No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor)
 Chapter 13: Connection Error Song(Part 3)

The vibe definitely changed when Stephen Strange returned to Steve and Tony's little love nest over in Brooklyn.

The sorcerer entered their space just as he did before, and Clea silently made her way over to Sofia. Steve Rogers opened the door for them, and he noticed right away that Stephen's appearance had changed. He normally had some grey hair going on above his ears…

He seemed more youthful in that moment, and just as he did when they first met. Maybe he looked less, stressed? Steve also noticed that Agamotto's energy filled the room, so the blonde took note of it.

He didn't comment on anything that he'd seen tho, and he simply watched as the former Sorcerer Supreme approached his daughter. Sofia turned her focus away from Tony Stark, and her eyes settled on her father for a long while.

…

"It's time to go young lady."

…

Clea heard Stephen's voice, but her focus was pointed more toward Sofia's hair. It was getting long, and the sorceress loved the look of it. She didn't expect anymore pushback from Sofia, but she noticed their little "Star Child" was taking her time before responding to Stephen.

She was studying her father's energy, and she wondered how long he planned to share his soul with Agamotto.

"Thank you for housing me, Tony and Steve."

The little girl smiled at Tony, then she looked over in Steve's direction. She looked delighted as she gave him a happy grin. Oh? So, that was it? Steve had to scratch at the back of his head, because he didn't expect the situation to resolve itself that quickly. The blonde smiled back at Sofia, and he watched her stand up tall. She stepped just before her towering father.

Stephen was looking down in her direction, until he decided to gently poke the tip of her nose with his index finger.

"Yeah, you two… thank you for housing her."

LOL. Stephen had to laugh. His sharp eyes locked on Clea after that, because his wife was being too quiet. Well, Clea wasn't a chatterbox to begin with, but she was normally talkative with Sofia.

Stephen inwardly decided to put a pin on that subject, then he turned his entire focus in Tony and Steve's direction.

"You're welcome. SO, where are you three headed next?"

Steve Rogers was curious. Nothing was ever normal when a "Strange" was involved, so the blonde thought to ask. He inwardly noticed that Tony was being abnormally quiet as well. He spoke with Sofia quite a bit, but now his Little Red Corvette had gone mute.

Perhaps the icy vibes from Clea Strange was the issue, but who knew?…

"We're off to Kathmandu to retrieve my baby brother. We're introducing him to Uatu, and reporting on all of our jurisdictions."

Oh? Ok. Steve followed all of that and he understood what it all meant. The blonde recalled the time and the place where he'd seen Uatu. He first laid eyes on the "Watcher" when an older version of Tony was put through some sort of trial. "Big Tony" was treated like a fugitive for hoarding all the Infinity Stones. Remember that? If not, that's ok.

Steve simply recalled what he had witnessed, and he flashed a handsome smile in Stephen's direction. Stephen and Steve looked one another in the eyes, then some big brown head popped up in their view.

"You know, I would pay good money to watch Victor report on his jurisdiction."

Meaning, the baby Sorcerer Supreme had a shit ton of work to do. Tony was very aware that Victor Strange was distracted to the max. His baby mind was wandering far off into the weeds when it came down to hanging around Ezekiel Stane, and Wade Wilson.

Tony had been down the road of balancing two connections at once, so it's safe to say he caught on quick.

Memories of trying to pull off a relationship with Steve Rogers and Stephen Strange right there in that apartment began to fill Tony's mind, so he needed the wizard to vacate the dimension ASAP.

"Yeah, we're trying to keep him focused. Victor's always been a hopeless romantic, so, we'll see how it goes."

The mighty Doctor Douchebag-wizard-pizza-supreme caught the memories and vibes that were coming from Tony, so he looked back toward Clea.

She looked ready to leave, so Stephen decided to hold off on bringing up any references to getting sandwiches, or allude to anything relating to his connection to Tony and his fairy-tale prince.

"SO, we'll be leaving now. How about a group hug? I think the moment calls for it."

LOL once again. Stephen said some random shit about a group hug, and Tony had to actually laugh out loud. The brunette looked in Steve's direction, then his eyes grew wide when Stephen actually opened up his long friggen arms.

Wait. He was actually serious? How hilarious. Tony had a large smile, but he also playfully rolled his eyes.

"The four of us have been through so much together, don't you think a group hug fits the mood?"

Come on guys. Stephen was more than serious. Sure, he was married now, and technically no longer a resident of planet Earth… BUT the former Sorcerer Supreme still felt strongly connected to his Vishanti brothers. That connection wasn't going anywhere, so he waited for the two of them to step into his open arms.

Of course, Steve Rogers stepped toward him first. That walking golden retriever felt very moved by what Stephen said, so he immediately took the bait. Sofia watched her father as he interacted with his friends. Tony made a snarky comment, but he ended up stepping in Stephen's direction as well.

Clea Strange was the last one. Stephen smiled at her, and he mentioned something about her presence being mandatory within the group hug.

It had to have been an older brother thing, because everyone else in the group felt a bit puzzled. Stephen was the only person in the room who had siblings…

Clea held back a smile for a short while. She thought the notion of a "group hug" was amusing, but clearly immature and …

Her eyes focused on the happy expression she could see on Stephen's face. He seemed much happier there on Earth, with his siblings and his friends. He also seemed very charmed and charming in that moment. Clea was reminded of the young man she met a long time ago.

The four of them really had endured a lot. Clea had forgotten several things as time went on, but her mind finally settled on a few things. Tony, Steve, and Stephen had a strong bond. It felt eternal, and Clea never planned to compete.

So, she stepped into that group hug for her husband, and she smiled at Sofia as that little girl quietly watched.

Chapter: END

Thanks for reading.