#oc; stephen

[vault81]

saw this and immediately had to do it with Stephen and Danse

[elmushterri]

2K followers on tumblr and 30K subscribers on YouTube! In celebration, here’s my story. Not a rewrite. This is all a work in progress and subject to change.

Being a HEMA fencer, I’ve wanted a story semi-based on actual swordsmanship and actual fencing techniques.. but fantasy.

It’s a story like… Spiderverse meets Steven Universe meets Owl House meets She-Ra.

It’s called

The Knight’s Handbook

——————

It’s modern Earth but there are supernatural people who protect it like guardian angels called Knights: Humans who’ve died via sacrificing themselves for someone else, and have been revived (not by choice). They protect humans from things as small as tripping over to protecting them from demons, dragons and other dangerous entities.

A Knight can pull their weapon from a magical, glowing scar called their Mortal Wound, the injury they acquired and a sign of the end of their mortality, like how SU Gems can pull their weapons from their gems. A Knight’s weapon can be anything including guns and crossbows, but these shoot magic/energy bullets or arrows.

Knights have their own realm to go to just for each other, (Gallantia) but can live on Earth hiding as normal humans if they wish (so long as they hide the magic scar!)

They function a bit like bees in that there is a Queen, chosen instantly when someone dies by sacrifice according to ‘qualifications of their soul’ (So not completely random like other Knights). Of course, this only happens when the former Queen is killed. Never have there been two Queen Knights at once, so written history goes. Like bees, that would create a huge issue!

Here is the main character and the main antagonist. For the first time apparently ever, there are Two Queen Knights. A mistake of nature, perhaps?

Sidra Saiffudeen

Our main enby is Sidra, she/they. A normal teen turned Queen Knight chosen right after her death, impaled through the chest (where you can see her Mortal Wound symbol) by saving her father. Her design is based on a bee! Not all Knights’ designs are, but I thought I’d lean into Queen Bee stuff.

She’s the ‘Acknowledged’ Queen. Most Knights, ones in support of the past Queen who just died (it’s a mournful period), back Sidra, but think she’s a bit immature. Sidra adores her new people though and vows to be a good Queen. Knight Queens don’t just sit back like Earth Royalty, they’re the most powerful and therefore in battle a lot. The past Queens tended to be adults (The Captain of the Royal Guard was in love with the past Queen (sapphics >:) ) and so having Sidra around is painful but they do their best to teach her.

Then there’s Juliana Fontana, always called Jules. She… is also a Queen Knight. You can tell this because a Queen’s mortal wound symbol is always the same as the Knight Symbol, a sword. Some Knights went traitor to back Jules rather than Sidra. Jules is a very very tired and sneaky girl, but more academically intelligent than Sidra. She’d be a very different Queen, and that’s why the Knights that took her side did so! She hasn’t figured out how to access her weapon or knight form.

The twist? They haven’t seen each other for a long long time… but Sidra and Jules know each other.

Info on Weapons, Mortal Wounds and Knight Forms.

Lastly, The Title’s “The Knight’s Handbook”… what are Knight Handbooks?

Well, for Knights, along with a weapon you can pull from your Mortal Wound, you also have your Handbook! Every Knight has a Handbook with their symbol on it. Like I said, Queen Knights don’t get their own unique personalised symbol, rather they get the default symbol representing all Knights as a species (unfortunate!).

Every Handbook is personalised except for the first couple pages and chapters. The first few pages *always* contain The Rules of Knighthood. One of which is that there Cannot Be Two Queens. But… have these Handbooks with their strict rules on who your friends and enemies are and what you can or cannot do always been a part of the Knights? Or did someone *write* these books for their own purposes? Control?

Handbooks also contain info on how to fight/fence, how to defeat certain entities, anatomy, etc (I’ll figure out more). But, Handbooks also serve as phones! You write something in your handbook for someone else and your writings will appear in *their* handbook! Not sure, but I imagine handbooks can also be used as little sketch hologram projectors (you sketch a map for example or a plan and project it into the air using your book.)

