Stephen runs into the hospital and nearly slides into the wall. Instead, he slips and falls, almost taking down a nurse.
"Sorry sorry. Excuse me."
He picks himself up and makes his way to the desk were Cy was sitting and doodling.
"Which room?" He asked, catching his breath.
"206. Peter is sitting outside to scare off any other doctors."
Stephen chuckles. "Sounds about right. Thanks for calling me"
"Yeah well we don't need a repeat of last time you weren't here."
Stephen winces. Tony had come in with a broken arm and another doctor tried to help him. Tony panicked and broke his wrist. Peter had explained that the doctor had looked like Steve Rogers, Tony's husband. After they had gotten Tony calmed down and explained that he was a doctor who had just transferred, Tony had paid the man's medical bill and compensation.
Stephen walks down the hall and finds Peter sitting outside the room, like Cy had said. The teen jumps jump when Stephen came close. The glitter of his color guard uniform flashes in the bright hallway lights.
"Dr. Strange! Thank god you're here. He hit his head this time."
"Do you know exactly what happened?"
"Um..Well I wasn't there, we had a game in Middletown but I know what dad told me."
Stephen reaches out and touches Peter's arm. "Tell me what you know."
"Well, they went out to some restaurant and you were looking at him and Steve didn't like that."
Stephen lowers his head and rubs his temple. He had a bad feeling this was his fault when he got Cy's call. God he felt like such an ass.
"I'm so sorry Peter."
"Dr. Strange this isn't your fault."
"This time, it is." He looks up into the younger man's face. "I'm going to fix this. I'm going to get you both out of that house."
"How?"
"I'll figure something out. Neither of you deserve this." He says, pulling open the door to Tony's room. As he enter, he reads Tony's chart.
"Hello Tony." He says, looking at him. "I wish I could say it was nice to see you but given the circumstances, that would be a lie."
"Hey Stranger!" Tony says with a loopy giggle. "Get it? Cause your name is Strange."
"Yes, I get it. Very funny." But Stephen did crack a smile. Loopy Tony was adorable.
"A nurse gave him painkillers." Peter explains.
Stephen nods and checks the vitals. "You have a concussion. From hitting your head."
"Oh. Well that's no good."
"No it is not." Stephen almost chuckles. "Sorry about Collins by the way. He's a new intern and didn't know any better."
"Can I tell you somethin?" Tony asked.
"If you'd like."
"I wish your name wasn't Stephen."
Stephen turns to him, bemused. "Why's that?"
"Because. You're good and nice and you care about me. My Steven...I don't think he cares about me. Do you think he loves me? For real?" Tony asked, his eyes wide.
Stephen bites his lip, not answering. Peter had turned his head and looks out the window. The question made Stephen's heart hurt.
"I don't know Tony." He answers softly.
"Do you love me Stephen?" Tony whispers.
The silence that filled the small room had a weight to it. Stephen had figured out a while ago that he loved Tony but he had also accepted that nothing would come of it because of one Steve Rogers.
"It's okay if you don't." Tony says quickly, his speech starting to slur as the painkillers started to put him to sleep. "I haven't done anything to deserve it. Just take up your time. You're nice to me because it's your job." He says, closing his eyes. "But I think I love you for real." He murmurs.
Stephen is silent as he can feel his heart hammer in his chest. Then he realized Peter was staring at him. Stephen opens his mouth.
"Peter-"
"I know." He says. "I've known for a while." He stands and Stephen noticed he had been silently crying. "I wish he met you first."
Stephen pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry Peter."
"Say it." Peter whispers.
"I'm sorry?"
"Tell him you love him." Peter says, lifting his eyes. "He needs to hear it from someone who means it."
"Peter-"
"Please, Dr. Strange?"
Stephen moves away from Peter and leans over Tony's sleeping figure and whispers.
"I love you Tony Stark." He says, biting his lip to hold back any emotion that threatened to spill over. He stands up straight and looks at Peter.
"Come get me when he wakes up or something happens."
Peter nods silently.
"This is my personal number. Do not hesitate to call if you need me." Stephen says, writing his number down on a scrap of paper and handing it over.
"Thank you Dr. Strange." Peter says and puts the number in his phone. "For everything."
"I only wish I could do more."
"I know the reason he hasn't left Steve yet is because of me." Peter says, looking over at his father.
"What do you mean?"
"If they got a divorce, Steve would have the military and a good chunk of the public behind him. He is the Army's 'Golden Boy' after all. You and I both know that Dad won't bring up the scars and bruises in court. He hates being seen as weak. Especially after all the work he put into the company."
Stephen sighs softly. He knew it was true. Tony had always been strong, never ever weak.
"What's going to happen when I go off to college? He could get killed. Or worse." Peter is shaking now. "It's not fair!"
"I know."
"He doesn't deserve this."
"Neither of you do."
"What am I supposed to do Dr. Strange?"
"I wish I could tell you..." Stephen says, feeling sick. "Peter, I think we are on a first name bases by now. You can call me Stephen."
"I just feel so helpless."
Stephen felt the same way and he absolutely hated it.
"Why don't we let Tony rest and go get something to eat? God only knows when he got a good night's sleep. You can tell me about the game. I think we can both use a distraction."
Peter looks back at Tony, then back at Stephen and nods. They leave the room and make their way to the cafeteria.
"So, did your school win?"
Peter gives a dry laugh. "No. Our team is pretty terrible this year. People for our school come for half time then leave. It pisses the football team off."
"I'll make sure to go to the next game. It's at home right?"
"Yeah. Homecoming. Shuri's excited to meet you."
