November 9th, 2019

The air in the restaurant was warm and smelled of Chinese food. Golden lights gave the place atmosphere, and the gentle talking of several groups of people floated around. The walls were dark and modern, giving the building a very sleek look. Stephen was busying himself with absorbing his surroundings as he walked into the restaurant. Anything to get his mind off the low-cut neck of June's shirt.

"Are you… okay?" She asked him, one of her brows raised.

"Yeah, fine. Just trying to get my bearings and map exits. Never know when another dimension rift might open, you know?" Stephen said with a forced smile. While the threat of a monster slipping into this dimension was very real, the likelihood of it actually happening was slim to none.

"You need to relax. Stress can take years off your life, you know." June shifted the weight of her purse, trying to make it more comfortable on her shoulder. The wait for a host was always a little awkward, and June wished the process would go a little faster.

"Which one of us is the doctor?" Strange asked. June grinned at him.

"Fair point. But that doesn't mean I can't give you unsolicited medical advice." She said. Stephen opened his mouth to speak, but a tall and lanky waiter rounded the corner and approached them.

Finally. June let out a mental sigh of relief. These heels were already hurting her feet, so sitting down was currently at the top of her priority list.

"Two?" The waiter asked. Both Stephen and June nodded, and the waiter smiled. "Right this way." His voice was pleasant and polite, but there was something inside of his eyes that hinted that he was possibly dead inside. June recalled her days of being a waitress, and related. He took them towards the back of the restaurant, and sat them in a booth made of dark wood with black padding on the seats.

They sat down and quickly told the waiter their drink orders, prompting the waiter to leave. This left them alone. Steady yourself. You've got this, Stephen mentally coached himself. He had been practicing his bravado all day, trying to muster up enough courage to not feel awkward and uneasy. His act came undone the second he saw June, but he couldn't let that discourage him. He hadn't expected June to look so… nice. Not to say that he didn't find her good looking beforehand, but June cleaned up really well. Her hair was in a bun, with the occasional strand sticking out of it, and was dressed in a black dress shirt, that a distractingly low neck line, and some slacks. He was used to seeing June in either t-shirts or her sorcerer robes, and the look had caught him off guard.

June was struggling with similar thoughts, although seeing Stephen in dress clothes wasn't a new experience for her. The man dressed nice whenever he had the opportunity, and June always enjoyed the sight. There was something about dress clothes that made a man just that much more attractive. She adjusted herself in the seat, and looked back at Stephen. The silence was a little weird, and June was reeling to think of things to say. Anything – just pick something already, she thought.

"Hey, I just… wanna thank you for agreeing to this." She said, breaking the contemplative silence.

"Uh, it's no problem. There's no need to thank me." Stephen replied as he unrolled his cloth napkin and sat it in his lap. June followed suit, and when she looked back up, ready to speak, their waiter approached the table, drinks in hand.

"Ah, thank you." Stephen said to him as he sat the drinks down on the table.

"You're welcome." He replied in a voice that screamed "insincere." The waiter quickly made himself scarce, and June simply raised her brows at his rushed exit.

"That man is beyond dead inside." She commented. Stephen let out a laugh.

"Can you blame him? I wouldn't want to work here either." He admitted.

"It's a pain that I know well. I waited in the diner down on 29th for a long while."

"Benny's? I heard that place had really good burgers." Stephen had knowledge of the place, he'd passed it while out several times, and it had become just a blur in the landscape to him over time. Another faceless shop, somewhere he didn't have time for.

"Yeah, that's the one. They were alright, nothing I'd write home about." June leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "But to wheel this conversation back around – I was thanking you for hanging with me."

"You were, yes. I'm not sure why though, I mean, it's not like spending time with you is a chore. There's no need to thank me."

"There is, though. You've stuck around longer than most people do, and you deal with my bullshit all the time, even when you don't have to." June inhaled, then let out a slow breath. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you for being my friend. I don't really deserve someone as cool as you in my life. So, thanks." June met his blue eyes, and for a moment felt as if she was lost in them. No matter how often she studied his face, there was just something about his eyes the drew her in, like she was always seeing them for the first time.

