The Corrupt and the Pure; Chapter 25: The Homecoming
[INFO]Title: The Corrupt and the Pure
Author: Del Rion (delrion.mail (at) gmail.com)
Fandom: The Avengers & Captain America (MCU)
Timeline: post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Genre: Drama, action, hurt/comfort
Rating: MA / FRAO
Characters: Steve Rogers (Captain America), Tony Stark (Iron Man). Also: Bruce Banner (Hulk), James “Bucky” Barnes (Winter Soldier), Clint Barton (Hawkeye), J.A.R.V.I.S., James “Rhodey” Rhodes (War Machine), Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Thor, Sam Wilson (Falcon)
Pairing: Steve/Tony
Summary: When the Steve Rogers from an alternate universe appears in the middle of the Avengers Tower, two worlds are about to collide: one where Captain America became the tool of HYDRA and fell into a relationship with the hero Iron Man - and one where Tony and Steve are tentatively getting along. The latter are forced to reconsider their relationship when the Commander kidnaps Tony to replace his dead lover.
Complete.
Written for: A story commissioned by Susanne (ChickenHax @ AO3 / starkred @ Tumblr).
Warnings: Rape/non-con, major character death (alternate universe), graphic canonical violence, M/M sexual content, language.
~ ~ ~
Chapter 25: The Homecoming
Avengers Tower,
Manhattan, New York City, NY
As soon as the Quinjet had landed and docked, Tony was on his feet and moving, leaving everyone else in the dust. He entered the workshop on the hangar level and swept his fingers over the control panel at the door, locking himself inside. J.A.R.V.I.S. could let Mark 45 in later, but for now Tony needed some privacy.
“Dr. Banner is requesting access,” J.A.R.V.I.S. notified him less than a minute later.
“Tell him I’m busy,” Tony said. “Think you can remove the chip for me?”
“I think Dr. Banner has more dexterity than I do,” the AI retorted.
“Well, I could use a mirror,” Tony mused.
“Please, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. pleaded.
Tony stopped and sighed. “Fine.”
He heard the door unlock long enough to let Bruce inside.
“You’re here only to help me get the chip out,” Tony informed him.
Bruce froze mid-step, looking uncertain. Tony stared him down, body half turned away from him. He wasn’t being defensive, exactly - no reason for that - but it seemed to be unnerving the other man.
“You should be checked out, just in case,” Bruce started.
“I’m fine,” Tony told him. “Granted, I’ll be better after a shower -”
“Tony,” Bruce cut him off. “Someone needs to take a look at you.”
“No,” Tony refused sharply. “Are you helping me with the chip or are you getting out?” He stood his ground, unrelenting, and eventually Bruce sighed and nodded, looking around.
J.A.R.V.I.S. lit up one corner of the workshop, suggesting it as a good place for the procedure. Tony headed over there, pulling off his shirt to get it out of the way. He tossed the garment in the nearest garbage bin, knowing he would never wear it again.
Bruce followed him, a bit skittish but nonetheless picking up necessary equipment as J.A.R.V.I.S. verbally guided him: antiseptic wipes, gauze, dressings, a scalpel, and tweezers.
Tony sat backwards in a chair and leaned over the back of it, rolling himself to the left until he was under a bright light. “Scan it,” he ordered, certain that J.A.R.V.I.S. knew what to do.
A holographic screen appeared beside him, slowly forming a picture of his head and neck, the highlighted shape of the chip showing up clearly in the image. Bruce dug out his glasses and put them on, then got some disposable gloves and pulled them on his hands before stepping over and pressing his fingers against the back of Tony’s neck, feeling around.
“It wasn’t too deep the first time,” Tony said. “Dug it out once…”
“I can’t see any sign of that,” Bruce noted, puzzled.
Tony grit his teeth. “Extremis. I’m amazed the chip survived that…”
Bruce looked like he was going to ask, but Tony reached out and plucked the scalpel from the table suggestively.
The other man dismissed it with a purse of his lips and went for the antiseptic wipes instead, cleaning the area before accepting the blade, then with a steady breath he cut into Tony’s skin, not even asking whether he wanted a local anesthetic.
Tony curled his fingers around the back of the chair and forced himself to breathe in, trying to minimize the pain. It flared when the scalpel made the cut, but it was such a fine blade that it merely stung afterwards.
Bruce reached for some gauze to stop the blood from sliding down Tony’s back, then carefully dug into the wound with the fine tweezers. That part hurt, and no amount of inhaling was going to make it vanish, but Bruce had clearly found his target on the first try: Tony felt him pulling something out, the object dragging against the sides of the wound, and then he heard it being lowered onto the table with the tweezers. His eyes checked for it, locating the chip, bloody and intact.
