#stephen and tony through the years

[ramen8008]

Tony having a list of habits of the avengers that annoy him yet also altering the entirety of the compound to meet those habits.

Tony: You realize how annoying it is to have you in my vents?? Just let me breathe my 5 million dollar air in peace

Also Tony installing a proper scanner which doesn't ring any alarms if Barton is in the vents but instead just makes in a video compilation of each time he falls.

Tony: Thor I swear to the Gods. If you take one more Pop tart from me I wil-

Also Tony bulge buying Pop tarts for every time Thor visits.

Tony: Cap how do you not kn- No being frozen for 80 years is no excuse. This is vital part of history, No I don't care that it's "just a show" this changed lives

Also Tony installing a "Cap is confused again" Protocol on FRIDAY for each time there's anything Steve doesn't understand which might be basic knowledge to everyone else so FRIDAY can give him a summary of it all.

Tony: Nat you need to stop hiding weapons everywhere. I can't be going around finding machetes in the compound!

Also Tony providing her as much space she needs for her weapons in each room if that's what she needs to feel safe.

Tony: No! No magic. Wanda you go through my head again and I swear you'll regret it. My therapist quit, you think you can handle it? Nuh uh this is a magic free household young lady.

Also Tony installing a whole new simulation based training room so she can practice her magic properly.

Tony: Bucky, I know I'm rich but can you please stop crushing my equipment and cups

Also Tony very gently talking to Bucky about everything he is doing step by step as he checks up Bucky's arm. Giving him his own room with open windows so he doesn't feel trapped with every bit of little hobby he might pick up from knitting to painting to playing the piano. A bookshelf with the entire limited edition of The Hobbit and every 40s music he might like. And some more recent songs in case he decides to "stop being old".

Tony: Strange I need you to stop doing that shit. I understand you're a wizard but don't they have rules for that? Like no magic outside of Hogwarts until you're 17? None of that weird stuff in the tower... ever.

Also Tony creating a special meditating room for Stephen with Pink Floyd playing where he can just calm down for a while in the tower and somehow a room in the mirror dimension when he really wants peace and quiet.

Tony: Vision I know you're an AI who is very interested in human nature and I am flattered but I swear if I hear one more explosion because you tried to learn knitting or the piano I will find an off switch whether or not you have one.

Also Tony making every single hobby Vision wants to pick up possible in the best way. Providing him his own kitchen to getting him a piano teacher because he wanted to experience "learning by being taught"

Tony: Banner I get that you have everything under control which is great but my lab is not big enough for The Hulk

Also Tony making his lab big enough. Getting him his own lab. Making sure he had everything he needed to calm down when he couldn't control the Hulk. Labeling him as the "strongest avenger". Getting him a therapist. Making sure he never feels alone yet always has peace

Tony: Rhodey you need to understand that when I say I'm fine I'm fine. You act like such a party pooper you know that?

Also Tony who trusts Rhodey with his life and everything. Making sure Rhodey never feels lesser than. Who couldn't be more grateful that Rhodey stuck by him throughout everything and always stayed. Tony always turning to him for advice and no matter how much he acts like Rhodey is being a bummer always takes his words to heart.

Tony: Peter.... Don't walk on the ceiling! Oh my God don't die! What the hell kid please don't explode your homework again! Your aunt is going to KILL me! You mess with the suit again and I- No , you can't borrow my suit what do you mean? I told you to stay back, tell me what you interpreted that as? No the adults are talking.

Also Tony doing everything that kid wants no matter what. Making sure his suit is so safe that he might as well be immortal. Buying him everything he even remotely suggests to liking. He has his own room in the tower cause of all the time he spends in the labs.

"You want to test out this new thing with your webs but it requires this extremely expensive and toxic chemical? As long as you wear proper protection!"

"you said you had to write about a famous place you went to but since you haven't travelled much you were gonna write about the Stark exhibition or times square.....So I got you these world tour tickets. I think they hit every landmark , just message me the ones they don't and I'll handle it. And don't worry there are two so your aunt can go with you"

[marybeatriceofmodena]

What did Andrew Lloyd Webber do to make Patti Lupone upset? Sorry, saw your tags and i was curious

Oh.

Oh honey.

You sweet child.

Anyway, get ready for one of the most infamous showdowns in all musical theatre history, with the guy who writes the straightest musicals on Broadway (derogatory) and the one and only, the matriarch, the queen, two three-time Tony award winner Patti LuPone.

So, Andrew Lloyd Webber was basically kind of a boy genius in his prime - he met his future collaborator Tim Rice when they were 17 and 20 respectively, he wrote his first big hit, Jesus Christ Superstar, at 22, with Tim Rice writing the lyrics. And it was kind of a big deal at the time because the topic was controversial (you know, the Passion with rock music), but also because Broadway wasn't that far off from its golden age and let's just say the music and style were very different from, say, My Fair Lady. Or The Sound of Music. Or Funny Girl. It was basically the Rent/Hamilton of its time. (Yeah, Stephen Sondheim was around at that time, he worked on West Side Story which was revolutionary in of itself, but he's kind of an oddball in this case. You'll understand why later.)

Their real follow up (I'm not counting Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for a variety of reasons) was a little musical called Evita, which you might know mainly because of a song called Don't Cry For Me Argentina. Or at least, your mom has probably heard it once at the very least. It's that song that's oversung from a musical while being out of context along with I Dreamed a Dream for Les Misérables. Or Memory from Cats.

Evita tells the story of Eva Peron, the wife of an Argentinian dictator, who basically screws her way to the top and ends up becoming the mistress of Juan Peron and the most beloved woman in her country through guile and deceit. Yes, I know the historical accuracy is very much debated but I know jackshit about Argentina's history except the bare basics so don't come at me. It was first produced in the West End in London, with Elaine Paige in the role, but because of Equity issues, she couldn't reprise her role for the Broadway production. So a Julliard graduate who was mostly starring in David Mamet plays got the part instead, and that was Patti LuPone.

Patti... did not have a good time during Evita, because the part is basically the kind of score where you can tell the composer is used to writing male parts, but most female singers have a two-octave range (yes, you got Julie Andrews who used to have a three-octave range, and many others, but they're exceptions), so she struggled a lot. That being said, if you listen to live recordings of her, you wouldn't be able to tell, and it got a lot easier later on. But she had this to say:

"Evita was the worst experience of my life. I was screaming my way through a part that could only have been written by a man who hates women. And I had no support from the producers, who wanted a star performance onstage but treated me as an unknown backstage. It was like Beirut, and I fought like a banshee."

This is from Patti's autobiography, which she wrote in 2007 - 8 years after shit with ALW went down. With all that said, she won a Tony Award for Evita, and she pretty much became a musical theatre household name from then on. She played Fantine in Les Misérables, Nancy in Oliver!, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes. Meanwhile, ALW's next big hits were Cats (I'm not even kidding, Cats was a hit), and, you guessed it, The Phantom of the Opera, which he wrote in part to showcase his then wife Sarah Brightman's triple threat talents.

So, you need to understand before I continue that ALW, from my perspective, has always had a bit of an inferiority complex. He's basically associated to writing these commercially successful musicals that show a big spectacle but aren't ultimately substantial. I'm not sure I entirely agree with that, but I do think that if he didn't have Hal Prince, Maria Bjornson, Charles Hart and Gillian Lynne backing him up for Phantom, it would have probably been a Rocky Horror Picture Show knockoff people would have forgotten about pretty quickly. This is what I mean:

Yep, that was Phantom before any of the people I mentioned above (and Michael Crawford) were really involved.

Remember how I said Stephen Sondheim was an oddball? The thing with him is that his musicals weren't always commercially successful, but in general, in part thanks to being Leonard Bernstein's protégé, he was generally pretty well-respected and it was considered that his work was bringing musicals to a whole other level. Without Sondheim, you wouldn't have Jonathan Larson, and you wouldn't have Lin-Manuel Miranda. I am convinced ALW is resentful of that, and when you stop and think about it for more than 10 seconds, it's so obvious he REALLY wants to be Sondheim or at least command the same level of respect, but that's a story for another day.

So, after Phantom, ALW had other musicals that followed that either got a meh reception or outright flopped. Then there was Sunset Boulevard, which is based on the movie of the same name with Gloria Swanson. Despite all of her griefs for Evita, Patti LuPone agreed to partake in the musical as Norma Desmond, for its production in London, with the promise that she would transfer to Broadway once that production would open. And overall, after a string of flops, Sunset was actually doing pretty well.

HOWEVER. One day, while reading the gossip column of a newspaper, Patti found out that contrary to what she was promised, Glenn Close, who was meanwhile starring as Norma in the Los Angeles production, was to play Norma on Broadway. That was a complete surprise for her since no one on the production team had bothered to tell her it was happening - and keep in mind that for the news to come up the way it did in a gossip column, it probably would have necessitated a delay of a few weeks between the producers and the newspaper, which would have given them plenty of time to break the news to Patti. And Patti kind of needed the leg up because she was pretty bitter that a) Madonna was cast in the Evita adaptation instead of her; b) they actually lowered the key to fit Madonna's voice range, and she still had to expand her own to be able to sing the (lowered) score. And trust me, Patti is mad about it to this day.

So of course, she trashed her dressing room, the cast and crew weren't even mad about it because they were as shocked and angered as she was by the news. Patti sued Andrew Lloyd Webber for breach of contract, namely for 1 MILLION DOLLARS (yup, those are the real numbers), won, used the money she got from the lawsuit to get a swimming pool, which she called (and I SHIT YOU NOT) the Andrew Lloyd Webber Memorial Pool. Since then, Webber is dead to her, to the point rumor has it she had part of a building blocked during an event so she could get out of it without coming across Webber, because she hates him so flipping much she doesn't even want to be in the same building as the guy.

(There's also drama that happened with Faye Dunaway who was supposed to replace Glenn Close after she went from Los Angeles to Broadway, except they abruptly closed the show down after Close left, but that's a story for another day)

So with all the bad press, and with ALW forced to pay 1 million dollars for Patti's lawsuit, that led Sunset's productions to close earlier than expected. ALW has stayed around since, with... mitigated output, so to say. The lowest point for a lot of people is Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom, which some people love, and that's fine, but it didn't do well with either critics nor fans of the original show, which ALW is EXTREMELY BUTTHURT ABOUT. And like, there are so many stories I could tell about LND alone, but I will share my own crack theory about it, since it does relate to the ask.

