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It happens all at once: one moment Tony is flying the Quinjet over the jungle of the North Shore of the Caribbean island of St-Mary, and the next everything stops working. There is not even an alarm, just a blink and the whole jet is powered off. A definite problem, when on a plane, Tony thinks everyone would agree on that. But even more worrisome is that the armor and FRIDAY are offline too.
"Shit."
Tony has built in multiple redundancies in the suit so he doesn't get stuck in a metal coffin in case of problems. But right now? None of his failsafe are working.
"Tony?"
He had the helmet off, which at least allows him to turn his head and look at Steve, who has noticed what is going on. Pretty obvious with the controls now dark and the plane losing altitude.
"I do not understand why it stopped! Suit is fried too."
"Jesus." Steve has the magical compass Steven Strange lent them for the current mission in one hand, but the other is gripping to console so hard the metal is bending. He's ghostly pale and Tony realizes that a plane crash must be very far up the list of things Steve wishes to never experience again. Nonetheless, the man is nothing but brave and jokes. "If it's any consolation, we're going in the right direction."
Let's say that the job isn't at the forefront of Tony's priorities right now. The very mission that was supposed to be a milk run, according to Strange.
It had sounded like it: people had been steadily disappearing in this area for the last six months, entering the jungle without reason and then never coming back. Only one person had made it out, unable to explain what was going on because all she did all day was to draw a squiggly symbol, over and over again. When sending in first responders to find the missing people repeatedly gave nothing – because they disappeared too - the authorities of the Island of St-Mary had requested the Avenger's help.
If Stephen was to be believed, the key to stop the mysterious disappearance shenanigans was to destroy an object adorned with the symbol in the woman's drawing. It was a concentrator of dark magic, or something to that effect, and once the object was taken out, the 'curse' would fizzle out. There was only one warning: to not touch the cursed object, which sounded easy enough.
Like a fool Tony had let Strange rope him into taking care of this one. Stephen had made it sound like good PR and very little work, on a tropical island on top. Tony had been immediately seduced by the idea, and to his surprise Steve had wanted to tag along. To expedite the find and destroy mission, Strange had loaned Steve an enchanted compass.
The whole trip sounded almost fun. Well obviously it is nothing of the sort now that the plane is crashing and Tony couldn't care less if the compass is pointing them towards the object they have to destroy.
He tells Steve so.
"Not really!" Tony says. He can't even move to cover his head for the emergency landing and hopes the suit will protect him from the worst of the damage. "Brace yourself!"
Steve, the fool, tackles him down from the pilot's seat to the ground seconds before the plane crashes into the jungle. The shock is jarring, as much from hitting the floor than the metal screeching and wood cracking loudly around the Quinjet, shaking them badly. Steve is covering Tony's head with his body at the worst of it, which is notably when a violent explosion rocks the plane. Steve jerks and swears loudly.
Tony hates that he's stuck and helpless. "Get off of me!" he urges, rolling to his side. He uses gravity and his momentum to angle his arm in order to reach the manual release.
Steve's voice is thready as he sits on the ground next to Tony but continues to curse under his breath, "oh shit, fuck, God…"
Yeah, Tony thinks, Steve is allowed a minute to freak out about surviving a plane crash. Again.
At last Tony toddles the switch that unlocks several joints of the armor. The suit's front opens enough for him to have a grip to pry the metal off, like a very expensive tin can. He turns to ask for Steve's help, and his stomach drops. Visibly Steve is not well, but not in a shit-my-plane-crashed-again way. The super soldier is rocking back and forth slightly, with both hands over his eyes and there's blood dripping from between his fingers.
"Steve?"
"My eyes… Tony, something's very wrong." His voice is thin, scared, and it's heartbreaking.
"I'll have a look, okay?" Tony says, hoping his own building panic at the situation isn't audible. "But we have to get out of the jet first."
Because unfortunately Steve's injury isn't their only concern: there's fire in the cabin, burning in the cargo hold.
"Are you all right?" Steve asks and isn't that just him through and through? Worrying about Tony when he's the one seriously injured?
"I'm okay," Tony says, forcing his way out of the armor completely. "The suit is busted though."
"Arc reactor?"
"Working fine." Thank fuck, because Tony would be in a lot of trouble. The reactor has very few mechanical components, just energy generation that feeds on itself and works as an electromagnet.
Once out of the suit, Tony regrets that he'd hopped directly in the armor after his shower wearing only boxer shorts and a tank top. In his defense, they were going to a tropical island! The suit has climate control but is better at making him warm than keeping him cool. He hadn't wanted to get clammy in Iron Man by adding the undersuit and figured he'd change into light clothes when the mission was over. The problem is that his suitcase and any potential changes of clothes are presently on fire; Tony is therefore half naked and shoeless, with nothing to remedy to the situation in the near future.
Tony opens the door on the side of the plane, and the draft of air unfortunately fuels the fire. It's getting hot in here, and the smoke will become a problem if they don't get out right now.
"Come on," Tony says, grabbing Steve's arm to pull him to his feet, then puts a hand on his lower back to guide him towards the exit. "Right here, let's get you out and I'll check your eyes okay?"
"Okay." Steve is keeping his hands on his eyes but follows instructions as they get out. Tony walks him away from the plane, weary of another explosion. Somehow the plane ended up in a small clearing, and Tony makes Steve sit down on a rock past the trees and out of the danger zone.
