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This wasn't supposed to become as bad as it did.
He came to the raft to negotiate about the accords, to let them know that this whole thing is a power play, the power of people that they currently didn't have. They had to understand that what they did wad politically an act of war. And no authority will support them when it's their position at stake. That they just needed to wait till something happened and the accords will be changed, they could be redacted! No law is permanent if the masses are in danger. It is for the people, by the people. He came in and saw wanda in a straight jacket, shivering and scared and confused. He wanted to help so bad. Whatever bad blood they had, he was still human enough to feel bad for someone so young in such a..... Remorseful situation.
Ross's words "you're lucky you're not in one of these cells" made his skin prickle. The airport fight had put too much pressure on him, it had drained him physically and emotionally. He was an inch away from going to his knees if another aggressive statement was thrown at him.
"The futurist gentlemen, the futurist!" clint yells clapping his hands "He sees all, he sees what's best for you whether you like it or not". He walks towards clint and says "give me a break barton, i had no idea they will put you here". Clint replies "but you knew they will put us somewhere Tony", "yeah but not some floating floaty for super psychopath or some...", "Criminals Tony, the word you're looking for is Criminals, that didn't used to be me or sam or wanda or cap" and adds then "But here we are". It was so saddening for him. He felt like he could cry on spot. Subs generally don't not go under for so long as he has. He almost felt ill. "it is because you broke the law, i didn't make you". He replies at steve.
Scott intervenes "Hank was right you should have never trusted a stark", "who are you?" Tony asks. (boi got roasted. Ok sorry).
Clint remarks "you better watch your back with this guy, chances are he's gonna break it" the loud thump against the glass makes his heart beat faster. And he thinks, 'i did break Rhodey'.
Sam asks "How's Rhodes", thank god at least one 'teammate' remembers him. "they are shifting him to Columbia medicals tomorrow so fingers crossed..... What do you need they feed you yet?". Sam replies "you're the good cop now?", "I'm just a guy that needs to know where steve went"......
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And we know how on terms of going as a friend he was given the information. He enters the bunker, he knows Steve will listen now that he had proof that his bucky was innocent. It hurt a little to think that his friends were ok till he took all the media fire and when he took the blames from mourning mothers but couldn't for once see things logically or at least talk things out. Politics was a play of his handa but now his hands had started to bleed. He needed help to heal, for someone to bear the weight for just a little while.
And then the damn universe made a joke of his life. The footage, the tears, the voice of his mother, the pleas of his father, the hatred he felt for him that he had taken away his mother from him. The broken promises that they will be back. That they will come back to him, for him all crashed upon him in that second.
He looks at the Steve his father ignored him for, his literal son for. They must have been close for him to keep a bigger space in Howard's heart than his son. He asks the image of perfection
"did you know?"
"i didn't know it was him"
A taint of liar.
"don't bullshit me Rogers did you know"
... "yes"....
The shattering of betrayal.
There isn't much fight left in him, he was tired. His left hand was broken. His emotions were too much but he still punched because adrenaline is a bitch. It can save you or it can get you killed.
He walks towards Bucky and Steve growls from behind "Stand down Stark it wasn't him! " his body reacted before he could and he stopped for a second. He realised what he was doing and charged again. And strikes happened from both sides till they reached the upper chambers.
His helmet was off when Barnes found the opportunity to get him my his neck and choke him while going foe the arc reactor, his looked at Tony's eyes and noticed they were extremely dilated. He behaved as if he wasn't in control yet he was. He remembered the halt he had when Steve growled and it clicked.
"you're a sub" he says and steve hears him close by. 'Oh no, Oh NO' Tony thought as he panicked and blasted the uni beam at Barnes hand, Burning it off. Steve in anger charged at Tony punch after punch then grabbed his neck and sneered "kneel".
That was it. Tony kneeled right there and then. His knees gave out. "you've caused enough trouble Tony, you should have just listened but you didn't. Your ego got us were we are" Steve says in the disappointed tone he knows gets to all subs. Tony whimpers and keeps telling himself to get up, to fight back. But he was so tired. He thought he could handle it but the pain of betrayal from a friend and the pain his body was in was too much.
