"I don't love you anymore."

Tony's world was shattered with the weight of those five words. He opened his mouth to respond, but it closed back up uselessly when he lifted his head up to look into Steve's eyes. His eyes were cold and harsh, making his previous statement feel like a death sentence. Tony took a step back, his hand grabbing onto his thigh as he fought to stay in control.

"I don't understand-"

"I told you, Tony. I don't love you anymore. This was just a stupid, mindless-"

"Stop. Please."

Now it was Steve's turn to be silenced, his eyes suddenly dropping to the floor as Tony sank into a chair with his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry. Goodbye."

His words felt meaningless as he left the Stark building, grabbing his car keys as he cast a last look at Tony's shaking frame. He wanted so bad to go over and hug him, tell him it was all a joke and that everything could go back to normal. He wanted to comfort him and hold him; kiss him and promise to never leave him again, but he couldn't.

He had a mission to attend to and he might not ever come back from it.

"Captain, are you sure you wanna take this mission alone?"

"Ms. Romanov, I'm certain."

"This is a high-risk mission, Cap. Are you su-"

"Ms. Romanov, I appreciate your concern, but I think I have made the correct decision on this matter."

"Captain, we're not even confident that this mission can be completed. And even if it is, you might not come out of it alive!"

Steve's jaw clenched.

"I know."

"Captain, this is as good as a death sentence. Think of what would happen to Tony if you-"

"He'll be fine. He's gotten over his dad's death, he'll get over mine."

"He won't. We both know he won't, but I can't stop you from going, can I?" Natasha sighed and handed him the file. "Good luck, Captain. We'll be waiting for you."

Tony's world was crumbling.

It wasn't shattering like how most people described it. Shattering was quick and sudden, destroying everything in its path before the quiet aftermath came through.

Crumbling, on the other hand, was slow and painful, taking everything apart piece by piece before it finally reduced to nothing.

Tony took a swig of the last of his wine and set the bottle heavily on the table, wiping his mouth with his sleeve as he fingered over a Polaroid him and Steve had taken on their second date.

"Stupid. Useless. Stupid. Useless."

He ripped the Polaroid in half, throwing it into the fire as he started to sob again. The tears never seemed to stop coming as he remembered what it was like to be in Steve's arms. He was ready to start on his next bottle when JARVIS's voice came over the sound system.

"Sir, I-"

"Not now, JARVIS."

"Sir, I'm afraid this is important. You need to know about this."

"I don't need to know about anything."

"Sir, Captain Steve Rogers was sent on a high-risk mission. That's why he broke up with you."

"JARVIS, you're a computer system. I can shut you down."

"Sir, he didn't want you to get hurt if he died. I hacked into SHIELD's files again, and he's on a mission to destroy a base of one of SHIELD's enemies."

Tony sat up and put his bottle down, feeling the effects of alcohol on him as he struggled to keep his vision straight.

"S-SHIELD's enemies aren't that strong."

"He was sent alone without any backup to blow up the base. He could die."

"I don't believe you," Tony slurred, getting up and walking unsteadily towards his room door. He opened it and collapsed on the bed, groaning when the familiar smell of him hit his nose.

"You believe him then, sir?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"His lie. You believed his lie and yet you don't trust me."

"What lie? JARVIS, I'm not sure of anything anymore."

"When he said he didn't love you anymore."

Tony rubbed his eyes and tried to think straight. Steve was sent on a high-risk mission alone. To blow up an entire base. On his own. Without anyone there.

"JARVIS, I need you to get my suit ready."

"Sir, you're drunk-"

"JARVIS, I've fought in that suit without a stable state of mind before. Now get my suit ready."

"Yes, sir."

"So, SHIELD sent you?"

Steve was humiliated. Utterly humiliated. Sure, he had managed to rig the whole place with the bombs Fury had given him, but he had so blatantly allowed himself to be caught that he was surprised they allowed him to live. Now he was bruised, battered – unmasked – and tied up to a chair in the middle of the villain's stupid 'office', a small room with hardly any furniture except for a desk and two chairs.

