#Wong and Stephen are awkward

[popcorn-plots]

.....new WIP lmao

[masked-creator]

Family vacation!❤️

[lady-strange0]

i know what sleepovers imply

By: Lady_Strange0

Words: 2589

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Published on AO3: 18/05/2023

Relationships: America Chavez & Stephen Strange, Stephen Strange/Wong, America Chavez/Lisa Halloran

Summary:

It was another half hour before she spoke up, “Stephen, what do you know about lesbian sex?”

-or-

America and Stephen have a healthy conversation about sex and are sweet and only slightly awkward about it.

America was spread out across one of the couches in their favourite living room, her head on one armrest while her bare feet dangled over the other. The TV that had previously been playing some documentary or other was now displaying the ‘are you still watching’ screen. She made no move to change it.

Stephen watched from were he was perched in a red armchair with a heavy old book in his lap, as she took a breath as if to start speaking before letting it out, she has been doing this for over an hour. Her fingers were drumming against the dark screen of her phone as she starred into space. He knew she would eventually come out and ask what is plaguing her.

It was another half hour before she spoke up, “Stephen, what do you know about lesbian sex?”

This was not what he thought she was going to ask, and for a moment he was unsure as to what to say. He has known her preferences since pretty much the beginning, and she has over the past three years kept him pretty up to date on her crushes on both celebrities and classmates at Kamer-Taj as well as her normal school.

“Well, I don’t know if I will be the best source, but if I can help with something I can try. What is it exactly you want to know? And are you asking because you are planning on having it soon? Because then I want you to know that first and foremost it should always be consentional and safe.”

Over the years Stephen has learned that America never really learned about shame, having travelled from one universe to another with little time to get used to the social norms of whichever one she found herself in. Hence, things that are conventionally considered “shameful” have never been something she’s worried about, she has no trouble asking for help, whether this means him buying her period products or having a discussion about her school troubles or advice on what to wear to certain events or when she gets sad about her parents or anything of the sort. So to see her struggling to answer now was a surprise.

“There is this girl in my class, I’ve told you about her before, Lisa, well she asked me on a date a while back and I said yes and we went for lunch and stuff and we have been kinda going out for a few weeks now, and she’s been asking if I can come over to her place overnight or if she can come here, and I know what sleepovers imply, but research online hasn’t exactly been helpful on how you go from point A to point B.” During her speech, which frankly did not have a full stop anywhere, America has shifted until she sat straight up with her legs crossed on the seat and her hands in her lap, she was blushing lightly across her tan skin, but she wasn’t shying away from eye contact.

“Firstly, if she makes you happy and you like her then I’d love to meet her and have her over for dinner sometime.”

“Really? That would be so fun, I’ll text her later to ask, and hopefully she won’t freak that this is a haunted mansion, with flying cloaks and ghost dogs.” America was laughing now, and Stephen couldn’t keep the grin of his face. He loved nothing more than to see her laughing and excited, especially when it was about spending time with him.

“What’s life without a little crazy? But back to the topic,” this sobered America straight up from her laughter and she sat still to listen, “like I already said the most important thing is that you won’t do anything until you feel comfortable to do them. Considering I know you’ve kissed girls in the past, I’m gonna assume you’ve kissed her already?”

America gave a shy nod, before letting him continue, “then I would like say that I would be more comfortable with you guys doing it here or at her place, then elsewhere.”

“But wouldn’t that be kind of awkward? Like if you knew what we were doing in my bedroom or if her parents were home at hers?”

Stephen couldn’t help but remember his own teenage years of trying to keep his relationships out of his parents house, but gossip moved quick in small towns like the one he grew up in. So, he kept them to a minimum and he knows he would have found it awkward if his parents had known or downright terrifying if they knew it weren’t just girls he slept with. He shuddered internally at the thought of what his father would have said about that.

Americas foot nudged his knee from were she was sitting to pull him out of his thoughts, and she raised an eyebrow at him. He simply shock his head, and continued, “it would certainly be more awkward if you two would try to find an empty room at a party and hope not to get walked in on, or do it in a cramped car somewhere and get fined with public indecency.”

“That sounds like you are talking from experience,” America giggled.

“Yeah, well take it from me, not fun. So do it here were I know you can be safe and also doing it on a bed is far more comfortable than elsewhere especially when starting out.” America nodded and watched as he gathered his thoughts.

“From a medical point of view, you may not be at risk for pregnancy unless she’s trans,” to this America shock her head, “and we know you are immune to pretty much all our illnesses with ur weird alien DNA.” America rolled her eyes at the ongoing alien joke. “But we don’t know what sort of things you have been given from your parents that we don’t even know exist, and so that’s something you will have to consider. We can talk to Christine to have her do some tests just to be certain there’s nothing wrong.”

He could see America taking in all the information, she’d taking up writing lists of important things to remember since she started her studies here, and he knows that she will be writing this all down later. Stephen makes a mental note to send her some links to medical research for STIs and the like in their universe, just because she can’t get them doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be educated on them, also lesbian sexual health has always been filled with myths and untruths, and he doesn’t want her to learn misinformation about her own body and sexuality.

“Now, do you have specific questions as to sex we can tackle or I can give you like a sort of run down, again with a grain of salt coming from a cis man who’s a doctor,” said Stephen. America considered her answer, leaning back against the couch and looking at the ceiling before she started speaking, “the most confusing thing is the whole getting started, like it seems so weird, going from like talking and kissing to… sex. And also I’ve read things online like ‘who’s the man in the relationship’ which doesn’t make sense considering we are both women, and like top and bottom and sub and dom and things and… ugh, it’s confusing.”

Stephen took a moment to dissect the stream of conscious that just left America. He noted absently that he still had the large tomb in his lap and moved it to the little side table.

“The internet is full of misinformation and idiots and misogynists and creeps and the like, so don’t take everything you read as truth. Especially when it comes to your own body autonomy and personal life. First up there is no ‘man’ in your relationship and those stereotypes are so outdated and wrong. Secondly, top and bottom refers to who is giving and who is receiving, and those are not static rolls, they can change from person to person or from one occurrence of sex to another. Sub and dom or submissive and dominant are to do with kink which I doubt you will be doing during your first times. Wait until you are bit older and comfortable with your sexual experiences before trying anything like that.

“Thirdly, getting from point A to point B depends on the situation or the person, maybe you’ll be watching a movie and sitting next to each other and hands will travel south or you’re making out and it will develop, but I would tell you not to stress it, it will happen naturally and if not well sex isn’t perfect. Especially the first time with a new partner. And that’s important to remember, sex isn’t always perfect! It can be messy, funny, emotional, weird, it can hurt sometimes or be just plain bad and all of those are okay, you can just try again another time. And the myth that lesbian is sex is always great is also rubbish and you shouldn’t put such expectations on yourself or others, because that’s unhealthy.”

“But what if I’m bad at it? What if it’ll be obvious that I’ve never done it before? And what if I don’t know what to do with my hands or something?” America was chewing on her lip, they had clearly reached her main issue and the reason for the whole conversation. She pulled legs up from their crossed positions, bend them and circled her arms around them and leaned her head on it, starring into space.

Stephen on the other hand was trying to figure out how to answer her questions without confusing her or making her worry even more. In the end he went with, “masturbation.”

At Americas raised eyebrow and smirk, it became clear that this was less than eloquent as an answer. Stephen tried again.

“Masturbation, it can help relax you during sex to know your own body anatomy and because you’ll be sleeping with a women it’s also helpful that it will be similar to yours. It’s good to know what feels good to you, and what doesn’t. Knowing what feels pleasurable for you, can help you understand your partner more and have them understand you more. But it’s also important to note that what might be pleasurable for one person might not be so for another, trial and error as they say.”

“As who say?” Stephen just shrugged, “I don’t know, they.”

“Anyways, consent! Consent is sexy, consent is healthy, consent is important. Even if you or your partners said yes at the start doesn’t mean you or they can’t say no during it. Check in throughout. No means no. And if she doesn’t understand that when you tell her no, then you tell me and I’ll make her fall through a portal for a very, very long time.” This caused America to giggle and nod.

“When it comes to what is pleasurable and what is not, I’ll let you discover that, but know that your hands and mouth are just as useful during sex as your genitals, and you have other body bodies that may be erogenous zones, and finding them on yourself and your partner is half the fun of sex.”

America was looking much more relaxed now, having gotten the answers to her questions, but Stephen wasn’t done. If he was going to have this talk then he would cover all the bases. The girl on the couch clearly saw, that Stephen was gathering his thoughts to continue, and stayed silent to listen.

“If you go online to learn about sex then please don’t use porn. Watch it if you want but don’t take it as the status quo. Porn is not realistic, the actors stamina isn’t really what is shown, they take breaks during scenes, they are also much more prepared for penetration than is usually shown in those videos and the sounds are so very exaggerated.” America just looked at him before saying, “I don’t think anyone who watches porn actually thinks it’s real, right? Like most of it obviously fake and over the top.”

“You never know, there will always be some, but what I was getting at is that if you are going to have sex and take inspiration from porn, talk about it with your partner first and if you are going to use toys or something of the sort, please, please do your research and get safe ones, you wouldn’t believe the amount of stories I have heard from people having all sorts stuck in all sorts of places while I was in medical school, and while Chrissy was working in A&E.”

To this, America gave a wide eyed look, before nodding seriously. Stephen knew she was responsible and having seen her grow over the last few years has been an honor. So, seeing her have a girlfriend is something he has known was coming and while he is not ready to let her go, he’s at least glad he gets to teach her how to take care of herself and others, and that she trusts him to come to him with these things.

“Finally, use lube. It makes everything a lot smoother and comfortable, I can get you some at the corner store if you are worried about the cashier but it makes everything better, and if you are going to use mouths on genitals then use a dental dam, again I can get you some, yeah?” Americas cheeks were back to dark rose colour, but she responded with, “yeah, please do.”

“And also, wash your hands, before and after, it’s very unhygienic otherwise, and go pee afterwards. That’s for masturbation too. And wash toys after use too. And really just have fun exploring and learning, those are some of the best parts of having sex. And practice makes perfect, not that you have to be perfect but you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. Thank you, Stephen, really.” She got up from her seat and gave Stephen a hug, despite his surprise he squeezed her back, and held her head to his shoulder. His shaky hands unknotting some tangles from her hair as she collected herself to continue speaking. “I know I don’t say it as often as I should, but you are the best father figure I could have asked for, because you are here for me no matter what, even if it’s awkward and uncomfortable.”

“I just want what’s best for you, and to see you healthy and happy.”

“I know, and I you too,” there for a short pause, in which Stephen prepared himself for more questions. He didn’t expect what came out of her mouth next. “Which reminds me you should ask Wong out for dinner, maybe you can make use of some of the advice you gave me.” She pulled back gave him a sly look, dodged the hand that was gonna lightly hit her shoulder, and walked out of the living room with her phone in hand. Before he could say anything, she shouted, “I’ll text Lisa about that dinner.”

And Stephen just laughed to himself, as he considered telling her that he and Wong have been sleeping together for months, but maybe that’s a bomb to drop at some other point. For now, he would try to enjoy every moment he could with America, because before soon she’ll be to cool to hang with him.

[ironstrange1991]

Forbidden (Part 6): Apocalypse

Pairing: Doctor!Strange x Fem!reader

Synopsis: When Stephen returns from a mission and is allowed to spend some time alone with you, he makes a discovery that he was definitely not prepared for.

Word Count: 7,5k

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, drugs and sexual activies.

A/N: It took me 5 months to overcome the creative block I had and finally get to the point in the story that I was most looking forward to write. There's no smut yet, but I promise it's coming in the next chapter that I'm already finishing writing :)

SERIES MASTERLIST

Stephen was in the kitchen filling a cup of coffee when Wong came in and started doing the same.

"Long night?" He asked probingly and Stephen nodded, throwing a pill in his mouth and swallowing it with the help of a long sip of coffee.

"How much did you drink?" Wong asked, rummaging through the fridge and taking out what he needed to prepare eggs and bacon.

Stephen threw himself into the chair and rested his head in his hands. The memories of last night passed through him like a blur, but he was still aware that he had taken a very big step towards Y/n and now there was no turning back. Not that he wanted to go back, he was just slightly more worried now that he was sober.

"A few shots of whiskey." He responded evasively and Wong scoffed "I've seen you empty an entire bottle of whiskey and not stay in that state, Strange. What else happened last night?"

Stephen thought for a second and then decided to tell the truth "Y/n and I kissed. There could have been a mutual declaration of love. It's possible that we are together. That is, if she didn't wake up this morning thinking everything was a bad idea."

Wong didn't say anything. He dedicated himself to prepare breakfast and Stephen remained silent watching him move the frying pan, finishing preparing the eggs. He placed them on a plate and then set about frying the bacon slices.

"Do you… think that's a bad idea?" Stephen pressed, waiting for an answer.

Wong shrugged "I think Y/n is too young for you, but on the other hand, I think you should have settled with a woman a long time ago, Strange."

He dumped the fried bacon on the plate as well, grabbed two forks and placed the plate between him and Stephen and sat down. "Eat. It'll help with the hangover."

Stephen took a slice of bacon and took a bite of it, chewing slowly. "You and Sara seem to have hit it off really well." Stephen pressed.

Wong looked at him with an expression that said that it wasn't because Stephen liked to talk about his personal life that Wong liked to do the same. Stephen raised his hands in surrender, "I just want to say that you look happy, if that's even possible to say by looking at your face. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I want to be happy too and Y/n likes me, and I like her. That's it."

Wong continued eating as if he didn't pay attention to what Stephen was saying.

"What about Stark?" He asked after a minute of an awkward silence.

Stephen sighed, but before answering, America entered the kitchen already complaining, "Are you guys having breakfast without me? Why don't you ever wait for me for us to have breakfast like a normal family?"

Stephen raised an eyebrow "Is that what we are?"

She smacked his head. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Stephen." She went to the cupboard and grabbed her favorite cereal, a bowl and the bottle of milk from the fridge.

"Are you going to tell me what you and Y/n were doing alone in that room yesterday?" She asked mischievously while grabbing a spoon and sat down next to Wong and addressed him "Thor and I found him and Y/n alone in the lounge on the accommodations floor. There was no one there besides the two of them and Stephen's face when he saw us was hilarious."

Stephen rolled his eyes, "Okay, don't go talking about this to everyone. Only you and Wong know about it and I want it to stay that way for now. Can I trust you, kid?"

America smiled hugely, "You guys finally got it together, didn't you? Are you dating?"

Stephen couldn't help but smile. He wanted this for so long. "We can say we're getting to know each other better. Let's keep it a secret for a while."

Stephen addressed Wong "To answer your question, I will talk to Stark at some point. Not now, it's too soon. Y/n and I are still trying to figure out what exactly we are doing."

"You should take her out. Not dinner, that's so boring. Something nice, a walk in the park or something." America suggested.

Stephen finished his coffee "That's a good idea, kid. I'll think of something."

"Today is Monday, she only has the first four classes in the morning, then she is free."

Wong glanced at America "How do you know so much about Y/n?"

"Because she's my friend." America answered shrugging as it was obvious.

"If that doesn't say anything about the age difference, I don't know what would." Wong grumbled, but Stephen paid him no attention.

"Good job, kid." He praised and the girl opened a smile.

"Are you going to ask her out then?"

Stephen opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Wong.

"We have a meeting with the masters of the Kamar Taj today. Furthermore, you will lead the mission to find the last members from the cult of Dormammu and must leave tomorrow."

Stephen sighed but said nothing.

"You must keep your head on straight, Strange. You are a Master of the mystic arts and not a teenager in love." He completed leaving the table.

America remained serious and silent until Wong left the kitchen and left them alone, then the corners of her lips curled into a smile. "I still think you should ask her out."

"I will." He answered with a wink.

...

You left college beaming after receiving your mid-semester grades. Despite all the distractions, you achieved top marks in almost all subjects. This, according to your professor, would help guarantee your entry into the PhD course. This, of course, without Tony's help. Of course, there were also other reasons for you to be happy, one of them was the fact that your Skin & Ink magazine was finally on newsstands.

The publisher had sent you a copy the night before and you were ecstatic with the photos. You were definitely proud of the result and part of you wondered what Stephen's reaction would be when he saw them. There were definitely parts of your body on display that he hadn't even dreamed of seeing yet and just thinking about him looking at those photos made your face blush.

On the way home, you received an excited text from MJ saying that she and Peter were taking the next four days off and coming to NY and then you guys could arrange something to meet up.

I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YOU

You replied with a wide smile on your lips.

You were getting home when your phone rang and you were absolutely sure it was MJ, but when you dared to look at your phone screen, Stephen's name was there instead.

"Hi"

"Hi, sweetheart. Can we talk?" He asked a little apprehensively.

You stared at the back of Happy's head for a second and your eyes met in the rearview mirror. "Happy is taking me home now. Can I call you when I get there?"

"Sure. Will be waiting."

You called him back once you were safely inside your room.

"Happy isn't trustworthy. He tells everything to Pepper and Tony. In fact, Pepper is keeping an eye on me, I think she suspects something, Stephen..."

Stephen chuckled "Sweetheart, breathe. It's okay. We didn't do anything to make her suspicious."

You shook your head, throwing yourself onto the bed. "You are probably right. IT was just a conversation. I’m not used to hide stuff from them, Stephen."

"I know. You have all been a good girl. Aren't you? " He teased but didn't give you time to think in an answer. "Well, I am calling you to let you know I'll be gone for the next few days."

You felt all your excitement jumping throught the window. "Why? I mean, what are you going to do?"

"A mission with some other masters. I plan to be back by the weekend. Heard you had an important show on Sunday, want to be there for you, and that brings me to the main reason I called."

"That is?"

"I want to take you out. Anywhere you want. I just need to spend time with you, Y/n. Would you like that?"

You smiled from ear to ear, but then you frown. "Yes, of course. But a date outside... What if someone sees us?"

Stephen chuckled. "We can go somewhere far away. Somewhere where people don't recognize us."

You snorted "It's hard to find somewhere on the planet where people don't recognize the Doctor Strange, but I accept the challenge."

Stephen was silent as if thinking for a second. When he spoke again there was some excitement in his voice.

"Can I see you?"

You sat up in bed "Now?"

"You're in your room, right? Closed doors?"

"Yes, well..." But you were interrupted by the familiar hiss of a portal opening and he walked through it dressed in his blue robes and red cloak. There was a smirk on his lips that you weren't yet used to. Everything seemed like a dream to you.

He took a step out of the portal entering your room and came towards you. He held out his hand for you to hold and in a quick gesture he pulled you into his arms and kissed you.

You definitely weren't used to it, but something between the taste of toothpaste and coffee on his lips and the trembling touch of his hands on your skin made it all feel so familiar and comforting. You hummed when his tongue slipped into your mouth exploring.

It was you who broke the kiss to breathe, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks when you realized that Stephen was in your room.

"I couldn't wait until the weekend to do this." He confessed caressing your cheek lightly. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself these days while I am out."

You nodded. "Only if you promise me you'll do the same."

"Promise." He kissed you again and then pulled away and you hummed in protest. "I really need to go. Be a good girl and wait for me with this same enthusiasm."

"I will, but only if you kiss me again."

He smiled kissing you softly and walked away back to the portal he hadn't bothered to close and you heard a knock on the door. He hurried back through the portal and with a smile and a wink the portal closed and he was gone.

You were still struggling to regulate your breathing when you heard Pepper's voice calling you insistently.

"Come in" You replied, running your hand over your face and trying in vain to hide how agitated you were.

Pepper walked in and closed the door behind her and then stared at you for a long minute, finally she sighed and said what she came to say. "Y/n, we need to talk about Stephen Strange."

You feigned surprise. "What about him?"

"You think I didn't see you two last night, not to mention you two disappeared together to do god knows what."

Oh shit. "Pepper, that's absurd. Stephen is my friend." You blatantly lied. "We were talking last night. I complained about the noise and we went to a quieter place. We talked. That's all."

Pepper placed both hands on her hips, the serious expression on her face showing that she wasn't convinced at all. You noticed that she was barefoot, wearing denim shorts and a white t-shirt. "Didn't you go to work today?" You asked.

She shook her head "Tony needed me here. He and Rogers left with Fury right now, doing who knows what."

"He's going on a mission again, isn't he?" You asked, looking for an answer in her eyes. She just nodded and you sighed in frustration, but decided to change the subject.

"I received my grades today. Very good. Skin & Ink was also published today, the photos are incredible." You said.

"Tony made Happy buy the entire supply of magazines from the newsstand. He placed them all over the Tower. We're so proud of you, Y/n. I'm proud of you, I'm just worried that..."

You smile reassuringly, "Pepper, it was just a conversation. Besides, there's nothing to worry about. Stephen isn't a stranger."

"He's 24 years older than you, Y/n. Of course I should be worried."

"Really? How do you know his age?"

Pepper raised an eyebrow. Your sudden curiosity giving you away. "Tony has a file with personal information of all the Avengers."

"He's not an Avenger" You muttered.

Pepper was silent and you took the opportunity to get up and choose a change of clothes and pack your things to take a shower.

"I spoke to MJ this morning." You said changing the subject not so subtly. "She, Peter and Ned are going to come to NY. I thought we could have dinner to welcome them."

Pepper agreed, seeming to give up on the subject she was there for in the first place. "Of course. It's a great idea." She sighed "Well, I'm going to get back to work."

...

You were right about your suspicions. At dinner Tony announced that he was going on a mission and although you weren't exactly surprised, you couldn't help but feel disappointed and frustrated. You always felt that way when Tony left.

"It'll be quick this time, I promise." He said looking in your direction across the table.

"Who's going?" You asked him, but was Steve who responded.

"Tony and I will lead the mission. Clint and Rhodes will go with us."

You nodded.

"Romanoff would help a lot..." Tony whined and you could hear the frustration in his voice.

"Not an option." Nat replied. She was the first Avenger to work with Tony, they were extremely close and he trusted her more than anyone else, except maybe Rhodes. You understood why he was frustrated.

"Yeah, it's going to take Nat a good few weeks to get back on track." Clint added.

