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anangelwhodidntfall · 1 year ago

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A Whole New World: P.II

A Whole New World Masterlist

word count: 3.7k

description: Set a few days after the events in part one, your ankle is now healed and Tsu’tey has found himself wanting to know you more and make your stay with the clan more enjoyable and finds your curiosity about his world amazing. He also helps encourage you to ask Eytukan about becoming a teacher in the village at Dr. Augustine's old school, and promises to teach you everything that you would like to know about the Na’vi culture.

taglist: @moonchildxoxx @inutheangel @ivysunset9966 @headsincloud9

if you liked this, please let me know. if you didn’t like this, let me know as well. and a big kiss and heartfelt thank you for those of you who always reblog, comment and like my writing. that keeps me going, my besties 💕

Previous Part, Next Part

It was a few days later and even though you had been put essentially on bed rest, you still found yourself enjoying your time here in the village. Both Jake and Tsu'tey had both come to check in on you making sure you were doing okay and you even met Neytiri who was the sweetest person ever, you could definitely see yourself becoming friends with her. Right now you were working on some of your notes when a knock came to your door.

"You can come in." You said.

A few moments later, Tsu'tey walks in and you both exchange greetings before you noticed that he was carrying blankets in his arms.

"It's supposed to get to get cold tonight so I wanted to bring you some blankets." He said handing them.

"Thank you. This material is so soft and beautiful. Can I ask what it is made out of?" You asked him.

"This is made from the fur of an Ikran, which is really soft and has the most beautiful smell." He said to you with a smile.

"Ikrans have fur? I don't believe any of the books I've read mention that." You said as wrote down what he said in your journal.

"Oh yes, ikran has beautiful, thick fur. And it is very useful for us Na'vi. It makes for very good blankets. But we also use it to make clothes and other things. We use pretty much everything that's on our planet."

He looks at her again, seeming to think about something. "And the Ikran fur blankets also give off a wonderful smell when you sleep on them. It makes for a perfect, peaceful sleep."

"That's so interesting, I'll have to add that to my notes." You said with a smile as you wrote down what he said.

He then grins at her, seeming to be happy that she is interested in the Na'vi way of life.

"Good that you're writing notes. Knowledge is something you need to preserve for future generations, so they can benefit from it."

"Would you like me to tell you more about our planet and our culture? Or anything else you want to know about our people and way of life?" He asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

"Yes, I would." You said

He seems genuinely happy to talk about his planet with her. It is important to him that youunderstands what they as Na'vi believe, how they live and why they are protecting this planet with everything they have.

"So just to understand you guys’ hunt ikrans but also tame them? Does that mean like you hunt viperwolves but could potentially tame them?" Youasks

He nods with a smile. "Correct. We do not just hunt ikran, we also have some as pets. They're very intelligent and loyal creatures, so the bond between them and a Na'va or Na'vi can become very strong."

He looks at her and smiles proudly. "In my opinion, there are no more beautiful creatures on this planet than the ikran. They are so majestic and fast, when they fly. They're really awesome animals and a big pride for our people."

"Wow that's interesting." Yousaid.

"I agree with you about them being beautiful creatures. They were one of my favorite animals to study." You said to him.

He nods. "I think so, too. They are a gift from Eywa herself. No other animal moves like them. And they look so graceful and beautiful, especially when they fly in large swarms. It's truly a sight to behold."

He seems impressed when he thinks about the ikran and their flight skills. "Oh, and did I mention how fast they can fly? At full speed, they can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour (225 km per hour). Can you imagine that? That is pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Wow." You said completely speechless and realizing that you should've talked to the Navi instead of reading the books.

He sees the impressed expression on her face and smiles. "Yeah, pretty impressive right? And they are also extremely agile, even at that speed. So, they do not even look like they are going so fast. They turn, swerve, and climb like they were dancing in the air. And most of them can also stay in the air for several hours before they have to land for a short break. I'm always amazed at this."

He then grins at her. "I could tell you more facts about the ikran if you're interested. I also know some interesting things about the other animals, here on Pandora.".

