Glasshouse

Responsibility

Responsibility

Tony sighed a little. He was standing in what was once his living room. The glass front separating him from all of Manhattan. This building... this apartment... they were meant to be home, at first, but... first they had lost Ginny right here and then... then Ultron had happened right here. Tony hadn't felt safe anymore, spending more and more time at the Compound. And when Pepper, who had helped design and built the tower, had left him, he had lost all interest in the place. Moving suddenly sounded like the best idea in the world.

"Tony?"

He froze and turned around to look at exactly the woman he had just been thinking about. Pepper was standing there, looking worried and tired.

He gave her a weak smile in greeting.

"Do you have a moment?", she asked.

"For you? Of course."

"I heard... I heard about what happened. About Cap and... Harry."

Tony's smile vanished. He didn't want to talk about Harry. His mind was still reeling from Sirius' visit. He had been angry. Indignated by Sirius' sheer... how dare that man presume to understand anything?!

But now? The anger had gone, leaving a deep, dark hollow in his chest.

Sirius had struck more than one nerve and so had Harry.

But then again: he had asked for it. He had struck the first blow. Telling Harry his opinion didn't matter because he was adopted... he knew Harry would fire back with a vengeance. Knew his little brother's temper would not be contained.

He had been angry at himself, too, in a way and he wanted Harry to tell him just how horrible he was.

Self Punishment. Self harm. In a way. A bit like those people who provoked others to shoot them. Suizid by proxy.

He had regretted it almost the second he'd said it, but it had been too late and there had been nothing for him to do, but stare in shock and horror at Harry, as he delivered the most punishing blows Tony had ever gotten.

He had already been more than just mad, when he had come to talk to Harry. To talk, he had told himself.

But then he had seen the pictures all around. Harry had EVERYTHING. He had amazing kids, a loving girlfriend, most of the team... Tony was left with Vision, who wasn't exactly the most helpful dude on the planet, Rhodey, who had already proven that he was the kind of person to leave Tony when things didn't go his way, Natasha and Black Panther, who weren't REALLY on his side... and a 15 year old kid.

And Harry... Harry had it all.

Tony had wanted to know where exactly he had gone so wrong, so he had struck Harry where it hurt the most and waited to swallow his bitter pill.

And then he had been left in the darkness, everyone gone... and felt like puking.

"No one should have heard about Harry."

"Oh. No. It wasn't on the news. But... it said something about an unknown, powerful individual. I just... guessed."

"Oh."

"How are you doing?"

He felt like giving a snarky, mean reply for a second. 'That's how you push them away' he heard his mother say.

"Crappy.", he answered instead.

"Are you guys talking?"

"Not yet. But... I have a plan."

She raised one eyebrow but didn't ask and Tony wasn't going to volunteer anything.

Tony sighed, suddenly so exhausted, he thought he might not be able to stand for much longer, so he let himself slide down onto the floor. There was nothing left to sit on. He looked down at his clasped hands, when he felt Pepper sit down next to him. They sat in silence for a bit.