Narrator's POV

Sir

"Can't you see I'm busy Jarvis?" Tony said, working on a boot for his suit at his work station in his underground garage.

Sparks flew here and there.

There's a visitor at the door.

"Pepper will get it."

I'm afraid she already has. She's coming to tell you that-

"Mr. Stark." Pepper popped her head in Tony's garage.

"I'm busy." Tony answered.

"But Mr. Stark." She said. "There's someone here asking for you."

"Who is it?" Tony asked, still working on. "Honestly, who comes to visit this late at night?" He asked himself, under his breath.

"Some Doctor that goes by the name Stephen Strange." She said.

Sparks stopped flying about.

Tony looked up, lifting his glasses. He looked down at the bracelet around his wrist, then at Pepper. "Who?"

"A doctor named Stephen Strange." Pepper repeated. "Would you like me t-"

"No, no." Tony said, putting his torch down. "I'll get right to i- Strange, you said?" He said, lifting his safety glasses on his head.

"Yes."

Tony walked out of the glass doors of the garage, walking up the stairs, taking his welding gloves off and throwing them somewhere.

///0///0

Quickly, Tony raced upstairs to the front door. He could see a figure stranding behind the door through the blurry glass.

Tony reached for the door, opening it.

A man. A tall man.

The man had his back to him, but turned around once he heard the door open.

Tony's heart raced once he saw who it was.

"Hello, Anthony." A familiar long lost smile greeted him.

"Hello?" Tony hesitated, taking a good look at the man at his doorway who Pepper declared to be Stephen.

"Been some time, hasn't it?" Stephen smiled kindly. "Twenty one odd years."

Tony didn't say anything as he kept trying to recognize this mysterious, tall, handsome man at his door.

"I see you've been working." Stephen said.

"Hm?" Tony snapped back to reality, looking at Stephen now.

Stephen cleared his throat and pointed at his head.

Tony put a hand to his head, feeling around. He felt something, his glasses. "Oh." Tony removed them his head and folded them. "Yeah, been down in the shop working on some stuff. I'm sorry, who are you?"

Stephen chuckled, shaking his head. "Some things never change. I suppose." He stretched his hand out for Tony to shake.

Tony looked down at his hand, inspecting it.

Scars

Trembling hands

Then he remembered:

Colorful bandaids

Starry Skies

Wizard

He looked up at the stranger at his door. His expression full of surprise.

Stephen smiled at him.

"Stephen." Tony sighed, pulling Stephen in for an embrace.

"Uh..." Stephen gasped under his breath. He took a few seconds to let this sink in before he wrapped his arms around Tony and smiled. "Good to see you too."

///0///0

"Stephen Strange. Where have you been these twenty one years?" Tony asked as he walked around the kitchen, looking in the cabinets for something while Stephen sat across from him on the round couch in Tony's living room.

Stephen sat with his back straightened and his legs crossed over one another. His hands rested on the knee that was over the other. He wore a sand colored sweater pull over and some gray colored pants, along with brown leather shoes.

"Busy." Stephen laughed a little. "I have been hearing about your many successes."

"Have you?" Tony asked as he took out tow wine glasses and placed them on the counter.

"Iron Man." Stephen said.

"Blame the media." Tony said, popping a bottle of red wine. He began to pour it, looking up at Stephen, who shook his head and raised his hand a little. "Let me guess? Tea."

"If you have any." Stephen said.

"I guess some things really never do change." Tony laughed, putting the wine bottle on the counter and picking up his wine glass, taking a sip. "Have a preference?" Tony asked.

"Lavender, if you have it." Stephen said.

"Of course." Tony nodded and began to boil some water. "So, you became a doctor after all."

"Well, I wouldn't say-"

"Oh, come on." Tony turned to him. "You'd probably still be wearing those ridiculous shorts if you weren't. Banana Republic doesn't come cheap." He took a sip of his wine glass.

And it's true. No one could really afford much with an average job in New York.

"Surgical technician actually." Stephen said.

"Ah." Tony said, turning to the kettle once it began to make its horrid screeching. "See you haven't lost your passion for helping others. Where do you work?"

"I work in the Metro General Hospital." Stephen said.

"Ah. I think I visited there once for having a piece of glass stuck in my thigh." Tony said, taking a small purple box out one of the cabinets and pulling a small packet out of it.

"Oh. How did that happen?" Stephen asked.

Tony stopped and turned to Stephen. "I prefers not to say." He said regretting that he had ever said that in the first place.

There was an embarrassing back story to that.

"Alright." Stephen chuckle slightly.

"Did you read my mind?" Tony asked, pouring Stephen a cup and putting a teabag in the hot water. He grabbed the cup and he his glass, walking over to Stephen.

"No. I would never without your permission." Stephen said.

"And the magic cult?" Tony asked.

Stephen laughed.

"Are you still...?" Tony asked, handing Stephen the cup and sitting next to him.

"Thank you." Stephen said, blowing on the cup. "And it's not a cult."

"That's exactly what a cultist would say." Tony said, sipping on his wine. "You have a secret annual meeting or something in New York?"

"I actually just moved here." Stephen said.

"Moved?"

"Yes. I was made master of the New York Sanctum." Stephen said.

"So it is a cult." Tony confirmed.

Stephen laughed, taking a sip of his warm tea. "Oh." He said, remembering something. He placed the cup down on the small table in front of them. "I almost forgot." He said, opening a small portal in front of him and pulling a small stuffed rabbit out of it. "Here's that rabbit you've been asking for since day one."

"It's about damn time." Tony said.

Stephen laughed, looking at Tony with a smile.

Tony looked back at him, smiling.

The two getting lost in each other's eyes.

Stephen stepped back into reality, looking away and blushing. "Is there..." He looked behind himself.

"Hm?" Tony asked, snapping out of it. "Um, no. I was just..." He shook his head. "I was staring into space." Tony said.

"Oh." Stephen said. "For a minute I thought there was something behind me or on my face." Stephen felt around his mouth area. "I don't have anything on my face, do I?" He asked.

"No." Tony chuckled. "Nothing, except that facial hair. Man, I remember when you use to have such a baby face."

"Like it?" Stephen asked, caressing his face.

Tony watched.

Those lips. They looked so soft, so inviting.

"Anthony?" Stephen asked.

"Hm?" Tony looked back at Stephen. "Uh, yeah...it's p-pretty." He stuttered.

Fuck.

Tony cleared his throat and looked away.

Stephen gave him a gentle smile. "Yours is pretty too."

Tony looked up at him in surprise.

Stephen gave him the softest smile.

///0///0

"Well, it was lovely seeing you again Strange." Tony said as walking behind Stephen as he made his way out the door.

"You too Anthony." Stephen said, turning to Tony with his hands in his pockets.

"Tony, please." Tony said.

"Tony." Stephen said, smiling.

"I don't suppose you want your rabbit back, do you?" Tony asked with the stuffed rabbit in  his hands.

"Oh, no. You go ahead and keep that." Stephen said.

Tony smiled at Stephen.

The stars behind him shone brightly, reflecting off his eyes.

"Well, I better get going." Stephen said. "I shouldn't leave the Sanctum unguarded for long."

"Ah, yes." Tony said. "Go do your cult stuff."

Stephen shook his head, laughing a little before opening a portal behind him. "Goodnight Tony."

"Goodnight Stephen."

Stephen walked through the portal, which soon closed.

Tony looked down at the small stuffed rabbit in his hands and shook his head, smiling. "How 'bout that?" He asked himself.