Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenges listed at the bottom.

Pairing - Pre-SteveTony

Word Count - 1895

Not Quite Done Yet

He lay across Steve's lap, dozing as Steve ran a large hand through his hair, occasionally tugging playfully at the longer strands. Steve was so warm, and his warmth was making Tony warm and comfortable, and it would be so easy to just fall asleep—

"Up, Stark!"

Tony blinked his eyes open, ashamed that he'd been hoping to wake to something other than his current reality.

He hated being kidnapped. It sucked, especially when the kidnappers were actually smart enough not to give him access to anything he could turn into a weapon.

So far, it had been a lot of sitting around. They'd given him no information, they'd barely said more than ten words to him the entire time they'd had him, and Tony was so done with it.

He just wanted to go home.

Tony struggled to his feet and was promptly punched in the gut, forcing him to lean forwards. He felt a hand grip his bicep, and he was pulled forwards roughly, and pushed onto a chair. His hands were untied and then quickly re-tied to the chair arms.

"Is it recording?" one of the people said, his voice low and gruff.

Tony managed to raise his head enough to see that there four people in the room with him, strategically placed all around him.

"Yes."

"Then do your worst," the first man said. "Just make sure he doesn't die."

…

The sunshine made Steve's blond hair look even lighter. Tony couldn't tear his eyes away.

"We're on our way for you, Tony," Steve murmured softly. "You've just got to hold on. We're coming."

Tony frowned. "What are you talking about, Steve? You're with me now."

"Hold on," Steve repeated. "Please, Tony. Hold on until we get there."

Tony choked on his own saliva, coughing harshly until he was a drooling mess. He'd been placed on a thin mattress, with milk white sheets both under him and covering him. Every single part of him ached, and he was pretty sure he had bruises on his bruises.

Dream Steve's voice still echoed in his mind, telling him to hold on, but… Tony was tired. Not even just of this particular kidnapping. He was tired in general, had been for too long now. It would be so much easier to just… surrender to the blackness that beckoned him.

He was alone in the room now, though how long that would last now he was awake was anyone's guess. He figured that they were watching him, because since they'd locked him up, every time he'd woken someone was there within minutes.

He shifted slightly, and then paused, watching the dust motes swirl where they'd been disturbed. What he wouldn't give for a warm bath and fresh clothes and sheets.

He looked himself over as best he could, unable to move too much both due to the restraints still holding him fairly still, and the pain in his limbs. Bruises of various shades of purple and blue littered his skin, almost black in places.

Sure enough, there was a loud bang as the door was pushed open, and then lower sounds of whispered conversation.

Tony was hauled up, with no care given to his injuries. He gasped as his ribs were caught against a sharp elbow.

Two of his captors carried him from the room into a dark, dank corridor. Tony tried to look for any details that would give him an indication of where he was, but there was absolutely nothing that stood out to him.

"Where are we going?" he asked, forcing the words past the dryness in his throat.

He was ignored of course, but then he hadn't really expected an answer.

The room he was taken too was better lit than the one he'd left. It took Tony a moment to realise why the equipment he was looking at was so familiar, but then it all clicked into place and he was immediately horrified.

"Please, don't," he begged, pride forgotten as he fought against the hands holding him. "Don't do this, please don't do this, I don't want this, please, just kill me instead!"

He was held down until he was strapped tightly to the machine, but he fought until the injections pushed into his skin, holding him in place.

Then he could do nothing but scream.

…

"I'm sorry they've done this to you against your will," Steve said, running a gentle hand over Tony's arm, his fingers caressing the skin lightly.

Tony shrugged, basking in the sunlight. It was so warm and comforting, such a vast contrast to the dungeons he'd been kept in.

"It's done now. Nothing I can do about it."

"You don't need us to save you now, you know? You can save yourself. We're on our way, Tony, but if you can get out…"

Tony smiled sadly at Steve. "I probably could, but to escape, you need to have a will to live."

When Tony woke, the room was in immediate focus. He could see with so much clarity it was disarming. He no longer hurt, and he could feel the strength running through him, just waiting for him to put it to use.

He was powerful in a way he'd never been before, not even in the suit.

"Oh, good, you're awake, Mr Stark." Tony looked to his left to see a man in a long lab coat smiling at him. "It didn't seem to go quite as the notes told us it would, though you seem quite fine now."

"Why did you do this to me?" Tony asked, his voice soft. "I never wanted this."

"Come now Mr Stark. The future will soon be a thing of the past and as the world's leading futurist, surely you see the merit of staying a step ahead of the pack?"

"Actually, I'm quite ready to let the new generation take over," Tony replied, closing his eyes. "You've… ruined me."

"We've improved you," the man corrected. "In time, you'll see that, and you'll thank us."

