Rough Path to Memory Square - Doctor Strange x Reader (Earth 838)

25. Cleanin' Out My Closet

The whole remaining week, you busied yourself with preparations for the grand ceremony. Helping to clean the Sanctums, teaching students, and talking about your new duties with masters. More than ever, you got to spend a lot of time in Hong Kong Sanctum, and you gotta admit, it was a pretty cool experience. You never understood why Stephen or Mordo never went to visit this Sanctum, but now you will take a trip there at least twice a month. London Sanctum, however, was less fun, especially with Britain's weather change.

Aside from cleaning and preparing, and learning new, more advanced spells, you were trying to upgrade your robes. The main color of course, was bright blue, but for some reason you wanted to integrate a bit of red and gold in it. Your Cloak often found itself floating in the room of New York Sanctum. Now that you were not in a grave danger or fighting monsters, Cloaky was a bit annoying if it stayed with you for too long. Never you would have thought that it could be so clingy, or so desperate for attention that it distracted you from your work.

Students and masters at first, after the announcement during the funeral, looked at you a bit sceptically, but you think that during the time of preparation, when you got a chance to speak to them more, they saw the real you and changed their opinion. Hopefully. Of course, some of them were prying a lot, especially about what exactly happened that 5 superheroes and a gifted scientist were all dead, but you just said that the threat was contained and can't harm anyone. The masters obviously didn't like your answer, but you couldn't just tell them that Doctor Strange has visited their universe.

They knew about the whereabouts of Supreme Strange, at least a tiny bit of them. No one ever told them that he used the Darkhold or practiced dreamwalking, but you felt in your heart that they knew that something forbidden was used, and it killed Strange in the end.
Keeping secrets was not cool, but necessary for the job.

Days flew by, and you found yourself lying in your bed in Kamar-Taj, your old room that you still haven't cleared out. Surrounded by the mystic aura flowing from the flowers on your table, and the presence of someone who's no longer here, you were thinking about your life. About how batshit crazy it became after you found Mystic Arts. A simple bookstore employee now a future Sorcerer Supreme? Who would've thought.

When things got overwhelming, you missed your old slow, non-life threatening job, but you also got addicted to danger overtime. In some way. Maybe loving someone like Stephen felt exciting. Maybe the idea of having a family with him was exciting. Well, no longer. You subconsciously put your hand on your belly. A life was forming there once. You would have given everything just to turn back time and save your Stephen, save your baby.

A tear rolls down your side, dropping on the pillow. You close your eyes, remembering America Chavez. You couldn't wait to see her again tomorrow, she did promise to come to the ceremony. That girl is almost like a daughter to you, and you spent together like 48 hours in total. You know that Wong and Stephen are taking good care of her, teaching her how to control her powers. You and Strange might not be the best examples for her, but Wong sure is. Breaking rules and using forbidden magic somehow didn't feel as bad as it should've had.

Your phone on the table rings loudly, bringing you back from your thoughts. You hurry to get it and answer without looking at the caller's name.

"Hello?"

"When were you going to tell me?" a loud voice reaches your ears, and you pull your phone away and look at the screen, which flashes 'Leta'.

Smile wide now, you put the phone next to your ear again and ask mischievously. "Tell you what?"

"THAT YOU'RE THE SORCERER SUPREME, OBVIOUSLY."

"Wow, calm down, the Sorcerer Supreme stills needs her hearing." you laugh, happy to hear a familiar voice.

"When's the ceremony?" she asks, a bit annoyed but you know her too well to know that she's just acting.

"Tomorrow. Wanna come?"

"Thought you forgot me, chipmunk." She says, and you can just see her pouting as if she was standing in the room with you.

"I wouldn't even dare to think about it. It was just a mad week." you sigh.

"Another magical threat?"

"Yep."

"But you're alright?"

"Yep."

"Great. The ceremony will be held in?"

"Kamar-Taj."

"At?"

"6 PM."

"Great, see you at 5:30, chipmunk."

"See you, Leta." she ends the call, and you feel warmth fill your chest.
Looking around the room one last time, you put on your sling ring and wave hands in front of you, a couple of times. Three suitcases and a big box come out of your wardrobe, lining up near the bed, all of them open. You move your fingers and all the clothes, shoes and other possessions put themselves nicely in the suitcases, which close when they're full. You take the box and place it on the table, grabbing the postcards from your mirror, and the Eye of Agamotto duplicate necklace that you jokingly brought in the souvenir shop during your trip to Washington. Putting them in the box, you collect all your books from the table and the vase full of glowing roses, carefully placing them and thus filling the box.

Making a circle with your hands, you open a portal to Sanctum Santorum. Main hall to be specific. You take the box in your arms, and step into the darkening hall, walking right away towards the Master's chamber. Almost at the door, you almost crash into Mordo, who walked out with arms full of books.

"Thought you didn't wanna take the grand room." he says, and you notice a fading scar on his face from your previous fight.

"Changed my mind. Thought you already cleared out the room."

"Had some business to do. You know, as the Sorcerer Supreme."

"Oh, like kissing the butts of other masters?" you say, tightening the grip on the box.

"I know you've been doing the same."

"I have my reasons. But you? You're already out, not even god himself can bring you here after the ceremony."

"Don't be so full of yourself." he says in a threatening voice, getting closer. You, on the other hand, don't even blink. "I can already see your downfall."

"Didn't know that being a dick also comes with the seer powers. Now, if you brought your things out, I think I can already settle, Master." you say, words laced with venom, especially the last one.

He scoffs and gets out of your way. Too bad that tomorrow you'll have to pretend to like this guy in front of everyone at the ceremony.

You open the doors to the grand bedroom, so empty of items that it looks like a part of the haunted house. That fucker even took the mattress away. You put the box on the reading table and shake your head. This room saved you and Strange from being caught countless times before, but now it felt so... Foreign.
You just wished that Stephen came up to you from behind again and his hands snaked around your waist, going up with every passing minute. You wanted to feel his breath on your neck again, his soft kisses near your ear, and smell his enchanting cologne on your clothes.

What sucked the most is that you could never forget him. Especially when his version exists in another universe. Stephen was your first true love. All these amateurs from college or high school were nothing compared to him. No man could be a match for him. Except for... Himself.

You take a breath, letting go of the edge of the table that you've been grasping tightly while lost in thought. This has become a serious habit. Also, the one you need to get rid of as soon as possible.
In the distance you hear a car honk and finally open a portal to your old room, you need to take the rest of your stuff before someone decides to send your clothes to the Atlantic Ocean or something.

Hours later, finally settled in the room that was 3 times bigger than you wanted it to be, you fall into a restless slumber, reality mixing with memories and desires, creating another dream with a dash of nightmare.