#Stark Universe | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

eviesaurusrex · 2 years

Text

Stark Universe | Chapter One

Doctor Stephen Strange x Stark!Reader (not liking each other that much), Obadiah Stane x Stark!Reader (super hateful)

summary: Being Tony Stark's younger sister had most definitely its perks, but sometimes it felt similar to being a kindergarten teacher, maybe even his personal nanny. During her brother's disappearance, [Y/N] led Stark Industries under the watchful eye of Obadiah Stane. A visit as one of the main sponsors of the Metro-General Hospital in New York City led the young woman straight into the arms of Doctor Stephen Douchebag Strange.

timeline: We're starting in 2010 (the first Iron Man film); Tony has already disappeared and is nowhere to be found. [Y/N] steps into the limelight for the first time - the result of her being the new head of Stark Industries (Obie-Dobie doesn't like that very much, but hey, it's basically a monarchy, so deal with it, dumbass). She is twelve years younger than Tony, and six years younger than Stephen (he was born in 1976 because I said so), which makes her 28 years old in 2010. I know this goes against a reader insert text, and you can certainly ignore that piece of information, but I just needed an outline for myself!

word count: 3.8k

warnings: Stephen being a little shit for a moment, Obie-Dobie Wankenobi is a disgusting misogynist, mentions of illness and death, children (because they're a warning), mentions of acute insomnia, Pepper being the loveliest human on planet earth, swearing

[Prologue] » [Chapter Two] | [Series Masterlist]

New York City, 2010

The phone’s vibration in her bag snatched [Y/N] back into the cruel reality her life had turned into. Not wanting to face another rising problem, she tried to ignore it as best she could because every call in the last few weeks since Tony’s disappearance had been about the company. And she just couldn’t handle another call to tell her what responsibilities she had to face – again. But the caller was relentless; the vibration of the phone ceased for only a handful of seconds before starting all over again.

Tears of utter exhaustion bubbled up in her eyes, and the Stark was glad there was a divider between the chauffeur and the backseats. She couldn’t handle the pitying stares any longer, especially in a situation like this one, where she was close to a full-on breakdown. Swallowing the slowly rising bile, [Y/N] rummaged inside her back to find the damn phone she wasn’t allowed to just throw into the Hudson. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking violently, not even after she got a hold of the vibrating piece of metal and stared at the illuminated screen.

She knew the number by heart now.

“Obadiah,” she greeted him with a measured tone after accepting the call. She knew how the older man hated hearing emotions taking their toll on her. He never was a fan of those, to begin with. A deeply displeased sigh reached her ear within a matter of seconds. “What did I tell you about that phone?” In this instant, she felt like a schoolgirl all over again, even though she called two PhDs, an MD, and a JD her own. She wasn’t a schoolgirl by any means anymore, even before the universe decided again to treat her differently than others and to push her to grow up even faster. Nonetheless, she swallowed the retort lying on her tongue back down her throat. “Accept the first call,” she replied while closing her eyes tiredly.

I am already so done with this shit.

It was as if [Y/N] could see him sitting in his chair and nodding slowly right before her eyes. “That’s right. What took you so long this time? Your lack of handling your emotions like an awful lot of women out there?” Anger boiled inside her, but again, she ground her teeth and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m sitting in the car on my way to the Metro-General. I just didn’t hear it, that’s all.” Yes, keep going! You’re doing great! Lying to herself was a laughable easy task by now. Obadiah seemed partly pleased. “Good, because you are not like the other foolish women out there. You can’t let your emotions control your actions. Have you finally learned that?” You little misogynist piece of shit was all she could think of. He really had to learn how to make proper compliments without insulting people while doing so. “Yes, Obadiah.” No. And she never intended to learn it because her emotions defined her entire being.

Bending forward, the Stark leaned her forehead heavily against the divider and closed her eyes. How was she supposed to withstand the coming years with this man right behind her back to watch every single step of hers? Always peeking over her shoulders, always demanding, always hateful? It was a question the Stark just couldn’t answer.

I guess I have to see for myself.

The thought made her even more nauseous. Taking a deep breath, [Y/N] tried to control her voice as best as possible. “Why do you call, anyway? Is something happening in the company? Something I have to deal with?” She just wanted to end this damn call and go about her day without having to think about his constant presence on her back. But Obadiah was hard to forget – in the worst possible meaning. “I only wanted to remind you of your responsibilities for next week. After the events in New York, you will fly straight to DC and meet with the Secretary of Defense to go through the new contracts. After what happened overseas…,” [Y/N] shut her eyes as tightly as she could to prevent the tears from falling down her cheeks, “Well, they want more to protect the country. They need more. I don’t care about your moral standards, [Y/N], and I never will because it is not in the interest of Stark Industries – and you have to think the same way if you want ongoing success for this company.” His voice was stern, borderlining to being pushy, and she almost let the retort, instantly forming in her head, out of her mouth.

