#dum-e and u

[kayvsworld]

im1 tony makes elaborate dioramas in his basement they just don't show it on screen. trust me on this

[magnoliasandarson]

earning it

The lab was barely alive. There was no loud music, no sparks flying, and the bots had returned to their respective rooms for the night. Tony fucking despised the silence.

But he couldn't find it in himself to move from the floor.

A handmade cardstock birthday card was half crumpled in his grip. Twenty little messy names were signed below a well wish and an (objectively shitty) drawing of Iron Man. They were all children from a field trip to the MET he had saved a few months back when some disgruntled lunatic decided he was going to build a death ray.

"You're our hero!" in glittery red gel pen.

It made him physically nauseous.

He hadn't saved them. Half had received severe burns, and the other half were so severely traumatized that they would spend the next several years in therapy, at minimum. He had reached out to the parents, the hospitals, and several children's psychiatry clinics. The Maria Stark Foundation would foot the bill for any costs incurred. Tony Stark- ever tossing money at Iron Man's mistakes.

He wasn't a hero. If he had been better, if he had been faster, he could've gotten those kids out without a scratch. He could've better contained the explosions. He could've stopped whatever-the-fuck his name was before there were any explosions.

Happy Birthday!

Another year alive. What did he have to show for it? New aches, new nightmares, new guilt... His skin crawled with the desire to do something anything. He chanced a glance over at the liquor cabinet, eyes catching the empty bottles he'd poured down the drain months ago...

No. He was alive, he was a genius, he was an inventor, he was Tony Goddamn Stark, and he could would make things better. He could deserve the stupid card. His fist uncurled around the crayon drawing of Iron Man, smoothing the crumpled paper gently.

All at once, he pushed himself to his feet, staggering to one of the drafting tables, "Battle stations kids," he clapped his hands, grinning when JARVIS raised the house lights and DUM-E and U rolled back out, "it's time SI got into the skin graft game."

[ironspidersblog]

Tony’s bots probably miss him so much and I doubt anyone had the heart to tell them he’s gone so they probably just sit in the lab all day waiting for him to come back tho of course he never will

[rebelmeg]

Like Looking In A Mirror

by rebelmeg

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man (Movies) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tony Stark & His Twin Sister Characters: Tony Stark, Tony's Twin, Original Female Character(s), Dummy (Iron Man movies), You (Iron Man movies), Jarvis (Iron Man movies) Additional Tags: Tony's a twin, partially inspired by those genderswap app things, Iron Man 1, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Has a Sibling, The crazy genius engineer has a crazy genius artist twin, Bots Shenanigans Summary:

In between launching himself at his workshop ceiling and managing not to launch himself into his workshop ceiling ten days later, Tony receives a visitor that very few people know about.

Notes: Another multi-event fic for the hoard! For @flufftober​ day 2 – Family, Friends, Loved Ones, my @lyricalescape​ Bingo square O1 – Paranoid, and my @warmandfluffybingocards​ square G1 – Distracting them with affection

This fic has been hanging out in my WIPs for a long time, then recently I saw a whole bunch of those celebrity genderswap pics that were a fad for a minute. Suddenly Ellie had a face (that didn't look like RDJ in drag in Sherlock Holmes 2), and that motivated me to get this done! I'm all for Tony having all of the love and support, so here's my take on a Stark Sibling that spoils the bots and takes none of her brother's shit.

[theyoungadulthatreadsfanfiction]

Memory Banks By

TheAsexualofSpades

DUM-E and U are staples in Tony Stark’s lab. They’ve been there almost since the beginning. They’re family. They have a dad, a mom, a concerned uncle, and a brother. Their memory banks are full of moments that help them remember.

[gunsandspaceships]

Updated with little stockings for DUM-E and U 🤗

Snow Man

There is a common belief (especially in fanfiction) that Tony is not a fan of winter/snow/Christmas/New Year's atmosphere and everything related to it.

Tony doesn't think so.

MCU:

Wears the hats

Wishes people Happy New Year

Puts Christmas trees all over the house

Decorates his house and hangs stockings on the fireplace for everyone, including J.A.R.V.I.S., DUM-E and U.

Listens to Christmas music

Watches (and loves) Christmas movies

Makes BIG Christmas presents

And just the whole Iron Man 3 makes it clear, in words and in deeds, that this is a special time of year for him.

What about Tony in comics?

[antvnger]

Bloop bloop blarb be bloop

……..DUM-E? Or U? Or R2-D2?

[hurtspideyparker]

Peter places an envelope on Tony's desk.

Tony looks up confused, "huh? What's that for?"

"It's for you," he points awkwardly at the plain blue envelope, held closed with a Darth Vader sticker.

"It's not my birthday kid." He snaps the protective face shield back down as he picks up his soldering iron, sparks flying as he gets back to work.

"I know that I, uh. It's from, it's for. It's yours. I gotta go, see you later Mr. Stark!" Peter hikes his backpack up tighter as he skips out of the lab.

Tony grunts in acknowledgement without looking up, eyes focused on the searing metal in front of him.

* * *

"Tony? I thought you were gonna have dinner with me after Peter left," Pepper saunters down into the workspace in a flattering pair of jeans and baby blue blouse.

