elisaphoenix13

[elisaphoenix13]

Marvel RP Server

Just another reminder that I have a Marvel RP server! It's active thanks to me and @daisypoisonpen because we always seem to have ideas. We need more participants but there are also quite a few stores to read. 90% just from us 😅. So I invite you to come join if only to read what's available and maybe even find someone to write with to add to the collection! We'll be happy and excited to see you!

[elisaphoenix13]

Works on AO3

My works on AO3, especially the Mama Bear AU are temporarily available to everyone! This is only for a few days so if you don't have an account, I highly recommend getting one so you can still access them when I restrict them to registered users again!

[elisaphoenix13]

Harley, holding a slice of cheese: I just got the sudden urge to slap somebody with cheese.

Tony: Let me guess...Peter is on the list.

Harley: He's definitely a high possibility.

Stephen: Please stop assaulting your siblings with dairy.

Harley: The milk was an accident!

[elisaphoenix13]

You don't need anyone's approval for the stories you write and the art you create. But it's also absolutely valid to want some approval from your audience. Kudos and likes don't determine your creation's worth. But it just feels amazing to receive them.

[elisaphoenix13]

Me (and my IronStrange brain) after the RDJ reveal:

Tony: I'm your husband...

Stephen: Yes.

Tony: And now your brother.

Stephen: What.

[elisaphoenix13]

Wanted: RP ideas!

Okay, just as the title says! Need some ideas for role-playing (writing it out) with a friend! Specifically ideas for:

Ironstrange

(My) Mama Bear AU

Antlord (Peter Quill/Scott Lang)

Any ideas welcome! Doesn't even have to do with the Marvel universe! Sometimes we just borrow the characters and their personalities and such. So if you have any ideas, go ahead and comment! If you're interested in reading what we and others have already written, I have a link to the Marvel RP's server pinned on my profile! We're always welcoming new people (especially participants)!

[elisaphoenix13]

Harley: I'm going to slap the shit out of you.

Tony: Hey! Don't say that to your brother!

Harley: *sigh* I'm sorry I said I would slap the shit out of you. Next time I'll slap the shit out of you without warning.

Peter: *laughing* I can't even be mad.

[elisaphoenix13]

Multi-Colored Mischief

It was a rare, peaceful morning. Something that usually only happened when pigs flew, so Stephen took advantage of it. He brewed himself a cup of tea, grabbed a couple of his grimoires, and took a meditative position in Tony's office. Or rather, Stephen's hideaway for all magical needs since his husband hardly used the room. If he did, it was to write an angry email to an idiot teacher and he absolutely needed to hear the clacking of his keyboard so he knew his anger was coming across.

The kids found it hilarious. Tony always has an intense look on his face as he slammed away at the poor keyboard…and ranted. The man ranted as he typed so it wasn't hard to piece together what the engineer was putting into his email. After an incident where Tony called one of Diana's teachers a few foul names, Stephen had to take it upon himself to look over future emails and edit them. Which was a surprise because the mother in him wanted to be just as illogical as his husband and let the man call whatever teacher any name he could think of, but…

Well someone had to keep a little peace and try to find a compromise for whatever the issue was. Even if the teacher really was a simpering moron ninety percent of the time.

Stephen pushed the thought from his mind though. Meditating was meant to help him empty his mind and relax from the daily chaos he lived through. If he eyeballed a certain book before closing his eyes, no one knew but him.

It was nice. He could feel the long neglected magical energies swirling around him, and even feel the living energy of everyone in the tower. He mostly ignored those below the Avenger floors, and a few moments of focus helped him pick out who was who. People like Quill, Thor, and Carol were easy to identify because of their powers. Others were a bit harder but it only took a bit longer since their energies were mostly in time with their personalities. His children were always easy though. Maybe even more so than the literal god. He was used to them. It was his job to pay attention to them.

He could feel Thomas’s energy practically vibrating at times, usually when he was restless and needed to run. Diana’s was as bubbly as her and William’s…it was strong but calm. Much like Stephen's could be. But something made him cock his head curiously. Their energies were rather close together which only meant they were doing something together. In a small room from what he could–

Then what sounded like bowling pins being knocked over made Stephen open his eyes. With a sigh, he lowered his legs from his floating position and prepared for…well, chaos. Normally he would let things be until someone's eye got poked, but he heard Lucy giggle. Half the time that meant she was doing something she wasn't supposed to and since she wasn't even two yet, he was obligated to check on her.