"I'm loving my forced vacation." She teased glancing at you and smirking.

After dinner you dedicated yourself to trying to compose something on the piano. You felt a lot of things that you couldn't talk about with anyone and most of your songs were born that way, but your thoughts were agitated that night, making it impossible to concentrate on anything. You were playing the keys without paying attention to the sound they were making when Tony approached.

"Can I sit with you?"

You moved to the side, giving him space on the small bench to sit.

"Pepper told me about your grades. I'm so proud of you. Sometimes I think I don't tell you that enough."

You smiled shyly remembering the conversation you had with Stephen at the party some time ago.

"I know. My advisor said that with these grades I will get the PhD course." You informed with a modest smile. Any happiness seemed to be clouded by the fact that both Tony and Stephen were going on missions and leaving you. Again.

"I know you're not happy about me having to leave again, but I promise I won't take long this time." Tony said, clearly noticing that you were sad.

"Are you going to tell me what you're going to do?" You asked, but he shook his head.

"You know I can't. The less you know, the better."

"I'm not a child anymore, Tony."

He nodded. "I know."

You laid your head on his shoulder, sighing heavily. "Sometimes I miss when you were just Tony. Before you were an Avenger."

He stroked your hair affectionately. "I know, but if we stop to think about all the wonderful people we've met, it almost make it worth it, doesn't it?"

You smirked "Yeah, I guess you're right."

He was silent for a minute before asking, "Are you okay? I've been feeling us a little distant these past few days. You know you can tell me anything."

You sighed, closing your eyes and feeling Tony's fingers running through your hair.

You wanted to tell him about Stephen, but it was too soon and you had no idea how he would react.

"I guess I've been feeling a little lonely lately." You said testing the water. "It's just that I miss having someone."

Tony nodded. "What about Mike? The guy likes you."

You shrugged. "He's not my type, Tony. I was serious when I said I prefer someone older." You said pulling away to look at him.

Tony was extremely protective of you, and you knew that the mere idea that you could date someone was a nightmare for him.

"How older?" He asked and you shrugged again.

"I don't know. Old enough for me to feel safe with him. I don't feel safe with Mike, most of the time it feels like me and the girls need to take care of him. He is nice but he's also an idiot."

Tony chuckled and then thought for a second. "You're very young, Y/n and you lost your father very early in life and although I'd like to think I've done a good job taking care of you, I haven't been able to replace him, which means there's a part inside you that miss it."

You looked at him, surprised at how easily Tony had summing up your feelings. He was just too good in reading you.

"Do you think I have daddy issues?" You joked, but you were actually worried that Tony might be right.

He made a face, clearly uncomfortable with the term you chose to use. "I think you're too young to be with older guys. You should be with people your own age, people who are at the same stage in life as you, who are still discovering themselves."

You stopped yourself from rolling your eyes.

"I think it's hard to find someone as backward as I am at my age. It's a jungle out there, Tony. You have no idea what things people my age are doing these days."

He raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"

You chuckled, "Yes, but not for the reason you might think."

"This conversation reminded me of what happened at that night club, I know these things happen to anyone nowadays, but, you're my goddaughter, you need to be more careful."

You sighed heavily, trying to control yourself so as not to start a fight. That was the same speech Stephen had used on you that night. Why did they think you weren't careful? It was irritating.

"Tony, I'm going to stop you before you say it was my fault for being drugged."

"I did not say that." He replied, almost offended.

"I know, but that speech is the same one Stephen used on me that night and I don't agree with it."

"What are you talking about?"

You chewed on your lip. "I'm sure you saw the videos on the internet."

"Yeah, Strange getting you out of there, but why would he say something like that to you?"

You shrugged. "Maybe he felt obligated to give me some kind of advice, I don't know. He has America and god knows he and Wong are freaking out about her and I swear he talked to me that night like he was talking to a 14 years old teenage girl, which was almost offensive..."

Tony nodded. "He's a good guy. Annoying, but nice. And he was right. You need to be careful."

"What makes you guys think I wasn’t? Tony, all I do is be careful when I'm out. But it's tiring having to always be looking over my shoulder waiting for something bad to happen."

He sighed, running a hand over his face. "I know, but this is your life now, darling, and it's my fault, so please just tell me you'll keep being careful no matter how boring and tiring it gets."

You nodded. "By the way, you never told me what happened to that guy."

Tony smirked "Let's just say he won't repeat the mistake again."

You stared at him blankly "Oh my god, you killed him."

"Of course not. I put him in jail. And with a little influence I got him to stay there for a long time."

"That's good, I guess." That's just what you said on the subject. "I'll be more careful, I promise." You sighed.

"Great. That puts my mind at ease."

"Fury called." You were interrupted by Steve's calm voice.  "The situation has become complicated. We need to go."

Tony sighed and cupped your face. "I love you."

You wrapped your arms around him, hugging him tight. "I love you too. Be careful, okay?"

He smirked "I always do." He pulled away and then turned to look at you. "On the subject of older guys... let's finish this conversation later, okay?"

"Yes, dad." You teased watching him walk away and then leaned over the piano feeling your chest heavy.

...

It was Wednesday and you were bored, rehearsing in the small studio at Mike's parents' house for the show you would play on Sunday. The place was small, but it had better acoustics than anywhere in the Tower. Tony had suggested renovating some of the spare rooms so that you could have a decent studio and sometimes you thought about accepting, other times you were reluctant, thinking that it wasn't right to skip steps like that. You wanted to achieve that on your own merit and not with the help of your godfather's money.

You were deciding on the setlist for the show. You guys were going to play at a new venue south of the city. It was a cool place and the biggest one you had performed in so far. Ticket sales were going well and with luck you would have a full house. It went without saying that you were excited and slightly more anxious than usual.

"Four thousand people will be there on Friday. That's so incredible." Samantha said excitedly. "Remember when we used to play to 100 people?"

You just smiled in response. You remembered well the beginning of the band and how you felt out of place within it sometimes. Over time you matured, and your compositions got better, as did everything else, including your voice.

"We're still not sure if we're going to sell all the tickets." Susanne replied as she adjusted the drum cymbals.

"Are you kidding? With the free marketing from Y/n's magazine launch, we're sure to sell everything." Samantha stated giving you a wink.

"By the way, you looked beautiful in those photos, girl. I can't imagine how the magical Doctor reacted to them."

You felt heat rising to your cheeks. "I don't know if he's seen it yet. He went on a mission again."

Susanne stared at you for a second.

"You should talk to him. Pining over him from a far isn't going to help you have him, Y/n."

You sighed, deciding it was better not to tell them the truth, at least not yet. "He's way beyond my league."

You were interrupted by Mike clearing his throat exaggeratedly loudly and changing the subject in a not so subtle way.

"Hey, I'm having a party on Saturday. My parents are going to be out. I was wondering if you'd like to come."

You stared at the girls for a moment, Susanne smiled at you.

"Who is going to be there?" You asked a little worried. Mike had some weird friends and the last time you agreed to go to one of his parties, things got a little weird.

He shrugged, "The usual guys. You know."

"Same old stoner losers, he meant." Samantha replied.

"Hey, don't talk about my friends like that." Mike replied irritably. "Are you girls going or not?"

Samantha shrugged, putting the bass back in it’s case. "I don't have anything better to do on Saturday."

Susanne agreed "Yeah, that might be cool."

The three of them stared at you waiting for an answer.

You could think of a thousand times more interesting things to do instead of going to one of Mike's parties, but they all involved Stephen and he wasn't available, so you accepted with reservations. "Okay, I'll go, but I'll let you know that if things get weird like last time, I'll leave."

"Define weird." Samantha asked giggling.

...

You were slightly angrier than you wanted to admit. You knew it would be a mistake to go to that party, but you were alone and there was nothing to do. Peter and MJ stood you up and ended up canceling their visit, Tony and Stephen were god knows where and you just wanted to forget how worried you were about them.

Every time they went on a mission it was the same thing, but you still couldn't control your thoughts. You always joked that your super power was the overthinking. It made you travel to the future and see the infinite ways everything could go horribly wrong. You were basically Doctor Strange with the anxiety stone. Funny, but not pleasant.

Although you regretted going to the party, you tried your best to enjoy the moment. It was Saturday night, after all. You even drank a little, danced to their bad music, but as the hours passed and the party was coming to it's end, you found yourself sitting on the sofa in Spencer’s living room watching as Mike's stupid friends snorted cocaine and your girl friends were no way to be found.

You got up irritably and headed outside, sitting on the stairs, deciding to call a taxi to take you home. However, fate seemed to have other plans for you, as your cell phone rang and Stephen's name showed up on the screen, pulling a silly smile from your lips.

"Hi." You answered almost to quickly.

"Hello, sweetheart. I'm sorry for calling you so late, I just wanted to let you know I'm back."

You smiled to yourself. "It's not that late."

It took him a while to respond.

"What's all the noise? Is Stark having another party?"

"Not really. He went on a mission with Steve and Rhodes. They haven't returned yet. I'm at a party with some friends."

"Should I be worried?"

You bit your tongue to not provoke him, but ended up giving in.

"Two guys tried to take me to one of the available rooms, but I managed to get away from them."

"Can I come get you?" He asked and the tone of concern in his voice was almost offensive.

"I was joking, Stephen. But the party is over for me. Everyone left is either having sex or taking drugs. I was going to call a taxi to take me home.."

"I can pick you up if you want to." He offered.

"I don't know. Magic portal isn't very discreet." You responded and heard him chuckle through the phone. The baritone making your skin tingle.

"Send me the address. I'll be there as soon as possible."

Stephen parked in front of the address you gave him and looked for you among the people scattered across the lawn in small groups, but you weren't among them. He sighed checking his phone to see if you had left any messages and was distracted by a group that passed the car banging against the window and shouting "Nice car, man."

Just then he saw you coming down the stairs. He flashed his headlights to let you know it was him and watched as you walked towards the car. You wore a black flowery dress that was too short for his taste, boots and a black jacket. He realized that looking at you was different now, he didn't feel guilty anymore even though he knew he should.

You got into the car and the smell of your perfume filled his nostrils. It was too inviting and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he felt his pants getting tight around his hips.

"Nice car. How come I've never seen it before?"

He smirked "It's from another life and although is not discreet, magical portal is my favorite way to get around."

He touched your face lightly. "Come here, give me a kiss. I missed you, sweetheart."

You kissed him quickly as if you were afraid someone might see you. It bothered him, but he understood. After all, he was the one who asked you to keep it a secret for a while.

"Straight home?" He asked, hoping you noticed how much he wanted you to answer otherwise.

"I'm not in a hurry to leave. Pepper is aware that I would be late or that I would probably sleep at Susy and Samantha's house, but believe me, nothing in the world would make me spend the night there."

Stephen raised an eyebrow "Should I ask?"

"They recently discovered that they are more than friends and I would hate to spend the night listening to the two of them fucking."

"Cool friends." Stephen chuckled.

You stared at him, noticing a small cut on his cheekbone and another bruise on his forehead. "You are hurt." Your voice sounded quite worried, which made Stephen's heart flutter in his chest.

"It's no big deal. Don't worry."

You smiled sweetly at him. "Difficult mission?"

He sighed. "Tiring. But everything worked out in the end and that's what matters."

You nodded, seeming to think about what to say next. "I wouldn't mind spending time with you before I go home. If you want it too, of course. I missed you. I always do."

Stephen smiled brightly. "Tell me what you want to do."

"Can we just go somewhere quiet?"

"To my house, then." He decided, restarting the engine and driving the car slowly to avoid the people in the middle of the street. He was aware that Wong and America weren't home and that taking you to the Sanctum could only mean one thing and to be quite honest, he couldn't wait. He wasted too much time pinning over you instead of working up the courage to actually talk to you. He was determined not to waste any more time. Stephen wanted you, he wanted to make it official, claim you as his.

"By the way, nice song." You said, interrupting his train of thoughts and he smirked to himself. He was listening to U2. The Achtung Baby album was by far his favorite, and Until the end of the world was perhaps his favorite song from the album, but again, it was difficult to choose a favorite one on an album that didn't have one bad song.

 "I thought you didn't like U2." He teased.

"That's not what I said." You shrugged "I just don't know the band and the three songs I know I don't like."

"We need to fix this. Did you hear the song I recommended?"

You smiled mischievously "Not yet, but I'll accept listening to your old man songs if you accept listening to mine."

He chuckled, turning around on the avenue that would take you to Greenwich Village.

"Show me your worst." He teased and to his surprise you quickly took your cell phone and connected it to the Bluetooth and a weird song started to play. He stared at you for a moment before turning his eyes to the street in front of him, you had a playful smile on your lips that somehow took his breath away.

He couldn't help but chuckle in delight as you began to sing the lyrics of the song.

"Hidden behind merciful shadows, beyond the cruel daylight, living to hunt and kill, we are the damned children of the night..."

When he parked in front of the Sanctum entrance you were giggling, probably from his reaction to the song you were listening, and he couldn't deny that your energy was contagious. The moments he spent with you were when he felt most alive and somehow reminded him of a distant time, where he used to have musical quizzes with his coworkers in the operating room.

Stephen didn't know what his expresssions were like, but you teased him because of it. "What's wrong? Am I scaring you, old man?"

He smirked, but instead of responding to your teasing, he cupped your face with both hands and pulled you in for a hard kiss. You let out a cute hum on his lips, surrendering and letting him penetrate your mouth with his tongue, controlling the kiss like he controlled everything else in his life.

"You're going to have to do a lot more than that to scare me, young lady." He said getting out of the car and going around to open the door for you.

When you both walked in, Stephen couldn't help but notice how beautiful you looked. The street lights and the dark of the car didn't let him see you properly, but now, under the amber lights of the Sanctum's foyer he could analyze every detail from the flowery print of your dress to the way your hair was falling from your ponytail, some strands falling down your face.

He gently placed them behind your ear and kissed you again.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful I think you are?" He asked helping you take off your jacket and pulling you into the living room.

"I don't think so, but I always wondered why you couldn't take your eyes off me at Tony's parties."

 "Now you know why." He confessed watching you plop down on the couch, crossing your legs and grabbing one of the cushions and hugging it to your stomach. He handed the TV remote to you. "Show me more of your dark taste in music while I get us something to drink. Are you hungry? Something tells me there wasn't anything decent to eat at that party.”

"Not really. I just want something to drink." You responded taking the remote and turning on the TV.

"Tea, coffee maybe?" He teased.

"I think I'll need something stronger if I'm going to have to put up with your despicable company." You teased back.

He chuckled "Ouch. Be right back."

You scrolled through your Spotify playlists feeling a strange feeling in your stomach. Your eyes left the TV for a moment, looking around and wondering if Wong and America were home. You had been to the Sanctum Santorum several times, but always knowing that they were there too and You knew you were being childish, but the idea of ​​being alone with Stephen there made you nervous for reasons you still didn't know how to tell him.

When you heard him approaching you clicked play and a song by Cigarettes after sex started to play. You kept the music low and smiled to yourself realizing that it was common for couples to have a song and somehow you felt like you and Stephen had a whole band because you always thought of him when you heard that band.

"Come on, this isn't scary." He joked, handing you a glass and sitting next to you. He opened the bottle of red wine he brought with him and poured your glass and his. "I thought you'd show me more of that, whatever it was you showed me on the way here."

You smirked taking a long sip of the wine. "It's called Sopor Aeternus. They have some really good songs like the one I showed you." You bit the inside of your cheek and continued "This band always makes me think of you." You confessed gesturing to the tv screen.

He smirked, paying attention to the music for a minute. "Why is that?"

You shrugged. "I don't know, actually. But I've been listening to their music a lot."

"Does that mean you've been thinking about me a lot?"

You nodded, biting your lip. "All the time."

He smiled drinking his wine. "Post rock?"

You shrugged "I'm not sure. I've never heard anything like them to be honest. They're my comfort band."

Stephen shifted to make himself more comfortable on the couch. Only then did you notice what he was wearing. A pair of jeans and a gray shirt.

"What exactly would a comfort band be?"

"Not familiar with the term?"

He shook his head, extending his arm and indicating for you to come closer. You felt your cheeks turning red, but you took another sip of your wine and shuffled closer to him. He immediately wrapped his arms around your shoulders.

"These are things that calm you down in times of stress or that simply make you feel good, safe. I have comfort movies, comfort TV shows and so on."

He caressed your cheek. "What about me?"

“What about you?”

"Can I be your comfort person?"

You felt the feeling in your stomach intensifying and no matter how much you tried to look away, he held your face in his hands waiting for a response, but you just nodded, afraid of how your voice would sound if you tried to speak.

Stephen smiled brightly. You knew he was fully aware of his effect on you and he liked it.

"I think I liked it." He said and you looked at him without understanding. "The music, sweetheart."

You smiled widely and threw yourself into his arms, kissing him desperately. Somehow you felt like you needed Stephen's kisses to breathe, and you wondered how you survived so long without them. When you broke the kiss you both took a second to catch your breath.

"Wong and America...?"

"They stayed at Kamar Tag."

You chewed on your lip.

"Show me your favorite song of theirs." He asked.

You smiled, placing your glass on the coffee table and taking the remote to change the song. Without giving much thought to what you were doing, you stood up and extended your hand to him, "Dance with me."

He looked at you intently as if asking if you were serious.

"Apocalypse. That's my favorite song of theirs. Now dance with me."

"I don't dance, sweetheart."

You grabbed his hand and started pulling him. "There's no one here, Stephen. No one will see us. You can maintain your mysterious sorcerer pose."

He chuckled nervously, but gave in to your request, standing up and approaching you. He wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you close enough for you to feel the firmness of his chest and abdomen against your body. He was always so warm and his scent was intoxicating. You held his shoulder with one hand and held the hand he extended to you with the other and the two of you began to slowly sway from side to side to the rhythm of the song..

"I haven't done this in a long time." You admitted it.

Stephen chuckled "I thought you were the dancing type."

"Not like this. The last time was at the prom."

Stephen hummed and you felt his body slowly relaxing. There wasn't much of a secret in slow dancing, as long as you didn't step on each other's toes, you'd be fine.

"May I know who you danced with?"

"Besides Tony? Mike."

He raised an eyebrow. "Has he liked you since then?"

You smirked "I'm sure he liked me way before that."

"I can't blame him for that." He replied.

You smiled looking around still not believing where you were, who you were with and what you were doing.

"What is it?" Stephen asked, but you shook your head responding with another question.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He nodded.

"When did you find out you liked me? Romantically speaking."

He seemed to think for a second before answering and the song ended in the meantime and another one started and you continued dancing so slowly that you barely moved.

"Since I got back from the Blip" He confessed. "You just seemed different."

"Five years does that to you."

He smirked, "But you've always been beautiful. I just didn't see you like that before."

You laid your face on his shoulder so you didn't have to look into his eyes before confessing. "I fell in love with you from the moment I first saw you in the tower."

He ran his hand through your hair, delicately stroking the strands of your ponytail and then stopped abruptly which made you look at him and something in his eyes made your stomach weird in a way you had never felt before.

He grabbed your chin and pulled you to his lips kissing you hard and the next thing you knew you were back on the couch, his body on top of yours and his hands were everywhere, roaming your body, touching and groping your breasts, your thighs and moving up, but before you could even think straight you felt your body getting tense and Stephen moved his hands away, pulling away from you and clearing his throat.

Something in his gaze made you feel distant from him and that thought seemed too unbearable, so you crawled over to him, pulling him back to your lips, hoping that it would distract him from whatever thoughts were on his mind, but he pulled away gently and looked at you.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?”

You stared at him not understanding. "What? Nothing, nothing is wrong."

He didn't seem convinced. "That's the second time you've flinched like that when I touch you."

"Is nothing." You shook your head, cupping his face and pulling him back to your lips and this time he surrendered, humming sweetly in your lips and kissing you hard and desperately, but then he broke the kiss and there was something else in his eyes and you could almost hear the penny dropping in his head.

He sighed heavily, running his tongue around the corner of his mouth and without mincing words he asked. "How far did you go?"

You felt your heart racing. Your cheeks were an angry red and you felt the fire running through them.

"What do you mean?" You asked, pretending not to understand, cupping his face and kissing him hard as if somehow that could make him forget the subject, but he pulled you away gently and asked again.

"Besides kissing like that, how far did you go with a man?"

You stared at him trying to understand if he was mad at you, but you couldn't understand the expression on his face. He was serious, there was a bit of disbelief in his eyes, concern perhaps.

"I did a handjob once." You admitted, pulling away and sitting crisscrossed playing with your hands to try and calm down. You were so embarrassed.

"A handjob?" His voice sounded incredulous. "No one ever touched you?"

You shook your head and he ran his hand over his face.

"Are you mad at me?" You found the courage to ask. "I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how."

He chuckled nervously, taking your hands in his.

"Why would I be mad at you, sweetheart?"

You shrugged. "I wanted to do it, but I never met anyone who made me feel safe."

"Come here." He said pulling you into his arms and you laid your head on his chest letting yourself be enveloped by his strong arms.

"What about the handjob guy?"

"He was an idiot. Guys my age are all the same. He didn't even want to touch me when he was done. And it was disgusting."

Stephen found himself stroking your hair as he listened to you speak, his thoughts were all messed up and he didn't know exactly how to proceed. He never had a virgin. Inexperienced, yes, some, but definitely not virgins. He was terrified, the idea of ​​being your first was scary, he didn't want to hurt you, but at the same time he couldn't deny that there was a part of him that liked knowing that no one had touched you before him. But it also made him feel even more perverted than before for getting involved with someone who was young enough to be his daughter.

"Please don't give up on me. I can solve this. Some of my friends told me that they lost their virginity with toys, alone, I can..."

Stephen could hardly believe what he was hearing and had to interrupt you to explain himself. "Y/n, I'm not mad and I'm not going to give up on you. I'm surprised, that's all. I never imagined you could be a virgin, but that's not a bad thing. Not at all."

You stared at him, but just nodded. However, he lifted your chin and made you look at him.

"Now I need to ask: Have you ever..."

"What?"

He smirked stroking your cheeks with the back of his hand.

