#dr strange x original character

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SGDA Masterlist

Pairing:Stephen Strange x OC and Loki x OC

Summary:OC is a lawyer visiting her best friend in New York. Will she fall for the charming doctor? Or will her neverending conflict with the god of mischief lead to more?

Tags:Post-Endgame, AU where everyone is alive and well, Eventual Smut, Fluff with some Angst, Second Person POV, No Y/N, Avenger Loki.

SGDA Taglist -Playlist


Chapter 1 - London to New York

Chapter 2 - Do not Talk to Strangers

The Sorcerer, The God and the Devil’s Advocate 

Chapter 2/? (Previous Chapter) (Chapter Masterlist) (SGDA Taglist)

Pairing:Stephen Strange x OC and Loki x OC

Summary:OC is a lawyer visiting her best friend in New York. Will she fall for the charming doctor? Or will her neverending conflict with the god of mischief lead to more?

Tags:Post-Endgame, AU where everyone is alive and well, Eventual Smut, Fluff with some Angst, Second Person POV, No Y/N, Avenger Loki.

Chapter song: Boys like You - Dodie (SGDA Playlist)

You tried to look inside the building while maintaining your distance at the bottom of the stairs. “Give me a second.” The man walked inside the apartment, leaving the door ajar. You stood there a little embarrassed, feeling extremely out of place. ‘This would probably be the stupidest way to get kidnapped’, you thought to yourself, holding Bjorn’s leash tighter, hoping the gigantic dog would discourage them from taking you. 

You could hear mumbling inside, “no… noo… you are a doctor. Help her… she seems nice… just help her.” The door opened again, and a tall well-groomed, handsome man stood there, wearing the same intriguing clothes as the other. You shifted your weight between your feet, unsure whether this was the doctor the other men had spoken of. 

“Wong has told me you hurt your shoulder. Do you need any help?” He spoke stoically, almost mechanically; however, you could feel a faint hint of annoyance in his voice.

“Well, I am okay. He told me he knew a doctor and that maybe my shoulder was dislocated. Are you the doctor?” You asked, feeling extra self-conscious about your looks now that this handsome stoic man was looking at you from the top of the stairs.

“Oh, yes, I am the doctor. Call me Stephen. I would be happy to give your shoulder a look. However, I guess you would have to come inside for that,” he sighed, looking down at you, “and I am not sure how comfortable you are with coming inside a stranger’s house.” The message was loud and clear as he obviously found this request a waste of his time. You felt instantly more uneasy, as he seemed bothered by your presence.

“It’s okay. I’ll just go home and put some ice on it. Thank you and sorry for bothering you.” You decided to leave, unwilling to let the doctor continue to make you feel uncomfortable. You started to walk away, missing the disapproving shove Wong gave the doctor. 

“I am sorry. I think I unintentionally came out as rude. Give me one second.” Stephen walked behind you, and Wong followed. “I will just give it a look here. Wong, can you hold the dog?” Wong looked at you, asking for permission to grab Bjorn, and you gave him the leash. His tone had changed drastically between sentences, sounding more eager to help now.

“Can I touch your shoulder?” He asked patiently. You nodded, and he started moving your arm, trying to figure out where it hurt. His touch on your skin was delicate and surgical as he tried to come into contact with it as little as possible.

After a couple of minutes, he stated, “everything seems to be fine. However, it would be best if you tried to not put any pressure on it for the next couple of days. Although you seem to have just slightly over-stretched your ligament, it is important to be careful because you could sprain it.” His eyes were still on your shoulder as yours searched for his. He eventually backed away and stood by his friend, distant and dismissive. 

You smiled at him awkwardly “well, thank you. Ehm… Wong? Could I have Bjorn back, please?” You used the name you heard the doctor call the other guy. 

“Oh, I think you should let Strange walk you at least to your street. As he said, you may sprain your shoulder, and this guy seems to have recuperated all his energy already,” Wong responded, pointing at Bjorn, who was going in circles and trying to chase a wild squirrel. The doctor and his friend exchanged a look. You were unsure if Wong expected Stephen to flirt with you or just liked to put him in awkward situations, but you would not have minded the extra help.

“It’s okay. I am sure you are both very busy.” The doctor did not seem particularly keen to do it, and you were not gonna push it. Wong moved closer and elbowed him. 

“I would be happy to walk you to your street. Wong is right.” The doctor cleared his throat and spat out the words quickly, looking at the street.

“Ehm… I mean, sure.” Wong gave Strange the dog’s leash, and you started walking towards Central Park. The shorter man waved at you as you exchanged an entertained look, hoping he had not just set you up for the most awkward walk of your life. 

Stephen walked in silence by your side, his jaw tightly clenched as he tried to think of something to say. You hated awkward silences and could not understand how such an attractive man could be so inept at socializing. “So.. you are a doctor… What type of doctor are you?” You asked, kicking a small rock in front of you as you walked.

“I wa- am a neurosurgeon.” He answered, adding little to nothing to the conversation. You pressed your lips, unable to understand what his problem was. 

“Wow, you don’t strike me as somebody with a god complex.” You joked, hoping it would help him relax and open up the conversation.

“Do you think all surgeons have a god-complex?” He looked at you curiously, letting the corner of his lips lift just so slightly. Your sincerity had taken him slightly aback. 

“I don’t think, I know. I am the daughter of one.” You responded, kicking another tiny rock and keeping your eyes on the street. “Big egos and an even bigger need to always have everything under your control.”

He grinned, entertained. It was not the first time he had heard that. “What do you do?” He tried to change the topic. Sure your perception of surgeons would not help him impress you.

“I am a lawyer, recently qualified. I work in London.” You looked at him, scanning his face for a reaction. He shook his head incredulous as soon as you finished speaking, smiling, thoroughly entertained. You had not quite understood what was so funny.

“A lawyer judging a surgeon for his god complex, a bit hypocritical, wouldn’t you say? What brings you to New York?” You were looking at each other properly for the first time, and you could not help but appreciate his handsome features. His gaze had softened significantly since you first saw each other, offering you a friendlier, more welcoming expression. 

“Lawyers are nothing compared to surgeons when it comes to ego.” You tried to defend yourself, although you knew he was right. “My best friend lives here. I have five weeks off before I start full time as an associate, and she has taken it as a personal challenge to bring me here and make me fall in love with New York so I won’t go back.” You broke the eye contact and looked at the trees.

“Well, you must be enjoying the nicer weather here.” He commented, leaving out that he had been in London visiting the Sanctum just two hours ago, “I hope to be helping her case.”

“There are places with good weather all year round that I like more,” you replied unamused, already annoyed at New Yorkers’ obsession with New York.

“So, what direction are we going?” He asked as you had been walking for a while now.

“I need to get to Central Park. I am having lunch with my friend there. It is quite a long walk, so I am happy to continue alone,” you responded honestly, slightly saddened at the thought of having to say goodbye already, just as the conversation was finally improving.

“No, it’s alright. I need to leave my house more often. A long walk will be good.” Maybe he was more charming than you initially believed. You relaxed instantly, hoping to talk to him a bit more.

