#doctor strange comfort fic

[ironstrange1991]

You're My Comfort

Pairing: Doctor!Strange x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: The reader has a bad day at work and Stephen comes to take care of her.

Word Cont: 2,1k

Warnings: None, just fluff.

A/N: I am still struggling with authors block, but I'm happy for finishing this little something. It's not much, but I was in need of a comfort fic. Hope your guys like it and have a good read.

You arrived from work without even realizing how you managed to drive home. Stephen was busy talking to some Avengers in the living room and you just walked past them up the stairs and straight to your shared room.

You were too tired to even get undressed even though you knew you would feel better after a shower, but still all you could do was kick off your shoes and fall face down on the bed letting a wave of silent crying take over you.

You were tired of your job, tired of the way your boss seemed to suck out your soul along with all your energy, but at the same time you felt bad for feeling that way. After all, you should be grateful to have a job in the first place, or at least you should be grateful that your job doesn't put you in danger or be as physically draining as Stephen's. You lost count of how many times he came home injured and yet he never complained. You on the other hand, seemed like a crying little girl and thinking that way only made you feel even worse and it was a vicious cycle that you couldn't get out of. Feeling bad about feeling bad and so on.

You were still face down, tears silently streaming down your face, when you heard the soft creak of the door opening and closing and the muffled sound of boots on the floor announcing the approaching footsteps. You immediately turned your face away because you didn't want Stephen to notice you were crying and then you felt the mattress dipping.

He touched your arm gently.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" His baritone voice held a note of concern.

You didn't answer, you just shrugged your shoulders like you did when you were a child and your mother asked why you were crying. Many times you didn't even know why you were crying, but you cried anyway and that was exactly how you felt today.

You felt his hand on your head stroking your hair gently and before he could say anything, you crawled closer to him and laid your head on his lap wrapping your arms around his waist. He seemed to like it because his body shook with what you thought was a small laugh. Contrary to what your irrational side told you, Stephen didn't care about your anxiety crisis or those moments where you couldn't say exactly what was happening. He was already used to dealing with your fluctuating moods.

"Can you at least tell me you're okay, so I don't worry?" He asked and you nodded.

"You're okay then. Nothing bad happened?" He insisted and you nodded again.

"Good." He continued stroking your hair in silence.

"I know I've been working a lot these last few days, but if that's what's making you upset..."

"It's not that." You replied with a choked voice. Of course he would find a way to blame himself. When Stephen learned to be less selfish and egocentric, he simply turned completely the other way and became extremely altruistic, which you didn't like, much less approve of.

"Then talk to me, sweetheart. I don't like seeing you like this." His hand had now gone down to the middle of your back, playing with the strands of your hair.

"I'm just tired, I guess."

He sighed "You think so? Y/n you've been working non-stop for the last few weeks."

"There was nothing else to do. You weren't here most of the time and the company needed me."

You can almost see Stephen's eyes rolling back in his head. "They like to take advantage of you, that's what. You're too good for them."

You did not answer. You knew he was right, but you didn't want to give in. He returned his hands to your head and began to caress your scalp with his fingertips lightly and you let out an involuntary groan.

"Feels good, uh?" You could hear the smirk in his voice. Always so proud that he managed to turn you into a puddle of goo whenever he touched you.

"I'm exhausted. I need to sleep. I barely slept at all last night." You confessed to what he vehemently rebuked.

"You know I don't like seeing you in this state. You need to take better care of yourself."

You shook your head. "Right now I don't think I can take care of myself at all. I'm too tired."

He chuckled, surrendering to your charm and drama.

"Do you want me to run a bath for you or would you prefer the shower?"

He asked, already running his fingers through your hair to get it out of your face. He did his best to tie them into a bun.

"You will stay with me?"

"If you want. But you know where this is going to take us, don't you?"

You denied "No funny business tonight. I'm too tired."

He hummed "As you wish, love. Come."

He patted your shoulder for you to allow him to stand up and extended his arms to help you up.

"Too tired to walk." You grumbled and he let out a small laugh.

"Come on. I'll carry you, little girl."

You found somewhere within you the strength to smile and tease him, "Yes, daddy."

He scoffed, but picked you up bride style and took you to the bathroom. He sat you on the toilet and ordered "Raise your arms. Let's take these clothes off."

You obeyed and let yourself be undressed by him slowly. It was different. Although he was used to ripping off your clothes and fucking you senseless, in that moment he was actually being gentle and there was nothing in his eyes but affection.

"Get up so we can take off that skirt." He asked and you did as he ordered. He took off your panties too, leaving you completely naked for him. A light shade of red tinting your cheeks.

"Bathtub or shower?" He asked to be sure and added it right after. "There's no way I'm leaving your side."

You nodded "Bathtub. With lavender and bubbles. Lots of bubbles."

He nodded, but instead of doing the whole process like a normal person, he moved his fingers and the bathtub filled with hot water. With a smirk he snapped his fingers and the water turned lilac and your nostrils were invaded by the delicious smell of lavender as you watched the water fill with foam. "As you wish, madam. Come."

He gave you his hand and helped you get into the tub, and you moaned contentedly with the feeling of the hot water surrounding your body.

He quickly undressed in front of you and that was a sight you would never get used to. Your eyes devoured every inch of his body before he entered the bathtub and sat right behind you.

He moaned softly as well letting the hot water relax him completely.

"Christ, I needed this." He confessed and you leaned your back against his chest feeling yourself being hugged by his strong arms and you leaned your head back letting your eyes close for a minute.

"What a shitty day I had" You blurted out, earning a small laugh from Stephen.

"It is not funny"

He buried his face in your hair, "I know. Want to tell me about it?"

You sighed, "Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I think I'm just tired of that environment, those people. Of doing the work of two or three and not getting any recognition for it. I'm tired of leaving that place feeling empty as if I had left my soul there."

Stephen listened in silence. He was good at that, at listening silently and letting you vent. It was one of his many qualities.

"And I feel bad for feeling this way. It feels like I'm being ungrateful. I know I should be grateful for being in a job in the first place, but I can't feel grateful right now and on top of that I feel silly complaining about my silly problems when you have to deal with so much..."

"Hey, don't do that!" Stephen scolded you. "Don't belittle your problems by comparing them to the things I do. It's not fair. Your feelings are valid, sweetheart and there's nothing wrong with feeling the way you're feeling right now. We just need to think of a way to make it better because I've noticed that this days when your come home like this have become more constant. You're always too tired and sad and I don't like seeing you like that."

You sighed feeling his lips on your neck and your skin prickling.

"I think I just need to stop thinking for a few minutes. My mind is my worst enemy, you know. The more I think the worse I feel."

Stephen hummed and continued placing kisses on your neck "I can help with that." His hands went down to your breasts, caressing them lightly.

"I said no funny business." You scolded him and he giggled softly and you felt him conjure up a soft sponge still under the water and started rubbing your back and neck with it. You can't stop a little moan from escaping your lips.

"I don't deserve you, Steph." You confessed to what he hummed, using the sponge to rub your arms, your belly, your thighs, every place he could reach.

"I usually think the same thing when you take care of me."

"Guess we don't deserve each other then." You teased.

"Or we were made for each other. I like this option better."

"Because you're a romantic. You want to be tough, but deep down you're soft, Stephen."

He let out an incredulous laugh "I've been called many things, but romantic is the first time."

You smiled, keeping your eyes closed and reveling in the touch of his hands when he puts down the sponge and started massaging your shoulders gently. His hand was shaking, but you even liked that feeling.

"You're different with me." You insisted. "I watch you with everyone else and you're different when you're with me, sweeter and more affectionate."

He hummed petulantly. "You didn't expect me to treat Stark and Wong the way I treat my girlfriend, right?"

"It's not that. I just think you allow yourself to be your most natural self when you're with me and I like that."

"I like it too." He agreed kissing the back of your neck.

The two of you were silent for a few minutes, his hands continued massaging your shoulders lightly and although he couldn't put too much pressure on the act, it was enough to relax you. The sound of cars passing on the street occasionally broke the silence of the Sanctum, as well as the sound of the water that was slowly cooling and his calm and steady breathing.

Eventually your eyes started to get heavy and Stephen must have felt the way you let the weight of your body rest on his because he wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed the top of your head.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked genuinely worried.

You hummed positively and he sighed looking relieved.

"Good. Now I think we can finish here and go straight to bed, what do you think?"

You didn't have time to respond because your stomach growled embarrassingly loud to which Stephen let out a small laugh.

"Food first, then. Come." He asked and the two of you got out of the tub.

When you finished getting dressed, Stephen in just pajama pants and you in a nightgown, you ran to get under the covers and get comfortable.

"I'll get you something to eat. How about a sandwich?"

You nodded and then asked "What did you have for dinner?"

He shook his head "To be honest, I didn’t even remember to eat. It was a pretty busy afternoon."

You scolded him with a look, "Then I guess you can bring sandwiches for both of us."

Stephen nodded.

He came back a few minutes later with a plate with some sandwiches cut in halves, which you quickly devoured. When you both finished, neither of you was willing to get up, so Stephen just placed the plate on the bedside table and adjusted himself on the pillows, letting you lay on his chest.

"I know I've said this before, but you're so good to me, Steph."

He sighed, stroking your arm gently.

"I love you." You said, closing your eyes and feeling the tiredness of the day overwhelm you.

Stephen placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Taking care of you is what I love doing most, sweetheart. I love you. You have no idea how much."

You hummed softly "Yes I do because I love you just the same."

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

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[lokidokieokie]

I'm Here, Whenever You're Ready.

Request from Wattpad: You have a very stressful day at work, and come home to your husband *cough* Stephen *cough*. He asks what is wrong, but you tend to handle things on your own and solve your own problems since your autopilot is to do things yourself, and assure him its fine. basically he just pampers you and stuff. Really fluffy<3

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Wife!Reader

Warning(s): Kinda self-deprecating reader, worried!Stephen, caring!Stephen, fluff (lots of it), kinda comfort-fic-ish, consumption of alcohol, descriptions of toxic work environments

If there was one thing you thoroughly enjoyed about the clock hitting 5pm, it was definitely the fact that you could finally leave the workplace that had been spawned from hell itself. 

Today, your workplace and fellow employees had decided to be Thanos-sized pains in the ass and graciously blame every single problem in existence on you, and you only. 

When the coffee machine decided to short-circuit all the electrical appliances in the kitchen because Lauren had somehow managed to spill water all over the electrical sockets: “Y/n! That’s coming out of your paycheck!”

When David from Marketing didn’t get his figures in on time because he would rather ogle Maxine’s breasts than get this month’s profit and loss statement done: “Y/n! Get your act together and get me those figures, NOW! I expected better from you.”

And then there was the one thing that truly iced the cake. For a couple months now, Abigail (the bane of your existence) had been pushing the majority of her workload onto you, while she just sat at her desk and tried to look sexy for your boss, Nolan. 

Normally, it irritated you but you put up with it. You just wanted to get out by 5 without any fuss. But today, you had had enough. She had piled on four different accounts that all had five sub-accounts each. You could not get any of that done by 5. 

So, you did what any over-worked and super-stressed out employee would do. You went to your boss. 

“Nolan, there’s an issue I need to address with you.”

“What is it, Y/n? I’m incredibly busy.” You internally rolled your eyes; yeah, ‘busy’ sitting here and betting on the next horse race probably.

You explained the situation with Abigail and her workload and eventually made it to today’s problem. “They all need to be finalised by 5 and I cannot get that done on-time on my own, especially with all of the work I already have to do. Could you ask her to do her own work for once?” 

He shifted his head and stared at you with a look that screamed irritation on his face. 

“Are you really that useless that you can’t get four simple accounts in order? In the next four hours nonetheless? God, you're pathetic. Get those four accounts done by 3 or you’re fired.”

You stared at him, jaw agape and eyes wide open. 

“W-what? Nolan? That isn’t possible. Each of those has five sub-accounts eac-”

“I don’t care. Get it done and get out!” 

You quickly slipped out the door and got to work, ensuring that you glared at Abigail the entire trip back to your desk. 

That was how you ended up seated in front of the Rotunda of Gateways, staring into the abyss with a glass of Prosecco in your hand; over-analysing every single mistake you had made in those accounts in the rush to get them done. 

Bringing the glass to your lips, you took another gulp of the sweet liquid and internally screamed. Why did your workplace have to be so toxic? Why couldn’t you work at some little business that was run by a sweet old woman who didn’t take advantage of you?

You were so caught up in your internal warfare that you didn’t hear Stephen come into the room. So when you felt his hands on your shoulder, you jumped and spilled wine all over your blouse. 

