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#doctor strange oneshot
daydreamtofiction · 10 months
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Malicious Compliance // Surgeon Strange x Reader
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Summary: After a brief meeting with the world renowned neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange, he plans to make you his latest conquest. He’s only interested in one thing, but that’s okay, because so are you. (female reader)
Word Count: 4.6K
Warnings: Strong language, explicit sexual content, pre-sorcerer Strange (arrogant, cocky). Smut: no strings attached, dominance & praise, oral sex (receiving), light choking, unprotected sex (sort of?). Readers must be 18+
A/N: Just a quick lil oneshot for you all. I literally thought of this today and the whole thing poured out of me in one sitting lmao. I like it though, hope you guys do too!
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His eyes are glaciers. Cold, hard, yet always moving. They flit towards the window, sunlight turning them the crispest blue, then back down to the notebook on the table in front of him. They warm slightly when he looks over to Doctor Palmer, roll languidly whenever Doctor West speaks. But in the end, they always seem to settle back on you.
He’s as hubristic as you’d expected; leant back in his chair, elbows on the armrests, taking up as much space as his body will allow. He corrects a colleague when they call him Stephen. It’s Doctor Strange, he says, voice so deep and rich it’s almost tangible. 
He watches as you press your finger to the inner corner of your eye, trying to rub away the tired itch beginning to take root there. You wonder how offended he’d be if he knew you fell asleep reading one of his published papers last night, how you woke up in your hotel room this morning with your cheek pressed to page seventeen of The Strange Palmer Method. It would make his blood boil, you think, to know his work had been used as a pillow. You resist the urge to tell him. 
Coffee burns the roof of your mouth. You wince and place the cup back down on the boardroom table, sift through the pile of papers in front of you as the room waits for you to speak again.
“Honey,” says Doctor Strange. 
“I’m sorry?” you reply. 
He points to your mouth. “It’ll help with that burn.” 
You stare at him for a moment before shaking your head. “Oh I didn’t- It was just a little warmer than I expected. Thanks, though.” 
The corner of his mouth curls and he turns to look down the length of the table, the flecks of silver at his temple catching in the light.
You clear your throat as you find the document you were looking for. “So, pending approval from the ABMS, we would like to roll out training for the Strange Palmer Method in all of our hospitals.”
“What about my new technique for stent placement?” asks Doctor West. 
“Oh please, Nic,” Strange scoffs. “We’re talking about actual revolutionary surgical procedures here.” 
Doctor West’s back straightens, you open your mouth to speak but he gets there first.
“Excuse me, my stent technique could drastically cut down the amount of time a patient’s brain is open on the table! Do you even realise-” 
“Mhm, why don’t you go win some awards and make national news, then maybe we can talk.” 
Doctor Palmer’s head falls into her hands as the other surgeons groan and shift uncomfortably in their seats. You’ve met your fair share of asshole surgeons in this job; travelling up and down the country stroking egos and exalting god complexes. But this man sitting across from you is, without a doubt, the victor of them all. 
“The stent technique is very interesting,” you say, easing the tension in the room. “But we would need to see the results of a study or trial of some kind before taking it any further.” 
“Very diplomatic of you,” says Strange. 
“Not diplomatic. I just know a promising procedure when I see it.”
“Hm. Are you a doctor?”
Your gaze turns to a glare. “I am.” 
“Where do you practice?”
“I don’t anymore. My job is to keep other doctors at the top of their game. Hence why I’m here right now with all of you.”
He’s almost smirking, head cocked slightly, twiddling a pen between his fingers. It’s fitting, you think, to see a surgeon take such pleasure in getting under people’s skin. 
You hate that you find him attractive. That you’ve managed to fall victim to a charm buried so deep beneath layers of pure arrogance that you have to dig to find it. If he wasn’t so beautiful on the outside, you’re almost certain you wouldn’t bother fighting to find something redeemable within. But the way your body reacts to him; the warmth, the buzzing deep in your belly, it must be there. 
The meeting finishes and you remain at the table, straightening the wad of papers in front of you and slotting them back into your binder as everyone filters out of the room. When you’re alone, you stand and walk to the large window, taking a moment to gaze out at the view. Your eyes skim New York City, admiring the blend of old and new; small stone buildings wedged between tall skyscrapers, the late afternoon sun glinting across metal and glass, pockets of green peppered amongst brick and mortar. You wish you got to come here more often. 
You pick up your briefcase and drape your jacket over your arm as you make your way out of the boardroom. The corridor is bright and quiet, but the bustling of the hospital is a low hum. You close the door behind you and begin to walk, unfazed by the sight of a figure leaning against the wall up ahead. 
His arms are folded over his broad chest, dark blue scrubs doing little for his tall, robust frame. His legs are crossed at the ankles as he rests his weight back against the wall, head stooped slightly, but his eyes are on you. 
“Doctor Strange,” you say with a polite nod as you continue past him.
He smiles, allows you to pass, but you feel him move behind you. 
“You don’t really think Doctor West’s procedure holds any merit?” he asks, catching up to walk at your side. 
“I do.” You furrow your brow. “You don’t think there’s merit in improving the efficiency of existing surgeries?” 
He shrugs. “Just not all that exciting when you compare it to what I’m doing.” 
“You mean what you and Doctor Palmer are doing…” 
There’s a chuckle deep in his throat, like he enjoys the back and forth, watching his opponents fight for their lives while to him it’s just a sparring match. He quickens his pace to slip in front of you, turning to face you and forcing you to halt in the middle of the corridor. 
“Be honest,” he says. “You’re impressed.” 
“Of course we’re impressed. Why else would the board have sent me here?” 
“No I mean you, specifically.” 
You glare up at him, hiding your amusement with an eye roll. “Yes, Doctor,” you say slowly, your words empty and biting. “I am very impressed.” 
His cupid’s bow deepens as his lips curve into a self satisfied smile, lines forming in his cheeks and the corners of his eyes. He knows you find him infuriating, but it only seems to encourage him. There’s a moment of silence, long enough for his gaze to trail the length of you, just once. 
“You know, I’d love to talk more with you about it,” he says, looking down at his obviously expensive watch. “Maybe over dinner. Have you eaten?” 
You draw in a deep breath through your nose, letting it out in a sigh as you begin to speak. “I don’t need your superficial attempts to woo me, Doctor.” You reach into your briefcase and pull out a pen and a business card, scrawling on the back of it and handing it to him. “This is where I’m staying. Come by around eight.” 
You’re certain he’s going to protest, pretend he actually wants to go to dinner, talk, that he was ever interested in anything that didn’t involve the removal of your clothes. You wait in suspense as his eyes flit down to the card in his hand, then back up to your face.
“I prefer to fuck in my own bed,” he says bluntly. 
A wave crashes in your stomach, rushing down into your core, the sensation so strong and unexpected that your knees almost buckle. This isn’t the first time one of your work trips has ended in you going home with a surgeon, but the way this one doesn’t try to feign the ‘nice guy’, doesn’t pretend to want anything more from you than your body, that’s new.  
“Unless I’m on vacation, of course,” he adds with a cocky smile. 
“Of course…” 
He flips the card over and plucks the pen from your hand. You watch as he scribbles on it and hands it back to you. 
“So this is where I’ll be tonight,” he says. “You said eight works for you?”  
You press your tongue to the inside of your cheek, unsure if you’ve ever met anyone as imperious as this. You slip the card into your pocket and move to walk past him, stopping as your shoulders brush and looking up at him. 
“I hope your dick is as inflated as your ego.”
He smirks to himself, remaining quiet as you continue to walk away. 
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Your skirt is riding up your backside. You reach back to yank it down for the hundredth time before pressing the buzzer on the wall of the apartment building. The setting sun is just a glow beneath the horizon but the streets are still busy, the air warm with a pleasant breeze. You lean back to stare up at the building, the mirrored windows stretching so high you can’t see an end to them. You wonder which one is his. 
There’s a scratching sound on the intercom, followed by a deep voice. “Yeah?” 
“It’s me,” you say, glancing over your shoulders as if you’re on some kind of secret mission, scared of being seen. 
He doesn’t speak again, instead there’s a quick buzz followed by the click of the heavy front door. You let yourself inside, heels clacking against the glossy marble floor as you hurry towards the elevators. When the doors slide open, you pull out your business card, punch in the floor number he’d scrawled in the bottom corner. It begins to ascend, making your already swirling stomach turn. 
You pull down the back of your skirt again as you step out into the hall, peering down the length of it in search of his apartment. The door is tall and wide, dark timber and a heavy metallic handle. You knock but your knuckles barely make a sound, the dense wood swallowing the echo. 
Still, he comes. You regard him quietly as you step inside, the snug sweater and tailored jeans, a pair of sneakers making you feel entirely overdressed. He’s already grinning; a smug, confident smile that reignites the ire in your chest. You ignore him and walk further in, eyes wide in awe at the vast, industrial space.
You walk over to the window that stretches the length of the apartment, floor to ceiling, wall to wall, framing a perfect snapshot of the city. 
“Now I understand why you make the women come to you,” you say. 
“Hm?” 
“This place. It’s impressive.” You glance over your shoulder at him. “That’s the point, right? You like to impress. To show off.”  
He laughs quietly and makes his way to the kitchen area, opening the extensive liquor cabinet. “You want something to drink?” 
“I have rules,” you say abruptly, turning around to face him from across the echoey room.
He straightens. “Go on…” 
“Nothing that happens here can be used for any type of professional leverage, good or bad, by either of us.” 
“Of course-”
“This isn’t a date. I don’t spend the night, I don’t keep in touch, I don’t call when I’m back in town so we can do this again. This is just tonight. And it’s just sex. Understood?” 
“Understood.” He returns to the cabinet and takes out a bottle. “So, about that drink…”
You’re already gone, wandering off through a door at the rear of the apartment in search of the bedroom. 
You find it. It’s a dark, cave-like space, large curtains draped across another huge window, only the faintest glow of the sunset fighting through the fabric. It’s clinical, just as you’d expect from a surgeon; sleek furniture void of any clutter or knick knacks, exposed brick walls with the occasional piece of art - no photographs. There’s a full length mirror, a small couch, and a bed so large you could sink into it and disappear. You wonder just how many women have delved beneath those sheets before you. 
He appears in the doorway, looking you up and down. “You’re eager, little one,” he teases.
You roll your eyes, watching as he closes the door behind him and approaches you. You reach up to touch him, to kiss him, but instead he takes your wrists in his hands and lowers them back to your sides. 
“Mm, not yet.” 
You scoff in dispute, eyes following him as he strolls across the room and switches on the wall sconces, illuminating the area above the bed in a dim, warm light. 
“Look,” you say. “If you’re just going to mess with me then-”
“Well actually, after you left the hospital this afternoon, I got called to consult on a patient and ended up having to stay late. I just got home around fifteen minutes before you knocked on my door. So if you don’t mind, I would like to take a shower first. Is that alright with you?” he finishes sarcastically. 
You settle down, composing yourself and relaxing your shoulders. “Of course.” 
“Make yourself comfortable.” 
He pushes open a door to the right and you catch a glimpse of the luxurious, marbled master bathroom as he steps inside. The door closes behind him, leaving you alone again. You stand there for a moment, listening to him whistling to himself, his belt buckle unfastening and hitting the floor. Water bursts from the shower, the sound like soft static, and you immediately rush over to the mirror. 
You examine yourself carefully; fix your hair, press your nose to your skin and clothes, shift your underwear so it sits smoothly and undetectable beneath your skirt. Then you sit down at the foot of the bed, knee bouncing impatiently. You change your mind shortly after, moving to the small couch opposite the bed instead. 
Ten minutes or so pass, but it feels like an eternity. You picture him drawing it out on purpose, working the lather into his skin one section at a time, scrubbing at his hair for much longer than necessary, just to make you sweat. The water shuts off and you listen to him singing to himself, the hum of his voice through the door. When the door finally opens, steam escapes into the bedroom, the rich smell of citrus and cedar filling the air as he walks out, still humming quietly. 
You glance over at him, mouth falling open slightly to find him completely naked, your gaze falling immediately to the pronounced length hanging from his body as he pads across the room. You look away quickly, rolling your eyes and huffing with indignation. Of course he’s naked, you think, he likes to spar, and you’ve willingly stepped into the ring.
Droplets sit on his shoulders and roll down his torso as he moves around the bed. He climbs on and lays down right in the middle, hands resting behind his head, propped up slightly on the headboard. His hair is still damp, half-coiffed, the grey at his temples darker than it was before. His body is solid, the mystery beneath the scrubs now revealed to you in all its glory. His arms are thick as they flex either side of his head, divots of muscle creating shadows across his torso, cock resting proudly on his thigh as he parts his legs in wait. He’s exquisite, and you can’t help but bask in the sight. 
“So,” he says casually. “Are you just going to stay over there looking at me? Or are you going to come and sit on my face?” 
You glare at him, unamused. 
“What?” he shrugs gently. “You’re the one that said this was strictly sex. Forgive me for abiding by your rules.” 
“There’s a word for that, you know,” you reply. “Malicious compliance.”
“Mm, is it really malicious if I’m offering to eat you out?”
“Depends how good you are at it.” 
“Come here and find out.”  There’s no humour in his tone, but it’s still playful, like he’s goading you. 
You stand up and take a step towards the bed. 
“Clothes,” he demands. 
You stop, pressing your lips together tightly. His eyes never leave you, remaining locked on yours as you kick off your shoes and untuck your top from the waistband of your skirt. 
“They should study you,” you say. 
“Study me?” 
“Yeah.” You lift your top over your head and throw it to the floor, reaching down to unzip your skirt. “Look into how one singular person could possibly be such an ass.” 
“Clearly there’s a part of you that likes it, y’know, since you’re here… taking your clothes off for me.”
“What can I say? I’m partial to a surgeon. Think it’s the hands.” 
The skirt pools at your feet and you step out of it, extending your arms as if to say ‘ta da’. He smiles. 
No one has ever looked at you like this. So intense, like he’s studying every inch; relishing in every freckle and blemish, every curve and crease, mapping out the places he plans to touch, taste, explore. 
You continue towards him but he raises his palm, halting you again. “You haven’t finished,” he says. 
You glance down at yourself, then back up to him, letting out a grumbling sigh as you reach behind you to unclasp your bra. It pops open, the release of pressure on your skin as soothing as a deep breath. His gaze darkens as you slide the straps off your shoulders, watching your nipples harden as you reveal your bare breasts to him. 
“These too?” you ask, hooking your thumbs into the waistline of your underwear. 
“Mhm.” 
You take them off as gracefully as you can, shimmying them over your hips and thighs and kicking them away. His cock is hardening, swelling and rising towards his stomach. Your mouth twitches with a triumphant smile, but you suppress it as you climb onto the bed, crawling up to meet him. 
You lean down and press your lips to his, feeling your skin prick, arousal kindling in your core. His mouth is smart, but it’s also divine. The feeling intensifies, spreading through your belly and pounding between your legs as you sweep your tongue into his open mouth, feel his restraint wavering as your hot breaths mingle. You let your chest press against his, the feeling of skin on skin making you burn with need. 
You bring a hand up to his face, he brings his to your throat, bracketing it gently and peeling his mouth from yours. 
“I didn’t tell you to kiss me,” he says quietly. “I told you to sit on my face.” 
You pull back a little more, making eye contact, breathless as a million comebacks shutter through your mind. But in the end you say nothing, letting out a soft huff and slowly shifting your body up the bed.
You hold the top of the extravagant headboard with both hands and swing one leg over him, straddling his shoulders as his fingers reach up behind you to the small of your back. His touch is electric, lips searing as they plant a kiss on your inner thigh. A soft whimper escapes you in a breath, as though anticipation is its own foreplay. 
He wraps his arms around the backs of your thighs and pulls you down onto his mouth. Your grip tightens on the headboard, fingernails digging into the soft, cushiony fabric as he parts his lips against your centre, sucking softly on your already throbbing clit. Your head falls back when his tongue drags up the length of your slit, moulding itself to every pucker and groove, lapping you up like he adores you, and you wonder how many women have fallen for him in these moments. 
You groan quietly, closing your eyes as you focus on the flicks and strokes of his tongue, the sucking and swirling, the hums deep in his throat and he devours you. Your clit is sensitive, making you shudder, the pleasure so intense you can barely stand it. Your body raises up instinctively, but he tightens his hold on you, spitting on your clit and returning his mouth to the place that both aches and sings, somehow at the same time. 
You gasp in response, eyelids fluttering as you swear under your breath. He releases one of your thighs and you glance over your shoulder to see his hand wrapping around his cock. He begins to stroke it forcefully, working himself to the rhythm of his mouth, and you almost fall to pieces. 
“Oh my god,” you moan, slumping forward and pressing your forehead to the headboard. 
Your thighs clamp around his head, but it only spurs him on, making him bury his face deeper, and you can’t remember the last time he came up for air.
“I can’t,” you whisper. 
The nerves in your clit are screaming, dancing on the precipice between pain and pleasure. He continues to lap at your centre, pushing you to the edge until you’re clinging on for dear life. Pressure swells in your core, flooding you with a tingling heat that softens your bones and turns you to liquid. Until finally you’re there, falling, melting. 
He growls as your body begins to shake, working his tongue over you one last time before releasing you from his grasp. You collapse next to him, sliding down the pillows until you’re lying at his side. You’re breathless, chest rising and falling heavily as you stare up at the ceiling. 
He rolls onto his side to face you. “You’re quiet when you come,” he says, placing a kiss into the crook of your neck, another at the dip of your collarbone.  
“I’ve spent the past two years practically living in hotel rooms,” you reply. “I’ve learned to be inconspicuous.” 
“Hm.” He props himself up on his forearm and leans over you, his other hand trailing softly down the side of your body. “Let’s see if we can do something about that.” 
Before you can reply, he’s kissing you. His mouth is slick, it tastes of you. Your body is spent, limbs heavy, yet still you find it responding to his touch. He shifts further onto you, spreading your legs with his hands and settling himself between them. You can feel his cock nudging your centre as he rocks his hips, sliding along the soaking wet mess he left there and brushing his head over your clit. It’s sensitive, raw, makes you gasp. But he swallows the sound with a heady kiss.
He’s big. Thick. Hard. Maybe that’s where he stores his arrogance. He continues to tease you, soaking himself in the mix of spit and slick as he wraps his hands around your neck, kisses you so deeply you can feel him drawing a moan from your throat.
He pulls away and looks down at you for a moment. “Condom?” he asks casually.
You’re on the pill. Have been since you were seventeen. But still, you know you should say yes. Yesterday, this man was a stranger; a face you only knew from TV and the medical articles you’d read.
“No.” You shake your head and reach down, gripping his cock and directing it into you.
He chuckles, the sound deep and low. “What a good girl.” 
You sigh as he teases at your entrance, pushing the head of his cock in and out but never breaking all the way through. 
“Were you thinking about this today in the meeting?” he taunts softly. 
You groan and buck your hips, desperate for him to take you. 
He eases back slightly and tuts. “I saw you squirming in your seat. How hot and flustered you got when I looked at you. Tell me how much you wanted this.” 
“What I wanted,” you begin quietly. “Was to wring your neck.” 
The corner of his mouth curls into a smirk. “Really…” 
“Really.” 
He squeezes his fingers gently around your throat and you exhale softly. The desire is almost painful, your core throbbing, pussy aching. 
“Funny how things work out,” he says. 
You let out a stifled moan as he sinks into you, filling you so completely you’re certain you can’t take it.
“That’s it,” he mutters as he looks down, watching his cock disappear all the way to the hilt. 
You whimper and tighten around him. He sucks the air in through his teeth, returning his gaze to your eyes with a mischievous smile. 
“I’m gonna need you to not do that,” he says. “You’ll have me finishing in seconds.” 
“Are you telling me the great Doctor Stephen Strange lacks self discipline?” You contract your walls again, this time on purpose.
He bows, forehead resting on your chest, and growls deep in the back of his throat. Then suddenly, without warning, he draws his hips back and buries himself in you again. You gasp, fingers digging into the blades of his shoulders as he repeats his thrusts, building to a firm, steady rhythm. 
A small cry escapes you; a sound you’ve never heard yourself make before. He hums in response, keeping you pinned to the bed with his hands around your neck as he snaps his hips, punishing you from the inside out. 
“Wrap those legs around my back,” he demands. 
You do as you’re told, locking your ankles and gasping as he sinks further, the head of his cock kissing the deepest parts of you and sending jolts of pure electricity through your stomach. 
“You’re going to break me,” you whisper.
“Not this time. Maybe later,” he replies, still so arrogant it makes you want to reach up and slap him. 
But your hands are stuck to his back, nails digging into the smooth, taut flesh. Another unfamiliar sound falls from your lips, somewhere between a grunt and a hum. He likes it, you can tell in the way he closes his eyes to compose himself.
“Jesus,” he hisses.
His movements begin to stutter and he rests his forehead against yours. You feel his cock throbbing, your pussy growing wetter until it’s dripping. He lets out a long, satisfied groan and begins to slow down, every rock of his hips like the promise of another climax. 
“Don’t stop,” you whisper desperately. “Please don’t stop, I’m so close.”
He doesn’t open his eyes, but still he obliges; continuing to stroke into you as you squirm beneath him.
“Oh god,” you groan. “Harder. I need- harder.” 
He grunts, screwing his eyes shut tightly, and begins pounding his cock into you with such force you can feel your body shifting up the mattress. You know he already came, you know how sensitive he must be. But somehow, knowing that makes this all the more delicious.
The electricity builds again, every thrust like a lightning strike through your core. Your legs begin to shake and you finally let go, giving in to the current and letting it course through you. Your orgasm is intense, sharp and tingly, making you shudder, body stiffening until it passes. 
He slows to a stop, resting his full weight on top of you. You welcome the pressure, like a weighted blanket; warm and grounding, soothing the ache beginning to settle in your limbs. 
After a few moments, he slides out of you carefully, rolling over to lie at your side. “You want that drink now?” he asks. 
Hair sticks to your forehead with sweat, you brush it back, sucking in deep breaths as you stare up at the ceiling. “No, I’m good.” 
Silence envelops you, neither one of you speaking again until your hearts stop thumping. 
“So… I guess this means you’re going to approve the training for my method,” he says. 
You turn your head, glaring at him in stunned silence. 
“I’m kidding,” he says with a smile, greatly amusing himself. 
“God, surgeons are assholes,” you mutter.
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eviesaurusrex · 2 years
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“ᴍʀꜱ. ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ.” | ꜱ. ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ
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Stephen Strange x Avenger!Wife!Reader
summary: It’s YN’s and Stephen’s wedding day. That’s it.
word count: 1.6k
warnings: nothing, just tooth rotting fluff, but some suggestive bits if you squint, some bickering between Tony and Stephen
author’s note: That’s just a “little” drabble because I need to get back into writing Stephen <3 Totally self-indulging here because I want that Stephen to be my husband bye
;
The buzzing sound of almost 150 guests echoed through the lavishly decorated venue while waiters and waitresses glided through the crowd to fulfill every guest’s wish and desire for the booze and appetizers Tony had personally handpicked. The memory alone of the Stark, sitting at the kitchen counter with an assortment of every possible canapé one could imagine, made her eyes roll, but a smile tucked at her lips.
He may not be her biological brother, but he damn sure behaved like one ever since she sat foot into the former Stark Tower, following a busy Fury and Hill, and didn’t know what to expect.
Now, at this very moment, it felt like another life. Now, she was one of the most powerful beings – and married.
Looking down on the hand that held the glass full of the (probably immensely expensive) white wine she had secured at the bar, the two silver bands twinkled up to her – one with more shiny stones she had ever imagined to have, and the other more simple but just as beautiful as her engagement ring. Older guests had suggested to take off the first promise to fully (and proudly) display the second promise given today, but one needed to kill her in order to get that ring off her finger.
Softly shaking her head, YN leaned against a pillar, took a sip of the cooled wine, and closed her eyes for just a second. She only needed a minute to destress and savor some sanity before heading back into the loud environment of which she was the centerpiece. Somehow the invitation list had gotten longer and longer and up to a number she never imagined hosting a wedding for. It was strange how life could change, but YN never wanted it a different way.
Long strides crept closer and closer, but she almost didn’t catch them, too deep in thought and enamored by the view in front of her. They had been lucky with the weather all day long, and now, the most beautiful of sunsets graced her eyes. A sigh escaped her softly colored lips, full of contentment and happiness.
“Mrs. Strange,” a voice in her back startled YN a bit. Still, she turned her body slightly and looked over her shoulder to spot the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. A smile full of contentment, but mild wonder, etched itself on her lips. “That’s me,” YN grinned, still not over the fact that she indeed married this dream of a man.
Stephen smiled down at her after he took the last two steps to stand directly in front of her – his wife – and cupped one of her cheeks to press a soft kiss on her lips.
“Yes, that’s you,” the sorcerer whispered and kissed her another time while he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close. YN had her eyes closed, savoring the feeling and the calm moment between them. It was the first since the photo session had ended, and the guests had demanded their full attention and availability. She had obliged because, after all, most of them were considered family in her eyes. But now, after almost four hours of mingling, small talks, and barely any time for the newlyweds to themselves, she had enough.
Another sigh escaped her lips as YN gently rested her forehead against his chest, and she promised herself to only stay there for a few seconds. But as always, she couldn’t move after Stephen had bent down his head to press a soft kiss on top of her hair. His big hand stretched itself over her almost bare back (the dress may seem a bit over the top with the low cut back, covering the exposed skin only by a thin layer of lace, but it had spoken to her in that damn dress showroom) and started a pattern of soothing brushes and strokes. She could feel the slight shakiness in it, but she knew him better than herself, and that’s why she was certain that it was worse than usual. She raised her head again and furrowed her eyebrows, wrinkled her forehead, and studied his handsome face.
Stephen knew that look in her eyes all too well, and she didn’t need to ask the question laying on her tongue – but she did nonetheless. “Is everything alright?” Forgotten was the glass of wine that had found its new home on the small table just around the pillar (which was actually a plant stand, but it didn’t matter), and YN grasped his arm to pull the moving hand from her back. She enveloped it with both her hands – one was too small and not enough – and with her thumb, gently rubbed over the scars on his knuckles and long, elegant fingers. The sorcerer nodded, almost invisible to unknowing eyes. “Long day,” he said, and YN cooed lowly before pressing a kiss on the back of his hand and removing the lipstick stain with a soft laugh.
“We could just… run and flee. Start the honeymoon earlier. It’s our party, after all,” the bride suggested with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, and Stephen shook his head, a chuckle rumbling in his chest. Instead of taking her hand and doing just that, the man put his arm back around his wife’s waist and looked her up and down. “And being robbed of the opportunity to show my gorgeous wife off? Please.” He bent down and whispered, “I need to imprint the fact that you’re off the market and mine into every single brain of all those foolish boys.”
He straightened himself again and smirked his signature smug grin at the sight of her lovely blushed cheeks. YN hit him against his chest with an open hand and scoffed. “As if they didn’t know that already.” She rolled her eyes at his antics, but Stephen only grinned. But then, she grasped his black tie to pull him closer to her. Their bodies were pressed firmly against each other, which was another promise for the upcoming night, but one of the more suggestive kind. Stephen caught himself with a hand propped upon the cool stone of the pillar in her back, right next to her face, and her other hand was placed at the nape of his neck, fingers softly carding through the short hair there.
Now it was her lips that softly touched his ear. “Everyone in there knows that I was always yours, without a pause or doubt. Ever since meeting you, it had always been you, and only you. I wouldn’t have needed a big wedding or a ring at all to prove to the world that I belong to Stephen Strange and him alone, but I did it because I loved the prospect of wearing your rings and showing you off.”
YN’s lips brushed from his ear over his jaw until they reached the corner of his mouth. The breath had caught itself in his throat, and with a low growl, Stephen pulled her even closer – if that was even possible. “You’re making an unholy man out of me, wife,” he rasped, but YN laughed at that with a twinkle in her eyes. “You were never a holy man, Stephen, don’t try to fool lil ol’ me.” She kissed the corner of his mouth another time before rubbing the lipstick off it. “But keep your dirty thoughts to yourself for just an hour longer because I see the rest of the not-so-secret secret boy band coming right up to us.”
At the sound of Stark’s voice, the sorcerer had to roll his eyes in annoyance. Was it too much to ask to get his wife to himself? But he straightened his posture nonetheless.
“The wedding was a complete success. No running on his part, but I’m not sure which outcome I would have liked better.” Stephen rolled his eyes – Tony never was a fan of their relationship, not to mention the engagement – and Steve cleared his throat and smiled at the pair. “Again, congratulations. Don’t mind him or his words.” Thor wasn’t far behind with his reply. “I caught him crying during the ceremony, Lady YN.” Scott nodded in approval. “Even heard him saying something nice about Harry Potter.” Now it was YN to roll her eyes and shake her head. “You lot are insufferable,” she grinned before trying to push Stephen to say something, but that man was stubborn as a brick wall.
Instead of saying something, he surprised everyone around him – plus herself – by scooping his wife into his arms and carrying her from the balcony. “Party is over, Stark,” he spoke over his shoulder while YN started to giggle and chuckle. “We’re having a private party.” At his mumbled words into her ear, the woman grinned brightly, and a laugh escaped her at the sight of an opening portal that showed her most favorite spot in all of New York City.
“I finally can dance with my deadly handsome husband in peace and without any of those pestering stares of all those drooling women.”
Now it was Stephen who grinned and put her down on the soft grassy ground of The Battery, the portal closing behind him with a soft swoosh. The couple ignored the surprised stares of the few people that mingled in the park to get a good look at Miss Liberty.
“I never looked at them. Didn’t even know that they were there.” YN smiled up to him while he pulled her close, both hands around her waist, her hands back in his neck. “I know,” she whispered with a confidence unknown to her before Stephen came into the picture.
With him, she knew that this was a forever kind of thing.
;
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ilguna · 5 months
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☼ when the dead rise pt2 (Stephen Strange) ☼
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summary; five years pass, and you come to terms with the fact that you may never see Stephen again. when Tony calls you, telling you that there may be a way to change everything, you decide to take one more chance.
warnings; swearing, willing starvation, needle mention, weapon usage, death, blood, ehh gore, suicide mention, weight gain/loss, kinda cringe if you think about it, happy ending!
wc; 18.7k
notes; the entirety of endgame, haha, i'm not kidding. with nonsensical talk of time traveling, more angst, some fluff, tony and y/n get along, and stephen is there at the end.
part one.
The galaxy that you’re floating in is beautiful. It’s perfect, and if you weren’t here right now, sitting in front of the window, you’d say that it’s not real. There’s a mix of the rainbow out there, the brightest hue being aquamarine. Which paints everything in the spaceship the same shade.
You’ve been sitting here for hours, just staring at the stars. They don’t change, captured at their best times. It’ll be millions of years before they burn out, by then they’ll have fulfilled their purpose. There will be no regrets.
You wish you could say the same.
“(Y/n), are you going to come over and eat?” Tony asks from behind you.
He’s sitting at the table with Nebula, they’ve been going back and forth playing their games, trying to keep entertained. You heard him talking about eating, but you never bothered to join the conversation. You don’t have the energy to get up and go over there.
“No, I’m fine.” You murmur, leaning into your knees, arms wrapped around the back of your thighs. “Go ahead and have the rest.”
It’s quiet for a moment, then you can hear him sigh. “You haven’t eaten anything today.”
“I know.” You tell him. “I’m not hungry.”
The sound of a chair scraping against the metal flooring fills the air. You close your eyes, taking in a deep breath. His footsteps echo through the ship, shuffling to a stop behind you.
“You haven’t been hungry for the past couple of days.” He says, voice surprisingly gentle. “You can’t do this to yourself. It won’t change things.”
With gritted teeth, you swallow thickly, and let out an uneven breath. “I know that too, Tony.” 
He moves to stand right next to you, letting out a grunt. When you open your eyes, looking over, you see that he’s sitting beside you, legs crossed. The shiny silver bag is in his hand, he shakes it, looking inside.
“It’s some sort of mix. It doesn’t taste good at first, but it’ll grow on you.” He says, holding it out for you.
You stare at him, pressure building behind your eyes again. Your lips begin to tremble first, face twisting as the tears take over. Tony frowns, setting the bag down, and reaches to pull you in a hug. As you begin to cry into his shoulder, he squeezes you tightly, causing the ache in your ribs to surface.
“I just want him back.” You sob, “Is that too much to ask for?”
DAY TWENTY-THREE
“It’s been twenty-three days since Thanos came to Earth.” Rhodes says, he’s standing at the wooden table where a holographic projection displays out of a cylindrical device in the middle.
In the air, you’re able to see the faces and names of those you lost that day. It’s constantly rotating, a few of them being Nick Fury, Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Peter, and Stephen. There’s more, of course, faces you don’t recognize because you cut ties with the Avengers a couple years ago.
“World governments are in pieces,” Natasha begins. “The parts that are still working are trying to take a census and it looks like he did…” She trails off for a moment, Tony pushes up his glasses, hand covering his face when Peter appears in front of him. “He did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out,” She sighs, “Fifty percent of all living creatures.” 
There’s a moment of silence across the table, you play with one of your rings, twisting it between your fingers. 
Tony moves his hand, lifting his head. “Where is he now? Where?” He’s currently in a wheelchair, hooked up to an IV. He’s looked better, but to be fair, so have you. You’re two peas in one miserable pod. 
While you came out with bruised ribs and a gnarly scar from where Thanos had ripped out a chunk of your skin—which Tony tried his best to repair while on the spaceship. He had to fight through an infection from being stabbed by his own nanotech, which Nebula had the pleasure of healing.
In the end, there was only so much food to pass around on the ship. Even though you’d gone days without eating, it didn’t help the supply any. However, your weightloss is nothing compared to Tony’s, because he’s sick at the moment.
“We don’t know.” Steve says, his arms are crossed over his chest. He’s leaning against a table nearby. “He just opened a portal and walked through.”
Tony wheels forward, sighing, looking off to the side. “What’s wrong with him?” He asks, motioning to Thor. He’s sitting in a separate room, leaned forward on his knees, a hard expression on his face, moving his thumbs.
“Oh, he’s pissed.” Rocket says. He’s a talking raccoon that was part of Quill’s group, you met him after you landed back on Earth. Which only happened because Tony and Nebula set off a distress signal, and a woman named Carol Danvers came to save you. “He thinks he failed.” Tony’s hand falls. “Which, of course, he did, but there’s a lot of that going around, ain’t there?” 
“Honestly, until this exact second I thought you were a Build-A-Bear.” Tony says.
“Maybe I am.”
“We’ve been hunting Thanos for three weeks now.” Steve says. “Deep space scans and satellites and we got nothing.” He pauses, looking up at the table. “(Y/n), Tony, you fought him.”
“Who told you that?” Tony asks. “I didn’t fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street magician—” You turn your head to look at him, eyebrows drawing in. “Gave away the store. That’s what happened.”
“Don’t talk about him like that.” You snap, suddenly getting up from your chair. When it begins to fall back, you catch it with one hand, slamming it against the floorboards. “Prick.”
“There was no fight, ‘cause he’s not beatable.” Tony finishes, unbothered by you. 
“Okay,” Steve nods. “Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?”
Tony makes a noise, saluting Steve. “I saw this coming a few years back.” He sinks into the wheelchair. “I had a vision. I didn’t wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming.”
Steve stands. “Tony, I’m gonna need you to focus.”
“And I need you.” Tony says, it’s muffled because of the hand in front of his mouth. He drops it. “As in, past tense. That trumps what you need. It’s too late, buddy.” He shakes his head. “Sorry.”
You run a hand through your hair, and then settle into crossing your arms.
Tony sniffs. “You know what I need?” He slaps a bowl away from him, the spoon clattering against the table. He gets to his feet, one hand on it as he leans forward. “I need a shave. And I believe I remember telling all youse…” 
He begins to pull at the IV needle, Rhodes steps toward him. “Tony, Tony!”
“...alive and otherwise, that what we needed,” He does a circular motion. “Was a suit of armour around the world. Remember that?” His voice is raising. “Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not. That’s what we needed.”
“Well, that didn’t work out, did it?” Steve asks.
“I said we’d lose.” Tony points to himself. “You said, ‘We’ll do that together, too’. And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren’t there.” Steve sighs. “But that’s what we do, right? Our best work after the fact?” Rhodes grabs Tony by the arms to steady him. “We’re the ‘Avengers’. We’re the ‘Avengers’, not the ‘Pre-vengers’.”
He looks at Rhodes, who nods. “Okay.”
“Right?” Tony asks.
“You made your point. Just sit down, okay?” 
“Okay.” Tony says, looking away. “No, no, here’s my point. You know what?” He points at Carol. She’s unamused, “She’s great by the way.”
“Tony, you’re sick. Sit down.” Rhodes tries to push him down.
“We need you. You’re new blood.” He pushes off of Rhodes. “Bunch of tired old mules. I got nothing for you, Cap.” He walks to stand a foot away from Steve. “I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust, liar.” He whispers.
You watch as he reaches up to grab the arc reactor, ripping it from his chest. Tony’s breathing becomes uneven, as he grabs Steve’s hand, and slaps the reactor into it. “Here, take this. You find him, put that on, you hide.” He falls to his knees.
You, Steve and Rhodes move forward at the same moment.
“Tony!” Steve reaches for him.
“I’m fine.” He says. “Let me…”
His eyes roll back, collapsing.
Tony lays on a reclined bed, unconscious, with Pepper beside him, holding his hand. Rhodes drops off his glasses on the bedside table, and then leaves the room, coming to join you, Natasha, Steve and Carol.
“What about you, (Y/n)? You never said anything.” Steve says, several eyes land on you.
You twist the ring, looking at the engraving on the inside for the hundredth time today. Always with you, it says. You found it in Stephen’s room one afternoon, after he’d asked you to clean if you had time. You couldn’t say no, and though he liked to make sure he looked neat, his bedroom could be a mess at times.
When you asked about it, he smiled and told you to keep it. You tried to resist it, hiding it in places all throughout the Sanctum to ensure that it wouldn’t end up back in your possession. He always knew where to find it, and at the end of the day, he’d give it back to you. A gift.
You never really liked wearing jewelry on your hands and wrists. It interferes with the whole ‘raising-the-dead’ thing. You can’t remember the amount of times you broke a bracelet or scratched a ring at the beginning. But when you finally accepted the gift and stopped trying to give it back, you promised Stephen that you’d wear it everyday.
