#wong must be protecting the sanctum sanctorum

[tokoyamisstuff]

Are you happy, Strange? - Chapter 2

!Multiverse of Madness Spoilers ahead!

Stephen never opened up to anyone. Neither about his regrets of the past, nor his reoccuring nightmares of the future. But when a certain universe-traveling girl revealed that the woman in his few pleasant dreams is meant to be his Soulmate, he is determined to meet her.

Sadly, when he finally finds you, the Sorcerer has already been possessed by the Darkhold...

Warnings: Possessive! Strange, Kidnapping, Imprisonment, one Curse Word, slight Restraining if you blink

[Previous Chapter]

"Stephen Stranges in any universe share a 'psychological birthmark' where they try to control death through their ‘artistry, arrogance, and skill.’" - Benedict Cumberbatch on the Death of Donna Strange, Stephen's sister

Being the guardian of a Sanctum Sanctorum certainly had it's perks among all the responsibility.

For example, there was ancient knowledge meant for only your eyes, rooms only the head of the residence could step foot in.

The New York temple had close to no other preservers aside from Stephen, and regular visitors were more than rare. Only Wong was a possible threat for Stephen's plans, however he had yet to discover what chokehold the Dark Magic had on his friend. Well, he was neither fond of long visits, nor sticking his nose in Strange's business as far as the world was in no danger.

Because after all, Dr. Strange was a hero that had protected the world from countless magical and mystical threats without fail. The bond of trust between the two sorcerers was inseparable, even through everything they've been through.

Yet it didn't get unnoticed that ever since the incident, Strange was behaving different from his usual self.

At first it were minor changes. He became more cynical than usual - you might say bitter, even. Isolating himself and desperately trying to numb his consciousness through alcohol.

This wasn't the first time Strange was suffering in silence like this, though. The loss of function in his hands after the accident, having to see the one he presumed to be the love of his life to marry someone else because of his own shotcomings...

...it was only natural for one's mind to be out of balance after all the things he had to witness, as well as the sacrifices this latest fight had cost.

If they didn't know any better, people could think that Strange was an actor before his life with the ancient magic. He had never been one to talk about his experiences, let alone his past. Leave it behind you and move on, or so was his philosophy.

Show no emotion, for they make you appear weak in front of both friend and foe.

And his comrades would respect the little privacy he had, sure that after a while of licking his wounds like everyone else he'd become his old, sassy and confident self again.

Today was completely different, however.

Strange seemed preoccupied by something, mind wandering off to places no one would be capable to comprehend. Several attempts of his followers to aid him in whatever was eating on his mind failed, but the sorcerer managed to keep his temper.

They must suspect anything and possibly inform Wong about his mental state, so he had to pull through with it and wait until they left on their own.

And then, the time had finally come.

Only god knows how long you've been trapped in here already, with no indication of date or time anywhere in this dark basement. As you woke up from your deep slumber you began to panic, pacing back and forth in your cell after your calls for help went unheared.

Last thing you knew was that after your morning run, the drink you got from your favourite café tasted weird for some reason. You still felt the bitter sensation on your tongue, making you feel sick.

Yes, exactly...you felt dizzy and disoriented afterwards. Staggering helplessly through the busy streets as you leaned against the wall of some building, unable to hear anything else than your own, fastened heartbeat...

...until you ran into an attractive stranger helping you, that was.

The memory alone made your anxiety skyrocket. You gulped heavily, mouth dry and throat cramping as you felt unable to suck in any air.

It all made sense now, even though you never before would've suspect someone to narcotize you. And how even? You took the cup with a lid directly from a barista!

Your mind was running miles an hour, asking yourself how you ended up in this situation or what the person who did this to you might want. Yet asides from horrific imagines, your terrified brain was unable to bring up anything that might help you escape.

No matter where exactly you were, there was no way out of it.

"Please..." you whimmered, slumping to the ground of your cell and pulling your knees to your chest, "Let me out, I beg you!"

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Y/N."

So he knew your name. And the fact that someone had answered, most likely lurking in the shadows of the room and enjoying your suffering let your blood run cold. And yet, the stranger's voice seemed so calm, so affectionate and caring in huge contrast to the scene unfolding in front of you.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there, my love?"

My love. So this is what all of this is about, your strickened soul thought as you desperately tried to make sense of it. A psychopath maybe, wanting to violate and dispose of you later.

You shuffled back as far as the little space allowed you to as the figure stepped into the dim light of the room, revealing himself.

"No way" was the only coherent thought you were able to conclude when you saw that right in front of you stood no one else than the one and only Doctor Strange. "W-Who are you?!"

The man wore a smile just as soft as his voice, his stance confident but in no way threatening. He laughed, scoffed a little at your ridiculous comment. "I'm hurt. You simply have to know me, don't you?"

"The-" you hesitated, not wanting to enrage the man who had you completely and utterly at his mercy. "The real Strange wouldn't kidnap an innocent stranger."

You were sure of it: There was simply no way it was him.

"Well, it's not that easy to explain, I'll admit" he scratched his beard almost flustered, coming even closer to the cell. "You'll understand after some time passes."

"No!" you now screamed aloud and with every syllable, you repeatedly slammed your hands against the unknown barrier that kept you from escaping. "Let. Me. Go!"

Strange sighed deeply, hands crossed behind his back in goodwill as he effortlessly crossed the barrier to your prison. "Don't you dare!" you screeched, wildly beating the air as he approached you. "S-Stay away! Do-on't to-ouch me!"

"Shh" he hushed you, gently taking ahold of your wrists to keep you from struggling against him. "I would never hurt you, okay? I swear upon the little honor I have left."

Stephen's eyes bordered on pure madness - but there was also something else: A bottomless pit of pain, and an incredible vulnerability. Something that made you believe him at least when it came to this.

Albeit how irrational it might sound, but as soon as you were in the sorcerer's embrace, you finally began to relax. Tears that had prickled on the rim of yor eyes this whole time now fell freely, needing to let out this turmoil of emotions inside of you.

Maybe his magic already had it's hold on you...

"See? It's alright" Strange spoke as he tended to you, his thumb ghosting over your cheek as it wiped the salty liquid away. "No one will ever hurt you as long as I'm alive."

"Doctor, you-" choking on a sob, you realized reasoning with this man was most likely to no avail. "Call me Stephen, please."

"This is wrong, Steven! I don't know what happened to that you'd do something like this, but you can't keep me here forever. You understand, don't you?"

He just smiled at your words, so grief-stricken and hurt that it scattered your heart into pieces, even though you barely knew the man you looked at right now.

Strange's smile would soon turn into a forced, distortet grin, which again would turn his deep chuckle into a manic laughter. Burying his head into his hands as he continued his outburst, the mage visibly seemed torn apart on the inside.

And you realized who the winner of his internal battle was when he'd face you once again.

"Fuck!" you hissed in disturbance, leaping a safe distance away from the man. A shiver ran down your spine at the third eye that had opened on the top of his forehead, all three of them staring menacingly at you.

"I knew you're not the real Strange. You're a monster! What the hell are you, you freak? What do you want from me?!"

"My, my" the doctor growled as you managed to claw at his cheek, your nails drawing blood from the skin.

Purple lightning manifested out of thin air as it entangled around your body, effectively trapping you in place. "I'm hurt, Y/N. What a terrible thing to say to your Soulmate."

"Sou- what?!" Your voice was barely above a whisper, only to scream in exasperation "You're insane! I don't even know you! What the hell..."

"As someone who has studied the Multiverse, I can guarantee you that we're meant for each other." The magical ties around you tightened when you tried to wriggle out of their hold, barely enough to not hurt you. "So if I'm the villain, what does this make you?"

Little did you know that it was Darkhold speaking, completely having it's hold on the sorcerer. "I only ever had pure intentions - when it came to you, anyways."

"The Multiverse holds more dangers than beauty, no matter how unfair it may seem. I must know it, my dear: I've seen more than most beings, yet not even close to everything." You flinched away at his attempt to soothe you, but the shackles were just as merciless as their conjurer. "My only wish is to protect you from whatever will eventually come to take you away from me."

"Please..." Your pressed your eyelids together, unwilling to cooperate in any way. "Not like this."

Stephen placed his index finger on your lips, murmuring ever so slightly. "No use to fight it. Stop and make it easier for the both of us, won't you?"

Biting your lip as he ignored your plea, you were only able to helplessly endure whatever this man was going to do to you now...

...but much to your surprise, Strange did nothing else than letting his fingers run along your cheekbone, watching in admiration before placing a sole kiss to your temple.

"Y/N, I promise you will fall for me. The Multiverse has already dictated it."

[Next Chapter]

#doctor strange #mom spoilers #doctor strange / reader #dr. strange x reader #stephen strange / reader #stephen strange #writing #self insert

[romerona]

Chapter 1: The green man's visit.

~In which the daughter of the Lord of Darkness who was born with the sole purpose of destroying the universe falls in love with Peter Parker~

~Masterlist~

———————

New York, 2012

A pair of Amethyst eyes followed the strange creatures leaving the portal from the light blue sky, the breeze making the curls of fiery red hair fall to her freckled face forcing the so six-year-old to move it away. 

"That one." Giggle the little girl, pointing with her little finger at one of the many Chitauri that were attacking the city. 

The Ancient One, a bold, skinny pale woman that wore bright yellow robes that reminded Carina of a bird she had seen soaring in the air from one of the windows of the Kamar-Taj, conjured war fans and threw them at the flying Chintauri causing the chariot to explode. 

Carina giggles and claps amusingly while the woman smiles with affection at the girl. That was what the two spent most of the morning doing, the Ancient One and Carina Agamotto were on the rooftop of the Sanctum Sanctorum of New York, a place Carina rarely visited. The older master protected the building and the little girl, happily sat on one of the chairs telling her which Alien to target. 

Carina has always been easy to entertain, not leaving the old grounds of the Kamar Taj often, she was constantly looking for any source of diversion and entertainment which normally came in the pages of worn-out books, learning a new language or watching the Ancient One teach the Arts, hence, why watching her destroy the Chitauri is a welcome form of entertainment. 

"Where do they come from?" Asked the little girl gazing at the dark portal with innate curiosity. 

"The Sanctuary."  Answer the woman.

"Sanctuary?" Carina tilted her head, she frowned remembering the planets she had learned with Wong— one of her few friends and one of the many masters back in the Kamar Taj. "That's not in the solar system..." 

"Not in ours, little star." Said the ancient one, gazing up at the aliens. "There's an —"

"Infinity of universes, yes I know." Said the girl, nodding her head proudly, recalling the lecture the master always gives her. 

"But, if they are here...." Carina looked at the ancient one in doubt. "Isn't our responsibility to protect the earth?" 

"We masters of the mystical arts protect the earth from mystical threats." The woman looked at her with a soft smile, "Loki is a threat for us but not ours to defeat." 

"Ah yes, like, Uhm..." As the girl struggled to say something a flash of green caught her eyes and the Ancient One's too.

Carina's eyes widened as the massive, green person, that reminded her of huge broccoli with legs or a leprechaun with hair, moved to the doors of the Sanctum. He was a little frightening for her but also intriguing. 

"I'd be careful going that way." Said the Ancient One, making her presence known. "We just had the floors waxed." 

The green man moved, he looked between the two. "I'm looking for Dr Strange."

Carina tilted her head in thought, Dr Strange is a name lost in her mind, she does think she'd heard that name before. 

"You're about five years too early. Stephen Strange is currently performing surgery, 20 blocks that way." Said the Sorcerer, pointing the direction where Dr Strange, whoever that be, currently is. "What do you want with him?" 

"That actually." The green man points at the strange necklace hanging from her neck. 

Carina frowns in question, she wonders what's important about that necklace, to her it's really ugly but if the big, green man had come to get it from the Sorcerer Supreme then it must be important. 

"Ah." Said the Supreme in realization, her eyes looking down at it for a second.  "I'm afraid not."

"I'm seriously sorry but... I wasn't asking."

The man cracks his knuckles and moves in. 

The Ancient One smiles calmly. "You don't want to do this."

"You're right, I don't." Said the green man moving forward. "But I need that stone, and I don't have a lot of time to debate it-"

He reaches for it but the Ancient One slams her palm into his chest and blasts the man right out of the green man's body. 

Amazing. 

A normal looking man hangs in the air, staring at his frozen body. He looks at his human hands, overwhelmed.

"Let's start over, shall we?" Said the Sorcerer moving to the other side of the rooftop forcing the spirit of the man to move with her. 

The little girl hops off her chair and walks to the green body, from where she was seated he looked huge, but up close, the green man looks gigantic. 

"You're like a big broccoli..." Carina pauses in thought. "I like broccoli, I heard people don't like it, I don't understand why, it's just a plant that you can eat, like small rūkha. Who wouldn't like to eat ब्रोकाउली?... I like vegetables, my favourite food is Thukpā, it's noodle soup, very delicious but most of the time we only eat it during Jāḍō, that's uh- winter in English, it can be served with meat but I like mine with only vegetables, I don't like meat because they kill the याक."

Carina pokes him, his skin was hard as a rock and leathery, she pokes his green cheek again before glancing at where the two adults had headed, with no eyes on her, Carina grunted as she struggles to hold his arm up, the entire arm was the same size as her if not taller, and twice heavier. 

"तिमी धेरै भारी छौ"

She huffs before letting it smack to the ground once again wincing at the loud noise she glances at the adults. She smiled sheepishly when the Ancient One gave her a look, and with a movement of her hands, the big body of the green man levitated to Carina's former chair. 

The little girl follows the green big man and observes him, asking herself how there are pants that fit him. 

Are there people out there big as he is? 

"You'll look really good in purple, that's my favourite colour, probably because it's the colour of my eyes... I've noticed people don't have eyes like mine, black, blue, brown but never purple, that makes me special or at least that's what the Supreme says." Carina trails off, she observes the giant green man again. 

"You'll still look good and— Aha." 

She picks up a nearby floppy sun hat and with a jump she places it on his head, she also grabs a couple of leaves and places them around him. 

"You look like a pretty broccoli now." She muses with a smile before it turns into a pout, wishing she had something else to decorate the big man with. 

"Green friend. I don't have many friends." She sighs pursing her lips "I don't go out much either..." 

Suddenly, there was a line of golden light transversely across the roof. She stared at it in amazement, tiptoeing she held her hand up to move her finger over the line, undoubtedly the finger went through it but soon the golden line disappeared making her sigh. 

"That was awesome, wasn't it?" Carina looks back at the big green man, she analyzed him for a second, her head tilting and with a frown, she concluded he looks simple just with the hat. 

Carina thinks for a moment before gasping in realization, she moves away from the green man for a moment remembering there was a small greenhouse on the rooftop.

"They are not purple but I think you're still going to look cute." She grabbed a few roses before returning to where she had left the man only to find him gone. 

She frowned looking around only to find him back on his feet talking to the Ancient One. 

Carina pouts, her shoulders slumping dejectedly as she takes a seat on the chair where the green man had previously been. She liked her new friend... he might have never actually said something back to her and she might have just met him a few minutes ago but she liked him nonetheless. 

She normally doesn't have too many people to interact with other than Wong and the Ancient One, and since she doesn't practice magic yet, she doesn't interact with the other children often.

Dropping her gaze to observe the roses that were laying in her hand, she noticed the bright red colour of the flower was disappearing, the petals falling, the green root was drying and soon the rose was withering to ashes. 

Carina felt a rush going through her veins, it was energizing, somewhat addicting and dark.

"Carina." The voice of the Supreme made her snap out of it. 

She gasps, and the ashes of the flowers dropped to the floor, she looked up at the Sorcerer before looking down at her hands. "I- I don't—"

"Carina." The Ancient One holds Carina's hands in hers, forcing the alarm, Amethyst's eyes to turn to her green ones. "The power you have is vast but dangerous, you need to learn to dominate it before it dominates you." 

"Are you teaching me magic?" 

"In a way," The Supreme nodded, letting go of her hands. "But all in due time, right now I want you to close your eyes and think of something that you like very much, littlest star." 

Carina did as told and the Supreme placed her free hand on the side of her neck, the careful eyes of the sorcerer looking at the faint, yet angry black veins on the back of her neck. 

Carina, not taking a care of the Supreme's actions, thought back to the past few days, in the past month and year. "I like when the sun goes down and when the stars show themselves."  

Moving her gaze from Carina's neck to her now open eyes, the sorcerer said "I want you to think of those bright colours, those peaceful moments before the moon comes out and those bright stars that shine in the sky when you feel like you're losing your control." 

"But how would I know I am losing control?" Carina asked frowning, looking down at her hands. 

"When you feel you can't stop, think of the sunsets and stars to stop yourself from falling into darkness."

Carina bit her lower lip with a frown. "But what if I lose control?" 

"I have faith you won't, little star." The ancient one told her, eyes looking at her in honesty. "Now, why don't you go for a lemonade, I'm sure Master Drumm will serve you some." 

"Yeah." With a cheeky smile, Carina nodded and dashed inside the sanctum, not noticing that she had not only turned the roses 

into ashes but the rest of the greenhouse.

⁺ 　　 ˚

. * 🌍 ✦ . 　⁺ 　 .⁺ 　　 ˚

. * 　　　 ✦ 🪐. 　⁺ 　 🌔.

. 　 　 ⁺ ⁺

It was nighttime when they went back to the Kamar- Taj and instead of going to their rooms, the Ancient One took Carina for a walk around the Sanctum. Carina was slightly confused for she knows the temple like the back of her hand but she followed the supreme anyways, they ended up in a room that overlooked the beautiful sight of the Himalayan mountains. Carina decided then and there that this room was her new favourite place. 

"Woah." She mumbles, sitting on a pillow on the floor, placing her head on her hand. "It's beautiful." 

"I agree." Said the Ancient One. "Nothing like a beautiful view to clear our minds." 

They spend the next few minutes in silence, admiring the view of the snowy mountain. 

"I want you to have this, little star."

Carina looked over and was met by the sight of a simple gold chain necklace with a green stone that was shaped like a star. 

"Really?" Asked Carina, staring between the green star and the Supreme. 

"A gift." She nodded, motioning for Carina to turn around to put it on and the little girl was more than happy in doing so. 

