No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor)
Chapter 38: Head in the Clouds (Part 8)
Victor Strange was still waaayyy off in Asgard everyone, and he noticed that someone was definitely delaying the inevitable.
Thor mentioned enjoying an actual "feast" before their Nordheim excursion, and the thought of that kinda made Victor cringe at least a thousand times. He didn't wanna mingle, and he was waaayyyyy more interested in knowing if Ezekiel and Wade were still fighting.
He was in for a bit of a wake up call, but the baby Strange just went with the flow before his reality check actually happened. He was standing beside his brother, and he glanced up and studied his current expression.
Stephen seemed at ease, but it always looked as though he was thinking about something. It felt like a good time to talk to him, cuz Thor was busy.
Their "feast" was meant to be a distraction. Or, it was supposed to make Karnilla think Thor was distracted, or whatever.
Victor looked at his brother again, but this time Stephen returned the attention. Doctor Strange smiled at his younger brother, then he quietly asked him a question.
…
"What's on your mind Vic? I can hear it buzzing and buzzing.."
…
UHhh… Victor gave a small laugh, then he awkwardly started fixing the top part of his hair. He liked it to look a certain way, and he pawed at it whenever he felt awkward, or nervous. What was on his mind? Ohhhhhh boy.
…
"Uhh, well, I've been… I dunno."
…
He had a shit ton on his mind, but he didn't expect Stephen to ask him about it. A thousand thoughts about being the Sorcerer Supreme crossed his mind, along with thoughts about Ezekiel, Wade, his siblings, his niece, his family, and….
…
His friendly former roommate/ex-boyfriend crossed his mind for a sec too, so the baby sorcerer let out a soft sigh. Victor knew that he really fucked up, on so many levels. It was haunting him a bit where he stood.
A question crossed his mind all of a sudden, and it was something that he'd been meaning to talk to his brother about for a really long time…
Stephen kept his own thoughts quiet, and he listened in on what Victor had buzzing around in his head. The thoughts he had felt innocent, and adorable. Victor was such a love bug, and his brother never wanted to see that change.
…
"I've always wondered about that random road trip we took, remember when you drove Tony Stark all the way to California?"
…
Victor knew those two had a thing, and it felt like his brother went through a lot because of it. He obviously liked Tony Stark back then, but it didn't seem like his feelings were returned.
Or, well shit. Victor felt verrryyyy stupid after the question left his mouth. He cringed after he spoke, but a small smile stretched over Stephen's face. Ohhhh yeah, he randomly drove Tony Stark allllll the way to his home in California.
That felt like an eternity ago, because it was. Stephen recalled a few things that happened during that trip, then he took a moment to look at his adorable brother.
…
"I remember. Why oh why would you be bringing that up?"
…
How interesting. Stephen's mind pondered his brother's behavior, then he watched him as he fussed around and did random things with his busy hands. Victor started touching everything that was within arms reach. It amused the former Sorcerer Supreme to no end, so he patiently waited to hear Victor's response.
…
"I guess, I just wanna confirm my theory. It felt like you and Tony had a thing, then after that it seemed like you, Steve, AND Tony had a thing too… I've just, wondered. You don't have to say anything…"
…
AWKWARDDDDDD. Victor wanted to run as fast as he could, cuz in a way he was kinda trying to do the same thing with Ezekiel and Wade.
Before Stephen married Clea, Victor knew his brother was with Steve Rogers, and Tony. He used the roadtrip to California as a way to loop that subject in, but Victor regretted bringing any of it up. I meannnnnnn….
…
"Tony and I did have a thing, but that came to an end a long time ago. Steve Rogers ended up in the middle of that… thing, but a relationship like that is very hard to balance."
…
Stephen didn't mind the subject. He was happy to hear SOMETHING relationship related from Victor, and answering his questions was a breeze.
…
"Truthfully speaking, navigating a relationship with more than one person was extremely hard for us to balance. Plus, Tony and Steve were insane for each other since day one. It was an uphill battle for me from the start.."
…
Stephen recalled a thing or two about Victor's adorable question, then he breathed in a sigh of relief when he thought about his marriage to Clea. Clea chose him, and that was something Stephen had been waiting for, for a pretty long time.
Tony always had Steve, and Christine Palmer always kept him at a distance. His love was never returned, and he felt unwanted by all of them until Clea showed up.
…
Victor's busy mind focused on what Stephen said about balancing multiple people. That baby heart started processing a lot more than he expected in that moment, so he closed his eyes and tried to divert the subject.
Stephen wasn't going to let that happen. His sharp eyes settled on the "God of Thunder" off in the distance for a sec, then he turned that focus back toward his little brother.
…
"So, you wanna tell me what happened at the Stark Expo? Clint Barton gave you something, and you've been a space cadet ever since…"
…
Stephen heard what the archer said to his brother. He knew that Victor was dumped, and he was given the keys to their apartment in Manhattan too.
Big bro saw it all and heard it all, so his plan was to get Victor talking..
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.