When you find yourself in the bottom of a bottle. [Closed]

[arrogantalloy]

WHO| Tony Stark, Steve Rogers.  [Easily seen by anyone there]
WHAT| Steve discovers what Tony has been up to since dying.
WHEN| Shortly after Steve gets back into the capitol after death.
WHERE| The Central Commons Cocktail Lounge
WARNINGS| Arguing over alcohol abuse?


To say Tony has been easy going with his partying since his first arena death. Would be a terrible and massive lie.

For the most part he's been staying in the cocktail lounge in the commons drinking shots with anyone who was eager to join his party. Only going to bed when he was shooed away for the night to sleep. Only so far Tony really hadn't gotten much in the way of sleep, every time he tried to sleep he'd only wake with a start, panicing about where he was and who was near him.

When he saw Steve's last moments on the screens in the lounge, Tony all but climbed into a bottle of scotch. It was bad enough seeing the beastly deaths of people he never knew or met.  But seeing someone he knew and had something of a bond with killed, and to go out the way he did made Tony sicker than he thought.

So right now he finds himself in between parties, hanging around the counter chatting to the bartender in an overly animated way.

Comments

[aboveangrybees]

It's a couple days after he died before he wakes up in his room, to a ceiling that's not familiar in a way that's all too familiar. Just how many times does he have to wake up like this? Thinking he'd died only to wake up in a bed.

The day passes quickly, he doesn't feel half ready to deal with people, but Steve's done warring with his want to be alone and the need to seek out Natasha and Stark. He doesn't get to wallow in the painful memory of his last moments in the arena, his problems can't get in the way of dealing with the issues at hand. With the people he has an obligation to.

And maybe he should have taken it as a sign when Stark is far too easy to find.

Or that Tony seems more okay than Steve would have suspected of the man.

Steve just takes the seat next to the man and orders a beer. He has no idea if he can get drunk - he suspects so - but he would really appreciate the numb feeling alcohol could offer right about now.

[arrogantalloy]

As Steve sits down, Tony is taking a long drink from his scotch. Seeing him Tony stares for a second, he saw how the soldier died on the screens in their unavoidable ubiquity.

If asked it won't have bothered him to see it. Because death happens here and it's all a game. That however conflicts with the fact he's been drinking just a little harder than before. However he has no intention of saying anything about it.

"Someone." He begins with a false grin. "Really needs to teach you about being fashionably late to parties." He taps his glass for the bartender to refill.

[aboveangrybees]

A lot of people might think Steve's subdued attitude is due to his death and the way he was taken down, but it's not. That was the easy part to come to terms with, it didn't even phase him all the much. What has him so down is Bucky. Both of them.

He should be there to help the Bucky of his world, to fill him in on more details (there's so much he didn't say), but also there for James, to inform him about his Bucky and keep the man from doing anything stupid like blaming himself for Steve's death. It really seemed like something he'd do.

But he also wasn't there for Thor. It was all just a mess.

"Glad to see you too, Stark," it's deadpan, but his lips quirk in a wry way. He's not about to let anyone know the state he's really in.

[arrogantalloy]

Tony tilts the glass at him for his deadpan. He eyes Steve for a moment taking in his look and drinking more.

"Isn't beer a little light considering the week you had?"

He drinks more from his glass again, draining it then signalling for another. If he was that kind of person, he'd be embarrassed that Steve's sat next to him on his 6th scotch since showing up here. As he wasn't he was unashamed of his attempts to drink them out of scotch today.

[aboveangrybees]

"My week could have been worse," after all, Bucky was the one to kill that not-Peggy and Steve didn't die without taking the woman who did it with him. Not that he likes thinking that way, but if he has to die because some crazy woman wouldn't stop trying to kill him, then he's glad he took her with him than letting her free to do that to others.

But he's also drinking, so maybe, his week was worse than he's letting on.

"Besides, figured I'd start light, first drink since the war," he gives a tight smile, it's real, but also a bit forced. He clinks his glass against the newly filled glass of scotch, "Did you even taste the last one?"

[arrogantalloy]

Tony scoffs.

"What's death, when you've already died. Huh?"

He just stares at Steves hand as he clinks. The last time he can even remember clinking a glass was with Pepper before Loki decided New York needed some remodeling. A weird thing to make him think of home. But sometimes it happens.

"I promise you I'm more than a little acquainted with this taste." He lifts his glass to look at the light playing through it. "Had a good teacher there. Not worried about me are you, Rogers?"

[aboveangrybees]

"It's all old hat for me," his tone is very wry, finding the humor in even the worst things. It's not the dying that has him down anyway, so why not poke fun. He's gotten to that point in his acceptance of his life and how it's turned out.

Steve watches him for a moment, seeing how he's looking at his own glass before turning his attention to his beer and taking a drink.

The mention of Howard bothers him, but he decides against saying anything. Stark and he have a very different relationship with the man. So, it's probably best not to anyway.

