I see you (Ironstrange friendship)

[Red]

Hi everyone!

Sometimes I'm still writing, mostly for myself but maybe some of you'll enjoy it, too. Here's some Ironstrange friendship, endgame isn't canon in my fluffy-fantasy-world. 

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It was during a short briefing session about new tech for the team when Stephen noticed there was something off with the billionaire. They weren't friends, even after the latest events they were only colleagues and never talked more than necessary. Also, there was no tech needed for a sorcerer supreme or his cloak. But the doctor inside him told Stephen that Stark was in need of medical assistance. Nobody seemed to notice how pale he looked and how eager he was to get back to his lab. After the meeting, the scientist swayed slightly in an effort to hurry back to work. When everyone was out of the room, Stephen followed Tony down into the lab.

"Can I come in?" 
Stark looked up from his workingspace, frowning: "Strange, what do you want? A baby monitor for your cape?"
Stephen came closer. "Well, thank you but the cloak is an ancient relic and able to take care of itself. I came to ask if you need anything?"
"I? What should I need?" Tony laughed to cover that he indeed needed a lot of things. Rest. Painkillers. More rest. The laugh morphed into a cough and a glass appeared in his hand out of nowhere. "Water, for example?"
Stark took a few sips until he gained back control. 
The billionare pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't need a babysitter."
"I am not a babysitter, I'm a doctor."
"I don't need that either. I'm fihh... fine" Tonys breath hitched and he turned away to muffle two sneezes in his sleeve. "He'Eshh! Eshhh'ew!"
"Bless you. How about a friend?"
Normaly, the billionaire would have snapped at Strange. But to be honest, he felt awful. No one of the team noticed that he was sick as a dog. Maybe they noticed but didn't care. Bruce would have noticed, but he was out of the country for some days. And Peter of course, but he's in school and Tony's thankful not to be a burden on the child. Everyone else just wanted to have something repaired or improved or whatever. That's what Tony was there for, right? Wouldn't his head hurt so much. And his chest. 

"I'd like to take a closer look at you. This reactor-thing is compromising your lung capacity, I guess. Just want to make sure you didn't catch pneumonia. But if you want me to leave, it's your choice."
It was the first time someone saw the problem with the arc reactor before Tony mentioned it. Everytime he was sick, people thought he was just melodramatic. "Why do you even care?" He asked.
"I'm a physician, maybe I'm just curious?"
He was good. He knew how to get Stark.
"So I'm your science project. Guess I can't say no to an experiment." 

A stethoscope appeared and Tony took off his shirt without being asked. What else should Strange want to do with that thing? He felt cold metal on his back and it triggered another bout of sneezing. "H'Esheww! Ishew! H'ISHH! Ugh, Sorry." "Bless you. Deep breaths, please." 
Tony inhaled deeply and started to cough immediately. 

When Strange came around to examine his chest, the cough had subsided. At first, Tony thought he was shivering because he felt unsteady hands on his ripcage. When he looked down, he saw the sorcerers hands, for the first time not covered in gloves or in motion during battle. They were shaking. Hard. He could barely hold the stethoscope. 
"You okay?" Stark wanted to know.
"What do you mean? Of course I am." Strange answered, clearly annoyed.
"I think you know exactly what I mean."
The stethoscope disappeared and the doctor stepped back. "No pneumonia, yet. But it won't stay that way if you don't take a break." 
Before Tony could say anything else, a portal opened and the sorcerer was gone.

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Tony called it a day and went to bed. He'd finish everything tomorrow. Or the day after. Pneumonia was an experience he had before and one he didn't need again. When he entered his room, everything was like he'd left it and the door was locked twice like always. But something was different. On his nightstand he found things he didn't put there. Things he didn't even posses. Painkillers, Coughdrops, an inhaler, tissues, a can with hot tea and a bottle of water. His bed seemed untouched but there was a hot waterbottle in it. He supposed he should be angry someone entered his room. But truth be told, he was more than thankful. On top he was sure Strange didn't set one foot in his room. The next morning Tony already felt slightly improved. Sure, he still was sick but it didn't get any worse and his chest felt much better thanks to rest, fluids and the inhaler. He'd keep it slow another one or two days, just working in the lab a bit and sleeping during the nights. To his suprise he even managed to finish everything he promised his team until their next meeting without working himself to the ground. At day three, he had nothing more than the sniffles and a cough left. That was when the next avengers meeting took place. But some sorcerer was missing.

[matilda3948]

2 hours ago, Red said:

The laugh morphed into a cough and a glass appeared in his hand out of nowhere. "Water, for example?"
Stark took a few sips until he gained back control. 
The billionare pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't need a babysitter."
"I am not a babysitter, I'm a doctor."

This is wonderful!! I love this exchange ^

These are my two favorite characters and we rarely get to see them interact. Loved every word of it!

[RedVelvetHeart]

Very nice! I love Dr Strange, and he isn't often featured. I hope you continue!

