Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Also, there's sex in this chapter.
Chapter 16
Clint cocked back the arrow pulling his bow taunt, letting the tip brush across the man's chest in warning.
"And you're sure everything is on there?" He demanded roughly.
The man let out a choked sob as the terror swept through him. He nodded and pushed the flash drive across the metal desk. "I-I swear! This is everything! I don't know anything else!"
"Would you stake your life on it?"
"Yes!" The man shrieked and held up his hands above his head.
Clint nodded, pleased and feeling confident that he'd gotten everything out of Abu Bakaar that he was going to. He lowered his bow and sheathed the arrow, taking in the sigh of relief in his target's face before whipping out the 22 hidden in his waistband and pulling the trigger, firing off a perfect shot between Bakaar's eyes.
He snatched up the flashdrive and climbed out the window silently, leaving no trace of his visit except for the dead man hanging limply in his worn chair. Clint started up the motorcycle he used for the trip a few blocks down and tore down the too-loud city streets. He made it back to the safe house in about two hours, guiding the bike into the garage so that it might be safe from any potential aerial view.
His personal laptop was already set up and safe behind Bruce's security codes. Clint washed his hands and wolfed down a sandwich from the fridge before finally putting the flash drive in the port and taking out his book to take coded notes.
After quickly breaking through the firewalls with minimal effort, files began popping up in rapid form. Clint read through the lists of members of the Ten Rings, the organization he found out Raza belonged to. Nothing stood out at him, but he honestly wasn't sure what he was looking for. Cap was deadly serious about this, so Clint figured it had something to do with Tony, though he had no idea what.
He moved onto confirmed kills and the parties that contracted out Raza's services. He recognized a few government officials, and a renowned doctor, Ho Jinsen, but nothing else of importance.
It wasn't until a file appeared, listing "Unsuccessful Missions" that Clint straightened in his seat. A familiar set of names drew his narrowed eyes.
Howard Stark
Maria Stark
Anthony Stark
Original Buyer - Obadiah Stane
Well now, wasn't that interesting?
XX
Nobody came to collect Tony until the next morning. He succeeded in getting a total of two hours of sleep, tossing and turning the entire night when Rogers didn't come to check on him, leaving Tony to assume the worst. Sam wouldn't answer any of his questions over breakfast or on the ride out to the marina, simply telling him that everything had been 'taken care of.'
Tony was nearing the end of his rope, his nerves stretched too thin and every horrible scenario running through his head, as he was ushered aboard a magnificent yacht. It reminded him of the one his family used to own, until Howard traded it in for a helicopter. Sam left him in the main cabin and told him to stay put while he went to make sure lunch was arranged.
He fell back against one of the sofas, bringing his knees up to his chest and wondering where the hell Rogers was and what last night. After about thirty minutes, his eyes began to droop until he heard the sound of footsteps on the deck outside. Rogers and Bucky came to sit at one of the tables, both dressed in light suits with sunglasses covering their eyes. Tony walked over to the windowsill and pushed it open so that he could hear the conversation.
"Listen, you were right about Tony, okay? I'll admit it. He's yours in every sense of the word." Bucky was telling Rogers, much to Tony's surprise. He hadn't been expecting anything like that. "But do you have any idea what you did?"
Rogers set a glass down on the table and shook his head. "I honestly couldn't care less, Buck. Ronan put his hands on Tony without his permission, he deserved what he got. I couldn't just sit there and watch."
"I know you couldn't," Bucky conceded. He pinched the bridge of his nose, it seemed like a headache might be coming on. "But this means war. A war between two powerful families. Don't you get that? Thanos isn't going to just sit back and let what happened go without some sort of punishment."
"Then let them come." Rogers snarled, causing Tony to flinch back at his tone. "If Thanos moves against me, we will wipe out him and everyone who stands behind him."
Tony chewed on his lip anxiously, unable to keep himself quiet anymore. If Rogers was talking about war...there's no way that could end well for anyone. He walked out to the deck with his hands in his pockets and his gaze fixed on the wood by Rogers' feet. "I-I'm sorry. This is my fault."
Rogers was in front of him immediately, tapping a finger underneath Tony's chin and bringing it up so that he was looking in those cerulean blue eyes. "No, none of what happened last night was your fault, Tony. He never should have touched you."