Bjorn was behaving nicely. He seemed to like Stephen. You looked down at the leash instinctively and could not stop yourself from looking at the doctor’s hands. Although faded, you could see he had severe scarring on them. You looked up before he could catch string, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. 

“So, do you have any plans for your time here?” He asked politely, opening the conversation again.

“Not really, my friend Sophie spends most of her time at work during the week, so I was hoping to find my way around and have some solo adventures. I like doing things by myself. I feel like people don’t do many things they want to do because they don’t have anyone to join them, which is a wasteful mentality. Life is too short to wait around.” You answered, smiling without taking your eyes off the street.

“Well, if you ever need a city guide, I am sure Wong or I can show you around.” He awkwardly offered. You pressed your lips together as you smiled, noticing his intentional inclusion of Wong in his proposal. 

“That sounds great; yeah, Wong seems super nice. Not a man of many words for sure, but very nice.” You teasingly specified, trying to see if he was just being polite or if he actually wanted to hang out with you.

“Well, I am sure Wong would love to show you around, but now that I think about it, he has been very busy lately. Also, I think I am better company generally, a lot more talkative.” You felt your cheeks grow warm as you had the confirmation that he was at least somewhat flirting with you. 

“Oh really? You don’t strike me as particularly chatty.” You teased him again, hinting back to the initial awkwardness and silence.

Your conversation was interrupted by Sophie calling you, “Babe? Hello? I am so so sorry, but I won’t be able to grab lunch with you. There is a situation at the office. I will tell you all about it once we see each other. We can meet at home at 4 pm?”

“Ehm, yes, no worries. I am in good company anyway. See you later.” You answered, referring to Bjorn but hinting to the doctor and hung up. “Well, my lunch plans are cancelled, so I think I’ll just head home.”

“If you’d like, we can grab something to eat. You need to try a sandwich from a deli while in New York.”

“Sure! Let’s do that.” You agreed, smiling down, hoping he would not notice your excitement. 

You grabbed the most giant sandwich you had ever seen and sat down together on a bench. You got some water for Bjorn from your backpack and a little snack.

You eventually told him your name, giggling about the fact that he had not asked earlier. The two of you spoke about music and art. You told him how much you loved galleries, and he asked you what your favourite painting was. You answered that The Swing by Fragonard was one of them, so detailed and full of hidden meaning. You could look at it for hours and continue to find new elements. 

He told you he was not a huge art nerd but that Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro style had always called his attention. You asked him which of his paintings was his favourite, and he thought about it for a second, “the betrayal? The taking of Christ, I believe, is the full name. The light in the armour makes it so realistic.” You thought of the painting in your mind, thinking how the expressions of shock and betrayal had always stopped you from appreciating the realistic lighting of the image. 

You continued walking after a while, lost in your conversation. Stephen was a well-travelled man, dwarfing your travel achievements. It seemed like he had been everywhere, visited every city you had and more. You eventually arrived at Sophie’s apartment’s street, letting him know this was your stop.

“Well, I should get going,” You announced awkwardly. Stephen gave you Bjorn’s leash and opened his mouth hesitantly.

“You know, I should probably look at your shoulder again in maybe a couple of days to make sure you did not sprain anything.” He tried to keep a stern expression, but the nervousness was tangible, making you smile as you felt your cheeks grow warmer.

“Wanna check it out over dinner, maybe? I pay, you know? For the medical fee?” you gave him a confident smile, and he chuckled, smiling back.

“Sounds good, but you have to let me pay. Please take it as a welcome gift to the city. I am sure you’ll have another occasion to pay back your medical debt. Could I have your number to send you the dinner details?” You smiled. He wanted to take you out.

“Yes, of course.” You proceeded to give him your number. “Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Doctor.” You gave him one final dashing smile and entered the building.

….

Sophie got home around 4:30 pm, and as soon as she entered, she ran to Bjorn. “Hello! How is the goodest boy in the world doing?!” She asked him, ignoring your presence.

“Well, he is okay, except he almost dislocated my shoulder and ate some guy’s sandwich!”

“Oh no! My baby Bjorn would never ever do that! He is just a playful boy. He would never hurt anyone!” She kept the baby talk while petting him. “He is so tired! What did you do to my poor baby?” She added.

“Well, he should be super tired. We walked more than 8 kilometres this morning!” You responded, moving to the side of the couch so she could sit next to you.

“Why would you do that? Oh my god. You know we have public transport here too, or how do you call it? The tube,” she tried to pull off a posh London accent, forcing you to roll your eyes. 

“Well, I was first supposed to only walk to Greenwich Village, but then I hurt my shoulder, and this guy told me he knew a doctor, and well then we went to the doctor’s house, and the doctor was this super handsome man and his friend forced him to walk me back, so I walked back with him.” You spoke, trying to summarize your morning in one breath, hoping she would not hear the part where you followed a stranger to another stranger’s house. 

“What happened with do not trust strangers in New York? People here are weird. I am glad you did not get killed.” She answered, alarmed. There was a weird dismissiveness in your friend’s gaze as she refused to look at you properly, keeping her eyes on the dog. 

“He kind of asked me out on a date. It was more like me asking him, but I gave him my number, so we will see.” You decided to ignore her dismissiveness, knowing that if she needed to tell you something, she would do it herself. 

“OH my god … that is awesome! He is a doctor too?! That’s fantastic. How old is he? What’s his name?”

“He is for sure older than us. He has some grey hairs but in a hot way. I don’t think he is old, though, he is maybe in his late 30s, but I am not sure. He is a surgeon and has a house in Greenwich, so he cannot be too young to be done with all his specialization and be making that type of money. His name is Stephen.” You said, laying your head on her shoulder as Bjorn tried to spread across both of you for pets.

“Okay, well, he sounds nice, and he walked you all the way here, which is insane. So let’s hope for the best. I found the perfect bar for us to go to tonight on other interesting news.”

The two of you started to get ready together and ordered some sushi for dinner. You sat on the ground doing your makeup while eating pieces of nigiri. Sophie had kept the weirdly fidgety attitude going, letting you know she was close to breaking her silence. 

She finally spoke up, pausing the music, “I have something to tell you, and I know you are gonna kill me once I tell you, but like I had to wait until I knew it was okay.” There it was. Years could go by, but your best friend’s lack of capacity to keep a secret had not improved.

You looked at Sophie, putting down your mascara. “What’s up? What did you do now?” You asked her to continue.

“I am so sorry for not informing you before. You know my job, right?” She spoke shyly, sitting closer to you on the ground. You cocked your head, unsure where this was going.

“Yes…what about it? You are starting to worry me. Just tell me.” You reached for her hand.

“So… you know how I work in 'Risk Management’? That actually translates to I deal with all the fuck ups and problems the Avengers have. I am like the new Pepper Potts, except I am not gonna marry any of them.” She joked. You looked at her, not sure if she had been drinking already before coming home or if she was trying to be funny. “You know the dog? Well, that’s like Thor’s dog,” she added.

