Hear me out. Spider bit him and his skin got amazing.
People notice, ask him for tips/what products he is using.
He panics and starts studying and creating topical treatments.
He actually started making products to sell, and giving them to people who asked and they kept coming back for more.
It continues as he gets older and when he is in college he takes some classes. Maybe this is something he can really make money off of. He gets his doctorate in Dermatology and Chemistry.
He creates his own brand of product lines.
Cosmetic cures for your teenager to creating stuff that helps with scaring for surgery or accidents.
His name gets tossed around at famous parties.
His name gets tossed around at medical conferences.
All the while he keeps to his friendly neighborhood spider-man activities.
He panics when he gets invited to the latest Avenger Fundraiser Gala.
Summary: In an alternate universe where trains and zeppelins are still common forms of travel and the internet and cell phones exist, nineteen year old Peter Parker has few options left after he’s swindled out of his inheritance. Unable to pay for college, let alone keep the house left to him by his deceased aunt, he’s running out of time before he’s out on the streets. Desperate, Peter signs his life over to the Bureau of Civic Spousal Selections to take his chances as the selected husband of a complete stranger. After all, he only has to make it through a year and then he can choose to annul.
Dr. Stephen Strange has little interest in marriage, preferring to focus on his career. When his career is threatened by what a nosy board of directors considers a “lack of personal fulfillment and settling down,” he opts to select a spouse through the BCSS and chooses Peter Parker. The young man’s profile he’d briefly skimmed suggests intelligence and compatibility. It’s not ideal, but if after a year it’s not working out, he can always annul the marriage and send Peter on his way.
It’s a marriage neither truly wants, with sharp learning curves for both. It’s either going to be forever or it’s going to go down in flames.
Warnings/AO3 Tags: 18+ MINORS DNI, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1950s/Modern Fusion, Doctor Stephen Strange, Jewish Peter Parker, Peter Parker is an Adult, Marriage of Convenience, Marriage Contracts, Government Sanctioned Marriages, Domestic Discipline, Dubiously Consensual Spanking, Spanking, Aftercare, Mildly Dubious Consent, Dubious Morals, Dubious Ethics, Asshole Stephen Strange, Smartass Peter Parker, Passive Aggressive Canned Soup, Two Morons Trying to Try Their Best, Borrowing Characters
Author's Note: I cannot overstate how self-indulgent the writing of this chapter has been. I absolutely adore it and I hope you do, as well!
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Chapter 31
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The flight from New Amsterdam to California would take fourteen hours. When booking, Stephen had paid for one of the airship's coveted private cabins, wanting both the convenience and to ensure Peter would have fond memories of his first time on one of the zeppelins he was so interested in.
Peter's excitement over finally getting to ride in a zeppelin had been apparent all week. He was less excited about the need to wake up at three in the morning so they could make it to the hangar in Upper York and fly out at five in the morning. Even with Stephen making sure the Buick was loaded the night before, there was still a feeling of being rushed which neither of them enjoyed.
"You are insufferable when you're cranky from lack of sleep," Stephen told him while driving.
"I've been told," Peter said through a yawn. "Sorry about that. My Aunt May hated trying to wake me up."
"When we board, the flight staff will have their safety presentation that we'll have to sit through. Then, you'll have the chance to sleep in the cabin once we're airborne and stable." He'd sat through the safety lecture many times.
"And you'll make sure I don't sleep the whole time?"
"It's a fourteen hour flight; you'll be awake for the majority of it, I promise."
Peter nodded and dozed off with his head against the window.
He roused Peter once they pulled into the parking garage for the hangar and they made their way to the security checkpoint where their tickets and identification was checked. The attendant at the counter frowned at him when he provided Peter's identification but passed them through.
"What was that about?" Peter asked.
Ah. Peter had noticed.
"I believe she took exception with the fact that your identification was issued by the Bureau and that I'm a selecting spouse."
That had Peter offering up a frown of his own. "Well, that's just dumb," he said. "Lots of people have BCSS marriages."
Was he reading too much into Peter's words? Or was Peter just still grumpy from lack of sleep?
"Luckily a sour expression was all we had to deal with," he soothed. "And her sour expression is basically a smile compared to the charge nurse at Sanctum General's ER."
Peter grinned. "You've made Nurse Temple angry before, haven't you?"
"Only once. It wasn't on purpose, and I've learned to tread carefully since," he admitted. He'd rather swallow rocks than risk incurring Nurse Temple's wrath again. Her ire had not been fun to be the recipient of and she had a stressful enough job as it was.
"Aw, he's human just like the rest of us!"
"You're such a brat."