So he left his tea and books behind, opened the door and walked down the hallway until he ended up in front of Harley's door. Where most of the noise was coming from. The falling bowling pin sounds were more apparent but the rumbling that was supposed to precede it never happened so he had to wonder what they were getting into. At least Diana hasn't found a way to magically extend Harley's room to make him his own personal bowling alley, but that was one thing off a massive list Stephen had in his head.

His kids were capable of anything.

“Harley? What's going on in there?” Stephen calls out as he reaches for the doorknob.

“Crap! Wait! Mom, don't open the–” Harley starts.

But Stephen was already in the process of opening the door and he very quickly discovered what his children had decided to get up to this time. In the form of multicolored balls that broke free from the room and crashed over the top of his head. He barely saw and managed to grab Lucy as she seemed to ride the wave of balls with another hysterical giggle and practically had to swim out of the torrent. He watched as the flood of balls traveled down the hallway and over the railing of the stairs into the living room below, and when they finally trickled down to the occasional bounce, Stephen finally looked into Harley's bedroom to find all of the kids huddled nearby and looking a mix between pleased and morose.

Valerie and William had the mind to at least look more apologetic than their siblings.

“ ‘gain!” Lucy screeches happily.

“I don't think so,” Stephen says immediately and huffs as he looks at the two oldest. “How did you even manage to get all of these into your room without your father and I know–”

Peter, Harley, and Thomas immediately pointed at Diana and Stephen pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Why the bedroom? Why didn't you just empty the pool downstairs and use that?”

Peter blinks. “Uhhhh…because we didn't think of it?”

Stephen raises an eyebrow at Harley. “Aren't you twenty?”

“Being an adult sucks and is a social construct!” Harley snorts. “Besides, you're never too old to play in a ball pit.”

“Fair enough,” Stephen says as he looks around at the balls. “If you move this downstairs after emptying the pool, you can continue with this. Just make sure one of you keeps an eye on Lucy.”

The kids cheer and Thomas takes Lucy from him before dashing away with her, and the rest follow with excited chatter. Stephen was sure Harley and Peter would properly drain the pool so he felt nice enough to use his magic to gather up all of the balls and send them downstairs to the gym. Once the pool was empty, Diana simply had to use her magic to put the balls in it.

Who was he to keep them from having fun? Harley and Peter might be adults but with all they had been through, sometimes it was good to embrace their inner child. Especially since they had many younger siblings. He was also glad to see the twins and America adjusting enough to the point that they felt comfortable enough to include themselves in shenanigans. Stephen and Tony just learned to pick and choose their battles. This one was relatively harmless…as long as Lucy didn't surf the balls out of the room again.

Stephen pinched the bridge of his nose again at the thought before returning to Tony's office to get back to his meditation. Levi was in the room hovering near the bookshelf, and seemed to be flipping through the pages of a book with its lapels. The sorcerer hardly blinked. When he first got the relic he might have found it strange, but he learned that the relic liked to do things that seemed normal. It has tea parties for Vishanti’s sake.

“What are you pretending to read?” Stephen asks as he folds his legs and starts to levitate again. He was a little surprised when his cloak flew over with the book with as much excitement as some fabric can have and nearly shoved the lore in his face. Fortunately he didn't fall to the ground and was easily able to recover before taking the offending object.

It was the book.

“Why are you looking at this?” Stephen watches as Levi eagerly flips through the pages until it stops at– “No. Why would you…no. We have enough.” The sorcerer reprimands, closing the book with his magic and sending it back to the shelf.

“Didn't you tell me it acts out on what you want?” Tony says as he strides in.

“Sometimes,” Stephen admits as his husband walks over to the printer. “For once, I'm not hyper focused on another baby.”

“But it's on your mind,” Tony points out as he presses some buttons. “We should consider it. The kids already said they're fine with it, and you wanted to even things out.”

“America evened things out,” Stephen says as he drinks his tea. “Besides, I think it would be unfair at this point to add another one to this chaotic bunch. I just caught them using Harley's room as a ball pit. Lucy also managed to use the balls as a roller coaster when I was unfortunate enough to open the door.

Tony laughs from behind Stephen, and without looking, the sorcerer sends a lighter time at his head. He heard it fall to the floor with a thunk which only meant his husband dodged the projectile.

“Easy, Duchess. Maybe another one won't even out the numbers, but it might even out the personalities. Maybe it will be another Valerie.”

Stephen sighs and drops his hands. “Or it could be another Lucy. That child is a liability.”

