[Fic] Out of Place - Mob AU (avland, Avengers)
Title: Out of Place - Mob AU
Fandom: Avengers
Characters/Pairings: Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Phil Coulson
Word Count: 2,007
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A world where Howard was paying off the mob for some reason and they come to Tony to keep up the arrangement. Tony's got other ideas, of course.
Author's Note: I do not own Avengers or any of the characters. Done for the avland's challenge 17: Write an AU fic for the prompt given.
Tony Stark turned away from his desk to look out at the factory floor. The second shift was just starting - he could tell by the dark blue hats that the second shift wore - and he rubbed his eyes. His father just died a couple of months ago and he was making sure that everything was on the up and up. He always thought that they were, that his father was this giant figure of virtue, but he could easy see that there was money going out every month. The only problem was that he couldn’t figure out where the money was going, just that, around the fifteenth of every month, a withdraw of five thousand dollars was made. He rubbed his eyes as he leaned back in his chair and tried to forget about that.
But there was no rest for him, as there was a soft knock at his door. “Sir?”
Tony turned and smiled at his secretary, Miss Pepper Potts, standing there. “Yes Miss Potts?”
Pepper came in and closed the door behind her. She walked over to the desk so she could talk a bit softer. “There’s a Steve Rogers to see you. He doesn’t have an appointment, but he says that he needs to speak with you. That he could help you figure out a problem or two you might be having.”
Tony looked down to the accounting books and then back up to Pepper. “Send him in.”
“Yes sir,” she said. “Sir?”
“Hrm?”
“Are we going to be shut down?” she asked.
“No. And even if we did, this is just one plant.”
“But it’s the main plant,” she said.
“No reason another plant couldn’t be the main one while we got our footing.” He looked up at her. “You’ve been invaluable to me during the short time we’ve known each other. Even though you were only working for him for six months, he sung your praises. Where I go, you go, understand?”
She smiled, nodding a yes. “Thank you, sir.”
“Tony. Or Stark.”
“Yes sir,” she said with a smile. She went out to the outer office, showing Steve Rogers into the office before closing the door to give the men some privacy.
Tony stood up and offered a hand to Steve. “Good to meet you.”
“As it is to meet you,” Steve said and shook Tony’s hand. “How are you doing?”
“Well enough,” Tony said. “Would you like anything?”
“Oh, no thank you. I’m on the job,” Steve said.
Tony nodded a yes. “Well, what can I do for you then?”
“Continue the arrangement that your father started.”
And now the entire thing made sense. “I’m not as easily intimidated as my father was.”
“Take out the lamp.”
“I’m sorry?” Tony asked. He jumped and rolled his chair away from the desk as the lamp got shot. He turned and looked at the window, the bullet hole clearly there, and then turned back to Steve. “That’s not helping your cause.”
Steve chuckled. “Mister Stark - we really don’t care. We just want the payments to continue. Who knows… in the future, you might even like working with us.”
“Working with the mob? No thanks,” Tony said. “You don’t think I have friends in high places to make sure your crew just gets taken down?”
“If you mean Agent Coulson of the FBI, the one assigned to make sure that your father’s death was truly an accident, or Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes who.. well, we have people watching him.”
Tony thought for a moment. He didn’t like being painted back into a corner, but it seemed like there were limited options at this time. This time being the key words there. He could pay this one time and then figure a way out of having to pay at all. The only thing he didn’t understand was Agent Coulson but he was going to solve that problem after he got rid of the one in front of him. “When and where is the money delivered?”
Steve smiled and pulled a card out of his pocket. It was a membership card of one of the more exclusive clubs in the city and Steve put it on the desk. “Seven pm. on Friday, give or take a half hour. I know how you are. And yes, you are already a member, but this card is black. The one you have is silver. Just the standard amount is fine for now”
“Good to know,” Tony said.
“And Mister Stark, best to come with the money,” Steve said. “Come show me out.”
