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“Why did we take this job, Bucky?” Steve asked again with a sigh.
“Because Nat asked us, because Sam asked her, because he owed that Colonel Rhodes a favor. That's why, Steve.” Bucky's voice was clearly showing that he was reaching the end of his patience with this line of questioning.
“But why does Sam's favor mean we have to babysit a spoiled brat of a CEO?” Steve's voice was taking on the distinctive timbre of a whine, which sounded a bit odd coming from the 6'2” incredibly muscled blonde man.
“NAT asked us. Do you really want to get on Nat's bad side, punk?” Bucky leveled a glare, which was intimidating as the man was very bulked up, though a few inches shorter than Steve. Steve shuddered, but not at the glare.
“No. I never want to get on her bad side. Fine. Let's go and face the music, jerk.” The two men walked up to the door of the mansion in California that they had been arguing in front of.
Inside that mansion, Tony Stark was also arguing. “Obie, why do I need bodyguards? Happy is fine when I go out, and I'm perfectly safe here in the mansion.”
“Tony, son, I told you. There have been threats made against you, and I just want to make sure you're safe.” Obadiah Stane's smile was an attempt at trying to pacify the genius, who had been against the bodyguards from the start.
“I can take care of myself, too. It's not like I don't know how to fire every weapon I ever designed, or that I haven't been training to fight with Happy.” The wife beater Tony was wearing showed the muscular arms that proved he wasn't quite helpless in a physical altercation.
“Yes, Tony, but you should be focusing on the company, not needing to keep an eye out for threats. And, these two come very highly recommended.”
“Fine, Obie. They can hang out at my mansion and eat all my food. I'm sure they'll quit quickly enough, anyway.” Tony rolled his eyes as he saw the two beefcakes enter the room, led by Happy. He let his eyes wander over the well-defined muscles, especially Steve's chest and Bucky's arms. “So, you two are my new babysitters. At least Obie picked some eye candy for me.”
“Mr. Stark, we are here to make sure you are safe, not to be eye candy or something like that.” Steve said firmly, feeling the reservations he had about this job growing into tendrils of dislike for the flippant man on the couch. Too bad someone so obnoxious looked so good.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Obie made me hire you, I didn't want you here anyway. Obie, tell them the job.” With that, Tony got up and wandered out of the room, heading to his workshop. On his way out, he shouted back to Obie, “Don't forget to introduce them to JARVIS!”
A few hours later, Tony wandered out of the workshop to grab some dinner. On doing so, he found his bodyguards deep in a discussion with JARVIS over the house and the safety features they could use to keep it secure.
“Making yourselves at home, already, I see.” Tony's voice dripped with sarcasm as he walked over to the two men he saw as intruders in his home. Didn't matter that it wasn't their fault, he was very unhappy Obie made him hire them.
“You're the one who hired us to guard you.” Steve's response was controlled, though the disdain he was trying to hide was obvious to Tony.
“No, OBIE hired you to guard me. I didn't think I needed any bodyguards, but I was tired of arguing with him. I did hire you because Rhodeybear recommended you, but that's just because I insist on having the best, even if I don't think I need any at all.” Anyone who watched Tony's interviews would have recognized the tone he was using as the one he used with particularly obnoxious reporters. Fortunately for Tony, Steve and Bucky were not people who watched celebrity interviews, which he only realized in retrospect when they didn't react to his tone.
Tony sighs after that, realizing he can't really blame the bodyguards. “Even so, don't worry. You'll be paid, and I already have an account set up for all your expenses. Those expenses include any meals while on the job, as well as any clothing needed for any events. Also, I'll be making sure you get new weapons, good ones. Despite me not needing you, I can't have my bodyguards armed with less than the best. I do have an image to keep up.” With the last line, Tony let his eyelashes flutter flirtatiously, though in such an over the top way it was clearly not serious.
“Well, thanks for the weapons. And we do want to discuss procedure and access to keep you safe.” Bucky's tone was far more matter of fact that Steve's overly controlled version. This let Tony relax a bit, dropping the overall tension in the room.
“What kind of access?” Tony asked suspiciously.
