Warning: Spoilers for What If Episode 4 and some swear words. Thanks to McKiwi_Writes for beta reading this for me. The mistakes are all mine.


"You have been able to channel surf TV shows from different universes, and yet you've never told me?" Stephen exclaimed.

"I thought you were not interested. You're always busy studying."

"Hey, I watch TV. Last week you blackmailed me into watching Keeping Up with the Avengers with you.

"Would you have watched it if I had asked you politely?"

Playing with his last spoon of ice cream, he replied, "Uhm, perhaps not. That show is so boring." He pouted. "You threatened me by saying I would finally find out what the late fees for those borrowed library books were if I didn't accompany you."

"Borrowed illegally. You just proved my point."

"Well, if the show was interesting like Game of Thrones, except for the last 2 seasons, I'd join you willingly. Watching a cancer cell dry would've been more interesting."

"Common people say 'watching paint dry.'"

"We both know that I'm not common." He savored the last bit of ice cream in his mouth. "I think we're getting way off tangent. You've been holding out this multiverse channel surfing on me. How much did you pay for it, anyway?"

"Acting Sorcerer Supreme has its perks." Wong looked at anything but Stephen.

Stephen grinned widely. "You didn't pay, did you? I don't think Kamar Taj or anyone else for that matter gave the Sorcerer Supreme a multiverse watching TV privilege." He scratched his chin. "I wonder what spells you use to accomplish that. I should check on the library. I've been too focused on spells for checking any breaching."

"Watching their TV shows is a good way to check if there is any breach in the multiverse. I can teach you about the spell later. Now, we should get back to watching Earth-1218's show What If…"

"That's a weird name for a show. Are they not sure about the show, hence naming it What If…? Who assigned the numbers to these different Earths? What makes this Earth-1218 so special? Why is our Earth 616 anyway? We are 618 Earths behind? I bet the one who gave the numbering system is from Earth-1. Those self-important old geezers. I'd like to meet them and ask their logic of numbering." Sensing his irritation, the Cloak squeezed his shoulders lightly.

Wong stood up and put both hands on the table. "Stephen, stop rambling! You'll spiral out of control again, as usual. I'll give you the history of Earth numbering another time. Shall we get on with watching the show?"

"Fine. Let's watch our first multiverse show. Yay." He said the last part half-heartedly.

"I can assure you that the show is definitely not boring."

"If it's as boring as Keeping Up with Avengers or even worse, you're paying for lunch for the next three months. How many episodes are there?"

"Nine."

"So many? It better be good. Do we need popcorn?"

Wong produced a bowl of popcorn. "I came prepared. Currently, it's only airing 4 episodes, and I only need you to watch the fourth." Wong avoided eye contact again.

"Why?"

"Only episode 4 is relevant to you. Well, another you."

"Do you mean the fictional me? That doesn't sound ominous at all. Why does Earth-1218 know so much about me?" He flicked through the playlist. "Episode 1. "What If …Captain Carter Were the First Avenger? Are you sure we don't want to watch this one? I want to know who this Captain Carter is. Episode 2: What If…T'Challa Became a Star-Lord? This sounds so interesting. I've met the original Star-Lord and his intellect didn't impress me so anyone, especially T'Challa, definitely would've made a better Star-Lord. It's really creepy that this Earth knows not only about me, but all the superheroes of our Earth."

Wong narrowed his eyes for a moment, a gesture Stephen knew meant that he was pretty pissed. "Stephen! Focus. Episode 4."

"Fine. Episode 4: What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands? This is terrible. Are you sure you want me to watch this? I still dream occasionally about my accident. Besides, if I lost my heart, I would've died. Perhaps this What If…? show is not medically accurate where people can still walk around without their hearts."

"It's a metaphor."

He slapped his forehead. "Ah, that makes more sense. Although I still don't like the sound of that. Who is my heart anyway?" He suddenly paled. "That's why you asked about what I would do if Christine died. I really don't like the premise of this show."

Wong shifted closer and gently patted his shoulder. "Stephen. As you said, It's just a show. I just would like to see your reaction if this happened to you. Just take it as a cautionary tale."

"Fine. Let's rip the band-aid quickly."

Wong pressed play.