Now you can’t keep it on, as if the gold burns your skin each time it settles into place. Always with you. It feels like a taunt, a joke, something you can’t get away from. 
Where is he?
“No offense, Steve.” Your voice is colder than you mean it to be. “But if I knew anything, don’t you think I would’ve said something?”
Steve opens his mouth to speak, but Rhodes doesn’t give him a chance. “Bruce gave him a sedative. He’s gonna probably be out for the rest of the day.”
“That’s for the best.” You mutter, sliding the ring into your pocket.
“You guys take care of him, and I’ll bring him a Xorrian elixir when I come back.” Carol says, arms crossed over her chest as she begins to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Steve asks.
“To kill Thanos.” She says simply. 
The four of you follow after her quickly, because her pace isn’t slowing down. “Hey.” Natasha calls, Carol stops and turns around. “You know, we usually work as a team here and, uh, between you and I, morale’s a little fragile.”
Rhodes leans against the doorway.
“We realize up there is more your territory, but this is our fight, too.” Steve says.
“You even know where he is?” Rhodes asks, looking up from the tile.
“I know people who might.” She says.
“Don’t bother.” Nebula cuts in, standing across the room. “I can tell you where Thanos is.”
“Well, let’s hear it.” You say, going down the steps to join her in the sitting room. 
When you get inside, you see that Rocket is in here, too. Nebula moves to stand next to the window, waiting for the others to join you. You twist a chair around, sitting in it, and sinking into the navy blue cushions. Bruce and Thor roundup to join you.
“Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me.” She says, once everyone has come inside the room. “And when he worked, he talked about his Great Plan. Even disassembled, I wanted to please him. I’d ask…” She pauses. “Where would we go once his plan was complete?” She turns her head. “And his answer was always the same.” She joins them at the table. “‘To the Garden’.”
Rhodes makes a face, tilting his head. “That’s cute. Thanos has a retirement plan.”
“So, where is he?” Steve asks, moving around the table.
Rocket pulls up a projection of the Earth. “When Thanos snapped his fingers, Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions.” The projection sends off a blast to emphasize this. “No one’s ever seen anything like it. Until two days ago…” 
He messes with the projection to show a different galaxy, zooming in until you’re met with a planet with rings around it. When you lean forward to see it, the name tag above reads, ‘PLANET 0259-S’. 
“On this planet.” Rocket finishes. 
“Thanos is there.” Nebula says. 
Natasha leans in close. “He used the stones again.”
“Hey, hey, hey.” Bruce nervously chuckles, he’s standing at the doorway. “We’d be going in shorthanded, you know.”
“Look, he’s still got the stones, so—”
“So, let’s get ‘em.” Carol’s eyes are locked on the planet. “Use them to bring everyone back.”
“Just like that?” Bruce asks. 
“Yeah. Just like that.” Steve says.
You sit up on the chair at the sound of this.
“Even if there’s a small chance that we can undo this, I mean, we owe it to everyone who’s not in this room to try.” Natasha says, shaking her head.
“If we do this, how do we know it’s gonna end any differently than it did before?” Bruce asks. 
“Because before you didn’t have me.” Carol says, hands on her hips. 
“Hey, new girl?” Rhodes looks at her. “Everybody in this room is about that superhero life.” She tilts her head slightly. “And if you don’t mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?”
“There are a lot of other planets in the universe. And unfortunately, they didn’t have you guys.”
Rhodes and Steve make the same face at each other—fair enough.
Thor pushes up from where he’s sitting at the dining room table, still chewing his food. He walks up behind Carol, and she faces him. He holds his hand out over her shoulder, Stormbreaker—the axe that was made on Nidavellir—goes to him, narrowly missing her head, blowing her hair into her face. She doesn’t flinch.
He sighs, squinting, and then nods. “I like this one.”
There’s a moment of silence, you get to your feet, wandering over to stand at the table. Steve looks at you, “Let’s go get this son of a bitch.”
The planet that Thanos has chosen to inhabit is, unfortunately, gorgeous. It’s a peaceful place, quiet, with thriving nature and wildlife. The group of you walk in silence, allowing you to enjoy the sounds of the animals chittering around you. 
It doesn’t take long before you come up to the wood shack that Carol had noticed when she came through the atmosphere about ten minutes ago. She went in first, while the rest of you waited in space, wanting to make sure that there wasn’t anything waiting for you on the planet. 
She’d come back, happy to report that there wasn’t a single living being beside Thanos. No satellites, ships, armies. There weren’t even ground defenses. Which would’ve had you excited, if it weren’t for what happened last time you fought him. You practically had the advantage then, too. There were so many people with different abilities.
Bruce positions himself underneath the shack, wearing his iron suit to supplement the fact that Hulk is still out of commission. You watch as Steve waves his arm in a circle, giving Carol the signal. A bright and fiery beam goes right through the shack, and seconds later, she follows.
There’s the sound of Carol fighting Thanos, getting him into position. Bruce breaks through the floor first, with Rhodes and Thor coming through the ceiling. It isn’t until you hear Thanos screaming, do you concur that the gauntlet must be off, done in the most aggressive way possible.
Steve goes up the stairs first, you and Natasha following close behind. Carol has Thanos in a headlock, Rhodes holding his right arm, Bruce holding the left. On the floor lies Thanos’s hand, the gauntlet still attached to it.
Thanos is groaning, face twisted. Rocket makes his way around to the handle, flipping over the gold gauntlet. “Oh, no.”
You look over, expecting to see that everything is fine, besides his mangled arm. You’re met with empty slots, not a single one of the stones is attached to the gauntlet. You sigh, pressing your lips together.
Natasha and Steve share a look before he speaks, “Where are they?”
Thanos groans, Carol pulls her arm tighter, “Answer the question.”
Half of his face is scarred, as if he’s recently been in a fire. Your eyes trail down to what’s left of his arm, finding it in the same condition. In this moment, you can feel the little hope you have leaving your body. 
“The universe required correction.” Thanos says. “After that, the stones served no purpose, beyond temptation.”
“You murdered trillions!” Bruce shouts, shoving Thanos back.
“You should be grateful.”
Bruce punches him.
Natasha takes a breath. “Where are the stones?”
“Gone.” He tells her. “Reduced to atoms.”
“You used them two days ago!” Bruce exclaims.
“I used the stones to destroy the stones.” Thanos says. “It nearly killed me.”
You shake your head, corners of your lips turning down. “That’s not true.”
“It is.” His eyes land on you. “But the work is done. It always will be. I am inevitable.”
“We have to tear this place apart. He has to be lying!” Rhodes says. 
“My father is many things.” Nebula murmurs. “A liar is not one of them.”
“Ah.” Thanos breaths. “Thank you, daughter. Perhaps I treated you too harshly.”
Thor swings his axe up without notice, shouting as he cuts off Thanos’s head. It hits the ground with a thud, purple blood splattering against the wall, on Nebula's face. His body falls back.
“What?” Bruce breathes.
“What did you do?” Rocket asks.
“I went for the head.” Thor mumbles, turning to walk out of the hut.
The rest of you stand in silence, watching as Nebula walks over to his body, kneeling down to shut his eyes. You take in deep breaths through your nose to calm the rising anger. Various thoughts on how you could torture him, even though he’s dead, begin to come to you. You could drag his pathetic body back to Earth, conjure it everyday, make him work his fingers to the bone, never let him rest.
He took Stephen, you think. 
You grit your teeth. “All due respect, Nebula, but we better burn his body.” You tell her, Natasha and Carol glance at you. You squeeze your hands into fists. “Or else I’m going to make sure he never rests. I could find thousands of ways to make the afterlife miserable, trust me.”
She nods at you, and then turns back to him.
You move to follow after Thor, who’s already down the stairs, traveling toward the spaceship. “If you need me, I’ll be by the ship.”
The hero suit fades away, falling back to your regular clothes. Your fingers dip into your jean pocket, coming into contact with the ring you’d stored earlier. You pull it out, holding it in your palm for a long moment. Then, you sigh, sliding it back into its place on your thumb.
ONE YEAR LATER
The dark clouds swirl above the field, acting as a warning that you don’t have much time to practice today. It rains often in New York, so this wouldn’t be your first time having to experience it while testing your abilities. However, it’s happened enough for you to say that you hate the feeling of it.
Lately, you’ve been feeling heavier whenever you come out here, like the ground is one giant blackhole and you’re constantly fighting against flying inside of it. The rain will only make it worse, and you can’t stand it when your clothes are waterlogged. It makes the seats of your car soggy.
Despite this, you take your time walking to the middle, not that you’re able to go faster than this, anyway. You haven’t been yourself for quite a few days, you think a cold might be coming on. Wong has begun to notice too, it was a struggle to convince him to let you leave the Sanctum. Which was done on the promise that you wouldn’t come out here to do this today.
Well, unfortunately for him, you can’t afford to lose time. Every day you spend on your ass, you take a step back from what you’re working towards—a breakthrough. It’s got to be right around the corner, this whole week, you’ve repeatedly felt yourself come to the ledge, but you were too afraid to jump.
You know now that this is how you grow to be stronger, to have a better understanding of your abilities. You can’t become a better hero if you don’t know how to sacrifice yourself sometimes, too.
There’s something under there, beneath the grass. It’s more than just the dead that you’re used to bringing to life. You get a feel for it each time you try, but it’s like uprooting a tree that’s been standing for hundreds of years. It’s resistant. 
You haven’t told any of the Avengers yet, afraid to get their hopes up. You think that it’s those who were killed in the blip. The reason why it’s so hard to bring them back is because they don’t have physical bodies, so what happens if you try to put them back together?
It sounds ridiculous at first, but it’s not that heinous when you map it out. When you tried to explain it to Wong, he shut you down within the first thirty minutes, telling you that this isn’t how it works. You told him that it’s fine if he doesn’t want to have hope, you won’t let him drag you down. 
It goes like this—it’s very simple—their bodies are everywhere. Those who were killed outdoors have been spread through nature. They were in the air at one point, but now they’re in the grass, the dirt, the Earth. They’re here, half the job is already done for you. What you need to do is focus on one person to bring back in the area, and work from there.
And it’s not even that ridiculous of an idea! When you were on Titan last year, directly after you’d lost Stephen, you tried that exact method. It’s where your inspiration came from. The ground shook, trying to listen to your direction. The issue is that you weren’t strong enough, you didn’t have enough practice to be doing something like that.
Now, you do. It’s what you’ve been working toward for the past few months, day in and day out, no breaks, absolutely no days off.
You slowly lower yourself to the ground, joints aching. You breathe heavily, sitting sideways on your legs, because your knees hurt from sitting on them for hours at a time. You place your hands in front of you, palms flat in the grass.
When you close your eyes, the ticklish feeling in your stomach rises. You focus on that, what it means, how long it’ll take for it to build before it becomes the dark energy that is necromancy. It isn’t until you feel the pressure beginning in your palms, as if you’re being sucked downward, do you switch to that.
You don’t allow it to bring you down, in fact, you pull back with ten times as much force. You’re coming to me, you think, not the other way around. It doesn’t want to, though, so you sort through the mass. Eyes bouncing from side to side behind your lids, looking for the weakest link.
You find it, and yank. The first few times, it doesn’t budge, it’s coming from several directions, exactly what you’re looking for. With this excitement, you beckon it toward you. The body isn’t fighting anymore, it’s like reeling in a dead fish. Which wouldn’t be appetizing to others, but it’s what you’re looking for.
The worry sets in when you realize that it’s not slowing down. You’ve just lifted your right hand off of the ground, when the matter surges through your body—your head whipping back so fast that you’ll be feeling it for weeks. 
A scream tears through your vocal chords, fire eating you up inside. 
It explodes.
You’re thrown into the air, body twisting at an awkward angle as you come into contact with the ground. You land on your bad shoulder, sending a spike of electricity through your torso and down your legs. 
There’s an unbearable ringing in your ears when you roll onto your back, struggling to breathe through the cloud of black smoke that comes to choke you. Your head rolls off to your right side, fingers reaching to touch the scorched grass that you’ve landed on top of. 
The moment you come into contact, it crumbles, turning to dust.
And so do you.
The consistent beeping of the heart monitor next to you is what you hear first. A moment of relief floods you, because this means that your hearing isn’t permanently damaged, but it’s fleeting when you realize what that means. Your eyebrows draw in, squeezing your eyes before you try to open them.
The hospital room is dark, the entire afternoon has been wasted away. You look to the window a few feet away, and find a lovely shade of blue and grey, blurred because of the raindrops that cling to the other side. It’s raining, of course, which means that you won’t be able to go out and try again tonight.
You roll your eyes, letting out an annoyed sigh, which you instantly regret when the pain seizes your entire body. You let out a grunt, pressing the back of your head into the pillow, teeth grit while you wait for it to pass.
You remind yourself that this is only a temporary setback. As soon as it’s not muddy out there anymore, you’ll try again. So, maybe not tomorrow, but the following day. You’ll do it again, and you’ll do it right.
A knock on the hospital room door makes you look over. It swings open without you granting entrance, making it a courtesy knock, and when you see who it is, there’s no explanation needed.
Tony Stark strolls into your room as if he owns the entire hospital. His eyes are on you, jaw set. You know this look, it’s the same one he gives right before he lectures you. The look on his face is the least of your worries when you see that his lip is busted and swollen. There’s also a cut across his forehead, blood leaking from it.
“What happened?” It hurts you speak, you wince, scooting to sit up higher on the bed. “How do you know I’m here?”
He shuts the door behind him, there’s no vase of flowers, not even a get well soon card in his hand. This is not a visit he’s making to check on your wellbeing, he doesn’t want to comfort you.
“I’m your emergency contact.” He tells you, stopping at the end of your bed. He sticks his hands into his pockets, eyebrows raised. “I got a call from the nurse because she thought you needed some support.”
You press your lips together, eyes drifting away from his face and to the door he just came through. Stephen is supposed to be your emergency contact, you did it when you got extremely sick during your first year of dating. He was worried you wound up dead somewhere when you hadn’t seen or talked to him for three days straight. He called every hospital in New York to find you.
Tony’s your backup, actually. You know that if anything were to happen to you, and if there’s no one else to make the decisions, he’d do what’s right and in your best interest. The two of you are very close, but you know he’d never let emotion get in the way if he knew you were suffering.
“I’m fine.” You murmur. “Just had an accident, that's all.”
“An accident?” Tony repeats. “That’s what you call raising a monster from hell?”
You blink, face twisting. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I mean, I think something exploded but there was no monster.”
“You weren’t awake for that part.” He tells you. “I just spent the last hour fighting it and your wizard buddy had to contain it.”
You stare at him, unsure if he’s telling the truth or not. A part of the evidence is his face, you suppose. You didn’t see anything, though. Just the smoke… which very well could’ve hidden it.
“What were you doing out there, anyway?” He asks.
“I’m working on something.” You adjust in the bed, settling back. “I’ve almost got it. As soon as I get out here, I’ll try again.”
“Try what again?”
You smile, “To bring them back, of course.” Tony’s face falls, he closes his eyes, shaking his head at you. “You have to hear me out first—”
“See, when Wong told me what you were up to, I didn’t believe him.” Tony reaches up, rubbing his face. “I thought that you couldn’t possibly be naive enough to—”
“Oh,” You groan out, waving your hand dismissively, “Don’t listen to Wong, he says I can’t do it. I’m so close though, I can feel it. I almost had it this afternoon, I think I just… chose the wrong thing, you know?”
“(Y/n),” Tony warns.
“See, this is one of the reasons why I didn’t want to tell you so soon. Either it’d get your hopes up, or you’d fall with Wong. Ignore him, he doesn’t know anything.”
You look out the window again. You’re not sure why he’s shutting you down like this. Out of everyone, you thought that he’d be the one that’d jump on your side. It wouldn’t be the first time he bet on something so outlandish. With him on your side, you think you have a better chance at succeeding.
Besides, you can bring back the dead, anyway. How is this that big of a stretch? And if you did pull a monster out of the ground—it’s even more the reason to believe you.
“I can bring them back, Tony.” You say.
“(Y/n), you can’t.” He says, “You tried, remember? You couldn’t then, and you can’t now.”
“Yeah, because I haven’t had my breakthrough yet.” You laugh, which dissolves into you grimacing. “I’m not strong enough. Just a couple more times, and I’ll have it.”
“No.” Tony waves his hand, as if he’s cutting off your plan. “You do any more of this, and you’ll get yourself killed.”
“That’s not true.” You shake your head. “We both don’t know if I can even die.” 
“At the pace you’re going, it doesn’t even matter!” He holds his hand out. “In the end, if you die, all you would’ve been doing to yourself this entire time is torture.”
You tilt your head at him. “I know you’re worried about me, and I appreciate it. I’m fine, though, look at me.”
“I am, and I feel like I’m talking to a corpse. Have you looked in the mirror lately?”
“I’m sick, Tony. It’s just the flu.” You say.
“No, (Y/n), your body is wasting away because this,” He motions aggressively to the window. “Is all you do. Wong has been contacting me for weeks, afraid that you’re going to drop dead any minute.”
“Fine,” You sigh. “If you two are so worried, I’ll take a break, but I’m not giving this up. It’s a hiccup, as soon as I get it down—”
He cuts you off, “What would Stephen think of this?” 
You stare, “Don’t.”
“No, you don’t.” He tells you. “I know we don’t have the best relationship at times, but I sure as hell won’t watch you kill yourself.”
“Then walk away.” You point to the door. “No one asked you to be here, to come in here talking about what Stephen would or wouldn’t want. You don’t know anything about him!”
“That doesn’t matter, because it doesn’t take a genius to know that he cared about you.”
“Get out.” You tell him. “Get the fuck away from me.”
He starts toward the door, not saying anything until he’s halfway out, turning to look at you. “If I catch wind that you’re doing this again, I’ll have you locked in a padded room for the rest of your life.”
Tony pulls the door shut tightly behind him.
THREE YEARS LATER
The clothes in the closet have lost their scent. After three years of picking them out to hold against your nose, there’s nothing left of him. Which means that your reasoning to stay in the Sanctum has finally expired. You have to move on.
This is by your own choice, not anyone else’s. Wong has made it explicitly clear that if you want to stay here, he will not say otherwise. He doesn’t mind it. In fact, you keep him company, even if your presence is mostly done in silence. What matters is that you’re in the room.
You took this offer, but told yourself that you couldn’t stay here forever. If you were going to be hung up on Stephen, you’d have to do it privately. So, you made a deal; the moment his room stopped feeling like it belonged to him, it was time to go. 
You noticed it a few weeks ago, when you came back from the Avengers Compound to collect the last of your belongings. The team was falling apart, again, and as much as you wish you could say that you were going to stay this time, you weren’t. You were already planning on leaving for good, this was just the perfect excuse to use.
The moment you stepped foot into the bedroom, you knew there was no coming back. It felt like you were walking into a foreign planet, a place you didn’t recognize, despite being there hours earlier. Six years of living in this room, gone.
Since, you’ve spent your time trying to find an apartment you like for a decent price, that’s also close to the Sanctum. You almost cried when you got offered a perfect one a few streets away, ready for you to move in. However, your initial excitement has worn off. You’ve been dragging your feet the entire week when it comes to packing, because they had to finalize the paperwork anyway.
Which left you to do it all today.
For the past two hours, you’ve packed everything you own back into boxes and bins, stacking them by the bedroom door. You decided early on that it would be easier if you worked in phases. The hardest part would be detaching yourself from this place, which proved itself to be true. 
You’ve cried a few times throughout the process, but it’s done now. The only thing left to do is bring the boxes down to your car, that’s waiting for you parked in front of the Sanctum.
You drag your feet, stopping in front of the first stack. A sigh leaves you when you reach to pull a box into your arms. When you realize it’s not heavy, you adjust to grab the one that was beneath it, too. You’re not entirely looking forward to going up and down the stairs a hundred times.
A sickness rises in your stomach when you leave the bedroom, beginning to go down the hallway. This feels wrong, like a one-sided breakup, leaving before the other person can get home. Your feet pause briefly, shoe squeaking against the freshly waxed floor.
That’s exactly what it is, isn’t it? 
No, you think harshly, this is different. Stephen is never coming home. He’s lost, just like the trillions of other lives that were taken when Thanos snapped his fingers. This isn’t a breakup.  A part of you wishes it were, because at least then, you’d still have a chance to see him around New York, even if it weren’t on good terms or romantically.
You suck in a deep breath, holding it as you begin your way down the stairs, the first trip of many. You drop these boxes next to the front door, wanting to pack your car all at once. That way, if there’s an issue, it’ll be easier to take it apart. You head back upstairs to repeat this process, it only takes a good fifteen minutes before you’re done. 
When you go back to Stephen’s room one last time to retrieve the engraved, golden ring, your heart skips a few beats in your chest. You shuffle toward the dresser, eyes searching the surface, thinking that it might be blending in. You run your fingers over it, and come back with nothing.
You turn around to look into the room, face twisting, eyebrows pushing in as you struggle to remember if you had moved it or not. You walk to his nightstand, opening the drawers, rummaging through them, even though you could’ve sworn you never put it in here.
It’s not there. So, you move to your nightstand, where you’ve kept your jewelry in the past, especially the ring. Except, when you open the first drawer, you’re met with emptiness. You’ve already taken everything out of it, because it’s packed into one of the boxes downstairs.
You sweep the floor with your eyes, but it’s too dark in here. You throw the curtains open, flooding the room with sunlight. When you go back to looking, hoping that the ring will reflect the light, you can’t find it.
You switch to the closet, opening the doors to reveal that it’s half empty now. The only clothes left hanging are the ones that Stephen thought were too important to fold, and to keep them from wrinkling. There’s nothing here, not even in the darkest corner.
Did it fall under the bed?
On your knees, you press the side of your face to the floor, but the only thing under here are the dust bunnies. You make sure of this, too, when you grab a broom to bring it all out.
The panic begins to settle in, spreading through your body. How did you manage to misplace the ring? It’s the most valuable thing to you. You’d think you’d be more careful with something as sentimental as that—a ring from your dead boyfriend.
“Maybe it’s in a box.” You murmur to yourself to calm down, reel in the insanity that’s beginning to rise. 
You head out of the bedroom, looking at the boxes over the railing. Once you’re down the stairs and in the foyer, you pull the first box off of the stack, opening the cardboard flaps, and pulling all of its contents out. There is no ring, so you push the objects away, off to the side, not bothering to repack it.
The further you get through the pile, the more hysterical you grow. The box that you’d packed with your jewelry doesn’t have it. The neatly folded clothes, now tossed on the floor, don’t have it caught in the cloth. It’s not stuck between the books, you didn’t accidentally throw it with the rest of your trinkets, it’s not with your electronics.
Everything you own is strewn across the foyer, as you continue to tear them apart.
It’s not here.
You get back to your feet, struggling to breathe, the tears starting.
The front door suddenly opens, you look over to see that it’s Wong. He gives you a wide smile at first, which slowly begins to fall when he sees the expression and the state the foyer is in.
“What’s the matter?” He asks.
“I lost the ring.” You whisper. “I don’t—I don’t know where it is. I’ve looked everywhere.” You turn around to motion to the mess you’ve made. “I don’t have it here, I even checked my car. I set it aside so I wouldn’t lose it and it’s not here. The one thing I carry with me and I’m stupid enough—”
“(Y/n),” Wong says, coming to grab your shoulders. You can feel his fingers pressing into the metal that makes up your left shoulder. A replacement that Tony made for you, covering the entire cost. “(Y/n), stop.”
You press your lips together, face contorting as you nod, trying to focus.
“I told you I was taking it to get cleaned, remember?” He asks, face twisted. He removes his hands, reaching into his coat pocket to pull out the small silk bag.
“Oh.” You breathe, feeling your body relax.
You cup your hands, watching as he carefully shakes the ring out of the bag. It’s polished, smooth. When you tilt it to see the inside, the engraving is there, untouched.
“Okay.” You say.
“You’re okay?” He confirms.
You nod, pushing it back to where it belongs on your thumb. “I’m sorry, Wong.”
“Don’t apologize.” He tells you, turning to face the foyer. “Do you need help repacking?”
“Will you?” You ask.
“Of course.”
FIVE YEARS LATER
The sound of a distantly familiar ringtone begins from the coffee table in your living room, again. 
Your eyebrows draw in, turning your head to the side to listen through the first few notes. As you reach for the towel on the counter to dry your hands, you try to remember who it could belong to. It’s garish, dramatic. Whoever the person is, they must resemble the noise.
The bell finally rings.
It’s Stark.
You toss the towel back on the counter when you leave the kitchen. There’s a faint sense of urgency in your steps, considering that you’ve let him call you twice already, figuring that whoever it was would leave you a voicemail. 
In fairness, it’s been a long time since you and Tony talked to each other, muchless on the phone. If you remember correctly, the last conversation you had with him happened right before you left the Avengers. Since then, there hasn’t really been a need to keep up-to-date with him.
All of his life updates are posted on social media, anyway. The only thing you’re obligated to do each year is send his daughter presents when the holidays come around. After all, it’s the least you can do after he saved your life and set you straight.
Sure enough, Tony’s face lights up your screen, a sigh escapes you. You pull the phone into your hand, swiping across the glass to accept the call. You press it to your ear, “Hello?”
“Do you ever answer your phone?” Tony’s voice comes through. “I mean, seriously, it took me three tries for you to pick up? What if I were dying?”
You roll your eyes, letting out a light laugh. “I would hope you’d call Pepper before me, considering we haven’t spoken to each other in almost three years.”
“Has it really been that long?”
“Yes, Tony. Is everything okay?” You ask, walking back to the kitchen.
“I’m fine, (Y/n). Listen, something’s happened.”
You put the call on speaker, setting your phone next to the sink so you can resume doing the dishes. “Good or bad?”
“Both.” He answers. You pull a plate out of the soapy water, scrubbing at it with a sponge. “You remember that fight between me and Cap, right? The one in Germany? There was the guy who could go from big to small?”
You hum, “Scott Lang?”
The sound of him snapping fills the air. “Yes, that guy. Well, he, Natasha and Cap showed up at my house the other day.”
He pauses, not going on any further. You wonder if there’s a point to this story, or if he’s just calling to tell you it’s weird that Scott flew from Los Angeles all the way to New York. Which you guess it is, considering…
Your hands freeze on the plate, eyebrows drawing in. “That’s not possible, Scott Lang was killed in the blip.”
“Yeah, I thought so too, but he’s here. They came over talking about quantum jumping, and how he got stuck in the middle of it when Thanos snapped his fingers. Five years felt like five hours to him.”
“And he’s alive?” You ask.
“Yes.” He sighs into the phone. “You know I wouldn’t be calling you if I thought I was just getting your hopes up.”
This is true. When you were parting ways with the Avengers, you and Tony had a long discussion about the future, and where both of you stood on the matter. You told him that you wanted to retire your suit for good. With there being so many heroes in New York again, there wasn’t a reason for all of you to be active anymore.
This set up the idea that this could be the last time you came face to face with them, because it was partially your plan. You can’t be sucked in if you refuse to be involved. He respected your wishes on this, and told you that if anything were to happen to you, he’d be there in a second if you needed him to be.
And before you left, you came to an agreement; if there was a way that either of you could turn back time and fix everything in a reasonable way, you’d be there, no questions asked.
“Okay…” You prompt him.
“(Y/n), I figured it out.” He tells you. “I figured out how to time travel. It’s taken me…” You can picture him shaking his head. “But I think we can go back and fix this. I think we can bring them back.”
You set the clean plate off to the side, placing the sponge back where it belongs in the ceramic dish. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
You lean over the sink, nodding slowly. “What did they say about it?”
“I haven’t told them yet. I thought you should be the first to know, that’s the deal we made, right?”
“Right.” You agree. “How soon are we doing this?”
“Today.” He says. “I’ll pick you up. We’ll sort it out with them when we get to the Avengers Facility.’
Your eyes land on the gold ring that’s currently sitting on the window sill. “I’ll be ready.” You murmur. “Tony?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“I remember why I stopped letting you drive me around.” You say, watching as the Facility grows closer. “Cause you’ve got a lead foot.”
“Shut up.” Tony tells you, taking a turn. “We’re almost there.”
“Try not to send us through the windshield before then.” You mutter, being thrown into the door, tires squealing against the asphalt.
As you near the front, you can see that Steve is standing outside of it, hands on his hips. Tony pulls up right before him, putting the car in park when it’s come to a complete stop. He rolls the window down, lazily moving his head to look at Steve.
“Why the long face?” He asks after a moment of silence. “Let me guess, he turned into a baby.”
Steve nods, looking away. “Among other things, yeah. What are you two doing here?”
You throw the car door open to get out before he can start driving again. 
“It’s the EPR Paradox.” Tony gets out, too. “Instead of pushing Lang through time, you might’ve wound up pushing time through Lang. It’s tricky, dangerous. Somebody could have cautioned you against it.”
You shut the door, walking around the car to join them. 
“You did.” Steve says.
“Oh, did I?” Tony mocks being shocked. “Well, thank god I’m here. Regardless, I fixed it.” He holds up his hand, which has the time traveling cuff—or whatever it is, you stopped trying to understand it after he explained it the second time. “A fully functioning time-space GPS.”
Steve smiles.
“I just want peace.” Tony holds up two fingers. “Turns out resentment is corrosive, and I hate it.”
“Me, too.” Steve says, looking at you. “What are you doing?”
“I’m here to help, obviously.” You give him a bright smile. “I can be useful, sometimes.”
“We got one shot at getting these stones, but I gotta tell you my priorities.” Tony says. “Bring back what we lost, I hope, yes. Keep what I found, I have to, at all costs. And maybe not die trying, would be nice.”
Steve nods again, holding out his hand. “Sounds like a deal.”
Tony takes it, they shake on it. You let out air through your nose, shaking your head as you wander away, staying close to watch Tony open the trunk of the car. He pulls out Steve’s shield, dumping the blanket and stuffed animal back into the car. 
“Tony, I don’t know.” Steve mutters.
“Why? He made it for you.” He flips it around. “Plus, honestly, I have to get it out of the garage before Morgan takes it sledding.”
Steve takes it, holding it across his arm. “Thank you, Tony.”
“Will you keep that a little quiet? Didn’t bring one for the whole team.” He pulls out a red case, reaching up with his other hand to press the button that closes the trunk for him. “We are getting the whole team, yeah?”
“We’re working on that right now.” Steve says. 
“Cool.” You turn around to walk to the doors. “Until we have everyone here, I will be sitting on my ass and doing exactly nothing.”
“Not very different from what you usually do, right?” Tony asks behind you.
You give him a sarcastic smile.
“Okay, so the how works.” Steve begins. “Now we gotta figure out the when and the where.”
There’s a set of three screens he’s standing by, each one showing two stones. It’s sorted into detail by what they look like, what they can be contained in, what building they were originally found in, and who might have them in their possession. 
Your eyes are set on the most obvious one, the Time Stone. You and the others already pretty much agreed that you’ll be going after it. You know the most about it, after spending years of being around Stephen.
“Almost everyone in this room has had an encounter with at least one of the six Infinity Stones.”
“Or substitute the word ‘encounter’ for ‘damn near been killed’ by one of the six Infinity Stones.” Tony says, standing on the other side. There’s a coffee cup in one of his hands. 
“Well, I haven’t, but I don’t even know what the hell you’re all talking about.” Scott says.
“Regardless, we only have enough Pym Particles for one round-trip each.” Bruce tells you, walking around the back of Scott’s chair. “And these stones have been in a lot of different places throughout history.”
“Our history.” Tony emphasizes. “So, not a lot of convenient spots to just drop in, yeah?”
“Which means we have to pick our targets.” Clint’s got his eyes on the ground. 
“Correct.”
“So, let’s start with the Aether.” Steve says, eyes set on a specific target. “Thor, what do you know?” 
Thor, who has since gained weight, forgotten how to shower, and grown a beard, sits in the corner of the room, slouched as deeply as possible in the chair. There’s a beer in one of his hands, the other rests on his stomach. The pair of sunglasses on his face prohibits you from seeing where his eyes are.
Everyone turns to look at him, waiting.
“Is he asleep?” Natasha asks.
“No, no. I”m pretty sure he’s dead.” Rhodes says.
Tony lets out a sigh, shaking his head. He slaps a hand on his shoulder, which jumpstarts Thor. “Rise and shine, buddy. What do you know about the Aether?”
Thor groans, “I was just about to get up.”
“Right.” 
He gets to his feet, wanting to the front. “Uh, where to start?” He pulls off the sunglasses, holding them in his hand. “Um… The Aether, firstly, is not a stone. Someone called it a stone before.” He points at Steve briefly. “Um, it’s more of an angry sludge sort of a thing… so someone’s gonna need to amend that and stop saying that.” He tilts his head back to squirt eye drops into his eyes.
Your mouth falls open slightly, watching him do this. Is this what you looked like to everyone else when you freaked out that first year? Of course, you were the opposite of whatever Thor is representing, but still. His coping mechanisms are a hell of a lot worse than yours were… you think.
Clint comes beside you, pulling a chair out to sit down.
“Here’s an interesting story, though, about the Aether. My grandfather, many years ago, had to hide the stone from the Dark Elves.” He makes a ghostly sound, laughing in the middle. “Scary beings. So, Jane, actually—” The middle screen changes to show her face. “Oh, there she is. Yeah, so Jane was a—was an old flame of mine.”
You rub your face, letting out a sigh while you tilt your head back to look at the ceiling. These past few days already have been long, while you waited for them to design the time traveling suits, build the platform, and send Clint into the future as a test run. You can’t imagine what today and tomorrow are going to be like, if this is how it’s starting.
“You know, she stuck her hand inside a rock this one time and then the Aether stuck itself inside her and she became very, very sick. And so I had to take her to Asgard, which is where I’m from and we had to try and fix her.” Thor continues.
You swivel in your chair, facing Natasha. She raises her eyebrows, and you grab her notepad, dragging it in front of you. Clint offers up a pen on the other side, you take it, writing down that Jane Foster has the Aether in Asgard. 
“We were dating at the time, you see and I got to introduce her to my mother,” He’s waving around the sunglasses. “Who’s dead and, um… Oh, you know, Jane and I aren’t even dating anymore, so.” He sniffs. “Yes, these things happen, though. You know? Nothing lasts forever. The only thing that—”
Tony goes up to Thor, grabbing him. “Why don’t you come sit down?”
“I’m not done yet.” He pushes Tony away. “The only thing that is permanent in life is impermanence.”
Tony claps twice. “Awesome. Eggs? Breakfast?”
“No. I’d like a Bloody Mary.” Thor smiles.
You take in a deep breath, “Can I get one, too, then?”
Tony looks at you, “Don’t encourage this.”
“Just something to get me through the rest of the day.” You reason, a teasing smile hinting at your lips.
He squints at you, directing Thor to sit back down in one of the chairs. “Let’s take a break, we’ll regroup at dinner.”
The group breaks apart, eager to get out of this room and away from Thor. You stay where you’re seated, and Tony doesn’t move, either. Thor seems disinterested, turning the can of beer on the table. Once the door has shut, you can’t contain your laughter.
They look at you, waiting for you to let them in on what you find so funny. You wave your hand, turning around in the chair to bury your face in your hands. You forget just how ridiculous this team can be at times. It’s more than just crime fighting, it’s camaraderie. 
“Okay,” You breathe, facing them again. “Thor, can you give me a year where Jane was in Asgard when she was infected with the Aether?”
“Oh, sure.” Thor says, he’s composed himself. “It was twenty-thirteen. It won’t mean anything unless it’s in the Stone form, though.”
You hum, flipping the page over, writing down everyone that is planning to help. Next to Thor’s name, you put ‘R’ for the Reality Stone, making him in charge of that. He’ll need someone to go with him, of course, because he’s in no state to have this big of a responsibility, but you’ll figure that out later on. The point is that Asgard was his home, he’ll know how to navigate it.
Beside your name, you write ‘T’ for the time stone. No matter what the others say, you won’t let them take this one from you. If they want to help you, you’ll drag someone along. As far as you’re concerned, this will be under control.
“What are you doing?” Tony asks, coming around the table.
“Sorting this out.” You murmur, flipping back to the original page. You begin to write what you know about the Time Stone, which is more than what Thor could give you about the Reality. “Those who know the most about the stones should be in charge of them, I figured you don’t really think otherwise.”
You look at him, he makes a face, nodding to agree with you. 
“What are you thinking about for dinner? Takeout will be on me.” Tony says, crossing his arms.
“Burgers.” Thor says, “A nice juicy burger.”
You make a face, “I’ve been craving Chinese lately.”
A few hours later, after everyone has finished what they were doing with the suits or the portal, you find yourself back in the room. Your suggestion on Chinese food was fairly popular with the others, so Tony took the order and had the food delivered to the Facility.
“All right, Ratchet, go for it.” Tony motions once everyone is settled in their seats.
“Rocket.” He corrects, giving him a look. “Quill said he stole the Power Stone from Morag.” The screen lights up purple, you set your fork down to write what he says into the notepad.
“Is that a person?” Bruce asks, smacking on his ice cream.
“No, Morag’s a planet.” Rocket says, standing on the table. “Quill was a person.”
“Like a planet? Like in outer space?” Scott asks from the other end of the table.
“Oh, look.” Rocket places his hand on Scott’s head, beginning to give him a head rub. “It’s like a little puppy, all happy and everything. Do you wanna go to space? You wanna go to space, puppy?” Scott pulls his head away, unamused. “I’ll take you to space.”
“Have you been to Morag?” You ask, looking up from the paper. “You or Nebula?”
“No.” Rocket says, turning around to face you.
“I haven’t, either.” She shakes her head. “I believe it’s kept in a temple.”
You blow a piece of hair out of your face. “Okay…”
You flip the page, finding her name on the list, writing ‘P’. You chew on the inside of your lip, thinking. When you look at Tony, you find his eyes on you. 
“What’s the problem?”
“We’re going to have to go in pairs, anyway, right?” You ask, “What if…”
You write ‘R’ next to Rocket, knowing that he and Thor have worked together in the past, during the first fight with Thanos. They went together to Nidavellir, where Thor got Stormbreaker. They clearly get along fine. As for Nebula, lately she’s been working with Rhodes. That’s why you decide to pair them together.
Tony tilts his head, “I don’t see why not.”
It’s the following day when you finally get time to talk about the Stones again, since the conversation on Morag was thrown out the window when technicalities came into play. The group of you called it a night when Thor started talking about Jane again.
“Thanos found the Soul Stone on Vormir.” Nebula murmurs from the front. 
