I DID IT. I'm sorry this took so long school just started for me a few days back so things have been hectic. I also kind of had an emotional breakdown last week and have been working through it so...yeah. Sorry it didn't happen before now. I feel a lot better now though, so enjoy!
For a while, Steve sat in silence, patiently passing the time as Tony slept. He called Pepper, as well as Rhodey, after getting his number from her, to let them know where they were. It took a few minutes of talking with each, but he convinced them both to stay home for the time being, and told them he would keep them updated as things changed.
Setting his phone aside, he allowed his gaze to return to Tony. Even in his sleep, his forehead was creased with worry. His eyes fluttered every few seconds, and his lips were drawn tight. Though he told himself that he wouldn't disturb Tony, Steve found his hand drifting up to caress his cheek, hating to see him this way. Tony's features softened at the touch, and Steve lingered for a few seconds after. Sighing, he retracted his hand and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. Time passed slowly.
When Tony awoke, his body ached, like it had been still for too long. He stretched out his legs and arms, wincing when he felt the pull of the stitches. He opened his eyes to meet Steve's concerned blue ones, the pure emotion in them dizzying. "Hey," he croaked, feeling Steve take his hand and squeeze it soothingly. "Sorry I dropped off like that," he mumbled, "Guess they were giving me strong meds," Tony continued as Steved nodded, "Can we go home soon?" Steve's look was pained, and Tony didn't think that was a good sign. "How long have I been here, anyway?" Steve pursed his lips, and Tony scowled. "You should go home and sleep," Tony said quietly, rubbing the pad of his thumb on the back of Steve's hand. "I'll be okay." Tony hated hospitals with a passion. Chances were, if Steve left, Tony would have a panic attack and wouldn't be able to sleep until he came back. The both of them knew this, but neither voiced it aloud. "I can't keep you here," Tony said truthfully, weighted with guilt. Steve ran his hand across Tony's forehead, pushing away his sweaty bangs. Tony sighed, he knew Steve wouldn't leave him by himself. As Tony was about to talk again, the doctor walked in.
"Good to see you awake, Tony. You've been out for almost 12 hours." Tony scowled impossibly deeper at Steve, who looked up guiltily. "You are one lucky guy. You narrowly missed a vein, and you lost a lot of blood. If your friend here hadn't brought you in when he did, you could have died." Tony looked down at his hands guiltily while the doctor sat on the edge of the bed. "Is that what you wanted, Tony?" the doctor asked quietly.
Tony sputtered, his face turning red. "No! No, of course not. It-it was an accident." Steve stared at him, wide-eyed.
The doctor shook his head, not buying any of it. "Please don't lie, Tony. It won't help any of us. I know about your condition, as Captain Rogers has informed me. You are physically okayed to leave the hospital, but I need to make sure that you are mentally stable enough." Tony looked like he was going to cut in when the doctor continued. "If you are going to be with somebody at all times and are not feeling suicidal, you may go. But please don't lie."
Tony sighed. He hadn't wanted to kill himself. He'd just wanted a way out from his thoughts. "I wasn't trying to kill myself," he said steadily. "And I'm not lying. Steve or Pepper will always be around, so I think that I'm stable enough to go home."
The doctor nodded, signing a sheet of paper. "Okay, Mr. Stark. You may go. Please take this prescription twice a day until its gone for your wrist, and be mindful of the stitches. They will dissolve by themselves, but do not pull at them. If anything changes, come back, okay?" Tony nodded, standing up and shaking the man's hand. Once he left, Tony slipped on the clothes that Steve had brought, and reluctantly got in the wheelchair the nurse insisted on him leaving in. Soon enough though, they were in the car, heading home.
Steve's mind was racing the entire way home, but he maintained relative silence for most of the drive. There were plenty of things he could have said, and several things that he chose to keep to himself. "Rhodey and Pepper are both waiting at home. Pepper's probably going to pull the 'don't you ever, ever, ever do that again ever,' talk, and Rhodey's going to feel like a big jerk, and he'll probably apologize a million times, but don't be put off if he looks at you a little differently. After all, he did only find out about all of this a few hours ago. It's a lot to take in." Steve stopped the car when they arrived home and looked over to Tony, then took hold of his hand. "Tony, I..." He paused, looking down before continuing, "Were you? Trying to...y'know. I know you told the doctor no, but..." He looked up sadly, watching Tony's reaction. "I just," he sighed softly, "I need you around, okay? Don't...don't do that. If it ever gets that bad, please talk to someone. You made a really close call, today. I'm not upset with you, don't think that I am, but...gosh, Tony. Please."
Tony was stunned by Steve's admission and squeezed his hand in reassurance. "I promise I wasn't trying. I wasn't lying. And if things feel that bad, I will say something, because I can't lose you, either. You're my reason to stay," Tony said shyly, blushing a bit. "And I guess I have that talk coming...poor Rhodey. I-I'm ready to deal with them." Tony sighed, getting out of the car and taking Steve's hand as they walk to the door. It was dead silent when he walked into the kitchen, meeting the eyes of his friends. "Hey..." Tony said guiltily, wringing his hands. Pepper's sigh was audible before she launched into her speech.
