A Long Retirement - Part 5: 2008
Title: A Long Retirement - Part 5
Fandom: Captain America/Avengers
Series: To Rewrite History
Pairings: [For the series]Very minor Steve/Bucky and Tony/Pepper
Ratings/Warnings: Canon imprisonment
Word Count: 2952 (17,334 so far)
Disclaimer: If I owned it, it would be a story about found families
Summary: No one could have survived that fall, but for Steve they look.
Part 1: 1988
Part 2: 1989
Part 3: 1991
Part 4: 1997
2008
I just have to stay alive. They'll be coming for me soon.
This mantra keeps Tony going for the first few weeks after he's captured, when he's terrified that breathing wrong will send shrapnel through his heart. The scientist needs to survive because he refuses to be dead when Steve and Bucky get here - he refuses to make his brothers bring his body home.
So Tony drinks the water that his fellow captive gives him. He chokes down food and bites his tongue when he wants to lash out instead. He makes nice with his captors, nodding along and pretending that he'll build them their damn missile. Tony honestly doesn't know why they chose him to kidnap. The scientist was in Afghanistan to deliver water filters and due to his efforts, the Stark name hasn't been synonymous with armaments in years.
Guess they missed the memo, Tony grumbles, keeping his eyes down as another hooded stranger starts screaming in his face. He's learned it's better not to watch them if he doesn't want to get pistol whipped again.
“They want you to start working,” his companion translates. “You've had time to recover and now they want you to build them weapons, starting with a missile first.”
“Tell them that's not possible, not with the tools I have,” Tony answers. “Tell them that I need a socket wrench, a ball-peen hammer, and a set of needle nose pliers, plus a welder's kit at minimum.”
“They aren't going to like that.”
“Tell them anyway.”
The other man is right; their captors aren't very happy. But for now at least, the 'Ten Rings' as they call themselves still need Tony's expertise too much to damage him.
However, with each new day that passes, the scientist starts to worry that the status quo won't last. Tony is quickly running out of other tools to ask for and while his captors need him functional, the well-being of his fellow prisoner hangs on a razor's edge. Yinsen is a nice guy. He doesn't deserve to die just because a group of terrorists got their wires crossed and decided that a Stark was vital to their plans.
Steve and Bucky are on their way, Tony doesn't doubt that. But from what he's discovered, the Ten Rings are hiding in some underground cave complex and he knows those are a dime a dozen in this part of the world. For all their strength and healing, searching out the right place will take his brothers time and that's time Tony is starting to think he doesn't have. Instead of waiting for a rescue, he may need to handle this one his own damn self.
“So, you want to help me blow this joint?” he asks Yinsen the next morning, the words barely out of his mouth before the other man is shushing him to silence frantically.
But despite his caution, it doesn't take Tony long to bring his fellow prisoner around. Yinsen isn't stupid enough to think that the Ten Rings actually intend to leave either man alive. As soon as the scientist does his work - or says no too many times - both their lives are forfeit. Which means they've got a deadline that could strike at any time.
Tony isn't entirely sure what inspires him to build a suit of power armor. Though the first sketch definitely draws inspiration from Steve's arm and all of Bucky's stories about Captain America. Yinsen gives him an odd look when he first sees the design, but the underlying science is solid despite the extra stars.
Now, building this armor will require every bit of skill that he's developed through the years. Tony has a good foundation for working with metal plates after creating all those prosthetic arms for Steve. Tony has never been quite sure what his brother does in his free time, but he knows the kind of strength needed to block a bullet without harming what's inside. He's also been working on alternative energy sources for a few years at this point and given an actual missile as a base, Tony thinks he can build an electrical generator that will charge this suit within a minute. Speed and power will be paramount for them to make it out alive. Even his old shame designing weapons comes in handy - this isn't a situation that can be resolved peacefully.
However, the scientist has never created anything quite like this before. Not something that will need to be embedded in his body and Yinsen's knowledge of medicine soon proves invaluable. That and the doctor's steady hands for what amounts to impromptu open-heart surgery.