"Please tell me more about ikrans or the other animals here." You said with a smile.

Tsu'tey grins broadly at her curiosity. "I'm happy you're interested. Let us start with a little bit more about the ikran.”

He thinks about her request for a moment, before he starts to speak. "Have you ever wondered how the ikran are able to fly so well, even when they're carrying another Na'vi? It is actually pretty simple: they have two very powerful heart muscles, each about 20 times larger than our own muscles. These muscles are the reason they are so strong and fast. They are true speed demons of the sky."

"Two hearts? Fascinating." You said scribbled everything he said in your journal.

He nods with a grin. "That's right. The two heart muscles have always fascinated me. It is incredible that they can even carry a Na'vi with their strength. But the ikran have been our loyal companions and guardians for generations. They're a precious gift from our mother, Eywa."

He smiles and says to her: "What would you like to know next?"

"They remind me of what we call dragons back on Earth. Do you think that once I am better I could see one up close?" You asked him

He raises an eyebrow in curiosity. "You have something in your home world, that's like the ikran? What did you call them again?"

Tsu'tey looks at her questioningly, interested in knowing more about these dragons of her home planet. Also, the idea of seeing an ikran up close seems to excite him.

"I could actually take you to the ikran, when you're better. You can try to ride one, too?" he asks her.

"Dragons. Let me see, I might have a picture of one." Yousays shuffles through her bag looking for her phone.

"They are a little bigger than an ikran but just as powerful. They existed long ago in our world, but I always dreamed of seeing one up close." You said showing him a picture of a dragon from back on earth.

"Really? I could ride one?" You asked excitedly

He looks at the picture and is very impressed. "That's pretty huge. And yes, the ikran looks very similar. So, the ikran are indeed like the dragons. If I see that correctly, the dragons from your home also have two big heart muscles. Just like the ikran. I'm pretty sure the ikran flies the same way: With a lot of speed and agility. But they're most likely different in other aspects"

He grins at the fact that she's so excited about riding a ikran. "Yeah, you could. I could tell an ikran to carry you"

"Yeah they probably are, it was the closest thing I could relate to an ikran." You said.

"That would be amazing." You said with a smile.

"It's actually a perfect comparison. Even though the ikran are not as big as the dragons of your world, they are still huge, powerful and majestic animals. And as you know, they also play an important role for us Na'vi and I can't imagine our planet without them"

He smiles back at her. "So you really want to ride an ikran, right? You can write that in your notes, too. I can make it happen when you are healed. It's not that complicated for us Na'vi"

"I can imagine. I always think about what it would be like if we still had dragons in our world." You said sadly.

"Trust me I am. I have a whole list of things I wanna do while I'm here." You said with a laugh.

"Oh really? So what else is on your list?" He asks her curiously, his face lighting up. He was surprised by her words.

"I did not think that a scientist like you would have fun riding the ikran and doing all this 'primitive' stuff. But it is pretty cool that you want to do it. So what else would you like to do?"

"I mean technically I'm not a scientist, I'm a teacher." You said to him.

"I wanna learn to hunt and train like a warrior, I wanna learn your culture firsthand." you said reading off her list

He nods. "That's even more impressive then. Being a teacher means you are probably very patient and you must like learning and teaching other people. And that's exactly what we Na'vi do and live for"

"Thank you. I like to think I am, I hope that the clann might consider letting me teach her to help out." You said

He nods. "I think that's a wonderful idea. We Na'vi have an important tradition of transferring knowledge to our young ones. Our teachers and wise teachers are highly respected and honored because they are responsible for passing on our knowledge and culture to the future Na'vie. So I think they would be very happy if you taught the young ones too. I'm sure you'd be a great teacher for them"

"I would love to be able to do that. Do you know who I would need to talk to about that?" You ask him

He thinks for a moment. "I think you should speak to Eytukan, our clan leader. I can introduce you to him later if you want. He is the one responsible for deciding these things. I'm sure he will be delighted that someone wants to pass on their knowledge and share their passion for teaching" He asked.

