Plans set in place
Steve hung up the phone with a sigh, Tony was throwing another tantrum but he couldn't bring himself to be mad at the man, the man would come back to his senses eventually, he smiled imagining how Tony would make a few jabs before giving them new gifts as a way of apologizing.
He had always found that cute about the man, how he would apologize with actions instead of words, smiling he got up to go look for a piece of paper and a pen to write to the stubbornly adorable man.
It had taken him a few minutes to write the note before going to find one of the dora milaje to send the letter to Tony secretly. He came back to find his team sitting in the main room, Scott sitting in a corner, Wanda walked over with a frown.
He smiled softly at her gently patting her head, she back before frowning again, “When can we go back home?” She asked in a small voice looking down at her shoes, He patted her shoulder sympathetically “Not yet but i'm sure my Tony will come get us soon”
Her sad expression quickly turned to anger. She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off with a screen, clutching her head in pain and collapsing on the ground.
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The only thing Wanda could comprehend was the sharp pain in her head. Her magic, which was usually a comforting warmth in the back of her mind, felt like a burning heat instead. Her brain seemed to be melting, and her vision was swimming.
The only coherent thought she could muster was how freeing it had felt to wear the collar that Tony had made when he was still insisting that she train her magic, mind, and body.
Summoning as much strength as she could, she whispered, "I want Tony." She swayed on her feet before passing out, strong arms catching her just before she lost consciousness; that was the last thing she remembered.
—2 hours later—
She woke up a few hours later, her mind fuzzy and her body trembling as sharp pain went through her body like waves, looking around her vision was blurry and she couldn't get her mind to focus on any one thing.
Even with the vague sense of something feeling wrong, she could finally think freely without everything being clouded with hatred and resentment, she could finally hear her own thoughts.
A small smile slipped onto her lips, happy to feel as though she was in control of her own body again, but something was still missing but she was sure he would fix it soon, she frowned a bit at that thought. Who was he?
——————————————————
Tony was woken up from his nap by F.R.I.D.A. Sitting up, he quickly got ready for the day listening as she rambled off the improvements in the engineering department, as well as the meeting with the accords console in the late afternoon.
Humming in acknowledgment, pulling out a simple button up shirt and black jeans. “When does the kid get here?” He asked stepping into the bathroom for a shower, “At 6:30 in the afternoon, the meeting with the accords should be over by then” F.R.I.D.A. answered immediately.
“Sir, I must also remind you to inform the console of Mis Natalia Romanof” groaning he had forgotten about Natasha in the holding cells back at the avengers tower. He let his head thunk against the bathroom wall before hopping into the shower.
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Nataliae looked up from her attempts to find a way to escape the cell where she was being held. Tony strolled down the hallway with a nonchalant demeanor, but there was something menacing about him.
She quickly backed away, her mind recalling the warning she had read in his file at one of the Hydra bases. Hydra feared Iron Man, but they were absolutely terrified of Tony Stark. They believed there was no middle ground: it was either getting him to join them or eliminating him.
Tony flashed her a sharp smile as he opened the cell door. He crouched down in front of her and grasped her face with a firm grip. “I’m going to tell you this once, Natalia. I know a lot more than you think I do. I know every one of your disguises and every one of your tricks,” he said, leaning in closer and whispering, “The red room.”
She felt her body freeze at the mention of it, haunted by the memories of all the people who had died in the red room. Tony gave her a fake, sympathetic smile, and suddenly she understood why, even after all these years, the title "Merchant of Death" still surrounded him like an ever-growing shadow—especially every time the Avengers shifted the blame onto Tony.
It had been a long time since she had experienced true, unadulterated fear.
——————————————————
Tony meticulously examined the changes on the accords, fighting to keep his temper in check as Thaddeus Ross relentlessly tried to squash another one of his proposals. The tension in the room was palpable, and he noticed the increasing annoyance etched on the faces of the other attendees.
Finally, Ms. Pavlova, the stern counselor representing Russia, had reached her breaking point. "I've had just about enough of your incessant rambling, Mr. Ross," she declared, her voice cutting through the atmosphere like a knife. "You clearly have nothing of substance to contribute to this discussion."
Ross, taken aback, sputtered in anger, his face turning a shade of crimson as he glared at her. However, Ms. Pavlova held her ground, her expression as cold and unyielding as granite. The other counselors exchanged glances, nodding in agreement with her piercing critique. Tony couldn’t help but stifle a snort of amusement, quickly disguising it as a cough. Mr. DuPont, the representative from the French consul, managed to suppress a quiet chuckle, visibly entertained by the scene.
Throughout the remainder of the meeting, Tony skillfully articulated his ideas and proposed changes for the accords, weaving his words with precision to persuade the council members to see things from his perspective. His calm demeanor belied the fervent thoughts racing through his mind as he expertly navigated the political landscape.
When the meeting finally drew to a close, he let out a sigh of relief, the weight lifting from his shoulders as he stepped into the car. Once inside, a triumphant grin spread across his face, a reflection of his satisfaction at seeing his plans to keep the accord out of Ross’s grasp slowly materialize. “Friday, I need you to dig up any dirt you can find on Thaddeus Ross. Use the information however you see fit,” he instructed, his tone filled with determination.
“Yes, boss,” came the prompt reply, a hint of excitement lingering in the air.
——————————————————
Peter burst into Tony’s lab with a bright smile, practically bouncing out of his shoes. “Mr. Stark!” he exclaimed excitedly as he held up a robot, his grin wide with pride. He could barely stand still, bouncing around Tony’s workstation and expertly dodging the countless projects scattered haphazardly across the workspace.
Tony watched as the teenager burst into excited giggles. He gave the kid a fond yet confused smile, patiently waiting for him to calm down and explain his creation. He stifled a laugh as the teen tripped over his own feet but quickly caught himself by grabbing onto an empty desk and standing up straight.
After taking a few deep breaths to regain composure, Peter finally settled down and proudly presented his creation. “This is Bibble, the very first food-reminding, water-providing robot that didn’t blow up in my face!”
He couldn't help but dramatically clutch his heart at how adorable Peter was being as he explained all the ins and outs of his invention. His voice grew higher-pitched, and his speech became faster as he shared more details, his eyes practically sparkling. He slowly trailed off into giggles once again.
Pepper walked into Tony’s lab but stopped when she saw him listening intently to Peter, who was enthusiastically explaining the robot he had been working on for weeks. She couldn’t help but compare them to a father and son duo and decided to come back later to get Tony’s opinion on when to set up an interview for the new Avengers.