Chapter 28: Riposa Ora (Rest Now) Chapters: Tiger Dreams

Tony thought that he took a week off. He took Sarah to the beach, spent time with Byron and Whitney, and then he thought that spent some time with his parentals. He didn't tell any of them about the insane ritual that he signed up for.

He figured that Steve did all of that for him, and he wasn't ready for that. He just wanted to enjoy them all and not flood his visit with doom and gloom.

He also thought that he spent an entire week being a total beach bum. Tony baked in the sun and relaxed by the waves. He soaked all of that beautiful shit in. The sounds, the smells, the feel of the water. He truly loved the ocean.

Tony thought again that he helped Byron build a sand castle. They were constructing one of the towers and Tony looked out at the waves.

He became entranced with the waves immediately. His mind was immersed. Tony stood way off on the shore but he felt like he was standing in direct center of the ocean.

"I think it's time for us to train. I want you to teach me the mystic arts."

Tony heard Steve's voice. He stared out at the waves and he took in a steady breath. The waves around him began to slow down. He tried to look in the direction of Steve's voice, but Tony realized that it was all around him.

Tony couldn't see him. He stared at the waves as they came to a very slow stop. Tony took a step closer to the water and he forgot everything around him. It looked like the quiet ocean filled with a dark ink. The water was frozen in place, and the still waves turned black. Tony looked down at his side. Byron was no longer there and the sand was gone.

"Tony?" He heard the soft voice of Dr. Strange. Tony's back straightened slowly and he turned around. He looked at that wizard prick as he floated toward him.

Tony thought about that nickname as he stared at him. Wizard prick.. Strange really wasn't really that rude. He was sarcastic as fuhhhckk but all of that sarcasm slipped away once his guard was down ... and all of his clothing came off. He was actually very nice and he could be quite charming.

Wait. Tony noticed that they were in a dream? Everything around them looked dark. He didn't answer Strange and he looked down at his feet. The sand was gone. All the beautiful warm sand that covered his toes was gone as well. Tony looked up and his eyes met another pair.

Stephen Strange stared right at him. Tony stepped in his direction.

"Tony, you haven't woken up." Strange filled Tony in. The situation was pretty bad. Tony barged into his bedroom and Strange was unable to fight what he felt. He gave in and they were very intimate. Strange was finally able to act out what was on his mind. He understood that he wanted Tony.

At the time, he wasn't sure if he let it happen because of an emotional overload, or because of his real thoughts. Tony didn't give him any time to really process it. The sorcerer had him in his bed and that was the only way he processed the emotions.

He processed them over and over.

After their encounter, Tony eventually fell asleep. He was asleep in Stephen's bed and Tony never woke up. They spoke briefly about Pink Floyd. Strange confessed how he felt about him. He told him the song that represented Tony in his mind.

The problem with that was, Tony was asleep when he gave him that information. Strange could only communicate with him in his sleep. He wouldn't wake up.

Strange tried to pull him out of it. He tried numerous times to wake him up. Steve returned to the Kamar-taj two days after the funeral and Tony was still asleep. Strange was very nervous and very concerned when Steve returned.

I mean, what a scene. He didn't want to move him physically, and Tony's location and physical state revealed what transpired between them when Steve was gone.

Tony was partially dressed, and he was in a deep sleep on Strange's bed. Steve's reaction when he stared down at the unconscious Tony was a bit unexpected. Strange assumed that the village Boy Scout would freak out because they obviously hooked up.

No, Steve just said out loud that he needed to be trained in the mystic arts. Tony heard it in his sleep. He heard what they said around him off and on. Wong began training Steve and Strange infiltrated Tony's dream.

He was at the beach with him, and he witnessed the beautiful scenery turn dark.

"It's been three days Tony. You need to wake up." Strange stood right in front of him. Every image around them disappeared. The still waves, the blackened beach, and the beautiful clear sky all disappeared.

Tony smiled at Strange and he brought his hands upward. He wanted to feel him again. Tony wanted it so badly. His body burned for that activity. His very warm hands touched Strange's face. Tony looked up at him and he responded.

"It's been three days MERLIN. You need to fall asleep." He said the opposite and the muscles in his feet stretched. Tony's body shifted up and he kissed the wizard. Strange held his breath. He froze where he stood. The sorcerer returned the kiss, but he thought the comment was odd.