"I would love that actually. Wait isn't he Neytiris dad? I remember Jake telling me some stuff about him?" You asked him.

He nods. "Yes, he is indeed her father. He was the great Na'vi warrior who fought and defeated Quaritch. He is our current leader and a very good and wise guy. I am sure he will be happy to hear that you want to teach our children. We Na'vi share the responsibility for taking care of them, so someone who likes to work with kids is always welcome"

He smiles at you. "Are you actually serious about this? It would make me very happy. It means you would get more involved with our people and our culture, and that would make you more one of us"

"I really am, when Jake invited me here I wasn't too sure what I could do since most kids well human ones can't travel in space but it would really mean a lot to me if I could teach." You said with a soft smile on your face

He smiles at her. "So what do you say? Shall we ask him? I would be very happy if you get more involved with our culture and our people"

"Yes, let's go ask him." You said with a smile

He smiles back at her. "Great, let's do it then. I'll introduce you to Eytukan and we'll see what he says about this"

They then walk towards the central circle of the village, where all the clan leaders are usually located. They soon arrive there and you guys run into Neytiri asking if she knew where her father was and she told you the last place she saw him.

"Hey, he's right there. Let us go" Tsu’tey said pointing in the direction of where the clan leader was.

He then starts to lead the way to Eytukan. You followed behind him trying to keep her nerves at bay worried about how this was going to go.

The clan leader is currently talking with some of the Na'vi. The discussion is quite serious, but you can also hear them laugh and jest with each other a little. They all know each other well and have much mutual respect.

After a few more minutes they soon arrive at the spot where Eytukan and his clan are standing. Eytukan seems to be very busy, but he still manages to quickly catch your eye and gives a friendly smile. Tsu'tey then quickly introduces them to each other.

"Oel ngati kameie Eytukan." Yousays to him

The clan leader seems a little surprised, a bit impressed. He smiles warmly, clearly appreciating that you take the time to learn their traditional greeting. It is a small gesture, but it is very respectful and shows that she is interested in their culture. It makes her seem more like one of them and he appreciates that.

His smile gets a little bigger and he seems pleased that you seem to know about their culture. It also seems like he is impressed b you.

He then nods and asks: "So, what can I do for you two?"

You now get the feeling that he wants to get right to the point and not waste any time. He must be very busy as their leader and chief. You are not sure why exactly he is so busy, but you appreciate that he takes the time to talk to you and to really listen.

"Eytukan, I wanted to ask you about the possibility of teaching the children of the clan and allowing me to put my teaching skills to use for the clan?" You asked playing with her fingers something you did when you were nervous.

He smiles at you and slowly nods, while he seems to think about her proposition. He gives her a warm smile and then says: "I think it's a fantastic idea. I would be honored if you would teach the children of our clan. We Na'vi are very thankful for our teachers, and we value their knowledge and the role they have in transferring it to the young ones. So, I would love it if you would teach the children. And that would for sure be something that our clan would truly benefit from."

You were in shock that he said yes the stories you had heard about him and Tsu'tey were clearly wrong.

"Thank you so much Eytukan. This means a lot to me, i won't let you down." You said with a smile.

He smiles and nods. "You're welcome. I am sure you will be a fantastic teacher. I am not worried about you letting us down and you have nothing to fear there. You seem like you have a real passion for teaching and a special talent for it. I am certain the young ones will love you. You are a very kind, peaceful, and caring person."

He is happy to have been able to help her. He likes the idea of her teaching the children of the Na'vi and believes that they will love and appreciate her. So, it's a win-win for everyone involved. You couldn't believe it, her schooling and time on earth did not go to complete waste when you got here.

It did not go to waste. The Na'vi appreciate your knowledge and talent. Your knowledge is a valuable contribution to them and her passion for teaching will help the children develop their knowledge of and respect for Pandora. The clan is very happy to have you here and it's something that you should definitely be proud of. You definitely found her place here on Pandora.