The silence in the room grew thick as she expected an answer. “Mmh mmh,” You hummed, going back to putting on your mascara, unsure what was the point of her joke. 

“Is that all you have to say?” Don’t you wanna kill me for not telling you before?“ She shook your shoulder and looked at you in shock. 

"Well, if it is true. Why didn’t you tell me before?” You looked at her sceptically, putting down the mascara once again before you would end up poking your eye out. 

“Because we are not allowed to and I was waiting for Tony to be okay with it and I have been talking to him about you for the past weeks and he is finally okay with it. He even wants to meet you and see if you vibe with the team.” She rambled, looking at you seriously.

“Sure, Sophie, well, we can meet him after I am done hanging out with Matthew Grey Gubler next week.” You joked, not understanding where she was going with this random lie/joke. Sophie was incapable of keeping secrets from you. This was practically impossible, or it meant she had been in constant agony for the past couple of months. 

“Babe, I am being serious. Whatever. You are meeting them all next weekend anyway, Tony is throwing a party, and we are invited. So somewhere next week we have to go shopping for dresses.” She stated, getting up a little irritated that you refused to believe her.

“Yep, I’ll make sure to organize a dinner with the queen of England next time you visit.” You laughed at yourself, grabbing your mascara again. Bjorn was sitting next to you, so you patted him on the head “you are the dog of the god of thunder, huh? That totally makes sense.” Sophie let go of the topic, for now, unwilling to ruin the night. 

Right before you finished getting ready, you received a text from an unknown number:

'I have made a reservation for this hidden gem in the city. It’s a little difficult to get there, so I am happy to pick you up. The reservation is for Tuesday 8:00 pm.

Stephen’

You saved his number and answered quickly:

'That’s perfect. I’ll send you my address so you can pick me up on the day.’

The night was fun. You drank a lot of tequila and danced with a group of bankers. Sophie was a little annoyed at you for not believing her, but you just could not get over the fact that she would somehow keep this a secret from you for so long and then randomly decide to tell you before you went out. She got over her bad mood pretty quickly once you started drinking, and then you had a lovely night reminiscing your years partying together.

After you had lost the count of the shots at some point during the night, you had the amazing idea to text Stephen. A fantastic drunk idea that you would surely regret in the morning. You grabbed Sophie’s arm and took her away from the dance floor into the bathroom.

“I am gonna send Stephen a message!” You screamed at her in the bathroom, smiling like a drunk dumbass proud of your 'clever’ idea. 

“OMG yess! Take a selfie in the mirror!” She cheered you on just as drunk as you. You made two terrible decision-makers while drunk. 

You took a picture of yourself trying to look as sexy yet innocent as humanly possible and wrote:

'Wishing you were here xx’

You closed the messaging app and went back into the dance floor, forgetting about it completely a couple of minutes later. The bankers offered to take you guys home, but you refused, not accepting their advances. You got home at around 3 in the morning, completely drunk. Sophie took the keys out of her bag, trying to open the flat door.

“Do you need help there?” you asked her as she missed the hole at least twice.

“Nope, you are drunker than me. No chance you can be of any help right now.” She finally got it on the fifth or sixth try. 

You entered the flat and turned on the lights. Bjorn woke up from all the noise, a little confused about what was happening. Sophie petted him, and you threw yourself on the couch after taking off your shoes.

“Oh man, we drank a lot. Maybe a little too much. Do you have any aspirin? I don’t wanna be too hungover tomorrow.” She answered your query with a glass of water and two aspirins in her hand, anticipating your request.

“Here, take this, and let’s go to bed.” She said, moving your legs, sitting next to you, downing her glass of water, and then dropping her head on the back of the couch. You took the aspirins and put the glass on the coffee table.

“I want nuggets.” You spoke, hungry.

“Well, you should have thought of that before we got home.” She looked back at you, annoyed.

“Well, can you not get like Spiderman to deliver us some?” You joked, causing her to punch you on the arm. 

“It is not funny bitch. I am being honest with you. I have been only working for them for like two months. There was no chance for me to tell you any earlier. Come on, believe me.” She begged you, “also, Peter is probably fast asleep, probably spent the night doing math homework or something” she laughed at herself.

“Oh man, is Spiderman a teenager?” You looked at her incredulous.

“Anywayyy, let’s go to sleep.” She responded evasive, trying to get up and pulling your arm to take you to bed.

“But nuggetsssss…” you complained, standing up with her.

“Tomorrow, you can get nuggets.” She said, pushing you into the bathroom to brush your teeth

The warmth of the sunlight on your face brought you back to life. The killer headache took over your senses as soon as you regained consciousness. You tried to open your eyes, but the mere thought of it made you feel stupidly dizzy. Next came nausea, forcing you to run eyes closed and all into the bathroom and throw up whatever was left of the sushi in your stomach.

'What a great start to your Sunday morning’, you thought while lying on the bathroom floor by the toilet for what seemed like forever before Sophie came in running and screaming, “MOVE.”

You barely moved in time before your friend met the same faith as you, throwing up as she tried her best to hold up her hair. You crawled out of the bathroom towards the kitchen looking for water but were met by a gigantic excited puppy running your way.

“Good Morning Bjorn. Please let me go, or I will throw up on you,” you warned him as he jumped on you, making you lay flat on the ground.

“I cannot do this. What the fuck did we drink yesterday night?” Sophie grunted from the bathroom.

“I only know one thing, I am never ever ever eating sushi again.” You answered, still lying face down on the floor.

“Bjorn needs to go on a walk.” Sophie let you know, asking the unspoken question.

“Well, that is not my responsibility. I walked him yesterday, and he is your friend Thor’s dog.” You replied, knowing damn well you would have to walk him anyway.

“You may see the handsome doctor on your walk. You can go to Greenwich.” The handsome doctor… those words brought an image back to you from yesterday night, and just like that, your nausea from the drinking was substituted with nauseating embarrassment. Your eyes opened wide, and you got up from the floor, running towards your phone that lay dead on the couch. 

“FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK. WHERE IS YOUR CHARGER?” You screamed, running into the bathroom to find Sophie slowly getting up.

“What’s wrong?? It is in the kitchen! Calm down!” Your face turned as warm as possible as you ran to the kitchen and plugged the phone. “What’s wrong?!” Sophie shouted again.

“Oh my fucking… I texted him while I was drunk at like one in the morning. I sent him a picture of me. You told me it was a good idea! Aaaah” you screamed dramatically, standing by the phone, hoping the pressure would make it charge faster.

“Oh fuck yeah haha, I remember. I am sorry about that haha,” although still dying, Sophie found this funny incident to be the silver lining of a shitty morning. “I am sure you looked hot,” she lied to you between giggles.

“It does not matter how hot I looked, Sophie! I was drunk! I met him yesterday! He is gonna think I am insane!” You replied, dropping yourself on the couch and giving up on your phone turning on any time soon.

“You are overthinking it! Everybody sends drunk texts to people they find attractive. He will be flattered, and if he is not, you dodged a bullet because you hate boring man.” She said, going to the kitchen and grabbing glasses of water for the two of you.

