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

6. Feeling Like A Fish In A Bowl

"Hey. Hey! This universe sucks!" America shouts, punching the glass cage. You've been keeping her company since she woke up. Strange was still knocked out on the floor in another glass cage.

"You're sure you can't get us out?" America pleads, but you just sigh in defeat.

"No... It's magic-proof or something like that. Plus, there are cameras literally everywhere." Workers in lab coats swarm around, almost knocking your chair. "Hey! Watch it!"

Just as you grab a pen from a nearby table, ready to throw it at the rude man, Strange groans and starts waking up. You quickly stand up and watch him get up.

With a sharp turn, he sees that the Cloak of Levitation is missing and slightly panics.

" They're fixing it." you say loudly. Strange looks at you confused, but an angry look overtakes his features almost immediately.

"What?"

"They're fixing it. The Cloak. And before you try to blame me for anything, I didn't know." you say, eyes fixed on the ground, leaning on America's cage slightly.

"She's not lying. Y/n has been here since I woke up" America says, adding the last part in a smaller voice, "trying to cheer me up."

"Yeah? Well, I don't know exactly who we can trust now, because as it seems, in every step there's a person trying to kill us. Maybe she's here to spy on you, don't you think, America?" Strange is angry, but you already had experience on how to tame an angry sorcerer.

"First of all, I've been trying to get you out, but it's beyond my power here. Secondly, they  wanted to kick me out of here like 3 times, but I threatened to send them to the highest place on Everest, if they even lay a finger on Miss Chavez."

Finally, at the loss of words, Stephen shuts up. A redhead enters the room, and you roll your eyes.

"Hey, labcoat! Let us go." Strange shouts, directing his anger at another victim. The redhead turns to look at him, and Stephen is at a loss for words. AGAIN.

"Hello, Stephen." Christine tells. "Miss Chavez, Y/n." she slightly nods her head, and you grip the edge of the concrete.

"Hi, Christine." you say, not exactly trying to put on a fake politeness mask.

Strange looks like he saw a ghost, and you hear America sigh loudly besides you. "Ay, Dios..."

"Miss Chavez, you're in a highly secure research facility. The two of you, along with your sentient cloak, are here for surveillance and testing." Christine goes straight to business, like she always does.

"I'm sorry. Testing?" Strange asks, now standing so close to the glass, and you feel that if it suddenly disappeared, he'd fall face flat on the ground.

"Well, yes. You are visitors from another universe. Your magnetic signatures could be radioactive. You may be carrying diseases we just don't have treatments for. Hence, these amazing polycarbonate fishbowls." as much as you want to leave and not care about this whole thing, you can't. For the sake of your own, Stephen. He would've done the same. Although there's no use from you just sitting here and waiting for the grand meeting, you know that your presence calms America.

"Right. So, I have you to thank for these, then." he turns his handcuffs towards Christine.

"Yes, I developed those using the Sands of Nisanti. One of Stephen's magical relics." You clear your throat loudly, reminding those two chatterboxes about your presence.

"Stephen. Is that some kinda cyborg me?" Strange asks, eyeing you and Christine.

"You really think I would sleep with a robot?" you huff a humorless laugh. Everyone raises an eyebrow, and you feel your face getting a bit redder.

Christine continues, nonetheless, "Our universe is 838. And we've designated yours 616."

"Oh. You guys sure must know a lot about the Multiverse. You got someone going around naming realities." Strange calls.

"Yes. Me. My senior phoned the Baxter Foundation, and I specialize in Multiversal research. I volunteered. At your funeral." Christine answers. The atmosphere gets awkward really fast.

"Thank you for going." Stephen says, a bit confused and somewhat pleased. He steals a glance at you and sees a big tear threatening to escape your eye. He sees a woman he loved his whole life, or her variant, and a woman who loved him, a woman who years later is still ready to stand up for him at any given moment.

Christine talks about something else, but you don't listen. An image from the funeral stands before your eyes, as if you used the Time Stone to go back in time. Everyone's dressed in black, solemn faces, that much you managed to see through your blurry eyes. A lot of hands touching your shoulder, saying something, but none of the things make sense. You're clutching your bandaged stomach and... Stephen's voice pulls you out of your oppressive thoughts.

"What were we to each other in this universe?" you can't believe he's asking Christine this question right now.

"We never quite figured that out." she answers, waiting for your reaction, but you just look away, picking at your black nails. In the corner of your eye, you see Mordo coming your way. Whatever relationship, or lack of it, Strange is solving, you don't care anymore. Shooting from your seat, you quickly walk away towards the Sorcerer Supreme.

"Y/n, I see you're still here. Not tired of wasting your time with these criminals?"

"What are you gonna do?" you stand so close to him and see how his eyes shift from serious to somewhat soft. Although, your plan was to intimidate him.

"Go to the main hall and wait. They're letting you in only because Reed asked for your presence in the questioning." Mordo says and immediately leaves you standing frustrated and humiliated.

"Ugh, I swear I will punch him in the face" you storm out of the laboratory to the main hall, feeling America's eyes on the back of your head.

There's one thing you have to do, in case Wanda really dreamwalks into your universe.

Whatever it takes to protect your home.