You then ask Eytukan: "Thank you again, it really means a lot to me. So, what else do I need to do to be able to start teaching? Do I need any specific things for that or must be an official teacher?"

You then look at Eytukan with anticipation and excitement. You cannot wait to start teaching the children of Pandora. It would really fulfill her and her passion for it would show them how great you are. You looked over at Tsu'tey in anticipation who nodded his head telling you everything was going well so far.

Eytukan thinks for a moment before saying: "Of course, to be an official teacher and to teach a class you would probably need to learn a little bit more about our language and traditions. So, you would have to finish the teaching program before you can officially be a teacher. But until then, you are more than welcome to help out and support the existing teachers and teach with them. They will make sure that you learn our traditions and the ways of the Na'vi so that you can properly teach our children one day. What do you say?" He asked you.

"Yes, I would love to!" You said excitedly to him

He smiles and nods. "Great. Then it is settled. We are gonna see that they train you to become a great teacher. Our children will be very lucky to have you as a teacher. I am sure you will make great progress and I am really looking forward to it. Thanks for asking and for being so excited about it. It really does mean a lot." He said before leaving you two.

"Did you hear that?" You asked Tsu'tey excitedly.

"I did. See you were nervous for no reason, I knew he would accept you just as everyone else pretty much has." He said with a smile.

"Thank you so much!" You said hugging him without a thought until you felt him go stiff.

Tsu'tey was caught off guard feeling you wrap your arms around him, he wasn't used to having people hug him, but he could help but like the feeling of your arms around him.

"Oh, I'm sorry for overstepping. Hugs were a thing back on earth that we used to show thanks." You said slightly embarrassed.

"It's alright, and no need to thank me I am happy to help you. Let's go find Jake and Neytiri." He said to you.

"Hey y/n, Tsu'tey. How did it go with talking with my father?" Neytriri asked.

"It went well. In fact, Eytukan agreed to let me start training to become an official teacher here as long as I keep my studying of the culture and the people up." You said to them.

"See I told you that you would have a teaching job here." Jake said making you roll your eyes at him.

"Fine, you were right Jake." You said with a smile.

"Truly y/n, that is amazing to here. You will make a wonderful teacher, we will all be here to help you with your journey." Neytiri said.

"Jake and Tsu'tey we need you down by the border there been a few Thanthors spotted." One of the warriors said.

"Excuse us, I will be back to check on you later." Tsu'tey said giving you a soft smile before he and Jake left you there with Neytiri which didn't go unnoticed by Neytiri.

"Come my y/n, I will show you the school and get you introduced to everyone." She said taking your hand.

You two made your way to the school where you saw a memorial inside with Dr. Augstine's picture and a few other things. Neytiri told you about how the school was shot up and destroyed by the RDA and how her sister who was also Tsu'tey's mate was killed which started to make even more sense about his behavior.

"I'm sorry about that. Your parents must value the school a lot to have it rebuilt after what happened." You said to her.

"They do. We believe that education is one of the most important things there is and we put a lot of respect into our teachers." She said.

You two continued touring the school where you got to meet everyone you would be working with and the kids. The kids were obsessed with you and we're excited that you would be joining their class tomorrow as an assistant teacher.

Are you leaving Ms. Y/n?" One of the students Akätxo asked you.

"Yes but I will be back tomorrow, but maybe I'll see you at dinner tonight." You said with a smile.

"Okay! I will look for you at dinner!" He said hugging you before going back to your class.

"You are a natural y/n. I can tell how much you love them from that interaction." She said as you guys left the school.

"Teaching is a passion of mine, but back on Earth they don't treat teachers the same way that they do here, and after a while it became unfun." You said sadly.

"That's unfortunate to hear, but just know here that things will be different for you." She said squeezing your hand.

You were sitting with Neytiri and some of her friends getting to know them when you heard your name being called making you look at and see Akätxo running towards you.

"This is for you ms y/n." He said handing you a flower as you smiled and saw who presumed was his dad finally catching up to him.