"Not yet. Though, I'm starting to think I should be," Steve tilts his head to look at him again, giving a pause of consideration. "Should I be?"

[arrogantalloy]

"Considering my close calls. I'm going to call it old hat with me too." As much as Tony noticed the humour Steve was bringing to the table he didn't really rise to it.

Then as Steve starts to sound curiously concerned, Tony scoffs before sculling the last of his drink.

"If you want to be? Me. I know what I'm doing, it's part of being a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist after all." He pauses for a moment not really surprised at his slight bitter tone, but knowing the guy doesn't deserve that here. "No reason to be worried at all, Rogers."

[aboveangrybees]

It could have been the bitterness of the tone or the call back to words for an argument he isn't proud of - maybe even both - but Steve's expression immediately goes neutral. Any friendliness or openness there is drawn back and away. Steve isn't emotionally fragile or even hurt by what Stark said just now, but he feels he needs to brace for impact, because this could go so many different ways.

Most of them not pleasant.

"I'm not your favorite person, we both know it, that's fine, but you're my teammate and that means I care about you and your well being, that isn't changing, but if you got a bone to pick with me, then just do it," Steve has his no-backing-down face on, but he's also not being all that aggressive, the ball is in Stark's court. He's had his fill of playing games in the arena.

[arrogantalloy]

Tony knows from the change of Steve's expression that he shouldn't have said that. However, he doesn't exactly feel like taking it back either.

For several slow seconds Tony just looks at Steve with his own neutral but somewhat put out expression.

"We were team mates once. Well twice now in here, which lasted about as long as the first time. So let's start with getting that much straight." His voice is tight he can feel it and so he takes a drink. "There's no bones with you, Rogers. At least not today. But hey, I've been 'dead' longer than you so maybe it's just a sense of zen calm death brings."

Swirling his drink he drains this one too.

"And as such, you don't have to worry about a dead guy." His sharply dismissive tone returns.

[aboveangrybees]

Steve looks entirely unimpressed with Stark's attempt to push him away verbally. And really, who's been dead longer? Steve was dead for almost 70 years, try again.

But he doesn't care to raise to the bait.

"You can go ahead and not see me as your teammate, but that doesn't change that I view you as one," yeah until they aren't here any longer, Stark is stuck with him viewing him as such.

"But what is it about someone worrying about you that has you so desperate to push them away?" Steve asks honestly, though neutrally. The more he seems to show concern for the other man the more abrasiveness Stark gets.

[arrogantalloy]

Any venom Tony had left drained away at the question. The unimpressed look and tone was nothing new to Tony, neither was someone pointing out facts to him when he was being a fat head.

However not even Pepper or Rhodie had ever called him on his beautiful skill of using a terrible attitude as a last resort to keep people at a distance when they show obvious worry for him.

In the past Pepper would just get frustrated and leave him alone, and Rhodie would simply tell him that he's never been alone, which Tony would clearly ignore.

He stares at Steve looking just enough startled to show how thrown he was. It didn't stay there very long, but the blind couldn't have missed it.

"I'm not someone you have to worry about. 'On your team' or not. I can look after myself. I thought I proved that. But obviously not." He pushes back his glass. "Keep your worry, I don't need it."

And with that, Tony starts to stand obviously getting ready to leave. Despite the gallons he's probably drunk he at best looks barely tipsy as he leaves the chair.

[aboveangrybees]

The more he tries to reach out to this man the more push he seems to receive in return. Even to the point of Stark giving up on being abrasive and just shutting off and making a run for it. He really is going out of his way to make this difficult for Steve, isn't he?

But Steve has no intention to give up.

Nor give chase. If Stark wants to leave, then Steve won't stop him - though it doesn't stop a parting comment.

"Needing help, relying on people, it's not a weakness, but thinking you're fine without it is," Steve keeps judgement from his voice, but there is a slight tone of frustration. "I'm not giving up on you just because you have."

[arrogantalloy]

To be fair, he makes life this difficult for anyone who tries to get close to him. So at least it's technically not personal.

Tony's movements slow when hears the oh so obvious judgemental tone in Steve's voice. He gives him a blank look over his shoulder, the turn causing him sway heavily, after all Tony was only good at appearing not drunk, balance tended to ignore his acting however.

"You'd be the first who wasn't being paid for it, Rogers."

Turning back around too fast causes him to stumble, which has Tony standing up too straight afterwards, arguing with Steve was making concentrating on staying up really hard right now.

[aboveangrybees]

There's no way he couldn't notice the swaying and stumbling, but Steve leaves it alone. Stark leaving means he won't be drinking here while Steve is here right now, so maybe it means the man will go sober up. Probably not, but Steve likes to think he will. Maybe get sleep too.

He doesn't know if that parting comment is supposed to make Steve feel bad or be insulted, but all it does it make him feel sad for Stark. Comment or not, it didn't matter, Steve wasn't giving up on the other man, though it does strengthen his resolve. And if anyone can out stubborn someone, it's Steve Rogers.

"A first for everything," more quiet comment to himself.