Hindsight Bias
Title: Hindsight Bias
Author: Lucifer Hisaki (mercy_slays/luciferhisaki)
Rating: PG
Fandom: Marvel, Iron Man 2008
Pairing: Implied Barely-There Obediah Stane/Tony
Summary: In which Tony looks back and thinks of Stane and wonders why.
Disclaimer: I hardly know my way around Comic Canon. Do you really think I own Marvel? But I would love to own RDJ!Tony's ass!
Word Count: 1000
Notes: This is not beta'd. Post Movie but before the Post-Credits Scene
Hindsight Bias
He should have known.
Looking back there were all the signs. The looks, the occasional gestures and hesitation that OB-Stane-gave him. All of it was there. There was no real reason for Tony to not overlook them but he did. Just like he overlooked many things but he was trying to not do that anymore.
He was trying to be responsible for everything now.
He should have known that Stane was double dealing under the table. There had to be a reason why they were still getting deals and contracts when on some-no, looking back, most-of the projects didn’t meet the Military’s standards or views. The money had to come from somewhere but he was too distracted by getting his adrenaline rushes, being a spoiled brat, playing the womanizer the press loved him as.
It was all his fault but then again, maybe not. Tony trusted his dad-to an extent now but before he trusted him completely-and dad trusted Stane. Stane was more experience in the corporate world, more forgiving of Tony when he made mistakes when he retook the reins. It was one of the reasons why Tony kept him at his side. Stane knew what he was doing. He took care of the company when Tony was still thinking of taking over. There was no doubt about that.
Stane was perfect. He knew what to do. But damn it, Tony never thought he would be corrupted by the position. He was naïve back then, hell he probably still was, in some aspects. Even so, Tony never thought Stane would betray him the way he did.
There was no reason for it. No reason at all why Stane would call a hit on him unless he was impatient and wanted his greedy hands on the company again. That was probably. It was most definitely it. Stane had control but he lost it when Tony came back and took the reins (forcibly?) from Stane’s hands.
He even overlooked the touches that lasted a bit too long and was a bit too touchy feely. Stane was there for him when his father died but the touches, they bordered on molestation at times. He knew he could have reported it but to whom? No one really, not that he really had something against it-being touched. He liked being touched. He needed human contact with people. It was one of the reasons why he didn’t mind so much for the arm candy at parties and at casinos.
Sipping his scotch, Tony stared out toward the pacific. Stane looked so happy at him coming back from Afghanistan. Was that all an act? Probably was. There was that one look when he mentioned his father during the press conference that Tony really didn’t see. It wasn’t clear, peripheral vision was never that clear but he could see Stane’s eyes narrowing, maybe.
Then there was the time in front of the arc reactor. Did he already know about it because of the people he hired rather than from Rhodey’s mouth like he assume? Probably.
Growling, Tony glared into the glass in his hands. He needed a refill. He needed more scotch. Stane became his enemy. Stane was dead, most likely. They never really managed to find the suit, however but Tony comforted himself that Stane was already dead or unconscious when the large arc reactor blew. The suit and Stane’s body was probably incinerated when the explosion happened. He didn’t know; he was unconscious by then.
He was barely clinging to life as it was. The Mark I chest piece wasn’t designed to power the Mark III suit. The fact it lasted as long as it did was a testimony to Tony’s design smarts. To be more honest, he actually thought he was going to die in that battle with Stane, if not actually at Stane’s hands then by his the Mark I chest piece failing.
His back still hurt from the fight. It had only been a day after the battle and the conference. He couldn’t’ think much about Stane’s motives before because he was too busy trying to survive and preparing himself to address the press again without screwing up-not that he actually succeeded with the last part.
Sighing heavily, Tony drank straight from the bottle, letting the burning of his throat quiet his thoughts for a moment. It was useless to think about Stane. Stane betrayed him. Stane died. Tony had to look to the future, figure out what he was going to do, other than find his weapons and destroy them. Stane be damned, it wasn’t his problem anymore.
He wasn’t nostalgic or sentimental. So what if Stane was his surrogate father and they went way back? It didn’t matter. What mattered was the now and the future. It wasn’t healthy to think about Stane. He couldn’t take it back, couldn’t make it better. He could only help shape the future. At least he wouldn’t be locked out of his own company anymore.
Even if he tried stopping to think about Stane consciously during his waking hours, it wouldn’t stop the nightmares. Stane was more to him than Tony was willing to admit and if he could be corrupted by power, how farfetched was it for Tony to follow the same path?
That thought scared him though he was trying to change now. His company’s focus won’t be on weapons anymore and he knew they could do something else, something more environmental maybe. Anything other than being “iron mongers” and weapon manufacturers. Stark Industries had to be more than that and if it took his entire fortune for the rest of the world to think that, then so be it.
Tony Stark might be Iron Man and there might be people who don’t think he was a hero by any means, hey, not even he thought he was a hero. It wasn’t his mindset but he could help make the future better for everyone.