"I was. I am. He left like five minutes ago," Tony waves at her without taking his eyes from the computer he's typing on.

"Happy drove him home two hours ago. Come, have a nice sit down meal with me." Pepper wraps her arms around his shoulders from behind, kissing the top of his head.

"I can have a sit down meal. I'm sitting right now, bring the carbonara down here and it'll be a proper date," Tony replies.

"Yeah, you me and your computer. How romantic. Tony, come upstairs- what's this?"

Tony glances up to see her holding a blue envelope.

"Uh, it's the kids."

Pepper flips it around, "it says To Mr. Stark From Peter on the back."

Tony just shrugs and goes back to typing on his computer.

The delicate glue of the sticker is undone under Pepper's sharp nails as she opens up the envelope and pulls something from inside.

"It's illegal to open someone else's mail y'know," Tony teases.

"Tony this- god you are such an asshole!" Pepper smacks Tony on the back of the head with the envelope.

"Ow! What the- what did I do now! I was just joking about the carbonara thing... mostly."

Tony finally meets Pepper's eyes of scorn. She tosses something in front of him with a huff.

"Tony, he even used a Darth Vader sticker. Do you know how adorably geeky and topical that is? You have got to start paying more attention to the living breathing people in front of you instead of your machines. Dinner is ready, please come upstairs."

Tony watches her leave as the clack of her heels fade away with every step. He's not sure what Darth Vader has to do with missing dinner, but he's quick to get up and start to follow.

He pauses before he makes it out the door, turning to finish the last line of code before he forgets the function. He pushes something off of his keyboard to type and press save.

Tony can't remember the last time he looked up from his work long enough to consume solid food. He's so ready to carb-load with some Italian food, turning away from the computer and blue envelope.

Tony's eyebrows furrow. Hm. Darth Vader sticker.

Tony turns back around and picks up the envelope from beside his keyboard.

This must be what the kid was yapping about earlier. Tony sticks his hand inside and finds a card, pulling it out.

"Father's Day it is," the front says in bold lettering with a picture of Yoda crudely hand-drawn with a sharpie and green highlighter. Tony flips it open, "celebrate you we must" is written in the middle of the page.

Below is a message in smaller writing; "Thank you for everything Mr. Stark, we wouldn't be here without you!" with a blob of sharpie that looks suspiciously like it's scribbled out a small heart, then signed "From Peter, Dum-E and U" each name written in their own unique handwriting.

"Friday, what day is it?"

"It is Sunday June 16th, also celebrated as Father's Day in countries such as the United States, Canada, and the UK."

Hm.

Tony stands there and stares at the card for longer than he'd ever admit before looking up at Dum-E.

"You help with this?" he asks, pointing at the card.

Dum-E chirps happily, twirling his claw around.

"Your hand writing's terrible."

* * *

Peter enters the lab slowly, an unsureness to him that's out of character.

It's Wednesday, his usual day for coming over to Tony's workshop. He hasn't heard anything from Tony since Sunday, not that he usually does. Still, the quietness has unnerved him. He's not sure what he was even expecting from his mentor; silence is probably the nicest response he could hope for after embarrassing himself like that.

"Hi Mr. Stark," he greets once he spots the older man sitting next to a complicated tangle of wires.

"Hey kid, can you go to the computer and run the command I have open for me?"

"Sure thing!" Peter says as he dumps his backpack onto the floor and jogs over.

The two get into an easy rhythm and Peter's practically forgotten why he was nervous in the first place when, "hey grab us some sodas will you," Mr. Stark asks him.

Peter walks up to the fridge in the corner of the room when he notices something new.

In the center of the silver metal lies a single piece of paper, stuck to the refrigerator with a plain magnet seemingly scrapped from some old hardware in the lab.

Tony has his Father's Day card displayed like some dorky parent whose kid got a half-decent report card, showcased on a fridge like a toddler's finger painted masterpiece.

It makes Peter so happy he can't wipe the stupid grin off his face the entire time he's grabbing sodas and delivering one to Tony.

The older hums a thanks without looking away from his project, but as Peter turns away Tony's own face contorts into a pleased smile all of his own.

The two share identical smiles all afternoon, hidden behind soda cans and computer screens.

[istantonystark]

But you forgot the best part - the crates he got the tubes out of were labeled #projectpegasus

[infiniteeight8]

Stephen is desperate for Tony to love him back, to the point that he uses his knowledge of Tony to manipulate him into a relationship. (Potentially manipulates things so Tony and Pepper break up? Or this could be after that?) After all, he knows he'll treat Tony right, what does it matter how they get to this point. The ends justify the means, right?

I love this prompt so much. 😃 So much potential here. *rubs hands together*

This is a “they won on Titan” AU. So Pepper and Tony are, prior to this fic, engaged. I did a google for how long Pepper has known Tony and landed on almost 20 years, since she says she’s been curating his art collection for ten years in Iron Man 2 (2010) and Infinity War happens in 2018.

-

Stephen knows the instant Tony lands on the Sanctum’s doorstep. By the time the armor is retracted and the Sanctum’s doors have swung open for him, Stephen is already halfway down the stairs. Tony stalks into the foyer and the doors quickly close behind him. A protective gesture, Stephen’s connection to the Sanctum tells him. “Tony. Is everything okay?”