“What is Vormir?” Natasha asks, holding the notepad. She’s been up all night writing notes, building off of what you’ve already got in there. When she offered to take it from you, you didn’t argue. 
“A dominion of death at the very center of celestial existence.” She says, voice lowering. “It’s where Thanos murdered my sister.”
There’s a moment of silence between the few of you. Not everyone could make it to this time around. Tony opted out because he decided off the bat that he didn’t want to be involved with anything other than the Space Stone—the tesseract—because he believes that’ll be an easy grab, too.
Steve sighs.
“Not it.” Scott mutters.
This causes several people to look at him.
The meeting room is trashed two days later, there’s papers scattered across the room, as well as folders. There’s books opened to certain pages, laying open on the floor to be easily picked up and resumed when needed. Tony and Natasha lay on the table, with Bruce being on the floor, considering he’s permanently part-Hulk now.
You sit in the recliner in the corner, reading through all the notes you’ve gathered thus far, trying to put together a fairly decent timeline. 
“That Time Stone guy.” Natasha finally breaks the silence.
“Doctor Strange.” Bruce says, you look up from your notes, clicking the pen.
“Stephen Strange.” You murmur.
“Yeah, what kind of doctor was he?” She asks.
“Ear-nose-throat meets rabbit-from-hat.” Tony says, he’s turned on his side, rubbing his face.
“He was a neurosurgeon, that’s why he likes being called Doctor.” You tell her. “He worked at the Metro-General hospital.”
“Nice place in the Village, though.” Bruce says.
“Yeah, on Sullivan Street?” Tony says back.
Bruce hums. “No…”
“Bleecker Street.” You correct.
“Wait, he lived in New York?” Natasha asks, no longer spinning the pen in her hand.
“Yeah—”
“No, he lived in Toronto.” Tony says.
“Uh, yeah, on Bleecker and Sullivan.” Bruce says.
“Have you been listening to anything?” Tony asks Natasha.
She holds her hand up. “Guys, if you pick the right year, there are three stones in New York.”
Bruce sits up, “Shut the front door.”
You nod, forcing the recliner back to its original position. “Space, Mind and Time, huh?”
“Yeah.” She says. “All we need to do is figure out who’s getting which one.”
An emergency team meeting is called. The four of you move to a different room to be in, because the last one is trashed. The others begin to trickle in steadily, all asking questions on what happened.
It isn’t until the last person comes inside, do you begin. “Everyone, this has gotten a whole lot easier.”
Tony nods, walking up to the projection. At the top, it’s titled ‘Time Heist’, courtesy of Scott, who’s attached to the idea of it. The sections below are broken into three. The first one being New York, which has Time, Space and Mind. The second one is Asgard, which obviously holds the Reality Stone. The third one is Morag / Vormir, for the Power and Soul Stones.
“We have divided the teams.” Tony says. “For team Asgard, we have Thor and Rocket,  Morag will be Nebula and Rhodes, and Vormir is Natasha and Clint. As for New York, it will be the rest of us.” He turns around to face you. “(Y/n) has volunteered to grab the Time Stone, Bruce will go with her. Which leaves Scott, Steve and I to get the Space and Mind Stone, because it’ll be in the same buildings at the same time.”
“All right. We have a plan.” Steve says, crossing the room to stand in front of the projection. “Six stones, three teams, one shot.”
You stand up, walking to stand next to Steve. You grab his shoulder, making him turn to you. “Now we can get this son of a bitch.”
“Five years ago, we lost. All of us.” Steve begins. “We lost friends. We lost family. We lost a part of ourselves. Today, we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams. You know your missions. Get the stones. Get them back. One round-trip each. No mistakes, no do-overs. Most os uf are going somewhere we know. That doesn’t mean we should know what to expect. 
“Be careful.” He says. “Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives, and we’re gonna win. Whatever it takes. Good luck.” He backs off.
“He’s pretty good at that.” Rocket says.
“Right?” Scott looks at him.
“All right. You heard the man. Stroke those keys, Jolly Green.” Tony tells Bruce. 
“Trackers engaged.”
Clint holds out his hand, looking at the Milano—Rocket’s spaceship—which has been shrunk to make for easier transportation.
“You promise to bring that back in one piece, right?” Rocket asks.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Clint dismisses him. “Okay, I’ll do my best.”
“As promises go, that was pretty lame.” Rocket crosses his arms.
“It’s Clint, everything about him is lame.” You say, and when Clint looks at you, you give him our sweetest smile. “Isn’t that right?”
“Be quiet.” He tells you.
Bruce comes up the stairs to the platform, stopping to stand right next to you. He slaps his wrist, causing the platform to begin beeping. You take in a deep breath, tilting your head from side to side.
“See ya in a minute.” Natasha smiles.
The helmet comes over your face, you look down, finding that the ground has opened up, sucking you inside. You travel through… you’re not entirely sure how to describe it. At first, it’s a bright tunnel of color that quickly submerges you in blue, traveling through a molecule and into a white light.
You land on your feet in an alleyway, the street in front of you is covered in debris and overturned cars. The time traveling suit disappears, leaving you in a pair of relatively normal clothes for this time. The sound of screaming, sirens and the alien beings moving around and shooting is slightly overwhelming for a couple seconds.
Steve marches forward. “All right, we all have our assignments. Two stones uptown, one stone down.” He must decide the coast is clear, turning around to come back your way. “Stay low. Keep an eye on the clock.”
Hulk roars, you look around Steve to watch as he lifts a car, smashing it into the alien, clearly killing him. Another one comes to save his comrade, but turns around and runs at the sight of past Hulk plucking a tire off the car and throwing it at a streetlight. Unsatisfied with his original smash, he jumps on the dismembered car a couple times, before stomping away.
Bruce covers his face, embarrassed.
“Maybe smash a few things along the way.” Steve suggests.
“I think it’s gratuitous, but whatever.” Bruce says, ripping off his tank top, walking to the street. 
You shake your head at him, rolling your eyes. You begin to walk away, backwards. “This shouldn’t take long. Are you sure you don’t want my help with the other two stones?”
“We’ve got it covered, (Y/n).” Steve gives you a hard nod. 
“If you say so.” You tilt your head, before following after Bruce, who’s lazily punching cars.
You walk behind him, amused at the way he tries to mimic how he was in the past. He was incredibly, unnecessarily destructive, wasn’t he? You can’t imagine the amount of things he tore apart or broke solely because he could.
“I think we’ll travel faster if we take the roofs.” He finally says, stopping.
“Why do you think that?” You ask, catching up with him. 
He opens his mouth, letting out a sigh. “I don’t want to do this the entire way.”
“Well, unfortunately, you don’t have a baby carrier on you, so you don’t really have an option.” You shrug, “Just enjoy the walk.”
“I can’t.”
“Then don’t break shit, I don’t care.” You laugh, “It’s only a few minutes from here.”
He looks disappointed at your indifference, but he admits that you’re right. Bleecker Street and Sullivan isn’t that far when he’s listening to your directions on the quickest shortcuts. However, you have a problem when the front door to the Sanctum doesn’t open.
Your mouth pops open, tongue clicking. You place your hands on your hips, tilting your head back to see the roof of the building. Your face smooths over when you see orange magic shoot at an alien, causing it to explode.
“Get us up there.” You tell Bruce, it’s a command.
“Sure.” He says.
You allow him to pick you up, setting you on his shoulder. You struggle to balance while he scales the building, but it’s worth it the second you reach the top. He starts for the door that’ll lead you inside of the Sanctum, you don’t move from where you stand, eyes on the lady standing feet away.
A sinking feeling of disappointment hits.
“I’d be careful going that way. We just had the floors waxed.” She tells Bruce before he can open the door.
She’s British, she has an accent, and she’s bald. The robes she’s wearing is a shade of mustard yellow. And she has the Eye of Agamotto around her neck, the same thing that Stephen had in his possession. The Time Stone is right here.
The longer you stare at her, the more you believe you’ve seen her before, or at least heard of her. You go down the three steps, going to join her. You refuse to take your eyes off of her.
“Yeah, I’m looking for Doctor Strange.” Bruce says.
The lady lifts her head slightly. “You’re about five years too early.” She steps away, toward the edge of the roof. “Stephen Strange is currently performing surgery—” she lifts her hand to motion, “about twenty blocks that way.” She stops walking. “What do you want from him?”
“The Time Stone.” You tell her. 
“Ah!” She looks down at the Eye. “I’m afraid not.”
“Sorry, but I wasn’t asking.” Bruce says, stepping over the metal bar to walk toward her.
“You don’t want to do this.” She warns him.
“Bruce, I think we should listen to her.” You tell him.
“Ah, you’re right, I don’t. But I need that stone and I don’t have time to debate it.” He says, hand reaching to grab it.
She slams the heel of her hand into his chest, Bruce falls to the ground, unconscious. You stare with an open mouth for a brief second, and then you snap it shut, looking at her.
Her eyes are already on you, head tilted. “Are you going to take it by force, too?”
“No.”
She smiles. “Let’s start over, shall we?”
It hits you after this, you squint at her. “You’re the one that Stephen and Wong talked about all the time. What is it—?” You wonder aloud, eyes drifting as you think. “Ancient One, isn’t that what they called you?” When you look at her again, she’s got her eyebrows raised. “You’re the Sorcerer Supreme.”
“You’re wise.” She says. “What’s your name?”
“(Y/n).” You tell her, she begins to think about it. “I’m not a student of yours, I’m just dating one. We need the Time Stone, it’s urgent.”
“For what, exactly?”
“We need it so we can bring back half of the population of every living being.” The words are grave, her facial expression changes. “We’re from eleven years in the future. And this is the only solution we have left. We have teams gathering the other five Infinity Stones, and when we bring them together in our time, we’ll be able to fix the damage that was done.”
“You want me to hand it over?” She asks you. “No.”
She begins to walk away, heading for the door. You follow after her. “Please, you don’t understand.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t help you, (Y/n).” Her pace doesn’t slow. “If I give up the Time Stone to help your reality, I’m dooming my own.”
“With all due respect, all right…” Bruce’s voice echoes, you turn to look behind you, finding him in his original body, not the half-Hulk, half-Bruce one. Except, he’s see-through, a phantom, a ghost. He joins you two up the stairs, jogging in front of her to make her stop. “I’m not sure the science really supports that.”
With him standing between her and the door, she humors you. She reaches forward, yanking out an orange line right in the middle of them. It stretches far between the blocks of New York on both sides. 
“The Infinity Stones create what you experience as the flow of time.” The stones create a ring around the orange. She reaches forward to flick the Time Stone. “Remove one of the stones and that flow splits.” You watch as a black line branches off from where the ring of stones is, creating its own path through the air. “Now, this may benefit your reality but my new one, not so much.
“In this new branch reality without our chief weapon against the forces of darkness our world would be overrun. Millions will suffer. So, tell me, Doctor. Can your science prevent all that?” 
Bruce is rubbing his hands together, “No, but we can erase it. Because once we’re done with the stones we can return each one to its own timeline at the moment it was taken. So, chronologically—” he pulls the Time Stone out of the air, placing it back in the ring, remedifying the split timeline. “In that reality, it never left.”
She turns around, walking away. “Yes, but you’re leaving out the most important part.” She stops at the end of the roof. “In order to return the stones, you have to survive.”
“We will.” You tell her. “I promise.”
“I can’t risk this reality on a promise. It’s the duty of the Sorcerer Supreme to protect the Time Stone.”
“I know.” You murmur. “But Stephen had no choice but to give it to Thanos.” 
She stares at you, “What did you say?”
“Stephen gave the stone to Thanos.”
“Willingly?” She asks.
“Yes.” Bruce says behind you.
“Why?” 
“We lost the battle so that we could win the war.” You tell her. “It’s what had to be done.”
“I see.” She murmurs after a long moment of silence. She reaches over Bruce’s shoulder, summoning his body. 
Bruce returns, back to being giant and green. You watch as she bends her fingers, moving her hands apart, unlocking the Eye. Inside sits the stone, she pulls it out, you cup your hand.
She doesn’t drop it quite yet. “Strange is meant to be the best of us.”
“He is.” You assure her. “He handed it over for a reason.”
“I fear you might be right.” She places the stone in your hand.
You’ve only held it one time before, when Stephen had to fix the Eye of Agamotto. It’s meant to be unbreakable with his spells, but there’s always an exception. He saw how much it bothered you, seeing the Time Stone out of place, and elected you to hold it while he repaired the Eye. 
When you told him you were afraid you’d break it, he said that provides more comfort to him, because it means that you’ll be careful with it.
“Thank you.” Bruce says.
She steps forward, hands over yours. “I’m counting on you, (Y/n). We all are.”
“I’ll bring it back.” You tell her. 
She lets you and Bruce go through the Sanctum to get to the street, not wanting you to crawl back down the building. As soon as you’ve stepped foot back on the sidewalk, you pass the Time Stone over to Bruce, “Here, you take it back.”
His face twists. “We’re going back together. Don’t you want to hold onto it?”
You shake your head. “No, there’s someone I have to see first.”
“You can’t, (Y/n), if you see Stephen, you’ll ruin the timeline.”
“That’s not who I’m going to.” You wave him off. “I won’t talk to her. It’ll be a few minutes.”
He nods, holding out his arm to type in the present day’s date. You watch as he warps into the air, disappearing. You begin to walk away, reaching up to touch your earpiece, “This is (Y/n) to Tony, Bruce has taken the stone back. How are we looking for the other two?”
Tony sighs in your ear. “There’s been an issue, Loki took the Tesseract and disappeared.”
Your feet pause, but quickly go back to walking, because you don’t have much time to be out here. “Okay, what’s the plan? You don’t have enough particles.”
“Cap and I are going back further in time, we’ll be able to get particles and the stone in the same place. We’re sending Scott back to the present. What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna visit someone. You two be careful.”
“We will.” Steve’s voice comes over. “Remember the plan, don’t interact with anyone.”
“I know.” You tell him.
It isn’t that hard for you to find young (Y/n), mostly because of the shredded asphalt and the decomposing bodies that lay on top of it. You follow this careless path, and divert from it to go through an alleyway, where it leads you right to where she is, standing a few feet away.
There’s a smile on her face, that dissolves into concentration, as she gets on the ground, hunching over to pull more of the dead out of the Earth. You remember this, it’s moments after Tony found you and told you to draw in as many of the Chitauri as you possibly could—as long as you could handle it.
You were so young back then, you had absolutely no idea what you were doing. Or that this would eventually lead you to becoming a hero, yourself. That day, you took a leap of faith, and it completely changed the trajectory of your life.
If you hadn’t done this, who knows where you’d be right now. If life would have treated you any differently. If you still would’ve joined the Avengers, just a few years later down the line. Or if you’d ever even get to meet Stephen.
It doesn’t matter, because you don’t think you’d ever tell your past self to change her mind. 
“You’ve got this.” You say to her, eyes flickering between the time system and her, where she’s fighting. “Just keep pushing, you’re on the right path.”
As you type the date in, you watch as she looks up from the ground, eyes landing on you. You submit the time, and just before you leave, you hold a hand up to wave at her. 
You’re sucked through the warp, as you travel backwards through the tunnel you took to get here. And despite leaving at different times, it joins you with the rest of your group. You arrive at the Avengers Facility at the same time.
The helmet falls back at the same time it does for everyone else, the suit following directly after.
“Did we get ‘em all?” Bruce asks.
Rhodes laughs. “Are you telling me this actually worked?”
Clint falls to his knees, staring off in front of him. You know this look, something’s happened. Your eyes try to switch to Natasha, hoping that she’ll offer an explanation, but she’s absent.
“Oh, Clint.” You murmur.
“Clint, where’s Nat?” Bruce asks.
Clint’s eyes are watery, his lips turning further down. There’s a long moment of silence between all of you, as the news settles in. You were warned by Nebula that the way Thanos got the stone was through losing his daughter. You were all hoping that she was being difficult and her actions got her killed, not… this.
Bruce falls to his knees, slamming his fist into the platform.
You sigh, shaking your head. “Shit.”
“All right, the glove’s ready.” Rocket says, adjusting the fingers. “Question is, who’s gonna snap their freakin’ fingers?”
“I’ll do it.” Thor says, coming over.
“Excuse me?” Tony asks, turning around.
“It’s okay.” He steps closer to the glove.
“Stop, stop.” Tony reaches to grab Thor at the same time Steve does. “Slow down.”
“Thor. Just wait.” Steve tells him. “We haven’t decided who’s gonna put that on yet.”
“I’m sorry. WHat, we’re all just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?”
“We should at least discuss it.” Scott says.
“Look, sitting here staring at the thing is not gonna bring everybody back.” He brings his fingers to his thumbs on both hands. “I’m the strongest Avenger, okay? So, this responsibility falls upon me. It’s my duty.”
“Normally, you’re right.” Tony steps in front of him. “It’s not about that.”
“It’s not that.” He shushes him. “Stop it! Just let me. Just let me do it.” He whispers. “JUst let me do something good. Something right.”
“Look, it’s not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent. I’m telling you. You’re in no condition.” Tony tells him.
“What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?” His hands are on Tony’s shoulders.
“Cheez Whiz?” Rhodes suggests, you snort.
Thor is unamused, holding out a finger to quiet him. “Lightning.”
“Yeah.”
“Lightning.” Thor repeats.
“LIghtning won’t help you, pal.” Bruce says, finally going forward. “It’s gotta be me.” Thor looks at the ground, Tony moves away. “You saw what those stones did to Thanos. They almost killed him. None of you could survive.” He stops in front of the glove.
“How do we know you will?” Steve asks.
“We don’t. But the radiation’s mostly gamma. It’s like… uh, I was made for this.”
“If this is what you want.” You say, backing away.
Bruce nods, reaching into the case to pull out the glove. 
“Good to go, yeah?” Tony asks.
“Let’s do it.”
“Okay, remember, everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago, you’re just bringing them back to now, today. Don’t change anything from the last five years.” Tony says.
“Got it.”
Your suit comes to cover your body, preparing for the worst. You shuffle behind Tony and Clint, where Tony brings up a shield as another form of protection. 
“Friday, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol, will ya?”
You watch as the skylight slowly covers with metal, as well as all exits, including doors and windows. That way, if anything goes wrong, the only people that’ll be affected are those who are standing in this room.
“Everybody comes home.” Bruce mutters, slowly pulling the glove on. The machinery adjusts to fit his hand, rather than Tony’s. When it secures, it sends a visible shock up his arm, all six Infinity Stones begin to glow.
Bruce drops to his knee, groaning, veins popping out of his forehead. He grabs the glove with his free hand, watching as it transforms. 
“Take it off. Take it off!” Thor shouts.
“No, wait.” Steve holds out his hand. “Bruce, are you okay?”
Bruce throws his head back, the fabric on his arm begins to burn up, the colors of the stones are beneath his skin, traveling up the underside of his jaw. He’s in pain.
“Talk to me, Banner.” Tony says.
“I’m okay.” He breathes, as the stones begin to settle. “I’m okay.” He pants heavily, slowly lifting his hand. His green skin is now charred, black, glowing red underneath. Like bubbling lava.
He screams, preparing his fingers, and then snaps.
The glove falls off in an instant, Bruce unconscious on the floor, arm is sizzling.
“Bruce!” Steve crouches down next to him.
Clint kicks the glove away, Tony joins Steve. “Don’t move him.” The healing solution comes from his fingers, coating Bruce’s arm in white. 
“Did it work?” Bruce asks, grabbing Steve’s arm.
“We’re not sure.” Thor says. “It—it’s okay.”
The metal sheets begin to lift, doors opening, allowing you to leave. Scott wanders away, and so does Clint a second later.
“Can you feel anything, (Y/n)?” Steve asks, looking at you.
You suck in a breath, closing your eyes, concentrating hard. You discovered a couple years ago that there wasn’t a need for the dramatics if you actually put some of your own energy in to pull some out. You sacrifice a little of yourself, digging deep, feeling around for the same heavy weight that there’s been for years.
“I don’t…” You murmur, head turning to the side, eyebrows drawing in. “I can’t say for sure.” You open your eyes. “It might be the building, it works better when I’m outside. I could go out—”
“Don’t bother.” Clint murmurs, picking up his vibrating phone, pressing it to his ear. “Honey.”
“Guys…” Scott breathes. “I think it worked.”
A smile breaks through when you make eye contact with Tony, finding your happiness mirrored onto him. 
You did it.
You touch the ring on your thumb.
A blast of hot air throws you across the room, slamming you into the cement wall, head cracking against it. An explosion shakes the ground. A wave of dizziness hits you as you reach to touch the spot on your forehead, fingers coated in blood.
One second, you’re staring at your friends, and the next, the building is collapsing. The ground gives way beneath you, a scream leaves your mouth as you begin to slide, knowing full well that the Facility goes hundreds of feet underground.
The suit comes to cover your body as your fingers slip from the cement. Your stomach flies to your throat, lodging itself there as you begin to fall with the chunks of rock and debris.
Another rocket hits nearby, as your body is engulfed in fire. 
When you wake, a sharp stabbing feeling flies through your abdomen. You reach to grab it, hands coming in contact with a steel rod. It’s wet, but not from your blood. The water from the plumbing system and the lake nearby rain down on you, causing sparks from severed electric wires to zap.
“(Y/n)?” You hear Bruce ask. “Are you with us?”
You struggle to breathe, hearing every breath enter and leave your mouth. You squeeze your eyes shut, head resting back. “I’m stuck.”
“I know, we’ll get Rhodey and Rocket over there to help you.” He says.
“No, Bruce.” You gasp, wincing. “I’ve been impaled.”
The sound of rushing water fills the air. You lift your head, eyes searching from the direction it’s coming from. It sweeps through the rubble, beginning to fill the hole you’re in.
“Guys!” The panic in your voice alerts Rhodes, “Help!”
Rocket gets to his feet, coming in your direction. “Oh, no.”
“Mayday, Mayday! Does anybody copy? We’re on the lower level. It’s flooding!” Rhodes says into the earpiece. “We are drowning! Does anybody copy? Mayday!”
“I don’t think we can get you out of this one.” Rocket says once he sees you. “Bruce, any chance you can come over here?”
“Not really.” He grunts.
You take careful breaths, trying to relax. “If I don’t get out of here, I’m going to drown.”
Rocket shakes his head, hands up. “I don’t know what you want me to do.”
“You don’t have any tools?” You ask, “To cut the bar in half?” He doesn’t respond, you close your eyes. “Fuck.”
“It’s filling up fast!” Rhodes shouts.
“Move back.” You tell him, he listens.
You grip onto the steel bar, “Come to me.” You murmur, the ground begins to shake under you, causing the pain to heighten. You grit your teeth, wanting to stop. “Come here.” You order.
The ground splits somewhere, the cement you’re laying on dips to the side, making you move. You resist the urge to throw your head back, trying to avoid a concussion.
“Oh, what the—” Rocket lets out, “What is that?”
Through half-open lids, you watch as a few of the dead come to crawl out of the rubble. They get to their feet, and without any other word, come to rescue you from where you are. The issue is that they aren’t so gentle, when they grab you by your shoulders and hips, pulling you free. 
The insides of your body burns, as you bite back a scream. They drop you on your feet, and with the weight all falling onto your wound, you stumble forward and onto your knees, hand wrapped around the area.
“If you could do that—have them take the rubble.” Rocket motions to Bruce. “So he can get us out of here.”
“They’ll crumble beneath the weight.” You tell him, the dead grab your elbows, forcing you to your feet. “They’re not good for much besides fighting.”
“You can’t tell them to find a way out and we follow them?” Rocket suggests.
“We can’t leave Bruce behind.” You shake your head. “And it’s not guaranteed that it’ll work. They can lead us to a dead-end. They aren’t all-knowing.”
The roof is beginning to fall, Bruce shuddering beneath it. The water is coming through faster, you shuffle to stand with Rhodes, Rocket climbs up as far as he can. You tilt your head back, water creeping up your chest. The dead that were with you are now floating on their backs, no longer alive.
“See you on the other side, man.” Rhodes says.
Rocket whimpers, not liking the idea of dying. You pant, tears in your eyes. You’re going to die before you’re able to see Stephen again. For the past five years, you’ve held onto the idea that it could be possible. And now he’s back, somewhere, but not here.
“(Y/n), stop.” Rhodes warns you.
You cry, the water reaching the back of your head. “Get me out of here!”
“You need to breathe, you can’t hyperventilate under the water.” He says, it’s flooding your ears.
“I know.” You gasp. “I know.”
You take a deep breath in right as the water covers your face. For the first few seconds, you think that it’s fine. And then you reach out, grabbing onto Rhodes’s arm, squeezing tightly. You feel his hand over yours, trying to provide comfort.
The burning in your lungs begins in the second minute, pressure tight in your skull, adding to the lightheadedness. You want to open your mouth and suck in, despite knowing that you’ll fill your lungs with water. It’ll be quicker than fighting this, right?
An object surrounds you, bumping you to the side. Your eyes open suddenly, struggling to see through the murky water on what’s moved you. For a second, you think that it’s Bruce, until you find him joining you. The water current from the other side brings the four of you closer together, as what you assume to be the roof closes in on you.
But then the ground comes up, uneven, and you’re lifted into the air, water running. You gasp, desperate for air, coughing out the water. You drop to your knees, pushing your hair out of your face.
“It’s Scott!” Rhodes shouts.
He must grow through the Facility, because all you can hear is the concrete breaking to pieces around you. He opens his hand when it’s safe, the others jumping off, while you carefully take your time, eyes adjusting to the situation in front of you.
Thanos is here. There’s a giant ship in the air off to the left, with the Chitauri and the Leviathan’s coming out of it. Just like they had eleven years ago when Loki came to New York. 
On the right side, is where you find several armies coming together to help. The army from Wakanda, led by T’Challa, the Asgardians, following Valkyrie and sorcerers, preparing behind Wong. And more, ones you don’t recognize, coming through the portals.
With one hand over your side, you hobble out to solid ground, eyes on Thanos. Your upper lip begins to twitch into a snarl, but it’s more for the laughter that catches in your throat.
When you come to a stop, you level your breathing as much as possible. You’ve brought back large armies in the past, but those will compare nothing to what you’re able to do.
The dark energy comes through your feet, snaking its way up your legs. You roll your shoulders back, feeling it wrap around your chest, alleviating the pain in your abdomen enough for you to remove your hand.
“Let’s play.” You smile, swirling your hand in the air. At first slowly, but growing faster, rock trembling, Earth reacting to what you’re demanding.
A hole appears, ground caving in on itself, creating a pit with no visible bottom. You shuffle to stand over it, peering inside. A cold gust of air blows your wet hair out of your face, goosebumps covering your arms.
“Come to me.” You demand, “All of you.”
There’s whispering, and sounds of hissing overlapping each other from deep below. They grow louder as they rise to the top. At the sight of the first undead climbing the walls, you back up to give them room. This is a trick you’ve been practicing for years, hoping you’d get the chance to use it here.
“Got anything for us, (Y/n)?” You hear in your earpiece, it’s Tony.
“They’re coming.” You tell him. “And mine will make the others seem like a joke.”
They crawl out, coming to their feet, walking forward. At first, a few at a time, not wanting to overwhelm the area, or anything. Then they begin to come in crowds, eager to get out of where they’ve been hiding this entire time. You walk away, watching as they come out of every direction they can.
As the numbers multiply and grow, Steve steps forward. “Avengers!” He holds out his hand, Mjolnir flying to it. “Assemble.”
Thor shouts first, the armies following as they rush forward. Yours, not quite yet, waiting for a command. The fun thing about the dead is that there’s so many of them, people will never stop dying. Which means that when you send the ones standing off, more will continue. A never-ending supply.
“Kill them!” You shout, pointing at Thanos’s army.
This is when they move at a steady pace, not feeling the need to run. You stay where you stand, supervising the hole to ensure that a great amount comes from it, before you point straight down the middle. 
“Come here, Arzorath.” The flow of dead stops to let this creature come out, five times the size of you, built like a monster. As soon as he’s out, the dead begin again. You grab his grey skin, looking up at him. “You stay here, and you make sure this doesn’t stop.”
He grunts, giving you a solid nod.
With that, you turn to walk into the fight, to the center, where Thanos is going to be. You should be afraid of walking through this crowd, but with the amount of undead that are spread throughout, they jump to protect you if any danger arises. 
There’s explosions, the sounds of weapons clashing against one another. You see several laser beams shoot through the air to hit their target. There’s billows of black smoke, indicating several fires.
“Cap!” You hear Clint’s voice in your ear. “What do you want me to do with this damn thing?”
Steve grunts. “Get those stones as far away as possible!”
“No!” Bruce shouts. “We need to get ‘em back where they came from.”
“I made a promise to the Sorcerer Supreme that I’d get it back. I intend on keeping it.” You tell them.
“No way to get ‘em back. Thanos destroyed the quantum tunnel.” Tony says.
“Hold on!” You watch as Scott disappears, likely shrunken back to his regular size. “That wasn’t our only time machine.”
The sound of a horn playing Spanish music makes you turn your head. 
“Anyone see an ugly brown van out there?” Steve asks.
“Yes! But you’re not gonna like where it’s parked!” Valkyrie shouts, she’s in the air, riding on a pegasus. 
“Scott, how long you need to get that thing working?” Tony asks.
“Uh, maybe ten minutes.”
“Get it started. We’ll get the stones to you.” Steve says.
“We’re on it, Cap.” Hope says—Scott’s partner.
“Do you need me to clear a path for you?” You ask, “Because it won’t be that hard.”
“No, I can fly him there.” Hope tells you.
You continue through the battle, coming upon a patch where there is no one. You climb a pile of rocks, surveying the area to find Thanos, fighting Wanda. She’s got him stuck in the air, squeezing him with her magic.
That’s when the first blue light hits the ground, causing a blast, killing a dozen of your dead. It’s not only one, though, as more following, firing straight into the crowd without any prior aim. Thanos doesn’t care who he hits, as long as he doesn’t lose this fight.
You watch as the sorcerers cast shields, holding them above their heads, working together to cover a small part of the field. You don’t move for shelter, holding your stance. You glance over your shoulder to find Arzorath, still guarding the hole as you instructed him to.
“Help, somebody help!” Peter shouts.
“Hey, Queens, heads up!” Steve says back. 
Mjolnir flies through the air, you can see it from where you are. You reach up, pressing the ear piece. “Anyone have eyes on Thanos?”
“He’s by the van!” Scott shouts back, “I need backup!”
You sigh out your nose, jumping down from the rocks, heading straight into the fight once again. “Arzorath!” You shout, looking over your shoulder. He raises his head. “More!”
He raises his arms, throwing them down as he grabs a chunk from the ground, ripping it out and throwing it into the crowd of Thanos’s troops. By widening the hole, it creates a bigger flow. In seconds, you see the difference, as they rush to follow you, and then past you to create a path.
The blasts from the sky become more frequent, like hail. At least half of the dead come to jump at you to protect you, bringing you to the ground. They hold you there, refusing to let you move, until it suddenly stops. 
In the silence that comes after, you’re pulled to your feet. When you walk, they do too. The ship above suddenly changes its target, firing into the clouds in the distance. 
“What the hell is this?” Sam asks.
It doesn’t matter, you’re able to make it halfway to the van by the time the object from the atmosphere finally makes an appearance, slamming directly through the spaceship, and coming out on the other side. It must destroy the inside, setting off explosions, as the blasters power down, and the ship begins to fall, heading for the lake.
The object in question is Carol, as she does a loop, and flies up through the bottom, coming out of the top. She lands somewhere in the field, presumably where the gauntlet must be, not too far away.
Your concern switches when Thanos’s army begins to run at you. For a moment, you think that it was a stupid choice to run out here this far. Then the sound of bones rattling, and the groaning begins behind you. You turn halfway, finding that your people have followed you all the way out here.
“Destroy them.” You say. With a layer of an undead shield in front of you, you continue forward, watching as Wanda flies past you, followed by some of the other girls. You throw your hand out, pointing their way. “They don’t get hurt!”
Valkyrie and Wanda work together to take down the two leviathans above, while you use Carol’s path of destruction as a way to get to the van faster. When the fire rises, smoke hovering like fog, you cover your mouth, refusing to slow down. But when you come out on the other side, you watch as Carol makes a dive for the van, only for Thanos’s weapon to hit the portal at the same time. 
This causes a blast, throwing the weightless dead back. You fight to stay on your feet, leaning into the wind. The gauntlet glove goes flying, landing a few feet away. Thanos runs at it, causing you to jerk forward, too. Tony runs right into him, throwing him to the ground.
Thor lands, Stormbreaker glowing bright blue as he swings at Thanos. When he spins around, intending for a hard hit, Thanos grabs the handle, stopping him. He raises his free hand, and Mjolnir flies to it, acting as a block. Thor’s eyes are bright white, using the power of lightning. Steve runs up behind Thanos, jumping on his back.
Thanos headbutts Thor, reaching back to grab a hold of Steve, and somersaulting forward. When he lands on top, he punches Steve across the face, knocking him unconscious. He crawls the few feet to the glove, getting it in his hands, before Carol kicks the back of his knee, hitting his jaw,
When Thanos fights back, she dodges. She makes the mistake of trying to grab the glove, leaving an opening for Thanos to grab her. He twists, chucking her into the rock and rubble. Once again, reaching to put the gauntlet on his hand, this time succeeding.
Your stomach flies at the sight of the power coursing through his arm, as he raises his hand to snap his fingers. He almost does, until Carol gets her hand between, dragging him down to her height, trying to pull it off. He tries to punch her, but her power creates a shield that he can’t penetrate. When she flies above him, now pushing his hand toward his face, he reaches up, pulling the Power Stone free, and transferring it to his other hand.
She can’t catch herself in time, as he shouts, punching her away. She disappears, leaving a trail of kicked up dirt. 
You find Tony, laying on his stomach, dirt and blood smeared across his skin. He’s not looking at you, but to a different part of the field. When you follow his gaze, you’re met with the sight of him. 
It’s Stephen, in the same condition that all of you seem to be, too caught up in trying to hold the lake water at bay. Still, he manages to hold up his index finger, telling Tony one.
The confusion lasts less than a second, when you remember one of the last conversations you had together before Thanos showed up on Titan. Out of fourteen million timelines that he lived through, there was only one where you won. 
You don’t want to take your eyes off of him, lips parted. The urge to call his name is on the tip of your tongue. He’s right there. He’s so close.
You’re forced to when Thanos puts the Power Stone back on the gauntlet.
You stomp your foot, hard, the dirt around you shakes. “Arzorath, come!” Pain slices through your wound at the sudden movement. “The rest of you, get him!”
They’re faster than you thought they’d be, adjusted to their worn down bodies. They begin to throw themselves at Thanos. In the beginning, he’s able to swing them off, but as the dead come out of the shadows, far through the field, the number is overwhelming. He’s just about to use the gauntlet to swing them away, when a black mist surrounds him. The screams of pain begin, as the poisonous cloud corrodes his skin.
Arzorath appears beside you, materializing out of the air. You cup your hands, watching as he dumps the stones into yours carelessly, since they have no real value to him. 
The stones begin to slide over your palms without an order, adjusting to sit in their rightful places over your knuckles. You pull the Time Stone out, holding it in your free hand, not ready for the pain it’s about to inflict. You take a few deep breaths, releasing the power you hold over your army.
They fall into a useless heap of bones and rotten flesh. Thanos bursts out of it, raises his hand, still assuming the stones are on it. You look over, watching as Arzorath crumples to the ground, the life leaving him, too. You can’t afford to have any of them around. Not if you plan to do this.
“I am inevitable.” Thanos says, snapping his finger. 
It doesn’t react, there is no flash of white light, the people don’t begin to fall, he fails.
You turn your head, meeting Tony’s eyes, which begin to widen when he realizes why Thanos’s snap didn’t work. “(Y/n), don’t!” He shouts. “You have Stephen! He’s here!”
“You have Morgan!” You tell him. “And I have something a lot nastier than just myself.”
Thanos’s head whips in your direction. You get down to your knees, to the ground, the same way you had to in the past. With the hand that isn’t holding the Time Stone, you press it into the dirt, leaning forward, pulling. You reach through, searching for that miserable monster that had come out four years ago when you’d done this. 
This is your only chance—your only trick. It rests, slumbering, refusing to rise at your will. It isn’t until you give a little of yourself, what little dark energy you have left from conjuring so many of the dead, does it wake. And when you pull, it flies up at you, not slowing down.
You can hear Thanos running at you, shouting.
You open your eyes, slapping the Time Stone into its place on your knuckle. The energy that flows through you is different, brighter. This is not the same dark force that you’re used to. You’re able to feel the burning pain up your arm and stabbing into your neck, before it’s gone. 
The beast travels through your feet and up your body, heading straight for your mouth. It sets you on fire inside, and you’re barely able to lift your hand in time to snap your fingers, when he takes over, doing it for you. You’re weightless, flying through the air, wind caressing your skin, cradling you like a newborn. 
And then you hit the ground.
You roll several feet, arms blocking your face, until you stop on your back. You can see a leviathan coming right at you. And when you manage to finally get your eyes open after blinking, you find that it’s gone, nothing but dust in the wind. You let out a breath.
“(Y/n)!” Stephen’s voice is close, coming toward you.
The ground feels like it’s spinning under your body, creating a whirlpool, sucking you down with it. That would be nice, to join the ones that have kept you safe throughout this fight. Maybe you could give them a proper thank you.
There’s mechanical footsteps coming your way, when you look over, it’s Tony. His mouth is open, hands reaching for you. He’s cut off by someone else, dropping to their knees beside you.
It’s Stephen, your Stephen, as he pulls you into an upright position by your shoulders. You let out a cry, abdomen screaming in reaction. He’s got your face pulled against his chest, one arm across the back of your shoulders to keep you from moving.
“(Y/n), stay with me.” He tells you. “Stark—!”
You can’t see much through the haze, like a film over your eyes. But with Stephen’s face so close to yours, it doesn’t even matter. You throw your head back to get a proper look at him, something you’ve been waiting to do for five years. Of course, there’s a mess across his skin, a few strands of hair out of place.
You reach up with the hand that doesn’t have the stones, wiping a patch of blood away. “I’m fine.” You murmur, eyelids drooping. You begin to fall back, but Stephen catches you, pulling you back against his chest.
When you shakily breathe in, you’re hit with his cologne, a smell you’d thought you’d lost forever. You wrap your fingers around his blue robes, staring at the side of his face.
“What can we do?” He demands.