"Don't move," Tony demands, tapping his shoulder in reassurance.
"Where are you going?" Steve asks, alarmed.
"I need to go back to the plane, just for a minute. I'll try the comm again."
"Be careful," Steve says.
"Will do. Just a minute, I'll be right back," Tony repeats.
He jogs back to the plane and curses when he sees that the fire has spread. The cockpit is filling with smoke, and the metal of the hull is getting warm to the touch around the door. Trying to inhale as little smoke as possible, Tony immediately goes to the dashboard. It's clear that there's nothing he can do, not with the time he has: the controls are still completely dead. On the other hand, he mentally thanks whoever decided that including two first aid kits in the Quinjet would be a good thing and grabs the one under the pilot's chair.
Tony is about to go back to Steve when his eyes fall on his useless armor on the floor. Dragging it out would be next to impossible, it's too heavy, but he can grab parts, enough to make a weapon. Who knows what made them crash and what is waiting for them in the jungle. Tony tosses the first aid kit out of the door and gets to his knees next to the armor. He only needs to dislodge a gauntlet, and he has the mini tool kit from the thigh compartment. It's frustrating work, especially since he has to go by feel because the smoke is making his eyes water and he's coughing more than breathing at this point. After sacrificing a fingernail to the cause, Tony detaches the gauntlet, and rips off a handful of electrical wires from the innards of the suit next. It's all he has time for, the fire is getting way too close and the smoke too dense.
He grabs his loot and hurries out of the plane, only to find Steve hovering close by. His eyes are closed and his face and hands are covered in blood, looking gory.
"Tony!"
"What-" Tony coughs, then gets a bit of his breath back. "I told you to stay over there on the rock!"
"You were gone too long! I could hear you coughing but you didn't answer me!"
Ah shit. Of course Steve had been ready to come back for him, even without working eyes.
"I couldn't hear you with the fire, sorry about that." Tony picks the first aid kid and presses it against Steve's chest. "There, hold this. Now come with me, I'm worried the plane will blow up again."
There's an auxiliary fuel tank in the front of the plane, and a secondary explosion is in fact only a question of time. Hopefully FRIDAY will get the thermal data from satellite imagery and send someone over for a rescue. It's embarrassing to need help like this when they were supposed to take care of things, but what can you do? They'd better stay close to the wreckage, but still far enough not to get caught in the blast radius. Guiding Steve away with one hand again, and holding his armor parts with the other, Tony brings him back to the rock he'd chosen. He makes Steve sit down again and opens the first aid kit to check what he has to work with.
"It's bad, Tony."
Tony hates how freaked out he sounds.
There's a bottle of water in the kit, and it seems reasonable to sacrifice it to assess the situation. He tips Steve's chin up and tries to sound as if he knows what he's doing.
"Okay, so this will suck, but I need to pour water in your eyes okay? I need to clean things up, and you must help me by keeping your eyelids open. Do you think you can do that?"
"Yeah," Steve says.
He does as asked and in return Tony does his best not to physically react, either by flinching or gasping at the reveal because Steve's eyes are a mess. What is left of them, anyway, because unfortunately pouring in water shows they've been pierced by thin metal shards from the explosion.
"How is it? I can't see anything," Steve asks.
"I won't lie, it's not pretty," Tony says, crouching to get the tweezers from the kit. "Hold still okay? There's stuff to get out, but you have the serum. You'll heal right up and it will be fine."
Tony wishes he was as confident as he is trying to sound.
"Okay, okay." Brave front, though Steve doesn't sound convinced.
It's a delicate procedure to extract the metal shards, but Tony has been blessed with steady hands and has experience with precise manual work. Fortunately he isn't actually digging into Steve's eyes when the Quinjet's front tank explodes, making them jump. It's relatively quick work to get all the metal he can see out, and Tony rinses Steve's eyes one last time when he figures he's finished. He sure hopes he got everything, because Steve could heal around any leftover residue, and that wouldn't be good at all. Tony makes Steve close his eyes at last and wraps a gauze bandage around his head to protect the wounds.
"Okay, all done," Tony finally says, and he can't help petting Steve's hair in reassurance.
"Thank you," Steve says. His voice is firmer, and Tony is extremely glad for it. He's not used to a vulnerable Steve Rogers, it's very destabilizing. "What now?"
Tony looks around and how, apart from the smoke of the jet, there's nothing but jungle. "I suppose that we wait for the cavalry."
Steve's mouth turns down in annoyance. "That helped no one until now."
"You want to proceed with the mission?" Tony asks, unable to mask his disbelief.
"Yes." A Captain America laced-answer, with a firm tone and his jaw clenched for emphasis (of course).
"You're badly hurt!"
"I thought it was nothing," Steve tries to joke.
Tony scoffs. "You know what I mean. I don't know how much time it will take for you to heal."
"And I don't think we should just wait and do nothing. We were going straight for the source of the magic, even when crashing. It can't be far, and people need our help."
"I get that," Tony says. He's not so great at sitting around either. "Okay, fine, we'll do recon but first I need to find a weapon. I'm sorry to say, but your shield is still in the wreckage, We'll get it back when it's finished burning." It was unfortunately in the cargo hold.
"Then hurry gimmicking something with the armor parts," Steve says.
"How-"
"Please," Steve says as if it's obvious. "Why else would you stay in there that long?"
"Touché," Tony says with a snort. "Yes, I got a gauntlet off. Rest and give me a couple of minutes to see if I can make it work."
