Maximoff's Actions Come To Light
Royalty
Chapter 1
The Scarlet Witch was a danger to society and no one but Tony seemed to realise this. The others had gone off half-cocked, believing her sad little sob story and whilst it was still Tony’s weapons that had caused Maximoff’s parents to sadly perish, he wasn’t to blame for the way things had happened. But blamed he was.
Especially Steve. What was it that people called him? Avenger of the innocent. And what was his favourite saying? Oh yes, that he was standing up for the little guys. Or girls in this matter. Except Tony knew that Maximoff was lying her ass off about her joining of HYDRA. She had joined willingly, one hundred percent and if the way Barnes sometimes eyed her when she was in his vicinity, then he knew it too. The only question was why he wasn’t saying anything.
It could be a number of reasons, Tony thought. Steve was a piece of his past he could cling onto, a piece of his fractured mind that could better help piece together the parts of him almost lost to the horrors HYDRA had inflicted on him. Steve was a piece of good he had in his life and maybe Barnes wasn’t willing to fracture whatever stilted relationship they had by questioning his decision on letting Maximoff in on the team.
Whatever it was, Tony didn’t care. Because he couldn’t fucking sleep with the witch in the same building as him, nevertheless the same floor as her. Yet people didn’t seem to have the same problems he did and shrugged it off; the headaches, the nightmares, the insomnia from the horrors he’d see when closing his eyes, the restlessness, the need to just scream and cry. Sometimes his dreams would be plagued with red, and he knew, he’d know that the flimsy bitch was doing something that wouldn’t allow him to goddamn rest.
It was getting tiring. Ever single step he took was tinged with exhaustion. He could barely keep his eyes open. It’d got so noticeably that even Barnes had noticed, and he usually made himself scarce whenever Tony entered the room and whenever he did stay, he avoided looking at him completely. And if that didn’t say something was seriously up then Tony didn’t know what else would.
It was one of those days that Tony could barely see straight, stumbling into the kitchen and collapsing onto a chair, coincidentally the one next to Barnes. Not that he noticed. Though he did notice that Barnes tensed up as soon as he registered just who was next to him.
“You need more sleep, Tony.” Steve scolded as he headed over to the table and took a seat on one of the bars stools. Tony eyed him blearily and tried to make a noise, but his voice was hoarse from screaming himself awake. His eyes roved the kitchen and he noticed Maximoff leaning against the counter, a cup of coffee in her hands, red magic flaming around her fingertips. Tony flinched back and was rewarded with a cold edged smirk that made Tony feel just a little bit sick.
Barnes makes a noise, a type of rumble. It’s almost like a growl. Tony blinked past his exhaustion and almost reaches out to pat the mans shoulder in an act of soothing nature but thinks it through a moment later and figures that the movement wouldn’t go over well with the soldier. And then he’d be treated to Steve’s disappointed face for making his Bucky uncomfortable. Then the part of Tony that loved Steve more than he’d ever loved anyone before would die just a little bit more. And there wasn’t much of his heart left to keep him living.
Despite what the Captain has said, no one offers to make him a cup of coffee nor get him something to eat, not like he sees Steve push a mug of tea over to Barnes, right in front of his face. Tony’s face goes blank, and he stares at the counter, willing back tears as footsteps echo in the hallway. Someone enters the room and says something that has some of the Avengers greeting them back but Tony’s too stuck in his head to notice.
When a hand falls on his shoulder, Tony flinches so much that he smacks his wrist on the side of the bars counter and a ragged cry escapes his throat. Silence encompasses the room and Tony stills, swallowing as he registers someone gripping his shoulder and turning him around. He looks up and meets Rhodey’s eyes, the man making a worried noise in the back of his throat.
“Jesus Christ.” Rhodey whispers, eyes wide. Tony tries to muster a smile, but it comes out more of a grimace.
“H-Hey, R-Rhodey.” Tony’s voice is little more than a rasp. Rhodey goes pale.
“You idiot. You swore to me, Tony, you swore that when your nightmares got so bad you could barely sleep and woke up screaming, a panicking mess, that you’d call. You promised me, Anthony Edward Stark!” Rhodey’s voice is all steel, all jagged lines and forged with iron. Unconsciously a bitter smile forms on his face.
