[A/N]: There. Now I'm back on schedule. Here is the next installment. Enjoy!
xXx
Tony sat at the counter, hand clutching his glass like it was a life ring. A life ring in this sea of uncertainty and fear. Something he desperately needed.
It all started with Ultron. Fear drove him to create Ultron. Fear that his teammates, and the rest of the world, we're going to die because he couldn't protect them. Not on his own. Ultron had backfired; instead of helping them, it led them to the most difficult battle yet.
He regretted it. Building Ultron. He didn't forget why he'd built it, but he wished he hadn't. He could have found a better way to help, if he'd have just ignored his gnawing fear. In actuality, his weakness had led to Ultron's defection and the destruction of Sokovia.
And now it was happening again. With the Winter Soldier. Tony was afraid of him, not that he'd ever say it. He was afraid of what he could do, of what he had done. He'd staged his parents' car accident; who says he wouldn't do it again? To him?
Yes, he would admit it. Fear, specifically, his fear, had led the Avengers to horrible things that were totally avoidable. And he regretted it. If only he were stronger, they wouldn't be in messes like this.
Terrible, life-threatening messes that threatened to tear the team apart. And this one finally had.
xXx
Inspired by Sia's song 'Breathe Me'.