The Flames of Amarra - DR STRANGE x OC - COMPLETE

THAT DAY

⌚ YEAR 3

That day, Nora woke up like all other days for a very long time. She turned the alarm of her phone off, walked to the bathroom she used to share with her brother in another life, hopped into the shower, and spent an insane amount of time in front of the mirror. 

Of course if she’d seen her hair lose its shine over the years. She’d also noticed the bags under her eyes growing bigger. People used to notice it too. After a while, they stopped asking her if she needed to rest. She did, but she always refused. Now, it was just the way she looked, even if she was trying hard to cover it. 

Without thinking, the movements always being the same, she twisted her hair a few times and rolled it in a very tight bun to hide the fact that her dark brown curls weren’t as defined as they used to be. She applied a nice layer of concealer, jumped into her clothes and finally walked downstairs. She went to the kitchen, poured the cold coffee from the previous day in her cup and walked outside, warming her cup in one hand and already going over the things she had planned for the day. 

As soon as she sat around the garden table, her father appeared in the doorway and smiled at her. His smile had something different today, though. Maybe looking at his daughter today was a little harder than the other days, maybe it was seeing her working when she was barely awake. She used to hate mornings, and now she was always working as soon as her eyes were open, only stopping for the night. 

He planted a kiss on her forehead. “Ha-”

“I’ll bring you new plants,” she quickly said. “I’ll ask Tony to give me one of the devices he uses to turn my fire into energy, I could warm the shed enough for you to have tropical stuff.”

He sighed and gave her a small nod. “We should go to the center today. Have a family day.”

“You go,” she calmly said, blowing the smoke of her cigarette. “I have a lot of work today. Just call if you need a portal.”

“Sure.”

She downed her coffee and left her chair. “I’ll see you tonight.”

He knew better than saying anything. If it was hard for him, it would be hard for her too. He watched as she let the flames consume her body and went back inside. 

Nora quickly walked to Nat’s office, where she wasn’t. She knew Nora was coming, though. The files she needed delivered were already waiting for her on the desk. Nora took a quick look at the post-it note on top of the pile and threw it in the bin. 

It was about to be a long day. 

She waited outside the royal palace in Wakanda for a few minutes before one of the Dora Milaje asked Nora to follow her inside. She could teleport inside, but she had a deal with the Queen. Once in the main room, the Queen and Okoye stood up and walked towards Nora. 

“Ms Keller,” the Queen said. “It’s always a pleasure.”

“Same here,” Nora said with a smile. “Okoye.” The woman nodded at Nora and walked away. She turned back to the Queen and frowned. “I thought she was fine with me now.”

“Okoye trusts you as she trusts everyone else,” the Queen explained. “But you’re not everyone else. Not today.”

Nora ignored that last part and handed her every file Nat wanted Wakanda to have a look at. “I’ll be back next week, tell me if there’s anything I can do before that.”

“Miss Keller,” the Queen said before Nora left. “We appreciate the work you’ve been doing.”

“Thanks,” Nora said. “That’s what I’m good at.” She followed the Dora Milaje outside, and stopped by Okoye before leaving. “You better get me coffee next week to make up for the way you’re acting today.”