Tony got up at the same time Steve did, walking over to the door and opening the door. He mentally pulled up short at seeing a particular red head seated across from Pepper. “Natasha.”
“Hello Tony,” Natasha said with a smile. “Are you done, sir?” She asked of Steve.
“We are,” Steve said. “See you Friday.”
Tony nodded a yes. He watched Natasha leave with Steve before motioning Pepper into his office and closing the door. “I need you to contact Agent Coulson of the FBI.”
“Phil? Sure,” Pepper said.
Tony looked at her confused.
“He’s my boyfriend.”
“Why is everyone so connected tonight?” Tony asked before he plopped down in his chair.
“It’s a curse?” Pepper asked and looked to the lamp. “What happened to the lamp?”
“Sniper,” Tony said. “Tell him I’ll meet him at our spot.”
“Okay,” Pepper said. “Sir - “
“She’s a friend of mine and former girlfriend of mine from my last year of college. I’ve known her since I was a freshman,” Tony said. “Or at least I thought I did. Now I’m not sure about that.”
“How much trouble are we in?” Pepper asked.
Tony smiled at that. “Not too much. Mind doing me a favor?”
“No,” Pepper said.
“Copy over everything to digital - I’m going to want to look at it on the computer. Excel or just straight scanning is fine. I’ll give Obadiah a call on my way to meet Agent Coulson. Also, tell the foreman that we’re not going to be using this office anymore, so I’m going to want you to make sure anything we need - personal or needed for the records - out of here. Use people that you trust to help you.” Tony thought for a moment and tried the bottom drawer of the desk. He raised an eyebrow when it was locked before going up to the top drawer and grabbing the key that was in there. He unlocked the bottom drawer and pulled out the files that were secured together. There was also his mother’s rosary in there that he took with him. He closed and locked up the drawer again before putting the key back where it was. “Are you going to be alright with that?”
“How long do I have to do it?” Pepper asked.
“As long as you want, but less than a month,” Tony said.
“Got it,” Pepper said.
“Also… would you mind being less of a secretary and more of a personal assistant?” Tony asked. “My life - well, it’s not the most organized. I’ll understand if you say no or even want to quit a week after you start.”
“Let’s give it a try,” Pepper said.
Tony grinned at that answer. “Call Coulson first. And thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Pepper said.
Tony left the office, thanking the foreman for letting him hang around so long and filling him in on what Pepper was about to do. The foreman was agreeable to it and even relieved about it. “Just keep up the great work that you and the rest here do.”
“Yes sir,” the foreman said and shook Tony’s hand. “And, I am sorry about your father. He was a great man.”
“That he was,” Tony said with a nod. “Thank you.” He turned and went to his car, getting in and throwing the file that he took in the other seat. As he did, a slip of paper fell out. He put the rosary on top of the files before taking the piece of paper. As he scanned it, he realized that his father was only in debt to the mob in order to grow Stark Industries. And that, at the end of the day, five thousand dollars a week wasn’t too high of a price to pay to keep all the government contracts as well as grow new ones every year. He saw that Obadiah did know all about it, which meant that a conversation about stopping mob activities might not go over the best. He decided to keep his phone call with Obadiah to just business and talking about upcoming opportunities here as well as overseas. He put the paper back, turning on the car and driving to meet Coulson.
*~*~*~*
Coulson was there and waiting for him, sipping on a cup of coffee as he watched the scenery around them. “Mister Stark,” he said as Tony sat down.
“Did you know that I didn’t know your first name until today?”
“I’m not surprised about it,” Coulson said. “Well?”
“They made contact,” Tony said. “But I think you already knew that. Also, Obadiah knows everything that dad did. His name is on the documents that I have in my car. But really, I think you also know all about that as well. I doubt there is little that you don’t know about all of this.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning cut the bullshit,” Tony said.
