Dr. Strange gives into temptation and follows his mind, but his heart prevails.
For Forbiddenmoons, hope you're a Marvel fan too…
Stephen closed his eyes and pretended not to notice. He had a difficult enough time trying to maintain the proper balance of mindset. He was still learning, after all. Stephen wasn't accustomed to having to fight for his life and be able to conjure such magic in the heat of battle wasn't helpful. He fought with a sling ring, and managed to come up with shields, but he knew he could do better. He just had to invest time and practice. Kaecilius was as bad as they come, but he didn't deserve to become a demon. If anything, Dr. Strange knew that he'd only come back stronger and more hell-bent on causing destruction. He'd seen the future, and he may have used the infinity stone to keep Kaecilius alive, but it was out of weakness, some may have called it. No one remembers the Ancient One's death, but he never forgot. Time may have erased it, but he was at the helm. Dr. Strange sat on the ground and closed his eyes, attempted to meditate again. He knew his actions went against entire law, the one they supposedly preserve, but after Wong's statement, he didn't mind bending rules anymore, as long it was for the greater good. Time was broken and re-sutured back together and people were still alive. No one trusted Kaecilius, but Strange saw something in him. His desire for time to mean nothing meant that he no longer wished for death, not truly for personal gain, but for families and loved ones to no longer live in fear of losing others. He didn't speak very often, but when he did, he only spoke to Stephen. He knew the to-be-redeemed-sorcerer wasn't entirely innocent, but that was because his teacher broke the rules that she would never allow anyone else to do the same. It wasn't right, but new code had been forged. Only the Sorcerer Supreme was allowed to bend time in such a manner and Dr. Strange was now the head of the sanctum and the Supreme as well. The Ancient One spent her time teaching other sorcerers without drawing power from the Dark Dimension. He knew this would be the end of her teachings once she started to age. She no longer wished to become enraptured by darkness. So much change had happened. Somehow, Kaecilius knew everything he'd done as well as The Ancient One. He was surprised when Kaecilius offered his services in exchange for his teaching. Dr. Strange had never been a teacher of the mystic arts before, but Ancient One, he still hadn't known her real name; was insistent that he accept Kaecilius' wish. He had a feeling that Ancient One felt that he had nothing to teach Kaecilius when it came to magic, but he had a lot to teach him when it came to empathy and human kindness. It hadn't been horrible having him in the sanctum, but it was odd having him sit near him, eating with him, talking to him. He laid against the floor, unable to concentrate. He hadn't performed a proper portal with his sling ring in weeks. He blamed it on his injuries, but he knew right away it was all psychological, or maybe it was just Kaecilius' presence. He knew the real reason, but thankfully was able to convince the rest of the world of his lie. He started working with the Avengers, and no, the transition was not as easy as he presumed, but he was making headway with managing their anxiety. Tony and Steve apparently had been lashing out at each other lately. Strange figured it was for the best that he not try too hard to fix their problems for them, but less anxiety was easier during meetings and a little magic went a long way. He hadn't done any missions to help them as a team entirely yet, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't take long. He met Wanda and instantly felt a connection with her. She was close to his level of understanding of the human mind, which he was thankful for. He even confided in her with some of his feelings about how he changed everything. At the moment he found himself going soft for her. He asked her if there was anything he could do for her and all she asked for was to know if her brother was at peace. He knew he'd have to travel the astral plane for that answer, but he felt he should do more. He pulled Pietro from death's grip and laid him on a bed in the medical wing of the Avengers building. He left a note on the nightstand beside his bed and addressed it to Wanda. He felt a red shock through the astral plane not long after. It almost pulled him from his physical form. It was so strong and so full of love. He was glad to help her in a way that only he could. She confided in her affections for Vision too. Strange knew they'd find themselves together as time passed. The other Avengers were a bit more timid, but they eventually grew accustomed to his otherworldly presence. He was still human, but his cloak prevented him from looking too ordinary, as if it was its job. He still had more work to do when it came to making friends and gaining their trust after the horrible aftermath of Civil War they endured not too long ago. He took refuge in the sanctum from the noisiness of the Avengers. It was calm, but when he looked up Kaecilius was there, watching him.
"What do you want?" He asked with a sharper edge than he meant to.
"I simply would like to sit with you." He smiled, the purple was gone from his eyes and he looked a lot less ominous, but Strange still kept his guard up. He waved his hand around the room while mirrors vibrated through thin air and reflected his and Kaecilius' forms behind it. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he wanted to make sure if anything bad were to happen, it would only happen to him.