Anyway, buckle up.

So. There have been jokes going around for years that the Phantom in LND is basically ALW's self-insert, where he displays to the world that he's totally not over Sarah Brightman leaving him (in part because making Phantom kinda ruined their marriage lmao), despite, you know, having married since. (Aaaaaakward.) So LND basically becomes this really uncomfortable therapy session where a man writes a self-insert musical about how his ex-wife made a big mistake of leaving a sensitive artistic soul such as himself. The characters from Phantom who appear in LND are all more or less unrecognizable as a result, and one who gets it worse (in my humble opinion) is Meg Giry, who was basically Christine's sweet and loyal ballerina friend who basically went into the Phantom's lair on her own to save her friend despite the danger. In LND, she's basically a bitter hag (because ALW hates women, guess Patti was right about that), who really likes the swim and even has a stripping vaudeville number about it, written in universe by the Phantom, no less.

For comparison, here's Don Juan Triumphant (the Phantom's opera in the original):

And here's Bathing Beauty (the vaudeville number):

Yeah, so... do you see why people hate LND already?

And that's not the only thing with Meg! She's also pining for the Phantom to pay attention to her and threatens to drown the Phantom and Christine's secret love child when he makes it clear that he's gonna love Christine for EVA AND EVA.

So, with everything we learned today about ALW, would someone like him view someone like Patti LuPone as some sort of crazy, bitter diva who's obsessed with him for whatever reason? Absolutely. Would he be petty enough to insert Patti LuPone into his self-insert musical, which gave us the version of Meg Giry we got in LND? Of course. Why does Meg love to swim so much and why does she drag Gustave out ostensibly for a swim? Is it a dig at Patti's Andrew Lloyd Webber Memorial Pool? Maybe.

I kind of hope we find out one day if that theory is true. And maybe start a kickstarter so Patti can add this painting from the 2004 movie in her collection.

Fun fact: during the process of casting for the 2004 movie adaptation of POTO, ALW allegedly suggested Patti LuPone to play Carlotta... only for Joel Schumacher to have to awkwardly remind him that they were not on speaking terms. The idea was therefore promptly dropped.

[adrixivy]

I can imagine Peter being extremely clingy to the people he loves. People always say he’s the opposite. That he believes its best that he stays away. Nah. Give me Peter ‘clinging to the sides of people he love’ Parker

Tony walking into the Avengers meeting with Peter who is gripping onto his arm. The older man simply isn’t bothered and just continues looking through his Starkpad: Hey everyone

Peter waves excitedly and he pulls Tony to sit beside Stephen. He sits beside Tony and scoots his chair closer, looking at whatever Tony is looking

Imagine this was the first time the Avengers are meeting Peter. As Spiderman. They know Peter is Tony’s intern yet they don’t know his identity. They’re all immediately staring at Tony weirdly, wondering why is Tony with Spider-Man. Tony seems to notice the stares and he looks at the kid with a look and the kid seems to nod at a sudden realisation. He pulls off his mask and a fluffy mop of brown hair pops out as big puppy eyes look back at them. They were surprised but they quickly relaxed when they realised that it was Peter.

—————

Another thing he does is he follows people around a lot. When he was young, he always clung to Uncle Ben or Aunt May. He never dared to approach anyone unless one of the two says he should or to someone interesting like when he first met Harry Osborn. Aunt May still notices that whenever Peter and her are out, he’s still always clinging to her. He’s hooking her arm with his and she laughs when she realises he’s still the clingy baby all those years ago. (Peter is glaring at everyone who is staring at his aunt for a little too long. Another reason he’s clings to her but he is also clingy)

—————

Wade walks into the penthouse one day and the team immediately tenses up. Despite his relationship with Peter, he shouldn’t have direct access to the area unless someone lets him in. The Avengers aren’t exactly welcoming when it’s Wade. Wade holds up both his hands and sighs.

Wade: Calm down folks! I got the package

He announces and turn his back to them to see Peter clinging onto him the way he would stick to a skyscraper’s window. His back pressed against Wade’s as he pulled his legs up to hide too. The Avengers are stunned to see Peter like that. (He’s definitely going to make that one of his hide and seek spots in the future)

——————

Peter hugs all of the Avengers/his friends every time he sees them. If Peter sees someone not moving and not busy, he’ll hug them. Sometimes for a fun and surprise factor, he leaps onto the person and basically tackles them with a hug

For Wade, he simply stares at the man when he spots him, walks up and kisses his cheek whether through masks or directly. He’s surprisingly not so affectionate around Wade but Wade knows Peter loves him. Despite the voices saying otherwise. Peter pays extra attention to Wade. Always noticing details about Wade’s actions or feelings, always observing his lover. He’s not physically clingy but he’s clingy in a way that Wade finds him adorable like a puppy. He’s always checking up on him and giving him a kiss on the cheek whenever Peter thinks he needs or wants one.

There’s the occasional kiss on the lips too when he’s alone with Wade. He’ll hug Wade when they’re alone and Wade immediately hugs back, holding him tightly to his chest before inevitably walking around with a spider koala wrapped around him when Peter feels like clinging onto him longer

[infiniteeight8]

A very confused Scott Lang because he genuinely thought Stephen and Tony were dating.

Anon, you made me very happy when you sent this because I like Scott a lot. 😀 

I don’t name many people, but consider this an everybody lives AU. If any hero died at any point in canon, they’re alive and present. 😀

-

This was the largest gathering of the Avengers and Avengers-adjacent heroes they’d had in more than a year, which means Stephen really should have expected it when Tony grinned, rubbed his hands together, and said, “All right. Let’s play Strongest Avenger.” Thor cheered while Stephen, Hope, and a few others groaned. Tony held up his hands. “Hear me out! I have a twist to propose.”

“What kind of twist?” Bruce asked.

“No arguing for yourself, your significant other, or anyone in your immediate organization,” Tony said. “So Stephen couldn’t argue for another sorcerer, and Hope couldn’t vote for anyone else from the West Coast group.”

Everyone traded looks for a minute. Finally, Hope sighed. “One hour! That’s it.”

Tony grinned. “Excellent! And as the one who started the game, I get to go first. I pick Stephen.”

“You can’t pick Stephen!” Scott protested. “It’s against your twist rules.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Come on, Stephen’s affiliation is the wizards—”

“Sorcerers,” Stephen corrected automatically.

“—not the New York Avengers.”

“I meant because he’s your boyfriend,” Scott said.

Stephen blinked and exchanged a glance with Tony. 

“Uh, he’s not, actually,” Tony said.

Scott looked distressed. “You two didn’t break up, did you?”

“Scott,” Stephen said carefully, “Tony and I were never together.”

“No,” Scott said in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Scott!” Tony said. “I think I’d know! We’re not dating.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Scott burst out. “You’re great together! You have the same sense of humor, you never have a hard time talking to each other, you’re so good in the field together I seriously wondered for a bit if telepathy was a thing, you check each other out all the time, the Cloak likes Tony, the bots like Stephen, seriously, if you aren’t dating then you should be.”

Stephen… couldn’t actually argue with any of that. He glanced at Tony, who was looking bemused. “You make some good points,” Tony said. He shot Stephen a grin. “You up for it?”

“I could be convinced,” Stephen said, smirking.

Natasha raised her hand. “I vote for Scott for Strongest Avenger,” she said. “Because getting through Tony’s obliviousness when it comes to Stephen is no small feat.”

Everyone broke up laughing, and Scott looked pleased even as he laughed, too.

[jbaileyfansite]

USA Today Interview (2024)

For Jonathan Bailey, one of the biggest perks of starring in a massive franchise is getting your very own Lego figure.

The British actor, who plays the swoony prince Fiyero in “Wicked,” is featured in a 945-piece plastic Emerald City set. Although he has yet to procure the toy metropolis for himself, “Christmas is coming and I hope I’ve been a good boy this year,” Bailey says with a grin.

The impish heartthrob has been using Legos to unwind while on a weekslong promotional tour for the blockbuster movie musical, which tells the origin story of the witches of Oz. “Just last night, I managed to (put together) the Atlantic Ocean in this giant Lego globe that I’m currently building,” he delightedly explains.

The fantasy film caps off a monumental year for Bailey, 36, who earned an Emmy nomination for his devastating work in Showtime miniseries “Fellow Travelers,” and spent the summer in Thailand shooting “Jurassic World: Rebirth” (in theaters July 2, 2025) alongside Scarlett Johansson.

“It’s extraordinary the types of roles I’ve been able to play these last two years,” says Bailey, who broke through to U.S. audiences on Netflix phenom “Bridgerton” in 2020. “I’m pinching myself. If I could have gone back and told my younger self that this would be happening, I’d probably do a flip.”

Jonathan Bailey brings 'boyish charm' to 'Wicked' prince Fiyero

Bailey is no stranger to musical theater: At just 8 years old, he played the pint-sized revolutionary Gavroche in “Les Misérables” on London’s West End. And in 2019, he won an Olivier Award for a gender-swapped revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” singing the mile-a-minute “Getting Married Today.”

But it was a viral audition tape for the musical “The Last Five Years” that caught the attention of “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu. “It felt like the thing I’ve always loved about musicals, where the song is just an extension of the dialogue. It felt like acting,” Chu recalls. “He just has that X factor. There’s such a boyish charm to him that you’re like, ‘That is Fiyero.’”

Like many, Bailey became obsessed with “Wicked” thanks to its Broadway cast album and 2004 Tony Awards performance with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. “The lyrics are so fascinating and witty,” Bailey says. “I remember laughing specifically at Glinda singing how this hat is ‘really, uh, sharp, don’t you think?’ I screamed!”

When the contumacious Fiyero arrives at Shiz University from Winkie Country, he instantly enchants the besotted Glinda (Ariana Grande), but slowly finds himself drawn to the green-skinned Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo). He also freely flirts with both his male and female classmates.

“Fiyero is confident and curious and kind enough to invite anyone to Winkie Country,” Bailey says cheekily. But as a gay actor, he’s grateful for the “years and years of progress” that have allowed him to be the leading man in a big-budget movie like “Wicked.”  

