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The New York dawn had its own rhythm: silent, with the distant sound of traffic and the intermittent glow of city lights twinkling like artificial stars. But for Tony, the night wasn't for sleep. He tossed and turned in bed, his hair a mess and his eyes red from insomnia reflecting the light from the monitor. He tried to ignore the weight of his own mind, but his thoughts spun like out-of-control gears, recalling old projects, past mistakes, and the constant feeling that he always needed to do more.
After hours of trying unsuccessfully to clear his head, Tony finally stood up. It was time for action—or at least a distraction. He walked into the living room, wearing a random robe, and plopped down in the leather chair, opening his laptop with that nervous smile of someone who knows he's about to get into something pointless but can't help himself.
—"Fri, show me any files you find suspicious or interesting. Contracts, legal records, anything that seems out of the ordinary,"— he ordered, sitting down in the leather armchair in the living room.
"Boss,"— FRIDAY replied with his usual calm, —"I've detected a document that doesn't match any known record. Prioritizing its maximum display."
Tony frowned, his eyes shining with curiosity. —“Unknown document? Show it now.”
The hologram materialized in midair, projecting a cold light that illuminated Tony's weary face. In the center was something straight out of a comedy, but with all the formality in the world: a marriage certificate. Tony Edward Stark and Stephen Vincent Strange, dated 1998, in Las Vegas. Surrounding it, a few amateur photos showed the two laughing uncontrollably, clearly drunk, signing papers and improvising wedding rings with a crooked, awkward smile.
Tony blinked several times in disbelief, trying to process what he was seeing. —"Fri... are you telling me I got married and I don't remember!?"
"It's the official document, sir." "FRIDAY," he replied precisely. "All the records match."
Tony stood up, pacing back and forth. Each photo seemed to scream, “Look at us, Tony. We were crazy. We were drunk. We were married.”
He rubbed his face and muttered, “Damn it, Stark… how did that go unnoticed?”
—Fri, make a photocopy for me"— asked tony.
—"right now, boss"— FRIDAY says, a photocopy is taken, Tony takes it.
Every movement was a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and a twinge of involuntary humor. He sat back down, picking up the certificate, running his fingers over the still-wet ink. He tried to find some error, some evidence of fraud, but nothing made sense. It was all real.
The next thought made him swallow hard: he needed answers. He needed someone to explain how he, the man who thought he controlled everything, had managed to get married without even remembering that night. Without a second thought, Tony got in his car and headed to Sanctum.
As soon as he left Stark Tower, he drove to Sanctum, each red light seeming like an eternity. His mind was buzzing with questions, unlikely theories, and the overwhelming feeling that somehow the universe had decided to play one of the greatest jokes of all: he and Stephen Strange, married and unaware of it.
__________________
Upon arriving, he knocked on the door with his fist, without ceremony.
Stephen, of course, opened the door with that expression of mingled disdain and slight disgust—typical of him when someone interrupted his sacred routine. —“Tony. What the hell are you doing here at this hour?”— he asked, his voice thick with a mixture of curiosity and irritation.
Tony didn't even respond immediately. He walked in, ignoring the Sorcerer Supreme's silent protests, and threw himself onto a couch.
He threw the certificate on the coffee table. “We have to talk. Now,” he said.
Stephen took the documents in his trembling hands and took a moment to look at them and register what he was reading. Shock was etched on his face, mixed with disbelief. —“This has to be a fake. A ridiculous forgery.”
—"Fake?"— Tony arched his eyebrows. —"Look at the signatures, the photos! It's perfect! Us. Las Vegas. A notary's office. And no one remembers!"— He huffed, throwing himself back on the couch in exasperation.
Stephen took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. —“So you’re saying that… we got married? And no one remembers?”
—"Exactly."— Tony crossed his arms, glaring at him.
Stephen raised an eyebrow, half astonished, half amused. —“And here I thought I had trouble with complicated spells…”
Tony let out a nervous laugh, realizing that, despite the shock, there was something hilarious about this absurd situation. They had been friends for years, trusting and competitive.
looking at the photos. Each image showed two visibly drunk men, laughing uncontrollably, improvising wedding rings with a mixture of pride and confusion.
—“Look at us!”— he said, pointing to one of the photos where Stephen was grimacing. —“Can you believe we signed all this without remembering a thing?”