Stephen was taken aback for a moment. She's seriously thanking me for being her friend? He had to stop his brows from furrowing – why did June think she didn't deserve him? "You know that's not true. If anyone doesn't deserve someone around here, it's me. I was such an asshole before…" He looked down at his hands. "… all this. I don't deserve you."

June smiled, her eyes soft. "You're so full of shit. Just because you made mistakes in the past doesn't mean you don't deserve friends now." She picked up her drink and took a sip of it quickly. "Let's not turn this into a pity party. We're here to have a good time." She sat the drink down and smiled at him, the expression on her face a kind and almost hopeful one.

Stephen nodded. "You're right. Let's have some fun, while we have the chance." He paused for a moment after speaking. That… came off a little too suggestive, he thought. I hope she didn't take it like that. Despite his worry, June didn't seem phased by his words at all.

"Agreed." She extended her fist towards him, and Stephen gently knocked it with his. Fist bumping was something they'd do on occasions, and it usually took the place of a handshake after making an agreement. He looked down at the menu that he'd been neglecting, and opened it.

"We better figure out what we want, otherwise we might invoke the wrath of Mr. Dead-Inside." Stephen joked, and June let out a chuckle as she opened her own menu.

After a few second, he peeked up at June, who seemed to be struggling with choosing between a California roll or a tiger roll. Her mouth was pulled to the side in typically June-ish fashion, and with each small shift of her head, the silver ends of her hair managed to catch the light – the altered color seemed to make the hair for reflective than its natural counterpart. Stephen looked at her for a moment, absorbing every detail he could – the shape of her face, the wrinkle on the bridge of her nose when her brows furrowed, the slope of her shoulders and the way the shadows fell over her clavicle.

Beautiful, Stephen mused. A deep part of him stirred, and he felt as if his heart was weightless in that moment. He imagined how those soft pink lips would have felt against his, how warm she would be as he embraced her. She was, by all of Stephen's definitions, a great candidate for a potential lover. Despite her arrogance, her hot headedness, and impatience, she was very supportive, gentle, empathetic, and quite frankly, damn sexy. Stephen hated himself for thinking of June that way – but there was just no denying his feelings about her.

I want to tell her. The realization stunned him. There was no possible way he could ever tell her how he felt, the risks were just too great. At best, it would start a forbidden relationship that would just cause him large amounts of trouble and frustration, and at worst it would completely shatter the bond between them. What if she doesn't feel the same way? Despite there being a solid amount of evidence saying otherwise, there was always the possibility that Stephen was misinterpreting her signs. He'd just be making an ass out of himself if he told her about his feelings. But what if she does feel the same way? Hope fluttered in his chest. There was a very real possibility of June reciprocating his affections, and the idea of a relationship with her was more tempting than sin.

But it wouldn't be without problems. Student-Master relationships were forbidden in the Order, and with good reason. What would their training turn into if they became entangled in each other? I'd be too caught up in her to actually teach her anything. The thought saddened Stephen, but he knew it was true. On top of that, they'd have to deal with keeping their relationship a secret. Stephen knew from experience how hard that really was, and he wasn't eager to go through that again. When he looked at the situation critically, the risks of a relationship with June currently outweighed the benefits.

With a mental sigh, he turned his attention back to his menu. He wasn't anywhere near ready to tell June about any of this, and it was better that way. But I'm not going to let that bring me down, Stephen vowed. I'm going to make this night a good one. He searched through his mind, trying to think of ways to make this night really special for the both of them.

It hit him suddenly, and he couldn't keep the grin off his face. Perfect, he thought. She's going to love it.

…

The wintery air nipped at Stephen's face as he exited the restaurant with Juniper by his side. The night air was cold and harsh, and snow gently floated down from above.

