It had been an intense question-and-answer session for Tony Stark. From the time he had been handed the "report" until the time his name and company were cleared totaled four hours, twenty-three minutes, and seventeen seconds. He had been keeping track, if for no other reason than he needed something to keep his mind occupied.
It was Pepper who saved the Avengers from staying under fire, if he was to be completely honest with himself. She had gone back through the files, printed a full report, also uploading them to her own personal PDA. She had gained clearance to the press conference, and handed everything to him.
"For someone who doesn't like being handed things,I think I can make an exception for this," Tony had quipped. It had drawn some near-nervous laughter, but the look in Pepper's eyes had begged him to keep it together.
He'd kept it together. He and Pepper had found who had fabricated the reports. He had been told arrests had already been made, but he'd waved whoever had told him off – some kid intern for the Times or something. He wasn't interested in names. Or reasons. He was no stranger to betrayal.
Besides, he had something bigger to worry about than lies. Now he had the truth to worry about.
As he and Pepper had left the conference, their integrity and good name in tact, one of the shouted questions from the flurry of reporters he was pretending to ignore stuck with him.
"How long do you think you can really protect the identities of your fellow Avengers?"
No. It wasn't just the truth he had to worry about. That would imply it was simply there, dangling in mid-air or something. He had to worry about protecting the truth. At least for now.
He knew there were enough people out there – even this close to the tower – that the fabricated report had only given more 'reason' to dislike the Avengers. They weren't interested in the truth that mattered; they were interested in having someone to blame.
Tony was alone, at that moment he realized exactly what that press conference had done for his image. He was no longer working alone, to the public. He was now the figurehead for the Avengers themselves.
If everyone else's identities were to remain a secret, he would have to stay the figurehead. Which meant being ready for more appearances – hopefully none so jarring as the last day's events – as it was deemed necessary.
As he readied himself for both the public's reactions and his fellow Avenger's reactions, he was mostly glad he was alone.
As he poured himself his third drink, he looked upwards a bit. "Jarv," he said, "Make sure my door stays locked until tomorrow."
Steve had caught Clint in the training room the first time he noticed the archer's concerned look. He wondered why he had not noticed it before, but after several times of studying it without becoming intrusive, he realized it was so well-intertwined with Clint's normal, focused expression that he probably would not have noticed had he not told himself he needed to be aware of "his team."
The two men were cleaning up after dinner the first time Clint had brought it up.
"You've been staring at me for almost three days now," Clint said, failing to keep accusation out of his voice. He had tried, but it came across as if it could have been a very aggressive observation about the weather.
"And you're worried about something, but I don't see you saying anything about that, either," Steve replied, succeeding in keeping accusation from his voice. The archer looked at Steve for a moment, and then looked to the dishes. He was not used to being called out in such a blatant fashion.
Clint was silent for a few minutes before he replied, "Tony's going to become the Avenger's figurehead for the media."
Steve put down the dishes he had been putting away and looked to the other man, "And this worries you...why, exactly?" Steve's own accusations about Tony haunted him for a moment. He knew he wasn't the only one who'd thought Tony wasn't a hero. He knew the man Tony had always presented was not the man Tony was capable of being, though. Steve reminded himself not to hold his breath waiting for Clint's reasoning.
"Tony's not going to be able to handle that," Clint said.
Steve was still formulating a response when Thor came into the room. The two men looked up at the demigod, silent.
"Please, do not allow my presence to stop your conversation," Thor said, apologetic, as he grabbed a few apples from a basket on the counter.
Clint sighed and continued, "Tony could barely handle the press conference earlier this week. How is being the figurehead going to help him?"
Steve shook his head, but Thor spoke first, "Who would you suggest, then, friend Clint?"
Clint and Steve both looked at Thor. Steve reminded himself not to under-estimate Thor's intelligence and powers of observation so readily.
"I...do not know," Clint admitted.
"While I do not believe it is ideal for any of us to have a 'public figurehead' as Tony's dilemma has named him, I believe that – since the position had been created – there is no one better than Tony to fill it," Thor said, nodding to punctuate his statement.
Clint looked at Thor, his expression distant. "We will have to keep an eye on Tony, then," Clint said, "Captain, Thor. Good night."
Steve and Thor watched Clint walk out of the kitchen. They finished putting away the dishes in silence. Steve looked around at the clean kitchen, and then at Thor.
"Thanks," Steve said, "You didn't have to help."
Thor chuckled a bit, "Perhaps. Perhaps not. But regardless, two get the job done faster than one, most of the time."
Steve nodded, a smile creeping onto his face briefly before fading. "Hey, Thor?"
"Yes, Steven?"
"You seem to be taking everything so...well. How?"
"What do you mean?" Thor sat on one of the bar chairs.
"Well...your brother's crimes and imprisonment, spending so much time away from Asgard, adjusting to life with a species that isn't even...I'm sorry, I'm rambling."
"Steven," Thor started, "It is alright. As for how...I do not see things the way people here seem to see things."
"What do you mean?" Steve asked.
"When I was young, my father taught me about the paradox of simple complexity. Are you familiar?"
"It seems like I should be, but I'm not quite sure," Steve admitted, sitting on the stool two down from Thor, leaving some space between the men.
"It goes, 'If something is simple, it must also be complex if it is to be a whole thing.' At least, I believe that is how it would be put here," Thor explained.
Steve thought of it for a moment, and then replied, "And then complex thing would also have to be simple."
"Exactly," Thor smiled. "It's all how you see it. It may not help with the pain or the emotions that come with any moment, but it can help you carry on."
Steve gave a half-nod before turning to face Thor. "It makes sense. But Thor...if you need anything, please ask."
"Of course," Thor said, "Thank you, Steven."
"It's no problem, Thor," Steve gave a smile his best try, "Now I'm going to get some sleep. G'night."
"Good night, Steven," Thor said.
Then men walked out in a silence that was comfortable enough to be odd among the tension of the last week.
As Steve lied in his bed and tried to calm his mind enough to sleep, he replayed the conversations in the kitchen.
Clint was worried about Tony. The more Steve thought about it, the more there was reason to worry about Tony. But, he told himself, there's reason to worry about any man who was thrust into a position so potentially volatile.
He was also wondering if he should worry about Thor. Do non-humans even deal with stress like humans? He asked himself.
He resolved to make it his mission to make sure the rest of the Avengers were as "okay" as they could be. If Tony was going to be the public figurehead, he could work behind the scenes to see that nobody cracked beyond repair.
He made a mental note to check in with Natasha and Bruce as soon as he had the chance.
Something about his silent promise to himself was soothing enough for sleep to overtake him rather suddenly. His last thoughts were alarmingly calm, given the storm he was almost ready to admit was coming.
A/N: Yeahhh...this one was shorter than chapter two. Hope it didn't disappoint! I'll try to be less lazy from here on out.