Stephen’s so beautiful, even in a state like this, especially when he’s angry. You remember that being the first thing you thought about him when he stepped out of his car, the second time he almost hit you. He’s handsome, and he’s yours, in front of you. He hasn’t aged a day. Still as perfect as he was the day he was taken from you.
“I’m okay.” You whisper, but your voice is drowned out by Friday, listing your vitals out loud. 
You’re so, so tired.
Stephen jerks you, your eyes fly open. “Don’t close your eyes, (Y/n). You have to stay with me.”
You hum, trying to listen. The worried look on his face has only deepened since learning about your heart rate and blood pressure. You think you can hear Tony making suggestions, all of which Stephen shuts down.
“I just…” You close your eyes, wanting to rest. As you settle, ignoring Stephen’s demands for you to stay awake, a voice from below calls.
Brace yourself.
All you can do is twitch your eyebrows, before a sharp gasp comes through your mouth, eyes opening. Your hand grips at his robes, knuckles turning pale to keep him from going anywhere. The energy resurfaces, bouncing to your temples, a headache slams in after.
You grit your teeth, toes curled as the needles press into every inch of your skin, reminding you that you’re alive. Telling you that you’re not allowed to die. Stephen’s hand is cupping your face, leaning over you.
“I told you;” You breathe carefully, feeling it begin to subside, “I’m fine.”
Stephen smashes his lips into yours, rough and demanding. He holds you there for a long minute, feeling you on him, until he decides when to pull away. You touch the side of his face, a light laugh escaping you.
“I missed you.” You tell him, tears in your eyes. “I can’t live without you.”
“So this is what you do?” He asks, bewildered. “You sacrifice yourself?”
“It’s been a rough five years.” You sniff, reaching over to pluck the stones from your suit. “But this is what had to be done, right?”
“Right.” He says, voice sad, getting to his feet. He helps you up, and catches you when you stumble a step. When you take one toward Tony, he shakes his head. “Are you sure…?”
“Yeah.” You mumble, pulling his hand up to give him the stones. “Here.”
Tony’s standing a foot or two away, staring at you. When you stop, slightly hunched over, he closes his eyes. “You’ve got to be the dumbest person on our team. I could’ve done that.”
“And survived?” You ask.
He doesn’t say anything at first, “Probably not, but it would’ve been more thought out than that.”
“You’re telling me that wasn’t thought out?” You ask, looking back at Stephen. A smile appears on your face first, and when you begin to laugh, you have to force yourself to stop. “I think that went pretty fuckin’ well, don’t you?”
“I would’ve changed a few things.” Stephen comes over to you, “But you’re right.”
“You shouldn’t have…” Tony’s shaking his head, eyes drifting away.
“You saved my life, remember?” You ask him, voice wavering, “That day I told you I was working on a different way to bring them back? I owe you for that.”
“You didn’t.”
“I never—not even in my nightmares—would have let you take the Infinity Stones. Even if it meant that it killed me.” You press your finger to his chest. “We’re even.”
“We always have been.” He tells you.
Stephen reaches to grab you when you sway, not being able to stabilize yourself. “Let’s sit down, (Y/n).”
“Sure.” You don’t resist, letting him lead you to a slab of concrete that’s flat enough to sit down. When you do, the aches in your body leave, you take in a deep breath. “Stephen?”
“Yes, my love?” His eyes are already on you.
You take his hand, lacing his fingers with yours. “I love you.”
He smiles, tilting his head slightly. “I love you too, (Y/n).”
59 notes · View notes
erule · 2 years
Text
Fake marriage, real feelings | s.s.
Pairing: Stephen Strange x fem!Avenger!reader
Summary: you and Stephen have to pretend to be married for a mission, but what can happen if you find out that you have real feelings for each other?
Warnings: fake dating trope, fluff, romantic, mutual pining, language, Tony is alive and being a bit of an asshole in this story (but I love him!), Multiverse is real, Christine got married (so kinda spoilers from the MOM trailer I guess), all the Avengers are alive and well here, reader is a ball of sunshine, but also spoilers from Multiverse of Madness!!, the reader feels like she’s not enough but SHE IS, angst
Word count: more than 3.5K
A/N: hi! I watched MOM some days ago and I wanted to express my love for Stephen with a fluffy fic. I even cried while I was writing this one! Hope you like it. Enjoy! x
Tags: thanks to @loverocksin for the input!
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“This is not gonna happen”.
“Oh, yes”.
“Who decided that Stark is the boss, now?”
“Are you worried, Stephen?”
“It’s Doctor Strange, to you”.
“I hope that you don’t use that tone with Y/N or somebody’s gonna sleep on the couch, tonight”.
“You’re no fun, Stark”.
“But you’re gonna follow my orders anyway”.
“What’s happening?” You asked, entering into the room with a ball full of chips in your hands.
“Y/N won’t agree to this madness, she’s smart enough to know that we can do this in another way,” Stephen said, while giving you a smile that looked more like a grin to you.
You furrowed your eyebrows.
“Is this about bees? I hate bees”.
“No, it’s not about bees, Y/N,” Tony said, rolling his eyes.
“Are you watching Bridgerton again?” Nat asked.
“Yeah… No!” You exclaimed and she laughed.
“This is a work meeting!” Tony stated. “Y/N, I don’t care if you don’t like Doctor Strange here…”
“Who told you? I like him!” “You do?” Stephen asked, surprised.
“Nobody does, she’s lying because she’s too kind. Anyway, you two are gonna stick to my plan, since I’m in charge while Steve’s gone on a mission and my plan involves around a married couple, who’s gonna pretend to be very rich in order to catch a stupid villain during a stupid trip in a fancy hawaiian hotel,” Tony explained.
“Oh, cute! Who’s gonna play the couple?” You asked, while eating some chips. Strange closed his eyes, shaking his head: you were too naive, sometimes.
Tony smiled at you with evilness.
“You and Stephen. Congratulations, my dear: you just became a bride”.
***
When you thought about the day of your marriage, you’ve always pictured yourself with a normal guy. Being an Avenger was stressful, but being in a relationship with another superhero? Absolutely not. You grew up with Notting Hill and Pretty Woman, with The Holiday and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, The Wedding Date, 10 Things I Hate About You… you wanted some romance, not a monster to fight at your wedding. You would have had a fabulous ceremony on the beach, surrounded by your friends, family and the Avengers and that was everything to you. Even if you loved your work, you didn’t want to be involved too much in it. You didn’t have superpowers, you just had a brilliant mind and you were trained enough to be one of them. It was enough to you. But now? Now you had to be married with one of them, to pretend that you were in love with one of them and you didn’t even get to celebrate a fake wedding. It was your worst nightmare.
You were thinking about that, when you were in your room, the night before you were supposed to leave with Stephen. At least, he was good-looking in your opinion and nice enough to pretend you actually loved him. You never got to be closer to him, because he was always in another place, but he seemed a polite man and that alone gave him several scores.
Your luggage was ready. You sat on the edge of the bed, caressing your hands. You noticed that Stephen had scars on his ones, but you couldn’t touch them anytime you wanted. Sometimes you just wanted to give him some relief, because he always seemed somebody who was suffering inside. Probably he thought that people didn’t see it, but you paid attention. It’s weird how looking at him without Stephen knowing that could have been useful now. But why were you looking at him in the first place?
Somebody knocked at the door. You got up from the bed and you opened it. Stephen gave you a smile, his hands behind his back so you couldn’t see them. He was still wearing his costume, but without the cape, while you were already in your pijamas.
“Good evening, Y/N. I have something urgent to tell you”.
“You could have used a Portal,” you said.
“I find it innapropriate to use magic when it’s not totally required to. Also, I didn’t want to intrude, since that’s your room and it’s almost midnight”.
You blushed.
“Oh, right. What’s up?”
“Do you mind?” He asked you, while pointing at the bed and you moved to let him enter in the room. He sat on the bed and you did the same, after you closed the door. “I figured that maybe it would have been useful to get to know each other better, since we’re gonna pretend to be married. Doctor Banner is gonna give us the rings tomorrow, but you and I know that we can’t fake a relationship just with some clothes and jewelry. Do you agree?” He asked you and you nodded. “Good. I also think that we should create our own fake scenario: how did we meet? When did we get married? Why do you love me?”
“Why is it just about you?” You questioned, confused.
He moved his eyes from yours, looking at his hands.
“Because it’s hard to love somebody like me. Christine did and look at her now: married to someone else,” he replied, a sad smile on his face. You heart ached for him. “While you, on the other hand, are the sun. It’s impossible not to find you attractive as a person”.
“People would disagree with you,” you joked.
“Well, it’s their loss,” he said with a smile and for a tiny moment, you thought that maybe, in another universe, you would have fallen in love with Stephen Strange. But not in this one.
“Tell me everything about you, Doctor Strange”.
“Oh, if we’re gonna play this in a good way, you should begin to call me Stephen,” he winked at you.
You smirked at him.
“This is gonna become very interesting, Stephen”.
***
Your first thought was: this is not gonna end well. Your second one, though, was: the bathrobe is so soft! Then Stephen caught you while you were trying it and you gasped. So, after a shower, you went out with Stephen for a walk, in order to study the last details about your plan. He held your hand immediately, making your entire skin get on fire, while his ring was perfectly dancing around his finger.
“Why did you do that?”
“We have to pretend to be married in public too, Y/N. I take this missione very seriously, even if Stark made it sound like a dumb game. It’s not a game to me,” he answered.
“We’re on the same page, Stephen”.
“You called me Stephen without feeling embarrassed. It’s a huge step,” he joked. You rolled your eyes, but inside your stomach you felt butterflies. “Anyway, let’s settle this once and for all: I don’t like ice-cream. We didn’t have ice-cream a tour wedding, I forbade it”.
“This is unacceptable. I’m gonna make you change your mind, I wrote it in my vows,” you said.
“This is so stupid,” he replied, but he was keeping a laugh.
“Ice-cream is important to me”.
“Okay, fine. Second question: why do you love me?” He asked and you stopped walking. How could you make up an explanation for a relevant matter like that one? He caressed your thumb, giving you the strength to talk. He didn’t say a word, he just waited for you to talk.
Then, you realized: he was waiting for you without pressuring you to say anything. He was looking at you, serious, while everybody was passing by. You didn’t even notice that he brought you under a porch, so the sun couldn’t burn your skin. He was also protecting you from the other people, because he now had his other arm placed around your back.
“It’s in the little things. If I could, I would caress your hands, because I know that it hurts even if you can’t feel any pain now. You do the same with me, when you make me laugh in times in which I’m nervous. Invisible pain is still pain, isn’t it? But it made you kinder, even if you try to cover it as much as possible under your armor. And you’re cute when you don’t realize things, because it takes you by surprise, since you always know everything, but you didn’t know that I liked you. Is it enough?” You asked, with a brief smile.
He was mesmerized by you. His gaze was now softer and profound: he finally realized that you cared about him.
“Yes”.  
After that, you were wearing your beautiful dress, your earphone to listen to Tony from the Avenger’s Tower and your shiny ring. It still seemed weird to do that, but you were gonna get used to it. It should have lasted just a few days, you could do it. At least, this is what you were constantly telling yourself.
“Hey, we’re late to the party, Y/N,” Stephen said, while entering into the room.
“You didn’t knock! How did you know that I was ready? You probably are Sherlock Holmes in another universe…”
“You literally just texted me that you were,” he said, showing you his phone. You were so nervous, you even forgot about that. “But yeah, I probably am. I’d be very smart and full of curls”.
“Why the curls?”
“Mind your own business. Let’s go,” he said, while taking your hand. That’s when you noticed: the scars. It was like you could see his bones upon his skin. He wasn’t wearing his watch and you wondered why. Maybe because he wanted to forget about the pain that his last relationship caused him. His gaze caught yours, so he adjusted his sleeve. You asked yourself if he was ashamed of his scars or if he didn’t want you to acknowledge the lack of the watch. You would have never known.
The party was hosted by the villain that Tony wanted to arrest. He was a rich guy that sold fake artifacts at charity auctions for the rich. You and Strange were known to be a power couple in every aspect, so you were perfect for the mission. You just had to become friends with him, pretending that you wanted to enter in his small circle of scammers along with your husband. Then, you would have arrested him.
“Okay guys, the show has just begun! Do you remember that you have to approach that guy on your left?” Tony asked and you turned to look at him. You nodded, then you remembered that he couldn’t see you, so you said: “Yes. Stephen and I studied everything on the plane”.
“You get to call him Stephen, now?” Tony asked with a grin.
“Shut up, Stark. We have to work,” Stephen said.
“Go get them, tigers”.
You approached that guy, the best friend of the super villain. His name was Matt and he seemed friendly, while he was talking with some other guests. You instantly grabbed Stephen’s hand, who was surprised by that and went to greet him.
“Matt! Hey, Matt! How are you, my dear?” You asked him, as if you were long time friends. He looked at you, then he recognized Strange and then he waved at the two of you, leaving the others. There were two bodyguards with him.
“Y/N! Doctor Strange! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person! When I saw your name on the list, I couldn’t believe how much lucky I was!” He exclaimed and you bit your tongue not to tell him how fake he sounded.
“I can only imagine. We recently got married, so we thought to attend this party to celebrate our honeymoon,” you said and Stephen nodded. He seemed quite shy, his hands was even squeezing yours. Perhaps he was nervous. You knew how he must have felt, so you tried to take control of the situation as your favourite characters in the rom-coms did.
“Of course! Do you mind if you ask how the two of you met?”
You began to answer to the question, but Stephen, as if that was the only answer he knew, replied to him first: “Stark introduced us during some dinner. I asked for her number, then we had several dates and in the end, we got together”.
“Oh, lovely! And what’s your job, Y/N?”
You went pale. You focused so much on every tiny detail of your fake relationship, that you forgot to think about that. He had to think that you weren’t an Avenger, so you couldn’t tell him the truth. You stayed quiet for too much time, because he furrowed his eyebrows.
“She’s a nurse, actually. Do you remember Christine, from my hospital? She’s her colleague,” Stephen said with a smile and he seemed satisfied with that answer.
“Probably you were too blinded by your love for Christine to notice her, right?” He laughed and Strange pretended to find that joke funny, but you didn’t. Because what if it was true? “I wish you a beautiful evening, my friends”.
“Thank you,” Stephen said, then he left your hand and looked at him with disgust in his eyes. You remained quiet and he noticed that, so he took a look at you. “Y/N?”
“I need some air,” you said, then you walked away from there.
You ran to the balcony, placing your hands on the railing. You breathed out, closing your eyes. The warmth that you had felt in your chest when he had squeezed your hand, as if he wanted to protect you somehow… It was too much. You looked at the sky without stars, thinking that everything was easier in the rom-coms: the main characters always got together, he wasn’t in love with his ex, she was awesome, while you were incredibly normal. Maybe you had always pictured yourself with a powerless guy, because you didn’t think you could get a superhero. You weren’t enough for a powerful being like Strange, a handsome doctor, a smart man. You knew why he got your attention all along, you could understand that now. You already liked him, before that stupid mission. He wasn’t arrogant as Tony, reckless as Steve or mischievous as Loki, but gentle, intelligent and sweet. Tormented also, but that pain only made him kinder.
“Y/N, it’s almost time,” Stephen said, behind your back. “We worked pretty well together, he didn’t understand what’s going on. We should have been more careful, but…”  
“Why did you have to bring her into this?” You asked, while turning around. Your eyes were shining under the silver light of the moon.
Stephen shaked his head, confused.
“What are you talking about?”
“I know your opinion about me, Stephen”.
“No, you don’t”.
“Yeah, I know. It’s the same opinion that everyone else has. You think that I’m naive and silly, but I’m not. I notice things. You’re not the only one who can tell somebody’s disease by watching their aspect, I can do that too”.
“Y/N, trust me, you don’t wanna go down that path,” he said, with a hand in front of himself, as if he wanted to prevent you to fire a bullet at him, but you were armless.
“I know that you wore that watch for years. I know that you miss your job. I know that you miss Christine,” you began to say. He put his hands over his head, closing his eyes, nervous, almost angry. “And I know that you’re ashamed of your scars”.
“Enough, Y/N”.
“You’re not here, Stephen. Even if you say so, you’re always somewhere else. Even when you were squeezing my hand, you were probably in that church, while Christine was marrying another guy. Is it why you were always in another universe on a mission and not at the compound? You were looking for a universe in which the two of you are together? Or were you just trying to avoid thinking about her?”
“I was trying to avoid thinking about you, actually!”
You froze.
“What?” You whispered.
“No, no, this is not happening… not here, not in this moment. This is why I didn’t want to do this and Stark fucking knew it! He shouted. Some people turned around in order to see why the two of you were having a fight.
“Stephen, they’re looking at us…” You said, scared that they could understand what was going on.
“No, we have to talk about this,” he said, then he walked over you, held your hand and summoned a Portal.
“Y/N, the mission!” Tony exclaimed.
“Too late, Stark,” Stephen said, then he took you with him into the Portal.
“I think that I could easily beat you at pool, Strange,” Tony said, while watching Stephen and Steve playing the game.
“There’s not a universe in which you can beat me at something, Stark, I checked. Twice”.
“Asshole”.
“Come on guys, let’s play this in a nice way,” Steve said, chuckling.
“Why don’t usually do this. Why are you not in your lab, Stark?” Stephen asked.
“Because Y/N wanted to help me, but she blew it up in the attempt, so now it’s unavailable,” he answered.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sure that she apologized, though,” Stephen said.
“Sure, but I didn’t really forgive her in that moment, so now Pepper says that I have to apologize to her. Can you believe it?”
“She just tried to give you a hand, Tony, don’t be harsh with her. She always tries to help everybody, Y/N doesn’t deserve this,” Steve replied.
“Okay, but why is she always so incredibly kind?”
“Maybe because people weren’t with her,” Stephen said and Tony remained quiet. “But I will say that she’s too naive, sometimes”.
“Thank you, Stephen”.
“It’s still Doctor Strange, to you”.
“Whatever”.
You almost threw up, when you arrived. You were in a field of flowers in another universe, because the sky was pink and the flowers were little moons. Stephen grabbed again your hand, when you tried to escape from him. You didn’t want to believe to another lie of his.
“This is the only universe in which we’re not together, you know? Ironic, since the sky’s pink. You’d think it’s a universe based on your lovely rom-coms, but it’s not. And do you know why we’re not together?” He asked and you shaked your head. “Because you die, here. I can’t save you. I’m a single father of two kids, but I have no wife. The only thing that divides us is death”.
You dried a tear with your free thumb, swallowing.
“I heard you”. You said and he looked at you with genuine curiosity on his face. “When you said that I’m naive”.
“Y/N…”
“I wonder why you should marry somebody like me in every universe”.
“Why do you always have to assume that people see the worst in you? I didn’t say that like it was a bad thing, it’s just that people can take advantage of you when you’re like that, but I don’t see it as a flaw in your person. On the contrary, I’m glad that you’re kind and generous and selfless, unlike many people I know,” he said. “And as for Christine, I mentioned her just because it was the first thing that came into my mind, the easiest job to keep us covered. I didn’t think about her until that moment, because I was with you. That’s why I didn’t wear the watch”.
“But your sleeve…”
“My sleeve!” He exclaimed, sarcasm running through his veins. “I was just adjusting my suit, because I was by the side of a beautiful woman with a beautiful dress”. He explained and you felt incredibly stupid. “You say that you notice things, but you didn’t even realize that I was looking at you the entire time we were in that room. Did you catch that?” He asked and you shaked your head. “No. I figured”.
“But when did you start to like me? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“When… Time isn’t a concept that belongs to love, Y/N. You wake up one day and you just know it. I knew it when you caressed my hand after I told you that Christine was getting married to somebody else. You didn’t even look at the scars…” He said and his voice cracked for a moment. You had tears in your eyes, by now. You had thought all along that you were the only one to observe things, but turned out that he had noticed you.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you repeated, while hugging him.
“It’s okay,” he said, while rubbing your back.
“I love you,” you said. Then you took his cheeks into your hands, while looking straight into his surprised eyes. “Until my last dying breath”.
He gave you a tender smile.
“I love you in every universe,” he said, before he could kiss you.
So, in the end, you finally had your rom-com moment.
When the two of you came back into your universe, you found out that Tony and the others had arrested the guy. Tony didn’t want to explain how, but you knew that he had sent Steve to do so, it was his secret mission, while Tony had invented all of that to make you and Stephen end up together. That was his way to apologize to you. And well, let’s say that you accepted his excuses.
When they saw you and Stephen coming back from the other universe, they already seemed to know what had happened between the two of you: turned out that the marriage could have been fake, but the feelings were real. He asked to marry you by the end of the year and you could organize your beach wedding with him and the Avengers.
For once, you could have just said that you were happy.
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imaginesforfandom · 7 months
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A Spell Gone Awry
someone requested a Stephen Strange x Reader but i accidentally deleted it so i can't tag them 😭 also, i love the work awry. js sounds cool. after i wrote this, my current obsession went from the mandalorian straight to a wizard so-
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Stephen Strange x Reader
No pronouns used
Summary: In "A Spell Gone Awry," the reader finds themselves at the Sanctum Sanctorum seeking help from Doctor Stephen Strange after a magical mishap. Despite Stephen's initial annoyance, he agrees to assist the reader in fixing the botched spell. As they work together, their relationship deepens, and the initial annoyance transforms into affection. The story is a blend of magical mishaps, romance, and personal growth, culminating in a heartwarming moment that highlights the power of love and support in the face of challenges.
A Spell Gone Awry
You stood at the imposing entrance of the Sanctum Sanctorum, clutching a crumpled piece of parchment in your hand. The evening was crisp, and the mystical aura of the building sent shivers down your spine. You had messed up a spell—big time—and there was only one person who could help you now: Doctor Stephen Strange.
Taking a deep breath, you pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside. The Sanctum's interior was as mysterious as its exterior, filled with ancient relics and books that seemed to whisper secrets from centuries past. You ventured further, the tapping of your shoes echoing through the vast hallways.
As you approached the library, you heard the faint rustling of pages and saw Stephen sitting at a table, engrossed in a tome of ancient spells. His distinctive crimson Cloak of Levitation hung nearby, seemingly keeping a watchful eye on you.
Clearing your throat nervously, you spoke up, "Stephen."
The Sorcerer Supreme looked up, his eyes narrowing as he saw you. "What brings you here, (Y/N)? Shouldn't you be resting after your last magical mishap?"
You winced, remembering the botched spell that had led you here. "I messed up, Stephen. Really messed up. I thought maybe you could help me fix it."
Stephen's annoyance was evident, and he sighed, closing the book before him. "You need to be more careful with your magic, (Y/N). You can't just waltz in here every time you make a mistake."
You lowered your head, feeling a flush of embarrassment. "I know, Stephen, and I'm sorry. I'll try to be more careful, I promise."
Stephen's stern expression softened slightly, and he beckoned you closer. "Come here, then. Let me see what kind of mess you've made."
You approached him, handing him the crumpled parchment with the spell you'd attempted. Stephen examined it closely, his fingers tracing the lines and symbols you'd drawn. "This is quite the mess," he muttered under his breath.
Guilt gnawed at your stomach as you watched him work. You knew you should have been more cautious, especially since you were dating the Sorcerer Supreme. The fact that he was helping you despite his annoyance made you feel both grateful and even more embarrassed.
After what felt like an eternity, Stephen finally looked up from the parchment. "I can fix this, but it will take some time and concentration. And I expect you to assist me every step of the way."
You nodded eagerly, relieved that he was willing to help. "Of course, Stephen. I'll do whatever it takes."
As the hours passed, the two of you worked side by side, carefully unraveling the tangled magic you had inadvertently created. Stephen's annoyance gradually gave way to a shared sense of accomplishment as you made progress. He guided you with patience, explaining the intricacies of the spell and how to mend it.
The atmosphere in the library shifted from one of tension to one of intimacy. As you and Stephen worked together, your fingers occasionally brushed against each other, sending a spark of warmth through your veins. There was a sense of closeness and connection that only grew with each passing moment.
Eventually, the spell was restored to its proper form, and you couldn't help but smile with gratitude. "Thank you, Stephen. I couldn't have done it without you."
Stephen returned your smile, his fingers lightly brushing against yours. "You're welcome, (Y/N). Just remember to be more cautious next time."
You leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips, feeling a rush of affection. "I will, I promise."
With the spell restored and your embarrassment gradually fading, you and Stephen retreated to a cozy corner of the library. You snuggled up to him, resting your head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around you, pulling you close.
As the two of you sat there, surrounded by ancient tomes and the warmth of each other's presence, you couldn't help but feel grateful for Stephen's guidance and love. The initial annoyance had given way to a deep connection, and you knew that with him by your side, you could face any magical challenge that came your way.
With a contented sigh, you whispered, "I love you, Stephen."
He pressed a tender kiss to your forehead, his voice filled with affection. "I love you too, (Y/N). And I'll always be here to help you, no matter how many spells you mess up."
You closed your eyes, feeling safe and loved in his arms, and together, you drifted into a peaceful, magical slumber, knowing that the future held many more adventures—and plenty of fluffy moments—for the two of you.
The night passed in a peaceful embrace, and you awoke to the soft rays of morning light filtering through the library's windows. Stephen was still beside you, his steady presence a comforting reminder of the love you shared. You smiled at him, feeling a deep sense of contentment.
"I suppose we should get some rest now," Stephen whispered, his voice warm and tender.
You nodded, not wanting to let go of the moment just yet. "Just a little while longer."
With that, you nestled closer to Stephen, savoring the intimacy and love that had grown stronger through the night. The Sanctum Sanctorum may have been a place of magic and mysticism, but it was your love for each other that truly made it enchanting.
And as the two of you drifted back to sleep, entwined in each other's arms, you knew that no matter what challenges or spells awaited you in the future, you had the most powerful magic of all—love—to guide you through.
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lokidokieokie · 2 years
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Oops...?
Summary: What problems could a problematic witch cause at the Avengers Tower? The answer is all of them. So, when you’re in dire need to do some witchy things, the Avengers ship you off to the Sanctum, in hopes that Strange can keep an eye on you. But what happens when everything still goes wrong?
Note: Sorry, kind of a long one for me :)
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“Alright guys, I’m going to head to my witchy room now. Gotta do some witchy things and make some more potions-”
“NO!” All members of the Avengers collectively screamed, causing you to jump. A poof of purple magic shooting from your fingertips and breaking a vase. “Oops.” You gave them your bashful smile. 
“This is why we don’t want you to do your witchy things in the tower anymore.” Tony murmurs, causing you to frown. Natasha elbows him, “ow.”
“What he means, is that sometimes your witchy stuff can cause destruction.” You were gobsmacked. 
“It is not destructive. Name three times that it was.” You crossed your arms defensively. 
“The twentieth floor exploded because you saw a spider and accidentally knocked sulphur into your cauldron.” You huffed. “I cannot control my jumpiness!”
“Instead of giving Clint a healing potion, you gave him a love potion, and he fell in love with Pietro.”
“How was that one destructive? If anything, the tower was just a tad more chaotic than usual.”
“Clint blew up the air vents trying to find him! The AC was down for weeks.” Sam deadpanned. “Poor Bucky couldn’t move his metal arm.”
You frowned. “That was after the fact!”
“You once sneezed in the common room and plants began sprouting out of the walls. It was like we were transported into the Amazon.” Your eyes widened at Peter. “Sorry Miss Y/n, but it’s true.”
“Maybe I’m a bit problematic! But you love me for it!” You were met with silence. “Well, you guys suck.” You stuck your tongue out at them.
“I do still need to do my witchy stuff, though. What am I meant to do?” Tony smiled.
“We can send you to Strange.” You grinned and clapped your hands together. 
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“This is the only place that you are allowed to do whatever it is you do. It has protection wards placed around it, so your chaos cannot interfere with the rest of the Sanctum.” Stephen explained. 
“But I’ll be lonely.” You pouted; Stephen sighed. 
“Y/n, just get on with it. I’ll be in the library going over spells. Do not destroy anything.” And with that, he left you alone. 
Deciding to get straight into it, you pulled out your phone and connected it to your Bluetooth speaker. How were you meant to get anything done without music? Selecting Doctor You by DNCE you started to get into your witchy feels. 
(Apologies if this isn’t the music you’re into...feel free to change it to anything you like 😊)
Vibing to your music, you began to create your potion. Summoning your cauldron, you stirred what was already in there while shaking your hips to the beat. Mumbling to the lyrics (in hopes that you wouldn’t disturb Stephen or Wong), you began adding your emerald saffron, feverfew, and venom lavender into the mix. 
As you began to carefully stir the mixture, the chorus of the song began...and you couldn’t help yourself.
(Once again, feel free to change the lyrics)
“YOUR’RE GONNA NEED, NEED A REAL GOOD DOCTOR!”
As you really got into it, you began dancing around the small room, narrowly missing your bubbly mixture and the items surrounding it.
“DOCTOR ME, YOUR DOCTOR WHO? YOUR DOCTOR YOU!”
As you were finishing your solo act, you accidentally knocked a container of wild rue into the mixture. Your face blanched. “Uh oh...”
Quickly, you bolted out of the room at a pace that could give Pietro a run for his money and closed the door behind you. Leaning you back against the door, you counted down.
“3...2...1...”
Cue the sound of witchy goop exploding. That was not going to be easy to clean. Opening the door slightly, you peered at the disaster that was inside. Grey goop was stuck to pretty much every surface; your tomes were completely destroyed, meaning that pieces of paper were scattered everywhere; and let’s not forget about the stuff that was in the room to begin with. Stephen was not going to be pleased. 
As if thinking of him made him appear, the Sorcerer Supreme stood in front of you, with an annoyed expression clear on his face. 
“Oops..?” You smiled. 
“What did you do?”
“Well, I was in the middle of a solo act,” Stephen rolled his eyes, but you chose to ignore him, “and I accidentally knocked some wild rue into my cauldron.” He dragged his hand down his face and attempted to hold back a groan. 
“Why are you like this? You’ve got to be the clumsiest witch to grace the Multiverse.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. So, thank you.”
He sighed.
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After your fiasco in the room, Strange ended up bringing you back to the library with him. He no longer trusted you to be unsupervised. 
“Come on, Stephen. It was one little mishap.”
He shook his head, “One little mishap that destroyed an entire room. You’re lucky my wards were there. No more witchy things.”
You frowned, “What am I meant to do then?”
“I contacted Stark, but they were called on a last-minute mission, so he asked me to keep an eye on you for the time being.”
“That doesn’t answer my question, Doctor.”
He grinned, “Oh, but it does. You’re going to sit in that little corner over there and do some non-witchy things where I can see you.”
You huffed. You did not need a babysitter and you voiced your opinion on the matter, but still, you complied anyways, making Strange chuckle. 
Sitting in the chair with a scowl, you stared at the Sorcerer Supreme. What does he think you’re going to do in this corner? Wait patiently for the Avengers to come pick you up? If he thought that, he’s got another thing coming. 
Making sure that he wasn’t looking, you quickly stood up, and quietly ran down a random aisle of the library. As soon as you deemed yourself a safe distance away from Strange, you slowed down. Slowly making your way through the library, you ran your hands over the multitude of books that it held. 
Books on necromancy, spell casting, potion making, and countless others surrounded your view. You smiled; it was just your luck that you somehow ended up in the witch section. Gathering a few books, you made your way to a table. 
When opening a book on spell casting, a cloud of dust greeted you, causing you to sneeze. Purple strings of magic seeped from your fingertips and pushed against the dark oak shelves of the library, knocking them down like dominoes. 
Your mouth was agape. Now Stephen really wasn’t going to be pleased. Quickly getting up, you attempted to put everything back the way it was. That was until someone interrupted you. 
“Y/n! What did you do?” He yelled.
With widened eyes, you titled your head to the side and gave a cautious smile. “Oops...?”
He took a deep breath to control himself. “Yeah...oops.”
“Let’s get this cleaned up.” You nodded your head and hastily began fixing up the library. 
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Eventually, much to Stephen’s pleasure, the Avengers came to collect you. 
“So, how’d you go? Do everything you needed?” Tony asked. 
You smiled awkwardly. “Sure...”
Wanda quirked her head to the side, “You did it again, didn’t you?” You nodded. 
“It’s fine. You wouldn’t be the Y/n we know and love if you weren’t a little problematic.” She kissed your temple. 
“She’s right, you know. The Tower wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for your little mishaps.” Stark gave you a side hug. 
“Thanks Doc for watching her.” He said with a nod, then left along with Wanda. 
You smiled and turned to Stephen. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night?”
Stephen smiled, pulled you closed and kissed your forehead. “I couldn’t forget about date night.”
“I love you, Stephen.” You said, nuzzling into him. 
He laughed, “I love you too, my little problematic witch.”
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I thrive off of chaos. 
Find my Masterlist here!
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heliads · 2 years
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I have a request for dr strange
The reader is helping defeat thanos but he doesn’t want her out there with the team and is worried about her getting hurt
dr strange my beloved
masterlist
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You are going about your business as per usual when the man crashes through your roof. Your first thought, other than the expected startled response, is that you’re fairly sure this shouldn’t have happened. Surely the New York Sanctum would have at least a few spells to make sure it couldn’t be crushed by falling humans, right? And, if not, can you add some, like, now?
You reluctantly stop the spell you’ve been casting and start to make your way down the main staircase. The receiving area of the Sanctum is now a mess, with dust choking the area from the gaping hole in the ceiling. The falling man managed to punch through the ground as well, and you stand at the edge of the chasm, looking down at him somberly. 
He’s a strange man, no doubt about that, although you have to admit that any man who finds himself capable of becoming a human asteroid would be strange. For one thing, he’s got no shirt, and is now looking around himself feverishly. His skin is tinted a pale green, not just from nausea, although it’s starting to fade as he gets better control over himself. 
You click your tongue thoughtfully. “Stephen should hear about this,” you say aloud. 
Although you mostly meant to keep the concern to yourself, a voice still answers from behind you. 
“Stephen had already heard about this. It was kind of hard to miss the sound of our roof collapsing.”
You chuckle at that, and turn to see your boyfriend descending the stairs. Stephen Strange may be the Sorcerer Supreme, but you swear his best gift is still at sarcasm. 
You gesture a hand towards the man, as if this was somehow your doing. “What are we supposed to do with him?”
Stephen glances at the man with the air of someone who’s accidentally opened the door too long and allowed a moth to fly inside his home. “Well, get him out of the Sanctum floors, I suppose. Maybe question him after that.”
You nod solemnly. “Sounds good to me.”
The man has barely begun to start shuffling around in the crater of his own creation, and his voice rises in shock as you open a portal around him. The man falls through the ring of glowing sparks and ends up a few feet away from you. If anything, this makes him look even more surprised, although you fervently believe that he should at least thank you for retrieving him. 
His voice is stammering at first. “Uh—ah—where am I? Who are you?” Then he gains confidence, but an exhausted sort of confidence that makes it clear he’s been through enough trouble that he can’t even bear to think about normal social constructs anymore, too terrible is his level of stress. “Something is coming. Something bad.”
You exchange glances with your boyfriend, then Stephen steps forward. “What do you mean, ‘something bad?’ What’s bad?”
The man rubs a tired hand over his face, although it only serves to smear the grime around. “Thanos. Thanos is coming, and he just killed, like, a bunch of Asgardian gods. Oh man, we’re so screwed.”
Eventually, you’re able to get a little more out of him. The man is Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk. Stephen manages to remain neutral about that, despite the fact that you’ve definitely heard him ramble on about Dr. Banner’s incredible work with gamma radiation at least a couple times before. You suppose that the current predicament is enough to convince anyone to set aside their idols for the time being. 
The current predicament, as it turns out, kind of sounds like the end of days. Thanos, some massive alien, is coming to Earth with an army to wrest the last few Infinity Stones from the people protecting them, regardless of the cost. Seeing as one of these very infinity stones is currently hanging around the neck of your boyfriend, you’re obviously not too thrilled about the whole idea. 
Besides, in the event that Thanos succeeds, he’ll carry on his mission to destroy half the life in the universe. That’s unthinkable. Banner is calling in a couple friends from the Avengers, and after that you’ll have to come up with some sort of game plan to prevent all of this from happening. The only problem, of course, is that this sounds pretty much impossible. Wherever Thanos goes, he wins. Always. Who are you to think that your planet will be different?
You still have about half an hour or so before all of the players in this grand game start to come together, so you do your best to distract yourself by getting ready. Wong is already out alerting the other Sanctums, although he’ll come back once you and Stephen get Tony Stark. Right now, you just need a little more time to get everything in order. Once Stark gets here, you’ll start rolling for real, and everything has to be ready. There will be no time for tracking down spells once the Avengers start to come together.
Speaking of which, you should make sure you’re able to get in contact with Tony Stark when the time comes. You reach for your sling ring so you can make the portal at a moment’s notice, but it’s gone. For a moment, your mind lances with confusion. Could you have dropped it somewhere, or left it back at the library?
A more likely story occurs to you a moment later, and you turn yourself towards finding your boyfriend instead of finding more sources of magic. Stephen is prepping Banner on what they’ll do when Thanos comes, although he follows you out into the hall once you gesture that you need to talk.
Once in a separate room, you fold your arms across your chest and stare Stephen down. “You know, I just realized that my sling ring is missing.”
To his credit, Stephen does his best to pretend he doesn’t know what you’re talking about. At least he commits to the act. “That’s upsetting. Did you leave it back in your quarters?”
You arch a brow. “No, I didn’t. You know what would be really crazy is if you took it from me because you were afraid I’d get too involved in your plan to take down Thanos.”
Stephen’s gaze takes on a minute shade of panic. “Yeah, that would be crazy, wouldn’t it? It’s a really good thing that isn’t the case.”
You give him a look, and he sighs. 
“Alright, alright. I took it. Look, I just can’t have you getting hurt, alright? The more Dr. Banner talks about this Thanos guy, the more I’m realizing that we really don’t have a good chance at winning. I cannot lose you, Y/N.” Stephen confesses.
You reach out impulsively and take his hand. After all this time, Stephen’s gaze still flinches to his fingers; they may have healed or at least grown more functional with magic, but he still can’t push that ill-fated car accident out of his head. Despite all his bravado, his shiny spells, and his relentless ego, there’s still a man inside that is terrified that he isn’t anything he claims to be. Sometimes, you swear Stephen looks at himself in the mirror and only sees a fraud, the same broken freak who hadn’t even been able to pull himself out of his wrecked car.
That may be why he’s so afraid to lose you, but it’s still not an excuse that you’ll allow. “You’re forgetting that I have a say in this too, you know. I am still a Master of the Mystic Arts, and that means Thanos should be far more scared of me than we are of him.”