'I can't do this' he thinks 'i can't do this alone anymore' and whispers "Stephen", the murmur was so low no one could have heard it, but Steve with his super hearing just looks at his face before a blast of Golden energy throws him back. The tall man with icy eyes enters through a golden ring and oh he was so pissed. He looked at what they did to the Tony Stark. How they broke him the only way it was possible,cutting through his heart and messing with his head.
He had met Tony in a gala when he was still the neurosurgeon. They clicked immediately because both were snarky and both were the best at what they did. With the years following they had passed through various stages of changes together and individually, but that didn't change the fact that they had loved each other for who they were. They were private about the relationship as the sorcerers didn't wish to come to limelight wich was buy one get one free with coming into a relationship with Tony, and Stephen didn't wish for Tony to be used against him since he was known in more than one dimensions.
When they had first confessed to each other Stephen had enchanted Tony with a spell that allows him to call Stephen in case of any need, as a sign of protection and love. "I'm literally one call away" he had joked with Tony then. "I'll call you to even bring me coffee", "I'll bring you a decaf if you do that", "BLASPHEMY!", they had laughed together.
Right now he didn't want anything other than his sub in his arms and these people dead. Oh how the blood lust was ruling his head. All those red flags Tony ignored when Stephen said his team was using him, he should have said it a little more.
Steve looks at him and growls, bucky was almost on his feat again. Stephen looks at them with a look colder than dark dimension. "you've broken what's mine Rogers, no one touches what's mine and leaves unscathed" golden lassos bind them both, almost crushing them when he looks back to see Tony still kneeling with his eyes low. 'he needs me now' with that thought Stephen makes a a portal below the super soldiers and they're gone.
He kneels infront of Tony and he thinks he has never seen him so worn out, so sad, so scared. He touches Tony's shoulders and Tony whimpered. He was very down. Stephen speaks "Tony please look at me. Can you stand up Tony? It's ok if you can't". Glassy amber eyes met his and he felt like he was melting yet hardening in hatred towards the people who hurt him.
"I'm going to pick you up and we are going home". He portals them to the sanctum and sends a message to wong that he is back. He requested for wong to tell the others that he found Tony and he was ok but will need him right now. He bathes him in warm water and works on the injuries all over his lover. They lay together,as close as they could be to become one. He had to heal his love and break some bitches. The latter could wait though.
Three days later, the exvengers are made to go through a press conference and when they were forced to answer the questions Tony did they found out what being burned in fire of sorrow felt like. Their own queries were answered too, the matter of amending the accords were Agreed upon. When the matter of sending them back to the raft occured Tony came to the stage. In the same way he said fuck you to senator stern he said fuck you to Ross showing his inhumanity. He debated about how clint and scott had only followed the orders of the trusted Captain, they did what they thought was correct with the given information. When death couldn't win a debate with him, what could mortals do. Clint and Scott were house arrested. Wanda was sent to Charles Xavier for training her power. Sam was given community service work. They thank him and mend bridges, Wanda too surprisingly after the conference understood the consequences of actions and thanked Tony for everything he did for them. They were at the end of the conference. A journalist stood to ask a question when suddenly golden circle emerged in the middle.
Stephen came to the front to take Tony back (He wasn't all that comfortable with the others near him). He says still facing Tony, "come on Tones". Clint asks him "who are you man?", Stephen turns around and says "I'm Tony's boyfriend" a number of gasps are heard and the journalist simply pause and gape. "the Conference has not ended Steph",Tony says blushing mad, with furrowed brows he looked back to see cameras and eyes almost as wide as cameras looked at him. "uhhhh sup". He scurries behind Tony and Tony laughs. He then says "yes sir you were asking something", the guy clears his throat and asks "Sir do you have any idea where both the super soldiers are?" and honestly Tony didn't, he didn't remember much of the fight but before he could answer Stephen says "oh right". All of them turn around in confusion as Stephen opens a portal from which falls two super soldiers.
"WE HAVE BEEN FALLING FOR THREE DAYS!!!!"