Vast Like the Sky
The blue eyes were shimmering depths like an ocean all their own, and he had a vague loss of sensation. He was falling into them and getting ready to drown, but he found he did not mind at all. Then a clearing of the throat, and he snapped back.
The eyebrows above said eyes were raised slightly, accompanied by a slight quirking of the lips beneath. A cocked chin, and he knew he fucked up.
"Where did you go? Lost you there for a bit... Have you heard anything I've said the past few minutes?"
A few minutes? He could not grasp that he had lost himself in the man's eyes for more than a few seconds. Something was truly out of balance with him.
"Nothing... nowhere..."
"Now we both know that's not true, and you know it," he responded, his smile growing wider. It was unnerving and something else entirely. Something that should neither be allowed exist, nor to fester.
"I was just... let it go...?" It came out like a question. Figured he could not control his speech well enough when it came to the infuriated man before him.
"I'd rather not."
There seemed to be little room for argument so he replied, "I was ... thinking."
"That's all?" Stephen hummed thoughtfully, "About what, precisely?"
"About... about..." Then he blurted, "About you." He fought the urge to slap a palm over his offending mouth and run out of the room.
"Can you be more specific?" Of course he would ask. The man drove him crazy, taking over his thoughts as much as he took over everything else.
"Just how... when you first came here you were really, ridiculous and so full of yourself if someone opened you up there would be more of you inside-"
"Is this going somewhere less hurtful?" He circled around Wong, who had turned away from him as he was talking. Now their eyes met again and Wong had to stay strong and not snap away, because that would not be suspicious whatsoever.
"I admire your... tenacity and propensity for doing what you want for the good of all even if you probably know in that arrogant brain of yours that it will turn out all right because everything has to bend to your will does it not?"
Wong took a deep breath and waited, realizing that failed to come out exactly the way he wanted. Stephen was just smiling, well, strangely. He did not say a word.
"I've really grown to respect you and I was just thinking about how..." He was staring so intensely and still smiling in that irresistible way. "I- I think about..."
Stephen's teeth showed as his lips parted to reveal a full grin. "Go on," he encouraged. To anyone who walked in, he would look deranged. There were probably a million ways Wong could finish his sentence and not give away a thing about his true thoughts.
"The beautiful colors in your eyes, and how I can't decide if they're more like the ocean lapping at the cliffside, or the sky after a storm has recently passed," he continued instead without taking a breath until the end. There, it was out.
He was baffled when Stephen merely chuckled. Worried that he was thought a joke, he flicked his gaze to the floor. Then, the other man slid his hand slowly up Wong's arm and gripped his shoulder softly.
Not another word was uttered, then the Doctor turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Wong stared in the space he had once occupied, wondering if he would wake up from some strange dream. It was like he was standing on a beach, looking at where the sky touched the sea, with all the possibilities of the future floating around.
Calm Before The Storm
When he entered the room, it seemed to brighten. All the air was stolen away and his lungs were crushed. At least, that was close to what it felt like for Wong, as Doctor Strange graced his library the first time and every time thereafter. As sorcery came naturally to Strange, so did falling for him seem natural to the glorified librarian.
Currently, he was writing a list of possible ways to increase security measures. After all, anyone bent on making trouble could just walk in and take a book. They would be met with resistance, but there were unforeseen ways in which they could sneak.
He had stood up, pacing from one shelf to another in thought. Stephen chose that moment to quietly stride in and promptly press up against Wong's unsuspecting back. He clenched his fists and did not jump from the surprise. The warm voice was right in his ear.
"Trouble is brewing," he intoned, barely above a whisper for whatever reason. "I can almost smell it." At this, he took a strong whiff by pressing his nose against Wong's scalp.
"You however, smell of fresh rain. New soap?"
"Yes," he said simply and tried not to sound strained.
"Hmm, I always did enjoy a good rain. Of course it is tainted with bad memories now since it was raining when my accident happened. But maybe it won't be anymore," Stephen finished with a distant tone.
With that, he sat down and buried himself in a book. Once again, it left Wong off balance. He resumed pacing and thinking about security. Well, he attempted to think about security but all he could think about was the scent of blueberries that had wafted off Stephen as he stood close and the warmth of his body.
Not at all good for a celibate man's libido. He had never really felt so drawn to someone before now to break his celibacy, but Stephen himself once said there was a first time for everything. That was during one of his numerous attempts to make him laugh. Despite succeeding once, he never stopped trying to succeed again.
Wong could not really deny him that. He wondered if he could deny him anything ever again. No, he would have to be strong. Sometimes a man like Stephen needed someone to deny him things. He was certain it was a job no one would begrudge him.
"What are you doing? I have asked three times. Are you losing your hearing? I'm really beginning to get worried-"
"Nothing to worry about, just lost in thought. About security of course, for the books. Not about you. Again. Mostly."
"Mostly?" The smug tone was not appreciated. He made that clear to Stephen with the sharp look he gave him. The man refused to look chastised and instead folded his hands behind his head and smiled.
"You smell nice too," And damnit if he could not stop blurting out things he did not want to say! He shook his head. "Forget that I-"
"Thanks. Must you pace?"
"It helps me think," Wong replied tersely.
"About how I smell apparently," Stephen shot back. He was like a dog with a bone, honestly.
