Disclaimer: I don't own anything…Also, there's sex in this chapter.
Chapter 18
T till 365 days: 35 weeks, 245 days, 5,880 hours, 353,800 minutes, or 21,168,000 seconds.
Between sneaking around, random outings with Clint, Sam, Wanda or Natasha, and sparse date nights when Steve was free, it took Tony almost 2 months to finish the prototypes for the Avengers' weapons.
He'd been spending enough time with each of them to get a good feel for their fighting styles, and he felt pretty confident that these new weapons would fit in well with their arsenals. Natasha was originally trained as a spy for the Russian government before defecting and disappearing within the United States, so she, along with Wanda, who grew up with her twin brother at the compound after their time in Sokovia, was versed more in hand to hand combat. Tony designed close range electroshock weapons that discharged electricity on demand for each woman, bracelets, or 'Widow's Bite' for the Black Widow, and batons that matched the Scarlet Witch's infamous leather jacket.
Clint's new bow was perfectly balanced while his arrows came in a variety of deadly settings. The red tips were combustible on impact, while the blue tips disengaged into an industrial grappling hook. The yellow tips gave off a shock similar to Natasha and Wanda's weapons, and the white tips shot off into a net that cast out about 7 feet. Tony was pretty damn proud of his work for Hawkeye, his first friend here at the compound.
Sam's time in the Air Force gave him experience in taking down combatants from the sky, so Tony built him a weaponized drone that was about 50 times more badass than anything the military currently had on hand. Or to clarify, Red Wing was better than anything Howard Stark had designed for his military contacts. Tony felt more than a little smug when polishing off the drone's navigating system.
As horrifying as the idea was, Tony went ahead and built Thor a hammer. He was a big guy, so Tony distributed the weight to both his and Thor's fingerprints so no one else could use it even if they tried. Electricity was a popular tool in his belt, so he added that feature to the hammer as well. He just tried not to think about the people who might be on the other end of a fight with the big guy would end up looking like. It made him queasy.
Despite his aversion to Bucky, Tony promised himself that he'd fix the Winter Soldier's metal arm eventually. It would involve actually speaking more than ten words to one another, and most likely a mutual apology, but Tony could swallow his pride.
Not today, though. Instead Tony built one of his all time favorite guns for the Winter Soldier, a M249 SAW. The machine gun had a capacity of 100, 200 round linked belts and was fully automatic. It was sleek and classic but fired and aimed beautifully. He thought it would be the perfect amount of weapon for someone like Bucky.
While the others would be decked out in offensive weapons, Tony was concerned with Steve's safety above all else. He needed to ensure that the Captain would come out of every battle unscathed, no matter the circumstances. After weeks of deliberation, and a little inspiration from his favorite comic book character, Tony decided on a shield for the Captain. He couldn't decide what material to make it out of until Bruce casually mentioned the supply of untouched vibranium they had stored here at the compound that was collecting dust. A gift from T'Challa, apparently.
Tony wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth and immediately requested to requisition it if no one else thought to use it. Steve had to give his approval, but he wasn't one to deny Tony anything these days.
The shield was a masterpiece, even by his own standards. It was beautifully simple in its design, but aerodynamically sound so that it could be thrown with perfect precision. Tony also added a magnetic trigger so that it would always return to Steve like a boomerang. He decided to pay Steve's service record homage in the coloring, spraying the outer and center rings red with the middle ring white. Inside the center he had a white star surrounded by the classic blue coloring.
Captain America, indeed. Tony thought to himself, a rush of relief hitting him hard now that he knew the Avengers would be protected in the event of an attack.
He was pretty sure that if anything were to happen, Scott and Bruce would be the ones to make sure Peter was taken somewhere safe, so he didn't bother with making them weapons. He trusted Steve enough to have given them everything they needed to protect the heir of the Commandos.
Tony celebrated completing the arsenal by dragging Peter into the living room for a Parks and Rec marathon. The teenager was cursing Mark Brendanawicz by the time Steve came and pulled him to his feet.
"Sorry Queens, I need to borrow Tony for the night."
Peter groaned and sunk back into the leather cushions. "Fine, but I need him to binge with me again soon so we can see Ben and Chris join the show. I can't wait for Mark to get phased out."
Steve looked between the two of them with a raised brow. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Tony snorted and pulled on Steve's hand to lead him towards their room. "We really need to make you sit down and watch more than half an hour of a movie or show with us. You miss out on so much pop culture!"
