Chapter Text
Nolan was heading to his favorite hot dog truck outside the court building when he noticed that a man in front of him was having an argument with the vendor.
It appeared that the customer found the menu confusing, which was odd because no one usually read the menu, and it probably hadn’t changed in quite a few years.
This stranger was attempting to decide what to get, asking the vendor overly precious questions that soon made the man say, “C’mon, get something or scram, yer holdin’ up the line!”
Nolan assumed it must be a culture clash, the person likely being either foreign or not a native New Yorker. All the shortened names by which people blurted their food truck orders might indeed sound strange to anyone not from the area.
He left his own place in line and moved up front, discovering that the frustrated customer was a strikingly handsome, exotic man the likes of whom Nolan had never met before. He did also notice the faded purple markings under the man’s piercing amber eyes, which looked like some kind of scarring, and…magical at that, if Nolan was not mistaken.
Having seen his share of oddities since the battle of New York and revelation to the world of the existence of superheroes and supervillains, Nolan wasn’t put off by that. In fact, the man was head-to-toe gorgeous in an otherworldly way, despite also being moody, with his noble brow furrowed in displeasure and his tone going to a low growl of complaint.
“Look, buddy, you know what you want, or what?” The vendor demanded, as usual, overburdened by too many orders and too many jobs for one man to do without being perpetually exhausted and annoyed. “I got a line here.”
“I am not your buddy,” The elegant stranger hissed. “You cannot deny me service, this is your job. And I require sustenance.”
Nolan’s brow pinched in deepening curiosity as he stood nearby, assessing the situation…
He told himself it was only reasonable to take a nice, long look, admiring the stranger’s impressive physique, beautiful silver hair pulled back sleekly into a ponytail, and the admirable fit of his yellow-gold tunic.
Nolan soon realized that if he didn’t step in, this argument might escalate badly.
“Hi there,” Nolan said, unwilling to let the awkward debate keep raging on. “Can I help out, maybe?” He blushed when the impressive man’s sharp, dark amber gaze suddenly switched its focus from the vendor to himself.
The gorgeous, silver-haired man paused completely for a moment as if in deep thought about something quite unexpected. He took in the sight of Nolan in his suit, winter coat and blue scarf, the lawyer’s cheeks flushed from the beginnings of attraction, and a friendly smile on his equally pink lips.
“Are you a miracle worker?”
“Some say I am,” Nolan chuckled amiably. He normally didn’t really take time to make new acquaintances during the busy work day, even when he was on his lunch break, but there was just something about this man that drew him in.
The elegant stranger let out a long breath of relief that puffed white on the cold air of the gray, cloudy afternoon. “Thank all the powers that be,” the man said solemnly, and Nolan noticed that he was clutching a fistful of cash by his side. His every look and gesture were stiff and anxious, yet stern. Still, his eyes softened as he continued to look at Nolan. “Please, I will be happy to reward you for your services.”
Nolan realized it must have been too long since he’d had a date, and definitely far too long since he’d gotten laid. Because the man’s straightforward, if weirdly ceremonial, words had sent Nolan’s mind right to the gutter.
He cleared his throat, willing the dirty thoughts away, and instead offered, “What were you trying to order?”
“Something plain. The blandest item this fool has on offer, five of them, if you can make him understand.”
“Hey! I ain’t deaf, you prick,” the vendor scowled at the stranger’s casual insult.
“Alright, now, Leo,” Nolan said, stepping in calmly. “He’ll take five nakeds and a large water, okay?”
“That’ll be twenty-five fifty,” the vender barked at the stranger.
“Leooo,” Nolan warned mildly.
“Fine, fine. Guess I'll waive the asshole fee today. Seven even, pay up, your highness.”
The stranger had such a deadly sneer on his face that Nolan thought he might lunge across the counter and wring the vendor’s neck. As a matter of fact, the handsome and mystical-seeming man looked like he might be one of the “special” people living among them, and Nolan could easily picture him snapping Leo’s neck with just a thought.
