November 18th, 2019
Early night had fallen over New York City. There were no stars overhead, merely the overpowering glow of the city lights. The Sanctum was well lit, the lights warm and comforting. Juniper made her way into the Sanctum, closing her sling portal behind her. It hissed and cracked as it dissipated, its orange glow fading quickly.
"Stephen?" June called as she looked around the foyer. The noise of movement caught her attention, and she looked up at the top of the stairs as Stephen appeared.
"Hey there." He said with a smile. He was in casual clothes, a band shirt and a nice leather jacket, with Cloak sitting on his shoulders. To see Cloak without having Stephen be in his sorcerer robes was almost unsettling. June had never seen it rest on Stephen's shoulders while he was in street clothes.
"Hey guys!" June said with a wave. Stephen descended the stairs, running a hand through his hair as he did so.
"So, are you ready for tonight?" Stephen asked as he approached her. She nodded and motioned towards the Cloak of Levitation.
"Is Cloak coming too?" June asked. Stephen shook his head.
"Afraid not. Cloak's just been clingy lately, ever since the incident with the Roj-Mal." He explained. It made sense – Stephen died that day, Cloak almost lost him forever. Of course, the relic would want to keep a close eye on its master after an incident like that.
June reached out gently, and stroked the popped collar of the Cloak. Normally, it would have shied away from her touch. June blinked, and smiled.
"Finally willing to be my friend, huh?" She asked. The Cloak's collar moved a bit, simulating a nod, making June smile and pet it some more. "Awesome." She breathed.
"Glad to see that you two are finally getting along." Stephen said, He reached up and pet the other side of Cloak's collar for a second, before the Cloak floated up off his shoulders. It hovered off to the side, watching both Stephen and June inquisitively.
Stephen looked at Cloak for a second, a reassuring smile on his lips, before returning his attention to June. "Shall we, then?" He asked, lifting his sling ring. June nodded.
"Sure." She turned to Cloak. "Care to watch the place while we're gone?" She asked it. Cloak nodded before floating off, heading back upstairs. June looked back at Stephen and smiled softly. "Glad to see you again." She said.
Stephen smiled at her. "Likewise." He bent down and gently gave her cheek a quick kiss, making her blush and grin.
"You never did tell me you were such a sweetheart, you know that?" June playfully teased him. Stephen chuckled.
"I do my best." He replied as he slid his sling ring onto his finger and lifted up his hand to create the portal. He made the traditional circular motions with his ringless hand, and a portal of orange sparks hissed and sizzled to life. On the other side of it rested Quesero, a Mexican restaurant. "After you." Stephen said as he motioned to the portal. June stepped through without a word, and he followed right behind her.
…
"This is great, I haven't been here in ages." June said before taking another bite of chips and guacamole. The sauce was what Quesero was famous for, people from all over town would come here just to get a taste of the legendary guacamole.
"Same here. Have you had the chicken fajitas here? They're to die for." Stephen said before popping a chip into his mouth.
"They bring it out to you on the skillet, right? I always thought that was neat." June said, resting her elbows on the table. "I'm down to share some fajitas if you are."
"Maybe. I've been thinking about mixing it up and getting one of those steak quesadillas. Those look phenomenal too." Stephen said as paged through the menu. He sat it down after a second and looked at June. "So, what have you been up too, now that you have to teach yourself?" He asked before taking off his leather jacket and sitting it in the seat beside him. It's all fun and games until you get some food on your nice leather, he thought.
"Honestly? Nothing." She admitted with a laugh. A strand of hair fell into her face, and she moved it before speaking again. "I'm not disciplined enough for this shit." She explained. "I just keep practicing what I already know, instead of teaching myself new things."
"Well, I mean, you're not required to teach yourself, if you don't want to." Stephen said. "But it would be a damn shame to see your talents, and the Book's powers, to go to waste." He took a quick sip of his drink after speaking.
June nodded. "You have a point. I've been thinking of reading about advanced combat tactics, but it's hard when you don't have someone to spar with."
Stephen smiled. "Well, just because I can't teach you, doesn't mean I can't spar with you." He said. "Besides, if I lose my sparring partner, I'll get flabby." He joked.
"Can't have that, can we?" June chuckled. "Would you really be a superhero without those biceps?"
"Not at all." Stephen said with a grin. "I'm pretty sure it's a law that all superheroes have to have great arms."
"Well, then you certainly fit the bill." June said with a wink. Stephen grinned at her and winked back, making June blush a bit. His grin turned into a smile at the sight, he loved how easy it was to make her blush. June looked down at her menu to hide her red face, and Stephen did the same. Silence floated between them for a moment as they contemplated what they should order.
"So, let's cut to the chase." June said after a minute or two.
"What do you mean?" Stephen asked, setting down his menu. June did the same.
"What are you in this for?" June asked. "Like, if we're going to make this a thing, I'd like to know what you're looking to get out of it." She explained.
Stephen nodded. "That's fair." He paused for a moment. "At the risk of sounding like a creep, I'll be honest with you-"
"Oh god, it's just for the sex, isn't it?" June interrupted, her face showing a bit of disappointment. Stephen raised his hands out and shook his head quickly.
"No, the opposite of that!" He exclaimed. "I… I want to be in this for the long haul, Juniper. I want this to be serious. Like, I know that's probably really forward and maybe a little too much, too fast, but I also want to make my intentions clear with you."