Tony finds himself liking his fellow captive quite a bit. The man is terrified by their situation - and really, who could blame him - but he's still solid and supportive all the same. He's surprisingly funny whenever he relaxes and his face softens visibly when he talks about his wife. Yinsen is always happy to share stories of his family and Tony finds himself sharing his own memories in return. He talks about Pepper and his brothers, about growing up in the shadow of Howard fucking Stark, things that he's rarely told another living soul.
Fearing for your life together seems to build fast friendships and Tony finds himself increasingly worried that Yinsen won't survive. He doesn't have enough materials to build two sets of working armor, but he hates the idea of the other man being unprotected. The Ten Rings will be out for blood once they start to fight and while it's been almost twenty years since Tony was in battle, he remembers feeling helpless far too well.
So he takes a page from the book of Steve, building a shield and helmet with the metal he can spare. The scientist's original design can stand a little slimming and while it isn't much, it's protection that Yinsen wouldn't have otherwise.
Tony has never worked with tools like this or under these conditions. But as long as he's able to complete the armor, he has faith in his designs. Hiding what he's doing from their captors is the part that frightens him.
It's a complicated dance of lies and obfuscation: pretending that he's creating a nuclear missile while trying to ensure that his armor really works. After only two weeks, Tony's nerves are worn down to the bone and he's not even the one bearing the brunt of their deception. Yinsen is the one who has to sell their falsehood without giving up the game.
Every time another armed man storms into their cavern and demands a progress update, Tony watches the conversation with his heart lodged in his throat. It's always a scramble to hide the armor pieces before their captors see them and he hates the fact that he can't help with the lies.
All he can do is stand there as Yinsen pleads for patience, smiling and pointing at various bits of metal when directed by his friend. Tony tries to look both intelligent and vacuous, the kind of scientist who's smart enough to build a rocket but completely incapable of good time management. He's torn his hair out over missed deadlines often enough to know that blank look well.
For now their captors buy it, but Tony can sense their impatience even through the language barrier. With every meeting, the shouting gets more strident and Yinsen's shoulders tenser, the Ten Rings' willingness to listen fading fast.
“How much longer do you need?” the other man asks after one particularly rough evening several months into their capture, his right hand cradling new bruises on his face. “I'm doing my best to pacify them, but we're running out of time.”
“I know; I can tell,” Tony replies before giving it some thought. While his work still isn't pretty... “I think its functional. If you help me into the pieces tonight while these bastards think we're sleeping, I should have the armor up and running so we can try at dawn.”
“Catch them by surprise. It's a good idea,” Yinsen agrees. “If we act quickly, my friend, we may actually escape this cave alive.”
“Careful now, don't jinx us,” Tony says. As plans go, it's not the worst he's ever made - that prize goes to spring break 1987 - but there are still far too many things that could go wrong. “We're not out of the woods yet.”
The moment that the lights turn off, the two men jump into action. They pull the various pieces from their hiding places and then begin attaching them. Yinsen helps Tony into the armor, setting each piece per his directions and twitching in panic at every sound outside the room. The Ten Rings don't keep a guard on them anymore, but there's still random patrols and they're forced to freeze in awkward positions more than once.
Over the course of that long night, the armor forms around him bit by bit. It hugs Tony's body like a second metal skin, one hooked to the energy source embedded in his chest. A parasite perhaps, but he prefers to think of his design as a gorgeous synergy.
Sure the suit is rough around the edges, exposed wires and sharp metal instead of something sleek. Tony is still jury-rigging the last few connections as Yinsen sets the shoulder pieces, the metal plates lying heavy across his chest. But rough or not, the armor seems to be functional and that's what matters most right now.
“How much longer do you need?” Yinsen asks, looking toward the door nervously. They've been at this for hours, only a few more sections left, but it must be getting close to dawn by now.
“Just a little more. We're gonna make it.” I really hope we're gonna make it.
