No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 2
Chapter 8: The Tiger Striped Cat (Part 8)

You know, the "lessons in love" can hit a person at any moment in their life.

…

Victor Strange was hit with it pretty hard before Tony's show even got started. The baby Strange thought he had everything worked out and under some sort of control.

His older brother's face was bothering him, because Stephen had already seen the collide before it actually happened.

The group was gathering once again, because the venue was about to open up. Victor focused on his brother for a bit, until his friendly boyfriend eventually approached the group.

Clint Barton made himself a little nest far up above the stage. He caught up with Natasha first, then he made his way toward the rest of the group.

Nothing had hit Victor at that point. He seemed like his normal happy self. They even exchanged greetings when Clint Barton arrived. Victor started thinking about the morning they spent together.

Because of those thoughts, he forgot to introduce him to his older brother. Victor was horrible with things like that. The baby sorcerer figured that his brother already knew his friendly new boyfriend, so why would he bother with any sort of introduction?

It still seemed weird. Dating. Pet names. Victor started puzzling over it as a conversation carried on around him. The rest of the group had arrived, and the discussion seemed to have suddenly livened up.

Wade Wilson was very chatty. He spoke to Steve Rogers first. Victor noticed his voice before he saw him, so the thought of any sort of introductions completely vanished from his mind.

Victor saw Ezekiel there too. He was standing just outside the group. The first thing the baby Strange noticed was the lack of white.

He…

…

Ezekiel's hair was a bit longer, and he wasn't wearing his armor. He was wearing an outfit that seemed way more tactical, like Bucky's or Steve's. Ezekiel actually looked like a S.H.I.E.L.D. field agent, or something.

Victor almost choked.

"Did you get a good look at the crowd?"

Steve seemed pleased with Ezekiel's appearance. His face wasn't covered for once, and maybe that meant his soul had opened up. The blonde thought of things like that, but he kept thoughts like that to himself.

The "White Jackal" did get a good look at the crowd. He heard Steve's question, but it took him a moment to respond. Having his facial expressions out in the open felt new for him, so..

"I did, and there are a few people we should keep tabs on."

Ezekiel knew a ton of people that would love to skin a Stark. He noticed a few of them, or some of their close associates that were present.

"Oh, and you also shouldn't rule out keeping tabs on me."

Ezekiel actually smiled. Who's to say he wouldn't attack Tony Stark? Obadiah's son decided to take that moment to express the thought. The vibe of the group changed a bit.

The energy became a little more serious. Ezekiel studied Steve's face the most as the comment settled over the group. Victor watched that crime lord as he looked over toward Wade Wilson.

A smile remained on his face when he did it too. Ezekiel looked over at Wade and actually held his smile.

….

"That was a joke..."

….

Ezekiel informed the group that he was telling a joke, so Victor Strange died and choked again. A joke? Get the fuck out. When did that asshole crime lord figure out what a joke was? Victor had a hard time clearing his throat.

It just struck him to the core, and he couldn't brush it off.

The "crime lord" heard Victor's struggle, so he finally looked over in his direction. It took him a long time to look at Victor Strange, but Ezekiel went through with it.

The "joke" had run its course. A sudden silence picked up instead, so Steve took over the conversation. He said remarks like that weren't funny, and that it was time to get moving.

A question suddenly filled Victor's mind as they all separated. The baby Strange couldn't help it, or stop the question from happening.

He started wondering what brought Ezekiel out of his suit, but the baby sorcerer knew the answer would crush his friggen soul.

Chapter: END

Thanks for reading.