"Wow, they showed a comic version of the superheroes in this universe. Oh, hang on, they're showing the human versions as well. I guess those are the Avengers. Of course, they're like the golden example of superheroes. Thor with long flowing hair, Cap throwing his boomerang, I meant shield. Hang on, was it me with multiple hands?" He put on his glasses. "Wow, they're actually pretty accurate. Too brief intro. Who's the actor playing me? He's as dashing as me."

Wong pressed pause then sighed. "I think this is a mistake. I'm feeding your ego."

Stephen winked. "Now you got a taste of your own medicine. I'll try to stop praising myself."

Wong pressed play again.

"Marvel Studios. That's a pretty interesting name."

"If you keep running commentary, we won't finish the show."

Stephen raised both hands in the air imitating a mock surrender gesture. "Fine. But which one is playing me? The first name of the cast is Jeffrey Wright. Is he playing me?"

"No, he's playing the Watcher."

Stephen scratched his chin. "Wow, this show has known even the Watcher. People in our universe only know the Avengers."

"Stephen. For Osthur's sake, shut up and watch the show."

"Fine. I guess I'm played by this Benedict Cumberbatch guy then. Unless my name is not in the top billing list although the title literally has my name on it. One more question? Is it an animated show? Wow, I do look dashing even animated. Chin is a bit too sharp. Still great artists." He grinned and lifted both hands again. The Cloak lifted a corner and swatted his hand. "I'll stop now."

The Cloak used a corner to point at the screen where the TV Stephen appeared and then point at the real Stephen.

Stephen understood. "Yes, it's me on screen. Not the real me of course. The fictional depiction of me. And I'll shut up before Wong pushes me into the Sahara or something."

Wong lifted a corner of his mouth. "Now you're giving me ideas."

Stephen threw popcorn at Wong. "Shut up and watch the show. I…" He saw Christine on-screen and shifted his body forward to look closer. He winced when he saw Christine climb into the car with him. "Wong, please don't tell me this was the night of my accident."

Wong's gaze softened and he paused the video.

"I kept thinking about my accident and thanked the Vishanti that Christine didn't come with me that night. I wouldn't know how to live with myself if she died." He cupped his face with his hands. The Cloak gently caressed his shoulders.

"Perhaps watching this is a mistake."

He inhaled deeply and blew the bit of his hair that kept falling into his forehead. "No, it's fine. You asked me those weird questions which means the TV me would do something dangerous when Christine died. If I were to avoid the same mistakes, I need to watch this. Like you said, it's a cautionary tale." His face grew paler as he focused on the screen in front of him and he remained quiet even when his TV counterpart bantered and cracked jokes with Christine.

He covered his eyes when the eventual crash happened. The Cloak massaged his shoulders. Wong patted his shoulder as well. "Stephen, we could stop at any time."

"That's OK." He forced a smile. "I still fought against Dormammu in this universe, except that I became the Sorcerer Supreme in that universe. At least there is that. Nothing against you, Wong, you're doing an excellent job as our Sorcerer Supreme. I'm just trying to see the positive in this hypothetical scenario."

"I guess the blip never happened in this story. In our universe, you're still the best candidate as the next Sorcerer Supreme."

"As I said, don't sweat it. It's just a title. You get all the work but not much credit. I don't envy you. I'm better off just helping you. I still have time to read more books that way." He continued to stare at the screen. "Oh no, TV me started to look at the Eye of Agamotto and remembered about Christine at her two year anniversary. That can't be good. At least you tried to talk some sense into me. Why did you insult our cheap stuff? I guess TV us are as broke as real us." He pointed to his TV counterpart. "Don't use the Eye of Agamotto to revive Christine." At the same time TV Stephen started to use it. He sighed. "Idiot me. I understand his sentiment because I too would feel guilty if I caused someone else's death, especially my loved ones. I can understand his guilt." Looking at Wong's alarmed stare, he quickly added, "Don't worry, I won't try to revive dead friends or relatives using the Eye." He scratched his chin. "Well, I revived you and those people in Hong Kong, but nothing bad happened. What's the difference?"

"You'll understand why when you see the next part."

Stephen leaned forward with both hands gripping his thighs. "Let's get on."