“The wedding’s off,” Tony says shortly. He starts pacing.

Stephen’s heart lifts. “I’m sorry,” he says carefully. 

Tony snorts. “Don’t be. I’m the one who called it off. Pepper’s probably still trying to call me.”

“What happened?” Stephen positions himself so that Tony will pass close to him on his traverses of the foyer, but doesn’t try to stop him.

“I took your advice,” Tony says, “and talked to Pepper about DUM-E and U. About what they would need if something happened to me.”

“I take it that didn’t go well.” It never had in any of the futures Stephen had seen. 

“Understatement of the year.” Tony raises his hands and scrubs them through his hair. “Pepper has known me for nearly twenty years. She was around when DUM-E literally saved my life! She’s known him and U almost as long. How can she not get it? How did I not realize that she doesn’t get it?”

“If you explained—”

“No,” Tony cuts him off, as Stephen knew he would. There’s a line to tread here; Stephen can’t risk making Tony feel defensive of Pepper. “If she doesn’t get it after all this time, she never will. And frankly, after what she said, I’m not interested in giving her the chance.”

Stephen winces. “That bad?”

Tony stops pacing and turns to face Stephen. “She said, and I quote, “Tony, I know you’re attached to these things, but this is really too far. They’re machines, not children.’”

Stephen lets himself look as appalled as he feels. That was one of the more extreme options. “She called them things?”

Tony barks a harsh laugh. “Yeah. And when I told her that I made them and they have thoughts and personalities of their own and that as far as I’m concerned that does make them my kids, she asked if I’d thought about having real kids. Like we weren’t even talking about the bots anymore, like that conversation was over.”

“I’m sorry, Tony,” Stephen says gently. “I can’t imagine how anyone could meet either DUM-E or U and not understand that they’re people.”

“Me neither,” Tony deflates. “But I’m starting to think that you and I are two of a kind there. I mean, did the other wizards recognize Levi?” Tony waggles his fingers in belated greeting and Levi waved a corner at him. 

“The Ancient One once called Levi ‘fickle’,” Stephen says dryly.

“Yeah, no, she clearly didn’t understand them at all,” Tony agrees. He sighs and takes a heavy seat on the Sanctum’s steps. “I thought I was finally going to get my happily ever after, you know?”

Stephen sits beside him. “Would the kind of white picket fence life that Pepper wanted really have made you happy?” he asks. It actually had, in some of those futures. But Tony could be just as happy, often happier, living a different life with Stephen.

“I don’t know,” Tony says. “But I was willing to try.”

Levi flares out and wraps around Tony’s shoulders, giving him a kind of hug where Stephen can’t, not quite yet. And if the action pulls Tony against Stephen for a moment or two, well, so much the better. Levi has been on board with Stephen’s plan from the beginning.

Tony laughs and pats the fold of cloak curled around him. “Thanks, Levi.” He turns to Stephen, almost close enough to kiss. They aren’t there yet, but Stephen can’t help thinking about it. Tony goes on, oblivious. “Want to come hang out with the bots with me? I’m feeling the need for some quality time.”

Stephen smiles. “I’d love to.” 

Everything is going exactly as planned.

[winterspiderpurrs]

Post NWH -

Maybe Tony is back a few years later but is hidden so no one knows.

They keep it from everyone, kinda like how Steve went back in time, stayed and no one knew til later.

But Tony is confused about this guy that he DOES NOT know showing up to the tower/compound and having a secret handshake with Dum-E and U. He keeps seeing him on the cameras.

After a while, he notices when Spiderman stops by the tower/compound, he does the same thing. So obviously they are the same person.

Tony KNOWS he recruited Spiderman for Civil War; even though strangely some it if its blurry in his memory, and fought along with him on Titan etc.

Maybe Dr. Strange is the only one who knows Tony is back ( other then Pepper/Happy/Morgan/Rhodey)

And Tony finds it weird that Dr. Strange gets worked up about this when Tony asks him about Spiderman. Which gets Tony worked up too.

" What did you do?"

[space-mermaid-writing]

Of monsters and men [IronStrange]

Summary: Some kidnappers fucked up big time and now Tony is bonded to this strange demon he continues to summon by accident.

Tags: demon!Stephen Strange, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Angst, Whump, body horror, protective Stephen Strange, Stephen Strange needs a hug

Author's note: Enough of the angst. It's time they talk. Beta by @harpywritesfic and @kvjjjjjj.

Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 2.8k | Previous | Next

Chapter 14: I’m surprised you called me

Tony sat in his lab, surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of his technological haven. The ambient hums of DUM-E and U, the reassuring blinking light of Friday on a random piece of device – usually it calmed him but today their presence did little to soothe the tumultuous storm raging within him.

He had attempted to immerse himself in work, distract himself by tinkering with parts and pieces of his latest version of the armor. But each turn of the screwdriver and every adjustment of the wires failed to pull his thoughts away from the events that had happened.

It was even worse: he got sick when he tried to design a new chest piece for his armor. The memory of the shield piercing his last one was still all too present, haunting him like a ghost. It left him standing in his workshop feeling just a little more lost, wrestling with the shadows of regret and anxiety.

The empty space where his arc reactor once sat felt consuming, like a void he had to fill with something. It made him gag on nothing.