“She's just being a kid. Everyone's different,” Tony shrugs as he walks around to Stephen's line of sight with a folder of whatever he printed out. “I feel like we got one more in us. To make, anyway. We'll keep adopting poor super orphans.”

“Are you sure you're not the one with baby fever?” Stephen raises an eyebrow.

“Maybe. Maybe I'm just hoping this last one will like you and you'll get another baby to raise properly. So I got Dia and Lulu. You'll have Val and the new one.”

Tony's argument wasn't a great one but Stephen understood what he was trying to say. Instead of reasons they shouldn't, Tony was giving reasons they should. Sort of? Stephen was starting to think Tony just wanted one more to even the odds for him. It was thoughtful of Tony to consider Stephen's feelings like that. When he wanted another one, they got Lucy and she immediately attached herself to Tony.

All Stephen knew was that he was still unsure and that was enough reason not to do anything yet.

“I'll think about it,” he tells Tony. “I…need a good reason to bring another one into our family.”

“Okay, honey,” Tony gives him a quick peck. “You go back to your rare Me Time while the hellions play in the ball pit downstairs.”

“Wait, you knew?”

“Friday told me they were down in the gym making a ball pit out of the pool. I didn't know how you found out,” Tony smirks and Stephen glares at him.

“Next time I'll leave their nonsense for you to find and be caught in the crossfire of.”

“I did. Remember the stink bomb?” Tony says and they both shudder.

“It took weeks to get the smell out,” Stephen gags, easily able to recall how bad the smell was.

“Underoos describing the smell as ‘only getting hotter’ because of the candles still makes me laugh though.” Tony smiles. “Never a dull day with these kids. Anyway, gotta get this down to the front desk for Pepper to pick up.”

“Why can't she come up and get it here?” Stephen asks.

“She's still traumatized by the watermelon incident.”

Stephen snorts. “After everything she's witnessed, the watermelon is what bothers her?”

“To be fair, she did walk in the moment it exploded.”

“Point taken.”

[elisaphoenix13]

Endgame 💔

[elisaphoenix13]

Deja Vu

"Are you okay?"

Stephen came back to himself with a small gasp and he looked up to find himself looking at Tony. Just...younger. There was less gray in his hair and they were still standing in the Sanctum and it took a few moments for reality to set in and for the sorcerer to realize what had just happened.

Specifically that nothing happened.

He and Tony weren't married, let alone dating. He still lived at the Sanctum with Wong, the Avengers were still broken up...and there were no kids. The realization that his children either weren't his own or didn't exist yet made Stephen feel empty. The vision had felt so real. He could still feel the warmth Tony gave off against his back when he fell asleep just last night (or did he?), and feeling Athena sleeping at the foot of the bed. He was even waiting for this to be some sick joke and his kids would come barrelling through the door arguing about who got to choose the next movie to watch.

But he knew it wouldn't happen. Not yet. Nothing had come to pass. Not even Peter's aunt dying in the accident. May Parker was still alive and well. Stephen was just...Stephen. Sorcerer Supreme. He wasn't anyone's mom, spouse, or matriarch. He was just one of the sorcerer's residing in Greenwich Village.

He felt his skin get clammy and he had to resist the urge to bring up his lunch because he wanted it back. He didn't want to go through all of it again. He wanted his kids now. He wanted the chaos and the noise that the Sanctum was almost completely devoid of.

But he had to, didn't he? Go through all the pain and suffering, the happy moments, the sad…and if that's what it took to get all of that back, Stephen would do it in an instant. He wanted that happiness back…he yearned for it, and he wasn't the only one who deserved it. So did Tony. The very man he fell in love with and was still looking at him in concern.

“I'm fine,” Stephen finally manages to answer while rubbing the bridge of his nose. At least physically. Mentally was an entirely different ballpark. He still felt a small urge to vomit…to lash out and beg for this to be a dream.

“Sure, Doc. I'll believe that when you're not paler than the moon. Better get you a chair.” Tony was already looking for one before he even finished his sentence, and then Stephen felt himself being led to the couch in the foyer. He sat down without argument and made himself breathe through the nausea as Tony sat next to him. “So what's going on?”

Stephen breathes out a pathetic laugh. “If I told you, you'd think I was insane.”

“Guess we won't know unless you tell me.”

If Stephen didn't have that vision, he would have told Tony off…but he knew better. He knew Tony hid his kindness behind smart remarks, but Stephen knew he wasn't ready to hear about what he just experienced. Then being together, having a family, and with the Avengers back together…it was a lot to chew on.

“Maybe later,” he answers quietly. If he could get that vision to be real again, maybe there would be a later.

