𝑩𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 - STONY

9

"Put me down!" Tony shouted. Steve decided the best course of action to keep Tony in check right now was to tie his arms behind his back and throw him over Steve's shoulder.

Everyone in the hall was watching Steve forcefully taking Tony to his room. It wasn't anything new, this has happened multiple times already. Everyone was used to it.

Soon enough, they made it to Tony's room and the guards closed the door behind them. "I'm removing that window, just so you know. You'll never be able to run away again" Steve said as he put Tony down on the bed and unraveled the cloth around his wrist. Tony immediately got up and pushed Steve away, rubbing at his wrists.

"Alright, I can't take this anymore..." Tony decided. "I'm usually very good at keeping quiet and gritting my teeth in inconvenient situations, but unfortunately, you are my weak spot..." Tony rubbed his face in frustration.

Steve frowned. A feeling in him told him Tony was gonna leave him right now. "What...what're you talking about?" He asked.

"I'm not from here,"

"Yes, I know that. How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not gonna let you leave me and go back home"

"No! I'm not from here. From this era, from the 1800's!"

"What is this, your next excuse to get away from me? Do you despise me that much, Tony?"

Tony sighed. "There's something I need to tell you, can you sit down?" He said.

Steve obliged and sat down. Tony paced around, not knowing how he was gonna put this, or whether he'd end up alive by the end. Nonetheless, he didn't plan on putting up with it any longer. He was already tired of forcing himself to do things that hurt him just so he could get on Steve's good side and be brought to wherever the witch directed.

He couldn't kiss Steve any longer, couldn't hug him, couldn't make love with him, couldn't watch him and Bucky together any longer...it only reopened painful wounds.

He tried to put it in the most simplified, short version for Steve. "Where I'm from, there is a sanctum full of sacred artifacts and items. One of those artifacts is a mirror which...has the ability to teleport you to different eras," Tony started.

"Alright. So you're...you have a religion? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" Steve was confused.

"No. I, um...I happened to play around with the mirror when I shouldn't have, and I ended up here. In order for me to get back to where I'm from I need to wait another week til the next full moon" Tony concluded.

Steve pinched his brows together, trying to make sense of what Tony just said. "My apologies, but I'm completely lost," Steve shrugged.

"I toyed with the sacred mirror and it threw me back a few centuries. I'm not from this era, I'm from the 2000's. And I'm going back in a week" Tony told him straight up.

He wanted to tell Steve the main points of the story first so that he could properly put the pieces together himself. But Steve didn't want to believe it. He told himself Tony was making it up to get away from him. "You don't have to go to such lengths and make up such a tale, Tony. I'm not letting you go, I'm sorry" he shook his head.

Tony groaned. "Fine, go to the castle morgue and you'll find my corpse. Well, the corpse of this era me. It's the first one you see. Better yet, I'll pull out the big guns" Tony unbuttoned his shirt and exposed the arc reactor. He tapped it and then let the suit form onto him. Steve took steps back. "The only reason I'm still here is because a witch said you're the only one who knows how to get to where she'll be"

Steve stood there speechless. Tony could see the hurt and confusion in Steve's eyes. He tapped the arc reactor again and the suit shrunk back into the arc reactor. Another moment went by in silence, before Steve turned around and left the room.

It was as if the only sun in his dark world was gone, and everything crumbled down. What he thought to be love, was him just being used. The man he loved, is in some sense not real? He will cease to exist? The innocent love that kept him believing in the good was gone.

Mind blank, Steve found himself in the morgue. The guards closed the door behind him, and the cold crisp air hit Steve. He looked ahead, and walked up to the first corpse he saw. Just as Tony said. After a moment of mustering up the courage, with shaky hands he removed the cover from the face and found it was Tony.

He immediately turned his back and covered his eyes. It can't be...Tony can't possibly be telling the truth...

§

For the next few days, Steve doesn't bother to acknowledge Tony's existence. He doesn't call Tony to his room anymore, doesn't send him gifts, doesn't visit him, doesn't even ask about him.

Tony understands. The man is going through shock right now. But if he was going to help Tony get to where the witch would be at Gloomburg, he needed to get his shit together in time.

Right now Tony was in the harem with the maidens. As per usual he was gossiping with them or helping them pick out dresses and hairstyles. Suddenly, a guard entered the room and announced Steve's presence "Move aside! His excellency, King Steve!"

All the maidens immediately stood up and bowed their heads. Tony learned quick enough that this was tradition and rule around here. You must stand and bow your head in any royal members' presence. So Tony stood up and joined them, also bowing his head down. He himself was surprised he was following the rules for once.

Though he secretly peeked up as Steve was passing by, and found that Steve glanced at him. He kept eye contact til Steve looked away. Once he was gone, everyone relaxed and went back to what they were doing. "The king is still not talking with you, Tony?" A maiden asked.

"No. But it's fine, I wasn't planning on staying here for too long anyways" Tony shrugged.

"Aw, I really was rooting for you two" she frowned. Then she leaned to Tony's ear and whispered "I like you with the king much better than that Barnes"

Tony chuckled. "Thanks, but there's no way the king will see anyone else when Bucky is there. He's the one for Steve" he said.

"Speak of the devil," She pointed with her eyes to somewhere behind Tony.

Tony turned around and found Bucky was passing by. They came eye to eye but Tony just brushed it off and turned back to speaking with the maiden.

Bucky was just gonna brush it off and silently walk past too, but as if he couldn't help himself, he stopped and said "Stark. I'm glad our king came back to his senses"

Tony scoffed. He knew Bucky wasn't doing this to be evil, he genuinely thought Tony was a spy and was out to hurt Steve. But now Tony had nothing to lose, so he didn't hold back.

"Listen up you Joan Crawford psycho shrew. There is nothing keeping me back from taking out all my pent up frustrations on you, so piss off. Don't you have some chicken to not season? Somewhere? Anywhere other than here?" Tony clapped back.

Bucky opened his mouth to say something, but a servant interrupted and announced that the King was asking for Tony to go to his room. Tony groaned. He was most likely about to get scolded again for talking to Bucky like that.

Nonetheless, he got up and walked off.