"Sorry about that, he hasn't stopped talking about you and finding you at dinner since I picked him up." His dad said making you smile.

"It's alright. Thank you so much for the flower Akätxo." You said with a smile.

"Alright! See you tomorrow ms. y/n." He said grabbing his dad's hand who said bye to you and left you to eat dinner.

"Seems like you have already made quite the impression on that boy, he normally doesn't warm up to people like that." Neytiri said making you smile.

You and Neytiri were talking when Jake and Tsu'tey returned and took a seat next to you guys and you saw Tsu'tey staring at the flower in your hair.

"Ma Jake you missed it, y/n has made quite the impression on Akätxo, he hasn't even known her an hour and already brought her flower." Neytriri said as Tsu'tey let a quiet sigh of relief.

"See I told you that kids would love her, back on earth they would always flock to her." Jake said with a smile.

"That's amazing that children especially Akätxo have warmed up to you, do you like it so far?" Tsu'tey asked you.

"I do. While you guys were gone me and Neytiri toured the school and got introduced to the kids and I get to start assisting them tomorrow." You said with a smile.

"That's good to hear, I'm glad you are liking it here." He said with a smile.

"How was the Thanthor situation?" You asked him as Jake and Neytiri watched with knowing smiles on their faces at you two interacting.

"It was good, we chased them off. When they gather like that close to the village it could present a problem." He said as you nodded your head.

You two sat there talking and then he walked you home where you two continued talking. You were about to head inside for the evening when he stopped you.

"Would like to join us for morning prayer tomorrow morning?" He asked you.

"I would love to. Um is there anything specific I need to do?" You asked him.

"No there isn't. Just bring yourself willingly to learn and that camera of yours to take pictures and I'll come get you in the morning if you would like." He said to you.

"I would love that, thank you Tsu'tey." You said to him.

"You're welcome. Goodnight y/n." He said taking you by surprise and hugging you.

"Goodnight Tsu'tey." You said with a smile as you pulled apart and walked into your home.

#tsutey #tsu'tey x reader #tsu'tey #tsu'tey x fem reader #tsutey avatar #tsu’tey fanfic #tsu'tey x you

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pkg4mumtown · 1 year ago

Text

Through Glass (Ch. 7)

Chapter 7: The Distance

Rating: T

Summary: Stephen and Strange finally go head to head.

A/N: Uhhhhhhhh, remember when I apologized last chapter for up and disappearing? Yea…SORRY. Life has been very very busy. Sorry for this being relatively short.

Strange = Dr. Strange in reader’s universe

Stephen = Strange-Supreme

Warnings: Feelings of being watched, Multiversal Stalking, Possessive!Stephen, Eventual body horror, Gender Neutral Pronouns for Reader, No Y/N, First Person POV, What If AU where Reader dies instead of Christine, Strange-Supreme just needs a hug honestly, Stephen in Reader’s universe is a big dummy, Stephen is touch starved, consentacles (ch.6), smut (ch.6), reader/monster romance

Catch up with Chapter: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

I've seen this yearning take on a frightening form The memory of you will make sure my past lingers on And I still love how you say my name I still taste you kissing my pain away Still see your tears through the rain

After Wong had left to prepare the Kamar-Taj and the other sanctums for yet another attack—despite still recovering from Wanda, Strange hit the ground running on a solution. He logically expected pushback in the form of a fight but without Wong to help with preparing a heavy-duty protection spell, it took him a lot longer to prepare. Between that and coming up with a game plan that Wong would approve, Strange took a little longer than he’d like for such a pressing matter. Once he was ready, however, he wasn’t going to be stopped by any coyness or front doors. He was getting straight to the point and finally finishing this drawn-out incident.

��

The next twelve (or so) hours that Stephen and I shared together were pure domesticated bliss. But, with bliss eventually comes hunger.

I spread the last of the cream cheese on a toasted bagel, tossing the knife in the sink and grabbing both plates to head to the living room.

