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

Chapter 78: Technovore (Part 8)

When Tony Stark labels something to be a "grilled chicken shack," Steve Rogers expects to see something luxurious and extravagant. There was nothing basic going on about Tony's taste.

Steve's guess was correct, because that chicken shack had all the bells and whistles. It was a lot smaller than the blonde expected, but it was elegant. Some smooth familiar sounding music was playing and it had a cozy seating area for the patrons. Steve could see why Tony thought about eating there "on the daily." It was private, warm and just…..

"You're sketching that later, aren't you?"

How adorable. LOFL. Tony gave out a short laugh, because Steve was staring at a lamp and he was in the ZONE. Steve had to laugh as well, because yes.. he was sketching that when the time was right. Steve always wanted to sketch everything related to Tony. Call him weird, but he was pretty fascinated with the person who was sitting across the table from him.

They'd been together how long? Steve started recalling the history, while Tony started recalling his favorite drink. He was discussing a couple changes to the menu with the waiter, so Steve quietly looked around their secluded space in the restaurant. Tony went ahead and ordered for Steve, cuz he could.

The point of going there was for Steve to try the grilled chicken, and Tony already knew that Blondie would eat anything that was put in front of him. Oh, and another perk that comes with being Tony Stark was he normally got rapid fast service. The fancy drinks, and the food was already in the works, so Tony got himself nice and comfortable. Steve Rogers seemed more than amused. Happy as a clam.

"Tony, I get a little confused about our timeline here. I'm not sure how much time has actually gone by, since I first came here."

Awwwww. Steve looked so confused and cute. The blonde figured Tony knew more about it. He was there at the X-Mansion after Steve was brought into his dimension. Steve's perception of time and dates never really worked out for him in his mind, and he was curious. Well, Tony got his napkin and silverware ready for the feast, and he thought over what that sunshine boy was actually telling him.

Hmmm, Tony actually had a ton of insight on that. He was actually obsessed with making sense of the timeline of events. Keeping track was a challenge, and the brunette actually struggled with it for a long time.

"You and Bucky Barnes were brought to this dimension on February 28, 1992. The Captain America "replacement project" began shortly after we met. It has technically been 31 years since then Steve, but we've really only known each other for three years."

…

Steve heard Tony's response, but the math on that wasn't registering. See, Steve Rogers remembered being in the year 1937 very clearly, then all of a sudden he was taken to another time period. Tony knew the dates on that better than he did, but he was surprised to hear what Tony said.

"How does 31 years go by, but really only three?"

Tony smiled. Their food was brought over and set down in front of them. Mass confusion had officially entered the chat. Tony thought over how to explain the situation, and he kept looking up at Steve's adorable face. The broke boy from Brooklyn had been going with the flow for three whole years, and Tony kept track of every major plot point..

"You, Stephen, and I were removed from this dimension twice. When we returned both times, life had returned to normal… but our timelines were definitely off. Things had progressed for us both times, but at the same time… it didn't. There's really only a three year gap to actually account for and I've been using Ezekiel Stane as a catalyst to keep track."

Ezekiel's age was the key, and Tony felt like diving into how it all worked out. Steve was still trying to process the scheme of things, but then his greedy stomach started focusing more on the food that was placed in front of him. Tony had a drink in his hand at that point, then his recollection about Ezekiel's time and age was brought up again.

"Ezekiel was 19 when we returned to this dimension for the final time. So, since we returned, he has been the one helping me keep track of what actually happened since 1992. We lost time somewhere between the dimensions. You and I have been living together since we first returned to this dimension. You invited me to stay with you in Brooklyn, and I've been living there with you ever since."

Remember? Well they broke up twice in total, and a whole bunch of shit had happened since then. They "eloped" when Stephen got married to Clea, and that was another crucial time point that Tony held onto. Tony went over a series of events quickly in his mind. At first, he thought Victor's age was the key, but those calculations changed after Steve, Tony and Stephen returned from their dimension hopping the second and final time.

Ezekiel was revealed to the group, and eventually arrested. That gave Tony a new timeframe to pinpoint, and now Ezekiel Stane was 21 years old. Steve was doing his best to follow along, but at the same time, the blonde remained extremely confused. It felt like a thousand years had taken place because of all the different things that had taken place between him and Tony.

"By my calculations, since we met in 1992, you and I have only been together for three years, nine months and sixteen days."

And A LOT had happened between them within that small timeframe. Tony double checked a translucent watch that appeared on his wrist, just to make sure of the date. Steve had to drop his fork on that one. I'm sorry, what? The blonde officially flipped his lid, as Bucky Barnes would say. That math couldn't possibly be accurate, but the look on Tony's face was making him question the logic.

"So… Blondie, that's why all of this still feels pretty new for you. You're trying to catch up on things that you think you're supposed to know about me, but we really haven't been together for as long as you think."

Real talk. Tony wasn't fucking around. His calculations were accurate, and in actuality, Steve Rogers had only been living in that dimension for three years. He was removed from the 1930s just a short while ago, so… that's why Tony was being as patient with him as he could.

Steve perfect face Rogers adorably confessed that he felt like he was "sexualizing" Tony throughout their entire relationship the other day, and Tony immediately wondered where the paperboy from the 1930s even heard the word.

He figured Steve picked it up through conversations surrounding Natasha Romanoff's field work, so Tony held off on responding to that. Steve really was still learning where he even was, so of course… Tony took the slow approach.

He even took the slow approach with Bucky Fucking Barnes, because Tony knew that he was still adjusting to a brand new place as well. Looking back, Tony understood that Steve and Bucky were brought to his dimension eight months after Steve's mother passed away. He latched himself to Bucky like glue, and the two of them were working through a bunch of feels.

All of that was, adorable. Tony felt emotional as he processed their friendship and connection. He kinda hated that he was disturbing it, but Tony could tell things would settle between them down the road. Oh wow. The blonde was staring at his plate and trying to process the series of events that he could recall.

It was a lot to process, so Steve nervously kept messing around with the side of the table. Tony watched him, then he slowly moved in more toward Steve. Those beautiful bashful nerves of his picked up, because Tony gave that sunshine blonde a gentle kiss. The brunette was determined to think like someone from the 1930s in that moment. Steve opened up to that kiss pretty quickly, but Tony intentionally made it short and sweet. He sat back against his side of the table soon after, and Steve Rogers kept quiet.

Tony decided to take it "Nice N Easy" on the wonderful person in front of him, just like the old crooner songs would say.

Chapter: END

NOTE: This chapter referenced the beginning of the story. Check it out here:No-One But You (Lessons In Love)

Thanks for reading.