strange magic

“Because you tend to freak out about it, and then it goes nowhere. Or I get cheated on, it tends to be either one.” Niko countered, a playful smirk on his face. He knows that he put her through hell for his whole life, but the fact that they could still have these moments meant a lot to him. Even if he didn’t say so. “Okay, maybe she didn’t…You know Portia McKenzie? Emma Frost and Namor’s daughter? I think I may like her.. a lot.” More like he loved her, but baby steps.

sofia was a little dramatic about it, and may have scoffed in a look of being offended even though he hit the nail right on the head. further to be proved by the fact that she started to squeal, her hands actually coming up to cup her cheeks in surprise before she caught herself and instead contained her excitement awkwardly fiddling with her hands until they finally laid to rest across her chest. “okay, i totally freak out, but that’s exciting! i’m sure she is adorable!” she was smiling too big for what she was sure was niko’s liking. but she couldn’t help herself, she wanted to see her brother happy. “ you’ll both have to come over for dinner sometime! we’ll have to order out, because i still can’t cook, but still! it’ll be nice!” she had plenty of time to learn how to cook with sam gone, but she had focused on other things instead. like crying about him being there and then giving up and just conjuring up some food.

‘ dead man’s toe! dead man’s toe! dead! dead! dead! ‘  ( @sofstrange )

“ah!” he struck the object, which Sofia had hot-potatoed his way, down onto the morgue’s floor. “howarewedoctor’s?? who let this happen?”

she hated it down here, and for someone who spent most of her days staring at an open body cavity, some may think that’s a bit strange. but she picked neurosurgery for a reason. so when she walked past the cadaver and her elbow accidentally nicked the foot her first reaction was to screech and throw. “it cracked off!” she rebutted as if that was an answer to his questions. “we are in the business of saving lives fletcher, not in the business of picking up a cadaver for the visiting first year med students to freak out over.” it was something they all had went through, it was meant to weed out the weak from the strong. she had nailed her ‘test’ but then again, she had a very good coach.

With a roll of his eyes, Niko blew out another puff of smoke. “Sorry, Sofia.” He finally replied with a a small smile. “That would be lying, and I could never do that…To you, at least.” He dropped the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his foot. “Not banned, just strongly asked not to. Which you do anyway. Love department? Dormant since I broke up with Penelope.” He knew who she was hinting at, but like always, he dodged around.

sofia smiled proudly at that, it was the little moments like this that reassured her that she was a good sister. he could be lying and with all that she had been through, with him and sam, she shouldn’t put so much trust in him. but he was her brother, she didn’t have the luxury of not giving him her whole world if he needed it. “if i don’t ask, you’ll never tell me!” she cried lightly. “dormant? so there’s no one you’re even talking to? no one you even find attractive? come on, you at least have to have like a crush on someone! i know penelope messed you up a lot, but she couldn’t have screwed you over that bad!” she wasn’t brutally cheated on by a psychotic bitch, but she was lied to for her entire relationship and if she can back into the game after that, so could niko.

Sam had been looking for her all night. Yes, he had been late to the event. Just in time to be shuffled into a media center (Sam, not usually someone that got shuffled places, was really caught off guard). The doors had opened and his heart began to race, this space was so tight and there was so much chaos and people crying or screaming and he..wanted to do something for them. This was panic. And he could not stop. Sam had to find her. 

He had become frantic when he finally saw her. Helping people, of course. Maybe she wouldn’t be pleased to see him but- seeing that she was okay really- he exhaled. Relief. He didn’t notice the use of babe or question the physical contact. This was just her- being like she had been the other night. blurring the lines of what they were now and for now that was fine. “are you- god-,” the dark colored stains on her dress. “are you okay?” his more level head would have analyzed this from across the room but- right now something was- he was feeling more than ever before and was not questioning it. “we should-.” his hand fell to her dress. fear. “sof?”

when did he grow this beard? had she not seen him in a while? maybe work was busy last week - or maybe work was so shitty she hadn’t noticed? her hand reached up to touch his face,” i’m fine” she reassured him, looking down at her dress. “it’s not mine, at least i don’t think it is.” deep breaths sofia, concentrate. she didn’t feel pain anywhere in her body, but her adrenaline could be pumping too hard. “i’m fine” she said after a breath, meeting his eyes again.

