Steve Rogers put on his best shirt and tie. Today was important, today was Tony's first big speech for Stark Industries. He was proud of him and he was proud of Howard for finally giving Tony the chance.
Obadiah Stane supported the idea full heartedly talking about a new face to Stark Industries and it made Tony want to break out in hives, so Steve was going to be there for moral support.
.*.
Tony Stark awoke in handcuffs with his arms above his head and his jaw aching. This really should not be normal for him. Although he was typically handcuffed to a bed or a radiator... or with his hands forced behind his back when he was forced blindfolded into a back of a van or something.
This was new, however, such a lovely dismal room he had been given. Such a spectacular view of grey walls and floor, he simply must post a review of this amazing room somewhere whether in newspapers or otherwise. The bucket in the corner was a great touch.
"Have I been a naughty boy?" He asked the empty air in front of him. He received no answer, but because there was no answer did not mean no one was watching. The two-way glass he noted covered a wall. Oh goodie, was this an interrogation room?
Joys. He just hoped Steve did not do anything stupid. He often did, like staging rescue attempts. That was utterly foolish of him as of course, he would have to get noticed playing the hero at some point. If his hands weren't trapped like they were he would applaud the way they just had to choose his speech night to actually kidnap him. It was a great speech too, he had his crowd smile perfected and everything.
He found himself eying up the bucket. If it was what he thought it was, it was cruel having it so far away when he was handcuffed to the opposite wall of it. Such torture. How was he to cope?
A man entered the room with a placid smile, was it supposed to unnerve him? Or perhaps this was the good cop? Either way Tony returned the smile.
"Well the handcuffs are a nice addition, they really add to the atmosphere. I've been in better rooms however it'll do; few can match the view though. The view just leaves me breathless. But the service, the service here is absolutely dismal. You should be absolutely ashamed."
Still smiling the man backhanded him across the mouth. Tony felt his head move with the strength of the slap and tasted a little blood, well now his jaw definitely hurt and he probably had a split lip too. The bastard had been wearing a ring. How generous of them. Perhaps he was a little more wary of the way the man was still smiling now.
Self-preservation instinct told him not to do it, but he did so anyway. "Kinky." Tony using his tongue to lightly prod his lip, wincing a little at the sting. Definitely split. He had looked his best and everything.
The man laughed. "We're going to have fun together."
.*.
They weren't to harm him but to threaten and terrify him were greatly encouraged.
He looked at them through the two-way glass (although he could not actually see them) with defiant eyes and a set jaw. He had been a bit battered already, a side effect of a fight breaking out when he was taking, nothing serious enough to deduct from their payment though. So what was the harm in adding a black eye and a split lip, when they could have broken an arm or decided to start chopping?
Roughhousing had no payment deductions.
He had lost a little of his mouthiness when they refused to respond to it. He just looked dejected and insolent. He had a lot more balls than many of the rich kids they had dealt with.
.*.
Tony had not shown up to his speech, Howard was fuming. All the press release and attention it had gathered and he had not even shown up. Cold feet or perhaps a pretty girl. Howard raved about how he had to stall and in the end probably cancel it.
Steve stated that it was unusual for Tony to do this; he skipped out on a few smaller things but never the big things. It was the lack of James Rhodes as well Howard went on, Tony never bothered to show up if Rhodes was not there so he was not coming. He would not even answer his phone, instead allowing it go to answer machine. Tony never took his phone off him so he was just ignoring him, a sign of a guilty conscience.
It was actually Obadiah Stane who said that someone did not seem right about it all. Something did feel off. Stane suggested checking in with the driver who was in charge of Tony, to which Steve felt grateful for. He had to wonder if Tony was just exaggerating about Stane like he did a lot of stuff. If Howard would not listen to him then he would listen to Stane.
Howard agreed to this, when the driver did not answer then he rang the driver company. The driver had checked in and alerted to having picked up his passengers but they had gone off the grid. Steve definitely knew something was wrong then, so did Howard by the way his face paled.
Howard had been ignoring his fear of something wrong by masking the fear by being irritated and hoping that Tony had just gotten cold feet.
.*.
Tony was a bit less chatty now; his arms ached from being held up for so long as did his legs from standing. His face felt like one big bruise. Overall he was fairly fed-up with playing hostage or kidnapped. He wanted to go home.
He wondered if Steve would come soon to rescue him like he had his best pal Bucky back in WWII. He both hoped and dreaded it. If Steve went all Captain America to save him, he'd probably be as subtle as a jackhammer and reintroduce the world to Captain America. The idiot would just get himself overwhelmed and thrown in at the deep end of all things new. They were trying their best but they were combating a good few decades in ice.
Mostly he did not want to share Steve with the world, no matter how selfish that was.
"We brought you a friend." Then they threw Rhodey in the cell with him. That was what broke his resolve and his act. Although he was to stay in one piece, they doubted they had the same instructions for Rhodey.