Tired as he was, Peter looked around the bustling hangar - one of eight on the edge of Upper York - with interest. He'd been here once before, but he'd been too excited about meeting Tony Stark! to pay much attention in and around the massive structure. The zeppelin he and Stephen would be flying out on was the third ship to leave the assigned hangar that morning. There was a fourth airship behind them.
Peter knew zeppelins were so much larger than many realized, but seeing the size of the passenger gondola and how it was dwarfed by the sheer size of the envelope of the ship was truly awe-inspiring. Obviously the airship was huge - the hangars were each thirty stories tall and three football pitches wide, after all - but seeing it in-person was a whole new experience. Even the mobile mooring masts that steered the zeppelins in and out of the hangars were impressive.
"This is the Cessna LTA 2-4026 model," he rattled off while they stood waiting to board. "It was officially approved to fly two years ago and so far there are thirteen hundred all over the globe, and they make up thirty percent of the zeppelins flying today."
Stephen listened patiently as they progressed through the line and up the ramp. He handed the attendant the top copy of their tickets, reserving the canary and pink copies for the lunch check during the flight and luggage retrieval once they arrived in New Angeles. Peter's excitement at something as mundane as air travel was enjoyable to witness. He himself had flown multiple times and did fine the science and grandeur of it interesting, but Peter's enthusiasm lent a new view of it all, somehow. He also found it adorable that Peter kept yawning through his recitations.
They were escorted to their cabin where they stowed their carry-ons. Stephen locked the cabin and slipped the key in the interior pocket of his blazer. Then he and Peter took two of the unassigned seats. Peter looked around, taking in every detail he could. Stephen could see him practically vibrating with the desire to move over to the side of the gondola where the windows provided a currently unimpressive view.
"You can go look once we're in the air and the flight staff have given us leave to move around."
In less than half an hour, everyone had boarded and took their seats.
A voice came on over the speakers.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Captain Seagrum and assisting me on this fourteen hour flight to New Angeles, California is Captain Ayers. We're in the process of completing our pre-flight checks and will start our steering out of the hangar once given the green light by Hangar Control. In the meantime, our dedicated flight staff will brief you on the safety procedures of this airship."
The flight staff ran through their presentation and while many of the passengers had obviously heard it before, Peter made sure to pay attention. Logically he knew where was an almost zero percent chance of a water landing, but surely knowing what would be expected was better than not knowing. What if they were forced to land on a lake and it was up to him to save everyone?
Captain Seagrum came back on the speakers after the fight staff finished. "We've been given the green light so please remain seated as we steer out of the hangar and begin our ascent."
Slowly, the zeppelin began moving through the hangar until they were steered outside where the sun was beginning to rise, painting the horizon orange and pink. There was a pause wherein Peter assumed the hangar ground crew were detaching the mooring mast and then there was the curious and gentle sensation of the ship rising.
"We are beginning our ascent, and we expect to cruise at an altitude of approximately three thousand meters."
Peter leaned into Stephen. "Cessna is currently doing research and development into pressurized gondolas. The thought is that that pressurizing will allow the zeppelins to reach higher altitudes. But if they do, they'll have to address making the shell and envelope of the ship stronger." Then he yawned, causing Stephen to chuckle.
"Looks like you'll be going down for a nap shortly," Stephen told him. When Peter opened his mouth to complain, Stephen cut him off. "You'll be awake for plenty of this flight and I'm not going to listen to you struggling to stay awake when you'll have a comfortable place to rest."
"Can I at least look out the promenade windows first?"
"Yes, of course."
The all-clear to move around the gondola was given and Peter fairly launched himself out of his seat and over to the starboard promenade area. Stephen joined him at much more dignified pace, though he enjoyed seeing Peter so excited. Peter looked out one of the floor to ceiling windows, taking in the view of what was turning out to be a magnificent New Amsterdam morning in late spring.
Stephen let Peter take in the view for a few minutes before he tried to stifle a large yawn. "Okay, to the cabin with you."
He guided Peter to their private cabin and unlocked the door.
The cabin itself held a queen bed, a small built in chest of drawers, and an armchair. There were also windows with retracting shades.
"Are you going to stay here?" Peter asked after removing his shoes, his blazer, and tie. He started unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt.
"Would like for me to stay?" Stephen asked. "And if your answer is dependent on whether or not I intend the ravish you at three thousand meters, the answer is no. The soundproofing of these cabins is quite lacking, I'm afraid. I'd rather keep your delightful noises to myself."
Peter blushed but nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. In our home is one thing, but in a public zeppelin is another."
"Precisely."
