Lessons In Love: Chapter Eighty: Tighten Up (Part 5)
"Tony? Are you feeling ok?"
Maria Stark was sitting in a restaurant with her son. Tony was a little out of it, and she noticed that his concentration was all over the place. Tony told her that he felt fine.
"Just out of it."
Tony was obsessing. That's what it was. His mother suspected that he might have taken something. Tony was known to use drugs, and small stashes of them were found in his room all the time.
She took a bite of her food, and held her focus on her son. Tony looked fatigued and troubled.
"Have you been sleeping?"
"A little, I think?"
Tony wasn't sure. He wasn't sure how much he slept. He tried to calculate his sleep from his encounter with Stephen to the one that he just had with Steve.
Yeah, Tony didn't sleep much. He felt pretty rested when Steve was in his bed, but..
"You seem very different."
Maria knew about the alignment with something called the Vishanti. Howard and Maria wanted all the information, but they were left with so many questions. The mysterious woman named Roma was insistent on them becoming aligned.
Maria was worried that it was altering her son's personality. She wasn't sure what the ultimate result would be. Luckily, an older version of her son appeared. He gave them some more insight, but it wasn't enough to get her through the moment she was currently in.
Maria was worried. She reached toward Tony and she gently touched one side of his face. Tony "woke up" in a sense and he took in a deep breath.
"I just feel zapped. Actually, I feel like I've given two people all of my energy. That's all."
Yup. Tony figured it out amongst all of that obsessing. Stephen and Steve stole his energy. That's what it was all about. Tony brought his foot up onto his chair and he quietly tied his shoe.
He felt Stephen right in that moment. Tony glanced to his right, and focused on the energy he felt. He felt Steve as well. That blonde was somewhere behind him. Tony knew where Stark Industries was located, and it was in the same direction as Steve.
Agamotto and Oshtur were officially in the vicinity. It was doing crazy things to Tony's body. He could barely tie his shoe.
"I'm going to assume you are talking about Steve and Stephen?"
Maria wasn't going to play dumb. She followed along with Tony's adventures the entire time he was at the X-Mansion. Maria watched his attraction develop for the two young men that she mentioned.
Tony looked up from his blue leather shoes and his heart friggen exploded. His mommy mentioned two names that made him flip his lid. She watched him let out a nervous laugh, then he chomped down on his food.
"Yeah. Those two. They took something from me, and I'm gunna make um give it back."
Tony showed his mother a very playful grin. She picked up her napkin, and maintained a smile of her own. She felt a spark from him in that moment, and it eased the worry that she had in her mind.
Tony told his mother that he wanted the two of them to go back to California. He needed to distance himself from "those two" and stay close to home.
She didn't mind returning with Tony, because she wanted him to get himself back on track. They finished their meal and all of their shopping.
She let Howard know that she planned to leave New York. He sounded like he had his hands full with something, so Maria made the update brief.
Tony stayed out in Malibu for the rest of the week. He told Steve that he didn't want him coming over, and Steve decided to start sleeping at Stark Industries.
He didn't want to talk to Bucky at all. He didn't want to see that gifted apartment, and he completely ignored the two messages that he received on the transmitter.
Steve just focused on his suit, while Stephen Strange focused on his brother. Victor's room was decorated how he wanted, and the brothers had a full fridge of food.
A companionship between them had grown, and Victor was getting used to living in the big city. Stephen enjoyed his time with his brother, and decided that he was finally ready to speak to their father.
The week off was almost over, and Stephen decided to head home to Nebraska. Victor remained in the apartment, and he told Stephen that he thought it was a bad idea.
Stephen said that he had to face their parents. He needed to explain his intentions, then go from there. Victor stared at the portal that Stephen formed.
He could see the long dirt driveway that led to the front of the house. It was dark over there, and Victor started feeling a little scared.
He wished his brother some good luck, and he watched Stephen cross from one location to the next.
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.