Sidra and Jules may have this giant plot going on around them because they happen to be Queens, but that doesn’t mean they’re not teenagers who want to have fun. A lot of Knights are kids and teenagers and still have their senses of fun, much to the dismay of the serious adult Knights. But they’re all immortal so they’ve got plenty of time to grow up before they hit an age to stop. Being a Knight is tough and scary cause you *could* die at any time in a fight, so adult Knights tend to protect the teens from going out before they’ve trained properly. Queens are not afforded such a luxury and besides, a lot of teen Knights are totally reckless regardless of what the adults say!

So yeah!

That’s an intro to The Knight’s Handbook. I’d love for people to join in like they did with GunnTech and make their own Knights for this, if you feel inspired. It’s kinda like a DTIYS but instead of Draw This In Your Style, it’s… Draw Your Sona for this concept? Working title… /j If you wanna do something, I suppose tag it with “The Knight’s Handbook” with the apostrophe and whatnot, but I do not expect anything, you guys already do so so much 🧡.

Any art or ocs of The Knight’s Handbook will definitely be featured on my next YT vid and I’ll be reblogging (Plus I would love to draw you guys’ ocs, and basically consider them canon since there’s an infinite number of Knights in TKH!)

Thank you for all your support, guys!

[lakesparkles]

Shhh it's not too late to post Valentine's Day art!

Most of these are IG requests and also Scott Pilgrim related. Then there are my TUA OCs that I never talked about here

[daneesoro]

Brain decided to do a Kung Fu Hustle OC redraw

[katherine-fisk]

This one's mine 😊

[nicohockstetter]

Bro please, I can't be the only one who sees this image and thinks they are doing something obscene 😭

[hockstetters-overbite]

Basically, since they aren't in the scene they were somewhere else, clearly. My ask is what do you think they were up to? :)

OHHHH, a headcanon post! I kinda figured, my bad lol! I really gotta make a format for people to send in for these lol!

- Me personally on the fourth of july I think the gangs parents get together for a cookout or somethin since in my previous headcanon I’ve made the gang into childhood friends!

- I think they’d all go to Henry’s house because come hell or high water there’s no god damn way Butch is letting someone else grill those shitty hotdogs and burgers

- We have Patrick chasing henry around the yard with either those pop thingies that snap when they hit the ground or firecrackers

- Belch absolutely demolishing 7 hotdogs and Victor holding his and Belch’s sparklers in his hands

- also Henry’s punk ass cousin Connor is there, god i fucking hate connor..He’s also a victim of the fire crackers and pop thingies except he’s slower than henry so he actually got hit lmfao

- Butch is definitely getting drunk off his ass as per usual when he’s off grill duty, Patrick and Vic’s dad probably join him to yell at some type of ball sport and the wives get to gossip about whatever’s going on in Derry currently!

This set of headcanons was pretty fun to imagine ngl lol! I’ll have that format for headcanons asks soon! For now, with headcanons just specify it’s a headcanon ask lol

[rebelliousstories]

Did You Know?

Relationship: Spencer Reid x Reader

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Request: No

Warnings: Angst, Light Fluff, Allusions to Pregnancy

Word Count: 1,083

Main Masterlist: Here

Criminal Minds Masterlist: Here

Part Two: I Know Now// Part Three: Somebody Knows// Part Four: What We Know

Summary: Spencer is sent to prison and is waiting on his team to get him out. Meanwhile, his partner is there for morale support.

“It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much preforms much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.” Vincent Van Gogh

Never in a million years did she think she would be in this position. Getting a call from Emily in the middle of the night was not what she expected. But to be told that her husband is currently in federal custody and awaiting trial, that was another. But she took it as it came. There was nothing she could do for her husband except just to be there for him. She would never be able to get the image of him in handcuffs in the BAU out of her head, but she was glad she was able to hug him.

“Spence. Oh my Spence.” She hugged him over the handcuffs that were hidden with the jacket. His fingertips were just barely able to grasp on to her shirt to pull her as close as physically possible.