Frustrated, he finally tossed the tools aside, realizing that no amount of distraction could quieten the chaos in his mind.

As he leaned back in his chair, anger washed over him, mingling with a piercing hurt that felt almost all-consuming. The memories of Steve’s betrayal hung like a heavy chain around his neck and his chest.

His perfectly fine chest.

Tony placed his hand on it, feeling the emptiness where his arc reactor used to be. It had been more than just a piece of technology. It symbolized his survival, a relentless reminder of his journey; his resurrection from the brink of death.

For years that persistent ache had grounded him, a touchstone that reminded him of who he truly was – a man who had faced his own demons, transformed his life, and dedicated himself to making the world a better place.

Now with the absence of it, he felt disoriented.

That was another issue that stung. And even though Tony was aware that his emotions were overlapping, it was still confusing and overwhelming.

Tony understood why Stephen had to do it: to keep Tony alive. He was aware that his opinion was clouded by the whole debacle that had been the accords and Berlin. The feeling of betrayal wasn’t brought out by Stephen. Not solely.

Tony needed to talk to him. He had been putting off the conversation for far too long.

Before he could chicken out again, he pinched his finger with one of those needles he used to draw a blood sample back in the days, to check the toxicity in his veins. Tony watched a drop of blood come out and smudged it on the surface of the table. It was so small, it was barely visible when it lit up and disappeared.

For a moment nothing happened, and Tony questioned if for once it hadn’t been enough blood – or if Stephen simply refused to answer.

Then the demon appeared on the other side of the table. The cloak wrapped around his shoulders moved jittery, almost anxiously. Tony wondered – not for the first time – if it reflected Stephen’s true feelings.

“I’m surprised you summoned me,” Stephen admitted.

As if he had assumed that Tony never wanted to see him again if he could avoid it. Well, Tony couldn't blame him. They had a lot to unpack.

“Before we talk about anything else, I’ve got a question,” Tony started, his voice not betraying a single emotion. “Will your head burst into flames again?”

“It was an incident I’m trying to avoid repeating.” It wasn’t a ‘no’. Stephen had banned Dormammu, but the two of them were tangled now. The battle would never be over.

This wasn’t what Tony had wanted to hear, which was why Stephen quickly added, “Please let me explain,” before the engineer sent him away for all eternity. Tony gestured him to continue.

“I figure you read my files, thus you know of my accident. I traveled to Nepal in a last ditch attempt to find a cure for my hands.”

Stephen looked down at what were basically sharp claws instead of the slender fingers he used to have. After his accident he never thought he could lose even more of his hands than he already had.

Tony looked at them as well, and caught a glimpse of new scars on them that weren’t fully healed yet.

Stephen noticed the engineer's gaze on them and hid his hands under his cloak.

“I found magic,” he continued. “Which didn’t give me a cure but rather a new purpose: protecting Earth from dimensional threats.” Stephen sighed. “I was still a student when we were attacked. I faced… an entity that wanted to consume Earth and expand the Dark Dimension to it. That entity is immortal. There’s no way to defeat it in the regular sense.”

Tony had an idea where the story was heading. He had heard the words Stephen had muttered when he lost control. “So you struck a bargain with it. With a demon.” He couldn’t help his voice sounding reproachful.

Maybe he wasn’t fair. Tony knew what it meant to be in a seemingly hopeless situation. Morality and pride shifted when it was all about bare survival.

“I did not,” Stephen said and it actually surprised Tony. “A bargain had been my plan at the beginning – if you could even call it a plan. I wanted to persuade him to leave Earth alone. But I didn’t manage to do it.”

No matter how many time loops Stephen went through, no matter how many times he died. Dormammu might have been annoyed, but he was still far from giving up. Fortunately, Stephen had been able to learn from the encounters to become stronger and stronger. The time stone had played a big part in that.

“I found another solution: banishing him. I just wanted to make him go away, and in the end I managed to do just that by absorbing him.”

Stephen could no longer tell whether it had been accidental or deliberate. His memory was still foggy on that one. He remembered being in pain after the fight; the body transformation had taken its toll on him.

“I think it made me what I am now.”

“Sounds risky,” Tony said carefully.

“I did what had to be done. I could not let him have Earth.” Stephen had not seen any other solution at that moment.

“My memory was locked away with him. I’m not sure why.”

Perhaps it had been too much on his body and his mind; an overwhelming impact of the experience that had pushed him beyond his limits. Anyone would have gone mad from such an experience, loosing their grip on reality. In fact, it was surprising that Stephen had managed to hold onto his sanity at all.

Had he, truly?

Though his memories had returned to him, ever since his two personas – the one of a human and the one from his time in the Dark Dimension - merged, he wasn’t sure who he was anymore. The one certainty he clung to was an unwavering determination to protect Earth and those he loved from harm at all costs.

His gaze shifted back to Tony.

“Anyway, when you showed me my file, it triggered my memory to unlock. It felt like I was experiencing the encounter over and over again – which was a rather painful experience. My mental shields went down temporarily and Dormammu used that weakness to resurface.”

It was an unfortunate event with unforgivable results.

Tony crossed his arms, his voice rather worried than stern. “Will that be a recurring issue?”