“whats going on?” she asked, her voice shaking as she looked around them. “everything’s so crazy, people are freaking out.” she hadn’t let go of him, even as she moved and looked around some part of her was touching him. she needed to be near him, his presence bringing her comfort, making her feel safe. “are we allowed to go home? i just ... i don’t get whats going on.” she was scared, and that was evident on her face. but she was glad that sam was by her side in whatever this was. “stay with me?” she asked, “no matter what, no matter if they try to push us back into those stupid groups, please stay with me.”

after slinging around campus she finally found him, crashing into him and immediately wrapping him in a hug. “oh thank god!” she pulled back, her hands slipping down his arms into his hands. “i have no idea what’s going on babe, i just got blood all over this dress-” she took in a deep breath and fell into him a bit. “i’m just glad you’re okay.” @sammorzz​

Perhaps it was dramatic to ask her to put her phone in the other room. But if she was forcing his whole hand like this, precautions were necessary. He should take her to a secluded spot in a crowded park, midday on today to tell her all of this. But here was- relatively fine. The phone was the only factor worrying him (again, the house wasn’t bugged, he’d swept it, twice, the day before). Sam wondered if he would regret just not smashing it. Or having her send it through a portal it to the sanctum. Now that was an idea-

And she was back. Where was he? “I’ve got the three sisters. Artemis didn’t know about me until- a couple of years ago. Jade, you’ve met her, I believe.” Briefly, a pre-prison, she’d broken into his and Sofia’s apartment one night while he was on a job. Of course, given that Jade did not know Sofia’s status as the future sorcerer supreme, the odds had been incredibly unfair for her. “and then- Lila-,” his twin, another fairly new development for Sofia. “she goes by Aspen now, like I go by Sam instead of Lyle.” Lyle, a name that increasingly felt distant to him. The one he felt less attached to as the day went on. 

He paused by eating another spoon full of peanut butter. He told her that he’d be honest with her. From now on, but starting with the beginning. Sam met her eyes as he snacked. What was she going to think when she knew everything? He knew. She’d want nothing to do with him. Which was a shame, because he wanted everything to do with her. He wanted to be her call when something particularly gross happened at work. He wanted to be the person she was excited to rush home to after a long shift. And he wanted her head on his chest at night, when he couldn’t sleep but she was doing it all to well.

And Sam could process this now. He had been fond, attached. But now he could list off those things. She had long since become more than just a central place holder in his fronted life. Sofia was Sofia. Really, the only person who had mattered to him in this particular way. And he- felt that he couldn’t lose her. The truth would scare her off, “Right. I spent my childhood sparring. Training. Learning basic weapons tech, assembly, disassembly. I did a few months sniper training, I was twelve then. It’s like, some kids go to camp in the Summer? Every few months I would get sent somewhere and learn a new skill, and then come back to Lawrence.”  She may ask questions about that, so he paused, more than willing to take the time to talk about that rather than what came after. 

“i have?” she asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. she easily could have met his sister and not have known, his other sister was her god damn mentor, and then he had another sister, aspen. she heard the name before, at least it sounded familiar. “aspen, she’s...isn’t she a med student” it wasn’t really a question, though she was sure it would be answered easily she was really more so just working it out in her head - the face to the name and all. “new names is a trend i guess” she said it slightly under her breath, but she knew he probably heard it.

this was just a lot of information to take in, he had this whole family that she didn’t even know about ...yet he was practically adopted into hers. granted, her father was never really the biggest fan of sam, but they both put on a show for her and she appreciated that. niko and sam seemed to hit it off, and that should have been a warning sign but those were simpler times.

“You can ask if you want to, I know you’ve been dying to.” Niko breathed out smoke away from Sofia as he raised an eyebrow at her, bringing the cigarette back up to his lips. Repeating the same movement, he looked at her expectantly. “I think you ask once every couple of months.”

