No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor) - Part 2
Chapter 18: Thuggish Ruggish Bone (Part 8)
To call Victor Strange "co-dependent" wouldn't necessarily be a stretch. He absolutely haaaaadddd to be in a relationship, so that sheltered little farm boy was currently living it up while he was there in Japan.
I mean, the kid was borderline obsessed with all the warm and fuzzy feelings that tagged along with being with someone, but it all boiled down to him not wanting to be alone.
He wasn't "alone" in that scenario at all, cuz on some level of the spectrum… "Agent" Clint Barton was chugging along in the same co-dependent boat.
Coincidentally, they both were super new at relationships too, so they both were trauma bonding their way toward some sort of stability.
They were on their way, and the baby archer decided to book the two of them a private tour of whatever Shibuya had to offer. He loved Japan, but he didn't know enough about it to really show Victor around.
He also didn't speak or read Japanese, so there's that…
Anyway, they hit up all the tourism hot spots, such as the Sensō-ji Temple, the Tokyo Skytree, and even the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Victor was beyond easy to entertain, and he took at least a hundred thousand photos as they looked around.
The archer was bashful about it at first, but ultimately he didn't mind. They took more than a few photos together, and he noticed that Victor seemed, better…
His mood had improved a lot, and the notion kept growing in Barton's mind. Oh what a difference a day can make. The archer even noticed that the color of his skin seemed somewhat brighter.
He always noticed things like that when they were living together, but he never got around to talking to anyone about it. Barton thought about bringing it up to Victor's sister Donna, or perhaps his older brother, but, they never really crossed paths…
The notion of not "crossing paths" with Victor's siblings changed pretty unexpectedly, because Victor received a random video call from his brother Stephen when their private tour came to an end.
They were eating a late lunch when he called, and Victor seemed excited to hear from his big bro. The archer just watched his expressions, then he studied what was happening on the small screen.
The siblings greeted one another, and Victor admitted that he was on an actual date. Stephen Strange seemed very surprised, but ultimately happy with the information. His eyes scanned around his screen for Ezekiel Stane.
Stephen was expecting the "date" to be with him, so the look on his face appeared even more shocked when Victor showed off who he was with.
The baby bird almost choked on his food when the phone was suddenly put in his direction, but he powered through the moment. He cleared his throat as best he could, then he finally said something to Victor's brother.
…
"Hello, uhh, Doctor Strange."
…
UHH, was that weird? It kinda felt weird, so the archer cringed up just a bit. Stephen wasn't expecting to see Clint Barton there at all, but honestly the man was relieved. It's not that he didn't want to see Ezekiel Stane there with his brother, but life's all about balance…
And that's not yoga talk ladies and gentlemen. We're talking about the balance of darkness and light that coexists within the human spirit. Stephen Strange quickly processed what it meant for Clint Barton to be there with Victor instead of Ezekiel, so he finally gave the young man a warm smile.
…
"Please call me Stephen, and I hate to interrupt your date Vic. We can talk later on if you want? I'm only trying to rally everyone together for a family, thing…"
…
A family meeting was in the works, and Victor knew the drill on that. The archer felt a bit more than elated after he saw Stephen's reaction to seeing him there on the screen. Doctor Strange was a cool guy, but he was also pretty intimidating, so…
…
"Is this about Donna being engaged? I heard some things through the grapevine…"
…
EZEKIEL TOLD HIM EVERYTHING WHILE THEY WERE GETTING READY FOR THE CONCERT, and that was cool. Victor was super stoked if the rumors were true, but he couldn't get any sort of confirmation from his snobby big sis. She was acting all private about it, or whatever.
Victor kinda laughed at his own thought, and Stephen was more or less unamused. His mind kept returning to energy shifts, so he gave another look in Barton's direction.
…
"Yes, our wonderful sister is legally binding herself to Bucky Barnes, but something else has come up. It's related to Doctor Doom, so when you're ready to head this way… I'd like for us all to be together."
…
Got it? Stephen's eyebrow was razor sharp, cuz he noticed that Victor started clowning around on the screen. His brother was an expert at being distracted, and that's exactly what happened.
Luckily, his adorable and good-natured boyfriend was paying attention. He said something about being in Japan for a couple more days, so Stephen gave him another genuine smile.
That natural light was perfect for Victor. Stephen could already tell that the archer's energy would keep things from going too dark. You see, Ezekiel's inherent energy was the complete opposite..
…
"Sounds good. So, I'll see you both in a couple days? You're welcome to join us if you'd like."
…
Victor stopped his clowning. He was trying to toss rolled up pieces of his napkin into the fancy flower vase that was toward his left. He heard every word that his brother said, so he gave him a million nods as his response.
Yes, yes, and yes. The baby sorcerer was very eager for them all to be together, and he was even more eager for his friendly boyfriend to finally join them.
Chapter: END
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