Chapter 17: Diminuendo Chapters: Time
Tony spent two-ish days with the older Steve. The soldier had to call his love and explain some things. He didn't seem guilty about it at all. Tony sat on the bed and he put his shirt on over his head.
He was glad that Steve didn't feel all guilty, because Tony sure as hell didn't feel that way anymore.
Tony knew that the Steve Rogers he lived with would understand. His emotions were no longer as fragile as they used to be. Tony pondered that as he stood on the side of the bed. He worked the rest of his clothes onto his body.
He listened as Big Steve told his wife that he planned to leave that morning. He briefly explained why he was leaving so late. Steve didn't explain the exact reason WHY, I mean, who does that? He just told her that something came up and he'd explain it when he saw her in person.
He said his I love you's to his British Boo, and then Steve hung up the phone. He stood up and just put on his pants. Tony smiled at him. He already gave him a new transmitter. He also gave him the same device that his older self gave the younger Steve.
It was a mechanism that gave him direct access to his lab, should the past ever need him for anything. Steve accepted it and he set it with the transmitter.
"I'm probably going to get in a shit-ton of trouble for coming here. I'm on a bit of a short leash. Dr. Damn Strange is the one yanking the chain." Tony rolled his eyes and he looked at that hawwwtt soldier boy as he approached him.
"Strange is a strange one. I never really got the chance to work with him. Circumstances were a bit different. I wanted to work with him.. big time. He's very powerful."
"Oh is he? YEAH, I know. He zips around like he owns the place. There is too much to tell you about it so, maybe next time?" Tony smiled again. The older Steve smiled as well and he nodded his head. He wanted to see Tony again.
He craved that fire, no matter the circumstance. The two of them shared a very slow kiss. Tony hated to pull away but it began to escalate and Tony had to leave.
He stepped back and bit his lip. Steve just looked away. He had to let him go. He listened to that suit assemble. The sound brought back so many memories and emotions for Steve. He had a cold chill as he remembered and then he heard that suit cut out of his time and vanish.
They did not say goodbye to each other. Goodbyes were not allowed.
Tony arrived in his lab. He took the suit off and headed straight for the elevator. It was the weekend, right? Tony rubbed his face and tried to think of what day it was.
Dr. Douchebag Wizardshit decided to stake a claim on his life and tell him that he would end it. Since that declaration, Tony had been in a bit of a doomsday mood. He wanted to close up ties, have as much sex as he could, and just exist in his own happy little bubble.
He got to his apartment door and he opened it up. It was the weekend. How did he know? Byron was in his hi-chair and Steve was still in his clothing that was meant for sleep. If it was a weekday then he'd be in a sexy suit.
"Hello my lovers." Tony spoke to the group but he eyed his main man. Steve gave him a playful smile and a small wave. Unfffhhh Tony just had some of the older Steve but, he would never have his fill. He grinned back at that adorable face and then he fixed his attention toward the kitchen. It was a quiet, beautiful morning in the Stark-Nefaria-Rogers household.
Whitney was in her chill clothes as well. She was in the kitchen doing something. The woman was beautiful. Tony stared at her for a sec and then he turned around. He closed the front door behind him and he glanced at Whitney's fur slippers. Tony recalled the blisters he got from wearing a similar pair.
ANYWHO, he invaded the space and he headed over to his main man. Byron gave a tiny baby laugh as he noticed Tony. He looked so squishy and happy. Byron started to bubble the baby food out of his mouth on purpose. He wanted to play with Tony and he made all sorts of strange sounds.
"Your boy is in a mood." Tony pointed at the new squish and Steve just smiled. The soldier kissed Byron on the cheek and then he looked at Tony. The brunette got closer to him and Steve kissed him on the forehead.
"I finally went to see the older Steve. Spent a few days there... did you notice I was gone?" Tony just had to ask. Steve shook his head at the question. OF COURSE he noticed. But, they had discussed it so Steve was aware of the whole thing.