When the star hit Carina's neck it felt off, she suddenly felt a little tired and drained, but regardless she thought she was just exhausted from her day. "A gift? Why?" 

Caring runs a delicate hand over the green stone, as she turns back to face the Sorcerer. 

"Why not?" The ancient one smiled at her warmly. "Just promise me, you'll always wear it." 

Carina smiled, nodding happily. "I promise."

A/N: Hope you liked it.

*English is not my first language so please if there's something wrong please correct me just don't be dicks about it.

*I'll be using google Translate for some things along the story, once again if there is something wrong please correct me.

#dr strange #hulk marvel #bruce banner #marvel fanfiction #marvel comics #marvel community #the ancient one #avengers #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #mcu imagine #mcu fanfiction #peterparker x reader #spiderman #dr stephen strange #stephen strange #karl mordo #dormammu #mcu loki

[frostandflamesfanfic]

Just My Type - The Unexpected Visitor (Strange x Reader)

The Unexpected Visitor - Rated T

|| Part 1 || Part 2 ||

Request: NO

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Reader

Word Count: 2.5k+

Warnings: Brief language, implied suggestive content

Summary: Takes place BEFORE the events of Just My Type (read HERE). As a fellow sorcerer at the Sanctum Sanctorum, you've grown used to unexpected chaos. What exactly happened to get Stephen so jealous during that visit from Thor?

You were in the kitchen when you initially heard the commotion. It was around lunchtime and both you and Stephen had felt a bit peckish. Speaking of the great Sorcerer Supreme, he was supposed to help you with preparing the meal. As great of a cook as you were, no amount of magic would have helped you juggle three tasks at once – even if it wasn’t banned by a certain librarian. Wong always was hesitant to grant the two of you sorcery privileges outside of battles and training. 

“One must not become overly dependent on your abilities,” he had warned once. “If you rely on spells to complete simple tasks, you will give into the temptation.”

“Ah, yes,” you couldn’t help but snicker as you gave your best Yoda impression. “Temptation, greed, laziness…a sorcerer craves not these things.”

As per usual, the librarian was not amused. 

Unfortunately (and a little too conveniently, you might add), Stephen claimed he had a matter to attend to before he could join you at the table. There was a clatter at the front door as you flipped another grilled cheese on the pan. You weren’t expecting company that day, but that idea was put to rest as the Cloak of Levitation zoomed through the kitchen door to find Stephen. His matter must have something to do with the company, you realized a few minutes later. Allowing curiosity to overtake you, you risked a glance into the hair to reveal a familiar head of long blonde hair.

“Thor Odinson,” Stephen’s low gravelly voice echoed against the halls as he floated throughout the Sanctum to greet his guest. There was the slightest hint of a smirk on his face. It was almost as if he was pleased to have caught the Norse god off guard. “God of Thunder. You can put down the umbrella.”

A grin spread across your face and you set the tray of sandwiches down to skip into the Sanctum’s room of archives. Thor’s hair had grown out even more since you last saw him in Sokovia. “Thor!” you exclaimed as you neared the man to hug him. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today. What brings you to our humble abode?”

After years of grief from your parents’ car accident, you had gone on a trip of self-discovery, where you met the Ancient One and Baron Mordo. You had used the Mystic Arts to protect numerous innocent lives, assisting the Avengers on occasion. In fact, you had been a founding- and youngest- member of the Avengers. You fought side-by-side with the Norse god and your compatriots during the Chitauri invasion of 2012. When an unexpected injury rendered you useless on the sidelines after Germany, you turned your attention back to the teachings of Kamar-Taj. It ended up being for the best, as you were able to return to maintaining a secret identity before needing to sign the Accords. 

You were delighted to hear Thor deliver his usual chipper greeting to you, the one where he referred to you as Asgardian royalty. “It appears I have been summoned,” he remarked. “Shortly after I witnessed my brother be swallowed up by an orange circle.”

Stephen cleared his throat from behind you, suddenly alerting you of his presence. “Yeah,” he admitted, “that would have been me.”

“So earth has, uh, wizards now, hm?” the blonde-haired man chuckled to himself. He allowed his fingers to trace along the edges of each Shard of Gaea, which were settled on a nearby mahogany table. He looked to enjoy the smooth feeling of the crystal against the skin. It didn’t take long for him to apply too harsh of a touch. The fragile pieces slid onto the table below. No matter how hard he attempted to fix it, Thor couldn’t help but sheepishly grin as the entire display ended up on the wooden surface. 

You had to cover your face with your hand in order to prevent a snort from slipping out. 

“The preferred term is ‘Master of the Mystic Arts,’” Stephen corrected in a terrible attempt to continue the conversation with a nonchalant tone. “You can put that down now.”

“Alright, wizard. Who are you? Why should I care?” Thor gestured to you. “And when did you take this one from their home? Surely Midgardians are now far above kidnapping for pleasurable services.”

You nearly choked. “We’re-” you stuttered. “We’re not together, Thor.”

Stephen, however, managed to remain unfazed from the comments. “My name is Doctor Stephen Strange and I have some questions for you. Take a seat.” He levitated into his favorite armchair. He then rested his head against one of his brown leather gloves. “Tea?”

“I don’t drink tea .” Thor replied, rather indignantly, as if he was appalled by the fact the Sorcerer Supreme even suggested he try the beverage. He eyed the teacup in his hand with a calculating and narrow stare. Even you could tell that it was much too small and dainty for a man of his size. 

“Then what do you drink?” Stephen asked again.

“Not tea.” You watched with a smirk as the teacup transformed into a transparent glass stein that settled in his right hand. The liquid followed soon after. While you thought it looked like a beer, you knew far too well that it was a much stronger elixir: a brew strong enough to give even the more stubborn of Norse gods a late night buzz. 

“So I keep a watchlist of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world,” Stephen’s serious tone and stare cut through the God of Thunder. You felt a bit uncomfortable from your position against the wall. “Your adopted brother, Loki…is one of those beings.”

“A worthy inclusion.” Thor nodded in approval as he finished the first stein. The solemn look was replaced by furrowed brows and an intense stare as he curiously watched the glass container refill on its own. 

You couldn’t help but agree. The last time the blonde’s adopted brother came to visit the planet, he had attempted global domination. Half of New York had paid the price for his greed. Restoration crews had increased their fees, making the clean up even more Your team hadn’t been without grief, either. Phil Coulson had given his life that day. He was killed by Loki’s hand. Needless to say, it was definitely a good idea to have him on the watchlist.  

“Then why bring him here?” Strange leaned closer, eyebrows knitting together.

“We’re looking for my father.” Thor responded very matter-of-factly as he raised the stein back to his lips again. 

“So…if I were to tell you where Odin was, all parties concerned would promptly return to Asgard?” Stephen.

“Promptly.” Well, that was certainly a relief. 

“Great!” Stephen leans back in the seat, a pleased smile across his features. “Then I’ll help you.”

“If you knew where he was, then why didn’t you call me?” Thor frowned at the sorcerer before him. 

“I have to tell you, he was adamant that he not be disturbed,” Stephen replied. “Your father said he had chosen to remain in exile.” 

“Hm…” Thor was having a difficult time believing his explanation, you could tell. 

“And you don’t have a phone.” Stephen continued. 

“No…I don’t have a phone,” Thor conceded. “But you could have sent, uh, uh, an electronic letter. It’s called an email?”

“Yeah, do you have a computer?” you asked him gently. In the entire time you knew the Asgardian, he had never shown an interest in modern technology. Perhaps his position changed after the little show-down between the Avengers over the Accords. 

Thor shook his head with a raised eyebrow. “No, what for?” 

“Uh huh...” Stephen wasn’t impressed by any means.

“Anyway,” Thor continued with a tight smile and an additional sip, “my father is no longer in exile, so if you could tell me where he is, I can take him home.” 

“Gladly. He’s in Norway.” Stephen rose to his feet and waved his hands to send the three of you to another part of the Sanctum. He held a large text in his hands, a collection of ancient spells in a language you couldn’t understand. “Just seeing whether this incantation requires any Asgardian modifications….” He muttered, rifling through the pages. A moment later, he glanced up and snapped the book shut. “Nope!”

The scene around you shifted again and you almost stumbled into one of the many shelves in the library. You placed your hand on Thor’s shoulder in order to balance on your feet. Your fellow Avenger appeared a bit disoriented, as well, but still opted to poke along the shelves. His hands found a copy of Vashanti’s Protection Spells; Volume I , which caused you to smile. 

“One of the strongest sorcerers in all of history,” you remarked with a nod. Reaching out for the book, you took a step closer to show Thor some of the illustrations included. “Good luck reading it, though. Sanskrit is incredibly tricky…even for Google Translate.” 

“Oh, we don’t need that.” Stephen’s voice called when he noticed your attention was elsewhere. He was greatly enjoying messing with the God of Thunder at this point, but he had required an audience. There was a smug smirk that you noticed quivering against his lips as he walked past.

Thor put down the stein rather abruptly onto the bookshelf. “Will you stop…doing that?”

“Stephen,” you tried to reason. “You know what happens when you excessively transport throughout a space-”

“Can I…I need a…just…one strand of your hair.” Stephen ignored your reasoning, clearly amused by the entire situation. 

Oh god, you thought to yourself. This won’t end well. You remembered life in Avengers Tower when Thor would visit. No one could use the bathroom for hours on end. Every strand of hair needed to be perfect or else it would be a dark and stormy night in New York.

“Let me explain something,” Thor’s tone was hard-pressed now. He lifted his index finger as he reprimanded the Sorcerer Supreme. “My hair is not to be meddled with- OW.”

Without another word, Stephen took the singular strand and began to spin it into a spell. Even though you had been practicing the Mystic Arts for years, the simplicity of magic in the air was awe-inspiring. Your stare was short-lived, however, as you were sent skidding down the main staircase. Stephen had sent the three of you back into the foyer, although he appeared more focused on generating a portal to get the hunky man out of his house. 

“We could have just walked,” Thor remarked as he brushed the nonexistent dirt off of his olive green jacket. He leaned down to help you up. You were grateful for his increasingly firm grip as you were lifted back to your feet. “Are you alright?”

You nodded. “Not the first time I’ve fallen down on these things.”

 A small smile flickered across Thor’s features. “If my memory serves me correctly,” he replied, not loosening his grip, “you were the most clumsy.” He chuckled again. “And so very tiny.”

“Okay, that’s not fair and you know it. Bird boy tripped me on purpose! I wouldn’t have fallen into that fountain if it-”

“He’s waiting for you,” Stephen’s voice was void of any emotion now as he interrupted your conversation. He glanced over and nodded his head toward the open portal – a lush green meadow with a cloudy and blue sky. 

“Alright.” Begrudgingly, Thor released his grip on your wrist. There were a few quick breaths as he briefly shut his eyes. You couldn’t blame him. He hadn’t seen Odin- the real Odin- in years. It probably wasn’t going to be the easiest of reunions. “It was nice to see you again,” he gave you a nod after speaking your full name. 

“Ah, don’t forget your umbrella,” Stephen glances behind Thor as he says this, almost as though he forgot where it was placed early on.

“Oh yes,” Thor held out his right hand again, remaining silent in concentration. There was a chorus of shattering glass and ceramic as Mjolnir, disguised as an umbrella, soared through the Sanctum Sanctorum. Why Thor chose to mask his unique hammer, you had no idea. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t be recognized without it. “Sssssssssorry,” looking entirely unapologetic as the disguised weapon flew into his hand. He brushes the shards of glass off and onto the floor, causing a frustrated groan to escape your lips.

“I just swept the floors yesterday,” you lamented. “Wong’s going to kill me.”

“And I suppose I’ll need my brother back.”

“Oh, yeah, right.” Stephen took a step back and began a circular motion toward the ceiling to conjure an orange portal. A second later, you heard a yell as Loki fell onto the tiled floor, greasy haircut and all. 

“I HAVE BEEN FALLING,” he shouted, “FOR THIRTY MINUTES.”

“You can handle it from here,” Stephen said to Thor. 

“Yes, of course,” Thor nodded. “Thank you very much for your help.”

“Good luck,” although Stephen’s attitude had been bitter throughout the visit, you could tell he still did care about what happened with Odin. The two of you had discovered he was staying at Shady Acres Retirement Home months ago. Strange had sent you undercover to make sure the man was taken care of, leading to him developing a special connection with him as well. They’d meet for tea and discuss any potential mystical threats – especially those from other realms. 

“Handle me?” Loki gaped. He unsheathed knives from his person, falling into a battle stance. That’s when he locked eyes with you. “You. I remember you.” He tilted his head to appear menacingly. “The last time we met–”

“I kicked your ass,” you interrupted him. “How’d that concrete taste?”

“No better than the bitterness of blood your fellow soldier tasted.” The God of Mischief gave a soft chuckle. “Oh, how I’ve missed this. The Midgardian banter. You must think yourself ever so clever. Well I assure you that the next time we meet, I will not be so disadvantaged.”

“Loki…” Thor warned in true big brother fashion. 

Yet Loki didn’t stop. He turned his attention back to the Sorcerer Supreme. “And you. You think you’re some kind of sorcerer. Now don’t think for one minute you second-rate-”

“Alright, bye bye.” Stephen moved the portal to collect both Thor and Loki. It is only the two of you remaining in the Sanctum now. 

“Well, that was fun,” you said sarcastically.

All you received in return was a slow eye roll from Stephen. “You certainly enjoyed yourself. Catching up with an old ‘friend.’ You never told me you knew the Avengers.”

You shrugged. “It was a long time ago. Besides, I didn’t see how it was relevant.”

When Stephen didn’t respond, you stood in the foyer and glanced around the room. Easily growing accustomed to the returning silence, you let out a sigh. “I’ll go get the broom,” you said to no one in particular. 

This would certainly be an interesting clean up. . . 

==========================

Author's Note: Welcome to the sequel that nobody asked for but I'm posting anyway!! To celebrate over 1,000 hits(!!) of this fic over on my AO3 (frostandflames), I thought it would be fun to expand upon this oneshot.

I have to admit, this was way too much fun to write! Benedict and Chris H's interactions were just gold in this scene. I almost didn't want to insert the Reader character in because I wasn't sure what I could do to expand it. But I'm so glad I did, because it brought us here. Thank you all again for the support on all of my works. I really appreciate every single one of you -- without readers like you, I'm pretty sure I'd still be staring blankly at a page just wishing I could write fics like this for others.

As usual, don't forget to leave a like, a comment, and a reblog. It really helps me out and lets me know what other content you'd like to see on my blog! :)

#stephen strange #frostandflamesfanfic #marvel mcu #doctor strange fanfiction #doctor strange #doctor strange x reader #stephen strange x reader #stephen strange fanfiction #benedict cumberbatch #doctor strange fluff #doctor strange imagine #dr stephen strange #thor ragnarok #thor odinson #loki laufeyson #implied!thor x reader

[thenexusofsouls]

Muse: Stephen Strange

[Bio and other information below the cut!]

Type of Character & Fandom/Source Material: Canon character from the Marvel fandom (MCU-based only, I know very little about Stephen’s comics, unfortunately)

FC: Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange

Race: Human (non-mutant)

Age: Late 30s through mid-40s, depending on timeline

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Heterosexual / Heteroromantic

Occupation: Neurosurgeon (retired); Sorcerer Supreme (retired); Master of the Mystic Arts and Guardian of Earth (current), based out of the Sanctum Sanctorum in Greenwich Village in New York City.

Family: Parents (deceased); brother, Victor (deceased, car accident); sister, Donna (deceased, drowning); several friends in the Avengers and at the Sanctum Sanctorum that are basically his support network for a lot of purposes/reasons; Wong is like family at this point

Potentially Triggering Material in Threads: There may be discussions about medical topics, nerve damage, trauma and aspects of mental illness and stress, nightmares, and anything involving the Darkhold might mention demons, moral corruption, and/or mind control.

Negative Personality Traits: Impulsivity, arrogance, having a god complex, at times being a straight-up hypocrite with regard to flaws/mistakes/shortcomings he sees in others but fails to see in himself. He has good intentions but often goes about things the wrong way, too quickly without thinking, or allows his emotions to drive him too much. He is controlling by nature, wanting to be in the driver’s seat, so to speak, when making important decisions. This stems from the death of his sister, which he feels directly responsible for. Since that happened, Stephen does not deal well with loss of control, feelings of powerlessness, or with emotions like guilt and regret. Very often his tough love or harsh treatment/words with others is a projection of his own insecurities, feelings of failure, and disappointment in himself. His rather large ego never lets him admit that aloud, however.

Also just FYI, my version of him usually comes out a bit more skewed towards sarcastic, cynical, critical, defensive, guarded, and sometimes unfortunately even a little bit mean, especially when his comments/actions are fueled by an uncomfortable emotion on his end, such as regret, guilt, or embarrassment. This is especially true for post-DSitMoM threads, because he blames himself for many things. Instead of trying to make him more canon, I’ve decided just to embrace the way he’s been coming out in my writing thus far. He’s not a complete jerk all the time, though, so don’t worry... but he is skewed a bit darker than straight MCU canon. His psychological demons play much more of an active role in influencing his moods, mindset, and actions than in canon, shall we say. 

Positive Personality Traits: Stephen has a great sense of humor, and he can be very kind, brave, and even selfless. It’s selective, but he can also have strong protective instincts, especially for women and children (e.g. for Christine, America, Peter). And there must be something good about him if he has a strong drive to protect Earth-616 and the multiverse. He is often the adult in the room, making the difficult decisions no one else wants to, but he’d have it no other way. He doesn’t shy away from responsibility or important decisions, he only fears failing somehow. He’s resilient and strong-willed, able to endure a lot psychologically while still holding himself together pretty well. If you have his friendship, love, or loyalty, he will go the distance for you, even die for you, if that’s the best course of action. If you’ve managed to get into his inner circle of friends, he’ll be there for you whenever you need it, regardless of how much it may hurt him.

Background: Because he’s not an original character and his background is really long and detailed, I’m going to refer you to his MCU Wiki page. Just be warned that there are major spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness there!

