Work Text:
The blood slid under his fingers like the sticky liquid it is, a lingering smell of copper saturating the air.
Tony is smirking, he inhales a great gulp. His eyes are sparkling with excitement, like a child for whom Christmas would have been brought forward, in the form of blood covering his hands with a rich carmine color.
The engineer leaned toward the man on the ground, whose vital liquid was still pouring out so much.
His maniacal smile faded for a brief moment to let him purr, all the more honeyed:
-So, my love... Do you still prefer blue?
The Iron Man lets out a small laugh that sounded strange in the silence surrounding them, heavy.
A happy sound that certainly did not match the scene unfolding.
Tony approached a little bit to nibble the blond's ear, continuing in the same tone used earlier:
-You know, I always had a weakness for red... a bit like this one, deep and heady...
Tony raised his covered hand to observe the liquid under the artificial light.
-It's nice... it’s all yours, Steve.
A hoarse inspiration was heard, the first since a long time, caused by the discharge sent by the glove surrounding the hand of the billionaire and resting on the chest of the Captain.
The eyelids of the latter half opened slightly, revealing under the long blond eyelashes two green spotted cerulean eyes, misted by pain.
-Tony ..?
It was barely a whisper, just a few syllables pronounced with a hissing tone.
-I am here, Cap ', why shouldn’t I be here to admire my creation? The agony of the one who kept sticking his nose where he shouldn’t have ? Always trying to stop me and make me « see the truth and remember ». Oh well, I didn’t. Too bad for you.
The engineer put his hand, gloveless and covered with blood, on the soldier's cheek, grabbing his jaw to turn his face in the direction of the billionaire.
-Hey, look at me, at least, I want to see your last feelings...
Are you in pain?
Obviously. As much physically as mentally.
Do you regret? Not for a moment it seems to me, except dying...
Tony stepped forward a little more to find himself face to face with Rogers.
-Are you scared ?
Tony burst into a mocking laugh that sounded like a set of chimes. It could have been a lovely sound if the sound was not as broken as the man was.
-Oh, Mister America is fearful... mhh?
A little laugh, shattered as the pieces of what was once his heart, ringing all around the two men.
And Tony can feel the sticky wetness on his fingers, along with the heat of the fresh blood that is still pouring without stopping.
-You fear me, I guess. Always to foment new plans of destruction for you and your little friends, always dreaming of having your dead bodies laying at my feets.
I wasn’t always like that, you know ? Once I’ve just been a genius in my workshop, creating weapons because I didn’t know what else I was able to do.
What can I do except destroy ?
What can I do except scattering the seeds of lies and betraying in all these innocent hearts ? What can I do except breaking ?
Over, and over, and over, taking lives and closing my eyes.
Just to not see the blood on my hands.
Pretending that it doesn’t exist.
And I wear a mask, all the time now. Pretending to be happy the way it goes, pretending to be happy to tear families apart and let chaos reign.
A long sigh escape his lips, and his hand passes lazily over his face, letting the blood, Steve’s blood, cover it.
-What else can I do, cap ? What else ?
He suddenly seems to gather his calm again, and regain the mad smile he wore previously.
-Those are the thoughts I have sometimes, far in the back of my mind, where nobody except me can have access to.
And I wonder.
Tony suddenly stops talking. The only breath in the air is his. The only heart beating is his.
The blue, so beautifully blue eyes are wide open to the void. Lifeless.
-You were scared and I wonder what’s the point of all of this.
He slowly got closer of the blond man, getting the blond’s head to lay on his lap. He watches him in silence. And gets closer, closer again. Until his lips are on Steven’s ones. It’s merely a handful of seconds
Barely nothing.
Just a kiss, a goodbye.
And ring again a laugh. Mirthless. As lifeless as the body he just kissed. As soiled as his soul.
-And I wonder, Steve, I wonder what’s the bloody point of all of this.
He doesn’t even know when these eyes stopped to see and this heart stopped to beat.
He doesn’t know.
He... doesn’t know.
Why does it hurt so much ?
-Goodbye, my love, I hope to see you again. Somewhere...
In a better world.