Stephen sighs. “It’s easy to say it, but what happens when we’re actually out there? You heard Dr. Banner, the guy slaughtered a ship full of Asgardians like they were nothing. Those were actual gods with actual powers, too. We’re just human, Y/N, we have no immortality to save us. How are we supposed to fight something like that?”
You do your best for a reassuring smile. “We fight it the same way we fought Dormammu or Kaecilius or any number of the other world destroying foes we’ve faced in the past: with hope. This could go awfully, but I’d rather know that I did something to try and stop the apocalypse. If I have to sit here by myself and gather dust while you risk your life, I’d never forgive myself.”
“I’d never forgive myself if you died,” Stephen counters, “What about that? What happens when you do something stupidly heroic like sacrifice yourself to save the lot of us, and I have to return here and know that it was all my fault? How am I supposed to live here and remember you in every spell I cast?”
You squeeze his hand gently, but your stare is resolute. “I suppose the only solution is that I still fight but don’t die. I’m perfectly willing for that to happen. In fact, it’s the only solution I’ll tolerate, so don’t give me that look. Stephen, we are both doing this. We’re sorcerers, and that means we fight, both of us, so we can make a world that’s safe for later. I am glad that you care about me, obviously, but I’m not backing down from this.”
Stephen’s lips thin. “You’re incredibly obstinate sometimes, you know that?”
You flash him a smile. “I learned it from the best.”
That makes him chuckle, even though his face is still drawn from the stress of what is to come. “I’m just worried, alright? Worried we’re not going to win this one.”
You nod. “I know. Thanos is probably going to be the hardest enemy we’ll ever face, but at least we’re facing him together, right?”
At last, Stephen seems to accept this. “That’s right. Hey, if I have to go out because of a Mad Titan, at least my last sight will be you.”
You roll your eyes, although you’re smiling like a giddy schoolgirl. “You’re incredibly dramatic, you know that?”
Stephen steps forward and presses a kiss to your forehead. “I learned it from the best. Now come on, let’s sort this whole thing out before any more Avengers decide to aim their crash landing at the Sanctum. I think the roof can only take so many hits for one day.”
He brushes another kiss to your knuckles, then leads you out of this room. Truth be told, you’re just as scared of this fight as Stephen. Few enemies are ever as easy as they seem, and Thanos already seems like the end of days. Still, at least you have Stephen by your side. At a time like this, that is everything.
marvel tag list: @thatfangirl42, @rogueanschel, @mycosmicparadise, @ellobruv, @caswinchester2000, @with-inked-solace, @sher-lokid7, @amortensie, @23victoria, @watchreadfangirlrepeat, @gods-fools-heroes
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mushrubes · 1 year
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Fate
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Masterlist | Marvel masterlist |
Requested : no
prompt  61. “Don’t be sorry, it was no ones fault.” +  32. “I know you think we aren’t right for each other, but we’ve run into each other too many times for you to tell me that this isn’t fate.”
Pairing : Stephen Strange x (they/them) reader
Type : fluff
Word count : 529
i’m so proud of you!! <3
——————————–
“I love you. I love you in every universe.” Stephen admitted, looking at Y/n who looked at him back understandingly. “I’m sorry, it’s not that I don’t want to care for someone or have someone care for me. It’s just...I get scared.” he explained, occasionally avoiding their gaze. They nodded knowingly, before stepping forward and resting their hand on his cheek caressing it. “Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault.” they assured him. He closed his eyes in content, savouring the moment. “Face your fears...Doctor Strange.” they smiled as they pulled away, guilt consuming him.
----------------------
“Guys?” Tony called getting everyone’s attention. He was stood with Peter and another male; one the others hadn’t met before. Y/n held in a gasp as they met eyes, him also evidently recognising them. “This is Stephen Strange, some kind of wizard. He’s going to help us on our next mission.” Tony explained, everyone greeting him as he saved Y/n for last. “Well, look who it is, Stephen-” they said as he covered their mouth, bringing them into another room. “Why are you here?” he asked, causing him to be met with a blank face, blinking at him. A silence swept over. 
“I’m an avenger? Real question, why are you here?” they said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I told you to never get involved in this kind of stuff.” he huffed, face palming and pacing around the room. “I’ve always been able to defend myself! They trained me and I’ve been on plenty of missions, it’s fine.” they argued as he groaned and shook his head. “You don’t even know what you’re getting into, this is what angers me!” he responded, shouting and refusing to even look at them.
He regretted lashing out at them immediately as he saw their face. He’d done it before, it was his defence, too scared to let them in even though he tried, believing that it would be safer if he pushed them away, he was dangerous as it would make them a target. The last time he had done it, it ended up in them breaking up, and before he knew it, he had lost them. He had no contact, no idea where they had gone as no one had ever told him - they were this close to him this whole time. The whole time, he had been one person away from them. Yet, he had no idea and to be fair, he didn’t bother looking due to fear, unsure of whether they’d be dead or alive due to another timeline he had seen which haunted him, as he hadn’t been able to save them. 
“Look, I know you think we aren’t right for each other...” they started but paused, Stephen wincing at the reminder, his own words being repeated caused him pain. “But we’ve run into each other too many times for you to tell me that this isn’t fate.” they continued, Stephen looking over in hope. Maybe he would get a second chance to keep his promise to them, and this time, he wouldn’t ever let them go. 
“Well, it’s good I love you in every universe.”
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wint3r-h3art · 2 years
Text
It’s You, It’s always Been you
Pairing: Stephen Strange x f!Reader
Summary: It’s a known fact that you are in love with Stephen Strange. It’s also a known fact that Stephen Strange is still in love with Dr. Palmer. When Stephen asked you to be his wedding date though, you’re starting to regret your decision. A confession from the doctor himself, changes everything.
Word count: 3.0K (I got carried away, oops)
Genre: angst, unrequited love, confession, overall feels!, and soft smut (of course)
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A/N: There’s no major MoM spoilers, just the beginning with the wedding and all that. As much as I love Stephen being a complete daddy in MoM, I need to write me some soft smut. No beta, so if I missed anything, It’s my fault. If you enjoyed this, please please comment and reblog. It just means a lot. Please follow @wint3r-library​ and turn on post notification for fic update.
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Strange was getting impatient with you.
You haven’t noticed it yet, but with all your inability to sit still during Doctor Palmer’s wedding, you were getting on his last nerve. 
Another heavy sigh fell from your lips as you sat there beside him, slouching slightly because you really wanted to shift your body. Your fingers fiddled in your laps as you were trying very hard to pay attention to the ceremony, quite unaware of the piercing gaze from the man beside you. 
It wasn’t like you were nervous about being the date to the bride’s ex or anything. You really didn’t need to be there, especially when Stephen couldn’t figure out what his feelings toward Christine were.
There was no doubt that the man looked as delectable as it can be in that suit, and there was no doubt that you would jump at his bones if the opportunity presented itself. However, you needed to stop saying yes to him all the time when you were dying on the inside.
Stephen exhaled sharply through his nose before he covered your hand with his. Warmness shot through you as you sat there. You bit the inside of his cheek. His hand was trembling slightly. You couldn’t help but turned your gaze to him.
His brow quirked but said nothing. He was completely unaware of the stinging pain you experienced every time you watched his eyes glimmer whenever his gaze fell on Dr. Palmer, of course. You wished the ceremony ended already. There was so much you could take. Sometimes you wished that Happy had never introduced you to him. 
You let out a sharp exhale once he let go of your hand and stood up. Once again, your heart felt heavy as your gaze followed his following Christine walking down the aisle with her new husband. Your heart was heavy as you looked at the man before you trying to hold it in. He was too proud to say it, but Strange was never really over her.
You couldn’t be anymore happier the moment the ceremony was over. You found yourself stationed by the bar, chugging wine and avoiding Strange as best as possible. The plan was going well so far until your date found you.
“I’m starting to think that even my own date is avoiding me,” came a voice behind you. His low baritone voice sent a slight tremor through you, sending your nerve into a frenzy. Heat flooded your cheek as your heart beat frantically against your chest. You wanted to run, perhaps you wanted to go back to your apartment. Whatever it was, you really didn’t want to deal with him right now. 
“Not avoiding you,” you mumbled before chugging the last remnant of your drink.
Stephen sighed before ordering himself a martini, his eyes were still on you though. “Your body language said otherwise.”
“You shouldn’t bring me here,” you finally looked at him. “She’ll think that you and I are together or something.”
“And that’s bad because…?” 
“You’re kidding, right?” You laughed out loud from sheer discomfort as you stared at him. You watched as the bartender set his drink down before you quickly snatched it away from Strange. He could sense your nervous energy from miles away, which made him wonder how you got to become Happy Hogan’s assistant in the first place. 
“I wasn’t.”
The firmness in his tone made your heart skip a beat. 
“She asked me if I’m happy,” he said, but he didn’t look at you. Instead, his gaze fell for the bride once more. You had to bite back your uncomfortable laugh before you looked elsewhere, trying to hide your expression. It was getting harder and harder to hide anything at all from him.
“And I told her that I am…”
“Which is a lie…” You pressed your lips together into a straight line. 
“You don’t know that. For all you know, I am quite content with what I have right now.”
“Stephen…,” you gave him a look, but his expression was unreadable. “I may not know your history with Dr. Palmer, but I do know that you are a proud man.”
“I am, and you like that,” Stephen teased, trying to hide the small smile as he watched your reaction. You didn’t disappoint him of course as you were slowly and gradually getting flustered. 
“I-Um...Oh, that’s just mean,” you shook your head before you slowly walked away from him. 
It has been a well-known fact that you have some feelings for him at one point. It was also a known fact that it was a textbook definition of one-sided love. It was one thing to tease you occasionally, but it was another thing to simply play with your heart. You know Strange was cold, but you’ve never thought that he could be this cruel.  “I know I shouldn’t say yes to this,” you mumbled to yourself. You could hear him calling out to you, but you didn’t care. Instead, you turned and headed straight out.
A familiar feminine voice called out your name, making you stop in your tracks. You could feel Stephen Strange not too far behind you. You took a deep breath before turning around and forcing a smile. It made your face hurt. It reminded you of why you have to resign from being Happy’s assistant in the first place. The acting wasn’t for you. 
“Doctor Palmer! Congratulations!” you chirped as she made her way toward you. Stephen simply put his hand in his pocket as he watched on with a martini in another hand. You frowned slightly, wondering why he decided to linger there instead of sashay away from you.
“Thank you! I appreciate that. I’m so happy that you can make it–You and Stephen—”
“Oh, I’m just here for moral support,” you quickly cut her off before she could say anything that could potentially make your relationship with Stephen Strange any more awkward. 
Doctor Palmer nodded, but a smile still remained on her face. “Yeah..um, I just want to say that I’m very happy that you and he are togeth–”
“Um, definitely not together,” you quickly cut in again. You couldn’t feel his gaze burned into your back. “Again, I’m here just for moral support, and nothing more.”
Doctor Palmer looked at you momentarily before she looked at Strange, clearly confused. “Right....Well, I hope you enjoy the party. I’ll see you two later,”  she bid you goodbye before giving Stephen a nod.
The moment she was out of your earshot, you let out another sigh of relief, but you knew damn well that Stephen wasn’t happy with your answer at all. Your gaze turned to him, but he didn’t say anything.
“Don’t start,” you pinched the bridge of your nose and headed to the hallway. “I know I’m supposed to make you look good in front of your ex and all that, but I don’t think I can lie.” You were basically rambling at this point as Stephen Strange followed you not too far behind. 
The sound of your high heels clicking against the marble floor echoed through the quiet hall as you hurried out. 
“I didn’t ask you to lie for me,” came his voice not too far behind, but you didn’t stop. Instead, you continued to walk until you both reached the elevator. 
“It kinda feels that way when you asked me to be your plus one though,…Look, whatever you are going through, I just can’t…It’s–” you stopped yourself. How would you tell him that you still have feelings for him? “It’s unfair to me.”
Stephen was standing only a few feet from you know. “I know, and I’m sorry.”
You expected a smartass comment from him, not this. You were speechless at his admission as the two of you stood there in the empty hallway. Your heart felt like it was about to burst the more you looked at him. “When Christine asked me if I was happy, I said yes…I told her that I found someone.”
You remained silent as he took a few steps forward until he was only a few inches away from you. The smell of his cologne filled your nostril, lulling you into a haze. “It took me some time to realize it, but I…”
You swallowed as he cradled your face in his hands. Heat flooded your face at the closeness between the two of you. His thumb pressed against your cheek, his gaze softened, melted into a pair of liquid sapphires. “I made up my mind.”
“About what?” You realized that your words came out no more than a breath as your hand covered his. Stephen was inching closer. Your heart felt like it was going to leap out of your chest at the pure anticipation alone. When his lips touched yours for the very first time, you felt like you were about to soar. 
Your eyes flutter shut as you melt into him. He was holding you there, kissing you with a passion that you’ve never known he was capable of. His hand trailed to the nape. The rough pad of his fingers gently grazed across your skin, leaving trails of goosebumps behind. You gasped at that, and Stephen took the opportunity to slip his tongue inside your mouth.
Your heart pounded heavily against your chest as he deepened the kiss. His tongue tangled and clashed with yours. Twisting and rolling, leaving you both breathless and panting.  He was kissing you with desperation–a need that was new to you. You moaned at the sweetness that lingered on his tongue, and every time he let out a low, rumbling groan, you felt your panty dampen slightly.  
Stephen walked you backward until the back of your knees hit something soft. You quickly pulled away from the kiss, only to find the two of you standing right in your bedroom. “Did you just teleport us here?” It was a dumb question, but you felt the need for some air–or at least something that doesn’t involve Stephen Strange sticking his tongue down your throat.
“Yes,” he said firmly as he discarded his suit jacket and dropped it right onto the floor. He looked flushed, disheveled almost by the way strays of his neatly combed hair came undone. His fingers tugged at his tie impatiently, loosening it before he undid a few buttons at the top till he revealed his chiseled chest. The sight made your throat go dry.
 Stephen’s mouth was on you again, this time he was less discreet than before. He kissed you with urgency and hunger that set your nerve ablaze. He gently laid you down on your soft mattress while his mouth was still on yours. His lips traveled southward, and your body surrendered to him without a thought. Your head tilted to the side, revealing the tender skin of your neck to him. His lips trailed down, tongue grazed slightly here and there as if he was tasting you. A throaty moan ripped between your lips as Strange suckled on your pulse point, and gently nipped at it before licking the same spot over. His free hand slowly lowered the straps of your dress to your waist. He stared at you momentarily as if to admire a piece of art–No, you were more than a piece of art to him. You were the sun, the moon, and the universe all wrapped up into one. You were the cosmic force that keep him grounded all this time.
Stephen said nothing before he lowered his head to kiss you once more. His name fell from your lips in no more than a breathless whisper as his beard tickled your skin, making you ache and throb for him. Stephen was lost in the moment as his lips were lingering in the space between the valley of your breasts. 
You called out his name once again as your arms snaked around his head. Stephen Strange moaned deeply, sending a reverberation through you as if to assure you that he wasn’t going anywhere. He captured your taut peak in his mouth and began to suckle on it. He was sucking gently at first, then harder, gently nipping at the bud till you cried out, only to soothe you gently with his tongue.
He moved on top of you and pulled your dress all the way off your body. You laid there completely bare underneath him. Stephen’s hand moved to the juncture between your legs and let his fingers graze at your clothed slit. His nostrils flared as he let out a sharp exhale when he found that your panty was drenching.
Stephen gently rubbed you through your panty, eliciting a soft gasping noise out of you first before he ripped the flimsy fabric away from you. His mouth moved to your breast once more, tongue flickering over the sensitive bud, while his dexterous fingers gently pry you open. Your first instinct was to close your legs, but Stephen wasn’t having it. He pressed his knees wide, forcing you to open to him. 
Your head fell back against the soft mattress when you felt that he was knuckle deep inside you as he slowly pumped his fingers in and out of you with ease. A shaky moan slipped out of your lips as he pulled his digits back and pushed them inside you again while his mouth was still occupied by your tit.
You begged him almost pathetically, your hand bunched at his hair when he pressed his thumb against your clit. 
“Say my name again, baby,” he murmured. The low baritone voice made your pussy throb and clenched around his fingers. Only Stephen Strange had that sort of effect on you. He was watching you now, probing himself on his elbow while the other hand continued to pump in and out of your pussy with vigor.
A smile etched upon his lips as he felt your body tense up around him. Still, he continued with a relentless pace until an orgasm ripped right out of you, causing your body to strain and spasm. Your face scrunched up as you dug your heels into the mattress as the first wave of euphoria washed over you.  
“That’s it, baby. Cum to me. Squeeze on my fingers like you want to squeeze on my cock.” Stephen growled as he pressed his forehead onto yours. Perspiration dampened it while you could only reply with a choking sob. 
Stephen finally removed his fingers from your sopping wetness as he stared at you. His lips pressed against your forehead. He kissed you tenderly before he pulled back and began to unbuckle his pants. 
You watched him with half hooded eyes as he got up from the bed and hastily removed his pants. You swallowed as you watched him stroking himself. The sight made your pussy throb once more as more slick was leaking out of you. Stephen licked his lips at that. 
“I don’t have a condom,” he admitted sheepishly as he continued to stroke his erect cock. It was hard to concentrate on his words when your brain only wanted one thing. 
“I’m on birth control…” you told him as you sat up and pulled him to you. Stephen settled between your thighs once more. His face strained, jaw clenched tightly as he rubbed the head of his cock along your slit. The action made your legs shake slightly as your eyes caught his. “It’s ok, Stephen.”
He growled at the invitation before he swiftly entered you, causing you to hissed sharply. A strangled moan left his lips as your tightness enveloped him. You could feel Strange tremble above you as he was trying to control himself from moving too erratically. Stephen pulled back then eased himself back in again till he was all the way in. His hips arched fluidly, driving himself in and out of you with fervor. You could feel his balls slapped against your ass every time he sheathed himself inside of you.
His hard body pressed against yours closely that you could feel every twitch of his muscles, coiling and bunching from the effort of his movements. Your arms wounded around his neck again as he rutted into you. His lips found your neck once more as he kissed and nipped at it. 
You were getting close again as that familiar tightness at the pit of your stomach threatened to snap. It wasn’t long now until that delicious burst of euphoria ripped through you again. It didn’t take long till you cried out and clenched around him, milking him until he too reached his own release. Still, Stephen was still chasing his own, fucking you and using you to sate his own appetite.
Stephen came not too long after, spending himself right onto your stomach. His body went limp next to you, panting and exhausted from the deed. 
The silence stretched out between the two of you. Where would you go from here? You and Stephen had yet to establish what this was? Was this a one-time deal? Were his words simply a lie or was everything simply a dream to you?
You felt him stirring beside you before his warmness left your body. Your first initial thought was that he was leaving, but that sort of negativity soon melted away when he came back with a damp towel pressed against your stomach. His movement was gentle, yet exact. Still, you could feel his trembling hand moving over your stomach.
Your eyes caught him again, and words failed you. You didn’t know what to say. 
“I suppose you are wondering what we are now?”
You nodded. You wanted to laugh because you really didn’t expect to have this type of conversation at all with him when you were both naked. 
“You’ve never told me who that someone is–the person that makes you happy.”
Stephen Strange was caught off guard for the first time in his life as he could only react with an “Oh.”
Your face warned once more as your heart drummed against your chest. A knowing smile quirked on his lips. “Well, It’s you, sweetheart. It has always been you.”
The word rolled off his tongue easily, making your stomach do a backflip. You couldn’t hide the smile anymore when he leaned and brushed his nose against your cheek, kissing you and whispering naughty things into your ears.
Perhaps, this wasn’t a dream after all.
4K notes · View notes
syngrafaes09 · 1 year
Text
Pivot | Dr Strange x Y/N
In continuation of 'I can help with that'
Masterlist
W/N: Keeping up with the ideas sent by @lady-harvey and @thearcadeyel in the DM, things keep pivoting between...
Warnings: Absolutely 18+
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I could melt, Stephen thought as he silently slid under the covers. He had long forgotten what it would be like to return home after work to find someone warm and beautiful waiting in bed for him.
Y/N mumbled and churned, feeling the dip. She had finally retreated to sleep after her roommate didn’t pick up her calls nor Stephen seemed to return soon. She sighed as gentle fingers caressed her fuzzy hair.
He felt a bit of disappointment when his arms pulled her closer to his chest. Fucking piece of cloth. But it soon followed a wave of guilt. He had left her without a word halfway through… It wasn’t entirely his fault, was it? Wong had held him up longer than it was required. He let out a breath, glancing outside the window. The sky was still filled with the black fog. It will clear out soon now that we have sent those creatures back to their dimension.  
Y/N blinked several times trying to adjust to the light. She remained still, silently watching him stare somewhere, jaw clenched, lost in thoughts, feeling his fingers draw light patterns against the shirt. Even with the messy hair and few dull red cuts across his face he undeniably- She shot up abruptly as the realisation of the events of the past hours coursed through her.
“Sweetheart,” Stephen began, unsure of her thoughts and emotions, “I’m sorry about last night. There were things from other dimensions. I had to go…”
“It was alright. I mean, it was literal life and death, right?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Then I can wait. I’m not that important.”
Faint amusement darted through his weary eyes. “Thanks for the understanding.”
He toyed with the collar of the shirt she was wearing. His shirt, technically. “I thought I left you naked.”
“Naked and aroused,” she corrected.
He hummed and ran a thumb down her neck and in between the valley of her clothed breasts. Her nipples pebbled in anticipation.
“This is not appropriate,” he said, undoing the first button and sweet baby Jesus, she threatened to liquefy under his intense, scolding stare. “This has to come off. Did you try to leave?”
“I had wanted to,” she breathed as his thumbs circled her nipples for a moment.
He noticed the use of past tense and nodded. “Good,” he muttered, pinching her pebbled flesh between his fingers, “It will take some time to clear out the mist. Everyone had been instructed to stay indoors until then. ” It was then she noticed the dark gloomy night instead of the bright sunny morning.
Then he just grabbed handfuls of her aching breasts and crushed them between his palms.
She shoved him away. Then she put her hands on his shoulders, straddling him, her tits were right at his face, and he leaned forward, nuzzling between them. Stephen closed his eyes, mouth drifting towards her nipple. His lips parted over it and latched to it like a newborn’s. 
She arched at the suction and he put his hands on her back so she couldn't get away. She groaned, so aroused by alternate waves of suction and his tongue swirling around it, she squirmed in his lap.
He held her down, shifting his attention to the other nipple.
His tongue languidly swirled in circles around the pigmented skin until the skin was drawn as tight as possible. Drawing in a cold breath through his mouth, he flicked his tongue against the bundle of nerves.
She whimpered and pressed herself further into him. He grinned, looking up at her, one hand travelling between them, rubbing circles on her lower abdomen. Eyes closed, her head tipped towards the ceiling, getting lost in the sensations. He returned to sucking her gently before tugging it in between his teeth.
As he felt her body tense up, he sucked harder, nibbling  - driving her into madness.
“I n-need you in me.”
Stephen pulled back and set her loose. “Condoms’ in the bottom drawer,” he informed, leaning back on the headboard.
Y/N leaned down, opened the said drawer and sucked in a sharp breath glancing at the contents. She had never been much into toys. And he had quite the collection. She grabbed the least complicated appliances of all and a bottle of lube.
“I have never tried this before but… the idea… I would like to try this,” she said toying with the cuffs and the cockring.
Strange smiled at her, “Anything that makes you happy baby girl.” He kissed her one more time, tugging at the cuffs.
“What?” He asked, confused when Y/N didn’t hand them over.
“I wasn’t thinking about myself tied to your bed. I want to restrain you.”
He was swept away by utter bewilderment. No one had done that. To him. Ever. I have always been the giver. Never the taker, he thought. He has been so lost he didn’t realise she had already cuffed one of his wrists to the bedpost until Y/N tugged at his other one.
“Besides, I think it’s fair after what you did to me.”
“Fuck,” Stephen muttered under his breath, straining the restraints, “Thought I was already forgiven.”
“You are. This is a penance.”
“Fine, have me as you like,” he snorted.
She smiled, settling in between his legs and leaned in to kiss which he happily complied. He groaned into her mouth as she slid her hand down his chest and squeezed his growing erection through the sweatpants.
She pulled back only to let her lips roam around his neck, shoulder and chest. Working her way up, she blew a warm breath over his ears, kissing the shell while her fingers gently pinched and teased his nipples.
“Jesus,” Stephen moaned, “Woman where have you been all these years?”
Y/N smiled, resting her hands at his waist, teasing the waistband of his pants, “Learning the anatomy of pleasing you.”
Stephen chuckled, raising his hips for her to pull down the pants. He sighed in relief as his cock sprang free.
She bit her lip at his knowing smirk, lubed him and slid the ring to the base of his shaft. He was big. And thick, she thought, lowering herself on her stomach as she pumped him before turning on the vibrations.
He groaned, the muscles of his leg going all stiff as her tongue darted out and swirled around the head. She continued to lick, peppering kisses, along the length of him. He hissed, buckling his hips, as her mouth licked and sucked his balls.
Y/N smiled, stepping up the speed of vibrations.
“I might lose my patience and use- fuck.”
She took as much as possible of him in one swift go. Her eyes watched him throwing his head back and wincing upon hitting the headboard. I’ll never forget this one. She had been nervous - Would I be able to give him enough pleasure with so little experience? However as her mouth squeezed, caressing up and down, satisfaction burned on his handsome face.
Stephen sat there entrapped, watching her head bobbing, one hand stroking what length of him she couldn't fit in her mouth and the vibrating ring… He continued tugging now and then against the hard metal of the handcuffs even though the wrists burned in pain. He never thought he would like this so much. Oh, her nails, dug into his thigh.
“You're taking me so well, sweetheart-,”
He took a sharp breath, gasping as he felt her teeth gaze at him very gently. She looked up at him, all doe-eyed, flickering her tongue on the underside of his cock.
He wanted to break free, caress her hollowed cheeks, pull her hair to the back, and wantonly fuck that mouth. “Oh, my,” he grunted, feeling himself near the base of her throat. His hips thrusted of their own accord. “I’m so close.”
Y/N stopped immediately. “No,” he cried out at her. She gave him a slow, devilish grin. And sat up, scrambling away from him. It took a tremendous amount of effort when every bit of her ached for him.
“What are you doing?” he grumbled watching her climb out of the bed, relaxing into one of the armchairs beside the bed, across the fireplace.
“I’ll let you come only when you beg nicely.”
“I don’t beg,” Stephen snapped.
Y/N shrugged. She flaunted the control before turning down the strength of the vibrations.
Stephen strained his neck as he continued to glare at her. “You’ll be punished for this baby girl.”
She gulped looking at his darkened eyes. “I-is that so?” Don't be intimidated, she reminded herself.
Y/N hesitated for a moment, then ran her hand down her stomach and in between her legs. She spread her knees and slowly began touching herself. She closed her eyes, knowing that he was watching her every movement, she imagined it was his fingers stroking the bundle of nerves. She smiled wider when she slipped her fingers into her slick slit.
How have I turned into such sex hungry woman?
“I could do better,” he voiced once she started to whimper. She wanted him to but she didn’t want to halt now. Not when she-
She shivered as the wave of heat washed over her.
When she opened her eyes, Stephen was staring at her hungrily, but strangely patient. “Since you are done with yourself, you might finish what you’d started,” he said with a pointed look. “Please,” he added.
Y/N sighed. Still, a little wobbly from the orgasm, she settled in between his legs. He relaxed back watching her slide off the cockring. She wrapped one hand around the base of his cock, squeezing him, while her tongue played around following each line, curve and crevice, as he was the most teasing appetiser imaginable.
Stephen let out a deep low moan, thrusting his hips upwards.
He cursed under his breath as her mouth sheathed him, working him up again.
“Y/N,” he grunted, thrusting his hips in a slow rhythm. Leaving his cock, her hand rubbed his thighs before cupping the balls.
“Don’t stop,” Stephen whimpered as she quickened the pace.
“You look so pretty like this. Guess you’d look better only when my cock goes rampant in that pussy.”
He had been silent most of the time except for the few noises he made, she almost choked at his filthy words. Looking up at him she couldn't think it possible, but those light grey eyes darkened even further when her fingers trailed below his scrotum, applying subtle pressure around the perineum. He jerked in her mouth when she found his sweet spot.
“Yeah,” he moaned, “S-so close.”
Amazed by her own boldness, she stroked him harder.
His insides were screaming guttural exhilaration. He was sure he would go crazy by the time they were going to finish. His hips jerked unsteadily, grinding against her mouth until everything stilled.
It was more and more. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes as she choked on the sheer volume of his semen. Her throat was already full and his ejaculation was nowhere near an end. Lots of it, as if he hadn’t come in months, years, maybe never.
“That was ethereal,” he breathed, “you tortured me so sweetly…”
Y/N smiled, wiping away the drips of cum lining her mouth. “I’m glad you liked it,” she sat up and kissed him. It was slow and gentle at first, their lips moving languidly. When he kissed her harder, she threaded her hands through his hair, pressing herself further against his hot, slick body.
He cast a simple spell after it was too much to bear. She grasped when hands clutched her waist, moving her around. He settled her amongst the pillows. “You have no idea what it took not to break free of those cuffs and fuck you as animals do.”
However before she could say anything he reached beneath, pinching her clit hard, until it hardly even felt like it was a special nub, but something else entirely. “Now, it's my turn to return the favour.” His looming figure left to reach out into the drawers. He snapped his fingers and a red cloth blinded her. “And torment you in the sweetest way possible.”
Stephen stroked her thighs, gradually sliding his hand up until he touched that heated core of her womanhood.
“Oh, doctor!”
“Do you like that, baby?”
She nodded wordlessly.
He put his head between her legs, nuzzling at first. His beard was a little rough on the insides of her thighs. He stroked her with skilful fingers. Then with his lips, and his tongue, he struck fire. A slow, fat lick brought his tongue to her aching button, and as soon as he touched tip to tip, white light exploded through her. His skilful tongue rubbed, nudged, and poked in a rhythm like a giant pulse. She cried out in astonishment, in appreciation at being touched in that right place.
Y/N’s legs twined about his head and shoulders desperately, she was beginning to buck her hips, beginning to come. She bit her lip to suppress a moan as her skin exploded into flames. Holy fuck, Stephen.
“Let me hear those noises, sweetheart,” he crooned against her sensitive flesh, making her wither under his subsequent licks.
She moaned gutturally, her hands grasping fistfuls of the sheet on either side of her hips as a shudder shook her head to toe.
Stephen smiled and gently began to pet her with his fingers. He glided one finger along the gaping cleft, then very slowly and gently penetrated her. Y/N whimpered. He touched her lightly at first, testing her with one finger, moving carefully. Then he stretched her with two fingers, curling them upward as his thumb began to rub tiny circles. He never took his eyes away from her, listening to her breathing speed as his curled fingers found her spot inside. He bowed his head in admiration, bringing his lips to the top of her inner thigh, teasing her before taking the flesh into his mouth and sucking with abandon, while continuing the movements of his hand. It was an extraordinary combination.
Y/N put her own hands on her breasts and her palms rotated the nipples.
He took her again in his mouth until she was weak and quivering, fondling her breasts until they were swollen with hot blood, the nipples stiff.
She tightened even more around his stroking finger and he increased the speed and depth of the thrusts. She reached the peak swiftly, spasms of her pleasure shuddering through her entire body, pelvis rising from the bed as if seeking something in the air.
He reached up his free hand to rub her quivering belly and fondle her breasts. She jerked and made a little sound, and he raised his head to look down at her. Heat bloomed over her cheeks as his thumb brushed over her nipple.
Yes,” she whispered, all her senses hyper-focused on the overwhelming touches.
Stephen kissed her, his mouth skimming over her taut abdomen. 
“Harder,” she pleaded but he paid no heads.
He was kneading her breast gently, and when his mouth finally reached her nipple and closed over it, she moaned and clutched at his shoulders, her hip bucking against his fingers, her senses nearly drowned by the waves and waves of burning pleasure.
Along with those waves came those strange creatures: gratitude and hunger. Gratitude at being touched in the right place, in the way, at the right time. Hunger for something she was after, something she was trying to achieve, and there was always the danger that she’d miss it, wouldn’t find it, or get hold of it. She couldn’t get enough of him. It felt like a punishment.
A silent invisible wave squeezed and squeezed her hot throbbing sex. She felt her entire abdominal area cramp as it would during her period. It was like the sweet torment he had warned her about. Anytime now, she thought, I would burst like a sea fish held under the tap water.
The entire torrent, the pulsing flood of sensation, sent her over an unseen barrier, and she slid, throbbing, down, down, down into hot squeezing pulsing incognizance.
“Oh my God, Stephen,” she squealed as a spray of fluid came gushing out of her pussy and soaked the sheets beneath them.
“Had told you,” he whispered near her ear, “I could do better.”
After regaining some of her senses, she tugged free of the blindfold. As her eyes adjusted, she saw him emerging from the washroom, drying his hands in a towel.
“I’m so sorry,” Y/N said, tears blurring her vision.
Stephen immediately went to her on the bed and scooped her up into his strong arms. “What's the matter, baby?”
“The bed’s a mess,” she cried, burying her face in her hands, “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s just a little wet, it’s no big deal. Are you…are you embarrassed about squirting?”
He watched her face turn red with shame beneath her hands, and he gently pulled them away from her face, shaking his head at her.
“No, no. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I loved it. It’s so fucking hot. It meant I had given you the most pleasure.”
Once he was sure she was over the edge, he asked her to lie on her stomach and wait for him. He held an unfamiliar bottle, squeezing out a generous amount of lube into his palm, then bending over and rummaging through his toys.
She swallowed hard glancing at the beaded silicone toy, “I couldn't take that…”
“Have you ever tried?”
She shook her head.
“It won't be nasty,” he said, “trust me.”
“I want to but that thing is scary.”
He obliged, tossing it back from where it came and settled, parting her legs.
“Tell me when it gets uncomfortable,” he said, sliding his fingers between her legs. She nodded into the pillow, mumbling okay.
The fingers of his right hand trailed through her cleft, gathering up her arousal, and then continued its indecent path up, slipping between her cheeks. He swirled over the taboo spot, each circle smaller than the previous one until the tip of his index finger was there, pushing gently to gain entrance.
“How does it feel?”
“Weird.”
Her breath came out stuttered. He was naughty and corrupt. But he stopped the movements at once.
“There are a lot of nerve endings here.” His finger resumed its swirling, proving his point. “Trust me sweetheart I won’t be doing anything that could remotely hurt you. And I would stop whenever you want me to.”
“Okay,” she murmured.
A shudder rolled down her body as his finger probed the ring of muscles.
“Squeeze and relax,” he guided.
She did as instructed, making little ‘uhs’, as his finger slipped through the virgin muscles of her asshole.
Shame and euphoria battled in her mind as his finger slowly, gently thrusted in her. Her thoughts swirled wondering how she ended up here. She was supposed to be on the giving end. Giving him penance. Instead, he was in charge, finger fucking her ass.
With no warning, she climbed the cliff and jumped off as heat bloomed from deep within her.
Y/N felt tired and sore but she didn’t care. She couldn’t get enough of him. She wanted him inside her. She wanted the ache. She wanted to squeeze him in. She wanted to watch his face. She wanted him in ways she had never wanted anyone before. It was like something had been invented. By him in that very bed. Or something he had unleashed. It was something raw she couldn’t put her finger on.
Finally, when he returned to her side, she got on top of him like her original plan. Her palms rested on his chest, as her hips moved to press and rub her swollen lips against his groin.
She’d never done it before. And couldn’t really believe she was doing this. It felt like she was in charge.
He watched with a hooded gaze as she reached back, held him and tried to put him in.
“Condom,” he reminded her but she denied it.
“I’m clean of STDs if that’s what you are worried about,” she spoke, guiding him in. She was so hot and wet, he slipped in faster and deeper than she anticipated.
“The way you came over my fingers, I can guarantee that you have barely ever fucked anyone.”
She snorted and squeezed her muscles making him hiss.
“I don't want you to get preg-”
“I’m on birth control for medical reasons.” She squeezed him again, “Can you come? Just from this?”
Stephen smirked. “I might if you try harder and longer.”
She continued to clench around him, rotating her hips, and rocking softly until he went mad. He bucked, splitting her in two. His hand flew to her waist, holding her body, lifted her off and drove her down impaling on his cock.
One thrust was enough to have her addicted, he knew that well, so he let his hands rest under his head.
She repeated the action, again and again, ramming herself down on him. Her thighs burned with the exertion. Sweat dampened her forehead and hair as she rode him, her breasts bouncing between the force of gravity and the thrusts. However, she was getting fatigued.
She gave in when his strong, capable hands wrapped around her and pulled him closer towards him. Her head rested on his chest as his hands caressed her back. Then he slammed into her, so deeply, she thought it couldn’t be possible. Wordlessly he proved her mistaken as he did it again and likewise. It felt like he was making her from the inside out. He speared her, plunged inside her, crushing her into him.
She was close and could tell by the way the muscles in his chest tightened, he was close too. She saw his jaw bulging as he gritted his teeth, trying to keep from coming as long as he could. She wanted him to come. To lose control. Just like she had.
Closing her eyes, Y/N channelled the heat of her orgasm to squeeze him, and at just that moment, she felt his cock jump inside my body, seemingly growing even bigger than it had been, then half a second later blasting his hot semen inside her.
Somehow, after many minutes of silence, they smiled at each other and laughed.
“We should do it another time at least,” she said, finger doodling on his bicep.
“Studying or having sex?”
“Both,” Y/N replied, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.
Stephen hummed in agreement, “We should do it regularly.”
