyway," Friday chirped from her bright blue orb.

"We are all online and our UNSC interaction protocols and codes are now updated, Sir," Jarvis reported from his warm orange orb, pleased with the work they had done during that thirty second lag.

"What did you do that I won't like?" Tony demanded in narrow eyed suspicion.

"We conferred over your official status and agreed to update your personnel files," Cortana answered smartly. "Special Experimental Spartan, call sign Iron Man. Special operatives Spiderman and Sorcerer Supreme permanently assigned as support and combat teammates. You are also now listed as second in command on any UNSC ship you travel on after the Captain. However, this requires you to to actually invoke the authority before using it to avoid issues where you don't need to step in."

Tony gave them a long look and facepalmed. That startled a laugh out of half the bridge crew including Captain Keyes.

"All three of you are menaces," Tony declared dramatically as he dropped his hand from his face.

"We try, Boss," Friday said cheerfully.

"Let me see it up on the screen please. You need my signature to make it legal for any ship's Captain and under. You'll still need to deal with the Brass but everyone of Officer rank has that unfortunate duty," Captain Keyes smirked.

Tony glowered as the AIs obliged. Looking it over the Captain saw no problems with it and signed off on it. One of the higher up Brass would need to counter sign it to make it truly fleet wide but it would tentatively give their team some leeway in an emergency where they had to take command.

"Lifting off and bolting, Captain," Cortana reported solemnly. "Civilian transports already launching."

"Alright people, we've got work to do!" Captain Keyes started issuing orders as they lifted off from the planet.

Tony nodded at the Captain and left, heading for his family as they got battle ready.

Chapter Text

When the ship emerged back into normal space Tony's fears were confirmed. A hurried conference had the opening timeline of the Halo Combat Evolved game played out almost identically except that Tony, Stephen, and Peter shared the escape pod down with the Master Chief. Cortana brought John-117 up to speed as they moved across the Halo object. One change they did make was that the Pillar of Autumn's crew didn't move to leave the ship, instead preparing to leave on the various ships in their hanger and for overloading the ship's reactors. The only Longsword left unassigned had been flagged by Cortana and Jarvis as reserved for the Spartan-Universe Jumpers team.

Stephen had gone out of his way to memorize where they needed to get back too once they had raided the control room of the Halo and grabbed what data they could. They weren't going to bother getting back to the ship on foot if Stephen was still capable of casting a portal once they were done.

True to his word when the time came Captain Keyes ordered the entire flight of small ships, the survivors of the Autumn, to make sure their longsword got away. In the end only six ships, 24 people, escaped the Halo and the death of the Pillar of Autumn's destruction.

"What's the next step?" Tony asked quietly as he laid and exhausted Peter down on his bunk in their longsword.

"The attack on Earth in the Halo 2 storyline," Jarvis answered, subdued.

"Once we get in range upload the games and the summary that I know you've made to the entire fleet. Flag it as a high priority read this now sort of thing. Put in bold red letters that the entire package came from an alternate timeline and may not be completely accurate," Tony ordered. "Force the entire affected attack area into high alert and unable to stand down until the attack is over. Don't affect anything else though, just the alerts so that people know to get the hell out of dodge if possible."

Chapter Text

"You have a choice," a low voice echoed across his senses. "You can risk the surgeries and even your little hidden retrovirus with a very low chance of survival combined. Or you can let me use magic, let me into your life, let me protect you and take care of you. The choice is yours."

"Doctor Strange? You said that one of Mr. Stark's assistants sent you to check on him? May I ask which one?" A suspicious voice of one of the doctors who had frantically managed to stabilize him after Rogers had crushed his chest asked.

"Friday and yes, I am a certified medical doctor. My offer to him, which you just overheard, has more to do with the hero scene. An alternative to traditional treatment if you will. I just want consent first, mostly so that I can temporarily pull his spirit from his body and we can discuss things in detail before moving forward," the first voice, Doctor Strange, answered politely. "If he refuses then there is no point discussing the specifics."

"Yes to talk," Tony wheezed out, blind from pain to most of the world around him.

"Thank you," Doctor Strange said sincerely and things shifted.

"Woah!" Tony exclaimed as the pain, the injuries, his very body fell away from him. He was just suddenly upright floating in front of a man in hospital scrubs and a very confused nurse. The scrubs faded away leaving behind some sort of monk get up with an animated cloak thing. The cloak waved at him, clearly able to sense him even as the man could see him.

"Okay, this is freaky. So what's your offer, Merlin?" Tony questioned suspiciously. He mentally tallied a score mark when the man winced at being called Merlin.

"My name is not Merlin, Doctor Stark. My name is Doctor Stephen Strange. I have currently pulled you into the astral plane so that we can further discuss your treatment without the pain and such getting in the way," Strange scowled at him. "Now, the surgeries you need simply to survive at this point are currently extremely risky. Whatever device was powering your armor crashed through the already weakened and damaged rib cage to the point that it hit your spine on the other side. You are very lucky it didn't collapse both of your lungs on the way past although they and your heart are most certainly damaged."

"That's a bad thing," Tony winced. The nurse was getting freaked out, clearly unable to see or hear Tony for herself.

"Yes, Stark, that's a bad thing," Strange snarked right back. "There is a very good chance that at this point conventional medicine might only be able to provide hospice care. Considering some of the damage is pre-existing I expect that you aren't entirely surprised at the possibility."

"Yeah," Tony sighed. "So what miracle cure do you have up your sleeves?"

"It isn't a miracle cure," Strange immediately refuted. "In point of fact it is risky in it's own way. What I propose is to link my life to yours, at least temporarily, to act as a sort of back up emergency life support for you. It won't be pleasant and it will keep me drained of magic as my magic attempts to put you back together to the point of being temporarily crippled but it should give you a better chance of survival."

"What's the catch?" Tony immediately demanded.

"If you don't survive I won't either," Strange said bluntly. "That's the catch. The second catch is that depending on how heavily you need to draw on me to survive the bond could become permanent. I am also going to have to call in several magical colleagues and I will be in a great deal of trouble for even being here. You will be, out of necessity, stuck with me for the foreseeable future."

"What other side effects come with this bond thingy?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"One or both of us could become protective and/or possessive of the other. If it isn't broken within a set time period it will become permanent regardless of any other factors involved," Strange answered immediately. "I personally have no plans of walking away and leaving you alone even if you refuse. As far as I am concerned you are too important for that but I do recognize you may not want me around."

"Well, at least you're being honest," Tony scowled as he floated there next to his body. "Chances either way?"

"That depends on if you allow me to further use my magic but acting as your doctor and not just some busybody trying to keep you alive longer," Strange said ruefully. "If you give consent then even just helping with the conventional surgeries will go far better for you. If you tell me no the other medical personnel will enforce it and I may not practice anymore but I won't act counter to your decision without a life threatening or world ending reason."

"World ending," Tony said suspiciously. Strange just shrugged and waited for his answer.

"Can you keep people out of my head?" Tony asked quietly. He watched Strange's expression flicker through shocked comprehension, horror and fury on his behalf before it smoothed out into the neutral yet professional face the man must have developed as a doctor.

"If I can't do it yet then I can damn well learn. What you just described is a horrendous violation and I have no compunction about promising to find a way to stop it for you regardless of your decision. If nothing else I can find the perpetrator and see them punished by those acting as the magic side law enforcement," Strange said firmly. "Unfortunately, the bond I suggested could have similar bleed over in response to such past exposure. Normally, your natural defenses would need to be worn away or be deliberately circumvented to get that sort of bleed over without those within the bond deliberately trying to induce it. Tying us together that deeply it's practically required."

"And how would you have stopped it if I had said yes without being told about the mind mixing?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"Once I realized it was a problem it would have been difficult if not impossible to stop. However, as an emergency measure, I could have used part of my lifespan or reserves to put up a wall between us. It would have increased the initial risk tremendously but it also would have made it possible for you to outlive me if something went wrong," Strange admitted. "The reverse would not have been true. All of this is irrelevant if you choose not to take me up on my offer but I believe in informed consent."

"If you start fucking around with my head I'll see us both dead before I stop, understand?" Tony said flatly.

"I understand completely," Strange said seriously.

"Then you have my consent. Don't let Wanda Maximoff near me, please," Tony said with a resigned sigh.

"I will make sure that you won't regret this, Dr. Stark," Strange said gently as he guided Tony back into his body.

"That felt fucking weird," Tony slurred once he was back in place. "For the record you have my consent and it was nice not to be in pain for that discussion."

Once Tony was asleep Doctor Strange officially was allowed access to his records after the nurse had confirmed the consent to the rest of the staff. Once he got a good read on the damage Doctor Strange swore viciously and started barking out orders. One of the last things he did was drop the spell hiding him from his mentors and flare his magic high as a beacon before casting the bond. The Ancient One, Master Mordo, and his younger self showed up in under an hour.

Chapter Text

The two Master Sorcerers and one Apprentice practically barrelled past the hospital staff as they headed for where the flare of magic originated from. Apprentice Strange was given one look of confusion and then allowed past with the two Master Sorcerers clearly with him allowed through on his heels. As they moved through the hospital the Ancient One became increasingly concerned at the access just having her student with them gained the three of them. When they finally stepped into the hospital room one look was all it took for her to understand.

Whack!

"Ow! Master, what did I do?" Apprentice Strange complained.

The Stephen laid out on the bed just laughed horsely.

"I take it something dire required drastic actions for you to have made yourself at home in this past time, my student," the Ancient One remarked archly.

"You could say that," Stephen said from the second bed in the room.

"What have you done?" Master Mordo growled, switching between looking at the two versions of Stephen Strange in confusion and anger.

"Oh stop growling at him. My younger self has no idea what all is going on, Master Mordo," Stephen waved his upset away.

"Then you are me? Why would you risk time travel? Assuming it's even possible. Why here? Why now?" Apprentice Strange demanded. "Why not when Donna...?"

"Because our sister's death isn't a pivot point in reality," Stephen sighed. "My gamble here is an act to protect reality, our universe, and in some respects the multiverse. Ancient One, you know from bitter experience when we take up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme we don't retire, we die in the post."

"We?" The Ancient One asked softly.

"We," Stephen confirmed. "This step was not taken lightly. Did you know that the Eye of Agamotto or rather what is the core component of it is actually sentient? That it has five siblings, also sentient, who protect aspects of the universe when they aren't arguing with each other or being abused by idiots?"

The Ancient One gasped in recognition and dread at the implications.

"Then... you have their blessings in this endeavor?" the Ancient One asked very carefully.

"Oh yes. They are the ones who made the suggestion and made sure that nothing broke when I was sent back. I was hardly a part of the process at all beyond being the chosen passenger," Stephen confirmed. "It wouldn't surprise me in the least if I now registered as a slightly older brother to my younger self."

"Then you are my senior in this, Master Strange," the Ancient One said warily. "Would you call the Order to service?"

"Actually, I rather presumed that you would object and try to remove me, not offer to help," Stephen pointed out, puzzled.

"That would be counterproductive considering the entire point of the Order, at least initially, was the protection of and occasionally service to the Eye of Agamotto and it's resident," the Ancient One scoffed. "Although, if you are working under the premise that you had one shot without help at whatever it is you must have already taken your initial actions."

"Tony Stark must survive. To that end I have bonded my life force to his as an emergency medical measure," Stephen confirmed. "I couldn't stop you if you decided to smother me with a pillow right now but my remaining life force and power would further preserve and heal Stark."

"Apprentice Strange, when we return to Kamar-Taj you will be going over the various bonds on record and their effects," the Ancient One sighed.

"Run him through a bunch of the combat magics too. He doesn't have to be able to cast it yet, just read the warnings and clear instructions on how to do it," Stephen muttered. "And portal practice. If nothing else you can have Wong run him through the advanced courses. Just tell him that he's allowed to do it any time he catches younger me stealing from the library. Best to make sure he's locked out of the astral plane for the night following those sessions or he will go right back to reading while his body sleeps."

"Traitor," Apprentice Strange hissed angrily as one occasionally does towards a sibling.

"We will see your records duplicated and put it in that you are twins," the Ancient One said pointedly. "What alternate name would you prefer for your new one?"

When Stephen stayed quiet his younger self got a suspicious look in his eye.

"Exactly how long have you lived or experienced being alive?" Apprentice Strange asked.

"Several hundred thousand years, I'm afraid even if my body is only a little older than yours," Stephen answered with a faint smirk. "We did try other things to keep the universe from literally unraveling around us before letting the sentient stones talk us into trying this one after all."

All three standing Sorcerers blanched at that admission. They were also startled a minute later by the wheezing laughter from one Tony Stark in the other hospital bed.

"What am I? Some sort of holy relic?" Tony laughed painfully.

"One of the only people smart enough to figure out how to stop the unraveling for one and for another, the only one able to get a solid hit to draw blood on the fool who causes it in the first place," Stephen snarked. "We looked, Stark, across timelines and universes. In this universe you were supposed to die on the table during one of your upcoming surgeries. Someone sabotaged the rescue equipment when they heard you were an emergency patient. Linked to my life force it won't kill you even if it will put us both in a coma for at least a week and that's if nothing else goes wrong. Assuming I am no longer linked to Stark you can execute me all you like after the threat to the universe and reality as a whole is dead."

That shut Tony up as all of them looked at Stephen with undisguised horror.

"So, twin brother?" Apprentice Strange asked awkwardly.

"To explain the identical DNA," Stephen sighed, happy they were back on less volatile subjects. "The way I was merged into this time synced me up as a natural part of things with the blessing of the living artifacts that govern such things and a firm order not to let Stark die. One of them even went so far as to tell me that if I let him die they would ensure Humanity as a whole didn't survive the century afterwards. Not that I needed that sort of incentive but it sounds impressive when I have to present it to others."

"I suppose we could just swap middle and first names officially and declare that we both hated Vincent so always went by Stephen. It would make the official errors more believable as well," Apprentice Strange offered. "We ran enough overtime shifts at the hospital during our residency that there might as well have been two of us. We could have been allowed to present our research together with one of us talking for the actual presentation and such. It would be somewhat unusual but it would be a simple change that could easily be explained away in memory especially being twins and having identical experiences and reactions."

"Not quite identical anymore but yes. We would have to explain things properly to Christine but once we provided proof she would go along with it. It would also be a decent enough prank on Doctor West," Stephen smirked. "Kamar-Taj can just be told I come from a different timeline. I know there are Master restricted records of past similar events due to accidents and malicious design from other timelines and universes close to our branch universe."

Tony looked pointedly at the Ancient One and then between the two Stephens.

"I think I'm keeping mine and you can keep yours unless it's an emergency but don't go thinking I'll let him be executed for this," Tony said cheekily, surprising a laugh out of the woman.

"No, I completely understand," the Ancient One smiled, amused. "I will be requiring him to attend further classes at times after an assessment but he is actually my heir and successor. I simply have a choice between them or Apprentice Strange can have longer getting properly trained while Master Strange steps in if I can't perform my duties to protect our world."

"Hero side indeed," Tony mused.

"You can't be serious?!" Mordo protested, his voice strangled and unable to keep silent any longer.

"That reminds me, Master, with the most respect possible, deal with your mess yourself instead of dropping it on our heads," Stephen snarked. "Kindly also explain the Dark Dimension connection to Master Mordo and possibly Master Kaecilius. Considering your complete lack of explanations before dying on us left me with no choice but to kill them both and Kaecilius' followers as well as fight Dormammu directly I really don't want to repeat any of that. Nor do I want my younger self to have to face it either!"

"Oh, oh dear, I didn't expect your tenure to be quite that... unsettled," the Ancient One said as she went pale.

"Dormammu and Kaecilius within hours of your death no less," Stephen pointed out ruthlessly. "I had to keep the Order together, see the smashed sanctums repaired, and clean up everything from Kaecilius' group while everyone else was in shock from losing you. You know perfectly well they see me mostly as an outsider despite how you picked me as your latest student. We got lucky so few lives were lost and the material damage was replaceable if difficult to accomplish."

"But you succeeded," the Ancient One said thoughtfully.

"Not without cost and not without certain risks," Stephen insisted. "Things which, if you had been actually handling the issues instead of letting them fester, wouldn't have been needed in the first place!"

"You can't get up can you?" Apprentice Strange interrupted with a frown.

"Side effects from the bond I used," Stephen waved it away. "I did say I couldn't stop any of you from killing me right now."

"We would have still tried to be on our feet if possible for this," Apprentice Strange argued. "What else?"

"Stephen, don't," Stephen warned his younger self.

"No, you don't get to just show up and tell us that you're fixing something while doing something that has already half killed you without at least letting me check you," Apprentice Strange shot back. "I'll even take the name change if you want."

Master Strange was visibly taken aback at the offer.

"Alright, George," Stephen said softly. "Stark may one day be completely free from the bond but I won't. I will always feel echoes from him of illness or injury. My weakness is only half from feeding power into his life force to keep him alive the rest of it is an echo of his own condition. I actually had planned to wait until at least the Ancient One was here to cast it in case we could safely move him but then I saw his medical chart. It couldn't wait."

"You're an idiot," Apprentice Strange sighed. "Then again I'm a younger you so maybe I can at least fix it for my side of things. George Stephen Strange, MD, at your service."

"This is a surprise," the Ancient One murmured with a small smile.

Chapter Text

The introduction of Stephen's twin brother and their two magic teachers went over surprisingly well with the hospital staff. While obviously offended by the use of magic George's, and by extension Stephen's, competency was quickly proven when several emergency cases came in that confused the locals but were child's play to the Strange brothers. The cases were sorted out quickly and efficiently with locals obeying but double checking behind them on the more conventional treatments. It also helped when Master Mordo took out someone trying to attack a patient at the hospital before they got anywhere. In turn the Ancient One handled several entitled officials while playing with a group of children waiting for treatment, keeping them all calm.

"I told you that you have to watch his BP! You're lucky one of your nurses caught it in time," George snapped at one of the resident doctors.

"Apprentice Strange, leave the poor man be," the Ancient One said sternly. "We have a problem."

"What problem?" George asked, immediately refocusing and letting the man escape the lecture.

"I found several curses on Dr. Stark," the Ancient One explained as she led him back to the room holding the two bonded men, currently being guarded by Master Mordo.

"Then that could have contributed to his potential lack of recovery," George frowned. "I knew he wasn't recovering at the expected rate with how much power my brother has been directly feeding him to the idiot's own detriment. Did Master Wong show up and check him?"

"After scolding your brother, yes," the Ancient One said dryly. "He has also decided that you and your brother are being subjected to your own health and magic checks once we get back to the temple or at least to one of the sanctums."

George groaned but didn't argue. This case was just too important and too interesting as far as he was concerned.

"If the Rogues show up I'm drafting them," George retorted. "Stephen and I can split them if we have to but this is too important."

"Noted," the Ancient One said serenely, accepting the decision as if from both men.

George looked at her suspiciously but let her keep her mysterious air for now instead of demanding answers. Instead he headed for the room that Tony and Stephen were currently in, planning to run his own check ups on them a little early.

When he walked into the room George knew something was wrong.

"What did you do?" George demanded of Stephen.

"I found a long term curse that I was unaware of on myself," Stephen said tiredly, clearly exhausted. "Remember the nightmares and waking terrors and such? Not our fault. None of it was ever our fault. It also has a deadman switch of sorts connected to how weakened overall we might get. A single fatal or near fatal injury or a beating isn't enough to trigger it. It requires systematic weakness across the board, the kind induced by long term terror, stress, and exhaustion when you stop trying to take care of yourself or during chemotherapy."

George gasped as he stared in horror at his new brother. Both their heads snapped around to stare at the Ancient One as they heard her give off a string of curses. Master Mordo wasn't anywhere nearby and Tony's bright, interested, suspicious eyes watched from his own position in his bed. He now had a very vested interest in the two Strange brothers after all.

"Once Doctor Stark is safe to move we are all returning to the temple and getting that thing off of both of you," the Ancient One said grimly.

"What am I missing here?" Stephen asked, narrow eyed.

"If it is a singular curse then it is strong enough to have affected everyone around you for long periods of time, such as your family. I have been watching you both since you were rather on the young side and never have I found even a hint of something wrong. Which tells me it may be evolving or at least tailored to hide from anyone with formal training," the Ancient One explained. "My early attempts to safeguard you would have been the only way whoever cast it on you could know you even existed to be a potential target."

"Which automatically makes me a target as well and both Stephanie and I are ridiculously vulnerable right now," Tony finished for her.

"Exactly," the Ancient One confirmed.

"Shit," George cursed. He still wasn't used to considering this sort of thing but he was picking up on things quickly between his discussions with Stephen, Tony, and the Ancient One. When they weren't discussing medical things or magical basics they were discussing practical politics among those who used magic.

Ironically it was Tony who was schooling both Strange brothers in the politics department both as actual politics and as the more ruthless business side of things. The Ancient One encouraged this and only offered magic specific things on an as needed basis. When asked why she calmly pointed out that the discussion was engaging Tony and he in turn was metabolizing the magic better during the interactions, thus also healing better. Stephen determinedly started teaching Tony basic magical theory to encourage this throughout the day even if it left him half awake from the drain by lunchtime every single time.

"I really wasn't expecting these kinds of complications," Stephen muttered ruefully.

"They are right in here, sir," a nurse said rather more loudly than usual.

"When it rains, it pours, right?" Tony muttered.

"I think we will be running with your idea, George," the Ancient One said firmly. "Immediately."

"Yes, Master," George murmured, ready to back her up. He was acutely aware that he was probably going to be throwing his weight around more as an attending Doctor than as a budding Sorcerer if trouble arose.

"Master Kaecilius, stop lurking. Come join us, peaceably if you please. I will have words with you about your group's recklessness instead of actually asking questions," the Ancient One called out to the hall way in firm command.

"No magic unless you are helping with the healing," George in full on doctor mode ordered sharply as the rogue Master entered the room.

"George, you need better awareness of magics being used near you," Stephen tsked. "Master Kaecilius the situation, as you can see, has changed. Please sit down so that we can discuss that change."

The shard of shattered space faded from Kaecilius' hands as he considered the scene before him. The Ancient One was sitting at a small table that had long since been set up with a tea pot. The man in Apprentice robes was clearly acting as a medical doctor and the two men in either bed were just as clearly in need of said skills.

"I don't know you," Kaecilius said carefully to Stephen.

"Yeah, emergency time travel will do that to you," Tony snickered.

"Further hypocrisy?" Kaecilius demanded of the Ancient One angrily.

"My Master had no say or bearing on my trip through time," Stephen said dryly. "You killed her in front of me right before I had to... discuss the mess you made with Lord Dormammu. After I secured his agreement not to eat the planet it was a further year to year and a half before the threat I was sent back to help deal with made itself rather painfully obvious. If we are lucky my trip back knocked him off course far enough that something will take him out before he gets here but I honestly don't think that we actually are that lucky."

It was at that point that Wong showed up with a very weird look in his eyes. He said nothing to anyone as he walked in, only carried a mirror of Stephen's cloak under one arm and handed it to George. The cloak perked up in his hands, looked around and poked at the cloak pretending to be a blanket on Stephen's bed. The one on the bed rippled in an unspoken sort of grumble and gained a strip of bright gold bracketed by thin lines of bright blue just past the thick hem design on what would be the right hand side if it was being worn. The one not pretending to be a blanket gained an identical strip in green bracketed by black.

"Well, at least you can tell them apart now?" Tony observed as the new one very deliberately settled itself around George's shoulders before shifting into a red tie with the green-black detailing on one end.

"How many of your memories with me did you share with him, old friend?" Stephen asked, distinctly amused as he tapped his cloak/blanket. The collar rippled in a distinctive shrug and lay flat again.

"Here," Wong said shortly as he tossed an amulet into Stephen's lap.

"Ah, I had wondered when he would bully someone to bring him to me," Stephen said in a satisfied tone.

The amulet glowed a smug green before subsiding. Stephen chuckled and looped it around his neck, settling the Eye of Agamotto into place.

"Do I want to know?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Later," Stephen waved his curiosity away before turning his attention back to the rogue Mystic Master and piercing him with his gaze. "I am from a future now destroyed that we want to never happen. At the time I was the current Sorcerer Supreme but I still went to an even higher authority before agreeing to this plan. Unfortunately, it was very necessary considering reality was literally unraveling around us and it was speeding up. The sentience inside this amulet has siblings and it was they who proposed and executed the plan. I was picked as the only one to come back with the Cloak of Levitation. Partly to minimize what the living artifacts that proposed this would have to fix and partly because I am the designated Guardian of Time. I was soaked in enough time energies by the point where we actually considered the proposal that I was one of the few who could survive the trip. The Ancient One has acknowledged my right to complete my mission and to take her to task as a peer."

"The scolding he gave her about shit was awesome," Tony told him, grinning widely. He also pointedly ignored Stephen's disapproving but fond look for interrupting.

"As soon as I realized he was here as my successor I was no longer the Sorcerer Supreme or rather I no longer had the authority as the primary Sorcerer Supreme," the Ancient One chimed in somewhat ruefully. "As Master Strange has pointed out to me we don't leave the job we die in it. He, rightfully, should have me executed but he isn't yet in a fit condition for it. Whether he actually formally takes me into custody or not I consider myself under his authority which somewhat extends to his younger self as his natural second."

"Ah, I had wondered what you were doing about that," Stephen sighed as George grumbled quietly, hiding how uncomfortable he was about the situation. "That does explain why you didn't argue or even comment when I suggested a change in his training regimen. I suppose you plan to list me as one of his training Masters now that I will officially exist as his twin brother?"

"Naturally," the Ancient One agreed, sipping at her tea. "The explanation for your difference in wear and tear as well as rank you provided yourself. You got caught in a time loop. Simply because you didn't keep the extra physical age does not preclude keeping other damage once released depending on how the loop was initiated and solved."

"With the Eye insisting I return to my place as it's guardian George will take a different path and specialization just because it has been one of my most powerful artifacts," Stephen pointed out.

"And you still have the cloak as well as the many belts artifact. Although, I do note that your variation appears to have lost its ability to extend out and act as an extra set of limbs. On the other hand the magic appears to have refocused into a boost in your natural defenses, primarily making you more durable," the Ancient One said pointedly.

"It was needed," Stephen admitted with a grimace. "It would not surprise me in the least if my arrival absorbed the version of the belts in storage."

"I think I'm making you a low level armored bodysuit," Tony mused, eying both Strange brothers speculatively. George spluttered in confused outrage at the implied need for it while Stephen just rolled his eyes fondly at the inventor's obvious mental designing.

"Magic acts not unlike a circuit but on a different frequency set with different materials acting as resistors and wires as a result. This includes a certain amount of tuning at times which is where you get affinities or elemental specialization," Stephen remarked mildly, amused at the immediate gleam of interest. "Some of the oldest records actually list versions of our current tech as magic in it's own right. Even if you don't learn to channel the energies directly I would count you as a Technomage with a soul affinity just right now."

Tony blinked once, twice, and tilted his head thoughtfully before slowly nodding in understanding.

"Lord Dormammu will wish to speak with you," Master Kaecilius remarked as he finally accepted the tea the Ancient One had offered him when he walked in.

"No doubt," Stephen sighed. "Please inform him that while I am perfectly willing to go over things with him there are a number of issues that can't exactly wait. If he is willing to be patient then I am willing to allow one or more of your group to stay with me so that I can visit him as soon as humanly possible. Assuming you are still tasked with the same mission afterwards it would, at most, constitute a delay of 18-24 months in whatever you plan to do. A drop in the bucket for Dormammu and a chance for us to deal with the threat I was sent back to stop. I would prefer to co-opt you all completely both to prevent trouble and to get more hands working towards a solution but I won't count on that. Incidentally, I found out on accident that if Dormammu faces this threat he loses rather badly. So allowing us to take care of it first also protects Dormammu, just in case you need the extra leverage."

The way that Master Wong, Master Kaecilius, and the Ancient One went pale at that news alarmed George, interested Tony, and caused Stephen to give a tired yet pained smirk. Master Kaecilius very politely took his leave and left. Stephen just settled in for a nap, hoping that he would be left alone long enough to heal Tony into a safely more mobile state. The clock was ticking after all.

Chapter Text

George Stephen Strange felt weird and off balance as he checked his future-self-new-brother and one Tony Stark. He knew almost nothing about Stark beyond what the media said but the way that his brother looked at him and risked everything to protect him spoke volumes. The Ancient One hadn't yet picked up on the fact that Stephen wasn't just doing his duty. No, he had a personal stake in seeing Stark survive, one that puzzled George. Stephen met his eyes and they spoke volumes in that glaced connection.

"You aren't just the Guardian of Time any more," George observed.

Tony was ostensibly asleep while the Ancient One, Master Mordo and Wong were temporarily back at Kamar-Taj handling business and arranging for the paperwork to be sorted out. There would be a set of beds waiting for Tony and Stephen in the infirmary once they got the pair through a portal safely.

"He has a wife and child or rather will have," Stephen said softly. "Even if we wanted to between that and the direct power imbalance he would have to be the one to make a move. I extracted a few promises before being sent back so no matter what his daughter is still set to be born somehow. The Spider child he has half adopted has been given extra protection provided I step up and accept them as my secondary charges. Basically, if Tony will let me, I will co-parent them with him and anyone else they have as guardians. If I am not allowed that far in then I can still act as bodyguard and go after threats before they get near the children."

"But Stark is still priority at least until the established threat is dealt with," George finished the unspoken condition.

"Yes," Stephen sighed. "You probably still pine after Christine but she can't handle the Mystic side of things. She picked someone else and as much as it hurt I was happy to attend the wedding. I was happy for her."

"You already mentally adopted those kids... and Stark," George observed. Stephen hummed in agreement.

"I will do my best to stay close to him but I refuse to allow myself to become what destroys him. I have witnessed how far we are willing to go for someone we love or in complete desperation," Stephen warned softly. "We need human anchors or else when we lose what few anchors overall that we have we don't care if we destroy the world and the universe to get them back or accomplish whatever alternate goal we've latched on to. So be aware of that. Don't shut people out. If they can keep up with us all the better but don't let that be your deciding factor. Even if they don't choose us back or they hate us we have to have those anchors."

"I understand," George said quietly.

They had both seen flashes of that tendency in themselves growing up and knew that it could twist into dangerous obsession if they weren't careful. It was determining how to balance it without twisting it or the rest of themselves that was the trick. Their drive and focus could be deadly to everyone around them if they weren't careful. Something which was far more terrifying to them than if they killed themselves in the pursuit of whatever was their fervent goal at the time.

Unknown to either Doctor a clever inventor lay quietly in his bed pretending to sleep. He listened and understood what he had heard, filing it away for later. His earlier words were proving far more truthful than what he had known at the time. Stephen the Elder truly belonged to one Tony Stark and that was something that Tony knew better than to throw away.

Deep inside of Tony, where magic pooled and once sat an arc reactor, a bright blue spark spluttered back to life. No casing, no metal, no magnet, nothing to separate flesh from power. It drew in the magic being fed to Tony. Calling in a siren song as it flashed between arc reactor blue and a brilliant warm orange with hints of yellow, red, and purple at the edges. The green tinged golden power eagerly joined it as the pieces started stitching flesh and bone quietly back together.

The echo of the energies combining called out across the stars and stones of reality as it sang. It sang a song of the Warrior-Inventor accepting them and their claim. It sang of the Time Keeper unknowingly swaying their Warrior-Inventor into acceptance by caring for him. It sang a shout of triumph as the ones they decided to keep forever began the process of synchronizing to their energies permanently. It would take time, centuries, to fully integrate with the two humans but the Infinity Stones had finally laid their claim.

Chapter Text

The move to Kamar-Taj was both smooth and harrowing. Tony could feel the magics involved and it made him almost as nervous as seeing the portal itself. The way that Stephen quietly insisted they be on the same bed as it was levitated through was comforting. This was especially true since Tony found himself cuddled by the time traveler. It made it more difficult to let him go when they moved the pair of them into separate beds in the temple infirmary but Tony soldiered through it with stubborn determination.

"Your magic seem to be going after more than just what Rogers did to me," Tony hummed thoughtfully once they were situated and everyone helping had cleared out.

"Rogers did that?!" Stephen spluttered in outrage and alarm. "I only knew that you got hurt badly and were dying in that hospital."

Tony just sort of blinked at the now furious Strange brothers cursing over the source of his injuries.

"Uh, I suppose I should probably mention that I'm pretty sure I know who hit me with those curses that upset you and your teacher?" Tony said tentatively.

Both Strange brothers immediately latched onto the information and turned their expectant laser-like gazes in his direction. Tony swallowed hard and did his best not to hope that he would be listened to, nevermind if they didn't do anything about it he just didn't want to be told that he was lying again.

"Wanda Maximoff, the newest team member. They voted her in without even bothering to tell me that she was under consideration or that a vote was being held. I wasn't even asked if I wanted her in my home or around me. She hit me with some sort of vision when we went after the Hydra base she and her brother were assigned to. The others just seem to ignore or not want to remember that she willingly joined Hydra with her twin brother and kept saying they were going to kill me. I didn't even do anything to them as far as I know," the words tumbled out of Tony's mouth without his permission and he couldn't stop them. "They claimed that they were stuck with a faulty one of my bombs that landed on their house and were stuck staring at it for days before they managed to get out. The problem with that is I would have been too young and my bombs just don't go dud. On top of that my Godfather was double dealing until I shut down the weapons division and a number of officially destroyed ones went to the black market on top of whatever knockoffs people were selling. The Maximoff's only helped us because Ultron was going to end the world and her brother died saving a little boy in that fight, not because of me. Then again everyone just blamed all of Ultron on me. I wasn't even in the damn room! The project it highjacked it's name from wasn't anywhere near coded enough for even a basic compilation run, nevermind close enough to complete to run full blast. I swear whatever came out of Loki's scepter had everything to do with all of it and Ultron killed Jarvis... He killed my son just because he blocked the psychotic asshole from the nuke codes."

By the end of his verbal breakdown Tony was openly weeping. Stephen and George argued with their eyes briefly. George eventually sighed and moved the two beds together so that Stephen could wrap Tony up in his arms,

"I'll go warn the Ancient One," George said quietly. When Stephen nodded his agreement the two men were left alone in their beds.

"Those meds must have wrecked your control on top of the trauma," Stephen murmured softly, offering comfort beyond the hug.

Tony just clung to him until the tears petered out. By the time George got back with Wong and the Ancient One Tony only needed one look to know that if his guess on who cast the curses was right it was bad.

...It was worse.

Tony listened numbly to the two Masters identify the curses and the personal energy signatures attached to them. At least five separate ones were associated with SHIELD personnel, three belonged to his dead godfather and his assorted close staff, and one belonged to the Black Widow. The final one with a count of nearly two hundred separate spells used on him that blotted out anything else was one Wanda Maximoff. The ones from everyone else were only detectable because of the intense emotions or raw power applied when casting them.

"Once you're healed I insist on you learning at least enough magic to identify if you've been cursed and to get to me or George or Kamar-Taj for de-cursing in an emergency," Stephen told him with quiet fury. "This is why so many things and people seem to be trying to kill you on accident. You are not careless or accident prone or imagining things. These spell really do encourage whatever it is to be out to get you or redirect things to hurt you. The fact that you are still alive when dealing with all of this for even 24 hours much less the actual amount of time you've handled it is a goddamn miracle! The fact that they were each slowly getting stronger is honestly horrifying. If you weren't so stubborn and carried at least two champion blessings you wouldn't have survived much less intact."

"Champion Blessings?" Tony asked numbly as he allowed Stephen to cuddle him close.

"The Merchant of Death title actually carries a fair amount of mystical weight. It would have faded at some point after there was something to replace it with if Death hadn't at least blessed you. It is highly likely that Death was the one to actually bestow that title on you," Stephen offered hesitantly. "Iron Man, on the other hand, quickly gained serious mystical weight because of the hope you bring in that role but also the compassion you show. Iron Man is a protector that sometimes uses death to protect, a warrior, but ultimately a guardian. You repurposed Death's Blessing into something more. I dare say he is delighted about it since he gave you a second one later in conjuncture with his opposite. All the blessings you have received, no matter their surface source, could not have been granted except by permission from God. Kamar-Taj calls him the One Above All but you would know him better as God the Father or God Almighty."

"What?" Tony asked incredulously. He was interested enough to shake off his numbness to fully pay attention to the explanation. He didn't even notice the other Sorcerers staring at Stephen in shock as they listened to the following explanation about things they had yet to learn. Even the Ancient One stared wide eyed as she listened to some of the new information.

"I know it sounds counterintuitive but a lot of knowledge has been lost over the centuries. I found out on accident, or rather not by my own choice, that key pieces of Christianity are so much a core part of the fabric of reality that without the truth behind it everything would unravel. When we tap into dimensional energies as Sorcerers we tap into connected echo planes of reality, not unlike what is shown in Dungeons and Dragons but still different and unique in their own ways. This is actually part of why some people claim the earth is flat," Stephen explained. "They misconstrued the different levels of reality and interplaner existence as being part of regular reality. One plane is a piece of paper in a stack of papers, overlaid and existing interconnected but separate. Different dimensions are a different set of well aspected reality. A prism held up to the light aspects regular light into a rainbow spectrum. It's all still light and still the same thing but different layers of the same thing. To that end God could be considered the lodestone that both produces and anchors each layer collectively and individually with continuous weaving and stabilizing of things together as a delicate whole. Which in turn brings incredible weight to everything known about him and what he has given humans as a whole and people individually. Even those who lie and mimic things he has bestowed hold a significant power and weight to them as a twisted echo. That's part of why in certain cases he very deliberately and openly destroys people and things doing just that both for the insult to him and to prevent others from giving it more weight than it should be given."

"Shit," Tony breathed, eyes blown wide as his mind went full speed processing that.

"So then dimensional branches?" The Ancient One asked tentatively.

"The multiverse and different dimensions in regards to it are more like different stacks of planar paper connected to our stack at a divergent point. Another part of the stack example is that they don't just lay flat but stack and intersect with what I term basic reality at different angles and axis. In much simpler math terms, disregarding Time as an option, X and Y-axis are basic reality while the Z-axis is the other plane," Stephen told them. "But that is toddler level simplification."

"He's mine and you can't have him back," Tony told the Ancient One giving an over the top cat hiss in her general direction to emphasize his point as he clutched at Stephen.

Stephen only chuckled at his antics and relaxed in his grip.

"Why are you trying to break my brain? Just, why?!" George complained in complete sibling aggravation.

"Because it's fun," Stephen said wickedly. "Technology, science, and magic do not preclude one another but in fact compliment each other completely and with various crossover disciples that apply to one or more category. You need to have the talent for it and the ability to perceive it in some way to extend into the crossover categories as a true merging of the categories instead of just using bits and pieces that anyone can work with."

Chapter Text

"Why are you trying to break my brain? Just, why?!" George complained in complete sibling aggravation.

"Because it's fun," Stephen said wickedly. "Technology, science, and magic do not preclude one another but in fact compliment each other completely and with various crossover disciples that apply to one or more category. You need to have the talent for it and the ability to perceive it in some way to extend into the crossover categories as a true merging of the categories instead of just using bits and pieces that anyone can work with."

"So the planes are the layers that are both stacked and intersect at odd angles but the dimensions are more like the tree branches and timelines that most think of for the multiverse. They just have the stacked/intersecting layers too," Tony concluded. "And magic is probably on a different energy frequency? The categories thing or at least the lack of knowledge on it is probably because some idiot somewhere or when declared it classified. The probably restricted it to only this family or that family to know this section or that section and then killed to keep it quiet."

"Exactly," Stephen said, satisfied that his explanation had been understood.

"Yes, well Mystical metaphysics aside you both need rest," George retorted. "Get some sleep and seeing as how you told them about my night time reading I think you should skip yours."

"Yes, George," Stephen said dryly, content to let Tony cuddle him however unconsciously. At this point he wasn't even trying to hide that he was emotionally compromised in Tony's favor.

"You do realize that you've gotten him healed by st least two weeks if not more over the last few days since starting this right? It was the only reason I signed off on moving you both to the infirmary here rather than insisting on a move to the States and his state of the art medical ward," George pointed out. "The healing ratio is speeding up every time you get him to absorb and use the magic more efficiently. No standard medical center or even normally competent medical personnel are going to be able to handle magical complications showing up."

"I had gathered that, yes," Stephen smirked. "I also noticed the lurking of Kaecilius' man. Whom I note you all deliberately left behind at that hospital."

"Master Glen knows how to get back to Kamar-Taj on his own," the Ancient One said serenely, having regained her composure.

"No doubt," Stephen agreed calmly. The man would just have a harder time convincing someone to let him in and not attack him with how Kaecilius and his rogues had been acting since they officially left Kamar-Taj.

"You told me there's WiFi. Can I get the password or do I have to hack in?" Tony asked, giving Stephen puppy dog eyes and pulling out his Stark tablet to wave around.

"George? Do you still have it?" Stephen asked with a soft smile aimed at Tony.

"Just let me fetch it from my room," George sighed. "You get to wrangle the crazy tech genius while I try to catch up on my studies. You're both stable for now and I'll do regular check-ins like usual."

"You needed the break," Stephen snorted. "I will tell you one thing to ease your mind. Our hands? We can have them back but the cost is never using magic for anything else ever again and never stopping using it. You learn what everyone else learns first because screwing up the inverse technique can kill you in various ways. The catch specifically for us is that we really are the Ancient One's heir and we can save more lives here, as Sorcerers, than in the operating room. It isn't glamorous or easy nor does it pay much but that's not why we decided to become a doctor in the first place if you'll recall."

"We did it because we wanted to help, because when Donna got hurt fixing it called to us," George said softly.

"This is just a different patient and a different set of healing techniques on a world and universe level scale," Stephen told him softly. "Besides, just because I didn't learn them doesn't mean that you can't learn the magic side of healing. I got thrown into the deep end in stepping up to take the Ancient One's place. You get some extra leeway and can probably harass the healers and curse breaking specialists into teaching you. I just want you at least competent in combat and portals because I had to use those skills far too often for comfort."

"Noted," George agreed and headed off to get Tony the WiFi password.

Chapter Text

Tony watched Stephen sleep out of the corner of one eye as he worked on his tablet. He could tell that the man was putting his all into healing Tony and the conversation he had overheard before they had moved to the temple had been gnawing at him. Little magic sparks along his heart skipping across the scars and unhealed wounds from the shrapnel distracted him briefly as they healed the damage. It didn't stop him from finishing up the paperwork fix the Mystic Order had put in place to cover the name change to George and sudden appearance of one Stephen Strange back in time.

Mostly it was retroactively adding the second name to various records as joint access or accounts and the like to make it look like the two had just been sharing everything from the start. It was true in a sense and both had agreed that it was the best way to cover things. A few teasing e-mails to various people and professors that had taken classes with Stephen or had worked with him about missing the secret twin helped to set the stage for the past existence of the pair as twins. The reactions he got back were amusing if nothing else and paperwork snafus were universal so it wasn't hard to say there had always been two people with the same face who had been effectively acting as one person. A generous donation to Columbia University had the paperwork error and doctorate paperwork quickly "fixed". Stephen had apparently cut all ties with the farming community he had grown up with and his last living relative, a younger brother, had died two years ago. He had no one else blood related still alive except for George now.

"You plan to claim them both," the Ancient One remarked quietly at his elbow, having observed his work to fix the identity holes the Order had missed.

"Not necessarily as lovers or anything just as family," Tony corrected quietly. "I heard them talking about me when I was pretending to sleep and neither of them plan to make a move on me. This is supposedly to let me have the wife and child that I had in Stephen's future. I have a good guess who the wife is but with this latest weirdness she won't ever accept me back for a romantic relationship and we were already on a break. She doesn't get the Iron Man side of me and wants me to stop."

"It would be kinder to simply cut your physical heart from your body," the Ancient One said disapprovingly. "Even so little time after meeting you I can see that plain as day."

"Stephen obviously knew that he was going to be changing things so he apparently bargained to have my daughter born anyway and protection for the kids he knew I have, adopted or by blood," Tony explained. "I don't know what it cost him. I also don't plan to let him stay at the edges of my life when the exclusion would clearly rip him apart. That means including George as well and probably your entire Order to one extent or another."

"Which is why you are sharing," the Ancient One nodded in understanding.

"I created and backdated a new company for you guys to have a more legal standing when it comes to business things and healing people. I realize that you've worked the way you do for centuries but the push to shut down anything that isn't government controlled has started up again," Tony laid out for her. "Officially, on paper, your Masters and students have all agreed to some very vague conditions as employees and volunteers. I'll list them out for you but I made the wording loose enough that you can basically ignore it. However, it does allow you to legally set down any rules you might be willing to share out to appease people with if they throw a fit over you guys. I also have it slotted in under my Iron Man stuff as support so in an emergency you guys can act even with a government throwing a fit and you just need to get me a report on the incident. I would appreciate you having at least a flimsy excuse for being in the affected area when I have to cover for you. I'll live if it's not there, especially if it's something big or something that could become big quickly in the problem department. Right now anyone who runs the paperwork will think that Howard adopted your Order as a health retreat and spiritual training ground in support of local religious culture after running into one of your people during World War Two. We just finally exceeded the secrecy strictures that got put in place at the time to prevent the Nazis and Hydra from trying to highjack and weaponize you."

"That works," the Ancient One agreed. "It would allow us to explain any new resources you decide to send our way and our current willingness to aid you without spreading around too many upsetting things. I may even have met Howard Stark during that time. I would have to check my memories and if he left anything with me as I am far older than I appear. I don't think I allowed much interference in World War Two but there were some magics and demon summoning attempts we had to put down during that rough time period. I vaguely recall several clashes with a group calling themselves Hydra, very prideful and very foolish."

Tony paused at that and peered at the woman who only gave him a serene smile. Tony pursed his lips briefly but gave her an accepting nod as he went back to sorting out and backdating paperwork for covering both the Order and the Strange brothers. They worked together over the paperwork in mostly companionable silence with quiet corrections and exchanges while Stephen slept one bed over.

Two days later Tony was allowed out of bed to move around the temple. Stephen wanted to come with him but couldn't argue the healer, George, or the Ancient One into allowing it. What really stopped him from trying anyway was how both versions of the Cloak of Levitation ganged up on him and basically tied him to the bed in the infirmary.

"Looks like you're stuck, Doc," Tony laughed as he walked out of the infirmary leaving the man to his fate and the auspices of his younger self as his doctor.

Tony was dressed in the light green robes of someone still on medical restrictions and thus not allowed to join in for health reasons. He watched the initiates and the apprentices practice in the courtyard, glad for the light green robes. He nodded at Master Wong passing by and pondered what he was going to do with his accidentally acquired Master Sorcerer/Mystical Bodyguard. He was pretty sure Pepper was going to kill him no matter what for both the new family members and for adopting an entire temple of Sorcerers but at this point she really shouldn't be surprised by his antics.

"Why are you so important?" Master Mordo demanded, coming up behind him.

"Apparently, I was the only one who managed to make the idiot threatening everything bleed at all and the only one who could possibly find a way to stop reality from unraveling. Personally, I don't believe that but he risked one hell of a lot and the stupid amulet backed him up. I don't think you were there when Wong brought it to him. Stephen said something about wondering how long it would take for the Eye to bully someone into reuniting them and the amulet made sure we all knew it was smug about succeeding. I don't know about you but to me that makes me think he wasn't entirely lying," Tony said smoothly. "The way I've caught the amulet acting on it's own when it was just me and him in that room even when Stephen was asleep was just further proof. I still don't know why it froze that one dust mote in the air for a few seconds. On the other hand the weird freezing of some of my food before making it vanish without letting me eat it made me think it was messing with me. The only other reason I could think of is that someone drugged or poisoned it and I had to look like I had eaten it or just gotten someone else's plate. Neither Strange noticed but the Ancient One sometimes disappeared for a bit after that and came back smug."

Master Mordo froze at the examples of time manipulation given without a human controlling things. Tony just left him to try to reboot his brain as he went to find food. It was almost lunch time after all and he had made a point to have a bunch of supplies delivered to the Kathmandu city linked door to the temple. He wanted some steak, damnit, but he would settle for chicken and rice until he could drag Stephen back home with him.

Tony eventually found food and ignored his building exhaustion to investigate the library. Wong had to drag him away from the Masters section and set him up with various beginners books.

"If you are going to learn even just the theory you are going to do it right and start with the basics," Wong scolded him. "If you devour things the way both Strange's do then letting you start with something more advanced for even a glance through will put us all at risk. Read the warnings before trying something, they are usually listed after the spell."

"Gotcha," Tony said confidently before diving into the books in front of him.

Using Stephen's explanation on the interactions between magic, basic reality, alternate planes, and dimensions via the multiverse things that would have stumped Tony before just plain made sense. Granted, it helped that he now knew that he was working with less than half of the potential equations in both resources, frequencies, and potential surfaces but hey, it was progress!

Tony wasn't really surprised that Wong was the one to drag him away from his research and practically frog march him back to the infirmary. What hit him hard though was the sight of Stephen visibly doing worse. The words were out of his mouth before he could process what he was saying.

"Wow, you look like shit. Why didn't you tell me that staying away from you would make it worse?!" Tony demanded. "I would have come back after lunch. I hadn't found the library yet."

Stephen chuckled weakly and ignored George's glower. He clearly wouldn't be able to stand right then with how he was barely able to sit up. George's fussing was also obviously a way to hide his own distress over Stephen's state.

"Ah, that makes more sense," the Ancient One said, her disapproval switching from being aimed at Tony to being aimed at Stephen.

Stephen just sort of shrugged and didn't say anything in the face of her disapproval. The smack from George just earned the Apprentice Sorcerer a glare from his older counterpart. Tony grumbled about stubborn wizards and got back into his own bed next to Stephen's before accepting the book that Wong had brought with him to leave with Tony. Tony's surprise at being allowed to hang onto the book for the time being somehow relaxed all of them.

"I am linked to you and taking a fair amount of the burden from your injuries, past and present," Stephen explained. "I will feel the problem before you do right now but it also leaves me more vulnerable than you. It isn't ideal but I wanted one that would keep working even if someone killed me and hopefully missed you. I honestly didn't know what the reaction would be when I arrived so I had to hope for the best and plan for the worst."

"Makes sense," Tony sighed. "Oh and the next time you boys make a decision about me, kindly actually ask me my opinion instead of making choices for me."

Both Strange brothers froze, unable to fit the comment to anything except for their past discussion about potentially pursuing Tony as a partner.

"You weren't asleep," Stephen groaned.

"Nope," Tony agreed with evil cheer. "By the way Pepper has already told me she won't get back together with me so trying to save me for her is kind of pointless. Too much weird for her. She's never been able to stomach me as Iron Man very well and she doesn't get that I really am Iron Man. It has never just been a title or a suit of armor."

"Oh," Stephen said softly, somewhat dumbfounded.

"Ball's in your court, Merlin," Tony said softly.

Chapter Text

Stephen stayed awake through the night thinking about what Tony had indicated. He couldn't help but occasionally look over at Tony, actually sleeping this time.

"He does not appear to be opposed to a relationship should you choose to pursue him," the Ancient One said quietly as she stepped out of the night shadows into the moonlight bathing the room in it's reflected glow.

"He shouldn't want one with me," Stephen said softly. "I'm a possessive bastard when I care this deeply about someone. Other me's have ended the world for less and the universe for the same."

"Do you think he is unable to stand on his own? To reel you in if it becomes necessary? To withstand your possessiveness?" the Ancient One asked gently.

"No, he could do that and more," Stephen conceded. "I'm honestly shocked at how much he's already trusting us. He has left his most potent defenses at home. He left himself vulnerable to a shocking degree. Even if he happens to be leveraging my life as his protection the amount of trust... I find myself wanting to wrap him up, show him our world, and never let him go again. Even if that means I give him everything."

"Then court him," the Ancient One ordered.

"Master?" Stephen asked, startled.

"Court him, show him our world, bring him into it as your consort," the Ancient One elaborated. "Show him yourself and acknowledge, at least to yourself, that things will change moving forwards from what you witnessed before. Move and adapt with the changes or you will fail any task or goal you hope for. He has been the one expected to step up so why don't you take care of him instead, or at least offer it? There should be little harm and he can always demand to take the lead, presuming he is open to the idea at all."

"Thank you for your counsel, Master," Stephen said softly.

"Don't ponder for long. He has caught the eyes of several Masters, Apprentices, and Initiates. Many want to know why he is so important to protect and without explanations or a clear enough personal reason they will attempt to find out on their own," the Ancient One warned. "They only hold off due to the medical restrictions he is under and the fact that he has been seen with myself, Master Mordo, and Master Wong since arriving."

Stephen scowled at that but nodded his understanding. This was his fault and he would fix it. She left him to his thoughts.

Stephen didn't get any sleep that night.