“Fair enough. Something too intense to recover from immediately right?” Tony says as he gets back to his feet. “I've had nightmares like that. Anyway, glad to see you don't have any magical mishaps here.”

“You'll just cause them if you keep touching everything,” Stephen snorts and Tony barks out a laugh.

“Felt like touching. The engineer in me I guess.” Tony heads for the front door. “Get better soon, Doc. I don't want to be the one dealing with the magical end of things.”

Then he was gone. And Stephen felt empty again. The Sanctum was silent and he couldn't feel Tony's comforting heat…it all felt wrong. He couldn't live like this. Not after seeing what could be.

But then the doorbell rang about an hour later and when Stephen answered it, he found a bag by the door. It held hot soup and a note that made Stephen think that maybe it could happen after all.

Something told me that you'd be terrible about taking care of yourself since you're a doctor. Took the liberty of ordering you some soup. Get well soon, Doc. -T

As Stephen pocketed the receipt with the note and picked up the bag, he couldn't help but smile to himself. He'd have to send the older man a thank you. Something along the lines of calling the man an asshole.

_____________

It worked of course. Tony took it as a challenge of snark and it brought him to Stephen's door more and more. Then everything began to feel familiar to Stephen. The lunches at the Sanctum, the constant quips that he remembered hearing, and their first kiss in Tony's living room…

Everything was back to the way it was. Stephen had to go through all the pain and suffering again but it was worth it to have his family back. It was worth having Valerie glued to his leg since William was still at school, to have Lucy running around in her diaper because she refused to wear any other clothes, and to hear Diana arguing with Harley and Peter over the TV. 

He didn't feel empty anymore.

“You alright, Duchess?” Tony asks from beside him as he cuts up some vegetables. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

Stephen shakes his head and focuses back on the task at hand. Namely cutting the last couple of strawberries for Valerie that would hold her over until dinner. “I'm fine.”

“That's just as believable as when you said it when we first met,” Tony huffs. “You looked the same then and you gave me the same answer. Which you never explained to me by the way.”

Stephen looks at him with surprise. “You remember that?”

“I'm old, not senile.” Tony says and Stephen chuckles.

“I really am fine. What happened then was the complete opposite of now.” He starts. “I…saw this back then.”

Tony blinks and stops cutting to look over at the sorcerer. “Wait…this?”

“The kids…us…I lived it. I looked like a ghost because I was torn away from it. It was all a vision and it made me feel sick.” Stephen tells him as he hands the bowl of strawberries down to Valerie and watches her walk over to the table with them. “It was the happiest I've ever been in my life and it was just a dream.”

“And now?” Tony asks carefully, gently taking Stephen's hand, making him smile.

“It's real. I made sure of it. Even if it wasn't, I would do it all again without hesitation.” Stephen reassures. “The vision was just so intense and realistic that it took a lot out of me at the time. I also don't think you would have believed me at the time.”

“I…maybe.” Tony admits. “I was still a little suspicious of it at the time. Are you sure you're okay now?”

Stephen nods. “I'm just relieved. That's all. If I knew this was possible and wasn't able to get it again…”

“But it was and you do,” Tony says firmly before lifting Stephen's hand to kiss the back of it. “I'd hate to imagine what it would be like without you.”

The doctor’s smile drops a bit. “I've seen that too. It's not good.”

“Guess I should thank those witch doctors of yours that they blessed you with visions,” Tony smirks and Stephen rolls his eyes.

“I can't believe you just referred to the Vishanti as witch doctors.”

“You still love me.”

Stephen’s smile returns and he sighs softly. “I always will.”

[elisaphoenix13]

Always Something New

Thomas startles awake with a yelp when he rolls out of bed and lands on the floor with a thump. It wasn't the first time and it likely wouldn't be the last. He had a tendency to try and run in his sleep and wiggled himself out of bed, at least according to his brothers. Even Tony had caught him doing it and laughed all the way back down to the kitchen to tell…someone. Thomas was too embarrassed to find out.

He wiggles out of the half of his comforter that fell off his bed with him and shuffles into his bathroom to make an attempt at taming his hair. It never really worked but he always made it look a little less like he rolled out of bed.

When his bathroom door slams open, the teen startles and he looks at Stephen with wide eyes. The man looked extremely angry, but this was completely out of character for the man. The sorcerer would always calmly discuss any issue he had with him and they would work it out, but this…

“What are you doing in here?! I was in the middle of meditating until the noises you were making interrupted me! We put a roof over your head and clothes on your back and this is the thanks we get?! Inconsiderate!” Stephen yells and Thomas gulps.

