The Corrupt and the Pure; Chapter 37: The Bait
[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 37: The Bait
Central Park,
Manhattan, New York, NY
Central Park, much like the rest of New York City, never truly slept. However, a dark forested area wasn’t most people’s first choice to hang out in late at night, so it made for a reasonably good place to ambush a disturbed super-soldier.
To most of the team, the park hadn’t been their first choice, but Tony declared the spot had to be somewhere he would - in theory - be hanging out sans the suit; someplace appealing for an attempted kidnapping. Sure, the Commander might approach him no matter how obvious the trap, but a public place made it less easy for him to set traps of his own, or other nasty surprises.
Once they began to get into position, Steve called the local police department and informed them that the Avengers would be attempting to apprehend a dangerous individual in the park, and that it would help if it were closed to the public. That call blew the cover off their plan, obviously, but it was better to get the civilians out of the way in case things escalated.
Besides, closed park or not, Tony felt pretty vulnerable as he strode down a path with a Starbucks coffee and a box of Munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts in hand. After initially stepping within the park grounds, he hadn’t seen a single person, and with the sun rapidly dropping, the lengthening shadows made for a creepy setting. Every sound of leaves brushing against one another or a twig snapping in the distance made him tense.
“Everything is looking good, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. commented through the earpiece. Tony couldn’t hear any actual sound from the team or the suits, but he knew they were out there.
Tony didn’t bother replying, seeing as he could at least try to hold onto the illusion that he was simply taking a stroll through the abandoned Central Park very late at night - not setting a trap for a rogue super-soldier.
He arrived at a tiny little pond and stopped to look at the still water, slowly sipping the coffee. Every now and then the wind would stir the surface and the ripples caught the rays of light from the nearest lamp. There was a single bench near the water’s edge and Tony considered sitting down.
Someone came walking along the path behind him before he could make up his mind. Tony felt himself become tense despite his attempts not to, but the footfalls went past him and continued on, away into the growing darkness. He told himself he was becoming paranoid, which wasn’t going to help him pull this off. Sure, the team was close, but there was a reason why he had considered all other options before volunteering as bait - no matter how willing he may have sounded.
In these circumstances, apprehending the Commander as quickly as possible was worth the risk.
Of course, there was no knowing whether the super-soldier would take the bait, and if he was going to take it tonight.
Tony didn’t like all the ‘what ifs’ that they were dealing with. Their outcomes were beyond his ability to manipulate, and the best he could do was to prepare for all the ones he could predict. They had contingency plans in place for tonight, too, but they were only as good as their imagination and Cap’s educated guesses because their opponent was a stranger to them, no matter his close ties to Steve.
His coffee was almost finished, and Tony tightened his fingers a fraction around the cup, feeling the fading heat through the paper.
“You’re going to get cold, dressed like that,” a familiar voice commented from behind him, and Tony went still like a rabbit desperately hoping for the predator to pass it by.
“I have eyes on target,” Clint said over the comm, volume set low so that it wouldn’t distract Tony too much. “Where the hell did he come from?”
“Approach with caution,” Steve ordered, voice already a couple notches too tight. Tony had hoped it would take a bit longer for him to reach this level.
Tony turned slowly, facing the man who had appeared behind him like a ghost from non-existing mist. He had found a leather jacket to pull over his uniform, but it didn’t really hide anything at all; it was simply a distraction, to let him pass in the crowd without drawing too much attention.
Keenly aware that the Commander could have chosen to step much closer before alerting Tony to his presence, instead of choosing to halt about ten feet away, Tony tried to calm his nerves and play it cool. “Munchkin?” he asked, raising the box of treats still held in his hand.
The Commander’s eyes went for the box as if it were a ticking bomb, evaluating it for several seconds before raising his gaze back to Tony’s face. “How much time do we have before the others make their move?” he asked, letting Tony know he was fully aware of this being a trap - or he didn’t know for sure, but assumed that was the case. After all, it didn’t sound like he was fishing for information, though Tony wouldn’t have put it past him.