"So, what do you want to do now?" June asked as they stood on the sidewalk. "The night is still young, and better yet, we don't have to pay for a taxi to take us anywhere. The sky's the limit!" She held out her arms for emphasis, and Stephen grinned.

"I have an idea. Follow me." Stephen turned around and made his way towards the alley that was beside the restaurant. This is where they originally slinged from, to not draw excess attention to themselves or the portal. June followed him into the inky blackness without hesitation. Stephen quickly cast a portal, illuminating the shadows with its fiery glow. June squinted a bit at it as her eyes adjusted, and the portal grew to standard size. The other side of the portal was dark, and June could see a beach on the other side of it.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Trust me." Stephen said as he stepped through the portal. June stepped through, and the smell of salt and open water assaulted her senses. The air here was actually warm – not summer warm, but June guessed it was maybe about 60 degrees. Much warmer than the below-freezing temperatures of New York. Large cliffs and rock formations shot up out of the sand, and continued all the way down the beach. She looked out at the dark water behind them, and tilted her head a bit as Stephen closed the portal.

"Is this… the ocean?" She asked. The smell was familiar, although it was clearer than the polluted stench of New York's coast.

"El Matador beach, to be more precise." Stephen said as he looked out to the ocean as well. June blinked in surprise.

"Are you serious? We're really here?" She asked. Stephen nodded and gave a small smile.

"Why wouldn't we be really here?" He asked, stepping a few paces towards the water. "We're sorcerers. Distance is meaningless. Don't you use your sling ring to travel?"

"Well, yeah, but I really only sling to the Sanctum and short distances. I've never really done field trips with it." She paused. "Like, discussing Nepal with Mom is the closest I've been to a cross-world sling."

"Oh yeah, you had plans for Kathmandu today, didn't you? Why didn't you go?" He asked. Stephen hoped that June hadn't cancelled her plans with May just for their date. It's not a date, he mentally corrected himself. June shrugged before pulling off her coat.

"She got called into the clinic today for some emergency surgery – someone's dog ate a bunch of floss, I think." She draped her coat over her arm and looked away from the ocean to examine the rock formations around them.

"That sucks." Stephen replied, relieved that June hadn't put her Mom aside for his sake. "So, what do you think of the beach?" He asked, stretching out an arm to motion to the water.

"Lovely. It's been so long since I've been to a beach." She looked back to Stephen. "It a shame the water's cold, I'd love to wade in it." Stephen looked back at the ocean for a second before speaking.

"Ah, well, we'll just have to come back here in the summer." He said, finding himself unable to make eye contact with June as he brought up the concept. "I can't promise we'll get the beach to ourselves, though."

"Sounds great. We'll make an event out of it." June grinned. Stephen smiled back at her, finally finding the courage to look at her directly. He motioned to the far end of the beach.

"You want to walk, or are we just going to stand here?" He asked. June nodded, and the two began walking south along the coast. The sand was soft beneath their shoes, and as they walked, they left behind two lines of footprints. They walked in silence for a long while, simply enjoying the atmosphere and each other's company.

Stephen had expected it to be awkward, like how he was around her earlier, but he felt very comfortable in the moment. Why was I so nervous before? He pondered. And why is this so easy suddenly? Perhaps he had finally warmed up to the concept of being on a date with her – he wasn't afraid of making an ass of himself. There was no reason for me to be afraid, he concluded. His nerves had finally been subdued, and he allowed himself to breathe and relax. Everything is fine, he reminded himself. This is nice.

"So, why bring me out here?" June asked after a few minutes of silence. "Not that I don't appreciate the gesture." She quickly added.

"I thought you'd like it. It's a nice break from the city, for sure." He said. "Besides, if I'm being honest here, I've always wanted to do this. You know, walk on a beach under the stars." Stephen let out a laugh. "Hearing that out loud made me realize how stupid and cliché that is."

"It's not stupid!" June quickly protested. "It's corny, sure, but I love it." June grinned. "Besides, who hasn't had a dream of a long walk on the beach with somebody? And you can't really do it by yourself – that just makes you look sad." She said with a chuckle.

