Tony had to figure out how to snap Steve out of this before he was hit with a full blown panic attack. He knew how much those sucked from personal experience. And if Steve's got too intense, would he pass out? Passing out meant lax muscles, which also meant no more grip on Tony's arm. And while Tony was thinking of his own well being at the moment, he was also thinking of Steve's. Would he ever be able to recover from the trauma of seeing another friend fall to their death? Tony knew he didn't rank as high as Bucky did, but he liked to think Steve cared almost as much about him as he cared about Steve.

"Steve, I need you to listen to me, okay?" Tony said, trying to sound like a mixture of soothing and commanding. He hadn't become a crisis negotiator for a reason though. "No one is falling today. You saved me and we're going to figure this out together."

"Buck, no," Steve whimpered, still looking past him and to the ground. Tony wasn't getting through to him at all.

"Steve, I'm so sorry about Bucky, but he's not here right now. It's Steve and Tony, and I need you. I need you here with me right now," Tony pleaded, feeling the desperation start to sink in. This couldn't be how it all ended. They didn't even have a chance to begin.

"Tony?" Steve breathed out, his eyes briefly flicking to awareness and meeting his.

"Yes! Yes, it's Tony. Tony and Steve," Tony cheered, feeling lightheaded with relief. They were headed in the right direction. "Just look at me, okay? Don't think about anything else. Focus on the sound of my voice."

"Tony."

"Tony and Steve. Steve and Tony. We're both gonna be alright. We just gotta figure this out and we'll be good," Tony said confidently. "You with me now?"

"Yeah, I'm with you," Steve whispered, taking in a shaky breath.

"Good, that's so good. No one else I'd rather be with," Tony smiled. Why he couldn't say things like that when they weren't in the middle of a life threatening predicament was a mystery, but this was a start at least. "Let's just think for a minute and we'll be able to-"

"You're gonna have to climb," Steve said, the strength gradually returning to his voice.

"We already decided that wasn't going to work," Tony reminded him, hoping that Steve hadn't forgotten things somehow.

"There's no other option," Steve insisted, shifting a little as he talked. Tony could tell he was gearing up for what they were about to do.

"How am I supposed to do this?" Tony asked, realizing it was Steve's idea or waiting. Neither option sounded fun.

"You're going to give me your other hand and I'm going to pull you up as high as I can. Then you're going to wrap your good arm around my neck and pull yourself up my body and back onto the building," Steve explained, like he was just giving directions to the freeway.

"Steve-"

"I'll help push you along as much as I can, but I know it's going to be hard. I'm so sorry," Steve said.

"I can't just climb on you like that. I'm going to hurt you," Tony said in disgust. The thought of adding more weight to Steve's back made him sick.

"If I have both of my hands, I'll be able to get enough leverage to lift this off of me. But I can't do anything until you're safe."

"Steve-"

"I know, Tony, but we have no other choice," Steve said with finality. That was the voice you didn't argue with. The voice that Tony instinctively trusted.

"Okay, but just… if this doesn't work-"

"Tony, don't-"

"Please, let me finish," Tony said, waiting for Steve's slight nod. "Don't let this destroy you, no matter what happens. Being here with you makes everything worth it."

Tony didn't give him a chance to respond, swinging his arm up to meet Steve's dangling hand. Steve grabbed on, easing some of the relentless pressure on the other side. They were going to do this, because they were Steve and Tony. As soon as their grips were secure, Steve started pulling. Tony held back his shout of pain as his left arm was being moved in ways that weren't ideal at the moment, focusing on what he was about to do. As their faces got closer together, Tony could see the sweat beading on Steve's face. Whether it was from pain or stress, it was still concerning.

Tony was finally as high as he was going to get and Steve reluctantly released his right hand. Tony immediately wrapped his arm around Steve's neck like he'd instructed him to do, feeling his head duck down and rest against his chest. Steve used his now free hand to grab at Tony's belt, holding him securely, while also giving him a massive wedgie. Who knew a childhood bully tactic would be helping save their lives right now?

