I love all the ideas that poured out of the meta-brainstorming. That Steve is the only one visiting Tony to make sure he is alright and Tony hating it: brilliant! Though I can't help but wonder how much will Pepper learn about what happened. Because they will definitely need her help to pull it out.
And Winter Soldier! Bucky! Steve will be SO happy to get him back but those two broken souls. >.
Pepper is a problem, because no one can predict just how loyal she is to Tony. Besides, after the shit Obadiah pulled on him, Pepper will be definitely mistrustful of anyone trying to tell her Tony is a bad guy. So, what to do? They do need her help to clean up after Tony's sudden "death", but telling her the truth - even with the videos as proof, even with the recording of Tony telling Steve he's going to castrate him - is just too dangerous. She can always decide it was staged, and use the might of StarkIndustries to create a scandal and pull Tony out somehow. So I don't think Fury would tell her anything, actually. They'd let her believe that Tony and Steve were a couple, that Steve is devastated by losing Tony, and poor Steve would have to endure Pepper's kindness on top of it all. I can totally see Pepper showing up at midnight and offering to talk a little about Tony because "they both need it" and Steve accepting it because she's a sweet, grieving woman and he can't let her down. Maybe Steve would be curious, in a morbid way, to hear what she has to say.
If I wrote CA: TWS into this 'verse, I'd write an anti-Winter Soldier, I think. Aka Bucky overcoming his own trauma because Steve needs his help and that's enough to break seventy years of programming.
Pepper: those conversations would have to be hell for Steve. However, he'd pay enough attention to use the info he gets in them--if he's visiting Tony regularly, having some sense of who he is when he's not (a) on camera or (b) torturing someone, would be useful. And having more details about his past might help, too, and Pepper won't ask him why he wants to know what Tony was like ten years ago (so he can sort out if the sadism only came to the surface after the kidnapping and torture) and how he reacted to bad press and what he did to squeeze out the competition.
And after two months in the cell, Tony would be climbing the walls. I don't think he's *ever* had time alone, without an audience. Even when he locked himself into his workshop, he had JARVIS--and when he made something awesome, he could wander into an office with a Nifty Mechanical Device in hand and say "Lookit what I made; it's great!" and people would ooh and aah over it. (Except Pepper. Who would say, "that's nice, Tony, but you're due in a board meeting in an hour. Unless that device can negotiate a contract with the Prime Minister of France, I'm not interested.")
So after a few weeks of lockdown (and trying to bribe or threaten guards who don't speak English, German, French, or Russian--maybe they're Polish because Steve learned some Polish during the war), Tony finds himself looking forward to Steve's visits, because they're the only thing that ever happens to him. (I imagine they give him paper. And crayons. Or maybe charcoal/graphite sticks. No pencils--not because they're afraid he'll hurt himself, but because they contain parts, and they really are afraid Tony can build himself a thermite bomb and a remote-controlled robot out of the metal casing and tiny pin that holds the eraser to the end of the pencil.) So after a few rounds of telling Steve to fuck off and go away--and Steve complying for a while--Tony is stuck doing anything he can to convince Steve to stay longer (which mostly means, "be nice," which is not Tony's strong suit).
If Steve is feeling cruel--which he almost never is, but he might slip anyway--or if he's just not thinking about it much, he might mention talking with Pepper. Or he might mention her deliberately, to see what reaction he gets. Some people might file that under "cruelty", but I don't think he'd do it as a way to tease Tony with "ha ha; I get to do something you want and you don't," but from a need to know how Tony deals with his other important relationships, of which there are damn few.
I... can't even imagine how Tony would react to that. This Tony is so twisted I can't sort out if he actually cares for Pepper, or was just using her, or some combination of both. I know he'd *want* every shred of information about her that he could get; I just don't know what shape that want would take.
Poor Steve, all conflicted about how many ways he's lying to people. He'll have to console himself with the fact that the bad guy's locked up, and the good guys (and gals) really are happier not knowing the truth.
Bucky: Maybe Bucky finds one of the vids Tony didn't release, and decides he needs to rescue Steve. Or maybe claim Steve for himself. Winter Soldier's mental processes are a bit wonky in that direction, but I can imagine him seeing the video and deciding "I am getting him out of there." (And later realizing he doesn't really know who "him" is, but still be certain he has to go find "him.")
Yes, that's exactly why Steve would indulge Pepper's need to talk about to Tony - to try to understand him. Because he didn't know Tony well enough and thought he was a jerk, and then Tony almost killed himself trying to save them all from the Chitauri and Steve thought maybe he'd misjudged him, and then Tony showed his true true colors and poor Steve was so baffled by this second 180° in so short a time that it took him ages to react (on top of all the other reasons he had to keep silent about the ordeal.)