Chapter Text

Tony noticed the difference in how Stephen considered him immediately. No longer was the Sorcerer deliberately holding himself painfully back away from Tony emotionally. He also didn't deflect some of Tony's teasing comments as they carefully got ready for the day. Tony had been told he needed to stay near Stephen and between them they had convinced everyone that sitting outside in the courtyard or reading in the library wasn't overly taxing.

"Fine, I know you're bored and if this will keep you from pulling the astral projection trick so that everything keeps improving smoothly I'll just join you in the library," George huffed. "I can get my studying done and watch you both at the same time."

"Congratulations on getting the medical apprenticeship," Strong said quietly, noting the light green fabric band around his younger self's arm. It was a new addition as of that morning and the comment earned him a sharp nod of thanks from George.

"It doesn't hurt to get certified on both sides," George said somewhat mollified.

"No, it doesn't," Stephen agreed with a pleased hum.

The morning passed with little issue. Stephen and Tony were both dressed in the light green robes of patients still on medical restrictions. George sat with them as a monitor with his shiny new healers apprentice band to go with his general apprentice red robes. The combination proved to be a significant deterrent to on lookers but the gossip and eyes aimed their way proved to Stephen that the Ancient One's words were true.

It only took one more appraising yet wanting look from another Master for Stephen to finally snap after lunch. He reached out and turned Tony to face him. Puzzled, Tony complied, questions in his eyes. Stephen took a deep bracing breath and kissed him. His hold wasn't strong enough to stop Tony from pulling away but aside from the brief surprise he was relieved when the inventor leaned into the kiss.

"Now, that's what I've been waiting for," Tony said smugly as he curled up on top of Stephen, pinning him in place on the grass.

"Finally," George muttered, rolling his eyes. "It was painful watching you moon after him."

"I am heavily possessive," Stephen warned quietly, ignoring his brother.

"Yeah, I got that from your discussion about anchors," Tony shrugged. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you've been slipping extra magic across the bond even after you got scolded. I've healed at least three times faster than normal. My old injuries are healing as if they were fresh with the boost in place. I don't think the bond is going to break or dissolve or whatever you thought might happen when it was done healing me. I think you picked a permanent one that goes both ways."

"Why do you think that?" George asked with interest.

"His hands are getting better, the scars lighter," Tony explained. "I can practically feel the metal pins itching at my eye teeth. Every time I focus on one, mentally smoothing it over, making it match the whole better, it feels like I'm shaping clay, redistributing the metal all along the bone while filling in the broken parts. The nerves though feel like delicate micro wires which have to be threaded in just so. Some of the scarring along them is nasty enough that I feel like I should be scraping it off and running new wires. I haven't done it yet but the urge is still there. If I'm actually doing something then I don't want to hurt him and I'm betting scraping off the scaring would be agonizing."

The two Strange brothers exchanged a look of both interest and concern.

"We don't have x-rays," George murmured.

"Do we need them? A skilled hand could probably feel them through our flesh. Especially, if they used your hands as a baseline. Granted, it won't be completely accurate considering my further injuries but it should be close enough for them to at least identify the metal pins from the surgery," Stephen mused.

"Ah, fair warning, the more I do to smooth over the bones and pins the stronger the urge to work on the nerves," Tony quickly informed them. "So any experiments need to take that into account."

"Noted," George said. "Unexpected considering the bond he employed."

"That's not a deal breaker considering I've withstood torture before," Stephen pointed out. "It won't be fun by any means but if you really are unintentionally healing my hands it's something we have to consider."

"I wouldn't say unintentional more like unexpectedly cooperative," Tony corrected. "I want to return the favor even if I wasn't sure I was actually doing anything."

"You don't need to reciprocate," Stephen murmured. "I didn't do it for favors. You would definitely know if I had."

Tony snorted against his chest but opted not to argue the point. As far as he was concerned Stephen was going way above and beyond duty. That didn't mean he wasn't going to take advantage of the idea of keeping him for himself.

They all heard a sharp snap as Tony gasped in pain. He was immediately set gently on his back and his robes ripped open so they could check his chest. The swearing from both Strange brothers was loud and vicious as they tired to find the problem only to realize part of his bones had regrown. The snap had been one of his ribs snapping into place and connecting to the new section of sternum.

A second one cracked out as they visibly saw the deformed and damaged area shift into place as the second new rib section connected. Tony bit back a cry of pain as each new bone moved back into place. They hadn't dared do anything except hold Tony still and comfort him during the process but by the end of it his rib cage and sternum were perfectly restored.

Stephen breathed deeply and instinctively started to channel more power into Tony. He dumped enough into the inventor that he started to glow. When George moved to pull him away from Tony bands of multicolored light leapt up from Tony's skin and latched onto Stephen's wrists, dragging a grunt of pain from the Sorcerer. Tony and Stephen were vaguely aware of George keeping everyone back and sending for the Ancient One but their focus was on each other.

The Eye of Agamotto opened on it's own in front of everyone, enveloping the pair in an orb of green light. Tony and Stephen looked deep into each other's eyes and knew this was going to change everything. Acceptance passed between them as they closed their eyes and surrendered to the actions of the Time Stone. The shouts of the Sorcerers around them were ignored as they blacked out.

~~~

George watched in fear as the green bubble collapsed around them leaving his brother and Stark covered in light green powder that quickly disappeared. He almost didn't react in time as Master Mordo tried to kill them.

"They are an abomination to the natural order!" Mordo snarled as George's hastily cast shield flickered.

"Then you plan to kill me as well? Or the Ancient One or every Sorcerer here?!" George snapped. "How about every human on the planet? Do we not disturb the natural order as a species simply by living here? Weaving clothes? Those aren't natural. Making streets? Those aren't natural either. How about building homes? Also not natural. How about using magic at all? Even disregarding anything made by hand as a form of natural magic draws from outside of our dimension so surely that isn't natural. Are you going to kill yourself after killing everyone else?!"

"You know nothing!" Mordo shouted at him.

"No, I know that your extremism is going to kill a lot of people. I know that my brother, an older version of myself, did everything in his power to avoid this solution in respect for what you taught us. I know that he risked the universe unraveling trying to obey your rigidity before agreeing to be sent back in time by the essence of Time itself who requested it! I know that if we lose Stark and my brother we are doomed," George shot back, command and authority in his voice. "I know that you just tried to kill them. You risk us all with your rigidity and bigotry. I know that..."

Mordo interrupted him with a scream of rage and a new slam against the Shield George was using, breaking through it. The Cloak of Levitation jerked him backwards but it wasn't far enough to completely avoid the slash to his chest. Before he could strike again he was attacked by half a dozen other Masters and basically dog piled. They wrestled him into restraints while two other Masters checked George and the pair unconscious on the ground respectively.

"Well, that's one way to solve the problem," the Ancient One said as she stepped forward. "I didn't want to make things worse and you needed to show that you could command your fellows."

"I didn't manage that," George said sourly as a Master wrapped his still bleeding chest. He would have to return to the infirmary, this time as a patient. "I barely kept them from making things worse with Stephen and Tony."

"But you did manage it," the Ancient One said pointedly. "George, there were various reasons I picked you and your brother as my heirs and your ability to take command was one of them. You both honed that command while saving lives as a Doctor now you only need to learn to apply it in other areas. Your skill with magic, though impressive, is secondary if you cannot lead our people forwards. It is to my great sorrow that what little Stephen has told us of his future-past was so filled with calamity yet he persevered. You have the same strength. It is merely younger than your brother's and you are applying it differently. Stephen is dedicated to young Stark in ways the rest of us can not yet understand. You still see more of the why than we do in this at least. Do not be discouraged by the words of others."

"Master Mordo?" George asked looking towards the restrained, angry combat instructor.

"Is my fault," the Ancient One sighed. "I did not realize how rigid he had become nor how negatively he would react once that rigidity was challenged. None of us are perfect and being the Sorcerer Supreme requires a certain amount of flexibility and occasionally hypocrisy. Part of that is making a mistake and recognizing the risks only afterwards to prevent others from making the same. Part of it is simply accepting the consequences of doing something generally forbidden for very good reasons and sometimes not so good reasons. Just as with anything it varies and we can only live with what comes from them. I was not joking when I told you that Stephen has the right and perhaps the responsibility to see me held and executed for my own past actions. Thus far he has refrained from doing so both due to his own condition and, I suspect, from respect."

"Ancient One, they are fully healed beyond being unconscious," one of the Masters who had checked Stephen and Tony interrupted them, clearly surprised by his findings.

George cursed and shook off the Master tending to him to check the pair himself. When he checked Stephen's hands they were fully healed beyond the faint, almost non-existent scars from their surgery. A magical check with a shiny new diagnosic spell proved the scaring on the nerves was gone and the metal pins had, as Tony had indicated, become interwoven in a veins of metal throughout the bones. When he checked the damage on Tony all he found was cosmetic scarring but whole bones, strong lungs, and a strong heart. Even the injected technology was gone but the metal from it and the palladium poisoning, which George was going to yell at him for later, had shifted to lace and support his bones as it had with Stephen. The scars left on both of them were the only outward signs of what they had endured.

"Whatever that was not only healed them it also used the metals in their bodies to support their bones," George said carefully. "I suspect that they can now metabolize the specific metals lacing their bones but I would want to check them both thoroughly before trying to let them consume anything to check directly. They should wake up soon."

"Is it safe to move them?" the Ancient One inquired.

"Yes but I would rather they wake up here to limit the disorientation," George said firmly. "I've caught both of them brushing off flashbacks from PTSD and nightmares."

"Then we will wait for them to wake here," the Ancient One said simply, accepting George's verdict.

They waited.

Chapter Text

Word of the attack on the two healing patients and the discussion that followed spread across the temple like wildfire. The fact that the Ancient One openly admitted that not only were the Strange brothers her heirs but that the older one had the right and responsibility to execute her was a shock to everyone. Master Mordo's attack on the Strange brothers and Stark almost got forgotten about in the wave of speculation over why the Ancient One might face judgement from Stephen Strange. Or at least it did until it was reported that she had used the attack and admission as a teaching lesson for Apprentice Strange then it made an unfortunate sort of sense. It also drove home that her admission to having done at least one thing that was forbidden and thus in need of judgement by an apparent peer in Stephen Strange was truthful.

"The gossip is getting worse," Wong warned the Ancient One over tea. "You will have to make an announcement and clear a few things up."

"Very well," the Ancient One sighed.

An hour later she was addressing most of the assembled temple residents in the courtyard.

"There are rumors floating around about two guests, a specific apprentice, and myself. I am going to address this only once," the Ancient One said firmly. "First of all one of the guests is Master Strange. His is an alternate of Apprentice Strange. Due to a mix of time travel and direct interference from the artifact we have guarded since the inception of our order Master Strange was sent back in time to deal with a threat to the world and the universe as a whole. Master Mordo took great offense to this. As to Master Strange's status, at the time of his trip backwards through time he was the Sorcerer Supreme. This has an impact because the moment he arrived I was no longer the primary Sorcerer Supreme. While I am a Sorcerer Supreme Master Strange now holds my place. I can act as his stand in until he recovers and has dealt with the threat he returned for but until he chooses a successor he is the one we all now look to as the leader of the order and the Sorcerer Supreme. I can not retire as much as I might wish to because the title has mystical weight and once taken up can not be put down, sometimes not even in death. As my successor he has the right and potentially the responsibility to review and judge my actions in the post of Sorcerer Supreme. Normally, this only occurs once the predecessor is safely dead."

"This is not the first time something like this has happened," Wong added for everyone's benefit. "While extremely rare and usually only happening on accident, by an enemy making a mistake, or due to dire circumstances jumping timelines or universes has happened. It is generally discouraged if at all possible because should the situation not fit adding the person to the new location or time both the magic and the universe can violently reject the transplant. We have separate confirmation that such is not the case here. Master Strange is here to stay... and he is just as much of an idiot as his younger self only with more experience and holding a Mastery in the Mystic Arts."

"I heard that!" Stephen half shouted from where he and Tony were lurking with their respective reading choices.

"Good. You were supposed to," Wong shouted back.

They all heard Tony breaking out in laughter and Stephen's loud grumbling in response. The fondly indulgent expression on the Ancient One's face sold the fact that she really did pick Stephen as her heir.

"What are you two idiots doing out here? You're due for a full check up after that mess!" George was heard scolding them. "I want to know where all that extra metal came from and why you both now have it lacing your bones."

"Aw, come on George," Tony teased. "Live a little. It's not going to kill us to wait a week."

"Alright, just for that I'm dragging you there myself," Stephen said firmly.

"What?!" Tony squawked in outrage. "I know exactly where they all came from. The palladium came from when my early reactors were poisoning me and it got mostly purged from the swap to the new element, except for the bits settled in my bones from being poisoned by it. The electronic bits came from the transmitters I had injected right before Loki invaded New York. Stephen arrived before they could do more than put me on life support or else they probably would have had to reinstall the arc reactor. So there!"

The assembly heard a smack and then a yelp followed by loud protests from Tony about being dragged off to the infirmary. Everyone noted the lack of actual fighting or struggle for all the complaining coming from around the side of the building where the two had been sitting in the sun.

"Fair warning, if either Master Strange or Apprentice Strange decide you need medical care it is simply easier to submit," the Ancient One smirked. "If you fight them on it you will lose. They are just as much of a genius with regular medical matters as with magic in general and combat magic in particular. I will continue giving them both lessons in various areas as time moves forwards but Master Strange has more than earned his place as Sorcerer Supreme."

The meeting broke up soon afterwards and the trio in question were surprised to find a more open welcome within the temple after the mandatory check ups. Unfortunately, they had a visitor the next day. Kaecilius had come to collect on the promised explanation on Dormammu's behalf.

Chapter Text

Stephen took one look at their visitor and sighed. He didn't say a word to Kaecilius just motioned for him to follow as he fetched Tony. Tony, who was going over some of the theory portion of portal creation. He was sitting with one healer on hand for mental trauma reasons and Wong correcting him on his exposition of the text in his hands.

"No, Stark, portals are a break in the fabric of space. A very deliberately made hole punched through and then forcibly expanded. Most of the power and extra parts of the spell go towards repairing it afterwards," Wong explained carefully. "That's what the spell edges are for to repair them while marking its presence... and to prevent someone from using the edges like a guillotine, without the spell edges they are rather sharp. I... Stephen. What's wrong?"

Wong had seen Stephen show up but only caught sight of Kaecilius after he had spoken. Wong's look told the new Sorcerer Supreme that he knew he wasn't going to like the answer but needed to hear it anyway.

"Master Kaecilius has arrived for my explanation to Dormammu. Unfortunately, he is demanding it be in person which requires Tony to come with me," Stephen said lightly. "Would you mind warning the Ancient One we won't be making it to her riveting riddles session tonight? Thanks."

"How bad?" Tony asked, eyeing Kaecilius warily.

"That depends entirely on how much the information is going to piss him off," Stephen admitted. "I can probably insist on safe passage up to a point, at least for you but his upset with me personally is going to be... valid."

"If he had been willing to wait until after the asshole we have to kill was dead would you have just surrendered to him?" Tony asked, narrow eyed as he got up, ready to go with Stephen.

Stephen was back in his customary blue robes and altered Cloak of Levitation complete with the now relabeled Bracing Belts and the very sentient Eye of Agamotto around his neck. Tony, in turn was still in a set of green robes indicating his status as a patient. He hadn't passed enough of the various badly hidden tests yet to gain whatever rank or title the rest of the temple seemed determined to sneakily give him yet. Thus, unlike the Initiates in white robes, the Apprentices in red robes, and the Masters in whatever color he was stuck with the light green of a healing patient on liberty from the infirmary. The weird vertical black stripe from shoulder to elbows didn't count as a difference. He knew it was some sort of prank from whoever did it but he hadn't tracked down the culprit yet.

Stephen, oblivious to Tony's musings on their clothes answered him.

"Yes, if you hadn't decided to take my punishment for yourself considering my trespasses against you," Stephen agreed calmly. "I still haven't gone over what happened with you and what you need to watch for."

"Whoa, wait a minute, what trespasses against me?" Tony demanded as he followed Stephen towards the courtyard area, Kaecilius leading them.

"You'll see," Stephen sighed ruefully as Kaecilius opened the portal to the Dark Dimension right in front of everyone.

"Stephen?" the Ancient One asked, carefully neutral.

"Dormammu demands his answers, as promised," Stephen admitted ruefully. "If something happens, take care of Tony for me?"

"Of course," the Ancient One agreed, understanding in her eyes. They both knew that would be Stephen's last act if it came to it, sending Tony back, likely with the Eye of Agamotto around his neck.

"Wait, what? Why are you asking her to take care of me? I'm going with you!" Tony demanded.

"Go through the portal, Tony," Stephen sighed. "I wouldn't have come to get you if you were staying behind."

"Then why did you...." Tony started to demand before Kaecilius got fed up and dropped him through a second portal underneath him.

Tony yelped in surprise as he dropped a full body length onto the ground in the Dark Dimension. Stephen glared at the Rogue Master and spitefully used the same one that Tony had been dropped through. Kaecilius just rolled his eyes and calmly walked through his first portal arriving a few feet away from them as both portals closed.

"Come," Kaecilius ordered. They obeyed, Tony grumbling the whole way across the underground and very purple cavern into the indigo and lavender colored tunnel.

Chapter Text

Stephen was wary and concerned as they approached wherever Dormammu was at the moment. He was automatically at a severe disadvantage simply being connected to Tony and having both of them there. He couldn't move freely and instead had to protect Tony. Dormammu would notice and immediately realize his advantage. The Dark Lord would also use it ruthlessly.

Unfortunately, the moment Stephen sent Tony back he would collapse, crippled by the lack of the one he had recklessly bonded to. Stephen would be at Dormammu's mercy the moment the Dark Lord decided to be in any way unreasonable. It was just a question of if he could react fast enough to get Tony out of there before Dormammu acted against them.

The sight of an impatient Dormammu was slightly unsettling. Tony was a warm comfort at Stephen's side even with his vulnerability. Then their eyes met and Stephen knew.

Dormammu remembered.

The containment spell triggered before they took another step and Stephen knew he couldn't get a time loop up again fast enough. Tony swore as he realized some sort of barrier had sprung up behind them and stubbornly stayed near Stephen. Stephen for himself sighed and tried to present himself respectfully to the Dark Lord he had once fought to his own death repeatedly.

Dormammu looked between Stephen and Tony as they stood in front of him without saying a word before turning to Kaecilius.

"You didn't bother to mention that he was healing his new bonded. Nor did you mention that the bond was so new they could not be far apart from each other," Dormammu said acidly. "Did you even notice that they were bonded irrevocably? Or did you not bother to look at them?"

"I am afraid that I do not understand, Lord Dormammu," Kaecilius said carefully, obviously confused.

"We aren't generally trained in picking up on such things," Stephen said, stepping in. "I told him that the bond was to help heal and protect Stark when I briefed him. I was not aware at the time that it would become what it is now and Master Kaecilius likely never investigated bonds in the first place."

"This one would have never freed you once you cast it," Dormammu pointed out, narrow eyed in suspicion.

"Considering I was under the impression that I would be executed as soon as I was discovered it served my purpose," Stephen said with quiet authority. "The Ancient One very firmly disabused me of my mistaken impression. My younger self now goes by George and we are marked down as twin brothers. It is my hope that he will never have to face you as I did. It is my relief that he has taken to studying some of what I never had the chance to investigate in line with our first profession as a healer."

The long look Dormammu gave him was telling in ways that neither Tony nor Kaecilius could fathom. It spoke of a shared past that neither human knew of and also caused Tony to heavily suspect that Stephen hadn't shared enough with him. Tony was determined to protect his wizard anyway and Stephen was just going to have to deal with it.

"You spoke of viewing a timeline where I failed against the threat you returned to deal with. You will show me your memories of this," Dormammu ordered bluntly.

"I suppose you want to view the ones where I agreed to be your apprentice or an alliance with you as well since they also had you fighting the threat and losing," Stephen remarked ruefully.

"Yes," Dormammu growled.

Stephen nodded and set up the spell projection. He wasn't going to argue and there was a chance that Dormammu would see something he hadn't at the time. Hopefully whatever they got out of analyzing things would give them a better chance against Thanos.

The collection of memories was more than a bit chaotic as they worked through the various battles seen through Stephen's eyes. Kaecilius helped but frequently cursed over one portion or another. Tony gave his own commentary for the physical effects and certain tactical spell usage but mostly got a crash course on what was being used, why, and the relevant limitations of the spell.

Once they were done Tony looked at Stephen with the eyes of a fellow veteran, his wariness fallen away to be replaced with understanding.

"Stephen, run the one that worked and a few of the ones that almost worked," Tony ordered. "A variety is fine."

Stephen went pale at the order but slowly obeyed. Thus they watched Titan first until Stephen decided to run only to be caught and tortured to death less than a month later. The second one where he ran he took Tony with him only to die at Tony's hands for leaving Spiderman behind. The third he made sure to take both Tony and Spiderman with him but they died all the same when Thanos caught up with them two year later. Next Stephen switched to having them fight on Titan. It wasn't pretty. Finally, Stephen ran the Pyrrhic victory and ran it until the point where he was shoved back in time.

"You lived through all of those?!" Kaecilius demanded in a strangled voice.

"More of them," Dormammu corrected. "He told us himself even if he tried to cut that from the memories. Fourteen million six hundred and five."

Stephen ignored them and faced Tony, waiting for judgement. Tony observed him for a minute before reaching out and smacking him. Stephen looked up, startled but otherwise unhurt.

"You're an idiot," Tony huffed. "Don't you dare go trading that thing for my life again. Besides, I don't think it will work a second time."

To prove his point Tony tugged lightly along the bond in a way he knew that Stephen would feel.

"No, I don't think it would either," Stephen said thickly.

They were only half startled when the Eye of Agamotto around Stephen's neck gave a ringing round of laughter that echoed across their senses.

"So, you wanna help fight this bastard?" Tony asked Dormammu, deliberately ignoring the laughing time rock as it settled back into amused quiet around Stephen's neck.

"I like you. Yes, I think I would enjoy fighting him next to the two of you but there is a cost," Dormammu mused happily.

"Naturally," Tony agreed cautiously.

"Tony, don't," Stephen suddenly warned only to be wrapped up in ribbons of magic and gagged.

"Hey! Nuh-uh! No! My wizard!" Tony protested. "Not yours!"

Dormammu just stared at him for a moment, surprised, then burst out laughing. Tony ignored him in favor of trying to move over and manually free Stephen. He was failing miserably.

"He has placed himself so completely into your hands that you must be the one to decide," Dormammu smirked interrupting Tony's feeble attempts to free Stephen.

"Decide what?" Tony asked warily as he turned to face the Dark Lord again.

"Whether he will become my heir in trade for my help," Dormammu offered. "I could demand him in all sorts of ways but I think you would reject them out of hand. A place as my heir allows me to claim him but doesn't risk him becoming my slave or servant. You would get benefits as well as his bondmate."

"Would that include letting him go or giving him to me?" Tony half snarled. He was angry and they all knew it.

"If you choose that as part of the bargain," Dormammu said, looking over both of them covetously. "I have no problem including you in the bargain."

That brought Tony up short as he finally turned to look at Dormammu again properly. He realized that this wasn't so much a confrontation as a potential business deal, one where they had given up significant leverage just by showing up but also probably prevented an immediate attack on Earth. Tony glanced at Stephen and saw the new terror in his eyes but it clearly wasn't for himself, it was for Tony.

"You're willing to strike a deal rather than force things," Tony said slowly. "So you obviously want something from us that we probably have to give willingly or at least isn't as good forced out of us even if it's just something we think is stupid. The heir thing is your opening gambit but it isn't the only thing you're after, not for this kind of potential risk. Then again you've already stacked the deck a bit in your favor."

"Clever little human," Dormammu chuckled.

"I'm not as nice as you, Doc," Tony threw at Stephen with a wolfish smirk, earning wide eyes of apprehension from the trapped Sorcerer.

Tony quickly set to haggling. It took hours and he was definitely flagging from his recent injuries before they were done. The inventor still came away satisfied with Stephen trailing along behind him feeling like he had somehow just been permanently claimed by both man and Dark Lord in a shared custody agreement.

Chapter Text

They walked through the portal back into the courtyard of Kamar-Taj with Stephen staring at Tony in open confusion.

"What? You want me dragging you off all cave man like declaring that you're mine?" Tony snarked as the portal closed.

"Not really but it might help me wrap my head around what just happened," Stephen admitted, still baffled over what he had just witnessed. "I mean if you meant it I wouldn't necessarily mind you expressing it like that but it does seem a bit over the top in general. Mostly I'm just confused at how you not only managed to do that but also highjacked my original deal to get a better one."

"Stephen, I've been playing the business world for years. That? Wasn't at the same level as some business deals I've struck over the years. I just hate the politics and playing nice with the evil bastards across the negotiating table," Tony said seriously. "I took my company from a multimillion dollar one to an multibillion dollar one and I took it international. Pepper Potts just does things better than me on the business side that I hate so I handed it off while I was originally dying from the palladium poisoning. I'm better and happier in the lab than in the boardroom. I had to develop my own fighting style when I became Iron Man but I did have some previous martial arts training. On top of that I've been escaping kidnappers on my own since the first time someone grabbed me when I was something like six."

"I'm an idiot," Stephen said with a wince. "I completely forgot about all of that."

"Well, at least you're willing to admit it," Tony said judiciously.

"Can you explain what exactly you just pulled off in terms that I can actually understand? Please?" Stephen asked piteously. "You thoroughly lost me after confirming that you could bargain to get me back."

"You impressed him as much as you got him angry and frustrated in whatever you did before," Tony said simply. "I insisted that I had a prior claim and he brought up whatever shit deal you made before. I argued for better terms and we hashed out what you agreed on but also left room for him to come help. The sticking point was that he didn't want to give you up."

"So what were the final terms?" Stephen asked nervously.

"We don't even try to break the bond, he gets to train you as his heir after something like two hundred years, and he's willing to help out fighting the purple grape. When it comes to Earth he still acknowledges your part and that he's not allowed to eat it or us but he recategorized it as your personal territory with the Order being your minions," Tony explained. "There was something in there about possibly gifting you servants to fit your station as his heir but you get final say and he has to admit what he would do to them if you say no. My holdings only count as part of any of it after we marry in a way he recognizes but he's not picky on if that even happens."

"You..." Stephen trailed off spluttering.

Tony just smirked at him and headed for the kitchens. He was hungry.

An hour later they were sitting out in the sun with some of the Masters generally relaxing. The various Masters were listening intently as Stephen went over what had happened when they had visited Dormammu. Wong, seated next to him, listened patiently while Tony used his tablet to work on his designing and paperwork for Stark Industries nearby.

"Tony argued himself into becoming my fiance.... How do you even do that?!" Stephen demanded, baffled.

"Does he know that he's your new fiance?" a nearby Master asked with interest.

"Yes, I do," Tony called over cheerfully before going back to his work.

"That was the entire basis of why Dormammu let him renegotiate things," Stephen confirmed with a groan. "After we went over my memories of some of the other timelines Tony asked Dormammu if he wanted to help fight Thanos for the insult of beating him in the other timelines. Before I could stop him from potentially striking a deal Dormammu caught me from behind and tied me up. I was gagged so I couldn't do anything except hang there and try to follow the bargaining happening right in front of me. I had to have Tony give me a summary once we got back. They lost me early on."

"Hey, don't blame me for your forgetfulness," Tony snarked. "It's not my fault you completely forgot that I've been dominating the business world for years when I wasn't distracted by something else or flat out ignoring it."

The various Masters were thoroughly entertained by the story and the occasional commentary from Tony. There were some muttering about being reckless when dealing with Dormammu but everyone was satisfied that he wasn't going to eat the planet.

"My deal worked," Stephen argued right back.

"Your deal was shit," Tony scoffed. "It relied on him being fed up with being trapped in that time loop you trapped him in with you and pissing him off. Now, granted, that sort of leverage sometimes works wonders but the time loop just screamed desperation. It was a decent tactic to get him to actually listen to your proposal but you clearly don't know anything about striking deals."

"I wasn't after anything except protecting our world and stopping his attack!" Stephen exclaimed. "I was having enough trouble keeping hold of remembering that much through his retaliation during each loop regardless of the resets. I don't know why he even told you about the time loops and our fight in detail during your haggling."

"Because he was using it as an implied threat that he could really fuck us up or crush us," Tony drawled. "I responded with I don't care and pointing out he still wanted shit from us that he couldn't get if we were crushed or dead."

Stephen muttered a curse as various people laughed or made sounds of incredulity or outrage.

"What did you two decide about that part of assigning me resources? I wasn't exactly clear on what you were both talking about at the time," Stephen asked tiredly.

"Kaecilius and his group for the most part," Tony shrugged. "It handles the necessary change in their deal while avoiding getting them killed and knocking some sense into them. He still owns them but he's less likely to use them as spare parts or whatever if he takes my suggestion of assigning them to you. They get supervision they can't just walk out on, we get them back, and they survive their stupid deal. Win-win-win all around."

"That's... Actually that's not a bad solution," Stephen said with a blink of surprise. "At the time of my deal in my timeline all I could think about was their removal and that if they wanted to be part of the Dark Dimension so bad I should let them have it. That's why I included their removal from earth and return to their new master, Dormammu, as part of the terms."

"Yeah, three terms. That, leaving Earth to never return, and stopping his attack," Tony scowled. "Shit bargaining. I will give you that you were under extreme duress from being repeatedly killed and tortured so it was a miracle you managed anything at all but you still could have done better on figuring out what to demand and what restrictions to place. Most of what you picked was ridiculously open ended and vague. He could have sent agents to Earth on his behalf, made deals with someone else to attack, or simply refused to leave in the first place even if he had to stop attacking. Or he could have set up on Mars or in the asteroid belt or on Venus. There were lots of ways around your deal while still following it. Like going away and then arranging for Earth to be knocked out of orbit on a trajectory he just happened to be on."

"You've made your point," Stephen grimaced. "In light of those flaws your deal with much better. Still, did you have to agree with him that I am now his heir?"

"He wasn't going to budge about that one," Tony shrugged. "You impressed him and you beat him fair and square. He doesn't even know how little time you had been a Sorcerer and he held more respect for you, specifically, than he did for your teacher. He also knew that trying to get that across to you was just going to slam into a stubborn wall. Which is why he started the bargaining with that point in the first place. It's funny actually he was the one to suggest that letting me keep you was a major concession but he would only allow it if I at least tried to have a real relationship with you. Joke's on him I already have a room set up for you at my place as soon as we have to go back to the rest of the world."

"You're a menace," Stephen said, staring at him incredulously.

"I try," Tony said sweetly before going back to his tablet to finish up his latest design.

"I'll make sure to catch you later to log the specifics for the archives," Wong promised Tony.

"Yeah, thanks," Tony said distractedly as the discussion turned more towards what to do if the rogue Masters were returned to them.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in pleasant discussion in the warm sunlight.

Chapter Text

Tony had quietly made himself a part of Kamar-Taj while he was healing and learning about the Strange brothers. The way that Wong and the Ancient One had accepted him and made sure that Stephen wasn't blamed for needing to come back in time had helped. He wasn't yet a Sorcerer himself but they saw value in him as a person beyond what he could do for them.

One of the Masters had quietly admitted to Tony on one of his walks alone that they were accepting his time as Iron Man as a substitute for proper training in the Mystic Arts. This was explained by the fact that all of the full time Masters protected the planet from Mystical threats and maintained the defenses planet wide. Something that they now knew Tony was attempting for the more normal side practically on his own against hostile domestic, civilian, and social forces. Once things had been explained to them the Order had started to see him as one of their own trying to fulfill their protection mandate almost alone so he had been quickly folded into their community, partly for sanity reasons.

"It also doesn't take a blind man to see that Master Strange is completely smitten with you even if it's clear he likely will never make a move for himself," Master Li said mischievously.

"I caught them discussing that, actually," Tony admitted. "They see an overwhelming power imbalance between me and both of them. I don't think they understand that tech is my form of magic. I need more resources at the start to get things done than you lot. Still, I make sure to learn everything about whatever cross discipline I need for whatever project I'm working on even if I don't always bother to get certified. I've even gone through the Strange's published medical works for a few projects before Stephen saved my ass. Right now I'm trying to get Stephen at least comfortable with me basically highjacking him or his personal space on a semi-regular basis. He thinks he's intruding so I'm turning it around on him. George is really diving deep into his magical medical studies and I don't have the same connection with him to pull him back out even for snacks. His cloak is doing a good job of making him stop long enough to sort of take care of himself so that's something but someone needs to watch him or he'll work himself to death."

"We can fix the power imbalance if you're willing to learn," Master Li offered casually. He visibly made a mental note about George and Tony was satisfied that the younger Strange would get a bit more support with a side of possible friends.

"Don't think I haven't noticed all of those sneaky little tests everyone seems to like giving me," Tony said pointedly. "What are you guys even trying to check for or saddle me with anyway?"

"We want to give you an official place in the Order to get around some really old rules that Master Strange may not know about," Master Li admitted. "You've already passed most of the requirements in regards to modern considerations but we want to make sure no one from the past left some sort of spell or whatever that will force you to leave and not come back. There are some training spells like that scattered around that double as defenses in case we get attacked. There are a couple of ways around them or to deal with them if they do get triggered. It's been mostly agreed by the temple as a whole that we don't want you to be stuck dealing with them in the first place unless you're acting as a student treating it as a test or challenge. It alters how the magic reacts to you. As a student the spells won't react with lethal intent but as a potential threat that's another matter entirely. We don't want you seen as a threat by the defenses."

"That makes sense," Tony agreed with a thoughtful hum. "I mean I've been studying the beginner and theory books but I don't have the practical side of things. I think Wong complained that I devour books almost faster than Stephen does."

"Ah, then you only need to express an official interest in learning and get at least one of the initiate spells to work to become an Apprentice," Master Li said with a bright smile. "We had wondered why one or two of the more harmless spells hadn't gone after you yet and had put it down to how recently you were healed for some of them and your bond for others. If you have been studying the entire time you already qualified as an Initiate but were under medical restrictions."

Tony nodded his understanding as they continued their walk in companionable silence. He suspected that his robes were going to get changed again and that white would appear somewhere on them even if they mostly stayed a light green. That seemed to be the color scheme everyone had sneakily assigned him, light green with that black stripe on his upper arms.

Two days later Tony looked at his robes in amused dismay as his fingers danced over a strip of white in the middle of the black strip on his shoulders and the new simple blue embroidery along the front opening of his robes. Stephen watched him go over the changes curious and observant but not intrusive. George had made a funny sound when he had seen the changed robes but refused to do anything but stare at Tony in comprehension of something Tony hadn't figured out yet.

"Neither of you have embroidery," Tony said quietly.

"Embroidery is... special. Not usually in a mystic way unless done with it specifically in mind but in the community and culture of this specific temple it means something special," Stephen explained just as quietly. "To gain embroidery is a blessing and a mark of regard beyond the official ranking within the temple and the Order. I once read a Star Wars fanfiction on a dare that incorporated it similarly. I can't remember the title so don't ask me but the entire Jedi Order left the republic, expelled by the Senate I believe, and never received official command of the clones. The new planet they found and settled on hadn't been found or colonized by anyone else. Embroidery became a way with the new textiles they made to convey personal feelings of love and care. This was partly because they were all somewhat empathic so anyone who touched the thread could read the feeling imbued within them when they were added. Here it's a bit more than that but those specific patterns mark that you've basically been adopted by the temple at large as a family member. I think you've already figured out what the white strip means."

"Yeah, I told one of the other Masters about my reading list from Wong and he pointed out that I probably count as an Initiate," Tony confirmed, his hands running over the embroidery in no little personal awe.

"Tony, you don't have to offer benefits or give gifts here," Stephen said gently. "Most of us come here with little or nothing but a wounded spirit and damaged body. Nothing is expected in return except for you to continue to be yourself. Anything you set up with the Ancient One for resources would have been as a practical matter or to help you heal. It isn't mandatory and every Master knows how to work with someone they dislike so you can trust that this regard is genuine because it isn't necessary for helping to fight Thanos."

"So then, what? Don't intentionally wreck it?" Tony asked, obviously lost.

"That's a good start," George said pointedly. "This is like when you give one of your AIs or armors if I've actually read you right. Picking you out specific robes and colors was the friendship claim to at least a few of the Masters but the embroidery is us adopting you as a whole. As far as most of the temple is concerned you are home here with us even if we know you might have to go and deal with outside responsibilities."

"Oh," Tony said in quiet wonder. He didn't notice when the audience he had unknowingly gathered was scattered by the warning looks from both Strange brothers. However, he did notice when the two changes of robes he had been given quietly got the same additions over the next day or two.

Chapter Text

To the rest of the world Tony Stark, Iron Man, disappeared after checking on the Rogue Avengers post capture. To one community in Siberia he had been rushed to their hospital and then co-opted by Sorcerers who, very politely, got the government officials to back way off of everyone. To one Steve Rogers he had disabled Iron Man and gotten his team out of the Raft soon after, destroying it in the process. To Pepper Potts and Colonel James Rhodes their friend had been taken to safety and hidden away to save his life.

"Boss is trying to design a set of robes that work armor into them for magic users again," Friday tattled to Pepper and Rhodey.

"They really are working with magic?" Pepper mused in fond exasperation.

They both knew that Tony was probably geeking out over all of the proof of magic being real. That was assuming his PTSD hadn't been kicking in or if he wasn't distracted by something else or pretending to be normal to avoid freaking out anyone.

"How's he doing mentally, Fri?" Rhodey asked. His back was still broken and he was still in pain but Pepper had gotten him back to the Avengers med bay in the tower while cursing Tony's disappearance.

"Boss is still insisting that he's fine but he admitted that what happened in the bunker did more than nearly kill him physically even though he locked the files. He's got two dedicated doctors mother henning him and a bunch of monk-sorcerers that have decided he's the newest family member without him even offering to buy a drink for anyone. Just yesterday Doctor Strange managed to teach him that he's wanted even without his brain or resources. Or at least that's my best guess with how he's latched onto the family adoption embroidery the temple snuck on to the robes they gave him," Friday reported proudly.

"The time traveler or the younger one?" Rhodey asked curiously. "I still think it's wild that someone actually understood him enough to realize he was worth the risk of time travel."

"The time traveler, Stephen. The younger has taken the name George. Boss helped cover the paperwork updates and turned the entire missed the twin thing into a prank on everyone at his work and school. It was fun," Friday said cheerfully.

"So we are the only ones outside of the Sorcerers he's told," Pepper remarked thoughtfully. "I still plan to kill him for dropping that on us with an e-mail but it was better than thinking he was kidnapped while nearly dead or dying."

"I hear ya," Rhodey agreed. "I want my genius little brother back but if he isn't blaming himself then whatever they're doing for him is a major win. Hell, I don't think either of us will care if he adopts the whole temple that he's staying at with those sorts of results."

"So long as he doesn't let those traitors back in," Pepper said, suddenly coldly furious.

"We might not know what went down in that bunker but he let us look at the medical file," Rhodey pointed out quietly. "It was damn close and this Doctor-Sorcerer tied his life to Tony's to get him healing and stable. We owe him and his twin. The fact that he expected to be executed for it is just fucked up on its own but in light of some of the time travel stuff Tones and I played with when we were younger it makes sense, the Butterfly effect and all that. When you want to change shit and you don't know that command will let you sometimes you gotta take a risk."

"I think, in light of our new member's contributions, we should clear up any debts and connections that he had previously don't you?" Pepper said slyly.

"As a surprise for Tony? Absolutely," Rhodey agreed instantly. "He's a dumbass but he's our genius dumbass that they saved. Should we start lighting fires and play Pinky and the Brain tonight?"

"I don't know, I rather liked the Heterodyne world conquering methods and Tony is very much a strong Spark. We're just lucky his Spark is more tech oriented and there's no living city of Mechanicsburg for him to accidentally inherit," Pepper smirked.

"Ha! He loved the Girl Genius web comics he looked at," Rhodey practically crowed, recognizing the reference. "I still say he probably would have had them all on their knees bowing to him before a year was over, maybe two if too many of the major Sparks joined up against him."

"Oh god, don't even joke about it," Pepper sighed. "He would put me in charge of all of them and he would, accidentally or on purpose, find a way into that version of Earth. When I saw it I was half convinced that he was adopted and got dropped through a portal from there. It really wouldn't be the weirdest thing to have happened to him even if we can't get him to share everything."

They just dissolved into helpless, understanding laughter after that. It wasn't until they received the orders from General Ross to present Tony for punishment which included the immediate surrender of all Iron Man tech that their plans solidified.

"Conditions satisfied," Friday said softly after their discussion and Ross's rude interruption with his demands.

"What conditions, Friday?" Rhodes asked, immediately suspicious.

"Protocols Family Shield, I Am Iron Man, Spiderbaby, K-bar to the Back, and Timebomb have activated. Decrypting files for use. Authorized users Virginia Pepper Potts, James Rupert Rhodes, Peter Spiderman Benjamin Parker," Friday reported. "Warning, next strike triggers the Skynet protocols. There's a note from Boss. Reading it. Guys, if these triggered together then you may have to take over the world without me. Don't think I didn't notice that those jokes weren't really jokes every time some government tried to fuck us over especially after we turned down joining the Satan clubs. If you think you actually have to do it then here are the tools. I expect you all to be safe and intact when I get back to deal with the mess. Pepper, first move is to get me or you guardianship of Underroos. No excuses. I won't let them use my kid as leverage even if I have a hard time telling him that he's my kid and I fucked up when I tried to stay away from him. Rhodey, officially if asked all my shit went on lockdown but unofficially you have complete access. You both know me, taking over the world just eats up too much time where I could be tinkering. I'm probably stuck somewhere or off saving the world so have fun. I'll try to be back for the follow up alien invasion."

"Follow up alien invasion?! Shit, that's why he's been so desperate to keep the Avengers viable," Rhodey cursed.

"We better get to work," Pepper said seriously. "Knowing Tony he's already trying to deal with it even now. So let's get everything in place on a smaller and more practical level. He can do more of the big things when he gets back."

"Siberia suit footage unlocked," Friday said, her open anger gaining their attention. "Playing now."

They watched in horror as Tony was forced to see the Winter Soldier murder his parents and then fight two super soldiers before it ended as the shield came down like a guillotine.

"Friday, have any of the others offered harm to Tony by word or deed?" Pepper demanded, calmly furious.

"Compiling," Friday said flatly.

"That is not good," Rhodey cursed.

"We're publishing it. All of it," Pepper said tightly. "Starting with the fact that he's been trying to get things in place for the real invasion. Loki threw the first one, building dozens of flaws into the New York attack deliberately. Tony didn't pick up on it in time because he never had any real information on Loki until afterwards. He talked about it in his sleep on some of his bad nights when we were together and he's made little comments about it that are confusing out of context."

"Is this a controlled burn or can I do it?" Friday asked very carefully.

"So long as the leaks can't be traced back to you or SI... Yes. We just need custody of Spiderman first. If you need to burn the company do it. Tony and I can build another one and the loyalty of a lot of our people is really high. Just ping the company wide warning twenty minutes after the first shocking information drop. That gives you enough time to set it up so that it can't come down but also accidentally find it," Pepper ordered.

"Legal is drawing up the paperwork now and Happy is getting ready to drive you over to Mrs. Parker for the private adoption. Boss' joint guardianship papers are being pulled for leverage," Friday reported. "The offer to simply take the Parkers in and hire them on is also being pulled. References say that emphasizing this is to protect Peter will sway Mrs. Parker more despite the lack of evidence that Peter is Boss' son."

"Considering he's been remote stalking Spiderman long enough that he has actually gotten attached it doesn't really matter," Pepper snorted. "The mess with the Vulture feels like it has both happened and not yet happened which is probably a timeline or time travel echo."

"It wouldn't surprise me if that was part of why Tony has suddenly adopted him either," Rhodey grumbled. "Not that it matters but it's sometimes nice to know when he's adopted someone."

"Let's get our ducks in a row," Pepper said firmly. "I'll send a few people to act as runners and assistants while I start running things down. If we can make it work even a temporary world take over will let us get those defenses in place."

"Tony is going to freak," Rhodey smirked.

The two best friends of Tony Stark and his AI daughter got to work.

~~~

Tony looked up from his book when a bunch of Master gathered around him blocking out the sunlight. One look was all it took to know something had gone wrong.

"What is it? Is it Stephen? George? Wong?" Tony asked, rapidly getting up and closing his book.

The Masters didn't answer, simply hustled him along to where Stephen George, Wong, and the Ancient One were waiting looking at something on a tablet.

"What happened?" Tony demanded worriedly, immediately stepping up to join them.

"Is this true," Stephen asked in a strangled voice as he offered Tony the tablet.

Tony frowned and took it, looking over whatever had upset them. It took him a moment to realize what exactly he was looking at but he slowly nodded, wary that he would be blamed for this. Friday was really going to town with the Siberia footage and the incidents where Wanda attacked him that were brushed aside. The explanations about Loki and his attempts to Protect Earth while playing the villain were a nice touch.

"He's not going back into that," George snarled almost immediately. "I don't care what the rest of you say. That sort of hostile environment is a form of torture and I refuse to let him go back into that mess."

Stephen didn't bother snarling, instead he pulled Tony into his arms and clutched him close, muttering about how he would keep Tony safe.

"So I'm not in trouble?" Tony asked as the tablet was gently retrieved from his hands by one of the other Masters.

"No, you are not in trouble," the Ancient One sighed. "The escort was more in case whatever she did to your mind included traps that would trigger upon discovery. Their instructions were to avoid hurting you if possible. We will have to check you for anything left behind and Miss. Maximoff has just become a priority threat. You are one of ours, whom she assaulted, and not in any kind of trouble."

"That's a relief," Tony hummed thoughtfully.

Tony deliberately decided to stay in Stephen's arms. The man was seriously freaked out and letting him hold Tony was no hardship. He had been trying to get Stephen to let him flop on top of him or lean on him platonically almost since his ribs had fixed themselves in such a spectacular fashion.

"This explains why it took so much magic to heal you if nothing else," Wong grunted. To anyone who knew him it was clear that he was thoroughly pissed off.

"Yeah, I honestly thought he was bringing it down on my neck, guillotine style. Not that driving it into the arc reactor was much better," Tony said lightly.

Stephen immediately curled even tighter around him with Levi helping. Most of the rest of them looked sick at the thought.

"You didn't know," George observed sickly.

"No, I had no idea," Stephen admitted, shivering in fear for Tony and anger over the assault. "I was barely aware of the split in the Avengers. The only clue I had was being told to save him and then landing outside his hospital room. The stones didn't tell me where or when I was landing. They only made sure I knew that Tony needed protecting. What I witnessed in the other timelines and my willingness to give up the Eye of Agamotto to protect him were why I was picked to be sent back as his guard. Especially with how everyone else failed to do it in the first place. According to the Eye I was the only one to consistently protect him when he was near me, barring the failed timelines when I didn't know any better and saw him as a threat to be eliminated."

"Landing right outside his room as he fought for his life right after being told that? No wonder you didn't wait," George grimaced. "He's ours now and those bastards aren't getting him back."

"I only put up with it so much because we need to be ready for the next alien invasion," Tony said quietly. "Loki threw his attempt and didn't bother using any magic except for the mind control from his scepter thing. His eyes though matched that of everyone else under the same effects. I didn't find out until later that his eyes are normally green, not blue, and in his Jotun form they are red."

The room practically froze in shock as they processed that before the first set of curses rang out.

"Thanos," Stephen cursed. "Of course the bastard already tried something."

"I'll settle for stopping him but what I really want to do is force him to pay the butcher's bill he caused," Tony told them coldly. "Tell them, Stephen. Tell them what he does when he gets his hands on the stones."

"He wipes out half of all life in an instant," Stephen admitted with soul deep sorrow. "Half of every living thing across the universe at random eliminated in a sick overpowered form of Russian Roulette."

"First thing first, let's get that bitch's claws out of Tony's head," George snarled. "Then we can focus on ripping apart the bastard that we needed Stephen to come back in time to help us with."

The resounding unanimous agreement floored Tony and had Stephen smiling gratefully at the rest.

They got to work.

Chapter Text

Tony rested his mind as he sank into the heat of the medicinal bath. They had been trying for days to see what Wanda had done to his mind using various methods. One of the most extreme options was to use magic to look directly into his mind or, alternately, directly enter his mind to look at the damage and potential traps.

Tony knew that they were going to have to resort to direct magical examination almost from the start. He was still grateful for everyone's insistence on trying everything else first. Even with his acceptance into the temple letting any of them directly access his mind with the potential of what they could do there was terrifying.

Thankfully, no one expected Tony to be comfortable letting just anyone look around even if they weren't exactly surprised that Stephen was at the top of the small list for those he would let try. George was out because he wasn't far enough along in his studies to try but he was going to be monitoring the physical side regardless. Wong... wasn't Tony's first choice but he trusted Stephen's opinion of the man.

Tony was distracted from his musings by both Stephen and George entering the room his special bath had been set up.

"You're both mother hens," Tony snarked.

"Between the unconventionally healed injuries and our own medical knowledge did you honestly think we wouldn't take the chance to check you?" George asked, just as amused as Stephen at the snark.

Tony waved the question away, already knowing that he would lose the argument.

"It isn't like we'll be getting a show with everything that was added to your bath," Stephen smirked.

"I wouldn't necessarily mind giving either of you a show," Tony corrected with a small smile. "I know I don't spend as much time around George but you both must have noticed that I've been trying to get closer to you."

"Yes, we did," George agreed. "I'm not ready for a relationship like that but seeing you as a brother isn't hard with the liberties you've allowed us both. Just avoid the sex angle and flirting with me."

"You haven't fought hard won battles yet," Stephen hummed thoughtfully. "You're also still stuck on Christine."

"Awe, I wouldn't mind keeping you both," Tony pouted dramatically.

"And you can, just leave George out of the bedroom antics," Stephen joked.

Tony saw the quickly buried flash of want in Stephen's eyes. He knew he was playing with fire but he couldn't seem to help himself and he had no intention of letting Stephen go, of letting any of his new family go. Mentally cursing himself he let the entire thing fall as a friendly joke. Stephen's mix of relieved and disappointed made his heart clutch but also reassured him even as his tongue spoke without his permission in the next moment.

"I'll keep that in mind," Tony teased. "So what made me so sore from this last attempt anyway?"

"Part of it was the herbs and the cream we rubbed into your skin. Most of it was that we actually got somewhere and your body reacted by trying to get ready for a fight," Stephen sighed. "You can actively hurt yourself without technically moving if your muscles spasm or flex just right. Luckily they didn't do it in a way that bypassed most of what you might call safeties this time or we could have been dealing with snapped bones."

"Ah, you didn't know it was a risk. That's why you're hovering close again," Tony concluded. George and Stephen shook their heads no in agreement to his assessment.

"We also don't want you getting hurt as you wash or get out of the tub," George pointed out. "We'll leave if you want but ever since Stephen tied himself to you we've become a bit paranoid over your health. It isn't even about his task to protect you just... you I suppose."

"Huh, I can see it," Tony agreed, humming thoughtfully. He gestured for them to make themselves comfortable because he honestly had needed to be careful getting into the tub and their help might be nice. The quickly hidden relief from both of them made him suspect that it was more than just paranoia but that was for later.

Stephen and George talked quietly as Tony soaked, only helping when actually asked. Tony was grateful as his arm went numb from tight muscles at least twice. They had to catch him as he nearly fell out of the tub when one leg didn't fully obey the command to move, catching on the edge of the tub on top of the short circuit. They helped him lay down on towels and did their best to roughly dry him off without hurting their damaged hands or taking extra liberties.

Tony was amused but grateful and made them sit down. All three of them were unwillingly asleep where they lay or sat in no time. When Wong was sent to check on them he muttered something about idiots and rearranged the Strange brothers so that they were laid out flat instead of sitting up sleeping awkwardly. A simple ward would guard against critters and nightmares before he left them all to their nap.

Chapter Text

The Ancient One was pleased to hear that Tony, Stephen, and George had all fallen asleep. The last attempted diagnosis and treatment of their Inventor Initiate had been tiring. Not only that but they had found enough evidence from one of the most fresh mental injuries that demanded a summary execution of the bitch who had caused it. It also, sadly, required warning messages to go out everywhere against Maximoff at least 24 hours before they struck. If she was being protected under an honor bond then the Order would not be able to retrieve Maximoff, only warn against her.

"Gather a war party," the Ancient One ordered. "Have someone move them to the infirmary and keep them asleep until we get back. They need the rest and I want Maximoff contained or dead before we try to remove and heal the damage. Tony is stable enough that I would almost think he trained under Master Rai or under Master Puma."

"And if there is a Deadman trigger?" Wong asked bluntly causing her to pause.

