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

Chapter 35: Sunset (Part 5)

Steve Rogers could hear a very chipper voice as he navigated the grounds of the Kamar taj. He located Victor and Ezekiel pretty quickly, but he stopped by a familiar old tree. Steve looked at it for just a moment, and memory lane quickly followed. Victor was giving Ezekiel a better tour of the place that operated as his family's second home.

Stephen, Donna and Victor spent more time there than people knew, both in the physical world and within their minds. Ezekiel looked a bit wide-eyed as well as he was shown around, but Obadiah's son kept most of his comments to himself. Steve thought about approaching the two of them, but he didn't. The blonde saw it as such a delicate moment between them. He didn't want to ruin it…

The tree actually sparked a nostalgia within Steve, and seeing Ezekiel and Victor didn't help. Victor was reminding him of a certain someone, and his smile and energy was off the charts. Steve was reminded of Tony's behavior when they used to explore the Kamar taj, or talk in general during that time. Victor was definitely a "smitten kitten" as Howard Stark would say…

"How many books are there Vic?"

"Thousands. Well, I don't know the actual number, but there are hundreds of them here. We have more back at home, then some more in London and in other places."

Steve kept watching. He noticed that they operated as if they were in their own little world when they were alone together. Ezekiel even called him "Vic" when they were alone. Steve was living for it, and happy to witness it.

Victor said that he planned to show Ezekiel the library in the morning. The baby Strange felt as though they had done enough for the day, and he didn't want to bore Ezekiel by taking him to look at a bunch of books. That stuff could wait, so he continued giving him the grand tour. Truth was, Ezekiel was interested in learning everything. He was very interested in learning about Victor's world.

It took him away from his own world for a while, so Ezekiel kept looking around. The White Jackal noticed when he first arrived that his technology was completely disabled. He assumed Victor's sister cancelled out the use of his technology, but..

For the first time in his life, Ezekiel wasn't really sweating it. He didn't feel as if his life was in danger, or maybe he just didn't care anymore. The young man wasn't sure. Victor said something about taking him to his favorite "lookout" spot, so Ezekiel followed. His eyes happened upon Steve Rogers as he followed Victor. The soldier gave him a small wave, and that was it. Obadiah's son thought at first they were in some sort of trouble, and maybe he wasn't trusted by Steve or Donna at all..

That notion stuck with Ezekiel for a moment, but then he continued to follow after Victor. There was a mixture of feelings going on within the somber inventor in that moment. He was unable to truly explore the grounds of the Kamar taj with his tech, and map out any sign of danger, but he was also given an opportunity to be fully present with Victor.

They stopped at a sturdy fence line. Ezekiel held his breath the moment he stepped up to the edge of the Kamar taj. There were a ton of people around them as well, so Ezekiel began to feel a little tense. The Kamar taj had multiple levels, buildings, flat spaces for training, and rooms. Ezekiel took all of that in, but he couldn't stop staring out where Victor took him.

It suddenly felt like they were on an island, and beyond the grounds there was nothing but a vast stretch of mountains and the sky.

It felt like he was going to fall out of his skin for a moment. Ezekiel factored in all the wind, but then his attention settled on the sunset. The colors he saw were vibrant, beautiful and somewhat alarming.

"When's the first time you looked out at the sunset?"

Victor thought Ezekiel seemed a bit too surprised with the view. He noticed that his heart was beating a lot quicker too. Ezekiel's energy was pulsing beneath his skin. Victor could tell it was a mixture of fear, anxiety, and perhaps excitement? The baby Strange waited patiently for a response. He realized his question was silly, I mean, everyone looks out at the sunset.

He assumed that was the case when it came to Ezekiel as well. He couldn't have been that sheltered? Victor wondered about it as the answer to his question never emerged. Ezekiel was trying to think..

Looking back, he couldn't recall a time when he had looked out at the night sky like that. Growing up, his focus was on whatever his father needed or expected from him. There were times when he was in a room that had no windows, for days, sometimes weeks, months? Years? After that, he behaved in the exact same manner. Ezekiel kept himself under lock and key because he didn't feel safe.

Even living with Victor, he was hiding from the world. Ezekiel never took the time to look outside. He couldn't recall ever seeing the sky with those colors. His soul was very out-of-sync and out of touch with the world around him. He didn't even know the sky could hold that look. Victor Strange kept staring at Ezekiel. He swallowed down his baby nerves as Ezekiel thought everything through..

Victor reminded himself that his sister forbid them from touching one another. The baby sorcerer inwardly cursed at his older sister, cuz he wanted to touch Ezekiel's skin right there in that moment.

"I've never seen anything like this before, Vic."

Obadiah's son was oblivious to Victor's thoughts, and he had to hold onto the fence. He looked back out there after a moment, and Victor just…

The baby Strange took a moment to ponder what he was feeling, and what he heard, while Steve Rogers quietly stepped away from the scene. He didn't intend to eavesdrop on the two of them for that long, but the soldier couldn't help himself after a while. Seeing them interact reminded him of someone that he really needed to talk to. The blonde planned to wait it out for a couple days, but…

Steve went against all the logic, and he decided to follow the feeling in his gut. The soldier took the long road across the Kamar taj. He stopped at the door that led down to Tony's hiding place. Without knocking, Steve gently opened the door and made his way in.

Chapter: END

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