Chapter 4

Steve still couldn't feel his limbs; the Enchantress' words echoed in his mind over and over again, each time feeling like a dagger striking through his heart. His entire body was numbed, like the time when he was frozen, and it made his blood freeze within his veins. For the moment, he wasn't Captain America or even an Avenger. He was scared little Steve Rogers from before the serum – helpless and useless to be able to protect the people most important to him.

He was vaguely aware that Clint was talking to him, proposing that they joined Bruce and Natasha on the mountain so that it would be easier for S.H.I.E.L.D. to pick them all up. Nodding, he mechanically grabbed onto Clint who used the same arrow contraption to pull them to the top of the cliff where Bruce and Natasha waited.

Bruce cocked his head, frowning, "Where's Tony?"

"Medics got him," answered Clint, staring at them to make sure that they had no injuries. "Didn't you see them?"

"Yeah, I just expected at least one of you guys to join him. You know that the medics won't be able to handle him."

There was a pause. "We…didn't think it was a good idea."

"Why the hell not?"

Steve looked away, Clint started fumbling with a patch on his uniform, and Natasha's jaw clenched hard as she tried not to look like she wanted to kill someone. The scientist easily connected the dots.

"You know what happened…"

At that, Steve's head snapped up. "He told you?" The hurt was not unveiled in his voice.

"I basically forced it out of him right before the battle," shrugged Bruce, "He doesn't blame you guys, you know. His reactions to you are just his body's way of protecting him."

Clint rolled his eyes. "That's comforting. He subconsciously fears us. That's great."

"You know what I mean, Clint. Look, there's a reason why he didn't tell you guys. Don't make matters worse by thinking too hard about all of this." His dark eyes settled on Steve, and if the Captain didn't know any better, Bruce was a little angry with him.

Bruce poked him hard in the chest, ignoring the fact that Steve grimaced at the pressure on a healing bruise. "I expected better from you, Rogers. You know Tony better than anyone and why he does the things he does. And you leave him alone when you know exactly how he feels about hospitals and doctors? How do you think he'll take that?"

Steve felt his heart stutter. Now he really wanted to cry...but that still didn't change the fact that he hurt Tony. He broke his boyfriend's fucking ribs! He didn't know if he could take any more of Tony flinching away from him or the sheer terror in his eyes when Steve came near him, especially now that he knew the reason behind Tony's actions. He didn't think he could stop himself from breaking down if Tony looked at him like he was seconds away from tearing down all of Tony's walls and destroying anything and everything that made Tony as amazing and loving as he was. Because Steve did know Tony – the Tony who had opened to his heart to no one else but him and trusted him with his everything…

He knew that all the nukes, aliens, or any other weapon couldn't hurt Tony as much as he could. The only things that could truly bring down the Tony Stark and make sure that he didn't get back up were the four people standing on this mountain (and the Asgardian hammer god).

And they managed to betray that hard-earned trust so easily.

It wasn't something they could easily move past, no matter what Bruce said. Looking around, Steve could tell that the spies felt the same way.

Bruce growled, his eyes tinting green. "I swear to God, if you guys hurt him anymore, I won't let you off easy..."

"Shut up," Natasha said out of nowhere.

Surprise glinted on Bruce's slightly green face, "Excuse me?!"

"It's not you. Do you guys hear that?" She pressed her hand to her right ear.

Steve and Clint immediately followed suit. The three frowned as they heard quiet static for a brief second before voices broke through - one specific voice that they would recognize anywhere.

"Remind me to send a gift basket to Hulk. Payback's a bitch, isn't it, Enchantress?"

A cold chill ran down their spines.

"What's going on?" asked Bruce.

Steve ignored him and breathed out, his worry bleeding through his voice. "Tony? Is she with you right now?"

"Nice of you to join me," answered Tony. Steve had a feeling that Tony didn't direct that statement to the Enchantress alone. "I'd ask how you're doing, but I don't really give a fucking damn."

"You will pay for spilling a goddess' blood, mortal!" hissed the Enchantress.