"You're right," the Ancient One said grimly. "We will send out the warnings but until we have Tony isolated safely from her magic and signature we can't assume that acting against her is safe. The warnings will go out with ribbons of brown, white, and black."

"Misfortune, Bad Luck, Darkness, and Evil," Wong said with a hard swallow. "Not everyone will recognize the colors of warning. The West uses different color meanings. Stephen, George, and Tony wouldn't understand the extra warning you are adding to the messages."

"Nor do they yet need to," the Ancient One said firmly. "I will warn Dormammu myself of what we have found and our intentions to also check the twins. If all three have been tampered with he will want his own pound of flesh from the perpetrators."

"Yes, Ancient One," Wong said with a low bow before leaving to see his instructions done.

The Ancient One left to speak with Dormammu less than an hour later. When she returned Master Kaecilius and his followers were with her. A quiet rotating guard of volunteers from both groups was slid discreetly into place for the trio who were quickly becoming known collectively as the Heirs.

Chapter Text

Tony breathed deeply as he registered a change in the environment around him without opening his eyes. He wasn't in the temple considering the wet heat but he could feel Stephen and possibly George nearby. The grumble of a large cat had him ditching the idea of playing dead and scrambling to assess the area they were in. The jungle clearing with sun warmed solidly packed earth under them was almost more disconcerting than realizing that both Strange brothers were out cold nearby.

Tony swore viciously at recognizing all of this only to quickly shut up as both Cloaks of Levitation stirred weakly before struggling up into the air, both Sorcerers limp in their respective grips.

"Well, that's one solution to one of our problems. Alright, I need something to call you both so that we don't get mixed up. One of you is Levi and the other... Tate?" Tony told both cloaks, checking for which would respond to which name.

Levi bobbed Stephen up and down slightly in acknowledgment. Tate in turn shifted George from upright to laying down, floating him along stretcher-like. He waved a corner like a hand to acknowledge his new name and Tony nodded decisively.

"Right, I don't know where we are or how we got here but until both Strange boys are back up and moving we need to secure basics. I haven't gotten the hang of the portal spell but I did manage the summon water spell to a drinkable level. It's not enough to fight with but we won't die of thirst if water becomes a problem," Tony went over with the twin cloaks. "I also heard some sort of big cat so I either need one of them able to fight or to figure out some way to keep us safe. Height will only help so much if it's something like a panther or jaguar since they climb stuff. I also don't know if between you two you can carry all three of us. These robes are going to get hot fast no matter what so if either of you think we need a break or our two Sorcerers need water find a way to tell me. I'll hand feed them water if I have to."

Both Cloaks bobbed their acknowledgement and brought their charges over to Tony for him to check them. Tony did so, allowing his hands to run over both of them, checking for injuries or other reasons why they weren't awake. He found nothing and worried that the two had been knocked out by whatever or whoever had brought them to the jungle.

The roar of a large cat startled Tony and made him swear viciously. That kind of roar did not mean good things for their small group of humans stuck helpless in the jungle.

"Shit," Tony cursed only to turn around and suddenly meet the eyes of a jaguar. His eyes glanced down towards the movement near the giant cat's feet only to realize it was cubs peering curiously at them.

A low growl had Tony's eyes darting back up to meet Mama Cat's. He recognized the implied warning in Mama's eyes. Tony slowly nodded and made to step carefully backwards only to freeze when Mama snarled. The cute but aggressive barks from the four cubs at her feet weren't aimed at Tony though, they were aimed at something behind him.

"Levi? Tate? Check for anything behind me, behind us, please? Adjust accordingly but try to move slowly so that we don't upset Mama Cat," Tony instructed cautiously.

A moment later Tony was bumped forwards by the two cloaks carrying their separate Sorcerers.

"Whoa! Guys, I said slow!" Tony said, trying to turn to see what the issue was only to be fully knocked over instead.

Levi and Tate quickly dropped Stephen and George on top of Tony as they moved to deal with something out of Tony's view. Tony shouted in alarm as Mama jumped over the pile of humans with a chilling snarl. The cubs roared their tiny hearts out but only gathered near the heads of the three humans, staying well out of the way of the fight Tony could hear raging between Mama and a very large snake.

The fight didn't last long and between the thud of the serpent body as well as the light padding of the cat feet on the packed earth Tony knew who had won the fight. Mama came around and sniffed at each human's head before moving very deliberately into Tony's view and laying down. Their eyes met as Mama very pointedly started to wash the few good strikes from the snake fangs and the blood from her head for killing it.

"Levi? Tate? Wanna get our boys off of me?" Tony grunted.

Both cloaks patted his head before picking up their respective Sorcerer and cradling the two like babies in their enchanted folds. Tony turned and caught sight of the absolutely massive green anaconda that Mama had killed with a small yelp of shock. It took him a minute to get his heart back under control but a chuffing sound from Mama reminded him that she and the cubs were still around.

"Thanks, Mama," Tony murmured as he got back on his feet.

One of the cubs growled cutely and latched onto the edge of his robes, tugging at them playfully. Tony tugged back, softly scolding him while watching Mama out of the corner of one eye. Eventually, the hem ripped and the cub tumbled away with a surprised sound as it dropped the fabric scrap. Tony picked up the piece of fabric and tucked it into his belt, unwilling to leave the small bit of fabric evidence behind. When he moved to leave Mama was up and standing between the trio and the way out of the clearing in an instant.

"Whoa, okay," Tony said, surprised. "I guess we're going a different way."

When Tony carefully turned to a different way out of the clearing with the cloaks carrying their unconscious Sorcerers at his side he heard a commanding cough. As a result he found three of the four cubs scrambling to get in his way. Their challenging tiny growls were adorable but with Mama right there he didn't think it was a good idea to try to walk past them. He was fairly sure the cubs couldn't do much damage to him if he was quick about it but Mama was another matter entirely.

"Come on, I'm trying to get us out of your hair," Tony complained, turning to speak to Mama directly. "You don't want three humans hanging around and cramping your style or around your cubs."

"What makes you think that you know anything, human?" Mama growled in clear English. That shut Tony up quickly.

"I'm sorry. I was under the impression that you might be able to understand simple things but not speak. Clearly I was vastly mistaken," Tony said warily. "For some reason when we arrived my two friends wouldn't wake up even though I couldn't find anything wrong with them. I need to get them somewhere safe, figure out where we are, and either get help or find us a way back home. In no way did we mean to intrude or offend."

"Hm, my cubs like you and one of them clearly wants to keep you," Mama mused, eyeing the feisty cub that had torn Tony's robes. "They can not speak in this way, not yet and possibly not ever. They are, however, far from stupid. Your arrival and protection was a favor owed to another. I will not allow you three to cause me to fail to fulfill that favor by wandering off into jungle unprepared and unaware."

"Who did you owe this favor to?" Tony asked, feeling full on dread for the first time since they arrived in the clearing.

"Trickster Loki requested the favor but it appears that a different favor to Dormammu may also apply," Mama said, tilting her head thoughtfully. "I was approached rather abruptly after his spat with his brother and the hive army. I know not how he escaped whatever held him so do not ask. He did warn that if things ever became dire enough to activate this favor I would also be protecting my own favored by protecting you and those closest to you who were also at risk. There was something about protecting the brains and heart over the muscle bound idiots but I didn't pay it much mind."

"Ah," Tony said carefully. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know why Stephen and George won't wake up would you?"

"Ah, and there is the cleverness promised," Mama chuckled. "Yes, that is my doing. I wished to take your measure. Granted, the serpent was as much of a surprise to me as to you. Dealing with it was not any part of what was originally planned. I will allow them to wake if you remain here until I say otherwise. Retrieving you from that meddlesome furless female was difficult and I do not wish to repeat the process."

"I can't promise that. I don't know where we are or why beyond what you've told me," Tony said cautiously. "I don't control Stephen or George even if we are friends. We were also trying to deal with something before you took us regardless of how you might have found us."

"Regardless of how I might have found you?" Mama asked, amused. "You three were sleeping."

"Yeah, that's my last memory before showing up here," Tony agreed with a grimace. "We had just finished the latest attempt at checking something and fell asleep in the same room after I had cleaned up. A side effect had me needing their help in the bath and afterwards."

"That somewhat explains why you weren't in a proper den or sleeping area of your kind," Mama said, eyes narrowed in thought. "What were you checking? Perhaps I can help."

"Not without Stephen and George being awake," Tony said firmly. "I'm still new to this mystic shit."

Mama chuffed a laugh but the very deliberately patterned rumble that followed had power behind it. Tony turned at the groans he heard from his Sorcerers, relief washing over him as he checked them.

"They will be weak and remain that way until I release the rest of it," Mama observed. "You are in my charge and I won't allow you to do something stupid until you are no longer my problem."

"Understood," Tony said crisply as he guided Levi and Tate into setting his Sorcerers down gently on the ground.

"Tony?" Stephen asked, half moaning and already trying to find him.

"Here, Merlin," Tony said softly as his hand landed on Stephen's arm.

"This is getting to be a habit," George groaned. "Something weird happening and one or more of us being hurt or otherwise incapacitated."

"Get used to it," Stephen audibly smirked. "This is one hell of a lot more gentle than what I had to deal with when I was still starting out."

"Mama Jaguar warned that she hasn't taken all the magic off of you so don't worry about still feeling weak," Tony warned quickly. "Oh and Levi and Tate are holding you both up so be careful how you move."

"Mama Jaguar?!" George practically squeaked, flailing slightly in his cloak hammock.

"Yeah, apparently Lokes called in some favor she was repaying by kidnapping me and anyone I cared about that was also at risk nearby," Tony told them. "Best guess? This was part of his fall back plans if he couldn't get the Avengers forged into a real team to help protect the world. I'm not entirely sure why he picked me as the focal point but it's really convenient right now even if Mama took us out of the temple."

"Well that fits," Stephen sighed as he carefully moved from a hammock position to standing upright supported by Levi. "George is my alternate younger self and I am bonded to you in a very permanent fashion. Even if the rest of your connections were ignored whoever took us would have needed to take me with you. George is a close enough match that he would probably need to be grabbed as well just to be safe despite the minor differences that have cropped up between us."

George clumsily copied Stephen's move to getting upright. They both landed properly with only a few balancing issues by George. Standing next to Tony they all faced Mama Jaguar, presenting a united front.

"Ah, that clears a few further things up," Mama murmured as she studied them.

Stephen and George exchanged a look but didn't comment. Both of them were having trouble standing but their cloaks were stubbornly helping to keep them upright next to Tony. Tony, on the other hand, was very aware of how vulnerable they all were and was glad that his Sorcerers could at least talk to him now.

"Stop straining yourselves," Mama growled. "Sit down or one of the cubs will knock you down."

The three men carefully obeyed. Tony wasn't really surprised when they each suddenly had a lap full of jaguar cub but the surprised looks on the brothers' faces was hilarious. The feisty cub who had torn Tony's robes openly claimed Tony and tried to burrow into his clothes.

Mama picked up the fourth cub and started washing him with the grumble of an irritated parent. They sat there effectively cuddling the cubs as she washed each one, trading them out in the human laps as needed.

"I am still waiting for the explanation on what you were searching for," Mama said pointedly after finishing with the last cub.

"We were trying to check my mind for magical tampering," Tony finally said quietly. "Both Stephen and George are trained as healers of the body. They are especially invested in my health with how Stephen tied his life to mine to save me after I lost a fight with someone who betrayed me. Until they pointed it out to me I wasn't aware that I could get help for the assaults from the one who has been attacking my mind. Everyone around me had been insisting that it was either my own fault or that I was lying about being attacked."

Levi and Tate each wrapped an edge around Tony's arm in comfort. Their Sorcerers wrapped a scarred hand around the wrist closest to them in their own offer of comfort.

"Trickster Loki was suffering from the effects of being forcibly freed from such violation when he came to demand his favor," Mama said thoughtfully, surprising both brothers.

"I figured he had been under someone's control when he first attacked," Tony nodded in agreement. "He didn't do enough damage to have been attacking willingly."

"We only found out recently," George offered. "The evidence Tony has been collecting to find the puppeteer was exposed and he confirmed things after we went over the exposed information."

Mama nodded her understanding and grumbled something to the forth cub who was still in front of her. He meowed happily before dashing off into the underbrush. The three humans remained politely trapped by the cubs in their laps.

"Is the little guy going to be okay running off like that?" Tony asked with a frown.

"I sent him to fetch something. He will be fine," Mama reassured him. "My cubs do enjoy being rubbed behind the ears and on their bellies."

Taking the cue for what it was the three dropped the subject and focused on petting the cubs in their laps. They spent the next half hour relaxing as they waited for the fourth cub to return. When the missing cub did reappear he didn't come alone. Three people were with him all of which Tony recognized.

"Great, King Kitty, his AI dumb sister, and his scary head bodyguard," Tony groaned.

Mama Cat laughed at the description and gently knocked into as she passed behind the seated trio in light admonishment. The three Wakandans didn't spare them more of a glance as they went down on their knees in front of Mama Cat murmuring something respectful in their own language.

"What did you do to gain such and epithet from the clever one, cub?" Mama asked Princess Shuri directly.

"I am afraid that I do not know. The only time I can think of which might relate is.... Oh, the Friday program is..." Shuri answered, troubled.

"My daughter," Tony snapped at her angrily only to immediately be forced to pet the cub in his lap and soothed with quiet murmurs by the twins.

"Ah, you harmed his offspring. Even we felt his grief across the world when he lost his spirit son. The Vision was not an appropriate trade off in my opinion although others disagree," Mama Cat said. "Knowledgeable of that grief was only made more potent when the Immortal Anchors claimed him and his bondmate."

"Anchors?" Tony asked with dread as all three of them instantly went still.

Mama Cat gave them an amused chuff and didn't elaborate. She and they knew what she was referring to. The Wakandans didn't need to know.

A gentle swat from Mama Cat knocked T'Challa into a rough tumble until he landed hard against a nearby tree. Okeye scrambled after him to check on him as Shuri went stiff where she knelt.

"You will explain to me why you have brought potential destruction upon my people. You will explain why you have given refuge to the falsely empowered Traitor and the Chaos Bringer," Mama Cat growled angrily as she stalked after T'Challa. Her words ended in a roar practically in his face.

"I owe a debt to the Winter Soldier for falsely accusing him of my father's murder," T'Challa managed to scramble out.

"So why did you take in the other Rogue Avengers?" Tony asked, narrow eyed. "I have no problem with you keeping frosty. His head's been messed with so bad that he's probably not responsible for most of the shit his hands have done since being captured by Hydra and turned into a freeze and play murder doll. My personal issues with him are just that, personal issues."

"Rogers implied certain things which were not true," T'Challa ground out, still mostly addressing Mama Cat. "I now owe Stark a large debt for allowing myself to be tricked. At the moment we are still hosting them due in part to the debt to the Winter Soldier being claimed for the entire group. Then there is the fact that if we turned them out there is no telling what further damage they would do. I may have failed to keep the danger out of our lands but now that it is here I can do my best to keep it contained to the palace."

"You left him for dead," Stephen snapped only to nearly dump the cub in his lap. He got a protesting yowl for his trouble as he hastily sat back down to keep sharp claws away from delicate parts.

"I swear to you that Rogers claimed Stark was fine when we left and had a way to return on his own!" T'Challa said emphatically. "I wanted to wait for him but Rogers insisted that Barnes needed medical care as soon as possible. My debt was to Barnes and I had no reason to think he was lying. If he was in fact in such poor condition then he has claim on two debts, one a life debt."

"Were it not so vital to keep the Chaos Bringer unaware and contained I would banish you until you fulfilled those debts, allowing you to return only at his side," Mama Cat growled. "The Witchling is a threat."

Everyone's eyes went wide at how pissed off Mama Cat apparently was over Maximoff being in Wakanda.

"I don't think we can go slow on finding out if she left booby traps in your head anymore," George said quietly.

"Yeah, I'm getting that," Tony said with a tight smile. "And to think everyone else thought I was just being an asshole for not wanting Maximoff on the Avengers despite the repeated statements that she wanted me dead. Then there's the fact that she was happy enough to work with Ultron until he admitted to her he was going to kill everyone, including her and her brother. Personally, I don't like giving Hydra volunteers access to anything Avengers level without some real proof they aren't just infiltrating but what do I know? They said my very reasonable objections didn't matter and that she was coming into my home to live with us anyway so I walked."

"I swear that I knew none of this!" T'Challa choked out after a moment of stunned silence by all.

"If we keep finding out terrible shit from when you hosted those assholes I don't think we will be able to keep the temple from going after them as a whole," George groaned. "Even if we do need them to fight whatever threat had Stephen scrambling to save your life."

"Nevermind what the rest of the Order will do about it! What do you think Dormammu is going to do when he hears about this shit?!" Stephen hissed. "There is no way he won't find out and we were already on the clock for when he found out about the mind rape assaults by Maximoff! If he insists on being involved in rooting out anything we haven't found in Tony's mind do you honestly think he will just give us back afterwards?"

"With the deal Tony managed to strike with him the first time? Not likely," George agreed with a wince. "He will let us come back to help fight your special threat but after that? I doubt it. Not after he declared you his Heir and Tony had to agree to that to make him uphold his promise not to eat the Earth."

Mama Cat turned slowly to stare at them.

"You three need a keeper," Mama Cat deadpanned. "Your artifacts don't count, especially that troublesome amulet."

Levi and Tate made very offended movements but subsided to sulk when both of their Sorcerers grumbled that they could take care of themselves.

"Hey, don't look at me. I already tried to arrange a trustworthy keeper. Pepper just couldn't handle the Iron Man side of things. She was just fine with the business and the playboy antics," Tony pointed out. "She even did well with my inventing binges and random need to buy things for no reason."

Stephen and George exchanged exasperated looks but didn't argue the point.

Chapter Text

Stephen and George exchanged exasperated looks but didn't argue the point.

"I'm getting kind of sick of being kidnapped or held hostage and shit," Tony said moodily under his breath. "It doesn't normally happen as frequently as this and it's usually easier to get away."

"Do I want to know how often you get kidnapped?" Stephen asked with clear dread. Tony shrugged and cuddled the feisty cub that seemed intent on adopting him.

"We've been kind of relaxed about seeing how good he is with magic," George pointed out carefully.

"Because of reasonable trauma and, later, potential outside influence," Stephen rebutted. "You think flying that nuke through the portal during the New York invasion didn't have side effects if only on his peace of mind? I've been trying to find alternate travel spells so that he doesn't have to use the standard portals if he doesn't want to."

"Point," George conceded.

"I can hear you," Tony snarked.

"Good," Stephen said firmly. "You can tell us if we suggest something completely untenable for you and we can work around it."

"Oh.... I get a say?" Tony asked, peering at them in honest interest.

"Of course you do," George said firmly. "We aren't monsters or slavers. Our discussion includes you which is part of why we aren't discussing it elsewhere away from you. Stephen might know you better than I do but that doesn't mean either of us know everything about you and your reactions. Something could be a trigger that you just want to completely ignore and get over with shear stubbornness while others may cause too much of an issue and that's just from the trauma aspect. In some cases your mind simply won't twist in the proper fashion to make something work. It happens."

"Huh," Tony blinked in surprise but still settled down to listen to the discussion over what spells to teach him interjecting every so often.

Mama Cat and the Wakandans just sort of watched them as the discussion swept from magic through Tony's Iron Man tech. They quickly started going over support for the various heroes, their weaknesses and strengths. They got so deep into the discussion that it shouldn't have been a surprise when one of them slipped up.

"No, trying to use the satellites didn't work in the timeline we tried that. The ships they come on are definitely warships and not just spaceships. Our best bet is still going to be killing Thanos on Titan which limits who can be there and what we can get there for us to use," Stephen corrected something George had said. "Even abusing the portals will only help so far and Maw's torture to get the stone prior to our arrival at Titan does a number on me. I barely manage the shields we need to crash land relatively safely. I also push dangerously far in the fight despite the rest I managed to get while waiting for him to show up."

"We can still open a portal to Kamar-Taj and get help that way," George suggested. "Following through on the fight the way you described it doesn't work and we can't roll the dice like you had to do last time."

"I repeat, battered, tortured, and crash landed before using the Eye to try to find a solution. Oh and we get jumped by Peter Quill and his friends thinking we are with Thanos. So no I don't have the stamina for opening a portal back to Earth on top of all that," Stephen insisted. "I couldn't afford to waste the energy to send anyone back and at that point in the time stream it was honestly worse to try!"

"He's right, George," Tony confirmed. "I made him show me some of the alternate options while we were bargaining with Dormammu. It wasn't a viable option. We're early enough in the timeline so we can make some adjustments but a lot of the lead up just doesn't happen in our reach to do anything about it. So we have to deal with a crap hand and try to stack the deck as much as possible."

"Timelines?" Shuri finally asked, unable to keep quiet.

The startled "Oops" look that was shared between the three just proved to the Wakandans that they really had been forgotten during the conversation.

"I think I need a stern word with Trickster Loki if this is the sort of mischief he is caught up in," Mama Cat growled.

"He doesn't survive when Thanos catches up with him and takes the Tesseract from him," Stephen admitted moodily. "To the best of my knowledge Loki dies shortly before we fight Thanos on Titan. I don't know the actual timeframe for the confrontation and Loki's death. What I do know is that he should be pretending to be Odin right now. Odin is actually living in a nursing home with his memories locked. It took a good deal of effort to break that lock the first time and there was some sort of confrontation after I delivered the Odinsons to Odin in Norway when Thor finally dragged Loki with him to find their father."

"Alright, so next stop is going to be a meeting with Loki and trying to convince him to let us hold on to the Tesseract for a year or two. I don't trust Odin to be reasonable after the weird shit I've heard from Thor," Tony said firmly. "The Tesseract can sit on a display stand or something until Thanos is dead along with all of his loyal Generals. If we have to whatever Wanda left festering in my skull can wait."

"You don't honestly think we're going to stop trying to heal you first?" George demanded incredulously.

"He does," Stephen groaned. "Thankfully, we have more than a little time before Thor figures out that Loki is posing as Odin."

Tony looked miffed and focused back on the cub in his lap, choosing not to dignify their upset with a response.

"What is this threat and why must you fight it?" Shuri asked curiously.

"Giant alien purple grape trying to wipe out half the universe as a way to get a date with the personification of death," Tony answered blithely. "Unfortunately, he's been doing a good job of it manually elsewhere taking out half the population of other civilizations. I don't know why he decided to up his game and start hunting special relics so that he can do the entire universe at once but he is. Even worse Earth either hosts or has had very recent contact with most of the set he's hunting. We stop him or he rips apart most of the natural defenses the universe over while killing half of all life. We just can't get to him until he reaches Earth and he has multiple armies to play with. Loki sabotaged his own half-hearted attempt at invading on the bastard's behalf, partly because he was tortured and mind controlled into leading it in the first place."

"No wonder the Trickster cub was in such poor condition when he called in this favor," Mama Cat groaned. "Of course he didn't simply ask for help. What with Odin mistreats him and twists him at times the cub wouldn't think he would be listened to and believed."

"Odin is currently locked as a mortal in a nursing home with his memories sealed. I can show you where he is if you let us go," Stephen suggested.

"You still need keepers," Mama Cat growled. "As for letting you go, not a chance without some heavy defenses for the three of you. I am uncertain if it is a good thing or a bad thing my cubs in your laps are too young to go with you as that protection. I will have to settle for informing Dormammu that I currently have the three of you and ask him for personal guards for you."

"I already have bodyguards," Tony grumbled.

"I am not trained as a full bodyguard. I was Sorcerer Supreme and a Doctor," Stephen scowled. "Conventional bodyguard is not in my resume."

"Actually I was thinking about the bodyguards I employ when I'm not running around as Iron Man in the armor," Tony admitted. "They've been getting sort of laughed at since I am Iron Man. I've had some sort of guard most of my life. Not that Howard ever cared if I got kidnapped. I was always responsible for rescuing myself. No ransom or anything was ever going to be provided and I knew that from early on."

"Your dad was an asshole," George said bluntly. "How are you even sane with the shit you've dealt with?"

"Are you sure I even am sane?" Tony asked ruefully.

Chapter Text

Tony wasn't sure how it happened but the three of them found themselves curled together taking a nap in the Jungle under Mama Cat's watchful eye. Unfortunately, they also woke up somewhere completely different. At least the bed they had been dropped in was comfortable?

"This really does keep happening to you and now to us," Stephen observed somewhat incredulously once he and George were awake.

The room was fairly generic, almost hotel-like, aside from the massive bed they had woken up on. The bedding had been almost perfectly matched to Stephen's normal color scheme. Unfortunately, that was the only color change from the neutral beiges and light blues and greens to match the light wood furniture that made up the hotel room atmosphere. Tony noted that his robes had been repaired perfectly as if the cub had never torn them but that none of them were in different clothing which would have made it more creepy.

"It could be worse," Tony pointed out. "So far the people grabbing us and possibly shuffling us around don't actually want to hurt us. I've been the guest of the other kind before and I can tell you that it is very much not fun. Plus, you know, you two and the temple kind of put me back together without breaking me first. I was able to focus past the shit that put me in the hospital and recategorize it safely instead of sitting there stewing on it until I could move."

"Oh," Stephen said in quiet recognition. "Yes, I suppose you would normally use similar compartmentalizing techniques. I am just sorry I didn't recognize it sooner."

"Yes, Merlin, your fussing without being too soft did work for me," Tony said dryly. "Sometimes the lack of bedside manner is actually helpful. I don't have to worry about you backstabbing me because you wouldn't bother in the first place."

"Can we keep him? Properly keep him?" George asked Stephen intently.

"It's more along the lines of letting Tony keep us and accepting him invading practically everything in our lives," Stephen corrected. "It really is up to Tony if we are allowed the same. Besides, the bond long passed the point of where it could be safely severed. If he doesn't want it anymore he would basically have to stick me in a room and lock me in there to ignore it. I may be an extra to this timeline but I don't particularly plan on abandoning my duties as Sorcerer Supreme."

"You know I did in fact figure out that putting a collar on you and keeping you as a pet or something was less invasive than the bond you used to save my life," Tony drawled. "Even the Ancient One acknowledged what I did when I decided to keep the two of you. She didn't fight me at all on setting up a new company that covers your group and back dated it to World War II with a just expired secrecy clause signed with Howard."

Both of them noticed how Stephen flinched but didn't deny Tony's words.

"Both of us?" George asked with a complicated expression.

"Oh yes, both of you," Tony smirked, eyes glittering in a predatory fashion George hadn't seen from him yet. "The way that the temple just sort of folded me in with everyone might have been fantastic for keeping my sanity intact but originally it was just the two of you that I was going to bring home. Granted, I hadn't planned to remove you from your posts as defenders of the planet but relocation to New York and possibly getting you assigned to my staff somehow wasn't out of the question."

"If you go supervillain on us I'm dragging you back to the temple until I can be sure you won't try to end the world or some other stupidity, Merchant of Death or not," Stephen immediately scowled. "I swear I'll keep you contained if I have to."

Tony just laughed. George was confused but Stephen knew already that he cared more about keeping them than if he looked like a villain.

"Menace," Stephen grumbled.

Tony just reached over and pulled him in for a kiss. Once he let Stephen go the Sorcerer was dazed and gently guided to lay his head on Tony's chest. George watched in bright interest and made a questioning sound. Tony smiled brightly back and nodded in encouragement. George took up the offer and eagerly claimed his own kiss. When he pulled back Tony stopped him and made George look him in the eye.

"You may have started out the same person but you're both different now," Tony said firmly. "I am not claiming you both because you are the same person but because I want you both as yourselves. A lot of twins start out as the same egg, you just separated from each other a lot later than most."

"We can be possessive and domineering and heavy handed," George warned gruffly.

"I can too," Tony shrugged. "Stephen wasn't far off the mark with his supervillain comment. I can go supervillain really easily and the two of you will take the immediate brunt of it if that ever happens. Dragging me back with you and keeping me contained might even be necessary at that point. I really don't know. What I do know is that I trust you both and that I want you. You are also both stubborn about not crossing lines when it comes to consent without emergency medical necessity. I appreciate that but if I am going to, as Stephen put it, invade your lives I plan to do it wholeheartedly and make sure no one takes either of you away from me."

"Let me guess, you moved first because of the conversation you overheard," Stephen commented from where he was laid on Tony's chest, happy that they had healed the inventor. "Would you object to us reciprocating? To extend the back and forth we already do into more private things?"

"That is exactly what I want," Tony said smugly. "I get that we have to deal with the threat before we can dive full in without worries but I want you both to stop holding yourselves back. You're going to let me keep you whatever that eventually winds up meaning."

"I have no objections," George smirked. "Stephen was already gone on you so you already had him."

Stephen grumbled a bit but conceded the point. Just because he didn't usually want to admit it didn't make it any less true. Stephen belonged to Tony.

"Might I remind you both we have to figure out where we are, who has us - if anyone, and how to get back or alternately what to do about any other factors of our current situation?" Stephen pointed out archly. "I would rather we focus on getting back if only so we know that no one is spying on us that we can't hit for it."

"Good point," Tony agreed easily. "I may be shameless but for someone I actually like I tend towards protective dragon over showboating."

Chapter Text

Stephen grumbled a bit but conceded the point. Just because he didn't usually want to admit it didn't make it any less true. Stephen belonged to Tony.

"Might I remind you both we have to figure out where we are, who has us - if anyone, and how to get back or alternately what to do about any other factors of our current situation?" Stephen pointed out archly. "I would rather we focus on getting back if only so we know that no one is spying on us that we can't hit for it."

"Good point," Tony agreed easily. "I may be shameless but for someone I actually like I tend towards protective dragon over showboating."

"I guess we need to get up then," George said bemused.

They did so and found the door to their room unlocked. When they opened it the fact that nothing happened made all three of them relax. A quick glance was traded before they stepped out in search of their host, together.

~~~

Mama Cat sat before the visage of Odin looking very unimpressed. She had demanded a private audience after delivering her charges as per Dormammu's instructions. She now had a very serious bone to pick with the Trickster Godling Cub who had called in the favor in the first place.

"Leave us," Odin-Loki ordered. "Come with me Lady Bast."

Mama Cat, Bast, complied. Her current cubs gamboled around their legs as they moved to a private office. Bast waited until refreshments were served and the servants gone before she watched him secure the door. The paw that lashed out and knocked him over when he moved past her towards the table that served as a desk very pointedly had the claws retracted.

"Ow! What..." Odin-Loki started to splutter and bluster only to wilt under the deadpan stare.

"Whatever your reasons for posing as your sire you will drop the charade with me, Loki-cub," Bast ordered flatly. "This has to do with the favor you called in."

The illusion faded away, leaving behind a bemused but unhurt Loki to get back to his feet.

"I take it that Stark needed rescuing?" Loki asked carefully.

"His pride has been co-opted by a Witchling that was torturing him," Bast snarled harshly. "I would never leave a Cub so near to such evil. The Witchling had managed to suppress the trigger signal you set up to summon me and it activated when the cub and his two Sorcerers managed to clear the block. They hadn't yet undone any other mental traps or damage as the block was a surface effect. I checked him and the amount of damage... The mortal should be dead! I called in a favor with Ororo Munroe, the one called Storm by the human variant known as Mutants. Her mind master friend will be checking them and his group will be guarding them once they arrive. She has not signaled their arrival yet so I will need to check on that after this."

"Them?" Loki asked curiously.

"Cub Stark picked up two twin Sorcerers at some point recently, one is bound to him and the younger twin is not. Apparently, they've taken to mothering him somewhat or at least making him take care of himself better," Bast smirked. "The binding is by the Sorcerer's own doing from what I understood of the discussion while I had them. One of my cubs practically adopted Stark as well. He is still too young to send off with the mortal even if the man is fast losing his mortality to something... more. The three of them are also very set to take down the Mad Titan and have credible information on his threat level as well as a few treasures he must not have or we all will fall. The three cubs seem to be getting bounced around to various potential allies at random by something out of their control. Come to think of it that might be why I haven't heard that they have arrived yet. They may have been grabbed mid transport... again."

"Well, this complicates things," Loki groaned. "I haven't finished preparing Asgard for the fight with the Mad Titan yet."

Bast peered at him, suddenly suspicious about what Loki didn't know.

"What?" Loki asked warily.

"Stark Cub is right. You are in desperate need of care and rest," Bast said with a frown. "He noticed you had been tortured but was uncertain of what he could do about it. You made yourself out to be a very good Villain. A good enough ruse of one that he hesitated to try to help you despite seeing past parts of your act."

One of the cubs decided this was the perfect time to climb up Loki's leg and settle in his lap to demand pets. Loki looked down at the cub and quickly caved to the demand launched with major levels of fierce cuteness. Bast studied him further as the trickster pet and cuddled the cub, lost almost immediately to the attention from the cub.

"You will summon those that will need to be trusted with your ruse and explain it to them," Bast commanded quietly. "You are killing yourself and that is quite a feat among the pantheons. They will be informed of the threat and we will go over the steps known to be taken or planned for to deal with the Mad Titan. This is the claim for one of the favors you owe me on behalf of Asgard as a whole for my aid in the past. If Asgard refuses to help then by right of forfeit do I claim the royal house of Asgard and it's living members."

Loki gaped at her in open shock as the magic binding the major favor she had been saving activated. This magical surge in turn bound all of the golden realm to the called in marker. The very bones of the land rang with the demanded marker and it's forfeit if Asgard failed to meet the demand. It also rang with the name of the one who had received the demand, Loki Skywalker rightful King of Asgard and Jotunheim.

"You... What have you done?!" Loki demanded white faced, knowing perfectly well exactly what had just been done.

"Your people know you now and none may contest your place," Bast observed with a wide yawn. "Your ruse may be maintained but there is now a better chance that you will get some rest when those who must see the state you are in."

When Loki went to argue with her Bast interrupted, her voice practically thundering in command, "Don't argue with me, cub! I once acted as your familiar and more so acted as your guardian for a time. You will not get out of this."

"Yes, Aunt Bast," Loki bit out miserably, obviously upset.

The cub picked that exact moment to shift into a human form. Loki looked down at the very naked dark skinned child in wide eyed surprise. He vaguely noticed that the child appeared to be somewhere between two and five but their solemn gaze captured him more thoroughly than any rope or spell ever could.

"Say hello to your cousin, little one," Bast instructed with a thoughtful hum.

"Aunt Bast!" Loki protested, aghast only to be pounced on by the other three cubs and knocked out of his chair as they quickly followed suit.

Loki was practically buried under four naked children that were physically younger than five human years old. This was the scene that met the guards and various people the barged into the office to find out what exactly was going on and why a debt was even being called in. They looked at Loki dressed in Odin's clothes, the children trapping him on the floor, and the very smug but obviously protective Bast-in-Jaguar-form.

"I will have everyone assemble in the Council chambers for your explanation, Prince Loki," Heimdall announced before turning around and forcing everyone right back out.

"I always knew he hated me," Loki grumbled, still trapped underneath the transformed cubs.

"He has not tried to take your head the way he threatened to while you were injured after the battle where we formed the familiar bond so I do believe that he has made progress," Bast said judiciously. "He has kept his word to me not to act against you except as a parent or trainer would so I will not geld him yet."

"Oh," Loki breathed, realization dawning as various incidents in the past were suddenly understandable.

"What is the most harm he has done against you, my trickster?" Bast asked suspiciously.

"He left me at the mercy of the Mad Titan as I screamed for aid for over a year until the Titan broke me enough to use mind control and forced me to attack Midgard," Loki admitted in shame.

Bast took a minute to absorb that before she roared in fury and headed for the door. "Heimdall! Your throat is mine!"

Loki and the human shaped cubs exchanged an alarmed look before the cubs shifted back and all five of them ran after Bast to try and stop her.

Chapter Text

Bast was furious! She wasn't going to let the threat to her cub get away with hurting him!

As Bast raced down the hallways she heard her cubs scrambling after her. Loki-cub called out for her to stop, to wait. Bast had no intention of waiting, not when the threat was almost under her claws to be torn apart. The local guards mostly just got out of her way but they also moved slow and would have been easy to dispatch had she chosen.

The impact on Bast's back as she slid into the Council chambers sent her and the person who had tackled her tumbling. She let out a furious roar but kept her claws retracted when she realized the interloper was Loki-cub. Bast moved and got him under her even if he stubbornly clung to her neck as one of her paws landed on his chest.

"Cub, you will explain why you are protecting him," Bast growled angrily. "He left you to be tortured."

"We need him for when the Titan comes!" Loki frantically explained, knowing she could rip free from him at any moment. "He is a good warrior and an expert on using the Bifrost. We will need that skill to properly use it when the Mad Titan attacks! I'm not even counting the risk from his major role in the prophecy of Ragnarok!"

Bast subsided slightly as she snorted in wry amusement and grumbled. "Odin knows damn well that he's the one who has been forcing Ragnarok to come to pass in part by his mistreatment of you. He also knows perfectly well that he deserves worse than the simple tricks you have played on him. Besides, Ragnarok is likely already averted just by the Sorcerer who was bonded to the Stark Cub coming back in time to make sure the Titan actually gets stopped. Apparently something went very wrong when he was faced in the first run through."

"Time travel?!" Loki choked, dropping his grip in shock to lay on the floor pinned under her by her paw. "The risks from that are insane!"

"From what was said there wasn't much choice," Bast admitted. "I do not know the specifics beyond their plans to gain your aid against the Mad Titan considering the once witnessed cost of his victory. I simply thought to sort that portion out myself as I am your bonded familiar and Odin acknowledged the debt owed to me in accepting the bond. Considering had we not bonded thusly Asgard would have been destroyed he witnessed it as a debt among all of Asgard down to the last babe."

"Then what you have demanded is not enough to cover the debt," Heimdall said fearfully.

"You are a separate matter from the debt," Bast growled angrily. A short cough sound had her jaguar cubs taking her place pinning Loki-cub again as she stalked across the room.

"We need him!" Loki-cub warned her again as the cubs cuddled him and kept him pinned.

"I warned you when you tried to take Loki-cub's head after that battle as he lay wounded in defense of Asgard that if you acted against him except as a parent or trainer teaching him that I would geld you!" Bast growled, hackles high and ready to pounce. "You left him to be tortured for over a year by the enemy that now threatens us all! It is a miracle he still lives with his mind still so intact! Even I can pick up on much of the damage he has taken and I have been away dealing with my own duties for the past sixteen hundred years!"

Heimdall backed away from her turning their movement into a circling of he room in the center away from those gathered who stayed against the walls of the chamber. For once Heimdall's sword was not with him and Bast was glad for it. She had no plans to let him leave unharmed but she would honor Loki-cub's request to let him live... For now.

A quick pounce and a sharp blow to Heimdall's head had it audibly crack against the stone floor. Instead of finishing him off now that he was unconscious Bast backed off and shifted to a human form. She had sun golden skin, a lithe body, and a black panther head. She wore a flowing tunic with a golden woven belt and a knife sheathed at her hip. Another growl warned everyone to stay back as Bast drew her knife and proceeded to follow through on her threat. Once she was done she used softly muttered magic to clean herself and her blade as she moved back to the cubs.

"If someone gets him to the healers he will live. Know this he owes a life debt to Loki Skywalker," Bast huffed, sheathing her blade. The palace guards took that as permission and quickly carried Heimdall away to the healers.

Bast shoed her cubs off of Loki-cub and helped him to his feet before glowering at everyone.

Loki knew what was expected of him and started to explain how he had come to be on the throne. Starting with how he had been placed there during Thor's banishment and subsequently removed by Thor, Heimdall, and the Warriors Three. He covered the attack during the coronation and his reasoning as well as his attack on Jotunheim. He stiffly admitted that he had let go on the Bifrost to try and regain his honor as a Son of Odin despite his status as adopted when Odin had denied him, rather than to escape.

Bast interrupted at that point with a whack to Loki-cub's head.

"What?" Loki-cub demanded, unharmed but bewildered.

"Any who demand enough from their cub that they would choose such over correction and trust that they will be safe under their parent's care during that time of learning are not fit to raise cubs!" Bast growled. "You doubted your place here?"

"I... yes," Loki-cub agreed with a hard swallow. "Asgard as a whole has never seemed to welcome me."

"Simply because you are cousin by blood to Thor rather than brother by blood?" Bast scoffed. "No, this is Odin's doing. Laufey is the child of his mother's brother. Whether you are of Odin's get or Laufey's you are still blood kin."

"I killed Laufey," Loki-cub admitted, white faced at possibly being a kin-slayer. "In defense of Odin while he was still in the Odin sleep."

"Good! Something was wrong with the mind and heart of that Jotun to try killing his own cubs," Bast said in utter disgust. "Laufey used two of his own young to fuel several war spells over the centuries. None could gainsay him. Where did Odin find you to claim you as a war prize?"

"He said I was in the temple next to the Casket of Ancient Winters. I discovered my bloodline on accident," Loki-cub reported cautiously. "Apparently I shape shifted to Aesir as soon as Odin picked me up to look at me. He locked it as my base form when he brought me here. I can only shift to Jotun under specific circumstances now."

"No wonder he was so certain you would always return to serve Asgard. You've been magically leashed here through the Casket since he took you!" Bast snarled. "The only reason to keep you with the artifact is to attune it to use you as it's keeper and possibly as a battery in an extreme emergency. I studied the thing with permission long before you were born. Jotun law and traditions stated that only a fully aware and willing adult was ever to be bonded to it in such a way and they were honored for their willing sacrifice. Of course being near to the artifact also unlocked any of your magic and talents that should have developed only as you aged to adulthood. Any of which could have killed you."

"Why is it a good thing that Prince Loki slew Laufey aside from the horrors you have described?" Tyr asked gruffly.

"Jotunheim has no cause for war even after Loki-cub's use of the Bifrost against them," Bast shrugged. "It falls under his rightful due for the ritual torture and sacrifices of his two fallen siblings plus the attempt of the same against him. Jotunheim has very specific retaliation allowances for attempted magics used against one another but especially against those of the same blood. He is no kin-slayer but instead a protector. The magics that could have been used with him as a component include possibly wiping out all of Jotunheim and anyone of any level of Jotun blood, not just within his blood kin. This is assuming someone was mad enough to try casting them in the first place. Such a spell would have also killed at least half among those of Asgard considering you were once seen as a sibling people to each other and frequently had cubs together."

"What happened after Prince Loki fell into the void?" Someone unseen asked.

Loki-cub answered, slipping into a dead monotone that made Bast worry and everyone else shiver as he went over the void and his time with Thanos. The explanation over the scepter and how it was as much his leash as a tool to utilize made Bast suspicious. Still, she didn't interrupt as the cub covered his time on Earth and deliberately sabotaged attempt to invade. After his capture by the Avengers Loki-cub's voice became less dead as he skipped forwards to his release by Thor from the dungeons and the vengeance taken for Frigga's death. The subsequent tricking of Thor and return to report to Odin disguised as a guard stopped short.

"Loki-cub?" Bast asked mildly, prompting him to continue.

"Odin should have shrugged off my weak blow," Loki-cub told them cautiously. "I was still more dead than alive after the fight and return trip. Yes, I caught him by surprise but it... He shouldn't have been hurt at all. So I took his place to keep Asgard strong and, as a prank, set him up in a care facility for elderly Midgardians. The seal I put on his memories is something he has broken with ease when I have used it in the past. That's why I have been disguised as Odin and making preparations for war. Once the Mad Titan comes we won't have a choice and I would rather have Asgard survive than not. It isn't as if any of you ever seemed to want me back so why would I tell you that I had to act as Odin for a time? Thor came to renounce his place as Crown Prince barely hours after I had to take Odin's place. He was adamant so I accepted his choice and let him leave. The quests I have been sending him on are legitimately being done to protect Asgard so that we don't have to deal with them as well as the Mad Titan at the same time."

Chapter Text

Bast frowned and, ignoring the muttering of the room, stepped forwards with a spark of power in her hand. When she set it on his shoulder from behind it immediately sank into him and wrecked the second illusion he was maintaining. Bast immediately spun him around to take stock of the damage.

Loki-cub was thin to the point of nearly skeletal and bruises under his eyes from lack of rest. He was clearly favoring his ribs more than the areas on his torso and arms where fresh blood was seeping through the clothing he was wearing but the tinge of yellow and green mixed with the red blood was concerning.

"How long have your wounds refused to heal?" Bast demanded. She knew more than a little healing even if the fact that she had joined Loki in his healing lessons wasn't widely known.

"Um, it... Not all of it refused to heal?" Loki-cub offered weakly.

"Cub," Bast growled in warning.

"Halfway through my stay with the Mad Titan," Loki-cub grimaced. "They applied something to the wounds at first and they haven't healed fully since. Before you ask I haven't been able to keep much food down, no more than a meal and a half for an adult Midgardian. I didn't notice immediately because between my last meal on Asgard before letting go on the Bifrost and my return here as a prisoner I had may five meals, all on Midgard. I can't keep more than a few small snacks down even as I pretended to be Odin or sat in my cell in the dungeons. I don't know if my body is rejecting the food or my mind is twisting to keep me from proper care. Between the torture, the mind control, and the struggle to maintain sufficient Mastery over my magic that it harms none that I do not intend it isn't exactly clear. When I am desperate to use my magic to help keep it under control I prank the Avengers and play villain on Midgard. It returns enough control for safety, usually without harming even the Midgardians, that I can return to the ruse safely for another few weeks."

"You really are killing yourself to ensure everyone can fight with some chance to survive when the Mad Titan arrives," Bast scowled. Abruptly making a decision she physically picked him up and, ignoring Loki-cub's loud protests, carried him straight to the healers. This left behind their audience, dumbfounded at the tale and recent news.

"Someone go find Prince Thor and bring him up to speed. Everyone else get back to your tasks and jobs," Tyr ordered with a sigh. "Lady Bast was right, Loki is rightfully on the throne and we can sort out anything else after we have both Princes and are ready to defend Asgard."

A murmur of acknowledgement and everyone dispersed, carrying the grand tale across all of Asgard. Meanwhile, Bast fussed over Loki and resolutely kept him in the care of the healers. She would not see her cub dead from stupidity and neglect.

Chapter Text

Tony didn't know how to feel about what had happened after they left the hotel room mock up that had been deliberately tailored for them. Then again it wasn't like they had known who Mama Cat, Bast, had passed them off to. Apparently, she had been just as concerned as everyone else about the mind thing? Unfortunately, whatever she had used to send them onwards had been intercepted. Of course it was also just as obvious from the Alice in Wonderland theme and the Mad Hatter that they were getting fucked with.

"Sorry, but how exactly do you know Mama Cat?" Tony asked whatever was playing the Mad Hatter very politely. "You see we had some business we were trying to get to and Mama Cat got upset with something before she insisted we go see her friend first. Since you don't look like an adult human female I have to assume that you are a very different friend than the one she wanted us to visit with."

"That is true," the Mad Hatter agreed cheerfully. "But then you know that this entire thing has become something of a drastically mixed metaphor. I would appreciate it if your Sorcerers stopped trying to find the edge of the genjuitsu. The illusions are both there and very much not for very good reasons. It isn't uncommon when working directly with certain beings of high enough power levels to have a buffer of sorts and this setting just seemed to be the most puuuuurrrrrfect match. You have your Cheshire Cat Sorcerer and his younger kitten sibling. They have a remarkable amount of stability considering Cheshires sometimes do get stuck forwards and backwards and folded over and in all sorts of positions as they phase through things and wander invisible but visible. It's all sorts of lovely contradictory and interplaner folding and then there's the so very interesting resonance set up between your souls and the crystalized underlying layer of reality a few levels.... Down doesn't quite work, over? Sideways? No, at a tesseract on a puce slant? Nevermind, human languages don't have most of the necessary background concepts. It's a pity. I think all three of you might be able to comprehend most of it without going too mad. It would be quite the discussion in any case!"

"I take it that I am Alice in this scenario?" Tony asked with a grimace. He could worry about resonating with a fundamental part of the base support structure for standard basic reality later.

"Yes," the Mad Hatter agreed cheerfully. "Make sure that your kitties are ready for the next seat move!"

Tony glanced a look at both Strange brothers to check on them. The additional orange and striped real cat ears and tails with the incongruous painted on nose and whiskers was somewhat ridiculous but they weren't the real problem. No, it was the thick black leather collars with brightly glowing arctic blue runes that kept the two in character and in place that really bothered Tony about the entire set up. At least the food and drink they were being served was clearly human safe? Sushi with real milk based hot chocolate as well as rotisserie chicken was hardly a problematic combination even if it was weird.

"Look can we just drop some of the absurd? At least enough to let my partners act by their own choice?" Tony asked with a heavy sigh. "I get the whole tea party theme and all but I heavily dislike people being leveraged against me."

"You will take responsibility for them? Their behavior? Whatever they may do to cause insult or upset?" The Mad Hatter asked bluntly, peering at him like an interested old British Grandma checking that a grandchild will behave or keep the new pet out of trouble.

"I feel like there's a catch 22 to that but yeah," Tony agreed with a grimace. He didn't mind taking responsibility but he absolutely hated not having at least some idea of the playing field that he was working with.

"I didn't think you would abandon your bonded and his kin to our whims in any case," The Mad Hatter said reasonably. "The absurdity of the scenery was more to compensate your senses for the power levels and sensory overload in aaaaaa... particularly esoteric and eldritch location. We don't exactly want you broken after all."

"We?" Tony asked suspiciously.

Tony was immediately and deliberately distracted by the collars as they dropped off of Stephen and George to land with a loud clatter on the dishes. The two Sorcerers slumped over briefly before immediately scrambling closer to Tony. Flanking him they both glared hatefully at the Mad Hatter who just smiled back enigmatically.

"Stephen? George?" Tony questioned softly.

Tony firmly ignored the lack of animated cloaks since he knew they had shifted to pocket handkerchiefs. Both of them were currently in the back pockets of the black slacks he had been put in at some point during the tea party. The Mad Hatter had also somehow magicked him into a white button up shirt and nice leather business shoes. Stephen and George hadn't gotten a wardrobe change beyond the new obviously magical animal parts.

"They can't answer you, not yet," the Mad Hatter commented taking the occasional sip of his tea. "It is both a side effect of those particular collars and a safety precaution. As the animal features fade away or are subsumed by their magic they will regain their speech and ability with magic. Please remember that you have taken full responsibility for them. Be grateful that I did not take this in a more intimate direction for the potential meeting,"

A chill raced down Tony's spine as both of his Sorcerers tensed at his side. A slow nod from the inventor satisfied the Mad Hatter for a few minutes. However, a pointed look at the food an drink had the three humans returning to their drinks and food for a good few minutes. When the Mad Hatter stood up they obligingly changed seats and plates as per the scenario in Wonderland. Thankfully, whoever or whatever was using the visage of the Mad Hatter forwent the bouncing around and shouting that often accompanied the seat change in the stories. Once they were all seated and served again, fruit tartlets for Tony and perfectly seasoned pork ribs for Stephen and George, they focused again on the Mad Hatter.

"You were intercepted, as you know, but not for nothing. Two of you carry the echo of a spider totem as one you accepted as your child. This new champion needs to be secured and protected," the Mad Hatter said, grinning with classic mad glee.

"Go near my kid and it will be the last thing that you do," Tony said sincerely, dropping all niceties and fully embracing his Merchant of Death side. His eyes promised fire and death and agony as shadows seemed to briefly stretch from his own in silent twisting and menacing laughter.

The Mad Hatter blinked and was once again just facing a simple supremely confident mortal.

"Oh, well that changes some things," the Mad Hatter said softly as the surroundings melted into a darkly appointed victorian styled library/study. His own appearance shifted to a dour and stark thin man in a subdued business suit.

"Huh, want to explain the decor change?" Tony asked with a shark smile.

"You have your own power. There is less need to shield you from things," the Mad Hatter, who had turned into a pale butler person, waved his question away. "You may address me as Charon, Lord Anthony. You have hidden your link to Lord Death so well that I did not realize you were one of our own. As for this entire thing blame Anansi and Coyote for it. They thought it a fitting point to call in their prank marker. Lord Death had been amused by their last prank so allowed our minor dealings since no souls were removed from his domain. Seeing as you are of our ranks and greatly favored by Lord Death this is just a friendly chat discussing the pair of Tricksters aiming for solidarity with Loki in his weakened state."

"Something is wrong with Loki?" Tony asked, his interest immediate and laser focused.

"Yes, Bast has been courteous enough to warn Tet that there will shortly be a high influx of souls both for harming Loki and for errant attempts at re-writing the order of living reality and it's worlds," Charon grumbled. "I take it your group is attending to that?"

"We are," Tony agreed neutrally. "Or at least we are if it happens to be the situation that I think it is. Just out of curiosity why didn't you bother restraining me? Not that I wanted to be tied up or anything. It was just a bit of a rude shock to notice my partners were changed and collared but I was only put into a button up white business shirt, black slacks, and nice business shoes. Come to think of it do you know where my robes got to? They were a gift."

"That was honestly part of why I engaged directly in the charade," Charon admitted. "The normal methods refused to latch onto you and restrain you. I didn't dare use anything meant for damned souls or those being dragged into the realm of the dead. The amount of damage it could have caused you is catastrophic. Thankfully, one of the servants noticed your bond with the elder Doctor Strange and it was deemed a sufficient anchor to restrain you if necessary. I now know why. We may have cut the prank a bit short but what you have already dealt with since arriving is more than sufficient to cover the favor owed so long as I confirm you have claimed the spider marked as your child. As for your robes.... I will see them replaced."

Tony mentally debated about calling him out on the robes but eventually decided protecting Spiderman was more important.

"Alright, just make sure they know that Spiderling is off limits. He's my kid if not necessarily by blood then definitely by adoption even if not all of the paperwork is officially sorted yet," Tony warned. "Although, just to be paranoid, I should probably get him checked to see if he is my kid by blood."

"I'll handle updating it across the mortal and immortal realms as part of my apologies for this unfortunate mix up and the lack of courtesy. You were due certain things as the Merchant of Death that you haven't received during this visit and I need to compensate you for it," Charon offered quickly. "If you want we can clear up actual blood relationship by checking him and, potentially, arranging for him to be essentially magically added to your bloodline. There are several ways of doing that but for bloodline linked inheritance of certain abilities there is a specific one that physically adds you as a blood parent."

"Does that include a safe ride back for us?" Tony asked suspiciously. "Wait, hold on. Magical adoption? That actually would make him my child by blood?"

"Your Sorcerers might know of the version that's safe for mortal casters but it cuts out some of the special safeties, limiters, and potential additions to reduce the power requirements to mortal levels," Charon offered. "It also precludes adding multiple parents at the same time. Although, it is relatively safe to use more than once with a sufficient wait time between castings. It is also possible that the spell was lost or hidden so they may not know about it. As for safe passage, that was included as part of the prank. Tricksters tend to be fond of humans and occasionally give gifts when you pass whatever test they hand out or if you handle the prank well enough or amuse them enough during some form of interaction. It is a large part of why they are considered tricksters in the first place."

"Yes, I would like him checked and, with his permission, adopted as mine if he isn't my child already," Tony said quietly, after processing the adoption information. "I will leave it up to him if he wants the adoption to be by blood or just magically. Personally, I would prefer him to be mine by blood as well as legally and by magic but I can understand if that doesn't turn out to be possible."

"As for the message that was intercepted with you... We did check to see if your minds were compromised while you three slept. It shows a fair amount of damage but your reasoning and decision making was, at worst, affected only enough to count as having had a shot or two of alcohol. The only exception being when you had a hand in crafting Ultron," Charon went over with them, catching the professional attention of the Strange brothers. "Your Sorcerers had some past damage from a rather nasty but dormant terrorizing spell meant to drive the target mad but they appear to be recovering slowly. For yourself there is a way to quickly heal your mental injuries. Unfortunately, healing is not in my normal realm of abilities. There is a way around that by establishing a second bond to mirror the one you have with your older Sorcerer. It would bolster your mind and heal the existing damage from outside sources while providing future protection between you and your bondmates against similar assaults."

"Well that fast healing is out then," Tony sighed. "I can't think of why anyone would want to bond that deeply with me. When the first one happened Stephen was being an idiot and it had more to do with duty than actually wanting it with me. So yeah, that's out."

The stricken expression on the older Sorcerer's face at hearing Tony dismiss himself so casually mirrored the determined one by the younger Sorcerer, leaving both unseen by the other two humans but each perfectly visible to their host.

"I think you will find yourself very mistaken in your assessment of things," Charon said, amused. "Should someone be willing would you allow them to bond with you so deeply?"

"Uh, yes?" Tony answered uncertainly, caught off guard.

Behind him Tony didn't see George resolutely step forwards and nod his consent to Charon. Consent obtained from both Charon didn't bother to wait. He moved. Power pooled in his hands as a palm slammed into each of their chests and brute forced the bond into place long before a shocked Stephen could move to help or hinder.

Tony felt the tendrils form deep in his mind as the bond snapped into place and started repairing things. He felt when Stephen was forced to his knees as this new bond interconnected to the one that had been established in the hospital. When it all finally settled fully into place Tony knew what had happened and why. He also knew that George had made the same decision as his older self/brother.

"That and sorting out the child's situation should cover things. Where would you like me to drop you off?" Charon asked casually. "Replacements for your robes should be along in a day or two."

"Kamar-Taj," Tony said gruffly. "We need to log the new bond and sort out some paperwork before getting back to a few things."

Charon nodded shortly and before they could blink the trio was standing in the middle of the practice courtyard of the temple. They almost instantly fell to their knees as they processed the sensory overload from both the travel method and the new bond. The shouts of surprise and hands catching them as they finished collapsing were more of a comfort than Tony would normally admit to.

"Honey, we're home," Tony croaked out cheekily as he finally lost consciousness.

Chapter Text

"Honey, we're home," Tony croaked out cheekily as he finally lost consciousness.

