starkingenuity | (no subject)

"You have my name. On your arm."

Tony hadn't been agonizing about it but maybe he had just a little and maybe he had driven down to DC to tell Steve Rogers what he was pretty sure that the blond already knew. A plane or the Iron Man armor would have taken much less time, but Tony needed to make frequent stops along the way so that he could try to get himself to turn back and just leave it.

It didn't always happen, the mythical arm writing, but that's what made it to special. Every teenager pretty much spent their years before college hoping for a name to turn up one day. Less than ten percent ever did, and that number was dwindling seeing as how people didn't really care if they had a name on their arm or not. If their parents and religion weren't going to tell them what to do, weird indelible writing appearing on their bodies was not either.

The thing one, Tony did not have a name on his arm. There was no corroborating Steve Rogers written in interesting patterns on his skin. There was nothing. Tony hadn't been a lucky one.

But he'd seen, accidentally, on Steve well after they had first met and it was pretty obvious that yeah, Steve would know that he'd just met Anthony E. Stark, fought beside him in New York, nearly watched him die, and then just moved away to DC after as if nothing at all happened.

Now he wanted answers,

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From:

starkingenuity

"I wouldn't drop you. And if I did, I would catch you again." He cursed inwardly for saying that and then took off, heading towards where he was certain the facility and the Mandarin would be. Everything hurt, every part of him, but he pulled through it, even if the landing wasn't exactly graceful. There was a blinding hot pain against his chest, but he managed not to let Steve tumble too badly even as he skidded to a halt against some girders.

From:

starspangledspandex

Well, that was good to know. Steve didn't even consider how sappy that sounded so Tony was safe there. He wasn't as thrilled about zooming across the country with nothing but his grip keeping him in the air. He hid his face and eyes against the armor so they didn't dry out or get hit by anything.

The landing was not at all as neat and tidy as he typically saw from Tony and that was definitely concerning.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He demanded.

From:

starkingenuity

Tony felt like he was going to throw up but he didn't say a word. He left his face plate down and scanned the edge of the building. "There are massive heat signatures inside," Tony noted, his voice tight. "This must be the right place. Let's try to go slow and quiet."

So said the man kicking down the door. Literally. The alarms went off and Tony laughed.

"Stay out of my range. I'm not so good up close and personal or in tight quarters."

From:

starspangledspandex

Slow and quiet. Sure. Did Tony even know what the meant? As Steve followed him through the door, he assumed that he really didn't grasp the concept.

"I'll do my best," he assured the man and he checked his grip on his shield, then darted to the side, keeping stuff between him and the armed guards. Hopefully, Tony would draw all of their attention and he could pick them off while they were distracted.

From:

starkingenuity

Distracted? Oh, Tony could do that. They never seemed to get along, but they fought as if they were meant to always be this way. A kick here, blast there, round house somersault? They moved without having to think.

Luckily, Tony was not currently doing much thinking. "I'll go left and you go right. We can clear more ground," he told Steve and didn't wait for a confirmation. Cap might be their leader when they were Avenging...but this was personal.

From:

starspangledspandex

It was easy to move with Tony. To read his movements and predict them so that they could systematically take care of guards. It was easier than it should be considering the difference in their fighting styles and they really didn't get a lot of chance to fight alongside one another.

"Be careful," Steve acknowledged, accepting the order and heading to the right. The man was in a full suit of armor so he could only hope that he would be alright even with his injuries. Steve told himself he didn't worry because of the name on his arm but rather because they were teammates. He would be concerned about anyone on his team. A name didn't mean anything.

From:

starkingenuity

Tony was carefully right until he passed out from the enormous current he had pass through him, armor and all. A name on Steve's arm might give him an idea of where tony was but it didn't give him any personal insight into how he was doing.

Getting himself can opened and lashed up to what sort of looked like a bed frame wasn't one of those things that translated well between soulmates.

