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sleepless nights, empty bottles, dark skies.  all a familiar pattern in his life when things get a little too hot to handle, a little too much for his soul.  he’s a man burdened with sorrow and grief, masked in solitude and stoicism.  his shield-assigned therapist tells him there’s much he needs to work through, as if he doesn’t know his own brain.  he knows himself well enough.  knows how terribly far he falls from perfection, how he’s more of a stain than a pleasure.  yet tony often convinces him otherwise, trusting him with his heart, and connor treads carefully.  he’s no saint, no glorious lover.  he tries with intent, tries with action.  words often fall short, dead on his tongue before he even finds a way to phrase the very feelings he’s continually shoved into the hole in his heart.

if he’s the moon, then tony’s the sun.  they are often on different paths, though they meet together every so often.  those moments together are what make it worth it, but they are by far, not always joyous.  he’s come to check on tony, because it’s been a while, and he’s not one to pull him away from his work if he’s adamant about it.  boundaries are something he’s learned to work with, especially considering he’s got many of his own.

tonight the façade has cracked.  tonight, they eclipse each other.  tony, hungry and desperate, pulled against his body, and he understands.  he returns in fervour, a hand sliding under fabric against warm skin, fingers gripping lightly.  he grounds himself then, recognizes that this isn’t healthy, not for tony.  connor is no saint, but he refuses to pull a man deeper when he’s already drowning.  it’s difficult to tell him no, to pull his lips away and sway back onto his feet.  his free hand shifts to cup tony’s cheek.

         ❪ tony sends text from across room ❫ ❝ *deepthroat by cupcake plays from ringtone*  sorry , that’s mine . . . ⸻⸻ let me just ⸻⸻ mute that ! ❞   

          the  first  thing  he  had  learned  in  his  meetings  was  the  sense  of  brotherhood,  comradery.  though  not  every  sorry  sack  of  shit  who  came  in  believed,  or  UPHELD  that  tenement.  daniel  is  convinced  it’s  what  actually  managed  to  break  through,  to  get  him  to  see  nearly  four  years  sober  this  april.  almost,  almost,  just  keep  the  cork  in  the  jug  a  little  longer.  and  everyone  has  their  own  STRUGGLES.  whether  four  hours,  four  days,  or  decades  --  it  was  a  never  ending  battle.  one  that  his  own  sponsor  would  instill  in  him  that  needed  constant  challenge,  and  fight.  it  seems  as  though  tony  here,  he’s  having  a  rough  time.  dan’s  been  there  --  been  so  close  as  to  be  outside  of  a  bar  with  his  feet  on  the  gravel  as  he  still  sits  in  his  car.  more  than  anything,  he  gets  it.  it’s  at  times  like  that  he’s  glad  he  does,  and  is  able  to  pay  some  of  that  GOOD  FAITH  forward.  “ it’s  up  to  you.  so  if  you  want  to  surrender,  then  i  will  too. ”

AS TENDER AS HER heart, Diana’s lithe fingers press a cold cloth to Tony’s gnarled flesh, the pigment more fitting for an abstract painting than on human skin. Though worry blooms in her chest, Diana feels her lips quirk into a soft smile. He has a spirit of a fighter, this one. He also has the spirit of someone destined to die as young as they are reckless. A lecture conjured from her own concerns straddle the tip of her tongue, but Diana refuses to vocalize it. He’s made his bed, certainly, but he needn’t sleep in it alone. Ah, perhaps not the best analogy when speaking of Tony Stark, still the sentiment remains. ❛ Do enlighten me. Is this the handiwork of a drunken escapade or were you pulling your punches again? Both, perhaps? ❜ 

@ironicarus​

    dan  politely  holds  up  a  hand,  and  shakes  his  head.  though  there’s  a  figment  of  embarrassment  he  swallows  it  behind  a  thick  throat.  it’s  for  the  best,  he  reminds  himself.  then  doubt  comes,  reminding  himself  again  that  it  never  lasts.  he  offers  a  tight  smile,  “ staying  away  from  alcohol.  reason  being,  once  i  start,  it’s  sometimes  hard  to  stop. ”