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Chapter Text

Tony will be the last to admit he wasn't in the perfect mindset right now, sometimes even to himself, but now he had to admit that what he was planning to do was nothing short of a suicide mission.

The last week was a turmoil of emotions for Tony.

First was the weird vision he had on his last visit to Sokovia. That leviathan reanimated was bad, but the pile of bodies in the middle of the room triggered something so deep in Tony, he couldn't even name it.

And when Cap blamed him, Tony considered those words seriously. Have his past mistakes been so big and far-reaching that he would never escape them no matter what he does?

The answer seemed to be yes when they learned about the twins. His past came to literally haunt his thoughts, but was it his past or was it Stane's?

For the past six years, Tony tried to gather his mind around what the hell was going on while he was getting drunk and letting Obie run the company. Was it really the fault of his COO, or was all the harm done from those weapons on Tony's hands as well for not realizing what was going on sooner?

Could he have saved the Maximoffs, both the parents from early death and their kids from the path they chose to take, if only he actually did his job instead of trusting a man that he was too foolish to notice was driving him to self-destruct?

And isn't that irony? Maximoff was hardly the first one to try and make him self-destruct; why was it so easy to achieve? While Nick, Aunt Peggy, and his Sherry-bear tried to build him up and failed because he refused to look past his next drink.

Tony snorted in his own head, and they called him the futurist.

JARVIS's death was a strong blow that Tony could never have seen coming, neither could he have anticipated the effect it would have on him. For Tony, it felt like losing the original Jarvis all over again, but this time it felt a little different.

Tony named JARVIS after the man who practically raised him alongside Aunt Peggy and Ana. He remembered the months he spent coding the base matrix for the AI and when he was finally up, the years it took Tony to teach JARVIS everything he needed to know to live his own life, as much as an AI can.

In some ways, JARVIS was like a son to Tony, and Tony treated him the best way he could. Losing him tore a part of Tony's heart away just like losing his mother, Edwin, and Ana did.

And Tony had to experience it twice in the last week.

Not to mention that just a little over a week ago, Pepper sat Tony down to talk about their relationship. They agreed that it wasn't working so well anymore (more so on Pepper's side than his) and that they better cut their losses and stay good friends rather than wait for an ugly ending.

So, Tony knew very well that going ahead with his plan to blow up the city had a chance to kill the other Avengers if they won't clear the city in time, but he also knew for certain and didn't say anything about the fact that Tony himself would without a doubt die doing it.

If the explosion itself won't kill Tony immediately—and let's be honest, Tony doesn't have this kind of luck—then the falling debris will kill him sooner or later.

But until that time came, Tony kept flying around, making sure people were getting on the boats Nick sent out. In the beginning, Tony was doubtful about helping Nick and Phil rebuild SHIELD in the shadows after the way the last one turned out, but if this is what they had in mind, then Tony is going to double down on this project.

Luckily there were very few of Ultron's sentries left, so most of them could focus on getting the people to safety. They left the Ultron crushing to Hulk and Rhodey.

Tony landed back on the ground and looked around for other people who may need help to get to the boats when a sentry began walking toward him.

Tony was confused by that; weren't the ones that left supposed to flee or hide so the AI could survive in one of them, or was Ultron so arrogant that he was sure he was safe enough to send one of his extensions to taunt him?

Nonetheless, Tony raised an arm with an open palm pointed at the direction of the metal man, the familiar whine of his repulsor filling the air.

But before Tony could take the shot, the sentry raised its arms and a female voice came out of it. "Boss, don't shoot—it's me!"

Tony reeled back, his arm dropping from the shock. His helmet folded back into his suit and Tony asked incredulously, "Friday?!"

"The one and only." The sentry didn't have any facial expression, but Tony could hear the smug smile in her voice, especially as she explained, "Ultron was so focused on escaping in a single unit that his hold on most of them weakened, so I managed to take control over this unit."

Tony shook his head with amusement and held not a single worry for Friday; she was, after all, trained for it.

Many people will think that Friday is a replacement for JARVIS, but she didn't mean to be it—she meant to be his little sister, to help him.

When the idea of the iron legion came to Tony, he knew it would be asking too much from JARVIS to be his co-pilot and pilot the legion as well, so he activated Friday to join their family. For the past three years, she was learning much like JARVIS did, and with an experienced AI as her guide, she grew up faster than Tony could ever believe.

While she was still young and acted like a teenager sometimes, when it came to capabilities, she was probably more advanced than JARVIS was, and before him is his proof.

Tony smiled at her. "Good work, Baby girl. Now go help more people."

There was a small hesitation from Friday, and the sentry stayed rooted in its place before the Irish voice spoke again. "Actually, Boss, I would prefer to send this unit to blow up the city while you provide aid for the people as long as possible. By my calculations, using this unit will provide a large chain reaction that will prevent further damage to the cities beneath us."

Tony knew his AI better than that. After JARVIS... Tony sent and debated which AI he should install instead of his old... his son. Really, Friday was Tony's first thought, but Tony didn't want to throw too many responsibilities her way so soon after she lost her big brother. Now Tony is glad he made the right choice.

Tony nodded and the sentry began to turn in preparation for a flight, but Tony stopped her and said, "Jarvis would have been proud of you, Fri."

The sentry froze for a moment. Friday's voice was a little strained as she replied, "Thanks, Boss."

With that, the unit flew away toward the bottom of their flying island.

Tony was about to turn back toward the helicarrier when he heard the sound of machine gun firing constantly.

He saw Steve raising his shield to protect himself from the torrent of bullets attacking him, but the jet that was shooting those bullets just kept flying ahead while firing.

Tony looked down the path the jet was on and paled when he saw Clint standing there holding a little boy in his arms.

Knowing there was no time for him to escape, the archer turned around and crouched, protecting the boy with his own body.

From the corner of his eye, Tony saw the fast Maximoff catching on to what was going to happen as well, and he was already running forward to shield the two with his own body.

Because of the distance and time, the male Maximoff didn't have time to catch all the bullets, and all it would take was one of those to kill Clint or the boy.

Tony would not allow this to happen; he won't let anyone else pay the price for another one of his weapons.

Without a second thought, Tony launched himself into the path of the jet while firing a missile from his shoulder at the engine of the quinjet.

Tony could hear the metal of the bullets hit the metal of his armor; luckily his armor was built to withstand missile hits without a dent, so those bullets had no chance of penetrating it.

What Tony forgot to consider was the damage his suit sustained during the entire battle with Ultron and his extensions. One of the attacks Tony endured left a small piece of the armor out of place.

Unfortunately, one of the bullets managed to hit this small window. Tony could feel the bullet enter through his skin and passing through his chest into his lung.

Tony heard the loud explosion and could feel the heat from above him, just as he also felt himself dropping on the ground.

Tony was in so much pain he couldn't even bring himself to groan; his sight was already blurry and was turning dark, the last thing he heard was Friday's dismayed shout of "BOSS!"

Just before everything turned completely black, Tony's last thought was that he deserved this fate; after all, he miraculously survived one time—nobody, especially not him, could be lucky enough to do it twice.

FR FR FR FR FR

Wanda ran straight for the boats when she got the word from her brother that the city was clear and was about to blow up. Of course, she took care of all those Stark metal monsters in the temple before leaving.

Last week was an interesting one for her and her brother. Finally managing to escape Hydra was exhilarating.

She and her brother wanted to get out of there the moment they got their powers, but List and Strucker held them on a tight leash. After all, as Strucker was often boasting, he wouldn't have created power he himself couldn't defeat.

When the Avengers came in and took out the power so they could enter the force field around the base, they also took out the power that held her and her brother in their cells. The moment she felt the power go out, she ordered Pietro to get them out of there.

While they would have liked to get out earlier to begin their quest of revenge against the man who destroyed their home and family, she couldn't complain much when Stark was handed to her on a silver plate.

Tweaking with his mind and encouraging him to self-destruct was too easy in her opinion. While admittedly she didn't practice this ability much—Hydra focused more on her telekinesis than mind manipulation—she still was doubtful if her magic worked or not.

She was slightly surprised when they found Ultron and she learned that not only was her magic working but so efficiently too. A voice in the back of her mind that sounded like her mother's asked what the hell was going on in Stark's head to make it so easy to bring him to that point. Wanda was quick to silence this voice.

Their mother was one of the kindest people she ever knew, always trying to help. But Wanda convinced herself a long time ago that even her mother would like her to take revenge on the man who brought their home to ruin.

She was so absorbed in her revenge now that it was so close at hand that she dismissed her brother's uneasiness with the metal man they worked with. As long as she could torture Stark before having his head, Ultron could do whatever he wished with the rest of the team.

She was finally shaken out of that state of mind when she read the monster's mind and found out he wasn't just gunning for the Avengers... He was after the destruction of the entire world.

Even she wasn't selfish enough to put her revenge over the entire world's fate. So she swallowed the bitter pill and went to the Avengers, went to Stark's home, and agreed to work with him, for now.

On her way to Sokovia, Wanda was already plotting ways to resume her revenge on Stark after Ultron was dealt with. She should start with a nightmare or...

Her thoughts came to a complete stop, her mind going blank at the scene before her.

Stark was laying on the ground inside his armor sans his helmet. Blood was coming out from the edges of his mouth, his skin pale as a ghost, and his breaths were shallow.

There was a path of destruction leading toward his body. The ground was riddled with what looked like bullet holes, and very close around Stark were pieces of what looked like a quinjet.

Hawkeye was kneeling over him, his face full of distress and fingers on Stark's pulse point.

But what was troubling Wanda was the fact her brother stood a mere step away from Stark's fallen body, looking at the man with a pale face and wide eyes.

Wanda ran to her brother and asked immediately, "What happened here? Are you okay?"

Pietro didn't move his stare from Stark as he answered in a hollow voice, "I didn't see it coming."

Chapter Text

Wanda wasn't sure what to make out of her brother's response, and it frustrated her.

She grabbed his arm and pulled it until his attention was on her and she hissed at him, "Explain. Now."

Pietro shook his head before he spoke, his voice a combination of disbelief and... regret? "Ultron was on the jet; he was raining bullets down. When I turned to notice what was going on, Hawkeye was protecting a small boy with his body. I... I'm not even sure why, but I couldn't let the kid get hurt, so I ran."

Wanda frowned, not understanding where the issue was. "You could have caught the bullets."

Pietro shook his head, his face pale again and his voice wavering a little. "No. There were too many of them, they were at a bad angle, and they were too close to Hawkeye and the kid. The only option I had... It... It was to block them with my body."

Wanda felt her own heart rate rising and she almost shouted, "You would have died!"

Pietro nodded in agreement. "I knew it, and... and I still ran. I was ready to sacrifice myself for them, even had a joke ready for my last words."

Her brother tried to soften the blow of his earlier words, but Wanda couldn't find it in herself to allow it, so instead she used all her fear and turned it into anger when she snapped at her twin, "You idiot! Don't you ever dare do something like that; it's not worth your life."

Pietro, who usually just backed off when she was scolding him, sent her a piercing look that shocked Wanda, but what really shattered her entire world were his next words: "What monster would I have to be to let a kid die like that? How would that make me any better than the people we've hated for years?"

Wanda took a step back from her brother. Was he calling her a monster? After all, didn't she just say he should have let the kid and Hawkeye die so he would stay alive? If her brother would have died, she wasn't sure what she would have done.

She doubted she could deal with the pain in a good way. So yes, she was selfish when she said that she preferred her brother alive rather than a random kid, but a monster... wasn't that too much?

Wanda hated the voice in the back of her mind, her mother's voice, that said calmly, "Listen to your brother, dear, or you will become what you hate most."

Not wanting to delve into a personal crisis, Wanda just let that go for now, even though she knew it would come to haunt her later.

While pushing away these thoughts, something that her brother said just sank in and her head snapped to his and she asked in a confused voice, "You said you ran..."

Pietro's eyes moved back to where Stark was laying and he said with pain in his voice, "Stark... he was there too; he noticed Hawkeye, but I was reacting faster than him and already running. He probably knew I was going to die, so he jumped in front of me at the same time he sent a missile to destroy the jet."

Wanda felt as if the world was shattering around her. Things that she believed and built her life around for many years were now coming apart at the seams. All she could respond with was in a weak voice, "He saved you..."

That statement was said as both a statement and a question to herself. Nonetheless, Pietro nodded.

Wanda was snapped back to reality when a piece of the blown-up jet moved and Ultron stepped out from under it. He took one look at the scene and began to laugh. "Hahaha... At least I took the best of you down this time around and..."

All of them were frozen when the metal man spoke, but suddenly something else other than his voice filled the air... A familiar roar.

Ultron looked up just in time to see a green mass about to land on him, and just before he was hit, the AI spoke with an annoyed voice, "Oh, for god's sak..."

He was cut off as the Hulk landed on him and proceeded to rip the metal out of his body piece by piece with massive bare hands.

Meanwhile, Hawkeye was screaming into his comm, "Fury! We have a man down; Tony took a bullet. His heart rate is low and dropping every moment."

Wanda wasn't sure what this Fury man said back, but Hawkeye looked annoyed and screamed again, "And how am I supposed to do that?! His armor weighs way more than I can lift!"

Hulk took a step forward and grunted out, "Hulk take tin man to pirate. Hulk save friend."

Hawkeye shook his head and spoke with a much calmer voice, "Sorry, big guy, but if you try to jump with him, the bullet can make even more damage."

Hulk growled, and Wanda could tell by the face of the two Avengers that they were panicking.

Captain America then stepped forward, shield on his back, and he said calmly with maybe a tiny amount of sadness that Wanda wasn't even sure he really felt, "We have to evacuate now."

Hawkeye snapped his head toward the man and asked in shock, "And leave Tony here?! Or move him and kill him?! Are you okay with that?"

The captain sighed a little and replied with the same calm, "We can't save everyone. Stark knew what he was doing; the best we can do is bring back a body for Potts to bury."

Hawkeye's shocked look turned into a glare and the Hulk growled at the blonde. Even Wanda felt disgusted with the man.

Sure, she hated Stark's guts, but she was honest about that. Rogers was supposed to be the leader, was supposed to be his friend, and it was so easy for him to just up and give up on him.

A sob drew the attention of everyone to the kid still sitting close by. He looked at Tony with a terrified look and asked in Sokovian, "Is... Is he okay? Iron Man is my favorite... he will be okay, right?"

The three Americans looked confused at the crying boy, not understanding what he was saying.

Wanda and Pietro exchanged an uneasy look, before Pietro turned toward the kid and spoke in their native language, "Hi kid..."

Her brother trailed off and Wanda's mind settled.

It was going against every single belief she held for so long, but she wouldn't turn into the monster that took her parents away from her. Even if it meant saving said monster.

Wanda began to move her fingers as scarlet wisps of magic gathered both around them and Stark's body.

Everyone looked between the now floating armored body and Wanda. She just shot all of them a sharp look and said, "What are you waiting for? Let's move before this whole place blows up."

Soon they were on a boat that headed toward the helicarrier. Just as they were about to dock, the entire rock they were on exploded, sending a shock wave that rattled their boat for a moment.

When the dust was settled, not even a small piece of debris was left to fall on the ground. She thought she saw Thor falling through the sky but pushed it out of her mind as she landed Stark softly on the ground so a medical agent could check on him.

The man fussed around Stark for the entire docking process and eventually let out a heavy sigh. "I can't assess the damage while he is in his suit."

Hawkeye cursed under his breath and said tightly, "Tony is the only one who knows the combination to open the armor."

Wanda noticed Rogers's disapproving face and mentally shook her head; she began to think that maybe this man wasn't what first impressions made him seem.

"There is one more person who does." A deep voice from outside the boat responded to Hawkeye.

All of them turned to see a dark-skinned man with an eyepatch, who wore a black long coat, walking with a woman with dark hair in a ponytail and firm expression at his side. Behind them was a group of agents that immediately began to evacuate the boat.

Each person gave Tony a different look. Some looked at him angrily, some looked happy at his pain, others looked sad, and a few even looked concerned for him. The little boy and his mother paused for a moment and the boy asked again, "You will save him, right?"

Wanda wasn't sure how to respond, so she just forced a smile on her lips. The boy seemed satisfied as he left with his mother.

When she turned back toward the rest, what she saw was a human wall hiding the black-clad man as he crouched over Stark, and a moment later a hiss sound filled the air.

When the agents moved away and stopped blocking their sight, they saw Stark lying on the ground with his armor open. His body now exposed, they could all see the pool of blood in his upper gut.

"Put pressure on the wound," commanded the medical agent.

The woman was already on her knees with a cloth pushed down on the wound as she grumbled, "Already doing so, Agent Parker."

All of them watched as Stark was carried off by agents to the emergency room. Wanda couldn't understand the pit that was slowly forming in her stomach.

They were all led to a waiting room. Rogers and the Widow seemed to sit together and were muttering something between themselves. Hulk, now in his small human form, was hunched over in his chair, his face drawn in worry. What Wanda was surprised about was the anger and resentment she could feel from the man, and all of that was aimed at the redhead spy.

The three other people in the room were pacing back and forth. Thor and the man wearing a black Iron Man suit was understandable; she could feel the distress that was coming off of them.

The third one surprised her—she could feel his distress too, and not only that, but there was also guilt mixed in there. The fact that shocked her most was that man was her brother.

She was about to stand from her seat and ask him about this when the agent that began treating Stark, his name was Parker she remembered, came out into the waiting room and all eyes snapped to him, including hers.

The man looked grim as he announced heavily, "Dr. Stark..." There was a long pause, and Wanda could feel the anguish coming off the man, which was odd for someone in the medical profession, "He won't be making it. The bullet did too much damage when you include the entire battle before it; his body just can't pull through."

Wanda could see the Widow nodding with a blank face, which she thought was a little disrespectful when she was told her friend was going to die.

She was even more surprised when she felt relief coming off Rogers at the news. But before she could contemplate it, five different waves of distress overwhelmed her.

One coming from the man sitting in the corner of the room, one from Thor, the third from the man who stepped out of an Iron Man-like suit, the fourth from her brother, and the final one from Hawkeye, who just returned from somewhere and heard the news. He was holding a phone, and she could hear sobs coming out of the other end.

For the past seven years, each time Wanda imagined Tony Stark dying, she smiled and had a strong urge to laugh loudly, but for some reason now that it had become reality, she felt sick. Like the pit in her stomach just reached the bottom and she had a hard time understanding what was happening to her.

That was the same feeling she got a taste of when she could feel her brother was about to die. But why? Why was Stark's death bothering her so much?

That was when the pirate from before, she was told his name is Fury, walked into the room in a hurry holding what looked like a very high-tech suitcase.

Fury headed straight to the man sitting in the corner of the room who was taking deep breaths.

Without even a greeting, Fury demanded with his deep voice, "Open it, Banner."

Banner's breath hitched as his eyes landed on the suitcase. He stared at it for a long moment before his gaze met Fury's and he said in a small voice, "Fury, Tony wouldn't want it; he said so. Maybe we should..."

"No!" Fury cut the man off with a growl before speaking in the same tone, "He doesn't get a say in it. Tony Stark is not allowed to die; if I have to reach into heaven and pull his ass back down here, I will. Now open the case!"

There was a heavy silence for a long moment as everyone looked at the exchange between the two.

After a moment, Banner stood up straight, higher than she ever saw the man stand before, and said firmly, "Friday, override medical protocol, code 'smash00@14'"

The AI's voice had Wanda on edge in the moment, and after the entire Ultron ordeal, it was hard to get over it, but what surprised her was that the Irish voice had a relieved tone to it as she announced, "Override accepted, Dr. Banner."

Banner gave a short nod and said with less of an edge to his voice, "Unlock Extreme carry unit."

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Wanda, curious like everyone else, looked into the opened suitcase to see inside a single vial with some dense red liquid inside.

Hawkeye was the one to voice what probably all of them were thinking. "Umm sir, what exactly is that and how do you expect it to help Tony?"

Fury pulled out the vial from the case and held it tightly in his fist and said blankly, "Extremis."

The man in the other Iron Man suit stepped closer to Fury and snapped at him, "Are you out of your mind, Fury?! Where did you even get this?"

Before Fury could reply, Banner spoke in a calm and reassuring voice, "Rhodey, this isn't just Extremis as you know it; this is version 3. Tony extracted a sample from Pepper's blood so he could fix it. I helped him and we did, but Tony decided to take it one step further."

Thor was now seemingly interested as well and he asked, "What do you mean, Friend Bruce?"

Bruce nodded toward the vial. "Tony and I saw the potential of Extremis. Version 2 could heal wounds without the explosive result, but we worked harder, and version 3 will bring someone from the brink of death to top shape, without any overheating and so on. Right now, this is the only thing that can save Tony's life."

Thor's voice boomed inside the room. "Then we shall proceed with haste!"

"Wait a minute, Thor." Rogers's voice stopped everyone. He then turned his attention to Fury and asked calmly, "Is there more of this... stuff?"

Banner shook his head slowly. "No. We worked with everything we could get out of Pepper's blood, but since the fall of SHIELD, Tony didn't have enough time to reverse engineer it."

There was a short moment of silence before the Widow spoke emotionlessly, "We can't use it on Stark; we need to keep it in case of emergency."

Fury's eye snapped toward the redhead, as well as Thor's and Rhodey's. But it was Hawkeye that asked in a voice full of shock, "What the hell are you talking about, Nat? Tony will die without it; I call that an emergency."

Rogers didn't even bat an eye at the argument and responded in the same calm tone as before, "We have to consider the purpose of this chemical for the greater good."

Fury's eye narrowed at the captain, and he growled out, "This cure is meant to save a fallen Avenger."

The Widow's response was smooth and blunt. "Stark is not an Avenger; he is a consultant."

That shocked everyone in the room, Wanda included. Did she like Stark? Of course not, but by what she saw, the man was more of a leader than Rogers.

It was Stark that was willing to sacrifice something he cared a lot about for a chance to defeat Ultron. It was Stark that first came up with the plan to counter Ultron in a major way, by stopping him from accessing any nuclear codes. It was Stark that was first to face Ultron on that ship, and it was Stark that suggested the plan to save the people under Sokovia.

All the while, Rogers just kept punching and strong-arming his way through any issue showing up with little regard to consequences. She saw a lot of people of this type in Hydra and could now easily spot them.

Banner let out a dark chuckle, and Wanda could feel the rage bubbling under his skin as he answered, "Neither am I, Romanoff. I never wanted a part of this group, and I stand behind it. But it does explain why you were so quick to push me to my death."

That made everyone pause again. Romanoff faked a hurt look on her face and said in a soft voice with what seemed like a seductive undertone, "We needed the Hulk, Bruce. You have to understand without him we..."

"Bullshit." Banner cut her off with a growl.

Romanoff blinked twice and asked hesitantly, "Bruce?"

Banner glared at her. "Don't give me any of your lies, Romanoff. As far as I know, the Hulk comes out because of my anger, not fear. So, pushing me off that cliff was a very risky bet on your side; according to the information you had, it was more likely I would have fallen to my death than the Hulk reacting to my fear."

Romanoff looked like a kicked puppy, and Rogers was quick to come to her defense. "Bruce, you can't talk to Nat that way; she cares about you and knows you. She did what she had to do. You have to forgive her and be nice."

Banner scoffed, and Hawkeye came to his side. "I have to agree with the doctor, Cap. Nat didn't exactly work with logic on this one."

All this time, Wanda and Pietro stayed out of the conversation; after all, it's not like they have real stakes or know anything about the situation. Also considering that since they met the Avengers, both of them did nothing but spit on Stark's name, she would guess their opinion mattered very little.

That was the reason she was so surprised when her brother's voice cut off the argument that was about to break between the supposed team. "Hey, there is someone dying, so start injecting or I will do it myself before any of you can blink."

Wanda turned to look at Pietro with wide eyes. He was going to save Stark's life? Sure, maybe he wasn't as bad as they thought he was, but he was still a monster, the same one that took their family away. She wasn't about to go there and kill him or anything, but going out of her way to help save him wasn't in her plans either.

Fury gave a short nod and ignored the objections of Rogers and Romanoff as he followed Agent Parker into the operation room.

When Rogers tried to follow him in, she wasn't sure for what reason, Thor stood in his way, blocking it. When the American idol tried to push his way through, the god of thunder only shoved him slightly back, but with his strength, it was enough to cause Rogers to stumble back into his seat.

Thor remained in his place, blocking the entrance to the room while uncomfortable silence filled the room.

It was about ten minutes or so later when Fury stepped out of the room, but even then, he didn't say a word.

Banner seemed to be the most impatient of them all and asked, not toward Fury but toward his phone, "Friday, what is Tony's status?"

A calm and slightly relieved Irish voice came out of the phone's speakers immediately. "Extremis 3.0 has been injected into Boss's system seven minutes ago. The drug was infused with his system four minutes ago. Boss's body has begun to repair itself with the aid of the Extremis. As of right now, he is no longer in fatal danger; full recovery anticipated in ten to thirteen minutes."

Banner let out a deep sigh before asking gently, "Has the infusion gone smoothly?"

This time there was a moment of silence before the Irish voice answered, a hesitant tinge to her tone, "There were some side effects..."

The AI didn't say it in an ominous or even afraid tone; instead, her tone conveyed more of a feeling the AI itself had a hard time believing the results she was reporting. Well, now even Wanda was intrigued.

FR FR FR FR FR

Tony felt disoriented for a long moment. He couldn't even bring himself to open his eyes yet.

But he could hear the familiar sound of medical machines beeping in the background. He could smell the sterile smell he associated with either operation rooms or his labs. Each one of his breaths was as smooth as any other man and...

Wait a moment! His breath was smooth?! His breaths weren't this easy since Afghanistan. The arc reactor took a good portion of his lung's capacity; in the beginning, just breathing was hard and painful. Thankfully, in time as he got used to the metal in his chest, breathing came easier to him. Though panic attacks and even the occasional sneeze was hell on his chest.

Even after removing it three years ago, his body seemed to get used to the pain, not helped by the fact that even if he removed the arc reactor, he couldn't just regenerate the bones and organs that were cut out to install it, so the phantom pain was very real and very often.

Tony took a deep breath, testing his newly found freedom to do so, and there was no pain. Actually, Tony could feel more air entering his lungs than it did in the past six years, and he could actually feel all the bones in his chest, which shouldn't be possible considering a part of it is artificial.

Tony squirmed a little in his bed for a moment until he noticed a few other things.

After years working in his labs for decades and injuring his hands in many ways, even his spine had its toll to pay, he had aches in many of his joints. Something that was more nuisance than painful and Tony usually ignored. But now he couldn't help but notice that there weren't even the smallest hints of discomfort coming from any bone in his body.

Even his left arm, that would ache constantly since the tank hit him there on his first flight back to Afghanistan, wasn't projecting anything.

Tony just couldn't understand what was going on; it felt like he regenerated all of his bones and organs overnight.

Then a thought of one thing that he could think would cause such a thing popped to his mind. Extremis. But still, the 3.0 version should heal all wounds and repair the body to its best condition, even if it shouldn't be able to make the amount of changes Tony feels in his body.

Tony's musing was interrupted when he began hearing voices coming from the direction of the door to the room, which shouldn't be possible in a room like that where the door should be thick so the doctors won't be distracted by noises from the hallway.

Maybe the door was open? Tony had to wonder, and after a short moment forced his eyes to open.

When the blinding light subsided and Tony could make out his environment, he noticed the door was closed, but he could still hear the voices on the other side of it.

His eyes then swept the room, and he noticed that he could read small writing on a clipboard that was quite a way from him. It wasn't like he had some super sight, but Tony guessed that he could now see just as sharply as Clint always bragged about. Which again was very odd.

Senses improvement wasn't a trait he associated with Extremis either. Was there a newer drug, better than Extremis 3.0 that was used on him?

The closest thing Tony could think of would be the Cradle project he worked on with Helen Cho, but the doctor was in medical care herself now after the entire Ultron fiasco, so he hardly thinks she was the one to help, and she would be the only one with the knowledge of the project.

Tony's train of thought was cut off again when the door opened, and a few people entered the room. The first one was Nick, his form as imposing as usual.

The ex-director was quickly followed by Rhodey and Bruce, with Thor and Clint not too far away from them. Tony had to hold back a frown when he noticed neither Steve nor Natasha joined them. Tony could feel his eyebrows raise slightly when he noticed the Maximoff siblings entering the room but staying close to the door.

Tony gave all of them a forced smile he was used to wearing and asked lightly, "So how's everything going out there?"

Tony noticed how everyone but Nick looked at him as if he was crazy. Fury, used to his tendencies, just rolled his eye before replying, "After you were shot..." Generous and underwhelming description. "Friday and Thor completed your plan and blew the city out of the sky with no damage done to the surrounding cities. Vision found and destroyed Ultron's final unit. The Helicarrier is now en route to a designated Sokovian relief center."

Tony nodded. Everything seemed to end in the best way they could hope it would after Ultron raised the city to the sky and threatened to erase the entire world with another asteroid strike.

There was a silence for a long moment in the room, and Tony noticed the odd looks everyone was giving him. Clint even rubbed his eyes twice as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Eventually, Bruce asked carefully, "Tony, how do you feel?"

That question brought Tony's thoughts back in a full circle, and it took him a moment to respond. "Fine. Actually, I feel better than I felt in years. It's like Afghanistan and everything since then didn't happen."

Bruce shifted a little uncomfortably in his place before saying slowly, "Umm... Tony, I think it's more than just that."

Tony tilted his head in confusion at his science-bro and was about to ask for more details when Nick pulled a mirror from one of the tables in the room and handed it to Tony.

Still confused about the entire thing, Tony complied and looked at his reflection; the moment he saw himself, he almost dropped the mirror to the floor.

In front of him wasn't the image of himself he remembered from even a week ago, before all the shit hit the fan, but an image of someone he hadn't seen in so many years now.

His skin looked much healthier than Tony could remember it being, as if years of alcoholism and so many other bad habits didn't pale it.

The bags under his eyes, earned by decades of lab work without any sleep, were gone as well.

His graying hair, thanks to years of stress, was now as deep brown as the rest of his hair.

All in all, Tony looked like he was in his early 20's again. Looking over the mirror at the rest of his body, he amended himself, a more muscular version of his 20-year-old self.

While he was a far cry from Steve's wide and powerful build, Tony's body looked like the one he had honed in recent years thanks to his superhero work and increased combat training.

What Tony couldn't figure out was one thing, and before he could even realize it, the question slipped from his mouth. "How?"

Nick let out a heavy sigh as if anticipating a backlash to his next words. "Extremis."

Tony's eyes narrowed at the man, and he hissed, "I thought I made my choice on that matter clear, Fury."

Nick's form stiffened, but he glared right back at Tony saying, "I would not allow you to die so easily, Stark; extreme measures had to be taken."

Tony shook his head. He had many words he wanted to yell at Nick, but he couldn't right now, not without revealing many of their secrets, including their true relationship. Instead, he settled on changing the subject. "But how could Extremis do all of this? It wasn't designed for this."

"Well..." Tony looked at Bruce as the shorter man spoke while scratching his chin. "I'm not so sure you're right about that, Tony."

Tony looked at his science-bro with a raised eyebrow, so Bruce gave him a small smile and asked, "Do you remember what you said when we finished working on version 3?"

Tony frowned in thought before he answered, "It will return the body to peak condition."

Bruce nodded quickly before speaking with some excitement in his voice. "Yes! But we underestimated how true this statement is. Instead of just returning the body to its best form before the injury, it's just resetting the body to the best condition it was ever in."

Tony was about to consider the meaning of that, but Bruce beat him to it by saying immediately, "We need to take a new blood sample and run a few more tests; I wonder how deep the changes go."

Tony winced a little before slumping back in his bed. Seeing the faces of all of his friends promised him that it was a fight he wouldn't win, so all he could do was lie down and take it.

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of days since the battle of Sokovia, and Tony was just now being discharged from the hospital wing of the tower. Even though he had already woken up in top shape, practically twenty years younger again, his doctors were wary of any other side effects, so after they determined he was fit to be moved, Nick made sure he made his way to the tower where the medical team was already waiting for him.

Two days of tests later and Tony was cleared to walk around as long as he didn't get himself into any combat situations. Tony jumped on the first opportunity to get away from that bed he was stuck in.

He was also limited in visitation because of the odd circumstances of his recovery, so for the past two days, the only people he saw were Rhodey, Nick, and Pepper.

Rhodey kept him in the loop with what was going on with the Avengers; Nick was keeping him in the loop with a few of their off-book projects. Pepper, on the other hand, was a whole different case.

The first thing she did was to scold him for his reckless behavior; second was to express how glad she was that he was okay. But then came the... heavy stuff. The SI board kept pushing him to get rid of the Avengers.

The team's reputation was at an all-time low now, and it was losing the company money, so the shareholders for the past couple of months were harassing him for selling the initiative's rights to someone else, even though there weren't exactly a line of people waiting to buy them.

Tony had to remind them all that he was the major shareholder and as such it was his choice alone, but with this last catastrophe, the board received the leverage they needed to push Tony to make a hard decision.

In the end, Tony made a compromise with them. He pointed out that the reputation of the Avengers was bound to rise again in the near future and until that would happen, he would use his shares alone to fund them. Once their revenue recovered, he would return the ownership to the entire shareholder group for them to profit as well.

It was a dirty and low trick Tony could admit, but the board didn't even think twice about accepting this offer, probably worried he would realize how foolish it was of him to make such an offer in the first place.

And make no mistake, Tony was very aware of how this offer harmed him while benefiting the rest of the shareholders; normally he would never dare to come up with something like that, far less bring it up. Alas, Tony could feel the clock ticking on the next invasion, and the time the Avengers would be needed again to have even a chance of survival. So, Tony would reluctantly play along for now.

There was one more thing Tony asked Pepper to do while she was there, and now that he was out of that damn bed, he could start working on it.

Tony knew most wouldn't approve of what he was about to do next, and that was why he sneaked around for the past couple of hours until he lost his tail, courtesy of Nick, and managed to get into his personal quinjet.

Tony didn't waste a single moment in sitting at the pilot seat and speaking, "Fri, start takeoff sequences and contact the authorities for entry approvals to Sokovia."

The response was immediate and in the usual Irish calm voice, "On it, Boss."

Tony heard the engines coming to life and the jet slowly began to lift itself from the docking station into the sky. A moment later Tony was in the air and on his way to the last place he should probably be right now.

Tony leaned back in his chair and stared out of the front window at the slowly rising sun. The sky had this combination of red and yellow colors for them that Tony couldn't help but admire.

He almost jumped out of his seat when a voice he didn't expect spoke from behind him, "A bit early for something like that, wouldn't you say Tony?"

Tony turned his chair so fast it almost gave him whiplash; his eyes wide as he stared at the ragged form of Bruce Banner. Tony took a deep breath to calm himself before asking, "What the hell, Brucie-bear, I have a heart condition, and you know it!"

Bruce gave him the usual tired smile of his before responding with, "No, you don't, not anymore at least."

Oh right. Tony forgot about it; he was as healthy as Steve now, no heart condition, no scars, nothing to complain about.

Tony shook his head and asked incredulously, "How long were you here?"

Bruce seemed to consider it for a moment. "Hmm, I'd say about twenty minutes before you came in."

Tony looked at the camera to his right with a raised eyebrow and asked, "And you didn't think to tell me, Fri?"

His AI's voice was mischievous as she replied with mock innocence, "I found no reason or benefit for you to know this detail, Boss."

Tony narrowed his eyes, still staring at the camera for a long moment before heaving a deep sigh and looking back at Bruce, knowing there was no winning this fight against his baby girl; she was too much like him.

Tony tilted his head at Bruce and asked, "Okay, so why are you here?"

Bruce shrugged as he answered, "You're not the only one with a guilty conscience. I want to help as much as I can too."

Tony nodded in understanding before both of them settled into a quiet ride through the sky.

FR FR FR FR FR

Wanda felt in turmoil for the past two days, especially since she had to see her brother constantly twitchy out of nervousness and worry.

Wanda still had a hard time understanding why Pietro began to care so much about what was going on with Stark.

They saw the man was fine, even more than that—he was completely healed not only from the bullet he took for Pietro but from everything else that happened to him in the last two decades. He even looked so hot right now with his young face, and that built body and...

Wait, what the hell?! Where did that come from? He was Stark! A monster! No matter how objectively handsome he was, she shouldn't be thinking of him like that.

She and her brother were staying at the SHIELD carrier for the past two days. Director Fury said something about Stark having something prepared for the Avengers once he woke up, but she wasn't sure why she felt dissatisfaction and bitterness coming off Fury as he said that.

She also wasn't sure what that meant for her and Pietro. Where would they live now? After all, they didn't have any money, jobs, or anything like that, and at some point, Fury would have to get rid of the carrier as SHIELD didn't exist anymore.

Rather than being worried about that, she decided to deal with it when the time came and right now deal with the issue at hand. That issue was her brother who was sitting across from her leaning on the table while tapping his finger on the table, in a manner that annoyed her to no end.

Wanda glared at her brother and hissed, "You are ridiculous, Pietro. You are not really worried about the fate of that monster, are you?"

Pietro raised his gaze to hers, and she was surprised to see him glare back at her as he replied, "Why shouldn't I be worried? The man saved my life and stopped our mistake from killing every single person in our home country."

Wanda's fists clenched as she heard her brother defend that monster, and she snarled back at him, "Ultron was his mistake, not ours. You have to remember, Pietro—he is the monster that killed Mama and Papa!"

Pietro threw his hands in the air with exasperation and yelled back, "Wake up, Wanda! This logic stopped working years ago! Stark might have made the bombs, but he wasn't the one who shot it into our home."

Wanda reeled back in shock, as if her brother had just hit her. How could he say that?! Even if Stark wasn't the one to push the button, he was the one who created the weapon in the first place and sold it to the people who used it like they did just so he could make a little more money for himself.

Before Wanda could retort though, the door to the room they sat in opened and Clint—he told them to call him by his name—walked in with a smile and asked, "How are you doing, kids?"

Wanda, still annoyed from the conversation she had with her brother, scoffed and looked away. Her brother, on the other hand, answered him calmly, "Still nervous. Is there any news about Stark?"

Wanda kept watch from the corner of her eyes as Clint's smile grew a little and he answered happily, "He was cleared by his doctors today and immediately took off from the tower." He then shook his head and added in a mumble, "Crazy man."

She could hear the surprise in Pietro's voice as he asked, "Took off already? Is it really a good idea?"

Clint's smile stayed in place, and he shrugged. "No. But you try and tell Tony that. The fact they managed to keep him in bed for two days still surprises me."

Wanda wanted to comment with something like 'if he wants to kill himself just let him,' but even in her own mind, the words left a bitter taste, so she kept her mouth shut while her brother asked, "Where is he even going right after healing?"

Clint picked up the remote of the television in the room and said, "Funny you should ask," before he pressed a button, and the television turned on.

On the screen was a blonde woman sitting behind a large desk with the words 'Tony Stark and Bruce Banner in Sokovia after the battle' written in large font at the bottom of the frame.

Wanda was shocked, and all her attention was immediately on the screen as the blonde woman began speaking, "Reports began coming in that about an hour ago Tony Stark and Bruce Banner landed near the Sokovia relief center. As all of our viewers surely remember, two days ago a rogue AI with the name Ultron tried to use Sokovia as a meteorite to destroy the planet and all life in it. The Avengers fought the droid and all of his bodies off while evacuating the city. It was only once all of the civilians were cleared from the dropping rock that Iron Man and Thor blew it apart to prevent further damage and loss of life."

The image on the screen then shifted to one of Stark lying on the ground in Sokovia, a pool of his own blood growing around him as the woman spoke again, "As some of you must have heard, Tony Stark sustained a fatal injury while protecting one of his team members as well as two Sokovian citizens. A message came earlier today that after experimental treatment, Tony Stark not only recovered from his injury but enhanced his body. He was discharged from medical care only at the early hours of this morning and immediately left toward Sokovia."

The image showed Stark and Banner exiting the jet they came in, although the main focus seemed to be on Stark and his new appearance.

The woman in the news seemed to be shocked as well from seeing the picture before she composed herself and spoke in her usual calm voice, "You might ask why the two Avengers returned there after the battle; well, this is what they had to say..."

Immediately after she said that, the image on the screen changed into a video of Stark and Banner standing next to each other with many microphones and cameras pointing their way. Stark was the one to take the lead and speak, "My friend and I are here today to help the good people of Sokovia in any way we can, nothing more, nothing less."

Then a female voice with a foreign accent Wanda could recognize asked off-screen, "I have heard that the Maria Stark Foundation has already begun working on helping Sokovia and its people."

Stark didn't smile but kept a calm demeanor as he answered, "Yes. Currently, the board members of the foundation are discussing how the money will be best spent to help their people. But as heroes, it is our duty to show up when people need our help."

"Help?!" An outraged voice with an unmistakable Sokovian accent shouted off-screen. "There is no one left to fight and no more buildings to destroy, so how can you help?"

If the comment angered or hurt Stark, he didn't show it; rather, he replied to the accusation calmly, "Even outside of battle, many of our members have other skills that can prove useful. My friend here has seven PhDs, at least one of them in the biological field; he will be able to treat anyone who requires medical assistance. While I would like to offer my services as an engineer to any project that will require it."

Another reporter then jumped in with a question, "Are you doing it because you are feeling guilty of creating Ultron in the first place?"

This time Wanda did notice Stark flinching at the accusation, but before he could answer, a deep voice she recognized spoke, "Allow me to correct you."

Fury stepped into the frame to stand on the other side of Stark, his eye glaring at the reporter who asked the question. Without waiting, he kept speaking, "Tony Stark and Bruce Banner have been commissioned by SHIELD and the WSC to create a peacekeeping AI under the project name Ultron. Once SHIELD fell, the project was shelved and not worked on in the past year. A week ago, the Avengers were called to retrieve the scepter of Loki that was stolen by Hydra and was experimented on..."

Wanda felt cold sweat starting to go down her neck; if Fury revealed her involvement in the creation of Ultron, she and her brother would have to go on the run or face life in another prison.

Wanda was surprised when she noticed the flash of an annoyed look Fury shot Tony before he spoke again, "Those experiments, as we later found out, awakened some alien consciousness that resided within the scepter. Once in connection with the Avengers' tower system, the alien intelligence took over the unfinished project and created a new being that called itself Ultron. Neither Tony Stark nor Bruce Banner has any blame in the creation of that monster."

Wanda was shocked again. They... well, they didn't lie about the events, just their order, while omitting large parts of what happened in between them, so she and Pietro wouldn't even be mentioned.

That annoyed look Fury shot Stark... was it him that convinced the dark man to spare the twins? And if so, why would he do it?

Before she could think any further about that, Stark's voice cut through her thoughts again, "Like I said before, guilt or no guilt, I feel it's my duty as someone who has been called by many a hero to help those in need with whatever talents I have. This is the only reason we are here, for the benefit of the people of Sokovia."

Another wave of voices from every direction flooded her ears just before the footage was cut. The screen returned to the blonde woman who spoke, "Those are the words of a true hero if there ever was one. To anyone who wants to read more about those words and their true meaning to the man who said them, I suggest reading the article I will publish later today called 'The True Man of Iron.' I was Christine Everhart, thank you for tuning in."

With that, Clint pushed the button again and the screen went black.

Chapter Text

Wanda could only blink at the screen in front of her. She could feel her mouth moving but no sound came out.

Her brother, on the other hand, didn't seem to be in the same boat as her as he asked in wonder, "Stark went to help the Sokovians? Is he doing it because they are his customers?"

Wanda's eyes snapped to her brother's face. While there was nothing mean in his features, Wanda was still glad to see Pietro remembered what the monster was still capable of.

Clint, on the other hand, tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Clients?"

Pietro frowned, and Wanda could feel herself doing the same. Clint was very nice to them and kept reassuring them that everything would be okay soon enough, so to see the man lie to them now was infuriating.

Wanda was the one to hiss at the Avenger, "Don't pretend you don't know Stark was selling them weapons."

Clint frowned back at them and said calmly, "I have no idea what you're talking about, kids. Tony never sold weapons outside the US military, and even then, he closed his weapon manufacturing six years ago."

That took both Wanda and Pietro back. Their parents were killed seven years ago, and about a year after that, they joined Hydra to get their revenge. While they never had the chance to see the news or things like that, the people in the base made sure to keep them up to date with the news, especially those about Stark. Something like that surely would have come up.

Then Wanda's mind focused on the first part of what the bow user said, and she replied with fury, "Of course he sold outside of your country! The bomb that killed our parents had the name STARK written all over it."

Clint opened his mouth as if to respond when an Irish voice filled the room, "If you would allow me, Ms. Maximoff, I believe I can shed light on the matter."

Wanda and Pietro both tensed at the AI's voice while Clint seemed to look at a random point of the room and said with a small smile, "Please do, Friday."

The television screen turned on again by itself, a picture Wanda hoped to never see again filled it. It was the bomb that destroyed their home; she would recognize the odd pattern of the scratches around the STARK name anywhere.

A whimper from her brother proved he remembered as well. Then the female AI spoke again, "This is the bomb series that was possessed by the rebel faction of Sokovia. After searching through the entire SI database, I reached the conclusion the entire series is a counterfeit."

Clint's eyes widened and he asked, "As in someone just copied the design and specs to sell it as a STARK weapon?"

The Irish voice responded immediately, "Indeed, Mr. Barton. It was a popular practice since Boss took over the company."

Clint frowned again and so did Pietro, but it was her brother who asked, "Why since this Stark took over?"

To Wanda, the question seemed obvious. The man was a monster, and he didn't care if his weapons ended up in the wrong hands if it required too much work on his part to stop it. She was shocked when she heard the true response, "The former COO of SI, Obadiah Stane, had used the fragile mental state of Boss at the time to manipulate him and get full authorization over the company, allowing him to sell weapons illegally and off the books so he personally could benefit from it."

"Who is Stane?" Wanda found herself asking aloud before she even noticed.

Clint looked at her, still with the same frown on his face as he replied, "Someone who tried to take over the company from Tony after they found him in the desert, and then tried to kill him, but Tony killed him instead. To be fair, it was the same man who paid the terrorist group in Afghanistan to kill Tony in the first place."

Wait! What?! What the hell was Clint talking about? Hydra told them that Stark disappeared for three months so he could work on a new weapon, that later was revealed to be the Iron Man suit. But what was this about terrorists and someone betraying Stark?

"Still," the Irish voice kept speaking as the image on the screen was replaced by images of many documents, "I managed to track the buyers and orders attached to that bomb series, though I must warn you, Mr. and Ms. Maximoff, the result might cause you great distress."

Wanda was confused by that comment; what could be worse than reliving the two days she and her brother were trapped with the bomb still active just next to them, already knowing their parents were dead?

Clint glanced between her and Pietro before saying, "You don't have to hear it if you don't want to, kid."

Wanda finally had enough of that and snapped at the archer, "Stop calling us kids! We are in our mid-20s, not kids, and if this is a part of my past, I want to know it!"

Clint looked at her for a long moment before sighing and said with a small nod, "You're right. You're not kids; I said as much when we were fighting in the air. Go ahead then, Friday."

There seemed to be a small hesitation from the AI this time before she spoke calmly, "Very well. All those STARK counterfeits were bought by the Sokovian branch of Hydra."

As she said this, one of the documents on the screen was highlighted to show the proof of her words. Wanda could feel her head getting a little dizzy and her stomach began to roll around like a washing machine. Her vision tunneled to the images on the screen and her ears began to ring a little.

She was still able to hear the female voice explaining further, "The order to use the missile that was aimed at the Maximoff house holds the signature of one Dr. Alfred List."

Wanda's vision blurred completely, her ears overtaken by the ringing and her stomach was already on its way to vacate itself. She could feel her entire body shaking and breathing was becoming harder by the moment.

She was sure she was about to pass out when a new sensation penetrated her mind. She felt something stabbing her in the neck, and she couldn't say if it was a minute later or an hour that she felt herself calming down.

She was no longer shaking, and her breathing was coming easier. She felt a hand rubbing her back and a voice calling softly, "Hey, are you with me, Wanda? It's fine, everything will be fine."

Fine?! How could it be fine? The man she thought was helping her get her revenge on the monster that killed her parents was actually the monster all along.

Oh god. She allowed that monster to experiment on her; she did so many terrible things because she believed him, she believed everything he did was helping her. While the man she blamed... wait.

"Hey Wanda, are you okay? Do you need another dose of the calming drug? I wouldn't recommend it, but you still look..." Clint began saying.

Wanda ignored him. She stared at the floor, tears falling from her eyes to the floor as she asked weakly, "Stark... He... He..."

Wanda couldn't bring herself to even ask the question, but the AI seemed to understand what she was trying to ask and answered her with what Wanda found to be a gentle tone, "Boss knew it. He asked me to find any information I could on that Hydra branch once the Avengers were asked to invade it, and after hearing your story, it wasn't hard for him to connect the dots."

Clint scowled and he snarled, "And the truth was that List created that disaster on purpose to create recruits for his experiments."

The response was quick and with a disgusted tone, "Indeed."

Wanda felt disgusted too. Disgusted by Dr. List who did it, disgusted by her own countrymen who chose to help him by starting a civil war, and most of all disgusted by herself.

But there was still one more question she had to ask, "Why?"

This time when the female voice spoke, she had a soothing voice, "Boss didn't want to cause you any more anguish by telling you those facts; he believed you had suffered enough under the roof of Hydra."

Clint snorted and threw a comment that sounded like "That's Tony for you" under his breath.

Hydra was a group of monsters. It was the only conclusion Wanda could reach in the moment, and as a result, she was one as well. Ironic that the man she considered a monster for so long tried to protect her from the reality where she was the monster between the two.

She was surprised to hear the shaky voice of her brother; she had almost forgotten he was in the room as well, too busy dwelling in her own self-pity, "We have to apologize. All the things we said... Oh, God..."

Wanda couldn't help but agree this time. After all of this, she still wasn't sure what she really felt toward Stark now, or even what she thought of herself, so she would need to take time and reevaluate pretty much every thought she had in the last seven years. But even she could admit that after everything she put him through in the past week, the man deserved an apology at the very least.

Clint looked like he was trying to comfort them when he said, "Well, I'm sure you'll get your chance sooner rather than later." Then he snapped his fingers and said, "Almost forgot what I wanted to tell you in the first place. Fury said all the Avengers are moving into a new location that Tony built."

For some reason, a pit began forming in her stomach. It was Pietro who asked, "So you have come to say goodbye?"

Clint raised an amused eyebrow and said, "What are the two of you talking about? You're coming with us."

Wanda had to take a moment to make sure she wasn't hearing things; her brother took that moment to point out the obvious, "We are not Avengers."

Clint just shrugged with the same smile on his face and said, "Well, no. But still, you need a home, and right now you are our responsibility, so you're coming with us."

Wanda had so many feelings mixing up inside of her, but right now the most prominent one was warmth. How long was it since someone offered to help them out of the kindness of their heart and not because they wanted to use them?

The protesters gave them a roof and food just as long as they took part in the activities every day, not that either Pietro or she had any objection to that term at the time. Hydra only gave them the illusion of hope so they could use them as soldiers against the Avengers.

And still, here the Avengers were offering them a house and meals after all they did, not just against them, but against the entire world.

Still, there was one thing that bothered her in all of that. She hated how timid her voice sounded when she asked, "Do... Does S...Stark..." And wow, after all those years it was hard to say the name without letting venom drip out of each syllable; she still pushed on, "Does he know we are joining you?"

Clint actually laughed at the question, which made her feel a little uncomfortable, but after a moment he answered, "Knows? He was the one to offer the idea and prepare rooms for you two." Wanda's heart skipped a beat at this new information, but Clint wasn't done yet as he added, "Actually, Tony 'donated' some money to you two because he knows you don't have a lot of clothes or anything else really."

Wanda could see Pietro was shocked into silence while she... she felt a wet drop landing on the skin of her hand, and only then did she realize she had tears flowing down her cheeks.

Pietro managed to get out of his shocked state and yell out, "We don't deserve it."

Clint just shrugged. "Not for me to decide. Tony made the choice, and usually when he does, there's little we can do about it."

Why?! Why would the man they wanted to hurt the most, the one they hated the most, now be the one to help them more than anyone else? Why did he do it? Was he doing it to be the bigger man, so he could lord that over them for as long as they were living under his roof? Or was there some bigger scheme for revenge he...

No! Bad Wanda. She couldn't keep assuming the worst of the man. Even Clint didn't seem to be worried about all the generosity provided by Stark, and the archer seemed to genuinely care about them.

Clint interrupted her thoughts, "So, yeah. I would suggest you pack up, but you'd better start thinking what you need to buy once you're settled in."

With that, the Avenger left the room, leaving both the Maximoff siblings to contemplate the new information they had.

Wanda was sure she, at the very least, had a lot of things to reconsider.

Chapter Text

Tony leaned back in his chair, his fingers rubbing the side of his temple trying to ease away his headache.

Tony and Bruce were inside the jet on their way to the new Avengers Compound which Tony had spent the last year building for the specific purpose of the team. Some might complain that it was too large for such a small group of people, but Tony really hoped that now that they had the room, he and Steve could start recruiting more people to the team.

After all, six people, even if some of them were enhanced, couldn't hope to win against what he saw beyond that damned portal. That was the first purpose of the Iron Legion, but with them out of commission for the near future, Tony realized they needed to focus on recruiting.

Still, Tony felt obligated, not to mention he made a promise on public broadcast, so he spent the last few days in Sokovia helping rebuild and set up the most urgent institutions like hospitals and schools.

When he and Bruce arrived at Sokovia to offer their help, they received a very mixed reaction, Tony more so than Bruce.

Some were looking at him with pure hatred, just like the Maximoff twins did. Others looked like they just wanted him to leave them alone, even slightly afraid of him; there was even a group that looked simply indifferent to his presence and kept business as usual. They were his favorite group.

