alien spores, karaoke, and shit

A/N: This was originally meant to be a sort of sickfic, but then it turned into this. I don't know what THIS is. I couldn't even come up with a proper title lmfao

"Youuuuu'rrrreee…" Stephen seems to struggle on the word a little bit as he and Wong, over whose shoulder his arm is currently slung as the librarian basically drags him through the Sling Ring portal and into the Sanctum. The Cloak does its best to help, wrapped around and lifting the other arm as best it can, but dammit, the man's still heavy! "Youuu'rrrreee… really… like, really, really great," Stephen slurs, tilting his head up towards Wong. "Liiiiike… just reaaaallly great… y'know… y'know?"

Wong ignores the other man's ramblings, instead opting to make a left turn at the end of the hallway and nudge Stephen's bedroom door open with his boot.

"Sssooometiiiimesss," the Sorcerer Supreme goes on, dropping his head on Wong's shoulder and letting his eyes slide shut, "I wonder… what I'd dooo withouuut you…"

"You would be very dead, most likely," Wong mutters, lowering the other man carefully onto the bed with the Cloak's assistance. Stephen's looking up at the librarian with a stupid, drunken grin twisting his lips.

It was Stephen's stupid-ass arrogance that landed him in this mess in the first place. And of course that resulted in him accidentally inhaling some spores while in the midst of a mission. Spores that left him absolutely plastered.

Thankfully, while they were still in the other dimension, Wong was able to determine that the spores weren't toxic. Just… really, really strong in their effects on the human body. He still wants to keep an eye on Stephen anyways, just to make sure he doesn't suffer any ill effects all of sudden.

"Exxxaaa… exxxxactly," Stephen agrees, nodding emphatically, and still grinning all the same. The Cloak cuddles up to him, wrapping around his weak body like a crimson cocoon. Its collar pets at his face a little bit before settling and just snuggling. "I don't know what I'd do… without you eitheeeerrr…"

"Again, you would most likely be very dead," Wong declares, folding his hands behind his back as he watches them.

Stephen seems slightly offended by this, his face scrunching up and a low whine escaping his throat. "You'll stay… right?"

Wong's expression doesn't change, but his chest does tighten and twist uncomfortably at the query.

"…"

For the first time since his inebriation from the spores, Stephen's stupid smile falls. The Sorcerer Supreme looks away, the disappointment shining clear on his face. "Never mind… forget I asked…"

"Stephen," Wong starts, and then he stops. Stephen still doesn't look at him. Great. Before he can explain exactly why he shouldn't stay, the Cloak suddenly leaps at him. The relic wraps around him and yanks him down on the bed. "Wh—what are you doing!?"

The Cloak flies off him, and hovers above both sorcerers for a moment, "looking" down at them in silence. It then waggles its collar and swoops down, curling tightly around the both of them. A difficult feat, considering it can only spread out so wide, but it somehow manages to encompass them enough to keep them pinned to the mattress. Wong can feel Stephen's eyes on him now, and he decides right then and there he's not going to acknowledge the stare.

And then the Sorcerer Supreme drops his head on the librarian's shoulder again, letting out a tiny, content sigh. "Yoooouuu… you ever think about… how the stars are like tiny dots to uuuussss… you ever think… we're a dot too? Just little dots everywhere…" Wong can feel Stephen's drunken smile through the cloth now. "Connecting the dots is fun. I… like connecting dots. I think… I thiiiink you do… too."

He's just going to talk Wong's ear off about anything, isn't he?

"Saw a dog in the pet store lassst… lasssst… last week," Stephen drones on, cuddling even closer, if you can believe it. Another few inches, and he'd be on top of Wong. "It wasss cute. Fluffy. Misssssing parts of its… ears and tail… but no less loveable for it. And fluffy. Very fluffy. Nooo… floofy… floofy." A brief pause. "Can we get a dog?"

Before Wong can again open his mouth to answer, Stephen's already rambling about something else. "Rain's nice. A driiizzzzzle… I like drizzles. Nice and cool. Not too wet. Not too warm." Stephen lifts his head up slightly, tilting it so he can look into Wong's now very wary eyes. "Youuu'rrrre… youuu'rrreee… you're warm. But not too warm. I like it. I like it… a lot. I like—"

"Stephen," Wong starts now before his friend can say anything else, anything that might put them in a more awkward position than they're already in. "Maybe you should go to sleep. You'll feel better if you do."

Stephen huffs. He pauses, silent for a moment as though contemplating something, and without warning, leans forward just enough to press his lips to Wong's cheek. Just a very light peck, a gentle graze against flesh. Nothing more. Stephen lets his head fall onto the mattress, and his eyes slide shut once more. "Night, Wong…"

Wong breathes a sigh of relief when that's all the other man says, although his heart is still seizing at the fact that he'd just kissed him. A little one, of course, and only on the cheek. But still.

