Behind the Iron mask:
A/N: Things are going to get slightly darker in this chapter. But there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. Let me know what you think! I'm thinking of stopping it here and just wrapping it up with a small epilogue style chapter. What do you all think? Do you want me to continue to write their opening up to each other or jump to the happy ending?
-I don't own anything. All I own is this silly plot.
"What are you trying to say?" The Captain asked.
Steve stepped in front of the distressed man as he tried to end the discussion. Putting his hands on his shoulders, he got a better look at him. Tony was still in his suit pants and undershirt from earlier, though both were badly wrinkled. His usually impeccable black hair was disheveled and looked as bad as Steve had ever seen it. And his dark brown eyes were heavily bloodshot, but whether it was from exhaustion, alcohol, or holding back tears, he couldn't tell.
"I'm trying to say that going through that portal was the most selfish thing I have ever done. But apparently you haven't been listening!" He hissed through clenched teeth.
Tony's drunken words flooded Steve's mind, but he was having a lot of trouble comprehending them. He couldn't possibly mean what he was implying, could he? The alcohol finally seemed to hit him hard. Instead of tip-toeing around the subject, he finally let everything out in sorrowful rage.
"I didn't fly that thing up there for you, the team, or the rest of the fucking world!" Tony shouted. But at this point, Steve didn't think Tony was talking to him anymore, but rather himself. But still, he listened.
"I did it for Pepper, because after all I've put her through, she shouldn't have to discover my body. I did it for Rhodey too! Mostly so he wouldn't have to put up with me anymore. But I primarily did it for me! It was supposed to be for me!"
"Tony, did you …did you try to kill yourself?" Steve asked with confusion and alarm.
With a forceful shove, he pushed passed the bigger man away and stumbled to the door. Steve didn't follow, still trying to process the information Stark had laid before him.
"I can't even do that right." Tony answered in a raspy whisper from the doorway before entering the elevator.
Steve could only watch as the elevator doors closed and began its descent. He watched as the man broke in front of him. He had been wrong on every count about the young Tony Stark. He was the son of his friend, but he still treated him like the dirt underneath his shoes. And suddenly, he wondered how many other people have treated him like that? From what he heard, Howard Stark had not been a great father at all. What else could have possibly happened to make a man so callous to the rest of the world but so utterly broken on the inside? What else was he hiding behind the iron mask?
Steve swallowed hard as he attempted to rid himself of the guilt that seemed to make a permanent home in his chest when it came to Tony Stark. He didn't know how to fix him, but he knew he needed to make things right with Tony. He felt responsible. He felt responsible for his safety and well-being as unspoken leader of the Avengers. But he knew that he wanted to be there for Tony. He knew too that he played a large role in whatever haunted the billionaire. And deep down, he wanted to ease his pain. For some reason, it hurt him to see Tony hurting.
Then suddenly he panicked.
Tony had just expressed that he actively tried to take his own life and he had let him go! He just watched a suicidal man, a friend, walk away. He had to find him. Finally his legs caught up with his mind as he sprinted to the door, jabbing the elevator button repeatedly. But only after a few seconds, he grew impatient. This could not wait. He wrenched open the door to the emergency staircase and tore down the stairs. After ten flights, he paused briefly to see if the elevator had stopped. But to his dismay, the glowing numbers continued to descend.
"Damn it, Tony!" He mumbled before continuing down the stairs, resolving to catch up before he reached the bottom.
By the time he reached the halfway point, he had finally beat the elevator to the floor. Panting and out of breath, Steve again jabbed the down arrow with more force than was probably necessary. Suddenly, the doors slid open. He found him sitting in the corner of the small box with his heads in his hands. He was probably too drunk to stand. Without another thought, Steve stepped into the elevator and slammed the emergency stop button. In between two floors, the machine whirred and lurched to a grinding halt, plunging them into darkness. After a moment, the backup generator kicked in, giving the lights enough power to let off a faint, eerie yellow glow.
"Fancy meeting you here." Tony said half-heartedly from his position on the floor. He didn't even look up.
"We need to talk." Steve said seriously, sitting down against the opposite wall to face him. "And at least this way you can't run away again."
"You know, Cap, if all you wanted was elevator sex then all you had to do is ask."
Steve looked at him with eyes full of concern as he pleaded. "Please, Tony. I can't just pretend I didn't see and hear what I did tonight!"
"What does it matter to you?" He snapped, finally looking the blonde in the eyes.
Tony looked terrible. Haunted. Steve returned his cold glare with a hardened gaze of his own. Without any hesitation or doubt, he answered.
"Because I care about you."
"Yeah right, don't bullshit me!" Tony laughed harshly, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "I'm not my father. I'm nothing like your precious Howard! You don't even know anything about me."
"And I'm sorry I never tried. I never gave you a chance and that's not fair. But I want to now. I want to be a better friend and help you. That has to count for something, right?"
"I don't know how to be a friend." Stark said dejectedly.
"And I don't know how to help you through whatever it is you're going through, but I'm going to try my hardest."
"You don't want to know me." Tony snorted. "You just want to get rid of your own guilt. Don't worry, Captain, all is forgiven. Now go on your merry way."
"What has happened to you to make you such a bitter, stubborn bastard?" Steve shouted as he moved to stand in front of him.
"More than you would think."
"Why can't you see that I just want to make things right? Why won't you let me help you?"
"Because I don't want you to."
Steve kneeled in front of him furiously and once again grasped him by the shoulders, effectively making Tony look at him. Soft baby-blues met the tortured chocolate brown eyes of Anthony Stark.
"I'm not going to let you do this Tony. If that means I need to follow you around forever and never give you a moment of privacy, then fine. If it means I have to tell Miss Potts and the rest of the team, no problem. If it means that you will hate me and resent me even more, I don't care! I won't let you go Tony! I won't be far behind you if you do something stupid. Because I wouldn't be able to deal with knowing that I could have done something to stop you. I wouldn't be able to cope with the fact that I knew everything that you've told me tonight. I can't lose you too!"
By the time Steve had finished, tears had fallen down his face without his notice. One of his hands had moved from its place on Tony's shoulder to behind the man's neck, holding his gaze firmly in place.
"What do you want to know?" Tony chocked out after a stunned silence.
A/N: There it is, the second chapter. Let me know what you guys think…especially if you want more! There will be only about one or two chapters more. We are reaching the conclusion of this warped tale.