Peggy and Ana
Clint was the first one to speak.
“But… How? I mean… Tony said it himself. Genius, billionaire, PLAYBOY, philanthropist. I mean… Wouldn’t someone have… I don’t know. Found out?”
Rhodey cast a glance to Bucky who was still standing with his arm in the wall. Natasha slowly got up and went over to him.
“Barnes?”
When she got no reaction she tried a different approach.
“Winter?”
He slowly pulled his arm from the wall and turned towards her. His eyes were closed but everyone could see the pain on his face. Rhodey looked back to Clint and answered:
“Howard was a sick bastard. He created some kind of liquid. Chemical. It… This is how Tony explained it to me. Howard injected him with it and it felt as if he was on fire. It happened around twelve times. Later Tony found out how it all works out. He can get hard but his semen contains no sperm. Like at all. And it’s not azoospermia. That was the first thing he thought of. But azoospermia can be cured. The thing in Tony is not allowing any treatment. Howard made sure it would be permanent.”
Bucky was shaking while Wanda looked a little green. So did Bruce but for some completely different reason. Pepper placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Bruce? You okey? Do you wanna go?”
He shook his head and took a few calming breaths.
“I’ll be fine. The Other Guy is just upset. Wanda? You don’t look good girl.”
She swallowed and leaned a bit towards Clint.
“I… I’m fine.”
He turned to Bucky.
“Barnes? Why don’t you come here and sit down?”
Natasha slowly put a hand on Bucky’s back and led him to the couch. He fell onto it next to Pepper who immediately put an arm around his shoulders. He was still keeping his eyes closed but at least the shaking had stopped. Natasha nodded towards Pepper and then went over to sit in her old place. Steve was pale.
“Howard… Castrated him?”
Sam was looking sick but he forced himself to not throw up. After all he had heard much in his days. But he had to admit. This way definitely in the top of all bad things. Especially since Tony was just a little child back then. He couldn’t even imagine what Bucky was going through. He had acted as Tony’s father for four years and taken care of him even when he was the Winter Soldier. Rhodey looked over to Steve.
“Yes. He did. You still think he was so wonderful?”
It took some time but in the end Steve slowly shook his head.
“Howard was a good man. But apparently that was when I knew him. He… changed. Right?”
Natasha nodded.
“Nothing in his life seemed to be working out. Peggy didn’t want to marry him so he married Maria because he needed an heir. He was failing in his tries to find you. He got dragged into Hydra and they wanted more and more. His son turned out to be a mutant. Peggy built SHIELD. She was onto Howard’s work for Hydra. Stark Industries weren’t going so well since Howard was more interested in alcohol than business. Obadiah Stane was practically the one holding the company up. Everything was falling apart for him. He turned to the alcohol and abuse. All of this doesn’t in any way excuse what he did to Tony but it may give you a better understanding in how and why he changed.”
Steve was sitting completely still. He had trouble believing that Howard would ever do anything like that. But if what Natasha said was true then the Howard he knew and the Howard Tony grew up with were two totally different people. He looked over to Bucky. So much had happened. When he looked towards the others again he noticed that everyone was staring at him. Wanda, Sam and Bucky had apologized. Clint haven’t said anything but somehow it looked almost as if he had been accepted back immediately. Bruce was very clearly on Tony’s side.
“But why did he work for Hydra? I mean Howard. Not Tony.”
He added the last when Bucky’s furious eyes looked up at him. Once again Natasha provided him the answers.
“From what I understood from Peggy’s old files on Howard he chose to work for Hydra because they were trying to create a new super soldier. What he didn’t know was that the new soldier would be Bucky. And when he found out he couldn’t back out. He became fascinated with their work. Like many other Hydra agents were.”
Steve simply nodded. He couldn’t apologize. He still believed that he was right about the Accords. But he could understand some of the things Tony did a bit better now. Natasha must’ve understood that because she turned from him to Bucky and asked:
“You okey to watch more Bu… Winter? Or do you need a pause?”
He shook his head.
“Keep going. And I won’t hit you if you call me Bucky. It’s just that I still have trouble separating on past and present. And I’ve been Winter longer time than I’ve been Bucky. So in worst case I simply won’t respond.”
She nodded and Friday played the next clip.
Tony was around twelve now. He was sitting curled up on a sofa. His fingers were moving without him realizing it and he was staring at the wall. In the kitchen Peggy and a woman with long red hair were talking quietly while watching the boy at the same time.
“It’s been two years since we found him Peggy. And all he does is stare at the walls.”
Peggy looked over to her.
“Well, at least he’s eating as he should.”
“Only when I tell him to. Listen Peggy. I hate to say this but maybe we should contact Obadiah Stane. He never seemed to have trouble with Tony’s powers so maybe he will be able to get through to him.”
Peggy snorted.
“Tony hasn’t spoken in two years Ana. And he trusts us. You really think that he will speak to Stane who was so close to Howard?”
Ana raised her hands in surrender.
“I just thought that he maybe could get through to Tony since he always could get through to Howard. At least that’s what Edwin always said about him.”
Peggy looked back to Tony who was still staring at the wall. Then she turned back to Ana and said:
“Fine. I’ll contact him and explain everything.”
Ana smiled.
Pepper was looking furious.
“Obadiah! How can contacting Obadiah help them? He is a sick person!”
Natasha looked over to her. Pepper had taken her arm from around Bucky’s shoulders and was sending murderous looks towards the screen. The spy decided that she had to speak up.
“I get why you are so upset Pepper but you have to see it from their perspective. Tony had been mute for two years. Neither Peggy or Ana could get through to him. Now Obadiah had been close to Howard but he never really agreed with how Howard was treating Tony back then. Obadiah had dealt with a drunk and furious Howard more than once. The chance that he could get through to Tony is actually pretty big. If anyone, he will know how to get Tony to talk. However good intentions Peggy and Ana had they didn’t know Tony that way. Of course Ana knew Tony from the days when she was in the house once a week. Peggy was working almost all the time with building SHIELD. That left her very little time to actually get to be there for Tony. Of course he loved her. She was his aunt Peggy. But she didn’t know him that well. Now Obadiah was there very often. And even if he never stopped Howard from abusing Tony he was always there to pick up the pieces when Howard had left. He was actually Tony’s godfather.”
Everyone was staring at her. Clint pointed a finger at her and asked with hurt in his voice:
“Where did you read that and why was I never shown that file?”
She smirked.
“Peggy Carter’s personal files. I had to read them before going undercover at Stark Industries.”
Then she looked back to Pepper who had calmed down a bit.
“You understand now? They understood that the only person who could maybe get Tony to talk again was Obadiah. Peggy never liked him and you must’ve noticed that she was not happy with the idea to contact him.”
Pepper nodded and leaned back. Bruce reached out and took her hand. She looked over to him and smiled. Bucky took a deep breath.
“Next one please Friday.”