[Red]

Thank you! My english is far from perfect and I've barely time to write at the moment, but I'll try to continue. 😊

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"Strange?" Tony shouted while entering the sanctum. Nothing. Maybe he was on a mission, involving some magic stuff? The billionaire hesitated and was about to turn around and leave when he heared something. The door to the next room wasn't fully closed and he could hear someone... coughing? 
He knocked and entered without waiting for permission. "Strange?"

He entered a big library and the doctor was sitting on a desk, at least ten books in front of him. He was hacking up a lung and didn't seem to notice that someone spoke to him. Stark observed how the red floaty magic cape pushed a glass of water into its masters hands. Strange grabbed the glass but his hands were so unsteady that he didn't manage to navigate it to his mouth without spilling most of the water. The cloak wrapped itself around his hands to steady them. With both hands, his full focus and some help he managed to take a few sips and was able to breathe again. Trembling and sweating he leaned back and closed his eyes, still unaware of his guest. The cloak poked Stephen with one corner to anounce that they were not alone.

When the sorcerer saw Tony in the doorway, he raised an eyebrow.
"What are you doing here?"
"You missed the meeting today and I wanted to make sure you didn't turn yourself into a mouse or something." The genius said and took a seat next to his colleague.
"Really nice of you." Strange croaked and suppressed another coughing fit. 
"Well, I think I have to thank you. For... you know, keeping me from working myself into hospital. Maybe it's time to return the favor." Tonys voice was still husky and every sentance was punctuated with a little cough.
"Yeah, you're the epitome of health." Stephen mocked and the cloak pushed a box of tissues in Tonys direction, who grapped one and covered his nose to stifle three rapid sneezes. "E'shew!Eshh!Ishh!"

"Bless. Maybe you should mind your own business, I have work to do." 
"I didn't catch pneumonia because you weren't minding your own business and now it's my turn to annoy you."
The doctor appreciated that. He really did. But he was shivering and miserable and that made his trembling hands almost useless. He couldn't even hold a glass of water. It was embarassing.
"Thank you for the effort, Tony, but I'm fine. It's just a cold."
"If you caught that from me, I can imagine how crappy you feel."
"Compared to you, my lung capacity is quite fine and I don't have a hole in my chest." Stephens nose twitched and he took a tissue. It seemed to take all of his attention not to drop it and he clumpsily covered his lower face with it and sneezed loudly. "Ht'SHOO!"
"Compared to you, I never had a car crash in which I ruptured my spleen*. On top, I have two fully functioning hands. Bless you, by the way."
Of course, it couldn't be that hard for a genius to hack a hospital server and read medical files.

"What's your plan? Aggressively watching me while I drop stuff?"
"I thought of 'keeping you company while making sure you're getting some rest'. I'd bet your giant ego keeps you from admitting you're unwell."
"Takes one to know one, right?" Stephen noticed. Both men chuckled. The sorcerer finally succumbed to an inevitable coughing fit. Without hesitation, Tony stood up and did what the cloak was doing before. He steadied Stephens hands with his own and helped him to drink some water. Strange was unable to argue. When he regained control over his breathing, he was shivering like mad. He felt exhausted and dizzy and neausous. 
"Thanks" he wheezed. Strange suddenly turned white as a sheet of paper.
"You okay?", Tony asked concerned.
Pressing his trembling palms agains his eyes, Strange whispered "Low blood pressure". He definitely did not get enough fluids. And sleep. Since he felt a little under the weather the day before, he was eager to study and push away the thought of how helpless his body was. He only drank if the cloak forced him to do so. Now he got to pay for that.

"Maybe you should lay down for a sec?" 
The neurosurgeon just shook his head and rushed out of the room. The cloak followed him and Tony could hear his teammate retching. He was worried so he knocked at the door next to the library. It wasn't locked and he entered what seemed to be a small bathroom. Stephen sat in front of a toilette. Stark went to take the glass from the desk and filled it with water from the tab. He sat down next to Strange who now leaned against the wall, eyes closed. "Sorry" the physician mumbled quietly. 
"Nah, it's alright. Better now?"
Stephen nodded. "Vasovagal reflex."
"You don't drink enough. You have that magic cloth, you could use a straw or something similar, so technically it's no problem. But you refuse to drink anyway."
"Are you done analyzing me?"
"Nope, I just started. Y' know, there are times when I refuse to sleep. I feel awful, I should sleep, but I do it only if absolutely neccessary. I don't want to be remembered. Your hands are signs of what you fear. Your own weakness."
"Could we save that talk for a time when I don't feel like I'm gonna faint?" Stephen asked with sweat on his forehead while he lay down on the cold bathroom floor. 
"Maybe some iv fluids would help?"
"Do I look like I store iv fluids or could get a cannula inside a vain?" 
"I'll be right back." Tony announced and left the bathroom. Stephen was to exhausted to care what his teammate was up to. 

 

*In my version the car accident had further consequences: Immunosuppression due to removal of the spleen because of splenic rupture and internal bleeding 😇

Edited October 5, 2019 by Red

[RavenWatson]

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