So, he made a point of giving Leo a “lay off” face and helped the stranger to complete the transaction.
“And whatever he would like as well,” said the compelling stranger. He smirked coldly at Leo and added, “Asshole.”
Leo set to work on the order while muttering, “...piece ‘a work…”
Nolan hadn’t expected anything in return for such a small bit of help, but the striking fellow customer was now offering to buy him lunch. “Oh, you don’t have to –”
“I insist,” the stranger said. “Go ahead and order, please. Take this.” He gave Nolan a wad of cash that had to be twice what his order would cost, and with that same severity of disposition, took his pile of cardboard-housed, plain hot dogs along with a big bottle of water, and stepped to the side.
Nolan had a hard time keeping his eyes off the bewitching, serious, yet slightly wicked and mischievous man. He distractedly asked for “the usual, hold the onions,” wanting to roll his eyes at his own silliness in avoiding onion breath just in case he got close enough to the stranger for it to matter. Still, it couldn’t hurt to be prepared. And Nolan was nothing if not ever-sensible!
“Excuse me,” he said gingerly, hovering at a respectful distance from his benefactor, “Here’s your change. Thanks so much for lunch, you, uh…”
Nolan’s stomach somersaulted as the noble-looking man tore his eyes from the narrow condiments bar on the side of the truck, which he had been glaring at as if the ketchup, relish and mustard might be terrible enemies of some kind.
The stranger now looked right at Nolan, his face relaxing a little. He blinked slowly, examining Nolan with interest.
“You really didn’t have to do that.”
Nolan realized that his new acquaintance hadn’t made a move to take the ridiculous amount of change for his small order.
“I wanted to,” said the man, suddenly content to stand there, in limbo between choosing toppings and taking the money, seemingly unconcerned with either.
“Ahem, well. It’s nice of you. Here, c’mon, let’s just go over here.”
Nolan gently laid a hand on the man’s elbow and guided him to a nearby bench, where he also assisted in setting down their food, grateful for the cardboard containers protecting them from falling or getting dirty.
“That’s easier,” he smiled. He tugged off his leather gloves carefully, feeling decidedly more sweaty than a freezing afternoon called for. Then, he made a second attempt to hand over the man’s change.
The stranger didn’t look down at the money, just took it slowly from Nolan, letting his hand – bare, but warm and firm – linger on Nolan’s.
“I am Kaecilius,” the man told him, giving Nolan a chance to hear his husky voice and sexy accent closer up. He belatedly let go of Nolan’s hand and smiled (really smiled) for the first time since they’d met. Well, sort-of met.
Nolan hoped they had a chance to do much more than just trade names and make small talk about hot dogs, but everybody had to start somewhere, right?
“Nolan Price,” he introduced himself. “So, you must be really starving, huh? Five hot dogs?”
“Humph,” Kaecilius commented, then guzzled a quarter of the huge Poland Springs bottle in a few long, smooth gulps. He then confronted the row of hot dogs and picked one up. Sitting between his big lunch and Nolan on the bench, he shrugged. “I have been fasting for a week, and merely required protein, plus hydration. While this was the quickest solution, I never anticipated that cretin would give me such a deplorable attitude.”
“Leo’s overworked here, to say the least,” Nolan explained, having taken a few more delicate than-usual bites of his own hot dog.
Kaecilius started eating as well, with ruthless efficiency, not messy, not stuffing his face, but proceeding exactly as if there was no pleasure or satisfaction to the task. He might as well be a car filling up on gas.
“Why doesn’t he quit then, if he’s so miserable? Instead of insulting his own customers?” Kaecilius glowered.
“Because he likes it. He loves to be miserable. This is New York,” Nolan laughed lightly. Sipping his coffee, he willed it to give him confidence beyond what a mere caffeine fix was likely to provide.
“Along with my years of inexperience in ordering 'normal food,' I had forgotten what a nasty reputation the city has in terms of manners,” Kaecilius observed. His eyes smoldered at Nolan. “How lucky I am to have met an exception to that rule.”