Almost.

Her index finger slowly traced over the seam of the backseat, felt the ruth material underneath it, and tried to focus on this feeling. The Stark could almost imagine that the seam belonged to one of Tony’s suits, and she grabbed his arm at one of the many events they attended as the unbreakable Stark Duo. She always stroked over the soft fabric and felt along the seam to occupy her mind while anxiety rushed through her entire body.

“I’ll reach out as soon as the contract is signed,” was all she could push out of her mouth, and gazed out the window. “I have to go. Don’t wanna be too late.” Not even waiting for another response, [Y/N] ended the call and pushed the phone back into the bag. That was her own way of showing rebellion against this man. It was a small act, nearly childish, but she didn’t care.

It got less and lesser of what she cared for.

"You can do this. You can do this." The mumbling stopped for a second. Thoughts ran through her head at lightning speed. "You have to do it." This one suited her much better because only a single thread held her composure up, and without it, she would be lost. But losing herself was most definitely not an option, neither now nor at any other point in her life. Not since her brother never came back from his supposedly short trip to Afghanistan and back to Malibu within seventy-two hours. But he never came back, and instead, Rhodey had called and told her everything that had happened and anything they knew – which was basically nothing at all.

Weeks had passed since then, and everyone expected her to function properly, and she did. Barely, but she managed to push through every obstacle and even managed to get a hold of the books and responsibilities of being the head of Stark Industries. They had given her a crash course in finances, the games the board loved to play, and literally anything else that could be of use in the long run. Nobody believed that Tony Stark would ever come back home, and even [Y/N] had lost every ounce of hope.

Sighing, she opened her eyes again as soon as one of the backdoors got unlocked, and Pepper Potts slid into the backseat of the car. The smell of freshly made coffee and some unidentifiable food, packed in a brown paper bag, wafted straight into her nostrils, and the Stark inhaled the tempting aroma. The redhead smiled proudly, and both - the cup of coffee and the food – found their respectable way into her hands.

"I thought you could use something to eat and something to wake you up a bit more. Another sleepless night?" [Y/N] nodded, almost shyly and embarrassed, before raising the cup to her lips and taking the first sip of liquid energy. The car pulled back into the steady traffic of New York City, and with another tired sigh, she let her head fall against the window, her eyes locked on the passing streets and buildings. "'M not even sure when I last slept. Three days ago? Four? What day is today, anyway?" She was an utter mess, but Pepper seemed to not mind at all. Quite the opposite. The woman understood her to an extent others couldn't muster even if they'd try really hard.

Another sip followed her words. "It's Thursday. I wish I could tell you about the relaxing weekend lying ahead of you, but it's more the opposite," Pepper explained, reading in her little notebook she had started shortly after [Y/N] had taken over the reins. The Stark shrugged, unimpressed. "Didn't think it would be any different. What's up this week?" She swallowed another sip of the searing hot coffee, but the heat helped her shake up her mind. How she hated to think this slow. It felt like a handicap in every possible meaning.

The sound of turned pages mixed with the cars' engines, the horns echoing through the skyscraper valleys, and the angry screaming of even angrier cab drivers. She had missed the buzzing city that was New York, and the thought of going back to Malibu alone made her stomach turn in unpleasant ways. She should just stay here, in this very city where she grew up and which was the closest to be called home.

"Metro-General invited you to one of their dinner. They said, and I'm quoting, "If a Stark is in the city and already visiting us, we have to invite them." Mr. Stane said that it would be best if you'd attend because the press is getting restless." [Y/N] scoffed indignantly. One of her hands racked through her hair, probably ruining it in the process, but she just didn't care enough to stop. "I presume he meant the board is getting uneasy with me because they think I lost my mind or some shit. But to be honest, I don't care. I'm going there because I care for the hospital, their patients and because there, I can grant them even more money. I don't need it for myself, so people can work with it and try to change the world." Uneasiness fueled her body, and the Stark fidgeted in the seat before throwing her head back at the headrest.

"What else?" She asked, already exhausted, and downed the coffee in one go. Pepper started to turn pages again, and [Y/N] let her head roll to the other side to watch her assistant carefully. "Mr. Stane accepted an invitation for a gala in honor of…" The redhead didn't even have to finish the sentence for her to know its ending.

"No."

Nothing more came out of her mouth before turning to the window and staring out again. The New Yorker sky opened its clouds, and the rain started to patter on car roofs, the street, the sidewalk, and the people out there, trying to get to their respective destinations as dry as possible. How absolutely-fucking fitting. [Y/N] wanted to leave this car, walk in the rain, and feel alive again. Maybe. Maybe not. She didn't know if that was still a possibility for her. Nevertheless, running away from events held in honor of her brother seemed like a pleasant thing to do.

