Falling Into Madness - Dr Strange x OC

Chapter 1

The sweet smell of the brioche toasting wafted through the air, filling Stella's nose as she took in a deep breath, calming her nerves. She was always anxious first thing in the morning, something about the cold air and orange sunrise peering through the penthouse windows. Most found it soothing, but she never understood why.

She looked around, this place was stunning, truly a home for the rich and powerful. It was modern, lavish, yet strangely empty. Stella would never regret moving in here, all the compromises, all the sacrifices, her husband was worth every little thing.

Reaching up to the cupboard, Stella pulled down two matching mugs. Each one was a plain white colour, boring to look at, but deceptively expensive. Placing them down on the counter, Stella picked up the coffee pot, filling both mugs before adding milk and sugar to one.

She picked up the one with milk, blowing in it slightly before taking a sip as she stared out at the sun rising above the silhouette of the city.

Leaning on the counter as the eggs and toast cooked away, Stella began to feel her mind slip away, thinking of what she needed to do today. She closed her eyes, making a mental list of the extensive responsibilities she had to complete before evening.

Today would be busier than usual, some people from her husband's old job would be coming over for dinner tomorrow and she would need to start preparations today.

'I should see if Stephen wants to order in tonight.' She thought to herself. 'Not needing to cook tonight's dinner would mean more time to clean up.'

The sudden pop of the toaster cut through the gentle sound of eggs sizzling away, catching her attention. He would be awake any moment, better finish getting breakfast ready.

Gently putting down her cup, she walked to the toaster, picking up the plate that was set aside and placing down the two slices. Next she walked over to the pan, sliding the eggs on top of the toasted bread.

Two sunny side up eggs on toast, with an added pinch of salt and pepper on top, they were done.

'Perfect.' She smiled to herself, placing the plate on a tray alongside the two coffee cups and some cutlery. She placed her hands on either side of the tray, closing her eyes to take in one last deep breath before heading towards the bedroom.

As she began walking, a faint cough could be heard echoing up the long hallway, followed by a shuffling.

"Stella?" His already deep voice was raspier than usual, groggy from having just woken up. He sounded concerned, wondering where she was.

"Right here, Babe." Stella replies softly, stepping around the doorframe.

A genuine smile crept onto her face as her eyes locked on his. He didn't smile back, instead wincing as he slowly propped himself up, inching back to lean against the backboard. She wanted to run forward, to assist him in moving, but that would only make him angry.

Stephen had a lot of qualities Stella admired and the biggest was his determination.

She carefully walked forward before sitting down on the edge of the bed, placing the tray to sit on his lap.

Leaning forward, Stella placed a light kiss on his cheek. He hummed in response, slowly reaching up to tuck one of her shoulder length hairs behind her ear.

"Good morning, my Star." He mumbled, reaching down for his coffee.

"Mornin'." She chirped, picking up her own mug and taking a long sip of the now cooled beverage. "How'd you sleep?"

"Terrible." He sighed, painfully recoiling as he picked up the fork.

Stella winced, watching her husband struggle to break up his breakfast into bite size pieces. They did this every morning, she would make his breakfast just as he requested, he would stubbornly attempt to chop it up knowing he couldn't pick up the whole slice and eventually, Stella would take over.