❝ IT'S NOT CHEATING, IT'S STRATEGY ❞
( KEEPERS OF THE STONES )
viii. a bond stronger than steel
chapter eight

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KAMAR-TAJ, TWO YEARS AGO

Doctor Stephen Strange had only been at Kamar-Taj for a little while, but he was learning quickly. The Ancient One had great faith in his potential, even if he didn't see it himself. Another person that saw it was Lucina Romero, a woman that had also only been at the Sanctum for a short amount of time, but had already become a very essential piece to the puzzle.

Said woman sat across the training field, eyes closed and legs crossed underneath her, hands relaxing on her knees. The dark haired woman focused on her breathing, gently inhaling and exhaling as she tried to keep control of her newly-tamed power.

Down on the other end, near the stairs leading up into the Sanctum, was the Ancient One, eyes darting between two fighters dueling in front of her. She seemed so focused on them that she didn't pay a lick of attention to Stephen Strange and Mordo as they fought, having been the former's first fight in Kamar-Taj.

" Enough questions. " Mordo has persisted after answering many of the former doctor's inquiries about the place, the Ancient One, and the history of the magic that flowed through their very beings; he turned around to the weapons rack and picked up a wooden staff, to which Stephen raised an eyebrow.

" What's that? " He asked, and Mordo grinned before replying, " That's a question. "

The two continued to duel, Stephen at a clear disadvantage against the well-trained Mordo. The dark skinned man continued to yell at him, attempting to encourage him, provoking him to fight back, to fight with more urgency. However, as soon as he was able to deflect one of Mordo's strikes and hit him back, he became distracted.

Mordo seemed to not notice the newbie's eyes drift across the floor, finally spotting the woman meditating in the middle of a battlefield. His curiosity quickly overtook him, allowing Mordo to catch him off guard when he slammed the staff right into his stomach, throwing the doctor off his feet. Stephen glared up at Mordo with an expression that read "seriously?" but the latter only spared a glance towards Lucina, then back at him.

" You should not get so easily distracted. " He told him, holding out his hand, which Stephen gladly took, pulling himself to his feet.

As he dusted himself off, even though there was really no dirt on him, for the Kamar-Taj was always spotlessly clean, Stephen shamelessly let his gaze go back to the woman, not bothering to look back at Mordo as he questioned, " Who is that? "

Mordo gave him a dry look before commenting, " You either really don't understand what "no more questions" means, or you're just trying to get under my skin. "

Stephen broke his stare to glimpse at Mordo with an amused smirk, " I'm a curious man. "

" Her name is Lucina, she showed up a few weeks before your arrival. " Mordo explained briefly, now noticing the intrigued look on his friend's face, he added, " Don't get any ideas, she hasn't spoken to anyone since she's been here. Except the Ancient One. . . and Wong. "

" Wong? Why Wong? " Stephen asked rather heatedly, and Mordo raised his palms as well as an eyebrow as he concluded, " She likes to read. "

" Well, what's wrong with her? " Stephen asked, then, seeing Mordo's slight confusion, continued, " Why doesn't she talk to anyone? And, why is she meditating out here? I thought this was the training grounds. "

" It is- "

" Why don't you ask her yourself? " Came a stern, feminine voice, and it took a minute for both men to realize that it was the girl they were speaking of, eyes now open as she glanced between them.

The two were silent, for different reasons, as Lucina uncrossed her legs and rose to her feet, barely raising her height. She walked over to them, the long, blue robe she wore was flowing through the wind as she moved. The dark haired woman stopped as she reached them, nodding to Mordo.

" Mordo. " She greeted, and the man immediately crossed his hands behind himself, giving a curt nod in return, " I do hope you're not talking bad of me to the new guy. "

" Wouldn't dream of it, Lucina. " He stated, a slight grin on his face as he insisted, " Actually, I was just suggesting to him that maybe it would be more fair if he dueled you, considering you are both somewhat new. "

" Woah, okay, I'm not gonna fight- " Stephen was interrupted by Lucina, who had already begun to untie her robe, revealing a set of what the doctor assumed to be fighting attire, but the only thing somewhat off-putting was the multiple, slightly damaged bandages wrapped around her neck and twisting around her torso, covering the top of her chest, where something like a necklace might sit. However, Stephen did not question it, since it didn't seem like these people particularly enjoyed questions.

" Take it easy on me, yeah? " She suggested, and Stephen only nodded slowly, readying himself just as she did.

