Drinking Problem
When Steve and Bucky had been on the plane back from their mission and saw their boyfriend’s interview on the television, they wasted no time in getting to the tower as fast as possible.
The press had spent minutes harassing Tony about the Avengers’ latest mission where he was forced to choose between saving a school of children or a bus of people. He had chosen the school and saved the lives of over 200 children, but the press did not hesitate in calling him a murder. They even started shouting his previous nickname ‘Merchant of Death’ at Tony before Pepper eventually dragged him away.
The soldiers only caught a second of Tony's shaking hands and pale face before he was pushed off stage, but they could guess how troubled their boyfriend probably was. Especially as their phones flooded with missed calls from the group as soon as they entered the U.S. and regained an internet connection.
The tower was quiet and duller than before they had left. Bucky and Steve walked cautiously to the elevator and made their way straight to Tony’s workshop. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he was met with a group of Avengers sitting slumped against the blackened doors.
“He’s been on total lockdown for three days now,” Natasha said as they opened their mouths to ask.
“No one’s override codes have been working,” Bruce added, standing.
Steve and Bucky’s faces hardened. “Jarvis, code Manchurian Candidate,” Bucky said loudly.
“Code invalid,” Jarvis spoke back.
“Jarvis, code Capsicle,” Steve said, anger in his tone.
“Code invalid.”
Bucky punched the wall in anger. “Tony! I know you can hear us! Let us in!”
“We’ve been trying for three days now,” Bruce said softly.
Bucky growled and used his metal arm to punch the door. He repeated the action over and over. Steve joined him when he noticed the glass slowly cracking.
In less than a minute, the door and windows had splinted open. Glass rained down onto the floor but the supersoldiers wasted no time jumping past the mess and running into the workshop.
They found Tony slumped against his workshop desk, chugging on a bottle of liquor. He was surrounded by more than half a dozen empty bottles of various alcohols. When Steve reached to tug the bottle out of the delirious genius’ hand, the man woke up, tugging the bottle back and setting tired eyes on his boyfriends. “‘s mine,” he slurred.
“Give it to me, Tony. You know you’re not supposed to be drinking,” Steve said sternly.
“No, don’t tell me what to-” Before Tony could finish, he was vomiting all over himself. Bucky tossed a garbage can under him but still a significant amount ended up all over his shirt and lap.
As soon as the vomiting stopped, Tony’s eyes fell closed and he slumped to the side. Steve slapped his cheek, “Tony, Tony wake up.”
Tony’s eyes fluttered open again and he looked around confused. Bruce, who had moved towards the group, reached out a hand to check Tony’s temperature. Before he could reach Tony, the genius started lashing out, screaming something about a ‘Jerico’. Bruce stumbled back as Tony’s limbs flailed, but the supersoldiers didn’t flinch as Tony’s hands connected with their body.
“Calm down Tony, you need to calm down,” Bucky shouted over Tony’s screaming.
Steve moved behind the genius and restrained him but Tony continued to fight and yell. Bruce managed to check his temperature and didn’t like what he found. “We should get him to bed,” he said.
Steve opened his mouth to respond just before Tony’s body ejected more vomit. This time Bucky was quick and caught it all.
When Tony finished he was sobbing and Bucky used a clean towel that laid on the desk to wipe his tears and mouth.
“Let’s get you to bed, baby,” Steve said softly, his anger dissolving at Tony’s pitiful state.
“No,” he hiccuped, “Leave me here. I should die just like they said.”
Steve pulled Tony tighter against his chest, “Never say that. Fuck those people. The only opinions that should matter are the people here in this room- and we all think you are brave, and courageous, and smart, and selfless, so don’t ever say that.”
Tony went silent at Steve's words, his eyes glazing over. “Captain ‘Merica cursed,” he slurred after a moment.
A sad laugh tore from Steve’s mouth and he pressed his cheek against Tony’s sweaty curls, “Yes, he did. Now let’s go to bed.” Steve picked Tony up bridal style and the engineer’s eyes fell closed.
The team shuffled into the elevator and took it up to the penthouse level. They were silent as they laid Tony onto the bed and replaced his vomit-covered clothes with pajamas.
“You need to watch for signs of alcohol poisoning,” Bruce instructed Steve and Bucky as everyone left.
“This isn’t our first rodeo with Tony, Bruce,” Bucky said, grumpily.
Bruce nodded solemnly and left the room.
Bucky turned to the king size bed to see his two boyfriends snuggling. Tony’s eyes were glassy as Steve whispered into his ear from behind. The engineer looked horrible with the bags under his eyes, the pale skin, and his body’s tremors. Bucky slid onto the bed on Tony’s other side.
He pressed a kiss onto the genius’ forehead and allowed him to snuggle into his chest. “Do you want to talk about it?” Bucky whispered.
He felt Tony shake his head.
Bucky sighed. “Later then.”
He felt Tony left out a deep breath but the genius left it at that.
It was about an hour later Tony practically fell out of the bed in his rush to get to the toilet. The supersoldiers who had not fallen asleep and instead spent the hour having a quiet conversation amongst themselves, ran after him.
Bucky held Tony’s sweaty hair back from his face as the genius hunched over the toilet, heaving violently. Steve ran to fetch a cup of water and a cool towel.
It was almost an hour later Tony finally fell back, his face flushed, and his breathing heavy. His eyes were closed and his hands shook. Bucky adjusted them so that Tony was sitting on his lap and leaning against his chest.
Steve pressed the glass up to Tony’s lips and the man sipped hungrily. Bucky took the cool cloth and laid it over Tony’s warm forehead.
They ended up falling asleep in the same position an hour later.
Bucky woke to Steve shaking him. He jumped awake and immediately noticed the weight missing from his lap. “Tony?” He shouted, alarmed.
He and Steve jumped up at the same time and dashed to the elevator.
They found the genius in his workshop, digging through the cabinets. Steve pulled back Tony’s shaking hands. “I need it,” Tony screamed at the top of his lungs, fighting against Steve’s hold.
“No you don’t,” Bucky said, grabbing Tony’s kicking legs.
“I need it, I need it, I need it,” Tony chanted, his voice breaking in desperation.
“You were doing so well, Tones,” Steve said brokenly.
“M’ a disappointment, get used to it,” Tony muttered angrily.
“Don’t say things like that,” Steve said. Bucky noticed tears in the corners of his eyes.
“Let me go! Let me go!” Tony cried. Finally he swung his head back, knocking Steve in the chin, causing the supersoldier to release his hold.
Tony scrambled away, crawling to the corner of his workshop. He curled up, crying and pulling at his hair.
The supersoldiers approached cautiously and sat a few feet away from Tony as if he was a wounded animal.
“I didn’t mean to be a murderer,” Tony whispered.
“You’re not, doll. You didn’t murder anyone,” Bucky said.
“I did, I let those people die. I couldn’t save them.”
“We are superheroes, Tony. That’s gonna happen a lot, unfortunately. I know how hard it is to have to choose between saving people, and no matter what you always feel horrible afterward, but you’re not alone. Talking about your feelings with someone can help. You shouldn’t turn to alcohol because that does the opposite of helping,” Steve said.
“I didn’t mean to,” Tony said softly, “It was just there.”
“And we weren’t,” Bucky finished.
Tony tucked his head further into his knees but nodded.
“I’m so sorry for not being there for you, Tones. We will make sure something like this never happens again, okay? We will make sure you’re always able to contact us, no matter what,” Steve said.
Tony lifted his head from his cocoon and the supersoldiers took it as their cue to give the genius a big hug. “I love you,” Tony said.
“We love you more.”