Potential Starter/Thread Ideas: 

Your muse could be seeking shelter, could have a magical problem that needs sorting out, or could just need someone to talk to for a situation yet to be specified.

Any plots from any movies are up for grabs, if we want to change some things around or explore decisions not made, paths not taken, etc.

I’d love to do some pre- and post-DSitMoM threads, especially ones that might prevent the events of the movie from happening at all. I don’t want to get into detail because I’m trying to keep this post spoiler-free, but Strange actually helping Wanda in any way would be a worthwhile topic to explore.

On that same note, going back as far as Westview and all that, it’d be interesting to see Strange intervening somehow or getting involved beforehand to prevent the Hex from even happening.

Give me all the Peter Parker threads!

Also interactions with other canon characters and OCs we haven’t seen much of with him yet would be interesting!

Fun facts:

If asked, Stephen will say that his favorite tea is chamomile, but that’s because he feels his actual favorite is a little weird. He actually loves mint tea with lemon. People have made faces before and he’s gotten the impression that it’s perhaps not the most accepted combination of flavors, so he avoids the subject by just saying chamomile. But he’ll make his favorite tea first thing in the morning and it helps to wake him up. Sometimes he also drinks it while studying. 

Stephen loves to travel! Aside from going back and forth regularly between the Sanctum and Kamar-Taj, he loves to learn and soaks up information like a sponge, so he frequents museums and other interesting sites around the world. It’s enjoyable and relaxing for him... assuming no aliens attack. But there is a somber underlying reason for his traveling. Stephen is a very lonely man. Without family and having lost Christine, he often seeks to fill idle time so he’s not alone with his thoughts. Exercising his brain by going to museums or other culturally important sties around the world helps stave off the loneliness and helps him to feel better about himself in his lower moments.

Not so much a fun fact but a headcanon I have for him is, although Stephen does have significant nerve damage in his hands that limits the mobility of his fingers and wrists and causes tremors, there is also a psychosomatic element to it at times. If he’s not thinking about his hands or if he’s concentrating hard on doing something else, like casting a spell, his hands will often be much steadier and even his mobility will seem better and more fluid. His tremors may disappear completely. But if someone comments or points out his hands, or if he’s having a moment and looking at them, he’ll start to feel shame, embarrassment, and frustration. That anxiety will make his hands tremble and he may start to perceive tightness and pain he didn’t have before, which then makes him stiffer and more guarded in his movements. The more he dwells on it, the worse it will get, which will then make him more anxious, and so on. It’s a bad cycle, and distraction or meditation are often the only things that help break the cycle.

#muse: stephen strange #about the muses

[jodetesuciaperra]

Considering that Abomination will appear in the She-Hulk series, it will be interesting to see is this fight is before or after and if it will be referenced.

Also, Abomination vs a sorcerer, weird pair up but can lead to something interesting, although, by the look of the trailer, it seems that it will be a one-shot in favor for abomination.

#shang chi and the legend of the ten rings #shang chi #simu liu #abomination #emil blonsky #tim roth #she hulk #she hulk series #sorcerer #i've seen people saying that is wong #but i doubt that #wong must be protecting the sanctum sanctorum #i was wrong #kevin feige #confirm that it is wong #benedict wong #wong

[lailyn]

Gone Before Light

(A big thank you to my beta @arabesqueangel 😘)

Sanctum Sanctorum

 

Doctor Stephen Strange cleared his throat. It was not loud but the sound carried all the same, and the quorum of Guardians in attendance quieted down. 

"Let's call this meeting to order. I'm sure we all have somewhere else to be?"

"Sorcerer Supreme." A thin, elderly Master wasted no time cutting to the chase. "Loki has been sighted in several villages in rural Bavaria."

Master Kuroda, one of the Guardians of the Hong Kong Sanctum, reared her head in alarm. "Did you not say he was in Austria? Some of my people are still there looking for him."

"That was last week. You would know had you attended every meeting without fail, Master Kuroda," Wong said dryly.

"You promised us there would be free sandwiches, Master Wong. Bagels would have been fine too, seeing how we are in the Big Apple," Kuroda said teasingly. 

With an apologetic nod, she turned to address the Sorcerer Supreme who was sitting at the head of the table. 

"I apologise for my recent absence, Master Strange. A strange phenomenon was reported in the glaciers in the Qilian Mountains, and while Master Sjogren went out to investigate, I stayed behind. I could not leave the Hong Kong Sanctum unguarded, not with Loki of Asgard still at large.”

"Fair enough." Stephen nodded. At the curious look on Wong's face, he added helpfully. "It was bleeding."

"The Sanctum?"

"The mountain. The melting glacier was bleeding blood into the Yangtze River, causing massive panic."

"Blood?" Wong's mouth parted slightly. He braved a guess, "Loki?"

Master Kuroda made a strangled noise, her face pained. "You would think so given all his gasconade, but no, it was not the God of Mischief's doing. Having said that, the real explanation behind the phenomenon was just as alarming, only a lot less threatening.”

Stephen seemed to be hiding a smile, visible only in the twinkling of his eyes. “I’m sure it was.”

Kuroda whispered to Wong. “Turned out to be an algae problem.”

“That’s a bit of an oversimplification, but if it puts people’s minds to rest, I am happy to move on to our next agenda,” Stephen said, his countenance sombre once more. He turned his attention to the Guardian who had spoken first. “Could you elaborate on the situation in the Bavarian Alps, Master Forsyth?”

"Yet another child has succumbed to grievous injuries. Whoever did this, they have claimed seven lives. And there are five more nights to go till the Twelfth Night.”

"We do not know for certain that Loki is responsible for the murders," Stephen said.

"He has eluded capture time after time. If that is not an admission of guilt, I don't know what is," Master Forsyth argued.

"A confession," Stephen said simply. "Which we do not have."

"We could wring one out of him," Forsyth insisted stubbornly.

"Clearly you have not met the man, Master Forsyth," Stephen remarked dryly. "I will be sure to introduce you to him the next time he pops up on our radar."

"Speaking of which, you need to be careful, Sorcerer Supreme," Master Kuroda said gravely. "I sense him close."

Wong frowned. "How close?"

"Very. In fact - "

"A residual signature," Stephen interrupted. "There is no need to panic."

"Wait. Loki of Asgard was here?" Master Forsyth demanded. "Why was the London Sanctum not notified? We could have helped."

"We had it under control," Stephen answered coolly.

Wong gave his friend a sharp side-glance. We did? It silently asked.

"I...engaged him in conversation."

"Some conversation," Wong grumbled under his breath. "I have never seen you in such a state."

A collective clamor of alarm erupted from around the table.

"A mediatory conversation," Stephen amended. “Almost all conflict could be avoided with diplomacy and good old common sense. We cannot afford an all-out war with both the God of Mischief and the God of Thunder, who will definitely take his brother’s side.”

“Not unless we are in the right,” Kuroda argued heatedly. 

“It is a false accusation,” Stephen said through clenched teeth. “It will not hold.”

"Was he attempting to steal the Time Stone then?” Another Master gasped. “Master Strange, we must act quickly and subdue him. Loki of Asgard is a threat, no matter what the treaty says."

"Be that as it may, we will not turn this into a diplomatic incident," Stephen said calmly. "King Thor truly believes his brother has fully reformed. If Loki has indeed strayed, he has Thor to answer to." 

“Do you know something we don’t?” Never let it be said that Kuroda was not the sharpest tool in the shed. 

Stephen’s only answer was a benevolent smile, but Wong, being the closest person to him, knew just how close his friend was to losing his composure. 

Looking at the unhappy faces all around, Wong could only guess at what the others were thinking, but his loyalty, as always, lay with Stephen. “What do you suggest we do, Sorcerer Supreme?” 

“Resume active surveillance but do not engage,” Stephen ordered. “Retaliate only if necessary to protect yourself and civilians but do not provoke him. Loki must not be - “ he hesitated, “I do not wish to see any of you harmed.” 

Before anyone could speak further, Stephen swept to his feet.

“We are adjourned.”

God, he hated meetings. 

**********************

“You do know it’s just rusty water, don’t you? The bleeding glacier?”

“I saw a feature on National Geographics once, so yes, I suspected it was something similar.”

“And you did not care to share the knowledge with your servants?”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “They are not my servants, Odinson. God, you sound so medieval sometimes.”

“I was on that expedition,” Loki reminisced. “Caused a bloody uproar when they saw it.”

“What expedition?” Stephen asked, not particularly interested but wanting to make conversation all the same, much too nervous to start anything else. The night was still young and he did not want it to end too quickly, not that he would admit it out loud.

“The geologist who discovered the Blood Falls in Antarctica was a friend,” Loki said. “They named it after him, the Taylor Glacier. From the plateau of Victoria Land, it flows south of the Asgard Range and into the western end of Taylor Valley. It was truly a marvelous sight.”

Stephen glanced at his companion out the corner of one eye. He could usually tell if Loki was pulling his leg, but the smile on Loki’s face looked so wistful and sad that he could very well be second-guessing himself. 

“That’s...an eerie coincidence, to have named it after your home.”

“They named it wrong,” Loki muttered. “But you’re right. It felt like home. Just the wrong one.”

“What do you mean?”

Loki ignored his question, heaving a pensive sigh instead. “It has been more than a hundred years, can you believe it? How time flies.”

“Must have been a special friend,” Stephen said. 

Loki shrugged. “I have a special friend for every century.”

Stephen swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. "Good for you."

If Loki was discomfited by Stephen's obvious discomfort, he did not show it. "Have your underlings finally left us alone?"

"They are not my underlings."

Loki's mouth curled into a cruel twist. "You give orders. They do as you bid." 

Stephen stared at Loki's lips. By the time the night was over, they would not be as rosy. 

"You tell me to kiss you all the time and I oblige. Does that make me yours?"

Loki's coquettish little smirk deepened into a mysterious smile. "Not all the time."

Stephen did not press him further; asking Loki to specify which question he was replying to would be pushing him into a corner, metaphorically speaking.

And the only corner Stephen was interested in trapping Loki in…

He bodily pressed Loki against the wall. "Are you timing this?"

"Why? Have you got somewhere else to be?" Loki whispered teasingly.

Stephen shook his head. "Not tonight, no. I have you to thank for it, I suppose."

"Yes, we Pagan Gods do as we please. When the mood strikes there is no telling what we can do."

Stephen studied Loki surreptitiously, sensing the darkness lurking beneath a facade of false joviality. 

"Why won't you let me tell them?" He asked quietly.

"Tell what to whom?"

"We have been tracking the Spinnstubenfrau for months," Stephen said. "The Order thinks you are responsible for the spate of mysterious child deaths across Europe."

"I would never hurt a child," Loki snarled. 

Stephen's growl was equally indignant, "I know."

Loki shoved Stephen away from him and began to pace. "Is it so important to you? That I should clear my name?"

"Why isn't it important to you?" Stephen demanded.

"It does not matter, Strange. What matters is that Frau Perchta has once again been banished to the depth of Hell." Loki cocked his head. "Your Hell, I hope. I have a feeling she's Hela's type, what with her affinity for slitting children's bellies and stuffing their corpses with hay."

Stephen went quiet when a new question popped inside his head. "How did you catch her by the way?" 

"Same as how you would catch any other being of superior powers. You don't go chasing them, you make them come to you."

"You plied her with magic? Blood?" Stephen raised an eyebrow. "Candy?"

Loki returned the sardonic smile with a haughty one of his own. "I shifted form into that of a child, of course."

A chill suddenly down the back of Stephen's spine.

The Sorcerer Supreme marched across the room with such speed that Loki found himself taking a step back for every one Stephen took, and soon they were right back where they started with Loki's back pressed against the wall; only this time, Stephen was roughly tugging Loki's tunic free off the waistband and pulling it up.

"My, my, Doctor…" Loki made a half-hearted attempt at coyness, but Stephen nipped it in the bud. 

"Shut up." Stephen ran his hand down the length of the clean, snow-white torso, just to be sure. Loki was the Master of Deception after all.

Loki pried Stephen's roaming fingers off his belly gently. "I am unharmed."

Stephen looked set to shower Loki's face with kisses but then restricted himself to a surly mutter. "Just checking. Thought I smelled blood."

"Well, whatever you're smelling, it isn't mine," Loki reassured him. "Here."

Stephen studied the vial Loki slipped into his palm. It contained a shrivelled husk of something he could not identify straight away. 

"The old crone's heart. Feel free to do with it as you wish." Loki pinched Stephen's cheek. "You are adorable when you fret."

Stephen turned his face away and rubbed at his wounded cheek. "I don't fret."

"Aww. Here I thought you were worried about me."

"And what if I were?" Stephen challenged.

"You should not be," Loki said swiftly. After a careful pause, "You will only ruin my reputation."

Stephen snorted. "Right. Coz it’s been so stellar lately."

"Exactly," Loki chirped. 

A wave of melancholy descended over them, and Stephen was not entirely sure whom it belonged to. 

"Strange, is something the matter?" 

Stephen looked away, refusing to meet Loki's probing gaze. 

"Precious?" Out of all the juvenile things Loki could have picked, he had chosen for Stephen the one nickname so ridiculous it stuck. 

What was one more deviation from normal, one more reality-defying anomaly after everything Stephen had allowed to happen?

"Can't say," Stephen muttered.

Loki was nothing if not tenacious. "Show me, then."

"Kiss me," Stephen mumbled numbly. "Kiss me and you'll know."

Loki's head dipped low and caught Stephen's lower lip with a nip of his teeth. 

Loki's kisses tonight were raucous, hungrier than usual, the pulse of his heartbeat a kaleidoscope of butterflies under Stephen's fingertips as his hands roamed the expanse of Loki's chest and belly once more, travelling southward with every kiss...and Loki tasted fantastic.

After a kill, Loki had never looked more glorious, from the flush of his cheeks to the iridescent fire in his eyes…

He was the most beautiful thing Stephen had ever seen. 

As much as Stephen coveted this ideal of having something so perfect be his alone, he wished he could share Loki with the world, so the world could see the notorious Trickster God through his eyes, all the good Loki could do and already had done, all the good he could be.  

Against his will, Stephen's arms tightened around Loki's waist, but as always, holding Loki was like holding water; he could never hold Loki tight enough. 

"I appreciate the gesture, Doctor…" Loki murmured against his lips, now swollen and bruised and raw, "but your concern is misplaced."

Feeling his knees go weak all of a sudden, Stephen conjured an armchair and dropped down heavily, only realising that he was pulling Loki's hand with him when Loki would not budge.

"Can't you stay?"

"Say it like you mean it," Loki said softly, "then maybe I will reconsider." 

Stephen chose to call Loki's bluff. "Stay." 

Loki sighed. "As much as I enjoy our little tryst, Strange...you enjoy the power more."

"What power?"

"Your title. The Sorcerer Supreme." Loki's eyes strayed to the Cloak of Levitation hovering over the mantelpiece, ever at Stephen's every beck and call. "You can't be with me without giving it up."

Stephen's chest constricted. "I can't." 

"And that…" Loki sat in Stephen's lap and wrapped his arms around the back of his human lover's neck, "is the only reason why I am still here."

Stephen basked in the radiance of Loki's aura, the intoxicating scent of old magic and power, the crushing weight of Loki's body pressed against his -

"It's about the only thing you have going for you. Aside from your hair." 

Loki may sound teasing but his eyes hid a sadness Stephen would not have gleaned had he not spent hours studying those mesmerising green eyes, in sleep and in wake.

"You like my hair?" Stephen asked. 

Loki teased the strands of white at his temple. Against the light of the roaring fire, they glistened like silver.

"It's pretty," Loki said simply.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could give you what you want."

Stephen's forlorn apology only stoked the fire in the pit of Loki's stomach.

"You can't know the true extent of my heart's desires, Sorcerer," Loki scoffed. "You don't even know yours."

"One night," Stephen whispered before could stop himself. "That is all I want."

Loki's hard stare softened. "We can't afford it."

Stephen did not draw attention to Loki's display of vulnerability, and Loki did not fixate on the irony behind Stephen's singular plea. 

You ask for the same thing every time I see you, Loki had teased him once. 

Stephen had only smiled that infuriating all-knowing smile of his and said, Only because I know you will never say yes.

"Another time then." Stephen imagined running a thumb up the sleek slope of Loki's cheekbone. "Another place."

Loki opened his eyes slowly. He saw the longing in Stephen's gaze, and his heart throbbed at the sight of it. 

It was the most cruel thing he had ever seen in his life. His heart twinged again with a deep, pulsating ache that almost had him reaching up to soothe it. 

He reached out to touch Stephen's face instead. 

"In another life," Loki murmured. 

Another life where they were free to be whoever, and with whoever they wanted to be. 

"Do you promise?" Stephen asked quietly.

"I promise," Loki acquiesced. "If you can find me."

I am yours. 

"Live a long, long life…" Loki brushed his lips against Stephen's softly, tenderly, "Even without me." 

"Loki - "

"Goodbye."

"Loki, wait!"

But the weight had lifted off, leaving Stephen's thighs empty and tingling with want, his hands grabbing at empty air.

The taste of Loki's lips lingered long after he left. Such was the fate of the chosen, and as Stephen sat in the dark of the night, cold and alone and cursed, he wept.

#strangefrost #angst #enemies to lovers

[fictionaffliction]

Better Forgotten

Chapter 3

Summary: Dr. Ingrid Hansen is a respected psychologist struggling with the aftermath of the Snap as well as her own trauma from an accident she endured many years ago. Her world is thrown into utter chaos when she meets a dangerous man posing as a client. Dr. Strange is reluctantly tasked with protecting her, but in order to do so, he must first help her recover who she truly is. While she is grateful for his help, she has to wonder, are some things better forgotten?

Rated M

Chapter Warnings: Canon typical violence, memory loss, chronic pain

The black SUV pulled up to the curb outside of an old, well-kept building. Stone columns supported the brick walls and framed a large circular window, with four asymmetrical grilles laid across the glass so that they criss-crossed over each other. Fury led the four of them to the door and knocked. The sound echoed around the inside of the building.

The door swung open and the four of them stepped inside. Ingrid looked around for the person who opened it, only to find that there was no one there as it swung shut again. She squeaked and grabbed Soren’s arm in an attempt to protect herself.