“Now that I’m aware of him, it’s easier to keep tabs on him.” He paused. Then, “I’m deeply sorry you had to witness that. I never meant to-…”

“Take a seat,” Tony interrupted the demon, pointing at a chair next to another workbench.

Hearing those words, Stephen deflated visually. It couldn't mean anything good. He glanced at the chair, then proceeded to slide it over to himself magically. The demon sat down, his posture tense, waiting for Tony to speak.

Tony picked up the screwdriver again, turned it in his hands, watching its movement. He thought about everything Stephen had told him and took it into consideration, compared it to the conclusions he had come to before he had summoned the demon today.

Stephen remained silent, giving him space. There was nothing he could say that would help defend him. He didn’t have anything else to offer but excuses. And he was fairly sure Tony didn’t want to hear excuses.

Finally, Tony looked back up at Stephen.

“I realize I’m angry about a lot of things. About what happened in Siberia and the events leading up to it. However, I’m not angry at you.” That surprised Stephen, but before he could react, Tony continued. “I called you for help and you did help. I’m angry that I was stripped of a choice that should have been mine to make. But again – I’m not mad at you because you were forced to make that choice.”

Sometimes there wasn’t anyone to blame; just unfortunate circumstances. Maybe he blamed Rogers for ramming that shield into his chest.

Yeah, Tony was definitely angry at Rogers. And hurt.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Stephen carefully said. He did look relieved and the cloak had calmed down as well.

Still, there was another topic to be discussed.

“That being said, I also thought about this whole summoning business,” Tony resumed and his words made Stephen tense again, like he was expecting a rejection nevertheless. “Isn’t there any way for you to get here without blood being involved? Or without me having to invite you every single time? Like, can’t I just give you a visitor’s pass?”

I might seem controversial to grand the demon more freedom after what happened. But in Tony's eyes the imbalance had been a constant issue. Now it seemed like a good starting point to fix the thing between them. And Tony really wanted to fix that. Even though it would be much easier to run away. The engineer had lost so much these past years – he didn't want to lose Stephen as well.

“Our bond is one by blood, and blood has to be paid. I don’t have access to this plane of existence otherwise,” Stephen reminded him.

“I know.” Tony sighed. He had heard this before – multiple times. “Usually, any contract has a loophole.”

He knew that because he had very good lawyers who specialized in this kind of stuff. Yet, he doubted they knew anything about demon laws.

“Not this one,” Stephen crushed that idea at its root. ”What you have in mind would require a different kind of bond.”

Tony perked up at those words. “Oh?” he inquired, his curiosity piqued. So there was something.

Stephen hesitated and uncertainty flickered across his face. It was clear that he wasn’t entirely comfortable sharing what had crossed his mind. Yet, when he cast a glance at Tony, the engineer’s unwavering determination made it difficult for the demon to outright refuse him.

“You wouldn’t like it,” he warned him, his tone carrying a hint of reluctance. “Humans usually don’t.”

“Try me.” Tony had always had an insatiable desire to uncover new possibilities.

“In order to give me free access to this realm we need to have a bond by flesh. The price is paid once, and as long as your physical body is touching the ground you can simply call me by my name whenever you would like to summon me. And I’m also able to seek you out on my own.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “A bond by flesh? Is it… what I think it is?”

“It requires us to have sex in order to seal the bond,” the demon confirmed solemnly.

“That’s all?”

Surprised, Stephen looked at him. “That’s all? Tony, I’m not human.”

“Well, you used to be. Doctor Stephen Strange, neurosurgeon.”

“I’m not anymore,” he replied, an edge to his voice betraying the turmoil within. “You’ve seen… some of the differences.” As if to prove a point the cloak became more active, its corners unfurling into writhing tentacles that framed Stephen’s tall figure – a striking visual testimony of his altered nature.

“You will also lose control over when I come and go. It’s basically an invite for me to move in.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Would you move in?”

Stephen shook his head, a furrow of concern etched into his brow. “My responsibilities lie in the Dark Dimension,” he said, a sense of obligation evident in his words. “I can’t leave it alone for too long.”

As he spoke, Stephen’s gaze shifted towards Tony, noticing the thoughtful expression on the engineer’s face. He saw that Tony was seriously considering the option.

“Tony, you don’t have to do this,” Stephen reassured him, his tone gentle yet firm. “Things are fine as they are.”

Tony’s emotions were a swirling mix of frustration and guilt. But the anger from earlier wasn’t gone completely, the engineer had merely redirected it.

“They are not! Don’t you see that? I hate how unbalanced this whole thing is. I didn’t ask for this bond when I was kidnapped by those cultists who stole my blood to summon you.”

Stephen winced when he was reminded of the fact that Tony didn’t befriend the demon voluntarily. Even if Tony hadn’t meant it like that. The weight of responsibility and the unbalance of the bond weighed heavily on Tony, knowing that Stephen’s life was tied so deeply to his own actions.

Despite the sympathy he felt for Stephen, Tony couldn’t shake the feeling of being trapped in a situation he had neither chosen nor wanted.

They were both trapped in this.

“I got the better part of the deal though,” he continued. “You are amazing. Scary, yes. But a hot kind of scary.”

Tony moved his fingers through his own hair. He had started to walk back and forth while ranting.

