Damaged

Chapter 1:

Steve was never one for violence, never the type to go looking to pick a fight unless someone deserved it. Pre-serum he would have picked a fight against a bully, challenged him if he wasn't already being picked on. But things were different now, he had the Avengers and he had a place to stay.

After what happened in New York with 'The Loki Thing' he had volunteered to help clean up the damages. Tony offered Steve a place to stay right after everything happened.

Now exiting Stark Tower to go help clean up the little that's left from the battle almost five months before, Steve walked to find the other volunteers. He hears his name being yelled behind him a way.

"Steve, Jesus, Steve slow the fuck down!" Tony ran up behind the taller man.

"Tony, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna come help today...I get that I haven't since the clean up started but you know I've been trying to fix my baby..." Tony looked back at his tower. "She's back to looking beautiful again..."

"Tony- I..." Steve started before restarting, "You don't have to come because I am..."

"Well there's no other reason to go now is there... Besides Bruce is in the lab and I don't exactly feel like sharing right now so I figured getting out of the tower would be good." Tony smiled his award winning smile.

"Well you could go volunteering to actually want to participate in cleaning up the city, Tony." Steve looked back to the other and stopped walking to allow the other to catch up.

"Mmm...yeah. Well I am...soooo... Steve you've been going to this volunteer group every day, even Sundays. Aren't you a religious man? I thought Sundays were spent at church or whatever..." Tony looked over to Steve as he caught up with him and walked next to him.

"Yeah...well God will understand why I've had to miss church. I am doing an act of good will therefore it is not so bad that I have missed. Besides I go when I have a break." Steve explained looking ahead of them watching the sun slowly move up barely breaking over the trees that were around decorating the streets. "It's so nice out in the mornings... I remember it being a little different...not so much in the way like now, but buildings weren't all so tall."

"Well, welcome to the modern age where we have tall builds as a package deal with every major city everywhere." Tony laughed a little.

"Tony...honestly...I don't think I'm too keen on tall buildings in the city. I know you are, but it must just be an old fashioned thing." Steve continued to walk at a pace Tony could keep up with and looked straight ahead.

"I'll just have to remember that..."

"Tony are you feeling okay..? You just don't seem yourself lately." Steve asked him looking to him as they walked up to the cross walk.

"Of course, of course, Steve, why wouldn't I be?" Tony kept himself calm and dusted off the question.

Steve stopped Tony, he almost continued walking into ongoing traffic. "Tony you are not okay, what's going on with you?" Steve pushed, moving Tony back on the sidewalk.

"I just um-haven't slept in a few weeks is all." Tony said it like it meant nothing.

"What a few weeks straight!?"

"Well not straight, but a few hours of sleep here and there when I unfortunately do crash... Other than that I'm fine." Tony waved it off as they crossed the street quickly and made it to the other side where they continued their slow pace so Tony could keep up.

Steve watched him as they walked and stared for a moment before saying anything, "Tony, you can't just not sleep... Sleeping is good for your body, it needs to sleep. I know you know that, Tony. Could you do me a favor tonight...?"

"That depends on what that favor might be..." Tony trailed off waiting for Steve to just say it.

"I want you to get at least five or six hours of sleep tonight." Steve said it like it was so easy and looked ahead of them again.

Tony was inwardly scared of what would happen if he said he wouldn't or that he couldn't do that. He would never openly voice that though and he waited another moment before speaking. "I can try...I don't know if I'll be able to, but I'll try, Steve." His voice was soft and vulnerable for only a slight second before Steve could see that it had morphed back into its normal self.

"So why exactly haven't you been sleeping like a normal human being for a while now..? And exactly how long is a few weeks, Tony?" Steve asked not really holding back his concern for Tony, but holding it back a little.

"Um...it's nothing too bad really I mean just silly nightmares of when I fell out of fucking space...and almost died..." Tony didn't make it sound as harsh as he had intended so it ended up sounding a bit weaker. "Basically ever since 'The Loki Thing'."

"Tony..you could have told me...