Tags: @lady-harvey @thearcadeyel @butchers-girl @newavenger
469 notes · View notes
eviesaurusrex · 2 years
Text
ꜰᴀᴍɪʟʏ ʙʟɪꜱꜱ | ꜱ. ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ
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GIFs by the awesome @cumberbatchlives
Stephen Strange x Stark!Witch!Reader
summary: Stephen and YN—world famous Avengers (but kinda retired)—are picking up their kids from school. That’s it. That’s the summary.
word count: 1.9k
warnings: nothing, pure fluff, a bit of married bickering
author's note: These GIFs have me in a chokehold ever since seeing them for the first time. For timeline’s sake, there wasn’t a blip and no, I didn’t forget about it while writing and was too lazy to rewrite it leave me alone o.o
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"Yes, Tony, we're coming. I told Pepper two weeks ago when I got her invitation," YN spoke while holding the newest (futuristic) Stark phone in hand and left the subway station. The odd stares from every single person around her were something she had become accustomed to years ago, but more like a decade. The earplugs canceled their hushed, but not hushed at all, whispers at least. "I wanted to make sure you didn't forget it—or that douchebag talked you out of it." Eye rolling, YN typed a quick text as she listened to her brother. Even after ten years of dating and six of them married, Tony still had to annoy the hell out of Stephen. "I want to see my nephews and my niece, and Morgan would love some company that can keep up with her mentally." She knew what he meant. Morgan was exceptionally bright—it was in their blood, after all—and her own children had gotten the full dose of Stark and Strange intelligence. The quartet was as close as friends could get.
She sighed softly. "Did you already talk to Midtown?" But she knew the answer to that. "You know Pepper doesn't want her to feel out of place between all the older students, so we're waiting, I guess. It's probably the best anyway." Humming, YN rounded the block corner to reach her kids' school. "I suppose it is. But you can take a deep breath now because we're coming over the weekend. But please, don't annoy my husband, would you? Try to be a decent adult for at least 48 hours. Think about it as a pre-birthday present for your most loved sister." Smiling, YN waved to one of the already waiting moms as she approached the private school's gate and laughed as she heard Tony's groan. "That's an even harder task than fighting Thanos, but yes, okay. I will try, but only if he tries as well! Gotta go, evil spawn, my girls are coming home. Don"t forget to bring the good wine!" And with that, the older Stark ended the call and left YN with a soft shake of her head.
The earplugs disappeared in her bag just as the tunes of today's end echoed over the courtyard and the first students came rushing out of the building. YN pushed her sunglasses up to place them on her head, and her smile morphed into a grin as the mop of dark curls of her youngest appeared between all the other kids. As soon as she saw her mom, the girl grinned as bright as the sun above them and hurried over the court to get to her. "MOM!" Laughing, YN caught her with open arms and pressed the five-year-old tightly against her. "Hello, sunshine," she greeted the small girl, bent down, and peppered kisses all over her head. It had been Stephen who had picked the kids up in the last couple of days because even though the couple was retired from their lives as world's mightiest heroes, sometimes the world still needed them. "Did you fight the bad people?" Ophelia was always eager to know everything about her mom's superhero duties, and YN always obliged every order to tell every single story.
They never needed books full of bedtime stories.
Pushing the soft curls behind her small ears, YN grinned. "Sure thing, munchkin. Just as easy as eating that ice cream I bought this morning and which is waiting for a special girl and her very special rainbow spoon." Ophelia started to clap while jumping on the spot. "Can I have some instead of lunch? Please, Mommy!" This kid knew what she had to do in order to soften her mother's heart, and YN nodded without thinking. "But first, I wanna see those math homework done, deal?" She had to pretend at least as if she wasn't as soft as she certainly was for her children.
Tough superhero, my ass, she thought with a smile and raised a hand to wave to her two eldest children as they finally appeared at the front door. The seven-year-old twins—Vincent and Peter—let their eyes wander, and just as they settled on top of their mother and sister, a familiar body appeared next to her.
"Right on time, I see," Stephen grinned down on his two girls, and Ophelia screeched before jumping into her father's arms. "I thought Mom would be the only one picking us up!" One could barely understand her words because her voice climbed higher and higher at the excitement she felt in her small body. The sorcerer grinned even wider. "Well, then, my surprise most definitely worked out. Hello, sunshine." He kissed her small cheeks before setting her back on the ground and opening his arms for the twins. Only Peter jumped into them, but Vincent pressed himself against his side.
His hand softly carded through his unruly mop of hair while moving Peter softly to find the perfect position. "Didn't you say something about being away for the next week?" Vincent always was the more straightforward of the twins. Peter was just happy to have his father back sooner than he thought.
Stephen hummed while walking them both the short distance over to his wife and their mother. "That's right, but I finished a lot faster than anticipated," was all he told them before reaching his wife with the knowing look in her mesmerizing eyes. "More like you threw them insult after insult in their poor faces and just vanished through one of your portals, love," she returned and waited until Peter was put back onto the ground to hug her boys. "What do we do when we see Mom after an awful lot of time, boys?" The twins blinked up to her, crystal blue eyes shining brightly and soft grins tucked at their lips. "Hello, Mom!" They both spoke in unison, and YN laughed softly before bending down and pressing loving kisses on their heads. "Hello to you too. School was okay? No bullies treating you wrongly anymore?"
YN really hoped that her talk to the headmaster was something that helped the situation instead of making it worse.
"He isn't at the school anymore. Best birthday present ever, Mom, thank you!"
Grinning with that hint of mischievousness she had to herself, the mother nodded, satisfied. "Very well, then. You guys take your sister between you, and we can head home as soon as I greet your dad." And with that, the former Stark pulled Stephen to her and enveloped his broad shoulders into a tight embrace, and took the feeling of his lips against hers in after he had bent his head. Her fingers softly carded through his dark hair while her other thumb caressed his jawline, and a soft sigh escaped her at the feeling of his skin against hers.
Even though they had known each other for so long and had been in a relationship for a decade, she felt as thrilled as she had been during their first shared kiss. YN didn’t believe that this would change anytime soon—or ever.
“Are you alright?” Stephen asked in a husky whisper, lips still touching, while his eyes opened and scanned her face for any visible marks or scratches. YN smiled up to him, gently bumping the tip of her nose against his. She may be an Avenger, and a powerful one at that, but Stephen always worried about her—but well, she worried about him just as much. “I am,” she nodded, but her barely palpable flinch as the pad of his thumb made contact with the skin stretching over her left cheekbone gave her away. Her husband’s brows furrowed tremendously, and his eyes stared at the spot, now discovering the deception his wife had created with makeup. “I didn’t want to worry the kids,” YN whispered at the sight of realization in his eyes, and Stephen nodded. “Of course. But don’t you dare think I will let you get away with this. As soon as they are nose deep in their books, I will demand a look on it, wife.” Grinning, the woman nodded. “Of course, husband,” she replied, pressing their lips together another time before turning to their beautiful children, who occupied themselves with hopscotching over the drawn numbers.
Vincent and Peter had their eyes settled on their younger sister like hawks, ready to jump to her aid whenever she stumbled. Ophelia sang happily to the rhythm of her small jumps, curls bouncing around her pretty face.
Smiling, YN let Stephen pull her into his side, arm around her shoulders and lips pressing on the top of her head. “We really have the most incredible children,” the father mumbled, still in awe of how his life had turned after the accident. And this strong, wonderful, and compassionate woman in his arm had gifted him the most precious gift life had to offer: undying love and the happiness of fatherhood.
“Don’t let Tony hear that,” she grinned softly, eyes still trained on her two sons and daughter. But then she looked up at her loving husband, who felt her gaze and looked down at her, one brow softly cocked. “Just in case you forgot about it, but they await us this weekend.” His eyes widened suddenly, and a groan left him, head falling back. “Why? Didn’t we agree on once a year in our prenup?” She hit his chest with a flat hand. “Really funny, especially because we both know very well that we never had one of these. Remember? You told me something about marrying out of pure love and utter devotion and that contracts belong to cooperations? That you weren’t another business deal I sign?” She grinned up to him, and Stephen groaned again. “I see now the advantages of said prenup. I could’ve put the once-a-year rule in it,” the sorcerer returned with a playful nudge to her chin with his finger. “That’s why we’re going. The kids could use some nature, and Lia misses Morgan. So…” Stephen cocked a brow. “Don’t you dare and say the thing you want to say right now.”
But YN said it anyway. “You’ll behave, even if my brother tries to get on your nerves,” the woman decided, but the Strange couldn’t keep it at that. “So, he can behave like a spoiled child, insult me countless times, and I have to sit it out?”
“Yes.”
“That’s unfair.”
“It’s called being an adult and how one shows that they’re upon such childish behavior.”
The verbal slugfest was quick, and the kids turned to their arguing parents. “What’s going on? Are Mommy and Daddy fighting?” Ophelia asked wide-eyed, but the boys only changed a look before Vince answered his sister. “Mom is the boss, Lia,” he grinned, and the youngest Strange giggled.
Stephen sighed again. “You win,” he gritted, but his wife only grinned wider. “What a surprise,” she teased him because, frankly, it wasn’t. She always won—Stephen would never admit it, but he couldn’t deny his wife a single request, even if it meant enduring his annoying brother-in-law for an entire weekend. He rolled his eyes lovingly before taking YN’s hand in his, lacing their fingers together, and turning to their children.
“Are we ready?”
All three of them nodded excitedly because they knew what their father would do in just a second. Shortly, the man let go of his wife to open a sparkling portal right into the foyer of the Sanctum Sanctorum, where Uncle Wong already stood, waiting. He crouched to hug the lot after the three kids had jumped over the golden threshold of the portal while Stephen held again onto his wife’s hand and led her into their shared home.
;
Hope y’all enjoyed this little piece, and thanks for reading! As usual: Comments, reblogs, and likes are much appreciated <3
Taglist: @poor-unfortunate-soul-85 @seasonofthenerd @onecrazydirectioner @meeksmusic83 @harpywritesfic @strangeions @apple-and-berry @ben-er-ino @multifandomrandomgirl @lucimorningst4r @samisubi @hunterofshadows04 @y-napotat @lejuveinlegroove @ohchoices @jyessaminereads
719 notes · View notes
ilguna · 6 months
Note
Hi how about expired medicine number 83 with doctor strange? pls 💛
☼ when the dead rise pt1 (Stephen Strange) ☼
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warnings; swearing, a lot of mention of death, actual death, ehh gore, injuries, use of weapons.
wc; 14.8k
prompt; 83. "Did you really have to be that honest?"
notes; the entire imagine is an infinity war spoiler. all of it. with some stephen sprinkled in, some angst, and very little tony slander (blink and you'll miss it). sorry not sorry.
“Seriously, you don’t have any money?” Stephen asks Wong, beginning to go down the steps.
“Attachment to the material is detachment from the spiritual.” Wong replies, following behind the two of you.
“I’ll tell the guys at the deli. Maybe they’ll make you a metaphysical ham on rye.” Stephen muses, you let out a light laugh.
“Oh, wait, wait wait. I think I have two-hundred.”
“Dollars?” You ask, as you stop on the step to look at him.
“Rupees.” He smiles.
“Which is?” Stephen asks, not bothering to turn around.
“Uh, buck and a half.” 
Stephen sighs, “What do you want?”
Wong claps his hands together, you let him pass you on the steps, before starting down them again. “I wouldn’t say no to a tuna melt.”
A blinding light comes from the sunroof, shaking the whole building, and slamming straight through the ceiling. A flurry of wooden splinters and marble go flying through the air, as you’re taken with the mass. The debris creates a hazy smog, which coats your throat in a few breaths.
“(Y/n)?” Stephen’s tone is alarmed.
“I’m alive.” You cough, wiping the dusty film from your face.
When you turn your head to see what came crashing through the ceiling, you’re met with a green leg. It makes you jump slightly, as you jerk away from the person. It isn’t until you’ve made it to his face, do you realize there’s nothing to worry about.
It’s Bruce.
His skin is returning back to its regular pigment. He pants beside you, hand reaching out to grab your forearm. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Stephen and Wong peeking over the hole in the stairs, both on high alert. 
“Thanos is coming.” Bruce’s voice is still mixed with Hulks. On his next breath, it sounds more like him. “He’s coming.”
Stephen and Wong share a look, “Who?”
You pull your arm from Bruce, pushing to get to your feet. There’s a few aches that sprout, caused from you landing so aggressively. Wong creates an opening for you to walk through so they don’t have to pull you out of the hole in the staircase. On the other side, standing in the middle of the foyer, you begin to brush the dust off. It seems to be never ending.
“I need clothes.” Bruce says, “Or pants, at the very least.”
You rake your fingers through your hair, watching the dirt rain down around your head like a thin curtain. Wong walks away briefly, coming back with a change of clothes. He drops it into the hole, backing away to allow him to change in privacy.
“The whole planet is in danger.” Bruce says, “Thanos—he’s collecting these crystals that allow him to manipulate different things.” He pauses, you can barely see him pull the shirt over his head. “We’re next, he’s coming here to get more. And when he’s done, he’ll wipe out half of the population.”
Your eyes snap to Stephen, and find that his eyes are already on you, watching. A ticklish feeling crosses over your palms, as a different creeping feeling crawls up your spine and to the base of your neck, goosebumps covering your arms. As if your body is excited by the idea of it.
You aren’t. The thought of billions on your planet dying sends a pain through your heart. With a closed fist, you rub your chest, shaking your head at your boyfriend. This is not the time to be gauging your reaction. You can’t control it, as much as you wish you could.
“We need Tony.” Bruce says, “Tony Stark?”
Stephen raises his eyebrows. “Can we trust him?”
You tilt your head at him. “It’s Bruce, of course we can.”
While Wong begins the process of locating where Tony is at the moment, you and Stephen leave to change. Coincidentally, the suit you have was made for you by Tony, back when you had initially agreed to be an Avenger.
At the time, it was funny, because all these stipulations came with having it. To him, you were still a stranger, but he knew you were trustworthy. As much as he didn’t want to admit it at the time, it was hard for him not to think that. Especially since you were just a bystander the day Loki came to earth to wreak havoc.
You’d spent your entire life running away from problems that you couldn’t overcome or get away from, no matter how hard you tried. But as you watched those ships come through the portal, for the first time, your body had the opposite reaction of what it was used to doing. 
In street clothes, with barely any practice with the ability you’d recently discovered—you helped the heroes that were risking their lives to save yours. You threw yourself into that fight, despite knowing full well there was a chance you’d get killed for it. 
When Tony finally noticed what you were doing, and got over the initial panic of thinking you were Loki’s accomplice, he gave you an area to protect. Which doubled in size when he saw the impact you were causing. And when it was all said and done, he offered to help you.
You turned him down, out of fear of what the public would actually think when they saw you in action. Of course, you and your ability to bring people back from the dead was smeared across national television, painting you in a good light. That was in connection with the Avengers, though. You couldn’t stand the idea of what they’d say when you were on your own.
You got over it a few months later. You thought Tony would hold your first choice over your head, but he hasn’t mentioned it after all these years. Even though Tony can be an ass at times, you appreciate what he’s done for you.
The suit fits like a glove, despite not wearing it as frequently as you used to. You stopped right around the time Steve and Tony had their fight. The Avengers team crumbled after that, and you didn’t see a need to wear it anymore. Not with how peaceful it is.
Or rather, was.
You join the others back in the foyer, where you find Tony sitting on a couch with his hand over his mouth. At the sound of your approach, he looks over, eyes locking on the suit for a long moment, seemingly surprised that you’re wearing it, before giving you a half-smile.
“(Y/n).”
“Hey, Tony.” You cross your arms. “How’s Pepper?”
“She’s good.”
Stephen clears his throat, you turn to see him standing with Wong and Bruce a few feet away. You tilt your head, wandering to stand next to the staircase railing. “Go ahead.”
“At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing.” Wong begins. “Then…” An explosion of stars appears in the air, creating a galaxy that surrounds you. “Boom. The Big Bang sent six elemental crystals hurtling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones each control an essential aspect of existence.”
“Space.” Stephen says, as the floating blue crystal begins to glow, moving off to the side. “Reality.” This stone is a bright red “Power.” A purple stone shines. “Soul.” The orange one sizzles. “Mind.” As the yellow one reflects the light. “And Time.” Stephen finishes, adjusting the necklace that rests against his chest.
He touches it, bending his fingers as he pulls his hands away from each other. This unlocks the restrictions briefly, letting the shimmering green stone breathe.
“Tell me his name again.” Tony says.
“Thanos.” Bruce begins to walk toward him. “He’s a plague, Tony. He invades planets. He takes what he wants.” Tony has gotten to his feet, meeting Bruce in the middle. “He wipes out half the population. He sent Loki. The attack on New York, that’s him.”
The same creeping feeling comes back, something bubbling beneath your skin. Your face twists, “What?”
“This is it.” Tony takes a step back to walk around the room. “What’s our timeline?”
“No telling. He has the Power and Space Stones.” Bruce is following him. “That already makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe. If he gets his hands on all six stones, Tony…”
“He could destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of.” Stephen says.
You walk to join the circle that’s formed on the other side of the staircase.
“Did you seriously just say ‘hitherto undreamt of’?” Tony asks.
“Are you seriously leaning on the Cauldron of the Cosmos?” Stephen shoots back. 
“Is that what it is?” Tony asks, bending his leg back to stretch it, Stephen’s cloak slaps him. You cringe, because you know that wasn’t a move most people would make. “I’m going to allow that.” He stares at Stephen wordlessly, and then takes a breath. “If Thanos needs all six, why don’t we just stick this one down a garbage disposal?”
“No can do.” Stephen shakes his head.
“We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with our lives.” Wong tells him.
“And I swore off dairy but then Ben & Jerry’s named a flavor after me, so—”
“Stark Raving Hazelnuts.” You laugh, playing with a piece of wood with your shoe.
“It’s not bad.” Tony looks in your direction.
“A bit chalky.” Stephen says.
“A Hunk of Hulk of Burning Fudge is our favorite.” Wong says.
“That’s a thing?” Bruce’s face is twisted, looking between you.
“Whatever.” Tony says. “Point is, things change.”
“Our oath to protect the Time Stone cannot change. And this stone may be the best chance we have against Thanos.” Stephen tells him.
“Yeah, so conversely, it may also be his best chance against us.”
“Well, if we don’t do our jobs.” Stephen doesn’t budge, and he’s not going to.
Tony turns to face him fully. “What is your job exactly? Besides making balloon animals.”
“Protecting your reality, douchebag.” 
You press your lips together, rubbing your forehead. Bruce interjects. “Okay, guys. Could we table this discussion right now? The fact is we have this stone.” he holds his hand out in Stephen’s direction. “We know where it is. Vision is out there somewhere with the Mind Stone and we have to find him now.”
“Yeah, that’s the thing.” Tony mutters, looking away.
“What do you mean?” 
“Two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder. He’s offline.” Tony shrugs.
“What?”
“Yeah.” He begins to walk away again, you share a look with Stephen.
“These used to be your people?” He asks, “You followed him?”
You wave him off. “We work better in the moment.”
“Tony, you lost another super-bot?” Bruce asks.
“I didn’t lose him. He’s more than that. He’s evolving.” Tony glances over his shoulder.
“Who could find Vision then?” Stephen asks.
Tony’s silent, you let out a sigh. “Probably Steve Rogers. Right, Tony?”
“Oh, great.” Stephen turns away.
“Maybe.” Tony agrees, sighing. “But…”
“Call him.” Bruce says. 
“It’s not that easy.” Tony faces Bruce. “God, we haven’t caught up in a spell, have we? The Avengers broke up, we’re toast.”
“Broke up?” Bruce repeats. “Like a band. Like—like the Beatles?” 
“Cap and I fell out hard.” Tony shakes his head. “We’re not on speaking terms.”
“Tony, listen to me.” Bruce says, stepping closer. “Thor’s gone. Thanos is coming. It doesn’t matter who you’re talking to or not.”
Tony looks away, sighing. He walks a few feet away, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. After he flips it open, he scrolls through to find Steve’s number, staring at it.
He then lifts his head, staring at the wall in front of him. At the same time, you can feel the ground rumbling through your shoes. You reach to grab Stephen, hand closing around the sleeve of his suit. The vases and lamps begin to shake, clinking against the surface they’re resting on.
The five of you stand quietly, listening to the distant noise, until Tony turns around. “Say, Doc, you wouldn’t happen to be moving your hair, would you?”
You look at Stephen to see what Tony means, finding one of the strands that refuses to stay put, wiggling against his forehead. As if a breeze is constantly moving through his hair.
“Not at the moment, no.” 
The sound is getting louder, Tony looks up through the hole in the ceiling where Bruce had come from. Your attention is turned to the door, where one person runs by, then two. And they don’t look like they’re jogging.
A dreadful feeling washes over your body as you follow Tony to the door. The closer you get, the louder the screaming is. He swings it open, stepping out onto the sidewalk. You follow him with crossed arms, looking in the direction of where everyone is running away from. 
There’s traffic down the street, people are getting out of cars to abandon their vehicles to run away from the danger. A strong gust of air blows through, pulling abandoned papers and leaves with them. You dodge several people to keep up with Tony’s speed.
The police sirens are getting louder, but they’re likely not coming in this direction. You watch as a silver car drives straight into a light pole. Tony points at it, “Help him!”
“Banner!” Wong calls.
“Wong, look alive!” 
“Go, go! We got it!” Bruce waves you on.
Tony reaches into his shirt to pull out his tech glasses. “Friday, what am I looking at?”
You stop for a second, allowing Stephen to catch up. He reaches to touch your back, guiding you forward with him. 
“I don’t want you to worry about me out here.” You tell him. 
“I’ll keep you safe.” He says.
“No, I can do that myself.” You press your finger into his chest. “You worry about you.”
Tony turns around. “Hey! You might wanna put that Time Stone in your back pocket, Doc!”
“Might wanna use it.” He says, magic surrounding his forearm. 
Tony peeks around the corner, pulling his head back when a red blanket whips through the air, being blown away. He begins to walk out into the open, and when it’s your turn to see what’s causing the chaos, you swallow. 
A giant spaceship in the shape of a ring is down the street to the left. It’s hovering in the air, giving off an electrical buzz. From what you can see, there’s no alien life near it, meaning they must be inside, or they’ve left it behind.
“Friday, evac anyone south of 43rd Street. Notify first responders.”
Stephen moves his hands, working up the magic before he shoves his palms out, sending a blast of air back at the ship. In the silence that settles, you can hear the sirens in the distance. It’s much easier to walk through the street without the wind resistance.
As you grow closer to the ship, a beam of blue light shines down onto the street, two alien beings appearing at the bottom. The one on the left being about the same size as Hulk, dressed in armor with a giant scythe, you believe. While the creature on the right is half the others’ size, fingers pressed together.
Tony’s pace slows the closer you get, leaving four car distances between you and the aliens.
“Hear me and rejoice.” The one on the right begins. Tony crosses his arms. “You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos.”
The giant one says something, lifting his weapon to hold with both hands, revealing that it’s a pickaxe.
“Be thankful that your meaningless lives are now contributing—”
“I’m sorry, Earth is closed today.” Tony cuts him off. “You better pack it up and get outta here.”
“Stonekeeper.” The creature says, eyes on Stephen. “Does this chattering animal speak for you?”
“Certainly not. I speak for myself.” He says, walking forward, moving his hands to show off his magic. “You’re trespassing in this city and on this planet.” Wong does the same behind you.
“He means get lost, Squidward.” Tony says.
“He exhausts me.” The noseless creature says. The tall one responds in the same foreign language. “Bring me the stone.”
“Banner, you want a piece?” Tony asks.
Bruce hums, “No, not really. But when do I ever get what I want?” He claps his hands together, rubbing.
“That’s right.”
“Okay. Push!” He grunts, his skin turning green up until his neck.
“It’s been a while.” Tony says. “It’s gonna be good to have you, buddy.”
“Okay, shh.” He hushes him. “Let me just… I need to concentrate here for a second. Come on, come on, man.”
The tall alien slams its weapon into one of the cars that’re parked on the side of the street.
“Where’s your guy?” Tony asks.
Bruce sighs, “I don’t know. We’ve sorta been having a thing.”
“It’s no time for a thing.” Tony touches his shoulder.
“I know.”
Tony points to the creature. “That’s the thing right there. Let’s go.”
It’s drawing closer with each step. Bruce begins to grunt, his voice changing, green spreading up to his lips. Stephen turns to look between you and Tony, you close your eyes.
“Dude, you’re embarrassing me in front of the wizards.”
“Tony, I’m sorry.” Bruce whispers. “Either I can’t or he won’t.”
“It’s okay.” He pushes Bruce away to stand with Wong. “Hey, stand down.” He looks at Wong. “Keep an eye on him. Thank you.”
“I have him.”
“Damn it.” Bruce mutters.
The creature jogs toward you, letting out a deep roar. Tony pulls on the strings of his track jacket, tapping the arc reactor in his chest twice. Almost out of thin air, his suit begins to crawl over his body efficiently. By the time the creature and him are face to face, he’s in his suit completely.
Tony uses a shield, falling into a kneeling position when he takes the hit. He then stands, swinging at the creature’s face, landing the punch.
As the alien recovers, you watch as the nanotech springs out of his back when he holds his arms out straight, creating four extra blasters that aid him in sending the alien down the street. The shorter one waves his hand, directing his friend to slam into several cars, instead of hitting him.
The blasters merge back into the suit.
“Where’d that come from?” Bruce asks.
“It’s nanotech. You like it? It’s a little something I—”
Tony skyrockets, leaving a trail of dirt behind him as he flies into the air. The alien raises his other hand, uprooting two trees on either side of the street, flicking his hand forward. Wong jumps in front of you, Stephen and Bruce to create a shield. 
“Doctor Banner, if the rest of your green friend won’t be joining us—” He creates a portal, Bruce falls through it. The alien throws half of a taxi in your direction, which makes it through the portal before it’s sealed.
Stephen and Wong move in sync, preparing another cast to stop the car that’s coming in your direction. Tony flies through the middle, forcing it back in the direction of the alien. He simply lifts his hand, unbothered, and it’s sliced in half, narrowly missing him, crashing onto the street behind.
“Gotta get that stone outta here, now.” Tony says.
“It stays with me.” Stephen emphasizes.
“Exactly. Bye.” Tony says, before turning to the alien and beginning to fly at him. At first, it’s slow, as he dodges several pillars that the alien knocks down to squish him. 
He then picks up speed, but the large alien has recovered, throwing a new weapon, a hammer. The handle extends like a chain, plowing Tony down the street, through a building, and into the park where Stephen had gotten him from.
The alien retracts the chain, and begins to chase after where Tony had gone, running straight into the building without slowing down. You press your lips together, eyes landing on the shorter creature. He raises his hands, palms up, pulling out a dozen bricks that line the streets.
When he twists his hands, the bricks crumble into spikes, which he sends flying in your direction. Stephen creates another portal, allowing the brick to go in. While Wong creates another, sending it out, back in the alien’s direction. He lifts a car to block his own creation, but he’s still nicked.
He breaks a fire hydrant, knocking Wong away. Stephen uses a lasso, getting it around the alien, and pulling him in your guys’ direction. You twist out of the way, right as they slam into each other, flying into a building.
You stumble over to Wong, kneeling next to him. He’s breathing, there’s blood trickling from his temple, where he hit his head. When you look up at Stephen, you can see that the alien has him trapped against the wall using bricks to hold him still.
The alien reaches to grab the Time Stone, but jerks away suddenly. He then throws Stephen onto the street, several feet away from you. You jump to your feet to help him when you see rope sprout from the ground to restrict his hands.
“(Y/n), don’t—!” He shouts.
A car sideswipes you, hard. It slams into the left of your body, knocking you into the car on your right. You can feel the pain blossoming in your ribs from the impact, as you shakily press a hand over the area.
The rope is constricting around Stephen, growing tighter by the second as it wraps around his legs, his torso, and around his neck. The alien makes a fist, the rope stiffens, Stephen lets out a grunt.
“Stop!” You shout.
“You’ll find removing a dead man’s spell troublesome.” Stephen manages to get out.
“You’ll only wish you were dead.”
The coil around Stephen’s neck tightens for the final time, you watch as his eyes roll back. He falls, unconscious, bouncing off the cop car and landing on the asphalt. You jerk forward, but the alien flattens you against the car.
He takes a small chunk of the road out using one hand, turning his back to float away with your boyfriend. It doesn’t work longer for a second, the Cloak of Levitation wraps around Stephen’s body, rocketing off and down the street. 
“No!” The alien shouts, and then his eyes land on you. 
You adjust to sit on your knees, lacing your fingers, and then slamming your hands into the asphalt, refusing to break eye contact with the alien. A tremor goes through the ground, a blast of hot air following. Car alarms begin to go off in response.
“Rise!” You demand.
The ground begins to shake, rocking you back and forth. You have to place your palms on the ground to keep from getting knocked over. One by one, a collection of species of the dead begin to rise out of the ground, breaking the street into pieces. Usually, you try not to do this in cities because of the construction it takes to repair the damage you made.
Right now, you have no choice.
Humans and aliens alike get to their feet, in varying stages of decay. Some are missing limbs, others have jaws barely holding on, with skin sagging so bad that you can see the muscle underneath. It starts with a simple dozen, but the numbers multiply, until every last dead person in the area is out of the ground.
You get to your feet, leaning against the car. “Kill him.”
At once, they rush forward to attack. You turn around, running in the opposite direction, where the cloak is taking Stephen. You can hear the undead army roaring behind you, as they work together to reach the alien that’s hovering over the ground. 
You take a shortcut through the thin, white building that Tony and the larger alien had gone through. From what you can see, Tony is still in the park, fighting him. There’s a blur of red and a hint of blue swinging away.
“You brought the kid into this?” You shout, crossing the street.
“I didn’t call him here!” Tony defends.
Already, you can feel your army growing weaker, meaning that the dead you’d conjured aren’t the strongest. You suck in a breath, and release, feeling the dark energy leave you to allow the bodies to fall. They were more of a distraction to allow you to leave without getting hurt.
You watch as Tony shoots at the alien haphazardly, flying away to dodge his attacks with the hammer. Tony disappears behind the statue in the park, causing the alien to swing at the concrete, destroying it. When Tony gets in too close, the alien secures an electric robotic hand around Tony, throwing him to the ground.
He leaves a path in the grass, trapped and unable to move.
“Are you going to help or not?” Tony’s voice is strained.
“I’m no help, here!” You tell him.
The alien charges in Tony’s direction, a large blade flinging out from his armor. As he jumps, going to stab Tony through the chest, a portal appears. The alien lands on the other side, you jog up behind Wong and Bruce to see that it’s the arctic, lots of snow. He turns around suddenly, jumping in your direction to come back through.
Only his hand makes it out, as Wong closes the portal. The severed hand rolls to a stop at Bruce’s feet, skin sizzling. Bruce kicks it, “Ugh.”
“Wong, you’re invited to my wedding.” Tony says, prying the bars off of his suit. “(Y/n), do you have your mask?”
You nod, reaching through the front of your suit, where the mask is tucked into a pocket on the inside. You pull it out, yanking it over your face. Tony bends his knees, allowing you to line up behind him, wrapping your arm around his neck. The stickiness of your gloves comes into contact with his suit, securing you there. 
“Ready?” He asks.
“Let’s go.” You tell him.
He places his hands at his sides, and the two of you shoot off, up into the sky. You can feel the tough wind through your suit, but it’s not bad enough to complain about. You tilt your head back slightly to see the alien ship, presumably where Peter and Stephen had been sucked in to. 
“I think it’s time for you to get a new suit.” Tony says, you can hear him in your ear.
“It’s a shame I didn’t keep in contact.” 
“That doesn’t matter.” He says. “Friday, unlock 19-C. And give me a little juice.”
You press your face against the back of his neck, and you fly through the air faster to get to the spaceship. If it weren’t for your gloves, you’d be falling to the ground right now, thinking about how you’d be dead in a few seconds.
“Unlock 17-A.” Tony says.
The ship is flying out of the atmosphere, straight into space. 
“Pete, you gotta let go. I’m gonna catch you.” Tony says, talking to Peter. You suck in short breaths through your nose, “We’re too high up. You’re running out of air.” He then turns his head slightly. “(Y/n), let go.”
“I want to get on that ship.” You gasp.
“You’ll be right behind me.” Tony says.
You pull your hand off of his chest, anxiety rising in your stomach. You have to tell yourself that Tony would never kill you. He wouldn’t send a suit up here if he knew there was a chance it’d malfunction and get you killed.
You take another breath, and let go, watching as Tony flies away. A scream rises in your throat as you begin to kick your legs and wave your arms, desperate for something to hold on to.
There’s a sudden impact in the middle of your back, as you feel a cool sensation begin to cover your body. The moment the nanotech covers your face, you take a breath, finally able to breathe real air. 
“Are you with me?” Tony asks.
The new suit covers the last spot on your thigh. “I’m in.”
“Friday, keep Gloom with me!”
You fly forward, the suit following after Tony on its own. Just by looking around on the inside, there’s a lot of technology that was put into the suit. He must’ve really evolved his engineering, because this is impressive.
“Mr. Stark, it smells like a new car in here!” You can hear Peter.
“Happy trails, kid.” Tony says. “Friday, send him home.”
A parachute springs out of Peter’s back, pulling him back. A little bit of relief goes through you, because there’s no reason why he should be up here. Your suit whizzes past him, coming to idle by Tony as he cuts a hole through the metal of the ship. When he gets it open, he allows you to crawl in first before following.
You take a few steps in, the nanotech disappearing from your face, stopping at your neck. You watch as the ship's machines extend and flex, blue electricity moving off a giant disk above you.
Tony sighs. “Yeah.”
You glance over to see his head is turned away.
“Honey, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say.” He says, glancing at you. “Pep?” The connection must be lost, because he shakes his head.
“So, what’s the plan?” You ask, crossing your arms over your chest. 
“Let’s find your boyfriend then we’ll work from there.” Tony says, walking away. “Speaking of which—an interesting choice. How did the two of you meet?”
You smile, and then laugh slightly. “He almost hit me with his car, twice in the same day.”
“And you thought dating him was a good idea?” Tony looks back at you.
You shrug. “He made it up to me. And since, all he ever does is protect me. I owe him my life.”
He stops briefly, “What happened to the kickass (Y/n)?” 
You place a hand on his shoulder. “She’s been hibernating, but with all this talk about death…” You trail off. “Trust me, Tony, she’s still here.”
“You’re sick.”
“And so are you.” You tell him.
The two of you go through the long hallway and through a door. With the ship being shaped like a large donut, it’s a confusing walk that Tony has to lead. He manages to bring you to a platform, four stories above where the alien is holding Stephen captive.
You lean over the side, hands drawing into fists when you hear Stephen grunt in pain. The alien seems to be manipulating clear shards to press into his skin, to force him to give up the Time Stone.
The Cloak suddenly appears, tapping Tony’s arm. He jerks, hand ready to blast the fabric. “Wow, you’re a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, uh, speaking of loyalty…”
You jump at the sound of Peter’s voice, turning in time to see him land on the platform.
“What the—”
“I know what you’re gonna say.” He puts his hands out.
“You should not be here.” Tony says.
“I was gonna go home.” Peter tries.
“I don’t wanna hear it.”
“But it was such a long way down and I just thought about you on the way.”
“And now I gotta hear it.” Tony sighs, shaking his head.
Peter raises his shoulders, “And I kinda stuck to the side of the ship. And this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way.”
Tony looks at you. “God damn it.”
You make a face at him. “You were the one that told him to chase after Stephen.”
“So, if anything, it’s kinda your fault that I’m here.” Peter says with a smile. 
Tony glares at him. “What did you just say?”
Peter realizes his mistake, stuttering, “I-I take that back. And now, I’m here in space.”
Tony steps forward. “Yeah, right where I didn’t want you to be.” He stops in front of Peter. “This isn’t Coney Island. This isn’t a field trip. This is a one-way ticket. You hear me? Don’t pretend you thought this through.”
“No, I did think this through.”
“You could not have possibly thought this through.”
Peter motions, “You can’t be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there is no neighborhood.” Peter tells him, Tony stares blankly. “Okay, that didn’t really make sense, but you know what I’m trying to say.”
Tony takes in a breath, letting it out shakily. “Come on. We got a situation.”
Peter nods, glancing at you, “Hi, Miss (L/n).”
“Hey, Peter.” You smile, following Tony to stand on the edge of the platform.
“See him down there?” Tony asks, Peter peers over the side. “He’s trouble. What’s your plan? Go.”
Peter crouches, “Um…” there’s a brief pause. “Okay, okay, uh…” He stands up. “Okay. Did you ever see this really old movie, Aliens?”
You let out a snort, but when Tony looks at you, you cover your mouth. You try to swallow the laughter that wants to escape you, it doesn’t work. “So what does that make you, Tony, a dinosaur?”
He glares at you. “Not funny.”
“What’s the matter?” Peter asks, glancing between you two.
“Nothing, kid. Good work.” Tony tells him. “I’ll go down there and blast a hole in the ship. (Y/n), the suit will keep you from flying out, Peter I want you to grab the wizard. Assume position.”
You crouch on the platform, hand locking around the pillar to act as support. Peter crawls away to get on the ceiling, while the Cloak stays near you, waiting for Tony. It’s a shame you’re not able to do more, your abilities limit you in situations like these. Even if people have died on this spaceship, you wouldn’t be able to resurrect them the same way. And even if you could, there’s no dark pull. You have to have a connection, first.
Stephen lets out a scream, as the shards press further into his skin when the alien moves his hand. You grit your teeth.
Tony jumps down a second later, landing behind the alien on the strip, powering up his suit.
“Could end your friend’s life in an instant.” The alien says, loud enough for you to hear.
“I gotta tell you, he’s not really my friend. Saving his life is more of a professional courtesy.”
The alien lifts a hand, a chunk of metal sliding out of the spaceship, as he walks in Tony’s direction. “You’ve saved nothing.” He lifts his other hand, beckoning another piece of metal. “Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine.”
“Yeah, but the kid’s seen more movies.” Tony says.
You watch as Tony blasts a hole open on the far side of the ship. Immediately, the metal and the alien is sucked out into space, creating a blackhole for everything else that’s free-standing in the ship, including Stephen.
“No!” You shout.
The Cloak secures around one of his hands, but the pull is too strong. Stephen slips out, getting closer. Peter jumps from where he’s been sitting, a web shooting at Stephen to grab him. It secures, and when he tries to grab a metal pole inside of the ship, it snaps off.
You watch in horror as Stephen leaves the inside of the ship. Peter’s about to fly out behind him, when mechanical legs pop out from his back, stretching the length of the hole. The legs dip momentarily, before jumping back, pulling Peter and Stephen inside.
Tony works fast to block up the hole with metal, you jump from the top of the platform, landing harshly next to Stephen. He’s on his side, letting out a groan.
“Stephen,” You murmur, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey.”
He looks up at you, letting out a breath of relief. He grabs your hand, squeezing tightly. “You’re okay?”
Your eyebrows draw in, “I’m fine.”