Tony was surprised when a small boy and his mother approached him and thanked him from the bottom of their hearts for saving the boy's life. And they weren't the only ones who seemed happy Tony was there.

After the impromptu interview, some people in the first two groups began to warm up to Tony, and by the end of the few days Tony worked with both his mind, muscles, and his suits, he was sort of popular with most of the people in the relief center.

Though it did worry Tony when he heard some whispers about how the Sokovians began to grow angry that no other Avenger besides Tony and Bruce showed up to help. Tony could relate; he tried to reach Steve to convince him to lend his help for just one day so their image could recover, but Cap seemed to be very busy right now and didn't pick up any of his calls.

Actually, now that Tony thought about it, Steve seemed very reticent and busy since the fall of SHIELD, which was weird considering as far as Tony knew, the man didn't have that many ties with the agency beyond his employment there, something that Tony picked up for him and many others.

Before Tony could think any further on that matter, his phone vibrated in his pocket drawing his attention.

Tony pulled his phone to glance at the screen. He let out a heavy sigh seeing it was another comment on the article Christine published a couple of days ago about him. Sometimes he wondered if he made the wrong choice all those years ago.

*Flashback*

It was a week since the legendary conference where Tony announced, 'I am Iron Man'. Tony was very busy working with Nick, now that they no longer had to work exclusively from the shadows.

But still, there was something he knew he needed to do, something that had been weighing on him for a while now.

He was led to the private room in the restaurant he reserved, wearing one of his best suits and holding a bouquet of flowers.

When they reached the door, Tony gulped a little as they opened to reveal a blonde woman, wearing a brown business jacket and skirt. Her arms were crossed in front of her, and she looked very annoyed.

With a frown on her face, she asked, "So the great Tony Stark thinks he can leave a woman waiting, even after he was the one to beg for this meeting."

Tony gave her a sheepish smile and raised the flowers to her eye level, saying, "Apologies, Ms. Everhart. These things took longer to make than I thought."

Christine raised an unimpressed eyebrow and asked flatly, "Are those for me? Are you aiming for round two with me, Mr. Stark?"

Tony let go of all pretenses and went serious as he said, "No, Ms. Everhart. I asked you to come here so I could apologize to you."

Christine's usual mask fell apart revealing her shocked face. Her lips moved, but no voice came out for a long moment.

Tony smiled at her and gestured toward the set table in the center of the room. In what seemed like mechanical movement, she followed his suggestion and sat down across from him.

Once she was sitting, it looked like she regained her professional demeanor. She picked up the glass of wine that was set next to her and took a sip while staring at Tony. All the recently announced Iron Man could do was wait there silently.

Eventually, she set her glass down and said calmly, "Okay, I'll bite."

Tony let out a sigh of relief, before leaning back in his chair and saying the words he practiced with Pepper with as much genuine emotion as he could, "I don't have any excuse to offer you. I was a playboy, this much was never a secret, and usually I'm not as rude as I was with you. Nonetheless, the way I acted the morning after was very wrong and I know it; you deserved better. So I deeply apologize for all of this."

There was a tense silence for a long moment in the room, which was broken when Christine's reply was, "I don't buy it."

Tony felt a lump rising in his throat; he couldn't really blame her, and he didn't expect her to forgive him, but did she have to say it like that? Tony took a deep breath and tried again, "I promise you my apology..."

Christine raised her hand to cut him off, and once his voice trailed off, she spoke firmly, "I don't doubt your apology; it's the fact that you said you have no excuse. I studied you before I approached you at that party, so it won't be as easy for you to fool me. So, let's hear it."

Tony was taken aback. Was she offering to hear him out? Why? Pepper said that she wouldn't care for any reason he could give her, that he should just apologize and leave it at that.

Still, seeing the look in the reporter's eyes, Tony made the decision to tell her, "Stane woke me up with the Jericho project update he needed; I kind of needed to work on it that night instead of well, what we did."

Christine hummed in an unsatisfactory manner and Tony took the cue to keep talking, "I guess your comment also left a very bad taste I wasn't sure how to handle."

Christine frowned and looked like she was thinking about something before her eyes widened and she said, "The merchant of death comment?"

Tony flinched and nodded. Christine let out a sigh and said both gently and firmly, "Look, I appreciate the apology, and I forgive you."

Tony's gaze snapped to hers and he was sure he looked completely shocked. The blonde just chuckled, "It wasn't like I was expecting anything other than a fun night out of it, maybe a scoop. I was pissed about how you had Potts throw me out the moment I woke up, but you owned up to it and explained everything, so we're good."

Tony could feel one of the many knots in his stomach loosening and started to close his eyes with relief when Christine's voice cut in again, firmer that time, "That being said, don't expect me to give you any special treatment at my job."

This time it was Tony who chuckled before replying, "I wouldn't dream of it, Ms. Everhart. As long as it's the truth, I will never complain."

Christine shrugged. "Fair enough." Then there was a mischievous smile on her face as she declared, "Oh, by the way, there is something I want in return for my forgiveness."

Tony could feel his entire body tense and he frowned, asking, "Oh? And what will that be?"

Christine smirked as she pulled out a notepad and a pen before saying, "Your story. All of it."

Tony considered it for a moment; there were many ways this could go wrong, but he was always a believer of accountability and transparency when possible, so after a deep breath, he agreed.

Well, Tony supposed JARVIS would be able to let Pepper know he would be late tonight.

*End Flashback*

Thinking about the title of the article, Tony couldn't help but chuckle mentally. So, this is what she did with all the info he gave her. Tony was surprised when he didn't see her using it for the next month after their dinner. When he asked her, she said she was keeping it for a moment she would gain the most by publishing it. Tony could only accept the fact then.

Before he could think of it any further, his phone began ringing. He was surprised to see the name on the screen: 'UN Secretary'.

Tony frowned and answered the call on speaker; even though he was frowning, he kept his voice cheerful as ever, "Madam Secretary, to what do I owe the pleasure? After all, our call is scheduled for next Thursday."

Tony could hear the small smile in the woman's voice as she answered, "You are right as usual, Dr. Stark. I just thought you would appreciate a heads up beforehand."

Tony tilted his head in confusion and asked carefully, "Heads up about what?"

The woman on the other side of the phone took herself a moment before responding, "Due to recent events that included the Avengers, Wakanda especially, along with many other countries demanded that the accords be signed sooner than previously planned."

Tony felt his heart stop for a moment, and he asked tightly, "How much sooner?"

The secretary let out a heavy sigh before replying, "As soon as possible; current prediction stands around two years."

Two years?! During the last meeting they had, the accords weren't supposed to come into effect for another five at minimum. There were still so many clauses Tony couldn't possibly allow into the official document; the legal team he assigned to this matter was already working overtime.

Now, there was no chance for them to get the entire thing up to what Tony could consider beneficial. Still, they had little choice in the matter, not that this would stop Tony. It might be harder to change laws after they were announced, but not impossible.

Tony shook his head and talked back toward his phone, "I appreciate the call, Madam Secretary."

The woman chuckled and said, "Always a pleasure, Dr. Stark," before she ended the call.

Tony leaned back in his chair and released a heavy sigh. As if he didn't have enough issues on his plate.

"Those accords are the documents you sent me to read?" Bruce asked when he came to sit next to Tony.

Tony nodded, and Bruce's face frowned as well. "That will be a problem, Tony."

Tony chuckled without any humor and responded dryly, "Tell me about it, Brucie-bear. We'll just have to deal with the blow when it comes."

Bruce could only nod in agreement and to reassure Tony, "Whenever it comes, me and the other guy will help you."

Tony smiled at him, then he saw the new compound and said, "Looks like we're here."

Bruce looked over Tony down the window and his eyes widened. "It's huge, Tony."

Tony just smirked. "I know."

FR FR FR FR FR

Tony entered the room with a smile and called, "Steve! It's been a while, old man."

Steve was standing in one of the meeting rooms of the new compound. He was wearing casual clothes, as in a white t-shirt and khaki pants. The moment he landed, Friday already told him that Steve asked to meet with him, though Friday put an odd emphasis on the 'ask' part as if she didn't approve.

Steve turned toward Tony, already having that disapproving frown on his face that made Tony's chest clench a little. His voice was dry as he said, "Tony, you should have been here when we came."

Tony frowned in return. "I was in Sokovia, helping to fix the damage we caused."

Steve began to glare at Tony as he retorted, "You mean the damage you caused, by building a murder bot you kept a secret from the team."

Tony had to hold back the wince from both the accusation and the glare aimed at him; still, he tried to reason with his friend, "I was cleared from that. Bruce and I had nothing to do with Ultron; it was all Hydra."

Tony hoped Steve would be glad to have Hydra as the culprit of this, so he could say he defeated them again, but something was different this time; it looked like Steve was looking for a way to blame him specifically.

The blonde's glare grew harsher, and he said in an intimidating voice, "Don't shift the blame so you can shake away the responsibility of your actions, Tony. Howard would be very disappointed in you."

Tony could feel his palms clenching into fists at the mention of the bastard who hated Tony for most of his life and killed his mom. Tony barely noticed it, but he could feel something warming up inside of him.

Steve then seemed to exhale heavily but still spoke flatly as he announced, "And that is why you are no longer a member of this team."

Tony's hands went slack, and he reeled back in shock. "Excuse me?!"

That was when another voice, a deceptively soft one, spoke from behind him, "You must see it's for the good of the team, Tony. Until everyone can trust you, it will be better to give them some space."

Tony turned to see the newly arrived Black Widow who stood there with what was obviously a fake apologetic look.

Tony's heart ached with the implication that the team didn't trust him anymore, even though he was pretty sure she was exaggerating. After all, he knew at least Bruce was on his side, as well as Rhodey.

Romanoff seemed to notice his moment of silence and decided to push on, "And with Pietro and Wanda now on the team, you have to understand it will be better to give them a chance to settle here before bringing up the past, which they will always relive as long as you are here."

Tony could point out a lot of things that were wrong with that statement, but he held his tongue and instead replied with an emotionless voice, "Fine. I'm off the team, got it."

Tony was about to leave when Steve called to him again, "Tony. One more thing. Our new recruits will need their own cards to access the Avengers accounts."

Tony frowned. What Avengers accounts? Tony was the one to pay for everything that he and Natasha were buying using those cards. Not to mention how incredulous Tony felt that the man had the gall to demand more of him after kicking him out of the team.

Natasha probably read his expression as she gave him another mock apologetic look and said, "Don't forget, Tony, you are under contract as a consultant, even if you are no longer a member of the team."

Tony scoffed internally. That contract went out in flames when they burned down SHIELD. Still, as much as it pained him, the world still needed them for now, and as he learned today, he would just have to tolerate this for another couple of years before the UN would take over.

He gave them both a curt nod of understanding before leaving the room.

Chapter Text

Tony leaned his back against the wall of the hallway and began to rub his temples. Even though he was now twenty years younger than his actual age, right now he felt twenty years older.

Tony was also wondering what the unusual warm feeling was he felt spreading in his veins; even with the arc reactor inside, he had never felt something like that.

Before Tony could ponder it any longer, he heard Bruce's voice calling out to him, "Tony, how did it go with Steve?"

Tony chuckled without humor and replied, "Oh just great, so apparently, I am off the team... Not that I was a part of it from the beginning according to Romanoff."

Bruce blinked at him incomprehensibly for a moment before exclaiming, "They what?!" He then went on to rant, "That's rich! Well, guess what—I never wanted to be on it as well."

Tony blinked at Bruce before shaking his head. "You really shouldn't be saying it, Brucie-bear."

Bruce's fists clenched tighter, and he growled, "Like hell I shouldn't! The only reason..."

"Hey, what's going on here?" The voice of Clint filled the corridor as he and Thor turned the corner to enter the one he and Bruce were standing in. Clint then gave a small smirk to Bruce and said, "Usually when Bruce is that angry, he is green."

Before Tony could even say anything, Bruce cut in grumbling, "Rogers just took Tony off the team."

Clint frowned, shaking his head trying to deny what he just heard. "You have to have got it wrong. I mean, no way Cap and Nat let someone from the family go."

Tony wanted to believe it as well; he did believe until a few minutes ago, and that's probably why the next words out of his mouth carried some bitterness. "Well, unless there are other ways to understand the phrase 'off the team,' I think they are doing just that."

Clint shook his head once again, still trying to think of ways to make sense of all of this.

It seemed like all of them forgot about the presence of a certain Viking during the exchange and only remembered him when, without a single word, he stomped his way to the room Tony just left.

He pushed the door a little too hard, not causing the door to fly off the hinges, but certainly denting it. Though what truly startled Tony, and probably everyone else in the compound, was his angered scream, "Friend Rogers, what is the meaning of your action?"

The three men left in the hallway exchanged uneasy looks before following Thor to see what would happen. Tony tried to stay behind and hidden by Clint and Bruce, not wanting to draw the attention of Steve and Natasha again.

Steve and Natasha seemed to be stuck blinking at the blonde god. It took them a moment to shake their shock off, and Steve asked Thor with his usual disapproving voice, "Thor, it's very rude to enter the room like that. And what is it that you are asking about?"

Thor, completely ignoring Steve's admonishment of his entrance, frowned and replied to the blonde idol as if it was obvious, "I have heard that you have removed Friend Tony from the team."

Steve seemed to be caught off guard again, until he caught a glimpse of Tony behind Clint and frowned. His voice of disapproval grew harsher by a few degrees as he addressed the engineer, "Really, Tony? You will cause team infighting to get your way back into the team?"

Tony had to fight very hard against the full-body wince he felt at the captain's words, or more accurately, accusation. Clint stepped aside to fully cover Tony from Steve's gaze and retorted, "Whoa there, Cap, no need to jump to those conclusions. Tony didn't want any of it; me and Thor just wanted to understand what's going on."

At this point, Natasha chose to push her way into the conversation, "You have to see the reason in it, Clint. Stark was the one to create Ultron behind the back of the team. It's because of him that an entire nation is gone. It would be a bad look for the Avengers if he wasn't punished. Taking him off the team is us showing leniency."

Tony was shocked by her words. Is this really how they see it? Because from Tony's point of view, all of that was a pile of bullshit.

During his time in Sokovia, the UN and the USA government cleared him and Bruce from all responsibility in the creation and crimes of Ultron, so there would be no hit to the reputation of the Avengers by keeping him on the roster.

In fact, Tony would argue that right now he and Bruce generated the best reactions from the public as they were the only ones who showed up in Sokovia to help build it back up as fast as possible for the people.

On the other hand, recruiting the Maximoff twins so early would be sure to bring some bad attention to the team.

Clint seemed to disagree as well as he retorted, "Don't forget I was an agent too, Nat. I can see the news just like anyone else, and I know Tony and Bruce were cleared of that shit, so care to try again?"

Tony noticed Natasha pursing her lips tighter, something he came to associate with her being displeased. But before the spy could find another way to convince her best friend, Steve spoke in a firm voice that didn't allow for any further argument, "Enough of this. Clint, it doesn't matter what the news is saying; Tony made those mistakes and needs to pay the price. I, as the team leader, can make any choice that I feel is in the best interest of the team, and this is my choice. Tony is off the team."

There was a tense silence for a long moment before Thor's voice boomed, "This is a grave disservice for the heroic actions of Friend Tony. I will not allow such an insult to stand."

Clint shook his head and cut off any response to Thor by saying flatly, "No point, blondie. Nat and Cap are not going to budge on that; I can see that on their faces."

Steve gave Clint his proud smile and said happily, "Glad you understand, Clint."

Clint narrowed his eyes at the leader of the Avengers and immediately responded, "Didn't say that, Cap. I just know when I'm looking at a lost cause. And anyway, it's not like it matters much to me from now on."

Steve frowned at the response he received and asked carefully, "And why is that?"

Clint shrugged and answered calmly, "I was going to talk with you later, but I guess now is as good a time as ever. Now that a lot of people know about the farm, I feel like it will be the best time for me to retire and be with my family more. So, I quit."

Steve's frown turned into a scowl, and Tony noticed that even Natasha was holding back from frowning as she tried to softly call out, "Clint, think about that for a moment. Stark was never even a real member of the team. Remember my assessment, so if he is the reason you..."

Clint cut her off with a slightly annoyed tone, "Tony has nothing to do with it. Like I said, I wanted to bring it up later anyway." Then he shrugged and added with a small smile, "But if you want to look at it as a protest walkaway, I have no problem with it. Not exactly wrong either."

Steve didn't look too pleased by this development, but didn't look like he was about to argue any further either.

He was further annoyed when Thor spoke next in a dramatic manner, "Aye, I agree with Friend Clint. I have a journey I must take beyond the nine realms and as such can no longer take part in the Avengers team. Let it be known as well that I disagree with the course of action Friend Rogers chose in this matter."

Steve's fists clenched and he started to say, "Thor..." before trailing off, realizing he didn't have a good argument to force the prince of Asgard to stay.

"You can count me out too," Bruce was quick to add. So far he had kept his silence so he could stay as calm as possible, but he finally spoke, adding his own resignation.

This time a look of surprise did pass across Natasha's eyes before she shut it down and spoke with a seductive tilt to her voice, "Come now, Bruce, how are we supposed to have any time together if you just leave the team?"

Bruce snorted. "Just more reason for me to get away from here, Romanoff."

Natasha seemed to be taken aback by the words Bruce spoke, and Steve was quick to defend his second in command, his voice firm and disapproving, "Bruce! This is no way for you to speak to your teammate, especially someone who cared very much for you."

Bruce snorted even louder this time before answering with a slightly mocking tone, "Yeah, cares so much she pushed me off a cliff. And as for the first thing you said, I refused to be part of this team from day one. The only reason I joined some of the missions you carried out was because Tony asked me. No Tony means no Bruce as well."

Natasha seemed to be annoyed by the ultimatum and exchanged a look with Steve that went over Tony's head. It felt like there was something in consideration here beyond what they said and what Tony knew, which left him quite curious.

After a moment, Natasha looked away with a heavy sigh, as if she didn't like the result of the stare-off but knew she couldn't change the blonde's mind.

Steve looked at Bruce with a very disappointed look and said in a matching tone, "It's very sad to see you can't put the needs of the world above your own feelings, but if this is your choice, so be it."

Tony was surprised about that. Steve just lost both Thor and the Hulk; with Tony himself kicked out, there were no powerhouses left on the team. True, Steve and Nat would be enough to defeat most spies and soldiers, but against stronger opponents that Hydra might be hiding, they might find themselves stomped without a powerhouse.

And all of that just to make sure Tony stayed off the team. Now Tony began to suspect there was far more than just the leader disliking him; it began to feel like some hostile takeover mixed with conspiracy.

After a moment of silence, Clint shrugged and turned toward the door. "Anyway, we should get going. Us not-Avengers guys have other things to do."

Tony agreed and was the first to head out, followed closely by Clint and Bruce; finally, Thor left as well after throwing a side-eye at Steve.

There was some tense air between the four walking down the corridor, so Tony tried to break it with a light conversation, "So, Pointbreak, leaving Earth for a while, are you?"

Thor's stiff body sagged a little and he said casually, "Aye. The vision I saw requires my immediate attention."

Tony almost forgot about the vision everyone else saw; Thor really did look the most distressed about them. He decided to inquire carefully, "Something that worried the god of thunder?"

Thor nodded seriously and responded with an absent-minded tone, "The Infinity stones."

Tony frowned. Infinity stones? Sounds like some video game or something. "Umm, what are those?"

Thor's eyes widened as if he just realized what he said and shook his head with his usual confident smile, "A conversation for a different day, my friends."

Tony felt a little uneasy but let the subject go and with a teasing smile changed the subject, "I hope you at least planned to stop by Jane's to say bye."

The four of them just exited the building into the fresh air of the afternoon sun. The scenery around them was much better than anything in NYC; the large green fields were surely a nice change of pace, at least in Tony's opinion.

Thor frowned a little, responding with a clueless tone, "I had no such plans. I had planned to call Heimdall from the patch right there."

Tony glared at the blonde god and retorted, "Do you have any idea how much I pay the gardeners here?"

Thor just chuckled awkwardly. The four of them stopped near the entrance to the building.

Clint threw a pity look toward Thor and said casually, "You know, if you want to still have a girlfriend when you get back, you really should talk with her."

Thor froze and rubbed his chin in thought, before a smile spread across his lips and he laughed, "Very well, my friends! I shall take your wise advice and meet with lady Jane before my departure."

He took a step away from them, seemingly ready to fly away before hitting himself in the forehead and turning around. He reached for something inside his belt and quickly threw it to Tony.

Tony barely managed to catch it, and when he looked at what he was holding, it was a stone with a series of runes carved into it. Tony looked up at Thor's smug face and said, more as a question than anything else, "Thanks?"

Thor smiled at Tony and his booming voice filled the entrance, "Think nothing of it, Friend Tony. In a time of need, press the stone to communicate with me. Though bear in mind this is a one-use magic."

Tony stared with awe at the stone in his hand. This was a multi-realm communication device; the ideas and experiments running through his mind right now were endless.

Still, Thor's booming voice drew him back to reality as he announced, "Until we meet next, my friends." And with a swing of his hammer, he flew away. Tony could only wonder if he had any idea where he was flying to, because Tony sure didn't.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Tony and Bruce were sitting in his jet on their way back to the Stark Tower in New York. After finishing construction on the new Avengers compound, Pepper demanded the name of the tower to be returned back, and Tony saw no problem with it, so he just signed the papers.

Of course, Steve didn't like it one bit. As soon as he found out, read as Natasha told him, he began throwing a tantrum about how the tower was the Avengers' home and Tony had no right to change the name, especially without the approval of Steve himself.

Tony could only shrug and point out that the building was property of Stark Industries and if they wanted to change the name there was little Tony could do, which was technically a lie because as a majority shareholder, he could make the decision.

But Tony was a businessman that was trained in the art since he was a child, and he knew that sometimes you had to give the board something so next time you want something it will be much smoother. Giving up the name of the tower was a small price to pay so he could keep funding the Avengers.

Tony would have explained it to Steve, but the last time he tried, the American idol accused Tony of intentionally using terms he couldn't understand so Tony could get the upper hand and get his way over Steve's decision as a leader.

Tony shook his head, reminding himself it was no longer his problem to deal with. Steve took Tony off the team, so he can no longer expect Tony to follow his lead because of the blonde's position.

This being said, Tony also knows that he has to keep the Avengers running and ready for when the rest of the forces from the first invasion return to Earth to finish the job. Lately, Tony was getting a very bad feeling about the entire alien situation.

With panic and anxiety no longer clouding his mind every time he thinks about what he saw on the other side of the portal, something seemed off to Tony. He vaguely remembered a ship that was ten times the size of the ship that he destroyed with the nuke, and that ship looked like the leading one.

If those aliens did have a leader that was just sitting back to watch how things play out, it means they were taking it easy on them, something Tony had a feeling wouldn't happen again.

To be honest, Tony is a little surprised they haven't tried to attack Earth again yet. There could be a few reasons for that.

One was the distance from Earth. Without the tesseract to open a portal, they might still be making their way to this planet.

Another, and the more worrying one, was that the enemy decided to gather more forces before attempting an attack again, so they could ensure victory the next time.

Tony took a sip from the glass in front of him. It's times like that he wished the golden liquid in it would be brandy as it once was instead of the juice he drinks nowadays.

He looked out of the window next to him at the bright blue sky and the fluffy white clouds beneath them, taking in the peaceful scenery.

Tony hoped that the Avengers' number would grow as well in the time since they gathered for the first time. After all, the six of them barely held the first wave of the invasion in New York. If the enemy returned with larger forces, they would be done for as is.

Tony was monitoring many of the so-called enhanced people across the globe, hoping to boost the team, but when he pointed it out to Steve, all he received was a stupid answer of "all team members must be proven on the battlefield as heroes."

Tony had to grit his teeth and keep silent because he could see that Steve wouldn't budge on it. All Tony could do is hope that when the time came, everyone would gather together to protect the planet, and that they would be enough.

Tony kept his eyes on the horizon as he took another sip from his glass. Before his thoughts could spiral any further, the familiar Irish voice of Friday made him smile. "Boss, you have a phone call that I think you should take."

Tony raised an eyebrow at the closest camera, wondering why Friday didn't mention the name of the caller like she usually did. Still, as a holographic screen appeared before him from the table he was sitting at, Tony turned his head from the window.

He glanced at the sleeping form of Bruce before turning to the screen and saying, "Well then, baby girl, better put it through."

Tony could hear the mischievous tone in her voice as Friday said cheerfully, "Right away, Boss."

Before Tony could figure out the source of amusement his AI was experiencing, the screen was filling with the face of a woman. Her skin was light, with a slight tan; her hair was long, curly and brown. Her usually calm and warm brown eyes were filled with a mix of worry and anger.

Before Tony could even fully comprehend the image of the woman on the screen, her screaming "Anthony Edward Stark!" startled him.

Full name. Damn, no matter if it was Pepper Potts or Laura Barton, this is never a good sign. Still, he tried putting on his charming smile and said cheerfully, "L. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Her eyes narrowed even further as she retorted with an angry tone, "Oh, I don't know, how about almost dying?!"

Tony chuckled a little nervously; he raised both his hands in a placating manner. "Please, Laura, all this anger can't be good for the baby, so just calm down. I'm all good now."

Laura took another moment to glare at him before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

She still had a frown on her face as she scanned Tony when her eyes were opened. Eventually, her eyes widened, and she spoke in a voice full of wonder, "I thought Clint was exaggerating, but you do look like you are twenty years old again." She then smiled slightly, adding lightly, "I'm a little jealous."

Tony laughed for a moment before teasing her back, "Well, all it will take is a bullet to the lung and some hospital stay with Extremis involved."

The light mood immediately disappeared, and Laura's eyes narrowed again. "I wish you wouldn't joke about stuff like that, Tony. It worries me how low in your priorities your own safety is."

Tony felt a familiar pang in his chest, and all he could muster was to quietly say, "Laura..."

But before he could finish his thought, a new voice broke into the conversation, "Hi, mom, are you still talking with Uncle Tony?"

Laura's frown turned into a forced smile as Lila and Cooper jumped onto her lap and entered the frame. Laura was about to answer Lila when Cooper spoke, "I didn't know Uncle Tony had a brother too."

Tony and Laura both chuckled at the obvious confusion of the kids. After a moment, Tony smiled at them and said, "Don't worry, Mini agents, it's all me, your Uncle Tony. I just started to take better care of myself, I guess."

Lila was pouting all of a sudden and said in an upset voice, "I didn't like pretending to not know Uncle Tony. I won't do it again." She finished, announcing with all the determination a seven-year-old could muster.

Laura petted her head gently, saying in her motherly voice, "It was for the best, honey, and I promise you won't have to again."

Lila seemed to be satisfied with the answer. Laura was right; after all, it would be better if the rest of the Avengers didn't know about his relationship with the Barton family.

It all started with the fall of SHIELD. Nick tried to convince Steve to only release the Hydra info, but Captain America, the ever-righteous man who didn't think a step beyond the end of the battle, was adamant about releasing all the info as is.

The moment Steve left to intercept Pierce, Nick called Tony. The Director of SHIELD couldn't delete the info in the time they had before Steve made his move, neither could he delay Steve, so instead, he opened a back door for Tony so he could monitor the information and try to erase as much as he could before it reached the wide World Wide Web.

Among the files of all the agents, he saw the documents about the Barton family in Fury's private servers. Without a second thought, Tony sent JARVIS with a couple of Iron Legionnaires to the farm.

Clint was quick to call him and start demanding how he even found out about the farm, far less sent a couple of his suits there. He was quite aggressive and accusatory about it.

Before Tony got the chance to explain, he was swarmed by his operation to save as many agents as he could. By the time he finally managed to check with Clint again, he found out that some crime organization that Clint once was part of during his circus days came for revenge.

Clint said there were too many of them; that while he fought a few of them, another group managed to sneak close to the house. Laura was already pregnant and couldn't defend herself or the kids.

But before they could enter the house, the units Tony sent activated and began to take the attackers down. One of the units even came to help Clint take down the first group.

All in all, it was only thanks to Tony that their entire family survived the ordeal without a scratch.

Clint and Laura insisted Tony join them for a thank you dinner, especially after they saw his exhausted state at the end of 72 hours of Operation Safe Haven.

The dinner was a big success. Tony was a hit with both Laura and the children. The fact Tony helped Clint with his issues after the whole brainwashing thing already earned him a good first impression, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Still, Clint wanted his family to stay a secret even from the Avengers, so he made Tony promise not to tell anyone about it, and in return, Tony asked him not to tell anything to Natasha about it.

Tony felt a little uncomfortable with the redhead knowing about his part in the family she herself considered to be a part of. The kids were instructed to never mention Tony when they were with the spy, but this was the first time they had to ignore his existence directly, which apparently didn't sit well with them.

Cooper looked at Tony for a long moment before finally saying, "You will come visit us soon, right, Uncle Tony? Even dad is coming home for a long time now."

Tony smiled back and said, "Of course, kiddo. Once I finish dealing with some stuff, I will be sure to drop by."

Laura sighed before saying, "Okay, we have things to do here, so we will let you go for now and will hold you to your promise just now." Her eyes then narrowed behind the heads of the kids as she said in a serious voice, "And our little conversation is far from over, Tony."

Tony chuckled nervously, trying not to gulp too loudly in fear before nodding his head. With that, the screen went blank, and Tony felt himself relaxing.

Tony closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, from which he almost jumped when Bruce's voice spoke, "It's always funny when they make you squirm like that."

Tony glared at Bruce, who was still lying on the couch with his eyes closed. Tony was about to retort when he felt the jet landing.

Frowning, Tony looked out the window to see they indeed landed on top of Stark Tower. Because of Laura's call, he didn't even notice when they entered the city.

With a sigh, Tony began following Bruce out of the jet into the elevator leading to their floors.

When they were standing in the elevator, it suddenly hit Tony what Bruce said, and he turned to ask him, "Wait, what do you mean, THEY making me squirm?"

The elevator reached Bruce's floor, and he left through the open doors with an amused chuckle.

Tony just sighed tiredly and left the elevator a moment later, after all, his floor was one above Bruce's.

The moment Tony entered his living room, someone who was sitting on his sofa jumped up and began advancing at him while screaming, "Tony Stark!"

Tony's body stiffened, and the only thing he could think of was, 'Why the hell is everyone so angry today?'

Chapter Text

Before Tony could even blink, both Darcy and Jane were on him, scanning his entire body from head to toe. For a moment there, he thought they were going to take off his clothes so they could check for any marks on his skin.

After allowing them a long moment of inspection and feeling like they were really beginning to consider removing his shirt, Tony spoke up, "Hello to you too, ladies. You got here fast, didn't you?"

Weren't they supposed to be in Texas or something for Jane's research? That's one hell of a distance to cover in the couple of hours it took Tony to get here after Thor left them.

Tony's eyes widened as the option occurred to him. Thor! Did he use the Bifrost to teleport the girls here?!

Darcy shrugged in her usual shameless way and said, "Janey here wanted to pick your mind on something she is stuck on, and I wanted to see if my new taser was ready."

Tony sighed. Darcy had been constantly annoying Tony about that taser for over a month now. He should have never promised to make it for her, but she had to use the puppy eyes on him, and he couldn't say no.

The three of them met during the dark elves attack about a year back. After they took Selvig out of the mental hospital hosting him, there were so many troubles to smooth over that Nick called Tony so he could help.

Tony was in the middle of a meeting with Steve and Natasha about new equipment that wouldn't end, and thanks to Steve's rule of leaving all unnecessary electronic devices out of the meeting room, Tony didn't see any of the messages from Nick until after Thor defeated the elves.

Still, he got there as fast as he could, and when he did, he started by helping Phil and his secret team to clean off the area without endangering themselves. It was after that, he was on his way to his jet when he heard Thor's booming voice calling out to him.

At first, Tony was confused; he and Thor were never really close. Thor always seemed to be more like Steve—punch first and try to fix the problems it caused later, if at all. But that day, something seemed different about him.

After talking with the Asgardian prince, Tony understood. The death of his mother affected him more than anything else. Seeing his mom saving the love of his life not with pure strength but with cunning mind stuck deeply with Thor.

As well as his mother's lessons to him on how to be a good king rather than a strong king. With that, Thor asked to learn from Tony how to fight with one's mind as well as one's muscles.

Tony was so shocked he just agreed without thinking about it, to the delight of the blonde alien. Thor then didn't waste another moment to introduce his girlfriend and her friend to Tony, claiming he was meaning to do so for a while.

Jane apparently was a fan of his and had stars in her eyes when they met. Tony remembered only at that moment that his foundation for independent research was the one to fund most of Jane's equipment, something she wasted no time thanking him for.

Tony tried to wave it off, saying he did it for the sake of science as Jane's research intrigued him and he saw the potential of it. Which had the opposite effect of adding Thor into the mix of thanking him for the opportunity to meet, in his words, "The fair lady Jane."

After that, everything calmed down. Before Thor left, he asked Tony for the favor of keeping his eye on Jane in case something happened. Tony could only agree.

After that, he began talking more and more with Jane and Darcy, both of them somehow becoming friends with him. Each time Thor would visit Earth, he would spend his time either with Tony or with Jane, often all three (more like four) of them would end up in the same place for a day or two.

Tony sighed and tried to lie smoothly, "It will take a little more time, Darcy. I still have to..."

He was cut off when Darcy's face was inches away from his. Tony could only blink at the invasion of his space before Darcy went on the attack, "Oh no, you are not pulling this one on me, mister. Friday already told me you finished with it."

Tony turned his head to glare at the closest camera and said, "Traitor."

Unlike usual, no response came from his baby girl, and Tony could only sigh. When he turned back, he expected to meet Darcy's face again. But again, what he saw was Jane pulling her friend away while scolding her about rudeness.

Darcy pouted and tried to retort, "But Jane, he promised!"

Jane sighed, "Can you really blame him for having second thoughts? I'm afraid to think what you'll do with it."

Darcy looked offended between the two of them for a moment, then she huffed and turned to sit back on the couch.

Tony shook his head with a small smile, "Don't worry, Darc, you will have your taser before you leave the tower." He did promise, after all.

Jane actually looked scared for a moment before she let it go and just accepted it. She turned to Tony with a raised eyebrow, "So dying, huh? I've been there."

Tony chuckled and said casually, "Not my first time."

Jane's face darkened, but before she could say anything, the elevator's doors opened, and another familiar voice called out, "Tony."

Tony sighed and steeled himself for what was going to come next. With a large grin on his face, he turned around and said cheerfully, or at least he hoped it would pass as much, "Pepper, it's been a while."

The blonde woman in a business suit narrowed her eyes as she advanced toward him. "Of course it was. First, you fight a robot, and then you are off to Sokovia; you didn't even bother to call and tell me you are back." Then she glanced at Jane and Darcy, who did their best to look innocent, and added, "And I see you're already entertaining guests."

Tony's face paled a little, and he began to quickly deny, "Wait a minute! Jane and Darcy were already here, and I just got back, I swear."

Pepper's eyes bore deep into Tony's, and he already knew what she was doing. She was sizing him up. After all these years she worked with him, Pepper learned when Tony was bullshitting and when he was honest.

After a moment, the current CEO sighed and said in a much warmer tone, "I'm glad to see you are okay. Even more than that, by the looks of it."

She was talking about how young he looked. Jane then spoke up, "Yeah, I mean, I didn't want to be rude, and Thor did tell me what happened, but still, it's hard to believe it's you, Tony."

"You know what they say, a vial of Extremis will keep death away," Tony tried to lighten the mood with his parody.

There was a deathly silence as everyone stared at Tony with very concerned glares, even the speakers gave off static tones portraying Friday's own distress.

The elevator opened again, and Happy strode inside without a care in the world and said in his usual tone, "Hi, boss, heard you are back."

The bodyguard paused when he noticed the tense atmosphere and looked around; when his eyes landed on Tony, he stepped back and pulled out his gun.

Tony was surprised; sure, he looked different, but come on, no one reacted to it by pointing a gun at him! Tony raised his head and said loudly, "Happy, it's me!"

The gun wavered, and the chubby man looked at him with a shocked expression as he yelped, "Boss?!"

Pepper sighed and decided to finally intervene, "Yes, Happy, it's Tony." Then she looked up at the closest camera to her and said firmly, "Friday, schedule another session with Dr. Walker for Tony."

Happy said, "Yes, Honey," at the same time Friday's voice filled the room saying, "Yes, ma'am."

Even with his intellect, Tony felt a little overwhelmed, and he started to throw questions, "Wait, did he just call you honey? And why do I need to see Dr. Walker again? I thought I was done with her after my panic attacks stopped."

Pepper decided to take a seat on the couch closest to the exit and pointed for Tony to seat next to her.

Tony felt apprehensive but complied nonetheless. After he was sitting, Pepper locked her eyes with him and began speaking, "You had another panic attack a couple of weeks ago, but I let it slide because it was one-off, but when you speak like that, Tony..." her voice grew softer and more worried as she finished, "It's a red flag. You need help; a lot happened in the last two weeks, and it's the best for you."

Tony was touched that Pepper still cared this much about him. Even if they weren't dating anymore, they were still best friends, and that meant a lot to him, so all he could do was nod in acceptance.

The mood got lighter for a moment, until Tony's eyes narrowed at Happy, making the other man squirm where he stood as Tony asked, "Now about the honey thing..."

Pepper sighed again—Tony noticed a long time ago it was something she was doing often around him—before saying, "I hoped to find a better time to talk with you about it, but since Happy blurted it out..." She threw a small glare at said man, who began to sweat even though the temperature in the room was comfortable, before looking at Tony again and finished, "Happy asked me out last week, and we decided to try dating."

Tony could hear some whispers coming from behind him, and he could only suppose that it was Darcy and Jane already going over the new gossip they just overheard.

Tony did feel a small pang in his heart, but it quickly was replaced by warmth as he smiled and said genuinely, "As long as both of you are happy, I will support you with everything I've got."

Pepper smiled at him and said in a mixture of relieved and happy voice, "Thanks, Tony, it means a lot."

Happy then added from behind Pepper, "Yes, thanks, Boss."

Pepper's face then changed; Tony knew that expression—it was her business face, as he called it. Her voice was measured and calm as she said, "I do have some business with you, mostly dealing with the board's worries."

Tony leaned back on the couch and asked tiredly, "What do they want now?"

"The Avengers." It was the response he received from Pepper. He expected as much, to be honest.

Tony sighed and said calmly, "They wanted them out of the tower, so I did just that. I know the compound is a bit expensive, but most of the money came out of my private account, so they have nothing to complain about."

Pepper shook her head; her voice remained calm as she said, "It's not about the compound; what's done is done." Tony turned to look at her with confusion. Pepper pulled out her tablet and handed it to Tony.

Tony looked at the numbers presented on the document, and his eyebrows climbed to his hairline as he asked incredulously, "What is this?"

Pepper nodded in agreement with his sentiment and explained, "The Avengers' last spending report."

Tony looked over the data on the screen again as if he was seeing it for the first time as he thought aloud, "I know I gave them cards so they could order food, clothes, and things like that..."

Pepper finished the thought for him, "But those numbers are far exceeding anything like that. And it's not all."

Tony felt a pit forming in the bottom of his stomach; the numbers were bad enough, and now Pepper had more. With fear growing in his heart, he swiped his finger across the screen to show him the next tab.

What he saw confused him even more and made the pit in his stomach grow. Those logs showed unauthorized use of the Avengers' jet, many of them for the past year. What worried him most was the fact he didn't know about it, even though at the time he was supposed to be still a member of the... Oh right, Natasha did say they never acknowledged him as anything more than a consultant.

Tony put down the tablet and sighed. As much as he wanted to know what was going on, now was not the time to start anything like that. Ignoring the growing pit in his stomach, he said as confidently as he could, "I'm sure Steve has a good reason for it, and he knows what he is doing."

Pepper scoffed in clear disagreement, never having been one to like the American Icon. Still, by now she knew better than to argue with Tony about this matter and instead voiced the current problem, "The board will not allow this to go on without a solid reason."

Tony nodded in agreement and explained, "They don't have to; I got a call from the UN today. The superhero accords they were talking with us about for the past three years... they will be here sooner than we thought."

Pepper's calm face cracked a little to show the surprise she felt at the news. After a moment, she asked, "How soon?"

Tony raised two fingers and answered, "Two years at most."

Pepper leaned forward, an eager look in her eyes as she asked, "And what then?"

Tony shrugged and answered as if it was the most obvious thing, "We sign it, and all the responsibilities of the Avengers label will belong to the UN and their Accords council."

Pepper stood up with a large grin on her face, obviously satisfied with the answer. She said, "I can hold them off for that long. It was good to see you, Tony; call me when you have some time this week."

Tony nodded his agreement, and both Pepper and Happy left his floor back inside the elevator.

After they were gone, Darcy broke the silence, "So what are you going to do now, Tony?"

Tony leaned back on the couch; it was a good question.

Chapter Text

Tony was just finishing preparing the pizza he promised Lila and Cooper as the Bartons were supposed to arrive at any moment now.

Tony didn't actually plan for them to come so soon; Tony just saw Jane and Darcy off a couple of days ago, and it was on his way home that he got a phone call.

Flashback

Tony was driving back to the tower after dropping Jane and Darcy at the airport. He did offer them to use one of his jets, but after hearing that report from Pepper, they didn't feel comfortable with the idea and just used their already bought tickets.

He decided to use the hour he still had on the road to catch up with a little work from SI when Friday's voice cut in, "Boss, you have a call from the Barton family."

Tony raised an eyebrow and said, "Put it through, Fri."

Without another word, the screen on the back of the seat in front of him turned on, and the face of Clint Barton filled it. Tony smirked a little and asked calmly, "What's going on, Legolas?"

Clint glanced over his shoulder and whispered into his screen, "I just wanted to point out whatever happens next was completely their idea."

Tony blinked in confusion and began to ask, "What do you..."

He trailed off as the screen Clint was using was snatched out of his hands, and a familiar voice asked sternly, "And what are you two talking about?"

A moment later, the face of Laura Barton replaced her husband's, and she looked at Tony with a hard stare that demanded an answer, so Tony blurted out the first thing coming to mind, "Just business as usual, L."

Tony only once before dared to underestimate this woman, and he still internally flinched when he remembered the consequences of that. That is the reason he was glad when, after a long moment, her eyes lost some of their hardness. Tony took it to mean she accepted his excuse, even though he could see in her eyes she didn't buy it in the least.

Tony was about to ask what they were calling about when Laura beat him to the punch, "I heard from Pepper that you were working without any rest since we talked."

Tony looked away from the screen and rubbed the back of his head, saying with a nervous chuckle, "Well, thanks to the whole Ultron thing, I had a lot of work piled up, and I just wanted to catch up, so I..."

She cut him off again in a stern voice he heard her using toward Cooper before, "You decided to exhaust yourself just after you finished healing from the brink of death."

Tony rubbed the back of his head a little nervously and replied with, "I wouldn't say it like that."

"But it would be right," Laura insisted with a glare. Then her face softened, and she sighed, "I think it will be better if we come visit you for the weekend."

Tony immediately realized that if he agrees to it, then he will have no time for anything else but the Bartons the entire three days. Trying to salvage the situation at least a little bit, he tried to argue, "How about I visit the farm instead?"

Laura snorted and was on to him immediately, "So you could cook up an emergency and go back to work?"

Tony blinked at how fast she figured it out and was about to ask how when Laura smirked at him and answered the question he was about to ask, "I've known you for a year now, Tony; you're not that hard to figure out for a mother with sharp instincts."

Tony sighed in defeat before an idea popped into his mind, and he was quick to point out, while trying to make sure not to smile, "You are nine months pregnant; you should stay close to home."

Tony felt smug with his victory before his heart froze as he noticed the smirk never left Laura's face. She shook her head and said casually, "I still have two weeks before my due date, and both Cooper and Lila came a week later, so I should be good for the weekend."

Tony just nodded in acceptance of his defeat. How the hell has a housewife just outmaneuvered him?!

Laura clapped her hands and said, "Good, then it's settled. See you soon, Tony; better be prepared for a child storm."

With that, the line went blank, and Tony felt even more tired than he felt an hour ago.

End of Flashback

Tony sighed again. Just remembering it was causing him to get tired again.

FR FR FR FR FR

Tony stood in the entrance to the landing pad on top of Stark Tower as the jet he sent for the Bartons landed.

The moment the doors opened, two missiles left it and headed straight toward him. Tony barely had time to brace himself before two bodies collided with his own.

Somehow, he managed to keep himself up as four small arms embraced him. Despite himself, Tony looked down with a smile and said, "Hello to you too, mini-agents."

The kids chuckled and raised their heads to look up at him with the brightest smiles he could remember before saying in unison, "Hi, Uncle Tony."

Tony raised his hands to ruffle the kids' hair and asked, "How are my two favorite Bartons doing?"

"I'm hurt, Tony. Saving each other's lives doesn't make me the favorite?" Clint said as he walked slowly next to his very pregnant wife.

Tony smirked. "When you'll be as useful as the mini-agents, I'll consider it," he said playfully.

Clint gasped with mock offense, but before he could say anything, one of the bodies attached to him shifted, and Tony looked down at the pouting face of Lila who said, "Don't be a meany, Uncle Tony."

Tony wasn't sure if she was referring to messing up her hair or his comment to her father; anyway, Tony just smiled at her without any words, which oddly seemed to satisfy the girl as her frown turned upside down.

Tony looked up again and said enthusiastically, "Well, we should go inside. I'm sure mommy over there would love nothing more than a seat."

Laura raised an eyebrow at Tony and said with a small edge to her voice, "Careful, Tony, that almost sounded like you were trying to insult me."

Tony could feel a shiver go down his spine, the same shiver he felt when Loki held him by the throat and got ready to throw him out the window.

Tony forced out a chuckle and tried to save himself, "Of course not, L. I would never dream of it." Before anyone could say anything else, Tony turned around and said, "Now let's go to my floor, and I will show you your rooms."

As he turned, Tony saw Clint was smiling at him, full of amusement. Tony wanted to call him out on it, but drawing attention to himself right now would be a bad idea.

Once they were inside, Tony showed them to their rooms—one for the kids to share and another for the parents. Tony tried to prepare it in a way that he thought would be most comfortable for them after receiving a tour in their farmhouse.

FR FR FR FR FR

Tony was sitting with the kids watching some new Disney movie. He sat in the center of the sofa with a kid under each arm as they were smiling at the large screen across from them. On the sofa next to theirs, Clint and Laura were cuddled together as well, but unlike the kids, they weren't watching the screen; rather, they were watching Tony with the kids with a smile on their faces.

While Tony felt warmth spreading in his chest at being part of this family moment, it was contradicted by the pang he felt in his heart thinking about how he never had that with his own parents, and never would because one of them chose to kill both of them and leave Tony all alone in the world.

Alone. Tony had felt this emptiness for a while now, since he and Pepper broke up, and honestly even before it. Tony began to believe he would never find the kind of wholesome feeling that Clint and Laura had.

Maybe he was just destined to die as Iron Man. After all, he was lucky so far by barely surviving alien and AI takeovers; the next global threat might just be his end.

That thought once again brought conflicted feelings to Tony, but before he could delve any deeper into those thoughts, he felt the weight on his shoulder increasing, and he looked down to see Lila leaning further into him.

The little girl smiled widely and kept watching the screen while saying, "I like the new Uncle Tony; you are really soft."

Tony chuckled, but before he could reply to the girl, Friday's voice filled the room, "Boss, you have guests that want to meet with you."

Tony raised an eyebrow at the closest camera and asked, "And who exactly is that?"

"The Maximoff twins," came the easy reply from Friday.

Tony could feel himself stiffening a little. He wasn't sure how he should take it. While it's true that after he left the compound, the three of them were on better terms, he was still apprehensive with them.

Clint, though, perked up and asked cheerfully, "Are they now?"

Laura raised an eyebrow, asking curiously, "Oh, those are the twins from Sokovia, right?" After receiving a nod from Clint, she smiled. "Oh, I would like to meet them."

With no other choice seeming available in the moment, Tony sighed and said, "Show them the way in, Fri."

Friday's voice turned perky, and she said, "On it, Boss."

Cooper looked up and asked, "Who are they?"

Tony forced a smile on his face and cheerfulness to his voice, "Two new members of the Avengers."

Before anyone could say anything more, the elevator dinged, and the doors opened, revealing Pietro and Wanda Maximoff wearing casual clothing and relaxed faces.

When they stepped inside the room and scanned it, they froze, probably not expecting four extra people and the Disney tune coming from the TV.

Lila and Cooper jumped from the sofa and stopped short of the Maximoffs. They looked up at them with stars in their eyes.

Pietro, ever the social one, smiled at the kids and said, "Hi there, kids."

Lila squealed, while Cooper immediately asked, "Are you two really Avengers like Uncle Tony and dad?"

Tony and Clint flinched at the question, something that Laura didn't miss but the kids did. Pietro struck a heroic pose and began, "Oh, we are the best..."

He was cut off when Wanda slapped him upside the head and reprimanded him, "Stop boasting, idiot." Then she smiled down at the kids and answered, "Yes, we are new members of the Avengers."

The kids seemed to bounce in place with happiness at meeting other heroes of the Avengers. Tony cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him so he could ask, "So how can I help the two of you?"

Wanda looked away awkwardly while Pietro's face turned serious, and he said, "Clint mentioned something a while ago about terrorists capturing you."

Tony could hear two small gasps filling the room, and Tony had to hide the wince his body tried to perform. He tried to keep his voice calm, "I believe the entire thing was covered well enough in the news."

This time it was Wanda who spoke with a heavy tone in her voice, "Hydra lied to us about why you were gone for three months, so we had to read back a little, and still there is a lot that we noticed was missing from those reports. I tried to ask Romanoff and Rogers, but they seemed to be very... uninterested with the topic."

Tony was surprised at the fact. He thought that Natasha would take an opportunity like that to spin her own tale to the girl. But that was when it hit him: Natasha didn't know about the little conversation Tony had with the twins. Both she and Rogers thought that the twins despised him, and as such, there was no reason to put in an effort to make him look bad.

Tony's mind raced with a few ideas, and in the center of them all... Tony took a deep breath and said, "Fine, I will tell you everything..."

Before Tony could finish, he was interrupted by Laura, who doubled over and screamed in pain.

Clint was at her side a moment later, stepping into something wet. He blinked once before screaming, "Shit, your water broke."

Laura snapped right back at him, "You think so, genius?!"

Tony quickly pulled out his phone and called a familiar number. It took only a moment for a female's voice to come from the other side, "Tony?"

"Helen, where are you right now?"

Helen probably noticed his urgent tone and answered immediately, "I'm at the medical wing, working on the New Cradle project."

Usually Tony would ask about the status of the project, but right now there was only one thing on his mind, "I have a woman in labor here; can you help?"

Helen sighed deeply, saying, "What the hell did you do this time, Tony?" Before he could voice how offensive this comment was, the woman on the phone spoke again, "Get her to the medical wing as fast as you can; I've already begun preparing for delivery."

Still offended, Tony simply hung up the phone and looked at the Barton adults, "We need to take her to the twentieth floor where the medical wing is; Helen is already waiting for you."

Tony felt a gust of wind caressing his face before Laura was in the arms of Pietro. The speedster smirked and said, "I can handle it." He then turned to Clint and added, "See you there, old man." And with another gust of wind, both Pietro and Laura were gone.

Tony could only feel relief at his forethought of warning Helen once she came back to work a couple of days ago of the situation with the Maximoff twins; otherwise, the reunion right now might be... tense.

He could hear Wanda cursing under her breath; he didn't catch all of it, but he did hear a few words like "...idiot... pregnant... speed."

Tony shrugged and said, "I guess we should just head out."

Clint was still in shock, so Tony had to guide him to the elevator while the kids took each of the female Maximoff's hands and followed her into the elevator as well.

FR FR FR FR FR

Tony was standing with Clint, Pietro, his sister, and the kids around the bed where Laura was laying with their new baby resting on her stomach.

Helen just left after announcing that both the baby and Laura were completely healthy, and the kids were stretching to get a glimpse of their new brother.

Clint was close to his wife, and the two were whispering with each other. Tony could only smile at the scene, and he noticed so were the Maximoff twins.

Clint then looked up at him and said, "Hey Tony, why don't you come look at your godson?"

"Sur..." Tony froze before he could finish, his smile slipping off and his eyebrows jumping to his hairline before he said, "My what?!"

Laura smiled and said softly, "Nathaniel Anthony Barton, your godson."

Before Tony could protest about either the name or the position, Cooper voiced his own grievance, "I want to be Uncle Tony's godson too!"

"Me three, me three!" Lila shouted as she jumped in place with a raised hand.

Clint smiled fondly at his kids and informed them, "Oh, you don't have to worry about it. He already is."

The kids cheered while Tony's face began to heat, and he screamed at the top of his voice, "When the hell did I sign off on that?!"

Clint smirked at him and said casually, "Oh, you did. Don't forget I'm a spy after all; getting things without anyone knowing is what I do."

Tony's jaw moved, but no response came out of his lips; he could think of no response. He heard laughter coming from the Maximoff twins but ignored it.

He stepped closer to the bed and looked down at the baby. In that exact moment, the baby looked up at him. Tony couldn't help the smile on his face and whispered under his breath, "Nathaniel Anthony, huh?"

Chapter Text

The past forty-eight hours were... confusing to Tony. Since Nat was born, Laura spent the last two days in the medical bay under the careful watch of Helen.

Unfortunately, it meant Tony had to visit the medical bay itself, and without an immediate crisis in her hands, Helen managed to get a good look at him and immediately went on a spiral that ended up with Tony on the examination table himself with Helen researching the effects of Extremis on his body.