“Hey honey. I’m sorry you have to see me like this. How’s my mom?” He whispered into her ear. Spencer was thankful that everyone decided to keep a healthy distance as the husband and wife reunited.

“She’s good. Wondering when you’re coming home, but I am helping Cassie take care of her. I don’t care about seeing you handcuffed, sweetheart. I’m just glad I can see you and hold you.” Her reply made Spencer want to cry. He knew it was not fair to her to have to deal with this whole situation. Stepping back, she pressed a sweet kiss to his lips and tried to convey all of the lover she felt into that kiss. Pulling away completely, she watched as he accepted embraces from his teammates.

If only they knew at the time, how much of a roller coaster this was going to be. She sat on the prison bus waiting to be taken to the facility. Being able to see her husband was wonderful, except for the fact that she would be sitting across from him in a cubicle, with a sheet of glass separating them. The bus ride was bumpy, but thankfully it was over quick. Stepping off, her hair was swept away in the windy weather outside.

Walking inside the correctional facility, her eyes kept scanning the room, looking for any threats. A side effect from working for the FBI all those years ago. Now, it only served as a reminder of where she had once been, and of how her husband became that title. She walked up to the reception desk and placed her id down.

“Inmate name?” The officer asked. Her voice was devoid of any emotion.

“Spencer Reid. I’m his wife.” She supplied her name, and waited as the officer scanned a list and then her ID again.

“You’re not on the list. Next!” The officer yelled, pushing the woman off to the side. She stood there dumbfounded as she was handed back her ID, but knew better than to fight with the officer. Her body, especially her heart felt numb as she walked outside and waited for the bus to take her back to the car lot. Why was she denied access to see her husband? JJ was able to see him; so why was she not?

After the numbness wore off, rage fueled her. It kept her going all the way to the FBI headquarters where she signed in for a visitor’s pass silently. Marching her way into the BAU’s office on the sixth floor, she noticed how everyone was still there thankfully. She made her way over to JJ, who was surrounded by Tara, Matt, and Stephen.

“Hey,” JJ greeted, ”how are you doing?”

“Don’t give me that.” She snapped, leaving the agents in a state of shock. Never had she ever snapped, not even raised her voice.

“Whoa, what is going on?” The blonde woman asked, holding her hands up in surrender.

“Did you know?” Mrs. Reid growled, with her patience wearing thin.

“Did I know what? You’re not making any sense.” JJ tried to reason and de escalate the situation, but Emily and David were already out of their offices and looking out at the bullpen.

“Did you know when you went to visit Spence that he had put me on the ‘no visit’ list?” There it was. The million dollar question. JJ remained silent for a minute, but her face did the talking before her words caught up.

“Listen, you have to understand his reasons.” She tried to reach for the woman, but she slipped out of the way.

“You knew? And you didn’t tell me? I just got back from there, hoping to see my husband and check in on him. Only to be turned away at the gate. And you never told me?” Now, she was yelling. It was scary to see the former profiler turned professor yell. She spoke sternly sometimes sure, but she never raised her voice in anger.

“He wants to protect you from the inside. Spence asked us not to tell.” A slip of the tongue and now her fury was leveled to everyone.

“You all knew?” Prentiss and Rossi made their way down the stairs by this point.

“Yes, we did.” The dark haired agent said, walking along with her right hand man.

“Spencer doesn’t want you to see him like that so he asked if we would not tell you that he had put you on that list.” Emily placed her hand on the woman, and it was like her strings were cut. Rage left and was followed by intense depression. Sobs wracked her body as she crumpled to the floor. Emily tried to grab her, but Luke was the one that actually got his arms around her.

There was nothing left for her now. Everything came crashing down around her; her world was shattered. She thought about every interaction that she had ever had with Spencer. There were probably some that she was missing, but she was not blessed with his memory skills. But every major moment came to her at that time. The first time they met, their first date, when he introduced her to his mom, their proposal and wedding. Rubbing her stomach, she wondered when she would wake from this nightmare and be safe in her husband’s arms once again.

Zsa Zsa Gabor said, “To be loved is a strength. To love is a weakness.”