“There's been many Fiyeros before me, and many members of the LGBT community who have fought for times where someone like me could play these parts,” Bailey says. "This story resonates for so many people because it’s about identity and celebrates our similarities. In playing Fiyero, you realize what an ally he is to someone who’s outside of society. People are incredibly unkind to Elphaba, and he uses his charm and privilege” to help her feel accepted. “It’s really lovely.”

The 'Bridgerton' dreamboat heads to 'Jurassic World' next

“There's been many Fiyeros before me, and many members of the LGBT community who have fought for times where someone like me could play these parts,” Bailey says. "This story resonates for so many people because it’s about identity and celebrates our similarities. In playing Fiyero, you realize what an ally he is to someone who’s outside of society. People are incredibly unkind to Elphaba, and he uses his charm and privilege” to help her feel accepted. “It’s really lovely.”

The 'Bridgerton' dreamboat heads to 'Jurassic World' next

Bailey delivers one of the movie’s standout numbers in “Dancing Through Life,” in which Fiyero persuades his schoolmates to join him for a night on the town at the trendy Ozdust Ballroom. The song begins in the Shiz library, where Fiyero swings between ladders, slides across desks, and flips through novels using only his feet. The actor spent seven weeks rehearsing the choreography, much of which takes place on rotating bookshelves.

“It turns out in Fiyero’s boots, it’s not so easy to open books and read ‘War and Peace’ with your toes,” Bailey jokes. “I also started training vocally over Zoom while I was filming ‘Fellow Travelers.’ I would do these scenes with Matt Bomer where I’d be smoking and screaming, and then I’d have to come back and sing somehow.”

Ultimately, making "Wicked" helped Bailey feel more at ease taking on the beloved "Jurassic Park" series, in which he plays a bespectacled paleontologist named Dr. Henry Loomis.

“Dancing and closing books with your toes does not save you from raptors,” Bailey quips. “ ’Wicked’ is its own beautiful beast, but it leans so much on the original imagery of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ It taught me to blur out the reality of what it means to step into an incredibly iconic story, and just focus on working hard and having a lot of fun."

Bailey teases that he has another musical project “on the horizon.” In the meantime, Fiyero will have a more substantial role in "Wicked: Part Two" (in theaters Nov. 21, 2025), which shot back-to-back with the first movie. He still regrets not taking home the character's black leather boots, created by "genius" costume designer Paul Tazewell.

“I did manage to steal some postcards from the Emerald City,” Bailey says. “Some of those accidentally flew off in the middle of a take and landed in my bag. Other than that, I hope Paul will send me Fiyero’s tight pants one day."

Source

[softspace-fics]

Sorry about the other request I got REALLY excited and turned trauma dump so just know I'm sorry for the tmi lol thank you for listening to me ramble (also completely unrelated you should write for Tony and strange with a little reader and little peter)

-🦄

Safe place.

A/N - So this request took so long to think of something because I just didn't know how I wanted to portray them, but I think I love this fic so much.

Stephen strange x Tony start + Little!Peter and Little!reader

Masterlist - all my work!

Warnings ⚠️ - FLUFFFFF!! and a little bit of sadness, and reference to bad childhood, but nothing extensive.

__________

Safe places, seen to many as the only place one can be themselves. In some cases, there's no such thing as a safe place, and some have never known the feeling of being truly safe.

You never had a safe place, for most of your life, you were on your own. The moment you knew how to make the most basic meal, your parents left you to fend for yourself basically. So when you met your caregivers, it was such an eye opening experience, for not only them, but for you too.

You had known each other for years prior to them adding you to their family with Peter, and it took a long time before you were completely comfortable letting them take care of you, but soon enough, you did.

Toddling through the room, you see Peter off in his own little corner, seeing how many webs it will take to stick all his blocks he's collected together, and your two caregivers are busy as your papa shows your dada his new tech he built.

You continue to wander through, your pacifier securely between your lips, your little blabbles muted behind it. Your little stuffie friend clutches perfectly to your chest as you climb into your play tent, where more of your friends sit, waiting for you to say hello. Your tablet lays right where you left it when your dada grabbed you for lunch just an hour earlier, ready for your little hands to come and turn on your favorite cartoon.

You grab your favorite blanket, curling into your stuffies safe embrace and safely covered by the soft fabric of your blanket. The music from the intro of your cartoon sounds through your tent, and your eyes light up with joy.

Minutes pass, and halfway through your episode, a shuffle is heard from outside your tent and then peters head peaks through.

“Cuddles?” He softly asks, his eyes begging for snuggles and human contact.

You nod and open your blanket, your normally hyper playmate, cuddled in closely to you, holding you safely in his arms, watching your show alongside you. The two of you mumble some words every now and then, up until the soft snores came from your twin flame, your soft music from your show lulling him to sleep.

Around 2 episodes after Peter falls asleep, quiet footsteps are heard outside your tent, and then a soft knock on the floor just outside the tents walls was heard, alerting your attention. You shift slightly, but not enough to wake Peter as you see your dada peeking in, checking on the two of you.

There would have been a time where a caregiver checking on you would have caused fear and you would have started to tremble, but in this case, part of you wanted to just be engulfed in his arms.

“He asleep?” Dada strange asks you. You slowly nod your head, in an attempt not to wake the boy currently under your head, soundly asleep.

Strange nods his head in a gesture to let you know to carefully climb out of your tent and come to the living room before he gets up from your tent, asking your papa to grab Peter shortly after get you out of the tent. You sit up carefully, placing your tablet back where you found it and carefully tucking your brother under your blanket before taking your stuffie and yourself out to your dada.

Once you're out of your tent you happily toddle back over to him before he protectively picks you up, kissing your forehead and holding you tightly. Your papa eventually appears with your brother wrapped in his favorite blanket, and your favorite blanket securely on your papas shoulder, ready to be given back to you.

Safety was always a concern to you, as you grew up, and even when you got to your big world, it was always a rocky apartment, or a creepy neighbor, or just the instability of the world.

But as your papa hands your blanket over to your dada, and he quickly burritos you in his arms, giving you kisses as he does, you feel a sense of safety you’ve never truly found anywhere else. Your sense of safety grows as jarvis lowers the lights and your caregivers settle you and your brother in their arms. Jarvis puts on your favorite movie, seeing as you're the little one who's awake, giving you the ability to cuddle into your dada and completely relax.

Your breathing begins to even out about a quarter of the way through the movie, as your own dream land takes over your mind. Your dada gently plays with your hair, keeping you safe and sound in his arms.

Safe Places aren't known to all, and some may never have a safe place. But you have found yours, and you knew it.

[captainsophiestark]

Hopeful Future

Stephen Strange x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2024!

Requested by anon!

Fandom: Marvel

Day Eight Prompt: "Are we happy?"

Summary: Strange's SO has been struggling since he disappeared in the Blip, but an unexpected visitor to the New York Sanctum might be able to help with that.

Word Count: 1,199

Category: Angst, Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I took a deep breath as I tipped the water can over the nearest flower bed. I'd been advised that keeping a garden might help me cope with my grief. So far, it hadn't really helped. But I guess it hadn't hurt, either.

What had started as a few sunflowers had grown into multiple planter boxes, all outside the brownstone next door to the New York Sanctum Sanctorum. Hardly anyone came and went through either front door anymore, but by the well-tended garden, you'd never know it.

Honestly, I should've moved years ago. Lingering in a place that my fiancé, Stephen Strange, and I had shared before the Blip was almost certainly making it harder for me to deal with him being gone. A lot of the people around me had moved on in the past few years, but I couldn't help holding on. Maybe it had something to do with the magic that had always surrounded us, but for whatever reason, I just didn't want to leave this place behind.

I sighed, straightening the watering can and turning to take care of the flowers outside the Sanctum. I froze in my tracks when I saw the front door just closing, someone apparently having snuck in while I had my back turned. I frowned.

Nobody was really supposed to be going through that door anymore. The only exception was Wong, and I knew he would've stopped to say hi to me. I set my watering can down, then headed for the front door.

Maybe I should've been a little more cautious, but seeing somebody sweeping through the door to the Sanctum had set me off a lot more than I thought it would. I quickly pushed my way inside, shutting the door behind me as my eyes swept the entryway. When I saw a figure about halfway up the stairs, I froze solid in my tracks.

He had dark hair, a very familiar red cloak, and held himself in a way that I'd recognize from a mile away. And he'd frozen on the staircase, too.

"...You weren't supposed to see me."

His voice was equally unmistakable. Somehow, Stephen was standing in front of me.

I rushed towards the stairs, my mind racing. Stephen turned around slowly at the sound of my footsteps, a grimace on his face. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to kiss him or kick his ass, but when I reached him, I went with my gut and wrapped him up in a tight hug. He sighed, but his arms came up to wrap around my back.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you're real," I breathed, tears streaking down my face. I hadn't even realized I'd started crying, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to stop anytime soon. "How are you real? You got Blipped out of existence! Tony Stark told me himself!"

I pulled back to look him in the eyes, but he kept his arms around my waist, not letting me go too far. He looked almost as pained as I felt, and it made me want to hit him again.

"I did disappear with the Blip. I'm... cheating a little with the time stream right now. It's a long story, but I need something in the future that can only be found in the Sanctum of the past—your present."

"Ugh, you're giving me a headache," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. Stephen huffed a soft laugh, and a minute later, his words finally sank in. My eyes snapped open as I tried to contain a kernel of hope appearing in my chest against my will. "Wait. Did you say... you came from the future?"

Stephen took a deep breath, his eyes searching my face. Then, after a moment, he huffed and rolled his eyes.

"The less information you have the safer we keep our timeline, but... yes. I did. Give it another year or so, but this Blip isn't going to be permanent. Other friends of ours figure out how to bring everyone back."

I stepped back, my mouth dropping open, and Stephen let me go. I blinked at him a few times, waiting for a sign that he was a hallucination or otherwise just messing with me, but none came. He met my eyes with a steady stare, absolute calm and certainty in his expression.

A sob welled up in my chest, and I didn't hold it back. I surged forward again, holding Stephen tight, then moving back just enough to kiss him. He kissed back, holding me tight and rubbing comforting circles on my back as long as I needed it.

When I finally calmed down, Stephen's arms still tight around me, I took a shaky breath and met his eyes again.

"What can I do? How can I help bring you back? Is there a way to bring you back faster? It's probably Rogers or somebody I need to call first, right?"

