A Tortured Soul

Chapter 12

Looky here! I didn't die this time!
Well... I mean I had about 60% of this chapter already written because I wrote these chapters out of order and as they came to me... so... that helped.

Anyway, here's the next chapter! A bit more angst in this one. 

Enjoy!

~TH~

Tony rubbed his face. He had officially run out of coffee about three hours ago. But he couldn't go upstairs. Not since Steve starting leaving his room. He could chance meeting up with one of the other Avengers, but Steve? He couldn't. He just couldn't do it.

He was tired. So incredibly tired. He turned back to the algorithm he was working on. Someone had broken into his computer. They had used it to hurt the team. He couldn't let that happen again. He couldn't let someone else get their hands on information that would neutralize one of the Avengers. 

What if one day he was doing research and found out Thor was allergic to some alien space rock and then someone hacked his computer and stole it? What if someone found out how to take out Natasha or Clint because of him? What if Bruce finally figured out how to stop the Hulk, but the bad guys figured it out too and used it when they needed the Hulk? What if he ruined everything again?

The door slid open behind him, causing Tony to freeze.

"Tony." It was a single word. But it terrified him all the same. He spun around only to be faced with the one person he had been avoiding. 

The billionaire didn't know what to do. He nodded then turned back around. "Jarvis, I thought I told you to lock the door.

"You did, sir, but Captain Rogers has the override code."

 Well, that was just fantastic. Tony was angry. Maybe he shouldn't have been, but he had been doing such a good job of avoiding him this past week and now he had the audacity to waltz into his private workshop. 

"Come on Tony," Steve sighed behind him, voice slightly slurred. "we need to talk about this."

The inventor spun, fury in his eyes, "How are we supposed to talk when you can't hear a word I'm saying?" It was a low blow, but he really just wanted to be left alone.

"I can understand you well enough if you look at me."

"You know what! This is ridiculous! You shouldn't have to!"

The Captain rubbed his face, "I've accepted it, why can't you?"

Tony turned and began to pace. He couldn't handle this. He needed out.

He needed answers more. "Did you believe them?" He stopped, staring the super soldier in the eyes.

"Yes, I did." It was said with no hesitation.

Tony's worst fear had been realized. He sunk into the recently vacated chair.

"Can you blame me?" He wasn't sure if Steve was angry or ashamed. Maybe a bit of both. "They played it, Tony. They played audio of things you actually said." Tony hadn't realised that.

"You want to know the last thing I heard? The last whisper of sound before this never-ending silence?" It was anger, definitely anger.

"The last thing I heard was you saying, 'Sometimes I wonder why my dad looked for so long. I would have thought it would have been a blessing to finally be rid of him!' And I heard it over and over again. They had a never-ending arsenal of insults you said. So yes, Tony. I did believe it."