Just another day with the Avengers

What if: Steve Had asked for Help?

"From what I've seen, it isn't so much the act of asking that paralyzes us--it's what lies beneath: the fear of being vulnerable, the fear of rejection, the fear of looking needy or weak. The fear of being seen as a burdensome member of the community instead of a productive one. It points, fundamentally, to our separation from one another."― Amanda Palmer

One of the biggest defects in life is the inability to ask for help. ―Robert Kiyosaki

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Tony watched as the shield carriers he had helped design plunge into the river, his work once again used by the bad guys. His stomach twisted as his mind worked, he knew he had been distant from the team. The lot of them scattered around the universe at the moment, he had his own shit he had dealt with. But seeing this, seeing Steve's face plastered over all the news a few days after this had all happened...well it wasn't a pleasant sight to see. He had been calling the lot of them over and over again trying to find where Steve was. Natasha hadn't picked up, Steve wasn't picking up either and none of this brought him any comfort to be frank.

'Sir?'

Tony jumped out of his revelry at the crisp British tone of JARVIS, how long had he been looking into this?

"Yeh J? You find him?" Tony swiveled in his chair turning towards the screen JARVIS had been using to locate the good Captain. Like hell he was going to sit here and wait, this no contact thing was making him uneasy. Was he okay? The word 'dead' was flinging in his head but he wasn't going to go there just yet. Not until he couldn't prove otherwise, Steve was alive he had to be.

'Indeed I have sir, it appears he is at your front gate asking for entrance'

Tony choked on his coffee, Steve was here? "Let him in J, get him in here why didn't you say so sooner?" Tony swore the AI scoffed at him, when did he learn to do that?

'I have been trying sir, but you were as Ms. Potts likes to say, not listening'

Maybe it was Pepper's fault, no matter Steve was alive and he was here. That was good news right? Tony made his way to the front door in the quickest way he could, not before he had JARVIS start some coffee and tea he wasn't sure what almost 100 year old super soldiers liked to drink. He yanked the door open when it chimed and all the words he had been about to say died on his tongue. Steve looked for lack of a better term 'like shit' his arm was in a sling and his face was bruised and even had stitches on his lip and above his eyebrow. He was holding himself like he was still in pain and that would not do. Tony was a fixer, he fixed things and yes he even tried to fix people much to their dismay.

"Hey Tony..." Christ even his tone sounded wounded and sad, Steve was not supposed to look like this. He had been beaten to hell after New York but he hadn't looked...so weary. Like the universe was crushing him like that one greek god guy who held up the sky...what was his name again? Not important right now Tony focus on the blonde haired dumbass about to pass out on your front steps.

"Jesus Christ Steven, what the hell happened to you? Why haven't you answered my calls? I have been-" He had been about to say worried but he wasn't sure they were at the friendship stage when you say you have been out of your mind worried sick about someone. Even if he had been but Steve didn't need to know that yet, the man had at least enough grace to look sheepish.

"It um, it broke? I would've gotten here sooner but I only got out of the hospital this morning and-"

"Hospital?! You were in the hospital and no one told me? I swear to God Romonoff is going to-" Steve's weary tone broke off his rant again, he sounded so beat down and Tony did not like it.