“Yet you have no say in when you are being summoned. I always pull you out of your dim dimension and force you to come here. I know you said you don't mind. But I hate that you are dependent on me. You can't just decide to come and visit me because you feel like it. You have to wait for me. And I may not even know that you're waiting.”

He knew Stephen had been lonely. The thought of the demon waiting alone in that dark place left a heavy ache in Tony’s chest.

“What if you ever need my help? I wouldn’t even know it.”

Tony turned to Stephen, letting the weight of his words linger in the air for a moment.

"I don't want to go on like this anymore,” he admitted. A reflection of the vulnerability that he usually kept hidden beneath the layers of bravado and confidence.

“What if Dormammu resurfaces? We can’t allow him to have access to Earth,” Stephen reminded him.

It was a valid objection.

“We will look for a fail safe before we change the bond.” Now, that Tony had something to focus on, he was willing to find a solution. “You didn’t harm me, at least not physically. That makes me believe that the blood bond is stronger than that. Still, I most definitely don’t want a repeat of last time. So, we will have to do some research. Look into loopholes and consequences.”

Of course, he would take precautions to assure everyone’s safety. Some kind of surveillance to make sure that if the burning head ever returned, they were prepared.

Tony was thinking about the wizards he had encountered. The wizards that knew something about Stephen. But this time he would be more careful before he told Stephen anything else about his past, ensuring that they were fully prepared for any potential threats.

Stephen looked at him, thoughtfully. Time seemed to stretch between them.

Tony wasn’t sure what thoughts raced through Stephen's mind – maybe it was the deep understanding of the burdens each of them carried.

Finally, Stephen nodded slowly. “Okay,” he gave in. “We can do some research.”

Tony let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Okay,” he echoed. The simplicity of the word didn’t even begin to capture the depth of his relief. “Good.”

“You have been most considerate towards me all this time,” Stephen continued, his eyes meeting Tony’s with sincerity. “The least I can do is to do the same for you.”

Tony snorted softly, unable to prevent the sarcasm from spilling out. “You already did more than that; you saved my life several times,” he stated plainly. “I won’t forget that, even though a few other things came in the way.”

There was a small smile on his lips, almost shy. For the first time since he went down in Siberia, he heard a little voice of hope that everything would turn out alright.

[irondadfics]

Can't find this story where at Tony's funeral Peter made a deal with the infinity stones to trade places with Tony and having everyone's memory erased of Peter so they wouldn't mourn him. Dum-e and U are the only witnesses and fail to convey Peter to Tony. The stones said to Peter if anyone remembers Peter then they will return Peter from death which is what happens only it took 2 weeks for Peter to return and Morgan first saw him but Tony dismissed her claim as an imaginary friend, so Peter slept outdoors awhile until Tony realizes he was out there. Thank you.

here you go!

Though Near or Far by SunflowerSpideyy

Peter makes a deal with the Infinity Stones to exchange his life for Tony's, ensuring he's completely erased from his family's minds in the process so that they never have to suffer the grief that he's felt in the time since the snap.  Febuwhump Day 5: Take Me Instead

[27dragons]

Countdown to 2025: Dec 4

Supernatural AU / Marvel - Winteriron / Ember

The whole time they were eating dinner, Bucky couldn’t help but notice the way Tony was looking at him. Staring. They’d been dating for just over a year, and they had been friends for several years before that, and he’d never seen Tony look at him quite so intently, almost as if he were weighing Bucky’s very soul. 

Of course, Tony being a witch -- the last of a long line of extremely powerful witches on his mother’s side, enhanced with his father’s talent for technomancy -- it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility that Tony actually was weighing Bucky’s soul.

Bucky, who hadn’t even known magic was real until he’d been kidnapped and experimented on by the Hydra Coven, still didn’t know enough about Tony’s magic to gauge the situation. He spent a significant portion of the meal wondering whether to ask, or just pretend he hadn’t noticed.

But as he was scraping up the last smears of a decadent chocolate torte, just as he was about to decide that he couldn’t stand not knowing, it was Tony who broke and said, “If we’re going to keep seeing each other, I need to show you something. So you know what you’re getting into.”

Tony looked nervous, so Bucky swallowed all the questions that had immediately leapt to mind. Instead, he reached across the table to take Tony’s hand, squeezing it gently. “I trust you.”

With a wan smile, Tony led Bucky through his apartment. He thumbed the reader that unlocked the door to his workshop, then caught up Bucky’s hand again to lead the way down the stairs.

Bucky had been in the workshop before. They’d spent a lot of time there together while Tony had been unraveling the curse that the Hydra had put on him. For Bucky, the workshop was a place of wonder and mystery and comfort, all wrapped up together. He drew a deep breath as they entered, enjoying the fresh, green scent coming from the dozens of pots and tubs of rare and dangerous herbs that were arranged on one side of the massive room. Beyond the plants was an elaborate cat tree. Bucky’s eyes flicked from point to point until he’d located DUM-E and U, lounging in their customary hammocks, and JARVIS, nearly the size of a mountain lion, watching from the topmost perch, paws folded under him loaf-style. The familiar’s golden eyes followed them as they passed.

Tony brushed past his worktable and barely glanced at the cauldron on its hook. He trailed his fingertips across the handle of his broom, but didn’t take it down from its pegs on the wall.