“Sorry, Darling. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

You took a deep breath, “It’s fine, Stephen. Don’t worry about it.”

He made his way around you, crouched down and began to rub your upper arms. 

“Are you alright, Sweetheart? You don’t seem like yourself.” 

“I’m fine.”

You attempted to smile, but of course, Stephen saw right through it. Standing up, he grabbed your hand and began walking towards your bedroom. 

“Stephen, what are you-”

“Be quiet, Love. Just go along with it.”

With a flick of his fingers, water began streaming out of the tap into the bathtub; the water being the perfect temperature for the both of you to get in. Settled against Stephen’s chest, you slowly felt the stress begin to ebb away as you took in his heavenly scent. 

His hands made their way to your shoulders and began kneading your tense muscles. He continued his ministrations, every so often bringing his lips to your shoulder or cheek; reaffirming his love for you with every lowly whispering of how much he adored you. Slowly, your eyes began to close, fully immersing yourself in the pampering that your husband was subjecting you to. 

When the water turned cold and your fingers began to prune, Stephen helped you out of the bath, dried you off with a little bit of magic, and helped you into your red silk pyjamas. Scooping you up in his arms, he carried you to the bed and continued reassuring you of how wonderful you were, and how you were the epitome of perfection in his eyes. 

Laying you down on the mattress, you covered you with the blanket and tucked you in; giving you a lingering kiss to your temple. After cleaning up the bathroom, he made his way to the bed and laid himself next to you, draped his arms around your waist, and pulled you closer. 

“I know that something has happened, and I know that your default move is to try and cope with it on your own. But I need you to understand that it’s okay to rant about your problems to me. I’m your husband, it’s pretty much in my job description.”

You slightly chucked but shook your head. You were nowhere near ready to tell  him about or relive anything related to work day today. A stray tear slipped down your cheek at that thought. 

Pulling back slowly, he raised his hand and began to wipe your tears away, “But I also know how hard it is for you--as someone who bottles up all their emotions--to speak out about them.”

He paused and kissed your forehead, lingering there for a moment before continuing.

“But I just want you to know, that whenever you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here, and I’ll always be ready to be there for you.”

More tears slid down your cheeks as you snuggled back into his warm embrace. You knew that whenever you were ready, he would be there; and that made everything that little bit better. 

A/N Look who’s finally getting herself together...ME! 

New content to come soon x

Taglist! @thewaithfuckingannoyme

[hithertoundreamtof23]

Whumptober 2023 day 16

Chapter 2 (final chapter) of Red, Black, White, Pink

Prompt: Gurney | "Don't go where I can't follow"

*Must read Ch. 1

Whumptober Masterlist

[strangstdesiress]

Drowning [Stephen Strange x Reader]

warnings: angst, hurt/comfort trope, mentions of drowning, description of drowning, description of a panic attack, some fluff, stephen’s a jerk but makes up for it, mentions of injuries, mentions of an argument

a/n: absolutely love this piece of writing and thinking of making more with this pair in this style of writing. like perhaps the argument that ensued before, and possibly others. kinda edited, kinda not (quick read through before posting)

as someone who gets a panic attack after getting yelled at/in arguments, this was comforting to me

inspired after reading @bakerstreethound ‘s work ‘Bleeding Out’ I reblogged yesterday. I absolutely loved their work and wanted to try my own hand at a similar form of writing. It was so beautifully written that I could never do it justice, and you should definitely read it for yourself. By no means is this a copy of their work. 

"You're still here?" 

His voice was quiet, barely even leaving his lips. It was drowned out over your shuddering breath, but still caught your ears. It felt like you were submerged in water; your lungs inflating, trying to push out the water. Ears muffled, hands shaking trying to reach the surface. You were drowning and this was it. You had to be, because it was the only logical explanation for what was happening.

It had happened once before. You were just barely twenty, on a spring break trip with your friends. You had gotten caught in the riptide, nearly drowning. Your lungs swelled up and your eyes burned from the salt. You tried to reach the surface but it was just out of reach. You had to be in the water again. 

But you weren't. 

"I'm sorry."

His voice pierced your ears again, this time louder than any roaring water. Your eyes burned the same, the salt in your tears burning. You could barely open them to look at him. His gaze was downcast, solemn. His brows twitched together tightly, and the crows feet at the corner of his eyes were gone. Wrinkles lined his forehead, and you just knew he was telling the truth. 

"I shouldn't have yelled at you." 

Anger boiled beneath the surface at the reminder of the argument not just a few hours ago. It had been weeks since you saw him, but he pushed you away when you tried to care for his wounds. He pushed you away when you tried to make him his favorite meal. He yelled at you when you ran him a bath, told you that you were smothering and suffocating him. It was true you loved too deeply, but he had always loved you for it, so what changed? 

You were angry at how he yelled at you for just trying to help. Angry that he'd been gone for three weeks and refused to even give you more than a glance. Angry that even though you knew he was struggling, there was nothing you could do. 

"You aren't suffocating." 

You were suffocating. Quite literally. Your chest heaved, and you placed a hand on it, trying to calm your racing heart. Your lungs had to be filled with water to the brim, about to burst. You had learned about it in biology. The cells in your lungs were expanding due to the water. You prayed it would pass. 

"You're loving. And gentle. And beautiful. You care so much." 

You covered your ears with your hands, pressing tightly inwards. You were sure you would have bruises by how hard you pressed, but that didn’t matter for you would be dead in minutes, if not seconds. 

You heaved a broken sob that shattered his heart. You curled in on yourself, knees pressed to your chest, hands to your ears trying to drown out his loud, piercing voice. You were drowning and he was a figment of your imagination. Someone imagined to save you. 

Except this time, he was real.

Stephen's hands pulled your hands away, holding them with one hand gently as he surveyed the crescent moons above and below your ears. His hands pulled your knees down from your chest until the tip of your toes scraped the floor. Stephen leaned over you, shushing you as he cupped your teary face. 

You curled into the touch, relishing how warm he was. You had missed the way his hands would soothe you, despite the spasming. You loved that he would always dissipate the magic in them, letting down a barrier that showed he trusted you by showing just how bad they really were. It was the hands that loved you and nurtured you. You could never be angry with him. 

"I'm sorry, love," He mused, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. The spot where his lips met burned pleasantly, a reminder that he still loved you. "You were only trying to help. Now you're having a panic attack." 

There was regret in Stephen's voice and an admission that he triggered the panic attack. If he had just communicated with you that he needed some time alone, that he wasn't hungry, that he could take care of his own injuries, you wouldn't be crying. 

His hands didn't shake now. There was so much concentration in his hands you could feel the magic in them. You could feel sparks on your cheeks, and it caused you to giggle between the sobs. It tickled. You had suspected he did so on purpose, trying to draw you away from your mind. You knew he was smiling softly at you by the way he exhaled. 

"I'm sorry, and I love you. Forever and always." 

[lyspunkt-star]

Prompt 13

Stephen fights demons/villains/whatever for one last time to distract them, so Avengers can focus and successfully crush their enemy.

Stephen knows that he’s seriously injured and on the verge of passing out, but he doesn’t care because he has done what he had to do.

And no matter what will happen, he knows his husband and his new family would be there to take care of him.

When he closes his eyes and falls from the sky, Tony’s/another Avenger’s hands catch him as his family take him back to the home.

[stewardofningishzida]

Chapter 13: On Jewelry and Eyes

The first Meta-Fic is coming to an end! Chapter 14 is effectively finished as well and then we’re working on the sequel. Here’s the penultimate chapter! This one is soft and fluffy. Enjoy!

TRIGGER WARNING: Eye injury, alcohol use, language

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Stephen enters Trix’s house and grabs her Sling Ring prop.  He looks it over curiously before heading back to my house.*

Stephen:  Okay, I have the replica.  

Me:  Go in my room and take some of my jewelry to melt down.  It’ll save some money.  I keep them in their original boxes.  So, you can see which ones are silver.  The souvenir bottle of gold is on my bookshelf.

Stephen (gentle):  Steward, I can’t-

Me (firm):  Yes you can.  I can’t give energy right now and time is of the essence with your abilities fading.  It’s the least I can do.  So, please take it.  Things can be replaced.  *I’m clearly not going to change my mind.*

Stephen (grateful):  Thank you.  

*He goes and gets some pieces for melting down.*

Stephen:  There’s copper that can be mixed in at cost in the store.  We won’t need the lab’s supply.  That’s one less complication.  The rest of the gold and silver can be purchased at the store as well.  How are you feeling, Trix?  Any better?  

Trix: Doing a bit better but running at probably 60%

Stephen:  Okay.  Rest until PrettyWitch and I get back.

Tear: Call me if you guys need anything while you’re out. I can pass the phone over to Steward too if you need more help at the store.

Stephen:  All right.  Will do.

*He checks on Trix one more time before heading to the car with PrettyWitch.  His nerves spike again as usual.  The sorcerer takes a deep breath before getting into the passenger seat.*

Stephen (preparing himself):  Be careful, please.  *He’s anxious.*

PrettyWitch: You got it.  

*They get to the jewelry store and request the more accurate remake of the Sling Ring replica.  Stephen’s hands are shaking rather badly now.  So, he lets PrettyWitch show them the text logs from Trix as proof before they swing by the grocery store for some snacks and head back to my house.  He goes to check on me.*

Stephen:  How are you feeling?

Me:  My eyes are burning a bit, unfortunately.  Where are the eyedrops?  

Stephen:  I’ll get them.  

*He goes to get the medicated eyedrops, but struggles with undoing the cap due to his loss in dexterity.  Stephen lets out a frustrated sigh.*

Tear: Here. *I hold my hand out in a silent request for the eyedrops* Would you mind helping me fetch some tissue paper for Steward too? You know how annoying it is when the drops run all over your face if you miss. *I keep my eyes fixed on his and keep my attention away from his hands, hoping the offer to switch chores will help reduce the sting of his current situation*

Stephen:  Thanks…*He hands Tear the bottle and goes to get some tissue with an appreciative glance at her.*

*I accept the bottle and clumsily put the drops in before feeling around for a tissue to clean up the excess.  The sorcerer helps me.  Despite the shaking, he’s very gentle.*

Me:  Merci beaucoup.  *I smirk slightly, trying to amuse the group.*

Trix: Très bon

PrettyWitch: (Turns to Stephen) So how long until the new Sling Ring is ready?

Stephen:  The store will take a few days to make the new Sling Ring.  

Me:  Anyone got any other plans or things to try in the meantime or should we just wait?

Trix: Storytime? *eyes the group eagerly* Nothing too bad or traumatizing of course, but I say we go for our weirdest story that describes who you are the best!

Tear: Hmm, you say that as if my life was ever weird or exciting before Stephen popped by for a visit… *I still take a seat and curl up on the couch, expression relaxed and open. I’m curious to hear what everyone has to say*

Me:  Heh. That, I think we can all do.  C’mon, Tear.  I know you have a few good stories.  *I encourage her gently.*

PrettyWitch: I have some good stories.

Stephen (amused):  All right.  Who wants to start?

Trix: I have a fun one! So back in elementary school when I was in sixth grade, I ended up being a bus buddy for the kindergarteners so they were fine and someone would make sure they got off at their stop fine. There were five of them and they ended up liking hanging out on the bus with me and would find me at recess and things. I ended up drawing pictures of Pokémon for them and they treated them like trading cards because the actual cards were banned. Well word got around the kindergarten classes and my little buddies got popular for their ‘trading cards’ and asked for some for their friends. Well, that led me to drawing at least sixty pencil and notebook paper Pokémon cards and handing them out to the kids. This also meant I had a herd of 60 or so kindergartners who would follow me around at recess and do whatever I suggested. I, of course, had bullies back then like most do and after a rough morning, I may have had the idea of sending my apparent army after the two bullies to scare them. I will never forget them running from their lives from an army of kindergartens across the playground like Captain Jack Sparrow running from the tribe in the Pirates movie. Random story, I know, but honestly it makes me laugh remembering that through the power of friendship I gathered an army to defeat my foes like the cartoons used to always promise you could do.

*I laugh at the mental images that conjured up.*

Me:  That’s a good one!  All right.  Well, back in my senior year of high school, one of my classmates had badly broken her leg.  She still wanted to go to prom and such despite not being able to dance.  I’m not much into dancing either and didn’t know her as closely as some of my other friends.  However, I always carry a deck of cards with me because I enjoy the games.  Prom was no exception.  Since I had a deck in my purse, I cleared a table, invited my classmate over, and started dealing blackjack while using some candies as poker chips.  We really started getting into it and having fun, which got my friends’ attention.  Eventually, I even got the teachers in on it and basically turned a corner of the prom into a makeshift casino.  We were dealing blackjack and Texas hold ‘em all night while others danced.  At one point, we ran out of candy and started betting small items like phones, bracelets, etc.  I even won a guy’s car keys during a round!  Boy, was he nervous after losing that one to me.  Heh…Yes, we gave each other our stuff back at the end of the game.  It was one hell of a time and I think that’ll stick in our classes’ memory for ages to come.  With how things went, my classmate managed to go to prom and still have a lot of fun despite her situation.  Totally worth it just to see everyone happy.