"Goodnight, Stephen," he returns softly.

It takes him a long, long time to fall asleep.

. . . .

They don't talk about that night.

Hell, they haven't talked much at all since that night, Stephen thinks. It's been over a week since they've even had a casual conversation, or simply sat in the library flipping through some spellbooks and the like.

And it gnaws at Stephen's chest so much that it hurts. Unlike those occasional nights before the accident that destroyed his hands and put an end to his career as a neurosurgeon, those nights when he'd get so hammered that he couldn't tell a lamppost from a tree, those nights that would leave his memories from the previous night either blurred or missing altogether… he could remember every detail from that night.

So he knows exactly why Wong is avoiding him outside of work-related things. And it hurts. So, so much.

Stephen tries brushing aside these painful thoughts for the time being, and reaches for his teacup, not taking his eyes off the old spellbook in his other hand. As he lifts the cup off its saucer, his trembling hand sends some droplets of tea splattering onto the rug. "Shit!" The Cloak swirls off his shoulders and quickly extracts the cup from his grasp. The sorcerer slips on his Sling Ring and opens a small portal. A roll of paper towels drops in his lap. A few minutes later, and the puddles of tea have been wiped away as best as possible, Stephen goes back to reading his spellbook and the Cloak back to relaxing on his shoulders.

He ignores his tea for the next few hours.

. . . .

"Stephen."

"Hello to you too," Stephen greets, not looking away from the book he's scribbling words in. The pencil lead tip snaps, and he curses under his breath, getting up to look for a sharpener.

"Stephen, there is something we need to discuss," Wong insists, not moving from where he stands just inside the study.

Stephen sits back down after retrieving sharpener, and lets the Cloak handle the task of whetting the pencil back into a point. He focuses his gaze back on the book, this time flipping through pages he's already written on. "If this is about the lack of ice cream in the freezer, I plan on heading over to the store to restock tomorrow."

"It's not that," Wong tells him drily. "Although that is good to know."

"If it's about that giant Asgardian wolf-thing back in the—"

"No. It's… not that, either."

"So…" Stephen prompts, still not making eye contact, "then what is it?"

"Would you like to come with me tonight for karaoke?"

Now Stephen whips his head up, absolutely bewildered. "What? I mean— uh— what?"

Since when has Wong ever been into karaoke? Then again, he does like to listen to music (Beyonce in particular) while reading, so it's not like this is something that's come out of the left field. Maybe left-ish field?

"Karaoke," Wong repeats drily, his usual unimpressed frown still there. "Would you like to come with me for karaoke tonight?"

"… I… sure. Yeah. That sounds like fun," Stephen answers, still not quite sure what to make of this "discussion." Wong, expression still unreadable, just nods in approval.

Stephen goes back to work, and at some point, Wong leaves the room to presumably do the same.

. . . .

In all honesty, Stephen probably should've suspected that this… whatever this was had something to do with another friend of Wong's. Of course he hadn't been expecting it to be Shang-Chi and his friend Katy, but still. It's nice seeing them again, though, especially under better circumstances than… well, before.

The four of them sat at a table for a while, chatting and munching on some food. Stephen is idly gnawing on a nacho when Katy asks, "You guys wanna nab the microphone before someone else does?"

"Well, I—"

"Don't 'well, I' me," Katy tells him firmly. "Show us what you've got. Or not." She shrugs, fingering her straw. "More karaoke for me."

"She's not kidding," Shang-Chi adds, clearly trying not to laugh.

Stephen huffs, and looks at Wong, who's looking right back at him. They did agree on karaoke tonight. He has a promise to keep. And besides, there aren't very many people left in the building anyway.

"Fine, but I pick the song," Stephen declares.

"Oh, no you don't," Wong says immediately. "I know your tastes. And I am not singing Cymbaline with you."

"What? I get a name drop in that one!"

"I still believe that so-called 'name drop' is entirely coincidental."

"You're no fun."

"You're—"

Katy stands up and start ushering them out of their chairs. Well, more like pushing and shoving them. "Stop bickering and get up there already!"

This time Shang-Chi is laughing.

As he stumbles onto the stage with Wong, Stephen looks harshly at Katy— who just smirks at him— and then at Shang-Chi, who does at least reduce his laughing to mild chuckling— although it probably has nothing to do with the death glare being sent his way, seeing as he is a very powerful individual himself.

Stephen turns his gaze on Wong, the harshness in it instantly draining.

