- Hiraeth -

... Six ...

hey so 50+ reads is absolutely insane!
Thank you guys so much <3
This chapter is pretty short, but I really wanted to get something out there. I'm probably going to start making the chapters shorter, just so I can find a more consistent way to update. They won't be quite this short, though

CHAMOMILE

"Jellyfish?" Stephen's eyes blew open wide, years of memory flooding his system. A young boy, taking his dying breaths, scalpels in his cranium, a life-saving surgery.

"What?" Tony waved his hand in front of Strange's face, confused. He could've gotten lost in the sorcerer's eyes. A new seafoam green had wormed its way into the iris. Following his gaze, Stark was met with an equally stunned Wade Wilson. The two were frozen in time, and Tony could've swore he saw a tear fall down Stephen's cheek.

Strange opened his arms. In no more than a millisecond, Wade's shuddering form had thrown itself into his. The younger male was crying. He was sobbing, in fact. Peter, cautiously, made his way over to his mentor. They shared a look of curiosity.

"I missed you, Jellyfish." The nickname caused Wade to grip the back of Stephen's sweater tighter, burying his face into his hero's chest.

Tony raised a finger, opening his mouth to speak. However, he was cut off by Peter.

"It's a long story."

——————

Once Strange had finished recounting his memories from Wade's hospital stay, Peter and Tony still had questions.

"What about the nickname?" Parker asked, sticking his tongue out at his soulmate. 'Jellyfish' was objectively worse than 'Little Tony.'

Wade, too flustered to answer, passed the question onto Stephen.

The former doctor smiled the most genuine smile he'd done in a very long time. "He thought I removed his brain, and when I asked how he would live without a brain, he said 'like a jellyfish.'" It was a miracle that Stephen had recognized Wade. When they'd met, all those years ago, the boy's body hadn't yet been ravaged by scars. His hair had been thinning from the intensive chemotherapy, but that was about it. The bond that the two shared had always been unspoken, but impenetrable. Perhaps it was that bond that led them back to each other.

They laughed, all except for Wilson, who had become an embarrassed mess.

Peter, still a bit skeptical of this newcomer, decided to introduce himself. "Hi, I'm Peter. I'm Wade's soulmate, and Mr. Stark's intern."

"It's nice to meet you, Peter." Strange replied, his smile only growing. He knew that this was Tony's 'kid', and he was already seeing where the engineer had rubbed off on him. "My name is Stephen Strange. I'm a sorcerer."

Now that piqued Parker's interest. "... Really?"

As the two chatted about magic, mysticality, and just general divination, Tony felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, delighted by who he saw.

"Oh, Miss Potts. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Stark cooed jokingly, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles.

She laughed quietly at his antics before responding. "I got bored of standing around. Let's go do something fun." She practically begged, pulling Tony away from Stephen's side.

Of course, Peter noticed how Strange watched them from his peripheral vision, all while holding conversation. "That's Pepper Potts." Peter answered the unspoken question lingering in the man's mind. "Her and Mr. Stark are super close."

"Oh." Stephen struggled to think of some way to continue the conversation without dwelling on the fact that his friend had just been stolen away by a rather attractive woman. Back in a time when he'd been interested in the opposite sex, he would've found Pepper almost irresistible. It was no wonder that Tony had chosen her.

Chosen her... over what exactly? Over himself? That was an incredibly selfish thought. Strange was a grown man, jealous because his friend wasn't giving him attention. At least, that's what he told himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by chatter. Peter and Wade had struck up their own conversation. They really did make an excellent pair. Stephen knew Wade to be impulsive, reckless, and immature. But Peter seemed to know how to handle his personality. Probably from dealing with Stark.

"Stephen Strange." The sorcerer turned around, having to tilt his head slightly downward to see who had addressed him.

"Doctor Banner?" He questioned, letting out a surprised chuckle. "One of the most renowned scientists of the century knows my name?"

Bruce shook his head, smiling. "Call me Bruce. Of course I know your name, your intellect rivals my own, Strange."

"Stephen, please." Stephen matched Banner's courtesy. "Intellect and memory are two very different things, I'm sure you know. Comparing us is comparing apples to oranges." He bantered, already feeling at ease.

"Of course." Bruce nodded while looking Strange up and down. He frowned. "You don't have a soulmate?" He could've been wrong, but soulmarks were usually on skin that was regularly exposed.

Stephen flushed a bit, scratching the back of his neck with twitching fingers. "Ah, no. I've decided that I'd rather focus on myself. And you?..."

That's where Stephen had gone wrong. Anyone who'd known Bruce for more than two minutes knew how much the man loved talking about his soulmate. How they'd met, how they'd fallen in love, and how happy they both were. He'd show off his engagement ring, minimal and decorated in Asgardian jewels. This is how Strange spent half an hour, listening to a scientist ramble on about his God of Thunder.

At around 2am, most of the party's guests had either left or crashed in one of the many guest rooms. Stephen stayed, offering to help Tony clean. It took about thirty seconds with the use of his magic. He had a seat on the couch, feeling quite fatigued.

Eight hours later, he awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. Turning his head, he came inches away from the face of a sleeping Tony Stark.