"Of course you can make it work," Steve says with confidence, which warms Tony up. Steve also sits on the ground, leaning against the rock, head tipped towards the sky. Tony would freak out in his place, the calm is impressive. But then again that's Steve through and through.
Fishing a screwdriver from the small tool kit, Tony opens the gauntlet to assess the situation with the servos and other mechanical parts. If he can unblock whatever's been done earlier, then he'll be able to connect the reactor to the gauntlet as a power source. He hopes it works because traipsing around the jungle unarmed would make Tony feel even more naked than he already is.
With Steve unable to see, Tony knows he must destroy the artifact by himself, which is fine. Hopefully, the whole process won't take too long and Tony makes a note to send Strange a scathing email about this mission not being as easy as advertised.
**
They've been walking long enough to have left the sounds of the plane burning behind them a while ago. Thankfully the growth is humid enough past the clearing that there is very little chance the forest will catch on fire too. Steve can follow Tony with few problems, and they keep up a good pace (Tony is slowed down more by the fact he's walking barefoot in the undergrowth).
Tony is no expert in jungles, but he's been adjacent to it in resorts enough times to feel that something isn't normal with this place. It takes him a while to pinpoint that it's the lack of bird sounds. It's not silent, there are some insects and frogs, but not much else; jungles are usually a lot more noisy in his limited experience. Even more unsettling is the feeling of being watched that Tony just can't shake. It's like an itch between the shoulder blades, but no matter how quickly he turns his head to peer behind them there's nothing.
"Are there animals?" Steve asks at one point.
"You feel that too, huh? Nothing I can see."
Steve lost Strange's compass during the crash and Tony didn't think of looking for it when he got back in the plane. Nonetheless Tony feels as if he knows where to go, like a calling. It's probably the same impulse that made all of those people leave their home, so he's trying to be prudent too. It could be a trap and he doesn't want to lead Steve right into it.
Tony doesn't know how long it's been when the first semi-distinct shadow moves in the corner of his eyes. He almost trips on his feet and pivots, rising up the hand with the repulsor instinctively. He has made his gauntlet functional, but it's at reduced power and slow to charge. Any shot he takes must count because there is very little margin for error.
"What is it?" Steve asks after bumping into him.
"I don't know," Tony grouses. That's probably what makes it worse and more stressful than it should be.
They walk but not a minute in there's movement at the edge of his vision, fast and way too silent. And then again, on his right. It's starting to take a toll and Tony is getting jumpy.
"What is going on?" Steve asks again.
"I said I don't know!" Tony replies curtly. Getting mad at Steve is unfair, though, he can understand how frustrating it must be not to see anything at all.
"Something is obviously wrong."
"There's something moving around. More than one something. But I can't see it right, it's too fast," Tony tries to explain. "Definitely too fast to be human, at least. Let's keep moving." When they stop walking, the sensation of being watched augments tenfold.
The sun is setting, and natural shadows are lengthening. There is more and more movement around them, feeding Tony's paranoia.
"I hate this," he declares, armored hand up almost all the time now.
"You know, I'm not having the best day ever either," Steve adds, sounding frustrated.
They are prone to snapping at each other, but Tony feels as though their tempers are running too hot, even with their current circumstances. Something is not right, and it reminds him of when they were under the influence of Loki's staff on the helicarrier. Consciously he reigns it in, and gives Steve a pass since he has to deal with busted eyes, which would put anyone in a foul mood.
"Whatever it is," Tony says, "it wants to play on our nerves and it's working. If I could just see wha-"
Tony stops talking - and walking - when he glances behind them and see some of the highest trees sway markedly apart from each other.
"Tony?"
There's a tall lanky form there, looking over thirty feet tall. It appears to be drawing into itself all the light and color, especially in what seems to be its eyes. As far as Tony can see, it's not corporeal but a huge shadow in a vaguely humanoid shape. In contrast to whatever has been driving Tony slightly insane in the last hours it moves slowly, like it hasn't quite mastered its form yet. The result is terrifying, right out of nightmares, and all of Tony's body hair stands on end.
"What is it?" Steve whispers. Maybe he can feel the aura of terror that the thing exudes.
"I don't know," Tony confesses. "But it's not good."
A gross understatement if he ever made one. At the ground level, the quick shapes are circling closer and it clicks for Tony: him and Steve are prey and those are the hounds.
"Fuck," he mutters, raising the gauntlet and the next time one passes close enough he fires the repulsor, making the fast shadow shatter upon contact.
Before he has time to rejoice another of the small shapes appears, but at least staying further away than before. Behind them, Tony can hear a tree being crushed as the smoke monster takes a huge lumbering step forward. It might be slow but with fifteen feet legs it moves at a good pace. This is not a fight he can win with a half-broken gauntlet. The only option he sees right now is to grab Steve's hand and pull in the opposite direction.
"Run!"
Tony does his best to find the easiest looking path away and Steve doesn't miss a beat and follows, no question asked.
"Duck!" Tony urges soon after, and thankfully Steve avoids braining himself the low-hanging branch in their path. "Okay, it's cleared," Tony adds while tugging on Steve's hand insistently. "Straight ahead for now, go go go!"
It's a good thing that Steve has crazy good balance because the terrain is uneven and he's running blind, literally. Tony risks a glance back and yeah, the makeshift bandage is still tied around Steve's head, protecting his eyes from further damage.