Tony motions for the helmet, his vision narrowing as that hunk of metal slides over his head. He snaps the edges into place and directs Yinsen to flick the switch, starting the final charging sequence. This is the last step to turn his armor from cold steel into a weapon and the scientist dares to hope they're in the clear.
But even as he thinks that, footsteps echo from the corridor. Booted footsteps heading straight in their direction and with sudden certainty, Tony knows the armor won't charge in time. Their captors are going to find him stuck here wearing a solid metal coffin and there's nothing he can do to change it now.
“Hide!” Tony hisses. He may be a sitting duck, but if Yinsen moves quick enough, the other man might still survive.
“No, I'll hold them off,” his friend replies. Stupidly brave at the worst time. “You just need a minute, right? I can last that long.”
Yinsen scoops up the shield and the helmet Tony made him. He ignores the scientist's protests that he doesn't need to do this, and positions himself right by the door. Once again, Tony can only watch as his friend puts himself in danger in an attempt to save his life.
The first man through the door takes a metal shield straight to the face, stumbling back into the corridor with a cry. The second man stops dead at the sight of Tony's armor, too surprised to react before Yinsen bowls into him as well. The doctor is no fighter; he clearly has no strategy. But there's something to be said for sheer audacity.
Come on, come on, Tony thinks, wishing he could charge his armor faster through sheer force of will.
He hates being helpless - useless - and their captors are regrouping, shouts of alarm bouncing off the walls. Yinsen is forced to duck behind his makeshift shield as several men open fire and bullets start to fly. Tony sees sparks bouncing off the shield and feels several impacts hit his armor, but his design proves solid. His work does its job well.
However, there's no shortage of men rushing into the cave, several of them trying to rip the shield from Yinsen's hands. Others go for Tony and all of them are shouting in a great heaving din. The scientist doesn't hear the buzz of his armor fully charging over that cacophony. But he feels his creation come alive.
Suddenly there's power humming through his chest and Tony's first shot wipes out half the room. He presses the advantage, laying into their captors with metal fists and blasts of energy. The latter can't be used too often, but even limited for safety, they serve their purpose well. Once he's cleared a space, Tony grabs the men on Yinsen and throws them into the hall. Then he marches after them with the doctor on his heels, an implacable wall of metal determined to leave at any cost.
He doesn't know the way or have a plan beyond escape. But he has no fear of bullets either and he figures that he's bound to find the right path through the caves eventually.
Tony lets out all his rage and fear on the men that they encounter. He's never been much for fist-fighting despite his brothers' training, but he can't deny there's something cathartic about wading through his captors now. This time he's the strong one, ready and able to repay all the pain these men caused. And repay he does, saving his plasma blasts for the larger groups who try to block his way.
Some men circle around behind them, but Yinsen grabbed a gun off one of the bodies earlier. Between that and the shield, he keeps the men off Tony's back. So the two of them keep moving, choosing the path leading upwards whenever possible.
The Ten Rings are getting desperate, their attacks more reckless, but the scientist has finally seen the sunlight up ahead. Tony's starting to get tired, the long night and this battle leaving him exhausted. However, the thought of escape so close gives him a new burst of energy.
The scientist waves Yinsen forward to take the lead as they run toward the sunshine, the doctor quickly outpacing Tony in his suit. The armor may be well-designed, but it's still cumbersome, not the sleek and mobile version that he would have preferred.
Tony is only halfway down the tunnel when Yinsen clears the entrance and when he hears a shout behind him, it takes too long to turn around. There's just a flash of men with weapons on their shoulders, what looks like far too many makeshift RPGs. Tony feels his heart leap in his chest, or perhaps that's just the armor overheating as he lets out a panicked wave of energy. The last of the Ten Rings disappear with awful screams, but not before they fire their own weapons. Tony barely has time to think, oh, come on, before what feels like a semi-truck slams straight into him.
He's blasted off his feet, flying from the tunnel entrance in a wave of heat. His skin burns where its exposed, ears ringing from the explosion and his vision going white. Then he crashes hard into the sand and his armor splits around him, too much abuse at last.