"Hey, it wasn't me that took out half your side. Throw it down with Bruce! And this time, let me watch as he whips your ass again."

Leave it up to Tony Stark to be the only one who would be snarky in the face of danger, not that it surprised anyone anymore. Though, Clint had to admit - he really would have liked to see Hulk kick her ass to outer space.

"Do you honestly think your quick tongue can have any effect on me? You're powerless without that suit of iron!"

"Let's see. You're bleeding on the floor of the helicopter. And I'm completely suited up and we're two minutes away from my team. Don't think you'll fare too well in this scenario. Might as well let the agents go or this damn bird is going to fall out of the sky faster than Hulk can wipe your ass on the floor."

Tony wasn't a soldier, but he certainly wasn't a fool. With just that statement, they all clearly knew the situation and more importantly, where Tony was.

Snapping into action, Clint jabbed at Bruce. "Hulk up. Enchantress got Tony again."

Bruce didn't need any other bidding and an inhumane roar rang in their ears as the Hulk transformed before their eyes. Disregarding her own safety, Natasha leapt onto Hulk's back, clutching his huge shoulder with her dear life, knowing full well that she was probably the best option to get to Tony. After all, she was the lightest burden on the Hulk and he actually liked her second best to Tony himself. But the Hulk didn't like the idea of someone on him and he shook himself, almost flinging Natasha off.

Natasha patted Hulk's hard skin comfortingly and spoke to him in soft tones. "It's just me, Hulk. It's Tasha."

The Hulk recognized her voice and slowed his movements, trying to turn to look at her curiously.

"Hulk, the Enchantress got Tony. You remember him, don't you?" she said gently.

Hulk hesitated and nodded.

"We need you to go save him. Can you do that? Please?"

Withoutwarning, Hulk jumped, bounding off at a blinding speed. Within seconds, they were out of sight, leaving Clint and Steve to rush after them on foot.

The two didn't think they had run so hard before - not even when their own lives depended on it. Blood pounded in their ears, but it didn't deter Steve or Clint from hearing the helicopter seconds before they saw it.

"We see the chopper, Tony. You're close to us. Hang on, we're coming for you," said Clint, hating himself for sounding so out of breath.

Tony responded with a snappish question to the Enchantress. "What do you even want from me, Enchantress?" he asked. "As you said, I'm pretty useless outside of this suit. Why the hell did you come looking for me? It's not like I did anything to you."

"Loki told me of the brilliance of your mind. I need you to build me a portal back to Asgard."

"And if I refuse?"

"You will die."

"You'll kill me either or. I'd rather have all this end with me fighting 'til my last breath."

"I think I will be able to convince you otherwise."

"Look, last time someone tried to make me build them something, I made the Iron Man suit and blew them all up. I highly doubt you'd do any better."

There was a shout from the Enchantress, a high pitched keening followed by something shattering loudly, and then nothing but static.

"Tony? Tony!" shouted Steve. "Fuck!"

At the curse, Clint shot him a look that was torn between amusement and panic (because Captain America just didn't swear), but said nothing and quickened his pace, darting between the trees and obstacles. He came skidding to a stop a couple of minutes later, swearing under his breath as the road before him abruptly ended and dropped down several hundred feet to a rocky chasm.

About fifty feet before him was S.H.I.E.L.D's helicopter, frozen in space - too far for either of them to jump. And Clint didn't have the skills that Natasha had, meaning he couldn't even make it with Steve's help.

"Where's Hulk?" breathed Steve.

"Don't know...Shit."

"Can't you shoot something?"

Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "I would, but anything I do will puncture a hole in the goddamn plane and send them spiraling to the ground."

An explosion made the two flinch and they recognized the signs of Tony's repulsor blast which was followed by the Enchantress bursting out of the chopper.

"Or, he could do it himself..." muttered Clint. "At least he got a hit in."

"Clint...is it just me or is the helicopter falling too fast?"

Steve's question was answered by the sight of two agents jumping from the smoking plane. A few tense seconds later, their parachutes deployed just as the two pilots were thrown out.

