Busy week... again. Stephen rubs his neck, not impressed by the quiet cracking noises it makes as he rolls his head from side to side. His back does the same thing when he twists round, relieving as it is, it isn't really something he wants to listen to, it makes him feel like his spine is a freaking glow stick. It's like the sound chalk on a black board makes, how it makes your teeth feel like they're gonna burst out and scream, except it isn't really a relief at all
If he wasn't having nightmares, he was having the wildest dreams, which is the reason Spines becoming glow sticks was brought up.
He stands up and walks to the New York Sanctum's small kitchen to prep himself another cup of tea, he gets his small cup and puts everything needed in it (including the little bit of honey) while boiling the kettle. Possibly 2 minutes later, the kettle boils and Stephen pours the steaming water into the small cup.
Strange uses a levitation spell to lift his cup to his lips, not before blowing on it of course! It tastes just how it's meant to. Just as The Ancient One used to make it. Of course tasting the tea, perfecting it, always brought memories. Memories that made Stephen shiver, because they always led to Dormammu. Every. Single. Time.
Stephen sighs and before he can take another sip, he hears "What's up Doc?" causing Stephen to almost lose complete control over the levitation spell and drop his cup of hot tea, "Bats! We've spoken about this!" Stephen turns and looks down at the small ghost dog, "Yeah, no walking through walls, I know, but listen Doc, you are one lonely person, you got to get out more, go see some girls," The dog tilts his head, "Or guys, whatever you're into, try and get some normality in your life," Bats yawns.
The sorcerer nods, he understood Bats was worried but there is a whole world... worlds and dimensions, a whole Multiverse, that needs his tribute of protection and bargain making. He couldn't risk that for even a second just so he can be "normal", "Bats, being Sorcerer Supreme and Master of the New York Sanctum is a full time job, I can't risk anything or anyone just because I'm lonely, I have friends Bats, I have you and Wong, it's all I need."
The dog looks up at Stephen and raises an eyebrow, "But Wong is usually at Kamar-Taj," Yes Bats, he is. "That's why I have you here Bats," Stephen smiles at the dog and blows at his hot cup of tea again before taking another sip from it. Stephen walks out of the kitchen and into the library, winding through the halls till he ends up where he always does, upstairs by the massive window with the Sanctum's symbol.
Stephen stares out into it, levitating the cup of tea to his lips again, by this point, the tea had cooled down enough for Stephen to drink out of it with burning his tongue, but still warm enough that when he swallows, it warms his throat all the way down to his stomach. The Sorcerer Supreme looks out into the crowd of civilians walking by, it wasn't a big crowd, this was just Greenwhich Village, not a big city like New York City. Rain starts to hammer on the Village, heavy rain in the summer.
Someone catches Stephen's eye from across the street, away from everyone else, nope wait, across the street wasn't the way to pin point this, across the other building. There was someone standing on the rooftop of the building across from the Sanctum and they were making eye contact with Stephen. "How the hell?" Stephen mumbles under his breath, "How did they get up there? And why are they staring at me?"
Moments pass and Stephen Strange is still watching the Stranger. "What you lookin' at Doc?" Bats' voice breaks Stephen's thought, he didn't need to worry about the levitation spell because he had finished his cup of tea by the time Bats decided to join him again, Stephen looks down at the dog and replies, "Just having some staring competition with some rando, it's nothing," Stephen shakes his head and looks back up to see the stranger still there. With their hood removed, that face seems familiar- "Bats, stay," Stephen orders as he watches the "stranger" finally come across from the building he was at over to the rooftop of the New York Sanctum. Using the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr.
"Okay Doc, but what's happening? Got some boyfriend you haven't seen for a long time who's just miraculously popped up?" Bats calls out as he sits, yeah, something like that, Stephen thinks in reply as he calls Levi, the Cloak of Levitation.
The sorcerer's thoughts were all scattered and his mind was racing, why the hell has he come back? What is he doing here?! All of his thoughts were centered on one man, so focused that all he wanted to do was find him before he ran away again. Before it was too late. This was literally just like almost being late for the train.
His thoughts were so unfocused that he actually became lost, lost in his own place, this place he's called home for quite some time now. He had to stop and eventually decided on just using a portal to the roof top.
Stephen does so and there he is, the man himself, someone who he never thought he'd see again, Karl Mordo in the flesh. Stephen just stands still, shocked to see him, clearly Karl knew this and was first to speak, "Got lost in your own house? It took you awhile," apparently I'm predictable today. Stephen shrugs and lies, "No, I just stood there like I'm doing now," like a buffoon. On some degree, that was sort of true, mostly a lie though.
Karl just nods, they both do, knowing exactly how awkward this was, once upon a time they shared a bed, they've seen each other in no clothes, they exchanged "I love you" multiple times Stephen use to happily give himself over to Mordo. But like it was said, it was once upon a time.
