No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor) - Part 2
Chapter 34: The Power of Love (Part 4)
Well, Steve Rogers certainly had an interesting day. It started off with the peculiar conversation between Bucky Barnes, Donna Strange, and his Little Red Corvette…
The blonde left that situation a little dissatisfied, mainly because his best friend was still living in some level of denial. I meannnnn, Bucky's ability to cut shit off and deflect was borderline extraordinary.
Steve inwardly decided to take him as he was, because deep down he could see that Bucky was afraid to lose Donna again. He obviously cared for her, and they spoke a while ago about how much he wanted to make a relationship work.
Tony Stark was the scapegoat in a lot of ways, and Steve was expecting his best friend to finally mature and apologize to him for all the torment. That clearly didn't happen, and the blonde began to suspect that he'd be dead and buried long before that ever took place.
Bucky was soooooooooo stubborn, just like another brunette he happened to know.
…
So, after that interesting breakfast, Steve did his best to boost Tony's spirits. He seemed down after the conversation came to an end, and he told Steve that he planned to work on Donna's ring at Stark Industries.
They both just left it at that, for now, and Steve finally processed the alert they all received about Ezekiel Stane's human experiment, formally known as "Rae-Ann."
…
She had the image of his mother, and interacting with her at the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility was also… interesting. Steve Rogers understood that because of the Mind Stone, Ezekiel now had the ability to "create life."…
So, Rae-Ann was an actual young woman, who actually looked like his mother. Steve had to wonder how Ezekiel was able to get her features that spot on, and how did he even know the sound of his mother's voice?
Just… how? Seriously? Steve was puzzled by that off and on, and he almost cried twice. Rae-Ann was talking about introducing Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova to several members of an organization called the Black Dahlias, and Steve almost lost his composure.
She wasn't "Rae-Ann" for him at all. For Steve, the young woman he saw was clearly Sarah Rogers. He had to speak to someone about it, so the blonde took Nick Fury out to lunch after the whole ordeal came to pass.
So, Rae-Ann was teamed up with Natasha, Yelena, and the "other" Bucky Barnes, and the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was more than happy with that arrangement.
It did make things easier to have Ezekiel's appearance severed from the role of S.H.A.D.O.W…. just like he said. Natasha communicated with Rae-Ann with ease, and the group seemed to gel together pretty quickly.
That's what Steve and Fury mainly spoke about over lunch. Well, the blonde was also listening to the man as he brainstormed how they would begin "transitioning" out of their roles with the Surveillant Council.
Everyone seemed to have different opinions on that, and Steve could see the Stark Tower from where they were sitting. He glanced up at it as their food arrived, and he let out a deep sigh.
Tony's somber mood was bothering Steve. He knew that it wasn't his fault, but still, the blonde naturally needed to fix things and change the situation.
He ordered some extra food for his Little Red Corvette, and he eventually parted ways with Nick Fury. Steve headed to the Stark Tower, and he dropped in on Tony's workspace without checking in.
Jarvis always alerted Tony anyway when he came to visit, and Steve expected that as soon as he walked into the building.
The blonde took the elevator all the way to Tony's personal floor, and he welcomed himself to his giant lab. Everything was behind a large wall of glass, and Steve could see him as he approached his work space.
…
"Hello Tony."
…
"Hey Cap."
…
Steve noticed immediately that Tony didn't look at him. The brunette busied himself with, whatever, and it seemed like he was organizing his tools.
…
"How are you?"
…
Steve asked his usual question as he looked around the lab. Tony tried to act normal, and appear unaffected by the recent update he received… but it was difficult.
Tony also began to smell FOOD. Steve had some food for him, the brunette could tell, and Tony slowly focused on the bag in his hand.
Steve held up the bag of food for all to see. It was most likely Steve's favorite made-to-order sandwiches. Bread, May & Mus, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Turkey, and Cheese…
Tony loved that shiiiittttt, but, he wasn't going to just dive into any sort of lunch date. There was wayyyyy too much for him to process, and deep down he wasn't ready to talk to anyone.
Uhh, his stomach started to indicate just how hungry he was… so Tony's choice to act stubborn felt like an epic fail.
The brunette scratched at his neck and then he looked back over at his workspace.
…
"OH, I'm good. Sorry, forgot to answer."
…
Tony rolled his eyes at himself, and he tried NOT to rehash what happened earlier. Ezekiel's fucking mind games were finally beginning to surface. It made Tony question everything, actually, and….
Steve Rogers silently stared at the person who told him that he was "good." Obviously, Tony wasn't "good" at all, and Steve could tell immediately that he was lying through his teeth…
…
"I'm still pretty annoyed with what happened this morning. Did you want to actually talk about it? Or…"
…
Steve was under the impression that Tony was still affected by what happened at their apartment that morning. UH, Tony kinda forgot all about that Donna and Bucky bullshit, so he gave him a super confused look.
The blonde knew Tony's expressions like the back of his hand, so he could tell immediately that they weren't on the same page at all.
Two different vibes were clearly coming and going, so Steve stepped further into the space. The blonde planned to decode the situation and uncover the truth. He knew it wouldn't take long, so he took another look around the work room.
…
"Another suit?"
…
Steve patiently looked at Tony and he noticed that his eyes jumped open wide. Yes, he was constructing another suit. In fact, he started building it an hour ago.
Tony planned to introduce it soon, but in a way that was a bit unexpected.
…
"It's not just another suit. It's actually the suit, and directly connected to the Soul Stone."
…
Tony Stark tapped his chest a few times, and Steve knew good and well that's where the Soul Stone was located in Tony's body.
The blonde found it interesting to find his Little Red Corvette suddenly building himself another suit, and he began to ponder if his behavior was somehow connected to his current mood.
…
"Does this have anything to do with Victor Von Doom's plan to re-open his… Battleworld?"
…
The timing seemed to line up, but Steve had to wonder. His mood was still quiet and patient, like always, then he stepped toward Tony and set the food down in front of him.
…
"I dunno. Maybe?"
…
Tony started digging through the bag of yummy treats, and he couldn't help but smile at Steve's loving gesture.
OH? Did his soul-crushing suit have something to do with beating the fuck out of someone during Doctor Doom's fun-filled battle extravaganza?
You fucking bet it does. Tony just held a slight scowl on his face, and Steve Rogers took a moment to study the image. He studied the body language too, and that look didn't lie…
Hmmmm….now who, what, where, when, why and how did his Little Red Corvette become so upset? Steve was beyond puzzled by it, and he definitely didn't believe it had anything to do with what happened that morning.
Clearly something else happened, so Steve drew in a slow breath.
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.