madimpossibledreamer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
madimpossibledreamer) wrote2017-02-13 10:14 pm
madimpossibledreamer) wrote2017-02-13 10:14 pm
Entry tags:
A Stranger Path
Main Points:
Dr. Strange Genderbend
Summary: Chris clarifies his intentions.
Word Count: 935
Rating: Gen
Dr. Strange Genderbend
Summary: Chris clarifies his intentions.
Word Count: 935
Rating: Gen
Stephanie wakes slowly, a headache setting in. She blinks a few times and eventually a shape resolves itself…as a familiar brunet, flowers nearly falling out of his hands, is propped up uncomfortably, head against the wall. It takes a little mental cataloguing to figure out what he’s even doing here. She’s almost tempted to let him sleep, but her curiosity is getting the better of her, and if she actually feels rested for once, then he has to be, too.
“Chris.” He mumbles. “Christopher!” she speaks louder, voice still sore.
He startles and cracks his head against the wall, earning a wince from them both.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“Even when you’re a better human being, you’re a jerk,” he mumbles, rubbing at his head with the unoccupied hand, and she sighs.
“Come here.”
It’s a sign of his trust that he does so willingly. She presses one trembling, aching hand on his head and closes her eyes, concentrating, feeling the warmth suddenly rush from her body through her hand to Chris, leaving her shivering slightly.
He gasps a little as the pain disappears. “That…your hands…”
She tenses slightly but doesn’t avoid the topic as she would have done. “It’s a matter of timing and extent. You didn’t seriously injure anything, but as a wise man reminded me recently, it’s hard to tell with head injuries.” She yawns. She needs a shower to scrub off the blood, to change into fresh robes, but she’s not about to just leave a visitor to their own devices, particularly such an important visitor. She’s at least a good host. “You had something to tell me?”
He looks relieved she’s not making a fuss about his slip of the tongue. It’d be slightly insulting if it hadn’t been accurate for so much of her past. “I was…”
And then his words fail him.
She snorts slightly, covering up another yawn with a shaking hand. “Come now, Chris, surely there’s nothing you can’t tell me. We’re friends now…aren’t we?” It’s her turn to be unsure.
He smiles. It’s hesitant, too, but it exists, which is important. He reaches forward to take one of her trembling hands, which instantly makes them shake that much more. She may be largely over the accident, the trauma, but that anyone would be willing to look at those hands willingly… It’s enough to almost make her miss his next, quiet but earnest words. “I came to ask you out. On a date.”
Her eyes are slightly panicked as she glances up, and he shakes his head. “Yes, I’ve thought about this. Yes, it’s probably not the best idea, but, Steph…I do care. More than is good for me, probably, but you care back, now. Don’t you? This can work.”
It takes her a moment to process, before she nods slowly. “I can’t dissuade you, can I?”
“If you said ‘I’m not interested’, it’d be easy enough,” he corrects, and she rolls her eyes.
“As if I could convincingly lie about that.” This woman’s broken his heart, over and over, and now she’s the vulnerable one, despite the fact that she can fashion shields with her incredible mind. “What did you have in mind?”
“Is that a ‘yes, Chris, I want to be your girlfriend’?” he teases, and the Cloak shuffles itself off the woman’s shoulders and throws itself onto Chris in some kind of massive hug.
She rolls her eyes. “Behave, you two.” The fond smile doesn’t really dissuade either of them.
“I want to take you out.” He anticipates her protests. “I know, you don’t really go out in public too much, but I don’t care about being seen with you, even with your new cultist status, because you are worth it.” He smiles. “I’d like to see you in one of those classy shirts again, but the robes are nice, too. Whatever you decide. I’m ready to take whatever you can give.”
She closes her eyes for a full minute, weighing it. She realizes it’s a display easily enough; after all, that’s why she’d taken Chris on so many of her little talks, proud and arrogant, showing off that yes, in fact, one person can have it all. In fact, that’s probably why she’d ignored him, too, showing off that she didn’t need him, he needed her. (It’s a lie, that first part anyway, though by any indication, he’s demonstrating that he needs her in his life, no matter the obstacles in his way.) Perhaps neither of them will be fully at ease, but they both need this, to demonstrate to the world that yes, they are doing this, it’s all under control or it’d cause them problems in the long run.
She opens her eyes again.
“You might regret saying that,” she warns lightly, because with magic it really is kind of true, but no, that’s the reason why he’d been so much better than all the others, isn’t it? He’d walked into it with open eyes and still never backed down. Even now, he’s shaking his head, eyes full of intelligence and courage and love. “Text me,” she responds finally, earning a wide smile that energizes her a little. “Unless you were planning on today…?” she adds, raising an eyebrow and sitting up gingerly.