"I noticed Tony and I missed you. How is he?" Steve was worried about his older self. The thought of losing Tony was too much. The older Tony was.. Steve couldn't even bring it up in his mind. It hurt too badly to go there.
It was too much for him, so he understood that Tony needed to see him. He wanted Tony to see him.
"He's good. He might be in a bit of trouble with the wifey for a bit. But, I fixed the transmitter issue so you two can chat all about it." Tony gave him a real kiss. He pressed all his weight against Steve and attempted to knock him over.
Steve was onto his behavior and he had proper footing. Tony didn't stand a chance. Byron started to vocalize the fact that he was getting zero attention. Tony just laughed about it and Whitney saved the day. She stopped in front of Byron and gave him some love.
Tony tried to wrestle with Steve. He was overpowered as usual, so he whipped away from Steve and he headed toward the bedroom.
"I've got a chart going on my head. Shower, eat. I'll be back." Tony headed awayyyh from all the cuteness and he entered their bedroom. He stripped to his skin and he hopped in the shower.
Fahhhkkk the water felt too damn good. He scrubbed up and then vacated the bathroom. Tony quickly got dressed and he headed back out to be with his people. He tapped his chest a few times and the music from his older self filled the room.
His music made everyone so fucking happy. It was the ultimate shuffle. His spirit filled the home with every single song. That particular song reminded Tony of his older self. Every word, every beat.
It was a song about accepting things for the way they were, growing up, and coming of age. It just lifted Tony's spirit and he needed it. Everything was kinda doom and gloom for him when he got lost in his thoughts.
Tony headed straight for the kitchen. It was his turn to find some nourishment. The good song was thumping through the speaker and it had everyone groovin. Byron loveeeeddd music. He moved and kicked around in his little baby chair and Steve thought it was the cutest thing that currently existed on planet earth.
Suddenly, Whitney turned to her right. Steve looked straight ahead. Byron just ate his yummy food and continued to groove with the tune.
Tony heard a familiar "flapping" sound and he chose to ignore it. Oh, he ignored it entirely. In fact, he helped himself to the oatmeal that was prepared.
"STARK."
"Take a number." Tony was in a zone. It was now late in the day and he refused to deal with prick wizards. The song faded out and the next one came in. It had a cute laugh in the beginning and it made Tony smile. He tapped his foot and scooped himself out some friggen oatmeal. The time was 1:25 pm and Tony quickly glanced at the person that just invaded his home.
Strange was beyond irritated with Tony. He stood there fully dressed in his wizard garb. He had his arms crossed and his eyes dead set on the person that bobbed his head to the beat.
The other people in the house were behind him. Strange didn't focus on them at all because his attention was 100% on Tony. He just listened to the song and he moved his hip along with it. Steve could see Tony dance. He was amused with his behavior around Strange.
That beat moved from Tony's hips to his stomach. Then, his chest and shoulders started to join in. Tony gave a little twirl in place and and he started to dance.
"STARK."
In circles he went. The man was not gunna give a single fuck.
Steve just watched the two. He looked at Whitney for a moment but then he focused back on Strange and Tony. He could tell that Strange was upset and it clearly didn't phase Tony.
Steve watched as he kept dancing and he ignored the sorcerer entirely. Tony knew why Strange decided to appear at his home. OH, HE KNEW. Tony didn't care.
Ooh, Tony slid in his direction. He decided to ignore the drama and he played chase with that cape.
"Stop." Strange was within seconds of stopping him. He turned to his right because Tony was dancing around him. He tried to grab for his cape again and Strange turned at a faster rate.
"STOP IT. Last warning." He wasn't in the mood for Tony's bullshit. His cute little dancing irritated him. His cute little smile irritated him. His cute little friggen FACE irritated him. Strange heard another song come on and it sent Tony in another direction. He almost did a moonwalk away from him.
A thought popped into Tony's head. He thought the words, touch his hand, and Tony reached for Strange. Tony tried to touch his hand and Strange jerked backward. He immediately cast something at Tony and he froze him in place.