“Analyze it,” Tony murmured to J.A.R.V.I.S. “Make sure it won’t work as a tracking device.”
“Yes, sir,” the AI responded instantly.
“Do you want me to stitch this up?” Bruce asked, pressing a fresh layer of gauze against the wound to stop the bleeding.
“Sure,” Tony shrugged. The motion made the wound sting, and he tried to be still while Bruce went to retrieve the items he needed to patch him up.
Five stitches later, Bruce cleaned the area and dressed the wound.
“I need to shower,” Tony announced.
“Try not to get the wound wet,” Bruce warned him.
“I’ll re-dress it after,” Tony promised.
Bruce didn’t say anything, but he was giving him a long, imploring look.
“I’m fine,” Tony said again. He was bruised - Bruce could see as much - but that was all. Well, that was all anybody was going to see, the rest of it was something Tony needed no one else’s help with. Extremis had fixed up the real injuries the Commander’s anger had caused, and the ones he had sustained afterwards weren’t life-threatening.
Before Bruce could mount an actual argument, Tony stood up and walked out the workshop door, taking the back stairs to his room to avoid the rest of the team. Within his own quarters, he felt like letting out a sigh of relief, and for a few minutes he just wandered around, touching his stuff and moving things around - then moving them back to their original spots.
This was his space and he was in control of it. A home… or, as close to home as any place was at the moment. The Commander had got in there once - by appearing out of thin air - but he wasn’t going to be so lucky again. So, it was reasonable to feel safe for the time being.
Once he had established that in his mind, Tony moved to the bathroom, stripping as he went and discarding the rest of his clothes in the trash. Before stepping into the shower, he covered the bandage at his neck to protect it while he showered.
The warm water felt heavenly on his skin. Everything around him was familiar, and when the silence started to get to him, he turned on the sound system and ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to play the last couple days’ worth of business news to distract himself while he washed his lower body.
It seemed the world hadn’t even realized he had been missing, and that was how he preferred it. One question would lead to another, and in case they managed to somehow get rid of the Commander, there was no reason to tell the world they currently had two Steve Rogers’ walking around - especially when one of them happened to be a little insane.
“Mark 43 is awaiting repairs,” J.A.R.V.I.S. informed him when he was done toweling off.
“How bad is it?” Tony asked.
“The damage is extensive, but nothing you won’t be able to fix.”
Tony nodded. He would look into it once he’d had a chance to unwind and maybe catch up on sleep.
“Sir?” J.A.R.V.I.S. enquired softly a moment later.
“Yes, J?”
“I am sorry I wasn’t able to prevent you from being taken.”
Tony halted, then began folding the damp towel in his hands. “That’s alright,” he said and unfolded the towel to hang it to dry.
“It is not alright,” J.A.R.V.I.S. insisted. “I failed. I should have done more.”
“Live and learn,” Tony replied. “I think we all underestimated him a bit.”
“That is a human flaw. I should be above it.”
“Give yourself a break,” Tony ordered.
The AI made an unhappy sound, clearly not agreeing, and Tony knew he would do more the next time they crossed paths with the Commander. “Are you alright, sir?” he asked at length. “I have noticed some… signs, as well as understood from your exchange with Captain Rogers that the Commander may have -”
“Stop,” Tony ordered before the AI would say it. He knew J.A.R.V.I.S. didn’t understand the stigma that was associated with the word, nor would he readily grasp the sometimes-complicated matter of victim blaming and the shame that was related to being said victim.
“If you are injured,” J.A.R.V.I.S. pressed.
“I am not injured - not the way one would think, anyway,” Tony told his AI. “I am not broken. There’s nothing to put a Band-Aid on, save for the little operation Bruce performed on me.”
“What about another kind of injury?”
Tony thought about that for a second, then dismissed it. “I don’t want to talk about it - and I refuse to deal with it before I’ve had a good night’s sleep.” He needed to have a level head, clear his thoughts. Everything felt strangely out of place, still, even in the familiar space, but he knew that would pass. It had to. He wasn’t going to start freaking out over this when he had barely batted an eye at three months of captivity in Afghanistan.
Well, okay, he may have batted an eye - and then some - but he could always go and fix up Mark 43 if things started to get overwhelming. Tinkering helped, even when it wasn’t a cure-all.