“Your workshop.”
“Um, no. I have many, many classified and proprietary items in there, and it is locked down to me, only, and protected by JARVIS.”
Steve started building up his anger again. “You said you'd let us do our jobs. We can't do them if there's somewhere you can go that we can't. You might not worry about your life, but we do .”
“Why would you? No one else does, except Obie, Pepper, and Rhodey.”
Steve instantly deflated, hunching in on himself, and Tony watched his mouth open and close a few times, without any words coming out, so Bucky picked up the slack. “There's our reputation to think about. We do take pride in our work, and don't have to actually care about you to not want you to die. Who hires bodyguards who let someone they were guarding get killed?” Steve's head whipped around to stare at Bucky, because even if he didn't like Stark, he wasn't all that happy about letting something that self-depreciating lie. Before he could say anything, though, Tony had his own response.
“I didn't think of it that way. And I did say you two shouldn't worry. So, a compromise. You always, always ask before coming in, and we'll make a codeword for if I can't be honest. And if I'm not in there, you aren't allowed in.” Tony didn't want to make life any harder for the men Rhodey had spoken so highly of, even if he didn't really want them in his workshop.
Slowly, Tony's new bodyguards relaxed, realizing that maybe not every bit of this job would be a fight, or trying to keep a spoiled brat party boy safe.
The three men quickly settled into a routine. Days were spent guarding Tony while he worked, while evenings into the night were spent at various bars and parties, watching Tony flirt with anyone and everyone. Noticeable, though, was that Tony always accepted any sort of no, or even disinterest. He wouldn't persist with reluctant people, just move on to the next target of his flirting. Tony was mostly polite to his bodyguards, but when he wasn't, he was scathingly mean.
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What Steve and Bucky didn't realize was that there was a reason for the meanness to come out. First, the two of them were delicious eye candy. Tony had used the cameras just once to spy on them working out. After the hard on that caused, and the many mastabatory fantasies it led to, Tony stopped doing that. Also, just by being themselves, they took better care of Tony than anyone else ever had since he lived with Rhodey at MIT. While he never forgot to eat, his cooking skills left much to be desired, but Bucky was an amazing cook. So, instead of only eating takeout or snack food, suddenly Tony's meals were healthy and delicious. The two bodyguards also watched his sleep schedule, and somehow made sure he never fell asleep in awkward spots to wake up sore. They even, over meals, listened when he talked about work. Tony was falling fast for the two, and didn't want to. So, he tried to drive them away with cutting words, usually insulting their intelligence.
Since Bucky and Steve had a strong work ethic, left over from their poor youth, where they had to work hard just to make ends meet, and were honestly relieved that the meanness Tony showed wasn't about obnoxiousness with being guarded, they weren't going anywhere at all. None of the cutting remarks were about them following him everywhere. He never tried to escape their guard, despite clearly not appreciating their effect on his love life. That surprised Bucky and Steve after his arguments about them being hired in the first place. They were especially not going anywhere after they thwarted a sniper attempt on Tony. There was no evidence as to who did it, and no clues as to who hired it. Thus, Steve and Bucky, who didn't want to admit to themselves that they were actually enjoying the conversations about Tony's work, stuck especially close to the genius. (Well, Steve didn't want to admit it. Bucky didn't admit it to Tony, but gushed about how interesting the Tony's work was to Steve while in private.) They were also impressed that someone with his wealth and power didn't force his attention on anyone. That hadn't been their prior experience at all whenever they ran into someone powerful. Slowly, Tony's brilliant intelligence and underlying decency became obvious to his two bodyguards. Under other circumstances, the three men might have been fast friends, but the initial tension only allowed them to make it to an uneasy truce before Tony had to give a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan.
“What do you mean we can't go with you to the demonstration?! We still don't know who tried to kill you!” Steve was loudly furious, while Bucky glowered quietly in the background. “We're your bodyguards. We need to be there to guard your body!” Steve then immediately blushed at the accidental innuendo.
Tony was annoyed enough with their anger to ignore the innuendo. “What part of classified don't you understand? You. Can't. Come. And you don't have to be worried, either. Rhodeybear will be there, and he'll take good care of me.”