She told him it would take her some time to fully analyze all the samples she took, and she would update him once she had results.

But even outside of that, what was really awkward was hosting the Maximoff twins in the tower.

The two still wanted their answers, and considering the Bartons took a liking to them and asked them to stay for the weekend as well, they didn't have much choice but to accept.

Tony would have liked to avoid them as much as possible; Lila, on the other hand, seemed to have her own plans and just kept pulling the two into each activity—from watching movies, to meals and visits to the medical wing.

On one side, Tony would like to be his usual bombastic self around the kids, but with the Maximoffs' presence, he felt it would be a bad idea to act like that and draw attention to himself while everything seemed calm.

Of course, to their credit, neither Pietro nor his sister looked to have any similar issues; after the initial surprise, they integrated themselves into the group quite easily, so it looked like Tony was the only one unfamiliar with the situation.

Right now, all of them were sitting in Tony's living room. Tony on an armchair across from the others. Lila and Cooper were sitting between the Maximoff twins on the big sofa, while Clint and Laura sat on the smaller one, with the baby carefully cradled in his mother's arms.

Clint kept glancing at his phone. He was trying to reach Natasha for the past two days with little success. When Pietro found out about it, he informed them that Rogers took his group on some mission he said they didn't need to know anything about yet.

When Tony heard it, he frowned; he didn't remember any authorization to leave the country going through any channel, and that worried him more than anything.

It was a headache Tony didn't want to deal with. He couldn't wait for the accords to be official.

Tony realized he couldn't keep dragging this conversation any longer, and with a sigh said while glancing toward Laura, "I think it will be for the best if you and the kids went to do something else, L."

Before the woman could even respond, the kids immediately jumped in protest. Cooper was first, claiming, "I'm a man now; I can handle everything!"

While Lila's protests were more along the lines of, "I want to know more about Uncle Tony!"

Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration as he said as calmly as possible, "Look, this story isn't exactly PG rated; there is a lot of... adult theme in there, and not the scandalous type."

Laura raised her hand, stopping Tony's protest and insisting, "I will allow them to stay and listen for now." Then she turned to her kids with a firm look. "But if I tell you to use those headphones Tony gave you, you will do it until I tell you otherwise, are we clear?"

Immediately three voices spoke as one, "Yes, Ma'am."

There was silence for a long moment as Tony looked around at all the eyes that were on him now; the most intense ones seemed to be those of Ms. Maximoff and Laura.

With a deep breath, Tony began, "I guess we should start during December 1991."

Clint frowned, "When you were 17? Wait, why is that date familiar?"

Tony leaned back and looked up at the ceiling; he wanted to try and hide the tears that were trying to form in his eyes as he said with forced calm to his voice, "Because that's the day my father decided to get on the wheel drunk and kill himself and my mom in an accident."

There were a few gasps of shock around the room. He heard Laura's soft voice calling out, "Tony..."

But Tony immediately cut her off, waving his hand and kept talking, "The point is that after that day, Howard's COO Obadiah Stane took control over the company, at least until I finished studying for my first doctorate."

"Wait a minute, you have a PhD?" Clint asked in a surprised tone.

Tony looked down from the ceiling toward him with a raised eyebrow and corrected the bow user, "Three of them actually. What did you think I did in MIT for years?"

Clint leaned back, scratching his chin while speaking, "Huh, never thought about that. Then technically you are Doctor Stark."

The kids began to bounce on the sofa screaming, "So cool!"

Tony just sighed and pushed on, "When I came back to the company at 21, it was... different. Stane kept trying to push me away, told me to focus on the R&D and leave the day-to-day business to him. In the beginning, I wanted to do my best and tried to push my way into board meetings and so on; I was even good at it, if I dare say so myself." Tony added the last part a little arrogantly.

Clint chuckled and said sincerely, "Anyone who saw you deal with SHIELD wouldn't be surprised."

Tony gave the archer a quick smirk before his face turned grim again as he went on to the next part, "When Stane caught on, he began pushing me to self-destruct..." Tony heard a gasp coming from the seat where the female Maximoff was; he ignored it and went on, "Drugs, women, drinking, and so on. Later I found out that he did it to both push me away from the company and to discredit me in the public eye."

"But why?" was a question asked by Pietro.

Tony tried to act as casually as possible by shrugging while saying, "Keep me away so he could start selling under the table, that if I figure out what was going on and try to rat him out, no one would believe the drunk playboy who wants complete control over the money of his company."

Laura looked at him with such a sad look as she said with a voice filled with pain, "Oh, Tony..."

Lila suddenly was standing in front of Tony with a firm look that could match her mother's and asked in a surprisingly intimidating voice, "You are not doing these bad things anymore, are you, Uncle Tony?"

Tony gulped and tried to back away as much as he could while sitting on the armchair; he immediately began stuttering, "N..No, I...I know b...better n...now."

Lila seemed to scrutinize him for a moment before nodding firmly and going back to seat next to Wanda.

Tony shook his head and went back to the story, "Well, I guess we are fast-forwarding to 2008. Stane kept pushing me to build a new weapon, one that would awe the army into a new contract... after a while, I created it. But apparently, it wasn't enough; Stane insisted that the best way to sell the weapon would be a personal demonstration on site."

He looked back toward the ceiling as he spoke about the next part, "At that time, I just wanted to escape a little; I wanted some freedom from myself, from Stane's constant watch, so I agreed easily." Tony then closed his eyes, trying to push the memory that was surfacing away. "Everything went smoothly in the beginning, until the ride back. In the middle of the road, a charge went off, and the terrorists began to attack the van... the soldiers... they tried to protect me and... and they died because of it. I knew staying in the van was as good as asking for death, so I tried to run away. I got behind a boulder and tried to call Stane or Rhodey, but that was when the Stark bomb landed right in front of me."

"You too... Just like us." Tony's eyes snapped to the voice that said it and found Wanda staring at him with wide eyes and tears pooling in her eyes.

Tony didn't feel comfortable with that level of sympathy from her and tried to joke the entire thing off, hoping it would release some of the tension inside of him, so with a dry chuckle he tried, "Yep, that bomb literally had my name on it."

"Tony!" Laura gasped, scandalized before she began scolding him, "That's nothing to joke about."

Clint cleared his throat, drawing his wife's attention to him; with a small smile, he said, "We should let him have it, honey. And on the subject, I think what comes next will be more R-rated."

Laura let out a deep sigh and looked at the children, "Kids, headphones please."

Lila and Cooper pouted, but nonetheless kept their promise and complied while putting their headphones on. Those headphones are a special compromise Tony achieved with Laura during one of his visits.

The main idea is that when those are on, Friday is the one narrating whatever Tony is saying to the kids, while keeping out the traumatizing details and replacing them with a broader explanation. So, the kids will stay in the loop without hearing things they shouldn't.

With everything else in place, Tony tried to swallow the bile rising in his throat and began speaking again, "When the bomb went off, I felt a pain in my chest, but I was wearing a protective vest, so I tried to reach out and find the pieces I thought were stuck in my chest; instead, the last thing I saw before passing out was the crimson color spreading over my chest. The next thing I remember was waking up on a medical table with the feeling of someone digging in my chest..."

Tony noticed the four adults flinching at the description, and Tony actually felt the same way, but instead he acted as if he didn't see it and pressed on, "There is another flash of me tied to a chair in front of a camera, which I only later learned was a message to Stane that he didn't pay the terrorists enough for them to kill someone like me."

Tony had to pause again when he heard Clint murmuring about assassination plans against some bald dead man.

Tony glanced wryly at the former SHIELD agent before choosing to just move past it and keep telling the story, "When I was fully awake, I was panicking. I was in a cell, hooked up to a rusty car battery. There was another man there, and he told me about the shrapnel of the bomb he took out of my chest and the ones that were too close to my heart, so he had to insert an electromagnet into my chest and use the car battery for energy supply."

Pietro looked at him with large eyes and asked, "Did... did it hurt?"

Before Tony could reply, his sister reached over the kids' heads and punched the silver-haired shoulder while saying loudly, "You think?! He had a magnet buried into his chest, and that was after the bomb damaged his heart!"

"A lot of people would say it wouldn't be possible to damage what doesn't exist," Tony tried to bail Pietro out with a joke, which worked partly. The fire was sure off Pietro as now all six people in the room were glaring daggers at him.

Tony cleared his throat and began speaking again before someone would try to open the subject, "Anyway, by the time he finished explaining everything to me, one of the terrorist group came inside our cell; he took me to a tour around their base. That was the first time I saw it... My weapons, the ones I created to protect American soldiers from people like that, were in the hands of monsters." Tony barely noticed how his voice still carried the anger he felt that day he found out.

"You really didn't know," It was the whispering voice of Pietro.

Tony wasn't sure how to react, so he chose to keep talking instead, "After he showed me everything, he offered me a deal. If I built the missile I demonstrated, he would set me and my cellmate, Yinsen, free."

Tony was about to continue but was cut off by Laura, who spoke in a reassuringly soft voice, "No one will blame you for taking the deal, Tony; it's the reasonable thing to do."

Tony was surprised by the comment, and even more so when both Maximoff twins nodded in agreement. Tony tilted his head and confusingly said, "I refused."

The words barely left his lips before Clint was on his feet shouting, "Are you insane?! People like that don't take no for an answer; they would..."

Clint's voice trailed off, not wanting to say the words, so Tony finished for him, "Torture me. Waterboarding specifically."

Tony has no idea what the kids were hearing right now, but even they gasped in horror.

There was a long moment of silence as even he didn't know how to proceed from that. But a whisper of "Why?" broke the silence.

Tony turned toward Ms. Maximoff with a tilted head and asked, "What?"

Her green eyes stared straight into his as she shouted, "WHY?!"

Chapter Text

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what you are talking about," was the only response Tony could give.

Her fists clenched, and the female Avenger frowned at him before asking with a raised voice, "You knew what they would do to you, and they offered you freedom, so why did you refuse?!"

Tony leaned back in his chair while keeping his eyes locked on her as he answered, "Well, there was the fact there is no way his offer was real. He would kill me the moment he had what he wanted from me. That's to say I had about a week left to live as it was, so I didn't see the point of giving them what they wanted." Tony paused as he looked away from her and added, "Well, then there is the main reason. I had no intention of letting those monsters get any more of my weapons, no matter the cost."

The magic user seemed to form tears in her eyes as she spoke quietly, "You never wanted others to be hurt by your weapons. You were willing to die for the safety of everyone else."

Tony just shrugged. "No need to be so dramatic about it. I never wanted to get into weapons to begin with. All I ever wanted was to leave a better world behind. Howard used to tell me a safer world is a better world, and the only way to create a safe world is to keep everyone else in check with your own power."

Clint snorted out the word, "Bastard."

Tony chuckled a little. "Yeah, Aunt Peggy never seemed to agree with his opinion either."

"It couldn't be how the story ended." Everyone looked at Pietro confused. "I mean, Tony's still alive, so they didn't kill him, and he came out of it with an Iron Man suit."

Everyone looked back at Tony, looking forward to the rest of the story. Tony sighed before saying, "Fine, fine. So yes, they tortured me for a couple of days, but I still refused. That was when Yinsen talked some sense into me. I pretended to submit to their request and then used all the resources to create the first Arc reactor, and from there I used it to power the first Iron Man suit. I escaped, built the more advanced model of my armor, used it to get rid of all my weapons in the enemy's hands. Stane tried to kill me again, I fought him, he died, and so on."

Tony felt exhausted as he finished telling this story. He knew he kind of skipped a lot of important things toward the end, but there was barely strength left in him to keep going; maybe another day he would tell them more.

"There is more," the female Maximoff whispered.

Tony tried to hide his exhaustion, but he had no intention to keep talking about the past anymore; those days only served to increase his anxiety, and Tony had to work very hard to reach the level he is at now.

So instead, he shrugged and said as casually as he could, "Of course there is; the life we are living... there is always more trouble waiting around the corner."

It was only when the room descended into silence that Tony began wondering if what he said was the wrong thing.

Clint's voice called out, "Tony, are you okay?"

Tony could feel his heart rate picking up, his breathing became hard to control, and his thoughts were getting foggy.

The memories were catching up to him; everyone looking at him for answers began to feel too suffocating. Tony quickly stood from his seat and said out loud in a voice that sounded very distant to him, "I... I need the restroom for a moment, sorry."

With that, Tony left the room as fast as he could without being suspicious, or at least he hoped he managed to do that.

He wanted to get to the bathroom and just lock himself away until either everyone left or he got over whatever it was that was coming over him.

Unfortunately, his body began to shake too badly, and his vision was blurring further every passing moment.

He managed to notice the kitchen on his left and reached the sink before his legs finally gave up on him, and he was forced to slide down to the floor, his back leaning against the cabinets under the sink.

He wasn't sure in what direction his head was pointing because by that point his vision was completely black. All he could feel was his brain buzzing as if a host of bees was flying around inside his head; his chest began to ache with the rapid breaths he was taking.

Just before his hearing went to hell as well, he thought he could hear footsteps coming closer to him and someone calling out to him.

But right now, all Tony could see was outer space; air was nonexistent for him, and still, when his eyes landed on the familiar scene of an alien armada advancing toward Earth, he tried to breathe as hard as possible. The breath stuck in his throat deprived him of the pleasure though.

Even the buzzing in his head began to dull slowly as Tony realized distantly that he was about to pass out.

Then all of a sudden, the scene in front of him was hidden by screens that dropped out of nowhere. Even the buzzing began to grow weaker by the moment, as if someone was chasing the bees away.

The ache in his chest began to ebb away as well, thanks to the fact his heart rate was slowing back to the safe zone far faster than any other panic attack he had.

Tony wasn't sure when he closed his eyes, but with the pain mostly gone now, he tried opening them up.

It took a moment for his blurry vision to sharpen back into focus. When it did, Tony was staring into a pair of eyes that had scarlet color circling around them.

He was so mesmerized by the view that it took him a moment to notice the fingers pressed to the side of his head.

The woman in front of him blinked, and when her eyes came back to view, they were green again, and the warmth of the fingers was gone.

Maximoff was on her knees, now leaning further away from Tony and handing him a glass of cold water with her other hand.

Tony was still catching his breath and had a hard time speaking, so he just reached for the glass and began to drink slowly.

As he drank, Maximoff looked away with an ashamed expression on her face and spoke quietly, "I'm sorry I used my powers on you; you probably despise them after what I did to you."

By the time Tony finished the water, his mind was already back in full gear. He gave the woman a small smile. "Of course not." Her gaze snapped to him, her eyes wide. "Powers are just like weapons; it all depends on who wields them. Take Cap, for example—Hydra was led by a super-soldier too. The last time you used your powers on me, you were a different person; now you are trying to be better, and that's one heck of a way to use your powers. So, thank you, Ms. Maximoff."

Tony was surprised seeing tears coming down from her eyes and was surprised even more when he heard her whispering, "Wanda... Call me Wanda."

Tony felt a little awkward with both of them sitting on the floor, one of them in tears, and ironically, it wasn't the one that just recovered from a severe panic attack.

Tony grunted and began lifting himself back to his feet while saying with a teasing smirk, "And here I thought we weren't friends."

Once Tony was on his feet, he offered his hand to Wanda. She stared at it for a moment before grabbing it, allowing him to pull her to her own feet.

Wanda wiped her tears away with the back of her hand before smiling back at him, "I think I heard enough to change my mind."

Tony's smirk turned to a genuine smile. "Then call me Tony." His smile then strained a bit, and he asked, "Umm... the others..."

Wanda tilted her head before realization passed her eyes, and she smiled kindly, and damn if Tony could ever guess she was capable of such an expression, especially in his presence. She then said, "Laura wanted to follow you, but Clint mentioned it's usual for you. Laura rounded on him immediately and started giving him some kind of a lecture. The kids and Pietro are just staring at them and laughing."

"Huh." That's all Tony could find himself saying before he tilted his head and asked, "So why are you here?"

Wanda looked down as she spoke gently, "I could feel your panic attack; it was... intense. I couldn't just ignore it."

Tony felt his heart skip a beat at her last comment. He smiled widely and put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, will you look at that? Hawkeye does have good eyes. He was right; you are definitely hero material."

Wanda's eyes shone, and Tony was worried for a moment she would start crying again. But her face quickly turned into one of worry as she asked gently, "How often do you have those attacks?"

Tony winced. It's not something he wanted to talk about, not even if he was now friends with her. He forced a smile on his face and began saying, "That's nothing to be worry..."

"The truth, Tony," Wanda cut him off with a dry look and a firm tone.

Tony sighed and turned his back to her, his head reaching toward the edge of the sink to lean on it. "They are better now. After New York... I had them every day; now they mostly come when the memories resurface."

Wanda's face remained worried as she tried to ask carefully, "Can you tell me what they are about?"

Tony turned to her with a raised eyebrow, and he asked, "Couldn't you tell when you read my mind?"

Wanda frowned and let out a bitter laugh. "Do you think Hydra would train me to read and influence thoughts? They were too afraid of what would happen if I used it on them." She shrugged and returned to speak casually, "I can sense feelings and manipulate others; that's how I triggered your panic attack back in the base and how I pushed calm feelings to you now. But when it comes to mind manipulation, that's about my limit."

Tony blinked. That does make a lot of sense. Hydra wouldn't train an agent they couldn't control with lies, and there is the fact the men actually responsible for her parents' death were visiting her constantly; it wouldn't do if she could see into their minds and figure it out. Tony had no idea how he didn't see it before.

Wanda cleared her throat, drawing his attention back. Oh right, there was still the question she asked. Well, Tony figured if it triggered him again, Wanda would be able to use her powers, so he began speaking, "Do you remember the New York battle and how I passed through the portal in the end?" Wanda gave him a wry nod. "Well, what we fought on Earth were just the scouts. The aliens had armadas waiting to attack, and they will. Just because we took their portal cube won't stop them."

Wanda's jaw was hanging open before she closed it. She was quiet for a long moment, and it looked like she was piecing a lot of pieces together in her mind before she looked at him and said, "That's why you keep funding the Avengers."

Tony could just nod tiredly. "It's not my ideal situation either, but they will be needed. Without them, this world will not stand a chance."

Wanda looked doubtful and asked, "Are you sure Rogers is the right man for the position?"

This time Tony hid the wince he felt taking over his body, and with a forced smile said, "Steve has some... outdated ideals, but he knows what he is doing." Tony wanted to believe it; he really did.

Wanda frowned and looked away. Tony wondered why she looked so uncomfortable before she took a deep breath and said, "I wasn't sure if I should tell you this, but when you were..." She gulped a little. "Dying. For some reason, Rogers and Romanoff were against the idea of using the Extremis to save you, and I think I felt relief coming off Rogers when the agent said you were about to die. And since you left the compound, Rogers and Romanoff are running around and planning something."

Tony closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. He leaned back toward the sink and tried to shake off the sting he felt in his heart. Even if he had thrown him out of the team, he hoped Steve still saw him as a friend, but he was willing to let him die, and he would feel relief. Tony just couldn't believe it. Captain America would never wish someone would die, would he? Far less a teammate.

Tony shook his head and decided to focus on the last part of what Wanda said. "I'm starting to get the same feeling. I wish I knew what they are up to, but I will have to wait until they are not my problem anymore."

Wanda still looked uncomfortable and said with a small pout, "I would really prefer not to be a part of a team he is in charge of, and so would Pietro."

Tony gave another heavy sigh. "I can't really tell you how to feel, but the Avengers are your community service, so I'm afraid you're stuck with it. But I tell you what—stick around Rhodey; he always knows what the best thing to do is."

Wanda seemed a little down by the first part of his answer but was thoughtful about the second part. She nodded in agreement and with a small smile.

Tony then remembered something. "Oh, can you do me a favor?"

Wanda tilted her head but still nodded. Tony looked down a little as he requested, "Can you please keep an eye on Vision? He is still young, and it would be for the best if he were around people he should trust."

Wanda blinked in surprise before smiling and giving him a wide smile. She was about to turn away when she froze, a small blush on her cheeks as she asked meekly, "Would it be okay if I... I mean Pietro and I visit here often?"

Tony smiled and spread his arms. "My house is your house. Feel free to drop by any time."

Wanda gave him another brilliant smile that set Tony's heart racing for some odd reason.

After she turned and left the kitchen, Tony began following her back toward the living room, but what she said about Steve was still sitting heavily on his mind and gave him a really uneasy feeling. He wished he could look deeper into what the man does without alerting him or Natashalie, but for now, he would have to settle with following their expense reports.

Chapter Text

Wanda was walking down the road into the main Compound building where their rooms were; next to her, Pietro was walking with his hands behind his neck, without a care in the world.

She looked around as the sun was setting over the green fields around the compound complex, illuminating the ground and reflecting off the building. Wanda took a moment to consider its design, as well as the design of the tower and his suits.

A small smile twitched on her lips as Wanda thought to herself that being a genius apparently gave Tony a good eye for design.

Thinking about the man brought a little blush to her face. Even to her, it's hard to believe how the past few weeks changed her view of him.

She went from cursing the man's name with every breath she took to considering him a friend, a kindred soul even.

Tony knew how it felt to lose your entire world in a single moment. He knew how it felt to drown your sorrow with delusion and false pretenses. And still, after so many years of being lost and all alone, he found his way back to his real self.

Well, sort of, at least. She didn't exactly feel it, but with her powers, some of her senses sharpened themselves naturally; one of them is her intuition, which after the reveal of List's betrayal, she decided would be wise to listen to.

Her intuition was telling her that there was still something holding Tony back, as if there was some barrier stopping him from going any further than he had reached, even though he still had room to. But it also felt to her like the barrier was partly self-enforced, like he didn't want to go past it for some reason.

One of the prime examples of that is his dependence on the Avengers. Why the hell did someone like Tony Stark have to answer to people like Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff while at the same time he was the one that provided them with a place to live, money for food, and basically everything else?

In the time she spent with the Avengers, with the exception of Rhodes and Wilson, the rest of them just walked around the compound as if they owned the place, talking about some plan or other while wasting Tony's money.

Though she guessed she wasn't much better in that regard. If the Avengers weren't deployed somewhere, she didn't exactly have anything else to do, and with her probation in place, it's not like she could go and work for some money even if she wanted to.

Still, she would have to think about how she and Pietro could return the favor for Tony. There was no good excuse to use the man's money without any care, even if they were friends now.

"Thinking about Tony, are you?" Her brother's voice drew her back to the present.

She turned her head to see her brother watching her from the corner of his eye with a teasing smirk on his face. He was still walking casually with his arms behind his neck.

Wanda tried to act as innocently as possible and deny whatever it was her twin was getting at. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Pietro chuckled a little before pointing out, "The blush on your face is saying otherwise, or are you into older men and planning how to steal Clint from Laura?"

Ignoring the comment about the blush—she was sure he was exaggerating anyway—she frowned and tried to correct her brother. "You know Tony is about the same age as us, right?"

Pietro shrugged the comment off and retorted, "Is he? Because by all accounts, he is about our age; the only different thing is that he has more memories."

Wanda considered it for a long moment; her brother had a very good point. For all purposes, Tony Stark was in his 20s right now, albeit with far more life experience than the average 20-year-old. Then again, she and her twin could say the same thing.

Maybe her brother had a point, but she would take her time to think about it; after all, just today she and Tony reached friendly status, and pushing it wouldn't do any good to either of them.

And to be honest, she still wasn't sure how he felt about her. He might be friendly and nice to her, but still, she did a lot of awful things to him specifically, so she could understand if this was the best she could hope for from him.

Pietro's smirk was starting to agitate her, and she was about to say something when they reached the entrance to the building, but the words caught in her throat when she noticed a familiar figure standing there, obviously waiting for them.

The moment he noticed them, his face twisted in disapproval, and he said, "You two shouldn't leave the compound without telling me; it's very irresponsible of you."

Wanda had to bite her tongue to not lash out at the blonde oaf. They weren't kids! They were adults that could make their own choices, and Rogers's attitude was annoying her to hell.

Pietro, on the other hand, didn't even try to hide his annoyance. He kept his relaxed posture, but his eyes were narrow and his lips twisted downward as he bit back at the American idol, "You are not our parole officer; we don't have to inform you of every step that we take, so lay off."

Rogers's face darkened, and his voice was calm, but Wanda could sense the anger the man felt at being disrespected. "This attitude is not fitting for someone on Earth's mightiest hero team."

Wanda could feel her twin's annoyance double; she tried to stop him even though she knew it was already too late. Pietro let out a mocking laugh and said in his snarking voice, "No Iron Man, no Hulk, and no Thor—looks like all the mightiest actually left the team."

Rogers glared at Pietro with pure resentment and rage. Wanda didn't want her brother to humiliate the blonde meathead and screw up their probation, so she chose that moment to intervene. "You wanted to talk with us... Captain."

She had to force herself to add the title, and even that was as an afterthought. But it did the trick and mollified Rogers enough to take a deep breath and return his smile to his face as he spoke, "Actually, I was looking to have a private word with you, Wanda."

If it was a request, then Wanda would find an excuse and get out of there as soon as possible, but knowing Rogers was basically issuing a command right now, she could only nod her acceptance.

The fool's smile grew even wider as he turned and called to her, "Great. Follow me."

Pietro gave her a concerned look; Wanda waved him away and said, "I can take care of myself; you go on. I'll catch up as soon as I'm done with him."

Her brother looked reluctant but nodded his agreement and left, leaving Wanda to follow Rogers into a random meeting room down the hall of the same floor.

Once they entered, Rogers turned to her with a bright smile and asked, "So Wanda, you understand why I was worried about you and your brother leaving without telling me—kids like you can get into a lot of trouble without knowing it."

Why the hell could she feel a wave of nostalgia washing over him? And that aside, this man was really irritating her, and she had to once again bite her lip from snapping at him about the "kids" comment. Tony survived torture for three months; she could stand this oaf for a couple of years until they could quit the team too.

Instead, Wanda decided to go with tilting her head innocently and ask, "Is that what you wanted to talk with me about, Captain?"

For a moment, she could feel the man's frustration at her avoiding the question again, before it was gone, and he shook his head. His smile faded a little, and he asked in a serious voice, "Can we talk if you promise to not repeat anything you hear here to anyone, even your brother?"

Wanda was about to refuse on instinct—she was not in the habit of hiding things from Pietro—when she froze. Tony said Rogers was planning something, and he wished he could get a better idea, but doing so would cause him more trouble than it would be worth.

Maybe this was a way for Wanda to help him back a little. If Rogers told her something worth mentioning to Tony, she could pass it along with Pietro; after all, a promise to a man without any sense of real honor didn't matter much to begin with, and if she had to lie to someone, she would much prefer to lie to the blonde across from her rather than her brother or Tony.

So she gave Rogers a curt nod, showing him she was willing to accept the condition without verbally confirming it.

She could feel the relief washing over the fool as his smile widened. "Great. I want you to be a part of my team."

Wanda frowned. "Aren't I already part of the Avengers?"

There was an uncomfortable feeling in the air for a moment before Rogers forced a small smile on his face and started explaining, "You see, I have a little personal mission of my own that I have been running that shouldn't involve the Avengers."

But you have no issue using their money and resources for it, Wanda thought to herself bitterly. After all, thanks to his spending record, Tony already figured as much that Rogers was running his own side operation here; what she needed to know was what it was.

Wanda gave the impression she considered his words before speaking slowly, "I need to know what we are doing before I agree."

Rogers seemed to buy her act as he felt encouraged to go on. "You see, I had a best friend before I was frozen; he was my entire family. I thought he died during the war, but during our victory over Hydra, I found out he is still alive, and Hydra was controlling him. He saved my life when the helicarrier fell and then disappeared; we've been looking for him all this time."

Wanda thought she remembered something about a brainwashed soldier captive Hydra was using as an assassin. What was his name... The Winter Soldier. So that guy was a friend of Rogers's, and he wanted to find and help him. That sounded fine enough, so why did she have a bad feeling about the whole thing?

That was a lot of new information Tony would sure find interesting, but she could still get more, so with a confused tone, she asked, "We?"

Rogers puffed his chest, seemingly proud of the team he had gathered. "Me, Natasha, and Sam."

Wanda cringed on the inside. So basically, what they had was a spy, a fanboy, and a super soldier that, if rumors were right, repeatedly lost to the man he was looking for. That was a shit show waiting to happen, something to tell Tony for sure. Though she felt like there was something else that all of them shared, something that Rogers thought she shared too, and that's why he was inviting her.

Still, Wanda put on a small smile on her face and said as enthusiastically as she could manage to fake, "I would love to join you."

Wanda almost laughed out loud when she felt the amount of joy that filled the stupid American idol after she accepted.

She decided to take a chance and draw one last piece of information from the oaf for today. She tried to look as innocent as possible and asked, "Why not tell Stark..." And it was ironic how hard she found it now to put even that little venom to the name. "He would be able to find your friend pretty quickly."

Wanda almost choked on the dread coming out of the man; it almost felt like he could kill her for just suggesting the idea. He tried to force himself to speak calmly, though she could still hear the edge of panic there. "Stark can't know about it. No matter what, he can't find out."

And that's when she realized what else there was that united Rogers's team—they were all against Tony in one way or another. Oh, yeah, this was surely something he needed to know.

Wanda would play the spy. She would fake her hatred of Tony again, this time to help him. But when the time came and she would have to choose a team, she already knew where she would stand.

Chapter Text

Tony was sitting in his office, and Rhodey was pacing right in front of him, much to Tony's exhaustion.

Rhodey, on the other hand, was furious with himself. "How didn't I notice? It's my damn job."

Tony sighed and tried once again to calm his best friend. "No one expected you to follow Steve's every step."

Rhodey shot him an annoyed look—whether he was annoyed at him or himself, Tony couldn't say. "I was charged to be the army's liaison in the Avengers; that's the only reason I'm on the team to begin with."

Tony knew it, of course; that's why he didn't take any insult when Rhodey stayed on the team after he was kicked out. Rhodey brought Pietro over a couple of hours ago, and the Maximoff twin relayed a message from his sister.

Apparently, Wanda managed to find out a big part of the secret Steve was trying to keep from him—especially from him, according to the magic user—which struck Tony as odd. He personally had no connection to Barnes. Howard did mention him a couple of times, but like everyone else, he believed Barnes was dead, and that was it.

Why was Steve so intent on keeping Tony from this little mission of his? Did he want the full credit for saving his friend? And what did he think would happen if he did find him? The government wouldn't exactly rush to pardon a brainwashed terrorist who was responsible for how many murders, including a former president.

Tony guessed it was a problem to be figured out if it showed up.

Rhodey, meanwhile, frowned and asked, "Why the hell should you fund his little search mission? Or the team in general if he kicked you off?"

Tony scowled at Rhodey, long past this question. "You know why. You know what's coming; we will need as much manpower as we can muster. And as annoying as they are, their experience and strength are valuable." He then sighed heavily. "And anyway, soon enough they will be the UN's problem; I can hold off for that long."

Rhodey sat down across from Tony's desk and leaned forward on it. "I don't like it. You might be right, but on the other side, the Avengers won't be enough; we will need more, and Rogers refuses to recruit to even their ranks."

Tony nodded gravely. "I wish Steve would listen to me and do some interviews; I have some candidates I tried to recommend to him, but he dismissed me quickly."

Rhodey's stare gained a hard glint to it, and he said in a heavy tone, "Don't play dumb with me, Tony. We both know war, and we both know armies. I think it should be clear as day what is going on."

It was. Tony was trying to push the thought away, not wanting to believe it. But with Rhodey shoving it in his face, it was undeniable. Steve was building an army that would be loyal to him within the Avengers, and from Wanda's report, it looked like he was building it to go against Tony specifically.

Tony had to put his face in his palm and ask out loud, "But why?"

Rhodey leaned further onto the table and said heavily, "It doesn't matter. All we can do in this regard is wait and see if Ms. Maximoff will bring any new info. What we do need is to start preparing for war as well; can't allow the meathead to catch us with our pants down."

Tony pulled his face away and asked, "We?"

Rhodey snorted and said in a tone that made what he was saying sound obvious, "Did you really think I would be on anyone else's side? You are like my little brother; it doesn't matter if I have to take on an army of aliens or Captain America—I will stand right next to you."

Tony felt his heart warming at the sentiment. It was moments like this he remembered that no matter what this world threw at him, there was one person he could always count on. Shaking his head back into reality, "What do you suggest we do?"

Rhodey sighed in exasperation of his own before saying, "I know you have a few plans to evolve the Avengers Initiative."

Tony raised an eyebrow at the other man. "So? Steve is not going to listen to me."

Rhodey smirked. "And why ask him? You own the Avengers label. Let him run around the world and build up his little group; meanwhile, we will build a foundation for something much bigger. Do you really think the UN will leave him in charge?"

Tony was surprised by the question. "Why wouldn't they? If they try to remove him, the public will be enraged."

Rhodey looked at him oddly before asking, outraged, "You weren't following the polls lately?"

Tony tilted his head. "Not for a while. Didn't see the point."

Rhodey shook his head in disappointment before calling out, "Friday, if you will please."

Before Tony could object, Friday's Irish-tilted voice spoke, "Of course, Colonel-man." A holographic screen then appeared before Tony.

Before he could even get a chance to read it, Friday was already reporting everything. "As of right now, the statistics in the US are leaning more toward Captain America with 59 percent in his favor and 38 percent to you. There are 3 percent that would prefer if the Avengers didn't exist at all."

Tony shrugged; he figured things would be like that. Actually, he thought his numbers would be much lower. Who thought there would be so many people wanting to see him leading the Avengers?

Friday, as it turned out, wasn't finished quite yet. The chart on his screen was replaced by another one with much different numbers. "Outside of the US, however, is an entirely different story. Captain America is left far behind with 30 percent, while Iron Man is far above with 60, and there is a high number of 10 percent that wish to discontinue the Avengers entirely."

Tony was surely taken aback by that info. Who knew outside of the country he had so much support? Or was it that the Captain America mantle had only so much effect inside of the US? It's not hard to imagine some international individuals wouldn't like the idea of the literal American symbol being the head of a group like the Avengers that operates on a global scale.

Rhodey smiled widely. "You see. I think it would be a good idea if we gather up a team of our own in case it comes down to blows with Rogers."

Tony sighed—he did that a lot today—before saying, "It won't be so easy to do it under the radar."

Rhodey hummed. "Probably not; Romanoff will be keeping tabs on you to make sure you don't get any anti-Avengers ideas, but that doesn't mean she is going to think you are building your own team."

Tony smirked at his best friend. "You are counting on her arrogance to blind her, which I admit is the most likely thing to happen."

Rhodey smirked in return when suddenly Friday spoke, "Boss, you have an emergency incoming call from Christine Palmer."

Tony frowned; he could guess what this was about, but he was still worried, especially when he heard Christine's frantic voice. "Tony, thank you for answering."

Tony used the gentlest tone he could. "Christine. I take it something happened with Stephen."

The woman's voice was still on the verge of panic, but it also had a small edge of relief. "So you heard?"

Tony frowned even more. "Of course. I tried calling him, but he kept sending me to voicemail."

Christine sounded upset when she said, "Of course he did. Did you hear about his last obsession? He blew all his money on those experimental surgeries, and now..."

Tony wanted to calm down the distraught girlfriend. "You don't have to worry, Chris; I will cover his living expenses, no issue."

Christine sighed before speaking, "It's kind of you, Tony, really; it's more than that asshole deserves, to be honest. But that's not the issue. He bought a ticket to Tibet with the little money he had left, and now I'm worried."

Tony's frown turned into a scowl. What the hell do you think you are doing, Strange? Getting religious now, and in Tibet at that? You just have to add to my headaches. Still, he remained calm as he said, "I will have Friday keep an eye out for him; if she spots him, I will get him a ticket straight home."

Christine let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you so much, Tony. It means a lot that you are still willing to help him."

Tony smiled a little. "Even if our friendship is a little strained in the last few years, we are still friends, and I watch out for mine." If he was in a cartoon, Tony was sure a lightbulb would have appeared above his head right now. "By the way, I heard the hospital is giving you some troubles."

She let out a bitter laugh. "Can't really blame them, can I? What would you do if one of your top employees suddenly started to go off work every other day, sometimes without early notice? I guess that's what I get for sticking with Stephen."

Tony immediately reprimanded her. "You should never feel bad for protecting someone you love, Chris. Stephen is in a bad place, and he's trying to push you away; I would know—I was there."

Christine let out another deep sigh—seemed to be contagious today. "You are right; I guess I'm just angry in general, and it's easy to take it out on him right now."

Tony nodded. "I get it. But I do have an offer that can help us both. I'm planning to create a new department in SI, a medical department."

Christine's voice went from depressed to excited. "That's a great idea. With resources like SI's, a medical department will be able to achieve a lot. How can I help?"

Tony smiled widely and delivered the request in his usual dramatic fashion, which caused Rhodey to roll his eyes with a fond smile. "Let me hire you as the co-head of it."

There was a long moment of silence. "Are you serious right now? Is this for real?"

Tony chuckled a little, finding the situation amusing. "Of course I am, as real as the department itself, at least."

Tony could hear the frown Christine was wearing on her face as she asked carefully, "Not that I don't need the job, because honestly, I do. But are you sure the head is the right place for me? I mean, you have Dr. Cho; you have been working with her for a while now—wouldn't she be the better choice?"

Tony kept on smiling. "You might have missed me saying co-head. I intend for you and Helen to work together on it. She's still recovering from the entire Ultron ordeal and can use some help around. And I can think of no one with more experience, kindness, intelligence, and dedication for the work than you."

Christine sounded embarrassed for some reason as she responded, "I... I... Wow, Tony, thanks. I didn't know you thought so highly of me." The cheerfulness returned to her voice as she said, "I would love to join your department."

Tony spread his arms dramatically, which earned him an odd look from Rhodey. Yes, he knew she couldn't see him; he just couldn't help it. "Welcome to SI, Dr. Christine Palmer."

"I..." There were some voices on the other side of the line before Christine's voice came back. "Shit. Got to go and take care of something. Talk with you later, Tony." With that, the line went dead.

Rhodey looked at Tony with a smirk. "Well, you didn't take long to take action, now did you?"

Tony shrugged. "What can I say? I seize the opportunities I see." His voice then turned more serious. "You are right; whatever it is Rogers is playing with, we can't help it, but we can be ready to deal with the results of it when the time comes."

Rhodey smiled widely and proudly at Tony and said, "That's what I'm talking about; let's get an early start on this shit show."

Chapter Text

Tony took another deep breath in front of the house. He didn't visit much in Queens; he usually stuck to Manhattan and Brooklyn unless he had some business elsewhere. And still, it wasn't the reason he was nervous right now.

Before he could think about it any further, he shook his head, keeping himself in the present. Fortifying his courage.

Tony was about to knock on the door when he thought he heard someone arguing inside before a clear shout from somewhere near the door reached his ears, "Peter! You can't keep running away like that; now be ready for dinner soon."

So, the kid was home. That would make things easier and harder at the same time. Again, he was about to knock and was frozen mid-motion when the door was yanked open and an annoyed teenager looked over his shoulder and screamed, "Thanks, Aunt May, but I need to... Umm, study. Yes, I am going to the library; I will see the two of you later."

Before Tony could stop the teen, he went straight into him. Because Tony was ready for the hit, he was barely moved by it; the teen, on the other hand, was forced to catch himself on the door frame so he wouldn't end up on the floor.

He shook his head and looked at Tony. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't..." His voice turned into a high-pitched yelp.

Tony smiled at the boy and asked gently, "Are you okay there, kid?"

All he received in return was another high-pitched sound, and the boy looked close to fainting. Tony was about to say something when a tall—and yes, Tony could admit now that he was single—attractive woman with long dark hair and a few worry lines on her face called, "Peter. You are still here, good. Look, your uncle just wants you to understand that we worry..."

Her voice faded as well when she noticed Tony, but her surprise was quickly overtaken by a frown. "Why are you standing here like a statue when a guest is waiting?" She aimed the question at the frozen boy. Not receiving any response, she sighed. "Would you like to come in, Mr..."

Tony opened his mouth to introduce himself; the boy, however, beat him to the punch, yelping at his aunt, "May! This is Tony Stark! Iron Man!"

The woman's eyes widened, and she began to apologize immediately. "Mr. Stark, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you; my nephew is just... I mean he would never..."

Tony smiled in amusement and cut her off. "It's totally fine. I know I don't exactly look like my old self these days. Is by any chance a Mr. Ben Parker around?"

Both nephew and aunt blinked in surprise before the woman finally managed to shake it off and nod. "Yes. I'm his wife, May Parker. Ben is inside; please come in."

Tony gave her a grateful smile and began walking in. "Thank you, Mrs. Parker."

The woman smiled back at him and said gently, "Please call me May, Mr. Stark." Then she turned to her still shocked nephew and began sternly, "You are lucky we have a guest, or I would give you one long lec..."

Tony cut her off softly. "Actually, I would like to talk with young Mr. Parker as well, if I may. And please call me Tony."

The woman was turning to order her nephew back inside, but the teen had a large grin on his face and walked inside by himself while muttering, "Tony Stark wants to talk with me."

May closed the door before screaming out, "Ben, we have a guest joining us."

A gentle male voice called back, "I will set up the table for one more then."

When the three of them entered the kitchen, Tony saw a man, a little shorter than him with familiar brown hair that already had a couple of silver strands in it. He was wearing a pair of glasses and a soft smile on his face.

The moment the man noticed him, his eyes widened, but his smile never faded away. "Dr. Stark, what a pleasant surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Tony smiled and handed the man the bag he was carrying. "First and foremost, I wish to thank you for saving my life, Agent Parker."

The other man took the bag gratefully before saying, "I was merely returning the favor, Dr. Stark; after all, it was you and Director Fury that worked so hard to make sure all of us were safe after Rogers's spectacular failure."

Tony chuckled. "So how about we put it all behind us? I came here actually looking toward the future." Tony looked around the house, seeing a lot of boxes being packed, as if the family was preparing to move away. "Speaking of it, what's going on around here?"

Mr. Parker looked a little embarrassed before explaining, "Well, with the fall of SHIELD, it's been hard to find a job. I have been doing odd jobs here and there, but that's not enough to keep the house, so we are looking for apartments at the moment."

Tony caught a heartbroken look on May's and the teen's faces, and it made him even more glad that he decided to take Rhodey's advice and look for the family sooner rather than later.

Tony smiled at the man. "That seems to lead exactly to what I wanted to talk with you about. You see, I just opened a new medical department in SI, and I hoped that you might be willing to join the staff; I can always use trustworthy people around."

The Parker male's jaw dropped, and he asked, "I... Is this a real offer, Dr. Stark?"

Tony smirked at him and said dramatically, "Look who you are talking with; of course it's real. Oh, and call me Tony; I really don't care for all those titles."

Ben shook his head before smiling at Tony. "I would love to accept your offer, Tony; please call me Ben."

May clapped her hands happily. "Well, we should celebrate with a meal. Tony wanted to talk with Peter as well, but that can wait until our stomachs are full."

Tony, who didn't manage to eat lunch today, was more than happy to accept the offer. And boy was he glad for it; the food was simply delicious.

While they ate, Ben and May would inquire about some of the specifics of the job offer, to which he usually replied that they would have to talk with the department heads as it was their job—he didn't want to meddle with it. All the meanwhile, the teen just kept staring at him with stars in his eyes.

After May took away the dishes and sat back, she asked, "So what is it you wanted to talk with Peter about?"

Tony hesitated again, his mind going back to the conversation with Rhodey that led him to this place.

Flashback

Tony and Rhodey were sitting in his office going through some of the ideas they wanted to start implementing. One of the ideas was recruiting some new talent.

When Rhodey asked where they should even start with that, Tony was excited to tell him about a few young people that wanted to be heroes and kind of already began doing it small-time. Tony was hoping to provide them with some support and training; after all, he didn't want to see any teen die on the news because they didn't have enough training.

Rhodey approved and asked who Tony wanted to be first, and as an answer, Tony showed him a video of the teen in question.

Rhodey nodded in approval. "He could use some training, and he would be a great Avenger in the future. How do you plan to talk with him?"

Tony shrugged. "Thought I would catch him during one of his patrols in Queens and have a chat with him."

Rhodey raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "How old is this kid? 14? 15? What about his parents?"

Tony tilted his head. "He lives with his uncle and aunt, but considering it looks like he tries to keep it a secret, I thought it would be best to approach him out of earshot."

Rhodey gave Tony a deadpan look. "Their kid is running around getting himself into danger; they should know."

Tony rubbed the back of his head. "When you say it like that..."

End Flashback

So here Tony was. But Rhodey was right; they deserved to know what their nephew was up to, and it worked well for the teen as well. Tony could only guess that all that running around put a strain on the relationship he had with his guardians.

Tony pulled out his phone and played a video he got from hacking a city security camera. The screen showed what was obviously a teen in blue spandex and a red hoodie, hiding his face and jumping between two criminals with superhuman agility.

The video then went on to show that the hooded figure webbed up the criminals, before lifting a car with one hand and pulling a purse that was under it. He then used his webs to swing out of frame.

There was a moment of silence, and from the corner of his eye, he could see the teen sweating heavily. Ben raised an eyebrow at the paused video. "It's impressive without a doubt, but what does Peter have to do with any of it?"

Tony smirked a little and said as if it was obvious, "Oh, the small fact that the person in that video is Mr. Parker here."

Ben's and May's faces snapped to Peter, who frantically shook his head. "No! Y-You g-got i-it wrong, Mr. Stark!"

Tony leaned back in his chair and faked deep thinking. "Hmmm, I will guess your Bug-Kid suit is in your room, in a secret compartment under your rug."

The teen jumped to his feet and screeched, "It's Spider-Man! And how could you possibly know that?"

Tony smirked at the boy, who a moment later realized what he just said. He turned to his family stiffly to be met with his uncle, who had his eyebrows up in his hairline, and his aunt, who was glaring at him.

Peter chuckled awkwardly and sat down as he tried to lie his way out. "I- I mean. I heard that's what he's called, a-a-and I am hiding something else up in my room, not a super suit, not at all!"

Tony facepalmed and mumbled, "Really, kid?"

"Peter Parker! So this is where you are running off to, playing a hero?! Did you even consider what could happen to you?" May ranted at the boy.

The boy looked defiantly at her and said in a confident voice, "I'm doing what you and Uncle Ben taught me. With great power comes great responsibility."

Tony smirked at the boy. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Mr. Parker."

Peter blushed deeply and turned to Tony. "T-Thank you, Mr. Stark! And please call me Peter."

Ben sighed. "I understand what you are trying to do, Peter, and it's admirable; I'm very proud of you. But you also have to consider yourself in that. You can't help anybody if you get yourself killed, and without any training or support, I'm afraid it will happen sooner rather than later."

Peter looked down, obviously having no retort for the logical points his uncle was making. So Tony decided to intervene. "That's why I'm here." He looked Peter in the eye and asked seriously, "You want to be a hero, right?"

Peter's eyes shined brightly as he replied wholeheartedly, "That's all I've wanted since you saved me during the Stark Expo."

Tony remembered. He remembered a kid facing off one of the droids, an Iron Man mask on and a homemade repulsor aimed forward. A small smile twitched on Tony's lips.

Ben turned to him with a frown and asked, "Are you intending to make Peter an Avenger at his age, Tony?"

Tony shook his head. "As you might have heard through rumors, I'm no longer part of the Avengers. Right now, I'm working on a new program, and part of it will include young talents like Peter here so they could receive the training and support they need for a future in this line of work."

Ben began smiling when May cut in with a suspicious tone, "What exactly will your offer include? Will he have to drop from school and leave the house?"

Tony shook his head. "No. I have a couple more candidates in mind that are around the same age as Peter. I intend it to be more like a club. They will come to the tower a couple of times a week after school. Of course, the program is just starting now, so there will be a few issues to iron out as we go on."

Ben and May exchanged a long look, as if they had an entire conversation telepathically, before Ben turned to Tony with a smile and said, "We will be glad to accept your offer, Tony, but I suppose the final decision will be Peter's."

Tony turned to Peter with a raised eyebrow. The boy jumped to his feet and screamed out, "To be trained by The Tony Stark?! Of course I agree!"

Tony clapped his hands with enthusiasm matched to the teen's and exclaimed, "Then we are in business. You will be a hero."

Chapter Text

"Okay, so run it by me again why I'm here?" This was the tenth time Clint asked the same question.

He and Tony were standing inside an elevator that was going toward the top of one of Manhattan's tallest buildings. Why? Because apparently there was a candidate for their new program there.

Tony sighed as he answered, "Because this one is a big fan of yours, and I would like for you to give your opinion on her and see if you'll be willing to train her if she chooses to join."

Clint frowned and asked, "How the hell is a 14-year-old teen a fan of mine? Usually that's Nat's demographic, no?"

Tony winced a little. "It was until a couple of years ago. After the senate hearing, her reputation took a deep dive. But I agree with you; no teen has any place being your fan."

Clint scowled at Tony and shot back playfully, "Like you're one to speak, playboy; at least I'm a family guy."

Tony smirked at him and retorted, "Sure you want to go there, Legolas?"

Clint sighed before conceding, "Yeah, I guess you have a point. What's her name, by the way?"

The elevator dinged, and the door opened as Tony replied, "Kate Bishop."

The two walked out to be met with a tall man with a mustache that honestly screamed 'cartoon villain' in Tony's mind. The man smiled and said politely, "Mr. Stark, Mr. Barton, it is an honor."

Tony shook the man's hand. "Mr. Duquesne, it's a pleasure. I have to thank you for allowing us this opportunity."

The man smiled widely and shook his head. "None of that, Mr. Stark. If I'm being honest, I have my own ulterior motive. You see, young Kate still has a hard time accepting me; I hope this visit shall endear me more to her."

Clint chose to speak at this point. "I understand you. Our dear girls are both a blessing and a curse sometimes; my own has her stubborn moments."

The French man chuckled. "I couldn't say it better myself. I must thank you very much, Mr. Barton; Kate has been a big fan of yours since I met her. This chance you're offering her will mean the world."

Clint smiled. "It's our duty to inspire the next generation as well."

The man's smile grew wider, and he pointed toward the balcony. "You will find Kate practicing her bow out there."

Tony thanked the man again, and the two of them headed toward the open double doors that led to the balcony.

What they saw was a girl, about 14 years old with raven hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a purple track suit, standing at the edge of the balcony, aiming a bow and arrow toward a target that was hanging on the opposite wall of the balcony.

The arrow flew and missed the target by a few centimeters, but considering the size of the balcony, Tony still considered it an impressive shot for her age.

Even Tony was startled when Clint said loudly, "You need to lock your right elbow and adjust your bow with the direction of the wind."

The girl yelped and dropped her bow while staring at them with wide eyes. After a short moment, she composed herself and asked in a tone that still couldn't hide her shock, "Iron Man? HAWKEYE?"

Tony smirked and replied with a small, mock bow, "That's us, little lady."

The girl frowned and asked, "Why are you here?"

Tony shrugged and said casually, "I heard that you wanted to be a hero because of Legolas here."

The girl smiled a little and nodded, going on a little ramble, "Yeah. I saw you during the alien invasion four years ago. You jumped and shot so many of them down with just a bow and arrows. You were super cool, and I want to be just like you when I grow up."

Clint frowned at the girl a little. "I'm glad I could help you back then, Kate, but I hope you also saw how many times I almost died. Actually, the only reason I didn't is because shell-head here kept an eye on me and pulled me out of tight spots."

The girl's fists tightened at her sides, and she asked with a frown, "Do you think I can't be a hero like you?"

Clint shook his head and said seriously, "That's not what I'm saying. I want you to understand the dangers of your dream and to keep in mind that working alone never ends well; you will always need a team with you if you want to walk out of the bigger fights."

The girl looked down in deep thought for a long moment before nodding to herself with resolution. She looked up at them again with determination. "So if I get a team, can I be a hero like the two of you?"

Tony was surprised to be included in the statement. Clint smiled down at the girl and said kindly, "With this mindset, I'm sure you will be a great one."

The girl's eyes shined, and Tony took the chance. "Speaking of that, I think you will be interested in what we came here to offer you."

Tony began explaining the new program they were recruiting for; the girl's eyes began to shine. When Tony finished speaking, the girl looked at Clint with forced calm and said, "I, I would like to accept, but my mom..."

Clint laughed and patted the girl's head, which caused her to pout a little. "You're talking with the futurist here; do you think he wouldn't be ready for this?"

Kate looked at Tony with a tilted head, and Tony was happy to explain. "Your mom might not have agreed to it, but she signed full parental rights to your stepfather, who already signed the necessary paperwork for you."

The girl blinked in surprise before a frown began tugging at her brow. Tony sighed and tried to talk gently, "Can I give you a piece of advice? Sometimes the people that should care about us the most just have other priorities, and we miss those who do care for us even when they don't have to."

The girl's entire body tensed, and she bit out at Tony, "How would you know, rich boy!"

Tony looked around the penthouse they were in with a raised eyebrow. "Pot calling kettle black?" The girl blushed in embarrassment a little, but to her credit, she didn't move her glare away from him. Tony sighed. "Look, my dad was an asshole who cared more about his precious Captain America than he ever did about me; the one who raised me was his assistant Jarvis, and for that I love the latter while I spit on the first."

The glare the girl aimed at him was replaced by wide eyes, though she still looked tense. Tony had no idea what else he could say; he really did his best.

Clint decided to break the tense silence. "So what do you say, kid? Up to give your dream a shot? Just remember, we archers... we don't miss."

The girl smiled, though it was a little strained as she replied, "I would love to. Thank you both for the opportunity."

With that, Tony and Clint walked back inside, and after a quick farewell from the cartoon villain, they were back in the elevator.

There was a short moment of silence before Clint spoke. "It was nice of you to tell her all that, shell-head."