[muppet-facts]

Muppet Fact#1098

Beaker once had a periodic table of elements autographed by Stephen Hawking.

Source:

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. 2002.

[vault81]

my mind.. it amazes me sometimes...

[bathylychnops]

stephen jett nation.. ilove my freaks.. im getting BETTER at drawing kisses gawd its so hard and whyy + stephen looking for jett 2 ask something and startles him & jett swallows his mouthwash chokes on it

[tired-ophidian]

~ Oldies but Goldies ~

What's better than one grandpuff? FOUR granpuffs !!!

Late again to the party but it's better than never!

I've been dragged into this fandom faster than the Fat Controller saying "Bother that telephone!" thanks to the wonderful @asktrio516

As you can see, I was inspired by her humanized TTTE au, and thus it got me out of my art block that got me finishing this piece a whole day. I tried replicating the art style but mashed my own in the end no matter how hard I tried. Anyway, here are the humanized versions of our favorite grandpuffs (+ my oc) since I didn't see them in her posts (unless I'm blind) but yeah... I'll make another one soon, with my own headcannons !!

Pls go check the original creator's works, they're stunning and very edible. And lemme know if I need to update my designs for them hehe /ps/ sorry for tagging u so suddenly :']

[tunapesto]

some OCS I brain stormed earlier this month

[anotherlikeyou]

Fr fr

[puttersmile]

" 'Do you love?' That's a weird way to end the story."

"No idea how a giant blob of death can love its last meal."

"I guess he tasted good. I'm sure the last guy is toast."

"Then how would you survive 'The Raft' ?"

"Obviously I would fly away! - extends a wing

"You forget the rule. If the characters can't fly then you can't fly."

"Mmmm. Then I'd have no choice but to push one of the other people off and swim for my life."

"Cruel."

"I know, but survival of the fittest!"

"So...you would push me?"

"Probably. Maybe. Possibly."

"Remind me to never go swimming alone with you."

"You'd survive because you wouldn't be there, Nappy. You hate water." *giggles*

Their dynamic is they both love to read horror stories or watch horror movies and try to figure out how they would survive the scenarios. They just finished reading Stephen King's short story 'The Raft'.

[imagines--galore]

Hi there how’s-it going? I saw requests were open. Just read bleeding love dr strange x reader, i would love a part two!! Of him slowly realising that hes moved on from Christine and misses the reader? Just a thought!! I loved that fic ahhh 🥰

Pairing: Dr Stephen Strange x Reader Rating || Genres || Warnings: T. Romance. Angst. Hurt/Comfort. None. A/N: I am full of angst right now, so I had to channel it somewhere. Please read Part One of Bleeding Love here, before moving forward with this one.

The moment he stepped back in the Sanctum, Stephen knew something was wrong.

Still on edge, and barely recovered from the whole America, Wanda and the Multiverse fiasco, it didn't do his nerves any good when he activated his magic, and began to prowl up the stairs, ready to face whatever may come.

"Y/n?"

Your name echoed in the empty hallways. His heart clenched in his chest. Had something happened to you? Usually you were always there to greet him whenever he returned from a mission or even an outing.

A horrible feeling had his stomach in knots, his heart jumping in his throat as his mind came up with every worst case scenario it could conjure. He found himself making a beeline for your room, his pace quick and alert.

He burst through the door, your name on his lips, only to stop short.

You weren't there.

                                          ————————–

Stephen,

Tony offered me a job, and I took it.

The note ended with a simple signature of your name. That was it.

No explanation as to why you up and left.

And that was that.

Why your drawers were empty and your wardrobe door hanging ajar, the empty hangers inside just serving as a reminder of your absence. Even the photographs were gone. You had decorated your room with physical copies of yourself as well as your loved ones. Over the years you had accumulated quite the collection.

But the walls were bare, and not a single smiling face looked back at him. Just that blank wall.

Stephen's fingers trembled. It was the norm, but not this trembling.

No, this was more then the muscles spasms that afflicted him. This trembling came from somewhere deep inside him. It slowly spread throughout his entire body. And when it reached his legs, he had to sit down on the bed, your bed, for fear of falling.

