The quiet was complete once the door closed behind the Steve. The machines were quiet and still, even Dummy was pushed into a corner and deactivated. It was a strangely disturbing. Steve had very few memories of the lab being quiet while Tony occupied the space and the few times it had, the genius had been in a bad way after a mission.

Sharp blue eyes took in the terrain and missed the pile of tools that had been lain out in a deliberate line across the pathway. Steve's foot sent a wrench skittering across the lab floor, the sound shattering the sterile silence of the lab.

"FRIDAY!" A furious voice bellowed from a corner of the lab where a human shaped shot to his feet from the couch that lived in the lab for the genius to catch cat naps between projects. "I said not to let another person in this lab or I'd deactivate you!" His voice was vicious snap. "And Rhodey, if I have to throw something heavy at you, I am way beyond caring at this fucking point…"

Tony abruptly stopped talking as he came into view and the unusual sight the genius made felt alien and wrong to Steve.

The black wife beater and jeans looked like Tony had been living in them, stained and stiff in places. Most of what was visible of his chest and right arm was wrapped and bandaged, his face looking haggard from lack of sleep was covered in still healing cuts and bruises from a battle months old. His sunken eyes were wide and slightly panicked when they fastened on Steve, but while Tony's previously hostile stance had loosened with surprise the soldier hadn't missed that the grip around a large hammer had gone white knuckled.

There was a good chance he was the last person Tony needed or wanted to see. But if Tony threw the hammer at least Steve knew he'd be the best person to take the blow and be okay aftewards. Hell, they both knew it, which raised the chances of getting hit right now.

"Tony…" Steve braced for it when he took a short step forward, holding his hands palms forward in front of him to show he had come in peace. Tony backed up a step and Steve immediately stopped, holding his breath.

What did he say?

Tony figured it out for him.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Tony breathed, looking for all the world like he was ready to bolt.

It's not a look Steve recognized or liked.

"No one's seen you in over a month, Tony," Steve said as evenly as he could, staying put. "Anyone who's tried to talk to you hasn't been able to get into building, let alone the lab besides Rhodey. And obviously even he's not making far," Steve gestured at the hammer.

Brown eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. "And how did you get in here? I had access locked down to only a few-"

Steve cut him off by pulling out his cellphone none chalantly and hitting play on a video he already had prepped on the screen as a guilty looking Peter Parker started to speak.

"Mr. Stark I am so sorry, but Captain Rogers had this really good point when he said he was worried about you," the kid was babbling like he was live and in person trying to apologize before Tony had the chance to chew him out. "So I kind of had Karen talk to Friday and did a little hacking and gave Captain Rogers my Stark Tower pass card," which Steve pulled from his pocket to show the kids gawky faced Stark intern badge. "A-and we kinda thought maybe you'd listen to him?" The kid sounded unsure but hopeful, rubbing at the back of his head in the video. "I've also done some dumb stuff lately and it doesn't feel the same if you aren't giving me disappointed superdad talks. I hope you're doing okay." The video ended with Peter giving the screen a warm and worried smile before it paused.

Steve watched Tony's face the whole time. It went through a gambit of emotions that started with fury, annoyance and finally pain. "Dammit, kid," Tony muttered in an exhausted tone as he weighed the hammer in his hand then turned away shakily to set it on an empty work desk, bracing his hands on the surface with his back to Steve.

The soldier moved then, over the line of tools and Tony's full peripheral vision to set Peter's badge on the desk surface.

"I didn't think you were gonna open the door for me. So," he exhaled heavily. "Why don't you grab a shower, I'll see if you have anything in the fridge and we get around to that talk we've been putting off for a few years?" Steve let his eyes close for a second before he added. "And if after that you decide there's no way for us to talk or work together again, I'll keep our interaction down to the next world ending event."

Steve watched Tony's shoulders tense and then they shook. It was concerning until a dry, unused laugh reached his ears. Tony's laugh didn't last long, but it wasn't forced at least.

Tony turned and looked at Steve hard, a look the soldier stayed still under.

"If I shower, are you shaving the Grizzly Adams beard?" He asked seriously.

Steve gave him an unimpressed frown. "No."

Tony nodded. "Good."

The genius moved past Steve, pocketing the badge as he went to the lab door. "If you make me smiley face pancakes I'll blast your motorcycle to scrap metal."

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