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To celebrate the finished reconstruction of Kamar-Taj, America had suggested a party. To her surprise, Wong had agreed. The remaining sorcerers in the aftermath deserved a break, and Wong was nothing if not a caring and competent Sorcerer Supreme.
She rushed up the stairs as he left the temple, holding three coolers full of what she assumed was alcohol. Without his asking, she took the top one from him, smiling at the surprise on his face. “You don’t have to do everything yourself, you know.”
The surprise melted into a small smile as he adjusted his grip, heading down the stairs with a little more ease. “This does not change the fact that you can’t have any of this. Put it down here.”
America huffed, placing the cooler down in the courtyard where he had asked, straightening up almost immediately. “C’mon, the drinking age in other realities is so much lower.”
“It’s twenty-one here. You are sixteen. No.” Wong was matter-of-fact, letting out a grunt as he set down the other coolers. Bones along his spine cracked as he straightened up. “And don’t get any funny ideas. I’ll be watching you.”
“Fine…” she groaned, sticking her tongue out at him.
“And you say you’re old enough,” he mumbled under his breath, adjusting his robes before turning to head back toward the stairs.
She smiled a little to herself. As much as she loved to mess with Wong, she really did appreciate everything he did for her. He gave her one-on-one help with the sling ring (which they now affectionately dubbed ‘slingy’), consistently asked if she was doing okay, and looked the other way whenever she tried to steal extra food from Kamar-Taj’s kitchen. For so long she had been on her own, but Wong made her remember what it was like to be cared about. She had missed that.
Running up the stairs after him, she met him up at the top, tilting her head to the side. “Hey, did you invite Stephen to the party?”
“Of course I did. Who knows if he’ll actually show up.”
She huffed, because she knew he had a point. Stephen visited Kamar-Taj often, but he was still definitely a loner. America almost wanted to invite Christine Palmer to this party, but she found out from Wong that she was married in this universe. She didn’t want to be a homewrecker just to make Stephen happy. Plus, he liked to hide it, but she knew Wong was incredibly worried about his friend. After all, he’d used the Darkhold. No one could just walk away from that unharmed…right? America decided she didn’t want to think that way.
“Wong, can you make me a portal to the Sanctum? I’m gonna drag him here.”
Glancing at her, he raised a brow, seemingly thinking it over. Then, he smiled, but turned away to try hiding it. “You make the portal yourself. You can do it.”
“But my magic isn’t stable enough yet! I can’t even get the portals to stay open!”
“Then I guess you won’t be going to the Sanctum.” He glanced over his shoulder and winked, then rushed over to help one of the other students with her box of decorations.
America let out a long groan, hoping he and the other student heard it, but if they did, they didn’t react to it. Still, she supposed she could use the practice. If she could master multiversal travel, surely she could make some sparkles.
She grounded herself, then lifted her arms, taking a deep breath. Concentrating on the inside of the Sanctum, she bit her bottom lip and rotated her right arm in a slow circle. She thought about how much she wanted to see Stephen, and how much she wanted to just make a damn portal . After a few seconds of sparks, a small portal appeared in front of her and she gasped. It immediately closed.
“Dammit!” She tried again, sticking her tongue out in concentration. She remembered Wong’s advice, breathing in and out as calmly as possible, focusing on nothing except the place she wanted to go. More stable this time, a small portal opened and stayed open. She stared into the foyer of the New York Sanctum for a moment, then smiled ear to ear, her arms shooting up above her head in celebration. “Yes!” Looking to the side, she gestured excitedly. “Wong, look!”
After placing down the box he was holding, Wong glanced over his shoulder, and this time he didn’t bother hiding his smile. He walked over to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I knew you could.” Glancing toward the Sanctum stairs, he let out a small sigh, smiling a bit wider as he let go of her shoulder. “Go get him.”
She returned the smile with one of her own, then hopped through the portal, closing it behind her. Heading up the stairs two at a time, she slid around the corner to find him.
In front of the large circular window, Stephen sat with his legs crossed, the cloak splayed out behind him. His eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling evenly with each breath as he levitated a few feet off the ground. America paused, watching for a moment before a small smirk pulled at her lips. Keeping her footsteps light, she rushed forward and leapt at him, wanting to tackle him to the ground. At the last moment, he opened his eyes and quickly moved away, lifting a finger to direct the cloak to stop her momentum, suspending her in midair. She fought it, but it was no use. Gently, it lowered her back down to the ground as Stephen watched, smirking.
“How did you see me coming?! I thought you were meditating!”
“You can never sneak up on a sorcerer, kid,” Stephen replied, clearly somewhat smug by what had just happened. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of you trying to attack me?”