You were gone.

You had left.

For the first time in his life, he was truly alone.

                                          ————————–

Wong was extremely worried.

The Sorcerer Supreme was surely on a pathway of pure destruction.

There was nothing dark about the man.........yet.

But his behavior had been a little erratic.

He was short-tempered then usual. Where he had made sarcastic quips before, he would now all but snap at the other person. On more then one occasion he had reduced a new recruit at the Kamar-Taj to tears. Not to mention he was barely eating or sleeping. All he did was either study, practice his magic, or take on any magic assignment that would come his way.

Even the smaller ones, ones that he had, in the past, deemed too beneath him to deal with and had allotted it to a younger magic user.

Wong was more then aware of the reason behind Stephen's behavior.

But he also had no desire to be banished by some other dimension by an annoyed Sorcerer Supreme so he kept quiet.

It wasn't until he was helping the man move some of his more heavier tomes to your room, which Stephen had now taken up as his new rooms. As he gave a sweep of Stephen's bookshelf, to make sure he hadn't missed anything, Wong spotted a hidden alcove within the book cupboard. A quick sweep of his hand later found him holding a small box.

It wasn't marked or anything, but once he opened the lid, whatever was inside, had him slowly closing it once more and sighing.

"Fools. The both of them." He said softly to himself, sadness filling him as he thought of his two friends so obviously holding back for reasons that weren't even reasons.

                                          ————————–

The box atop his bed was one he had not seen for quite awhile now.

As Cloak floated away to hang itself from a hook, Stephen slowly reached out to take the box in his still dirty hands. He had just returned from a rather grueling battle with an angry earth giant. And though he wanted nothing more then to simply be rid of the dirt that covered him and collapse into bed, his heart urged him to pick up the box and settle onto his bed with it.

Made of fine, dark, polished wood, his thumb flicked the small lock that held the lid in place.

Opening the lid, he blinked at what stared back at him.

Your face.

Your face smiling up at him in the picture that had been taken so long ago. Stephen remembered that day. It had been a particularly hard one. A small child who had seen every doctor in every state. None of whom could give him a diagnosis. His parents were worried sick, the mother in near hysterics. The case had appeared before them, and being the picky doctor he had been, Stephen had actually rejected the case.

But not you.

You had taken the file. You had stayed up all night going over the child's medical history. You had spent hours in his office, pestering him so that the both of you could bounce ideas off of each other.

And despite his lack of interest before, Stephen had finally relented.

Not because he was interested, but because you were dedicated on finding a cure for the boy.

And then you finally did. Granted it had been his idea which you had further researched and after conducting a few tests of your own designs, you had been able to give the boy a diagnosis.

After that it had been a matter of days. The boy's condition improved. But the true moment of triumph was when the boy awoke from surgery with every motor function intact.

You had been ecstatic, but had kept your cool. Though as soon as the both of you stepped out of the room, allowing the small family to celebrate, you had all but tackled him to a hug. A hug that Stephen was sure, at that time, had cracked a rib.

He couldn't deny you your joy though. He had a soft spot for you. So he had hugged you back, while you had rambled at a near incoherence pace, your body trembling with sheer joy.

Stephen had no idea who had captured that moment. Probably one of the nosy nurses. While your gaze had been one of excitement and happiness, his gaze was different. The memories of what he felt in that moment came rushing back. A certain warmth in his chest, that had him smiling at you in a way he had never smiled at anyone before.

A smile that had been captured and frozen in the very picture he held.

He had kept the photograph though, after you had given him a copy. Having no photo album, he had opted to put it in the very box he now held. It had been sitting at his desk at the time. Truth be told, he had forgotten about the box, and only just remembered it when what was underneath the photograph he held had been deemed too precious to throw away.

                                          ————————–

Underneath the picture were two stubs to what looked to be a musical on Broadway. It was dated more then a decade ago. And the name of the musical sounded familiar.

Stephen wandered why he had kept the stubs. They were worthless weren't they?