“Can you check if it is on?” You asked, covering your face with a pillow on the couch.

“Nope, still nothing.” She responded, bringing you the water.

“I am just gonna block him and never step a foot on Bleeker street ever again. I am just gonna take the next flight to London.” You announced theatrically, chugging the water after sitting up.

“Everything is okay! New Yorkers are not as presumptuous as British men. He won’t judge you for it.” She tried her best to make you feel better, giving Bjorn some food before sitting by your side.

“But he is not a twenty-year-old rugby lad Sophie, he is a proper sophisticated man, and I wanna die.” You cried out, putting your head on her shoulder.

Although minimal, the vibration of your phone made you spring up from the seat faster than you should have, as you instantly felt nauseous again. You opened your phone as if it was a time bomb and opened the messaging app.

1 - Unknown Number

2 - Stephen 

“Oh my god, I have two messages from him. I don’t wanna open it, Sophie. I am gonna throw up.” You cried out again.

“Don’t be such a baby! Open it!” She said, walking to your side and opening them for you

Stephen 

Wishing you were here xx

1 Attachment

Well, this is something nice to wake up to.

Hope you enjoyed your night out, darling. Don’t overwork your shoulder.

“See! Everything is fine! He is flirty!” Sophie reassured you, looking over your shoulder. You opened the other message.

Hey! It’s Hunter from Goldman Sachs. It was nice to meet you yesterday.

“Who the fuck is Hunter, and how the fuck does he have my number?” You looked confused at your friend.

“Oh shit, I think I gave it to him on our way out. Sorry, Babe. He was cute, though and seemed to be very into you. Keep your options open! It is New York!” She answered apologetically.

“Sophie, he is an investment banker. I would let a mass murderer rail me before an IB man. He would probably have better karma anyway.” You joked, closing your phone.

“Oh well… I take Bjorn on a short walk, and you buy us some breakfast? I don’t want you to overwork your shoulder.” She winked at you teasingly.

“Sounds like a plan. I need a baseball hat, sunglasses, and black coffee in my system.” You declared, turning around and putting some water to boil on the kettle you had gifted your friend years ago. You were glad she kept it.

Sunday was uneventful at best. You both felt dead inside and ate little to nothing in fear of throwing up. You finally ordered some burgers for dinner and finished them. After eating, you took Bjorn for a short walk around the block, staying away from Greenwich completely.

Monday morning, Sophie left for work early, and you had breakfast on the couch with Bjorn. After your morning walk, you received a bunch of emails from London requiring you to sign certain documents and jump on a quick call with the firm’s employment team. At some point in the afternoon, you finally took the chance to explore the building’s gym and exercise a little. After a warm shower and another quick walk with the Golden Bear, you sat on the couch watching the news. Sophie had gone MIA, and it was almost 10:00 pm. You sent her a message checking if everything was okay, but your phone started vibrating just as you finished sending the message.

Incoming Call - Stephen Strange

'Oh God, why was he calling? Like who even calls people nowadays without texting them first,’ you thought as you picked up.

“Hello?” You answered.

“Hi, how has your day been?” He replied smoothly on the other side of the line.

“All good, boring, doing lawyer things. What about yours?” You responded as a smile formed on your lips at the sound of his voice.

“It has been good. I wanted to check if you were still up for tomorrow?” You could hear a faint hint of nervousness in his voice again.

“Yes, of course, I was worried you were gonna cancel on me after my drunk messages from yesterday night.” You responded, laughing at your drunk self.

“Why would I ever do that? As I said, it was a great surprise to wake up to, and you looked stunning. I am flattered to know I occupied your thoughts while you were out partying.” You could not help yourself but smile cheekily.

 This man knew exactly what he was doing. You were surprised; he really did not give you any playboy vibe the first time you saw him. I guess everyone has a little of a hidden past.

“Well, I hope to not disappoint with my looks tomorrow night.” You said, obviously asking for more validation from him as he tapped on keys that he had not before.

“Well, I hope the same too. My expectations are even higher now.” He was good. He was not gonna give you more than a taste of his advances. He knew how to keep a woman wanting. You bit your lip.

“Goodnight, Doctor, sweet dreams.” You cut the conversation short, hoping to leave him wanting for more.

“Goodnight, darling, sleep well.” He hung up; however, you could hear the smile in his voice.


—–

Liv’s Note

A huge thank you to everyone that is reading this story. You have my heart, my soul, and everything else. Looking forward to hearing what you think of the story or its improvements haha Please please reblog the story to support my writing ♥️

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Uncle Stephen 

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Reader

Request: The reader has a sister, and she has a child and asks if they can take care of her baby for two weeks, Stephen is not happy about it, but everything changes when after some time the child hugs Stephen and calls him “uncle”

Tags: Fluff, Fluff and more Fluff

Word count:3k

masterlist-taglist

“It is only for ten days,” you bargained with Stephen, chasing him around the room as he tried his hardest to ignore you. “I am talking to you, Strange.” You finally raised your tone, standing before him and forcing him to put his book down and look at you. 

“The Sanctum is no place for a child,” his response was short and generical, giving no insight into his desire or lack thereof to be around a toddler. His eyes returned to his book as he stepped aside, continuing his meditative stroll through the room. You, however, did not see it like that, reading between the lines. 

“So, what will we do when we have children?” The question came out in a tone more serious than you wanted it to, causing the doctor to stop in his tracks and look back at you. 

“That is not something we need to concern ourselves with yet, is it?” His eyes scrutinised your face before moving again, continuing the relentless pacing. It was a delicate topic, that of children. You were somewhat on the same page. You wanted children eventually. The day, however, had somehow been frozen in time in Stephen’s mind, continuously seeing the eventually as long from now while you counted every passing year as a step closer. Then the engagement had come earlier this year, and the promise to share the rest of your lives together had been spoken into reality. Having children had suddenly become more of a desire in your mind, yet Stephen seemed to be unphased by the change. 

“She is smart and well-behaved, and I already told my sister she can stay with us, so you’ll deal with it.” You answered before walking out of the room, frustrated at his lack of interest in your niece. Stephen had met her only once before on her first birthday; your sister living far away meant you rarely saw them. She was thankfully moving back to New York but that also meant she needed to look for an apartment and deal with the moving. Hence her request for you to take care of the little girl in the meantime. You had agreed instantly, not thinking Stephen would have any problem with it, but he had refused straightaway and dismissed the topic every time you asked about it. 

The day of the little girl’s arrival came quicker than expected. Stephen had been gone for the last couple of days on a mission with Wong and Peter, meaning that you had met with your sister alone to pick her up. She had invited you to brunch, and you had discussed some of the wedding plans and any needs little Cecilia had. Cece was a lively ray of sunshine who was starting to put her first sentences together and loved horses. There was no way Stephen’s heart would not melt as soon as he saw her. 