Strange looked at the three other people in the room. They were kinda shocked by the behavior. He decided to lock them all in place. Except the baby. The baby was exempt from his rage. He looked back at Tony and barked.
"DON'T TOUCH ME." He raised his voice at him and towered over the brunette. Tony gasped and tried to pull his hand back to his body. He was frozen, so... OK, that escalated a bit too quickly.
Steve wanted to tell Dr. Strange to RELAX. What the hell? Steve made an attempt to check in but he was unable to do so. He was stuck in his body as well. He couldn't speak or intervene. He didn't want that behavior around his son. Luckily for Strange, Byron was too focused on his meal. He was chunky, happy, and oblivious.
Tony could only stare up at Strange and he felt intimidated immediately. Whoa. Talk about a freak out. And here he thought they were friends. Tony felt two things, stunned and hurt. He brought his focus to the floor and he held a blank stare.
"Will you ever take anything seriously?" Dr. Strange was very angry with Tony. He wanted the music to stop. Strange looked in Tony's direction and he disabled his suit. That shut off the connection of the music to the speakers and silence prevailed.
Tony's heart started to really hurt. He hated it when his tech was overpowered. The musical gift from his older self was shut down and it kinda overwhelmed him. That music brought him so much joy. Strange was super serious and super pissed.
Tony was locked in place and only his eyes could move.
"You time travelled AGAIN. The Ancient One and I have realized something. You might be doing it without realizing it. SO PLEASE, STOP." He released his hold on everyone.
He wanted Tony to function so they could have a conversation. His patience was pretty thin at that point and he really wanted to get him to understand. Whitney immediately went to Byron and she picked him up. She took the baby and the food and she took off to Byron's room.
Fuck that. She wanted to shoot that wizard in the face. Steve watched her leave the room and then he turned his focus to Strange. Tony spoke first and his voice filled the space.
"Talk about some rain on a parade. WHAT IS YOUR DEAL?! You've really got nothing better to do.." Tony sulked because he was scolded. He didn't like the way Strange yelled at him.
He didn't like how easily he could control him and render everyone helpless. Tony wanted to reverse that shit but he didn't know a damn thing about the "Mystic Arts". He only got as far as floor scrubbing. Tony held a scowl on his face.
"Why did you time travel to the 1950s? Don't tell me that it was for a hookup because I am aware that's one of the things you did while you were there." STRANGE FELT THE WHOLE THING. HE FELT IT MULTIPLE TIMES, AND HE WAS SICK OF TONY'S SEXCAPADES.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you feel that? I fully intend to have as much sex as possible before you kill me. You linked us together so, that's not my problem." Tony went back to his oatmeal. Steve just listened. He had some opinions to share but he wanted the two of them to work it out.
Strange kept his distance and he had more to discuss. He didn't receive an actual answer from Tony so he continued.
"The Mandarin Armor that you created, we were going to purify the energy within it and return it. Remember?"
"Yes. I remember." Tony decided to be short with him. Strange was being extra rude on such a lovely day so Tony decided to send the dish back cold.
"It was in a solid form when you handed it over, but it's actually broken up into that Nano-Tech business you work with, right?" Strange was full of questions. Tony looked up from his oatmeal. He glanced at Steve and sighed.
"My older self altered it for me. He made it to where I could wear the two suits at once and change them whenever I wanted. SO YES, it has been broken down into Nano-Tech. Why?"
Tony sighed again. His mind was exhausted for some reason. The whole Mandarin shit made him feel depressed. He tried to keep his spirits up but it was hard. A potential body take-over loomed over his heart, and his possible kamakazi demise always loomed.
Plus, his oatmeal was now cold. He couldn't stomach cold oatmeal. Tony looked back up at that douchebag wizard and hoped to hear something nice from him. A compliment on his shirt, maybe? Or just a how are ya doin?
"Pieces of the suit are disappearing. Little tiny "NANO" pieces are slipping away from it. Where are they going Tony?"
Strange and the Ancient One thought that he was gathering his tech back piece by piece. Or, he was hiding the pieces in different locations, even in different times and realms.
