It's Been a Long Year...

Steve woke up to the sound of the alarm clock on his bedside table, announcing that it was time to face another day. He rolled over, turned off the alarm, and lay there on his stomach. His mind was swimming with a sense of grogginess, knowing that he would need a couple of minutes to get his body inline with his intentions.

Steve felt the familiar hole swell up inside of his chest.

Shit...

He reached towards the nightstand and picked up his prescription.

Double shit...

Tossing the empty bottle in the general direction of the trashcan, he sighed.

This has been going on too long. The emptiness. Loneliness. Steve knew something wasn't right, but he could never figure it out.

Not wanting to go to work at all, he curled up on his bed and burrowed himself deeper into the multitude of blankets surrounding him. He just wanted to disappear. Just only for a day. Nobody would notice. He drifted back off to sleep.

Steve pedaled as fast as his younger self could. The dirt that was kicked up by his bike was filling his lungs, causing him to cough occasionally from the lack of clean air. He breathed heavily as he continued riding.

He didn't know where he was going. He just knew that something wasn't right.

He screeched to a halt, a rusty chain link fence barring his path. Getting off his bike, he was able to catch his breath. Steve brushed his blonde hair back into its place and moved toward the fence. He noticed the lock, which was what was keeping him from biking forward.

He looked past the fence and noticed a figure in the distance. The figure also seemed to be riding a bike, just going around in circles. Occasionally, Steve would see the front tire lift off the ground for a quick moment while the rider did a wheelie.

Steve didn't like the loneliness. He never had.

He worked on the lock, trying to figure out a way to unravel the chain it was attached to. Serving no justice for himself, he gave up, knowing he would never open it.

Steve looked back out at the figure, still riding about on the opposite side of the fence. Smiling, he sat down on the dirt ground, watching the small amount of tricks the other knew.

In the pleasant heat and the slight breeze, Steve felt comfortable for the first time in a long time. He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the silence that seemed to flow through his entire being.

The sound of 'Sexy Back' awoke Steve. He looked over at his ringing phone that was plugged in on his nightstand. Groaning, he unraveled himself from his comfortable position and grabbed his phone. He answered soon after glancing at the caller ID.

"What's up Sam?" he asked, lying spread eagle on his back.

"Hey Steve! I was wondering if you could do a huge favor... wait, you're at work."

"No, I'm not... What do you need me to do?" he asked, mentally slapping himself because he didn't want to get out of bed for anything.

There was a moment of hesitation from Sam.

"Ummm, so you know about that security conference I told you about?"

"Yes, you are leaving today for it." Steve looked at the clock. "You're getting on in about two and a half hours, right?"

Sam chuckled. "Always observant there, Steve. I forgot something very important that I need to bring with me at my place. I was wondering if you could swing by there and pick it up for me, that would be very appreciated, being that you're saving me from being skinned."

Steve thought about that. Sam's skin hanging above a fireplace as an old mob boss sat in an overused chair, drinking hot tea and smoking a cigar. He shuddered. Why would he even think of that?!

"Steve?"

Sam brought him out of his trance, thank god.

"Uhh, yeah sure! Just tell me where it's at and I'll be over there in about 45 minutes."

The two men shared their farewells, leaving Steve yet again with his thoughts.

He thought about going into work after the airport, but decided against it, knowing that ultimately he would gain nothing from going there. Getting up and throwing on a pair of jeans, he was reminded of the painting he was currently working on. Steve mentally hit himself. Of course he would make a stupid decision like this; like leaving all of his works in progress at his office, at his work, on the school campus, which is where he is avoiding at all costs.

He left his townhouse with his bag over his shoulder, going into his rusty, red truck and began his drive to Sam's apartment. The air of loneliness followed him, reminding him how prominent the sense had been as of recent. His thoughts strayed onto his good friend, Sam; how he had his life together. Steve only had his work and hardly any social life. His only friends were Sam and Natasha, both of which were pretty busy with their own careers and social lives. They were always in touch with their emotions, knowing exactly what each situation called for.

Why couldn't he be like that? He deserved just as much as they did. He deserved a happy life. One without this depression following him around constantly. Maybe he wanted too much? Maybe this is what he is meant to do the rest of his life; wallow in his self-pity, hating himself every second while he teaches art to a bunch of adolescents.

There's got to be more for him though.

Whatever it was, Steve was afraid. Afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle it. Afraid he would fail. Afraid that whatever he did to help himself would be for nothing.

Steve knew that he could not live like this any longer. He knew he should talk to someone about this, but, what was the point? Who would want to help him? Why would he even attempt to help himself? Why bother to keep trying? Nobody cared, not even himself. There probably wasn't a single person out there who would want to help him. He was in too deep.

His truck began to slow down, soon coming to a complete stop on the side of the road. Of course Steve's truck would break down. He sighed, looking at his surroundings. He could see Sam's place a little ways down the road. He locked his truck and headed down the street, pulling out his phone from his bag to call the local cab company.