It also makes Tony look towards what they are desperately trying to escape and a shiver goes down his spine. They are too slow, or maybe it's just too fast. A big crash makes birds take flight in alarm and Tony's adrenaline spikes. The thing, whatever it is, can't be more than a hundred feet behind them in the jungle. Immense - dangerous - evil is the impression that radiates from it, and Tony thinks he can see fangs shrouded in shadows. That's probably just the fear talking; he wouldn't be surprised that the thing is messing with his head too. Even Steve - who hasn't seen it for obvious reasons - might be affected.
"I can go faster," Steve insists. "Don't slow down for me, run!"
Tony secures his hold on Steve's hand and picks up the pace.
Hopefully the serum will make fast work of healing Steve because Tony's not sure he'll be able to get them out of this shit show alive without help. He has a thought for Steven Fucking Strange and swears he's never volunteering for something magical ever again.
***
Somehow, they distance the shadows, even the small ones, or it's just that Tony cannot see them now that the sun has set. He thinks they're in the clear, though, because the sensation of being watched has lessened markedly. The fast shadows that were hounding them clearly fear the repulsor blasts. Even though it takes more and more time for the gauntlet to charge up, Tony made his hits count. Now that he's not moved by urgency as much, the rest catches up to him: he's cold, tired and his feet hurt like hell.
It is getting very hard to navigate in the jungle since it's so dark. The half moon and loads of stars in the sky help a little but not enough. Tony has slowed down to a walking pace and has been looking around for anything that could work as a shelter until morning. Unfortunately, there are no convenient cabins, not even a cave (not his favorites on principle, but he would have taken it). He needs a break, though, his feet are killing him, so he chooses a big tree that they can at least both lean against to secure their backs. He guides Steve - who he is still holding by the hand - to it before announcing his intention to stop.
"I can't find shelter, but we will take a break, anyway.".
"Maybe we should continue," Steve says. "I can't hear the things anymore, but they can't be far."
Too late, Tony is already sitting down, and he groans in relief just at not having the sole of his feet - or what is left of them - against the ground.
"Nope, break."
Steve sighs, but he sits down too. "Fine."
Tony wants to check Steve's eyes, but he won't see much in these conditions.
"You wouldn't happen to have a flashlight, huh?" he jokes.
There's a flash of white teeth and Steve opens one pouch on his belt. "As a matter of fact, I do!"
It makes Tony gape. "And you didn't think to tell me for the last hour where I've been navigating in the dark?"
"Sorry, I didn't know," Steve says with a wince and offers the small LED flashlight he dug out. "It can't be past 8 o'clock, is it really that dark?"
"Yeah, the sun sets early near the equator. I want to look at your eyes again," Tony says. Well to say he wants to is a lie, but it still needs doing.
"Okay."
Tony takes off the gauntlet and puts it on the ground, deciding not to undo the connection to the reactor. The easiest way to have a good position to peer down in Steve's eyes is to straddle his thighs. The move surprises Steve judging by the sound he makes in the back of his throat. His hands quickly find Tony's hips, almost defensively, but then let him go just as fast as if he's been burned.
"Sorry," Tony apologizes. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's fine," Steve says, voice tight. Tony will have to remember to be more careful to warn of his movements.
He carefully unwraps the gauze from around Steve's head, and thankfully the dried blood didn't make it stick too much to his skin. He sets the bandage aside to reuse later if needed and clicks the flashlight on.
"Can you open your eyes for me please?"
Steve's eyelids flutter twice before he opens them wide. It's an immense relief to see how much better his eyes look already. They are not mangled anymore, punctures gone and the shape back to normal, but their surface is milky white. There's only a suggestion of pale blue at Steve irises, and as far as Tony can see the pupil area doesn't respond at all to the direct light of the flashlight. It's still impressive healing for two to three hours and it bodes well for a complete recovery.
Tony lets go of the breath he hadn't even realized he'd held in and squeezes Steve's nape reassuringly. "That serum is the ultimate magical juice, you lucky bastard."
It makes Steve perk up and smile. "Yeah?"
"Definitely, they're healing very well. Still can't see anything? What about the light?"
"No, nothing," Steve says and closes his eyes again, which is for the best because looking better doesn't mean white eyes aren't freaky. "They hurt a lot less, so at least there's that too."
"Magical juice," Tony repeats as he wraps the bandage around Steve's head again, it's the only protection they have while the serum helps complete the job. "Which I'd like right about now, geez."
It was a wrong thing to say. "What? You didn't tell me you were hurt! Goddamnit Tony-"
Tony interrupts Steve before he gets the third degree. "No injuries, at least not from the crash. My feet hurt, mostly."
Steve had kept his hands on the ground throughout Tony's inspection of his wounds, but they fly back to Tony's body now, shockingly warm against his calves.
"What the-" Steve makes a rapid sweep, patting him down briskly and therefore discovering Tony's secret. "Why are you almost naked?"
"I had the armor! I didn't know I'd have to run around in the jungle like this!"
It makes Steve huff.
"I thought you always wore the under suit." His fingers find the abused sole of Tony's feet. "No shoes either?"
"Not even socks," Tony says with a sigh.
"You could take my boots," Steve says. "As you said I heal fast, it would hurt me a lot less than you."
Tony can't help laughing at the mental image. "As much as I'd rock those high red leather boots with underwear, your feet are three sizes bigger than mine, Steve. It won't work and you need to be as steady upright as you can while you can't see yet."