"Anthony Edward Stark, what in the world did you think you were doing? Last I knew you were heading to therapy, then Steve calls and tells me you're in the hospital? And then I'm not supposed to come down?" Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose before quickly rising from her seat. She closed the distance between them swiftly, heels clicking violently against the floor. She looked as though she was about to slap Tony across the face, before she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Don't you dare pull that on me, Tony. I do enough worrying over you to last a lifetime." She scowled at him, but it was evident that she'd done a bit of crying. She'd never admit to it, though. This was Pepper, and patronizing Tony was her way of showing that she cared. Her eyes drifted to the bruise on his cheek, and she sighed heavily, shaking her head. "You boys have things to discuss. We'll talk later," she said, giving Tony's shoulder a gentle squeeze. With that, she was on her way down the hall.
"I'll give you two some privacy," Steve excused himself, patting Tony on the back. He nodded politely at Rhodey and gave Tony a small smile before following after Pepper.
Tony sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his good hand and looking anywhere but Rhodey. "Hi..." he said quietly.
"Jesus, Tony," Rhodey breathed, coming up and pulling his friend in for a tight embrace. Which was huge because this was RHODEY. "God I-I'm so sorry," Rhodey admitted, reaching up his hand to touch Tony's black eye, but pulling back quickly. "You should have told me," he said more sternly, holding Tony at arms length. "I mean, did you not trust me? I'm not mad I just-I want you to know you can come to me. You're my best friend and nothing will ever change that. I'm not going to leave you or think badly of you." Rhodey looked down to Tony's bandaged arm. "Tony..." he whined, seeing the red marks extend past the bandage covering the newest additions. "I should've known..." he said almost to himself.
Tony grabbed Rhodey's hands, forcing him to look up. "This isn't your fault. Nothing would have stopped me, okay? I-I'm getting help now for it. And I think, well I think it will help me. I know you're my friend and I trust you unconditionally. The only reason Steve found out was because he walked in on me. And then he told Pepper. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But I feel a hell of a lot better now that you know. I didn't call because I didn't know what to say."
Rhodey was quiet when he pulled Tony close again, barely covering his sniffling. Pepper and Steve must have finished their chat in the kitchen, as they joined Rhodey and Tony in the living room again.
Steve sheepishly turned his gaze elsewhere, trying to give the two more privacy, but Pepper couldn't have cared less as she casually re-entered the room. She took a seat, crossing her legs and looking at the two expectantly. "Glad you two worked things out. I don't know what I would have done about press conferences without you around," she said, directing the last bit to Rhodey. Steve nodded thoughtfully at the comment and took a seat on the couch.
Tony sighed, plopping himself down next to Steve and curling himself against the larger man's body-eliciting a questioning look from Rhodey. "I'm sorry I scared you," he admitted quietly to his friends. "I just-lost it." Steve squeezed Tony's hand, and Tony leaned into his side. "Not to be rude but..."Tony yawned loudly, conveying his message. Tony moved and stretched all the way out, his head in Steve's lap and feet in Pepper's. Rhodey took the hint and said goodbye, promising to drop by the next day. Steve ran his hands through Tony's hair, calming the smaller man. Pepper rubbed his leg soothingly, and between all this, Tony was quickly lulled to sleep, the pain of his arm nearly forgotten as the medicine pulled him out of consciousness.
With Tony asleep in his lap, Steve felt calmer than he had all day. He let his hand idly smooth through Tony's hair long after he was asleep, simply watching him, and nearly forgot that Pepper was even there.
Pepper, on the other hand, was entirely fascinated by Steve's attentiveness. She cleared her throat, gaining his attention, and smiled, wondering just how well he would handle her question. "So, Steve," she began, tilting her head to the side, "You and Tony have been pretty...close, lately."
A faint blush crept up Steve's face at the comment, but he shrugged, turning his attention back to Tony. "I guess we have, yeah," he admitted.
"And you seem to get along fairly well, given the circumstances," she continued, still watching for his reactions.
Steve had a feeling that he knew where this conversation was leading, but he didn't bother jumping there if he didn't have to. His blush was annoyingly persistent, however, so he simply nodded, glancing back to Pepper.
Pepper smiled warmly, knowing from Steve's expression that he knew where she was taking this. She laughed softly and looked to Tony, then back to Steve. "So what's going on with you two, then? On your side."
And that was about the point that Steve's blush went into overdrive. He scratched at the back of his neck, smiling nervously and looking anywhere but at Pepper. "I uh...well, I mean, we... We don't really...have...titles?" he said questioningly, finally looking back to Pepper. "We uh...I mean, we've...talked. And we're not not together? Honestly, I'm a little confused by it, myself."
Pepper laughed, looking at Tony once again. "That's Tony for you. You probably won't get a solid title unless you go asking for one. He seems pretty dedicated to you though, that's for sure." Pepper looked up to Steve, face light, but serious. "This is my formal way of saying that I approve of you two being together. You have my consent; but really, you always have. I trust that you have him in your best interest. Take care of him, okay?"
Steve nodded, smiling slightly before returning his attention to Tony. "Thank you," he said quietly, brushing Tony's cheek with the back of his hand.
Tony sighed in his sleep, rolling to the side so his face was pressed into Steve's stomach. He breathed in deeply, the scent calming him-even in sleep. He burrowed into Steve's warmth, sighing contentedly. His sleep was deep as he felt safe for the first time in as long as he could remember.
THERE'S ANOTHER ONE. So I think there will be about three more chapters. Please review gosh they make me so happy and if you have something you want to happen, go ahead and tell me; I might use it (but I'll credit you)! Enjoy darlings
