Chapter Text
It was a fresh morning but Tony's mind was not, nowadays he did not feel welcome in his own home. When he had built this compound he had too much hope for it coming alive not in only the structure but also because of its companion. What he dreamt of came to be true but not exactly how he wanted it. He had thought that the Avengers would be a family of different people with different sets of powers under one roof. Avengers are all here as he had thought, they are bonded together as a family too as he had wished but he wasn't involved in that family.
It didn't take even a year for the government to cave in and call the Avengers back into the land with open arms, it wasn't as easy as people used to think it was, he scrapped himself raw to help bring them back into the States dropping the criminal charges, along with all the negotiation that he has to push through consists that he would be the one to house them in the Compound keeping them under the surveillance and his watchful eyes. With soaring heart, he accepted the deal knowing very well that it would turn out to be his worst decision, and he wasn't wrong. He couldn't help but flinch every time he got a glimpse of that metal arm which was wrapped around his mother's throat, his body shook in fear with his hand finding itself on his chest trying pathetically to cover it whenever Rogers passed his eyesight, he went still with fear gripped his heart doubting every moment that he would be stabbed in the back worse than ever whenever Natasha scrutinized his every move, his chest constricts in pain whenever Barton threw a comment his way, he still remembers the jab Clint has sent on him regarding Rhodey and it still hurts the same, he didn't know what to make of Wilson but he always felt uneasy in his company due to his wandering eyes which haven't stopped judging him, and last but not the least every cell of his body turns on the fright and flight response pushing his nerves making him want to flee at the very site of her and her red wisps. This Compound was supposed to be his second home but it feels like his prison, a very glorified version of Raft for him, it feels like he is trapped in here with a bunch of people who wouldn't bat an eye before killing him in cold blood.
Since the Avengers came to live together his every day felt like a battlefield where he tried to hide from the people before they came upon him for some or other reasons that sometimes did not exist. It all felt the same every day but today something was different, his mind was anxious about something and his heart wasn't exactly afraid like every day, it was hinting at something. He knew that something was going to happen, he was feeling the same dread he used to feel that day When Stephen decided to leave. His heart came to his throat jumping in dread thinking again and again of what he had done this time for someone to leave him. The only few someones whom he loves and wants to cling to them were Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, and now Peter. His hands trembled, and wiping his face he pulled up his phone going through the last chats he had with those people reading and re-reading every word finding any mistakes that he might have made but he couldn't find out.
"Stark!"
Tony flinched at the interruption, his phone falling on the floor from where he sat on the couch, a yelp came out of his mouth in the scare and looked at Barnes wide-eyed. It took him a little while to control his breathing and those moments were enough for everyone to gather around giving him the hostile attention that he didn't want.
"What?" He replied finally when he got a handle on his emotions which were now filled with uneasiness at being cornered. He noticed the way everyone was standing except Barnes was conveniently covering the exits of the living room.
"Just asking, are you OK?" Bucky whispers his question hesitantly when he recognises that his interruption wasn't welcomed by the man.
"Yes, I am fine, you can leave now," Tony said reluctantly bending down to pick his phone up.
His flippant reply wasn't appreciated by Rogues, especially Rogers whose fists tightened at his sides seeing the person who hadn't yet had a civilized conversation with his team from the time they were back and now he was talking to Bucky arrogantly when the man is being good with him.
"Can't you behave like a good human being for once? He was concerned about you and you!!" Clint scorned.
"For that, he should be human first, monsters don't care for others" Wanda pitches in red swirling around her hands in an instant making Tony alarmed, and she smirks seeing the look on his face because of her.
Tony sat alarmed, his eyes shifting from one person to another, fear gripping his heart noticing the instances everyone had taken that were directed to him. In this room, at this moment the safest person he could find seems to be Barnes, the irony, he feels that person is the safest who is been a killing machine for over seventy years.
The door to the room opens alerting everyone and when they glance at the door they all fall behind trying to be non-threatening as they recognise the person being Rhodey and behind him is Pepper Potts.
Tony sighed in relief looking at his friends coming at the right time otherwise he was damn sure that someone would have gone physical very soon. But also he couldn't shake the worry that engulfed him again seeing Rhodey and Pepper there, together, that definitely meant something had happened or something was going to happen and he did not like this even a bit.
Tony stood up, a little wobbly on his feet for the first few seconds which didn't go unnoticed by Rhodey, Tony shrugged in an attempt to smile at his friend's questioning stare. Pepper looked disappointed assessing the environment she could see the occupants hiding their eyes and shuffling from one foot to another nervously, a little embarrassed at being caught except Wanda who stood too proud as if whatever she did or was trying to do was right. The only person who looked ashamed and guilty was Barnes, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room surrounded by his own teammates.
The silence in the room was broken by Rhodes, who finally stepped up and demanded "What's going on here?"