Another picture underneath the stubs, ones that were related to the musical. It had been some Disney musical. Beauty and the Beast, if the name on the stub was anything to go by. There had been props outside the theater, where people would take pictures.

Somehow, you had convinced Stephen to take those pictures. With the props.

The image showed you with a tiara on your head, standing behind the cutout of the main princess, whoever that had been. While Stephen had to wear a brown beard and a mane to catch the actual look of the Beast. You hadn't been able to keep a straight face.

There were multiple photos of that moment. Some where the both of you seemed to be in character, while several where he looked annoyed, and you laughing your head off at his annoyance.

As he traced the edge of the photograph with his fingers, Stephen couldn't help but feel his lips quirk at the memory.

                                          ————————–

Photograph after photograph of memories you had shared. Some he remembered clearly, others that were hazy at best.

These were moments you had deemed important enough to print and give him a copy of. Why had he decided to keep them in a small box was beyond him.

Truth be told, he didn't think of himself as a sentimental person. Then again, he had kept this box and the watch Christine had given him when he had left New York to go to the Kamar-Taj. So maybe, he was just lying to himself.

He had forgotten the box once he came back after the Snap. But with how frayed the edges of some photographs were, anyone could see that they had been frequently handled and were well-loved.

                                          ————————–

A gala that every doctor had attended. To attain more funds from those who could afford it. A gala where the both of you had dressed up for the occasion. And while Stephen had more occasion to wear his tuxes, you barely cleaned up.

How could he have forgotten how beautiful you had looked when he had picked you up? How the dress you had worn had accentuated your every feature.

And then there was the dance the both of you had shared that night.

How could he have forgotten it?

                                          ————————–

The next picture served as a reminder as to why he had forgotten you.

Christine.

He had fallen in love with Christine.

Though the picture included all three of you, it was clear to anyone who should see it that you were the odd one out. Sitting on a chair at the other side of the table, while him and Christine sat on the other side, their chairs close together. Him with his arm around her shoulders.

For the first time, he noticed the strange emotion in your eyes. The camera had somehow been able to capture the exact moment when you had looked at your two friends, so happy and in love. And though your lips were frozen in a smile, the sadness in your eyes was undeniable.

How had he not seen it before?

Had you been sad because of him? Of Christine?

Or because of him and Christine?

                                          ————————–

Picture after picture, of all the moments you had shared with him. Moments that you had printed and given to him because, you knew that despite his tough exterior, he was sentimental about certain things.

You knew him so well. You knew him better then he knew himself.

So why hadn't he realized his feelings for you sooner?

Why, only after you had left, did he realize that he was so in love with you that everyday without you was a day living with the feeling of a knife embedded in his heart.

God, how could he have been so caught up in his own problems that he hadn't seen what had been in front of him all along.

He truly was selfish.

Maybe you were right to leave.

Someone as lovely as you shouldn't be with someone who would never appreciate you the way you were meant to be.

His eyes shone with tears as he looked at the very last photograph at the end of the pile.

It was a photograph with just you.

One that he had taken.

And he had actually printed himself before put it in the box.

It was just before the Snap.

You had convinced him to go for a walk along the beach and with the sling ring, traveling had not been a problem. The both of you had spent an amazing day on a deserted beach. You had collected shells and made sandcastles together. Stephen couldn't remember a day when he had felt so careless and free as he had then.

Finally, when the sun had begun to set, the both of you had settled onto the blanket you had brought to watch the sun disappear. Stephen had turned towards you then, looking at you as you sat there unaware of his gaze.

It was in that moment that he had realized just how much you meant to him. More then anyone. Even more then Christine. You, sitting there, in your lovely sundress, with your toes buried in the sand and hair wet from the swim you had just had together.

He had taken the photograph then, with the last of the sun's rays making your skin glow, a smile of utter content on your lips, and a loving gleam in your eyes as you had turned just at that moment to look at him.

                                          ————————–

And as he looked at your picture, Stephen realized that he wanted you to look at him like that again.

He wanted it so badly that he could feel his heart physically ache for it.

For you.