Tony inhaled and he stared at Strange. Holy shit.. he looked back down at the bowl and thought about his armor.
"I haven't tried to take it back. I did have a dream of the armor a little while ago. I don't remember the dream." Tony had many vivid dreams. His dreams could get so intense, it felt like his body burst into flames at times.
Tony thought about one of his dreams and his temp rose right there where he stood.
"When you are unconscious the Mandarin might be hard at work. You really don't know what he is doing with your body. That's why you can't cross into other dimensions and other timelines. This is actually serious, can you grasp that?"
Strange still had more to say. The sorcerer remained a good distance from Tony and he looked him over. Tony looked tired. Well, if he'd STOP hooking up with everyone on the planet then he could get some rest. Strange was at a breaking point.
His body felt all of Tony's behavior. He felt it all the time. It was..
Strange closed his eyes as he tried to get rid of the thought. He tightened the grip on his own arms and Strange forced his thoughts away. When he looked to his right his eyes happened upon Steve.
Steve thought that his behavior was weird. He started to study the sorcerer as their conversation unfolded. He also listened to a few things.
Christ. Strange looked the other way and just tried to focus. He inhaled the oxygen around him and he began to say the other things on his mind.
Tony interrupted his thought.
"Why can't you get him out of me? You're supposed to be some sort of, super wizard or whatever... right? Just, get him out."
Dr. Strange heard Tony but he turned his head in a different direction. He was working on it. Unfortunately, it was more complicated than he wanted it to be and Strange had other issues on his plate.
An issue happened at the Kamar-taj, and Strange had to face an enemy called Dormammu. And what was Tony doing? Hooking up with a second Steve Rogers and casually listening to some tunes.
"What do you suggest we do then, Strange?" Steve decided to speak. He stepped up to the sorcerer and he was shocked to see Strange back away even further. He didn't trust any of them.
Their paths crossed a Charles Xavier. Strange questioned the work he performed on Tony and Steve's mind when they were younger. He concluded that the Mandarin once used Tony's mind as a prism. He had an objective to infiltrate Steve's mind and that contact could have happened.
Strange really didn't know who the true enemy was at that point. The Mandarin could have been dormant in any of them. Or, he was now hiding his tech in all of them.
Something was going on and Strange was trying to solve the mystery. He stared at Steve. The soldier looked back at him with a bit of worry behind his expression. Strange could not answer him. He looked back at Tony and voiced his thought.
"Focus on that dream for me. Take me to it." Strange got rid of all his thoughts and he migrated closer to Tony. Tony became intimidated and he backed up against the oven. Whut? Whut did the wizard prick want now?
Tony backed up, up, up and he stared up at Strange. Tony gulped. He noticed the confused look on Tony's face as he processed what Strange said to him.
The sorcerer brought his hand upward. He did not touch him, but he froze Tony's body and he also froze his own. Steve stood there and he gasped.
Strange was frozen in place and so was Tony. It was kinda creepy. He waited a short while because he thought it was a trance? Uhh Steve had no clue what was happening. The soldier just left the room to check on his son. Eff that.
Tony felt a very strong pull to his chest. It traveled to his brain and he wanted to grab onto something. It was the craziest feeling he had ever experienced.
Tony felt his own body, leave his body? He looked down at his hands and he stared at them. Dr. Strange floated over to him and he stood close. He had no fear of their touch while they were both lodged into the unconscious part of Tony's mind.
The land of dreams. Strange needed Tony to guide him through his dream and he looked at him. Whoa, Tony kinda freaked out.
"Whuuuuuuttttt ? How is this possible?" Tony was in a state of disbelief. He stared at his hands. He was glowing but invisible. It was soooooooo friggen trippy.
"This is your astral form. We are inside the part of your brain where you dream." Strange explained and Tony pried his focus from his hands. He looked at the sorcerer's face.
"We are inside, my brain?" SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. Tony's jaw was locked open. Holy hell. He looked all around. He was able to float. That sort of movement was second nature for him because of his suit. Cool. Tony smiled and he looked back at Strange.