She blew a raspberry at him, then placed her hands on her hips. “Don’t you remember? There’s a party at Kamar-Taj tonight!”
Blinking, he lifted a hand to call the cloak back to him, which immediately flew back to settle around his shoulders. “That’s tonight, huh?”
“Yes, it’s tonight! And you’re going!” She reached forward, grabbing his wrist. The metal watch band was cool against her fingers. “You need a break. Please, Stephen?”
He glanced down at her hand, then back up at her, clearly fighting a smile. “I don’t know…”
“Wong won’t say it, but he wants to see you. Also, there’s going to be a lot of alcohol.”
He chuckled to himself, nodding slightly. “Alright, alright.” As he raised his hand to make a portal, she lifted her arms up in protest.
“Wait, wait! Look what I can do!” Turning to the side, she pressed her lips together, concentrating hard on Kamar-Taj’s courtyard. It took a moment of sparks, but a portal appeared. Looking at Stephen, she didn’t bother hiding the huge grin from her face.
Seemingly surprised for a moment, he soon switched the dumbfounded look on his face for one of pride, moving to meet her gaze. He smiled genuinely. “Did you portal here, too?” As she nodded proudly, his smile grew and he reached over to ruffle her hair. She leaned into the touch, perhaps a bit eagerly. “Nice job, kid.”
“Strange! Get over here and help with the balloons!” Wong walked past the portal, barely even acknowledging them, and America laughed as Stephen sighed.
“This is why people think I do birthday parties.”
***
America hadn’t had this much fun in a very long time. The weather was warm and pleasant out in the courtyard, a small breeze blowing past to ruffle the balloons and streamers. The fairy lights above their heads gave off a warm light, bathing everyone in a sense of calm long after the sun went down.
Everyone was smiling and laughing. For just a little while, everything was perfect. There was no danger. Just music and fun. America couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so relaxed. She felt safe here.
As she sipped on her cup of juice, she made small talk with a few other students who decided not to drink tonight. She knew each of them by name, and they had all welcomed her into Kamar-Taj, so it was always nice to make conversation with them.
As one of them began laughing, hiding her mouth behind her hand, America smiled and raised a brow. “What?” The student, deciding not to answer through her laughter, simply raised her hand and pointed. They all looked in that direction, finding Stephen and Wong in the middle of the courtyard.
They stood together shoulder to shoulder, perhaps to keep themselves upright, and were drunkenly singing along to the song that was playing. They weren’t loud, and it seemed like they barely registered that others were around. Just two friends having a good time.
It was, however, incredibly funny.
America almost choked on her juice. She’d never seen either of them loosen up like this before, and it was an incredibly welcome sight. Without another word, she placed her cup down and pulled out her phone to record them. Otherwise, they would never believe her tomorrow.
She and the other students giggled together until America finished her video, sticking her phone back into her pocket. “These two are the most powerful people in Kamar-Taj,” one of them murmured, deadpan, making them dissolve into another fit of laughter.
***
“Stephen, Wong, the party’s over, let’s go.”
An hour later, America found herself standing in front of the two drunk men, who were having some sort of magic-making contest, but she was pretty sure she didn’t see anything other than sparks. Pretty much all of the other students had gone to bed already, leaving the three of them alone. They’d have to clean up in the morning, because America certainly wasn’t planning on doing it now.
Registering that she was there, Stephen blinked and glanced toward her. His brow, for once, was not furrowed, his face completely slack. “America?” he asked dumbly, swinging a hand forward to tap her shoulder.
“Yes, it’s me. C’mon, you gotta sleep off this alcohol.” She smiled lightly as Wong waved a hand dismissively and Stephen shook his head.
“We’re not even drunk. Right, Wong?”
“Not at all. The sorcerer - hic - supreme would never be taken down by something so simple.” Wong brushed himself off clumsily.
America resisted the urge to roll her eyes. There was no use arguing - they were stubborn enough when they were sober, let alone like this. “Okay, fine. You’re not drunk. But the party’s still over, so let’s go inside.” Noticing that there were still plenty of people walking around inside the temple, she lifted a hand and created a portal to the New York Sanctum, where both of them would get a little more privacy. Once it was stable, she stepped between the two men and placed a hand on each of their backs, nudging them forward.
As they were stepping though, Wong tripped, but the cloak immediately flew from Stephen’s shoulders to catch him. The collar almost seemed to huff as it dropped Wong onto the couch, who simply stared dazedly ahead like he hadn’t processed what had just happened. America continued nudging Stephen forward, who craned his neck to look at her.
“What’re you doing, kid?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m taking care of you,” she answered, pushing harder due to the fact that he had dug his heels into the floor the moment they’d stepped through the portal.
