[Fic] Steps to Recovery: Chapter 7 (avengers_rbb, Avengers)
Title: Steps to Recovery
Chapter Title: He Can't Love You
Rating: PG-13
Overall Word Count: 14,694
Chapter Word Count: 1,149
Summary: When a loss is suffered, the steps back to normal are long. And sometimes they don't lead to normal but to something even better.
Author's Note: I do not own Avengers or any of the characters from the movie series.
Thank Yous: A big thank you for monkiainen for creating this wonderful mix! Yes, I did steal the chapter titles from her mix. :) Also, a big thank you to my beta, sirwynai, who doubles as cheerleader and flailing partner.
To say that Coulson wasn't surprised to hear that Tony Stark was in a car accident and Steve Rogers had been the one to get Stark out of the car would be a bit of a lie. He wasn't surprised that Tony was in a car accident, but he was surprised that Steve had been that close to get Tony out. Pepper had been the one to get the phone call but he went with her to the hospital, calling in what had happened to Maria. "We're here. I'll call when I have an update," he said to Maria as he ended the conversation and followed her in.
Pepper went up to the information desk and learned that Tony had already been transferred to a room up on the fifth floor. "They've been having problems," she said to Coulson since they had gotten into an empty elevator.
"Mostly on Tony's end if I've been hearing things right," Coulson said.
"I'd say that neither side are wrong," Pepper said. "And that neither of them are right."
"…Did I miss something?" Coulson asked.
"Tony thinks that Steve is only showing interest because he's seeing something of the past," Pepper explained.
"That's - " Coulson was about to say ridiculous, but he wondered if Stark was right. "It's to be expected," he went for instead.
"Doesn't make it right," Pepper said as the elevator doors opened. She walked to Tony's room with Coulson following her. She wasn't surprised to see that Steve was in a chair next to Tony's bedside. What did surprise her to see that Tony was actually asleep and that he had a cast on with wrappings holding his ribs in place. "What exactly happened?" She asked in a quiet voice.
"Car ran into the taxi he got into," Steve said quietly and didn't look up at Pepper or Coulson. "It's my fault."
"I doubt that," Coulson said quietly. "I'll go find the doctor and see if we can get an update."
"Thank you," Pepper said to Coulson. She went over to Steve and gently touched his shoulder. "It's not your fault."
"It is when I'm the one who drove him to get into the cab in the first place," Steve said. "He tells you everything, right?"
"For better or worse, yes," Pepper said.
"What if he's right?" Steve asked.
"Do you think he is?" Pepper asked.
"No," Steve said. "But I don't think there's a way to tell him otherwise."
Pepper sighed before talking again. "I've been reading a book called the Five Love Languages. I know that the two of you have different ways of showing love. I really think that the two of you need to get on the same page before anything else can happen."
"Pepper," Coulson said from the doorway.
"I'll be back," she said and kissed Steve's forehead as a sister would before leaving the room.
Steve sighed and leaned back in the chair. His eyes went over everything - the different monitors that were beeping to tell the world that Tony was alive. The different lights in the room and the curtain that was there even though it was a private room. The television that he wasn't sure was there more for the patients or for the people who were waiting. The last thing he looked at was Tony and he smiled as he saw that Tony was awake. "hi," he said.
"Hey," Tony said. "Did you get the plate of whatever hit us?"
"The police came and dealt with that," Steve said.
"Good," Tony said. "Steve - "
"I forgive you for tonight," Steve said. "I just have to let go a bit and realize that you are who you are. I wouldn't love you if I loved every bit of you."
"Well…thank you, but I meant everything I said," Tony said. "I've been wanting to talk to you about it for a while. I also wanted a cooler head when talking about it."
"Oh," Steve said. "I don't compare you to Howard or Peggy."
"I think you do," Tony said. "You don't mean for me to see them, but I notice the looks when you think I'm not doing something the way that you think it should be done. The way that you think someone else should do it. I am my own person. I know that I have their smarts, but I also know that I'm smarter than my father. I also know that I'm sharper than my mother and her wit or sarcasm or whatever you want to call it. I also know that you don't like being on the end of it, so I try not to go there."
"I still think that you're wrong," Steve said. "When I'm doing that look, I think that it's wrong for you. Not that it's wrong for someone who is long gone."
"You keep on saying that, but I think we both know that you're not," Tony said. "Well, you might not fully know it. But Steve, I need to know that you love me for me. Not for something that you missed because you decided to be the brave one and go down in the ice. I just don't know that you can do that."
Steve was quiet for that. He thought about the times that Tony were talking about. The reaching for a third or fourth drink when he was sure that two were far more than enough. But is that for him or for me? he thought. There was another time when Tony completely shot someone down with his wit and he thought of Peggy. That was the one time he knew he messed up. He couldn't think of others and just looked at Tony. "Tony - " he started to say but stopped when Pepper and Coulson came back in.
"You can go home tomorrow after the doctor checks you over," Pepper said as she came over to the bed. "You'll have to be on bed rest for two weeks - you just bruised your ribs instead of breaking them - but after that, you'll be able to walk around."
"Sounds great," Tony said in a flat voice.
"We'll be right outside," Pepper said, deciding not to explain more. She gently pulled Coulson outside, quietly explaining that Tony was in a mood.
"Is tomorrow too short of a time to think about everything?" Tony asked.
"No," Steve said as he got up. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Steve?" Tony asked and Steve stopped and looked back at him. "Only come back if you can see me for me."
"Right," Steve said quietly before walking out of the room. He walked right past Coulson and Pepper, going down to the first floor and out of the hospital. He wasn't sure where he was going, only that he needed to get some space and that he needed it fast.