From:

starspangledspandex

He cleared out his side of the compound without much trouble and he frowned as he moved toward a rendezvous with the other man. Nothing. He didn't see the man and he didn't hear the suit in the air anymore. This was a problem. Steve debated momentarily and then decided to feel the man out.

Where was he? Did he proceed already? He couldn't wait on Steve?

It took time for Steve to work his way through the guards to where Tony was being held and it became clear that he wasn't exactly down here because he wanted to be. There didn't seem to be anyone else around right now so he made his way into the room.

"Need a hand?"

From:

starkingenuity

"Who me?" Tony leaned against the ties holding him to the frame and looked over his shoulder as best he cold st Steve Rogers. Oh he hated that man's face. He really hated it. "Nah. I'm good. What have you been up to anyway? Did you stop for coffee?"

He tried to jostle his bonds but the whole frame threatened to fall over on him and he did not need That right now when Steve was watching.

From:

starspangledspandex

He scans the room, looking for any hidden threats before he moves into the room and surveys the predicament that Tony has gotten himself into. He doesn't see how the man is getting out of it himself.

"I cleared most of the guards upstairs and on the way down. I haven't seen anyone in charge."

From:

starkingenuity

"Well someone does have to be in charge," Tony pointed out, watching Steve as he neared...but didn't move to help him. Was sarcasm lost on the blond? Probably they bred that out of him when them pumped up his muscles.

Oh, he was so very annoyed to have nearly thrown himself -- okay, he did actually throw himself -- at the man. He was not his type at all! Minus the whole leggy blond thing Tony had going on...

"Are you sure you were thorough? That mask probably makes it hard to catch everything."

From:

starspangledspandex

"Someone probably is but that doesn't mean they're here," Steve said and yes, he knew what sarcasm was thanks and that was precisely why he ignored the comment about the mask. He wanted to make sure there weren't any traps. It seemed too convenient. He frowned as he stepped up to the man and reached for one of his hands. "I don't like this."

From:

starkingenuity

"What? The zip-ties or the kink? I mean, you're an upright sort of guy, and upright sort of guys usually are into this back room stuff. No? No Christian in you?" Steve was close enough that he could smell his aftershave from whatever little bit of skin was visible in his vacu-sucked suit from neck to chin.

Tony found himself swallowing and closing his eyes just before the door burst open.

"Maybe you should back away, Captain."

From:

starspangledspandex

Steve had absolutely nothing against tying his partner up in the bedroom. This wasn't quite the same thing. They weren't here to have fun. They also weren't together so that kind of killed the mood a little.

The ties might be hard to get through at this angle but he was going to give it a try anyway. He swung the shield into his hand and debated about whether he should do Tony's hand or feet first. He didn't want to hurt the man on accident if he missed.

He turned slightly toward the door with his shield arm and eyed the man that stood there. He didn't recognize him but he wasn't sure it mattered. "I don't think I will."

From:

starkingenuity

Feeling useless, Tony hung from the plastic still digging into his wrists and tried to look over his shoulder again. "Rogers, turn me," Tony muttered, but that was pretty ridiculous a request and so when Steve inevitably ignored him, he didn't really feel too badly about it.

Instead, he tried to pull himself free, and with his ribs more or less shattered in one side, that wasn't helping too much.

"You're very loyal, very quickly, but this man doesn't deserve your loyalty. He is arrogant and foolish. I don't have a quarrel with you. Don't make me have one."

From:

starspangledspandex

Yeah, he was definitely ignoring Tony. Why would he turn him around and put him on display for someone that was probably trying to kill him? It seemed like a terrible plan. The bed frame didn't offer a lot of protection but it was something, especially with Steve in front of it.

"That's not your call," Steve said, adjusting his grip. "He saved all our lives in New York. That's enough for me." Plus there was the whole arm thing, but he still wasn't convinced about it and he definitely wasn't going to tell their enemy about it.

"Turn yourself in," he added, because he was Captain America and it was his job.

