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Word Count: 457
Prompt, 7: Dwindling Party: the group of survivors is getting smaller and smaller
One By One
"Where did Clint go?"
Steve turned around at Sam's voice, and then frowned when he realised his friend was right. Clint was no longer with them.
"I… don't know. Should we stop and wait for him?"
Nat wrinkled her nose. "He's probably stopped for a pee somewhere, you know what he's like. No bladder control."
Tony snorted, though Steve noticed he relaxed a little at Natasha's words. Steve wrapped his arm around the smaller man's shoulders and squeezed gently.
He knew this was hard on Tony; his lack of armour aside, he'd always been the one more obvious about his anxiety regarding the team's safety, and this situation was weighing on him heavily.
They continued on through the woods, Steve and Nat taking point, their eyes tracking every tiny movement, ears pricked for any noise.
Tony shifted beside Steve, and then stopped walking, turning around fully.
"Sam's gone," he muttered. "Steve, Sam's gone."
"Maybe he went back to get Clint?"
"He would have told us," Tony said, shaking his head. "I don't like this one little bit."
"It's going to be—"
"If you're about to say 'okay', I will stomp on your foot," Tony warned, still facing back the way they'd come, searching for any sign of their missing teammates.
"Tony—"
"Nope."
"No, Tony, look."
Tony turned to look back at Steve. "What?"
"Did… did you see Nat leave?"
Tony made a wounded sound as he spun around, even as his hand came up to grip at Steve's jacket, so that he too wouldn't just disappear.
"What the actual fuck is this forest, Steve?" he asked, turning back to his boyfriend. "We survived a plane crash—that should never have happened, by the way—and now this?"
"Come on," Steve murmured. "Stay right by me, okay? Hold onto me, so I don't lose you too."
Tony opened his mouth to protest, but then let out a puff of air and nodded. He did as Steve said and kept hold, and they continued their walk through the woods.
Eventually, Steve spotted what looked like an opening in the trees. He pulled Tony along—the poor man was exhausted—and through the trees, only to cry out in horror.
In the field were spikes raised up from the floor, and on top of those spikes, were the heads of their teammates.
Steve stumbled back, trying to avoid Tony, only to find his boyfriend suddenly missing.
"Tony! Tony! TONY!"
Never before had Tony ignored him. Steve heard a creak, and looked up, almost scared for what he'd see.
Above him, Tony was suspended in the tree, and as Steve felt a sharp pain in his back, he could only be grateful that he too wouldn't be allowed to live.
He wouldn't have wanted to.