Forfeiture

Nightmare

Stephen was looking out on the balcony. It was the last day in Paris and after what had happened with Tony. The sorcerer sighed deeply, something always happens and he knows it isn't the mechanics fault, it was his own. Strange didn't try hard enough to help his husband, what kind of a wife was he? His head then perked up, something was happening... the ravenette can sense a disturbance of something mystical related. The cloaks corners got up as well. "I feel it too..." He then started to float up from the balcony.

Tony was snuggled up in the bed thinking about tonight and how it was going to go. First a romantic date at the tower, and then back to the hotel for... well, Tony wasn't quite sure what to expect. He was nervous out of his wits of course, but he had made a promise and he was going to stick by that promise. After their little heart-to-heart he knew that it would all end up okay, and he just wanted to make the sorcerer happy, which he would! When he noticed Stephen's strange behavior he sat up in concern. "Stephy? Where are you going?"

"Somewhere..." Stephen mumbled which most likely the mechanic didn't hear. He floated more away now and went to wherever the bad source was coming from. It was drawing him close and as protector of this world he must find out what it is. Père Lachaise Cemetery is where he ended up, the morning sun was barely hitting this place. "Who's out here?" Strange shouted, unafraid. Not even by the evil laughter he heard.

"Stephen?... Stephen!" Tony called and raced to the balcony just as the sorcerer floated away to wherever he was going. Tony panicked and leapt into his suit, racing after his husband. It made him so worried because Stephen never just up and left like that, especially if something was wrong. Was it because he changed his mind about tonight? About their marriage? About... Tony?... No! Now he was just being silly... right? The brunette landed a few feet behind Stephen, feeling anxiety in his chest. "Stephen, what are you doing?"

"Isn't it just sad Stephen? How no matter what you do, your help...your love is never enough?" The voice echoed around them. eventually a figure showing up from the slight shadowy part of a tree. It was none other than Nightmare, who had an evil grin. "I know it is your biggest fear Stephen.." he laughed as his little nightmares followers of his realm form into Tony, who was weak and barely hanging on. "You didn't try hard enough..." The other mechanic gasped and fell to the ground. "No anthony..!" Strange went down but then that anthony disappeared. Nightmare laughed. "Oh this will be fun!"

Tony was completely bewildered by what he was seeing. Were those clones of... him? No, none of this was real, why was Stephen falling for it! The mechanic rushed forward, feeling more and more desperate the closer he got to his husband, reaching out a hand for him. "Stephen, none of this is real! I'm right here, honey, I'm right behind you!" he called, feeling a more sick part of his stomach and his anxiety skyrocket. What was happening? Who was this nightmare thing? And why was it so keen on torturing his husband?

"Tony Stark...the man who can never do right I assume? How long till you completely break strange down into nothing" Nightmare spat as his little nightmares made form another stephen. From the time when the mechanic practically choked the life out of him...the day he died. He laid there the life being taken away slowly. "Anthony...I'm sorry I wasn't enough..." Then he died. The real Stephen felt tears fall from his eyes, traumatized that the other tony had been failed. "Im so sorry..."

Tony's heart almost stopped when he saw this happening and he felt a guilt that no one on earth ever deserves to feel. He killed Stephen... he KILLED him!! The shock and that terrible sickening guilt made the mechanic stumble as he was mesmerized with the exaggerated memory. "N-No! You were enough- you're always enough!" the mechanic cried, feeling like his true monstrous self. How could he live with himself knowing he had done this…

Nightmare walked in front of the sorcerer and picked his head up by his chin. "Give in to your nightmare Stephen..." He began as the black darkness of true nightmare was taken over Strange's body. "Don't even try to fight it, this is the only way. You'll never be enough and you'll never feel the true love every human oh so desires..." As much as the mechanic hated what he was feeling, the only way to fix this was to conquer his own nightmares.