“Here’s your—shit!” I started, just about jumping out of my skin as I saw Strange stepping through a portal with his eyes trained on me. I was able to keep the bagels from an untimely meeting with the floor. “Hungry?” I pushed the plate toward Strange, glad Stephen was nowhere in sight. He had probably sensed him incoming and had no time to warn me.

“Two bagels?” Strange asked with an unimpressed raise of an eyebrow.

“I’m glad you can count. Bagel?”

“Where is he?” Strange demanded.

“Who?”

“I’m really not in the mood for you to play dumb,” Strange groaned, using magic to remove the plates from my hands. Thankfully, they reappeared elsewhere. “The person who was going to eat the other bagel, your dog, whatever you’re calling him. Where. Is. He?”

“Are you saying I can’t eat two bagels by myself? Because I totally could and I’m prepared to prove you wrong.”

I didn’t realize I’d been shuffling backwards until my shoulder hit the edge of the hallway. It was stupid really, attempting to rush into my room and close the door knowing full well Strange could just wiggle his fingers and make something happen. But I attempted it anyway and now I was locked inside of my, now doorless, room with him.

“Now…” Strange sighed at my minor inconveniences, “…the faster you give him up, the faster this gets over with. Youasked me for help, remember? So, if he’s threatening you, I can help with that.” Strange continued walking toward me until I was backed against the wall with no way out, “However, if you’re protecting him…”

My eyes flicked over Strange’s shoulder, spying Stephen’s murderous reflection in the mirror, “Step back, please.”

“Why? Is your dog going to come take a bite out of me?” Strange huffed, glancing over his shoulder but not seeing the reflection that I had.

“You’re going to piss him off!”

“Who?!” He shouted.

“You! Okay!?” I snapped.

Strange’s face fell as Wong’s assessment was confirmed by my confession. Strange mumbled a curse and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Hey, asshole!” Strange turned and yelled into the room, arms spread open. He walked to the middle of the room, monitoring any reflections he could. After a beat of silence, he locked eyes with me again, “I’m assuming he got spooked and went back in when I arrived?”

I rolled my eyes at “spooked” and shrugged, “Most likely.”

“Good,” he smirked, moving his arms in wide motions, creating a complex sigil before my eyes. “I’m locking him out for good, this time.”

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach despite knowing my Stephen was stronger. What if Strange could pull it off? Then what?

“No!” I lurched forward, stupidly grabbing his arm mid-cast. “You can’t! He’s not a bad person!”

Strange stepped away from me, pausing the casting so I didn’t hurt myself, “I’m trying to protect you! Just like you asked!”

“You don’t even know me!”

“That didn’t matter before. And anyway, it’s for the best. Knowing me would put you in danger that you couldn’t handle,” Strange snarled grimly, drawing his brows together.

“According to you, I already am.”

Strange huffed as his concentration broke, moving away from me and stomping over to the large mirror where most of the energy had been concentrated before.

“Strange, dammit!” I shoved his shoulder as he began to cast the spell again.

“You are pushing every last button I have,” he growled, shaking me off his shoulder.

Facing the mirror again, Strange quickly shuffled back a few steps as Stephen appeared, fully decked out in his menacing creature form.

Shit.

“Oh, he’s not bad, huh?” Strange stressed, waving an arm out to the mirror. “Look at him!”

Strange restarted the spell again only for me to shove him harder. I had barely made contact when I was pushed by an invisible force, landing hard on the floor with a groan. I stood back up, no injuries to speak of other than a bruised ego and a bruised ass.

“Uh, ow?”

“If you’d’ve stayed back, I wouldn’t hav—,” Strange was cut off as tentacles suddenly pushed through the mirror, wrapping around Strange’s neck, wrists, and torso. He was lifted off the ground, bringing him eye level to Stephen, while keeping his hands apart.

Stephen leaned out of the mirror, snarling and growling filling up the room instantly, “Don’t you dare bring harm to them again! You know how important they are to us, coward!”

“They’re not—gah—yours to protect,” Strange choked out. “What happened—to—yours, hmm?”