Isolation would definitely drive Tony crazy. At first, he'd be too proud to admit it; he wouldn't exactly tell Steve to fuck off but he would pretend he didn't care - go like "oh, Rogers, hi, came to have a laugh? It's a shame you're keeping me here, I had so many more plans for you. What use do they have for you up here? Not much, huh? The USO schtick again? C'mon, Cap, we cured cancer together and now you've reverted to a dancing monkey, it's a shame. Hey, are you leaving already? Was it something I said? C'moooon, don't be like that." But then after several months, his mask would crack, a little. And he'd be furious, to be looking forward to Steve's visits, and he wouldn't "play nice" but he wouldn't be openly provocative either. But like you said, it's not his strong suit - especially since he would be and remain utterly unrepentant about what he did to Steve. Unapologetic of the worst kind: fully aware he caused harm and just not giving a shit about it.
About Pepper, though. I think Tony did love her, just like he loved Clint and Nat - enough to build them armor. It's the thing about this Tony; he's not unilaterally evil. He just has no moral compass. He'll do good things and he'll do evil things. Basically he'll do what he wants. He likes Pepper, she doesn't put up with his shit, and he likes Clint and Nat, they're fun. But that's Tony's world for you: it has to be fun. Pepper kept him on his toes; he liked it - always liked a challenge. But people don't have much value to him. And Steve, Steve was there for the taking and he really should've gone along with Tony's whims just like everyone else. That's how simple it is for Tony. The world is his oyster. Or it was. (The only reason it stopped being so was because SHIELD broke the law; if they'd done this right, with a trial and everything, Tony would've gotten away with it somehow.)
So yeah, Steve telling Tony he's talking to Pepper would eat Tony inside. He'd never let it show.
And yeah. Poor Steve. It wasn't enough to have been hurt by Tony; Tony poisoned his whole life. His sense of self, the way he sees his own body, the way the rest of the world sees him.
I don't think anyone could find those videos unless they're actively looking for it. CA:TWS would happen like it did in canon; then Bucky would go back to Steve, still half-stuck inside his own programming; but Steve's own fragility would help Bucky shake it off faster. He'd quickly realize something is wrong - in the way Steve won't touch him or anyone else, really, in the way Steve refuses to talk about Tony. Eventually Bucky would press the matter and Steve would just break down because he lost seventy years of his life and then he lost himself to Tony and then Bucky came back and tried to kill him, and there's only so much he can endure. Steve would cry, full-on sobs, and tell Bucky everything, and Bucky would retrieve his full memory just so he could make sense of what Steve is telling him - he needs to remembers Steve's stubborness, Steve's faith in people and Steve's utter generosity to even begin to comprehend what happened. So Steve would break down, but Bucky would become whole again just in time to catch him.
This is perfect. But really, poor Steve. Even with Tony gone and locked up for good, the consequences of what happened will forever haunt his every friendships/relationships. Though I do wonder... I can't ever imagine a world where Pepper will not require more extensive proof of Tony's death... at least see his corpse or something. With Banner now in control of JARVIS, I can see footages and records being created/tampered with, but I really cannot imagine Pepper being satisfied with just that.
As for the James Rhodes, this must be such a strange/awkward/tragic moment in his life. He was probably busy with the army when he learnt about it all, and before getting the time to process that his womanizer of a friend is in a big gay romance, said friend is dead. He probably does not even know how to really approach Steve, unlike Pepper.
And how far throughout SHIELD does the knowledge of what Tony did to Steve spread? Because we all know that SHIELD has been infiltrated by HYDRA and there is no way they will not use Steve's trauma to their advantage if they even have a hint of it. And for sure, with having to imprison Tony and stuff, that the knowledge extends at least a bit beyond their small group.
At least in this verse, it seems Bucky probably won't be as traumatized as in some fics (especially the ones part of the hydras trash meme). Still, the mirroring between their two situations: the loss of free will, the loss of control to both their bodies, non-consensual body modifications, being treated as tools/objects will be so hard for Steve to process. Protective!Angry!Bucky is going to be so great when he'll confront Tony, especially with the Winter Soldier background. Oh man. And imagine if he decides to take out his anger at not only what happened to Steve, but also projecting his own hydra experiences on his best friend's abuser! Tony is so screwed. :D
Well, that's not a problem - they'll just drug Tony like they'd drugged Nick Fury in CA:TWS, so he'll appear dead. It was supposedly a heart attack, so they don't need to fake any wounds or anything. It'll be good enough for Pepper.
Poor Rhodey will be really confused indeed, and kept out of the loop even more than Pep.
That's a great question, especially when considering a follow-up including CA:TWS and therefore HYDRA coming out of the shadows. Now, the videos are Jarvis' and Jarvis' is under Bruce's control, so there's little chance HYDRA would get those. But they will know what really happened to Steve, and will try to use it. Most of all, they might try to free Tony.
Haha, the Hydra Trash Party meme has sprouted surprisingly good fics, even (especially?) plot-wise (Blood From A Stone, dear lord. The characterization was a thing of beauty) but yeah, adding a layer of trauma on top of this Bucky would be pushing it. The canon is horrific enough when it comes to him, anyway. Bucky would probably just refrain himself from killing Tony, out of respect for Steve who'd probably be torn up about it. But there is no way Tony is facing Bucky and coming out unscathed. Bucky will maim him in some way.
