Shambles

Tony looked up from his tablet when he heard the doors of the elevator opening. Slowly his brother walked out from it, removing his white coat, as always, stained in blood. He dragged his feet, rubbing his face, making an annoyed gesture as he felt his too long beard, scratching his fingers. 

“Rough day?” Tony asked quietly, clearing his throat. 

“Rough weekend” Stiles answered, dropping himself on the couch with such tiredness, he even made Tony want to go to sleep. 

“How was the hospital?” He asked after a couple of minutes in silence. Stiles opened his eyes and gave him a stare, “Crowded” He simply answered, straightening up, “Chaotic” He added, scratching the back of his head before standing up, “There are still too many victims after the attack” He breathed walking toward the kitchen, “Too many casualties” He whispered from himself as he opened the fridge. He didn’t doubt as he took out a bottle of vodka. He could feel his brother’s eyes on him but he didn’t care, not really. 

“Are you sure thats a good idea?” He heard him ask. 

Stiles couldn’t help but half smile, pouring himself a pretty big glass of straight strong booze, “Frankly my brother, I don’t give a fuck” 

Tony breathed hard and annoyed, “If Steve saw you he would-“

“Well, he’s not here, is he?” Stiles blurted out, harder than he meant to. He cursed under his breath and dropped the bottle, ignoring its squawk and the splashing, “Could we not mention him Tony? Please, I haven’t seen him in-“

“In weeks, I know, I know Stiles, I´ve been here too, alright?” Tony answered putting the tablet away, “We all saw what happened Stiles”

Stiles took a while to answer, instead he drank from his glass and let out his breath, “Any good news?” He asked weakly, half smiling as he looked up to his brother, who only twisted his mouth and shook his head, “Well, after loosing energy for weeks, I think things are going back to its course but as you said, too many victims, too many victims in complete fear Stiles, people are scared and we can’t control everything, its too much"

Stiles nodded slowly, not really wanting to talk again about how they screwed up, because they did, they screwed up thing in a big way. But he didn’t want to fight against his brother again, he had enough with Steve. So instead he asked, “Wheres the pack?”

He heard Tony´s deep, long breath followed by a groan, “Out, everyone is gone, its just you and me in here”

Stiles didn’t bother to answer back, he took the bottle into his hand and quickly walked toward the elevator. He managed to hear Tony, saying something about Steve and him being alright. But the doors closed and every sound became mute. Stile stared at the front in blank, feeling as the elevator went up and up and up. His heart made a twist every time he heard his name, he had missed him so much. But something had changed between them, since that day in the beach, since Steve said those words. 

Unconsciously he dropped his head against his hand and groaned against it. The attack had created pure chaos, the electricity had disappeared for weeks, making the world fall into shadows, they didn’t know the extend of the strike, it had been too big. All they knew was that they couldn’t help everyone, they were doing their best and still it wasn’t enough. Him and Bruce had dedicated theirselves to attend every possible hospital and all the injured people, as Tony fixed the lines power. Steve and the others had team up since day one and they were simply gone. Stiles didn’t quite remember the moment they separated after everything calmed down, after he had said those words, they had only shared one look and Steve had climbed into that plane. 

That had happened weeks ago. 

And Stiles was completely terrified, terrified for him, from him. He knew Steve didn’t mean no harm but what in heavens name he pretend Stiles to fucking do? Say it back? It took him almost forever to accept and deal with his feelings for Derek, it took him years… and he just dropped it like a bomb, it felt like a bucket of ice water. Stiles had just stand there, froze, watching him with his mouth wide opened, it had been pathetic and painful and Stiles couldn’t remembered anything from there until he left and saw those blue eyes for the last time. It was shit. 

The waiting, the worrying was complete shit, the not knowing what the hell was going on, was shit. 

Stiles sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the charred carpet, the dark pentagram and the protective symbols traced on it. He had lost account on how many demons, dark creatures he had conjured, even exorcized and still, no one had answers, it was exhausting and every goddamn time, he was getting angrier and angrier at himself, at fucking life and freaking universe, and he didn’t know why, but he couldn’t control it. 

An idea, a dangerous one, had been running inside his head for days, it was like a little thorn pocking him, but… there was always a but. He quickly stood up and walked around the pentagram, being careful not to step on it, until he was facing his bookshelf. He stared at it, his eyes looking for his objective until he found it, he locked himself in a black book, incredible kept, taking into consideration all the years the book had lived. 

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but you’ve silent for five minutes staring in blank at that book and I know for sure, whatever you’re thinking its a bad idea” He heard his stupid, completely right brother exclaiming, carefully looking at him. But Stiles ignored him, his worrying and doubts growing bigger, he began browsing the book, his fingers quickly changing the pages, he really didn’t like messing into dark magic and didn’t want to know anything that couldn’t help him, more than the necessary. 

“Your burned my carpet”

Stiles let out a long breath and twisted his mouth, “I´ll get you a new one” He shortly answered, turning around, walking back to his bed, where he threw the book as he began removing his clothes. 

Tony watched him in silence, staring the accumulated tension in his brother’s shoulders, “Jarvis announced the pack will be back tomorrow morning” He exclaimed, not really sure if lying to Stiles was the right thing to do but the man needed some good news, every one did. 

Stiles half smiled and sarcastically smirked, “Are you sure you want to involve Jarvis into your lie?” 

“Well, I´m the one telling you, the pack will return tomorrow” 

Stiles gave him a stare and shook his head, “You don’t have to do this Tony, its alright, I´m alright, we´re alright” He answered before grabbing his almost forgotten glass. He took a sip, sitting in his bed, grateful for the burning down his throat. They felt into a deep silence, it wasn’t uncomfortable, yet they were pending words between them and Stiles needed someone to tell him, Steve was going to come back, safe, that he was going to come back to him. 

“Do you- I mean, you think they’re alright?” He eventually asked, his lips barely brushing the tip of the glass and his eyes lost. 

Tony looked down before speaking, “If I think he’s alright?”

Stiles swallowed hard and finished his drink before slowly nodding. 

“What happened between you two Stiles? You haven’t mentioned anything about that day”

“You mean, besides the fact I almost died?”

Finally Tony entered the room, carefully dodging the black pentagram, “Yeah, beside that” 

But his brother didn’t answer, instead he closed his eyes and shook his head and said those words Tony never thought would hear him say, at least not from him, definitely not him, “I just… I miss him so much”

Tony sat beside him, “You want me to lie?”

Stiles smiled and dropped the glass on the carpet, he grabbed the bottle and lightly shook it, “Yes please”

“He´ll be back tomorrow morning Stiles, safe and sound, you don’t have to worry about him”