He blinked at the sudden warmth gathering at the corners of his eyes. "What's going on? Did you kill him?"
Bucky stood up then, straightening his jacket and giving Rogers a look. The mob boss ignored it and shook his head. "Don't worry about that."
"Stevie-"
"What?" Tony gritted his teeth in frustration. He couldn't believe that Rogers was trying to keep something like this from him. He was the victim here, wasn't he? Didn't that mean that he had a right to know what happened? "Steve! Did you kill him?"
"No!" He snapped back, glaring at both Tony and Bucky. "I cut off his hands. A just punishment as far as I'm concerned."
Tony flinched back again, forcing his gaze back down to the crisp wooden floorboards and wishing they would swallow him up whole. Memories of the man groping him last night, along with older, harsher ones from his time at MIT and before flooded the forefront of his mind, sending him reeling. Once the bad memories started, they didn't stop, like a freight train. It was suddenly a vicious onslaught of the worst moments of Tony's life slamming into him. The senior who thought he could take advantage of the 15 year old freshmen before Rhodey stepped in. The dominant who didn't respect his submissive's safeword when he began to draw blood. The father who thought he could beat the homosexuality out of his teenage son.
It was suddenly all too much, and Tony's lungs constricted painfully as he wheezed. He couldn't get enough air in, and his brain kicked into full panic mode when his knees went weak. Tony pushed past Rogers and Bucky, needing to get closer to the sea where maybe he could fucking breathe. He leaned against the railing and choked out a sob, barely aware of the voices calling his name behind him. The world seemed to be closing in on him, and all he wanted to do was get some damn fresh air into his lungs, but they just weren't working right. What the fuck was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just keep out of trouble? There was going to be a war, and Rogers was going to get hurt, maybe even killed, because Tony just couldn't...he couldn't…
A hand grabbed onto his shoulder, but Tony flailed away from it wildly. Nobody could touch him right now, he was too broken. He would hurt somebody. He overcorrected and slipped on a puddle of water, which sent him crashing into the railing once again, but this time his weight worked against him, sending him over in a flurry of movement and falling into the depths beneath him.
XX
Steve honestly didn't know how the fuck it happened. He hadn't meant to yell at Tony, but he did, and he was so fucking stupid for doing so. Tony needed to be cared for, not threatened in any which way, much less by Steve. Especially after last night. One second the beautiful engineer was in his face demanding answers that Steve wanted to protect him from, and the next he was falling overboard.
"TONY!"
Steve didn't even think twice about climbing over the railing and diving in after him. Bucky's astonished grunt behind him didn't register either. All he could think about was getting to Tony. He remembered the simple observation that Tony never swam in the pool at the compound, and the added clause in the contract that specifically prohibited any perceived drowning as a form of punishment.
Tony didn't like water. He was petrified of drowning.
Steve used his strength to glide across the waves in three powerful strokes, wrapping his arms around Tony's waist and hauling him up so that his face and chest were out of the water. Tony had stopped wheezing, but was now coughing up mouthfuls of water and shaking violently, re-breaking every piece of Steve's already shattered heart.
"It's okay, Tony, I've got you. You're safe now. It's okay, Pet." He kept up his reassurances as he swam towards the back of the yacht. He was able to coax Tony to wrap his arms around Steve's neck, so the engineer was clinging to him painfully. Not that Steve minded, of course. He wasn't sure he'd ever let the man out of his sight again.
Bucky and Sam were already waiting for him by the stern. When he was finally close enough, Steve lifted Tony the best he could while Sam hauled him up the rest of the way and covered him in a set of towels in an attempt to get him dry. Bucky was there immediately, holding out his hand, which Steve took and climbed aboard. His best friend clapped him on the shoulders in a gesture he recognized as overwhelming relief. Bucky was glad he was okay. Steve nodded in return before zeroing in his attention back to Tony, whose head now was resting against Sam's shoulder.
"Buck told me what happened," Sam explained. "The water was probably a shock to his system, interrupting his panic attack. He'll need to rest."
Steve didn't waste any time scooping Tony up into his arms, ignoring the puddling water from their sopping clothes. On the way up to his cabin, he held Tony close and tried to push past the burning in his throat that felt suspiciously like fear.
