Tony tried to slip out of the kitchen as quietly as possible while Stephen cleaned the dishes, thinking he could sneak back into the lab to tinker some more without Stephen noticing. But just as he reached the door, a small swirl of golden sparks flared before him, and suddenly a very annoyed Stephen stood there, arms crossed, his expression a mix of exasperation and amusement.
"Back to the lab?" Stephen asked, his voice dry but knowing.
Tony froze, caught in the act, then huffed. "What? I left some ideas half-finished. I can't sleep with that hanging over me."
"Anthony," Stephen began in a tone so calm and firm it brooked no argument, "if I have to portal you back to the bed every five minutes, I will. And I assure you, I can do it as many times as necessary."
Tony scowled but let Stephen guide him to the bedroom, muttering under his breath about overprotective sorcerers. "I'm a grown man, you know."
"Then act like one and sleep," Stephen quipped, gently pushing Tony toward the mattress. Once Tony was settled, Stephen stepped back, a faint shimmer of golden sparks enveloping him as he transformed into his feline form. He leaped up onto the bed with practiced ease and curled up near Tony's shoulder. The weight of the small cat was warm and grounding, a reminder that Stephen wasn't going to let him work himself into an early grave.
For a while, there was only the quiet hum of the Malibu night, broken occasionally by the sound of the waves crashing outside. Tony closed his eyes, his breathing evening out as sleep began to tug at him. But then Stephen's soft voice, slightly muffled by the fur of his cat form, broke the silence.
"I've decided," Stephen said, his tone thoughtful. "I want to reclaim my identity."
Tony blinked, his sleepiness fading as he turned his head slightly to glance at the small cat curled beside him. "Reclaim it? As in, Stephen Strange, the world-famous doctor?"
Stephen nodded, his blue eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. "Not as a surgeon—those days are behind me. But I don't want to be a nameless figure hovering on the edges of this world anymore. I need an identity if I'm going to live here and be a part of this universe, truly."
Tony was quiet for a moment, considering this. "Okay," he said slowly. "How are you planning to pull that off? You can't just walk into a hospital and declare, 'Hi, I'm back from the dead.' Is there a plan?"
Stephen chuckled softly, his tail flicking. Yes. I've thought about this. We'll spin your previous story. We'll say I was kidnapped a little before you, taken to perform surgery to keep you alive, if it was necessary. After all, the car accident happened two weeks before your kidnapping. However, there was an accident that ruined my hands while moving me out of the country, and they brought Yinsen in to assist, with me guiding him."
Tony frowned slightly. "And after we got rescued? Where were you supposed to have been?"
Stephen's ears flicked back, his voice dropping slightly. "Ashamed. Hiding because of my hands, and angry at the world." He hesitated, adding softly, "It would fit with the personality of the Stephen Strange of this world, wouldn't it? Someone brilliant, but consumed by his ego and devastated by failure."
Tony let out a slow breath, the pieces clicking into place in his mind. "Yeah... Yeah, it would fit." He turned onto his side, propping himself up slightly on one elbow. "And I'm guessing you want SHIELD to help with this?"
Stephen nodded. "There were helicopters everywhere when we were rescued. It wouldn't be hard for them to corroborate the story."
Tony sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "That means talking to Fury. Great. Just what I wanted."
A faint, amused huff escaped Stephen. "I'm sure you'll survive the ordeal."
Tony gave him a flat look, but there was no real heat behind it. Instead, he reached for his phone on the bedside table, typing out a quick text. "Fine. I'll set up a meeting with Fury. But you owe me for this, Steph."
Stephen tilted his head, his blue eyes narrowing in amusement. "Owe you? For what? Making you deal with the consequences of your own brilliant idea?"
Tony smirked, dropping the phone back onto the table. "For dragging me into your dramatic comeback story. I'm starting to think you like all the chaos you bring into my life. Also, remind me to call Yinsen tomorrow to notify him of the changes."
Stephen's tail flicked against Tony's arm, a soft, feline swat that made Tony laugh. "Okay. Now go to sleep, Anthony," Stephen said, his voice laced with mock exasperation. "Before I change my mind about dragging you back to bed."
Tony chuckled, settling back against the pillows. "Goodnight, Steph."
Stephen curled tighter into a ball, his soft purring filling the room as he replied, "Goodnight, Anthony."
And for the first time in a while, both of them slept soundly.
.
June 1st - 2009
.
The sound of the office door swinging open was the first announcement of Fury's arrival. The Director of SHIELD strode in with his usual commanding presence, trench coat billowing slightly as he shut the door behind him. His one good eye scanned the room, taking in Tony leaning back in his chair and the cat perched neatly on the edge of the desk beside him.
"This better be as urgent as you notified," Fury said without preamble, his voice clipped.
Before Tony could respond, the "cat" beside him stretched lazily, then shimmered in a brief, golden glow. In the blink of an eye, the feline was gone, replaced by Stephen Strange in his human form, his jacket draped casually over his shoulders for a second before shifting to its preferred cloak form.
"Director Fury," Stephen said evenly, inclining his head slightly.
Fury didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. Instead, he crossed his arms, his lips quirking in the faintest of smirks. "I take it Coulson already told you about me," Stephen remarked, his tone calm but faintly amused.