~~~

When he woke Stephen couldn't help but automatically search for Tony and George. Finding them in nearby cots was a relief. Recognizing the infirmary around them only afterwards was a little embarrassing. Although it was more embarrassing to only notice the guards they had acquired in their sleep twenty or so minutes after waking up.

"Disorientation was expected after Stark's comment when you three collapsed," Kaecilius offered with a smirk after noticing Stephen had realized they were there. "There now appears to be several people and groups that claim... custody over yourself and your bondmates as being important to them. The Ancient One has hashed out a sort of custody agreement with Lord Dormammu including the understanding that it is subject to change should anyone else try to lay a claim."

"Considering we were returned by Charon, Ferryman for the river Styx in the greek underworld after having been originally grabbed by Bast that is likely," Stephen grimaced. "For now it's useful but we are going to have to deal with it at some point. Although, thank you for explaining your own presence. I will make sure not to attack you or those under you without reason since you don't currently pose a threat."

Master Kaecilius gave him an amused smile and a nod before going back to leaning against the wall. The snicker from Tony earned a grumble from George but otherwise all three of them just lay there in bed, exhausted. A check up by the healers when food was brought to them told Stephen what he already knew. They were now tied together for eternity. They were also stuck on bed rest for at least another few days.

"Did we ever get rid of those curses on us?" Tony asked, exhausted.

"Not unless one of our various hosts didn't bother to tell us," George snorted.

"We were more than a bit focused on sorting out the mental manipulation and control aspects that had been applied to Tony. Well, and anything else Maximoff used on him," Stephen allowed. "Our own specific curses were dormant but I don't know how active or not any remaining on Tony happen to be. We will have to check regardless because I could have sworn at least the two of us didn't go through any removal or curse breaking process at any point since I found Tony in the hospital."

"It felt like Charon stripped shit off of me when he triggered the bond with George but I only know that much because I could practically feel the blade scraping it all off of my body. I was also a lot more focused on the bond forming and purging the shit left behind in my head," Tony said thoughtfully. "I thought I felt him do the same for both of you as it settled between the three of us. Of course you both also had a lot less build up and we were all half unconscious by that point even if none of us exactly showed it. He tossed us back to Kamar-Taj after that."

"That's more than a bit encouraging," the Ancient One said as she stepped into the room. "Still I am glad that all three of you are back. Anthony, fair warning, Friday has reached out to inform us that Project Pinky and the Brain is active and Skynet options are one strike shy."

"Oh boy," Tony winced at both the news as well as her use of his actual given name. "That's not really a good thing. I designed those protocols to be something of a last resort since it releases a lot of safeties on everything."

"Pinky and the Brain? Is that what I think it might be?" George groaned.

"Uh, possibly?" Tony said sheepishly.

"You should know how he names things by now, George," Stephen smirked. "The only reason he would risk taking over the world is because someone is threatening his own. He might have started the plans as a joke but when he eventually reworked them they were done with actually having to follow through in mind. So the question isn't why he has the plans in the first place but what stupidity managed to unlock them and cause his AI children to decide they were necessary in his absence."

"Ah, that explains several things, thank you," the Ancient One said ruefully. "Can you call your children off?"

"Sure but part of what gets released means they don't strictly have to listen to me until the situation is stabilized enough not to be a risk to me personally," Tony said bluntly. "And that only works because they each picked protecting me as part of their primary protocols without me involved in the process at all. I am their father and they decided that was enough reason to go overboard protecting me. I gave them each an initial task but they were designed to live, learn, and grow from the start."

"Told you," Friday chirped from the Ancient One's pocket.

Tony raised an eyebrow at the woman who in turn pulled a brand new phone out of her pocket.

"Friday, want to explain?" Tony asked, addressing the phone.

"Skynet protocols activated just after you collapsed at Kamar-Taj," Friday reported cheerfully. "Secretary of State Ross activated Protocols Family Shield, I Am Iron Man, Spiderbaby, K-bar to the Back, and Timebomb when he ordered Boss Lady and Honey Bear to arrest you upon your return and the immediate surrender of yourself and all Iron Man materials. This resulted in a two strike of three towards Skynet protocol activation and the release of the Take Over the World While I Am Away file. The kill on sight order issued by Secretary of State Ross to all armed forces for reasons unknown activated Skynet, Family Lockdown, and Burning World Protocols."

"Well at least he didn't trip the zombie apocalypse contingencies yet," Tony groaned. "How did the armed forces react to that order anyway?"

"Most issued an immediate rejection and demanded evidence or reasons for the order in the first place. His answers, when given, were deemed insufficient across the board," Friday said smugly. "Those who have detected the Skynet protocol were given the list of reasons as well as records supporting the activation. The final piece given was the threat of the Alien Armada arriving more conventionally and everyone's deliberate refusal to hear you when you tried to warn them. Additionally, for those requesting status updates on yourself or on attempts to defend the planet you are currently listed as gathering allies. At various high level requests the situation and your status has been posted to the SI website on a new planetary defense page."

"We are bonded to an accidental evil overlord," George deadpanned to Stephen. Stephen just laughed.

Chapter Text

"We are bonded to an accidental evil overlord," George deadpanned to Stephen. Stephen just laughed.

"Do you want me to start using the Evil Overlord List? I can. I have a copy of at least one version of it," Tony offered with a smirk. Stephen laughed harder while George rolled his eyes at their bondmate.

"Boys, please treat this a little more seriously," the Ancient One scolded, obviously amused over the entire thing. "On another note your robes have been temporarily kidnapped by certain members of the Order. Each group who holds a claim on you have also become aware of our embroidery tradition and have insisted on specific patterns being included for each of you. Which is why you have only been changed into patient robes when you arrived despite a rather interesting lack of injuries... this time."

"Huh, now I'm interested to see how the robes turn out " Tony said curiously. "Last I checked neither Stephen nor George had any on their robes beyond what everyone has in standard robes. I somehow got assigned light green ones with a thinner white strip on a black strip on the upper arms with the neat blue swirl embroidery on the front of the robes. They make it look sort of like mist is on the edges there and I always liked that the blue embroidery was the same color shade as Stephen's robes. I'm also pretty sure that the white strip is what they picked to show I was technically a student of at least Initiate level. I did tell at least one Master about the reading assignments you, Wong, and Stephen keep giving me."

"They would have found some way to indicate that you were one of ours even if you hadn't admitted to the reading," the Ancient One said with fond exasperation aimed at the Order at large. "I do believe that about half of the longer term teaching Masters see Stephen and George as extremely precious younger brothers especially with Stephen's stunt in coming back in time. The ongoing match of wits about raiding the library at night was viewed with much amusement and betting considering how much it frustrated Master Wong. Not that Stephen's initial commentary at the hospital about being seen as an outsider and being rather isolated was wrong per say. However, that was partially my fault and you appear to have dragged them both into better interactions with the entire Order while endearing them to all three of you. It is rather refreshing and heartening."

Chapter Text

"...However, that was partially my fault and you appear to have dragged them both into better interactions with the entire Order while endearing them to all three of you. It is rather refreshing and heartening."

"Go me," Tony smirked. Stephen took his turn to just roll his eyes at Tony as George groaned.

"Don't encourage him, Master," George complained good naturedly. Both brothers tugged playfully on the bond to be sure Tony knew they were teasing instead of serious.

"Okay, uh, something I probably should have told you guys about after I got healed the first time and my chest was no longer half missing," Tony said somewhat uncertainly, gaining everyone's immediate attention. "Uh, so the time crystal in Stephen's amulet is alive right? Well my arc reactor which was the original thing that went inside the original hole in my chest is based on the Tesseract and apparently inside that cube is a space crystal brother to the time crystal? They've both been sneaking into my dreams since that happened? They also like playing peanut gallery on whatever memories manifest in my dreams but the point is that Space keeps insisting I try using some of his power. Oh and that Stephen and I have been officially claimed by the sentient crystals that potentially run specific aspects of this specific universe? Uh, George is also claimed but sort of tangentially right now? Time and Space are both trying to decide if they're sharing him, claiming him under only one of them, or letting their siblings see if they want him as their guardian. He's definitely not going to be getting to be just a regular Sorcerer though. They were considering letting him have the chance to leave if he wanted but the new bond sort of threw that out the window. Letting him walk away apparently has side effects."

"Of course they would do this," Stephen groaned after processing Tony's rambling explanation.

"Is distance an issue?" George asked bluntly.

"Uh, no? Space Crystal made of the essence of Space? With a penchant for portals? It's more a matter of interpersonal connections and not disappearing on each other like with any significant other," Tony corrected. "Dimension might be a problem so any Interdimensional trips should probably be a group project or go to someone else. I mean Stephen took the Time Crystal to the Dark Dimension so I'm assuming that as long as we aren't gone too long local time here it should be okay. I also don't have the Space Crystal yet so there's that even though it laid a claim on me directly as part of the healing."

Just as he finished talking the Tesseract popped through a small portal straight into his lap radiating smugness. Before anyone could do more than stare a second one appeared at roughly head height angled towards the floor and dropped Loki through it to land hard on the floor flat on his back. The yells from the other side were interesting as was watching Mama Cat jump through to check on the disoriented trickster. Frankly, Loki looked like shit.

"Why?" Tony asked the stupid cube in exasperation.

"I like him and he needed to know who he was working with for the next steps," Space snickered.

"He was with the healers for a reason!" Mama Cat snapped at the cube. She paused as she reassessed where they were before greeting Tony, Stephen, and George. "Hello again cubs. I am glad to see you safe and well. If Loki-cub hadn't badly needed me I would have hunted you down when I realized you hadn't arrived at the school my friend teaches at who I was sending you too."

"Charon highjacked us," Tony explained waving away the apology part of her words. "He wanted a look at us and to pay off some sort of debt. Turns out he decided to have fun with it but by the time he figured something out he apologized and stripped off all the curses while finishing our bonding before dropping us off as best as I can tell. No harm, no foul."

"Ah," Mama Cat winced. "That... probably wasn't handled the most comfortably considering the fact that he has very little talent for healing."

"He used his position creatively and came in from the soul side while scraping off all foreign magics. Uncomfortable but effective from what I can tell," Tony said with a thoughtful hum. "The Order healers already checked us as much as they could and we're only in bed here because we're still kind of exhausted."

"I will be having words with that reckless Ferryman," Mama Cat scowled.

The snap of the portal closing was very pointed. Mama Cat grumbled and dragged Loki to one of the open beds. She muttered something at the cube in cat and the smug cube did something weird to local space that conveyed something like a shrug and a promise to return them to Asgard when Loki woke up. Tony decided that was too much for his tolerance for the moment he shifted around in bed before cuddling with the cube, since he didn't have a better idea what to do with it, and settled in for a nap. Time laughed across their senses as Space grumbled good naturedly while warping space a bit to hug Tony back.

Yes, Tony decided, a nap was very much in order.

Chapter Text

Time and Space intruded on Tony's dreams as they had been doing for months, long before he had noticed them. They watched him and the two Stephen Strange's (one now named George) sleep in their now joint mindscape. It was cute.

It was also a pity that they had work to do but like hell were they letting Thanos take their three Guardians.

Tony startled awake in their dreams, kneeling and bound at the feet of two nebulous people that he instinctively recognized as Space and Time. It looked like whatever had been happening had been going on for a bit. If the stupid crystals hurt his Sorcerers Tony was going to find a way to make them feel his displeasure and then some.

"Peace, Anthony," Time rumbled soothingly. "We knew you would be upset with this necessary test but you would have interfered. So instead you have become a part of the test. I have very little doubt they will pass but failure will result in our claim on you being... a touch more confining than originally intended for a few months."

"What Time is tip toeing around is that if they win they get to keep you. This comes with the assumption that they will finally bed you instead of leaving you vulnerable to someone swooping in to steal you away. Think of it as an object lesson. If they fail we steal you away until Maw shows up and he will take you instead of Stephen or George for his target. If they win they get you back immediately," Space chortled.

Tony glanced at Stephen and George only to feel both relieved and concerned at the glares his two Sorcerers were aiming at the vaguely person shaped uber rocks. He could also tell that the twins had already been filled in on what the conditions actually were and had probably been told they couldn't tell him. The protective fury on both of them was a dead giveaway.

Then again taking their place in Maw's torture? Worth it. Tony just had to survive it.

"No," Tony said gruffly. "Make the target switch permanent."

Tony's demand briefly froze both rocks and Sorcerers alike.

"Time?" Space asked dangerously.

"Yes, he is willing to risk fucking everything up to protect his own," Time groaned. "He broke conventional time on the first go around just to get his Spiderling back even if he doesn't remember it properly. I'll wager that we won't get him to give up trading the target even if we talk Mind into helping me give him and the Spiderling their memories from the first round. It would take dulling the memories to movie-like quality to maintain context without unduly altering him simply by returning them but it is safely doable. Boosting him somewhat to increase his chances of surviving such a cluster fuck only brings things back up to 50/50 chances..."

"What's the weird off side branch that you don't want to mention because of something stupid?" Space asked suspiciously.

"We time loop all three of them and have Stephen train George while they wait for Dormammu to train Tony in any way he pleases," Time sighed. "We could potentially include Loki in the training or make it a joint training but it would come with a heavy cost."

"So you both definitely remember picking Stephen to send back in time," Tony observed.

"Of course we do!" Space scoffed. "We were prepared to let an entire range of timeline branches and universe branches die due to Thanos' win. Well we were until you picked up the Infinity Gauntlet and went out of your way to channel as little as possible of our power to fix all of it even as it killed you. Not only that but you denied your own wants so completely we couldn't wiggle in a way to save you directly. You simply didn't know enough of what had to be fixed to do it the right way the first time. All that happened was a hasty patch over, the return of those taken to the exact location they were randomly taken from across the universe, and the method turned back on Thanos and his forces. A part of me watched over you since that day in the lab when Howard threw your tiny body into me on that table. A part of me kept you alive since you first installed the arc reactor in that stupid cave. I refuse to lose you. Not again. It wasn't exactly hard to talk the others into agreeing to save you and bind you directly to us. Time just wanted Stephen and was perfectly happy to get two of him even as the younger became George."

Tony blinked at them in surprise but stayed quiet to process what he had just learned.

"Before you think otherwise the restraints are to keep you from jumping in and getting killed during the test," Time warned. "Leaving you room to move would have just resulted in the need to abort the test so they could treat your injuries from trying to escape any other type of containment or restraints. I do realize that you are probably sick of being kidnapped or otherwise captured but this is honestly the safest way to keep you contained without resorting to threatening people you care about. I will let the twins decide how to contain you for themselves if they pass the test, assuming they even bother."

"Okay, so you both plan to keep me and my Sorcerers," Tony hummed thoughtfully. "I remember enough of our dream discussions to know that you can't easily have a nice conversation safely when it comes to testing people. I get that but why am I basically hogtied kneeling on the floor? Why not tied to a comfy chair? Or even a bed?"

"Because we don't want to make presumptions about your bedroom activities with your twin Sorcerers," Space said dryly. "Just because Time can look forwards or backwards doesn't mean that you will have the same interactions and relationship in the moment. It will be up to them to decide to untie you or not and what else to do with you afterwards unless they fail. Then we get to do whatever we want with you until it's time to give you back via fighting Ebony Maw. Personally, I plan to make sure you can't remove the new piece of me I plan to anchor to your bones and soul but that takes time and I won't be able to do it if they pass the test. I would have to settle for the marks that are already present."

Chapter Text

Tony raised an eyebrow at his still silent but angry Sorcerers. He knew by this point in the conversation that they were being restrained in a different way from him. The barely there glint of magic at throat and wrists told him everything he needed to know about how.

"And if I still won't play ball?" Tony asked softly, dangerously.

"Then we have to play dirty starting with threats and blackmail and ending with following through," Time said sadly. "My inventor you don't have the training to survive the tasks they will have to complete, not yet."

"I told you he would out stubborn us if he thought it was important enough," Space reminded Time. "He won't risk them."

Stephen stepped forward carefully and knelt next to Tony, George at his side. They took Tony's head into their hands and looked him in the eye. Wordlessly they asked him to cooperate. Tony scowled stubbornly but they kept his gaze until he slumped in his bindings.

"Fine, but you two are mine and I don't like people threatening what's mine," Tony pouted. "I can tell they put binds on your voices and magic even if you can physically move freely. I am very much not happy with any of this."

George was the one to answer with a sad smile and a gentle kiss on Tony's lips. Stephen practically devoured him when George pulled back and had to be pulled back by his twin. They moved back to where they had been standing very reluctantly but defiantly faced Time and Space, waiting for their next instructions.

"You know your tasks, get to it," Time ordered, waving a hand and breaking the binds with sparks of gold at their throats and wrists.

Space glared at them in warning and placed a possessive hand on Tony's shoulder as he remained tied, kneeling at their feet. Stephen and George glared but left through a portal to get on with whatever tasks they had been assigned.

"Now, brother you have six hours to infuse more of your power into Anthony," Time said, ignoring Tony's drawn in breath of understanding. "I suggest that you get to it if you don't want anyone taking it from him again and not killing him in the process of fixing your link."

"You do this on purpose," Space scowled as he bodily picked up Tony and slung him over his shoulder. In the process Tony's wrists came free of the separate tie to his ankles leaving him still tied by the wrists and ankles but no longer unable to lay flat. Tony gave a squawk of surprise and protest but was ignored.

"Of course I do," Time laughed. "I have to find my entertainment somewhere. Anthony is already ours but he no longer has a way to access the extra gifts you want him to wield or the ones the rest of us could potentially gift him with, not without killing him in the process. Your adamant claim, once returned to him, will make it safe for any of us to gift him something. When my two finally bed him they won't ever be able to leave us again. They were already tied to us through Anthony but it will tie them directly into our various forms as ours. The best part is that they already suspect what the real test is and they are cooperating fully to get Anthony back. If they had ran and left him to our mercies they might have eventually broken their ties to us but not anymore. They're committed now."

Space snorted in amusement and stalked off with Tony dangling helplessly over one shoulder.

Time just laughed.

Tony could only feel dread at whatever Space was planning to do to him for the two to get Stephen and George to leave like that. When Space knocked him out without explanation he could only sink into the darkness of his mind, resigned and hoping his Sorcerers pulled off a miracle to rescue him.

When Tony resurfaced what had to be hours later he could hear his Sorcerers shouting angrily nearby. When he breathed in he could feel the difference from whatever Space had done to him. The cool feeling of returned sensation where the arc reactor had once been only contrasted the feel of something far less metallic embedded in his skin right where the reactor had been.

"You have no idea what that will do to him!" Stephen shouted nearby.

"All I did was crystalize the reaction from his arc reactor and embedded in his new sternum. He has had a much more crude form in the same spot since his capture and torture in the Afghanistan cave arranged by his Godfather," Space shot back. Both Sorcerers immediately went quiet at this news.

"Is he dead? The Godfather?" George demanded.

"By Anthony's own hands prompting his legendary declaration of I am Iron Man," Time laughed, pleased by their reactions.

"Assholes, both of you," Tony groaned, revealing his awake state. He felt when Stephen and George rushed to his side and started to check on him. He idly noted that he wasn't restrained anymore and he was grateful for it as he dragged both of his Sorcerers down to lay in a pile with him. Their yelps of surprise were satisfying.

"So what uber artifact or deadly enemy did they send you after?" Tony asked a little while later. "What was the price for my life and relative freedom?"

"We are already tied to you," Stephen started. "Even before they pulled this stunt it was unlikely we would have left and risked the consequences of stretching the bonds we have willingly woven with you. Don't argue. I was willing from the moment I stepped into that hospital room, long before that really. The fact that you told Charon it was duty made me realize that I have been letting you choose without remembering to tell you that I already chose you in the first place. I am sorry it took two overpowered meddling busy bodies to get me to tell you that... I love you. You've had my heart since before you sacrificed your life in my first timeline to save us all. If you want proof all you need do is command me to kneel. I may argue with you on various things but I truly am yours... if you will have me."

"I might not have understood at first but I was also fully willing by the time Charon bound me to you," George told him somewhat bashfully. I'm not as devoted as Stephen is yet but I can tell you that I should have made it clear I am fully committed to our relationship before it became a matter of keeping your mind stable and protected. The fact that they threatened you to get us to play fetch is almost more terrifying than facing them head on. Partly because it worked. I was ready to throw out everything I had learned or earned, take any risk, strike any deal, if it meant you would be safe in our arms again."

"Answer the question," Tony ordered. He didn't want them evading and the consequences to come back to bite them in the ass. He wouldn't risk them like that without a damn good reason.

"Thanos," they admitted together.

"What?!" Tony snarled, clutching them close.

"Single combat or rather the two of us against him with Dormammu as witness," George explained. "We were tasked to subdue and claim his forces as well. It took us a week but they are ours now. Dormammu insisted, and the stones agreed, that they had to be bound to us as slaves. Dormammu is hosting them for us and training them to follow us from now on."

"Losing you wasn't a choice we could live with," Stephen whispered as they cuddled close to Tony in the floor bed he had been left in. "Space and Time made sure to spread the story and news of the victory. We couldn't stop them. Earth is oblivious of it but people will come seeking the three of us out for it so it won't be long before the story is out, including the time travel and your actions in the first timeline."

"We also won't be leaving you free to be bedded by anyone else," George half snarled as he stole Tony's breath with an overwhelming kiss.

When they let Tony breathe again after repeatedly kissing him breathless he decided to relax and let them control what was happening. The way they had him pinned didn't evoke any bad memories. He could tell they were desperate for him but while they couldn't bring themselves to let go of him they also refused to let themselves take advantage of him. Tony thought it was sweet and was highly impressed at their self control.

"You want me pinned and begging? Or sweet and pliant?" Tony asked softly. Both of them groaned in want, making Tony laugh softly. "Only the two of you are allowed to pin me like this, to keep me at your mercy. I trust you, both of you."

"No one else will survive trying to force you to share this and we won't stand for you doing it willingly," Stephen promised darkly as he pinned Tony properly now that he had permission.

"You're ours," George agreed, just as dark and possessive as he cast a spell that stripped Tony down to his skin.

Tony shivered at the minor temperature change but couldn't hide his relief. He had never told anyone but the reasons for his one night stands were mostly to keep from being hurt after letting someone in that he trusted. He left them before they could leave him and rip out his heart in the process. Obadiah Stane had just made his issues worse after his betrayal and the Iron Monger mess.

"Oh Tony," Stephen breathed as he cupped the inventor's face while George took over pinning him. "This isn't a dream, not anymore, you're not getting rid of us that easily. We can play this any way you want in public but in private we won't be able to hold back showing you how much we love you and how possessive we are. It was something we have had to hide from practically everyone else but not you, not now. You're stuck with us."

"Then prove it," Tony said, mouth dry in anticipation.

"Oh, we plan to," George smirked.

By the time Tony fell asleep, exhausted in their arms, both Sorcerers had played with him and teased him into a mess before taking him hard and fast. Their claim as his partners was written all over Tony's body as they wrapped him in protection and love.

Six Crystals of Infinity looked on in fondness as they slept, finally safe in the stronghold they had built for their favorite humans.

Chapter Text

May Parker shot awake, gasping for breath while also biting back a shout of fury and grief. The universe had been unraveling around them and she had witnessed Peter, her precious nephew, torn apart as he tried to protect people. May herself had fallen through a crack in existence, unable to rescue herself and almost unwilling to try after seeing Peter die. In the fall through the void between universes she had slammed into another version of herself in robes of some kind and they had merged.

"This is going to suck," May said quietly after she had finally calmed down and checked that Peter wasn't home yet.

A quick check of the date and cross-referencing her three sets of memories told her that Peter was in Germanyand that she was going to need to step in. Even if doing so revealed the Mystic Order far to early. On the plus side of sorts the Sorcerer version of her had run into versions of Doctor Stephen Strange and Tony Stark as they all fell through their own crack. Thus, she had the necessary updated memories to activate in the pair of them.

"3 am trip to the New York Sanctum it is, yay," May muttered unenthusiastically as she got dressed and tried to remember if she could get there faster without a sling ring. Her memories on the matter were not comforting. On the other hand she probably had Harold Hogan's number and could yell at him on the trip over.

Deciding it was more important to actually get there than wait for normal hours on anything May made a call. The fact that said call to one Doctor Palmer for an emergency ride to repay a debt owed involved Dr. Strange had no bearing on anything. None at all.

"Who is this? Why are you calling me on my emergency line?" Doctor Palmer demanded grumpily, obviously already moving as if being called in.

"Nurse May Parker, Doctor. I'm afraid that something has come up involving Doctor Strange despite his lack of recent presence at the hospital. I was hoping you could give me a ride in exchange for finding out what's going on with him and a chance to yell at him for being stupid? This is a bit of an emergency and I need to get something from where he currently is so that I can rescue my nephew from fighting a pair of super soldiers," May Parker explained. "I'm currently out in Queens and I need to get to Greenwich Village as fast as possible."

"You're calling in your marker after that bitching session you rescued us all from?" Doctor Palmer chuckled. The should of less frantic movement from her side of the call caused May to breath a sigh of relief.

"Yes, Doctor. If Peter weren't involved I would just wait until morning and catch a cab or other public transport to the relay point. My nephew, however, is underage and potentially going to get himself killed. I would rather chew him out than receive a body bag," May elaborated.

"Right. Where are you? I'll try to get you to wherever it is faster than normal traffic would allow," Doctor Palmer promised with a sigh.

May rattled off the address and ended the call before proceeding to raid the fire box for the important family documents. Papers which included a copy of Peter's birth certificate and the test documents which confirmed that Richard Parker was not Peter's biological father, Tony Stark was.

When Christine Palmer arrived to pick her up May Parker was ready and waiting with coffee for both of them. They chatted quietly on the drive over, stopping only long enough to pick up breakfast and another coffee before pulling up to the Sanctum. May had to insist several times that the sanctum was there and guide Dr. Palmer through the perception filter before they could park. A hand written paper message in the window would supposedly keep them from getting a ticket for where they parked but Christine was honestly bemused at this point and just going with things.

"Holy shit!" Palmer cursed as the doors to the sanctum opened up without any sign of outside aid.

"This is just the beginning," May warned her, amused.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" A voice barked out as they passed through the entry hall.

"A transplanted Mystic Master and her guest just passing through," May reassured the Master who came stomping out of the kitchen, obviously having been making breakfast. "I need a word with several people at Kamar-Taj and lost my sling ring. I need a new one, which is annoying but manageable."

Before the Master could splutter a protest another voice rang out stopping them.

"Sister, this is a very unexpected surprise," the Ancient One said as she calmly walked from a room that hadn't been there before.

"Yes, well, unlike you I got caught in that reincarnation spell," May grumbled. "Only it turned into a time displacement crossed with de-aging and very thorough amnesia. Doctor Palmer, please meet my twin sister. I don't know what name she is going by at the moment. She can be quite the troll so if you think she's pranking you sh probably pulled at least three more at the same time that you didn't notice."

"Twin sister?" The Ancient One asked lightly.

"Dimensional alternate also counts as you know very well," May pointed out sardonically. "It's just Ironic that I started out as the original even if my memories of Sorcery and the Mastery are a transplant."

"Fair enough," the Ancient One conceded. "Who are we visiting or do you just need a few supplies? Also, I will need at least a summary of events once you find the time."

"Sling ring, you, and Stephen," May demanded promptly. "We are going on a field trip. Immediately."

"Ah, give me a few minutes to grab him and the spare sling rings," the Ancient One requested. At May's nod she promptly fetched the promised rings and Apprentice Strange in his red robes.

"Christine?!" Stephen exclaimed in surprise when he caught sight of her.

"Not now, Stephen," the Ancient One cut them off before either Doctor could say anything more. She tossed two sling rings to May and watched the Nurse open a portal straight to a sunny German airport, accidentally/on purpose interrupting a discussion that was just about to implode.

"Aunt May?!" Spiderman exclaimed, almost falling off of his perch in shock.

"Get down from there right this minute, young man!" May yelled at him. Spiderman immediately obeyed even as she turned a gimlet eye on Iron Man who took a hasty step back.

"There isn't supposed to be a fight, just talking. He needed mentoring and this is supposed to be a safe way to witness conflict resolution!" Tony immediately scrambled to explain. "Not supposed to be a fight!"

"The problem with that is conflict resolution doesn't always resolve things and tend towards breaking out into a fight anyway," May growled. "You are very lucky I know how much you love him or I would be using my returned magic to rip you out of that armor. Make no mistake about that!"

"Magic?" Tony asked with dread.

"Aunt May you can't threaten Mr. Stark!" Spiderman protested.

"You are grounded. No visits to Stark, no Ned, and certainly no Spiderman for at least a month," May said, turning on her nephew.

"May I ask what prompted this, sister?" The Ancient One inquired politely.

"Memories of the bastard whose army that Stark saw through the portal actually reaching Earth and causing the destruction of the universe," May shrugged. "I shouldn't have my powers back yet and I most certainly shouldn't be aware of Spiderman's identity yet. Unfortunately, we don't have the time this mess wasted to afford doing any of this the safe way. Which reminds me. Wanda Maximoff for the violation of the sanctity of hundred of minds you are under arrest. You are charged with mental manipulations outside of the use for medical purposes, torture, murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit genocide, attempts to warp reality, and attempts if not successful mind control applied to the unwilling. Will you come peacefully or do we need to do this the hard way?"

"Wait, what?! What the actual hell, May?!" Tony exclaimed, forgetting who all was present.

"Considering you are one of the victims, Stark, I would think you would be happy to have someone actually deal with this Witchling," May pointed out, ignoring everyone's open shock.

The Ancient One had gone hard at the extensive list of charges and already had her battle fans conjured to her hands at this point.

"Can Christine and I stay out of the fight?" Dr. Strange asked warily.

"Yes," May answered curtly. "Spiderman, you and Iron Man will wait with the Doctors over to the side."

"Why?" Spiderman asked suspiciously before anyone else could.

"Because you both need a check over after this mess and I will not have the bitch triggering any traps she left behind in Stark's mind to endanger you while we deal with her," May said pointedly before handing him a pile of paperwork. "Here, go over this with Mr. Stark. He needs to review it considering his own name is in some of these documents and neither of you have experience fighting magic users. Loki doesn't count with how he threw the invasion attempt to give us a chance of fighting back."

"Yes, Aunt May," Spiderman sulked before grabbing and literally dragging Iron Man, armor and all, over to the two doctors.

Everyone just sort of ignored Tony's loud protests in favor of staring at the strength that Spiderman was showing off or at his Aunt May and the Ancient One squaring off with Wanda. Who, in turn, had her power pooling in her hands and spilling out around her like mists of blood.

"I don't know who you are and I don't care but I'm not going with you," Wanda snarled.

"I'm afraid that your charges are serious enough that we can't take the chance," the Ancient One said firmly. Before she could repeat May's request for Wanda to come quietly the bitch struck.

Startled both women dodged but they each got clipped by the blasts from either hand. Only their training in mental defenses kept them upright and turning to glare at Wanda.

"Lethal measures authorized," the Ancient One said, voice icy.

"Yes, sister," May agreed grimly. "Let's not give the bitch the chance to actually follow through on what those visions showed us."

The spell whip the extra words distracted from lashed out on the last word from May's hand, trying to take Wanda's head off. Only for Wanda to dodge and try to hit them again. She had to duck the war fan spell the Ancient One threw at her only to be clipped by the second lash of May's whip as the two moved to stay in Wanda's blind spots as much as possible.

When Captain America tried to jump in a simple flick of the wrist from the Ancient One sliced his throat wide open with her battle fans, instantly soaking his uniform in blood. Doctor Strange had to stop both Spiderman and Iron Man from jumping into the fight. Spiderman because he had never seen someone hurt so badly and Iron Man because he felt responsible for all of this. Meanwhile Black Widow stopped Doctor Palmer from trying to help Captain Rogers due to his proximity to the ongoing fight.

Hawkeye was on Captain America immediately, trying to keep the throat slash from killing him. The Winter Soldier stayed on guard but stayed out of the fight, obviously studying it for future reference. The portal that opened up under Wanda's feet and dropped her straight into a cell surprised everyone except for the Ancient One and May even as it snapped shut with a sense of finality.

Ignoring the downed Captain America both women joined Spiderman, Iron Man, and the two upset doctors. May walked up to Doctor Strange and smacked the back of his head, her hand glowing with an intricate pattern of power. Doctor Strange's eyes rolled up into the back of his head as he gently collapsed. Spiderman yelped in shock before darting over to catch him and lay him down gently on the ground while Doctor Palmer checked him. The paperwork was safely in Iron Man's hands but obviously still unread.

"Was that really necessary?" The Ancient One practically pouted.

"He probably woke up earlier from what he thought was a nightmare. He needs the memories as the next Sorcerer Supreme. We don't have time to do it the traditional or safe way of actually letting him live it," May pointed out. "This gives us all a leg up and if you think I'm letting you pull the fall in battle trick for him again you're being an idiot."

"I suppose it can't be helped," the Ancient One sighed. "Anyone else you plan to do that for?"

"Stark and Spiderman," May said dryly. "If you think I'm leaving our family blind to what's happening then I'll punch you myself."

The Ancient One visibly flinched in surprise but made no further comment on the issue. Iron Man stayed suspiciously quiet as he read through the provided paperwork. May ensured that everyone except War Machine and Vision stayed back with her glower only to catch something impossibly tiny leaving the Iron Man armor in a spell of some kind.

"What's that?" Spiderman asked with interest as May deliberately distracted him from Captain Rogers' injury and potential death.

"This is a man being an idiot and having shrunk himself with tech he stole," May said dryly. "He's lucky that he didn't follow through on trying to wreck the Iron Man armor from the inside after we showed up since it could have killed Stark and possibly everyone here depending on how well he has the weapons locked up if the wrong wires get broken."

"Why did you let her hurt Mr. Captain America Rogers like that?" Spiderman asked quietly.

"Because he tried to jump into an active fight where we were fighting for more than just one person," May sighed. "He knew better. The threat Maximoff represents is potentially world or universe ending. He would rather force everyone to accept her without actually seeing if she is suitable just to set a precedent for his friend no matter who it hurts. This is especially a problem because their situations are entirely different and forcing it like that is more likely to see his friend executed instead of healed. He's delusional and would have nearly killed Stark within the next two days for trusting him. Also, sometimes suddenly having future memories of one or more alternate timelines sucks."

Spiderman squeaked in shock and focused on checking May as the woman discretely handed off the still small Ant-Man to the Ancient One. May idly noted that both Iron Man and War Machine had snapped around to stare at her over the reference to future memories. Doctor Strange distracted everyone by cursing and sitting back up just as Rogers' injury finally overcame his enhanced healing and died despite Hawkeye's attempts at a field patch on his throat.

"Before you say anything about honor or this entire mess overall," May warned the Black Panther and Falcon especially. "I was not joking about the potential risks to the world by Maximoff. Also, you let several someones bait you into fighting each other and turning on each other. From what I remember of the other future the Winter Soldier is innocent of the UN bombing and has been trying to fight off brainwashing and torture since his original capture by Hydra. Any sane court would consider him to not be responsible for his actions until he started getting himself free by breaking the brainwashing and even that is debatable on being responsible due to his Prisoner of War status. Maximoff in contrast was originally a Hydra volunteer and willingly helped Ultron try to destroy the world. I don't know what caused her to change sides just that it didn't justify her past actions prior to Ultron, especially since she actively caused Ultron to be built. The future her decided to rip apart reality to steal her alternate self's children and used that fact as part of her justification for deserving such a reward no matter how many universes it killed."

"Uh, that's bad," Spiderman muttered. "I guess that's a good reason to focus on catching her."

"May Parker, you and I will be having words over this entire time mess," Doctor Strange hissed at her as he finally looked up glaring at everyone while still cradling his throbbing head.

"Doctor, I am also a version of your teacher," May snorted. "You have no idea how fucked up this is. Just be glad I saved Stark and handed him Peter's paperwork early enough that he's less likely to be an asshole about things. I also haven't tried the memory trick on Stark and Peter yet because I can't work through the Iron Man armor and doing it to Peter without his Father remembering as well would be cruel."

Doctor Strange gave a wordless growl but didn't object to Doctor Palmer checking him for a concussion.

"We should move this to somewhere less public," the Ancient One mused.

"Will I get hit if I get out of the armor?" Stark asked warily.

"Not at all, once we reach our destination," the Ancient One smirked.

"The headache is somewhat debilitating but it is fading quickly. I estimate that it will be gone within a day at the outside, Stark," Doctor Strange sighed. "Also, as much as you have every reason to distrust magic I can promise you that most of our Mystic Order have no ill will towards you and those that do will be handled. You may bring Colonel Rhodes with you and while you will need to get out of your own armor at least long enough for a check up neither armor will be taken from you."

"Who are you thinking of hitting for being an idiot?" May asked with open amusement.

"Master Kaecilius if I can get my hands on him, Master Mordo, and most of the Rogues I've had to fight at some point. I do not relish having to force Dormammu into another deal. Dying on repeat is never fun but especially if all it does is annoy your opponent into being somewhat reasonable," Doctor Strange grimaced.

"You see? This is what the best of them get up to without supervision. You aren't allowed to just die in whatever fight you were going to let kill you," May scolded as the specified group plus Doctor Palmer got up and moved through a portal to Kamar-Taj.

Leaving behind everyone else confused and extremely concerned about why someone would need to die on repeat to as a distraction.

Chapter Text

The way half the group stumbled through the portal had various people automatically coming to help them. War Machine, however, was the one to reach for Iron Man only for Spiderman to get there first. May sent her nephew an exasperated look but allowed it since very few people would be able to catch the Iron Man armor when Stark tripped. She didn't miss the way that Stark held tight to both Peter and the paperwork she had handed off. War Machine was able to get Iron Man to hand over the paperwork, presumably to keep it from getting mangled as well as for his own look at it, which May supposed was fine. The two men had been dear friends for a very long time all things considered and she wanted Peter to have a solid support network in and out of costume.

May absently noticed the Ancient One sticking the containment ball with Ant-Man in it through a small portal on to someone's desk with a hastily scribbled note but she wasn't worried about it. She was far more interested in the initial reactions to the initiates practicing in the courtyard and hustling her group as a whole to get checked over. There was going to be a battle of wills to get Stark and Rhodes out of their armor for the check up but having Doctor Palmer there as an obviously normal doctor was going to help with that. Come to think of it so was giving them both WiFi access. She was going to have to get someone to fetch the password for them before they got anywhere sensible in things without upsetting people too much.

"What do you need, sister?" The Ancient One asked, catching May by the arm and consequently catching everyone's attention.

"Time, people actually cooperating, and a chance to do more sorting through the various memories that I have now inherited," May sighed. "Peter needs a check up but we can only do about half of that here since his very bloodline and DNA has probably been altered by whatever gave him spider powers. I need to practice with our magic again to avoid slips like the one you covered for me when you took out Rogers in that fight. Then there are the threats we have to be ready for. We can no longer hide without becoming one of the threats we guard against. It is also rather unprecedented to have three Sorcerer Supremes at once. So between you, me, and Doctor Strange we will have to work out who deals with what. We will need to assume that what gave us the memories, which has already outright destroyed three or more universe branches, is a far larger problem than originally anticipated and act accordingly."

"You have broken the natural laws," a voice said harshly from nearby.

"Master Mordo? We frankly don't have time for your rigidity in regards to what you see as natural law versus the duties of the Sorcerer Supreme," Doctor Strange said bluntly. "You can try to kill us after the threat is dead. You always seem to at least try no matter what timeline I take up the duties of Sorcerer Supreme. Please leave those no longer of the Order alone during your attempts. They were allowed to leave not just because they weren't called to fight but as an emergency back up for the Order in case we get wiped out. They still serve as a reserve but they also are an outside resource in case of problems or when someone needs an emergency safe place to go before they can get back to us. Just because those functions are rarely utilized does not mean they are not a part of letting someone bow out of the Order."

"Really?" Stark asked incredulously even as he opened up the faceplate on his armor.

"Same reason you didn't just kill Maximoff for her assaults or throw out the spy twins when they started turning everyone into your watchdogs after the Ultron mess," Doctor Strange explained with a sigh. "He's good at combat and teaching it. If I honestly thought it wouldn't endanger the world and would instead help things I would hand him the knife myself. Unfortunately, part of the problem is that being the Sorcerer Supreme often requires breaking the very important rules when it comes to safe magic use to stop some idiot from ending the world."

"Every Sorcerer Supreme faces that choice and every Sorcerer Supreme willingly accepts the consequences as well as doing their best to compensate for it while in office. This is also the sort of job where you don't retire, you die in it," the Ancient One explained. "Which is part of why it is so strange to have multiple Sorcerer Supremes at once and why being executed for our actions in the office is actually more of a relief or mercy than not. We usually just don't see any benefits or rather enough benefits to allowing ourselves to be killed over fulfilling our duties. It has happened in the past but not normally at the hands of one of our own. Before I became Sorcerer Supreme I built the Order as a support group and safe teaching environment for those wishing to learn. Part of that was healing any who came to us and honoring any personal choices that didn't endanger others. Knowledge and learning are not restricted here, only certain practices are forbidden. When the previous Sorcerer Supreme came to us and passed on his duties to me his group merged with our Order."

"Huh," Tony said thoughtfully. He ignored the way all of the Sorcerers were treating the explanation as a distinct revelation. He didn't ignore the way the asshole Mordo went red in clear anger.

May didn't bother to wait for Mordo to blow up on them. Instead she quietly cast a version of the spell whip behind her back that glowed puce and waited. When he moved to cast something her whip was already flying to wrap around him and spread blackness up along his veins from the contact points of the whip.

"The corruption variation?" The Ancient One asked as she ushered everyone back away from the pair of them.

"The revelation version with the sideways twist that directly converts the corruption to poison," May corrected with a sigh. "Depending upon how much he has compromised himself with dark magics and hatred he will either be sick for a time, drop unconscious, or kill himself. As skilled as he is I also noticed that he was aiming to hit Peter as if on accident. I won't let him hurt my nephew."

"I had high hopes that Master Mordo would support Stephen and help him to stay grounded," the Ancient One remarked. "If he is willing to harm a child simply for being near those of us who have offended his sensibilities... I never should have trained him."

"Come here, Peter," Doctor Strange instructed. "You don't have your alternate memories yet so you don't know me but I worked with your Aunt at the Hospital for several years. In my alternate memories, however, I have adopted you on more than one occasion."

"Really?" Spiderman asked somewhat shyly as he obediently moved away from Mordo and the active spell that his Aunt was using. "This is all kinds of confusing and sort of scary."

"We get that, kid," Tony sighed. "That's why we're taking care of stuff instead of asking you to help. You don't need to do stuff like this yet and we hope you never have to. It's stupid but some people will only listen to stupid and violent. That's part of why I have that Merchant of Death title. Besides, you need to see some of this paperwork your Aunt had us looking at."

"What's on the papers?" Spiderman asked, confused.

"Proof that you are my son and that several people deliberately hid you from me. I swear I didn't know," Tony promised. "I promise I won't let anyone keep you away from me because of that though."

"I can't keep up with feeding his new metabolism and to try it again out of pride will just hurt him," May remarked absently as she focused on keeping Mordo still. "It's probably easiest all around just to have my sort of sister, you, and Doctor Strange sign joint guardianship papers and file them until we can officially establish his blood relationship as a Stark. Especially, if we want to hide whatever the spider stuff added to him and his being Spiderman. He's grounded for a month by the way for pulling this stunt and I would like some help checking on a few things at his school. Even before the Spiderman stuff I caught him coming home with full body bruises along his back and clear punches to his stomach that were borderline for needing to take him to the emergency room. He usually hid them so it wasn't easy to do a proper exam when they did happen."

"Aunt May!" Spiderman protested in dismay.

"Don't think I didn't notice that you still come home with nasty bruising despite the enhanced healing as Spiderman. I will spill every last one of your secrets and more to make sure you actually survive to come home in the aftermath!" May snapped at him as Mordo finally dropped unconscious at her feet. She shook the whip free and let some pf the Apprentices take him away, probably to the infirmary.

"Valid reasoning," Doctor Strange mused as Doctor Palmer finally managed to latch onto something mentally that she could do something about.

"Do we want to file the paperwork for possible problems or keep him out of the system entirely?" Palmer asked pointedly. "I'm presuming you'll want to take him as a personal patient even if you stay with this magic stuff."

"Yes, I will. I would also appreciate it if you were willing to take all of us up as future patients if only to avoid having to bring someone in without time to brief them properly in an emergency. You're doing a lot better than I did when this was dropped on my head and I had months to get used to things," Strange admitted with a grimace. "No doubt Tony is going to insist on hiring various people but just having you looped in on basics is going to be ridiculously helpful."

Chapter Text

"I am not at your level of genius! I need time to process and wrap my head around it," Christine Palmer told him, poking him pointedly in the chest several times.

"Well it wasn't like I was ever going to not tell you. You're my friend," Stephen admitted easily. That gave her pause as she peered at him suspiciously.

"What did you do?" Palmer asked bluntly. "What stupid thing did you do that I'm going to have to either clean up or cover for you on?"

The question caused Tony, Peter, and War Machine to start laughing. May just shared an amused look with the Ancient One as they all waited for his answer.

"Er, it's more that how much I care about you was driven home in a bad way in a different timeline," Stephen admitted sheepishly. "I sort of went off the rails trying to get you back since I lost you instead of my hands in that version of the car crash."

"You've realized you can't rip apart reality or whatever the other you did to get me back, right?" Palmer demanded suspiciously. She knew her friend, knew that he routinely did the impossible and that having magic would just make him worse about his obsessive protectiveness if he got set off.

"Yes, I made very sure to learn that lesson," Stephen said, nodding rapidly. "Breaking reality is bad. Not that Tony is one to talk since he did something similar to get Peter back in various timelines after Thanos killed him in front of us and I did something similar to get Tony back more than once."

"I didn't ask about Stark," Palmer said pointedly. "I asked if you figured out when to stop after you lose one of us. Preferably without breaking yourself in the process! I asked if you figured out how to lean on others to safely deal with your grief without breaking things like the time-space continuum, and don't give me any flack about the Star Trek reference. I know how to get my hands on you again now. I will make you sit through Pretty Woman, those stupid historical zombie movies, and the Resident Evil series if I have to!"

"At least you didn't threaten to break out the sappy romances, Romantic Comedies, and the nail polish," Stephen said, making a face. "Although, now that I've run across actual spells to do the zombie apocalypse thing I'm not sure how much I can enjoy or complain about movies that include them."

"Wait, really?" Palmer asked with obvious interest.

"Yes and yes I did eventually pull off the temporary inhabiting my own corpse without actually dying long term Halloween bet we had going as a joke," Stephen admitted. "It was an emergency measure at the time, a very stupid move, and I found out rather the hard way why it was forbidden. I don't ever recommend trying it."

The sharp smack to the back of his head delivered by the Ancient One was rather expected by Stephen. He didn't protest the chastisement at all. He knew how screwed up that move was and had no plans to ever repeat it.

"So, exactly how bad of an idea was that?" Tony asked in interest.

"Ultron," Stephen sighed. Tony winced and visibly decided that he didn't want to mess with Stephen over the forbidden juju.

"Which is why you are going to be reviewing various things in detail before resuming use of anything Mastery level or above," the Ancient One said with a scowl.

"Yes, Master," Stephen grimaced. "Do you want a general report on things, a report in detail, or skipping it entirely until and unless something relevant comes up?"

May smirked and answered for the Ancient One, "A general report should be fine until anything specific becomes relevant. We need to confer over everything in any case just as fellow Sorcerer Supremes. I just want Peter and Stark to have their memories activated before we get down to things. I can't do that until Stark gets out of the armor or at least takes off his helmet so that I can safely reach his head. Then there's the checkups I mentioned earlier, which you now qualify as needing for yourself if only to see what damage you did to your soul pulling that stunt."