Besides, he wanted a working armor between himself and the Commander the next time they crossed paths.
to be continued…
Story info
Author: Del Rion (delrion.mail (at) gmail.com)
Fandom: The Avengers & Captain America (MCU)
Timeline: post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Genre: Drama, action, hurt/comfort
Rating: MA / FRAO
Characters: Steve Rogers (Captain America), Tony Stark (Iron Man). Also: Bruce Banner (Hulk), James “Bucky” Barnes (Winter Soldier), Clint Barton (Hawkeye), J.A.R.V.I.S., James “Rhodey” Rhodes (War Machine), Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Thor, Sam Wilson (Falcon)
Pairing: Steve/Tony
Summary: When the Steve Rogers from an alternate universe appears in the middle of the Avengers Tower, two worlds are about to collide: one where Captain America became the tool of HYDRA and fell into a relationship with the hero Iron Man - and one where Tony and Steve are tentatively getting along. The latter are forced to reconsider their relationship when the Commander kidnaps Tony to replace his dead lover.
Complete.
Written for: A story commissioned by Susanne (ChickenHax @ AO3 / starkred @ Tumblr).
Warnings: Rape/non-con, major character death (alternate universe), graphic canonical violence, M/M sexual content, language.
~ ~ ~
Chapter 25: The Homecoming
Avengers Tower,
Manhattan, New York City, NY
As soon as the Quinjet had landed and docked, Tony was on his feet and moving, leaving everyone else in the dust. He entered the workshop on the hangar level and swept his fingers over the control panel at the door, locking himself inside. J.A.R.V.I.S. could let Mark 45 in later, but for now Tony needed some privacy.
“Dr. Banner is requesting access,” J.A.R.V.I.S. notified him less than a minute later.
“Tell him I’m busy,” Tony said. “Think you can remove the chip for me?”
“I think Dr. Banner has more dexterity than I do,” the AI retorted.
“Well, I could use a mirror,” Tony mused.
“Please, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. pleaded.
Tony stopped and sighed. “Fine.”
He heard the door unlock long enough to let Bruce inside.
“You’re here only to help me get the chip out,” Tony informed him.
Bruce froze mid-step, looking uncertain. Tony stared him down, body half turned away from him. He wasn’t being defensive, exactly - no reason for that - but it seemed to be unnerving the other man.
“You should be checked out, just in case,” Bruce started.
“I’m fine,” Tony told him. “Granted, I’ll be better after a shower -”
“Tony,” Bruce cut him off. “Someone needs to take a look at you.”
“No,” Tony refused sharply. “Are you helping me with the chip or are you getting out?” He stood his ground, unrelenting, and eventually Bruce sighed and nodded, looking around.
J.A.R.V.I.S. lit up one corner of the workshop, suggesting it as a good place for the procedure. Tony headed over there, pulling off his shirt to get it out of the way. He tossed the garment in the nearest garbage bin, knowing he would never wear it again.
Bruce followed him, a bit skittish but nonetheless picking up necessary equipment as J.A.R.V.I.S. verbally guided him: antiseptic wipes, gauze, dressings, a scalpel, and tweezers.
Tony sat backwards in a chair and leaned over the back of it, rolling himself to the left until he was under a bright light. “Scan it,” he ordered, certain that J.A.R.V.I.S. knew what to do.
A holographic screen appeared beside him, slowly forming a picture of his head and neck, the highlighted shape of the chip showing up clearly in the image. Bruce dug out his glasses and put them on, then got some disposable gloves and pulled them on his hands before stepping over and pressing his fingers against the back of Tony’s neck, feeling around.
“It wasn’t too deep the first time,” Tony said. “Dug it out once…”
“I can’t see any sign of that,” Bruce noted, puzzled.
Tony grit his teeth. “Extremis. I’m amazed the chip survived that…”
Bruce looked like he was going to ask, but Tony reached out and plucked the scalpel from the table suggestively.
The other man dismissed it with a purse of his lips and went for the antiseptic wipes instead, cleaning the area before accepting the blade, then with a steady breath he cut into Tony’s skin, not even asking whether he wanted a local anesthetic.
Tony curled his fingers around the back of the chair and forced himself to breathe in, trying to minimize the pain. It flared when the scalpel made the cut, but it was such a fine blade that it merely stung afterwards.
Bruce reached for some gauze to stop the blood from sliding down Tony’s back, then carefully dug into the wound with the fine tweezers. That part hurt, and no amount of inhaling was going to make it vanish, but Bruce had clearly found his target on the first try: Tony felt him pulling something out, the object dragging against the sides of the wound, and then he heard it being lowered onto the table with the tweezers. His eyes checked for it, locating the chip, bloody and intact.