Fury raised an eyebrow. "Coulson's good at his job. He mentioned something about you popping out of nowhere after the Obadiah Stane mess. It wasn't hard to connect the dots when I looked into Stark's recent… associations. Like the gala where he was seeing alongside a new man." His gaze flicked between Tony and Stephen. "Though I'll admit, a shapeshifting cat wasn't high on my list of expectations."
"Not shapeshifting," Stephen corrected smoothly, folding his arms across his chest. "Magic."
Fury's expression didn't change, though Tony let out a small chuckle, breaking the tension. "See, this is why I didn't want you showing up at my house again, Fury. Poor JARVIS wouldn't survive the existential crisis you'd probably give him."
"I'm touched," Fury deadpanned, before refocusing on Stephen. "So, what's this about? And don't give me the runaround—I don't have time for games."
Stephen glanced at Tony, who gave him a small nod, signaling for him to take the lead. Turning back to Fury, Stephen said, "What we're about to tell you doesn't leave this room. Agreed?"
Fury's gaze narrowed slightly, but he gave a curt nod. "Agreed."
Stephen took a steadying breath. "I'm not from this universe."
Fury's reaction was unreadable, but the slight tilt of his head suggested interest.
"In my world," Stephen continued, "I was… someone else. A protector, in a way. While facing a particular threat—one I believed would end in my death—I somehow woke up here instead. I don't know how or why. But since arriving, I've realized that certain dangers—ones I've faced before—might be looming on the horizon in this world, too. And I can't just… stand by."
Tony jumped in, his tone casual but pointed. "Which is where you come in, Cyclops. We need your help spinning a little story to make his presence here believable. You know, for the civilians."
Fury's eyebrow twitched upward at the nickname but otherwise ignored it. "And why exactly would I help you?"
"Because it's mutually beneficial," Stephen said evenly. "We're not asking for free favors. You help us, and we'll ensure that any future… anomalies involving my presence don't cause you or your organization any headaches."
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Fury asked, his tone skeptical.
Stephen gestured vaguely with one hand. "I have a particular skill set that might be useful. And while I won't disclose everything about myself or my abilities—let's just say I've had experience dealing with the kind of threats you might not even be aware of yet."
Tony leaned forward in his chair, his elbows resting on the desk. "And let's not forget, Fury, that you've got an image problem on your hands. If we're going to make Stephen's reappearance public, it has to look airtight. You're good at keeping secrets—hell, you're practically a professional liar—but the story needs to hold up under scrutiny."
Fury considered them both for a long moment, his gaze sharp as he weighed his options. "Alright," he said finally. "Let's hear this story of yours."
Tony smirked, sitting back. "Glad you asked. Here's the deal: the Stephen of this universe is a world-renowned surgeon, right? But he's also a bit of a recluse. Big ego, no people skills, yadda yadda. During my little detour in Afghanistan, the Ten Rings didn't just kidnap me—they nabbed Stephen, too. Needed him for his medical expertise to keep me alive after my less than careful kidnapping. Maybe he was supposed to be a 'just in case' kidnapee."
Stephen nodded, picking up the thread. "There was an accident during my travel from America to Afghanistan. My hands were damaged beyond repair, which rendered me unable to perform as a surgeon, which caused them to get use Yinsen for the job. I became... ashamed, withdrawn. When we were rescued, I disappeared instead of stepping into the spotlight."
Tony gestured dramatically with one hand. "It's the perfect sob story. Genius doctor hides in shame, resurfaces months later under mysterious circumstances. It'll tug at the heartstrings of the media for weeks."
Fury's expression remained stoic, though his gaze sharpened slightly. "And you think anyone will believe that?"
"Why wouldn't they?" Tony countered, grinning. "The Ten Rings are hardly going to argue with us. They're not exactly PR-friendly. Besides, we've got you to back us up, don't we?"
Fury didn't answer immediately, his gaze locking with Stephen's. "You're asking me to go along with a lot here. Vague explanations, big risks. What exactly am I getting in return?"
Stephen met his gaze evenly. "You get an ally. Someone who can handle threats your organization isn't equipped to deal with. Think of it as... expanding your resources."
Fury studied him for another long moment before nodding slowly. "Alright. I'll help. But this doesn't come for free. When the time comes, I expect you to hold up your end of the bargain."
Stephen inclined his head. "Agreed."
Fury turned to Tony. "And you? Anything else you want to throw into the mix before I leave?"
Tony smirked. "Nope. I think we've got it covered. Though, if you're planning to sneak into my house again, let me know in advance. I'd hate to fry your comms system by accident."
Fury rolled his eye but didn't respond. Instead, he turned and headed for the door, pausing only briefly to glance back at them. "You two make one hell of a team. Try not to blow anything up before we finalize this."
As the door closed behind him, Tony turned to Stephen, his grin widening. "See? That wasn't so bad. Now we just have to figure out the finer details. Like how to make you look appropriately tragic for the cameras."
Stephen groaned, rubbing his temples. "Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this?"
Tony laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "Welcome to the circus, Steph."
.
.
Also, if you want to support me and read up to fifteen chapters ahead, go to my p@treon: JorieDS