Chapter Text
Getting ready was always easy for her. It was as simple as a few flicks of her hands but this time was different. She felt nervous like never before. In any other universe, in every existence she had led she never had to worry overly about the consequences, of people liking or disliking her, or of judging her. She never planned to be in one place too long, and always knew it was unlikely she would never see those people again. This was the first time in her life that it mattered. The first time in her life that she was worried about the impression she made, because she didn"t intend on leaving this universe ever. Not permanently anyway - who knew what the future would bring, and what threats with it.
She smoothed down the dress she wore; all black, off the shoulder runched straps, finishing just above her knees and molding to her body silkily. She left her hair down, a single flick of her hand curling it down her back and around her face, hiding the silver hoops that poked out from her ear. Sighing, she twisted in front of the mirror and then shook her head. That was enough. She was over thinking it now. The Avengers had already met her. If first impressions mattered, she had already blown that one so what did it matter now?
Her heels clicked on the floor as she pulled the door closed behind her and headed out into the Sanctum at large. She was still getting used to the place, not yet figuring out its shape or finding her way. She traipsed through different rooms, sighing when there was no sign of Stephen. Eventually, she ended up in a massive vaulted room, longer than it was wide, a large mirror at one end and a grand piano placed firmly in the corner by the window. She stood beside it, fiddling with some objects on the display cabinet neatly lined up with the mirror. The place was full of random shit, all of them magical in some way shape or form, even if she hadn’t figured out how yet. In fact, one of the books had tried to bite her that morning.
The tap of footfall caused her to glance up. Stephen was striding toward her, fiddling with his collar as he elegantly flicked his fingers to tie his tie. She was sure her eyes had widened a little. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised to see him in a suit. It was a charity event after all, and she hadn"t for one moment assumed he would be going in his usual robes but even so, she stared. The suit was tailored right to him, showing off his broad shoulders and clean cut lines down his waist and legs. His hair was neat, pulled back and she blinked at the shock of the whole thing.
In turn, he had come to an abrupt halt to stare at her, his eyes raking down her dress before returning to her face.
“You’re wearing that?” He asked.
“Problem?”
“Not in the way you might think,” he murmured in a low tone, stepping forward as his gaze returned to the dress. “You might find we don"t end up attending at all… that’s all.”
She rolled her eyes at him.
“Coming from you,” she replied, nodding to the suit.
“It’s Armani,” he shrugged and she shook her head. She didn"t even know what that meant, though presumably it was designer.
“That is not what I meant,” she murmured, staring up at him.
“No? What did you mean then?” He asked, stepping forward to grab her waist, his free hand cupping her jaw. It sent electricity shooting through her body but she couldn’t look away from his gaze. In fact, she was sure her breathing had gone shallow.
“I… just that… you look good,” she whispered and a smirk grew on his face, his lips brushing hers gently.
“I would say the same to you, but I much prefer you without that thing on,” he spoke against her lips and she pushed herself against him, pulling him in by the belt. He groaned, tipping his head back to expose his neck. “Don’t,” he whined. “Or else we really won"t end up showing up.”
“Mmmhm,” she hummed, kissing him one more time before stepping back and smoothing her dress. “We should probably go then.”
She had been to revels and balls on different worlds, and in different universes but a charity gala was new to her. It was fancy, held at the Museum of Natural History and decked out with sparkling lights and waiters dishing out flutes of champagne whilst nicely dressed people chatted and laughed. The museum itself was fascinating, and she filed a mental note to come back and visit sometime when it wasn’t littered with expensive looking people.
Stephen looked very in his element, and she wasn’t entirely surprised given what she knew of him. People came up to talk, chatting about all different sorts of things from surgery and medical knowledge to world saving events to sorcery and everything in between. They would often cast her curious glances as she hovered quietly, despite Stephen’s best attempts to include her in the conversations. She knew nothing of this universe’s intricacies; it’s politics, or culture, and she figured it might give her away should she try to opine on things without knowing about them. Either that or she would appear stupid as all hell.
Eventually though, the Avenger’s found them and they were much more insistent about conversation than the people Stephen had been talking to.
“Nice to see Strange let you out of the house of horrors,” Clint commented and she turned around to see a few of them behind her, waiting patiently for her response.
“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far. It’s quite nice if that’s your sort of thing,” she responded carefully.
“Oh my god, I am so glad you came. Syf, right? I’ve been dying to ask, who did your hair?! Last time I mentioned going platinum to my hairdresser she nearly killed me on the spot!” Kate gushed and Syf had to steady herself against her assault of enthusiasm.
“It’s natural, sorry,” she smiled.
“Damnit. Well… it looks good. Are your eyes contacts or natural too?”
“Also just how I look,” she replied, glancing to the group.
“You were the one from that giant octopus thing last week,” Yelena commented, examining her nails.
“Yes. Shuma-Gorath… He and I had a disagreement,” she murmured, forcing herself to remember it hadn"t been that long in this universe since that had happened. Even though to her it felt like a lifetime ago she had waywardly fallen into this place. It hadn"t been all bad in the end though.
“So cool,” Kate said and Clint shook his head.
“Sorry about her. It’s past her bedtime.”
“Hey!”
Syf laughed at that, taking a sip of her champagne to stifle herself a little. She had lost Stephen somewhere along the way and she spied him across the room in a conversation with Rogers. She could only imagine how that conversation was going down.