The Avengers held their breath, just waiting for Tony to appear. He was suited up; even if he was injured, JARVIS would ensure that Tony would reach safety. But their friend never showed and the helicopter dived past their line of sight, heading straight to the ground far below.

"Tony!" screamed Steve, about to throw himself off the cliff, but Clint's arms hooked underneath Steve's armpits and pulled him back, swinging him around to shake his friend as they faced each other.

"Let go of me!" Steve growled.

"Stop it! You're not going to help him by committing suicide, Steve!" yelled Clint.

"Then what am I supposed to do?!" Steve cried back.

Clint gritted his teeth in anger. Something flashed in his eyes that made Steve suddenly remember that the ever amusing prankster was a first-class assassin.

Hawkeye released Steve "There's only one thing we can do." He cracked his neck as a cold, detached gaze filled his blue eyes. "Make the bitch pay."


Natasha felt the winds rush against her face, almost unable to keep her eyes as the trees whistled past her. She could feel the ripples of Hulk's muscles beneath her as he ran. It seemed that the Other Guy knew exactly where to go and Natasha could only trust the green guy's nose and instincts.

Her sharp ears caught the sound of a chopper first; then she saw it suspended in mid-air. She grinned, her fingers twitching to the sheath she had hidden on her waist.

"That's it. Tony's right over there," she said to Hulk, keeping her tone soft and kind.

Hulk grunted and increased his speed, jumping off the cliff, but not towards the helicopter. As he fell downwards, he dug his massive arms into the side of the mountain, catching himself every ten feet to slow down his descent. He could feel Natasha digging into him, almost screaming at him to go back up, but he merely shook his head and landed heavily on the ground, staring upwards at the chopper.

"Hulk!" Natasha yelled, "Save Tony!"

Hulk grunted again, this time angrily.

Realization dawned on Natasha and she wanted to smack herself for letting her emotions get ahead of her. Logically, she should have known that the Hulk couldn't have jumped onto the helicopter. He would have made them all crash and probably ended up killing both Tony and her in the process. No, he had to wait for the precise moment where he could spring into action.

Natasha patted Hulk on the shoulder in quiet thanks for reining her in and climbed towards his arm. She turned to nod at the Other Guy who grabbed her and threw her up high. She made some quick scrambles and clung onto the wall with a small grumble of pain as she crashed into the hard rock wall.

Right then, she heard an explosion from above and turned her head. Ten seconds later, she saw the fiery plane fall past her and she released her hold, pushing with her strong legs to dive-bomb to the broken aircraft.

There was a bloodcurdling scream – one that should not have been so familiar to her, and she urged her body to move faster.

With lithe movements, she scampered across the metal and gripped the edge of it tightly. Using momentum, she propelled herself into the helicopter with a smooth flip and landed lightly on her feet.

She quickly looked around, unable to stop a gasp from escaping her. To her right, Tony was hunched over, grabbing desperately at a long, one-inch thick piece of metal pole sticking out from his left thigh.

"Tony!" she exclaimed rushing forward.

"Tasha!" gasped Tony, his voice strained even with the metallic tone, but the agent could hear the relief in his words.

There was no time for comfort or sarcasm, however. They both knew how close they were to the ground.

"Get out of here, Natasha!" Tony hissed. As much as he was glad beyond reasoning to see her, there was no reason to drag her down with him. If he was going to die here, he was sure as hell not going to bring a teammate with him, even though a small part of him wished that she would stay, if only so that he wouldn't be alone in his last moments. And he hated himself for thinking it.

"Tasha, we have, at best, a couple of seconds before this chopper blows to kingdom come. Get the fuck out of here!" he snarled, trying, but failing to push her away when she came near.

"Not without you." Natasha reached into her boots, pulling out double daggers. Steely, she didn't even hesitate as she stabbed them through the wall behind Tony, burying each of them on either side of Tony's head. There was no pause in her quick moves, but it didn't mean that she didn't feel Tony still in fear and she felt the familiar pangs of guilt lick at her.

