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[space-mermaid-writing]

The Vamp and the Were [IronStrange]

Summary: Tony would mark the day he met a vampire that did not immediately jump at his throat. Just for once – that would be a nice change.

Relationship: Werewolf!Tony Stark / Vampire!Stephen Strange

Tags: hurt/comfort, idiots in love, angst, fluff

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 1.6k | Previous | Next (soon)

Chapter 12: Brooding in the basement

Tony entered the Sanctum. The text message he got from Wong had been very concerning.

It was a message that told him to come over. No specifics added. So, mentally, Tony prepared for everything.

Wong met him at the stairs. “Good, you’re here.” He signed the Were to follow him. To Tony’s surprise, they didn’t go up the stairs as usual, but walked past them.

"He refuses to come out."

"Is he...?" Tony wasn’t sure how to phrase it.

"He's in his own right mind."

Relieved, the Were exhaled. That was good news.

Wong stopped in front of a door Tony had never seen before, or at least never noticed. "Where does that lead to?"

"Into the basement. Well, the safe part of it. Stephen is down there. Good luck."

Contrary to his expectation, Wong did not leave immediately, but waited until Tony had opened the door and entered. There was a flight of wooden stairs that creaked with each step down.

The basement was an old vault with high, rounded ceilings, and no windows. It was dark except for the light in the hallway that came in through the door.

"Is there a light switch around here somewhere?"

He heard a 'woosh' and then a soft 'click' as the cloak helped him again. Immediately, the room lit up.

“Thanks, buddy.”

There was little furniture down here, and most of it seemed to be junk: a worn-out couch, some shelves, and a stack of moving boxes whose outlines were barely discernible under a thick layer of dust and cobwebs.

He only spotted Stephen at second glance; his legs were sticking out from behind the couch. Apparently he had made himself comfortable there on the stone floor, and was staring at the ceiling. The cloak settled over him again like a blanket.

"Nice place," Tony commented. "Very fitting for a vampire. Where's your coffin?"

Stephen didn’t bite. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Yeah, well, you see, I do a lot of things I shouldn’t. But I don’t think this here counts as one of those things.”

He stopped beside Stephen, but the Vamp ignored his presence and continued to stare straight up.

Tony's eyes followed his gaze. The view at the ceiling was not particularly spectacular. Gray stone with an ornamental pattern that had faded over time.

Looking back at Stephen, Tony tried to grasp the situation while the sorcerer stubbornly refused to look at him at all. His face was a carefully put-together mask and Tony could sense the self-doubt and shame underneath it.

He sat down next to him on the floor, and then he also laid back – using Stephen's belly as a pillow. The cloak folded back its fabric to welcome him.

“What are you doing?” the Vamp asked, surprised.

“I’m doing exactly what I should do: being with the person I would like to call my… ” He noticed Stephen tensing under him and steered back a little. “I mean we haven’t talked about exclusivity yet… or anything really. But I thought we had something good going on on that trip before we got interrupted so rudely.”

The vampire disagreed. “I lost control and attacked you. Even worse, I drank your blood without your consent.”

“I told you, if you go feral, I will keep you from harming anybody. And I did.”

“I harmed you!”

“I let you drink my blood and I also stopped you before you took too much.”

“I could have killed you.” Stephen sat up abruptly, forcing Tony to sit up as well.

The Were turned towards him. “But you didn’t.” He took Stephen’s hand and caressed it with his fingers. “Everything turned out fine. I handled it.” More or less.

The sorcerer opened his mouth to argue but Tony shut him up by taking his face in both hands, looking at him. “Stephen, listen. I won’t force you into anything. But I also don’t want to hear excuses on why this is a bad idea, if your only argument is that you are too dangerous for me. Because I know you and I could be great together.”

Stephen's resistance crumbled. In fact, his blue eyes were watery and he took deep breaths as if he was trying to keep himself together.

There was so much the Vamp wanted to say. Deep in his core he didn’t want to give Tony up. But he felt like he didn’t deserve him. Not because of what happened in Australia. It was something deeper than that, hidden away. From before he had even met the Were.

That part that never forgave what happened all those years ago, when he was searching Kamar-Taj, and he was attacked by those vampires in the side alley. Those vampires who cursed him and made him a monster.

That was something he needed to work on if he ever wanted a healthy relationship with Tony. Tony, who had seen some of his worst sides and still wanted him.

Stephen felt his chest burning and aching, and if he hadn’t been undead he would have thought he was having a heart attack.

It was the feeling of a broken heart slowly getting mended back together.

The Vamp had to close his eyes for a moment, because everything became too much. His senses were overloaded.

Tony pulled the sorcerer’s face closer until they were forehead to forehead. The connection grounded Stephen. Tony’s thumb caressed his cheek.

“If you really need to,” the Were said, his voice more quietly now, “you can apologize one time. After that I don’t want to hear about Australia ever again.”

Stephen’s words were no more than a whisper. “I’m so sorry for what happened, Tony. I never wanted you to see me like that.”

“I forgive you.”

Stephen blinked at him in surprise. Tony's words were spoken with such earnestness, not just a dismissal of words. He truly meant it.

The Were added, “Also, I’d really like to kiss you now.”

The sorcerer beat him to it. It was all desperate and messy. They were still sitting on the floor like pups with their first crushes, not two middle aged men. There were so many emotions between them. And a hint of teeth, although it was hard to say whose.

Tony's hands moved from Stephen's face to his shoulders, grasping the fabric of his robes as if he never wanted to let him go. Stephen welcomed that thought.

The Were was the first to pull away, panting heavily. His lips were swollen and there was a slight blush on his face. Stephen heard his pulse racing and found it very distracting.

Everything regarding Tony was distracting.

“We’ll come up with something,” the engineer said. “Should a similar situation occur. I need to know you’re safe, wherever you are. Especially in daylight.” He exhaled. “I thought I would lose you. That you would fall to ashes at any point.” His fingers dug deeper into Stephen’s robes. “I don’t want to feel that fear ever again.”

The big brown eyes of the Were were all vulnerable. The smell of distress radiated from him, just from thinking about it.

Stephen calmed him down by pulling him fully into his arms and pressing a kiss onto the side of his neck. That space between ear and shoulder he knew werewolves used to scent each other.

Tony’s breath hitched.

Stephen could feel the warm blood pulsing under the skin as he grazed his teeth against it. Then, gently, he sucked on a mark.

Tony went slack in his arms, making a sound like a whine and a purr mixed together. He quickly pressed his teeth together to prevent further sounds from escaping.

Stephen didn’t comment on it, instead he answered to the previous proposal. “We’ll do that.”

He nuzzled the top of Tony’s head and pressed another kiss to his forehead. The cloak had wrapped itself around the both of them like a blanket, providing additional comfort.

They stopped talking, just basking in each other’s presence and proximity. Taking in the scent of the other.

It was Stephen who finally suggested, “We should go upstairs. Wong must be worried sick if he sent you.”

“He is.” Tony was hesitant to withdraw from the sorcerer. But he was glad that Stephen was ready to come out of his hiding place. “For the record, I would have come anyway at some point and tore that door down if I hadn’t heard from you.”

“That I don’t doubt.” Stephen's heart swelled with joy, imagining it.

They stood up reluctantly. Tony kept Stephen's hand in his.

“What happened to Dayan and his family?” the sorcerer asked.

“Most of them survived. They took care of the hunters and moved.” Tony had also talked to Marvan, his business partner, and informed him of the incident. For his own safety, since his cabin was nearby.

Stephen hummed in acknowledgment, while they were walking up the stairs.

“Did you eat these past days?” Tony asked.

"Wong put blood bags outside the door."

They could always count on Wong to take care of Stephen, and Tony was glad to know a friend at the Vamp's side.

“Good. If you need another snack, though…” He pointed to himself with a suggesting grin.

Stephen looked at him, scandalized. “Are you being serious right now?”

“What? You once told me you can make it feel amazing. You were so rude and feral last time you drank from me. I think I deserve a session with better treatment.” Tony was mostly joking. If Stephen insisted on never laying teeth onto him again, he would understand and accept it. With the occasional quip of course.

The vampire thought about it. “I guess you’re right,” he finally said and thus surprised Tony. “But let’s just wait some more for it.”

“Anything for you, darling.”

__________

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[space-mermaid-writing]

The Vamp and the Were [IronStrange]

Summary: Tony would mark the day he met a vampire that did not immediately jump at his throat. Just for once – that would be a nice change.

Relationship: Werewolf!Tony Stark / Vampire!Stephen Strange

Tags: hurt/comfort, idiots in love, angst, fluff

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 5k | Previous | Next

Chapter 11: Shit goes down (down under)

Roughly, they fell through the air and landed on sandy ground.

"Ouch," Tony complained, "what the hell?"

Stephen scrambled to his feet, wincing in the process. The graze that had hit him must have been infused with silver, because the wound on his arm was straight up burning. And the magic that had been blasted in his face wasn’t so great either. “You shouldn’t touch magical artifacts.”

“Sorry. They really should come with warning labels, though.”

Stephen would have laughed at those familiar words, if he hadn't currently been so worried.

It was quiet around them. The landscape had changed and smelled different, too. The wand must have teleported them a good distance.

“Let’s go back.”

Stephen reached for his sling ring in his pocket – only to find it empty. He patted down his clothes. But there was nothing. Muttering a curse, he looked around to see if he could find it lying somewhere on the ground.

In the meanwhile, Tony paid little attention to him. He was busy trying to figure out where they had landed.

Around them was the endless expanse of a steppe, almost desert-like, and stars shone in the night sky above them. There were hundreds and thousands to be seen, he could even point out the Milky Way. There was no light pollution at all, and that meant they had to be far away from any city.

The changed landscape and the fact that it suddenly was much warmer, made him come to the solution that they had been sent to a different country.

His gaze dropped to his glasses on the ground. They were smashed by the explosion and he had also fallen on it. He put them back on, hoping that there was still a signal coming through.

It was to no avail. The connection to Jarvis was dead. There wasn’t even so much as a glitch.

This wasn’t good.

“Please tell me you can get us out of here, doc.”

“I’m afraid not.”

Their eyes met.

“Shit.”

So thanks to the unknown attackers who had surprised them, they were now stranded in… wherever this was. It was still night, but Tony couldn't tell if it was a later hour or if they at least had been given more time until the sun came up and became fatal for Stephen.

Either way, they shouldn't waste this time standing here idly.

"Let's go this way." Tony turned left and started walking.

Stephen followed him. "Do you know where to go?"

"No. But it's West. If anything it may delay sunrise a bit."

It would make little difference, but for once Stephen kept any comments to himself.

The ground was red-ish and barren, with only some small trees and bush scattered. There was no road and no path, but the ground was firm enough that it did not make walking unnecessarily difficult.

Tony ruled out Afghanistan as their current location. There had been nothing there except sandy dunes and a small rock now and then.

He didn't need to repeat that trip.

Nevertheless, they absolutely had to find a shelter before sunrise. Preferably a shelter with some form of internet connection.

“I think we’re in Australia,” the vampire noted.

“Oh, great.”

~~

They had been walking for maybe an hour when they crossed a road. A real, paved road. Tony thought it was beautiful.

Now they just had to decide whether to turn left or right.

Tony glanced at Stephen.

Stephen shrugged his shoulders. He had become unusually quiet for the last hour. Tony wondered if the temperature was already getting to him, but it was barely 15°C / 60°F degrees.

He took the decision in his own hands and turned to his right. The vampire followed.

Not only had he been quiet, he also was slowing down. Tony matched his speed and watched him out of the corner of his eye. The smell of sweat and blood was on them both – a result of the fight before. But there was something else on Stephen. Something metallic. The cloak on his shoulders was a familiar sight, but Stephen's posture under it was odd. The way he hunched and kept his arm angled at his body. As if he was…

Tony stopped rooted to the spot.

"You're injured!" He was angry for not realizing it sooner, and also with Stephen for keeping it a secret.

"It's nothing. Barely grazed me." Stubbornly, the vampire continued moving forward.

"Morning will be arriving soon. You should have a drink." With his thumb Tony pointed toward the bright streak on the horizon behind them.

"No."

The Were moved right into Stephen's path and looked him in the face. "If our roles were reversed, you'd be suggesting the same thing."

"But it's not." Stephen had stopped, but wasn't looking directly at him. "I'm fine. Really." He hesitated for a moment. "There's a spell that will protect me against the sun so I won't burn immediately."

It would buy him time, but he was realistic: he was still in need of a hiding place. No vampire survived the sun for long.

He started walking again and circled Tony.

Sighing, the Were trailed behind him.

~~

For Stephen it became more and more exhausting to put one step in front of the other. The bullet had only scratched his skin, there was barely any silver in his blood. But his vampiric body was still not happy about it. He also felt incredibly warm, although the temperature had barely risen since they arrived.

The increasingly bright line on the horizon told them that the sun would soon appear. His cloak still protected him from the light, but to be on the safe side, he put the spell over him, even if he felt exhausted.

They still hadn't encountered anything or anyone on the road. No car, no house, not even a sign that could have told them how far it was to the next city. They really were in the deep vastness of Australia.

Tony remained by his side, casting worried glances at him from time to time, but said nothing to their ever decreasing pace.

This was not how the engineer had imagined their camping trip. Fucking hunters! They had been clearly prepared for Weres.

He hoped the others had survived.

Unfortunately, he had no way to contact and inform his business partner, the owner of the cabin, about the incident.

He had no working technology. That alone was bad enough. But they also had no water while being in the middle of a desert.

It had to be worse for the Vamp at his side.

The first rays of sunlight tickled Tony's face. Normally he liked the feeling, liked the warmth of the sun, but now his focus was on Stephen.

The Vamp knitted his brows together and squinted his eyes. They were sensitive and everything already felt too bright. But otherwise there was no spontaneous and instantaneous combustion to dust on his end.

Still, he was clearly uncomfortable.

The cloak had lengthened and its collar had also grown, as if to do its best to shield its owner from the harmful sun. It did not quite succeed.

Tony took off the plaid shirt he wore to the BBQ and again stepped in front of the other man. “Here, maybe this makes it less worse.”

With practiced hand movements he folded the shirt to a turban on Strange’s head. Maybe he had watched some tutorials after being rescued from the last desert he was trapped in. You never know when you need this kind of knowledge.

Stephen looked at him while the smaller man handled the fabric. “What about you?”

Tony scoffed. He still had his undershirt. “I tan nicely. Worst, I will get a bit sunburned. You can make it up by rubbing aloe on it when we’re back home.”

He looked at his work. Stephen's face was a little bit more protected. He did look pale. More pale than usual. And he looked like he tried to make himself smaller, as if that would help to escape the inevitable trajectory of the sun.

"Let's keep moving," Tony said, but Stephen's hand shot out and stopped him, holding his arm.

“Tony, if…”

The Were turned back to him, concerned by his sudden change of tone.

Their eyes met and Stephen swallowed. His throat was dry and he tried again. “… if we don’t find a shelter and my skin starts burning, I want you to go on without me.”

“I won’t leave you behind, doc!” Indignation resonated in his voice.

Stephen shook his head because Tony didn’t understand. He now grabbed the Were's shoulders with both hands. His grip was weak and his hands shook a little, but his face was more serious than ever.