Eventually, at the end of your brunch, your sister handed you Cece’s bag and gave her a goodbye kiss. The little girl waved goodbye as her mom reminded her that she would be staying with her aunt for a couple of days. You and Cece went on with your day, eventually finding your way back home to the Sanctum. Wong had helped you bring some things she would need to sleep into one of the many empty rooms of the enormous property, making it easy for you to set her up. 

After such an eventful day, she fell asleep, giving you a minute to go to the kitchen and make yourself some late lunch/dinner. As you finished preparing your sandwich, you heard the familiar sound of a portal opening behind you; turning around to meet your sweaty and dirty fiance with a smile. “Hello there, handsome,” you gave him a dashing smile as he moved towards you, his hands cupping your cheeks into a passionate kiss. 

You broke the kiss catching some air, and gave him a preoccupied smile. He was usually only this passionate when something dangerous had happened, and he was terrified of losing you. “Is everything okay? I-“ you tried to speak, but the sound of another portal distracted you. Through it, Peter and Wong came out also looking pretty rough. “Oh god, are you guys okay?” you asked, moving away from Stephen, who stood there exhausted. 

Wong gave you a comforting look, but you noticed a tension-filled silence in the room. “Peter, are you okay?” you asked as the boy looked down with a hurt expression. 

“Oh, he is excellent. He almost got himself killed and ruined our mission, but he is perfectly fine.” Stephen answered for him, forcing you to give the doctor a fulminating look. Peter looked regretful enough; bashing him now would not help. 

“That is enough, Stephen. I will make everyone dinner. Go shower.” You spoke to the three men in an authoritative voice. The spiderboy spent so much time in the Sanctum that he had clothes and an assigned room. Peter and Wong left swiftly, going into their rooms to wash up, but Stephen stayed there, knowing you would want to talk to him. As soon as you were alone again, you spoke, “You cannot talk to him that way. He is just a kid. He is trying his best.” 

“He almost got himself killed. He wants to help everyone, save everyone, but he does not see he will end up killing himself like this.” Stephen’s words were filled with frustration. He worried for Peter’s safety; you knew that was the truth. He had decided to let him die once before. He could not make the same decision again. “I have watched him die, and he does not understand that. Someday I won’t be there by his side, and he will actually get himself killed.” 

Just as you thought, he was not mad at the boy for the way he behaved. He was just scared of losing him. It was hard to keep in mind all the time that Stephen had to live with the burden of knowledge. You wondered how many times he had seen you go and how he felt about it, but he never wanted to speak of it. “You are doing your best, and he is doing his best. It is all we can ask for,” you finally answered, inviting him to lay his head against yours and embracing him in a tight hug. “I love you, you know? We all do, and we are so grateful to you for protecting us, but you cannot always keep us safe, and that is okay.” Your left hand caressed his back, hoping to soothe him slightly. 

Suddenly the sound of the baby monitor interrupted your hug as Cece woke up, startled by your absence. “Oh, when did she get here?” The doctor stiffened in your arms, unhappy that you had gone through with your decision. 

“A couple of hours ago. Wanna help me check on her?” You asked, breaking the embrace and giving him a hopeful smile. 

“I am gonna go shower,” he spoke, tightening his lips and looking away from you. You sighed and walked away, still confused about his dismissiveness. The sounds from the baby monitor suddenly changed as the little girl was no longer alone. Confused, you checked the screen and saw Peter approaching her bed. 

“Hello there! Who are you? I am Peter,” the boy spoke, slowly walking towards the sleepy child. “Do you need food?” he asked, and Cece nodded emphatically back, sweetly raising her arms for the boy to pick her up. You watched, amused through the camera, as Stephen left the room, feeling your heart ache from the cuteness. 

Peter helped you keep Cece entertained in the kitchen as you made dinner. He told you all about what had happened, and you finally completely understood Stephen’s frustration. The boy had been incredibly reckless, but thankfully nothing bad came of it. Peter was extremely patient with the toddler, who was just around that phase where she asked questions about virtually anything. It was lovely to see them interact. You could not help but imagine how much of an amazing big brother he would have been. 

Eventually, Wong joined the three of you, instantly entertained by the little girl running around the kitchen table, singing some non-sensical song. Food was ready shortly after, but Stephen was nowhere to be found. You excused yourself quickly, asking Wong to watch the children so you could look for the grumpy doctor. 

You opened your bedroom door carefully, spying your fiance sitting on the bed with his head between his hands. You pressed your lips worriedly, unsure of what to say to make him feel better. “Babe, would you like me to bring you your food here?” You asked careful, understanding how tough these missions were for him. 

“Yes, please. That would be great.” He responded, lifting his eyes and giving you a thankful look. 

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly as Cece, Peter, and you played with some relics that Wong thought would be appropriate. Eventually, the boy left, and you put Cece to bed, exhausted after such an adventurous day. You checked that the monitor was working properly and went to bed yourself as Stephen was already lying in bed, deep asleep. 

You woke up startled, unsure why your alarm had not rung. The bed was empty, and the monitor of Cece’s room was turned off. You tried to turn it on, confused, looking around for your fiance in the bathroom and adjacent office. He was nowhere to be found, and the monitor was not turning on. You decided that looking for Cece was the best decision, scared she had been crying all morning, and you had not heard her. 

The sense of urgency in your steps slowly calmed as you heard Stephen’s voice whisper from Cece’s room. You stopped, hesitant to enter and curious to listen to what he said, “finally, Cece, we managed to get you to calm down. I don’t understand how your aunt understands you. It would help if you spoke more clearly.¨

You giggled at the comment, deciding to enter the room. Stephen seemed slightly startled as you knocked on the door’s wood to inform him of your arrival. “Hello there,” you smiled at him as he quickly backed away from the child. 

“She was not letting me sleep with her crying and complaining, and it looked like you needed some rest,” he scrambled an excuse, scared you could suspect he could enjoy spending time with a child.

You hummed in agreement, thankful for his help and aware that he would not admit to anything else anyway. “Do you mind looking after her for a little longer? I will make breakfast for the two of you.” You kissed him and waved at Cece, leaving the room before he could argue against it. 

The next couple of days were a back and forth between Cece chasing Stephen around every room while he tried his best to ignore her. He would still manage to wake up before you with the excuse that the toddler was whining and play with her, entertaining her with some magic and making her breakfast. 

Eventually, he gave up on ignoring her and started answering some of her redundant questions. Cece tried her best to speak clearly to him, but the communication problems were still there. She, for example, struggled to pronounce Stephen, which caused both parties a certain level of frustration. 

Eventually, Stephen was called out on a mission again. You kissed him goodbye, and Cece waved at him, saddened. Your fiance tried his best to hold onto his stoic facade as he barely acknowledged the little girl, whispering a quick “goodbye little Lilia, see you tomorrow” as soon as he was sure you could not hear. His heart broke seeing the sad expression of the little child as he left. 

Stephen’s mission took longer than expected, taking him the whole week to complete. You had been left alone with Cece to enjoy the blooming spring. Peter had not been allowed to tag along in this mission, so he joined you most afternoons for walks and to play with the girl. 

Cece seemed to miss Stephen almost as much as you did, so you took the chance to teach her how to say “uncle Stephen.” It would be a pleasant surprise even if he would not admit it. 

