Four hours ago, Tony came home to one of his nightmares being played out. There was a small van parked just outside the door and several boxes had been loaded into it, with more lining the foyer wall. Tony stood paralysed as he watched Pepper run the final boxes into the van then started carrying out several bags of what he assumed to be clothes.
"You weren't kidding, were you?" he shouted from his car, throwing the donut he had been eating away as his appetite disappeared completely. Pepper jumped at his voice and shrugged, her thin voice only just carrying to where he stood. "I told you. I can't do this anymore Tony. I can't stand by as you risk your life again and again."
"So what, you're just going to abandon me?!" He slammed the door shut and stalked over to where Pepper was pulling the van door closed.
"What about Stark Industries? What about all those times I need you there for me?" He dropped his voice to a harsh whisper, clenching his fist in an effort to not strike out in frustration.
"You will find a letter on the table containing the terms of my resignation. As of noon today, you're the CEO of Stark Industries again. As for me, I was offered a job in Admin at AIM" Pepper scoffed, picking up her handbag and opening the passenger door to the van. "I was there for you when you needed me, but you never reciprocated the gesture. I am not going to play nurse and housewife for you anymore Tony. Heck, the only reason I stayed with you as long as I did was because I was ordered by your 'boss' Fury. If I had my way, I would have left with Killian all those years ago. Good bye Tony, and don't follow me."
With that parting statement she stepped into the van and sped off, leaving a furious Tony behind. Roaring in anger, he swung his fist at the glass pane and shattered it, the glass shards burying deep into his skin. Hissing in pain but not bothering to remove the glass, Tony stormed inside to the kitchen to his liquor storage. "JARVIS, block any contact until I say so"
"As you wish. Anything else sir?"
"Don't bother me unless someone is dying." Wrenching open the cabinet, he pulled out the 2/3 full bottle of Jack Daniels and twisted the cap off harshly, pegging it at New York's skyline and swigged straight from the bottle.
This was the reason why Tony was now slumped against the kitchen wall, the empty Jack Daniel's bottle long gone and a fresh bottle of schnapps in his hands. Tears coursed freely down his face as he gulped down the sweet liquid, his movements jerky and shaky. A fog had descended over his mind and nothing could penetrate it, not even JARVIS' warnings about his alcohol intake. Wrapping one hand over the top of the bench, it took several tries for Tony to haul himself to his unsteady feet and take a few shaky steps towards the balcony. Eventually making it to the heavy doors, it proved almost impossible for him to open them, but eventually Tony stumbled out to the balcony and collapsed against the glass barrier to watch the sun set. Finishing the bottle of schnapps, thoughts of Pepper clouded his mind and Tony grunted in pain. He brought the bottle down hard against the floor, shattering it and embedding more shards in his hand and arm. A few pieces of glass rebounded and flew up to his face, making little cuts across his cheeks. As he sat back, he felt the corner of his phone poke him in the hip and he thought about calling Pepper to try and talk some reason into her. Scrolling through his contacts, he hit 'Sweetheart' and held the phone to his hear, listening to the call tone.
"Stark. What's the problem" a very un-Pepper voice floated down the line, causing Tony to furrow his brown heavily.
"Cap? Where's Pepper?"
"I wouldn't know. Is there a problem Stark?"
"No. Yes. Possibly. Everything is a bit dizzy" he slurred and hissed in pain as he lent on his glass-studded hand.
"Stark, are you drunk?" Cap's tone became worried and Tony could picture the small fold that would crease in Cap's forehead as he frowns.
"Maybe"
"Are you injured?"
"...maybe" Tony heard Cap sigh and sounds of doors closing and a motorbike kick-starting.
"Hold on. I'll be over in 10 minutes" Cap grunted then hung up. Tony softly threw his phone in front of him and attempted to stand up, only succeeding in driving the shards further into his palm. Growling in pain, Tony sat still, dosing in and out of consciousness as he waited for Cap to arrive.
"Stark, Stark can you hear me?" A gentle slapping on his cheek woke Tony, and his eyes felt incredibly gummy as he peered at the blond man in-front of him.
"Steve?" he croaked, the alcohol stripping all moisture from his throat and he swallowed unsuccessfully. A cool object was pressed against his lips and he felt a hand tilting his head back and a cool liquid slipped between his lips. Tony swallowed instinctively, grunting as the cool water eased the pain in his throat.
"Yeah, it's me. Where's your first-aid kit?" Cap's sooth voice was like honey and Tony waved a hand in the general direction of the bathroom. "Alright, up you get"
Tony felt himself being hauled up and the room dipped and spun as his head tried to balance himself. Failing miserably, he leant against the solid mass beside him and felt a warm arm snake around his waist. Pushing away from Cap, Tony muttered something about being able to walk himself and took a few unsteady steps, before tipping over into Cap's waiting arms. To make the whole process easier, Cap swept Tony off his feet and carried him the rest of the way into the bathroom.
"Steve, I can do this myself" he slurred, fighting feebly to get out of Cap's grip.
"Stark, you are in no way capable of doing anything yourself" Cap admonished as he took care not to bump Tony's head against the walls as he traversed the corridors in search for the bathroom.