As soon as she sent the first swing, Stephen knew she didn't need him to go easy on her, she was just trying to mess with him so that she could win. Stephen was a very competitive person himself, and couldn't help but let the want to win overtake him as they fought, exchanging blows but deflecting each others' moves.

They went several minutes with no actual progress, as neither could time their hits quick enough before the other could block it. Mordo only watched from the sidelines, eyes darting between them curiously as Stephen tried unsuccessfully to conjure a weapon, as he had done earlier. It must've been because Lucina was too quick, he didn't have time to concentrate while he was trying to predict her next move.

Then, the first punch landed, Stephen's scarred fist knocking across the dark haired woman's jaw, sparks of orange magic ricocheting off of it. The doctor seemed to freeze as Lucina's head snapped to the right, afraid that he had hit her maybe too hard, as his healing hand began to ache.

" Oh, god, I'm sor- " Stephen tried, but Lucina stopped him.

" No, no, it was a good shot. You caught me off guard. " She admitted, then, twisting her hands around and pulling them apart, palms facing the man, a set of bright green halos appeared on her wrists, freezing everything and everyone around her.

Gritting her teeth, she moved her hands slightly, the burning in her chest exasperatedly painful and hot as the environment began reversing in time. The sun moved back an inch, the wind flew backwards through the people's hair, and the punch Stephen had thrown came back across from Lucina's face, now sitting in a readied position at his side.

Lucina released her hold on time, and the world seemed to unfreeze, and just as Stephen went to throw the same punch he had moments before, the woman was able to block it with her own hand, catching his scarred fist in her tanned one, sending her knee up into his abdomen, causing him to stumble backwards.

" How-How did you do that? " Stephen questioned, eyes wide as he recovered, pointing towards her wildly; Mordo looked pleasantly surprised at her move, and Lucina only glanced down at her bandaged covered chest, using one hand to loosen the pieces, revealing a small, glowing, jade Infinity Stone burning in her chest, the skin around it scarred ruthlessly, like that of Stephen's hands.

Lucina did not like showing the Stone, but it was easier than trying to explain herself; it was why she was so important to the Ancient One, and it was what made her think that she was not the important part, the fact that she was infused with the Stone was the only thing labeling her as "important".

" That's. . that's. . " Stephen trailed off, at a loss for words as he watched the bright, hazy glow of the gem fade out, noticing the torn and blackened skin it was embedded in; Lucina felt herself flinch, waiting some sort of insult or backhanded compliment, moving her hand instinctively to place the bandages back in place.

Though, as cocky and self-assured Stephen Strange was, he was no liar.

" That's incredible. "

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SPACE, PRESENT DAY

Vero felt something inside of him lurch as a hand came down on his shoulder, jolting him back into the present. The black haired teen turned to see his father standing beside him, a worried look on his face. The voice in the back of his mind that had previously been urging him to 'find it' and slowly faded when his focus was brought back to reality.

" Hey, you okay? " He asked, and Vero bit the inside of his jaw, shaking his head lightly.

" I don't-I don't know. " He admitted, glancing down at his glove-clad hands before meeting his father's concerned eyes again. " Something. . I felt something. . The Stone, my Stone, it's like it's trying to tell me something. "

Sloane watched the interaction from aside, noticing a small creaking noise come from somewhere across the spaceship. She broke away from Vero and Tony's conversation to follow it, her feet causing more sounds against the metal mechanics as she walked.

As she turned a slight corner, she found herself staring down a long catwalk, where a shadowy figure stood, and Strange's cloak floating beside the person. She took a few steps forward, squinting to try and and make out the details of the person as they began to walk towards her before breaking out into a light jog, their footsteps barely making a noise.

Sloane instinctively raised her gun at the figure just as they came to a stop, a few feet away. The light bouncing through space peered through a nearby window, casting over the person, revealing a head of dark hair and tired eyes, and when Sloane realized who it was, she lowered her weapon.

" How the hell did you get up here? " Sloane questioned, and Selena answered bluntly, " The Cloak. "

" Fair enough. " Sloane agreed, hearing Tony's shouting from afar.

" Go?! Go where? " Tony exclaimed, watching his son pull his mask on, turning to look at him one last time, " We're kind of in space right now! "

" Just trust me, Dad. " Vero pleaded, and without another word from either of them, the younger Stark found himself weaving his way through the spaceship, trying to find the exit.

" JJ, get ready, cause I have no idea where we're goin'. " He muttered before disappearing from his father's sight.

Sloane, Selena, and the cloak arrived just as Vero left, noticing Tony's down demeanor. The cloak flew around Tony, barely touching him, but still earning a surprised look.