"Oh? Did you finally ask her out?" Stephen raises an eyebrow with a small smirk.
"I did! And I'm surprised she actually said yes after I nearly set her hair on fire by accident."
Stephen laughs at this. "Tell me how that happened."
"Well..." Peter blushes and looks away. "I made a candle in art and was gonna give it to her and we hugged but I forgot it was still lit."
"Oh Peter. You truly are one of a kind." Stephen says, patting his shoulder before getting a black coffee and a sandwich as Peter picked up a orange juice and a bag of chips.
"Well I do try."
"So how do you feel now that you are dating a cheerleader?"
"Dude I'm dating high school royalty! She's amazing and funny and smart."
Stephen listens to Peter go on with a small smile. He could imagine being a father. He could imagine being Peter's father, and he had. Many times. But of course, that wasn't going to happen.
"...Stephen?"
Peter tapping his arm brought Stephen back to the present before he ran into the door.
"Sorry. Got lost in my head. What were you saying?"
"How do you know you've fallen in love?"
Stephen doesn't even have to think about it.
"You know you've fallen in love when you meet someone who you want to spend every second with; annoying them or making them smile and laugh or just holding them. Making them feel better when something happens. Someone you can see forever with no matter what happens. Someone you would do anything for. Being in love means you put them above yourself and your well being. You would die for them and not think twice."
Peter is silent for a moment. Then "I think I'm in love."
"I'm happy for you." And he meant it too.
He takes a drink of his coffee as they round the corner and he nearly chokes as he sees a man coming up the hallway. It was the man from the restaurant and Stephen could only assume it was the infamous Steve Rogers. Peter tenes beside him and gives Stephen a look that was a mix of scared, sorry and confused.
"Is he okay?" Steve asked when he came close. He sounded concerned, but Stephen saw right through it. He hated this man with every fiber of his being. But because he was a professional, Stephen forced himself to be calm.
"He has a concussion and will likely be sick from sitting out in the rain."
"That's terrible!"
Stephen sees Peter's jaw tighten from the corner of his eye. "He should be find and fully recovered within three days."
"Of course. Thank you Doctor. Come on Peter. "
Peter follows wordlessly. They disappear in the room where Tony was sleeping.
Stephen turns on his heel and goes back to the nurse's station. Cy and her best friend Ursula were sitting there. Cy looks up.
"How is he?" She asks.
"Concussion and probably sick from being in the rain. Peter finally asked Shuri out and accidentally nearly set her on fire." He reports.
Cy raises an eyebrow.
"There was a candle involved." Stephen says "But that's not important. What the hell is Steve Rogers doing here?" He demands.
"Wait." Cy stands. "He's here?"
"I want to know who called him."
"It wasn't Collins. I explained that whole situation...."
"Who else knows he's here?"
"James Barnes." Ursula says with a horrified whisper.
Stephen growls and slams his fist into the counter. "I'm going to kick his ass."
"He left already. He got off half an hour ago."
"God damnit!" Stephen yells, making a group of nearby nurses look at him confused. Stephen still remembered the first time he met Tony Stark. It haunted him still even though it was ten years ago.
The attractive man stumbles into the ER with his hand pressed to his nose and a black eye. A puffy eyed six year old walked beside him, clinging to his free hand. Stephen nearly dropped the clipboard he was holding. He forced himself to look away.
"Strange, bed four." His attending, Tilda Swinton, nicknamed the Ancient One, tells him, pointing. Stephen nods and goes where he was told.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Strange and can you tell-" Stephen stops short. It was the attractive man. Shit.
"Hello Stranger." The man had an audible smirk despite the obviously broken nose behind his hand. "I'm Tony Rogers-Stark."
"Okay Mr. Rogers-Stark-"
"Tony. My name is Tony."
"Okay Tony. What happened here?"
"Oh I got in a fist fight with a door frame."
"Excuse me?"
Tony rolled his eyes. "I tripped and fell into the doorframe in my kitchen. Can you fix my nose or not?"
"Yeah I can fix it. Let me see just how bad it is." Stephen says, putting a pair of gloves on.
Tony moves his hand away and Stephen's blood ran cold. There was no way this amount of damage was from falling.
"What? Entranced by my beauty Doc?" Tony asks. "If you think this is hot, you should see my face when it's clean and healed."
Stephen shakes his head a little. "Let's get this cleaned up." He says, picking up a bottle of saline solution and soaking a cotton pad. "This is going to sting."
"Eh. I've had worse, trust me."
The words made Stephen pause, wanting to hug the smaller man. He snapped himself out of it and leans over, gently cleaning away the blood. He then sets the bone and puts the plaster in place.
"That should do it. Let me go get your check out papers and you'll be free to go."
"Take your time." Tony says and looking back, it wasn't being polite, it was a plea.
When Stephen returned, Tony was passed out on the bed and Peter was sitting beside him with a book. He looks up as Stephen came near.
"You seem like a good guy." He says.
"Well I like to think so." Stephen says, confused.
"My daddy didn't hurt himself by falling."
"What do you mean?"
"Papa got mad cause Daddy dropped a plate and it broke. I wasn't 'poused to see. I was 'poused to be in my room but Papa is a loud yeller."
Peter's words chilled Stephen to the bone.
"Well if this happens ever again, come see me okay? And I'll fix him right up, I promise."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Pinky promise?" Peter asked, sticking his finger out. Stephen wraps his pinky around Peter's.
"Pinky promise."
A little bit later Stephen checked them out and looks at the intern beside him. She had curly red hair and soft blue eyes.
"Let me know when they come back." He says.
"How do you know they'll be back?"
"I have a feeling."