"Don't I get a say in this memory thing?" Tony complained.

"You want to lose all memories of teaching your son not to get killed as he runs around as Spiderman?" May asked archly.

Tony blustered a bit in response before giving up and just taking his helmet off. May smirked again, reached up and tapped the back of his head in a light slap before turning to Peter and doing the same thing. The Iron Man armor locked up to keep Tony from falling and Stephen caught Peter before easing him down to the floor. Neither of the two had practice reintegrating memories the way he had and it was going to take them a few minutes to recover. Once they did though everyone was treated to the pair hugging and reuniting over however long they had been apart in their memories.

"Aunt May, you died," Peter sobbed in Tony's arms. "It was all my fault."

"No, it wasn't." Stephen said firmly. "We made a mistake and you stayed true to your heart. I was the one with knowledge of the magics involved. I should have made certain that you understood what we were doing and why various things couldn't be adjusted before trying to cast it. That spell wasn't the cause of reality almost ripping itself apart either. It only showcased what was already happening as a side effect from the snaps and sped things up. Your Aunt's death, on the other hand, was due to your enemy's actions. He made the choice, not you. You did nothing to harm her."

"He's right, Peter," May sighed. "I love you and after you found me dying I wanted you to run so that he wouldn't get you. One of the reasons I could reboot those memories into place is that at least one of me fell through the rifts of one of the universes ripping apart. I merged with a few other alternates of myself as I fell through the void between dimensions and eternities. In many ways I am also the Ancient One and Stephen's teacher in the Mystic Arts but I am also your Aunt. Time shenanigans and uncontrolled universe and Dimension jumping tends to screw things up spectacularly when it comes to keeping track of things."

"I had wondered," the Ancient One sighed sadly. May shrugged and knew they weren't leaving Kamar-Taj for a while no matter what the others thought.

The checkups were as difficult as May had thought they would be but having Doctor Palmer on hand to work with the temple healers and rein Doctor Strange in at times was a blessing. By the time they were done the Ancient One had arranged for a change of clothes for each of them as well as rooms to stay in. An apprentice that was somewhat obsessed with lightning based spells was sent to the group to help set up a charging spot for the two armors, much to almost everyone's amusement. Tony complained about needing to learn magic of all things but in the end accepted the offers to sit in on Peter's new lessons in magic.

Three days later Wanda Maximoff was taken out of isolation before being executed for the damage found in the mind of one Tony Stark and the list of other crimes compiled through various magical means.

Six months later May Parker ripped Thanos' head from his shoulders with a set of overpowered fish preparation spells meant for use in the kitchen.

"No one hurts my nephew like that!" May growled as she stalked away from the corpse.

"Stephen, collect the artifacts. I'll go calm her down and make her meditate," the Ancient One instructed.

"Can we get ice cream?" a very tired Spiderling asked his father.

"Sure, bud," Tony agreed with a pleased but tired hum as they stumbled towards the portal off of Titan back to Earth.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan knows he is dreaming although for what Force forsaken purpose he doesn't know. He is too small, too healthy, too surrounded by life and light to be awake on Tattoine just after Luke's nineteenth birthday. He is old and tired and heart sick with so much immense grief when awake that he isn't sure he wants to wake from this lovely dream of the Jedi Temple as an Initiate. Trying to be picked by Qui-Gon Jinn goes as poorly as he remembered only for his mental grousing to slip from his lips.

"Very well. Yoda has made it clear from his machinations that I will be your Padawan and heal your mind or I will not be a Jedi. As the last vision I had showed you would only accept me if I offered to die to help you in the middle of a slave revolt I will accept your rejection. The vision also showed that I was one of the only ones to survive the complete Genocide of the Jedi down to the last child in the creche so perhaps I should simply leave. It might even save the rest of you from the returned and no longer hiding Sith," Obi-Wan found himself saying before turning and walking away with one last word thrown over his shoulder. "May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan didn't notice the shocked silence of the unexpected audience at meal time nor the echo of silent freak outs within the Force itself from those around him. He simply returned his empty tray and left.

Unable to stand being near anyone Obi-Wan found one of the old temple escape tunnels that were still in disrepair and sat down to meditate, heedless of the stir he had caused that quickly slid into a panicked search for him. It would be a week before he was found, thin and weak but fast asleep in his little hiding spot. Master Plo Koon gently lifted his small body and hurried him to the healers, bowling over more than one Jedi in the process.

One thing that wouldn't be known to Obi-Wan until weeks into his recovery was that the Force had backed up every word. The Force had enforced the words so harshly that no one could find him nor could they forget his words once they were heard. The most damning blow of all was that just an hour before Master Koon was allowed to find him everyone in the Temple able to do so spoke the same name and titles:

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Council Master, Sith Killer, War Time High General, the Negotiator, Bane of the Dark, and Chosen Champion of the Force.

Chapter Text

Dr. Stephen Strange, former neurosurgeon, was rather baffled at what his friend was doing. He hadn't expected it but he couldn't fault Dr. Christine Palmer for pulling one over on him for this. He, Doctor Stephen Strange, was doing consulting work. Granted, Christine knew why he hadn't wanted to shift into pure consulting work after his hands had been crushed. Of course she was also one of the few people he would actually allow to pull something like this bait and switch on him without extreme retaliation. Wong was another but he would never tell his fellow Sorcerer that. Christine, unfortunately, had figured it out on her own and now that she knew how to contact him again she held no compunctions about taking advantage of that fact.

"Stephen, I need you to look over these charts," Christine said as she held up a pile of charts gathered from various departments.

The rest of the staff had caught on almost as soon as she had dragged him into the hospital for consulting. They had latched onto to getting his help without having to brave his acerbic temper and moods using his friend as a very effective buffer almost immediately. Stephen didn't mind the distance, he had designed a lot of his asshole reputation to keep such a distance from jealous co-workers from the start. Christine had still gotten through his walls to his well hidden ornery but somewhat soft insides. Damn her.

"Doctor West needs to do an in-depth review of the nervous system," Stephen scowled as he made rather pointed notes on one patient file. "Doctor Hamez needs to brush up on neurotoxins that sometimes wind up in the household but he caught the important part. Nurse Parker needs more paid days off before she makes a mistake but she's getting good at noticing atypical things that could be a problem. We might want her doing a stint in diagnostics to cross-train her on the job. She's also picking up things dealing with potential enhanced so see if you can get her tasks that focus on honing that. If she starts picking things up from my current job we will need to give her some extra training to know what to avoid and when to have you call me."

"She's getting that good?" Christine asked, impressed.

"From her notes in the Gomez file she's probably being exposed to something similar off the clock so I would rather catch the problem early and train a second set of eyes for here," Stephen corrected. "You are observant enough to realize when I probably need to be dragged in on both fronts without special training. Not everyone is that intelligent or aware enough to avoid making it worse."

"Everyone seems to think acting as your buffer is the perfect job for me when I am not busy in the ER with my actual job," Christine grumbled. "I had to argue pretty hard just to get you the consulting contract with such flexible hours because of your other job on top of things."

"Come now, Christine," Stephen smirked. "You know that you are the only one able to drag me back in without the ability to actively work in the OR in my specialty. Kamar-Taj reminded me that I became a doctor to heal people and save lives, not gain fame and fortune, my own poor bedside manner aside. I really do appreciate that contract and that you managed to keep the NDA portion intact."

"Why do I get the feeling that the NDA part is going out the window at some point in the next decade but probably sooner rather than later?" Christine asked in narrow eyed suspicion.

"Because you are actually intelligent and it's only a matter of time before some idiot decides to take a page out of Loki's book and flamboyantly attack. They will obviously, unlike Loki, not bother to keep the collateral and casualty counts down," Stephen answered. "As a matter of fact there is an actual limit to what can be ignored or covered up. Cameras are simply too wide spread and we are being attacked in too many highly public locations with high population centers. Containment of the information is ultimately futile and I have to deal with hide bound fossils demanding we try anyway."

Christine gave him an unimpressed look but before she could say anything else there was a racket from the direction of the ER entrance. They traded a look and both went to investigate.

"I'm telling you you have to send help!" A panicked, nearly hysterical, voice of a teenaged boy was half shouting as they entered the ER waiting area.

Stephen stiffened automatically as he took stock of the boy. He had great big brown eyes, was skinny as a rail, and moved like he was ridiculously flexible as he tried to get help. The movements as he darted from one staff member to another though reminded Stephen of his combat training at Kamar-Taj but less focused. It was as if the boy had experience but no actual training in a fight.

"Young Man," Stephen called out to him impulsively, getting his attention. "I can probably help you better than the rest of the staff. What seems to be the problem?"

"They broke in and hurt my Aunt and my friends," the boy reported, calming slightly now that he was getting focused attention. "The blood... There was so much blood!"

"Is any of the blood on you yours?" Stephen asked carefully.

"No, I don't know, it doesn't matter! You have to send help," the boy insisted.

"I can't help without a name and an address to send the ambulance to," Stephen said reasonably.

"Peter Parker, my name is Peter Parker. My Aunt May Parker normally works here. Ned and MJ were visiting and, and, and!" Peter said, distressed, obviously trying not to cry. "The guns and the blood."

The address that followed was half mangled but Stephen made it out well enough.

"Someone send at least three ambulances to the address in Queens," Stephen snapped out. "Assume multiple casualties and gun shot wounds. Christine?"

"I got it Stephen," Christine said grimly. "You take care of the kid."

Stephen ushered Peter further into the ER and snagged one of the open exam rooms before starting to check over his new charge.

"You need to call Mr. Stark," Peter sobbed. "He's... I'm an intern for him."

Stephen gave Peter a sharp look away from a cut on his arm before turning back to the wound and pausing, noticing that it had visibly healed some while he was turned away. Something clicked behind his eyes and he checked Peter's fingers, noticing fine strong hairs that didn't normally belong on a human. Spiderman was sitting in front of him and he was a child.

"Peter, listen to me," Stephen said quietly, immediately gaining Peter's attention. "No one but me or my friend Christine Palmer are allowed to check you or treat you. Preferably only me. Your enhancements... no, stop panicking, I'm not going to out you or anything stupid like that. Your extras need to stay secret. I trust Christine but she is still subject to the same rules of the hospital as everyone else on staff. I'm not. I used to work here in an official capacity but right now I just come in about once a week to do consultant work. If someone else asks you who your primary doctor is you tell them my name, Doctor Stephen Strange. If anyone asks why I took you on it was a favor for your Aunt once I got back to the States. I'll call Stark but I need to know what to say to get past whoever guards his phone line."

"Say... Spiderling is in hospital and needs an extraction," Peter told him somewhat numbly.

Fresh screams from people in the ER had them both looking out of the exam room into the waiting area.

"That's who hurt Aunt May!" Peter half shouted in a panic.

Stephen clocked the undead vibe before he clocked the guns but his internal patience limit was hit and surpassed long before the bullets flew. With a growl he sent Levi to pick up Peter and keep him safe, ignoring the way the cloak unfurled from it's handkerchief form to wrap around the boy in a billow of fabric. Peter yelped in surprise as he was swept up into the larger area of the waiting section of the ER and slung into a Levi hammock high out of the way near the ceiling.

"You are an enhanced," one of the undead thugs noted. "Surrender yourself and the boy and no one needs to get hurt."

"I'm afraid that you've hit my last nerve. To answer your demand, no," Stephen half snarled as he moved to shield everyone in the ER from the gun wielding group of undead.

"Pity, at least your corpses might be useful," the lead undead said without emotion as they raised their guns to fire.

They didn't get the chance as Stephen cast his shields and moved to further protect the room. He grimaced as he noticed the cell phones filming everything but didn't flinch as he held the line. Vaguely he heard Peter call for Stark but it sounded muffled. A quick glance told him that the boy had his Spiderman mask on and was frantically talking to whatever program or spirit was inside it. He didn't have the chance to do focus more than that single glance but it told him help was probably on the way.

"Funny thing, you called me enhanced. I'm not," Stephen said grimly, deliberately distracting everyone. "Magic predates the so called enhanced but then you knew that. I'm afraid that the ER doesn't treat the undead. You'll have to leave."

A wordless shout of rage from the attackers came with a shedding of the more healthy human form. There were shrieks behind Stephen as false flesh fell away from faces to reveal a mixed bag of colors from red to purple to blue and gaunt bony visages underneath. Stephen waited for them to empty the gun magazines before flicking one wrist in the pattern for a spell whip and using it to sweep their legs out from under them. The shield he hadn't dispelled was put to use as a bulldozer as he physically shoved them out the door and, once far enough back from the building, set them on fire.

The fact that they were still moving after that told Stephen that they were stronger than anticipated. He was going to have to actually behead them to get them to stop. As he was preparing to drop the shield and switch to his favorite sword spell a set of blasts came out of the air to explode each undead head in turn. Iron Man flew over the mess to hover next to him.

"Where is he?" Iron Man, Tony Stark, demanded.

"Hanging from the ceiling in my cloak," Stephen said, amused.

Stephen dropped the now useless shield and headed for the door, intending to lead the obviously overprotective hero to his charge. The clank and loss of sound from the flight portions of the armor shutting down told Stephen that he was correct. Stark was following after him.

Chapter Text

Stephen dropped the now useless shield and headed for the door, intending to lead the obviously overprotective hero to his charge. The clank of metal landing against the ground and loss of sound from the flight portions of the armor shutting down told Stephen that he was correct. Stark was following after him.

"Why do I get the feeling you should be in deep blue robes with a red animated cape and a sassy green rock hanging pretty around your neck?" Iron Man asked as they stepped into the ER lobby.

Stephen froze briefly only to whirl around and stare at the hero in shock. His surprise was so great that he lost control of the illusion he wore over his robes in front of the entire room. His robes and amulet were revealed for all to see. Their unintentional stand off was broke by one particular voice speaking in awe.

"Cool! Can you teach me to do that Mr. Doctor Strange sir?!" Peter asked excitedly from his trapped position in the cloak hammock.

Iron Man turned to tilt his head up to look at the excited Spiderling no longer wearing his mask.

"Can you even get down without breaking your neck, Underroos?" Iron Man asked, amused. The offended squawk was enough to remind Stephen that he was in public and in the middle of dealing with things.

"You can bring him down now," Stephen told his cloak with a sigh.

Levi shivered in delight before detaching from the ceiling and presenting the teenager to them both as if on a giant serving platter made from his enchanted folds of fabric.

"I like your cloak even if he wouldn't let me help when the bad guys showed up," Peter chirped.

Stephen automatically noticed his wince when he hopped off of the cloak and started moving to check him again even as Levi settled happily back onto his own shoulders.

"As well he shouldn't have. Fighting undead, especially ones so strong as those were, isn't for the faint of heart. I'm honestly surprised I managed to shove them out the door with how they resisted the fire spell afterwards. If Iron Man hadn't taken them out at range I would have had to close quarters with them still able to fight as they burned and try to take their heads off more directly," Stephen commented absently. "Teenagers should never have to deal with the likes of them. It normally takes special training to fight undead powerful enough to keep moving while on fire."

"What did you notice about my kid that has you distracted, Doc?" Tony Stark asked, opening his face plate to speak more directly.

"I didn't notice when he arrived but he's favoring his ribs. I will have to check that now that the danger is over," Stephen told him, starting to usher Peter back into the original examination room. "If you could check on the status of those he sought help for, which includes his guardian, I would be grateful. I'll wrangle the teenager until I have legal proof I can entrust him to you or word from his guardian."

"But Mr. Stark is cool and, and, and I'm his intern!" Peter protested while allowing himself to be ushered back into his check up.

"I care more about not being responsible for accidentally handing you over to a clone or a magical duplicate or someone trying to take you away for neferious reasons than if he actually is your current boss," Stephen said dryly. "Even if he can legally stand as your guardian I refuse to let you leave while injured and untreated."

"I like you. I can just tell that you're going to be a pain in the ass to work with but I like you," Tony declared with a smirk.

The worry hidden in Stark's eyes told Stephen that the man might check on the others for him remotely but he wasn't physically leaving the kid. He could understand and respect that so he focused on treating the teenaged vigilante in his care and keeping the hospital staff on the ball for everything around them. His ruthless asshole reputation within the hospital was thoroughly revised and kept problems to a minimum. It did not keep Christine away.

~~~

Several hours after the confrontation Stephen had argued the young vigilante into an actual bed. Officially admitting Peter to the hospital but with Stephen in attendance as his physician had not gone over well until Stark had promised to pay for everything. When Wong appeared Stephen could only sigh and step out of the room, leaving Stark to watch the teen as he dealt with the magic side of things.

"You're trending on YouTube and TikTok," Wong said bluntly, earning a wince from Stephen. "The undead were too damaged by the fire and whatever took their heads off to run a trace on them. The fire at least burned hot enough to break down anything nasty left behind even if it made them useless for tracking. One thing I found in the ashes though was a twisted metal amulet. It's not much to go on but it shows there's a larger threat behind this attack. They weren't just wandering. They were attacking a set target."

"The boy is enhanced," Stephen muttered softly. "A child champion and protector. They demanded I surrender him and come with them once they identified that I wasn't a civilian. Considering his links to Stark on top of what they could use him for mystically we can't afford to leave him uncovered. Which probably means whoever gets guard duty is going to be joining him on his own attempts at helping people and protecting people in public."

"You just outted yourself rather dramatically," Wong pointed out dryly. "As Sorcerer Supreme you really should be at Kamar-Taj and someone else should be acting as Sanctum Master for the New York Sanctum. You are doing multiple jobs at once and barely let me help much less the others."

Stephen stayed quiet. They both knew that the best option was going to be for him to personally take up protecting Peter or assigning another highly capable Master who wasn't aware of just how delicate things were turning out. They also both knew that even if he didn't assign someone else he was going to have to give up being the Sanctum Master at least temporarily. He would probably need to ask for someone to cover most of his Sorcerer Supreme duties as well. No matter what was decided he couldn't see any way to avoid at least filling in Spiderman and Iron Man on the existence of the Mystic Order and it's mandate. This was especially true with Stark's earlier comment about his attire, surprising him into dropping his illusion spell.

"There may be another complication. Stark knew what I normally wear. It was like he could see through the illusion spell and wanted to know where everything I normally wear was," Stephen admitted cautiously. "I felt something from the Eye of Agamotto at the time. It was almost like proud glee and smug satisfaction. As if a parent watched their child successfully accomplish an incredibly difficult task but it was definitely aimed towards Stark."

"Concerning," Wong frowned.

"I also feel drawn to both of them," Stephen sighed. "It's an echo but it almost feels like they are supposed to be my family. That I would kill for them and even risk the world for them. I've never met them before."

Wong's gaze sharpened at Stephen's words as he studied his troubled friend.

"Do you feel that it would interfere with your duties? As Sorcerer Supreme or Guardian of the Eye? Of this World and the Multiverse?" Wong asked slowly.

"That's the thing, on top of just being weird it feels like allowing a family bond would increase my effectiveness," Stephen said helplessly. "I have never met that boy before in my life yet I feel like he has been my son since birth! Stark feels familiar in a different way. It's as if we have fought side by side through numerous battles together with varied elements to the point of a battle bond, a strong one. Should I risk leaving? Keep away from them so that I don't hurt them with whatever this is?"

"No," Wong said sharply. "It sounds like you gained an echo of another version of yourself from an alternate timeline. According to the records it sometimes happens with someone deeply attuned to the Eye or one who has needed to use it often. Any attempt to deny those feelings from it, on the other hand, turns out poorly. They are just as real as anything else but with the extra complications from the undead attackers we can't assign anyone else. If you need extra help you have to specifically ask for it or one of us has to be drawn in by something else. Time can be fickle and if the Eye is deliberately affecting things from within the containment amulet then allowing this might be vital."

Stephen went quiet as he thought about that before making a decision with a decisive nod.

"Would you act as my stand in as Sorcerer Supreme?" Stephen asked softly.

Wong drew in a sharp breath of shock before briefly bowing low and answering, "I would be honored to act as your stand in. Should I take up deciding who needs to be placed in the New York Sanctum?"

"Please, you know the other Masters better than I do. I wouldn't even know where to begin on such assignments," Stephen agreed quickly. He hesitated for a moment but forged on with his next request. "Would you please log Peter Parker, Spiderman, Tony Stark, and Iron Man as my family members when you get back? With yourself as my brother?"

Wong's eyes went wide and nodded his speechless agreement.

"Bring them by the temple for basic training at some point," Wong instructed gruffly. "There's no point in leaving them so vulnerable that they don't know to call for help when it might be needed."

"Thank you, my friend," Stephen said softly. Wong nodded and left.

Neither Sorcerer was aware of the eavesdropping heroes in the hospital room, one with enhanced hearing and one with advanced tech. Nor were they aware of the wide-eyed looks exchanged by the two geniuses that spelt interest and concern. Looks that also silently spoke of potentially adopting the magical doctor in return.

When Stephen rejoined them with too much food for just the two adults Tony willingly accepted being handed part of the bounty. Peter knew how much trust that was extending but didn't comment on it as he focused on eating the majority of the delivered burgers.

~~~

The hospital staff were surprised to find Stephen using the emergency nap room overnight after they had managed to argue Tony Stark out of the building the day before. The few people stupid enough to remark on it got harassed by co-workers to give him some slack or otherwise reminded that Dr. Strange had gotten some sort of power up. The defense of the hospital while appreciated also spooked more than one person on staff but it was generally those he had already made terrified of him at some point.

"Why are you taking on the boy as a personal patient?" Doctor Nicodemus West finally demanded of Stephen.

"Because I can actually stop any new attacks, I owed his Aunt - Nurse Parker - a favor, and it allowed Stark not to throw a fit over lack of appropriate treatment or security due to a recent health change. I actually studied the relevant medical area in my down time at one point and am qualified to treat him. Most of the rest of you aren't," Stephen said pointedly. "I am also getting paid to double as a guard because of those factors thanks to Stark. Oh, Christine? I could use a list of all the equipment that badly needs replacing. If I talk about it near Stark he might spring for new ones as a bonus for the hospital cooperating."

"I'll get that list made up," Christine smirked. "Good luck with your weird flirting."

"I wasn't flirting!" Stephen protested with a scowl. "The kid needs a larger caloric intake than most people due to how part of one of his past accidental chemical exposures interacted with the specialized treatment at the time. Giving him only a standard meal is like demanding we survive on a single 8 oz serving of tomato soup a day for a week before going into an overnight long surgery! It isn't feasible. So I got him some burgers. No, I will not be explaining further since there are NDAs involved that I barely got cleared for. I only told you about his food requirements so that you know he needs three to five times the standard at meal times."

Stephen very pointedly did not clarify that said accidental exposure was whatever the hell had given Peter spider powers. He also didn't clarify that the treatment interaction was probably a distinct lack of treatment because teenagers are notorious for trying to ignore or shrug off injuries and illness. The part about Stark suddenly hiring him had been true but Stephen had made it clear that it wasn't necessary as he intended to see things through in any case. Stark had countered that no one would believe him about being altruistic on the matter and that having an actual hiring contract would at least cover Stephen if he needed to get a hold of Stark quickly. Stephen had eventually caved and signed the temporary employment contract.

Chapter Text

Hours later Stephen helplessly held one Peter Parker as he sobbed his heart out.

"I'm sorry buddy," Tony said softly. "I managed to talk with her before her heart stopped. She was only holding on long enough to make sure you were safely with me. Your friends kept her alive until the police and EMTs got there to stabilize her enough to move them. They didn't come here because someone told them about the guys I blasted so they redirected as a safety precaution. Your two friends survived because you distracted the attackers and ran and because May protected them with her own body. Ned is going to be paralyzed from the waist down but Michelle lost an eye and a lot of blood. They'll live but their parents have banned any contact with you, at least for now."

"Who is his current guardian now that his Aunt... Or do I need to talk to Child Services?" Stephen asked carefully.

"Uh, I am," Tony answered and pulled out the emergency paperwork he and May had signed months ago as a precaution.

Stephen took them and looked them over, noting the date they were signed and noterized before handing them back.

"Alright, I'll get the files updated once we're done here and make sure the rest of the staff knows," Stephen offered. "As I am not actually attached to the hospital we can move somewhere more secure should you feel that it's necessary."

"Please," Tony nodded. "And yeah, I want Underroos somewhere a bit more secure as soon as possible."

Stephen listed out anything he was likely going to need to treat young Peter if they moved immediately. He then set out a list of what he would like to have on hand in case of complications. Finally, he listed what paperwork had to be dealt with before they could actually leave.

"Anything for yourself, Merlin?" Tony asked slyly.

"I didn't want to presume anything," Stephen said with a grimace. "Unfortunately, for me, I may need to be on hand for various reasons and I will have to cover various things that would normally require NDAs. You both need to be aware of certain things regarding his attackers. It can wait so long as you don't throw me out right away once we get him wherever you plan to move him. Neither of you will be asked to sign NDAs but the information when given will need to be kept secret for what will become obvious reasons once I read you in. That said, I don't actually think that the general information will manage to be kept secret for much longer overall just due to circumstances. Do with that what you will."

"Gotcha," Tony said with a sage-like nod. "Anything I need to get for you to stay over or are you good with what you have on you?"

Stephen hesitated, obviously struggling with himself before actually answering. "I could do with a spare change of clothes, nothing extravagant. Just a T-shirt and sweats will do fine. It isn't like I'm going to be meeting anyone important with only seeing to Peter's health. Anything more can be discussed after I've read you both in on the complications from his attackers."

Tony gave him a look but didn't argue. He immediately sent off the lists so that they would be in place before they got in the car to the Tower. Once Peter was officially installed in his new room and they had their talk Tony could decide if they were sticking the Doc on the guest level or keeping him closer.

Stephen let the inventor be as he eased himself out of the clinging grip of the now sleeping teen vigilante. He quietly took his leave to deal with his own side of the paperwork and hoped the kid clung to Stark next time. Somehow Stephen doubted that being allowed to stay near them was supposed to be this easy. It made him wonder if Stark planned to keep him for interrogation or something similar.

Unknown to Stephen Tony looked after him curiously. He wondered if he could unravel the mysterious magical doctor. He also wondered if he could convince the man to stick around and what would be needed to bribe him into letting Tony take sensor readings on the magic.

Peter, on the other hand, was dreaming of having both Tony and the nice magic doctor as his parents. The dream was nice but all it proved was that he was dreaming in the first place.

Chapter Text

The second attack came in the middle of the night at O'Dark thirty, creeping in through the window of Peter's room. The shadows crawled along the walls and floor, inch by inch approaching the sleeping body of their target. Just as they reached the bed and started their climb up the wheels Peter bolted upright in bed with a shocked yell before instinctively launching himself towards the ceiling as the shadows rushed to capture him.

Peter's shout alerted the staff and a nearby grumpy Doctor Strange to a problem. The door burst open after getting stuck on a mass of shadows. Doctor Strange stood in the doorway, hands glowing with magic ready to cast.

"Get back," Stephen shouted over his shoulder. "Lock the rooms, get out of the hallways."

The staff quickly obeyed with various shouts of surprise or questions of confusion while everyone scrambled to obey.

Peter, taking that as permission to act, launched himself away from the reaching shadows towards the doctor and the doorway. Stephen instinctively grabbed him with a spell and pulled Peter out of the room. He pivoted on one foot with the spell holding Peter in one hand while using a shield from the other hand over the doorway to seal the room. The wave of darkness slammed into the shield, making the magic and Stephen shudder as he forced himself to hold the wall in place.

"What the hell is that?!" Peter yelped.

"Silent Shadows, an enchantment used for assassinations and abductions. It animates the shadows with specific instructions on what to do with their target. If the caster uses it as a cover for something else it gives the primary spell or minion temporary use of the general spell effect but you can only tell... If there are eyes in the darkness," Stephen explained, his voice slowing as the mix of ruby, amber, and acid green eyes appeared in the wall of darkness just past his shield spell.

"That's bad, right?" Peter asked quietly.

"That is very bad," Stephen agreed, attention focused on the attackers hidden in the darkness.

"Stephen," Christine called out as she ignored his orders to hide only to come up behind him and stare in shock at the mass of seething shadows and eyes.

"Christine, I really need you to ride herd on everyone to help keep them safe. I need to deal with this even if Stark wasn't paying me to deal with the kid," Stephen said slowly and carefully.

"Move slow and confidant?" Christine asked carefully.

"Exactly," Stephen confirmed. "I think we can lead it away if we have to run but that's going to be risky. I would rather deal with it where it is but that will cause damage to the room at a minimum."

"Okay, um, risk to the rooms on either side, above, or below?" Christine asked somewhat nervously. She was clearly trying to cover all the possible bases while letting her friend deal with his new speciality.

"Significant," Stephen admitted.

"Uh, I get that moving risks bystanders and not moving concentrates the possible damage to one spot but what stops them from doing it again?" Peter asked nervously eyeing the currently contained attackers. "What stops them from going after whoever sees something?"

"Which is part of why I want to contain it here. It minimizes the risk overall. Either way I think I will be expediting your paperwork in the morning to get you somewhere else as a precaution," Stephen said firmly. "Christine, be a dear and see if the potentially affected rooms can be cleared? Worry about lives over equipment as a priority please."

"How much worse would it have been if you weren't here?" Christine asked quietly.

"From what I can see of things? An entire floor dead looking for the target. Even if they had found Peter immediately they would have taken out anyone in the halls or at the nurses station as a precaution as well as anyone who might have seen something. With me here they are focused on Peter and me, prioritizing us over possible clean up as both threats and targets," Stephen said softly, eyes still focused on the threat. "The very fact I am here and am openly using magic classes this as something that doesn't need to be hidden which allows both sides to focus on the situation and not on trying to keep things secret by any means necessary."

"Oh, the bad guys just kill everyone and the ones who don't like killing probably erase memories or something to keep stuff quiet but you got caught on video which wrecks the secrecy stuff," Peter said in understanding. "So they don't have to bother killing everyone but as bad guys they might anyway. Which is why we didn't run and make them chase us right away."

"Yup," Stephen agreed, pleased that Peter had understood the impromptu lesson.

"I'll just go get those people moved," Christine said, carefully turning and walking away as calmly as possible while checking the rooms to either side of Peter's assigned room. Thankfully, both were empty. She knew from experience that the rooms above and below Peter's room were equipment and storage respectively so didn't worry about anything except getting herself hidden and letting Stephen get on with things.

"You dated her didn't you?" Peter asked perceptively.

"Yup, I was an asshole," Stephen confirmed. "I can still be an asshole at times but I started getting over myself after I wrecked my car and got my hands crushed. We can talk about that later though."

"Your shield is holding pretty good... Why are we waiting?" Peter asked curiously.

"Because I want a better idea on who is so determined to get you and now me. My friend didn't find much in the zombie leftovers and while dealing with this at the hospital is far from ideal it is what we have on hand at the moment," Stephen shrugged. "We might not learn anything new but the earlier arguments for not moving still stand."

"Oooohhhhh, that makes sense," Peter said, nodding sagely.

Chapter Text

"Oooohhhhh, that makes sense," Peter said, nodding sagely.

The sharp crack from inside Peter's hospital room distracted both of them and reminded them that they weren't in a classroom.

"Ah, with that variation we might have a bigger problem than I thought," Stephen winced.

"Run?" Peter asked warily. His spider sense starting to blare loudly in the back of his skull.

"I think a portal and letting them follow us through if you don't object?" Stephen said very carefully.

"No objections on my part," Peter said immediately. "But you might want to hurry."

Rather than responding Stephen cast the portal to a field that he knew of from training at Kamar-Taj. He ushered Peter through it after casting shields to either side between the room and the portal, creating a funnel for their opponents to follow them. It was only once they were safely through the portal and back several dozen feet that he let go over the quickly fracturing shield on the room doorway. The mass of shadows and eyes rushed forwards in howling glee, forcing the pair to hastily dodge as Stephen closed the portal once all of the shadows had come through. It took five minutes of dodging for them both before he could safely cast a second portal to get them back out again. Peter tumbled to the floor of the hospital they had returned to and glanced up as Stephen stumbled through, hastily closing the portal behind them.

"I don't think we learned much but at least we got those things away from everyone?" Peter offered as they both caught their breath.

Stephen glanced at the decimated room that Peter had been sleeping in and decided the teen had no idea how close they had come to being captured or dead.

"Peter, I say this with all the protective care for you I have but I really need to teach you proper risk assessment when it comes to magic and the Mystic Arts," Stephen said painfully. "You have no idea how close that was and I don't think we can afford to let you stay unaware. For now, you're going to sleep in the same room as me and I'm getting you discharged in the morning even if I have to take full responsibility for you myself. At least your ribs appear more healed than I thought judging by how you moved when we were dodging them a minute ago."

"Um, okay? I thought we did pretty well," Peter said somewhat disappointed.

Stephen shuddered at the memory of how many close calls the teenager had just twisted through and decided it was better to fix this ASAP.

"If you weren't still injured and signed into the hospital I would be dragging you straight to the place I was trained. I would then run you through a ridiculous number of combat drills with as many people I could con into sparing with you as possible. You would keep fighting until you could fight a mage blindfolded and survive to at least run or you dropped from exhaustion, possibly both," Stephen said sincerely. "What just happened here? That was terrifying. I refuse to leave you without at least the tools to keep yourself alive until I can help."

"Oh..." Peter said, startled and wide-eyed at Stephen's admission.

"Come on, let's get you back into a bed," Stephen sighed. He led Peter to a different room, this time one set up for two patients, and settled them each in a bed.

Peter gave him a funny look at being tucked in but didn't object. Stephen ignored how he was treating the boy as if Peter were his son and how he had just been frightened out of his wits for the teen. Neither of them got much more sleep that night.

~~~

Tony was somehow not surprised that when he got back to the hospital the next morning something had happened. He took a look at the damaged, wrecked really, room and made a mental note to get that fixed for the hospital. Next he tracked down Peter and the Doctor-Wizard that he had hired, giving them both a once over before deciding that they weren't hurt enough to need to leave them at the hospital. He didn't want them staying this vulnerable with how bad the former hospital room looked. He could freak out and cuddle Peter once they were back at the tower.

"I take it that I should wait until we're back home to ask about the room?" Tony asked lightly.

"It was awesome but sorta scary Mr. Stark!" Peter said excitedly as he munched on his breakfast.

"He needs training," Stephen moaned, slumping in his seat. "Scared the life out of me more than once during the attack even though he behaved and kept himself unhurt beyond his prior injuries. On the other hand I now have at least one lead on where to look for whoever is pulling this stupidity. It isn't much of one but it's something."

"Oh?" Tony asked, interest sparking in his eyes.

"Naga," Stephen said with a grimace. "There isn't a whole lot on it for modern times but there's a multi-century long feud that's more like a war between those who worship snake deities and spider ones. Someone like Peter probably has the blessings of one which would have infuriated the other. They won't care that he's still a child. It would make it all the more important for them to kill him or capture him before he really grew in power and skill. Mind you this is only speculation from the shadow serpents being present as part of the multilayered attack and not solid evidence. Someone else could have decided Peter was valuable for completely unrelated reasons. It wasn't like the newest attackers were aiming to kill. Capture if possible? Yes, but it felt more like a test designed to look like an attack."

"Which has all sorts of disturbing implications," Tony agreed with a frown. "You also just proved that I can't afford to let you walk away yet, not if I want my kid surviving whatever this shit is."

"It's not like I was planning to," Stephen grumbled into his coffee. "I'll see about getting accomodations nearby and then we can discuss..."

"Hell no, we have guest rooms, you're moving in," Tony said stubbornly, interrupting the man. "I'll buy you whatever you need for this and if it's about payment I can cover whatever you want easily."

"Don't ever offer something like that to anyone from the supernatural side of things again," Stephen said seriously. "You need to be careful of your wording with how anything to do with magic or the supernatural take verbal contracts as oftentimes more binding than anything written down. With how you worded that I could demand ownership of your children or that you sign over everything to me or even demand that you become my slave! This is no joking matter and flippant offers like that can have your soul sold off to the highest bidder in a heartbeat!"

Tony clocked his anger and then mentally went over what he had just been told a few more times before slowly nodding his understanding. Internally, he shivered at the blunder and was glad the man in front of him hadn't immediately taken advantage of it.

"Now, you need to know that anything to do with magic, the Mystic Arts, the Occult, and spirit things tend not to use standard currency. Human practitioners depending on whatever they are doing and the requirements attached to it occasionally accept standard currency if only so they can buy groceries. However, do not ever assume that it will be what they ask of you for any transaction. Always be clear on the terms before agreeing to them," Stephen instructed both of them. "If you aren't then it could mean your life or the life of someone else. There are past records of deals struck where the payment was someone or something under the authority, if only temporarily, of the person making the deal."

"Gotcha," Tony acknowledged. Peter murmured a wide-eyed confirmation that he had heard and understood.

Chapter Text

"Gotcha," Tony acknowledged. Peter murmured a wide-eyed confirmation that he had heard and understood.

Over the next few hours Peter was checked again and signed out. Tony arranged to have the hospital room repaired and the equipment replaced. Never the less it was lunch time before Tony could bundle up his Spiderling and their new Doctor-Sorcerer and head out. It was only after they reached the street that first major hurdle made itself known.

Tony and Peter cheerfully greeted Happy Hogan. They were paying more attention to him over Doctor Strange so they didn't immediately notice the man stopping dead in his tracks. It was Stephen's change in breathing as he forced himself not to slip into a panic attack that brought the problem to their notice.

"Doctor Strange?" Peter asked worriedly, looking over at the man from his place in the back of the car.

"Doc? You okay?" Tony asked carefully, turning to check the man.

"I think I'll just meet you there. The tower, right?" Stephen said nervously as he stared in dread at the car. He was blind to the concerned looks as he tried not to fall into a flashback of the wreck that had taken his hands.

Tony approached him cautiously and stayed calm when Stephen flinched away from his touch.

"Doc, what's wrong? Talk to me here," Tony requested carefully.

"It was in the news at the time. I got into a wreck and crushed my hands. It's why I don't do surgeries anymore and why Doctor Palmer is the only one who can normally talk me into consulting on something. It was honestly convenance to help keep the kid alive that had me stepping in as both protector and doctor rather than letting someone else treat him," Stephen explained, lying partly about why he had stepped in to help Peter. "I can make my own way there but I'm afraid getting into car is... problematic. You don't have to worry about me."

"How do you get anywhere in the city or anywhere else without getting into a car or other vehicle?" Tony asked incredulously.

"Portals," Stephen said shortly. "One of the first practical magics I learned was how to cast portals."

"They're really cool, Mr. Stark!" Peter said with earnest enthusiasm. "He used them last night to help get rid of whatever tried to attack me and then to bring us back to the hospital."

"Oh," Tony said, swallowing hard. "I have some trouble trusting portals after having to fly a nuke through the one during the New York fight. My problems with magic come from a couple of different places but for some reason I trust yours and you protected my kid. Now that I think about it I don't even know why I was so willing to have you protect him with magic."

"Completely understandable," Stephen was quick to reassure him. "I know I have to get used to them again, eventually, but I would rather not try again any time soon. As for the odd show of trust... I'm having a similar problem with both of you. I feel like I can trust you both well beyond our brief acquaintance and that... Well that you're both family. There is a theory which could explain it but I don't know how willing you would be to listen to it and I don't want to intrude. If you would rather someone uninvolved I know of others in the group I am part of that could step in and help instead."

"Would that hurt you? For someone else to take your place in whatever magic this is?" Tony asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"That doesn't matter," Stephen said quietly. "The important part is keeping Peter alive."

Peter decided that the adults were being ridiculous and opted to solve it the easy way.

"Okay, can you open a portal for us to drive thru?" Peter asked curiously. "You can get in the car, open the portal, we drive like ten feet through the portal and get out again in the driveway or whatever. You both get your practice with things you don't like in a safe way, we get wherever Mr. Stark is taking us, and we don't have to fight traffic. We all win."

"Kid's got a point, Boss," Happy said carefully. Peter amped up the stakes by very judiciously applying the adorable puppy dog eyes.

"That is so not fair," Tony complained, pointing accusingly at Peter's eyes. "He weaponized them! Come on, Bambi! Give us a break!"

Stephen got hit with them full bore compared to Tony's glancing blow and grumbled his own agreement about the puppy dog eyes.

"Don't bother with those, Peter. No, I can't make a portal for the car. There has to be some air gap between the portal edge and the solid surface or it slices into it like a monomolecular blade. The wheels would get shredded at a minimum. I will just... deal with being in the car," Stephen said, defeated.

Before Tony could realize what he was going to do and stop him Stephen forced himself to get in the car and just tried to stay calm.

"Can I, we, touch you?" Peter asked tentatively in the silence that followed.

"Yes," Stephen said stiffly.

"Boy, you weren't kidding when you talked to your friend that first day at the hospital," Tony remarked as he watched Peter cuddle up against the doctor.

"Do I want to know how much of that conversation you listened to?" Stephen asked, slumping in further defeat after tensing in Peter's hold.

"Enhanced hearing," Peter said simply.

"The armor is pretty high tech," Tony said calmly as he finally joined them in the car.

"So you both heard everything," Stephen groaned.

"That was one of the major factors in deciding not to fight the weird feelings and actually trust you," Tony agreed as Happy got the car moving. "What did it mean? Logging us as your family when that Wong guy got back?"

"It can mean as little or as much as you want it too," Stephen said somewhat stiffly, still bothered by being in a car again. "Mostly it means the rest of the group I learned magic from won't throw a fit if I invite you to visit and will help if I need to call in back up to protect you even after this specific situation is resolved. It's no different from registering a blood relative or in-law so that the others know the person is on the affiliated family list. Not unlike the families of military personnel being noted and given discounts at times or extra protection if the military family member is important enough."

"And the magic echo part?" Tony asked intently.

"The multiverse is real as are alternate timelines. I guard and occasionally use an artifact tied to time," Stephen explained with a sigh. "The bleed over effect, according to Wong, is a known side effect from excessive use. Which I didn't have a choice on at the time and please don't ask about it. I also would be trying to kill you for even obliquely asking about it if I didn't have enough bleed over to trust you both deeply. I realize that you may not be getting hit with the same effect but I would hope that basically crippling myself to get wherever we are going would at least help you trust me a little bit. If not, well I can probably just leave once I've recovered."

"And if I decide to insist on you staying?" Tony asked, his voice softly dangerous. "If I want you to stick around and help protect my kid?"

"Mr. Stark!" Peter squawked in immediate protest at the implied kidnapping they were potentially performing.

"Then we will probably have words and depending on that conversation things will happen," Stephen said pointedly. "I don't know your actual character in this world only what's bleeding through from the other. What I do know is that making you an enemy is suicidal and that you love Peter as your son no matter your actual blood connection to him."

"So, what? You'll stick around at least long enough to work out how to co-parent our Spiderling with me if nothing else?" Tony demanded, narrow eyed.

"I am willingly walking into the heart of your power and authority, Stark. In a way where you could easily see me trapped," Stephen said quietly. "I understand your suspicion but I promise you I would not be going this far if it weren't important. If nothing else look at it as me trying to deliberately arrange never to be a threat to you or Peter."

"Your friend will kidnap you back if we keep you too long, won't he?" Tony huffed.

Stephen just smirked at him, hiding how exhausted he now felt. Peter snickered in appreciation at the counter to Tony permanently kidnapping Doctor Strange and settled back in leaning against the man. Peter could feel the Doctor shaking slightly. Now that the intense back and forth was done the tension was obviously flowing back into the older man.

Tony waited until they were at his tower and headed up in the elevator to actually touch the doctor. Stephen gave the hand on his arm a glance but didn't say anything. He didn't try to move away or escape when the hand gripped him firmly to pull him along out of the elevator as if he was a reluctant teenager.

"I wondered if you would start touching me," Stephen said quietly as he was practically dragged over to the couch and placed on it. "I keep getting the distinct impression that you are very touchy-feely with people you like so long as the person lets you act like an octopus with them."

"That is definitely bleed through," Tony said pointedly. "I don't do that with just anyone. It makes me too vulnerable."

Stephen let go of a shuddering breath and made himself relax. He knew that he was acting like a skittish animal. He knew it but he wasn't sure how to just not right then. He didn't even know why he was letting them treat him as if he was already family even if he felt that way about them since the zombie attack.

Tony had waited for him and Stephen gave him a very deliberate nod, rewarding his patience. Tony didn't waste any time wrapping himself around Stephen like an octopus with Peter joining in on the opposite side. The comfort wasn't something Stephen was used to so when he dropped into a nap, feeling protected, it was a complete surprise to him. Peter and Tony just cuddled closer.

Chapter Text

Tony had waited for him to settle and Stephen gave him a very deliberate nod, rewarding his patience. Tony didn't waste any time wrapping himself around Stephen like an octopus with Peter joining in on the opposite side. The comfort wasn't something Stephen was used to so when he dropped into a nap, feeling protected, it was a complete surprise to him. Peter and Tony just cuddled closer.

~~~

Tony knew something was wrong. Their wizard was out of sorts in a way that he regretfully recognized. Something terrible had happened to the man at some point and he hadn't felt safe enough to process it since then. The absent mutters of some guy named Dormammu were also a clue. Tony was going to get to the bottom of this and use the excuse of the two attacks to at least start things in a way that he could reasonably want to know.

"Hey, Stephanie? What's Wong's number?" Tony asked casually.

"Er, hang on," Stephen said startled, before fumbling a horror of an ancient phone out of his pocket.

"No, you can't be using that abomination!" Tony exclaimed before Stephen even got the screen working.

"It was what I could afford for on planet when I reached a level that let me take missions," Stephen sighed, rolling his eyes at the inventor. "I ran through everything I had to try and fix my hands before I managed to get to Kamar-Taj and start training. I can barely keep this one working between tight budgets and magic interference. There's an actual reason why the Mystic Order tends to use magic for communication and travel after all."

Tony made a pained and affronted sound before snatching it up and heading for his lab.

"Don't break it! I need the durability it has proven to have and I don't think I could find a replacement," Stephen called after him in warning but didn't bother trying to retrieve his phone.

"Military level hardening if he really is having trouble with magic screwing with the electronics," Tony muttered to himself as he stormed into his lab. "Hands free stuff because his hands, god they have to hurt a lot. A full upload of everything not related to the weapons and actual armor from my armor. Hell, I'm putting him on my phone service. This is just too much of an abomination!"

Friday kindly switches on a video feed of his Wizard and Spiderling as he works so that Tony can monitor them.

"Why did you just let him take your phone?" Peter asked from the screen.

"Because I do have at least one fairly clear memory from whatever other me I am getting these things from. Fighting him to keep that old dinosaur would just get him angry and I hardly use it. It is strictly for when I am on earth and talking with someone who isn't part of the Mystic Order I joined," Stephen said with a rueful smile that Tony could hear in his voice. "I wasn't kidding about it being what I could afford when I bought it but I haven't replaced it because other younger members of the Order found out the hard way that the more advanced the tech the more it interferes with or reacts to the magic we use. If someone could figure out some sort of buffer or shield then it wouldn't be a problem but the way they fry and the general lack of funds among the Order doesn't lend itself to fixing that."

Stephen's words brought Tony up short halfway through dismantling the phone to get at the SIM card and the memory chip. So he was frozen in the perfect position to hear Peter's sympathetic response.

"I get not having the money for stuff. Before.... Well before Spiderman and even a bit after I would rescue electronics and stuff from the dumpsters and fix them up to sell. It gave me some cash, let me get what I needed for my own projects, and sometimes I was able to buy extra groceries to slip into the kitchen for us. I just had to do it before Aunt May or Uncle Ben took inventory for a grocery run," Peter said cheerfully. "My first web shooters were built that way. My web fluid is something I make at school with the chemicals in the chem lab."

"Does Stark know about that?" Stephen asked, clearly amused and exasperated at the same time.

"I don't think so? I never actually told him about my webs or how I first met him. He still thinks he barged in on me to drag me off to the German airport fight that he didn't think would actually turn into a fight. I met him a few times before that," Peter shrugged. "The one that freaked out my Aunt and Uncle the most though was at the Stark Expo. I was dressed up and running around in a toy copy of his mask and gloves and aimed them at one of the robots. He blew it up from behind me after getting it's attention and told me good job. It was awesome. I didn't tell Aunt May and Uncle Ben about it though. They were freaked out about getting separated from me in the attack."

The mini heart attack Tony had after hearing all of that had Friday asking if he was alright and his bots trying to check him.

"I want to know how you make your webs, both from professional curiosity but mostly so that I can set up a safe area for you to make them in. It sounds like you make it under your desk or something," Stephen snarked, drawing Tony out of the edges of a panic attack with his words.

"Noooo, why would you ever think that?" Peter asked, obviously lying.

"Yeah, no, that's not happening anymore. I don't know what chemicals you use but mixing them blind in the middle of class under your desk is bound to get someone hurt," Stephen said insistently. "I'll find a way to set up a lab station or something so that you can at least make them more safely."

"Don't tell Mr. Stark," Peter pleaded. "He's got enough going on and he really didn't have to keep me. I would have figured something out."

"Friday make sure they hear me," Tony snapped. "Peter if you ever think I didn't want you in the first place then you're an idiot. There is no fucking way I'm letting you run off just to not bother me. I'll set up your own lab for you to make webs in later. Merlin, make sure he doesn't try to run off and be a stupid teenager on the streets or something else ridiculous."

The way both of them reacted spoke of familiarity with Tony that was surreal in the context of not having spent much time around them.

"Mr. Stark!" Peter protested. "You don't have to do that! Really!"

"Like I would actually let him run off," Stephen scoffed in response to Tony's command. "It makes actually protecting him incredibly difficult."

"Uh huh," Tony said suspiciously. "Spiderling, I'm gonna need your phone. If I'm souping up Gandalf's I might as well do yours too. We can be the test group since our gear tends to take some serious stress testing during our heroing. Merlin, how many people at your Hogwarts would be willing to test phones and stuff?"

"A fair number of them," Stephen admitted warily.

"Then we can use that as part of why I'm co-opting you," Tony said simply. "Hiring you for my enhanced kid needing check ups won't fly for civilians even if you tell your group."

"Ah, my specialty was Neurosurgery," Stephen said carefully. "I don't see how having me consult for a phone or other tech can..."

"Hands free services, your genius medical brain for my Iron Man stuff, and... I'm willing to admit that I had leftover damage during my kidnapping in Afghanistan that falls into your bailiwick. I won't like it but the damage was done years ago so officially having you check my cobbled together solution isn't as bad as it could be," Tony admitted with a grimace. "I am not looking forward to getting yelled at but it is a legitimate medical thing for you to check that I've technically already solved that would explain why I've put you in a guest room."

"What damage?" Stephen demanded, standing up and immediately focused on Tony despite being in a completely different room.

"Heavy metal poisoning from the earliest arc reactors which were, out of necessity, installed in my sternum," Tony admitted.

"What?!" came the horrified shout from both Stephen and Peter. Tony sighed and tapped the command to unlock the door to his lab.

"I'm in the lab, Underroos. If you and Strange want to come check me the door is unlocked," Tony said ruefully. He briefly watched them bolt towards his lab with Peter in the lead before shutting down the video feed. To replace it he brought up his private medical file with all of his own notes along with those of the doctors over the years on a spare tablet to hand to Strange when he arrived.

When they arrive Peter worriedly checks Tony as much as he can but Strange practically pounces on the offered up tablet, correctly assuming that it was Tony's medical files. Tony is just plain amused as they hovered over him while he got back to work. It doesn't take him long to hear Strange cursing out his previous doctors and the Ten Rings for their treatment of him under their care. Just because of that he knows he's getting his own check up by the doctor at some point and honestly Tony's okay with that. Pizza is ordered for supper long before either teen or Doctor is satisfied that Tony is okay but distracting them with movies before bedtime works out for the best.

The next morning Doctor Strange doesn't let Tony escape his medical check up.

~~~

Chapter Text

~~~

"I shouldn't have used my health as a distraction for both of you," Tony said ruefully as he got dressed again after a thorough check by Strange.

"The fact that you are still alive and moving is a miracle," Stephen hissed at him. "If I'm here acting as a doctor in any capacity I will do things right, which includes keeping you from killing yourself. The Palladium is still in your cartilage and bone to a limited extent but you've managed to purge it from your soft tissues which is a relief considering the levels this Jarvis person recorded."

"Jarvis was an AI and my son. Friday is his little sister. He was Ultron's first kill," Tony said stiffly. Stephen paused at this new information and visibly recategorized things before continuing.

"Then he did a fantastic job even if I would have preferred he had actually called someone with a medical degree to help you. That said you were right that any attempt to do anything with the original reactors would have killed you and that you were the only living expert on it," Stephen grumbled. "I don't like the new installation even if Doctor Cho was very clear on why you have another one installed now. I also plan to kill Rogers for that necessity since I can't see that blasted shield nearly cutting you in half as being any kind of accident."