Pepper sighed silently, closed the little notebook and rubbed soothingly over [Y/N]’s shoulder closest to her. "I'm talking to Mr. Stane about it."

He will drag me there, anyway. I don't have a say in a single matter anymore, she thought darkly and closed her stinging eyes again. The lack of sleep was something she couldn't control, just like her entire life at this point. She felt sick, sickly tired, and exhausted to such an extent that the woman had to ask herself what was waiting for her in a week or two. A delirium? Death itself? Whatever it would be:

Everything was better than this state of scarcely existing.

It had been way easier to get out of the car than firstly expected. [Y/N] has never been this proud of herself in her life, and after that, she even enjoyed the tour through the hospital. Where Tony had funded and supported his preferred causes, she had used her money to fund schools, hospitals, and research facilities. He had always told her how much she resembled their mother with this trait, and the younger Stark felt strangely connected to the woman she had spent too little time with before her death. Even now, two decades later, she felt guilt creeping up inside her while thinking about the woman she had adored with her whole body.

"Miss Stark!" – "Mrs. Stark is here!" – "Where?! Let me through, Poppy!" – "But I want to say Hello too, Darrell!" – "I'm sicker than you, you have to let me go first!"- "That's so stupid, Lily. You gave me your ice cream yesterday because we decided I was sicker than you."

The overly excited voices of even more excited kids echoed through the hallways as [Y/N] walked next to the Head of Pediatrics. A smile crept up on her lips – the first genuine smile in weeks – and she chuckled to herself as soon as she saw the waiting kids. Small hands waved in her direction after rounding the last corner, and the surgeon next to her grinned. "Ever since we knew you were coming, they couldn't sit still…" One of the nurses laughed. "Or stop talking, for that matter," she added and accompanied them over to the room they usually use for her visits.

"You're up early, guys," greeted [Y/N] with a grin tucking at her lips before embracing the first child with her arms. "Beth. I really have hoped I wouldn't see you here again." The blonde girl looked up at her and smiled widely despite her situation. "Mama took me home after you last visited, but I haven't felt well the last few weeks, and she thought it would be better if I'm back here before starting the new cycle of chemo." The Stark softly pushed blonde strands behind the girl's ears and nodded understandingly. "Well, I'm happy to see you again, love." The girl grinned and went back to her plushy chair.

She went from child to child, greeting familiar faces, learning new names, and got filled with all the latest gossip there was within the group of kids. It felt like another home, and having an impact on all their lives was an honor the Stark thought she would never feel in her life. But these children looked up to her; she was their role model in every way possible. It was an experience one had to make to understand fully the importance of having influence and exerting said influence. What her brother had done with his portion of influence – and what she carried on for the sake of her family name – wasn't to her liking, but she understood why he had done it. She wanted to be different, maybe even better, and she didn't intend to disappoint these kids. She never wanted to witness how the spark in their eyes slowly died down.

Laughter filled the room and the adjacent corridor, and hurriedly small, running feet went from one end to another. "We got the homework from everyone!" Marlin announced with a proudly swelled chest while sorting the small stack of papers and books by names. "You really want to check every homework?" The small voice of one of the new girls asked, and the Stark nodded, smiling. "Of course, love. That's part of why I'm here." They didn't need to know that this was a straight-up lie because the grinning faces were reward enough. Who could claim their homework was corrected by [Y/N] fucking Stark?

They are happy, and I have something to do and occupy my mind. Win-win, as I would call it.

But the peace and happiness got destroyed only heartbeats later by a demanding, arrogant voice – and, of course, it was one of humanity's greatest gifts. "Could someone explain why these children are up here and not on their unit, inside their rooms and beds?" The Stark didn't even bother to turn around to face the doorway to their little sanctum of comfort and happiness. Instead, she started to go through the worksheets and tasks the kids had to do this week. "Care to explain why you have to yell over the entire floor? Nobody in here is deaf." [Y/N] was never too proud to counter someone's stupidity and audacity. The kids chuckled in unison, even though some of them seemed to be intimidated by this man that she had to ask herself which specimen blessed her with its replaceable presence. He almost sneered in her back after taking a deep breath. "The audacity you own." Now, [Y/N] just had to laugh and shook her head before finally spinning in her chair to face him.

"Oh, now it's me who owns the audacity. Who yelled through the entire floor and demanded answers only seconds ago? It certainly wasn't me, Doctor." She mocked him with his title, and everyone in their close proximity who had ears and a brain knew that. Seeing his face twisting and twitching to maintain his composure was too amusing to regret anything at all. Before the black-haired man could open his mouth another time, a woman emerged next to him and pulled at his arm.

