Aug 10, 2021 - A Little Compassion (FR-13)
Aug 10, 2021 - A Little Compassion (FR-13)
Author: mmooch
Summary: Tony meets somebody who understands the hell he went through.
Crossover: MCU
Rating: FR-13
Word count: 559
Challenge: for the livejournal 2021 August Fic-a-Day Challenge and #1928 20 Minutes With Tara
Timeline: beginning of Iron Man 1; AU post-season 6 BtVS; Tara left Sunnydale after breaking up with Willow.
A/N: Don’t have a lot of time tonight so I thought I’d go for the 20 minute challenge.
Disclaimer: BtVS/AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy. MCU characters belongs to Marvel et al. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.
Military Base, Afghanistan
He was told in no uncertain terms that he’d have to be cleared by both a doctor and see a shrink before he could head stateside. Three months was more than long enough for the enemies of the US to brainwash a soldier, much less a civilian not trained to withstand torture. The medical people were properly horrified at the modification to his chest, but didn’t try to remove it, much to his relief.
Then he was ushered into another building where he met Tara. The woman was pretty, but probably not beautiful enough to receive a lot of attention from men, so some flattery should get him out of there quick.
It surprised him when she just smiled and told him, “Before you strain something trying to flirt with me, you should know that I’m gay. I promise this is confidential unless I think you are a danger to yourself or others.”
He snorted derisively at that. “I’m the Merchant of Death; of course I’m dangerous to others.”
“Are you really?” she inquired with a curious openness to her.
“Have you been hiding under a rock? I’m Tony Stark, the world greatest mass murderer,” Tony answered, full of self-loathing.
“I know who you are, and that your company does…and what the media claims you are, but is it true? This isn’t entirely professional of me, but let me tell you what I think. Somewhere in the past, somebody gave you that moniker, and since people love to hate on the rich and successful - because ‘of course they do evil things to get to where they are’ - everyone jumped on the bandwagon. You’ve heard it so many times now, that you’ve started to believe it. How am I doing so far?” she asked.
“B-minus,” he quipped, a little scared of how well she seemed to know him.
“And rather than fighting back, you told yourself that you didn’t care what others thought of you. If they wanted Tony Stark to be irresponsible, you’d show them that part of you by engaging in self-destructive habits…but nothing that could actually harm somebody else - at least not intentionally,” she clarified.
“Did you talk to Rhodey?” Tony accused. She had way too much insight to be a cold read.
“Your personal behavior is…questionable at times, but your company’s safety record is impeccable, and all the literature I could find said it was because you insisted. That is not the behavior of a man who doesn’t truly care for others,” she summarized.
“But my weapons still ended up in the hands of the enemies. It’s not right for me to continue making them if that can happen,” he announced for the first time aloud what his intention was when he got back home.
“I don’t know if that’s the right decision or not, but can I at least suggest you get a good night’s rest - even if it means taking a sleeping pill - and discussing it with your friend Rhodey? I assume he’s your best friend as well as your liaison to the military, so explaining yourself to him before announcing it might offer solutions you didn’t consider, or at the very least an easier transition so he and the military don’t feel betrayed. You do trust Rhodey, right?”
Tony didn’t even have to think before answering, “With everything I have.”
A/N: A minute or so over, but I needed Tony’s reaction to Tara’s suggestion.
Author: mmooch
Summary: Tony meets somebody who understands the hell he went through.
Crossover: MCU
Rating: FR-13
Word count: 559
Challenge: for the livejournal 2021 August Fic-a-Day Challenge and #1928 20 Minutes With Tara
Timeline: beginning of Iron Man 1; AU post-season 6 BtVS; Tara left Sunnydale after breaking up with Willow.
A/N: Don’t have a lot of time tonight so I thought I’d go for the 20 minute challenge.
Disclaimer: BtVS/AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy. MCU characters belongs to Marvel et al. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.
Military Base, Afghanistan
He was told in no uncertain terms that he’d have to be cleared by both a doctor and see a shrink before he could head stateside. Three months was more than long enough for the enemies of the US to brainwash a soldier, much less a civilian not trained to withstand torture. The medical people were properly horrified at the modification to his chest, but didn’t try to remove it, much to his relief.
Then he was ushered into another building where he met Tara. The woman was pretty, but probably not beautiful enough to receive a lot of attention from men, so some flattery should get him out of there quick.
It surprised him when she just smiled and told him, “Before you strain something trying to flirt with me, you should know that I’m gay. I promise this is confidential unless I think you are a danger to yourself or others.”
He snorted derisively at that. “I’m the Merchant of Death; of course I’m dangerous to others.”
“Are you really?” she inquired with a curious openness to her.
“Have you been hiding under a rock? I’m Tony Stark, the world greatest mass murderer,” Tony answered, full of self-loathing.
“I know who you are, and that your company does…and what the media claims you are, but is it true? This isn’t entirely professional of me, but let me tell you what I think. Somewhere in the past, somebody gave you that moniker, and since people love to hate on the rich and successful - because ‘of course they do evil things to get to where they are’ - everyone jumped on the bandwagon. You’ve heard it so many times now, that you’ve started to believe it. How am I doing so far?” she asked.
“B-minus,” he quipped, a little scared of how well she seemed to know him.
“And rather than fighting back, you told yourself that you didn’t care what others thought of you. If they wanted Tony Stark to be irresponsible, you’d show them that part of you by engaging in self-destructive habits…but nothing that could actually harm somebody else - at least not intentionally,” she clarified.
“Did you talk to Rhodey?” Tony accused. She had way too much insight to be a cold read.
“Your personal behavior is…questionable at times, but your company’s safety record is impeccable, and all the literature I could find said it was because you insisted. That is not the behavior of a man who doesn’t truly care for others,” she summarized.
“But my weapons still ended up in the hands of the enemies. It’s not right for me to continue making them if that can happen,” he announced for the first time aloud what his intention was when he got back home.
“I don’t know if that’s the right decision or not, but can I at least suggest you get a good night’s rest - even if it means taking a sleeping pill - and discussing it with your friend Rhodey? I assume he’s your best friend as well as your liaison to the military, so explaining yourself to him before announcing it might offer solutions you didn’t consider, or at the very least an easier transition so he and the military don’t feel betrayed. You do trust Rhodey, right?”
Tony didn’t even have to think before answering, “With everything I have.”
A/N: A minute or so over, but I needed Tony’s reaction to Tara’s suggestion.