Stephen sighed, leaning back in his chair. —"I should be outraged. But…"— he paused, looking down at his hands, —"there's something strangely familiar about this."
Tony noticed the pause, the subtle moment when Stephen couldn't hide the twinge of curiosity or the glint of recognition that flickered in his eyes.
—"Strangely familiar, huh?"— Tony teased with a mischievous smile. —"I knew I'd like myself drunk."
Stephen rolled his eyes, trying to maintain his composure. —"You're insufferable,"— he muttered, but he couldn't hide the smile that escaped.
—“I know.”— Tony shrugged triumphantly. —“But now we’re… married. Legally.”— He paused dramatically.— “Or at least until someone proves otherwise.”
Stephen shook his head, exasperated, but with a hint of humor in his voice. —“Wonderful. Two reckless adults with degrees, powers, and now… a marriage no one remembers.”
—“Oh, look on the bright side,”— Tony replied, leaning forward. —“At least we can laugh about it together, right?”
The Sorcerer Supreme sighed again, tucking the certificate into his inner coat pocket. —"Maybe. But next time, Stark, let's drink less. Or maybe... remember something."
Tony blinked, his smile crooked. —"I promise to try. But I can't guarantee results."
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The next day, Stephen tried to go about his normal routine, even though the marriage certificate was still tucked away in his coat pocket. Christine Palmer came over for coffee.
—“So, you guys actually did it?”— he asked, gesturing slightly to the document Stephen still discreetly held. —“I remember we were in Las Vegas… but no one really remembers.”
Stephen sighed. —“It was just one night, Christine,”— Stephen replied, half amused, half embarrassed. —“And apparently, we drank too much to remember.”
Christine laughed, shaking her head. —“You two were always a disaster together. I’m not surprised.”
Wong, who was drinking tea in the chair next to him, gave his dry, almost mechanical comment. —“Interesting… and completely predictable.”
Stephen rolled his eyes. —“Thanks, Wong.”
—"Just observing patterns,"— Wong replied nonchalantly. —"Nothing more predictable than two drunken idiots making rash decisions."
Before he could add anything, Tony entered the room in his usual dramatic manner, throwing his arms in the air. —"See, Strange? Even your friend Wong thinks we're a lost cause, except for the part about me being an idiot, and I don't agree with that."
Stephen shook his head, stifling a laugh. —“You’re incorrigible, Stark.”
—“And irresistible,”— Tony retorted, winking with a crooked smile.
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At Stark Tower
Upon seeing the certificate and photos, Rhodey burst out laughing loudly. —“You guys got married and no one remembers? That’s gold!”
Pepper just shook her head, smiling with the same patience she always displayed toward the chaos surrounding Tony. —"Tony…"— she said, her voice full of silent disapproval, but without losing her humor.
The laughter spread to Peter, who was visiting the Tower for a quick lunch and, as always, brought his innate curiosity. Seeing the photos, his eyes widened.
—"Are you two always like this when you drink?"— he asked, leaning over the hologram, his eyes shining with fascination.
—“Kid, young man,”— Tony replied dramatically, spreading his hands, —“we are a walking spectacle of irresponsibility.”
Peter laughed, but there was a hint of fascination. He enjoyed seeing the human side of Tony and Stephen, something rarely shown.
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Tony began showing up at Sanctum more often, sometimes with convincing excuses, sometimes none at all. One afternoon, he came in with a bag of Chinese food, Stephen's favorite, and left it on the library table. —"I thought a Sorcerer Supreme shouldn't live on tea alone,"— he said, opening the containers.
Stephen raised an eyebrow, closing the book he was reading. —“And I thought a billionaire would have better things to do than visit me.”
—"I do, but they're boring. You, at least, complain about everything and call me insufferable. It's almost a hobby,"— Tony replied with that cheeky smile, already serving dinner.
Despite the sarcasm, Stephen accepted the food, and the two spent hours talking, alternating between serious discussions of magic and science and lighthearted teasing.
It wasn't just at Sanctum that the meetings took place. Tony also invited Stephen to the Tower, where Peter usually was. Peter loved seeing them together. He noticed how Tony, always full of sarcastic comments, seemed more relaxed when Stephen was around, and how the wizard, always so reserved, relaxed amid Stark's provocations.
One time, while Tony was assembling a new version of his armor in the lab, Stephen walked in unannounced, holding a cup of coffee.
—“I didn’t know you liked visitors while you were working,”— he said, offering the cup.