"Sweetheart." He interrupted me with a gentle squeeze of my sides and I stopped, looking at him questioningly. "I appreciate that you want to bring me back. And I wish you didn't have to go through this at all. But you can't make it go any faster. I know the path and the timeline that brings us back, and I know you're not involved in it. Maybe if you got involved, it would've gone faster. Maybe not. But I can't check, because I don't have the time stone anymore. I shouldn't even be talking to you right now, but it's critical that you don't change anything in the timestream. And that includes not talking to Rogers or anyone else about the fact that you saw me."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, focusing on the feel of Stephen's arms around me. I knew he was right. I'd studied enough of the books in this Sanctum looking for ways to bring him back that I knew how finnicky the timestream could get. But still, it didn't make it any easier to face the prospect of letting him go, right here and now, and waiting at least another year to get him back.

"Just tell me one thing," I said, at last opening my eyes again. I scanned Stephen's face as he nodded, waiting for me to continue. "Are we happy? When you come back, with whatever else is happening... are we happy?"

The corner of Stephen's mouth pulled up, the corners of his eyes crinkling. My heart leapt as he pulled me closer, leaning in until his mouth was inches from mine. I could feel his breath against my lips as he spoke.

"You know I can't tell you details but... yes. We're happy."

I huffed a laugh, shaking my head even as I smiled and kissed Stephen again. He smiled into the kiss, too, the two of us holding each other tight. I knew he'd probably seen me recently, maybe right before he'd come here, but I hadn't seen him in years. Being in his arms again, and even better, knowing we had a future together beyond this moment, was an absolute dream come true.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen

Marvel Taglist: @valkyriepirate @infinetlyforgotten @sagesmelts @gaychaosgremlin

[hayanwulf]

Magical Vandalism

Prompt fill for this : "Stephen gets arrested, and calls the only person he knows who might actually be able to post bail: Tony Stark." @ironstrangeprompts

“Boss, an unsaved number is calling you on your personal number.”

Tony paused his soldering and looked up. “Who?”

“The number is registered as belonging to Officer Jennifer from NYPD.”

“How’d they get my number.” And why would they call him? This was very odd. People didn’t just get Tony’s personal number like that.

“I’m not sure, Boss,” FRIDAY replied.

Tony huffed out an airy breath and put the soldering iron down on the table. “Put them through.”

There was a click as the call was accepted.

“Tony?”

Tony stilled.

That voice.. Tony hadn’t heard that deep, baritone voice since 2008. Since the day the person Tony had loved had dumped him, had walked out on him.

“..Hello?”

Why call now? Why, after all these years of radio silence?

Who was Tony kidding. Of course he knew exactly why Stephen was calling him now.

He knew about the accident from nearly a year ago. He knew Stephen’s hands had been destroyed. He knew the doc had driven himself bankrupt trying to heal his hands, with no success. He knew Stephen had no money to his name and had disappeared off the grid nearly 9 months ago, his trails ending cold in Nepal.

He knew all of this, because he’d been keeping up with news on Stephen, all these years. Had been actively trying to track him after his disappearance.

He shouldn’t have. He should’ve just moved on, like Stephen had.

Perhaps there was a small part of him that just couldn’t stop loving Stephen, even after all this time.

“Tony.. are you there?”

Tony should end the call right then and there. But.. damn it, he was worried. Stephen had been completely off the grid for the past 9 months and suddenly he was calling Tony, of all people. Tony was worried.

“Yes,” he replied after a pause, managing to keep his voice even.

There was a sigh from the other end, like Stephen was relieved that he’d been answered. “I.. I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of anyone else to call. I need.. help.”

Tony sighed, closing his eyes. Part of him wanted to just refuse it and end the call.

But...

Damn it, Stephen.

“What do you need?”

“I.. ah..” A short pause. “I got arrested and can’t afford the bail money.”

Tony blinked. “You got arrested,” he parroted, a little disbelieving.

“Yes.”

“What did you do? Theft?”

“What? No! Why would I do that!?”

Because you’re broke, Tony wanted to say. Instead he said, “Then what did you do!?”

“Wow, your faith in me is astounding,” Stephen said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “What makes you think I did anything at all?”

True, Stephen could’ve been falsely arrested. But, he supposed, good to know that Stephen still hadn’t lost any of his wit and sarcasm. “Well then, let’s hear it. What did they charge you with?”

“Vandalism.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Right, like I don’t do it myself every other day.” Though, he had certainly gotten better at reducing the collateral damage during fights over the past years. He could safely say that he was proud of the progress he’d made on that front. “What exactly did they charge you with?”

“... Breaking all windows of a neighborhood.”

Tony was silent for a moment.

“Why!?”

Stephen sighed tiredly. “I didn’t mean to. It was an accident.”

“You broke all the windows of an entire neighborhood, accidentally.”

Stephen groaned. “Just help me. Please.”

Oh, Tony had questions. He wouldn’t sit quietly until they were answered. “Alright, give me the address.”

A quick flight later, Tony landed in front of a local police station in Manhattan.

Ignoring the gawking looks some officers shot at him, he strode in, eyes searching for a particular figure.

When they did finally fall on the figure inside a cabin, Tony froze.

There, sitting on a chair in front of an officer’s desk, was one Stephen Strange.

He wore the weirdest clothes; blue, thick, and highly intricate robes. They couldn’t have been farther from Stephen’s fashion sense. His hands rested on the desk, eyes closed, body a little hunched. He looked paler than Tony remembered him being, and.. was that scabbed blood on his forehead?

Just what the hell had happened?

“Mr. Stark,” someone squeaked out, drawing both of Tony and Stephen’s attentions. The officer who had just entered through the door was looking up at Tony with comically wide eyes. “You’re really here. I didn’t believe when this man claimed that he’s contacted you.”

Tony quickly put on his media persona and stepped closer to the officer, offering a hand. “Officer Jeremy, right?”

The officer shook his hand. “It’s Officer Jennifer.”

Tony gave a nod. “Right. Now what do we need to post bail for my good friend over here?”

It didn’t take long to bail Stephen out, and he was given his strange assortment of belongings back — a red cape which, Tony thought, would look dramatic as hell if worn, a weird looking double ring, and at least half a dozen odd ropes and belts, which, what?

“They weren’t sure how I did it,” Stephen explained at Tony’s judgmental look, “so they confiscated everything I had on me.” He sighed tiredly, wrapping the belts around his waist.

No, that was decidedly not why Tony had put on a judgmental look. Why do you have so many belts? WHY are you putting on all of them, weirdo?

Tony closed his eyes and shook his head, as if that would dispel the questions in his mind that were beginning to pile up into a tall mountain. He opened his eyes to ask the most important question, “Well, how did you do it?”

Stephen paused just as he was putting on the weird ring on his fingers, and glanced up at Tony with a considering look.

It was then that Tony truly noticed the state Stephen was in.

He was beyond exhausted. It was visible in his expression, in the way his face was droopy, in the way those gray eyes seemed to be devoid of energy. He looked like he was sick and hadn’t slept at all in a while.

“Magic,” he said, making Tony blink.

He gave Stephen’s clothing a once-over again. “Did you become a street magician? Your choice of costume still sucks.”

Stephen gave him a dry look, but quickly moved on. He placed a shaking hand on the neatly folded red cape held by his other hand — and oh, the scars; Tony felt a pang in his heart at the sight — and then, to Tony’s surprise, golden light came to life under Stephen’s fingers, drawing perfect, geometrical shapes and unreadable symbols on the red cloth’s surface. Startled, Tony flinched back by a step. Stephen didn’t seemed to have noticed, focused on the cloth.

Tony watched as the.. magic? — magic, magic like Loki’s, magic like Wanda’s, magic meaning bad — pulsed a wave of gold through the red cloth, and the next moment, the cloth was.. animated? Vibrating? Wiggling?

“Is that moving by itself!?” Tony yelped.

“The Cloak is sentient and capable of moving, yes,” was Stephen’s answer.

And, okay, Tony’s day had just gotten all kinds of strange.

“They are more drained than me,” Stephen added as a corner of the cape moved weakly and wrapped around his free wrist. He returned the gesture, wrapping his shaking fingers around it. “But they’ll recover.”

Something about that exchange was.. strangely affectionate. Tony found it hard to tear his eyes away from Stephen, who was looking down at that animated piece of cloth with concern and relief in his eyes.

And then the moment was over, and Stephen took a step backwards, putting distance between Tony and him.

That tenderness in his eyes from only a moment ago was gone.

“Thank you, Tony. I.. didn’t think that you’d respond.”

Well, there had been a fair chance of Tony ending the call at one point. But at the end, his worry had won over his resentment towards this man.

Tony gave a nonchalant shrug, trying to play it off like he didn’t actually care. “Well I was bored, and this turned out to be somewhat interesting.”

“Right.”

They stood awkwardly for a few long moments.

“I, uh, I’ll owe you one. I should go now,” Stephen said and turned away.

“Wait,” Tony called out, making him pause.

Stephen turned to him.

“And how do I contact you for the favor?”

Stephen paused. Tony was sure that he’d get a number. Instead he got something entirely unexpected, but not unwelcome.

“177A, Bleecker Street.”

And Stephen disappeared through shattered mirrors.

Tony stared at the empty air in front of him.

“What the fuck!?”

[doctorofmagic]

Regarding the recent events involving the MCU...

The only thing that I'll be addressing on my blog here is simply the fact that I've always been focused on 616!Doctor Strange, and due to recent events in comics, I'm slightly shifting it towards 616!Doctor Doom now.

That said, I'll not endorse whatever the hell will happen in the MCU and I appreciate if people keep that in mind when interacting with me. When I write about Doom, it's Victor von Doom, not Tony Stark. Ever.

That cast is disrespectful on so many levels, starting with whitewashing and romani erasure, but also everything that represents all the characters involved and how they relate to Stephen. It's bad for both Tony and Victor as separate characters as well, not to mention the relationship they were supposed to have given the events of Infamous Iron Man (and even before that).

Now more than ever, they'll be interconnected through the narrative, and I need that atrocity to be a separate thing from tags, and that includes the characters themselves and the ships as well.

I just need people to keep that in mind when interacting with me or my works. I know I don't have any control over that but one thing for certain is that fandom spaces will be hell for those who felt extremely betrayed by this decision. I'm doing my best to keep my socials safe and aware of the problematics this cast entails, but not everyone is willing to listen, as previously observed when it comes to Wanda.