Tony simply lies there and groans, body aching everywhere. But for all the pain he feels, he's staring at the sky now and that's worth everything. He never truly appreciated the sky until this moment - never truly realized how lovely it could be.
“Tony?”
“Tony!”
As he's lying in the sand, he hears voices call his name. Two very familiar voices, and for a second the scientist thinks that he's hallucinating. Or that the stress of his imprisonment finally drove him mad.
But then two tall shadows block the sun above him and Tony knows that this is real. His brothers have finally found him; he can finally relax.
“It's really you! You're alive!” Bucky exclaims, staring down at him.
“And you're late,” Tony answers. “I could have used you weeks ago.”
“We've been trying to figure out where you were for months,” Steve replies. “These hills are a honeycomb.”
“Sorry, we were missing our homegrown genius to triangulate locations,” Bucky adds before yanking Tony out of the wreckage of his armor and pulling him into a hug. “I'm so glad you're okay, kid. Thanks for setting off the biggest possible explosion to guide our way.”
“Happy to help, but you know I'm almost forty, right? I haven't been a kid in years,” Tony snarks. But he still leans into the other man's embrace, resting his head on Bucky's shoulder with a sigh.
“Kid, you could be ninety and you'd still be our little brother,” Steve says as he joins in the embrace, completing the circle to wrap Tony up completely. It feels good to be held like this, feels good to be home again.
“I suppose I can live with that.”
When Tony gets back to New York, he plans to sleep for a week straight. But once he's finally rested, well, he's got some new ideas. With proper tools and a real laboratory, he knows that he could make a much better suit of armor and maybe it's time to talk to Steve and Bucky about ending their retirement. Tony doesn't want anyone else to go through the hell that he did and while he's been doing his best to change the world with Stark inventions, he's no longer sure if that's enough.
Because when folks like the Ten Rings are determined to ruin peace at any cost, Tony thinks it might be time for heroes once again.
Part 6: 2012
Fandom: Captain America/Avengers
Series: To Rewrite History
Pairings: [For the series]Very minor Steve/Bucky and Tony/Pepper
Ratings/Warnings: Canon imprisonment
Word Count: 2952 (17,334 so far)
Disclaimer: If I owned it, it would be a story about found families
Summary: No one could have survived that fall, but for Steve they look.
Part 1: 1988
Part 2: 1989
Part 3: 1991
Part 4: 1997
2008
I just have to stay alive. They'll be coming for me soon.
This mantra keeps Tony going for the first few weeks after he's captured, when he's terrified that breathing wrong will send shrapnel through his heart. The scientist needs to survive because he refuses to be dead when Steve and Bucky get here - he refuses to make his brothers bring his body home.
So Tony drinks the water that his fellow captive gives him. He chokes down food and bites his tongue when he wants to lash out instead. He makes nice with his captors, nodding along and pretending that he'll build them their damn missile. Tony honestly doesn't know why they chose him to kidnap. The scientist was in Afghanistan to deliver water filters and due to his efforts, the Stark name hasn't been synonymous with armaments in years.
Guess they missed the memo, Tony grumbles, keeping his eyes down as another hooded stranger starts screaming in his face. He's learned it's better not to watch them if he doesn't want to get pistol whipped again.
“They want you to start working,” his companion translates. “You've had time to recover and now they want you to build them weapons, starting with a missile first.”
“Tell them that's not possible, not with the tools I have,” Tony answers. “Tell them that I need a socket wrench, a ball-peen hammer, and a set of needle nose pliers, plus a welder's kit at minimum.”
“They aren't going to like that.”
“Tell them anyway.”
The other man is right; their captors aren't very happy. But for now at least, the 'Ten Rings' as they call themselves still need Tony's expertise too much to damage him.