"Fine."
Steve gently prods his feet again. Tony is about to tell him not to bother, there's nothing to do about them, when Steve digs his thumbs in the arch of his feet and make him gasp.
"Is that okay?" Steve asks.
"Oh God yes," Tony all but moans, slumping forward to put his head on Steve's shoulder. "It feels amazing."
"Good," Steve says, thankfully unbothered by his limpet impression. "I hear running water nearby. We could go there, soak your feet. You put the purifying tablets in my belt right? I could use a drink."
"Yeah," Tony mumbles. He's thirsty too, but he really doesn't want to move. "You're comfortable though."
Steve laughs, which also feels amazing. "I'd carry you, but I'd probably trip and break both of our faces."
After indulging in the fantastic foot massage for two more minutes, Tony leaves Steve's lap with great reluctance and stands up, bitching at how much it hurts. It's even worse than before they stopped. With the flashlight and Steve's instructions it's at least relatively easy to find the little creek snaking through the jungle. It's worth it though because when Tony sits on a rock and dips his feet in, the water is so cold it almost numbs them right away. He must have made a pornographic-sounding groan because Steve's voice is amused.
"That good, huh?"
Tony is almost lightheaded from the sudden lack of pain, which loosens his tongue. "No worries beautiful, your massaging skills are not put in question here."
"I am reassured," Steve says, sitting beside him upstream and filling their empty water bottle. He extends the foil packet with the water purifying tablets to Tony next, who pops one out to drop in the bottle for Steve to shake. They need to wait, but it should be fine. Well Tony needs to wait until it's ready, Steve probably could drink the water straight away without fear. Courtesy of magical juice again.
"We don't have the compass anymore, but we can't be very far from that dumb artifact," Tony says. The sensation of being pulled towards something is stronger than ever. "But I vote we rest up, and face whatever we have to face when the sun comes up. We'll be of no use in the dark, even with the flashlight."
"Fine." Steve is a lot less eager to continue and Tony would bet the rest of the clothes on his back that it's because Tony is hurt and needs the rest. He'll take it.
Steve's stomach growls very loudly, and he digs in his utility belt until he produces a protein bar. Then a little packet of almonds from another pouch.
"So that's what you keep in there!" Tony teases.
"Yep, snacks," Steve says, trying to give him the protein bar. Tony takes the packet of almonds instead; Steve needs as much protein and energy as he can to heal his eyes.
"Thanks," Tony says. "As much as this feels great for my feet, we should go back to the big tree to sleep with at least something behind us."
"Sure," Steve says, getting up and picking the empty foil packet from Tony's hands to shove it with his own garbage in the belt. He turns around, presenting his back. "Come on, get up. Best to keep your feet clean as they dry. And to give them a break."
Tony laughs, "a piggy back ride?"
"Why not? The terrain was smooth coming here, and you can guide me."
"You better not break our faces, Rogers," Tony threatens.
It's too tempting an offer to refuse, especially since just standing up makes Tony grimace at this point. He hops on Steve's back, and they are on their way with almost no input from Tony at all. Exceptional spacial awareness seems to work even when blind.
If the circumstances were different, this little ride would be very enjoyable. It's a definite turn on that Steve can carry him around as if it's nothing at all, and he likes having those hands on the skin of his thighs.
"Okay, we're here," Tony says as he slides down, then sits against the tree again.
Steve settles down beside him - shoulder to shoulder - and gives him the water bottle, that they share in a comfortable silence. It's only when a shiver wracks Tony's body that Steve speaks up.
"Cold?"
"A bit," he admits. It will get miserable very fast, judging at how rapidly the temperature is dropping.
"I'm not sure that building a fire is a good idea," Steve says apologetically.
"Yeah, no. I don't want the hounds to find us again."
"Hounds?" Steve asks.
"That's what I've been calling the fast black shadows we had on our heels. It's the big ass one that worries me, though." God, just thinking about the lumbering giant shadow monster makes Tony shiver again, this time in fear.
Steve makes a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. "I hate this, I'm so useless."
"You're getting better by the minute. And, well, I'm glad you're with me," Tony says. "It would suck to do this alone."
"I'm glad you're the one with me too," Steve says right back.
Isn't that heartwarming? Unfortunately mushy sentiments don't make a half naked man in a cooling jungle more comfortable and Tony's teeth are starting to chatter.
"Come here," Steve says. He pulls and rolls until they are lying down on their sides, Tony ending up being the little spoon tucked in between Steve and the three.
"Don't think I'm not aware that you're deliberately putting yourself between me and possible danger," Tony says.
"Safer like this," Steve says.
Tony feels as if he should protest at the treatment, but he's exhausted and doesn't want to fight.
"Whatever."
A lot like the earlier piggy back ride, in other circumstances Tony would find being forcibly cuddled by Steve a lot more enjoyable. Not that it isn't nice, it definitely is: Steve is solid at his back, radiating heat and it comes with a general feeling of being safe. Tony had very different scenarios when imagining how he'd end up lying in Steve's arms, that's all. Heck, he probably shares those fantasies of Steve - both the sexy and the helplessly romantic ones - with a decent percentage of the World's population. God, he's such a cliché.
One perk of being spooned by a hot super soldier - pun intended - is that he finally warms up and the drowsiness is pulling him under fast even if they are lying on the hard ground.