" Wow, you are one loyal piece of outerwear. " He commented, acknowledging Sloane and Selena with a slight nod, not bothering to question Selena.

" Yeah, uh, speaking of loyalty. . . " A younger voice spoke, and the trio turned to see Peter dropping in from an extended web, mask off and chestnut hair wild; Tony gave him a wide eyed look, as he started, " What the- "

" I know what you're going to say- "

" You shouldn't be here. " Tony told him, like a parent scolding a child; Peter began waving his hands around, gesturing as he explained,

" I was gonna go home, but - "

" I don't want to hear it. " Tony stated sternly.

" - it was such a long way down, and I thought about shooting a web but it kind of got stuck to the ship- "

" And, now I have to hear it. " Tony sighed, Selena and Sloane just watching the two, the former more confused than the latter.

" -and this suit is ridiculously intuitive, by the way, so, if anything, it's kind of your fault that I'm here. " Peter finished his ramblings, and Tony raised an eyebrow questioningly.

" What did you just say? " Tony demanded, and Peter closed his eyes briefly before reopening them, shaking his hands, " I take that back. And, now I'm here in space. "

" Yeah, right where I didn't want you to be. " Tony persisted, stepping closer to Peter and lowering his voice, " This isn't some high school field trip, it's a one-way ticket, you hear me? Don't pretend you thought this through- "

" I did think this through- "

" You did not think this through, you could not have possibly- "

" You can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there's no neighborhood. " Peter stated, and finally, Tony didn't have anything to say, so Sloane decided to step in.

" Tony, lay off the kid, okay? " She advised, moving towards him, placing a hand on his iron-clad shoulder, " All that matter now is protecting these Stones, if anything, he's an extra pair of hands. "

Tony gave her a dry look, not liking when they disagreed on things, but didn't say anything. The next person to speak, surprisingly, was Selena, who, after observing during their argument, noticed something.

" Where is the boy? " She asked, her tone so light and feathery that they almost didn't hear her; Sloane glanced around and saw that Vero was no longer there, either, and felt her heart quicken its pace as she turned to Tony expectantly.

" He's not far, he'll be fine. " Tony insisted, but it was hard to tell if he was trying to convince them or himself, " Right now, we need to figure out how we're getting those two out of here. "

The four of them (plus the cloak) surrounded the edge of the balcony, looking down to see Ebony Maw holding Strange in the air, dozens of little, glass-like needles near every inch of his body, Lucina restrained just feet away.

" Anyone got any ideas? " Tony asked, and they all stayed silent for a moment, until Peter cleared his throat, making the three adults look back at him.

" Have you guys ever seen this really old movie Aliens? "

Down below the four heroes, while they were concocting their plan, Strange and Lucina fought to hold off against Maw.

" In all the time I have served Thanos, I have never failed him. " Maw said, standing in front of Strange with his hands clasped together; just a few feet beside them, Lucina struggled to try and loosen the pieces of metal restraining her hands to the wall of the ship, keeping her from conjuring any magic or even using the Time Stone; Maw had forcibly separated her from the Eye after trying to open it once again, while she was in it.

" If I were to reach our rendezvous on Titan with the Stone still attached to your vaguely irritating bodies, there would be. . . judgement. " Maw commented, eyeing Lucina as he barely moved his fingers, forcing the needles into Strange's skin, slowly.

" Give me the Stone. " He ordered, each syllable punctuated with a beat of breath, and both Lucina and Strange knew it was directed towards the woman that actually controlled the Time Stone.

" Stephen, " Lucina called out weakly, feeling the sharp pain in her body as Strange did; living in the Eye of Agamotto did not only physically alter her own eye, but also led to the wearer and her being more spiritually connected than initially wanted.

" Don't even think about it, Lucy. " Strange replied instantly, wincing as another needle enter through his forehead.

Lucina didn't finish her thought as Maw then glanced between the two of them, a curious look on his noseless face. He seemed intrigued by the new information, obtained by just their actions and words. He increased the needles, each of them inserting themselves in random spots, mainly focusing on Strange's face, where it would have the most effect.

After hearing his agonized groans of pain, Lucina fidgeted against the restraints once again, the Time Stone in her skin flickering as did her half-emerald iris as she let out a strained cry.

" I can't. . I have to, Stephen, " She tried, grimacing as she watched the way his face contorted in pain, unbothered by Maw's sudden interest in her, he knew one of them would crack.