“Tony, I will lose control at some point and I don’t want you or anyone else near me when that happens. You have to be so far away, that I can’t even smell you. In fact, I should stay here to give you more of a head start. If anything happened… if I killed anyone… if I killed you – I could never…” A kiss from Tony interrupted him. Gentle, like a butterfly on a flower, but it was enough to shut the vamp up.

Tony’s eyes were determined when he looked back up to him. “I won’t let that happen. If you go feral, I will keep you from harming anybody. I promise.” He said it with all the conviction he could manage. “But I will not leave you here to die. Not if there’s a chance we will still make it. Okay?”

Slowly, Stephen nodded, but still objected. “It would be safer for you.”

“I’m perfectly safe with you. You’re the most composed vamp I’ve ever met. C’mon, let’s keep going.”

He pulled Stephen along and it took only a few steps for the vampire to start walking on his own again.

Tony side glanced at him. They were still holding hands.

“Besides, it would be less of a problem if you would drink my blood now to give you strength.”

The answer was as curt as last time he brought the topic up.

“No.”

“Why not?”

Stephen looked away. “I know if I tasted you, I would never want to have anything else. You smell like ambrosia."

A blush crept onto Tony's cheeks at those words. He wrestled a smile from himself. "Only you manage to seduce me while we are in an emergency situation. I gotta keep you alive just to hear more of that.”

Tumbleweeds accompanied their way. Driven by the gusting wind and with only the sounds of their own steps. They fell into a silence to conserve energy, and it grew heavier with each mile they traveled.

They had been walking for hours without encountering anything other than sand, stone and some shrubbery along the road.

They had let go of their hands at some point for it had gotten too warm and Stephen's skin seemed to crack even under the light touch of the Were, who was afraid to hurt him. Now Stephen's arms hung weakly down the side of his body. The cloak dragged him more than he was walking himself. His legs moved forward only mechanically.

His tongue hung heavily in his dry mouth and he had the feeling that if he spoke, he was hardly able to form a coherent word. He longed for a sip to drink.

He noticed how his skin became brittle and cracked. The protection spell slowly wore off and the sun began to take its toll. He would not last much longer.

Greedily, his eyes wandered to his companion. With iron willpower he suppressed his instincts, but his senses sharpened and he could hear Tony's blood pulsing softly in his veins.

It was calling to him.

And it promised to be delicious.

Stephen looked down at the ground, watching his feet as they took one step after another. They seemed foreign to him. As if they were not part of his body, but something alien.

They were getting faster and faster, driven by an invisible force.

It took Stephen a moment to realize that Tony had grabbed a tip of his cloak and was pulling him forward with renewed vigor.

It took a little longer for Stephen to understand that Tony was talking to him.

„… c’mon, doc. We’re almost there. I will bathe you in slushy and ice.“

They passed a sign announcing a gas station in three miles. Stephen stumbled. His awareness of his surroundings was slipping again. He trusted the Were enough to just follow it, even though his subconscious told him that in his current state it was a bad idea to go to a place with people.

Another, louder voice in his head disagreed. He was thirsty and this would be a great opportunity.

When the building finally came into view, Tony spurred him on even more. He dragged the vampire into the shadow of the gas station.

A big out-of-order sign hung on the gas pumps, and the building's windows were taped shut with foil.

But fuck it. Shelter was shelter.

The doors were locked, but with a well-aimed kick Tony kicked them open. He didn't care if he demolished them in the process.

Inside, empty shelves and refrigerated displays greeted them. There was a cash register on the counter but no merchandise. It looked like the gas station had been closed some time ago.

The air in here was stale but cooler than outside in the sun. A small hallway led to the restrooms and staff room.

That was where Tony dragged Strange and dumped him on a worn-out couch. The cloak flew off his shoulders and hung like a curtain on the window, darkening the room even more.

Stephen lay there for a moment as if dead. His joints burned when he tried to move even a few inches.

"How are you feeling?" Tony asked while he was searching the closet, the only other piece of furniture in the narrow room. It was empty except for a few old newspapers. Nothing of use.

The vampire stared at him, only partially present mentally. It took a while for the words to get through to his brain.

He licked his lips. It felt so incredibly hot even in here. And the delicious blood was only a few feet away from him…

He shook his head to dispel those thoughts.

But he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. In the end, his survival instinct would win, he knew that.

The irregular panting he had gone over to and the pale look on the vampire's face did not please Tony at all. He took off the shirt turban to help him cool down faster.

"I'll be back in a minute."

Slinging the cloth over his shoulder, Tony exited the building through the main entrance and circled around it. At the back he had seen what had looked like a power generator when they arrived. And he indeed found such a device of considerable size in the shadow of the building.

The engineer examined the controls and hoped to get it working.

"Please don't leave me hanging," he muttered as he tried to fire it up.

On the second try, he heard the familiar hum.

"Yeah, that's it, baby."

It gave him hope that they would get out of here soon. He hurried back inside.

There was a cistern outside next to the generator, and when Tony turned on the tap in the bathroom, water came out of the pipe. A little stale and brown at first, but soon clear. It was lukewarm, but it would do.

He soaked the plaid shirt in it and then returned to Stephen to use it to wet his forehead and wrists like a fever-stricken patient, hoping it would regulate his body temperature down a bit.

Unfortunately, he had no ice on hand. It would take too long for the ice machines to produce any if he turned them on. But maybe he could knock over one of the refrigerated displays and use it as a cooling bed for Stephen. It would probably be quite uncomfortable for the vampire, but in his current state he could not value such luxury. This was a matter of survival.

Stephen stirred awake under him and interrupted his train of thoughts. The vamp still breathed heavily and his body felt like it was burning. With eyes glowing red, he stared at the Were above him.

Tony cupped his face. „I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken you camping.“

The vamp’s face leaned into the touch, turned his lips towards it. He sensed the blood pulsing behind the delicate skin.

He opened his mouth, fangs out.

Tony was able to pull his arm back just in time before Stephen bit him. The vamp followed the movement, sat up jerkily. He noticed Tony's horrified look, and only now realized what he had just tried to do.

„Get out!“

Stephen’s voice was hoarse.

„Doc-…“

„No, please! Leave and lock the door.“

Stephen could feel his mind slipping. He tried to maintain control but it became harder and harder with each second passing.

He could see himself pushing his sharp teeth into Tony's neck and tasting the engineer's delicious blood. He would drink until there was nothing left. And he wouldn't care.

He wanted the blood.

He needed it.

Everything before his eyes blurred yet again and the smell of blood in his nose grew stronger.

He forced himself to remain still, to not move a finger in fear he wouldn't stop until they caught their prey.

When the Were heard the low, bestial growl from the vamp's throat, he finally complied.

„It’s going to be okay,“ Tony promised him.

There wasn’t any answer from Stephen. His scared fingers clawed into the wet fabric of the shirt to hold back from jumping at Tony.

The Were left the staff’s room. There wasn’t a lock on the door, so Tony pushed an empty vending machine in front of it.

Then he got to work: his sunglasses were still in his back pants pocket, still broken. He fished them out and gathered some additional equipment from the shop.

He happened to find no actual tools but managed to craft ones that would do the job. He also swiped some cables from a machine and microchips from the cash register. As long as he had some form of electricity, he could use it to power a temporary tinkered signal transmitter.

It wouldn't win any beauty contests, but that didn't matter.

Tony held his breath as the glasses, after everything was hooked up, made a soft beeping sound. "Jarvis?"

„I’m glad to find you alive, Sir.“

Relieved, Tony exhaled a breath he didn’t know he held and smiled. If he could, he would hug his A.I.. "Do you have a visual?" he asked instead.

„Negative. I do have your coordinates, though. Do you want me to send a suit?“

"Absolutely. And message Wong. Tell him I need him ASAP. And he needs to bring blood bags."

"Sir?" Concern resonated in that one word, but now was not the time to explain everything that had happened.

„Use a satellite to get a proper picture of this gas station. Hell, use google street view if available. He’ll need it to get here.“

„Understood. The suit’s ETA is 23 minutes and 45 seconds.“

A noise in the staff room made Tony look up briefly. „I might need it faster than that.“

„You are literally on the other side of the world, Sir.“

„I know, I know.“ Tony had yet to master instant transportation. In that regard, magic with its portals was really more handy. „What can you tell me about this area? Is there anything nearby?“

„There’s a town twenty miles in the west and another one a hundred miles in the south.“

Well, Australia was one big empty hell space. At least people were far enough off to be safe from whatever was going on with the vampire.

There was scratching on the other side of the door.

Tony, on the other hand, should probably be more worried about himself.

„Doc? You okay in there?“

There wasn’t an answer. Just eerie silence. Tony kept an eye on the door just in case.

„ETA 21 minutes and 26 seconds,“ Jarvis offered unhelpfully.

Without another warning, Stephen burst through the door. The vending machine fell over with a loud thud and its front glass shattered.

The vampire bared his sharp teeth as he sniffed the air. Bright red eyes zoned in on Tony.

He had lost any composure and now bore more resemblance to the bloodsucking monsters the Avengers normally fought.

Tony was standing perfectly still, not breaking eye contact. „You don’t want to do this.“

Strange snarled at him. Then he leaped.

Tony jumped over the counter. Fortunately, his reflexes were faster than those of an ordinary human.

He shifted mid-air, not caring about his ripped jeans and undershirt. When he hit the ground, he did so with four legs. Immediately he yanked around to keep his eyes on the vampire, which turned out as too slow anyway. Stephen was faster and crashed right into him, knocking him off his feet.

Tony collided with an empty store shelf and huffed.

That would give a big bruise tomorrow; if he survived today.

The vampire snarled and Tony was too slow to avoid the greedy teeth. But before he could bite him, Stephen was yanked back by the cloak. That gave Tony enough time to get back up.

The cloak was wrapped around Stephen's torso and arms, forcibly holding him back. The vampire thrashed, the sound of tearing cloth was heard, and the cloak flinched. With his superhuman strength, Stephen managed to free himself.

He didn’t use any magic, only working with his primal instincts. He was hungry, desperate for blood, and that made him unpredictable and dangerous. But also weak.

Tony didn’t want to hurt Stephen. Not really. But between dying and surviving he might have to make a tough choice.

Normally he preferred to fight against undead in his armor in human form. In it he was safe from bites, had his weapons and also the advantage of two thumbs. As a werewolf he wasn’t helpless, he had his claws and teeth, but on the other hand he didn’t truly want to hurt Stephen.

They demolished more and more of the furniture. Shelves fell over, the glass of a freezer broke when Stephen was hurled against it.

Tony managed to push Stephen with his weight on the floor near the front door, growling warningly at him.

The vampire thrashed, not thinking about calming down. Even if Tony had been able to speak to him in his present form, the vampire would not have listened to him. The rational part of his brain had shut down. There were no emotions left but rage and hunger.

Stephen didn't even recognize the Were. He needed blood and his primal instincts had taken control of his body.

An encounter with a vampire in this condition was usually fatal. To voluntarily offer him blood was bordering on insanity. No Vamp would be able to stop until they emptied their source out.

Tony shifted his position and moved his front leg in front of the vamp’s face. Strange took the bait. He managed to free one of his hands, grabbed the furry leg and sunk his teeth into it.

The Were whined in pain. The vampire was anything but gentle. With each sip he drank his sharp teeth moved in the flesh. Tony felt the life energy being drained out of him.

He waited only a few moments until he found he had given enough blood and before he became too weak to fight back. Then he kicked the nearby front door open. Sunlight poured in and Stephen hissed in agony. He let go of his meal and scrambled back into the darker corner of the room.

Tony moved in the other direction, limping slightly. To the door and outside.

There he was safe. For now.

The Vamp hissed. Where the sun had hit him, his skin turned dark like burnt coal. He was angry about the pain. But he was even angrier about the fact that his food source had disappeared.

He followed the trail and approached the windows. But he wasn’t able to face the sunlight.

The blood he got from the Were took off the edge of his thirst, but it was nowhere near enough. It also didn’t magically change him back into his regular self, like Tony had hoped.

Did he need more blood to regain awareness?

Or was the Vamp forever lost? Doomed to stay this mindless, instinct-driven monster? Was this the fate of vampires? What had happened to the others Tony had fought so far? He had never considered it necessary to ask these questions until now, and therefore, unfortunately, he had no answers.

A throbbing pain went through the bite wound on his leg and some more blood spilled. Stephen's eyes were fixed on it and he made angry noises for he couldn't reach him.

Tony felt the magic before he even heard it. It might have been because his senses were on high alert. It was the familiar feeling of frizzle and his ears twitched in that direction.

A gold-orange circle appeared in front of the gas station sign, forming a portal. It was probably the image Jarvis had found and forwarded.

Wong had a cooler bag shouldered and he hurried to the Werewolf as soon as he spotted him. „What happened?“ His gaze followed the Were's.

The man wasn’t known for emotional outbreaks but Tony recognized the signs of worry in his face when the sorcerer realized Stephen’s condition. “Oh no…”

He needed a second to collect himself, before he opened the cooler bag and pulled out a blood bag. „He won’t drink it if he smells us nearby.“

So, what he was saying was that they needed to shove it down his throat. Tony shifted back into his human form, not caring that he was now standing butt naked next to the other man.

„I’ll take care of it.“ Between the two of them, he was the better choice than the human. „J,“ he called inside. „What’s the ETA?“

„Two minutes and four seconds. Sir, might I add it is quite dangerous to-“

But Tony had stopped listening and turned back to Wong. „I need your magic as backup. And a pair of pants.“

The sorcerer only raised an eyebrow, but complied with the request and with a gesture he magically fetched a pair of pants from somewhere. They were slightly too long but would do.

Tony trusted his armor but still didn’t want to risk certain body parts getting injured by what was probably a stupid idea anyway.

Right on time, he heard the familiar sound of thrusters as his armor descended and landed next to him. It opened automatically for him to enter.

It was one of the sleeker versions, still agile and – the most important part – vampire safe.

Tony stepped toward it, turned, and the armor closed seamlessly around him. He took the cooler bag from Wong and ripped the first blood bag open when he stepped back inside the gas station.

To the normal eye, Stephen was invisible. He had adopted a new tactic and was hiding. Tony's sensors found him anyway and on his screen Tony saw that he was lurking behind a shelf.

Even mindless, the vampire wasn't an idiot.

"I got your juice box, doc." Tony waved it. "Come and get it. It's very yummy." He felt Wong rolling his eyes at him, which was totally unnecessary.

His focus remained on Stephen though, and when the vampire attacked him, he forcefully stuffed the red liquid down his throat.

At first the vampire swallowed the stuff reluctantly and he glared angrily at the armor. Then, however, his thirst took over and he went for the blood.

Tony immediately threw two more of the bags at him.

Like a junkie, Stephen tore them open and feasted on the tasty liquid until his face and clothes were smeared all over with red.

His breathing slowed. He was still pale, but his burns were already beginning to heal.

When the last reserve was emptied, Stephen looked back at Tony and growled softly. Though his thirst was quenched for now, his mind was still not back.

He had only grown stronger and used that to fling Tony away from him. He was about to jump after him as well, but before he could do so, a spell from Wong hit him, knocking him off his feet. He slumped down, unconscious.

Tony waited a few seconds to make sure the vampire didn't get up again before he opened his faceplate, still sitting where Stephen had thrown him. "Couldn't you have done that earlier?"

“No.” Wong didn’t elaborate.

