Suggested (again) by Dragon-Bowl
4th of July. The Avengers were spending their whole day together because of Steve, who doesn't even know it's actually a federal holiday. They were going to say it to him during the fireworks. No one knew, how badly it was going to end.
"Why are we going to the roof again?" Steve asked, while the Avengers (plus Pepper, Jane, Darcy and Betty) dragged him to the roof, where they were going to watch the fireworks from.
"Already told you, it's a secret," Tony said, holding Steve's hand a little tighter.
Steve winced a little, but pulled his jacket on. Everyone knew, how much Steve hated cold, even though it was only a little chilly outside.
Once they reached the roof, Tony pulled Steve closer to the edge. "Wait a second, honey," Tony said, kissing Steve's cheek.
It took only a few minutes for the first firework to appear. Steve instantly stiffened. "Fourth of July is also Independence Day, Steve," Bruce said, giving him a friendly smile.
With each firework, each bang coming with them, Tony felt Steve stiffen. "Are you okay?" he asked from him, looking at his scared eyes, though Steve didn't seem to see or hear him. His eyes stared into the darkness, not actually seeing anything.
Suddenly, he surprised everyone on the roof. He ran back in the Tower. The whole group looked after him, until Tony told himself to stop being an idiot and move. He started with slow steps and finally ran into the Tower, screaming Steve's name and trying to find him.
Think like Steve... Think like Steve...
Tony found himself walking towards the gym. "Steve?" he asked, stepping in the gym and looking around for the blonde. "C'mon, Steve, what's wrong?"
He found Steve sitting in the boxing ring. He held his head between his knees and his arms covered his head. "Steve?" Tony asked, approaching slowly. "Steve, what's wrong?"
"The war..." he muttered under his breath, making it almost impossible for Tony to understand, what he was talking about. "The gunshots... So many soldiers dying... I'm not able to help them... They need help... I can't help them..."
"Steve," Tony knelt down next to Steve, as the blonde's voice turned slowly louder. Steve's voice was shaking, probably because of the crying. "Steve, don't worry. It's not war. No one's dying. We're fine. The war is over. We won the war. You won the war. We're fine, Steve. You're fine. I'm fine. The team is fine."
Tony raised his shaking hand and moved it closer to Steve slowly, not wanting to scare him. His fingers found Steve's hair and the blonde flinched, though not actually stopping Tony. The brunette pulled Steve closer and wrapped his arms around Steve's shaking body. He knew what it was like to have this kind of panic attacks. He was used to them. But not used to others having them.
Tony rested his chin on Steve's head, which was placed on Tony's chest. The billionaire's shirt was already wet of Steve's tears. Tony felt pain in his back and realized that Steve's nails were digging in his skin. "Don't worry, Steve. The war is over. These are just fireworks. We won the war a long time ago. There's nothing to be scared of."
Tony's voice seemed to calm Steve and he relaxed a little. His sobs became quieter and the nails came out from Tony's back. But they still hung on each other, like they were each other's life. Could be true. "There's nothing to be scared of," Tony repeated and kissed Steve's forehead. "You're safe here. I'll keep you safe, Steve."
A/N: I'll be honest here: This one was so far my favorite... I guess I like to torture the characters...