“S-Sorry. It was an accident. I just fell out of bed–” Thomas starts and the man clicks his tongue in annoyance.

“I don't care about your excuses. Keep it down!”

Then Stephen left as quickly as he arrived, leaving Thomas to blink at the spot the sorcerer vacated. He could only assume that Stephen was in a foul mood from too much stress or maybe even some weird spell that backfired, but even so, it shook the teen. This was what he and William were expecting since day one. For Tony and Stephen to get sick of them or to treat them like every other family did.

Hopefully apologizing later would help.

For now, Thomas would finish quietly getting ready and head down for breakfast before he went to school with his brother and Cassie. When he got to his door to open it though, he heard a yelp and then a crash, and he was throwing his door open in time to look down to the living room and find his twin getting up from the side table that he had…fallen against? But Tony was just a few feet away yelling at him, and William was holding his face as if…

William dropped his hand and even from Thomas's distance, he could see a nasty bruise forming. Had Tony hit him? What was going on? Thomas felt like his world was completely turned upside down and all he could do was panic. He and William weren't safe anymore. They should have known living in the tower with the Avengers was too good to be true. But why did they have to tell and hit them? Why couldn't they just tell them to get out? Maybe if Thomas ran, he could grab his brother and go. Anywhere. Somewhere they would–

“Tommy.”

Thomas gasps, the small voice interrupting the panic attack he wasn't even aware he was having, and he looks down to find his baby sister. Lucy. She was tugging insistently on his pants and looking up at him worriedly.

“Bad dweam, Tommy.” She says.

“Wh-what?” 

“Wake up!” She demands.

Thomas gasps and finds himself back in his room, sitting up in his bed and covered in sweat. He looks around as he gathers his bearings, and when he finally calms down enough, he gets out of bed and gingerly walks over to his bedroom door and opens it. Instead of finding Tony yelling at William, he found Stephen reading on the couch and Diana wrestling with Harley. When he finally went downstairs to investigate some more, he actually found Tony and William cooking together. His twin was smiling. There were no bruises. There wasn't a scratch on him.

“Thomas? Are you alright?” Stephen asks and the teen spins around in anewed panic to look at him.

“I…yeah…just had a bad dream.” He mumbles.

“Tommy better?” Lucy sits up from her spot napping on one of the couches and Thomas gapes at her.

Was she actually in his dream? It couldn't be. That was impossible…right? Maybe not. He lives in a tower full of people with different powers, and even Diana was born with magic because she was born from it. Why not Lucy? Even if Valerie was normal, it didn't mean Lucy was too.

“Mom? Is…does Lucy…is it possible for her to have powers?” Thomas stammers out, garnering the sorcerer’s full attention.

“I suppose it is but she hasn't shown any signs. I assumed she was normal like Valerie.” Stephen says slowly after some thought. “Why do you ask?”

“Because the Lucy in my dream helped me wake up. She told me it was a bad dream.” Thomas explains.

“Bad dweam,” Lucy points at him and nods. 

Stephen closes his book and gets up to walk over to Lucy and sit on the couch next to her. “Did you visit Thomas in his dreams?”

“Uh-huh. He scawed.” Lucy answers.

“I wonder…” The sorcerer mumbles to himself. “Lucy, I want you to sit very still. Do you understand?”

When the toddler nods, Stephen starts to cast an intricate spell. Thomas watches curiously as the man continues to draw and summon more runes and circles that made no sense to him, and then they eventually glowed. He watched as Stephen looked at them with raised brows and then the spell dissipated shortly after Tony entered with William.

“We came in here to tell you lunch was ready but now I want to know what you were casting a spell for,” Tony says. 

Stephen looks over at him and laughs. “I can't believe I didn't think to try it before. But when Thomas asked if Lucy could have powers…”

“Honey, I came in at the end of it so I have no idea what you're talking about,” Tony reminds him.

“Thomas. He had a bad dream and said the Lucy in his dream told him it was a nightmare and helped him wake up. Our Lucy said she did it.” Stephen starts and waves toward the little girl. “So I wondered if I could discover any powers she might have with a spell.”

William straightens, intrigue clear on his face. “Does she?”

“She can dream walk,” Stephen confirms.

“That explains a lot,” Harley says after stopping his wrestling match with Diana when they heard the subject. “I've seen her in my dreams like that a couple times before.”

“I have too,” Tony winces. “They're not dreams I would like her to see but I guess it's not up to me.”

