The Corrupt and the Pure; Chapter 23: The Rescue
[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 23: The Rescue
The trek out of the tunnel seemed to take forever. Dust burned in his lungs and the darkness beyond the flicker of the flare seemed deeper than ever.
They had finally rescued Tony, however, and that was worth every ache in his body, Steve decided.
Yes, he wished the battle between him and the Commander could have come to a different ending, but he realized he hadn’t been focused enough and that had left him at a disadvantage.
He needed to fix that before the next time the two of them clashed - if the Commander managed to escape the collapsing tunnel. Knowing himself and his tendency to make his way out of every tight spot, Steve didn’t bother to entertain the hope of the Commander’s demise as any kind of real likelihood.
They managed to find the mouth of the tunnel before one of them collapsed from lack of clean air. No sooner had they stepped outside, still surrounded by a cloud of dust, that their teammates surrounded them - including Tony’s armor controlled by his AI.
“What happened?” Bruce asked, alarm in his voice. “Where’s the Commander?”
“Dead, we hope,” Clint grunted. “However unlikely that is.”
“What happened?” Rhodes asked then, snapping open the faceplate - only to cough at the dust. “The whole tunnel is unstable for miles.”
Steve winced. He hadn’t really thought of the destruction while they tried to escape it.
“Thor banged his magical hammer against Cap’s mighty shield,” Tony supplied. “Last time they leveled a forest. For some reason, they seemed to expect a different result this time.”
“You really need to work on that,” Natasha agreed.
Thor looked contrite and just a bit angry. “It was not on purpose.”
“On purpose or not, we got him back,” Clint pointed a thumb at Tony - who was already proceeding towards his armor. His gait was just a smidge unsteady, but Steve supposed that was understandable, plus it was possible he was injured.
“Sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. greeted. “I am relieved to find you in one piece.”
“Me, too,” Tony agreed. “There’s a chip in the back of my neck. It needs to come out right now.”
The armor cocked its head slightly. “I can see it,” the AI responded. “It seems to be some kind of disruptor.”
“I know,” Tony said impatiently. “Apply local anesthetic and cut it out,” he said, turning his back to the armor without wasting any time.
“Woah, Tony,” Bruce hurried over. “Can’t it wait?”
“I want it gone,” Tony replied, voice sharp. “Just in case he shows up again…”
“We can do it back at the Tower,” Bruce tried to insist.
“It is not a bad idea,” J.A.R.V.I.S. agreed. “I do not want to cause undue damage.”
“I dug it out once,” Tony snapped over his shoulder. “Get rid of it, J.”
“I get it that you want it gone, but the wound will get infected,” Bruce attempted to reason with him.
“We won’t let him take you again,” Thor added. “You are safe.”
Tony stilled, something passing across his features. Perhaps it was wounded pride that he needed to be protected. Maybe it was something else entirely.
“Did he hurt you?” Bruce asked. “Are you injured?”
“I’m fine,” Tony murmured, eyes not meeting anyone else’s even though he didn’t seem to be avoiding it; he just found something else to look at, mainly the entrance of the tunnel. “Did you find the guard?” he asked suddenly.
“Yes,” Bruce answered. “It’s being taken care of.”
“Okay,” Tony gave a small nod, face troubled. “He tried to help me.”
No one said anything for a minute.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Bruce asked again.
Tony’s expression switched over to irritation. “I’ll manage until we get to the Tower.” Whether he meant some hidden injuries or the chip, it was unclear.
“Did he hurt you?” Rhodes asked, giving Tony another once-over. His faceplate was still up so he couldn’t be seeing something the rest of them weren’t.
Tony let out a mirthless chuckle. “Not more than I made him, apparently.”
It was vague to say the least, and it made Steve uneasy.
“We’ll get him,” Rhodes promised and glanced at the others. “I’ll continue aerial surveillance and see if he pops up somewhere.” He sounded determined, but that alone wouldn’t be enough.
“Let us know if you find something,” Natasha replied, and Rhodes nodded, then gave Tony one more look and snapped shut the faceplate and took off, lifting another cloud of dust in his wake.
Tony cringed at that and wiped his face with a slightly trembling hand.
“Are you -” Bruce started asking.
“I’m fine!” Tony snapped loudly, making Bruce take a small step back. “Stop fucking pestering me.”
Everyone held their breaths until Bruce nodded and physically moved away from Tony, still looking like he doubted Tony was as fine as he claimed.