Wong removes one microphone from its stand and selects the song. Stephen's brow wrinkles slightly as the first few notes of the song hit his ears. "Bootylicious by Destiny's Child. The album Survivor, May 2nd, 2001." He turns his gaze on Wong, snorting and raising an eyebrow as he pulls the other microphone out of its stand. "Why am I not surprised?"

Wong shrugs, and lifts the microphone to his lips as he starts to sing the first couple lines.

. . . .

Katy and Shaun watch the two sorcerers as they sing their hearts out about… well, a bootylicious body, apparently. Katy is going to be honest— until she glanced at the screen behind them, she thought they were singing "I don't think you're ready for fish jelly" instead of "I don't think you're ready for this jelly." (Fish jelly sounds funnier.)

"I don't think you're ready for this (fish) jelly,

I don't think you're ready for this (FISH) jelly,

I don't think you're ready for this,

'Cause my body's too bootylicious for ya, babe…"

"Yup, they have issues," Katy finally declares with the utmost certainty, stealing the last of the nachos from the basket and chomping down on it.

"And we don't?" Shaun's tone is teasing, of course. Although he does kind of have a point.

"Fine. Point taken, bus boy," Katy admits aloud. After finishing her nacho, she asks, "You wanna do Hotel California when they're done?"

Shaun's already present smile grows an inch or two wider. "What do you think?"

A few minutes later, and…

"Welcome to the Hotel California,

Such a lovely place (such a lovely place),

Such a lovely face…"

. . . .

"Tonight was fun," Stephen says as he and Wong step through the Sling Ring portal leading back into the Sanctum. "We should do this again sometime."

Wong hums softly in agreement, removing his coat and slinging it over the hook bolted to the wall. Yes, they should do this again. It was nice, getting out of the Sanctum and meeting up with Shang-Chi and Katy again. Not to mention he and Stephen were able to do something not work-related for the first time in a long while.

When he turns around, he finds Stephen watching him with an odd expression. He's seen this look a few times before, if only briefly. Stephen clears his throat, eyes flicking away, and he goes to remove his own coat. As he hangs it on the hook, Wong reaches out and takes one of the sorcerer's scarred hands in his own. Stephen freezes. He could swear that, from the look now taking over Stephen's face, his brain is short-circuiting.

"Do you—" Wong starts, and then stops, not certain where to go from there. How do you ask someone how they feel about you without actually saying the words?

"Do I what?" Stephen asks, wincing at the obvious tremor in his voice. "I can't answer the question unless it's asked."

"How do you feel about me?" No use in beating around the bush, he decides.

"Hmm." Stephen is clearly pretending to think, and Wong feels a slight pang of annoyance. "Exasperation? Frustration? Fear of being maimed in my sleep because one or two books are a week overdue?"

"Stephen…"

The Sorcerer Supreme sighs, his gaze dropping slightly. "I know we had a bit of a rough start, and you weren't exactly my biggest fan when we met. But we've been through so much together, and I honestly don't know— and I don't want to know— how my life would've turned out if you hadn't been at my side through… everything." He takes his free hand and settles it atop Wong's, still not making eye contact. "Like I said when I was high on alien spore things. You're really, really great."

"You remember." Stephen's eyes finally meet Wong's.

"Yeah. Not my most dignifying moment, huh?" A smile tugs at Stephen's lips, but it's strained. "Sorry I… made you uncomfortable while I was… y'know."

"I was more concerned with what you would think when you came to your senses," Wong tells him. "I didn't know how much you would remember and how much you wouldn't."

"Wait. Wait. So you mean this whole time, you've been avoiding me because you thought that I thought…?" Wong nods, and Stephen groans, before dissolving into a mild chuckle. "I thought you were avoiding me because I… well, I kissedyou."

Wong just hums, watching as Stephen's smile turns to something more genuine. And then the librarian takes a step forward, lifting his other hand and settling it on the back of Stephen's neck.

Just as their lips touch, sharing warmth for the first time, there's a loud clattering of plastic and the sloshing of liquid.

Both sorcerers turn their eyes onto the Cloak of Levitation, who is now covering its lapels as those they're eyes, while the detergent from the giant pale blue container it dropped spills out all over the floor.

"Really?" Stephen asks, shaking his head. "Now is when you float in on us?"

The Cloak shakes its collar and just zips out of the room.

"We're not cleaning this mess up for you, you know!"

The Cloak doesn't come back.

Wong clears his throat, drawing Stephen's gaze back to him. "I believe we were in the middle of something."

"That we were," Stephen murmurs, shuffling closer to the other man.

Wong pulls him back in for their first true kiss, arms gently encircling one another.

A/N #2: In case you're wondering, the reason Shang-Chi is referred to as "Shaun" through Katy's POV is because, well, she still things of him with the name "Shaun." Sometimes "bus boy" too.