Trix: That’s so sweet!

Tear: It sounds like you guys had some really fun times! You make this sound easier than it is… *I think hard about what to share and shift on my seat so that I can hug my knees* I’ve visited quite a few places and met some really extraordinary people, but I think the weirdest thing I’ve done…I’d say it was meeting my best friend. It happened back in 2009 in an old forum where she’d post her drawings. I liked to comment on them, and she was very sweet when replying to me. We exchanged messages for almost two years before we tried calling each other, which was insane because we lived in different countries. That evolved to video calls when they actually became a thing, and before I knew it she had invited me over so that we could meet face-to-face. It was the first time I traveled on my own, so I was terrified. My parents even made me come up with a backup plan in case it all turned out to be a big scam. It all went smoothly, thankfully, and I visited her many times afterward. Now, 14 years later, she’s asked me to be the godmother of her first child. The amount of sheer blind trust I had back then to dare make such a huge leap of faith still baffles me. Maybe it was stupidly naive, but I don’t regret it. If the concept of soulmates existed, I believe she’d be mine.

Stephen:  You’re a very kind person, Tear.  I’m glad that you found such a dear friend.

Me:  Awww.  That’s wholesome!  You’re very lucky.  Who’s next?

PrettyWitch: Hmmmm, what’s a good story?...Ooh! I know! So, it was the summer of 2005; I was thirteen, on vacation with my folks, and one of our destinations was New York City. We stayed in New Jersey, though. Now I don’t know if any of you remember, but 2005 was the hottest summer on record at the time, and we were going into the concrete jungle that is Manhattan…in the daytime. Well, let’s just say that between walking around all day and being at the top of a tour bus with an upper deck, my brain was cooked. It also didn’t help that we went up Canal Street, a.k.a. Bootleg city USA. I don’t know if it was a busy day or it was summer, but there were so many I was afraid we’d get split up so I was trying to hold onto my brother for dear life while trying to make sure we all held hands. Needless to say I was exhausted. So once we got to Battery Park, my mom took my hat off, poured water into my hat and dunked the hat on my head. It was…refreshing, to say the least. I cooled off after that, thankfully. But yeah, that’s probably one of the better stories I have.

Stephen:  So far so good.  How many of you have been to New York City before?  

Trix: I have once!

Tear: I haven’t had the chance to. I’ve done connections there before, but I’ve never left the airport.

*I shake my head to indicate “no”.*

Prettywitch: Ah, don’t be embarrassed, Steward. I’m sure you’ll get to visit the Big Apple, someday.

Me:  I’d like that.  My mom goes on and on about it and she wants to see NYC too one day.  Admittedly, it’s a bit intimidating, but I’ve been to Los Angeles.  So, how much different could it be?

Stephen:  Very, but you’ll get used to it quickly.  You all seem like an adaptable bunch.  *He smiles gently.  Unfortunately, I can’t see it, but I can hear the softness in his voice.*

Prettywitch: Well, if I had my pick I’d go back to New York. I’ve only been to L.A. once and I hated it. I much preferred San Diego.

Me (teasing):  How dare you.

Prettywitch: (sticks my tongue out, playfully) Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Stephen (amused):  Be nice, you two.

Prettywitch: Ah, alright. *Her tone indicates she’s playing along.* So what about you, Stephen? I’m sure you have lots of fun stories growing up in Nebraska.

Stephen:  I do.  Bittersweet, but a few good ones.  Lemme think…Well, when it was calving season, we had some of the new calves go out to pasture with their mothers.  After a few weeks, they were already starting to get adventurous.  One day, we were herding the cattle back into their barn and were short one head.  A male calf was missing.  My dad sent me out to look for him and I searched everywhere and couldn’t see him until I heard distressed mooing coming from a thicket of thorn bushes along the edge of the property.  He had trapped himself in a thorn bush on the steepest part of the hill next to the fence.  So, I carefully positioned myself and descended to the bush to rescue him.  He was scared and had no clue what was going on, which made him start struggling.  I had been out there for half an hour trying to get him out and my dad found us and helped pull back the thorns so I could get the calf out.  It was about to freeze that evening and we were all wet and covered with scratches by the end.  However, the calf and his mother were more than happy to see each other.  He ran over to her and she spent the next several minutes cleaning him up.  Despite how difficult the situation was, it was worth seeing those two reunited.  

Prettywitch: Awe! That’s cute!!! So you were a big old softie even back then.

*He grumbles in a half-hearted protest, yet can’t help but smirk.*

Prettywitch: *She giggles. *

Me (teasing):  Yeah, yeah, tough guy.

Tear: Not gonna lie, I thought for a moment there that you were going to say you stumbled across a tree on fire and heard a voice commanding you to go speak to the pharaoh.

*I snort, amused at Tear’s remark.*

Me: So, anyone want dinner?

Prettywitch: Yes!

Trix: Absolutely.

Me:  Tear, could you help us, please?  Erm…I could try to heat something up, but someone will have to tell me what I’m about to grab or touch.  *I get up, still trying to do stuff even if this is my first evening being blind.*

Tear: Oh! It’s okay. I offered to cook you all dinner tonight… *I spring out of my seat, ready to block the way to the kitchen if necessary*

Trix: Oh no, you are not on kitchen duty, Steward.

Prettywitch: Ah hun, why don’t we just order in, tonight? That way, you can rest.

*I hang my head, but agree.*

Me:  I just don’t want to be helpless…I should carry my own weight.  *I’m frustrated about the situation, but don’t want to make the same mistake that Stephen did.  So, I’m being gentle with my friends.  Though I’m lowkey taking it out on myself.  Stephen gently puts his hand on my shoulder.  I can feel it trembling, but warm.*

Stephen:  You’re doing the best you can.  Letting others who care help you isn’t a sign of weakness.  I don’t know how this accident happened exactly, but you can’t take it out on yourself.  

*I sigh.*

Me:  Basically, the new guy forgot to close the ether container when he finished his dissections and didn’t put it back in the fume hood where it belonged.  It gassed the entire lab and I got him out because he had passed out at his station.  Ether can explode or knock people out or even kill if in gas form.  So, I went back in to turn on the vents and get it out of the air safely.  I was already half-conscious from exposure, but was doing my best to fix it.  Then, the stupid part.  As I turned the vents on, I saw the cell culture hood was open and the UV lamp too.  The shield should be down because the lamp’s radiation burns living tissue.  I went to pull the shield down to protect my labmates when they eventually come back in later, but got the full blast of UV light to the face.  I was already loopy from ether and that slowed my reaction time down while lowering the shield.  Hence, how I got burned…So stupid.  I tried to protect my labmates and got myself toasted in the process…*Irritated huff*

*Stephen looks at me for a while, processing what I said and how I’m reacting to the situation.*

Stephen (gently):  No, it wasn’t stupid. You risked your life to save your labmates.  Doing something like that takes a lot of courage and you rose to the occasion perfectly. You deserve to take some time and heal your injuries.

Me (thinking this over):  …I suppose.  I just did what I thought was the right thing at the time.  

Trix: Here, why don’t I order us some food instead?

Tear: *I sigh and rub the back of my neck* That might be the fastest option…

*I sit back down.  Stephen hands Trix her phone so she can call for takeout.*

Trix: It shouldn’t take that long to get here.

*We have some dinner and call it a night.  The next day, it’s Prettywitch’s turn to cast the protection spell and everyone meets at my house again.*

Stephen:  Morning, Prettywitch.  I was thinking about something a while ago.  Would you like to receive some additional training?  I’d like to see if you can strengthen your casts.  

Prettywitch: Really!? *Clears throat.* I mean, really? That would be great.

Stephen:  Seeing as your methods have been working, you may have some inherent affinity for magic.  I want to see what else you can do.  

Prettywitch: Okay! So what do we do first?

Stephen (raising an eyebrow):  Be careful, all right?  Mystical forces aren’t something to be trifled with.  Now, are you ready?  Follow my movements.

*He demonstrates some hand gestures meant as a component of a power-boosting spell.*

Stephen:  First, I want to see if you get the signs right.  Then, I’ll walk you through the steps of the spell itself.  This one is to tap into the energy of the nearest leylines and channel it through yourself to boost your abilities.  Since the magical fields in this universe are so weak, I’m not sure how much this will help.  However, anything we can get will improve your casts at least a little bit.

*Prettywitch nods *

Prettywitch: Okay.

*She performs the same hand gestures as Stephen, doing her best to copy him. *

Prettywitch: Well?

Stephen:  Almost.  Be sure to keep your arm movements fluid.  Magic is practically a living force in and of itself.  It moves with whoever or whatever channels it.  One more time.  *He watches her.  After she finishes the movements, he teaches her the incantation, correcting her pronunciation gently and patiently.*  Okay.  Now, try the incantation together with the hand gestures.

Prettywitch: *Performs her movements while reciting the incantation.* How was that?

Stephen:  How do you feel, first of all?  If the spell was done correctly, you should feel more energy coursing through your body.

Prettywitch: I don’t know…I feel a bit of twitching in my hands. Does that count?

Stephen:  Hm.  It’s hard to say with how weak this universe’s magical field is.  Try casting the protection spell now and tell me how you feel afterwards.  The power-boosting spell should make it so you’re less drained after casting other spells.

Prettywitch: Okay. *Places her hands up to make it look like she’s conjuring a ball.* Protect Stephen Strange, who I deem needing. As I say it, so mote it be. *She pushes the ball out into the ether, then carefully returns any other magic she has into the air by brushing her hands of it. She notices a surge of energy, but it’s not tingling or the kind she gets from a coffee rush, it just feels…normal.* Well what do you know, I actually feel a lot more awake.

Stephen (curling his lip, impressed):  It seems my suspicions were correct.  You would have made an excellent sorceress in my universe.

Prettywitch: Really? Oh my God! That’s amazing! I always wanted magic powers and now I can! *She hugs him.* Thank you, Stephen!

*He’s surprised and a bit startled by the hug initially, but lets her hug him and gently pats her back.*

Stephen (soft, warm tone):  Happy to help.  Thank you for the energy.

Prettywitch: *smiles* No problem. You’re worth it. *Gives him a little peck on the cheek and walks off into the kitchen to get a snack.*

*The sorcerer turns slightly red and rubs the back of his head before going to check on Trix and me. I’m still half-asleep over my cup of coffee, holding it so I don’t lose track of it.*

Trix: Okay, so don’t be mad but I brought gifts. The others I’m currently working on but for you two, I have them done! *holds up incredibly large bag*

*I turn to try and face her, guessing where the sound is coming from.*

Stephen:  Trix, you didn’t have to.  *He’s humble.*

Trix: My love language is gifts and I made these to help! *pulls out two tie blankets where the different fabrics are tied together using cut strips around the edges* Dark red and blue for our resident sorcerer and dark blue and forest green for our commander in chief. Extra warm and fluffy! And I brought my zodiac sign and astrology one for myself while we enjoy the best movie of all time!

*I carefully reach out to grab the blanket and give a warm smile in what I hope is Trix’s direction.  Stephen accepts his gratefully.*

Me:  Thank you very much, Trix.  That was incredibly sweet of you.

Stephen:  It really was.  *He smiles at her.*  So, what movie are you talking about?  *He’s curious.*

Trix: *holds up the DVD of the original Blues Brothers movie* We’re about to be on a mission from god to put the band back together. *She’s grinning ear to ear* I grew up in Wisconsin but only about an hour away from Chicago so there’s a big fondness there for me. Plus the music is god tier and the comedy is amazing.

Stephen:  You’re kidding!  Your universe has the “Blues Brothers” too?  Who was in the cast?  I’ve got to see this now.  It was one of my favorite movies back in my universe.

Trix: John Belushi as Jake, Dan Ackroyd as Elwood, Carrie Fisher as Jake’s ex, and a whole hell of a lot of musicians like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Reverend James Brown, and more. Is that the same for you?

Stephen:  There are a few who seem to be universal constants for us.  Not everyone, but some of them.  Who’s Carrie Fisher?  There are a few others who are different too.  I’m curious to see how the songs and performances compare.

Trix: Carrie Fisher is best known as Princess Leia in Star Wars for us but she was a hell of a lady. Now we absolutely have to watch this!

