The Corrupt and the Pure; Chapter 40: The Survivors
[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 40: The Survivors
When the armor suddenly halted in the middle of its slow circling around Central Park, Tony sensed something had changed. “J?” he called out in question. So far, the AI had been elusive, trying to make his rebellion less obvious even though it couldn’t have been more glaring.
“The fight seems to have come to an end,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
Tony tried not to worry, deciding his AI would be phrasing the sentence very differently had something happened to Cap. “Relinquish control,” he ordered, and unlike all the other times he had demanded it, this time J.A.R.V.I.S. actually complied. Tony turned the suit around and made a beeline for the field of battle, coming upon a scene much like the one he had left - with one blatant difference.
He put the suit down and stepped outside instantly. “Pull Thor out of the pond and see if anyone else needs help,” he ordered his AI. The suit moved to comply while Tony approached the still figure on the ground. Dread grew into a condensed little ball in his chest that weighed way more than it should have, but he couldn’t help it: the shield that stood upright from the Commander’s body blocked his view, and until he could be sure, he should be ready for anything.
Tony rounded the body, steeling his nerves as he stepped beside it. Lifeless eyes stared up at the night sky, blood smeared all across his neck, chest and chin, no longer pulsing out of his body. The shield - Cap’s shield - was still embedded in his neck, no doubt after delivering the fatal blow.
For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Tony stood by the fallen super-soldier for quite some time, studying his face, committing it to memory against his better judgment. It might haunt him, which really wasn’t necessary…
In the background, the armor wrestled Thor out of the water, the Asgardian groaning as he finally came to. J.A.R.V.I.S. left him kneeling on the muddy bank, heading over to check on Rhodey and the damaged War Machine armor while a bit further off Sam Wilson was finally sitting up, hunched over and clutching at his head.
Tony blinked slowly and forced himself to look away from the body, eyes sliding across the grass to the bench where Steve was seated, staring off into space. Prompting his body to move, Tony walked over to him and took a seat next to him, leaning against the back of the bench and breathing in the night air. He could smell a whiff of blood, and he guessed it was coming from the man next to him.
“We’re both dead in that world, now,” he pondered out loud. “Wonder if that’s for the best…”
Steve didn’t say anything in return.
Tony allowed the silence to last a fair bit longer than was probably necessary, then looked at Steve. His face looked ashen in the far-away lamp light, smeared in blood that may not have been all his own. His hair was a tangled mess, and Tony fought a strange urge to run his fingers through it, to make him look a bit more presentable.
“Steve,” he called out instead, not touching him. “No one’s going to blame you for making that call,” Tony reassured him.
Steve blinked, lips opening a fraction. His gaze was still fixated on something Tony couldn’t see. “I felt nothing,” he finally said, voice strained like he had to fight to make a sound. “I thought of doing it, before,” he continued, a little easier. “Made up my mind, accepting it. I thought it would be a tough call, but if push came to shove, I would do the right thing.” He blinked and looked down at his hands. “Now, I just feel empty.”
Tony wasn’t sure what to say. That it would get better, later? That killing your enemies didn’t always make things better? That regardless of how he felt, it was done and there was no taking it back now?
“I know you did it for me,” he said instead, before actually processing the words. There was no taking back those words, either…
Steve’s fingers curled into fists.
“Thank you,” Tony added, voice dropping, his brain telling him that it was most likely making it worse, but there were some train wrecks that should be allowed to happen.
From the debris, something better could be built.
He sat back again, silence falling between them even as a Quinjet came hovering over the trees, stirring the water, the hum of the engines drowning out the rest of the world for a few blissful moments.
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 40: The Survivors
When the armor suddenly halted in the middle of its slow circling around Central Park, Tony sensed something had changed. “J?” he called out in question. So far, the AI had been elusive, trying to make his rebellion less obvious even though it couldn’t have been more glaring.
“The fight seems to have come to an end,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
Tony tried not to worry, deciding his AI would be phrasing the sentence very differently had something happened to Cap. “Relinquish control,” he ordered, and unlike all the other times he had demanded it, this time J.A.R.V.I.S. actually complied. Tony turned the suit around and made a beeline for the field of battle, coming upon a scene much like the one he had left - with one blatant difference.
He put the suit down and stepped outside instantly. “Pull Thor out of the pond and see if anyone else needs help,” he ordered his AI. The suit moved to comply while Tony approached the still figure on the ground. Dread grew into a condensed little ball in his chest that weighed way more than it should have, but he couldn’t help it: the shield that stood upright from the Commander’s body blocked his view, and until he could be sure, he should be ready for anything.
Tony rounded the body, steeling his nerves as he stepped beside it. Lifeless eyes stared up at the night sky, blood smeared all across his neck, chest and chin, no longer pulsing out of his body. The shield - Cap’s shield - was still embedded in his neck, no doubt after delivering the fatal blow.
For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Tony stood by the fallen super-soldier for quite some time, studying his face, committing it to memory against his better judgment. It might haunt him, which really wasn’t necessary…
In the background, the armor wrestled Thor out of the water, the Asgardian groaning as he finally came to. J.A.R.V.I.S. left him kneeling on the muddy bank, heading over to check on Rhodey and the damaged War Machine armor while a bit further off Sam Wilson was finally sitting up, hunched over and clutching at his head.
Tony blinked slowly and forced himself to look away from the body, eyes sliding across the grass to the bench where Steve was seated, staring off into space. Prompting his body to move, Tony walked over to him and took a seat next to him, leaning against the back of the bench and breathing in the night air. He could smell a whiff of blood, and he guessed it was coming from the man next to him.
“We’re both dead in that world, now,” he pondered out loud. “Wonder if that’s for the best…”
Steve didn’t say anything in return.
Tony allowed the silence to last a fair bit longer than was probably necessary, then looked at Steve. His face looked ashen in the far-away lamp light, smeared in blood that may not have been all his own. His hair was a tangled mess, and Tony fought a strange urge to run his fingers through it, to make him look a bit more presentable.
“Steve,” he called out instead, not touching him. “No one’s going to blame you for making that call,” Tony reassured him.
Steve blinked, lips opening a fraction. His gaze was still fixated on something Tony couldn’t see. “I felt nothing,” he finally said, voice strained like he had to fight to make a sound. “I thought of doing it, before,” he continued, a little easier. “Made up my mind, accepting it. I thought it would be a tough call, but if push came to shove, I would do the right thing.” He blinked and looked down at his hands. “Now, I just feel empty.”
Tony wasn’t sure what to say. That it would get better, later? That killing your enemies didn’t always make things better? That regardless of how he felt, it was done and there was no taking it back now?
“I know you did it for me,” he said instead, before actually processing the words. There was no taking back those words, either…
Steve’s fingers curled into fists.
“Thank you,” Tony added, voice dropping, his brain telling him that it was most likely making it worse, but there were some train wrecks that should be allowed to happen.
From the debris, something better could be built.
He sat back again, silence falling between them even as a Quinjet came hovering over the trees, stirring the water, the hum of the engines drowning out the rest of the world for a few blissful moments.
to be continued…
Story info