Chapter Text
You had been a good friend of Wong’s since you joined Kamar-Taj. He was one of the Masters to teach you as a matter of fact. He had never been more proud than the day you were chosen to be Master of the New York Sanctum. However right now he was disappointed in you more than anything. Wong massaged his temples as he listened to the argument currently unfolding outside the library door. He hadn’t had a moments peace since Stephen became Sorcerer Supreme and moved into the Sanctum. You’d been at each others throats ever since day one. Wong was a very patient man, but he was at his wits ends with the two of you.
“Why do you even live here? You work at Kamar-Taj, not the Sanctum,” You huffed, placing a relic back onto a shelf. Stephen stood across from you, flipping through a book he had read probably a thousand times. Didn’t he have a photographic memory? Why did he need to go over that thing again?
“I’m Sorcerer Supreme. I oversee all three of the Sanctum’s. Why wouldn’t I be allowed to live in one of them?” He retorted without looking up. You crossed your arms over your chest as you glared at him.
“Because I’m Master of the Sanctum. Therefore it’s my house, not yours.”
That got him to look up. He snapped the book he held shut with a scowl.
“Since when?”
“Since I was Master of it long before you ever became a Sorcerer.”
“So what you’re saying is you’re old,” He snorted. Your jaw tensed at the insult. Normally you would brush off such a childish remark. However, Stephen was the most infuriating person you knew. He could make even a simple insult sound like an scalding retort.
“I am going to give you one chance for you to take that back before I give you a reason to go back to Metro-General,” You hissed. He quirked a brow at your frigid tone.
“Are you threatening the Sorcerer Supreme?”
“Enough!” Wong shouted, startling the both of you. You hadn’t noticed him sitting in the back of the library when you both came in. He slammed his chair back before storming over to the two of you.
“You are both highly respected Masters of the Mystic Arts and are supposed to be setting an example for others. Instead you’re standing here bickering like children over a toy! It’s disgraceful and downright irresponsible,” He shouted. Your eyes widened at his sudden outburst. Wong wasn’t one to get easily upset. Yet your argument with Strange seemed to have spurred him into a rage.
“You don’t have to become friends. You don’t ever have to like each other! But you do need to put aside your differences when it comes to your line of work. Because if you can’t rely on one another in simple daily tasks, how can you rely on each other in battle? I will not have one of you suffer bodily harm or worse because neither of you were willing to yield in a foolish argument,” Wong snapped before stomping out of the library. Stephen and you stood in stunned silence at the older Sorcerer’s anger. Neither of you had seen him that furious before. Well, okay. Maybe you had. There was that one time when a new student had almost summoned an eldritch God. But that was years ago.
You cleared your throat, picking up the box of relics from the desk beside you. You mumbled a half hearted apology to Strange before disappearing down the hallway towards the armory. Not wanting to be around him any more than you had to be. Plus if you continued your argument with him you were pretty sure Wong might kill you both. It was best to just drop it and find something better to do.
Your cloak flitted out from it’s hiding place behind the grand father clock in the hallway. No doubt it had heard the yelling match that had been going on and went to hide away until everyone had calmed down. It wrapped around your shoulders, the collar fluttering nervously.
“You’re fine. Wong was mad at me, not you,” You sighed, hefting the box onto your hip as you summoned the key to the armory. You pushed the doors open and the cloak took off inside. It loved to antagonize a few of the other relics still locked in their cases. You set the box down on one of the tables, beginning to sort through the most to least dangerous items.
Wong did have a point when he said you needed to put your differences aside when it came to real fights. You knew Strange would protect you, and you would protect him. Yes, he drove you up the wall but you didn’t want to see him dead. Truth be told you had liked him when he first arrived at Kamar-Taj. You had met him when he was an experienced student. He was a bit arrogant but he was willing to learn when you asked him if he needed help with a spell he was practicing. Then the whole Dormammu thing happened, he became Sorcerer Supreme, and now he didn’t accept help from anyone. It was always his way or no way at all. What happened to the sweet guy who had barely been able to make a stable shield? He was apparently murdered by the closed minded, thick skulled man now residing in the Sanctum.
Your thoughts were brought back to reality when something caught your eye at the bottom of the box. You pulled out an ornate wooden box, your brow furrowing. You didn’t recall seeing that in the relics catalogue book. It didn’t have a tag or marking either. Where had it come from?
You flipped it over in your hand. Studying the intricate carvings along the wooden surface. Tiny petunias had been etched in a delicate pattern along the bottom of the box, going around each side. While the lid had two Peruvian lilies carved into it that seemed to be melding together almost. That was certainly a weird design choice that sent mixed signals. They put two flowers that meant the complete opposite of each other. One representing hatred and the other devotion. Maybe they didn’t know the meaning and just liked the flowers. Not everyone had a niche interest about flower language like you did.
You opened the box to find a single strand of golden string nestled on the plush velvet cushion inside. It gave off a slight glow but other than that it didn’t appear very magical or menacing. You shut the box, setting it off to the side to study later. You’d ask Wong if he knew what it was. He’d know where it belonged and what it did. Although you should probably wait to speak to him until later. When he wasn’t so upset with you.
~
Stephen sat in his study, tapping his finger against the arm of his chair while lost in thought. He hadn’t meant to get Wong so upset with his argument with you. However, his statement about you getting hurt because Stephen found you annoying didn’t sit well with him. He didn’t like you, sure. But you were an incredibly talented Sorcerer, and you took your job as protector of the Sanctum very seriously. Were you a bit too optimistic for his taste? Sure. Did you have a tendency to be childish? Always. However he would protect you if the need arose, and he trusted you to protect him too.
He leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. You had been nice to him once upon a time. You’d even helped him master some of the spells he struggled with. Then there was about a year where neither of you saw each other and everything changed. You were still your usual sunshiny self around others. But around him you were like an angry cat. Hissing at him whenever you were in the same room together. Constantly picking fights over the oddest things. Like what shielding spells to use at Kamar-Taj, who’s responsibility was it to reseal the Sanctum, or what weaponry to use in an attack. You’d even got mad at him for doing the grocery shopping for Vishanti’s sake! You just seemed to have a personal vendetta against him and he had no idea why.
Scratch that, he actually did know why. You were the Ancient One’s favorite amongst all the other Sorcerer’s at Kamar-Taj. A ‘teachers pet’ to the core. You were jealous of him for taking over as the Sorcerer Supreme. It didn’t sit well with you that he managed to surpass you, not only in skill but in rank as well in such a short time. That’s why you were being such a menace to him. A knock on his door startled him from his thoughts. He glanced up to find an apprentice standing in the doorway. She gave a curt bow before she spoke.
“Sir, there’s a problem that needs your attention at the London Sanctum. They’re requesting you specifically.”
He stood up, grabbing his sling ring from off his desk as he started to form a portal. Glad that he now had a distraction from the annoyance that was you.
(Author’s note-Yes, the cloak of levitation is readers relic considering Defender has the boot relics)
Flower meanings:
Petunia-resentment or anger
Peruvian lilies-Friendship, love, strength and devotion