𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 ━━━ ❪...

a/n
[ manip gif not mine, it was
made by maddy winkel 💕 ]

WARNING: mentions of
sexual behaviour and cursing

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TWENTY-SIX
𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳
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STEPHEN STRANGE AWOKE to the sound of
pure silence and he smiled, for once in his life everything felt entirely still. He was usually a man who liked to chase adventure, got his high from the adrenaline that came with doing something dangerous.

Though, that part of him felt like it died a long time again and it was now that he was finally glad it did. The grey-brown haired man turned over in his sheets, a smile graced his facial features as he saw who lay beside him, still asleep.

Darkness descended on the room, lights swirled in front his vision and she was snatched away from him without a blink of an eye. He heard her screams echo into the distance through his mind, scorching his mind.

Then he awoke for real, his forehead glistened, he shot up in bed. The only sound was the exaggerated pants of his own breathing which dropped a little once he saw the woman beside him. She was fast asleep, he smiled as she lay peacefully.

He didn't wish to awaken her as he crept out the sheets, making his way slowly to the kitchen. Orange light shone down onto the kitchen exterior and into his eyes, the brightness shocked him, making him realise that it was only the early hours of the morning.

Then he began his usual morning routine, something he'd had to adapt over the short years, crafting his way around tight-spaced beds and run-down hotels.
Throughout all of it, he never failed to have a trusty book by his side. He was rarely seen without one on most days. The Sorcerer wanted to gather as much information as his brain possibly could, which seemed to be a lot because no matter what he read, there was always space for more information - trivial or not.

Though, he'd only just noticed it was a repetition that gave him comfort, perhaps the only mundane reoccurrence in his life. He grabbed himself a large mug to begin the brew of herbal tea which he would then use to sit on one of the chairs and participate in the comfort read he adored so much. This time however, he finished quickly, being done with the book in only mere minutes.

Stephen took another cup, filling it with a darker liquid this time, he carried it gently back to the room and opened the door softly. There he found that Wanda Maximoff was already sitting up in bed, just arising from her own sleep.

"Good morning," Her smile was wide as she saw him come close to her, "Why are you awake already?"

"I could ask you the same thing," He shot back, closing the door with his foot, he kept both hands on the mug.

"I always wake up this early," She made herself more comfortable in bed, spotting the cup in his hands, the smell of her favourite hot beverage was familiar. "You know that though...is that for me?"

"Yes," Stephen admitted, "You've caught me. I made you coffee." He extended an arm out to her, pushing the cup towards her hands.

"Ah, thank you," Wanda started sipping on the drink immediately, she looked around the room, it wasn't a very nice day. Rain rolled down the window pane, it came from pouring from the skies in a hurry. Though, somehow it just made the room feel more safe, the homey feel of the Sanctum gave her a warm feeling.

Her eyes scanned the room, she wasn't looking for anything in particular before she landed on Stephen Strange. He was staring out of the window, it wasn't an unusual activity for him to partake in but against her will she could feel his aura. That happened sometimes. He spoke to straight to her without saying anything, but he also looked distraught - downcast.

"Stephen?" She took another sip of her coffee. "Is it the nightmares again?"

He turned, slightly taken aback, his hand sat gently on his forehead, "They are getting worse. I know you probably think it's a load of shit but I can't control it. I'm...I'm scared, Wanda. I've messed up."

"Don't be afraid." The witch rose to her feet immediately, placing the cup by the bedside table. She was by his side at a breakneck speed, her hands cupped both his cheeks. An equally distraught expression was on her face - it broke her heart to see him like this, he was verging on tears. "I won't let anything happen, we...we're gonna fight. Together."

His hand cupped her face too, she gripped his forearms. He leaned in and whispered gently, "I don't want you to go."

She captured his lips in a soft kiss, they held on for a long while to make it last. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Well..." He chuckled softly at the irony of his next statement, "Let's go. We have to get some exercise in. Come on, finish your coffee and I'll meet you outside for a few rounds."

"Okay, Doctor," She had a smile on her face, her eyes glistened with joy, she pressed a small kiss to his lips. KNOCK! "What was that?" She heard more repeating knocks from the same direction, coming from downstairs.

"Oh," Stephen creased, "I forgot I had a visitor today." He gave her a nervous smile, "You don't mind if I deal with them really quickly? It won't take more than a few minutes, I'll be all yours after."

"Um, sure," She kissed his cheek and let him walk off. Slightly curious, she followed him to the top of the staircase, her eyes peeked over the edge of the wall to see three men standing there instead of one.