He hadn't felt that particular emotion in a very, very long time.
He carried Tony into the large bathroom to deposit him on the lid of the toilet, then started peeling back his wet clothes. Sam knocked on the door, and only after Steve had covered Tony with a dry towel, opened it enough to hand him a pile of clean clothes. Steve thanked him and moved to help the quiet engineer into them with little resistance.
"You're okay, Tony. I've got you."
Steve led him towards the bedroom next, helping him lay down underneath the sheets and tucking them in around him. Tony landed heavily, thankfully snuggling into the warmth before letting out a deep sigh.
"Fuck." Steve breathed. Now that Tony was safe and sleeping, the stress of the afternoon's events was catching up to him. Before the foregin emotions could drag him down, Steve asked for Sam to keep an eye on Tony while he went to shower. He placed both hands against the eggshell tile wall as the spray hit his back, trying to keep his strength in check so that it didn't crack beneath his palms. The sudden desire to bring himself as much pain as possible burned in his veins, wanting whatever punishment the gods might deem necessary for scaring Tony as he had. Maybe if he'd been able to keep his temper reigned in, then Tony wouldn't have fallen into the unrelenting sea.
Steve struggled to admit it, but he'd been absolutely petrified watching Tony fall. His world narrowed down to the harsh pants and glazed over chocolate brown eyes that were normally so full of life. A sudden desire, an instinctual need, to see Tony, safe and protected, overwhelmed him, so Steve half-hazardly dried off quickly and slipped on a pair of sweatpants.
He sent Sam away the moment he entered the room, not bothering to watch his friend leave. Instead his eyes were on Tony, taking in the wet curls of his hair, the regular breathing patterns as his chest lifted every few seconds, the relaxed slant of his mouth.
He was okay, he was safe.
And Steve was in love with him.
The thought sent a surprised jolt down his spine. Love? It wasn't a foreign emotion, such as the fear he felt earlier, but for some reason he hadn't been expecting it. Which was ridiculous, of course. He had given Tony a year to fall in love with him too, right? Why did this feel...different, then?
Steve had built up this image of Tony in his head over the past five years, but the fantasy never really solidified into a real life person, leaving the image shifting and underdeveloped. He never expected for Tony to be so much more.
More lovely, for one. Tony was beautiful in every sense of the word, that much was obvious to the uninvolved observer. But to someone who was actually paying attention, like Steve, more than they probably should, Tony's personality bled through past simple physical attraction. He was brave, holding his chin high when faced with danger that would send lesser men running in the opposite direction, and heartbreakingly compassionate. Steve had silently hoped, but never dared to anticipate, the relationships Tony was creating with the Avengers. With Peter. He genuinely tried to get to know Steve's family as people rather than gang members, and somehow managed to find what brought each of them joy.
Although Steve hadn't had the pleasure of knowing Tony biblically yet, there was no doubt in his mind that the engineer would be greater than his imagination could run off with as well. Tony threw the entirety of himself, heart, mind, and soul, into whatever he tried to make happen, and when that attention was fixed solely on Steve…he shivered in anticipation. He would wait however long it took to have Tony come to him. He could wait.
Because Steve was in love with him.
Fuck.
XX
Tony blinked awake slowly, the fog of sleep clearing from his mind as he stirred. He turned towards the light shining in through the windows.
"Thank God." A familiar voice sighed heavily, and Tony stiffened as he remembered what happened.
He pushed himself up into a sitting position and rested his back against the headboard. "You saved me. I-I'm sorry."
Rogers, no Steve, he deserved to be called his first name after saving Tony's life, stood up from the chair he was sitting in and crossed his arms over his bare chest. His biceps curled and constricted at the movement. "You have nothing to apologize for, you've done nothing wrong. I'm the one who's sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"No that-that wasn't…" Tony hesitated, but swallowed down his anxiety at the rush of memories. "I just remembered some things that made everything…"
"It's okay, Tony." Steve told him softly. "You don't have to explain anything that you don't want to. I'm just happy that you're okay."
Tony's throat closed up with emotion, so fucking grateful that Steve didn't push for an explanation.