Ignoring it, she gripped the hilts tightly and pressed herself against the Iron Man's body as closely as she could, wrapping herself like a seatbelt around the genius. She leaned in, her lips brushing against the side of Tony's armored neck.

"Hold on, Stark," she said quietly, "This is going to hurt."

Tony swallowed hard, trepidation filling him. "Wha-what is?"

The response came in the form of the helicopter's descent coming to an abrupt stop. Suddenly, all of the gravity came biting back, jarring all of Tony's injuries. The loud sounds of the metal crushing around him did little to help and he couldn't help but let out another scream of pain as he felt the pole in his leg shift.

But he knew it could have been a lot worse if Natasha hadn't shoved him against the wall and keeping him in place as best as she could. Didn't mean that it didn't fucking hurt…

He groaned; his vision flickered, bordering on darkness. He couldn't figure out what hurt most: the scorching agony from his back ripping open again or the blinding pain in his left thigh.

"Stark, you conscious?" asked Natasha, stepping back from him.

He had to gather his thoughts to respond, which was saying something when his brain usually never shut up. "Wish I wasn't…" moaned Tony, his head lolling forward.

Natasha kept her hand on his left shoulder, pushing him against the wall so that he couldn't fall and rip apart his leg more. "Take off your helmet, Stark," she growled.

Even though he knew that she only told him to do that was because she was feeling anxious staring at a never changing face, Tony couldn't help himself, "Miss my pretty mug that much, huh?"

"Either you take it off or I tear it off. Your choice."

The helmet released upwards, revealing a very, very pale Tony Stark. There was blood, grime, and sweat mixed upon his face. Pain made the lines on his face deeper; the dark circles under his eyes spoke volumes of his exhaustion. It looked as though he had aged five years in just one hour.

But Natasha couldn't help feel extremely relieved that Tony, despite all the injuries, was alive and breathing.

A smile cracked on her face without her realizing it, and Tony gave her a small grin back.

She reached up to her right ear and pressed on the comm. "Guys, I'm going to need your help."

The response was almost immediate. "Tony?" breathed Steve. There were sounds of a woman screaming in the background and Natasha smirked at noise.

"He's going to be okay, but he's kind of stuck."

"Thank God!" Steve exclaimed in relief.

A grunt. "Location?" came Clint's strained voice.

She turned to Tony. "Can you track them?"

Tony slowly shook his head. "The Enchantress fucked up my suit again. System's busted to hell."

Sighing, Natasha could only think of one thing. "Clint, follow the smoke."

Steve was the first to speak, "I see it, there!"

Natasha could imagine Rogers pointing at them from a distance.

"Got it. Be there in five."

Silence fell. Natasha got distracted by Tony's shuddering breaths. She looked at him, taking in his trembling body and his drooping eyelids. He looked like he was seconds from passing out, though she doubted he would. There was too much adrenaline running through his veins. He would be wired until shock settled in.

"You're going to be okay, Tony," she said sincerely.

Tony rolled his eyes, wincing as his involuntary movements made his injuries ache and throb. "Great. Tell me that when you get this damn thing out of my leg."

"Natasha?" Bruce's voice suddenly popped up.

She turned to see a half-naked Banner gently climbing through the sharp, torn edges of the helicopter. He picked his way through carefully, making sure he wouldn't step on any of the broken pieces of glass with his bare feet.

"Good to see that the Other Guy was able to do something," Bruce smiled.

Tony laughed hoarsely, connecting the dots easily. "Jolly Green Monster learned a new trick! And here I thought he was limited to 'smash' alone."

"You feeling okay, Tony? No nausea or anything?" Banner asked, already stepping into his doctor shoes as he bent down to examine the entry wound.

Tony swallowed, closing his eyes briefly to gather himself. "A…a little lightheaded."

His right leg suddenly collapsed, wrenching a cry from his lips. Bruce darted forward and wrapped Tony's right arm around his shoulders while Natasha did the same to his left. Their combined strength was enough to lift him to an upright position.