All I'm saying is, Tony Stark and Victor von Doom are not interchangeable characters, the same way Clea and Christine aren't either. Yes, I'm absolutely aware of that one (1) alternate universe which was probably the inspiration for this. But it was supposed to be Victor's debut. This decision takes away his chance to be properly cast and honored as the complex character he is.

Little by little, I'm dropping everything related to the MCU, and depending on what happens next, I'll also avert my eyes from Stephen. It pains me to say that, but it is what it is. If they don't respect the fans and their voices, then they don't deserve my money or attention. They've been disrespectful towards Stephen for years, and I had enough at this point by keeping a z*onist actress and now whitewashing both Victor and Billy Kaplan. I cannot support this anymore.

Feel free to leave if you wish to remain in the MCU area of the fandom. I won't be returning to that place.

[imagines--galore]

Hi there how’s-it going? I saw requests were open. Just read bleeding love dr strange x reader, i would love a part two!! Of him slowly realising that hes moved on from Christine and misses the reader? Just a thought!! I loved that fic ahhh 🥰

Pairing: Dr Stephen Strange x Reader Rating || Genres || Warnings: T. Romance. Angst. Hurt/Comfort. None. A/N: I am full of angst right now, so I had to channel it somewhere. Please read Part One of Bleeding Love here, before moving forward with this one.

The moment he stepped back in the Sanctum, Stephen knew something was wrong.

Still on edge, and barely recovered from the whole America, Wanda and the Multiverse fiasco, it didn't do his nerves any good when he activated his magic, and began to prowl up the stairs, ready to face whatever may come.

"Y/n?"

Your name echoed in the empty hallways. His heart clenched in his chest. Had something happened to you? Usually you were always there to greet him whenever he returned from a mission or even an outing.

A horrible feeling had his stomach in knots, his heart jumping in his throat as his mind came up with every worst case scenario it could conjure. He found himself making a beeline for your room, his pace quick and alert.

He burst through the door, your name on his lips, only to stop short.

You weren't there.

                                          ————————–

Stephen,

Tony offered me a job, and I took it.

The note ended with a simple signature of your name. That was it.

No explanation as to why you up and left.

And that was that.

Why your drawers were empty and your wardrobe door hanging ajar, the empty hangers inside just serving as a reminder of your absence. Even the photographs were gone. You had decorated your room with physical copies of yourself as well as your loved ones. Over the years you had accumulated quite the collection.

But the walls were bare, and not a single smiling face looked back at him. Just that blank wall.

Stephen's fingers trembled. It was the norm, but not this trembling.

No, this was more then the muscles spasms that afflicted him. This trembling came from somewhere deep inside him. It slowly spread throughout his entire body. And when it reached his legs, he had to sit down on the bed, your bed, for fear of falling.

You were gone.

You had left.

For the first time in his life, he was truly alone.

                                          ————————–

Wong was extremely worried.

The Sorcerer Supreme was surely on a pathway of pure destruction.

There was nothing dark about the man.........yet.

But his behavior had been a little erratic.

He was short-tempered then usual. Where he had made sarcastic quips before, he would now all but snap at the other person. On more then one occasion he had reduced a new recruit at the Kamar-Taj to tears. Not to mention he was barely eating or sleeping. All he did was either study, practice his magic, or take on any magic assignment that would come his way.

Even the smaller ones, ones that he had, in the past, deemed too beneath him to deal with and had allotted it to a younger magic user.

Wong was more then aware of the reason behind Stephen's behavior.

But he also had no desire to be banished by some other dimension by an annoyed Sorcerer Supreme so he kept quiet.

It wasn't until he was helping the man move some of his more heavier tomes to your room, which Stephen had now taken up as his new rooms. As he gave a sweep of Stephen's bookshelf, to make sure he hadn't missed anything, Wong spotted a hidden alcove within the book cupboard. A quick sweep of his hand later found him holding a small box.

It wasn't marked or anything, but once he opened the lid, whatever was inside, had him slowly closing it once more and sighing.

"Fools. The both of them." He said softly to himself, sadness filling him as he thought of his two friends so obviously holding back for reasons that weren't even reasons.

                                          ————————–

The box atop his bed was one he had not seen for quite awhile now.

As Cloak floated away to hang itself from a hook, Stephen slowly reached out to take the box in his still dirty hands. He had just returned from a rather grueling battle with an angry earth giant. And though he wanted nothing more then to simply be rid of the dirt that covered him and collapse into bed, his heart urged him to pick up the box and settle onto his bed with it.

Made of fine, dark, polished wood, his thumb flicked the small lock that held the lid in place.

Opening the lid, he blinked at what stared back at him.

Your face.

Your face smiling up at him in the picture that had been taken so long ago. Stephen remembered that day. It had been a particularly hard one. A small child who had seen every doctor in every state. None of whom could give him a diagnosis. His parents were worried sick, the mother in near hysterics. The case had appeared before them, and being the picky doctor he had been, Stephen had actually rejected the case.

But not you.

You had taken the file. You had stayed up all night going over the child's medical history. You had spent hours in his office, pestering him so that the both of you could bounce ideas off of each other.

And despite his lack of interest before, Stephen had finally relented.

Not because he was interested, but because you were dedicated on finding a cure for the boy.

And then you finally did. Granted it had been his idea which you had further researched and after conducting a few tests of your own designs, you had been able to give the boy a diagnosis.

After that it had been a matter of days. The boy's condition improved. But the true moment of triumph was when the boy awoke from surgery with every motor function intact.

You had been ecstatic, but had kept your cool. Though as soon as the both of you stepped out of the room, allowing the small family to celebrate, you had all but tackled him to a hug. A hug that Stephen was sure, at that time, had cracked a rib.

He couldn't deny you your joy though. He had a soft spot for you. So he had hugged you back, while you had rambled at a near incoherence pace, your body trembling with sheer joy.

Stephen had no idea who had captured that moment. Probably one of the nosy nurses. While your gaze had been one of excitement and happiness, his gaze was different. The memories of what he felt in that moment came rushing back. A certain warmth in his chest, that had him smiling at you in a way he had never smiled at anyone before.

A smile that had been captured and frozen in the very picture he held.

He had kept the photograph though, after you had given him a copy. Having no photo album, he had opted to put it in the very box he now held. It had been sitting at his desk at the time. Truth be told, he had forgotten about the box, and only just remembered it when what was underneath the photograph he held had been deemed too precious to throw away.

                                          ————————–

Underneath the picture were two stubs to what looked to be a musical on Broadway. It was dated more then a decade ago. And the name of the musical sounded familiar.

Stephen wandered why he had kept the stubs. They were worthless weren't they?

Another picture underneath the stubs, ones that were related to the musical. It had been some Disney musical. Beauty and the Beast, if the name on the stub was anything to go by. There had been props outside the theater, where people would take pictures.

Somehow, you had convinced Stephen to take those pictures. With the props.

The image showed you with a tiara on your head, standing behind the cutout of the main princess, whoever that had been. While Stephen had to wear a brown beard and a mane to catch the actual look of the Beast. You hadn't been able to keep a straight face.

There were multiple photos of that moment. Some where the both of you seemed to be in character, while several where he looked annoyed, and you laughing your head off at his annoyance.

As he traced the edge of the photograph with his fingers, Stephen couldn't help but feel his lips quirk at the memory.

                                          ————————–

Photograph after photograph of memories you had shared. Some he remembered clearly, others that were hazy at best.

These were moments you had deemed important enough to print and give him a copy of. Why had he decided to keep them in a small box was beyond him.

Truth be told, he didn't think of himself as a sentimental person. Then again, he had kept this box and the watch Christine had given him when he had left New York to go to the Kamar-Taj. So maybe, he was just lying to himself.

He had forgotten the box once he came back after the Snap. But with how frayed the edges of some photographs were, anyone could see that they had been frequently handled and were well-loved.

                                          ————————–

A gala that every doctor had attended. To attain more funds from those who could afford it. A gala where the both of you had dressed up for the occasion. And while Stephen had more occasion to wear his tuxes, you barely cleaned up.

How could he have forgotten how beautiful you had looked when he had picked you up? How the dress you had worn had accentuated your every feature.

And then there was the dance the both of you had shared that night.

How could he have forgotten it?

                                          ————————–

The next picture served as a reminder as to why he had forgotten you.

Christine.

He had fallen in love with Christine.

Though the picture included all three of you, it was clear to anyone who should see it that you were the odd one out. Sitting on a chair at the other side of the table, while him and Christine sat on the other side, their chairs close together. Him with his arm around her shoulders.

For the first time, he noticed the strange emotion in your eyes. The camera had somehow been able to capture the exact moment when you had looked at your two friends, so happy and in love. And though your lips were frozen in a smile, the sadness in your eyes was undeniable.

How had he not seen it before?

Had you been sad because of him? Of Christine?

Or because of him and Christine?

                                          ————————–

Picture after picture, of all the moments you had shared with him. Moments that you had printed and given to him because, you knew that despite his tough exterior, he was sentimental about certain things.

You knew him so well. You knew him better then he knew himself.

So why hadn't he realized his feelings for you sooner?

Why, only after you had left, did he realize that he was so in love with you that everyday without you was a day living with the feeling of a knife embedded in his heart.

God, how could he have been so caught up in his own problems that he hadn't seen what had been in front of him all along.

He truly was selfish.

Maybe you were right to leave.

Someone as lovely as you shouldn't be with someone who would never appreciate you the way you were meant to be.

His eyes shone with tears as he looked at the very last photograph at the end of the pile.

It was a photograph with just you.

One that he had taken.

And he had actually printed himself before put it in the box.

It was just before the Snap.

You had convinced him to go for a walk along the beach and with the sling ring, traveling had not been a problem. The both of you had spent an amazing day on a deserted beach. You had collected shells and made sandcastles together. Stephen couldn't remember a day when he had felt so careless and free as he had then.

Finally, when the sun had begun to set, the both of you had settled onto the blanket you had brought to watch the sun disappear. Stephen had turned towards you then, looking at you as you sat there unaware of his gaze.

It was in that moment that he had realized just how much you meant to him. More then anyone. Even more then Christine. You, sitting there, in your lovely sundress, with your toes buried in the sand and hair wet from the swim you had just had together.

