Romancing the Holy Whatsis Part 3

[xp_daytripper]

Following their daring escape from New Delhi, Wanda and Stephen take a moment to catch their breaths. Unfortunately, something gets in the way of truly relaxing with each other.



The boat puttered along the Ganges, Ramajhan at the wheel, something of an amused grin on his face as he looked at the two Westerners sitting in the prow. The sun was rising over the water, the countryside passing by at a what seemed to be a crawl. They'd dipped up some buckets of water and the pair had cleaned up some - Stephen was watching Wanda brushing the tangles out of her wet hair with something of a sappy grin on his face.

"So," he said. "So far so good. We should reach Kampur by this afternoon, around midday. There's so many fishing boats on the river no-one should notice us. Well, as long as we keep a low profile. I hope you don't mind wearing a headscarf and stooping a little."

Wanda shot him a smirk as she poured a little more water onto her hair to help ease the rest of the knots out. "Are you implying that I am a little too tall?" she asked with a sniff before laughing softly. "I can slouch with the rest of them, my dear, and we should be grateful that my hair is short these days. Easier to wrap."

Leaning back on her elbows, she gazed out at the slow passing scenary. It was beautiful, she thought and then looked back at her companion. "How do you like the new hair?"

"You're too tall for an Indian woman. And the hair is growing on me," he said, brushing a lock out of her eyes. "Mind you, I'd think you were beautiful even with your head shaved." He scratched at the stubble appearing along his jaw. "Speaking of shaving..."

Pleased that he didn't hate it, Wanda eyed him and then the buckets. "Do you want to try to shave on the boat?" she asked with a grin. She let herself reached up to feel his cheek, after all he had just done the same or nearly, and hrmed. "It is not incredibly bad, though you do need a shave. You look better clean shaven but this is kind of cute."

Her fingers made his skin tingle. "I think I'll go without rather than risk shaving in cold water without a mirror," he said. "Maybe grow a beard. Aren't goatees all the fashion?"

Wanda looked slightly horrified at the thought. "I should dump the rest of the water on you," she warned, not quite wanting to pull her fingers away just yet. Squinting, she tried to imagine him with a goatee and it was just conjuring images of him grinning evilly and...

Pressing her lips together didn't hold back the slight giggle.

"You wouldn't be laughing at me, would you, Ms. Maximoff?" he asked, trying to sound offended and failing miserably. Possibly because of the amused smile and the twinkle in his eyes. "Mocking a man's facial hair is no small matter. Wars have been waged for less."

Even biting the inside of her mouth wasn't helping very much, because it was very hard to imagine Stephen with a full-grown, bushy beard. Snorting very softly, she tried to look as innocent as she could under the conditions. "Why, Dr. Strange, would I ever do such a thing?" Fluttering her eyes at him, she clutched at her heart and looked wounded.

"When you give me that look? Absolutely you would," he retorted, tweaking her nose a little. Something about escaping the dangers of New Delhi, seeing Wanda again, knowing she still cared for him and was coming with him on his journey... it made him positively giddy.

Sticking out her tongue at him, Wanda laughed, dipping her fingers into the nearest clean bucket of water. Indulging, she flicked her fingers at him slightly and grinned. "I would rather have fun than be good all the time," she proclaimed with a sniff. "Much more interesting that way."

"What, this hasn't been an interesting enough trip for you already?" he asked, wiping the droplets from his face and contemplating retaliation. However that way led water fights and he was enjoying being clean and dry, for now at least. "Assaults in alleyways, daring escapes from hotel windows, being smuggled out under fishing nets? Maybe I should order you some ninjas?"

"I think I can skip on the ninjas," Wanda replied dryly, flopping on her back and stretching her arms out as she enjoyed the sun. "I see enough black 'bad ass' wear on a daily basis, thank you very much. Though I could probably handle a small ninja, very little and cute. Accept no subsitutes." Now they were being a little bit punch drunk but, after all they had been through, it really was not unexpected.

"What was that girl's name? The one who inadvertently helped summoned that demon on Halloween? Jubilee? She'd make a suitably small and cute ninja, wouldn't she?" Definitely punchdrunk. Stephen looked down at Wanda stretched out beside him, his thoughts going places they really didn't have the facilities for at the present time. Bother. "And whilst you've seen enough black bad ass wear, I alas, have not. At least not with you in it. Trust me to choose during your vacation to need rescuing."

"Jubilee would make the most hyperactive ninja the world has ever seen." Laughing at the slightly pouty expression he was wearing at the mention of her 'work' clothes, Wanda reached over and poked him in the ribs. "Maybe, if you're very good, at the end of all of this you will finally see me in those leathers," she purred at him with a sly grin.

"And how good is 'very good'?" he replied, catching her poking hand in his and shifting so he was leaning over her. "I don't seem to remember any complaints from last time..." And with that he bent to kiss her.

