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Stephen stumbled into the kitchen of the Sanctum squinting at the window trying to gauge the time of day. It had been 8:45 PM when the battle started. 9:32 when he realized that the only way to banish the demon was to create a football field sized mandala in Central Park. 9:47 when he had collapsed to his knees with the demon safely locked away. And 9:48 when the first reporter shoved a microphone in his face asking ‘Was that magic?’
Tony had shown up in his Ironman suit and taken Stephen back to Avengers Tower where the might of Avengers PR was used to get a press conference arranged. It was 10:48 when Stephen may have let slip that he was a member of an order of Sorcerers. A quick visit to Kamar Taj for a screaming argument with the other Masters. A return to the Tower. And finally sometime around 4:00 AM he and Tony had portaled to the Sanctum and literally fallen into bed.
Stephen squinted more but couldn’t come up with more than daytime. The grandfather clock in the hallway obligingly chimed the quarter hour, 5:15.
Stephen tapped a spark of magic onto the teapot and let it brew while he slumped into a chair at the table. He was starting to feel awake enough to be exhausted when the oven timer went off and not ten seconds later Wong bustled into the room.
He nodded at Stephen and pulled a casserole out of the oven.
As if summoned by food, Tony appeared. He dropped a kiss on Stephen's head then went to rummage in the silverware drawer.
Wong set the steaming dish in the middle of the table.
Tony returned to the table and started poking at the meal.
“It's cheese and …” Tony stared at the pale lump on the end of this fork. “… more cheese?”
Stephen leaned over for a closer look. 'Chicken and penne.'
Tony rotated the fork skeptically then popped the food into his mouth.
Stephen inhaled and the smell reminded him of sitting down to dinner with family as a kid.
Tony passed him a fork.
Stephen scoped out a bite and brought it to his mouth. Then he noticed the green specks of herb on the chicken. Just like his mother's.
“Wong, where did you get this casserole?” Cheese and pasta wasn’t something that Wong favored and if he had made it he wouldn’t have used a disposable pan.
Wong picked up his own fork. “Your cousin dropped it off.”
“Which cousin?”
Wong shrugged. “She said to call her cousin Abby.”
Stephen set down his fork. ''Which cousin Abby?”
Tony dropped his fork. “You do have a cousin Abby, right?”
“I have five. Six if Jeanna has given birth. Diana's Abby is studying at NYU. Taylor's Abby has a job at the Met.”
“You have five cousins, all named Abby?” Tony asked.
“I have…” Stephen stared into the air trying to remember all the announcements in the family Facebook group. “... a lot of cousins. My mother was one of fourteen siblings. My father has five siblings, eight if you count the step siblings. And grandma Strange was very close with her sisters.”
“Enough cousins that Abby brought you a casserole.”
Wong chewed his bite of casserole then said. “I gave her your phone number. She said your mom needed it.”
Stephen put his head on the table. “oh, god.”
“Do I need to have JARVIS block her until you get a new number?”
“No.” Stephen swallowed. “The family didn't know I'm a sorcerer. They just saw that fight. My mom just saw me fight a demon on the 10 o'clock news. Oh lord, Katie’s the anchor at the local station now. My niece just showed my mom video of me fighting a demon on the 10 o’clock news.”
“You looked very heroic.” Wong said, helping himself to another bite of the casserole.
“I told her I had a research position.”
Tony patted his shoulder. “You research how to banish demons.”
“At a hospital.”
“You saved a lot of lives last night.”
The cloak floated into the room holding Stephen’s phone by one corner. It jiggled as a text notification came through. And another, and another. The next was interrupted by the longer buzz of an incoming call.
Stephen abandoned dignity and pulled the casserole dish toward him. If he was going to have to face his family he got the family cooking.