"Touched yourself?"

He watched in delight as the blood rushed to your cheeks, but your answer was firm and you sounded almost offended.

"Of course. I'm a virgin, Stephen, not a nun."

He smirked, "If you ask me, I'll tell you that I doubt nuns don't play with themselves."

You opened your mouth to respond, but slapped his shoulder instead.

"Don't be gross, Stephen."

He giggled letting himself relax now that the impact of the surprise had worn off and decided to push you a little harder.

"Do you think of me when you do it?" He asked, genuinely curious. Although he hated to admit it, he jerked off several times thinking of you, long before he imagined that the two of you could actually have something. Knowing that you had also done that in some way could ease the weight on his conscience.

"Stephen!" You scolded him, hiding your face in his chest.

"What? We need to talk about these things, sweetheart."

You sighed, building up the courage to look at him. "I do." You admitted pulling away and sitting up straight. "I bet you're having second thoughts about us right now."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not. I was surprised, Y/n, that's all. I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression, but I'm a little lost here, I don't know exactly how to proceed now, but I was serious when I said that I'm in love with you. Nothing is going to make me lose interest, definitely not the fact that you're a virgin. It's cute, if you ask me." He smirked.

You smiled sweetly at him. "Most girls my age lost their virginity years ago. I just want to get it over with. I don't want it to be a hindrance..."

He shushed you. "No, sweetheart. We're going to do this the right way. At the right time. I don't want to rush things."

He caressed your face and kissed you softly. "When it happens, and believe me, it will happen, I want you to feel safe with me and most importantly, I want you to feel pleasure."

"Will you show me how?"

Stephen felt his stomach fluttering upon hearing those words, but he just smiled reassuringly. "I will."

Reblog please! Leave a comment if you liked it. Interact! I will love to read all of your comments and opinions. It inspires me to keep writing ;)

DOCTOR STRANGE MASTERLIST

MAIN MASTERLIST

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[lykaonimagines]

Wall of Text - Stephen Strange x Reader

A few years ago I wrote fics for Loki and Tom (”Oh No” & “Oh Crap”) where the reader accidentally lets them know they’re in love with them via text. So the idea popped into my head to do versions for Main Stephen, Defender, Supreme, and Sinister; because why not? Some will be texts, some maybe not we’ll see.

Paring: Stephen Strange x F!Reader

Word Count: 1,733

Description: Y/N’s unspoken feelings for Stephen are driving her crazy and making it impossibly hard to focus on her Sanctum tasks. She’s got to let it go... but not without telling him. Sending a message when he’s out in the cosmos and unable to receive it has to be the best solution, right?

Other Things: Fluff

Warnings: Some swearing. 

Masterlist

“Stephen, you’ll never get this message since you’re out in the cosmos doing who knows what. And you never get your texts when you’re out there… who’d have thought planets on the other end of the solar system have terrible reception for Earth phones? But that’s the point of this message, that you’ll never get it, and I’ll get this out of my system. I love you. I’m totally, wholly, unreservedly, completely and utterly in love with you. With the way you smile, the color of your eyes, your inner and outer strength, the way you make me laugh and make me feel like at least in that moment, I really matter… and that everything will be alright. You’re gentle and soothing and comforting, but cocky and confident and wonderful. Talented and intelligent. My life has been better since the day I met you, and I can’t thank you enough for your kindness and patience and the friendship you’ve given me since then. I wish I could actually tell you all these things. Not just send it in a message I know you’ll never receive. But I don’t want to burden you with it. Having to turn me down and make our friendship awkward when it’s turned into such a beautiful thing. So I’ll settle for this, and work on letting these feeling die down. I love you Stephen Vincent Strange, and I always will.”

Looking down at the wall of text she’d sent him, she sighs heavily and stores the phone away in her pocket to get started on her daily tasks around the Sanctum. While she’d hoped the message would lift all the weight from her shoulders, the fact they hadn’t heard from the sorcerer in question for over a week after he left to fight some mystical threat, was slowly gnawing away at her. Maybe that’s what sparked her to finally send the message.

It was a coward move and she knew it. But at least it’s been said. Maybe she could finally focus on her duties.

-

After a long day of cleaning the Sanctum and casting the seals on each portal, Y/N finds herself finally making her way to the kitchen. Wong had already told her he’d be in Kamar-Taj for the evening, and just the knowledge that there wasn’t another sorcerer tucked away somewhere reading or performing some other duty made the large building feel lonely. She felt honored Wong trusted her to watch the place in Stephen’s absence, but she could have used the company. Especially tonight.

The longer the day dragged on, the more her confession weighed on her mind. That she was a coward to do it that way. That she was just setting herself up to be alone.

Tossing pasta into the boiling water, she retrieves a jar of sauce then plunks it down on the counter with a heavy sigh.

“I see it’s a fancy dinner night, a jar and everything,” a voice teases, nearly making her jump out of her skin as she falls back into the man behind her.

His arms grasp her quickly before she can fall forward toward the stove, and his chin rests on her shoulder, “S-Stephen! What are you doing here?”

“Am I not supposed to be in my own home…?” he asks with a grin. “The last I checked I was still the master of this Sanctum, unless you were plotting to overthrow me?”

“Never,” she grumbles and silently lets herself enjoy being in his arms. “Of course you should be here, we just haven’t heard from you in a week and I just assumed you’d still be gone awhile.”

“I finished up with everything, dropped by the Avenger compound to give them an update, then made my way home. I thought you’d be glad to see me?” he asks gently, her cheeks burning.

“Of course, I’m always happy when you’re here,” she mumbles out.

Reaching forward to turn off the stove, Stephen spins Y/N in his arms before she can protest, “I want to discuss something with you, dinner can wait.”

“Did I do something wrong?” she asks tilting her head. “I’m sure I got all the seals, cleaned everything on the chart for this week, and handled the apprentices that visited.”

“No, nothing like that,” he says, taking her arm and leading her out of the kitchen and into the sitting room. Prompting her to sit next to him on the couch, he reaches into his pocket to retrieve his phone and taps around on the screen.

“Stephen?”

“I’d just like to discuss this,” he states, slipping the device into her hand.

Giving him a confused look, she glances down to see the message she sent this morning staring back at her.

Shit.

Her grip on his phone tightens, hands shaking as she frantically tries to come up with an excuse to talk away all she said. But she hadn’t left much room for doubt in that wall of text. Her mouth opens and closes several times before shoving the phone back in his hand, hanging her head in shame.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry, why?”

“You weren’t supposed to get that, you usually don’t get messages we send when you’re that far away, and I just-”

Before she can continue he puts a hand on her knee, distracting her train of thought. “I was at the Avengers compound when it came through.”

“D-did someone else see it?” she asks, somehow now more mortified than before. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“Only I’ve seen it.”

“Ok… do I need to go back to Kamar-Taj?” she asks quietly, clasping her hands together.

After a moment of silence, his hand goes to her chin to lift her face to look at him, “Why would you go back to Kamar-Taj?”

“I- for being inappropriate? Making things awkward? Maybe it’s harassment? I wasn’t given sorcery workplace harassment training I don’t know,” she rambles as she stares past him at a relic on the wall.

“Y/N, look at me,” he says softly, her eyes finally meeting his own. “There’s my girl,” he smiles as she feels her cheeks warm.

“Do you mean what you said? Those are your real feelings?” he asks, his thumb running along her jaw.

Not trusting herself to respond, she opts for nodding stiffly in his hold on her chin.

A slow smile spreads over his face, and his lips capture hers.

Her body seems to freeze for a moment, breath caught in her throat and all limbs frozen in place, until his warm lips move eagerly against her own and hers answer with a similar eagerness.

His free arm wraps around her and pulls her into his lap, her hands grabbing ahold of the couch on either side of his head.

Breaking the kiss to take a breath, she looks back down at his face inches below her own, a lazy smile spreading across his lips, “Hey there.”

She laughs suddenly and shakes her head, “Hey to yourself.”

“If it wasn’t obvious, I feel the same,” he admits as he places his hands on her hips. “I know you didn’t mean to tell me, but I’m relived you did. I’ve spent months trying to figure out how to bring it up to you. Then you text me out of the blue everything I wanted to say to you. Almost thought I had hit my head during the last battle and was seeing things.”

“I was just trying to get it off my chest, be able to say I said it,” she says as she brings her hands down to his shoulders. “Felt like I was going to explode if I didn’t say it soon, but I didn’t want to ruin what we’ve had if you didn’t feel the same. Which I assumed was a given that you didn’t.”

“And here I thought I was leaving subtle hints of how I felt.”

“By subtle, do you mean invisible?”

“I’ve not tried to date anyone since med school,” he grumbles and lightly smacks her butt causing her to jump in surprise. “And I’ve never told anyone I loved them in that way.”

“You still haven’t,” she comments after a moment. “All you said was you feel the same as what I said in my text so technically…”

Sliding his hand slowly up her body until it reaches her neck, he carefully pulls her face down to his own, “I love you Y/N. And what was it you said? I’m completely and utterly in love with you.”

“Stealing my own words to profess love to me Stephen?” she teases as she strokes his cheek.

“I think you stole all the words for that one message sweetheart, and frankly I can’t come up with better ones when you’re sitting in my lap looking at me like that.”

“Looking at you like what?”

“You look at me like… like I’m important to you. Like you’re happy I’m here. Like right here is where you want to be,” his expression softens as he looks at her.

“Well all of those are true.”

“Not that many people are happy to see me honestly, or to be around me that much,” he admits, his thumb rubbing against her neck. “Not in a very long time. Yet you always do. No matter how shit my day has been, I come back here and you just smile at me like that. And it feels like everything’s going to be alright.”

Taking his hand in hers, she lifts it to her lips and leaves a kiss on each knuckle. Her lips pause as the sound of his stomach growling comes from between them and she laughs, pulling a sheepish look from him, “How about we finish that dinner then talk about this further?”

“Sounds like a plan,” he nods and helps her off his lap.

She takes a few steps away from him and spins excitedly, her eyes shining from the lights beside her as she glances at him once more with the biggest smile he’s ever seen on her.

“Someone looks happy?”

“I am, might just be the best day of my life actually.”

“Only might be?” He questions as he slides in closer to her and grabs her hands. “Well we’ll have to find a way to make sure it’s by far the best.”

----

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[doctorofmagic]

ROUND 2 IS OVER!

Quarterfinals coming up tomorrow February 12th, 11pm - GMT-3).

Now it’s time for exclusive content! These are ooc/edited panels behind-the-scenes interactions between our contenders!

- The queen didn’t sweat at all for this match! After things calmed down, though, we caught Clea comforting Jericho. That was very sweet of them, aw

- On the other hand, Matt couldn’t help but mock his rival’s lack of self-respect when he joined the Avengers smh. They’re in good terms, though!

- Jane is not very pleased with the numbers she did on this match but she can accept defeat more easily than her rival (Tony is the one that makes things awkward after all).

- That was a VERY HARD MATCH. 50/50 three times in 24 hours, leading champion constantly switching places and my heart on the balance! In the end, though, Mordo fled as soon as he was beaten. Still, we’ve got exclusive footage of the very moment he tried to take revenge on T’Challa. It didn’t go well for Mordo. (please pretend this is 616, there isn’t one single panel of Mordo and T’Challa interacting, thank you)

- And speaking of kings... Only DOOM shall prevail! The troubled and long history of these exes didn’t represent an issue for the king of Latveria. Word says they will end up fighting again at some point, like they always do. “It’s part of their dynamics,” says Stephen.

- Funny enough, Victor’s rival is also fighing for Stephen’s heart! Wanda had the advantage at first, but Reed didn’t give up and won the match in the end! Unlike *THAT* variant, Wanda accepted her defeat and left just fine.

- WONGSWEEP IS REAL! Valkyrie was upset at first but she’s mature enough to accept that Wong and Stephen have a long shared history. They remain frens and (non)teammates!

- Lastly, the Surfer couldn’t beat the god of mischief! Loki is basically bragging about how magical he and Stephen are as a couple.

Now, let’s move forward... to the...

Quarterfinals!

Spouses Supreme (Stephen Strange/Clea Strange) Strangedevil (Stephen Strange/Matthew Murdock)

Ironstrange (Stephen Strange/Tony Stark) Strangepanther (Stephen Strange/T’Challa)

Doomstrange (Stephen Strange/Victor von Doom) Reedstrange (Stephen Strange/Reed Richards)

Wongrange (Stephen Strange/Wong) Frostrange (Stephen Strange/Loki Laufeyson)

Things are getting serious!!

[classickook]

paper hearts (part eight): one step at a time

pairing: stephen strange x widow!reader

summary: things are going well for you at the sanctum as you master your knowledge of the mystic arts. not only that, but it seems that you and stephen are growing closer with each passing day…

warnings: swearing, mentions of depression and ptsd, awkward flirting, domestic fluff

word count: 6.1k

a/n: this is kind of a filler chapter of sorts? just some good stuff i think we all need from stephen and our widow <3 also shoutout to @singhfae for some of the ideas i included in here!

series masterlist | main masterlist

another morning was spent in the kamar-taj training grounds to touch up on some protective spells and shields. you had found yourself spending an awful lot of time here, enjoying the fresh air and open landscape with miles upon miles of breathtaking scenery; you didn’t think you would ever get used to it, and you certainly didn’t think you would ever get used to possessing magic. 

you liked how the magic felt between your fingertips, like it was pure energy fizzling through your veins and moving outwards like an extension of yourself, stretching farther and wider than any weapon you had ever held could reach. 

it felt really fucking cool to put it simply. your abilities had grown the more you practiced at kamar-taj and spent time with stephen. he had been a wealth of knowledge and was more than happy to assist you in whatever areas you needed a bit more help with—primarily the spell aspect of the mystic arts. he was the smartest person you had ever met and you couldn’t think of a more suitable teacher… but you weren’t about to tell him that, his ego was inflated enough as it is.

as for you, shields, ropes, and portals were a piece of cake, barely requiring any thought or concentration; some spells here and there were pretty easy to grasp as well, but for the most part, remembering everything and the very nature of magic itself was challenging for you to wrap your brain around. you had grown up on order, discipline, and facts; fear, precision, and malleability. something as mind-bending and otherworldly like the mystic arts was no easy task, and you struggled quite a bit, especially with the stacks upon stacks of endless spell books and ancient texts documenting the very history of magic itself—yeah, it was a lot. but lucky for you, doctor stephen strange was practically at your beck and call. 

maybe not so lucky, actually. the more time you spent with the sorcerer, the more you fell for him each and every day. your crush hadn’t dissipated, no matter how hard you tried to tamp it down and deny how you felt. sure, you had threatened him a few months ago that you couldn’t stand him and that you would essentially require him to prove his love for you before you even thought of giving him the time of day, but now… it had only been a few extra weeks and you felt like a lovesick puppy, it was ludicrous. never in your life had you felt so helpless or vulnerable. it went against every rule and law that had been engrained in you at such a young age: do not form attachments, love makes you weak, allow yourself to fall victim to your emotions and your life will be at risk.

every instinct within you screamed and raged at you to cut it off with him—even though nothing had really happened as of yet anyway—but you just couldn’t stop. you felt at home at the sanctum, so unlike the familiarity of the compound. sure, that had felt like a home of sorts, but that was before this—your life with stephen and america and wong. the compound had still felt like work, cold and isolated and rigid. the sanctum, on the other hand, was warm and comforting and truly felt like a home that was filled with something that could almost be akin to a family. it was ridiculous, of course, enabling yourself to feel this way—encouraging it, even—but you simply couldn’t help yourself. you really, really loved it here. 

stephen had given you your own room and showed you some spells that would help you redecorate however you so wished, it was quite a lot of fun, actually. you had asked america to help you design everything: your color scheme, if you should have a canopy bed or a four-poster; if drapes would look better or if it might be a fun change to use fairy lights along the window frame. she had been a great deal of help, even adding an array of knickknacks and decorations from her own room to share a bit of her personal style to the space. it was nice, and you had felt more safe and comfortable and relaxed than you had ever felt in your entire life. 

you weren’t sure what to do or how to process anything. stephen had gifted you with the knowledge of this peculiar and underlying ability of yours, assisting you in honing your skills with each passing day, and provided you with a home and family to call your own—well, he hadn’t explicitly said he thought of you as family, and you were far too embarrassed to even bring anything of the sort up to him, but still, you thought of it as such and you were grateful. you didn’t think you would ever be able to repay him for what he had done for you. in a way, the ridiculous wizard in his funny little red cloak had saved you.

oh, god. you were turning into a giant sap.

you shook the thoughts from your head and returned to training. a much needed break had been spent admiring the view from the other end of the courtyard and sipping from your bottle of water. now, it was back to work.

before you could even turn around to make the trek over to your training mat, a familiar gravelly voice spoke from behind you.

“word around kamar-taj is that i have a girlfriend. you wouldn’t happen to know anything about that?”

your eyes widened as you faced stephen. all right, who spilled the fucking beans? “what?” you played along innocently. “no! who would’ve started a rumor like that?”

“what makes you think it’s a rumor?”

“because you’re not dating anyone.”

“i’m not?” he asked smugly.

“…no?” you avoided his gaze as you glanced across the courtyard, trying to meet nina’s eyes in a not-so-subtle attempt at getting you out of this situation. she just laughed and turned back to malachi as they practiced new fighting positions. 

thanks a lot, buddy.

suddenly a broad chest appeared in front of you, blocking your view of nina or any other distraction. stephen leaned down until you were looking back at him again. “nothing to say?” he added with a sly grin. 

“uh… who’s the lucky girl?”

he shook his head as a chuckle bubbled up his throat. “i don’t know… you tell me.”

you blinked. “…tell you what?”

“come on. i know it was you, sweetheart.”

there was that damn pet name again. while it had seemed like a mere slip-up the first time the term passed his lips, now it felt intentional, almost genuine.

shit. maybe playing dumb wasn’t your best option. “that obvious, huh?” you replied with a grimace.

“if anything, i’m flattered. never thought i’d actually get to this point, yet here you are declaring your love for me all throughout kamar-taj.”

“woah,” you said, holding up your hands, “pump the breaks there, lover boy. i never told anyone it was me. i just informed someone that you weren’t single, that’s all.”

“and why would you do that, pray tell?”

“all right, shakespeare,” you said with a roll of your eyes. “felicity was talking to me about possibly asking you out and i said you had a girlfriend, okay?”

“you’re still not answering the question, sweetheart. i want to know why.”

your eyes narrowed. “you’re getting awfully comfortable with that ‘sweetheart,’ aren’t you, pal?”

stephen’s face fell. “do you want me to stop?”

“…i didn’t say that.”

his lips twitched. “very well. i’ll end the interrogation for now. how about we head home for dinner?”

“yeah, okay.”

“what would you like tonight?” he asked gently as he led you to the farthest corner of the courtyard, raising an expectant hand as if asking you to portal the two of you back to the sanctum.

you did so with ease, slipping your very own sling ring onto your index and middle fingers before flicking your wrist in a circular motion that coaxed the telltale golden sparks into view. you noticed in stunned silence as stephen’s face lit up as you did so, pure elation and pride settling onto his features at your progress. you supposed practice did make perfect because you somehow managed to move up to the top of your class of fellow apprentices, creating a portal at a greater speed than any of the other students.

you didn’t know if it truly did come naturally to you, or if there was still some lingering component of your training from the red room that urged you to prove yourself, to be the best of the best as a means of survival. 

your hand dropped back to your side as the memories jumped to the forefront of your mind; you had been doing so well of pushing that part of existence away, burying it so far within yourself that you couldn’t stumble upon it at the worst of times or when you least expected it—like right now. god, when was this ever going to end?

a careful hand rested on your shoulder and you flinched away before grabbing said hand and twisting it away from you.

stephen’s sharp gasp snapped you from your thoughts and you quickly jumped back, guilt creeping up your throat until you were choking on it. 

you clapped a hand over your mouth. “shit, shit. i’m so sorry, doc. are you all right?”

his cerulean eyes were searching yours, quizzical and assessing. “i’m fine, sweetheart. are you all right? where did you go just now?”

you felt tears pricking at the corner of your eyes and blinked enough times to clear them away. forcing the memories and guilt down, you cleared your throat and readjusted the proverbial mask you wore when your thoughts became too overwhelming, and turned to face stephen. “sorry, nothing. i’m fine. let’s just go back to the sanctum, i’m starving and you stink.” you pushed forward and stepped through the sizzling portal and left a worried stephen to follow after you.

once you entered the sanctum, you swiftly escaped to the privacy of your bedroom, ridding yourself of your burgundy robes and stepping into the steaming shower that you had started with a simple wave of your hand—pretty convenient, if you did say so yourself. 

you went through the mind-numbing motions of washing your hair and lathering your body in suds of lavender and chamomile wash, a timeless fix to stress and worry, the scent of it immediately calming your nerves and allowing you to breathe again. it had been natasha’s go-to after long and arduous training sessions back at the compound. 

fuck, now you were thinking about her now. what was with you today? first, it was sappy thoughts about stephen, then memories of the red room, and now mourning over nat’s death again. when would this end? you were so tired of being sad all the time. you thought you were doing a pretty decent job of hiding just how awful you felt at times, and yet, that niggling feeling of hopelessness and loss reared its ugly head whenever you were alone. what? you suddenly couldn’t take a shower without taking a torturous walk down memory lane?

you released a weary sigh that caught in your throat before shutting off the water and wiping the wetness from your face, not knowing if it was purely from the showerhead or from your tears that had gotten mixed in. 

grabbing a towel from the rack, you murmured a soft heating spell beneath your breath that provided immediate warmth to the fabric, and then wrapped it around yourself, feeling slightly better now that you had washed away the sweat and memories of the last few moments. you ran another towel through your hair and then utilized the drying spell stephen had mentioned to you previously. honestly, this magic thing was a real time saver.

you dressed in casual clothes, just a simple t-shirt and loose cotton pants that flared around your ankles. it was a nice change to leave the tight-fitted material of your widow suit and training garb tucket away in the closet and wear something comfortable while you unwound for the evening. 

slipping into a pair of fuzzy socks america had given you that matched her own, you made your way down the massive staircase and entered the kitchen to find stephen hunched over the stove. the comforting scent of olive oil, garlic, and caramelized onion wafted throughout the room and brought a smile to your face. it seemed the sorcerer had been quite busy since you had parted ways upon returning to the sanctum.

you eyed his own clothing: a pair of dark sweatpants and cotton shirt layered with a soft cardigan. he looked warm and cozy… and kind of—no, stop that.