Oh right, it was time for serious wizard shit. Tony's brain looked magical. It looked electric and digital. He loved the way it looked around him and he got really fixated with it. Strange was focused on something to his left.
They were about to embark on some Alice in Wonderland shit. Strange thought of that as he looked at the objects that had his focus.
"What are those?" He pointed at some sort of odd looking filing system. Tony floated beside the sorcerer and he focused on the question.
"Those are the files that are stored within my AI system. Kinda like a computer desktop? I have all the little files customized with different images and... labels." Ahem. Tony was a little embarrassed because some of the images and labels on the individual files were a bit, juvenile.
Whatever. Tony smiled regardless and Strange looked over each individual file. They were looking directly at Tony's memory bank.
"You have a file called, sexy time?" Strange had to bite his tongue for a moment. One of the file names was just too much. He started to laugh and Tony floated up to his height and he glared in his face.
"This really isn't friggen fair. You not only get to super freeze me whenever you want, shut down my tech, and now you get to root around inside my brain? FUCK THIS." Tony almost screeched. He was so mad and he absolutely hated that wizard prick. GO. AWAY.
"Satan? You have a file named Satan?" Strange wondered about it as he studied the image. Tony got in his way and he glared.
"You don't wanna go into that one, those are only nightmares." Tony was not going to allow Strange to venture into that part of his brain. Those dark days were over. Tony never wanted to open that file. He started to frown and Strange caught a glimpse of that sad expression.
He studied it for a moment and then he noticed another file.
"Fair enough.." Strange had his focus on something else anyways. His curiosity amplified and he floated away from Tony. Tony was on his ass immediately. He had to keep tabs on that jerk.
"I like the file that says, DOUCHEBAG WIZARD. Let's go in there." Strange ignored how close Tony was and he approached the file. ACK Tony freaked out! He flew in front of him and he attempted to stop Strange.
"How about we don't, and we just say that we did?" No way. He did not want that wizard inside his head. Tony held out his handsssss ahhhh stop, stop, stopppppp.
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Tony straight up raged when that part of his memory bank was opened. Strange ignored his whining and he accessed the dreams. The area around them shifted from this super cool, techno world to the rooftop of the Kamar-taj.
Strange looked at the scene and then he looked over at Tony. He was a bit surprised to see the location.
"You dream of this?" The sorcerer just had to ask. Tony brought his shoulders up into a shrug.
"Uhh apparently? I'm usually asleep so .." he just let that sentence drop where it was and Strange looked back at the rooftop. He decided to sit down exactly like he did when Tony was actually there.
"Use your sense of recall and try to guide me through your dream. Do you remember any of it?" Strange really wanted to solve the Mandarin mystery. He was receiving clue after clue and it frustrated him. Tony floated over and he sat down beside him.
They were both turned in the same direction they were back in the day. Tony recalled his dream, but, he hesitated for a bit. He looked at something and it became a little hard for him to breathe.
"In my dream, I.." Tony glanced up at Strange's smug friggen face and then he brought his focus to the first thing. The sorcerer brought his attention downward. His eyes focused where Tony's eyes relocated.
"What do you do Tony? We are in our Astral forms so it will not have a direct affect on our bodies. I've made sure of that because I'm starting to put this puzzle together." He made an attempt to console those nerves. Tony contemplated for a moment and then he decided to just do the damn thing that he always did in his dream.
Tony brought his hand up from one of the tiles of the roof. He reached over to Strange and he just, touched his hand. That was it. He touched his hand and Strange stared at the contact.
He could feel it. The Astral form could feel things that happened to it. But, like he mentioned, it did not affect the physical form. He had a feeling that some sort of contact with him was the objective.
The Mandarin was up to something for sure. He either wanted to jump ship, or do something to Stephen. He continued to stare at that hand and then he looked at Tony's face.
"I do one other thing, in my dream? It's happened a few times." Tony admitted his thought and he sulked on it a little bit. Strange continued to look at his face. He needed to know that information so, he waited.
