Lessons In Love: Chapter Ninety-Eight: Circles (Part 3)


Steve and Tony were doing the dishes. The blonde was washing, and the brunette was drying them and putting them away. They finished their meal, and Steve offered to clean up.

He was very sweet. Tony thought about that as he put five clean plates away. He stepped up on one foot, and stacked the plates in the dark wood cupboards.

Tony turned around, and he noticed that Steve was looking at him. The would-be-soldier turned back to the sink full of dishes, and he started scrubbing again.

He hadn't really talked to Tony since they separated. Steve knew that Stephen had upset him, but the blonde never got the details about what happened.

It seemed like things had gotten, better? Tony wasn't mad at them, but Steve wasn't sure how he was supposed to behave. Tony "let him go" and they weren't together, right? He thought about that as Tony picked up the rag he was using. He started drying the glassware, as Steve looked at him again.

They both caught each other looking, so they busied themselves. Steve felt like he misbehaved when they were trapped in the mirror dimension. The blonde got really swept up into what they were doing in the sphere, and he kept thinking about it off and on.

His attraction to Tony had grown a lot, but he was convinced that he messed it all up. Tony seemed more focused on Stephen, and Steve figured that it had everything to do with Bucky.

He wasn't sure how to approach the subject, so Steve chose the next best thing.

"I like the shoes you were wearing, earlier."

That's what he said, and the would-be-soldier-boy felt stupid. He almost dropped Maria's salad bowl back into the sink. Luckily, Steve caught it. He carefully washed it and rinsed off the soap. Tony took the bowl from his hands, and he glanced down at his black socks.

He tried to think about which pair of shoes that he wore last. Tony had a trillion or so pairs, and he became a bit flustered with what Steve said.

"OH, YOU MEAN THE BLUE ONES? Those are new."

Tony liked those too. His response hit him like lightning, and Tony didn't realize how loudly he spoke. Steve bit one side of his lip, and he slowly gave him a small nod.

"They are very, unique. I've never seen a pair of shoes like that before."

He liked that they were bright blue. Steve could tell that they were leather, and nicely made. Tony put the bowl away and he watched Steve drain the sink.

The brunette couldn't help himself. He took the comment about his shoes as a comment toward himself. He thought that Steve was calling him unique, through his shoes. That's how it felt, and Tony became pretty quiet.

He dropped the drying rag three times. He eventually tossed it away. At that point, it was buggin him.

"Thank you for noticing."

They had no more dishes to wash or dry, and the two of them weren't sure what to do. Tony knew exactly what he wanted to do, but he had to force the thought away. Steve watched him as he started rubbing at the skin on his hands.

Tony was clearly nervous, or he needed to do something. Steve stepped closer to him, and he touched those busy hands.

Tony looked down at Steve's gentle grip. His soft hands were holding his, and Tony thought that his heart was gunna jump out. The little world they entered got a bit smaller, and Tony thought about kissing Steve.

He had done that quite a few times, but it felt like something or someone had always been in the way.

It never felt like it was just the two of them, until that moment by the kitchen sink. It was a bit overwhelming for them both. Steve pulled his hands back, and Tony started messing with the back of his head.

He kept running one of his hands through his crazy hair. He tugged on it a few times, as he kept looking at Steve's smile.

"Did you, do you want to stay over? We have guest bedrooms. My dad's here. So then, I wouldn't. I won't sneak in. I mean.."

Tony rambled on a bit. He kept thinking that he needed a haircut. His hair was getting longer. Steve didn't mind his scruffy hair. He looked it over as Tony pawed at the side of his head.

Yes, he wanted to stay over. Steve actually wanted to be in a room alone with Tony. He thought about it all the time. Steve just gave a few nods, then he figured they were in the kitchen too long. A thought crossed his mind, so the blonde spoke on it immediately.

"Can we go for that drive tomorrow? We were almost there, but you changed your mind."

Bucky changed Tony's mind in the garage. Steve knew that, but he was hoping to fix what happened. The would-be-soldier never forgot what Tony asked him to do before the serum. He said yes to it at the X-Mansion, and he still wanted it in that moment.

He wanted it to be just the two of them. Steve wanted that partnership to begin, and Tony was slowly starting to see what Steve was saying.

~~~—~~~

Stephen arrived on the opposite side of the country. He knew that Victor wasn't home, but he wanted to call the X-mansion and speak to him before it got too late.

He also needed to be alone. Stephen needed to think, and figure out what he wanted to do with his life. The would-be-sorcerer was told that he constantly channeled an entity that caused him to murder his sister.

He wasn't sure if he wanted Agamotto inhabiting his body, and Stephen was debating a few things. His own death was at the top of his list, or rejecting the Mystic Arts entirely was another.

Agamotto couldn't infest a dead person, right? Stephen was thinking about his options as he called his brother. Victor Strange picked up his phone call and he told him that he liked being at the mansion.

Victor wanted to head back, since Stephen was there, and the older brother agreed to meet him at the bus stop. He finished the conversation with his little brother, then someone else crossed his mind.

Stephen embraced the thought as it arrived, and some other options began to form.

Tony's instincts about Stephen were correct. Stephen wasn't aware of Tony's thoughts about Clea, but the sorcerer-in-training thought about her all the time.

He went into his bedroom, and he sat down on his floor. Stephen concentrated on the Dark Dimension, and he tried to communicate with her once again.


Chapter: END

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