Sadly, the ten days went by quicker than expected, and Stephen had yet to return from his mission. You met up with your sister to tour the new apartment and give her the toddler back, promising Cece that uncle Stephen would come to visit her sooner than later. 

You were lying on your bed that afternoon, enjoying the newly found silence of the house. It had been a great experience to take care of your niece, and it had given you a ton of baby fever, but you could not help but sigh in relief at the peace. The sound of a portal opening in front of you forced you to sit up and smile, excited to see your fiance again. Stephen walked through the portal and towards you, giving you a soft kiss on the lips, instantly scanning the room for the baby monitor. 

“I dropped her off today. She missed you,” you answered the unspoke question. The doctor tried his best to control his expression, but the disappointment in his eyes could not be denied. You caressed his hand, inviting him to sit by your side on the bed, climbing on his lap to stare into his eyes. “You can admit that you enjoyed having her around, you know?” you kissed his nose, cupping his face with your hands, enjoying the long-awaited closeness. 

“I barely tolerated it.” He shook his head, closing his eyes and smiling, knowing his secret was out of the bag.

“Why can you not just admit that the Sanctum feels more like a home when a little babbling creature is chasing you around?” you laughed, dramatically laying your head on his shoulder and shaking it. 

“I don’t want to get attached,” he responded thoughtfully, forcing you to lift your head and look at him again. 

“She is just our niece, babe. She cannot break your heart,” you tried to lighten the mood, hoping he would smile, but he lowered his gaze instead. 

“I have enough people to worry about already, you, Peter, Wong. Every decision, everything I do or don’t, I am burdened with the fear that it may hurt you. I cannot get attached, or I will think of little Lilia too.” 

“Lilia?” You asked, amused at the funny nickname he had chosen. 

“She refuses to say my name right; I shall do the same.” Petty old man, playing games with a little child.

“You don’t need to worry about us, my love. We love you regardless. I don’t want to be a burden in your life,” you spoke softly.

“You are not a burden. I just at times wonder whether the universe would be worth saving if it meant losing you or the kid.” The honesty made his voice softer as the words left his lips like a whisper, ashamed of his admission. “That is also why I have been delaying the ‘children’ conversation. I think I could no longer protect the world once we have children. They would be the only thing that’d matter to me, just them, and our adopted son and you.” He chuckled slightly at his recognition, finally realising that Peter had already become your de facto child. You felt a weight lift from your shoulders as his words brought some explanation to his dismissive behaviour finally. 

“I understand…” you exhaled, trying to put your desire aside and understand the stress it would put him in. “I was going to see Cece tomorrow for breakfast if you’d like to join me.” You tried to change the topic. 

“I would love that,” he confirmed, giving you a crooked smile. You looked into his eyes and wondered how you would live without seeing a mini version of you and your lover walking around this Sanctum. You would never know whether they would get his beautiful eyes with that little brown spot on the right iris. 

You spent the rest of the night cuddling with the doctor, talking about his time away and discussing his excitement to see the little monster tomorrow. The morning after could not come quickly enough as you hoped Cece had not forgotten how to pronounce ‘uncle Stephen.’ In the morning, Stephen went out to buy some pastries to take with you, letting you know that Lilia was a massive fan of chocolate croissants. You shook your head at the information, wondering what other unhealthy foods he had been feeding her for breakfast. He reassured you that he had checked his old introduction to paediatrics book, and 26-month-olds were allowed to eat chocolate croissants. 

The two of you arrived at the building at around 11 a.m., ready to see your family. You knocked at the door and were received, disappointingly enough for Stephen, by your sister alone as Cece was still asleep. She had apparently struggled to get used to the new bed the night before. You started catching up as Stephen politely asked about your sister’s moving struggles. Eventually, the commotion of your conversation woke up the little girl, who began to ask for help from the crib. 

You exchanged a look with your sister, who offered Stephen to go pick her up. The doctor refused initially, joking nervously that she probably did not even remember him. Your sister thankfully insisted, and he got up eagerly, walking towards the indicated room. The little girl squealed with excitement as soon as she spotted the familiar face, “UNCLE SFEFEN.” 

The doctor could not help but chuckle happily, hugging and lifting the toddler who held on tightly to the hug. “Hello, little Cece.”

“Lilia,” she repeated, confused at why he was calling her Cece.

“Lilia it is,” he reassured her, re-entering the room with her and keeping her on his lap. 

“They seemed to have bonded,” your sister looked at you entertained, giving you a cheeky smile. 

“Seems like it,” you responded, giggling as you observed them interact. The four of you spent almost the entire day together, and by the end of it, both Cece and Stephen were absolutely exhausted, falling asleep on the couch as they watched some cartoon. You had never seen him so soft and sweet with someone that was not you. It was genuinely heartwarming. The comical way Stephen’s head had dropped onto the couch’s backrest as the little girl laid her head against his side forced you to think of what an amazing dad he would be.

You shook your fiance’s shoulder once it was time to leave, waking him up. The goodbyes were prolonged as Stephen had to promise the little girl to come to visit her again. The doctor was equally as saddened by the separation, but finally, after forty-five minutes, you managed to thank your sister and head home. Once the door was closed, the doctor moved to your ear and whispered, “maybe we should start planning on that first baby.”

——-

Liv’s Note

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The Sorcerer, The God and the Devil’s Advocate 

Please read this announcement for more information on the story or if you have previously read SGDA.

Chapter 1/? (next chapter) (Chapter Masterlist) (SGDA Taglist)

Pairing:Stephen Strange x OC and Loki x OC

Summary:OC is a lawyer visiting her best friend in New York. Will she fall for the charming doctor? Or will her neverending conflict with the god of mischief lead to more?

Tags:Post-Endgame, AU where everyone is alive and well, Eventual Smut, Fluff with some Angst, Second Person POV, No Y/N, Avenger Loki.

SGDA Masterlist - SGDA Taglist -Playlist

You shouldn’t have left this early. The train to the airport was empty, and your head felt like it was on the verge of exploding. Waking up in the middle of the night to secure the cheap morning flight never felt worth it at 3 a.m.

Your phone vibrated in your left pocket as you were falling asleep, forcing you to move uncomfortably to get it out as the bag on your lap weighed you down. “Hello?”

“Good Morning! Are you at the airport already?” A cheerful voice asked on the other side of the line.

“I am on the train, should be there in fifteen minutes. Are you picking me up from the airport?” You asked as your voice gained some energy. You were exhausted, but the excitement to see your best friend after so long tramped it all. 

“Of course, I will! What type of host would I be otherwise? Excited to see New York?” She tried to continue the conversation after hearing the sleepiness in your voice, scared you would fall asleep on the train and miss your flight. 

“I am more excited to leave London. I am only visiting to get away from this city and maybe meet an Avenger or two.” You joked, pushing the bag from your lap to the floor before your blood circulation halted completely. 