“Really?” Fury asked. “Isn’t the door thing a little cliché?”

A man appeared at the top of the stairs, but his feet did not touch the ground. Instead he floated down to meet them, landing lightly on his feet on the patterned wood and stone floor. Ingrid gasped and stared. As he emerged into the light, she realized that she recognized the man standing in front of them, though he looked a little more world weary than the last time she had seen him. His hair, which had been a lustrous dark brown when she had met him, had greyed at his temples. Fine lines framed blue eyes that narrowed in a calculating stare as he took in her face.

“Dr. Hansen, this is-” Fury began.

“Dr. Stephen Strange,” she finished for him, locking eyes with him and extending her hand. He took it and she noticed that his hand, covered by a yellow leather glove, trembled despite his firm grip.

“We’ve met somewhere before,” Dr. Strange said, quickly withdrawing his hand again.

“At a neuroscience conference about twelve years ago. I saw you speak and you bought me a drink.” The other three watched them intently. Soren looked like she might produce a bucket of popcorn from beneath her jacket. “I said I was a doctor of psychology and you said that I-”

“That you weren’t a real doctor,” he recalled with a grimace. “Yeah, I remember.”

Fury shook his head in disapproval. Maria and Soren looked disgusted.

“Remind me where that wine ended up,” she said, feigning ignorance.

Dr. Strange pursed his lips, embarrassment coloring his pale face. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, desperate to move on from the subject. “Can I ask why you’re here? Besides to bring up embarrassing memories.”

“Dr. Hansen had a confrontation with Loki earlier today,” Maria explained.

Dr. Strange’s brow furrowed. “That was you?” he asked incredulously.

“We called ahead,” Soren whispered to Ingrid.

“Yeah, and there was a faint magical disturbance,” he answered shortly. “But no definite source.”

“So he’s hiding his magic?” Fury inferred.

“It would appear so,” Dr. Strange replied. “Sounds like he’s picked up some new tricks.”

“Great,” Soren said, throwing her hands up in the air.

“We’ll figure that out,” Fury assured him. Ingrid’s eyes darted from person to person, trying to glean as much information as she could from their expressions, trying to find some hint that she wasn’t in danger, that Loki would be locked away by tomorrow morning and she could simply move on with her life. There wasn’t one.

Dr. Strange put his hand to his chin, circling her with scrutiny. Ingrid wanted to yell at him, but she didn’t have the energy. “What does he want with a psychologist? She doesn’t seem all that remarkable.” At Ingrid’s aggravated expression, he added a quick, “No offense.”

“We’re not sure,” Maria said, crossing her arms. “But we need you to look after her until we figure that out.” Both doctors looked at each other skeptically.

“I don’t exactly have time to play bodyguard, I have other things to do,” Dr. Strange protested.

“And I don’t need a babysitter,” Ingrid said.

“What you need is protecting, Dr. Hansen, and who better to protect you than the Sorcerer Supreme?” Fury asked. His words were careful, knowing that even with all that Dr. Strange had been through in recent years, he still relished a stroke of his ego here and there.

Ingrid wasn’t sure what to say. In reality, she knew he was right, but to ask Dr. Strange to protect her seemed far too dangerous. She looked up at him to find him studying her carefully. Before she could ask what he was looking at, he said,

“Alright, fine. If I’m trying to track Loki down anyway, I might as well have a bargaining chip.”

“Excuse me?” Ingrid replied indignantly. “I am not-”

“Wonderful!” Fury said, ignoring Ingrid’s protest. “We’ll be in touch if we learn anything. Make sure to keep us updated.” He, Hill, and Soren turned to leave. Soren turned back to her before they went out the door and put her hands on Ingrid’s shoulders.

“Trust us,” she said, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Ingrid only nodded mutely as the other woman gave her a gentle smile. Soren joined Hill and Fury as they walked out into the cloudy New York evening. The door swung shut with a thud, leaving Dr. Strange and Dr. Hansen alone in the foyer.

They stood in awkward silence for a few moments after the heavy door swung shut. Each of them tried to start at least two sentences before giving up and turning away from each other, the embarrassment and anger from their first meeting bubbling into the air.

Unable to take the silence anymore, Dr. Strange said, “Welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum,” and gestured lamely to the large room. She looked about for the first time since she had entered. She had to admit it was lovely, with its grand staircase and dark wood walls. Old, well kept chairs and couches were placed in strategic spots among cases of antiques and decorations. It reminded her of an old library.

"So...you're a warlock now?" Ingrid said, trying to break the awkward silence that had brewed between them.

"Master of the mystic arts, actually," he replied shortly.

"Oh." She shuffled her feet, her heels clicking against the hard floor. "Seems like you've had some life changes."

He grimaced. "Yeah, you could say that." Ingrid bit the inside of her cheek and looked away from him. "Well, it sounds like you've had a pretty long day. Wong and I were thinking of ordering a pizza. Do you want in?"

She gave him a small smile, only just now realizing that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and it was fast approaching seven o'clock at night according to her phone. "Sure, that sounds fine,” she said haltingly. “Who’s Wong?”

"That would be me," said a man who was standing in a doorway on the far side of the room. He was bald, tan, and had a large build, but judging by the way he moved, he wasn't out of shape. "I heard everything from the next room.” He gave Dr. Strange a meaningful look. “Should I show you to your room?"

"Wong, why don't you order the pizza. I'll show Dr. Hansen around," Dr. Strange said. Wong rolled his eyes like he knew exactly what was about to happen.

Dr. Strange waved his hand, and Ingrid felt the room shift around her. Her heart leapt to her throat like she was on a rollercoaster and she shrieked. When her vision settled they were standing in the middle of an old kitchen that had been refitted with new appliances.

“This is the kitchen, feel free to use it whenever,” Dr. Strange said. The tiled floor slipped out from under her feet again and was replaced with hardwood. She lurched forward and caught herself on a bookcase. “This is the library,” he said, looking around the room with no concern for Ingrid’s loss of balance. “Well, part of it. That part that won’t have you accidentally unleashing an elder god. That would be messy,” he said nonchalantly.

She opened her mouth to ask him what kind of books would do that, but before she could, the room shifted again. Dizziness overtook her and she fell against a door that opened as she did, sending her falling to the floor like a drunk sorority sister. Her migraine, which had never really subsided, reminded her of its presence. Though she didn’t dare betray her pain to Dr. Strange, who stared down at her with smug amusement.

"You'll be staying in this room," he said. Ingrid took a moment to right herself and looked around. It was a cozy room with a dark wood, queen size bed that took up about a third of the space. The merlot bedspread had the odd effect of making the air feel warmer, and the lamps glowed with a soft amber light. “The bathroom is the next door on your right,” Dr. Strange explained. “And I’m guessing you’ll need fresh clothes.”

“Yeah, I-” she felt a sudden weight in her hands and grasped at it instinctively. Ingrid looked down to find a set of cotton pajama pants and a soft, oversized T-shirt in her hands. She yelped and dropped them in surprise. Dr. Strange raised an eyebrow.

“Are you more of a satin nightgown kind of girl?” he asked, amused.

“No, I just- How did you do that?” she stammered.

“Master of the Mystic Arts, remember?” He leaned against the door frame nonchalantly with a smirk that she recognized from their last meeting. Seeing it made her scowl.

She crossed her arms, her new pajamas still in her hand. “Look, I need to get something off my chest. You were a complete asshole when we met, and I’m not a fan of being called a bargaining chip,” she snapped. Dr. Strange’s expression barely changed.

He seemed to regard her with the same concern she would expect him to give a barking pomeranian. “Noted. Just as long as you know I’m not your babysitter,” he sneered, craning his neck towards her.

“Fine,” she said.

“Fine.” He turned to leave with a flourish of his cape. He looked back over his shoulder. “There’ll be new clothes in the dresser and a few pairs of shoes in the closet,” he said, gesturing to each with a tilt of his head. “We’ll save you a slice.”

He vanished, leaving Ingrid with her mouth hanging open, both impressed and infuriated. She wished she had another glass of wine to dump on his head for disorienting her for his own amusement, though that certainly wouldn’t earn her any favor from him.

Once she had gathered her wits, Ingrid gathered her newly acquired pajamas and headed into the bathroom. There was an old-fashioned clawfoot tub stocked with shampoo, conditioner and soap. The water took a moment to heat up, which was not surprising given the building’s size and age. As it did, Ingrid brushed out her hair and lamented at how tangled it had gotten while she had been on the run. She wished that when she had met Dr. Strange again that she had looked less disheveled.

She slipped into the water and let out a deep sigh. The hot water pressed against her bare skin was a welcome relief from the frightening events of the day. She took her time washing her hair, trying to distract herself from the looming threat of Loki. She closed her eyes against the memory of his face as he paced in her office, the glint in his eye when he revealed himself to her, the terror she felt when he pressed his hand over her mouth. Her chest tightened as panic rose in her throat.

No, no, no, she thought. That bastard wouldn’t be allowed to take up any more space in her mind. She took a deep breath and ducked her head under the water. The bubbles of the shampoo slipped through her hair and rushed to the surface, brushing against her face and scalp as they went. She focused on the feeling as she willed her rate to slow.

He’s not here, she reminded herself, but then the image of that smirk flashed across the theater of her mind. She shook her head but the image persisted. As she tried to think of something else, the memory faded into a misty recollection. A face she couldn’t quite make out. A voice she couldn’t quite hear.

A sharp pain throbbed in her head, striking maliciously from the middle of her skull. Ingrid’s hands flew to press against her head as she resurfaced with a gasp. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes as the ache swelled. But then, just as suddenly as it began, it receded away like an ocean tide.

A frustrated sob escaped her mouth. She could deal with her migraines just fine on most days. They were no picnic, but ever since her accident, it had become a normal part of her life. Usually, she just needed a good dose of caffeine, something salty to eat, and a dark quiet room where she could hide away from the bright lights and loud noises of the outside world. If that was the price she had to pay for surviving, then so be it, but couldn’t her migraine give her a break? It wasn’t enough that she had been afraid for her life less than four hours ago, she had to be in pain too.

Once the worst of the pain subsided, she finished her bath, leaving the tub more exhausted than when she got in. She dried off before slipping into her pajamas and going out into the hall.

Bare feet padded against the cold stone floor as she meandered down the hall, realizing that she wasn’t entirely sure which way to go. The place was deceptively easy to get lost in. Ingrid scanned the numerous shelves of old books as she walked, many in different languages that looked near ancient to her eyes. There was a knife made of white crystal that seemed to emanate a soft yellow glow that sat behind a protective glass case, a set of what appeared to be some sort of full body bindings set against a wall, and other antiques that Ingrid could not name.

As she approached a long stretch of hallway with a single ornate door at the end, she felt certain she had gone entirely the wrong direction.

“Dr. Strange?” she called out, listening for an answer. There was none. “Strange?” she called a little louder. Nothing.

Ingrid turned to walk back the way she came, but felt a sudden pull in her gut, as though a hook had been caught on her ribs. Bewildered, she turned back toward the door. It was carved as handsomely as the rest of the doors in the Sanctum. In all ways, unremarkable, and yet there was the strange sensation of something beckoning her towards the door.

She took a step down the hall, curiosity propelling her forward. Something inside her whispered for her to stop. She paused, but stuffed the feeling down. What was the worst that could happen? Another step, then another and another until she was at the door. She reached out a slim hand and touched the cool metal of the old brass doorknob.

“Bad idea,” Dr. Strange’s deep voice said. Ingrid yelped and whipped around, finding herself face to face with him.

“I was just-” she stammered.

“Just about to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong?” he offered with a disparaging look.

Ingrid wilted. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. He seemed a little surprised by her apology. “I just felt like there was something calling to me. Is that weird?”

Dr. Strange considered this, still looming over her. “In this place? Only a little.” He stepped aside and jerked his head back down the hall. “Come on, I’ll take you downstairs.” Ingrid nodded and moved past him. Dr. Strange glanced back at the door, scrutinizing what lay hidden behind it for just a moment before he followed Ingrid and guided her to the kitchen.

When they found their way to the kitchen, Wong was sitting watching a sitcom in the next room on a television mounted to the wall, with a half-eaten slice of pizza on his plate. They both took a slice and went to join him. Dr. Strange sat next to his friend unceremoniously with one foot propped on the coffee table, while Ingrid placed her plate neatly in her lap and huddled awkwardly against the arm of the couch.

Neither she nor Strange said anything as she ate and Wong, who sat between them, shifted uncomfortably.

“So, Dr. Hansen,” he began, desperate to dissipate the fog of tension in the air, “what sort of psychology do you practice?”

Ingrid, who had just taken a bite of food, chewed politely before answering. “Marriage and family counseling,” she said once she had swallowed. She saw Dr. Strange smile tightly on the other end of the couch.

“Good money?”

“In a city like New York? Absolutely,” she said with a laugh. “But that’s not why I do it.”

“Then what is?” Wong asked curiously.

Ingrid sighed wistfully. “To help people, just like every other sap who becomes a doctor.”

“Oh I don’t know about that,” Dr. Strange chimed in. “Some of us do it to feed our egos.”

“Like I told you back then, that was not an official diagnosis, Doctor,” Ingrid replied shortly. “But my door is open if you would like an appointment.” Wong grimaced at the exchange, looking as though he regretted bringing up her practice.

They finished the episode of the show in relative quiet, with occasional comments here and there before Wong stood up to turn in for bed. Ingrid and Dr. Strange sat in tense silence, neither of them really watching the television.

“Well,” Ingrid said, getting to her feet, “I’ve had a hell of a day. I’m going to turn in.” Dr. Strange followed her to the stairs, walking her back up the stairs to ensure she didn’t get lost again.

“So...How long do you think I’ll be here?” Ingrid asked as they walked.

“Hopefully not long,” Dr. Strange answered curtly.

“Right,” she replied, pursing her lips. “Good. The sooner we take care of Loki, the sooner I can go back to being...how did you put it again? Oh, right. Not a real doctor,” she snapped. The combination of her persistent headache and their constant back and forth made her more irritable than she might have been otherwise.

Dr. Strange sighed and caught her shoulder. She spun around to look at him, one step above him on the staircase. “Look, Dr. Hansen, this is only going to be made more difficult if we can’t find some way to coexist.”

“You’re right,” she admitted, reigning in her desire to be stubborn.

“I know I am,” he said. She rolled her eyes. “I know I was rude when we met, but I’ve changed a lot since then.”

“I know, you’re a wizard now.”

“Master of the mystic arts,” he corrected. “But yes, that’s my point. I’m not the same person I was back then and I’m willing to bet you aren’t either. I just don’t know what you want me to say.”

Ingrid raised her fair brows and crossed her arms. “How about ‘I’m sorry’?” she proposed. To her surprise, he nodded.

“I’m...I’m sorry, Dr. Hansen. Truly,” he said, making a concerted effort to hold eye contact with her. His hand twitched where it rested on the banister. “I was wrong to treat you that way.”

Ingrid gazed down at him, as though trying to interpret every insignificant movement of his features. He held his breath as he looked up at her. Apologies clearly did not come naturally to him, but he had struggled through it anyway.

“I forgive you,” she said finally.

“Great,” he said, relief flooding his features. Ingrid gave him a genuine smile.

“Humility looks good on you,” she said as she turned to continue up the stairs. He chuckled and followed after her.

“Better than white wine?”

“Much better,” Ingrid replied. “I’m sorry about that, by the way.”

“I deserved it,” he replied with a shrug as they walked down the hall to her bedroom.

“You know,” she said as they approached her door, “I had wondered what happened to you.” He gave her a questioning look. “When you stopped publishing papers I figured something had happened.”

“Ah.” He clasped his hands behind his back, his fingers twitching uncomfortably in his gloves. “And did you ever find out?”

She shook her head. “I never did,” she admitted. “I figured it wasn’t my business.”

“Maybe I’ll tell you the story sometime,” he said as they turned right at the top of the stairs. She smiled softly up at him, as if to tell him to take his time. “By the way, do you have a headache?” he inquired as they stopped at her bedroom door.

“How did you-?” “You keep wincing at sharp noises and avoiding looking at bright lights,” he observed.

“I’ve had a migraine since Loki’s stunt this afternoon,” she admitted. “I thought the bath would help, but it actually got worse and I can’t seem to shake it.”

“Is this common for you?” he asked, his tone suddenly clinical.

“Migraines? Yeah. I get them pretty often.”

He nodded, studying her closely. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a look at it in the morning.”

“I don’t know what good it would do. I’ve already been examined by numerous doctors and none of them can find anything,” she explained, resigned to her fate.

He raised his eyebrows. “Right, well, none of them were a former neurosurgeon with mystic abilities.”

“Fair enough,” she conceded, opening her door and stepping inside. “Good night, Dr. Strange.”

“Sleep well, Dr. Hansen,” he said as she closed the door. “Oh, one more thing.” He pressed his hand against the door while it was still ajar.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I don’t want to make this all ‘forbidden wing’ or whatever, but a lot of things here are dangerous in the wrong hands. So don’t sniff around without me or Wong there, got it?” She nodded. “Good.”

The door clicked closed and Ingrid turned to her bed. A bottle of aspirin sat on the bedside table, which she was certain had not been there before.

Rather than retiring to his bedroom, Dr. Strange opened a portal to the room Ingrid had nearly entered earlier that night. It was hard to say what might have been calling out to her, given that the whole room was filled with arcane items. Still, he opened his mind to listen for anything that might be connected to her. It wouldn’t be an actual sound, of course, but he found that some items managed to have a sort of “voice” of their own within the metaphysical planes. At first it was silent, but then there was a thrum of energy from the back of the room. He followed it past old noh masks, ancient swords and suits of armor. It grew stronger with every step he took until his eyes landed on a golden bowl sitting beneath a glass case. Intricate metalwork shaped into numerous symmetrical knots around the rim. The handles were shaped into the head and tail of a serpent, its mouth gaping open as if it were about to strike.

He approached it and lifted the glass case, and set it aside. He reached a gloved hand toward it, still listening. As he did, an anguished scream echoed in his mind. Stephen recoiled from the sound instinctively, though he knew it wouldn’t help stop the noise from reaching him. The wretched wailing continued and was joined by other sets of voices, shouting indistinguishably at each other. Horrified, he closed his mind to it.

