The Path to the Tower

5.2: Culture Shock

Steve wandered aimlessly through Stark Tower sometimes assessing the damage but not for any real reason. It's not like his opinion of the matter really meant anything. Tony Stark had much better-qualified people than him to start cleaning this mess up. Wandering aimlessly was what he did these days though. He wasn't even sure why he was still in the tower except that SHIELD's headquarters in downtown had been flattened in the attack and that's where he'd been staying for the whole two weeks he'd been awake in this godforsaken future.

The battle had almost been a relief. He knew war. He had thought he was done with it. That he could stop being Captain America. He had made a terrible mistake crashing the plane into the ocean. He would have had to continue being Captain America but at least he wouldn't be alone. Here, in this new world, he was alone and out of touch. At least the fight, as weird as it had been, was familiar and for one brief moment he had people, that maybe he couldn't trust totally, but they were on his side.

Now he was alone again and in the building owned by the most antagonistic man he'd ever met. He was familiar though. He wondered if he'd hadn't frozen would he have watched Tony grow up? Would Tony had turned out different because Howard hadn't been so obsessed with finding him? Would he and Peggy have ended up having kids of their own and they'd all have grown up together?

His wanderings brought him to the party deck, the floor that had received the most damage. The outline of the A, the only remaining letter from the Stark branding could be seen through the blown-out window. The night air was cold and blowing through the damaged space hard. Steve shivered and zipped his jacket up. He was about to leave when he spotted Tony drinking at the bar alone.

"Tony? What are you doing here?" Steve asked approaching him.

Tony looked up with red-rimmed eyes, he was drunk. Probably so drunk that he wasn't feeling the cold. Steve furrowed his brow in concern. "Cap!" Tony slurred. "Join me for a drink."

"I think you might have had enough. It's late. Why don't I get you to bed?" Steve said, putting his hand on Tony's shoulder.

Tony looked at the large hand on his shoulder and then up at Steve before shrugging it off. "Can't sleep. Things to do... and then there's..." He pointed vaguely up and waved his hand around.

"You stopped that, Tony. You saved us from that. You can sleep now." Steve said gently.

Tony shook his head. "Did I? Did I really?"

Steve's hand returned to Tony's shoulder and he guided him to his feet. Tony didn't resist but he did pick the glass of whiskey from the bar and drained it. "Come on," Steve said. "You need sleep. We both do."

Tony moved passively before him as Steve guided him to the elevator. He was just wondering what floor he should select when the elevator began moving on its own. Like he was sensing Steve's confusion JARVIS spoke up. "Taking you to an undamaged floor with a suitable bedroom, Captain Rogers."

The elevator stopped and Steve guided Tony out and down the hall. He checked a door and it opened into what looked like an apartment that had been decorated for an open house but that no one actually lived in. Everything was sleek and stylish but there was nothing personal about the place. The window overlooked midtown and the lights of the cleanup crews reflected on the ceiling.

They made their way down a short hallway to a bedroom that was equally stylish and impersonal. A king-sized bed dressed in a navy blue and silver set of sheets and comforter sat in the middle of the room. Tony sat down at the edge and looked up at Steve not even knowing what he wanted right now exactly, just knowing it was not to be alone anymore. His mind flicked to Bruce Banner, who had looked pale and sick and had shrugged off his offer of company before focusing back on Steve.

Steve watched him for a moment not sure what to do. "Tony. You need to sleep."

Tony's hands went to his belt and he started to unfasten it. Steve blushed, not even sure why he was and turned. "I'll leave you to it." He said and a hand shot out and grabbed his forearm.

"I - fuck - Can -" Tony stuttered. "Can you stay? Just..." He pointed vaguely at the roof again.

Steve nodded and started taking off his own clothes. "Yeah. I can do that." He agreed. When he was down to his boxers and undershirt he climbed in under the covers. Tony climbed in next to him, still wearing the Led Zeppelin t-shirt he'd fought in and a pair of boxers. The glow of Tony's arc reactor came through the comforter just enough so that with the curtains drawn the room wasn't pitch black.

"Everything's changed now hasn't it?" Tony asked. "Things coming in from space. What's some crazy person with a bomb when there are aliens spewing out of the sky? We gotta be ready for them if they do it again."

Steve hummed. "Yeah. Well, hopefully, that's an anomaly. I don't know anything about this world anymore. I don't know how to be ready for that."

Tony turned his head and looked at him. "Gotta get ready. We'll work it out."

Steve sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Well not right now, Tony. Now we try and sleep."

Tony snorted. "Yes, dad." He snarked.

"You're really funny, I'm sure." Steve shot back.

Tony closed his eyes, a smile etched on his face, and gradually sleep found him.