He nods, twisting to sit up. You turn his head so that you can get a better look at his face, fingertips brushing against where the shards had touched his skin. You can’t even tell they were inside. The blood that is on his face is from being thrown away a few seconds ago.
“You have to be more careful, especially since they’re after you.”
Tony walks by, his suit disappearing.
“That’s why we gotta turn this ship around.” Stephen agrees, pushing to stand. You help him up.
“Yeah, now he wants to run. Great plan.” Tony says.
The Cloak of Levitation drapes itself over Stephen’s shoulders. You straighten it, walking behind him to follow after Tony. “No, I want to protect the stone.”
“And I want you to thank me.” Tony stops at the front of the ship, presumably. Except, there is no control panel, just a giant warped mess that allows you to see into the stars. And two giant mechanical arms with a singular place on both sides where you can stick your arm inside of to navigate it. “No, go ahead. I’m listening.”
“For what? Nearly blasting me into space?”
“Stephen.” You warn, “We can’t really fight in here.”
“Who just saved your magical ass? Me.” Tony turns around. 
“I seriously don’t know how you fit your head into that helmet.”
“Admit it, you should’ve ducked out when I told you to. I tried to bench you. You refused.” Tony says.
Stephen’s face twists. “Unlike everyone else in your life, I don’t work for you.” He glances at you, you turn your head to look at him, eyebrows raised.
“And due to that fact, we’re now in a flying doughnut, billions of miles from Earth with no backup.” 
“I’m backup.” Peter says from behind you, raising his hand.
“No, you’re a stowaway. The adults are talking.” He motions between the three of you.
“I’m sorry, I’m confused as to the relationship here.” He motions at Peter. “What is he, your ward?”
“No.” Peter says, offering his hand. “I’m Peter, by the way.”
“Doctor Strange.” Stephen says.
Peter drops his hand. “Oh, you’re using our made-up names. Um… I’m Spider-Man, then.” 
Stephen looks at you, completely unamused. “(Y/n), we should go back to Earth.”
“I’m not arguing with you.” You tell him. “In fact, if Thanos is going to go to Earth to kill half of our population, I say our best bet is to be down there.”
Tony scoffs. “You mean your best bet?” Stephen’s head snaps in his direction, your eyes narrow. “So you’ll be able to use the dead for your own personal army? By then it’ll be too late.”
“I don’t want billions of people to die, Tony.” You hiss. “For you to suggest that is a little offensive, don’t you think? I gain nothing from that.”
Tony tilts his head. 
That’s enough for you, jaw tightening, body feeling as if it’s been submerged in hot, bubbling oil. You start toward him, hands in fists at your sides. You could take deep breaths to calm down, but you think hitting him might make you feel better instead.
He doesn’t have to say anything, you know exactly what he’s thinking. While Tony has never questioned your sudden decision to switch from being a civilian to an Avenger, he has never let you forget that your abilities are far from heroic. He thinks they’re downright villainy. 
In times like these, you wonder whether or not he thinks you’re actually trustworthy, or if he’s just keeping you close, waiting for the day you finally turn on them. He’ll be the first one in line to take you down.
“I really hate it when you suggest otherwise.” You tell him lowly.
“(Y/n).” Stephen says behind you, trying to call you back.
Tony doesn’t move from where he stands. “(Y/n), we both know that you get tingly when it’s mentioned that people are dying.” He says, not caring that Stephen and Peter are standing feet away. You press your lips together. “Half of the population could die by Thanos’s hands today. You’re telling me you’re not the least bit excited by that?”
The creeping feeling begins. You grit your teeth, hard, trying to resist it. “No, because I’m human.” You tell him, unsure if you’re trying to convince yourself or him. It’s tickling the back of your neck, goosebumps starting to form. You won’t let him be right. “And even if my body reacts, my mind knows better. I’ll never stand by when I know I can help.”
“That’s where I don’t believe you.” 
You stop in front of him. “What’s your brilliant plan, then?”
Tony crosses his arms. “This ship is self-correcting its course. Thing’s on autopilot.”
Stephen comes to join you two at the front of the ship. He stops behind you, hand appearing on your lower back, rubbing slightly. You grind your teeth, tilting your head to the side to subtly let the shiver run through your body.
“Can we control it?” Stephen asks. “Fly us home?” There’s a pause where Tony doesn’t respond. “Stark.”
“Yeah?”
“Can you get us home?” He repeats.
“Yeah, I heard you. I’m thinking I’m not so sure we should.” 
“Tony.” You snap.
“It has nothing to do with you.” He says.
Stephen’s hand falls, moving to get closer to Tony. “Under no circumstances can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don’t think you quite understand what’s at stake here.”
“What? No. It’s you who doesn’t understand,” Tony moves to stop less than a foot away from Stephen. “That Thanos has been inside my head for six years. Since he sent an army to New York and now he’s back. And I don’t know what to do. So I’m not so sure if it’s a better plan to fight him on our turf or his, but you saw what they did, what they can do. At least on his turf he’s not expecting it. So I say we take the fight to him. Doctor
“Do you concur?” Tony finishes. 
“All right, Stark. We go to him.” Stephen says. You throw your hands up, shaking your head. “But you have to understand if it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone. I will not hesitate to let either of you die.” He pauses. “I can’t, because the universe depends on it.”
“Nice.” Tony pats Stephen’s arm. “Good, moral compass. We’re straight.” He turns to walk away, in Peter’s direction. He lets out a sigh. “All right, kid.” He knights Peter. “You’re an Avenger now.”
A smile slowly spreads over Peter’s face, he nods.
You lace your fingers together in front of you, walking closer to the warp to see the stars better. You’re not entirely sure if you’ll have the element of surprise on Thanos’s home planet, or if it’ll even matter. Either way, the team you have gathered on this spaceship is far from the one you’re used to.
You can’t believe that Tony pulled that argument on you again, especially in front of Stephen. He’s already suspicious that you’re not the only entity in your body, because the reactions you have at the mention of death are unnatural. You seem uncomfortable, but the involuntary shivers say otherwise—but they’re exactly that, involuntary.
The last thing you want is to confirm that you’re unstable, because you’re not.
“(Y/n).” Stephen murmurs, coming up beside you. You close your eyes, tilting your head back, taking in a breath. He wraps his arm around your body, hand pulling you into him. “You know I don’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t.” You tell him, opening your eyes. “I’m tired of having that conversation with Tony. And I do think it would be a better fight on Earth, where the rest of the Avengers are. Our crew doesn’t mean much.” 
“Well, I would say we could hijack the system, but we don’t know how to steer it, or get back to our planet.” Stephen says, looking down at you.
You meet his eyes, before resting your head on his shoulder. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He presses a kiss against your temple. 
“Hey, what’s going on?” Peter asks, coming up behind you three.
“I think we’re here.” Stephen says.
You watch through the warp as the alien planet gets closer. From what you can tell, it’s a desolate place, not a single living being seems to be inhabiting it. Your eyebrows draw in, thinking that this could make the fight against Thanos easier, if he’s got no other people to help him.
That’s assuming he’ll come alone.
“I don’t think this rig has a self-park function.” Tony says, walking away from the warp. He stops in front of one of the mechanical arms, pulling it open to stick his hand inside. “Get your hand inside the steering gimbal.” He pulls the clasp down. “Close those around it.”
Peter follows Tony’s directions. “Okay.”
“You understand?” Tony asks, glancing over.
“Yes, got it.” 
“This was meant for one big guy, so we gotta move at the same time.”
“Okay, okay.” Peter says, readjusting his stance. “Ready.”
You watch as the planet gets closer, the spaceship beginning to rumble. You share an unsure look with Stephen, before moving to find a pillar to hang on to. 
“We might wanna turn.” Peter says, and then his eyes widen. “Turn! Turn! Turn!” 
Tony has to change into his suit to be able to properly steer. From the force of them turning, you’re thrown a step off to the side. The brand new suit begins to cover your body, possibly reacting to your heart rate when you realize this thing could explode on impact if they’re not careful.
The ship comes into contact with one of the structures on the planet, jerking you from side to side. The rest of the suit covers your body, allowing you to lock your hand in place. You watch as Peter goes from his street clothes to the Spider-Man outfit.
Stephen quickly casts a shield to encase the four of you, the spaceship breaking into pieces. A second later, it slams into the planet, throwing you forward. You shouldn’t have moved more than a foot because of your grip, but your fingers unlock. You slam into the metal flooring, landing on your knees next to Stephen.
He glances down at you. The ship proceeds to slide until it hits a dip, forcing it to stop. As soon as you’re no longer in motion, Stephen drops the cast, turning to help you to your feet. The mask falls away from your face as you shake your head.
“You all right?” Stephen touches your face, moving your hair back.
“Fine.” You breathe.
Tony pushes to his feet. “That was close.” Electricity from severed wires crackles above you. “I owe you one.”
Peter hangs upside down from the ceiling using his web. “Let me just say, if aliens wind up implanting eggs in my chest or something and I eat one of you, I’m sorry.”
Your face twists, “Peter—”
“I do not want another single pop culture reference out of you for the rest of the trip.” Tony says, pointing at him. “You understand?”
Peter holds his hand out. “I’m trying to say that something is coming.”
A small, metallic ball rolls into the middle of your group, and before any of you can react, it explodes. You’re thrown several feet into the air, slamming into the wall, and landing harshly on an uneven surface. You take quick breaths to keep from triggering the pain that’s taking over your ribs.
You close your eyes, feeling the nanotech spread from beneath your chin and over your face to conceal your identity from the intruders. When you prod your fingers into sensitive skin, you let out a hiss. You really hope nothing is broken.
“Thanos!” You can hear a man yell.
The sound of Stephen’s magic makes you turn your head to see where he is. He’s got a shield up, two knives sticking out of it. The man who’s just thrown the knives begins to yell, but he’s silenced when the Cloak wraps around his head.
Another man rockets into the air, Tony jumping to fight him. You push yourself into a sitting position, wincing at the smallest movements. You use the wall as support, watching Tony and the enemy send beams back and forth, until Tony launches a rocket that explodes at the perfect time, sending him back.
Tony grabs a hold of the man, throwing back onto the ground. He lets out a laugh though, pressing a button. Blue lightning appears out of a triangular disc, which magnetizes Tony to the steering gimbal that Peter had used.
Peter lets out a scream, backing away from a woman with antennas that glow at the sight of him. As he scoots back, he shoots his web at her, trapping her where she is. The man that Tony had been fighting comes over, kicking Peter across the room.
“Stay down, clown.” He says, trying to shoot Peter.
Peter’s fast, the spider legs shoot out from his back, carrying him into the scaffolding above. Every time the man fires, he misses, but when Peter comes down to attack him, the man throws a gadget that opens like a net, securing around Peter, electrocuting him. 
“Die, blanket of death!” The first man shouts, trying to pull the Cloak from his face.
Tony finally pushes himself off of the steering gimbal, immediately flying over the man fighting with the Cloak. He hovers his hand over his head, powering it up. The Cloak of Levitation then disappears, going back to Stephen.
You take a step down from where you’re standing, making your way toward Stephen. The man that’d taken down Peter, pulls him into his arms, holding a futuristic gun against his head. “Everybody stay where you are. Chill the eff out.” 
He reaches to touch a button on the metal mask he’s wearing, making it disappear. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he’s human. He’s got the complexion, nothing out of the ordinary. Unlike Tony, who’s got the man with grey skin and red accents.
“I’m gonna ask you this one time.” He points the gun out in Tony’s direction. “Where is Gamora?”
Tony holds his other hand out to the man in retaliation. “Yeah. I’ll do you one better. Who’s Gamora?” The helmet falls away from his face.
“I’ll do you one better.” The grey man on the floor says. “Why is Gamora?”
You stop next to Stephen, hand wrapped around your ribs. He notices this immediately, eyebrows drawing in.
“Tell me where the girl is or I swear to you I’m gonna french fry this little freak.” He presses the gun to Peter’s head. 
Peter’s eyes narrow, and then return back to normal. Tony doesn’t like this. “Let’s do it. You shoot my guy and I’ll blast him. Let’s go!” His hand turns into a large blaster, mere inches away from the grey man’s face.
“Do it, Quill! I can take it.” He says, staring into the barrel.
“No, he can’t take it!” The alien girl says.
“She’s right. You can’t.” Stephen says.
“Oh, yeah? You don’t wanna tell me where she is? That’s fine. I’ll kill all three of you and I’ll beat it out of Thanos myself.” Quill says, pressing the gun further against Peter’s head. “Starting with you.”
Your face twists, Stephen squints. “Wait, what, Thanos? All right, let me ask you this one time. What master do you serve?”
“What master do I serve?” Quill repeats. “What am I supposed to say, ‘Jesus’?”
Tony deadpans, looking over at you and Stephen. He then looks at Quill again. “You’re from Earth.”
“I’m not from Earth, I’m from Missouri.” Quill says.
“Yeah, that’s on Earth, dipshit.” Tony shoots back. “What are you hassling us for?”
“So you’re not with Thanos?” Peter asks.
“With Thanos?” Quill’s face is twisted. “No, I’m here to kill Thanos. He took my girl. Wait, who are you?” He pulls the gun away from Peter’s head.
Peter’s mask falls away. “We’re the Avengers, man.”
“Oh.” Quill takes his arm off of Peter.
You allow the mask to fall from your face, too. 
“You’re the ones Thor told us about.” The girl says.
Tony looks over. “You know Thor?”
“Yeah.” Quill says. “Tall guy, not that good-looking, needed saving.”
“Where is he now?” Stephen asks.
“He’s going to Nidavellir to get some weapon.” Quill says.
Tony removes his hand from the grey man’s face, allowing him to get up. “What kind of weapon?”
“He said it would be able to kill Thanos.” Quill shrugs, “That’s all.”
“Maybe another hammer.” You suggest, the suit begins to fade away, taking the original with it too. It leaves you in the clothes you’d been in before Bruce fell through the ceiling. “I’m (Y/n).”
“Star Lord, but my real name is Peter Quill.” Quill says.
“Oh, hey. I’m Peter too.” Peter backs away, “But I’m Peter Parker.”
“Enough, kid.” Tony points at him. “Tony Stark.”
“Doctor Strange.” Stephen says from beside you.
The alien girl wrapped in web hops forward. “I am Mantis.”
“That’s Drax.” Quill says, motioning to the grey man.
Tony nods, starting for the door, “We should step out, get a feel for the planet.”
“There’s not much out there.” Quill says, but he doesn’t argue.
Peter walks over to Mantis to free her from the webbing. Stephen goes to follow, but you place a hand on his chest to stop him, he looks down at you. You give him a pained smile, waiting for the others to leave the ship first.
“Are you coming?” Peter asks, stopping at the exit, looking back at you and Stephen.
“We’ll be out there in a minute.” You tell him.
He nods, going to join the group. Your hand falls from Stephen’s chest, going to take a deep breath, and wincing when a sharp pain stabs through your ribs. He doesn’t miss this, grabbing your elbow to keep it up.
“What happened?”
“It’s my ribs.” You tell him.
His fingers reach for the hem of your shirt, he meets your eyes. “Can I?”
“Yeah.”
“Put your hand on my shoulder.” He tells you. You follow his direction, looking down to watch what he does.
He pulls your shirt all the way up to your chest, where you bunch it up to make it easier to see. He tilts his head, face smoothing briefly, before his eyebrows draw in. Stephen’s fingers brush against the skin over your right side.
You press your lips together, letting out a noise. 
“When did this happen?” He asks, applying more pressure.
You suck in a shaky breath. “When the alien had sideswiped me, I hit the car that was parked on the side of the street.” You tell him. “And when Quill threw that bomb—”
“You landed on the same side.” Stephen says. He pulls away, you let go of your shirt. It falls back into place, wrinkled. “I think they’re just bruised, but you’ve got to take it easy.”
“I figured as much.” You tell him, turning to start at the door.
He walks by your side. “I thought you said you could take care of yourself.”
“I can.” You say, “I know when to ask for help.”
“That’s not what I had in mind.” 
“Well, that’s a shame.” You glance at him, going down the ramp.
He doesn’t look very amused. “(Y/n), if you think you’re unable to fight Thanos—”
“I’ll let you know.” You say, stepping onto the dirt.
A shock goes through your body, as you freeze where you stand. 
Death. The word echoes in your mind loudly. You can’t help the way your body reacts, goosebumps covering every inch of your body, until you’re shivering as if you’re freezing.
“(Y/n)?” Stephen grabs your shoulder.
“I’m fine.” You chatter out, hugging yourself. “We’re just walking on a graveyard, is all.”
You force your legs to work, moving forward. The coldness leaves your body the further you travel, warmth returning. No matter where you step, the dark feeling clings on.
“The hell happened to this planet?” You hear Quill ask, he’s holding up a glowing yellow pod. “It’s eight degrees off its axis. Gravitational pull is all over the place.”
“Must’ve been a massacre.” You say, Tony turns to see you and Stephen joining. “I can feel it.”
He makes a face. “Feeling dark?”
“It’s hard not to.” You come to a stop, crossing your arms.
“We’ve got one advantage. He’s coming to us.” He says, moving around. “We’ll use it. All right, I have a plan. Or at least the beginnings of one.” You gather in with Quill. “It’s pretty simple. We draw him in, pin him down, get what we need. Definitely don’t wanna dance with this guy. We just want the gauntlet.”
Drax yawns loudly.
“Are you yawning?”
You glance away, eyes landing on Stephen, floating in the air in a sitting position. He must be using the Time Stone, because there’s a ring of green around his forearms.
“In the middle of this, while I’m breaking it down? Huh?” Tony says, Drax and Mantis look over. “Did you hear what I said?”
Drax briefly looks at Mantis before he looks back at Tony. “I stopped listening after you said, ‘We need a plan’.”
“Okay, Mr. Clean is on his own page.”
“See, ‘not winging it’ isn’t really what they do.” Quill says back.
Peter raises his hand. “Uh, what exactly is it that they do?” 
“Kick names, take ass.” Mantis says proudly.
Drax nods. “Yeah, that’s right.”
Your face twists, you let out a loud sigh. “There goes my hope that we had a working team.”
Tony stares at them blankly. “All right, just get over here, please.” When they don’t move, he addresses Quill. “Mr. Lord, can you get your folks to circle up?”
Quill nods. “‘Mr. Lord’,” he lets out a laugh. “Star-Lord is fine.” He cocks his head to the side, Drax and Mantis come closer.
“We gotta coalesce. Cause if all we come at him with is a plucky attitude—”
“Dude, don’t call us plucky. We don’t know what that means. All right, we’re optimistic, yes. I like your plan.” Quill says, Tony and you make eye contact. “Except it sucks, so let me do the plan and that way it might be really good.”
Tony closes his eyes.
“Tell him about the dance-off to save the universe.” Drax says.
“What dance-off?” Tony asks.
Quill makes a face, stuttering, “It’s not a—it’s nothing.”
“Like in Footloose, the movie?” Peter asks.
“Exactly like Footloose.” Quill leans forward. “Is it still the greatest movie in history?”
“It never was.” Peter says.
Quill squints at him, smile dropping.
“Don’t encourage this, all right?” Tony says, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “We’re getting no help from Flash Gordon here.”
“Flash Gordon?” Quill takes a step after him. “By the way, that’s a compliment. Don’t forget, I’m half human.”
Your attention has diverted back to Stephen, who’s snapping his neck from side to side, still floating. “Honey?”
“So that fifty-perfect of me that’s stupid,” He pauses, “That’s one hundred percent you.”
“Your math is blowing my mind.” Tony says back.
You step up to Stephen, “Hey, Tony!”
You glance over your shoulder to see Tony coming in your direction, seeing the problem. “Strange, we all right?”
You want to touch him, but you’re afraid of what’ll happen if you do. His head is still moving from side to side, eyes closed, as if he’s seeking something. “Stephen.” The Time Stone is glowing, a green haze is encircling his upper torso.
His head begins to move faster, letting out a grunt. A shout then leaves him, gasping as he falls to the rock below, eyes open and looking around. You crouch in front of Stephen, hands on his knees. He grabs one of them immediately, squeezing.
“You’re back.” You murmur. 
“Hi.” he breathes.
“Hey, what was that?” Peter asks.
“I went forward in time to view alternate futures.” He says, looking between you and Tony, who stands behind you now. He’s breathing heavily as he talks. The Time Stone glows brightly against his chest. “To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict.”
“How many did you see?” Quill asks.
“Fourteen million, six hundred and five.”
“How many did we win?” Tony asks.
Stephen presses his lips together for a second. “One.”
You push to get to your feet, “How soon will he be here?”
He shakes his head, “Thirty minutes.”
You look at Tony, “We need to flesh that plan out.”
Tony nods, “Will my initial one work?”
Stephen takes in a breath. “Yes, actually.”
A storm cloud of grey and blue appears in the rubble, a boot being the first thing to come out of it. You adjust your footing, keeping your eyes on the giant, purple man that comes through it. The cloud is gone, and the air returns to normal. 
Your eyes find the gauntlet, which takes up the entirety of Thanos’s forearm, stopping at the elbow. When he turns his wrist the right way, you can see the stones he has, glint in the setting sun. He stops to look at the spaceship you’d come out of.
“Oh, yeah.” Stephen says, he’s sitting at the top of the steps on a rock. He’d volunteered to be the distraction, so the rest of you could prepare to fight. Thanos looks over at him, not worried. “You’re much more of a Thanos.”
Thanos looks away. “I take it the Maw is dead.” Stephen leans forward on his knees, nodding. “This day extracts a heavy toll.” He begins to walk. “Still, he accomplished his mission.”
“You may regret that.” Stephen tells him. “He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts.”
“And where do you think he brought you?” 
“Let me guess. Your home?” Stephen asks.
Thanos stops, foot resting on top of a rock, gauntlet on his thigh. The Space, Reality and Power Stones displayed. You can’t tell if he has the Soul Stone or not.
“It was.” Thanos says. He lifts the gauntlet, and the Reality Stone begins to glow brightly when he closes his fist. “It was beautiful.”
The world around you begins to change, as he manipulates the area around you to make it look like it had before. A bright blue sky, green grass, a fountain in the middle of the plaza. There are people just like him, conversing around the park. And the giant building that’s falling apart, stands sturdy and clean.
“Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution.” 
“Genocide.” Stephen says.
You duck behind the spacecraft, slapping a hand over your mouth, eyes squeezed shut as your body shakes. 
“But random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike.” Thanos continues. “They called me a madman.” You sigh, not bothering to move from where you are. “And what I predicted came to pass.”
The scene fades away, bringing you back to reality. No wonder you can’t stay in control, here. You are literally on top of a graveyard, with so many undead beneath you that haven't risen since the day they died. They must be eager to get out, breathe the air above again.
What they don’t know is that it won’t taste the same as it did before.
“Congratulations, you’re a prophet.” Stephen says.
The good news is that if the dead haven’t been brought back before, there’ll be more power to it. They’re going to be decayed, sure. But they’re going to be stronger than the ones in New York, because these are new toys to play with. Besides, you can’t wait to see the look on Thanos’s face when he realizes that his own people are fighting against him.
“I’m a survivor.” Thanos says.
“Who wants to murder trillions.”
“With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers.” He says, the noise filling the air. “They would all cease to exist. I call that mercy.”
You lift your head to see Stephen, finding him on his feet. “And then what?” He takes a step down.
Thanos looks away. “I’d finally rest and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”
Your lip twitches.
“I think you’ll find our will equal to yours.” Stephen says, clapping his hands together, and pulling them apart to show his magic.
“Our?” Thanos asks, lifting his head, tilting it all the way back.
Tony’s coming down with a piece of the spaceship, aimed directly over Thanos. As the purple stone begins to glow, he’s crushed by the mass, sending out a cloud of dirt and dust on impact. 
The mask crawls up your face, blocking it just in time to swarm you. 
“Piece of cake, Quill.” Tony says, doing a lap through a structure.
Quill begins to run, pressing the button on his mask again, which covers his face. “Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off.” He jumps, flying to where Thanos is.
An explosion of purple sets off, chunks of metal flying out, revealing Thanos underneath. He lets out a war cry, the Reality Stone glowing as he swings his gauntlet arm, creating a mass of alien birds that swarm Tony, carrying him away.
Peter takes the opportunity to shoot his web, covering Thanos’s eyes, flying by to kick him in the face. Drax slices across the back of his knee. Stephen comes through a portal, Drax swings at Thanos, only to be blocked. Stephen pulls out his own weapon, a sword made from the orange magic.
They take turns, going back and forth swinging at Thanos. He’ll dodge, switch sides, taking another hit from the back. He then punches Drax’s chest, throwing him into a rock that crumbles.
Stephen swings, Thanos catches the sword. Quill jumps through the air, using the rocks as stepping stones. Thanos finally pulls the webbing from his face, Stephen makes the sword disappear, opting for a shield, which Thanos kicks in to. 
Quill shoots at Thanos’s back, Stephen casts a spell to create more platforms for Quill to use, hopping from one to the next. He flips over Thanos, planting a bomb on his back, which beeps loudly. He backs away, middle finger raised. “Boom!” And then he falls through a portal.
The bomb explodes, Thanos stumbles forward, landing on his hands. Just as he’s straightening, the Cloak wraps itself around his hand tightly. Stephen casts another portal, one which Peter jumps out. 
He slams his fist across Thanos’s face. “Magic.” Disappears through the portal on the other side, which spits him out a foot above. Peter swings down on Thanos’s head. “More magic.” And pops out on the other side, Thanos turns at the wrong moment, “Magic with a kick.” He says, foot right across his face. The next portal opens up, “Magic with a—!”
Thanos grabs Peter by the throat, slamming him down into the dirt, choking him. “Insect!” He shouts, before lifting the teenager and throwing him into Stephen.
The two of them disappear in the rubble, you rise from where you’re hiding, beginning to creep around to find a better place to be when you raise this army. Thanos rips off the Cloak, which flies away to get back to Stephen.
Another explosion is set off, a wave of heat hits you like a truck, warming you up on the inside and out. This is Tony’s doing, as he repeatedly sends his rockets down where Thanos is standing. 
It doesn’t work. Thanos sucks the fire up through the Power Stone, shooting it back at Tony, which blasts him into one of the structures up in the air. He hits the floating middle piece, causing a different explosion. 
“(Y/n), now's a good time!” Tony shouts through static.
You come out into the open, Thanos’s attention turning to you. You fall to your knees in front of him, intertwining your fingers, staring directly at him. “Ready to see your people?” You laugh coldly, raising your locked hands up in the air, before slamming them into the dirt. “Rise!”
The ground begins to tremble, a shiver runs through your body, feeling the cold, dark energy building in your body. The dirt breaks apart, purple hands sprouting out in claw positions. You watch in amazement as the bodies pull themselves out of the planet, in almost perfect condition.
You push to get on your feet, watching as Thanos takes several steps back, as his own people come to stand around you. All of them stand around the same height, taking away his advantage. 
“You…” He trails off, voice accusatory.
With a finger pointed out in his direction, you tilt your head to the side. “Pin the survivor down.”
The undead move at him, coming in every direction. They’re strong, energy coursing through your body. You retreat the best you can while keeping your eyes on him. The confliction in his face is everything you were hoping for, as he looks between the people that he once knew.
When he realizes that they’re not going to stop for him, he lets out a scream, swinging at them. They take the hits, springing back to life mere seconds later. You watch from the top of the stairs in amazement. You’ve never had an army act like this before, with such violence.
Maybe it’s their will to come back. Or maybe, some of their spirits are still here, unable to move on. His face brings bad memories, from when they were starving and beginning to fall from the inside out. Maybe they know about his slaughtering activities on other planets, carrying out his ideas on poor, unsuspecting people that can’t defend themselves against his power.
Maybe this is their way of getting revenge for you.
You let out a laugh.
Thanos throws his hand out, a sharp and warm pain explodes across your left shoulder, twisting you to the ground. You land on your hands and knees, coming face to face with the chunk of flesh that Thanos has just taken from your body. The blood spurts out of the wound.
Your breaths pick up at the sight of the amount of blood leaving your body, stars coming to the corners of your vision. You let out a scream through gritted teeth as the feeling hits you full-force, tears appearing in your eyes.
“(Y/n)!” Stephen shouts.
When you look over your shoulder, you see that Peter has webbed Thanos’s hand with the gauntlet, pulling it away from him. Thanos still fights with his open hand, knocking away the dead effortlessly. He pulls Peter toward him when there’s an opening, punching him across the face, and ripping the webbing from the gauntlet.
Suddenly, a spaceship comes out of the brown haze, belonging to none of you. It hits the planet, as well as Thanos, and the entire army of the dead. You struggle to your feet, stumbling down the steps. 
Stephen is floating through the air, toward Thanos, when he sees that you’re alive. You follow after him the best you can, a burning sensation spreading over your missing shoulder when you see the nanotech forms over it. At least then, it’ll be covered.
A girl springs out of the rock to fight Thanos, one that you don’t recognize. Stephen uses his magic to lasso Thanos’s gauntlet, trying to pull it off of him. Drax comes up behind him, kicking the back of his knee to force him down. Quill shoots a triangular disc—the same one he’d used against Tony—underneath Thanos’s free hand to keep him from pulling at the gauntlet. 
Peter uses his web, swinging around to pull Thanos with Quill. While Tony comes around, grabbing at the gauntlet. Thanos is strong, though, pulling at Peter’s web. The spider legs come out, digging into the rock to keep him from moving. Stephen retracts his spell, casting a new one for a portal, where Mantis falls onto Thanos’s shoulders.
She places her hands on both sides of his head, leaning over him. Stephen works with Quill and Peter to pull on the other hand. Thanos is screaming, eyes a milky white as he turns his head to the side.
You come to a stop a few feet away, the sound of dragging footsteps behind you. It’s a few of the dead that hadn’t died with the ship. “Get the gauntlet off of him.” You demand.
They move to help Tony, fingers digging underneath it to get better leverage. Thanos stops resisting so hard, as Mantis’s antennas begin to glow white.
“Is he under? Don’t let up.” Tony says, pulling.
“Be quick. He is very strong.” She says.
“Parker, help! Get over here.” Tony orders. “She can’t hold him much longer. Let’s go.”
They all pull at the gauntlet, seemingly making no progress. Quill flies over, landing a few feet away, tucking his gun back onto the hollister. 
“We gotta open his fingers to get it off.” Peter says.
You move closer, “Do as he says.” The dead begin to work on his fingers, struggling against his strength.
“I thought you’d be hard to catch.” Quill taunts. “For the record, this was my plan.” Thanos doesn’t respond, mouth hanging open. “You’re not so strong now, huh?” He stops in front of him. “Where is Gamora?”
Thanos groans, “My Gamora.”
“No, bullshit!” Quill says, “Where is she?”
“He is in anguish.” Mantis says, Thanos’s face twists.
“Good.”
“He… he mourns.” Mantis pants, eyebrows drawn in, tears in her eyes.
You look over to see the same girl as earlier has now joined you. She doesn’t seem to be human, though. She’s robotic, and blue. 
“What does this monster have to mourn?” Drax manages to get out.
“Gamora.” The girl says.
Quill turns to look at her. “What?”
“He took her to Vormir.” She says. “He came back with the Soul Stone. But she didn’t.”
The helmet disappears from Tony’s head. “Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now. You understand?” Quill is turning to look at Thanos. “Don’t, don’t—don’t engage. We almost got this off!” He shouts.
“Tell me she’s lying.” Quill begins to shout. “Asshole, tell me you didn’t do it!”
“I had to.” Thanos hisses out.
“No, you didn’t.” Quill shakes his head, Thanos groans. “No, you didn’t.” 
Quill draws back, gun in hand. You reach with your good arm to catch him before he ruins this, but it’s too late. He hits Thanos with the side of the gun, Mantis loses her grip on him. She tries to regain her grip, but he hits Thanos again.
“No, you didn’t!”
“Quill!” Tony shouts, abandoning the gauntlet to grab Quill. “Hey, stop! Hey, stop! Stop!”
Peter pulls, it begins to slip. You jump over, grabbing the bottom. The suit explodes over your body, heels digging into the ground. “Pull!” You shout.
“Hey, stop! Stop!” 
“It’s coming, it’s coming.” Peter adjusts to get a better grip on it. “We got it, we got it!”
Thanos comes back at this moment, headbutting Mantis. The gauntlet is just slipping off his last finger, when he throws you, Peter and the few undead you have left. You land harshly, rolling once or twice before forcing yourself to get back on your feet. He then reaches up, grabbing Mantis by her foot, and flinging her off.
“Oh, god.” Peter says, jumping in the air to grab her. The spider legs come out, creating a case for them to roll in without touching the ground. 
Thanos kicks Drax off his leg, straight into Quill and the blue robot. He grabs the lasso that Stephen has been holding onto him, whipping it forward and letting go. You watch your boyfriend come closer to you, and continue to fly over your head.
Tony tries to blast Thanos, but he’s pissed now. All he does is swing his arm, batting Tony away. Drax, Quill and the robot get to their feet to run at him, then Thanos uses the Power Stone to stop them where they are, forcing them back on the cement.
Tony comes back, swinging at him with a nanotech blade. Thanos grabs his arm, headbutting him too. Thanos hits the staircase on the other side, doing backwards somersaults until he lands on his knees.
Thanos reaches up in the direction of a nearby planet that you can see. His gauntlet glowing purple as he presumably breaks off parts of the surface. With a closed fist, he throws it down, bringing the pieces to you. You duck against a rock, covering your head as brown fiery smoke leaves a path.
Tony tries to fly away, but he’s caught by one of the giant pieces of rock, crushing him beneath. The impact fucks up the gravity, as Drax, the robot and Quill take off into the air.
“Peter!” You shout, “Grab them!”
“Got it, Miss (L/n)!” He calls back, slinging to his feet.
The ground quakes each time a chunk lands on the surface. You throw your head back, searching to find Stephen, on a floating rock, not too far from Thanos. He moves his arms, bands of orange appearing, hitting his hands against the ground. The orange electricity jumps from each rock, until it reaches Thanos, exploding the surface.
Thanos jumps off, using the Power stone to send purple lightning back at Stephen. He’s prepared for this, it hits a shield, flying back at Thanos. Who shatters it into pieces with one punch from the gauntlet. He sucks it all up with the Space Stone, creating a vortex, spiraling in Stephen’s direction.
Stephen casts another shield, the vortex becoming a flurry of green butterflies, which is merely a distraction, as the next trick comes. Multiple arms come from him, spreading out, until they move in sync to become one, bursting apart as replicas of him take over the air, surrounding Thanos.
They move together, hundreds of lassos wrapping around Thanos’s arms, which he quickly breaks with the Power Stone. Static electricity takes over the air, until it’s just your boyfriend. 
Thanos reaches forward, beckoning Stephen to him. His gauntlet hand secures around his throat. “You’re full of tricks, wizard.” He reaches to grab the necklace, Stephen struggles to pull away. “Yet you never once used your greatest weapon.” He crushes the necklace in his hand. “A fake.”
He throws Stephen, and he rolls a few feet before stopping. When he doesn’t get up, you begin to move through the rock to get to him.
Tony sends nanotech to the gauntlet, keeping it from closing. He lands, breathing hard. “You throw another moon at me, and I’m gonna lose it.”
“Stark.” Thanos says. 
“You know me?”
“I do. Just like how I know that necromancer is (Y/n).” He says, you stop in your tracks, head snapping in his direction. “You’re not the only one cursed with knowledge.”
“My only curse is you.” Tony says, more explosives coming out of his back.
“Come on!” Thanos growls, letting the gauntlet take the hit. 
You begin to move faster, making it to Stephen. You land on your knees, ignoring the blossoming pain from doing it so many times today. You reach for his face with your only hand, moving his hair back.
“Stephen, babe.” You murmur, wincing when you use your other arm to rest on his chest. The technology in your ear tells you that he’s still breathing. You let out a breath.
You brush some of the debris from his face, forcing him on his back. 
Tony’s feet slam into Thanos, he does a backflip, landing on his feet, arms turning into giant hammers with blasters on the bottom. He hits Thanos into a rock, and when Thanos gets back on his feet, he tears the helmet right from Tony’s head. 
Another one forms in an instant, as he tries to block Thanos’s punch. It doesn’t work, Tony flattens on the rock.
“Stephen.” You whisper, “Come on.”
Thanos breaks the nanotech off of the gauntlet, using the Power stone to hit Tony with a powerful force, which Tony blocks in time with a shield. It comes around, like flames licking at a closed door. It forces Tony back, despite the pressure he’s putting to stay in place.
He throws the shield back when Thanos stops, nanotech transferring from a small space on his back, to his foot, which locks down Thanos’s gauntlet hand. Tony throws a powerful punch, landing it right across his face.
Thanos reaches up, brushing a part on his upper cheek, looking at his fingertips. “All that for a drop of blood.”
“(Y/n).” Stephen mutters. 
You look back down at him, finding his eyes open, on you. You nod, cupping his face with both hands. “I’m here. Are you okay?”
“Your shoulder…” He trails off, reaching to touch it, but he knows better than to make contact.
“I know.”
Thanos gets out of the trap, throwing Tony onto the ground, and laying in with the punches, slowly destroying the nanotech with each one landed. He picks him up, throwing him away.
Tony focuses the tech to his hands, taking away from a part on his thigh and hip, but Thanos blocks the rays with the purple glowing gauntlet. He swings at Tony’s face, taking the rest of the helmet off. Tony tries to throw a punch, it’s grabbed. With his only free arm, the nanotech forms a blade, Tony tries to stab, but Thanos breaks it off.
You watch in horror as he stabs it through the missing armor in Tony’s abdomen.
“No!” You let out, Stephen moves to sit up, you don’t stop him.
You clasp your hands together, raising them above your head, going to hit the ground, when a hand grabs them before they do. You make eye contact with Stephen, who shakes his head at you.
“It won’t help.”
“We should kill him.” You tell him. “We need to kill him.”
Tony lets out a grunt, Thanos walks him back until he sits on a rock. 
Stephen’s grip tightens. “This is how we win. This is the plan.”
“You have my respect, Stark.” Thanos says. “When I’m done, half of humanity will still be alive.”
You grit your teeth, “This isn’t right.”
“I hope they remember you.” Thanos holds his hand out, each stone glowing on his knuckles.
Stephen lets go of you, eyes on Thanos, “Stop.” He pants. “Spare his life and I will give you the stone.”
“Stephen.” You snap, “No!”
“No tricks.” Thanos says.
Stephen shakes his head, Thanos points the gauntlet at you two, instead.
“Don’t.” Tony groans, blood dripping out the corner of his mouth. 
