An road to healing

4

As Steve entered his apartment, he barely had the strength to close the door behind him. The weight of the confrontation hung over him like a storm cloud, his chest tight with the suffocating grief of it all. The tears that had been threatening to fall finally broke free, and he sank down to the couch, burying his face in his hands. His body shook with sobs, each one tearing through him like a wave crashing against the shore.

He had failed. He had tried to make things right, but nothing felt like it would ever be enough. Tony’s words echoed in his mind, the venom in them twisting in his gut. He had hurt him. He had walked away. And now... now it felt like there was no coming back from that.

Back at the tower, Tony stood in the kitchen, his mind still reeling from the encounter. He had been furious, but now, with the adrenaline fading, something gnawed at him. He walked into the kitchen, expecting nothing more than an empty space, but something caught his eye—the bag of cheeseburgers Steve had left behind on the counter.

His breath hitched as he stood there, staring at the bag. Tony knew exactly what it meant. Steve had brought these for him. Even after everything, after all the anger and pain, Steve had thought of him. His heart twisted painfully in his chest as he reached out, picking up the bag with a trembling hand. The gesture—simple, small, and yet so heavy with meaning—made his chest tighten.

Tony stood still, staring at the bag as if it might give him the answers he was desperately searching for. The truth was, he was angry, so angry he could hardly see straight. But beneath the anger was a deep, aching void, one that Steve had unknowingly brought to the surface. A part of him—the part that had once been his closest friend, his closest ally—was still there, still longing for the connection they had once shared. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to forgive him.

But the cheeseburgers… the small, simple act of kindness in the midst of everything. It was hard to ignore.

Tony clenched his jaw, the pain of their past words and actions threatening to overwhelm him again. He didn’t want to think about Steve. Not now, not after everything. But as he stared at the bag in his hands, he couldn’t help but feel that maybe—just maybe—there was still a sliver of hope left. Even if it seemed impossible to reach.

With a heavy sigh, he set the bag down on the counter. There was still so much he needed to figure out, so much he needed to understand. But one thing was clear: the wound was still there, and it wasn’t going to heal anytime soon.

Tony’s eyes lingered on the bag for a long moment before he turned and walked away, the silence in the kitchen swallowing him whole.

Back in his apartment, Steve was lying on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling. His chest was hollow, his eyes burning from the tears that hadn’t stopped since he’d left the tower. The confrontation kept replaying in his mind, every bitter word from Tony, every silent glare from Rhodey and Pepper. He felt stripped bare, his attempt to reach out seeming only to have torn things open even further.

He hadn’t expected forgiveness—not really. But he had hoped for… something. Some sign that he wasn’t completely beyond redemption in Tony’s eyes. Instead, he was left with the weight of his choices, the consequences bearing down on him with a harsh finality.

But as he lay there, utterly spent, his phone vibrated softly on the coffee table. He jolted, his heart pounding, not expecting anyone to reach out to him, especially not after today.

He sat up slowly, wiping the tears from his face as he reached for the phone. When he saw Tony’s name on the screen, his heart almost stopped. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind as he hesitated, his thumb hovering over the screen. Finally, he opened the message.

"I saw the burgers. Still the wrong brand, Rogers. Meet me tomorrow, 10 a.m., Stark Tower."

Steve’s breath hitched, a spark of something unfamiliar flaring up inside him. He reread the message, letting the words sink in. It wasn’t forgiveness; it wasn’t even close. But it was something—an opening, maybe a chance.

His heart felt raw, but it beat a little stronger as he let himself hope, just a bit. He knew the road ahead would be rocky, knew he’d have to confront every bit of pain and mistrust between them. But if Tony was willing to meet him again, there was a glimmer of hope that they might, someday, find a way to heal.

As he lay back down, his exhaustion finally overtaking him, Steve allowed himself to drift into sleep with the smallest sense of relief. It wasn’t much, but it was more than he’d thought he’d have tonight.
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Steve woke up with the afternoon sun streaming through his window, a warm contrast to the chill that had settled over him the night before. His mind felt a bit clearer after the brief glimmer of hope Tony's message had given him, but the weight of everything still lingered. Today, he’d take small steps. Today, he’d try to start making things right in other ways too.

He grabbed his phone, checking through the messages he’d missed. A few were from Sam and Natasha, quick updates from their latest assignments. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he read them, but it quickly faded as he thought about everything left unsaid. He hesitated before typing out his own message to each of them.

"Hey, just checking in. Hope things are going okay. Let me know if you need anything."

He knew it wasn’t much, but it was a start—just like Tony’s message. He moved on to another task that had been weighing on him. Taking a breath, he scrolled to Shuri's contact and opened a new message. He hadn’t heard much about Bucky recently, and he wanted to know how his friend was holding up.

"Hey, Shuri. How’s everything going with Bucky’s progress? Any updates? Let me know if there’s anything I can help with."

Steve hit send, the weight on his chest easing just a bit. Reaching out, checking on people—it was small, but it was something he could do while he tried to navigate the uncertainty with Tony.