However, with each new day that passes, the scientist starts to worry that the status quo won't last. Tony is quickly running out of other tools to ask for and while his captors need him functional, the well-being of his fellow prisoner hangs on a razor's edge. Yinsen is a nice guy. He doesn't deserve to die just because a group of terrorists got their wires crossed and decided that a Stark was vital to their plans.
Steve and Bucky are on their way, Tony doesn't doubt that. But from what he's discovered, the Ten Rings are hiding in some underground cave complex and he knows those are a dime a dozen in this part of the world. For all their strength and healing, searching out the right place will take his brothers time and that's time Tony is starting to think he doesn't have. Instead of waiting for a rescue, he may need to handle this one his own damn self.
“So, you want to help me blow this joint?” he asks Yinsen the next morning, the words barely out of his mouth before the other man is shushing him to silence frantically.
But despite his caution, it doesn't take Tony long to bring his fellow prisoner around. Yinsen isn't stupid enough to think that the Ten Rings actually intend to leave either man alive. As soon as the scientist does his work - or says no too many times - both their lives are forfeit. Which means they've got a deadline that could strike at any time.
Tony isn't entirely sure what inspires him to build a suit of power armor. Though the first sketch definitely draws inspiration from Steve's arm and all of Bucky's stories about Captain America. Yinsen gives him an odd look when he first sees the design, but the underlying science is solid despite the extra stars.
Now, building this armor will require every bit of skill that he's developed through the years. Tony has a good foundation for working with metal plates after creating all those prosthetic arms for Steve. Tony has never been quite sure what his brother does in his free time, but he knows the kind of strength needed to block a bullet without harming what's inside. He's also been working on alternative energy sources for a few years at this point and given an actual missile as a base, Tony thinks he can build an electrical generator that will charge this suit within a minute. Speed and power will be paramount for them to make it out alive. Even his old shame designing weapons comes in handy - this isn't a situation that can be resolved peacefully.
However, the scientist has never created anything quite like this before. Not something that will need to be embedded in his body and Yinsen's knowledge of medicine soon proves invaluable. That and the doctor's steady hands for what amounts to impromptu open-heart surgery.
Tony finds himself liking his fellow captive quite a bit. The man is terrified by their situation - and really, who could blame him - but he's still solid and supportive all the same. He's surprisingly funny whenever he relaxes and his face softens visibly when he talks about his wife. Yinsen is always happy to share stories of his family and Tony finds himself sharing his own memories in return. He talks about Pepper and his brothers, about growing up in the shadow of Howard fucking Stark, things that he's rarely told another living soul.
Fearing for your life together seems to build fast friendships and Tony finds himself increasingly worried that Yinsen won't survive. He doesn't have enough materials to build two sets of working armor, but he hates the idea of the other man being unprotected. The Ten Rings will be out for blood once they start to fight and while it's been almost twenty years since Tony was in battle, he remembers feeling helpless far too well.
So he takes a page from the book of Steve, building a shield and helmet with the metal he can spare. The scientist's original design can stand a little slimming and while it isn't much, it's protection that Yinsen wouldn't have otherwise.
Tony has never worked with tools like this or under these conditions. But as long as he's able to complete the armor, he has faith in his designs. Hiding what he's doing from their captors is the part that frightens him.
It's a complicated dance of lies and obfuscation: pretending that he's creating a nuclear missile while trying to ensure that his armor really works. After only two weeks, Tony's nerves are worn down to the bone and he's not even the one bearing the brunt of their deception. Yinsen is the one who has to sell their falsehood without giving up the game.
Every time another armed man storms into their cavern and demands a progress update, Tony watches the conversation with his heart lodged in his throat. It's always a scramble to hide the armor pieces before their captors see them and he hates the fact that he can't help with the lies.
All he can do is stand there as Yinsen pleads for patience, smiling and pointing at various bits of metal when directed by his friend. Tony tries to look both intelligent and vacuous, the kind of scientist who's smart enough to build a rocket but completely incapable of good time management. He's torn his hair out over missed deadlines often enough to know that blank look well.