That mention of Colonel Rhodes was the only thing that got Steve and Bucky to back down, mostly. Bucky did leave with one last order. “You listen to what Colonel Rhodes tells you. Afghanistan is not safe. I want to still have a job, you know.” He ended on a teasing note, hoping to get Tony to calm down a bit.
Tony laughed insincerely. “Oh you know that you're set for life even now. Don't worry, you're taken care of.” Bucky winced, realizing he had miscalculated on his tease, badly. Well, there went any hope of a positive parting. He just hoped that it wouldn't keep Tony from listening to Colonel Rhodes.
Tony then climbed into the humvee that was going to take him to the base where he would meet up with Colonel Rhodes and the generals. Steve and Bucky were stuck waiting on the larger, far less classified main base.
After demonstrating his new weapons to the generals, Colonel Rhodes attempted to coax Tony into riding in the humvee with him. Unfortunately, Tony was still stung from Bucky's earlier comments, and slid into the other humvee. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but the day continued in a way far from normal.
A loud boom sounded through the desert as Tony's humvee ground to a stop, and shots were suddenly ringing out all around the vehicle. Slowly, his escort got killed, protecting him from the rain of deadly fire. Despite being told to stay put, Tony eventually grabbed a gun and went to try to protect the people protecting him. Instead of being help, though, he was hit, and quickly fell unconscious. By the time Colonel Rhodes got back to his location, he was gone.
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“What do you mean , taken?” Steve demanded loudly as Bucky glowered behind him.
Matching him volume for volume Colonel Rhodes replied, “I mean his humvee was hit, and everyone else was dead, and he was gone. Now, are you going to do your jobs as bodyguards and help me find him or are you going to waste time?”
“Here's your gear, Steve.” Bucky's voice is cold as ice. Until this moment he hadn't realized the uneasy truce and teasing was not because he disliked Tony, but rather was because he didn't want to admit how much he liked the man. Now that he was missing, he couldn't pretend the worry he felt was merely professional. He actually liked the annoying man. Not just liked the man, but was incredibly attracted to him. Didn't mean he loved Steve any less, or wanted to be with him any less, either. Bucky always was the 'more the merrier' type. Now, he just had to make sure his new crush was safe.
Steve took the gear Bucky handed him. “Thanks” he said absently, having a fairly similar revelation as Bucky did. His, though, came with a side helping of guilt since he wasn't as comfortable with the idea of liking two people as Bucky was. Despite the guilt, he was going to save Tony and then deal with it.
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Tony woke up in a cavern of some kind. “Hello there. I just saved your life. I'm sorry, but they would have killed me if I hadn't. I'm sorry for what's going to happen now.” A sad-faced but determined man stood over Tony, who had serious trouble parsing what had happened.
“Wha-wha?” Tony blinked and looked down. There was bandages covering much of his torso, and he remembered the attack on the convoy. “Where am I?”
“Why, Mr. Stark, you are in the hands of your loyal customers.” Tony looked around to see guarded weapons with the Stark Industry logo on them before everything went black again.
Suddenly, he half woke to being jostled. Despite not being fully conscious, he heard individual words. “Stane... ransom... weapons...” was about all he caught before again waking up to the sad faced man.
“Ah, you're awake again. My name is Yinsen, and we are both guests of the Ten Rings.”
“How the hell did a group of terrorists get ahold of my weapons?” Tony, due to his injuries, was as weak as a kitten, but he tried to get up and the anger and disbelief managed to be heard in his voice despite the pain that also filled it due to his injuries.
“I don't know, Stark. I doubt you will make it out of here to find out, either.” Yinsen's face was kindly despite the fatalistic nature of his words. “We are too well hidden here for the people who are searching for you.”
“Even if they can't find me, I will make it out.” Tony's voice was full of as much strength and determination as he had. While there wasn't a whole lot of the strength, the determination was all there.