Nolan tried not to choke on his hot dog or drop his coffee. “I try. So tell me, are you devoutly religious or something? A week is a long time to fast for.”
“I don’t know that I believe in anything in particular anymore,” Kaecilius said gravely. “But I always fast when I can, saving my sustenance intake for when it is required to survive and maintain my good health, only. I prefer my senses sharply honed, and to be prepared for any potential battles that may arise. I will not allow any enemy to take me by surprise. My strict training regime in the mystic arts must continue unhindered by my – hopefully, temporary – crisis of faith.”
“The mystic arts,” Nolan repeated, intrigued. “Like Doctor Strange?”
“That idiot,” Kaecilius answered irritably. “No, not like him, unless the glorious sun is to be likened to a pinprick of artificial light.”
And so humble. But who was Nolan kidding? This man’s ego was a turn-on, just like the rest of him.
Kaecilius sighed. “Still, I suppose that imbecilic failure is what passes for a celebrity sorcerer in such meager and depressing times.”
“Cheer up,” Nolan joked kindly. “The hot dogs are good. Worth a little trouble.”
“They are sufficient.” Kaecilius moved onto his second one with the same businesslike approach. “I am more interested in the company at present. I’ve not had a single intelligent conversation with a worthy companion since my return to the mortal realm.”
He gave Nolan a pointed look that the lawyer couldn’t quite translate. It might be Kaecilius’ version of flirting, or maybe this was about as intimate and familiar as the man got. Nolan’s instincts told him it was the former, unless it was wishful thinking.
“That’s very flattering,” he admitted, allowing his surprised pleasure to beam through. “Do you travel to other universes and dimensions often?”
“I do,” Kaecilius nodded proudly, “Or at least I did. I’ve been divested of my every hard-earned accolade, my standing as a sorcerer of the highest ability and ranking destroyed, my whole purpose for living and my mission smashed before my eyes. I am, moreover, stuck here. On this Earth, without my abilities, and forced to fend for myself like a…recycled toddler.”
Nolan whistled. “Wow. That was a lot to take in. I’m sorry you’ve lost so much. But I think you can still make a good life for yourself here. Setting down roots might not be the worst idea, after all, right?”
“You have roots here?”
“I should probably refrain from giving hypocritical advice.” Nolan winced. “The only roots I really have in this place are professional. I work over there.” He gestured, first to the court building, and over to the State House which was also in view. “But if I had the chance to experience a better personal life, a more long-standing one or a home with more emotional resonance to me…I like to think I’d take it. On the other hand? I’m a workaholic.”
Kaecilius continued eating neatly and gulping down his water after every few bites. Nolan smiled at his quirky behavior and found himself even more drawn into the man’s mystery. He finished eating his own lunch, patted the corners of his mouth with his napkin, and jumped slightly when Kaecilius leaned closer and gently tapped his hand.
“Sorry,” Kaecilius said sincerely.
“No, please.” Nolan slid closer to him, their bodies not touching or anything, but enough to indicate that it was surprise, not dislike of being touched, that made him startle. “Please. I mean, I…um….”
Kaecilius gave him another rare smile at the equally rare occasion of Nolan Price fumbling for the right words.
“I’m a workaholic as well,” Kaecilius divulged. “I dedicated almost a decade of my life to freeing Dormammu and saving our realm from the scourge of mortality. The results were so eviscerating, so destructive and humiliating, that as a prideful man I hardly know how or why I’m still here, trying to go on. In my own sad, diminished capacity.”
“They say ‘pride goeth before the fall,’” Nolan mused. “But maybe that’s not true. What if pride’s what you get to hold onto after falling from grace? The one bit of glue still holding you together. I mean…I’ve certainly been accused of being a conceited man who always assumes he knows better than everyone else. Every now and again, a case will crash down around me and I’ll look like…worse than a fool. A failure. But I seem to have some resilience from stubborn willpower and that ever-charming touch of arrogance.”
