Light & Dark // Spider-Man: No Way Home [Book 5]

chapter twelve {Third Person POV}

The massive house on Bleecker Street stood out against all other buildings, with its tall white columns against the red-brick facade and a giant circular window that displayed the symbol of the Sanctum Sanctorum. 

The tall blue doors creaked open before Peter could ring the doorbell, blowing an icy wind into his and Arya's faces. The whole interior of the lobby of the Sanctum was covered in snow, and as they walked in, they found two people in winter gear shovelling snow into buckets. 

Peter rubbed his hands against one another to warm them up while Arya stuck hers under her arms. Peter cleared his throat. "Um, hi," he said to the shovelling people. They stopped in sync and stared right past Arya and Peter as if they didn't see them. "Hi?" Peter repeated questioningly. "I'm-"

A portal appeared on their right, startling both of them. Wong, dressed in a thick winter coat, stepped through while carrying two large suitcases. "Yeah, the two most famous people in the world. I know. Wong. Try not to slip, we don't have liability insurance." 

"Is all this for a holiday party or something?" Arya asked as she walked further into the Sanctum.

"No. One of the Gangways connects to Siberia. A blizzard blasted through," Wong explained. 

A gush of wind sounded, sending flurries of snow through the air. "Because someone forgot to cast a maintenance spell to keep the seals tight," Doctor Stephen Strange said as he descended from the air, his Cloak of Levitation hugging his shoulders. He was also dressed in a winter coat and held a steaming cup of coffee in his hand that spilt a little when he almost slipped on the icy floor.

"That's right, he did, because I now have higher duties," Wong shot back.

"Higher Duties?" Strange questioned with a tone of offence.

"The Sorcerer Supreme has higher duties, yes," Wong replied calmly. 

"Wait, I thought you were the Sorcerer Supreme?" Arya asked Strange.

"No, he got it on a technicality because I blipped for five years," he said with a sarcastic smile.

"Oh, congratulations," Peter offered Wong, who smiled.

Wong stalked over to the two seemingly brainwashed people and ordered them to keep shovelling, so Strange turned to his two visitors. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked them, leading the way to the fireplace. 

"Right, um," Peter said before catching himself on Arya's arm as he almost slipped on an icy patch on the ground. "We're really sorry to bother you, sir, but-" 

"Please, we saved half the universe together, I think we're beyond you calling me 'sir'." Strange flicked his fingers at the fireplace and it ignited in a warm flame.

"Okay, uh," Peter replied, somewhat uneasy. "Stephen." 

"That feels weird but I'll allow it," Strange said. 

Peter sighed softly to himself as he looked for the right words. He felt Arya squeeze his hand. He hadn't even noticed grabbing her hand in the first place. "When Mysterio revealed our identities, our entire lives got screwed up and I was wondering- I mean, I don't even know if this would actually work but I was wondering if..." He cut himself off from rambling and took a breath before looking up at Strange. "If you could go back in time and make it so that he never did."

Strange narrowed his eyes for a fraction of a second. "Peter, we tampered with the stability of space-time to resurrect countless lives and you wanna do it again now just 'cause yours got messy?"

"This isn't- It's not just about me. I mean, this is really hurting a lot of people," he said, glancing at Arya. "My aunt May, Happy, my best friends, Arya. Their futures are ruined just because they know me and they've done nothing wrong."