The Multiversal Road-Trip: Book Five

15

"You want to do what?" Wong asked, predictably, when Stephen explained his plan.

"Do I have to explain it again?" Stephen frowned. Once was bad enough. It had taken close to twenty minutes, and they'd only just got to the bit where he was asking permission from Wong about attempting that spell with Mordo and him. "Because I think I made myself very clear."

Wong blinked. "You realise that was a rhetorical question, right?"

"You realise that was sarcasm, right?" Stephen retaliated in a deadpan voice. "So is it a yes or a no?"

"Can I just get this straight? You want to communicate with yourself in other dimensions to try to find out which dimension this Wanda has gone to?" Wong asked. "And you're sure this will actually work before I release our top security prisoner?"

Honestly, this Wong. Always needing to get everything straight by repeating his previous words. "Yes," Stephen said, slowly and deliberately. "And with you being the almighty, all-powerful one, O Sorcerer Supreme, I need your permission. Do I have it?"

All of them waited for the verdict, with even the cloak leaning forwards ever so slightly in anticipation. They must have looked like such an odd sight to poor Wong. Well, it was a very tense moment. This decision could mean the difference between saving and destroying the multiverse. (Gosh, and this was only finding Wanda. Imagine how tense they'd be if they found a spell that could actually stop her.)

Wong sighed and stood up. "I'll let you on one condition. I want you to clean the Sanctum afterwards." Stephen opened his mouth to protest, but Wong continued, "And I mean the thorough clean."

Oh no. Not the thorough clean.

Loki whistled. "Blackmailed, mate."

Stephen hated cleaning. Hated it. But if it was the only thing that would get Wong to agree... "OK, fine," he huffed. "You win. Lets do it."

Wong's face was undoubtably smug. It just made Stephen's scowl deeper. "Right then, I'll go get Mordo. You wait here."

"I'm coming too," Scott said. Loki, Stephen and Wong looked at him. "What? There's something about an enchanted dungeon-y place that really appeals to me."

"Come along then," Wong said, and the two of them headed off down the corridor off the library that led to the jail, leaving Loki and Stephen alone with the cloak.

Things felt a bit awkward for a while, and then Stephen spoke up. "Hey, um, by the way, I'm sorry for earlier," he said, realising he hadn't apologised for how he'd kinda exploded at him. But Stephen didn't meet his eyes.

"What are you sorry for this time?" Loki asked. "A lot of things happened earlier."

"For..." Stephen didn't even know why he felt the need to apologise. Loki clearly didn't mind. He got over things so quickly it was unbelievable. "I dunno. Calling you an idiot," he finished, very quietly.

He chanced a glance up at Loki to see him looking straight at him, with an expressionless look on his face. Then it broke. "Wow, I thought you were going to say something serious then. I've been called much, much worse than an idiot before."

"Yeah, but not by me," Stephen said. "And I was just feeling bad about blaming everything on you when I would have done exactly the same thing in your position. So. I'm sorry." This actually helped to relax some of the stress he was feeling, oddly.

"It's totally fine, Strange," Loki said, smiling. (It was a very, very small smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.) "Now, put it behind you and lets get on with this, OK?"

"Sounds like a plan," Stephen nodded, with a very small smile of his own.