He was a selfish bastard, he knew that. So, why couldn't he be selfish for one last time, put aside his pride and ask you to come back to him.

He stood up so suddenly that the photographs as well as the box went flying to the floor. They hadn't even fully descended before he was creating a portal and stepping through it and straight into your room at the Avenger's Compound, leaving behind nothing but memories as they fluttered through the air like confetti.

                                          ————————–

The sight of Stephen Strange suddenly appearing in your room was something you could not have predicted in your wildest dreams.

"St-Stephen?" You gasped. It had been weeks, since you had left the Sanctum, and not a word from your former friend and colleague. And now there he stood, covered in dirt. But the dirt wasn't what you really noticed. It was his face. There were bags under his eyes, and his cheeks appeared hollow, as if he hadn't been eating properly. His hair was a little longer, as was his goatee, or rather beard, since he didn't look like he had shaved in awhile.

But it was his eyes that really had you worried. They looked so sad and alone. Not to mention the brightness in them seemed to have dimmed.

For his part, Stephen simply stood there, looking at you.

You.

With your beautiful face, kind eyes and gentle loving soul.

"Is everything alright?" You asked. Despite the fact that your heart had skipped a beat at the sight of him, worry gnawed at your insides. Maybe that was what compelled you to step forward, to reach a gentle hand out towards him and hesitantly resting it against his cheek.

"Are you alright?"

And with that one simple gesture, and three insignificant little word, Stephen Strange broke.

His arms came up to wrap around your shoulders, pulling you in an embrace that was desperate just as much as it was intimate. Your gasp was muffled by his shoulder, your arms trapped at your sides as you blinked in confusion.

"I'm sorry." He whispered against your neck where he had buried his face. "I am so sorry that it took me so long."

Though confusion still raged within you, that small part of your heart, the part that had never stopped hoping despite all that had happened and even after you had left, stirred to life, lifting its head and smelling the air with a spark of hope in its chest.

And though you had promised yourself that you would leave behind your feelings for him, that you would leave him behind, you could never fool your heart. At least not completely.

"For what?" You asked, trying your best to not let your hopes rise.

"To realize that I love you."

And that was all it took.

Those words were all it took for that carefully constructed wall around your heart to shatter in infinite pieces and fly in every direction.

"Y-you-," You choked on air.

Finally, finally, he pulled back. That sadness in his eyes was still there, so was the loneliness, and yet there was as flicker of hope and an abundance of love.

Love for you, you realized, feeling your breath hitch in your throat.

"I love you, Y/n. I-I think I always have, but I was too blind to see it. Please, please, come back. Come back to me. I cannot bear to not have you near me. The past few weeks I could barely breath when you were not with me."

He was begging now, pleading with you.

"B-but what about Christine?" You asked, your voice hardly above a whisper. Instantly he shook his head. "There is no Christine. There is only you, Y/n. If you'll have me." He added, his trembling hands reaching out to grasp your hands in his. "I know I have hurt you with my ignorance, but if you'll allow me, I will spend my life making up to you because I love you Y/n, and I have no intention of ever letting you go again."

Your head was spinning.

There was no doubt that he was sincere. Stephen would never be so cruel as to play with your feelings knowingly. Not to mention the absolute determination with which he spoke and the film of tears in his blue eyes had you closing your eyes.

Yes, you had tried to forget him since your arrival at the Compound. But how could one let go of someone they had been in love with for years.

The answer was, you couldn't.

At last, you sighed, closing your eyes briefly before opening them to focus on his chest, unable to meet his gaze. "I have had my heart broken too many times Stephen." You said, your insides twisting with fear as you bit your lower lip. Uncertainty played about your features, one that he would work to remove from your heart, soul and mind for as long as he had to.

One trembling hand settled on your cheek, guiding your head so he could look at your face, and so you could meet his gaze. "Then I will be sure to put it back piece by piece if I have to." He promised. Tears pricked your eyes as he slowly leaned down his head angled in a certain way.

And when he captured your lips with his, a small fraction of your heart did mend.

And you knew.

Your heart had finally stopped bleeding.