Tony stood up and looked at Stephen's bloodied, motionless form. “Will he be back to normal when he awakes?”

Wong hesitated slightly before he answered. “Probably.”

The Were didn’t like the wavering uncertainty in his voice. But before he could ask, Wong moved his arm in a familiar circle and he portaled Stephen away.

"Where did you send him?"

“Somewhere safe to regenerate and wake up.”

He didn’t mention if it was safe for Stephen or for everyone else, and Tony didn’t ask. He was exhausted. It had been a long day and a long night even before they arrived involuntarily on this continent. He wouldn’t mind sleeping for a day or two.

Tony turned his head to Wong and noticed that he was watching him. But Tony was too tired to wonder how battered he looked on the outside.

Fortunately, Wong refrained from commenting.

“Can you give me a lift?” Tony asked and Wong nodded.

“Where to?”

Home. As much as he would like to stay close to Stephen, he would be to no use right now. And he had other stuff to take care of.

So he collected his glasses and had a portal created onto the roof of his tower.

This hadn’t turned out to be the camping trip he had had in mind.

________

Tag list: @jekyllhydetrash @goopierthenyou Tell me if you wanna be added/removed

[space-mermaid-writing]

The Vamp and the Were [IronStrange]

Summary: Tony would mark the day he met a vampire that did not immediately jump at his throat. Just for once – that would be a nice change.

Relationship: Werewolf!Tony Stark / Vampire!Stephen Strange

Tags: hurt/comfort, idiots in love, angst, fluff

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 4.2k | Previous | Next

Chapter 10: BBQ

Stephen stepped into the cabin’s kitchen. “Do you know if there’s any tea here?”

“You drink tea?” Tony asked, genuinely surprised.

“Not really. I need it for a spell.”

“There should be some in there.” Tony pointed to the cabinets on the right and Stephen rummaged through them until he found a box of bagged tea. He couldn't read the label, but it smelled like herbs which was good enough for the spell.

He took one of the tea bags and ripped it open with his sharp fingernails, before he dumped the herbs into a mug. Without adding water, like Tony would have expected, Stephen closed his eyes to concentrate on reciting the spell. It was in Latin, which was actually quite unusual for magic, despite what all the movies tried to tell. But Latin was a universal translation language, and that made it perfect for this magic.

Stephen moved his fingers in delicate patterns and gold lines started to follow his movements. They became liquid and poured into the mug, until it was full of a steaming, golden-bronze drink.

Tony eyed it. “You could open a fancy restaurant with that trick.” He watched the Vamp down the cup. “How come you can stomach that? I thought vampires can only drink blood?”

“Magic is an exception.”

Of course it is, Tony thought. “And what does it do?”

“It’s a translation spell. So I can actually understand our host later.”

“Oh? That’s handy,” the Were said, easily switching into Italian to test the spell. “I could also have Jarvis assist you in that.”

The corners of Stephen's mouth twitched. “It still does sound like English to me. But I will automatically answer in the language that was spoken to me without noticing it.”

“That would be an instant hit on any international press conference.” Tony easily switched into Mandarin.

“It would have made my life so much easier if I had known that spell back in my surgeon days.” Stephen took the cloak from the back of a chair it was chilling on and folds it magically into a scarf he wrapped around his neck. “I’m ready to go.”

~~

Leaving the cabin, they headed northeast. They were in no hurry and took their time, making it a leisurely walk as the forest thickened around them.

“So what is this about?” Stephen asked, meaning the invitation in the first place. It wasn’t like they knew the people they were about to meet.

“It’s a peace offering. Also an act of courtesy. Kind of like: ’hey, I acknowledge you as someone who is to trust, you can trust me too’.” Tony shrugged his shoulders. “Also there’s free food. At least for me.”

He spoke casually about it, but Stephen knew Tony wasn't one to do things without a reason. He wouldn’t give a shit about something that wasn’t at least to some part important to him. Probably another one of those Were things.

Maybe it would reflect badly on his business partner, the owner of the cabin and someone Tony obviously considered a friend, if they didn’t go.

~~

Stephen wasn't sure how Tony knew the way, but he was walking confidently enough that he didn't question it. Jarvis didn't help him, anyway, because Tony had put his glasses in his shirt’s breast pocket and the glasses had also remained silent so far.

Still, they had been heading in the right direction, because eventually they heard music. It was some kind of Balkan pop that sounded like it was being played from an old radio or speakers.

Then the smell of smoke rose to the vampire's nose.

Well, it was a barbecue after all. Even if Stephen wasn't a fan at the prospect of fire and foreign and thus unpredictable people. It had the possibility of becoming a bad combination.

Tony seemed to notice that he tensed up and bumped his shoulders. “We can leave anytime,” he told him quietly. “Just say the word.”

The Vamp nodded as a sign that he understood, but since they had already arrived and probably been noticed it would be weird not to actually show up.

They stepped into a mossy clearing with two cabins, similar to the one they had come from. They seemed to belong to a big family, most of them outside in the night.

The grill was nothing more than a fire bowl with an improvised grate laid on top. Fortunately, it stood more on the side of the clearing away from the cabins, so Stephen could have an excuse not to go too close.

There were three men and two teenage boys standing around the improvised barbecue. The adults were talking expertly about the meat that was already sizzling, while the boys were doing their best to join in the conversation and pretend to be adults. Both were a little stocky, one built a little narrower than the other. They wore their hair short but still shaggy.

On a bench next to the grill, an elderly man sat with his hands resting on a walking stick, listening to the conversations without joining in himself.

A woman brought two children into one of the cabins, no more than five or six years old, who seemed rather tired. It was well past bedtime but they probably had bothered to stay up. Now their eyes fell shut and the smaller of the two even had to be carried.

It was one way to wear pups out.

The men at the grill looked up as Tony and Stephen approached the group, and one of them broke away to meet them. Stephen recognized him as the Were from yesterday – Tony had informed him that the guy’s name was Dayan.

“Ah, you came. Great.” He said in the same broken English. Gone was the wariness from the other day, replaced by friendliness.

“Thanks for having us,” Tony replied in what he had told was a mixture of Hungarian and Finnish. “By the way, Stephen here did some of his magic and is now fluent in your dialect.”

“That’s true,” the sorcerer added for good measure.

“Oh good. That will make communication easier. Come, I will introduce you to everyone.” He gestured to them to follow him. “If you don’t mind the question, what kind of magic do you have?”

“I’m a Master of the Mystic Arts.”

“South Asia, right?”

“Not exclusively anymore, but mostly.” Stephen glanced at Tony. The engineer obviously knew about the New York Sanctum, being there on an almost regular basis. Stephen also told him about Kamar-Taj but never said where exactly it was located.

Tony smiled at him, not seeming to be openly interested in that piece of information but certainly storing it away for later.

“My Granna used to be a ved’ma. That was what they called her anyway,” Dayan explained. They arrived back at the grill and the conversation shifted to introductions. “These are my cousins Yusuf and Zahir. And Zahir’s sons Simon and Vincze.”

The adults greeted them warmly while the teens looked thoroughly unimpressed.

“You smell funny,” Simon accused the Vamp. As a response he got a smack at the back of his head from his dad.

“Simon! Be nice to our guests,” Zahir scolded his son. “They are staying over at Marvan’s house for a while.” Zahir turned to them. “Do you guys want a beer?”

Tony accepted the offer, while Stephen declined.

“I was already wondering where Marvan was," the other teenager, Vincze, said. He seemed to be the older of the two brothers and obviously the more mature.

“Yeah, he is currently enjoying the beaches of Valencia, Spain,” Tony told him.

There were whistles from the other Weres.

“If you ever happen to look for a trade again, we got two beautiful houses.” Yusuf pointed over his shoulder to the two houses.

And just like that they bonded and clinked their beer bottles for a cheer.

Dayan gestured to the old man on the bank near the grill who was watching them. “That’s my father, Virág.”

Tony stepped to him and offered his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Sir.”

You see, the stereotype of alpha werewolves was not true. Packs were family based with the parents looking out for their children and their offsprings. And as a Were Tony recognized the head of a pack when he saw them.

As a guest he showed respect by addressing him as such.

The old Were waved it off, grunting, and pointed back to the grill. Stephen wasn’t sure what he wanted to say with that, but neither Tony nor Dayan seemed offended by the lack of words.

Then Virág turned his head to the vampire and squinted his eyes. His face didn’t change, but there was something that made Stephen unsure if he in particular was welcome.

“The burgers are almost done.” The attention shifted to Yusuf. “It’s deer. We hunted it today.”

Stephen stepped back to Tony's side – who always made sure he stood somewhat between the Vamp and the flames – but still felt the old Were’s eyes on his back.

Ever since he was turned, he had avoided large groups of people – at least people from whom he had to hide what he was. And he was not sure how he felt about being here. He was glad to have Tony at his side.

The engineer was fully in his element, making conversation so that he could stay in the background.

There came a whiny howl from inside one of the cabins.

“Seems like the pups don’t want to sleep yet after all,” Yusuf commented.

“Give them five more minutes and they will be out. I saw Sara dozing off next to pops earlier.”

“Are they over their accidental shifting phase yet?” Tony asked.

“Yes, fortunately,” Dayan replied. Apparently, he was the father of the younger kids they had seen earlier.

For Werewolves, their transformation broke out when they were still children of just a few years old. For adults the shifting comes naturally, like a second skin. But for a young child, who had no idea what’s going on with their body, it sometimes was downright traumatic. Unfortunately, all puppies had to go through this. The pack was always there to watch out. That was their advantage, to work as a family and a team. And they had a lot of experience. It mostly went well and without further complications. Once the kids learned to control the shifting, they got comfortable with it. But every werewolf child went through a phase at some point in their young lives where they changed shape almost uncontrollably. It was like teething. Unfortunately, quite painful.

Dayan looked at the cabin the whine had come from. “Ah, there’s my wife Jamila.”

He took Tony and Stephen over and they met a slim woman with brown hair peeking out under a scarf she had wrapped around her head. She carried a plate with burger patties.

Another round of introductions was made, only cut short by another, older woman stepping out of the same cabin. In her hands a bowl with salad. She was small but had mindful eyes, with which she spotted the unfamiliar faces immediately.

“Ah, I was told we might have guests tonight. I hope you boys are hungry.” She noticed that Stephen wasn’t holding any beer or other beverage. “Did my son not offer you anything to drink? Where are your manners, Day’? Here, bring the salad to the table.”

Dayan knew better than to argue with his mother, so he took the bowl and followed to where his wife had taken the buns.

“No, ma’am, he did offer me a beer,” Stephen said politely.

The mother misunderstood that for his dislike of beer in particular. “Oh, I’m sure we will find something else for you then.”

Stephen doubted that. “Thanks, I’m good.”

“Nonsense. Don’t be shy, dear. There’s no need for that. We have plenty of food and drinks.”

“I’m afraid I also don’t eat.”

The sorcerer cast a help-seeking glance at Tony, but the engineer merely watched the conversation with amusement and had to stifle a laugh when the woman frowned at Stephen and asked, “Do you mean you don’t eat meat? Are you a Vegetarian?”

Another voice chimed in. “He means he is a vámpir, Maria.”

It was the father, Virág, who spoke, and the temperature dropped instantly. At least it felt like that to Stephen.

He hadn’t noticed Virág approaching them, but now the old Were was standing next to his wife with his eyes on the Vamp. His face showed the same stern expression as before.

“Step inside with me, will you.”

It was less a question and rather a command.

Tony moved, ready to step in, but Stephen signaled him not to.

“We should just leave,” the engineer said in Italian, knowing that Stephen with his spell would most likely be the only one understanding his words.

“I can handle it.”

“You sure?”

Stephen nodded before following the old Were into the cabin. There was a narrow hallway and one of the doors at the end led into the kitchen. There were dishes and leftovers from the meal preparations everywhere.

The Vamp expected the other man to be aggressive, to threaten him or at least lecture him about coming here and posing a danger to his family. He did not expect the man to get a mug out of a cupboard and then a plastic container filled with red liquid out of another. He poured some of it into the mug.

“You could have just told us what you are, boy. Then we’d have gotten you a fresher deal.”

He pushed the mug – it was dark blue with painted golden stars on the outside – into Stephen’s hand.

Sniffing at it confirmed his suspicion that the red liquid was blood. Animal blood.

He was so surprised about it, about the whole behavior, that he just blurted out, “Thank you?”

Virág just grunted as acknowledgment. He had talked enough for the night, maybe even for the whole week. He left the kitchen and thus left Stephen – a stranger and undead creature – alone in his home. The large amount of trust put in him overwhelmed the sorcerer.

He followed with slower steps.

In the hallway he met Tony, who had seen the old Were stepping out of the cabin alone, and was worried. Seeing Stephen unharmed calmed him down.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.” Stephen nodded. “He just gave me a drink.” He gestured with the mug, before finally taking a sip out of it. The blood was at room temperature. Not Stephen's favorite, but it was better than the frozen stuff. And since he knew he would probably get dark looks from Virág all night should he just put the cup down, he decided the drink wasn’t too bad.

“Is that…?"

“From the deer that’s on the grill? Yes, I believe so.”

“Huh.”

This was not how they thought their visit would turn out. But they didn’t complain.

“Shall we go back outside?”

“Sure.”

After that, they both felt more at ease. Stephen got no more food offered but his mug got refilled every time it was almost emptied, although Stephen assured them that it wasn’t necessary.

Tony enjoyed one of the burgers, and then another right after. The other Weres dug in as well and matched his appetite. The food went fast but there was a lot of it, in wise foresight.

Conversation came easily. Tony was no longer glued to the sorcerer’s side – still, he instinctively kept an eye on him, always aware of where he was. He was already so used to Stephen's presence that it would be weird when they were back in New York and went their separate ways in the tower and sanctum in a few days. It felt natural just to be together.

Something had shifted between them, in mutual agreement. Something solid.

Stephen turned his head and their eyes met for a moment. There was a lopsided smile on the Vamp’s face, before both of them focused back on their conversations. Still, it was good to see the ever-stoic man ease up.

Tony was discussing the pros and cons of living as a werewolf in the barren land of northern Asia. Those wild parts that officially belonged to Russia, even when little was known here about what was decided and controlled in the Kremlin.

It was highly interesting to see that this modern world still had its rural parts, that everyone agreed should be preserved as such.

Tony wouldn’t want to live here permanently, though. The lack of WiFi scared him and he was glad to have his own satellite in space that connected him to Jarvis’ server back home at all times; no matter where on Earth he was.

Right now, Jarvis was sitting in the form of his glasses in the breast pocket of the plaid shirt he got from one of the cousins. The night was cold and his typical style of clothes with a band shirt and a sweater had turned out not to be warm enough.

Everyone – besides the vampire – had huddled closer to the fire. The grill grate was taken off after all patties were finished and the benches were moved closer to use the fire bowl as a heat source.

Dayan stepped into the cabin to get some additional blankets. Unlike the last few nights, this one promised to be frosty.

Tony was offered another beer and gladly accepted.

Stephen sat down next to him on the bench, choosing the side that was further away from the fire bowl. He was the only one who was still just in a shirt, even had his sleeves rolled up.

Tony was a little envious, suppressing another shiver. His nose and lips were getting cold.

“Are you having fun?” he asked.

“A lot.” Stephen took off the cloak-scarf and wrapped it around Tony's neck. “This was a great idea. These people are very nice. Aren’t they nice?”