Stephen:  “Star Wars”?  Never heard of it as a movie.  There WAS a series of interplanetary conflicts that our universe has documentation on, but no sci-fi or fantasy films made of it.

Trix: ….it will be a crime to not send you back to your universe without some of our greatest pop culture movies. Even if you don’t watch it here I am sending you home with CULTURE! …And only the original trilogy because you do not need to get into prequel and sequel movies. Basically, treat it like a sci-fi soap opera and it’s awesome.  Enough about my brother’s favorite series, we’re here to see the band get back together!

Stephen (intrigued):  All right.  Let’s see.  Anyone want to join us?

Me:  I love the music.  So, I’ll happily sit nearby and listen.

Prettywitch: I’m game. I haven’t seen Blues Brothers in forever.

Tear: Sure. I’ve actually never seen it before.

Stephen:  Okay, then.  Let’s put it on.  

*He lets us sit on the couch next to him.  After all that we’ve been through, it seems I no longer mind getting close and even enjoy letting my friends sit next to and/or lean on me.  Feeling the warmth of my new blanket and the closeness of my friends is very comforting.  I seem relaxed for once.*

Trix: Alrighty! Here we go! *puts disk in the dvd player and settles down in the cuddle pile with the remote and presses play*

*I can’t help but sing along softly to some of the songs.*

*Trix is trying not to quote too many of the lines out loud but is failing to do so.*

*The Cloak, though sluggish, affectionately tousles Trix’s hair.*

Trix: This is probably one of my favorite things ever. Just saying~ Favorite movie with great people!

*I’ve curled up, much like a large cat.*  

Me (from the depths of the pile):  Agreed.

*Stephen watches the movie, fascinated by the subtle differences between his universe’s version and our version.*

Trix: Fun fact, part of the car chase scene where the other car launches off the bridge and is suddenly falling thousands of feet: the bridge they launch from is actually filmed up in Milwaukee before cutting back to Chicago!

Stephen:  Huh.  For ours, it was shot in a soundstage and then the falling car was greenscreened in.  The effects weren’t as good in ours.

Trix: I’m pretty sure this movie held the highest record for cars crashed or destroyed. Almost all of it was practical effects.

Me:  Yep!  Trix is right.

Stephen:  That’s interesting.

Tear: Movies should go back to doing more practical effects for sure.

Me (dumb grin):  Amen to that.  *Making a stupid joke related to the “Mission from God” line.*

Tear: *I giggle at the joke and crawl my way out of the cuddle pile.* Anyway, thanks for the movie, Trix! I’ll go ahead and get started on some chores around the house.

Me:  Thanks, Tear.  Seriously.

Tear: No problem! You just worry about getting more rest. *I wave a warning finger at the others playfully.* You better keep her there a little longer or so help me Thor.

Trix: So what do you think of our version, Stephen?

Stephen (impressed):  The music is still excellent.  Though the casting in some parts threw me off a bit, it didn’t take anything major away from the movie.  Your universe’s special effects are beyond anything in mine.  Our movies and other entertainment tend to be a bit more…campy.

Trix: That honestly makes sense. We don’t have much going on with powers or magic here so it’s a case of creating things to make up for it!

Stephen:  I can see that.  So…Since your universe thought that mine was fictional, how were we portrayed?  *He’s morbidly curious.*

Trix: Honestly, you look just different enough to not be identical from the actor who portrays you. Otherwise, I would say that you are pretty similar to what we’ve seen except maybe a little less of an asshole and a lot more caring now *Teasing him good-naturedly* Also, Wong absolutely has a cult here because the man is awesome. As for everyone else, I wouldn’t know how they’re really like versus how they are at home. It seems like our versions of you are sort of pulled apart between comics and movies because the rights were distributed between different companies early on so the X-Men or Fantastic Four or others aren’t in the movies because they can’t be for now. It’s very complicated. Don’t even get me into the Mississippi River deal between theme parks because you guys show up in those too.

Stephen (taken aback slightly):  …That’s really…something.  

Me:  Heh.  There are documentaries all about this.

Stephen:  I should bring some documents, recordings, or other evidence of this back home.  The Defenders, Avengers, and others will be very curious about all of this.

Trix: I mean, you’re the expert in determining if things are spoilers or not. We may need to get illegal downloads of the streaming only things but we should be able to do it. As for comics, there’s like 60 years worth of stories in there and they reboot stories every so often.

Me:  You can borrow and take pics of our comic books if you want.  

Stephen:  Hmm.  Okay.  Though please don’t break the law on my behalf.  *He’s not necessarily a goody two shoes like Captain America, but he still doesn’t want us to get in any more trouble for his sake.  Stephen is becoming more protective of our little group.*

Trix: I mean, considering pirating media is often the only way people can archive content for historical purposes because media companies control almost everything in terms of things only being streamed and no physical copies being made, one could say we’re helping to conserve history!

*I smirk knowingly.*

Stephen:  …Just don’t get caught.

Trix: They almost never crack down on people unless they’re reuploading it online for a profit so we’ll be fine! There’s a whole bootleg market for media for the military overseas that the government pretends doesn’t exist. We’re good! *grins*

*I decide to peer out from my lair beneath my new blanket.  Stephen carefully checks my eyes.*

Stephen:  Stay put.  You need to put your eyedrops in again.  I’ll get them.  

*He gets up and has Trix help him unscrew the top before handing it to me.  I put them in.  Stephen gently dries my face.  I subtly lean into his touch as a silent “thank you”.*

Stephen (warmly):  You’re welcome.  Do you need anything else?

Me (tired, but grateful):  Not right now, dear.  I appreciate it, though.  Maybe go check on Tear?  It’s been a while since we’ve heard from her.  I’m just going to rest for a while.

Stephen:  Okay.  Call if you need anyone. 

*I nod, curling back up, and Stephen goes to find Tear, quietly retrieving a small plate from the fridge beforehand.  He looks for her.*

*After making sure we had food ready to prepare lunch with, Tear moves out to the garden to pick berries from the bushes I harvest almost daily. With the fright from the accident, we skipped a couple of days so new berries are ripe for the taking. She is playing her music on her phone, upbeat songs in all sorts of languages shuffling unpredictably. She sings along quietly to the ones she knows and shuffles goofily in little bursts of happy dances whenever the rhythm gets to her.*

*Stephen notices Tear in the yard and goes out to check on her.*

Stephen:  How are you doing, Tear?  Do you need any help?  

*He can’t help but smirk.  She had been singing and dancing a bit as she worked.  It’s cute and amusing to him.*  

Stephen (gentle teasing):  Nice moves.

Tear: Eeep! Stephen! *I squeak in slight surprise. With the music and the grass cushioning his footsteps, I never heard him approach. I grin widely at his teasing and rub the back of my head, trying to play off my embarrassment.* Can’t help it if the music makes it hard to sit still.

Stephen (amused):  Mhm.  *He looks awkward for a moment.*  I…Erm…Tried to make something last night out of one of Steward’s cookbooks.  I don’t know if it came out any good, but I wanted you to try it since you seem to really enjoy baking.  *He offers the plate with a small flan on it to her with a spoon.*  

Tear: *I immediately go starry-eyed at the sight of his sweet creation and leave the bowl of berries on the ground so I can approach him. I’m trying really hard not to squeal in sheer joy.* You made this? It looks so good!

Stephen (shrugging):  I just followed the instructions.  It was one of the easier recipes so I didn’t have to strain my hands too much. 

Tear: *I chuckle* You say that and still my sisters cannot make a flan to save their lives. Caramel is one of the toughest things to get right. I’m very impressed, Stephen!

Stephen:  Really?  Huh.  *He’s surprised.*  

Tear: Master of the Mystic and the Culinary Arts, who would have thought? *I carefully take the plate and dessert spoon before scooping a bite.* Have you tried it yet or did you ask me to be your guinea pig in case it’s poisoned? *I send him a teasing, squinty look.*

Stephen (blushing slightly from the compliment while giving her an amused smirk):  I tried a bit of one of the others in the fridge since the recipe made multiple servings.  It’s been a while since I’ve actually had flan.  So, I wasn’t entirely sure if it came out right.   

Tear: Well, there’s only one way to find out~ *I eat the spoonful and hum happily at the flavor.* Oh, that’s tasty alright! Not overly sweet, and your caramel didn’t burn. Is this really your first time making flan? The texture might need a little bit more work, but this is really great, Stephen! *I can’t help myself and happily munch on a second bite of the flan.*

Stephen:  Yeah.  I normally just order takeout.  Otherwise, Wong cooks most of the time.  Heh…Thanks.  So, how would I fix the texture?  

Tear: Hmm, if Wong discovers you can make stuff like this now, he’ll never let you go.

Stephen:  Damn.  Now he might put me on kitchen duty.  *He’s half-joking, but happy to have discovered a new hobby.*  

Tear: If that happens then you’ll be able to make him the perfect flan. *I cut another piece of the flan and poke it slightly with the spoon.* These bubbles here suggest the oven might have overheated while they were baking. Gas ovens are a little finicky though, so sometimes it’s just a matter of getting to know your oven well. *I pause as a thought springs to mind.* The oven in the Sanctum is not some sort of portal to a hell dimension or anything of the sort, right?

Stephen (sheepish):  …Erm…*He grins.*

Tear: *I gasp and weakly smack his arm.*  Stephen, no.  No feeding cakes to any demon babies.

*He chuckles guiltily.*

Stephen:  Well…It’s not *technically* a demon “baby”…Just a lesser fire spirit.

Tear: Right. That’s more acceptable, then.  *My amused grin dims slightly then as I look down at my half-eaten flan. I remember what Stephen said about making it late at night and can’t help but worry.*  I’m sorry you couldn’t rest well last night. You know we’re all here for you if you need anything. 

Stephen (gentle):  Don’t worry.  I’m used to it.  It just comes with my job.  I really do appreciate all of the help and support the group has given me.  So, it’s fine.  *He puts his hand on Tear’s shoulder comfortingly.*  

Tear: *I nod and send him a fond smile, letting the issue go. I resist the urge to hug him and instead motion with my head back toward the house.* Come on. Have the others tried your amazing flans yet? I want to go steal a second one before they’re all gone. Maybe Steward will have an idea for what to do with all of these new berries, too.

Stephen:  It does seem like she enjoys cooking and baking judging by all of the tools and books she has.  All right.  Let’s see if she’s awake.  

Tear: Yeah! We try to do little baking sessions together whenever work allows us to. 

Stephen:  That sounds nice.

*He walks with Tear back to the house, carrying the basket of berries.*

*I raise my head to “look” in their direction when I hear the back door open.*

Me:  So, guys, how are the crops doing?

Stephen:  They’re in good shape.  Tear picked a basket of blackberries and she was wondering what to do with all of them.

Me:  We could always try making some jam.  I think that would be nice.  

Tear: Sure! I can get started on it after a small break. *I walk over to perch on the armrest of the couch Steward is sitting on*

Stephen:  How are you feeling?

Me:  All right.  Can see blurry shadows moving around now.  Before, it was just whether or not it was light or dark.  

Stephen:  It’s something, at least.  

Me:  Is there anything I can do to help out?

Stephen:  You can wash the berries if you want.  I’ll guide you to the sink.

*I’m grateful to hear this.  I do appreciate all of the help from my friends, but I also still feel badly about not doing much since the accident.  So, I’m happy to help in any way that I can.  Stephen helps me get to the sink and I wash the blackberries, feeling around to make sure no leaves, stems, or bugs are on them.  While there, I chat a bit.*

Me:  So, what’s the first thing you’re gonna do when you get back home?

Stephen:  Well, damage control would be a start.  I don’t know how trashed Greenwich Village got after Shuma-Gorath threw me here.  Wong will never let me hear the end of it.

Me:  Heh…I can imagine.  

Stephen:  Admittedly, I’m not sure if this will even work.  I have to keep trying, but in case this fails, I’m trying to figure out my next move.

Me:  I’m thinking about a plan B too.  Don’t worry.  Though I want to stay hopeful.  I know it looks bad, but at least we can still do a little something.

*Stephen shrugs.  Although I can’t see it, I can feel it instinctively.*

Me (light reprimand):  Stephen Vincent Strange, we’ve all worked hard to uncover and brainstorm all of these methods.  If you can get in here, then there has to be a way out.  Pessimism isn’t going to get you or anyone else anywhere and it never has.  Yes, it’s rough.  Yes, your abilities are fading.  However, for whatever weird reason, we’re starting to have magic and interdimensional monsters coming in here.  So, whatever this is, we’ll find a way to harness it and get you back home.  I don’t care if we have to start sacrificing goats on a blood moon.  Whatever this is, it WILL work out.  This, I promise you; I will not rest until we find the way.  *I look brave.*

Stephen (grateful):  You’ve got heart, Steward.  I’ll give you that.  *He smiles a bit.*  Heh…I notice that you and the others are music lovers too.  What’s with the microphone in the corner of the living room?

