tony stark whump

"this isn't your fault."

tony storms out of the tower defenceless after a fight w the team and is assaulted

set after avengers; bla bla u get the gist

tw: sexual assault, mentions of rape, ptsd (graphic but not explicit if that makes sense)

~NO POV~

Tony Stark was not the easiest person to get along with. He was aware of that, and so was everyone else. He was not a team player. For all the confidence and arrogance he displayed, he was actually terrible at conversation, terrible at expressing how he felt. For all the money he had, he couldn't buy being liked.

But eventually, he found a family. He had Pepper by his side, running the company and also keeping him sane, Rhodey nearby whenever he wasn't on active duty, and Happy with him whenever he drove. Those three people were his family, and they accepted him despite his flaws.

And when he met the Avengers, he found a new family. Not that he'd ever replace his original three. The Avengers were all messed up in their own loveable ways. They all had trauma for days, issues upon issues, hidden insecurities, you name it. And finding out that Earth's Mightiest Heroes had issues too?

Well, Tony didn't feel so alone anymore.

At first, it was really hard for the band of misfits to actually get along. But soon, they all realised that despite each and every one of them being traumatised, they weren't alone. All of them felt out of place, with no idea what they were meant to do in the world. And Tony fixed that by giving them a home.

Steve and Thor were confused by the twenty-first century Earth, Natasha and Clint weren't used to having a stable place to live, and Bruce felt like he was still hiding, even in plain sight. But Tony was willing to give Bruce a place to hide comfortably. So he gave Bruce a lab, and freedom, and Bruce loved him for it.

Tony let JARVIS teach Thor and Steve the new world, and every now and then, he'd come over and teach them personally. From little things like how to use the dishwasher, or how to work a flat-screen TV, or how to play video games. Tony watched Steve and Thor learn, and watched them learn to fit in with the world and fall in love with it.

And with Clint and Natasha, Tony gave them a home. Promised them that it was all theirs, that there wouldn't be a time for them to run away. That they could settle down, feel comfortable there. That for once, they really did have a home. He bought them everything they needed to feel like the tower was theirs, and not a temporary place to stay.

And by letting the Avengers find peace, Tony found his own.

But just because they all learned to love each other, did not mean they didn't fight. In fact, they fought regularly. Either over someone stealing food from the fridge, or for winning in a video game, or for reckless decisions. The reckless decisions was usually Steve shouting at Tony, and Tony knew it was only out of worry.

But sometimes Tony couldn't excuse it as just worry. Sometimes it drove him insane.

"You can't just do this, Tony, every damn time."

"What, choose to save other people over myself?"

"Yes." Steve folded his arms. "You- you need to stop doing this. It's reckless, and stupid, and you could end up getting seriously hurt. What if the armour wasn't as strong as it is? What if-"

"It is, though. I know it is, cause I made it. And look," Tony held his arms out, "I'm completely fucking fine."

"Not completely." Natasha pointed out. "You're still injured. Don't think we can't see blood seeping through the shirt."