@sofstrange

sofia attempted to smooth out the mess on top of her head that was once in a neat braid crown. her surgeon cap now limp in her hand as she stood in front of her brother. “why do you have to do that?” she said, eyebrows raised in their typical older sister fashion. “can you at least pretend that you don’t smoke in front of me?” tucking the cap into her pocket and leaning against the building with him, she sent him a smile to show him she wasn’t actually mad. “i thought i was banned from asking” she teased, “but fine, what’s new with you in the love department” sofia playfully poked him in the side as she said it, eager for the answer.

sofia stood in the street, hands out and shrouded in magic as she held back a car from crushing a woman who instead of getting up and running was cowering in the middle of the road screaming bloody murder about how the rapture was coming. “um, i’m not really sure mr.parker. i was just trying to get to work when this mess all happened. would you mind giving me hand and getting this wack job off the street so i can put this car down, it’s really heavy”

“Yes. that’s- a codename to operate under. Predominately by him until- I used it for a few months. It’s like Batman. Is he the same guy each time? Probably. But you never know for sure.” The sportsmaster schtick was such a brand- golf ball shaped explosives, the fencing jacket that Sam had sewn places into to hold his knives, the hockey mask. A gimmick, sort of. Hey, they got hired, didn’t they? “It’s- Lawrence. My father’s name is though Lawrence.” How fit he was for fatherhood well, only a few could attest to that. But that’s who he was to Sam. A shitty father, who taught him almost everything that he knew. 

“He used to be a talented athlete. That’s where the name comes from.” Sam hadn’t played a sport with kids his own age until M’gann had him enrolled in high school. He ran track his junior and senior years, joined hockey. Running, fighting Sam thought it was a combination of talent, superior physical fitness, and his competitive nature (with an added flex of the meta gene) that took him to state finals in that last year of school. But before that it was- all training for business purposes. Running to get faster, jumping to get higher, rock walls for climbing, that sort of thing. 

He stopped himself from his next sentence and wondered for a moment if the place had been bugged. Sam had done a sweep of the place a handful of times since he had been released. But what if it had happened overnight. Nope, he would have heard it. Or caught her. But that scenario would have made sense. Let him spend the night, let him act like a co-parent to this dog, and then threaten to take all that away, unless he was honest. “Would you turn your phone off? And place it in the desk in your room. And then we can- resume.” 

she understood it - they lived in the age of heroes, her father being one. she understood nicknames, call signs, code names...all of that jazz. she never really got one, even when she went out with her father or the other young avengers as they were so nicely called. her dad did call her his apprentice once, but that was more of a joke than an actual hero name.she always just assumed that one day she would take over as... dr. strange. but she also wasn’t sure if that was actually a path she would get to take or even want to should the time come. yet- she was getting off topic in her own mind and attempted to center herself again in the conversation. hm, with a name like lawrence, lyle was starting to sound a lot less weird.

she sat, blinking at him for a moment too long. he wanted her to turn her phone off and put it in the other room? a whole shock of emotions ran through her, all of which she was sure filtered through her expression. shock, confusion, anger, sadness. she realized that he was thinking one of two things. either that someone had bugged her phone in order to catch him in something or that she was the one recording in order to catch him in something. she was angry - annoyed that he had thought that she would do such a thing. but then she was sad because not only at one point had she thought of this situation before but... he felt like he couldn’t trust her. and that hurt more.

“yes. I did those things,” sofia asking him if he did all those things he was because..of course he did them. Those actions were small potatoes comparatively. He would probably have laughed if not for the self-control he that had spent years perfecting. 

But there was so much more before those things. The restless in between days when his father was gone and he was left to his own devices. Walking himself to the library. Finding dinner. Learning patience, to just be alone. Did she want to know about being left behind in Moscow at eleven? And how he got back home? What about being shot in the ass at twelve? That sucked. The hours upon hours of training that were his first memories. Shaping him to be- whatever he was. What about the real reason why his body woke him up a four, every morning? And why on most mornings, he felt compelled to get up instead of going back to sleep? Did she want to know all of those things at all? Those were important just as much as the Sportsmaster stuff. Those were the events that made him Sportsmaster and- she hadn’t even asked. That wasn’t quite fair, because he hadn’t offered it. Whenever those topics had actually came up and Sam was unable to divert the conversation away- he brought up forging Lawrence’s signature on a form to play rec league hockey. Or a story about sparring with Jade. 

