Escape from Ten Rings
After three months of being captived inside a cave, the taste of freedom was the only thing Tony could smell in the air. His fellow inmate, Dr. John Watson was alive as well, even if he was littered with bruises and small cuts. He was a RAMC doctor, who was kidnapped by Raza and his men to operate on Tony.
John had helped Tony cooped up with being a prisoner and to survive. He was the best and only company he had in this dingy dusty cave. The good doctor had saved him time and time again from despair. And without John giving him some time to complete the body armor’s installation, they wouldn’t be here.
Finish the armor. I’ll come and find you. I promise.
It was either pure luck or pure skills that made John survived from defending Tony and buying him those precious seconds. The billionaire intended to repay him and maybe asked him on a date, too.
Camaraderie, survival and simple attraction played a part in their chemistry. There were not many things they could do in their resting time besides talking. When they got bored, they flirted with each other to pass the time. It was simple flirting, but the playboy genuinely like the doctor.
In his whole life, Tony could count how many times he had a serious relationship in one hand. He had his heart broken several times, either because they were after his money, his fame, his inventions or simply because they couldn’t stand being in a relationship with him any longer.
The engineer felt John was different from his exes. Maybe John would accept him for who he was. After they got out of this mother fucking desert.
And then, they found that curse village.
***
The sudden air strike helped them escaped the terrorists, whom recognized Tony from the news broadcasted around the world. But because of the price money on his head, instead of driving away from the village, those people stayed to capture Tony.
There were nowhere else for him and John to hide. Those terrorists were crawling all over the village. The only place they could run to was the giant hole in the ground, where the plane landed the missile.
It was a good thing John found a rope and hook, long enough for them to go down into the secret Egypt Sphinx hole in the ground and hid themselves. When they stepped onto the uneven ground, bullets were raining down from up there.
John covered him and got shot on the arm. Tony could feel his heart stopped for a second when he saw the Brit groaning and bleeding.
“Stay with me, John.” He grabbed John away from the light to go deeper into another cave. “Don’t you dare die on me.”
The younger man walked with the doctor far enough to discover a whole new place with more Egypt statues and some kind of ritual place or whatever. Tony sat the doctor near a wall and tried to press onto the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
“You’ll be fine.” Tony said frantically. “We’ll be fine.”
Slowly, John kissed Tony’s forehead and put his hand on top of Tony’s. The man put on a brave smile, forgetting the fact that he was bleeding from a gunshot wound. “We sur… Survived this far, we… We can make it.”
“Yeah,” Tony nodded rapidly. “We’ll be fine.”
It wasn’t long before the engineer heard some footsteps. He pulled John and stuck him onto a dark cavity.
“Tony…” John hung onto his hand. “Be careful.”
If this was going to be his last time to see the older man, Tony didn’t want to have any regret. He kissed John on the lips, lingered for a few seconds too long. “You’ll be fine.”
Tony fought the first man coming in and struggled to grab his gun. Two fires were shot and the man fell down as well as the chain that was holding something in the ritual place.
Tony didn’t know that that was the moment he was cursed by the word Setepai.
***
A day after the plane crash…
forward to Oxford, England….
John was being held in a different plane and being flown into Oxford. He questioned the American pilot about Tony, whom insisted on John being flown to the same destination as he was. Somehow, Tony has been roped by a Dr. Halsey to accompany her to fly a sarcophagus to England. The latest news he got about Tony’s plane was that it had crashed, but Tony survived because the morgue doctor told him so when John asked him.
With an arm sling to hold his injured arm, he checked himself out of the hospital and away from the prying questions of the military. Off he went to find Tony.
He knew it was illogical to escape his military officer, but it was urgent for him to find the billionaire. After surviving inside a cave together for three months, he developed a crush on the man. He wanted to protect the billionaire out of harms way.
And that kiss. It gave him hope that the American returned his feelings.
But even if the younger man didn’t feel the same way, John wouldn’t care as long as he found him and made sure with his own eyes that Tony was fine and well. Probably also getting the man home to America. It’s been a long time for the man to be away from the comfort of his own home.
There hasn’t been any news about Tony on the idiot box. Any channels he saw still rewinding the same news about the missing man. Before long, he found Tony the next day on the street in the middle of an odd storm. The man was running away with a blonde woman, trying to avoid the barmy weather.
The Brit followed them into the London Underground. Away from the storm, John called onto Tony inside the tunnel.
“Tony!”
The billionaire stopped running and turned around. The happy and relieved expression on the man’s face was undeniable. Apparently, John wasn’t the only one who longed to find the other safe and well.
But, he noticed something different about Tony. It was his chest. The arc reactor had infused together with the skin around his chest. How was that possible?
Tony ran and hugged John tightly. “Oh my God! You’re okay! I thought I've lost you.”
The moment his genius embraced him, John forgot about the oddity that was Tony’s operation marks. “I promise to find you. I keep my promise.”
“Yeah, you did.” Tony pressed his lips onto John’s. “After this finish, do you want to come with me to Malibu?”
Pressing his forehead onto Tony’s, John smiled warmly. “That is a lovely idea.”