Me:  Oh, that.  It’s part of a karaoke machine.  You can try it if you want.

Stephen:  Trust me, you don’t want to.  I can’t sing to save the multiverse.

*I grin.*

Me:  Mhmm…C’mon.  Humor a blind woman~  *I tease him a bit.*

Stephen:  Really?  You’re playing THAT card?

Me (smirking):  I’m not above it.  

Stephen:  I’m sorry I asked…*He reluctantly sets up the machine.*

Me (to the group):  Hey, guys.  Wanna join us for karaoke?

Prettywitch: Yeah!!!! Let’s get shitfaced and sing!

Me:  Trix, Tear, are you in?

Trix: I’m in!

Tear: Yeah! I’m always up for karaoke nights.

Stephen:  Just don’t get too crazy, all right?  We all still have things to do tomorrow.

Me:  We’ll be careful, Doc.  *I smirk.*  Okay, guys.  The good stuff is in the fridge in the garage.  The mic and machine are in the corner.  Just hook it up to the tv.  I’ll be the sober one since being blind AND drunk is just asking for trouble.  *I curl my lip, amused.*

Prettywitch: Alright. You do that, I’m gonna go grab something. You got any Stella?

Me:  Yep.  Stella, some of the nicer imported beers, sake, a few bottles of wine, limoncello, and some various liquors for cocktails.

Prettywitch: *Gets sparkly-eyed* Yay! *Runs to the fridge and grabs a Stella*

Me:  Heh…Admittedly, I haven’t touched the absinthe in the back for a while.  Especially after last time.  Whoo…*I had underestimated how strong it was and got really loopy after a bit too much.  The group members remember it.  I kept laughing like an idiot at the smallest things while also wanting to fight everything.  The poor pillows and furniture never stood a chance.*

Trix: Good for you guys I’m a permanent DD and don’t drink.

Tear: Well…since I’m spending the night, I won’t say no to a few drinks. Takes a lot to actually get me sloshed though, so let’s see if you can keep up~ *I send a playful wink at Prettywitch as I follow her to the fridge in the garage*

Prettywitch: *chuckles* Nah, I get it. Lucky for you, I’m a fun/loopy drunk, so worse case scenario I’ll just do and say things I don’t have the courage to do when sober.

Stephen:  I’ll probably play it safe too.

Me:  It’s okay, Stephen.  Two of us will be keeping an eye on things.

Stephen:  I’m good for now.

*I give him a respectful nod in what I hope is his direction to indicate that I won’t pressure him.*

Trix: If anything, we can take video for ourselves while they drink so they have something to jog their memory later. *nudges Stephen jokingly*

*I get an evil grin at Trix’s words.*

Me (singsong):  Hellooo, blackmail!~

Stephen (curling his lip):  You two are a real piece of work, you know that?  *He’s teasing.*

Trix: Yeah, like a painting that could be shown at the Louvre *sticks out tongue at him*

*He shakes his head with a lopsided smile as he goes to set up the mic and machine.*

Tear: *I come back with Prettywitch, carrying plenty of bottles of all kinds and placing them on the kitchen counter.* Alright, I’m setting up a small cocktail station if anyone wants one later on. You’ll only get me full instead of tipsy if I only have beer, and by the Vishanti I’m too sober to embarrass myself singing in front of Stephen twice in the same day.

*Stephen looks at Tear, amused.*

Me:  Sounds awesome, Tear!  So, what song do we wanna try first?

Trix: We could do some songs individually then move onto duets?

Me:  Sounds good to me.  Everyone agree?

Tear: Eh, I’ll have a go at anything as long as I know the lyrics. Any language goes!

Me:  All righty!  Let’s do this!

Trix: So, quick question: what happens when Stephen finds songs that are different here than from home? I vote he sings his universe’s version.

Stephen:  I’ll follow along as best I can.  If it’s really different, I’ll go with my universe’s version.

Me:  Fair enough.  Who wants to go first?

Prettywitch: Oooooh!!! I’ll go first! *Runs up and takes the mic in hand.* Okay, how do you work this thing?

Me:  Just use the remote to flick through the songs and click one.  It can also work with YouTube.  So, if the song isn’t in the machine, it can play YouTube lyric videos too.

Tear: Neat! There’s nothing worse than a karaoke machine that only plays songs you don’t know.

Prettywitch: Oh, sweet! *Starts flipping through the songlist until she comes across “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul* Perfect! *Starts singing.*

*When the song ends, we cheer Prettywitch on.*

Me:  Whoo!  Good one!

Tear: *I whistle loudly and clap with the others.*

Trix: *clapping wildly*

Prettywitch: Thank you! Thank you!

Me:  I’ll go next.  Someone put on “What a Feeling” by Irene Cara.  

*Stephen turns it on and I go, putting everything into it and having fun.*

Tear: Go Steward!

Trix: Woo!

Stephen:  You really go all in, huh?

Me (flopping back onto the couch a bit clumsily):  All in or not at all, hon.  *Grinning.*

Stephen:  So, who’s next?

Prettywitch: Why don’t you go next?

Stephen:  …On second thought, maybe I’ll have a beer first…Just a minute.

Tear: Eeyy, that’s the spirit! *I grin and lift my own glass toward him in a cheer*

*He goes to get a drink.*

Me:  So, got an idea of the song?

*Stephen downs half of his beer.*

Stephen:  “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd.

*He flips on the song and does his best.  His voice is deep and gravelly and he does well.  Definitely doesn’t have any training in singing, but he hits the notes.  A few of the lyrics are slightly different from his version.*

Me (cheering):  Go Stephen!~

Tear: Who said sorcerers couldn’t party? *I clap and cheer for him along everyone else*

Prettywitch: *Is squeeing and, being two Stellas in, tries to not giggle like a schoolgirl too much.*

Trix: Honestly, this is the greatest thing.

*Stephen is blushing hard this time, but seems to be enjoying himself.*

Stephen:  This doesn’t get out to Wong, got it?

Tear: *I hiss through my teeth and tease him with a big grin* Keeping secrets from the Sorcerer Supreme already? I don’t know, Stephen. Sounds like we might need one more song from you to be convinced.

*He groans.*  

Stephen:  I’ve just walked right into it, haven’t I?

Prettywitch: Pretty much.

Me:  I think the eyedrops are just artificial tears to help my eyes heal.  Can anyone check to see if they’re medicated and if alcohol interferes with them?  I’m not going to have much, nor get drunk.  Though I WOULD like some limoncello.

Prettywitch: I’ll do it. *Takes the drops and reads the instructions.* Looks like they’re medicated, doesn’t say anything about alcohol interference so you should be good.

Me:  Sweet.  I’ll just slowly nurse my drink throughout the evening to be safe.

Stephen:  I take it you’ve memorized the song lyrics, then?

Me:  Force of habit.  *I shrug.*

*He smirks as he pours me a shot of limoncello and puts it in my hand.*

Me:  Thanks.  So, Trix is next, I think.

Trix: *sings I Need a Hero from Shrek 2*

*We cheer for her when she finishes and pass the night having fun, singing together, and generally enjoying ourselves.  The replica Sling Ring should be fully made by tomorrow afternoon.*  

***To be continued***

[random-writer-4884]

Red and Yellow Roses (Tony Stark X Stephen Strange)

Red and Yellow Roses

Tony Stark X Stephen Strange

Description: When Stephen returns home from a mission and dismisses Tony, who hadn't slept in over a day, Tony becomes upset. Even though the next day was their anniversary, Tony runs off and Stephen goes to bed. However, when Stephen is barely able to sleep without Tony by his side, he goes and prepares for their anniversary so that he can correct his mistake.

Warnings: none

Tony was tired. Ok maybe tired wasn’t the right word. Tony was exhausted. He had been up for well over 24 hours, and had spent basically the whole time in his lab when Pepper wasn’t bugging him to sign papers. He had finally stopped working when J.A.R.V.I.S. began to lock down his equipment. 

He went back to the bedroom he shared with Stephen Strange, and changed out of his dirty work clothes. He sat down on the bed and looked at the calendar he kept on the wall. Tomorrow was their 1 year anniversary. They had started dating a whole year ago tomorrow. Tony had a nice dinner planned for the two of them, but Stephen had been gone for a little bit. Being the Sorcerer Supreme was a taxing job, and often required him to leave on a dime. 

J.A.R.V.I.S. alerted him to some papers that Pepper had sent over for him to sign. Something that he could easily say he hated. The constant nagging from his ex-girlfriend about his company that he left her in charge of running. Yet he still had to sign all the papers. He was part of the way through digitally signing them when a ring of sparks appeared, and out walked Stephen.

He was covered in dirt, and small cuts, and blood. His perfectly kept hair was tossed in every direction possible. His robes were torn and slashed. The gleam in his eyes was replaced with a tired dullness. 

Tony immediately stood from where he sat on the bed and ran up to Stephen “You're back!” Tony reached his hands out to cup Stephen’s face, but he backed away from the contact. 

“I need to shower. I’ll be back.” Tony was taken aback by the lack of affection. Stephen started walking towards the bathroom and Tony marched after him.

“I’m sorry? No ‘Hi Tony’ or ‘I missed you Tony’ or even ‘I love you’? Really?”  The cloak around Stephen's shoulders let go of his robes and flew to the other side of the room.

Stephen sighed as he began to untie his robes “Look, it was a long fight, and i haven't slept. I havent really eaten either. I just want a fucking shower, is that alright?” 

“Fine, go have a shower! It’s not like it matters to me! I just wanted a fucking hug from my boyfriend!” Tony turned on his heels and walked out of the room. Stephen, in similar fashion, marched into the bathroom and slammed the door. Leaving the cloak so lift itself up and down in a motion similar to a sigh. 

When Stephen walked out of the bathroom after his shower, he was sort of surprised that Tony wasn’t sitting in bed. In fact Tony was nowhere to be seen. Stephen wandered the floor before giving up. He was exhausted, and if Tony couldn’t understand that then it was his own fault.

He didn’t exactly sleep much. The emptiness in the bed was a painful cold. And so one the clock hit 5:20 AM Stephen got up. He searched the closet for a suit, and pulled out a nice navy blue one. With a little bit of searching, he found a red tie with simple gold stripes on it. The choice was only a little bit inspired by Tony’s Iron Man suits. 

Once he was fully dressed up, with hair combed back, and suit ironed. He wrapped the Cloak of Levitation around his shoulders and opened a portal. 

He stepped right outside a lovely little flower shop. Walking into the shop he was greeted by the sweet old lady who owned and ran the shop. 

“Oh! Stephen! I’m so excited for you to see this bouquet! What a beautiful bouquet idea you had! Red and yellow roses mixed together with a single green rose in the middle! It's stunning!”

The cheerful lady handed him the bouquet, and she was certainly right that it was stunning. Stephen thanked her and paid for the bouquet (He may have slipped a large bit extra into her tip jar when she wasn’t looking).

Once he was outside, Stephen opened a portal back to the tower. “J.A.R.V.I.S. Where is Tony? I have something for him.” 

“Mr. Stark has requested I not tell you his location.” The AI replied simply. Stephen sighed, deciding instead to search the tower. He started with the Avengers wing, and when he found nothing he continued to the lab. 

It turned out the lab was the place to go. He found Tony asleep on a bench, draped over a handful of blueprints. He had a white pencil in his hand and had clearly fallen asleep while sketching his blueprints. 

Stephen gently rubbed Tony’s shoulder to wake him up. When he finally opened his eyes he found Stephen bent down beside him.

“Good Morning Tony.” He said softly. “Happy Anniversary, my love.” Tony sat up quickly in the chair, nearly falling off of it. 

“What?” 

“I know I was a bit of an ass last night. I was tired, but it still wasn’t right. I’m sorry.” Stephen looked down at the ground as he spoke, only looking up when Tony put his hands on Stephen’s face. 

Tony was smiling “I forgive you, you oaf! Besides, I have a dinner reservation for us tonight!” Tony stood up from his chair. Hair a bit messy, his face had grease smudges on it. 

Stephen leaned over and planted a gentle kiss onto Tony’s lips. When he finished, he pulled the bouquet of roses from behind him. He handed them over to Tony “These are for you.”

