Angsty Tony One-Shots

Don't touch him

The doors to the lab slammed shut and Tony swallowed thickly from where he sat behind his desk.

Steve had just walked out, after ranting to an exhausted Tony about deadlines.

The engineer has promised new tech by the end of the week, but Steve wanted it sooner. Combined that with the pressure coming from Stark industries, Shield, and the repairs of New York.
Tony was slowly cracking.

Not that he cared about his own health, not since Phil had died.

Stupid god with his stupid scepter.

Stabbing his husband. Probably the only person who could ever deal with the annoyance that was Tony Stark. Gone.

It was Phil's last wish for the Avengers to become a real team. And Tony would do whatever he could to make that wish come true. No matter what. He would succeed or he would die trying.

That's why, instead of going to sleep like he had planned, Tony grabbed a fresh mug of coffee and set to working harder on those upgrades Steve wanted.

-

It had all started about a month ago. Fury suggested the Avengers to stay close so they could bond further, and train together for any future missions. Tony knew those types of suggestions and quickly offered the newly renovated Stark tower as sign of good grace.
Besides, he had hoped the team might be able to help him through his grieving. Oh how wrong he was.

Tony had gone to apologise to Steve the first day he moved in. He never meant those things blurted out on the helicarrier.
A small part if him expected an apology in return. Instead, he got an angry scowl.
"Took you long enough. That type of behaviour is unacceptable in a team Stark. Do it again and you will be kicked off."

Tony left with a small nod and his figurative tail between his legs.
He didn't want to disappoint Phil, not again.

And so Tony started working even harder. He bit his tongue whenever a comment was made and kept his head down as the others yelled at him.

He completely redesigned the engines of the helicarrier, made new suits for all the Avengers, updated their weapons on a weekly basis, and strained to keep them all together.

Well actually... the team was pretty close. They had movie nights and team dinners. Just, Tony wasn't invited.

There was the team, and Tony.

He asked Bruce once, why he was never allowed to join.

The scientist had rolled his eyes and sighed annoyed. "You're not an Avenger, Stark. Iron Man is. If you'd just give your suit to someone who's actually worth it... then he or she would be welcome to join us."

Tony hadn't brought it up again.

-

Natasha had taken up teaching him how to spar. Tony immediately agreed, taking any chance to be around his teammates.

Even as she simply kicked his ass for an hour straight, teaching him nothing but new ways to hurt, it was better than being ignored. Better than feeling nothing. Better be knocked unconscious and catching an hour rest in the gym, than having to crawl into an empty cold bed.

-

The ring around his finger ached on good days and made him want to puke on the bad ones.

Two months in and Tony still dialed Phil's number automatically sometimes, only realising mid ring what he was doing.

He couldn't sleep, only dreaming of Phil's lifeless body on the floor.

So he would drink himself crazy until he was floating on the edge off unconsciousness. He would imagine Phil's face, worried and disappointed with the engineer's behaviour, but it was better than nothing. Better than feeling alone.