So yeah, this is my first venture into writing for the Avengers. Hopefully it's not horrible and no one wants to gouge their eyes out because of it. Un-beta'd, so all mistakes are my own and I apologize in advance for them. I have 2 or 3 more chapters planned, so keep a look out!
Summary and title are kinda crap, but give it a chance. :)
Steve stared blankly at the wall of the elevator, loosely clutching the black case in his hands to his chest. Coulson had explained the situation on the way to the Shield facility; how three unidentified men had somehow managed to break into Stark Tower during one of the few times there was no one else there and attacked Tony, apparently looking for some sort of information.
That was yesterday, and it'd taken till now to get in contact with him since he was off-grid, avoiding Tony.
He'd zoned out after Coulson finally told him that Tony was still unconscious, but in stable condition now. The agent must have realized he wasn't paying attention anymore, because the small space was quiet now.
The doors dinged open and Coulson led the way out. Each step towards what Steve could only assume was Tony's room, was laden with guilty thoughts.
How could you have left him all alone?
If you had just sucked it up instead of throwing a hissy fit and stayed, this wouldn't have happened.
He could have died, and it would have been your fault.
A light touch on his arm brought him out of his head and back into reality. Coulson had a hand on his arm and was giving him a sympathetic look.
"I can tell what you're thinking, Captain, and you need to stop. You couldn't have known what was going to happened. And until we have all the details, don't think that there was anything you could have done to change the outcome. In fact, the only thing you probably would have accomplished is ending up in a bed right next to him." The agent paused, his face becoming serious. Steve noted that they were in front of a door, before Coulson continued speaking, "I should warn you before we go in, Stark is in rough shape. They were talking about putting him on a ventilator before I left to get you."
Steve swallowed shallowly, mentally reviewing the list of Tony's injuries that Coulson had provided him. Seven broken fingers, both wrists fractured, extensive bruising and contusions in various places on his body, and to top it all off, something had managed to pierce the Arc reactor. The agent had assured him that it was still functioning, but barely. Steve's grip tightened slightly on the case that held the replacement.
Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for what he was about to see. He nodded at Coulson to indicate he was ready to enter the room.
People have a bad habit of always saying it sounds worse than it really is. The minute Steve walked through the door, he instantly disagreed with whoever started saying such a thing.
Tony was lying still, far too still, on a hospital bed, crisp white sheets pulled up to his armpits. Both wrists were encased in plaster that went halfway up his forearms. All the fingers on his left hand and three on the right were wrapped and splinted. The bruises were everywhere, dark across Tony's hairline, cheeks and torso. There were marks on his arms and throat that were shaped distinctly like hands.
The worst was the flickering light of the Arc reactor in his chest. The normally silent device was emanating a soft click every few seconds.
Rage curled up inside Steve's chest. Suddenly all he wanted to do was find the men who had done this to his lover and make them pay for it. He forced himself to push his anger down and away, it wouldn't help him here.
If there was one thing to be grateful for, it was the fact that there was an oxygen mask over the lower half of Tony's face instead of a tube down his throat. Still, the only sign of him breathing were the small puffs of condensation on the inside of the mask. His chest was barely rising at all, as if even unconscious, it hurt him to breathe.
"Steve." Someone in the room said, drawing his attention away from Tony's prone form. Natasha was watching him from where she was seated on the other side of the bed.
Steve glanced around the room to see if anyone else was there. There wasn't. An uneasy feeling hit him when he realized the one other person that should have been there wasn't. He looked back at the spy, "Where's Pepper? Why couldn't she have brought a replacement reactor sooner?"
"She was on business in Indonesia. A typhoon cropped up though, preventing all outgoing flights from leaving. We have a Shield transport headed to get her; she should be here by morning."
He relaxed slightly at the answer. His gaze returned to Tony on the bed. Everyone was silent for a few moments.
"We should probably go ahead and switch out the reactors now." Suggested Coulson calmly, refocusing everyone on the task at hand.
"Yeah." Steve breathed out, kicking himself for not doing it the second he entered the room. Stepping forward, he set the case down next to Tony on the bed and opened it. Natasha was standing now and pulling the covers further down Tony's chest, revealing the reactor fully for the first time since Steve entered the room. The casing was cracked in a spider web pattern, originating from a round puncture near the center. Steve froze and gaped at the damage.
