Since you all asked, this is the sequel to Lullaby of Tears.

People laughing at inane maturity faded into the background as Steve slowly sipped at his drink. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as his eyes caught Thor's, whose dull reality was just the same as his, colorless and gray, running in slow motion.

Thor's head turned meeting Bruce's, whose turned to meet Clint's, whose turned to meet Natasha's. The party raged on in full, drunk people giggling and leaving to fuck. It was all a dull murmur to the Avenger's, whose minds were locked on the man who seemed not to appear once again.

Thor longed to be with Loki, who had slipped out with Pepper earlier to go shopping to drown their sorrows in expensive tastes.

Tony had all but disappeared after what they'd done to him. They don't blame him. Honestly, they wished they'd never done it. In their rage, their words had struck home, and their words had stolen Tony away from them. Tony had retreated into himself.

He was reclusive. The Avengers just weren't the Avengers without Tony there. Parties just weren't parties without him. Jokes weren't as funny, movies weren't as happy, meals weren't as celebratory.

The days were longer and more depressing.

A loud crash brought Steve out of his revere. Looking around, he realized by the shattered glass on the perfect snowy marble flooring in front him; he had dropped his empty vodka cup.

Bending down to clean it up, he felt a sharp twinge of pain in his finger. Studying the crimson slowly building with his sky blue eyes, he sighed, letting his eyes close.

Leaving the glass on the floor, Steve left the party, the rest of the Avengers following him. The party continued as it always did, loud, bright, and fast.

Things just weren't the same anymore.

His tears began to slowly dry on his face after hours and hours of crying. Wiping his face with his ruined shirt, Tony let out a shivering sob.

Getting to his wobbly feet, he walked over to his mirror. Picking up a towel and wetting it, he began working on getting rid of the traces that he was ever crying. Dabbing at his eyes with the wet towel, he began to talk softly to himself.

"Everything will be okay. Someday your shining knight will come and sweep you off your feet and you'll never be sad ever again. You'll never be alone again, you'll be warm, you'll never have to worry about how to get back home…"

Sighing softly, he put down the towel, he looked himself in the eyes. "Who am I trying to fool?"

Suddenly, his door banged against the wall, making him jump and spin around with wide eyes to face the five people in his doorway, staring at him with eyes of steel.

"Tony, we need to talk."