Lessons In Love: Chapter Seventy-Seven: Tighten Up (Part 2)
A very innocent conversation was going on in Tony's bedroom. Steve was resting against the desk that was in the room, and Tony was sitting on his bed.
There were faaaarrrrrr apart, and Tony was determined to behave himself. He remembered the look that Stephen had on his face when it came to Steve. Tony didn't want to hurt him..
The brunette thought of that as he listened to Steve casually chat with him in his room.
"I've actually been hanging out with your father today. He's given me some space in his lab."
Oh? Tony didn't know where his parents were, but now he was informed that they were in New York. So... he was all alone with Steve, in that big ol' house.
Tony quietly cleared his throat, then he messed around with the blanket beside his leg. Their small talk had carried on for a little while. Tony wanted to keep it going, because other ideas kept popping into his young mind.
"He gave you space, for what?"
Tony thought that was odd. He liked that his father was spending time with Steve. Tony liked that more than anything in the world right at that moment. Steve had his arms gently crossed over his stomach. He relaxed a little, and Tony stared at his smile.
That smile was doing freaky shit to his soul.
"I wandered in. I was out running and I saw the Stark building. He started showing me around, and told me that I could exercise, in the space."
Exercise? What the... Both of Tony's eyebrow arched upward, and he turned his head to the side. Hmmmm... the brunette started thinking that Steve was hiding something. He became curious about it, and his impulse was to tease it out of him.
"Hmm, he probably wants to hire you. He's notorious for that."
Tony spoke out his thought, then he quickly thought about his behavior. He realized that his first thought was very physical. He started thinking that it was weird, or abnormal. He just wanted to friggen touch Steve, and pry out the truth.
Tony turned his focus to the floor. Steve noticed his struggle, and he just watched Tony as he looked about. He wondered what he was thinking. Steve gave that bed a quick glance, then he relaxed his shoulders back.
"He mentioned something about that. Would it bother you, if I worked for your father?"
Steve had a playful tone to his voice. Everything he said sounded very gentle. He also felt a very warm energy coming from Tony. It generated out of him like an electrical current. Steve didn't understand it, but the would-be-soldier noticed that it felt very real. The more they spoke, the stronger it got.
"Yes. That would bother me."
Tony didn't want Steve being his father's little errand boy. He thought that sort of work was PERFECT for the amazing Bucky wonder.
Tony thought about Steve's BFF, as the blonde softly smiled. Steve didn't comment about Tony's father any longer. He had to shift around and move his pant leg. The soldier-in-training swallowed his thoughts and realized that his clothes were feeling a little tighter.
Steve became lost in his own thoughts about what his body was going through.
He even felt a little buzz going on beneath his skin. He forgot to respond, as Tony dropped an atom bomb on the innocent chat.
"Did Bucky die, or something? What happened with him..."
Tony was pretty blunt. His question made Steve almost lose balance. SAY WHAT? Steve just stared with his mouth open.
Tony didn't look at him after he asked the question. He didn't see Steve's eyebrow twitch. Bucky was the elephant in the room, and hearing his name made Steve form a sweat.
"He didn't die, Tony. He's in Brooklyn. We're.."
Steve stopped talking. He tried to sum up where he was with Bucky. Steve was mad at him. That's where they were. The would-be-soldier was completely silent, and Tony finally looked up at him.
We're ... what? Shacking up? Tony wanted to know. He didn't say anything further and he waited for Steve to relocate his tongue. The blonde lost it somewhere, and he was taking his time with his words.
"I meant what I wrote to you. That's all you need to know."
Steve didn't want to discuss Bucky. Their last conversation bothered him, and he didn't think that Tony needed to know about it. He wanted them to focus on what was ahead. Steve's adorable smile returned, but Tony didn't have one.
The letter mentioned that Steve wanted to start a relationship with him. Tony read all of Steve's love confession. He even read the part where he admitted that he wasn't in love with Bucky.
It was everything that Tony wanted to read, but the letter gave him some anxiety that he wasn't ready for. The balancing act between Stephen and Steve scared him to death. Also, the conversation was heading in a direction that gave Tony another spoonful of anxiety.
"Well, I told you that I was playing something out, and I did. I went for it."
Tony didn't want to just blurt out that he hooked up with Stephen. He really opened up to the future Sorcerer Supreme, and he felt very different about a few things.
Stephen was a very sweet person. He hid his real behavior. Tony didn't know why, but he saw a side of him that only Victor got to see. He was very loving, and secretly gentle.
Tony didn't want to hurt him, and he wasn't sure what to do. Steve listened to what Tony was saying and he took a few steps toward the bed. He sat down beside Tony, and gave what was said some additional thought.
Tony looked right at Steve. They were way too close on that bed, and the brunette started heating up. He also had to confess, so he just started telling Steve how it was.
"Stephen has some similar ideas in mind. He didn't write it down, but it's in the same ballpark of what you've described."
Tony started ripping the band-aid off of the situation. He felt comfortable with Steve, and free to start the conversation. The blonde was listening, but he wasn't a fan of what he heard.
"So, we're both trying to get the same thing? Is that what you're telling me?"
Steve started thinking about Stephen Strange. He just spent part of his night researching the Sorcerer Supreme. His fighting form was calculated, meticulous, and cold. That was the only side of any Stephen that he was able to see.
The only other side seemed, blank. Steve never felt any emotion from him, and he understood why.
Tony started nodding his head yes. They both were asking him for the same exact thing. Tony didn't think that the conversation with Stephen would be as easy.
Nnnooooo way. Stephen's behavior was very clear about Steve. There was an insecurity going on, and Tony didn't want to strengthen it.
"Yes, and I told him that I let you go."
He needed Steve to be on board with that, because Tony had a bad feeling. There was a fragility to Stephen that Tony was just starting to figure out. He needed Steve to accept what he said, and let him be with Stephen.
They both became quiet after that. Steve didn't like hearing that he was "let go", but he was understanding what Tony was telling him.
A warm hand touched his shirt, and Steve looked down at his clothes. The blonde glanced over at the bed, and he quietly said that Tony could say whatever he wanted.
Steve really meant what he wrote in that letter, and he wasn't interested in complicating anything. Tony let that blonde move closer to him. He closed his eyes when Steve gently kissed his forehead.
Steve waited there for a moment. He contemplated what he felt, and brought Tony's warm lips up toward his own. Tony let him do it.
He didn't hesitate, and all of the talking between them quickly ended.
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.
