There was a breathless kind of feeling that Tony had. Distant, distracted...cut off. Steve was avoiding his eyes, and Tony felt it in his bones, the betrayal. That that promise to love him had had a shorter expiration date than he'd expected.
Natasha had pity in her eyes; Bruce had had to excuse himself, and Tony found him, sedated, two hours later; Thor had upturned the dining room table with a roar; Clint looked as if he'd just shattered the archer's world; but worst was Coulson, turning his back on Steve. The fallen idol. The one that none of them could look to as leader anymore. Captain America may have been the head of the proverbial, superhuman snake, but Tony was the heart, as much as he'd never meant to be. He was the soul, and when it came down to it, when Steve's lie was brought out, and Tony was looked in the eyes and lied to, it was to Tony that they ultimately went.
They didn't see it happen, exactly. But they knew when Tony cracked. The shattering glass; the wild shout of fury: all Tony's sanity smashed on the floor of that hidden room behind the closet.
Natasha and Thor picked their friend up off the floor, from the glittering cavern now covered in broken glass and debris. He felt like a child; like he'd been given something beautiful and had ruined it despite everything he'd done not to.
Tony was curled in Bruce's bed while Natasha and Thor cleared his room of the evidence of Steven Rogers. Bruce's eyes flashed a dangerous green as he thrust the cardboard box of Steve's things into the soldier's arms. Steve opened his mouth, and Thor flanked Bruce, arms crossed and jaw set, "SPEAK, CAPTAIN, AND MY GREEN FRIEND WILL LOSE THE CONTROL HE HAS MANAGED. YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF THE WORDS: LEAVE THIS DWELLING AND NEVER RETURN."
Cast out, Steve felt a dart of pride and agony that they did love Tony like he'd hoped they would. "I'm sorry." He breathed, and Bruce straightened even further.
"You sound just like a Judas."
With one last look at the home he'd stripped himself of, Steve left, hope like a poison in the base of his gut that it all worked out.
It was somewhere in the middle of Stark Tower that the elevator was no longer occupied simply by Steve.
Bracing himself, Steve faced the jade-green eyes of the God of Mischief, and stood tall under the scrutiny; not as an opposition to the God, but as his equal, his ally. "You wrecked your life, mortal. Why would you do such a thing?"
"This isn't my world."
Loki smiled like a predator, "Would you like to return to your world?" Steve's breath caught. This wasn't the offer he'd expected. "It will cost you a favour, but you will return to where you belong."
Steve looked at the reflection of the fallen idol beyond the disenfranchised god, "...Deal."
The word nearly killed him. Loki disappeared like the Cheshire cat, only his twisted smile remaining, and Steve closed his eyes, sending a sincere wish to Tony that he would forgive him for making that the deal he made with the devil. Going off-script could be the death of his love, he knew.
Tony slipped from Bruce's room, avoiding all eyes until he was back in his own. Slipping into the bed that would never stop smelling like Steve and feeling like the bed they shared, Tony brought Steve's pillow to his chest, hugging it tight and letting the scent carry him away.
He knew something was wrong. More than all of it. He felt like he was dangerously close to actually feeling the part he was meant to portray. "Play me the song, JARVIS." Tony ordered hoarsely, and, for once, the AI didn't try to spare his feelings; didn't try to convince him it was against his best interests to drown in the song that had brought him his Steven Grant Rogers.
Tony settled down, knowing he wouldn't sleep, but hoping that he could shut off.
The sheets had slipped over Tony's skin, his muscles bringing him closer into Steve's warmth, the both of them covered in a light sheen of sweat, panting and smiling at each other. It'd been worth the wait. Steve had taken his hand, resting their interwoven fingers on his abs, laughing breathlessly as Tony looked down the perfect sculpture that was Steve's body. They'd gotten more than they'd bargained for, so connected that they felt like the same person as Steve rolled onto his side, Tony slipping his arms around Steve securely, to shield him from those nightmares that were growing less and less. "How do you feel?" Tony asked, his lips against Steve's shoulder.
"Weird, but good."
"Are you in pain?"
"Hm?" Steve had been half-asleep already, and Tony almost laughed at the now-ex virgin. "No...no, 'm just sleepy…"
"Then sweet dreams, Steve."
What would he have done if he'd known what they'd have to do for their friends? Would he have held Steve a little closer? Would he have kissed him awake again, and done everything and more than what they'd allowed themselves? Would he have never let the sunlight in?
Tony felt a pang of guilt. It would've cost them all, probably in lives, but he would have done all of that.
And he would have talked Steve out of the only plan that had a chance at saving them.
Steve swallowed, his throat feeling like he was swallowing broken glass. Loki had told him that he would have to test him, but this was just...malicious.
And it was to prove Steve himself could be malicious, too.
The strawberry-blond woman turned her head, but not fast enough to see the shield headed for her skull; and certainly not fast enough to dodge it. She fell, and Steve caught his shield, watching her hair turn slowly blood-red.
"Good work, Captain." Loki hissed behind him, and Steve's skin crawled.
"It's not difficult to break a heart, and Tony's is the heart of the Avengers. With him down, the others won't rally as they should."
"Very clever," Loki told him approvingly, and Steve had to look away before Loki could reach through his eyes and into his mind to hear his next thought, 'Of course it is: Tony came up with this plan, after all.' "But I still require you to kill the real Pepper Potts. You want me to believe you'll give me what I want to get what you want? You'll have to wait until this whole world has fallen down around you before I'll remake it to what you want it to be."
It went against everything Steve was, but he had to do it.
Steve's hand was shaking as he lined up the shot: Pepper making it too easy, worried about the SHIELD agent-double that had been assigned to protect her; to fool Loki. A bullet through Pepper Potts's head: no one would know it was even him but Tony.
...Tony would know. Tony would be crushed. Steve couldn't do this. He really couldn't.
But Captain America could.
It's all a part of the plan.
Once again, thanks to everyone for the reviews. I'm sorry that this is a shorty, but it's acting as an introduction to what's coming, so I hope no one minds too much.
Please bear with me, guys. I will tell you now that it'll get really bad, but I also promise that it won't end bad. If you can stick with me, I'd appreciate it.
Anywho, considering this was meant to be a oneshot, I'm shocked to see how it's ended up, but kinda happy, too. Yay for the random plot generator that is my brain.