No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 2

Chapter 33: Sunset (Part 3)

…

"Hey, Bucky…can I ask you a question?"

Victor Strange dodged one of the sticks that was given to the group by Tony Stark. He was sparring with Bucky Barnes, while Ezekiel did his best to keep up with Steve. Truth was, Ezekiel had worked with Steve before, and the White Jackal already trained with him for a long time. He was much better at hand-to-hand combat than people might expect. Ezekiel was quick and very light on his feet.

Victor noticed that about him in that moment, so he threw a question toward the person that was sparring with him. Bucky gave a confused look at first. He looked over at Steve and Ezekiel, then he stopped his assault on Victor Strange for a moment.

"What's your question?"

And…. why are you whispering? Bucky wanted to add that statement into the mix. He could tell that Victor was intentionally distancing himself from the other two. That was fine with Bucky, because Steve Rogers was probably hell bent on kicking his ass again. It was beyond embarrassing for Bucky to have his ass handed to him out there in the middle of the Kamar taj.

Steve was obviously bitter….

Well, WHATEVER. Bucky inwardly thought that Tony Stark got what he deserved. Steve's bambi-eyed lover spent most of his time being a damn tease anyway, so of course Bucky took a moment to shake everything up. The not-so-winter soldier dropped the thought after a bit, because he noticed that Victor Strange actually asked him an adorable question.

"Do you think there's any record of it within S.H.I.E.L.D.? Surely someone out there has to know.."

Victor Strange actually asked Bucky Barnes about Ezekiel's friggen, birthday? He asked his question as innocently and as quietly as he could, then, the baby sorcerer pretended to attack Bucky as if nothing happened. The not-so-winter soldier actually heard the question. He dodged Victor's attempt to hit him as he processed it. The entire sparring session was weak, and it felt like Victor Strange was playing around. Bucky lost his patience with the behavior for a sec, then he roughly grabbed both of Victor's wrists…

Stephen's "baby" brother was barely doing anything. It felt like he was joking around and only interested in solving some never-ending Ezekiel mystery. Bucky had to quickly shake his head NO to the question. He didn't know anything about Ezekiel's birthday. That information never crossed his path, but he had to comment on Victor's adorable behavior.

"Jeepers Victor, you're really into him, aren't you?"

Bucky spoke quietly, but what he said blazed a path straight to Victor's baby soul. Stephen and Donna's younger brother didn't expect that response at all, so it affected him tremendously. Victor forgot to breathe for a sec, and he thought his heart was about to burst out through his nose.

He also pondered what Bucky said, then he looked down at his wrists. He tried to pull himself free from Bucky's grip, sorta. He noticed that Steve and Ezekiel stopped what they were doing. Steve wanted to know what was happening in that moment, and the blonde was almost ready to comment on what he had been observing. Victor wasn't particularly "in it to win it." He didn't seem very motivated..

Steve wondered if the lack of motivation stemmed from Victor's mind. He was very intelligent, like his older brother and sister. The baby Strange didn't seem motivated to learn anything from Bucky and Steve, maybe because his mind had already far surpassed what they had to offer? Steve wondered that, but Bucky offered up his own opinion before the soldier could speak.

"Is that why you're holding back?"

Bucky's voice could have cleared the training grounds. They had been carving through their first day of training for a couple hours, but the energy exerted from Victor Strange was minimal. Bucky had a strong hold of his wrists, but the baby Strange barely reacted. He was more interested in having his question answered. Seeing that truly baffled Steve.

Stephen's brother glanced over at the rest of the group. He pulled his wrists back a little bit more, then…

He was stalling, because he wanted Ezekiel to learn. He figured it would take Ezekiel a while to understand any of it. There was a ton of reading to do if a person was supposed to become an actual recruit for the Mystic Arts. Victor's eyebrows ventured closer together as he processed Bucky's question. He also pondered the birthday thing again, cuz…

So, Ezekiel's wonderful "team" at S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't take the time to find out his birthday? Seriously? Victor became a bit petrified at the concept. Bucky and Steve kept staring at him, and Victor was smart enough to know that one of them had the ability to hear his thoughts if he felt like it.

"I'm holding back because this is bogus. My sister only wants Ezekiel here to keep me on a leash. I could train Ezekiel to serve the Mystic Arts on my own if she'd let me. I don't need your help."

Victor knew himself, and he knew what he was capable of. Everyone else simply lacked faith. He understood that they lacked faith in him, especially Donna. She obviously missed the memo that both of her brothers trained under a psycho older version of Stephen. They trained with him for a long time. That nightmare older version of Stephen was horrifying. He spooked some sense into Victor back when he was what? Fifteen?

"Everyone needs help Victor. I think your sister only wants to get everyone on the same page."

It felt like Donna Strange was trying to unite the pack, and place her younger brother on the front lines. Steve could recognize strategy when it crossed his path and he agreed with it. Steve Rogers also believed in working with reason. He decided to introduce some "reason" into the conversation just as he watched Victor finally pry his hands free from Bucky's grip.

"Perhaps you should be the one training him. That makes sense to me and it would only improve your abilities."

Steve said something about talking to Donna about it, then he said they were done for the day. He told Victor and Ezekiel that they were free for the evening. Steve also said something about it being a long day for all of them, and that was an understatement. Victor's hands were finally free from Bucky's grip, so the baby sorcerer looked down at his skin.

He could have overpowered Bucky in that moment, but truth be told, Victor was holding back.

Chapter: END

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