Archive of Our Own ^beta

Red light arced through the crowd and Tony only had a moment to recognize it before it was upon him. There wasn't enough time to get into the suit and flee, and there were too many innocent victims in the room to fire at Maximoff. It was clear she'd chosen the press conference for more than one reason, and plenty of human shields was probably just the icing on the cake of making him freak out live on camera.

A moment later, the red beam slammed into an orange shield, and Tony felt a flare of warmth from the pendant he wore around his neck. Seconds later, the red beam rebounded back towards Maximoff as journalists dove out of the way.

It hit Maximoff, covering her in a red glow, and she looked terrified. It was enough confirmation of what she'd tried to do to him that Tony felt confident in calling her out on it. After all, there were plenty of cameras around to catch the truth. As Rhodey stepped up beside him in full armor save for the faceplate, Tony cleared his throat, drawing most of the attention back to himself.

"You've got a lot of nerve to dredge up all my fears, Maximoff," Tony said firmly. "Or to attempt to, at any rate. You see, I'm big on taking accountability, and one of the things I had to deal with was the fact that my PTSD, which is normally very manageable, would spike out of control every time I was around the Rogues formerly known as Avengers. And you, Maximoff, in particular."

The press were hanging on his every word, bouncing between watching him and watching Maximoff's growing terror. Tony continued. "And finally I realized that it wasn't normal. It wasn't natural. So my lovely husband did some research and found a sorcerer more powerful than you. You were looking for skeletons in my closet? Looking for more of my nightmares to exploit? Wanted to expose them live on TV?"

Rhodey piped up. "Everything you're suffering right now is called a Karma Shield. It did nothing but rebound your own attack back on you," he said, a hint of smugness in his expression. "If you'd intended nothing sinister from that attack, as Rogers constantly claimed, then you wouldn't be terrified out of your own mind right now."

"Do unto others, and all that jazz," Tony added, allowing his own suit to form around him. "Now, if the members of the press would kindly clear a path, I believe we'll be taking Miss Maximoff into custody now."

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the press scurried out of the way. Tony had taken no more than one step towards her when Maximoff suddenly collapsed, sobbing and wailing. Rhodey looked grim as he pulled out the magic inhibiting cuffs that Stephen had also bespelled for them like the pendants.

Tony knew he'd dodged a bullet — the press knew enough of the skeletons in his closet already; they didn't need more proof handed to them on a silver platter. The duo easily pulled Maximoff to her feet and Rhodey cuffed her. The moment he did, the red light disappeared from around her. Maximoff started to come out of her shock, and by the time they reached the door, she was angrily writhing in their hold.

"What have you done to me Stark!" she shrieked.

"Me? Nothing," Tony said with a wide grin he knew the press would catch. "That's just Karma, baby."