Haha! Very good point. Totally forgot about the let's-pretend-to-be-dead miracle drug. :P Though by using it, that kinda ruins the punchline... especially with Hydra learning of its existence. Speaking of Hydra... can you imagine the elevator scene, where when pulling out the tazer, Rumlow says 'expand' and totally freaks Steve out. Or worse, if they somehow find a way to reactivate the polymers remotely (as I'm guessing Steve will never submit to another surgery, even to remove it)... Oh god. And this sudden accumulation of betrayals will break him even more. First Tony. Then SHIELD. Then Bucky brainwashed to kill him. Poor poor Steve.
And with the total turmoil going through SHIELD, this is probably the best opportunity for Tony to escape or be freed, though maybe HYDRA will not bother with him, seeing as he's such a wildcard and they privilege order and mediocrity (from everyone else) above all. To them, Tony is probably more of a threat than anything.
BUCKY! :D
Oh. And broken as Steve is, will he still be able to form a friendship with Sam? Maybe after a good number of months and a change in environment, by moving to DC, he can force himself a bit more to act like normal and tease/run circles around that other jogger? Though Natasha will definitely be even more protective of him in this version of CA: TWS.
Yeah, that drug was a slightly cheap plot point and I wouldn't be surprised if it never appeared again in MCU canon. ^^ And oh my goooood, that would be a GREAT rewriting of the elevator scene !! Even more so if they could hack the polymers (especially since Nat and Clint are implanted too. That could lead to the three of them being forced to undergo surgery so HYDRA won't make puppets out of them... It would be hard enough on Nat and Clint, but really traumatic for Steve. I think he'd allow only Bruce to perform the surgery, except it would get really tough on Bruce because he'd see exactly to what extent Tony violated Steve's body, grafting those polymers inside of him, and Bruce would have a hard time not Hulking out and it'd be even more frightening for Steve and gah. The whole thing would be a nightmare.)
Tony might escape. But then Bucky will kill him. "Oh," he will say, "it was in the spur of the moment. Self-defense and all that." Riiight, Bucky.
Yeah! Steve would totally make friends with Sam just like in the movie, because he'd be desperate to prove himself he's more than what Tony did to him, desperate to prove he can act normal and be normal. It will be particularly interesting because Sam will think, too, that Steve was in love with Tony (but of course he'd be too tactful to prod) and then as he gets involved with Nat and Steve and Fury, they'd end up telling him the truth...
Hmmm... hacking the polymers definitely should be possible for HYDRA as Tony seems less proprietary with it than he could have been. After all, the override code is not just linked to Tony's voice but worked for Nat as well. If Steve needs to get it removed, can you imagine that decision for him will be? Not only to once again undergo surgery but to have to choose between being unconscious (and thus leave his body completely vulnerable to someone else's manipulations - even if it's from Bruce whom he trusts) and conscious (but then fully aware of what is happening and not being able to do anything about it once again). Poor Bruce... they rely so much on him. >.
Good point, if Natasha was able to use an override code, then HYDRA will quite certainly find a way to hack those polymers (again, maybe even with Tony's participation.) (Although... I like to believe that if they freed Tony and asked him to help them in exchange, he'd refuse. Not because he wants to protect Steve or anything. Just because he is Tony Stark and he does not negociate with terrorists, just like he didn't negotiate with the Ten Rings. Just because he's an asshole doesn't mean he'll automatically associate with other assholes.)
And yessssss that'd be a really tough choice for Steve, wouldn't it? I'm not even sure what he'd choose in the end. Probably to stay awake despite everything. But even without the trauma, it would be an extremely humiliating experience for him. The polymers are in his ass, there's no way around saying this. Tony did this to humiliate him and it's still working even after Tony was defeated. Steve will just have to let Bruce see, and let Bruce cut him open. So both humiliating and traumatic. Poor Steve.
Having come to this party a bit late, I did think of something.
Tony's lights are always on. Always. There are no clocks. There is are only a few ways to tell how much time has passed:
Meals come three times a day, roughly 6 hours apart. Steve visits once a week.
But after a few months of a reliable schedule, things start to shift. Meals come 6.25 hours apart, then 7, or more. Or even irregularly, on occasion. Maybe Tony goes 24 hours without a meal (having had a high-calorie meal the day before; the point is to NOT kill him) or he gets 3 meals within 6 hours.
And sometimes, Steve's visits are delayed. Avengers business, or Natasha's manufactured Avengers business, you know how these things go. And there are still the same number of meals betwen his visits, but the real world time could be two or four weeks rather than one. Or maybe even less than a week, occasionally.
Without that singular anchor, Tony would lose his mind. And as long as Steve never found out what was happening behind the scenes, I think he would be just fine with it.
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