“What about Valerie?” Diana wonders. “Does she have powers?”

Stephen tilts his head in thought. “That's a good question. I could use the same spell on her to find out.”

“Topolina!” Tony looks up at the second floor and smiles when Valerie comes out of her room to look down at them.

“Si, Papà?”

“Come down please. Mommy wants to check you for something.”

“Nothing bad, I promise.” Stephen reassures her when worry crosses her features. When she carefully descends the stairs and joins them, Stephen smiles. “Stay very still please.”

“Okay.”

And once again, Stephen was casting his spell, and again it glowed. When it dissipated, the sorcerer sat staring at Valerie for a good long while. 

“Mom?” Thomas says carefully, breaking whatever trance Stephen was in.

“She…does.” He says. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?” Tony asks.

“It's more passive.” Stephen says softly. “She has the power of longevity.”

Everyone stares at Valerie in shock and the little girl looks at her mother curiously. “What's that?”

“It means that unless you get very hurt, you will be around for a very long time.” Stephen tells her.

“Like you and Scott?” Peter asks from his hammock in the corner of the room. Thomas had no idea how long he had been there, but he admittedly wasn't paying attention. Peter had probably been there the entire time and listening intently like the rest of them.

“Yes, exactly.”

“Ughhhh…so much for having normal siblings!” Harley groans dramatically. “You think I'll get my own powers if I swim in some toxic waste or something?” When Stephen gives him the stink eye, he sighs loudly. “I'm only kidding! Sheesh!”

“You've at least got a normal dad,” Tony points out.

“I guess.” 

“Besides, who knows what kind of effect Will has on you,” Thomas says and Tony grimaces.

“Not a thought or image I need, thank you. Now let's go eat lunch.” He says and wraps an arm around William to lead him back into the kitchen. Harley and Diana get up to follow while Peter rolls out of his hammock and fwumps on the floor before practically skipping to the kitchen.

“What was the dream about, Thomas?” Stephen asks and the teen sighs.

“It's…I don't want to think about it. I know it wasn't real now and that's all that matters.” When Stephen gives him a skeptical look, Thomas sighs. “If I keep having the dream, I'll talk about it. But what you would tell me is something we already know.”

“And what would that be?”

“You're in it for the long haul.”

Understanding dawns on Stephen and he nods. “As long as you know.” He gently pats Valerie toward the kitchen and helps Lucy down from the couch. “Let's go eat before Peter eats everything.”

“And me!” Thomas grins and rubs to the table, sitting in his chair in less than a second.

“I thought I told you no running inside!” Stephen calls from the living room.

"Sorry, Mom!"

[elisaphoenix13]

Marvel RP Server!!

In search of both readers and participants to join our server!

There are lots of fics that are currently exclusive to the server!!

Do you like to RP (role play)? Know anyone who does?? Come join us! We already have over 30 stories to read!

Currently mostly IronStrange or Antlord (Quill & Scott), or one or two with other couples, but it's not just exclusive to them!

We are a non judgemental server and ALL ships are welcome! We pride ourselves on being a safe place to have the fun you want!

Sound good? Here's the invite 👇:

[elisaphoenix13]

Peter: I feel bad for gummy bears.

Harley: Why?

Peter: They look so happy...but then I bite their heads off.

Harley: This isn't the candy version of Toy Story.

[elisaphoenix13]

This Family Is Forever

There was always this pleasant feeling of in between that Stephen enjoyed. Not quite asleep but definitely not awake. He was aware of Tony's warm body that he was curled up against, his spouse's soft snores and the rise and fall of his chest where he laid his head. Anything beyond that bubble was non-existent. The weight of Athena and Apollo never processed, no noises outside of their room…just their breathing. Just the warmth they shared. It was a pleasant limbo that Stephen had been enjoying for…however long he had swam into consciousness. If he was conscious. Sometimes the little bubble ended up being a very vivid dream that was eventually unceremoniously popped and he would find himself alone in bed. Alone with his ever loyal wolf still at his feet of course. Tony and Apollo would be long gone if the coldness of the sheets beside him were any indication.

This was real though, Stephen could tell. With just the slightest bit of adjustment, he threw one of his legs over Tony's, and the man instinctively responded by tightening his arm around him and rubbing his thumb along his shoulder. The motion died down after a few seconds and Tony would lie still. Stephen selfishly enjoyed every moment of the peace–

"Mom!" Stephen's eyes snap open when the door flies open, the sound of the rest of the penthouse–namely their children's daily noise–breaks that wonderful bubble and forces the sorcerer out of his stupor. Tony grumbles beside him because he was unceremoniously woken up from his own bubble.