“Analyze it,” Tony murmured to J.A.R.V.I.S. “Make sure it won’t work as a tracking device.”
“Yes, sir,” the AI responded instantly.
“Do you want me to stitch this up?” Bruce asked, pressing a fresh layer of gauze against the wound to stop the bleeding.
“Sure,” Tony shrugged. The motion made the wound sting, and he tried to be still while Bruce went to retrieve the items he needed to patch him up.
Five stitches later, Bruce cleaned the area and dressed the wound.
“I need to shower,” Tony announced.
“Try not to get the wound wet,” Bruce warned him.
“I’ll re-dress it after,” Tony promised.
Bruce didn’t say anything, but he was giving him a long, imploring look.
“I’m fine,” Tony said again. He was bruised - Bruce could see as much - but that was all. Well, that was all anybody was going to see, the rest of it was something Tony needed no one else’s help with. Extremis had fixed up the real injuries the Commander’s anger had caused, and the ones he had sustained afterwards weren’t life-threatening.
Before Bruce could mount an actual argument, Tony stood up and walked out the workshop door, taking the back stairs to his room to avoid the rest of the team. Within his own quarters, he felt like letting out a sigh of relief, and for a few minutes he just wandered around, touching his stuff and moving things around - then moving them back to their original spots.
This was his space and he was in control of it. A home… or, as close to home as any place was at the moment. The Commander had got in there once - by appearing out of thin air - but he wasn’t going to be so lucky again. So, it was reasonable to feel safe for the time being.
Once he had established that in his mind, Tony moved to the bathroom, stripping as he went and discarding the rest of his clothes in the trash. Before stepping into the shower, he covered the bandage at his neck to protect it while he showered.
The warm water felt heavenly on his skin. Everything around him was familiar, and when the silence started to get to him, he turned on the sound system and ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to play the last couple days’ worth of business news to distract himself while he washed his lower body.
It seemed the world hadn’t even realized he had been missing, and that was how he preferred it. One question would lead to another, and in case they managed to somehow get rid of the Commander, there was no reason to tell the world they currently had two Steve Rogers’ walking around - especially when one of them happened to be a little insane.
“Mark 43 is awaiting repairs,” J.A.R.V.I.S. informed him when he was done toweling off.
“How bad is it?” Tony asked.
“The damage is extensive, but nothing you won’t be able to fix.”
Tony nodded. He would look into it once he’d had a chance to unwind and maybe catch up on sleep.
“Sir?” J.A.R.V.I.S. enquired softly a moment later.
“Yes, J?”
“I am sorry I wasn’t able to prevent you from being taken.”
Tony halted, then began folding the damp towel in his hands. “That’s alright,” he said and unfolded the towel to hang it to dry.
“It is not alright,” J.A.R.V.I.S. insisted. “I failed. I should have done more.”
“Live and learn,” Tony replied. “I think we all underestimated him a bit.”
“That is a human flaw. I should be above it.”
“Give yourself a break,” Tony ordered.
The AI made an unhappy sound, clearly not agreeing, and Tony knew he would do more the next time they crossed paths with the Commander. “Are you alright, sir?” he asked at length. “I have noticed some… signs, as well as understood from your exchange with Captain Rogers that the Commander may have -”
“Stop,” Tony ordered before the AI would say it. He knew J.A.R.V.I.S. didn’t understand the stigma that was associated with the word, nor would he readily grasp the sometimes-complicated matter of victim blaming and the shame that was related to being said victim.
“If you are injured,” J.A.R.V.I.S. pressed.
“I am not injured - not the way one would think, anyway,” Tony told his AI. “I am not broken. There’s nothing to put a Band-Aid on, save for the little operation Bruce performed on me.”
“What about another kind of injury?”
Tony thought about that for a second, then dismissed it. “I don’t want to talk about it - and I refuse to deal with it before I’ve had a good night’s sleep.” He needed to have a level head, clear his thoughts. Everything felt strangely out of place, still, even in the familiar space, but he knew that would pass. It had to. He wasn’t going to start freaking out over this when he had barely batted an eye at three months of captivity in Afghanistan.
Well, okay, he may have batted an eye - and then some - but he could always go and fix up Mark 43 if things started to get overwhelming. Tinkering helped, even when it wasn’t a cure-all.
Besides, he wanted a working armor between himself and the Commander the next time they crossed paths.
to be continued…
Story info