Three seconds later. "What's this?! I drove properly this time and the car still went over the cliff!? I took a different route but the car still got hit. We're not driving but she still died! We didn't go to the party but she still got shot! I didn't come and she still died. I let her drive; our car still got hit. What does the universe have against me? Well..TV me."

Wong paused the video.

The Cloak picked up the cup of tea and went to give it to him. He picked it up. "Chamomile. Just what I need." He took a sip and put the cup back. "I can understand TV me's frustration. We're supposed to save lives and Christine is very dear to me. I only lost my hands and I already felt the world crumble. But I would never turn back time to fix my hands because it only involved myself so only I needed to suffer for my actions. However, in this show, he felt guilty about causing someone else's death." Looking at Wong's narrowed eyes, he immediately said, "I really don't plan to revive anyone at the moment. Shall we get on?"

"Are you sure? We can continue another time. You already said what I wanted to hear."

"Yes, yes. I want to know what the consequences of my actions are."

Wong pressed play.

"So now she appears." He drew a deep breath. Her teacher's death was still a sore point for him. "What?! Christine's death was a Fixed Point!? Does it mean the Fixed Point of this universe is my hands being ruined? Does it mean if I reverse time to heal my hands, something terrible would happen to destroy them anyway? Like someone would step on my hands. Or they could be in a grinding machine accident. Or they would get hit by glasses when I sat in a café. Or…"

Wong paused the video again. "Stephen, you're spiraling out of control again. Deep breaths. I think watching this is a mistake."

Stephen gritted his teeth. "It's OK" He peered at the remaining airtime. "There is only around 20 minutes left anyway so just get on with it. I wonder what she hit me with to leave the black marks on my chest. Ah, cool place, very Indiana Jones with the runes trap. I like the Sorcerer Armani part. O'Bengh was cool."

Wong stared at him.

"Fine, it's hard not to run commentary on a show about me… fictional me."

"Just keep it to the minimum. Otherwise, we'll never finish the show."

Stephen grinned. "Fine, I'll try but no promise. You know this show is quite stressful for me so I need to quip to relax a bit."

Wong sighed then pressed play. "Ah, I know why you asked the question about absorbing monsters' powers now. Wow, TV me was quite an idiot. Do you mind sharing a tentacle or two?"

"Now you know what you sound like."

"I don't sound like that." Looking at Wong's raised eyebrow, he amended "…Perhaps a little bit." He could feel the Cloak vibrate with what he definitely thought was laughter. He swatted the Cloak. "Whose side are you on?" The Cloak ignored him and raised a corner to high five Wong, which to his horror, Wong accepted. He quietly mumbled, "traitor."

Back to the screen, he was horrified to see TV Stephen start to absorb monsters. "Wow, he definitely was an ass. I really don't want to absorb any creature's power. That bug was so cute. At least he drew the line at the bugs, although he stole the bug's cape." The Cloak swatted his arms. He patted the Cloak. "Don't worry, I'll never replace you, especially not with a cape."

"That Watcher was also an ass. He knew the consequences but he didn't want to intervene. Oh wow, TV me could sense his presence. Go TV me!" He turned to look at Wong. "Don't glare at me like that. I only meant the part where he could sense the presence of unseen beings, not absorbing other powers' part. Did he just absorb that big creature with tentacles and grew extra tentacles? I don't fancy growing extra tentacles or limbs, although having healed and perfect hands would be nice." Without turning to look at Wong, he added, "No, I won't turn back time or absorb powers to heal my hands."

Wong just sighed.

"Ouch, poor O'Bengh was dying. TV me had frozen time for centuries. He's definitely persistent and patient." He gripped the edges of his chair. "There is another me! This one looks like the current, dashing me. Without all the eyeliner and emo look."

"Yeah, one Strange is bad enough. Imagine having two or more. I don't think I want to imagine that scenario in our universe."

"Come on, you love me with flaws and all."

"I'm not going to deign that with an answer."

"See, even TV you invited me for tea. What was happening outside the Sanctum?"

"That's part of the consequences of the emo you absorbing powers."

"Ha, emo me, good one. What? She appeared again, like a sort of echo of the past. Oh, that's what she did. She split me into two Stephens— the dashing one and the emo one. At least the dashing me was still sane and wanted to protect the universe, which was literally his job description, without the pay and all the perks. Hang on, did this dashing Stephen get paid? Why don't we get paid?"