From:

starkingenuity

"That isn't going to happen. Not when I hold all of the power here." A woman was brought in behind him and Tony tried to make the frame jump around to see who it was.

Luckily for his poor ribs, he didn't have to a moment later considering the gasp and the "Let him go, Adrian!" sort of explained it.

"Maya?" This wasn't good. And neither was the little video show that Killian was planning on showing to him.

Having someone from his not too distant past coming back to more or less bite him. Learning about Extremis was just a little worse. And watching it consume Pepper--? Tony felt shattered after that.

From:

starspangledspandex

All in all, Steve really wished he wasn't spending this whole time playing catch up. Tony should have given him more information so he would have been prepared for what might happen and who they were going up against.

Why wasn't Pepper being guarded? Tony made a threat against a terrorist. It only made sense they were going to go after the people he cared about. Steve didn't have a lot of answers and didn't have a plan of action, neither were things he appreciated.

If he took out Killian now, it might be easier to get to Tony's girlfriend. He wasn't sure if he could protect both Tony and this Maya, who apparently worked for AIM. Clearly she was mixed up in things that she shouldn't be. Did that make her a bad person? Not for him to decide.

So, Steve went for Killian first, he suspected the man wouldn't appreciate the shield bouncing off his chest very much.

From:

starkingenuity

Steve could absolutely guess right there. And he would find that Killian did go down. For a moment at least.

The man dashed away, leaving Tony pulling so hard at his bonds that he was actually bleeding. "Just go and get him," the man growled. Steve was wasting time. They had to figure out where Pepper was.

She couldn't be dead. Of course she couldn't. The people he cared about never got hurt!

From:

starspangledspandex

He was wasting time because he would definitely prefer to have back-up here. There weren't many people that could take a hit from the shield and take off running. Steve spared a moment to smash one of Tony's wrists free and pull his pocket knife out to give it to him.

"Follow me when you can," he told him and took off after Killian.

From:

starkingenuity

In sneakers and jeans, moments after he cut his wrist free and took one more look at the monitor, Tony sucked up his sorrow j to rage and beat a path towards the Captain.

He could not run even half as fast as the other but adrenaline was capable of doing very weird things to people in times of need and he arrived at Steve's back as Killian hit the end of the hall, hands glowing.

From:

starspangledspandex

Tony catching him was helped by Steve slamming doors open as they passed. He wanted to make sure there were no other prisoners but also that there weren't any guards that we're going to pop out and flank them.

When Killian turned to face him, Steve realized he either used this extremis thing on himself or had abilities of his own.

"He's enhanced!" Steve shouted, twisting to protect Tony from the blast that erupted from the man's hands and when he hit the shield, Killian opted to drop the ceiling on them instead.

From:

starkingenuity

Against Steve's chest, the shield over them both, Tony tried his very best not to cling too tightly... He didn't want to give the blond the wrong impression, he just wanted to keep from being toppled over.

That didn't seem to matter, however. The weight of the ceiling over them was enough to cause the floor to crack beneath them too.

Tony's fingernails bit into Steve's arm even as he tried to summon the suit. He only hoped it was being kept close.

From:

starspangledspandex

He wouldn't have blamed the man for clinging to him. The closer they were to one another the easier they both fit under the shield and the less likely it was for either of them to be hurt that way. Killian was gone. He only intended to distract them both instead of challenging them directly.

When the floor beneath them cracked, Steve's arm wraps around Tony. If the floor gives out completely, he intends to pull the other man on top of him. The super soldier can take a lot more damage than Tony can even if it won't be particularly fun for either of them.

From:

starkingenuity

Steve wasn't exactly soft. Falling in him still hurt enough to knock the breath out of him. Though Killian was able to get away, snd Pepper was--

Tony was having more trouble than he had been breathing. That was probably understandable given the state he had been on before the running and the falling.

"Go get him," he wheezed. He'd be fine laying curled up in a ball.