"Nobody lives here by that name," Tony says for him.

"There is when William is being bullied at school!" America retorts.

Of course that immediately got their attention and Stephen was already sitting up. Tony took a few seconds longer, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"How did you find out about this?" Stephen asks as he slips out of bed to follow his newly adopted daughter out of the room. As she led the way to the youngest twin's room, the man mentally kicked himself for ignoring the signs. The boy had been more withdrawn than usual, staying in his room and declining to spend time with the sorcerer like he usually did, whether to read together, practice his magic, or to simply put together a puzzle.

He even openly avoided Harley and Valerie, making them very put out and hurt. If Stephen really thought about it, he could recall that William very gingerly ate his dinner the night before. The conclusion he came to caused him to see red but he stamped the anger down as he and America approached the room. The door was closed and Stephen at least knocked twice before letting himself in, fully expecting the boy to teleport away to escape the situation, but instead he found the boy sitting on his bed looking defeated.

He was clearly tired of hiding the truth or was aware Stephen would follow him to the ends of the earth to make sure he was okay.

The bruise on his cheek was a clear sign that he wasn't and Stephen's rage boiled in his chest.

"I caught him trying to cover it up," America explains before Stephen can ask. "He's been covering it up for days."

Considering the bruise was still rather dark and large, whatever caused it had to have happened at the beginning of the week. Even more concerning was the fact that Cassie hadn't caught on. She was, unofficially, their eyes on the twins while they were at school because they knew how the boys hid things. It had gotten better, but bullying was something they felt wasn't worth bothering their parents about. Stephen could understand to an extent. Schools had a no bullying policy but never really enforced it, or if they did, suspended both parties and washed their hands of it.

It was Peter all over again. Stephen would have to talk to Tony about the usual funding threat to get the bullying to stop like they had done for Peter. It seemed the only effective solution.

"William," Stephen says softly as he crouches in front of the teen. "What's going on?"

For a moment, William didn't make any indication that he would respond, but finally he said, "they said it's because my parents are both guys."

The words sunk in slowly before finally clicking. William was being bullied because he was gay? And on top of that, because they thought he was gay because of his parents? The notion was laughable considering Cassie had gay parents and she was very happily in a straight relationship with Peter and vice versa. Bullies really reach for a reason to ridicule someone.

"Let me see," Stephen says, reaching up to gently tilt William's head to examine the bruise around his cheekbone. The boy winced at the slightest touch, making the sorcerer frown as he sent some healing magic into it. The color lightened but his body would have to finish the healing itself. "America, will you go run and get some ice please?"

"Yup!" The girl rushes out in an instant.

"I want the names of whoever did this to you and your father and I will take care of this," Stephen tells William, smiling when the boy's eyes widen. "Quietly, I promise. This isn't our first rodeo. What I am curious about is how you managed to hide it from Cassie and Thomas."

"They were home sick the day it happened and you were out doing sorcerer stuff, so when I got home I was able to cover it with some of Cass's make-up," William says quickly, or as Thomas would call it, word-vomiting. "I didn't want to say anything because if you or dad or Harley freak out, then I freak out, and I didn't want you to worry about something so stupid–"

"This isn't stupid," Stephen interrupts sharply as he moves to sit next to William on the bed. "Nothing that hurts you is ever stupid. Even something as small as a paper cut isn't stupid…do you know why?"

William swallows thickly, only looking up when Tony walks in with some ice instead of America, and winces when the older man gently applies it to his face. Tony only let go when William held the ice under his own power and moved his hand to place on top of the boy's dark hair.

"Because you deserve better," Tony answers, having obviously heard what Stephen had said and been updated on the situation by their daughter. "All of you do. Every kid does, really. You and your brother had to take care of each other for a long time because no one else would, but you have this whole new family that would take a bullet for you. Hell, there's even a god downstairs that would blow up the school if you asked him to."

Stephen snorts. "Quill's not going to blow up a school."

"The point," Tony rolls his eyes fondly, continuing. "Is that he would. And if we had you when the snap happened, I would have worked that much harder to get my boys back. Losing Stephen, Harley, and Peter like that…I still have nightmares. And you know what? I have nightmares that it happens to all of my kids. You and Thomas, America, Cassie, the girls…" Tony sighs quietly. "Something that may seem stupid to you, won't be stupid to us. You are our kid and we love you. We want you to be safe, happy, and validated. We want you to feel comfortable calling us if you decide to go out partying without telling us and you end up in some kind of trouble."