Tony lifted the flowers to his nose to smell them. “It's a beautiful bouquet! I don’t exactly understand the green one in the middle though.”  Stephen gave a slight chuckle

“Well, the red ones are for love and passion, the yellow are for caring and affection, and the green one is for growth and abundance.” Tony was smiling looking down at the flowers “Oh, and they’re the color of your suit. The green one is in the middle, sort of like the Eye of Agamotto.” 

Tony started giggling. “You are such a dork!” He quickly turned and walked over to a door on the side of the room “I’ll be right back! I just need a quick change and I’ll be ready to go.” 

Stephen was confused “Go where? I didn’t really have a plan.” Tony turned around quickly with a grin on his face.

“Breakfast, obviously! I know a lovely little mom and pop shop across town that we can go to! The owners are so sweet! They have a little side room they always let me use so i’m not bombarded by paparazzi!” Tony ran through the door yelling something to J.A.R.V.I.S. that Stephen wasn’t able to make out.

When he returned a few minutes later, he was wearing a maroon suit, and a green tie with golden accents. He walked over to Stephen and wrapped his right arm around his waist, and his left behind Stephen’s neck. Tony tilted his head and pressed his lips against Stephen’s, who returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist. 

When they broke apart, Tony grabbed Stephens hand and pulled the Sorcerer (and his accompanying cloak) out the door. They were both laughing as they hopped into the car, and drove to breakfast.

[shyday-ao3]

@whumpril 2023 Day 3. "Hold Still."

I promise I haven't abandoned Matt and Foggy in the woods. Meanwhile, here's some Stephen Strange.

[iinmysights]

petition for every single shot of doctor strange to have him have shaky hands. give them a localized seizure. oh he’s so far off in the distance you can’t see anything but a stick figure in blue or red robes? those things are violently trying to break away from his arms. they have minds of their own and by god is consciousness hell.

[itsladyliv]

Chapters: 1/2 Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange (Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: America Chavez & Stephen Strange Characters: Stephen Strange, America Chavez, Wong (Marvel), Rintrah (Marvel), Matt Murdock Additional Tags: Protective Stephen Strange, Stephen Strange Acting as America Chavez's Parental Figure, Hurt America Chavez, America Chavez Needs A Hug, and lots of therapy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Dissociation, Anxiety, america has been through A LOT okay, unfortunately for her i put her through even more shit, Grooming, not by stephen, Non-Consensual Kissing, NEVER BY STEPHEN, Self-blaming, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm

Summary:

“Lost in thoughts, she tripped on a rock and would have fallen flat on her face if not for Stephen, who was only slightly faster than the Cloak of Levitation. “Jesus. Are you okay?” She pulls away, flinching from his touch. “Yes, my bad. Sorry, I- I wasn't looking.” He looks at her. Shit. “It's okay, kid.” (It's not, but they were good at pretending.)” OR,, the one where stephen saved america from a multiversal threat. but not from a human threat.

[enviedear]

helping billy after he gets injured is so sweet to me idk

helping billy when he's injured...

don't worry nonnie, it's so sweet to me too. poor boy needs someone to stitch him back up. somehow this ended up being 1.2k words ?? this was supposed to be a drabble... idk but enjoy hurt/comfort + crush confession billy

tw— mentions of blood, a stab wound, cleaning a wound, dressing a wound, cursing (it's in every fic tbfh), confession of love, some kissin'

request

"m'sorry, honey." billy's frail voice shocks you out of your stupor. he looked like hell— pale, shakey, and bloodied.

your chair scraps against the wood floors as you bolt upward, rushing over to your friend. your hands pull his face nearer yours, studying it with frenzied worry.

"what happened billy? i thought i said no fightin' tonight." your own voice sounds strangely wild in nature— angered yet nurturing.

the tall young man falls into you, hands on your shoulders, weakly stopping himself from putting all his weight on you, "i wasn't... swear," he grimaces, right hand pulling away from you and to his left shoulder, "one o'em stabbed me. didn't know m'fucker had a knife."

"god, is it deep?" you ask, eyebrows raised with concern.

billy shifts away from you, trying to ignore the searing pain surging through his shoulder, "not deep, just hurts like hell," he says through gritted teeth. "i can handle it—had worse."

you shake your head, knowing better than to trust his nonchalant attitude when it comes to injuries, "you need to let me take a look. if it's bad, i'll have to get you to the doctor."

billy hesitates for a moment, but ultimately nods in agreement. you guide him over to a nearby table and carefully lift his shirt to inspect the wound. it's a clean stab, not too deep, but you can tell it's still going to require some attention.

"i'll need some hot water and clean rags," you say, already moving to the kitchen area. you grab a pot and fill it with water from a nearby bucket, placing it over the stove to heat up. you start to tear up a clean sheet into strips, preparing them to use as bandages.

billy watches you work, grateful for your tender touch. "you're too good to me," he whispers.

you don't respond, just focus on the task at hand. you soak one of the rags in the hot water and wring it out before placing it gently over the wound. billy hisses in pain, but you know it's necessary to prevent infection.

for the next few moments, you work diligently to clean the wound and wrap it up tightly with the makeshift bandages. billy winces and squirms occasionally, but ultimately endures the pain without a complaint.

as you finish the last of the bandaging, you glance up at billy with a small smile, "there, all done. you should be good as new in no time."

billy chuckles weakly, still gritting his teeth from the pain, "thanks, i owe you one," he says, his voice shaking slightly.

you roll your eyes, knowing billy would do the same for you if you were ever in his position, "don't mention it," you reply, "just promise me you'll take it easy for a while. no more getting into fights, okay?"

billy hums, nodding his head in agreement, "think i learned m'lesson' this time."

you both fall silent for a moment, the only sound in the small room being the crackling of the fire in the stove. you glance up at him, taking in his rugged features and the way his dark hair falls across his forehead, stark contrast to his bright blue eyes. despite the danger and uncertainty that is billy, a warm feeling spreads through your chest whenever you're near him.

without warning, billy reaches out and takes your hand in his, his eyes searching your own, "i don't say it enough, but… i appreciate everything you do f'me," he murmurs, "you're the only thing that keeps me sane in this goddamn place."

your heart skips a beat at his words, the intensity of his gaze making your breath catch in your throat. you know that you shouldn't let yourself get too attached to someone like billy, as hard to pin down as the wind, but you feel yourself tethering.

you give him a small smile, trying to hide how much his words affect you, "it's nothing, really. just doing what any decent person would do." you reply, your voice barely above a whisper.

billy squeezes your hand gently before slowly letting go. he leans back against the wall, his eyes never leaving your face, "you're more than just a decent person, you're an angel t'me?" he says, his voice low and gravelly.

you feel your cheeks heat up at his compliment, and you look away, suddenly shy, "stop it, billy. you're talking out of your ass." you mutter, trying to lighten the mood.

he chuckles softly, the sound making your heart flutter, "m'not, i'm sweet on you." he confesses, his eyes full of something you can't quite decipher.

you can feel yourself getting lost in his gaze once again, the world around you fading away until there's only the two of you. you know that this is dangerous, that you shouldn't endear yourself to someone like billy— but you can't help but crave his touch and his attention.

without thinking, you lean forward and press your lips to his, your heart racing in your chest. for a moment, he freezes, his eyes widening in surprise, but then he responds eagerly, his hands finding their way to your waist.

the kiss is like fire, all-consuming and intense, and you can't help but lose yourself in it. you know that this is wrong, kissing an outlaw as an unmarried lady would surely land you well into public scrutiny— despite their own sins.

you can't seem to care the longer billy kisses you, slow and deep, like honey off the comb. you feel utterly entranced by him, with his tender hands, towering body, and scent of iron and whiskey.

just when you feel like you could stay like this forever, time seems to speed up again and the kiss breaks.

billy stares at you with wide eyes, pressing his forehead to yours. "i'll try to be more careful, i swear," he murmurs, his voice hoarse, "and if i ain't, you have my permission to scold me until i'm beggin' for mercy."

you laugh softly at his joke before gently pushing him away from you. you shake your head fondly and meet his gaze, sighing softly as you take in the moment.

"well then don't," you reply firmly but sweetly, a small smile on your face, "because if something happened to you and i have to patch you up again with my scant knowledge…i'll be very upset."

billy's gaze softens as he looks back at you and he reaches out to brush aside a strand of hair that escaped from its pins, "don't worry, honey," he says softly, assuring you with a gentle smile, "i'll be more wary from now on."

you grin at that and pat his hand fondly, you take one last look into each others' eyes before finally breaking the spell between the two of you.

"alright then," you say, your tone determined, "i suppose you'd better go back and ride off into the sunset before i get too upset."

billy nods, meeting your gaze once more, grin tugging at his lips before brushing off his trousers. he doffs his stetson, takes your hands in his own, and takes a step forward, pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles.

"i'll ride back over tomorrow afternoon," he promises earnestly, "and i'll bring you somethin' to show my appreciation. a gift for the angel who saved m'life."

you can't help but smile at him, brain foggy at his sweet words. you know that this could hurt both of you if anyone found out— but as long as no one does, you can savor the moments like this one.

"that sounds mighty fine." you whisper softly before giving him one last wave goodbye.

billy tips his hat to you and gives an easy grin before sauntering out of your view.

—reblog and like if you enjoyed, let ur local writer know you like her work !

[boiohboii]

The people's sweethearts

Chapter 1

(Verstappen!reader x tom holland x zendaya)

Soulmate au

YN Verstappen had been through hell, by her own father, for something she didn't even ask for. She grew up learning that she should hate what was given to her, after all it was the reason her father was always angry with her. So what should she do when the one thing she learned to hate is the one thing that brings her love, safe and comfort that not even her older brother can compare.

WARNING: not proof read, Jos Verstappen (worsned like 10 times for this fic) poly relationship, derogatory terms by father, abusive father. If I missed anything else please let me know

Masterlist

Max and Yn Verstappen are close, really close, some would even say they are too close for being siblings, after all it's not usual for an 18 year old to go live with her older brother in a country 2 hours away (by plane) from her university rather than just to rent something close by.

Everyone had very harsh words to say about the pair of siblings, some still do but these are just people who hate max verstappen and they know nothing angers him more than someone insulting his baby sister, everyone was very vocal about how strange, weird and abnormal it is for 2 grown siblings to live together.

Everyone thought that the Verstappen siblings would change their living arrangements after Max and Kelly found each other, only to be surprised by Max buying a bigger penthouse that'd be enough for all 4 of them.

Everyone was negative about the prospect of the redbull formula one driver being followed around by his little sister until the release of The Anatomy of A Champion came out.

When the producers of the show pitched in the idea of talking to yn, max had refused, he wanted his sister nowhere near any of these vultures knowing how bad it can, and most probably will, get. Max was aware from a very young age that what his dad was constantly saying and doing to him and his sister wasn't normal, whenever he was at a race he would see the other boys' dad's hugging them and telling them they did a good job even if they didn't get first place, he would see how other's would have their father waiting for them with water and towels, and most importantly he would see how other dad's had their daughter on their shoulder making the other little girls laugh; Why does dad only make yn cry?

He remembers it so clearly, the way his father hit his sister because of something out of her control, something that she didn't even ask for, something that was thrown at her, it was the day his sister got her soulmark.

Everyone had a soulmark that appeared on their 5th birthday and today was yn's which made jos take her to the soul doctor. Soulmarks were complicated, which is why soul doctors were important, they let you know more about your mark and the bond that's to form between you and your other half.

"Wow young lady, you'll have twice the amount of love it seems."

"What?"

Max knew his father's tone, he know that he's angry and he unconsciously held onto yn's hand, hoping that his father wouldn't take his anger out on her.

"Well Mr Verstappen you see these lines," the doctor gently held up yn's wrist, turning it over to show off her newly given mark "that's an indicator of one soulmate, I'd say he is 3 or 4 years older than her given the shade of the mark, while this other lines that are in a circular shape indicate the other soulmate, he seems to also be around 3 or 4 years older as well. It looks like the mark that indicates young miss yn here is the moon, with how the moon is in the center I would say that yn would be the last in the group meaning that her two other soulmates will meet each other before they meet her."

Jos was angry throughout their drive home, he had already smacked yn into the car while rushing her to get in and as soon as they were in the car he hit her across the head, his arms tall enough to reach the young girl in the backseat. That was the first time max heard these words that would be so easy to recite within a few weeks.

"Two soulmates? Why couldn't you just be normal, why do you have to be such a slut?"

The ride back home was one of the worst max and yn had ever expirenced.

"Two soulmates, ridiculous.They're not even going to want you! They'd meet each other before they even know you!! At least if you turn out to be good for nothing I can just pimp you out on the street, maybe then you'd be useful, and it's not like your soulmates will even like you or want you. Unlovable whore."

