Just Human

523 8 1
                                    


The last thing Tony remembers is talking to the new electrician outside of the Tower and in front of a van. The next thing is waking up on the floor of some large kitchen, his hands taped behind his back.
"Ah- fuck." He groans, trying to sit up.
"Morning, how was your beauty sleep?" A man wearing a mask covering his face steps into view.
"What the fuck- what are you doing?" Tony asks turning his hands in an attempt to get free. He thrashes back and forth angrily.
"Hey, calm down. Or-" He snaps his fingers in the hero's face and shows him a needle. "You can go back to sleep for a bit. Now, do you wanna stop struggling or do you want me to knock you out again?"
"Fuck." Tony mumbles. Sitting still again. He can't make an escape if he's unconscious.
"Good job. Now," he pulls out a chair from the table and gestures to it. "Stand up, and sit down. I'll help you." He grabs Tony by the collar and pulls him upward.
"Get the fuck off of me." The billionaire spits, but sits down with a grunt anyways.
He'd keep talking shit but the needle is pressed tightly against his throat. He gasps in a breath waiting for it to breach his skin but it doesn't.
"I'm gonna undo your wrists and then you're gonna put your arms on the armrests and I'll tape them down again. No funny shit. Understand?" The man asks.
"I- yeah. I get it." Tony replies, he has to make a move when his hands are free, if he doesn't then who knows what will happen. He relaxes briefly when the needle is removed and he can feel the man's hands start to unwrap the tape. He waits until it is completely removed before he lunges forward, forgetting his feet are bound. He lands on the floor, using his hands to stop him from hitting his face.
"Stark." The man tuts in a scolding way. "I said don't try anything." The needle is emptied into his neck before Tony can turn around and one of his arms are pinned down by the man's foot. He struggles before his eyes close.

He's not sure how long it's been but he is rudely awoken by cold water hitting his face. He gasps in a breath and shakes his head.
"Shouldn't have done that. And before you get to trying to escape again you should know that I used the whole roll of duct tape. You're lucky I'm a nice man, Stark. A lot of people would fuck you up for doing that." The man rolls his eyes at Tony's angry glare.
"You can't do this."
"Actually I can. I can do whatever I want to you."
Tony hisses when the man pulls his hair back hard. "Stop me." The man taunts. Tony just glares. "You're not a God, you're not a super soldier or an alien. You're just a man. Just a human. And all it takes to stop you is a needle and some tape. Stop thinking that you're special, Stark. You're not. So why don't you do me a favour and shut the fuck up." He ends his monologue with a small laugh when he sees how Tony's looking at him. The hero tries his best not to let the words get to him, but everything he's said is entirely true.
"Fuck you." Tony mumbles under his breath.
"What's the matter, Stark? You usually have a snarky remark at the ready. Are you finally realising how pathetic you are? You're no hero." The man smirks.
"Fuck you!" Is all Tony can come up with.
"You smoke, Stark?"
"What?" He asks, watching as the man pulls a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket.
"Do you smoke?"
"No, but I wouldn't say no to a scotch." Tony replies, he can't help the nervousness that builds in him when the man begins to circle around him.
The man chuckles, "I prefer whiskey." He lights the cig and walks back around so he's in front of the hero. He leans down in front of him and blows the smoke directly into his face.
Tony turns his head to the side to escape it. He won't give him the satisfaction of a reaction. He stays quiet for a while as the man continues to smoke.
"Do you have a point to make or do you just enjoy my company?" The billionaire finally asks sarcastically.
His captor takes the last drag before talking.
"My point is, Stark, you're so strong in your armour, but when it comes down to it, you can be hurt just like anyone else." He punctuates his remark by extinguishing the cigarette on Tony's arm. The hero grunts out in pain and his body stiffens as he waits for it to stop. Once it's completely out, the man drops it on the floor, contempt with having hurt the hero.
"You didn't even yell, that's impressive, I'll give you that."
"Thanks." The hero replies dryly, tightening his hands into fists. "Did you enjoy that? You gonna let me go now?"
"I did enjoy it, but you're not leaving until my colleagues get here."
"Then you'll let me go?"
The criminal laughs like he's just heard a great joke, "No, of course not. You'll leave with them though, I don't know or care about what they want with you but the money is good."
"Why are you working with them? I can give you more money than they could. You just have to let me go." Tony bargains, knowing deep down that it's useless.
"It's simple. I had easy access to you and, like I said, I get a lot of money. But most of all, I get to say that I'm the man who took down Tony Stark. And Jesus, it was easy." He says simply. "Now," he continues after a brief pause, "I'm going to go and put my feet up. I'd say call if you need me but I don't want to hear you." He walks over to the table and picks up the duct tape.
"Don't fucking put that-" The hero is cut off when the tape wraps around the back of his head and over his mouth.
"See you in a bit, Stark." The man waves to him, before leaving the room and shutting the door.
Tony would scream if he could, but instead he struggles as hard as he can, tries his best to break the chair he's sitting on. A while goes by, and suddenly all the words that asshole had said run through his mind. He is just human. He's supposed to be the world's greatest hero and he can't escape some tape, he drops his head in shame.