For now their captors buy it, but Tony can sense their impatience even through the language barrier. With every meeting, the shouting gets more strident and Yinsen's shoulders tenser, the Ten Rings' willingness to listen fading fast.
“How much longer do you need?” the other man asks after one particularly rough evening several months into their capture, his right hand cradling new bruises on his face. “I'm doing my best to pacify them, but we're running out of time.”
“I know; I can tell,” Tony replies before giving it some thought. While his work still isn't pretty... “I think its functional. If you help me into the pieces tonight while these bastards think we're sleeping, I should have the armor up and running so we can try at dawn.”
“Catch them by surprise. It's a good idea,” Yinsen agrees. “If we act quickly, my friend, we may actually escape this cave alive.”
“Careful now, don't jinx us,” Tony says. As plans go, it's not the worst he's ever made - that prize goes to spring break 1987 - but there are still far too many things that could go wrong. “We're not out of the woods yet.”
The moment that the lights turn off, the two men jump into action. They pull the various pieces from their hiding places and then begin attaching them. Yinsen helps Tony into the armor, setting each piece per his directions and twitching in panic at every sound outside the room. The Ten Rings don't keep a guard on them anymore, but there's still random patrols and they're forced to freeze in awkward positions more than once.
Over the course of that long night, the armor forms around him bit by bit. It hugs Tony's body like a second metal skin, one hooked to the energy source embedded in his chest. A parasite perhaps, but he prefers to think of his design as a gorgeous synergy.
Sure the suit is rough around the edges, exposed wires and sharp metal instead of something sleek. Tony is still jury-rigging the last few connections as Yinsen sets the shoulder pieces, the metal plates lying heavy across his chest. But rough or not, the armor seems to be functional and that's what matters most right now.
“How much longer do you need?” Yinsen asks, looking toward the door nervously. They've been at this for hours, only a few more sections left, but it must be getting close to dawn by now.
“Just a little more. We're gonna make it.” I really hope we're gonna make it.
Tony motions for the helmet, his vision narrowing as that hunk of metal slides over his head. He snaps the edges into place and directs Yinsen to flick the switch, starting the final charging sequence. This is the last step to turn his armor from cold steel into a weapon and the scientist dares to hope they're in the clear.
But even as he thinks that, footsteps echo from the corridor. Booted footsteps heading straight in their direction and with sudden certainty, Tony knows the armor won't charge in time. Their captors are going to find him stuck here wearing a solid metal coffin and there's nothing he can do to change it now.
“Hide!” Tony hisses. He may be a sitting duck, but if Yinsen moves quick enough, the other man might still survive.
“No, I'll hold them off,” his friend replies. Stupidly brave at the worst time. “You just need a minute, right? I can last that long.”
Yinsen scoops up the shield and the helmet Tony made him. He ignores the scientist's protests that he doesn't need to do this, and positions himself right by the door. Once again, Tony can only watch as his friend puts himself in danger in an attempt to save his life.
The first man through the door takes a metal shield straight to the face, stumbling back into the corridor with a cry. The second man stops dead at the sight of Tony's armor, too surprised to react before Yinsen bowls into him as well. The doctor is no fighter; he clearly has no strategy. But there's something to be said for sheer audacity.
Come on, come on, Tony thinks, wishing he could charge his armor faster through sheer force of will.
He hates being helpless - useless - and their captors are regrouping, shouts of alarm bouncing off the walls. Yinsen is forced to duck behind his makeshift shield as several men open fire and bullets start to fly. Tony sees sparks bouncing off the shield and feels several impacts hit his armor, but his design proves solid. His work does its job well.
However, there's no shortage of men rushing into the cave, several of them trying to rip the shield from Yinsen's hands. Others go for Tony and all of them are shouting in a great heaving din. The scientist doesn't hear the buzz of his armor fully charging over that cacophony. But he feels his creation come alive.