"Why would I waste time sitting in front of a television when I could be much more productive keeping your attention elsewhere?" Steve nuzzled his nose against Tony's temple, his warm breath puffing against Tony's ear. Once they reached the top of the stairs Steve paused and cupped his face between his palms. "Tonight I want to blindfold you. Do you trust me?"
Fuck. Tony shivered in anticipation and nodded before swallowing hard.
Stevens fingertips caressed his face. "Thank you, Pet. What's your color?"
"Green." Tony whispered.
"And can you tell me your safeword?"
"Raza."
"Good." Steve dipped his hand into his back pocket, taking out a silk ebony blindfold and reaching up to tie it over Tony's eyes.
The world went dark around him, and Tony's stomach lurched in arousal.
XX
Steve led Tony to the bed slowly, careful to ensure he didn't trip on any of the steps leading up to the platform. After removing each piece of clothing, he applied pressure to Tony's back and encouraged him to lay down on his stomach, then leaned forward to press light kisses along the knobs of his spine.
"Mmmhhh."
"That's right, Pet." Steve purred, his voice low and deep. "Just relax. I'm going to open you up."
Tony turned his head so that his cheek was resting on the fresh sheets. "Getting right to it, huh?"
Steve smirked, a jolt of excitement running down his spine. Not exactly, love. "Just trust me." He brought his hands up to massage Tony's neck and shoulders, paying close attention to his reactions, before moving down to his back and the globes of his perky ass. The engineer pressed back into his hold, mewling impatiently, and Steve leaned down to give him a nip in retaliation.
He let his fingertips wander the expanse of Tony's skin for a while, then reached over to the nightstand to grab his supplies for their evening together. The first item he pulled out was a bottle of lube, already half empty from their many bouts beneath the sheets. Steve squirted a dollop onto the fingers of his right hand and rubbed them together to warm it up before coating Tony's entrance. His sub squirmed beneath his ministrations, and Steve pushed the tip of his finger past the tight ring of muscles carefully. He had plans for Tony and didn't want to get him too worked up yet, so he stretched him out and added a second and third finger quicker than normal.
By the time he twisted his fingers out of Tony, the engineer was panting slightly, his hips rocking against the sheets to no doubt get pressure on his cock. "You're doing so well, Pet. Are you ready for more?"
Tony nodded, his head jerking in agreement while he arched slightly.
Steve pulled out the second item of the evening, an eight inch red and gold dildo, and slathered the length with lube. He used one hand to pry Tony's cheeks apart, and the other to press the tip of the dildo against his hole. "Breathe for me, Pet. I want you to take it all, you can do it."
Tony keened as it was pressed inside, his inner muscles convulsing eagerly around the dildo. Steve gave it a few easy thrusts before it was all the way in and, judging by Tony's low moans, pressing against his prostate. Steve chuckled and wiped his hands on a towel he'd prepared, then leaned over and littered Tony's shoulders with soft kisses. "You look so beautiful, Pet. Fuck, I love looking at you like this." He ran his hands up and down the engineer's sides, relishing in the feel of his sub's warmth. "I want to do a little sensation play tonight. Do you think you can handle it?"
Another eager nod, and Steve rewarded him by hitting a button on a small remote. Tony jerked and whimpered as the dildo inside of him began vibrating at the lowest setting. Steve couldn't resist feeling it for himself. His fingers skirted across the base of the dildo, and his hips thrust against his will when he felt Tony's hole stretched around the toy.
Steve brought his fingers back to the nightstand for the third object, and dipped it lightly across Tony's back. "Can you tell me what I'm holding?"
Tony grunted as he shifted on the bed, swallowing heavily before answering. "A feather."
"Very good, Pet. You're brilliant, and so very gorgeous. I want to watch you fall apart." He dragged the feather over every inch of available skin, achingly slow, watching the engineer shudder under the touch. His neck, shoulders, to the back of his arms, along his back, hips, hamstrings, and all the way down to his feet. Every part of Tony trembled and his muscles tensed the longer the attention went on.
Steve put the feather back down and took off the lid of the small bucket resting on the nightstand. "What's your color?"
"Green," Tony slurred. His eyelids drooped in hazy pleasure.
"Very good." Steve's lips twitched upwards and pulled out a cube of ice with a pair of tongs. He upped the settings of the vibrations before continuing. Tony's muscles clenched. "This will be a bit of a surprise, but you can come whenever you need to. Our night won't be over if you do."