“What makes you think we aren’t already surrounded?” Tony challenged him, slowly moving to the side and setting both the near-empty cup and the box of Munchkins on the bench.
The Commander didn’t take a nervous look around. In fact, he seemed perfectly at ease, regarding Tony with intensity that didn’t leave room for keeping an eye on their surroundings. It was a bit unnerving, prompting Tony to wonder whether the Commander had such a perfect plan to get out of this situation that he didn’t need to worry about the other Avengers.
“You know how this is going to end, right?” Tony asked, instantly beating himself up for sounding nervous.
“No,” the Commander responded and took a step forward. “It’s all in the wind - and so it shall remain until I am dead. Before I draw my last breath, the odds may be against me, but I’m used to that. I’m used to winning no matter the obstacles set before me.”
For a moment, Tony could envision Steve Rogers as he was before the serum, tiny and frail, claiming that he was never going to stop, never surrender - never compromise. In his own way, the Commander was still upholding all that.
“I’m not coming with you,” Tony said. “If you had played your cards differently at the beginning, who knows what could have happened, but we’ve come too far for that to be an option anymore.” It might have been easier to say ‘it was never gonna happen between us’, but that may have also been a lie. Tony knew himself well enough to not rule it out, although he had his doubts when it came to the Commander.
Still, the Commander had claimed he was capable of redeeming himself, and Tony knew a thing or two about that…
It might have been the possibility of a second chance that may have eventually paved the road to a very different outcome, but that had all shriveled away in the tunnel, and there was a hint on the scarred face that the Commander knew that, too.
“I could apologize,” the Commander suggested.
“I don’t want an apology,” Tony retorted.
“I know,” came the somewhat subdued reply. “Nothing’s changed, though,” he added, taking another step forward. For now, Tony stood his ground, no matter how strong the urge to back away from the Commander. “You’re still the only thing that matters, Tony,” the Commander stated. “You’re the reason I’m here.”
“I’m not responsible for that,” Tony argued.
“No,” the Commander agreed. He took a third step forward, quickly closing the distance he had originally left between them. “He died and left me to deal with the realization that I should have done more - should have made the hard call and chosen to deviate from the conditioning HYDRA had me subjected to over the years. I should have chosen him while I still had the chance.”
For the first time - or so it felt - the Commander was saying ‘he’ and not ‘you’ when talking about the Tony from the alternate world. Perhaps he was finally beginning to see the difference - or this was a masterful deception to make Tony think that and thus lower his guard.
“I’m not him,” Tony said, trying to figure out which it was, eyes locked on the Commander’s face. “I’m sorry you lost him, especially when things were so… unfinished between you. But I’m never going to replace him. I refuse to be your reason to excel in this world - or the cause of your downfall.”
“That’s not up to you,” the Commander stated. “What I want is directly linked to what I need, and that is hardly anything someone other than myself gets to influence.”
“Doesn’t mean you’ll get it,” Tony reminded him. “You can want all your little heart desires, but at the end of the day, everyone chooses their own boundaries and how to enforce them, and mine are firmly wedged between us.”
There was a slight clench of muscles near the Commander’s jaw, speaking of impatience and anger. Tony grew wary, knowing he was walking on thin ice as it was. He was supposed to play for time, to give the others a better chance at getting into position and capturing their target, and while getting beat up was one way to distract the Commander, it wasn’t the option he was most fond of.
“Doesn’t matter,” the Commander muttered, almost as if to convince himself of something. “I didn’t see it before - and you don’t see it now. But you will.”
“People forcing their ideas on me has never worked,” Tony warned the Commander and took a few steps back. Their conversation could turn into open hostility in less than a second, and he knew he had allowed the other too close as it was; people could move fast when they wanted to, and a super-soldier moved faster than anyone else.
“I could give you things,” the Commander promised, advancing once more, matching Tony’s pace as he moved away. “No one would ever touch you again, hurt you. I could give you pleasure. Companionship.” There was something akin to earnestness on his face, a flash of genuine desire behind all the venom and harshness.
