Second Chances

Thirty-two

***A/N***
Quick TW: there is a description of an anxiety attack in this chapter

Tony didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t like he could go after Steve. But what would happen if he stayed? 

He was completely lost. Something Tony wasn’t used to feeling. He wasn’t supposed to be lost. He was a genius that solved problems and fixed issues, but how come he didn’t know how to fix this? 

He had no idea what to do. 

As if moving on autopilot, Tony started walking towards the elevator. He pressed a button and felt the elevator go down. For a moment, Tony wondered if he would see Stark Industries' lobby, and he would be able to go after Steve. Maybe Tony could run after him, like one of those stupid rom-coms where they run through the airport. But Tony’s thoughts were quickly squashed when the elevator opened to his private lab. 

It was okay though. Steve didn’t need to get in the middle of Tony’s mess. This was the only way it could be because if what Steve said was true and Hammer or Aldrich, or possibly both, were planning an assassination, people didn’t need to get hurt. If people got hurt who weren’t supposed to get hurt, Tony didn’t know what he would do. He had gotten so many people hurt before because he was too focused on something that wasn’t important. He had been too focused on drinking and partying, and the company ended up with Obie, where Obie proceeded to sell under the table to Black Markets around the world. He had been too focused on working that opportunities to make the world a better place slipped out of his fingers. And now he was too focused on Steve that Steve himself could be in mortal danger. So, it needed to be this way. They needed to be separated.

Tony just wasn’t prepared for how much it hurt.

“Hey, JARVIS?” Tony called out. 

“Yes, sir?” JARVIS answered, and Tony stepped towards his desk, pressing the button underneath. 

There was the soft whirring of metal moving and then a large circle in the middle of the floor, slightly darker than the rest of the concrete floor, lowered. For a moment, the sound of whirring machines and screeching metal sounded before everything went quiet and the circle rose again, the Iron Man suit standing on top of it. It was a bright contrast compared to the gray room. Like a beacon. Colored with bright colors that made people think of hope. So very different from Tony Stark. This was Iron Man. 

“Locate Aldrich Killian and Justin Hammer, please,” Tony said, and JARVIS replied with a “right away, sir” before going quiet. 

As Tony waited he stepped towards the suit. He pressed his hand against the metal, touching the joints and hinges, making sure nothing was out of place. 

“Search results ready, sir,” JARVIS announced, and Tony took the helmet off Iron Man.

He placed it on his head and doubled tapped his temple. “Show me, jay.”

The HUD of the Iron Man helmet flashed blue before JARVIS transferred his search results to the screen. There, tinted blue by the HUD, was Aldrich Killian and Justin Hammer standing in the middle of what looked like a decked-out office. They were staring off at something that the camera wasn’t completely capturing, Hammer looking furious and even Killian showing some aggravation. 

The office had the perfect rich man aesthetic, but Tony had, unfortunately, been to Hammer’s office and it was much gaudier, with purple couches, fake pearl chandeliers, and golden tabletops. This office was more neutral, with deep browns and plush beige carpets. On the screen, Tony could see a glass cabinet filled with fine crystals and large glasses filled with amber liquids. One of the glasses had a golden top, and Tony squinted at it.