“huh,” you mused aloud. “i think this is the first time i’ve seen you without your wizard costume, doc.”

stephen snorted before turning around to face you, a teasing grin pulled at his lips that was bordered by a neatly-trimmed goatee. he must have taken his own shower as well because he looked fresh and clean and smelled faintly of citrus. 

“i’m not a wizard, y/n, and neither are you. you know that.”

you waved a dismissive hand. “yeah, yeah. tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to.”

he shook his head in playful exasperation before smiling softly. “how are you feeling?”

you gulped. why did he have to bring up your reaction from earlier? why was the man so infuriatingly perceptive? “fine.”

“are you lying to me?”

“…no.”

“y/n,” he pleaded, “talk to me. what happened earlier?”

“nothing. like i said, i’m fine.”

he eyed you closely, his brows pinching slightly in a probing sort of way, like he had x-ray vision and could see right through you, but then he blinked and schooled his features back into a pleasant expression. “if you insist.”

“i do,” you said, suddenly feeling hot and desperately needing to change the subject. “uh, hey. while i’m staying here, is there anything you want me to help out with? like cleaning or chores or something?”

he looked at you with an incredulous expression. “not really, no. why would you do that?”

you shrugged. “i just… don’t want to seem like a freeloader or anything.”

“that’s not how i see our arrangement, y/n,” he said, tone turning soft. “you don’t need to earn your keep to stay here. america and i like having you around, and we’re both happy that you’re learning the mystic arts in the process. i want you to feel at home here, okay? you don’t need to prove yourself, especially not to me.”

“okay,” you agreed quietly. 

“but, if you’re absolutely dying to do something, you could help me cook dinner? i could show you some spells that can help speed up the process, if you’d like?”

“i’m really not a very good cook,” you said. “i might accidentally burn down the kitchen.”

he chuckled warmly. “it’s all right, i’m pretty disastrous myself. that’s what the magic is for, it’ll help.” he beckoned you forward with a gentle motion and you hesitantly stepped further into the kitchen until you stood by his side at the stove. “here, i’ll show you, yeah?”

you nodded. “okay, sure.”

as stephen laid out a large cookbook on the countertop, you felt a soft pressure around your waist. you looked down to see the familiar red cloak that was usually displayed across stephen’s shoulders now tied around your form in a makeshift apron.  

a surprised laugh bubbled up your throat. “what’s this about?” you asked as you brushed down the fabric in a gentle sweeping motion.

stephen eyed you with an almost awed expression donning his features. “he likes you.”

“what?”

“the cloak of levitation, that’s what it is,” he said. “i think he likes you. he’s never really gone to anyone else unless they were in need of saving.”

“oh, like when we were on that mission together with the gross monster-things?”

he chuckled. “yes, exactly like that.”

suddenly, a section of the cloak lifted to rest against your cheek in an almost human-like gesture. “it’s nice to meet you, too,” you said to the sentient fabric, a giddy smile pulling at your lips. what an odd thing this whole magic world was. it was full of surprises and you were never truly bored.

“mmm, what smells good?” america chimed in from the doorway.

the two of you turned to the teen as she took a seat at the counter. “chef strange here is teaching me how to make spaghetti,” you answered with a teasing grin as stephen leaned over to bump your shoulder playfully.

america watched with a knowing look in her dark brown eyes. 

before long, dinner was ready and plates of spaghetti and stacks of fragrant garlic bread floated along the countertop to land on individual plates for you, stephen, and america.

“where’s wong?” america asked as she dug into her plate, the corner of her mouth dripping with tomato sauce. you handed her a napkin and she took it gratefully.

“performing some ‘higher duties’ at kamar-taj,” stephen replied. “won’t be back ‘til late.”

“oh, should we save a plate for him?” 

stephen turned to you from his seat on the left. “yeah, i think he’d appreciate that,” he said softly. 

you smiled in response and returned to your plate, twirling a forkful of noodles into your mouth. “god, that’s good,” you said as the flavors swirled around your tongue.

“never had spaghetti either?” america asked, a hint of sadness creeping into her tone.

you shook your head and offered her a comforting smile. “but it’s okay, i’m glad i could try it for the first time with you.”

her frown morphed into a smile that mirrored your own and the two of you dug in. you felt stephen’s eyes on you—he always seemed to be watching you in moments like these when you shared tiny fragments of your past—but he didn’t say anything in return, instead, he continued eating in silence.

the following morning, you awoke to the scent of freshly-brewed coffee, cinnamon, and maple syrup along with faint sounds of tinkering coming from the kitchen. geez, that man sure had a knack for cooking at all times of the day. when he wasn’t acting as master of the new york sanctum, he was either in the kitchen or the library. maybe he should think about switching professions…

you stretched your arms above your head, the slight chill of the air in your room kissing your skin as it peeked out from the warmth of your blankets. rising from bed you went about your daily routine of brushing your teeth, tying your hair back in an intricate braided bun that yelena had shown you, and dressed yourself in casual clothes before you needed to head off to kamar-taj for the afternoon. this morning, however, would be dedicated to pouring over endless spell books in the library. oh, joy.

before leaving your room, you briefly checked your reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall, setting a few stray hairs into place, until you caught yourself. what the hell were you doing? really, checking your appearance before going downstairs to see your crush? how old were you, twelve?

you groaned to yourself and then opened your door to walk down the stairs and into the kitchen. 

“well, well,” you greeted. “what has the chef prepared for us today?”

you heard stephen’s deep chuckle from where he stood at the stove, shivering a bit at the sound as you sat down at the counter with your elbows resting on the cool surface. 

“good morning to you, too,” he said. “how did you sleep?”

“like a baby.”

“that’s good to hear,”  he replied before turning to face you, and you noticed how a section of his hair curled onto his forehead in the way that you liked, but would never voice aloud. it made him look younger and more carefree, so unlike the slicked-back style he wore on more serious occasions. as for right now, however, he seemed completely relaxed and unguarded as he shared his morning with you. 

a kind smile tugged at his lips in a way that reached his eyes, lighting up his face in a welcoming glow—what the hell? when did you turn so soft all of a sudden? 

“you look really pretty today,” stephen said quietly.

oh. you bit your lip as heat climbed up your neck and into your cheeks. god, you were never going to get used to his compliments. he was giving them out to you like they were candy. 

“thanks,” you breathed, looking down at the counter to hide your blush.

he cleared his throat awkwardly before moving about the kitchen again. a cup of steaming coffee slid in front of you and you quickly looked up to find stephen now turned back to the stove as if he hadn’t just given you your exact coffee order.

you took a hesitant sip and hummed happily at the familiar taste, and you wondered when he had learned how you took yours without having to say anything. you couldn’t recall ever mentioning it to him… was there a spell for that? could he read it on you or something?

without another word, stephen quietly plated up something that looked like soggy bread onto three plates and placed them along the counter.

america then bolted into the room as if summoned and took her usual seat next to you. “ugh yes! french toast,” she cheered.

“french toast?” you asked confused. “what makes it french?”

the teen tilted her head in thought, brows knitted together before she said, “i’m not sure… but it tastes really good. try it!”

stephen’s soft chuckle soon followed after your brief discussion of the origins of french toast. he watched in silent amusement as you poured maple syrup on top of your stack and cut the soggy bread into bite-sized pieces, lifting a forkful to your mouth and moaning softly. “wow.”

“wow?” he asked.

“yeah, wow,” you repeated. “you sure you weren’t a world-famous chef in your past life or something? is there a cooking whiz variant of you out there somewhere?”

suddenly, a deep and boisterous laugh filled the kitchen as stephen hunched over his plate. his eyes crinkled at the corners as elation painted his features. you had never heard him laugh like that before, like there was nothing holding him back, no reservations or restrictions—just pure joy. it sounded really, really nice, actually, and you couldn’t help but giggle yourself with america joining in soon after until all three of you were nothing but fits of loud, ridiculous laughter.

you couldn’t remember the last time you had felt this happy or carefree. what a pleasant change, you thought. 

a throat cleared from the doorway and you turned to find wong entering the kitchen with an arched brow rising on his forehead. “what’s so funny in here?”

“stephen and y/n are hilarious,” america choked out, the remnants of her laughter still spilling from her lips. “want some breakfast, wong?”

he assessed the three of you more closely before moving toward the stove and preparing himself a plate in awkward silence. 

stephen snorted to himself but it was loud enough for you to hear so you kicked him under the table to which he retaliated by bumping your shoulder and you quickly slapped a hand over your mouth to muffle the new laugh that was fighting its way up your throat. 

another sound of wong clearing his throat. “shouldn’t you be in the library studying?” he asked carefully, eyes flitting back and forth between all three of you. 

both you and stephen turned to him with matching expressions of pure innocence. “most definitely,” stephen responded coolly but you could still hear a hint of his usual snarkiness in his voice. “just making sure we’re properly nourished and fueled for our long day ahead. isn’t that right, apprentice y/n?”

you set your fork down on your plate as you played along. “oh absolutely, master strange. i can’t wait to see what mystical knowledge i’ll have the pleasure of learning today.”

america snorted into her orange juice, stephen pressed his lips together, and wong just shook his head in exasperation. “you two are nothing but trouble.” he then made his way out the door but offered a polite “thank you for breakfast” before exiting completely.

the three of you burst out into laughter again at how ridiculous the situation was and you clutched your side as your muscles pinched as if they were unfamiliar with this level of happiness you were feeling. 

“you almost got me into trouble with the sorcerer supreme!” you exclaimed before playfully shoving stephen in the chest but he swiftly clasped your hand in his and held it there firmly.

your eyes widened as he glanced down at you, feeling suddenly tense and uneasy at his close proximity, like you might jump out of your skin or kiss him—what?—but that was quickly shoved aside as your primary focus settled on the fact that stephen’s heart was pounding beneath your palm. was he affected by this just as much as you were? you swallowed nervously, not knowing what to do or say or look at. 

you didn’t have to worry about that for much longer as the silence was suddenly interrupted by america burping rather loudly.

“oops,” she said meekly. “where are my manners? so sorry,” and then she grabbed her plate and walked it to the sink before leaving the kitchen with a shit-eating grin on her face.

you cleared your throat before pulling away from stephen and rising from your chair. “so,” you started as if the last few moments hadn’t happened, “time for today’s lesson, yeah?”

you poured over a collection of spell books and ancient texts, your eyes growing blurry as you scanned the pages in great detail. it wasn’t the various languages that troubled you, but the very concept of magic and the mystic arts as a whole. 

sure, you had seen a lot of oddities in your life, especially after joining the avengers, but the fact that magic actually existed was the one thing that continued to boggle your mind. 

your head dropped into your hands as you released a defeated groan. how were you possibly going to become a sorcerer if you didn’t fully believe in the possibilities and complexities of magic? this was hopeless. 

“having a bit of trouble, are we?”

you lifted your head to see stephen re-enter the library with another cup of coffee in his hand and more overwhelming stacks of books trailing behind him, his signature smirk already pulling at his lips. 

“oh, bite me,” you shot back. 

his chuckle echoed throughout the room as he took a seat across from you, books fluttering down to the table.

“this is hopeless, doc,” you voiced aloud. “how am i going to remember all of this?”

he tsked softly. “that doesn’t sound like the tenacious girl i know.”

your eyes narrowed at him. “yeah, well, not everyone can have a photographic memory like you, asshole.”

his only response was a mischievous pull to his lips before golden sparks sizzled into view beside him. you watched in silence, blowing on your coffee before taking a careful sip as he reached through the portal and pulled out another book from somewhere deep within the endless library. 

“another one?” you groaned. 

his lips twitched. “i think this one might help alter your perspective a bit.”

from there, the two of you poured over more and more tomes of endless knowledge for hours until your brain felt like it might turn to mush. you lowered your head to the table and let out an exhausted groan. “enough of this, doc. i can’t feel my brain right now.”

“nobody can feel their brain, y/n,” he replied with a snort. 

“yeah, yeah. whatever, mister neurosurgeon genius.”

he placed a light hand on your back in some semblance of comfort, and it did actually feel pretty nice to feel his warm touch against you. “why don’t you take a break for a bit before we head to kamar-taj this afternoon?”

“good idea,” you said sarcastically. “wouldn’t want my brain to forget how to move my muscles after you bludgeoned it to death!”

“don’t be so dramatic, sweetheart. this is nothing compared to what you’ll continue to learn in the future.”

“oh great,” you deadpanned.

“rest,” he insisted. “i’ll wake you up when it’s time to go.”

the two of you were stood across from each other in the courtyard, going about your daily training session together and briefly discussing potential modes of attack in varying situations, calling upon helpful spells and shields to assist you along the way. the addition of magic to your previous training was really quite useful and provided you with a sense of power and confidence you didn’t know you could achieve. sure, you had always been confident in the physical aspect of fighting and surviving, but there was something about the magic running through your veins that increased this ability tenfold. you felt unstoppable.

as you continued to grow in your abilities, you gradually noticed that your magic began to adjust and evolve, incorporating pieces of you into each aspect of your magic. today in particular as you trained one-on-one with stephen, you noticed an unusual pattern start to weave itself into your shields that you had never seen before now… it almost had the appearance of spiderwebs. 

“incredible,” stephen breathed. 

“what? what’s going on?” you asked, confusion swirling within you as your hands dropped back down to your sides.

“your magic is evolving, like it’s communicating with you. i—i’ve never seen anything like it.”

you frowned. “really? that’s odd.”

stephen hummed in thought as he studied you rather closely, a crease forming between his dark brows. “well, i suppose i’m not surprised.”

“not sure if i should feel offended or flattered by that.”

he snorted softly. “it was intended to be a compliment, sweetheart. what i meant,” he said, voice lowering, “is that you’re special and that you’ve already impressed me in more ways than one, so it’s no surprise that you can do something so spectacular and unheard of like that.”

“oh.”

“not sure what to say?” he asked amusedly. “have i rendered you speechless?”

you rolled your eyes in an overly exaggerated attempt to hide just how affected you were by his compliment. the man seemed to have an unlimited supply of those for you as of late. stupid wizard with his stupid compliments and his stupid voice.

“whatever,” you huffed. “shouldn’t we move on to something else? more combat training, perhaps? i promise i’ll go easy on you this time,” you added with a smirk. “wouldn’t want you to throw your back out, old man.”

“funny,” he deadpanned. “i think we’re done for today, actually. let’s head back, yeah?”

a few days later, you received a ping on your phone requesting your presence back at the compound. a new mission arose and they required your assistance. 

you weren’t sure how to feel about that, to be quite honest. sure, you were more than happy to see yelena again and catch up in person, and of course, sam and bucky would be loads of fun to be around, but you almost dreaded the thought of being away from the sanctum—away from the home you had been welcomed into here with stephen and america. 

for god’s sake, y/n, you scolded yourself. you’re not going to be away forever, it’ll just be for a week at most. 

you packed a bag of your essentials before descending the staircase and announcing your upcoming absence to stephen and america over breakfast, the two of them offering genuine goodbyes as you later opened a portal back to the compound. it felt different this time, creating a portal for yourself rather than stephen doing it for you like those times before. you smiled to yourself at the memory of those days and how far you’ve come since then.

standing in the entryway of the sanctum, you looked around you at all of the antiquated knickknacks and relics and oddities sprinkled about, already feeling a bout of homesickness settle in your stomach. why did it feel like this was goodbye? had you really developed such a close relationship with your friends here and the home that they had offered you? especially over such a short amount of time, would it really hurt to be away for more than a few days?

you pressed your lips together in a forced smile as you looked at the two of them standing together rather morosely. god, what a depressing bunch you all were. “guess this is goodbye for now, huh?” you said in a teasing tone, but it sounded rather bland, even to you.

“i’m going to miss you,” america pouted. “don’t stay away for too long.”

“i won’t,” you replied, leaning forward to rub your knuckles into her hair. “i could never stay away from you, kiddo.”

she offered a smile in return and lifted her pinky up to you. “promise?”

you nodded as you linked your pinky around hers. “promise.”

stephen watched the two of you in silence, never saying a word but you felt the heaviness of his gaze on you as you left this part of your world behind.

the first few nights at the compound were fine. the mission was going exceptionally well and everything had gone as expected. you and yelena had caught up in your brief moments of free time over old movies and takeout; sam and bucky shot insults back and forth as usual, and you found yourself laughing at their antics as their boisterous arguments filled the kitchen—and yet… something felt like it was missing. 

you were currently tucked away in your room at the compound, tossing and turning with discomfort at the unfamiliar feeling of your bed. well, it didn’t used to feel unfamiliar to you, you had just grown used to something different—better—over time. you missed your bed and your room at the sanctum, america and stephen, and the food he would cook for you, showing you how to make your favorites and some new dishes you had never tried before.

you knew it sounded ridiculous but you almost… missed him. you missed his stupid sense of humor and the way he studied with you and helped you better understand the mystic arts. you were almost tempted to text him but had to hold yourself back. it wouldn’t be that much longer until you could return to the sanctum; the mission was close to being complete and you had already documented most of the details in your report anyway, so it wouldn’t take long to finish. but still… you actually really, truly missed him. you tapped anxiously at your thigh, weighing your different options.

“oh, fuck it,” you said as you reached for your phone on the nightstand and scrolled down to his contact name. it had been a while since the two of you had texted each other, what with the rift between you and then after you started living with him, there was no need for it. but now… being away from him for even less than a week was messing with your head and you just wanted to talk to him. you would much rather see him or hear the familiar baritone of his voice that you oftentimes felt more than heard instead of through the cold and detached words on a screen, but you didn’t want to seem too desperate or clingy. 

hi, you texted lamely and immediately felt like an idiot once you hit send, mentally smacking your forehead. that was really what you chose to start with?

it turned out that stephen didn’t seem to have a problem with your pathetic attempt at texting, as he quickly sent back, miss me?

you could practically hear the satisfied smirk in his text and rolled your eyes as you started to type out a snarky response before changing your mind, deciding to be open with him for a change. he had been far more open with his feelings toward you than you had with him, and it was probably time you reciprocated. i do, you responded. 

there was a pause, the three dots popping up on the screen and then disappearing in the next moment. you felt so stupid, and you probably did seem just as desperate and clingy as you were hoping not to.

your fingers danced over the keyboard in a quick attempt to backtrack your response, but then his incoming text slid onto the screen before you could hit send. 

can i come see you?

please.

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[sobeautifullyobsessed]

Of Magic, Miracles, and Moonlight

a Stephen Strange x OFC Romance ~ chapter two

genre: pre-Infinity War, slow burn romance, older man/younger woman, teacher/student to friends to lovers

characters: Stephen Strange, Wong, Teyla of Hadeeth (OFC), Moraine of Hadeeth (OC), additional OCs as Kamar-Taj staff

rating: general audience to begin with, later chapters contain 18+ material

Chapter One

The figure that emerged from the multi-dimensional portal three days later, was far from the carbon copy of her mother that Stephen Strange had expected.

Though similarly robed, any resemblance between the two women appeared to end there.  Where Moraine of Hadeeth was stately and striking, and possessed of an unearthly sort of beauty, her daughter Teyla seemed to be plain, simple and unassuming.  Pale-skinned, with light brown hair that hung limply past her shoulders, her shapeless robe appeared to hide a slight frame, and her sandaled feet were nearly as small as a child’s—yet her face informed him that she was perhaps a decade older than he had anticipated. 

Stephen opened his mouth, about to speak a word of welcome, but she had turned back to the portal, taking a last look at whatever—or whomever—she had left behind.  She remained with her back to him, until the circle closed; in its wake, she bowed her head a moment, and then squared her shoulders, readjusting the straps of the large, cleverly woven bag that she bore upon her back.  Finally facing him, Teyla gave a formal little bow, but the weight of her basket shifted, nearly upsetting her balance, so that Stephen had to lunge forward to catch a hold of her arm before she fell.

“Th…th…thank you, Sir,” she managed, sounding shy and more than a little embarrassed, “I…I think I can manage it now.”  Her speech had a slight lilt to it, reminding him that English was not her native tongue.  Teyla kept her eyes lowered as she worked to regain her composure.

Stephen released her, backing up a few steps, frowning at the unavoidable need to abruptly invade her personal space.  “You’re welcome, Miss…”  What should he call her?  Miss Teyla might sound a bit awkward—but Mistress surely didn’t fit; he settled on changing the subject, helpfully suggesting, “Why don’t you set that down?  I can have someone collect it for you later, and leave it in your quarters.”

She nodded, and murmured her thanks again, allowing the basket to slide from her shoulders, onto the ground.  She took a deep breath, bracing herself to address him, and finally met his eyes.  “You are Master Strange, I take it?”  Teyla spoke softly, quietly contrite, “Please forgive my clumsiness.  I am normally not such a…klutz.” 

Despite the initial awkwardness between them, Stephen smiled at her use of the Earth colloquialism.  Surprise colored her soft brown eyes, as if she had expected a stern reaction to her artlessness.  Though her face was rather ordinary (and so unlike her mother’s, he mused again) her widened, doe-like eyes, shaded by a thick fringe of lashes, were lovely—and very expressive.  At the moment, they made her seem a little sad (perhaps she is, he thought, in leaving her familiar world behind), the total effect softening what might otherwise seem plain--and stirring him to a bit of sympathy.  

“No need to apologize,” he told her kindly, “And you are very welcome here, in Kamar-Taj.”

A little smile crept upon the corners of her mouth, “I thank you for your hospitality and kindness, Master Strange.”  A bit of confidence restored, she offered him her right hand, in another show of familiarity with the customs of her father. “I am Teyla of Hadeeth—but I suppose you know that already,” she shrugged, diffident but clearly well-mannered.