"At least he didn't bring it down on my neck, the armor wouldn't have held up nearly so well," Tony said flippantly.

Stephen choked on his immediate rage over even the suggestion and fought with himself not to go on an immediate super soldier hunt.

"Please don't joke about that," Stephen said tightly.

"Who's joking? I honestly thought he was bringing it down on my neck at the time," Tony said bluntly. He watched Stephen breath through a renewed spike of rage as the anger was forced to settle into an ember of cold fury, banked for later use. The process was interesting and the entire thing made him really want to keep the wizard for good if only as a friend.

"Don't let the kid hear you talk about it," Stephen reminded him.

Tony winced and fervently nodded his agreement. He didn't think the wizard would actually go after them on his behalf but the kid definitely would. Stephen had wanted answers and Tony had only obliged because he wanted the other man to be aware of the risks if the Rogue Avengers suddenly showed up. It had been more to get Stephen to take Peter with him when Tony would order the doctor to clear out than anything else but they had also been valid medical questions. Two birds, one stone in the form of a very uncomfortable explanation.

"Just to be clear since you seem sort of stuck on my name. You can call me Tony if you want," Tony said, changing the subject out of the blue. "I figure that you'll never reference my Doctorates because I didn't bother getting a medical one and certified and stuff but you don't need to be fighting whatever this is over my name of all things. Oh, and expect an interrogation of some kind from my two best friends when they get around to visiting. They will want to know why I jumped on giving you access to everything and my trust so easily. I've done it before but they will want to know at least whatever specific thing had me deciding you belong in my trusted circle."

"Granted," Stephen sighed. "I don't suppose you can just tell them that I protected Peter and talked you into an actual medical check up? I know you tend to resist getting checked from the bleed over."

"That would just get them thanking you," Tony laughed. "They constantly try to get me to take care of myself and I just... don't. It's not that I'm incapable but it doesn't make sense to me and I get caught up in whatever I'm working on."

"Noted," Stephen said with a thoughtful hum.

Chapter Text

"Noted," Stephen said with a thoughtful hum.

"The kid is going to be moping. Not the he doesn't have any right to with his Aunt dead and his friends hurt but I would like to think you'll help me keep him from falling too deep into that," Tony said conversationally. "I don't know how to help except for distracting him which I know isn't the best way to deal with it but..."

"I don't have the best bedside manner as you've probably noticed," Stephen said carefully. "I don't know how much help I will be. I have to send someone to check her body in any case on the off chance they somehow infected it with the magics that reanimated the original zombies. His friends will also have to be checked unless we want to risk a zombie apocalypse horror movie rendition. Dealing with those for real is never fun."

Tony grimaced but nodded his understanding.

"Friday? Call Wong using Merlin's number," Tony commanded his daughter.

"Right away, Boss!" Friday said cheerfully.

"Stephen? Is something wrong?" Wong asked, picking up after a few rings.

"We're on an open line," Stephen warned quickly. "Did you send anyone to check the other victims of the zombie attack?"

"Other victims? It didn't start at the hospital where you contained it?" Wong asked, alarmed.

"No, they followed the boy to the hospital where he came to get help. The attack started at his residence and he was the only one to really escape. Which was a good thing since he turned out to be the primary target. According to Stark his two friends survived but were badly hurt, his Aunt didn't," Stephen elaborated. "It was only after I stepped in that they decided I was an additional valid target. When they demanded I hand over the boy and myself I decided that continuing to play normal was more dangerous for everyone present than just letting loose. The only indicator I gave before that was using the Cloak of Levitation to get the boy out of the line of fire due in part to something medical I had found on him before his pursuers had arrived. I have no idea who else they may have hit but his friends and his Aunt's body need to be checked."

"Please tell me they at least quarantined her body?" Wong groaned.

"Yeah, after their little rendition at the hospital May's body was quarantined but it's still in the morgue," Tony answered. "I was making arrangements for things but the living takes priority over the dead."

"Anyone who has come in direct contact with the body or the undead needs to be checked," Wong said immediately.

"They never touched me or Stark and I checked the boy. I stood between those at the hospital and the zombies. From Peter's story guns were the primary form of contact between the zombies and the victims but he had to run before the first fight was over," Stephen informed him. "I can't exactly go tracking down the necromancer myself at this point and we don't need a zombie apocalypse starting in the the heart of New York City."

"Oh, God no!" Wong audibly shuddered over the phone. "Any major city the world over acting as ground zero for something like that is a nightmare waiting to happen."

"Exactly," Stephen agreed. "We need to get on top of this."

"I'll handle it," Wong promised.

"I'll send you the names of the kids that survived the attack and where they are being treated. Try to be discreet since I can't promise to bail any of your people out if they slip up," Tony warned. "I don't know most of you and the bleed over only seems to cover Stephen and possibly you."

"Noted," Wong agreed before hanging up.

"Well, that's one way to tell him that you know about the bleed over effect and the Order now," Stephen said, somewhat uncertainly. Tony snorted a laugh and dragged the other man out of the guest room they had used for the exam to find Peter for breakfast.

Chapter Text

Peter wasn't in the kitchen or doing anything breakfast like. This fact confused Tony enough that both men started hunting the teenager down. When they found him, curled up and sobbing on his bed they traded helpless looks but still stepped forwards to comfort him. All of them missed breakfast and lunch as they just sat together holding each other while Peter and Tony mourned May Parker. Stephen, as an outsider, could only offer his quiet support. However he could see that this quiet time together acknowledging, mourning, and remembering May Parker helped.

"I knew May only in passing, " Stephen finally offered after they should have eaten lunch. "She was a phenomenal nurse and one of the few people that could stand up to me when I went after someone for being an idiot and risking lives in the process. So I ask this with experience but would she want you mourning so deeply as to skip meals or would she kick both your asses for it?"

Tony and Peter turned to stare at Stephen in shock as what he said slammed into their brains. Peter's stomach acted with perfect timing to loudly growl in protest at the lack of food.

"Oops?" Tony offered sheepishly. "Come on, I'll order in a feast."

"Probably wise because I can already tell Peter isn't getting enough food in the first place for his enhanced metabolism," Stephen said blandly. "Try to stick with a heavy amount of meat if he has more spider reactions at times than human."

"I used to love peppermint but now it bothers me," Peter admitted with a wince of his own. "It's too strong."

"Enhanced senses then," Stephen muttered. "Come on, up. We need to get food into both of you."

They moved to the living room and put on a movie while they waited for the feast that Tony had ordered, letting Peter pick for the moment.

"As much as I get tired of Star Wars at least he didn't pick a zombie movie," Tony muttered to Stephen as they were collecting the food from the elevator when it had arrived.

"Considering the circumstances I think I would have put my foot down unless he wanted to use it to vicariously kill the ones who went after him," Stephen muttered right back. "Even then it would probably be better if I set up a type of hard light illusion obstacle course for him to fight them on in a few months rather than watching a movie about it so soon after the attack."

"I hear ya," Tony agreed with a shudder. "At least we don't have to worry about the kid being infected or whatever since you checked him."

Food was distributed and they settled in for the next movie with Peter deliberately cuddled between them.

~~~

Wong cursed as he made his way into the hospital with three other Masters. Whatever this was that Stephen had stumbled over it was turning out to be a nightmare even if nothing actually came out of it. The dead woman's body had been infected and if they had been even half an hour later the entire morgue would have been contaminated. The corpses would have started rising within a day and within a week the magic would have sunk so deeply into the room a necromancer could have used it to produce an army of undead. Toss a body in and a new undead would have been born in anywhere between hours and days.

Hopefully, the kids they were about to check weren't contaminated as well.

"May I help you people?" The receptionist asked warily as they entered the hospital.

"We are here to visit two of your patients. Michelle Jones and Ned Leads. We need to speak to them about what happened when they were attacked," Wong said shortly. "You can also inform anyone else asking that it's out of their jurisdiction."

"We will need some form of identification," the second receptionist said smoothly.

"We can give you our IDs but it won't do much good," one of the Masters smirked. Wong reached over and smacked him on the back of his head in reprimand.

"Sorry, he doesn't usually work with other people while on a job," Wong grumbled. "There is a potential risk of contagion from their attackers and you aren't equipped to check for it. Hopefully, we can check them, clear them, and just leave."

"If they are contaminated with whatever black ops contagion you're worried about?" The second receptionist asked in narrow eyed suspicion.

"We throw up a shield to keep it from escaping, spend three hours chanting in some random room and leave," the mouthy Master shrugged. "The only reason it might take longer is if someone contaminated died on site and then we have to deal with clean up and cremation of all dead bodies on site regardless of other status. There have been past scares from this contagion off and on for more than ten thousand years. Everyone who is cleared to know about it and deal with an outbreak is drilled to exhaustion on how to handle it along with what quick and dirty methods will work to tell people about for self defense if it gets too big."

"We wouldn't be here beyond offering condolences if the person who did die hadn't come up as contaminated," Wong explained shortly.

"Wait, those are the kids from the magic attack? The ones the kid the mage protected were worried about?" The first receptionist asked in dawning understanding.

"What are you talking about, Glinda?" The second receptionist demanded.

"Just let me pull it up and you'll understand," Glinda promised as she pulled up the video in her phone before showing it to her co-worker.

"If we can get on with things?" The mouthy Master asked pointedly.

"Wait for her to watch it first," Glinda instructed. "It's less than five minutes long instead of arguing for an hour and fighting with security or the police."

The grumbling from the other Masters was pointedly ignored by Wong as he nodded his acceptance and understanding.

"Yeah, I can see why you're being careful," the second receptionist said unenthusiastically. "They're both in the ICU because of their injuries and some weird rot thing that was found on them. You may want to assume contamination since we're waiting for the CDC to show up. Just claim that you're part of the advance CDC team and they'll let you right through. We can't do anything about someone posting on anything you're caught doing but I really don't want to be ground zero for something like that. Floor Five."

"Thank you," Wong said politely and immediately lead his team towards the elevators.

Twenty minutes later a containment shield went up over the hospital. Six hours after that the shield dropped and the Sorcerers were gone. They left behind those who had been temporarily trapped in the hospital largely unaware. When investigated all of the corpses in the hospital had bern burnt to ash. The weird rot that had been growing on two ICU teenaged patients was gone with only some freshly healed pink burn scars left as evidence.

A week later MJ would walk out on her divorced parents for trying to get a restraining order against one Peter Parker.

Chapter Text

Tony muttered and scratched at an itch around his reactor. It was one of the only places he had stopped Stephen from checking during the exam and he was now wondering if he shouldn't ask the doctor to check it anyway. He could hold off his panic attack related to the man poking at the thing that kept him alive for years, really he could. When Tony glanced down and found sort of black crunchy powder on his fingers that he had just scratched his bare chest with he decided it was more important to protect Peter than to assuage his pride.

"Friday? Get Strange in here, now. Tell him something medical has come up that he really needs to look at," Tony said warily.

"Doctor Strange is on his way," Friday reported quickly.

Less than two minutes later Stephen walked into the room and made sure to shut the door behind him.

"What's wrong?" Stephen demanded only to suck in a breath of shock as Tony turned to face him bare chested.

"I'm guessing that May was contaminated," Tony said wanly as he held up the black crunchy powder on his hand.

"That would be my guess," Stephen said, resolution firming as his eyes tracked over things that Tony couldn't properly look at on his torso.

"What do you need to deal with this?" Tony asked quietly.

"Friday? Please message Wong that the corpse is likely contaminated since Stark has shown signs that require treatment. Tell him that I'm taking care of it and then please send this level into lockdown. This is generally only spread by direct physical contact but it also isn't overly hard to fix if discovered in time," Stephen ordered absently as he came over to directly check the progression of the rot.

"Wong responded with two updates. Morgue and corpse: cleared. Hospital and teenagers: cleared. His follow up text officially assigned you to stay with Boss and Spiderling. Apparently, a team has been deployed against the necromancer and you have been placed as an emergency reserve once you've healed Boss and decontaminated the building," Friday reported.

"That's both concerning and relieving," Stephen muttered before raising his voice to address Friday again. "Thank you, Friday. I will tell you when it is safe to lift the lockdown. Please inform me if you find anyone else showing signs, especially in the building so that I can deal with it."

"Would you like me to lockdown the building for a purge with your remedy, Doctor?" Friday offered.

"Please, it will take longer to perform but I would rather err on the side of paranoid caution than let this thing loose," Stephen agreed quickly.

"Friday, please tell the tower that we've had an accident with something that got into the vents and that the lockdown will be lifted once the counteragent is properly circulated for everyone's safety. Anything gotten from the food courts today is on me," Tony added. "There is also an extra day on all projects due dates for the next two weeks as an apology."

"Yes, Boss!" Friday confirmed cheerfully.

Stephen made Tony sit down as he got a wet cloth and tried to gently scrub away the rot, not wanting to use heat to burn it off of his patient with how the heat would transfer to the metal.

"Doc? Will using the area cure work on this?" Tony asked carefully, gesturing at the rot around the edges of his arc reactor. He didn't want anyone to wait in case Peter had caught it from him.

"You're right," Stephen sighed, mentally scolding himself for not thinking of that. He set himself in a nearby chair before casting the containment shields on the building and started the long chant that would cleanse the contained area.

Tony watched him for hours, feeling a slight burn starting where the rot was on his chest when they had nearly hit the third hour start. He glanced over at Stephen and saw the flash of triumph in the doctor's eyes as the man saw a magical flame latch onto the rot. A warm flame that didn't harm the living flesh around it but greedily ate the rot. By the end of hour four Stephen was flagging but he pushed onwards until he saw the last flicker of magical flame fade out on Tony's chest, leaving behind a small healed burn patch where the rot had edge the arc reactor. Stephen smiled through the last of the chant before slumping in the chair he had claimed at the start.

"Peter?" Tony asked, having wondered where his Spiderling was from the start.

"I added something to the containment shields, encouraging everyone to take a nap except for you," Stephen shrugged. "I probably wrecked or eliminated some of the more dangerous chemicals in the building since this was a type of cleansing enchantment."

"At least we didn't accidentally become the source of a new zombie apocalypse," Tony scoffed. "No, you did what I asked. It's on me for not asking what else it might do in the process."

Stephen nodded in acceptance and before he could muster himself to stand he fell asleep where he sat, exhausted from the effort of cleansing the entire building by himself. Tony looked over the Sorcerer, checking to see that he was alright. Once that was done he immediately looked for and checked over Peter, finding his kid asleep in front of the TV in the living room.

"Friday, lift the lockdown. Apologize to everyone about the accidental naptime and extend the food coverage to tomorrow. Give everyone the rest of the day off if they want and call in replacements as needed to keep a skeleton crew or at least the night crew on the job. Offer overtime for anyone willing to take an extra shift for the rest of the day," Tony ordered. "Get the menu's worth from that Chinese place and few pizzas sent up. I want food on hand for when Peter and Stephen wake up. Tell Wong what happened. Stephen can give him the magic specifics when he wakes up."

"Got it, Boss!" Friday said, clearly relived.

Tony spent the wait for the food switching between checking on his kid and his Sorcerer. Neither were awake by the time the food arrived so he stored it in his mostly empty fridge aside from a few pieces of pizza that he carried with him and ate as he switched between hovering over his charges. The sound of a portal opening had him tensely moving to meet the new arrival only to relax when he saw Wong.

"He did the whole building himself?" Wong asked, resigned, as the portal closed behind him.

"Yup," Tony agreed. "You want some pizza or Chinese? I just stuck it all in the fridge because they're both still asleep."

"Fine," Wong grumbled. "I need to yell at Stephen for probably half killing himself doing it alone and all at once instead of in stages. I might as well eat something while we wait for him to wake up."

Tony decided that as long as Wong wasn't taking Stephen away he was okay with that. He knew that he was going to have his own set of words with his wizard after Peter was safely in bed. On the other hand he couldn't really blame the man for not checking Tony himself since he hadn't seemed to come into contact with the attackers. Neither of them had considered that May might be contaminated until that first phone call with Wong. Tony hadn't even thought that his brief contact with May before she died had put him at risk until he found the weird rot around his reactor. Thankfully, Stephen was mostly on the ball when he saw it on Tony's skin.

Tony did, however, notice Wong discretely checking him and frowning while he got the food out and made sure it was at an edible temperature.

"What?" Tony demanded of Wong's frown.

"Stephen cleansed the building but it was anchored deeply inside you. He didn't expell it, someone cut it off from the opposite end," Wong admitted grudgingly.

"At least the necromancer isn't insane or truly stupid," Stephen said tiredly as he entered the kitchen with a jaw cracking yawn.

"Why do you say that?" Tony asked with interest.

"Because to allow that curse to run rampant in a major population center is suicide. If you don't get taken out by your own creations then everyone, civilian of any type and not, goes after your head," Stephen explained, still tired but lifting his voice to summon the teenager anyway. "Peter, come eat something!"

"Why?" Peter called from the other room.

"Because I just knocked you out for more than six hours and you're already dangerously underweight for your metabolism level," Stephen called back. "You need to eat either a pizza and a half or three full large chinese servings of mainly meat."

"Fine!" Came the grumpy teenage reply that was quickly followed by Peter entering the kitchen via wall crawling along the ceiling like a horror movie monster.

Stephen just rolled his eyes at the spider antics and handed up a paper plate filled with pizza. Peter immediately started to chow down but after the first slice opted to act like a normal human being and join them at the counter/table. Tony hummed and passed over a cup of soda while Wong watched. He watched them syncing up into a family and found himself also syncing up.

Wong's eyes met Stephen's in a quiet "Do you see? Do you recognize that we are now family?" Wong slightly bowed his head in acknowledgment and allowed the tension to fade from his shoulders, slumping slightly and relaxing into the family time he had now become a part of. He accepted a second box of takeout chinese from Tony and quietly ate his meal.

Before Wong left Tony made sure to kidnap his phone just long enough to move the SIM card and memory chip into one of his new durable magic resistant prototypes.

"I was offended by the crap Stephen was using," Tony explained, waving off Wong's wary thanks. "You're part of the test group now. Just tell me what works and what doesn't. If you wreck it or whatever I'll replace it. I'm aiming for things we don't have to worry about if we wind up ambushed or in a fight or whatever. For you and Stephen that means magic resistant enough to survive. We're starting with military level electronic hardening and insulation. We can go in other directions once that's been tested."

Wong nodded and left back to Kamar-Taj.

Chapter Text

Version 1

~~~

Elsewhere furious hissing argued with the sounds of clattering bones. The slam and crack of a body being broken against stone silenced the other noises.

"You didn't return with the young spider champion," a hissing garbled voice growled.

"The blessing has rooted deeply in the young one," a different deeper voice grumbled. "He has gained protectors in other champions as well. The female that had stolen him is dead but we were careful with the other younglings he played with."

"Yet they were gravely harmed. It will take some effort to fix the damage to them once we can reach them. We do not want the young champion to decide that we are enemies," the garbled voice raged.

"My, my, my, sworn enemies working together in pursuit of a single child champion. Will wonders never cease?" A lyrical voice laughed into the darkness of the meeting. The sound echoed musically against stone walls through the unseen cavern.

"You are being paid well, necromancer, be careful that you don't stray into betrayal," the garbled voice snarled.

"You were the ones to rip me from my world and insist that I learn the craft," the lyrical voice said flatly. "I will find a way home even if I must keep this form you have forced upon me. I still have clan of Bats and Birds to play with and..."

"And you will do nothing," The deeper voice countered. "Your failure with your Gotham Champion Knights has preserved them only so long as we keep them. Your universe is destroyed. Only the deal you struck allowed those you have claimed to be saved. Your value barely covers the risk to keeping one of them much less the entire close clan. Be glad that we found value in gifting them to the young spider Champion for their own or we would not have bothered to save them."

"They would have been on the frontline to stop such a thing," the lyrical voice said, uncertainly.

"Yes, but your universe was doomed with no recourse," the garbled voice cackled.

"Who else?" The lyrical voice demanded. "Who else do you hold?"

"Some of their other playmates and their elderly clan head," the deeper voice smirked. "Play your part well and they will be returned to you. Fail and you will watch them die in agony. Of course we can gift you the Shinobi and the fool calling himself Demon Head for back up if you need the extra help."

"I understand," the lyrical voice half snarled. "Know this, you have crossed me and only the Bats and the other Gotham Rogues are allowed that courtesy while continuing to live. You will face me one day and rue ever hearing of the Joker."

"Keep telling yourself that baby dark elfling. Keep telling yourself that," the garbled voice laughed uproariously.

The mocking laughter echoed through the caverns and barely reached the ears of the sleeping captives held down a deeper passageway.

~~~

Version 2

~~~

Elsewhere furious hissing argued with the sounds of clattering bones. The slam and crack of a body being broken against stone silenced the other noises.

"You didn't return with the young spider champion," a hissing garbled voice growled.

"The blessing has rooted deeply in the young one," a different deeper voice grumbled. "He has gained protectors in other champions as well. The female that had stolen him is dead but we were careful with the other younglings he played with."

"Yet they were gravely harmed. It will take some effort to fix the damage to them once we can reach them. We do not want the young champion to decide that we are enemies," the garbled voice raged.

"My, my, my, sworn enemies working together in pursuit of a single child champion. Will wonders never cease?" A lyrical voice laughed into the darkness of the meeting. The sound echoed musically against stone walls through the unseen cavern.

"You are being paid well, necromancer, be careful that you don't stray into betrayal," the garbled voice snarled.

"You were the ones to rip me from my world and insist that I learn the craft," the lyrical voice said flatly. "I will find a way home even if I must keep this form you have forced upon me. When I do I will..."

"You will do nothing," the deeper voice interrupted. "Your failure with your world is worth nothing. Your universe is destroyed. Only the deal you struck allowed those you have claimed to be saved. Your value barely covers the risk to keeping one of them much less all of them. Be glad that we found value in potentially gifting them to the young spider Champion for their own or we would not have bothered to save them."

"They would have been on the frontline to stop such a thing, to save the world," the lyrical voice said, uncertainly.

"Yes, but your universe was doomed with no recourse," the garbled voice cackled. "The others can replace you just as easily if you fail."

"Who else?" The lyrical voice demanded. "Who else do you hold?"

"Does it matter?" the deeper voice smirked. "Play your part well and they will be returned to you. Fail and you will watch them die in agony."

"I understand," the lyrical voice half snarled. "Know this, you have crossed me. You will face me one day and rue ever daring to threaten me and mine."

"Keep telling yourself that baby dark elfling. Keep telling yourself that," the garbled voice laughed uproariously.

The mocking laughter echoed through the caverns and barely reached the ears of the sleeping captives held down a deeper passageway.

Chapter Text

Peter knew that he shouldn't be doing this, shouldn't be going out to patrol after school. It had been a struggle the get Mr. Stark to let him return to classes and Dr. Strange hadn't helped much. Part of what had gotten them to let him was actually noticing Dr. Strange had been really wrecked by cleansing the building and everyone inside. He was still tired two days later and Peter had taken advantage of that. He couldn't afford to be marked absent without an explanation on file at school for much longer after all.

The slam of a locker down the hall reminded Peter where he was. This sent him darting through the crowd of fellow students in an attempt to get to class on time. He made it but was immediately depressed to note that both Ned and MJ were still out of school, hurt for being near him.

"Penis Parker," Flash mocked, shoving him from behind. "I'm surprised you haven't killed yourself yet. Or do you actually believe that your parents and Uncle didn't die just to get away from you?"

Peter numbly ignored Flash as best he could even though the pain of what had just been shoved in his face, however untrue the words were. The second full body shove sent him sprawling and slammed his head against one of the desks as he went down. Dazed, he couldn't dodge the vicious kick to his stomach from Flash as he walked past.

Peter's eyes weren't focusing right but he saw Abe from the Decathlon team recording everything on his phone. The look of determination from his classmate confused the dazed vigilante even as he dumbly felt the slight cut on his forehead heal. It didn't compute why Abe's eyes widened in surprise as Peter stood up holding his still aching head. Nor did it register that the phone had still been recording and what that might mean.

Peter forgot all about it a minute later when the teacher walked in as the bell rang and started class. He would later come to regret that.

The next thing Peter knew Iron Man was storming into the school at lunch time with Doctor Strange on his heels. Flash had just slammed him into the lunch room wall hard enough to make his head spin again when Mr. Stark's angry voice carried into the lunch room.

"Where is he?! Where is my kid?!" Tony half shouted, causing the student voices to dwindle in favor of paying attention to whatever angry parent had shown up.

"Mr. Stark! Please! You can't just..." Nancy from the front office protested only to get cut off.

"A video was posted this morning of him getting beaten here in class while everyone ignored it! I'm not leaving him here for a moment longer!" Mr. Stark shouted. "Peter is coming home, now!"

Mr. Stark and Dr. Strange entered the lunch room a moment later. The first thing they saw was Peter pinned against the wall by Flash Thompson. The wordless shout of outrage and the way Mr. Stark immediately pulled Flash off of him confused Peter for a moment but then Dr. Strange was there checking him, gentle fingers probing at the tender spot on the back of his head. Peter didn't even realize he was bleeding until he saw Dr. Strange's fingers come away bloody.

"Sorry," Peter murmured. "I'm okay."

Dr. Strange cursed and pulled Peter over to sit at one of the nearby lunch tables.

"Tony, yell at the kid later. Peter needs us," Dr. Strange ordered.

Peter noted how Mr. Stark immediately dropped what he was doing in favor of storming over to check Peter. Dr. Strange instead sent him to get a sealed bottle of water and some napkins from the food line. Items which the doctor used to clean the blood off of Peter's head.

Peter just sat there and let them fuss over him, not sure how to react but knowing his after school patrol wasn't happening now. The concussion check was annoying as usual. Unfortunately the stab of pain from the flashlight borrowed off of the school nurse proved he wasn't going anywhere.

Peter's full body flinch away from the light hard enough to slam his ribs hard into the lunch table. Dr. Strange cursed again and checked Peter's now very tender side. Mr. Stark had gone tense and was watching Peter like a hawk. Something which Peter thought was unnecessary but didn't say anything with how angry Mr. Stark was looking.

"Doc?" Mr. Stark finally demanded.

"If it had been someone other than Peter they would be in the hospital," Dr. Strange said shortly.

Mr. Stark cursed and Peter muttered something but he wasn't even sure what left his mouth before the pain behind his eyes spiked. After that all Peter saw was black.

Chapter Text

The wrath that Tony unleashed on the school was almost enough to keep people from analyzing the video of Peter to death. Almost.

"I'm telling you there's something weird about the kid in the video, boss!" the reporter said scrambling after his boss.

"I don't care what some kid got caught on video doing! Probably trying to break his own neck or the do drugs or something," Boss half screamed at his reporter.

"This is the kid that got your niece attacked while visiting and was just rescued from his school by Iron Man and the weird magic guy that protected him at the hospital!" The reporter protested.

"What?!" Boss demanded, whirling on his underling.

"Look, I know you want to get Spiderman ripped up and I'm not gonna even ask why but between the kid healing way too fast on one video and running to get help from the hospital I figured it was worth a look. I even ran a timeline check on the off chance that he might be connected to Spiderman," the reporter told his boss. "Thing is, assuming a suspicious mind, it matches. I only know how close it matches because my little cousin goes to the same school and every time Spiderman does something big Parker is supposed to be nearby or with his class but no one can find him. He's still underage so I wouldn't normally bring it up and risk getting us sanctioned or whatever but with the two videos gone viral he's fair game."

"Get me everything on this kid! Everything! I want to know what he had for breakfast and what he got on his last test. I want it now or my name isn't James Jonah Jameson!" Boss shouted and sending everyone scurrying, hunting down anything and everything they could find on the kid.

Chapter Text

Tony paced furiously next to Peter's bed on the medical level of the tower. Stephen was sitting next to said occupied bed and randomly checking the teen when he wasn't watching Tony pace. The animated cloak had opted to play blanket for the injured teenager after he had briefly come back around and displayed the definite concussion he had.

"We shouldn't have let him go back to classes," Tony growled. "He was supposed to be safe and we knew that something had gone after him at home. Hell, most of your excuse for being here is to watch him even if you were still tired from clearing out that rot thing."

"His argument would have normally been reasonable and we can't baby him all of the time even if we want to," Stephen pointed out. "I fully admit that I should have called Wong to send someone to swap out at least while I couldn't cover him myself. Bullies though never crossed my mind, especially since as Spiderman he is fully capable of physically defending himself from most standard humans nevermind his classmates."

"Which is probably part of the problem," Tony said in realization as he stopped his pacing to face Stephen fully. "I've seen the kid take hits to protect other people before. Not to mention both May and I have scolded him for being careless with his civilian ID. If he thought either of those was a concern or even both? He would have just allowed himself to be bullied and hurt."

"Of course he would have," Stephen groaned, following it up with swearing at Peter's habit of self sacrifice.

"I showed Pepper and my lawyers the video of you at the hospital and of Peter getting hurt at school. I let them loose with orders to burn anyone needed to the ground and salt the earth to protect you both. His friends were deemed eligible for one of my charitable help the sick and injured grants. I made sure it came up under two different organizations I run that stuff through without my name attached to them," Tony told him. "They scrambled a bit to cover the hospital visit by Wong and his team but once I told them why my people agreed that we don't want yours dinged for possibly stopping a zombie apocalypse."

"I am not the one in need of protection," Stephen sighed but otherwise didn't argue the well paid lawyers being told to protect him. "Thank you for covering the quarantine team for us. For something like this it is common to possibly lose all of them to whatever they are stopping with a high possiblity of needing to send replacements who will also be lost. We lost no one but Peter's Aunt and the attackers. That alone is a miracle."

"So, how long have you been in charge of the magic Order or whatever?" Tony asked curiously. "Friday did a standard background check and until you signed the consulting contract you had been completely disappeared for a bit more than a year as far as we could see."

"Are you going from my car accident or my trip to Kathmandu for my disappearance?" Stephen asked, amused. "I figured that if you had seriously looked you would find my friend had loaned me the money to get to Kathmandu."

"Uh huh, yeah, I think we flagged the flight you took but lost you after that," Tony said thoughtfully as he double checked on the tablet in his hands.

"Not surprising and as for leadership of the Mystic Order... My mentor was the previous leader and she died rather abruptly in mid-January," Stephen summarized with a sigh. "I stepped up considering what we were trying to stop at the time and the other Masters made it official around mid-February. My other teacher stormed out after I stopped the threat but before we could report back to the rest of the temple. He wasn't exactly pleased with the methods I used since the techniques are officially forbidden and for good reasons. That battle was also when I became guardian of the amulet causing the temporal bleed over and the single necessary incident to cause said bleed over."

"Why do I get the feeling that's going to come back and bite us in the ass at some point?" Tony snarked, humming thoughtfully at Stephen's rueful chuckle and lack of denial.

"If it makes you feel any better they should leave you and Peter alone should any of those involved at the time decide to come after me. I've sort of designated Wong as the next in line because I asked him to cover for me while I stay here with you and Peter," Stephen informed him. "Normally only the direct students of the Sorcerer Supreme are considered as viable successors. Something I found out only after I had lost both of my mentors in the Mystic Arts within a twelve hour period. Admittedly one of them is still alive but before he stormed off for my use of forbidden methods he said I should be executed for even considering using them."

"A real asshole huh? I am assuming you wouldn't have used them unless you saw no other options at the time," Tony grimaced.

"You would be correct," Stephen agreed. "I didn't even expect to survive using them in the first place and he gave me no chance to explain or even report anything else that happened."

"Wong helped you afterward, didn't he?" Tony guessed.

"He doesn't know all of it but he easily figured out that things weren't as simple as they seemed and the deal that I struck to protect Earth had a cost," Stephen confirmed. "Master Mordo didn't bother to stick around long enough to notice that I hadn't just stepped through a portal made a deal and stepped back after using forbidden techniques prior to that in the fight."

Tony noted that whatever had happened had threatened the planet and not just the Mystic Order that Stephen had inherited in the process.

"You told Wong to mark us down as your family. You do realize that I won't let you leave that as just paperwork, right? That I won't let you just disappear again?" Tony asked carefully. "I will drag your Order into the public eye and rip them apart if I feel it's necessary to get you back. Just fair warning."

Stephen nodded slowly. He had known that making an enemy out of Tony Stark was suicide but he now better understood that the man protected his own fiercely. Stephen had somehow accidentally become a part of that select group whether because of the bleed over or in spite of it was a toss up. Tony was very clearly warning him that if the Order decided Stephen had crossed a line the way Mordo had decided he had and imprisoned him then Tony would do what he felt was needed to get Stephen back. The Order didn't stand a chance against him and now Stephen knew it.

"Several of the alternate memories warn of how possessive and protective you can be," Stephen said neutrally. "However, I do appreciate the warning. It would have come as a rather nasty shock if I had been blindsided by that. One of the other versions of you broke time to get Peter back after an enemy killed him when presented with the possibility that it would actually work without ripping the universe apart to do it. Those were extreme extenuating circumstances but it proves how far you are willing to go."

"Was that part of the reason you decided that honoring the bleed through was necessary?" Tony asked cautiously. "To ensure that I didn't become a threat for not having you? Because I could totally see that happening. It wouldn't exactly be hard for me to go supervillain or take over the world."

"Not in so much more than the fact I was almost immediately compromised in your favor along with towards Peter," Stephen sighed. "As a protector of this world on a strictly professional basis staying away so that you had never developed those feelings towards me makes somewhat more sense. On the other hand your own choice to protect the world negates a lot of the risks in it's own way."

"Then you understand that if someone takes you away I will retaliate," Tony said firmly.

"You will prioritize Peter," Stephen pointed out with a snort of amusement. "And when you get me back whoever took me will likely have been destroyed. If I was part of that removal willingly then you will hesitate until you have proof of some kind that I need to be retrieved anyway. With how possessive you are proving to be in this conversation alone I would either have to fight you every step of the way or go to a different universe to actively escape you. A different planet won't be enough if you go supervillain as would be necessary to hold me like that."

"Not a lot of people realize that I am still the Merchant of Death as much as I am Iron Man," Tony observed. "But you knew that. The bleed over would have shown that if you saw me break time."

"Yes," Stephen said looking away to focus on another check on Peter.

"Can we stop talking about Dad going supervillain to protect us?" Peter grumbled quietly. "My head hurts enough already."

Tony huffed a laugh as the serious atmosphere they had been caught in disappeared under the grumbling of a pouting teenager.

"I'm glad you're safe, Underroos," Tony said fondly. "Dad, huh? I could get used to that."

"Wait, what?!" Peter said, bolting up in bed wide awake. The amused looks from both men made him moan and cover his face in embarrassment as he realized that he had said that out loud.

"Don't worry, bud. I'll get that filed right away. You'll be an official Stark before you know it," Tony snickered. He immediately sent the command off to legal via the tablet in his hands.

"I would like to sign the adoption papers as well if Peter will have me," Stephen offered demurely.

"Wait, really?!" Peter asked excitedly as he realized they weren't rejecting him or making fun of him for wanting them as parents.

"Sure. My Spiderling deserves the best," Tony said cheerfully and sent off a second note to that effect towards the legal department. "I'm already your guardian so it isn't like it will be hard to officially adopt you and let Merlin sign the paperwork with me."

"Boss, you need to see this!" Friday interrupted them hastily.

Tony looked down at his tablet and went from happy to resigned and angry in an instant.

"Stephen, will you stay with him? I've got a news paper to go after and yell at," Tony requested.

"Sure, anything I need to know about?" Stephen asked, concerned.

"Someone decided to use the videos to peg Peter as Spiderman," Tony said grimly. "I have a few fires to put out and a whole slew of charges for essentially threatening a minor to file against them. I have to go talk with my PR and Legal teams about this now that Roo appears to be doing better."

"That's fine," Stephen agreed. "I'll take care of my patient and see if I can get him to eat more while you wrangle idiots. Peter can doodle or something with pen and paper to keep him away from working computer screens with his concussion."

Peter groaned but didn't try to protest as they worked out a few minor things before Tony left.

The Daily Bugle was about to have a very bad day.

Chapter Text

MJ was staying with her uncle after having stormed out on both of her parents when she found the paperwork to file for a restraining order against Peter. She had confronted them and they had cited her injuries from the attack as proof that the entire thing was the fault of the Parkers. MJ had ripped them both a new one and stormed out. She didn't dare tell them that Peter was Spiderman or inform them that he had saved her life on more than one occasion both on school field trips and at random times on the street. What she could do though was make sure her uncle Jonah left her future husband alone.

Peter was so much of a dork that MJ knew if she wanted him for her husband she would be the one making the first moves. That was why she had been at Peter's apartment in the first place to meet his aunt. Peter was one of her nerds and she had every plan to date him.

The ding of the elevator arriving brought MJ out of her thoughts as she entered it with the man in an expensive suit she hadn't paid much attention to. A quick look over showed money in the quality of his suit but the close fit also showed off some of his muscles underneath it. The little scars and calluses on his hands spoke of working with them which didn't match the rich image from the expensive suit. It was only when her one remaining eye reached his face that she realized who was standing next to her alone in the elevator as it moved up the building.

"Tony Stark," MJ said flatly.

"Michelle Jones," Tony smirked right back. "I see that you're recovering well."

"The pirate look is an adjustment but it's better than being dead. Is it too much to hope that you're here to rip into my uncle for writing that travesty of an article about my nerd?" MJ asked curiously. "I know you were the one to make sure our hospital stay was covered. Otherwise Peter would have been there at least once blaming himself and apologizing while drowning in guilt."

"You know him well," Tony smirked. "And yes, I am, if your uncle happens to be one J. Jonah Jameson. I take it there is no objection either way?"

"Oh you have no worries about my end of things," MJ smirked viciously. "He went after one of my nerds. The only reason I let Flash get away with going after them even a little is because Peter begs me not to stop him. I still step in when it gets too bad."

"Well Flashy boy took advantage of you not being there," Tony informed her, his eyes dark with anger. "He didn't just make Underoos bleed he gave our boy a concussion and compounded it later with another hit to his head. Our Doc has him on bed rest and no screens."

"That's a feat for the webhead," MJ growled. "I think I need to have another chat with Eugene about not touching my nerds."

"Webhead huh?" Tony said carefully.

"He is not subtle," MJ snorted. "I caught my nerds out on their little side project before Spiderman took down the Vulture. I just didn't see any reason to say anything about it. After Vulture's family moved away I actually managed to talk to them and decided they were still dorks. Not many of our classmates have caught on but a few let me bully them into covering for my nerds."

"Then I hope you appreciate the audience I sent ahead of us," Tony laughed. "My lawyers are currently making sure we don't get the run around before I get there to really rip into him."

"Good," MJ declared. "I hope you take Peter out of Midtown. He's too smart for the bullshit they're making us learn. Ned is too but he isn't on the same level as Peter. Webhead matches you and he's got no self esteem. He actually believes the shit Eugene throws at him about his parents and Uncle dying to get away from him."

"He what?!" Tony growled.

They were interrupted by the elevator arriving at the correct floor for the Daily Bugle. MJ didn't answer, instead she confidently stepped out of the elevator and led Stark in the direction of her uncle. The stare down of the lawyers versus the editor they were interrupting was impressive but dismissed by both teen and hero in favor of their target.

"Uncle Jonah explain to me why you painted a target on the back of one of my nerds!" MJ demanded loudly, bringing the bustling room to a halt.

"Michelle!" J. Jonah Jameson said, shocked both at her sudden appearance and her demand. "Wait, your nerd?"

"My nerd," MJ confirmed with a growl.

"But you aren't dating anyone," Jonah said confused. "Especially not some punk kid who won't even throw a punch."

"So you don't believe that Peter Parker is Spiderman and you painted a target on the kid's back anyway," Tony said with a shark smile, immediately jumping on the evidence the other man had just let slip.

"The only reason I'm not dating is that Peter, who you just painted as an underage vigilante, is skittish," MJ fumed. "He lets Flash beat on him so that the idiot won't go after anyone else and thinks he can't have anything good. Something you just proved to him by painting anyone close to him as a target to get attacked. Which includes me. You'll be lucky if he doesn't think I sold him out to you as a target!"

"Considering you haven't given away anything else about the attack that got you hurt aside from being the one to send him for help I think you're in the clear for that," Tony drawled. "By the way, getting him away in the face of those zombies? Good call. If Peter had been turned into one of them and kept his mind we would be in loads of trouble."

"So that's what was screaming at me that he couldn't be there," MJ frowned, turning thoughtful as she turned to face Tony again.

"Yup, the idiot who cast the curse to make them contagious canceled it later and I only know because I got infected from checking May's body after she died protecting you three," Tony said ruefully. "I had the magic equivalent of the police on hand to help stop it but Peter's quick move to get help was what alerted them to the problem. My kid got the news to the people who had to know to keep NYC from becoming ground zero of an actual zombie apocalypse."

"And Uncle Jonah just set him up to be attacked by every thug and villain in New York," MJ summarized as she turned to glare at her uncle again.

"We would need something to replace it with, not just an apology," the newly tense editor said into the stunned silence.

"That we can do," Tony smirked as he clapped his hands together to rub in anticipation. "How's this for a replacement? Iron Man adopts long time ward mistaken for Spiderman? I've been co-parenting the kid with his Aunt since before the Germany airport fight with the Rogues. He was freaked out with how hurt I got when checking on a lead after that fight."

"My nerd talked himself into believing he did something wrong when he got ignored by whoever you had taking his calls," MJ sighed. "He's ridiculously understanding and thinks it's his fault instead of something coming up or someone else being at fault."

"Well that's not hard to fix properly seeing he called me dad and all after waking up from the concussion your classmate gave him," Tony said confidently.

"Don't wreck it," MJ ordered the billionaire. "My nerd is not easy to fix when he breaks!"

"Yes ma'am!" Tony laughed, playing along.

What followed after amounted to an interview with Tony covering his coming adoption of one Peter Parker. MJ made sure that she left with Tony Stark to visit Peter afterwards.

Chapter Text

Stephen saw Tony walk in with a teenager that had recently treated wounds, one of which had taken her eye. He barely noted the way Peter happily greeted her. Instead his eyes were drawn to the fresh burn marks that weren't burns in the first place around her eye stretching out from under the eye patch. Tony walked over to stand next to Stephen where he sat while the teens talked.

"The other kid is still in the hospital, broken spine," Tony muttered to him. "They both sent Peter off when the apartment got attacked. She knows about his after school project. Ned knows too."

"Hm," Stephen hummed in acknowledgment. He made a mental note to check both of Peter's friends even if Wong had already cleared them.

"Something is really wrong," Tony said quietly.

Stephen looked at him, really looked at him. Something lurked in Tony's eyes and the Sorcerer knew that Tony was picking up on something he would have to investigate. He was also going to need to check Tony for some sort of magic or weirdness sense because not many people had that knack for picking things up in the first place.

"I'll check them and you if you want?" Stephen offered just as quietly.

"Please," Tony muttered back.

Stephen held no illusion that Peter wasn't hearing them perfectly well. He still stepped out of the room long enough to cast the detection spell and several different diagnostic ones over the entire floor. The readings he got back from them stole his breath away as he turned on his heel and rushed back towards the teenagers. He was too late.

Tony's eyes met his as Stephen stopped at the edge of the shadows that had trapped all three of them as if in a mass of webs made of shadows.

"Sorry," MJ sighed. "I wasn't exactly given a choice and I knew Peter would prefer me to just get it over with instead of letting it hit people on the street or whatever."

"You still tried to stop it even with the weird silencing effect that was there until the Doc opened the door again," Tony pointed out. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to be interested in some sort of payback for risking my kid though."

"Understood," MJ agreed with a wince. "Peter still wouldn't have forgiven me for protecting him and letting it hit someone random instead. I was going to wait until you were at least out of the room but they may have had some kind of sensor on it. It was in my bag but I didn't set it off. I was actually hoping his webs would seal it so that it wouldn't go off."

"MJ?" Peter asked softly.

"You're one of my dorks so yes, I was trying not to let it near you," MJ told him bluntly.

Tony barked a laugh as he realized something, unintentionally drawing everyone's attention.

"What?" Stephen asked, still eyeing the glue-like web shadows.

"That's why she was visiting her uncle. She was going to leave it in his office," Tony chuckled. "Talk about some payback."

"They made sure I knew it wouldn't kill anyone," MJ shrugged. "I told them if it would hurt my dork then they should just kill me and get it over with. I got them talking while they tried to reassure me and managed to get out of them that they think they have some kind of claim on Peter. Something they grumbled about having to share with some other idiots they called Naga. Both groups think they need to collect him for training. Ned and I were collateral damage and they apparently plan to give us reparations. Of course the assholes made sure it would only happen after they have Peter. Personally, I think the nerd needs to stay with Stark and get adopted like he told the Daily Bugle to replace the expose on him being Spiderman."

"That doesn't make any sense," Stephen frowned. "Spiders and snakes in mystic and occult circles generally hate each other because of a conflict between certain deities representing each. I could see the serpent side trying to eliminate Peter because he is a young strong spider champion but not them sharing."

Hissing laughter came from behind Stephen. He tried to whirl around to face it but before he could finish his turn he was shoved into the same mass of shadow webbing that had trapped the others. Tony growled at the threat while Stephen struggled, only getting more tangled in the shadow webbing until he couldn't move at all. The cloak of Levitation was no help, getting more stuck in the webbing than his human was.