Instead, he led Bucky to a sturdy bookcase at the very back corner of the workshop, filled with books both obscure and arcane, and pushed on it until it slid soundlessly to one side, revealing yet another door.

This one required a fingerprint and a retina scan to open, and when it opened, a rune floated in the air, dark red and throbbing with menace. Tony sketched a counterspell in the air that sent a bright blue dart into the center of the rune and caused it to get sucked into its own center.

“This is a lot of security,” Bucky observed. “You sure you really want me to see whatever this is?”

“Yep.” Tony led Bucky down a narrow hall, and Bucky got the distinct impression that they were passing through more invisible security measures and checkpoints. Finally, the hall ended in yet another door. This one, Tony opened without any impediment or fanfare, revealing what looked at first glance to be a quiet reading room.

There was a tall bookcase and a large, overstuffed chair with a blanket draped over its back. A table beside it waited for a mug and a plate of snacks. On the opposite side of the room was another shelf covered with knickknacks -- framed photos, crystals of various sizes and colors and shapes, several figurines, several delicate and airy glass structures. In the center of the shelf was a tiny bronze brazier, small enough that Bucky could have cupped it in his hands.

It was the brazier that Tony lifted down. He set it on the table, and murmured a quiet incantation as he ran his thumb around its rim. It sang like a crystal goblet at the contact, and then what Bucky had thought was a lump of coal in its center burst into light, a brilliant blue ember that pulsed gently.

He clenched his teeth together to keep his questions behind them.

Tony said something to the light with a soft, respectful tone in a language Bucky had never heard before, then turned to Bucky. “This is La Fonte della Fenice. It’s the fire at the heart of the Phoenix, and it has been the sacred trust of the Carbonelli family for nearly three thousand years.”

“It’s beautiful,” Bucky breathed, and he didn’t think he was imagining the way the glow pulsed a little brighter. “But why show it to me? I can see how much effort you’ve gone to to keep everyone away from it.” With difficulty, Bucky tore his gaze from the glimmering light to find Tony leaning against the bookshelf, one hand stuffed into his pocket, the very picture of insouciant carelessness.

One side of Tony’s mouth twitched, and he looked into Bucky’s eyes for a long moment. “Well,” he said finally, “I figured you should see what you’d be taking on if you were going to join the family.”

“What?”

Tony’s hand emerged from his pocket, a small box in his curled fingers. “That is, if you’ll do me the honor.”

[thewrittenpodcast]

Peter: searching my family tree to see where my iq comes from

Tony: i can adopt you if needed

Peter: call me Peter-Benjamin-Parker-Stark 🤙 want to meet my new brothers DUM-E and U this Thursday

May: I have some questions

[gunsandspaceships]

Tony Stark’s achievements

Childhood:

“Brilliant and unique mind”

At age 4 built his first circuit board

At age 6 built his first engine

Cracked the Pentagon’s firewall in high school on a dare

Went to college at 14

Built cool smart robots (Dum-E and U) when he was a teen

At 17 graduated summa cum laude from MIT

Polyglot

Before Afghanistan:

“Da Vinci of our time”

Became an owner and CEO of Stark Industries at 21

Successfully ran the company for decades

Advanced the world of technology, not only in weaponry and robotics but also:

created advanced AI J.A.R.V.I.S.

created holographic interface technology

created repulsor technology

Participated in charity

In and after Afghanistan:

“I’m sorry, I’m not Tony Stark”

Survived an open-heart surgery in a cave, without general anesthesia

Lived with, in fact, a debilitating wound, shrapnel, and a huge and dangerous technological device in his body for years and was willing and capable of doing not only his usual work but also being a superhero and doing all these next things...

Did not give up under torture and fought with his captors

Invented and built a miniaturized Arc Reactor, in a cave, with a box of scraps

Invented and built Iron Man armor, in the same cave, with the same box of scraps

Escaped from captivity by himself (with help from Yinsen, but without any armed assistance)

Became an expert in piloting and driving

Saved people in Gulmira

Saved a USAF pilot

Probably the best hacker in the world, was able to easily hack networks of the Pentagon, US government, AIM, and SHIELD

Fought with Iron Monger after nearly died. Defeated him and saved many lives. Was ready to die for that

Built many more different Iron Man armors

Fought terrorists between IM and IM2 (IM2 tie-in comics)

Saved a submarine crew (IM2 - newspapers in Vanko’s home)

Saved a woman from a fire (IM2 - newspapers in Vanko’s home)

“Stabilized East-West relations” (IM2 - newspapers in Vanko’s home), so the world was “enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years”

Organized Stark Expo

Was able to keep Iron Man armor in his safe hands despite the government’s and HYDRA’s attempts to take it for themselves

Defeated Ivan Vanko in Monaco

(Re)Discovered a new element

 Synthesized it, by building a particle accelerator, at home

Revolutionized energy industry and science. Gave clean energy to the world

Defeated Vanko in New York with Rhodey, Natasha, and Pepper and saved many lives again

Saved Peter Parker (IM2)