Meanwhile, Bucky and Steve were tracking the Ten Rings from the ambush site. They had already gotten further than the army searchers, and Colonel Rhodes, being a pilot, wasn't trained with ground searches. “Steve, Colonel, who the hell chose the trackers? They should have gotten further than this when looking.” Bucky's voice was full of disgust for the army's competence in this matter.
On hearing Bucky's assessment, Steve started frowning, and Colonel Rhodes picked up his satellite phone to start investigating. The sounds Bucky and Steve overheard from Rhodes' side of the conversation are not encouraging. He came back with a frown on his face. “Apparently our better trackers were diverted somehow and wouldn't have been back until far too late to do any good. I have a trusted friend looking into it, but it appears there may be someone who betrayed Tony still out there on our side.”
Bucky immediately redoubled his efforts to continue to follow the trail, channeling his rage productively. Steve, with less of an outlet, clenched his fists and took careful deep breaths, holding onto his anger for when he had someone he could take it out on. “I'm getting us reinforcements I can trust.” Colonel Rhodes' voice was strained, clearly holding back his own rage. “We'll need it if we end up running into trouble from the US as well as whoever took Tony.”
“We're going to keep going.” Bucky's voice was solid, implacable, and frozen to the core. Nothing was going to keep him from someone he just was realizing he could have more with.
“I'm with him.” Steve's voice was also implacable, but less frozen and more filled with righteous fury. No one betrayed people he was coming to care about. He would burn down whoever thought it was a good idea.
Despite the skills the three men had, it was taking time to follow the tracks. Time they were wondering if Tony had left.
Tony was in big trouble, in fact. The leader of the terrorists had come to him to tell him to build the weapon he had been seen demonstrating. That wasn't something Tony was willing to do, so he refused. Immediately after his refusal, the torture began. Being waterboarded was not something he ever thought he would have to face, and he knew even as it was happening it would stay in his nightmares a long time. As he was being tossed back into the room with Yinsen, he was left with the parting words of “We'll see if your answer changes in a few hours when we move on to pairing electricity with this. You can use the time to putting your brain to imagining that and becoming more cooperative.”
As Yinsen comes up to him to check on his health, Tony laughs a bit hysterically. “I'm not getting out of here alive, am I?” Yinsen remains silent and sits down beside Tony once he's done with the basic health check.
A couple hours later, the guards came to retrieve Tony for more torture. Tony fought as he was dragged off, but he quickly ended up in the room where the waterboarding had previously occurred, and this time, there was also a car battery, clearly hooked up to shock him as well. Before the torture could start, there was a loud boom that sent most of the terrorists running from the room, except the two holding on to Tony. Just as they were about to drag him from the room, Steve and Bucky came careening through the door, and shot the two terrorists before they even had a chance to react.
“Tony... are you, are you okay?” Steve asked tentatively.
“You're an idiot, punk. Even I can see he's not okay. Stop asking stupid questions and pick him up so we can get out of here.” Bucky stated sharply. With that reminder, Steve practically jumped, then scooped Tony up surprisingly gently given the rush the two men were clearly in.
“Okay, Tony. Let's go get you somewhere safe. Colonel Rhodes arranged transportation.” Steve smiled down at the man in his arms, doing his best to keep him calm so that the rest of the mission would go well. Tony, exhausted and injured, felt safe in Steve's arms, so he passed out as they were leaving the caves.
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Several hours later he woke up in what was clearly a medical tent, Steve, Bucky, and Rhodey sitting around his bed. All three were dozing, but as soon as he moved, they woke up. “Tones, buddy, we need to talk. I know we just got you back, but this is important. Someone not only betrayed where your convoy was supposed to be, they pulled strings to make you harder to find. Steve and Bucky are going to have to be on you like glue. We just want to make sure you're safe. While you were there, did you get any hint as to who might be behind this?”
Tony looked around the med tent, but he was the only patient there. Ignoring Rhodey's question, he asked his own. “Where's Yinsen? Did you save the other prisoner? He saved my life.”
The three sitting men all looked at each other before Bucky bluntly said, “No one who was there before we got there made it out alive other than you. I'm sorry.”