"Isn't there a dining lounge a level down?" Peter asked.
"There is."
"You should have breakfast, then," he said. "It'll be seven before long."
"Alright. I'll lock the door behind me; no one should bother you. Get some sleep and I'll wake you up in time for luncheon."
He waited until Peter drifted off and then left, doing as he said and locking the door behind him. He didn't linger in the dining lounge, content to eat a bagel with cream cheese and lox - Peter was on to something there - a small bowl of cut fruit, and wash down breakfast with a cup of coffee. His fellow passengers were even less inclined to talk at the early hour than he was so luckily, no one approached.
There wasn't much else to do but content himself with one of the books he'd brought. He chose a seat on the port side promenade and started reading. It was a medical murder thriller - one highly recommended by Clea he'd agreed to try. He found himself enjoying it tremendously, even if the man in charge of solving the gruesome and convoluted murder was no Rex Gladstone. He could even appreciate that author had clearly done her research; the doctors, nurses, and medical examiner she'd written knew their stuff. Probably an hour later, one of the flight staff pushed her cart through the promenade and Stephen accepted the offer of a cherry fizzy water and a small bag of crisps before turning his attention back to the book. He needed to know if he'd correctly guessed who the killer was and their motive.
(He was right.)
He started on another book and was half-way through it when he noticed that some of the other passengers were leaving the promenade. He checked his watch and saw that it was almost time to wake Peter.
His young husband was curled up on the bed, chest rising and falling softly. He looked so peaceful that Stephen almost hated to wake him up. However, Peter needed to eat and letting him get too much sleep before acclimating to a new time zone once they reached California would only lead to his husband being cranky, which Stephen had no desire to deal with.
He shook Peter awake gently. "Peter, it's time to wake up."
Peter's eyes fluttered open and he stretched. "It's time already?"
"They'll start serving luncheon in about thirty minutes."
Peter nodded and sat up. "There should be food I'll be able to eat, right?"
"Yes, I informed the ship line when I bought our tickets. Your canary copy has your dietary note on it."
"Oh! Great!" He started to re-button his cuffs and the top three of his shirt. He took the tie Stephen handed him and pulled it tighter after slipping it around his neck. His shoes were next and then he shrugged into the light-weight blazer. "Will I do?"
"I'll be the envy of many, for sure," Stephen said with a smile.
Peter's cheeks went pink.
"Come, I don't believe in being fashionably late."
Peter barely resisted pinching himself over the course of luncheon. He couldn't believe that he, Peter Strange, poor guy from Midtown, was actually eating a fancy luncheon on a zeppelin! He always imagined that if he ever got to take a ride on one, it would be one of the smaller commercial zeppelins, where seats were assigned and passengers only served a small snack and refreshment.
Instead he sat across from Stephen enjoying a bowl of hot tomato basil soup with a perfectly cooked grilled cheese on sourdough. There was also a bowl of fruit and his favorite brand of lemon fizzy water. Stephen's lunch was an arugula salad topped with radishes, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, feta cheese, a balsamic vinaigrette, and sliced steak cooked to a medium rare. He forewent the offered fizzy water and instead had a glass of red wine.
"Is it good?" he asked Stephen.
"It is. Yours?"
"Oh, it's wonderful," Peter assured him. "Simple can be good." It was simple, yes, but the soup was flavorful and the grilled cheese had a delightful mix of cheeses that elevated it far above what he himself would usually make.
"How was your nap?"
"The bed is far more comfortable than I thought it would be," Peter said. "What did you end up doing?"
Stephen wiped his mouth and smiled. "I sat on the promenade and read. I finished the copy of A Hush at Stillsong General Clea loaned me and started Mutiny of the Spaceborn."
"No wild parties, then?"
"No wild parties."
"What did you think of Stillsong?" Peter asked eagerly.
"It was a good read," Stephen admitted. "I can always appreciate when an author does their research and the medical aspect was handled very well."
"Did you guess who the killer was?"
"And the motive," Stephen confirmed. "It was a good read; I enjoyed it."
One of the staff wheeled over a dessert cart and they each selected what they preferred. Stephen chose a warm apple crumble tart and Peter, knowing he was being quite predictable, chose a chocolate pudding parfait.
"I knew that's what you'd pick," Stephen teased after the young man wheeling the cart moved on.
"I've always had a weakness for chocolate," Peter said simply, digging into his parfait.
The view from the promenade was spectacular and Stephen glanced from his book to the windows every now and again. Peter had finally settled down with a book of his own - another gruesome murder mystery loaned to him by Clea. It was an enjoyable afternoon and he spent as much time people-watching as he did reading and looking out of the floor to ceiling windows.