Stephen reached to shake her hand, and as their hands met, she breathed in sharply.  Though it often nettled him to see strangers’ reactions to his scars, he had learned to let it pass unanswered—unless they outright gawked.  Telya’s grasp was light, so he guessed she might be concerned a firmer hold would cause him pain.  She studied their hands together, flipping them a bit so she could see the back of his.  He swore he heard her whisper, ‘oh…they are yours’, before she looked up to study his face, shock and curiosity evident upon her simple features. 

“Pardon me.”  Brusquely, he withdrew his hand, having tempered his statement with a bit of latitude—as rude as her reaction seemed, he believed no ill had been intended.  “An old injury,” he added, “And one that brought me to Kamar-Taj.  In the greater scheme of things, these scars have no bearing on the work we do here—but I would ask you, kindly, not to stare.”

“Of…of course, Master Strange.”  Teyla bowed her head, embarrassed again at her faux pas, “I meant no disrespect, Sir.”

Stephen nodded, certain of her sincerity, and ready to move along to more important things.  “Well then…your mother has tasked us with furthering your education in the mystic arts.”  She nodded, so that he continued, “But before we proceed, we need to evaluate what skills you have mastered.”

“Yes.  Yes, I understand.”  She had visibly brightened at the change of topic.  “My mother told me it would be so.”

“Good.  Excellent, in fact,” he replied, adopting the not so welcome role as mentor, “We have several Masters in residence, and I have made arrangements for you to see them.  No rush, so if you need some time to get your bearings here…”

“No, that will not be necessary, Master Strange,” she told him eagerly, “I am prepared for whatever tests you have planned.”

“Alright then—if you would follow me,” Stephen motioned to the archway to his right, “We’ll get you started right away.”

Stephen had left his charge in one of the smaller practice rooms, allowing for Masters of the various disciplines to put her through her paces without unnecessary distractions.  As he knew himself not to be as expert in some disciplines as his peers, he thought it best to rely on their judgement, rather than assess Teyla himself; and a variety of opinions would certainly provide a more complete appraisal of her overall skill level and potential, than that of a single teacher.  Wong soon joined Strange in the Sanctuary Room, to wait for the Masters to report their findings.

The results were mixed, but at least gave Stephen a handle on where they needed to concentrate their efforts.  Teyla had managed a portal, after some effort, marking her halfway between a Novice and an Adept.  She handily moved--even levitated-- small objects, and did so with very little effort.  But she had no training in hand-to-hand combat, and no skill—or seeming interest—in conjuring weapons, let alone items she might use in self-defense.  Exactly the skills her mother hoped we would foster in her, Steven concluded, and therein lies our challenge.

On the upside, Master Salma had been astounded at Teyla’s ability to read people’s emotional states; she reported that the young Hadeethan’s skill was well beyond any that she had encountered since becoming Master of that discipline.  “She doesn’t even require physical contact to accurately read someone; she worked wonders just in the proximity of the test subjects,” she informed Strange, visibly excited at the discovery, “And when I placed several objects on a table across the room from her, Teyla successfully read how each item had been last used, by the emotional residue left behind by the user.  Allowing her to handle the objects enabled her to pick up on further details—beyond the most recent user.”

“Incredible.  Could you tell if her abilities were innate, or the product of some intensive training?”  If the later, Stephen believed it would be worth an exchange of knowledge with the Hadeethans to develop such a program for Kamar-Taj.

Salma shook her head, “Best I can tell is she’s a natural empath—and someone must have recognized it in her early on, because her skills are off the charts.”

“That good, eh?”

“Frankly, her abilities far surpass anything Kamar-Taj has seen in a student or a teacher in…well, centuries,” Salma grinned, “When time allows, I’d love to see what she can do reading someone from another room.”

Strange took a moment, mulling over the new information.  “Hmm…sounds to me like she should be teaching us, rather than us training her.”

“We could see about that--eventually,” Salma replied wryly, “Though I’m not ready to be replaced quite yet, Stephen.  But for now, there are a few things we can do to help her foster and refine her skills.”

“Such as?”

“Well, one of the pitfalls of this sort of empathy is a kind of…bleed, if you will--when reading in especially intense situations--which can influence and effect the empath’s own emotional health and mental state.  But that is something we can help her with,” she revealed confidently, “We can show her how to screen out those things that might impair objectivity of mind—and the things that could play havoc with her heart.”

Stephen nodded, satisfied with the thoroughness of her assessment.  “One thing, though, Master Salma.  Teyla’s mother charged us with building on her daughter’s raw ability for divination—or at least giving her some guidance in its practical use.”

Salma shook her head, “I wish I had better to offer her, but all we can manage right now is an education in dream interpretation.  Beyond that is territory that few here have any experience with.”  She bobbed her head in a small bow, “Now if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen—I’ve a group of Adepts awaiting my guidance this afternoon.” 

“Of course—and thank you, Salma.  You’ve given us much to think about.”   

Strange watched her leave, considering their limited options, and then looked to Wong, “There must be something in our library, or in the Ancient One’s collection, that we can use to give this young woman the instruction she needs.”

“There are,” Wong offered, “Dusty old scrolls, arcane texts--that seldom see the light of day.  You’ll have some heavy reading to do to bring yourself up to speed, Stephen.” 

“I hope you’re joking, Wong,” Strange replied, “I can’t be the best man for the job.”

“I’m afraid so.  You’re the quickest study we’ve got,” Wong chuckled, enjoying the irony that’s Strange’s strengths had him cornered, “And that unbeatable memory of yours is bound to come in handy.” 

Stephen frowned, sighing hard as he recognized the futility of any protest he might make, “I’m not getting out of this one, am I?”

“Nope.”  Wong favored him with a rare smile, “I’ll have those texts ready for you by the end of the day.”  He laughed quietly to himself, leaving Stephen behind, muttering under his breath.

Stephen looked up at the sound of gentle rapping, to see Teyla pop her head through the entryway of the Sanctuary Room.  “Hello?  Master Strange?  You summoned me?”  Patiently, she waited in place for him to acknowledge her.

“Yes,” he stood and motioned her forward, “Please—have a seat.”  Again, her appearance was not as he’d anticipated; she had changed from her Hadeethan robe into an over-sized tee shirt and well-worn denim leggings, and had pulled her hair back into a ponytail.  The look knocked at least a half a dozen years from her age.  Now, she looked like a typical freshman from any American university—and though her alien heritage was equal to her human blood, for a few moments she was like an unexpected taste of home. 

He couldn’t suppress a grin as she neared him, “Blue Oyster Cult.  Nice.”

“Oh…yes,” she replied, surprised at his reference, “Do you know of them, Master Strange?”

“I do indeed,” he nodded.  “In fact, they were a part of the…” Stephen chuckled at the memories, “…soundtrack of my youth.”

“I have enjoyed their poetry at times, although it is often quite somber—but they were among my father’s favorite performance groups.”  Her admission was a pleasant surprise.  Teyla took a seat across from him.  “This garment was my father’s,” her voice grew soft with sentimentality, “He made a gift of it to me, at our last parting.  I do not wear it publically on Hadeeth—there are those on my home world who lack tolerance regarding my patrimony.”  She shrugged shyly, and smiled—though Stephen noted it did not reach her eyes.

“I take it that it’s been some time since you’ve seen him,” he prompted her, curious as to the time she’d spent on Earth.

She took a breath, seeming to do a calculation before she answered, “Why yes…it’s been…hmm…nearly six Earth years.  But I hope to find some time to visit him, once my training here is complete.”

“Well then, we will do our best to move things along so that you can do that as soon as possible.”  Her smile in reply was far more sincere than her last, leaving Stephen glad to have given her the cause.  “So,” he continued, getting down to the most important business at hand, “Ideally, your training here will involve several disciplines; defensive spells, and the conjuring of defensive tools, as well as helping you to control and tap into your gift for divination.”  She looked down at the mention of the later, as though uncomfortable with the topic—and when she raised her eyes, he could swear she was looking at his hands again.  He shook it off, telling himself he was being overly self-conscious due to her blunder at their initial meeting.

“And healing spells,” she asked, “That way my future lies--so they would be the most welcome lesson of all.”

Healing.  That had been his life and his own future, once upon a time—and though he could never return to those days, Stephen would forever think of himself as Doctor, before any other title he would ever bear.  He appreciated that such a vocation was her top priority.

“We will offer what we can, Teyla.  Though the bulk of your time will be spent working towards proficiency in those elements that are the backbone of the mystic arts.

“As my mother wills it,” she replied, resigned to the plan that Moraine had intended for her.

“Yes,” he nodded, “And beginning in the morning, you will have a minimum two hours training, daily, in physical defense and combat…”

“No…wait…there is no need for that.”  Teyla’s humble, placid expression dissolved into a stubborn mien.  “My work is as a healer.  I thought you understood this…”

“Yes,” he replied again, holding up one hand to signal her to quiet a moment and allow for an explanation, “Please, Teyla—there are sound reasons for this…”

Though her eyes flashed defiantly, she pursed her lips into silence, ceding the moment to him.  Stephen continued, calling on what skill for diplomacy was his, “I promise you will understand this necessity as you advance in your education here.  Concentrating first on developing physical discipline is a stepping stone to nurturing mental discipline.  Master your body, and the path is clear to master your mind.”  Stephen paused, watching her expression soften, pleased that he was getting his message across to her.  “Once you have mastered mental discipline, you can achieve nearly anything, as long as you have the will for it.”

Teyla sighed hard, and rolled her eyes (damn, that’s a purely human habit, he thought, trying not to smile at how much it made her look like an impatient teenager), “As you say, Master Strange.”  She tilted her head, offering an apology, “Please forgive my rash words, Sir.  I only just…well, you see, I feel my purpose so strongly, and any delay is a source of frustration.  I promise I will do, faithfully, whatever is required of me to complete my training.”

Stephen leaned across the table, seeking to put her at ease.  “I understand your passion, Teyla of Hadeeth.  Would you believe I’ve felt the same myself?”  Her eyes went wide as she listened.  “I was…I am…a healer myself.  A doctor.  My specialty was neurosurgery.  I spent half my life studying, learning, training, searching for greater knowledge, because I knew without a doubt that these hands were meant precisely for that work.”  He held them up to her, making no effort to conceal their shaking, let alone the painful map of scars that symbolized all that he had lost, “These hands, Teyla, worked medical miracles; I helped thousands to lead better, longer lives.  I know the desire to heal, and I know the sweet satisfaction of that service done well.  But I never would have reached that pinnacle without the beginning baby steps.  Trust me when I say, you will get there.”

Teyla’s soft, doe-eyes had misted up as he told his story.  He hadn’t meant to make her feel sorry for him—never, never did he intend that with anyone in this new life.  He only needed to make his point clear.  Stephen would have spoken more, but that she took his took one of his hands, studying it even more intently than when they’d shaken hands in the courtyard.  “I understand…Doctor.  Doctor Strange.”  She smiled sadly, “You have lived through much, to come to this place.  But your journey has been worth the cost.” She released his hand—which tingled warmly afterwards—and told him, “I will follow whatever path you deem most wise, Doctor Strange.  I will put my future in your hands.”  She rose, and made a little bow, bidding him goodnight.         

Stephen sat in silence a while longer, considering the puzzle Teyla presented.  She seemed soft and unassuming, yet she spoke her mind without compunction.  She had a share of unexpected wisdom for her age (although he actually wasn’t even sure yet, how old she was), and she was passionate about her purpose in life.  He had to respect that—and that her heart seemed bent toward service to others, made him like her even more.  He found he didn’t dread so much, the research he would have to put in to help her refine her divination skills; perhaps he’d even learn a thing or two that might be of use to him someday.

Wong—ever true to his word—had sent a selection of scrolls and texts to Stephen’s room, so that the eager student in him couldn’t resist getting a start in researching the rare art he was obliged to tutor Teyla in.  He read for about an hour—until his eyes were bleary—making mental notes of key ideas he would revisit when his mind was fresher.  All the while, though, his thoughts would drift back to those final moments of their conversation.  How Teyla had responded so sympathetically to his story; how she had taken his hand.  Under normal circumstances, he would have found that far too familiar, especially on so short of an acquaintance—yet she had breached that personal barrier so gently, he hadn’t even thought to protest.

Only when he’d set his head upon his pillow and closed his eyes, winding down to sleep, did the realization hit him.  Master Salma had told him the young woman was an empath of extraordinary skill—and that’s exactly what she’d done to him.  She’d read his feelings as casually as one might read a street sign; read his feelings and understood with a kind of quiet intimacy, his struggle.  And when she touched his hand, he was willing to bet she gained some understanding of the physical cost his accident had wreaked upon him.  Stephen wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it; it wasn’t an intentional violation of his privacy, and certainly she’d meant no harm.  In fact, he wondered if that warm tingle her touch had left behind was some trace of healing magic—and if so, was it even possible that she could offer some relief to him, when he had long accepted that he and the lingering pain of his damaged hands were meant to be lifetime companions.

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[brunchable]

Part VII - The Iron Mage || Doctor Strange x F!Reader.

Word count: 5.7K Genre: Enemies to Lovers. Adventure. Action. Young Adult. Warning: Heavy References to Multiverse of Madness. Violent Scenes, Swearing, Near death Rated M: includes portrayals of elements such as violence and themes that require a mature outlook.

Brief Chapter Summary: Stephen meets his variant and finally gets a taste of what it's like to deal with him.

***Strictly do not: claim, repost, copy, translate my stories anywhere else***

A/N: The Song describes Y/N's story quite well, just saying. Hope you guys enjoy. Photo does not belong to me.

Dandelions - PART VII: The Iron Mage

A young Minotaur, and an extra dimensional creature from the planet of R'Vaal, also Stephen's graduate student, raced through the halls of Kamar-Taj. Light gleamed through the cracks of the wooden walls, birds chirping and flying inside the building towards the nests built in the ceiling corners. Rintrah halted in front of the meditation room where his Master was spending his day revitalising his magic. He took a deep inhale to catch up on his breath, gently swatting the little sparrows that rested on his Horns.

"Shoo, shoo!" He shooed the birds while flailing his arms in the air, causing the sparrows to fly away. He cleared his throat and held onto the handle of the double doors, opening them at the same time, wind bursts out of the room, combing through his soft green fur. Rintrah saunters in, finding his master in the middle of a huge eldritch circle of power, disc spells of different sizes spinning on his wrists. Rintrah hated being the one to interrupt Stephen whenever he meditated, he knew of how important it was. Rintrah tapped the pads of his fingers with each other, anxiously trying to find the words to start conversation with his Master. The Minotaur bowed before his Sorcerer Supreme before addressing him.

"E-Excuse me, Master, we've spotted an unknown anomaly northwest and twenty kilometres from our New York base." Rintrah interrupted Stephen's meditation.

The man levitated off the ground with his advanced and technologically modified iron cloak billowing behind him. Stephen peaked at Rintrah with one eye to see the Minotaur waiting to be addressed. 

With a deep lazy voice he spoke, "An unknown anomaly?" 

"Yes." Rintrah answered confidently.

"Does it look life threatening to our world that's already a wasteland?" Stephen asked, taking light of the matter due to the fact that there isn’t much to salvage in this world, it's now all about survival of the strongest and the fittest, "If not, just ignore it and let Wong handle it—how many times do I have to tell you that I am your last line of defence?"

Rintrah lowered his eyes, trying to decide whether America's powers were a threat, "B-but Master, three people came out of this anomaly, and you're one of them."

Stephen opened his eyes,"What?" head turning slightly towards Rintrah. He heard the Minotaur clearly, it's just the fact that another version of his multiversal self being here breaks all the rules of the universe which could cause complete annihilation with no survivors.

"There's another version–" 

"I heard you the first time." Stephen interrupted Rintrah and pulled himself out of his meditative position, "Go back to New York and gather a Squad, bring those people to me."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

America awkwardly looked around the room while you got lost into your thoughts, trying to reflect on the events that unfolded merely minutes ago. You were stuck in a trance and America didn't know how to break the awkward silence that was slowly eating her up.

I killed those people. You thought to yourself, Marc retaliated because of me and I got him killed. 

America kept opening her mouth to say something, the sound of her repetitive inhales was enough to break the trance you were in, "If you want to say something, just spit it out." You told America with a soft monotone voice and lifted your eyes to look at her. 

America's eyes fluttered, unable to compete with the intensity of your gaze.

"I'm just curious if you're alright." She pressed her lips together and got nothing but silence in return. 

You took your time to think of an accurate answer, because you were feeling all sorts of things physically, emotionally and mentally, "I'm… coping." You began and America looked up surprised to finally hear you speak.

"I've never really been through anything like this before…" You trailed off as your thoughts wander elsewhere, "What about you? Your neck."

"Oh it's fine, it was just a prick." America chuckled, "Also I'm used to this… I've been alone jumping from universe to universe ever since I was like…six?" She looked down, clearly hiding a few bits of information that was too personal to talk about but you understood.

"I just want to say thank you, even though it wasn't your intention to save me." America looked down and fiddled with her fingers. 

You averted your gaze from the kid and sighed, shaking your head lightly, "No, thank you." You forced yourself to say, it took a lot of your pride to say those words but she saved you from bleeding out despite your meanness towards her.

America tried to suppress a smile but couldn't, "You're welcome. I guess you owe me one then." She joked.

You chuckled, shaking your head at her clever remark, "Yeah, I guess so." 

"You look pretty when you smile, (Y/N). You should smile more." America complimented you after seeing you smile for the first time in a while. You lightly rolled your eyes at her.

"Our little show of gratitude still doesn't make us friends, America. And you certainly couldn't make your way up there with compliments."

"Well, if you don’t like friends, then we are just friend-ly people who are just temporarily working together.” She replied and then quickly added, "A partnership between acquaintances, three strangers with a hint of alliance."

“Just say we're a three people-team, America." With furrowed brows you gave America the word to stop her rambles.

"Yeah, a dysfunctional team that sort of works." She kept going and you palmed your forehead.

"Do you always over complicate things or is this how you normally talk?" You asked genuinely curious about how her brain works.

"This is how I normally talk–" 

"Oh great." You cut off what America was about to explain. America was about to open her mouth but you interrupted her again, "Stop talking, I'm going to take a nap. I feel like I'm going to pass out." You got up from the chair and ducked down to lay on the lower bunk of the bed. You slid into the sheets though you felt dirty but this didn't look like it even had a shower system. 

You turned to face the wall and closed your eyes but all you could see was Marc's face as he perished from Stephen's mystical sword, the humans you had injured when the bite induced your powerful wind burst. You forced your mind to think of something else but it was a continuous loop until you finally drifted off to sleep. 

At one point during your rest, the sound of Stephen entering the room woke you up, "Kid, are you hungry? Come out and have something to eat." 

You heard America carefully climb down from the top bunk and asked Stephen, "What about (Y/N)?"

You felt Stephen's eyes on you, "Just let her sleep."

"Okay then." America sounded unsure but followed Stephen out on the deck to grab something to bite.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ 

You ran across a yard dotted with dandelions, giggling and shrieking as you got chased by your father. His strong arms hauled you up into the air and at that point in time you felt like you were flying. Anastasia smiled to herself, seeing her daughter and husband being so playful brought so much happiness to her. 

Ren placed you back on to the ground, your cheeks flushed with rosy colour from the rush you were having. You hopped about and pointed your finger in different directions as you searched for the most beautiful dandelion you could locate among the clover and the crabgrass. You knelt down and selected a large, fluffy dandelion, covering it with the other hand.

In the adult version of yourself you said as you turned around, "Mommy look–" The dandelion you held fell on the ground, your breath hitching as your eyes fell on your childhood home that burnt in white fire with three massive holes in its structure. 

You sprinted inside calling out to your mother and father, covering your mouth and nose with your elbow. You coughed as you blindly went around the house, trying to follow the sobbing that seems to be coming from your father.

"Dad! Where are you?" You shouted from the top of your lungs and coughed. You went through the hallway and found your Dad at the front yard, rocking on his knees whilst on the ground, his back facing you.

You ran to him, "Dad!" You called out and touched his shoulder but he ignored you, you walked around and saw yourself as a child in your father's arms. You looked around and noticed the missing presence of your mother.

"Dad? What happened? Where's mom?" You asked and knelt down in front of him, "Dad! Dad!" Your voice cracked as you shook him by the shoulder but got no response. Tears fell so easily in your eyes as you ran your hands through your hair, frustrated that you couldn't get an answer from him.

You wiped your tears with the back of your hand and headed inside the house, "Mom?!" You scouted each room downstairs before running up the second floor, "Mom?!" You squint your eyes through the smoke and at the end of the hallway, just on the entryway of your bedroom, you saw a tall silhouette of a hooded figure, holding onto a staff with little skulls dangling on the top of it.

You put on a brave front and gave the other individual a hostile look in their direction. Although you couldn't see their face, you had the distinct impression that they were watching you.

"Who are you?" You asked with a strong and resonant tone in your voice to mask your fear. Ghoulish and disembodied echoes permeated the house, and you could feel your surroundings becoming dark. There was no longer blue sky outside, no sunlight coming in through the windows, and no other source of light other than the lime-colored fire that burned on their unburning staff. 

"I'm the shiver that runs down your spine, for many years I've been benign, still as alive as you but without breath and when I come for you, you'll wish for death." He spoke, his ghostly voice croaking out his little riddle in a manner that was both dramatic and slow.

You felt fear crawling under your skin and you gulped, you replied sarcastically as your defence mechanism, "Okay Shiver, I don't speak cryptic so you're going to have to speak English because I have two brain cells left."

His deep insidious laugh reverberated across to you, "Your attitude, it blinds your eyes and clouds your mind, tell me, do you find humility and compassion hard to find?" 

Your brows twitched and hung your head down for a second, you got the hint that he was now attacking your personality, "Alright then, Shakespeare, I don't know what your deal is but don't start acting like you know me like everyone else." 

"Oh but I do. I already know you. You're so high up in the sky because of what you’ve achieved without failure, and it blocks your vision, which is why you also never fail to make the wrong decision. Your emotions have made you irrational and behave like a fool, saying hurtful things that are very cruel." 

You clenched your jaw and fist unable to accept the truth that this mysterious person speaks of.

