Hi everyone! I saw a prompt on Tumblr for this idea a few days ago and couldn't pass it up. Unsure if anyone else has done this, but it seemed a fun idea. Credit to terapsina and bucky-oh-bucky for the prompt. Hope you enjoy!

Traipsing through the streets of with his hood and cap obscuring his face, Tony silently cursed himself. It had been a stupid idea to try and prank Pepper, especially when she was already on edge. You know, what with their home being destroyed a few months ago. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but in hindsight it really was awful. Secreting 1,000 locusts in her desk drawer? Even though he hadn't known about the Very Important Conference-Call she had scheduled for that morning, it was still a dick move. He didn't blame her for kicking him out of the house. Really, he only had himself to blame. Well, 12% of the blame. Maybe 15% if he really thought about it. Approaching the address Steve had given him, he knocked somewhat nervously on the fly screen. When the door opened a few moments later, Tony smiled weakly at the soldier in front of him.

"Hey Sam… so Pepper threw me out of my house and Rhodey's on vacation in Mexico…"

Sighing slightly, the Falcon stepped aside. "Come in, man."

Upon crossing the threshold, it became clear that Tony had interrupted his meal. The smell was absolutely delicious. Clutching his suddenly rumbling stomach, he stood in the doorway staring as Sam scooted round him.

"Hungry? It's only a stew, but I've got plenty of it if you want some."

The loud grumble of his stomach answered for him. Nodding with a smile, Sam grabbed another bowl and served up some of the stew, placing it opposite his own seat at the table. Tony almost toppled off the chair he was in such a hurry to sit down. It just smelt so good. After a few minutes of slurping and the clinking of spoons, Sam broke the silence.

"So then, Tony; is that really the best disguise you could come up with?"

"Sorry?"

"The whole cap and hoodie thing. It's a favourite of Steve's too, but I figured with all your tech know-how, you'd have come up with something better."

"It was a bit last minute. Besides, nobody noticed. Didn't even turn any heads."

"Are you sure? I'd say the kid sat on the deck says otherwise."

Tony turned with a confused look to see said child. She was clutching a piece of paper, practically bouncing with excitement. A small smile spread on his face as he went to open the door, grabbing a pen from the sideboard as he made his way across the lounge. Sliding the glass panel aside, he knelt to be on the girl's level.

"A-are you Mr Stark?"

"I am indeed. And who might you be, young lady?"

"Amelia."

"Well then Amelia- lovely name, by the way- shall we see what you've got here?"

He held out his hand to receive the paper she handed to him, rather surprised that it wasn't the typical image of him in his Iron Man suit. It was him at the Expo a few years back; before New York and the fall of SHIELD. Back when everything was… normal wasn't really the word. Less crazy than it is now. Shaking the memories from his mind, he looked back to the expectant girl. She was beaming with excitement.

"What's your favourite class at school?"

"Science! I want to be just like you when I grow up- a genius!"

Smiling, he turned the paper over. A mere autograph wasn't going to cut it. "Would you like to work for me?"

Amelia's eyes widened. "Yes! Stark Industries is the best place for scientists; that's what my dad says."

"Well, I'll have to ask Pepper. She's in charge of all that now." Finishing his message, he passed the paper back. "Make sure you keep that. If you ever feel like you can't do it, have a look. And if you want to come and look around, give that number a ring." Ruffling her hair, he stood up. "Now, isn't it time you got to bed? It's quite late."

"Yes Mr Stark. I had to sneak out to see you; mummy didn't believe that it was you, but I knew it was."

"Sneaking out? How old are you?"

"I'm seven."

"Wow. Don't go doing that again though, Amelia. Let's get you home."

Offering her his hand, he walked through to the front door, nodding to Sam as he passed. Amelia waved, hopping giddily along beside Tony. She only lived a few doors down, thankfully, so she was home in no time. After placating her mother and saying goodbye, Tony hurried back to Sam's. He had briefly forgotten about the stew, but his stomach was reminding him. Damn he was hungry. Making sure to lock the doors before he sat back down, Tony practically inhaled the last of the stew. He got up to get a second portion when Sam spoke again.

"You really inspire a lot of kids, you know."

Returning to the table, Tony gestured at Sam with his spoon. "So do the other Avengers. Most of them don't know there's a man in the suit. They don't understand…"

"No, not Iron Man; you." Now it was Sam's turn to gesture. "Amelia, and hundreds of kids like her, has become interested in science because of you. They want to be just like their hero. Tony Stark, not Iron Man."

"I'm not exactly a good role model. In a weird way, getting kidnapped by terrorists and having shrapnel lodged in my chest cavity is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Taking accountability for my actions; making the world a better place; saving it. I never would have been able to manage any of that without the Arc reactor in my chest." He poked at his now healed chest, somewhat forlorn. "That circle of light is what made me a hero. Now it's gone, I'm not sure what to do."

"Look Tony, all that stuff you did? Building the suits, saving the world? That was you. Not some gadget embedded in your chest. Besides, you made the thing! Afghanistan changed you, opened your eyes. The Arc thingy facilitated the heroism that was already in you. You always had the capacity to be a hero, so now you need to find it again. You might have lost the means, but you still have the reasons behind it all. It was you inside that suit, doing all that. The sacrifice you thought you were making in New York; you made the decision to take that nuke through the wormhole, not the suit. Give yourself credit, Tony."

The reminder of New York made his chest tighten. Desperately clinging onto his sanity, he rushed into the living room. Feeling the panic set in, he got even more worked up when he realised there was no JARVIS and no Pepper here to help calm him. Tony's breaths became more laboured the more he thought about it, panting to get air to his lungs. He jolted when Sam's firm grip closed on his shoulder, screwing his eyes shut when his face appeared before his own.

"Tony. It's okay, just focus on breathing. In for three, out for three. You can do it; look at me." He opened his eyes tentatively. "Do you want to go sit outside for a bit, get some fresh air?"

Sam helped him to his feet after a curt nod, allowing him to support him on their way to the door. The cool night air felt good on his now sweaty face, stinging his throat as he struggled to catch his breath. The two men sat on a bench, Sam turning to Tony.

"Copy my breathing, alright? It's going to be okay. Just breathe."

With each breath, he felt a little better. He had started going lightheaded due to the lack of oxygen, so the clearing of the muggy feeling in his mind helped him to think straight. After a few minutes he was calm again, wiping the moisture from his forehead. Sam's hand was resting on his shoulder blade, patting intermittently.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just… The whole thing gets to me, you know? I don't like talking about it. Bruce isn't really much help…"

"I get it. I lost one of my best friends in a rescue mission; he got shot down. It took me a while to get over it, through I'm not completely there. I do a meeting for other veterans with similar problems, which helps. If you want to talk about what happened, I'd be more than happy to listen. I understand a bit of where you're coming from, so I might be able to help."

After considering for a moment, Tony nodded. "That'd be good, thanks." Taking Sam's proffered hand, he stood up and smiled weakly. Heading inside, he settled in for the night on the sofa, thinking about how to make things right by Pepper as he lay in the darkness. By the time the sun was rising, he had it figured out. Donning his cap and hoodie again, he headed out of the door, being careful to close it quietly. When Sam eventually emerged from his room, he found the house empty, a note lying of the kitchen table.

'Thanks for the advice, and the stew. Speak soon. Tony'

Smiling to himself, he attached the note to his fridge as he started making breakfast.

This is just going to be a collection of one-shots, but I've also written a Star Trek + Avengers crossover if you want to check it out! Thanks for reading!