"Also how I have a hard time denying you anything! But I should now, stop teasing-"
"Teasing? I'm pointing out what you yourself admitted to me," Stephen insisted. At this, he had stood up and leaned close to Wong, voice just above a whisper again.
"You don't need to whisper," he growled.
"But you like it."
"Stop that!"
"Stop what?"
"You know what," Wong managed not to entirely shout, "You are twisting my feelings back on me and enjoying how in control it undoubtedly makes you feel in your mess of a life!"
And okay, it was very unlike him to get worked up. But that is what effect Doctor Strange, as he preferred to be called, tended to have on calm, rational people. He made them a bundle of uncontrolled nerves.
"Your feel-" Stephen stopped, actually sounding sheepish. He huffed a breath out of his nose and shifted his gaze to meet the eyes of the one so apparently besotted. He had not known how far it went, if it was a simple fascination or something else entirely. Now, he had his answer. He did feel bad about it.
"Would you deny me a neck massage?" He said softly, "It's fiercely sore from reading."
Eye of the Hurricane
Stephen had fallen asleep. After giving him a thankfully short neck massage, Wong had continued writing and thinking, decidedly not about the man sitting across from him. So absorbed in not thinking about Stephen that he became, he did not notice the man slowly nodding off.
He was probably still reading while he slept, but it was a mystery to Wong why he did not just go to his bedroom. Perhaps it was a gesture of trust, although what he could or would possibly do was lost on him. Even knowing the other man could probably see him, he stretched his hand and ran it through his soft locks. The smell of berries hit his nose and he sighed. He gave his shoulder a gentle shake at first, and then a second more insistent one.
"Stephen?"
No response. Well, he would have more than neck pain if he was left here. He was sore at the idea of waking him, regardless if he was really sleeping or only his body. His body was important too, and it should be treated well.
He put his left hand on Stephen's chest and tipped him back so that his shoulders rested on his right arm. He then reached down to slide his left arm under his legs. He knew there was a more practical way to take him to his room, but he enjoyed the pseudo intimacy of the moment.
Wong tried not to think about the man's astral projection watching him, likely smiling with smug amusement. He had not exactly apologized for his teasing nor had Wong expressed any guilt for telling him off. It was thus far unspoken, but he was not sure if it should remain that way or not.
He felt suddenly and unexpectedly exhausted after setting Stephen's body down on his bed, so he sat down as far on the edge as possible. Wong watched his sleeping form for a time. How much the man had come to mean to him in such a short amount of time could not be calculated. If he was only to protect and serve, then so be it, he would be a bodyguard, mentor and reluctant butler. He did not notice he said those thoughts out loud.
Stephen blinked at him and mumbled, "You're so much more to me than that. An ally, a friend and maybe-" He dozed off before completing the sentence. Wong did not want to hope about what he might have said, then, in his sleep addled state.
Before long, Wong drifted away, and his body gave in to the gentle wave of tiredness that washed over him.
He awoke with a start, the smell of berries and musk all up in his nasal passages. He huffed and got a mouthful of hair. Pulling back, he realized it was Doctor Strange's hair. Not good. He examined the situation quickly.
His arm was across Stephen's chest, and his face had likely just been nestled in the man's hair. A hand was wrapped around his arm, the other rested against the back of his neck. Their legs were tangled together, and if it was not for their clothes, someone would have thought they had just been intimate. If only that were true. But no, he had somehow managed to fall asleep on the man. Barely over a year it's been since Kaecilius and the dark dimension, yet he had avoided any precarious situations until now.
On top of everything, he had a hard on. He shifted slightly and Stephen mumbled in his sleep. Wong's chances of getting out of this unscathed were low. He decided to accept his fate and detangled their limbs.
At the exact moment he was almost free, Stephen grabbed his waist and pushed him down, appearing to dreamily snuggle into Wong's chest. He groaned at the pressure to his nether regions, which, big mistake, because of course Stephen's eyes snapped open and gazed directly at Wong's reddened face.
"Oh, sorry. Why are you..." Stephen grumbled sleepily, taking stock of the situation. He hummed and rolled his hips. Not expecting that reaction at all, Wong gasped. He squirmed in a mad attempt to roll off the bed and bolt for the door, which he would have managed in a more ideal world.
"Is that for me? How flattering."
Wong was not going down this road. He remained as calm as possible and stated, "I need you to get off me."
"I think I know what you need, and what you want too," Stephen replied, voice still attractively low from sleepiness, "You might want to rephrase that to get me off and I would be happy to assist."
Now there was a thought, Stephen serving him. Nothing like that had ever occurred to him in his brief fantasies, ones that he was always quick to squelch. The image was firmly in his head now though, and he could not get rid of it.
Apparently, not anymore that one could get rid of that sexy self assured smile on Stephen's face. He neither moved or responded. So, body moving like a lithe cat, he maneuvered down the bed, his lips hovering enticingly over Wong's crotch. He held his breath.
Only to let it out in a loud whoosh when Stephen pressed his open mouth to the area and sucked. Crying out, Wong hooked his foot in a startled Stephen's arm pit and flipped him over across the bed, before rolling and landing his feet. He bolted out the door, ignoring the man's shouts after him.
The game here was not clear, but Wong was very sure he did not want to play along. It just was not confirmed if Doctor Strange took his feelings seriously, or if he just wanted a dalliance and then would expect to be good friends as though nothing had happened.
