Faultlines

A single Life

A single Life

There wasn't as much pain as Tony had expected. Instead he woke up to a dull numbness in his chest.

All the better, he thought, groaning involuntarily. One did not have a shard of metal removed from one's chest every day, after all. He carefully turned his head, expecting and hoping to see Pepper sitting next to his bed. Instead he found himself looking at the sleeping form of his little brother. He looked really uncomfortable. Tony blinked. He hadn't seen Harry in...months? Yes. By now it had been months.

He shifted a little and Harry woke up with a start, his head slipping out of his hand. He gripped Tony's hand and smiled cautiously.

"Hello, Sleeping Beauty."

"Hey.", Tony smiled at him, "It's good to see you, man. It's been too long."

Harry didn't answer, instead leaning back and stretching his back and arms.

"Ouch.", he simply told Tony, "Those are some uncomfortable chairs." He put his feet up on another chair, leaned against the back of his own and closed his eyes, as if trying to relax. Tony felt a sudden, unexplained rush of anger go through him. It had been months. Months since he saw Harry and now he didn't even get a response? An explanation? An apology?

"Could have really used you back there, buddy.", he told him, unable to hide the anger in his voice. Harry didn't even open his eyes, but there was a sudden tension rolling off of him.

"A fucking terrorist blew up my house. I could have died. Pepper could have died!", Tony knew he really shouldn't shout. Not after heart surgery. Not there and then. But he didn't really care.

Finally Harry did open his eyes. Tony expected to see remorse or shame. Instead he was greeted by Harry's green eyes blazing in anger.

"Yes. A terrorist blew up your house. After you gave him your address and challenged him to do so. Great move, Tony."

"That's not the fucking point.", Tony huffed.

"It's exactly the point. You get yourself into shitty situations and then expect others, mainly me, to come and bail you out."

"As if I didn't do the same for you."

"Yes. You did. When I was a kid. You are not a kid, Tony. I cannot just leave everything and run to clean up your mess."

"And here I thought that was what brothers did.", Tony's tone was pure acid, but Harry wasn't having it.

"You can't be serious. I left my job and joint SI for you. I left everything and everyone behind every single time you needed me. I did fucking everything for you! And now you are angry, because I can't do that anymore? I lost my wife this year, Tony. My wife. I could have bloody needed you. I really did need you. But I haven't heard from you in weeks. And now you are angry at me? Why didn't YOU call me? Why didn't you come by?"

Harry looked at him expectantly, his eyes still full of ice cold anger.

"I am CEO of a multi billion dollar corporation. And now I am a bloody single father of five. So excuse me, when I can't just follow your every whim. I don't have Ginny looking after the kids. I don't have Ginny packing my bags. I don't have Ginny pretty much making my whole life work. I don't have Ginny! She is gone and you just think everything should go on as before! Excuse me, please, when I have bigger problems than were I can get my next bottle of Scotch from!"

Tony was staring at Harry, dumbstruck. Harry, who had completely abandoned his chairs, was standing over him. His face white as a sheet and his fists clutched tight in anger. Tony was shocked to see the clear signs of tears threatening to fall from his little brother's eyes. There was a sudden pain in his chest that had nothing to do with the surgery.