ironstrange headcanons

Third Stage

hey. this will pretty much be a special one shot to me. i recently got diagnosed with a tumor that if it isn't cured soon could turn into cancer. i'm gonna be okay eventually, i hope. basically, the thing i will do in this fic is that tony's got cancer and stephen finds a way to cure it, becoming the person who will change the medicine field completely. it is kinda sad but it will turn happy at the end. i'm sorry if i'm giving out sad vibes but i cannot really concentrate on happy thoughts. This is gonna be long.

November 24th

it has been months since weird symptoms started to show on Tony. Coughing, chest pain and breathlessness, sudden loss of weight, night fevers and insomnia.
He thinks that it's just a consequence to his constant anxiety and depression, though he's never had those stabbing pains in his chest and also never seen blood on the handkerchief when coughed. why wouldn't he want to get help from Stephen? is he just being too proud of himself or he just doesn't want to make him worried?
Tony doesn't want to tell Stephen what's going on with him, but the Wizard is clever enough to understand that something is very wrong with his partner.

"Anthony, baby, tell me what's happening. you haven't talked to me in ages. are you mad at me? did i do something wrong?"
Stephen sits near the man who's clutching his chest curled up under the duvets, and places one of his shaky hands on his forehead.
"Oh god, you're burning. Tony, you need to tell me right now what's going on with you. I need to know."
Tony doesn't reply and simply hides his face into the warm clothes of his boyfriend, sniffling and holding the attires close. He doesn't have the courage of speaking up his mind and his thoughts because he is definitely too proud of himself to admit that he needs help.
Stephen sighs in compassion and gently plays with the hair on the back of the smaller man's head, interlocking his little curls with his scarred fingers.
"Listen.. I'm sure that something bad is happening to you and you don't want to tell me because you might be scared or nervous.. but if you don't tell me the problem I cannot contribute to help you get through it. However, I can read minds but I won't use it now because I would want you to say that instead of looking through your mind, Darling"
The small man giggles and this action makes The Wizard giggle as well. 
"it's unbelievable, Stephen. You can make me laugh even when I'm like this"
Stephen looks at him confused by the last sentence Tony had just said.
"You're like what? I'm seriously starting to get even more worried now."
Tony sits up slowly and sits on the bed to look directly into those Baby Blue eyes.
"Yes, like this. First, I am not even sure if that's what I have, I still haven't checked for a doctor's opin-"
" I am a doctor, why didn't you ask for MY opinion? Am I your boyfriend or not?"
The sorcerer says in an heartbreaking way with tears starting to gather in the corner of his eyes.
After a few seconds of silence, Tony gets the courage and tells him what he has.
" I have cancer, Stephen. I fucking have cancer."
Stephen doesn't reply. He looks at the man's body and examines it, noticing how he became even smaller and thinner than he was. He notices that he always holds his chest and has high fevers. He's never asked why there were handkerchiefs decorated with some kind of artistic splatters of blood around their room. He can't hold back the tears anymore and just lets them stream down his face.
"You.. you don't.. no, not you too."
Tony holds Stephen's hands when he sees that he'd broken his significant other's heart with this information.
"Me.. too?" The malnourished man asks, rubbing Stephen's scarred knuckles trying to comfort him.
"My mother. My mother died of brain cancer when I was only 9. I wanted to undertake the career of a neurosurgeon because I wanted to defeat the disease that killed the person I loved the most in the world. And now what? The other person I love most in the world has it too. Is this my fault? Am I cursed with that? Every person I love should be killed with that despicable thing?!"
Tony looks down covering his face with his free hand, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry I'm putting you through this again. Feel free to leave, Stephen. The door is open if you want to go."
Stephen glances at his boyfriend and lets go of his hand, cupping his face instead. He feels the smaller man's warm cheeks slightly wet from tears and rubs it softly, wiping away the tears.
"Don't be silly. I am not leaving you alone in this situation. I'm not leaving. I promised baby. I will try to do everything to cure you. Even if it will be hard, I will look up on books, I will ask the opinion and help of other sorcerers, I will ask Wong to help me, I will use all I have in my power to make you live an happy and healthy life again. I am NOT leaving you alone."
"I don't want to be the one who will leave you first then, Stephen."
The Wizard sighs. He doesn't want to think about it. "I won't let you go. You won't leave. You.. you are going to be okay." Stephen smiles and kisses Tony on his forehead, reassuring him
"First, we need to get you at the hospital for exams. I can do it as well but it's not always accurate, i wouldn't trust my diagnosis, though I believe it's.. lung carcinoma." He frowns as he pronounces the words. "Second, i need to call Wong and ask for his help. I'm sure he would know how to help us. Can you walk? Do you need something?"
"Yes, You. I need you."
Stephen smiles and shakes his head "well for how much I love you telling me how much you need me, I would want to know what you really need. Food, new clothes, painkillers, though they won't do much, comfort.. anything?"
"If there's anything for the pain it's appreciated.." the smaller man states, placing his head on the sorcerer's shoulder "I'm sorry I hadn't told you earlier. I thought you were not gonna like me anymore because I'm ill. Therefore I couldn't talk to you because you always understand that something's wrong just from a word I say."
Stephen giggles "well, not a single person thinks that everything's right when their significant other stops talking to them for a reason that's unknown to them."
Tony chuckles and holds Stephen close "thank you for staying.. I love you."
"I'd be such an asshole and idiot if I left"
"But you are an idiot"
"Yeah, your idiot."