The day Captain America dies was a miserable one. Even now, standing in the dead grass, looking upon the cold, pale stone of the grave, it still tore apart his heart like thousands of sharp knives being thrusted into the soft tissue of the fragile muscle.

How well did the weather fit some cold, fake ending of some sad movie. The rain pouring down, drenching the suit as it laid upon his shoulders. He stood there, almost separate from the thousands of others that stood around him. Isolated in a way they didn't seem to understand. He was alone at this very moment.

The captain was dead. A man everyone looked up to. Some envied. And those of pure evil, they hated him. A man of justice, honor, and kindness. A true hero. Yet, what did that make the man who stood, watching as the casket was lowered in the hole that dug into the black mud.

The flag rested on top of the dark wood only flashed his colors. The white, showing his pure nature, the blue, an expression of the man's kindness... and the red, a reminder of the blood he shed on his final day. A day that should never have occurred.

His lip twitched. This whole time, moments that felt like hours and each one another weight too heavy to carry, this man stood still. At attention. Watching as the grave was passing the top of the soil where his body would rest forever. The man didn't even bother to look up.

Why should he gave upon the faces around him. He knew that they were doing one of two things; crying, or blaming the man for his death. As the cold tears of the sky continued to rush down, the man used them as a way to hide his own. No matter how the story is told, it will always be his fault.

Brown hair matted to his head, he stayed, watching as people slowly began to leave, but he stayed. He watched as the dirt fell on top of the flag, staining it. The brown smuges covering the crisp colors of the flag. Soiled... Ruined...

For a second he swore he could hear his voice, the low ring of justice as it rolled off the large man's tongue. The sound of his jaw moving. The twitch in his jaw, the thick shoulders. Pleasant blue eyes that screamed a way out of pain and into a way of feeling something good. No, something amazing.

But there was no way to fix the past, no way to reverse his mistake. As the final shovel of dirt filled into the grave, the man never moved a muscle. Yet the rain didn't let up. Maybe mother nature itself also blamed the man for his hand in the soldiers death.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath... pretending he could feel the large muscles around him once more...

"Are you even listening to a word I say, Stark?"

Tony opened his eyes, the brown balls swirling slightly as he looked up to see the blond soldier ducked over him. Yet Tony only scuffed in response. "No, I fell asleep."

"Your level of ignorance stuns me sometimes Stark."

Tony had already closed his eyes back up, leaning back in the chair once more, feet propped onto the table. Even with his eyes closed, he could imagine the tall man hooking his fingers onto the belt of his suit. "Well history lessons make me sleepy."

When his feet were knocked off the table, Tony sat up. His eyes scanned the room quickly, and it was obvious everyone else had already left. So why couldn't he sleep? Looking at the captain, Tony rolled his eyes once more. In truth, he was tired of being lectured by 'Mr. Perfect.'

"This isn't a history lesson, people are in danger. You should re-"

"Really pay more attention, got it capsicle." He watched the stern look that was plastered onto Mr. Perfect's broad face. "Look Rogers, for me, this is all history, and all stuff I already know." Tony gave a cocky shrug, and how he hoped it pissed he tall man off. That was one of his favorite things to do.

"Sometimes I want to-"

"Punch me in the face? There is a huge line," He stood to his feet. Obviously capsicle wasn't going to leave him alone. He pointed his finger out the door, "I could escort you to the end if you need help crossing the street."

With pleasure, Stark watched as the features on the blond man's face twisted into greater irritation, almost anger. though a permanent look of innocence always seemed to be stuck on the guys face. yuck.

"One day, you will regret all this sarcasm you throw around." Rogers replied, before pushing past Tony, bumping shoulders in an empty room. How childish.

"You're so right, I already feel awful." With much pleasure, Tony watched as the captain walked out of the room. But once it was over, Tony could feel the exhaustion settle back in, and he collapsed into the meeting chair.

Sleep had become a foreign object only thought about in fairy tails lately to Stark. Nightmares every time he closed his eyes. Work overwhelming and pressing down, crushing any spare time. Yet it relaxed him, and was much better then laying in his large, soft, empty bed, clenching a blanket against his chest. Awake.

Tony had been so relaxed when he had put his feet up onto the meeting table. It was meant to be an important matter, but Tony had just been to exhausted to listen to Fury talk on and on about things JARVIS had already told him about. Tony wouldn't be surprised if he had snored; which made him smile ever so slightly. Snoring in an official Shield meeting probably drove Fury and Capsicle mad. At least he could have a little fun.

But he still wished he could have kept on sleeping.

Another groan escaped the man's lips. Why did everything have to be so difficult these days? Why couldn't he find the spare time to just sleep? Instead, he occupied his time with work and Avenger's missions. Keeping things up like this might end him. Permanently. His brain was always clouded; if he wasn't such a genius, he probably wouldn't be able to even function.

