Falling for the Enemy || Captain America || Book 1

Chapter 46: Time Changes Everything

Now

3rd Person's POV

"Any sign of Steve?"

Tony glances up, snorting and shaking his head at Bruce Banner as he shuffles into the main Hellicarrier room. Tony's hand reaches for a fresh bottle of Vodka on the large SHIELD table, unscrewing it and commenting "Did you know One Eyed Wonder put an alcohol probation here? I had to smuggle a stash on board, even then I ran out. So I pillaged Tasha's vodka stash. She won't be needing it for a while, if ever again, so..."

Bruce sighs wistfully at his companion, taking a seat beside him at the sparse table. "I know you don't handle loss well Tony, especially when you finally let someone in-"

"I don't let people in. Friends and family just distract me from work and, well, me," he rushes out at his typical Tony Stark pace, but Bruce won't relent.

"It gets lonely though, doesn't it?"

Tony stares at him curiously, eyes already bloodshot from no sleep from even before the battle, hair askew.

Bruce kindly snatches the bottle from the desk after Tony poured his glass, and takes one large sip of it straight from the bottle before placing it back down and staring at a bewildered Tony Stark in the eye. "You don't think I know how it feels? Blocking everyone out to protect them? Removing yourself from the world, whether it be quite literally or emotionally? I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed. I left everyone I cared about behind because I didn't want to hurt them, because I knew in the long run if they hurt, I would hurt, and that's exactly what you don't want to happen. You don't want for yourself to get hurt again."

Stark drums his fingers on the table, staring off into space as he downs another glass quickly. "So what if you're right? It doesn't change anything. It doesn't change the fact that Tasha is in a coma, Stretcho is in a wheelchair permanently and Lill-.... Shady is gone far off radar. Asguardian Fabio is at his wondrous glass palace trying to find her his own way. Something about a Heimlich."

"You mean Heimdall? From Norse Mythology?" Bruce almost appears amused, but the somber mood continues to stay afloat.

Tony scoffs. "I heard Heimlich, so that's what I'm calling him."

"So this is where all the alcohol is. I was wondering if Fury's probation had gotten to you Tinhead. Guess I owe Lillian $20 when she gets back."

Even after a shower, a fresh load of clothes, a couple dozen hair brushes and a few cans of deodorant, Clint Francis Barton still looks like a train wreck, his eyes as red and strained as Tony's.

Tony holds a glass in the air for Clint to swipe as he drabbles by, seating himself on the other side of Stark as Tony states "I am the center of everything therefore the alcohol makes its way to me, not the other way around. It broke through SHIELD's defense barriers so they obviously need to get a security check."

"You think she'll come back?" Bruce asks the chagrined assassin, disregarding Tony's comment.

"We all know Lillian," Clint chuckles without humor "she's probably insulting whoever kidnapped her so much they'll drop her at our doorstep and beg for it to stop. Or they'll just surrender their selves to get away from her snarky mouth."

"The captives are all within their cells, closely monitored at all times. I would have asked of Sam to monitor them, but like the Captain he has disappeared." Neither of the men needs to turn their heads to know who's walking - wheeling into the room. Reed Richard's wheelchair has a slight squeak to it whenever he moves, and after a while it has made him tedious. He's taken to burying himself in science in work as a coping mechanism, while others - namely Stark - have taken to alcohol, as you may have guessed.