“And Tony, I'm sorry to have to press this, but in order to keep you safe, we need to know if you have any idea who was behind this. Right now, only the four of us know that you've been betrayed, but we may have to ask Obadiah. He hired us, clearly he cares for your safety.” Steve was as gentle as possible, but that didn't prevent Tony from hunching in on himself.
“No... don't tell Obie. That's something I remember hearing, them talking about Obie. I don't know what, or if he had anything to do with it, but he's the one who sent me here. And, well, you aren't the bodyguards he wanted. He had tried to hire Eagle One but I insisted on you two because of Rhodeybear.”
“Eagle One?!” Bucky exclaimed loudly. He got quite really quickly when a nurse across the tent glared at him. “They're incompetent. The only reason their last protectees didn't die was because a hero vet got between their protectees and a bullet. They are good at killing, so they still get hired because they don't leave witnesses or assassins alive. You're just likely to get hurt if they're protecting you, and no one realizes it because of the trail of dead assassins and kidnappers they leave behind.”
“Oh shit. Obie isn't an idiot. He's worked in weapons his whole life. Either he did no research at all, or he knows exactly how competent they are. If he tried to hire someone like that... He just wanted to get rid of witnesses.” Tony started to shake as he realized someone he thought he could trust was out to betray him.
“I'll kill him!” While Steve's voice was a whisper, it was harsh and hot, filled with his disgust at betrayal.
“We can't do that. We have to find evidence and get him put away. He disappears, we have no idea how big this conspiracy is. Is it just for Stane to get control of Stark Industries, or is it something bigger, something aimed at the United States?” Colonel Rhodes was showing the reason he was a full Colonel in the US Air Force, thinking past the reacting the others were doing.
This turned on Tony's brain, ignoring the personal pain he was in to try and figure out a solution. “Well, we need a distraction so that evidence can be found. Rhodeybear, you can't arrest Obie, unfortunately. Posse Comitatus is law and everything. Steve, Bucky, which one of you is better with computers? One of you will have to stay with me while the other gets the information needed. Know anyone who'd be ready to arrest Obie on our say-so?”
While Steve was still blinking at the infodump, Bucky responded. “I'm the one who's better with computers. How the hell do you plan on distracting him?”
“I'm going to hold a press conference. I'm going to stop weapons production, and Obie will have to focus on me, even if it's just to figure out how to wrest control of the company from me.”
“Wait, WHAT?!” The return of the nurse's glare forced Rhodes to quiet down. “You're stopping weapons manufacturing? Please tell me that's to get Obadiah distracted. Please.”
“No. What I saw while being held, was that the weapons I'm making are being used to kill innocent people. I'm not going to let that happen anymore. I thought I was keeping soldiers safe, I thought I was keeping you, my best friend safe. I was wrong. I don't ever want to be that wrong again.” Tony looked at his friend with pleading eyes, watching as he slowly gave in.
“Aw, hell, Tones. I don't know if I agree, but how can I argue with that? I will, for the sake of my superiors, though, have to have one hell of a pretend fight with you when you announce it.”
“I know. That's why you're going to find a law enforcement agency to contact after the fight. That way, someone's ready to arrest Obie, and he won't be thinking you're helping me after I make such an announcement. Now, I'm tired. Can I sleep?” Clearly still injured, the adrenaline from the news of Stane's betrayal and the energy of planning had faded away, and the genius was drifting off.
Steve, finally finding his voice, said, “Of course, Tony. We'll keep you safe.” As Tony fell asleep, he could have sworn he saw respect and caring on Steve's face.
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As soon as the plane hit the ground Stateside, Tony was calling for a press conference. Steve was being very visible guarding his back while Bucky, armed with all of Tony's access codes, was getting ready to infiltrate Stane's office. Colonel Rhodes was also sticking close to his friend for now. Stane, though, was arguing about the press conference. “Sure, we should let them take pictures, show you're alive, but you just got back. We don't want to stress you out too much, Tony, son. “
“No, Obie, I need to do this.”
“Okay. I'll set it up.”