He stays like that for a long time, head down and horrible thoughts flying through his brain. He's only awoken from his day dreaming when he hears another voice talking to his captor. He sits up straight and puts on a brave face. Just in time too, because moments later his kidnapper returns, accompanied by another man. But this man isn't wearing a mask, he's wearing a black suit and fancy shoes and a smile grows on his face when he sees Tony.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Stark." He says casually. "Has he given you any trouble?"
"He's easy to control, but keep a spare roll of duct tape around, he has a big mouth." His captor smirks. "See for yourself." He rips the tape off of Tony's mouth harshly to be met with a string of curses from the billionaire.
"Do you have the needle ready?" The man takes no notice of the yelling. The captor points to the table on his left.
"There's three in the bag, I'll put him out now and you can take the other two for later."
"Don't fucking knock me out again! You assholes!" Tony protests, twisting in his restraints. He fights even harder when the man in the suit brings the needle close to him.
"Will you hold his head please?"
His captor quickly does what he's asked, pulling Tony's hair so that the other man has access to his neck.
"Get off me! Fuck!-"
"Don't be so stubborn, one second and this will be over." The sophisticated man tuts, he plunges the needle in, and injects the hero as he fights.
"Shit- shit-" Tony mumbles as his eyes begin to unfocus and his head starts to loll to the side. His vision fades and he prays that his imminent death will be over fast.

He awakes a while later, not dead, but unable to move. He stays quiet while he waits for the lights to stop blinding him and for his headache to lessen. It doesn't. His eyes process the room he's in, and he's shocked to find that he recognises it.
"Am I dead?" Tony mumbles, the words swimming in his head. He doesn't expect an answer but he gets one anyways.
"No. You're alright, Tones. You're in the med bay." A familiar voice replies.
"What the fuck happened?"
"We found you, tracked your watch. There was a chase, you were in the trunk of a car. Can you remember anything?" Steve asks him gently.
"Yeah- yeah. Thanks- thank you." The hero replies, sitting up in the bed.
"It's okay, Tony. You'd do it for me or Nat, she's taking care of the man who did this. He's at the station."
"Which man?" Tony asks.
"What do you mean?"
"There were two, Steve. And more- I think-" He explains. "The man in the suit and the man in the mask."
"We didn't see a man in a mask, Tones. I'm sorry, we'll get on the case. Did they injure you?"
"Not really. I'm good. They- Steve- he took me so easily. He could've just killed me. He said- he said- "
The captain cuts him off, "It's okay. You know that villains say whatever they can to get to you."
"I'm not a hero Steve, I'm just human." Tony says, breathing fast.
"You are so much more than that. You save people everyday knowing that you could die. And you do it anyways. You're willing to take that risk to help others." Steve tells him, a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
Tony just sits and thinks. He's lucky to have friends. He's so fucking lucky.

(There's a bad guy, Tony gets saved. No plot or details but I swear I'm gonna start writing better again soon.)

Peter Parker and Tony Stark Whump ShotsWhere stories live. Discover now