Chapter Text
Stephen Strange (616):
- Is a little ambivalent about winter holidays, and never minded working those shifts when he was a doctor (and worked through them during medical school and his training)
- While he acts annoyed with grandiose "holiday cheer", having people around him who are excited about the holidays does get him more in the mood for it and he enjoys being able to spend the quality time with you
- He is a sucker for the sweets that become available this time of year, if you're into baking at all, he will be hovering in the kitchen waiting for your treats to be done (he will say he's taking just one, then will take as many as he can get away with before being stopped)
- With or without the baking, hot chocolate is one of the main things he consumes
- Even though the sudden change in temperature hurts his hands, he enjoys going for walks in the cold, brisk weather. He will not turn down your offer to go for a walk
- Sticks his hands up your shirt when they hurt from the cold and always gives you a half-hearted joke like “it’s convenient to have a heater right here wherever I go”
- He wants to make sure he can spend quality time with you and America, which usually ends up with the three of you dedicating an entire night to staying up late to watch movies and eat sweets
- He really enjoys going out to see the all the lights and decorations that are set up outside
Sinister Strange:
- Absolutely hates winter
- He was never a fan before living in a decaying world (he always associated it with what happened with Donna and the fact that it was her favorite time of year). He had to attend many holiday dinners that were forced and awkward, and forced him to mask his misophonia
- Still attempts an elaborate meal for you for the sake of tradition
- In his current world, winter means the weather outside gets louder—it sounds like TV static is playing from the next room constantly with no way to turn it off
- Playing piano is the only thing that ever helps
- When you arrive, he encourages you to learn (partially so that he can then learn new songs and partially so there's some noise in the Sanctum other than him)
- If you celebrate anything, he will happily go along—he wants to make you feel at home and thinks that this is a way he can give you the world
- His entire body aches just a little worse with the cold. It wears him out to constantly cast heating spells around the Sanctum, so he is grateful that you're there as a personal heater (despite his urge to wrap his body around yours to protect you, he will never protest enough to dissuade you from being the big spoon)
- Similar to other Strange variants, he enjoys the warm drinks that come with the season, but he prefers teas and apple cider
Defender Strange:
- Actually really enjoys winter holidays, but tries to appear neutral as much as possible for the sake of diplomacy and not wanting to be let down (he doesn't know how, he just fears that somehow he'll be disappointed if someone else knows he celebrates something and tries to do something nice...he doesn't share his birthday openly for the same reason)
- He doesn't take the time to properly celebrate on his own because he's so busy, but does have certain traditions from his childhood that carry over
- He does decorate, though. He tries to be subtle about it, but it always becomes grandiose because he is Stephen Strange after all
- Very picky with the seasonal music, and gets tired of it very fast. He will turn Christmas music off if you're playing it before Christmas or for too long on Christmas
- He associates winter with very specific smells, and therefore makes the Sanctum smell like that (he knows how to keep it subtle, so it's never overpowering)
- Can always be bribed out of his office with a hot chocolate with an ungodly amount of marshmallows
- Snow is his absolute favorite, he cannot resist the urge to throw a snowball at you when you're both outside and have some downtime (similarly to 616 Strange, he enjoys walking around in the cold)
- Keeps his hair down more often to keep him warm
- You often spend your downtime together reading in the same room, and since it's cold outside, it's the perfect excuse to have a fire going in the fireplace
Supreme Strange (838):
- Has always tried to work past the holidays
- He always felt like there was too much pressure to be happy/cheerful. He would get taken to holiday parties as a child and was always expected to act a certain way (the only good thing about these parties was the opportunity to befriend a dog)
- As an adult, holiday parties were really more about networking
- Seeing people suffering in a hospital during the wintertime just reminded him that he couldn't save his sister
- He takes down holiday decorations as soon as said holiday is over
- Does secretly enjoy the holiday-themed “girly” drinks—he goes to the coffee shop early and gets to work earlier than usual so that no one catches him ordering a 20oz white peppermint mocha sure, whipped cream is fine to start the day
- He is a sucker for candy canes, and has a stash in his desk drawer that he snacks on throughout the day
- He *might* offer you one if you’re having a bad day and he likes you but it’s an unspoken rule that you’re not allowed to tell anyone you got the candy cane from him
- He is a "gifts" person, so he does take the opportunity of this time of year to splurge on something for you
- There is nothing you can do or say to change his mind about this time of year, but he does secretly enjoy it when you force him to take a break from work to watch an old movie together
Dr Strange Supreme (What If):
He made it out of his pocket dimension to yours
- The definition of dotting on you and making grand, elaborate gestures. This is the time of year when everyone expects it, and he is going to live up to the expectation. This is applicable to both before and after his crash, but now he feels like he needs to make up for what he's done and prove to you that he can be human and worthy of your love and affection
- He used to work through a lot of holidays without noticing they passed. It was only after he left his pocket dimension for yours that he was able to appreciate it a little more
- Because he never had any traditions truly established, he tries doing so with you (though the gestures seem forced and superficial at first, you eventually realize he's genuinely trying)
- The cold overwhelms him, so you it isn't uncommon to find him under multiple layers of blankets, or walking around in his sweatpants and sweatshirt/hoodie (if he is able to, he will steal clothes from you)
- He is surprisingly easy to shop for for a Strange variant—while he will blame this on him being stuck in a pocket dimension for so long with no luxuries, it is also partially because he is affection starved and it means more than he cares to admit that you got him something
- He doesn't really want to leave the Sanctum (the cold plus the crowds) so the two of you find ways to enjoy each others company such as reading or doing puzzles together
- He is a Strange, so yes, he is a sucker for hot chocolate and will try to subtly (not subtly at all) let you know when he wants you to make it for him because it just tastes better when you make it
- He is nervous about losing control of his human form and accidentally hurting you, but the season makes him super cuddly for some reason this time around, so he makes a lot of exceptions and seeks cuddles more often than usual