Those were a lot of words in a very upbeat tone of voice. Not used to that from the Vamp, Tony looked at him. The grin was still present on Stephen's face, and it was hard to see it in the flickering light of the bonfire but he thought the pupils of his eyes were dilated.

“Are you drunk?”

It shouldn’t be possible for a vampire, but he had no other explanation.

“No, but I’m probably on a sugar rush. I drank a lot of this.” He indicated to the mug in his hand, before he emptied it – again.

It took a second for Tony to understand what was happening here. Animal blood. That was like candy for vampires, like marshmallows.

Like a kid with too much sugar.

Tony laughed, and it was a rich sound. He tugged his glasses from his pocket. “Jarvis, I need a recording of thi-…” He stopped when Stephen cupped his face, looking at him in awe, before his gaze became darker and more hungry.

“You’re very handsome and I would love to devour you.”

Tony gulped by this sudden change of behavior. His shiver no longer had anything to do with the coldness of the night.

He couldn't look away from the Vamp’s enthralling eyes. He still had his hand on his glasses, but didn’t remember what he wanted to do with them. Then his mind blanked completely when Stephen’s hand on his face caressed his cheek, with a hint of sharp nails.

“Not here,” Tony managed to mutter. While he couldn’t seem to break eye contact, somewhere in the back of his consciousness he remembered that they were not alone. He senses the other Weres more by smell than anything else.

It didn’t really seem important, though.

Only Stephen was important.

“Later ‘t home.”

The vampire’s smile became sharper. “Promised.”

He withdrew his hand from Tony’s face and leaned back. Tony hadn't even noticed that he had come closer. Stephen's gaze shifted to a point behind the Were and the spell between them was broken.

Almost at the same moment a blanket was dumped on Tony’s shoulders.

Dayan had returned and started handing out more warming blankets to the other Weres as well.

Tony blinked, shaking his head to clear it. He wasn’t sure what just happened. He glanced at Stephen, who was back in his giddy mood, thanking Jamila for another refill.

And somehow Tony suddenly got jealous of a mug with animal blood, because he rather had the Vamp drunk from him. But he decided to store that feeling away to analyze it later.

Someone had brought an instrument outside as well. It looked similar to a guitar with just three strings and a more boxy shape.

Yusuf started playing and a few seconds later the whole family was singing and clapping along. It was an upbeat folklore song, one that made it difficult not to at least tap a foot along.

Listening to them, Stephen learned a weird side of the translation spell, because he heard an English version of the song. It was a mix of an analogous and a literal translation, and as a whole it made little sense. Nothing rhymed. And he wasn't sure if – should he join in – his words would be translated back correctly. So he kept his mouth shut.

But the rhythm was good and everyone enjoyed themselves.

It was a wonder that the loud singing didn't wake the pups.

Some of the Weres even started dancing. They pulled Tony onto his feet and into their midst. And Tony – all for cultural exchange – let them.

The mood was relaxed and boisterous until there was suddenly a whir as something shot through the air. It was so unexpected and fast that Stephen had just enough time to turn his head in shock but not for a sound of alarm before a crossbow bolt hit Yusuf's shoulder.

He let out a cry of pain and dropped the instrument.

There was a brief moment of shock in the sudden silence as the next bolt whizzed in. Stephen was faster, appeared next to Tony and pulled him out of the way.

“We’re under attack!”

There were shouts of swear words in various languages and several things were happening at once.

Stephen grabbed the scarf off Tony’s and onto his own shoulders after it transformed into its usual cloak form in his fingers.

Tony put his glasses on to help him identify the threat.

Dayan shifted into his wolf form right away and bared his teeth angrily before running into the night, towards the direction the bolt came from.

Zahir kept the teens from doing the same. “Go inside!”

“No, we can help!”

“Go inside! Protect the pups from the hunters.”

The boys looked scared but determined, and they finally nodded and turned to the houses. They shifted their forms anyway while rushing inside.

There were sounds of ripping clothes all around. Just Tony wasn’t shifting yet. He needed to get details first and operating Jarvis without the suit was more difficult.

“Four attackers on the north side, five more in the southwest,” the A.I. informed him, using a thermal image to show them on his glasses. “Judging by their bio scans, they are all human.”

Those fuckers had surrounded them. And all of them were armed.

“Great. Send reinforcements.”

Another figure appeared on the screen with almost the lowest body temperature Tony had ever seen. It was Stephen, which hardly stood out from the cold blue of the night. Only because he had drunk blood, there was a slight change to the background that made him recognizable.

The vampire appeared behind one of the hunters. A hooded guy with broad shoulders and a crossbow, which he snatched from his hands before he could fire another bolt. Then Stephen grabbed his head and spun it around with such force that the neck vertebrae broke.

It was nasty but effective.

Around him were the growls and howls of the wolves.

Before he could turn to another opponent, a wave of magic swept him off his feet. The cloak caught his fall and Stephen turned around searching.

One of the hunters was wielding a wand, pointing it at him.

Stephen dodged another attack and replied by conjuring a red whip that clung around the wand. “I’ll take that.” He pulled and the guy lost his grip.

Then a bolt grazed Stephen's arm and the pain caused him to drop the spell. It hurt vehemently. There must be silver in it.

Angrily, Stephen hissed at them. But there wasn’t time to attend to the wound. Instead he leaped to where the wand had fallen down.

He was a second too late. The hunter grabbed it first, and with a swirl, aimed it at the sorcerer. Stephen ducked down just as the hunter took a blow from behind and fell to the ground, unconscious. Tony was standing behind him, not looking happy about the fact that somebody dared to threaten his sorcerer.

The engineer bent down to pick up the wand he had seen the guy use.

“What is this?”

“Don’t touch that!” Stephen yelled. But it was too late. His fingers wrapped around Tony's arm to stop him just when Tony's hand closed around the wand.

It exploded in front of them in a burst of magic. And in the next moment they were gone.

________

Tag list: @jekyllhydetrash @goopierthenyou Tell me if you wanna be added/removed

[space-mermaid-writing]

The Vamp and the Were [IronStrange]

Summary: Tony would mark the day he met a vampire that did not immediately jump at his throat. Just for once – that would be a nice change.

Relationship: Werewolf!Tony Stark / Vampire!Stephen Strange

Tags: hurt/comfort, idiots in love, angst, fluff

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 3.8k | Previous | Next

Chapter 9: Camping

“Hey, you wanna go camping?”

“Camping?” Surprised about the question, Stephen raised an eyebrow. His phone in one hand, he gestured with his other to Wong and stepped out of the room. “Why?”

“I just need to get out for a few days. It’s a Were thing. Usually helps with the nightmares, too.” Tony spun around on the chair in his lab, biting his lower lip. If anyone asked him why he asked Stephen to accompany him, he would say he didn’t know. But that would be a lie.

Truth was, he wanted Stephen to come along. Just the two of them in the middle of nowhere. Tony really liked to torture himself. “Normally I go to Mexico,” he explained on the phone. “But if you join I would look for somewhere less sunny.”

“And will you stay all furry during the trip?”

“Probably not the whole time.”

“Okay.”

“Okay, you’re joining?”

“Yes, Tony. I’m going camping with you.”

A smile cracked out on the engineer’s face. “Okay. Great.”

~~

It wasn’t difficult to convince Wong to guard the Sanctum in his absence. In fact, Wong seemed to approve that Stephen took a few days off.

Stephen and Tony agreed to travel by portal since it was much less flashy than taking the jet. They met a few days later with their luggage, which really wasn’t a lot.

Tony showed the sorcerer a photo of a cabin and Stephen opened a gateway. He should have known that camping with Tony Stark didn’t mean small tents and sleeping bags. Instead they had a cozy cabin in the woods.

The air was noticeably cooler than in New York. And while in Greenwich, had the sun just been setting, there was the deepest night here. Besides that, it was quiet, except for the soft rustling of the wind in the tree.

“Where are we?” Stephen asked, not recognizing the area when he looked around.

“The Ural Mountains.”

Stephen paused. “Ural as in Ural, Russia?”

“Well, yes.” Tony shouldered his bag and walked to the front porch. “It’s perfect. Only 5.6% population per square kilometer, 5 hours sunlight a day at this time of the year and currently a very vampire friendly 41° Fahrenheit. That’s 5° in Celsius.”

"I know how to convert that." Stephen picked up his bag and followed him. “Is this yours?”

Tony shook his head. “I traded with a business partner for a year. He gets a house at the sea in Spain.”

The sorcerer had a strong suspicion that said business partner was also a Were. Well, he won’t complain.

The inside of the cabin was cozy but modern. With a full stocked kitchen – Stephen wouldn’t need anything from it anyway – and plenty of room for two.

“Do you need to store your juice boxes in the fridge?” Tony asked while checking out the kitchen.

“No, I can go without them for a few days.” And if he did need something, he would portal and grab it. He watched Tony as the engineer peered behind each kitchen cabinet door like a curious dog. “So, what do you normally do when you go on these ‘camping’ trips?”

“Mostly, I run,” the engineer admitted.

“Do you want to go on a run while I unpack?”

“Nah, it can wait until the sun is up. Let’s go check out the area. I was told there’s a lake nearby.”

They went on outside.

Stephen wore civilian clothes for a change. In fact, he wore just a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, although it was clearly too cold for that. But he seemed comfortable, even enjoying the biting wind. But then, he probably would enjoy a vacation in the Arctic.

Tony had thrown another jacket over his sweater. When he was out as a wolf, temperatures were less a problem with his thick fur.

Both had no trouble seeing in the dark with their heightened senses.

Less than half of the moon was visible in the night sky. A beautiful crest of cold, silvery light.

For some it might be a symbol of danger for it was the time when the shadows formed and predators came out to hunt. Those who did not wish to be seen could move about. Creatures of the night and the dark. Like vampires.

The moon itself didn’t shine. It just reflected the light of the sun, like an enchanted version of the source of so much life.

Still, it was the only kind of sunlight that did not burn Stephen and his kind. Yet, his undead condition was much more apparent as the bleak light danced across his pale skin.

The sight distracted Tony from the fact that he was feeling restless. He still was fidgeting, suppressing the urge to move faster. To stretch his legs and just run.

But he held back. Stephen was here with him and if there was one thing better than running, it was walking next to the sorcerer.

Finally the promised lake came into view. The surface shimmered invitingly in the moonlight, and Tony ran ahead. He kicked off his shoes, rolled up his pant legs, and waded into the shallow shore water, kicking it like a playful dog.

Stephen let him without commenting on it. He realized that it was important for the Were to get rid of the excess energy. He sat down in the grass on the shore and watched him patiently. There was something endearing about seeing the engineer this carefree.

After a while Tony came back and dropped down next to him. “We should go skinny dipping.”

“No.”

Tony pursed his lips. “You’re a killjoy.”

“And you will get hypothermia if you jump into the ice cold water.”

Which was true, but the Were did not admit that. He didn't say anything and that was almost the same as admitting it.

He shook the water off his feet and put his socks and shoes back on.

The small dots of stars shine brightly in the night sky.

“Do you miss sunlight?”

The question was simple yet complicated. It wasn’t merely the ability to go out in the sun that Stephen lost the day he was turned.

“I miss meeting people during the day,” the Vamp admitted. Humans after all weren’t creatures of the night. Not truly. And besides the people of Kamar-Taj, Christine was the only other person that knew when he had become.

And now of course Tony and Peter.

He had seen plenty of indirect sunlight in the Sanctum. Sometimes he stood at a window, simply watching people for hours. It was a perfect allegory of how life was for him now. He was no longer part of the human world. Only a bystander, forced to stand in the shadows.

The number of vampires among the sorcerers wasn’t exactly small. There were also other species beside humans.

Still, sometimes Stephen couldn’t help but mourn what he had lost.

Tony’s eyes met his and for a moment Stephen felt seen. It felt like the engineer looked behind his cold demeanor and saw that behind everything, Stephen was a lonely man.

It should be alarming, the sorcerer wasn’t normally one to share his deepest feelings and fears.

But he wasn’t able to look away from those warm, brown eyes. He didn’t know what it was about the Were that made Stephen trust him.

A creature sinfully inviting.

He should stay away.

Yet, Stephen found himself on this camping trip with the man.

If they weren’t a vampire and a werewolf, he would have read more into the invitation. But they were what they were. Both not human and almost on opposite ends of the humanoid spectrum. At least that's how it appeared to Stephen.

Tony was the epitome of sunshine. Chattily, outgoing and socially accepted.

Stephen hid what he was, for vampires were generally considered bloodthirsty monsters, driven by instincts that only told them to feed. To kill. Unfortunately, that was true in most cases.

His down-spiral thoughts were interrupted by Tony, who noticed the faint bright strip on the horizon. “We should head back.”

He stood up and held out his hand to Stephen to help him up. In the first second the sorcerer just blinked, his thoughts still trailing in that negative direction. But it was forgotten as soon as he took Tony’s hand and he let himself be pulled to his feet.

Contrary to his expectations, Tony did not let go of his hand afterwards. Even more, the Were’s finger intertwined with his when he pulled him along, walking the path back to the cabin.

If he was physically able to blush, Stephen was sure his face would be red. At least his cheeks felt hot. It was ridiculous, he shouldn’t be flustered by a simple gesture like this.

On the way back Tony was much calmer than before, more content.

Only when they arrived back at the cabin, Stephen withdrew his fingers from Tony’s, and he missed the warmth of his hand instantly. “I’m going to prepare for the day.”

The werewolf nodded. “Sleep well,” he said, although he knew that vampires did not really sleep. The undead did need to rest, but not like the living.

Stephen usually used the time to meditate. He stepped into the bedroom he had chosen before and closed the shutters from the outside and the curtains from the inside to block out the sun. And just to be on the safe side – and because he was in a foreign house – he cast a spell into him that helped him not to burn immediately if any sunlight should touch his skin.

He looked around the room. The furniture was made of heavy wood, probably oak and cherry. There was a bed, a drawer and next to it a bench with additional storage space.

Stephen chose to sit on the bed, his legs crossed with his back to the wall. He took a deep breath to calm down and get into the right state of his mind.

The temperature in his room remained comfortable for the vampire. He knew it would rise a little during the day, but he trusted Tony to keep an eye on him.

Then he closed his eyes.

~~

Tony, meanwhile, treated himself to a snack and some water in the kitchen. He waited some time to see if Stephen would need anything and only when the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon, he was sure that this was not the case and he left the cabin.

There was a shed on the backside of the cabin, and next to it, there was enough firewood stacked to get a small family through a winter. Tony and Stephen wouldn't need any though. While the Were liked a nice bonfire or the coziness of an indoor fireplace, fire was one of the few things that posed an absolutely deadly threat to vampires.

And Tony didn't want the sorcerer anywhere near such a danger.

He took off his clothes and stowed them next to the tools in the shed. The cold gave him goose bumps and he hurried to shift.

His bones changed, grew longer. Adjusted, stronger muscles stretched over them. Dark brown fur sprouted from his skin. His senses became sharper and the scents around him more present.

It was prominent now to him that the cabin belonged to another werewolf, but it felt friendly enough that it didn't bother him.

Then he started running.

Just straight forward. Moving fast over the barren, solid ground of this land.

It cleared his head. As a wolf, he acted more on instinct; following smells and noises. He stretched his limbs, his back, and enjoyed the opportunity to move in full speed for once.