“Stark men are made from iron. To admit weakness is to admit we are weak. Weakness equals punishment, punishment undetermined. Not yet—” Tony recites emotionlessly. Rhodey pales even more, and he reaches forward, frowning at the flinch and runs shaky fingers through Tony’s hair. Tony stares up at him and it takes just one more caress from Rhodey’s strong fingers in his hair for tears to stream down his face.
“Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare do this to yourself. Not again.” Rhodey whispered. Tony frowns, opening his mouth but Rhodey just shakes his head and places a finger to the mans lips. “No. No, don’t. Now come, let’s get some sleep, Tones.” The word sleep makes Tony jerk, crying out.
“No. No! No! Please, please don’t make me—don’t make me please!” Tony pleads. Rhodey places his arms around Tony, letting out a gasp when Tony thrashes in his arms, crying out and pleading, begging for Rhodey not to make him, that he doesn’t want to, doesn’t want to see anymore red, that he just wants to be safe. The Avengers stare with wide, horrified gazes as the genius slowly becomes undone beneath their very eyes.
“Tony! You’ve got to sleep!” Again, the word seems to trigger something, and Tony let’s out a loud scream. He slumps and starts convulsing, red mist dripping from his ears and nose, escaping him. Rhodey gapes at it for a long moment before his head snaps around when there’s a feminine screech coming from Maximoff. Barnes has got her by the throat, snarling in her face.
“Bucky, stop!” Steve tries to de-escalate the situation but Barnes just glances at him.
“She’s been in his head Stevie, he can’t sleep. Just the word set him off. She’d HYDRA, I told you she was.” Barnes said, glaring down at the witch. Steve frowns.
“No, you didn’t. You didn’t tell me she was HYDRA.”
Barnes is the one frowning this time. “Yes, I did, punk.” Rhodey stares between them all before looking to Romanov who looks like somethings fallen into place in her mind and nods at her.
“Call Strange. Tell him to get—”
“It is already done, Colonel Rhodes.” FRIDAY interrupted. “The Sorcerer Supreme is already on his way.” A glowing golden portal erupted in the kitchen and then Strange was striding through, making a beeline to Maximoff, placing a scarred hand to her head. She screams as her magic is bound inside her, the glowing red mass trying to make an appearance, trying to stop the confinement of it but ultimately failing. She drops unconscious. With a swirl of hands and a flash of gold, Maximoff is restrained.
“Strange.” Rhodey muttered. Strange turned to face him, face going concerned at Tony’s limp form in his arms and walks over, doing a few flicking of his wrists. More curling gold flitters around Tony’s head and Strange’s face goes grim.
“She’s been in his head for a while now. It was in so deep that the suddenness of Tony pushing it off has fractured his mind.” Rhodey swallowed at that statement. Steve inhales sharply. “I’m sorry, Rhodes but … I’m not sure if I can undo this. This much—whatever she’s done, his brain is beginning to swell trying to compete with the rapid shrinking of a lobe in his brain that requires sleep. It’s shrunk from whatever magic she used to make his mind a prison for his worst memories. Every time he sleeps, he dreams of his worst memories, over and over again. The swelling will push against his skull and soon …”
“He’ll die.” Rhodey gasps. He collects Tony closer to him and shakes his head. “No, no, you’ve got to do something, anything. Please, Strange—Stephen, please, he’s my best friend. He’s my brother. You have to do something, anything. Isn’t there—isn’t there some other sorcerers? Someone that can help?” Rhodey tried, close to begging now. Tony whimpers, eyelids shifting as his eyes move beneath his closed gaze.
“I’m sorry, Colonel.” Strange whispered. Rhodey eases himself onto the ground, clutching Tony to his chest, the smaller male practically draped across his lap.
“R-Rhodey—” Tony’s voice is a wheeze. Rhodey hums.
“Yeah, Tones?” Rhodey’s voice cracks. Tony shudders as a sob wracks his fragile frame.
“Don’t let me go. Don’t—let me g-go. I’ll fall, I’ll fall. Rhodey, please, don’t wanna fall again! Rhodey!” Tony shrieks, frame shaking as he clutches inhumanly tight onto Rhodey’s shirt, tears falling down his cheeks, knuckles bone white.