The mob boss moved closer to him and reached out a hand to caress Tony's cheek. His eyes were wide and clear, no trace of dishonesty in them. "I can't lose you. I don't want to."
Tony leaned into his warmth, sucking a deep breath in to let Steve's now familiar scent wash over him. He steeled himself for the decision he'd come to, then pushed the sheets off of him, scooting forward so that his legs hung off the bed. He noticed the water droplets climbing down Steve's abdomen.
"You're wet."
His hands moved slowly, carefully telegraphing his movements so Steve knew what his endgame was. When his fingers curled into the mob boss' waistband, his wrists were caught in a light grip.
Steve shook his head above him with a slight frown marring his handsome features. "Don't play with me, Tony. And you don't need to do anything that you're not ready for. You don't need to…" he grimaced, "thank me, or anything, for saving you."
"Steve."
"No, it's really okay." Steve cut him off. "I can be patient, I promise."
"Steve." Tony's voice was tinged with a hint of exasperation now.
"Tony I-"
"I signed the contract."
Steve blinked above him, a small crease forming between his dark blonde eyebrows. "What?"
Tony let his fingers dip beneath Steve's sweatpants, feeling the expanse of smooth, tanned skin. "I. Signed. The. Contract." He repeated, articulating every word. "Yesterday, on the plane. I decided I wanted to be with you. To be your sub."
When Steve didn't say anything, he hesitated. "Unless that's not what you want anymore-"
He was interrupted by Steve pressing into Tony's space and bringing their lips crashing together. It isn't rushed or desperate like he always imagined their first kiss to be, instead it's painstakingly gentle and slow, and so, so good. Steve's large palms came up to cup his face, his thumbs tracing the lines of his lower lip when he pulled away.
Tony was transfixed by the sudden heat and intensity of Steve's cerulean blue eyes, and had to remember to breathe when the mob boss finally broke the silence.
"Put your hands behind your back, Tony. Hold your left wrist with your right hand, and don't let go unless I say so." He leaned in to nuzzle at Tony's neck, which he bared further at the attention. Tony's skin erupted in gooseflesh, and his veins practically vibrated with excitement. "Tell me your color. Green for full speed ahead, Yellow for slow down, and Red for full stop."
"Green." The idea of Steve slowing down or stopping held absolutely no appeal, especially when his cock was beginning to fill in anticipation. This was what he wanted. What he needed.
"Tell me your safeword."
Tony swallowed thickly, but he understood that this was an important part of their relationship now. "Raza."
Steve nodded against Tony's skin, sending waves of heat bounding through his body. "Very good, Tony. You're so good for me." Yes. The praise sunk in immediately and Tony's eyelids fluttered. "If you need to use it, use your heel to tap the back of my calf three times." Fuck, Tony thought. It meant he wouldn't be able to speak. The possibilities had him arching upwards excitedly.
"That's right, show me how much you want this," Steve encouraged. "Let me hear every sound coming out of that beautiful fucking mouth."
Tony obeyed immediately with a groan, not stopping when Steve's fingers twisted into his hair and pulled him forward. "Open your mouth, Tony. That's it, nice and wide. I'll go slow at first, don't worry." He did, too. Tony's lips parted as Steve kicked out of his sweatpants and slid his cock against Tony's cheek, pre-come smearing on the slight stubble, before pressing between his lips.
He shivered at the salty taste and opened wider, suddenly needing to feel more of Steve on his tongue. Steve obliged, a hiss escaping through his teeth as he pushed more of himself into the tight heat of Tony's mouth. It was just so good.
"Look at how well you open up for me, Tony, how well you suck me down. Fuck, that feels incredible."
Tony was so fucking turned on that he couldn't help but press closer, swirling his tongue around the length taking up space in his mouth and relaxing his throat so that his nose was buried against the trimmed curls decorating Steve's groin. The mob boss moaned above him, his fingers tightening their grip in Tony's hair. "Yes, fuck, use your tongue, Pet. Make it good, pay attention to what I like."
Tony did. He let Steve take control of the pace, choosing to focus more on the twists and weaving of his tongue, letting the desperate noises escape his throat so that Steve could feel the vibrations. "You feel amazing, Pet. Look at you taking me so well. Nod if you think you're ready for more."