Stephen Strange no longer slept. He told Tony that information a while ago. He gently gripped one of Tony's wrists and he continued to return the kiss. He turned his head and pulled Tony in a bit closer. None of it made any sense. Their kiss came to a slow close and Strange stepped back. Tony opened his eyes in that world and in the one his body was located.

Tony gasped quietly. He looked up at the ceiling.

"Am I awake?" Tony asked as his mind swam around beneath his skull. His brain felt heavy and his body continued to feel warm. He heard that soft voice again and he looked to his left.

"Yes. You just woke up."

Strange was relieved. That was a stress that none of them wanted. He spoke to Steve many times after he returned. He explained what happened, and he also explained that he had no idea why Tony wouldn't wake up.

Steve just busied himself. He and Wong trained for the rest of the day, and Strange tried to wake him up. Tony blinked several times.

He slept. So, in theory he should have been wide awake. Tony was actually the opposite. His body felt drained, and he wanted to go back to sleep. He decided that it was a bad idea. Tony sat up and turned his body. Strange watched his every move.

He had to get to the bottom of that issue immediately. He wondered if it was because they were aligned with Agamotto and Hoggoth? He thought that the energy from the alignment was too much for Tony..

Then he thought, maybe physical contact between the humans that were aligned with the Vishanti caused them to have extreme exhaustion? That theory held some water, but, Strange felt no affect whatsoever. He looked for answers in his books and he puzzled over it for an eternity.

He couldn't ask the Ancient One questions anymore. Tony got up to his feet and he picked up the tunic part of his folded ritual garment. Tony put it on and he tied it on one side.

"Steve is here, isn't he?" Tony clearly heard his voice. He dreamt that he told him that he "sorted it out" and now he understood that it was all in his sleep.

"Yes. He returned and he has been training with Wong." Strange hesitated for a moment and he watched Tony get dressed. Strange tried to ignore his thoughts, but he had to bring something up to him.

"I told him, Tony."

The sorcerer spoke softly and Tony finished putting on that weird garment. He fixed one of his pant legs and he glanced over at Strange. That wizard prick looked a bit nervous. Tony smiled a little and he rolled up the bulky sleeves. Tony was about to respond but then he came to realize something.

HE NEEDED TO FRIGGEN PEE. Tony sighed and stretched his neck as far as he could. He needed to stretch his bones and shower.

"I am going to take over Steve's training. You will train with Wong. I don't want there to be any hostility between the three of us so, I think that is best." Strange felt like that dynamic was the best fit.

He didn't have a clear understanding of Steve's reaction. He knew that he didn't seem angry about what happened, and the soldier only seemed determined to get to work. Tony agreed and he wanted to train with Wong.

He couldn't be too close to Steve or Strange. His body had this constant pulse within it and that was a definite distraction. He wanted to feel the both of them, over and over and in every possible way.

THAT WAS BAD. Tony felt like he placed himself in an awkward position. So, he agreed with Strange and he began to nod his head.

Tony left Strange's bedroom. He headed to his own room, showered, changed into the training clothes that were less bulky, and then he began to work with Wong. He couldn't have a conversation with Steve at that point. His body was off the charts and Tony preferred to just stick to business.

He knew that the two of them would speak at some point. They only had an eternity to get around to it.

Strange specifically traded places with Wong in both the physical world and the next. Wong monitored Tony's sleep. He showed up in his dreams and Tony was kindaaaaa not ok with it.

I mean, he had pretty intimate thoughts about certain individuals when he slept. Wong knew TOO MUCH info and Tony received constant lectures from him. Wong tried to break him out of his attachment to sex. He told him over and over that his attachment to the physical was hindering his connection to the spiritual.

Yeah, good luck with that buddy. It was a very hard challenge for Wong, and he kept their training to himself. He had a special bucket with him at all times. When he instructed Tony and he became distracted, Wong would take the bucket and pour water over his head.

Tony would get soaked to the bone and he'd have to change his damn clothing. At that point, Tony was super-soaked three times. His main man and the wizard walked by them. They just walked by and Tony got soaked.

Strange only worked with Steve. They all were on their third week of training and Steve caught on the fastest.

Friggen Steve, he was just naturally good at everything. When it came down to the actual combat skills between Steve Rogers and Stephen Strange? Uhhh... Steve kicked his ass. Hands down.

