And the butterflies that burst from your fingertips

One: The Mordo Problem

"So he's a threat?"

Stephen hesitated at the tone of Natasha's voice. "Well..."

"You knew there was a rogue sorcerer out there and you didn't tell us!"

"Calm down there, Nat," Tony said, stepping forward with a hand stretched towards her in a gesture that clearly told her to be quiet. "Strange here would have had his reasons, right?"

"What reasons?" Bruce asked, sounding slightly angry, but Stephen realised he just didn't like surprises and not knowing when a fight might be coming.

"He was my friend," Stephen said, almost instantly. "I didn't... want to believe he would do something like this."

"But he has, and he is," Clint chimed in, but it wasn't in a mean way.

"Well, we know now," Tony said, stepping forwards once again. "So let's stop getting all angry at Stephen and worry about what we're going to do about this threat."

Stephen felt a rush of gratitude towards Tony, along with a sudden surge of affection that made him want to rush forward and give the shorter man a hug, but he didn't, managing to control himself. "You'll definitely need my help in this. He's powerful."

"And we're not?" Carol stepped forward, her gaze alight with fiery anger. Stephen met her gaze calmly.

"He takes the powers of others. There are only certain spells to stop him, and none of you possess the knowledge to cast them."

"Perhaps a plan is in order?" came the voice of Thor from where he was standing in the far corner of the room.

"What Point Break said," Tony agreed with a small nod. "Strange can give us some more insight into this "Mordo" guy and we can all think of a game plan. Preferably one that involves Peter keeping out of trouble."

"Hey! I'm not useless!"

"Tony's right," Stephen broke in, looking over at the kid. "It's too dangerous. He'd knock you out with one blow, and you might never wake up."

Peter's eyes grew wide. "On second thoughts-"

"Strange." Tony beckoned Stephen over to him, and he took the few steps across the room to his side, ignoring the way his heart skipped a beat at being so close to Tony; this really wasn't the time.

"Yes, Stark?" Stephen replied coolly; if Tony was going to use his surname, then Stephen would use his.

"Can you identify the spells he casts from surveillance footage?"

"Possibly," Stephen replied carefully. "Why?"

In response, Tony lifted his Starkpad- on it sat a video, one Tony had obviously hacked from surveillance cameras in the last place Mordo had been spotted. As Stephen watched, Mordo approached a man, a man who must have been a sorcerer too. Mordo began to perform a spell, and seconds later, the man's magic was being absorbed by him.

Stephen took a sharp breath in. "A magic vacuum."

"What, like a magical Roomba?"

"No. It's a spell that sucks all the magic out of someone. The spell's caster consumes their magic. Makes them grow stronger." Stephen leaned back slightly, letting out a small sigh. "He's more powerful than I thought. Even I wouldn't attempt such a spell."

Tony let out what was possibly the world's largest sigh. "How do we stop him then, Dumbledore?"

"I'm not completely certain," Stephen began, ignoring the groan Tony let out at his words, "But I can search through the books we have at the Sanctum, and check the ones at Kamar Taj for the right spells."

"We need a solution now," Nat cut in from her place across the room, and Stephen glared at her.

"I don't know the spells. There's not much I can do to change that. I've got to find the spells and learn them, which could take at least a week."

Tony let out another groan of annoyance. "Look, wizard, you're pretty cool, but you really need to be more prepared for this kind of stuff."

"I'm sorry if I didn't expect one of my friends to go rogue," Stephen spat, feeling anger start to rise in him. "And I'm sorry for trying to help!"

"Guys," came Bruce's calming tone from where he stood with Thor. "Calm it."

"Bruce is right," Clint said, from where he was leaning casually against the wall. "We've all had times where we have to learn more before we can defeat a threat, right? Just think of Thanos."

"Alright, you win," Tony grumbled, before turning back to Stephen. "You'll want to get started soon. We don't have time to waste."

Stephen's gaze softened slightly. "I get that you're all stressed about this. I'll find the spells, I promise."

"Thank you," Tony replied, seeming to have softened too.

Stephen gave him a small smile before lifting his hands to make the circular motions required to open a portal. It popped up between him and Tony, but he didn't let himself try to say goodbye before he stepped through.

The Sanctum stretched out before him, passages in so many different directions, but he strode directly towards the library, ignoring the temptations to explore elsewhere in the Sanctum. In the library, he began to collect books that could have the spells he needed, reading way into the night with no success.

Wong came and went, checking in on the library and Stephen, sometimes offering a book he thought might be helpful. Day bled into night, physical form into astral form, and still Stephen was reading, studying, searching.

Eventually, he set the books aside, exhausted, and left the library to make his way to his room. He collapsed onto his bed, so, so tired but still not knowing the answer. He resolved to check the books at Kamar Taj in the morning, and let his eyes slipped closed. It was after he'd fallen asleep that it happened.

A single, blue butterfly erupted from his fingertips. It fluttered around the room for a few moments before finding the window was open a crack, and it flew out into the night, off in the direction of the Compound.