Stephen couldn't twist around to see even as the others shouted about whatever came into the room behind him and stood one leg on top of him. The casual blow to his head sent him spiraling into darkness.

~~~

Stephen woke slowly, groaning in pain as his head throbbed. The darkness of the stone room or cave couldn't hide the fact that he was tied up. The feel of someone moving around behind him and the sound of Tony's voice before he touched Stephen was the only reason the doctor didn't jump in surprise. Tony's voice was far more comforting than it should have been but he help Stephen up into a sitting position and fed him some water with a soft warning.

"How can you see in this?" Stephen asked once he was done drinking.

"Because they wanted to kill you and me. I agreed to accept a gift as a proof that they didn't need to," Tony sighed. "I've got better dark vision now, like a cat."

"We aren't just dealing with serpents and spiders are we?" Stephen asked as he let his head drop against Tony's shoulder in the darkness.

"No, we aren't," Tony agreed mirthlessly. "I couldn't talk them into untying you with how you were recognized as the Sorcerer Supreme. However, I did manage to keep them from punishing either of the kids. They're keeping the kids one cavern over and us in here. Peter is the only one of us they don't consider expendable."

Chapter Text

"No, we aren't," Tony agreed mirthlessly. "I couldn't talk them into untying you with how you were recognized as the Sorcerer Supreme. However, I did manage to keep them from punishing either of the kids. They're keeping the kids one cavern over and us in here. Peter is the only one of us they don't consider expendable."

"Watching us die would have killed Peter," Stephen said softly. "Thank you for stopping it. I will help you find a way to undo it if you want. Failing that I will do my damnedest to help you adjust and sort out any problems related to whatever changed."

"Nah, I'm good," Tony said with false cheer before shifting to a more serious tone. "I get to keep you and our Spiderling intact plus his little girlfriend. There's a lot I'm willing to do for that."

"If you're sure I still plan to help you deal with whatever it is," Stephen promised Tony in the darkness.

"Good 'cuz they made sure I latched onto you all protective like," Tony said gruffly. "It's made my natural possessiveness just a teensy bit more powerful."

"Ah... I'm not moving back to the New York Sanctum or Kamar-Taj any time soon am I ?" Stephen asked with a hidden wince.

"Nope," Tony said with real cheer this time. "You can act all Sorcerer Supreme like from my tower from now on. I'll learn what I need to for acting as your back up and we can run Peter through training afterwards. I want as many options in my kid's back pocket as we can get him to learn."

"Our kid or have you forgotten we all agreed that I could sign the adoption papers with you?" Stephen snarked.

Tony just laughed and pulled Stephen against his side. When Stephen squirmed in his grip he noticed something missing. Stephen froze as he processed the complete lack of the arc reactor in Tony's chest.

"Yeah, they did some weird magic that I couldn't follow as part of the gift but changing me back isn't going to be safe anymore," Tony said after realizing why Stephen had frozen. "I got the cat night vision but not much else. I think they actually complained that most of the power went into shoving everything artificial out of my body or converting it and fixing the wreck that was left over. When I get my cub back from them they're going to find out how much they've pissed me off with all of this."

"Reflexes? Instincts?" Stephen asked carefully.

"More or less but no more than a light urge on the instincts unless I already had something to boost," Tony said lightly. "Reflexes are a touch better, more fine control in general and specific movements without having to slow down."

"Like your possessiveness," Stephen concluded warily.

"And being territorial and protective over who and what is mine," Tony's smirk was audible in the darkness. "A bit of a boost to the muscles on top of that but nothing like what Underroos got. I can lug you around just fine now."

"Do you happen to know where my cloak is?" Stephen asked, changing the subject. He had noticed that Levi wasn't there almost as soon as he woke up.

"Yeah, I had to argue that Levi belonged to Peter and you were only borrowing it," Tony said sheepishly. "He picked up on why pretty quickly and played along. I don't think he likes little miss MJ very much right now but he moved to protect Peter pretty damn quick when a rock got thrown at him by something in the shadows. After seeing that they agreed that he belonged to Peter and made sure he got to keep cloaky."

"Aside from any agreement with our captors... Why did you leave me bound?" Stephen asked softly. "I can feel that it's some sort of vine around my wrists."

"Because the alternative is that they were going rip your limbs off to keep you contained," Tony sighed. "I promised to act as your guard in trade and take care of you if they kept Peter safe and left off anything extra to hold you. They did something similar to Yinsen as my cellmate when I got grabbed by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan. They used his family as leverage even though they killed them anyway. You were out cold and the kids kept freaking out over the threats so I acted to keep us all as intact and safe as possible. I also can't do shit with the magic vine they've got holding you. It bit me when I tried to get a closer look at it before you woke up."

"It bit you? Hm, I can think of several fairly standard security enchantments that do that," Stephen said thoughtfully. "Mostly I've run into them in the Library at one of the sanctums or Kamar-Taj. I can't do anything with my hands bound anyway. I didn't train to go without them the way some of the Masters with amputated limbs have. I'm useless on days when my hands flare up which is part of why I was surprised at being named Sorcerer Supreme."

"Makes sense," Tony hummed thoughtfully. He absently lifted Stephen up and set the Sorcerer in his lap, ignoring the startled yelp of surprise.

"I am not a child," Stephen huffed. He could feel Tony's smirk and grumbled about it before reluctantly settling down where he had been placed.

They cuddled like that for hours until Stephen finally feel back asleep in Tony's lap.

Tony looked down at him and sighed before turning his attention to the guard hidden on the ceiling.

"You happy now?" Tony groused at the giant spider.

"You did not tell us you planned to claim the hatchling as your offspring with this one," came the chittering hiss from the guard.

"You didn't ask and as far as we knew it was no one's business except for us, Peter, and the human legal system," Tony huffed. "This isn't the first time someone has kidnapped me and demanded stuff. I know roughly how to keep us intact aside from you guys not being human. That doesn't do shit for getting you to give us back Peter or let us go though."

"No, it does not," came the smug hissing laughter from the entrance to the cave. Tony twisted around while keeping Stephen in his lap to look at the oversized serpent-human hybrid standing guard with a friend.

"You yet live because the health check claims you are his sire by blood," the second Naga guard laughed.

"What?!" Tony asked incredulously. "I swear I didn't know but I am more than happy to claim him as mine!"

The unhappy hisses from both spider and Naga spoke of displeasure but not hostility.

"You will both have tests to pass if you wish to come anywhere near our young champion," the spider hissed in upset.

"Food will come soon," the first Naga guard grumbled as they all opted to ignore the humans.

Tony settled in and held Stephen close. They had to escape with the kids. Amber cat eyes gleamed in the darkness from on a ledge above the two humans, lazily watching them as the Sorcerer slept.

Chapter Text

Peter could hear everything in the cavern both his yet-to-be dads were kept in. He had been there when Tony had struck the deal. They had shared a single glance between them that promised the two of them would protect MJ and Doctor-dad. It was just as much news to him that Mr. Stark was his dad by blood but he was glad for it.

Peter hadn't fought back when they were released from the shadow web glue stuff and separated, trusting Mr. Stark, his dad, to give him something to work with. They had both known that as long as Dr. Strange was out they probably couldn't make a break for it unless they left him behind. That wasn't something Peter was comfortable with and he was glad that his Dad didn't ask him to try leaving anyone behind.

Peter had been checked by some magic user that was supposed to be some form of doctor after they had been separated. MJ had been held against a wall and threatened to make Peter cooperate but had only gotten a few bumps and bruises from her struggling. The intelligent spiders, large cats, and Naga who had them had fretted over whatever health thing had shown up in the magics. They were absolutely convinced that Peter was being starved and that if he had been getting even close to the minimum he would have more spider traits. Apparently he was still changing?

"Meal time," a cheerful hissing voice announced, jolting Peter out of his thoughts.

Peter sat up from where he had been laying down on a natural ledge in his cave and held MJ close while she woke up. He had been having her sleep on top of him since he was strong enough for it. Doctor-dad's cloak was behaving and helped to keep them warm as a blanket even if Levi didn't like MJ right now. Keeping her glued to his side kept them from being separated further and it had only taken one time snatching her back from the guards to get the point across.

"Why do you keep giving me mostly meat?" Peter asked once MJ was up and holding her much smaller portion of food.

"You need the meat," the giant spider hissed, clacking his mandibles together irritably. "It is troubling enough that you need it scorched as the humans and Naga do for your health. I refuse to see such a strong hatchling destroyed through lack of food when there is plenty to share... even if it must be scorched first. When your fangs and webs come in you will be taught to hunt."

"I don't think I will get fangs and webs," Peter said very carefully. "I checked myself pretty closely when I first started being able to wall crawl. Some of what you're expecting might have gone to fixing problems I had before I was bitten by that altered spider."

"There are ways to ensure the blessings are properly manifested, hatchling," the spider hissed in laughter as it left.

"I don't like the sound of that," MJ muttered.

"Neither do I," Peter agreed. "I don't think they would hurt me exactly but their idea of hurting us and our idea of it might not be exactly the same thing."

"Stark's screams were kind of terrifying," MJ murmured as she set aside her finished meal a little while later.

"Yeah," Peter said quietly. "It apparently fixed a lot of really bad damage that wasn't healing because of what had to go in him to keep him alive when he got hurt. I don't know the whole story but the light that was in his chest? The one that was swallowed by whatever that cat lady did to his chest? That was kind of important. I recognized the arc reactor before the magic did whatever to it."

"Wait, that was a small version of what he's using to power his tower?!" MJ realized, stunned.

Peter smirked tiredly at his friend. This was the second time they had been given food since being dragged into the cave system and the stress was getting to him. It wasn't the same as Spiderman stress but in some ways it was worse. As far as Peter was concerned this entire thing was his fault and if he did something wrong someone he cared about was going to get hurt.

"You are not eating," the more motherly Naga guard grumbled, poking her head around the edge of the cave entrance from the passageway.

"The dork keeps thinking that you grabbing us is his fault and he can't even fight back without risking us," MJ snorted. "You aren't going to let the rest of us live without some serious advantage for you losers. He just doesn't want to admit it or think about it."

"Hey... I mean you're not wrong but Hey!" Peter protested.

"Parker, this is a crappy first date," MJ deadpanned. "I was getting ready to just drag you on a proper date if you didn't ask me the way you kept flaking out at Midtown."

"Date?" the guard asked, confused.

"The start of a human courting ritual?" MJ offered after thinking about how to rephrase for a minute. "The term changes depending on which group of humans you ask but it stands as a testing period to see if we are suited as life partners."

"We interrupted your first courting?" the guard asked in surprise.

"Uh, yeah, you guys did," Peter admitted, going bright cherry red in embarrassment.

Levi popped up from where he had been laying next to Peter on the bench to wrap around him in an aggressive congratulatory hug that had Peter squawking and flailing slightly. MJ snickered and Levi eventually calmed down, settling on Peter's shoulders like he usually did with Stephen.

"How young are you?" the guard asked, bewildered.

"Not old enough to count as an adult," MJ shrugged. "We aren't there yet."

"How many seasons?" the Naga demanded.

"Uh, seasons? That's four seasons in a year and then... Uh, around 65 seasons? I think? Unless you're talking about a different time counting," Peter offered, confused.

"You... a youngling isn't eligible to take their test of maturity for the right to mate until they have reached 312 moons or 96 seasons..." the guard said, aghast. "You can not even.... This must be reported. How many seasons is your human female?"

"I am half a season older than Peter," MJ said neutrally. "Humans can mate as young as... well our bodies can carry young to term far sooner than is safe. We are both roughly at the correct starting age to be safe in mind and body according to what is known. Human bodies do not finish growing and maturing until around 26 or 28 years old. Which translates to 104 or 112 seasons. We count in years which is a set of four seasons."

The guard somehow looked really freaked out and sent the second door guard off. Peter could hear the second door guard hissing at the guards on the next cavern over. After the argument was done he listened closely to the sounds of both adult humans getting woken up and moved out of their cave. The sound of his dad complaining getting closer had Peter turning to face the entrance to his cave only to sag in relief as both older men were pushed in.

"Take care of the younglings," the Naga guards ordered and cut whatever bindings had been on Dr. Strange before shoving them further in.

Both adults looked back at the guards in surprise only to watch as a magic barrier covered the cave entrance, trapping them inside together.

"Okay, what did you two do?" Dad asked as they both moved to check Peter and MJ.

"They didn't know we were actually underage," MJ told them. "We corrected them and they immediately dragged you both in here with us."

"Your cubs are clever," chuffed a voice from a ledge above them. All of them moved to look at whatever was up there only to find a female black panther lounging on a ledge high up the wall.

"Thank you?" Tony said warily.

"The others were not pleased when I stuck my nose into this business but I have had more interaction with humans over the more recent centuries so they allowed it," the panther said, clearly laughing at them. "That it gave me a chance to heal the mess my own champion abandoned you to without even checking on you in that frozen land was fortunate. I will be having words with the one you know as the Black Panther. I offer my apologies for him and will see him suitably punished for his failure to at least check on you who acted to help him avenge his father honorably. As part of the reparations I feel are owed... Would you like a ride back to your tower?"

"What's the catch?" Tony asked warily before Peter could enthusiastically agree. "Because I don't blame King Kitty for it and the trouble he's having hosting the rogues seems punishment enough for what I see him responsible for during that mess. Don't get me wrong we want a way home but I want to be clear on what the cost is and who exactly is paying for it."

"When you come to walk among my people, the ones who call themselves Wakandan, you will claim the purple heart of the panther. When you eat it you will fight my champion in single combat, a challenge for rights. If you claim the Sorcerer as your mate you will ensure that he too consumes the purple heart. Your cub has no need for the strength or healing that comes with it," the panther told him. "This will humble my champion and you will have a place among my people."

"Okay, I can live with that," Tony agreed with a smirk. "Just because I earn some nebulous rights doesn't mean I have to use them. I also want to see what's really behind all of their hiding."

"Then once you are back in your den I will have an enjoyable hunt of the ones who stole you," the panther laughed.

A wind started to blow, swirling around and around and around them in their prison cave until they were engulfed in a whirlwind and tangled together. Blinded by the wind and cave dust they saw nothing until they landed sprawling in Tony's living room in the tower.

"Boss! You're back!" Friday exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, baby girl, we're back," Tony laughed in relief, half slumped over a lightly groaning Stephen as Peter exclaimed in excited shock as he saw where they were.

"Making deals like that is reckless," Stephen groaned. "But I'm glad we're back."

"I hear you, Merlin," Tony laughed louder. He would have to plan a trip to Wakanda in the near future for whatever purple heart thing the panther was talking about and the scuffle with King Kitty but they were back, safe and sound.

Chapter Text

Stephen wasted no time getting Peter back into a bed and checking him again to make sure his injuries hadn't been made worse by their captivity. He and Tony were more than a little relieved to discover that all of the extra meat had interacted with his spider side to heal him almost completely. Tony wasted no time in doing a blood comparison between himself and Peter to make sure he actually was Peter's father by blood. MJ was firmly returned to her current guardian but only after Tony cleared the air with her, absolving her for delivering the shadow web bomb.

Stephen's check in and report to Kamar-Taj and Wong went smoothly even with all the cursing that Tony overheard. While Stephen was busy reporting in and giving out orders Tony checked on Peter and quietly asked him to stay in his extra sound proofed room.

"Why?" Peter asked curiously.

"Because the Doc needs time to unwind but after all of us getting grabbed neither of us will feel safe enough to do that unless we know you are safe. Plus there's some private stuff I want to talk to him about and he's going to pounce on me for my own check up when he remembers that I got magicked. I don't really think you want to hear us talking about me being naked and stuff," Tony smirked.

"Ew! Dad!" Peter complained. "Yeah, no, I'll stay in here and play on my phone or the gaming system that I notice you added since last time I stayed over the weekend. Levi can help me play some of the racing games."

"Good," Tony said, satisfied. "You've got a stocked snack bin in the bottom two drawers of the dresser. It's mostly stuff that stores forever but I started stocking a lot of jerky for you with how those seemed to disappear from the cabinets first whenever you visit. Once I've got the Doc sorted we can all watch a movie or have lab time or something. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Peter agreed happily as he immediately went for the snacks and chatted at the excited Cloak of Levitation as they tried to decide what to play first.

Tony smiled softly at him before leaving his kid to his game time. Once he was out in the hall with the door firmly shut he went on his hunt for Stephen.

"Friday, lock Peter's door and give him three warnings about leaving his room before letting him out unless it's for the bathroom," Tony ordered as he headed for the kitchen.

"You got it, Boss!" Friday said cheerfully.

When Tony found Stephen the doctor was seated on the couch with his head in his hands. The man's wrists were a little red from being bound but what made Tony frown was the slight swelling of Stephen's scarred hands. He knew from his own experience with the after effects of Afghanistan that Stephen had to be in a lot of pain if his hands looked like that.

Stephen startled when Tony came over and gently took his hands to look at them. He visibly suppressed a flinch to allow Tony to check them.

"Painful?" Tony asked carefully.

"No worse than one of my bad days," Stephen said tiredly. "Don't expect any magic unless it's an emergency. It's just as well that I used the phone to call Wong, casting a portal would have crippled me for the rest of the day."

"You can check me after your hands are doing better then," Tony said firmly. "I know that you would have eventually remembered and demanded to check me so I was going to just get it over with but if you're hurting like this I can definitely wait."

"What else?" Stephen asked, observing Tony closely.

"I told you about my possessiveness getting boosted," Tony said casually. "But I need to know how far you're willing to let me go with that because I could go pretty damn far with that before it got boosted."

Stephen tensed in his grip. Tony had to viciously fight down his own feelings of possessiveness. However, what rose even stronger in his chest was the need to protect the man in front of him from whatever might threaten him.

"I would deliberately blunt it with one night stands at times," Tony continued after a moment of observing Stephen. "I need to know if I have to start that up again to keep my hands off of you or if you want to be the one in control. I can give you some time to decide if you want to try being my partner like that but it's going to be difficult to let you leave unless you demand I cut all contact. I'll do it if you want that but we're going to have to choose soon. I don't think the magic the panther used on me is done changing me, not yet. I get the feeling because they basically threw you at me or me at you that we have to pick before it finishes settling."

"Damnit," Stephen muttered before admitting his own piece of things. "I already made my choice coming back with you and Peter in the first place. It... I was working up to asking you out. If you had any sign of a romantic relationship I would have quietly bowed out and tried to stay friends. The bleed over memories... They aren't all from only one timeline for me. I can't let it consume me unless you're on board with it or I will be the one going supervillain to get and keep you. That's part of why I held back and wasn't scared off by your own warning. I can very easily go the same route depending on how desperate I get and what magics I let myself use."

"Why Doc am I hearing you say that you need me to be your leash?" Tony smirked, practically purring in delight at the idea.

"Unless you want me putting you on my leash you might want to choose your words a bit more carefully," Stephen growled, eyes narrowed at the inventor.

"Personally, I like the idea of you occasionally turning the tables on me and making me submit to you. Just as long as you understand I am more than happy to do the same thing right back," Tony smirked, shifting his grip on Stephen's swollen hands so that he was holding the slightly red wrists in a firm grip.

Stephen didn't breath for a moment and then shuddered slightly as he leaned into the grip.

"If you can make me feel safe in your arms then I doubt that I will object to being subject to you," Stephen said quietly. "I don't mind the idea of you chasing me down either if your new instincts are pushing in that direction. I know some species are like that and we still don't know if you were infused with an earth native cat species or something a bit more esoteric or even something eldritch. However, it has to be because you actually want me like that and not just from those instincts."

Tony, who had always had trouble making his mind go quiet, looked at Stephen with less noise in his thoughts than he had believed possible. Using the grip he already had on the Sorcerer Tony pulled him up into his arms. Stephen sagged against him and Tony couldn't help but stand there and relish holding his Sorcerer.

"I'm keeping you, Merlin," Tony whispered into his ear.

Stephen just sighed in acceptance and let himself be held. He wasn't even really surprised to wake up in Tony's bed after falling asleep in the inventor's arms.

Chapter Text

Tony found himself swamped with SI work shortly after the very professional health check from Stephen. The results of said health check had been weird and sent Stephen on a research binge over at the New York Sanctum. Peter had agreed to do distance learning as long as he could do it with Ned. Tony had shrugged and agreed, setting up a dedicated video chat for the two teenagers complete with new laptops for both of them to work from. Levi had been torn between staying with Stephen and staying with Peter so he occasionally swapped which human he was with that day. Much to their amusement and the sense of incredulous scandal from the rest of the Mystic Order it actually worked out pretty well.

Tony breathed quietly as he forced himself to let Stephen leave his tower again for another trip to the New York Sanctum. He had been fighting himself to let Stephen be his own person after their discussion about where they went next. If he wasn't careful he would go full out supervillain and trap Stephen in his tower so that no one else could have him.

Tony still had to arrange that trip to Wakanda for Stephen and himself. It was debatable if taking Peter along would be a good idea. If Peter wasn't going to come with them then he had to make other arrangements or possibly bribe one of Stephen's Mystic Order to watch and guard him. Maybe with a cover of tutoring him in magical basics? If they got attacked Peter would have magical backup and if they didn't then Peter would learn something.

Tony was jerked out of his plotting by Stephen showing up almost completely out of nowhere and throwing a spell at him. His new reflexes served him well and he was able to backbend out of the way. Tony's angry and frustrated scowl aimed at Stephen caused something that Tony wasn't expecting. Stephen looked at him in terror... only his hands were smooth beyond a number of random lighter colored bits of skin and his eyes were the wrong color.

"You aren't Stephen," Tony growled as he stalked menacingly towards the imposter.

When the imposter tried to cast a different spell Tony was quick to pounce and restrain him. The imposter struggled under Tony's weight until the inventor lifted him slightly and slammed him down a few times. He must have broken the man's concentration because the false image dissolved into golden sparkly dust that disappeared as they landed against any solid surface.

"Who are you?!" Tony demanded harshly.

"I have no need to answer you, abomination," the man scowled and heaved, trying to buck Tony off of him. Tony retaliated by hitting him in the temple and knocking him out.

By the time Stephen returned two hours later Tony had the man secured in a locked guest room. The interesting magic stick had called to Tony and seemed to link to his core when he picked them up. He could feel a playful tug from them on what had once been his arc reactor but had been transformed into some sort of internal magic power source. Tony hadn't told Stephen about it yet and something told him that no one outside of his immediate family (ie. Peter and Stephen plus maybe Rhodey) should be told about it. It wasn't like he knew how to use it yet either so it was firmly on the back burner.

"Tony, Why do you have the Staff of the Living Tribunal?" Stephen asked in a strangled voice when he returned and saw the relic tucked into the chair at Tony's side.

"Some guy in robes like yours showed up looking like you with some sort of illusion and attacked me. He got you all wrong but once I knocked him out and put him in a guest room his stick decided to latch onto me," Tony said flippantly.

"Mordo," Stephen breathed. "Are you hurt? Did he hit you with anything?"

"Stephen, is this one of the things that might come back to bite you for taking over Hogwarts?" Tony asked, narrow eyed and ignoring Stephen's frantic concern even as he pulled the doctor into his arms, leaving the staff in the chair.

"Yes, he was my second teacher who decided I need to be executed for using forbidden techniques," Stephen admitted, still trying to check Tony.

"I have an idea," Tony said with a slow evil smile.

"...I don't think I want to know," Stephen said immediately after seeing his smile.

"Oh but you've got a part to play, pet," Tony declared gleefully.

"Can't I just sit it out?" Stephen asked warily.

"Nope, we are going to present you as being permanently on my leash. Against your will if you feel up to playing it like that. I want him to think that going after you means upsetting me as your owner. That way he thinks you have a leash and that he can drag you to me instead of trying to kill you himself if he ever goes after you again," Tony smirked. "And I want him to think we've managed to keep it a secret from your Hogwarts. That way when we hand him over he thinks I am the threat he has to worry about instead of you."

"Tony, no! He was the primary combat instructor for the entire Order for years! We can find someone else for you to play supervillain with," Stephen protested.

"But this is perfect!" Tony said gleefully.

"What would you even do to sell it? Smirk at him?" Stephen tried to deflect.

"Nope, you're going to play unwilling captive who can't fight back," Tony said cheerfully. "We can come up with the dialogue on the fly just to make it more natural. Most of it is going to be you taking me as an actual threat and me playing evil businessman acting heavy handed to get what I want, which is obviously you."

"I can't talk you out of this can I?" Stephen asked in defeat.

"You can possibly talk me into warning Wong first," Tony said smirked. "I mean I can probably pull it off without you but I want you there as back up and so that you can see him at our mercy, prove that we can neutralize him as a threat."

"You want to help me feel safe again," Stephen realized quietly. "You figured it out."

"Exactly," Tony smiled. "You finally relaxed once we had our talk and even trusting Wong at your back I could tell you were expecting to get backstabbed. I get it. I've been backstabbed before. Between my godfather ripping the arc reactor out of my chest while it was still the only thing keeping me alive to Romanoff literally stabbing me with an experimental chemical while I was dying I really do get it. Of course, that's without any of the rest of the times I've been betrayed just as Iron Man and doesn't even start on the stuff just slammed into little old Tony Stark. Frankly, this will help to keep me from killing Capsicle and Maximoff when we inevitably run into them on our visit to Wakanda to kick King Kitty's ass."

"Ah, in that case I'll play along," Stephen conceded. He mentally filed away Captain America, Natasha Romanoff, and Wanda Maximoff as having betrayed Tony to investigate and rip into later. Tony's godfather would be sent to Dormammu if he wasn't already dead as Stephen suspected from how lightly Tony admitted to the betrayal.

"Great!" Tony said cheerfully and got them both standing before starting to drag Stephen along.

"Resistant, right?" Stephen double checked.

"Yup, unwilling but not really able to fight back for some nebulous reason," Tony confirmed. When he felt the weight of resistance increase from Stephen he smirked and used his new strength to keep dragging his Sorcerer along.

It wasn't far to the guest room where he had stashed the Mordo guy so Stephen didn't really get to do much more than sink into pretending to be grumpy over being forced along. Internally, Tony laughed at what they were about to pull but on the outside he made sure to be sporting his best evil smirk. Banging open the door his gaze met that of the very angry Mordo only for the man's gaze to turn confused as Tony literally dragged Stephen into the room and closed the door behind them.

"Well? Who is this?" Tony demanded of Stephen as he shook him lightly. "Why did you allow him to use your appearance?"

"Let me actually get a look at him first," Stephen snapped back aggressively.

"Pet," Tony said in warning as he shook him again in punishment.

"Alright, alright, alright, just let me actually look at him," Stephen protested convincingly. As he looked over at the bed he checked who it was and also if they were hurt before answering. "Master Mordo, he left the Order after... A personal disagreement with me."

"Now, pet, I thought we agreed that none of your minions were allowed to visit without first checking with me," Tony said in condescension. "Didn't I tell you I could wipe them out with the touch of a button if they found out too much of our private lives? It isn't like it's hard to track them to Kathmandu even before I got you to admit it."

Real fear flashed in Stephen's eyes and Tony pulled him in close. He pressed the sling ring into Stephen's hands as part of reassuring him before continuing the charade. He didn't actually want Stephen to believe that he was threatening his magic home temple. Giving Stephen a way to get there and warn anyone before Tony could do something was the best reassurance he had on hand at the moment.

"Oh, don't worry, pet," Tony cooed at him. "As long as you stay safe here with me I have no reason to take them out."

"Yes, Mr. Stark," Stephen said, letting his voice waver a bit.

"My name is Tony," Tony scolded him lightly. "If you start calling me Mr. Stark when I just got the kid to stop I'll make sure you remember your punishment for a long time."

"Tony," Stephen said carefully, correcting himself before extending the charade the next step further. "Master Mordo isn't a threat to you. In all honesty he likely just wanted to kill me for our past disagreement. There was no need for this."

"He called me an abomination. He came into our home with the intent to kill, starting with attacking me," Tony said stubbornly. "I would say just knocking him out and letting you look at him before I killed him was being very generous, don't you think?"

"There's no need for that," Stephen said quickly. "We can give him to Wong and then we don't have to worry about anything."

"Except that you didn't warn me about him being a problem," Tony said ominously. "So he's seen a bit more than I like and I really don't see a reason not to disappear him."

They stood there in front of the bound and gagged Mordo staring each other down for a few minutes until the door opened to reveal a Spiderling.

"Dad, Friday said you were in here can we.... Dad, why are you holding Doctor-dad like that? And why is a guy tied up on the bed? If he broke in shouldn't you have just called security? That's what you pay them for after all," Peter asked, baffled, from the doorway of the room. Levi was floating at his shoulder and peering at them around the teenager he had been spending time with.

"Normally you would be right but this idiot broke in to kill Stephen and Stephen has been trying to argue me into letting him actually do it. So they're both under punishment right now. Stephen is also trying to talk me into handing him off to Wong instead of killing him for going after our Doc in the first place," Tony explained. "I feel like I'm allowed to kill anyone trying to kill our family."

Tony felt really accomplished when Peter immediately facepalmed but also didn't dismiss the inventor actually attempting what he said he was doing.

"Dad, no killing," Peter said, exasperated, once he had recovered from his facepalm.

"Why not?" Tony asked. "I've killed before."

"Dad!" Peter protested.

"Peter, why don't you take Levi and go play catch down in the gym or have Levi play moving target for you? I think this is something I have talk to Tony about without you. Master Mordo and my relationship with him is complicated and Tony is very much in favor of killing people who decide it's okay to go after his own," Stephen offered to placate both of them.

"I'm not helping get rid of the body if you actually kill him," Peter said bluntly. "Come on Levi, let's go see if we can crush the mushroom cup again."

The Cloak of Levitation shook in laughter as he followed the teenager back out of the room and making sure to close the door behind them.

"Please don't kill him," Stephen said into the quiet of the freshly sealed room.

"Why?" Tony demanded gruffly, still in evil villain character. "What do I get out of it?"

"You wouldn't have shown him to me unless you planned to let me bargain for something about the situation or I had crossed you," Stephen said carefully. "What do you want for handing him over to Wong instead of killing him? You already have me here, where you demanded."

"I found your little notes to Wong," Tony smirked. "You want to save him? Keep me from expressing my displeasure with your minions stealing your attention away from me all of the time? Fine, it will cost you. For the next three weeks you're mine to do with as I please. If I want you to dance for me naked or tie you to my bed then it's going to happen. Understand?"

"Yes, Tony," Stephen agreed quickly.

Tony quickly grabbed his head and kissed him hard and deep, leaving Stephen gasping in his arms as he smirked at the still bound and incredulous Mordo.

"Run along and be sure that you get into my bed tonight, my dear pet," Tony ordered as he let Stephen leave with barely a backwards glance. Tony turned to study his captive thoughtfully before speaking again. "I can't really let you tell the others about our unusual relationship. I'm tempted to cut out your tongue for witnessing that just now but a deal is a deal. Friday, message Wong and tell him he has a package waiting in this room for him. I want this idiot gone as soon as possible."

"Yes, Boss," Friday said as Tony left the room, leaving the single occupant behind, trapped in his bindings.

"Is this when I run so that you can chase me down and fuck me?" Stephen drawled playfully when Tony stalked into the living room.

"Only if you want too," Tony smirked. "I will admit that it has a certain appeal, fucking you wherever I finally catch you only to drag you back to my room and tying you to my bed for the rounds after that."

"Damn, it shouldn't sound that good," Stephen shuddered where he stood leaning against the wall.

Tony smirked and moved to stalk Stephen in a silly too slow way, giving the doctor the option to tell him no or even just walk away. Stephen smiled in appreciation and amusement before tossing his sling ring to Tony.

"Give me a bit of a head start?" Stephen suggested. "We really should do this later anyway. It isn't like either of us are ready at the moment."

That made Tony pause and then slump in defeat. He didn't want to hurt Stephen and instincts or not trying to bed him without at least a little prep would do just that. Stephen saw him acting depressed and came over to kiss him only to be snatched up and hauled off to Tony's bedroom with Tony cackling over Stephen's indignant shouts. Peter and Levi poked their head and collar out of the nearby kitchen to look after them only to shrug and go back to raiding the kitchen for sandwiches. When Wong arrived he talked to Peter before picking up Mordo but neither of them thought it was a good idea to find Tony or Stephen any time soon. In the end Peter snuck out to patrol as Spiderman after Wong left.

Chapter Text

Wong checked through the various Masters and Apprentices they had available who might be able to teach his two nephews. His sister had contacted him after the zombie mess and before he could see if Stephen would look at young Ned Stark had already started paying for everything. He had visited when they had checked for Ned and the girl being infected but the official business of containing the curse and clearing it from them took precedence over visiting his nephew. Wong would be willing to teach them himself but Stark's request for a combination teacher/guard for Peter while the inventor dragged Stephen off to visit Wakanda told him that he wouldn't have time. Wong was filling in for Stephen already after all.

"Master Garth has Master Fey banned you from your projects recently?" Wong asked politely, noting the normally elusive Master in the assembly.

"Yes," Master Garth scowled.

Master Garth was a tall willowy man that towered over most people dressed in a mix of dark browns and creams. The constantly singed eyebrows and soot smudges from his fingers resting on his face at random points were further evidence of exactly why Master Fey banned him from his work fairly regularly. The fact that more than once his mix of alchemy and mystical relic invention and enchanting attempts had blown up in his face was often used as a lesson for the Initiates and Apprentices. He was also a fairly good teacher when he could be conned into conducting a class instead of investigating relic creation materials.

"Good, I have two students outside of Kamar-Taj that need teaching," Wong told him. "Both have been attacked recently and Master Strange, who has been guarding one of them, has been called away. One boy is my nephew and the other Master Strange is in the process of formally adopting with his most recent partner, who also happens to be the father of the boy he took up guarding."

"Do I want to know what lead to that tangle of interconnected coincidences?" Master Garth asked with a grumble.

"Probably not since it also lead to officially filing them as Master Strange's family and his own adoption of myself as his brother," Wong said blandly.

They both ignored the interested looks from everyone else as if they saw nothing.

"I have at least a few months before she will let me back in the work area after the last explosion of magic attuned stone," Master Garth said glumly. "I don't believe that I have any objections to teaching them. I presume that you want to see them taught several basic spells focused on escape, evasion, and messages? Likely with a firm grounding in the risks of the worlds and the risks of magic in general?"

"Yes," Wong said firmly.

"Then I suppose I am free to walk them through the Initiate levels and perhaps half of the Apprentice levels if they prove talented during that time," Master Garth agreed.

"Good, everyone else needs to brush up on basics. Master Strange keeps stumbling into things and may need back up at the drop of a hat," Wong said dryly as he lead Master Garth elsewhere to fill him in on the teenagers he would be teaching.

Stephen and Tony were going to owe him for this.

~~~

Tony was smug after a good night with Stephen cuddled in his bed come morning. The message waiting for him from Wong responding to his idle question about a tutor/babysitter/guard for Peter was a relief. What was very much not a relief was finding the bloody towel and broken piece of a knife on the counter in the kitchen. The fact that the knife piece had bits of Spiderling webbing stuck to it under the blood sent chills down Tony's spine.

"Friday, wake up Stephen then tell me where Peter is and what's his status," Tony snapped out, adrenaline rushing in his veins.

"Spiderling is in his room trying to glue the knife wound in his left side together after pulling out the knife a few minutes ago," Friday reported just as Stephen stepped up behind him. They both froze, glanced at each other, and bolted for Peter's room.

Chapter Text

Tony was smug after a good night with Stephen cuddled in his bed come morning. The message waiting for him from Wong responding to his idle question about a tutor/babysitter/guard for Peter was a relief. What was very much not a relief was finding the bloody towel and broken piece of a knife on the counter in the kitchen. The fact that the knife piece had bits of Spiderling webbing stuck to it under the blood sent chills down Tony's spine.

"Friday, wake up Stephen then tell me where Peter is and what's his status," Tony snapped out, adrenaline rushing in his veins.

"Spiderling is in his room trying to glue the knife wound in his left side together after pulling out the knife a few minutes ago," Friday reported just as Stephen stepped up behind him. They both froze, glanced at each other, and bolted for Peter's room.

When they burst into Peter's room they startled him into jerking the glue away from his skin and twisting to face them with a startled squawk. Unfortunately, this caused his grip on the wound to slip and he started bleeding again from the rapid movement. Stephen cursed and quick stepped over to Peter to check the wound.

"You are so grounded," Tony groused, ignoring Peter's spluttering protest to address Stephen. "How bad is it?"

"If he didn't have enhanced healing I would need you to give him stitches and possibly tie off bleeders since my hands aren't steady enough to do it," Stephen grumbled. "With the enhanced healing? We keep it clean and apply a lot of butterfly sutures. Be thankful that he can heal so fast or we would be scrambling him down to the emergency area on the medical floor."

"I'm making him a new suit with actual armor this time," Tony growled. "If his current one can't keep out a flimsy little knife he might as well be back in those pajamas he wore at the start. No protection whatsoever."

"But you made this one," Peter pointed out as Stephen fetched the medical kit that Tony had started keeping stocked in various rooms after bringing them both home with him.

"Yeah and it's crap if it can't keep out a knife like that," Tony snarled.

"Um, would it help if I told you that they used enough force to slice through my webs first?" Peter asked, concerned at Tony's anger.

"Not really," Stephen answered for Tony as he returned and started treating the injury in question. "He's going to go overboard either way and we saw the webbing on the broken blade you left in the kitchen."

"Oh," Peter said, disappointed.

They treated their Spiderling and checked him for any other injuries before Tony very firmly collected the Spiderman suit.

"But I need that!" Peter protested. "How am I going to go on patrol without it?"

"That is the point, you aren't," Tony said pointedly. "You are very much grounded and even if you weren't I can't let you go out with it damaged like this. It compromises parts of what keep you safe and could short out in a dangerous way. I refuse to let you go out in something more likely to hurt you than protect you. Besides, that injury has to heal before I let you even try any more web slinging. I won't have you killing yourself because you won't take the time to rest and heal!"

"Which also means you aren't coming with us to visit Wakanda," Stephen said. "I'll see if one of the other Masters will be willing to stay with you. If you're lucky you might talk them into explaining the first lessons we learn as Initiates."

"Wait, magic? I could learn magic?!" Peter asked excitedly.

"With how excited you are maybe I should ask Happy or Pepper to watch you," Tony said, aiming a look of narrow eyed suspicion at his kid. "You got hurt and didn't do the sensible thing and get help from us. Not to mention you weren't supposed to be out Spiderman-ing in the first place. We still don't know who sent those zombies even if the hospital attack seems explained. Then again we didn't ask them if they tried to kidnap you from the hospital either so we don't know that they were involved in anything except grabbing us from the tower and those creepy shadow webs. You better be glad that Wong took my question about potential babysitters from Stephen's Order and ran with it because otherwise I would find you the most boring person to watch you that I could."

"Daaaads," Peter protested. His pouting was ignored as they cleaned up the remains from treating him.

"No, Peter, you know better," Stephen said, putting his foot down to match Tony's firmness.

"Underroos, we can't come to the rescue unless we know you're out Spiderman-ing in the first place," Tony reminded him. "As soon as Wong and Master Garth get here we are leaving for Wakanda to deal with something left over from my new power up. You are going to stay safely here so that we don't have to worry about you while we deal with uppity King Kitties for a magic kitty cat. When we get back we can talk about letting you Spiderman again."

Peter grumbled but conceded the point. Levi fluttered around him and gave him random hugs until it was time to go before returning to Stephen's shoulders.

"You've been spending so much time with Peter should I be worried that you'll pick him over me?" Stephen murmured.

Levi shook in laughter and denial, cuddling close to his human Sorcerer and rubbing up against him in comfort.

"Do you want to travel by portal or by plane?" Tony inquired. If they were going by portal it would be faster but then Stephen would be their ride no matter what happened.

"Portal," Stephen agreed. "Do you have a recent picture of where we are going?"

"Sure, Friday bring up the picture that magic cat left us," Tony instructed.

"Magic cat?" Stephen asked bemused.

Tony shrugged as Friday threw a digital copy of the picture he had found in his pocket when they got back up on to the living room tv. Stephen took a minute to study it and then, after Tony fetched one of his older suitcase armors, he opened a portal to the location. They exchanged smiles before walking through straight into Wakanda.

Chapter Text

Tony shrugged as Friday threw a digital copy of the picture he had found in his pocket when they got back up on to the living room tv. Stephen took a minute to study it and then, after Tony fetched one of his older suitcase armors, he opened a portal to the location. They exchanged smiles before walking through straight into Wakanda.

~~~

Tony and Stephen walked through the portal into a very unexpected meeting in a throne room of all things. The looks of surprise from the assembled Wakandans and from both visitors showed everyone that neither side was expected. The fact that Tony didn't understand the words suddenly shouted by the obvious female guards only briefly made him consider if they should have arrived more conventionally. It most definitely didn't detract from the honed combat reactions for the two of them as they defended themselves while trying not to actually hurt the attacking guards.

The women attacked with ferocious abandon and had Stephen almost immediately pulling out the magic on top of the martial arts. Tony quickly found himself adapting to the largely uncharted new cat boost he had received in the cave and grew claws. Stephen's cry of pain when a spear got through his defenses had Tony hissing in fury and turning on the guard who had landed the hit, claws visibly extended as he struck. This was the first guard he drew blood on and nearly took her eye out with his new claws.

Tony ignored the shouts of the not-guards that called the guards off in favor of focusing on the guard who had hurt his Stephen. Only Stephen stepping in kept him from killing her.

"Tony! That's enough!" Stephen called, grabbing his arm.

Tony whipping his head up to glare at the Sorcerer only for Stephen's eyes to go wide at the change in Tony's gaze. Tony's brown eyes had shifted to golden and his pupils had become cat slits. When Stephen glanced at Tony's bloody hands he found the claws that had grown out of the nail beds.

"Shit, I should have checked you closer after that cat changed you," Stephen growled as he gently pulled Tony off of the woman and gestured for the others to take get her out of there.

"I figured some of it might happen. Magic cat mama was way too pleased to get me to agree to this and then to demand I challenge King Kitty as payment? The entire thing helped us protect my kid so I wasn't going to argue," Tony said gruffly as he pulled Stephen protectively into his arms before glaring at the assembled Wakandans.

The gasps at the change in his eyes and the claws on his hands just made Tony glare harder.

"Challenge me? Why?" T'Challa asked warily. "And what do you mean by magic cat mama?"

"You tell them," Tony growled before shoving his face into Stephen's neck and breathing deep to avoid killing someone.

"Due to an ongoing case in tracking down someone who set reanimated dead lose in New York to attack a child a group of Naga and giant sentient Spiders captured us along with the child in question and his friend," Stephen summarized succinctly. "During that incident a third faction was revealed in the form of a large cat that could speak. I am uncertain but I believe the actual species was a Black Panther. I was unconscious when we arrived at the cave system they held us in but the Naga and Spiders apparently wanted to kill us both and possibly the friend of the primary target. Tony offered to do something to make it unnecessary and the large cat took him up on the offer. The magic used healed a great deal of old damage and changed him so that he started exhibiting various cat based traits. The physical shift you see is... new. We arrived via portal to this specific room because the same cat who changed Tony provided a picture after returning us to his tower. Her conditions primarily consisted of Tony fighting some sort of challenge with yourself and that his win would give us undefined rights. The fight is also supposedly compensation for when you left Tony for dead in Siberia and the lack of aid while injured nearly killed him when you left with Rogers. We are only here to complete that challenge."

"I was told that Stark was unharmed and had his own way back which he preferred," T'Challa offered with a scowl. "I have no idea if he was hurt or not as Rogers insisted that we leave immediately. I noticed the lack of his shield and of Stark but I had no reason to distrust his words."

"That may be but your willingness to leave without at least checking when it was not time critical to escape has caused great harm, my champion," a voice called out as a female black panther walked out of the shadows, not having been there a minute ago.

"Magic cat mama," Tony greeted without looking up.

"Hm, I did not expect you to access the low level battle enhancements until a much more serious fight," the black panther said thoughtfully as she circled the two Americans.

A quick dart of her head allowed her to lick some of the blood off of Tony's hands. Tony grumbled over it but didn't argue with her. The panther chuffed a laugh and turned to face the Wakandans with a thoughtful cat gaze.

"Bast," T'Challa murmured in reverence as they bowed to the panther.

"Bring me the herb," Bast ordered quietly.

"N'Jadaka ordered them all burned," one of the guards offered quickly, trying to protect those who would fail to bring it.

"N'Jadaka was supposed to be a lesson," Bast growled angrily. "Abandoned by his own blood, a child of our people left behind. His place was to be at your side, T'Challa, not dead! A temper and a wealth of experience to aid in protecting our people. As you failed to insist on his acclimation before accepting his challenge you will instead fight my newest blessed son."

"Wait, what?," Tony said, his head shooting up to stare at the panther. "I thought this was really just to prove I was worthy of the healing or some shit. Why else would you repair my half caved in chest?"

"Tony," Stephen groaned, realizing why Tony had been so okay with everything. He hadn't realized that the deal he had struck wasn't bound in the same way as a business deal and the vague wording gave the Goddess Bast a very flexible claim on him.

"What? I didn't agree to be adopted or anything like that. I agreed to whatever she was going to change to protect the kid, play guard for you so they didn't kill us, and fight a challenge fight of some kind with King Kitty. I don't have to use anything I win and as far as I know I would be a poor choice for any of this shit in the first place. Whatever she cast on me ate my arc reactor and my most recent armor, Stephen! I had to bring an older armor on this trip and I still don't know why Wong was so willing to let us borrow one of your Mystic Masters to play babysitter for Peter," Tony huffed. "I don't even know what the challenge is supposed to be officially called or fought over and I'm not sure I want to know. It's not like I'm going to kill him or something like that."

The Wakandans stared at them in sudden horrified understanding as they looked between the two men and the now seated, very smug, black panther.

"Your Sorcerer and cub are included in the adoption but you were the one I primarily adopted," Bast said casually. Stephen just facepalmed in response while Tony peered over his shoulder at the large cat in wary interest.

Chapter Text

Tony Stark, Heir of Dormammu

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tony is grabbed by his Uncle Dormammu, who is a generally unknown sibling to Howard Stark, and sent after Stephen. His orders are to kill, capture, or recruit the Sorcerer who royally pissed off Dormammu and forced him into a deal to leave Earth alone. Anything goes so long as Stephen is either dead or under Dormammu's control in some way by the end of it. This includes the option of taking thousands of years to recruit him.

Stephen has forgotten that he has previously met Tony. Tony was the one to hide Stephen still working at the hospital from Dormammu's sight after the "I am Iron Man" speech after having met him prior to Afghanistan at a charity gala. Mostly to avoid Dormammu scaring him off before they could at least get to their third date. Afghanistan interrupted Tony's plans and gave him a serious wake up call. Pepper has been acting as his shield and significant other since Afghanistan to help protect him. After he broke down one night and admitted that he had to have some sort of partner or his father's family would pick someone for him, likely his cousin. Rhodes and Hogan were brought in on things while he was dying of palladium poisoning.

Reference Irritatedbookworm's story ideas to fold into this?

~~ The next one is Stark is in Nepal on a potential business deal. China's agents are busy harassing the Nepalese gov't about selling them certain land that contains the hidden temple of Kamar-Taj. China *wants* Kamar-Taj in order to get their hands on the mages there because they have none of their own. All of the Chinese mages fled or went underground when the Communists grabbed power since they could see what was coming and weren't interested in being basically enslaved. Stark quickly realizes what's going on and Takes Steps, offering to buy the mountain[s] and a few surrounding valleys as part of a local project to expand his business into a few more bio-research businesses. Kamar-Taj isn't slow to sneakily help Stark because they KNOW what will happen to them if China gets their claws in......

Chapter Text

Tony is grabbed by his Uncle Dormammu, who is a generally unknown sibling to Howard Stark, and sent after Stephen. His orders are to kill, capture, or recruit the Sorcerer who royally pissed off Dormammu and forced him into a deal to leave Earth alone. Anything goes so long as Stephen is either dead or under Dormammu's control in some way by the end of it. This includes the option of taking thousands of years to recruit him.

Stephen has forgotten that he has previously met Tony. Tony was the one to hide Stephen still working at the hospital from Dormammu's sight after the "I am Iron Man" speech after having met him prior to Afghanistan at a charity gala. Mostly to avoid Dormammu scaring him off before they could at least get to their third date. Afghanistan interrupted Tony's plans and gave him a serious wake up call. Pepper has been acting as his shield and significant other since Afghanistan to help protect him. After he broke down one night and admitted that he had to have some sort of partner or his father's family would pick someone for him, likely his cousin. Rhodes and Hogan were brought in on things while he was dying of palladium poisoning.

Tony forces Stephen to capture him instead of the other way around and giving him to Dormammu by attacking Stephen and making it incredibly obvious in the banter. Tony refuses to relax until Stephen touches him and the magic holds him securely so that he can't get away or attack again.

Tony snapped a spell at his target in frustration even as satisfaction curled in his gut as Stephen dodged it. He didn't want to hurt Stephen but he had to show Dormammu something like progress or his uncle was going to rip into him. Like hell was he going to go the seduction route or trick Stephen into swearing loyalty to Dormammu either. Tony would rather that Stephen take one of the less common capture and keep routes or to just kill Tony outright than hand the doctor over to Dormammu.

Chapter Text

Tony groaned awake and hated the taste he recognized in his mouth, the purple dust of the Dark Dimension. The last thing he remembered was a flash of a spell and shouting at an event he was attending. He must have been openly kidnapped but the taste of the purple dust told him who had given the order.

Tony grumbled and forced himself into a sitting position in the dust of the planetoid he had been deposited on. A quick glance at the Sorcerers nearby told him that his kidnappers were new to Dormammu's service and still more human than not. He made a mental note to track down whatever magic group they had been a part of. The very fact that he was in the Dark Dimension so publicly meant that play time was over and he wouldn't be allowed to hide his family connection to act normal anymore.

"Anthony," Dormammu rumbled as he wandered over from whatever project he had been working on while waiting for Tony to wake up.

"Hi Uncle D," Tony sighed as he got to his feet and dusted himself off.

"You've done yourself some damage since my last visit, nephew," Dormammu commented thoughtfully, looking Tony over with an experienced eye.

"Well when you get kidnapped and tortured by terrorists who were originally hired to kill you they don't usually care about keeping you all that intact," Tony grimaced. "I got it fixed and then my co-leader of the team I was building to protect the planet from an invader decided to go nuts, betray me, and then try to cut me in half with his weapon that Howard made for him. I haven't gotten around to paying him back yet but it's on the list."

"I note that you are still pretending to date that friend of yours," Dormammu observed, sending an immediate spike of ice down Tony's spine. "She is a suitable aid and an acceptable placeholder until you have a serious partner to pursue. The young spider shows promise. I expect you to lay a proper claim on him within the decade least his training from you go to waste."

"Yes sir," Tony acknowledged grumpily. Secretly he was relieved that Pepper was seen as an acceptable placeholder or else Dormammu would have stepped in directly to correct things. The attention to Peter was concerning but not yet a risk from how it had been worded.

"Good," Dormammu said in satisfaction. "I have a task for you. One of the weakling Sorcerers on Earth tricked me into a deal recently. Your task is to capture, kill, or recruit him. We can not have such a wild card running around to interfere with things."

As he spoke a smaller scaled illusion of the time looped fight appeared in front of Tony showing him key pieces of what had transpired. The Sorcerer's damning words about acting as warden until Dormammu agreed to his terms rang out clearly to everyone present. The last thing they were shown was the deal that Dormammu struck and the return of the Sorcerer to earth.

Tony's gut clenched cold. He had recognized the Sorcerer and knew for a fact the man was ridiculously new to magic. Stephen Vincent Strange was too much of a Doctor the last time he checked to be otherwise. Tony wouldn't have gone out of his way to try to date the man while also protecting him from his uncle if he thought that Stephen would be willing to learn how to magically defend himself.

"Time limit? And can I have your newest human servants? They look like they're getting anemic and I can at least get them back up to healthy levels for usefulness," Tony requested politely.

"No specific time limit but the lack of resolution irritates me," Dormammu grumbled. "You may have them for yourself but bring me that Sorcerer. We have unfinished business."

"It may take a lot of time," Tony warned. "I will do what I can but there are limits unless you want me to rip through everyone and everything just to drag one man to you to throw at your feet. At that point it would be more trouble than it's worth."

"You know better than that," Dormammu pointed out disapprovingly. "Willingly or not you will bring him to me so that things between us can be settled."

"Gotcha," Tony said flippantly before turning to the human Sorcerers who were his uncle's most recent acquisitions. "Come on, boys and girls, we need to get back and start on things."

Dormammu watched them leave, more than a bit amused at his nephew's antics. He already knew that Tony wasn't going to approach things conventionally and was interested to see how things turned out. If he was lucky the Sorcerer that had so irked him would see value in Tony and help solve his nephew's restlessness. Should it happen Dormammu would be well satisfied to have gotten some beneficial use out of the Sorcerer in exchange for being tricked into skipping his planetary snack.

Tony glanced over his shoulder at his uncle exactly once before exiting through the portal he had cast as Dormammu returned to his current project. Having a Dark Lord for an uncle really wasn't the easiest thing to deal with.

~~~

Pepper stare in shock as her fried reappeared out of a new portal right in the lobby of Stark Tower where she was holding a press conference to cover for him.

"Anthony Stark!" Pepper yelled at him, ignoring the press for the moment.

"Sorry, Pep," Tony groaned as he led his latest servants through into the lobby.

"You better have a good explanation for this!" Pepper hissed, narrow-eyed even as she catalogued the fact that he had arrived in the open where someone was practically guaranteed to report it.

"Not my fault my bastard of an Uncle kidnapped me in broad daylight," Tony shot back. "The guy isn't even regularly on the planet. The last time I heard from him I was twelve. Twelve, Pepper! Twelve! The stuff from his side of the family was sealed for a good goddamn reason! But does he care about that after someone on Earth pissed him off? No!"

"Unc.... Wait, the one that wants to marry you off to your cousin?" Pepper asked in shock.

"Yeah, that one. I rescued some people he decided would make good servants but the magic involved means I have to keep them," Tony huffed. "I decided trying to get out of that meeting faster trumped landing somewhere discreet where we could all show up safely so I picked the lobby. I didn't expect you to be running a press conference."

"You got lucky either way," Pepper pointed out ruefully. "Besides this conference was scheduled three months ago. Remember?"

"Uh... Huh, okay, yeah, my bad," Tony agreed sheepishly.

"Just go get cleaned up and we'll sort out the paperwork for your newest strays. Did you break whatever you invented to make that portal?" Pepper asked with a smirk.

"Yup, totally broke it. Most of the elements needed aren't normally found on Earth so I never bothered trying to make one here," Tony shrugged, going along with the impromptu story they were weaving while trying not to lie.

Pepper waved him off and Tony waltzed right by the stunned press and visitors, ushering along his new servants towards his quick escape security door. A door which would lead them down to his private garage where they could take hi private elevator up to his penthouse and the guest level. It didn't take him long to sort everyone into rooms and order in some spare clothes as well as food for them but by that point Pepper was waiting on him with Happy Hogan.

.........

"I had argued hard enough for living like a normal human before going off to collage that Howard had sealed my magic. That was part of why he had me grabbed so publicly, Uncle Dormammu unsealed my power. That's why I haven't been able to use it until now," Tony explained tiredly. "If Howard hadn't done that I would have just portaled out of any number of situations over the years. When I arranged to protect someone though it was through others casting the magic. Once or twice I hired someone and had to kill them afterwards to keep them from betraying me or to satisfy whichever magic they had used to the correct level. I hated it but I valued the person I was protecting far more than the idiot using incomplete sacrificial magic so I would complete the magic since they refused to. Leaving stuff like that incomplete is dangerous anyway."

Chapter Text

Tony wasn't exactly surprised to find Pepper and Happy waiting on him once he got his new Sorcerers settled in. He had confided in them about the weirdest weirdness of his family back when he was dying of palladium poisoning. Admittedly it had partly been to distract them from the said dying but the generally unknown magic side of the Starks had still been important to tell them. If he had actually died they would have needed to know anyway to deal with the fallout.

Tony's blood brother, Rhodey, had been told ages ago but didn't actually believe him about being the nephew and heir to a classic Dark Lord that tended towards eating dimensions. Tony was going to have to rip the blinders off of his brother since the blood brother ritual gave Dormammu some control over Rhodey if he exerted it. The only thing stopping Dormammu from doing so right now was that he didn't know Tony had adopted Rhodey... or was ignoring him. It could be either one honestly.

"So?" Tony asked blithely as he collected his cup of late afternoon coffee and joined them around the pizza.

"So, you are lucky I know your weird sense of timing and dramatics," Pepper said pointedly. "I got a judge to sign a pre-emptive gag order as well as made them all sign NDAs. You have three weeks before they can actually report what happened and not just the official subject of the press conference. Use it wisely."

"Thanks," Tony said with a small smile aimed at his friend before biting into his slice of pizza.

"I'm going to need a bit more to go on boss," Happy warned him.

"Well it boils down to the fact that I had argued hard enough for living like a normal human before going off to collage that Howard sealed my magic. That was part of why my Uncle had me grabbed so publicly. Uncle Dormammu unsealed my power. Which is why I haven't been able to use it until now," Tony explained tiredly. "If Howard hadn't done that I would have just portaled out of any number of situations over the years. When I arranged to protect someone though it was through others casting the magic. Once or twice I hired someone and had to kill them afterwards to keep them from betraying me or to satisfy whichever magic they had used to the correct level. I hated it but I valued the person I was protecting far more than the idiot using incomplete sacrificial magic so I would complete the magic since they refused to. Leaving stuff like that incomplete is dangerous anyway. Unfortunately someone I decided to protect ages ago managed to get into a fight with my Uncle recently and royally pissed him off. Dormammu wants him dragged back to him to finish the argument and I got drafted to play errand boy."

"Do we know who?" Happy asked, all business.

"Yeah, I recognized him on my uncle's equivalent of security cameras. The problem is he went off grid during or a little before the Civil War mess and I will be damned before I hand him over to my uncle," Tony said stubbornly. "So once I find him again I'm planning on making him win and forcing him to either capture and hold on to me or kill me. He takes his doctor's oath seriously so I doubt he'll actually kill me, at least at first. The thing is either I make sure whatever happens becomes permanent or I have to follow through to force him to visit my uncle and risk Dormammu deciding to eat the planet again. This doctor turned Sorcerer is apparently the one who stopped Dormammu from doing just that in the first place which is what pissed him off so badly. I don't even think my uncle remembered that I live here until he highjacked me for this errand."

"Another twisted logic puzzle to actually make things work," Pepper muttered with a grimace. "At least you gave us a heads up this time."

"Hey, I'm happy that I didn't wreck things with Stephen already. I was preparing to actually date him seriously when Afghanistan happened and I lost track of him. Latching onto you was not cool on my part but I'm glad that you helped me sort that out even if it nearly ended in disaster from my dying bit," Tony shrugged. "He probably has forgotten me beyond my media presence and persona so the fight I'm going to have to have with him will be fun in a very not fun way. He won't be happy that I'm going to force his hand but he shouldn't kill me over it even if he accepts my capture and keep suggestion. Let's try to get my new servants up to par and actually healthy before sorting out things for them to do. You can do that while I figure out Stephen and try to get him somewhere away from everyone for the magic fight we will have to have no matter what. I'm thinking of a surprise grab and drop somewhere isolated to get things started but this should probably be at least minimally sorted before the time limit you set is up."

"Boss, if you haven't heard from him since you were twelve how were you able to get back?" Happy asked curiously. "How did you even recognize him?"

"Okay, so that was a slight exaggeration. He's been visiting me in my dreams and insisting I keep up on my training to avoid shaming him once the seal on my power broke," Tony admitted. "That's the only kind of communication we've had since I was twelve. I figured it didn't really count because dreams but yeah with the dream practice time I'm still mostly up to par on things with magic and to be his heir."

"Okay, that's fair," Happy agreed. "If you knew that it was actual communication instead of just dreams you could have at least mentioned it once the alien invasion tried to take our heads off."