"Remind me to tell Strange he's in charge of destroying artifacts from now on," Steve mumbles against Tony's nape. "He owes us."
Ha! Tony had the same reflection earlier, this is vindicating.
"Will do. You read my mind," he answers.
Yeah, Tony would pay a lot of money to witness Steve ripping Strange a new one. Until he has the pleasure, though, he needs to rest and recharge. Hopefully the hounds and the monster will allow it if only for a little while.
**
The problem with the current setup with the gauntlet is that Tony did a crude connection to the arc reactor, but it's inefficient and each blast drains its power a little more. Tony lost count of the number of times he discharged during their flight from the smokey hounds the night before, but it was quite a bit. He hopes they'll wrap this up soon, or at the very least get help, because he can't continue at that rate. He uses the first light of the day to do slight adjustments, but soon has to admit there's nothing more to do.
Steve slept heavily when Tony woke up, only reluctantly switching his hold from Tony's waist to one of his legs when he sat against the tree to work on the gauntlet. The koala impression is cute as hell, and it's been very hard to resist petting his hair. He's waking up now, a slight stirring and then he tenses all over, probably full awake and assessing the situation. With the bandage still over his eyes, it must be very disorienting.
"It's all right Steve," Tony says, covering Steve's nape with his hand. "Jungle, St-Mary Island, no threat for now."
It makes Steve relax, and he does a full body stretch, yawning. "'Kay."
"Let's check your eyes," Tony says, and Steve nods.
He's still sleep heavy, movements slow, and lets Tony unwrap his head before he slowly opens his eyelids. His eyes are blue and beautiful, as they should be, and Steve smiles widely. He's so gorgeous that Tony's heart skips.
"You see?"
"Not much, not yet," Steve says. "But I can differentiate shadows and light."
"Fantastic!" Tony exclaims, and he gives Steve a quick hug, he's so happy. "I told you so!"
"Yeah." Steve keeps grinning and Tony is tempted to kiss him, right here and now.
Unfortunately there is a sudden movement in the corner of his eye and Tony's stomach drops. The hound shadows have found them again.
"Shit," he says, raising his gauntlet.
"They're back?" Steve guesses.
"Yes." They get up and even though it's better than when they went to bed, Tony's feet are sore and very tender. "I'm afraid we'll have to run again."
"We need to find the focus artifact and end this," Steve insists.
"I know!" Tony snaps back. Shit, with the hounds closer and certainly the shadow demon monster not very far, they are getting on edge again. The contrast to a mere five minute before is obvious.
He once more leads Steve by the hand, a brisk walk towards what has to be the source of the disturbance by how much he's drawn to it. Tony blasts the hounds when they come too close, but he can feel the power drainage now, which is not a good sign at all. He's just made a shot that made his knees go weak and he has to stop, putting his gauntlet against a tree trunk.
"Give me a second," he says, willing the dizziness away.
"What are you not telling me?" Steve asks.
Tony is tempted to lie, but he's trying not to do that to people he trusts these days.
"The shots are draining the reactor," he admits.
"What? Shit, how are you feeling? Is it dangerous?" Steve is freaking out, maybe he should have lied after all.
"It's not critical-"
"Tony!"
"It's fine for now, but I can't continue like that for long," Tony says.
"Then stop firing at them. They haven't touched us."
Imagining letting the hounds get close is making Tony's skin crawl. "They give me the creeps."
"Yeah, but there might be something more dangerous later."
Tony thinks of yesterday's big monster and sure hopes not. A mere repulsor blast or even twelve of them won't be enough to get rid of that thing. They walk a good hour, each step close to agony but for sure making Tony stay alert and aware of the damn hounds circling them in progressively tighter circles. He wants to fire, so much, but he knows he has maybe half a dozen shots left and once that's done he's leaving them practically helpless. He won't do that to Steve, no way.
The hounds keep getting closer, which is nerve wracking, but for some reason they never touch them and eventually disengage. It's a relief when they disappear, even if it's suspicious. Why the production to scare them if it was to leave them alone if they didn't fight back? And the big monster has not re-appeared, either.
Without warning Steve plants his feet on the ground, unmoving, which makes Tony stop short too.
"What is it?"
Head inclined, Steve puts a finger on his lips requesting silence. Can he hear the monster? Tony cannot perceive anything but the regular muted jungle sounds.
"We're almost there. I hear faint chanting, lots of people."
Great, another thing Tony's not sure he can take in this state. They are more careful in their approach especially when they are in range for Tony to hear the chanting too.
Tony expected to find the artifact at the end of this journey, but not that it would be in the middle of a clearing and surrounded by kneeling and chanting people. There is very little doubt that the green glowing rock set on a bigger rock so it's elevated above the crowd is exactly what they are looking for, even without the symbol clearly etched on it. All around it seems to be every abductees and whoever tried to find them judging by their number and the various uniforms. At one point St-Mary sent their armed force, but they are kneeling like the rest, eyes on the stone.
He can understand the fascination though. It's beautiful, for sure, and if the pull was strong before it's almost irresistible now. There's something soothing about it, and Tony knows that if he goes to it, it's powerful enough to take away the pain in his feet. In fact, it will take care of everything that is wrong with him, the nightmares, the chest pain from the reactor, the debilitating fear that he's never doing enough. A hand on his arm distracts him.
"Tony!" Steve sounds agitated, and his grip on Tony's bicep is almost painful.