Kicking open a door, the sight of gleaming beige tiles was a relief to Cap as he set Tony down on one of the benches and began rooting through cupboards for the first aid kit. Finding the green box, he opened it up and took the saline solution and a swab and began cleaning the grit from the wound.
"Sorry, sorry" he mumbled every time Tony hissed in pain, and finally was able to clear the dirt away to see the amount of glass that was embedded in his skin. "Jeezus Stark, what the hell did you do?"
Tony lowered his gaze into his lap as tears began to fall freely again, ashamed of crying in front of the most manly man in America. "Pepper left me. She also quit the company and she's moved out" he gasped, and bit one of his fingers to try and muffle his sobs. A warm hand started rubbing circles on his back and Cap muttered meaningless phrases in a soothing voice in an attempt to calm his friend down.
"Stark. It'll be fine. You have the rest of the team with you, don't worry about her anymore" Steve consoled, letting his companion weep into his shoulder.
"Tony" Tony corrected through tears and drew back, wiping his tears on his shirt sleeve and peered bleary-eyed at Steve. His friend's mouth quirked into a small smile and Steve nodded once.
"Ok... Tony. Let's get this glass out of you." Steve slid down from the bench and found a pair of tweezers and a small bowl. Soaking the instruments in a disinfectant, Steve began the arduous process of extracting the tiny glass shards that littered his hands. His movements were soft and gentle, but that didn't stop Tony from hissing in pain every time Steve removed something. The buzz from the alcohol was still fogging his brain, but things were a little clearer and his head had stopped pounding. Wincing as Steve dressed the wound, Tony took the time to study his friend. It was no secret that Tony was into men and women, and he had always harboured a secret affection for Rogers, but no one had ever known that.
While Tony was musing, he hadn't noticed the blood running down his chin or that Steve had finished working on his hand. He jumped as Steve's warm hand cupped his face and dabbed at the cuts with a cloth. Steve's eyes were focused intently on his task, which meant Tony could look at those incredibly blue orbs for as long as he wanted. A few steri-strips later, Tony slid off the bench and collapsed right into Steve's body, feeling the strong arms wrap instinctively around him to stop him from falling.
"Jeezus Tony, how much did you drink?" Cap exclaimed as Tony doubled over and threw up straight onto the floor. Supporting the shaking body, Steve half carried, half dragged Tony over to the toilet bowl and held him over, rubbing his back as the vomit came spewing up. The acrid smell made his nose twitch, and on looking down Steve saw that his front was covered in vomit. Tony's body shuddered again as more of his stomach contents came up, and eventually they subsided, with Tony slumping to the side of the toilet and wiped his mouth with a towel.
"Sorry Steve" he choked, spitting out the last of the bile that rose in his mouth. "I got it all over you"
"It's ok, I'll shower later" he protested as Tony fumbled at the buttons on Steve's shirt, the item of clothing that has hit worse by the vomit stream. Tony, intent on his task, managed to somehow unbutton the shirt and threw it aside, clumsily grabbing a damp flannel and wiped the muck away. He wiped away the vomit from around his mouth and with the help of Steve, rinsed his mouth out a few times.
"Come on, I'll get you a shirt" Tony babbled, trotting clumsily out of the room and down the hall with Steve in pursuit in case he injured himself.
Tony's bedroom was magnificent. There was no other word to describe it. The glass wall gave a grand view of the New York sunset and Steve felt like he was the king of the world, looking out across the dazzling lights as Tony rummaged for a shirt. Pulling out a loose grey one, Tony passed it over to Steve and watched as the shirt sat snug against his body, the shirt showing Steve's magnificent torso. "Sorry" he mumbled, not being sorry in the slightest. "It was the biggest one I had."
"Thanks Tony. Let's get you changed" Steve walked over and started to undo Tony's buttons. He pulled off the vomit stained shirt and threw it in the basket and helped Tony pull on a loose sleep-shirt. He politely turned around as Tony struggled to get his jeans off and tracksuit pants on, turning back around to help Tony into bed. Once he was wrapped in blankets, Steve made a move towards the door but a soft voice stopped him.
"Steve?"
"Yes?"
"Tell me about the war. You know, the one you were in"
"I've been in many Tony, you're going to have to be specific" Steve's voice was slightly bitter, his muscles tense as a brief flashback clouded his mind.
"World War 2 then. What was Peggy like?" Tony's innocent eyes peered out from between the blanket and the pillow as Steve stood in shock at the question. Tony frowned at the reaction and hurriedly apologised.
"I'm sorry Steve. It was not my place to ask"
"No, no... It's quite alright" Steve babbled, running a hand through his hair and leaned against the doorframe. "What, uh, would you like to know?" He narrowed his eyes and moved as Tony patted the clear bedspace beside him, the king bed providing plenty of room for them both. Tony rolled over to face Steve as he sat on top of the covers, leaning against the headboard as his played with a loose string.
"What was she like?"
Steve huffed in soft laughter, letting the memories wash over him. "She was one of the most confident people you'd ever meet. She was very pretty too, and she always stood up for herself." A soft smile had settled on his lips and his eyes were closed as he replayed the events in his head. Steve continued his story long into the night, only stopping when he heard the soft snores that Tony made. It was as he tried to get up that he realised Tony's leg was curled around his own and his face buried into his hip. So Steve stayed, falling asleep in a sitting position listening to the sound of Tony's soft breath.