Forevermore (Doctor Strange x reader)

Chapter 14: The Confrontation

"Welp, that was... a lot," I stutter out.

"Yeah. Yes, it was," he sighs, shaking his head. He stares at where the portal for a few seconds in silence, lost in his own thoughts.

"We should get back to Kaecilius," I say softly, interrupting Stephen's thoughts. He turns to look behind us.

"Yeah..." I hear Stephen say, focusing on something else. He tries to pull me from my hold.

"Hey, where are you going?" I ask, not letting him go. I want to be beside him. I want to hold him. To make sure he's okay. He turns to me with concern written across his face. It makes my stomach sink. "What- What is it?" I ask some more.

"Can you help me over to the Zealot?" he asks. I gulp. I may have forgotten about him for just a split second, but then the memories flood back into my brain.

"Yeah. Yeah, I can," I respond. We turn around, and I see Lev waiting by the man a few feet away. My blood runs cold. I know why Stephen is concerned. We stop over his body, and Stephen pulls from my grasp enough for my hands to slip. "Steph-" I start, concerned about him being sore and his wound. He bends down with a grunt and gently touches the man's neck for a pulse.

"He's gone," he swallows. My suspicion was correct. Stephen had killed the Zealot. Out of self-defense of course. But killed, nevertheless. There is a nervousness in the pit of my stomach. I know Stephen did not mean to kill the man, and I'm not scared of him. I'm just nervous about the way he might react.

He slowly stands up and looks at Lev.

"Thank you for protecting us, Lev," he says under his breath, like he doesn't want me to hear. He grabs Lev by the collar and throws him over his shoulders. He sits perfectly on them. He turns to me, and my heart hurts for him. His face is solemn, and there is a glassy tint to his eyes. It's taking everything out of him, not let it all lose. I wish he would. I wish he would be vulnerable with me. It's me for crying out loud! Tell me how you feel.

He comes over and takes his hand and places it on my arm shoulder.

"You- You put your body over mine. You were going to sacrifice yourself for me," he says with an almost surprised tone. I think back to when I thought I was going to die. The peace that I felt.

"Yeah. I mean, yeah. I did," I explain, nodding my head. Wow, I was not expecting him to bring this up.

"Why- Why did you do that?" he asks.

"Because believe it or not, doctor, I would die for you too," I say warmly with a smile. "Besides, I wouldn't want to live without you. You're my best friend. My family," I explain. Stephen swallows hard and looks away as if looking at me will break the floodgates. He takes a deep breath and looks back.

"Th- Thank you. That means so much to me. You don't even know," he explains.

"Well, you mean everything to me," I respond quietly. Suddenly, Stephen wraps his big arms around me and pulls me in for a hug. I don't mind. I wrap my arms around him as well. He places one of his hands on my head, and I lay my head on his chest. His forehead comes down to rest on my shoulder.

"God, that was awkward with Christine," he whispers. His breath makes my hair stand up and sends a chill down my spine. God, he doesn't know what he does to me.

"Yeah, it was. But it's fine," I lie, my voice muffled from his chest.

"I should have warned you we were going to see her. So, you could have been at least somewhat prepared," he explains.

"It's fine, Stephen. It really is. All that matters is that you are alright and not dead. You knew what was best and here you are," I say with a little laugh.