"Yeah, what?" It's an effort to look away from the stone.
There's definitely something bothering Steve: his eyes are opened wide - even if still unseeing - as if he's afraid.
"I've called your name five times! You didn't answer me and walked into the clearing!"
Huh, look at that, Tony hadn't even realized he'd moved closer to the stone. Clearly it's messing with him and wants to send him to his knees to chant too.
"You don't feel it? The need to go to it?"
"I do," Steve says. "But no more than earlier."
"It's very pretty. Green. I see the symbol."
"You know we must not touch it, but we need to destroy it."
"Do we really?" It would be a shame. Surely it's not that bad, those people are not unhappy. In fact they look in perfect health even if several of them have been missing for months.
"We do!" Steve insists. "Come on Tony, snap out if it, I know you can do it." He accompanies it with shaking Tony's arm.
"Okay, fine," Tony says, and decides to stop looking at the thing which helps reduce the impulse to go to it. It's probably why Steve can resist so much better than him.
"We need to break it, like Stephen said."
"I don't think I can do it," Tony admits. "If I go near the rock, I won't be able to resist touching it." He's not even sure he could look at it from close enough to aim the repulsor.
"Then I'll do it, but you need to guide me," Steve says.
"Okay." He can do that, probably.
"Is there something I could use?"
Tony looks over the group of people closest to them, careful not to let his eyes stray to the center of the clearing. Most are civilians dressed as if they got out of their houses and walked in the jungle - which they did! - but those who Tony is pretty sure were failed rescuers often have machetes. A good swing with that and Steve can totally shatter the pretty green stone.
"Come with me," Tony says, taking Steve's hand and leading him to the first man with a machete he finds. Too bad he doesn't have a gun too, it would have been reassuring. He closes Steve's right hand around the blade's handle, then gently guides his other hand on the length of it so he gets a good feel of how long it is. "Got it?"
"That will do," Steve says.
"I'll have to stay behind you," Tony says.
"Yes, just point me the right way," Steve says, swishing the machete right and left, determined.
"Okay, let's go," Tony says.
He puts his hand on Steve back and they start walking towards the center of the clearing. Tony keeps his eyes on the ground, a few feet away at most, just to steer Steve around the kneeling and still chanting people. He doesn't risk course-correcting by looking in the stone's direction, but since every 'worshipper' is facing it dead on, it's a good indicator. They are about a third of the way there, or Tony guesses, when the hounds reappear.
"Shit, they're back."
And this time, they mean business. No more hovering close of just being a nuisance in zooming nearby. They charge and when one gets in contact with Steve he cries out in pain. Tony didn't even know they were corporeal, but they clearly hurt him.
"What the hell! Are you okay?"
"It took me by surprise. It's freezing, it does hurt, but I'll be fine. The stone Tony!"
"They're coming back," Tony warns, and this time two at once, aiming for Steve again.
He can't let him get hurt, so Tony fires at the first shadow and thankfully clips it, making it veer away into its buddy without touching either of them. Maybe it's the adrenaline, but the drainage of the arc reactor doesn't register as much as the last time.
"Go, Steve, keep walking," Tony urges as the repulsor recharges.
Steve has both hands on the machete and he turns his head when a hound zooms in from his right. Right, he can see changes in light now, the hound must be dark enough to perceive. It's a good thing too, because the thing is at their position before Tony has sufficient power. Without missing a beat as he advances in the clearing, Steve swings at the shadow and hits it dead on. There's an outraged screech as the shadow splits in two, but reforms seconds later. It retreats, though, and then Tony hits a second hound with a repulsor shot. This one he feels like a punch to the chest, breath leaving him all at once.
"The rock, Steve," he says through clenched teeth.
"Tony?"
"Go, I'll cover you!"
"But-"
"Hurry!" Tony says, firing a third time and falling to his knees.
The trees are starting to move and he knows this is it, the big monster has found them again. He won't be able to keep that one away for long and stopping it seems impossible. But then again, maybe they shouldn't stop it? Steve wants to hurt the stone, which just wants to fix everyone. The looming shadow is just trying to protect it, like the smaller ones are too. Maybe Tony should stop Steve instead? Tony vehemently shakes his head to dislodge the thought - hurting Steve is not acceptable, what the hell? Something is messing with his head again, they need to stop this. Maybe it's like the stone, Tony has to look away from the swaying in the trees, so he focuses on the hounds again, and fires. The resulting pain clears his head and he wills the damn gauntlet to charge faster as he gets up again and stumbles in Steve's wake.
"Steve, hurry up, they want to stop you from breaking the stone."
And, he realizes, until now they were in fact urging them along towards the clearing, hoping they'd succumb to its power when they saw it.
The hounds are relentless now in reaction to Steve's steady advance in the clearing, chopping right and left with the machete. He connects and slices at the shadows more times than he misses, their outraged cries getting louder and louder. It's a thing of beauty to see him move, all lethal grace and raw power. Tony can barely stay upright at this point, his free hand gripping tight at the bottom of Steve's uniform shirt so they don't get separated. Every shot of the repulsor is an agony, but he keeps on discharging as soon as he's got enough power built up in the gauntlets to give Steve as much protection as he can.
