Chapter 8
Stephen hadn't come out of his bedroom since he'd returned. Wong was getting worried about his friend.
"Stephen, can you open the door?" Wong asked, knocking.
"Wong, I'm alright. Leave me alone," Stephen replied.
"No, I'm not alright. If you're not going to open the door, I'll make a portal and come in," Wong threatened.
Stephen opened the door. His eyes were puffy, and he looked exhausted.
"What do you want?" Stephen asked.
"What's going on? Why are you always locked up in here?" Wong asked.
"I've saved the world. Can't you give me a break?" Stephen snapped.
"You're not taking a break. You're isolating yourself," Wong countered.
"This is my way of taking a break," Stephen insisted.
"Are you going to tell me what's really going on, or should I use a spell to extract your thoughts?" Wong asked.
"I'm an idiot, Wong," Stephen said, suddenly hugging him.
"I know that. But what happened now?" Wong asked, surprised at the sudden hug.
"I... Tony..." Stephen said, starting to sob.
"You and Tony, what?" Wong asked.
"I'm a fool," Stephen muttered.
"I get that. Come to the point, Stephen," Wong said, growing annoyed.
"I fell in love with Tony. And now he's gone back to his girlfriend," Stephen said quietly.
"You fell in love with Stark?" Wong asked in disbelief.
Stephen nodded.
"But how? Why?" Wong asked.
Stephen explained everything. Wong listened intently.
"You know what, I’m going to have a word with Stark," Wong said, furious.
"No, Wong. Tony isn’t at fault. I’m the one who told him I had feelings for him," Stephen protested.
"And he kissed you, promised he’d end things with Pepper, and then just went back to her like nothing happened?" Wong asked, incredulous.
"He loves Pepper," Stephen said softly.
"Then why would he say he loves you?" Wong asked.
"I’m the one to blame. I shouldn't have told him about my feelings," Stephen said.
"Stop blaming yourself, Stephen. It’ll pass. But you need to stop isolating yourself," Wong advised.
"Yeah, you’re right. I’ve got duties to attend to. I’ll come to Kamar-Taj with you tomorrow," Stephen agreed.
"Okay," Wong said.
Back at the tower, Tony was feeling conflicted. He yearned to tell Pepper that he was in love with Stephen and end things with her, but she was carrying his child, and he couldn’t ignore that.
"Tony, I’ve been noticing you. You’re always lost in thought, and you’re not even talking to me," Pepper said.
"It’s nothing. I’m just thinking about random things," Tony replied.
"I know you don’t like doing nothing. Why don’t you work in the lab? Invite Rhodey if you want," Pepper suggested.
"Yeah, that might help. I miss Rhodey," Tony said.
"Alright," Pepper said, giving him a kiss.
Tony didn’t react, and Pepper noticed.
"Tony?" she called softly.
"Yeah?" he responded.
"Is everything alright?" Pepper asked.
"No, I’m not okay. Pepper, I need some space. I’ve been feeling off since the space mission," Tony said.
"Okay, I understand, Tony. But you can always talk to me," Pepper said gently.
"Yes, I know," Tony said.
Pepper walked back to their room, while Tony headed to his lab. He started working on a project, which helped calm him down. He lost track of time until Rhodey entered the lab.
"Hey, Tones. Tell me about your space trip," Rhodey said.
"Hey, Rhodey. Man, I missed you so much," Tony said, hugging him.
"So, Pepper says you’ve been acting a little... strange," Rhodey said.
"It’s nothing," Tony shrugged.
"Tony, you know you can’t lie to me," Rhodey said.
"Rhodey, it’s complicated," Tony said.
"Everything about you is complicated. I’m not surprised," Rhodey teased.
"Alright, something happened during my space trip," Tony confessed.
"What? Did you fall in love with an alien?" Rhodey asked, surprised.
"No, no. It’s... Stephen," Tony admitted.
"Who’s Stephen?" Rhodey asked, confused.
"Doctor Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme," Tony clarified.
"The wizard? Are you serious? What about Pepper?" Rhodey asked, stunned.
"Rhodey, I hope you won’t judge me like everyone else," Tony said.
"I’m not judging you, but Pepper is pregnant. What are you going to do about that?" Rhodey asked.
"I don’t know. I don’t want to hurt her, but I want Stephen. Continuing my relationship with Pepper feels unfair to both of them," Tony admitted.
"Tony, I don’t know this Stephen guy, but Pepper is my friend. I can’t support you hurting her," Rhodey said firmly.
"Stephen is nice. He’s different. He’s great with Peter, and he’s... beautiful. I don’t know how to describe it, but I couldn’t stop looking into his ocean eyes, even with the beautiful expanse of space around me," Tony said.
"Oh man, you’re really in love," Rhodey said.
"Yeah, I am. I’ve never felt this way before. With Pepper, everything was comfortable, but with Stephen, I feel extraordinary," Tony said.
"Tony, I think you need to end things with Pepper. You can’t keep this going," Rhodey advised.
"But what about the baby? What do I do about that?" Tony asked.
"You need to figure that out. But honestly, I’d want to see you and Pepper stay together. Maybe what you’re feeling for Stephen is just because he was with you when you were vulnerable in space," Rhodey suggested.
"It’s not like that..." Tony began.
"Tony, think about it deeply. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you," Rhodey said.
"Okay," Tony said.
"So, what are you working on?" Rhodey asked.
"I missed working with you. Come on, I’ll explain," Tony said, his mood lifting.
Rhodey was glad to see his friend happy, so he tagged along.