Stephen slowly lifts his hand, a green haze showing before the Time Stone appears out of thin air, between his forefinger and thumb. Thanos hold out his other hand, palm up.
“Don’t do this.” You tell him, pressure behind your eyes. “Don’t, Stephen, I don’t want those people to die.”
He looks at you for a long second, before releasing the stone. It floats through the air, straight to Thanos. He lowers the gauntlet, taking the green gem in his hand. Your head falls, you let out a sob between gritted teeth.
When you look, Thanos is dropping the Time Stone into the slot on the knuckle of his thumb. “One to go.”
A beam hits the gauntlet, as Quill comes out of the rock and rubble, flying straight at Thanos, repeatedly firing. The same storm cloud that brought Thanos here has now materialized to take him back. He takes one step backwards, and it swallows him whole.
Quill flies right through where he should have made contact with Thanos. He gets to his feet, waving his gun. “Where is he?”
Tony uses the nanotech to heal where he’d been stabbed, letting out a sigh.
“Did we just lose?” Quill asks.
You let out a sob, hand covering your mouth. Stephen reaches to touch you, but you jerk away, “Don’t, don’t do that.”
“(Y/n)---”
You stumble down the rock, putting a few feet between you two.
Tony looks over at him. “Why would you do that?” 
“We’re in the endgame now.” He says.
You lace your fingers, resting your hands on the top of your head, ignoring the pain that stabs through your shoulder and ribs. You take several deep breaths in through your nose, letting it out through your mouth. Your throat is tightening, making it harder to breathe.
“Miss (L/n), I’ve got them!” Peter shouts, you glance over to see Mantis, Drax and the robot coming your way. “Oh no, Mr. Stark?” 
“(Y/n), come here, please.” Stephen says, “I don’t want you to regret this moment.” Your bottom lip juts out as you turn around to face him, finding him on his feet. He’s got a hand out in your direction. “I’m sorry, honey.”
The suit falls away from your body at the same time Tony dismisses his. You shake your head at him, refusing to go toward him. “All those people…” You lower your arms to wipe the tears. “I can’t.”
“We haven’t lost yet.” He tells you.
Peter pulls Tony to his feet. Mantis stops walking with Quill, looking up. “Something’s happening.”
Mantis’s feet begin to disintegrate, eating up the rest of her legs, turning into flakes of dust that get blown away in the wind. Your face drops. At once, the rest of her is gone.
Drax’s left half of his body begins to follow suit, he looks up, “Quill?”
He’s gone too, Tony starts forward, “Steady, Quill.”
It works faster this time, “Oh, man.”
You turn with an open mouth to look at Stephen, “No, no, no!”
His legs are turning into dust, you rush through the rocks to get to him in time. Maybe if you touch him, he’ll stay. Maybe your abilities will work in reverse.
“There was no other way, my love.” He whispers, breathing shallow.
“No!” You scream, arms swiping through the dust where he had been a second ago. “Stephen, no!”
“Mr. Stark?” Peter’s voice is trembling.
“God damn it!” You cry, face pressing into the rock. “Bring him back!”
“I don’t feel so good.” Peter says.
“You’re all right.” Tony says.
“I don’t—I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know…” He falls into Tony’s arms. “I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go, sir. Please. Please, I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go.” Tony carefully lowers him to the ground. “I’m sorry.”
You bury your face in your hands, silently sobbing as you struggle to breathe. “Stephen…” You whisper. “Come back to me.”
It dawns on you.
You scoot away from the rock, sitting up on your knees. You blink through blurry eyes, fingers laced, hands above your head. “Please, work.” You whisper, and then slam your hands into concrete, pressing hard. “Stephen, rise!” 
The ground is still, not reacting to your words.
“I said,” You raise your hands, bringing them down again. “Rise! Bring me Stephen Strange!”
Finally, the rock begins to shake violently, you sit impatiently, waiting for him to sprout out of the ground where he’d turned to dust over. Instead, the planet settles, and you’re left with nothing.
“He did it.” The robot says.
Your labored breaths quickly turn into deep breaths that begin to even out, the more you think about her. You push to your feet, attentioning turning to her. This wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t come here. 
“You.” You snarl out, Tony looks up at you. “This is your fault.”
She looks at you, eyes widening slightly, “Me?”
“Did you really have to be that honest?” You snap, going down the dirt. “You had to tell Quill that she was dead?”
Her face twists. “He was going to beat it out of Thanos whether or not I—”
“You don’t know that!” You shout, “Now they’re dead, and it’s your fault!” You stop a foot away from her. “This wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t here. We had him pinned down, we were right there! Peter had just gotten the gauntlet off of his arm!”
“(Y/n), this was always going to happen.” Tony interjects, “Stephen said it himself, this was the only way.”
“I don’t believe that.” You look down at him. “Stephen would never leave me on purpose. He’d never do that.”
“He would if it meant you’d be safe.”
--
this was part of my 3k celebration!! i am no longer accepting requests.
once again, i'm sorry it's long. i got carried away hehe. and i was determined to write the entire movie so i did.
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make-me-imagine · 10 months
Text
A Step Forward
Prompt/Request: A takes B's hand to help them down steps/wall, and doesn't let go
Pairing: Stephen Strange x Gn!Reader
Requested By: Anonymous (this is a leftover Valentines Request lol)
Words: 617; super short I know, but at least I managed to write something lol
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After everyone had disappeared from the sanctum grounds for the evening, you and Stephen walked side by side through the training area.
"This group seems promising" you noted as you thought back on the group you had been helping him train.
Stephen hummed "Yes, but they still have a long way to go."
"You say that every time"
"That's because it's true every time" he said as he smiled at you.
"You said that about me too, and then I helped save the world, and your life two weeks later."
He rolled his eyes but laughed "You are a rare exception." he added, his tone a bit softer, making your heart thump.
You smiled as you headed up onto a platform "A rare exception? That's a rare compliment from thee Stephen Strange."
Stephen watched as you picked up a training dummy and set it aside, his eyes gazed over you fondly.
"Why do you think I now allow you to teach alongside me? You're one of the best here."
You smiled down at him "And here I thought it was because you and Wong bicker when you train it together"
Stephen smiled, "That too"
Walking over to the ledge of the platform, you prepared to jump down but Stephen stepped forward and reached out his hand for you to take.
You were caught off guard by the action, but brushed away the warmth in your chest as you placed your hand in his. Leaping down he kept you steady as you laded on the pavement below.
Stephen continued to walk and you expected his hand to slip from yours, but instead, he only entertwined his fingers with yours as he walked along side you.
You looked down at your intertwined hands before looking back at him. His face was turned away from you, as he seemed to avoid your gaze, and instead eyed some training targets.
Your stomach flipped as you repressed a smile, noting how warm your face felt.
You and Stephen had been dancing around your obvious feelings for one another for what seemed like ages. You both knew how you felt, but you were both hesitant to start anything. Your lives were dangerous, was it worth the risk?
But now, as his hand gripped yours it seemed as though he had made that decision for the both of you.
As you headed back towards the sanctum, you allowed yourself to softly squeeze his hand. A subtle way of telling him you wanted it too. You saw his smile widen a bit from the corner of your eye as he squeezed your hand in return.
Heading into the Sanctum, he did not remove his hand from yours, even as others walked past, obviously noticing. You saw the looks on their faceas as they smiled as they passed. Most of them thinking it was about time something happened with you two.
Finally stopping, Stephen turned towards you and looked down at your hands before he cleared his throat softly. He gently caressed your hand with his thumb before he met your eyes, a soft smile ghosting his lips.
"Would you like to go get dinner?"
Stephen was still uncertain of how to word his feelings, uncertain of how to tell you just how much he wanted to be with you. but the fact that you allowed him this gentle form of affection told him you knew he was trying.
You nodded with a smile "Yes."
He smiled in return as you both continued down the sanctum halls, hands still linked, as you walked a bit closer than before. It may not be perfect yet, but it was a step forward, and a promising one at that.
xx End xx
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Text
‘Disrespect’
Surgeon! Strange x fem! reader
- i got a request for this and oh my lord, writing this honestly had me in a state of disbelief. i think i kind of got carried away but fuck it we ball. i <3 dom Stephen sm xx
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You often had to remind yourself that Dr Strange simply doesn't function like other people.
Working with him was never ideal, especially in a busy hospital with little to no time to do anything, it did give you the opportunity to idle at how ingeniously he worked. Stephen was exceptionally skilled and he was also exceptionally arrogant; his need to prove he's the smartest man in the room by any means possible provoked you, sometimes you thought he did it on purpose to annoy you specifically. Getting a doctorate didn't make him God's righteous man, most of the time you wanted to curbstomp his stupidly perfect teeth in. Deceit and hubris was always plastered on his face and even with that million dollar smile that women fawned over, you could see right through him. What made everything ten times worst is that after a particularly gruelling night shift, it was only you and him left to clean up the operating theatre.
It felt like the universe was just fucking with you today.
Stuck cleaning up the mess Stephen made with him alone only made you reflect upon why he was hellbent on being an asshole to everybody. And why he had to be attractive whilst doing so. It was easy to see he was attractive but so hard for you to actually admit it. He had all the physical attributes that made you drool but his personality was as appealing to you as shit under your shoe. Stephen found his way to prominence not by just being an incredible neurosurgeon but by fucking through the entire staff; all the nurses found themselves bending over backwards to impress him but he just dismissed them, you honestly couldn't believe the gall he had- it was inhuman.
Now all you could do was survey him silently and not acknowledge him at all.
Stephen was having trouble even making eye contact with you today, the thought made him chuckle inwardly. Normally, you'd gawk at him stupidly when you believed he wasn't looking but he felt your eyes burn into his skull- he couldn't help but consider the possibility that you weren't death staring him but actually...eyefucking him. Stephen basked in the feeling, his confidence doubled tenfold usually but today you were deliberately ignoring him. He couldn't have that. Not since you were the most gorgeous distraction he's ever had. He just kept thinking of you when he wasn't supposed to and Stephen wanted to act on his primitive urges.
‘���You're being unusually untalkative.’’ Stephen remarked as you were both washing your hands in the sink, almost as if to clean yourself of this stupid day. ‘’Who pissed in your cereal?’’ He quirked an eyebrow at you, gazing at you through the mirror.
‘’Maybe I just don't fucking like you.’’ You gave him a dazzling, chilly 'fuck off' smile alongside your unwelcome glare. Stephen loved it- your persistent need to shrug him aside, it was a taste of his own medicine.
‘’Don't lie. It doesn't suit a woman like you.’’
‘’Like me?’’ Your tone filled with offence and displeasure as your eyes narrowed. Who the fuck did he think he was to evaluate you? It annoyed you to a senseless degree.
‘’You're too pretty to lie. Stop lying to yourself, you do like me. And you hate it.’’ Stephen stared at you directly as he dried his hands off, his expression certain and his smile sly.
Stephen knew you got him in a 'gotcha' moment. Your face was vacant, eyes gleaming wide and doe alongside an agape mouth and creased eyebrows. He smirked at you like a stupid all American textbook jock as if he could see right through you and all your innermost thoughts. You resumed your movements and gathered your loose hair and tied it into a ponytail and connected gazes daren't oscillate. Stephen loved watching you work and going about doing your own thing, he liked that you thawed when you gave him a sweet smile.
‘’Where would you get that impression that I do infact tolerate you, Doctor?’’ You couldn't help but flirt with him, not when he was being so brazen and saying exactly what was on his mind- you could do the exact same.
He took a beat to study you and look at you in this resolve. Beautiful. Charming. Saccharine.
Stephen cocked his head, thinned his eyes and simply said: ‘’Intuition?’’
‘’Don't lie. It doesn't suit a man like you.’’ You repeated his prior statement with a small smirk and knowing character.
Stephen let out a breathless scoff at your purpose. You were enjoying yourself completely and he had this overwhelming surge to just...bend you over the operating table. The idea was completely out of it but you were making him feel this new sensation: it was thrilling and completely new. New and shiny. Stephen stalked towards you in slow steps and he reached his hand and out and pulled on your ponytail. He was pleased with the small gasp you let out.
‘’I like this. You should wear it up more often.’’ He mumbled thickly, eyes heavy and half lidded as he stared down at you.
‘’Mmm...I don't know... you seem awfully inattentive, Doctor.’’ You hummed as Stephen was drawing closer to you, lulling your head back slightly and crooning in warm pleasure. You were clearly amused.
‘’Baby, I'm very detail oriented. Don't question my awareness.’’ Stephen scolded at you and if you were being honest, it aroused the everloving God out of you. In this context, you'd allow yourself a brief moment of liberty to succumb to his...charms.
The way he called you baby made you feel wobbly. Baby. Mmm...hearing him say that to you made you bite your lip in anticipation. This cruel frustration was certainly making you feel flustered and he was pleased to see such a scene. He was so happy. So damn happy he got you in such a state. Him? Making you blush? You? Of all people?
‘’Awareness my ass.’’ You chuckled as you peered up at him flirtatiously, a cute little smile playing at your lips too. Oh, so you can be fun. Stephen just scoffed at your determinted nature. ‘’But for the sake of pettiness and my spiral into insanity, if you are so aware...tell me what makes you aware of me?’’ You couldn't help but provoke him further, allowing yourself the selfishness of prying into his head to see how he actually views you. If he actually wanted you like that.
‘’Eyes.’’ Stephen mumbled under his breath, pupils darting elsewhere as if he didn't want you to actually hear the words that came out of his mouth but you were attentive, you obviously did. For fucks sake, he's deciding to get shy now? That's new.
‘’Eyes? That's rich considering you undress me with yours.’’ You challenged him.
‘’As always, you see right through me.’’ Stephen didn't say it in a way that was sarcastic or certain, it was strange...like him. He latched onto your waist, large hand pinching you while the other was still yanking on your ponytail. Your gasp was palpable, your breath warm.
What made you even more excited was that someone could walk in on you at any moment. It was so naughty.
‘’You're detrimental Stephen.’’ You said with lust in your eyes and Stephen didn't really take the time to listen to your words when his mouth was already plastered against yours.
Mhmm... his lips were nice but you knew he was dangerous, he had such a special ability to make every single woman weak in the knees but you were more durable than he initially thought. Stephen was incredibly eager, lips tasting at yours like he was starved of a proper meal, well, he had been eyeing you like you were a full course meal all day- it was only fitting. This whole ordeal was entirely unprofessional but you weren't in your right mind to care about it, Stephen Strange was right here, kissing you, feeling you through your scrubs; it was making you impatient, the air was getting hotter, your clothes suddenly felt too tight.
Stephen on the other hand was troubled by the way he was already so drawn to you. Normally it would be the woman that initiated these things with him but he was bending the norm, he was chasing after you. He was the chaser now and you were obviously pleased with yourself. He thought you tasted lavish and plentiful, he was swimming in you. Stephen's patience was wearing thin, it was a change of pace considering how careful and concise he was with his work, his sex life was more demanding. His mouth still fastened to yours, he walked you over to the operating table; you couldn't even catch your breath before he swivelled you around and bent you over, kicking your legs apart with his feet.
‘’You're flushed.’’ Stephen lowered his lips down to your ear, smirking at your little gasps of surprise in the process. ‘’That's how I know when you want to fuck. Note taken.’’ He threaded gis fingers through your ponytail and tugged the hairtie out of it, letting your hall fall down your back and shoulders.
‘’How do I know when you want to? When you randomly decide to bend me over on the operating table?’’ You asked him with a heavy voice, tilting your head to the side to peer up at him.
‘’No. When you're in the room. That's all it takes.’’ Stephen grunted. Your heart dipped at the statement, a strange feeling blooming inside of your lower stomach with his dirty words. You were wild about him, back arching already- he hadn't even taken your clothes off yet. Feeling pathetic didn't even seem worth it anymore, not when Stephen Strange was illiciting so many new reactions out of you; it was so different, he was making you feel things you couldn't even get out yourself.
For fucks sake, was he made out of magic or something? It felt like he was. There was something so inherently wrong with you, wrong with you both- this shouldn't be happening! You were colleagues! And you hated how much of an asshole he could be. But he was a severely attractive asshole. The type of man that truly understands how the mind works, how the body works. That doctorate really was coming in handy now.
Stephen's beautiful mind was already coming up with filthy ways to make you feel so good- he was excited and so damn aroused. Dear God, was this what it felt like to be sixteen again? He was acting like he's never seen a naked woman let alone actually fuck one before. Stephen pulled your pants down and you had no objections, in fact, you were itching to get it off.
‘’Don't forget that I respect the hell out of you.’’ He said as he ripped your underwear off, the elastic burning the underside of the thighs from the friction.
‘’Why do you say that?’’ You asked all breathy and sensual. Wondering what he actually meant.
‘’Because I'm about to fuck you full of disrespect.’’ Stephen's voice was heavy and husky. It was a promise and a threat all in one. what really tilted vou was when he pinned your arms behind your back tightly, the other hand flying to tug and pull at your loose hair.
You were about to melt into a puddle of goo, your knees buckled and stephen felt incredibly proud of himself. You had the ability to make him feel ten feet tall and completely elated. Your pussy was clenching around nothing and all you could do was whine at him to do something, satiate your grovelling need that required far too much attention.
‘’You want that?’’ Stephen asked, hoping you agree and confirmed what he already knew.
You peered up at him again. ‘’Go find someone else to boss around-‘’
Stephen scoffed at you, internally knowing you absolutely fucking love it when he did tell you what to do. You made it obvious, you flushed everytime you were near him- he couldn't help but let it stroke his ego. He wondered what you looked like stroking his cock. Although the idea seems far too appealing to be real, he simply couldn't tolerate your behaviour. By disrespect he didn't mean talk back at him.
You froze, heartbeats slowing like they'd been dropped in molasses. Stephen held you by your hair and pulled you up to his torso, like it was a leash. Your breath stopped when his front pressed against your back, he felt so warm, so fucking good. You could have groaned if you had the air to do so. With a slight tug, your head tilted to the side and his lips brushed the hollow behind your ear.
‘’I respect you but you're appalling me when all I want is to fuck...this.’’ Stephen grumbled as he spanked your bare behind. You squirmed against him relentlessly, mouth already foaming as he gripped your chin.
‘’Respect my wishes and fuck me disrespectfully.’’ You moaned at him, begging for something, anything- it was deplorable and you were sure you wouldn't be able to live it down.
Stephen didn't respond he just slammed you back down on the operating table. Your lips part in shock at his possessiveness, your body tensing and the anticipation growing immensely. Already spending too much time in your head, you were tethered back to reality by another spank on your ass- it'll turn into a burning shade of red soon.
Stephen was happy in the state that he got you, he was clearly pleased to see you considering how hard he was; he tugged his cock out of it's confines, it was growing painful leaving you like this with every second that passed.
You gasped as he slid into you so easily and Stephen thought he was bathing in the heavens. that voice was angelic, your moans a perfect instrumental. All he knew is that you set him ablaze as you stretched to accomodate his frighteningly thick size. The flames of hate and passion burned in equal measure, fusing and merging into one heady concotion. Your plea for more was silent, your back arching as his grip on your wrists growing tighter than ever.
‘’S-Someone could c-come in!’’ You struggled as he started rutting into you, the realisation that you were fucking your colleague finally dawning on you.
‘’Does that make your pussy wet?’’ He chuckled at you breathlessly. ‘’I bet it does, doesn't it?’’
The dickhead was laughing down at you. You shaked your head, attempting to deny the truth and in turn denying how much you wanted him. His head was cast in doubt at you
‘’The fear of people realising you're such a slut for me. That you're weak for me. Being caught with me balls deep inside you...it makes you want to cum, doesn't it?’’ He fucked you in hard quick strokes, taking complete control over you. Your breath sharpens and your moans heightens as you draw closer and closer to your inevitable end. He swatted your ass again and you felt your insides drop.
‘’Is this your version of playful banter, Doctor?’’ You tried your hand at flirting but Stephen was dead serious. He wasn't in the mood for your glute jokes.
‘’Answer my question and I'll answer yours.’’ Stephen plunged into you, deeper and deeper hitting that spot that made you see shattered starlight, reaching a peak you didn't even know you had in you.
You attempted to stammer out a response but your tongue turned numb and forgot how to function.
‘’Baby, don't be polite now.’’ He cooed at you like a stupid little schoolgirl.
‘’I-I...for fucks sake...Yes!’’ You huffed out, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing you melt under him.
‘’My version of playful banter is watching you on all fours crawling to me. Seeing how beautiful you look begging on your knees for my cock.’’
You moaned at the sheer thought of it.
Stephen wasn't joking. He wasn't anywhere near it. He wanted to watch you naked, crawling to him, begging for his cock.
Hm….the idea was certainly appealling.
Stephen was spurred on by it all and fucked into you, heavier, crazier, it was simply scandalous. His dick slid in and out of you so easily, you were wetter than you had ever been before. Your stomach tightens with heat, your thighs growing slicker and slicker as he pulsated inside of you- Stephen swallowed at your incredible disposition, pulling on your hair harder and harder like it was his own personal dog leash. In this position you were willing to admit you were his bitch.
Stephen's eyes light up and his nostrils flare with every stroke. His cool demeanour slipping as he let loose groans he was bottling up, raw desire bled through the cracks. He had to make sure you came. You were tensing up. So damn close to the sharp precipice. Your orgasm slammed into you and fireworks errupted behind your eyes. Fuck. It felt too good to be real. All of this pent up tension drawn back through sex is definitely not under cliched- but you couldn't find yourself caring. Your cry alone made Stephen release thick ropes of his cum inside of you. He came so fucking hard he almost sank to the floor, and that never happened. Ever. Afterwards, the air was filled and with dense sex.
‘’H-How-Why..?’’You blinked when he pulled out of you. ‘’Wow.’’ You looked a little shellshocked, eyes widening with what had actually happened.
Stephen couldn't help but laugh as he pulled your pants up and straightened you back up. He felt bad for not taking the time to clean you up but he was wary of the time and the fact that someone actually could spot you both. You readjusted your stance in an effort to seem more confident but when you swivelled around to face him, all Stephen could see was your expression- completely taken aback.
‘’It's okay, you'll get used to it.’’ He smiled at you, his eyes gleaming as he went to wash his hands in the sink, doing the exact same thing he did before he fucked you into another dimension, completely unbothered. You tossed him a scowl.
‘’Used to it? You're expecting this to happen again?’’ You sounded way more surprised than Stephen had liked.
‘’Yes. Next time for hours in my bed...I mean...unless you want to be fucked over another piece of medical apparatus.’’ He turned his head to smirk at you.
‘’Mmm….I liked the operating table.’’
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lokidokieokie · 2 years
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Bloodied and Bruised
Request from Wattpad: I have a request. So the reader was in the middle of a fight on her planet (and losing) when her opponent through her into a portal, and she landed in the middle of the sanctum, bloody and bruised. When she sees Stephen, she gets defensive, but before she can defend herself, she blacks out. Now he has to take care of her to get answers.
Pairing: Stephen Strange x Elf!Reader
Warning(s): maybe some slight gore?, battle scene, wounds, maybe some language (lemme know if I missed anything)
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The slashing of swords and battlecries were all that could be heard across the land. 
Your friends--those that were still alive--were scattered across the field, desperately fighting the weird-looking, pink magical creatures that decided to invade your home planet. 
And, to put it plainly: you were losing. 
Currently, you were slicing your sword through one of the creature’s throats; its purple blood beginning to pool on the floor. You never thought you’d have to take a life--you were a baker for gods sake.
But here you were, stuck in the middle of a battle, fighting unknown creatures who have come to attack your homeland. Covered in both superficial and concerning cuts and bruises because of it. 
But none of it mattered at the moment. You had to protect your home, your friends, your family...well, what was left of them, anyways. Running around the field you managed to spot your next target. 
The next opponent was a larger one--at least double your size--and didn’t seem to be paying attention to its surroundings. This was going to be so much fun. 
Quickly sprinting towards it, you managed to surprise it by sliding underneath their legs and slicing into its thigh. The creature screamed in rage, then turned and charged at you.
Manoeuvring to the side to escape it’s attack didn’t seem to do much as you thought it would as it managed to slice into your shoulder. 
Another one for the collection. 
A yelp of pain was all you could get out before it began its attack again. Your swords clashed as you fought with all your might. More injuries were sustained on both sides when fists were brought into play. 
A jab to its face; a kick to your ribs; a slice to its stomach. It just kept going and going. This creature was unbeatable. Well, it was until you managed to climb up onto its shoulders and slice its head completely from its body. 
There the larger creature’s body laid slain on the floor of the battlefield, its skin bloodied and mangled. You had just killed...whatever that things was. The nightmares that would plague your psyche afterwards were a future problem. 
Too focused on the scene in front of you, you didn’t notice the other pink alien coming towards you...until it was too late. 
You were picked up and thrown like a javelin through some sort of portal, and landed face first onto some sort of wooden flooring with a thud.
The voices seemed to come to an abrupt stop when you groan. Still stuck in battle mode, you quickly stand back up and get ready to face your new enemy. 
In front of you were two creatures. One was a tall, handsome creature who was wearing some sort of cloak, the other was a shorter and older-looking man. Both seemed to be holding what looked to be shields of magic. 
A baritone voice startled you, “What master do you serve?” 
You drew your sword; an ache running through your body at the quick movement, reminding you of the fact that you were injured.
“Who are you?” 
He just rolled his eyes, “What master do you serve?” 
You scoffed; another ripple of pain running across your shoulder, “I don’t have to answer to you.” 
Just as you were about to attack, golden wisps of magic were thrown at you, and circled around your wrists, joining them together. 
“Unhand me you fiends!” You snarled, the pain beginning to become unbearable. 
“I’ll ask you one last time: what master do you serve?” 
You didn’t even manage to get out a response before the world around you went dark. 
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Your head was pounding; pain was radiating in waves all over your body. You were afraid to move. 
You were distracted from the pain by that baritone voice, “She’s got extensive injuries, she’s lucky she’s not dead.”
Another voice huffed, “She’s your responsibility now, Strange. Nurse her back to health and figure out what she’s doing here.”
You heard, who you presume to be Strange, groan. “It’s not like I have other important things to do.”
You slowly opened your eyes; cringing at the brightness of the room.
“I don’t exactly want to be here, either.” 
His (you presumed it was a he) head snapped to you. “You’re incredibly stupid, you know.”
You rolled your eyes, “Tell me something I don’t know.”
He smiled, “I’m Doctor Stephen Strange, a Master of the Mystic Arts here on Earth.”
You slowly nodded your head, wincing at the pain it brought forth. 
“I’m Y/n L/n, Elf of Álfheimr.” 
He titled his head to the side, “Are you alright?” 
You shook your head, “My head is throbbing, and my whole body is aching.”
He chuckled, “All symptoms of falling out of a portal after a brutal battle.” 
Your eyes widened, “My family! I need to get back!”
Standing up, you began to see black spots in your vision. Maybe getting up so soon wasn’t a good idea. 
Strange came closer, holding you steady. “What are you doing? Get back on that bed.”   
“I need to get back, my family and friends need me.” 
He grumbles, “You are in no shape to start moving around. You need to rest.” 
You shook your head, ignoring the pain it brought. “No. I need to get back. They could all be dead.” 
He frowned, “As soon as you’re better, I’ll help you get back to them. But you need to rest. You need to be at your very best to help them.”
He managed to get you back onto the bed, sleep slowly overtaking you. 
“You promise?” You sleepily whispered.
He nodded his head, “I promise.” 
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Over the next few days you wavered in and out of consciousness. Each time you woke up, Stephen’s face greeted you. He soothed you and helped heal your aches and pains. He was like your guardian angel. 
It had now been a few days of you being fully conscious and being able to comprehend the world around you, and it was safe to say that you were getting closer to Stephen. 
Currently, you were laying down in your bed, snuggled into Stephen’s side; his arm wrapped around your shoulders. It was nice. He was comforting. 
“Y/n, I haven’t wanted to bring it up because it seems to bring you pain, but I need to know how you got here.” 
Tears glossed over your eyes as you nodded your head. He had helped you so much, and this was the least you could do to repay him: to ensure him that no threats were coming his way. 
So, you told him everything. How you were minding your own business when the screaming began. How these pink aliens invaded your planet and began killing your people. How you, a simple baker, had to fight for your planet, without any sort of proper training. 
Words just kept flowing from your lips as you shared the horror that occurred on your home planet. Slowly, Stephen moved to wrap his arms around you, trying to comfort you in any sort of way he can. 
“It’s alright, Y/n, just let it all out.”
And you did. The tears that you tried to hide streamed down your face as if some sort of floodgate had been opened. You wept into his chest, clinging onto him for dear life. 
You sniffled, “It’s hard not knowing if they’re all okay.” 
Stephen kissed your forehead, “They’ll be fine, Y/n. If they’re anything like you, they’ll be fine.” 
You got shifted in Stephen’s arms and felt your eyes begin to close. Everything will be okay...Stephen said so. 
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Hope this is something along the lines of what you wanted :)
Find my masterlist here!
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heliads · 2 years
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Realizations Most Strange
Based on this request: "Strange x Reader: The reader is another mentor to Peter and when Strange sees the two of them working together it makes him realize that he’s completely in love with her"
a/n: i am way too proud of this title
masterlist
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Stephen Strange is not in love. It would be impossible to describe how little he is in love, how straightforward his attitude is towards the world, how his heart has never skipped a beat once in his entire life. It’s unnecessary to even mention these sorts of things, because like he said, Stephen isn’t in love. Not in the slightest.
This wouldn’t explain why Wong seems convinced that Stephen does have a crush, however. It feels like not a day goes by without Wong happening to mention (typically with far less discretion as the other sorcerer seems to think) how fascinating it is to see Stephen dependent on someone else’s opinion of him. No matter how many times Stephen declares himself to be utterly impervious to anything of the sort, Wong never believes him.
Stephen can’t come up with any reason why Wong would think such a thing. It’s not like Stephen has ever expressed any interest in anyone else. Although it took time, he’s moved on from Christine, and he’s even able to smile over her relationship with another man. Simply put, there’s no one he could possibly admire quite so much as to warrant a crush, so being in love is out of the question.
If he were to be in love, though, Stephen could admit that being in love with Y/N L/N wouldn’t be all that bad. He isn’t in love, of course, and would gladly repeat that another thousand times if that’s what it took for people to accept it, but if he was, Y/N would be his first pick. 
She’s another Master of the Mystic Arts, and has been in residence at the New York Sanctum for a couple of years now. Technically, Stephen thinks she was supposed to leave after six months, but for some reason that time constraint hasn’t been brought up since her arrival. He definitely has nothing to do with that.
At the moment, Stephen doesn’t have time to even begin to think about Y/N and his lack of a crush on her. The New York Sanctum is host to a guest this afternoon, a spiderling who’s just dropped by after his school day ends. Ever since the battle against Thanos and Tony Stark’s resulting sacrifice, Peter Parker has been coming over to visit. 
The kid claims it’s for help with Avengers business. Stephen harbors a secret belief that it might actually have something to do with Peter’s need to see somebody, anybody to feel like he’s not quite so alone. When he’s around the other Masters of the Mystic Arts, Peter Parker is no longer at the top of the food chain when it comes to stopping extraterrestrial or simply weird threats to the city. He’s just some kid, like he always should have been.
That kind of relief has to feel good for a high school student. So, as much as Stephen pretends to roll his eyes and make sarcastic comments about it being past Peter’s bedtime the second the sun starts to set, it’s common knowledge that Peter will be welcome at the New York Sanctum at any time of any day.
Right now, he’s been passed over to Y/N for some light combat training. It’s one thing for Peter to use his webs against normal threats, like carjackers or your garden variety thug, but once you start messing with magic users, the rules of the game change.
They’re starting off fairly easy right now, with Peter trying to improvise on how to fight Y/N while she’s using portals or conjuring amber bands of spells to combat his webs. The kid can pick up new things pretty well, even Stephen can admit that, but he’s still rough when it comes to unusual foes.
Case in point:  Y/N ducks under a web spiraling at her head and launches a glowing sphere of magic at Peter. It bowls him over cleanly and he falls to the ground. The two of them have taken the precaution of putting padding and mats on a large section of the floors in the Sanctum training room, so Peter only suffers a mild case of getting the air knocked out of his lungs. That’s Stephen’s professional diagnosis, at least.
Y/N leans over him, extending an arm to help the younger boy up. She laughs at the startled look on his face, and reaches over to casually muss up his head. Stephen’s watching the proceedings from a higher level, so he can’t exactly make out what’s being said, but he can see that they both break out into laughter.
Something strange happens the longer Stephen watches. It’s as if time slows down, even though he hasn’t laid a single finger to the green Infinity Stone. He can see the sunlight gleaming in through open windows, cascading around Y/N to land in golden puddles at her feet. It makes sense on some level in Stephen’s brain, that even light itself would be drawn to her. What in this world, or the countless beyond it, wouldn’t want to be near her if it could?
His knuckles are white on the railing of the balcony as Stephen leans over the edge. He doesn’t realize that he’s doing it until his hands start to ache, phantom pains from an injury that still plagues him. Stephen has long associated that kind of hurt with what happened when he was still with Christine, but now he’s turning his mind to focus on a new sort of feeling, one centered around an entirely different woman.
Y/N laughs again, and the faintest whisper of it makes the journey up to where Stephen stands. It is here, collecting in the echoes of that joy, that he realizes something once and for all, a truth he’s been running from for who knows how long.
Stephen is in love, and he is in love with her.
Wong looks up, surprised, when Stephen all but throws open the door to his office. The Sorcerer Supreme puts down his book on the desk in front of him, starting to rise. 
“What is it, Strange?” Wong asks, clearly unnerved by Stephen’s behavior. “Has something happened? Are we under attack?”
“No,” Stephen assures him. “Not now, at least.” 
Wong gestures for Stephen to take a seat, but he can’t manage to pull himself together long enough for that to happen. Instead, Stephen starts to pace back and forth across Wong’s office. Wong looks mournfully at the carpet under Stephen’s feet, as if silently cataloging how much it’s going to cost to buy a new one after Stephen wears this one to shreds under the force of his stress.
“What’s wrong, then?” Wong prods gently after Stephen stays silent.
At last, Stephen is able to freeze in place, and turns to Wong with a haunted look. “I think I’m in love.”
Wong stares at him for a moment, then breaks out into loud laughter. Even Stephen’s agitation calms for a moment, forgotten as he stares at Wong in sheer confusion. Wong continues to laugh for what must be at least a full minute or two, the same rough, booming sound echoing around them.
Eventually, Wong is able to contain himself, and goes on speaking as if he hadn’t ever been interrupted. “I knew it. I called this months ago. It’s Y/N, isn’t it?”
Stephen is forced to nod in agreement, which makes Wong raise a finger in vindication. 
“I told you, didn’t I?” Wong says, “And you didn’t listen, but you are now. I was wondering when this day would come.”
“Alright, alright,” Stephen says, raising his hands to ward off Wong’s triumph if anything else, “I get it, you were right, I was wrong. Now what do I do?”
Wong blinks at him. “Why are you asking me that? I’m your coworker, Strange, not your therapist. Go figure this out on your own time.”
Stephen pinches the bridge of his nose. “Yes, I get that, but I don’t know what to do.”
Wong shrugs. “You dated Christine for a while, didn’t you? Just do that again.”
Stephen frowns. “We broke up because I told her that she couldn’t have any meaning to me. After that, I was friendzoned and now she’s engaged to someone else.”
“Okay, so don’t do that,” Wong contemplates, “Look, it’s easier than you think. You’re just complicating things. You do that a lot.”
“Thanks,” Stephen says with a clearly forced smile.
“No problem,” Wong replies happily, “Always here to help.”
Stephen doesn’t bother to respond to that, just glares balefully at his friend.
Wong sighs. “Fine, fine. No need to burst a vein. How about you do something simple? Take her out for dinner or something. Hell, even coffee. She’s going to need coffee to keep up with you.”
Stephen’s eyes narrow. “I’m confused, were you encouraging me to ask her out or not? Because right now it sounds like you don’t like the idea of the two of us together.”
Wong chuckles. “Oh no, I think it’s a fantastic idea. You need someone like Y/N in your life to keep you in check. I just like making fun of you.”
“Figures,” Stephen mutters, but thanks his friend for the advice anyway.
In truth, Wong’s not wrong. Stephen does have a habit of overthinking and overdoing things, especially when it’s about the people in his life that really matter. He’d tear down this universe and the next if it meant keeping his loved ones safe.
So, basically, getting this right is really important, both for Stephen’s general happiness and his future of friendships at the New York Sanctum. He waits for Peter to leave, which takes far more time than Stephen’s feeble patience can really tolerate, then heads down to meet Y/N alone as soon as he can.
Y/N’s collecting the mats from the training room floor, so Stephen helps out, conjuring up a few spells to clean up the space.
She smiles at him gratefully. “Thanks for the assist.”
“Thanks for babysitting the kid,” Stephen responds.
Y/N laughs. “It’s not as bad as you think. Sure, he can be a little exuberant, but it’s just fun.”
“Yeah, it’s because he likes you the best,” Stephen argues, “but I can’t blame him.”
The last part of his sentence is quieter, but Y/N still hears it. She cocks her head to the side questioningly. “What do you mean?”
This is it, his chance. Stephen exhales and turns to face her. “I was wondering, if you weren’t too busy–”
Y/N cuts him off with a wry grin. “Who isn’t busy around here?”
He must have looked quite pained when she interrupted him, because Y/N holds up her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. I’m quiet. What were you wondering?”
Stephen does his best to steady his nerves despite the suspension in his adrenaline fuelled offer. “I was wondering if you would want to go get coffee with me sometime. You know, one of these mornings. Not the night, that wouldn’t make sense. And if you don’t like coffee, we could always just go to a different type of shop, or get something else, or–”
Y/N saves him again, laughing quietly. “I think getting coffee sounds like an excellent idea to me. Is this a date, Stephen?”
She looks at him with a curious grin, mischievously prodding. Stephen nods, hoping that he’s not about to ruin this whole thing.
“Yeah,” he says, “Yeah, it is a date. Are you still okay with that?”
Y/N fixes him with her most brilliant grin yet, and Stephen feels the last of his worries melt away from him. “I would be more than okay with that.”
With that, she picks up the last of the mats and turns to put it away, leaving Stephen standing there with a more than self satisfied smile. Perhaps he’s managed to make this work after all. He wouldn’t believe it himself were it not for the joy on Y/N’s face when he asked her out, but it’s true. He’s got a date, and he couldn’t be happier about it.
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