Due to instinct, every person in the room stood straight in attention at his commanding voice, especially since he was now the Captain of the Avengers who would be leading them to every battle they would appear in hereafter. When the pardons were passed Rhodey made sure that few of his demands were approved before the rogues landed on American soil, and this was one among them. In the last few months, he had made sure that everyone knew who the Captain was and never to disobey or disrespect him if they were not willing to face the consequences following that.
After a few moments of silence when no one spoke, Tony said "Nothing of matter, leave it, you tell me why are you guys here."
"Are you sure? Because I could tell that something was happening here, I don't know maybe like ganging up on someone." Pepper responded, her voice cold and hard digging under their skin in the right way which made them squirm at their place.
Tony who was about to speak shuts his mouth knowing the look on Pepper's face too well. She isn't going to stop until she gets to the bottom of this little impromptu get-together they seem to be having. He sighed, moving towards his friends leaving it to them to deal with whatever the fuck has just transpired, only hoping that his fear did not come out to be true.
Among all of them, Steve squared his shoulders and made eye contact with Pepper, he finally replied "Pepper it's just-"
"Ma'am or Miss Potts for you Mr. Rogers, we aren't friends anymore. The same for all of you." She said glaring at every one of them individually daring them to contradict her.
That got her different reactions, some eye rolls, a few shakes of the head and Steve's exasperated sigh, her interruption only seemed to subdue that one person whom she didn't want to, Barnes. It was hard, but all of them had come to understand and separate two different personalities of which one was whom they hated for killing Tony's mother and the other they couldn't help but sympathize with thinking of the suffering he had to go through for years. They understand but it doesn't mean that they are ready to associate with him, it might take time for them especially Tony to be normal when they see him in the vicinity, the only thing they can do at this point is to avoid interacting with him unless it's absolutely necessary because not only them but Barnes too needs some space after whatever has happened.
Steve exhaled, stepped forward and spoke "Listen can we just not move it past all of this, is it really necessary to be squabbling among each other, we are a team, a family and it's high time that we act like one."
"You. You guys are the team and family as you say. Not all of us. We work with you just because we are forced to, if given a chance I would get rid of the lot of you without giving a second thought." Rhodey spat, moving to stand right in front of Steve, he then tilted his head to the side and continued stepping a little more into Steve's personal space dominating the moment completely, he whispered so only Steve could hear "We might have been a family once but you broke it into pieces by ramming your Shield into the heart of that supposed family."
Rhodey revelled in the way Steve's heart stopped at it, his face losing its colour. He backs away from Steve a little addressing the whole room "We are not family anymore and looking back I don't think we ever were. So I don't think there is anything left to move on for. We are colleagues who have to work together that's it, nothing more, but still I would expect you all to stay civilized like a co-worker should while living here, next time I hear that you all conspiring against a certain someone I will make you regret your stay."
"Rhodey enough, please..."
"No," Pepper said glaring at Rouges, especially Rogers and Wanda "They need to know where the lines are and not to cross them because this time there won't be any chance for forgiveness, I'll personally make sure that they go through the consequences that they deserve."
"What do you mean by that, why the hell we are being treated as criminals when it is your friend who betrayed us? Fucking traitor." Clint snapped when he lost his patience because of their behaviour. He was already pissed because his wife isn't ready to talk to him and has filed for a divorce and he feels that the day is not far when he would never be allowed to meet his kids ever again, all this is happening because of Tony. If Tony had listened and behaved as was asked then this might not have happened, but no he had to go against Steve and cause all these troubles by sending them to raft and showing them as a criminal to the people. And now when they are finally home his friends are behaving as if they were the reason everything went down not even once looking at the real backstabber in their own circle.
Tony flinched at being called a traitor and that didn't sit well with Rhodey, he clenched his fists and moved forward to bash that mouth which was calling names to his best friend. As soon as he moved the others took their position ready to fight Rhodey. Barnes moved back, trying to hide himself from all this, he didn't want the fight to break out. He was just concerned looking at Stark who was all alone in the room, hyperventilating, very close to a panic attack. He just wanted to help, that's all.
Before both parties could make any move FRIDAY alerted them, "Boss!! Something is happening."
"Wha-What!?"
All of them stilled, waiting for the confirmation, those who had super hearing strained their senses to hear something untoward happening.
"FRI? What is it?"
"I do not know Boss. My sensors are detecting an energy spike in this room" All eyes automatically went to Wanda who looked confused herself "Behind you boss."
All heads whipped in that direction in time to see orange sparks forming in the air that took the shape of a circle forming a portal, Tony's breath hitched at the presence of a portal a few feet apart from him, Rhodey was quick to pull Tony away from the portal whereas others got ready to attack whoever was on the other side. Tony's suit flew in followed by Vision, before it could cover Tony they saw the man standing on the other side, the man who was supposed to be dead. Everyone has various expressions going on their face but the extreme reactions came from three people Tony, Natasha, and Clint.
To be continued...