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It was discovered that a Hydra tac squad had violated space time - they or their images were seen and recorded to be in two places simultaneously and then in a third that would have required travel speed which raised some SHIELD eyebrows.
The Avengers had recieved the report through somewhat apologetic SHIELD channels and now set about discussing what form their contribution to the discussion might take.
They had Tony and Bruce in house, and could certainly try and conceive of a practical explanation for the data, but they also had the freedom of a good relationship with other organizations to make alternative analysis.
Steve had already written Xavier on the board as a possibility for consultation, as 'mutant' phenomenon might fit the bill, but he also said, "Strange?" before writing it because Tony laughed pretty bitterly when he said it.
Steve said, "I know it makes you uncomfortable Tony but it would let me feel better about confining our search to physical reality."
Tony said, "Oh, good," and rolled his eyes very hard while Bruce hid a fond smile behind his hand.
Wanda shifted uncomfortably when Steve looked at her and Steve tried his best relaxed body posture, he said, "Wanda I know Professor Xavier had approached you about identification with the mutant community, would you be willing to take point with him? We need a messenger and I think you're our best bet."
She did not look toward Pietro before replying, "Aye, Captain."
Pietro closed his hand around hers.
Somewhere, far away, Dr. Strange clenched his fists and a tear tracked down one cheek.
Dormammu.. Dormammu.
Tony said, "Well who's going to talk to the good Doctor?"
Bruce said, "Not me,"
Clint said, "Um. - "
Natasha shook her head and Steve looked like they had failed the easy test.
Steve said, "Bucky or I will get word to him, you idiots. Dismissed."
---
An antenna tuned towards their signal, Strange leaned towards them all the time.
Three nights later he met Bucky in a dream, and they both looked at an image of Steve Rogers as he used to look in Brooklyn before the war.
Thin to the point of graceful, full lashes, flushed cheeks, eyes the same hopeful blue.
Bucky saw Strange weep in midair, an apparition in the rooms of his dream - floating, crying.
Strange turned with a fencers attitude towards Bucky in midair and his weeping face vanished, sucked into a more straight forward one which had a thousand yard stare that Bucky was achingly familiar with.
Strange didn't want Bucky to see his full profile, didn't want to reveal how much of him was so substantially changed by his prolonged incorporation of the Eye which gleamed dull in the dream and it's shine was the same as Bucky's arm.
Strange guessed that he probably wasn't really deceiving the Winter Soldier.
Strange said, shy, "I could make you see him.. when you are afraid, or if you are absent, I could make you see him start to change shape back into this one, if you wanted, even at a usefully regular interval with the more that you -- if - , "
Strange shut up and looked down toward the infinite nothing of the undrawn aether around them.
After a second of him being quiet Bucky shook his head very fractionally, almost not moving at all.
Strange faded quickly from view and said, "I'm sorry."
Bucky said, "Doc!"
Strange wouldn't look up but his outline was clearly visible.
Strange's voice lingered oddly when he said, "Yes?"
Bucky felt his face go hot and stared and stared at the place on Strange where it was visible.. the eye of agamotto, an amulet set into an incision, the..microchip...
Bucky said, "You should come by the tower if you want to."
Strange said, "I will," and dissapeared.
----
The interioricity of the tower terrifyed Strange, it was like a hive, he got clautsrophobic at the idea of living inside Tony Stark's brain, and he smiled more comfortably when he saw Steven Rogers in the hallways of that place, Avenger's Tower and the Captain of America in his capitalist fortress.
Steve said, "You're not worry about someone making off with that when you travel with that Doc?"
Steve was looking at the amulet at the doctor's throat.
It tended to scintillate when observed and Steve had the vague impression that it was vain in some way, that it preened.
Strange touched it with the tips of his fingers and said, "I could make another, Captain, why would you like one?"
Steve snorted a laugh and shook his head, he said, "I was under the impression that was -the- eye of -the- agamotto, uniquely. Surely that would be difficult to replace."
Strange said, "And who is that, Captain? Agamotto?"
Steve said, "I, " but Strange said over top of him, "My magic is one piece with me Captain, do you worry they will take the serum from you?"
Steve said, "Sometimes. I know they want to."
Strange leaned forward as though he would touch Steve but stopped and Steve closed the distance and shoved Strange gently.
Steve said, "Bucky asked you to come because of some intelligence we have recieved that might be more in your wheelhouse than ours" and walked with Strange, slightly behind him to the right, motioning him to follow down the hall.
Strange said, "Ok. Would you tell him - " but stopped and then kept walking.
Steve didn't turn around.
They were nearing the door that Steve's posture indicated was their destination.
Strange said, "Nevermind, I will look at your intelligence. I do not think that your enemies can train people like me if that's really your worry."
Steve opened the door and Strange stepped into audience with Hawkeye the Black Widow, Tony and Thor.
Steve felt an enormous reluctance to enter the room behind Strange and frowned, making eye contact with Natasha. She stood up and offered Strange a seat.
Strange said, "No thank you," and he stood in front of the screen projecting a synopsis of the event.
Natasha said, "Do you - " but Strange interrupted to say,
"Do goats flock to Thor?" His eyes shined widely and he seemed to wait with his whole body for her to answer.
She looked at Steve who looked at everyone else.
Strange said, "I think they should gambol around him, that they would..frolick. - you should -- if you wanted a picture -- I."
The wizard stopped and looked down and then towards the walls.
Strange said, "No, that was not achieved with magic," and then he dissapeared.
-------
After that it was like inviting a vampire; Avengers would walk into rooms they knew for a fact were empty and he would be there, reading a book or sleeping on the couch or hovering in a corner.
It bothered Tony a lot until he and Strange talked for one full hour about quantum reality and buddhism and eventually Tony seemed to think that Strange agreed with him about the nature of perspective and location and temporality and became if anything more smug.
Steve was somewhat gratified that he no longer rolled his eyes when Strange was mentioned although if it would have kept the doctor out of the kitchen when -no one- was demonstrably in the kitchen he would gladly have tolerated the bad blood.
Bucky didn't seem to mind so Steve got used to it, because if Bucky was alive and with him then so what, Dr. Strange occasionally, good, even.
Steve couldn't thank him enough for his help so, good that he got to see him now and again even if it was hell on over sensitive reflexes.
Strange always looked enormously guilty, as though he had forgotten a well known preference of his dance partner and stepped square on the lead foot.
Steve thought of the emojis Tony was forever trying to render all communication in, slant face, an s curve, the lips slightly displeased, god damnit again.
He laughed and heard Strange laugh too and swung around in time to see him drift through the corner his cloak a liquid bloom in their mostly solid apartment space.
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