Tony shot the archer a quick glare and simply said, "Forget you heard it, bird-brain." Tony hated that he spoke about it in the first place; he certainly had no desire to open it any further.

Clint crossed his arms, leaned back on the wall, and hummed with narrow eyes aimed at Tony, which the genius chose to ignore. Instead, he said, "I will drop you at the farm on my way to the last recruit."

Tony stood in the corner of his living room and watched as the three kids he gathered sat apart from each other with an odd atmosphere between them.

Kate was sitting alone in the loveseat, looking at the boys with an unimpressed look in her eyes and crossed arms in front of her chest.

Peter was on the couch, his body tense as he kept looking between the two others with a nervous look on his face.

And finally, the last member of the group, Harley Kenner, sat on the armchair and tried to ignore the other two with an indifferent air, though because Tony knew him the longest, he could also notice the tension in the young teen's shoulders.

Eventually, Peter decided to break the tension and spoke first. "Hi, I'm Spider-Man..." Tony facepalmed; so much for wanting to keep the secret identity or make a dramatic revelation. Peter seemed to get what he said wrong a moment later and tried to fix it. "I mean Peter Parker. Yeah, my name is Peter Parker and not Spider-Man."

Harley looked interested all of a sudden and asked, "Spider-Man as in that blue and red vigilante from YouTube?"

Peter looked panicked from side to side, maybe hoping for some help to cover up his mistake, which was when Kate spoke. "Dude, you kind of sold yourself out already. But I got to admit I'm surprised; I thought it would be some kind of gymnast under that hood with the way you move."

Peter's face lightened up, and he began to ramble about his powers. "Actually, I was bitten by a radioactive spider a few months ago, and since then my agility became like that of a spider's; I got super strength and enhanced senses, as well as the ability to stick to walls."

Kate looked kind of impressed but kept an even voice as she complimented him. "Huh, pretty cool, Spider-dude."

Harley leaned forward and asked curiously, "So those webs in the videos, are they coming from your wrists, or what?"

Peter jerked back, a disturbed look on his face. "What?! No. I created those shooters and web fluid, you know, to work with the spider theme."

Harley tilted his head in surprise before acknowledging, "That's impressive; I would like to take a look at them later." Then the blonde paused and with a frown asked, "Wait, so why is your costume so crappy?"

Peter yelped in indignation. "I'm a fourteen-year-old teen with a budget; building those shooters already left me broke. I worked with what I had."

Kate chuckled. "Chill, dude, we get it. But really, blue and red? Your sense of fashion leaves a lot to be desired."

Peter just sighed in resignation, and Tony had to hold back the laughter that tried to burst out of him.

Kate's stare then moved to Harley, and she asked, "What about you, dude?"

Harley gave his own sigh of resignation before introducing himself. "My name is Harley Kenner. I met the mechanic a few years ago, and since then he's taught me a few things. I guess I want to be kind of the next Iron Man."

Peter looked at him for a moment before saying with way too much enthusiasm, "That's so cool. I want to be a hero like Mr. Stark too; he saved me during the Stark Expo, and since then I promised myself I would protect people like him."

Okay, now Tony was happy they were ignoring him because it would be difficult to hide the blush spreading on his cheeks.

The two boys turned to stare at her together, and Kate smiled as if she just remembered something. "Oh yeah, my name is Kate Bishop, and I want to be the next Hawkeye; I'm going to be the best archer you will ever see." She then smirked at the boys' wide-eyed stare and added, "You two are pretty cool; I'll be keeping you around."

The boys exchanged a look before the three teens smiled at each other. Seeing his opportunity, Tony stepped forward, and when he stood in front of the three, he spread his arms and announced, "Well then, welcome to the first meeting of the Rising Heroes Program!"

Tony smirked at the teens and asked, "Are you ready to work for the future?" And as he expected, he received three nods in return. Well, now he did feel like the futurist.

Chapter Text

Tony was watching the security cameras of the training floor he set aside for the Rising Heroes program.

He was watching clips of Clint training the young wannabes in hand-to-hand combat, and not only the three teens but the Maximoff twins as well.

Like it or not, right now Clint was the best fighter Tony knew he could trust. Not that he had any issue with that—Clint was a great example of a hero, and it would do the future of heroes good to learn a thing or two from him.

Peter was the one who needed the least training for the moment. Between the kid's inhuman agility, strength, and reflexes, he was already a built-in fighting machine. But making sure he had some form while he was fighting would have its own advantages in the field, especially in a situation where his powers malfunctioned or something like that.

The only complaint Peter had was that Tony wasn't the one teaching that class, which caused the genius to roll his eyes and point out he was more about tech than fighting, especially with fists. Of course, Tony still had his own lessons with the three of them about how to create their suits and gear, or in Kate's case, how to maintain them.

Bruce was also working with the teens, teaching them some first aid in case they got injured or needed to help someone else, be it a civilian or a team member. Peter also scheduled more meetings with the doctor so the two of them could upgrade his web fluid and shooters.

Harley was the one who needed the lessons the most, with no previous experience in the field or even some schoolboy fights; the teen was starting from zero. And as annoyed as the teen was about it, Tony could still see the determination in his eyes to master those basics.

Kate, on the other hand, while she had some idea of the basics, still had a long way to go with her fighting skills. Clint took her back to the foundations and started building her form from there. If the girl was upset by his assessment, it was overshadowed by her admiration for the archer.

Speaking of archery, Kate was also taking those lessons from Clint. Before those lessons, she was already pretty impressive with the bow and arrow, but now, after a couple of weeks under Clint's tutoring, she became scary with them. Even the legendary Hawkeye admitted being impressed.

Then there were Wanda and Pietro; both said they wanted to have something else to rely on than just their powers. Especially Pietro, whose power only gave him superspeed, which in closed quarters became extremely hard to use.

Wanda, on the other hand, seemed to just want a reason to be away from the compound and team that lived there, only really making an effort to get to know Vision and remind the android who his dad was.

Tony was drawn out of his musing by Friday's voice. "Boss, I found an interesting recording from about a year ago that I think you will find interesting."

Tony raised an eyebrow at the closest camera. "Oh, you got me curious. Play it on the screen, baby-girl."

The holographic screen in front of Tony changed the image filling it from the security camera of the training floor inside the tower to a camera that was set on one of the compound's storage rooms. By the look of the surroundings, it was before the redesign of the building to the Avengers HQ, which would fit with Friday's comment of the time of the recording.

Tony stared with a frown as the video kept rolling, and the only thing he could see was grass being blown by the wind. He was about to ask Friday what he was supposed to be seeing when what looked like some toy was dropped to the ground and rolled in the grass before growing to the size of a full man out of nowhere.

Friday paused the video, knowing Tony would have a reaction, and he did. Tony was confused about the tech on display; he remembered reading something about it in Howard's notes while trying to invent a new element. Out loud, all he said was a murmured, "What the hell?"

That's when he noticed something else about the man who suddenly grew from toy size to life size. He was holding something in his left hand. A box. A box with the SI logo on it.

The video began playing again, showing a shadow covering the man in the red suit, causing the thief to roll away. While he did so, the camera caught the barcode on the back of the case. Tony immediately jumped at the chance. "Fri. Freeze the image and scan the barcode; I want to know what was stolen."

While the AI began to look through the SI archives, Tony kept watching the video. What he saw was a fight between the Falcon and the mysterious thief, which ended with the Avenger on the ground and the thief getting away.

Tony gritted his teeth as he saw it. A newbie, a fucking newbie who was playing with some new tech, outplayed a damn soldier with the flying suit he was trained to master.

"Boss, I have found the missing item. It was the prototype of the signal decoy device. I also used face recognition; the thief is someone named Scott Lang. He is a convicted criminal who did his time and was recently hired by Hank Pym," Friday informed him.

Pym! That's where he knew the shrinking tech from. It was the old goat's damn particle. Wait... "Wasn't there a whole fiasco with Pym Tech that week?"

Friday's response was immediate. "Yes, Boss. The CEO has been accused of collaborating with terrorists and attempted murder. Though Mr. Darren has gone missing and is presumed dead after his attempt. Since then, Hope Van Dyne took control over the company."

Tony sighed and began rubbing his forehead in frustration while asking Friday, "Please use priority one line and call Hope."

He had to wait for a couple of minutes before the woman finally answered. When she did, Tony saw a pale-skinned woman with dark hair reaching the middle of her neck, sitting in an obviously luxurious office.

Tony's voice was dry as he spoke, "Ms. Van Dyne, it's been a while; you seem to make yourself comfortable."

The woman's voice was equally as flat in her response. "Mr. Stark. To what do I owe this unusual call?"

There was a moment of tense silence before Tony snorted. "You never change, do you, Hope?"

His childhood friend returned the favor with her own snort. "You're one to talk, Tony. So anyway, why did you call all of a sudden?"

"Something disturbing came to my attention today, and I wanted your opinion on it," Tony said casually, carefully scanning his friend's face as he played the video to her.

Hope's face went even paler, and she began shifting uncomfortably in her chair. When the video was over, Hope's stern and intimidating façade was broken, something Tony taught her to never allow to happen.

With a disappointed sigh, "So you knew. About the whole damn thing."

Hope flinched a little and called out, "Tony..."

Tony sent her a small glare. "What, Hope? What do you want me to do? Right now, I see only two options. Either you hand over the thief in the video, or we use the fact you employed the thief while our tech was being used in your little heist to take your company to court."

Hope winced again and tried to be diplomatic. "Come on, Tony, we are friends; there has to be a way for us to solve it without anyone getting hurt."

Tony frowned. "Why do you care what's going to happen to a criminal? A previously convicted one at that. He gets what he deserves for returning straight to crime, and your company gets to keep its clean name."

Hope looked down. "Please, Tony, I... I care about him. It wasn't his fault. Dad kind of blackmailed him into it, and Scott has a little girl that waited for so long for her dad to get out of prison; I can't let you send him back."

Tony clenched his fists on top of the arms of his chair. "A facility of SI was broken into, the same facility that is now known as the Avengers Compound, and sensitive technology has been stolen from it by the use of highly classified tech of its own. Not to mention the assault on an Avenger. What the fuck do you want me to do, Hope?!"

Hope bit her bottom lip and called out, "Scott! Come in here."

A man of average height, with a goofy smile and short dark hair, entered the frame. Once the thief noticed the screen, his goofy smile turned into a frown, and he turned to Hope. "Why the hell are you on a call with the bastard Stark?"

Hope's eyes widened, and what little color she still somehow retained on her face was gone when she noticed Tony's furious look.

So Tony did what he does best when he is so angry. He gave the man a dark smirk and played the video again. "I hope we got your good side, Lang; after all, a lot of people will see it in your trial. When you get to the max-security prison, you can tell the warden that bastard Stark sent you."

Lang stood in place, his face as pale as Hope's and his entire body was shaking; tears began to gather in his eyes.

When Hope spoke again, it was in a pleading voice Tony never heard her use before. "Please, Tony, I beg you, for me... for those children who wanted to invent a new world together, don't do it. Scott is just stupid and naïve to whatever my dad is saying; it's not his fault."

Tony couldn't hold his surprise and anger as he growled at her. "Hell it's not! He is a fucking grown man that can take the damn consequences for his choices. And since when do you beg?! All those years of hard work for this attitude! What the hell, Hope?!"

Tony looked into her eyes, and instead of the usual wall of firmness, what he saw was pleading. At that moment, a knock on the door broke the tension in the room. He took a deep breath and called toward the door, "One moment."

He turned back to his pleading friend and her now crying accomplice before groaning, "I'm too angry to think straight right now, so I will call you later when I'm calmer." Both of them looked relieved; Tony would have none of it, and he shot them a glare. "You were saved by pure luck; if next time something similar happens, I won't hold back."

Friday, sensing his tone, cut the call right there and then. He rubbed his face to relax its muscles before calling out again, "Come in."

The door opened, and Wanda walked inside, wearing some casual clothes and a small frown as she closed the door behind her. "I sensed a lot of anger. I still do, actually," she commented with a confused voice.

Tony groaned again. "Just an old friend making stupid choices that tick me off." He then forced himself to relax. "Anyway, you wanted something?"

Wanda shrugged with a concerned look. "I didn't have the chance to talk with you yet about Rogers's last escape. He dragged us all the way to Italy, said he found a lead. All we found was a drug ring calling themselves Barnes Heights. Of course, it didn't stop them from going all Avengers mode on them. The collateral damage was huge; the only reason only a couple of people died is because I kept pulling as many as I could out of the way."

Tony cursed under his breath. These little trips of Rogers were getting more and more frequent; he was chasing the most obscure and ridiculous rumors and leads. And most of the time, he left only destruction and death behind without anyone to answer for it.

Since Wanda joined their group, the death toll at least decreased significantly, while property damage wasn't so bad anymore either, thanks to the telekinetic woman's efforts.

Still, soon enough people would start demanding answers for all those deaths and destruction. Tony just hoped Steve read his emails and had a plan for when the time came.

He gave Wanda a small smile. "You did your best; no one can ask for more. And you did a great job; a lot of lives were saved thanks to you alone. Be proud, Wanda; you are the hero you always dreamed to be."

There was a large blush on her cheeks, and her eyes were shining a little. Still, she smiled back. "Thanks. It means a lot coming from you, Tony."

Tony nodded in acceptance, knowing better than to argue by this point. He was about to turn back to work when Wanda called out again, this time her voice much meeker. "You are still frustrated; how about we watch one of those Disney movies you mentioned, just the two of us?"

Tony's heart skipped a beat. Was this a date? Tony had some more work to do, but Wanda was right; he was still angry with the drama Hope created for him. He could use a little bit to clear his mind.

With a large smile, he stood from his chair and said in his most chivalrous voice, "After you, my lady."

Wanda giggled with a large smile of her own and opened the door, looking at Tony over her shoulder.

Chapter Text

Tony was sitting on the couch of his living room with Wanda. In front of them, the TV was playing the Disney movie Wall-E.

Wanda apparently always liked cartoons, but in her home, some of those movies were not allowed for the public, so she took great pleasure in seeing them now, and Tony was never against reliving some childhood through a good old movie.

There was a bottle of wine with two glasses sitting on the table. On his lap was resting the large bucket of popcorn Tony prepared for both of them, and already on more than one occasion, their hands would brush when both of them reached for the food at the same time.

The first time, both of them pulled their hands away quickly and were determined to remain focused on the screen, but by the third time, not only did they not pull away, but they would also even allow their hands to linger for a long moment.

That was not the only indication Tony had of this being a date. When they first sat down on the couch, they both took opposite sides with a lot of space left between them. But as time kept passing, they were kind of drawn to each other, slowly closing the gap. Now they were glued to each other's side with her head laying on his shoulder. Her long auburn hair tickled his chin every time he turned to look down at her face.

They were just about to reach the climax of the movie when suddenly the screen froze, the lights suddenly turned on, and Friday's concerned and remorseful voice echoed in the room. "Boss, I'm sorry to interrupt your date, but we have a major emergency."

Tony's entire body tensed, and even Wanda sat back up straight, her expression worried. Tony looked at the closest camera and said firmly, "Talk to me, Fri."

Instead of answering verbally, the screen changed to show the news. The image behind the anchor, which unsurprisingly was Christine Everhart, showed a collapsed building with even a few flames still burning around.

What horrified Tony the most was the title underneath it: 'Captain America sends a bomb into a building in Lagos, almost 100 people confirmed dead.'

Tony wasn't sure he was seeing right. "What the fuck, Steve?"

Wanda's horrified voice spoke next to him as the woman kept watching the screen of her phone. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Rogers and Romanoff sent me a message about a lead in Lagos and wanted me to join them. It was a few hours ago. I had my phone on silent since I left the compound."

Tony put a hand around her shoulder and reassured her. "It's not on you. You are not his damn babysitter. What the hell happened there anyway?"

As if hearing his question, Christine began to speak from the screen. "Around four hours ago, Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, along with two more selected teammates of his, Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, and Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon, entered illegally to Lagos using the Avengers private jet."

Tony facepalmed at this piece of information. "How many times do I have to tell him that he has to let people know when he is flying around the world?"

The blonde on the screen kept speaking. "The next thing we know is that the group of three found themselves engaged in battle against the criminal Crossbones, once known as Hydra operative Brock Rumlow. They engaged the criminal in the middle of a street full of bystanders doing their daily chores. Witnesses from the area confirmed there was no attempt at evacuation of civilians or even a warning issued by any of the captain's team, even though there were reports of all three of them blending in with the crowd for about an hour before the attack."

Tony shook his head in exasperation. "Well, that's going to make things a hell of a lot more difficult."

Christine, though, was a long way from finished. "Rumlow, who was in Lagos to steal a bio weapon, was reported to succeed in his mission..." The woman paused, listening to something said in her earpiece before speaking again. "A new report coming straight from the research lab Rumlow broke into reveals that they were aware of the criminal's plan and prepared a fake vial for him to steal so the authorities could track it and arrest him. For this reason, the authorities of the country didn't see it fit to summon the Avengers for the operation."

Wanda frowned. "Was it an accident that Rogers received a lead to that particular place on exactly the same day Crossbones made his move? Sounds too convenient."

Tony could only nod in agreement. "You have a good point."

"After losing the fight against Captain America, Rumlow reveals he's wearing a bomb vest and says something that caused the American soldier to freeze long enough for the terrorist to pull the trigger on his vest. For some unknown reason, Steve Rogers saw it as a reasonable action to punch the man as hard as he could into the building behind them. The moment the terrorist was in the lobby of the building, the bomb went off, taking the first two floors down in a blaze and bringing down the rest of the building soon after," Christine finished the recount of how the building reached the state it was in the picture.

The screen changed to show the images of ten people with dark skin and shaved heads; Christine's voice then turned somber. "During the street fight, as of now we have 20 confirmed deaths, while the death toll due to the collapsed building was over 80 people. 11 of them are from the newly formed Wakanda's relief and peace organization."

Tony flinched. "Oh shit. It had to be Wakanda. Damn it, Steve, what the hell did you put us in?"

The images changed into the images of the three idiots who started all of this. "With the international community crying out loud for accountability, the three American citizens left the scene as soon as Crossbones's death was confirmed, leaving death and destruction behind without anyone to answer for it. By now it's a known fact that Tony Stark is no longer part of the Avengers team due to personal reasons among the members; during his tenure, Dr. Stark was constantly securing border approval from the countries the Avengers visited, as well as setting up relief efforts for any damage caused by the team. For the past year, Captain America and his cohorts have been traveling the world in the same manner as today and leaving far more death and destruction than ever before," Christine's voice informed the public.

An image of Tony himself was pulled in one half of the screen and Steve took the other half. Meanwhile, Christine's voice became demanding. "At this point, we must start questioning the Avengers' behavior. Is Steve Rogers fit to lead the team, or should Dr. Stark, who has already proved to pay attention to international law and borders, take the reins? Speaking of which, is the Lagos mission even official Avengers business? Signals are mixed as while Avengers sources were undoubtedly used, only three members of the current seven took part in it. The world no longer demands just answers; it also demands some changes in the current status. Due to this, the UN has announced a few minutes ago..."

The sound was cut and the video paused when Friday announced, "A priority call from Mr. Fury, Boss."

Already knowing what it was going to be about, Tony sighed. "Accept the call."

The screen was filled with the image of Nick Fury, who was sitting inside a jet if the background was any indication. The man didn't wait a moment. "I guess you saw the news, Tony."

Tony nodded in return. Nick let out a breath before saying in his gruff voice, "The UN has announced that the Sokovia Accords will start to take effect starting next week."

Tony already assumed as much from Christine's comment before Nick called. "It's earlier than even our worst predictions."

Nick nodded with a frown before informing Tony, "It was the king of Wakanda who pushed the matter after the deaths of his own in Lagos. The old man didn't waste much time, if you ask me."

Tony returned his own frown and commented, "Wakanda was probably one of the most eager countries who pushed those accords into existence in the first place. They seem to have some personal stake in it."

Nick grunted in agreement, but with neither of them having any way of knowing why, the previous director changed the subject. "Right now I'm on my way to the compound to present the accords to the idiots; I suggest the two of you watch it."

Tony nodded. "Of course, Nick. And good luck with this."

The dark man shot Tony a quick glare before the call was cut off.

Tony closed his eyes for a moment. He really hoped that Steve would listen to Nick. After all, the two of them had to pull a lot of strings to make sure Nick was the one representing the accords instead of the president's original choice.

Fortunately for them, with Bruce around and with his rising reputation due to all the relief efforts in Sokovia, it was easy to remind everyone of Ross's numerous crimes and human rights violations. Combined with his own daughter's testimony against him, not only was it enough for Ross to be dismissed as a candidate for the accords council, it forced the president to send the recently appointed secretary of state into retirement.

Tony was still thinking of ways to get the man behind bars for what he did to his science bro, but that project could wait.

"Maybe I should go and be there with them to sell my cover," Wanda asked, her tone making it obvious she didn't want to leave.

Tony shook his head. "If I know Nick, and I do, he is probably already walking into the compound now, so there is no point for you to leave." Wanda let out a relieved sigh, and Tony added absent-mindedly, "Of course, we also need to consider the worst-case scenario and make sure if things come to it, you stay protected by me rather than fall under Rogers's sights."

Wanda looked at him with wide eyes and a large smile; Tony wasn't sure what made her so happy, but he was more than glad to return his own smile to her.

His eyes widened when she began leaning forward toward his face; he wanted to do the same when the sound of an opening door came from the screen in front of them.

Tony let out an irritated groan, as did Wanda, but the two returned their attention back to the screen nonetheless.

Nick entered the room with his usual dramatic fashion, his long trench coat billowing behind him. He stopped when he reached the end of the large table in the room; across from him sat five people: Steve, Natasha, Wilson, Rhodey, and Vision.

Steve smiled at the familiar face. "Fury. Do you have any new information for us?"

Fury stared at the man for a moment. He seemed to consider the blonde critically before answering with an even tone, "You could say that. I'm here due to your recent fuck-up."

Wilson was the one to retort to the spy, "Sir, while I understand the anger, we did accomplish the mission."

Fury glared at the former soldier. "While I can spend the entire day proving you are wrong, I have better things to do. I assume you have been following the news."

Vision and Rhodey gave a short nod, while Rogers and Wilson looked away; Romanoff looked smug as she replied, "You know I have better sources than the news, Fury."

Fury released an irritated groan. "Fine, I will summarize for you. For the last two years, The Avengers have been a separate entity which operated as you wished. While Stark was on the team and willing to deal with the red tape for you, the world was willing to reluctantly accept it for a while, but after your last screw-ups, it's no longer the case. The world can't allow you to do as you please... that's why..."

Fury reached into the case he was carrying and pulled out a copy of the accords. He threw them to the middle of the table. "Those were suggested."

The three problematic Avengers had frowns on their faces; eventually, it was again Wilson who asked, "What is this?"

"I believe this will be the Sokovia Accords," Vision commented in a calm, British voice. Once the three looked at him with further confusion, he explained, "The news have been mentioning them for a while. Though I believe it was said they wouldn't become official for another year."

"Thank you, Vision," Nick grunted. "Those accords, signed by 117 countries, are basically a governing agency over the Avengers. No longer will you be allowed to fly around and choose what to do on a whim; you will follow procedures and be under the purview of the accords council."

Steve frowned. "Those papers just shift the blame. We may make a couple of mistakes, but still, the safest hands are our own."

Tony felt his blood freeze hearing those words from the American Idol. It seemed Tony was not the only one who had issues with those words. Rhodey turned to him and said with a flat voice, "Those are very dangerous words, Rogers."

Fury took it from there, his voice stern. "I assure you, Rogers, no blame is shifted; you will have to answer for everything you did, but at least by signing this document, you will show your willingness to work with the rest of the world and get out of it with a slap on your wrist."

"And what if we don't wish to sign?" Natasha asked calmly.

Nick looked at her flatly and answered, "Let me be clear. You have two options here. You either sign this document and keep your Avengers status in the new system, or you choose not to. In that case, you will be dismissed, your Avenger status revoked, and you will live life as ordinary civilians. These accords will go into effect starting next week; you have until then to choose to sign. If you won't, I would start looking for suitable jobs."

Wilson scowled at the papers and commented, "That's very short notice."

Fury returned the scowl and pointed out the simple fact, "It's been on all media for a few months by this point; Tony, me, and the government have been sending all of you emails about them for weeks. The fact you don't know about them is on you, Wilson."

The captain's fanboy blushed in embarrassment for a moment; Natasha decided to change the subject. "What about Stark and Clint?"

Nick shrugged simply. "Stark, Rhodes, and Vision already promised to sign. Barton, on the other hand, pointed out he retired and as such has no intention of signing them."

Steve let out a heavy sigh and shook his head sadly. "Can't you see, Fury? If we sign this, the Avengers will become nothing more than the government's attack dog."

Nick glared at the ignorance on display. "Don't be stupid, Rogers. The UN is not a government, and you had no issue working for me..."

The spy was cut off by Rogers's phone receiving a notification. The blonde, ignoring everything else, read it before standing up abruptly, mumbling, "I have to go," before turning to leave the room.

Fury looked actually surprised that Steve would dare to do it and screamed out, outraged, "Get back here, mother..."

Tony himself was confused and could only ask himself, "What the fuck, Steve?"

Chapter Text

Tony could only watch as the room was left divided after Steve's departure. Wilson voiced his intention of following Steve's lead and left the room; Natasha seemed to consider her options before reluctantly agreeing to sign. After making the decision, she too left the room.

Rhodey just kept glaring at their backs while Vision gave everyone a confused look. Fury was scowling in a scary way that sent shivers even down his spine.

"Umm, Boss?" came the oddly timid voice of Friday.

Tony looked concerned at the closest camera. "What is it, baby-girl?"

There was a moment of silence before Friday announced softly, "You have a call from Ms. Carter."

Tony frowned at Friday's reaction. Why did she react so negatively to his cousin calling him? Unless the former SHIELD agent had some bad news for him, which was the only kind of news he received for the past few hours. "Accept the call, please."

The screen switched again; this time a blonde woman in her early 30s filled the screen, her voice soft and full of sadness. "Tones..."

Tony raised an eyebrow at his little cousin. "Sharon..."

There were tears gathering in her eyes as she finally spoke. "It's Aunt Peggy, Tones... She passed away."

Tony felt his heart stop for a moment, his mind going back to the last time he spoke to her about a week ago...

Flashback

Tony fidgeted in the waiting area of the nursing home. He didn't make this trip very often, though he did make sure to visit at least once every couple of months.

It wasn't like he didn't want to see his Aunt Peggy more often. He really did; the sight of her always calmed Tony down. But there were two issues with his visits.

The first and more practical one was his busy schedule; it was hard for him to find the time to travel all the way to London and spend a few hours in a nursing home. While admittedly he should have more time nowadays without his Avengers duties and CEO ones, with his development of the new medical department in SI, he still had less time than he wished he could have.

The second one was more mental. Since Peggy's Alzheimer's disease got worse, she began to mistake him for Howard; it was painful for Tony to realize the woman who cared for him more than his own father forgot who he was and compared him to his asshole of a father.

"Tony?" a soft voice called from next to him. He turned to look at the woman who was seated next to him, Wanda Maximoff.

Her auburn hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she was wearing a simple shirt and jeans to blend with the others. She just returned from another mission with Steve and his team, one that almost ended with a sibling pair being killed by the collateral damage. Fortunately, she managed to save them both using her powers.

Though the time she did it allowed their target to pass her and disappear for a few minutes before she tracked him down and brought him in. After that, she got a long lecture from Steve and Natasha about priorities and sacrifices.

Wanda was pissed and needed as much space from them as possible; when she heard Tony would be traveling to London, she decided to tag along, something that Tony was a little worried about but ended up being fun, as they spent the flight over talking and getting to know each other even further.

Tony gave her a small smile, but before he could reply, the door of the room they waited next to opened and the nurse came out. She smiled at Tony. "She is awake and ready to see you, Tony."

Tony smiled widely at the nurse and responded kindly, "Thank you, Eliza, like always."

The nurse nodded, and Tony entered the room with Wanda right behind him, closing the door once she was inside.

As always, his aunt was in her hospital robes and laying on a bed in the center of the room. Tony approached her slowly and said with a soft voice, "Hello, Aunt Peggy."

Tony knew what was coming; he closed his eyes and held his breath to stop himself from flinching when her frail voice called out, "Howard! You came to... Wait, Tony, is that you?"

Tony froze for a moment. Did she just call out his name? And her voice—it sounded clearer, stronger. Tony's eyes flew open to see Wanda sitting on the chair to his aunt's left side, her fingers pressed to the woman's forehead and her eyes closed.

Wanda's voice was a little strained when she said, "I'm not sure how long I can hold it, so you better hurry up."

Tony turned to face Peggy only to see his aunt smiling at him. "Look at you... you grew... younger?"

Tony chuckled a little. "Yes, you can say that, but it's a long story." His voice then turned somber. "It's good to talk with you again, Aunt Peggy."

Peggy gave him a small, sad smile. "I'm sorry for all my rambling, dear. I never wanted to hurt you..."

Tony smiled at her reassuringly. "I know. But do you know..."

"That I am dying?" she said, completely calm. "Of course. With a clear mind, it's not hard to figure out."

Tony stepped closer to her, his voice full of hope. "Maybe I can heal you. I made myself younger and just opened a medical section in SI; I'm sure we can..."

His aunt put a hand on his cheek and said softly, "No, Tony. You are no god; we all have our time to leave. I won't cheat mine."

Tony let a tear drop from his eye as he whispered, "I understand." And he did. Like Tony refused to be anything but human, even though he had the resources to recreate the super soldier serum and more.

"I do need you to promise me something, Tony." She looked deep into his brown eyes. "Don't forget who you are, why you are pushing yourself, who you are fighting for. Don't be like Steve."

Tony blinked for a moment before trying to remind her carefully, "He is Captain America..."

"He's just a human!" Peggy shot back. "I knew Steve Rogers before the serum, and he had his major flaws—flaws that I can still see now. Those are dangerous flaws; I hope when they become something dangerous, you will remember who you are fighting for and will be able to do the right thing."

Tony heard a sharp intake of breath and looked a little to the left to see Wanda sweating heavily, her eyes closed tightly as if stopping herself from flinching. He knew she was getting tired.

Aunt Peggy seemed to realize that as well and began speaking quickly. "I know you will make the right choice when the time comes. You always did; even if you made a few mistakes on your way, you always ended up on the same path that helped people. I love you, my little genius, and I'm so proud of you." Her voice trailed off toward the end before she spoke again, her voice fragile as he knew it for the past few years. "Howard! You came to visit."

"I... I... So... Sorry, Tony," Wanda tried to apologize while panting.

Tony went quickly to her side. He put his arm around her waist and helped her stand up while she was leaning on him with a small blush on her face. Tony smiled down at her and said with a grateful voice, "You did more than I could ever imagine. Thank you."

Tony then smiled at his dazed-looking aunt and said calmly, "I will see you again sometime, Peggy. I promise."

Peggy smiled serenely and replied, "I would like that."

With that, Tony led Wanda out of the room; he figured he owed her some top-grade meal after the gift she just gave him.

End Flashback

Tony closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to swallow the bile that began rising in his throat. "I... I will take care of the funeral. Can you be there... make sure everything goes smoothly?"

Sharon wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before looking at Tony with a confused look. "You are not going to join us? You know Aunt Peggy would love it if you at least said a few words."

Tony shook his head a little before saying in a self-despairing voice, "If I were there, it would turn into some publicity stunt event. Peggy deserves to have her last respects be all about her."

Sharon looked sad, but she let out a sigh and said softly, "Fine, Tones, but promise me you are not going to do something self-destructive again."

Tony gave her a small smile. "I know better than that by now. Take care of yourself, Share-bear."

He expected her to glare at him as she usually did when he used that nickname; instead, he got a wet chuckle as she retorted, "I will talk with you after the funeral, little genius."

With that, the line went dead, and Tony couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Those nicknames were how he and Sharon chose to keep the memory of the woman they both admired alive—a memory from better days.

"Tony..." Wanda called softly to him again, and Tony was a little startled; he almost forgot she was in the room with him. The woman looked at him with concern. "Are you sure about not going to the funeral? We can get you a disguise or something."

Tony just nodded sadly, trying to wipe the tears as subtly as he could. Wanda gave him a kind smile. "That's nice of you; I know how hard it can be. I think you need something to distract you. You were invited to the signing in Vienna, weren't you?"

Tony raised a confused eyebrow at her; still, he answered, "Yes, but I already signed the accords, so I didn't see the reason to fly there. I'm sure Natasha can handle whatever will be said there."

Wanda frowned. "I'm sure she can, in a way that will benefit her most, and do you really think she won't create some fallback plan with the politicians there?"

Tony was about to deny the accusations immediately until he realized that lately, Wanda spent a hell of a lot more time with the ex-spy than Tony did. His gut began dropping in worry. "Maybe you have a point. I think I will go and drop by."

Wanda smiled widely at him. "Great. I will go back to the compound and update you if Steve tries something while you are away."

Tony knew he didn't have a lot of time to get to Vienna. If he took his jet, he would still get there around the end of the ceremony at best, so he decided to take the fun way there.

He didn't like to abuse the Iron Man armor for his selfish reasons—threshold of death mentality aside—for example, just to travel from place to place. Tony created those suits to help and protect the people of the planet, not to make his own life easier.

But considering the importance of the meeting he was heading to, he considered it reasonable to use the armor to get to the UN facility as quickly as possible.

He landed on top of the Vienna UN building where he noticed a familiar face waiting for him. He allowed the front of his suit to open up, letting him step out of the metal frame. Without even turning back, he called, "Observation mode."

The suit closed shut again; the eyes of the faceplate began glowing blue, and the head of the armor began turning in circles consistently.

With a wide smile on his face, Tony approached the suit-wearing official and called out cheerfully, "Mr. Keller. Thank you for meeting me up here."

Tony himself was wearing a classical three-piece suit, approved by Wanda, who also insisted on the red tie he had on. As the two men shook hands, Keller replied to Tony with a wide grin of his own, "Nonsense, Dr. Stark; we are glad you changed your mind and chose to attend this historic event."

Both of them began to walk down toward the main conference hall. "You can thank Ms. Maximoff for convincing me; the best way to deal with Steve's screw-ups is to do it here."

Tony glanced at the official from the corner of his eye and caught the thoughtful look on his face. The genius had to hide a smile from his face. Good—if things went too far, a comment like that would help Tony convince everyone else that Wanda was on their side from the start.

Chapter Text

Tony and Mr. Keller entered the main hall where the assembly was meant to gather for the signing of the accords.

Tony scanned the room to see many delegates from different countries, a few of them he could recognize, mingling about. Some of them were on their phones, probably receiving last-minute instructions from their countries' leaders; others were talking with each other.

"We are still waiting for a couple more delegates to arrive before we start," Mr. Keller informed Tony. The former CEO turned to the man and gave him a small nod with a smile, to which the man responded in kind and added, "I hope you will enjoy yourself, Dr. Stark."

After the Australian official left his side, Tony caught sight from the corner of his eye of Natasha Romanoff, who stared at him with a permanent scowl on her face. It looked like the great spy didn't expect Tony to show up and wasn't too pleased that he did for some reason.

Wanda's words echoed in his head. Natasha would try to put herself in a position that would ensure she ended up safe no matter how the current conflict ended. In other words, she would try to cozy up to some diplomat here, making sure she would have a safe haven to escape to at the very least and an active ally in the conflict at the most.

The question remained which one of them was her target. He doubted she would go after the Russian, Chinese, and Korean diplomats—the first because of her history and the other two because it would make her plans to return to the US eventually much harder in the long run.

Tony had to hide a frown when he saw the redhead's scowl turn into a small smirk. Though before he could even wonder what caused it, a heavy voice called behind him, "Mr. Stark."

Tony turned to see a young man, in his 30s if Tony had to guess, with dark skin, short black hair, and piercing eyes staring at him with a small frown. He wasn't sure who this man was, but still he tried to be polite, or at least his version of polite. "The one and only. I'm sorry, did we meet before?"

"No," was the sharp answer he received before the man introduced himself. "I'm Prince T'Challa of Wakanda."

Ah. Tony never even spoke with the king, so he obviously wasn't aware of the prince. He couldn't understand the hostility he was receiving from the man, though. At least not until the dots connected in his mind.

Weird—Tony never took Natasha to be one for the African sun to be her ideal vacation setting, but then again, everyone else in this room was a seasoned politician who wouldn't fall so quickly to her web, and this prince seemed to have.

Tony gave the prince his usual counseling smirk. "Ah, nice to meet you, Prince T'Challa. I heard many good things about your father. I'm glad to see he brought his heir to see history in the making."

T'Challa seemed to be surprised for a moment before he scowled. "It is a historic moment for the world. I find myself wondering why you are taking part in it?"

Tony raised an eyebrow at the prince before saying, still with a smirk, "You might have forgotten, Prince T'Challa, but I was the original superhero. I believe it's my place to make sure the accords are fair to all those who are concerned and show my support of them."

T'Challa's eye twitched for a moment before his voice lowered and he spoke with an edge to his voice. "So it's all about you again. Calling yourself a hero... I think..."

Before T'Challa could finish voicing his opinion, a deep and calm voice interrupted him. "You allow your mind to be influenced far too easily, son."

T'Challa spun on his heel, and Tony turned lazily to the side until both of them saw the figure that Tony assumed was the king of Wakanda.

The prince frowned at his father. "Baba, his teammate was very clear..."

Again, the king spoke over him, his voice coated with disappointment. "And you never considered questioning her words? To first have an objective conversation with Dr. Stark? A king must not allow himself to be a subject of prejudgments, for this will lead him to his own ruin."

The king turned to Tony, and his smile broadened. "Dr. Stark, it's truly a pleasure to meet you. I appreciate all the efforts you contributed to the proceedings of these accords. Allow me to introduce myself; I am King T'Chaka of Wakanda."

Tony's smirk turned into a genuine smile, and he gave a small bow. "The pleasure is mine, Your Majesty. I agreed with you and all the others that a system like this should be put in place now that SHIELD can no longer manage teams like the Avengers themselves. I also feel like I must apologize for the death of your countrymen."

The king chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "Nonsense. It was Mr. Rogers who committed the crime, and even though you are no longer part of his team and share none of the blame, you still sent relief efforts and money to the victims. Something me and my countrymen are very grateful for, Dr. Stark."

Tony nodded to the king. "Of course. Things like that are exactly why the Maria Relief Foundation exists. I hope that after today we won't have to deal with tragedies like that again. And please call me Tony; I'm not much for formalities."

The king chuckled once again, but before he could respond, the familiar voice of Mr. Keller called out, "King T'Chaka, we are ready to begin."

The man smiled at the official before he turned toward Tony. "If you would be so kind, Tony, would you please join me on the podium? I believe it will send a strong message to have the face of heroes there with me."

Tony was surprised by the request, but he was used to situations like that, so he just shrugged and replied with an easy-going smile, "Of course. After you."

The king grinned brightly and led Tony toward the podium as he was called for his speech by Mr. Keller. T'Challa created some distance between his father and himself as he stood near the windows a few meters away from the podium.

Tony stood a little behind the king and slightly to his left as the leader of Wakanda spoke. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. Wakanda is proud to extend its hand in peace. And as you can see, Dr. Stark is here to ensure the world that our hands indeed meet for a better future for all..."

The king's voice faded away for Tony when Friday's alarmed voice called suddenly in his ear, "Boss, bomb!"

Tony's body tensed, his mind working at super speed as he immediately ordered her, "Contain it." Then he raised his voice and screamed, "EVERYONE DOWN!"

T'Challa seemed to notice the bomb as well, and he began running toward his father, but he was too late and too far.

The explosion went off, and Tony did the only thing he could think of at that moment. Knowing that using his suit, Friday would manage to contain most of the blast, but with the king so close to the explosion, he would be gravely injured.

Tony leaped toward the king and tackled him to the ground, covering the older man with his own body just before the windows exploded inwards and flames washed the spot the king stood a moment before.

Tony felt the heat on his back getting worse by the nanoseconds. Soon, instead of fabric burning, he could feel his skin taking the brunt of the damage.

It ended as quickly as it began. For a moment there was silence—deafening silence. Tony's entire body hurt, especially his back, which burned with pain. He closed his eyes and tried to fight off the pain but had little success.

Quickly, Tony gave up on that and instead tried to listen for the heartbeat of the man beneath him. It took him a long moment to realize it.

The king was.......................................... alive.

Tony let out a relieved breath, which was a mistake because that's how he realized he had a couple of broken ribs.

The first to do something was the king of Wakanda himself. As gently as he could, he made his way from under Tony and knelt at his side.

Tony knew the king tried to be gentle with him as he laid him on the floor, but still his ribs protested, and he let out a groan.

A female voice called out, "Oh god, look at his back."

It was as if a spell was broken then, and a familiar voice called out, "Medics! We need medics in here!"

Suddenly Tony could hear a lot of footsteps and voices moving around. He didn't know how long he was lying there before someone got to his other side and took a sharp breath.

The man's voice sounded desperate. "I'm sorry, but I just don't know what we can do for him... the damage is... too extensive."

Tony let out another groan. So, this was how he dies. Fine, he could live with that.

Tony was about to just let go and let the darkness swallow him when a familiar voice in his head called out, "Don't you dare die on me now, Stark. Not after everything I had to go through for you, not after finally finding someone like me."

Tony wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew it wasn't a memory. Wanda never told him any of this. Then her voice filled his head again. "Don't you dare stop fighting, Tony. Think about the kids, about your aunt... about me."

Tony felt a warm flicker generating from his heart, spreading through his veins. An image filled his head of him standing next to Wanda with all the kids and teens piling around them with smiles on their faces. He couldn't give up yet; his legacy was not over yet!

A different kind of burning sensation covered his back and ribs. He could hear someone stuttering, "W-What's h-happening?"

He thought he could hear the king of Wakanda whisper the word 'Extremis.'

Tony began to have hope he would pull out of it, until he could feel his energy being completely gone. His limbs felt heavy to move, and his mind was too sluggish to think. Without any energy, he could feel the warmth filling him starting to ebb away.

Suddenly the king called out in an authoritative voice, "Ayo, hand me the beads."

There was shuffling before a female voice, heavily accented, said, "But my king..."

The king snapped at her, speaking their native tongue, his tone deep and commanding. The female quickly responded, and soon Tony felt something like a metal ball being pressed to his back.

Before Tony could even wonder what the king was doing, he felt an energy surge shooting from the ball into his body, reigniting the warmth inside his veins to the maximum again.

In less than a minute, Tony felt his breathing getting easier; his back wasn't burning anymore, just a little sore.

Tony let out one last groan before he started pushing himself upwards. Quickly there were a couple of hands helping him to sit up. He kept his eyes closed until he heard the king's voice calling out in a worried voice, "Tony, Tony, are you alright?"

Tony opened his eyes quickly and flinched at the rush of light, blinding him for a moment. When the spots cleared, he could see the concerned looks of everyone around him. The first and foremost was the king of Wakanda himself, who was missing his glasses and had a little blood covering his face and clothes, but was otherwise just fine.

Tony nodded slowly. "I'm fine. How is everyone else?"

Tony noticed T'Challa looking surprised before his face shifted to a guilty one. Others around him looked like he was crazy, except the king, who laughed a little before answering, "Thanks to your suit and AI containing most of the damage, there are only some minor injuries. I would have died, but thanks to your actions, you were the only one gravely injured."

Tony waved his hand dismissively. "Not the first time I was hit by a bomb. I'm glad I could prevent a tragedy, Your Majesty."

The king smiled kindly at Tony. "Please call me T'Chaka."

Chapter Text

T'Challa then stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Dr. Stark, please accept my most sincere apology. I have been a fool and allowed honeyed words to cloud my judgment. My country now owes you a great debt, and me even more so as a son. If you ever need any aid, in battle or otherwise, I hope you will rely on mine."

Tony reached out his arm and asked lightly, "How about a hand?"

The prince didn't even hesitate to catch the offered arm and used a surprising amount of strength to easily pull Tony to his feet. Then he quickly shrugged off his jacket and offered it to Tony.

Tony remembered suddenly that his suit was ruined, took the jacket with a grateful smile, and put it on before saying with a small smirk, "I'm familiar with bad first impressions, so don't sweat it. Just call me Tony and keep an open mind."

T'Challa smiled back at Tony. "Please call me T'Challa then."

Tony turned toward the king, his mind already on the next course of action. "It looks like you were the target here, T'Chaka."

The king looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded, his voice deep and grave. "I agree. The timing was precise, and the location too convenient."

Tony looked out of the busted window, thinking aloud. "Maybe whoever did it hoped that with you dead, the accords would be thrown into chaos." Tony's eyes shifted to T'Challa, and another disturbing idea crossed his mind. "Or they wanted to motivate another piece on the board."

T'Challa frowned. "You believe whoever orchestrated the attack did so in order to cause me to act harshly and out of emotion?"

Tony sighed heavily. "It would fit, and sorry to say it, Simba, but as far as I saw, it would have worked too."

T'Challa blushed a little but didn't argue. The king looked worried. "Your theory is plausible, Tony. Still, the question remains of who is able to execute such a plan."

"James Barnes," a new voice supplied for the rest of the group.

Tony turned to see a man a little shorter than him in a grey suit and white hair walking up to them. Tony smiled in relief and said cheerfully, "Agent Ross, I'm glad to see you are on the case."

Ross gave Tony a small nod before informing him, "The camera outside caught sight of James Barnes, otherwise known as the Winter Soldier."

Tony frowned and said, "Wait a moment." Then he pulled out his phone, allowing a holographic screen to appear in the center of the group before asking Friday, "Fri, do me a favor and use our documented picture of Barnes for facial recognition."

The screen was filled with two pictures side by side. One from one of the security cameras in the helicarrier Steve and Barnes fought on during the fall of SHIELD and the other was the picture caught a few minutes ago.

All four of them watched as the program ran, and then Friday informed, "We have a ninety-three percent match, Boss."

T'Challa immediately started to glare at the image, while the king looked thoughtful and said calmly, "I have read of Mr. Barnes's condition. We must ask if the attack was a fruit of his desire or if someone else has used him once more."

Tony just kept scowling at the images. Ross noticed this and asked, "Dr. Stark, is there any problem?"

Tony looked at the agent and asked in a serious tone, "The Winter Soldier avoided detection for half a century; why would he be so careless now? It doesn't make sense."

Ross now was frowning himself while nodding. "You have a good point; why would a man who stayed a ghost for so long miss something so basic?"

Tony finally noticed something in the image and called out, "Friday, please try and compare the body types in both images."

The program ran again before Friday supplied the answer. "As you suspected, Boss, the Winter Soldier from the fall of SHIELD is taller and more muscular than the figure in the newer image."

Ross let out a breath and said, "So you were right; it wasn't Barnes. Someone was disguised as him, but why?"

"Perhaps they wanted to escape consequences and chose to frame someone who was already a known terrorist?" T'Challa offered an option.

Tony considered it for a moment before he shook his head. "No. This image... something's wrong about it. There is only one piece of evidence of the man, and it's from one of the most obvious places for a security camera. No, whoever this is wanted to be caught; he wanted us to blame Barnes... what could it lead to..." Tony suddenly began to look around the room. "Where is Natasha?"

Ross scowled at the mention of the spy and grumbled, "She left before I could even debrief her. Many said she ran out the moment the chaos began."

"Shit," was the only response Tony could give. It was only a question of time before Steve knew about this whole thing as well, and the moment he heard Barnes's name, all of this would turn into a shit show.

Tony turned to the king and said, "We don't know if the individual who tried to kill you will take another shot. If you will let me, I would like to take you to my tower, where I will make sure you are safe."

T'Chaka smiled at Tony. "We will accept your offer most gratefully, Tony."

Ross let out a sigh and said, "I still have to bring Barnes in for questioning; we have a lead on him and are prepared to take him in. I will retract the kill-on-sight order my superiors gave out."

Tony nodded before he led his two new guests out of the main hall.

Tony was sitting in the impressive Wakandan jet.

After all, he came using his armor, which could hardly be used to carry his two extra passengers. Tony considered renting an available private jet, even though those would take hours to reach the tower.

Fortunately, King T'Chaka was nice enough to suggest the use of his private jet. Tony gladly agreed. He doubted their jet would make great time getting to the US either, but at the very least it would save them the time to find and prepare a private jet.

Tony was shocked when he saw the jet. The tech... the design... Tony was reluctant to admit it, but the jet looked even superior to his own.

T'Challa smirked at Tony's reaction and commented offhandedly that they would reach New York in a couple of hours. Which shocked Tony again. His armor could make this time, but his jet would have taken twice that time.

The Prince took the pilot seat while he and the king settled on opposite seats inside the sleek, black jet.

Tony kept his calm and composed face as he said casually, "Can't say I expected this kind of tech from a supposed third-world country."

T'Chaka chuckled. "Ah yes, I intended to ask for a meeting with you regardless of your appearance at the event today."

Tony raised an eyebrow and said with a small smirk, "I'm sure that would've been an enlightening conversation, judging by what I see around me now."

"If you hadn't chosen to attend today, I wouldn't be in a position to ask for said meeting," the older man commented calmly, then he smiled kindly. "Seeing we have the time now, why shouldn't we have the conversation?"

Tony leaned back in his seat, his eyes alight with intrigue. "Oh? I'm all ears."

T'Chaka chuckled before he began speaking. "As you can see, our country is much more than the world has been told. For generations, our leaders have hidden our existence from the rest of the world in order to protect the source of our progress."

"Vibranium," Tony said, stating the obvious conclusion. "I guess you have much more than what Howard bought all those years ago."

"There was a mountain of it, to be precise," the king informed Tony. And for a moment, Tony's mind wandered away with ideas of what he could achieve with those amounts of the precious metal. He was shaken back to reality by the old voice of the man across from him. "We have used this resource to advance our nation into the most advanced one on earth, hidden by a force field covering it."

Suddenly a lot of things fell into place in Tony's mind. But now was not the time to dwell on it.

T'Chaka then smiled like only a proud father could, a pride which carried in his voice too. "My daughter is the current head scientist of Wakanda, and she is developing quite remarkable tech. I believe a conversation between the two of you would be quite an interesting thing to see."

Tony smiled back at the king. "She sounds like an awesome girl. But I have to ask—your country has been closed off from the world for a very long time, and for a good reason according to what you say, so what put so much effort into the accords?"

The old man's smile faded away, replaced by wariness. "The accords were supposed to show the world Wakanda's willingness to join the rest of the world. It should have been a first act to put our country's politics on the stage. While many of our citizens are unsure about my choice in this matter, I look into the future, one..."

"Where Vibranium will no longer be available," Tony finished for the struggling king. "All natural sources are finite, and after centuries of mining it exclusively, you are running low on it. Soon you will need global trade to survive."

It looked like T'Chaka grew a decade in a moment as he nodded. "Precisely."

Tony hummed while thinking for a long moment. His fingers began dancing on the arm of his seat as he began thinking aloud. "I can help you start forming some international relationships, beginning with SI. I think there is a lot your country can learn from my company and vice versa... though it will mean disclosing the true nature of Wakanda, even if not to the world, then to the company."

The small smile returned to the older man's face. "Thank you, Tony; I will greatly appreciate any help you may provide us. Let me deal with the consequences for my country. Speaking of which..."

Before T'Chaka could finish the sentence, Friday's voice filled the jet. "Boss, you have an urgent call from Ms. Maximoff and Mr. Barton."

T'Challa tensed in his pilot seat and asked carefully, "How did you get into our system?"

Friday's voice was smug as she replied, "Your system might be more advanced than most, but I'm Boss's daughter; nothing is better than me."

Both Tony and T'Chaka chuckled. The older man smiled and said, "It seems you have your own child to be proud of."

Tony smiled at the first camera he could see and said sincerely, "There is no one like my baby girl. But I thought we spoke about hacking strangers' systems without permission."

"Sorry, Boss," Friday apologized sheepishly before returning to her usual tone. "I will pass the call through the jet's system."

And before anyone could question her, a panel moved on his seat and a holographic screen appeared before him. On it, he could see the faces of Pietro, Wanda, and Clint.

Tony raised an eyebrow at the group. "Do I want to know what's so urgent that all of you are together calling me?"

Pietro, the least stressed-looking of the trio, was the one to answer in a casual tone. "Me and Wanda wanted a break and decided to pay a visit to your god-children."

"They are... AGH," Tony began protesting before giving up. "I doubt you are calling me for some fun family time."

Clint's voice was as stiff as his body seemed to be. "Nat just called, asked me to pick someone up before meeting Steve at the compound."

Tony frowned, but before he could say anything, Wanda spoke. "She called me afterwards. Told me to wait at the compound for Steve's orders and be prepared to go on a mission."

Tony's eyebrows jumped to his hairline as he asked no one in particular, "What the hell are you playing at, Widow?"

Chapter Text

"Who is it that Natasha sent you to pick up, Clint?" Tony asked after focusing his mind back on the current problem.

Clint frowned with a shrug. "No idea. I told her I was retired and had no intention of playing this kind of game. But Tony, it's less the person and more about the gist of her orders."

Tony nodded in agreement. "Yes. Natasha signed the accords; should conflict present itself, she should be on our side, and still, she is gathering players for Steve."

Wanda looked uncertain for a moment before speaking with a heavy sigh. "Look, I hate to say it because I know she is your friend, but I never sensed any loyalty coming from the Spider. Though she does have more affection for Rogers than you. If I have to guess, she is making sure that whoever wins in the next fight, she is with the winning side."

Clint grumbled a little before finally admitting, "She has a point, Tony. She was always more on team Cap; remember her evaluation?" The archer spat the last word.