“Never. I won’t let you fall, promise. Remember what I said in MIT, Tones?” Tony sobs.
“You and me.”
“Together.” Rhodey whispered. Tony hiccups.
“Till one of us falls.”
“Then the other will follow.” Rhodey has a heartbreaking smile on his face.
“Together or not at all.” They say in unison. Tony hiccupped again. “I don’t wanna fall, Rhodey, don’t wanna—so tired of falling. I can’t get back up again—I can’t. I’m so tired. I just want to rest—I just want to be happy.” Tony sobs, cries forced from him, bleeding from him. Rhodey shushes him.
“Won’t let you fall. You and me, together, till one of us falls, then the other will follow. Together or not at all.” The words are whispered like a prayer into deadly nights and winters, surrounded by cold, the frost enveloping both of them. Till naught but their shells are left, aired dry to the others.
“Loki.” Someone suddenly says. Strange glances at them sharply. “Loki could heal Tony’s mind. Can’t he?” It’s Sam that’s said it, tone hesitant on the last inquiry. Strange frowns thoughtfully.
“Perhaps. The swelling will cause discomfort for around three weeks. If it hits the month mark then Tony’s brain will give, and the damage will be too extensive, and he’d have to be put out of his misery.”
“He’s not an animal.” Barnes snapped. Strange just raises an eyebrow.
“No. But what he would be is a man in constant pain, too broken and fractured to function, he will be quite literally brain dead, Sergeant.” The others stay quiet after that, too stricken to say anything else. Clint makes a frustrated sound.
“Okay, okay, Strange, give us a much more informative account of his injuries.” Clint said in that no nonsense tone, straight to the point. Strange sighs long-sufferingly but obeys, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Maximoff targeted her magic to focus on a part of Tony’s brain called the hypothalamus which is a peanut sized structure deep in the brain that contains a group of nerve cells that act as a control centre affecting sleep but also arousal.” Steve blushes a little and Barnes blanches before his ears glow red in response. “Maximoff used her magic negatively in this portion of his brain and in doing so, it began to shrink in response to make sure he slept less and that he was effectively tired enough to be forced to surrender to some of his more haunting memories. He’d wake up more exhausted. By forcing out this negative magic, Tony’s mind is essentially trying to combat the shrinking over time and it’s expanding in size.” Strange took a breath before soldiering on.
“However this is having a negative effect as the shrinking caused his brain to try and combat it by expanding exponentially. This swelling is causing the other parts of his brain to push against his skull which I’m sure you don’t need to know that this excessive swelling will cause more harm then good and will kill him if it goes on long enough. The only way to fix this is magic as magic has caused this response. The magic that I have however will not help. The only way is to do what Mr Wilson suggested and get in contact with Mr Lafeyson to see if he will help. There is no other option sadly. Unless it’s letting Tony die.”
“No.” Natasha shakes her head. “No, Tony’s not dying. We’ll try to find Loki. We have three weeks, if a little more at most. We’ll get Tony back up and at it in no time. At least … at least he can sleep now without nightmares?” Strange pauses as he considers that.
“Yes,” the Avengers breathe a sigh of relief, “Tony has pushed her magic from his mind. He should be able to sleep but it should be within hearing distance of others. He will likely have more nightmares, but I am not sure if there are still slivers of that witches magic still lodged in deep. Only Mr Lafeyson’s magic will be able to determine that.” Strange nods, grabs Maximoff by the shirt and hauls her unconscious body up before creating a portal.
He spares one last glance at a hunched Tony in Rhodey’s arms. “I will gather more information and try myself to get in contact with Mr Lafeyson. Take care with him, if Mr Lafeyson is unable to help, his last few weeks should be spent in comfort.” The Avengers still at that as he nods once more and walks through the swirling portal. It closes with a snap behind him. Tony whimpers. Rhodey lifts him into his arms and exits to the room as fast as he can without sparing a look at the others.
Steve collapses into his seat, Bucky’s hand on his shoulders a small comfort in the swirling of his muddled brain.
“How didn’t we notice?” He whispered brokenly.
No one answered, not even Natasha.