Summary: Tony stopped drinking after he got back from Afghanistan. Tony started drinking after he got back from New York. PRE IM3, SPOILERS.

Disclaimer: The usual. I don't own – I'd be filthy rich otherwise, which regrettably I'm not. Please R&R and give constructive crit.

Rating: T for my use of expletives and mature subject matter.

A/N: Sorry for the wait. This chapter begins around a week from the last chapter.

The last few days of Tony's withdrawal were not nearly as bad as the first. Slowly, over the course of a week and half, the symptoms began to go away, leaving him with small irritations, rather than an overwhelming urge to sleep in the bathroom so he would be next to the toilet. The shaking in his limbs lessened and he found it both easier to g to sleep at night, but also stay asleep through the hours as his nightmares and flashbacks had lessened. Pepper had stayed with him the whole time, as had Bruce, and Clint even showed up one day to take a look around The Tower, even going up into the air vents to investigate.

"You know," Tony said, looking at Clint from his seat at the kitchen counter. "If you want to move in, all you have to do is ask."

Clint turned around and looked at him with a blank look in his eyes, "We'll move in when we're ready, Stark," he said.

"Wow, just asking man. Don't get your bowstrings in a twist."

"…"

"Like I said though – tell the others, there's plenty of space for everyone here," said Tony, turning back to his food and shoving it into his mouth, still relishing being able to keep something in his stomach down for more than a few hours. "Besides, we could all use the company."

Clint nodded and flicked his head back to the air vents to complete his investigation. Once he was satisfied, he turned back to Tony.

"How are you feeling, anyway?" he asked as he walked over to the kitchen bench.

"'M fine," said Tony, with his mouth full. "Never better."

"I'm sure."

"Seriously, Barton. When I say I'm better, I mean it."

Clint just looked at him with his eyebrows raised. "You're still not sleeping, are you?"

Tony looked up at him, "I'm sleeping. Better than before, anyway. And it'll get better in a few days, seriously."

"If you're sure," said Clint, turning to leave. "I'm going to have a talk to the others, and we'll decide whether or not we're going to move in. I'll let you guys know in a few days."

"See you."

IRONMANIRONMAN

Tony started spending more time in his workshop, now that he was able to keep himself upright without the help of Bruce or Pepper. Usually, Bruce stayed in the workshop with him and they talked sciency things, but sometimes Tony was left alone. It was when he was alone that cracks started to appear, even when he held up the façade of doing okay. Sometimes, he just sat at his desk looking at his designs, not knowing where to start or what to do and the idea that maybe alcohol was a creative asset to him crept in. On this particular occasion, he was seated in front of one of his suit designs and he didn't know where to start.

"JARVIS, pull up the new designs would you?" he said, just needing something to do. Full of pent up anxiety and energy, he found that his mind would wander into dark places if he sat with himself for too long. "Can you find out where Bruce is as well? I need his help to look through some stuff…"

Need his help to take your mind off things, you mean.

"Certainly, sir."

Not five minutes later, Bruce walked down the stairs, his hair unkempt and his shirt untucked.

"Tony, it's three in the morning – you do know that right?" Bruce said, rubbing his eyes.

"Umm, yeah, sorry. I kinda just forgot the time."

"What did you need my help with? JARVIS said you needed me to look over some stuff…?"

"Uh, yeah."

"…"

"…"

"Tony."

"…I'm bored, okay?" Tony spat out. "I'm bored and I don't like it and I'm starting to think about stupid shit."

"Okay," Bruce said, moving over to Tony's desk and sitting on top of it, next to him. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing. I don't want to talk about anything. I want to be alone."

"Then why did you get JARVIS to call me down here at three in the morning?"

"…"

"C'mon Tony. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to be alone. I'm proud of you for calling me down instead of doing something stupid."

Tony just sat in his chair, looking at his hands.

"It doesn't make you weak," said Bruce. "You're learning – you're doing the right thing. I know you want to be alone when you're feeling like shit because you think you don't deserve to have people help you, but that's not true."

"It's stupid," Tony muttered.

"How is it stupid?"

"Because I can't even be alone for a few hours otherwise I just end up wanting to drink, or do something else, or push everyone away."

"That's not stupid, Tony, that's just how this works. You got caught in the habit of doing that and it's going to take a while to break it. You can't expect everything to go back to normal not even two weeks after you stopped drinking."

"I know," Tony said. "I just wish it would."

"How did you do it last time?" asked Bruce.

"Last time I was building the second suit, and I guess I was just avoiding everything," Tony replied. "Then everything happened with Obadiah and I just didn't have any time for anything except Iron Man."

"Well, I guess you just need more stuff to do," said Bruce. "I know Clint wants some stuff upgraded, and I'm sure you can think of things for the others."

"That's the thing though. Sometimes I just can't think of anything, like tonight when I was trying to upgrade the suit I just couldn't get past the fog in my head. It feels like I'm reaching for things but I can't grasp them, then other times I'm fine."