William's shoulder slump. "I'm sorry. I just…even after all this time…a part of me is still worried that one little thing will ruin everything."

Tony lifts his head up by his chin and smirks at him. "I told you before and I'll tell you again kid. We're in this for the long haul. There are plenty of actual stupid things Peter and Harley have done that made us want to tear out our hair but they're still here. We still love them. Making mistakes is all a part of growing up. Or, in this case, telling your parents when something not so great is happening at school. Capire?"

William nods. "Yeah."

"Is there anything else you need to talk about or tell us?" Stephen asks.

"No," the teen shakes his head this time. "It's just that, I swear."

"Alright. Do you think you can handle pancakes with some strawberries and whipped cream?" A nod from William sends Stephen out the door to make breakfast, but a near collision with Valerie makes him stop.

"Liam better?" She asks quietly and Stephen smiles and brushes her hair back.

"I think so. Maybe if you ask nicely, he'll play with you until breakfast is ready."

It was enough to make the little girl perk up with a smile before hurrying into William's room, almost running into Tony while doing so. The man was fortunately able to move out of the way and snorted in amusement.

"I'm pretty sure if we did try to get rid of him, your daughter would have something to say about it," Tony jokes and Stephen huffs as he turns and descends the stairs to the kitchen.

"My daughter? Just like Lucy is my daughter when she gets into trouble you put her in?" Stephen challenges.

Tony laughs. "In my defense, Lulu climbs those shelves by herself. She doesn't need any help from me."

"After you taught her to do that, you mean."

"I plead the fifth."

Stephen snorts again and sets about making breakfast while Tony goes in search of their youngest. She was found in the living room watching TV with Diana and America, but was eager to be held by Tony, who returned to the kitchen with her in hand. Lucy was happily rubbing her hands along Tony's goatee with her typical gleeful babbling or an actual English word, and the rest of the kids were slowly leaving their rooms. Probably enticed by the smell of pancakes.

"Quill would blow up the school if it were Cassie," Tony suddenly says.

"Quill would find a way to disintegrate someone with lasers from his eyeballs if someone so much as sneezes in her's or Scott's general direction," Stephen responds flatly.

"Don't give him any ideas," Peter yawns, and plops into a seat at the breakfast counter. "He already gave some guy at her school the side eye when he had to go pick her up when she was sick. Like you said, the poor guy just sneezed."

"Was he sitting next to her?" Tony asks.

"I think so. They were both in the office."

"Then he probably silently accused him of making Miss Sass sick," Tony says. "Quill's planning his demise as we speak."

Stephen rolls his eyes and tunes the two of them out as he finishes breakfast, but keeps an ear out when he hears Harley talking to William. He couldn't hear much of what his oldest was saying, but it was clear that he was fussing over his boyfriend and irritated at whoever hurt him. He was surprised to hear Valerie reprimand Harley for upsetting William because of the fussing.

"If you think Quill's bad, I wouldn't want to get on Valerie's bad side when it comes to William," Stephen says to Tony and Peter. "I'm sure she's ready to push Harley out of the room."

"Val?" Peter gawks and gasps dramatically when Stephen smirks. "What is this world coming to?!"

"I saw a stare down between her and Sam when he tried to talk to Will about something that was obviously upsetting him," Thomas adds nonchalantly as he joins them. "She didn't even glare or anything. Just stared. Sam left."

"Seriously. What's this world coming to?" Peter mumbles and Stephen chuckles.

The twins weren't the only ones learning and growing up it seemed.

[elisaphoenix13]

Hi! So, I noticed that it seems like your Mama Bear AU on AO3 disappeared. I haven't been on AO3 that much for a while, and I was wondering, What happened?

It hasn't actually disappeared! I just made all of my works only available for members because OF COURSE somebody or something had to ruin it for everybody. I was getting AI trolls and harassment about my work not being my own and the only way to stop it was to lock my work for people with accounts only. I'm sorry if this has affected you and others but enough was enough.

Fortunately it is pretty easy to get your own account and I recommend doing so! Especially because I think more and more people are doing the same thing.

[elisaphoenix13]

Lucy, while in the car: My sandwich is still frozen! Can you defrost it?

Tony: Just wait a few minutes-

*Uncrustable™ flies to the front of the car and lands on the dashboard.*

Lucy: There! The sun will thaw it!

Stephen: We should wear cameras to show what our lives our like with these kids.

[elisaphoenix13]

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man 2