"So," the interviewer started as Sophie Kumpen sat on a white sofa in Max's home in Monaco "how is your relationship with your youngest?"

"It's not as close as I'd want it to be," the mother of three confessed as she looked into the camera "yn is a very sweet girl, she had been through a lot. When Jos and I divorced she wasn't really aware of what was going on, she was too young to understand, and as she grew older all she could see was Max. He had been the one to take care of her: i remember once when Max was around ten years old he called me up, asking me how to make a soup because yn was sick and jos was out god knows where.

Max and YN were and are always there for each other, and I don't think that will ever change. I'm sure everyone thought their relationship will sort of tweak a bit when Max and Kelly met each other, but I don't think Max will ever allow that and it's not like Kelly even tried to change their relationship, she was the one who was apartment hunting for all of them while Max was racing and Yn was back in England for her university." 

"Do you think yn is putting in the effort to be there for Max?"

"Oh definitely, I mean studying mechanical engineering along with aerospace engineering at one of the top universities in the world is enough proof. Her whole life revolves around Max and I don't think it's a bad thing. Max had been her everything, he's the one she always goes to cause he is all she knows. When she was deciding what to do right after high-school all she said was that she will choose the majors that'll help her get an internship at formula one so that she'd be there with Max for the rest of his races, however long he wants to be there."

"Do you know what happened between Jos, Max and Yn? Don't you think it's weird that once Max turned 18 he asked Christian Horner to ban his father from the paddock? And to help him have yn with him as much as possible?"

"I'm not really going to go into the details of it, but Jos has done a lot of damage, especially to yn. It's not something I can talk about, not that I even want to, but Jos was a terrible husband and a wose father, I'm insanely glad that yn and max turned out as good and well as they are. Seeing them so close is not something that's surprising me given what Jos did to them, to yn" Sophie's voice broke as a few tears escaped her eyes "sorry, it's just, what she had to go through, it's traumatic and I'm happy that she had Max with her through it all. It fills my heart with joy seeing the little family Max and Yn formed with Kelly and Penelope"

ch. II

[hithertoundreamtof23]

Whumptober day 22

Prompt- Glass Shard

Stephen gets ready to sell his awards, but realizes how broken he really is.

~~ Excerpt::

He was broken, just like his career.

He looked back at the trophies, his eyes welling up with tears as he looked at how successful his life had been. He once had a job, millions of dollars, and a girlfriend.

Whumptober Masterlist

[weast-of-eden]

I've been thinking about how I could contribute to the ACD/Granada Sherlock Holmes fandom for a while, seeing as I'm neither an artist, a writer, or anything actually useful lol. But then I realized something I myself always treasure are curated fic recs, which I could actually do! I've read probably like 25% of all the h/w ACD and Granada fics on ao3, so I compiled a short list for anyone who is just starting out with the fandom. Without further ado, may I present

Eden’s Top Picks for Beginning ACD/Granada Fics:

(edit: i made a second list here!!)

The Adventure of the Doctor's Heart by mistyzeo 12k | Rated E Summary: Holmes has observed much of Watson's habits and tastes over time, which is why it surprises him when his friend objects strangely to a folk song sung at the conclusion of a case. Disturbed by the Doctor's unexpected display of emotion, Holmes becomes determined to lift his spirits by any means necessary, with mixed results. Notes: obviously if you're going to read canonverse h/w, you are going to read mistyzeo. this one is just so good and angsty and features music (!!). it's got some steaminess but it also has wooing. basically it has everything you ever need. this is my odyssey, my iliad, my hamlet, etc.

Cameo by what_alchemy 8k | Rated M | For Archive Users Only Summary: Holmes and Watson become embroiled in a case Scotland Yard refuses to acknowledge. A soulmate AU. Notes: i honestly skipped over this fic for a while, since i'm not the biggest fan of soulmate aus. do not make the same mistake i did, because this shit HITS. this fic has hit after hit: soulmate-mark based case for our main duo, angst, hiatus feels, MORE ANGST, and ofc a happy ending. ugh. read this fic if you enjoy being happy.

A Tide That Does Not Turn by tweedisgood 3k | Rated T Summary: Holmes is a very bad patient with a devoted doctor who adores him. Watson wishes it was safe to speak up, but his friend is a tide that does not turn. Notes: do NOT read this if you don't like angst... ok now i'm sensing a pattern. anyways this is the first hurt/no comfort fic i read for this tag and i literally have cried more than enough tears over it. poor, poor watson :( iconic author though, read everything they write!

The Adventure of the Glad Outlaw by radondoran 7k | Rated T Summary: While Sherlock Holmes solves the mystery of a student's disappearance, Dr. Watson is more puzzled by the changing dynamic between his flatmate and himself. Notes: cute pastiche! a nice little mystery and a nice little get-together. ahhhhhh.... this fic is like cotton candy to me, so sweet and fluffy. defo recommend

Hands by MinorObsessions (draculard) 1.4k | Rated T Summary: Naturally, there are some things Watson thinks about Holmes that don't make it into the books. Notes: i'm also in the star trek fandom, so if you know anything about that then you know that hands are kind of A Thing in both circles and ergo i now Have A Thing about hands. so this is a nice little ode to holmes' hands, featuring some doctoring by watson AND a nice reverse appraisal at the end. it's so sweet :)

Conductor of Light by ColebaltBlue  1.4k | Rated T Summary: A Victorian stiff upper lip won't prevent you from falling in love, but it might prevent you from realizing it. Notes: they finally get their shit together! honestly i would recommend this fic to anyone just starting out with h/w fics in any medium. the characterization and dialogue is A1, and their argument is really realistic to me, idk. also features the iconic HOUN quote for its title so props to that!

A (Mis)fortunate Man by sans_patronymic 1.5k | Rated T Summary: December, 1880. Watson writes a note which may be his last. December, 1899. Watson writes back. Notes: READ THE TAGS BEFORE READING. this was a gut-wrenching read but god i cried at the end for watson. don't worry, this one has a happy ending. ugh now i wish there was a second chapter where watson lets holmes read the letters. to sum up: oof, my heart

The Second Smartest Man in London by FairSinner 73k | Rated E Summary: Dr John Watson returns from Afghanistan to Victorian London, wounded, traumatised and alone. When he meets Sherlock Holmes, his life begins to seem worth living again. But Holmes is a man who despises sentiment and Watson cannot seem to expunge it from his heart. Notes: congrats, you've made it to the end!! so now i must confess that it's been a loooong time since i've read this fic, but the private note i left on my bookmark was just "holy shit", so i'm sure it's a banger. i'm also sure it has angst because i love angst and i love bookmarking angst so i can read it again and again and suffer infinitely. enjoy :)

anyways, now that i've put these all here i realized how much i enjoy angst and hurt/no comfort fics. if any of you guys have a favorite fic you want to link or want to plug your own writing, feel free to!

[14buddy22]

hi! Can I request an angsty/hurt/comfort fic with Hotch where he gets amnesia after an encounter with an unsub and the reader is a doctor at the hospital but Hotch obviously forgets her and their life together for a while. And Hotch being Hotch is reserved again and won’t let her help only the team so reader pulls back and can’t really help with the remembering process and is heartbroken but then he eventually remembers bc the little things eventually come back to him and then he finally remembers:)

Before Aaron saw the unsub cut a wire, his life flashed before his eyes. Short 1-second clips played in his head starting from when he was a child to meeting Haley, marrying her, having Jack, her passing away, moments with his team, raising Jack, meeting you, marrying you, having twins with you.

Everything flashed before his eyes and in that moment, Aaron Hotchner was scared. He knew you and his three kids were waiting for him to return, but now, now a bomb was going off in a building that he was trying to get an unsub to walk away from and let the bomb squad take care of it.

You were a doctor at the local hospital. You finally were coming off a long stretch and decided to take the day off to spend with the kids. You knew Aaron was busy but that didn't stop you from planning out a day to spend with your kiddos. Taking them to their favorite breakfast place, letting them play at the park and then bringing them back home to let them pick a movie and have a movie afternoon before the twins had to go down for a nap.

You were excited to have Aaron home tonight. The kids have missed him and you deeply missed him. Both of you working strange hours, his even weirder hours than yours, it was harder to see your husband and have family days.

The sound of your phone ringing took you out of your thoughts. Picking up your phone, you saw JJ's name come across as the caller ID.

"What's going on, JJ?"

You got up and walked into the bedroom. Not wanting Jack to overhear you on the phone with his aunt.

"Aaron was in an accident. He's going to the hospital now. A bomb went off. He was knocked unconscious. Do you want to come to the hospital to be here when he wakes up."

"Yes. Yes. I'll be there shortly. Oh my god."

You hung up, quickly telling Jack to grab snacks for him and the twins and to meet you in the car. You woke your twins up and brought them into the car.

"Daddy got hurt at work. He's sleeping right now, but we want to be there when he wakes up, okay?"

You looked in the rearview mirror of your 3 kids. You saw the fear in Jack's eyes. He was 13. He knew that it wasn't good. You didn't know the extent of Aaron's injuries, you wouldn't know until you got to the hospital, but you couldn't scare Jack just yet. Your twins were only 3, they didn't really understand.

You saw Aaron's team in the waiting room. Your twins excited to see their aunts and uncles, you just wish it was under better circumstances.

"What room is he in?"

"We haven't heard If he's done from getting his CT scan."

"Oh. Okay."

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours before your coworker came out to get you.

"Y/n, would you like to see him? Maybe just you first, I know he'd love to see his kids."

You knew hospital protocol. It was always better start with less guests first before bombarding them with a bunch of guests. You didn't want to overwhelm Aaron."

"I know, can you take me to see my husband please?"

As you walked in the hospital hallways, it felt different. You have walked these hallways more than a thousand times. You've ran in these hallways. But the feeling of having a loved one in the hospital was a feeling you didn't want to experience.

Walking into the room, you saw Aaron laying in that hospital bed.

Your face immediately lit up seeing Aaron awake and talking to the nurse. You heard him say something about having a son and you were just surprised he didn't say anything about you walking into the room. You weren't going to say anything though.

"Hey Aar."

Then you saw him look at you. You saw this look on patient's who had amnesia. You didn't need to hear the words out of Aaron's mouth to know that he didn't recognize you. And that hurt.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?"

Tread lightly, that's all you kept telling yourself. He went through a traumatic event. But you wanted to cry. Did he not remember, at minimum, the past 5 years of his life. He was talking about Jack, you know that he knows Jack exists. What were you going to tell Tommy and Sophia?

"Um, we have met before. I'm Y/n. I know you were in an accident. You work for the FBI. Um, do you remember anything?"

"Y/n. I like that name."

That's what he told you when he interviewed you for the first time at the hospital. Well, not really interviewed you, but questioned you asking about a patient.

"I know."

"I have a son, his name is Jack."

"Aaron. I know this is hard to even think about but you and I. We met about 5 years ago, we got married, and, and we have 3 year old twins. Jack, he's 13. He's a crazy teenager, but we love him."

Aaron looked at you and you could see the tears form in his eyes.

"I want to believe you, Y/n. But, but I can't. I don't, I don't remember. I'm sorry."

You couldn't break down in front of Aaron. But deep down, you were falling apart. This hurt. He didn't remember a life with you in it.

"Well, Jack would probably love to see you. Let me go get him."

You walked back out and the team all came around you.

"Um, he doesn't remember who I am. He doesn't know who the twins are. He doesn't remember his life with me in it. He remember's Jack and probably you guys. He doesn't remember the twins. I can't bring the twins to see him."

Rossi looked at you and moved to hug you. You always loved a Rossi hug. They were the closest thing to your father's hugs and you lost your father around 2 and a Half years ago.

"What am I gonna do, Rossi? He's my rock. He's my best friend. He's the father to my children. He doesn't remember anything with me in his life."

Rossi wiped your tears, realizing your children were running towards you.

"Where's daddy?"

Kneeling down you were met with the curious eyes of your twins. Jack standing behind them.

"Papa Rossi is going to take Jack to see Daddy, but we want to let daddy have some rest. Aunt JJ is going to take you guys home, okay."

Holding your twins in your arms, you explained to them that their Dad needed to rest but Jack knew something was wrong. You looked up at Jack and saw all the questions running through his mind. Your twins just knew that Dad needed to rest and that they could see them later. They also knew that if Aunt JJ took them home (sure enough to see Aunt Penny) they were getting ice cream.

"Love you mama. Give Daddy our pictures."

They handed you pieces of paper that they colored and it was of your little family. You wanted to cry but knew you couldn't. You didn't know when Aaron would break this amnesia spell but you also couldn't rush it on him. It hurt you knowing you couldn't give your husband a hug and kiss right now. It hurt knowing your twins couldn't see their father.

