𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄 - second time's the charm

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 𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐖𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 this morning with a bedside utterly cold. It was strange, for while Stephen was very much an early riser, he would always potter about the kitchen, brew two cups of tea and titter his way back to the bedroom.

 Emilia would always wake to Stephen reading some kind of book dotted with runes and ancient words, all the while his honey and lemon tea was steadily drained. She'd always find his eyes upon her while she grumbled and groaned, royally pissed off at the sunlight burning into her eyes.

 But then Stephen would toss his book to the side, slink further down the bed, and pull Emilia to his chest. He was always so incredibly warm and smelt like fresh herbs... he hated the smell, but Emilia found that she rather loved it.

 So to wake up without a sound echoing about the Sanctum was entirely odd. Then, to have another fifteen minutes pass by without a single kiss planted against her skin... utterly horrendous.

 Emilia pushed her covers aside with such ferocity that the red bundle almost toppled off Stephen's side. One of her pillows had managed to slip to the ground amidst the night, and Emilia swiftly stomped it by. Soon enough, she had slathered clothes onto her body and made for the kitchen.

 She just... stood there. Eyes glossing over old cabinets, over the sliced lemon left upon the cutting board and the cute little array of mugs she'd collected that lined one of the shelves. No Stephen Strange.

 Emilia frowned, placing her palm against the metal kettle. It was cold.

 "Stephen?" She called, poking her head out of the kitchen. When nothing but silence greeted her, Emilia soon trailed down the dimly lit staircase made of stone... the staircase that led to the rather decrepit basement. It was where trinkets best kept from prying eyes were stored, where the laundry was held... and, of course, the rather odd little altar.

 She'd thought that Stephen might have been practising his spells for once, hoping that he'd exited the slump that came with narrowly losing the title of Sorcerer Supreme. But that was a story for another day... because Stephen most certainly wasn't shrouded in the darkness of their basement.

 Emilia truly wished her heart didn't work against her, she really begged that her would be the one to take over... but panic set in. It was silly, to start breathing ever so heavily upon finding an empty home, but it made sense. After watching Stephen vanish, after feeling a great sense of complete emptiness... after looking at the Sanctum from the outside in, she was terrified that he'd somehow managed to leave again.

 Emilia took a heavy breath as she stood there beneath the dull light of the basement. There was a low drip from an old leak that had squirmed through the cracks of the Sanctum, and then, she exhaled. Emilia wasn't going to keep letting her poor old heart hammer away whenever he wasn't near, it was foolish.

 She trailed the length of the staircase once more and settled for a distraction. Her fingers sent a swift text to Stephen, asking where the hell he was and why on earth he hadn't at least warned her that he'd be gone by the time she woke... then she called Bruce. There was no amount of distractions that could truly satisfy her mind unless somebody was by her side... so perhaps Bruce was up for sauntering around the lab in the Avenger's Tower?

 The call went straight to voicemail.

 So... Perhaps Pepper Potts wanted lunch? Perhaps Morgan was being a little she-devil and needed her dear aunty Em to bring some magic to life. Again, the phone beeped and greeted her with Pepper's voicemail.

 "Hello, this is Pepper Potts. If you're looking to contact the CEO of Stark Industries please call the number —" Emilia ended the call.

 She clicked Rhodey's name, then Happy Hogan. Even Wong, despite knowing he was busy with his new duties.

 "Okay." Emilia breathed, her voice echoing around the empty Sanctum, "Okay. Okay. Okay."

 Now the panic was truly setting in, because if there was one thing Happy Hogan did? It was answer Emilia's calls. Happy wasn't always thrilled with being a babysitter or having Peter Parker's name lighting up his phone with every five minutes, yet he knew Emilia was more than happy to take their attention away from him.

 Something was wrong. Something was really, terribly —

 "Ah, Emilia." Wong.

