-Unbetaed, please point out any mistakes
-Massive spoilers for Episode 4 of What If (go to watch it, it's great)


Stephen hadn't had any Chinese for a while so having all his favorite takeouts was a treat. Mr Zhang kept offering him free food. Stephen kept explaining that he didn't help people to get any rewards. They were both stubborn. Finally they compromised. Stephen could buy his food with a gross food profit margin of only 5%. Stephen had read that some restaurants could have a profit margin of 72%. No wonder during his neurosurgeon days, most of his money was spent on fancy restaurants. He shuddered at the thought of how he used to spend his money.

What Mr. Zhang did for him was incredible and his food was fantastic. He was eternally grateful. He usually only bought from Zhang's once a month so he wouldn't give the man too much financial burden.

Today was that special day. His mouth watered at the Sticky Rice Mushroom Shumai, Szechuan Eggplant with Tofu, Pineapple and Cashew Stir Fry, Vegan Dan Dan Noodle, and Spring Rolls. He only planned to buy the first three but Mr. Zhang gave him the last two as a bonus. The sweet and tangy smell of pineapple filled the air. Even the Cloak seemed excited as it flew around fetching utensils for him and twirled whenever she could.

He was about to eat his noodle when he heard the crackling sound of a portal followed by familiar footsteps behind him. He often wondered how his friend usually turned up when he was eating. Must be some sort of superpowers. Without turning his head, he smiled. "Wong, just in time. I bought Chinese. Do you want some?"

Wong went to fetch a bowl and chopsticks. "I wouldn't mind a Spring Roll or two." He sat opposite him.

While they were eating, he could feel that Wong's eyes were on him. His friend's back was straight and his movement was rigid. Whenever he looked up, Wong would pretend to look down at his food. This happened more than five times! He wondered why but it could wait until lunch was over.

"Do you still have any side effects after performing magic?" He was surprised it was Wong who started the conversation.

Stephen looked up from his food. "Nothing worse than usual. Just some nosebleeds here and there, some migraines, some cramps, nausea, and the rest." Hearing that, the Cloak started to massage his shoulders. "Thanks for the attention, Buddy! But not right now. I need to eat." The Cloak retreated and covered her collars using both corners as if feeling abashed. She flew away—perhaps to scare some poor ghosts in the Sanctum as he recently discovered the Cloak enjoyed doing.

"I've told you to take things slowly and not to force yourself too much."

"We don't have enough sorcerers. We do what we can. It's not like we could schedule the monsters to attack only on weekdays and during office hours. That would've been nice." He grinned crookedly.

"Yeah, not in our line of work. I don't think even as a neurosurgeon you could afford such a luxury either. Do you have any urge to eat a monster?"

This time he put his spoon down. "Excuse me. Don't you mean the other way around? Usually, monsters want to eat us. Perhaps we' re very tasty. Kentucky Unfried Sorcerers. Just two days ago, a monster tried to take a chunk of my left leg. Luckily, it only managed to graze me and the wound was not poisonous."

Wong looked down at his leg. "Do you want me to look at it?"

"It's fine. I'm still a doctor so I can sanitize my own wound."

"Your loss. No urges to eat a monster or absorb its powers?"

"First of all, yikes. No. I don't plan to eat any monsters. I know people said everything tastes like chicken but I draw the line to eat only things in this mortal plane. You know I also prefer to eat vegetables if I can so eww, no. As for taking its powers, also a big no. I might subdue them and send them back to their dimensions if possible but taking their powers is a tad overkill. It's like breaking a lion's leg then releasing it into the wilderness. Plain cruelty."

Wong leaned back further in his chair—a sign he learned that Wong was more relaxed now.

Stephen was curious. He was sure his friend would explain why he asked weird questions later on.

Meanwhile, it was nice to be able to eat with a friend. Unfortunately, only a handful of people could be considered as his friends.

"I just purchased two pints of Hunka Hulka Burning Fudge. Do you want some?"

This time he stared at him in the eye. "How long have you known me? Do you need to ask?"

Before he could get up, the Cloak flew back in. She opened the fridge and fetched the aforementioned ice cream for them. She then fetched two bowls and three spoons. There was no doubt that the Cloak was more intelligent than most of his pre-med students. Stephen wondered how many languages the Cloak read. He would experiment to find out.

As soon as he spooned ice cream into his mouth, Wong asked, "Have you met Christine lately?"

"No, I haven't. We're both busy."

"When is the last time you see her?"

He pondered the question. "Ehmm, I'm not sure. Perhaps two months ago? Why? Do you need to ask for any medical advice? I'm still a doctor even if you don't seem to believe it."

"How could I forget? You remind me whenever you can, even just now."

Stephen grinned. "Because it's true. Why do you need to see her?"

"I don't need to see her. I'm just making conversation. Are you guys not getting back together?"

Stephen choked on his ice cream. The Cloak flew behind him and pressed one corner on his chest, she was about to push him forward so that he could throw up. "That's all right. I'm fine now." The Cloak flew back but was still hovering next to him. She was definitely smarter than most of his students. He stared pointedly at Wong. "Definitely not. She has moved on."

"But you still have feelings for her." He said it in a matter-of-fact way.

"Why are you asking these weird questions?"

This time Wong looked away. "Nothing. So… if she were about to die, what would you do?"

"Why are you asking these questions?"

"You're our best candidate for the Sorcerer Supreme. I ask these questions to ensure that you won't do anything rash."

"When will you drop this? I was only helping Peter."

"Never. Answering my questions will put my mind at ease."

Stephen exhaled loudly. "Fine. I'll try to prevent her death if I can. If she is sick, I'll help her get the best medical help. If someone plans to kill her, then of course I'll stop the person." He stared at his friend. "Does her survival affect our duties in any way?"

Wong thinned his mouth. "Sort of. Not really. Depends."

"What kind of answer is that? Is she in any danger? Do you know anything that I don't know? Tell me now! We can go to save her." His heart rate started to rise.

"Nothing. It's just a hypothetical question. If she were dead, would you bring her back?"

Stephen felt his face grow warm and his hands shook stronger. He clenched his jaws. "OK, that's it. I'm not going to answer any questions until you tell me what's going on."

"Even better, I'm going to show you. Have you heard of a TV show called What If?"

"No, I haven't. What has it got to do with anything?"

"Everything. Let me show you."


Notes:

-Next chapter: the logistic about how Wong could access the TV show would be explained in the next chapter. Also Stephen's (plus the Cloak's) reaction upon watching. Stephen also pondered similarity and difference between him and him in the TV show.
Let's hope it only has 2 chapters :)
-Episode 4 was really well-written and also had great animation and voice acting especially with Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel McAdams.
-This is the second time I publish a fic on my birthday. I hope it's not a trend.
-Comments and suggestions are welcome.