The press conference went just as planned, and as soon as the reporters left, bewildered, Tony had a major fight with Colonel Rhodes, also as planned. As soon as Rhodes took off in an apparent huff, Stane started in. “Are you sure you want to do this? Weapons are how you built your company. This could ruin us. This could ruin the whole company!”
“Obie, what I saw over there, our weapons being used to hurt innocent people, I can't have that. I need to stop it, and this is the best, most thorough way I know. I'm going to do it.”
“The board's going to fight it.”
“I've still got controlling interest. There's not much anyone can do to stop it.” After that final statement, Obadiah Stane stormed out of the room, clearly angry. “Hey Steve, call Bucky. Tell him time's up.”
As soon as Bucky got back, the three of them went over the evidence. The key piece of evidence was the ransom video. It wasn't asking for money for Tony's healthy return, instead it was asking Stane for more money to kill Tony as the terrorists felt they had been stiffed. Also damning was the copy of the books showing Stane had sold those weapons Tony had seen to the Ten Rings.
“I didn't want to believe it. It was the only thing that made sense, but I didn't let myself think about it. How could he do this? He didn't only work with me for years, he's my godfather!” Tony's voice was trembling, and Bucky and Steve's hearts swelled with respect for the man. They were falling in love fast. The man had made mistakes, but watching him take responsibility even when it was difficult was hard to resist. They had been nursing crushes thanks to his looks and snark, and that was quickly turning into love.
Steve reached over and squeezed Tony's shoulder. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry that he wasn't-” Steve cut off suddenly as something flew through the window. Without even thinking, he dived down and tossed it back out again. It exploded as it flew back out the window, while Bucky ran over to see if he could see who had sent the explosive. Looking out the window, he saw the sun glint off a bald head. Apparently this time, Obadiah had done his own dirty work.
“Okay, Tony, Steve, let's get Stane arrested. I hope Rhodes found someone who can arrest him with this evidence.” At that, Tony was shocked back into action, and he picked up the phone and called Rhodey. Just as Rhodey was reassuring him that agents were on the way, and Steve and Bucky would trust them, the doorbell rang.
Steve went to get the door while Bucky covered Tony. Until Stane was in custody, the two of them weren't taking any chances. JARVIS, who had been quiet until now, showed a picture of the two people at the door. With that, Steve opened the door. “Thank God it's you two. Sam, Nat, we need to get Stane arrested ASAP. He's still out to get Tony. I know you can do it.”
At that, Nat smiled a shark tooth smile. “Oh we'll get him. You have evidence? If you do, we'll go take care of him and you'll never have to worry about him again.”
“Least we can do for a friend of Colonel Rhodes, not to mention you and Bucky. I still owe the Colonel for saving my ass that time in Afghanistan.” Sam added as well. The three of them went into the living room to collect the evidence and send Nat and Sam on their way to arrest Stane, who hopefully didn't yet realize he was found out.
After Sam and Nat left, the three remaining men went down to the workshop, where Tony started tinkering. “You know, I always thought I was protecting our soldiers with the weapons I made. Now that I know I wasn't, well, maybe I was never a good person. I guess I'll have to do better.” He held up the device he was tinkering with. “Like this. This is going to be the core of a new green energy source. It's not near completion, but instead of powering weapons, this could power hospitals, schools, or nursing homes. I'm brilliant, but maybe it's time to help people with that brain.”
Steve and Bucky looked at each other. Without a word, they knew they both wanted to be with this man, and they would do so. They shared everything else, this would be just one more thing. They got up in unison and hugged him from either side. “You're amazing.” Steve whispered.
“You're a wonderful person.” Bucky added. “The moment you knew something was wrong, you went to fix it. And in doing so, Stevie and I fell for you.”
Tony blinked in shock. That declaration had come out of nowhere. And while he was very attracted to his bodyguards, he wasn't as sure if he loved them yet. And after what he'd seen in Afghanistan, he wasn't sure if he deserved it, either. “Are... are you sure?”
Bucky smiled. “Yes doll, we're sure. Let us prove it to you?”
And Steve and Bucky proceeded to do their best to prove that Tony was loved, deserved love, and could love them back. While it wasn't happily ever after, they did face everything that came next together.