Lessons In Love: Chapter Ninety-One: Young & Sad (Part 1)


Baby Tony's devious behavior with Stephen and Steve was eventually interrupted. Five people appeared below the sphere, and all three of the younglings freaked out.

They felt very exposed, but they soon realized that they weren't seen. Tony tried to fix his clothes. Some warm and very yummy hands had been wandering all over him, so his clothing needed some serious readjustments.

He didn't look at the other two as he fixed his jeans. They were composing themselves as well, and Baby Tony caught a glimpse of his older self.

They all heard him ask where the "younglings" were. The older Stephen pointed up above their heads. He didn't say anything about it, and only a few people glanced up.

Shit shit shiiiiittttt. The three Vishanti babies felt weird as they floated up above the others. They wanted to get out of there, but all they could do was listen and watch.

The younger Stephen stared down at the group. His eyes settled on the older Clea. He remembered exactly what the older Tony said about her. He confessed to Roma that he hid the Power Stone inside "Clea Strange".

She had his last name. Their marriage was confirmed in his mind, and he quietly kept staring. Stephen wanted to talk to ...his... Clea.

He felt like that thought was possessive. She wasn't "his". Stephen only meant that they were in the same dimension. Right? She was in, his dimension?

He began to second guess himself because Clea was in a dimension of her own. Stephen became confused. Luckily, someone's voice brought him back.

"Would we like to celebrate or deliberate this venture? I'll leave it up to the four of you."

The man with the shiny hammer spoke first. He mentioned that they were at his home, and that food could be arranged.

Clea responded to him. She said that she wanted to celebrate the endeavor. In her mind, housing the Power Stone was a good thing. She liked that their group harnessed the Infinity Stones, but that wasn't what she wanted to celebrate.

Clea looked at the older Stephen. They were very cautious about what was changing in their relationship. Thor was not told about their child, but the God of Thunder had his suspicions.

Dr. Strange was allowing Steve Rogers to monitor his jurisdiction. A lengthy "vacation" was planned, so Thor knew something else was going on.

Plus, Clea was even more radiant than she always was.

"That's one vote for celebration. Steven, how do you want to proceed?"

Thor turned his attention toward the soldier. Steve was pretty quiet. He had a ton of stuff to say to one person in the group, but the soldier refrained. He softly smiled at his friend, then gave him a response.

"I say we celebrate."

Deliberation could come later. They didn't really know what effect the stones might have on them. They didn't even know how long Tony had them hidden inside their bodies, OR HOW.

Questions needed to be answered, but Steve was more in the mood to keep it light. The day was over, and it was a hard one. He looked over at his little red corvette. The two of them hadn't spoken to each other, but Steve intended to fix that.

Until then, he actually followed Clea into Thor's home. In her mind they were celebrating, and the discussion about that was over.

Thor was the one that needed to check in with everyone. He asked the older Tony and Stephen if they intended to deliberate or celebrate. Stephen decided to answer for the both of them.

"We'll follow you soon. Tony and I will celebrate, after we deliberate."

The Sorcerer Supreme wasn't going to smooth over what happened as easily as the others. Thor looked at Tony's passive expression, then he smiled. The Demigod left them so they could speak alone.

They weren't technically alone. The three babies were still up above them, but they were being ignored. They had a front row seat, and watching the behavior of their older selves was intriguing.

They all watched as the older Stephen looked over at Tony. The Living Tribunal approved of what Tony did with the stones. It didn't perceive an uncontrollable outcome, so his life was spared.

Tony Stark got to live to see another day. Stephen thought of that as the two of them looked about. Their eyes finally met, as Stephen began to speak.

"Are the Infinity Stones the reason why you locked me out of your thoughts?"

Stephen pointed at Tony's head. A long long time ago, Tony created something that blocked Stephen from reading his mind. Tony having the Stones confused Stephen. It made him think that he might have been manipulated by Tony.

It was a scary feeling for him, and he wanted to know the truth. The older Tony thought about his question. He closed his eyes for a short moment. The answer to that came to him very easily.

He held a small smile, and shook his head no.

"I did that because I didn't want you snooping around in my mind. You were invading my dreams, and all up in my space. I didn't want you knowing how I felt about you, remember?"

Tony told him why he did that. He told that Douchebag Wizard Pizza Supreme a bunch of stuff. Tony even mentioned that he loved Stephen.

"But, you have been manipulating me on some level, haven't you? It feels like you have."

Tony wasn't sure how to answer that. He studied Stephen's face and tried to recall any manipulation. The brunette tried to think about what he'd manipulate Stephen to do.

"I was only trying to spend time with you. I remember asking and possibly manipulating you to stop time, once or twice."

Tony was referring to when he asked Stephen to join him in Costa Rica. It was a very long time ago, but Tony had developed some pretty intense feelings for Stephen.

They now understood that the sorcerer's feelings had always been suppressed, so Tony was often rejected by him. The two of them felt like they lost time together because of that.

"Look, I collected the Infinity Stones with passive thoughts. I don't think that I've done anything other than that. But, if you don't trust me anymore, I get it."

Tony could see that Stephen had so much on his plate. Now he was handing his responsibilities over to Steve. The last thing he needed was doubt about anyone or anything in his small circle of friends.

The Douchbag Wizard was very protective. Tony could see the concern that was on his face. Stephen was quiet for a short while, then he gently kissed the side of Tony's forehead. He did trust Tony.

Stephen knew that Tony would die for him. He'd die for everyone, so what's not to trust?

"I trust you."

Stephen decided to just leave it at that. He gently gripped Tony's arms, then stepped toward Thor's home. The sorcerer intended to celebrate with everyone. He was leaving soon with Clea, so Stephen wanted to enjoy them all while he could.

Before he left, Tony asked him if he would send Steve outside. The brunette wasn't ready to head in, and he wanted to talk to his main man.

Stephen gave him a slow nod. The sorcerer disappeared into the room and Tony remained outside with the beautiful view.

The Vishanti babies were still stuck up in the mirror sphere. The older Stephen put them there on purpose, and he also kept them there on purpose. He wanted to work on bonding the three of them.

Big Stephen thought it would be helpful for them to see how their older selves communicated and operated with one another.

What they saw out there made them very stuck in their own thoughts. That behavior continued, as the older Steve stepped out of the home. He walked over toward Tony.

It was their turn to "deliberate", and it certainly sparked a long silence inside the sphere of doom.


Chapter: END

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