Little Lion Man
~Weep little lion man, you're not as brave as you were at the start~
Tony stared blankly at the wall in front of him, arms curled around his knees. He slowly rocked back and forth, gently thumping against the wall behind him. His body may have been in Stark Tower, but his mind was back in Afghanistan.
His head being dunked in the bucket of water. Screaming for help, only to be laughed at. Guns pointed at his face. Pain from the shrapnel in his chest. Pain from being bound too tightly to a chair. Pain from having his hair pulled, forcing his head back. PainPainPainPainPainPainPain…
"Tony, you there? It's Steve. Jarvis let me in, so you should be here. Right?" Tony snapped out of the flashback. Who? Steve. Steve was here. He'd be safe with Steve, right?
~Rate yourself and rake yourself. Take all the courage you have left~
Taking a deep breath, Tony uncurled from his ball, wincing as his muscles stretched after being in such a cramped position for so long. After a few minutes of heavy breathing, he was standing, albeit shakily. "O-One sec, Cap!" Leaning heavily on the wall, Tony made his way to the bedroom door. He flung it open, nonchalantly trying to lean on it. He figured he couldn't stand without its support. Steve stood in the doorway, arms crossed. "Where have you been? Weren't we supposed to meet for coffee?"
~It was not your fault but mine, and it was your heart on the line. I really fucked it up this time, didn't I my dear?"
Tony gave his signature smirk, but his eyes were pained. "Sorry, Capsicle. Totally forgot your Adonis self was waiting for me. Wanna try again next week?" Steve tilted his head, much like a Golden Retriever. "Tony, are you okay?" Tony kept smirking, but his mind was racing. Shit, Steve was fast. "Course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? You hinting at something, Spangles?"
Steve reached out his hand, cupping Tony's cheek. "Please, Tony. Please trust me. I care about you, Tony. Probably more than I should. So please just tell me!"
Tony broke. He buried his face in the crook of Steve's neck and sobbed. He cried out everything he kept bottled up, everything he had to hide from the world. And Steve just held him. He held Tony close, hugging him and murmuring his name. And that's when Tony knew he'd be safe. Steve would be there for him. Always.
/
The song is Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons
I own nothing!