“They’re gone,” Stephen brought his face even closer to Strange’s then glanced slightly upwards to Strange’s forehead. “Oh…,” Stephen chuckled, “…how precious.”

Strange’s fists were clenched, wrists contorting as he tried to over power Stephen as violet magic emanated from his fists. It was only then that I noticed the third eye on Strange’s face. Not that more than two eyes was strange to me at this point, I just wasn’t aware that Strange had some of that funk going on, too.

“The Darkhold, Doctor? What a hypocrite!” Stephen spat.

“I—did what I—had to do,” Strange gurgled.

“To save the girl, yes. I’m aware America Chavez resides here. Great kid. Anyway,” Stephen brought Strange’s hand in between them with a tentacle, “Here’s the difference between you and me, Doc.” With some effort, Stephen managed to force one of his arms back to his human form from the elbow down to his fingers. He put their hands side by side, one heavily scarred and shaking while the other stood unmarred and perfectly still, and snarled, “You didn’t have to lose them to follow your fate into the Mystic Arts. I did!”

As Stephen said his piece, I felt for Strange as I watched his face grow a deeper red—borderline purple—and worryingly so as the tentacles seemed to squeeze harder the more Stephen raged on. Hesitantly, I approached, making sure Shumi was able to sense my presence amidst all the emotion before laying a hand on the tentacle wrapped around Strange’s neck.

“Stephen, please,” I asked softly.

“Get back,” Strange wheezed, more air than noise escaping.

Stephen snarled at Strange before glancing at me from the corner of a few of his eyes, while the others stayed trained on Strange.

“Put him down before something bad happens. This universe still needs its Doctor Strange.”

Stephen responded with something akin to a grumble and loosened up the tentacles, letting Strange drop to his feet with a not-so-gentle thud.

“Wha—?” Strange wheezed, clutching his neck and his face only donning two eyes once more, but still staring at Stephen’s bare arm. “Ah—How?”

“The car accident,” Stephen’s voice distorted midway through speaking as he calmed the beings inside him and switched back to his human form; his body going back behind the mirror. His red and purple robes sat heavily on his shoulders contrasting his gaunt, pale features with his light brown hair contrasting Strange’s deep, black hair. “They died in the car accident. In my accident.”

“Y—you knew them…before?” Strange cleared his throat, eyes squinting as he tried to piece together Stephen’s timeline.

Stephen’s head nodded silently, eyes cast downward at the mention of his past; clearly still feeling the weight of the guilt of his actions.

“So, you joined the Mystic Arts and turned yourself in to this? Do I even want to know what you did?!” Strange berated him. “You could have gone back to work but you chose this instead?”

Stephen’s face snapped up, a snarl marring his human features. He charged toward the mirror with fists balled and fury in his eyes, “They meant more to me than work! That’s the difference between you and me.”

Strange responded in kind, bringing up huge orange runes to shield himself in case Stephen did anything.

“Stop!” I snapped. “Look, Strange, he’s been here for months and hasn’t done anything bad. Those aren’t his intentions.”

“He’s still dangerous,” Doctor Strange stated matter of factly.

“He’s no—.”

“You have no idea what just his presence could do here, okay? Just his being here destabilizes the multiverse and could cause far more harm than he may intend,” Strange raised his voice, just on the edge of condescending despite the glare from Stephen.

“I—is that true?” I stalled thickly, looking over at Stephen for answers.

“It’s hypothetica—.”

“It’s actually very real, thank you,” Strange interrupted. “Incursions are not to be trifled with.”

Stephen scoffed, “Please, I’ve hopped around the multiverse plenty and nev—.”

“Oh my fu…,” Strange trailed off, running a hand over his tired face.

“For good reason! There have been plenty of multiversal disasters prevented thanks to me, your highness. So, you’re welcome for dealing with them before they reached your universe.”

“Coming from someone who has had to rectify his own incursion, they are still not to be brushed off as hypothetical!” Strange stressed.

“I jus—.”

“—Haven’t you ruined enough!?” Strange nearly shouted.