Coulson raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“I’m not sure what bullshit you’re talking about, Stark. I work for the FBI. Your father was an informant for me, but you already knew that. Until his death - which was truly an accident - he was working on our side to try to bring down that entire organization. He was going to meet with their Director and then we could stop all of this.”
Tony sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“I know,” Coulson said after a moment. “I know you are. And I know tensions are high.”
“Well, there’s something else.”
“What?” Coulson asked.
“They were following me in college. A friend of mine - Natasha - turns out that she works for them. So I was probably used against him when he tried to stop. Considering the dates you gave me, it correlates to when he first contacted you.”
“Makes sense,” Coulson said. “I would want to get out of anything if they tried to use my child against me.”
“Guess I mean more to my dad than I thought I did,” Tony said with a sigh. “I’ve agreed to the payments.”
Coulson looked at Tony. “Why?”
“He had a sniper with him. Took out my freaking desk lamp.”
“Ah,” Coulson said.
“What?”
“We’ll replace the desk lamp,” Coulson said.
“… Coulson, what aren’t you telling me now?”
“The sniper is an agent of ours. Deep undercover and getting deeper every day. We’re not going to lose him by a long shot, but some days I wonder,” Coulson explained. “So, we’ll replace the desk lamp. Were you hurt?”
“No,” Tony said. “So, I’ll keep up with the payments and try to get in a bit more. Maybe see if I can strike up anything with Natasha - friends, nothing more, but it’s been a while - and see if I can be more of a help than I have been.”
“Thank you,” Coulson said.
“You’re welcome. Until next time?” Tony asked as he got up.
“Yes,” Coulson said. “And Mr. Stark? Be careful.”
“I’m always careful,” Tony said with a smirk as he left to walk back to his car.
Coulson waited until Tony was well out of sight and earshot. He pulled out a black cellphone and pressed a button, waiting until the other end of the line was picked up. “He’s in. Just tell Rogers that he better do his job well or we might all be in over our head.” He listened for a moment. “I understand sir.” He hung up the cell phone before getting up and walking away, going back to his job.
Fandom: Avengers
Characters/Pairings: Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Phil Coulson
Word Count: 2,007
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A world where Howard was paying off the mob for some reason and they come to Tony to keep up the arrangement. Tony's got other ideas, of course.
Author's Note: I do not own Avengers or any of the characters. Done for the avland's challenge 17: Write an AU fic for the prompt given.
Tony Stark turned away from his desk to look out at the factory floor. The second shift was just starting - he could tell by the dark blue hats that the second shift wore - and he rubbed his eyes. His father just died a couple of months ago and he was making sure that everything was on the up and up. He always thought that they were, that his father was this giant figure of virtue, but he could easy see that there was money going out every month. The only problem was that he couldn’t figure out where the money was going, just that, around the fifteenth of every month, a withdraw of five thousand dollars was made. He rubbed his eyes as he leaned back in his chair and tried to forget about that.
But there was no rest for him, as there was a soft knock at his door. “Sir?”
Tony turned and smiled at his secretary, Miss Pepper Potts, standing there. “Yes Miss Potts?”
Pepper came in and closed the door behind her. She walked over to the desk so she could talk a bit softer. “There’s a Steve Rogers to see you. He doesn’t have an appointment, but he says that he needs to speak with you. That he could help you figure out a problem or two you might be having.”
Tony looked down to the accounting books and then back up to Pepper. “Send him in.”
“Yes sir,” she said. “Sir?”
“Hrm?”
“Are we going to be shut down?” she asked.
“No. And even if we did, this is just one plant.”
“But it’s the main plant,” she said.
“No reason another plant couldn’t be the main one while we got our footing.” He looked up at her. “You’ve been invaluable to me during the short time we’ve known each other. Even though you were only working for him for six months, he sung your praises. Where I go, you go, understand?”
She smiled, nodding a yes. “Thank you, sir.”
“Tony. Or Stark.”
