A/N this was inspired by another author - toastyboi_ - as well as Stephen's design in the comics. The doodle above is mine - sort of like a prompt. I haven't read the comics (yes, I'm sorry, I want to), so this won't be completely accurate. I just wanted to write something, so here...
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It was a quiet afternoon in the Sanctum. Well, about as quiet as you can get when you're on the watch for interdimensional threats. Stephen had gotten little sleep lately due to the pain in his hands - it had flared up recently due to stress - so he was trying to ignore it and catch up on some rest while meditating. Wong was in the library reading. He was slightly on edge though. Every so often Stephen's astral form would pass him to collect a new book, and every time he jumped. Stephen had started noticing too, and would creep up just as Wong was getting back into his book to poke him. 9 Times out of 10 he didn't react, just giving a shiver, but the 1 time out of 10 he would give off a shriek made the waiting and watching completely worth it.
They both shrieked, however, when out of nowhere the phone rang. Waking up, Stephen answered it, ignoring Wong's snickering in the background, he supposed it was karma.
"Hey Stephen."
Great. It's Cap.
"Hi Steve, what can I do for you today?" Stephen said, putting on his best smarmy arse-kissing voice.
"We have discovered a new threat, and we aren't entirely sure what they are or where they come from. If you have some time, could you pop over and have a look?"
Translation: we've discovered a new threat. It's scared the shit out of me. We don't know how to handle it. Could you, pretty please, chuck it back where it came from. This will be good.
"Sure, Steve, I'll be over in a few hours."
"Uh huh... Anytime sooner... would also be... great."
There it is. The closest I'll get to getting him to say he's scared. It's good enough for me though. I can just picture his face turning a nice shade of red.
"Well, I guess, I could always be there a bit earlier..." Stephen said in a sickly sweet voice.
"Right." Steve hung up. He hated that wizard. Arrogant little arsehole.
Stephen replaced the receiver with a satisfied smirk.
"I take it that was Steve." Wong said it as more of a statement than a question.
Stephen just grinned and went up to get his robes. A dramatic enterance was always important. Especially if it meant belittling Captain America. If there was a contest between who could be the most extra... Stephen would win every time.
"I get he's a selfrighteous nitwit, but you aren't exactly being the bigger person here," Wong called after him.
Yes, but being a small person is so much more fun.
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Stephen opened a portal to the Avengers tower with his sling ring, swirling the Cloak around his body to rest on his shoulders in the process. The sensible avengers rolled their eyes, a grin peaking through behind their eyes; Steve glowering; meanwhile Tony, Bruce and Peter gazed on in awe.
"Bravo, Wizard, but this is more of a stealth mission you know." Steve's teeth were practically grinding themselves into sawdust as he spoke.
Before Stephen could issue a comeback Tony spoke up, trying to prevent the argument everyone knew was coming.
"Actually, I have something for that. Stephen, come with me to the lab."
Cloak flapping dramatically behind him Stephen, left the room. This was one of the few times Levi and Stephen cooperated. They both disliked Steve equally, and both had equally pathetic amounts of humility where Steve was concerned.
Tony's lab was a mess. Papers and blueprints were scattered everywhere, along with A3 sketches and doodles of suit designs covering tables. The centre of the room, however, was completely clear.
"So... I remembered a while ago you were complaining about your hands, and how they always hurt, so I did some research with Bruce, and started developing some gloves to counteract the problem. They won't solve it permanently, but they will make your hands feel better when you wear them. Then, the gloves looked really good and I was bored, so I designed a suit that incorporated them. Then I figured you needed the Eye of Agamotto, so the nanotech is stored in the gold casing, and you can still hold an infinity stone in the middle. There are also little hooks on the shoulders for your cloak to hold on to." It was at this point Tony realised he was rambling a little. "So, in short, tah da...."
The centre piece of the floor of the lab opened up to show a black and white suit with a gold eye in the chest. It was elegant, yet simplistic. Stephen was slightly in awe of it - and all the work Tony had put into it.
"It's.... Wow."
"I'll take that as a good thing." Tony grinned. "You wanna try it out?"
"Uh... Sure. What do I do?"
"Well, you need to wear something light and comfortable underneath it. Then you join the Eye around you neck like normal. The trigger for the armour is the same as mine: double tap the housing unit."
"Ok. I'll give it a go."
Turning around, Stephen stripped out of his robe, down to his leggings and t-shirt. It was quite tight fitting and Tony was glad Stephen couldn't see his blush as he ran his eyes over Stephen's sculpted figure. Walking over to the stand, Stephen took the Eye off, the armour retracting into it, and placed it around his neck. Double tapping it, black and white unfurled over his body. It was a strange feeling... Like water washing over him, or maybe being wrapped in a blanket. It was fitted, yet comfortable, and the pain in his hands literally evaporated.
Stephen turned around to face Tony - who quickly tried to calm his blush.
"How do I look?"