Trusting them fully, Tony let them carry his entire weight as he tried to fight through the waves of pain that crashed through him.

He panted heavily, searching for words to break the worried silence. "When this is all over," he breathed, "I wanna play catch with Hulky."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Sure, if you want to be the ball."

Pushing the joking aside, Tony quietly watched his blood pool around him. Calculations ran through his mind and a thin veil of fear started to numb the pain. He swallowed hard, thinking of what would happen if he died from something as stupid as blood loss. For one, he would never live it down. He had always expected to die in the middle of sex or saving the goddamn world, but not because some bitch was upset that she was unloved. He wouldn't have to worry about his company – Stark Industries was in the good hands of Pepper. Sure, stocks would go down for weeks after his death, but Pepper was talented. She could save it.

Bruce would probably disappear off somewhere again, living a meaningless life away from civilizations. Who knew what Clint and Natasha would do? The world wouldn't stop turning for him and they were top S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. There would always be missions for them that were probably far above Tony's clearance (not that it mattered with his hacking skills).

And Steve…Tony couldn't even think about how much agony Steve would go through losing another person he loved. And Tony would be the cause of it all. It just broke his heart and suddenly, he really, really wanted Steve.

He wanted to see those blue eyes so full of love and brightness. He wanted those strong arms to hold him tight, making him feel safe and unafraid of the undying possibility of someone literally ripping out his life force. He wanted to hear Steve's voice whispering, "I love you," in his ear and feeling his hot breath on his ear.

Maybe he whimpered from all those thoughts rushing about in his head or his face twisted in his fear, but the next thing he knew, Natasha was hugging him. He had to do a double take: Natasha was hugging him.

The surprise was enough to drag him out of whatever revere he had been lost in.

"Wha…?" he started.

"Tony," she started. She had called him Tony! "You're going to be fine. You're going to make it."

He cleared his throat uncomfortably; emotions and him mixed as well as oil and water. "What brought this up? Of course I'll make it. I'm like…a cockroach. Can't be killed."

Bruce raised an eyebrow, "A cockroach?"

"I have a fucking pole stuck through me. Forgive me if my mind isn't on par to my usual standards," Tony snapped, but there was no anger within his words. He paused and glanced at Natasha, an odd sort of pleading in his yes. "Steve?" he asked hopefully.

"Clint, ETA?" she questioned.

"Ten seconds."

"Tony?!" came Steve's voice, strained and worried, around the same time Clint responded. The super soldier ducked into the helicopter, completely ignoring everything but his boyfriend; his feet crunched over the glass as he took in the sight before him.

Tony couldn't deny the rush of relief that he felt, as if his world had suddenly righted itself. For a brief moment, he didn't even feel any of his injuries. Steve's presence steadied him and he just knew that everything was alright now.

"Steve…" he croaked, the happiness completely unveiled in his tone.

Steve rushed forward and held Tony's cheeks between his large hands, pressing his lips onto Tony's. Tony leaned into the kiss, savoring the taste of Captain America. Steve was first to break away, but he merely touched their foreheads together, sighing.

"I was so worried," Steve said quietly.

Tony just smiled at him. "Still alive and kicking. Well, not so much kicking anymore…"

Clint poked his head through the helicopter. "Is that a pole sticking through your leg?" he exclaimed incredulously. "Damn, I had one of those before. Not pleasant."

"Ya think, Feather Brains?" Tony retorted.

"We have to cut him out," Natasha said to Steve. "Can't risk pulling it out and have him bleed out."

Steve stepped back, frowning. "Okay, how are we going to do that?"

"Natasha and I can't move or Tony might hurt himself more," added Bruce. "Clint, you got anything that can cut through metal?"

"Yeah, hang on."

And the archer disappeared from view again, much to Bruce, Natasha, and Tony's confusion.

There were sounds of grunting, swearing, and something being dragged. And then a grin spread on their faces when Clint struggled into the helicopter, pulling a bound, gagged, and unconscious Enchantress behind him. She looked even worse than Tony. Blood had coagulated in her blond hair, bruises decorated her face, and there were several cuts all over her body. Burns covered her chest, her left side was bleeding profusely, and there were a couple of arrows piercing through each of her hands. But she was breathing still, surprisingly.