“I don’t want it,” Tony refused. “I’ve seen what you’re capable of, and that’s going to taint everything good that might come in the future.”
“Because people don’t change?” the Commander snorted - then shot forward, one fist gripping the front of Tony’s clothes before he could finish drawing in air.
Tony stumbled slightly, leaning back as far as the hold would allow, and felt the tip of his left shoe grow wet. His eyes shot down and he realized he had been one step from walking into the pond before the Commander reached out and stopped him. Damn.
“You changed,” the Commander said, pulling Tony forward slightly, keeping him on dry land.
Tony couldn’t help but look at him, locking their eyes. They were talking about the other Tony Stark again, but Tony didn’t doubt for a second their histories were all that different from one another.
“You turned your life around,” the Commander went on. “Out with the old, in with the new resolution to save the world. A phoenix rising from the ashes of his own shame.”
Not so different at all…
“Don’t I deserve the same chance? To redeem myself?” the Commander asked.
“Do you want it?” Tony asked, knowing he was indulging the other and undermining his own attempts to build a wall between them. “Redemption isn’t easily come by, and some things… they can never be undone.”
The blue eyes searched his, as if seeking an answer to a burning question. Perhaps it had to do with the one thing Tony might never be able to forgive, even if the Commander did choose to change his evil ways.
Before the Commander could reply, there was a rustle of leaves and a quick hum of vibranium as a shield came cutting through the night air, flying past them and hitting a tree on the other side of the pond, rebounding to the right, hitting another tree trunk and then flying back past their other side to its owner’s waiting hand. “Let him go!” Captain America ordered, standing there like a bull waiting for the trigger that would make it charge at its target.
Tony didn’t have time to say a word before he was spun forward, placed as a human shield in front of the Commander, a firm forearm pressing against his neck.
“That has never been my intention,” the Commander replied coolly. “What makes you think I’d be willing to let him go now that I have him?”
The Captain’s eyes narrowed, lips tight. He didn’t look at Tony directly, but no doubt there was a round of ‘told you’s waiting in there somewhere.
They just had to survive this ordeal in order to get there.
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 37: The Bait
Central Park,
Manhattan, New York, NY
Central Park, much like the rest of New York City, never truly slept. However, a dark forested area wasn’t most people’s first choice to hang out in late at night, so it made for a reasonably good place to ambush a disturbed super-soldier.
To most of the team, the park hadn’t been their first choice, but Tony declared the spot had to be somewhere he would - in theory - be hanging out sans the suit; someplace appealing for an attempted kidnapping. Sure, the Commander might approach him no matter how obvious the trap, but a public place made it less easy for him to set traps of his own, or other nasty surprises.
Once they began to get into position, Steve called the local police department and informed them that the Avengers would be attempting to apprehend a dangerous individual in the park, and that it would help if it were closed to the public. That call blew the cover off their plan, obviously, but it was better to get the civilians out of the way in case things escalated.
Besides, closed park or not, Tony felt pretty vulnerable as he strode down a path with a Starbucks coffee and a box of Munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts in hand. After initially stepping within the park grounds, he hadn’t seen a single person, and with the sun rapidly dropping, the lengthening shadows made for a creepy setting. Every sound of leaves brushing against one another or a twig snapping in the distance made him tense.
“Everything is looking good, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. commented through the earpiece. Tony couldn’t hear any actual sound from the team or the suits, but he knew they were out there.
Tony didn’t bother replying, seeing as he could at least try to hold onto the illusion that he was simply taking a stroll through the abandoned Central Park very late at night - not setting a trap for a rogue super-soldier.
He arrived at a tiny little pond and stopped to look at the still water, slowly sipping the coffee. Every now and then the wind would stir the surface and the ripples caught the rays of light from the nearest lamp. There was a single bench near the water’s edge and Tony considered sitting down.
Someone came walking along the path behind him before he could make up his mind. Tony felt himself become tense despite his attempts not to, but the footfalls went past him and continued on, away into the growing darkness. He told himself he was becoming paranoid, which wasn’t going to help him pull this off. Sure, the team was close, but there was a reason why he had considered all other options before volunteering as bait - no matter how willing he may have sounded.