"Stephen! Stop getting off topic again."

"Fine. It doesn't mean I won't ask why we don't get paid again next time. Let's be honest, we've been through weirder." He smiled and punched Wong slowly in a joking manner. "TV you was also a great friend to dashing me. Not cool that TV you questioned dashing me about whether I wanted to save the universe. Of course, he would want to. Cool answer by dashing me though. At the very least to save you. And you gave me the Guardian Vishanti heavy duty protection spell. Whatever that is, thanks. See, we care about each other so much."

"Well, TV me definitely wouldn't want dashing you to die or get in trouble because that means I would need to save your ass again."

"Did you just call me dashing?"

"I meant the TV you."

Stephen grinned. "You agree that TV me is dashing?"

"I just fell right into that one, didn't I?"

"Yup," he popped the p. He stared at the screen again. "Oh no, dashing me fell through the portal and was trapped in a rune circle. That can't be good. Wow, emo me has wings and tentacles. Before you give me that look, no, I don't want extra tentacles even if the wings are cool." Looking at Wong's unamused look, he raised his palms facing Wong in a placating manner. "Joking. I've the Cloak, I don't need wings." He felt the Cloak shake with excitement. He looked back at the screen. "Emo me is using 'we' while talking to dashing me, kinda like Gollum. He's even speaking in a deeper and more desperate tone while dashing me sounds normal. Kudos to that Cumberbatch guy, whoever he is." Mesmerized by the fight on screen, he leaned forward. "Oh no! I was fighting…, we were fighting… TV mes were fighting. I don't know the proper grammar for this situation. It's too weird even for my standards. Cool fight though." He gripped his hair now. "Dashing me is losing. Cool Cloak vs Cape fight. Cloakie was loyal and tried to protect dashing me. Nooooo, you can't rip Cloakie, you monster!" The Cloak flew to his lap. He caressed the Cloak. "Don't worry, it's only a story. I won't let any baddie, even if he looks like me, try to destroy you. Did dashing me win the fight? Oh no, emo me pulled me from behind." He threw popcorn at the screen. "What kind of story is this? Why is that monster winning? Does this channel…" He peered at the channel. "Does this Disney+ channel allow baddies to win?"

"That so-called monster is you. Well, fictional you. He was more misguided than evil like the Ancient One said."

"Are you taking his side?"

"Pssht. Keep watching. Only a couple of minutes left."

"Fine." He looked back to the screen. "Christine?! What's going on? I thought we were in the middle of a fight. Oh, that's right. It's an illusion by emo me. Not cool. Oh no, he really absorbed me now." The Cloak flew back to his shoulders and massaged him.

"He absorbed dashing you, not you sitting right in front of you." With a pained expression Wong said, "Yes, I'm using the word dashing for lack of a better term."

Stephen pouted. "You don't need to air quote the dashing part. I got it. But back to the show, what kind of show is this? It's so depressing."

"You haven't got to the end yet."

"What?! It's getting worse?!" He looked at the screen. "OK, it's indeed getting worse. Emo me literally looks like a monster now with wings and tentacles and a non-human face. At least he managed to bring back Christine. But at what cost? Don't answer that. I know it's going to get worse. Now even she is scared of non-human me. Oh no, she's starting to disintegrate as well. Wong, I don't think I can watch this."

"Stay strong. Only around 1 minute left."

He sighed. "Fine. At least he managed to turn back to look like emo me again. Oh no, his universe is really breaking. He contained himself in a purple prism with Christine. This Watcher guy is really a dick. He could have interfered from the beginning but he said he wouldn't risk the other universes. I guess putting it that way, I understand. But it's still douchey to let every terrible thing happen and merely watch. Christine is really gone now. Her last words must really hurt him." He could feel his eyes tear up. "Now, he is stuck alone in that purple prism. Alone and feeling terribly guilty for destroying his whole universe. Sorry, there's some sand in my eyes. I need to go to the bathroom first."

Wong patted his shoulder. "Just take your time. We could watch something funny to lighten up the mood."

"That's fine. This damn sand. I'll be back."