“Bitch, you don’t want to meet the Avengers. 99% of the time they are around, something bad is about to happen. You don’t wanna be there” Sophie was not a big Avengers fan, but who could blame her? She lived in New York. She had to live through every fuck up Tony Stark, and his friends caused.

“Whatever, I hope I get a picture with at least one of them. I will be snooping around the city for them." 

You talked with Sophie for the rest of your train ride, got to the airport safely with plenty of time and boarded. The flight was quick, and you slept most of the way. 

You were starving by the time you went through security and picked up your bag. Thankfully, your best friend would want to grab food as soon as she picked you up. You were excited to have access to all the American food chains you could not get in London.

As soon as you stepped out of the security area, you spotted Sophie waving at you excitedly. You ran towards her as fast as your backpack and gigantic suitcase would allow.

"Aaaah, babe, I cannot believe you are finally here!” She hugged you tightly. It was like a suffocating breath of fresh air to hug her again after so long. So much had changed since you last saw each other, and although phone calls helped, it was nothing like having her by your side. She smelled like your childhood and felt like home, even after all these years.

“You look super hot! Where are you coming from?” You asked her as soon as she let go of you. She was wearing a lovely fancy red dress that gave her a corporate look you were not used to. 

“Just work, I had to deal with a last-minute issue, but everything should be fine now. I am all yours for the rest of the day.” She reassured you, grabbing your suitcase. “Let’s get you some food now.”

“Great! I am starving!”

You grabbed a quick bite and caught up on the latest news in your life. You were both still very much single, but she was hoping to fix that. On the other hand, you wanted to stay away from any serious commitment, too busy with work. Sophie told you that she was working in some Risk Management corporate position, and well, you were about to make associate at a law firm in London. Five weeks from now, you would not have time for anything or anyone but work. So this was the perfect opportunity for you to enjoy your last weeks of freedom before working in something completely different from your original law school dreams.

After grabbing brunch, you headed to Sophie’s place. She must have been making good money from the looks of her beautiful apartment in a building in Manhattan. You did not know a lot about rental prices in New York, but if they were even close to anything in London, this was an expensive place to rent. 

“Girl! I guess they are paying you very well at your new job!” You teased her as you entered the beautiful flat. 

“They have to. I am constantly saving their asses. They make me work 24/7, so the least they can do is give me enough money to have a nice place to crash after work.” She responded dramatically, taking off her heels. 

“Look at her, Sophie Meyer, Columbia Graduate,” you pointed at the graduation pictures on her wall. That had been the last time you two had seen each other almost four years ago (or nine if you counted the time you were gone). “This city is magnificent at night, and I must say, this is a little nicer than my view in London”, you added, pointing at the breathtaking skyline surrounding her living room. 

“So, although I may be making enough money to have a nice apartment is still a one-bedroom, so we will have to snuggle up together. Like the old times.” She said, reminiscing all the times she visited you in London, and you had to share your bed. “I have work tomorrow, but I should be free all weekend just for you. Feel free to do whatever you please, go Avengers hunting in Central Park or whatever,” she joked. 

You spent the rest of the afternoon giving her the gifts you had brought from London and catching up on gossip about your families and friends from school. By 10 p.m., you were exhausted and jetlagged and decided to head to bed while Sophie sent some more emails. 

The morning after, you awoke to the smell of coffee and the tumbling of objects in the living room. 

“Yes. I will be there in 20 minutes. No problem. Have a good day.” Sophie mumbled on the phone while trying to sip on her coffee as she put on her heels. Today she was rocking another dress, this time a navy blue one which was flowier and had a ribbon on the front. 

She ended the call and screamed, “fuck, fuck, fuck I have to go. Now." 

"Well, good morning to you too, sweetheart. Where are you headed to at….” You looked at your watch “7 in the morning?”

“My boss needs me. There has been some complication with a contract that was leaked to the press. I have to solve it. Ouch,” she added as she finally managed to put on her shoes. 

“I will see you for dinner?” You asked.

“Yes, yes. I’ll try my best to be here. I’ll ask my boss if I can introduce you to our team. You know, I need you to move to New York instead of starting that dumb, boring job in London.”

“Yes, whatever, Sophie. It is one of the most coveted positions in London. You should be proud of me like the rest of the world is.” You rolled your eyes at her, tired of her honesty and persistence on the topic. 

“I am proud of you. I just think you are giving up everything you believe in, all your dreams. You know success is great, but your values have always been more important than that. We both know no amount of money or success will fulfil you as much as chasing your dreams. You need to do what makes you happy, not what others think you should do.” She argued while putting on her jacket, “Also, a friend from work asked me if I could take care of his dog while he is away, so we may have to do that. It is only for a couple of days. Anyway, I gotta go! Love you! Please be careful out there. This is not Notting Hill! Do not trust any strangers on the street! My spare keys are here. Please don’t lose them!” she added before walking out the door.

“Byee!” You screamed as she closed the door. Although Sophie was right, this job was not per se your dream job. It was the dream of 90% of lawyers. Giving up this opportunity would be naive, and it would disappoint many people, including your parents and law school friends. This was too much pressure for you to simply not go for it. You would find happiness in other aspects of your life, in your apartment in Notting Hill, in your nights out in Shoreditch, in the cat you wanted to adopt and in the men that would entertain your evenings. 

You got ready to go on a walk; the day was super sunny, and the smell of spring filled the apartment. You painted your nails. You did that every day. It was inevitable; at some point during the day, you would start peeling it off and wouldn’t stop until it was all gone. It was a habit you had developed through your years in uni. It was either the nail polish or your nails and cuticles, so it was a tedious but necessary habit. 

Opting for a comfortable yet stylish outfit, you wore a dress with flowers. You never know when you may run into an Avenger. 

You spent the day on the streets of New York, window shopping and grabbed a slice of pizza for lunch before heading to the MET in the afternoon. Galleries were your favourite place in the world. Nothing giving you more peace than standing in front of a beautiful painting. Sometimes you wished you could just meet these artists and hear what they were thinking about while painting.

It had gotten dark by the time you got back to the flat. You took off your shoes and laid on the couch immobile and exhausted, until the entrance door opened again.

“Good afternoon, babe! How was your day out?” Sophie sang tired as she entered the flat and took off her heels. 

“It was beautiful! I went to the MET, almost as nice as the National Gallery!” You joked, making her roll her eyes. “Anyway, how was your day, businesswoman? Chasing your boss around?”

“Yeah, whatever, it was nice, I ended up having lunch with the team, and I told them about you. My smart best friend from London sounds like somebody everyone wants to meet. I don’t think you wanna meet them, though; corporate Newyorkers are not as nice as corporate Londoners.”

“The fact that you are calling any corporate sell-out nice already says everything about your judgement on people”, you answered sarcastically.

“Woa woa woa, look who’s talking? Miss ‘I will work in Banking and M&A and watch the world burn’” she spoke, throwing her jacket at you. 

“Now, to the important things. Is there anyone within your team you would like to set me up with? Because I did not come all the way to New York to go on Hinge dates.” You asked, lifting your eyebrow and making an insinuating face.