Tony shrugged. "Fury knew what she would write; he wanted a biased report to deliver to the WSC." Then he let out a deep sigh of his own. "Though I hoped she would be reasonable enough to help me stop any fight with Steve, not help him build toward one."

Pietro's stare hardened. "Then we should make preparations of our own."

Tony gave the speedster a hard stare. "Even if I did decide to do that, who the hell would even side with me?"

Instead of being discouraged, the silver-haired man perked up and said cheerfully, "You can count on me!"

Clint shrugged, though his face did soften as he said, "If I have to choose a side, I might as well go with the one that allows me to return home afterwards. But Laura..."

A voice then came from behind Clint. "As long as it's Tony you are helping, I will allow it."

Clint turned around to look surprisingly at Laura, then Lila jumped into the frame and said with as much sternness as a little girl could, "You better be helping Uncle Tony and not those meanies, daddy."

Clint was frozen for a moment before he turned to Tony with a bewildered look and said, "I suppose that settles it."

Wanda gave him a small smile. "While I still have to be a spy on Rogers's team, I hope you know that when the time comes, I'm on your side. And you have Vision too."

Tony leaned back, a little shocked by the show of support. "I suppose I do have Rhodey too..."

Tony was cut off by T'Chaka, who decided to add with his kind smile, "If you will allow him, I believe you will find my son to be a valuable ally in a fight like this."

T'Challa turned to Tony and bowed his head slightly. "It will be my honor to fight at your side, Tony."

Tony blinked; he wasn't sure what the prince was capable of, but considering the king vouched for him, he would take it at face value for now. So, all he could do in return was give a grateful nod.

Tony was about to tell everyone to meet at the tower when Friday's voice came again, this time more distracted. "Boss, a priority call from Agent Ross."

Tony's eyebrows jumped again, and he could only carefully reply, "Let me hear it, Fri."

"Dr. Stark, we have a huge issue," the voice of Agent Ross immediately filled the jet. "We have managed to locate James Barnes in Budapest."

Tony frowned a little, not understanding where the problem was. "Is he under someone's protection, or is he resisting arrest?"

The agent gave a weary sigh. "I wish it was something so simple. By the time the German task force arrived there, Captain Rogers was already on site, and he began to attack the soldiers before any questions could be asked."

Tony's eyes widened, and he said immediately, "Don't tell me... Fri, bring up the news; any damn channel will probably do."

The image of the still listening group at the Barton farm was replaced by a European news station. "As you can see, the destruction all around the main road is extensive—the result of a chase after the suspect James Barnes, who was aided by the individuals known as Captain America and Falcon."

Tony and T'Chaka could only watch in horror at the scene. Barnes, Rogers, and Wilson on their knees being arrested by a small army aided by War Machine. Behind them, a tunnel had collapsed with a couple of cars clearly visible under the debris. Smoke could be seen in the background as well as screams that could be heard.

Tony was in such a state of shock that he barely noticed when the anchor kept speaking. "The UN German task force had identified the suspect an hour ago and created a perimeter to securely bring him in for questioning. Captain Steve Rogers was on the scene and chose to attack the soldiers without provocation, and then did all he could to help Barnes escape the pursuing task force. The result of which we can see behind us. It was Rogers and Falcon who intentionally destroyed the foundations of the tunnel, causing it to collapse."

Tony could hardly believe it. It was one thing if Barnes was the one to destroy the tunnel in an act of desperation, but... Steve?! Steve did it?! And what the fuck was Wilson thinking to go along with this insane idea?

"At this time, we can report 22 confirmed deaths—12 of the German task force and 10 civilians. Though we are expecting the number to rise as the rescue efforts for those who are trapped under the collapsed tunnel continue. Captain Rogers, Sergeant Wilson, and suspect Barnes are being transported to a German facility, where hopefully they will be charged for their crimes," the anchor finished with uncharacteristic venom for a news reporter, not that Tony found it in himself to disagree.

The news channel was replaced to show the shocked and pale faces of his three friends. Ross's voice filled the jet again. "I was hoping you could lend your assistance in Germany, Doctor Stark."

Tony closed his eyes, already feeling a headache coming on. "What do you want me to do?"

Ross's voice was a little tense as he asked, "This is a secure line, right?"

Tony gave a dry chuckle, already dreading the response he would get. "Yes. All my lines are untraceable thanks to Friday."

Ross let out a heavy sigh. "The President ordered us to cut a deal with Rogers and Wilson and see if Barnes is eligible for one as well."

Tony's eyes flew open, and his voice was outraged. "What does the fool think he's doing? Cutting a fucking deal after this fiasco—he'll lose the support of the European Union!"

Ross's voice had an edge of disdain to it. "Our illustrious president received a secret call from the Black Widow pleading Rogers's case, if giving the president a list of demands on behalf of the man could count. You can guess what our fanatic president did straight after."

Tony let out a frustrated groan and mumbled, "I hoped I wouldn't have to use it before the elections."

"Umm, Doctor Stark?" Ross asked nervously.

Tony shook his head and said tiredly, "I will be there, Agent Ross; sit tight."

Ross let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Doctor Stark. You should know, by the way, due to her presence in Europe, Agent Carter is insisting on joining the case."

Tony felt the dread in his heart rising for some odd reason, but the call ended there, and before anyone else could say anything, Tony spoke. "Friday, tell Nick it's time for protocol broken crown."

There was a moment of tense silence before Friday relayed a message. "Director Fury said that he is on it."

Tony planted his face in his palm and said through a muffled voice, "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"May I suggest something, Tony?" T'Chaka asked softly. Tony pulled his face out of his hands and looked at him pleadingly. "It is a clever warrior who hopes for the best yet prepares for the worst," the king offered his wisdom.

And while Tony hoped for more specific advice, the words of the older man motivated Tony to make the decision he needed desperately now. Turning back to the screen with the worried faces of his friends, Tony began ordering, "Wanda, please go back to the compound and report if Steve is giving any orders we should know about; also send Vision to the tower. Pietro, you go meet Vision at the tower and get to Germany; Natasha will probably join you—try to play nice for now."

Wanda nodded instantly, while Pietro gave a reluctant nod; he wasn't the best at hiding his feelings, but Tony knew if he wanted to get one over on the red spy, he had to play things close to his chest.

That's why he turned to Clint and told him, "You and the prince here will be our ace in the hole. After all, the Widow thinks you are retired, and she thinks the prince hates me; we will play with those cards if it comes to it."

Clint gave him a small smile and a nod. And with that, the screen flickered away and the panel on his seat closed.

Tony leaned sideways a little and called, "Hey, Simba, mind turning the jet back to Germany?"

T'Challa took a moment to realize he was being spoken to using a nickname before a little smile spread on his lips and he replied, "Very well, Tony."

Tony looked at the king and told him with a firm tone, "Once we land, stay close to me. I wish I had the time to drop you somewhere safe, but it looks like things are escalating too quickly."

T'Chaka bowed his head ever so slightly. "I shall follow your advice then and hope that my presence will be able to be of some assistance in the troubling time to come."

Tony flashed the king a quick smile before he began strategizing in his mind. He considered calling Bruce, but his friend just got back with his ex, and having the Hulk fighting on the news was not something that would contribute to the big picture.

The thought of using Thor's communication device also passed his mind, but again, Tony didn't want to start some outright war with his former teammates.

They had enough powerhouses as it was. Between himself, War Machine, Vision, and even Wanda if things came down to it. They also had Pietro for some quick thinking and Hawkeye in reserve in case the Widow tried to jump ship.

Tony was still unsure of what T'Challa could contribute to the team, and he would need to figure it out before they landed, but for now they had the prince of Wakanda on their side as well.

Meanwhile, Steve had himself, another unstable super soldier, and Falcon. Which made things seem a little unfair, but maybe it would make the oaf think for a moment and reach a more peaceful solution for this mess.

Tony really hoped Sharon would be smarter than getting herself involved with his group, at least not publicly.

He would try to offer Steve a deal. He would try to find something for Barnes—maybe therapy with BARF would work, while under protective custody, of course.

Tony could only hope that Steve would see reason and agree to it. Things could get so much worse if Tony did nothing and Steve was left unchecked. Maybe Tony made a mistake allowing the Avengers free rein under Steve's leadership.

Maybe Tony should have transferred the leadership the moment he bought the rights to the Avengers initiative, or maybe he should have disbanded it outright and built something new, like he was doing now.

Hopefully, now was not too late, but... Tony shook his head; now was not the time to think about it.

Tony took a deep breath; things seemed to go from bad to worse with each passing hour. Hopefully, it wouldn't get to a fight, but if it did, Tony felt good about the team he had built.

Chapter Text

Still wearing his three-piece suit, the same one he wore for the signing event in Vienna earlier this day—or was it yesterday? Damn, so many things got screwed up in the last few hours it was already hard to keep track of time.

Right now he was walking down the entrance hallway of the German UN facility where Steve, Sam, and Barnes were held. On his right side were walking Rhodey and Agent Ross; on his left were T'Chaka and T'Challa.

"Rogers and Wilson received an office to stay in with orders not to leave," Agent Ross updated them, then he grumbled, "It was a headache for me to arrange, but it was an order straight from the president."

Tony let out an irritated sigh. "That man is making me regret all the pain I went through to save his life. You don't have to worry for long, James Bond."

Rhodey smirked at the white-haired agent and said smugly, "Told you Tones is on that."

The agent seemed quite satisfied himself, and it fell onto Tony to return everyone to the issue at hand. "What about Barnes?"

Rhodey frowned. "Funny enough, after the entire chase thing, he actually calmed down. Right now he is in a secure module designed for a super soldier; we are waiting for the psychologist to talk with him and give his own assessment before we can start talking about what to do with him."

Tony nodded, and Agent Ross went on. "Rogers and Wilson, on the other hand, are a different story. The president already sent the deals he made for Rogers and Wilson."

Rhodey side-eyed Tony for a moment. "I thought one of the big advantages of securing Fury as the accords representative was to delay stupid decisions like that."

Tony gave his best friend a small smirk. "Don't worry. Nick knows what he is doing; I trust him." Then he spoke to his AI. "Fri, mind giving me the highlights of this deal?"

After a moment, Friday's voice came, and it was colored with disdain. "Basically, as long as Rogers and Wilson sign the accords, the entire incident will be shoved under the carpet and forgotten. Rogers even retains his position as leader of the Avengers."

Tony let out another agitated sigh. "I guess the only reason Fury managed to get the others to agree to this is the fact he knows Rogers won't take the deal." He then looked at Rhodey with a pleading look. "Is it okay there's a part of me that hopes he's right?"

Rhodey put a reassuring hand on the genius's shoulder and said gently, "Of course it's okay, Tony. I hate the idea of him getting away with everything again. But you just have to do your part. You offer the deal, and whether he takes it or leaves it, it's on him."

Tony nodded with gratitude. Logically, he knew what Rhodey said was right. Everything would depend on Steve's decision. But what if he chose not to take the deal? Where would they go from there?

Tony patted the side pocket of his suit jacket, still feeling the two objects he stored safely in place. Originally, he took them out of storage for the accords signing because it felt appropriate that another resounding moment in superheroics history would be signed by those legendary objects.

They were close to the office where Steve was when he spotted a familiar face and called with a wide grin on his face, "Sherry-Bear!"

The blonde turned immediately with daggers shooting out of her eyes, straight at him. Still, his grin didn't falter even when she hissed at him, "What did I tell you about that nickname, Tony, especially in public?"

Tony raised his hands in the universal signal of surrender. "Fine, fine. How are you doing, Agent 13?"

Sharon rolled her eyes in a fond way before replying in a much softer voice, "I'm doing fine, Tony. How about you?"

Tony smiled gently at her. "It's good to see work keeping you a little busy; I would hate to see my little cousin moping around for too long. I think I can say I'm in the same boat as you."

This time Sharon smiled widely at him and rubbed his arm a little. "Thanks, Cus. I'll see you later, I hope."

Tony gave her the smile he reserved only for his family members and replied, "You can bet on it."

With this, the blonde went on her way, though for some reason Tony could feel shivers going down his spine as she went around the corner before he heard her steps pausing.

They kept on going until they finally saw him. It was easy to see the man was pacing through the glass door and walls of the office.

Tony took a deep breath and said casually, "Well, wish me good luck."

Without waiting for a response, he pushed the door and went in.

Steve's attention was drawn immediately to him, and he smiled, though Tony could obviously see that it was a fake smile. "Tony."

Tony gave the man a nod and returned with a smile of his own. "Steve."

The leader of the Avengers sat across from him and asked calmly, "Are you here to tell us we are arrested?"

Tony put the file Ross handed him earlier as well as the two objects from the pocket of his suit and set them next to each other before speaking. "No, Steve. Some important people worked hard to make this deal possible."

Tony pushed the file toward Steve and explained, "As long as you and Sam sign the accords, this entire thing can be forgotten, and you get to go back to the compound and run the team. Deals don't get any sweeter than that, Steve."

The blonde looked at Tony with disappointment. "You know I can't do it, Tony. The safest hands are our own; I still believe it, despite what everyone else wants to say."

Tony groaned mentally at the stupid words coming out of the man's mouth. Still, he stayed calm and pulled one of the pens that he set on the table, reminiscing a little. "You know, those pens were used by Howard and Erskine to sign the contract that allowed your creation. I think it would be a good symbol for me to show you that the accords can be something better after we work on them. They can be something we will be proud of one day."

Steve stared at the pen still on the table but still looked reluctant to sign, so Tony tried to play his final card. "If you are worried about your friend downstairs, I promise you once you all sign, we will be able to get him the help he needs—the best in any field. I will personally make sure of it."

Tony expected the last statement to encourage Steve. After all, he did all of this just for Barnes, so the man could have a second chance in life, and Tony was offering a better life at that.

But surprisingly, the moment Tony finished his offer, something intimidating flashed in the American Idol's blue eyes. His entire body stiffened as if getting ready for a fight, and his tone was hard and cold as steel. "I won't let you put a leash on Bucky!"

What the hell?! Tony blinked at his supposed friend before asking, outraged, "Who said anything about a leash?! Haven't you been listening to me?"

Steve stood sharply, and Tony had to fight the urge to flinch back as the buffed man snarled, "Is that why you wanted this? So you could put leashes on everyone who doesn't follow you like Potts and Rhodes?"

Tony scowled. "Steve, what the hell are you on about? Pepper is the CEO of SI; more often than not, she is telling me what to do and not the other way around. When did this even become about me?"

Steve scoffed. "Isn't everything?"

Tony had a brief flashback to their first argument on board the helicarrier before the invasion. Tony shook his head. "Steve, I'm just trying to help you; this deal is the best chance you'll get to go back home, scot-free, without even a fine. You can't be so stubborn as to reject it."

Steve turned his back to him, his eyes returning to the blank screens on the wall as he said with firm dismissiveness, "I won't sign our freedom away, Tony. You can keep the pens."

Tony frowned before he let out a heavy sigh, packed the file and pens, and began heading toward the door.

Before he could leave, the door opened and in walked T'Chaka. Steve's attention was now moved to the Wakandan king.

The king smiled at Tony and said, "I hope you don't mind me intervening for a moment."

Tony had already given it his best shot and gotten nothing in return; there was no harm in giving the older man a try, so he just shrugged as a reply.

The king then turned to Steve and began speaking in his usual wise and calm voice. "Hello, Captain Rogers. I'm the king of Wakanda, and I would like a word."

Steve smiled politely at the politician, giving him a nod.

The older man kept smiling. "You must understand there are severe consequences to the recent choices you made. Even if they were mistakes, you cannot deny the atrocious results of them. People are not asking for you to be locked away, as most people in your situation would have been by now; they are simply asking for accountability so something like these events won't happen again. Is it such an unreasonable request to make of you?"

Steve frowned but stayed polite as he replied, "Your Majesty, countries have agendas. I cannot entrust the safety of the world to people like them. So with all due respect, I refuse to give up my freedom to protect the people so a few pencil pushers will be able to feel like they are in control."

Tony had to hide a wince. How stupid was Rogers not to realize Wakanda was one of the main forces behind the accords? Not only did he insult the UN by not understanding what the body even was or what it stood for, he then directly went on to insult the king to his face.

T'Chaka just kept smiling and replied in the same calm and collected voice, "Hmm, I see. Very well, Captain Rogers, just remember that whatever happens from now on are the consequences of your choice, no one else's."

Steve scowled at the king, but the older man turned to Tony and simply said, "I believe it's time for us to take our leave. The psychologist just arrived."

Once they stepped out of the office, Rhodey got closer and told him firmly, "You gave it your best shot, Tones—you and the king—and still Rogers refuses to make the right decision. Don't take it on yourself."

Tony nodded absent-mindedly before asking a completely different question. "Did you notice how he became aggressive once I mentioned helping Barnes?"

T'Chaka nodded with a thoughtful expression. "Indeed. I find it odd the man would go so far for a single individual only to reject the very thing he was fighting for when it was offered to him on a silver platter." His stare then narrowed on Tony. "I believe it has more to do with the origin of the offer rather than the offer itself."

Tony let out a deep sigh. "Wanda said the same thing. For some reason, it looks like Steve really doesn't want me to be in the same room as his cyborg friend. Though I don't know why; it's not like I have anything personal against the guy. Sure, I think he should be arrested and interrogated for any vital information he has, something Barnes should have done on his own after DC, but it's not like I'm going to kill him on sight."

Agent Ross nodded. "Yes. It's clear Rogers is hiding something; my question is if he has any sort of endgame plan here. What? He thinks the world will just allow him to bring a Hydra assassin into the Avengers?"

Rhodey groaned. "That's exactly what he would expect. Maybe even try to use Wanda's powers to 'fix' his mind."

Tony shrugged. "I guess the best we can do for now is wait for the psychologist to finish his assessment, and then we would..."

Before Tony could finish the sentence, he was interrupted by loud alarms echoing through the entire facility as well as flickering red lights.

Chapter Text

Tony groaned as he ran three floors down back to the lobby. Thanks to the emergency mode, all the elevators had been disabled, leaving Tony with no choice other than the staircase.

He left T'Chaka with T'Challa so he could see what the entire mayhem was about.

When he finally got there, what he saw sent shivers down his spine.

Barnes, with a vacant look in his eyes and no emotion on his face, had Sharon wrapping her legs around his neck and trying to punch his head.

The first thought passing through his mind was that someone managed to trigger the Winter Soldier. Tony knew about the brainwashing thanks to Maria, who chose to share some of the details they learned during the fall of SHIELD, unlike some other people he called teammates at the time.

Tony cursed himself for leaving his armor at the jet. Even if he asked Friday to send it over, there wasn't enough time for it to arrive before the Winter Soldier made his escape. There wasn't much he could do with the designer suit he was wearing right now. Well, there was his...

Tony's thoughts had to be cut abruptly when he saw the brainwashed man slam his younger cousin into one of the tables in the lobby. He could see Sharon's face twist with repressed pain, and her arms and legs, which were wrapped in a way that stopped any arm movement from the metal prosthetic, went loose.

Barnes took the chance and raised his metal fist, aiming to bring it down on his Sherry-bear's face.

Tony didn't think. His body just moved.

He began walking quickly toward the pair, his hand already turning the dial of his wristwatch around. The watch began to turn and expand.

But it was too slow; the metal fist was already coming down. Tony was about to scream, to try anything to save Sharon's life, when a heavy metal object hit the back of the Winter Soldier's head.

Tony shifted his eyes to look at the origin of the throw. There stood, tall and defiant, more like a warrior than a king—T'Chaka.

The soldier dropped his cousin on the table, where the girl groaned and didn't get back up. Those vacant eyes turned to the foreign king, and in the blink of an eye, he drew a gun, aiming it at the politician's heart.

Tony didn't hesitate. He aimed his now-formed gauntlet at the Winter Soldier and released a blast.

The blast from the gauntlet was not powerful enough to knock someone out, but when it hit the soldier's shoulder, it knocked the shot released from the gun off aim, completely missing the king.

Before Barnes could take another shot, T'Challa pounced out of nowhere, kicking the gun away from the super soldier before engaging him in battle.

Tony looked to where Sharon was, only to notice she was gone. Tony frowned.

Instead of lingering on it, he made his way quickly to the king and asked, "Are you okay?"

The king gave him his usual calm smile. "Of course; I had you to save my life again, Tony."

Tony shrugged. "That's what friends are for. And you saved my cousin, so we'll call it even."

The king just looked amusedly at him. Tony then looked back at the last place he saw T'Challa fighting Barnes. He was shocked to see the prince of Wakanda already had the brainwashed super soldier on the floor, dazed and ready to be transported back to his containment.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, came a flying shield that went straight toward T'Challa's head. On instinct, Tony raised his arm again and released another blast.

The blast hit the blue and red shield, sending it off course. The shield was embedded into the frame of the entrance door.

T'Challa was so shocked by the attack that he was left gaping at the shield for too long.

Steve came right after the shield and used the moment T'Challa had his guard down to push the man away from his friend with his full power, sending the prince across the room.

Steve picked up his still dazed, brainwashed friend and ran out of the building, pulling his shield with him on his way.

What was left behind was a complete mess. The lobby was in ruins, there were bodies of security guards on the floor, and T'Challa was just picking himself up after being sent away with Steve's full strength.

The only thing Tony learned from this entire fiasco was that T'Challa was one hell of a fighter to defeat a super soldier in a minute flat.

It was an hour later that they all sat in one of the offices.

T'Challa and T'Chaka flanked each of Tony's sides; Rhodey sat next to the king with Natasha sitting next to the prince.

Agent Ross stood across the room; he was leading this debrief of the breakout. Not just Barnes's, because Steve and Wilson decided to join him as well.

The TV on the wall was filled with the face of Nick Fury. His usual frown looked deeper than usual, in Tony's considerable opinion.

"As we all know, an hour ago the suspect James Barnes managed to escape his containment unit," began the agent. "After that, he went on a rampage while making his way to the exit. The result was six dead agents and three security personnel. Agent Carter engaged him and was about to be killed when King T'Chaka intervened. Afterwards, Dr. Stark stopped the attack on the king, which was when Prince T'Challa intervened and quickly subdued the suspect. Unfortunately, Rogers chose that moment to appear and rescue his friend."

There was one question Tony needed to know the answer to before everything else. "What about Sharon?"

Tony noticed Nick flinching a little bit, which was unlike him, and Ross let out a heavy sigh of his own. "Agent Carter disappeared during the fight with the Winter Soldier. When we checked how Rogers had his shield back, we saw that the falcon wings were removed from storage as well. When I checked the log..." He paused, hesitant to say the next words. "It was Agent Carter that unlocked the safe and returned them their weapons."

Tony cursed internally again. What the hell was Sharon doing? Was she really that deep into the Steve Rogers perfect icon wagon? Tony knew he should have said something to her earlier; now he had a sinking feeling he knew where she was, or more accurately, with whom.

Ross shook his head and instead declared firmly, "Agent Carter is reported as missing, while the three that escaped are officially recognized as fugitives."

Tony noticed from the corner of his eye as Romanoff shifted a little in her seat at this declaration.

"What about the psychiatrist?" the calm and collected T'Chaka asked.

Ross frowned in confusion. "He was injured during the breakout."

"Hmmm..." the king hummed. "Convenient. While watching the footage of Romania, Barnes seemed to be the most compliant one to come once he realized the magnitude of the situation. It was unlikely he was triggered then."

Tony felt like a cartoon character with a lightbulb on top of his head. "The only people allowed to speak to him were the guards and the psychiatrist. Considering their current status, it wasn't the guards who triggered him. Why would Barnes spare the only other man in the room after already killing two?"

T'Challa nodded. "If he was triggered during transport, he was too cooperative for a long period of time, and I doubt any of us was a target, or if there was even a hit list, as the soldier headed straight toward the exit."

Rhodey raised an eyebrow at the agent. "So is he with the recovery team?"

Ross cleared his throat a little awkwardly. "Well, he claimed to have his own private doctor that he wished to check on him, so... we allowed him to leave."

Tony let out a deep sigh. "Fri, do me a favor and look into this doctor for me."

"On it, Boss," the response was instant.

Fury himself let out a sigh before saying, "While she is doing this, the council has decided they have enough reasons to issue official warrants for the arrest and questioning of Captain America, Falcon, and Barnes. I'm afraid it falls to you and the team to capture them."

Tony almost missed the quick frown crossing the spider's face before she masked it in an indifferent expression.

He turned to Fury and said, "First, Rhodey is the leader here, so I think he is the one you should pass the order to. Second, how long do we have?"

"Thirty-six hours would be ideal, though if you need longer, the council will be acceptable," Fury replied.

Rhodey considered it for a moment before nodding. "We will take care of it."

T'Challa seemed to want to voice his approval when his father spoke before him. "Son, I believe we should step outside."

The king gave Tony a meaningful glance. Tony knew what his plans were.

After the Wakandans left the room, Tony turned to the redhead and said, "I already have a couple of people who will join us on their way." He noticed how her eyes widened ever so slightly, but he ignored it and asked in a fake friendly tone, "Do you mind trying to pull that kitty prince to our side?"

Tony saw the gleam passing in those green eyes before the spy smiled a little and said calmly, "I will do my best."

With that, she stood up and left the room, presumably to find the prince.

"What the hell, Tony? Why would you want Romanoff to talk T'Challa into joining us when he already agreed?"

Tony shook his head. "It was only an excuse to get her out of the room while we do the real planning. T'Challa will play hard to get, so we will have a little while."

Rhodey's face broke into a smile, and Tony knew his best friend was doing his best not to laugh out loud. That was when Friday spoke again. "The team from the States has arrived at the building."

Now Tony smiled widely. "Lead them here; make sure to keep them out of sight for now."

"Of course, Boss," Friday replied.

Soon the door opened again, and in walked the people Tony was waiting for, as well as... wait... Tony frowned. "What the hell?!"

Across from him stood Pietro with a wide grin on his face, Vision with an exhausted look and vibe to him, and finally Clint, who looked equally amused and sheepish.

The problem was the two standing behind them. One of them wore a high-tech spandex-looking fiber in the colors of red and blue, while the other one had a purple color scheme, a hood over her head, and a mask covering her face.

Bringing back Tony to the damn question of what the hell Peter Parker and Katie Bishop were doing here.

Peter looked a little nervous and sheepish himself, while Kate looked purely smug.

Tony snapped his gaze back to the archer, who shifted a little uncomfortably. "Look, they were with Wanda and Pietro at the house; they heard everything on the call and kind of... snuck into the jet while I said goodbye to Laura."

Tony narrowed his eyes at the man. "You are supposed to be a spy; how could a couple of teenagers sneak past you?"

Clint just looked away, unwilling to answer.

Tony sighed and muttered, "At least Harley had more common sense."

"Well..." Tony's attention snapped to Peter when he said it. The spider boy pulled a drone from behind his back and pushed a button on it.

The drone began to float in the middle of the room, a small red light shining on top of it, when a voice began speaking. "Hey there, Mechanic."

Tony narrowed his eyes at Peter again, and the boy yelped. "We need a guy in the chair, and Harley doesn't have his own armor yet..." he explained as if it was something obvious.

A chuckle behind him forced Tony to turn and glare at his best friend, who shrugged in return and simply stated, "Come on, Tones, you picked these kids; did you really expect anything else?"

T'Chaka hummed with a soft smile. "Greetings, young heroes. If Tony saw potential in you, I am sure you shall prove valuable allies, now and in the future. My name is T'Chaka, the king of Wakanda." He now turned toward Tony. "If you are recruiting talent for the future, I am now more eager to introduce you to my daughter."

Tony just dropped himself into the closest chair with a groan.

T'Challa chuckled. "It is a pleasure meeting you. I'm T'Challa, prince of Wakanda."

Before anyone could react, Peter immediately began bowing repeatedly. "Your Majesties! I am Peter Parker... Wait! I mean I am Spider-Man... I don't know who Peter Parker is!"

Kate facepalmed at her friend's panic and said loud enough for him to hear, "Jeez, Pete, just stop."

Peter yelped again and took a step backwards, hiding behind Pietro. Kate tried to move on by introducing herself. "My name is Kate Bishop; you can also call me Artemis." She pointed at the drone. "The guy flying this is Harley Kenner; goes by Iron Legacy for now."

Tony's eyes snapped up, and he asked, stupefied, "When the hell did you get code names?"

Kate smiled widely. "Friday suggested it! She said we need to be code-named in the field so Rogers won't know who we are. She also was the one to suggest our names. She is the best!"

"Friday!" Tony screamed, outraged, at the closest camera.

Friday responded immediately and without an ounce of shame. "Don't worry, Boss; I know I'm the best."

Tony's lips twitched at the corners unwillingly as he mumbled, "Cheeky AI."

Rhodey rolled his eyes with a smile. "I wonder where she learned it."

Ross cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him. "As wholesome as all of this is, I'm afraid troubles just keep multiplying."

Nick took the job of informing them. "Wanda just sent a text; she has crossed the borders into Germany a few minutes ago. She said that Wilson mentioned a couple of new recruits to their team."

Tony groaned. "What the hell is Steve trying to do? Turn this argument into an all-out war?"

Rhodey's smile was gone; instead, he wore his 'Colonel face.' "It's time to talk plans."

Chapter Text

Wanda hated everything about the situation she was in.

Right now, they were in a hangar near the Leipzig Halle airport. When she said "they," she meant Rogers, Wilson, and Barnes, which she expected.

She was waiting in the Compound after seeing her brother and Vision off. She envied them for getting to fly straight to help Tony while the best she could do was rely on some messages to him when necessary.

Wanda took the next quiet hour to look back at her feelings toward the genius.

She would be honest enough to say that while she was a girl, even though she might have heard his name mentioned here and there, she never paid it any mind, not having any interest in technology or science—putting her in a whole different realm than his.

That's why after the tragedy that she and her brother had to suffer, when Hydra showed them some selected articles and clips about the man and pointed the blaming finger at him, it was easy for her to start hating him.

Then she allowed her hatred to consume her. If it wasn't for that hatred and vengeance, then why would she work with people like Hydra? She had to drown in that hatred to justify her own mistakes.

Then she met the man, and when she thought back on those first meetings, when she was still working with Ultron, Tony, while still arrogant, had little resemblance to the man she believed him to be.

Even when she got into his head, she was looking for one of those evil qualities she was told he had. She looked for his ego, for his narcissism, for his greed, for his selfish side... Only they weren't there.

Instead, she found fear. Not for himself, but for the world—fear he wouldn't be enough, that his team wouldn't be enough to save the people from what was coming. In short, in the end, instead of bringing out some evil intent from the man, she manipulated his selfless fears so he would bring his own demise.

But her hatred was challenged at its core when she heard Tony tried to protect a Sokovian child, when she heard he sacrificed himself to save her brother's life.

It took her a lot of courage to apologize to the man back at the compound after the entire debacle ended with her as part of the Avengers.

By the end of her apology, she was content knowing that she might never be friends with him, but she didn't hate him anymore.

That changed quickly, and it took Tony only a couple of weeks to worm his way into her heart, and suddenly they were friends.

Wanda wondered exactly when this man, this true hero, took such a large part of her life and heart to change her feelings to something beyond just friends. She couldn't point it out even if she was forced to.

She was hesitant about it. There were days she was sure a relationship between them was a bad idea, and then there were the days all she wanted was to be closer to him.

Her heart sank when they almost kissed on that couch, just before Rogers decided to ruin their entire week.

She was now willing to freely admit that she was slowly falling for Tony Stark. Her heart was already warming each time she spent time with him, and she couldn't help but worry when she heard about the explosion in Vienna or the tunnel collapse in Romania.

By the end of the hour, Wanda resolved to speak with Tony once this entire argument cooled off and see if he was interested in exploring something more with her too.

Unfortunately, she didn't have any more time to herself because at that point she received a message from Romanoff telling her to meet Rogers in Germany with a location.

Wanda knew the spider was on Rogers's side from the start, but she thought the redhead would try to hide it better and play as small a part as possible, but for some reason she took a bigger part than the witch expected.

With little other choice, she put on her battle attire Tony made for her. It was crimson, with a crown in the same color as her hair. It was light and stretchy, allowing her to make sharp movements. But the fiber was also made from a material strong enough to withstand a punch from a super soldier. Tested by the Hulk himself.

As she climbed into one of the Compound jets, she took out the phone Tony secured for her so Romanoff wouldn't be suspicious of her and tried to call Tony.

She frowned when the call went to voicemail; after a moment, she decided that instead of waiting for Tony to call back, she would call Fury.

When the man answered her, she learned about the breakout of Barnes and Rogers's part in it, as well as Carter's supposed role.

So, when she landed, she expected to see Rogers, Barnes, and Wilson in the hangar. She knew it was a possibility, but still she cursed internally when she saw Tony's cousin sitting there as well.

Feeling Rogers's righteous fury and Wilson's pure worship for the former was what she expected. Barnes was a huge emotional mess; she was getting a little headache by just trying to focus on a single one of them.

Carter's feelings were somewhat similar to Wilson's in the regard she was here and following Rogers due to her idolizing him, but there was also a thread of regret and sadness mixed with it. Not enough to overpower her rose-tinted glasses and make her choose better actions.

For a moment, Wanda was worried that the blonde would point out she saw Wanda sitting with Tony in his private living room, which no doubt would cause Rogers to doubt her and maybe remove her from the team.

Ah, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing. She would be able to finally openly join Tony's side and stop with the entire act of tolerating Rogers.

But it became obvious Carter wasn't going to say anything when the blonde sent her a sympathetic look, as if she could understand why she chose Rogers's team over Tony's even if they both were close to the latter.

Wanda wanted to snarl at the woman. How could she possibly turn on her own cousin like that, and for a stupid stand like Rogers was trying to make now?

The door of the hangar opened again, and Wilson walked in with the two recruits he called in from somewhere back in the United States.

Wanda had to bite her tongue to stop the gasp trying to claw its way out of her throat when she heard a familiar feminine voice she had only heard once before in Tony's living room a couple of days ago.

Luckily, these two didn't see her when they spoke with Tony as she was behind the door and they were dealing with their own issues, so there was no danger of them exposing her.

Because the two that walked in were without a doubt Hope Van Dyne and Scott Lang. One was a precious childhood friend of Tony's, and the other a criminal according to what Tony told her.

All of them were wearing their hero gear.

Rogers was in his Captain America outfit with his shield strapped to his back. Wilson was wearing his full Falcon costume with the wing pack on his own back.

Lang was wearing a black and red jumpsuit with a rather odd belt around his waist and a metal helmet hanging off the back of his neck. Van Dyne wore a similar suit, but hers was yellow and black, and had the addition of some pack on her back, much like Wilson's.

Barnes and Carter were the only ones with more casual clothes, if you discount the rifle in Barnes's metal arm, as well as Carter's bulletproof vest and vast array of weapons strapped around her body.

Rogers stepped into the center of the room and began speaking. "Today we have to take a stand against the pencil-pushers that think they can put a leash on heroes and stop them from helping people."

Wanda would admit that if she wasn't aware of what the accords really said, his speech would have swayed her a little. She hated to give something to the oaf, but he did have undeniable charisma and an authoritative vibe to him.

"The Doctor is on his way to Siberia, and he is going to wake up five Winter Soldiers who will be bent on killing and taking down cities. We are the Avengers! It's our duty to stop something like that before it could happen, and we shouldn't wait for some politicians to agree to that. Today we will stop the threat and prove to the world that the accords are unnecessary because their REAL heroes will protect them no matter what," Rogers finished dramatically.

Lang actually started clapping, while Wilson nodded with approval and Carter had stars in her eyes. She could feel Rogers's self-righteousness and determination swell under their approval.

Wanda thought it was a shit plan, because of so many reasons. But before she could break her cover by saying something, it was Van Dyne who asked, "So you want us to fight five super soldiers? Six actually, if your buddy there is triggered again."

Wanda could feel anger rising from Rogers, but Lang beat him to the punch by hissing at her, "Hope! This is Captain America, the man with the plan. I'm sure he thought about it and has a plan in this case. We will win; we can't lose with Captain America leading us!"

Wanda noticed the quick side-eye the woman gave her companion before she sighed in resignation and nodded.

Rogers then smiled at Lang and said, "Thank you, Scott. Now, can we count on you to get us to Siberia?"

Before Lang could reply, Hope narrowed her eyes. "I'm not about to drag my company name into a political dispute, and I don't have any jets of my own, so that will be a no, Captain."

Rogers frowned. Thankfully, Wilson offered another solution. "When I picked those two up, I noticed an Avengers jet in one of the hangars there."

Shit! This was how Wanda got here. She should have made sure it was hidden.

Lang shrugged and pointed something out to Rogers. "It's probably the one the bastard Stark used to come here. But considering your status, no one is going to hand it over to you."

Wanda noticed how Carter and Van Dyne reacted to the name.

Carter was feeling more of the lingering sadness and regret from before, while Van Dyne was outright afraid and worried at the mere name.

But what shocked and confused her was Barnes's reaction to the name. The man who was so far indifferent to everything around him became consumed with guilt at the mention of the Stark name.

Rogers nodded. "Then it's clear we are going to the airport, and we will commandeer the jet in the name of real Avengers. Be prepared for a fight if any of those accords' villains will try to stop us."

With that, everyone began to prepare. Wanda took that moment to text Tony: 'Rogers found my jet in Halle Airport; we are heading there now. They think it's your jet.'

She received a thumbs up in response, and she sighed as she began following Rogers into the van they had stolen earlier today.

An hour later, they reached the airport, and she hated that she had to use her powers to trick the guard into letting them in with all their weapons, but otherwise Rogers would punch him, which would end up much worse for the guard.

The airport was full of people going or coming back from vacation. There was so much traffic and noise around, Wanda found it hard to concentrate on any specific person, like Rogers, for example.

They stared out of the window into the runway field; Wilson pointed out toward one of the furthest hangars from their location and said, "That's where I saw it."

Rogers nodded. "Then that's our target. We will head over there now while there are people around we can blend with."

Barnes looked hesitant and asked, "Steve, what if Stark and his team show up?"

Rogers's eyes narrowed in determination as he declared, "We will fight."

Barnes raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "With all those people around? They will get hurt, if not outright killed."

Rogers let out a heavy sigh. "It's a shame, but we can't save everyone, Buck. If those five Winter Soldiers are loosed, a lot more people will die." There was silence after that, and Rogers added as if an afterthought, "It will also be on Stark for trying to stop us."

She wanted to send this man to the moon and see if the serum in his blood would allow him to survive the vacuum of space. Sounds like Tony's kind of experiment.

Van Dyne seemed to be uncomfortable with the plan as well. Barnes and Wilson looked indifferent; Carter was frowning slightly, probably trying to figure out Rogers's angle with the plan but finding none. Lang was the only one actually nodding as if what Rogers said made perfect sense.

She already said she hated everything about the situation she was in, right?

Chapter Text

Tony cursed inside his mind again. He found himself asking for the hundredth time in the past couple of days what the hell Steve was thinking. Trying to steal a quinjet in the middle of a crowded airport, knowing the entire world was after him.

At this point it's more than him not making an effort to save as many people as possible—it's more like he uses them as shields and intentionally puts them in harm's way.

Tony was also worried about Wanda. The woman sounded at the end of her rope when it came to this entire ordeal. Whatever happens next, Tony promised himself he is going to talk Wanda out of continuing this spy job. They will just have to find another way to deal with Steve.

He frowned when he read Wanda's message telling him about a couple of unpleasant surprises waiting for him on Steve's roster. Tony guessed she couldn't say anymore about it without making it too obvious who told him, so he will just have to prepare himself for the worst.

Tony was standing with the rest of his team... oh, and Natasha, inside the hangar hosting the Avengers quinjet Wanda used to enter the country.

Clint and T'Challa were discussing something amongst themselves, both with smiles on their faces. So were Peter, Kate and Harley (through his drone).

Vision and Pietro, as odd as the pair seemed to be, were having a pleasant discussion too.

T'Chaka was left in the care of Agent Ross back in the Germany facility. Rhodey was on the phone with the airport authorities so they would be ready to issue an evacuation order for the airport and get the civilians out of the way.

Natasha kept staring at the quinjet with a blank face, though Tony could guess she was trying to calculate how fast she would be able to hack the controllers if and when it became necessary.

Tony rolled his eyes. Rhodey had just got off the phone when Friday spoke. "Boss, I have the results of the investigation."

Tony nodded. "Go ahead, Fri, show it on our phones."

They all pulled out their devices and looked at the screen as two images were pulled side by side. It was the same man.

On the right was probably his passport image, while the left half displayed the same man with his neck showing obvious signs of choking. It was clear by his pale complexion and vacant eyes that the man was dead.

"This is Dr. Theo Broussard. The psychologist assigned by the UN to assess one James Barnes. He was found dead a couple of hours ago in his hotel room, though preliminary examination reported his death time to be at least 12 hours ago." Friday informed them in a monotone voice.

Rhodey cursed under his breath. "Which means someone was impersonating him to gain access to Barnes and trigger him."

Tony nodded in agreement, before grumbling, "Wish we could know who though."

Friday's voice turned smug, and at the same time the image on their screen switched to one of a different man. "Meet Helmut Zemo. Sokovian. Former EKO Scorpion, which was an elite Sokovian black ops unit. He lost his entire family when Sokovia first lifted from the ground."

"Do we know his goal?" Vision asked calmly.

Friday sounded disappointed when she admitted, "Not yet, bro. But I can confirm he matches the body build of the man responsible for the Vienna bombing as well."

Tony gave a small smile to his phone's camera. "You did more than I expected already, baby girl, so don't beat yourself up. I'm proud."

Tony looked at Rhodey and rather naively asked, "Do you think Steve will listen to us now?"

Rhodey looked conflicted for a short moment before replying, "I'm not sure. Are you up for it, Tones?"

Tony took a deep breath and nodded. "Even if they were my friends, I can't let him keep hurting people. If he won't listen to reason, we will do it."

Rhodey nodded and called the airport authorities. Instead of the calm face Tony was used to, his best friend's face turned livid and he screamed, "What?!" After another moment he let out an agitated sigh and said as calmly as he could, "Go ahead with the evacuation."

Rhodey then turned to the worried looks of the rest of the team, except Natasha, and told them the bad news. "Rogers just 'went through' the guards of the runway. He and his team began a slow advancement in an assault formation toward the hangar. The people are confused about what's happening and have no idea what to do. The evacuation notice will still take them a few more minutes to prepare."

Tony blinked. And counted to 101. What the fuck, Steve?!

Pietro shrugged and said casually, "Then we should go out there and say hello. Keep him talking for those few minutes so people could start clearing out."

T'Challa nodded his head. "I believe it will be the most prudent course of action."

With the agreement of everyone, Tony sighed and said, "Fine. Clint, you are in charge of the kid unit."

The two teens looked offended by the name, and Clint looked resigned. Tony gave them a small glare. "Your new job is to stay out of sight and rescue civilians who might get caught in the crossfire. The most you can do is the occasional blind strike from a distance. Am I clear?"

The teens took a step back under his stern voice and nodded quickly. Tony gave them a sharp nod and turned to lead the group out of the hangar to meet Steve's group.

With the plan made, all of them stepped out of the hangar. Clint immediately led the group of teens, and drone, to the sideways, warning everyone on the way to start evacuating the field.

Tony was not sure if he should be thankful or not that by the time they finally caught sight of Steve, the main terminal was still in view and the hangar they came from was almost on the other side of the runway field.

Tony was glad that none of Steve's group noticed him, because two faces in particular caused him to freeze in his step and choke on air.

As much as he hated to admit it, he already had a bad feeling Sharon was helping Steve from the beginning. His baby cousin always was a huge Captain America fan, and since she entered her teenage years and aunt Peggy showed her some topless photo of Steve post-op, she had a crush on him, one that carried on when he was found alive and joined SHIELD.

Sharon will always trust Steve Rogers to know what he is doing and will always be on the side of good. She never saw him as a man, but rather as some perfect character from the comics.

Tony just never expected her to go so far as to publicly assist him in battle like this. And the fact she had to know Steve would go against Tony and she still chose him hurt Tony more than he would ever admit.

But while the first was a sad surprise, the second was a complete shock. Because next to the criminal Lang, his childhood friend Hope Van Dyne was walking.

Seriously?! They had one fight, and she immediately sided with a team bent on bringing him down? And did she really think it would help her case?

Tony had no doubt old and spiteful Hank encouraged his daughter in anything anti-Stark related. Never mind his entire issue is with Howard, not Tony—somehow Tony inherited the asshole's problem as well.

His emotions were probably broadcasting intensely because Wanda quickly managed to track him down and locked gazes with him.

Her eyes were full of sympathy and comfort that caused Tony's racing heart to settle back down.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the worried face of Rhodey. "Are you ready for this, Tones?"

Tony took a deep breath and entered his performance persona, with his sharp smirk and cheerful voice. "I was born ready for a show, Platypus."

Rhodey nodded and the two of them stepped out of their cover, their armors immediately drawing everyone's attention, including Steve's and his team's. Tony's team was instructed to wait for the sign before joining them. Tony really hoped they would be able to talk things out.

"Look at this, Rhodey, isn't it the funniest thing how you always bump into someone you know at the airport." He said in a loud cheerful voice, and even though he was mock speaking with Rhodey, his eyes were locked on the man wearing the American flag.

Rhodey's eyes were locked on the group as well as he nodded and said in the same fake cheerful tone Tony used, "Sure is, Tones."

Steve's group stiffened at the sight of him, especially Sharon and Hope, as well as Barnes. Was that because of their little spat in the facility?

Steve took a step forward, though Tony noticed he was already wearing his helmet and his shield was already strapped on his arm. The man clearly came ready for a fight. He still hoped things wouldn't go down that way.

The blonde's words were careful. "Tony. You don't know what's going on. Bucky..."

"Was framed." Tony cut him off, his words enough to silence the soldier so he kept pushing. "By a guy named Zemo. A Sokovian. He also killed the psychiatrist that was supposed to meet Barnes and triggered him."

Steve and his team were clearly surprised Tony knew about it, far less that he was acknowledging it. Tony dropped the smirk and tried to show his sincerity. "Come on, Steve, work with me here. Let's all of us go somewhere private and talk things through."

Steve was so focused on him he didn't notice people began to return back into the terminal building, well except those who stuck around and were now recording everything with their phones.

Steve frowned. "I can't do it, Tony. Zemo is on his way to Siberia to find and awaken five winter soldiers. We have to stop him."

Tony took half a moment to let the new information sink in. Something in all of that sounded wrong. Tony couldn't see how Zemo's actions so far would aid him in this goal. The opposite was the truth.

If the Sokovian hadn't gone out of his way to frame Barnes, they would never have known about him and his plan would be unnoticed until it was too late. So why draw attention to himself? It didn't make sense.

He shook his head mentally and responded, "We will deal with that. I promise. But in a better way, one that won't end with everyone here in prison."

Steve shook his head in his usual disapproval. "All this red tape will just give him the advantage. The safest hands are our own."

Tony hated that line and before he knew it he went on a rant. "And what's your brilliant plan? All you have on your team is three baseline humans, two of them with some high tech spandex, but still. You, who couldn't even take Barnes on. And then there is the original winter soldier himself, who with the right words will faster become another enemy than useful ally. Ms. Maximoff is the only one with a decent chance of taking down a couple of them. If you let us handle it, we can order evacuation of the closest city to the base, and engage the soldiers with an approved team to take them down. No one gets hurt unnecessarily, and bad guy stopped. What's the damn issue here?!"

Tony ignored the reaction of the rest of Steve's team and focused on the American Idol solely. The man had a scowl on his face and he spoke in a more intimidating voice. "If you hadn't broken apart the Avengers..."

"Me?!" Tony yelped in outrage. "I'm doing my damn hardest to make sure there are still Avengers when all of this is over! I gave offers, compromises and you were the one to reject them all. The world keeps moving, Steve. Right now it demands accountability for all the death and destruction you caused while looking for your buddy there."

Barnes looked shocked and hurt by the accusation of so many deaths committed in his name. Steve stiffened and moved to put himself between Tony and Barnes for some reason Tony couldn't understand.

Tony let out a sigh. "Come on, Steve. It's your last chance. Come with us quietly and I promise you, none of you will get any charges for this, and Barnes will get the help he needs." He then shifted his look to the rest of the team. "And what about all of you? Are you really willing to sacrifice everything for his crusade? You have a better option right here and now." He aimed it especially at his cousin and friend.

Sharon looked pained at him but stayed at Rogers's side. Wilson's face remained defiant. Hope looked like she was about to agree with him when Lang pulled her hand, and she shook her head in hopelessness. Wanda shot him a determined look of her own, for an entirely different reason. Barnes looked like he really wanted to take Tony's offer and was stopped by Steve, who was literally in his way.

Steve's scowl deepened and he turned his body a little, entering a battle pose as he said, "We can't do it, Tony."

He can't believe it! And none of his fan group says anything either. Fucking amazing. Well then, Tony guesses they will just have to do this.

Rhodey took a step forward, his voice a stoic mask as he said firmly, "We tried it Tony's way, but if you won't listen, we do it your way."

That was the signal.

With a strong gust of wind, Pietro, code named Quicksilver, appeared next to Rhodey. He was wearing the silver and blue super suit Tony designed for him. Pietro smiled at the wide-eyed look of Steve's team and mocked, "What? Didn't see it coming?"

With a flip over his head, prince T'Challa landed in a crouch next to him. He was wearing his panther-themed vibranium outfit. Steve seemed to recognize him as he gave a mock polite greeting. "Your Majesty."

T'Challa stood up straight and replied with a cold voice, "This will end here, Captain Rogers, either nicely or by force. Your campaign of death and destruction cannot be allowed to continue."

A shadow over Tony confirmed Vision was hovering above, his voice calm and measured as he said, "Please, Captain, reconsider your decision. Before this conflict becomes another tragedy."

Natasha walked calmly to stand beside T'Challa and tried with a soft voice, "Do you really want to punch your way out of this, Steve?"

Tony could taste the tension in the air. Suddenly the other group was much more nervous seeing they were facing more than just Iron Man and War Machine. And not just between the two teams—the people still around looking at their interaction were growing tense as well.

In that exact moment the evacuation order began broadcasting over the entire airport, pushing the tension over the edge.

Just as everyone started moving, Tony yelled out, "Stand down! Let the evacuation finish first."

Steve responded to him coldly, "You are the one who began the fight here, Tony. That's what I'm saying—we can't always save everyone."

The blonde's team began picking up speed. Tony sighed, his helmet closing around his head, and Tony joined his own team as they returned the charge.

A moment later, the two lines crashed.

Chapter Text

Tony’s fist clashed with Steve’s shield, forcing both of them to take a step backward.

Steve then decided to try and throw the shield at Tony, who waited for the shield to be in the right angle before he blasted it away.

Steve followed the shield with his eyes, which was how he saw Barnes being overwhelmed by T’Challa once again. His metal arm pinned to the ground by the Panther’s foot as the prince was about to punch the war two veteran in the face.

Steve abandoned Tony completely and charged the foreign prince. A stray civilian looking around and calling for his family, not realizing what happening was found himself in the way of the charging man, and Steve didn’t look like he was about to stop.

Tony was about to launch himself in the hope of pushing the man out of a sure death while a web line caught the man and pulled him back to safety.

Tony let out a breath and made a mental note to praise Peter later for following orders. He noticed two arrows fly over everyone head before they expanded into a net and attacked them selves to two doorframes.

Tony was a little confused until he noticed the nets block the exit so a few people holding their phones up to video the fight were stuck inside the building and out of harm way.

None of the others seemed to notice any of that, not even Romanoff who was locked in a hand to hand combat with Sharon, both women looked pretty equal in terms of skill. No matter how much Romanoff proud herself of her training in the red room, the truth is there are plenty other people who trained to the bone in other places. Sharon was one of those.

He gave a glance to the rest of the battlefield.

Barnes was getting back up to his feet and began reaching for his weapon when he was suddenly pushed back. Pietro appeared between the weapon and the super-soldier a cocky smile on his face “Try to keep up old man.”

Then a game began where Pietro ran around the soldier and pushed him slightly in other direction every time, while Barnes tried to catch or punch the speedster.

Vision was handling Hope and Lang, Hope, who apparently could fly using mechanic wings on her back. But that wasn’t what gave Vision his problem with the two. They kept shrinking and growing back to normal.

They were in an impasse. Vision couldn’t land a hit on her, but Hope’s and Lang’s attacks were ineffective against the android’s dense skin.

Rhodey was in the sky, exchanging fire with Wilson. Rhodey tried to keep him fire to a minimum, not wanting to kill anyone by a stray shot. Tony could hear a conversation going between the two through the comms “Wilson, what do you think you are doing? Do you understand what you are throwing away?!”

The Flacon scoffed and retorted “You call yourself a colonel and then going around following Stark like a puppy.”

Rhodey snorted “You don’t seem to understand who leads the team here. If it was up to Tony we would still be talking around, but you see I don’t nearly as nice as he is. I understand when I see a lost cause. Unfortunately, now that’s includes you now.”

With that three small missiles came out of the War-Machine armor and aimed at the jet back on the Wilson’s back.

Wilson dove and avoided the missiles who ended up exploding near a transport vehicle, causing the people riding it to yelp fearfully.

Rhodey cursed before shutting down the rest of his missiles, pushing his boosters further, he tried to catch up to the Flacon’s superior speed and agility to use close range weapons.

Hearing another shout from next to him Tony turned quickly to watch in horror as Steve was engaging Spiderman.

The man stood imposingly over Spiderman’s crouching figure and asked “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

“Umm, I’m Spiderman.” Peter tried to sound casual and bantery, but Tony could hear how nervous he was “And I just swing around and getting civilians out of the way like Mr. Stark told me.”

Steve face darkened at the mention of his name “Anything else he told you?”

Spiderman nodded slowly “Told that even though you are breaking the law and doing bad things you think you are right, which making you very dangerous.”