"N-not bad. Really, pretty good actually," Tony just managed to get out.
"You sure..."
"That this is the meanest thing I've ever done to myself? Yes. Absolutely," Tony mumbled.
"Huh?"
"You look great. There's a mirror round the corner if you want."
"Thanks."
"I'll be upstairs. Come meet us in the briefing room. You can keep the suit on. As calm and competent as Steve like to pretend he is, we could all really use your help here."
Stephen and Tony smirked at eachother, both knowing exactly what the other thought about Captain America.
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Tony returned to the other Avengers. As Thor and Steve started discussing the new threat the other Avengers took seats waiting for Stephen to come back. Bruce was sitting one side of Tony, Natasha the other.
Digging Tony in the side Bruce asked "How did Gandalf down there like the suit?"
"He really liked it, thought it was great. He's gonna be up soon."
"Sure he is," Bruce grinned, "he's probably planning an even more dramatic entrance for the new suit to spite Cap again."
"Well why not? You can't say you aren't tempted to sometimes?"
"Sure I am, but being a big green rage monster my entrances, while dramatic, are not at all elegant and extremely messy. Unlike Strange."
"They are kinda elegant aren't they." Tony said, leaning on his left arm. Oops. To much info? Probably should have responded with something slightly more hetero...
"Huh. Would you happen to like said wizard?" Bruce grinned evilly, jabbing Tony in the ribs.
"What's this I hear about Tony having a crush on Hocus Pocus?" Natasha chipped in.
"Guys..." Tony raised his hands, "I said nothing."
"Ah yes, but you heavily implied it" countered Bruce.
"And you didn't answer his question," Nat said.
Closing his arms Tony turned to face Nat. "How much were you listening to?!"
"Oh all of it. Now go on. Do you like him."
"Maybe..."
"Oh God... The suit..."
"Bruce shut up."
"What about the suit? I'm curious."
Tony was on the verge of going tomato red now. "Nothing. The suit is normal. Normal suit. Standard. Boring. Basic."
"I see," Nat said, "you've made him a fitted suit that shows him off perfectly, and now you're gonna be staring at his ass for 90% the time. The time when you aren't checking out the rest of him."
Ignoring his friends jibs, Tony stared intently at the wall, waiting for his wizard to come back. My wizard? Where'd that come from. Well, stupid question.
Tony was saved by the bell., or more accurately: fizzing and gold sparks. Stephen stepped into the room, slightly awkwardly. He actually used the door this time and quietly slipped into a seat next to Natasha. Levi attempted to rescue the entrance by swirling over his shoulders, it had little effect now though.
"Hey, Winnie the Witch, what happened to the usual fantabulous entrance?"
"Just... Not really feeling it right now. Can we start the briefing?"
"Feeling self-concious in the new suit?"
Leaning in to see Tony, "does she always do this?" He asked.
"Yeah. Pretty much." Tony replied.
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The briefing was long winded, Thor butting in frequently to ask questions. Scott was making puns, desperately trying to alleviate the tension between Steve and Stephen. It came to an end eventually though.
"How are we getting there?" Stephen asked.
"Quinjet," Steve snipped.
The jet was snug, to say the least. Bucky was flying, he liked the feel of it - ironically, heights calmed him. The fall had scared him for a long time, but eventually he'd had to fly again for a mission, and Sam had showed him how amazing it could be. He liked watching the houses pass beneath him, and the fields and hills roll around them. Mountains were less fun. They required more concentration. And the involved Steve. Bucky loved Steve very much, sure, but love never has and never will make back-seat driving any more bearable.
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While everyone else was busy with weapons or talking strategy Tony was left with Stephen.
"Is there anything I should know about the suit then?"
"There's the earpiece. You can talk to the rest of the team through it. The suit monitors vital signs at all times so the team will be notified if anything happens to you. Oh, and, worst case scenario, the hands have blasters similar to mine in them. They use electricity bolts though, to be more energy efficient." Tony answered.
"How do I activate them?"
"You rub your hands together. Kinda like defibrillator pads. Then you make a first and point. When you open your hand they'll fire. Keep your hand open you'll get a 3 second burst."
"Nice. It's a great design by the way. You did a great job." Stephen clapped Tony on the shoulder. It was a small gesture, but his fingers lingered as he pulled his hand back. They slipped across Tony's back, down his spine, and he had to suppress a shiver.
"If you two nerds can stop flirting for a few minutes, we're here," Scott yelled from the back for the jet.
Turning nervously away from eachother, Tony and Stephen busied themselves with tinkering and staring out of the window. Both stole little glances at the other when they weren't looking.
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The threat seemed relatively simple. Some Triffids had gotten through from a parallel universe. They were hobbling around the field they'd been found in and had been killing the local farmer's sheep. They were also extremely resilient and resisted most of the Avengers' attacks, as well as alarmingly intelligent. It wasn't clear if they were strategising or just acting on instinct, but they were strong and had started to learn the Avengers' weaknesses. At one point a small group had managed to encircle Clint, who only escaped when Thor had electrocuted the plants. That seemed to be the only thing that worked.