Steve was kind of curious about that, too - although perhaps not exactly in the same way as Bruce. He and Tony hadn’t had time to talk to each other yet, and it was hard to tell whether Tony was avoiding him, but the sooner Steve learned the truth, the faster he could react to it.
Just because he didn’t want to ask the question and was even less thrilled at hearing the answer didn’t mean he had the right to remain silent.
“Did he touch you?” he asked Tony.
The man’s head jerked up from where he had been studying the ground. “What?” he blurted out, looking like he had been caught unawares.
“Did he touch you?” Steve repeated.
“I think ‘hurting’ kind of covers that, Cap,” Clint mused. “Knowing Stark, he gave the Commander such a hard time they had to be butting heads - even though he looks remarkably good with that in mind,” he added, looking at Tony, searching for the same injuries everyone else kept expecting.
Well, everyone except for Steve, because he wasn’t worried about the usual violence that often resulted from being a captive. That stuff was bad, but he trusted Tony to know his way around it. What he was aiming for was different, and Tony seemed to know it - as well as Bruce, if the expectant yet cautious look on his face was anything to go by.
Tony visibly hesitated, then shrugged as if it were no big deal. “Yeah,” he said, still going on with the charade, but when his eyes glided over Steve’s figure, ever so fast, something was already changing in his demeanor.
Steve felt an unpleasant weight settle on his chest.
“Cap?” Sam called out, clearly seeing something was happening.
“I think I’m missing something,” Clint admitted.
Natasha gave a slight shake of her head, keeping the archer from asking more questions. Either she knew what they were referring to, or she knew well enough to leave it alone for now.
Bruce looked tempted to repeat his question from before, but he bit his tongue against it.
Tony had gone back to looking at the ground, eyes tracing the marks War Machine’s takeoff had left.
The longer Steve’s brain mulled over the fact that the Commander had sexually assaulted his teammate, the worse he felt. Not just the knowledge and the effort it took not to picture it in his mind, but also the fact that every time Tony looked at him from now on, he would be reminded of it. No matter how casual he tried to play it off, Tony’s body language was getting more obvious by the second, and things like these…
He had to get away from Tony before he made it worse, Steve decided.
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 23: The Rescue
The trek out of the tunnel seemed to take forever. Dust burned in his lungs and the darkness beyond the flicker of the flare seemed deeper than ever.
They had finally rescued Tony, however, and that was worth every ache in his body, Steve decided.
Yes, he wished the battle between him and the Commander could have come to a different ending, but he realized he hadn’t been focused enough and that had left him at a disadvantage.
He needed to fix that before the next time the two of them clashed - if the Commander managed to escape the collapsing tunnel. Knowing himself and his tendency to make his way out of every tight spot, Steve didn’t bother to entertain the hope of the Commander’s demise as any kind of real likelihood.
They managed to find the mouth of the tunnel before one of them collapsed from lack of clean air. No sooner had they stepped outside, still surrounded by a cloud of dust, that their teammates surrounded them - including Tony’s armor controlled by his AI.
“What happened?” Bruce asked, alarm in his voice. “Where’s the Commander?”
“Dead, we hope,” Clint grunted. “However unlikely that is.”
“What happened?” Rhodes asked then, snapping open the faceplate - only to cough at the dust. “The whole tunnel is unstable for miles.”
Steve winced. He hadn’t really thought of the destruction while they tried to escape it.
“Thor banged his magical hammer against Cap’s mighty shield,” Tony supplied. “Last time they leveled a forest. For some reason, they seemed to expect a different result this time.”
“You really need to work on that,” Natasha agreed.
Thor looked contrite and just a bit angry. “It was not on purpose.”
“On purpose or not, we got him back,” Clint pointed a thumb at Tony - who was already proceeding towards his armor. His gait was just a smidge unsteady, but Steve supposed that was understandable, plus it was possible he was injured.
“Sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. greeted. “I am relieved to find you in one piece.”
“Me, too,” Tony agreed. “There’s a chip in the back of my neck. It needs to come out right now.”
The armor cocked its head slightly. “I can see it,” the AI responded. “It seems to be some kind of disruptor.”
“I know,” Tony said impatiently. “Apply local anesthetic and cut it out,” he said, turning his back to the armor without wasting any time.
“Woah, Tony,” Bruce hurried over. “Can’t it wait?”