He obliged, and Steve didn't hesitate to bring his hips back until the tip of his cock was resting between Tony's lips, and then he slammed forward roughly, but his tight grip kept Tony's head where it was. Tony's mind buzzed with pleasure, letting Steve's filthy words of praise wrap him up and take him higher while the mob boss fucked his throat relentlessly. He re-learned to breathe through his nose while Steve's length hit the back of his throat with brutal force. Thankfully, Tony never had much of a gag reflex, a fact that he was grateful for now.
Tony crested higher and higher as Steve neared his own climax. He suspected that he would only need a few strokes of his cock before coming harder than he had in his entire goddamned life. Before he could find out, Steve pulled his cock out of Tony's mouth abruptly, leaving Tony gasping for air and slumping forward slightly.
"Strip, Pet." Apparently Tony wasn't moving quick enough for Steve, because the mob boss let out a growl and pulled the clothes off of him in a rush of movement.
"Now turn around. Get on the bed on your knees and put your head on the pillow."
Tony blinked slowly and moved to follow the instructions, but Steve had his large palm around his throat in warning. "Ah, what did I say about your hands? Don't let go until I say so."
Oh. Oh, he almost tried using his hands to climb up on the bed. That wasn't good. Tony bared his neck where Steve held it, as a sign of submission, looking up at his dom through his lashes. He would be good. He could be good for Steve.
"Fuck, you're so beautiful." Steve whispered before letting his hand fall. His pupils were blown, only a thin ring of cerulean outlining the black depths of Steve's eyes. Tony sighed at the praise and wriggled around so that he was laying on his stomach on the bed. He pushed himself up to his knees and then let his cheek fall against the pillow so that his ass was on display and his hands were still clasped behind his back.
"This is how you should always look, presented and ready for me to have my way with you. Isn't that right, Pet?"
Shit, Tony jerked in response. That sounded really fucking hot.
A hand snapped across the globes of Tony's ass, a slight sting that left his cheek warm to the touch. "I want an answer, Pet. Nod if you agree. You want this, don't you?"
A strangled moan escaped his lips and Tony nodded frantically. Steve's hand reached out to pet the spot where he slapped him, dipping his thumbs along the line of Tony's crack. "Look at this beautiful hole. Your winking for me, trying to draw me in, aren't you?"
Again, Tony nodded, pushing back against his hands. He needed more.
"It's okay, Pet. I'll give you what you need. Trust me."
He did. Tony trusted Steve not to leave him hanging. He felt the mob boss reach towards the nightstand, not moving his heat away from Tony, and when he righted himself, a pop of a lid could be heard.
"I keep lube everywhere, Pet, just in case. I never wanted to be caught unawares in case you ever needed me. It's a good thing I did, or I would have had to take you with only spit to clear the way." Tony sucked in a sharp breath of air when Steve's thumb pressed against his hole, rubbing in the slick lube around it. "Or maybe you would like that, huh? I could open you up with my tongue, get you sopping wet while you suck on my fingers. Then I could fuck you with one," One of Steve's fingers penetrated him, and Tony hissed in pleasure, feeling it massage his inner muscles with practiced ease. It slid in and out while Tony's body tried to suck it in closer and deeper. "Or two." The tip of a second finger joined the first, scissoring and stretching him wide.
Steve bent over so that his chest rested against Tony's back, the warmth distracting him from any pain while a third finger worked him open. Open mouthed kisses were pressed against his sweat-slicked skin. It wasn't long until Tony was arching back into the feeling of being filled, the thick fingers twisting inside of him.
"Please," He bit out between clenched teeth. Tony needed more, needed Steve's cocked filling him to the brink, fucking into him. The buzzing within his mind was back, but his body was too on-edge to relax.
"I've got you, Pet. Breathe for me." Tony did so, his hand loosening but not letting go of the grip on his wrist. Steve pulled back, leaving Tony gasping and feeling strangely empty. The mob boss reached one of his hands up to hold Tony by the back of the neck while the other lined his cock up against Tony's entrance. His hole clenched and fluttered in anticipation, just as desperate as Tony to suck Steve in. "Say it again." Steve demanded.
Tony didn't even have to ask, he knew what Steve wanted. "Please."