Strange was superior only because of his magic tricks. Steve had some beyond expert level combat skills and his focus was mainly on learning how to use a sling ring.

Tony secretly found a very high level of enjoyment every time Steve had the upper hand between them. He snuck a peak at the two of them whenever he could. Tony was focused, and he was doing well. He just got curious every now and then and he'd venture over to the other group. Wong eventually taught Tony his most important lesson. He taught him how to actually meditate.

For Tony, that was his biggest struggle. He never really had the ability to be still and focus. Every time he tried his mind would wander. He'd think about Steven R. or Stephen S. and then, Wong would either smack him hard with a training stick, or dump the water over his head.

Tony couldn't help it. Their training was very intense and they let all of their personal issues slip off into oblivion. That was a good thing for all three of them. They all felt like the personal shit needed to take a hike.

The highlight of training for Tony was activating his first magical shield. The symbol appeared only for a moment.

Steve figured out how to operate the sling ring first. Then, that punk ass took off to see Byron any chance he got. Steve also learned to hold up his own magic shield. Strange told him that he could use his life force to increase the size of it. He could eventually use it just like the shield that he always had with him.

Steve was officially a triple threat. He had his physical shield, his secret nano-tech shield, AND his shield through the mystic arts. The blonde was lethal and Strange admired his eagerness to learn more and more.

Tony still struggled with the sling ring. He had a few sparks show up for him, but he was unable to go anywhere.

Wong told him that there wasn't any rush. They had to master things in a particular order. Personal energies came first. The magic shield that he was learning to generate came from their own personal power supply. Just like the use of the sling ring.

After that, they were going to learn to harness universal energies and then dimensional energies.

"You've only got an eternity or two to get it right." Wong tried to alleviate the stress of the matter. Tony failed again to use the sling ring. It was early in the morning at the bright and sunny Kamar-taj. He needed to take a break. He asked Wong if he could go get some breakfast.

Wong told him YES and that he would join him shortly. Tony headed all on his lonesome to the feeding grounds. He saw his main man at a table. Tony stared at that blonde for a moment and then he grabbed some grub and booked it toward him. Tony fumbled at the finish line, but he sat down across from Steve.

He really friggen missed him. Tony stared at his face and he thought about what to say.

Tony set his breakfast in front of him and he gave Steve a huge grin. That playful grin was returned and Steve kept quiet. He glanced at Tony a few times but he made sure that he focused on his food. He missed his little red corvette. Sleep was difficult for Steve because he missed someone's company.

They couldn't think about that sort of stuff. Steve removed the thought from his mind and he made some room for his instructor. Tony looked up just as Strange took his seat beside Steve. They all trained and studied magic at all hours of the day.

Tony hardly saw Steve or Strange. AND, he had just been possessed by some tiger entity. So seeing them made his damn body heat up and he had..

Uhhh, Tony looked around for WONG THE HORRIBLE, then he shoveled some of his food into his mouth. He forced sooooo many thoughts out of his head. He began to take notice of a few things. First thing, Steve Rogers and Stephen Strange were actually seated beside one another. That was all well and good. The training brought Dr. Night and Captain Day closer together.

Tony didn't care about that, what he cared about was the second thing that he noticed. He tried to swallow down the weird porridge stuff and he looked at what they both were eating.

They both ate apples. Ok, apples are kind of a common thing. Millions of people ate apples. Tony understood that, ok? But..

He glanced at one of them as a bite was taken out of the apple. That particular individual smiled at him and Tony responded with a bewildered look. Then, his eyes slipped over to the other one. The OTHER individual cut his apple into cute little slices. Tony received a smile from him as well and the bewildered look deepened.

NO ONE SAID A SINGLE WORD.

He swirled the food around in the bowl and he cleared his throat a little. Those two were playing gamessssss or something. They both remained silent and it was torture for Tony.

He saw Wong enter the space. He walked in and Tony decided to TAKE OFF. He ditched his seat because he did not want to be drenched with water for the millionth time.

Tony left the two fraternal apple twins in his dust and he headed over to his new favorite person. When Wong saw Tony, he sighed. He saw exactly where he was seated. Wong even heard some quiet laughter from the two individuals that held Tony's interest.

Those two, DISTRACTIONS were looking over at them. Wong grabbed his meal and he motioned for Tony to follow.