"I'm gonna make a grab for the slab on three," Tony grunted, knowing that this was the make it or break it moment. There was a crack that looked just big enough for him to dip his fingertips into, and that would have to be enough.

"I'm ready," Steve said, adjusting his hand a little more.

"One, two, three!" Tony shouted, heaving himself up with as much gusto as he had. This was so hard with only one working arm, but his fingers just barely made it. Steve used his other free hand to anchor Tony between his legs, and while Tony had thought of doing something similar in a more romantic situation, he couldn't let himself be distracted now. Tony pulled as Steve pushed, dragging himself inch by painful inch. Steve made no sounds of discomfort, but Tony knew the extra weight on his body couldn't have felt good.

Tony used that upper body strength people always seemed surprised that he had. Couldn't people see his muscles? He was never more glad that he had them than he was right now. Steve's quiet "sorry" was the only warning he got before he started pushing in earnest, but a little undercarriage trauma was worth making it up to solid ground. Tony's butt finally cleared Steve's head and he whooped in triumph, shimmying and scooting those last few feet.

As soon as he could get one of his knees up, he crawled the rest of the way. There was a moment of panic when Steve's hands finally left him completely, but Tony knew he was ready to catch him, just in case. The moment he landed back on the building's floor, he wanted to lay down and not move for the rest of his life, but he couldn't rest with Steve still trapped. Tony slid on his belly to lay alongside Steve, trying to see the situation from his new angle. He almost had a heart attack when he saw Steve hanging limply over the edge.

"Steve! Talk to me, are you okay?" Tony pleaded, feeling his relief being replaced by panic. If Steve wasn't okay, Tony would never be okay. No matter how much Tony wanted Steve to be able to move on without him, Tony wouldn't be able to.

"I'm okay," Steve mumbled, wiping his face off before turning to look at Tony.

"What do you need me to do?" Tony asked, ignoring the tears. Steve had earned the right to cry a little in this situation. They both had.

"See if you can find something to jam under the side of this thing when I lift up," Steve directed, slowly pulling his arms under his chest to brace himself. He was far enough over the edge of the building that he would have to lift up and crawl back and to the side to get free. This was going to suck, no matter what.

"Okay, okay," Tony panted, looking around the space. There wasn't really anything around, except for more pieces of the ceiling that had broken off. Tony didn't think he had the strength to move them over with only one working arm. There might've been something on another floor, but there was no way he was going to leave Steve for a second.

"Tony," Steve called out, gesturing toward a piece of the rail that was sticking out from underneath.

"I don't know. This thing broke under my weight," Tony moaned, grabbing the rod and testing its strength.

"I only need a few seconds," Steve grunted, planting his palms firmly to the floor.

"Ready when you are," Tony agreed, moving the pole into position. With a yell, the slab started lifting. Tony didn't know how he was doing it, but if anyone could, it was Steve. Tony ducked down, trying to gauge Steve's progress and wanting to be prepared to jam the stick in as soon as he could. He could see Steve's arms shaking from exertion. Super soldier or not, all of this had to be taking a toll. As soon as he could, Tony jammed the piece of rail in place.

"It's in!" Tony announced, dipping his head down to check how Steve was doing. He was dropping one shoulder, letting the side opposite the prop settle closer to the ground as he slid toward the opening Tony made. Tony could hear Steve's back scraping against the concrete and he winced in sympathy. But a little road rash was worth surviving.

Steve was almost close enough to touch when the support started whining under the weight. If this thing fell suddenly on top of Steve, it could break his arms and trap him completely, if it didn't outright kill him. Tony didn't think, reaching under as far as he could, grabbing Steve by the first part he touched and pulling.

Tony didn't even realize what had happened until he was flat on his back with Steve on top of him. Steve was staring at the slab, which was now firmly against the ground. Tony felt like a mother who was able to lift a car to save her child. Adrenaline was a hell of a thing. Steve turned his head to stare down at him, the look in his eyes a mix of vulnerable and thankful. All Tony wanted to do was reach up and kiss Steve until they forgot about their near death experience, but he knew he couldn't do that. So he fell back on his old standby of using humor to cover his emotions.

"I am definitely not buying this building."