Tony swallowed and he thought it over. Obviously, that part of his dream had nothing to do with the Mandarin. Right? He thought that it wasn't a possibility. He thought for a long while and decided to just fess up. Tony leaned in that douchebag wizard's direction and he did exactly what he often did in his dream.
This time, he could actually feel it. For the first time since he was friggen seventeen years old, Tony kissed a guy and it wasn't a Steve Rogers. Strange hesitated to react at first. He understood that he was being kissed but, it took him a moment.
He connected them months and months and months ago. Over and over Strange felt the constant activity that Tony chose to engage in. He was like, a friggen bunny rabbit. It made things very difficult for Strange because he was trying to let go of the physical world.
That sort of behavior was just a distraction. It got in the way of what he needed to learn and do. Strange gave in a few times.. he went with what he felt from Tony and he got it out of his system with Christine.
It didn't feel like it was enough. The damn energizer bunny kept it up. Every few days Strange would feel something else, or what he felt would intensify. He was at a point where he either wanted to strangle Tony or..
Tony really couldn't believe it. He turned his head slightly and he felt Strange lean further into their kiss. He actually returned it, and that response made Tony feel encouraged.
He brought both his hands up to that wizard's face and he pulled him in. He could feel it all but... it felt so weird. That "Astral form" business needed to be explained to Tony one more time. He started to feel that wizard pull on his shirt. Damnnn his kiss was being returned and Tony was curious to see how far it would go. Wait, they weren't even in their bodies so..
Tony ignored all that. He just kept it going. When the kiss really began to heat up, Strange pulled away. He snapped out of his thought and he floated UP AND AWAY.
"Time to go." Strange was pretty pissed off at himself. He held a glare in the opposite direction of Tony. Tony was just spaced out. That warmth left him and he was confused about everything.
"But, whut.. Uhh ok..yeah." Tony just fizzled out of that whole kiss thing that just occurred. His brain bubbled it over and his expression was blank. Strange ignored the encounter and he brought them back into their own bodies.
They both took in a breath but only one of them opened his eyes. Dr. Strange blinked and he noticed that his hand was still in the same place it was. Their bodies hadn't moved and he brought his hand to his side.
He stared at Tony as he finally opened his eyes. Tony felt a little dizzy and he brought his hands up to his forehead.
"What happened?" It felt like he had something called 'vertigo'. He couldn't tell which direction he was in and he really felt dizzy. When his Astral form returned to his body, it caused him to get all loopy.
"We accessed parts of your memories that exist when you are asleep. They are dormant and deep in your mind. Do you remember doing that?" Strange had a theory that the memories that they just accessed remained dormant. They became "dreams" and they hadn't reached a different part of Tony's brain at that point. Tony looked very confused. He tried to remember but he shook his head.
"I don't.. I remember you freezing me for the millionth time. But, I.."
"It's fine. You don't remember. That's good actually. I'm sorry that I disturbed your morning." Strange looked back at the location where Steve Rogers was before they left the physical realm.
The soldier was still in his son's room. Strange decided to wrap it all up. He thought it was best to forget the whole, kiss.. ordeal. What Tony dreamt about was not yet a "thought". It hadn't manifested outside the unconscious part of his brain so, he only thought that way in his sleep.
Strange thought it over and he stepped away. He wanted to apologize to Tony's family but.. he decided it was best to just take off instead.
Tony's heart rate was kinda crazy. He touched his chest and he tried to figure out why. He stared at Strange and he still held a look of confusion.
He saw him move his hands in weird ways, and then he was gone. Whoa, Tony just stood there for a little while. He couldn't remember shit and he still felt all dizzy. He migrated to Byron's room and he quietly opened the door. Tony needed to tell his people that he felt like his body was on backward?
Or, maybe his brain was upside down? Uhh ...help?
Chapter End:
Thanks for reading! The Diminuendo Chapters have begun. I've decided to round it off to ten full chapters. The plot for this one is almost complete. Feedback is always love and stay tuned if you want.