He looked somewhat confused. “Why?”
“Why?” she repeated, stopping for a moment to get a better look at him. His eyes were unfocused, but they were directed right at her. It was as if he was searching for a specific answer, and she wasn’t sure what that was. Still, she knew he most likely wasn’t going to remember this in the morning, so she spoke the truth. “Because you take care of me.” Her voice was much gentler now as she guided him toward the couch, sitting him down beside Wong. He still stared up at her, so she continued. “Stephen, I know you’re not used to it, but let me do this, okay?”
She knew Stephen well, perhaps better than he would ever admit. He was stubborn, and most of all, afraid of loving and losing those he loved. Because of that, he was often alone, trying to do things by himself. He had pushed Christine and everyone else who loved him away because of that fear, but America wasn’t going anywhere. She knew him, because she was him.
She glanced at the cloak, which raised its fabric in a shrugging motion. She smiled at it. “Could you grab the water and painkillers, please?” It nodded and sped off.
When she looked back at the couch, she found Wong with his head back against it, his eyes closed, snoring lightly. She smiled as Stephen stared at him. “That’s gonna be annoying,” he mumbled, and she giggled to herself.
“Well, you’ll have to deal with it, because I’m not getting you up those stairs any time soon, and the cloak needs a break.” As she finished the thought, the cloak returned, balancing two water bottles and a bottle of pills. “Thank you,” she cooed, gently scratching its collar as it placed the bottles down. The bottom of the cloak moved up and down as if it were wagging its tail. “Aw, does Stephen not give you enough love?”
“It’s a cloak,” he groaned, but she knew from experience that he scratched the cloak just like this often. It was how she found out the cloak liked it in the first place. Even drunk, he wanted to protect his ego. She wouldn’t push it.
Instead, she finished up her petting of the cloak and picked up a water bottle, offering it to him. “Come on, drink up. You’ll feel terrible tomorrow if you don’t.” He stared at it for a moment, then wordlessly took it from her, fumbling with the cap for a moment before he shakily brought it to his lips. After a few short gulps, he handed the bottle back to her. As she was going to ask if he needed anything, he spoke instead.
“Hey. Kid. You know I’m proud of you, right?”
Her smile faded as a shiver ran down her spine, feeling as though she had just been dipped into icy water. “W-What? What brought this on?”
“Just answer me. Do you know?”
His glossy eyes searched hers, perhaps almost desperately. And despite the fact that he was afraid of loving and losing, she did know. Stephen never really outright said it, but he said and did other things. He told her he could see her improvement. He always smiled when she smiled. He let her study or sleep in the library when it was too loud at the temple. He was always there when she needed him. He promised to always protect her, no matter what.
Sweeping a stray curl from his forehead, she nodded, a small smile pulling at her lips. “Yes, I do. Wouldn’t kill you to say it more often, but I do.”
He leaned into that touch, closing his eyes for a moment. He seemed relieved. “Good. Because I am. America, I'm so proud of you, ‘n I’m so glad you’re here.” His words were slurring, but she knew them to be true. Suddenly, her eyes were burning and her vision blurred, but she ignored it, slowly pulling her hand back.
“I’m glad I’m here, too,” she whispered, a couple tears rolling down her cheeks. Stephen didn’t notice, his eyes still closed. She figured that was probably for the best. “Get some sleep now.”
“You can’t…tell me what to do,” he mumbled, but no sooner had the words left his lips did his whole body relax, his chest rising and falling softly with each breath.
America stood there for a long time, trying to process and sort out her emotions. She never would have expected something so simple to impact her so much, but it was Stephen. The one who never gave up on her, the one who kept her strong, the one who believed in her when she couldn’t believe in herself.
Her true friend, after years of being on her own.
She didn’t know what it was like to have a father, but the warm feeling in her chest told her it was probably similar to this.
Stepping back from the couch, she turned to the side, ignoring the cloak, which floated a few feet away, and created a portal into her bedroom at Kamar-Taj. She stared into that dark room for a long moment, knowing she ought to just step through now, but something stopped her.
Looking back at the couch, she took in the sight before her again. Stephen and Wong, completely at peace, together.
The people she loved most.
“Ah, screw it,” she murmured, closing the portal and instead nestling herself in between them both, leaning her head against Stephen’s shoulder. Neither of them stirred, and she was immediately comforted by the warmth. The cloak, seemingly happy about this arrangement, rushed forward to lay across them all.
America smiled to herself, closing her eyes, thanking the alcohol for giving her this moment right now. As she drifted off, she thought to herself that Kamar-Taj needed to have way more parties.