He ran several miles until his lungs burned and only then slowed down. Finally coming to a stop, he threw himself on the ground to roll in the dust like a young dog. It was great.

Afterwards he felt more settled. There was no more itching that made him fidget.

He continued to move at a more leisurely pace and changed directions to make a semicircle so as not to stray too far from the cabin. He also paid more attention to his surroundings now.

He found a creek nearby and drank some clear water before he curiously explored the unfamiliar area, following a few tracks of local animals.

Although the area was deserted, there was much for the Were to discover.

A herd of wild boar had crossed this path a few hours ago. Most of the birds took flight before him and perched on branches a safe distance away, chirping at him from up there. He spotted a polecat, but it was too small to hunt. No challenge at all.

The sun rose higher, but the temperature barely exceeded 57°F. With his fur, he did not mind much.

A hare had the misfortune not to escape him fast enough and ended up as his lunch.

It was not until sunset that he made his way back to the cabin. If he were alone on this trip, he would also spend the night out in the wilderness, but now it felt like he was called back.

Stephen was already awake when he arrived. The sorcerer was reading a book as he sat on a swing on the front porch. Today he wore a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his marble carved-like forearms, which was very much appreciated by Tony.

Seeing the man made the rational and human part of the werewolf's brain come back online faster than it normally would.

The sorcerer looked up when he heard the paws approaching him and put his book aside with a smile. “Did you have a good run?”

Tony huffed in agreement, not shifting back yet.

Stephen reached out his hand to scratch the wolf’s ears. The Were climbed onto his lap with his front paws and rubbed his cheek on Stephen’s chest and shoulder, scenting the clothes. It just felt like the right thing to do.

The sorcerer pushed Tony's head away from him as his muzzle moved further up to his neck. “No dog drool in my face,” he scolded, but his voice betrayed him. Sure, Tony was in his wolf form, but he still smelled mostly like his human form. And that scent was very inviting.

His slender fingers brushed through the fur on his neck, where normally a vampire would bite. It was awfully close to the place where werewolves put their mating bites.

Tony stilled under his touch, looking at him with trust. Awaiting.

But Stephen didn’t do anything further. He removed his hand and the moment went over.

Tony trotted back into the house. He was tired and could use a short nap. After all, he hadn't slept since last night and all the running today had worn him out.

Stephen stayed outside. It was fully dark now, but that didn't stop him from reading. He had hung a small portable lamp above the swing and enjoyed the frosty temperature, and that he could stay outside without being noticed.

Camping wasn't so bad after all.

He heard it before he saw anything. Footsteps, creeping closer. A heartbeat. He waited and listened without outwardly giving the impression that he was doing anything other than being focused on reading.

Stephen waited until the footsteps came to a halt, about 30 feet away, before he put the book aside and turned his head straight in that direction.

There was a figure among the trees; humanoid. The Vamp was ready to attack if necessary.

The person hesitated, but realized that they had been discovered. They took another step closer and sniffed the air

A Were, Stephen realized. He stood up to signal the man to not move any closer. He wanted to know who stood before him.

The Were seemed confused by Stephen’s presence and also wary. The sorcerer could now clearly identify him as male. He wore a full beard and shaggy, shoulder-length hair that gave him a wild appearance. He looked way more the classic werewolf than Tony in his suits and perfectly styled hair.

The Were said something in a language Stephen didn't understand.

“Do you speak English? नेपाली? Deutsch?” he asked, offering various languages, in which he was at least partially fluent.

“Did you move here?” The Were had a thick accent and Stephen needed a second to actually understand him.

“No, we merely rented the house for some time.”

He could see the man thinking about who ‘we’ could be. He continued to eye Stephen. "You are not the Were I smell here all around, are you?"

He did not mention with a word whether he found it strange that the sorcerer seemed to have no smell at all.

“That would be my companion.”

“Can I talk to him?”

Stephen nodded. He stepped to the front door and opened it without ever turning his back to the stranger.

The cabin was in the outback, but apparently not far away enough from another pack to notice their visit.

“Tony,” he called inside, knowing the fine ears of the engineer would hear him. “We have a guest who wants to speak to you.”

The delayed answer came in a sleepy voice. But at least it confirmed that the engineer was back in human form. “Who is it?”

“For all I know it could be your long lost cousin or something like that.” It was a sneaky way to inform him that their visitor was a werewolf.

Genius that Tony was, he understood immediately.

“Fuck, wait… I’m coming.”

There was a series of noises, before Tony came rushing outside. Stephen stared at him. He was wearing only boxers and Stephen’s shirt from yesterday. Did the Were sleep in his bed?

His brain short-circled for a second there, too busy ogling the toned legs – lots of skin in general – to notice Tony came to a halt in front of him, shielding him from the foreign werewolf. His stand was wide, not quite threatening but definitely with authority.

“Yes?”

The other Were shifted his feet but didn’t back away. “Do you know Marvan?” he asked in that same accent as before.

“I do.” Tony eyed the man. And then he surprised Stephen again by switching into what sounded not quite like Russian.

They exchanged a few words while slowly approaching each other. Stephen watched the two Weres in case he had to intervene, but their tone was surprisingly calm. They seemed to trade some questions and answers.

Still, Stephen saw Tony’s tense shoulders and stance; It was the opposite of being relaxed. He wouldn’t be surprised if they shifted any moment to circle each other.

But after a few minutes, they seemed to come to an agreement. Because both men nodded, now with friendlier expressions, and shook hands. Then the stranger said goodbye and left.

Tony waited until he was out of sight before turning back to the sorcerer.

Stephen's eyes were still on the Were's mostly bare legs. Or maybe again. He found it hard to think and make those little distinctions at the moment. It took a while to realize that he was being watched and his gaze moved up to Tony's face.

Their eyes met.

Tony was still surrounded by a mixture of his own and Stephen's scent. Stephen's focus was zooming in on the engineer's neck where he perceived the beating of a pulse. He licked his lips.

Then Tony moved and before Stephen knew it, he was kissing him.

It took his mind a second to catch up, but then he reciprocated with equal vigor.

The Were was chasing his tongue, marking his territory.

His breath was hot on Stephen’s lips. “We’re invited to a barbecue tomorrow night. We don’t have to go but it would be rude to miss it.”

Before Stephen's brain was able to form a cohesive thought, his mouth was already occupied by another kiss.

“Is it a Were thing?” he still managed to ask.

Tony nodded. His fingers had snuck under Stephen's shirt and were resting on his hip. “I can go alone if you don’t want to.”

That made Stephen pause and stare at him with his intense blue eyes, his pupils slowly getting back into focus.

There were so many reasons why this suggestion was wrong on so many levels. First off, they were on a foreign continent.

Secondly, they didn’t know the other Weres.

Sure, they were neighbors of a friend and maybe it was a pack thing. But still, Stephen would never let Tony go to them alone.

“I’m accompanying you,” he therefore clarified.

“Fuck, you’re great,” Tony muttered. He didn’t kiss the Vamp yet again, but his hands were everywhere, on his arms, his shoulders, exploring while his mind screamed ‘mine!’.

He realized that he was getting handy and forced himself to keep a little distance – or at least to withdraw his fingers. He didn't want to overwhelm the vampire who normally was rather reserved with physical contact. He was pleased that earlier Stephen had not only not flinched from his kiss attack, but had even reproduced it.

He was pretty sure he was buzzing with pheromones and energy at the moment.

Tony had just taken a nap after being on his feet for a whole day and a night but he felt restless again. This time the unexpected visit from the other Were was the main reason.

The area didn't feel as vast and endless as it had a few hours earlier. Sure, those neighbors were several miles and thus a good distance away, but Tony couldn't help but feel like his territories had been invaded.

Even if the guy stayed polite, Tony felt the need to check the borders, to check if the other Were truly left.

Stephen studied him, silently watching his every twitch. “Do you want to go running again?”

Tony closed his eyes, tried to calm down. He knew if he got too restless, it would affect the Vamp and he didn’t want to bother Stephen even more when his emotions were already all over the place.

“Kinda, but it can wait until sunrise,” he sighed.

Also, he didn't want to leave Stephen alone. On the one hand, because he liked the company. For another, because his protective instinct kicked in. Rationally, he knew the vampire was strong enough to stand up on his own, but his wolf brain yelled: protect!

Shit, he really was in deep.

He needed to notch it down.

Well, Tony never did anything half-assed.

“We could go on a walk if that would help you,” Stephen offered.

Tony thought it would also help him do more kissing.

“Yeah, let’s do that,” he said instead.

_______________________________

Tag list: @jekyllhydetrash @goopierthenyou Tell me if you wanna be added/removed

[space-mermaid-writing]

The Vamp and the Were [IronStrange]

Summary: Tony would mark the day he met a vampire that did not immediately jump at his throat. Just for once – that would be a nice change.

Relationship: Werewolf!Tony Stark / Vampire!Stephen Strange

Tags: hurt/comfort, idiots in love, angst, fluff

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 1.2k | Previous | Next

Chapter's note: BOOP! 🐾

Chapter 8: The one where they cuddle

Stephen was used to talking to Jarvis now whenever he visited Tony’s lab.

However, he was not used to the A.I. calling him on his phone.

And when Jarvis told him that Tony apparently didn’t feel well and he wanted the doctor to take a look at him, Stephen was alarmed instantly. Upon inquiry he found out: no, Tony was not injured and was currently in his penthouse.

Jarvis even provided him a photo so Stephen could portal straight into the engineer’s living room.

He had never been out of the lab before when he visited the tower, but he trusted the A.I. that he had permission.

Stepping through the sparkling circle, he immediately noticed that, here, it smelled even more like Tony than in the lab downstairs. It also felt more intimate, because this was the engineer’s home.

Jarvis had been smart enough to close the curtains on the panorama windows so that only dim light came in that sunny afternoon. No direct sun, which would harm Stephen.

“Tony?” The sorcerer turned around, looking for the engineer, focused on the task at hand. “Tony, Jarvis called me. Are you alright?”

There was a sound next to the couch, a mixture of a yelp and a whine. Stephen approached it and saw that Tony had curled up on the floor in his wolf form. It was amazing how the giant Were managed to fit into the small space.

When the Were heard the footsteps, he looked up only briefly and emitted a low whiff, before lowering his head again.

“What happened, Jarvis?”

“Mr. Stark slept four point five hours in the last three days and experienced several anxiety attacks due to nightmares and stress.”

Stephen’s eyes softened. “Oh, Tony.”

The wolf growled like he was upset that Jarvis snitched on him, but it was too faint to be threatening.

Stephen crouched next to him, ready to back away if Tony seemed uncomfortable by his presence. But the Were didn’t even bat an eye as he ran his slender fingers through the fur. “Hey, it’s fine. We have all been there.” He brushed some of the longer strands out of the Were’s face to look at it. “Join me on the couch? Or do you prefer staying on the floor?”

Tony had no preference and after contemplating about it for a few seconds, he got up. Stephen moved on the couch and Tony climbed on it too, flopped right onto the sorcerer’s lap. He buried his face in the blue robe, rubbing his cheek on the fabric as if scenting it.

Must be a Were thing.

But if it made him comfortable, Stephen wouldn’t complain. His fingers were back in the fur, that was softer than he had imagined it. He massaged the wolf between his ears and down his neck. A deep rumble went through the Were like a purr.

“I will guard you, if you want to try to sleep for a bit. There’s magic that will prevent nightmares.” Stephen voiced this suggestion carefully, because he knew Tony was extra wary of mind magic. “I will only cast it if I feel them approaching.”

Tony was desperate enough that he made no objections. Instead he moved into a comfier position. Then exhaustion took over him.

~~

The next time he was awake there was still a hand playing with his hair, gently twisting his locks. It was too cozy and he didn't want to open his eyes yet, still wanted to linger in that sweet in-between stage of being awake and asleep.

He tightened his arm around his pillow. But this pillow, although wrapped in fabric, wasn’t soft, but rather stiff.

Tony heard a chuckle from above.

“Did you have a good nap?”

Tony gave a noncommittal noise in answer. And from the sound of his voice – and the fact that he had fingers instead of paws grabbing the fabric – he noticed that he was back in human form. It must have been ages since he shifted in his sleep with someone around.

Finally, he opened his eyes. While he slept, the sorcerer had put a blanket over him. Under it he was naked.

Stephen was still sitting on the couch, reading one of his old magic tomes, but he put it aside when he saw that Tony was turning his attention to him. He eyed the engineer.

“Tea?”

The hand in his hair stopped moving and Tony caught himself wishing it would continue playing with his hair.

“Coffee,” he demanded.

“Not before you have at least another five hours of sleep.”

“You’re mean,” Tony complained.

Stephen slowly peeled himself from under Tony, probably to go make that tea. The Were only let him go reluctantly and only because he had no other excuse.

“Are you hungry?” Stephen asked him.

“Oh god yes!” Tony curled up under the blanket and watched as the Vamp went into the kitchen, where he searched through the cabinets. He still felt exhausted, although more rested. At least he felt more human than before.

But also more exposed. Stephen had seen him vulnerable – and that bothered him more than it should. It wasn’t the fact that he was naked, Tony had never been shy in that regard.

The sorcerer was operating his kitchen as if he belonged there. It just felt right. He felt like a member of Tony’s pack. A potential mat-… Tony quickly turned around, averting his eyes to banish that thought.

A mistake, because now his nose was exactly where Stephen had been sitting before. Sandalwood and black tea, mixed with Tony’s own scent.

He groaned. This wasn’t helping.

After a while Stephen brought the promised tea, together with some sandwiches. Tony sat up, the blanket wrapped around him, and reached for the cup first. But in just one sip, he knew that he wasn't going to be a fan of this tea. Still, he was thirsty enough that he emptied half the cup before reaching for the food and biting into a sandwich.

Grilled cheese and ham.

It was only after a while that Stephen finally spoke up. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” Tony ate the sandwich in a few bites. “Sorry I kept you from whatever you had actually planned today.”

Stephen looked at him with those intense blue eyes. “You don’t need to apologize. In fact, I-… “ He stopped, because there was no way he would admit he actually had enjoyed their cuddling. Instead he offered, “I could put wards around your bedroom that will keep the nightmares at bay. So you have less trouble sleeping.”

“I will think about it,” Tony muttered. He grabbed the last of the sandwiches and stood up, the blanket still wrapped around him for some decency. “Anyway, thanks for… you know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’mma head in the shower.”

Stephen took the cue. “Of course. Call me if you need anything.” He pulled his sling ring out of his pocket, but then paused and turned back to the engineer. “I meant it: we’ve all been there. There’s no shame in having bad days.”

Tony just nodded and watched Stephen leave through a portal. As soon as he was alone, he groaned. “Jarvis, we’ll have a conversation about privacy later.”

The A.I. remained silent while Tony walked to the bathroom. Usually, that was a sign that he disagreed.

“I can’t believe you called the wizard,” Tony muttered, but he wasn’t really angry about it. More like annoyed and a bit embarrassed.

_______

Tag list: @jekyllhydetrash @goopierthenyou Tell me if you wanna be added/removed

[space-mermaid-writing]

The Vamp and the Were [IronStrange]

Summary: Tony would mark the day he met a vampire that did not immediately jump at his throat. Just for once – that would be a nice change.

