Written for the prompt challenge on Deviantart. This is a little civil war-ish, but it's mostly me blowing off steam.


"How long are we just going to sit here in silence? I have other things I need to do today." Clint muttered in the silent conference room, Steve and Tony sitting on opposite ends of the long table, Steve's arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back in his seat, an unimpressed scowl on his face. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife, yet somehow no one had snapped.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Barton." Steve grunted harshly, causing some alarm to raise within Clint and the other members of the team. "Nor does it revolve around you, Stark."

Tony, who clearly had his focus elsewhere, snapped back immediately. "Who died and appointed you temporary dictator?"

"Nick Fury." Steve immediately spat, but Tony was already prepared with something to say to that.

"Last I checked he's back, healthier and more vibrant than ever. So I think we", Tony look around the room to see if there was any solidarity within his words to only find hidden faces, "would appreciate you to stop being such a hard ass on us."

"Hey, don't bring me into this. I just want to go home." Clint said, raising his hands in surrender as Tony shot a pointed look at him.

"When have I ever decided that I was above you? I lead the team, yes, but it's hard to lead if you're constantly meddling." Natasha cleared her throat as soon as Steve finished talking, stepping closer to the table and placing her hands on it.

"Rogers, have you ever considered that you're a little out of date for some things?" Her voice was low and smooth, clearly trying not to ruffle any more feathers than she had to. Steve looked at her, eyes briefly expressing betrayal at someone who he thought was his friend speaking against him.

"Yes I know I'm a little old fashioned, but the world is still pretty well the same as it was back then."

"No, it really isn't. And you're just endangering everyone by not growing up with the times, Capsicle." Tony remarked. "By the way, do we even know what happened to Bruce? He was here…."

"He left. Too much stress." Thor quietly chimed in.

"I can see that." Clint murmured, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall. No one was sitting except Steve and Tony because they thought that this debriefing would have been far quicker than it was actually turning out. Of course, they should have known better, Steve and Tony had been grating on each other for the past few weeks. It had finally gotten to a point where if they didn't verbally snap the tension would build until someone got hurt. Or worse.

"You almost killed my friends with that stunt you pulled back there." Steve said after the quietness returned to the room like a wave in a pond finally dissipating into smaller ripples.

"You almost failed the mission and cost SHIELD whole lot more than just some of your friends." Tony quipped back, and Steve looked down at his lap.

"I realize that. What I did back there was reckless. But you know what?" His head shot up and looked Tony in the eyes. "You were just as, if more, reckless than I was. So why am I the one getting the blame?"

"I've been responsible for the deaths of innocent men, and those who aren't so innocent. It is awful that we have to take lives, but that you do it so carelessly, Stark, that you don't really think too much of it. It's just you in a suit making some movements that create death, and there's nothing moral behind it. You're killing people because you think that it'll make the objective clearer and easier to get. Nothing is that easy, and you can't make it be like that. You can't put other people's lives on the line in order and then call it being the saviour. If anything, I think you need to take a break, Tony."

Steve took a breath and stood up, his presence like that of an elder about to depart wisdom.

"We used to be friends, and I'd like to think that we still are, but not if this keeps up. Because I don't enjoy being filled with hatred about your actions, especially since I know you're a good guy. But your actions don't tell me that. I'm not a hate kind of guy. But Tony, I can learn to hate you."

Steve let his last word resonate within the conference room before looking at each member present in the room.

"Don't let yourselves get caught on the wrong side of the wire."

With that Steve left, the heavy glass door slowly shutting, his figure walking off into the halls of SHIELD.

"