Chapter Text
"Hey look, lookie who we have here, boys!" Tony hears as he walks out of the Rolls Royce and to the store.
He's far too happy to notice the crew of large, dodgy looking men hidden in the alleyway, sprawled across dumpsters with bats in hand, tattoos painted in cold colours on their shirtless bodies.
He doesn't think anything of it as he strolls into the shop and hears the cute little sound of the chimes above him as the door opens.
He doesn't think anything of the gang outside. Doesn't care to notice them as the woman grins at him and hands the little blue and white box over to him.
As he pulls out his wallet and hands her the money, he is smiling. Looks like he doesn't have a care in the world. Looks like he doesn't own the largest and most successful company in the world.
Tony Stark looks like he hasn't spent three months in a cave, been cut opened and sealed shut again, used by his father's best friend and been into space. Been near death.
And none of that matters now. Because he has a great life.
He is free. Peaceful.
Happy.
Thanking the kind woman, Tony retreats to the door with the cheerful chimes and exits the store where dreams really do come true.
He returns the smile to a mother pushing her baby in the red stroller. Signs a little boy dressed in a silky Iron Man costume's helmet and continues to the car-
He feels the sudden large hands on his shoulders. Feels them tug him back into the darkness of the lane. Hears the shouts and screams of civilians around him.
Pulling... Pulling...
As the wood comes into contact with his face, he sails into the sea of black. Just a dark, dark ocean with a beginning and no end...
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The pain is extraordinary from the moment he blinks open his eyes. It travels through his body at the speed of light. Exactly 299, 792, 458 m/s.
His body throbs. Aches. Trembles with agony. His voice will not allow him to scream. He can barely even whimper.
The ground is cold and solid and uncomfortable against his somehow bare back.
His shirt is torn to shreds. Aiming to get to the Arc Reactor.
Of course.
The most naked part of him.
His hand slowly trails from it's splayed out position on the concrete above his head along his sensitive torso and to the pocket of his pants. It's still there. Still safe.
He wonders where Happy is. Wonders if they had gotten him too. Wonders... Wonders... Wonders...
All the wondering causes his head to spin, stomach to twist. His throat is thick and dry. So dry it hurts to swallow. So he doesn't.
His face burns like the flames of a fire. Almost as if they lick terribly slow along his injured body.
He can only open one eye. Can only move his right hand. Can...
He curses, hand fumbling for some sort of grip against the brick wall, something to hold on to as he stands. To keep his balance. Then he hears his name.
"Tony!"
At first thought; Steve. But that beautiful blonde man is at home. Safe and sound and snuggled up on the couch with Tony's favourite blanket.
He shuts his eyes to get rid of the thoughts. To get rid of the pain. Breathing doesn't help. It only interrupts his ribs. Inflicts more pain.
"St've." It's weak and not Stark like at all and he doesn't care.
"Boss!" No one calls him that, no one except...
Happy.
There we go. "Hap'." He whispers as the man shines his iPhone torch in Tony's direction.
"Jesus, Tony. Come here, damn it-"
Tony collapses willingly into Happy's capable arms. "Ho... Home."
"No boss, I think you mean hospital, I'm driving you to-"
"No... No... Dn't. I need... St've."
"Tony..."
"Please..."
Happy's sad eyes move to his boss' chest. The chest piece is smashed. He understands now. There is no other Arc Reactor. He wants to be in Steve's arms when he...
Happy grunts as Tony is lifted rather roughly into his arms. Stark isn't a small guy. But in a time like this, nothing like that matters.
"Hap... Hap..."
"Shush, Tony. I'm taking you home. Don't worry."
"St've..."
He is swallowed into the waves of black again before he can continue. He's running out of time.
.
.
.
As his incredibly - well deserved of a much better salary - body guard carries him through the lobby, they ignore the looks and over dramatic gasps.
Whatever. They probably all hate him. Who actually likes their boss, really? Especially when they used to be the biggest asshole in the world - actually, in New York. He wasn't that big of one.
Tony dips into unconsciousness repeatedly when they travel up the floors of his tower quickly in the elevator. His stomach churns and he gags, liquid running down his chin.
Water?
At the look on Happy's face, it isn't water. He knows what it is. He isn't stupid.
He was correct. Steve is curled up on the couch with his favourite Black Sabbath blanket tucked around his broad shoulders.
"Captain! Steve!" Happy is in a panic and drops to his knees the minute he steps out of the elevator.
Tony tries to crawl out of the larger man's arms with no success. His body goes completely limp.
"St've."
The Captain's head whips around and his blue, oh, those ocean blue eyes, widen. "To... Tony!"
There he is. There's his man. His amazing, strong, safe man.
"St've. St've..."
"I'm here, I'm here, tony. Oh my god, Happy, what happened to him?"
"I'm so sorry, Steve. He... He was there one minute and... Gone the next..."
Tony felt warmth on his cheek and came to the conclusion that Happy was crying.
"It's... Ok... Hap..."
"I'm so sorry."
Tony gasped in a shuddering breath as breathing became more difficult. "St've..."
Steve pulled him into his embrace gently, "I'm here, baby... I'm... God, Tony. Don't... Please... I love you so much. I'm so sorry I wasn't there..."
"St've," he stopped the man, raised his un harmed hand to touch the slightly stubbly skin beneath his fingers. Steve looked clean shaven from a distance, but he was always left with a slight 5 o'clock shadow. If looked at closely enough it can be seen.
"I love... You..." Steve blinks at the box in his hand and opens it himself since Tony is incapable of doing so. "Will you..." Steve cries now. Cries as the silver band with imbedded crystals glitters in his face under the light of the room. "Marry..."
Steve kisses him before he can finish. "Yes, Tony. Yes, yes, yes... I love you... I love you so much." He kisses him.
Tony smiles and takes the wrong with a shaky hand, "you are my... Rock 'nd my... Best fr'nd. We hav' gon' through s'much t'get to h're 'nd I... Still th'nk you are too good... For me. J'st 'member that I will... Always be with you... You are an'thing but a lab experim'nt. You are th' brav'st soldier I hav' ever met. Through thick 'nd thin... Steven... Grant... Rogers... I love you Mrs Stark."
Steve listens and cries harder. He is in the middle of the work shop when he no longer hears tony breathing. No longer feels the light blast of air touching his neck as he holds his his fiancé close.
"And I love you, Mr Stark..."
"Steve, why did you bring him down here?" Happy's voice calls from the door. He must have followed them.
The blonde man inhales, sinks to the floor and hugs the pale, late form of Anthony Edward Stark in his arms.
His Tony.
"Because this was the place he was the most happiest in."
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