Damn it Peter, why are you just getting out of there?! That was when Tony noticed the woman holding a small boy in her arms who was laying on the floor just behind Spiderman.

Steve snorted before sending his shield flying, not at Peter but at one of the supporting metals of the gateway which Peter and the civilians were under.

The gateway came down, crushing everyone underneath it. Or it would have if Spiderman, didn’t stand up and caught it.

Steve looked surprised for a moment before smiling at Peter “You’ve got a heart kid, where you from?” He took a step closer, his shield still strapped imposingly to his arm.

Peter was at a loose of what to do obviously, if it was just him he would of thrown the gateway at Rogers and get out of there, but with the civilians there too he had to stay in place to protect them.

Tony was already on his way toward the scene, willing to fighting Steve until Peter manages to get the civilians and himself out of there.

All of the sudden an arrow cut the air between Spiderman and Steve. Forcing the latter to raise his shield. The arrow exploded on contact forcing the blonde to take a few steps backward.

Kate stood just on the side of the gateway and screamed out “Spiderman get them out of here and lets get back to the shadows.”

“Copy that, Artemis.” Was Peter’s immediate response.

Tony wondered how Kate even know to get there in time when he noticed Harely’s drone hovering over the scene.

Steve shook of the blast and frowned “What is that? Did Tony build his own team? How petty…”

“Yhea, no old man. Sorry to tell you but Mr. Stark, was against us coming here, but someone needed to make sure no one else kept dying because you are an idiot. You can call me Artemis, by the way.” Kate said, as bluntly and disrespectful as ever.

Tony’s comm cam to life and Romanoff voice spoke “What the hell Stark? Who are the newbies on your team?”

Tony could hear the touch of anger in her usually controlled voice, which mean the widow was pissed off about being caught off guard. Tony also noticed how she used ‘your team’ without including herself.

Tony’s answer was brief and harsh “Focus on the fight you are losing Romanoff.” And he killed the line.

He saw Steve’s frown turn into a scowl and he growled out “It looks like someone should teach you to respect your elders.”

Tony caught the quick look of panic passing on Kate’s face before she drew another arrow and prepared her bow. Tony saw red at that moment and launched himself forward.

Steve was caught off guard by his arrival and could protect himself as Tony tackled him at full speed, sending the super soldier flying back through a wall.

Tony turned to Kate and ordered her “I got this, you join Spiderman and watch each other’s back.” The raven head nodded before turning and following her fellow hero in training direction.

Tony turned back to Steve, seeing him getting back to his feet, he could see Steve giving some orders using his comm, and before he could question the blonde what he was up to the ground began shaking.

Tony turned sharply to its origin, and he saw the Lang guy growing to the size of a building! Looking around he saw the shakes were causing many civilians that were still hiding around in the hopes of going unnoticed having equipment falling on top of them, and because of the shakes they could even stand up on their feet to run away.

“Vision, Quicksilver, take away the civilians from here.” Was the only thing Tony could think of, and as the two of them followed his order he took into the air to engage the giant man.

Tony tried to fly around launching energy blasts from his repulses at the man, using his suits agility and speed he managed to avoid all of Lang’s swapping attempt.

Tony was sure to an outside it looked funny, like a regular man fighting a fly.

That was until Lang seemed to have enough and grabbed a plane that was parked on the runaway, before he used it to swap at Tony.

Tony was about to avoid it when he noticed three people that were hiding inside the plane, looks like a captain and a couple of stewardesses.

With no other choice Tony took the hit full force to catch the three people midair and try to cushion their fall with his own armored body.

Fortunately, just then Vision swapped in and grabbed the people from his hands, Tony crushed landed on the ground and had to avoid some airplane debris, but he could live with it.

Just as he was recovering a big shadow covered the ground around him, he looked up to see the foot of the giant man about to land on him. Was Lang fucking carzy?!

With no other choice Tony prepared to launch a few missiles that will force the giant man to take a step back and off Tony, until a scarlet wisps began rapping themselves around the man’s foot.

***

Wanda was fighting no one in particular she made a show out of shooting random bursts of her power in the direction of her supposed teammates fights, and is she missed them by a small margin… Opps.

Of course, it was more than that, it was early in the fight she recognized the presences of Peter and Kate in the airport, at first, she was confused a little bit miffed that Tony let the kids join the fight.

But then she saw how they stuck to the edges of the field, pulling away civilians still trying to get to safety amidst the fighting. Wanda smiled and decided to help them. Whose to know if one of her misfired energy shots found its way to a debris, sending it away from a potential victim, or if she pulls someone out of a tight spot while trying to try and catch the agile Black Panther.

Everything was pure chaos and Wanda had hard time following what was going on, at one point she caught her brother fighting, if you can call it that, against the winter soldier. But when Rogers abandoned his fight with the panther to fight… Peter?! The panther engaged the metal armed man while her brother moved on to deal with Tony’s bee friend.

But all hell broke loose when she heard Rogers’s voice through the comms “Scott, I need that distraction you talked about the rest of use get ready to run toward the jet.”

Wanda began to wonder what the hell Rogers was talking about, she wasn’t any part of a backup plan.

She kept wondering it until the ground shook and she heard Van-Dyne’s voice calling out “Scott, you idiot!”

Wanda’s eyes flew open as Lang grew to a size larger than the airport itself in height. She was even more confused when she noticed her brother and Vision pulling back from the fight.

That was until she saw them pulling people that were about to be stepped on by the new giant on the field, then Tony got into the fry trying to hold back Lang with blasts and agility midair.

Wanda’s finger itched as she considered her next course of action, she really wanted to help Tony, but she knew she has to maintain her cover for as long as possible in case Rogers manages to somehow get away.

Everything changed though when Lang picked up that plane and attacked Tony with it. At first, she wasn’t worried because she figured Tony would just avoid it.

But when she saw Iron-man taking the hit head on her heart skipped a bit, then she noticed the three people he was carrying from amongst the ruins of the plane. Vision flew in to pick the civilians up, and Tony ended up on the ground.

She heard Lang laughing deeply as he raised his foot and was about to step on her Tony.

Chapter Text

Wanda broke at that moment. She didn’t care about her cover, or about Rogers. She barley heard Van-Dyne screaming at the top of her voice “SCOTT! STOP! NOW!”

Her hands shot forward as she used her power to halt the foot midair. Causing Lang to grunt in confusion. “Maximoff?” Van-Dyne asked carefully.

Wanda ignored her, the anger fueling more than just her power but her mindset as well. She increased the spread of her powers until it covered Lang’s entire body and she picked him up to the air.

His oddly deep voice calling out in confusion “Wh… What’s going oooon?”

“Maximoff!” Van-Dyne snapped at her from behind, but before she could say anything else she was pushed away from Wanda and her brother stood between the two.

Pietro smirked down at Van-Dyne and asked too casually “You called?”

The sound of a loaded gun filled the air as Sharon’s voice, wasn’t she fighting Romanoff a moment ago?, spoke “Wanda, what are you doing to him? We are on the same team.”

Wanda was about to drop Lang and turn to her when the gun was knocked out of her hands by an arrow. Clint jumped at the CIA agent’s way and said “Sorry blondie, you got the wrong number with this one.”

“Clint?!” Romanoff’s voice cut the air in outrage “What are you doing here, you said you retired!”

So the red-head was still awake, meaning she turned on Tony already and was playing with Steve’s team now, which works just fine for Wanda she was so done with all this acting.

Clint snorted back at her “And look at what happened, you and Steve are going around on killing sprees and refuse to take responsibility.”

Romanoff voice was mock soothing “it’s not like this Clint, whatever Stark told you  is a lie.”

Clint rolled his eyes at her “Tony didn’t tell me anything Nat, I was watching it all happening and made my own mind, and so did Laura, think twice before you make yours.” Clint then turned to Sharon and said “And so do you, are in pretty deep shit already, you should really come in peacefully and make things easier for yourself.”

Sharon shook her head “I can’t let Steve down.” Was all she said as she attacked, Clint blocked her knife with his bow before retaliating.

Meanwhile Van-Dyne was trying to make her way toward Wanda, she tried shrieking to get past Pietro, but her twin was too fast, able to track her movements and swap her back to the ground each time.

Wanda’s entire concentration was immediately back on Lang when she noticed much less strain on her powers. What she saw was the man back in his regular size, his helmet popped off and already making its way to the ground.

He was hanging upside down in the air, his face twisted and he spoke, now with his usual voice “is anyone else taste sour lemon.”

Unable to get past Pietro Van-Dyne shouted in frustration “Maximoff! Put him down.”

A little wicked grin spread on her lips as Wanda shrugged and put down her arms “Don’t say I am not a team player.”

Lang began shirking as he was dropped from the height of the airport building, headfirst toward the ground. Van-Dyne’s eyes as well as Carter’s almost popped out of their sockets and the former screamed “Scott! Maximoff, stop this!”

Wanda shrugged “Hey he was the one who went all giant, he should deal with the consequences of doing it. I find it ironic he was about to step on Tony, and now he will be the one pancaked on the ground.”

Van-Dyne opened her mechanical wings and was about to take off when an orange energy beam hit her jetpack, creating a hole in it and disabling the wings. Before the raven-headed woman got her barring’s Pietro sped around her and tied her up, allowing her to drop to the floor, now immobilized.

Carter was quick to follow her when Clint landed a binding arow past her defenses. The blonde groaned and tried to struggle on the ground against the metal lines binding her.

Van-Dyne after shaking off her daze began struggling against the bonds screaming out a distressed “Scott!!!”

“I got the idiot.” A familiar voice called out.

All of them turned their heads to the source of the sound, to see Tony flying a little over the ground, holding Lang by the back of his belt. The man had tears in his eyes and was shaking.

She could hear the whispered ‘Tony’ from the women on the floor but she kept her focus on the man himself, who gave her a look and said “We will have to talk about its later Wanda, but for…”

Whatever Tony was about to say was cut off when Rhodey’s voice screamed from the comms “Tones. Rogers, Barnes and Wilson made a run for the quinjet me and T’Challa are on pursuit.”

Everyone turned to see Rogers and Barnes running like mad, T’Challa behind them catching up. Meanwhile, in the sky Wilson picking up attitude trying to shake off Rhodey.

It looked like the three of them will be caught soon enough, until out of the hangar came Romanoff, she raised her arms and shot three widow bites at T’Challa, causing the man to halt in place, groan and fall to his knee as electricity went through his body.

Romanoff followed this up by throwing a grandee as high as she could toward the quickly descending Flacon and War-Machine.

She looked down at the kneeling prince and said with a small mock apologetic smile “they were not going to stop, this….”

“Criminals never stop running from their crimes… well the smart ones I have known at least.” T’Challa retorted.

Romanoff took a moment too long to realize what his words meant, she raised her hand for another shot, but the prince was quicker and a kick to her face knocked her our.

Meanwhile, the grandee went off releasing a wave that didn’t impact the falcon equipment, but shut down the War-Machine’s

While Wilson kept flying toward the hangar, Rhodey began panicking as he began dropping to the ground at dangerous speed.

There was a yelp from Lang as Tony dumped him on the ground on his mad dash toward Rhodey.

Just before he caught up to Rhodey Tony noticed Wilson descending toward the ground. Tony growled and let couple of missiles loose.

The missile met their targets just before Wilson could entered a lending position, blowing out his wings and the rest of his systems causing the man to land on the ground face first.

Wilson groaned into the comms before saying firmly “Steve, you and Barnes need to leave, now, the rest of us lost here, you are our only hope.”

Tony managed to grab Rhodey midair and turned so they would crash-land with Tony softening Rhodey’s landing.

Tony quickly laid Rhodey on the ground, tearing the mask of helmet away. Rhodey had a trail of blood coming down his nose and Tony began to desperately shaking him.

Suddenly his eyes flew open, and he coughed a little. Rhodey looked around a little dazed, he opened his mouth to say something when the quinjet broke the hanger it was stored in and took off from the inside.

Wanda cursed internally. Romanoff must stolen her password and used it to take control of the jet.

“What’s going on Tones?” Rhodey asked a little shakily.

Tony shook his head with a little dismay “Rogers and Barnes just got away, we have the rest of them tied up.”

Rhodey nodded and pushed himself to his feet, his suit apparently regained power just after the fall, whatever Romanoff used was obviously temporary, and Tony let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding seeing Rhodey walking normally. “Are you sure you are okay?” Tony couldn’t help but asking.

Rhodey shrugged casually “This fall is going to leave couple of marks, and I am going to be bruised all over for a week. But I will live. Now lets go and handle the fish we did get.”

Tony and Rhodey walked in to see Wilson, Sharon, Hope, Lang and a knocked out Romanoff all tied up and sited up on the ground. Around them stood Pietro, Wanda, Clint, T’Challa, Vision, Peter and Kate.

Vision looked disapprovingly at Wilson and said dryly “You see Mr. Wilson, as I said, a tragedy.”

Wilson glared back at Vision “The only tragedy here is forcing Steve to face the winter soldiers alone because of Stark’s ego.”

“Oh, don’t worry Wilson we will deal with the winter soldiers soon enough.” Rhodey spoke as he made his presence known. Tony noticed Wilson’s shoulders sunk a little when he saw Rhodey walking in. His brother than looked down at five captured people and said flatly “You can all consider yourselves arrested. You will have your day in court, but until then due to your special circumstances all of you will be held in a special facility.”

There was a whimper everyone ignored as Sharon tried to protest “We were following Captain America! And Maximoff was on our team for most of the fight, she fought without signing the accords either.”

Wanda glared back at the blonde “Some of us are not star struck worshipers who will betray Tony in a drop of a hat.”

Sharon and Hope both flinched violently, and did so once again when Tony spoke “I will have you know Agent Carter, Ms. Maximoff have signed the accords alongside me, and was my spy on Steve’s team since day one. She is safe, you on the other hand.”

Hope looked at Tony with the same wide and pleading eyes, he remembered she did all those years ago when she wanted him to teach her how to be a businesswoman. Even her voice was somehow the same “Tony…”

Tony looked at her with an equally sad expression “What do you want from me Hope?”

Hope tried to shift a little in her bonds but when that failed she pleaded with her voice “I love him Tony, I only wanted to help him and be a hero, like you were to me.”

Tony sighed heavily “I’m glad you found someone who made you happy Hope but helping him a letting the idiot drag you into this fiasco it’s two different things. You should have known better or at least spoken with me first. You wanted to be a hero like me, but I believe in taking responsibility while you stood next to a man who was willing to dismiss countless deaths because he was the one causing them. I’m sure old Hank has his hand in this too somehow, but you should have known better.”

Tony then turned to Sharon, who looked away from him “As should have you, Sharon. I know you fed Steve info about Barnes, and gave him his equipment back during the breakout, but I hoped you will have more sense than follow him into this fiasco of a battle. You endangered civilians, Sharon!”

Sharon snapped her wide and shining eyes to him “He is Captain America he was suppose to have a plan! Aunt Peggy always told us he has a plan. What was I supposed to do?!”

“Talk with me!” Tony screamed at her “Aunt Peggy told us that the most important thing in the world is for you and me to watch each other’s backs. I love you Sharon, you are my baby cousin and I would move the Earth to help you if you would have asked. Instead you made both of us to break this promise to Aunt Peggy.”

“W…What will happen to us now?” Came the whimpering voice of Lang.

Tony shrugged “Just like Rhodey said, you will be held until your day in court and from there it will deepen on your sentence. Though in your case I wouldn’t expect much good news Mr. Dang.”

Hope turned to see teas leaking out of her boyfriend’s eyes before she turned to Tony and tried to plead again “Tony, he has a kid, please.”

Tony shook his head “And what you want me to do hope? None of us are above the law, not even me. We all have to pay the price for our actions this is what all of this is about. I want to help, believe me it hurts me to see you and Sharon like this, but the moment you showed up in this airport you combined your fates with Steve’s.” He turned away from them and said with finality “You tied my hands. There is nothing I can do.”

He walked away the voices of his childhood friend and baby cousin calling to him echoing behind.

Chapter Text

Tony watched as the team Agent Ross brought with him put Sharon, Hope, Lang and Wilson into their specially armored truck.

Normally it would be suggested that each of them should receive their own van, but due to them being just baseline human and their gear was confiscated if not outright destroyed during the fight it was decided they wouldn’t be a danger if put together.

Not to mention Hope, Sharon and Lang seemed to have lost all of their will to fight, the only one still remaining defiant is Wilson.

Tony wished he could ship Romanoff in one of those trucks, but she signed the accords and until a formal complaint about her conduct will be brought forward he can’t just ship her along with the criminals. Though that’s not saying Tony didn’t have a plan for her already.

“So, what now, Stark?” Speaking of the devil, Tony turned to be faced with the smug face of the Black Widow “I signed the accords so you can’t lock me up along with your cousin and friend.”

Tony had to bite his cheek to stop himself from snarling at the spiteful woman, he caught something from the corner of her eyes and now he was forced to fight off his smile as he commented calmly “You should watch your back, Romanoff. They will be coming for you.”

Romanoff snorted “I am not the one who should watch my back. You broke apart the Avengers, Stark. Sent even your own family to prison because you won’t admit you were wrong. Let’s see how the world will react.”

Romanoff turned in an obvious attempt to leave before someone would call for her arrest, something that was promised to happen very soon. But she had to stumble back when she found her path blocked by T’Chaka and two lady warriors, ready with metal spears in their hands.”

Romanoff frowned and turned to look at Tony “What’s the meaning of this?”

Tony looked innocently at her and asked in mock wonder “You assaulted the prince of a foreign nation, you didn’t expect to just get away with it, did you Widow?”

“I must certainly hope not.” T’Chaka spoke calmly, but his voice had an edge to it “Nor I or Wakanda take kindly when one of ours is harmed, for example in an exploding building, not that this is relevant now.”

Romanoff’s frown turned into a scowl as she looked at the king, before she was smug again “You can’t arrest me, I am an American citizen, you have to get the president’s approval.”

Tony took it upon himself to burst her bubble “Sorry Widow, you actually have no citizenship. SHIELD got you something akin to a working visa for the USA, but considering SHIELD is no more, neither is your visa, and unlike you Russia was diligent with their citizens and once they heard you defected revoked your citizenship.”

T’Chaka than added with a little smug smile of his own “I have a warrant from the accord’s council, which you answer to, as well. Natasha Romanoff, you are under arrest by Wakanda, where you will stand trails and be sentenced.”

Romanoff’s scowl returned with full force along with a little amount of fear. She just realized she had no influence in Wakanda, worse they hated her for Lagos.

The spy turned to Tony and said smoothly “Will you allow them to take me? We are family, Tony, you need me.”

Tony shrugged unapologetically “I couldn’t help my own cousin out of prison as you pointed out earlier…” Yhea he was spiteful too, sue him “What do you expect me to do?”

Suddenly the two ladies grabbed Romanoff’s arms and began dragging her off. Romanoff looked panicked and shouted “You need us Stark! You will come crawling back!”

Until a button of a metal spear came down on her head and knocked her out again. With that Natasha Romanoff, the great Black Widow was dragged away.

After the trucks left Rhodey and Wanda approached him. Tony looked at the both of them and asked, “What’s now?”

Rhodey shrugged with a frown on his face “By now Rogers is probably halfway to Siberia, we will have a hard time catching up to them.”

Tony considered their options for a moment before commenting absent mindly “I won’t.”

Rhodey’s eyes snapped to Tony and he said firmly “You want to go to Sibereia and fight five mad super soldiers, probably six? No.”

Wanda nodded in agreement with the decision “And what if Rogers turn on you as well? Going alone is not an option.”

Tony sighed “I get what you are saying, but we can’t leave them to fight those soldiers alone. I will tell Steve I came to help and we try to figure something out, maybe after we deal with Zemo I will be able to convince him to turn himself in, it will make life easier for Sharon and Hope too.”

“Then allow me to accompany you.” T’Challa said as he joined the conversation after talking with his father “My jet might not be as fast as your suit, but I will be able to reach Siberia not long after you and lend my assistance if needed.”

Tony smiled at the prince and bowed his head “Greatly appreciated, Simba.”

T’Challa turned on his heels and began walking toward his jet, Tony was surprised when Wanda ran past him and caught up with T’Challa, she looked up at him and asked “Mind if I tag along?”

The prince just raised an eyebrow at her and nodded his consent. Tony felt a pang of jealousy in his heart, but he will have time to unpack it later.

Right now he allowed his helmet to close around his head before launching himself into the air, going full speed toward the frozen land.

What Tony didn’t know at the time was that a certain pirate used an override code Tony entrusted him to gain remote access to the Iron-man cameras after Wanda tipped him off about a genius going alone to deal with an oaf.

***

Tony landed next to the Avengers quinjet outside of the Siberian Hydra base. Tony frowned a little and asked, “Have they been here long Fri?”

The Irish voice responded immediately “No, Boss. They just entered the base themselves, you would have arrived before them if they followed the legal procedures to enter foreign air space like you did.”

Humf. Maybe Steve does have a point about red tape slowing things down, but it’s not always a bad thing to take a moment longer to consider what you are doing.

Tony used the power of his suit to pray to open the entrance door and step inside. Meeting straight away Steve and Barnes. Steve stood in front of his buddy with a raised shield while Barnes aimed his gun over Steve’s shoulder.

Tony rolled his eyes, “Will you two relax. I am here as a friend.”

Steve raised an eyebrow “And why should I believe that?”

Tony shrugged “Do you have any choice? I came here to help you fight the soldiers, or do you really think the two of you can take them on without dying?”

Steve still looked defiant, while Barnes lowered his gun a little and said to Steve reasonably, “He has a point Steve, we need the help. We can keep fighting each other after we deal with the other soldiers.”

Steve lowered as shield while eyes Tony wryly as he said, “if you say so, Buck.”

Tony clapped his metal covered hands once and said far too cheerfully “Great, let’s get going.”

It didn’t take long for the three of them to walk into a room with five, human-sized containers in its middle, but something was odd about it.

They expected the containers to be open and be confronted with awake super soldiers, instead each container had a familiar sized hole in its glass and the frost already began melting from the inside of it.

Tony walked closer and confirmed that yes, the soldier inside had a bullet hole in his head and was dead. He turned to Steve and asked, “Didn’t you say Zemo came here to free them?”

Tony would of suggested someone from Hydra killed them earlier, but the frost inside the container proves the hole was created not so long ago.

Barnes looked lost as well “Why would he ask for the winter soldiers and their activation phrases if he wanted to just kill them?”

Before Tony could comment on the question Friday’s voice cut in “Boss, I detect human life in the other room.”

Tony began to walk slowly, and carefully toward the room, closely followed by Steve and Branes. “How many heat signatures, Fri?” Tony asked quietly.

Friday’s answer had a tilt of confusion as well “One.”

The door opened to reveal a large room, with the only thing around it is some security screen and a window on the far-right wall.

The light behind the window turned on and revealed Zemo standing smugly behind the glass. Steve began walking closer to the man behind the glass.

Zemo chuckled “The mighty Captain America. I will save you the trouble, this glass was made to withstand Russian missiles, and by the time you break the door it will be too late.”

“You are Sokovian, so why frame Bucky?” Steve asked as he was faced with Zemo.

Zemo leaned forward and his smug smile grew “You have a little bit of green in your blue eyes, how nice to find a flaw.”

That’s when all the pieces from the past week clicked in Tony’s mind “You did all of that, caused all the death and destruction just to bring us here, why?”

Zemoe’s eyes moved from Steve to Tony and his smug smile turned into a small remorseful one “Dr. Stark, a pleasure. I apologize for what you are about to see, but you are the only one who can end the Avengers that care not for their victims. I regret to cause you such pain, but sometimes we must all suffer for the truth.”

Tony frowned and before he could ask what the Sokovian meant, the screen he noticed earlier came to life.

Tony turned to look at the screen and when he noticed the road on it, he frowned even more and walked closer “What is this?” He screamed toward the window.

When he was in front of the screen there was no question about it “I know this road.” He then noticed the time stamp in the corner of the video “I know that date.” His voice was much quitter this time.

Just like Tony expected his father’s black car came into frame. Tony didn’t know video of that night excited, to be honest it wasn’t like he made any effort looking for one. Tony closed his eyes expecting to hear the crush of the car just about now.

His eyes flew open when instead he heard gun shots and blown tires. The car lost control at went into the tree.

A motorcycle with a familiar figure pulled next to the crashed car and headed straight for the trunk, revealing a suitcase with three blue bags inside of it.

That was when the driver’s seat door opened and Howard fell to the ground, trying to crawl away from the car calling out with a raspy voice “My wife… help my wife…”

The figure was masked, only its long black hair and black painted eyes were visible. It walked around the car and pulled Howard up by his hair.

Howard groan before looking at the looming figure, his eyes widened and he called out “Sargent Barnes…”

Want followed next caused Tony to feel like someone was stabbing his heart. Each strike of the metal fist into Ho… his father’s face sent another stab into his chest.

His heart cracked when he heard his mother’s voice calling out for his father “Howard… Howard….”

Barnes dropped Howard to the ground, dead. And walked to the passenger seat. He put his arm through the window and began choking her with his flash hand.

Tony’s cracked heart shattered completely as he heard his mother’s final plea oof help before she died.

The video ended with Barnes putting his dad back behind the wheel to sell the accident story and he drove away with the suitcase.

Chapter Text

Tony needed a long moment to process what he just saw.

They told him it was an accident! Stane confirmed it! Said Howard drove drunk and killed him mom with him!

Tony hated his father more for this crime than any other Howard committed against him, but it was false, lies.

Howard and Maria Stark weren’t killed by an accident. They were murdered.

And the one to murder them was… Tony turned his head toward the man to his left. The same long, dark hair as in the video, the same metal arm. “You…” Tony growled as he took a step forward.

He knew… He knew he shouldn’t attack him. It was his grief speaking for him now. That was when he heard Steve’s voice calling him “Tony…”

Tony took a deep breath to relax his body, and he turned to Steve. He expected to see the man as davasted as he was

After all Steve always went on and on about how good of a man Howard was and how he helped Steve in the world. Steve called Howard one of his first friends after Barnes. Surely seeing that man killed by your best friend should leave you shaken to the core.

But what he saw instead was the firm face of Captain America, his shield raised in an defensive position and his legs spread as if he was ready to spring an attack… on Tony.

How could Steve still think of fighting after learning… unless… Tony frowned and asked carefully “Steve, did you know?”

Steve’s eyes flashed with fear for a moment before he replied calmly “I didn’t know it was him…”

Tony could see the lie coming from a mile away, he growled and demanded again “Don’t bullshit me, Rogers! Did. You. Know?”

Lowering his stance even farther St… Rogers replied with one word “Yes.”

Tony’s head spun. This was too much! Far too much!

He knew. Rogers knew. Tony might be in the midst of an emotional storm but his mind worked in its usual rate and he figured out quickly there was only one point in the timeline Rogers could learn about something like that.

The fall of SHIELD… which means… two years! Rogers knew for fucking two years!

Anger… pure unfiltered fury overtook grief and sadness in Tony’s mind and in a sharp motion he launched a surprise punch into the perfect face of the liar.

Catching Rogers with his guard off for a moment caused the American idol to be sent to the floor.

Tony could hear the click of a gun being pointed at his head, and his rage doubled. He dares?!?! After what he did to my dad and mom?!?!

The helmet closed around his head and in a sharp motion he turned and tore the gun away from his grasp, breaking the barrel and throwing it away. He launched himself at the man pinning Barnes to the wall by his throat.

Tony leaned in and growled “You thought you can take me out as easily as you did them?!” Tony pulled a punch back aimed at the man’s face, let’s see how he likes to be someone metal punching bag.

A blow to the back of his head forced Tony to let Barnes go and take a step back. He turned just in time to blast away another shield throw from Rogers. And he was quickly forced to block a metal fist from Barnes.

Soon it became a full out fight of two super soldiers against Tony.

When it became obvious that unlike Tony the murder and the liar weren’t holding back Friday’s voice was dismayed and she urged Tony “Boss, you can eliminate the threats easily, use the laser beams or heavy artillery. Please, Boss.”

Tony groaned as he took another hit from his father’s shield while the super soldiers teamed up against him. He was having a hard time keeping up with the shield’s movements as it was passed between the two, but the heavy artillery will solve the problem.

Still as angry as he was, he was still sane enough to retort back “I don’t try to kill them, Fri. Just take them in so they can pay for their crimes the right way.”

Once Tony manage to track the pattern of the shield exchange he managed to blast it away before releasing another blast to Rogers’s gut, sending him to the floor doubling in pain.

Suddenly Barnes roared and he was on top of him. Flesh fist trying to hit his head, which Tony caught in his own hand, his other hand was busy around the murders neck as Tony snarled “Do you even remember them?”

Barnes metal fingers reached for his arc reactor as he answered in a pathetic voice “I remember them all.” Then he sunk his fingers into the metal, his intention clear.

Luckly for Tony, he learned from past mistakes and added a safety measure in his suits in case someone decided to try and disable his reactor. A powerful blast was released from his chest blasting the metal arm grabbing it apart.

Barnes howled in pain and dropped to the floor, holding the stump that was his metal hand. Good the weapon that killed his dad was gone for good.

There was a roar of anger as Tony turned to see Rogers pick up his shield and charging at Tony with twisted face full of fury.

Tony raised his arm, ready to blast him away when he felt something tugging at his leg, he looked down to see Barnes holding onto his boot without looking up.

He was about to kick him away when he heard a familia yell from the entrance of the room “What the hell?!”

***

When Wanda and T’Challa landed next to the Avengers quin jet Wanda immediately asked Friday “Fri, how is it going in there?”

Friday took a moment to answer “Boss have arrived slightly after Mr. Rogers, he offered temporary alliance which they accepted. But when they found the winter soldiers they were already dead. Boss just finished a conversation with Zemo and watching a video while Zemo trying to make his escape through a secret tunnel.”

Wanda frowned and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the presences nearby. She could feel a spike of grief and shock inside the base but pushed it away for the moment.

Focusing on a wave of nostalgia coming from further down the road. She motioned T’Challa to follow her and soon enough they found Zemo sitting in the snow with a phone in his hand.

He just finished deleting something to cause his nostalgia to turn into grief and remorse. They approached him slowly, hoping to catch him off guard but he startled them by speaking first “My son was so excited when he could see the Iron-man flying outside the window of the car.”

Wanda exchanged a confused look with T’Challa who shrugged, so they kept advancing slowly not sure if he was dangerous or not, meanwhile he just kept talking “He cheered as he saw Iron-man blasting away debris headed down toward us. Until he stopped laughing. A car falling from above landed on top of another one not far from us the explosion killed my family. I was holding my son… He was still smiling.”

Zemo turned and looked at them with a small smile “I later found out that Captain America jumped in and save a woman trapped in that car at the edge of the city before dropping the car to the ground. Tony Stark saved us, and still he came full of remorse and empathy to help rebuild Sokovia. Steve Rogers killed my family and went home to play his next mass murder without a glance backwards.”

Zemo locked eyes with T’Challa with some odd kind of understanding “Your father is a good man, I was happy to hear he wasn’t harmed during the Vianna bombing. You can understand me, don’t you? Steve Rogers murdered 11 of your subjects, while Tony Stark saved your father.”

Wanda liked how he talked about Tony, but something about the whole situation still sat very badly with her “Tony is a great hero. What’s your point? Why do all those things if you believe in Tony?”

Zemo frowned “Because Tony Stark is held back by the ledged of Captain America. Steve Rogers needs to be get rid of in order for people like Tony Stark, the true heroes to take the reins.”

Zemo suddenly pulled a gun out of his coat, causing Wanda and T’Challa to jump back, but Zemo smiled, pointed to gun to his head and said “My job is done, now I shall join the dead.”

Wanda’s hands shot forward and she used her powers to freeze the trigger in place. T’Challa was on Zemo right away, throwing the gun away from him and pulling out the cuffs as he retorts calmly “The living are not done with you yet.”

Wanda was about to add something else when a wave of pure fury, and grief washed overhear. It was so strong that it caused Wanda’s stomach to turn.

She looked at T’Challa and told him urgently “Something is wrong in the base I feel a lot of anger coming out of it.”

Zemo shook his head; she could feel guilt welling up at him “It’s too late. Dr. Stark knows the truth and nothing will stop him from bringing Captain America down.”

“What truth?” Wanda demanded.

Zemo looked down “Howard and Maria Stark didn’t die in an accident. Hydra killed them, and they used Sargent Barnes to do it.”

T’Challa shook his head “Even consumed by grief Tony will not kill a brainwashed soldier.”

Zemo nodded in agreement before delivering the final bombshell “Steve Rogers knew since the fall of SHIELD and actively hid the truth from Dr. Stark.”

T’Challa and Wanda exchanged an alarmed look as T’Challa said quickly “Go. I shall handle him.”

Wanda nodded and turned to run into the origin of the wave she felt moments ago, as she ran she could her Zemo’s voice saying lamely “I wish there was another way.”

Wanda’s bad feeling was growing by the moment, at one point she lost her patience and began using her powers to go through walls, she finally reached the room and found Tony standing over Barnes, who was missing his metal arm.

Rogers picked up his shield from the floor and charge at Tony with nothing but anger cursing through his veins.

Tony was about to blast him away when Barnes took the chance to distract him. Rogers jumped in the air, his shield poised to land on Tony’s head.

Not able to stop herself she screamed out “What the hell?” as she unleashed her powers, freezing Rogers midair, his shield inches from Tony’s head. And Barnes was stuck to the floor, unable to move a muscle.

“Wanda?!” Steve grunted “What are you doing?”

Wanda waved her hands and sent both Rogers and Barnes to opposite side walls as she answered casually “Stopping criminals from committing another murder.”

“Bucky in innocent!” Rogers shouted back automatically.

Wanda looked at the armless man and said firmly “Tell that to the motorcycle in Romania. The one your buddy here, in his right mind, thrown into an ongoing traffic to catch a ride.”

Tears began streaming down Barnes’s eyes, as Rogers began struggling against her magic in vain.

“You suppose to hate Stark! Did you forget he killed your parents?! I was the one who gave you a chance with the Avengers and now you are betraying me?” Rogers shouted in desperation

Wanda snorted “For someone who hates Hydra you sure advocating their lies often enough. The only reason you took me into the Avengers is because you wanted me in your own little inside team, and if it will be possible to fix your buddy over here with my powers. So don’t go all high and mighty as if you let me in from the good of your heart.”

All talks stopped when Tony raised his arms and the familiar whine of his repulsor filled the air. Wanda turned to him seeing him with his helmet off and his palm aimed at both Barnes’s and Rogers’s frozen forms. “Tony, what are you doing?”

Tony’s eyes were bloodshot as if he was holding back tears, and his voice was detached “They still have to pay for what they did to my parents.”

Rogers kept on struggling never giving up, and he screamed “Leave him alone Stark, he is my friend.”

Tony’s face twisted in a very ugly way as he retorted “So was I.”

“Tony.” Wanda said carefully as she began walking toward him “I know you are hurt but hurting them back won’t make it better. You taught me that. You stopped me from making a mistake with Lang, and I will do the same now. Please put your arms down.”

Tony shook his head and said in a broken voice that sent a pang deep into Wanda’s heart “He killed my mom.”

Wanda finale managed to reach him and put a soft hand on his bleeding cheek “I know. I know, Tony. I promise to you; it’s going to be okay.”

“How?” Hearing the man who always planned ahead. The man that even in the most desperate situation found his way out of it. Someone everyone looked up to always have the answer. Hearing asks that is such a broken voice broke Wanda’s heart.

Before she could talk herself out of it she leaned forward and kissed him softly on his lips.

The Kiss lasted just a short moment, but she could feel the tension leaving his body as his arms went down.

Wanda pulled back with a soft smile and said “Like that.”

Chapter Text

Wanda had to hold back a giggle as she saw the state she left Tony in.

The man that just a moment ago looked ready to commit a massacre was now blinking dazedly into space.

His glare became a wide-eyed stare to where she was standing. The face features that a moment ago showed a great number of years of pain were now back to their relaxed youthful look. The tense body underneath the armor softened as well, causing the arms that a moment ago were pointed at the two super soldiers to drop limply to his sides.

Using her powers she could even sense the storm of emotion that a moment ago tormented Tony from the inside transformed into something much warmer... it felt oddly familiar and pleasant.

She wished she could take a moment to sink into the glow of their first kiss as well, but she had to keep part of her concentration on the binds she created around Rogers and Barnes.

As much as she would like to give Tony a little more time to process it and enjoy what happened, she had to bring him back to reality. "Tony? Are you with me?"

Tony's eyes regained focus and he began stuttering, "But... You... With you... Kiss... I thought..."

This time Wanda couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips before she shook herself back to reality and asked seriously, "As fun as it is to see you fall apart because of one kiss, we still have these two to deal with. Any ideas?"

Her tone seemed to shake him off whatever storm went on in his head and brought his mind to the problem at hand.

The frown returned to his face, and his body tensed again. But Wanda wasn't worried. While she felt the anger and betrayal returning into his heart, it wasn't raging and all-consuming as it was a couple of minutes ago—it was more calculated.

Wanda still hated that the man she loved had to deal with so much rage and hurt, but that was something she would be able to help him with later. Though right now she would have to keep her eye on his emotions and words, to make sure his decision would not be overly influenced by the latest revelations.

"Wanda!" The scream came out of Rogers's mouth. The old school man seemed to be in shock from the kiss he witnessed and just now managed to finally shake it off.

The man was still mid-air, both hands grabbing his shield in its corner, putting all his weight into the strike he aimed where Tony's head was a moment ago, something that ignited Wanda's own flash of fury.

So with a fierce glare she turned her eyes to the blonde man frozen mid-air in a cocoon of scarlet magic. "What is it, Rogers?"

Rogers glared back at her and tried to move his body against her bonds. "What the hell are you doing helping Stark? Kissing him?"

Wanda tilted her head and said as if it was obvious, "Because I love him. I thought I made it perfectly clear." Wanda had to bite back another giggle when she heard Tony yelp at the easy admission of her feelings.

Or at least to him it seemed that way, but Wanda was struggling for months now with her feelings for this man. She knows how much her heart shifted and how much of it was influenced by the genius. So from her point of view, admitting such feelings was long overdue.

Rogers's eyes widened for a moment before he shouted, "I was the one who gave you a second chance in the Avengers! I was the one who believed in you when everyone else turned on you! I TRUSTED YOU!"

Wanda snorted. "Trusted me? No. You trusted my hatred toward Tony because you could use it, direct it when and where you needed it, and you were sure in Romanoff's ability to take over and calm me down in times when you would need Tony and couldn't afford anyone openly antagonizing him."

Rogers's eyes widened a little and she could feel the surprise of her calling him out on that plan, but before he could protest falsely she pushed on. "And as for you giving me a second chance in the Avengers? Let's be honest, the only reason you were so adamant about me joining the team is because you were sure I would side with you when you picked a fight with Tony, and the only reason you also took Pietro in was because Romanoff insisted I wouldn't join without my brother, which was right of course." Wanda turned fully to him and frowned. "So don't you dare look all self-righteous to me when everything you supposedly did for me was for your own ends."

Rogers's face went red, or was it her power increasing their intensity around him? "And Stark did?! Everything he gave you was so you would be a spy! How is that better?" Rogers shouted smugly at her.

Wanda could feel a spike of guilt and hurt coming from Tony, but it was completely drowned by her own rage. Wanda was so consumed by her anger that she could feel the entire weight of her powers slam into Rogers like a massive hit, sending the surprised man crashing far into the cement wall of the large space they occupied.

The shield he was holding in his hand slipped from his fingers halfway through the air and landed with a loud 'thud' on the ground, a moment before a sound of shattering cement filled the air and Rogers was embedded in the wall. Blood slowly oozed from the corner of his lips and his helmet shattered on the floor.

Rogers sat on the floor and coughed but Wanda wasn't about to let him rest. Before he could retort, she pushed on with her anger and shouted at him, "Tony didn't expect anything! It was my idea to be a spy in your little group. Tony wanted me as far away from this disaster as possible until I convinced him you are too dangerous to be left unchecked."

Rogers's wide eyes snapped at her in shock and betrayal, but she just snorted. "What Tony did for me? I'll tell you what he did... He didn't watch me at my worst and tell me I was just a kid that did a simple mistake and that I can just move on to the next big thing. He called me out for my biggest flaws, and when I asked for forgiveness he gave me a chance... not just to be forgiven by him but to be a better person... to be a hero. He let me figure out alone things that were my own to figure out and helped me every time I asked for it. Tony Stark is the best hero this world has ever seen. I know it and so does almost everyone else, and that's why I love him!"

A wave of warmth generated from pure unfiltered love washed over her, and her rage felt like a fire doused by ice water. Her gaze snapped from Rogers to Tony, only to see him smiling at her like she never quite saw before, and she felt her cheeks heating up at the emotions she could feel coming from him toward her.

A groan, followed by a scraping sound on the ground drew everyone's attention to the injured Barnes using his one good arm to crawl his way toward Steve while calling, "Stevie, we need to get out of here..." Before he could finish, a yelp left the man's lips as he was pulled back to the opposite wall from Rogers, albeit with much less force, by crimson tendrils.

Wanda narrowed her eyes at the broken man and growled, "Still think you can escape justice? Where will you ever go? Is there a single country in the world where you haven't killed someone and won't come for your head eventually?"

She could feel the despair wallowing in Barnes's heart at the same time she heard Rogers get back to his feet with a yell of "Leave Bucky alone!" The blonde super-soldier tried to jump on her from the back, but Tony was quick to blast him away with a small missile.

Rogers landed roughly on the ground before spitting some blood as he picked himself up from the floor. Fists up, he looked at Tony with half-lidded eyes and said, "I can do this all day."

Tony scoffed at him and raised an arm with a whine already sounding from his palm. "I heard it before, and still Loki kicked your ass."

Rogers glared at Tony defiantly, though Wanda could tell that whatever the oaf was doing was more of a desperate stand as he tried to anger Tony. "Howard would've understood! Bucky's life is worth a few dead people, they're worth some secrets, and they were worth dying for even if his best gal was pulled into it with him—it was all for the greater good! Why can't you see it, Tony?!"

Tony glared hatefully at the lab rat and spat, "I know you believe it, Rogers. You proved it to the entire world. The truth is, I don't give a damn about your version of the greater good or James deadweight Barnes's life. You hurt a lot of innocent people, people I cared about, so I can't let you walk out of here."

Rogers's face grew red with fury and with a scream of unhinged rage he bolted toward Tony. Tony unleashed an energy beam from his gauntlet and hit the man straight in his handsome face.

Rogers dropped face first to the ground and didn't move anymore.

At that point T'Challa entered the room. One look between Tony and Rogers made him crouch next to the unmoving form of the previous American idol. The prince put his fingers on the man's pulse and waited for a moment before giving a single nod.

Standing back up he spoke casually, as if he hadn't just checked on what looked like a dead super soldier on the ground. "Zemo is secured onboard my jet so I chose to see if you required my aid." He looked down at the man Tony just knocked out. "It's one of the criminals taken care of." He then shifted his gaze to Barnes and asked, "Do you require assistance with the last one?"

Wanda turned to look down at the armless man and raised an eyebrow before asking evenly, "Do we?"

Barnes glanced at the knocked out form of his friend, before his eyes moved toward Tony, and Wanda took a step to hide Tony from the assassin's view with a fierce glare of her own. The injured super soldier lowered his head in shame and shook his head slowly.

"Wise choice." Was the only comment the prince of Wakanda could offer.

In short order Barnes was restrained as well under vibranium wires, supplied generously by the prince of Wakanda.

Tony was a little surprised when T'Challa threw both the super soldiers over his shoulder and looked apologetically at Wanda and Tony. "I'm afraid with the three prisoners my jet is at full capacity."

Tony gave the man his friendly smirk, but he moved suddenly and picked Wanda up. The woman yelped loudly until she found herself being in Tony's arms in a princess carry position. She blushed and tried to squirm a little out of his arms, whining, "Tony!"

Tony ignored the squirming woman in his arms and answered the panther-themed warrior, "My suit might be damaged but as long as I don't push too fast I can still fly just fine. We will keep close in case the idiot wakes up and tries to cause you trouble."

T'Challa inclined his head a little in acknowledgement and spun on his heel to leave the room toward his jet.

Once the king was out of hearing range, Wanda narrowed her eyes at Tony and asked, "Are you really just going to keep carrying me around like that all the way to the Fridge?"

Tony smiled down at her and instead of answering her question he said warmly, "I love you."

Wanda's eyes widened for a moment before a smile spread on her lips again, or at least it started before Tony caught her lips with his as he bent his head down and they kissed once again.

This time there was no urgency or rage to calm. There was just the love between them, and Wanda wondered if she should count this kiss as their real first one.

Chapter Text

Wanda sat heavily on the couch in Tony's... well she supposed now it was their, penthouse at the tower after another long day. A cup of her favorite tea warming her hands as she called out, "Fri, can you please turn on the news?"

"Of course, Boss lady." Friday replied cheerfully, causing Wanda's lips to twitch in a smile at the nickname Friday gave her after she and Tony formally defined their relationship when they returned from Siberia around a month ago.

The TV came to life with that reporter Tony liked... Christine something presenting it... it looked like even after the last few weeks people still wanted to speak on the same few subjects, and all of them had one shared detail.

"With preparation for the trials of the now officially dubbed Rogue Avengers and their allies finished, the court days of each trial have been announced. The 7th of March, Monday will be the trials of Sharon Carter, Hope Van Dyne and Scott Lang. All of whom have been defined as allies to the Rogue Avengers as none of them was part of the team at any point." The blonde woman on the TV pointed out before moving on. "The following day will be the trials of Sam Wilson and James Barnes, one of which is a former Avenger and the other is the renowned assassin, the Winter Soldier, who committed many murders, one of which have been revealed to be the murder of Howard and Maria Stark."

Wanda flinched a little at the reminder and was kind of happy that Tony was stuck in a meeting with Pepper right now. Wanda's attention went back to the TV when the image of her most hated man appeared on the screen. "The trial of Steve Rogers will be conducted separately from all the others on the 10th of the month, and is expected to be the longest of all the trials for a multitude of reasons. Natasha Romanoff, former Avenger and signee of the Sokovia Accords, who began by fighting on Iron Man's team and later betrayed it to join the Rogue Avengers by disabling the Black Panther long enough, allowing Rogers and Barnes to escape the airport. The fabled Black Widow has been arrested on sight due to her attack on a foreign diplomat by the Wakandans. During a trial conducted a couple of weeks ago, Ms. Romanoff has been found guilty of manslaughter of the first degree, and assault on the prince of the country, which resulted in a sentence of ten years in prison. Earlier this week Wakanda has accepted the American request of handing Romanoff over to serve her punishment in the special enhanced prison known as the Fridge, under the promise she will be granted no parole. A condition that was easily approved and the government is even considering adding their own charges to her crimes, which might result in increased punishment time."

Wanda smiled contentedly as she took a sip from her hot tea. The two people she hated the most are about to get what they deserve, and not in some sadistic magical way she would have created out of pure spite in her past, but in the legal way because they were causing harm to good people and she finally was on the right side of things and helped put them behind bars where they belonged.

Was there still a part of her that wished they were dead instead of in prison? Yes. What can she say, she is a vindictive woman especially when the people in question hurt someone she loved dearly.

A picture of herself and Tony filled the screen. It was a picture after they returned from Siberia, holding hands and Tony looking worse for wear. It drew her attention back to what Christine was saying. "It is expected according to trusted information that Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff, and the other current Avengers members will testify in most of the trials. Wanda Maximoff, as most will remember from Tony Stark's announcement after the arrest of Steve Rogers, has been a spy in the Rogue Avengers since she joined the team, reporting to Tony Stark and allowing him to send relief and in some cases advanced warning to countries Mr. Rogers conducted illegal operations in. She is recorded as having signed the accords alongside Dr. Stark. We all witnessed Ms. Maximoff's help in Siberia, and no one can doubt her dedication toward her side of the conflict. It is estimated by experts that her testimony will be proven pivotal in the proceedings. The accused will be receiving representation by lawyers supplied by a supporter of the accused. Since the now called Superhero Civil War, even though the stock of Pym Tech has dropped to all time lows, with preparation for the company to go bankrupt by the end of the year, Hank Pym, the father of one of the accused, who tried to arrange for a lawyer before, is the most likely guilty party."

Wanda just shook her head and muted the TV. There was too much that happened in the last month. The fact Fury had access to the Iron Man suit's cameras and that he broadcasted the footage since the moment Tony landed in Siberia wasn't received so well by Tony himself, but the reaction from the public was immediate and drastic.

"Boss lady, Boss is back and heading to the penthouse." Friday informed Wanda gleefully.

Well, those things she can ponder later. Right now, she put down her cup of tea and stood from the couch. She had a tired boyfriend to greet and a relaxing weekend before a very troublesome week ahead.

***

Tony sat in the gallery when Sharon was brought in. Her tactical suit was gone, replaced by a simple white blouse and jeans. Her youthful face had more lines to it and very prominent bags under her eyes.

She was handcuffed to a table where she sat next to a short man, with what was obviously a wig on his head, who had a large smile on his face as if he already won.

On the other side sat the prosecutor on behalf of the United Nations, a woman in her late 40s with brunette hair, wearing a pantsuit. Tony met Charlotte Analissa before, as she prepared him and Wanda for their part in these proceedings.

Tony wasn't sure how he felt about the predatory gleam in the woman's blue eyes. If it was directed at Barnes, Rogers, hell he would smile even if it was Wilson on the accused side, but Sharon... that was a lot more complicated.

Before Tony could think on it any further or Wanda, who sat next to him, could offer her support—because Tony was sure she was tuning in on the turmoil of emotion in him right now—the court was asked to stand up for the judges.

Soon three people entered the chamber and sat behind the high table at the head of the room. Two of the judges chosen for the cases of the Civil War were accomplished women, one of them is Judge Gamara, and the other is Judge Marciz. The third judge was a man in his mid-forties, younger than usual for such proceedings, named Judge Hanson.

Judge Marciz was the first one to speak. "Please be seated." After everyone sat she moved on. "We are here today to judge Sharon Margaret Carter for the crimes she allegedly committed against the international community." She turned to the judge on her right and asked respectfully, "Judge Hanson, if you will, please read out the list of accusations against the defendant."

Judge Hanson gave a single nod before looking down at the tablet before him. His voice was deep and authoritative as he read, "Sharon Carter is accused of assisting grand theft, assisting in manslaughter, aiding and abetting the terror organization HYDRA, justice obstruction in many murder cases, including the murders of Howard and Maria Stark, and finally treason."

Tony was shocked the first time he heard the extent of Sharon's crimes list, and he suspected that someone was trying to worsen the penalty of all of the so-called 'Rogue Avengers', and he had a very good idea of someone with enough connections to pull something like that off while Ellis was dealing with his own big issue right now.

Judge Gamara was the next one to speak. "We will begin the proceedings with the opening statement of every side. Ms. Analissa, please present your arguments."

The woman stood from her seat and stepped into the center of the stage, her voice clear and calm. "Admiration is a great force, and the defense will try to convince you that Ms. Carter's admiration for Captain America has driven her to make some mistakes that could be dismissed now that the truth is for all to see. But I will ask you to consider the fact that no matter what position or story lies behind any single individual or institution, we expect the person to see wrong actions where they are committed, and when people die on the watch of so-called heroes and then are dismissed easily by the same group, it is only natural to expect of the person to understand how wrong it is and help stop it or at the very least stop contributing to it."

With that the woman turned and took her seat. The judge called for the defense lawyer, Mr. Connor, for his statement.

The short man still wore his confident smile and his arrogance showed in his voice as well. "Many of you might have noticed by now, Ms. Carter here is the grand-niece of Margaret Carter. The first director of SHIELD and the woman who stood beside Steve Rogers as they saved the world from HYDRA all those years ago. Ms. Carter, wishing to succeed by her own merits, hid this fact when she was recruited to SHIELD and then the CIA. So when the man her great aunt praised for so long came to her with a request, can one fault her for helping him, especially when the matter at hand was the rescue of his dear friend? Ms. Carter's actions were reasonable and as such none of the crimes committed using the help she provided should fall at her lap."

With the statements concluded, the trial moved on with evidence of Sharon's actions. From multiple records from the CIA of Sharon using her authority to access classified information that Rogers seemed to mysteriously have a day later, to footage of her logging out the confiscated equipment in Germany and finally her part in the airport battle which was filmed from multiple angles that didn't allow the denial of her involvement.

With all her actions proved beyond doubt, came the stage of testimony.

Wanda was the first one to go to the stand by request of the defense. After she took the oath to tell the truth, Mr. Connor asked his first question. "Is it true that you, Ms. Maximoff, have betrayed..." The man put emphasis on the word. "The now named 'Rogue Avengers' team at the end of the airport battle by stopping Mr. Lang in his huge form?"

"No." Wanda answered calmly and insistently. Tony knew she was angry at what the lawyer was implying, but Tony took the past week to coach her in how to get back at a scumbag lawyer without jeopardizing your own position.

The lawyer turned smugly to the judges. "Are we supposed..." He froze when her words registered in his mind, and he spun around back to her with a frown. "Ms. Maximoff, you are under oath of truth!" He turned to the judges, smug again. "I move to fine Ms. Maximoff for contempt of court."

Before anyone could answer, Ms. Analissa jumped from her seat and called out, "Objection, the witness didn't get the chance to explain her statement."

The judges exchanged a look before all three of them nodded at once at the objection. The lawyer looked dissatisfied with the result but quickly regained his smug look as he looked at Wanda with anticipation.

Wanda kept the same cool as she explained. "I never betrayed the Rogue Avengers because I was never a true member. I only joined the group with the intention of becoming a spy for Dr. Stark. I held no loyalty to Rogers at any point. So as such, the answer to your question must be no, as I can't betray what I was never a real part of."