"No," he lied, trying to – hopefully – not leak any more information than he already did.

"The famous Captain America, eh?"

The villain stopped pacing around the room and took a lighter out of his pocket. He lit it up and a bright flame burned. The villain brought it close as close to Steve's face as he could, and Steve sucked in a breath as he felt the hot flame near his skin.

"I wonder what SHIELD would do if I set fire to you."

"Go ahead." Steve challenged, ready to press the detonator which he had conveniently attached to the palm of his right hand the night before. He was already prepared to die for this mission. If he didn't manage to kill the guy and destroy the base, the whole world would have to suffer.

The man shrugged. "Whatever suits you best, Captain."

"If you'd just step away from that man, please. He's mine."

Steve knew that voice too well. He turned to look at Tony in his Iron Man gear right outside the building's window. Damn it. He stopped moving his right hand; he couldn't let Tony die from this.

"Iron Man came to join the party?" the villain smirked and jerked his head, and five steel darts came flying out from the wall behind them towards Steve.

"No!"

"G-Get out of here," Steve panted, feeling the darts burrow into his skin.

"Cap-"

"I said get out!"

"You know, I'm getting damn tired listening to you talk, Steve Rogers. I think I'm just gonna do things my way this time round."

With that, Tony blew apart the office of the villain and managed to get Steve out. Steve pressed the detonator and Tony carried him out right before the whole place blew up, taking all the villain's intentions and schemes with it.

"Y-You didn't have to do that," Steve whispered, his vision blurring when Tony landed on Stark towers.

"And you didn't have to lie to me," Tony replied, "JARVIS, I need you to get Steve back to full health, okay?"

"Stark?"

"Director Fury."

"I heard you got Rogers on bed rest, is that right?"

"He needs it. He nearly died on that damn mission."

"And you guys are alright?"

Tony stiffened before nodding and left the room without another word. Were they alright? They hadn't had time to really talk about them after Steve passed out in his arms that night; when Tony had spent the whole night and morning after just praying that Steve'll be fine and that he'll wake up.

And he did.

"So um, we're okay right?"

Steve looked up from his bowl of cereal and tried his best not to reach past it and hold Tony in his arms. Tony's eyes were sad – hesitant even – as he sat down next to Steve and put the bowl away.

"Tony, I-"

"I know you broke up with me because you were afraid I'd be hurt if you died."

Steve raised an eyebrow.

"JARVIS told me."

"Oh. Figures."

"But you don't understand that I'd do anything to be with you. When you broke up with me, I-I felt like I couldn't do anything right anymore. First I had to watch a guy die to save my life, and then you stopped loving me. I just felt so useless, and-"

"You're not useless. Anthony Stark, don't you dare for one moment think you're useless. You took down an alien invasion, you saved my life, and..."

"And?"

Steve swallowed and looked straight into Tony's eyes.

"Without you, I would not have been half the man I am today."

Tony let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding and suddenly his mouth was on Steve's, their lips crashing together in a mix of desperation and love.

"I missed you," Steve panted, tilting his head down to suck a sensitive spot on Tony's neck.

"Guess this means we're back on?" Tony gasped, bucking his hips a little as Steve trailed a line of kisses along his neck.

"Mmm."

Tony woke up first, his hand trailing softly along Steve's scarred back as he tried his best not to wake the man up. He pressed a soft, chaste kiss onto the back of his neck as he tugged Steve closer to his chest.

"G'morning," Steve mumbled, turning around in Tony's arms slowly.

"Good morning."

"I just-I don't understand why you'd save me when I told you that our relationship was stupid and useless-"

"Hey, even if you had kicked me and punched me and told me never to see you again, I'd still find a way to be in your life. I'm not that easy to get rid of. And if I have to deal with anything like this again, I'm never going to let you let me go."