Relationship: Werewolf!Tony Stark / Vampire!Stephen Strange

Tags: hurt/comfort, idiots in love, angst, fluff

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 1.9k | Previous | Next

Chapter 7: The one where Stephen stops smelling of nothing

Now that Tony knew, Stephen agreed to visit the engineer’s lab and let him take some tests.

Before, he had avoided entering the tower. While he knew that Tony's portable sensors didn't get a reading of him, he wasn't sure what the more equipped tech in Tony's home was able to do. He trusted his magic but he wouldn't want his secret discovered while in the enemy's home.

Not that the actual secret-revealing had gone any smoother.

Tony's personal lab had no windows, just artificial light, which meant it was safe for Stephen.

The first resident that approached him was a bot with a claw.

“Back off, DUM-E,” Tony called over to it from his work station. “Don’t spook our guest.”

Stephen waved it off. “It’s fine.” He patted the bot, who beeped happily. Even more when the cloak also reacted and greeted the bot curiously.

It wasn't long before the cloak lifted itself off Stephen's shoulders and followed the bot into a corner of the lab. The sorcerer felt as if he had inadvertently brought a child to a play date.

"Are they like Jarvis?" he asked Stark as he stepped up to him.

Tony, who had been watching the interaction from his seat, paused. Few realized that his bots were more than simple toys. "Kind of. An earlier version. Not as smart but still family."

Stephen nodded. That sounded about right.

"What are you working on?" He glanced at the table. On it were several parts of an Iron Man suit, disassembled and connected to an USB port.

"Just preparing some updates I'm planning to do once I have your data. How do you feel about trying to bite into various metal alloys with your fancy teeth?"

“I politely decline.”

“It was worth a shot.”

Stephen suppressed a smile.

Now that he was no longer hiding what he was, he felt more comfortable around the man. More like himself. There had been something from the beginning that had attracted him to Stark, and Stephen had had to actively resist that urge for his own safety. He wasn’t sure what it was. Something from the Were’s core.

Who was Stephen fooling? He had always been a sucker – ha! pun – for brains (not a pun; he wasn’t a zombie).

So maybe he stood a little closer to Stark than socially acceptable. Stark certainly didn’t complain.

But he did frown. “Did you change your magic?”

“What do you mean?”

“You smell.”

It made Stephen also frown and he raised one of his sleeves to his nose. There was nothing unusual. The spell only hid any vital signs to other people, not to him. And he didn’t stink of anything bad.

“That shouldn’t be possible,” he therefore concluded.

Tony stepped directly in front of him, right into his personal space, and sniffed at his chest, his face close up to the sorcerer’s robe. He noticed sandalwood, black tea and a whiff of vampire.

Normally that last one was reason enough to alert him and make the hair on the back of his neck stand up. But he surprisingly remained calm.

There was also something else mixed into the smell. Tony could just describe it as warm and buzzing in the background.

Could that be Strange’s magic?

It resonated with Tony and made him want to rub his face in it.

He forced himself to step back before he was able to give in. Stupid Were instincts.

“Well, yeah. It’s there.” He cleared his throat.

Stephen thought about it. “Maybe my magic decided that it no longer needs to hide that part from you.”

Tony just shrugged. He didn’t know magic could do that.

Both men weren’t sure what it meant for them and they came to the unspoken agreement to let it slide and start with the tests.

Stark took several blood samples, labeled them without mentioning the Vamp’s name, did a retina scan and then inspected his fangs.

He grinned. “Mines are bigger,” he stated as if this was an important fact.

Stephen just rolled his eyes. “You should know that it’s not about size, Stark.” He had the audacity to underline his next words with a wink. “It’s about technique.”

Tony scoffed and most certainly did not blush. He made a dismissive gesture. “Sure, tell that to yourself.” His eyes fell on Stephen’s hands and he grabbed one of them with his own, holding it gentle.

He had seen the scars before, Strange wasn’t shy of showing them to the world, even if Tony had noticed that they seemed some kind of sore point to him. Sometimes he caught the sorcerer staring at them, lost in thought.

Tony had his own scars and was polite enough not to ask about something like that unprompted. That was also why he never before had dared to touch them.

But now, being cooped up in his scientific research mode, he acted and spoke before thinking about it. “Why aren’t they healing? Shouldn’t your supreme vampire powers help with that?”

He noticed that the hands weren’t as steady as they had seemed. There were the faintest of trembles, which was highly unusual for a Vamp.

“I was only turned after my accident. After they put eleven steel pins into them. And as long as they're in there, the hands won’t ever heal properly. That also means that I’m in constant pain."

Tony blinked, his eyes still on the slender fingers. They were cold, as expected from a vampire, but Tony wondered if they had been that temperature long before Strange became undead.

“Why don’t you have them taken out?”

“Vampires don’t do well in surgery. You can’t get us under and we need more blood than the regular human.”

And they were a hunted species. People were afraid of them.

Tony hummed but dropped the subject. Mostly because it was difficult for him to concentrate. It must be because the sorcerer had always been odorless before. The engineer wasn’t used to him smelling of something, didn’t associate any particular scent with him.

It was almost like meeting a new person.

An overwhelmingly inviting person.

But he was still a Vamp. Tony walked around the table for space, tapping his finger on his chin.

“You know, I was wondering… you depend on the blood of others since you cannot produce your own blood cells. With other Vamps I never thought about it because they’re feral creatures. But you are normal. I mean, I didn’t know you weren’t human before…”

“Stark,” Stephen interrupted him, because he was rambling.

“Right… no blood, so how are you holding up in the, you know, bedroom? I’m curious, doc. Because being immortal and going without that seems like torture.”

Stephen laughed. A full-on laugh, which was totally not a fair sound. Tony’s belly did a flip.

“You want to know if I still can have sex?”

Tony nodded. That was what he had said. Just in more words.

“I do,” Stephen told him bluntly. “I just have to drink some fresh blood beforehand.”

“Doesn’t that hurt?”

“It can if I want it to be. It can also make you feel incredibly good.”

“Good to know.” Tony chose to focus on the first test results Jarvis put on a display for him, and actively not to think about the new information Stephen just told him. He didn’t want to imagine Stephen biting him. The feeling of adrenaline rushing through his veins before it made place for something sweeter.

The sorcerer had crossed his arms, still amused. “So, you were thinking about me in the context of sex,” he concluded, the smirk very prominent in his voice.

“I was just wondering in general and you’re the only vampire I can ask.”

Strange did not seem convinced but – fortunately – didn’t press further. Tony changed the topic just to be on the safer side of embarrassment.

“You told me you don’t drink blood from humans directly. What about animals? Could you feed off them?”

“Yes, but not for long. It’s more like candy. Like marshmallows. They’re okay once but you can’t live off them. In order to survive I need humanoid blood.”

Humanoid not human, Tony noticed. “So, that means Weres are fine. What about fae blood? Or zombies?”

Stephen grimaced. “Undead are off the table. Fae’s are fine in theory but accepting food or drinks from one is a whole nother kind of being complicated.”

That was true. Fae had their own laws, most of them simply existing to fuck people over and slash or trick them.

“I've got all the samples I need. Thanks for agreeing to do this.” Tony jumped back onto the reason Strange was here in the first place. He felt the sorcerer's gaze on him and looked up.

“If they get into the wrong hands, it will give them plenty of ways to kill me,” Stephen said, suddenly more serious than before. “I trust you to keep them safe.”

Tony gulped and nodded. Strange really did put a lot of trust in him. It was hard to get any decent information about vampires. They did not give it voluntarily and after being killed their bodies fell to ashes fairly quickly.

He was spared an answer, because Jarvis chimed in. “Peter Parker is trying to access the lab.”

Since Stephen voiced no objections, Tony gave the okay to let him in. The door opened and the boy entered.

“Hey Mr. Stark… oh, hello Doctor Strange.” He stopped walking when he spotted the Vamp and his eyes darted between the two adults, trying to find out how things stood between them.

Stephen smiled. “Hello Peter.”

“It’s fine,” Tony reassured him. “He’s still a friend. Our first vampire friend. Just don’t tell the others yet, alright?”

The boy visibly relaxed. “I won’t,” he promised.

He put his backpack aside, presumably coming straight out of school. Then he stepped to Stephen and before the sorcerer could protest, he wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

“Thanks for saving me the other day. I’m sorry we left you behind, bleeding. That wasn’t nice but Mr. Stark said-…”

“It’s alright, Peter,” Stephen interrupted him. “I understand why you did it.” That didn’t mean it hadn’t hurt though. “I am sorry you had to find out like this.” He patted Peter’s shoulder but looked straight at Tony.

Peter glanced up at him, his eyes wet. The boy had not been able to stop thinking about what had happened. He had even started arguing with Tony the other day. It had been one of the reasons why Tony had gone to the Sanctum after the incident.

Now the engineer was standing there watching the interaction between the other two, ready to step in if Strange made so much as a wrong move. But that was ridiculous, he knew Stephen and Peter had been friendly before and that Stephen liked the boy too much to hurt him.

His behavior just now had once again confirmed that Tony's concern was unfounded. If anything, Stephen was even more careful around Peter.

The boy let go of the sorcerer and made a step back, awkwardly. “Does that mean I have to stop eating garlic around you?”

“Really?” Tony asked him in disbelief. “That’s the question you go with?”

Stephen chuckled. “I know Tony loves his pizza with extra garlic. He reeks of it every time you two have your pizza movie nights. If it would repel me, you would have noticed.”

“Rude, douchebag. I will start eating them in a bunch just for that comment,” Tony growled but there was no bite behind his words. His sparkling eyes betrayed him.

“You should. They are good for your blood pressure.”

______

Tag list: @jekyllhydetrash @goopierthenyou Tell me if you wanna be added/removed

[space-mermaid-writing]

The Vamp and the Were [IronStrange]

Summary: Tony would mark the day he met a vampire that did not immediately jump at his throat. Just for once – that would be a nice change.

Relationship: Werewolf!Tony Stark / Vampire!Stephen Strange

Tags: hurt/comfort, idiots in love, angst, fluff

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 1.2k | Previous | Next

Chapter 6: Wong isn’t surprised nor concerned

Tony couldn’t believe he was here. He should avoid this place. Never come back here. Or better; burn the whole thing down.

But Tony needed answers. God, he had so many questions.

He swallowed the boiling anger and knocked on the door of the sanctum. After a few seconds, it was Wong who opened.

He looked coldly at Tony. “Are you here to kill Stephen?”

One trait Tony appreciated in the man was that he was always straight to the point. No sugarcoating involved.

“Haven’t decided yet. Not before I talk to him.”

Wong nodded, deemed his decision fair. He walked away and left the door open for Tony, who followed inside.

“Are you also a bloodsucker?” he asked the sorcerer.

“No.”

“Prove it.”

“No.”

It sounded more like he didn’t care enough to do so. It could be exactly what a vampire would say. Wasn't it convenient that magic helped mask his smell? He could be anything; vampire, demon, ghoul… okay, no ghoul. Those were pale and rather bloated. They really looked the undead part. Like zombies.

Wong reached the big staircase and turned towards him. “Look, some sorcerers are vampires, some are human. We can co-exist if we really try. But I understand that your experience with vampires in the past hasn’t been the best.”

That was probably the longest Tony had ever heard Wong talk, so he didn’t quite know what to say. But the man was right that Tony was biased in his opinion about Vampires ever since they killed his parents and kidnapped him in Afghanistan.

Wong continued talking, walking upstairs. “Stephen is sulking in the library. Please don’t damage any books should you choose to fight him.”

The nonchalant way Wong talked about it made Tony wonder if he just didn’t care or if he didn’t think that Tony could actually hurt Strange… wait, sulking?

The Were made his way to the library. He was by now used to the unnecessarily long and weird hallways of the Sanctum. The maze-like paths were different every time he walked them, but he mostly ended up at the right place – sooner or later.

Only now did he realize that the building was perfect for housing vampires. No matter the temperature outside, it was always slightly too cool inside. And the windows showed different scenery, but there was never direct sunlight pouring in.

There was so much about the doctor's behavior that only now made sense. During the day, they had only met indoors when Tony was visiting the Sanctum. And their missions were always scheduled for the nights. Sometimes in the late evening or early morning, but especially those morning meetings the sorcerer had always kept quite short.

Stephen never ate any food Tony brought. He always had a plausible excuse at hand: he had just eaten, or wasn’t hungry.

Tony had been blind not to see the clues. Blinded by his crus-… friendship.

But that friendship was based on lies.

He finally entered the library. Stephen was reading, but had noticed his arrival, for he had lowered his book and fixed his gaze on Stark. His posture was tense.

Tony stopped in front of him and crossed his arms. “So?”

“So what?” Strange didn’t move. He was perfectly still, like a statue.

“Don’t you have anything to say? Like an apology for deceiving me?”

Stephen clenched his teeth. He was sure there weren’t any words that would help his case. “I have nothing for you.”

Tony’s anger flared up. “Really? Nothing? You lied to me!” he accused the sorcerer.

“I did not. I corrected you when you called me a witch. But you never once asked me if I was a vampire.”

The Were emitted a low growl, mostly in annoyance. “That’s a technicality and you know it.”

“What do you want me to say?” Strange asked him angrily. “Sorry I didn’t tell you I was a vampire the first time I met you – Tony Stark, Vampire Hunter? You would have killed me immediately.”

“You kinda saved my life so I would have at least waited a minute or two.” At least Tony liked to think that. But fact was that regarding the undead he usually shot first and asked questions later.

He growled again and this time Stephen hissed back, suddenly on his feet with his fangs out and his eyes flaring red.

The tension in the room was palpable as they faced each other – but nobody leaped forward. Nobody attacked first.

“Why did you come here?” Stephen asked.

“I don’t know…” Tony deflated visibly, his shoulder sagged. He had already wondered about the same question. “I just…” Realizing that he wasn’t about to kill Strange, that he didn’t want to do that, he flopped on the couch and looked at the sorcerer with his big brown puppy eyes. “Why did you take the bullets for Peter?”

Stephen too sat down. Albeit a little slower, on an armchair. His posture still was anything but relaxed, but he seemed less wary than before. He interlocked his fingers.

“The same reason why I protect the world from evil. And the same reason why I saved you from that rogue vampire all those months ago: I’m a doctor. I save lives.”

Tony snorted. “Last time I checked vampires had to drink human blood in order to survive. I don’t think there’s a vegan option here.”

“Blood bags.”

“Huh?”

Stephen looked up from his hands at Tony. “I haven’t taken blood from a human in a long time. Blood bags are sufficient.”

Tony didn't seem convinced. “Where do you get them?”

The Vamp looked at him as if it was obvious. “I used to work in a hospital and I still have a lot of connections.”

Tony stored that information away for later. The finger of both of his hands touched at their tips, his gaze fixed on them without really seeing them.

Nobody said anything. They both weren’t entirely sure where they stood with each other.

Finally, the Were sighed and rolled his shoulders. “Can I have a coffee?”

It made Stephen relax visibly - even if his posture still remained all proper - because he realized that if Tony asked for a drink, things would turn out okay.

“Of course.”

With a motion of his hand, Tony’s favorite mug appeared on the small table. Gratefully, the Were reached for it.

He still had a lot of questions. Like when did Strange get turned? According to reports, it was a painful and unpleasant procedure. Did he undergo it voluntarily?

Most Vamps did not – who would want to be a monst-… hunted by the government and society?

How had he achieved such good self-control?