Mr. Connor frowned before he shook his head and asked arrogantly again, "Have you at any point reported Ms. Carter's involvement to Stark?"

Wanda frowned a little and corrected the man with a small glare. "You must mean Dr. Stark, because any other Stark has been killed by one of the friends your client here fought with."

The lawyer's face paled at that but before he could object, Wanda moved on. "No. I wasn't aware of Ms. Carter's involvement with Rogers's operation until she joined the fight in Germany."

With that Mr. Connor stated no further questions, as did Ms. Analissa, and so a moment later Tony found himself on the stand.

The first to question him was Ms. Analissa. "Dr. Stark, you are familiar with Ms. Carter for most of your life, correct?"

Tony smiled a little fondly. "Yes. Aunt Peggy was my godmother and as such she and my mother made sure me and Sharon knew we were cousins, so I can say I knew Sharon her entire life."

Ms. Analissa nodded. "Could you try to explain Ms. Carter's actions?"

Tony sighed heavily. "It's not a secret that my father, like Peggy, always thought very highly of Mr. Rogers based on their shared past and they made their opinion known... often. Sharon always took those words to heart and I guess..." He paused for a moment before shrugging. "I guess sometimes early experiences influence us more than we think, but it's not for me to say. Not like I have a degree in psychology."

Ms. Analissa smiled at him and nodded before asking one last question. "From your experience, did Ms. Carter's actions put lives at risk?"

Tony really didn't want to answer that question, but he did warn Sharon there will be little he could do to help her if things got to this point. "Yes. The information she fed Rogers is what led him to all those countries where he caused great disasters and often death. She involved herself in the battle of the airport knowing it will put civilians at risk."

Tony glanced at Sharon, unable to resist the urge, and what he saw was his little cousin, with her head bowed and tears dropping to the desk underneath her, staining its surface.

Tony's heart clenched, but before he could say anything else the questioning was passed to Mr. Connor and Tony didn't like the look on the man's face.

Chapter Text

"Mr. Stark, did you have any communication with Ms. Carter since the fall of SHIELD?" Mr. Connor asked as politely as he could, though Tony did notice the effort it took the man to add the mister to his name. Old Hank sure knows how to pick his friends it seems.

Still, Tony remained perfectly calm as he replied evenly, "I did, yes."

Mr. Connor's smile widened a little before laying in his accusation in a form of pointed question. "And she didn't bother to mention her dealings, if there were any, with Mr. Rogers in a time she considered you both to be friends? Nor did she talk to you at all during the events of the Civil War?"

Tony's jaw tightened a little as he felt the salt the lawyer tried to rub on his wounds. "No. Sharon didn't mention the information she was gathering for Rogers at any point. And during the events of the so-called Civil War I had one conversation with her before the funeral of our aunt. She didn't give me any indication at the time she was working with Rogers."

"And why do you think it is?" Mr. Connor asked extremely smugly.

Tony nodded and this time didn't hold anything back as he replied dryly and with confidence. "Sharon never hid secrets from me, not even her past relationships. The only reason I believe she would start to is if Rogers specifically ordered her not to tell me certain things."

He glanced at Sharon subtly while saying this and the wide, shameful look in her eyes told Tony he hit the bullseye.

The smug look was quickly wiped off the lawyer's face as he hurriedly called out toward the judges, "Objection! He speculates. It is just as reasonable that Ms. Carter simply did not trust Stark..."

A bang of a hammer silenced the sweating lawyer, and Judge Gamara called him out. "Mr. Connor, while I sustain your objection, I must also warn you against making your own while you're at it. We shall ignore the last question asked and the following answers to it." The other two judges nodded in agreement.

Mr. Connor frowned in dissatisfaction, but moved quickly on. "Have you yourself seen Ms. Carter endangering the life of civilians directly?"

Tony paused for a moment. He could point out what happened in the airport.

He could point out Sharon willingly went with a plan she knew put many in mortal danger. He could point out her willingness to use long range weapons in a public area, and he could point out her attempt to stop Wanda while she had a giant in the air that could crush who knows how many if she let go at the time.

But on the other hand he didn't want to put her in a worse position than she is, and she was already in plenty amount of trouble. Not to mention that holding this information now could be very beneficial in the next few trials to come.

Eventually he smirked a little and with a sigh he said dramatically, "Couldn't say one way or the other."

Mr. Connor looked angry at his diplomatic and accurate comment, but without any ground to object he grumbled that he had no more questions and Tony was released back to his seat.

Tony was just taking his seat next to Wanda when Sharon was invited to the stand. As soon as he sat, Wanda grabbed his hand and gave him a little squeeze in support.

Tony shot his girlfriend a small smile before he turned his gaze back to the main show, where Mr. Connor was about to ask the first question.

"Ms. Carter, what was it that drove you to join SHIELD and later the CIA?" the lawyer asked gently.

Sharon sat there with everyone's eyes on her and all she could do is look down and answer so weakly the mic in front of her was needed for the entire hall to hear. "It was my dream since I was a little girl and Aunt Peggy told me stories about her time as a spy. I wanted to protect people. And when SHIELD fell I wasn't sure what to do. Ton... Dr. Stark offered me a job at his company, but he also let it slip the CIA has created a task force to deal with the fallout of SHIELD's collapse, so I went to the CIA."

Tony remembered that day. When Sharon came to him it was when he finally got some sleep after 72 hours of constant coordinating rescue attempts and filtering data from the SHIELD info dropped online.

She was recovering from injuries herself when she fell into his arms and began crying like he never saw her crying before.

Her first worry was the lack of job she would have, which Tony tried to reassure her he would take care of no matter what, but when he saw how heartbroken she was about her dream burning down he 'accidentally' let it slip about a special task force he was consulted about and maybe he threw in a good word for his little cousin. He never imagined it would end like that.

Mr. Connor nodded. "Admirable. And what about the classified information about the winter soldier this court saw evidence of you accessing on an often basis?"

Sharon didn't lift her head and her voice was as weak as before when she replied, "The CIA was gathering information on the winter soldier because of his involvement in the collapse of SHIELD and his history with HYDRA. Cap... Mr. Rogers asked me for as much information on his location as I can provide, location only. He never told me why he needed it, and I never asked..." Her eyes shifted a little in his direction without raising them from the surface under her nose as she added, "And he told me to keep it to myself, no matter what."

Mr. Connor frowned. Sharon probably went off script with this, but it's not like it will be an issue in her trial, so the lawyer cleverly let it go and kept asking. "Mr. Rogers is alleged of killing a few of the German special force that was sent to bring in James Barnes. The prosecution claims he resorted to such actions because you informed him there is an order of killing on sight against James Barnes. Is it true?"

Sharon shook her head slightly. "I warned Ca... Mr. Rogers that the CIA had a shoot on sight order. There was no way for me to know what were the orders of the German task force, but by the use of stun grenades and lack of mass shootout even against resistance, the most likely order was for him to be brought in alive, and Mr. Rogers should have realized it."

This time Mr. Connor scowled at her. Again, Sharon seemed to go off the script and again to throw Rogers in hotter water than he already was in.

The lawyer again let it go as it had nothing to do with the current case and stated no further questions.

Ms. Analissa took the stage and the first thing she asked was the question Tony probably wanted the answer to as well. "Did you know about the murder of Howard and Maria Stark while helping Mr. Rogers?"

Sharon's head shot up with wide eyes that immediately flew to lock with his as she answered without a trace of deception. "No. I never knew."

Tony could feel a stone dropping from his heart. He was afraid of her saying yes, and if he was honest with himself he was afraid of his own reaction in that case.

But the look in her watering blue eyes left him no doubt about how honest she was being. The same blue eyes instantly caught fire in a familiar way to Tony. It was the same fire she had in her eyes in their childhood, each time she would talk about joining SHIELD.

Her head turned toward the judges and she asked in a clear voice, "May I say something, your honors?"

The three judges exchanged long and meaningful looks before Judge Marciz was the one to answer. "Yes, Ms. Carter?"

Sharon seemed to take a deep breath before announcing, full of confidence, "I wish to plead guilty!"

Tony didn't see it coming. And looking to his side, taking into account Wanda's dropped jaw, she didn't either.

"What?! Objection! My client is not aware of what she is doing!" The screaming lawyer seemed to be the most surprised of everyone.

Judge Hanson gave Mr. Connor a hard stare and said firmly, "We allowed Ms. Carter to talk, as is her right. You may contest at a later date if you wish so." He then turned to Sharon and asked more calmly, "Are you certain of your choice, Ms. Carter?"

Sharon gave a single determined nod. "Yes, your honor. I am aware that even though I never intended to, my actions caused a lot of death and damage." Her eyes flickered to Tony as she said the next part. "I ignored the people I should have trusted and instead put my faith in the wrong man. I need to pay back for those mistakes and am willing to take on the responsibility."

Judge Gamara turned to Ms. Analissa and asked, "Your opinion?"

Ms. Analissa shook off the shock quicker than Tony expected and replied calmly, "The prosecution is, of course, happy to acknowledge Ms. Carter's plea. Though we must state before your honors that even the prosecution finds the charge of treason to be unreasonable and wishes to have it thrown from the court. We were unaware of this charge until details of the trials became available. It was certainly not the accords council who pushed for the charge."

The judges leaned forward, away from their mics and whispered between themselves for a long moment while Mr. Connor was screaming abuse at Sharon, who ignored him in favor of staring at Tony with a small apologetic smile. The one she always wore when she admitted she messed up and should have listened to him from the beginning.

Eventually Judge Marciz spoke. "Mr. Connor, your services in this case are no longer required. Please sit quietly until the start of the next one. Ms. Carter, this body chose to accept your plea and will review your case at our earliest availability. Due to your honesty, we found you safe enough to be held in this facility for the time being instead of being returned to the Fridge."

Sharon bowed her head in acknowledgment, before someone came along to escort her out. Before she could leave, Tony jumped to his feet and called out, "Your honors!"

Sharon's eyes flew to him, as did Wanda's and the judges'. It was Hanson that replied. "Yes, Dr. Stark?"

Tony cleared his throat and spoke respectfully. "I hold great respect for you and your institution, but as proved by the prosecutor's previous statement, it is obvious a party with bad intentions for the accused has been involved in the proceedings. I will ask your honors, as it is a matter of the accords, that the representative will be allowed to take part in the review of Ms. Carter's case."

Sharon's eyes widened even more somehow and this time a couple of tears did escape her eyes.

Judge Marciz responded to him. "Thank you for your valuable insight, Dr. Stark. We will make sure to take it in consideration."

Tony nodded his thanks before sitting down, as Sharon was led away again.

A kiss on the cheek drew his attention to the beauty next to him. "She was very grateful, and very relieved." Wanda informed him. "She still loves you very much... as do I."

Tony smiled widely in return and simply responded, "Me as well," answering both statements at once.

After that there was a break for an hour so both sides and the judges themselves could rest for a moment before the next trial of the day.

Because all three of the accused were those with the least crimes and as such had the lightest trials, it was considered to arrange them close to each other, but when all three accused announced that they would be represented by the same man, it became obvious the best course of action would be to cram all three into a single day and get them out of the way.

Tony took Wanda to a café not far from the facility where the trials were held and they both enjoyed themselves for half an hour before they had to start getting back for the next case.

They returned to their seats in the gallery just a couple of minutes before Hope was brought in. She was in the same state as Sharon. Handcuffed and wearing a pantsuit to match her style.

But unlike Sharon, Hope's body language radiated something completely different. It was confidence. Tony recognized this trick. He was the one who taught her that. Which made Tony worry.

It was clear Hope had a play in mind, but Tony could not for the life of him guess what it was. His unease only grew when just behind him entered Mr. Connor and next to him walked Hank Pym. Both taking their seats at the defense table.

Pym shot Tony a sneer, which Tony pointedly ignored, causing Pym's sneer to turn into a hateful scowl.

The proceedings began just like last time. Or at least they did so until Judge Hanson declared the opening statement stage.

Mr. Connor cleared his throat when Hope jumped to her feet and declared loudly, "I plead guilty!"

Chapter Text

Tony was shocked!

He wasn't sure what he was expecting from Hope, but whatever that is, it certainly didn't even enter his mind. He was kind of proud of Hope for managing to surprise him like that after knowing her for so many years.

Even the three judges were taken aback by the abrupt statement.

The first to recover was Pym and immediately his face went red as he stood up and began screaming, "What the hell do you think you are doing?!"

Hope turned to look at her father with her chin raised in defiance. "The only right and smart thing left to do."

Pym's face turned from red to purple as he shouted, "What are you talking about?! This is letting Stark win!"

Hope glared down at her father and said with a snarl, "That's because he should win. Tony did everything he could to protect the people, and even me when all I gave him is the cold shoulder for so long because of you. As far as I am concerned I should have been on his side since the start. If it wasn't for Scott I would have been."

Pym looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. This time when he screamed, spit flew in every direction. "You are a disgrace! Daring to tell me to my face a Stark cares for anyone but himself. And siding with one?! You have lost your mind!"

Hope's snarl got even more ugly as she retorted, "What, unlike you?! You who hide his technology and advancement to yourself out of pity, while Tony put everything on the line to advance this world, to protect people even when they insulted and hated him for trying to fix his mistakes. You left your company in the hands of a deranged man rather than your own daughter, and this man was about to sell your tech to HYDRA of all people. Something you didn't even report! Instead, you got some desperate wannabe to do all the dirty work for you." She then laughed a hollow laugh. "Thanks to you, a good man with a daughter is going to lose everything again, just because you can't let go of something that happened over two decades ago between you and a dead man."

Pym banged his hands on the table. "I made you what you are! Without me you wouldn't have the company I spent my life building or tech to be a so-called hero. You ungrateful brat!"

Hope sneered at the old man. "What company, the one you and Scott brought to ruin? Pym tech is gone, your particle is common knowledge now, and now everyone can see your true colors as a bitter old man who let everything he worked on his entire life burn because he couldn't let go of a single grudge."

Pym seemed to finally lose it as he threw himself from his seat toward Hope with outstretched hands as if he was ready to throttle her.

There were many yelps. Tony jumped from his seat, wishing to protect his friend but knowing there was no way for him to make it in time.

Hope seemed to freeze herself, never expecting her father to go as far as physically attacking her.

Tony let out a sigh of relief when Hank found himself struggling to move midair, scarlet wisps of magic surrounding his entire frame. At his side Wanda had glowing crimson eyes and her arms were stretched out, obviously implementing her powers.

She only let go when the court security arrived and the judges declared, "Dr. Hank Pym, you are hereby found guilty of contempt of court. You shall be removed to holding until further allegations against you can be investigated."

As the guards began to drag the old man out, Pym decided to have his final say in, or more like his last shout. "Stark! Don't think you won today. I will show the world your true colors and finally have my revenge against the Starks!" He then turned to Hope and spat, "You ungrateful brat, you are disowned!"

His screams faded as the door closed behind him. Hope shrugged her shoulders without care before turning her head to Mr. Connor and spoke with a sneer, "Your dubious services are no longer needed. Go away."

The short lawyer's face was as purple as Hank's was, but with no other choice he picked all his papers up back into his suitcase and left the room in preparation for the next trial he meant to take part in.

Tony didn't need Wanda's powers to know the lawyer was feeling very humiliated in the moment. Dismissed by two clients one after another on public TV couldn't be good for either his pride or career, especially now that the company he works for is going out of business.

Judge Gamara cleared her throat and spoke. "Ms. Van Dyne, this court acknowledges your guilty plea, and understanding you refused the previous deal under duress of your father, we are willing to open a new negotiation for a deal to those who plead guilty. You will remain in holding at this facility until discussion on the matter will take place."

Tony was about to stand up when Judge Marciz beat him to it. "We remember well your warning, Dr. Stark, and we will make sure to involve representative Fury in the matter."

Tony inclined his head respectfully and kept quiet as Hope, full of confidence and dignity, left the room, her eyes only briefly meeting Tony's as she turned around.

The surprising conclusion of the second trial led to another long break between hours, one Tony used to catch up on what's going on with SI and Pym Tech as well. Meanwhile, Wanda called her brother to see how things were going at the compound, even though Rhodey was there right now to run things.

Rhodey did consider making an appearance today, but with the way these trials are proceeding there is no real reason for him to waste his time. Tomorrow will be two much more important trials he will have to take part in.

When they finally returned from their break it was a meek Scott Lang who was led inside the room. This time Mr. Connor walked close to him and was already furiously whispering things in the man's ear.

Tony had no doubt that the lawyer was threatening Lang against pleading guilty all of a sudden like his last two clients. Three of three in one day, especially a high-profile case like this one, can really be a nail in the coffin that is the short man's career.

Scott Lang had the most charges from the three on trial today and if they exclude the false treason charge Sharon was stuck with, his probably are the most severe as well.

His charges included assistance in grand theft, attempted manslaughter, attempted murder, many counts of assault, and breaking probation.

The fact the man was already a convicted criminal that was released from prison not so long ago plays very heavily against him and will drag heavy punishment even if he will be found guilty of only a few of the charges.

Wanda was again first to be called to the stand by Mr. Connor. With no trace of the arrogance he displayed in the start of the day he asked, "Have you witnessed any contact Mr. Lang had with any of the so-called Rogue Avengers before the event in the airport?"

Wanda shook her head easily. "No. The first time I have heard or seen Mr. Lang has been in Germany, as did Mr. Rogers as far as I could tell. The only previous Avenger Mr. Lang was in contact with was the Falcon."

The lawyer nodded in professional satisfaction. "And during that time has Mr. Lang displayed any violent or harmful behavior?"

Wanda frowned for a moment before replying, "If we talk about before the fight, then the most of his behavior concluded in worship toward Rogers and endless rants against Tony. But during the fight..."

"The fight is well documented and not part of the question." Mr. Connor cut her quickly before pushing another question. "One of the things that did happen through the fight was the attempted murder you yourself committed against Mr. Lang, didn't you?"

The lawyer probably hoped that it would throw Wanda into a loop and divert most of the heat toward her actions, but Tony could see this question coming up at least once during the trials and prepared Wanda for this.

Wanda gave a calm shrug and replied easily, "Mr. Lang was about to kill my friend using his large form. I simply deployed a peaceful method to contain him without causing him any harm. Dr. Pym's and Mr. Lang's insistence of keeping the technology a complete secret made it impossible for me to know his form would be reverted after a certain time period, or what the results would be. My power requires precise control and when I had no notice to adjust for the difference in size, the result was what it was."

Mr. Connor appeared as if he swallowed a whole lemon before he gritted out no more questions.

Ms. Analissa asked Wanda about what she saw in the fight and whose idea it was for Lang to go overboard with the giant form and endanger so many lives, including the attempted murder of Tony himself.

The answers didn't leave a very good impression of Lang on the judges or the public. Tony noticed how Lang's body began to shake when he noticed it himself, probably realizing his goose was already pretty much cooked. And he was not the only one who seemed to realize it.

Ms. Analissa seemed to find another chance in the situation and was quick to stand up and ask the judges to call Mr. Lang to the stand.

Mr. Connor was surprised as well, probably expected for Tony to be called, and to be fair it was supposed to be Tony's cue, not that he minded this particular thunder stolen from him.

Body shaking, Lang fearfully managed to reach the podium and take his seat there. Ms. Analissa walked slowly toward him and asked in a gentle voice, "Mr. Lang, I have only one question for you, are you ready?"

Lang gulped loudly before giving a shaky nod. Ms. Analissa gave him a soft smile and asked, "Is there something you wish to tell this court without the influence of your representative?"

Mr. Connor's eyes flew open when he realized what she was trying to do and he launched to his feet screaming, "Objection! Leading the defendant and depriving him from the right of representation!"

Ms. Analissa's voice was calm as she quickly responded to the accusation. "I simply offered Mr. Lang an option in the form of a question as is my right during this stage. If Mr. Lang wishes to remain silent and only speak with his representative, he is more than welcome to do so."

The three judges nodded in agreement as Judge Hanson verbalized their decision. "Overruled. If the defendant wishes to answer the question we will allow it."

Mr. Connor looked panicked for a moment before his eyes began glaring daggers at Lang, ordering him to remain silent as much as he could.

Lang looked torn and began shaking even further, though Tony suspected it wasn't the lawyer which scared Lang, but the man who hired him.

Analissa leaned closer to the shaking man and said gently, "You don't have to worry. Neither Mr. Connor nor Dr. Pym are in any position to make your life harder after the trial one way or another."

The glare of the short man returned into pure terror as his opponent revealed his bluff to everyone. He was about to stand and probably call to mistrial but Lang was faster than him to gather enough courage to scream out, "I plead guilty!"

In the silence that was created, the sound of Mr. Connor dropping defeated to his chair was very loud.

Judge Marciz raised an eyebrow and spoke evenly. "Mr. Lang, this court saw many such pleas today, but your crimes can be considered special since you have already been convicted in the past. For us to consider a deal for you as we did with the previous two, we will have to hear your reason."

Lang looked up at the table of the judges and began speaking from the heart. "I am an idiot. I always knew that. But I always wanted to help people, and when my daughter was born it was the happiest day of my life. I just wanted to do right by her, and I made a lot of mistakes in the way that cost me everything. When Cap called me... I wanted to make her proud and jumped on the hero train without checking any of the facts like the idiot I was. I... I just want a chance to make my little girl proud of me..."

By the time he finished, Lang had tears streaming down his cheeks.

With that statement the trial was called off, and a day of trials that was supposed to last into the late evening ended up lasting only until the start of the afternoon. Leaving people to prepare and speculate about what tomorrow's trials will bring and if there are any other surprises they should expect.

But Tony knew better than to expect any repeat performance of something like today's trials.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure we shouldn't have gone with him?" Tony asked her for what felt like the hundredth time this day.

Wanda let out a sigh as she carried two cups of coffee for them and set them gently on the living room table before sitting softly next to Tony on the couch, the TV is on but muted in the background.

Wanda shook her head and tried to sound as calm as she could when she answered him. "We already told you there is no reason for any of us to deal with it."

Tony sighed... again... "Are you sure about it? I mean, I know Rhodey got it, but your testimony and mine could help a lot, and I feel kind of bad dropping these two trials on him."

Wanda reached out her arm and began rubbing Tony's arm gently. "We had to deal with the three yesterday, and we all know they were hard on you, and that you are still worried for Sharon and Hope."

Tony dropped his head and whispered under his breath, "I wish I could do more."

Wanda leaned and kissed his cheek softly. "Sweety, you told them from the start you won't be able to help and still they pleaded guilty, knowing what the price could be. You got Fury involved on their side. It was already plenty of you to arrange. You need to give yourself a break sometimes."

Tony leaned his head toward her until his cheek was pressing against her hair. "Don't pretend as if there isn't another reason you won't let me go there and even stayed with me."

Wanda shrugged a little, unashamedly. "You really don't have to deal with him anymore. Him and Rogers did enough damage to you as is. I would prefer it if I could stop you watching the trial entirely."

Tony began nuzzling her hair, whispering into her ear. "You know there is something we can do to distract me if all that interested."

Wanda could feel her face flushing and she pushed Tony playfully away. "We did it all of last night! That damn Extremis really did bring you back to your 20s with this kind of stamina. And did you forget about the kids being just a floor down?"

Tony pouted. "You are no fun, live in danger for a little."

Wanda giggled, happy that the somber atmosphere from before disappeared, and she replied slyly, "I don't mind coming out of the bedroom with a couple of bruises, but I would rather not scar the kids just yet. Not everyone is as big a player as you. We don't want to teach Peter and Harley some wrong lessons."

Tony threw his head back and laughed deeply. "Those two?! I'm pretty sure Harley swings for the other team, and as for Peter... That kid will probably combust from embarrassment before he would even manage to ask a girl out."

Wanda began laughing as well, nodding her head in agreement, but still added teasingly, "You might be right, but can you guess how May or Grace will react if they found out?"

Tony stopped laughing and shuddered. "Yep. Got a point there. I'd rather live to enjoy some time with you later."

Wanda smirked and patted his head, as if he was a small boy getting the right answer. "Smart man."

The moment was broken when the sound from the TV came back on and the announcer began speaking. "We now see as Mr. Wilson, aka The Falcon, is entering the courthouse beside his attorney, Mr. Rag Vandy."

Wanda and Tony returned their attention to the large screen in front of them where Sam Wilson walked inside the room, wearing a clean suit next to another tall and dark-skinned man who was holding a briefcase in his hand.

Soon the proceedings began and the list of charges was being read by Judge Hanson. "Sam Wilson, you are charged with aiding a grand theft, aiding a manslaughter, illegal travel, grand theft, aiding and abetting a terror organization, obstruction of justice, attempted manslaughter and manslaughter with many counts of assault. How do you plead?"

This last question was added for the first time due to the drama of the previous day. It will save everyone a lot of trouble if they give the defendant the chance to just cut everything short and be done with it.

Wilson turned to his attorney and nodded his head once. Mr. Vandy stood from his chair, his voice calm and deep as he announced, "My client pleads innocent, your honors."

With that the trials advanced forward. Mr. Vandy gave his own opening statement which was mostly used to point out Wilson's past achievements and service. The prosecutor, a man in his late 50s, Mr. Dorek Jeyrin, kept his statement clean with a statement saying man can change, and that Wilson did.

After some arguments over more evidence came the time for testimonies, and the first one on the stand was Rhodey and he was being questioned by Mr. Jeyrin.

"Colonel Rhodes, can you please tell us about your history with Mr. Wilson?" the lawyer asked calmly with a soothing smile.

Rhodey gave a nod. Wearing his military uniform he looked quite intimidating in her opinion, before speaking in a professional voice. "I first learned of Mr. Wilson when he was chosen for the Falcon project. As this project was sponsored by SI's tech, it was my job as the liaison of SI in the Air Force to supervise the candidates. After seeing his initial service, I voted in favor of Mr. Wilson taking part in the program. I was sympathetic when I heard of the unfortunate accident his partner suffered and understood his wish to resign. The next time I heard of Mr. Wilson was after the fall of SHIELD because of his involvement with Mr. Rogers. The first time we met was during the crisis of Ultron. We were both approached by Nick Fury in order to secure the rescue boats in the air. Afterwards Mr. Wilson joined the Avengers team under the recommendation of Mr. Rogers while I joined the roster so Tony Stark could retire from the Avengers, which I suspected were toxic to him at the time. Me and Mr. Wilson worked on a few missions during the year and a half on the team, but I did notice he was deployed by Rogers to increasing number of missions I was not part of. When I confronted Mr. Wilson, he pointed out that Mr. Rogers was considerate of my busy schedule and didn't want to include me on missions I have no direct effect on. This was our last direct interaction before we met on opposite sides at the airport."

The lawyer nodded before asking the next question. "During the missions you have shared with Mr. Wilson, did he display any harmful or neglectful behavior?"

Rhodey's pose and tone didn't change from the professional mode he was in as he answered. "Yes. There were times when Mr. Wilson used firepower too great for populated areas. Though he usually did his best to avoid harming any civilians, property damage seemed to be neglectful in his eyes. As well as in some chases where he lowered his altitude and flew inside streets. I tried to point it out to him and ask him to pay more mind to the risk of this course of action, but Mr. Rogers was quick to shut me down and praise Mr. Wilson for his actions."

Mr. Jeyrin nodded calmly before moving to the next question. "Has Mr. Wilson read the Sokovia Accords?"

Mr. Vandy raised his hand quickly, but his voice was steady and slow as he called out, "Objection! Speculation."

Before the judges could rule on the matter, Mr. Jeyrin bowed his head and corrected himself. "Allow me to rephrase. To the best of your knowledge, has Mr. Wilson read the documents presented to the Avengers as the Sokovia Accords?"

"No." Rhodey replied immediately. "When Nick Fury presented the accords to the current Avengers, it was clear by Mr. Wilson he was unaware of them at the point, and after arguing Mr. Rogers's point for a moment he left after said man in the middle of the meeting. I have contacted the lawyers responsible for the Avengers and they have confirmed Mr. Wilson did not request to review the papers since then."

Mr. Vandy frowned at the papers in his hand and turned to Wilson with narrowed eyes. The former Air Force lieutenant gulped a little, but didn't react otherwise.

Then the final question of the prosecution came. "During the battle of the airport, your task was to apprehend Mr. Wilson who at the time provided Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barnes aerial support for their escape, during which he attacked you in a fashion that would endanger both civilians and caused you to fall from the sky. To the best of your experience, what would have been the result of the crash if Dr. Stark hadn't intervened?"

This time Mr. Vandy's voice was much more tense and cutting. "Objection. Speculation again."

Mr. Jeyrin was quick to point out, "Colonel Rhodes has flown over two hundred missions, and tested more Stark tech than most people alive. I believe his assessment of the situation will be true."

The judges frowned and murmured between themselves, before Judge Gamara announced, "We will allow it, but will keep in mind it is just an estimation."

Mr. Vandy looked very displeased at that, while Rhodey answered, "From my experience, this kind of drop with the equipment I wore at the time would result at worst in death, at best in paralysis."

With that Mr. Jeyrin declared no more questions and Mr. Vandy took his place in front of the witness stand as he asked in his deep voice, "At any point in the missions, has Mr. Wilson given an order to others that endangered life, or defied an order that resulted in endangering life?"

Rhodey's tone and expression didn't waver. "No. He would usually follow Mr. Rogers's orders to the T."

Mr. Vandy nodded and pushed further. "Are you certain Mr. Wilson didn't report the theft of Stark tech to his leader, who we all saw had a tendency to keep certain things from Mr. Stark?"

Rhodey shrugged. "I am unaware if he did so, but according to his co..."

Wanda felt a spike of irritation as the lawyer cut Rhodey's answer off and declared no more questions.

Soon things moved along and Wilson was the one sitting on the stand with Mr. Vandy getting first chance to ask questions. "Mr. Wilson, have you at any point during your career as an Avenger intentionally aimed your firepower at innocent civilians?"

Wilson gave the court a hard stare and replied firmly, "No. I would never do something like that."

Mr. Vandy gave him a kind smile and asked, "What was your goal in the airport?"

Wilson took a deep breath and repeated what was probably fed to him. "Steve found out Zemo's plan to wake up the winter soldiers and gathered a team to counter them, but because of the accords we didn't have any transportation, so once we found out about the jet in the hangar our aim was to confiscate it and use it to reach Siberia. Considering it was an Avenger jet and we were still the Avengers, it was Steve's right to use it as the team's leader."

Mr. Vandy asked two more fact confirming questions, facts that put Wilson in a better light and reminding the judges of them.

But soon it was Mr. Jeyrin's turn at the questions. "Mr. Wilson, you explained your goal at the airport. Will you kindly explain Mr. Rogers's plan now?"

Wilson frowned and answered easily, "I don't see what you mean, sir. Steve had a solid plan, the six of us against five super-soldiers."

Mr. Jeyrin's lips twitched for a moment but he quickly concealed it and put on a confused look. "I meant another aspect of the plan, but you have brought up an interesting subject to mind. Mr. Barnes himself said those winter soldiers were more powerful than him. Mr. Rogers himself could not defeat Mr. Barnes at any point, so how exactly have you planned to defeat five superior super-soldiers, with someone already proven to be no match to one of them, one base-human spy, two base-humans with shrinking tech and finally you, a base human who can fly using his tech, but considering Siberia was a closed base you wouldn't have been of much help. Mr. Barnes had the greatest odds at taking on one of them, and he was at high risk of being turned against your team."

Wilson's face was red by the time the lawyer finished his explanation and he countered, "Steve said Bucky won't be able to be turned against us."

The prosecution frowned at the man and asked in a tone you would speak to a child, "Wasn't it Zemo who triggered Mr. Barnes in Germany, which led to the death of seven people? What would stop the man from repeating it in Siberia?"

Mr. Vandy rose slowly from his seat and called out, "Objection! Relevance?"

Mr. Jeyrin gave a polite smile to the judges and explained, "I simply try to show this court that while Mr. Wilson undoubtedly was following orders, any person with common sense will see these orders for what they are, and refuse them. By not doing so, Mr. Wilson should take as much of the blame as if his actions were by his own choice."

Before anyone could comment on that statement, Wilson shouted, "It was my choice, and I will choose it again. Steve is the man with the plan! His orders always make sense in the end."

Mr. Jeyrin turned a side eye toward Wilson and asked, "And his order to initiate a fight in a public place with civilians still present, knowing there will be a casualty toll, could make what sense in the end?"

Wilson's face was surely red now. It wasn't just the TV screen as he shouted, "Stark was the one who started the fight!"

The lawyer turned fully toward Wilson with a raised eyebrow and stated calmly, "Dr. Stark is on record by multiple witnesses and cameras repeatedly offering Mr. Rogers and your team to speak the situation out and to make a deal on your behalf so none of you will carry even a warning, an offer you and Mr. Rogers repeatedly rejected. And when a fight became unavoidable it was him who implored all the sides to hold until the civilians could be evacuated and it was you and Mr. Rogers who charged ahead despite the plea. Under what pretense did Dr. Stark start the fight?"

Wilson's face went from red to purple. "If it wasn't for him bringing up those accords and then pushing them we could have used the jet freely instead of having to steal it, and without the accords Zemo wouldn't have been able to plan his reveal of the truth and turn Stark against Steve!"

Wanda chuckled when she noticed Mr. Vandy dropping his face into his hand, hearing Wilson admitting they were stealing the jet, rather than using their property, and justifying his obstruction of justice, which won't help him during the verdict even if he wasn't technically the one who hid the truth of the murders. The man just stupidly admitted he would have done so if Rogers told him.

Mr. Jeyrin smirked widely and declared cheerfully, "No more questions!"

Wilson took a moment to realize what happened before his face paled. Wanda wondered if he would think being so loyal to Rogers is still worth it, once the verdict comes out.

Chapter Text

The court exploded in murmuring after Wilson's outburst and Wanda could hardly blame them. She herself was unsure where that came from. The man was supposed to be smart, but she really only saw his dumb side recently.

Oh, well. The man at least made it easier for the judges to reach a decision quicker and made sure he will be out of hers and Tony's hair for a long while.

Judge Gamara cleared her throat and announced, "It's time for closing statements then. Mr. Vandy, the floor is yours."

The dark-skinned lawyer let out a resigned sigh, already knowing there isn't much he could say to improve the situation, but it was his job and he intended to see it to the end like a true professional.

Standing from his seat and buttoning up his blazer he spoke in a deep and leveled voice. "Honored Judges, there is no denying my client made many mistakes in the past couple of years. But I will ask you to remember all the contributions Mr. Wilson provided the army, as testified by Colonel Rhodes. He is a man whose true desire was to rescue his fellow brothers in arms from a battlefield while putting his own life at risk, and when that dream crashed and burned he dedicated his life to help those who like him suffered mentally during their service. He only abandoned those ideals to follow a man who previously was believed to embody them. My client had no way to know what Captain America would turn into or what he would be ordered to do under the man's command. I ask the court to consider those facts while going over the mistakes he made recently against all the good he did before. Thank you."

The judges nodded toward the tall lawyer who took it as a dismissal and returned to his seat, where Wilson immediately leaned in and began hissing something the cameras couldn't catch, but it was clear he wasn't pleased with what the lawyer said. She guessed mainly his little jab at Rogers.

Nonetheless she couldn't help but laugh when Mr. Vandy sat and ignored his client while Mr. Jeyrin was called to give his statement.

The older man looked sad as if what he was about to say is painful. "Mr. Wilson without a doubt was a valuable and brave soldier in his time. He proved himself in those years to be a man of morals and duty toward his comrades. That's exactly why we must uphold him to those ideals now as well. Was he the one to conceive any of the ideas that resulted with dead or injured people? No. But as a veteran and a man who claims to preach morals it was his duty to stand up at some point and call those who did make the choices out, or at the very least excuse himself from them. By not only taking part in actions that resulted in many unnecessary deaths, but also now advocating those actions in a court of law, Mr. Wilson proved himself to be a threat to the public. I ask this court to make sure this threat will not spread any further and be allowed to claim more innocent lives."

With that Mr. Jeyrin returned to his seat and the judges announced they will take a two-hour break to debate the sentence.

Wanda decided to use the time to stand up and prepare herself and Tony another round of coffee. One of these days she will have to talk to her boyfriend about his addiction to that drink. There is no way it can be healthy for him, Extremis considered.

Time passed quicker than she realized while she and Tony laughed and bantered around between themselves with the occasional input from Friday that Wanda always found welcome.

And suddenly the TV turned back on to show the courtroom filled with people again. Mr. Jeyrin standing easily behind the prosecution table, while Mr. Vandy and Wilson stood stiffly behind the defense table.

Judge Marciz was the one to speak in the name of all three of them. "We want to thank everyone who took part in these proceedings. Now we shall move to the verdict." There was tense silence for a moment before the judge announced, "We found Mr. Samuel Wilson guilty of all charges."

The courtroom exploded into claps and relieved shouts as the verdict was announced.

Wilson looked pale when the verdict was announced but he was stunned into silence when he heard and saw the reaction of the crowd.

Judge Marciz waited until the gallery had settled down before speaking again. "We sentence the defendant to 30 years in max security prison, with the chance for parole after 20 years. Due to the fact Mr. Wilson is a baseline human without his equipment, he will be handed to the Romanian prison system."

Another round of claps filled the court as Wilson was being led away from the court, his face slack with a speechless level of shock as he registered the voices around him.

Wanda sighed and leaned back. "Well that's one of them done with. Hopefully we won't have to hear about him ever again."

She noticed Tony wincing and could sense the panic rising again. She was sad to think that she was already used to that, and before the panic attack could even gather steam in his mind Wanda quickly leaned in and kissed Tony, using the skin contact to push the panic away with her powers.

When she pulled away Tony blinked like he always does after she helps him with an incoming attack. He gave her his handsomely charming smile. "Thanks, babe."

She knew what he meant. Wanda never hid the fact she was using her power on him to push away the panic episode the moment she senses it, and instead of being disgusted like she feared he would, he was grateful to her, saying he trusted her completely, knowing she will never misuse her powers again, especially not on him.

She took his hand in hers and asked gently, "You want to talk about what started it?"

Tony hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I wish I could agree with you, but the odds are we will see them sooner or later."

Wanda frowned in confusion. "You did hear that even his parole hearing will be only in 20 years, right?" She frowned even more once she saw him nodding with a wince. "So what? Do you think Ellis will do something? That's why the court sent him to serve his sentence in Romania, and Ellis wouldn't be able to intervene for much longer."

Tony looked away toward the windows on the far side of the room, where the bright sky was visible with very few other building tops in the horizon. "I wish it was that easy. The Rogues still have some support from leaders of other countries like Mexico, Spain, France and so on."

Wanda tilted her head. "Fair enough, but it's not like any of them will rush to rescue convicted international criminals. It won't be a good look for anyone and none of them is a fanboy like Ellis is."

Tony shook his head, and his voice shook a little as well. "They will come. Whoever it was that planned the New York invasion is on their way to earth to get what they want. We won't be enough." He finished it with a resigned whisper.

Wanda pulled Tony into a gentle hug and said quietly into his ear, "It will be okay, we're already working on it. The new recruits will be joining the team next week, and we have the junior program. We will hold the line."

Tony shook his head frantically. "You saw it… In my head. You saw how many of them there are!"

And suddenly Wanda remembered. She tried to suppress the memory of their first meeting back in the Sokovian base, but now that she allowed the memory to surface she remembered what she saw.

Countless ships covering the sky of the planet with their sheer number. The endless troopers in the streets, the destruction… The pile of bodies in the center of it all. Rogers blames Tony for the entire thing.

Back then she believed Rogers, pushing the end she saw on Tony, and believing that if he gets the scepter he will cause the future she pulled out of his mind to become reality and kill all of the Avengers, leaving him open for her and Pietro to finally get rid of.

But now she knew the truth. Tony tried; he tried his best. He tried telling people of what's coming, tried to convince them they should focus on the unavoidable threat coming for them. And yet, he was turned down over and over again.

Rogers, he was one of the main ones who ridiculed Tony for his warnings, promising that even by some impossible way Tony will be right, the six of them will be enough, and no matter how much Tony tried to plead, none in the position of power will hear him out because of Rogers's dismissiveness.

Tony was desperate. Knowing what's coming, powerless to stop it and unable to gain help to prepare for it. Ultron was the result of the desperation, Tony trying to do by himself what the entire world was too blind and stupid to do.

She wished she could reassure Tony that the future he saw was impossible, but she knew better. She knew it was completely possible.

But one thing she will correct. It will not be Tony's fault. It will be Rogers's and those who chose to ignore the warning of the man who went through the portal and came back with the truth they chose to ignore and deny.

Before she could think of a response, Tony spoke in a low tone. "Once the governments realize what we're actually up against, it will be unavoidable for them to seek adding the Rogues to the effort."

"Which means they will have to issue them pardons." Wanda had to hold herself from snarling. "They can't be that stupid to actually do that, can they?"

Tony leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes, replying heavily, "Desperate times lead to desperate measures."

Wanda took a deep breath before she gently cupped Tony's face. His brown eyes opened and locked with her green ones and she said with an absolute voice, "Even if this will happen, things won't be the same. You have people on your side. You have me at your side, and I will send anyone trying to threaten you into their own worst nightmare."

Tony chuckled before saying playfully, "Damn, it's hot when you get so worked up for me. How about instead of putting others in nightmares let me take you to paradise."

Wanda's cheeks flushed a little, and she did realize what Tony was doing, but she figured after what they just talked about, cheering him up a little by following his lead wouldn't be too bad. Not like she doesn't enjoy it.

She glanced at the TV seeing the banner announcing another two-hour break before the start of the next trial of the day. She let out a mock long-suffering sigh and said, "Well, I suppose there is no harm in a little fun…"

Though even as she yelped due to Tony pulling her into his arms with a hearty laughter, she prepared herself mentally for the effort she has to put into the next trial.

From her point of view this trial won't be much different from all the others. For her Barnes was just another criminal she had to keep her eye on during the airport battle, maybe even in some ways the source of her problem.

It was because of him Rogers went to all those secret missions as she was forced to act like a spy in the oaf's group and travel all around the globe trying to minimize his damage.

But for Tony it will be less James Barnes on trial and more the Winter Soldier, the man who murdered his parents.

This will surely prove to be difficult for her boyfriend. But Wanda is here and she will do her best to keep all of his anxiety at bay and let him know he is not alone.

Chapter Text

Wanda scanned Tony's face from the corner of her eye.

After the break Tony insisted they will return to the living room to see the next trial. No matter how much Wanda tried to distract him in all sorts of ways, she couldn't convince him to just let it go.

Honestly Wanda wasn't sure if she should feel offended by the fact or not.

Tony let out a sigh. "Don't look at me like that. You know it's important."

Wanda huffed. "Nothing Rhodey or Nick can't catch us up on later. There really isn't any real reason for you to have to watch it. You know they are going to…"

"I know." Tony cut her off with a resigned voice before it turned determined. "And I need to hear it. I want to hear him saying those things and watch what happens."

Wanda let out another exasperated sigh but didn't push any further, knowing the next stop this conversation can take will irk Tony even more.

Her boyfriend was still a little bitter toward Fury after he found out the entire Siberia ordeal was broadcasted and then shared on the internet.

There were many responses and even the news kept running segments on the video for days… Tony…

She had to cut the line of thought short because at that moment the news on the TV announced the entrance of the defendant and his lawyer.

She could sense a spike of Tony's anxiety and immediately picked up his hand. Using her power she pushed away his anxiety and replaced it with her love for him.

They both watched as Barnes walked into the room, his arm still missing, his face lowered down. It didn't look like he tried to put too much effort into his appearance, as evident by his messy long hair and barely trimmed beard.

There was one thing different from the other Rogues on trial from before, because Barnes wasn't a baseline human with just equipment—he was a walking weapon, and an unstable one at that.

So instead of wearing a blazer over his white dress shirt, Barnes was wearing a harness that kept his remaining arm secured to his chest. His ankles too had been bound by vibranium cuffs, courtesy of Wakanda.

Next to him walked a calm and average looking man. He was about a head shorter than Barnes, short brown hair with shaved sides and a little gut showing out of his buttoned brown suit jacket.

On the table next to them sat an elegant and cold looking woman. Her blue eyes had a sharp glint to them, her blonde hair, with some strands of silver, gathered in a braid over her shoulder.

The three judges presiding over these proceedings were announced as they entered, and everyone in the courtroom stood on their feet.

Judge Hanson was the first to enter, followed by Judge Gamara and finally Judge Marciz.

Judge Hanson was the one to speak first this time. "Everyone please take a seat. We are here today to discuss the charges against one James Barnes. Unfortunately, this case is not as easy as the other ones, due to the overwhelming evidence of the brainwashing Mr. Barnes suffered during his long years of captivity."

Immediately a few cries of outrage and worried mumbles broke from the gallery. From what Wanda could pick up, the people seemed to feel as if the judge was implying that due to his past suffering Barnes should be pardoned straight away. And for a moment she felt worry crawl in her as well.

The judge banged his hammer three times and raised his voice. "Order in the courtroom! As I was saying, due to those unique circumstances after a discussion with both the defense and the prosecution, we reached a compromise. Mr. Barnes will be judged twice for two different sets of charges. One listed against the Winter Soldier and the other against James Barnes."

Relieved murmurs broke out and Wanda had to admit it sounded like a very reasonable solution for that situation.

Wanda could feel Tony's heart missing a beat and she asked while looking at him from the corner of her eye, "Do you have anything to do with it?"

Tony shrugged. "Not really. Just handed Nick a few things I found on Hydra servers from the info dump."

Wanda hummed for a moment before saying calmly, "I have a feeling you are leaving something out."

Tony turned his head a little and mumbled loud enough for her to hear, "Nothing… about that."

Wanda raised an eyebrow but didn't comment any further as the judge spoke again after quiet was restored. "We shall begin with the charges against the Winter Soldier. You are accused of countless counts of assassination, couple counts of mass murder, terrorism, murder of an American president and finally treason. Mr. Richard Kanzey, please deliver your opening statement."

The average looking man stood up while clearing his throat to draw everyone's attention. "The story of Sergeant James Barnes is well documented. From his enlistment to the army to his presumed death during Captain America's and the Howling Commando's raid on the Hydra train and capture of Arnim Zola. It will be seven decades before we will learn of Sergeant Barnes's survival and the circumstances around it. Without a doubt we may declare him the longest prisoner of war in history. And without disrespecting the victims of the Winter Soldier, today I aim to prove that those victims' blood is not on Sergeant Barnes's hands."

With that said the man sat down. No smirk or satisfied look on his face, just a simple calming grin.

Judge Hanson nodded before turning to the woman. "Madam Lubina Risakov, the stage is yours."

The blonde woman gave a curt nod before standing with the same air of elegance she had before and began pacing while speaking with a straight face, but gentle voice. "I am not here today to deny there are clear differences between the crimes Mr. Barnes committed as the Winter Soldier and the ones he committed outside of that persona. But the fact is that there are victims due to his actions, and those victims deserve their justice as well. I ask this court to keep them and their families in mind while also thinking of Mr. Barnes's painful years."

Judge Hanson gave another nod before announcing, "With that we will move on to the evidence stage. Will the defense present their findings first."

The next hour was Mr. Kanzey showing documents and reports on all the different procedures and reports done to Barnes in order to turn him into the Winter Soldier and maintain him as such.

Wanda had to admit, it was horrible, revolting, and some part of her felt both sympathy for the man and a little pity, but then her mind flashed back to what he did to Tony and her face hardened back.

She could feel the same emotions coming from Tony and considered using her powers to push them away as well before deciding against it. She knew better than abusing her power. As much as she considered those feelings damaging to Tony, objectively speaking they are not really harmful feelings, so she had no reason to interfere with them.

Next it was Madam Risakov's turn and she showed a few examples of victims of the Winter Soldier, including mentioning the names of Howard and Maria Stark.

The evidence was cut and dry. When the judges called for witness testimony, the only one who was called upon was Barnes himself.

The man looked down at the table in front of him and didn't raise his eyes at all even as his lawyer asked him, "Sergeant Barnes, is it true that after the fall from the train, you spent the next couple of decades resisting all of Hydra's attempts to turn you into their soldier before you couldn't hold back anymore and their programming took hold?"

Barnes nodded slowly. "Yes."

With that being the main point of the defense, Mr. Kanzey had only one question left. "After the fall of SHIELD, how long were you free from your Winter Soldier persona?"

Barnes seemed to be frowning in thought. "A little over a year."

His lawyer nodded and declared no more questions. Which allowed Madam Risakov to step up and ask, "Have the triggers been removed from your mind?"

Barnes flinched before whispering, "No."

The blonde nodded. "So at any moment, someone with the right combination of words can turn you into a weapon again. Thinking about that, are there any other notebooks like the one Zemo used to trigger you?"

This time Barnes scowled deeply, and his voice was a little rougher when he answered. "I had many handlers during the years. I don't know if they all just passed their notebook around, or if there were more of them. Pierce knew the words even though the book was with my handlers from the 90s."

Madam Risakov nodded with what could be mistaken as satisfaction before declaring no more questions.

That's how they reached the closing statements with the defense getting the stage first again. The lawyer's rich English accent somehow drained a little of the tension in the room. "As we proved, Sergeant Barnes did his best even in captivity to resist Hydra's plan for as long as he could even under severe duress. It was only when the Sergeant lost hope he would be rescued that the program took hold and forced him to commit unspeakable crimes he would never otherwise even consider. We have failed him before which led to this situation. Let us not fail him today again."

There were a couple of nods in the gallery, but soon Madam Risakov began speaking, her Russian undertone adding sort of elegance to her words as well. "While I will not dare to undercut the suffering Mr. Barnes had to suffer, we must consider the safety of the general public and the victims that have been created due to the unfortunate circumstances. Mr. Barnes admitted himself of still having the triggers and the possibility of there being more notebooks recording the words needed to activate them. Do we truly want a potential mass destruction weapon walking freely?"

The judges thanked the lawyers before calling for an hour of break to debate the verdict and sentence. Wanda glanced to the edge of the screen where Barnes was sitting next to his lawyer. The look in his eyes was so lost and broken, as if he already resigned himself to death row.

An hour later after the judges came back, it was Judge Gamara that announced the result. "For the crimes of assassinations we found Mr. Barnes guilty on all counts. For the crime of manslaughter we find the defendant not guilty, and for treason we find him… Not guilty."

Barnes looked up with shock at the judges, unable to understand how they could find him innocent. Judge Gamara spoke again. "While deciding the verdict we did acknowledge that all the crimes have been done under duress and as such the treason does not stand. But we can't ignore the crimes that were committed and the potential danger Mr. Barnes poses to the larger public. As such we sentence the defendant to ten years' confinement in a high security psychiatric ward to be determined at a later date. Mr. Stark was kind enough to offer the court the use of his newly revealed and tested tech to deal with trauma…" The judge cleared her throat as if what she was about to say was painful. "The BARF technology. As such, at the end of the treatment you may file for a review and if you are found safe for the public you may receive early release. Is that understood?"

Barnes's eyes were dazed, his mind unable to process all the information as he nodded numbly in agreement.

The judge nodded before announcing, "Very well. Then this court will take a two-hour break to allow all sides to prepare for the charges against Mr. James Barnes."

With that the murmurs began about the sentence delivered to the Winter Soldier.

Most didn't care about that case, as most of his assassinations were old news by then, and after hearing what he had been through there wasn't much satisfaction in just throwing him to rot in prison.

The few who did care seemed to be satisfied by the result as a whole. Barnes himself still looked dazed even as his lawyer seemed to try and talk with him.

Chapter Text

Wanda turned to Tony with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, I am going to ignore you forcing the poor lady to say that travesty of a name out loud on international broadcast…"

She was quickly interrupted by an offended Tony. "Will everyone just let it go? BARF is a perfectly fine name. Wade agrees!"

Wanda gave him a deadpan look. "Wade is literally diagnosed as a crazy person, not so much of an endorsement for your name." She shook her head. "Letting it go… Did you really do it, letting Barnes use BARF?"

Tony sighed and leaned back on the sofa and for a moment he looked as old as he looked before the Extremis made him look in his 20s. "Of course I did."

Wanda eyed him for a moment. "Okay. You clearly have your reasons, mind sharing with me?"

"There are two." Tony raised two fingers. "The first one is selfless. I can't let the man just suffer, that's just not right. He should be free from Hydra if for no other reason so he could actually pay for the crimes he committed as James Barnes without having the Winter Soldier to fall back into. But also, because he was a good man. Back then he tried putting Rogers in his place every time the arrogant asshole tried to force his opinion on others. He deserves the chance to rebuild who he was or at the very least to start over and create himself as a new man, but a man who is wholly his own."

Wanda nodded along with Tony's explanation. Some part of her wanted to argue and rage that he didn't have to, but if Tony wasn't so quick to offer second chances even to the worst of crimes against him, she wouldn't be here either.

It will be hypocritical of her to deny Barnes the very same kindness that led to her life being as wonderful as it is now. Going from an anger-filled orphan to a known hero surrounded by love and family, small as it was for now.

"And the second reason?" Wanda asked instead.

Tony took a deep breath. "That one is a little more selfish. I want to destroy the weapon that killed my parents. It might have been Barnes's body but the Winter Soldier was the weapon used that night. Offering that treatment is my way to kill that person, weapon… whatever that killed my parents. If Barnes gets a better life out of it, well it's a win all around I suppose."

There was a long moment of silence between them and Tony turned to look at her with concern, but Wanda quickly leaned in and gave him a slow and emotional kiss.

After a kiss that held for almost a minute she pulled back and whispered warmly, "You have a giant heart, Tony Stark. As battered and hurt as it is, there is no limit to how warm and giving it still stays. I love that about you."

Tony smiled softly. "It was this that made sure I get to know and love you, my lovely witch. How can I possibly dare to change it?"