***
Two months later…
London…
Two months have gone by and John couldn’t help but think that he was forgetting something important. He remembered being held captive by terrorists for three months. He remembered he wasn’t alone, but by God, he just couldn’t remember the face of the person who was being held together with him.
John couldn’t even recall how he got to Oxford of all places after Afghanistan. After receiving a confusing letter of honorably discharge, John went back to London.
It wasn’t hard to find a job as a surgeon with his military background. For the past couple of months, the doctor has been trying to return back to his normal activities before he went to war. It wasn’t easy, but he finally managed to sleep on the soft bed instead of on the hard floor. There were no more pressure of war and hotness of the desert. He should feel joy. Right?
Overall, John’s life was moving in the right direction. Still, there was a mild thud on his chest as if reminding him that something was missing. Or someone.
“Obadiah Stane, Tony Stark’s business partner and long time mentor has been found dead in his town house in California this morning. According to the hospital, the 68 years old man suffered a massive heart attack in…”
Stay with me, John
The sound from the news anchor on the telly was swallowed by white noise as the name Tony Stark quietly repeating itself in John’s mind.
You’ll be fine
The good doctor pressed his thumb onto his lips, sweeping his bottom lip gently, slowly recalling the lost memory of a kiss.
Do you want to come with me to Malibu?
***
A day later…
Malibu, CA…
The crazy woman mummy had killed not only Doctor Hayes, but also his John. When he embraced the Egyptian God of Chaos, Set into his body willingly, he kept his eyes on John’s unblinking eyes. He promised right there and then that he would resurrect the man that could possibly become his future.
After defeating Ahmanet, Tony said goodbye to said future by erasing the memories of their time together while resurrecting him. Doctor Halsey was another casualty he didn’t want to have in his conscience. The short time he knew the woman, convinced him that she would be a good ally and she could help him protect John.
Tony made sure that John was protected from the military and Dr. Harry Jekyl’s organization. He didn’t want his… (Setepai, his chosen his mind supplied) friend to suffer in his new peaceful life.
Coming home to America, Tony shut down his weapons manufacture and started branching towards clean energy and technology. Funny thing about being a living God was, he didn’t feel the need to eat, drink or even sleep.
JARVIS, his beloved AI was worried for his health, so Tony decided to play human. He busied himself with new inventions and even building an upgrade of his first body armor, the Iron Man. The reality that he wasn’t human anymore hasn’t really sink in yet until Obadiah crossed him and tried to kill him in his own home.
Tony didn’t take kindly to traitors, especially the ones he trusted his whole life. For a few seconds, he let Set out to play. He took the man towards a journey of dying, die and living again just to die again. The process started and ended over and over until his godfather begged him to kill him and just finished him already.
Tony took a stroll down into memory lane. The many times when Obadiah put his attentions on lonely Tony while his old man went searching for Captain America. Those were wonderful memories. Tony could only hope that those times were genuine on Obadiah’s part.
With that on his mind, Tony showed compassion towards his godfather and let him died at his own home.
The news of Obie’s death was still circling on the news. He turned off the television and decided to take a midnight stroll. When he opened the door, he went down the small stairs onto the path walk.
He was suddenly blocked by a familiar figure standing up on his land. A familiar face of someone who has stood by him for three months in a small cave in Afghanistan.
The man who made his heart raced even after a couple of months of not seeing each other.
The man who Tony tried so hard to forget.
The man who was going to be his future.
His chosen. His Setepai.
“John…” He took a step forward, hand lifted towards the Former captain.
“What happened to your eyes?”
The billionaire flinched and stopped walking. He took a few steps backward, creating a space between him and John.
His eyes must have turned into the eyes of a God. He’s a monster now. He shouldn’t be near John. He should send the man back to his new life in London.
Unfortunately, his decision was taken out of his hands when John took the necessary steps forward. The doctor grabbed onto his face and put his lips on Tony’s. He could feel the man’s tongue trying to lick its way into his mouth and not a second later, Tony was moaning into his mouth.
Their kiss was wet, hurried yet it was gentle and Tony could feel the longing in the kiss. Being human, John pulled away to take a breath.
“I remember, Tony.” He moved his arms around Tony’s waist, eyes roaming over his face. “You've brought me back.”
Closing his eyelids, the taller man nuzzled his cheek against John’s hair and whispered quietly. “I did.”
“And you erased my memories.” John huffed softly near his ear. “It’s a bit not good.”
“I’m sorry.” Tony pulled his face back to take a last look on the doctor’s face incase he changed his mind about Tony. “I… This…”
“I have talked to Dr. Halsey. And I've just figured out about your eyes,” The man informed him quickly. Slowly a small smile creeped onto John’s face and he started peppering the billionaire’s face with kisses. “I…” A peck on the left brow “ don’t…” a peck on the right brow “care…” A peck on the nose “Tony.” A last peck on the lips.
“But…”
“No matter what you do,” he put their foreheads together without letting his eyes wondered away from Tony’s. “I’ll always find you.”
Tony could feel his chest tightening out of joy and hopefulness. His lips were trembling when John kissed him once more with a serious loving look on his face. “I promise.”
***