The silence that followed deafening. Dr. Strange stared at it in disbelief, breathing hard. Wong approached him from behind.

“Has this thing always been so...miserable?” Dr. Strange asked him.

“There are many things we keep that do not have happy memories attached to them,” Wong said as he held his hands behind his back. “Some of them are even more haunting than this,” he elaborated, placing the glass back on the case.

Dr. Strange’s eyes stayed trained on the artifact. “I think it’s calling to her, Wong.”

Wong nodded. “I think you’re right.” His own gaze fell onto the bowl. It stood quietly under its glass, looking to all the world to be perfectly unremarkable.

#Better Forgotten #my fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #fanfiction #loki x oc #loki x ofc #doctor strange #stephen strange #Marvel #marvel fanfiction #loki #fanfic #marvel fanfic #Dr. Strange #mcu fic

[doctorstrangeaskblog]

Things people don’t know (or just assume wrong) about Doctor Strange

He had more than enough TIME to study and practice since he had the Time Stone. That is made canon by the Hero’s Journey novels, which are prelude to Infinity War stories (Wong says Stephen must be way older than himself by now and Stephen doesn’t deny the use of the stone to train).

Strange started to have white hair when he was 22, due to stress.

Strange an older brother, he had a younger brother (Victor) and sister (Donna) and both died tragically.

Donna, his sister, inspired him to be a doctor.

Her death inspired him to be so obsessed with his perfect record because he failed to save her when he was a medicine student.

The next failure of Stephen as a doctor is with The Ancient One, she dies as well.

Stephen has 11 stainless steel pins inside his hands, they still hurt all the time, they still shake and hurt.

Stephen doesn’t recognize his hands as his own.

Stephen is 42 years old or so, meaning he’s younger than Tony Stark.

His zodiac is Scorpio.

His blood type is B+, the rebel.

Unlike many think, Stephen is very sociable. We just got to see the worst phase of his life in the movie.

Stephen is an extrovert, not an introvert. Being alone makes him sad and he can get quite curious and talkative around anyone, being the circumstances casual and peaceful.

Stephen has Atychiphobia, that is, phobia of failure. That phobia is very related to abuse during childhood, over demanding parents and punishments for failures.

Stephen also has Misophonia, that is, specific little noises annoy him a lot, just like the sound of a clock when he’s trying to focus. He probably would be that teacher that doesn’t want anyone crewing gum during his class.

Strange gets distracted very easily, he’s very curious and tries experimenting new opportunities, unlike many think, he’s not that cold super focused guy who knows everything. Stephen has problems to focus, so he developed his own strategies so he could study without interruptions, one of the reasons he seems to prefer to study at night and train his body during the morning, when there’s more people and more noise.

One of Stephen’s passions is music. Considering some of his friends in his surgery team also enjoy music, by playing this “guess the name and date of the song”, Stephen became a living encyclopedia about music.

Stephen doesn’t have photographic memory as we believe he does, his mind cannot take pictures of things, it doesn’t work like that and the proof is that he has to return to book pages he already read in order to cast certain spells, we see that in Doctor Strange and in Thor Ragnarok. The “photographic memory” Stephen has is way more about a certain ease when it comes to linking information and recalling it by observing how information was disposed in the book and in context (he correlated and compares things a lot and can pictures where everything is by deduction), meaning it would be great for him to learn by building mind maps and diagrams and using different colors.

He learns faster because he spends more time in the same page in his own rhythm, while most students follow the teachers’ rhythm, not their own.

Tony Stark is a genius while Stephen is not. Strange is brilliant and most of the things he conquered was due to his determination and hard work, but still, he’s not as clever a Tony, proof if that Tony completely revolutionized his area, while Strange only contributed with a new technique and very good research to his. It’s good, but still far from what Tony did.

Stephen’s chances of having been through physical abuse during his childhood are very high, specially because it’s not common for an extroverted social person like him to feel super awkward with touching and hugs. He also just seems to like to be touched by people he trusts, even Cloak’s affectionate touches seems to annoy him at first, considering he still doesn’t have any intimacy with the relic. Having a clear problem with affection and trying to rule one’s own life also are signs of childhood problems.

Strange has very strong emotions and he always expresses exactly what he’s feeling, even when he’s being ironic and sarcastic, even his nervous laughs and comments are clear and they reflect how stressed or revolted he’s feeling.

Stephen already hit on Wong in the MCU canon, check the prelude novel Hero’s Journey and the prelude comic Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Stephen is not heterosexual.

What attracts Stephen’s attention the most when it comes to romantic aspects is the person’s aura, regardless of gender and species. (Comic canon).

Stephen can teleport, but he’s limited to short range teleport and he might be able to do that only when he’s inside the Sanctum Sanctorum.

The Eye of Agamotto is not Stephen’s relic, the Cloak of Levitation is. Strange is the guardian of the Eye, but it belongs to the Sanctum and to the Masters of The Mystic Arts and it could be revoked any time, if most of the masters agreed.

Strange is part of an organization called The Master of the Mystic Arts, he’s a master and a Sanctum Guardian and decides to take part in missions and tasks just like the other masters to keep the peace and order between our reality and the Mystic.

Stephen doesn’t protect just the Earth, but our entire reality, along with the other masters.

Stephen looks lonely in the Sanctum because all the masters, teachers and students that were ensigned to the New York Sanctum were killed by Kaecilius.

Despite channeling energies from other dimensions during spells, Strange also spends his own energy (stamina, mana, ki, chakra...) when conjuring them.

Stephen is specialized in portals , shields and offensive spells conjuring, which were his worse techniques. Wong seems to be specialized in barriers, books, artifacts and Mystic History.

Stephen’s Mystic training focuses more in combat, while other sorcerers are specialized in other things, such as seals, creatures, history, diplomacy and more.

Strange didn’t receive any special attention from the Ancient One, she is seen training other students and teachers as well.

Stephen only survived because of his kind heart and potential for goodness, otherwise the Cloak wouldn’t have moved to help him.

Stephen changing after his mystic training is way closer to what his natural self would have been if tragedies hadn’t happened in his life than his arrogant surgeon persona.

Stephen is at least 1500 years old after Infinity War.

He wears blue because it’s the color of advanced students, and he gained his title (master and guardian) during that period.

#doctor strange #stephen strange #dr.strange #stephen #strange #avengers #marvel #mcu #benedict #meta

[marinaaniseed]

To the end

Song: To the end from the album Three cheers for sweet revenge by My Chemical Romance.

Summary: Doctor Strange has a series of surprises for you.

Pairing: Neutral reader x Stephen Strange

Length: 710 words

A/N: Fluff? See here for what this is all about.

***

He calls the mansion, not a house, but a tomb. To you, the Sanctum is more a museum than a mausoleum.

In either case, it’s the building you and Stephen reside in, but it’s certainly not a home. It’s a point you make frequently, but he’s reluctant to leave the Sanctum, and reticent about changing it.

Everything must remain the same. Sacred, untouchable. Protecting these artefacts and tomes from eons ago doesn’t mean that you have to live like specimens too. Ornaments taking their places in chairs and at tables, careful not to disturb objects that had sat still longer than you’ve been alive.

Even the way Stephen speaks is archaic. You’re sure he can’t have always talked like that, it’s almost though he seems to think that speaking mystically will make the mystic arts even more mysterious to outsiders.

It therefore comes as a surprise one day when Stephen eagerly drags you off to stand in front of the door to a cupboard filled with junk.

“Open it,” he says.

You’re not sure why, all you’ll find is rags and boxes unless he’s finally cleared them out. But you know better than to ask, it’s easier that way whenever he’s involved.

Opening the door, you’re surprised to find yourself stepping into an open-plan kitchen-diner. Cyan cupboards line the walls, and there’s a chandelier above the dining table, crystals sparkling like diamonds.

You look back over your shoulder at Stephen, wondering what is going on.

“I’ve been doing some research into the Sanctum. I discovered that the exact dimensions of the Sanctum Sanctorum are variable, due to its mystic nature, so I decided to extend the detritus store and turn it into a more homely environment,” he says smugly.

“Will Wong be living with us?”

“No, goodness no. I’ve lived with him quite long enough. The door is enchanted so that you and I can open it, but nobody else can. Wong is working on his own living quarters that we’ll be unable to access.”

You nod your understanding. The current living quarters were very sparse and monk-like, it would ease a lot of tension if the three of you were now able to retreat to your separate space.

“Since we have no more use for the current chambers, Wong and I have converted them to meditation areas, and other spaces useful to our work. I hope you’ll feel more at ease here now. If the décor displeases you, let me know, and we can discuss a mutually agreeable alternative. You will be pleased, I hope, to learn that I have also created a pool for you, since I know you have an affinity for water.”

You hug him quickly, babbling your thanks, before sprinting through the doorway to explore. The more oriental aspects of the décor are certainly inspired by Stephen’s time in Nepal. While they’re not what you would’ve chosen you’re happy to compromise, because he’s built you a pool.

An Olympic size one at that.

“This is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me, thank you,” you tell Stephen, hugging him again as the Cloak of Levitation tries to bat you off.

“There is one more thing I hoped to give you. If you marry me, would you bury me? Would you carry me to the end?”

“If that’s what you wanted, then of course. Cremate you, bury you, send your remains into space,” you say.

“Good. In that case, let me rephrase. Will you marry me?”

He offers you a ring, set with a teardrop diamond, exactly like the chandelier over the dining table.

“Absolutely. But only if you build a bigger bath so we can soak together,” you answer.

“Consider it already done,” he says, gesturing wildly in front of your face, before slipping the ring onto your finger.

“That’s why you built all this. You knew I wouldn’t accept your proposal if we didn’t have a proper home,” you observe, admiring how the ring looks on your finger.

Stephen doesn’t answer, but his smile lets you know that you’ve guessed correctly. He might be an expert at disguising things with magic, but he’s yet to learn how to disguise his expressions.

You can’t wait to spend your first night in your new home.

#366songshots #Stephen Strange #doctor strange #neutral reader #gender neutral reader

[dukereviewsmovies]

Duke Reviews: Avengers: Infinity War

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Where We Are Continuing Our Look At The Marvel Cinematic Universe...

Where Today We Look At The First Part Of The End Of The Era Of The MCU With Avengers: Infinity War...

Not Even Doing A Synopsis Today, Let's Just Jump Right Into Avengers: Infinity War...

Our Movie Starts On Thor's Ship Which Is Under Attack By Another Ship That Is Carrying The Black Order Who Has Killed Half Of The Passengers As The Leader Of The Black Order, Ebony Maw Announces That The Survivors Should Rejoice In Their Defeat By Thanos....

With Heimdall And Thor Unable To Move, Loki Is Brought Before Thanos, Who Is Wielding The Infinity Gauntlet With The Power Stone (Which Last Seen On Xandar In Guardians Of The Galaxy) Already On It, Demands That Loki Hand Over The Tesseract Or He Will Kill Thor...

Initially Hesitating At First, Loki Eventually Gives When Thanos Starts Torturing Thor With The Power Stone...

(End At 1:25)

With The Ship Powerless Against Thanos, Heimdall Saves The Hulk's Life By Using The Power Of The Bifrost To Send Hulk To Earth But In Doing So, Thanos Kills Heimdall...

Handing The Tesseract To Thanos, He Crushes It To Reveal The Space Stone Which He Sets Inside Of The Infinity Gauntlet. With 2 Stones Now In His Possession, Thanos Orders The Black Order To Invade Earth To Retrieve The Mind And Time Stones....

Interrupting Them, Loki Pretends Pledging Loyalty To Thanos So He Can Try To Attack Him But Seeing Through Loki's "Intentions" Thanos Kills Him...

Yeah, That One Got To Me Too...

Using The Power Stone, Thanos Destroys Thor's Ship While Him And His Black Order Teleport Out Leaving Thor To Die As He Mourns Over Loki's Dead Body...

Crashing Into The Roof Of The Sanctum Sanctorum In New York As Strange And Wong Are Going To Get Lunch, They Discover The Hulk, Transforming Back Into Bruce Banner To Tell Them That Thanos Is Coming...

While Having Lunch In Central Park With Pepper, Tony Is Confronted By Strange And Banner Who Take Him Back To The Sanctum To Explain About The Infinity Stones And Telling Him That He's Looking For The Time Stone Held In The Eye Of Agamotto And The Mind Stone That Is With Vision...

Telling Them That Thanos Is The Most Formidable Enemy Ever And That He Sent Loki And The Chitauri To Earth Banner Tells Tony That He Will Wipe Out Half Of The Universe If He Completes The Infinity Gauntlet. With Tony Suggesting That They Simply Destroy The Time Stone, Strange Would Rather Die Than Give It Up As Him And Wong Have Pledged Their Lives To Protect It...

Asking Where Vision Is, Stark Tells Banner That He Has Lost Track Of Him And Gets Banner Up To Date With Everything That's Happened Since He Left Earth With The Avengers Disbanding (Love The Beatles Reference Banner Gives) And That Tony Is Not On Speaking Terms With Cap But With Bruce Saying Screw That...

Stating That Whatever Happened It Doesn't Matter Compared To What Is Coming. Convinced, Tony Tries To Use The Phone That Cap Sent Him At The End Of Civil War But An Ominous Hum Rings Through The Air That's Soon Accompanied By A Change In The Air Flow...

Going Out To The Street, Tony, Strange, Wong And Banner Go Out To See A Big Q Shaped Ship That's Being Controlled By 2 Of The Black Order, Ebony Maw And Cull Obsidian Who Are There For The Time Stone...

With His Spidey Sense Tingling, Peter Parker (Who Is In The Middle Of A School Field Trip) Notices The Big Spaceship And Asks Ned To Cause A Distraction So He Can Suit Up To Join The Fight...

Oh And Did I Mention The Bus Driver Is Stan Lee?...

Stan Lee Cameo!

Banner Tries To Hulk Up But Somehow He's Having Trouble Transforming Into The Hulk So He's Going To Sit Out Of This One While Tony, Strange And Wong Deal With Obsidian And Maw...

Despite Wong Trapping Obsidian In The Arctic, Maw Gets Strange And The Time Stone But Unbeknownst To Maw, Tony And Spidey (Who Digivolves Into Iron Spider) Manages To Show Away In Maw's Ship...

With Nothing He Can Do, Wong Returns To The Sanctum To Protect It While Banner Uses Tony's Phone To Call Cap...

Receiving The Asgardian's Distress Signal, The Guardians Of The Galaxy Search The Wreckage Of Thor's Ship To Find Thor Himself Still Alive. Taking Him On Board Their Ship Which Is Now Dubbed The Benatar (Which I Did Not Know) Thor Tells Them How Thanos Killed Half Of His People To Get The Space Stone And That He Decimated Xandar To Obtain The Power Stone...

Wow, Way To Tell Them That Everything They Did In Their First Movie Was For Nothing!

As Gamora Recounts How Thanos Travels From Planet To Planet To Kill Half The Population, She Tells Them That He Will Do The Same With The Universe Should He Complete The Gauntlet By Snapping His Fingers...

This Leads Thor To Tell The Guardians That The Reality Stone (Otherwise Known As The Aether) Is On Knowhere With The Collector So They Decide To Go There While Thor, Rocket And Groot Go To Nidavellir To Talk To The Master Craftsman Etri, About Crafting Him A New Weapon That Will Kill Thanos....

Back On Earth In Scotland, 2 More Of Thanos's Black Order, Proxima Midnight And Corvus Glaive Ambush Vision While He Attempts To Live A Normal Life With Scarlet Witch..

With Vision Badly Weakened In The Fight And Scarlet Witch Barely Holding It On Her Own, Reinforcements Arrive....

(Start At 2:35)

After Grabbing Vision And Scarlet Witch, They All Head For The New Avengers Facility While Back In Space, Gamora Remembers How Thanos Destroyed Half Of Her People And Adopted Her In The Process Before Making Quill Promise And Swear On His Mother To Kill Her If She Gets Captured By Thanos...

Eventually Agreeing, The 2 Share A Kiss Before The Guardians Arrive On A Deserted Knowhere Where They Witness Thanos Violently Interrogate The Collector Over The Location Of The Reality Stone...

Making Too Much Noise, Thanos Discovers Their Presence Which Leads Gamora To Go On The Offensive And Attack Which Leads To Her Promptly Defeating The Titan...

(Start At 0:16)

Meanwhile At The Avengers Facility, Rhodey Discusses Recent Events With Thunderbolt Ross, Who Is Outraged Over Vision's Disappearance. Rhodey Counters Ross, Saying That Vision Disappeared Because Of The Sokovia Accords Which Even Rhodey Is Now Having Regrets About Signing...

But When Cap And The Others Enter, Ross Demands That They All Be Arrested But Deciding To Cut Off Ross's Transmission, Rhodey Decides To Commit Treason And Help His Old Teammates...

With Banner Emerging As Well, Everyone Is Brought Up To Speed As Banner Suggests They Bring In Hawkeye To Help But Him And Scott Lang Are Unavailable Saying That They Surrendered Themselves To The Government To Make Deals To Be Placed Under House Arrest With Their Families...

Something We'll Look Into Next Week With Ant-Man And The Wasp...

Deciding At First To Destroy The Mind Stone, Cap Believes There Must Be A Way To Remove It Without Killing Vision So They Decide To Go To Wakanda...

Speaking Of Wakanda, T'Challa And Okoye Deliver A New Vibranium Arm To Bucky, Who Has Recovered From His Mental Programming, While On Ebony Maw's Ship...

With Strange Insisting They Go Back To Earth, Tony Thinks Keeping The Course Set For Titan In An Effort To Keep The Element Of Surprise Over Thanos. Strange Agrees But Warns Stark That If He Has To Choose Between The Time Stone Or Him He Will Protect The Time Stone Over Him Or Spidey..

Meanwhile On Thanos' Ship, Gamora Tells Thanos She Doesn't Know The Location Of The Soul Stone And Calls Her Adoptive Father Insane For Planning To Exterminate Half Of The Life In The Universe...