“God no. I wanted to wait until I knew what you wanted,” he responds, looking awkward and eventually just handing her the flowers to cover his awkwardness.
She chuckles, squeezing his hand with trembling fingers, and gesturing. The wardrobe opens, and an outfit levitates out.
“Handy,” he manages, and that definitely earns a laugh.
“Chris.” He mumbles. “Christopher!” she speaks louder, voice still sore.
He startles and cracks his head against the wall, earning a wince from them both.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“Even when you’re a better human being, you’re a jerk,” he mumbles, rubbing at his head with the unoccupied hand, and she sighs.
“Come here.”
It’s a sign of his trust that he does so willingly. She presses one trembling, aching hand on his head and closes her eyes, concentrating, feeling the warmth suddenly rush from her body through her hand to Chris, leaving her shivering slightly.
He gasps a little as the pain disappears. “That…your hands…”
She tenses slightly but doesn’t avoid the topic as she would have done. “It’s a matter of timing and extent. You didn’t seriously injure anything, but as a wise man reminded me recently, it’s hard to tell with head injuries.” She yawns. She needs a shower to scrub off the blood, to change into fresh robes, but she’s not about to just leave a visitor to their own devices, particularly such an important visitor. She’s at least a good host. “You had something to tell me?”
He looks relieved she’s not making a fuss about his slip of the tongue. It’d be slightly insulting if it hadn’t been accurate for so much of her past. “I was…”
And then his words fail him.
She snorts slightly, covering up another yawn with a shaking hand. “Come now, Chris, surely there’s nothing you can’t tell me. We’re friends now…aren’t we?” It’s her turn to be unsure.
He smiles. It’s hesitant, too, but it exists, which is important. He reaches forward to take one of her trembling hands, which instantly makes them shake that much more. She may be largely over the accident, the trauma, but that anyone would be willing to look at those hands willingly… It’s enough to almost make her miss his next, quiet but earnest words. “I came to ask you out. On a date.”
Her eyes are slightly panicked as she glances up, and he shakes his head. “Yes, I’ve thought about this. Yes, it’s probably not the best idea, but, Steph…I do care. More than is good for me, probably, but you care back, now. Don’t you? This can work.”
It takes her a moment to process, before she nods slowly. “I can’t dissuade you, can I?”
“If you said ‘I’m not interested’, it’d be easy enough,” he corrects, and she rolls her eyes.
“As if I could convincingly lie about that.” This woman’s broken his heart, over and over, and now she’s the vulnerable one, despite the fact that she can fashion shields with her incredible mind. “What did you have in mind?”
“Is that a ‘yes, Chris, I want to be your girlfriend’?” he teases, and the Cloak shuffles itself off the woman’s shoulders and throws itself onto Chris in some kind of massive hug.
She rolls her eyes. “Behave, you two.” The fond smile doesn’t really dissuade either of them.
“I want to take you out.” He anticipates her protests. “I know, you don’t really go out in public too much, but I don’t care about being seen with you, even with your new cultist status, because you are worth it.” He smiles. “I’d like to see you in one of those classy shirts again, but the robes are nice, too. Whatever you decide. I’m ready to take whatever you can give.”
She closes her eyes for a full minute, weighing it. She realizes it’s a display easily enough; after all, that’s why she’d taken Chris on so many of her little talks, proud and arrogant, showing off that yes, in fact, one person can have it all. In fact, that’s probably why she’d ignored him, too, showing off that she didn’t need him, he needed her. (It’s a lie, that first part anyway, though by any indication, he’s demonstrating that he needs her in his life, no matter the obstacles in his way.) Perhaps neither of them will be fully at ease, but they both need this, to demonstrate to the world that yes, they are doing this, it’s all under control or it’d cause them problems in the long run.
She opens her eyes again.
“You might regret saying that,” she warns lightly, because with magic it really is kind of true, but no, that’s the reason why he’d been so much better than all the others, isn’t it? He’d walked into it with open eyes and still never backed down. Even now, he’s shaking his head, eyes full of intelligence and courage and love. “Text me,” she responds finally, earning a wide smile that energizes her a little. “Unless you were planning on today…?” she adds, raising an eyebrow and sitting up gingerly.
“God no. I wanted to wait until I knew what you wanted,” he responds, looking awkward and eventually just handing her the flowers to cover his awkwardness.
She chuckles, squeezing his hand with trembling fingers, and gesturing. The wardrobe opens, and an outfit levitates out.
“Handy,” he manages, and that definitely earns a laugh.