“I want it gone,” Tony replied, voice sharp. “Just in case he shows up again…”
“We can do it back at the Tower,” Bruce tried to insist.
“It is not a bad idea,” J.A.R.V.I.S. agreed. “I do not want to cause undue damage.”
“I dug it out once,” Tony snapped over his shoulder. “Get rid of it, J.”
“I get it that you want it gone, but the wound will get infected,” Bruce attempted to reason with him.
“We won’t let him take you again,” Thor added. “You are safe.”
Tony stilled, something passing across his features. Perhaps it was wounded pride that he needed to be protected. Maybe it was something else entirely.
“Did he hurt you?” Bruce asked. “Are you injured?”
“I’m fine,” Tony murmured, eyes not meeting anyone else’s even though he didn’t seem to be avoiding it; he just found something else to look at, mainly the entrance of the tunnel. “Did you find the guard?” he asked suddenly.
“Yes,” Bruce answered. “It’s being taken care of.”
“Okay,” Tony gave a small nod, face troubled. “He tried to help me.”
No one said anything for a minute.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Bruce asked again.
Tony’s expression switched over to irritation. “I’ll manage until we get to the Tower.” Whether he meant some hidden injuries or the chip, it was unclear.
“Did he hurt you?” Rhodes asked, giving Tony another once-over. His faceplate was still up so he couldn’t be seeing something the rest of them weren’t.
Tony let out a mirthless chuckle. “Not more than I made him, apparently.”
It was vague to say the least, and it made Steve uneasy.
“We’ll get him,” Rhodes promised and glanced at the others. “I’ll continue aerial surveillance and see if he pops up somewhere.” He sounded determined, but that alone wouldn’t be enough.
“Let us know if you find something,” Natasha replied, and Rhodes nodded, then gave Tony one more look and snapped shut the faceplate and took off, lifting another cloud of dust in his wake.
Tony cringed at that and wiped his face with a slightly trembling hand.
“Are you -” Bruce started asking.
“I’m fine!” Tony snapped loudly, making Bruce take a small step back. “Stop fucking pestering me.”
Everyone held their breaths until Bruce nodded and physically moved away from Tony, still looking like he doubted Tony was as fine as he claimed.
Steve was kind of curious about that, too - although perhaps not exactly in the same way as Bruce. He and Tony hadn’t had time to talk to each other yet, and it was hard to tell whether Tony was avoiding him, but the sooner Steve learned the truth, the faster he could react to it.
Just because he didn’t want to ask the question and was even less thrilled at hearing the answer didn’t mean he had the right to remain silent.
“Did he touch you?” he asked Tony.
The man’s head jerked up from where he had been studying the ground. “What?” he blurted out, looking like he had been caught unawares.
“Did he touch you?” Steve repeated.
“I think ‘hurting’ kind of covers that, Cap,” Clint mused. “Knowing Stark, he gave the Commander such a hard time they had to be butting heads - even though he looks remarkably good with that in mind,” he added, looking at Tony, searching for the same injuries everyone else kept expecting.
Well, everyone except for Steve, because he wasn’t worried about the usual violence that often resulted from being a captive. That stuff was bad, but he trusted Tony to know his way around it. What he was aiming for was different, and Tony seemed to know it - as well as Bruce, if the expectant yet cautious look on his face was anything to go by.
Tony visibly hesitated, then shrugged as if it were no big deal. “Yeah,” he said, still going on with the charade, but when his eyes glided over Steve’s figure, ever so fast, something was already changing in his demeanor.
Steve felt an unpleasant weight settle on his chest.
“Cap?” Sam called out, clearly seeing something was happening.
“I think I’m missing something,” Clint admitted.
Natasha gave a slight shake of her head, keeping the archer from asking more questions. Either she knew what they were referring to, or she knew well enough to leave it alone for now.
Bruce looked tempted to repeat his question from before, but he bit his tongue against it.
Tony had gone back to looking at the ground, eyes tracing the marks War Machine’s takeoff had left.
The longer Steve’s brain mulled over the fact that the Commander had sexually assaulted his teammate, the worse he felt. Not just the knowledge and the effort it took not to picture it in his mind, but also the fact that every time Tony looked at him from now on, he would be reminded of it. No matter how casual he tried to play it off, Tony’s body language was getting more obvious by the second, and things like these…
He had to get away from Tony before he made it worse, Steve decided.
to be continued…
Story info