"That's normal too, and it's going to stay for a while. When you feel like that though, it's just time to take a break from everything," Bruce said. "Just come and hang out with everyone, watch a movie. Relax."

Tony smiled. "That actually sounds… Okay. I think I'd like that."

"It's been a while since you've just relaxed hasn't it?" asked Bruce.

"Yeah, yeah it has been."

IRONMANIRONMAN

Pepper woke the next morning to the doorbell ringing and when she reached the bottom floor and opened the door Steve Rodgers greeted her with a duffel bag in his hand.

"Tony said you guys had some rooms available," Steve said, peering through the hallway. "I'd like to get out of the accommodation I've got at SHIELD, if that's okay."

Pepper stood there blankly, before she heard a voice call behind her. "Tell Steve he's welcome to come in, so long as he doesn't ever come into my lab. That's my private area, Steve."

"I suppose Tony is awake, then?" Steve said, as Pepper moved aside to let him in. "Thankyou ma'am."

"I'll show you around, then?" said Pepper, leading the way to where the super soldier would be staying. You'll find that Tony has designed a floor for each of you –"

Steve broke in, "a floor? An entire floor?"

"You've seen the tower – there's more than enough space for everyone, and he's not had much to do for the last few months before he stopped drinking. "

"I suppose that's fair enough," said Steve. "But I don't need an entire floor."

"You don't need to use the whole floor, but it's there if you need some time alone."

Once they reached the elevator, Pepper pressed the button for Steve's floor and they went down a few levels. When the doors opened, an old fashioned suite greeted them.

"Tony though that you'd like a little bit of an old fashioned feel," said Pepper, leading the way into the rooms. "I put an art studio next to your bedroom, and there's a gym down the hall with some equipment that you shouldn't break too quickly. The kitchen is opposite your bedroom."

Steve stood still, trying to take everything in.

"What if I want to spend some time with the team?" he said. "I mean, that's kind of why I moved here…"

"There is a communal floor on the top level, and you can ask JARVIS where everyone is," replied Pepper.

Steve just looked confused.

"JARVIS runs the house – he's one of Tony's inventions."

"…"

"He's an artificial intelligence, and he's built in around the house. All you have to do is ask for him and he should be able to tell you anything in regards to the Tower – who is presently in the Tower, where they are… Anything like that."

"So he's spying on us?" asked Steve, looking around suspiciously.

"JARVIS is not actually a person – more of an incredibly advanced sentient computer. He will not interfere with what you are doing unless he is asked, or unless it is of the utmost importance."

Steve nodded slowly, still looking exceptionally confused.

"I'll show you," said Pepper. "JARVIS, where is Tony at the moment?"

"Mr. Stark is currently in his workshop with Dr. Banner," replied the robotic voice of JARVIS.

Steve swiveled his head, looking around for the voice.

"I told you Steve, he's not a person – he's just in the house."

Looking resigned, Steve just stared at Pepper, "now I realize why Tony set me up in an old fashioned looking place. If this was modern as well, I wouldn't have been able to handle it."

"I'll leave you to get settled in, then," said Pepper, nodding at Steve. "Remember, ask JARVIS if you need anything."

IRONMANIRONMAN

"No, Bruce, the reason I designed the suit with repulsers is because I didn't want it to be weaponised. I only put the weapons in when I realized that my old weapons were being dealt behind my back!"

"So the repulsers aren't catagorised as weapons?"

"Technically not – they're flight stabilizers, but at high power they can do a lot of damage."

"So they are weapons then?"

"NO!"

"Tony, if it does damage it's a weapon."

"Are you an engineer, Bruce? No, so it's not a weapon. I'm the engineer and I'm right."

JARVIS cut into the conversation, "Sir, Captain Rodgers is asking if he can come into the workshop."

Bruce looked at Tony, "I thought the first thing you said to him was that he wasn't allowed here…"

"Yeah, I thought so to. I guess he just likes breaking the rules though," said Tony.

"No Tony, that's you. He probably thought you were being sarcastic – I don't think he can tell when you're serious or not," Bruce said with a smirk.

"JARVIS, tell the good captain that he can come down – so long as he doesn't touch anything."

"Yes sir."

Steve came down the stairs, looking around in amazement when he saw the workshop. Pausing at the glass door, he stared at the keypad for a few seconds before JARVIS opened it for him.

"This is amazing," Steve said, trying to take everything in at once. "How do you do all of this?"

"Lot's of spare time," said Tony as he spun around on his chair. "Plus Bruce helps out now, these days. A lot more actually gets done now."

"I don't do that much, Tony."

"Actually, you're right. I still do all the work in this lab," Tony laughed. "Anyway Rodgers, what did you want? I don't have all day."

"Uh, I was just wondering if you both wanted to come up for dinner tonight, so we could all eat together as a team?"

"Are the others going to be here?" asked Bruce.

"I don't think so. Barton is on a mission somewhere with Romanoff. They left last night – I think they'll be back in around two weeks," Steve replied.

"Sounds like a party!" announced Tony. "We'll be there."

A/N yeah, long time no writing. Sorry again. R&R please, I love to know what my readers want!