Watching as his best friend was frozen tugged at the captains heart strings. He'd just gotten Bucky back and now felt like he was losing him all over again "I'm sorry Bucky, I wish it didn't have to be this way. I should have saved you before Hydra touched you."
Steve's hand splays across the frozen glass incasing the solider, his mind began to wander away from said frozen being to the bulging phone in his pocket.
Shakily the ex-Avenger removes the device from his pocket, staring at the only connection that he knew of to Tony.
The man was insufferable at their first meeting, arrogant, self centered and showed no proper respect, Tony Stark infuriated Steven Rogers to no end.
And yet, the look in the billionaires eyes when he discovered the truth, watched as his parents were attacked and brutally murdered would never leave his mind.
Tony demanded the truth from him, wrenched it from his sealed lips, he'd been protecting the one person that had ruined Anthony's life.
"I hope you call, Tony." Steve's hold on the device increases, begging for the Iron Man ringtone he'd had Falcon set to play, signaling the call he so longed for.
"I was wrong about Stark." States a familiar voice, the red headed female now stood beside the muscular blonde "I thought he was letting his ego get in the way, but now I see the truth."
"What truth is that?" Questions the super soldier sternly "I should have told Tony the truth, but I couldn't let him kill Bucky, he's my best friend."
Tony's words of betrayal stung the captains mind "So was I." Repeating continuously on a loop as tears began to fall "I betrayed him. I was too afraid of him leaving me, so I kept it a secret, I lied and deceived him."
Natasha remained passive as Steve broke, she knew Tony wasn't faring much better "You did what you felt was best, both of you. Stark wanted to right our mistakes, I still agree with his choice, not his methods."
Blue eyes roam to brown "I couldn't do it Nat, signing that paper meant I had no freedom, no right to choose."
"Do you know why Tony pushed so hard for you to sign? For you to turn yourself over to him and only him? Did you ever stop and think maybe there's a bigger picture here?"
Steve's head lowers "I get why he felt it was right and why he pushed so hard, but I just couldn't do it. Tony said he was trying to protect us, yet look what he did to Wanda! Locking her away."
"At first I thought the very same, but now I see the truth. Tony was always looking out for us, he didn't lock Wanda in, he was trying to keep others out. Ross wanted you and Sam prosecuted, but Tony refused and instead tried convincing you to sign the accords."
Steve's mouth drops open, he'd heard Tony on the phone discussing consequences, yet the playboy had indeed lied and instead went with a new method entirely "Ok so maybe Tony took it easy on us, but locking Wanda away wasn't going to help anyone."
"Wanda was being hunted, Tony knew and had her placed in a facility of his control, it was never about keeping her in, Steve. Tony was focused on keeping the assassins sent out to kill her from getting inside."
A loud gasp from the entry way revealed the witch in question, hand covering her fallen mouth in shock. Falcon, Clint, Ant Man and King T'challa standing right beside the brunette."Is it true?" Questions the young witch "Was I being protected?"
Natasha nods, eyes never leaving Steve's "That fight never should have happened, you lost Bucky and Tony ... Well let's just say Rhodes isn't faring so well. I told Stark that Iron Patriot would be the best outcome if the fight continued."
Steve's head shoots forward "What happened? Is the colonel alright?"
Falcon's head droops, he couldn't get the expression Tony had on his face as he cradled his unconscious and broken friends body out of his head "He was shot down, Stark and I raced to reach him in time, but we were too late."
"Last I heard, he had some from of paralysis, he may never walk again." Explains Natasha "You both made very wrong choices that ended badly for everyone, but you need to see Tony's reasons."
"I know his reasons!" Snapped Steve "We both destroyed the team, the moment Tony signed, we were done! We could never still be what we were after that."
"Tony begged for permission to go after you and Barnes, he was given 36 hours to bring you in, or matters would be taken out of our hands. They would have killed you! Tony was trying to protect you both."
"Then why the hell would he form a team to attack us? He never listened to anything I had to say! I never wanted to fight."
"You made a team, he made a team and everything went to hell at that airport. Stark was stupid not to listen to you, but you were equally as dumb not listening to him! That whole thing could have been avoided had you both just shut up and used your damn heads! But the moment Tony found out he may have been wrong, he came to your aid, put his own damn freedom on the line!"
Falcon eyes the soldier, sensing the disbelief he decided to speak once more "Natasha is right, Tony came to me, showed me the evidence that he had been wrong and asked for your location so he could help you. I told him he had to go alone and as a friend or no deal."
Steve stares, Tony had joked about arresting himself, had he actually been serious? Defying orders to help him and Bucky? "I thought Tony was joking, but he never listens to orders anyways."
"God damn it Steve, we were wrong about Tony!" Yells Clint angrily, knuckles clutching his bow "Everything he did was to protect us! And the moment he found out he was wrong he came to help! Hell I bet he even let you rescue us!"
T'challa steps forward "He speaks the truth captain, vengeance has consumed you both, the villain who killed my father wanted you to kill each other for retribution. I allowed him to live and be punished for his crimes. Now you must make your own choice."
"He came to defend you both and from his point of view you, you stabbed him in the back. This little temper tantrum of your guy's never should have happened and I pray that when one of you decides to talk, you make up and fix this! You both need the Avengers!"
"The Avengers are Tony's more so than they are mine. I sent him a letter and phone Nat, but I can't force Stark to use it! He hates me and I honestly can't blame the guy, I wish none of this had ever happened, but here we are!"
"I don't really know what's going on between you and the metal guy, but from what I heard it sounds like you two need to sit down and talk it all out." States Ant Man
"Tic-Tac's right, man. Tony is your friend. Despite everything I'm sure he'd still answer the phone."
"That's all I came to say, Tony got me Bruce's coordinates so I'm going off the grid for awhile." Natasha strides towards the door, she had to go into hiding after this, staying with Team Captain America wasn't an option "I hope he calls you Rogers, but after everyone abusing his trust, don't get your hopes to high, believe me cause I know from experience. You'll have to be the bigger man here and you know it."
Steve paled, he remembered Tony telling him about Pepper leaving and some family friend selling him out to terrorists a few years back. "I'll always be there when he needs me, Nat. All he has to do is call."
Steve pushes the phone back into his pocket, blue eyes gazing once again into his comrades "Let's get to work."
All right everyone I am still very much alive and just received a new laptop for my birthday courtesy of my BFF :) I loved this movie and I always felt that Tony's actions were sort of justified and decided to write a short fiction from my point of view. What do you all think? Should I continue and make that call? ;)