" No! " Strange shouted in response, teeth gritted and jaw clenched, unable to look at Lucina even brought the corner of his eyes, he reminded her, " That Stone is the only thing that matters, not me! "

" I can feel everything, " She persisted, voice cracking slightly, knowing that the intrusive pain wasn't as harmless as Strange was trying to elude to. " We are as bonded as the Stone and my skin, I cannot let you die! "

" Painful, isn't it? " He asked rhetorically, practically gliding towards Lucina before continuing; Strange had stopped arguing with her, trying to focus on his breathing, hoping that she would make the right choice, " They were originally made for microsurgery, and, any one of them. . . "

Maw turned around at the whirring sound of Tony Stark's Iron Man suit, a glare settling on his face as he saw the billionaire standing on the balcony above him, blasted aimed and ready to fire.

". . . Could end your friend's life in an instant. " He finished his threat, and Tony slightly shrugged.

" I gotta tell you, he's not really my friend. " His voice through the mask was slightly muffled, but was easily understood, " Saving their lives is more of a professional courtesy. "

" You'll save nothing. " Maw insisted, raising discarded pieces of metal, " Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine. "

" Yeah, " Tony agreed, " but the kid's seen more movies. "

At that, confusing Maw, Strange, and Lucina, Tony shot a small rocket at the side of the ship, tearing a hole in it, immediately sucking the oxygen out with it. Maw, unprepared, went flying out into space, breaking his hold on Lucina's restraints. The woman easily ripped the pieces of metal off as she saw Strange be pulled towards the opening as well.

" Strange! " She exclaimed, but then watched as Peter flew after him, catching him with a string of web, stopping them from soaring out into space by activating a set of mechanical spider legs.

Sloane and Selena kept their balance by clutching onto the railing of the walkway as if it was their last breath, and, upon seeing Lucina finally freed, they turned their attention towards her as she, too, began to unwillingly head towards the hole.

" Shit. " Sloane muttered, glancing back at Peter and the cloak, preoccupied with holding onto Strange, and Tony attempting to seal the hole quickly; she led the way as they worked around the ship, sprinting to the other side of the catwalk.

" Okay, I'm gonna throw you, and you gotta catch her, got it? " Sloane questioned, looking over at Selena's who's eyes widened incredulously.

" I-I can't- "

" Sure you can, just grab her arms, keep her away from the hole long enough for Tony to fix it. You got this. " Sloane said, and, without any more verbal hesitation from Selena, they maneuvered together so that Selena's feet were secure in Sloane's intertwined hands.

She lifted her hands, as if she was giving someone a boost, and it sent Selena flying through the air, like they were in no gravity, across to Lucina, who was moving rather rapidly. Selena was careful of how she went about this, making sure that none of her exposed skin touched Lucina, since that would be disastrous for everyone.

It was easier than she thought, though, as she held her hands out and gripped Lucina's wrist as she passed by her, yanking her back the opposite way, just as Tony began to freeze the metal back together. The air returned to normal, and they were able to walk again. Selena gently pulled Lucina down as it was sealed, so that they were both standing on the metallic floor again.

Lucina gave her a nod and a small smile, even though she was still recovering from the immense pain she and Strange had just shared. The group gathered back together at the front of the ship, where it seemed to hold all the controls. As Sloane met back up with the group, she saw Ebony Maw's frozen body floating passed the window, leaving her feeling a little bit disturbed.

As soon as Lucina saw Strange, she uncharacteristically let out a sigh and ran up to him, pulling him into a much-needed embrace; the taller man seemed taken back, but did not hesitate to wrap his arms around her shoulders in return. Sloane found her way beside Tony, noticing his slightly irritated face, Peter on the other side of him, and Selena standing beside herself.

" Are you okay? " Lucina asked as soon as she stepped back from him, a hand moving to touch the residue from the needle on his face, a thin trail of blood rolling down his cheek, " That felt awful, I don't know how- "

" Lucy, i'm fine. " He assured her, clasping his hand over hers, bringing it down, away from his face; she tilted her head slightly, like she didn't believe him, but he persisted, " Really, I'm okay. "

" We need to turn this ship around. " Strange suddenly advised after calming Lucina; Tony scoffed and threw a hand in the air at his comment.

" Yeah, now he wants to run away. " He responded, turning on his heel and walking up to the large windshield, glancing out at the wide canvas of deep blue space.

" I want to protect the Stones. " Strange insisted, following Tony up to the control panel; Sloane and Lucina strayed behind them, glancing at each other with a knowing expression; Selena and Peter awkwardly stood next to each other, both feeling quite out of place as the younger boy turned to her, extending a hand.

" Hi, we haven't met yet, but, I'm Peter. " He said, the warm smile on his face slightly wavering when he saw Selena flinch; eventually, after looking at him for a good minute, she shook his hand cautiously.

