Lessons In Love: Chapter Thirty: Blood In The Cut (Part 3)

Tony wasn't going to be scrubbing a damn thing. He kept inspecting all the voodoo stuff around the room, and he glanced back over at the group.

Tony noticed two things. First, he caught on that Steve was trying to talk to Bucky. That whole thing made Tony feel... stuff.

The second thing he noticed was about Stephen and Victor. The two of them were clearly in their own world, and Tony thought it was adorable.

He thought it was crazy to see an older Stephen dressed in circus clothes. Tony thought that he was possibly some sort of magician? The brunette planned to ask him, if he ever saw him again.

The older Stephen looked even more icy than the one that he knew. Tony thought about it, as he gave Steve Rogers one last look. The best friends were acknowledging one another, and Tony's young heart started feeling swamped.

He had to go. Tony didn't want to see them talking. He hurried away from the room, and he started looking around.

He wandered around the mysterious place until he heard something. Tony heard music off in the distance. The brunette glanced behind him, and then he slowly migrated toward the source of the sound.

Tony walked in front of a steep set of stairs. It was at the end of a long dusty hall, and the music was coming from within.

The brunette bit at the side of his lip, and he slowly started heading down the stairs. The stairs were dark, and they were made of a light colored stone. Tony thought he was going to trip a few times, but he managed.

The music got louder as he journeyed further down, and he could see an opening up ahead. It looked like he was approaching a brightly lit room. Tony thought that he recognized the song, or possibly the artist that was singing.

Either way, he hesitantly stopped outside the door, and he looked in. His body was experiencing something that was sort of weird. It felt like there was a pull, or some sort of vibration going on beneath his skin.

Tony didn't understand the sensation, and he peered into the bright room. The first thing he saw was a bunch of stuff. Gizmos and whatnots a plenty.

Some of it looked like weapons, while other items looked like armor and odd technology. He also saw the source of the music, and it made him gasp pretty loudly.

Tony saw himself. The brunette could hardly breathe when he caught a glimpse of another version of his own body. The Tony Stark that he saw in the room was older, and he was wearing similar clothes.

His older self looked straight at him, and he gave the young man a smile.

"Look at that. My very own mini-me."

The Tony Stark that he saw looked happy. He was very excited to see a younger version of himself. That energy and welcoming expression made the young one ease up. He smiled back, and stepped further into the room.

"How is this possible? What is all this stuff? Where am I? And, where is the music coming from?"

The young one quickly listed a handful of questions. That made the older Tony chuckle a little, and he set down whatever was in his hand. He knew that his baby self would go snooping.

He used the music to lure him in. Big Tony held his smile, and he addressed every question in the sequence they arrived.

"This is possible because we've figured out how to cross into other times and dimensions."

Tony pointed at the "stuff" and answered the second and third question.

"These are all trinkets for something called the Mystic Arts. You are at the training grounds in Kathmandu."

Tony touched his chest several times. He elevated his technology into an energy based shell. It could no longer be manipulated or cast away from his body, like it used to be.

He still held onto the past of course, and the arc reactor was still in place. It was now sentimental to Tony, and it was the source of the music.

"The music came from me."

He turned it off, so he could focus on the younger version of himself that was currently exploring. He was nervously looking around the room, and touching everything in sight.

Baby Tony turned back in his direction. He inspected the item on his chest, and the curiosity started building. Questions popped up quickly, and he immediately started talking.

"Why are we here? That older Stephen didn't explain anything. He told us to scrub the floor, then left."

That whole thing made the older Tony smile. Dr. Stephen Strange Doughbag Wizard Pizza Supreme was such a sweetheart. Tony knew immediately that Stephen didn't want to babysit.

It amused the older Tony, and he casually leaned against the worktable.

"You are here because the Steve Rogers that existed in your dimension was killed. Remember? You were asked to create a new one?"

He didn't like the idea of any Steve Rogers dying anywhere. That thought washed a sadness over the older Tony, and the young one could see it in his face.

Baby Tony thought about the Steve that he knew, and his young heart started heating up. He brought his hand up to the side of his lip, and he started toying around with it as he got lost in thought.

"We handled the individual that killed him. And now, we're here to make sure you three can protect your own home. Simple stuff."

"You three?"

But, there were five of them. Baby Tony did a head count. Yup. Five people. He saw his older self smile, and he still had nagging thoughts about Steve.

"I'm talking about you, baby Steve, and baby Stephen. You three are going to learn to work together. I suppose? We are the great experiment, or so I've been told."

Big Tony started looking at the attention that was going toward that lip. He could tell that something was stuck in that young mind, and he couldn't really help himself.

The conversation went from official to personal in a matter of seconds.

"Is Obidiah Stane still lurking around?"

Big Tony needed to know. He was looking at a seventeen year old version of himself, and he knew the timeline and sequence of events pretty well. He knew that Obidiah Stane had been slithering his way around his younger self since he was sixteen.

The younger Tony gave off a look of disgust. Gross. The man was always lurking. Tony's parents passed away, and the dude tried to circle by every friggen day.

"No. I haven't seen him in a long time."

"Good. Stay away from him. Stay away from Rip as well. Don't start thinking that I don't know what you've been up to.."

He knew exactly what his adorable younger self had been up to. House parties, excessive drinking, heavy drugs, and crappy sex with terrible people. Big Tony knew it all.

He saw that face burn up, and his younger self randomly grabbed a trinket. Baby Tony wanted to throw it at him, but he awkwardly stared at it instead. He hadn't taken a single drug since Charles Xavier showed up out of the blue.

Tony felt like he was almost sober. He also felt like some sweet wholesome blonde was his new drug. Baby Tony felt like he was getting addicted to Steve, and the thought of that started making him sad.

He looked up from the trinket, and his older self wondered where his mind went.

"Stephen or Steve?"

Which one was it? The older Tony laughed, while the younger one gave him a horrified look. He almost dropped the trinket. WAIT WHAT? Baby Tony's face got really red. He didn't expect his older self to say that and he gagged out a reply.

"That's not, It's not like that. I'm not with... I'm trying to build some sort of something with Steve. I'm not with Stephen? He's.."

That really confused the young one. He looked back down at the trinket in his hands. His eyes were enlarged as far as they would go.

Stephen? That thought seemed crazy. He didn't think that Stephen was even into him, and Baby Tony started getting puzzled with all the thoughts.

Whoops. The older Tony figured that he already tried to hook up with them both. He held his grin, and looked over toward the steep staircase.

"I'm trying to be with Steve. But, I'm really just torturing myself. I don't think he realizes that he is in love with Bucky."

The younger Tony was really insecure about all of that. He could see things going on between them that they probably never caught onto. He saw Bucky as someone that Steve longed for.

Uhm, the older Tony gave him a confused look. Bucky Wonder? Steve Rogers was not "in love" with Bucky Wonder. Tony had always known their connection to be more like a brotherhood.

He studied his younger self, and he kindaaaaa wanted to hear a little more. They had the time, and curiosity was growing, so..

"Bucky and Steve are just friends. I've dealt with Bucky Wonder for an insanely long time, so consider me to be an expert?"

Sorta? Big Tony gave off a playful laugh. The expression he saw on that face made him slowly drop that laugh. His younger self looked contemplative, but sure with his words.

"All Bucky really needs to do is return his feelings. Then, I'm burnt toast."

Baby Tony meant what he said. That's why he was insecure, and he felt like he was torturing himself. He really liked Steve. He considered Captain America to be his first crush.

The whole thing was kinda crazy. He looked over at his older self, and noticed some crystal clear confusion build up on his face.

Say whut now...

Chapter: END

Thanks for reading. :)