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It’s over as quickly as it starts.
Steve’s too busy with the first bot in front of him that even his enhanced senses miss the doombot behind him, armed with a piece of shrapnel from a nearby collapsed building. The team’s spread out thin, Doom armed with more bots than usual and the team out of range. The shuddered gasp from the wound is soft and muted over the comms but it’s enough for Tony to figure out that Steve’s been hurt. The silence in response to the team’s pleading feels like forever and hell and Tony screams, his suit erupting with lasers, uncaring of the damage to nearby structures before blasting off to JARVIS’ harried voice providing the coordinates of the Captain.
---
“Tony, I’ve been hit.”
“I’m coming! Hold on-”
---
The sight was worse than he thought, blood pooling around Steve’s slumped form. It was obvious from the depth of the wound and the amount of blood pooling that, despite his supersoldier healing, Steve wasn’t going to make it.
Tony dropped unceremoniously in front of the supersoldier and pulled Steve into his arms. “Steve,” Tony gurgled pleadingly. “Steve, please.”
Steve smiled soothingly at him, even as his chest stuttered on every breath and blood pooled around their curled forms. He reached a trembling - Tony had rarely seen his hands shake, the few times being after a particularly close scare with the team and Aunt Peggy’s funeral - hand up to Tony’s face, rubbing over Tony’s cheekbone and wiping away the tears. Tony muffled a sob into Steve’s hand.
“Please don’t leave me,” he whispered, voice cracking.
Steve’s tears were leaving tracks down his blood-streaked, grimy face. He didn’t deserve to die here, on the side of the road surrounded by destroyed robots. “Hey,” he murmured, wheezing. “The few years we’ve been married have been the happiest of my life. When I’m gone-” He sobbed, fear clouding his crystal clear - even close to death Tony found himself entranced - eyes. “Try and be happy alright? Don’t push the team away.”
Tony smiled shakily at him, his hand reaching up to cover Steve’s and lacing their fingers together - possibly for the last time - against his cheek. “So bossy.”
Steve chuckled weakly. “You love it.”
Tony tugged him closer, his voice breaking on the apologies as Steve whimpered. “Love you.”
Steve shuddered against the hard plates of the armor. “Love you too.”
Clint’s trembling voice was still shouting over comms yelling at them to just hold on as the evac got closer and Natasha screamed at them, desperately ordering them to fucking answer.
Tony tried to smile. His Steve was dying. He couldn’t imagine a lie without him. A life without the soft morning snuggles. A life without the lazy morning sex. A life without Steve lounging in his workshop and sketching or playing with DUM-E. A life without the domestic mornings as Steve flipped a shit-ton of pancakes for their quirky team. A life without Steve, period. “Love you more.”
Steve seemed to understand the effort and smiled weakly back up at him. “Love you most.”
Tony would usually argue Steve on that but he just dismantled the armor, bracing Steve so that he could lie on Tony without the hard ridges of the armor digging into his already battered flesh. Tony hummed quietly as Steve’s breathing hitched and picked up speed. “Tony, Tony, ‘m scared,” Steve sobbed, panting and gasping.
Tony hushed him, rocking them back and forth. “It’ll-” His voice broke. “It’ll be okay, Steve.”
Steve leaned up desperately, even as he shook and his voice broke. “I wanna-”
Tony was quick to understand. “Yeah, yeah, Steve, careful.” He leaned down and pressed their lips together chastely. He leaned down and pressed featherlight kisses over his face even as his breathing slowed. “It’s okay baby. We’ll be okay. You can rest now.”
Steve relaxed against Tony. “Love you most, Shellhead,” as his breathing came to a rattling stop and Tony finally broke with a wail.
Thor was the first to find them, what felt like hours later even if it was likely just minutes. He pressed his big hand to Tony’s shoulder as he curled over Steve’s limp form, his usually playful face solemn and grief struck. It’s where Natasha finds them, tears streaming down her cheeks, and where the Black Widow goes, Hawkeye follows. CLint’s trembling and sits next to Tony, leaning his head on his shoulder as Tony sobbed and pleaded for Steve to wake up and come back. It’s where Bruce returns, exhausted from his Hulk-out and wept. It’s also where the cameras also glimpse for the first time, Tony Stark crying outright. It’s where they see the supposedly ironclad Black Widow’s stoic face crumple as she mourns the man who had grown to become her family. It’s where they see the Avengers mourning.
---
People fly in internationally to mourn the loss of a hero. Lines go around the Avengers Tower- it’s been Avengers Tower for a long time despite what Tony says - to pay respects and drop off gifts for the new widower and what was his family in everything but blood.
---
Pepper organizes the memorial service. Tony’s practically catatonic, the Avengers forcing bits of food down his throat even as his stomach rolls and gurgles. Rhodey flies in from Afghanistan to be there, shedding tears for the loss of what was his brother-in-law.
The service itself is nice. It’s well organized, flowers - peonies because they remind(ed) Steve of his mother - abundant and red, white and blue everywhere. Tony’s to speak, he knows that. Rhodey’s behind him. He turns exactly 126 degrees to face Rhodey’s sympathetic face. He sniffs hard, once, twice, before placing his index cards down and following Rhodey’s form towards the stage. Natasha finished her speech up and beckoning for Tony to come up to the podium.
He clears his throat. “Thank you all for coming today. I know Steve-” his voice cracked. “I know Steve would’ve been very touched.” He reached up to rub at his eyes. “Steve, is, was, a good man. He was wonderful as Captain America, but even off the field-” He voice broke as the memories slammed him in the face. The soft days spent in his workshop, teasing each other and laughing. His tremulous voice as he asked - carefully, knowing that Tony was still a little scared of marriage after Pepper broke it off - Tony to marry him. Mornings spent with the team in their lively kitchen. He choked on a sob, stifling it painfully. “Rhodey, Rhodey, I can’t do this-” he turned desperately to the wings where Rhodey hurried to cover Tony from the flashing cameras and Clint smoothly walked up to the podium.
---
It took months for Tony to stop crying himself to sleep. It took him even to longer to stop waking up in the mornings and reach for Steve’s side of the bed. He still dialed Steve’s number absent-mindedly sometimes. Maybe, one day, Tony’ll move on. But for now, he’s coping. And that’s enough.