“I don’t see what’s wrong with being arrogant if you’re the best at what you do. Still, as I am proof positive that even the best of us, the most lofty of souls, can fail catastrophically, only to end up being scolded by a hot dog vendor and relying on the kindness of strangers to survive the day…I must concur. Your theory has merit.”
“Why, thank you,” Nolan grinned. “But I never said I was the best at what I do.” (At least, he hadn’t mentioned it to Kaecilius yet)
“That was just a guess.” Kaecilius had finally finished his meal and packed it up as conscientiously as he had consumed it.
Nolan kept smiling like a dork while Kaecilius disposed of their trash in the nearby bin, then returned to him with a more subtle, but definite smile of his own.
“This has been great,” Nolan said with open-hearted honesty. This was no time to hide behind fear of rejection. When was he ever going to see a man like this again? “I hope we can become more than strangers.”
“I think we have just crossed the threshold towards friendship,” Kaecilius affirmed playfully. With a more serious look, he stood across from Nolan on the sidewalk as the daylight dimmed, reminding the younger man that his late lunch break must be almost over.
After a pause, as Nolan slid a hand into his briefcase, looking for one of his business cards, Kaecilius added, “Most people don’t like me very much. Not anymore. I became something more and Other than human, but even at my most ruthless, ambitious and corrupt, I felt things in my heart. I believed I was right. It wasn’t good enough. I stand before you now, just a man, and in awe that you don’t find me a snob or perhaps creepy.”
“Or maybe I like creepy snobs,” Nolan smirked, then gave Kaecilius his card. “I’d love to hear from you sometime…maybe soon?”
Kaecilius looked carefully at the card. “Executive Assistant District Attorney, is it?” He seemed worried. “I’m not sure you will wish to associate with me, once you find out about my past misdeeds…however good my intentions were.”
“I don’t base my personal life choices on the more stringent guidelines I have to follow in my work. Whenever you tell me more about your past, I’ll decide what to think as your friend, not as the D.A. 's second-in-command.”
Nolan had never had this thought before, was just now making the rule up, and realizing it seemed nice to maybe have a personal life to make such choices about. The danger for him was in potentially falling too fast due to how infrequently he felt this kind of spark. But he was already too far gone to pull back, too lonely to ignore his heart's yearning. Nolan Price, being impetuous! Who was he and what had he done with himself?
Despite how new it was for Nolan to be so instinct-driven, he liked the feeling and how Kaecilius brought it out of him.
“Friend?” Kaecilius repeated. His eyes twinkled and he seemed to be enjoying himself. Maybe more than he had in ages. “Is that what you want for us?”
Nolan’s face felt hotter than ever. “I…well, I guess what I really want is –”
His phone vibrated, and he automatically took it out, quickly returning Sam’s text asking if he was on his way back to the office.
“I have to get back to work,” he said ruefully. First, though, he hesitated and asked, “Hey, are you going to be alright? Alone in the big city.”
“I’ll be perfectly fine,” Kaecilius replied with a self-conscious shade to his pride that immediately made Nolan suspect otherwise.
But he could tell that his new…erm…friend was never going to admit to being lost or needing anything, so he would have to sensitively figure it out by spending more time with him. It would be surprisingly easy to let himself feel protective about Kaecilius.
“Reach out to me, please, maybe tomorrow? I’d love to, um, chat again,” Nolan suggested. He blushed even harder at having to use his genuine romantic interest to cover up for his worry about Kaecilius seeming a little disoriented as he acclimated to plain old earth-human life again.
Kaecilius looked surprised again by Nolan’s enthusiasm, and his cheeks turned pink as he momentarily bit his lower lip in thought. In parting, he shook Nolan's hand with lingering warmth and firmness. Their gazes locked again and it felt...natural. Just right.
With an enigmatic smile, he answered, “I promise, Nolan…you will be hearing from me, and soon.”