Tony hummed in agreement, but his breath hitched dramatically when Steve leaned down with the ice between ice teeth and brushed it across Tony's skin. "S-Steve!"
Steve didn't respond verbally, choosing instead to follow the same path the feather took with the ice. He knew Tony's skin would be sensitive from the pressure on his prostate and the attention from the feather, but he never expected Tony to react like this.
His moans were fierce and filthy, and he rocked up against the freezing water droplets that melted against him. Tony's throat choked out a sob by the time Steve travelled down to ass, letting the second cube of ice between his lips trace Tony's crack.
Steve was rock hard by the time the third ice cube melted, and he was having a difficult time staying in control. He wanted to rock inside Tony's loosened hole, to sheathe himself into the warmth of his submissive's body. God, he wanted. But Tony's pleasure came first.
Tony must have picked up on his increasing desperation, because he arched back so that his ass pressed against Steve's still-clothed erection and whined, low and guttural. Finally, Steve couldn't help himself anymore and dropped his weight heavily over Tony's back, his cool lips mouthing along the juncture of his sub's neck and shoulder. Fuck, Tony was amazing. He loved him so fucking much, fuck-
Tony cried out and shuddered beneath him, every muscle in his body stiffening as he came across the sheets. "Oh fuck!" Steve's hands scrambled for his belt, throwing it off hurriedly while trying to unzip and unbutton his pants at the same time. He finally freed himself enough to get a hand on his cock with a relieved gasp, then moved to turn off the vibrator and pull it out slowly, careful as not to hurt Tony.
Without any fanfare, Steve pushed himself inside of Tony, groaning loudly when he wasn't met with any resistance and enough lube from the vibrator to loosen the way. "Oh, God, you're still so tight." He let the words fall out of his open mouth without any thought. "You're incredible, fuck."
His control had snapped completely, and Steve was devastatingly brutal with his thrusts. His fingers curled tighter into the permanent bruises along his sub's hips that Tony loved so much, and Tony didn't disappoint in shouting out again in pleasure. Steve shoved Tony on and off his dick without caring how dangerous it was to show others his true strength, all he could think about was the wet, tight heat clenched around his cock like a vice grip.
He loved Tony. He loved him so fucking much he would never get tired of this-
"Fuck!" Steve pressed himself as close to Tony as physically possible, his groin grinding against Tony's ass while his hands found themselves along his sub's chest, directly over his heart. His cum filled Tony up and shot up against his prostate while Tony mewled happily beneath him. This. This was everything. Surrounding Tony, inside and out. Becoming one with him.
When his cock finally softened and slipped out, Steve removed his clothes and slipped underneath the sheets, pulling Tony to his chest and relished in their closeness. He slid his hands up and down his body, warming up any lasting chills that might have resulted from the ice.
"You're so beautiful, Tony. I'm so pleased with you. I can't believe I get to have this." Steve told him reverently after about thirty minutes or so.
The fog had finally cleared from Tony's eyes, and Steve knew that his sub was back with him. The engineer's smile was blinding. "That was…" He shook his head. "Amazing. I've never had a scene like that before."
"No?" It wasn't terribly surprising, considering Tony's experience, but he was pleased all the same.
Tony seemed to know that Steve was a little smug, too, because he simply smirked and burrowed closer. "Shut up."
"I have a question for you." Steve blurted out, his hand pausing its movement tracing across Tony's shoulders."
"What is it?"
Steve licked his lips and tightened his hold on the engineer. "There is a ball this Saturday that I have to go to. I would like for you to be my date."
A confused crease formed between Tony's eyebrows as he pushed himself to his elbows to look Steve in the eye. "A ball? Like tuxedos and fancy dresses?"
Steve nodded. "Exactly like that. It's in the city."
Tony was quiet for a few seconds before his eyes crinkled in the corners. "So, I guess that means you have to take me shopping again, doesn't it?"
XX
The air around the compound had changed ever since Cap and Tony returned from their stay on the yacht. Everyone was much less tense and stopped walking on eggshells around the two of them, and Clint could finally breathe now that Tony seemed to be settling in. It was much easier to spend time with the engineer when he didn't have an undercurrent of fear about him.
Clint, on the other hand, had his suspicions about Tony's past and felt a little uneasy, but did his best not to let anyone know.