All of those things Sofia would understand, maybe sympathize with him. He was a kid- doing what he had to do to survive. But then then she would want to hold him accountable for the actions and choices that he made as an adult. Why he wanted to go back to being Sportsmaster, if he wanted it. Maybe give him an ultimatum about choosing her or that lifestyle. And of course she would ask about his feelings regarding his father. Those were- difficult. “you want the truth?” she wanted answers. Fair. “I’m sitting though.” Instead he walked to the kitchen, grabbed a jar of peanut butter, a spoon, and then headed to the couch. “So you know my given name is Lyle. I’ve also used other alias’, those are less important.” Unscrewing the peanut butter lid, this probably seemed like a low point, but he didn’t notice. He knew that he did not want to lose her, again. And if this is what it took, scaring her off with the truth that she was so desperate for. Fine. He’d play. “My father, Lawrence. My mother-,” a shoulder shrug. He had never cared to go looking. “a meta-human of unknown origins.” 

she had known, in her heart of hearts, that he had committed the crimes. known each time that she attempted to visit him that she wasn’t going to be staring at an innocent man. but still, a part of her denied it because how could her sam have done all those things? but hearing him say it to her now.... brought her a strange sort of relief. now she didn’t have to worry about the whole ‘did he or did he not’ of it all. it wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear, but she was happy for an answer nonetheless.

she watched him walk to the kitchen, grab the peanut butter, but her mind wasn’t really present during that. instead her brain was firing out different questions, different version of how this would all go down. she needed to take a moment, collect herself for what she just got herself into. no turning back now, she asked for answers and now she was getting them. it was time for her to face this truth. wait, did he just say other alias? the only thing running through her mind is what if they go out for dinner and someone comes up to the table calling him ... nick? taking a deep breath she ran her hands over her face and through her hair. and decided to sit across from him, even reaching for the peanut butter herself. she’s had worst breakfast than this after night shifts at the hospital.

                                   ✧ —  SOFIA STRANGE — ✧

teddy let out a huff as he sat in the courtyard, anxiously pulling at a fray in his jeans. “i need to do something. i don’t care who you are or whatever but i just need to do something. because he is getting itchy and when he gets itchy bad things happen. but it can’t involve fire or high pitched noises. got it?” the dark-haired host ranted, jaw clenching. “plus – uh. my dad said i gotta make friends or he’s not gonna find friends for me…which is not going to happen. how do you make friends again?”

“um, okay.” sofia’s voice was calm. it was the same voice she used when frantic mothers came rushing into the er after their kid did something stupid but for the most part was okay. “why don’t we go for a little walk?” she said, looking around the courtyard a bit. it wasn’t exactly the perfect day outside but it would have to do. “you can make friends plenty of ways, common interests, hobbies, that kind of stuff. what do you do for fun?” she asked, her nose scrunching up a bit, “actually i hate that question, they always used it for ice breakers in school. how about, what is one thing you absolutely could not live without? I have this one sweatshirt from my dad that is probably a million years old, but it so stinking comfortable. when it eventually falls apart i will probably die along with it. that and ice cream. i really love ice cream.”

Salem, the sweet soul, had yet to read the room and was still zipping around by the door, waiting for his walk. “Ah. Convenient.” The tone in his voice was drenched with an uncharacteristic bitterness. His hands in his pockets, he squared his shoulders back, his mouth closed but slightly askew. Sam was collecting himself, a little bit slower than usual. 

He had tried being more attentive, or as attentive one can be while being kept at a distance. He contributed to the apartment. He was working on being more honest about his intentions. Sam could, and would, point out handful of instances where he thought he was doing enough. And maybe he was. But none of that was going to make up for his indiscretions that she was so hung up on. That everyone was so hung up on, and he was so ready to move along from. 

Sam knew patience. Patience was key in any strategic moves, his life had been built around that. Most moves planned four plays in advance was a necessity. He could continue to be patient with Sofia. He could blow it to hell, if he wanted. And that bitterness in his voice? Wasn’t going anywhere, “Let’s talk, then.” 

she hated this. had seen him like this before in passing, fleeting moments when they walked down the street together and some asshole decided to comment. he was holding himself back, his emotions, what he truly wanted to express. she hated it because he could do it so well and she never could. she hated it because she never knew if what he said was really what he felt. he was able to put a wall up between them that served as a mask that she was unable to read, no matter how hard she tried. sure, they had gotten in fights screamed a few harsh words at each other, but at the end of it all they shared the same bed, she woke up tucked under his body, and they moved on. she knew this wasn’t going to be like that, and as much as she didn’t want to admit it... it upset her. she didn’t want to have to go through this, to comb through what had happened from beginning to end. but her stupid head wouldn’t let her even more stupid heart take the reigns in this situation.