Wanda met him half-way and sighed as their lips met. It had been far, far too long, she thought, before firmly telling her brain to shut up. One arm propped her up as the other tugged itself gently from Stephen's hand and started wandering a little bit. Especially with his shirt unbuttoned slightly and she had so wanted to touch the tattoo peeking out from under it.

Romance novels frequently use such expressions as 'an electrifying touch'. Generally they could be dismissed as purple prose. Unfortunately in this case, things got a little... literal.

There was a sudden flash of indigo light and a jolt that sent Wanda's elbow out from under her, thwacking her head on the deck. Stephen yelped in a most unmanly way as he was flung backwards.

Into the river.

There was a large splash and then he resurfaced, coughing and spluttering. Ramajhan was already running along the deck, a boathook in his hand ready to help the unfortunate academic back onto the boat. "What is to be happening?" he asked, looking at Wanda. "Were you throwing Mr. Stephen in the water?"

"Not intentionally," Wanda spluttered, scrambling up to her feet and then to the side to help drag Stephen back into the water. He looked... unhappy. "Oh my God, are you alright?" Her hands hovered uncertainly, she wasn't entirely sure what had happened. It certainly hadn't been her powers.

"I'm fine," he said, grabbing onto the boathook - not the sharp end! - Ramajhan was lowering over the side. "Rather wet, but I'm not hurt."

Between the three of them they managed to get the dripping magician back on board. He sat on the deck, water streaming off him, brow furrowed. "That... was most unanticipated," he said at last. "And it wasn't your powers?" he asked Wanda, more to confirm what he already knew. Ramajhan headed back to the wheel, shaking his head at them - they didn't need to run into something whilst he was dealing with crazy foreigners.

"No, not even a flicker of them." Wanda carefully handed him a towel and eyed him with a frown. "Do you know what that was? Because something obviously happened. I mean, you've always reacted to my kisses but that was a little extreme." Despite the smile, it was clear she was concerned.

Towelling off his hair vigorously (and leaving it standing up in spikes in all directions), Stephen considered the problem. "It happened when you touched me... no, that's not right, we've been touching before this and nothing happened. And it wasn't the kiss. There was a delay. Hmm." Frowning as he replayed the moment in his head, he suddenly sat straighter. "Of course! Stupid of me to not realise." Wanda was looking at him with exasperation and concern. "Give me your hand for a moment," he directed.

A little cautiously, she did as she was directed and, not surprisingly, there was no shock when she put her hand in his. "Alright, now what?" Wanda asked, resisting the urge to play with his hair. Really, she needed to concentrate, she chided herself.

Folding her fingers in gently so only her pointer remained, Stephen brought her hand slowly forward to the writing on his chest. A dark blue spark leapt up as he stopped just short of touching. "Hah. There it is then." He gave her a somewhat sheepish look. "It's the spell protecting the mantra. It's reacting to you."

"It's what?"

Biting her lip in concentration, Wanda moved her finger a bit closer and nearly yelped at the zark. They let their hands drop away from his chest but didn't bother to stop touching. "Why is it reacting to me?"

"It's not your powers - there's nothing that would register on a magical level..." Stephen thought a bit more and then bit his lip, holding onto her hand and not letting her pull away as he said: "It's Cthton. Or rather, the mark that it made on you. The spell's reacting to that."

Flushing slightly, she did try to pull away again but gave up when Stephen stubbornly wouldn't let go. "Damn it, Romany told me that I had some residual damage but I assumed that it was only visible in the auras and would not actually affect anything." Wanda scowled, suddenly feeling irritable again. "It looks like I'll be carrying around the effects for some time. But... once we remove the tattoo, things should go back to normal, yes?"

At least there was that, even if her body was now pouting in some corner because, hey, that was not fair.

"It should." Stephen kissed her fingers, regret plain. "I'm so sorry, ~dearest~." He used the Romany word. "I had no idea this would happen. We'll just have to be careful, that's all."

She sighed and squeezed his hand gently. "I know, love, I am just... tired. I'm tired." And Wanda was and she was more than ready to throw the shackles of Cthton off but it was proving to be so hard.

Catching the look on his face, Wanda nudged him gently. "No, please don't look guilty. I am glad I'm here. This may give me the focus I have been missing."

"We'll help each other, then," he said, smiling a little sadly at her. He could see plainly how tired she was, how dragged down by the whole thing. "I promise you, anything in my power to set you free of this, I'll do it."

"If anyone can do it, I'm sure that would be you." Leaning forward, Wanda kissed him gently on the cheek, careful to avoid touching the exposed tattoo on his chest for fear of sending him back into the drink. "We will get through this. For now, though, I could do with some food."

"Food we can do." Stephen clambered to his feet, and held out his hand to help Wanda up. "I hope you don't mind fish."