He decided not to bring the information to Cap just yet, considering he didn't have any actual answers to the questions he knew his boss would ask. Clint planned on heading back to New York City tomorrow morning to set up his surveillance of Obadiah Stane's office at Stark Industries. The flash drive he'd gotten from Abu Bakaar told him that Stane had hired Raza to kill the Starks, which he failed at. Clint needed to break into Stane's office to get to his laptop, where he might find some answers. He also decided to set up a few cameras and bugs just in case.
Clint had already met with Scott over the past week to go over the best way to get around SI's security systems. He had a plan of action that was relatively fool proof, but Clint was still nervous. Not that he'd fail, because he wouldn't-no, that wasn't an option, but nervous about what he might find.
He was about 59% sure that Tony was Anthony Stark, but there wasn't any actual proof yet. The sealed records, Tony's last name being Maria Stark's maiden name, and Cap's request for information were suspicious enough, but none of it confirmed if it was the truth or not. If it was true, then both him and his parents were still in danger, which made all of this official Avengers' business. Tony was Steve's, and the Commandos and Avengers protected one another. Raza wasn't one to let his failures go, so it wasn't impossible for him to try and go after them once again.
As for the reason why Stane might want to kill off his oldest friend and business partner, he had no idea. The motive honestly hadn't concerned him as of yet, but that changed when Tony, of all people, left the question burning in Clint's mind.
To everyone's surprise, Tony asked Scott to join him and Clint on his shopping trip. Cap had raised his eyebrows, but seemed relatively pleased that he wasn't the one being dragged along. He gave Tony a long, slow kiss that had even Clint's cheeks heating before shutting the Machan's doors and patting the side of the car.
Tony didn't make his intentions known until the three of them were having an early dinner at a little cafe where they sat out on the patio. It was nice and warm, but they were the only patrons outside.
"So, Scott." The engineer started innocently, folding his hands over his lap.
Scott's eyes flickered to Clint before returning to Tony. "What's up?"
"I was hoping you might be able to tell me more about your time at Stark Industries."
Clint forced himself to withhold any sort of outward response, but within his mind he added a tally to the "Might be Anthony Stark" column of his internal scoreboard. Why else would he be interested in something like that?
Scott, on the other hand, was not as skilled as masking his surprise. He blinked owlishly, dislodging the straw from his lips. "Uh...why?"
Tony gave him a small, simple smile and shrugged. "I think it's interesting. You went from catburglaring to working for biggest weapons manufacturers in the world, to joining a gang. I'd like to hear about your time there, and why you left."
Huh, it certainly was an intriguing question. Cap probably knew the full extent of the story, but Clint had never been particularly interested. He trusted his boss to tell him anything that he needed to know.
Scott didn't seem to think it was a big deal. He hesitated for a few moments before giving Tony a short nod and a goofy smile. "As you know, Howard Stark wanted me to make sure there weren't any holes in the security system at SI. I lasted a few years before I got curious." He shrugged in a 'what can you do' fashion. "Since I had the access and some free time, I checked into all of the financials and accounts. Found something I shouldn't have and was thrown out on my ass."
Both Clint and Tony edged forward in their seats, but it was Tony who encouraged him to go on. "Come on, you can't leave me hanging. What did you find?"
"Well, I never actually put it all together," Scott slurped the last of his drink and set it back down on the table. "But I found some shipments that weren't logged correctly. They were going to an unregistered buyer overseas, but I never saw any details that would have given me a clue as to who the buyer might have been. I thought maybe the government had requested the order be kept on the down low or something, but next thing I know, I'm out of a job. Stark didn't even give me a chance to tell him what I found, just sent his lap dog to kick me to the curb."
When Clint finally brought his gaze back to Tony, he wished he had done so sooner. Tony was violently pale, as if all of the blood had drained out of his face during Scott's story. His hands were shaking slightly, but he hid it well but clasping them together beneath the table. He cleared his throat and blinked. "His lap dog?"
"Stane," Scott scoffed. "Who else?"
Tony hummed in agreement and closed his eyes. What had he just figured out?
Clint himself assumed that Stane was the one to fire Scott, most likely for finding what he had. But what did it actually mean? Who was he selling to? Was that the reason he wanted the Starks dead?
"I'm sorry that happened to you." Tony offered quietly. He swallowed and pinched the bridge of his nose, a bit of his color coming back. "Do you happen to know what was in the shipments sent to the unregistered buyer?"
Scott shared a look with Clint and raised his eyebrows. "Weapons, what else?"
Tony's lips thinned as if he were afraid Scott would say that.
XX