Stephen knew he was going to burst any second, and he knew Karl knew this, just making eye contact made him want to curl up and cry.
In certain context, once upon a time would mean that Stephen was heart broken, too heart broken to do it again, so heart broken that he would have told Karl to leave and never return, and out of context, he was heart broken, that was inevitable, but he wasn't heart broken enough to tell Karl to disappear again, after all these years of silently waiting upon his Baron's return, he's here, he still would give himself over.
Lost in his thoughts, Stephen's head had bowed down and tears had started pouring down his eyes and rolling off his cheeks onto the roof of the Sanctum, he suddenly felt Karl's thumbs wiping his tears away, no words could really be exchanged just yet, it was time for silence. Stephen feels Mordo gently grab both his hands, holding one in one of his own, and letting the other rest on his shoulder. An arm slowly wraps around Stephen's waist and they both start to dance in a slow rhythm to the hammering of the summer rain.
Stephen looks up at Karl's face, it was undecipherable, but his eyes certainly were easy to read and they said everything. Stephen looks away again and it's now that Karl speaks, "That night in Hong Kong, I was wrong to have left you and I'm sorry Stephen, I'm so sorry," Stephen looks at him, he didn't really know what to make of this, was Mordo staying? All signs indicate to yes, but was he? If he was, and he had no intention to leave then well it's good and all but Stephen found it all too hard to believe.
"You're coming back? For real?" Stephen looks at Mordo with hope in his eyes and Karl chuckles, "Yes Stephen, and I have no intention on leaving," Stephen always knew Karl was true to his word... but he did say he wasn't going to follow the path any longer, yet here he is, Stephen raises a skeptical brow, Karl nods in response, understanding exactly why Stephen is being skeptical, struggling to believe his word.
"Stephen, I was wrong, I was just so upset and I couldn't think straight, even I can't believe it took me somewhat 7-8 years, or however many, to realise that leaving was the worst decision I could have made, I went to come back but you weren't there, I went looking around and I couldn't find you anywhere, till I was told that a lot of people randomly disappeared," Karl turns his head away from Stephen, deciding what to say next before turning back to him, "It wasn't really till a couple of hours ago that I discovered that everyone was back, apparently it was a couple of weeks ago, I only hadn't known because I had isolated myself."
Now Stephen understood, and even if he didn't want to, he couldn't not believe Karl. The rain got heavier to the point where Stephen couldn't hear anything Karl was saying to him, Stephen had no idea what Karl was apologizing for nor could he really care, Karl was here, with him, they were together. But what if they weren't? What if this was some kind of dream made from his own painful memories? Stephen looked back into Karl's eyes, watching as Karl closed his eyes and shook his head.
Stephen could've sworn that their slow dancing was becoming fast dancing by Karl's lead. The rain by this point had lightened up a little bit so Stephen could just hear Karl's voice but he still couldn't understand what Karl was saying. Eventually, it got to the point where Stephen didn't care what Karl was saying, if this was a dream, it was a pretty good dream so far.
The hand that was resting on Karl's shoulder slowly crept up to the back of Karl's neck, and so did Stephen's other hand. Stephen felt both of Karl's arms around his waist now, holding tightly onto each other. Stephen could feel his heart in his throat it was beating so fast, and he could hear each beat in his own ears, he was surprised that Karl couldn't hear it, though he could probably feel it, surely he could.
Karl was still talking like nothing was actually happening...
Till now.
Stephen's heart kept beating at some ridiculous pace as he mastered the confidence to cut Karl off, "I love you," Stephen said before muffling Karl's "Excuse me?"
Karl let it happen till, much to his dismay, Stephen pulled away, and the rain got heavier, Stephen looked into Karl's eyes for several moments, waiting for him to say something, but all he got from Karl was a stronger grip and long, powerful and passionate kiss back. They stayed like that for several moments till they parted again, breathless.
"That was long overdue Stephen," Karl says as he presses his forehead to Stephen's, "Long overdue," Stephen smiles before adding, "And I believe you, my dear, owe me a lot," Karl chuckles at that, "Yes, yes I believe I do my love, so how about we start with continuing and finishing this dance?" Karl offers.
And so for the next several hours, with the heavy summer rain seeming to never end, the newly reunited dance at a fast pace, kicking water from the puddles as they go, and poor Wong is going to return to the Sanctum after a long day at the library, is going to find two soaking men, one he hasn't seen in a few hours and the other he hasn't seen for several years, making out on the couch about to do god knows what...
"Oh my love, it's you and that I dream of. Oh my love, since that day, somewhere in my heart I'm always dancing with you in the summer rain. Every night and every day now though I know you've gone away, somewhere in my heart I'm always dancing with you in the summer rain. Doesn't matter what I do now, doesn't matter what I say, somewhere in my heart I'm always."
-Belinda Carlisle's "Summer Rain"