“So where has the wizard been hiding you?” Yelena asked and she shook her head. Here we go.
“Not hiding me,” she replied. “I just didn"t think I needed to meet you all.”
“What!? We’re so cool though!”
“Yes I don"t disagree.”
“Hide it all you like, we’re going to find out one of these days,” Romanov’s voice carried with a smile as she appeared beside her sister like a wraith. Spies, Syf shook her head.
“Can you blame him?” She replied instead, waving noncommittally to the crowd around them, the buzz of people and the glances cast at her as passerbys doubletaked, seeing her talk to the Avengers, no doubt wondering who she was. She straightened her shoulders involuntarily.
“Yeah, a little bit!” Kate smiled and she laughed, waving the comment away. It was really up to Stephen when they revealed the truth and how. This may be her home now, but it was his first.
“Sorceress,” Loki nodded to her as he approached, his former armour switched out for a dark suit with a checked green scarf. She nodded back to him wearily. She wondered what had gone down in this universe in order to land him with the Avenger’s, and not in a prison cell. “Care for a dance?”
Her eyebrows shot up before she could stop them. An unusual request, but a sane one nonetheless. She shrugged, gesturing to the dance floor and he took the affirmative, taking her hand gently.
“Don’t sound so enthusiastic,” he laughed, spinning her with definite practice.
“Apologies, your majesty,” she replied and he raised an eyebrow.
“It’s been a long time since someone has addressed me in such a way.”
“I believe it is considered polite,” she smiled tightly, dipping with the movement.
“Yes well… You’ll find Midgardians lack manners. But you’re…not… Midgardian, are you?”
“Not… quite.”
“Then what are you?”
“Something else,” she smiled.
“Coy doesn"t suit you,” he acknowledged.
“Ah well, what is one to do?”
“Tell me?”
She laughed, avoiding answering by spinning again.
“And what of your sorcery? Silver…”
“I"m told it may have something to do with the book.” She could reveal that at least. She was sure he had drawn his own conclusions on that.
“Mhm, you do realise I will find out either way.”
“Oh yes, but not right now.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you are exceedingly frustrating?”
“A few times,” she laughed as the dance ended and she stepped back, allowing him to bow in front of her. Over his bowed head she caught Stephen staring, a look of annoyance on his face that made her smile internally. Jealous. Who knew? “If you’ll excuse me,” she murmured to Loki, gliding her way between the crowds towards Stephen who appeared to be in conversation with a blonde man.
“I hope I am not interrupting,” she nodded to the pair.
“Not at all, darling,” Stephen murmured, wrapping a hand around her waist and using the other to pluck a glass of champagne off a wayward passing waiter for her. She nodded, sipping it gratefully. “Doctor West, this is Syfyn Belmont.”
“Just Syf is fine,” she smiled at the man who was looking apprehensively between them. She wondered what the relationship between them was, because whatever it was, it didn"t seem friendly. In fact there seemed to be quite a bit of hostility there.
“Nice to meet you,” West muttered and she echoed the phrase politely before watching the divulge back into conversation about the New York Metro General. It was boring as all hell so when she caught sight of Kate beckoning her from across the room, she detangled herself from Stephen’s arms and floated over there.
Stephen smirked smuggly, leaning in towards Nic as she left.
“Guess I got the girl after all.”
“Don’t expect it to last,” Nic muttered back, draining his champagne.
“Don’t expect it not to,” he shot back, annoyed at the connotation. Bitter motherfucker.
“Are you kidding me, Strange? You think it’s going to last with thin, platinum and gorgeous over there? You couldn’t even make it last with Christine let alone her .”
“And that’s how you get removed from the wedding invitations,” he replied. “Bye bye.”
He turned on his heel to find Syf, who had disappeared into the crowd. He did find her eventually, hovering beside Bishop, Barton, Romanov and Yelena who were all talking to someone he didn"t recognise - an charity donor no doubt. Quietly, he slipped his arm back around her waist and she leant into him comfortingly.
“Strange,” Romanov nodded over her drink. He almost rolled his eyes but stopped himself, remembering what Syf said about being an easy target. Apparently she noticed, because she stifled her laugh into his shoulder.
“Welcome home,” he murmured into her hair, letting his lips brush it despite their audience. It earned raised eyebrows, but he couldn"t care less in that moment.
“So, Strange, she joining the team?” Barton asked.
“Please say yes,” Kate added.
“You don"t even know if she is useful,” he commented.
“Hey!” Syf growled.
“I"m just saying, how would they know?”
“She can do magic ,” Kate pointed out, with Yelena’s support.
“Indeed,” Syf murmured, twirling a silver flame around her hand before dispersing it into silver glitter which floated onto the floor.
“So cool!” Kate yelped.
“Show off,” Stephen muttered with a smile, filling her champagne glass with a wave of his hand.
“Alright no need for a magical dick measuring contest,” she nodded, sipping her champagne with a twinkle in her eyes.
“I disagree, by all means,” Romanov nodded, gesturing with her drink.
Much of the night was spent like that, in back and forths that always ended in giggles into champagne flutes and hidden smiles, and the entire time he did it with his arm around her. He couldn’t believe that everything had happened so quickly, that three months ago he had been contemplating going back to the Sanctum and moping about his life choices, only to be thrown into the multiverse with Syfyn.
She was safe. They were safe. And now there was few things left to do but to find the Darkhold, and for Syf to master the Book of Vishanti.
Either way, they were doing it together and that was enough.