He had taken the photograph then, with the last of the sun's rays making your skin glow, a smile of utter content on your lips, and a loving gleam in your eyes as you had turned just at that moment to look at him.

                                          ————————–

And as he looked at your picture, Stephen realized that he wanted you to look at him like that again.

He wanted it so badly that he could feel his heart physically ache for it.

For you.

He was a selfish bastard, he knew that. So, why couldn't he be selfish for one last time, put aside his pride and ask you to come back to him.

He stood up so suddenly that the photographs as well as the box went flying to the floor. They hadn't even fully descended before he was creating a portal and stepping through it and straight into your room at the Avenger's Compound, leaving behind nothing but memories as they fluttered through the air like confetti.

                                          ————————–

The sight of Stephen Strange suddenly appearing in your room was something you could not have predicted in your wildest dreams.

"St-Stephen?" You gasped. It had been weeks, since you had left the Sanctum, and not a word from your former friend and colleague. And now there he stood, covered in dirt. But the dirt wasn't what you really noticed. It was his face. There were bags under his eyes, and his cheeks appeared hollow, as if he hadn't been eating properly. His hair was a little longer, as was his goatee, or rather beard, since he didn't look like he had shaved in awhile.

But it was his eyes that really had you worried. They looked so sad and alone. Not to mention the brightness in them seemed to have dimmed.

For his part, Stephen simply stood there, looking at you.

You.

With your beautiful face, kind eyes and gentle loving soul.

"Is everything alright?" You asked. Despite the fact that your heart had skipped a beat at the sight of him, worry gnawed at your insides. Maybe that was what compelled you to step forward, to reach a gentle hand out towards him and hesitantly resting it against his cheek.

"Are you alright?"

And with that one simple gesture, and three insignificant little word, Stephen Strange broke.

His arms came up to wrap around your shoulders, pulling you in an embrace that was desperate just as much as it was intimate. Your gasp was muffled by his shoulder, your arms trapped at your sides as you blinked in confusion.

"I'm sorry." He whispered against your neck where he had buried his face. "I am so sorry that it took me so long."

Though confusion still raged within you, that small part of your heart, the part that had never stopped hoping despite all that had happened and even after you had left, stirred to life, lifting its head and smelling the air with a spark of hope in its chest.

And though you had promised yourself that you would leave behind your feelings for him, that you would leave him behind, you could never fool your heart. At least not completely.

"For what?" You asked, trying your best to not let your hopes rise.

"To realize that I love you."

And that was all it took.

Those words were all it took for that carefully constructed wall around your heart to shatter in infinite pieces and fly in every direction.

"Y-you-," You choked on air.

Finally, finally, he pulled back. That sadness in his eyes was still there, so was the loneliness, and yet there was as flicker of hope and an abundance of love.

Love for you, you realized, feeling your breath hitch in your throat.

"I love you, Y/n. I-I think I always have, but I was too blind to see it. Please, please, come back. Come back to me. I cannot bear to not have you near me. The past few weeks I could barely breath when you were not with me."

He was begging now, pleading with you.

"B-but what about Christine?" You asked, your voice hardly above a whisper. Instantly he shook his head. "There is no Christine. There is only you, Y/n. If you'll have me." He added, his trembling hands reaching out to grasp your hands in his. "I know I have hurt you with my ignorance, but if you'll allow me, I will spend my life making up to you because I love you Y/n, and I have no intention of ever letting you go again."

Your head was spinning.

There was no doubt that he was sincere. Stephen would never be so cruel as to play with your feelings knowingly. Not to mention the absolute determination with which he spoke and the film of tears in his blue eyes had you closing your eyes.

Yes, you had tried to forget him since your arrival at the Compound. But how could one let go of someone they had been in love with for years.

The answer was, you couldn't.

At last, you sighed, closing your eyes briefly before opening them to focus on his chest, unable to meet his gaze. "I have had my heart broken too many times Stephen." You said, your insides twisting with fear as you bit your lower lip. Uncertainty played about your features, one that he would work to remove from your heart, soul and mind for as long as he had to.

One trembling hand settled on your cheek, guiding your head so he could look at your face, and so you could meet his gaze. "Then I will be sure to put it back piece by piece if I have to." He promised. Tears pricked your eyes as he slowly leaned down his head angled in a certain way.

And when he captured your lips with his, a small fraction of your heart did mend.

And you knew.

Your heart had finally stopped bleeding.

[favouriteconstellation]

sinful I

18+ readers only please lovelies!! (this is for a reason please listen<3)

little synopsis: the reader is tonys daughter (he had her young, canon doesnt exist) theres tension between you and stephen, an obvious age gap keeping you from eachother (26, 40). theyre 'trapped' in an elevator together and the tension crumbles.

pronouns: female pronouns are used

relationship: fem reader x stephen strange not established relationship

note: i do not know what possessed me to write this shit, i will not apologise. i love you <333

warnings: defined age gap, stephen being possessive, controlling smut, dd/lg kind offf, petnames

you could always tell when stephen strange was in a room you were in without even looking. he was the type of man who had one of those commanding prescenses, maybe it was his ego you thought to yourself. either way, for weeks you had continuously been trying to block him out of the forefront of your mind. but no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn't shake his presence. it was like he was a part of your subconscious, a part of you that you never wanted to acknowledge.

you knew that you had to find a way to cope with his presence or it was going to drive you crazy. you had to find a way to remove him from your thoughts. you had to find a way to make him go away. you could swear he knew how infatuated you were with him, how you’d drift off in meetings with thoughts of him racing through your mind. you wanted to wipe that god awful smirk off his face, and the way he looked at you like a starving wolf. that look terrified you, but you’d be lying if you said it didn’t make your stomach flip. fucking Christ.

he was 40 years old. the thick grey streaks that run through his tousled hair becoming prominent. he carried himself with authority, his body language conveying strength and confidence. his eyes were sharp and focused, his expression serious and determined. you shook him out of your thoughts, standing in the empty elevator, holding a binder you were supposed to speak about at an avengers meeting. something important about presenting to the government. it was an important event, not the type of meeting you’d show up to in your training gear. your eyes met his shiny leather dress shoes. shit.

“stark.” he confidently spoke in his baritone voice nodding at you, his scarred hand extending to hold the elevator open before he stepped in silently, standing tantilizingly close to you. closer than any other coworker would.

“oh. good morning, stephen.” you spoke back softly, anxiously tapping your foot. it wasn’t the meeting you were anticipating. you were met with silence as he pushed the button to go to the floor of the meeting you were both attending. the elevator slowly went up. 

“you seem nervous, stark.” he looked straight ahead, not making eye contact with you. 

“just not a public speaker, that's all.” you managed to squeak out. you could tell he was smirking, that sick bastard knew what he was doing. you couldnt. you were only 26, and here you stood head over heels for some magical doctor who’s ego towers over him. suddenly the sound of clanging pipes could be heard followed by a deafening screeching. the elevator came to a halt, but the doors stayed closed. stephen scoffed and hit the ‘open door’ button. nothing. he chuckled under his breath. 

“we can miss this meeting. oh please no.” you started pressing the button as you panicked.

“oh come on darling, it’s not as if this is the worst situation in the world, is it?” he stood facing you. darling. get fucked. 

“i don’t know what game you’re playing, strange. now could you just portal us out of here?” you checked your watch. “we’re 7 minutes late.”

“i don’t have my sling ring on me, not exactly something you bring to an all-important government meeting, now is it?” you sighed, that sarcastic attitude would be the death of you. 

“why don’t we just sit tight, mm? nobody is going to come save you, they’re all busily writing notes on something some superfical united nations member has to say.” he stared into your eyes, clearly unbothered. you nodded, what else could you do? you were stuck. slowly backing against the metal back panel of the elevator, you slowly slid down in defeat, sitting on the cold metal with your legs stretched out. he did the same. 

“wouldn’t want to dirty that suit.” you mumbled, annoyed that you were here, stuck with the last person you’d want to be in a confined space with. 

“wouldn’t want to dirty that pretty little dress. oh. that’s right, daddy will just buy you a new one, won't he?” te bit back. being tony’s daughter had its perks, but many people mistook you for a spoiled brat. 

“what, you tight on money or something, strange? need me to spot you? buy you lunch?” you scoffed. he laughed, loosening his tie and sighing from relief. you crossed your legs in response, he's almost your fathers age, why are you pressing your thighs together? jesus - you thought to yourself. 

she looked over at him, his collar was turned up on one side after he loosened his tie. you leaned over the cold metal floors and reached him. 

“oh here. let me fix this for you.” you whispered, stumbling as you ended up straddling him as you fixed his collar, his hot breath fanning your face as you were inches away from eachother. 

“hi darling..” he whispered seductively. you were burning red, your mouth slightly parted as you sat there flushed and frozen. 

“dont get all shy on me now, hm?” he laughed, his scarred fingers reaching to trace the side of your jaw. 

“stephen.. we can’t. it would be wrong. this is sinful” you whispered against his lips. 

“then why does it feel so right? i see the way you look at me. the way your breath hitches in your throat when i walk in front of you. the way you stumble over your words when you speak to me. tell me this is wrong one more time, and I’ll leave. we'll stop.” he stated, looking at your lips and then gazing back into your eyes. you kept your eyes on him and your heart raced. you knew that what you were doing was wrong, but you couldn't help it.

you wanted to stay. he was hypnotizing, it was cruel. you launched closer into his embrace, kissing him passionately as if he was the last man you’d ever kiss. he groaned softly into your mouth in shock but quickly moved one hand up the side of your hips and the other was holding the side of your cheek. you felt a warmth spread through your body as his lips moved against yours, and you felt yourself getting lost in the moment. you pulled away reluctantly, your heart still pounding as your eyes met his. 

he lingered there for a moment, and then his lips curved into a knowing smile as he slowly pulled away. he was aware of your attraction and you were both enjoying it. he rested both of his hands on your lower back, holding your hips as you were sitting in the same position. he slowly moved you forward, rocking you, the friction was you were grinding on him creating warmth and longing to be touched. you were inexperienced, shy. no man had ever made you feel like this and you couldnt help but softly moan into his ear and he moved you. he did all the work, picking up the pace and praising you. 

