Always before Strange had been an unshakeable, immovable rock. Sometimes in his more fanciful or frustrated moments Tony compared him to a marble statue, unaffected by the possible chaos and danger that often congregated around Tony, and unreadable unless he was feeling generous. More often than not, he dragged the superhero closer to some semblance of wellness or safety.
Last night had been the first time Tony had seen the man vulnerable. He’d seemed, suddenly, so fragile in his arms, and shockingly submissive. He’d caught a glimpse of what lay behind Strange’s formidable walls, and like an addict, he wanted more.
He wanted to know everything about him for reasons beyond curiosity and a challenge. He wanted him to be okay. He wanted not to have hurt him.
Tony just wanted. He was a little shocked by how much.
“Vincent,” he murmured out loud. Testing.
Tony knew that when he fell, he fell too fast, and too hard, and gave too much of himself. Throwing money at his problems was a habit he hadn’t even attempted to break. What wouldn’t he do for someone he actually…cared for?
Was it any wonder he had become fixated on Strange? Tony had never been protected. Not by someone who wasn’t somehow benefiting in some way, generally by salary or favors.
Well, except for Yinsen…but that was a nightmare he couldn’t think about right now when he was still recovering from so many others and another near-death.
Vincent Strange wasn’t compensated, so far as he could tell. He didn’t expect anything. Didn’t ask for anything. Didn’t even take anything.
And he might be an asshole, but he was a genuine one. Strange didn’t dial it up because he was Tony Stark, nor did he attempt to hide it. He was just an enigmatic, prickly asshole who cared.
Tony’s poor heart didn’t know what to do with that.
He frowned, snapping back to the present. “JARVIS,” he said, “let’s revise that search for Strange.”
“Of course, Sir.” His AI’s tone was highly judgmental.
Tony made a face in response, but didn’t comment. “Search for any combination of the name ‘Vincent Strange’, or any significant connection of the name ‘Vincent’ to a ‘Strange’.” The way Strange had phrased it, Tony thought it was unlikely that Vincent was his actual first name. But it was always best to be sure, and he had chosen a name quickly enough that it must have some sort of relevance at least.
“Narrow it down to male…in North America…within the last, oh…75 years, just to be safe.”
“Any further parameters?”
“Nah,” he said, leaning back in his chair and dropping his head back. “Let’s see what you come up with first. Given what a dud the last search was, it’s probably better to start broad and work from there.” He’d narrowed it down to nothing, none of his results the man he was looking for, and attempting to broaden it again left him with far too many possibilities. JARVIS couldn’t look through them to save him time, since for whatever reason facial recognition searches for the man failed.