“Yes sir,” she said with a smile. She went out to the outer office, showing Steve Rogers into the office before closing the door to give the men some privacy.
Tony stood up and offered a hand to Steve. “Good to meet you.”
“As it is to meet you,” Steve said and shook Tony’s hand. “How are you doing?”
“Well enough,” Tony said. “Would you like anything?”
“Oh, no thank you. I’m on the job,” Steve said.
Tony nodded a yes. “Well, what can I do for you then?”
“Continue the arrangement that your father started.”
And now the entire thing made sense. “I’m not as easily intimidated as my father was.”
“Take out the lamp.”
“I’m sorry?” Tony asked. He jumped and rolled his chair away from the desk as the lamp got shot. He turned and looked at the window, the bullet hole clearly there, and then turned back to Steve. “That’s not helping your cause.”
Steve chuckled. “Mister Stark - we really don’t care. We just want the payments to continue. Who knows… in the future, you might even like working with us.”
“Working with the mob? No thanks,” Tony said. “You don’t think I have friends in high places to make sure your crew just gets taken down?”
“If you mean Agent Coulson of the FBI, the one assigned to make sure that your father’s death was truly an accident, or Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes who.. well, we have people watching him.”
Tony thought for a moment. He didn’t like being painted back into a corner, but it seemed like there were limited options at this time. This time being the key words there. He could pay this one time and then figure a way out of having to pay at all. The only thing he didn’t understand was Agent Coulson but he was going to solve that problem after he got rid of the one in front of him. “When and where is the money delivered?”
Steve smiled and pulled a card out of his pocket. It was a membership card of one of the more exclusive clubs in the city and Steve put it on the desk. “Seven pm. on Friday, give or take a half hour. I know how you are. And yes, you are already a member, but this card is black. The one you have is silver. Just the standard amount is fine for now”
“Good to know,” Tony said.
“And Mister Stark, best to come with the money,” Steve said. “Come show me out.”
Tony got up at the same time Steve did, walking over to the door and opening the door. He mentally pulled up short at seeing a particular red head seated across from Pepper. “Natasha.”
“Hello Tony,” Natasha said with a smile. “Are you done, sir?” She asked of Steve.
“We are,” Steve said. “See you Friday.”
Tony nodded a yes. He watched Natasha leave with Steve before motioning Pepper into his office and closing the door. “I need you to contact Agent Coulson of the FBI.”
“Phil? Sure,” Pepper said.
Tony looked at her confused.
“He’s my boyfriend.”
“Why is everyone so connected tonight?” Tony asked before he plopped down in his chair.
“It’s a curse?” Pepper asked and looked to the lamp. “What happened to the lamp?”
“Sniper,” Tony said. “Tell him I’ll meet him at our spot.”
“Okay,” Pepper said. “Sir - “
“She’s a friend of mine and former girlfriend of mine from my last year of college. I’ve known her since I was a freshman,” Tony said. “Or at least I thought I did. Now I’m not sure about that.”
“How much trouble are we in?” Pepper asked.
Tony smiled at that. “Not too much. Mind doing me a favor?”
“No,” Pepper said.
“Copy over everything to digital - I’m going to want to look at it on the computer. Excel or just straight scanning is fine. I’ll give Obadiah a call on my way to meet Agent Coulson. Also, tell the foreman that we’re not going to be using this office anymore, so I’m going to want you to make sure anything we need - personal or needed for the records - out of here. Use people that you trust to help you.” Tony thought for a moment and tried the bottom drawer of the desk. He raised an eyebrow when it was locked before going up to the top drawer and grabbing the key that was in there. He unlocked the bottom drawer and pulled out the files that were secured together. There was also his mother’s rosary in there that he took with him. He closed and locked up the drawer again before putting the key back where it was. “Are you going to be alright with that?”
“How long do I have to do it?” Pepper asked.
“As long as you want, but less than a month,” Tony said.
“Got it,” Pepper said.