"Where is my mother?" With gritted teeth you asked him. You saw the smirk curl on the side of his lip before turning to disappear in your room. You chased after him—

Your body violently jolted you out of a deep slumber, and you gasped for oxygen as you rubbed your eyes and peered about the dimly illuminated cabin. Along with your original pair of doctor's boots that were lying on the floor, you also found some neatly arranged clothing by your bedside. 

Who was that in my dream? That was fucking creepy as hell. You asked yourself in your thoughts.

You got changed and didn't like how the top looked so you ripped off the loose sleeves and it now looked like a sleeveless mock neck top. It goes well with your black pants and the docs. You searched the room for a hair tie which you predicted wouldn't have any, but you did find a metal stick to use to put your hair up.

You slipped out of the cabin wearing the clothes that were given to you, most likely by Wong. You were surprised to see that they were not there on the deck and then you heard some laughing coming from the rear of the boat. 

You ducked down since the roof was a bit low and their laughter calmed down when they noticed you. You looked at Wong and tilted your head. Has he always had medium length hair? You thought to yourself.

"You're finally awake, come, join us," Wong slightly got up and reached for another wooden crate that you could sit on.

"How long was I out?" You asked, trying to get comfortable in your seat.

"Hm a couple of days." Wong said casually.

"WHAT?" You yelled out of shock and almost jumped out of your seat and that's when Wong erupted into a laugh at your reaction.

"I'm only messing with you, (Y/N)," Wong waved his hands dismissively and you unclutched your hand from your heart. You peered at Stephen, who immediately removed his gaze from you as soon as he saw you were looking at him. It was clear that he was attempting to hold back a laugh, so he raised his cup up to his lips and sipped from it.

You looked around and found America nowhere, "Where's the kid?" 

"I'm up here." America waved at you from the roof, "I don't know if you've noticed but the night sky is really pretty here."

"Yes and that's thanks to the absence of light pollution." Wong answered and passed you a bowl of seaweed soup, "I hope you don't mind, I was told you lost a fair bit of blood. That's seaweed soup, chock full of iron, it's good for you."

"I know, my father's half-Japanese, he always makes seaweed soup. Thanks, Wong." You let out a chuckle as you blew softly on the spoon and then proceeded to sip the soup while eating the seaweed leaves. You did your best to force the soup down your throat as you dropped the bowl to your lap as it tasted like the ocean but minus the saltiness that you were expecting from it. Stephen noticed this and huffed a chuckle through his nose.

"I think she's had enough as well, Wong." Stephen snitched on you.

"N-No I haven't." You were flustered when Stephen saw that you were not loving the meal, and as a result, you drank all of the soup in one sitting in order to demonstrate to him that he was incorrect. 

"It's not that great isn't it?" Wong asked.

"No! No, it's alright– could use some soy sauce and miso. It's seaweed, it's supposed to taste like the ocean." You tried to be modest about it and gave Stephen a dirty look. 

"See Strange, that's constructive criticism. Spraying my face with the soup that was in your mouth after having one big sip is not it." Wong pointed his arm towards you as he set you as an example, "Unfortunately, even condiments here are scarce so all of you are just gonna have to suck it up and eat what we have."

"I see salt right there, couldn't you have used a little bit?" Stephen pointed at the full linen pouch that had 'salt' written on it.

"No, that's not for my own use, I'm delivering it back to the Sanctum." Wong turned around and shook his head.

Stephen sat forward, "The Sanctum is still standing?"

"No, more like floating." 

The look on Stephen's face became even more perplexed, "Floating? What exactly happened here? And how did I manage to do that?" 

"The Emergence of Tiamut. That's what happened here," Another Stephen emerged from the dark wearing a cloak that looked heavily advanced. This Stephen looked peeved at Wong, "Wong, you used a hiding spell to conceal these fugitives, why?"

Wong, who bowed before Stephen, wasn't shocked to learn that his spell wasn't enough to hide you from the Sorcerer Supreme. However, the fact that he was able to conceal you from the squad that he sought out to locate the three of you was enough to delay him.

"I think they have a reasonable excuse to stay here, for a short period of time." Wong replied to Stephen.

It was impossible not to draw parallels between the two Doctor Stranges who were positioned just a few feet apart from one another. His version appeared to be more muscular and masculine in comparison to Stephen, and if you judged him by his body language, you could sense the brute energy that he was giving out. It's not that Stephen isn't any of those things; it's just that with his variant, his vigour was more... perceptible.

"They can't stay here. They're from another universe, the longer they stay here the higher the risk of endangering our own." Stephen firmly stated his conviction. 

America jumped down from the roof after hearing the little commotion that was happening.

Stephen's eyes landed on her, facial features becoming tense as if he recognizes her, "You… You're the girl who always appears in my dreams." 

America's eyes ping-ponged between the two Stephens, "That wasn't a dream. It's the life of your parallel self." 

"Wait–So you've dreamt of her as well? What did you dream about?" 

"Listen here, other me. You'll only speak when you're being addressed.” Variant Stephen turned around to face himself, and Stephen scoffed at the conceit of his variant while standing up.

“You’re addressing me now, douchebag. Now answer my question.” Stephen moved one step closer and confronted himself with the same amount of superiority that he had previously shown towards others.

“Did he just call himself a douchebag?” While America was sitting down next to you, she spoke to you in a soft whisper. You cocked your head to look at the kid and signalling for her to remain quiet by raising your index finger to your mouth.

Variant Stephen laughed, “You’re in my universe, I should be the only one asking questions. I don’t know what is happening in yours, but this one has lost so much already and I am not willing to risk anything just because you’re struggling to fix your problems. I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to get rid of your presence here. So it’s either leave or you die.” 

Both Stephens were having a staredown and you couldn’t help but enjoy it since Stephen was getting a piece of what it’s like to deal with him. 

“You’re right Wong, he is that bad.” Stephen began, “And I thought my head couldn’t get any farther up my ass, you sure did show me I could.” 

Variant Stephen smirked at the insult, “I just know better than you.” 

You jerked your head to the side before rotating your body to check behind you, but there was nothing there. You had heard some movement on the water, and it was gently shaking the boat below. You could feel the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, and you had the uneasy feeling that something terrible was about to happen. You weren't sure if it might be both Stephens killing each other, or if it would be something else else.

The nervousness caused you to tremble in your knees and play with your fingernails; America saw these signals of concern on your part and gently touched your shoulder, “(Y/N), what’s wrong?”

“Oh do you? If you knew better than why haven’t you started asking us questions then? Like Why are we trying to run away from the Scarlet Witch?” 

“Stephen, The Scarlet Witch is said to be a being with unimaginable magic powers. She can rewrite reality as she chooses, and is prophesied to either rule, or annihilate the cosmos.” Wong explained to Stephen who kept his facial expressions in check as to not reveal what he was thinking about.

“So the Scarlet Witch is after you?” Stephen asked, “All the more reason for me to kick your ass out of this universe for the risk of you bringing her here.” Stephen crossed his fingers over his eye of agamotto, activating the nanobots to spread all over his body from the cloak of levitation, the eye bringing the central piece of his armour.

Stephen took a few steps back since he wasn't prepared for this and he was really pleasantly surprised by it, “You’re Iron Man in this universe?” 

“No. Still Doctor Strange, but with the suit on, it’s Iron Mage.” Stephen raised his hand to his counterpart and powered up his weapon by pointing his palm in Stephen's direction.

“Wait! Stop! Can you people not feel or hear that?” America jumped in the middle of Stephen and the Iron Mage, forcing the latter to lower his arms. After you informed America that you had a sense that something was about to occur, she started having the same feeling that you had, the movement in the water, as if something was surrounding the boat and waiting to be detected.

You five stopped talking and looked at each other in a curious manner while maintaining a tactful silence. Each of you was attentively listening. The boat made a creaking sound as it gently rocked back and forth on the body of water. Almost immediately, everyone's attention was drawn to the area behind the boat where something was skimming on the surface of the water.

Wong carefully took a few steps to his bag to get a glow stick which he then cracked causing it to glow blue and he threw it in the water. There were a few moments of silence…

“It’s probably just a fish–” Iron Mage started, but was immediately interrupted by a large sea creature with a hideous appearance that sprang from under the water with a deafening screech. The cascading water from its body made it seem like it was raining. You all gazed at it in complete and absolute terror with your mouths gaping agape.

Stephen turned his head to his twin with a contemptuous look, “A fish?!”

Iron Mage rolled his eyes, “I am not done with you.” He said, his helmet materialising on his head before shooting himself up in the air began blasting the monster from the above.

The monster plummeted under the water with a resounding crash, and the waves created by its collapse propelled the boat ahead. Stephen muttered a swearword under his breath once he saw the runes belonging to the Scarlet Witch scattered throughout the stomach of the creature as it was sinking back down.

“Kid you need to hide. This monster was sent by Wanda.” Stephen went to America and led her frantically back to the cabin.

“I want to help!” America proposed as Stephen was about to shut the door.

“And how will you do that?” Stephen retorted back and she remained quiet, “Staying put this time is help, alright? Scream if you need one of us.”

America nodded and Stephen shut the door and returned to see Iron Mage handling the monster who was now on its feet a couple of metres away, keeping it distracted. Stephen turned and informed you, “By the way, your friend Wanda? She sent this monster after the kid and maybe to kill us.” 

You sighed heavily before answering him in a cold tone, “I’m not in the mood for your sarcasm, Wizard.”

You simply don't get along very well with Stephen, and you prefer not to talk to him unless you absolutely have to. The occurrence that took place with you in the previous world that was never spoken about has left you wanting to maintain your distance from Stephen.

“Are you fit enough to help?” He asked

You rolled your shoulders and cracked your neck, seeing if you’re physically well for this, “I think so.” 

“Good.” Stephen answered as spell discs appeared on his arms after doing the gesture ritual. He levitated off the boat, “Try to stay alive this time?” He made another side comment and you gave him the finger before soared towards the Iron Mage even though he seems to be doing quite well on his own. 

You rubbed your hands together and clapped once, “Alright powers, don’t disappoint me now.” You extended your arms to the left and right and called upon the winds to come towards you before hurling wind razors at the monster whose claws were swinging at the Iron Mage.

Your razors flew past Stephen who almost got sliced and he turned around and you heard him shout, ‘What the hell?’ from a distance.

“Sorry.” You shouted and then muttered, “Not sorry.” 

Your razors were as sharp like a fresh knife that had just been honed, that they cut the monster's arm very deeply. This gave Iron Mage some time to get away from the claw before he was struck by it. Stephen called out his binds and wrapped it around the monster's wrist as he pulled and tried to soar towards its back. However, the cloak was fighting against the might of the beast, and the band shattered. The whiplash from the snap sent Stephen back, but he soon recovered. Stephen used his hands to make the hand signals of the Images of Ikkon, his arms following the sequence correctly so that he was able to call it, and instantly, a hundred copies of him detached from his body, replicating each assault that he performed while he sought to bind the beast once again. Simultaneously, Iron Mage directed his eldritch beam towards the top of the monster's head in an attempt to bring it to the ground.

The beast let out a piercing screech and then morphed into hundreds of humanoid aliens with pointed fangs, slimy skin, and large eyes that were able to see through the dark water. You noticed them approaching the boat in a manner similar to that of dolphins.

“Wong?! Have we started that motor yet?” You asked in a panic, keeping an eye on the creatures as they got closer and closer, “Wong!!” 

“I’m trying!” Wong shouted back, now panicked as well, seeing the amount of monsters that were headed your way. 

You looked up at the sails and facepalmed yourself, “I am not too bright at certain situations, am I?” After manipulating the air to push against the mainsail and getting the boat to move, you glanced over your shoulder and noticed that the monsters were getting closer. You exerted more force, feeling the weight of the boat, and continued to do so until you heard the sound of the engine. At that point, the heaviness began to lessen, and you discovered that you were increasing your speed. 

However, it was already too late. You were attacked by the humanoid sea monster, and as you came face to face with it, you screamed in terror as it attempted to rip your head off with its teeth. You were able to lock your elbows, which was the one and only thing that was keeping you safe.

“What is up with multiversal creatures wanting to bite me?! ARGH!” You vented your anger at the creature that was screeching at you by yelling back at it. You positioned your legs in a folding position and gave it a powerful kick to the stomach, which caused it to tumble backwards into the water.

These beasts encircled the boat on all sides, while Iron mage and Stephen attacked it from above as they emerged from the water. Wong, who was also taken down by the beast, was able to get back up after slicing the creature's neck and pushing its carcass to the side. You and him found yourself pressed up against one another's backs as an increasing number of creatures boarded the boat and began to swarm you both.

“I watch your six, you watch mine?” Wong asked you as he drew his own Sword of Vishanti.

“Yeah, good idea.” You rotated your hand so that it was pointing upward and proceeded to apply pressure to the air inside the sphere that you were creating. The more power you summoned, the brighter your eyes began shining white. You took aim at their heads, and just like a bullet, the air spheres you threw went right through their skulls each time you shot.

You saw a monster approaching Wong and used your airburst to destroy it, but you failed to see the one that was approaching you. You used your arm as a barrier as it was about to bite and realised then that Stephen had his whip wrapped around the monster's neck. He dragged the creature up towards him and snapped its neck, after which he allowed to fall into the water. After looking at each other intently as he killed that creature and saving your life for the second time, he gave you a wink.

“Show off, does he think women find that attractive?” You muttered under your breath and watched as he flew away. You looked around you and noticed that the creatures never seem to run out. 

“They never seem to run out.” Iron Mage landed on the boat with you, Wong and Stephen with a loud thud.

The four of you heard a loud scream in which you assumed was America since she was the only one hiding in the cabin, “America, they’re going to kidnap her.” Stephen said while seeing that the creatures had a hold of her through the hoard that everyone was trying to fight off.

America who was flailing and trying to get away from them being dragged across the deck by two of the creatures. All four of you were so distracted that none of you noticed that they were able to seize her in an attempt to bring her with them underwater.

“Shit.” You mutter a cuss under your breath before leaping into the air and reaching a height that will allow you to enter the water with more impact and arrive at America more rapidly. You gracefully entered the water, where you saw the America being pulled below and rendered comatose. You instinctively built an air pocket for the two of you to use so that you and her would both be able to continue breathing.

As soon as the creatures saw you were attempting to pursue America, they started to swarm you immediately, they pulled and scratched you, heightening your sense of danger especially now that you’re under water, you started to feel overwhelmed, you started experiencing another black out that was identical to the one that had occurred to you before. In the darkness, your eyes blazed dazzling white, and your white hair shone brighter and brighter that the men on the surface were able to see from above.

“What the hell is that?” Iron Stephen asked as he peered down.

“You’ll see.” Stephen replied plainly.

You placed those creatures in their own bubbles and proceed to manipulate the air pressure inside it, they screeched as their bodies jerked and seized in pain while everything in their bodies shink. That bubble eventually turned it into a vacuum and that suffocated and withered them out like dried fish jerky in the process. You did not spare even one of them from death. America, who became conscious not long after you sent her an air bubble, saw all that took place.

Wong was startled as all of the deceased creatures rose up to the surface at the same time. However, both of the Stephens were impressed and at the same time scared, both of them now know that they actually don’t know who they’re dealing with. When Stephen saw that America had been tossed into the boat after being hurled out of the sea, he hurried to her help and examined her for any wounds.

“You alright? Where’s (Y/N)?” Stephen asked as he held onto America’s arm. 

“S-She’s still down there.” America choked out and fell on her knees after using up all her energy. 

Stephen heaved a sigh of exasperation since he had made it quite clear to you that you were to make every effort to save your life, but you went and did another one of your power moves instead. He took off his tunic with ferocity while keeping his pants on and dove headfirst into the icy water without any hesitation. He manoeuvred through the water with his muscular arms and discovered you floating close to the bottom in the vicinity of what had been an intersection.

Stephen drew you close to his body by wrapping his arms tightly and securely around your back, and he used his foot to kick the ground to give himself a lift so that he could swim back up. Since he was so near to the surface, he did his best to maintain his composure in spite of the fact that he was becoming more weary and could feel his lungs becoming more constricted. As soon as the cold air strikes his skin, he makes the largest gasp for oxygen, your head lays on top of his shoulders as he swims towards the boat.  

Stephen grabbed you by the waist and raised you up as Wong and Iron Strange hauled you back onto the deck by your arms, "Get her in the recovery position." Stephen said as he struggled to get himself into the boat, his voice hoarse.

Iron Strange checked to see if you were still breathing, and once he determined that you were, he quickly put you in the recovery position. Almost instantly, you started aggressively hacking up the water that had been trapped in your lungs. When he started patting you on the back with some force, you could feel the blood rushing to your face because of the exertion.

Stephen reached down and picked up the tunic that he had dropped on the floor before walking away from you without uttering a word or even glancing in your direction.

“You alright?” Iron Strange asked as he kept the firm pats going and you nodded, still unable to speak, “Wong, bring them to Kamar-Taj. I think everyone has had enough for one night.” Stephen stood up and opened a large portal that led straight through the street near the flux vortex where the sanctum remains afloat.

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[popcorn-plots]

womp womp

smut under the cut. just warning you. if you don't want to read, you don't have to :)

also tagging @loveisanimaginarydagger3000 in this because I used two of her prompts (“This is wrong.” “So wrong.” and “Is this ok?” As they stare up at you from in between your legs.)

teacher/student relationships (the sexual kind) usually give me the icks but at the same time... Stephen and Wong are both grown men who can make their own desicions. Stephen knows he can say no at any time and Wong will stop. so. but I will probably never write this kind of smut again.

it is all consensual though. because consent is hot and sexy.

smut ahoy!!

Pushed up against the wall in Master Wong's office, being kissed deeply by said Master Wong, was not an experience Stephen expected to have when he came to Kamar-Taj to fix his hands.

In fact, he had even thought that the order was celibate for a good few months until Master Wong told him otherwise the first time Stephen asked about having sex. Which was, for the record, an incredibly awkward conversation and he hadn't even enjoyed the sex after his hands flared up halfway through it and put a stop to the whole event.

He hadn't even thought about sex afterwards, but with Master Wong's tongue practically down his throat, Stephen was definitely thinking about sex.

Stephen moaned as Master Wong pressed his body against him. Stephen could feel his strength, the warmth of his body, and the prominent erection pressing into his own.

Stephen wasn't even sure how it came to this. Sure, he was attracted to Master Wong, and yes, he dreamed about what Master Wong's cock would feel like inside of him, and yes, he imagined Master Wong naked when his back was turned, but.. this was wrong. Master Wong was his teacher, and he... this wasn't right.

But Vishanti, did he want this.

Master Wong pulled away, breathing heavily. His dark brown eyes darkened with lust as he ran his hands down the front of Stephen's robes. Stephen shivered, his eyes fluttering shut.

"This is wrong..." Stephen whispered.

Master Wong exhaled in front of him. "So wrong." He agreed as he slid to his knees in front of Stephen, "but I see the way you look at me, and trust me, I look at you the same way."

Stephen shivered at the low rumbling of Master Wong's voice. "I want you, Stephen Strange."

"And if I say no?" Stephen whispered, pressing his shaking hand against the wall.

"I will stop and wait until you are ready. Even if it takes years." Master Wong murmured, stroking Stephen's hip with a callused thumb.

"What if... what if I want you too?"

Master Wong smiled. "Then I will fuck you."

"Oh." Stephen breathed out. He opened his eyes and looked down. Master Wong, between his legs, was a sight to behold. Stephen moved his hand to Master Wong's hair, just letting it rest there.

Master Wong ran his hands down Stephen's thighs, then up again, stopping at the waist of his pants. "Is this okay?" He asked, gently.

Stephen swallowed. He knew that if he said no, Master Wong would stop. If he pushed him away, Master Wong would respect the unspoken boundary. But Stephen didn't want Master Wong to stop. He wanted, needed, Master Wong like a drowning man needed air.

Slowly, he nodded.

He gasped when Master Wong pulled down his pants, moaning quietly when he felt warm breath on the head of his leaking cock.

This was so, so wrong, and Stephen needed more.

[sadwattpader]

Family

Pairing: Tony Stark x Dr Stephen Strange

Characters: Tony Stark, Dr Stephen Strange, Harley Keener, Peter Parker, America Chavez, Morgan Stark, Pepper Potts, Wong

*Mpreg*

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Tony was awoken by the sounds of he and Stephen's kids arguing down the hall. Tony groaned softly, he was too tired and they were getting too old for this crap. He got out of the bed, walking out of his and Stephen's bedroom and into the bedroom where the shouting was coming from.

"Hey!" He snaps, opening the door to Harley's room to find him, Peter, and America arguing. "What is all this commotion about, hmm?"

"I don't want to share a room with America anymore." Harley says, wrapping his arms around Tony. "I want my old room back, mommy."

"I know, kiddo, but it's only for a little while, okay? Just till your little brother or sister is done with it, okay? Then maybe you can share your room with them once they're old enough."

"For now, you can share a room with me." Peter suggests, kneeling by his little brother. "You know I wouldn't mind, little bro.'

"Can I play Legos with you and Ned?" Harley asks, looking up at Peter with his big blue eyes.

"Of course you can." Peter says, ruffling Harley's curly light brown hair.

"About time you figured out how to deal with their squabbles." Stephen says, walking up behind Tony and wrapping an arm around his waist. Just then, Tony felt that now familiar fluttering sensation in his abdomen.

"Whoa." Tony says, holding Stephen's hand over the spot. "Did you feel that?"

"What's going on, mommy?" Harley asks, furrowing his brow. Tony placed Harley's little hand beside Stephen's, and soon the little boy's eyes lit up. "Whoa." He says softly, completely mesmerized. He had never felt a baby kicking before, since he was currently the youngest child.

-four months later-

Tony was sitting on the couch, trying his best to get comfortable with this big, awkward belly and what he recognized as early, non-progressing contractions when he felt a real contraction, much stronger than the small, only mildly uncomfortable ones before.

He called out for Stephen, who quickly rushed to his side and opened a portal to the hospital. Tony was taken to a delivery room where, through a C-section, he gave birth to a beautiful baby girl he and Stephen decided to name Morgan Strange Stark.