"Again. Tell me how much you want it."
"Please, Steve. I-I need you to fuck me. I need to be filled, p-please!"
"Color?"
Tony had to blink for a few seconds to bring his mind back, but then growled and pushed his hips back. "GREEN!"
Without warning, Steve pushed forward to the hilt until he was buried balls deep inside of Tony. He cried out at the sensation, his body trying to accommodate Steve's girth. It hurt, but the pleasure overcame any pain almost as soon as Steve started pulling out and thrusting rough and deep. The mob boss moved with precision and power, leaving Tony's mind completely blank, focusing on absolutely nothing except the cock splitting him open. It was so fucking good, and Tony needed more.
He pushed back into the thrusts, wordlessly asking for it. Steve obliged by gripping Tony's hips tight and maneuvering them to his liking, changing the angle until Tony screamed when Steve hit his prostate. "There we go, that's the spot we need, huh? I love having you like this, open wide and screaming for me. Fuck you're amazing, Pet."
There were absolutely no thoughts running through Tony's head as his impending orgasm crept higher and higher. He had no idea what he needed, just that whatever it was wasn't enough. He couldn't come, and it had him whining desperately. "Please!"
At his pleading Steve pulled out once again, leaving Tony choking on a sob that stuck in his throat. "Please, Steve! I need-" He sucked in sharp breaths, unable to come up with the rest of that sentence.
It didn't matter though, because Steve was spinning him around and hauling him up by the waist with no trouble at all, curling a hand around the back of his neck and keeping the pressure there. The mob boss' voice was deep and guttural, enough to have Tony writhing against him.
"Wrap your legs around my waist, Pet."
It took Tony a few seconds for the order to push through the haze that had taken up residence inside of his mind, but he did as he was told, crossing his ankles right above the swell of Steve's ass. His hands were still clasped behind his back.
"So beautiful. You're doing so well for me." As a reward, Steve lined himself up and slid Tony down around his length without any resistance, wrenching another moan from the engineer as he pushed deeper than before, Steve's heavy balls pressing up against his ass. They got into another rhythm again, their slick bodies moving together like they'd been doing this all of their lives. Tony squeezed and beared down, delighting in the noises it drew from his dom, while Steve drove his hips upwards and snapped his cock in and out of Tony in a way that left his mouth gaping open in pleasure.
Tony's cock bounced against Steve's sweat-covered abdomen, dark red and pulsing with each brush against his prostate. He didn't think he could hold out much longer, and he grunted before forcing his eyes open to warn Steve.
"I-I can't hold out much longer, I'm going to come."
Steve shook his head, the crease between his eyebrows prominent in his concentration. "Not yet. Don't come until I tell you to."
Fuck. Okay. He could do this. He could do this. Tony focused on breathing, even though all he could think about was the heavy cock filling him over and over again.
"That's right, you're so good, Pet. Just a little longer."
His insides felt like they were being rearranged, making room and shifting to accommodate Steve's cock drilling into him, sliding past his puffy hole and squelching against his inner walls. Tony's mind went fuzzy and he lost time. He couldn't feel anything past the pure pleasure his dom was giving him, and Tony knew that he would give anything to come. Whatever Steve asked of him. His body needed this, needed everything Steve was giving him.
"Alright, Beautiful. You held on so well. You can come, I want you to."
That was all it took. Tony didn't need any additional stimulation on his own cock besides the occasional brush against Steve's abs, and he exploded with a scream tearing through his throat. His come painted the tanned expanse of skin in front of him, jerking up across Steve's neck and even reaching his chin. Tony was barely aware of Steve stilling inside of him, his own orgasm crashing into him just as hard as he spilled his seed and ground it inside of Tony, filling him up.
He vaguely remembered being placed on the bed where fingers ran through his sweaty hair before pulling away for a few seconds. Something cold wiped away the sweat that clung to his skin, a wash cloth, he assumed. Tony was too blissed out to care. When the wall of warmth that was Steve came back to wrap around him, Tony hummed his agreement and burrowed closer. "Shhhh," His dom hummed softly. "Sleep, Pet. You were so, so good. So perfect for me. Sleep."
Tony fell unconscious immediately.
XX