No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 1

Chapter 73: Red Lights (Part 3)

Clint Barton was eavesdropping.

He heard Stephen Strange respond to something that Victor said to him. The brother said he already explained that he made changes to the dimension they were in, and that he had already paid for commiting those crimes.

That's when Victor brought up always being left in the dark. He didn't know what his brother was going through a long time ago, and he said it was because he "didn't matter".

Victor seemed very down on himself. Clint was aware of that when he shared the apartment with him. He wanted to pull him out of it, somehow.

That all went up in smoke, so...

The archer hated hearing what was being said. He knew that Victor mattered to his siblings, and he could hear the pain in Stephen's voice.

The conversation between them needed to happen, and Stephen kept repeating that he needed him there.

Clint believed what the older brother was saying, and on some level he could relate. Victor brought up their sister Donna. He also mentioned an aunt and uncle all drowning in a lake.

The comment made Stephen stand up even straighter than he normally did. He stood taller than Victor, like a tower. Clint watched him respond, and the words made the baby archer freeze up.

"You are correct. You're not supposed to be here, and I'm not supposed to meet Clea for a very long time."

Stephen was selfish, and he cheated. Donna lost her life in the lake, and he found a way to bring her back. He altered his own dimension, and his entire family was still there with him.

"Agamoto understands family now. He doesn't see any of you as a threat, and I'd never intentionally hurt any of you."

It wasn't his fault, and Stephen didn't want to think about it any longer. He knew that Victor had the full story. His brother knew that Stephen was chosen by Agamotto when he was very young.

It was all about maintaining power, so their family had to go. Agamotto forced his hand, but he was just a kid. Stephen wasn't even aware that he was responsible for their deaths.

He couldn't explain it, but he needed his brother to understand something. Victor seemed very closed off. He wasn't his normal friendly self, and it was destroying Stephen where he stood.

"I need you here, more than anyone."

Victor heard him, but he failed to understand. He couldn't pull his head out of the idea of being expendable. In his mind, Stephen was the only person that was needed. The rest of their family meant nothing.

The thoughts were intruding. He couldn't look in his brother's direction at all. Stephen recognized that, and he wasn't sure how to remedy the situation.

Luckily, a little bit of light entered the conversation. Clint Barton had seen enough of the chat, and he decided to head down from his nest.

Stephen and Victor watched him approach. Victor stared at his friendly roommate, and he became even quieter than he was before.

Uhh... Victor blinked a few times.

"Your boyfriend is sick and he picked a fight with someone. You might want to check on him."

Clint stepped up to the brothers, and he made sure that he pointed over in the direction Ezekiel flew.

The comment made Victor tense up a little. He wasn't sure why his friendly former roommate randomly showed up, or why he said what he did.

Victor slowly swallowed. He looked back toward Stephen. Their chat wasn't over, but hold up.

"Why do you call him that?"

Victor had to ask. He quickly returned his focus toward the person that just waltzed into the conversation. The baby Strange was referring to the boyfriend comment. He remembered his friendly roommate labeling Ezekiel as his boyfriend when they were back at the apartment. He also said it in such a strange way...

"Well, he's your boyfriend. Right?"

Wasn't that how it worked? Clint was doing his best to distract the brothers anyway, and give them something else to discuss. Stephen looked devastated, and it didn't seem like Victor was hearing him.

"He.."

Victor went to answer, but his response got all caught up in his throat. Well, he thought of Ezekiel as his boyfriend... before.

BUT the word always felt very weird. It felt, dated. Plus, Ezekiel didn't operate that way. They weren't like that, anymore.

Victor mentally stumbled over it, and he kept staring at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that just invaded his personal space. Clint Barton was becoming an expert at making shit awkward as fuck.

Victor almost told him that, but he didn't.

Stephen held a small smile. He didn't mind the interruption. The original subject hurt his chest, and he knew that the subject would never go away.

There was something that he needed to say to his little brother, but the sorcerer decided to wait. He glanced over toward his left, then he thought about their next move.

Chapter: END

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