"Yeah well I was trying to pretend that I didn't have PTSD from flying a nuke through that portal. Then there was the mental backlash of suddenly associating portals with oversized alien invasion fleets on the other side ready to crush us. No one's listening to me about that either," Tony shrugged. "The actual leader got a good look at me so when he shows up to finish what he sent Loki to start I'm not going to be able to hide."

Both of his friends cursed over that little tid bit. Tony figured that at least they were listening now. They had listened to the Shield idiots over him after that fight and Shield's primary motivation was to keep Tony on their hook. He could see that now and the inventor really wasn't happy about it. The revelation of his Uncle being an Interdimensional Dark Lord with eyes on Earth was going to screw things up royally but he would be damned if he let that stop him. He was Tony Fucking Stark! Evil relatives wouldn't stop him from protecting the world he had fallen in love with. Earth was his to protect and if that meant tricking Stephen into taking him prisoner or killing him in defense of their world than so be it.

"Friday, make sure James Rhodes gets a copy of this conversation," Pepper ordered with a growl. "Discretely. This is family business and the people around James don't need to know about it yet if ever."

"Hey, at least I'm not half dead this time," Tony pointed out as Friday acknowledged the order. They all knew Tony could override that but it was honestly saving him trying to tell his brother about it himself and screwing up in the process. Besides, he trusted his AI daughter and his friends.

"Do we have to start looking for this Stephen, Boss? Or do you already know where he is?" Happy asked curiously.

"I've kept track of him after he resurfaced around January in Hong Kong with that weirdness mess. It must have been related to pissing off my Uncle now that I think about it but since then he's moved into a place in Greenwich Village so it won't be hard to start the fight. Mostly I plan to shove him through a portal to a plain or desert or something. Someplace that we won't do any human damage depending on how things escalate," Tony explained. "Pepper, you'll need to handle the fallout for afterwards but I don't want him penalized or anything for whatever happens. Even if he kills me I don't want anyone going after him for it. I am going to present him with a real and present threat to his life and a potential risk to the planet as a whole. Just about any response he gives will be more than valid. I can't do anything less or else we risk my Uncle showing up and deciding to eat the planet no matter what else is in play."

"High stakes family feud," Happy grimaced.

"You don't even know the half of it," Tony sighed. "I know you guys thought I was insane when I first told you about him but I'm glad you stuck around."

"We are too, Tony," Pepper said quietly. Happy quickly voiced his own agreement to that sentiment.

The conversation shifted towards preparing things and sorting out the Sorcerers Tony had rescued from his Uncle after that. It wouldn't be until hours later when Tony would get to bed, anticipation at seeing Stephen again itching under his skin.

Chapter Text

Stephen shivered and then frowned at the sensation that had crawled down his spine. He felt like he was forgetting something important but also that the world or fate or something wasn't about to let him keep forgetting for long. Then there was the feeling of unfinished business with Dormammu but also that of someone he cared about getting dragged into whatever was about to happen. It was frustrating overall and he honestly wasn't sure what to make of it.

Well, he could do one thing...

"Wong? Yes, I know I almost never use the sanctum's phone that's not the point. Would you mind swinging by and helping me with something? ... Well no, that's rather the point. It feels like something is going to go wrong or at least strange and that I'll need someone to cover as the Sanctum Master while I sort it out. ... No, my thought was that since we don't have the London Sanctum back up yet that we couldn't exactly afford to have me suddenly missing without someone to cover for me if something did actually happen. I plan to either keep whatever it is contained to the Sanctum or find some way to drag it somewhere deserted if possible..... Yes, thank you Wong. I'll make sure your ice cream is in the freezer when you get here," Stephen said over the phone. They discussed a few other things and Wong teased him about not yet replacing his cellphone.

When Stephen eventually hung up he double checked that the original ice cream bribe for getting Wong to double check him on some new wards was in place and ready for when the man arrived. Using it for this meant that he would have to find something else to bribe his friend into helping with his ward casting experiment. On the other hand if he was actually needed to cover for Stephen it was well worth it.

Three hours later Wong arrived to discover Stephen covered by a pile of pizza fixings and soaked in pizza sauce.

"Do I want to know?" Wong asked carefully, obviously trying not to laugh.

"The Sapphire Dragon skin is apparently not fond of left over pizza being set down near it. The Amethyst Crystal Shield on the other hand has decided that pizza and it's ingredients are an acceptable food item to replicate when someone accidentally asks it for a snack after seeing the Dragon skin incinerate said snack," Stephen sighed. "It's mostly cleaned up but the Cloak of Levitation practically insisted that the last fountain of ingredients land on us and physically moved me in the way of it, thus my appearance. On the other hand at least it wasn't beer or something else alcoholic or worse, something acidic."

"Well, get cleaned up," Wong suggested. Stephen gave him a disgruntled look and squelched his way into a nearby bathroom, leaving a trail of tomato sauce foot prints behind him.

Wong didn't wait for Stephen to get himself sorted out. He headed for the relic storage room and found both artifacts practically glaring at each other.

"If he turns into a pizza I'm locking you both in with the Unicorn hide," Wong told the animated artifacts bluntly.

Both shield and dragon hide gave off a sense of disappointment before visibly releasing the magic they were holding. The yelp of surprise that echoed down the hall from Stephen had Wong giving a satisfied smirk. The wet smack of fabric that followed had him snickering as he made his way to the kitchen to make them both a late lunch.

Stephen was very put out when he finally joined Wong for lunch but at least he and the Cloak of Levitation were clean again. The offering of spaghetti got Wong a sour look but no complaints about the meal as they ate together and quietly talked. That afternoon was spent researching together in companionable silence before they retired to their respective rooms in the Sanctum.

Neither of them knew how upsetting the next day was going to be.

~~~

Tony sighed as he went over the last of his preparations for what he was about to unleash. Stephen was going to be pissed at him for all of this but Tony couldn't see a better alternative, not with how his uncle had latched onto Stephen specifically. If Stephen didn't leave the sanctum somewhere that Tony could get at him within another three days Tony was going to have to bite the bullet. He would need to either set off some magic on Stephen's front porch or just knock on the front door and hope the wards didn't outright reject him.

"Boss, Doctor-Wizard has left the building! He appears to be headed for the deli he frequents and is using his normal illusion cover for his robes and living cape," Friday reported excitedly.

"Thank God," Tony sighed as he quickly hopped into one of his more recent Iron Man armors. "Don't wait up for me, baby girl. If Daddy's lucky then Merlin will hang onto him for a bit."

"Yes, Boss! Happy hunting!" Friday said cheerfully as she opened the wall to let him fly out.

Tony wasted no time in taking off and heading towards where the doctor was getting food. It took him very little effort to land, step out, and have the armor head back to his lab. He had done this often enough at random over the years that it didn't draw too much attention, getting dismissed as him playing around because he could. As a result no one spared him more than a second or third glance as he walked into the deli and joined the line to buy some food a few people behind the good doctor. He watched him for a few minutes before deciding to drag Stephen off before he bought food.

"Wha? Hey!" Stephen spluttered as Tony grabbed his shoulders and dragged him outside.

Tony immediately started scolding him about a missed meet up making things out to be a friend fetching a different friend to get them to a forgotten appointment. Stephen thankfully caught on enough to start arguing back, mostly to get more information while getting away from bystanders but it worked so Tony wasn't going to complain. The vague recognition in Stephen's eyes hurt since it was clear that he didn't remember Tony beyond his media mask but it worked in his favor as he dragged the man down a nearby alley. The portal Tony cast in sparking purple power was what shocked the good doctor and allowed Tony to shove him through to the large undeveloped property he had in Maine.

"What the hell, Stark?!" Stephen demanded the moment they were through and the portal closed behind them.

"You pissed off my Uncle Dormammu," Tony explained with a grimace. "I didn't exactly get a choice in coming after you, Stephen. I was really looking forward to that date before I got hit by the Afghanistan mess and you don't even remember that I set that one up. If you did you wouldn't be staring at me like some sort of monster right now."

"Uncle Dormammu?!" Stephen asked in a strangled voice.

"Yeah, I'm still not sure how Howard had him for a brother since he was still human even at his death as far as I know and Dormammu very much isn't," Tony agreed. "If I win this fight I won't have any choice but to drag you to visit him and I don't know what he will do to you with how you pissed him off. If you win.... Well you'll have to kill me or keep me because I'm obligated to keep trying to drag you to him, Stephen. So fight hard."

Stephen barely had enough time to process that before Tony attacked but process it he did. The determination Stephen immediately showed had Tony internally purring in satisfaction as they exchanged their first spells. The bright sparking purple that was Tony's power draw from the Dark Dimension verses Stephen's golden dimensional power clashing as they darted around the field surrounded by forest that Tony had picked out as their battleground.

Tony ignored more than one mistake as they fought which would have given him the victory with a single move or quick twist of his body. He was happy to watch Stephen improve as they fought. Satisfaction curled in Tony's gut as one of his spells that was snapped out at Stephen missed. Several minutes worth of throwing power around in various forms and using portals to dodge followed. To someone outside the fight watching it mainly consisted of flashes of light in purple or gold or white when they clashed destructively. This was matched with the occasional gouge or trench suddenly appearing in the ground or the random tree or trees coming down from a spell hitting them. To the fighters though it was a deadly dance through ribbons of deadly energy while wielding their own through the storm of power being used by both.

It ended with a slip. Tony took a step forwards and his foot sunk into the soft ground, twisting as it sank and sharply knocking his ankle against stone. His yelp of pained shock and sudden dropping of the spell in his hands alerted Stephen that something was wrong. The doctor took full advantage of it and twisted his own power into magical ropes to bind his opponent where he lay before Tony could try to get back up again. Tony groaned and tried not to move, knowing he was caught.

"Kill me or keep me, doc," Tony reminded Stephen as he approached.

"I'm not going to kill you," Stephen scowled as he stalked over to check Tony over.

"Just remember that letting me go isn't an option," Tony warned him softly as he watched the man check him over. He could tell when Stephen found the geas his uncle had laid on him with how ridgid and still Stephen went.

"Did he do this to your chest?" Stephen asked flatly.

"No, that's... an older injury recently reopened by a different fight. Did that bastard put the binding on the arc reactor itself or on the casing? I knew I should have double checked when I didn't feel wherever he placed the damn thing!" Tony cursed. Stephen's next words quickly shut him up.

"I am not as nice as you seem to think I am, Stark," Stephen rumbled darkly. "I keep to my oaths or else a great many people would be dead. Be very certain before you offer me anything because even having to keep you captive can go so very many different ways."

"I know and I'm up for you taking a certain amount of advantage of me if that's what you're aiming for," Tony said quietly. "My uncle will eventually order his minions to retrieve me by force but that could be decades from now. It probably wouldn't even upset me if you went Dark Lord and kept me as a pet. I just decided that I personally refused to go the seduction or kidnapping route with you to get you to visit my uncle. Like hell was I going to trick you into swearing loyalty to him either. I considered the possible options with you and I am prepared for whatever route you choose to take to keep me contained and in line. Even if you remove the geas he will force me to come after you again in a different way until he gets what he wants."

Stephen's eyes flashed with something that Tony recognized but couldn't place before it was gone again.

"I could keep you as a pet you say? Well we will see how you feel about that later. I'm taking you back to my place to at least treat that ankle and have a better look at your chest. Anything else beyond holding you so that you don't come after me again for the moment is off the table," Stephen said gruffly. The bruises and scratches as well as the other random injuries from the fight would also be treated but that went without saying.

Tony slumped in relief in his bonds and ignored Stephen's notice of it. Just because he had braced himself for getting killed or tortured or something equally unpleasant didn't mean he wanted to go through with it or actually expected Stephen to follow through. It was a relief to know he had read the man right even if they had never managed to go on that first date he had planned for them.

A quick portal and the help of the Cloak of Levitation had them in the New York Sanctum a few minutes later. Wong came to see why they had arrived that way only to stare at Stark for a moment before raising his eyebrows at Stephen.

"Don't ask," Stephen grumbled. "He wasn't given a choice about attacking me but at least he dragged us both somewhere remote before he started the fight. I didn't get the food which is a good thing because it would have been wrecked in the fight."

Tony stayed quiet and observed the other robe wearing Sorcerer. If Stephen tried to pass him off to someone else he would just escape and force Stephen to capture him again. If Stephen made it actually hard to escape from whoever he gave Tony too then Tony would respond in kind and keep the doctor on his toes.

"Any Sorcerer or you in particular?" Wong asked carefully.

"Me in particular," Stephen sighed. "Dormammu sent him. Apparently they are related somehow since Stark called Dormammu his uncle but admitted he wasn't entirely sure how his father was Dormammu's brother. He was nice enough to give me a brief explanation and a break down on how the fight would have to go. If he won I would have been dragged off to face Dormammu again but he warned me that if I won I would have to kill him or keep him. After I captured him he decided to be cooperative but I doubt he will extend that courtesy to anyone else. Apparently he had tried to set up a date with me years ago before he became Iron Man. I don't remember it but he was very put out that his kidnapping in Afghanistan had made him miss our date."

"The Ancient One might have stepped in to stop your date but I doubt she would have arranged for his kidnapping and imprisonment," Wong said thoughtfully. "She was fond of you and of making oblique references to you before you ever made it to Kamar-Taj. Most of the Masters eventually figured out that you really had no clue you were her heir even as you advanced so fast through training that it was frightening at times."

"Yes, well I still find it disconcerting for Stark to both attack me and then give me permission to keep him prisoner," Stephen said grumpily. "Hell, he made it sound like he wouldn't object to it if I used magic to make him my slave."

Wong made a noise of surprise and reconsidered Stephen's docile captive thoughtfully. Tony met his inquisitive gaze levelly and calmly. If anyone but Stephen tried it he would fight like hell and try to kill them, something he went out of his way to try to convey to this other Sorcerer. From the look of resigned amusement and understanding Tony thought that this Wong person got it.

"I think that if anyone else were to try something like that he would kill them for even considering it," Wong said thoughtfully. "I look forward to seeing how you and your... guest sort this out."

"Wait, Wong? You aren't going to help?" Stephen asked, startled.

"Of course I will but until you both know what you want what would I even help with?" Wong asked, obviously amused. "Install him in whatever room you plan to keep him in and be sure to secure him. If he warned you multiple times that you need to keep him captive there may be an actual reason for it. I think I will go see what we have in the pantry since you failed to come back with food."

After Wong had left them to it Stephen turned to glower at Tony who responded by giving him a fake innocent look.

"I'm half tempted to take you up on your offer and just lock you in my bedroom for later," Stephen groused.

Chapter Text

After Wong had left them to it Stephen turned to glower at Tony who responded by giving him a fake look of innocence.

"I'm half tempted to take you up on your offer and just lock you in my bedroom for later," Stephen groused. Tony just smirked at him and Stephen gave up trying to figure the man out.

In the end the Sanctum made a new room connected to Stephen's room through a connecting door and placed it next to Stephen's bedroom. It had an attached bathroom, a queen sized four poster bed, a freestanding wardrobe with two changes of clothes in it, including underwear, and various ways to tie Tony up.

"This is your fault somehow," Stephen accused Tony.

"Don't blame me. I've got no influence on your living building," Tony rebutted. "Although, it is a very nice living building it isn't set up in my preferred style. My magic was bound since I was twelve until Uncle Dormammu grabbed me to go after you despite the dream school lessons so I'm more used to going the advanced tech route and building everything myself. It would be interesting to introduce your building to my AI children though. I wonder if they would team up against us or decide to teach each other tricks?"

"That is a worrying suggestion," Stephen said after processing the implications of Tony's musings. "I'll try to get you a tablet or something to keep you occupied provided you don't weaponize it or something like that. Since you don't appear to want to be rescued you can use it or a cell phone to deal with your company business. I'm honestly more concerned about potentially getting attacked again and given the choice wouldn't be holding you without a much better reason than to keep you from attacking me and dragging me off to visit Dormammu."

"Fair and appreciated," Tony said happily. "I wouldn't have attacked you like that given the choice either. If anything I was trying to figure out if I could finally get that date with you until my Uncle stepped in. Miss. Potts was warned ahead of time so if you want to talk to her about keeping me contained she has more than a little experience and is aware that I am entirely to blame for this situation. She won't take it out on you or try to get you in trouble for it. I promise."

"Good to know," Stephen said dryly before shoving Tony into his new room and locking the door behind him.

The spells tying Tony up released a minute later letting him loose to explore his new room. He idly noted that while they weren't looking a nice cushy arm chair had been added as well as a simple table desk with two thin drawers to either side of the seat area. The new padded bench chest at the foot of his bed seemed to have extra blankets and pillows which was nice of the building to provide. No extra clothes were provided beyond the two comfy changes of clothing hanging in the wardrobe. Underneath the shirts and pants there were a few brand new, tags still on them, boxers folded up with a package of cheap but comfy black socks laid on top.

"Food?" Tony asked the room at large hopefully.

In response Tony got the feeling of sheepish embarrassment. An empty bread box appeared on the desk next to a plastic see through piggy bank that had a bare few coins in it. Tony understood just fine with the clues provided.

"They're running on a tight budget huh? Too tight?" Tony asked while watching the provided items closely. As a result he saw the piggy bank gain a donations sign on the side and winced as he put things together.

"They run on donations and work in secret to protect the world. Which means cash and supplies are thin on the ground just as a general state of things," Tony winced. "Okay, I can work with that but getting around my uncle is going to be an interesting challenge. If he finds out I'm helping you guys then we are all going to be in trouble. Thankfully he just wants to talk to Stephen for now and I only have to attack him to try to force him to visit Dormammu if I'm loose and free to actually do it. For now if I give you my wallet will you be able to use it's contents?"

The piggy bank morphed into a small change basket and wiggled happily, waiting for whatever Tony decided to drop into it. Tony in turn pulled out his wallet and dropped around half of the cash he had into it. This amounted to something like $500 in large bills. The basket disappeared with a happy chime and Tony got the feeling that he had just bought them groceries for awhile.

"I need to figure out how to set up either a donation station that Stephen and his new friends will actually accept help from or a way for you guys to grow your own food," Tony muttered. "A pocket dimension set up right and attached to wherever the main base is and maybe a smaller one for here? Hell, if he lets me I can just pay for stuff out of my own pocket but I don't think Stephen will let me... Maybe phrase it as reparations? No, that won't work. If I can get him to engage in a bet or two maybe... I'll have to think more about how to get around Stephen's pride. Hey, if you make sure I get coffee each morning I'll give you the rest of the cash I have and see about getting some supplies delivered directly. I just need a list and a way to talk to one of my friends who runs my company for me."

The basket reappeared and an old land line dial phone showed up next to it.

"Yesh, I need to get you some new hardware," Tony said recoiling from the ancient phone even as he dropped the rest of his cash into the basket. The chime sounded very offended as it disappeared with the remaining cash but the phone remained, ready for him to use it.

Sighing Tony pulled out his cellphone and looked up Pepper's number before freezing and looking between the two phones. His facepalm triggered a set of chimes that was clear laughter from the building. When he looked again he had a charging station instead of a dial phone ready for his cellphone. Shaking his head ruefully Tony dialed Pepper's number and waited for his friend to pick up.

"Hey, Pep!" Tony greeted her cheerfully before starting on his rundown of the situation. "The fight worked out alright but Doctor Strange and his friends are running tight on cash and supplies. If I can wrangle the address out of them do you think you can send over cash or actual food if I can't talk them into accepting funds? I already got their living building to accept the cash from my wallet but the humans are going to be a tough sell because of pride... Why? Mostly I want to be sure we all get enough food. I don't actually want to put them out or anything and I got the building to admit they don't have any stable income despite protecting the planet from things like my Uncle... How did I find out? Uncle Dormammu made me memorize a few groups on Earth and their symbols that I was supposed to avoid during my dream lessons. He justified it because they might attack me just for being related to him. Stephen is living in one of their bases with their group's primary symbol taking up an entire stained glass window... I saw it on the way into the building.... No, I don't know the actual address yet but worst case I can have Stephen play fetch since I've already got him in the system both because of this attack thing and because I wanted to date him before Afghanistan."

The door to the room opened and let in Stephen with obvious supplies for treating Tony's injuries that he had forgotten about since being locked in. Tony felt his ankle twinge in outrage at being forgotten even as Stephen raised an eyebrow at Tony talking on the phone. Tony raised a finger in a wait one minute motion. Stephen shrugged and set his supplies on the padded bench.

"Ah, gotta go. The doc just came back to deal with my injuries from the fight the way he threatened to when I slipped and he captured me. So, yeah, look into that and I'll see what I can get them to accept from my end. What? No! I wasn't wearing my armor and I twisted my ankle since I dragged us to a field in the forest on my property in Maine. I basically stepped into a hole and my ankle slammed against a rock as I slipped into it. Nothing nefarious or anything like that," Tony explained with a huff. "No, he actually tried not to hurt me which is kind of counterintuitive considering what I presented him with before the fight but whatever. He still won which was the entire point of trying to lose in the first place.... No, I have no idea how long I'm going to be stuck under the stupid attack command but as long as the Doc holds onto me I can't actually attack him with the expected goal being possible so there's no point. Yeah, alright. See what you can do with those guys but unless my Uncle orders them to rescue me I don't see any reason to send them to me even if I took them off him and they are stuck as servants. Now I really do have to go. Stephen is glaring at me for wandering around on my injured ankle. Bye."

Stephen made Tony sit on the bed and immediately checked the injured ankle. He huffed at how swollen it was already getting and eased the shoe and sock off the affected ankle. Tony shrugged when he was glared at over the extra damage he had been doing to it but Stephen wrapped his ankle, fumbling at times or wincing from his own damaged hands. A spell secured it into place instead of using the normal tie because his damaged hands visibly cramped, forcing him to abandon normal methods.

Tony caught Stephen's hands as he stood up and moved to get something from the medical supplies he had brought. Stephen tried not to flinch as Tony gently examined the surgery scars and felt the metal pins in each hand.

"This has got to hurt all of the time," Tony winced, one hand dropping to his chest and hovering over his newly reinstalled arc reactor.

"Probably the same amount that yours does," Stephen said quietly, observing the arc reactor and the protective hand hovering over it. "Will you allow me to act as your doctor while you are here?"

Tony visibly flinched but forced himself to stop and think about that. He had already made his position clear and had mentioned accepting being Stephen's slave. If Stephen actually followed through with that, something that Tony doubted he would do unless his hand was forced, he would have every right to do whatever with Tony and the arc reactor. Tony considered that and realized that he had already made his decision.

"I can't promise to hold still or let you mess with it. My life relied heavily on it in the past and even though the same risks aren't present anymore the fear and need to protect it remain," Tony said quietly. "I don't feel up to explaining that cluster fuck right now but if I'm here long enough to need it, short or long term.... Yes. I'll even go over what happened to cause it in the first place. Just don't expect me to be comfortable with it when it happens."

"Noted," Stephen said neutrally. The rest of the check over went off without a hitch even if Stephen grumbled about some of the bruising he found on Tony from the fight.

When Stephen left he very pointedly placed Tony's phone on the charger in the room, leaving it with the inventor. Tony was left on the bed with strict instructions to stay off of his ankle and a promise that dinner would be brought to him. Tony couldn't help but relax and unwillingly sunk into a nap, exhausted from the unfamiliar use of magic during the short fight.

~~~

Stephen quietly closed the door behind him, the medical supplies in his hands only to find Wong waiting for him.

"Well?" Wong asked curiously, accepting the supplies from Stephen's shaking and weakened hands.

"He really didn't want to attack me and was trying to arrange something to benefit us over the phone when I walked in to treat his injuries," Stephen said, obviously bewildered over Tony's actions. "His excuse for not attacking again since he was capable of it when I walked in was that as long as I hold him there isn't any point to attacking me since he can't get me to Dormammu. I didn't ask about the phone call but the Sanctum has provided him with extra bedding, a desk with a phone charger, and a comfy chair to sit in. He's stuck in bed since he kept walking on his injured ankle. I had forgotten about it until he mentioned it on the phone and I saw how his ankle was swelling."

"Well food appeared in the pantry and I wanted to know if you added money to the general building and food funds?" Wong inquired.

"No... Stark must have found a way to add money while I was getting the medical supplies," Stephen said slowly. "How much did the Sanctum acquire for us?"

"See for yourself," Wong smirked and sent him off to the kitchen.

When Stephen got a look at the freshly stocked food stores he felt faint. They had rice, and pasta, and sauces, and all sorts of meats and fresh vegetables but of a quality he hadn't had since he was a well paid Neurosurgeon at the hospital. This wasn't a quick run to the grocery store but a raid on several speciality stores. He even recognized a few ingredients that had to have cost a fortune even in such a small quantity because of their mystical properties sectioned off to one side.

Stephen swallowed hard. This bounty was beyond what they could normally get and he knew exactly who to thank for it. Apparently, he really did need to reconsider that date that Stark kept mentioning if only as a thank you. When his eyes landed on the speciality coffee however he couldn't hold back a quiet laugh. Stark was known for practically guzzling the stuff so it really shouldn't have surprised him to see it on the shelf with the rest of the largess.

"So?" Wong asked from behind him.

"I think that I need to seriously consider the off hand comments he keeps making and that you're right about him basically asking to stay our prisoner being serious instead of playing some sort of game. Even with his wealth and being able to throw it around this.... Hell, he probably doesn't even know he bought our groceries for the month and high quality ones at that," Stephen said in concern and personal defeat of a hidden hope he had held onto. "He keeps mentioning a date he tried to set up with me and being upset he missed it because of the kidnapping by terrorists. As far as I know he never got around to actually scheduling the thing in the first place with me but by his reactions now he was really serious about wanting it and still is. I... don't know what to do. Well except for hang onto him until we can get whatever magic is making him attack me off of him but that goes without saying."

"You need more human interaction anyway," Wong pointed out with a snort of amusement. "Even at Kamar-Taj you kept to yourself an upsetting amount of the time. Your speed of learning wasn't the only thing that worried the masters but more that you seemed to be rushing through it and not viewing it as actual application with consequences but more on an intellectual level. We were all relieved when you started that game of after hours keep away with me and stealing the books from the library. Granted, it annoyed me and many of the others that you were forging forwards so blindly that you seemed to be sacrificing your sleep but the playful aspect had many of us relax in our concerns. The others the Ancient One silenced, defending you on more than one occasion. We didn't understand until she died and you instinctively stepped into her place without the formal appointment. It is part of why Master Mordo is currently viewed as being jealous or throwing a tantrum over your win."

"I might have reported what I did before going to the Dark Dimension but not what I did in responding to Dormammu," Stephen said, still not looking at his friend even as his mouth went dry. "It wasn't so simple as offering a deal and his acceptance no matter how little time it appeared that I was gone."

"You think I don't know that?" Wong demanded, unimpressed. "I'm the one who usually wakes you up from your night terrors, Stephen. I am not blind to the possibility of what you went through though you have yet to trust anyone with the specifics. You acted as the Sorcerer Supreme and most people don't realize that puts you at a level above the Masters because of the duties and responsibilities that come with the job. We, the Masters, watch you as a backstop in case you corrupt yourself when you have to step outside the bounds of the normal rules and act as backup. Master Mordo's objections to your use of Time magics showed how unsuitable he was for the job. You took our instructions and teachings to heart and you still are willing to learn. Would I or one of the others have made a different choice? Probably. Would it have been the right one? We don't know. It may have become a trial by fire with Dormammu and the Rogues lead by Master Kaecilius but it is one you have passed. You were not appointed without reason and you need to stop thinking that we are ready to turn on you if you slip or relax around us. The Order is supposed to be your support staff, not just fellow Sorcerers."

Stephen slumped where he stood, letting go of the weight he had held as he tried to hold up everything he thought he knew about the place he had in the Mystic Order. Wong came up behind him and gently guided him to one of the nearby kitchen chairs.

"I should have realized that you needed it spoken bluntly," Wong sighed once Stephen was seated and had a warm mug of tea in his hands. The Cloak of Levitation was visibly cuddling him and Stephen wasn't waving it off.

"What if I do have to keep Stark permanently?" Stephen asked quietly.

"Then we find a way to do it that you can live with," Wong said bluntly. "You are not a monster, Stephen. We chose you as our leader not only because the Ancient One went out of her way to present you as her successor and then died. You are suited for the job and have shown that you can bear the weight of the responsibility well. What we... What I am more concerned about is the fact that you don't seem to relax and if you can't relax you will eventually break. The fallout of that is less of a concern for me because I know you will do your best to limit it. I am more concerned about the effect it will have on you. I seem to be the only one of us you haven't shut out but even if that weren't the case I am here for you."

"It wasn't a quick trip and struck deal... I set up a time loop before facing him. I lost count of how many times he killed me or tortured me before he finally stopped long enough to listen to my offer," Stephen told his friend, eyes closed in pain at the memory as he cuddled his undrunk tea. The Cloak of Levitation cuddled him more fiercely and moved so that the chair back was no longer in the way.

"...that explains some things you've said before I managed to wake you," Wong said solemnly.

"He wasn't exactly happy about being trapped once he realized the implications of what I had done," Stephen said ruefully. "I suspect that he wants a discussion but this time without the time loop to make a few points. He's holding to our deal otherwise he would have come for me himself."

"I'm not surprised," Wong grumbled good naturedly. "Drink your tea before it gets cold. We will take this one step at a time."

Stephen obeyed and drank his tea as they sat together in companionable silence. When Wong got up to make supper Stephen helped him and made sure to deliver a serving to Stark. He was glad they had made something that didn't have to be eaten hot or kept cold when he saw the inventor out cold on his bed.

Chapter Text

Tony woke up the next morning to the promised coffee sitting steaming on his desk. The lack of breakfast to go with it told him the building had provided it rather than his hosts. Which was an interesting fact that he didn't bother to contemplate until after he had swallowed a cup and a half of his coffee.

"Are they even awake yet?" Tony mused as he contemplated his morning coffee, savoring it and the lack of urgency to get something done.

It was nice that he was on a somewhat close to normal person sleep schedule for the moment considering his nap yesterday and the fact he managed to go back to sleep after waking up and eating his dinner. It didn't however keep him from jumping when the door opened unexpectedly behind him. Thankfully, his coffee was almost gone at that point so the hot liquid didn't go flying.

"Breakfast?" Stephen offered awkwardly.

"Uh, yeah, please," Tony stumbled over his own response as he got his heart rate back down.

"Did Wong give you coffee?" Stephen asked with a frown as he noticed the smell of said beverage and the cup in Tony's hands.

"Nope, pretty sure the building gave it to me. It was waiting for me when I woke up," Tony said, gesturing with the cup at where he had found it on the desk.

"Ah, usually the Sanctum doesn't do things like that but it has been know to provide other things or move rooms around. Upsetting it tends to leave one in awkward positions at times until it feels that one has sufficiently learned their lesson on the subject of respecting the Sanctum. The tendency is extremely helpful when we want to confuse visitors or keep them out of restricted areas," Stephen commented. He led Tony out of his room and down the hall towards stairs that hadn't been there the day before.

"Which explains the new stairs but not why you are letting me out of my room," Tony pointed out curiously.

"Basically, as long as you behave I'll let you look around with an escort. Until we figure out how to get the geas you pointed out off of you we can't let you go, as you had already guessed. On the other hand... I do eventually need to talk with Dormammu for both related and unrelated reasons. As a result you can satisfy the command he gave you just by sticking around and occasionally reminding me that I need to visit him. If the magic makes doing so peacefully impossible we will work out something else," Stephen informed him. "Mostly there are things that need to be done before I can risk visiting him and I honestly want to put that meeting off for as long as possible."

"I figured as much and I do know for a fact that he regularly includes a forced escalation in any tasks he's used magic to enforce from whoever," Tony admitted with a grimace as they finally entered the kitchen and dining area. "So if we can satisfy it without that great but there's a good chance you'll have to keep upping any restrictions or bindings to keep me safely contained once those escalating levels start triggering. Honestly, the first fight was more as a proof that yes, I was trying to obey so that my Uncle would be less like to go after me for not bothering to even try to get it done. He likes going after people you care about if you aren't being at least somewhat cooperative to get that minimal cooperation in the first place. I have thousands of employees and didn't feel it was fair to them to let him target them just because he wanted a talk with you, personal reasons and feelings aside."

"Reasonable," Wong said with a thoughtful hum as he laid out the food on the table and Stephen fetched the dishes and silverware.

"I deliberately left my armor behind because it's my preferred method of fighting someone and I've included a number of things to help me escape if I get captured. Magic isn't my go-to mostly because mine was originally sealed when I was twelve even if Uncle Dormammu kept dragging me into dream lessons regularly. He unlocked it just before I was sent after Stephen. I also argued that whoever he had gotten as new human servants who were standing nearby needed seeing to since they weren't looking real good. He gave them to me instead of just loaning them until they were useful again like normal," Tony summarized as he served himself food. "Just as a heads up in case you hear about me suddenly having human servants who are Sorcerers."

"We might know them. We had a number of people go rogue recently and sign some sort of agreement with Dormammu which is what led directly to our confrontation," Stephen offered. "Master Kaecilius and those who followed him were very insistent that giving the planet to Dormammu would end suffering and freeze us all in time."

"Well that saves me hunting down whatever group they came from," Tony huffed. "That's also so not how my Uncle works. Is the Dark Dimension outside of standard time? Yes. Does my Uncle live up to the title Dark Lord? Also, yes. If anything he would have eaten the planet, not preserved it."

"We figured that out," Stephen said ruefully. "I'm glad that you saved them. The only solution I had for dealing with them was insisting that Dormammu take them with him when he stopped attacking the planet since they had entered his service."

"Not a bad solution," Tony hummed thoughtfully. "Not a good one for your Rogues until I claimed them but not a bad solution overall."

With that they lapsed into silence as they ate their breakfast.

"So, do you want them back? Because as long as you hold onto me I could have them assigned to work with your group. They would obviously go with me when I went home again unless we came to some other arrangement," Tony offered once breakfast was cleared away.

"We couldn't trust them," Wong said with a sigh. "Master Kaecilius personally killed our last leader, the Ancient One."

"My mentor," Stephen said quietly. "I was asked to take her place after the fight with Dormammu and the deal we struck."

Tony winced at that, obviously aware of what had happened.

"Dormammu told you," Stephen observed.

"No, he showed me an illusion of the highlights," Tony corrected. "He didn't know your name so your appearance and reactions were all I was given to go on. I already knew who you were from the aforementioned setting up to see if you would go on a date with me years ago. At the time I didn't think you would be willing to learn magic to defend yourself if my Uncle got upset with us dating so I arranged for others to cast spells to protect you before approaching you. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have you protected even if you said no with how skilled you seemed to be as a doctor."

"Ah, yeah, until my car accident and becoming desperate to get back into the OR I had no reason to even try much less accept that magic might be real," Stephen agreed with a grimace.

"I knew you were ridiculously new to magic which was part of why I took the route that I did but I didn't realize it was connected to your accident. Still, I didn't want to actually hurt you even on accident while making it look real," Tony pointed out. "It was a surprise to me that you managed to face Uncle Dormammu much less frustrated him into agreeing to any kind of deal."

"As interesting as this is we have work to do today. So I am afraid, Mr. Stark, that you need to go back into your room," Wong interrupted. "If Stephen finds himself free I will try to get him to visit you, especially if we can't have him in the middle of something for whatever reason."

"Wong!" Stephen squawked in protest only to be ignored as Wong ushered Tony back down the hall and into his room.

Tony heard the lock slide home and sighed as he fetched his phone to try to get some work done or sneakily plot to get them more supplies. It was going to be a long day. He just knew it.

Chapter Text

Vision arrived at the tower expecting to find Mr. Stark napping or working on something in his garage or workshop. He hadn't warned anyone about visiting and hadn't thought that Mr. Stark would be more upset than normal to see him. Wanda had indicated that a surprise visit was one of the best ways to learn things about people. Vision had taken that into account when he found himself irrationally, according to Wanda and Captain Rogers, concerned about Mr. Stark and their lack of contact. Despite the discouraging words from the newly dubbed Rogues Vision could not settle enough to forget about his concern. So he waited for the others to be asleep and headed back towards New York to check on the inventor.

"Hi, Vision! Boss isn't home right now but I'll help you with anything I can," Friday greeted him cheerfully.

"Where is Mr. Stark? I wouldn't expect him to be out at this early hour of the morning," Vision asked with a puzzled frown.

"Boss got kidnapped by his Uncle who cast magic on him to make him hunt down and fight someone he once tried dating. He threw the fight so that Doctor Strange would capture him and he wouldn't have to give the Doctor to his uncle who would kill him," Friday reported, somewhat miffed at the entire situation. "He made me promise not to try rescuing him because it would make him attack the Doctor again until he won and took the Doctor to his Uncle to be killed. Boss didn't even take his armor to the fight and I can't track him because his phone tracker is acting weird. He also might not have his phone anymore even though he talked to Boss Lady yesterday on it. Boss also has new employees that are technically magic bound servants that he sort of rescued from his Uncle but who were officially gifted to him by his Uncle."

"Who is his Uncle? I was unaware he had any remaining living relatives," Vision asked quizzically.

"Oh, right, you didn't get that update. Boss' Uncle is an Interdimensional Dark Lord named Dormammu that apparently has tried eating the planet at least once in the last few years. No one, not even Boss, is quite sure how Dormammu is Howard Stark's brother," Friday reported. "It's especially confusing since Dormammu isn't even a human even if he can take human form. He's something called a Faltine and usually lives in the Dark Dimension which is outside of standard time and space on an offside plane axis. Apparently, it's shifted along the Mauve directional line by at least three degrees? Boss didn't explain the extra dimensional plane of existence orientation standards so I am extrapolating a rough directional orientation based on standard reality. Boss apologized a lot when he realized he had to shut me down to update my potential irrational space time reference points to model exiting things beyond standard reality and time."

"I think I may need a similar update," Vision hummed thoughtfully. "Is there a way to locate Mr. Stark's rough position so that I may visit him?"

"Possibly?" Friday offered cautiously. "I mean his phone comes back into mostly normal reality when he makes a call. I think if I call him it will do the same thing? I have a limited data set to extrapolate from."

"Please initiate the call," Vision requested. "I am feeling very uncomfortable not knowing where Mr. Stark is and that he is safe."

"Initiating call," Friday announced as the sound of a phone ringing came over her speakers.

"Fri? Why *yawn* are you calling me at two o'clock in the morning? Something go wrong or go boom?" Tony asked sleepily.

"Vision needs to talk to you, Boss," Friday answered quickly.

"Are you alright, Mr. Stark? I came to speak with you and found you gone," Vision asked anxiously.

"Why? I mean don't get me wrong I'm glad you feel comfortable visiting me even at weird hours but you've repeatedly indicated you trusted Wanda over me. She has repeatedly stated her wish to kill or at least harm me. So why would you be concerned?" Tony asked with an audible frown. "I figured you didn't care."

"You are still one of my makers and I find myself irrationally concerned with your well-being now that I know you aren't within your normal protections," Vision admitted. "I do not understand it. I also appear to be short whatever recent update you gave Friday about extra dimensional logistics?"

"Huh, that's weird. I figured you wouldn't need it since you seemed to be handling Wanda's magic as a concept just fine and the Mind Stone seemed to give you aspects most people can't pick up on or utilize in that vein of understanding," Tony mused. "Sorry I can't give you my location so that we can check you. I'm sort of deliberately trapped as a prisoner right now. Are you capable of waiting until I can get free enough logistically to check you?"

"I do not think waiting is wise," Vision admitted. "Friday and I can track your phone somewhat while it is actively in use like this if you will permit me to try to come to you?"

"No trying to rescue me," Tony said firmly. "Give me a second to see if I can negotiate with the building to let you in. It's magic and very much alive so the building kinda has veto power even with the human residents to some extent. I've only been here a few days."

"I will wait. Please don't end the call," Vision requested anxiously.

"Sure," Tony agreed before his voice became more muffled as he addressed the building. "Hey, Sanctum. Vision needs to visit me so that I can check him for health problems. He's sort of a mix of tech and magic. So can he visit me?"

They both heard a mix of chimes and tones that obviously conveyed something complicated.

"Well, yeah, I think you can check him too. I wouldn't mind Stephen looking at him since I have no fucking clue what Thor did with his thunder and magic to help Vision be born. My.... Jarvis was hurt and willing entered the body Ultron was trying to build to help keep him from ending the world. He... Well, Jarvis got hurt keeping Ultron away from the nuke codes and a bunch of other stuff. He was my baby boy. Whatever was left of him joined with the magics to become Vision so..."

The chimes of concern and contemplation interrupted Tony's stumbling explanation.

"How did you know that?!" Tony asked, his voice cracking on the last word. "How the fuck did you know that one of Ultron survived and caught me after the fight?"

"What do you mean one of them survived and captured you?!" Vision demanded in clear upset.

"Not now, Vision," Tony warned before clearly turning his attention back to the building he was communicating with. "No, I didn't know he left some sort of mystical mark! I figured my uncle had but Ultron?!"

The chimes this time asked a question which clearly made Tony pause.

"Ah, no, he shouldn't have absorbed any of my magic abilities but I can see how that might have... I was sealed. I don't know where or how he would have gotten my magic signature or figured out how to replicate it. Hell, I couldn't use my own magic," Tony pointed out, reasoning his way through things. "I mean sure in the initial fight when he was still sort of forming he got my blood on him or at least on the bot he was piloting and modified later but what does that have to do with.... Oh. Oh, shit. How many of us bled on him in that state?! Damnit!"

The chimes of concern rose in volume and alarm at Tony's upset and conclusions.

"No, you're right. It makes sense. It's also probably why he let me go and went underground after that. I only know he's still around and hasn't gotten himself killed because he sometimes finds me and corners me or otherwise checks in," Tony admitted. "It... Some of him not attacking people was him holding back because I didn't rat him out. Sure, he's taken out a few people and gangs and some Hydra bases when he gets figured out but he's kept the body count down to avoid forcing me into coming after him. He... His threats got more specific when he issues them but he's keeping his word about not ending the planet or humanity or even large numbers of humans if he can avoid it. As long as he can get to me sort of regularly he seems to be choosing to be less dangerous than the complete mess of a miscommunication his birth and the attempt to end humans started him out at."

The chimes were questioning this time but also thoughtful.

"Uh, no, I don't think Ultron will want to visit anytime soon. I still need to check Vision over. The mess with Ultron doesn't affect that," Tony said tiredly.

The chimes were clearly some kind of warning this time.

"Uh, yeah, that's fair. Putting Ultron or Vision in stasis if you find a problem or a risk is more than reasonable and honestly a lot nicer than I thought you might take this," Tony said gratefully. "I was kinda expecting you to just shut me down and flat out say no."

The amused chimes referencing something they couldn't understand in a complicated crescendo were interesting.

"Ah, right. Yeah they could count as artifacts and you store artifacts of all sorts of danger and power levels. Yeah, that could work. At least I know you would keep them safe," Tony said in relief. "No, that makes perfect sense. So what do you want in return for the help?"

They both heard a thud of a large heavy book landing on a table and laughing chimes as Tony cursed over whatever had been given to him.

"Can't I just build you a way to play on the internet? Or connect you to the Stark network with all access?" Tony asked plaintively. "I don't really want to start up magic studies during the day time. I can't escape the dream ones my uncle insists on and they tend to double as update reports. I don't really want to be stuck going over it in the daytime too."

The chimes definitely rang of mischief this time and Tony's groan of acceptance told Vision and Friday his answer.

"Fine but you're the one who has to tell Wong and Stephen about Vision and Ultron probably visiting with a don't destroy them caveat," Tony retorted.

They heard the sound of something whistle through the air and Tony suddenly cursing as he dropped the phone, scrambling for something.

"Are you bleeding?!" Vision asked, clearly upset at the idea.

"Yeah, not much though. The building decided to prove a point by launching a nail out of the wall to cut me. It's shallow but bleeding a lot more than what you expect from something so small. I'm gonna have to douse it in peroxide or something and then wrap it," Tony grumbled. "Bring some cash with you from my petty cash box when you come over will you? I get the feeling that the Sanctum is gonna want more to help keep us fed and things stocked that the connected humans have been struggling to get their hands on."

"Yes, Boss," Friday said, subdued.

"I'll see you when you get here, Vision," Tony sighed before finally ending the call.

"177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village," Friday reported the trace results tightly. "The interference has synced to our systems. Everyone else is blind to the tracker signal but we are now getting it loud and clear."

Vision wasted no time collecting the petty cash box as well as a tablet from one of his nearby workbenches before leaving for the provided address.

~~~

Tony debated with himself on trying to warn Wong and Stephen about the incoming visitor and the likelihood of Ultron just showing up. He hadn't seen either of them for hours which was a large part of why he checked with the Sanctum first. He was also, as expected, locked in his room so couldn't go searching for them.

The building chimed apologetically just before fabric of some type launched from the walls. Tony yelped in shock and failed to dodge them as they wrapped around him and pinned him to the wall. His instinctive struggling wasn't helped by the door opening to let someone new into his room.

"Uh, are you supposed to be here?" the middle aged man in red robes asked tentatively.

"Uh, yeah? Wong and Strange know I'm here. They're the ones who gave me this room. I'm only locked in because of a bad magic interaction we haven't fixed yet and things got busy for them," Tony offered, deciding not to mention that he had forced Stephen to take him prisoner.

"Huh, okay I can see where having to fix something in the Mystic Arts had Iron Man visiting at least one of us," the man said, considering but still wary. "Sorry about intruding this is usually a guest room."

"Not a problem," Tony sighed. "What is a problem is that the building decided I suddenly needed to be tied up but I suspect that had to do with trying to keep me from unwillingly attacking you. I've been having a problem with that from the stupid geas. Considering who cast it I wouldn't be surprised if it had some sort of failsafe and that's why they couldn't get it off of me yet. I'll live."

"How do you even know about us?" the still unknown man asked carefully.

"Strange and I used to attend some of the same charity galas while he was still a practicing doctor. I'm not surprised he never mentioned it considering he has completely forgotten that he had at least been introduced to me until I reminded him when I showed up. Of course getting highjacked by Dormammu to express his displeasure at Strange winning their last argument wasn't exactly pleasant either," Tony answered, unconcerned by the upset he was causing the man.

"Right, I don't know anything about that. I'm still just an apprentice," the guy told him carefully as he slowly backed out of the room.

"Bye," Tony said, giving him permission to bolt.

The man nodded his own goodbye and left, closing the door behind him. The building slid the lock home again and let Tony down from his fabric cocoon.

"Wow, was that really necessary?" Tony asked indignantly.

The building chimed in apology again before giving him half a cup of fresh coffee as part of the apology. Tony grumbled a bit but accepted the coffee and tried to decide if he could get anything more done on the tiny screen of his phone. In hindsight, he should have asked Vision to bring one of his tablets.

Chapter Text

Around a half an hour later the door to Tony's room opened to let in Vision. Tony turned to look at him only to suddenly find him hovering over him doing a visual check of Tony for injuries. Tony squawked in surprise but was caught from falling out of his chair while flailing by the synthnoid. The artificial fingers brushed over the very minor injury Tony had gotten while on the phone as Vision held Tony carefully. Tony mentally shrugged and allowed the check over even as he noticed the door had completely disappeared. He figured that the Sanctum didn't want them out wandering and they would be stuck until one of the Sorcerers could see to them.

"This should not have happened," Vision said, visibly upset at the injury. Despite that Tony noticed that he had set down the entire petty cash box, which amounted to close to ten thousand dollars in a lock box, and one of his tablets on the desk area.

"Well it did," Tony said, gently steering him to sit in the desk chair while he took the comfy arm chair. "Vision, what do you remember about your birth?"

"I am uncertain why this is relevant," Vision said with a puzzled frown.

Tony sighed and considered how to phrase things.

"When you were born," Tony said carefully. "There was a lot of chaos and a lot of unusual things happening. Your body was being made in the cradle with vibrainium by Ultron for his own use. This includes adding in the stone in your forehead which Thor identified as the Mind Stone. One of the Infinity Stones and a sort of anchor for an aspect of reality or at least a control interface. His explanation of what they are could really use some work. The point is that stone is incredibly powerful and might have it's own feelings on matters being alive after a fashion partly because of how much power is packed into it. To avoid Ultron uploading into your body Jarvis, despite being practically ripped to shreds previously by Ultron, offered to try claiming the body in his place. It was after or partly during his upload despite his badly hurt status that Thor added a lot of his magic lightning to help power things. Then you came out of the cradle. I suspect that the fight that was originally happening around the cradle in those last stages is what caused you to react so aggressively as you came out of it. There are emotional reasons connected to Jarvis for why I had trouble being around you after that. I never wanted to hurt you which is part of why I kept removing myself from the room."

"I remember some vague pieces that were once part of my predecessor," Vision offered softly. "I am afraid that I can not be him with the various additional elements that have contributed unless the majority of him has been suppressed in the back of my mind. I can say that the Mind Stone is heavily contributing to some of my decisions but so are the pieces of Jarvis that I can recognize."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Tony said unhappily before smoothing out his expression and being absolutely serious about his next words. "Whatever anyone else tells you I want you to know, absolutely, that I consider you as one of my family. It's debatable if you would count as my son or my grandson via Jarvis but you are still a Stark, still one of mine. You are still learning and I am sorry I wasn't able to help you early on. Usually I'm better at making sure my AI kids get a basic grounding in stuff both for their own protection and the protection of others. I don't know what Wanda and the Rogues have been teaching you. You need to know that despite your physically adult form your mind is still undeveloped enough at least for understanding certain interactions that you would probably legally count as a child. That's nothing against you, just a fact that you need to learn certain things before you can be considered an adult and bound by adult understanding of things."

"Then I should not have helped Wanda and gone with her during the disagreement that the media labeled the Civil War?" Vision asked with a frown. "Wanda did not explain it to me correctly?"

"I honestly have no idea what she told you Vision," Tony sighed. "I signed the accords so that I could both acknowledge the valid civilian concerns and work within the review framework to change it to something less likely to be weaponized against us without valid reasons. Ross honestly blindsided me with them and so did the UN unfortunately I recognized the trap of it and of forcing me to deliver it to the rest of you cold. I wasn't allowed to tell any of you about it until I presented it in that meeting. To try could have had me up on charges of treason and executed. I was basically the only thing standing between the team as well as at least one teenage vigilante and the trap of you all simply getting declared active threats to the planet. There was talk of using nukes against the team if we didn't at least try to comply. I think you might have survived a nuke thanks to the Mind Stone. The rest of us? Not so much. Thor might have survived it but he would have been badly hurt and it would have signaled absolute war with Asgard."

"That... would be less than optimal. Why did no one explain this?" Vision asked, visibly hurt at not being given the explanation before.

"Honestly? I don't think any of them bothered to try to think about why," Tony explained. "All they saw was someone trying to tie them down and lock them away with me agreeing that we had to have it done. They didn't see the dangers everyone else was seeing or how people started to be scared of them. I am physically a normal human without the armor, or at least I was before my magic got unlocked and the arc reactor went in permanently. This gives me a certain amount of perspective because those fears are things that I already have to take into account for my own reasons. I can see both sides and the way the Rogues reacted? Waaaaayyyyy over the top. It was seen as evidence that the fears were more than justified. That's not to say that people weren't trying to weaponize it against us from the start or force this sort of reaction in the first place so that they didn't have to bother with playing nice. A lot of people, Hydra and multiple governments included, would love to capture all of us and rip us apart for our secrets to use for themselves. There's also only so much that I can leverage to get those fears downplayed or dismissed. We were lucky they didn't lump us all under the same banner and execute the rest of us once the Rogues were gone. I know where they are and they can stay there for all I care. They've proven to be more of a risk in their actions than the protection for the world I had hoped for."

"May I... review your memory of things?" Vision asked tentatively.

"You can pull it up in my mind and review it?" Tony asked surprised. At Vision's nod he shrugged and gave his permission. "Go ahead. Try not to leave me scrambled the way that Wanda does when she messes with me."

Vision gave him a startled wide-eyed look and cautiously nodded his agreement before reaching out to gently cradle his head. After that Tony was lost within his own memories, trying to direct things to aid Vision in finding whatever it was that he was looking for. The jolt and pain that accompanied the crash and the sound of fighting crippled Tony as he felt hands catch him on his way to collapsing towards the floor. The sounds of Stephen yelling and Vision trying to explain were drowned out by Wong cursing. Tony felt the spell that forced him to sleep take hold and wrench him into darkness.

~~~

Stephen was slumped in a chair in the sitting room off of the main foyer, hurting, slightly bloody, and definitely exhausted from the fight they had come home from. The cult that had set up to sacrifice those teenage girls had been broken up and, instead of being handed over to the police, been dropped in the Dark Dimension as a wrapped gift for Dormammu. The cult's original plans for the girls were horrendous enough that Wong had grumbled about not going worse on them compared to Stephen's solution.