Author: Lucifer Hisaki (mercy_slays/luciferhisaki)
Rating: PG
Fandom: Marvel, Iron Man 2008
Pairing: Implied Barely-There Obediah Stane/Tony
Summary: In which Tony looks back and thinks of Stane and wonders why.
Disclaimer: I hardly know my way around Comic Canon. Do you really think I own Marvel? But I would love to own RDJ!Tony's ass!
Word Count: 1000
Notes: This is not beta'd. Post Movie but before the Post-Credits Scene
Hindsight Bias
He should have known.
Looking back there were all the signs. The looks, the occasional gestures and hesitation that OB-Stane-gave him. All of it was there. There was no real reason for Tony to not overlook them but he did. Just like he overlooked many things but he was trying to not do that anymore.
He was trying to be responsible for everything now.
He should have known that Stane was double dealing under the table. There had to be a reason why they were still getting deals and contracts when on some-no, looking back, most-of the projects didn’t meet the Military’s standards or views. The money had to come from somewhere but he was too distracted by getting his adrenaline rushes, being a spoiled brat, playing the womanizer the press loved him as.
It was all his fault but then again, maybe not. Tony trusted his dad-to an extent now but before he trusted him completely-and dad trusted Stane. Stane was more experience in the corporate world, more forgiving of Tony when he made mistakes when he retook the reins. It was one of the reasons why Tony kept him at his side. Stane knew what he was doing. He took care of the company when Tony was still thinking of taking over. There was no doubt about that.
Stane was perfect. He knew what to do. But damn it, Tony never thought he would be corrupted by the position. He was naïve back then, hell he probably still was, in some aspects. Even so, Tony never thought Stane would betray him the way he did.
There was no reason for it. No reason at all why Stane would call a hit on him unless he was impatient and wanted his greedy hands on the company again. That was probably. It was most definitely it. Stane had control but he lost it when Tony came back and took the reins (forcibly?) from Stane’s hands.
He even overlooked the touches that lasted a bit too long and was a bit too touchy feely. Stane was there for him when his father died but the touches, they bordered on molestation at times. He knew he could have reported it but to whom? No one really, not that he really had something against it-being touched. He liked being touched. He needed human contact with people. It was one of the reasons why he didn’t mind so much for the arm candy at parties and at casinos.
Sipping his scotch, Tony stared out toward the pacific. Stane looked so happy at him coming back from Afghanistan. Was that all an act? Probably was. There was that one look when he mentioned his father during the press conference that Tony really didn’t see. It wasn’t clear, peripheral vision was never that clear but he could see Stane’s eyes narrowing, maybe.
Then there was the time in front of the arc reactor. Did he already know about it because of the people he hired rather than from Rhodey’s mouth like he assume? Probably.
Growling, Tony glared into the glass in his hands. He needed a refill. He needed more scotch. Stane became his enemy. Stane was dead, most likely. They never really managed to find the suit, however but Tony comforted himself that Stane was already dead or unconscious when the large arc reactor blew. The suit and Stane’s body was probably incinerated when the explosion happened. He didn’t know; he was unconscious by then.
He was barely clinging to life as it was. The Mark I chest piece wasn’t designed to power the Mark III suit. The fact it lasted as long as it did was a testimony to Tony’s design smarts. To be more honest, he actually thought he was going to die in that battle with Stane, if not actually at Stane’s hands then by his the Mark I chest piece failing.
His back still hurt from the fight. It had only been a day after the battle and the conference. He couldn’t’ think much about Stane’s motives before because he was too busy trying to survive and preparing himself to address the press again without screwing up-not that he actually succeeded with the last part.
Sighing heavily, Tony drank straight from the bottle, letting the burning of his throat quiet his thoughts for a moment. It was useless to think about Stane. Stane betrayed him. Stane died. Tony had to look to the future, figure out what he was going to do, other than find his weapons and destroy them. Stane be damned, it wasn’t his problem anymore.
He wasn’t nostalgic or sentimental. So what if Stane was his surrogate father and they went way back? It didn’t matter. What mattered was the now and the future. It wasn’t healthy to think about Stane. He couldn’t take it back, couldn’t make it better. He could only help shape the future. At least he wouldn’t be locked out of his own company anymore.
Even if he tried stopping to think about Stane consciously during his waking hours, it wouldn’t stop the nightmares. Stane was more to him than Tony was willing to admit and if he could be corrupted by power, how farfetched was it for Tony to follow the same path?
That thought scared him though he was trying to change now. His company’s focus won’t be on weapons anymore and he knew they could do something else, something more environmental maybe. Anything other than being “iron mongers” and weapon manufacturers. Stark Industries had to be more than that and if it took his entire fortune for the rest of the world to think that, then so be it.
Tony Stark might be Iron Man and there might be people who don’t think he was a hero by any means, hey, not even he thought he was a hero. It wasn’t his mindset but he could help make the future better for everyone.