The Aaron you knew would've wanted to see you and his three kids right away, and you were right too. He wanted to see Jack right away. So that's when you needed to step up and be strong for everyone. Be strong for Jack who was sure to have questions.

When you walked into the hospital room with Jack, you didn't miss the way Aaron looked at Jack, not realizing who he was then quickly recovering when Jack said, "Hey Dad!"

Jack said, "I want mom to stay here with us, that's okay, right dad?"

"Yeah. Of course it's okay."

Jack pulled up a chair next to Aaron's bedside and you saw the way Aaron was trying to piece together bits and pieces of the information Jack was telling him. Aaron doesn't remember the last 5 years of his life.

You know how scary it had to be for Aaron. He's talking to his teenage son who he doesn't remember being a teenager. He had to sit in a room with his wife that he didn't remember.

After leaving the hospital that night, Jack had a lot of questions. You had to sit at the dinner table with him answering everything you could. You were a doctor and Jack knew that. He knew that you knew what was really going on with his dad.

You didn't want to tell him that his father hadn't remembered the last 5 years of his life, but you had to because you didn't want to lie. You might have to rebuild this life with Aaron and hope that he falls back in love with you.

The Aaron with amnesia was a single father to Jack, the old Aaron, the Aaron that you had 24 hours ago was a husband and a father to three children.

The next week was hard on everyone. Aaron came home from the hospital and he decided it was best to live with one of his team members, especially since he didn't remember you and your twins.

That was hard on you. Aaron was shutting you out when all you wanted to do was help him. You can't blame him, but you're heart broken. Jack moved out of the house temporarily to move into Dave's with his Dad.

That was a talk Dave had with Jack. You couldn't be there for it because you didn't want to lose Jack and now your twins were missing their big brother.

Dave decided that since all Aaron remembers was raising Jack and by this, the team's hoping that he'll start remembering everything with this help, but not rushing him into his home with his wife and all the kids, especially when he didn't remember them.

Another week had gone by and it was the first week that you were home alone with the twins. You could take care of them, that wasn't the problem, but it messed up everyone's routine not having Aaron and Jack there.

Every night, Aaron would read the twins a book while they got ready for bed.

Sophia spoke up one night that made you break down in the room by yourself.

"Mommy, Can Daddy call us to read us our story?"

Tommy brought the book and your phone to you and you had to come up with a distraction to get them into bed.

That was a rough night, when your twins had noticed that Aaron had cut off communication with them. Aaron always read them a story, whether he was physically here with them, or he called them.

When your phone started ringing, you were concerned when it was Jack calling you. He had only texted up until this point.

"Jackers, what's going on?"

Your twins were trying to push you out of the way and said, "Jack! Jack!"

"Hey Sophia, Hey Tommy. I know it's your bed time, can I read you your book?"

They started clapping and you smiled at the phone. You were so proud of your son. You know he was struggling not being around his siblings. He loved his little siblings so much. We'll see what happens when he's a teenager but for now, he loved them.

Jack started reading the book and in the background, you saw Aaron slowly stop whatever he was doing. You felt like you were watching the pieces of the past 5 years of his life start to connect.

Your heart nearly stopped for a moment when he looked over at Jack and the phone. You thought he was going to walk over but then he continued whatever it was he was doing before hand.

When Jack finished the book, the twins had already fallen asleep. You told Jack you loved him and that you'd talk to him tomorrow to let him finish up his homework and relax before he had to get to bed.

When you said goodbye to your son, kissed Tommy and Sophia goodnight, you went to your room and cried. You wanted your husband back. You were upset he shut you out during his recovery. You wanted nothing more than to be there for him, but he didn't want you there. It hurt. It hurt really bad.

You grabbed a tub of ice cream and turned on a movie. You didn't care what you watched, you just wanted something to distract you from your life.

When you heard a "mom" come from right outside your room, you didn't recognize your twins' voices, that was a voice you hadn't heard in person in 2 weeks.

"Jackers"

Jack rushed into your room and jumped onto your bed, just like when he was a little kid. He hugged you so tight and told him how much he missed you.

"Jack, how did you - What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at Uncle Dave's house."

"I brought him home."

You looked towards your doorway and Aaron was standing there. You got up from bed and Aaron said, "When Jack was reading that book, everything clicked for me. That was the book I was supposed to read to Tommy and Sophia every night before they go to bed. Everything caught up to me all at once. I remember the bomb going off two weeks ago. I remember being thrown against the wall and hitting my head. I remember just praying to whoever would listen that I would be okay so I could get home to you and our three kids."

You immediately wrapped your arms around Aaron and broke down crying. You missed him, but you finally had your husband back.

"I'm sorry I pushed you away. I'm sorry that I wasn't more careful at work. I knew I had to get home to you and the kids and I saw everything flash before my eyes. I thought I was going to die right there."

You couldn't hear it anymore so you finally kissed him to shut him up. It was a long-awaited kiss. One with love and passion and apologies filled with it.

"Your twins really miss you. Let's go wake them up."

As you watched Aaron wake up Tommy and Sophia, they immediately yelled "daddy" and jumped into his arms. Aaron needed that reunion, the twins needed that reunion, Jack needed that reunion, and you needed that reunion. Your family was back together again. Once the twins were read their bedtime story by Aaron, they quickly fell asleep again, you two said goodnight to Jack and then you and your husband were off to your bedroom to spend the rest of the night in his arms.

[happiest-hotch]

i think you did one of there with spencer and it was cute so i was wondering if you'd write one for aaron, a full fic or blurb where Aaron guesses she (his gf) is pregnant before she guesses? thanks in advance

i'm glad you liked it !! it's the type of scene i love writing

Summary: basically as above, but they are married

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader (Fluff)

Content Warning: pregnancy (obviously)

Word Count: 1.5k

It's a quiet day at the BAU, and you and Aaron are in his office, having lunch together on the rare occasion you're not out on a case, there aren't any urgent consults, and he doesn't have a meeting.

He starts smirking when you complain about there not being enough pickles in your burger.

"What?" you asked, raising an eyebrow at his sudden change in demeanor.

He leans back in his chair, his hands clasping behind his head. "I don't know, honey. You've been acting kind of strange lately. Do you think it's possible that you're pregnant?"

You roll your eyes, playfully kicking him under the desk. "Haha, very funny, Aaron. You better watch your mouth." You say jokingly.

He chuckles, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "I'm teasing, but if I'd take a bet on it. Seriously, you've been craving some weird foods lately, and if I was dumber, I'd say you were having some mood swings. Maybe you should take a test, just in case."

You shake your head, laughing at his persistence. "I highly doubt it. You know, with the birth control and all that? And you know it's a bad idea to offer me a bet." It might have been why he did it because you're both insanely competitive.

"Why don't we up the stakes?" He offers, the signature smirk that only you're privileged to lighting up his face.

You grin mischievously at him. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, you know how the team bet on if we were dating?" He asks and you nod. "Let's include them. Only if you're comfortable." He's only joking, and you're so sure he's off the mark.

"A chance to show to prove your profiling skills wrong?" You ask with a giggle. "Derek would kill me if I didn't take it."

"You're on," Aaron says, holding out a hand to shake yours and make it official. "But when I'm right, you owe me."

You chuckle again. "Yeah? What will I owe you?"

He grins, his nose scrunching adorably as he thinks. "I'll get back to you about that."

You notice the team walking back in from lunch. "Let's do it."

Aaron and you walk out onto the landing, and he makes his announcement. "Conference room, everyone."

They look at you both with a high level of concern written on their faces, scurrying like something urgent has happened which, due to the nature of your jobs, is reasonable. "Don't use your Unit Chief voice." You scold, hitting him on the shoulder. "And don't even think about bullying anyone into agreeing with you."

"Deal, but you can't make it seem offensive for them to bet against you." He instructs.

"I won't." He assures you, placing a hand on your lower back and guiding you to the boardroom.

Penelope's jumpy when you two walk in and stand in front of the screen, not doing as well as everyone else to hide her worry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." You tell them all quickly, but it's a message to Aaron as well: that although you're sure he's wrong, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

"Y/n's pregnant," Aaron announces.

You hit him on the shoulder, quickly speaking before everyone jumps up to hug you and offer congratulations. "That's just what he thinks." You say.

Even Spencer had a puzzled look, but Derek verbalizes their thoughts. "What?"

"We're betting," Aaron explains. "I think she's pregnant, she thinks she's not, so like you all bet on whether we were dating or not, we thought you might like to bet on this."

For everyone who has known him longer than you have, it's astonishing to see Aaron so open with his personal life, but you bring the playful side out in him.

The bets are in, more in favor of you, although the doctor of the team bets against you which is a little worrying. Of course, Spencer isn't a medical doctor, but he knows more about pregnancy than even JJ, who has been pregnant.

"So when do we get the results?" Derek wonders.

"Right now?" You offer. "Well as soon as I go get a test."

Aaron shakes his head beside you. "No, no way. I want it to be just us because it's going to be a special moment."

You roll your eyes at him. "Okay, but you're not coming in the bathroom while I pee on a stick." You inform him.

"We'll see." He settles, looking at you fondly before dropping the smile reserved for you when he looks back at the team. "Let's get back to work."

Aaron stops at a drug store on the way home, determined and cemented in his position as he buys three boxes of pregnancy tests.

"I don't have enough pee for all of these." You inform him when you're getting ready for bed that night.

He opens each of the boxes, handing you one of each. "Get your cute butt in there." He directs.

"I'm not taking this for you." You remind him with a smirk. "I'm taking it to prove you wrong."

"So, for me then?" He jokes, chuckling at you.

You're not really sure why you are taking the test. Of course, it's gotten to be a bigger idea with the team's involvement, but now that you're doing it, you're kind of hoping you lose. The excitement engulfing you is a shock, but it's so unlikely that you don't want to give in to the delusion.

"Are you okay?" Aaron taps on the door after you've been in there more than a reasonable amount of time.

You open the door, trying to keep a calm facade, and welcome him in, handing over the capped tests and sitting on the counter.

"You actually want this, don't you?" He profiles within a second.

It's an annoying trait of his when it shows up in your personal life, but sometimes you are glad since you're feeling like you don't have all the words. "It just threw me." You admit. "I didn't realize that I do feel ready until today."

His face drops in an instant, guilt sinking in. "I'm sorry I pushed so hard." He says very apologetically, a hand going to his forehead. "And I got the team involved."

"It's alright." You soothe, taking his hand in yours. "It's not like we can't just make a baby once we know."

Aaron nods, a cheeky smile taking over his face. "I'll give you a baby if that's the prize you want for winning the bet."

"Did you figure out what you want?" You wonder. "If you're right."

He thinks about it for another moment. "Baby or not, I can't think of anything else I need in life." His hand rests on your thigh delicately. "Ready to look?"

You shake your head, the nerves overwhelming you. "Let's not bother. We can go not knowing."

Aaron chuckles, shaking his head. "We both know we can't." He doesn't give you much more of a choice, figuratively tearing the bandaid off as he flips over the test. He's usually so good at keeping his face neutral, having had years of practice, but he doesn't. Not in your tender moment where his eyes go glassy, and he grins broadly. "Mrs. Hotchner, congratulations, you're pregnant."

"Oh, my god." Your hand clamps over your mouth in shock, but you quickly tear it away to take the test from him, needing to see it to believe it. "We're going to have a baby?"

"Yes, we are." He answers.

"I can't believe you realized before I did." You chuckle. Without a doubt, it's going to become a story that frequently gets retold.

Aaron leans forward, pressing his forehead against yours. His warm hand rests on your lower stomach, and it suddenly feels very real. "I know you that well." He reminds you. "But I will still be collecting my betting money."

You giggle at him. "I would."

It's probably clear to the team when you and Aaron are late for work, the team likely assuming you're at the doctor's office. The team is already waiting in the conference room, Rossi waving you two in.

"So, who won?" JJ wonders, struggling to curb her enthusiasm.

You share a quick smile with your husband that no one can decipher if you're gloating about winning. "Fortunately... Aaron." You inform them.

Penelope grabs you in a hug first, and you're sure she's crying. Then you're passed around the team for more hugs, sharing delighted looks with Aaron between receiving congratulations.

He's the last person to wrap you in a hug, holding you tightly to his chest. "You're so incredible." He whispers to you. "And I was thinking we could get lobster rolls with my prize money for dinner."

You quickly pull back, shaking your head. "That thought makes me feel nauseous."

His mouth drops before he quickly recovers. "Alright, pickles it is."

You're in your own little world with him until Derek gets your attention. "So, when do we get to bet if it's a boy or girl?"