Together, then. They would walk Salem together, stop for breakfast, come back, have the day together. He had gone to classes last week- so maybe he would run back to his mom’s apartment and grab his laptop, come back, and do his work. It seemed normal enough. 

And then she said his name, the air in this room shifted. 

Sam understood that this had been a difficult transition for the few that seemed to care. His past transgressions had left her confused and hurt. She had been dating a stranger. Sam had been a stranger to himself, his whole life. Pushing back anything that resembled an actual personality for whatever suited the situation best. And now he was going to get to be that person- to the that person why having her at his side. It had seemed- maybe exciting. Normal enough could 

Silence. No hms or ohs or huhs. How naive of him to believe that this was happening. “So we’re not together, for clarification.” His mouth gave a slight twitch as the words came out. He shifted uneasily. Sam’s usual tall posture..shrunk. His shoulders were lowered. None of this was on purpose, as he had done in a similar fashion to many others in the past. This was a natural response to an emotion that he did not recognize. 

Floored, his chest had tightened. This was new. He attempted to pull his face together to the flat line that it typically retained. But it twitched- again. Like a robot circuiting after water had been dumped on it. This was- fear of loss. Maybe. Huh. New. He didn’t know fear, not since he was..he couldn’t remember. The man without fear, but less of a cliche. Now..experiencing heartbreak like a cliche. Wow. This was something. “I should leave.”

“i’m not there yet.” she replied, because her heart wouldn’t let her tell him no. she felt the change in him, he was always so good at hiding what he was feeling. something that had always irked her, mostly because she was always so bad at hiding hers. she took a deep breath, “sam,” she started but she didn’t really know what she should say. she wanted to say sorry, but she knew that she wasn’t sorry for not being able to get back together with him. instead she was sorry that she welcomed him into her bed again fully knowing that she wasn’t ready.

“hey.” Sam backtracked. He’d awoken around 4 that morning, as he did most days. Usually he would go for a run, read, tinker, whatever. But this morning he soaked it in. Being here, with her, in their apartment, their dog snoring under the bed. It was here that Sam felt- something. Maybe whoever he was going to be was here. Not hurting anyone. Not looking over his shoulder. No more shady deals. Normalcy. Or something like it, sounded boring. Yet his mind, always running on high, always calculating, running scenarios, found rest here. And Sam had drifted back to sleep, finding comfort that he hadn’t had in- a year and a half almost. 

Around 8, he showered, made coffee, had thrown back on his clothes from the day before. He hoped to make it back before Sof woke up. Sam was now operating under the assumption that last night, her allowing him to stay over in this capacity, meant that they were finally getting back together. The conversation about that was sure to be later in the day. Was he the man she once knew? That guy never existed outside of an act, he figured that she had accepted this. As well as accepted this new-ish version of him. Right? This was all difficult to accept, he knew that. He knew that it would a hard road for the both of them. But they would work through it. Together. 

But Sam walked with renewed energy. 

“I was going to take Salem for a walk. I can pick up bagels.” And come back, do Saturday things together. Like they used to.

he would leave, go for a walk, a run, a whatever. he would come back, pick up some breakfast. they would eat it, talk about their dreams from the night before, talk about their day, and then go about it. it was routine, a schedule that they had once had. but that was gone now. her saturday mornings were different. she woke up, took salem out for a walk, came back made herself breakfast, cleaned up around the apartment and then would lounge around for a bit before deciding to go visit her father or hanging out with cassie or kate, or working if she was on call that weekend. he was lingering, pushing back into their normal. it wasn’t supposed to happen. this couldn’t happen.

“i can take salem for a walk.” she tried to sound causal. she was never really good at this, never really had to do this. the awkward talk of a one night stand. but this wasn’t just some random man, this was sam. her sam. and now she had to kick him out, because she was stupid enough to sleep with him even though she wasn’t ready to get back together with him. wasn’t ready to sort out her feelings yet and weight the pros and cons, to finally decide between her head and her heart.