The Other Stark

Chapter 24

It had been a week since they came back from England. If someone tried, it was probably possible to cut the tension in the Tower with a knife, everybody always in high alert. The days went by and there wasn't any upgrade on Tory's situation. Everyone isolated their selves, trying to occupy their heads, till something good came up.

Tony had locked himself down on the lab for the last four days, the only person who F.R.I.D.A.Y let in was Pepper, who had buried herself on work, some nights not even coming home. Both of them were the worst. Tony couldn't handle losing anyone else, the thought made him sick. Pep felt losing Tory would be like losing a sister, and the weight of that wouldn't be the only one, because she would have to deal with a heartbroken Tony.

The rest of the team just walked around the Tower like ghosts. Bruce kept himself isolated from everyone, working with Dr. Cho to come up with something to help Buck. It would be much easier if they had Tory's researches, that was much further developed then theirs. They had asked F.R.I.D.A.Y for them, but the AI said no one had permission to those files, only Stark herself, and the parts the woman sent to Helen weren't even the beginning.

Bucky sat on his hospital bed, grey sweats on, waiting for someone to discharge him. Thanks to the super soldier serum, all the cuts, and bullets wounds had healed, leaving him with casts on his arm and leg. For the past week, Sam, Nat, Steve, Clint, and Wanda had planned on switching places every now and then to keep him company, not letting him shut himself inside his own head, and even though most of the times he just wanted to be alone, Buck thanked them for doing so. Romanoff and Rogers were the ones that stayed the most, always sleeping over on his room, after hours of chatting or watching some stupid show.

On Tory's room, Tony always sneaked in at night, when he was sure everybody was asleep, some times talking to her obliviously, or just watching. Steve was the one that most stayed on her room. When he wasn't with Buck, he was with her, always hoping to see some difference, a movement, anything. He felt like history was repeating on itself, his reputation on waiting too long was never in so bad timing.

"Bucky's been dismissed today, so what about movie marathon on the penthouse?" Wanda asked with a smile, taking the last pancake from the stove, putting on the plate in front of the boys, who sat around the table, eating breakfast.

"I still can't quite understand why everyone is so upset for one person," Vision said his Android side showing. All of them had already explained things to him, but he couldn't quite understand human feelings yet.

"It's not one random person Vis if it wasn't for her, I think the Avengers would still be fighting over each other for not getting along," Wanda explained, sitting beside Clint.

"If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be here, Buddy," Sam said with a laugh, placing a piece of food on his mouth.

"If it wasn't for her we wouldn't be here. She put sense into Tony's head to make the Tower our headquarters and not some other building for Stark Industries," Clint informed.

"Fury would still be ordering the Avengers around like we are all objects and weapons."

"She made us a family, so yes, we are all sad because of one person Vis," Wanda finished their speech, the Android looking at them, still trying to understand.

They weren't trying to show her as she was better then everyone, but a lot of things wouldn't have happened if both Starks weren't together fighting for what they believed, fighting for people like them. Tony would never show he cared, with all his sarcasm and snarky comments, but Tory did show, and she always made sure they all knew, they all felt comfortable inside of this insane life, they all felt like it was some kind of normal. It was normal.

...

Nat said to Bucky she would be there to pick him up when someone dismissed him, but she was trying to find Steve, get him out of the walls he'd built.

It wasn't being easy for anyone, sure, but Rogers was taking this too hard on himself, and if Tory wasn't here to make sure both of them looked for themselves, she would.

Natalia Romanoff was the only one that didn't stop for the whole week. Never giving herself time to be sad, or to worry. She wasn't raised to care for people or to have someone who cared for her either, so she didn't know how to act. This was all new.

Walking past Tory's room, Nat looked at the door, the only place she didn't look for Steve. The redhead opened the door, and there he was, on the chair that was placed on the end of the bed.

"Hey, Bucky will be discharged in a bit. Wan has everyone upstairs for a movie marathon, said everybody needs to be there, or at least us," she explained, talking about Tony, who wouldn't leave that lab for anything.

"Next time, Nat," he whispered, always the same excuse. The woman had invited him to do many things over the week: train, eat or just talk, but he only moved to change the rooms he would be sitting in, to watch someone laying in a hospital bed.

"Steve, you can't just sit there, you're starting to look ill. When was the last time you ate something? Took a shower? Or the last time you had a proper conversation with someone but Bucky?" the redhead questioned, getting closer to him.

"C'mon. We're gonna be only five floors above, and just your presence will be enough."

The blond inhaled tiredly, trying to make his brain think properly. Last time he had slept a whole night through, without nightmares or simply walking up, was when Tory was with him, the day before they left for the mission. Apart from that, he had two to three hours of sleep every night. Eat something, be with his friends for some time, that wouldn't kill anyone, and besides, F.R.I.D.A.Y would notify them if any progress happens. Steve looked at the bed and got up, meeting Natasha in the middle of the room.

"Some hours won't hurt," he said, following her to the room next door, finding Bucky trying to balance himself on the crutches he would have to use for the next week or so.

"Look who decided to join," Nat informed, getting closer to the brunette.

"Need any help? Can you manage this?"

"Well... I can use five hundred different types of weapons, but it seems this is more complicated," he laughed, black hair falling on his face like a curtain, covering his eyes and the stubble that spread around his jaw. He tried walking to the door, tripping twice before heading to the elevator with both of them.