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Day #25: Strange Bedfellows
Quote:
“Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.”
~William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act II, Scene 2
Fandom" MCU
*
After Tony’s memorial, Steve Rogers went to the Sanctum to see Stephen Strange. They had met at the service. He’d been intrigued by the handsome doctor. Tony had spoken of Strange when he returned from Titan, said that Strange had saved his life. He missed Tony and Natasha so much that he hurt when he thought of them.
He recognized Wong when he opened the door. He’d seen him at the memorial service as well.
“You are Captain Rogers. We all know who you are. Come in. I’ll call Dr. Strange. He’ll say he was meditating but I suspect he’s watching his favorite soap. He thinks I don’t know.” Wong smiled and yelled up the stairs. “Captain Rogers is here to see you.”
Steve couldn’t help but smile.
Stephen Strange came down the steps. He wasn’t dressed in his sorcerer garb, rather in jeans and a dark sweater. He was tall and very elegant looking with a streak of silver in his hair and a very neatly trimmed beard.
“What can I do for you, Captain?” Strange asked, putting his gloved hand out to shake Steve’s.
“I wanted to meet you. I saw you at the battle and Stark talked about you.”
“Ah, Mr. Stark. I have to admit, he was much more than I expected him to be.”
Steve laughed. “He was always more than we expected him to be.”
“Come to the parlor and we’ll have tea,” Strange said to him.
Steve was surprised when he conjured the tea instead of making it. Was Strange trying to charm him with parlor tricks?
“I’m lazy,” Strange told him.
“Are you a mind reader too?” Steve asked.
“No. Just used to the way people react to such things. It’s how I reacted. Imagine a doctor who believed only in science learning about sorcery. It was quite an adjustment. These days, I even have a cloak that seems to be sentient.”
As if called, the Cloak made an appearance. Strange talked to the Cloak. “He’s not going to harm me. You can hang yourself back up.” The Cloak swirled away.
“Well, that’s interesting,” Steve said with a smile. “Stark said you could do amazing things.”
“This from a man who built a flying suit?” Strange smiled when he said it. He was quite handsome, even more so when he smiled.
“I am at loose ends since Tony is gone. I – I guess he was a kind of an anchor for me.”
Strange looked at him a moment and sipped his tea. “I am sorry for your loss.”
“Did you know that he’d have to do it, to use the stones?”
“I did. I didn’t know it would kill him.”
“He knew, I think, at least on some level,” Steve said. “He did it anyway. I once told him that he wasn’t the man to make the sacrifice play.”
“He probably wasn’t when you told him.”
Steve smiled sadly. “I suspect you’re right. But he made a liar out of me.”
They sipped their tea and Strange asked him a question. “You were lovers?”
Steve was surprised at Strange’s boldness, but he answered anyway. “He told you?”
“He didn’t have to. I saw it in his face when he mentioned you.”
“We were – we – I cared about him for a long time.”
“He was lucky then.” The words were spoken so quietly that Steve thought he misheard Strange.
“We both were,” Steve told him.
Strange stretched his gloved hand across the table and put it on top of Steve’s, who turned his hand upright and took Strange’s hand in his.
“You are lonely,” Strange said, almost a question but not quite.
“I am and you are as well. Why are you lonely?”
“We belong to our work, in the end, don’t we?” Strange was still holding Steve’s hand.
Steve was no fool. He knew that Strange was offering solace, for a night maybe. He didn’t know how long and it didn’t matter right now. He slowly brought Strange’s hand to his mouth. He kissed the black glove with the same reverence he had once kissed the arc reactor.
They stood at once and Strange led him to a small room with a narrow bed. A monk’s bed, Steve thought, as Strange closed the door and lit a candle near the bed with his sorcery. Neither man spoke as they embraced and kissed, clothes were removed as the need arose until they lay entwined together in the little bed.
It was sometime in the wee small hours, after lying awake for a while, that Steve realized that even though Strange had never had the time with Tony he had, Stephen had come to love Tony, too, in his own fashion. They lay spoon fashion with Steve behind Stephen.
Steve kissed his bare shoulder and whispered, “I’m sorry for your loss as well.” He closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.
“Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.”
~William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act II, Scene 2
Fandom" MCU
*
After Tony’s memorial, Steve Rogers went to the Sanctum to see Stephen Strange. They had met at the service. He’d been intrigued by the handsome doctor. Tony had spoken of Strange when he returned from Titan, said that Strange had saved his life. He missed Tony and Natasha so much that he hurt when he thought of them.
He recognized Wong when he opened the door. He’d seen him at the memorial service as well.
“You are Captain Rogers. We all know who you are. Come in. I’ll call Dr. Strange. He’ll say he was meditating but I suspect he’s watching his favorite soap. He thinks I don’t know.” Wong smiled and yelled up the stairs. “Captain Rogers is here to see you.”
Steve couldn’t help but smile.
Stephen Strange came down the steps. He wasn’t dressed in his sorcerer garb, rather in jeans and a dark sweater. He was tall and very elegant looking with a streak of silver in his hair and a very neatly trimmed beard.
“What can I do for you, Captain?” Strange asked, putting his gloved hand out to shake Steve’s.
“I wanted to meet you. I saw you at the battle and Stark talked about you.”
“Ah, Mr. Stark. I have to admit, he was much more than I expected him to be.”
Steve laughed. “He was always more than we expected him to be.”
“Come to the parlor and we’ll have tea,” Strange said to him.
Steve was surprised when he conjured the tea instead of making it. Was Strange trying to charm him with parlor tricks?
“I’m lazy,” Strange told him.
“Are you a mind reader too?” Steve asked.
“No. Just used to the way people react to such things. It’s how I reacted. Imagine a doctor who believed only in science learning about sorcery. It was quite an adjustment. These days, I even have a cloak that seems to be sentient.”
As if called, the Cloak made an appearance. Strange talked to the Cloak. “He’s not going to harm me. You can hang yourself back up.” The Cloak swirled away.
“Well, that’s interesting,” Steve said with a smile. “Stark said you could do amazing things.”
“This from a man who built a flying suit?” Strange smiled when he said it. He was quite handsome, even more so when he smiled.
“I am at loose ends since Tony is gone. I – I guess he was a kind of an anchor for me.”
Strange looked at him a moment and sipped his tea. “I am sorry for your loss.”
“Did you know that he’d have to do it, to use the stones?”
“I did. I didn’t know it would kill him.”
“He knew, I think, at least on some level,” Steve said. “He did it anyway. I once told him that he wasn’t the man to make the sacrifice play.”
“He probably wasn’t when you told him.”
Steve smiled sadly. “I suspect you’re right. But he made a liar out of me.”
They sipped their tea and Strange asked him a question. “You were lovers?”
Steve was surprised at Strange’s boldness, but he answered anyway. “He told you?”
“He didn’t have to. I saw it in his face when he mentioned you.”
“We were – we – I cared about him for a long time.”
“He was lucky then.” The words were spoken so quietly that Steve thought he misheard Strange.
“We both were,” Steve told him.
Strange stretched his gloved hand across the table and put it on top of Steve’s, who turned his hand upright and took Strange’s hand in his.
“You are lonely,” Strange said, almost a question but not quite.
“I am and you are as well. Why are you lonely?”
“We belong to our work, in the end, don’t we?” Strange was still holding Steve’s hand.
Steve was no fool. He knew that Strange was offering solace, for a night maybe. He didn’t know how long and it didn’t matter right now. He slowly brought Strange’s hand to his mouth. He kissed the black glove with the same reverence he had once kissed the arc reactor.
They stood at once and Strange led him to a small room with a narrow bed. A monk’s bed, Steve thought, as Strange closed the door and lit a candle near the bed with his sorcery. Neither man spoke as they embraced and kissed, clothes were removed as the need arose until they lay entwined together in the little bed.
It was sometime in the wee small hours, after lying awake for a while, that Steve realized that even though Strange had never had the time with Tony he had, Stephen had come to love Tony, too, in his own fashion. They lay spoon fashion with Steve behind Stephen.
Steve kissed his bare shoulder and whispered, “I’m sorry for your loss as well.” He closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.