"A fair point." Stephen said. "Thank you for sharing this with me." His voice was hushed. June passed him a quick look, her eyes soft and a small smile on her lips.

"No problem. Thanks for bringing me along." She said. After another minute of silence, she spoke up again. "Hey, want to build a driftwood fire and hang out?"

"The smoke from that is poisonous." He told her. "Not a good idea. But we can stop somewhere and sit for a bit, if you'd like."

"Oh." She said, her lips pursed. "But sitting rounds great. These heels were not made for walking." She said with a laugh.

"Then why do you wear them?" Stephen asked. "You're already tall as it is." June was tall for a woman, being only a handful of inches shorter than Stephen normally. With her in heels, they were nearly the same height.

"Because I wanted to be cute, damnit." She admitted. "And I never get to wear them. Which is a shame, because I love these." Stephen simply raised his brows for a second and nodded. They pressed onward, and found some short, flat rock formations that would made decent chairs. Although the rocks weren't very comfortable – they were hard and a little sharp in some places – June was grateful for the opportunity to sit down again. Stephen sat across from her, and simply watched as June bent forward and pulled her shoes off.

"Fuck these things." She said.

"I thought you liked them?" Stephen asked, finding June's sudden hatred towards her shoes moderately amusing.

"I like them as a concept, but actually wearing them is terrible. I take it all back." She said as she placed the shoes beside her on the rock. "I should have brought a pair of emergency flats."

"Why don't you just grab your shoes out of your house?" He asked. With sling portals, leaving something at home wasn't an inconvenience – it was so easy to make a small portal and just grab something from the other side.

"That… actually gives me a good idea." June reached into her purse and pulled out her sling ring – a sorcerer never leaves home without one, after all- and slid it onto her hand. She opened a quick, small portal, about 2 feet in diameter, and stuck her arm in it. Stephen couldn't get a good view what was on the other side of it.

June pulled her arm out of the portal, and with it came an entire guitar. Stephen blinked and let out a laugh as she reached in once more and pulled out a pick. She closed the portal with a wave of her hand and held her guitar, ready to play it.

"Alright, I'll admit, that was not what I was expecting." He admitted. June smiled.

"I thought it would be fun. It's been a while since I've played for you." June began to tune her guitar, strumming it and adjusting tuning pegs to get her desired sound. Playing guitar easily ranked as June's favorite hobby, and she'd use any chance to play and show off her skills with it. Stephen enjoyed it, and the two often bonded over shared music tastes. June loved playing for Stephen and singing with him, it made her feel so close to him. It was as if their souls harmonized just as much as their voices did. When they sang, she could feel the aura radiating from both Stephen and herself, and she knew he could feel it too.

June grinned as she hit a desirable note, and she shifted her hand to the frets and began to play. The notes danced through the air as her guitar echoed along the empty beach. The tune she played was very familiar to Stephen, but he couldn't quite place it. He strained his memory to find what song it belonged to, but when June began to sing, it finally clicked for him.

"Do you remember the

21st night of September?

Love was changing the minds of pretenders

While chasing the clouds away…"

September. Earth, Wind, and Fire. 1978. Stephen had never heard a guitar cover of September before, but the song lent itself well to the instrument. He tapped his foot to the beat of the song, and when it came time for the next verse, he sang along with her.

"Our hearts were ringing

In the key that our souls were singing.

As we danced in the night,

Remember how the stars stole the night away…"

Stephen's aura seemed to brush against June's, and she had to suppress a shiver. The lines between them began to blur. Her hand strummed without thinking about it, the muscle memory putting her arm on auto-pilot. She looked at Stephen as they sang together, reveling in their connection. Her eyes took in every detail she possibly could, engraining them into her memory – everything from how the stars shone in the sky, to how the pale moonlight illuminated Stephen's handsome face. She knew that tonight was going to be something she remembered forever.