It just kept getting worse for him, but he refused to let it show. He walked with his head up while inside, he was dying.

Steve held on to the ledge while the water rose over the edges...

Since We Last Spoke...

Tony pulled up to the airport parking lot, noticing the sky up above turning a dark grey, indicating an oncoming storm. Sighing, he got out of his car and opened his trunk to grab his suitcase, which was basically an overnight bag. He checked his phone, seeing that Sam sent him a text.

'Cookies acquired'

He cracked a smile, knowing that his friend was really looking forward to bringing cookies to this security conference. Tony quickly replied, simply saying that he was looking forward to the cookies and that he will meet up with Sam once he gets to DC. Closing his trunk, he watched Pepper's silver Mercedes drive off as a raindrop fell onto his face.

Swearing to himself, he jogged over to the awning to cover himself up before it began to downpour. He looked at his watch once he set his bag down and saw that his flight doesn't leave for another three hours. He groaned. Of course Pepper would lie to him about his departure time so that he got there super early.

Around him, people ran inside to shelter themselves from the starting storm. Tony stayed outside, enjoying the oncoming humidity knowing that he will be spending about an hour on a stuffy plane. He took notice of a few people waiting to be picked up by a taxi or their loved ones. Tony heard a tired voice emitting from behind a nearby pillar. The voice seemed vaguely recognizable to him and he racked his mind, trying to remember where he has heard that voice before. He stepped back a bit, seeing a familiar blonde figure sitting down on the concrete with his back leaning against the pillar. His voice was growing more frustrated while he was talking on his phone.

Tony frowned a bit. Wasn't this the guy from the bar? The man sitting down hung up his phone and stuffed it back into his jeans. His white shirt clung to him, slightly damp from the rain. Not that bad looking, Tony thought to himself as the man ran his hand through his short blonde hair, some of it falling back onto his forehead.

He continued to watch the stranger in front of him. It's not like he saw an attractive man in a vulnerable state in public everyday. Of course Tony's had his fair share of men in his lifetime, as well as women. His breath stopped for a moment as the man raised his eyes and met his. The man gave a small, uncertain smile and looked away just as fast.

No, this would not be a one-night stand. This man in front of Tony has been through hell. He could see that in his deep blue eyes. Those eyes that hide what really is going on inside his head.

Tony made up his mind.

"Having a bad day?" He asked. He noticed that the man jumped a bit once he heard Tony speak. Tony noticed that the blonde pulled out a sketchbook from his bag and was drawing something along the lines of a monkey on a unicycle. Interesting...

The man waited a moment before speaking. "I guess you could say that."

Tony smiled to himself, shuffling a bit closer to the man. "Want to talk about it? I know sometimes telling your problems to strangers helps. Trust me, I would know." The man looked at him, a bit of confusion shown on his face while Tony flashed him a smile. The man stayed silent.

Okay, plan B.

"Let's start with names. I'm Tony." Tony held down his hand to the sitting blonde man, who hesitantly reached up.

"Steve."

Tony grabbed his hand, taking note of the firm grip Steve gave him, despite the slight twitching. They released each other, soon falling into a silence that was along the lines of being awkward, yet slightly comforting. Tony crouched down next to Steve, pointing to his sketchbook.

"Mind if I take a look?"

"Actually, yes I do." Steve immediately closed his sketchbook, becoming a bit more reserved towards him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Tony said, looking into Steve's eyes, showing the other man that he truly was sorry. Steve smiled a bit and put his sketchbook away into his bag.

"It's fine, really. I just get self conscious around strangers is all, especially when it comes to my artwork."

"Well, we know each other's names. I don't think that makes us strangers, Steve." Tony smiled widely. "Okay, so I better be going. Got a flight to catch and all that jazz." Steve looked a bit crestfallen when he said this. He pulled out his wallet and grabbed one of his calling cards. "Don't be so down, sunshine. Here's my card, so call me at any time. After all, we're friends now." Tony held out the card, which Steve took with a look of joy written on his face.

Before Steve could say anything, Tony got up and went into the airport building, only looking back to give him a wave.

Tony smiled to himself.

So, that went better than anticipated. He just hoped that Steve did call him. He wanted to know more about him. Why was he drawn to this man he just met?

Steve frowned a bit as Tony walked away, confusion surrounding him as he waved to him before fully disappearing from Steve's sight. He looked down at the card in his hands, smiling to himself. Tony Stark... Independent Mechanical Engineer...To think that this guy he just met actually cared and gave him his phone number. He actually cared.

Why would a total stranger be interested in him? Maybe Tony did all of that out of pity.

Nonetheless, Steve felt different. Like, he found something he has been missing for god knows how long.

He would do anything to feel whole and this man, Tony Stark, seemed to be the answer. If only Steve knew what the question was...