“that feels good, huh baby? oh fuck. keep making those pretty noises for me. anyone ever made you feel like this?” he groaned, watching you sinfully as you rocked your lips back and forth against his lap. you closed you eyes in embarrassment. the answer was no. you shook your head gently, rocking against him, mewling.

"atta girl" he groaned in your ear.

“oh stephen..shit.” you moaned, louder than before. he grabbed your waist, stopping you. 

“keep moving, and i won't be able to stop. at least let me be a gentlemen” he scooped you up and slid his sling ring out of his coat pocket. 

“you dirty liar!” you scoffed in his arms as he opened a portal.

“oh come on sweetheart, you know i always have it on me.” he chuckled, walking through the portal. you were in his bedroom. the dark oak panelled walls of the sanctum were glossy and rich. the 4 post bed was the star of the room, overshadowing everything else. he laid you down on the bed. part of you expected him to be sweet and gentle with you, caring almost. tt was almost as if he could read your mind. 

“i’m bad for you baby. i want to be selfish with you, i’ve wanted this for so long.” he said as he threw his suit jacket to the floor and the clinging of his unbuckling belt made you whine.

"be a good girl for me, yeah baby?" you were about to lie on your stomach so he could unzip your dress, but without hesitation he knelt straddling you. He placed his scarred hands on the neckline of your dress and ripped it down the middle as if it was paper.

[airas-story]

Sorry (Let Me Say It Back)

(Sequel to Sorry and Sorry (I Still Love You).)

Stephen had been in the apartment.

It was all Tony could think about as he laid in bed, the other side of the bed empty as it had been for the last year, the sheets cool to the touch.

There had been people who’d have filled it, who’d have warmed the sheets for a night or longer, if he’d let them.

Tony’d never thought about it for more than a second.

Tony didn’t know how Stephen had gotten in to the apartment—well, he could guess, based off Christine’s flustered talk of portals in the hospital supply closet—but he had. So maybe Tony did know how—even if he didn’t understand it in the slightest—but he sure as hell didn’t know why Stephen had come at all.

Because Stephen had left.

Stephen had left with nothing more than a mostly-empty sheet of paper and an apology composed of two paltry words that had, nonetheless, haunted Tony for the better part of a year.

And then he’d come back, the careful, barely legible script declaring I still love you on the same note that Tony had tortured himself with, an unmistakable sign of his return—momentary though it must have been.

What did that mean?

Conceptually, Tony understood the words. But if they were true… if they were true, why hadn’t Stephen stayed. If they were true, then… then why…

No.

No. He wasn’t going to do this to himself. He wasn’t going to… He took a deep breath and shoved himself out of bed. The wood was cool beneath his bare feet, almost grounding when Tony’s mind was a mess with so many thoughts knocking him off kilter.

He stopped when he reached the living room, not sure, exactly where he had planned to go to escape the thoughts of Stephen, and his presence in Tony’s—not their—apartment, and those damning words Stephen had left behind.

I still love you.

“Then why aren’t you here?” Tony whispered. His feet took him to the wall of windows  giving him a view out into the city. He pressed his head against the cool glass, staring down at the street below. Stephen had proved that he could get in if he wanted. Stephen had proved that he knew exactly where Tony was. Stephen had proved…

Except Tony knew why.

Because Stephen had left.

But so had Tony.

Stephen had left with nothing more than an apology that had never been enough. Tony had left with even less than that—though to be fair of him, where was Tony supposed to send the apology when Stephen had disappeared on him?

Except Tony was Tony. If he’d wanted to, he could have found Stephen. Could have found him and demanded answers. Could have found him and… and told Stephen… 

He could have told Stephen he’d still be there, when Stephen was ready to come home.

Tony swallowed hard, emotion twisting into an ugly ball in his chest, writhing with rancid guilt.

It sounded so easy when he said it that way. 

Stephen had been going through hell. Tony knew that. He had done everything he could to be by Stephen’s side while Stephen recovered. Had done everything he could to make sure that Stephen would get through the destruction of his life and the loss of the very thing that had given Stephen purpose.

Then Stephen had left and Tony…

Tony’d given up on them just as much as Stephen had.

He turned, pressing his back against the windows and sliding to the ground. His gaze fixed on an empty space in the living room. It could almost be looked over, could almost look natural.

Tony had always been a minimalist, in that way. Had never seen the need to fill his living space with things. He’d kept that for his lab and the excess of projects he always had going on, or his garage filled with more cars than any one person really needed.

But in his apartments, he’d never kept much. Empty space didn’t draw the eye. If someone didn’t know, they might never guess that that empty space was the perfect size for a grand piano.

Tony didn’t move the rest of the night, the glass at his back slowly warming from the heat leaking through Tony’s shirt. The dim light of the rising sun cascaded into his apartment. It was nothing more than sentiment that made it feel like the sun shone a little brighter where the piano was supposed to be.

Without realizing, some part of him had already decided what he had to do.

It took three days to get the piano back into the apartment, fully tuned and shined.

Tony knew he was being an idiot. That moving the piano—Stephen’s piano—back into the apartment didn’t actually mean anything. Didn’t change anything. Didn’t…

Except, Tony’d always been a bit of an idiot, when Stephen was involved.

Stephen had been here once. That didn’t mean Stephen would show up again—maybe Stephen had already gotten all the closure he needed. 

There was no guarantee Stephen would understand what the act of restoring the piano to its rightful place even meant if he did for some reason show up. Except, Stephen had always understood Tony better than most, had read into Tony’s actions all the words he’d never quite figured out how to say.

Still… Tony had one last thing to do.

The paper was worn in his hand from a year of being handled. Two words printed, another four added in a difficult to read scrawl.

Both messages left by Stephen.

The pen weighed heavy in Tony’s hand as he tried to figure out what to write. What message would express the confusion and the guilt Tony struggled with.

What message would somehow put to words everything he needed to say.

In the end…

Stephen had said it best.

I’m sorry, Tony wrote.

Sorry he’d given up on Stephen—not just on Stephen, on them. Sorry he had ripped away Stephen’s home in a fit of guilt and anger and loss. Sorry that even now, he couldn’t make himself go looking for Stephen out of fear of what he’d find.

His hand shook a little as he wrote the next line, once again a direct copy of Stephen’s own words.

But he couldn’t help that Stephen had said it first, and best, and that Tony’d never been all that good with words in the first place.

I still love you.

He drew away from the paper, examining his own words, messier than printed words that had ended everything, cleaner than Stephen’s shaky print that felt like the start of something new.

Tony didn’t know if Stephen would show up again or if he’d never be back. He didn’t know what he would do either way.

But for now, he took the paper with the final message Stephen had left him and placed it on the piano in place of sheet music.

He wondered if it could even possibly be enough.

[salty-ironstrange-shipper]

Hi. I saw this post asking for a fic that changed one's brain chemistry. Now there are a lot of fics I like; over 2000 bookmarked on ao3. And a lot of fics I love; I have 400+ of those fics tagged 'fave'. Of those 400, there are only around two dozen I would say legitimately changed me as a person. 1% changed the way I saw relationships and the world, changed the way I read and write. And I couldn't narrow it down to one - or ten - and didn't want to dump in OP's tags. So have this list of fics that permanently changed who I am as a person.

Warning: I love long fics, and some of these are the same specific tropes that I love or that really affect me personally (ex. arranged marriage). Expect angst, and especially angst with a happy ending. That said these fics are all objectively amazing.

(sorry to people who don't like long fics, but we are simply not the same. and that's OK.)

listed in order of fandom, then length.

Banshee In A Well - 43k, complete, DC, Tim Drake. Childhood trauma, childhood trauma, came back wrong/can't stop coming back! Tim is a little FREAK and I luv him.

straight on 'til morning - 102k, complete, DC, timkon/Kon-El. This is within the niche genre that for some reason appeals to me specifically, of characters having a LOT of feelings about sex and dealing with it poorly.

variations on a theme - 5k, complete, MCU, ironstrange. This is one of the fics that made me truly love ironstrange. Stephen sees through millions of possibilities and in doing so, falls in love with Tony. Evocative, beautiful, succinct.

The Art of Losing - 33k, complete, Red White and Royal Blue, firstprince. This fic made me cry. This fic BROKE MY HEART. And I WENT BACK TO IT. Multiple times! This is a breakup fic that breaks you down then puts you back together. You will come out different, and only you can say if it's for the worse or the better.

With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest) - 65k, complete, Red White and Royal Blue, firstprince. There are so many firstprince fics that essentially translate the events of the book into a different setting. And I love all of them. (My own fic, then fucking have me, also does this, self plug self plug self plug). I had to narrow this selection down to just one, and this is probably my absolute favorite.

You Don't Have To (Say Yes) - 192k, complete, Star Trek, spirk/Jim Kirk. This is within the niche genre that for some reason appeals to me specifically, of characters having a LOT of feelings about sex and dealing with it poorly (yeah, again).

THE MARRIAGE OF TRUE MINDS - 262k, complete, Star Trek, spirk. Star Trek arranged marriage epistolary fic. I read this 4 years ago, and I STILL think of a line from this fic constantly (we're aligned, we're aligned, we're aligned). If you don't read anything else for the rest of your life, read this.

DON'T THE WAVES PULL THE SAND? DON'T THE MOON PULL THE TIDES? - 58k, complete, Star Wars, finnpoe. I don't even go here. And yet. And yet. This is within the niche genre that for some reason appeals to me specifically, of characters having a LOT of feelings about sex and dealing with it poorly (yeah, AGAIN).

Not Part of the Plan - SERIES, 8 works, 337k, complete. Supernatural, destiel. This is an arranged marriage fic au series, that started with a oneshot pwp, and somehow grew into a sprawling, world and character building EPIC. And that to me is always a marker of quality. You KNOW it's good if the author couldn't stop themselves.

wander your own land - 379k, incomplete, Yellowjackets, shaunajackie and others. I told you I like long fics. Girl survival situationships, cannibalism, jealousy, cabin fever, hallucinations, trying to keep a fucking baby alive in some of the worst possible circumstances.