"Okay." He managed and watched him sit. Kaecilius watched him and then closed his eyes and let out a deep breath in front of him. Stephen watched him meditate. He could feel the energy rifts around him. He closed his eyes, trying to do the same, but his skin prickled over and his face was flushed with embarrassment. He opened his eyes and saw Kaecilius hadn't moved an inch.
Keep it together… He told himself. He chewed his lower lip and closed his eyes, resting his shaking palms against his knees, took a deep breath.
Explosions of purple surrounded him. Clusters of stars billowed around him. He looked up and Kaecilius was standing beside him.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" He smiled. Stephen nodded silently in agreement, in fear of his own voice betraying him. Kaecilius' eyelashes caught to edge of the light, giving them a silver glow. Stephen blushed and looked away. He didn't know what to do in this instance. He thought he'd felt love before, but it was all physical… This realm had nothing to do with any kind of physical touch, he knew from the transparency of their forms that they were both on the astral plane. He'd only seen what it was like from the physical world one time and it was Kaecilius that had done it. Stephen had no idea how others looked when they were peeking in from the other side until now and it was amazing. The ripples and fragments against Kaecilius looked beautfil, echoing rainbows and prisms of light glittering everywhere. The next time he meditated, Kaecilius was there. He was being unreasonably calm. Stephen was curious to where this would all lead. He didn't expect anything, so it was difficult to mentally prepare himself when Kaecilius asked him the question after what could have easily been their fortieth meditation together.
"May I see your hands?" Kaecilius asked. Stephen looked back and held out his hands, uncertain, but not afraid. His hands shook and he felt his cheeks burn hotter as he struggled with the fact that maybe it was worth getting to know him. Kaecilius smiled and took his hands.
Explosions of colors erupted from his skin where Kaecilius collided their interwoven fingers together. First blue, then pink, orange, yellow, green, and red. At some point the colors were indefinable and it was just a blend of their auras intertwining with each other. Nothing on Earth had ever felt more intimate to him. Mind over matter was an entirely different level. Stephen exhaled and he wasn't sure where he began and Kaecilius ended because their energy crackled like a bolt of lightning. He knew there was almost no malevolence left in his entire soul because he was looking at it, feeling it, sifting through it. He knew about other dimensions, but exploring the phenomenal energy of another person was so utterly raw that he couldn't hold back the striking tears that ran down his cheeks. He was afraid of looking like a fool, but when he looked up Kaecilius wore the same wet streaks on his face. His soul apparently, was just as powerful. If he'd known this kind of connection was possible, he probably wouldn't have jumped in headfirst.
He let out a gasp and Kaecilius pressed his forehead against his, connecting their third eye.
"Agya chakra." His voice spoke as if it was coming from everywhere around him, which exploded from reality and blinding colors and lights flashed around him, tunnels pulled and drew him in, but he wasn't alone. It was less scary from his first travel of opening his third eye from the Ancient One. No, this was very different and it was enigmatic and utterly powerful, more so than anything physical. Stephen completely gave into it. Swirls of hot pink and purple collided and brushed heat against him. He felt millions of universes echo around him, ever present and all-knowing. He watched Kaecilius reach forward and lace his fingers through his hair. He pulled… hard, and Stephen wasn't sure what kind of sound left him, but it came out deep and rumbled which echoed around them, much louder than he thought. Stephen felt his soul bleed out indigo colors as he looked up at Kaecilius' eyes and where the light caught them, it rippled out rainbow hues. Strange grabbed his robes tightly and let out a sob. It was too intense and he could barely manage to hold on anymore. He'd never wandered this far on any plane other than matter. His fingers dug against the black silk of Kaecilius' robes and he pulled his face away from his, disconnecting their minds.
Stephen's brow furrowed and he gasped from the sudden disconnect. He felt his soul cry out in response and rage. Ripples of energy that could only be described as color screamed from him and he ripped his hands away as quickly as he could. He opened his eyes and looked down at Kaecilius' arms. He'd scratched him so hard that blood has risen to the surface.
"I…I'm sorry!" Strange rose up and stumbled his way from the room and pulled out his sling ring from his pocket and ran through the glowing arc of light.
He wasn't sure what he was running from, but his soul screamed in response to the disconnection of Kaecilius' soul. He felt the pain of not wanting to leave, but he did…because he was scared of what his mind felt.
Thinking of writing more for this couple because everyone is mean to my precious Kaecilius, and Dr. Strange is too beautiful not to slash. It was awesome seeing Hannibal become a Marvel character. Should I create another chapter, did you guys like the mind porn?