Chapter Title: He Can't Love You
Rating: PG-13
Overall Word Count: 14,694
Chapter Word Count: 1,149
Summary: When a loss is suffered, the steps back to normal are long. And sometimes they don't lead to normal but to something even better.
Author's Note: I do not own Avengers or any of the characters from the movie series.
Thank Yous: A big thank you for monkiainen for creating this wonderful mix! Yes, I did steal the chapter titles from her mix. :) Also, a big thank you to my beta, sirwynai, who doubles as cheerleader and flailing partner.
To say that Coulson wasn't surprised to hear that Tony Stark was in a car accident and Steve Rogers had been the one to get Stark out of the car would be a bit of a lie. He wasn't surprised that Tony was in a car accident, but he was surprised that Steve had been that close to get Tony out. Pepper had been the one to get the phone call but he went with her to the hospital, calling in what had happened to Maria. "We're here. I'll call when I have an update," he said to Maria as he ended the conversation and followed her in.
Pepper went up to the information desk and learned that Tony had already been transferred to a room up on the fifth floor. "They've been having problems," she said to Coulson since they had gotten into an empty elevator.
"Mostly on Tony's end if I've been hearing things right," Coulson said.
"I'd say that neither side are wrong," Pepper said. "And that neither of them are right."
"…Did I miss something?" Coulson asked.
"Tony thinks that Steve is only showing interest because he's seeing something of the past," Pepper explained.
"That's - " Coulson was about to say ridiculous, but he wondered if Stark was right. "It's to be expected," he went for instead.
"Doesn't make it right," Pepper said as the elevator doors opened. She walked to Tony's room with Coulson following her. She wasn't surprised to see that Steve was in a chair next to Tony's bedside. What did surprise her to see that Tony was actually asleep and that he had a cast on with wrappings holding his ribs in place. "What exactly happened?" She asked in a quiet voice.
"Car ran into the taxi he got into," Steve said quietly and didn't look up at Pepper or Coulson. "It's my fault."
"I doubt that," Coulson said quietly. "I'll go find the doctor and see if we can get an update."
"Thank you," Pepper said to Coulson. She went over to Steve and gently touched his shoulder. "It's not your fault."
"It is when I'm the one who drove him to get into the cab in the first place," Steve said. "He tells you everything, right?"
"For better or worse, yes," Pepper said.
"What if he's right?" Steve asked.
"Do you think he is?" Pepper asked.
"No," Steve said. "But I don't think there's a way to tell him otherwise."
Pepper sighed before talking again. "I've been reading a book called the Five Love Languages. I know that the two of you have different ways of showing love. I really think that the two of you need to get on the same page before anything else can happen."
"Pepper," Coulson said from the doorway.
"I'll be back," she said and kissed Steve's forehead as a sister would before leaving the room.
Steve sighed and leaned back in the chair. His eyes went over everything - the different monitors that were beeping to tell the world that Tony was alive. The different lights in the room and the curtain that was there even though it was a private room. The television that he wasn't sure was there more for the patients or for the people who were waiting. The last thing he looked at was Tony and he smiled as he saw that Tony was awake. "hi," he said.
"Hey," Tony said. "Did you get the plate of whatever hit us?"
"The police came and dealt with that," Steve said.
"Good," Tony said. "Steve - "
"I forgive you for tonight," Steve said. "I just have to let go a bit and realize that you are who you are. I wouldn't love you if I loved every bit of you."
"Well…thank you, but I meant everything I said," Tony said. "I've been wanting to talk to you about it for a while. I also wanted a cooler head when talking about it."
"Oh," Steve said. "I don't compare you to Howard or Peggy."
"I think you do," Tony said. "You don't mean for me to see them, but I notice the looks when you think I'm not doing something the way that you think it should be done. The way that you think someone else should do it. I am my own person. I know that I have their smarts, but I also know that I'm smarter than my father. I also know that I'm sharper than my mother and her wit or sarcasm or whatever you want to call it. I also know that you don't like being on the end of it, so I try not to go there."
"I still think that you're wrong," Steve said. "When I'm doing that look, I think that it's wrong for you. Not that it's wrong for someone who is long gone."
"You keep on saying that, but I think we both know that you're not," Tony said. "Well, you might not fully know it. But Steve, I need to know that you love me for me. Not for something that you missed because you decided to be the brave one and go down in the ice. I just don't know that you can do that."
Steve was quiet for that. He thought about the times that Tony were talking about. The reaching for a third or fourth drink when he was sure that two were far more than enough. But is that for him or for me? he thought. There was another time when Tony completely shot someone down with his wit and he thought of Peggy. That was the one time he knew he messed up. He couldn't think of others and just looked at Tony. "Tony - " he started to say but stopped when Pepper and Coulson came back in.
"You can go home tomorrow after the doctor checks you over," Pepper said as she came over to the bed. "You'll have to be on bed rest for two weeks - you just bruised your ribs instead of breaking them - but after that, you'll be able to walk around."
"Sounds great," Tony said in a flat voice.
"We'll be right outside," Pepper said, deciding not to explain more. She gently pulled Coulson outside, quietly explaining that Tony was in a mood.
"Is tomorrow too short of a time to think about everything?" Tony asked.
"No," Steve said as he got up. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Steve?" Tony asked and Steve stopped and looked back at him. "Only come back if you can see me for me."
"Right," Steve said quietly before walking out of the room. He walked right past Coulson and Pepper, going down to the first floor and out of the hospital. He wasn't sure where he was going, only that he needed to get some space and that he needed it fast.