"You're insane. You're going to prison, if you're lucky enough to live through however long it takes for my team to find me."

"Perhaps," the man agreed. "But I've already succeeded in what I wanted. I've created a superior super soldier. My work will be lauded as better than the great Erskine. What could be better than that?"

Tony could tell he wasn't going to get anywhere fast with this loon, so he turned his head away and closed his eyes. He strained his arms just a little against the restraints, and he felt the give in them immediately. He could release himself without effort.

That was interesting.

Before he could debate with himself on actually doing so, there was yelling in the distance. The man in the lab coat cursed and turned away from Tony.

The yelling got louder, and then, Tony heard a voice he recognised. Loud already, Thor when he was angry was practically deafening.

His team had arrived.

Tony strained against the bindings holding him in place, then snorted when they fell away as though they were made of paper. He sat up, a little uncoordinated, given his larger proportions, and then climbed down from the bed he'd been laid out on.

One of the men in the room approached him, hesitant as he moved to try and subdue Tony. One punch and the man was out cold on the floor. Tony didn't bother to check if he was dead. The man in the lab coat stared at him for a long moment before he turned and ran.

Tony followed him, catching up with him easily in the corridor.

"I warned you, didn't I?" he said, gripping the man by his arm.

"Tony?"

Tony turned his head to see Steve looking at him with wide eyes. Oddly, their eyes were level. That was going to take some getting used to.

"Is this the man that did this to you?" Steve asked, clearly testing and cautious as he approached. Tony nodded and pushed the man towards Steve.

"Arrest him, or kill him. I just want to go home."

…

"You really should be seen by medical, Stark."

Tony glared at Fury until the man raised his arms in surrender.

Tony had yet to see what had been done to him, so as soon as he could, he escaped the entourage of Avengers and locked himself in the bathroom. He took a deep breath before he turned to look in the mirror.

His eyes widened as he took in his appearance. Everything he'd ever been insecure about was gone. His face was still almost the same, except for many of the age marks had gone. The bastardised serum had taken years off of him.

His body was closer to Steve's than his own, though he'd somewhat been expecting that.

What the hell was he supposed to do with all of this. He didn't want any of it. He'd been so tired, exhausted even, for months. He was ready to retire Iron Man, to move back to the coast and relax into old age.

He'd been ready to give up the fight.

Thanos had taken so much out of him, so much out of all of them, and Tony had long since realised he couldn't keep fighting.

Except… Except now, he had no excuses. No longer old, or physically run down, he had no reason to hide himself away from the world.

"Tony?"

A quiet knock followed his name being spoken and Tony sighed. He crossed the room and unlocked the door, stepping back to let Steve in.

"You… you look…"

"Like you," Tony finished for him. "They made a serum, 'better than Erskine's', apparently. Not that they gave me much choice before they strapped me into the machine."

Steve just looked sad. He reached out a hand and cupped Tony's cheek gently. "I'm so sorry we didn't get there before they could do this to you."

Tony shrugged, but he couldn't stop himself from leaning into the touch. "It is what it is, I suppose."

Seeming to gain confidence when Tony didn't reject his touch, Steve stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Tony. "We'll all help you with this," he promised, tugging Tony into a tight hug. "I promise."

"I know you will," Tony admitted. "I just… I thought I could be done, Steve. I thought… I thought I could finally get some peace, you know?"

Steve smiled sadly. "I don't think people like us were made for peace, Sweetheart."

Tony snorted and buried his face against Steve's chest. "Probably. Can we just… can we just go back to the Tower. I just want to go home, Steve."

"Fury is expecting a debrief," Steve replied, and Tony's heart sank. "So we're going to have to be sneaky."

Tony looked up to meet Steve's eyes. "You'll sneak out with me?"

"Of course I will. When we're out, we can let the team know so that they can sneak out too."

Tony chuckled. "You're on."

There was a lot to deal with still, and a lot to process, but as Steve laced their fingers together, Tony thought that maybe, so long as he didn't have to do it alone, it would be okay in the end.

With Steve and the team at his side… maybe Tony wasn't quite done yet.

Written for;

Disney S1. Include a dream in your fic

Attic - 20. "The future will soon be a thing of the past."

Arcade - Ken Masters - Blonde / Black / Powerful

Book Club - Commander Julius Root - Yelling / Purple / Loud

Basement - Clint Barton - Purple

365 - 55. Injection

1000 - 140. Being Kidnapped

Seasonal

Days of the Year - Blah, Blah, Blah day - Ignoring someone

Spring - Fresh

Colour - Milk White

Flowers - Hyacinth - Surrender

Elemental - Dust

Star Chart - Virginid Meteor Shower - Insecure