In these circumstances, apprehending the Commander as quickly as possible was worth the risk.
Of course, there was no knowing whether the super-soldier would take the bait, and if he was going to take it tonight.
Tony didn’t like all the ‘what ifs’ that they were dealing with. Their outcomes were beyond his ability to manipulate, and the best he could do was to prepare for all the ones he could predict. They had contingency plans in place for tonight, too, but they were only as good as their imagination and Cap’s educated guesses because their opponent was a stranger to them, no matter his close ties to Steve.
His coffee was almost finished, and Tony tightened his fingers a fraction around the cup, feeling the fading heat through the paper.
“You’re going to get cold, dressed like that,” a familiar voice commented from behind him, and Tony went still like a rabbit desperately hoping for the predator to pass it by.
“I have eyes on target,” Clint said over the comm, volume set low so that it wouldn’t distract Tony too much. “Where the hell did he come from?”
“Approach with caution,” Steve ordered, voice already a couple notches too tight. Tony had hoped it would take a bit longer for him to reach this level.
Tony turned slowly, facing the man who had appeared behind him like a ghost from non-existing mist. He had found a leather jacket to pull over his uniform, but it didn’t really hide anything at all; it was simply a distraction, to let him pass in the crowd without drawing too much attention.
Keenly aware that the Commander could have chosen to step much closer before alerting Tony to his presence, instead of choosing to halt about ten feet away, Tony tried to calm his nerves and play it cool. “Munchkin?” he asked, raising the box of treats still held in his hand.
The Commander’s eyes went for the box as if it were a ticking bomb, evaluating it for several seconds before raising his gaze back to Tony’s face. “How much time do we have before the others make their move?” he asked, letting Tony know he was fully aware of this being a trap - or he didn’t know for sure, but assumed that was the case. After all, it didn’t sound like he was fishing for information, though Tony wouldn’t have put it past him.
“What makes you think we aren’t already surrounded?” Tony challenged him, slowly moving to the side and setting both the near-empty cup and the box of Munchkins on the bench.
The Commander didn’t take a nervous look around. In fact, he seemed perfectly at ease, regarding Tony with intensity that didn’t leave room for keeping an eye on their surroundings. It was a bit unnerving, prompting Tony to wonder whether the Commander had such a perfect plan to get out of this situation that he didn’t need to worry about the other Avengers.
“You know how this is going to end, right?” Tony asked, instantly beating himself up for sounding nervous.
“No,” the Commander responded and took a step forward. “It’s all in the wind - and so it shall remain until I am dead. Before I draw my last breath, the odds may be against me, but I’m used to that. I’m used to winning no matter the obstacles set before me.”
For a moment, Tony could envision Steve Rogers as he was before the serum, tiny and frail, claiming that he was never going to stop, never surrender - never compromise. In his own way, the Commander was still upholding all that.
“I’m not coming with you,” Tony said. “If you had played your cards differently at the beginning, who knows what could have happened, but we’ve come too far for that to be an option anymore.” It might have been easier to say ‘it was never gonna happen between us’, but that may have also been a lie. Tony knew himself well enough to not rule it out, although he had his doubts when it came to the Commander.
Still, the Commander had claimed he was capable of redeeming himself, and Tony knew a thing or two about that…
It might have been the possibility of a second chance that may have eventually paved the road to a very different outcome, but that had all shriveled away in the tunnel, and there was a hint on the scarred face that the Commander knew that, too.
“I could apologize,” the Commander suggested.
“I don’t want an apology,” Tony retorted.
“I know,” came the somewhat subdued reply. “Nothing’s changed, though,” he added, taking another step forward. For now, Tony stood his ground, no matter how strong the urge to back away from the Commander. “You’re still the only thing that matters, Tony,” the Commander stated. “You’re the reason I’m here.”
“I’m not responsible for that,” Tony argued.