One had sleek, black shoulder-length hair, dressed in the same sombre colour and the other was blonde with his hair tied back into a ponytail, he was well built with almost bone perfect structure — Thor and Loki. She hadn't seen Thor in years, she was pretty sure the last time she'd seen him was Sokovia.

Why had he just shown up to the Sanctum door out of the blue? Had Stephen known where he was the whole time? Wanda found it easier not to question these things, she had learned that the Doctor usually had good reasons for his choices.

She just had to wait and see the reason for herself.

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STEVE ROGERS PALMED his face in his
hands, if he had to miss a whole other life just to be in this one, he was glad. As he laid next to the person next to him, he couldn't help the wide smile that formed when he remembered the events that had occurred the previous night.

He'd never expected something like this, he wasn't sure whether the burning feeling he had inside his stomach was regret or just love. A simple life. If he had to start somewhere to get it, then he was glad to start there and then.

"I get that your from like, the 40s, but watching me sleep is a bit weird even for you." He was so close to the man that he could feel the rumble of his chest as he chuckled softly.

"I was trying to be romantic," The super soldier's eyes ducked to the floor, the blush that surrounded his cheeks spread down to his neck.

"Romantic?" Pietro pressed a quick kiss to his lips, "Don't worry, you've already got me, you don't have to try so hard anymore..." Steve ignored his words, pecking at his neck, sucking on his skin roughly. "Shit, Rogers, you're gonna leave a-a..."

"It's called a hickey, darling," Steve kissed his cheek softly, he found it cute how he forgot English sometimes, "And yes, I have." He laughed when Pietro hit him in reply, he gripped his shoulders, swallowing his laugh in a kiss.

They spent most of the morning in each other's arms like that, wrapped up in blankets to fight the cold, although in Iceland the unfriendly weather was rarely changing and it was becoming a regular occurrence for them to spoon.

After hours in bed, Steve would be the responsible one because, as much as Pietro loathed to admit it, he was the responsible one. And even though he forced Pietro into the shower first, he would join him on there anyways.

He kissed along his collar bone, putting his strong arms around him. Pietro let his boyfriend - boyfriend? best not to put a label on it - he let the other guy take care of him, he was still recovering, gaining the muscle which he'd lost. It remained a constant thought in his mind that he was much stronger than him, of course.

Steve knew that his lover's ego was kept on the same level as it was all that time ago when they met. Honestly, it didn't even scare him a bit - it reassured him that he was still the same old cocky, sarcastic young man. However, he knew that Pietro was not a baby but it still didn't stop him from being so needy.

"Captain," Pietro groaned when he rubbed soap over his back smoothly, gently rubbing the scented foam into the marks he gave him, some already half-faded.

Steve pressed his lips onto his shoulders, kissing affectionately near the swells on his neck. He held Pietro, he fell back onto him, still half-sleepy.

Pietro was diagnosed with tuberculosis a while ago and he was still recovering. Steve had specifically told him that he didn't want him to scare him like that ever again. He'd given him rules, as if Pietro didn't already have to constantly remind him he didn't need taking care of. No speeding. No leaving the apartment. No sex.

Unmistakably, Steve was the one who made those rules. Pietro understood that he was just trying to keep him safe, as irritating as it was but he made an exception. He didn't know what his true reason for that rule was but he had an idea that it was something to do with Peggy, so he didn't bother asking.

Later on in the day, they sat by the window, hunched over small chairs and digging into the cheap takeaway Steve fetched from the shop two blocks away. Pietro would dip into whatever Steve had ordered, savouring the fact that he couldn't get sick.

"I just want to say I..." The Captain spoke up when they where eating their food, "I've really enjoyed spending time with you."

"I have too," He smiled. "I can't believe it took you so long to man up and kiss me."

"I wasn't sure if you felt the same," Steve scratched behind his ear, "I mean, I guess I knew you liked me but after I rejected you I didn't know if you wanted me."

"Really?" Pietro's eyebrows shifted upwards, "Are you really that thick? I was making it very obvious. If I'd known you liked me, I would've kissed you a long time ago."

"I guess I just saw what I wanted to see. After I lost her. I wasn't sure that I would find anyone again that I cared about...so much. But you, you're...I really like you." Pietro had deducted that 'her' meant Peggy.

"I know how you feel, you don't have to say it," The faded brown-blonde haired man hid behind his fork, Steve could tell he was happy even though he wasn't showing it. He spoke through mouthfuls, "I...hmm...way."

"What was that?" He asked him just to annoy him.

"You heard me," Pietro smirked but still repeated himself, "I feel the same way."