Made it so that the Abomination would not leave prison and join the Avengers

Built Stark/Avengers Tower powered by Arc Reactor technology

Saved Steve Rogers and many civilians in Germany from Loki

Was able to fight with Thor on equal terms

Biggest brain on Earth, arguably - in the Universe:

best scientist on the team, in SHIELD, on Earth, in the Universe

expert in nuclear, particle, and quantum physics

was able to learn very quickly – became an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics in one night

Successfully tracked Tesseract by its gamma radiation with Bruce

Saved Helicarrier with the Avengers and SHIELD agents on board, almost died

Saved Rogers from a merc right after that

Fought with Chitauri, killed many of them, saved a lot of people

Was able to blow up a Leviathan by himself

Saved New York City by redirecting a nuke to the wormhole

Saved the world by destroying Thanos’ Chitauri army, almost died again

Founded The United States Department of Damage Control to clean up after battles

Rebuilt Stark Tower into Avengers Tower and gave each team member their own quarters

One of the best biologists and biomedical engineers on Earth, even if it’s not his main area of expertise:

helped Maya with Extremis back in 1999, because knew more in her own field, and even didn’t remember that

was head hunted by Aldrich Killian to work on Extremis with/instead of Maya, who was the leading expert in tissue regeneration

improved and stabilized Extremis, so it became safe regenerative technology, and with it…

cured Pepper

healed extensive injuries in his chest

invented and implanted devices for remote control of his suits (into his forearm in IM3, and most probably into his brain for Mark L armor in Infinity War)

invented build-in diagnostic system in his suits

Invented many devices for protection purposes (ex. bomb disposal)

A capable detective. Figured out the cause of explosions in IM3 on his own

Saved Pepper instead of himself by putting Mark 42 on her during the attack on his Malibu mansion

Survived the attack with a barely working prototype suit. Shot down a helicopter with a piano

Was able to fight with enhanced fire-breathing regenerating terrorists without armor and weapons in Rose Hill. In handcuffs

Knowledgeable and skilled in medicine:

saved a kid with his arc reactor in a deleted scene from IM3, selflessly pulling it out of his chest and performing defibrillation under electric shocks

knew how to recognize hyperglycemia when Harley was eating 3rd bawl of candies

closed his wound in Infinity War with nanoparticles

performed first-aid on Bruce after his snap

Built a lot of stuff from random things he bought in a store for the assault on the Mandarin's mansion. In a motel

Successfully stormed the Mandarin's mansion full of armed and huge security guys with dogs. Alone. Without his armor

Successfully escaped captivity in the Mandarin's mansion with just a few pieces of armor on

Saved all the people who fell from the Air Force One

Stormed Roxxon Norco ship with Rhodey, without a suit. With one handgun

Saved the US president

Defeated Killian and his Extremis-enhanced terrorists, saved many lives

Built quinjets

Created Iron Legion

Became the benefactor of the Avengers, provided them with everything, was a combatant, and also the team’s pilot, hacker, engineer, medic, and scientist

As an Avenger saved many lives on missions, including destroying the rest of HYDRA in AoU

With Bruce’s help created Veronica and Hulkbuster suit

Defeated a rogue Iron Legionnaire with a fork

In contrast to other team members was able to function after Wanda played with his mind

Defeated mad Hulk. Saved a lot of lives in Johannesburg

Easily hacked nuclear codes in Nexus and found J.A.R.V.I.S. “in the world’s biggest haystack”

Created advanced AI F.R.I.D.A.Y.

Many advanced AIs

Created Vision

With the Avengers defeated Ultron and his army

Evacuated people who were left in Sokovia

Saved a falling evacuation shuttle with people on it

Together with Thor saved Earth by destroying the falling Sokovia

Rebuilt Stark Compound into Avengers Compound for the team in Upstate New York

Invented several medical devices, including leg braces, blood toxicity detector

Sponsored the development of technology for psychotherapy (B.A.R.F.). Prevented it from being used for harm

Funded all the students’ projects at MIT

Did everything possible to legally, politically, and physically protect the team before, during, and after the Civil War

Was able to disarm Winter Soldier without a suit, with only one armored glove

Figured out Spider-Man’s identity

Created Spider-Man’s suits

Mentored, sponsored, and looked after Peter Parker

Saved Peter Parker (SMH). Twice

Saved the ferry from sinking

Invented nanoparticles

 “Earth’s best defender”

Went to space to save Peter, Strange and bring back Time Stone

Saved Peter Parker (IW)

Saved Strange on the Donut spaceship. Killed Ebony Maw

Cloak of Levitation chose him as his second favorite (deleted scene with Tony wearing Levi and Strange in Mark L)

Was respected by Thanos himself

Withstood when Thanos hit him with a moon

Fought Thanos, made him bleed, kept fighting even without armor

Survived a severe injury thanks to his own invention

Was able to function, tried to fix Benatar, and return home while injured and ill with an infected wound

Built a lab for Bruce and helped him to become one with Hulk (combine the best of both worlds)

Became an amazing dad

Became an expert in time travel physics

Discovered/invented (controlled) Time travel

Built a time machine

Went on Time Heist and stole Tesseract from a guarded military base

Created his own Infinity Gauntlet

Thus brought half of the universe back to existence (Bruce snapped and partially sacrificed his health, but nothing would be possible without Tony)

Saved Bruce’s arm by providing emergency medical care

Fought with Thanos again and…

Saved the whole Universe