No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 2

Chapter 24: Silver Poetry (Part 4)

…

…

"Steve is getting pretty sick of your shit."

Tony Stark gave his expert opinion to Bucky Barnes, all while relaxing in the middle of a very comfortable living room. A baseball game was playing for all to see, while Steve Rogers took a shower. Tony was very unbothered when Bucky returned from his apartment. He brought along some food with him, and some drinks.

Steve's best friend returned the comment with an amused smile. Tony's words were often pretty sharp, so Bucky took them in gently.

"I'm aware…"

"Soooooo, why don't you try being less of a shit show friend?"
Tony finally looked at Bucky. He stared at Steve's childhood friend (and crush) with an icy glare. For the longest time, Tony inwardly labeled Bucky as the "other brunette" or, the "original brunette" that Steve actually wanted to be with. Bucky Fucking Barnes seemed to have ruined his own reputation with Steve over the years, and that only made Tony's confidence grow stronger and stronger.

Presently, it seemed as though the dynamic had changed between them. Tony wasn't really sure what they were fighting about in that moment. He'd normally be squabbling with Bucky over…

"Me being a shit show friend is actually Steve and Natasha's fault. I actually blame all of this on the two of them."

Bucky sat down beside Tony. Tony was sitting on the floor in the living room and his back was resting against the bottom base of the couch. Tony listened to Bucky's bullshit and he gave a soft sigh. Bucky blamed Natasha and Steve for his own behavior? What a dick move… Tony glanced in the direction of Steve's best bud, then he snagged a beer from him.

"What does that even mean?"

Tony actually took responsibility for his own thoughts and his own damn behavior. He didn't attribute anything he said or did to anyone else. Tony Stark thought it over in that moment, and he inwardly declared that he didn't give anyone out there any sort of cred for his shit. He started thinking that Bucky was a moron, but something pulled him from his thought.
A gorgeous blonde walked into the room, and things became a bit silent. Tony moved around a bit against the base of the couch, then he looked over in Steve's direction.
"It means STEVE and NATASHA challenged me to get closer to you. Steve wanted us to get along better, or whatever. This goes back YEARS Tony. So this is their fault. I was fine with the way things were."
Bucky figured he didn't owe anybody a damn thing, especially Tony brat-faced Stark. His father was a SAINT in comparison. Bucky held a sharp grin. Steve Rogers started making himself a meal or something over in the kitchen, so Tony started looking a little more in his direction. Bucky spit out his normal nonsense, and of course… Tony had to respond.
"Is that true Steve?"
Tony was curious. He recalled a bizarre comment Bucky made to him, once, centuries ago. He said some crap about his relationship with Steve, and Tony felt affected. He kept glancing toward the kitchen while Steve took his time. Bucky Barnes was telling the truth after all, so Steve put some thought into how he'd respond.
Tony swallowed down a thought or two, and he noticed that Bucky's soul felt closer. The "other brunette" hadn't moved an inch, but Tony felt a shift. He closed his eyes once Steve gave his response. Steve was staring at the ball game for a moment, but then he sat down beside Tony.

"Natasha and I challenged him years ago to connect with you. Yes, but I think you've gone off the rails a bit. Haven't you Bucky?"

Steve started thinking that way. He wanted to see a bit more honesty out of his friend, because connecting with Tony Stark was definitely no joke. Steve saw him as a very special human being. For Steve, his connection with Tony felt otherworldly. It was an exciting, meaningful and intense experience for him, so…
Tony listened to what the "super friends" were saying and NOT saying around him, then he started trying to read between the lines. Steve was looking over toward Bucky fucking Barnes more and more, then, the two of them started eating some of those bullshit snacks. It was beginning to feel like it was business as usual, or whatever, so Tony gently cleared his throat. Bucky didn't say a word for a while. He glanced over at Steve, then he started drinking some of that cheap craptastic beer.

"And, so wait, I'm sorry. Hold on. You two paperboys think that he's formed an actual connection with me?"

Well now, hold the fucking phone people. Tony could have choked after he laughed. I mean, Tony felt as though he was permanently out of Bucky's league and officially out of his jurisdiction. The smaller brunette overcame years of torment that came along with being around Steve's shit show of a best friend.

For centuries, Tony put up with that jackass, so….. Did Bucky actually follow through with his "challenge" and connect the dots? PSHhh… Tony chuckled to himself for the second time.

"I think that's hysterical. That's probably my favorite part about all of this.."

Steve's eyebrow arched up slightly as Tony spoke, and Bucky still didn't say a thing. His focus went more toward Tony at that point, because Steve's Bambi-eyed lover started acting weird. Dealing with Tony's prissy diva behavior had always been a nightmare for Bucky, but, oh well… there they were. Tony's face sharpened up, because it seemed like Bucky's fucking bullshit soul moved in close again.

"You guys tried some sort of a three-person relationship, thing… with Stephen Strange. Why didn't that work out?"

Tony was drinking down that mini-mart TRASH beer as he processed what was happening around him. He quickly spit it out after Bucky Barnes finally fessed up and spoke within the apartment. He said some shit that caused Tony's soul to vacate his body. UHM, SAY WHAT? Three-person relationship, what?

"UH, that didn't "work" because Stephen's married, and that was more of a Steve and Stephen thing anyway. I wasn't as involved as you'd think."

Tony spoke pretty quickly, and his answer kinda shook the room up a bit. Steve was aware of the dynamic Tony expressed, but Bucky was clueless about it. In a way, it seemed like the "best friend" in the mix was only curious, and the question was coming from a place of trying to understand. The only blonde in the room was pretty fascinated with what he was hearing and witnessing, but he had to glance away.
Tony never said anything about it, but an interesting competition started brewing within him after Stephen started messing around with Steve. The great wise wizard was stealing time away, and he started getting snarky about their little sandwich dates too. Wow, that was lightyears ago. Tony felt surprised that the subject even re-emerged in the living room.
"Maybe, that's why it didn't work. Steve's always the focal point.."
Yup. It seemed as though Steve had always been the one in the middle of the situation. Bucky Barnes spoke out his thought, then he reflected on the way things had progressed between all of them throughout the years. It started looking like he was working through a mathematical equation in his head, or something. Tony felt annoyed with it, but then he kinda laughed. Steve was following along, so he looked over at Tony.
"And… what's that supposed to mean?" Tony asked.

Bucky Barnes quickly rolled his eyes as he looked toward Steve, because he wasn't buying the act. What Bucky meant was more than obvious, and everyone in that apartment understood that Tony Stark was an intelligent person. Bucky kept looking over at Steve to read the vibes, then he sharpened his focus back over toward Tony.
"You're way too smart to pull off playing dumb."

The tone was serious. Tony listened to Bucky's comment and his processing power came to a sudden halt. I mean, what he heard was technically a compliment. Steve watched as Tony quickly looked in his direction. It seemed like Tony was searching for guidance from him about what was said, or..
…

The room sort of eased up, and a gentle silence took over the apartment. Tony, Steve and Bucky all gave the conversation a rest for the time being. Gradually, the three of them focused on the snacks, the cheap beer and the super random baseball game..

Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.