The Last Dance

Rubble crumbles beneath Tony's feet as he rushes across the battlefield. The battle was over and the devastation was high. Buildings toppled, alien spaceship everywhere and the roads were cracked and split.

The sounds of people's grief rung loud in the air, louder than the sirens of the emergency services. No one escaped this fight unharmed.

Not even the one person Tony hoped would.

Tony removes his helmet as he comes to a stop in front of Steve - twisted, broken and bleeding on the ground.

Steve smiles up at him, as if he felt none of his injures. As if seeing Tony erased all his pain. Tony wishes that were true. He wishes he could fix this.

Tony drops to his knees beside Steve. He reaches out carefully, cupping Steve's bloody face. His world blurs as tears fill his eyes. "Steve" he chokes out, his voice tight. He can barely breathe.

Steve covers his hands with his own. He can feel Steve's hands tremor through his gauntlets, can feel how weak his grip is.

He casts his eyes down Steve body, taking in all the damage, how it looks like someone took a giant can opener to him. How parts of him seem to have just been pulled away to spill his insides. Or that they squeezed and twisted him until he popped.

A weak squeeze of his hand draws him attention back to Steve's face.

Steve smiles up at him, his eyes soft and full love. "Dance with me" he says weakly.

He glares down at Steve, horrified. "No, Steve..." he says. They were wasting time, what was Steve thinking? He pulls his hands away from Steve.

"Please, Tony" Steve says. His voice is strained but calm. "Before I go"

"No!" Tony shouts, clenching his hands into tight fists. "No. You're not going to die. No." The gauntlets of the Iron Man suit creak in protest under the pressure, "We're going to get you help. Okay? We-... we can get thought this."

"Tony" Steve says, and it is almost a whisper with how quiet he is. It's not fair. This was not supposed to happen. It had taken so much work, but they fixed things between them. Things were meant to be okay now. How dare he take that from them by being-... being stupid.

"We're going to a hospital." Tony says though his teeth. He moves his hands underneath Steve to shift him.

Steve shakes his head. There is a certainty in his eyes, Steve knows that this is it for him. Tony wants to shake him. Yell at him. Why is it now that he chooses to give up? And not during any of their fights? Why now?

"You're being ridiculous" He says "We are going. NOW". Tony moves Steve into a sitting position. He pointedly ignores Steve cry of pain or the way his chest bulges out in a way is shouldn't under his uniform.

Steve lifts a shacking hand to Tony's face. "...please..." he whispers, desperation bleeding from every syllable. He can feel how much Steve wants this. All the anger leaves him, leaving only his pain.

He could never say no to Steve when he begs, Tony thinks holding back a sob.

Tony removes his armor and Steve's gloves and helmet. Carefully he lifts Steve to his feet and into his arms.

He wraps his arms around Steve's waist and back to steady him. Steve in turn puts his arms on Tony's shoulder and back. Steve rests his head on Tony's shoulder, letting out a shaky breath.

Tony leads Steve carefully. Steve moves lacking his usual grace, stumbling though the steps. They keep the dance slow.

As time slowly passes Steve leans more and more on Tony. Fading.

"I love you" Steve says softly. He can hear the tears in his voice.

Tony can't hold back his own tears any longer. He drops his head on Steve shoulder and lets them fall. It would be easy to imagine the wetness of Steve uniform was just his tears, nothing more. That Steve was leaning so heavily in his arms because he was tried after a long day of training. It would be so easy. If only life were easy.

He pulls back slightly to give Steve a gentle kiss. Their last. "I love you too" he whispers softly.

Their dance is more off a gentle rocking back and forth now. Steve's strength has just about run its course. Tony pulls Steve tighter against him.

Steve goes slack in his arms. Tony continues dancing, swaying him gently. Holding on to this for as long as he can, stretching out the moment.

But it is not long before Tony's own strength fails him and he crumbles to the ground with Steve's lifeless body in his arms. Gently he strokes the man's hair back.

"I love you too"

The End

Notes: For my Cap-Iron Man Bingo Prompt "Last Times/Farewells" [Y3]