America, Peter, and Harley were brought to the hospital a little while later by Pepper and Wong. Harley was extremely excited to get to hold the new baby, so Stephen carefully laid little Morgan in his arms.

As Tony looked at his perfect little family, he thanked the Gods he had been given such a beautiful blessing.

[purplefeathersandblackleather]

❤️ and ☮️ for Doctor Strange (main timeline?)

616 this time huh? Alright, let me see what I got rolling around up here.

Family & Friendship Headcanons for Stephen Strange

Stephen starts off guarded because not only does he not know you, but he's also got too much on his plate to really hang around and talk for more than a few minutes at a time. He usually greets you, but it usually never goes beyond that, but it's very clear he's usually in a hurry.

The greetings turn into pleasantries over time of him actually seeing that you're going to be around more frequently than he initially thought. After about six or seven months, he finally stops you to actually get your name and properly introduce him, though you already know him. He denies everything Wong or anyone else has told you - except the library incident.

The man loves to flex; not physical strength, but with knowledge. Like What If Strange, he's happy to talk for quite a long period of time if the circumstances are right for the two of you and you both have the time. His favorite subjects are medicine (obviously), old movies, classic music, the mystic arts and literature. But the moment you even remotely try to inquire about him as a person, he clams up.

After many long conversations and missions both on Earth and outside of its dimension, he finally calls you to the Sanctum and sits you down for a long talk. He "shows himself" to you, tells you about what he went through with his accident, Dormammu, the loss of the Ancient One and the Infinity War.

Now that you've gained his trust, he allows himself to be vulnerable around you and coaxes you to do the same because he believes in equal give and take. If he can show his wounds to you, then he's more than willing to see yours and not judge you for them. This makes him extremely comfortable, and he becomes protective of you over the following months/years to follow.

"Have you eaten today?" "Yeah, this morning before class/work." "What did you have?" "A couple of pieces of fruit and a smoothie." "... Kitchen. Now."

If someone has hurt you, even by accident, he's quick to pass judgement against them. He's not proud of this, but he does it because he doesn't like seeing you upset. He always asks the person who hurt you to apologize and if they don't, you'll probably hear about their furniture being stuck to their ceiling when they come into class/work the next day.

When you go to him crying over something that happened that was particularly bad, this is when he gets a little nervous even into established friendship. It makes him feel awkward when people lean on him for emotional support because he's still learning how to even show emotions properly himself. That being said, he does not hesitate to wrap you in Cloak and hold you until either you can talk about it clearly and he can help, or you've passed out from crying, so he takes you to the guest room for the night.

Even though he's prideful and makes a point of letting you know that he prefers to be independent, you may or may not get a request from him for help cleaning the Sanctum, cooking a meal or two or even something as simple as fixing the bed when his hands are hurting so bad that he can't handle it.

After the incidents with Peter and America, it becomes clear to you that despite "not wanting children", he adopts people because he wants a family. That's not to say that he wants a biological one of his own, but he takes people in and cares for them the way that he never was: Especially children.

He cares for them like they're his own blood, and you like you're a relative, because he's lost so many people before. This includes making sure you've stayed hydrated, you're physically and mentally well or getting enough rest. He's borderline paranoid about your health partially because he was a doctor, but most because he is who he is and doesn't change.

When someone he has "adopted" is hurt, he goes into full "papa bear" mode. He starts off angry that you got hurt, both at you and at the person responsible, then it wanes into worry that you didn't ask him for help if it was a mission or that he couldn't be there to protect you if it was something in everyday life. This always wanes into fear and depression because he's scared that he's going to lose you or the kids after finally finding his "family".

"You're such a beautiful family! It's so rare to see a beautiful/handsome couple with two teenage children who they're so close to." "Oh, we're not- "Thank you for noticing."

He's very aware of what boundaries are and if they're set by you or the teens, he's very complacent. He may push on occasion to see if you're softening around the edges, but if you push back, he immediately drops it and waits for you to let him know when you're emotionally available, even if it drives him nuts. Silence is one of the worst things that you can do to this man, because it makes him get lost in his own head.

He's quiet about it, but he's terrified of the Darkhold that resides inside of him and more often than not, he'll hide away in the study or Kamar-Taj when it flares up. Wong always goes to you because you're the only one who can get him to calm down enough to think clearly, be kind to himself and make the darkness recede. He will spend the next hour holding onto you tightly and he's not ashamed to admit it.

Under his "stoic wizard exterior", he's a lot of fun to be around and knows how to spend an evening cheering up the teens when they're upset. America is having menstrual cramps? He gets her the best pain killers he can, six different kinds of snack foods and puts on one of the cheesiest movies that he can think of. Peter is having a PTSD attack over Tony? He talks him through it, helping him with box breathing. He then brings out either the board games, text books or puts on a stand-up comedy that he knows Peter likes (even if it's not his favorite thing).

The worst thing to him is when you're mad, especially if he doesn't know why. He gives you space, but by now has learned all of you soft spots and will slip in small things that you like throughout the day - trinkets, flowers, treats, etc. - until he notices that you have finally relaxed and will talk to him. Early on in your friendship, he told you that he doesn't like anger because of his past, but he accepts it's part of human nature. You always end up apologizing and sitting with your head on his shoulder as you both drink tea to let the rest of the emotions finish ebbing away.

Honest is the only thing he ever truly asks for whenever you've finally become a constant part of his life. He doesn't like to be lied to and doesn't handle it well when he finds out that you have done so. It's not ever to the point of yelling, but he gets very stern and does not budge in his judgement of what you've lied about. The only way he can understand a lie is if you did it to protect someone or protect yourself. At that point, he will ask you to be honest instead so that he can help you.

"Family time" with this variant is very important to him as much as it is to the rest of you. On certain days of the week, you all make plans to do things together as a family. Games, movies, dinner. On more than one occasion when you went out to different places, you're mistaken for an actual family. Both of you have grown used to it at this point and Wong pokes fun at you for it, which Stephen gets back at him for by calling him "Uncle Wong" or his "work husband".

This one is a lot of fun and most of these I've actually used in role-plays or personal stories, so it was very easy to write. I hope you liked my take on friendship to family dynamics with 616!

@sobeautifullyobsessed @fanartka @icytrickster17 @harlekin6 @strangelockd @cirocity @bakerstreethound @foxssketching

[lucywrites02]

Casual Friday

Main masterlist

A/N: This was supposed to be a drabble, but ended up being a bit longer heh. It's just a little scenario that I've been meaning to write down for ages. I already have a fic with similiar concept in my WIP folder :3 I just like to imagine Stephen in comfy clothes and I will write 10 more fics about it if the motivation stays with me.

Enjoy!

Pairing: Stephen Strange x gn! Reader (platonic or romantic)

Summary: It would take so much more than a weekend to clean all that mess. Who even allowed this room to be so…. Terrible? Disgusting? Stephen couldn’t think of a good adjective that would describe how much pain it caused him to think about all the work he was about to do. Even with the aid of his magic it would take ages. But thanks to him you appeared, offering help. But will you actually help him clean? Yeah… no

This gif is not 'comfy Stephen' enough for me, but it will do

Stephen exhaled loudly, looking at the storage room with tired eyes. He promised Wong he would clean  and organise it this weekend.

He actually lost a bet with him, but he was too proud to say that. The doctor knew Wong cheated, because it was impossible that he could beat Stephen at chess every single time. The sorcerer suspected that his colleague was stealing his pieces when he wasn’t looking, but couldn’t prove it. And here he was- in the middle of a room that looked like a ruin, with a single broom in his hand and a frown on his face. 

It would take so much more than a weekend to clean all that mess. Who even allowed this room to be so…. Terrible? Disgusting? Stephen couldn’t think of a good adjective that would describe how much pain it caused him to think about all the work he was about to do. Even with the aid of his magic it would take ages. Damn Wong and his stupid game nights!

“You have to do more than stare at the mess for it to disappear.” Your tired voice pulled Stephen out of his thoughts, making the sorcerer jump and curse under his nose. 

You were amused when Wong told you about the bet, but couldn’t leave poor Stephen alone in this. Your good heart wouldn’t allow him to suffer alone with those boring and mundane chores. On the other hand, he was the guardian of the New York sanctum and it was one of his duties to keep the storage room tidy and organised. But that didn’t matter now.

“I thought you could use some help.” You spoke again, swiping the dust of a nearby shelf with your pointer finger. Yeah, it would take more than two to accomplish anything. 

“Oh, I could definitely use some help.” Stephen sighed and gave you an awkward smile. 

It was only when he turned to face you when you noticed his attire. He wasn’t wearing his sorcerer robes- Stephen swapped those for a pair of comfy grey sweatpants and a simple black t-shirt that you could see peeking out of his half zipped burgundy hoodie. He looked so….. Regular. His hair was still messy which meant he must have woken up just a few minutes before you. It might sound weird, but it suited him. If you had to compare his appearance you would say that Stephen looked very much like a tired dad of 3 who had too little free time and too much work to do around the house. 

You have never seen him wearing anything else than his robes before. Okay, you have seen him in jeans and sweaters, but never in sweatpants and a hoodie! And he looked sooo good like that. 

Stephen cleared his throat, putting his hands into the pockets of his pants. "I think we should slowly get started."

"You know what?" You spoke, leaning on the wall and looking up at the sorcerer. "I didn't have breakfast. Did you?" 

"We have so much work to do and you want to eat?" Stephen smirked. He was about to say something sarcastic, but his stomach spoke up before he could..

"I will take that as a no." You sighed and took Stephen by the sleeve of his hoodie. "We need some energy or we will pass out from looking at all that mess."

Stephen didn't question you- he was no procrastinator, but nothing bad would happen if he didn't clean the storage room right away. And he was really hungry. 

It’s not like Wong would scold him for not doing what he was supposed to do.

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"I feel like we forgot about something." The sorcerer said, wiping away the remains of his sandwich from his shirt on the pavement. The two of you decided to take the metro and go have breakfast on the other side of the city. Stephen proposed it, justifying his decision saying that he knew a great place. It was a sunny day in New York and it would be a shame to spend it all in the sanctum. That’s why you decided to eat in the park- something Stephen and you did regularly. Sometimes you sat there in silence, but there were times you would talk for hours, only stopping to eat whatever it was you bought to eat. Stephen cherished little moments like this. 

And today you couldn’t stop talking. It wasn’t even anything important. You started by discussing the newest episode of the soap opera you watched “out of boredom” and somehow ended up rating your favourite LEGO sets. Neither of you knew how much time had passed, but as long as the planet wasn’t in danger you could take things slow.

"Then I guess it wasn't important." You shrugged, laying down on the wooden bench, head in Stephen's lap. He never had a problem with you randomly laying down or leaning on him- on the contrary. The doctor really enjoyed being close to you. There wasn't a time he didn't feel comfortable around you which said a lot about how much he trusted you. “Let’s just stay here for a while. The weather is nice today.”

“Yeah,” Your friend exhaled loudly, hesitantly putting his hand on your shoulder. Thankfully you didn’t seem to mind- you just smiled. His heart skipped a beat. “Let’s stay here.”

You took your friend’s hand by the wrist and turned it to look at his watch. Realising it’s been almost 4 hours since you left the sanctum you smirked. Time always seemed to fly by when you were with Stephen. It was so peaceful.

Suddenly you gasped and sat up, almost hitting Stephen’s face. Life disappeared from your eyes and was replaced with fear. 

“Wong is gonna kill us.” You whispered. Something in Stephen snapped and the sorcerer was soon on his feet, taking your hand and running as fast as he could. 

“We are so dead!” He screamed, but you could hear his laugh through all that panic. 

You can deal with the consequences of Wong’s wrath if it meant that Stephen Strange would hold your hand like this again.

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Tag list: @gaitwae  @funsized-mimi  @queenjosielaufeyson @mischiefmanaged71 @eternal-silvertongued-prince @evelynrosestuff @andysnewgroove @jotaros-bara-tiddies

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Did you like it? Would you like to read more fics like this one or do you enjoy stories with more plot? I would like to know so that I know which fics I should focus more on (because I have plenty ideas- some would have more parts and some would be under 500 words depending on the plot)

[angstsfordays]

Save Me, Save You [4/?]

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Enhanced! Avenger Reader

Summary: Your fights mostly belonged on the grounds while he worked mostly in the mystic and cosmic realms. Even though you both fought together in the infinity war to stop Thanos, you and Stephen Strange hardly ever interacted with one another. It only took one incidental misunderstanding between the two of you to bring both of you closer than ever. For two people who do not believe that they could find love, all we can say is that love finds you unexpectedly.

Chapter synopsis: Reader and Stephen find themselves to be in a compromising situation.

Warnings: Slight angst and a whirlwind of emotions!

Word count: 4.9k.

Notes: Phewww! Chapter 4 is finally here! I hope you all like it! Do let me know how you feel about it! This chapter is definitely the turning point and the beginning of many things! Tried adding a cameo, wasn't sure if it worked, but let me know yeah? 🥹💖

Love,

Angstsfordays 🧡

Chapters: Prologue | One | Two | Three

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You didn’t expect your Saturday night to go like this. Sam and Bucky were going about their usual bickering in your quaint kitchen space as they decided to both cook dinner.

This impromptu dinner was least expected since you know they had both been busy in Washington DC.

As you looked over to Bucky who was adamant that hot sauce should not be added to the dish towards a disapproving Sam, your heart started to race a little and not in a good way.

Things had been amicable ever since you finally sent Bucky a text a while back. You told him that you had moved on from the awkward confession/ rejection that happened and you wanted things to remain status quo.

It was the best thing you could do since you definitely could not avoid him forever. Not especially since you two could possibly be working together in the future.

Once you finished setting up the table, you looked to the two big men who finally ceased their bickering and brought the dishes over to the table. You went to get everyone’s drinks and the three of you finally had a few moments of peace eating before Sam spoke up.

“So what’s it like to be around a bunch of wizards?” You had managed to fill in Sam what you were currently up to and he was honestly surprised when he heard that you have been in frequent association with Stephen and Wong.

“They’re sorcerers , Sam.” You responded with a disapproving look to which Sam held his hands up in fake innocence.

“Ok, so what’s it like hanging out with sorcerers? Have you learnt to pick up magic? Cause honestly, I won’t be surprised.” He asked wittingly and you chuckled at Sam being Sam.

“I wished. Honestly, seeing them opening up portals to travel makes me so envious.” You answered with a dreamy look. You wondered if it was possible for Stephen to teach you, you had to ask permission from Wong though…

“Tell me Y/N, what was it like to be hanging around Strange? Didn’t talk to him much but he doesn’t seem like the approachable type.” Sam started asking.

You thought about your interactions from the first time you met Stephen back at the hospital to when you reunited at the Sanctum to your first clash over America and finally to you guys making up.

Your cheeks flushed a little upon recalling your last interaction with Stephen earlier in the day. Oh the awkwardness back at the mountain…

“Stephen does seem a little cold at first but he can be nice to be around with.”

“Oh going into first names now? Stephen!” Sam teased as he imitated the way you said Stephen’s name. You rolled your eyes as Bucky then spoke.

“I don’t know, he seems kind of stuck up.”

“That’s just at a glance. He is actually very warm-hearted and caring.” You refuted his claims with a gentle smile forming on your face as you thought about the warm-hearted moments you had with Stephen.

Bucky looked at your serene expression before he spoke tenderly, “You always see the best in people, Y/N.”

It was as if he was also speaking about himself too. Besides Steve and (even now) Sam, you were the only person who really didn’t care about his shameful past and genuinely cared for him.

He recalled how you readily took his side in the Civil War and took whatever you had to prevent him from getting taken in by the authorities. All these years, you stood by his side and saw him as Bucky Barnes, not the Winter Soldier.

When he felt like he couldn’t return your feelings for him, Bucky felt horrible but he wasn’t going to promise you something he was not sure he could provide. His relationship with you was more precious than anything else he had, he was not going to let anything ruin it.

Bucky looked towards you as you went on to speak highly about Stephen Strange. He wondered how great Stephen Strange could be for you to speak of him in an almost adoring manner.

Bucky had to suppress the gnawing feeling at the back of his mind as he saw the glow on your face. “He is a really good person. You two should drop by the Sanctum sometime, come and say hi.”

“We will see…” Sam said cheekily.

You then looked towards your two guys curiously and asked, “How’s DC?”.

Both Sam and Bucky exchanged looks that did not looked too optimistic to you. Sam then cleared his throat before he spoke, “They aren’t entirely up for the idea. You know how it is, I’m not exactly up their idea of Captain America.”

“Bullshit. Who cares what they think? Steve chose you!” You banged your fist on the table, upset at how Sam was not being given the recognition he deserved. Ever since the incident with the Flag smashers, he had been working to establish himself as the new Captain America.

However, you know not everyone is welcoming to the idea- too stuck on the ideal past to move on to a new world order.

Sam continued with a disgruntled expression as he cut his food, “Well since I have the word, ‘America’ in my title. They think any of my actions would be a reflection of theirs.”

“The entire thing is ridiculous.” Bucky spoke up before he went on, “It’s divided in the current government. With the original Avengers gone, we have nothing to back us up.”

You looked towards your two best guys in front of you sentimentally, “If Tony was here…they wouldn’t dared to stick their noses.”

Sam and Bucky agreed with you. Now you were all on your own- to be honest, a huge part of why the Avengers were even possible was because of Tony’s financial and powerful backing. That was the reality.

“Do you think we should reach out to Pepper?” You proposed nervously. Sam and Bucky were both quiet as they looked back at you. As hard as it was to fight against this idea, the three of you were desperate.

Sam then broke the momentary silence. “I would have liked to but this….I don’t know how she is right now. If I came up to her with the idea of regrouping the Avengers, it will be rude. She probably just wants to move on and live her life.”

“Let’s not do that for now till we exhaust all ways.” Bucky advised calmly. The three of you agreed silently before getting back to dinner.

“Some dinner, huh?” Sam joked to diffuse the tense atmosphere.

“Sorry, I was the one who brought up DC.” You winced as you realised you were the one who steered dinner conversation into this direction.

Sam reached over to give you an affectionate squeeze on your hand to reassure you. “Nah, Y/N. We had to address it sooner or later. We’re all in this together.”

Sam then straightened his back and started to lean forward as he faced you, “Anyways, let’s move onto lighter stuff. So have you been seeing anyone?”

You almost spit back the cocktail that you made back into your cup as you were taken aback by Sam’s question. “Why would you suddenly ask about that?!”

It felt like a sense of déjà vu from earlier in the afternoon with how America was badgering on about your love life.

Sam then grinned before extending his hand to reach for Bucky’s shoulder to give it a light squeeze. “Old man right here just told me while we’re on the way here that he is ‘talking’ to someone.”

Sam broke out into a Cheshire-like grin as he air-quoted the word, talking. You kept your poker face on as best as you could.

“Can you believe he finally found someone who actually can stand his grumpy ass?” He turned to see Bucky who was wearing a sour expression on his face and immediately burst out laughing.

You thought you was able to move on but you still felt your heart plunged at the thought of Bucky seeing someone.

“Don’t be mean Sam! It’s great that he has someone.” You mustered up everything in you to fake your cheerful façade. “I’m happy for you Buck, who’s the lucky person?”

Sending a tight-lipped smile towards his way, Bucky looked at you in the eye with an unknown look trying to discern your reaction. Upon seeing your smile, he returned one back and said, “It’s the waitress at the sushi bar I frequented downtown.”

You had to suppress the choke that was coming onto you. You only hoped that you managed to put on a convincing act in front of Bucky and Sam. “She’s a lucky girl.”

Bucky had spent enough time with you to know when you were being genuine and you were not. While you wore on a smile on your face, he notice the redness in your eyes and how they were trembling to fight back tears.

His heart broke at seeing you like this but he decided to play along with your act. He forced a smile on his face in a similar act as yours. “Thanks Y/N.”

The tension that was only present between the two of you broke when Sam voiced in the conversation again.

“Enough about Mr Grumpy pants here. I want to know about you. Any guy in particular I should talk to?”

 “Oh my gosh Sam! No just don’t!” Eyes widened at Sam’s redirection to the one topic you hated the most, you slammed the table to show that you weren’t having any of it.

Sam raised an eyebrow at you with a teasing look. “No as in you don’t have a guy or not as in you do not want me to talk to him?”

Catching Bucky’s eyes focused on you, you faltered slightly at forming a coherent sentence. You didn’t want him to think that you had not moved on yourself from him.

“Well-I- I’m going out on a date with someone -”

The collective gasps from both men stopped you mid-sentence as they couldn’t believe their ears. Going into big brother mode, Sam started questioning you from head to toe on your imaginary man.

“It’s nothing serious yet, we're just going out, grabbing coffee and stuff!” You tried to convince an agitated Sam. While Bucky didn’t say anything, he had a disapproving look as he shook his head.

Who was he to disapprove anything- you thought as your head turned back to Sam who dropped a bomb.

“When’s the date?”

You eyed Sam with a warning look and gave him an accusing finger. “You don’t need to know because you’re not crashing! Don’t say you aren’t because I know you are!”

He scoffed and folded his arms back in response.

“It’s none of your concern. I am an adult, I can handle my own.” You folded your hands back too with a firm glare.

“Oh we know, it’s the other guy we’re concerned about. Back me up, Buckaroo.” Throwing Sam a dirty look at the mention of the awful nickname, Bucky turned back to you with a softened gaze.

Hearing that you might have moved on, sheer disappointment washed over him like a cold bucket of water. Bucky managed to utter out, “We just want someone good for you.”

Taking in an inhale, you looked back into his piercing cerulean blue eyes, you reiterated your stance, “I know, please trust me.”

Giving them an earnest and pleading look, both men backed off knowing that there was nothing they could do.

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Sam had mentioned that he would be returning back home to Louisiana for a short while before getting back to business. Bucky also stated he will stay at home for a while now and will join Sam again later when it was time.

Before leaving, Bucky mentioned that the two of you could hang out again- just the two of you like before. Your lips moved quicker than your mind to say yes, even though you know in your heart it was an empty promise.