Suddenly there's power humming through his chest and Tony's first shot wipes out half the room. He presses the advantage, laying into their captors with metal fists and blasts of energy. The latter can't be used too often, but even limited for safety, they serve their purpose well. Once he's cleared a space, Tony grabs the men on Yinsen and throws them into the hall. Then he marches after them with the doctor on his heels, an implacable wall of metal determined to leave at any cost.
He doesn't know the way or have a plan beyond escape. But he has no fear of bullets either and he figures that he's bound to find the right path through the caves eventually.
Tony lets out all his rage and fear on the men that they encounter. He's never been much for fist-fighting despite his brothers' training, but he can't deny there's something cathartic about wading through his captors now. This time he's the strong one, ready and able to repay all the pain these men caused. And repay he does, saving his plasma blasts for the larger groups who try to block his way.
Some men circle around behind them, but Yinsen grabbed a gun off one of the bodies earlier. Between that and the shield, he keeps the men off Tony's back. So the two of them keep moving, choosing the path leading upwards whenever possible.
The Ten Rings are getting desperate, their attacks more reckless, but the scientist has finally seen the sunlight up ahead. Tony's starting to get tired, the long night and this battle leaving him exhausted. However, the thought of escape so close gives him a new burst of energy.
The scientist waves Yinsen forward to take the lead as they run toward the sunshine, the doctor quickly outpacing Tony in his suit. The armor may be well-designed, but it's still cumbersome, not the sleek and mobile version that he would have preferred.
Tony is only halfway down the tunnel when Yinsen clears the entrance and when he hears a shout behind him, it takes too long to turn around. There's just a flash of men with weapons on their shoulders, what looks like far too many makeshift RPGs. Tony feels his heart leap in his chest, or perhaps that's just the armor overheating as he lets out a panicked wave of energy. The last of the Ten Rings disappear with awful screams, but not before they fire their own weapons. Tony barely has time to think, oh, come on, before what feels like a semi-truck slams straight into him.
He's blasted off his feet, flying from the tunnel entrance in a wave of heat. His skin burns where its exposed, ears ringing from the explosion and his vision going white. Then he crashes hard into the sand and his armor splits around him, too much abuse at last.
Tony simply lies there and groans, body aching everywhere. But for all the pain he feels, he's staring at the sky now and that's worth everything. He never truly appreciated the sky until this moment - never truly realized how lovely it could be.
“Tony?”
“Tony!”
As he's lying in the sand, he hears voices call his name. Two very familiar voices, and for a second the scientist thinks that he's hallucinating. Or that the stress of his imprisonment finally drove him mad.
But then two tall shadows block the sun above him and Tony knows that this is real. His brothers have finally found him; he can finally relax.
“It's really you! You're alive!” Bucky exclaims, staring down at him.
“And you're late,” Tony answers. “I could have used you weeks ago.”
“We've been trying to figure out where you were for months,” Steve replies. “These hills are a honeycomb.”
“Sorry, we were missing our homegrown genius to triangulate locations,” Bucky adds before yanking Tony out of the wreckage of his armor and pulling him into a hug. “I'm so glad you're okay, kid. Thanks for setting off the biggest possible explosion to guide our way.”
“Happy to help, but you know I'm almost forty, right? I haven't been a kid in years,” Tony snarks. But he still leans into the other man's embrace, resting his head on Bucky's shoulder with a sigh.
“Kid, you could be ninety and you'd still be our little brother,” Steve says as he joins in the embrace, completing the circle to wrap Tony up completely. It feels good to be held like this, feels good to be home again.
“I suppose I can live with that.”
When Tony gets back to New York, he plans to sleep for a week straight. But once he's finally rested, well, he's got some new ideas. With proper tools and a real laboratory, he knows that he could make a much better suit of armor and maybe it's time to talk to Steve and Bucky about ending their retirement. Tony doesn't want anyone else to go through the hell that he did and while he's been doing his best to change the world with Stark inventions, he's no longer sure if that's enough.
Because when folks like the Ten Rings are determined to ruin peace at any cost, Tony thinks it might be time for heroes once again.
Part 6: 2012