Whisper

by wirewrappedlily

No one really talks about how growing up being downtrodden and told that you're worth nothing can affect you more deeply than being kidnapped and tortured ever could. No one really mentions that when the four people you have or were meant to look up to in your life tell you that you're not good enough, and not worth their time, it can shatter you. Suicidal!Tony

2. Interlude

Steve had sat in the workshop he'd found Tony convulsing in for three days as JARVIS had told him in icy and perfect detail just what he'd caused.
Natasha had brought Rhodey in within the first hour, and neither of them had been able to leave as she and JARVIS showed them the web Tony had gotten himself caught up in; the lie that was Tony Stark and the glitter and flash of his life.
And then, on the third day of Tony's coma, when the doctors had come to Pepper informing her of Stark Industries' policy of a two-week grace period on coma patients before the plug would be pulled, JARVIS had told him that Tony wouldn't survive, and that Steve himself was the only one JARVIS would entrust with the most difficult decision anyone would ever have to make on Tony's behalf.
JARVIS had created a program of sorts; a technology that honestly scared Steve to death.
JARVIS had created a way to download Tony's brain, his personality and essence and everything, onto a server much like JARVIS's own: keeping him alive, but incorporeal and everlasting. He'd be able to run Iron Man; he'd be able to build and create infinitely, never tiring and never having to stop.
And, this time, Steve wouldn't leave him alone in the world. He wouldn't let him lose himself. He'd do it better this time: he'd be better this time. He'd have to be, because Tony wouldn't have a way to escape-not that that was working well for him in any case.
"Give me the uplink, Jarvis. I need to go get our Tony back."

Sir?
This...This can't be good. Tony peered through an infinite number of eyes, and that should've made his head hurt, but it didn't.
Sir, forgive me.
Jarvis, what's happened? Where am I?
You are home, sir.
"Tony?" Steve's voice registered to him, and the infinite number of cameras, the infinite flow of information and numbers and statistics narrowed to his workshop, from an odd angle, where Steve Rogers stood tall and brave amongst his mess of creations.
Steve?
Sir, access voice modulators to speak aloud.
What?! "Steve?" Jarvis, what is this?
Again, I beg, forgive me. I could not allow you to perish, sir-
Jarvis, what have you done?
"Tony! Thank god...it worked...are-are you alright?"
"What...you and Jarvis...what did you do?!"

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A/N: Okay, so, yeah...I am totally and unashamedly going to kill myself with feels while writing this, and I already know it. It needed to be this short because I need to build it and box it up, so please don't kill me for that.