However Thanos Insists On The Righteousness Of His Desire For "Perfect Balance" Before Informing Gamora That Since He Attacked Gamora's Homeworld They Have Been Thriving Ever Since He Eradicated Half Of The Population...

Needing The Soul Stone To Complete His Goal, He Reveals To Gamora That Nebula Is His Prisoner. Torturing Nebula In Front Of Gamora By Pulling Her Apart, Gamora Reveals To Thanos That The Stone Is On Vormir...

Arriving On Nidavellir, Thor, Rocket And Groot Meet Etri (Played By Peter Dinklage)...

One Marvel Character Wasn't Enough For You, Dinklage?

Who Is Now The Only Remaining Dwarf On The Forge As He Explains That Thanos Ordered Him To Craft The Infinity Gauntlet And Afterwards He Crippled Him So He Could Never Build Anything Else Again...

But Convincing Etri That If They Work Together They Can Beat Thanos, They Plan To Craft A New Weapon Named Stormbreaker Which Is A Weapon That Can Summon The Bifrost...

Freeing Herself From Her Chains, Nebula Sends A Message To The Guardians To Meet Her On Titan. And Speaking Of Titan, Tony, Spidey And Strange Manage To Land The Ship On Titans Surface Where They Run Into Company...

(Start At 0:17, End At 2:06)

With The Team Devising A Plan Outside Of The Ship, Strange Uses The Time Stone To Look Into Alternate Futures Then Reports To His Allies That Of 14 Million 605 Visions Of The Future He Foresaw That None Were Victorious Except One...

Teleporting To The Planet Vormir, Thanos And Gamora Are Greeted By A Familiar Face In The Form Of The Red Skull (Who Is Not Hugo Weaving) Who Is Now Acting As Keeper Of The Soul Stone. Taking Gamora And Thanos To The Top Of The Mountain, Schmidt Tells Thanos That In Order To Get The Stone He Must Sacrifice The Thing He Loves Most...

Amused By This As She Believes That Thanos Doesn't Love Anything And Is Incapable Of The Sacrifice To Do So, Gamora Is Shocked When She Sees Thanos Crying Asking Why, Schmidt Tells Her That He Is Not Weeping For Himself But For Her Which Leads Thanos To Sacrifice Gamora By Throwing Her Off The Cliff To Her Death...

I Realize This Is Supposed To Be Sad But I'm Immature So...

Awakening A Few Minutes Later, Thanos Finds The Soul Stone In His Hand...

Arriving In Wakanda, Cap And His Team Are Greeted By T'Challa And Bucky Before Straight To Shuri's Lab So She Can Start To Extract The Mind Stone From Vision However It Will Take Some Time Wanda Decides To Stay By Them Ready To Destroy The Mind Stone Once It's Out Of Vision...

Moments Later, Massive Drop Ships Start Landing Outside Of Wakanda's Energy Dome, So With T'Challa Saying That They'll Hold Back The Invaders, He Orders To Evacuate The City, Engage All Defenses And Get Cap A Freaking Shield!

Meanwhile On Nidavellir, Thor And Rocket Manage To Get The Star Ignited But The Forge's Mechanisms Have Been Damaged So Thor Has No Choice But To Use His Own Body To Hold The Forge's Iris Open...

With A Massive Army Led By Proxima Midnight And Cull Obsidian At Their Door, T'Challa Gathers The Dora Milaje, The Wakandan Royal Guard, What's Left Of The Boarder Tribe And The Jabari Led By M'Baku While Accompanied By Cap, Bucky, Falcon, Rhodey, Widow And Banner (Who Is Inside Of A New Hulkbuster Armor) To Meet Them In An Attempt To Give Shuri Time To Complete Her Work...

Back On Nidavellir, Thor Opens The Iris Of The Star Long Enough For Etri To Make The Top Of Stormbreaker But It Still Needs A Handle To Hold It So, With Thor Near Death Due To The Blast Of The Star, Groot Sacrifices His Left Arm So It Can Become The Handle Of Stormbreaker So The Weapon's Powers Can Activate...

Though They Manage To Take Down Many Of The Black Order's Soliders, The Avengers And The Wakandan Army Are Quickly Outnumbered Until Thor, Rocket Arrive To Help..

Meanwhile On Titan, Thanos Arrives To Be Greeted By Strange Who After A Brief Conversation With Thanos Learns That Titan Was His Home But Overpopulation Led To It's Ruin. He Suggested Killing The Half Of The Population To Save The Planet But They Believed Him To Be Insane...

After Hearing His Plan For The 100th Time, Strange And The Other Heroes Engage On Thanos...

(Start At 0:13, End At 2:44)

Incapacitating Thanos By Using Mantis' Powers, The Team Tries To Get The Gauntlet While Quill Questions Thanos About Gamora...

Leading To The Part That Has Everyone Up In Arms...

After Learning About Gamora's Death, Quill Punches Thanos Enough For Mantis To Lose Her Concentration And Releases The Mad Titan Before Everyone Could Get The Gauntlet Off His Hand...

Holy Shit, The Star Lord Hate That Came From This Scene Alone Was Enough To Tick Me Off...

"If Star Lord Hadn't Punched Thanos, Everyone Wouldn't Have Been Snapped By Thanos!"

Just Listen...

Yes, If Star Lord Hadn't Punched Thanos, We Wouldn't Have Gotten The Ending We Got...

However...

He Has Just Lost The Only Person (Aside From His Mom And Maybe Yondu) Who Has Ever Loved Him In His Life And He Didn't Get To Say Goodbye To Her, She's Gone And She's Not Coming Back...

At Least This Version Of Her Isn't...

And With The Killer In Front Of Him, I'm Sorry, But Star Lord Has Every Right To Punch The Living Daylights Out Of Thanos As Much As Scarlet Witch Did In Endgame...

And Yet People Didn't Harp On That!...

But I Mainly Understand This Because I Know Someone In My Life Who Has Gone Through The Same Type Of Loss And Hasn't Gotten Over It...

And I Think The People That Have Gone Through The Same Type Of Loss Are The Ones That Understand This Scene Where The Others That Haven't Just Bitch At It And That's Wrong...

Anyway, Thanos Breaks Free And The Heroes Continue Fighting Thanos With The Fight Turning In His Favor As He Uses The Power Of The Infinity Stones Against His Attackers...

Back In Wakanda, The Black Order Brings In Massive Siege Weapons To Lay Waste On The Battlefield Which Forces To Join In The Fight...

But Despite Okoye And Widow Dealing With Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive Infiltrates Shuri's Lab And Knocks Out The Guards And Shuri Before Her Extraction Of The Mind Stone Can Be Completed. Attempting To Take The Mind Stone From Vision, Vision Escapes Before Glaive Does By Attempting To Fight Him...

With Glaive And Obsidian Overpowering Vision, Banner In The Hulkbuster Flies In To Fight Obsidian And Killing Him While Glaive Fights Cap Only To Be Killed By Vision And Wanda Finishes Off Proxima Midnight By Throwing Her Into A Thresher...

Back On Titan The Battle Continues As Strange Fights Thanos...

(End At 1:14)

Attacking Thanos After He Fights Strange, Tony Finds Himself Quickly Outmatched And Seriously Wounded When Thanos Stabs Him In The Stomach. But As Thanos Is About To Execute Tony, Strange Agrees To Give Him The Time Stone In Exchange For Tony's Life..

Agreeing, Strange Gives Thanos The Time Stone And He Inserts It In The Gauntlet Before He Leaves For Wakanda To Fight The Avengers...

With Thanos Defeating Every One Of Them, One By One, Vision Realizes They Have No Choice Now And Asks Scarlet Witch To Destroy The Mind Stone And Him With It...

Destroying Vision And The Mind Stone Before Thanos He's Like "Nice Try, Sucker" And Rewinds Time Using The Time Stone So He Can Get The Mind Stone From Vision And Killing Him...

(End At 2:35)

With Barnes, T'Challa, Scarlet Witch And...Groot

(Crying)

I'm Sorry, I'm Done..

Turning To Dust Along With Half Of The Wakandan Army, The Avengers Have No Choice But To Watch In Horror As They Are Unable To Do Anything But Accept Defeat..

While Back On Titan, Mantis, Spidey, Drax And Star Lord Vanish Along With Strange Who Tells Tony That There Was No Other Way, As Nebula Remarks That Thanos Has Achieved His Goal...

Yeah, No Crap...

Retiring On A Distant Planet, Thanos Looks Out To The Sunrise As He Considers His Job Done As He Smiles...

We Get A Post Credit Scene Where We See Nick Fury And Maria Hill Disappear Due To The Effects Of The Snap But Before Fury Goes He Activates A Pager Which Is Connected To Captain Marvel...

And That's Avengers: Infinity War And Despite All The Deaths In This Movie, I Like it

The Story Is Good, The Characters Were Well Written And I Like Thanos As The Bad Guy, However If I Were Going To Change One Thing, I'd Make Quill Survive Over Rocket, Though I Understand Why They Kept Nebula, Because She's Thanos' Other Daughter, Rocket (Who I Like But He's Not My Favorite Guardian Of The Galaxy) I Felt Had No Reason To Be Around Where Quill If He Had Survived It Would Made For A Better Story As It Would Have Given Quill A Chance To Make Up For Letting Thanos Go On Titan, Still Though I'd Say See It...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

#avengers infinity war #robert downey jr #Chris Evans #mark ruffalo #chris hemsworth #Scarlet Johansson #paul bettany #elizabeth olsen #benidict cumberbatch #tom hiddelson #chris pratt #batista #zoe saldana #pom klementieff #bradley cooper #chadwick boseman #sebastian stan #anthony mackie #don cheadle #marvel #marvel cinematic universe

[w-m-blake]

I’m very proud of the writing I’ve done this week! Mortal Truth; and You Wish You Didn’t Ask the Question came out on Sunday; You Are Dead, My Life, and I Still Breathe came out yesterday; and I just posted the fifth chapter of The Sands of Titan! This week has been very productive! To celebrate (and because I want to know what people are interested in reading next), under the cut I’m putting the titles and short synopses of fics I’ve got on my to-do list. Message me if you want more information/want to weigh in on what to write next.

If Even Death Were Grace: “we begin in the dark/and birth is the death of us,” Anne Carson, “antigonick.” Anthony Stark, son of Howard Stark, Titan of the Forge, and Maria Carbonell, Titaness of Family and the Hearth, God of Invention, finds himself like Iphigenia, a sacrifice—a pawn—to placate the furies of other deities, for transgressions he didn’t commit. Nevertheless, he holds his chin up and walks the path to Hel, averting a war and agreeing to a marriage both. Better this than the alternative. Frostiron, retelling of Persephone and Hades (at least inspired by) with Tony in the place of Persephone and Loki as Hades.

I’m Not Playing God: (All this time, I’ve been playing human.) Frostiron, ThorBruce. Tony Stark walks out of the abandoned bunker in Siberia having awakened, realizing he was a god born to walk with humans. Rewriting from about the end of Ragnarok to Endgame.

I Hear You Whisper underneath Your Breath/I Hear You Whisper You Have Nothing Left: Tony wakes from nightmares of a life he can hardly imagine, a life where he’s left behind in a freezing bunker by an enemy wearing Steve Rogers’ face. Loki tries to comfort him, to distract him from these visions, but they become harder and harder to ignore—until something has to give. Frostiron.

Desiring More Yet: Harley Keener is always hungry, always starving, always looking for the next thing to drive his teeth into. He burns through ideas, through petty lovers, through inventions and motivations and addictions, looking for something—anything—that will satisfy him. He was hungry before leaving Rose Hill, his hunger driving him to New York, and he's still hungry even now, even cared for and loved by Tony and Pepper, even in this place that was supposed to be everything that he wanted. Perhaps it was some kind of idle dream, expecting thing new place to be all that he wanted, all that he needed.It did, at least, provide more distractions from his hunger than Rose Hill, Tennessee did. Peter Parker is content with what he has. Most of the time, at least. Sure, sometimes he's a little lonely—but Aunt May, Ned, MJ, Tony, Pepper, they're all there for him, just a phone call or a text away at their farthest. Sure, sometimes he carries this guilt from not doing enough, not being enough, failing people—but he's Spiderman, and he can't afford to get too down, because he's got other people counting on him. He pulls through. Sure, sometimes, the night is so big and dark and he feels like it's so empty it's going to swallow him whole, but Karen's in his ear all night, keeping him going. He's fine. Really. Maybe he's not as fine as he wants to be. Parkner.

One-Part Sadness, Two-Parts Tragedy: a Harley Keener character study told in three parts: the first is his time in Rose Hill, the second his transition from Rose Hill to NYC with Tony and Pepper’s help, and the third NYC post-Endgame. Major character death, no happy ending.

Warfare and a Man at War: a Tony Stark character study that will be a series, beginning with Warfare and a Man at War, followed by Of Gods and Men and concluding with In Hope and Fear. Warfare and a Man at War will focus on human conflict, the struggles of human war and its effects. Of Gods and Men will be the introduction of aliens and Other threats, justified paranoia, and how one fights an outmatched battle to win. In Hope and Fear will conclude the series; it will be the end results, the conclusion, what happens to civilians once the threat is “gone.”

Brinesoaked Bodies: mermaid!au. Chapter titles: “Left Broadside onto Breaking Seas;” “The Black Hurricane;” “Worn by Winds on Every Sea;” “The Whole Uproar of the Great Sea Fell Silent;” “Serenity that Calms the Weather;” “Brinesoaked Bodies.”

Insensible Shades: a Rapunzel/Tangled au meets Orpheus/Eurydice. Harley is the stolen child of King Anthony and Queen Virginia. Peter, a thief/vigilante dubbed “Spiderman,” is on the run from the kingdom’s guards—a misunderstanding, he insists—and comes across a tower. He takes Harley to see the lanterns, initially rather unwillingly, only to accidentally drag Harley into the mess of his non-legal affairs. Peter sacrifices himself to save Harley; Harley, in turn, becomes like Orpheus and travels to Hel to trade for Peter. Parkner, angst with a happy ending.

Boyfriend Clothes: Harley Keener lives in the same dorm as his friend, Peter Parker. They aren’t the closest—Ned Leeds and Michelle Jones definitely take up more of Peter’s time than Harley does—but they share physics and engineering courses, and both work as personal interns for Tony Stark—which is kind of code for Tony pseudo-adopting the young geniuses. Harley’s best friend is Shuri. She laughs at how Harley gushes over Peter—so long as he isn’t around. In turn, Harley teases Shuri for how she stammers around MJ. They’re both disaster gays. One night, Harley sees Peter walking to/from the bathroom (or something similar in the dorm) in pajama bottoms (shorts, which barely come past the shirt he’s wearing over them) and a giant fleece button down. It reached down almost to his mid-thigh and hung off his shoulder a little, the top button undone so the shirt was open to about his mid-sternum. Harley took this as obvious evidence that Peter now had a boyfriend (maybe even staying in his room that very night) and had to get to the bottom of it; he had to at least know who Peter was with—if only for the purposes of moving on. Parkner, college!au, no powers, silly fluff & humor, shenanigans.

Untitled #1: In order to keep the Time Stone from Thanos, Stephen Strange liquefies it (the way that the Reality Stone becomes Aether) and places it inside the only one on Titan who has withstood an infinity stone before: Tony. Thanos retreats temporarily to plan again; Tony must learn to use his newly-gained magic before he returns in order to save the universe.

Untitled #2: Disturbances occurring in the magical “ley lines” or Circumstances lead to Stephen investigating the multiverse; the disturbances aren’t coming from within this universe, or perhaps even any specific universe. They seem to be coming from all universes and none of them at the same time; it’s the roots of Yggdrasil, shaking with anticipation for whatever is on its way. A horror lurks in the void between Yggdrasil’s roots, and Stephen has to locate and banish it. Frostironstrange, Ironstrange, multiple universes, alternate timelines, horror/lovecraftian horror.

Untitled #3: Space pirates. The Ironfam (Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, Bruce, Peter, Harley, Morgan) are on the run from the imperial rule of the SHIELD system upon Tony, Rhodey, and Bruce discovering the way their military employers maintain and gain power. They’re pursued by a small task-force (Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Sam; Phil is their handler) from SHIELD and the Winter Soldier, a ship from the HYDRA system (once a colony of SHIELD which revolted and is now in the throes of a Reign of Terror, French revolution style) commandeered by a (brain-washed) captain proficient at hiding his ship using comets and ice rock fields. (The Winter Soldier is captained by James Barnes, a spy sent by SHIELD to keep an eye on HYDRA, only to fall into their hands.) The Winter Soldier has commands to capture Tony, Rhodey, and Bruce for their military & scientific knowledge. Yggdrasil is a system far enough from SHIELD and HYDRA that neither know of it; it’s ruled by Odin, king of Asgard and conqueror of Jotunheimr, Vanaheimr, Alfheim, Muspell, Svartalfheim, Niflheim, and Nidavellir. Loki was taken from Jotunheimr when it was the last planet to be subdued by Asgard, being the furthest planet from the system’s star; Odin intends on making Loki the ambassador for the Jotuns, knowing that they still mourn the loss of their prince. Loki doesn’t take this well when he finds out; his mother Freyja helps him to flee. Odin sends Thor after him to capture him “on grounds of treason.” Stephen Strange flees the Sanctum Sanctorum System when his planet, Kamar-Taj, is invaded by the rapidly-spreading empire Dormammu. The Ancient One had been grooming Stephen for taking her position as the protector of Kamar-Taj once she had stepped down, but Kaecilius, a jealous pupil of hers, aided Dormammu in infiltrating Kamar-Taj’s defenses as what he saw as retribution for being looked over for the position. The Ancient One, worried for the fate of the people she protects (not necessarily governs, though almost every government on Kamar-Taj recognized her as an influential power), sent Stephen away, having one of her trusted advisers, Wong, take him from the system. Kaecilius hears of the plot to sneak Stephen off the planet before the Dormammu forces could invade, and he attempts to prevent their escape. This fails, but Stephen does gain the favor of the Cloak of Levitation in this fight. Stephen and Wong escape, bringing the Cloak. Stephen intends on someday returning to rid Kamar-Taj of Dormammu rule, but he has a lot to learn from Wong and the universe first. All of these plotlines intersect, threading through, around, and with one another. Polycule: Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, Bruce. Eventual additions of Frostironstrange and ThorBruce

Untitled #4: sick!fic; I have the list of headcanons/ideas here. Parkner. Cute & fluffy, featuring trans Peter with an unidentified but minor sickness and Harley being a good boyfriend.

