The Never-Ending Why: Chapter 18: Never Be Like You (Part 3)
Clea was allowed to enter Agamotto's dimension. She migrated her way toward the only energy source she could find, and she noticed that Stephen was sitting on the ground.
He was outside Agamotto's temple, and he looked like he was resting against the stone walls. She lowered herself down to the ground level, and Stephen slowly looked up.
His dream girl stopped above him, and she asked him if he was alright. Stephen was exhausted, and his feet were injured. He lost his grip on his emotions, and he had been lowered all the way down to the sharp pyramid of death.
His only option was to stand on it, or keep going down, down, and then down again. It punctured several holes in the bottom of his feet. Stephen tried to lift his legs up, but that meant other parts of his body would be stabbed or cut.
Agamotto was very disappointed with him, and done with his presence. The entity left him, and now Stephen was licking his mental and physical wounds.
He finally felt alone in his body, so he declared that to be a silver lining. Clea kept staring at him. She gave a small sigh, and slowly sat down beside Stephen. She looked at his feet, and asked him again if he was ok.
Stephen kept staring at her face. The two of them had been very intimate, but they barely ever had a conversation. Agamotto got to interact with her the most, and Stephen felt like he was just the vessel that made it happen.
They were actually alone in that moment, so Stephen felt a little nervous. He felt very unlucky and bad at relationships.
"I'm ok."
He thought about his failed attempts to make Christine Palmer his girlfriend. She always held him at a distance. Then, he thought about Tony Stark.
Stephen brought his leg up toward his chest, and he tried to let go of what he felt. He wasn't used to his emotions being unsuppressed, so...
"Did you hear what Victor said to you?"
Clea thought about it all the time. What was happening with Agamotto was beyond her control, but Clea had a soft heart. She kept looking at his feet, and she slowly brought herself closer to them.
Stephen warmed up a little. She was close, and it made him remember what they did. It distracted him from her question. Clea glanced up at Stephen, and she waited for him to answer.
"I heard him, yes."
Victor told him that he missed him. Stephen wanted to return to his siblings, and he had no idea how long it had been. Clea gently put her hand over his left foot. He stared at her hands, and he became a little mesmerized by her skin.
Her body and complexion was like an opal gemstone. The glows and all the different colors were subtle, but Stephen couldn't stop himself. Clea held a small smile, and she healed the wounds that were on his left foot.
Stephen thanked her for doing that, but she didn't say anything back. Clea just moved closer to his right foot, and she healed his wounds again. Stephen watched her with a warmth on his face. The warmth grew, because she kept touching his skin. Clea remained where she was, and she looked up at her husband.
They were not married in his dimension, but what happened between them was considered marriage by her people. Her father confirmed that while Stephen was completely controlled by Agamotto.
In the Dark Dimension, Stephen and Clea were already husband and wife.
He was aware of what happened. Stephen couldn't overpower Agamotto, or change what went on between them. He wouldn't have changed it if he could, and the would-be-sorcerer didn't protest a thing.
It was just... crazy. Stephen felt like he barely even processed them leaving New York. Clea noticed that he was deep in thought. She briefly wondered where Agamotto was, and if he was watching them communicate.
She was glad to be speaking with Stephen, so she brought her hand up to his face. The almost-sorcerer-supreme sat up from the wall, and he allowed Clea to gently kiss him.
At that point, it seemed like the two of them had kissed at least a hundred thousand times. Stephen wasn't counting, but her lips and behavior had become very familiar. His young mind settled on the moment he was in, and he returned her kiss immediately.
~~~—-~~~
Bucky was alone when he returned to his apartment, and he did not eat any breakfast. He thought about talking to Steve, but the would-be-soldier decided against it when he reached their floor.
He just shut the door to his apartment and decided not to speak to anyone. Bucky didn't see Donna anywhere outside the apartment. She just vanished with her brother.
Bucky sat down in his favorite spot, and he lit up a cigarette. He stared out the window for a while, and debated what to do.
Donna seemed very upset with what she saw. He wanted to talk to her. All of the insane thoughts that he had about earning Stephen's respect kept coming back to him. Bucky felt like his plan was pretty shot to shit.
Bucky knew exactly what he liked, and didn't like. He actually knew what he really wanted, but he was secretly waiting for Stephen to magically return. That's why he kept himself informed, and why he always updated Donna.
The not-so-winter-soldier kept reflecting on his terrible morning, then he blew out a puff of smoke.
He sat there in his thoughts, and finally noticed the taste of his cigarette. Bucky watched it smolder and burn in his left hand. The cigarette ...was shit.
Bucky discarded it, and he tried not to light up another one. He ended up getting rid of the entire pack, and he thought about buying real food.
Chapter: END
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