Doctor Strange One Shots

Delicate Hands - Part 6

The late hours had rolled around, and Stephen had been kind enough to send the cloak along with a plate of food up to (Y/n)'s room. And while she savoured the warm meal, noting how incredibly empty her stomach had been feeling, the cloak zoomed around her room, filling an empty void she felt now that Stephen wasn't by her bedside anymore.

And this realisation shocked her.

All their petty fights and arguments could have been conversations about where he grew up, what his life was like before he came to Kamar-Taj. If he had any siblings or embarrassing stories. Because these were all things (Y/n) had realised she didn't know about him, but very much wanted to.

Stephen returned several hours later, and (Y/n) had assumed he was finally done with whatever work he was doing, because the exhaustion was evident throughout all his features. But before he could give into the tiredness, he made his way to her, a slightly shaky hand brushing stray strands of hair away from her face before it rested against her cheek.

"How are you feeling?"

"I-"

Stephen smiled, never having seen (Y/n) so distracted and at a loss for words. He liked having this effect over her. Because in the few hours between when he was last here with her, he too, had decided that all of his initial irritation towards her came from a different place.

A place of love.

He had just been too ignorant and in denial to admit that to himself.

"I've been better..." She nervously laughed, feeling the tension between the two now that their faces were much closer than they had ever been before.

He smirked, finding her nervousness quite cute, before he turned towards her leg and checked the bandage.

"Well, hopefully a good night's rest will speed up the healing process." Stephen said, a slight doctorly tone rising in his voice as he moved towards the bathroom with a pair of clothes tucked under his arm.

And (Y/n) felt her cheeks heat up, thinking about how Stephen was changing into his sleepwear, with nothing but a door between them. Not to mention how she secretly hoped he wouldn't be sleeping fully dressed. But... wait-

Why was she thinking that?

But the cloak caught sight of her blush, flying over to give her a suggestive nudge.

"Oh, shut up!" She whisper-screamed with an embarrassed smile across her face, just as Stephen exited her bathroom.

"Cloaky, don't be annoying."Stephen said as he walked into the room, hanging his robes on the back of her chair as he made his way towards his sleeping bag.

But there was definitely something different about the way he was holding himself. Like there was a slight confidence holding him up as he walked. Perhaps it was the way (Y/n) eyes were utterly glued to his shirtless physique that prompted this.

He liked having her attention.

"S-Strange?"

He turned, seeing her regain her focus away from his bare torso. And he tried his absolute best not to let a smile give away how much he was enjoying seeing her like this.

"There's space on the bed. If- you know... the floor isn't very comfortable?"

She ended the sentence with a nervous smile, and Stephen thought the cuteness of it all suited her quite well.

"(Y/n), you're injured. I wouldn't want to make this any more uncomfortable for you."

And with that, Stephen lay down on his sleeping bag, and the dim lamp light of the room was all that illuminated the space.

He closed his eyes, getting as comfortable as he could on the hard surfaced floor. And as his spine adjusted, he felt his muscles just start to relax, before he heard movement across the room.

"Cloaky, settle down. It's sleeping time."

The unamused tone escaping his lips made (Y/n) grin as she carefully made her way across the room and towards him. The cloak zoomed over, assisting her as she lowered herself to the floor next to him. And only then did Stephen's eye shoot open and register her.

"W- (Y/n), what are you doing? You should be resting on the comfy bed!" He exclaimed as he began to sit up, only for (Y/n) to gently place a hand down onto his chest, preventing him from getting up any further.

"I've been asleep in said comfy bed for, what? A week? If I want to sleep on the floor and have company, then that's what I'm going to do." She huffed, the irritation in her voice sounding more adorable than annoyed to Stephen.

Stephen stayed quiet as he lowered himself back to the floor, trying not to focus on the way her hand on his skin sent a shiver down his spine.

And so, there the two lay, side by side.

"You're incredibly stubborn."

"Well, then I guess that's one thing we have in common."

The two turned towards each other, locking eyes before they started to giggle.

"Why have we never tried this?"

(Y/n) asked once they both settled, diverting her gaze up towards the ceiling.

"Because the floor is incredibly uncomfortable-"

"No," She giggled at his response, "I mean why have we never tried being friends?"

"I- I don't know, to be perfectly honest." Stephen propped his arm under his head as he lay there in thought.

It was a good question, he had to admit. But before her injury, he really couldn't think of a time where he couldn't look at her and feel an overwhelming sense of irritation.

Well, apart from perhaps the first time he laid eyes on her.

"The first time we met, I remember thinking to myself, 'wow, she's incredible.' But that statement soon turned into, 'wow, she's incredib-ly annoying.'

Stephen turned to see a giggle escape (Y/n)'s lips.

"Mine was vaguely similar. But I don't think I remember why..."

"I do."

(Y/n) turned to meet his thoughtful gaze, waiting for his words to hit her like a ton of bricks.

"You were better than me. And I couldn't handle it."

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Oop- we coming to the end of this little story, but don't you worry, I've got more up my sleeve soon :○

Until next time <3