Infinite Variations of a Summer Day - 76k, complete, X-Men, Pietro Maximoff. I love Pietro, he is one of my favorite characters of all time, and this is such a great character fic. See Pietro slowly driven insane in a time loop that examines his relationships with himself, his team, his family, and his powers.

drop your own recs in the notes. and if you have any suggestions for griddlehark/the locked tomb, pLEA- *gunshots*

[adrixivy]

Steve has lived in ice for 70+ years. Due to that, he missed several generations of trends, news, references. Every time someone mentions a reference from a show or movie. he’s always confused. So imagine someone mentions something he knows or understands where the references came from. He’s immediately pointing it out that he does know. And the Avengers don’t know whether to adore the man or roll their eyes. (Tony is the one that mainly rolls his eyes)

The Avengers are in a mission. And suddenly a giant robot, nearly as tall as the Avengers tower is released onto them. And they’re hitting it with their weapons which does damage yet it’s not showing any indication that it’ll shut off. And Peter being Peter, realised this is something familiar that happened in a movie

Peter, swinging around the robot looking for something: Have you guys seen Despicable Me 3? It’s basically Minions 3 but anyway, you guys know it?!

Steve, having watched it with Peter, (Peter got up to get popcorn and let the movie run and Steve decided to just seat on the couch and watch. Peter did not realize Steve was there after he got his popcorn either. He jumped up onto the ceiling after Steve stood up and walked away after the end of the movie, absolutely startled) replied immediately enthusiastically: I know! I know that! The tiny yellow beings!

Tony sighs and the rest of the team chuckles or rolls their eyes. Peter giggles at the man’s excitement and he carries out the plan with reference from it.

Peter, who found what he’s looking for: Mr Rogers! Remember that one scene where Dru breaks into the robot and breaks its core? Well I found it! At the lower back of the bot, there’s a circular panel! Break into the robot and break the core please! I’ll get you up! Avengers, I need your help restraining its movements so Cap can do it easier!

Immediately, the Hulk and Thor is holding one of the bot’s legs and Tony and Rhodey is trying to hold down the other too. Peter swings by Steve and grabs his hand. He swings with one hand to the panel and throws Steve directly onto it. Steve sticks his shield into the back of the bot and punches the panel open till it makes an opening big enough for him to fit through.

Peter is immediately down at the legs, swinging around it a few times to wrap its legs with webs and help Tony and Rhodey with holding the legs back. The robot seem to be going straight to some destination, which Friday had concluded that it was the President’s home, the white house. So they’re all desperately trying to stop it but Peter’s webs was easily torn apart and the robot is able to walk smoothly again.

Tony, seriously annoyed of the robot and wants to go home, shouts sarcastically: Anytime now, Steve!

Steve who had to climb up all the way to the bright red square that seems like the same core in the movie and genuinely believes it is it as it stands out: God, I hope this is it.

He smashes the bright red square with his shield and it shatters. The robot sputtered and soon enough, shuts down and was falling over. Steve quickly jumped out and was caught by Tony and Rhodey, grabbing one of his arms. Peter is immediately cheering.

Then suddenly Friday finds out the whereabouts of the mastermind who released the huge robot and the Avengers teleport there thanks to Stephen. Peter is immediately cackling and Steve is trying to hold in his giggles before he gave up and laughed too at the sight of the mastermind. Who has obnoxiously big goggles and their entire theme is yellow. The Avengers are looking at them weirdly and the mastermind is confused and furious because why are they laughing?

Peter, in the middle of laughing: HE-HE’S YELLOW-HAHAHA-LIKE THE MINIONS AND THE MINIONS LOVE TO-BAHAHA-BE DESPICABLE

Steve, trying to stop laughing with a hand on his mouth but can’t help it and looks away: S-stop it Peter *giggles right after*

Peter, can’t help but say one more joke: What’s your catchphrase? Oh, Despicable me?-HEHEHEAHAHAH

Peter is on the floor, clutching his stomach and Steve is hiding his face behind the shield, embarrassed that he can’t control his laughter. The avengers either have a grin on their face or are chuckling at the scene right now.

The mastermind is immediately yelling at them to ‘Stop it!’ and Peter laughs louder at the villain’s high pitched voice. He looks and sounds exactly like a minion that it’s incredibly more hilarious to Peter and Steve. Steve is embarrassed of himself for not being able to hold in his laughter. He’s literally a soldier but he can’t help it so he’s hiding his face behind the shield and giggling away. The two laughing Avengers are out of commission for the time being as the others take down the mastermind and bind him up.

The mastermind is brought along with them in the Quinjet and whenever Peter looks at him, he can’t help but laugh and whenever Peter laughs, Steve laughs too. And the Avengers are honestly tired of the villain screaming at them to tell the two to stop so they forced Peter and Steve to one side and not even allow them a glance at the yellow midget with the weirdest goggles.

The Avengers learnt that day that Peter and Steve knowing movie references makes them a dangerous duo

Peter and Steve start watching movies together more often after that day since Peter has made it his personal mission to make Steve know more movies when he found out that Steve barely knew any when they were forced to one corner together. Tony doesn’t know if he should be threatened that Peter’s spending more time with Steve than him or happy that Peter’s golden retriever energy is being spread everywhere or concern when the next mission comes up and they use a movie reference for the next mission.

Probably all three.

[nrilliree]

"If character X was a man, you would love her, but she's a woman, so you blame her!!!11 And that's blah blah blah..."

Anonymous just made me realize why I hate the character of Wanda Maximoff in the MCU so much. Because she's the Alicent Hightower of the Marvel universe!

1. Fans of both characters think that because something bad happened to them in their youth, they deserve to be called eternal victims and all the bad things they do should be justified. Because they are THE victims. And of course, fans don't see their guilt, only the men - Viserys, Larys, Tony, Stephen...

2. Both consider themselves morally right when they hurt and sentence to death people around them, because they think they deserve something. Whether it's fictional children from the Sims game in Westwiew, or a throne that never belonged to them. Alicent is guilty of the deaths of the Strongs, the lords in the Red Keep, of starting the Civil War that led to the slaughter of entire family, but so what? After all, her rapist son should sit on the throne belonging to Rhaenyra, because Alicent deserves it. It's exactly the same with Wanda - people in Westwiew were tortured, mentally raped and so traumatized that thousands left the city, Wanda from another dimension was turned into a murderer by mental rape, and dozens of people defending a 14-year-old from death were murdered? So what, after all, Wanda deserves it. After all, they are victims of evil men!

3. Both are infantilized by their fans, who pretend that Alicent did not know that the Civil War would break out, and Wanda did not know what would happen when she read the Darkhold. These are adult women aware of their (bad) choices, not children.

4. Defending these women's "feminism" while dragging other women through the mud. Alicent's fans call Rhaenyra a whore and at every turn belittle how Alicent made her life hell for her own selfish reasons. Same with Wanda's fans who spread hate towards Rebecca Kaplan (you know, the woman who was actually a mother and not just played at being one for 3 days) because Billy Kaplan thinks she's his real mother, or towards 14 year old America who had the nerve not to die for Wanda's happiness.

Thanks, anonymous from mailbox, now I hate Wanda even more <3!

[infiniteeight8]

IronStrange/Steter crossover prompt? Peter knew Tony through some charity thing before the Hale Fire (they were fairly chummy, well as chummy as two neurotic-in-very-different-ways guys can be) and he ends up going to some Avengers charity thing because Stiles is a /FAN/ of SI's green energy initiatives. Peter ends up introducing Stiles and in the middle of his praising rant (we all know Stiles rants), Stephen asks Stiles who bound his magic and who needs an ass-kicking.

Crossover prompts are always fun! 😀

-

When Stephen spots the crisply dressed man with a rather smarmy smile making a beeline for Tony, ushering along his much younger and less crisp date with a grip on his elbow, he braces himself for another round of pseudo polite, empty social chatter. At another event he and Tony might shamelessly roast the man, but tonight they’re both representing and seeking support for a charity; ruffling feathers would be counterproductive.

To his surprise, Tony breaks into a genuine grin when he catches sight of the man. “Peter! Where the hell have you been? It’s been a dog’s age.” The young man snickers at that, for some reason. “The level of snark at these things took a huge hit when you up and vanished,” Tony goes on. 

“A psychopath burned down my home with my family inside and I spent six years in a coma,” Peter said, so airily that Stephen immediately believed it was true. Some things hurt so badly that the only way to talk about them was to pretend they meant nothing at all. “But nevermind me, I’m here for Stiles.” He moves his date forward a step. “When he found out I knew you, he let me have no rest until I agreed to an introduction.”

“Okay, in my defense, Peter is very stubborn about sharing his contacts,” Stiles says. “I learned ages ago that if something’s really important, I should just go for the nuclear option of constant badgering and withheld sex. Saves us both time. Hi! Stiles Stilinski,” he holds out his hand and Tony shakes it, looking a little bemused at the rush of words. “Your green energy initiatives are awesome, and I don’t just mean the arc reactor, even if it is the shiniest jewel in the crown. The innovations in energy storage and transmission—”

Stephen tunes out for a moment. There is something off about Stiles. Frowning, Stephen taps into his magic and immediately stiffens so sharply that Peter, Stiles, and Tony all cut themselves off and turn toward him. Stephen focuses on Stiles. “Who bound your magic?” he demands.

Stiles blanches. “Who did what?”

“Bound your magic,” Stephen repeats. “And poorly, too. Have you been having insomnia? Difficulty concentrating? Headaches? A constant sense of deja vu?”

“All of the above,” Peter says, placing a protective hand in the small of Stiles’ back. “Explain.” 

“Stiles,” Stephen says, “you have a deep well of magical potential. Someone has blocked it off, but incompetently so. Your talents have been battering at the block, which is putting strain on the rest of your mind. If this was done with your permission—”

“No,” Stiles replies, scowling. “Definitely not.”

Stephen presses his lips together. “The block needs to be removed. Immediately. And then we need to find out who did this so that they can answer to the Masters of the Mystic Arts.”

“Not if they answer to me, first,” Peter says coolly, his eyes flashing electric blue. 

“Answers first, queuing up to kick ass second,” Tony puts in. He turns to Stephen. “I’ll make our excuses and meet you at the Sanctum?”

“Yes,” Stephen affirms, and leans in for a quick, grateful kiss. As Tony moves off, he turns back to Peter and Stiles. “Come on, I imagine you want this resolved immediately.”

As he leads them to the ballroom’s exit—portaling in the midst of a crowd is rarely a good idea—Stephen hears Stiles murmur, “A magic user who doesn’t talk in circles. Mark this day on the calendar.”

Apparently the Order has more than one rogue mage to deal with.