Forevermore (Doctor Strange x reader)

Chapter 9: The Advice

I hit the stone courtyard ground.

Hard.

A piercing pain flows down my right side. I squint my eyes open and realize that I landed on my right side. I hear footsteps running over to me. Getter closer and closer. I see Stephen's shoes approach me from my side. He crouches down, so I can see his legs and chest.

"Oh, shit, y/n. Oh, man. Are you okay? Can you move?" he asks frantically. I look up to see his face filled with concern. His eyes dart all over my body, and his hands are restless as if wanting to touch me. Which I mean, I guess I wouldn't mind. I take a deep breath. It hurts to even breathe, but I have to show him that I'm okay. To calm him down.

"Hold on. I think I can move," I respond quietly. I close my eyes and slowly roll over on my back. I use my left arm to push myself up. I grit my teeth and hiss in the pain. I feel a slight weight on my waist as I try to sit up. I open my eyes and see Stephen helping me up with concentration. When I finally sit up, he takes his hands off.

"Oh my God. Y/n, I'm so sorry," he says. His hands can't stay still anymore as they touch my leg, to my arms, and then, one gentle brushes my face as though making sure I'm not hurt anywhere else. He keeps his hand there for a moment on my check and stares at me in fear. It feels good to have his hand there, but he soon realizes that it was there for too long and retracts the leather. He finally rests one hand on my leg and looks me in the eyes.

"Are you okay? Where are you hurting?" he asks quickly. I look down to my right arm and can already see the bruises and swollenness start to form around my elbow.

"Dammit," I whisper, looking at the damage. I know that it's just going to get worse. I look up to see Stephen's eyes wide in shock. "Yeah, yeah. I know what I said, but I think that the situation calls for a little bit of cursing. Like my mom said, 'Only use them when you need them'," I explain. As soon as I finish talking, a wave of pain washes over my arm. I jerk my eyes close and grit my teeth. "And shit do I need them now," I say.

"Yeah, you do. It's fine. I get it. Now, take a deep breath. Breathe, y/n," Stephen says. I release the breath that I didn't know I was holding in until Stephen said something. I slowly start taking deep breaths as the pain starts to resolve. He gently starts rubbing my leg. I can feel his hand shake from his anxiety. Hmm, his hands seem to shake a lot. I guess it's just a nervous tic, but I do like him touching me. Wait, not in that way. It's just comforting. Before I can think about anything else, Stephen's voice breaks through my thoughts.

"There you go. Is the pain going away?" he asks gently. I sigh and open my eyes to see his worried face in front of me. It seems like his eyes are glassy. I nod.

"Yes, it's subsiding for now," I exhale.

"Good," he says, looking down at my arm. "So, are you hurting anywhere else or just your arm?" he questions. I look down at the swelling mass.

"Well," I start, "looks like my elbow took the brunt of it." I shake my head. "Other than my arm, I think I'm good." I keep looking at my arm, and I can tell I have a few scratches here and there that are leaking blood. "I just need to get it all cleaned up is all." I look back up to Stephen.

"Yes, I agree. Did you bang your head, or do you remember?" he asks.

"No, I didn't. I made sure to take the majority of the force on my elbow," I explain.

"Good, good," he mumbles as he looks to the door. He snaps his head back at me as though a great idea popped into his head. "Alright, so let's get you to my room so we can get you cleaned up," he says suddenly. He takes his hand off my knee and goes to grab my waist to help me up. I scoot back before he can touch me. His face contorts in confusion, and his ever-present wrinkles between his eyes show up. It is cute, though.