"Stop with whatever thought you wanted to throw her in the face, Stephen. That's [Y/N] Stark," she whisper-yelled in his ear, but the Stark could hear every single word of it. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and smiled mockingly. "A real pleasure, Doctor Strange." She knew him. Of course, she knew him because it was her checks who funded his research about neurogenesis. She admired him for his works but certainly not for his character and attitude, which always showed through his demeanor, especially during medical talks and interviews. It was strange how much he reminded her of her brother in that matter. And it was a tragedy that another member of nature’s most insufferable creation was not only the most insufferable person she ever had the pleasure to read about – he, of course, got the full-blow of handsomeness.

I may not like his character, but I can still look very un-respectfully.

Realization seemed to hit him like a truck at full speed, and he cleared his throat. "Miss Stark, I…" But she interrupted him straight away. "Quit whatever you wanted to do or say. You don't need to charm me or whatever bullshit you always do to get what you want. I'm not interested in your character, attitude, or whatever others need to see if they are thinking about giving their money away. I'm not them. I don't fund to get a dividend at the end of each quarter." People's ways to gain more money were so restricted and naturally narrow that [Y/N] didn't understand them. She didn't want to even try. Strange cocked one of his dark eyebrows. "Why do you invest, then?" The woman started to grin. "Wrong term. Investment people want to get something in return, mostly money, but people who fund research? Well, we're not interested in money because we already own enough. I can't speak for the intention of others, but my intentions are simple." Another nonchalant shrug. "I want to see results. Life-changing things. Approaches never in existence before, so we can create a better world for those who have to live longer than we have to, and especially for those who come after. Simple as that."

It was in her blood, these life-changing wishes and approaches. Once, a long time ago, her father helped to shape the last century, and since a few weeks back, her brother had shaped their century. Well, he had started to do so. And maybe now it was her turn to get up and see if the footsteps of the men in her family were too big for her.

Or too small.

The corner of her mouth twitched at that thought.

The doctor looked dumbfounded, and [Y/N] could imagine that this occurred little to never, so she had achieved what she wanted. "Well, Doctor Strange. I don't wanna keep you away from your work any longer. Mr. Hawthorne already got the check for the next quarter, so… research away." And with that, she spun in her chair again and dedicated her full attention to the kids again. But they just stared in awe at the woman in front of them and couldn't close their mouths anymore.

"I wanna be just like her someday."

Never in his life was Doctor Stephen Strange this furious as he was in the moments after leaving the presence of none less than [Y/N] fucking Stark. His insides burned; his mind raced a million miles per second. He strode through the doctor's lounge, the sound of the boiling coffee machine in the background, and the door opened to let Christine inside. At the sight of his state, she closed it quickly and grabbed herself a mug to pour some coffee.

"She is even wittier in person."

Strange seethed and stirred profusely in his own mug. "Witty?! She owns the biggest forsaken attitude I ever saw on a person!" The other doctor hid the eye roll and smiled behind the mug full of steaming coffee. "Sure." Stephen shook his head and leaned his hip against the kitchenette counter. "And this person is giving me money. I can't believe it." Christine now openly rolled her eyes and nudged his side. "She is funding your research, to be precise. She isn't paying you, Stephen. What is wrong?" She always knew if something was off, and the Strange sighed before answering. "Nothing, she just… she gets under one's skin, I guess."

If he were honest with himself, Stephen would admit how intimidating and unique the Stark woman was and how she threw him off his tracks. He wasn't one for crushes because he had way too much and too important work on the outline of his life, but she… Well. She was different. He had to admire her point of view on certain aspects of life, but he would never admit more than that. Not only because of his moral standards but also because this woman was the most insufferable being he had ever met in his life.

Christine nodded slowly. "Maybe you two would get along pretty well if you'd meet each other someday again. She seemed… a bit tense, but her brother just disappeared, so that's totally understandable." The Strange hadn't thought about that, but it didn't concern him, so why should he think about it now? But his brain had other plans, and Christine knew that, judging by the smile on her face. "I think I heard someone talking about her being at the dinner tomorrow night," she grinned and lifted one of her eyebrows. The man rolled his eyes. "I don't know what you're trying to suggest, Palmer."

Of course, he knew. He had known this woman since college. And maybe - the slightest maybe - he possibly had thought about going there and talking to [Y/N] Stark since Christine had brought up the possibility of it.

But that would never happen because the universe had other plans for them.

[Next Chapter]

Comments, reblogs and likes are much appreciated! Lots of love and thanks for reading! If you want to join the taglist, please reach out and let me know!

Taglist:

@mischiefmanaged71 @poor-unfortunate-soul-85

#stephen strange x reader #doctor strange x reader #doctor strange fanfic #doctor strange x stark!reader #stephen strange x stark!reader #stephen strange #doctor strange #doctor strange series #Stark Universe

282 notes · View notes