"What… What did this?" He asked shakily.
"Screwdriver. If it wasn't for it still being embedded in his chest when we found him, I wouldn't have believed it myself."
"What?" Spewed Steve, the anger he'd fought down earlier coming back, "How is that even possible? Tony designed this to be able to take direct hits in the field and not even have a scratch on it. You expect me to believe a screwdriver was able to do this?"
"Captain, you need to calm down." Coulson spoke up from beside him, "According to Banner, Stark and Dr. Richards performed some sort of experiment that altered the molecular structure of an object a few days ago. Apparently the reactor was affected without either of them realizing it."
Steve fumed internally. He was used to Tony disregarding safety precautions when it came to science, but he'd always thought Reed Richards would know better. Shaking his head, he let his anger go with a shaky sigh.
Reaching forward, he forced himself to ignore the feeling of the cracked casing against his fingers as he released the catch on the reactor. It popped up a few centimeters, allowing him to grip it easily. With a steady hand, he removed the chest piece entirely. Tony's body seized up as Steve set the old reactor aside. It always unnerved him to see just how much space the whole device took up in Tony's body. Moving quickly, he grabbed the new reactor and put it in place. He let it settle before pushing it in the last few inches and locking it into place.
He felt it whirl to life under his hand as it began to do its job. Tony's breath shuddered as he inhaled deeply. Steve kept his hand over the reactor as he waited for Tony's eyes to flicker open like they normally did after something like this. A hand covered his, startling him before his eyes shot up and met Natasha's.
"They had him sedated so he wouldn't move around too much." She explained softly, knowing what Steve was waiting for. He nodded shortly in understanding. Removing his hand from his lover's chest, he picked up the broken Arc reactor and put it in the case. After closing it and setting it on the floor, he looked around for an empty chair to occupy while he waited for Tony to wake up.
Natasha got up from her seat, a clear indication for Steve to take it.
"Go ahead Steve, I'm going to go see if I can help Clint and Bruce recover the footage of what happened from JARVIS, now that you're here to watch over him.
Steve's lips quirked up in a grateful smile as he moved around the bed to take up vigilance next to Tony. He reached out as he sat down to take Tony's hand into his own before remembering the damage there. He settled for resting his hand on his elbow, just above where the cast ended.
The room was quiet then, apart from the soft whoosh of oxygen as Tony breathed more evenly and deeply than earlier and the drip of the IV. A nurse came in to do a vitals check. Steve heard Coulson murmuring something about the reactor to her, but he tuned them out.
He wasn't sure how much time passed before Coulson's phone started ringing. He didn't pay much attention to the conversation, but he looked up at him when he heard the call end. The agent's face was as unreadable as ever when their eyes met.
"That was Barton. They were able to recover the full video and most of the audio from the… Incident. I need to go and review it." The question of whether or not Steve wanted to come along went unspoken. He glanced down at Tony's battered face.
"I'll stay here then. He shouldn't be left alone until he's awake and we find out what those men wanted from him." Coulson nodded in agreement and left the room without another word.
Alone in the room now, Tony became Steve's only focus. He reached up with his idle hand and began to comb it through Tony's matted hair. He smiled softly when he felt him habitually lean into his hand, like he always did when he was close to the surface of consciousness.
"That's it Tony, wake up. You still owe me an apology you jerk." His voice cracked a little as he spoke. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Tony's forehead softly before sitting back.
He wasn't expecting a response and jumped a little when Tony's barely there voice rasped out, "Pr'tty s're… You're 'he one… Who st'rted it."
Steve looked up to see slitted eyes watching him.
"Hey there, sleepy head."
"Hey." Was all Tony managed before breaking into a coughing fit. Steve jumped up to get a cup of water before returning to raise Tony's bed up for him and offering him the drink. The injured man smiled gratefully at him before draining the cup, and the two after, dry.
"You good now?" Steve asked, setting the cup down. Tony nodded before leaning his head back against his pillow as his eyes drooped shut.
Steve kissed him again before sitting back down and returned his hands to their previous positions. Soon, Tony's breathing began to even out into a steady rhythm.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, as much as you hate it." Steve whispered to him, but Tony was already sound asleep and didn't respond.
He settled in the chair a little more, ready to wait for Tony to wake again so he could apologize for running out on him properly.