THE APPRENTICE (DOCTOR STRANGE STORY)

12

"Can you- can you not do this?" Hazel groaned as Stephen stood beside her, his arm around her shoulder "come on, now people are really gonna notice us"

"No, see, that's better!" He put on a mocking smile "cause then your boy is gonna notice you even better, and we finally get to meet him together"

"You're overreacting." She sighed "you have to watch over the sanctum, what if some guy comes and tries to steal a relic again?"

"Some guy, can wait, Hazy" he teased, which made her roll her eyes "so you wanna get some pizza from Joe's?"

"Yeah, okay" she thought about it for a while, then observed as everyone couldn't take their eyes off of them "people keep staring at us, it's weird"

"Ah, what do they know?" He waved them off "the world could be ending, and they wouldn't even notice, literally."

"Fair," She sighed, her head whipping to the top of the building, where she spotted Spider-Man, waiting for her and waving furiously.

She shook her head rapidly, pointing to Stephen beside her, which he took as a queue to leave. Stephen whipped his head towards her and gave her a skeptical look

"What?" He narrowed his eyes

"Uh, nothing," she scratched her head and put on a fake smile "hehe, uh, let's go inside?"

Strange gave the man their order, Hazel waiting for him at the corner of the shop. His face suddenly lit up, a smile creeping up on his face.

"Feels So Good, Chuck Mangione, 1977!" He chirped "I love this song!"

He slowly walked to grabbed her hands, making them dance together as a blush flashed on her face, groaning

"Ste," she groaned, it was her nickname for Stephen "stop, you're so embarrassing!" She cried as the people watched them

"Fine" he sighed and let her go, watching her hasten to the corner and hide her face. The pizza man smiled at the sight of them, his hand rested on the table

"You guys are adorable!" He cooed and let out a big, hearty, laugh "is this your daughter?"

The two's eyes both grew wide as they stiffened up, avoiding eye contact with each other

"Uh, well, he's actually," Hazel started to ramble, stuttering

"Something like that." Strange answered with a warm smile, making her coo. It was the only time someone ever referred to her as a daughter figure, and it was victorious. She smiled, trying not to look at him in the eyes, her heart fluttering.

"Aw, well that's nice." The man smiled and gave them their pizzas.

* * * *
The two walked back to the sanctum, so they could get some exercise after eating so much.

"Yeah, no! DJ KAHLED is the one who screams a lot, and Drake is the hotline bling one" Hazel explained as she opened the door to the sanctum "you should start to introduce yourself to these things, y'know? Or else you'll get left behind."

"I don't think I'm missing out on anything" he insulted.

Suddenly, a swift object flew across the sky, catching the two off guard. A stinging wave of pain overtook Hazel, an unbelievable amount of pressure in her torso. Her whole body turned hot- or was it cold? She couldn't tell, but what she did know, was that it was the worst feeling she has ever felt in her whole life.

Strange ran after the shooter, brawling with him and discovering 6 other men. He stood around the relic, angrily putting them down and eyeing them, hyperaware. 

"Why are you here?!" He hissed through gritted teeth as he threw a punch at him, being ignored "Fine."

He continued to spar and fight, Hazel barely opening her eyes. She immediately tried to get up when she found a man behind him, trying to attack him. Getting up on her weak and wobbly knees, she limped to them; blood dripping down on the floor, leaving a track. Each step weight tonnes, the world was spinning furiously, and her torso had the sensation of white- hot flashes.

Doctor Strange was too busy with the man in front of him, that he didn't realise that there was another behind him. Before he could strike him with a sharp object, Hazel grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to her, impaling him with the object that was still inside her.

"Hazel!" Stephen turned back after he finished him off. She fell down to the floor, her arms supporting her, vision getting blurry "are you stupid, oh- god, Hazel, why did you do that? Oh, you're so stupid!"

"Oh, sorry"

"No no no no, don't be sorry, don't be sorry" he said shakily "don't speak, don't speak. Close your eyes, Haze, please."

She shut her eyes as he made a golden ring to the hospital, carrying her in his arms. He ran through it, opening the broom closet, his heart beating out of his chest, running as fast as the wind.

"Christine! Christine!" He boomed throughout the hospital "Christine, please!"

"What is it now, oh!-" she cried, immediately pulling out a stretcher and getting the men to wheel her in an operation room "what happened?"

"She was stabbed, by the same thing as me the last time" he stressed, running a hand through his hair "I-I...please, please, take care of her, please, keep her alive, Christine,-"

"It's okay, Stephen, she'll be okay. Calm down, it's gonna be fine." She said calmly as she shut the doors, Stephen anxiously waiting outside.