Chapter 13
Stephen and his family were in the car.
"Dad, where are we going?" Donna asked.
"Where do you want to go the most?" Eugene responded.
"I want to go to Nebraska and meet all my friends," Donna said.
"As you wish. We're going to Nebraska," Eugene replied.
"Really?" Donna asked, excited.
"Yes. Also, Stephen, you can surprise your girlfriend," Beverly added.
"Why didn't you tell us before?" Stephen asked.
"We wanted to surprise you," Eugene said.
Stephen was really happy. He missed Christine, and he could also see his friends. The whole ride was fun for the family. When they reached Nebraska, it was pretty late, so they stayed at their old home and decided to meet their friends the next day.
The next day, Stephen gave a surprise visit to Christine's house. He rang the bell and waited for the door to open. Christine opened the door and was surprised to see Stephen.
"Stephen?" she asked, smiling.
"Hey," Stephen smiled back.
She hugged him, and Stephen hugged her back.
"This is a surprise. You didn't tell me anything yesterday," Christine said.
"Then how would it be a surprise?" Stephen replied.
"Come on in," Christine said.
"I was thinking we could go out and hang out with our friends," Stephen suggested.
"Of course! Let me get ready. Mom, see who is here," Christine called out.
Christine's mom came out.
"Stephen? How are you, dear?" she asked.
"I'm good, Mrs. Palmer. How are you?" Stephen responded.
"I'm doing well, Stephen," she said, smiling.
"Mrs. Palmer, can I take Christine out for the day?" Stephen asked.
"Sure, Stephen. Christine really missed you," she said.
"Thanks," Stephen replied.
Christine came out, all ready.
"You ready?" Stephen asked.
"Yes, let's go," Christine said.
Stephen and Christine got into the car.
"Christy, Peter and Scott will also be coming with us. Are you okay with that?" Stephen asked.
"Of course, I am. I know you miss them," Christine said.
The duo drove to the pub, where Scott and Peter were waiting. Stephen got out and hugged them.
"Man, how are you?" Peter Quill, one of Stephen's best friends, asked him while hugging.
"I'm great. I missed you guys," Stephen said.
"Steph, how is New York?" Scott asked.
"New York is different, but I like it here," Stephen said.
"Did you make any friends?" Scott asked.
"Not really. Tell me, what's happening here?" Stephen inquired.
"There is news. Scott and I are officially dating, and we came out to our families," Peter revealed.
"Wow, that's great! Congrats, guys!" Stephen said.
"We should celebrate this. Come on, let's go inside," Christine suggested.
They went inside and started partying. Christine saw some of her friends and went to meet them. Stephen, Scott, and Peter sat together, drinking a beer.
"So, Steph, how is the long-distance relationship going with Christine?" Peter asked.
"It's going well. We talk every night," Stephen replied.
"You both are really cute together," Scott commented.
"Everyone says that. Guys, can I ask you something?" Stephen asked.
"Sure, what is it?" Peter asked.
"How did you guys realize that you like men?" Stephen asked, unsure.
"I always knew, from a very young age. Why do you ask?" Scott said.
"I... You guys know that I've dated many girls before and never felt anything towards men," Stephen said.
"Yeah, so what's happened now?" Peter asked.
"Uh... I don't know. There's this boy; he's different from others, and I don't know. I'm feeling something special for him that I've never felt before," Stephen confessed.
"Who is it?" Scott asked.
"It's... Tony Stark," Stephen said.
"Oh my god! You have feelings for Tony Stark?" Scott asked, surprised.
"I don't know... I've never felt like this before. But I love Christine. I can't hurt her," Stephen said.
"Steph, it could just be a phase. You might get over it. But if you don't, you might be bisexual," Peter suggested.
"How would I know if it will pass or not?" Stephen asked, frowning.
"Spend time with him like you usually do. If you're still feeling the same, you might have a crush on him," Scott said.
"But... What about Christine? And he also has a boyfriend," Stephen pointed out.
"Stephen, don't overthink it. You've always been obsessed with his brain. Maybe you're just feeling this way because you appreciate his intelligence. It might not be anything sexual. Give yourself some time. You'll figure it out," Peter said, patting his shoulder.
Stephen felt a little relieved. He wanted to talk about this with someone, but he didn't have any friends in New York. Like his friends said, he would figure it out with time.
Christine came back to Stephen.
"Shall we dance?" she asked, smiling.
"Yeah, sure," Stephen said and followed her.
Christine was in his arms, swaying gently with the rhythm, but his mind drifted to a certain boy he didn't want to think about. Stephen tried to push the thoughts away and live in the moment.
Tony walked over to where his friends were all gathered in the park.
"Hey, Tony, I thought you had a work date with Stephen?" Bruce said.
"Work date? What's that?" Tony asked, frowning.
"Stephen has some plans for the weekend," Tony said, sitting near Steve.
"Oh, yes! He's having fun with his girlfriend," Thor said.
"What? How do you know?" Tony asked.
"He posted a photo on Instagram," Thor said, showing the picture to his friends.
"Let me see," Tony said, snagging the phone from his hand.
In the photo, Christine was hugging Stephen while Stephen kissed her head. The caption read "Back home."
Tony felt his eyes welling up. She was Stephen's home, not him. He gave the phone back to Thor and left. He could hear his friends calling his name in the background, but he didn't want to stop.
Tony locked himself in his room. He felt like crying, which was stupid because Stephen wasn't his boyfriend or anything.
Tony heard a knock at his door.
"Tony, open the door," Bruce's voice called out.
Tony opened the door.
"What?" Tony asked.
"Tony, what happened?" Bruce asked, entering the room.
"You're right, Bruce. I have a crush on Stephen. Of all these boys, why him?" Tony said, groaning and sitting on the bed.
Bruce sat next to him and put an arm around him.
"Tony, having a crush on someone isn't that bad. It will pass after some time," Bruce said.
"What if it doesn't? What if I fall in love with his stupid ass?" Tony asked.
"Then make a move on him," Bruce suggested, shrugging.
"Bruce, can't you see? He's straight, and he has a very beautiful girlfriend. Why would he want me?" Tony said, a tear dropping from his eyes.
"Tony, leave it. Don't think about anything right now. You'll be okay," Bruce said, wrapping an arm around him.
"I'm an idiot for having feelings for him," Tony said, leaning into Bruce's side.
"No, you're not. It's quite normal," Bruce said soothingly.
Tony didn't know why the picture of Stephen with his girlfriend was haunting him, but he couldn't erase it from his mind. He knew he was in big trouble.