And, “Does that mean you finally start eating in front of me? Or more like drinking. I was starting to think you had some kind of eating disorder. Not that I would judge that…”

Stephen's eyebrow wandered up. How could someone undead act so alive in his facial expressions?

“What I’m saying is,” Tony continued, “I wouldn’t mind if you drink your juice boxes in front of me.”

“They are not juice boxes,” the Vamp insisted.

“They are if you stick a straw in them.”

Stephen looked like he wanted to strangle him.

But he didn’t. He was perfectly in control. Probably more than some Weres Tony knew. Actually, he could never imagine Stephen attacking him.

___________

Tony: "I could never imagine Stephen attacking him." Me, the author of this story: "Yeah, well…about that…"

Tag list: @jekyllhydetrash @goopierthenyou Tell me if you wanna be added/removed

[space-mermaid-writing]

Making a fanfiction author ask game!

(Basically bc I’ve seen fanfiction ask games but I’m too lazy to find one with some of these specific questions, so here ya go!)

What is your favorite trope to write?

What is your least favorite trope to write?

What is the main program you use for writing (google docs, the ao3 writing text box, etc.)

What is the main site you publish/write on?

The fic you’re most proud of writing?

The fic you’re least proud of writing?

Favorite ship to write?

Least favorite ship to write?

Biggest pet peeve while writing?

Best/funniest comment you’ve ever gotten on a fic?

Do you prefer writing angst, crack, or fluff?

First ever fic written?

Latest fic written/latest WIP?

First fandom you ever wrote fanfiction for?

Fandom you wrote the most fanfiction for?

Do you prefer co-writing something or just working on it by yourself?

Favorite AU to write?

Most words/chapters ever written for one fic or oneshot?

Have you ever created an OC for a fic?

Hardest character to write/get the characterization correct for?

[space-mermaid-writing]

Cat!Stephen and the Scarf of Levitation

[space-mermaid-writing]

The Vamp and the Were [IronStrange]

Summary: Tony would mark the day he met a vampire that did not immediately jump at his throat. Just for once – that would be a nice change.

Relationship: Werewolf!Tony Stark / Vampire!Stephen Strange

Tags: hurt/comfort, idiots in love, angst, fluff

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 2.7k | Previous | Next

Chapter 5: This didn’t go as planned

Every now and then they went on a mission together. It turned out each of them had a special skill set that proved to be useful in some cases. And the company was also nice.

Somehow Stark had managed to crawl into Strange's off-putting shell.

A few days ago, he had contacted the werewolf because several children had disappeared in the same area and he suspected an underground trafficking ring behind it. He had obtained some clothing and toys from those children, which he now handed to Stark in separate plastic bags.

"Can you pick up their trail? There's not enough DNA for a tracking spell."

"So I'm just your better tracking dog?" Tony snorted, without really being offended. "Yeah, sure, it's not like I have more important stuff to do."

Stephen raised his eyebrow. There was a small smirk on his lips. "More important than to possibly save five or more children from a cruel and painful fate?"

Tony was very unhappy about that comeback since it was very valid and he had nothing to counter. So he followed Strange through a portal to the place where one of the children had last been seen.

He took a plush bunny from one of the labeled bags and sniffed it.

Then he checked the surrounding air and concentrated.

When he was younger the many scents used to be overwhelming. But he became pretty good at filtering out what wasn’t of interest at the moment.

A few days ago the lawn had been mowed, and since these past few days had been really hot, the freshly cut grass was on the fast way to become straw. It carried a hint of the typical smell from stables.

Various cats and dogs were living in the area. Tony ignored those scents completely.

A car drove by, diesel engine. The brakes dragged a little and produced a fine abrasion.

Then he noticed something. It was faint, a few days old, and he followed the trail. An Iron Man suit, piloted by Jarvis, was sent to scan the area from there.

Stephen followed him without questioning him.

He knew from experience that if he was dragged out, something crucial would happen. Fortunately, they were in a quieter area of Queens. It was easier to pick out the older lead here than in midtown. And once picked up, he would hardly lose a trail. He didn't even need to shift for it.

Strange walked at his side, eyeing the surroundings. There was still no smell at all of the sorcerer. And that fact was still weird.

Tony was curious how he would smell. Probably something calm with a hint of herbs, like his teas. Something warm and inviting.

The Were shook his head.

He shouldn’t get distracted!

The path led them through a narrow passage between tall buildings. The area became poorer and poorer.

“You’re unusually quiet,” the Were noted after a while.

“I don’t want to distract you from your work.”

“I can track a smell and listen to you at the same time. It’s called multitasking and I’m an expert in it.”

Stephen scoffed. “Alright then. What do you want to talk about?”

Tony led them under a bridge. It smelled like pee. "Oh, nothing in particular. How was your weekend?" He stopped in front of a metal fence and rattled the gate. It was locked. So he tapped his wristwatch, but before he could weld it open, Strange did a swift motion with his fingers and the door magically swung open.

Stephen moved ahead past Tony. “My weekend was fine.”

Tony rolled his eyes and muttered, “Show off,” before he followed him suit. He waited a few more seconds, but Stephen offered nothing more. “Wow, don’t tell me more. I can already picture it as if I’ve been there myself.” His words were dripping with sarcasm. “Let me guess: you read an old book, drank some tea and argued with Wong about which of them was on dishwashing duty? Maybe you even washed the cloak.”

The cloak moved as if by wind when it was mentioned. Stephen stopped and turned to the engineer, looking into his eyes. “I went to a dimension that consists purely of energy and gaseous elements. The inhabitants have never seen a solid shape and I had to disguise myself as some kind of smoke. I chased an ill-mannered nebula through some kind of semi-liquid slime and prevented it from passing into our plane of existence.”

Tony blinked. “You’re making that up!” he accused the sorcerer.

There was the hint of a smile on Stephen’s lips. “I also did wash the cloak afterwards.” With that, he started moving again.

Tony followed him, still not sure if he was told the truth or just some nonsense.

Suddenly there was a noise above them. Something approached them through the air, then landed with a gentle ‘thump’.

“Hey Mister Stark, Hello Doctor Strange. I saw the armor nearby and thought you might need some backup with whatever it is you’re doing here.”

The teenager didn’t lift his mask but the men could hear the nervous smile under it.

Tony exchanged a quick glance with Stephen.

The sorcerer shrugged his shoulders. “It’s just a rescue mission,” he said lowly.

That was good enough for the Were. "Sure, but do as we say and stay behind us," he told Peter.

"Yes, totally!" He sounded thrilled to be included.

So the three of them continued on their way, and the men explained the situation to Peter in a few words along the way.

Between the three of them, with the help of Tony's suit in the air, it was easy to find the missing children's whereabouts. Either the kidnappers were not very smart, or they felt very safe.

It was a fucking cliché: an unused office building on a street with lots of warehouses, most of which were empty.

The kids seemed to be locked in a barely furnished room next to an empty open-plan office that covered almost the whole floor. All the doors were glass, but most were covered with newspapers. So were the windows, so they had no visual contact.

Tony had called his Iron Man back down and stepped in it to get a better read of the data.

There were five armed guys in the open office space and two more in another adjacent room.

Stephen, Tony, and Peter quickly came up with a plan: Stephen and Tony would take care of the armed guys, while Peter snuck to the kids. Once it was safe, he would get them out.

They had the element of surprise on their side and between the sorcerer’s magic and Iron Man’s blasting beams, they should make enough commotion to create a clear pathway for Peter.

But, somehow, everything went to shit.

Apparently, the guys had been prepared. Maybe they knew that human trafficking was prone to vampire attacks – or they had done business with them in the past and had taken precautions. Their weapons carried silver bullets and they were both good marksmen and skilled fighters.

They caught Peter on his way to the kids and engaged him in a fight as well.

The guys guarded their merchandise well.

One moment Stephen was dealing with two guys at the same time, only relying on his magic, while Peter dodged the swings of his opponent, and Tony engaged the boss of this little gang in a hand to hand fight, repulsor vs knife.

The next moment, Tony was suddenly in a headlock with a gun to his head. He was wearing his helmet, but he had never tested it if it would withstand a close-range shot. Or several of them at the same spot.

"Freeze or I'll shoot his head off!" the guy yelled at Tony's companions.

The Were growled and clawed his opponent's arm, but the grip around his neck did not loosen. He didn't dare to turn because the guy's finger twitched on the trigger.

Stephen and Peter stopped what they were doing – the sorcerer ever calm, but his gaze was dark and he seemed to be calculating his options in his head. He gave a secret signal to the cloak, which was currently not on his back, but was stealthily approaching Tony's attacker from behind.

Peter on the other hand was still a kid and seeing his mentor in this immediate danger made him go pale. "No, Mr. Stark!" He jerked on instinct as if he wanted to leap over to him and rush to help, but forced himself against it.

Still, it was one move to many.

Tony's attacker aimed his gun at the boy instead and pulled the trigger – one, two, three times.

The Were thrashed against his hold. “No!”

But it was too late. Nothing could beat a bullet.

Except maybe a very skilled vampire.

There was a blur. A flash of blue and red. In the same instant Stephen stood in front of Peter and threw his arms around him in protection.

He hissed in pain as the bullets hit his back. They were perfectly aimed, and they burned so badly that they must be spiked with silver. A metal that was bad for Were’s and Vamp’s alike.

These people certainly knew their stuff.

Peter shrieked, first of surprise at the sudden appearance of the sorcerer, then because Stephen’s protection hug grew very heavy as he slumped to his knees.

Tony went feral. He saw his pack threatened and retracted his faceplate to bite his opponent in his arm. Then he turned in his grip, his claws extended as he transformed.

The armor adapted to his four-legged body like the masterpiece of technology that it was. It no longer covered Tony's entire body. In this form, he preferred to keep his face and paws exposed while fighting.

It was easy to overpower the traffickers after that. Growling angrily, he barely cared about how much he hurt the people who dared to attack his pack. As long as one of them survived in case the authorities wanted to pry more information out of them.

One of them tried to crawl with a broken leg towards the door. A ridiculous attempt to escape. The Were grabbed his trouser leg with his jaw and yanked him back. The man gave a startled yelp as he was thrown ruggedly against a cabinet, where he remained motionless on the floor.

Tony looked around for the other two traffickers, but there was nothing more than a pathetic bunch left of them. That hardly calmed the Were down, even if the enemies were all neutralized. The smell of fear, sweat and adrenaline was still in the air and kept him on edge.

He whipped his head around when he heard Peter’s panicked voice. “Mr. Stark!”

The boy kneeled next to Strange, his eyes wide and worried. The sorcerer sat scrambled, his head hanging low. He was heavily breathing – and bleeding. Shit.

Tony rushed over to the two of them and ducked under Peter’s arms right into Strange’s personal space. Something wasn’t right.

Stephen turned away from him, hiding his face.

The Were was too big for this, needed too much space, so Tony shifted back into his human form, still wearing his armor, and laid his hand onto the other man’s shoulder.

“Doc?”

“I’m fine,” Stephen gritted through his teeth.

“Like hell you are!” The anger that hadn’t completely shifted into worry blazed back to life. “You got shot!”

Those bullets were meant for Peter. How the hell did he manage to get over there in time? Tony hadn’t seen his signature glow of magic.

“I just need to return to the Sanctum.” Stephen had trouble talking under the intensified burning in his back. He needed to get the bullets out of his body. The wounds would heal regardless on the outside. But his flesh would be burned alive from the inside. Like a slow and very painful poison.

The Vamp felt his control slipping. Not on his mind but his body. The urge for blood, for regeneration became stronger. His fangs were out and so were probably his claws, which was why he cradled his hands close to his chest.

It made reaching for his sling ring in his belt all the way harder.

Peter hadn’t left his side, the brave boy that he was.

And now Tony appeared right in front of him. Stephen tried to turn away again, to hide somewhere. Anywhere.

But Tony held him by his shoulders.

Why wouldn’t they leave him alone?

“Please,” Stephen tried again, his throat dry. “Just take the children home. I can manage.”

“You must have hit your head pretty hard if you think we would leave you like that.” Tony's voice softened with his next words. “Stephen, look at me.”

The Vamp shook his head, his eyes shut close and his lips tightly pressed together. That was difficult due to his heavy breathing.

He was a vampire. Undead. He didn’t have to breathe at all, but it helped with the pain and besides, it was a force of habit. He had gotten so used to blending in.

Tony's finger gently but forcefully pushed his chin up. “Stephen.” His voice was so very concerned.

The Were was too stubborn to let this one slide.

And Stephen couldn’t fight it anymore.

Finally, he looked at Tony. His eyes wide in anticipation of the man’s reaction. And glowing red. The open mouth allowed the heavy breathing to continue, his fangs now on display.

Tony needed a second to understand the meaning of what he saw. His eyes darted over the sorcerer’s face, down to his hands – still scarred – but also with long claws.

The fact that the man was still alive – ha – minutes after being shot in the back several times.

He let him go as if burned and stumbled back a few steps. His face is a mixture of betrayal, anger and disgust.

It couldn’t be.

He would have known it. He would have smelled it.

But sorcerers didn’t smell of anything.

“Peter,” Tony addressed the boy that was still crouching next to Strange and who watched the whole interaction concerned and confused. “Step away from him. Now!”

There was no room for arguing in the command.

For the split of a second Stephen’s face showed the hurt he felt. Not the pain from the bullets. Then a carefully put together neutral mask slid in the place.

The boy hesitated only a second before he finally obeyed. But it stung as bad as Tony’s change of behavior.

Stephen was still looking at the man, unsure what he would do next.

Tony seemed not sure himself. He raised his hand with the repulsor glove and it made this little noise signaling that it was active and ready to shoot. But he didn’t fire at the vampire.

Their eyes met. Stephen did not avoid his gaze, nor did he not look away. There was acceptance in his eyes – in those red glowing eyes that didn’t blink.

Tony wasn’t sure he had ever seen the guy blinking.

His ears twitched as his fine hearing picked up the sounds of the children that were still sitting frightened next door, still waiting to be rescued. They needed him. Maybe they even needed medical help.

He grabbed Peter - who had stepped next to him - by the arm and pulled him with him, walking backwards to the door. He kept his hand raised and the repulsor activated until they left the room. Only then he turned around and away from the vampire.

Peter looked at him with big eyes. “Mr. Stark…”

“We got a job to do, kiddo.” His voice was stern, cutting off any further objection from the boy.

Tony tried not to think about the fact he left the man he called friend – the man he probably had preferred to call other things too – behind, injured and bleeding.

That man was a Vamp – an enemy. He had lied to Tony, had deceived him.

Had everything been just pretended? An illusion?

Tony’s heart ached at the betrayal he felt.

He should have killed him immediately. But the sorcerer had saved Peter. And even if he hadn’t, Tony wasn’t sure if he could have killed Strange – even if he was a vampire. And that was alarming in a whole different way.

__________________

Tag list: @jekyllhydetrash @goopierthenyou Tell me if you wanna be added/removed

[space-mermaid-writing]

Cat love

[space-mermaid-writing]

You voted and here it is: Tony and Cat!Stephen

[space-mermaid-writing]

Cat!Stephen and the Scarf of Levitation

Don't separate them!