“I don’t know, really. I don’t think anyone in my team is soo up their ass to be your type. Wait.. mmh… Nah, but I will ask around. Maybe they know some narcissist, tall, skinny, dark-haired asshole. That’s still your type, right?”

“Yes, indeed. I am glad you still remember,” you matched her sarcastic tone, getting up to grab some water.

“Anyway, my coworker is coming later today to drop off his dog. He will be with us just for five days. I am sure you will be happy to have somebody keep you company while you walk around Central Park. He is a cutie, a big cuddly golden retriever, so all the eyes will be on you.” Sophie let you know and then added, “but going back to what we talked about before, babe. I don’t think you should go back to London, I really don’t. You were always keen to do something good for the world and help people, and now you are throwing all of that away." 

"That’s not true. I will still do pro bono work once in a while,” you argued. 

“You know that is not enough, and you will be unhappy. New York is a great place for you, and I will talk to my boss and tell him how awesome you are. We help people, babe, and you could do it too. I also know quite a few people that work for the UN. You could work there too.” She answered as you both sat on the couch. 

“Is this why you invited me to New York? To kidnap me?” You laughed, and she kept her serious look.

Your conversation was interrupted by the intercom ringing. Sophie got up in a hurry to answer. “Yes, yes, I will be down in a second.” She hung up the phone and started putting her heels back on. 

“Are we going downstairs to pick up the puppy?” You asked, curious to meet her coworker. 

“No need, you can wait up here. I will be back in a minute.” She said, closing the door behind her. 

After 10 minutes, the door slung open, and a giant golden retriever entered, dragging Sophie in with him. As soon as he saw you and Sophie dropped the leash, he ran and jumped on your lap, covering your whole body and almost suffocating you.

“Well, hello boy, what is your name?” You spoke to him sweetly, petting his head, trying to keep him calm as he tried to lick your face. 

“His name is Bjorn. It means bear. He kind of is a bear.” Sophie answered for him, and you giggled as he moved from your lap to the side of the couch so you could finally pet him properly. 

“Thank you for not suffocating me, Bjorn, you cutie.”

“I have just been informed that they need me to go into the office tomorrow morning. Will you be okay?” Sophie asked. “Also, I may have found somebody I can set you up with, but I am not 100% sure yet." 

"Uhm, interesting; keep me updated.” You winked at her. “This cutie and I will go for a walk in Central Park, and then we can meet you at your office?” You asked without taking your eyes off the furball. 

“That’s okay. I’ll meet you there, I’ll bring lunch, and we can eat in the park.”

You had a quick dinner, chitchatted while playing with the pup and then headed to bed. Sophie refused to show you a picture of your possible set-up, letting you know she needed to check some things before it was confirmed. Bjorn decided there was not enough space for the three of you on the bed and slept on the couch instead. 

Around 8 in the morning, you woke up hearing the shower in the bathroom turn on. You got out of bed, went into the living room, grabbed Bjorn’s food from the bag the owner had prepared for you two and served him some kibble. He was still half asleep on the couch but jumped up as soon as he heard his food being served.

Sophie got ready and ran around, as stressed as the previous morning. “So plan for today, I go to work, we meet at Central Park, you find us a nice place to sit down and have lunch and tonight we go out for drinks? Saturday night fun?”

“Yes, sure,” you answered while petting Bjorn, who had joined you on the couch after devouring his breakfast. 

“Please take care of Bjorn! Love you!” She said, closing the door behind her as last morning. 

You made yourself some coffee and a sandwich and then proceeded to sit down on the couch, turning on the news. Tony Stark was being interviewed on his decision to accept Loki Odinson into the Avengers after what he had done in New York. Stark explained how Loki was under the control of Thanos and had now shown loyalty to the protection of earth and the Avengers team. 

You did not know how to feel about it. It must be so difficult for the families of the people that died in the attack. Seeing the killer of their loved one free and revamped as a hero. However, if it is true that he was being controlled by Thanos, then he may deserve a second chance. You guessed this was another Winter Soldier situation where villains are not truly villains, and heroes are not true heroes. 

After eating, you proceeded to repaint your nails, going for a baby blue. Once they dried, Bjorn started bothering, wanting to go for a walk. So you went into the bathroom, took a shower and changed for the day. 

“Okay, okay, cutie, we can go now. You gotta find me a man in the park or a job at the UN, whichever is easier.” You joked, putting his collar on, excited to have some company on today’s walk. 

You left the flat and started walking towards Greenwich Village, looking to see a different part of the city. It was a 30-minute walk from the apartment in Chelsea, and you would take the underground to Central Park later to meet with Sophie. 

Once you made it to your desired destination, you started to walk down this beautiful wide street. Although a cutie, Bjorn was not the best-behaved dog. He kept on trying to chase pigeons and wanted to play with every dog he saw on the street. Given his insistence and strength, it had gotten increasingly difficult to hold him back. Your whole upper body had started to get sore as you held tightly onto the leash while he pulled.

You took a deep breath as you finally managed to calm him down enough to stop for a second and look around. Almost as if he could feel you finally relax and look away from him, he pulled with all his strength to your side, making you trip. You tried to keep him calm, but he pulled your shoulder, causing you to cry out in pain. He was uniquely strong for a dog, or you were just particularly breakable. 

“Ouch, Bjorn! Stop it!” You pulled the leash again, holding it with your opposite hand, getting him to finally sit. You looked up, realising he was trying to jump on a man holding a sandwich between his hands. 

“I am so sorry! He is a little too excited to be outside. Your sandwich must smell delicious,” you apologised profusely while trying to stop the pain in your shoulder to no avail. 

“No problem. He is a big dog. Did you hurt your shoulder?” The man answered unimpressed, noticing how you were slouching your shoulder.

“Oh no, it is okay. He just pulled harshly. I am sure it is nothing.” You responded, looking down at Bjorn, that was now behaving properly, sitting by your side. 

“It looks like it could be dislocated. That is pretty bad. I can call a doctor if you want?” He replied, taking a bite out of his sandwich and breaking off a piece for the hungry dog that had just eaten breakfast. 

“Oh no, doctors are super expensive in the U.S. I am fine. I’ll just go home and put some ice on it." 

"I am sure he will look at your shoulder for free. Wait, he is just around the corner. Follow me.” He started walking along the street. You did not know whether to follow him. Sophie had told you people may be dangerous in New York, but he seemed pretty normal. You prided yourself on having a good vibe detector, and he seemed nice, a straightforward guy. You started to walk behind him. Bjorn seemed to have understood he had hurt you and was walking at a better speed. 

The man in the peculiar clothes stopped in front of 177A Bleecker Street and opened the door screaming, “Strange! We have a situation. Come here. We need your medical assistance.”


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Liv’s Note (please read)

I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter. Given the length of the work, I have created a separatetaglistfor it, so please join it to get notified when a new chapter is posted. I have tagged people who are on my general/marvel/Loki/Strange taglist for this chapter but please join the taglist if you want to be tagged again. Please read the PSA linked at the top of this chapter or here. Sending you all my love! Please reblog the story to support my writing ♥️

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