Chapter Text
Addie Green had been excited to take her position at the New York Sanctum. It was her favourite of them all and she had missed the United States after moving from San Francisco to Tibet for the year and a half long training she had endured in the Kamar Taj. She had been scouted by them, and when the offer was presented her curiosity was stronger than her fear. She accepted and didn't look back.
Doctor Strange was the Master of the New York Sanctum, and coincidentally the Sorcerer Supreme. She’d been nervous as hell the night before, lying in her bed in the thin mountain air unable to sleep, but when the day came along she found herself surprisingly more suave then she felt. The Doctor was a relatively calm man but he shared her quick witted humour, though not her desire to go running into a fight. Sometimes, that had meant they had gotten into arguments - whether it was from her being too confrontational to an inter-dimensional threat, or she had laughed at his witty barb and infuriated him.
The New York Sanctum needed another master to help protect it and since she had completed basic training much faster than her peers, she had been chosen. “27, talented, stubborn, strong magical presence, graduated top of her class from Berkeley university with a Masters degree in linguistics and anthropology” she had heard Wong ramble off to Strange the day they had met. Strange’s eyes had appraised her as she stood in her dark green Kamar Taj robes. Some at the Kamar Taj had whispered that it was a bad omen, that an individual named Mordo had worn the same color once. She thought of the musings as overtly superstitious. A colour could not determine her destiny. Other than words of introduction at the New York Sanctum, she had kept her presence silent. Bo, the training master, had warned her not to provoke anything. Apparently Strange had turned down four candidates over the past year already.
Wong had kept going. “Adeline was scouted by the Kamar Taj”
“Rare move” Strange murmured, his eyes had not left her the entire time Wong spoke. “Why?”
Wong had answered for her. “The move is not so rare when you find out that she possess chaos magic”
Strange’s head had finally snapped to Wong at this. “Chaos magic…” Addie remembered how slow he had said it. Wong had only nodded an affirmative.
“Unusual indeed.” She had crossed her arms at his comment, leaning against the wall of what she supposed was his personal office. It was painfully neat. But he had not turned her away, instead he had started scrawling on a piece of paper as Wong had sighed upwards. “Why the New York Sanctum?” he had finally asked her.
She shrugged with a small smile at this. “I grew up in the US. It would be nice to be back, and… I was told to be here.”
“You don't seem like the type to do as you’re told,” Strange had muttered into his paper.
“It seems like I would fit in just fine then” She’d quipped back before stopping her damn tongue. Strange’s cloak had landed on her shoulder’s at that point as if it was some seal of approval. Strange’s eyes had flicked to her sharply, and then smoldered with amusement when a small smile twinged the corner of his mouth. She had never worked out if the smile was from her comment or the cloak lingering on her shoulders.
Four months later, she was swearing as Strange created a long whip of Eldritch magic between his hands, slamming it against her. When she took on the role of Master at the New York Sanctum she had not realised that her training would be ongoing, nor that it would be with Strange.
He was a much better fighter with his sorcery than she was. He had far more experience. If she had even a modicum of common sense, she would not have heaved him over her shoulder and flipped him to the ground. Summoning her own runes, their fight was more of a dance - one of clashing gold sparks and sweaty ambience. With a blink of her eyes, there were now three Strange’s and she groaned at the ceiling. She had not mastered the ability to multiply one’s physical form but Strange… Oh Strange certainly had.
Lunging forward, she extended a golden sword in a melee attempt only for it to go right through Strange. Disappearing, his chuckle echoed all around her. “Ass,” she muttered, but there was a small smile on her face still. Two left. She was sure she had the right Strange as she brought her hands together to send him off his feet.
Strong arms wrapped around her, his forearm coming across her neck from behind, the other wrapping her arms to her side. Her breath caught as he pressed down just enough to show her he was serious. “What have I told you about getting distracted, Adeline?” his voice brushed over her ear and temple and she wiggled slightly but his grip was firm.
“Do it in moderation?” she offered with a grin.
“Try again” he murmured, a small huff of a laugh coming from him.
“Don’t do it?” she smiled, dropping down and rolling him over her head. Unfortunately he did not loosen his arm around her neck as she had expected him to and as such she had landed on top of him, with her back against his chest as he laughed, the feeling moving under her. “Nice try.”
“Well… considering I am on top of you right now, I’d consider myself the winner” she reasoned.
He immediately tightened his forearm around her throat in a friendly warning. “Not a chance.” Letting her up, they both rolled to their feet and Addie grabbed a towel from the side of the room, wiping her face and running her hand over her neck.
“What’s got you so distracted today?” Strange asked from across the room, wiping his face. The smile dropped off her face now. “I stayed up late practicing a spell, but I couldn't get it right. Whenever I was getting close, it cut off abruptly.”
“You need sleep. It shows in your training”
“Says the man I found reading in the library at 3am last week.” he had rolled his eyes at this but the smile was still there as he approached her.
“You know what? I think you’re just distracted by my dazzling personality” his smile widened and it was her turn to roll her eyes.
“Out of the two of us, I think most would agree that I am the one with the dazzling personality”
Wong’s voice had echoed from the doorway then, lending his support. “She’s right.” Strange had muttered something about Wong being a traitor but Addie grinned brightly at him, unwrapping her hands from the glove as she did so. Wong and her had become quick friends, often teaming up on Strange.
“At least one of you is honest” she winked, throwing her glove at the back of Strange’s head.
“That’s a federal assault charge right there” he responded. “I’ll see you in court.”
“Shall I contact that Ghoul from last week to ask if they would like to lay a federal assault charge against you while we’re at it?”
“Don't make me shut you in the mirror dimension again, Addie”
She gasped in fake offence at this, fluttering her hands to her chest as she watched him narrow his eyes with an amused smile. “You wouldn’t, doctor” she said with fake breathiness. He had done it once.
“Do not tempt me.”