" Selena. " She replied.

" And I want you to thank me now, go ahead, I'm listening. " Tony continued the duos bickering, to which Strange retorted, " For what? Nearly blasting me into space? "

" I'm sorry, who just saved your magical ass? Me. " Tony pointed out, and Strange only shook his head, scoffing.

" I seriously don't know how you fit your head inside that helmet. " He remarked as the cloak found its way back to him.

" Admit it, you should've ducked out when I told you to, I tried to bench you, you refused. " Tony insisted, throwing his hands out to the sides.

" Unlike everyone else in your life, I don't work for you. " Strange shot back, and Tony seemed unbothered by his multiple insults that matched his own.

" And, due to that fact, we're now in a flying donut, billions of miles from Earth, with no back up. " Tony said, resulting in Peter raising his hand, stating, " I'm back up. "

" No, you're a stowaway. The adults are talking. " Tony snapped, waving his hand at Peter.

" I'm sorry, I'm confused as to the relationship here, " Strange interrupted, glancing back at Peter, " What is he? Your ward? "

" No. " Peter answered, eyes widening briefly as he held out his hand again, " My name is Peter, by the way. "

Strange didn't shake his hand, but still replied, " Doctor Strange. "

" Oh, we're using our made up names. . . Well, I'm Spider-Man, then. " He commented, only for Strange to turn back around; Lucina caught Peter's attention, waving a hand, mouthing 'Lucina' to him.

" The ship is self-correcting its course, " Tony observed, glancing over at Sloane, who's expression was unreadable, " the thing's on autopilot. "

" Can you control it? Fly us home? " Strange asked, then, after a beat of silence and Tony staring off into space (literally), he called, " Stark? "

" Yeah? " Tony absentmindedly said.

" Can you get us home? " Strange repeated, but Tony had a certain look in his eye that said they weren't going back to Earth anytime soon.

" Yeah, I heard you, but I'm not so sure we should. " He started, and Strange gave him an incredulous look, Sloane sharing that same expression.

" Under no circumstance can we bring Thanos the Stones. " Strange insisted, nearing Tony, " I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here- "

" No, it's you that doesn't understand that Thanos has been inside my head for six years, since he sent an army to New York, and now he's back! " Tony huffed, standing right in Strange's face, just a few inches shorter than the doctor. " And I don't know what to do. "

" Tony. . . " Sloane trailed, walking towards him, hoping to calm him, only for the aforementioned to turn so that he was facing them all.

" We all know what they can do, we all saw what they can do. The element of surprise is all we have left, so I say, we take the fight to him. " Tony stated, looking between each one of them before settling on Strange. " Doctor, do you concur? "

" Alright, Stark, we go to him. " Strange confirmed, then glanced back at Lucina before turning back, lowering his voice slightly, " But you have to understand, if it comes to saving you, the kid, or your girlfriend, or the Stones, I will not hesitate to let any of you die for it, I can't. The universe depends on it. "

" Nice, good moral compass. " Tony concluded, patting him on the shoulder and muttering, " We're straight. " before walking down the stairs.

The others watched as he stopped in front of Peter, who looked concerned to say the least, then put his arm over either of his shoulders, like a king declaring a knight, and spoke, " Alright, kid, you're an Avenger now. "

As Tony passed by him, Peter couldn't hide the prideful grin on his face, inhaling sharply and trying to let it fade. Sloane nodded towards Strange and Lucina in a friendly gesture before following Tony's footsteps, gripping Peter's shoulder with a bright smile on her face.

She said something to him that they couldn't quite hear, but Strange caught Lucina's attention anyways, calling, " You know, you called me 'Stephen' back there. "

The dark haired woman glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow, as she retorted, " That's your name, isn't it? "

" You never call me Stephen. " He persisted, a puzzling look on his face.

" Shut up, Strange. " Lucina remarked, feeling her face heat up and her heartbeat quick, just the slightest bit.

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note.

oof, another one.

okay, I love this flashback even though it's super short, and I'm pretty okay with this chapter even with it being kind of all over the place.

thank you guys again for 6K views and over 700 votes!! I appreciate it so much!

If you have any feedback about this chapter, I'd love to hear it! What'd you like about it, what'd you dislike about it? A specific character, relationship, or scene caught your eye? Brotps? Otps? We're finally in space with the facial hair bros!! What did you think of the interactions in this chapter?

Any predictions or worries for the future chapters? Anything else you'd like to mention? I'm all ears!

until next time,