Chapter Text
Stephen's heart broke the moment he saw Morgan following Tony's coffin.
His sight got blurry, but he bit his lips, holding back his tears. He was not allowed to cry, not when that little girl burried her dad. Because of him he thought, his guilt reaching a new level.
Seeing that child's sorrow made it more real.
He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, even if his chest was hurting.
He felt Wong's glare on him. He turned his head to meet his friend's worried eyes. He gave him a reassuring smile and quickly winked. Wong turned his head again, focusing on ceremony again. Stephen relaxed a bit when he gave him comforting pats on the shoulder.
He sighed, locking his emotions away, making the burrial a bit more bearable.
In the end, he walked back to the house, but stayed a bit away from people. Quietly observing.
He saw Banner wipping his tears away, supported by Thor and Rogers.
Then, he saw Pepper taking empty dishes and sneak away in the kitchen. He decided to follow her.
" How can I help you ? " he shyly proposed.
Pepper looked up at him. Stephen could tell she was crying by her reddened eyes.
" Ah... Stephen." she quickly wipped her eyes.
" May I ?" he said, his voice as gentle as his hands when he took dishes from her.
" You don't have to do that."
" I don't have to," he agreed, " but I want to."
He made a hand gesture, then all plates levitated, made a turnaround then softly landed back on the table, all clean.
" Well, that's pretty handy." Pepper sketched a smile, that pleased Stephen.
But she let out a sigh and sat a the table, cupping her face in her hands.
" Pepper, did you have a break today ? "
" Barely," she admitted, " I confess that keeping myself busy distracted me from... all of this."
Stephen did expect that kind of reaction. He took a glass and filled it up with fresh water then handed it to Pepper.
" Thank you, Stephen."
Stephen opened his mouth but quickly close it when Rhodes came in, holding a plate filled with food.
" Pepper, did you eat ? " Rhodes stopped when he saw Stephen. " Oh, Strange." he nodded at him.
Stephen gave him a polite smile and left the kitchen.
He felt some relief to know Rhodes was with Pepper now. He walked outside, where Wong was waiting for him.
" Are you alright ? " Wong asked.
Stephen gave him a smile.
" I'm alright, why wouldn't I ? "
Who was he kidding ? Wong knew it was not true. He gave him his usual stern look, then turned back and opened a dimensional portal.
" Woah." a little voice raised.
Stephen turned his head and met familiar brown eyes.
" Morgan ?"
" Doctor Strange, Sir..." she hesitated.
" Stephen." he gently corrected her.
" Stephen, " she paused, " can I ask you something ? "
Stephen glanced at Wong, who nodded and stepped in the portal, closing it behind him. He smiled as he saw Morgan amazed eyes.
" You can ask me anything."
Morgan eyes darkened again, filled with sadness.
" You're a magician, right ? " she stated.
Stephen decided to ignore how she called him and nodded, letting her carry on.
" So, you can make anything ? "
Stephen knew what was coming. And his heart broke once more.
" Morgan," he sighed, " I know what you want to ask me..."
His heart hammered in his chest as the little girl looked up at him, expecting.
" But," he took a break, taking a deep breath, " I can't bring your dad back, I'm so sorry."
He watched Morgan's face coming from expectation to a deep distress. She shook her head, her eyes closed as big tears flowed down her cheeks, her lower lip shaking.
" Morgan." he softly called, not louder than a whisper.
He could not speak louder anyway, he would choke on his own tears. When Morgan looked up at him again, he instinctively opened one of his arms, silently prompting her to come closer.
He did not know why he did this. He just came as naturally as his magic.
The child did not hesitated and ran into his embrace, her sobs muffled as she nuzzled her face against him. Stephen tensed a bit, not knowing how to handle the situation. He did not want to make the situation worse. So, he just hugged her back and held her as long as she needed it.
He did not know what was waiting for him in the future, but right now, he knew that he would make anything in his power to keep Morgan safe.