Even if he couldn't 'function' he had to look it. Dressing in these suits, that or as if he didn't care. He had to keep up an image. Tony couldn't just walk out of his house as if he was about to fall apart. He couldn't even imagine what would happen if he were to make that mistake. Rumors, tales, and Tony knew he wouldn't look as strong. They were all things he could not loose.

Next was a yawn, because the relaxed feeling he had gotten when everyone else was discussing the issues and left when the walking flag shook him awake. Now the billionaire's muscles were tense, hard to move without feeling like it was forced. He rolled his head back, giving out another exhausted groan.

Sitting up, his brown eyes scanned the dark meeting room. He looked over the white Shield symbol plastered onto the wall. What a waste. Of course he had giving advice and tips in order to advance their systems, but that was natural habit for the engineer. Fixing things, improving them, it gave him work to do, and kept him out of his own mind. There was no way he wanted to dive too deep into his own feelings.

He gave it a second before he stood up, finally ready to go home, to say it was for relaxing, when he knew it was really to just sit there, staring at computer screens until he had something new to work on. Until he had something to keep his mind busy.

But at least he could go home now...

"Anthony?"

Tony slowly turned, opening his eyes back up to look at the speaker. Of course, he could recognize Pepper's voice anywhere. Looking her over, she was dressed in black, her hands tucked in front of her slim waist. The orange locks of hair had been placed in a bun on top of her hair, yet it had been pressed down due to the thick rained, ruined. Her green eyes looked sad... no, her face was twisted into one that expressed... worry...

"Are you ready to go home?" Her lips moved, and the expression was obviously at an attempt of being hidden. However, the engineer knew her much too well to be fooled. He could read her; and for once he didn't even have to ask what she was worried about... he knew it was him.

Tony went to speak. To utter something out of his cold, pale lips. But the words never came. He only gave a soft nod. He examined a soft twitch in her lips, as her look only grew even more miserable. She turned, heading back to the jet black car a few feet away. Tony slowly fallowed her, glancing back one more. Laying eyes on the grave one last time before ducking into the dry car.

Words came out of Pepper's mouth as she drove, but they bounced around in Anthony's head. None of them stuck long enough for him to even understand them. It was like she was speaking a foreign language. When his eyes locked on hers for a few seconds in the rear view mirror, something clicked. She cringed, silencing her inaudible gibber and staring at the road.

The brown marbles rolled until they stared out of the window, his head following until it clicked against the glass. The rain fogged up the window, preventing him from seeing much of the land as he passed. The car speeding down the road. Trees, signs, and cars blurred past, and even together. Never had he been so... numb...

His eyelids slipped shut, but at least he was on his way home... with no interruptions in sight.

The tight grip on Tony's upper arm stopped him in his tracks. The hand acted as a center, and Tony turned to face the grabber, and wasn't surprised to see the tall, blond man and his strict face.

"What do you want now?"

"My shield." Steve responded sharply.

"What about it?" Tony found himself replying as if the captain had asked the dumbest question ever.

"I need it repaired."

"And?"

"And what? Director Fury said I should go to you to fix it."

Tony smirked. "Well he's right about that. What's wrong with it?"

Steve paused, and Tony heard the clunk of the shield as the mountain of muscles pulled it off his back. He could already see the hard scoring as if it had been sheered of all color. Tony groaned before he even really go a look at it. "What did you do? Take on a whole army by yourself?" Tony remarked, looking it over more closely. How did he get it messed up this bad already?

"Just put it to use," The captain remarked, standing straight an elite as he held his shield close to his thick chest.

"Well I can see that." Tony remarked, his eyes finishing their analysis and he straightened his back.

Without thinking, he reached out to take it from the bigger man, yet to his surprise, he pulled it out of Stark's reach.

Tony cocked an eyebrow, looking at the man with the same, ignorant look he always used when he was irritated. What was his problem?

"I thought you wanted me to fix it?"

"I do," Steve stated.

Tony pursed his lip, reaching again for the shield; only to have the giant hold it up, out of Tony's reach. Real mature there cap.

"Then hand it over!" Tony growled, jumping slightly to try and get the hunk of metal. But Captain Dumbass only pushed Tony back.

"I do want you to fix it." Steve began, clicking the shield back onto it's slot on his back. "I just don't trust you."

In response, Tony let of a long, execrated groan. His head rolling back in irritance as he the groan poured from his lips. Without giving the captain another second, he jolted forwards. "How am I supposed to fix it then!"

"I'm coming with you to watch you to make sure you don't try and sleep through the whole thing."

Tony looked at him even more as if he was the stupidest person on the face of the world. Closing his mouth, Tony stood straight, crossing his arms across his chest, glaring at the 'perfect' moron that stood in front of him.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. And you're about to win for the dumbest human being I've talked to this month."

Tony watched as the angry look on Roger's face returned, and he couldn't force any pleasure out of it. The situation this oaf had just shoved him in would be extremely annoying. The last thing he wanted was to have Captain Prim and Proper run around his house, telling him how to do everything.

"Great, well I'm going home. Then I can get this started and you out of my hair."

"Sounds good to me."