Tony isn't sure what to think when Fury calls him and tells him his presence is needed at the new SHIELD Headquarters, and he nearly walks out when Hill leads him into a conference room that has his former team mates in it. It's been about a year since the so called "Civil War" as the media has dubbed it, and he doesn't feel anywhere close to ready to see these people that he once considered his friends yet. The almost pleading look on Hill's face is the only thing that stops him because he knows that as much as he and SHIELD may clash on different topics Fury wouldn't force him to be around these people if it wasn't important.
Though of all the things he thought could possibly be about to happen at this forced reunion he definitely wasn't expecting Fury to strut into the room with his father of all people. The man in question looks exactly as Tony remembers him right down to the hard set of disappointment in his eyes, however it's not Tony that the look is directed at for the first time in his memory-No this look is for the Rogue Avengers.
"Dad?" Tony manages to choke out after a moment of silence as everyone seemingly waits for Fury to explain who the man with him is. At his words everyone save Fury, Hill, and Howards turn to stare at Tony as if he's lost his mind.
"Hello Tony," Howard says quietly and his gaze as he takes in the sight of his son could almost be described as fond, which Tony finds strange.
"Everyone," Fury cuts in then drawing their eyes back to him. "I'd like to introduce Howard Stark. He has been, until recently, in a cryogenic sleep until a way to counter the damage dealt by the Winter Soldier could be combated. After catching him up to speed on everything that has happened since that night he requested the chance to meet with you all."
"The fact that my father was alive never seemed like something you might want to share with me Nicky?" Tony snarls at the spy, his eyes narrowed in anger.
"It seemed needlessly cruel to get your hopes up when we weren't sure we would ever be able to wake him up. It was only recently with the insights provided from Wakandan doctors that we were able to do so." Fury replies calmly, though his eyes seem to hold a sliver of remorse that helps Tony to reign in his emotions.
"Howard," Rogers speaks up then and it takes an absurd amount of will power for Tony to keep from cringing at the very sound of his voice. "Why did you want to meet with all of us? Most of the people here you've got no connection to. You and I are the only ones with a history here."
Is Tony invisible or something to the Captain or is he really so petty that he can't even acknowledge the fact that he's there? It's weird to think that Tony ever counted this man as one of his friends.
"I wanted to meet with you all today so that I could look every one of you that sided against the Accords in the eyes and tell you just how truly worthless you are as human beings." Howard says calmly, taking the time to actually look every one of the people Tony once called his team mates in the eyes.
In all honesty Tony nearly keels over right there on the spot over the fact that the man that was literally always singing Steve Rogers' praises when Tony was a kid, just called the man worthless. Seriously pinch him there's no way that this is real right now.
"Howard, that's not fair. You weren't there, we can't just be expected-" Rogers starts to say but is cut off before he can finish.
"You can't be expected to what Rogers? Follow the laws like every other person on this planet? Take responsibility for your actions? Or maybe you can't be expected to listen to the voice of the people you claim you're trying to protect as you put their very lives in danger?"
"Howards," Rogers tries again.
"I used to think so highly of you Rogers. I'm sure Tony could regale you for hours with countless examples of how I failed as a father. I was never a good man, I didn't know how to raise a kid to be good. God knows I didn't want him to turn out like me. So when Tony was a little boy, when I wasn't off in the arctic searching for your landing site to give poor Peggy some kind of closure, I would tell him stories about Captain America and all the great things he had done, and about how before he was Captain America he was just a scrap of a kid that kept getting up no matter how many times he got knocked down because he wanted to do what was right."
"When he brought me a functioning circuit board at 4 years old, 4! I told him how Steve Rogers kept trying to enlist in the army until they finally took him. When he built an entire engine from scratch at 6, I told him about how Captain America saved a base full of men with nothing but a prop shield. Every milestone I told him about you and what a good man you were in hopes that if I could show him the values you held he'd turn out a good man. Now looking at everything you've become Rogers, I've never been so glad that he stopped listening to me. I think its best that he stopped believing in the stories of Captain America and Steve Rogers, because maybe you cared about the little guy and doing what was right at one time but you don't anymore."
Tony is so completely shocked he doesn't think he could form words if his life depended on it and from the looks on everyone else's faces right now they're in a similar state, eyes shifting from Howard to Tony to Rogers.
"That's not true Howard, I do care about what's right! That's why I couldn't sign the Accords, they were trying to put Bucky in prison for something that he didn't even do!"
"I wonder if you even read the accords? Because it may have escaped your notice but I knew long before he brought me that circuit board that Tony was a genius. He's been smarter than me practically since the day he was born and it's not the habit of smart people and especially not genius' to sign something that would make their lives harder than necessary if it wasn't what was right. You don't fight bullies anymore Rogers, you are the bully. The moment you decided to keep the fact that the Winter Soldier caused the car accident that supposedly killed me, from Tony while simultaneously using his money to fund the search for his parents murder you stopped being a good man. The moment you decided not to help him after your little Hydra buddy messed with his head and caused him to create an unstable artificial intelligence that went on a killing spree you became a bully. Then the moment you slammed the shield that I made to protect you in battle, into his chest and left him in a Hydra base to die you became a villain instead of a hero."
Tony can't seem to take his eyes off of Howard but from his peripheral he can just make out the looks of disbelief that the others are giving Rogers. Apparently he hadn't found that bit of information pertinent after he had gotten them out of the Raft.
"I did what I had to do," the blond says stubbornly. "When he saw that vvideo he tried to kill Bucky. You know Bucky, Howard, he'd never hurt anybody."
"Steve tell me you didn't attack him when he'd just seen his parents killed," Wilson moans with his head in his hands. Rogers doesn't say anything but the stubborn set of his jaw is a telling thing.
"Before he was the Winter Soldier, James Buchanan Barnes was a military trained sniper and after Hydra's conditioning to turn him into the Winter Soldier he killed countless people including my wife. I've also seen footage of the Iron Man armor, as well as knowing what my son was capable of creating when he was merely seventeen years old; if he had wanted Barnes dead that day he would be dead. Unlike some people in this room my son is a true Hero that does the right thing because it is right and not because it goes along with what they really want to be doing." Howard snarls at the man that he had once considered a friend before exiting the room.
There is a ringing silence after Howard's exit, where the Rouge Avengers stare between Tony and Rogers and if trying to figure out exactly what had happened in Siberia all those months before.
"To wrap up this little powwow," Fury says coolly looking around at the team he had once advocated so strongly for. "As Director of the newly reformed SHIELD I would like to inform you that those of us here at SHIELD stand by Mr. Stark in regards to the Sokovia Accords, because Tony Stark is the Super Hero Iron Man and he was recommended long before Romanoff ever did that ridiculous personality profile on him. Or more simply put, Tony Stark: Yes. Avengers Team: Not Recommended."
XxXx
So as you can probably tell I still have a serious amount of feels in regards to Civil War...I don't think I'm ever going to truly be over it but this popped into my head and seemed like a good way to cope while simultaneously ignoring all of my feels regarding Infinity War because I really can't even with that right now. Anyway I hope you liked it, constructive criticism is always nice.