 Emilia had spun on her heel with such speed, and with such a twisted glare smothering her usual bright features, that Wong had taken a step backwards, "Care to tell me why everybody is very pointedly ignoring me? I called you!"

 Wong knew better than to speak... It wasn't often that Emilia Clemente got angry or irritated in such a manner, and when she did, it was never pretty. She had a very valid reason to be rather miffed, after all, Wong had felt his phone buzzing within his robes. He knew exactly why everybody she'd tried to dial had left her in the dark. Maybe it hadn't been their best course of action.

 He waited until she let out the tell-tale calming breath that soothed her boiling blood, and then, Wong merely opened a portal, "Come with me."

  Emilia was bewildered. She's just spent the worst part of thirty minutes scouring the damned Sanctum. She'd spent ten minutes trying to get through to anyone and everyone... only to be left entirely alone, and now Wong was smiling and pointing to a silly little portal.

 "Where?" She asked, an edge still present in her voice.

 "You're as stubborn as Stephen," Wong muttered, swiftly clearing his throat as Emilia's brow climbed closer to her hairline, "Just follow me."

 With nothing else more to add, Wong ambled through the portal. Sparks danced upon the edge of his maroon robes, yet not a single piece of material was singed... Emilia, however, was still very much off-put.

 Why wouldn't he explain anything? Why did Wong, the new and incredibly busy Sorcerer Supreme, want her to trail behind him for some damned sightseeing?

 Emilia sighed, and pulled on her boots; she was dressed in something she'd often potter about in; one of Stephen's white button-ups tucked into a pair of flowing trousers. The buttons by her collar were undone, her chopped hair tickling the revealed flesh as a gust of wind tittered through the portal and brushed her by.

 Emilia stepped through and was taken aback immediately.

 The sea greeted her immediately, salted air whipping at her cheeks while the sun beamed down like a spotlight. She knew that smell in the air; the smell of fresh fruits and vegetables that had been harvested from local soil. She turned... and right there, was her home.

 Not the home she'd grown up in within America, no, the place she'd been born. Her old village and the community that greeted her with nothing but warmth. They all knew her well; from the older generation having been there upon her birth, now watching as she saved their world... to those that had been her friends when she could just about toddle down the dirt roads.

 Even amidst the arms enveloping her, the fingers touching her face as words of praise were uttered... Emilia twisted her sights to Wong; what could they have possibly been doing here? Why was this the place that Wong had decided to bring her to?

 He walked on by, and Emilia followed, ushered forth by those she'd left behind.

 Wong said nothing at all as he trudged onwards, drawing closer and closer to the sea. Emilia passed by old homes that had only been patched up a few years prior thanks to herself and Tony. She saw flowers in bloom, little petals slowly trickling into the air as the sea breeze whipped them into a flurry. Then, it became quite obvious.

 Every single person she'd called was standing by the coast. Pepper was right there with Morgan's hand clasped within her own. Rhodey and Happy were rigid by their sides.

 Bruce Banner was there too, eyes peering over the coastline. He staggered backwards when the sea splashed his cheeks, and they soon turned pink when Morgan pointed a glittery finger his way as she giggled whole-heartedly.

 Peter Parker was there too, which was... rather peculiar. He'd — quite literally — swung by the Sanctum a few times here and there just to settle into a chair, nurse some tea and listen to Emilia prattle on about the things she and Tony had done whilst he'd been gone.

 He looked rather chipper as he stood there, grinning at Bruce.

 Then... then there was Stephen at the very centre of them all, and his eyes had settled on Emilia the moment she came into view.

 Now, Emilia wasn't stupid... she knew exactly what this was. After all, why else would Stephen Strange and the people she loved be right in her hometown, awaiting her arrival after keeping everything a secret? Stephen had promised to do things properly, and apparently, he'd seized his opportunity.

 He knew that while a restaurant with a candle at the centre of their table would have been just fine, this was better. It was simply better because those she cared about were right there to witness it. The people she'd held onto for those five years, even the once-lost teenager who was absolutely besotted with her.