“No,” the Commander agreed. He took a third step forward, quickly closing the distance he had originally left between them. “He died and left me to deal with the realization that I should have done more - should have made the hard call and chosen to deviate from the conditioning HYDRA had me subjected to over the years. I should have chosen him while I still had the chance.”
For the first time - or so it felt - the Commander was saying ‘he’ and not ‘you’ when talking about the Tony from the alternate world. Perhaps he was finally beginning to see the difference - or this was a masterful deception to make Tony think that and thus lower his guard.
“I’m not him,” Tony said, trying to figure out which it was, eyes locked on the Commander’s face. “I’m sorry you lost him, especially when things were so… unfinished between you. But I’m never going to replace him. I refuse to be your reason to excel in this world - or the cause of your downfall.”
“That’s not up to you,” the Commander stated. “What I want is directly linked to what I need, and that is hardly anything someone other than myself gets to influence.”
“Doesn’t mean you’ll get it,” Tony reminded him. “You can want all your little heart desires, but at the end of the day, everyone chooses their own boundaries and how to enforce them, and mine are firmly wedged between us.”
There was a slight clench of muscles near the Commander’s jaw, speaking of impatience and anger. Tony grew wary, knowing he was walking on thin ice as it was. He was supposed to play for time, to give the others a better chance at getting into position and capturing their target, and while getting beat up was one way to distract the Commander, it wasn’t the option he was most fond of.
“Doesn’t matter,” the Commander muttered, almost as if to convince himself of something. “I didn’t see it before - and you don’t see it now. But you will.”
“People forcing their ideas on me has never worked,” Tony warned the Commander and took a few steps back. Their conversation could turn into open hostility in less than a second, and he knew he had allowed the other too close as it was; people could move fast when they wanted to, and a super-soldier moved faster than anyone else.
“I could give you things,” the Commander promised, advancing once more, matching Tony’s pace as he moved away. “No one would ever touch you again, hurt you. I could give you pleasure. Companionship.” There was something akin to earnestness on his face, a flash of genuine desire behind all the venom and harshness.
“I don’t want it,” Tony refused. “I’ve seen what you’re capable of, and that’s going to taint everything good that might come in the future.”
“Because people don’t change?” the Commander snorted - then shot forward, one fist gripping the front of Tony’s clothes before he could finish drawing in air.
Tony stumbled slightly, leaning back as far as the hold would allow, and felt the tip of his left shoe grow wet. His eyes shot down and he realized he had been one step from walking into the pond before the Commander reached out and stopped him. Damn.
“You changed,” the Commander said, pulling Tony forward slightly, keeping him on dry land.
Tony couldn’t help but look at him, locking their eyes. They were talking about the other Tony Stark again, but Tony didn’t doubt for a second their histories were all that different from one another.
“You turned your life around,” the Commander went on. “Out with the old, in with the new resolution to save the world. A phoenix rising from the ashes of his own shame.”
Not so different at all…
“Don’t I deserve the same chance? To redeem myself?” the Commander asked.
“Do you want it?” Tony asked, knowing he was indulging the other and undermining his own attempts to build a wall between them. “Redemption isn’t easily come by, and some things… they can never be undone.”
The blue eyes searched his, as if seeking an answer to a burning question. Perhaps it had to do with the one thing Tony might never be able to forgive, even if the Commander did choose to change his evil ways.
Before the Commander could reply, there was a rustle of leaves and a quick hum of vibranium as a shield came cutting through the night air, flying past them and hitting a tree on the other side of the pond, rebounding to the right, hitting another tree trunk and then flying back past their other side to its owner’s waiting hand. “Let him go!” Captain America ordered, standing there like a bull waiting for the trigger that would make it charge at its target.
Tony didn’t have time to say a word before he was spun forward, placed as a human shield in front of the Commander, a firm forearm pressing against his neck.
“That has never been my intention,” the Commander replied coolly. “What makes you think I’d be willing to let him go now that I have him?”
The Captain’s eyes narrowed, lips tight. He didn’t look at Tony directly, but no doubt there was a round of ‘told you’s waiting in there somewhere.
They just had to survive this ordeal in order to get there.
to be continued…
Story info