Stephen stopped speaking immediately, suddenly feeling very small despite the power inside him.

“From the looks of it, your universe isn’t doing too hot,” Strange made a show of peering around Stephen. “Then you drove erratically with them in the car and had the audacity to think you could…what? Fix it? Without consequences? Am I on the right track?”

Stephen was still silent.

“Stephen…” I murmured.

“No,” he whispered back. “He’s right.”

“No...,” my eyes widened.

“I’ll leave,” Stephen nodded, finally picking his eyes up and looking at me. “I just wanted more time.”

“Please don’t go,” I pushed forward to the mirror, feeling my throat tightening with every word.

“I have to,” Stephen looked away, the sight of tears pooling in my eyes suddenly too much for him to watch. “You were never mine to have anyway. You’re his.”

Overwhelmed with anger, I hit the wall next to the mirror with my palm and ignored the pain thereafter, “No one owns me! He doesn’t even know me! Not like you do!” I blew up at the mirror. My chest heaved with furious breathing and hitched breaths underneath the sight of tears making their way down my cheeks.

“I know, hey…” Stephen pushed himself part way through the mirror, not caring if Strange protested or not. He pressed his forehead against mine and settled his hands on the outside of my upper arms, rubbing his hands up and down to calm me. “…I know. And I don’t agree with him but…”

“I’m right here,” Strange scoffed distantly.

“…I’m sorry,” Stephen murmured.

I was barely able to brush my lips against his before he was pulling away completely, looking completely dejected and defeated without Strange even having to lift a finger to accomplish it. I slowly stepped back out of shock that this was happening.

“Whatever Multiversal saving you’ve been doing aside…I’m going to need you to respect this for this universe at least,” Strange sighed. “I really don’t want to drag Wong here to help me seal the place up.”

Stephen nodded solemnly.

“You can't make him go!” I suddenly blurted out, grabbing onto Strange’s forearm. “You can’t do this! He just wants to feel again!” Strange kept his arm strong to keep me back from the mirror as my words slowly disintegrated into sobs. My weight shifted ominously making Strange shift to catch me and help lower me to the ground.

“I’m sorry, I—“

“Don’t touch me! Get the fuck out of my house!” I pushed him away and used my feet to scoot myself away from him. I pressed my back against the wall, bringing my palms to my eyes and refusing to see Stephen drift away like a dream.

“Doc…” Stephen murmured over my sobs.

Strange closed his eyes and straightened himself up, giving his attention over to the pale face in the mirror.

“You don’t need to do this self-sacrificing stunt that we always pull,” Stephen muttered. “You can still fix things with them.”

“You’re the last person who should be giving advice,” Strange rolled his eyes.

“On the contrary, and don’t look at me like that. I am you. I clocked your idiotic plan a few weeks into being here,” Stephen snapped and then sighed again, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. “Look, I’ve made a lot of mistakes but them? They were never a mistake.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Strange flicked his eyes over to my curled up ball of a form.

“You’re allowed to feel and be human. You do deserve to be loved and happy.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to love someone or to have them love me,” Strange’s voice wavered. “I’m scared to lose them.”

“So, you keep them at a distance before anything can begin, I get it. But, as much as you think they’re not, they are safer with you. And despite what you’ve pulled so far, they’re forgiving to a fault—given some time. You have a chance still. Take it from me…Don’t. Waste. It. It could be your last one.”

Strange watched as his darker self turned around and walked away, slowly fading out into Strange’s own reflection. With my sobs still filling the suddenly quiet room, Strange stepped carefully out of the room. He waved his hand, making my bedroom door appear again and disappeared through a circle of sparks. The crackling sparks fizzled out moments later, leaving only me to fill the silence.

Don't you worry There'll be a time when our hearts beat the same Let life carry Across the distance I still see your flame

The Distance - Poets of the Fall (x)

Chapter 8 - Coming Soon

#stephen strange x reader #doctor strange x reader #gender neutral reader #marvel fanfiction #strange supreme x reader #Series: Through Glass #my art

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