 Emilia approached, and she felt Wong leave her side to take his stance beside Bruce.

 Stephen cleared his throat, "Sorry for not answering the phone."

 "You all had me going insane."

 Stephen couldn't help himself, he chuckled at her words just like all of the others. They'd known it was rather stupid of them to leave her in utter silence... but, really, they'd hoped she'd have slept in just a little longer. Evidently, Emilia couldn't sleep without her source of heat beside her.

 In a beat, the laughter ceased, and all eyes fell on them both.

 Stephen had the decency to look rather abashed, "I know I shouldn't have left things the way that I did, I should have waited and done things properly, it's what you deserve for — for putting up with me." He fiddled with the ring secluded within his pocket, "But I couldn't stand the thought of you thinking I'd be gone forever. Still, I promised you I'd do this again, better this time... I hope that this is me doing it right."

 Emilia stooped her gaze, finding her lips had curled so very softly as Stephen soon grew closer to the ground, perched upon just one knee. As he looked up, the sunlight struck his features. His irritatingly sharp cheekbones had shadows coddled beneath them, and his eyes seemed to be flooded with the sea itself. From blues and sea greens... to the most delightful spark.

 He procured the ring she'd worn around her neck for five long years, "You know, I picked this one — an emerald — because of the Time Stone. Because this is a promise of time, isn't it?" His voice was just as gravelly as usual, yet somehow, it was unsure. Like he thought his words were folly, words she'd turn away from, "The Time Stone saved me, but you — you still do. Every single day, you save me again."

 Emilia drew her tongue over her teeth, her brows curling together as she did her utmost to keep from descending into a snivelling mess. This hadn't been something she'd ever thought she wanted.

 So many little girls had dreams of true love, of a wedding that sparkled as they did in fairy tales... because that's what they grew up with. Somewhere along the way, those little dreams had been replaced by thoughts of working within a lab; thoughts of a white dress soon morphed into a stark-white lab coat. The glitter of rings and confetti became the glistening picture of test tubes and exploding experiments. As a child, Emilia had wanted nothing more than her career... It was strange how much things had changed.

 She had only ever wanted to experiment and help people with her discoveries... now she was, for all intents and purposes, a damned superhero.

 Stephen continued, "I want to repay that somehow, in any way that you'll let me... forever, if I can. So... I'm really hoping my last attempt doesn't soil this one —" Emilia snorted, "Emilia Alvera Alejo Clemente... Will you marry me?"

 Emilia cupped his hand within her own, watching with nothing but a gentle gaze as his fingers hook around the ring that had made her bawl and choke... the ring that had kept Stephen alive, even when he wasn't.

 He shouldn't have been worried, for both Emilia and Stephen knew that they were it for each other. They always had been.

 "I didn't wear this," She tapped the ring ever so carefully, "Around my neck for five years just to say no, now."

 "So that's a yes?"

 "Of course it's a yes, Stephen."

 It couldn't have been anything less, not when he was looking at her in the way that he did. Stephen Vincent Strange had seen endless futures. He'd seen the stars and the dark dimension itself... and yet he still managed to look at her as though she was the anomaly. As though she was the only thing worth looking at.

 Stephen drew her in, swiftly solidifying the ring where it had always belonged, yet before Emilia could so much as appreciate the view... Stephen soon had his lips planted against her own.

 He muttered against them, "You're going to be my wife."

 Despite the shiver that ever so suddenly wracked her spine at that voice... She'd never let Stephen get a one-up on her, "I'm not taking your last name, though."

 "What?"

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DATE : 08-04-2022

:･ﾟ★ they are my cuties, my babygirl, my reason for living tbh. 

two more oneshots to go!

don't forget to let me know what you think; and remember that i now require a particular number of comments and feedback before i consider releasing the next part. do NOT leave comments telling me to update; they'll be ignored and you'll be muted, much love <3