Stephen was dropped out of the jet first, so he could scope out the target. Then Thor and Loki circled the area, killing any stray ones to make the remaining ones easier to keep track of, while not drawing their attention. Loki baited them, his daggers drawing little sap, but aggravating then enough that they dragged themselves after him and towards Thor.
"How does it look down there?" Tony called through the coms.
"Not nearly as bad as you made out. They're just Triffids. Pretty dim ones too." Stephen replied.
"I thought those were just fictional plants." Bruce said.
"They are here. In another universe they exist apparently. I don't know how they got through though. They'd have had to travel through the void, and I didn't think that was possible." Stephen started mumbling to himself about how to send them back for a few minutes.
After about 10minutes, "Loki, do you still have the tesseract?"
"Of course Dumbledore, who do you take me for?" Loki said with a grin.
"Brother! You're not sup- you know what? Nevermind," Thor muttered.
"Can I borrow it? I need to make a portal," Stephen asked.
Over the coms came a sneer. "What? Run out of your sparks Strange?" Of course it was Steve.
"No. My portals can give anyone access to anywhere in space, including other dimensions, however you need immense power to travel to a different universe. It's a lot more complicated. No one has ever managed to jump universes without an external power source. Loki, hand me the stone."
Loki threw the tesseract over to Strange who caught it with ease.
"Guys... This is a mission, not 8th grade PE," Tony called.
Rolling his eyes, Stephen took out the time stone and replaced it with the space stone in the Eye on his chest.
"Loki, do me a favour and take the time stone. Don't use it. Please." Stephen threw over the time stone to Loki who caught it in a cage of green magic. It then vanishes into thin air. Stephen started for a moment in confusion.
"You're not the only person who can use dimensional pockets, Hermione," Loki smirked.
Shrugging, Stephen turned back to face the Triffids. Waving his arms in a complicated pattern, a blue hexagon formed in the air, the lines crossing over eachother. It slowly rotated getting faster and faster, until they blended to make a circle: a blue version of Stephen's usual portals. The centre of the portal then changed to black, rippling out the fill the rest of the circle. Stephen pushed it forwards into the centre of the Triffids.
It was like a vacuum cleaner had been turned on. The Triffids were sucked back into the portal, flailing their stingers. As the last one whipped into the portal it's stinger caught Stephen's arm. Stumbling towards, he gave a yell. Hang on. Electricity. I have electricity. And only one arm. Or... Stephen rubbed his left hand against his leg, pointed his fist at the Triffid and opened his hand. Blue electricity crackled towards the Triffid, killing it instantly.
Stephen breathed a sigh of relief. He then crossed his arms and pulled them apart, closing the portal. Replacing the space stone in the tesseract he and Loki exchanged stones again.
"It's safe, you guys can land now," Stephen said.
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On the way back to the tower Stephen explained the problem to the rest of the team.
"There's only one way I know to cross the void, and it's purely theoretical. Well. I guess not now. You'll need to scan the area for a large metal orb. You'll have to do it visually though - it won't show up on your scanners. It's... Complicated. When you find the orb, contact me so Wong and I can destroy it."
"Why should we destroy it?" Steve asked, "What of the life forms or whatever's in this void ship is friendly?"
"Considering they brought Triffids with them, I doubt it." Stephen replied.
"That could have been an accident."
"Even if it was, put it this way. Would you want to be wrong, and have to deal with another attack like the Chitauri. If Triffids are real in that universe do you really want to find out what else is? What if they have Vashta Nerada, or Dementors, or carniveeous Telly-tubbies?" Stephen was only partly joking.
"Ooh, what if they have Weeping Angels in there!!" Clint was a big Doctor Who fan.
"Umm. They wouldn't need a void ship to get Weeping Angels here....." The room went quiet.
"They. Exist?" Clint whispered.
"All I'm saying is, which hand does the Statue of Liberty hold the torch in?" Stephen answered.
"I guess you have a point," Steve said begrudgingly.
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Back at the compound Stephen followed Tony back to his lab.
"Can I keep the suit?"
"Oh, sure, sure. You're the only one it fits. I made it for you. Keep the suit," Tony trailed off a little towards the end.
"Tony. My face is about a foot above where you're staring." Stephen smirked a little.
Blushing, Tony looked up, very startled. It got lessened when Stephen took a step towards him, though.
"You're cute when you're flustered." Stephen took another step closer. He had to tip Tony's head up with a finger to look him in the eyes. Levi had left the room long ago.
Pulling them closer Tony rested his hands on Stephen's hips.
"Maybe we can continue this at dinner tomorrow?" He asked innocently.
Stephen raised an eyebrow. "No it wasn't an act. I'm not good at actual feelings. I am however, every good at the next bit." Tony winked and left the room. I've got a date with the wizard!!