Untitled #5: Stardust!au. Part One: Tony Stark leaves Wall to explore the land beyond it which beckons him, but only for a short time, with people depending on him back home. He falls for an imprisoned fae, attempts to free him, but ultimately fails and must return to Wall. Not long after, the watcher of the wall brings him a child in a wicker basket named Harley. Part Two: Eighteen years later, Harley Keener is infatuated with a girl named Victoria. He, trying to win her hand over her other suitor, E.J., promises to bring her a star that they see falling from the sky. He expects something like a precious stone; he, instead, meets Peter. They get dragged into an adventure running from star-eating warlocks, meeting lightning-catching pirates—who always make sure to dock frequently, so their captain can see his alchemist spouse—and a wild scramble for a throne that seems to have no viable heir. (Whether the fae is Loki or Stephen, I haven’t yet decided. Weigh in if you have a preference.) Parkner, ThorBruce, either Frostiron or Ironstrange.

Beyond these, I have my NaNoWriMo story (rough hands//soft hearts) and my Clint Barton Bingo card.

#my work #update #okay I'm rlly happy about the SoT chapter ?? so i wanted to celebrate #& I also rlly like talking about what I'm working on #partially because it makes me think about it so I'm more likely to get it done sooner #but I also am just rlly excited to write them #!!

[amethyst-noir]

Since you loved the last angsty prompt so much. Let’s do it again (I’m a monster, I know) More magic angst too, because why not? After an artefact breaks, a demon gets loose. And ends up possessing Stephen. Tony gets called in by Wong for assistance, but doesn’t get the full story of the whole, possessed Stephen. So Tony has to attempt to save innocent lives and Stephen, without hurting his wizard. But eventually, he has to resort to brute force and risk killing Stephen for the greater good.

(Anon refers to Locking Up the Sun, if anybody’s interested. I got this prompt shortly after posting that story; it only took me ages to write this one. /shameless self-promotion)

Oh, help me, this was pure fun to write! Not so much fun for Tony and Stephen but for me. Angst, drama and H/C (yes, in capital letters!) ahead! I like my demons bitchy - probably the influence of 14 seasons of Supernatural - and this is the result. I hope it’s at least half as much fun to read as it was to write. Sometimes I fear for my sanity.

The title is taken from a GUNSHIP song once again. (Art3mis & Parzival from the Dark All Day album.)

Through the Shadows, I’m coming Home

“I need your help!”

Tony could barely hear Wong over the loud crash that accompanied his shout. “What?” he called back but only got an indistinguishable mix of words and noise back. Something that sounded suspiciously like an explosion drowned out the rest.

“Where are you?” he called and thought he heard “Sanctum Sanctorum” back. He could work with that. He was already in the suit and up in the air by the time the call was disconnected from Wong’s side.

“What the hell’s going…”, he began as he crossed the threshold into the Sanctum and was greeted by another crash and a shouted curse by Wong. The rest of his words died unspoken as he saw the chaos in the main hall. “Stephen? Wong? What’s going on?”

“Stark! Get in here and help me contain it!”

Wong’s voice came from the library. Tony ran there and was greeted by the picture of Wong holding off Stephen with a shield that was weakening even in the few seconds it took Tony to work out what he was seeing.

“Stephen?” His shout got his lover’s attention and he turned around to face Tony.

Something’s wrong, was Tony’s first thought. Stephen’s movements were all wrong; not fluid enough but at the same time much looser than his usual, tightly controlled ones. And was that red thing lying still and bundled up in the corner the Cloak?

“Another one. Nice,” Stephen said and his voice was also wrong. Even deeper and much more dangerous sounding. “I’ll come back to you later. Things to do first. Sorry, librarian, playtime’s over.” There was a careless gesture, that must have hurt Stephen’s wrist immensely, and Wong flew through the air, landing in front of the windows. He didn’t move.

“Tony Stark,” Stephen purred and came nearer. Tony was still frozen with shock. “I’ve heard and seen so much about you. He thinks about you often, you know. He even has that fancy little idea that you saved his soul from despair or some romantic bullshit like that.” He came to a standstill about three feet away from Tony. “He fought hard and valiantly. His last thought was about you and in honor of that I’ll spare you.” Stephen let his gaze wander up and down Tony’s body, his appreciation clear. “Very nice,” he finally purred. He darted forward to press a short kiss against Tony’s lips. It ended with a rather brutal bite. “I’ll get to you later. We’re going to have so much fun together!”

Tony was still too stunned to react and by the time his brain had rebooted and made the connections Stephen had opened up a portal and had vanished through it.

“Stephen!” Tony shouted after him but it was no use. The portal closed in an swirl of unusual black sparks and left Tony behind.

A groan and a whispered “Stark” finally got him moving. He went over to Wong and helped the man up.

“What the fuck is going on here? What happened to Stephen?!” He still stared at the spot where the portal had been, touching his sore lip.

*

The answer, predictably, was magic. Damn magic, one of the things that always managed to fuck Tony’s life up when it was finally on the right track.

“We rescued a relic from Mordo and his followers,” Wong explained while trying to find his way fully back to consciousness. “We wanted to secure it and bring it to Kamar-Taj for destruction.” Tony wanted to shake the man. He wasn’t interested in the backstory, he wanted to know what had happened to Stephen, damn it! Wong seemed to sense his thoughts and pulled himself together a little bit more quickly. “It broke and now it’s on the loose.”

“What is?”

Wong swallowed and Tony passed him a glass of water. He wanted answers, but he didn’t want to torture Wong to get them. “You could call it a demon, in lieu of a better word.”

Fuck. “And it’s possessing Stephen.” It was a statement, not a question. Everything made sense now and Tony felt himself shift into the age old ‘must protect my loved ones’ mode he’d hoped to never use again. “What can we do? What does this thing want and where did it take Stephen?”

Wong just stared at him for a long time, still dazed, before he shook his head. “Hell if I know.”

*

It wanted to make an entrance into the world, apparently, and it wanted to destruct something that would get the attention of the world.

The demon in Stephen’s body choose to attack the Avengers Compound, probably because Stephen knew the layout and all the weaknesses of the place inside and out. It took barely three hours to disintegrate over half of the compound and only Tony’s frantic warnings made sure that almost everybody got out there before someone got hurt.

Tony didn’t want to imagine how Stephen would feel if someone was hurt because of this, even though it wouldn’t be his fault.

As soon as everybody was evacuated Wong and Tony tried to hunt the demon down.

It was a rather long, explosive, process and Tony’s fear for Stephen’s body and life grew by the second.

When Tony finally had him - it - in his hold he pushed Stephen’s body back against the nearest surface and just held on with all the strength he could muster with his armor. He had both of Stephen’s hands in an iron hold so there should be no more magic. He was prepared to fight with all his strength but there was no resistance.

Stephen - no, the thing that looked like Stephen - let his head fall back against the crumbling wall behind it and laughed. “You can’t do it, Tony,” it said and even managed a reasonable approximation of the usual warmth while speaking his name. It moved his neck around, much further than Stephen, thanks to his injuries, could move.Tony could hear bones and tendons crack and shivered.

“Stephen,” he begged, knowing that it was futile and that Stephen was probably already gone. Wong had tried to break the news as gently as possible but Tony still had to fight back tears when he’d heard the words. “Please, don’t.” He was glad the he still had the helmet on and that it couldn’t see his fear.

It smiled and blew Tony a kiss. “Can’t kill your lover, hmm? What a shame. Should have put his body to better use while you still had the chance. It’s not going to be as much fun now. I think I did a little bit of damage in here.” Another crack as Stephen’s head moved from one side to the other and Tony’s stomach turned. Instead of losing his control and let his emotions take over he increased the pressure on Stephen’s hands while silently apologizing to his love.

“Let him go”, he said. It wasn’t the first time.

“Why should I? It’s nice in here.” It smiled. “I like you and I can see why the loved you so much. We could have so much fun, you and I. The things I can show you, the places I can take you…”

“Stop.”

“He put up quite a fight, you know? When I first got into him there was even the sliver of a chance of him being stronger than me. Took quite a while and a lot of effort to tame him. You had a wildcat, Tony, but now…” It left the rest of the sentence unspoken, Stephen’s fate still unclear.

Tony wanted to strangle the answer out of it but the thought of hurting Stephen’s body further was too much. It already broke his heart that he had to hold Stephen’s hands so tightly and had to push his body hard enough against the wall to leave bruises. He didn’t even dare to think about all the other injuries he was aggravating with his rough handling. I’m sorry, Stephen. Please forgive me.

He couldn’t, wouldn’t, inflict irreparable damage.

“You have to stop it, no matter the cost”, Wong had told him. “It’s too dangerous to be left out in the world.”

“But it’s in Stephen!” Tony had answered. “We have to save him first! Then this thing can go to hell or wherever it came from.”

Wong hadn’t said anything to that and that silence had been clearer than any words could have been. Now, only a few hours later, half of the Avengers Compound was in ruins and Vision and War Machine where busy keeping everybody away from the battlefield while Wong and Tony tried to catch and contain the demon. Nobody else knew what was going on but the explosions and the evacuation of the Compound had undoubtedly made it to the news by now.

It had been a mix of Wong’s diversionary tactic on the other end of the compound, Tony’s strategic thinking and pure luck that had allowed Iron Man to catch and contain it. While inside a human host the demon wasn’t much stronger than a normal human, thus easily containable with the help of the armor. As soon as the thing had realized that it couldn’t get out of Tony’s grip with brute force it’d switched to this bizarre blend of flirting mixed with taunting.

It broke Tony’s heard to hear Stephen’s wonderful voice but without his personality behind it. It was even harder to see the damage the damn thing was inflicting on his beloved. Stephen was already too pale and trembling, thanks to the blood loss from the wounds his body sustained when Wong had collapsed a building on top of him. He’d gotten out, naturally, but he was bleeding from a deep gash on his side and something was wrong with his right wrist. Tony was glad that it was now hidden behind his grip; the short glimpse he’d caught had been enough to make him afraid of what it might mean for Stephen’s future. And those words by the demon that there was internal damage…

Fuck it, he finally decided. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. “Is Stephen still alive?” He didn’t know why he even tried it. There was no reason for the thing not to lie into his face.

“Yes,” was the surprising answer, almost whispered. “I’ve subdued him, but he’s still here. I wouldn’t be able to use his body without his soul to keep it alive.” It grinned. “He’s strong but at this point he couldn’t survive without me.”

We’ll see about that. “Let me speak to him.”

The thing put Stephen’s head to the side like a cat. Tony resisted the impulse to hold his head still to keep Stephen’s neck and spine from further damage. “Why?”

“Because…” Tony swallowed and finally let the helmet retract. Stephen’s eyes widened in surprise and it looked pleased. Time to play. “… if you can convince me that Stephen’s still in there I might be persuaded to let you go.”

“Will you come with me?”

That was��� not quite unexpected, considering all the quasi-flirting. “Where to?” he asked still desperately trying to formulate a plan.

It shrugged. “Another planet? Another dimension?Bali? I’m open to suggestions.”

“Let me speak to Stephen first.” He had arrived at desperate begging by now but it worked.

The thing nodded. “But not for long. Just enough time to say goodbye. Make no mistake, Tony, you can have his body but you’ll get me, not him. I’m sending him to permanent sleep after this.”

Tony’s nausea got even worse and he swallowed twiceb efore nodding. That meant that Stephen was still alive. There still was a chance. As if he cared about having Stephen’s body without the man himself in the driver’s seat. “Okay. But I want to speak to him one last time. Please?” he added after a moment. He had given up fighting his tears by now. “I don’t want him to go without knowing…” He couldn’t go on but thankfully he didn’t have to.

It gave a final, curt nod and then suddenly Stephen’s head fell forward. After a moment a pained groan filled the air and Tony just knew that Stephen was back. For a short time at least. Time to get to work then.

“Hey, Stephen?” Tony pitched his voice low and soothing, the tone he usually adopted when trying to get Stephen out of the grip of a nightmare. “Sweetheart, can you hear me? Do you know what

happened to you? I’m sorry, but we don’t have much time.”

He decided to continue holding Stephen’s right wrist to support it and raised his right hand to gently help Stephen lift his head. He could feel the resistance in abused muscles and tendons and swallowed down a sob. Damage, indeed. Lots of it. Stephen’s blood was by now staining not only his clothes and the armor but the ground, too. He had to get Stephen into a hospital ten minutes ago. “Stephen? Love? Can you tell me anything on how to get that thing out of you? It’s killing you and we’re running out of time.”

Stephen’s eyes were closed and his breathing was labored. “Tony?” he murmured in a broken voice and it took all of Tony’s willpower not to scream at him to hurry up.

“I’m here, Stephen. Just tell me what to do.”

“Kill me.” Stephen leaned into Tony’s hand and the little bit of contact seemed to give him strength. He forced his eyes open and managed to focus them on Tony after a moment. He gave a little smile as if Tony’s tear stained face was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “Let me die,” he whispered. His eyes closed again and Tony barely managed to catch his head as it fell forward again. He let Stephen’s head rest against his shoulder. Tony’s breathing stopped and there was nothing except helpless denial in his mind.

“No!”

No reaction. Tony was afraid that he’d lost his chancea nd Stephen had finally succumbed to unconsciousness but after a moment Stephen forced himself to speak again in a barely there whisper: “It can’t survive without me. If I die, it dies with me.” He tried to move his left hand and grabbed onto Tony’s hip, the implication clear. Tony made his decision immediately and retracted the armor on his right hand. After a moment of fumbling on Stephen’s side Tony finally realized what he really wanted and carefully entwined their fingers.

“Stephen,” he said helplessly. “I can’t.” He couldn’t let him go on Titan, when he’d barely known Stephen, how was he supposed to do it now, after falling in love with him? After daring to hope to have a future with the most amazing man he’d ever met by his side? They were barely out of their honeymoon phase, for heaven’s sake, and only just starting to go on each other’s nerves from time to time.

“You can bring me back after it’s gone. You’ve done it once, you can do it again.” Stephen forced his head to the side to press a soft kiss against Tony’s neck. “It’s coming back. You can do it, I know you can. Please, stay with me.” Stephen convulsed for a moment before his body relaxed abruptly. Almost as if he was already dead. Tony shuddered, Stephen’s kill me still repeating itself over and over again in his mind. He barely had enough time to reform the armor around his hand and immobilize Stephen’s left hand again before it was back.

It raised Stephen’s head to look Tony directly in the eyes. “Did you make your goodbyes? Was it heartfelt? Did he tell you how much he loves you? How much he regrets it that he’s a ruined shell of a man and not nearly enough for you? That he’s away for most of the time and when he’s here he’s so exhausted that he can barely function? How much he wishes to be the man you see in him? To be able to give you what he thinks you deserve?” It laughed, bitter and ugly. “Your Stephen Strange is such a wreck, mentally and physically, that it’s almost a mercy to put him out of his misery, don’t you agree? I can promise you that things will change now. I can do so much more with this body than he ever could.” It leered at Tony. “We’re going to have so much fun together!”

Tony just stared unbelievingly, to stunned by the barrage of words and the bitter truths hidden in them. Fortunately, it made iteasier for him to do what he had to do. After he’d gotten Stephen back he could spend the rest of his days trying to repair the fractures in Stephen’s psyche. But he had to take care of his body first.

“I’m sorry, Stephen,” he whispered and before the demon could quite comprehend what had happened Tony loosened his grip on Stephen’s wrists and put his hands around his throat instead.

It took a only a little bit of pressure before Stephen’s overtaxed body gave out and the sensors in the suit told Tony that he had a corpse in his arms. A second later he had Stephen in a secure hold and they were up in the air, on the way to the medical wing. “FRIDAY?” he screamed. “Get everything in the med bay online and get the medical team back in there ASAP.” Considering Stephen’s overall condition CPR on the field would be next to useless, especially since they had a state-of-the-art medical facility literally a stone throw away.

“Already there and waiting, boss”, was the answer. “I took the liberty of alerting them and Master Wong as soon as I realized what was going on. It’s going to be okay.”

FRIDAY’s gentle words where the final push and by the time Tony carefully laid Stephen’s body down on the operating table before being pushed out by the doctors he was a sobbing, useless mess. “Come back to me, please stay with me…”, he whispered over and over again. Stephen’s body, bloody and unmoving, was the last thing he saw as the doors closed in his face. He could hear muffled shouts behind them as a team of highly trained professionals did everything in their power to bring Stephen back to life.

It took Rhodey and Wong two hours to calm Tony down enough to tell the story about what happened. He finally fell asleep, exhausted and heartbroken, in Rhodey’s arms. He still had Stephen’s blood on his hands.

*

I killed him, Tony thought for the millionth time as he came back to the room after a quick bathroom break and a shower. I killed Stephen.

The Cloak, immobilized with a spell by the demon, had been freed by Wong and held its own vigil on Stephen’s bedside. It waved to Tony and he waved back as he made his way to his usual place beside Stephen’s hospital bed. They both waited for him to wake up. By now he was breathing on his own but the bruises on his throat still stood out loud and clear against his pale skin. The memory of inflicting them haunted Tony permanently. Thankfully, the demon had exaggerated the extend of the injuries quite a bit. The damage to Stephen’s neck and spine had been minimal, just a few bruises and a strain on his muscles and tendons. Due to the deep cut on his left side he had lost a lot of blood but the injury itself had been surprisingly harmless, miraculouslymissing all the vital organs. Resuscitation had been remarkably easy and Stephen had responded well to everything afterwards, very much to the astonishment of the attending doctors who, considering his medical history, had expected much more of a fight for his life.

They didn’t know Stephen and how strong and stubborn he was.

But Stephen’s right wrist was another matter. It had not only been broken but shattered, bones and metal broken and bent out of shape, the soft tissue torn. For a while they doctors hadn’t been sure but thanks to all the high-tech and all the hours and money Tony had put into research the last few years they were able to save it. It was no longer plain metal but nanotech holding everything together and the scarring would be even worse but Stephen still had a hand.

