War of Faiths (Stony/Tony Stark/Steve Rogers FF) #completed

6. How Could You

****

There was a knock on the door. But it wasn't loud enough to wake him up. The bell rang again and this time it rang longer, making him groan in annoyance. He shuffled under the sheets. Then the bell died. But then the third time, the bell rang again. This time it was longer, louder and filled with frenzy.

"Who is it?" He shouted and lazily sat upright on the bed. His eyes closed, and sleepy. The bell kept ringing.

"OH God!" He groaned frustratingly and jerked the sheets away. The bell constantly screamed, making him angry. He quickly walked down the staircase and reached the door. He was ready to punch whoever it was. But being himself, he was careful enough to look through the peephole first while covering his ears.

But the moment he peeped through, he was taken aback. He quickly opened the door. The bell stopped ringing.

He froze at the sight.

****

"Who did this...?" Bruce spoke quietly, dabbing a cotton ball on Tony's bruised cheek. The medicine seemed to have no effect on Tony.

Tony sat frozen, with no emotions showing on his face. He looked like a corpse. His left cheek bruised, his eyelid was almost black, and corner of his lips bled.

"Do you want to sleep here, Tony?" Bruce hesitatingly spoke when Tony didn't speak. Tony still remained quiet.

"Should I call John, Tony?" Bruce again spoke but this time he saw Tony's jaw tensing.

"Does John know you are here?"

Finally Tony looked at Bruce. His eyes flashing his pain, a tear silently rolled down his cheek.

Bruce didn't know how to react. He just sat there with Tony, looking at him, waiting for him to say something, anything.

****

"You cannot just believe these pictures!" Tony spoke; he knew how possessive John was. In the past few months, if something that Tony understood about John was his love for himself that could turn into havoc. His heart raced in his chest while his cheek burned.

"Then who should I believe... you, Tony?" John almost growled, having smaller man's face in his clutch. Tony found the conversation extremely ridiculous but feared saying anything.

"This is... this is not what it looks like..." Tony stammered while having his eyes fearfully looking into John's furious gaze.

Something in Tony didn't want that night to happen again, but something in Tony was not able to stand against it.

"I love you. You know it right?" John slurred, suddenly letting his grip loosen. He now slowly caressed Tony's bruised cheek. A tear silently left Tony's eyes, not knowing how to react. John's eyes glistened while he wore a sickening smile. Tony knew what would follow after this. In his heart, he knew that he could stop it. He knew that he could just stop John from doing it.

But before he could move a limb to stop it, another tight slap to his cheek almost turned the world around him mute. A sensation of ringing in his ears made him partially immobile. More tears blurred his vision. He just sat on the floor with his side of the face burning.

"I want you to fire Pepper. Let her go!" John simply spoke as if nothing had happened.

Tony could not believe his ears. But he didn't dare look up at John. Tony never felt so helpless. He could very well reciprocate John's behavior, but something inside him didn't let him. He didn't know what stopped him.

John went back to sleep, leaving Tony like that, on the floor, hurt, inside out.

****

"So, you got into a fight with some people because they were talking about you and John?!" Bruce didn't buy it, but refrained from saying anything.

Tony nodded while taking another sip of whiskey, wincing at the bitter taste of it.

"Can I sleep here tonight? Cannot let John know..." Tony spoke, without making any eye contact with Bruce.

"You can take the couch..." Bruce spoke, trying not to sound suspicious over what Tony said.

Tony again just nodded, avoiding looking at Bruce. Soon he felt Bruce walking up the stairs.

He spent the night on the couch, wide awake. Thinking about John and what he had demanded.

Hello! I'm feeling a bit lost here. Can someone please help me get rid of the writer's block, so that I can just complete my unfinished work.