Marvel Imagines and One-shots (Requests Closed)

Going Places - Dark!Stephen Strange

You never thought you'd find someone like Stephen Strange. The deep connection you'd felt with him had been almost instantaneous. From all appearances, the feeling was mutual. Stephen doted on you. Loved you. He was so protective. So invested in your life. He was almost perfect. Well, perfect for you at any rate and that was all that really mattered.

You'd been searching for him for fifteen minutes before you found him reading in the library. He sat in his favorite chair with his legs crossed and the book balanced in his lap. You stepped up behind him and looped your arms around his neck. One of his hands rested on your arm and you pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'm getting ready to leave. I just wanted to say goodbye."

His smile grew tight. "And where is it that you're going?"

You straightened and came around the chair to face him while you talked. "I told you yesterday that I'm going out with the girls tonight."

He closed his book and folded his hands on top of it. "That's not what I asked. Where are you going?"

His tone had an undercurrent you didn't care for. "We're going to a club Carol wanted to try. It's her turn to pick."

"Oh, I don't think so. That's far too dangerous," he said with a small shake of his head. "Anything could happen in an environment like that. It's too unpredictable."

"You can't be serious. I'll be with Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel and Valkyrie. Anyone that even looks at us funny will regret it." You didn't know where this was coming from all of a sudden. He had a tendency to worry and be a little overprotective but he'd never tried to control you like this before.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I said no. That's final."

"I don't really care what you say, Stephen. I'm going out with my friends. We can discuss this tomorrow when you've come to your senses and I've had time to cool off." You turned your back on him to leave the room only for the doors to slam shut just before you reached them. A spark of unease sat heavy in your chest.

You jiggled the handles and tugged on them trying to open the door. When it didn't work, you slammed your palm against it. You turned back to your boyfriend with a scowl. "Open the door, Stephen."

He shook his head again as he got to his feet. "It's for your own good. Trust me. I have only your best interests at heart. Don't you trust that I know what's best for you? Haven't I always taken care of you?"

A shiver went up your spine with his words. Less than an hour ago you would have said yes without hesitation. Now something about the way he said it scared the shit out of you. What had gotten into him? This was a totally different man than the one you had grown to love.

"I'm not asking. You need to let me leave." You tried to sound firm but a tremor in your voice betrayed you.

He closed the distance between you and you took an involuntary step backward. Your back met the wood of the door keeping you from escaping. He reached out and traced the line of your face with the back of his hand. His eyes ran over your features. All you saw in his gaze was the love he had for you. No hint of the crazy he was currently exhibiting.

"It is my duty to protect you. Even from yourself and your own poor decisions. That was apparent from the moment we met." He placed his palms on either side of your head and braced himself against the door. "I've been patient with you, my love. So patient as I steered you toward the correct path. I wanted to make you see. To make the correct choices on your own. But every time I thought we were making progress, you'd push back. Put yourself in danger again. Expose yourself to the evils of the world."

"Stephen." Your voice wavered as tears flooded your eyes. You were terrified. If you could just get through this, you would disappear from his life. You'd stay with Nat or Carol for awhile. Stephen wouldn't cross them. "You're scaring me."

"I'm scaring you? All the chaos I've protected you from and it's me that you fear?"

You flinched as he yelled. This Stephen was unpredictable. Volatile.

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. It's just that I'm always so worried about you. It's exhausting."

"But you don't need to worry about me. Everything will be fine. You just need to let me out of here." You kept your tone measured, patient. Maybe if you soothed him a bit he'd let you go.

He nodded. "You are right, sweetheart. It is far past time that you leave here."

He stepped back and extended his hands and made the circular motion he used to open a portal. You didn't even have time to react before he grabbed your arm and pulled you with him as he stepped through. It shut behind you and you glanced around the room you now found yourself in.

A bed sat in one corner, made up and ready for use. Another corner held a toilet and a sink. There was a mini fridge and cabinets that held who knew what. There was also a fully stocked bookshelf and a TV. It appeared ready to live in. But none of that really bothered you. No, what had tears running down your cheeks as your lip trembled was the fact that all of this was contained within four cinderblock walls. Solid cinderblock walls with no doors or windows. The only way in or out appeared to be via portal.

"What is this place?" Your voice was little more than a whisper.

"It's your new home," Stephen answered sounding far more pleased than the situation warranted. "Don't worry. It's only until I've taught you to make better decisions. I only want you safe."

You wrapped your arms around your middle and shivered as he moved around the room showing you where everything was. It seemed he'd thought of everything. Including not leaving you anything you could use to hurt yourself, though if you put your mind to it, you could probably come up with something. But you weren't to that level of desperation. Not yet anyway.

"You can't leave me here."

He tilted his head and smirked slightly. "Of course, I can."

"People will look for me. They'll want to know where I am." You were scrambling, trying to find any ragged thread of hope to hold on to.

He smiled then. "I have just the spell for that. I will be the only one with any memory of you."

A broken sob tore from your throat. Why was this happening to you? How had your perfect life turned sour so fast?

Stephen opened a portal to return to the sanctum.

You shook your head. "I thought you loved me," you called after him as he stepped through. You were desperate to keep him with you even if he was to blame for all this. You didn't want to be left alone.

He turned back to look at you. "Of course, I love you. Look at everything I've done for you."

The portal closed and you fell to the ground, your shaking knees no longer able to hold you. You curled into the fetal position and wept. Your heart was a broken tattered thing but you still found yourself wishing Stephen would come back to you. Come back to this room where he'd hidden you from a world that had already forgotten you existed.