He is so focused on saying on his feet and not be a hindrance to Steve that he doesn't realize right away that they have reached the center of the clearing. All the hounds are coming at them at the same time though, screeching, and if he just looks up, Tony knows he'd see the big monster a few feet away. The feeling of immense - dangerous - evil is back, vibrating through his body and so strong he can taste it. If he didn't have to stay strong to protect Steve, he'd give up and fall to his knees in surrender.
"Brace yourself," Steve says, which shakes the haze of terror a little. He feels Steve twist for another hit, and of course a hound chooses this exact time to veer towards them.
It seems to happen all at once: Tony aims and fires what has to be the last of the reactor's juice at the hound while he hears the sharp sound of the machete hitting the rock. There's a bright green light for a moment, so intense Tony closes his eyes against it. What follows is a series of high-pitched cries of distress by the hounds and he opens his eyes in time to see them dissolve into nothing. He immediately turns to watch the tall figure that is also becoming thinner and thinner, definitely not as scary anymore as it falls to the ground and disappears too.
Once it's gone, the people all around them start blinking awake. It's like a switch has been flipped and they look at each other in confusion. It takes one young man who gets up and calls out to another to make the others start moving, staggering to their feet. Tony would be happy that they've been freed, but he's really not feeling so great right now. As if doing things in reverse, he's the one falling to his knees, fighting for every breath. This is bad, really bad.
"Tony?"
"Call for help," Tony says through clenched teeth. He's two minutes out of fainting, at most, blacks spots are dancing before his eyes.
"Shit, Tony!" Steve has fallen to the ground by his side. He's digging into his belt looking for the comm link they put there when it was obvious the thing was just as fried as the plane's system. "Hang on, okay?"
"I'm sorry," Tony murmurs, but it's too much energy to stay awake. A shitty thing to say to Steve as parting words, but what can you do.
He's distantly aware of shouting, both about hurrying and his name, but it's fading out. Darkness comes first and Tony guesses this is where the proverbial not-a-milk-run ends. Oh well. At least they saved the day.
Tony hopes Strange feels bad about causing his death.
***
Tony wakes up confused but the first thing that registers is that he's holding on to someone's hand. Without looking he recognizes it immediately as Steve's hand, large and running just a little hotter than normal. He also knows it's important to hold on tight and not lose him.
But then more sensations filter in and it says something about his life that taking in the smells and sounds is enough to realize that he's in the hospital. Tony opens his eyes the third time he tries, only to see Steve's sitting by his bedside but slumped forward, head pillowed on his arm.
He needs his rest, to heal, but shouldn't have to do it like this, in an uncomfortable chair in the hospital. Tony squeezes Steve's hand, who immediately jerks upright. He scans Tony's face and upon seeing him awake smiles wide. Which means he can see! God, that's a relief.
"You're okay, right?" Tony asks.
Steve's smile widens. "Yes, vision right back to what's normal for me. How are you feeling?"
Tony takes the time to take stock of his own discomforts - sore all over but no shortness of breath, no pain more than the usual, and no danger of fainting - and he does a one shoulder shrug.
"All good too!"
In return Steve nods, but his expression then sobers up. Here comes the lesson about how reckless Tony was.
"That was incredibly brave'" Steve says.
Tony opens his mouth to protest by rote when the words register, and he just looks at Steve in shock. What?
"Stupid," Steve adds, "but brave."
Somehow the insult to his character makes Tony a lot more at ease than the compliment and he relaxes and smiles.
"Ah. Well just like usual, right?"
Steve smiles back. "That, right there," he replies with a wonder in his voice and a fondness that makes no sense.
"What?"
"If I had lost my eyes," Steve continues, "that's what I would have missed the most. Seeing the smiles that make your eyes crinkle."
Okay so that's… Tony doesn't know what to do with that information. It's definitely flattering but Steve is an artist, he must be on a high of seeing again and enthusiastic about every little thing he sees.
But then he adds on earnestly, "most beautiful thing in the world."
Tony's not sure that his heart is strong enough for this. Speaking of, it's currently racing which unfortunately shows on the monitor.
"Wow. Careful, I might take you seriously!" he tries to deflect, wondering where his regular repartee has disappeared to.
Steve sobers up a little, and he keeps watching Tony intently, thumb caressing his knuckles. "What if I am serious?"
Oh, that's an easy one to answer.
"That would be great news," Tony says.
It earns him another smile and Tony wants to argue that there is absolutely no doubt in his mind: that is the most beautiful thing in the world. His heart is still beating double time, and the machine is being a snitch. He figures it's not that bad, though, to let Steve know how important and huge this is to him.
"Tony?" Steve asks.
"Yes?"
"If you want, I'd like to take you out one of these days." He looks brave and hopeful and Tony is melting at how adorable he is.
"It would be my pleasure," he answers, squeezing Steve's hand for emphasis. The joy on his face in return is the best thing Tony has ever seen. God, he can't believe he gets to have a chance with Steve. Him! Just to think he almost died on Strange's mission and almost missed this? Yeah, he wants to punch Strange in his smug face.
"Can we go past the Sanctum Sanctorum?" Tony asks. "Won't be long, just a small maiming before we go."
Steve smirks, but doesn't object. "Romantic."
"You know it. Now come here," Tony says, tugging gently on Steve's hand. "I've been dying to kiss you."
They don't let go of each other's hand as they lean in for their first kiss. It's surprisingly sweet and chaste, but definitely feels like the start of something huge.
What is for sure is that Tony has every intention of never letting go. Eyes wide open, they go for seconds, smiling into the kiss.
The End