June nodded slowly, her bangs bouncing with the movement. "I… feel the same way, honestly." She said with a smile. "I don't like wasting my time, and I don't like fooling around. I'm glad we're on the same page about it."
Stephen let out a mental sigh of relief. Good, he thought. She's not going to waste my time either. He ran a quick hand through his hair before speaking again. "But there is something I need to tell you. It's about Kamar-Taj." He paused, and June looked at him, patiently waiting for him to finish. "Now that I'm without a formal apprentice, they're… expecting me to do more around there. Like, teaching wise." He explained. "Like, I was there earlier today, and Bao told me that he's going to need me 5 times a week now."
"Wow, 5 times? Aren't they getting greedy? You have a Sanctum to run." June said, and Stephen nodded.
"Yeah, it's not like I have a whole city to keep safe from magical threats or anything. They think that, now because I have you, I can devote less of my time to New York. I guess they expect you to pick up the slack."
"Well, I'll do my best, I suppose." June said, resting her chin in her hand. "But that's still bullshit."
"That's not even the worst part." Stephen said, leaning inwards. "They want me to, on top of everything else, take another apprentice. One at Kamar-Taj."
June's eyes went wide. "No." She drew out of the word in shock. "They can't be serious. Another apprentice? On top of everything else? They're insane."
"That's what I said! But Bao insists." Stephen rested his elbows on the table. "It's this woman named Susan, and she's struggling really hard with the basics. He thinks that we'd be a good match, because I struggled back in the day."
A woman? A hot coal settled in June's belly. Another woman taking up all of his time… She felt angry, jealous, and disgusted with herself. Stephen should be able to take on a new apprentice, if he wants, but… what would that mean for us? June didn't reply, she just furrowed her brow a bit in thought.
"Yeah, I assumed you'd dislike that thought." Stephen said, leaning back into his seat. June lifted her head up.
"What? I mean, I don't dislike it, I just…"
"Oh, cut the shit. You don't want me spending all of my time with another lady." He grinned – he had her made. June wasn't exactly the best at hiding her emotions, and Stephen got a sick kick from outing her. It was good for their communication, thought, because June could never be dishonest with him about how she felt.
"Maybe so." June said, crinkling her nose. "I'm also just worried about what that would mean for us. I know how much of your time I took up, and coupled with the increased demands of the council, I just wonder… how much time will you have for this?" June motioned between the two of them.
"Well, don't." He said. "I'm not taking on an apprentice. At least, not until I can prove to you that you're my number one priority, always." June blushed at his words. "Here, let me prove it to you. Come to my place tonight, after we're done here."
June raised her brow. "For…?"
"Not that, I can assure you. At least, not yet. Let's take our time." Stephen said, adjusting the collar of his shirt a bit as he blushed at the implication. "I just… want to spend some time with you. Maybe curl up with you on the couch and share some more kisses. Somebody mentioned tongue, yesterday, and it'd be rude to go back on her word…" Stephen teased her with a sly grin.
June chuckled and blushed a bit. "Fine, I'll go. But I expect the, oh, how did you describe it….? The 'best kissing of my life,' I think is what you said." She smiled at him cheekily. Stephen laughed.
"I'll keep up my end of the bargain." He said as he reached out and gently took June's hand. "I just want to show you a good time." June nodded with a smile, and her blush got a little deeper.
"Alrighty then. I can't wait." She said. "But for now, there's just one question…" Stephen raised his brow before she finished speaking. "Fajitas or tacos? I can't decide." June said with a laugh.
…
The air at Stephen's apartment was cool and familiar. June stood in his living room as he closed the portal behind them. The furniture was the same monochromatic color scheme that it was the last time June had been there, although it had been slightly rearranged.
"Alright, so what did you have in mind?" June asked as Stephen approached her. He rested his trembling hands on her hips and kissed her gently, making June blush once more. June kissed him back, loving the taste of his lips.
"I was hoping to maybe dance with you." Stephen admitted, his face only a few inches from hers. June blinked.
"Dance? Stephen, I don't… dance." She admitted, looking down and stepping back from him.
Stephen scoffed. "You sing, but you don't dance?" He asked as he made his way towards his record player. It was resting on a small bookshelf that held various vinyl records, and he bent down and began to sift though them. "Aha." He said as he pulled out a record, one with a red and yellow cover.
"Why is that hard to believe?" June asked, crossing her arms.
"Because, you clearly have a sense of rhythm." He said as he stood back up and pulled the record out of its sleeve. "It should come easy to you." He explained as he set the record on the player, and moved the needle over to it.
"Just because I have a sense of rhythm doesn't mean I'm coordinated enough to pull off fancy footwork." June replied, shifting her weight onto one hip. Stephen chuckled as he walked back over to her.
"Here, let me teach you." He said as he took her hands. June blushed, but didn't fight him as he guided one of her hands to his shoulder, and held the other firm gently. His free hand rested on her hip. "We'll start off simple, just sway to the beat." He chuckled and gave her quick kiss as music began to fill the air.
Can't Hide Love. Earth, Wind, and Fire. 1976. Stephen couldn't help but place the tune. June looked nervous as he began to gently sway, but she followed suit, matching his simple steps.
"See, look? It's not that hard." Stephen purred and he gave her another quick kiss. June's face was red, but she couldn't keep the smile from her lips as they gently swayed.
"Fair enough." June chuckled. She leaned forward and rested her head on his chest, making Stephen blush a bit in response. He smiled sweetly as the two began to dance the night away in each other's arms.