"We are not eating in here. You're addiction will come to an end. I will make sure of it. Let's go." Wong was full of demands. Tony rolled his eyes and he took one last look at those two. He scowled and followed after Mr. Wong. They eventually took a seat in the meditation temple. Normally, people didn't eat in the temple but Wong decided that they could bend the rules just once. He sat down and he looked at Tony.

His appearance was very sluggish. Wong ate his food and asked him if he needed to get some more sleep. Tony told him that he was fine. He was just dandy. They all had trained so much and so often, Tony was always very fatigued. That's what it was. Tony remained quiet and he kept eating.

He thought about his new routine. Tony would wake up, train a little, eat, avoid the apple twins, train, avoid them some more, look at his lab, then he'd pass out in his tiny Kamar-taj bed.

He went to sleep early and he slept long hours. Tony woke up everyday feeling like he never fucking slept. He was NOT spinning around and worried about the apple twins. No. He was worn out for other reasons. Tony didn't know what those reasons were, but, he knew that the whole mess would eventually come out in the wash.

"When I rest, I feel like I don't sleep." Tony finally confessed that fact to Wong and his amazing instructor crossed his arms.

"Well, you look like you haven't slept in a year. You look like shit." Wong responded and Tony gasped. What?! Tony looked amazing at all times. His face indicated that he was ready to argue.

"You also have very weird dreams. I can't tell what is happening in them half the time. The other times proves to me that your lust for Strange and Steven needs to cease. You are basically a sex addict." Wong continued to eat and Tony's body boiled over. Wong always lectured him and he kept repeating those BULLSHIT comments.

Tony figured that Wong was a humongous STEVE ROGERS FAN. Back at home, Steve had always been the most worshipped "Avenger". He had a sea of people that loved and adored him, and they would easily banish Tony into a fiery pit of hell if they had a chance. Tony assumed that Wong was one of those Steve groupies.

That actually wasn't the case. Wong was very adamant on making the Vishanti trio a success. He made it clear over and over that the Ancient One gave her life for the three of them to fulfill the alignment. So, Wong refused to let her die in vain.

"Have you forgotten that you are married? And, you need to understand that Stephen Strange has officially become the Sorcerer Supreme. News of him obtaining that role has just begun to spread across the cosmos. You can't just seduce the Sorcerer Supreme. He has many enemies and he still has so much to learn. Don't sneak off to his room and keep him out of your filthy mind."

Wong continued his lecture and he didn't give a shit about Tony's reaction. TONY SHRIEKED.

"HEY! You can train me, you can feed me, and you can say that I'm doing really well with my training. But, what you do not do is FUCKING JUDGE ME. I know that I'm married. I haven't forgotten that, and I never will."

Tony was immediately on fire. Wong sat back a little bit because Tony's reaction was pretty intense. He wasn't done either. Wong held onto his seat because he felt a very strong energy emit from him, and Tony told him exactly how he felt.

"I will seduce whoever I want, whenever I want, however I want. Your precious WIZARD Supreme was a consenting adult.. So, back off." Tony tossed his spoon into the rest of that cold, gross temple porridge of doom and he set his bowl aside.

Tony was officially done being judged. He was free. He obtained that freedom thanks to the amazing relationship that he had with Steve Rogers. He planned to talk to his husband about the sexy hook up he had with Stephen Strange...eventually. Until then? NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO JUDGE HIM. Fuck that.

Wong finished his meal and he stood up. It was time for them to train. Tony scowled again for what felt like the millionth time and he got up to his feet. Tony had an actual objective for that day. He wanted to master the sling ring.

All of that judgmental bullshit was forced out of his mind. He decided to let the stones

that were thrown at him just roll off his skin. Tony moved on. He was ready to train and he followed the lead of his instructor. Wong cooled his comments down a bit. He still felt the same way, but he didn't want to invoke the wrath of one of the Vishanti before anyone really knew how to contain it.

That was a very stupid idea. Wong only liked smart and helpful ideas that actually got shit accomplished.

Chapter END:

Hello readers! Thanks so much for reading. I had my small break and now I have another chapter for you. There is something I want to write about so you might see a bit of a style change with this chapter.

It's titled Riposa Ora (Rest Now) because I truly intend to write a complete story for the younger Tony that parallels the Tony Stark in the MCU. I'm also going to be writing about something that will be in the next set of films to come.

Read if you'd like, and stay tuned if you're still with me. This chapter is about 50 % charted out. Thanks again!