"What time will it be when we arrive in Malibu?" he asked Stephen when they returned to the dining lounge for supper.
Stephen checked his watch and presumably did some quick math in his head. "It will be around four pm because of the time difference. We'll most likely arrive at the mansion around five-thirty."
Peter shook his head. "Time zones are so weird."
Stephen chuckled. "They are and they have confounded and exhausted many a traveler. Our mobiles will update when we land so we'll be oriented."
"Is Tony picking us up from the hangar?"
"He's sending a car service," Stephen said. "Given her delicate condition he's hesitant to leave Sharon alone at home and he's even less inclined to let her leave their mansion."
"No wonder she sounded so annoyed when I spoke with her the other day," Peter said. "She kept muttering about how she was going to slip a sleeping tonic into his drink so she could get some peace and quiet."
Stephen laughed harder.
"You don't sound very sympathetic to her plight," Peter chided playfully.
"Hey, I tried to warn her off when they first met," Stephen said, still laughing.
"I'm glad they found each other," Peter said. "I know I never met them before they got married, but they just seem to work, you know?"
Stephen nodded. "I do. I had my reservations, but now I can't imagine either of them with someone else. True happiness like theirs is rare."
They continued reading, only stopping when yet another of the flight staff wheeled a cart in with fizzy waters, bottled sodas, and a selection of light snacks.
"I could get used to this," Peter commented as he enjoyed a lemon fizzy water and small plate of apple slices with peanut butter.
"I don't know," Stephen said. "I find myself missing the snacks you packed for me the last time I flew."
It was absurd, but Peter was ridiculously pleased to hear it.
The descent to the New Angeles International Hangar was smooth and Peter hardly felt the airship connect with the mobile mooring mast that begin to steer it into the awaiting hangar - one of twelve!
Stephen didn't seem to be in any rush to disembark, guiding Peter back to their cabin to collect their things and ensure they had their pink tickets for the luggage claim. Peter gave the zeppelin one last look around before following Stephen and joining the throng of people in the arrivals bay.
"Was it everything you hoped it would be?" Stephen asked once they claimed their luggage and went to the passenger pick up bay.
"It was!" Peter assured him. "It was perfect! Even if I did have to nap for part of it."
There was a chauffeur waiting with a small sign that read 'Strange'. Stephen confirmed with the man that he was indeed employed by Stark Industries and showed his own identification. Peter didn't see why the man had to store their luggage in the trunk of the gleaming Cadillac, but followed Stephen's lead. Stephen helped him into the back of the car and then joined him.
"How long of a drive is it?" Peter asked.
The chauffeur, Klaus, answered before Stephen could. "It will be around an hour," he said. "We'll use the pooling lane to avoid most of the outgoing rush hour traffic."
While Stephen and Klaus made light conversation, Peter spent the ride leaning against Stephen, content with the easy-listening radio station Klaus had happily turned on. It had been such a long day and he was looking forward to going to bed later that evening almost as much as he was looking forward to seeing Sharon and Tony again.
"Not much longer," Stephen assured him quietly. "We'll visit, have dinner, visit some more, and then I'll take you to bed."
Peter eyed him. "Planning on returning the favor from their last visit?"
Peter keeps falling asleep in his own bed and somehow waking up in the Sanctum Sanctorum next to a frustrated Stephen Strange. Neither are sure why the Cloak of Levitation keeps kidnapping Peter, but it’s getting harder and harder to ignore, especially when the cloak seems dead-set on the two waking up in each other’s arms. OR: 5 times Peter ends up in Strange’s bed, and one time Strange ends up in Peter’s bed.
Just bcos it's a spiderman movie doesn't mean Peter (& his friends) needs to be shown cool & smart than the one & only Doctor Strange, in NWH!
About mirror dimension. Like seriously? All the sorcerers till now used & defeated enemies in this "simple" region, easily understood & mastered in just one go, with math!? By a teenage kid? It's meant to be a complex area, reflective of our own world, difficult to comprehend by any non-sorcerer, which benefits the opener.
Finally, about Ned opening portal. Omg this one. When we've people from all walks of life practising opening portal using sling ring at Kamar-Taj for weeks (if not months!) & our own Stephen (a genius) opening a portal after trying at least 10 times, we've Ned opening it much quicker than that, without introduction to basic spells & handwork. Isn't it dangerous then if the sling ring falls into the hands of any common person if it's "so" easy to open a portal?
Idk why I felt many times throughout NWH that Strange wasn't shown at his best (even in MoM) & that his expertise in magic was often overpowered by Peter's cleverness or his friends.