Tony looked at her like she was a rare gift. —"Coffee. You're officially trying to seduce me, Strange."
Stephen laughed, shaking his head. —“It’s just coffee, Stark.”
—"Nothing is just coffee,"— Tony retorted, but accepted the cup with a sincere smile.
Small gestures like this began to accumulate. Stephen noticed when Tony was silent for too long, lost in his own thoughts, and offered simple distractions, like a game of chess. Tony, on the other hand, would appear whenever he sensed the magician was isolating himself, bringing jokes, food, or just his tireless presence.
>>>>
The provocations also took on a different tone.
—"Did you know you're surprisingly photogenic drunk?"— Tony commented one day, holding up one of the wedding photos again.
—"Don't laugh too much, Stark. You weren't doing too badly yourself, considering the context,"— Stephen replied, arching an eyebrow.
—“Look,”— Tony said, leaning across the table, —“we’re exchanging compliments right now. Want me to buy you flowers?”
Stephen rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth curved into a smile.
>>>
Even Pepper and Rhodey began to notice the change. Rhodey made a point of teasing Tony privately —"You spend more time with the wizard than with me. I'm going to start getting jealous."
Pepper, more subtly, just gave Tony a meaningful look when she saw him adjusting Stephen's tie.
—"Friendship, right?"— she commented ironically.
— "Friendship..." — Tony replied, unable to hide his smile.
Peter himself, ever observant, noticed. One afternoon, while Tony and Stephen were arguing about which classic film was the most overrated, Peter casually remarked
—"You guys fight like a married couple."
The silence that followed was immediate. Tony coughed, Stephen straightened his coat, and Peter blinked innocently.
>>>>>
Stephen, in particular, noticed the change in himself. He was used to building emotional walls, but next to Tony, they seemed to crumble effortlessly. And Tony, in turn, felt he didn't have to constantly perform; Stephen saw through the jokes and didn't shy away.
And so, amid laughter, teasing, and meaningful silences, their friendship began to blossom into something deeper—something neither dared to name yet, but which they both knew existed.
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The night was calm in Stark Tower. The city's glow illuminated the horizon like a sea of artificial stars, and the cool air blew gently across the terrace. After a leisurely dinner with Pepper, Rhodey, and Peter, everyone had dispersed. Peter was asleep on the living room couch, exhausted after insisting on showing Tony and Stephen every detail of his latest adventure. Pepper and Rhodey had gone out to get coffee, leaving the terrace silent—only the two of them remained.
Stephen leaned against the glass ledge, gazing thoughtfully at the lights of New York. Beside him, Tony held a mug of coffee, feigning casualness, but watching the wizard from the side. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but charged with something neither of them dared to name aloud.
Tony was the first to break it. —"You know,"— he began, twirling the mug between his fingers, —"ever since we discovered that... forgotten detail of our youth, I've been thinking about a few things."
Stephen raised an eyebrow. —"'Somethings’? Coming from you, that could mean anything from new armor to a plan to colonize Mars.”
Tony smirked. —"Nothing so extravagant… this time."— He paused dramatically, then turned fully to Stephen. —"But... I thought of this, wedding number two?..."
Stephen let out a deep sigh, but his lips curved into an inevitable smile. —“You’re insufferable, Stark.”
Tony shrugged, but his eyes held a different, more vulnerable gleam. —"That's common sense."
The wizard was silent for a few seconds, as if seriously considering the ridiculous proposal. Then he replied, —"But… I accept."
Tony blinked in surprise. —“Wait... You accepted? Just like that? No prenup, no drama?”
—"No need to complicate things, Tony."— Stephen looked away, but the slight blush on his face betrayed it. —"Maybe this is the only way we can ensure that, this time, we'll remember."
Tony laughed, shaking his head. —"Honestly, I don't know if I'm more impressed that you accepted or that you finally admitted I'm irresistible."
Stephen arched his eyebrow, still with that half smile. —“Don’t put words in my mouth.”
—“Still,”— Tony muttered, amused.
The wind blew stronger, and for a few moments they just stood there, side by side, watching the city. It was strange how natural everything seemed.
Tony broke the silence again, his tone softer, extending his hand, half joking, half serious. —"So? Shall we try again?"
Stephen looked at his hand, hesitated for a second, and then shook it firmly. —“But this time… no tequila.”
Tony laughed. —"Deal."