With a huff, he dropped her unceremoniously down on a pile of debris, feeling satisfied at the low moan that escaped from her, and turned around to see everyone staring at him.

"What? Couldn't leave her outside unguarded, could I?" His blue eyes were a picture of feigned innocence that only made Tony want to laugh.

"How did you guys manage it?" asked Bruce.

"Well, you took out a chunk of her left side and Tony managed to fuck her up further in his little skirmish with her," shrugged Clint, walking up to him. There was pride in his voice that didn't go unheeded. "It was easy sauce for us once we hunted her down."

Steve shuddered. "And I was reminded why Director Fury ranks him as a top assassin."

Tony shook his head, "First of all, Clint, 'easy sauce'? Terrible. Remind me to update your vernacular when we get back home. Second of all, Steve, honey, don't go blowing up his ego when it's already so huge. He'll explode!"

"You sure we aren't talking about you, Stark?" quipped Natasha.

"Natasha made a funny! We have to celebrate!"

"How 'bout we wait until you can walk around without leaving blood trails to do that?" Clint replied smoothly, already working deftly around the Iron Man suit with a laser in hand.

Tony crinkled his nose at the smell of burning metal. For once, he hated it. "Sounds like a plan. You about done there, Feathers?"

"Yeah. Cap, can you…" Clint paused, glancing at Steve who was hovering so close to Tony with that kicked puppy expression on his face. He couldn't make Steve leave Tony's side in his current state. "Nevermind. I'll do it."

"Do what?" Steve asked.

"I'm going to finish cutting him out from behind, but he's going to fall once I'm done. Be prepared to catch him. Nat, figure out when S.H.I.E.L.D. is coming."

Steve took over Natasha's position as she slipped out, pulling out her phone from God knew where, and Clint disappeared again. At his hold, Tony snuggled in, resting his head on Steve's chiseled chest. The genius listened quietly to Steve's steady heartbeat, feeling more and more relaxed. In response, Steve merely ran his free hand through Tony's black hair, occasionally kissing his boyfriend on top of his head.

There was a fond smile on Bruce's face, but he kept quiet, giving them space.

"Get ready!" Clint shouted from behind them.

And then Tony was finally free, held up by Bruce and Steve. Sounds of a quinjet and another helicopter reached their ears.

Steve smiled, kissing Tony lightly again. "Let's go home."

"That's the best thing I've heard all day," Tony grinned. "Let's get me some pain meds, shall we? Some of that good stuff."

"Tony…" The disapproving tone was muffled by fondness.

Natasha strode in, just as Tony, Bruce, and Steve slowly made their way out. She nodded as they passed and bent down to deal with the Enchantress.

Medics swarmed around them and Tony was gently strapped down on a gurney. Steve and Bruce settled down next to Tony when Clint popped in, smirking at the sight of a very disgruntled Tony snapping at the paramedics.

"Some things never change, do they?" he chuckled, taking his place next to Steve.

Steve smiled fondly. "Thankfully." Then the brightness on his face faded as he remembered the origins of Tony's injuries.

"Let's just hope that it stays that way…"


I really struggled with this chapter. Sorry if I dropped the ball with this. I like writing about people getting hurt, but I'm not so good at the in-between parts that are all so necessary to explain what happened. Let me know if there's anything I can improve!

Also, I'm going to be going to Peru to volunteer at a medical clinic for about three weeks, so it'll take a little bit of time for me to update this, but I promise that I will finish it! I expect one more chapter or two unless you guys want me to add a twist and make it longer, but it's completely up to you guys. If you want me to continue, let me know what kind of things you'd like to see and maybe I'll work it in.

Again, thanks to all those who reviewed! I'm so excited to see how many reviews/favorites/follows I got! Every time I get one, my day just feels so great. :)

Like always, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review!

~ Kanae Yuna