[space-mermaid-writing]

I love your arts so so so so so much!!! The way you draw Stephen Strange is so sexy and handsome! Can you draw a cat version of him?

love you <3

Hii! Thank you so much! :'D

Here's a cat sorcerer for u. I made him a Colorpoint Shorthair because of their sharp features that I think could work with his cheekbones :D (plus some fur pattern/colour modifications)

[space-mermaid-writing]

Everybody go read this! It’s so funny. And you’ll get Stephen with cat ears! 🐈‍⬛

Poor Stephen should know better and read the warning that come after the spell description.

And Harpy did such a great job with binding her fic into a book by herself! It turned out so cool! (I thought about doing the same for like the duration of a YouTube tutorial and then discarded the idea immediately. It’s so much work.)

Occupational Hazards is HERE!

This is my side of a fic exchange with @space-mermaid-writing (aka @janora00)! We made our fics into books and sent them in the mail, and now that mine has made it to Janora, it’s time to post it!

Janora had hers professionally printed (and it’s GORGEOUS), but I wanted to try my hand at making a book myself. Mine’s a whole lot shorter than hers so it seemed doable. It’s not perfect but I think it turned out pretty good! Here’s a peek at the beta comments and the about the author page! Those won’t be appearing on AO3.

First chapter is up now!

Occupational Hazards (1928 words) by harpywrites Summary: The masters of the mystic arts have no workplace safety regulations. This is a collection of four times that a magical mishap occurred, and Stephen had to learn the hard way. There really should be a safety data sheet for these spells. (At least one of these times it works out in his favor).

[space-mermaid-writing]

The Vamp and the Were [IronStrange]

Summary: Tony would mark the day he met a vampire that did not immediately jump at his throat. Just for once – that would be a nice change.

Relationship: Werewolf!Tony Stark / Vampire!Stephen Strange

Tags: hurt/comfort, idiots in love, angst, fluff

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 1.4k | Previous | Next

Chapter 4: The one where they are pining

Stark was sitting in the Sanctum’s library, working on something on his tablet. This was not an uncommon sight these days, even if Stephen had no idea how it happened.

The sorcerer was absorbed in the scroll he was reading. When Stark had seen the ornate letters in dark ink, he had held back from commenting on the cliche – and failed.

Stephen had rolled his eyes at him, but was used to Ton-… the man's chatter by now.

Stark. Stephen refused to call him Tony. It would mean that they became close. And becoming close to a vampire hunter was dangerous for any vampire.

Stark side-glanced at Strange. “Have you ever cursed someone?”

“Pardon?” Stephen frowned at the unexpected question.

“Did anyone ever annoy you or was so rude you cursed them? Nothing major, just making sure they step in dog poo or something like that.” Stark looked at him, genuinely curious.

Stephen would lie if he said he didn’t like the attention.

“It would be an abuse of my power and misuse of the sacred Mystic Arts if I did something remotely like that. Also that’s not how curses work.”

Stark nodded, as if he had expected something like this.

“However,” the sorcerer continued and Tony perked up. “If it happened that someone accidentally tripped or their hot-dog fell out of their bun before taking a bite, then that was totally a coincidence and had nothing to do with the fact that they cut the line in front of me.”

“I knew it!” Stark’s grin almost split his face in half, before he turned back to his tablet. “Next time Pepper forces me to go to one of these big charity galas, I should drag you along. It would be fun to see someone trip into the champagne tower.”

Stephen chuckled. It was a rare sound from the mostly reserved man. Sure the both of them exchanged quips and banter but a chuckle or yet a laugh was special. Tony had to earn it. And oh, he tried very hard. And he counted every single one of them a win.

His prize?

No clue. But probably something good.

So far he was just storing them in his memory. As well as the few smiles.

The sorcerer did smile more often in Tony's presence now. At least he imagined that. The Were would like to be the cause.

Still, an air of coolness always surrounded the mystery man, and Tony couldn't quite tell where it came from.

“Be careful what you wish for,” Stephen warned him. “Maybe it’s you who will trip.”

Tony took a sip of the coffee that the sorcerer used to conjure for him unprompted every time he was over. “Well, I am known for making an entrance…”

With a wave of his finger, Stephen magically refilled Stark's empty cup. It was a silent tell that he wanted his company some longer.

He really shouldn’t.

If Stark knew what Stephen was, he would kill him.

That was what Tony Stark, the Avengers, did: get rid of the undead.

It didn’t matter if the undead were mindless monsters or if they were feeling and thinking creatures. In their eyes they were all the same. All evil.

Stephen suppressed a sigh. With this selfish behavior, he was putting everyone in Kamar-Taj in danger. All those who were living there and weren’t human.

“What do you think about this?” Stark interrupted his train of thought as he moved closer to him, shoving his tablet in his face. It was a prototype of a neurally linked device for reprocessing traumatic memories in order to overcome them.

Stephen was intrigued immediately.

The Were sitting next to him radiated warmth, Stephen felt it even through his layers of robes. Like his own personal sun.

The vampire sure would end up burned in a similar way. He was a creature of the night under his human mask. But like a moth he was unable to resist this particular source of light.

“This is highly theoretical. How are you even going to do it? Install an USB port to the hippocampus?”

“Well, I could. But it’s probably easier to use something similar to hearing implants. Maybe we don’t even need implants at all. I was thinking about glasses.”

“Of course you do,” Stephen scoffed. He browsed the data. The research was sound and even if the technology was far from achievable, Tony Stark was just the man to accomplish a project like this.

The engineer glanced at his watch. “I’m afraid I have to go, doc. There’s a team meeting that started like five minutes ago.”

“I can portal you there,” the Vamp offered unprompted and so fast it was embarrassing. “Then you will only be slightly too late.”

It was worth the smile he gets in return.

“That would be appreciated.” Stark learned before what Stephen needed for a portal and showed him a photo of a modern hallway. “You know, one of these days you should join a meeting. You would be a good addition to the team. Plus, I wouldn’t be the only one bored while listening to Cap’s speeches.”

The sorcerer moved his fingers in a circle but didn’t take a closer step to the opening portal. It was one thing to stay cloaked under the watchful eyes of Tony and his pocket sized version of A.I. He didn't want to find out if he also remained undetected in the lion's den, where the engineer had all the tech at his disposal. There were too many factors to consider.

“I work with the masters of the Mystic Arts,” he declined politely for the umpteenth time.

“And with me,” Stark added.

“Occasionally.”

“Well, I take what I can get. We’ll see about the future though. I was told I can be quite persistent.” Stark winked at him.

“More like stubborn and annoying.”

“Semantics. See you next week, doc.”

Stephen could not suppress a smile as he raised his hand in a final goodbye before the portal behind the Were closed. The sorcerer stared at the space. He couldn't wait for next week to come.

He was incorrigible. Hopelessly.

~~

It was late at night when Stephen walked across one of the practice fields between two temples of Kamar-Taj.

It was a unique place.

Sure, everyone heard of underground places, hidden in the deep vasts of jungles or deserts of ice, where supposedly small tribes of vampires lived together peacefully. Rumors. Some humans tried to find these places, equipped with cameras and other tech – as if they were on the hunt for Big Foot.

They either returned unsuccessful, or not at all. Those cases of course only fueled the rumors.

The main argument against it: if they lived in isolation, what did they eat? What source of food did they have? Those few persons that went missing every now and then weren’t nearly enough to feed whole tribes.

So with the lack of evidence, the whole matter remained a scary story that children and teenagers told each other at night.

Nobody would expect those ‘secluded’ places in some of the biggest cities in the world. But the people of New York, London, and Hong Kong were too busy to notice.

And they wouldn’t even think it was possible for vampires to coexist with living beings in a safe space.

Stephen hadn’t believed in it either. Until he had seen it with his own eyes.

It was amazing how easy it was to put fears and differences aside when you saw the bigger picture.

Small groups of students stood together and trained magic, not caring about the late hour. There were enough lanterns lit for those who had difficulty seeing in the dark. Those who noticed him greeted him politely, as it was proper in the presence of the Sorcerer Supreme. Stephen replied each with a short nod.

The groups consisted of humans, werewolves and vampires alike, and even more exotic species. Most of them are from this planet, but not exclusively. Everyone was here for a different reason, and all of them found a home in Kamar-Taj and the Sanctums. Cloaked from the eyes of the common world.

Stephen reached the temple he had headed to, but before he entered, he turned around and looked over the place one more time.

The sparks of magic were more present in the night. Colorful lights in various shades. The murmur of voices mixed with the brizzling noise of magic blended into a low hum in the background. Every now and then there was a laughter or a groan to hear, depending on if the student’s task was successful or needed more training.

Stephen realized that he could never tell Stark the truth about himself and Kamar-Taj. He could not endanger this place, these people who trusted him to protect them. Their trust weighed more than anything.

It was about the bigger picture.

__________________

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[space-mermaid-writing]

The Vamp and the Were [IronStrange]

Summary: Tony would mark the day he met a vampire that did not immediately jump at his throat. Just for once – that would be a nice change.

Relationship: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange

Tags: IronStrange, Vampire Stephen Strange, Werewolf Tony Stark, hurt/comfort, idiots in love, angst, fluff

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 1.3k | Previous | Next

Chapter 3: Three time's the charm

Tony stood in front of a door. He didn’t know how or why that was possible when two minutes ago there hadn’t even been a building.

But now the door was there and Tony was looking right at it.

There wasn’t a bell, not even a name plate, yet Tony was pretty sure he was at the right place. He could smell it.

He didn’t know what smell it was because the sorcerers certainly hadn’t smelled like anything, but he did smell something.

He rapped his knuckles on the door.

Some long seconds nothing happened, but then the door that shouldn’t be there opened, revealing Strange.

Tony wore his prettiest PR smile when he looked at the man over the brim of his sunglasses and proudly announced, “I found your secret hideout.”

“Stark.” Strange seemed neither impressed nor intimidated which would both be valid reactions if you lived in a camouflaged home and someone uninvited had knocked on your door. So Tony hunting this place down couldn’t be that bad. “What do you want?”

That was plainly rude, which was why Tony chose to ignore the question. “Don’t you want to let me in?” He glanced past the man, curious about what this weird building might be hiding.

Strange didn't move an inch.

Tony thought he was going to slam the door in his face again, but then he finally stepped aside. “Please don’t touch anything magical.”

“I would never.” He totally would.

Tony stepped inside and found the air calm and almost chilly. The roots of his hair prickled, which was never a good sign. He decided to stay on guard, but remained nonchalant on the outside. He even took his sunglasses off with one hand and put them into the pocket of his shirt.

Then he raised his other hand, in which he was carrying some plastic bags. “I brought food. Vietnamese, to be specific.”

It was a peace offer. Maybe a bribe. Fact was: nobody rejected the gift of free food.

“Thanks, but I just ate.”

Okay, apparently nobody but this one strange individual.

Still, Strange didn't throw him back out immediately. Instead, he asked him, “Tea?”

“Coffee.”

Strange nodded, as if he had thought something like that, and started heading for a hallway. Tony took this as a silent invitation to follow him.

The hallways were narrow and stretched much longer than they should have. At one point Tony was pretty sure they were walking in a circle, but he didn't say anything. Maybe the building was secretly a maze. Or there was magic involved.

He was pretty sure it had to be. They passed windows showing parts of New York that were nowhere near this area. Other windows even showed completely different cities.

Either there was some amazingly good technology at work here – somehow Tony doubted it – or it was definitely magic.

Finally, they stepped through a bland looking door into a cozy kitchen. It was furnished in an old-fashioned way, with furniture thrown together from different decades. None of them seemed from this decade.

Another person was present, whom Tony recognized relatively quickly. “Hey, I remember you. You had some good fighting moves. Food?”

Wong, who was first sporting a similar unimpressed facial expression like Stephen did when he met Tony, changed that as soon as the food was mentioned. He eyed the plastic bags Tony placed on the kitchen table with interest, trying to guess what the other man had brought.

“Chicken?”

“Beef and veggie.”

“This is acceptable.” He took one of the bags and left the room without Tony being able to object.

Stephen had watched that encounter amused. “You can always bribe Wong with food.”

“I’ll remember that.” Tony was glad that the other man’s mood had changed and was less hostile now. “So, I think I was promised coffee.”

Strange did a swirl with his fingers and a mug plopped into existence right next to Tony. Only his fast werewolf reflexes made him catch it in surprise before a disaster could happen.

“Cool party trick. But if you could do that the whole time, why did you drag me through your weird maze of a house?”

Strange shrugged. “I have no influence on the Sanctum’s choices.” There was the smallest of fond smiles on his lips as he mentioned that name. “Plus I thought I would be funny.”

______

Stephen glanced at Wong. “Stop with that silent judgment, would you?”

“I’ve never been silent about my judging.” Wong didn’t even look up from his scroll he was taking notes from.

The two sorcerers sat several yards apart in the Sanctum’s library. Wong at a study table, and Stephen in his regular reading corner. Since there was no one else in this part of the Sanctum – there were some novices that cleaned the relics display cases on the second floor – no one was bothered by them talking loudly across the library.

“Yes, but normally I know what it's about.” Stephen stretched his fingers, using the conversation as a short break to relax them. The cloak reached from the back of the armchair Stephen was sitting in to curl its corners around his hands to help ease the pain. It didn't help much but he appreciated the gesture.

Since Wong did not speak further, he voiced his own assumptions into the silence.

“Is it because I tried to solve the problem of the clogged toilets by summoning an all eating shadow worm that almost broke free and fled into the city?”

That forced a reaction from Wong, who now finally turned around to him. “It what?!”

There was a sly smile on the Vamp’s face. “Actually I just asked someone from Kamar-Taj who used to work as a plumber. But good to know you think I would do something as stupid as that.”

“That’s not funny, Strange,” Wong mumbled and went back to work.

“It was a little funny.” At least seeing Wong’s face like that just now was.

Stephen also fell back into silence, waiting.

It took a few minutes, but Stephen had learned to be patient.

“Do you think fraternizing with Stark is a good idea?”

Ah, there it was. The real reason Wong had worn that judging face in the past few days. But Stephen also heard concern in his voice.

He had asked himself the same question, but that hadn't brought him any closer to an answer.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “He hasn’t acted dangerously towards us.”

“Yet.” Wong turned the page of his notebook. “You have been keeping secrets from him.”

That was true. Stephen sighed quietly, his eyes back on Shintaro’s scripts of ’Temporary anomalies and how to avoid them’. He suddenly found it hard to concentrate on it.

„Do you think he is a threat to the order?“ he heard his own voice ask.

“We will be able to contain and eliminate him if necessary. But it would be an inconvenience for everyone involved.”

Of course, a public figure could not be eliminated without questions being asked. And questions could turn out to be dangerous to a secret magic organization.

Stephen did not question that Wong apparently did not think it would be difficult to defeat an Avengers – one of Earth's mightiest heroes. They had dealt with much bigger and powerful beings in the past.

Still, despite all reason, Stephen didn't like the idea of having to go against Tony Stark, nor of stopping meeting him.

He noticed that the conversation had come to a halt, and when he looked up again, he met Wong's eyes. They seemed to look right through him.

Although Stephen was the one with additional superhuman abilities due to his vampirism, Wong always seemed to be able to guess his thoughts. He saw Stephen, his desires and his fears. And that made him a good friend (even if sometimes a very annoying one).

The seconds stretched when they looked at each other.

“Just be careful,” Wong finally said.

Stephen nodded, noting that Wong respected his decision, whatever it would be in that matter.

They both turned back to their readings.

_________________

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