Lessons In Love: Chapter Seventy-Eight: Tighten Up (Part 3)
Victor Strange had a small bag of belongings over one of his shoulders. The amount of clothes he had grew after he stayed at the Kamar taj, but the teenager didn't have that much to pack around.
He stepped into his older brother's apartment, and he slowly dropped his bag to the floor. Victor was in disbelief.
Stephen locked the door to the apartment, and he watched his brother walk over toward the giant glass doors that looked over the expanse of New York. They were in a penthouse, and Victor had never seen anything like it before.
"Your place looks just as rich as Tony's. How do you pay for this?"
Victor needed to know. His brother seemed to have a ton of money. Stephen picked up Victor's bag, and he set everything on the couch.
Stephen had to blink several times. Victor mentioned Tony, and those precious emotions of his started flaring up. He remained quiet for a moment longer, then Stephen turned his focus toward his brother.
"Mom and dad pay my school tuition. The rest I've earned through scholarships, and from someone that I have never met."
Stephen had someone out there that constantly put money in his bank account. That person even paid for the apartment that he was in. He was informed about his "Undisclosed Benefactor" through his school, but they had never met.
He only had one clue. His bank statement always said the initials AO, and it puzzled him. Stephen wondered who "AO" was all the time.
"Someone just, GIVES you money?"
Victor wanted money. He kept staring at Stephen, and the older brother started smiling. Victor amused him, and he gently fixed the left side of his hair.
"I have a secret benefactor. Someone out there gives me money. I don't know who it is, or why, but I get money every month."
He was given way too much money. Stephen saved a majority of it, and the money just kept flowing in. He was getting through school, but what happened with his sister made him stop.
Now, he was dealing with Vishanti stuff and family stuff, so Stephen had not been to school for a long time. Victor was still in shock about the money.
He also wanted to know who was giving money to his brother. Victor rubbed at his sleepy face and decided to ask him about it another time. Stephen knew that his brother was tired.
He maintained a gentle smile, and looked over toward the guest bedroom. He pointed toward it, and Victor started following his brother across the giant apartment.
"This room is yours. We can get you what you need tomorrow, so you can make it your own. Sound good?"
Stephen stopped at the door. He rest himself against the door frame, as Victor slowly looked in. The room was huge. The younger Strange almost gasped when he saw all the space that he had to work with.
Yeah, that sounded good. Victor couldn't wait to put a bunch of stuff in it. He just kept staring at the empty space that was placed before him. He wondered if it was really all his? Really? The bedroom had a bed and a dresser, but that was it.
"My room is over there, if you need me. I'll show you the kitchen."
Stephen pointed at a bedroom door that was far off toward the left of the apartment. Victor followed Stephen's lead and he snuck a glance at the city as they migrated toward the kitchen. The teen was very excited. He almost hopped as he walked.
Stephen noticed it, and a gentle smile remained on his face. He turned on the light in the kitchen, and abruptly stopped for a moment. Victor stopped behind him and he gave his brother a confused look.
"Why'd you stop?"
Victor almost walked right into him. Stephen kept staring ahead, and he didn't answer Victor's question. The would-be-sorcerer felt something in that moment. He felt a small trace of a very warm energy.
The feeling seemed to buzz around beneath his skin. He turned his head slowly, and he kept staring at the wall that was facing West.
The energy was coming from that direction. It was very faint, but enough for him to stop in the middle of a step. Stephen thought that he had felt the energy before, but he couldn't place it.
The future Sorcerer Supreme let the thought go, and he returned his focus toward his brother.
"Are you hungry?"
Stephen was starving. He headed further into the kitchen, and immediately started digging around for some food. Victor told him that he could eat a cow, and the brothers started putting together some sort of meal.
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.