“Also… would you mind being less of a secretary and more of a personal assistant?” Tony asked. “My life - well, it’s not the most organized. I’ll understand if you say no or even want to quit a week after you start.”
“Let’s give it a try,” Pepper said.
Tony grinned at that answer. “Call Coulson first. And thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Pepper said.
Tony left the office, thanking the foreman for letting him hang around so long and filling him in on what Pepper was about to do. The foreman was agreeable to it and even relieved about it. “Just keep up the great work that you and the rest here do.”
“Yes sir,” the foreman said and shook Tony’s hand. “And, I am sorry about your father. He was a great man.”
“That he was,” Tony said with a nod. “Thank you.” He turned and went to his car, getting in and throwing the file that he took in the other seat. As he did, a slip of paper fell out. He put the rosary on top of the files before taking the piece of paper. As he scanned it, he realized that his father was only in debt to the mob in order to grow Stark Industries. And that, at the end of the day, five thousand dollars a week wasn’t too high of a price to pay to keep all the government contracts as well as grow new ones every year. He saw that Obadiah did know all about it, which meant that a conversation about stopping mob activities might not go over the best. He decided to keep his phone call with Obadiah to just business and talking about upcoming opportunities here as well as overseas. He put the paper back, turning on the car and driving to meet Coulson.
*~*~*~*
Coulson was there and waiting for him, sipping on a cup of coffee as he watched the scenery around them. “Mister Stark,” he said as Tony sat down.
“Did you know that I didn’t know your first name until today?”
“I’m not surprised about it,” Coulson said. “Well?”
“They made contact,” Tony said. “But I think you already knew that. Also, Obadiah knows everything that dad did. His name is on the documents that I have in my car. But really, I think you also know all about that as well. I doubt there is little that you don’t know about all of this.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning cut the bullshit,” Tony said.
Coulson raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“I’m not sure what bullshit you’re talking about, Stark. I work for the FBI. Your father was an informant for me, but you already knew that. Until his death - which was truly an accident - he was working on our side to try to bring down that entire organization. He was going to meet with their Director and then we could stop all of this.”
Tony sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“I know,” Coulson said after a moment. “I know you are. And I know tensions are high.”
“Well, there’s something else.”
“What?” Coulson asked.
“They were following me in college. A friend of mine - Natasha - turns out that she works for them. So I was probably used against him when he tried to stop. Considering the dates you gave me, it correlates to when he first contacted you.”
“Makes sense,” Coulson said. “I would want to get out of anything if they tried to use my child against me.”
“Guess I mean more to my dad than I thought I did,” Tony said with a sigh. “I’ve agreed to the payments.”
Coulson looked at Tony. “Why?”
“He had a sniper with him. Took out my freaking desk lamp.”
“Ah,” Coulson said.
“What?”
“We’ll replace the desk lamp,” Coulson said.
“… Coulson, what aren’t you telling me now?”
“The sniper is an agent of ours. Deep undercover and getting deeper every day. We’re not going to lose him by a long shot, but some days I wonder,” Coulson explained. “So, we’ll replace the desk lamp. Were you hurt?”
“No,” Tony said. “So, I’ll keep up with the payments and try to get in a bit more. Maybe see if I can strike up anything with Natasha - friends, nothing more, but it’s been a while - and see if I can be more of a help than I have been.”
“Thank you,” Coulson said.
“You’re welcome. Until next time?” Tony asked as he got up.
“Yes,” Coulson said. “And Mr. Stark? Be careful.”
“I’m always careful,” Tony said with a smirk as he left to walk back to his car.
Coulson waited until Tony was well out of sight and earshot. He pulled out a black cellphone and pressed a button, waiting until the other end of the line was picked up. “He’s in. Just tell Rogers that he better do his job well or we might all be in over our head.” He listened for a moment. “I understand sir.” He hung up the cell phone before getting up and walking away, going back to his job.