He washed his face in the washroom, then stared at the mirror. "It's OK, it's just a show about fictional me which bore eerie similarities to our universe. Christine is fine. The universe is fine. Just don't mess with time and revive anyone, everything will be fine. Talking to myself, next time I'll start using we like that emo me." The Cloak tried to wipe his tears. "Stop it. I'm fine. I was just shaken with how closely similar to our universe the show was and it had such a depressing ending. It's still fictional though. Well, I hope so, I need to check with Wong."

When he returned, he saw there was one bowl of Strange Strawberry Swirl ice cream, his new favorite, lying on the table.

Wong was eating his. He looked up from his bowl. "Are you OK?"

He drew a deep breath then sat down. "I'm fine. What's the bad news? Why the ice cream?"

"Am I that bad? Only giving you ice cream to pacify you? Can't two friends enjoy ice cream quietly?"

"Usually, I pay for the ice cream unless you want something from me. So just tell me now."

"No bad news. I feel bad after forcing you to watch this show."

"I won't do something that I don't want to do. Yes, even with the threat of the library fines. I watched it willingly. I want to know what made you so worked up. Now, I know."

"I'm sorry to put you through this. As the Sorcerer Supreme and most importantly as your friend, I want to protect this universe and also you. I don't want you to go through what emo you went through."

"Thanks for your concern." He grinned. "My terms of emo Stephen and dashing Stephen caught on."

"I was the one naming emo Stephen. You're the one calling the other Stephen dashing."

"See, we're such good friends that we can come up with excellent names. But seriously, don't worry about what I'm going to do. I won't try to reverse an Absolute Point. Although I feel bummed that the Fixed Point in our universe is my damaged hands".

"A Fixed Point. There are many Fixed Points in the universe."

"My hands getting damaged is a Fixed Point in this universe. How does it make me feel? Still usual, I guess. I've accepted that's my price to pay to be able to protect our universe using magic. But still feeling slightly bummed though. What does the universe have against me?" Looking at Wong's expression. "Don't answer that. It's a rhetorical question. I guess I have it lucky because it was my hands instead of Christine. I could never live with that kind of guilt, which was why I could sympathize with emo Stephen. However, my view is the same as dashing Stephen. The survival of the universe is more important. Besides, in the end emo Stephen didn't get anything. No Christine. No universe. All the guilt. And he was trapped alone in that prism. I really need to cheer myself up." He spooned the ice cream into his mouth. "This is so good. We should have more of this next time."

"I'm glad to hear. Not the ice cream part although I agree we need to have this more often. My duty as the Sorcerer Supreme is done. You know what. I agree with the Ancient One's assessment of you. You've a big heart and a great capacity for goodness. That's why the title of the show is when you lose your heart instead of your hands. Your good heart is your biggest asset. Never lose that."

"Otherwise, the universe is doomed?!"

"Exactly."

"No pressure. Am I right? That's quite a big responsibility."

"I believe in you like she believed in you."

The Cloak flew in front of them and nodded her collars.

"Fine, both of you believe in me. I hope I won't fail you two. Before we get too sappy, perhaps we can watch the previous three episodes?"

"Sure."

"Do you think emo Stephen will make an appearance in future episodes? That ending was so depressing so I hoped something else would happen."

"I don't know. So far each episode is self-contained but we never know. You can watch each following episode with me every week and we will find out together."

"That's a deal. Well, as long as there is no threat to our universe during the air dates."


Notes:

-Wong said we couldn't handle more than one Stephen was a joke referring to a trailer in the Multiverse of Madness. I tried to finish this story before that movie aired but only published it now. Sorry for the rushed ending.

-I changed the Earth-19999 for MCU in the initial draft to Earth 616 after the Multiverse of Madness. I know Christine from 838 named the Earths but for the joke in this chapter, let's pretend this Stephen hasn't gone through the events in the Multiverse of Madness so he has no idea. I still think MCU (Earth 199999) is separate from the comic which is 616 but I think MCU decides to merge them together

-Just realized as I published it that it's Benedict Cumberbatch's birthday tomorrow (19th July). Happy Birthday Benedict! All the best wishes! May you live a long and fulfilling live doing things you love most.

-Please let me know what you think