Wanda blushed brightly but smiled just as much as her heart warmed. Tony suddenly jumped to his feet and asked, "How about some food, or better yet… more coffee!"

Wanda couldn't help but burst into laughter, accepting the change of subject. After all, they have a couple of hours for themselves.

Two hours that seemed to fly by far too quickly before Wanda and Tony found themselves watching the TV as Judge Marciz began reading the charges. "The defendant is accused of countless counts of obstruction of justice, aiding and abetting a terrorist organization, grand theft, many counts of assault, second degree manslaughter, first degree murder, and attempted murder."

Wanda wanted to whistle. That was hell of a charge list for a man who technically can be charged only for crimes he committed in the last year or so. The sad part was the worst of those crimes he committed in the last couple of weeks.

Barnes himself winced with every accusation, and it looked like his eyes were shining a little, as if he was trying to hold back his tears.

This time the stage of evidence passed rather quickly as most of them were well documented in the news. From him fighting the German forces to his part in the tunnel collapse, then the battle of the airport and finally the fight in Siberia.

There wasn't much the defense could counter with so instead they pushed forward toward the witness testimony.

But due to Mr. Kanzey having the first round in the previous opportunity, Madam Risakov had the stage first and she called a middle-aged woman named Elena Lonescu.

The woman was rather short and seemed rather thin, with dark bags under her eyes and wild dark hair. She shook a little as she took the oath to tell the truth and sat down on the stand.

The blonde lawyer approached the woman and asked softly, "Mrs. Lonescu, can you please tell the court what you have been doing during the day of the Bucharest tunnel collapse?"

The woman seemed to take a few deep breaths before answering slowly, "I was driving in Strada Viilor de Jos, like I do every week on that day."

Madam Risakov nodded before addressing the rest of the court. "Let the protocol show that the road the witness just named is the road leading toward the collapsed tunnel. The same road Mr. Barnes was pursued on." She then turned back to the witness and asked gently again, "Were you driving at the same time Mr. Barnes was chased on the same road?" After a nod from the shaking woman the lawyer pushed one last time with a voice so gentle even Wanda could feel the calming effect it should have. "Please describe what happened to you that day."

The woman's frame began to shake even more, and her voice was just as shaky as her body. "I… I was driving behind a motorcycle, a-a-and a-all of t-the sud-sudden that ma-ma-man…" She pointed a shaking finger at the wide-eyed Barnes. "R-ran into the r-ro-road and… and… he just picked the man r-riding it up before… before—" The woman hiccupped for a moment before managing to push out the words in a rush. "He threw the rider under my wheels. I tried to stop! I swear I did! But it was too late, he was already under my car… I didn't want… I tried…"

The woman broke down in sobs and Madam Risakov broke her cold attitude and ran around the stand to comfort the shaking woman. A moment later a middle-aged man that was probably the woman's husband ran in as well and began leading her out of the courtroom. Before they could leave, the man threw the now shaking super-soldier a hateful glare.

Just as they were about to leave the room Judge Gamara called out, "We thank Mrs. Lonescu for her brave testimony today."

There was a moment of tense silence before Judge Gamara ordered Madam Risakov to move to the next witness.

The lawyer nodded and called for Tobias Kramer. Eyebrows soon rose as a dark-skinned man in a wheelchair rolled his way toward the stand.

"Mr. Kramer, can you please state your occupation to this court?" The Russian voice returned to professional level.

The deep male voice was calm and collected as he replied, "Currently I am unemployed due to my injury, but until a couple of months ago I was an agent in the German Special Forces."

"You were part of the team sent to apprehend Mr. Barnes." It was more of a statement than a question, but the man confirmed it nonetheless before the woman asked, "What were your orders in regard to Mr. Barnes?"

The man frowned a little. "We were told to use nonlethal methods and apprehend him alive for questioning and trial."

The lawyer nodded before asking, "What was Mr. Barnes's reaction?"

The man's frown turned into a scowl. "He and Rogers began throwing their weapons around, uncaring about casualties as they killed two agents in that apartment alone."

Madam Risakov clicked her tongue before asking gently, "And how were you injured?"

The man took a deep breath, obviously uncomfortable with the subject but answering it calmly still. "I tried to block Barnes's way without aiming my weapon at him, hoping it will buy me some trust. Instead he threw me down from the third floor to the lobby without a blink. I broke my back in three places and will likely never walk again."

The blonde lawyer nodded and thanked the witness, passing him to the defense. Mr. Kanzey walked toward the stand and asked, "Do you know what the first interaction between your team and Mr. Barnes was?"

The man shrugged. "I was part of the backup team and only entered the building once order of resistance came out. But regulation tactic will be to send in shock grenades. After all, he was enhanced and it was better to subdue him first and ask questions on our way to base."

Mr. Kanzey nodded and declared no more questions.

Then it was the defense's turn to call witnesses and the only one they could really hope to salvage their situation was Barnes himself, as there was really no other person who could testify for him, Barnes choosing to be in hiding for a year and all that.

As Barnes sat on the stand the first question his lawyer asked him was, "Sergeant Barnes, were you aware there was a manhunt after you? And that Mr. Rogers was looking for you as well?"

Barnes nodded his head. "Yes, I knew I was hunted, that's why I kept moving cities and countries. But I had no idea Steve was looking for me too. I thought he was busy with all those Avengers missions."

The British man hummed before asking, "If you would have known, would you have surrendered yourself to Mr. Rogers's custody?"

Barnes looked a little uncomfortable with the question and took a moment before replying, "I… I am not sure, but I think I would."

His lawyer nodded, but from the corner of the frame Wanda noticed Madam Risakov noting something down with a smirk. Not noticing it the defense lawyer asked the next question. "Why did you choose to fight the German forces?"

Barnes looked down to the stand and answered, "Steve told me they were there to kill me and I just reacted."

"Understandable." Commented Mr. Kanzey before moving on. "Except being chased, what was your part in the collapse of the tunnel in Bucharest?"

Barnes looked a little guilty as he answered, "I was running away from the Prince of Wakanda because it was clear he was trying to kill me, but I just kept running. It was Steve's decision to collapse the tunnel to stop the Prince from killing me."

"During the battle at the airport, were any of the actions by your own decision or were you following the orders of Mr. Rogers?" The lawyer tried to shift the blame again.

This time Barnes answered more confidently and refused to throw Rogers under the bus. "I trusted Steve to know how to handle his team so I followed his lead."

"One last question, Sergeant Barnes, why did you choose to fight Mr. Stark, and what made you go for his reactor?" the lawyer led the final question.

Barnes looked down again, his voice much weaker now as he answered. "I… I wanted to protect Steve. I saw Mr. Stark punching him. I knew Steve won't back down and I also knew there was no chance for Steve to win alone against Iron Man. Steve told me before the fight that if we can shut down his reactor the suit will go dead and Stark won't be a threat any longer. I wanted to end it with minimum injury, and save Stev…"

"Objection!" Madam Risakov called quickly.

Chapter Text

The entire courtroom was startled by Madam Risakov's sudden objection. Judge Hanson raised an eyebrow and asked, "On what ground, Madam Risakov?"

The blonde lawyer grabbed a controller and aimed it at the screen showing the battle of Siberia. "If you will indulge me for a moment and rewatch exhibit 5A of this trial."

And the people watched as Tony delivered the first punch to Rogers after the oaf finally confessed about knowing the whole time, all the way until Barnes tried to dig out Tony's reactor with his metal fingers only to have his whole arm blasted off.

Mr. Kanzey frowned and asked, "Relevance? We already watched this video and are well aware of what happened in the base."

Madam Risakov's lips twitched a little to a suppressed smirk. "So you say, but you must see that this evidence just proved your client has lied to this court while under oath. Isn't that right, Mr. Barnes?"

A couple of knocks with their gavel drew the attention back to the judges as Judge Marciz asked patiently, "Madam Risakov, please don't address the witness before it's your turn for cross interrogation. Please proceed with your objection."

The Russian lawyer inclined her head in acknowledgement before proceeding with her point. "Mr. Barnes claims he aimed for the reactor to end the battle as soon as possible with no injury, then I must ask why he reached the conclusion only almost at the end of the fight when it was obvious Dr. Stark was getting the upper hand over Mr. Rogers? As the video showed, the first reaction of Mr. Barnes was to aim his weapon at Dr. Stark's head while he was turned with his back to him and without his helmet. I will call it intent to kill. Mr. Barnes then proceeded to join Mr. Rogers in landing endless hits on Dr. Stark using the famous shield. At no point did Mr. Barnes seem to want to end this battle easily until it was clear he and his friend were losing. As such it is clear Mr. Barnes broke his oath and lied to the court."

"Wait a moment, this is merely speculation…" Mr. Kanzey tried to argue.

He was interrupted though by Judge Hanson. "Enough, Mr. Kanzey." He then turned to Barnes and asked with a small frown, "Mr. Barnes, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Barnes looked around frantically and for a moment it looked like he was trying to use his arm to break the harness and run, and eventually all he managed to stammer was, "Steve… I just… I had…"

The judges sighed before Judge Gamara said sternly, "Next time you break your oath, we will find you in contempt and charge you appropriately. Is that understood?"

Barnes lowered his head in shame and gave a quick nod. His lawyer quickly declared no more questions and cleared the stage for Madam Risakov.

The blonde approached the podium and with a tone that could freeze even ice asked, "Mr. Barnes, you have claimed to be free of your programming for over a year now. In Siberia you have confirmed to have full recollection of all the Winter Soldier's victims. One has to wonder why haven't you at any point turned yourself in to the authorities and reported all you can remember?"

This time Barnes looked up defiantly and answered immediately, "I didn't know who I could trust. SHIELD was supposed to be a safe place but was infested by Hydra, and I couldn't allow them to get hold of me again."

The blonde hummed for a moment before asking with a small edge to her voice, "Mr. Kanzey asked you earlier if you would have turned yourself to Mr. Rogers if you knew he was looking for you, so why not do so from the start? His location was no secret and a very public knowledge."

Barnes's defiance evaporated and he began glancing at his lawyer for help, but the man was busy scowling to himself for giving his opponent valuable ammunition against them.

"Have no answer? Makes sense." The Russian said coldly before challenging the man even further. "It is always very unlikely that during a whole year you could not research organizations you may deem trustworthy, both to keep you safe and to report the truth to. Perhaps, you were under the opinion that since the murders happened so long ago there was no reason to report them?"

Mr. Kanzey jumped to his feet and called out, "Objection! She is leading the witness under false assumptions!"

Judge Marciz nodded her head. "Sustained. Madam, please refrain from doing so again."

"Apologies." Madam Risakov sounded anything but apologetic before asking, "Let us move on then. Does the name Jack Sanders sound familiar to you, Mr. Barnes?"

Mr. Kanzey immediately began going through all the paperwork in front of him to find out what she was talking about while Barnes's eyes widened and his lips parted in default denial. Madam Risakov was quick to remind him with a sharp voice, "Let me remind you lie once again to this courtroom the result will be very dire for you." Barnes's jaw closed with a snap as the blonde pushed on. "I will ask again, are you familiar with the name?"

Barnes gulped loudly before nodding his head, without commenting any further. It was clear he was hoping that the matter would be dropped after that. Madam Risakov on the other hand went for the jugular. "Jack was an agent of SHIELD for five years. Director Fury had put him in charge of accounting. A year after his recruitment he married a government official, Betsy. On October 14th, 2013 he was found dead in an abandoned warehouse. The official story afterwards was that Jack was suspected of embezzlement and was killed by an associate. A fact that was disproven a week ago when a group of hackers uncovered a file from the info dump that confirmed something interesting." She turned to look at Barnes with his panicked eyes. "Mr. Barnes, why was the Winter Soldier sent to assassinate Jack?"

The man's jaw opened and closed repeatedly with no sound coming out of it until Judge Hanson shot him a stern look. "Answer the question, Mr. Barnes."

Barnes whimpered before answering in a weak voice, "He found irregularities in the books that had ties to the Insight project. I was ordered to kill him before he could report them to Fury."

"Objection!" Called out Mr. Kanzey again. "Clearly this is a crime of the Winter Soldier, and has no bearing in this trial."

Judge Marciz nodded. "Agreed. Madam Risakov, if you don't have any further point to make I must ask you to move on."

The blonde lawyer shook her head. "Your honor, this was merely a prelude to my main point."

Her eyes snapped back to Barnes and an obvious shiver went down his back as she spoke in a predatory voice. "After rumors of the reason Jack was killed began circling around, an already grieving Betsy was let go from her department. Unemployed and full of grief, Betsy never believed Jack had committed the crimes they accused him of and tried to argue his case with everyone. It reached a point where the psychologists declared it an obsession and locked her up in a psychiatric ward. For the past two years all they did was try to convince her to accept reality and the crimes Jack committed. Betsy refused to believe a word they said and it must have been torture for her to hear people endlessly trying to convince her the man she loved was a simple criminal. Because two months ago, while the staff allowed her the usual private time in the cafeteria, she committed suicide."

As she finished the story, the courtroom was filled with gasps and sniffles. Barnes looked at her with tears filling his eyes and his entire body shaking violently.

Madam Risakov leaned toward him a little and asked, "Mr. Barnes, do you think Betsy would be alive today if you stepped forward and revealed the truth? How many more families are in the same situation because you refused to cooperate with law enforcement?"

Barnes was stunned into silence. Even if he could speak, Wanda wondered if he could manage a single letter without a trembling voice.

Mr. Kanzey stood up to object but the blonde raised her hand and calmly stated, "Withdrawn. No more questions for this witness." And turned to walk back to her seat with pure elegance.

There was a long silence before the judges called for final statements, but with the raw emotions from Barnes's last questions still in the air, those statements ended up being rather bland. And in quick order the judges ordered another break so they would be able to discuss their ruling.

Wanda took the chance to turn to her boyfriend and asked, "Did you know about that SHIELD guy?"

Tony looked as surprised as she felt and shook his head. "No idea. There was a lot of information dumped by Romanoff, and I lost most of what I deciphered when I lost Jarvis. Friday had been scanning those files on low priority. So it wasn't me." Then he seemed to think about it before snorting. "Won't surprise me if Nick has a team looking through all of that though."

Wanda nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, I can see that." Then she winced. "Though I think Risakov went a little too harsh on the man."

Tony sighed heavily. "Maybe, but that was the point. It wasn't just about proving how wrong Barnes was by staying in hiding. It's also about what will happen tomorrow."

Wanda raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me she did it as a precedent for Rogers's trial?" Tony only nodded and left Wanda to wonder what it could imply.

Still, she let it go and chose to have much calmer small talk with her boyfriend until the news announced that the verdict was ready to be delivered.

Everyone stood as the judges entered back into the room and took their seats. They remained standing, or in Barnes's case still shaking on his feet, his eyes not leaving the floor for a moment, as Judge Marciz began announcing the decision. "This court finds the defendant, Mr. James Barnes, guilty of all charges."

Madam Risakov gave a satisfied nod, Mr. Kanzey looked disappointed but not too surprised, Barnes just kept shaking and staring at the floor, while around them many clapping sounds filled the room.

"His sentence…" Judge Marciz kept her announcement. "Will be as follows. After he serves his time in the psychiatric ward and the triggers are confirmed to have been removed, Mr. Barnes will be moved to serve ten more years in the max security facility known as the Fridge. He may apply for parole after five years. Please remove the defendant from the courtroom and prepare him for transport."

Wanda knew the only reason Barnes specifically is being processed so quickly is because no one wants him to be in the same building when Rogers starts his trials in the facility in less than a day. Which makes sense considering what happened last time something similar happened.

Barnes just allowed himself to be led away, though it looked like he was required to be supported so his shaking legs wouldn't give up on him mid-step.

"Well, that's it with the Winter Soldier." Wanda let out a deep sigh.

Tony nodded in agreement, but his voice was heavy when he reminded her, "And tomorrow the real show will be on."

Wanda nodded once. "I suppose you are right." Her eyes then narrowed at Tony. "Hope you are not planning something stupid like flying out and testifying in his trial. You know nothing good will come out of it, right?"

Tony looked a little put off but replied, "Yeah, yeah I know. But there shouldn't be anything wrong with wanting to come along with my girlfriend for supporting her."

Wanda rolled her eyes and said with a smirk, "Oh give me a break. Wherever you are is more likely to be attacked than not. You are a trouble magnet, mister."

Tony opened his mouth to retort or at least resent the accusation, but after thinking it over for a moment he closed his mouth and shrugged in acceptance. She wasn't exactly wrong.

Wanda then remembered something. "Oh, don't forget that tomorrow evening you have that video chat with the princess."

Tony's lips twitched with a small smile. "Yeah, it's been hard to find a time with everything that went around here, but T'Chaka and T'Challa were adamant it's important too."

Chapter Text

Tony dropped himself on the couch in the living room once again, a cup of coffee in his hand, or rather Irish coffee would be more precise as Tony had a feeling he would need a drink to see what's coming today.

Yesterday's trial was hard enough to watch because of the actions of the man on the stand rather than the man himself. Tony could understand that Barnes was controlled for most of his life and was forced to kill Howard, but his face was still the one of the person who choked the life out of his mother.

Still, Tony wasn't heartless. That's why he offered his BARF tech to the psychiatric recovery part of Barnes's sentence. Not that he will be the one who will actually operate it.

He did consider the option for a moment before he was slapped by Wanda followed by a slap from Pepper and a long rant from Happy and Rhodey. At some point even the kids began admonishing him for the idea.

Eventually it was decided that Bruce will be the one that will actually conduct the therapy sessions with Barnes, as he knew the tech best out of everyone other than Tony himself, and worst comes to worst the Hulk will come to play with the Winter Soldier for a bit.

But today's trial will be much harder, because this was less about the specific actions and more about the man who committed them.

Tony trusted Rogers, considered him a friend, maybe one of his best, bar Rhodey alone. And still Rogers betrayed him in a way that was so deep that it left a deep scar in the man once considered heartless.

It's only with this in mind and clear hindsight that Tony began to see all the abuse and exploitation that Rogers practiced when it came to him.

Tony was still not certain if that was Romanoff's idea and he just executed them, which will be no less damning in his book, or if Rogers had something against him from the get-go and decided to exploit the situations he was granted.

Oh Tony was certain the little spider was still involved in some way or another in some of the more outrageous actions Rogers took against him, like dropping the blame of Ultron on him and forcing him to resign from the team.

In the end Rogers even betrayed his friendship with Howard, which pissed Tony off to a whole other level because of a rather selfish reason, Tony will admit. Tony's father gave away his life and abandoned his own son to search for Rogers, never giving up on the blonde for a moment.

But Rogers didn't seem to care about throwing the man he called his friend under the bus for Barnes. Which means Tony never had any reason not to have his father's attention. In the end Howard gave up his and his wife's life for a man that didn't hesitate to destroy him and his son's legacy.

Tony could feel himself beginning to burn up in rage until a soft, calming hand began rubbing the back of his head smoothly.

Tony turned to look at Wanda who slowly took the seat right next to him. Her left hand kept soothing him while her right hand held her own cup of coffee, clean of alcohol though.

Tony was just about to turn on the TV when the elevator dinged. He turned to his girlfriend with a raised eyebrow. "Have any idea who that's supposed to be?"

Wanda smirked at him and before he could ask any more questions the doors of the elevator opened, and a bunch of kids filled his living room.

The first to walk casually into the room were Harley and Kate. Both wore indifferent expressions as they came in and sat silently on the other couch in the room.

The next two to walk in were Peter and Pietro, though Peter looked a little bashful as the two quickly claimed the floor at the foot of the couch Wanda and Tony sat on.

The next two to walk in were a new addition to the team as of a week ago. America Chavez and Kamala Khan. The two girls were grinning widely and talking with each other freely.

Kamala looked around the room and she exclaimed, "I can't believe I am in Tony Stark's living room. It's so cool!"

America chuckled. "Trust me, I was in a lot of universes and Tony is an awesome hero in like eighty percent of them."

Everyone froze for a moment and even Tony found himself staring at the girl. It was Kate who asked carefully, "And the other twenty?"

America didn't look too concerned as she answered easily, "Oh in five percent of them he never became a hero, and still most of the time he changed for the better without the trip to the desert."

Tony's mind stopped for a moment. Five percent! The girl spent a decade falling from one universe to another before Strange found her in their universe by mistake and took her in, considering he just became the Sorcerer Supreme himself. Whatever it was, it sounded like a bold choice to Tony, so he took her in into the Junior Avengers initiative. And after all the universes she saw, Tony had so little of a chance to actually avoid the terrorist-hosted vacation.

It was Peter who asked meekly, "And the last five?"

America shrugged before delivering the final blow. "He became a villain."

There was a sharp intake of air all around the room as all of them threw him a wary look. Even Wanda side-eyed him for a moment.

America noticed it and was quick to add, "Oh, but he was an awesome villain as well!"

Pietro finally broke and chuckled. "Not really the problem there, America. Tony as a villain is just a… disturbing thought."

Harley nodded his head before throwing in casually, "I am not dealing with an evil Tony Stark, far too much trouble for even my liking."

Tony wasn't sure if he should be insulted or flattered by the comments going on until Wanda kissed his cheek softly and said gently, "I suppose I would just have to stay a villain too to help you." Tony felt his chest warming up.

Wanda then leaned back and took the remote from his hand saying, "Now that the emotional support teens are here we should turn it on."

They turned the TV on just in time to see Rogers take his seat at the accused table with wide eyes as all around the courtroom people were on their feet screaming and booing at Rogers.

The blonde seemed to be in a daze, unable to understand what was going on until his eyes sharpened and he opened his mouth.

His lawyer though seemed to catch up on that as well, and the old man was quick to shoot Rogers a look as he murmured something long under his breath. Rogers looked reluctant but closed his mouth with a frown.

It wasn't long before everyone was called to stand up for the entrance of the judges. As soon as everyone was seated the judges looked at the lists in front of them before exchanging a few low whispered words.

Judge Gamara was the one to reach for her mic and say, "Due to the accused's extended list of charges with the biggest of them being treason, mass murder, murder, and abetting a terrorist organization, we have chosen to skip the usual step of reading the charges list. If both sides are in agreement we will move on to the opening statements."

The judges looked at Madam Risakov who gave them a curt nod and turned to the old man who was representing Rogers. The man was busy trying to calm Rogers down again and only noticed the judges when one of them cleared his throat. The old man turned calmly and gave the judges his own nod.

The judges nodded and Judge Gamara called out, "In this case, Mr. Grayson, please make your case."

Mr. Grayson, a bald man with a trimmed grey beard who had to be in his mid-60s and obviously a hardcore American who probably worshiped Captain America his entire childhood.

He cleared his throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the court. I believe today's trial is caused by a long road of misunderstandings and misinformation spread about my client. The man you all accuse of murder saved more lives than any other hero. The one you are accusing of manslaughter is the one who led countless groups to fights for peace. The one you accuse of treason willingly gave his life to protect his country and lost seventy years of his life for it. We blame him for breaking a law that was made by a governing body that does not concern him or his country and that demanded him to leave his and his team's fate in the hands of people he never knew of before. I ask the people and the judges to look closely at my client's actions and know he did all of them for the greater good while representing the American interests."

The man turned on his heel so instead of facing the judges he was now facing the gallery watching the trial.

The lawyer probably expected to hear cheers or at the very least see a few approving faces, but instead he almost choked on air when all he met was glares of disdain and barely held back growls, even from the few Americans in the crowd.

After another moment of awkward silence in which the old man quickly moved back to his seat, the judges called for Madam Risakov to take the stage.

Just like yesterday the Russian woman moved with elegance to the center of the stage before she started to talk. "Mr. Grayson will have you believe that Mr. Rogers planned every part of his missions, that he alone is responsible for every victory while the losses are the results of someone else's failures. In previous trials of those who followed Mr. Rogers's lead, this court repeatedly took into consideration most of them were simply following orders. I ask you all to keep that in mind as the defendant attempts to turn the tables and claim that because he didn't commit the crime with his own hands means he is not guilty of it. I implore the court to look at each piece of evidence and event that will be mentioned during this trial to see what caused the event to even occur before it ended in tragedy. This man will have us believe the legends about him are faultless, but I am here to declare that Steve Rogers is a man with no plan."

Tony had to blink at her last statement and he found his own living room was just as loud with applause as was the courtroom on the TV.

Unlike Grayson, Madam Risakov didn't wait for any reaction and began walking back to her seat as soon as she finished, but halfway toward it the gallery began clapping her speech, causing both Rogers and his lawyer to glare.

The judges ignored it all and immediately demanded silence so the evidence phase could begin.

And boy did it take a while. Tony had to watch every piece of paper and video that both defense and prosecution managed to recover from back in the forties.

Something he already knew, like how the name Captain America originated in propaganda.

Others surprised even him. Like the blueprint of the Hydra Valkyrie that Rogers crashed and landed along with the description of the bombs on board. Tony could only assume those things were buried somewhere in the info dump.

Then Tony had to basically relive the past five years. Though Tony was surprised to find out Rogers was ordered by Nick to go to therapy sessions and some sort of classes to acclimate him into the new century.

Rogers refused to cooperate and when Nick began pushing harder and forcing Rogers to attend the sessions, Rogers left the SHIELD base for the apartment that Nick later found him in when he recruited the Avengers.

Of course Rogers managed to buy it and got out of Fury's reach just because Pierce advocated for him at the time, as did the president.

Thankfully the entire timeline between Ultron and their arrest was covered quickly due to the events already being repeated again and again for the past few days in the other trials.

With the footage of the Siberia fight only mentioned with some stills displayed instead of the entire video again, the court moved on to the testimony phase.

Chapter Text

"The defense calls Antonie Triplett to the stand." Mr. Grayson called out.

It wasn't long before a tall man in his early 30s with dark skin, bald and with a goatee, stood up at the stand.

While the man was giving his oath Tony began mumbling to himself, "Where did I hear this name? I know I heard it before…"

Wanda turned to him with a raised eyebrow and opened her mouth to ask something when Tony's mind finally rang a bell and he snapped his finger calling out, "Phil!" The implication of what he just remembered landed a moment later and with a weak chuckle he added, "Oh, no."

Everyone turned to him with a raised eyebrow but before he could answer them the first questions by the old lawyer was asked. "Mr. Triplett, please state to the record who your grandfather was and how well you knew him."

The man rolled his eyes before stating flatly, "My grandfather was Gabe Jones, the ranger for the Howling Commandos. I have known and visited him for the first twelve years of my life before he passed on."

Mr. Grayson hummed. "And he told you stories from the time he fought in the war." Trip nodded so the lawyer pressed on. "Please tell this court what your grandfather had to say of his first meeting with Captain America."

Trip frowned for a moment before speaking. "Grandpa always said that their entire unit believed they would die there that day, and they were right. Their unit was gone before the end of that day, so there was not much to say about Mr. Rogers from that day."

There was a moment of long silence before the lawyer protested, "All six members of the Howling Commandos came from this unit."

Trip gave the lawyer an odd look. "Exactly. You are aware the unit had over twenty people in it when they were captured and twice as many before it."

Grayson scowled. "Captain Rogers was the one who released them." He tried to point out. Quickly the lawyer shook the confusion off and pushed to his next point. "What did your grandfather have to say about Captain Rogers's leadership as part of the Howling Commandos?"

Trip shrugged. "He said that Mr. Rogers was quick for action without thinking through the plan. He often needed to be reined in by Mr. Barnes so he wouldn't take their group to an assured death trap, forgetting that he was the only superhuman among them often as well."

The old man was gaping for a long moment before he called out, trying to hold back the outrage from his voice. "He chose to follow Captain Rogers for the rest of the war!"

Trip shook his head calmly. "In a way you are right, but he and the other five had no real other choice. Due to what happened back in the enemy base the army wanted to discharge them, so if they wanted to keep fighting for their country, Rogers's little group was the only way."

Grayson looked displeased by the answer and declared no more questions, allowing Madam Risakov to take her shot at him.

She passed by the stand as she asked calmly, "Out of curiosity, Mr. Triplett, what happened to the rest of your grandfather's unit in the enemy camp?"

Grayson jumped to his feet and called out, "Objection! Relevance? The unit's death has no bearing on Captain Rogers."

The female lawyer clicked her tongue before pointing out, "Mr. Rogers was there, and we have confirmation he at the very least broke out two prison cells on his way to Barnes. I wish to know how Mr. Rogers's first recorded heroic act turned out to be a massive failure."

The judges agreed and overruled Grayson, prompting Trip to answer the question. "Mr. Rogers broke into the enemy base with the single goal of rescuing his friend. The rest of them were accidental beneficiaries of the attempt. Though as far as my grandfather noticed, Rogers only broke out the people in the cells that he saw on his way to where they held Mr. Barnes after they told him where to find his friend, so he assumed that a small part of them remained in those cells when the base exploded. But the real problem was when Mr. Rogers broke their cells and told them to go ahead and get out, the unit assumed he was sent with backup and they had allies waiting for them once they left the base. Instead, thanks to Mr. Rogers's loud entrance they found a small army of their enemies waiting and no support or weapons to aid them. By the end of it, only my grandfather and four others survived the battle and reached freedom."

Madam Risakov nodded in satisfaction at the answer before she addressed the judges. "I wish for the protocol to show that my next question is in reference to the diary of General Phillips that was submitted as evidence earlier." After she received confirmation the note had been made she turned back to Trip and asked, "You were familiar with Chester Phillips as well, correct? Can you confirm the authenticity of his diary?"

Trip nodded his head. "Mr. Phillips spent a lot of time with Grandpa and the rest of them after retirement so I talked with him a few times. I remember him showing me this journal and writing in it while talking with Grandpa. So yes, I can confirm everything there is real."

"One more question, Mr. Triplett. What was your occupation until 2014 and why are you currently unemployed?" Madam Risakov asked to the confusion of everyone. Actually Grayson looked so baffled by the question he didn't even think of objecting to the question.

Tony on the other hand chuckled. "Here it comes." Gaining confused looks from those in the room with him.

Trip seemed to take a moment to collect himself. "I was an agent of SHIELD. After the agency collapsed due to Mr. Rogers's info dump I was close to dying because my superior was one of the undercover agents and with his cover blown he tried to kill me along with a few of my friends. We all would have died if Dr. Stark hadn't sent help for us. Since then I remained unemployed. Ex-spies are not in high demand on the market."

Madam Risakov gave him a small bow of her head before declaring no more questions.

Grayson looked both surprised and annoyed by the turn of events and his witness's last answer.

Still he quickly shook himself and cleared his throat. "The defense calls for Leana Broker to the stand."

A woman in her late thirties with her hair in a bun and wearing a business suit stepped toward the stand.

"Will you please inform the court who you are?" asked Grayson smugly.

The woman's voice was flat and emotionless as she answered, "I am a representative on behalf of President Ellis."

Tony frowned. Even with all the man's problems he still managed to find some way to try and bail Rogers out of trouble.

Though now that Tony thinks about it, proving that Rogers was the one who was right during their civil war and having his idol restored to his international stardom is probably the only thing that can save him right now.

Grayson seemed to try and shoot Madam Risakov a sneer from the corner of his eye as he asked, "And what does Mr. President have to say on this case?"

The woman's reply surprised Tony a little though he could understand why she was delivering it so flatly. "Mr. Ellis wished to point out Mr. Rogers acted within the guidelines set to him by him and the USA government."

Grayson strutted his way back to his seat while declaring no more questions.

Madam Risakov ignored the man completely and focused on her witness. "Remind me, does the US have the authority to approve operations on foreign land, such as Lagos or Budapest?"

The woman shook her head, her voice as flat as before. "Not unless it was coordinated with said government."

Madam Risakov hummed. "So Mr. Ellis is unable to justify any of Mr. Rogers's crimes outside of the USA." The Russian lawyer then focused on the woman's face and asked carefully, "I am guessing that you have a history with Mr. Rogers. Will you mind sharing?"

The woman's eyes glanced at the confused blonde and Tony saw the first flicker of emotion in the woman's eyes—glee. Her voice was still flat as she replied, "I was the one who delivered the congressional summons to Mr. Rogers following the events of the fall of SHIELD. He didn't even glance at the papers as he refused to attend. When I mentioned to him that he had to answer for the deaths of all those people he dropped the ships on top of, like my HUSBAND, he waved me off with a smile while saying that their lives were acceptable sacrifices to stop Hydra and find his precious Bucky."

Even Risakov looked a little surprised by the suddenly damning information. Rogers frowned at the woman who started smirking at him and added, "It seems justice comes one way or another, Mr. Rogers. If you had appeared before the congress they would have most likely cleared you. I doubt you will receive the same bias here."

With that she stood and walked away from the stand, back to the gallery where many began cheering her.

Rogers turned his head and glared daggers at the cheering audience, while his lawyer gulped at the turn of events.

Finally it was the prosecution's turn to call on a witness after the judges calmed the gallery down.

Madam Risakov rose from her seat and called out, "The prosecution calls Colonel James Rhodes to the stand."

Ever so calmly and in his military uniform his honey bear stepped toward the stand, took his oath and prepared for the questions with an impassive expression.

"Colonel Rhodes, please tell us where and why did you join the Avengers team?" Madam Risakov requested calmly.

Rhodey gave a quick nod. "I joined the Avengers a little over two years ago after the events surrounding Ultron, though I considered doing so earlier. As to why, it was part of my agreement with Tony. He promised to leave the Avengers if I would replace him in the aerial support department."

Rogers blinked in surprise, probably thinking Rhodey joined the Avengers because he wanted to be a hero and follow the great Captain America.

Madam Risakov nodded in understanding before asking, "And why would you be so adamant for Dr. Stark to leave the Avengers?"

Rhodey let out a long-suffering sigh. "There are two main reasons. The first were professional. Tony still had contracts with the army to fulfill as well as his position as head of R&D in SI. But due to his duties as an Avenger which grew more taxing as time passed on, he was stretching himself far too thin and damaging his health. The second reason is the abuse me and his friends noticed he was suffering from a few of the Avengers. Mainly from Rogers and Romanoff. Rogers constantly was demanding stuff, either money, equipment, a base and so on, even before the fall of SHIELD and even more so after. On the occasional times that Tony would refuse, Rogers or Romanoff would gaslight him, or use his trauma against him to force him to do their bidding. A repeating pattern that was noticed by most of the other Avengers and was included as evidence for this trial."

By the time Rhodey finished he was glaring daggers at the purple-faced Rogers who only remained quiet due to his lawyer's muttered words.

"You are an experienced and trained commander in the US army. Can you please give us your honest opinion on Mr. Rogers's leadership?"

Rhodey frowned in thought for a long moment before speaking slowly. "Rogers did take his time to know each of his teammates' abilities so he would know where they will be more useful…" Rogers seemed to puff up at the compliment, until Rhodey then added, "Of course, that was negated by the fact Rogers would assign jobs first of all by his favoritism. For example, he would often assign the more important tasks to Romanoff despite the fact there are others more fitting for the job, just because he could trust her to do as he asked specifically. I believe a similar thing happened during the fall of SHIELD."

Madam Risakov thanked Rhodey before passing the right to ask questions to the defense.

Chapter Text

Mr. Grayson jumped on the opportunity provided to him by Rhodey's last added sentence. He walked casually toward the stand and asked easily, "Can you elaborate about what you meant about the fall of SHIELD?"

Rhodey raised an eyebrow at the old man but answered calmly, "I referred to the fact that Rogers should have involved Tony in the event. Tony built the carriers and could have landed them without any casualty, and he could filter the information dumped to the internet so it wouldn't endanger the many innocent agents of SHIELD. Instead he chose to give this assignment to Romanoff who didn't have any skills with tech. The only reason she was able to hack the carriers and the framework was because Director Fury allowed her access."

Grayson leaned in and raised one of his thick grey eyebrows with a grin. "And in a time where the very institution Captain Rogers was taught to trust in proved to be his enemy, how was he supposed to be aware of Stark's true allegiance? Not to mention that he had no time to actually call on Stark, as you said he is a busy man."

Rhodey narrowed his eyes at the lawyer. "First of all, don't make me laugh. Tony always made time when the world needed him. A threat like that Tony would never ignore. As for your client, he certainly had enough time to break into a military base and steal Stark tech before breaking into a museum and stealing a uniform, so I hardly think he had a lack of time issues." And then Rhodey's voice dropped even further. "As to trust, we all heard earlier the recording of Rogers's interaction with Sitwell. The HYDRA agent was clear when he said Tony's name as one of their priority targets in Project Insight, so if anything, more than any other person he should have trusted Tony."

Grayson looked dissatisfied by the answer and tried to counter, "Maybe Stark wasn't HYDRA, but why does it mean Captain Rogers should have trusted him?"

Rhodey raised an eyebrow at the man and smirked. "And still he could trust a Russian spy who was only in the country due to SHIELD, which you had no way of knowing which side of SHIELD wanted her here. She might as well have been HYDRA with a history like that. And then there was Wilson, who back then was merely a civilian Rogers met a couple of times during jogs."

Grayson looked stunned by the accusation and tried quickly to change the subject with his next question. "You blamed Captain Rogers of abusing. Did you ever witness said abuse yourself? Has he ever used his strength to physically force one of his teammates to do something?"

Rhodey frowned deeply. "Not physically per se…"

Grayson apparently wasn't so stupid as to not notice the pattern of every answer turning on him after the first sentence and decided to try a new trick by cutting Rhodey off by declaring gleefully, "So he didn't abuse his power."

Madam Risakov wasn't about to let it stand as she rose from her seat and called, "Objection! Mr. Grayson asked the witness a question and should allow him to answer it fully before cutting him off and reaching his own conclusions."

Grayson turned and glared at the Russian woman who just ignored him. His face turned from a glare to a scowl when Judge Marciz nodded and called out, "Sustained. Colonel, please go on with your answer."

Rhodey gave the judge a grateful nod before he scowled back at Grayson and spoke. "As I said… He didn't force it physically, but the abuse was clear. He used intimidation tactics like swelling up his chest, crossing his arms and looming over Tony while making requests. He would often demand things and even when outright told that his request was unreasonable, Rogers admonished and gaslighted his teammates to do as he wished."

Mr. Grayson cleared his throat and tried to recover from the full answer he tried to avoid. "Wouldn't you say that Captain Rogers has a point? As the first guard and safeguard of humanity, the heroes of the team should come as first priority and receive the benefits that come with putting their life in danger."

"First of all, let me remind everyone that the Avengers were assembled as humanity's last line of defense. They are only meant to fight the battles no ordinary human can." Rhodey pointed out firmly before growling, "And if they deserve such benefits, why has no country stepped forward and offered it? I see no reason for a private citizen to cover the cost of a private military."

The old lawyer began to look a little desperate to get something in his favor out of the Colonel and in his last attempt he tried to throw Tony under the bus. "After Ultron, Captain America would be reasonable in demanding Stark be removed from the team while paying for their expenses as punishment."

"What bullshit!" Harley suddenly called out furiously from his seat in the living room. Kate next to him stared daggers at the TV as if she could shoot arrows right at the lawyer.

Peter himself looked like he was holding himself back from punching through something, while Kamala looked unsure of what she should do. America on the other hand snorted. "I was in the reality where Captain America became the president. It's an ugly one, let me tell you that. I'm so glad Rogers here can't make any decision like that."

Tony shuddered at the mere thought of a world like that. He sure as hell wanted no part of it and resolved himself to push it out of his mind forever.

Turning to his side he saw Wanda's hands clenched and scarlet wisps of magic gathering around them. A little worried about his living room's condition, Tony quickly grabbed her hand and brushed his thumb over her knuckles gently before saying in a soft voice, "Hey, it's fine. The lawyer's just going to get another serving of reality in a moment."

And true to Tony's prediction, Rhodey snarled angrily at the old man. "Tony was cleared of any charge that he had any part of Ultron's creation outside of writing the AI that Ultron took over." Then his honey bear smirked and added, "Your client on the other hand never appeared in court nor provided proof that his order to research the scepter before Thor takes it off world wasn't the lead cause to Ultron's creation. So are you certain he was being... reasonable?"

Grayson looked around and found many glares and growls aimed at him and the furious Rogers. He quickly stated no more questions and escaped to his seat.

Madam Risakov, riding on the high ground she was standing at the moment, decided to move things forward a little more and called, "The prosecution calls for Steven Rogers to take the stand."

That caught the court a little off guard, but considering everyone knew it would happen eventually they shook it off quickly and soon Rogers was sitting on the stand after taking the oath.

Madam Risakov let Rogers sweat for a moment before she began asking slowly, "Mr. Rogers, please tell the court why did you disobey General Phillips's orders and cross enemy lines, after so long of willingly keeping your performance act?"

Rogers looked a little bewildered by the question and answered as if the answer was obvious. "It was Bucky's unit."

The Russian nodded her head as if that was the answer she wanted before she moved on. "How did you defeat Red Skull?"

Rogers looked even more confused by the question. "Ummm, I fought him on the Valkyrie."

Risakov nodded at the answer. "This much is recorded. What remains ambiguous even today is what happened to the HYDRA leader. His remains were never recovered from the wreckage of the ship, not even in the location you were discovered at, so the question stands, what happened to the Red Skull?"

Rogers frowned in thought before shrugging. "We fought and he was angry. He grabbed the Tesseract and there was a big blue flash before he was gone." He finished proudly.

The lawyer hummed in satisfaction, but Tony sure didn't. Something about it felt fishy.

Sure there is the case that Rogers basically lied when he said he defeated Red Skull, but that was not the issue. The Tesseract is known to open doors in space. On the other hand, weapons based on it are also known to leave mere ashes of their target.

Keeping that in mind there is a fifty-fifty chance if Red Skull died by holding the cube or if he was transported somewhere and even now he stays in the shadows, plotting.

Tony will have to bring it up with the team later and consider what they can do about it. For now he focused back on the trial.

"Now, why did you keep refusing the orientation course Director Fury set for you to acclimate you to this time?" Tony noticed she was asking questions along the timeline.

Rogers scowled before huffing. "I didn't see the use of it. All I needed to know was when people needed to be protected. This is my job as a soldier and hero, not to sit in a class and waste my time with useless things I shouldn't be concerned about. That's why Natasha kept me updated."

Madam Risakov chose not to comment on that and instead asked, "After Dr. Stark was announced dead and the Mandarin had kidnapped the president, why haven't you gathered the Avengers to stop the terrorists and look for your teammate?"

Rogers looked a little uncomfortable and shifted in his seat a little. "Natasha said that Tony had it handled and we shouldn't worry ourselves with that."

"Director Fury is on record that he came to you during that time and demanded that you help, but you refused." Risakov pointed out with a frown, to which Rogers's face grew red, but he didn't comment any further.

With a sigh the lawyer chose to move on. "During the fall of SHIELD why didn't you contact Dr. Stark for help, as proven before you had all the information needed to be able to do it, not to mention Dr. Stark mentioned before that he did attempt to contact you before your operation but failed."

Rogers again looked away, but when it became obvious he had no choice but to answer he grumbled, "Natasha said Tony shouldn't get involved in it, that HYDRA was my enemy to fight and Tony would steal my spotlight."

The Russian raised an eyebrow at him and asked firmly, "Was this the only reason, or was it also because you wanted to keep Dr. Stark away from Mr. Barnes?"

With the magic name all reason left Rogers and he turned to snap at the lawyer. "I had to keep Tony away so he wouldn't learn the truth!"

"Ah, the truth. You mean Howard and Maria Stark's deaths." Risakov nodded. "When did you find out about the murders?"

Rogers looked a little reluctant to say but eventually grumbled, "Under the army base in Jersey."

Tony wanted to be angry but he figured as much not long after Siberia.

Risakov made a thinking face before pretending to think aloud. "That will make over two years of which you knew it and kept it to yourself. That also explains why you kept Dr. Stark from all the unofficial missions you ran while still using his funding. Now, why didn't you tell him?"

Rogers scowled before saying loudly, "Because I knew how Tony would react! He would have gone after Bucky just like he did in Siberia."

Risakov rolled her eyes. "And let us consider the setting Dr. Stark found the truth in. Don't you think Dr. Stark would have reacted differently if the news would have come from a friend, rather than seeing the murder itself with the killer in the same room?"

Rogers jumped from his seat before his lawyer could object to the question. "Bucky is innocent!"

Grayson facepalmed while Risakov raised an eyebrow at the blonde and commented, "Yes, and no. But this has no bearing on this trial. Mr. Barnes already received his verdict and sentences. I will ask again, don't you think it would have gone differently?"

Rogers's face went purple when she mentioned Barnes's trial, and when she asked the question he scoffed. "Tony's always been like that. Impulsive, and only cares about his own needs and wants. He would have tracked Bucky and killed him without a second thought like he proved in Siberia."

"An... interesting opinion of one of your teammates." Commented Risakov dryly before announcing, "No more questions."

Chapter Text

Rogers seemed disappointed with how his testimony ended and reluctantly left the stand as the officer of the court escorted him to the defense table and chained his hands back to its surface. Something that still seemed to offend Rogers to no end.

Judge Marciz then announced, "It's time for closing statements. The defense may begin."

Gathering all the bravado he had left, Mr. Grayson stood confidently and began speaking with the energy of a man half his age. "Captain Rogers sacrificed his life once for his country and the world. He didn't expect to be frozen and then awaken decades later in a world he can't recognize, but when that happened and that world needed him, Captain Rogers chose to pick up the shield and sacrifice for it once again. He fought when aliens came down from the sky, he fought when HYDRA raised its head again inside his own country, and when a law was created to restrict his and many other heroes' abilities to help when needed, he put himself on the line once again. We must also remember that Captain Rogers is still just a man and prone to mistakes. He might have made some and the price weighs heavy on his heart every day for it, but he did all of that in the name of protecting as many people as he possibly could, and he led the Avengers with the same ideals that shaped him to be Captain America. I am sure this court will see reason and the heroic man Captain Rogers always has been despite some minor mistakes he made recently."

The old man's confidence faltered for a moment when he was greeted back with tense silence. He could even feel the tension coming from the judges, judging by him looking anywhere but their direction.

Eventually Judge Gamara cleared her throat before saying calmly, "Yes. Thank you, Mr. Grayson. Now Madam Risakov, please deliver your statement."

Mr. Grayson seemed satisfied with the work he did and made his way to his chair, smile still intact.

Madam Risakov was as composed and elegant as ever as she strode her way to the floor in the center of the court. Her eyes stared deep toward Rogers before she moved her gaze toward the judges.

Her voice was calm and smooth. "Mr. Rogers was a publicity stunt from the very beginning. As records showed, none in the American military believed the super soldier program would amount to anything, as proven by the fact that immediately after the creation of Mr. Rogers the army made him a public figure to collect donors rather than a soldier. Mr. Rogers has a history of not following orders and doing whatever he wants, and when things don't go his way, he immediately resorts to violence. Mr. Grayson pointed out Mr. Rogers's sacrifice during the war, and while I and many others find their description of it... exaggerated, there is no denying it was done with noble intentions, the same noble intentions he surely believes he kept during all his fights in the last two years."

Rogers beamed at the acknowledgment as if he already won the trial and people were moving to his side.

Madam Risakov didn't let it hold for long as she immediately went on the attack as her voice turned hard as steel. "But there are two major differences I believe should be pointed out. I deliberately pointed out the Valkyrie incident apart from all his other actions because during his initial sacrifice Mr. Rogers landed the armed plane in a remote and safe location so no harm may come to anyone else, but since he woke up in this modern world every action he took, no matter with what intention, ended up with a high death toll. Which, as painful as it is to admit, is not always avoidable as was the case in the invasion of New York and Sokovia, but what we should find disgraceful is the blatant disregard Mr. Rogers showed for the losses in those cases..."

Before she could finish Rogers tried to jump from his seat, but with his hands and ankles bound he only managed to raise slightly from his seat as he shouted, "We can't save everyone! We do the best we can to save whoever we can."

Mr. Grayson looked at Rogers with conflicted panic. He obviously wanted to reel his client in while either too afraid of Rogers's enraged state or unwilling to go against Captain America.

Judge Marciz didn't have such issues as she frowned at Rogers and banged her gavel. With a raised voice of her own she called, "Mr. Rogers, I call for order! Calm down this instant or I will find you in contempt of court."

Rogers looked sideways to his lawyer and began furiously saying something that the news didn't broadcast. The lawyer looked uncomfortable but seemed to try and argue with the blonde for a long moment before Rogers shot the Russian in the middle of the floor a glare and awkwardly sat down.

Judge Gamara let out a sigh before turning to the prosecutor and politely telling her, "Please continue, madam."

Madam Risakov looked unbothered by the entire episode and kept talking from the point she stopped. "Each and every time a crisis he was involved in ended with casualties, Mr. Rogers not once looked back at the tragedies left behind him, and when the people of the world demanded responsibility of him he threw a tantrum that ended up with more casualties he refuses to take accountability for. While I acknowledge his intention, Mr. Rogers proved to be a danger to any city he finds himself in and unsympathetic to any consequences from his actions. I beg the court to consider if a man such as that could be allowed to walk free and endanger more people, far less lead his own military unit of superpowered individuals."

Seeing the red face of Rogers starting to turn purple, Judge Marciz exchanged a nod with the other two judges before saying with a heavy sigh, "We will allow Mr. Grayson to retort once, and for Madam Risakov to respond before we will conclude this trial."

Grayson was on his feet in an instant asking in a rather aggressive tone, "Captain Rogers is a humble soldier without any deep pockets. How was he meant to provide care for the casualties of necessary battles? Stark had a foundation that dealt with it, and as he was part of the Avengers, Captain Rogers may claim the credit for it."

Tony could feel his blood boiling at the dismissal of the foundation he created under the name of his mother to honor her memory.

It seemed that Tony was not the only one who caught on that fact as Madam Risakov smirked and asked in an innocent voice, "You are referring to the Maria Stark Foundation, a charity foundation named after the woman Mr. Rogers obstructed the justice of in her case of her murder?"

Grayson gulped and his skin turned pale when he realized the mistake he had made by bringing the foundation up, but the Russian was far from done. "Let us also remember that starting after the events of Ultron, Mr. Stark was removed from the team by Mr. Rogers himself and as such he had no connection to the foundation, and finally I will point out there are other ways to assist in relief efforts. For example, both Dr. Stark and Dr. Banner spent a week in Sokovia providing either medical or engineering assistance with no charge or reward. What stopped your client from doing the same?"

By the time the woman finished, the male lawyer was pale and shaking, obviously trying to avoid eye contact with the judges or the female.

Rogers on the other hand had no issue as he began screaming, "Ultron was Tony's fault so it's his guilt that made him help in Sokovia! I stopped Ultron! I led the Avengers to victory! I am the Hero!"

"Enough!" His rant was cut off by the male judge speaking for the first time in this trial. "You had your chance to speak your piece, now it's over. We heard the closing statements and will now go and deliberate on our decision. We shall take a two-hour break before a verdict shall be announced."

FR FR FR FR FR

That wasn't supposed to happen.

Everything was planned.

She can admit, plans rarely turn out to end up exactly as one hopes they will, especially when Tony Stark is involved.

She hated the man with passion, but even she had to admit that there was no denying the man's brilliant mind and many other talents he possessed, in a way that seemed so effortless, which was one of the things that infuriated her most about him.

While she spent her childhood tortured into gaining the many talents in her toolbox, and was forced to live on the pity of others like SHIELD for luxury, Tony Stark had everything handed to him.

He was born with a genius mind, he had the money and time to buy any tool needed to cultivate every single one of his desires. And then there was the money he inherited from his dad's hard work, money he flaunted constantly in the face of everyone he ever met.

When she was undercover as a simple employee she found out about the Stark Employee Incentive Program which basically amounted to every extra work an employee did beyond his usual daily duties was monetarily rewarded. The average employee made over a thousand dollars in bonuses each month thanks to this program.

Natasha saw it for what it was, Stark throwing money in people's faces to show them how much he had of it compared to them.

Then there was all his charities, anonymous or not. She knew he was just trying to lord his money over the less fortunate than him.

That's why she felt no guilt about manipulating the man to any degree possible with any tool needed, no matter how low, to make sure that money funded the real hero, Captain America and herself, because she was the best and she deserved to have it all.

The only reason Natasha was not in Tony Stark's place was because the life she led as a child limited the paths she could choose from now. She basically was SHIELD's puppet because without them she would be deported back to the country that was out for her head.

When Steve insisted on destroying SHIELD as a whole she didn't show it but she was very happy about it. It meant she would be free from under their thumb and now had the protection of Captain America, someone she could always very easily manipulate to follow her decisions.

She planned the Civil War perfectly. Sure she had no hand in the accords and was kind of annoyed by them. Who was the UN to tell Natasha Romanoff what to do? She was the Black Widow, the last of her kind after she and Clint killed Dreykov.

But she knew how to turn any situation to her advantage. In her head the situation would have been resolved with Team Captain America winning, the accords gone and Stark and his allies under so much scrutiny she wouldn't have to lift a finger to see him fold backwards to accommodate every one of their wishes.

Worst case scenario she figured she would be on the run for a year or two before everything would blow over and the president would welcome Captain America and his followers back, then she would be able to manipulate Stark as she did in the past.

She made it look like she supported Stark and the accords, so if Stark wins or things end up in a draw she can claim to have been on the right side while planning Steve's breakout so he can be in hiding until another big issue popped up and he kicked its ass and regained the world's favor.

Which without SHIELD monitoring everything should have taken less than two years.

Meanwhile she helped Rogers build his team, by using every single manipulation technique she could to convince both Carter and Van Dyne to join Steve.

Usually she wouldn't get so involved while playing both sides, but unlike Steve she wasn't so sure about Wanda from the start, and she knew Wilson was nothing special so it was obvious he needed more firepower if he wanted to win.

But on the other hand this much personal involvement promised her a place in whatever hole Steve managed to find himself in if she would be forced to go on the run.