Chapter 3
16/7/2016 1:46pm
"Eyes on target, folks. This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him."
Steve Rogers retrieved his shield from its position against the wall, staring out the window of the small apartment he was currently stationed in.
"Could we make this quick, I want to make sure my boyfriend isn't dying"
Natasha Romanoff stared to her right, catching Wanda's eyes in the busy cafe and discreetly motioning for her to stand up.
"Calm down Cap, I'm sure your tin can of a boyfriend is fine"
That did little to ease his anxiety; if anything, it only forced him to focus on the situation at hand.
They had been looking for Brock Rumlow for months, trying to track him down after the situation in Washington DC two years ago.
They finally had him.
And this time, they weren't gonna let him go.
"Go, now"
Steve jumped out of the window, landing harmlessly on the ground, slamming his shield into one of Rumlow's goons and dragging them to the floor.
"Wanda, like we practiced"
He swiftly prepared himself to be thrown into the window using Wanda's powers. He tensed up and protected himself with his shield.
Steve flew through the window, shattering the glass into shards and immediately getting into a hand-to-hand combat match with a goon, slamming them across a wall.
"Rumlow has a biological weapon."
Steve quickly sprinted out of the building, following Sam’s exterior directions.
"There you are, you son of a bitch."
A fist collided with Steve's back, almost causing him to lose his footing. It was Rumlow. Steve began to fight back, matching Rumlow's fight pattern perfectly and holding him off. None of the two had the upper hand, they were equally matched.
Until Steve slammed Rumlow to the floor.
"Who's your buyer?"
"You know, he knew you. You pal, your buddy"
"Your Bucky."
At the mention of his name, Steve went silent, staring daggers at Rumlow, a train of thoughts ran through his mind at full speed.
None of them being the current issue.
"He wanted you to know something. He said to me.
"Please tell Rogers. When you gotta go-”
“you gotta go.""
"And you're coming with me."
In a split second, Rumlow activated his hidden bomb vest, Steve closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable,
But it never came.
Steve opened his eyes for a moment. Rumlow was covered with Red particles, preventing the explosion from killing everyone in the general vicinity.
He turned to Wanda, who was struggling to hold him.
She lifted him into the air and tried to aim him away from the nearby building but failed, obliterating up several floors of it.
Everyone stood motionless, their gaze fixed on the destruction they had brought about while trying to avert it.
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16/7/2016 2:24pm
Tony had been cleared to go home about three hours ago, after Bruce made sure he was okay and told him to come back in a week or so.
Apparently Steve's team had wreaked havoc on a building in Lagos, and the media was eating it up.
Tony had no idea what he was going to do.
But after a quick meeting with the secretary of state he came up with an idea.
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16/7/2016 3:31pm
That's the story of how Tony and the rest of the Avengers ended up sitting in a conference room while the secretary of state proposed the Sokovian Accords.
"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Nat dropped the pile of papers and pushed them over to Steve.
Steve wasn't focusing at all, he stared at the reflection of his boyfriend in the closest window.
How could he do this, he didn't tell anyone, he didn't even notify them beforehand. Now he expects them to agree and sign off their rights?
"Then you retire."
Tony sat in a chair in the corner, away from the rest of the Avengers but still close enough to feel Steve's anger radiate off him.
"Two months from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords."
Steve turned to Tony, staring daggers at him.
"Talk it over"
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16/7/2016 4:05pm
The pair were both silent, one laid tiredly on the couch while the other sat studying the pile of papers Ross had given them.
Tony had had enough emotional stress in the last two days, and people fighting in the background just made it worse. As did the strong migraine infecting his head.
"Tony"
Natasha stared at him, slightly concerned with his actions, usually he would be joining in the fighting but this time he looked completely out of it.
"You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal."
Tony zoned back into the conversation, staring tiredly into Nat's eyes.
"I'm fine, other than every bone in my body aching like shit and my head feeling like it's been slammed into a pole, completely alright"
He pulled himself up from the couch, grabbing one of the pain relief pills Bruce had given him before he left. Slowly walking towards the sink to grab a glass of water.
"That doesn't sound alright to me"
Tony sighed and dropped the pill into his mouth, taking a sip of the water and placing it not so gently back on the table.
"No shit"
He picked up his phone and pulled up one of the newest news stories.
'Tony Stark collapses on stage at MIT Presentation'
He tapped the screen and brought up a holographic news display, allowing everyone in the room to read it.
"Any of you seen this? Hm?"
He slightly raised his voice, observing the looks coming across his friends faces as they read through the article.
Rhodey was the first to stand up, coming to take his place next to Tony.
"You alright man?"
Rhodey whispered into his ear, placing a hand on his back.
Tony nodded quickly, watching Steve's face twist into a mixture of concern and anger.
"So, you didn't think it was a good idea to let one of us know that you were bringing in Ross?"
"Um not really, I've been in the emergency room for the past 24 hours. I think it might've slipped my mind."
That was when Steve stood up.
"Still, you can't just ask us to sign over our rights Tony-"
"Why? It's for safety Rogers, what else are we gonna do, keep watching innocent people die?"
Tony took a deep breath and tried to lower his voice.
"You never tell me anything."
The attention of the room went to Steve.
"You always take charge and never tell anyone anything and sometimes, sometimes it doesn't go your way and that's because you never let anyone help you."
"So what Steve...
It's not like you would care anyways."
He walked back to his seat and sat down again, now being stared at by pretty much everyone in the room.
"What?"
They didn't answer, until Steve stared down at his phone. The text he'd received confirmed a fear he'd had for a long time.
Peggy Carter was dead.
He locked his eyes on the text, rereading it again and again until he finally registered what it said.
"I have to go."
Without hesitation Steve stood up to leave, not turning back.
"Steve I-"
Tony attempted to stand up, but his knees buckled beneath him, and his vision went blurry again.
This time, there was nothing he could do. It hit much faster than before, and he couldn’t stop it.
He felt himself fall. Then he shut his eyes.