Can't Lose You

The fight started out well. Clint took the high ground, settling himself on a roof and taking out what enemies he could while reporting on movements. Hulk and Thor waded into the massed ranks of the enemy, each swing taking out a malevolent robot. Captain America and Natasha took the other side, attacking smoothly and efficiently. Iron Man took to the skies, blasting at the mastermind behind the invasion: an impossibly tall sentient robot that directed the smaller ones like pawns on a chessboard.

"I see more incoming, out of the alley on the south side," Clint reported tersely, firing an explosive arrow into the middle of the group. The resulting explosion took out about half the group but the rest got through. Hulk and Thor were lost under a pile of robots. Natasha ran to help, trying to take out as many as she could.

The Overseer, as the tall robot declaimed itself, was tired of the fight and the small man trying to distract him. With one hand, he knocked Iron Man out of the sky. The man fell hard on the concrete near Captain America, the breath driven out of him.

"Tony!" Captain America screamed, trying to fight through the robots to get near him. The Overseer lifted one foot, prepared to squash Iron Man into a small puddle of twisted iron and blood. Throwing his shield at the foot, Captain America slowed it enough to shove Iron Man out of the way and take the full weight of it on himself.

"Steve, no!" Iron Man yelled, getting to his feet and wobbling. He aimed a rocket at the Overseer and released it with a scream, praying it hit some vulnerable part of the robot. It did, impacting directly on its head and frying the circuits. The large machine fell over, knocking down a couple buildings as it went. The small robots went still, no longer receiving orders. Hulk and Thor climbed out from underneath a large pile of unresponsive machines, brushing little pieces of metal off of themselves.

Clint climbed down from the perch he'd secured, meeting up with Natasha and sharing a quick hug. They all gathered around the fallen Captain America, Iron Man opening his faceplate and staring down at his friend.

"T... Tony?" Steve mumbled. He had blood running down his face and his arm was twisted at an unnatural angle underneath him.

"I'm here, Cap," Tony told him, cradling his head gently. "Why did you do that? You shouldn't have hurt yourself."

"Couldn't let someone die," Steve groaned. He tried to rise but fell back with a muffled scream. "I think.... my leg's broken."

"That's all right," Tony told him. "I can carry you." He dimly heard Natasha calling for their plane, yelling at Fury to hurry. He lifted Steve as gently as he could, guilt flashing through him at the pained grunt Steve let out. The group of superheroes made their way out of the battle zone and to a clear space. The black plane landed and Tony carried Steve into it. He wouldn't relinquish the man, even when the others tried to help/

Back at Stark Tower, Tony carried Steve inside and was relieved to see the man had passed out. Setting the bones in his arm and leg were going to be extremely painful. One of the doctors who worked with SHIELD was waiting for them and Tony stood by while Steve was stripped and dressed in a hospital gown. The doctor efficiently set and casted the broken limbs with the help of a nurse and then Steve was transferred to the bed in his part of the tower.

Tony followed, intent on keeping an eye on Steve. It was his fault the man was hurt and he felt unaccountably guilty. Several hours later, Tony was working on his portable computer on some changes to his suit when Steve shifted, groaned, and woke up.

"Steve, don't move," Tony said, dropping his computer on the bed and gripping the other's man's hand. "You've got two broken bones and lots of scrapes and cuts that have all been taken care of."

"Tony?" Steve mumbled, staring blearily at him. "What happened? Is everyone else ok?"

"Yeah, the team's fine," Tony assured him. "You are in your bedroom at the Tower. You got squished by the giant robot." Tony's voice broke on the last sentence, tears burning in his eyes. He rubbed them angrily with his free hand, determined not to show the depth of his feelings.

"I got you out of the way," Steve said, smiling a bit. "You weren't hurt."

"No, I wasn't, but you were," Tony replied bitterly. "You shouldn't have done that, you idiot. The suit would have protected me." He squeezed hard on Steve's hand and the blond looked at him in surprise. He'd been having feelings about Tony for a while now but thought he didn't return them.

"I lived, though," Steve said quietly. "And don't call people idiots. It's not polite." Tony snorted at that, relieved that Steve was sounding like his normal self again.

"Don't do it again, please," Tony said, feeling the tears falling but not able to do a damn thing about it. "I... can't lose you."

"Lose me?" Steve whispered, his eyes wide. "Do I matter that much to you?"

"Yes," Tony grated, dropping his gaze to the floor. "You do." He heard Steve move on the bed and dropped his hand, embarrassed at having admitted something of his true feelings. "So, I should probably leave and let you get some rest."

"Tony, stop," Steve ordered him, taking his hand again. "Come here." Tony raised his eyes and saw that Steve was smiling at him. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked into Steve's eyes.

"You matter, too," Steve said. "That's why I pushed you out of the way. I don't want to lose you either." Tony's eyes widened in surprise. Most of his teammates tolerated his presence. He was too sarcastic and narcissistic for the others to do more than that. But Steve cared?

Tired of being cautious and careful, Tony fell back on how he acted best. Impulsively. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Steve's in a light kiss that promised more if it were wanted. Leaning back, he had to smile when he saw that Steve's eyes were still closed.

Steve sighed and opened his eyes, smiling at Tony. He pulled Tony back down to him, kissing him back. Breaking the kiss, Tony studied Steve's face and was heartened to see no signs of confusion or denial. Mindful of the casts, Tony slid into the bed next to Steve and pulled them man down so they were lying side by side.

"Well, now that that's partly sorted," Tony said, earning a laugh from Steve. "Sleep. You need some time to recover. I've got you."

"Thank you," Steve yawned before resting his head on Tony's shoulder and falling asleep.

"Jarvis, lights," Tony ordered and the AI turned off the lights in the room. Tony relaxed and watched Steve sleep, his face gently lit by the blue light from his arc reactor.