Strolling around the streets of New York, you wore a pair of shades with a mini summer dress, snug cardigan and pair of sneakers. Most people wouldn’t have recognised you as you blended in like a regular person on the street.

Seeing a line forming at a new shop, you were curious to see what was being sold. You joined the queue and was happy to discover that they were having an opening promotion.

As you excitedly picked out the different flavours of cronuts, you wondered how you were going to finish them all. Your mind wandered off to the Sanctum and wondered if you should drop by, but you decided against it as you thought that you might be intruding.

Even if you were close with America, you were not sure if it was alright for you to drop such a surprise visit to Wong and Stephen on their off day too.

Guess these cronuts could be your breakfast and snack for the rest of week then.

When you reached the register, you felt the cashier staring at you for a little long. Tilting your head slightly in confusion, you then got nervous when you hear him whisper your name.

You could see him trying to control his emotions and you smiled back nervously. Paying him with cash, you could see his hands trembling to receive it. You pulled back your sunglasses to see his name tag.

As he handed over your purchase, you spoke, “Thanks Ned. Please don’t tell people I was here, ok?”

Ned couldn’t speak but nodded silently. You reached out to give him a fist bump as a sign of promise before giving him a wave as you swiftly made an exit.

Letting out a deep exhale, you quickly make your way to the end of the streets. You were not on the level of fame as the other Avengers to the general public but you knew that you were no stranger to the more avid fans.

Looking back to the store, you were relieved to see that there was no fuss among the crowd- meaning that Ned probably didn’t expose your identity.

As you walked backwards, you were taken aback by a sudden thud against a sturdy and soft mass.

Peeking through your dark shades, you blinked a couple of times to make sure you were seeing correctly.

“Y/N?” The voice that spoke only confirmed your suspicions and you lifted your shades to see Stephen Strange’s deep blue eyes staring back at yours.

“Stephen.” His name came out as a whisper from your tinted lips.

In all of the time you had gotten familiar Stephen, this was the first time you actually bumped onto him coincidentally on the streets of New York.

“It’s a surprise to see you here.” His deep baritone was starting to do something to you felt your heart drumming against your chest unexpectedly.

“Yes, I was just checking out the new store over there. They’re famous for their cronuts!” You opened your paper bag to show off your buy to the sorcerer.

“You bought ten just for yourself?” He asked with an eyebrow raised at the cronuts packed neatly in the fancy box.

“I can’t help it, they had a lot of nice flavours and a promotion….” A rush of heat went to your cheeks as you explained to him. You must have sounded ridiculous and your embarrassment deepened when you heard him letting out a chuckle.

Seeing how you were looking down in embarrassment, Stephen started to feel an adoring smile forming on his face. He looked over to see you dressed like a regular civilian and couldn’t help but to let his eyes wander how even more pretty you looked in your dress.

Not that you weren’t usually pretty, but he always saw you decked in a leather jacket, formal blouses and long pants when you came over to train America.

The only other time he saw you in something different was the time at the café when he sought you out to apologise.

“You really look different outside.” Stephen let out before you looked back at him with doe eyes that could make him melt.

“No one would take me seriously at work if they saw me wearing long skirts and mini dresses.” Straightening your dress with a nervous smile, you continued, “I actually like to dress like this normally when I am off work.”

“You look different too outside of the Sanctum.” Your eyes wandered at the printed long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans that he was wearing. You never knew that Stephen could have such a nice sense of dressing as the image of him in his robes were ingrained heavily in your mind.

“Yes, the robes and cloak usually attract too much unwanted attention.” He said with a light-hearted chuckle- the twinkle in his eyes took your breath before you blinked to look down.

Why were you feeling so warm? Was it your cardigan in the warm afternoon sun?

The two of you stood quietly for a few moments before you both spoke at the same time.

“Y/N-”

“Stephen-”

Stephen gestured for you to speak. You nervously fiddled with the handle of your paper bag before you looked up to meet his eyes. “I shouldn’t take up much of your free time, I would make a move first-”

Your eyes wandered to the side as you tried to make up an excuse- which caused you to miss the crestfallen look on Stephen’s face. He was definitely not expecting you to leave so fast…his heart yearned for you to stay.

You were the only thought running through his mind yesterday and to see you on the streets today- he knew that it had to be fate. Despite his own warnings about starting anything, his heart ruled over his mind once he saw you from across the street.

Stephen purposely raced across the street to try to bump into you. As his long strides got him closer to you, his mind was racing to think of how he could approach you.

“Hey?”

“What’s up?”

“Fancy seeing you here.”

Stephen scrapped all those less-than-ideal ways to approach you subtly and naturally. However, before he could have come up with something better, he did not expect you to bump into him first as you took quick steps while looking over your shoulder.

Stephen immediately cut you off, “No, you’re not.”. You stopped to look at him in surprise before he cleared his throat to continue, “I thought you might have offered one of those cronuts to share. You always were telling me about how you had the best recommendations for food-“

Stephen was nervously fiddling with his hands as he spoke. Surprised at what he said, you fought back a smile on your face at the intention behind his words.

“Oh I didn’t think- I would love to!” Biting your lips after realizing you sounded a bit too excited, you ran your fingers through your hair to look calm.

Upon hearing your words, Stephen himself had to hold back the big smile that was threatening to form on his face. He then cleared his throat to suppress it. “I was actually going to buy more tea to stock up if you don’t mind, we could get it together and we can head back to the Sanctum to try these many cronuts that you bought.”

You eagerly nodded before Stephen led the way. The two of you continued to walk to the tea shop as you both got into a light conversation. Seeing the gap between you two, Stephen hoped you wouldn’t noticed as his feet inched closer towards yours to bridge the space.

Both of you basked in silent glee at each other’s company and as Stephen let his eyes roam over the sidewalk, he missed out how your eyes wandered to the closeness of his clothed arm swinging beside you and that the smile you made when you purposely brushed your arm subtly towards his.

------------------------//---------------------------

Stephen and you had finished two cronuts and two rounds of tea each before he mentioned that Wong had ordered new books into the Sanctum’s library.

The library was empty as everyone was resting on a Sunday. As you mentioned about where America was, he said that she was meeting up with a few friends to go to the mall earlier.

Browsing through the collection, you took a small step ladder to have a closer look at any books that might peruse you.

Seeing an interesting title, you used your might to grab it out of its tight confinement between two other books. What you didn’t expect was the force you used to pull the book out caused you to falter and lose your footing.

You felt a pair of soft yet calloused hands hold you up by your arms. You turned around to see Stephen supporting you gently and the both of you looked lost in each other’s eyes.

When reality came back to you, you muttered thanks before making your way down the step ladder. The entire interaction from before left your knees as you wobbled once you took the first two steps.

Stephen reached out to pull you back up but the both of you ended up in a tumble. What resulted was you ending up laying on Stephen’s chest who landed on his back.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe how much of a klutz I can be.” You whispered apologetically at the man who was grunting in slight pain after cushioning your fall.

Your arms laid on his chest while he held onto your waist. Seeing you hovering over him, one of Stephen’s hand involuntarily left its hold on your waist before brushing a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

“Y/N, I-” His head was giving a thousand reasons to stop him from whatever he was about to say but for once, he wanted his heart to rule his mind.

You looked over nervously as Stephen spoke and you were definitely sure that you could feel the quick hammering on your chest or was it his?

“What in the name of Vishanti is going on in here?” Another voice spoke and it quickly broke both you and Stephen out of your spell.

You immediately brought yourself to a seating position not realising that you were sitting on Stephen’s lap.

Your eyes widened in horror not only at the sight of Wong but also Sam and Bucky at the Sanctum library of all places! You looked back to Stephen who returned a surprised look before he joined you to meet you chest to chest.

“Wong!” You exclaimed in shock.

“Y/N?” Bucky asked inquisitively as he processed the sight of you and Stephen together. Bucky and Sam happened to be on the streets together and met Wong who was running an errand.

The three exchanged pleasantries and Sam mentioned about how all flights were booked out for him to be unable to fly back to Louisiana. Wong, being the nice guy he was decided to offer Sam help by opening a portal back home.

Sam was genuinely grateful. However, Wong mentioned he had to bring some things back to the Sanctum first before he can help. Sam and Bucky then both took the opportunity to visit the Sanctum for the first time too.

What they least expected was to be greeted by the sight of you being top of Stephen Strange!

The two men looked to see your flustered face as you exclaimed in panic. “Sam! Bucky! What are the two of you doing here?”

“What are you doing on Strange?” Sam pointed out the obvious before you looked down to see the position that you and Stephen were in.

“Oh!” You mumbled in sheer shock before scrambling off and standing up swiftly. Stephen followed behind you closely as he couldn’t believe the turn of events.

Wong decided to address the elephant in the room, “What were the two of you exactly doing?”

A moment of silence passed before you worked up an excuse terribly, “Well-I-the thing is- I was-”.

Sam cut you off as a realisation came to his mind, “Wait, hold up. The date you mentioned last night, was it with the wizard today?”

“Sorcerer.” Stephen immediately corrected out of habit. Sam ignored him and turned back to you as he asked again, “He’s your date? The guy you’re on a date is with Strange?!”

Your mind was imploding as you tried to process everything that was going on. You were going to get busted. You looked over to see Bucky with a grim look staring back at you.

How were you going to explain that this was case of untimely misunderstanding but kept your pride when it’s on the line? Seeing your silence on the matter, Sam continued, “What the heck, Y/N?! Of all people, I never expected you with the wizard?”

“Sorcerer.” Stephen corrected with an annoyed expression, although it quickly turned to confusion at how you were being nervous and quiet in front of everyone. What’s this talk of a date with someone else?

Stephen’s heart sank at the thought. He observed how you were holding a longing stare at Bucky Barnes and then it all came back to him.

“Actually…I used to like someone. A lot actually. I thought it could work out between us and I confessed my feelings. He didn’t return it.”

“He never saw me more than a friend- a sister.”

Looking between you and Barnes, he just knew and he felt a wave of sadness at his realisation. What snapped him out of his trance was when he felt a pair of arms snake around his.

He looked down to see you with a pleading look before he heard the hushed whisper, “I’m so sorry”.

“Well, you caught us. But this was exactly why I didn’t want you to say anything because you would react like this!” Putting up a nonchalant act, your mind worked quick to turn things around to save yourself from humiliation.

Stephen tried to process what you just said before he saw the jaw drops from the three men in front of him.

He was the next to join them as you continued, “We do have good feelings for each other, but we’re also trying to see where this takes us so, please do not butt in.” Shooting a warning glare mainly towards Sam, you hoped to diffuse this situation quickly before you could explain to Stephen properly the mess you were creating right now.

As you turned to look back at Stephen with a firm and determined look, what surprised him next was when you gave him an affectionate squeeze on his arm before you leaned your head closer to him.

“I hope you can respect our privacy.”

“But how- but you- what?” Sam exclaimed in sheer shock at seeing you cozing up to Stephen Strange. Bucky, on the other hand, was quiet but not having any of it. If looks could kill…Stephen Strange would be dead a thousand times over.

Wong then interjected as the voice of reason, turning to Sam and Bucky, he explained, “It makes sense though. Y/N is always frequently coming over and they do hang out here several times outside of America’s training.”

Realisation dawned on Wong as if a light bulb went on in his head. He then looked towards you and Stephen, “That’s why you had that sour look and went all quiet when America was going on about Y/N’s dating life yesterday!”

“I’m sorry- what?” Stephen couldn’t believe the words coming out of Wong’s mouth and he looked back to you who now wore a puzzled look.

Wong then turned the attention back to you. “That was also why you were denying that you are interested in meeting anyone else. You even refused my matchmaking with the Hong Kong recruits, because you were already taken with Stephen!”

You wanted to explain yourself but Stephen beat you to it as he broke out of his calm façade and stepped up to talk, “You’re mistaken, Wong.”

“Don’t lie, Stephen. We’ve been friends for a while, I know what you are thinking about. Although, I must admit while it is surprising for the two of you to get together, I also don’t find it surprising at all. You two do seem to have some unspoken chemistry when you’re together-”

“Wait hold up, Wong-” Before Stephen could explain himself, you tugged onto Strange and gave him a warning look. Wong was doing a very good job of helping you to exact your plan in motion and you weren't about to let Stephen cut it off.

“You’re right, Wong. Nothing gets by you. I can’t believe we thought we could have fooled you. That’s why you’re Sorcerer Supreme. So observant and wise.” You fed into Wong's ego and he preened at your praise.

You turned to see Stephen with a baffled expression before muttering, “Please play along, I will explain everything later.”

“So is this what it is? You’re going out with Strange now?” Bucky vocalized amidst the chaos of the entire situation.

Bucky couldn't believe what unfolded before him in this surprise visit. There was no way- you couldn't have moved on, and of all people he could have not imaged you being with Stephen Strange! The two of you had nothing in common at all!

Bucky saw the fire in your eyes before you spoke, “Yes, Bucky. I’m really like him. A lot in fact.” Returning a bold response, only Wong and Sam were oblivious to the tension between you and Bucky.

Stephen looked at you in concern as he felt a squeeze from your hold. He recalled how upset you were when you shared about your unrequited love. Stephen reached out to slide your hands from his arm before reaching out to interlock your fingers together.

Tears were almost welling at your eyes when you realised what Stephen was doing, you gave him a grateful smile before you looked back to Bucky who wore an intensity in his eyes.

“He makes me happy.” Your resolute words elicited two very different reactions to two different men.

One’s heart soared to the sky while the other one's heart plunged to the depths of the deepest ocean.

------------------------//---------------------------

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[acciotherapists]

Far From Home (Chapter 55: A Proposal)

Loki x Reader

Y/n Y/l/n never thought her past would come back to find her. After all who would look for her on Midgard? But one day in the small town of Puento Antiguo her world is turned upside down when an old friend turns up, threatening everything she has built and the people she’d fought so hard to protect. What happens when the life she left behind finally catches up with her? What happens when the old flame she thought had burned out reignites within her?

Warnings: language (sorry, Steve), eventual smut (slow burn), angst, some mentions of torture (most things won’t be detailed but anything that gets a bit more specific will be warned at the beginning of the chapter)

A few minutes after speaking with Pietro he was standing in front of me, his shoes soaking wet.

“Did you-?”

“Run across water?” He nodded. “Where is she?”

I showed him to our room before leaving and heading to the library. I took a slight detour, knowing it would take Wong time to gather the books and it had been a while since I’d seen the grounds of Kamar-Taj.

I was watching a training session when I heard a voice from behind me.

“Mary?”

I turned to see Stephen standing behind me. “It’s actually Y/n.”

He nodded, moving to stand next to me as I continued watching the training.. “I always knew there were things you were hiding but I never imagined…”

I chuckled. “Yeah, well… this is me.”

“And the terrorist of New York?”

“Reformed,” I retorted. “He had no choice in the matter.”

He hummed in thought but changed the subject. “How long are you staying?”

“Depends, I guess…”

I watched as the student landed a blow to their opponent, sliding from his hold with ease.

“Did you train here?” Stephen asked.

“A bit.”

He nodded and a silence settled around us as neither of us knew what to say anymore. Seven years had passed without a single word to each other. After he’d saved Alex I took my new identity and left the state without another word. He’d called me several times but I trashed my phone and changed my number. I thought I was keeping him safe.

“What happened to you… after you left?”

“Nothing big. I just kept moving anytime they got too close.”

“Who?”

“Hydra.”

He nodded once again and someone cleared their throat behind us. I turned to see Loki standing behind us.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he muttered. 

“You didn’t,” I replied, smiling as I approached him. “Is everything okay?”

He nodded and I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to assure him there was nothing going on as I could see the insecurity in his eyes and I hated that he felt this way.

“I thought I’d give Wanda and her brother some space. He’ll find us if she needs us.”

I thanked him and an awkward silence settled around us. 

“I’m meeting Wong in the library in…” I looked down at my watch, realizing how much time had passed. “15 minutes. Would you like to join me?”

“You sure you wouldn’t prefer the doctor?” he spat.

My lips pressed together and I sighed.

“I’m sorry.” He kissed my hand. “That was rude of me. Of course I’ll join you.”

I said goodbye to Stephen and we made our way to the library, hoping to discover what would become of Wanda and I. Would we get control of this? Or would we be doomed to destroy everything and everyone around us?

****

While Wong’s knowledge was more extensive than anything we’d encountered we still found nothing of use. We spent hours in the library but found nothing other than scary prophecies.

I was putting a book back on the shelf when I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. I reached for the table, knocking down a book I hadn’t noticed before.

“Darling, are you alright?” Loki asked, helping me sit.

I nodded and Wong picked up the book from the ground, his eyes widening at the words in front of him.

“Wong, what is it?” I asked him and he looked up at me.

“There are infinite realities but there is only one reality in which these two beings coexist in the same universe.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Loki reasoned. “Then it can’t be this reality.”

“We’ve seen it, Loki… we saw it with our own eyes.” I looked away from him. “It’s this reality.”

“Then so be it. You’ll rule the cosmos. What’s the big deal?”

I scoffed. “The prophecy said we are destined to rule… or to annihilate the cosmos. We could destroy everything, Loki.”

“You could never do that, darling. Not that I don’t think you’re powerful enough to do just that, my love… but it’s not you. You could never do something so horrible and I doubt the little witch would either.”

“Loki, the prophecy’s been written.”

“It’s not set in stone. You can change it.”

I tried to argue but he stopped me by pressing his lips to mine. When he pulled away, he pressed his forehead against mine.

“Enough,” he whispered. “I won’t have you saying such things about the future queen of Asgard.”

I chuckled at the ridiculous idea but he wasn’t laughing. “I wanted to have this conversation in a more intimate setting… and with flowers.”

Wong smirked, placing the book on the shelf. “I’ll give you two some time alone.”

Loki thanked Wong as he left before turning to me, taking my hands in his. “I’ve been speaking with Thor… he’s abdicating the throne… he doesn’t want it. He understands that Odin won’t trust me right away but the throne will eventually fall to me… and…” He paused, taking a box from his pocket and opening the lid.

My breath caught in my throat as he explained. “I’ve wanted to give you this ever since I learned you were alive. When I returned to Midgard I had a jeweler custom make it… I- I thought you’d like it better than anything on Asgard.” He smiled softly. “You always found beauty in the simplest things.”

I smiled softly at him. “The purest beauty is often overlooked.”

Tears filled his eyes and I slowly kissed them away as they fell down his cheeks. 

“It doesn’t have to be right away… just promise me… you’ll be mine someday.”

“I was always yours.”

He smiled and kissed me softly, sealing a promise I could only hope I’d get to keep.

****

The next few days were filled with research and keeping Wanda and I separated. I’d spent my nights holding Loki close to me, hoping his warmth could keep the nightmares away and it worked for a while until my nightmares became unlike any I’d ever seen. I was surrounded by a crumbling sanctum completely alone, yet I couldn’t help the feeling that I was being watched.

I would wake with a start, my heart pounding as I tried to even my breaths so Loki wouldn’t wake. I’d carefully slip out of bed and make my way to the training grounds just before dawn. I could feel my magic buzzing beneath the surface of my skin, far more noticeable than it had ever been before and it was always under control… until now.

“Can’t sleep, huh?” a voice asked from the darkness and I turned to see Stephen slipping a sling ring onto his fingers.

“Look who’s talking,” I chuckled.

“Fair enough, I’ll give you that.” He smirked, tossing me a sling ring. “Wong won’t mind.” He pointed to my arms. “I think you could use a safe space to practice your magic.”

“I don’t need to practice it,” I hissed, looking down at the faint blue glow of my skin. “I know how to use it… and I used to be able to control it. It’s just lately… things have gotten complicated.”

Suddenly the earth shattered around us and he smiled at my reaction.

“Welcome to the mirror dimension.”

********

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[mcu-reviews]

Dr Strange

Yes this is out of order. It was my friends birthday yesterday and because i can't buy them a real present i decided to review their favorite marvel movie. I only realized while watching the movie ruthlessly ripping into one of their favorite movies was a bad idea.

in this review i will avoid the normal politics and only talk about the story, i will do a second review when i reach this in the timeline and talk about mads Mikkelsen, tilda swinton, and the weird asian mysticism in this but for now just the story.

Dr Strange feels like a magical kung fu movie, granted i have not seen a lot of kung fu movies. Stephen strange is an arrogant and intelligent man who loses his job as a neuro surgeon after having severe nerve damage done to his hands. When he tries to repair his hands through magic he is thrown into a magical war and eventually solves everything. The beginning of the movie sets up strange very well, it gives you the impression strange is a man who reluctantly cares about other people. He is arrogant, rude, and cares to much about status and money. The film does not cover stranges full arc into selflessness and humility but this is only the start of his character and at least ends in a better place than he was at the beginning.

The side characters don't have much character besides mordo. Mordo is set up very well as an eventual villain and is played very well by Chiwetel Ejiofor. His motivations and mysterious backstory are amazing, and he feels like a magical cop. Wong is funny but doesn't have much of a character. The ancient one will be saved for the second political review. Christina feels more like a plot device to push steven to be better rather than an actual character. Her only interest seems to be in steven. Kaecilius is a fine villain as just a puppet of dormammu. He serves as an interesting threat to the villians and has fine enough motivation.

The tone is my only real issue with this movie. It's constant jokes cut through its more dramatic story. The jokes are quite funny on first watch through but feel awkward on rewatches. I feel like the writers and director was forced to add jokes to better fit the marvel formula. It should have just sticked to a serious tone and cut most of the jokes.

The last thing i want to praise is the makeup, stunts, and vfk departments. The makeup for cuts, bruises, stitches, and injuries feels so much better in this movie than past movies and i have no idea why because i don't know shit about makeup. The stunts and the fight scenes are creative and fluid and should win the stunts oscar. Oh, wait. The vfx departments executes the magic and touches up the fights so well. It feels fantastical and very real.

Overall dr strange is a well executed marvel movie with good drama and misplaced jokes. It is a good movie and i'm not just saying that cause my friend likes it. Y'all better say happy birthday to them.

Built a sky tree farm.