These days, nanites were the only thing that kept Tony’s heart beating and his lungs working without an implanted arc reactor and if they could do that they could support repeatedly broken bones and torn tendons and help sending signals along damaged nerves. He had to believe that, otherwise he could just give up right now.

After months, if not years, of physiotherapy the hand might work even a little bit better than before. There was no way to know in how much pain Stephen would be in until he woke up and got off the painkillers. A worry for another time. Tony knew that he made the same decision that Stephen himself would have made if he’d been conscious. They’d talked about what-if’s and contingency plans more than often enough after all.

“Hey,” Tony said softly as he settled down in his usual place for another day of waiting and hoping. It was the left side of the bed so that he could take Stephen’s uninjured hand into his own and try to communicate through touch. He hoped that Stephen could feel and hear him. “Sorry to leave you alone but the call of nature, you know.” He closed his eyes, exhausted after a week with little rest but lots of worries and regrets. “Everything’s going well with the rebuilding. I thought you wanted to know that. Nobody got hurt - except for you, of course. We’ve finally managed to get a complete tally. It’s pandemonium out there.” Tony had to hold back a sob right now but managed to keep it in and stay dry-eyed. He had lots of experience doing that by now. “Wong sends his love. He’ll be here tomorrow after the urn or whatever it was where it escaped from is disposed of. He’s sorry about everything, even though he has no reason for that, and promised to take over your watch when you’re out of here so that I can take you away to recover. There’s this nice, secluded house I own. I’m going to spoil the hell out of you.”

In truth Tony wanted to run to the other end of the galaxy instead of facing Stephen after he woke up. But Stephen’s last request forbade him to do so. It had taken him a while - and a not quite subtle explanation by Rhodey - to figure out what Stephen had meant.

Please, stay with me. Stephen had sounded so desperate, resigned and had been in so much pain that the memory alone brought tears to Tony’s eyes all over again.

Stay with me, don’t leave me after this. I won’t hate you, please don’t hate me. I need you by my side. I’m sorry.

That, coupled with the dark allusions of the demon, stopped every impulse to run Tony might have had in its tracks. He’d known that Stephen constantly fought to find a balance between his duties and his private life, that he regretted that duty most often won out and that he couldn’t be what Pepper had been. A rock for Tony to lean on, to draw strength from. Instead it was Tony who was the rock now, trying to make Stephen’s life just a little bit more bearable and fighting to keep the shadows away.

He hadn’t known just how close to the breaking point Stephen was. Neither had Wong. After Stephen’s recovery things would change, they’d mutually agreed. His health wouldn’t allow him to take up his duties again for months and in the meantime, Wong would reorganize to balance everything out and delegate more.

“No magic for you for quite a while, I fear,” he continued. “You’re just going to rest and heal. Physically and mentally.” The fingers in his hand twitched and he tightened his hold in response, afraid to look up.

“Tony.” As always Stephen managed to put a world of warmth and love into his name, even when his voice was a hoarse and broken whisper. “You’re here.”

Tony looked up and forced a smile onto his face. “Of course I’m here. I’ve been here for a week, watching over you.” Finally. He should probably get someone, now that Stephen was awake. He didn’t move an inch. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

“Thank you,” Stephen said. “I knew you could do it.” His eyes closed again. “Stay?”

Tony stood up to press a chaste kiss against his dry lips. “Of course. You’re not going to get rid of me that easily. Rest now, I’ll be here when you wake up again.”

After Stephen had slipped away again Tony took his left hand once more and settled down to wait. “FRIDAY? Tell the doctors that he woke up and to be on standby.”

“Yes, boss. It’s good to have him back.”

Tony looked up at the nearest camera and smiled at it. “Yes, it is.”

He was still holding on hours later, when Stephen finally woke up long enough to comprehend his surroundings and ask questions.

💫

I’ll put this up on AO3 in a little bit but for now it’s here only.

#ironstrange #tony stark #stephen strange #amy writes #promptfill #anonymous #inbox

[ael-xander]

Heart and Hands

Chapter One

Sanctum Sanctorum New York

The fight with Kaecilius and the Zealots were over. But the cleanup would take months, years even. Stephen and Wong would work to bring everything together among Kamar-Taj, New York and Hong Kong and keep the world and reality safe. Yet, for all that was accomplished, Stephen still felt his hands often were his weakest part. Especially while watching others rebuild the Sanctum. Then Thanos came and everything was ripped to shreds. Now rebuilding was even more important than before. Protecting reality was essential.

Wong came to him with tea and stated softly. “There is someone you need to meet. I went to London and spoke to those who are working on rebuilding the Sanctum there and she’s been invaluable. More, she’s a trained healer.” 

Stephen looked up at Wong. “My friend, what do you mean a trained healer? A doctor? Or a healer of magic?” 

Wong pointed to the gloved hands. “Healer. Go see her. Be warned, she doesn’t suffer arrogant fools gladly. More, she has her own issues from what I’m told. So, don’t piss her off Stephen. We need her in the Order.” 

“Right, because healers do what for us that we can’t do for ourselves?” Stephen responded between sips of tea. 

“Heal the soul, the body, and the heart,” Wong replied, walking to the door. “Plus, I knew her family before they were killed by Kaecilius. They were very good people. She only survived because she went to help out at a local clinic.” 

Two weeks later in London

Ciera St.James stretched her arms over her head, hearing the popping of her back, and sighed. Another long day at the clinic and now she headed to the Sanctum. They’d asked her to help with the rebuilding. Having a photographic memory meant she could remember what everything looked like, what was missing, what needed to be recovered among the artifacts, and to help those hurt on the job. 

Luckily, they never asked her to delve deep into her ability beyond the healing and her magic talent to help with everything. Had they asked, she could have called on some friends to help rebuild the stones, but they weren’t regular humans. Enhanced, they were known. Yet, they were her friends, they accepted her when no one else did. Walking through the wrought iron gates, Ciera looked at the Sanctum, sighing at the sight. Her heart still pounded, her thoughts going to her parents and her brother, all lost at the hands of the Zealots. 

“Ciera! Can you come here? We have a visitor today and we thought you could help with guiding them around.” The older Master stepped into view with a man who moved easily, but she sensed something as he put his hands behind his back. The white at his temples seemed to only add to his handsome look. “Ciera St. James, this is the New York Sanctum’s Master, Doctor Stephen Strange, the new Sorcerer Supreme. Stephen, this is Master Ciera St.James. She’s one of our premier healers. The Ancient One asked her to join her family here I think about six months before you ended at Kamar-Taj.” 

Ciera put out her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, sir. I know that the other Masters must be happy to have Sorcerer Supreme again.” 

His head tilted and he smiled as he shook her hand. “You’re American. I take it you’re not as fond of Sorcerer Supremes?” 

She wondered at the gloves, then hesitated as she sensed the damage below the lambskin gloves. “I think having a good Sorcerer Supreme is extremely important. I miss the Ancient One often. Part of me wishes she never sent me away. Perhaps, maybe I could have been there when she...” 

Stephen shook his head. “She died in New York. There was no chance of any of us being able to help her and trust me, if there was a chance, it would have been me- if I had use of my hands.” 

Master Edwin Hastings coughed. “I’ll leave you both alone so Ciera can show you around. Thank you, dear, for doing this. I know how hard it is for you. I also know you still wish to go home when we’re done, but we would like you to stay.” 

Ciera nodded and kissed the older gentleman’s cheek. “I will think on it, Master Edwin. I make no promises though. I miss America, especially with everyone gone.” She turned to Stephen and pointed. “If you’d like to come with me, we’ll start out in the front lawn and go from there. You’ll get a better idea on how much as been accomplished.” 

“They really want you to stay,” he noted as he followed her. “Do they need a healer that badly here?” 

“No. They want to make up the fact that my parents and brother died fighting the Zealots.Nothing can mend my heart on losing them. In time, it’ll heal, but being here every day, it is a constant reminder of me not arriving in time to save them. That when the time came, I failed them and the Ancient One. For that, I will never forgive myself.” Ciera stepped quickly over a small flower growing in the lawn, and pointed to the side. “As you see, from here, the front part of the Sanctum has taken shape again. The stone is being reclaimed if it can. However, if it can’t then it’s being quarried from the original site.” 

Stephen looked at the three-quarters finished front portion, then back to the face of the healer. He saw what Wong noticed- the determination, the compassion, but more- the same need to do something more. “What’s your magical strength in?” 

“Besides healing? I’m trained in all forms, like all students. Do I have a specific study that I’m better at? I have a photographic memory, which puts me at an advantage, sir.” 

“Call me, Stephen. Sir is way too formal.” He pointed to the side. “Why haven’t they remolded the rubble here for reuse?” 

Ciera sighed. “Because none of the masters or students who are still here know how. There are Enhanced who can and who would be willing to help, but the Masters...the Masters don’t seem to be willing to ask or accept their help.” She brushed back her long bangs. “If they did, we’d be ninety percent done already. My friends and I have it planned out if only...” She stopped and looked at him. “I’m sorry, Sorcerer Supreme.” 

“Stephen. And don’t be sorry. You’re actually not wrong. The sooner we have the Sanctum up and running, the safer the world is. Plus, the Enhanced are good people. Well. most are.” Stephen placed a hand on her shoulder. “They say you work at a clinic. Is that where you’ve met the Enhanced?” 

“Some of them. I’ve befriended some of them. They bring others to me after hours. So many others won’t help them because they are different, sometimes they look different due to what happened.” Ciera stated, her voice soft with emotion. She looked at him, seeing him watching her. “What, am I not supposed to have compassion for those different than me? My brother was Enhanced and a mystic arts student and he died protecting the Sanctum.” 

Stephen took her in his arms, holding her close. “I’m sorry no one ever thanked you or them. I’m sorry no one ever told you they were sorry for their loss. You were effected by what happened with Thanos and the Black Order as well.” 

Ciera inhaled deeply, unexpectedly relaxing in his arms, feeling safe for the first time since the day her life fell apart. “Yes, I lost my best friend. She never came back with the rest. Neither did her son. He was only six.” Tears trickled down her cheeks as she tried to wipe them away, but his gloved thumbs wiped them away. 

“I’m so sorry, Ciera. I wish there was something I could tell you that would make it better, but I can’t. There was so much about that time which shifted so many lives, so many deaths, so many people, good people who gave up their lives to restore order.” Stephen looked at her. “You worked through it all. You never once stopped.” 

“No. I kept doing what I was supposed to do.” Ciera stepped back, taking his hand. “Come, let’s go see the back gardens. I want to show you my favourite place, Stephen. Maybe, just maybe, you can understand why I need this place completed so I can move on.” 

He had a feeling he understood exactly what she meant. What’s more, he wanted to know more about this woman who healed anyone, everyone, but never bothered to worry about her own needs. Anyone who looked at her would realize she was working herself to death, figuratively and literally. Yet, he couldn’t say anything, not right now. Later, once he made some connections here, then he could see about easing her burdens, but right now, he needed to get London fixed and she might just be key. He flinched at the pain in his hands hit him again, reminding him that London wasn’t the only thing that needed to be looked at. 

Chapter One   Chapter Two

#fanfic #doctor strange #dr strange avengers #dr Strange X original character #dr. strange x original character #MCU #post infinity war #earth616 #Heart and Hands #sanctum sanctorum #Ancient One #Wong

[secretshamewriting]

[Dr. Stephen Strange x Reader]  Once Upon a Dream

On AO3

Someone's broken into the Sanctum Sanctorum and is trying to enchant Stephen... No, wait, it's just his disciple desperate for attention.

Warnings: None

Based off of the song  from Sleeping Beauty. 

The lilting had been muffled and indistinguishable when the sorcerers had first come through the portal into the Sanctuary, a bastion of protection for the dimension, and in the heart of Greenwich. A look to his right at Wong who replied with a shrug, and Doctor Strange put a jump in his step as his ears strained to make any words of the chant..

“ and I know it’s true, but visions are seldom what they seem.. ”

Up the stairs, approaching the main entryway of the old mansion and the great room that received it Stephen looked on, bewildered, though now feeling as if he should have expected it. Your voice rang in the ceiling as your footfalls rang on the floor singularly, tracing circles over the Seal of the Vishanti as the other pair of boots that joined you made no noise. Hovering above Valtorr’s empty boots and in your arms was the Cloak of Levitation and though it had no body to shape around it swayed to the tune as well as any dance partner.

On your next turn round you noticed the good Doctor and Wong staring but only dipping your head back as you came around again and not missing a note.

“Once Upon a Dream” Stephen notes, looking at Wong and giving him the ‘obviously’ hand shrug. “Sleeping Beauty. It’s a classic- 1959.”

Wong’s only response was a vacuous empty stare before looking back at you while you kicked up your heels and took off in a low glide thanks to the Cloak pressing in on your sides. To prove him wrong you risked the register break to your lower into your modal voice and sing closer to the 2014 reimagining. Your toes touched the floor again as your tone danced up and down in the bridge of the song but you quickly lost the music to a howl as you were unexpectedly dipped down. If the Cloak had a face you would slap it for scaring you.

Wong and Strange snickered at you. “What are you doing?” With all his degrees you would think it would have been more obvious to him.

“I don't know,” you answered truthfully bemused, clearing your throat and gripping onto the flippant lapels before pushing into a more complex step pattern “Maybe I’ve gone mad! ” You chuckle at yourself before picking up the melody again.

Wong shook his head, commenting reassuringly “You were already there.” bearing wide around the edge of the room and pivoting at the banister to start on the upper staircase.

Stephen went to follow him but was cut off by a furrow of red rudely stepping in front of him. Free hands in the air, too preoccupied to move them to your sides you held onto a phantom as you stared to your feet to watch the boots beat your every move. To your credit, they were magically imbued. Valtorr must have danced women off their feet.

Pushed in unwillingly, Stephen cut in in a shower of orange sparks as the boots vaulted out of the way. It was not a smooth transition and you immediately had your foot ground under his. “Sorry,” he winced “It’s been quite a while since I attended a gala.”

Not accepting the self doubt that washed over him you put on your best doe eyes and started anew. “You know, I’m really not supposed to speak-” you couldn't keep a straight face “to Strangers.” Not able to hold it back nor having any desire to you chortled along.

Stephen rolled his eyes so hard it probably flipped some alternate reality on it’s head. “Very funny,” but a smirk undermined the snide remark.

You smiled into the first few notes of the song as you hopped back in, holding your right hand up for the ballroom hold and draping your left lightly onto his right shoulder.

“I guess I’m supposed to say” tweaking an eyebrow in mock he played your game, taking your hand lightly and placing the other on your shoulder blade and stepping into a basic waltz. “‘But don't you remember, we’ve met before.’ ‘You said so yourself’.”

Previously you had been doing the melody but returning a volley of eyebrow raising two fold and took the perfect timing to add the words “ Once upon a dream. ”

From the landing above you heard Wong’s patronizing voice, calling behind him as he continued on into the Sanctum. “You two are so cute together.”

“Hey,” Stephen faltered defensively turning to cast an eye in his direction. “Hey!” This time it was barked obstinately as one of the corners of the high neck on the Cloak of Levitation pushed his face back where his eyes met yours. They didn't stay long, darting to the left as you closed more firmly on his trembling hand. You urged him into some more of the complex waltz steps.

You sang “ I know you, I know what you’ll do. You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream. ” in the midst of performing a seamless underarm turn leading into the face to face, the distance made up for by the fact both of his palms were pressed into yours. They jittered in your grip even though you could tell he was making as much of a conscious effort as he could to steady them. The hold on your right hand that continued to lead you through steps you left alone, but with your left hand you twisted your wrist away from the mirrored position so you could slip your fingers between his. In soothing motion you traced your thumb up and down his metacarpal and hoped he understood that you didn't want him to hide it. You adored it, actually, it was part of what made him: him.

You closed the step, regaining the closeness as Stephen spoke. “Now, you’ve seen me in your visions before; you're not trying to warn me are you?”

“I’ve been dropping hints..” you muse playfully but feel a twinge of anger at yourself. In truth you badgered him about it and never had a care to hide your feelings. You had not been subtle and dreaded it would make him hate you; yet it afforded you moments like this and as many times as he had never taken the bait he continued to indulge you so, it was all worth it.

Without you providing the musical ambiance Stephen began to hum in time while leading you into a foxtrot step. It only took a moment for you to recognize it, not even able to look at his face as you gazed somewhere not even on this plain focusing mostly on the steps and the sounds, mumbling through a grin “The Way You Look Tonight.”

In a promenade the two of you used the open floor to its advantage, you joining him humming along. However in the middle of a corner step there was a woosh and suddenly you were left holding an empty cape. He had danced you to the stairs then split, already a third of the way up them and explaining “Unfortunately, I have work to do.”

Clutching the fabric to you, the willful object allowing you to cart it along as you sped after him. “I’m sorry. You should have said- I didn't -”

“You wouldn't have. Besides, it’s fine, it's nothing imminent.” he assured, twisting back to look at you as the Cloak drifted over to find its place again around his shoulders.

From the direction he was headed you could only guess what might be happening, and no matter a time frame, it couldn't be good. “The orb?” you fretted.

“Uh-huh” Stephen countered lightly as if it could have been anything else.

Entering the room, a special parlor on the third floor meant for no other purpose than to house the Orb of Agamotto, you found Wong staring grimly into it’s depths.

“Iiiiiit’s imminent isn't it?” your attitude falling through the floor.

“Afraid so.” Wong studied the conjured images.

Stephen took a sideways glance at it but was already using the sling ring to open a portal.

“Can I help? My training-” you tried to offer.

“No” the answer was short and definite.

Wong stepped beside him and spoke “Well, I-”

“ You will stay here and guard the Sanctum.” And as soon as the words were out the portal slammed closed.

Throwing your hands in the air you paced a circle of frustration. “Why does he always do this?!” You cursed.

“You get used to it.” Wong retorted dryly settling back in to watch the events unfold on the interdimensional live stream.

#fluff #dr. stephen strange #stephen strange #dr. strange #marvel #mcu #dr strange x reader #stephen strange x reader