Twisted Fates | ironstrange (Book 1)

part one: cold (tony stark)

When Tony gained consciousness again, he couldn't tell up from down and right from left. There was a burning sensation in his chest and nose and everywhere, really, and the last thing he remembered was sitting on a chair, blinded by bright light, and the target of half a dozen guns.

Laying there on some sort of corse fabric, fear overtook all emotions, locking him in a prison. Tony tried to calm himself by concentrate on his surroundings. He knew he was in a well-ventilated area from the almost non-existent breeze and the chilliness of the air.

Water dropped from somewhere above and echoed softly, pitter-pattering on the ground. Tony, with some difficulty, could smell the musty scent of wood, water, and stone.

A cave.

Tony pried his unwilling eyes opened, moaning softly, letting his tired haze flit around the room. His assumption was right: he was laying on a scratchy cot near the center of a large cave filled with what appeared to be different types of electric machinery.

The next thing Tony noticed was how little lighting there was and how cold he was. His hazy brain took this new information and transformed it so now, all he could think was 'coldcoldcold'.'

The air was brisk and Tony shivered in the darkness, clenching his fist as he tried to remember what happened.

As his body woke up, Tony's nose began to itch and he felt like he was going to sneeze, but something was blocking it. He reached up and found his fingers brushing against a tube of some sorts in his nose. He grasped the tube and pulled, crying out when it burned his throat and his nose.

With the tube out, Tony threw it to the side, wincing when he tried to swallow. Letting out a strangled sob, Tony spotted a cup of water on a bedside table just a few feet away. Flexing his fingers, Tony reached out, but only succeeded in sliding the cup off the table, much like a cat.

Making a somewhat strangled sound, Tony tried to roll over; maybe there was another cup?

His attention was stolen by a man standing in front of a dirty, cracked mirror, humming as he shaved. His tired eyes glanced back at Tony in the mirror. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." The man warned in an even voice, focusing on his task once again. A new wave of fear washed over Tony and he laid back down, turning his head to see a car battery on a workbench on the other side of the cot.

The battery had wires attached, connecting it to something else. Wheezing slightly in panic, Tony clutched the wire and followed their path with his hands, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew where they led.

Shaking hands made their way to his chest, wrapped in messy bandages, sore, and the end of the wires.

Unsure of what lay beneath, Tony began to hyperventilate. Suddenly feeling trapped, Tony ripped the bandages off, only to find a large metal disk, buried in his chest. Dried blood bordered the perimeter of the disk, decorated with small cuts and angry red lacerations.

Tony's eyes widened and he threw his head back, letting out quick, shallow breaths as he tried to figure out what had happened to him.

The last thing he remembered was yelling in pain and feeling hands inside his chest, digging into his flesh, cold, cold, hands.

Cold cold cold..

Tony Stark jolted awake with a strangled scream. He quickly sat up in his bed, his hand instinctively reaching up to clutch his reactor. The soft hum was somewhat soothing to him and after a few minutes his breathing had begun to slow.

Somewhat calmer than when he woke up, Tony looked around and realized he had kicked his sheets off during the night, leaving him feeling exposed, defenseless, and cold in the boxers he'd fallen asleep in. Shivering and still shaken from the nightmare-ish memory, Tony pulled the crumpled duvet back over his body, curling into a small ball with his hand still over the reactor.

Thunder boomed outside and Tony flinched, crying out. He never liked thunderstorms. A flash of lightning lit up the sky and Tony realized he wasn't going to get anymore sleep that night.

The light faded and thunder growled in the distance, unsatisfied with it's earlier performance.

Grimacing, Tony scrambled to his knees, trying to calm himself. Thunder reminded him of the night his parents died. It was storming and Tony was terrified his mom wouldn't come back. Each lightning strike, each time the house shook with the roar of thunder, he feared it would be his parent's last. He was right and from that night spawned a lifetime fear.

Tony took a shaky breath. "JARVIS, what time is it?" He whispered.

"It is three fourty-two am, sir."

Tony let out a breath of air he didn't realize he was holding and cursed.

"Sir, your heart rate appears to be elevated and you show signs of being in destress. It appears you've had a night terror: can I do anything to help?" JARVIS continued, the slightest hint of concern seeping into his robotic voice.

The corners of Tony's mouth turned up but he couldn't bring himself to actually smile. "Thanks, J." He paused. "Can you play my nighttime playlist?" He asked hesitantly, crawling to the edge of his bed. He could really use something happy right then

"Of course, sir." Tony finally allowed himself to relax as 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin played softly over the speakers.

The ghost of a smile made it on Tony's face as he found a pair of sweatpants and an old MIT shirt and pulled them on. Quietly humming along to Bobby McFerrin's deep voice, Tony made his way to the kitchen, planning to make a cup of hot chocolate. He usually drank coffee, or, on rare occasions, tea, but he was feeling like a nice hot cup of post-nightmare choco to improve his mood and he was Tony Stark. He could do what he wanted, when he wanted.

Tony's mood lightened as he walked, humming the song as he switched on the kitchen lights despite it being almost four in the morning. Finding a pack of cocoa after some rumaging in the pantry, Tony quickly made his drink and made his way to his garage lab. Holding the warm drink with both hands, steam wafting in front of his face, and smelling the delicious, sugary drink, Tony finally allowed himself to fully smile.

Maybe he could finish the widow bite project he had been working on or just tinker around or create whatever came to mind.

Shivering slightly, Tony asked JARVIS to turn up the heat and warm the garage to his preferred temperature. After the incident in Afghanistan, Tony feared being cold. He hated being cold and would do anything to avoid it.

'coldcoldcold'

The words echoed through his dreams bounced around in his head and Tony frowned, a shiver running down his spine.

~~

Tony owns SI but he lives in a small home in the suburbs by himself. He makes the Avengers' weapons but isn't an Avenger himself. He has a huge garage as a lab and has JARVIS installed in his house.