Although Tony and Bruce were no longer fighting as Avengers, they kept themselves busy providing technical support to the team and designing gear for the new recruits. The Avengers' roster had expanded to include Rhodey in the War Machine suit, who got all the Iron Man upgrades Tony had been planning for himself.

Vision and Wanda had also joined the team after proving themselves useful in Sokovia, and Steve had enlisted his new friend Sam Wilson. Sam wore a Falcon suit designed by the Air Force, but Tony assured him that he could make improvements.

Tony walked into the common area of the Avengers compound and saw Bruce standing alone. His first thought was to grab Bruce and smother him in kisses, but he stopped himself when he noticed Bruce was frowning as he stared at the television screen. Tony looked at the T.V. and saw the anchor talking over a video of a burning building.

"A group of militants were engaged in a fight with four Avengers in Lagos, Nigeria, today when a bomb exploded, killing 26 people and wounding dozens more. A spokesperson for the Nigerian government has said that they were not aware the Avengers were in the city and did not believe they had authorization to be there."

Tony stared in shock at the video of Wanda trying to contain a bomb before losing control and throwing it into the side of a building. Looking at Wanda's distraught expression, he couldn't help but think back to the time she had much less apologetically destroyed an African city.

"Jesus, I'm going to make sure we have relief workers down there."

Tony whipped out his phone and began texting Pepper. He had no idea they were doing a mission in Nigeria, but obviously, Steve had; Tony could see him ushering people to safety in the video.

"I thought Steve was training Wanda."

Bruce shrugged and tore his eyes away from the screen.

"I know what it's like to lose control."

Tony didn't respond; he wanted to tell Bruce that it was different, that no one expected him to have any control when he was the Hulk, but he knew this wasn't the time.

Then, an incoming call popped up on his phone, but he stared blankly at it until Bruce looked over his shoulder to read the name: Secretary Ross.

When Tony had first heard about Ross's nomination for Secretary of State, he flipped out and used all the political influence he had to try to stop his confirmation. Unfortunately, it hadn't been enough to overcome Ross' military record. When Bruce found out, he had insisted he was fine, but Tony noticed him twitch every time Ross' name was mentioned.

"I'm not going to answer it."

Tony tried to decline the call, but to his surprise, Bruce grabbed his hand to stop him. He looked at Bruce, who was biting his lip apprehensively.

"Wait. Tony, the Avengers were just involved in an international tragedy and this is a call from the highest levels of government. You should take."

Tony looking hesitantly at his phone, but he finally nodded and accepted it. Bruce leaned in so he could hear the conversation, too.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Stark, glad you could take the time to talk."

Tony could detect the irritation in Ross' voice. This was not the first time Ross had called him since he took office, but it was the first time he had answered. Tony resisted the urge to hang up, and he let Ross continue.

"I just had a meeting with our U.N. ambassador, and there are some things I'd like to discuss with you and the other Avengers.

"What about?"

Ross scoffed, but if he expected Tony to play nice, he was mistaken.

"It's high time they consider regulations, especially now that 117 countries agree. I'll be at the compound tomorrow at noon, sharp."

Tony ended the call and collapsed onto the sofa. Bruce followed him, and after a moment, he looked worryingly at Tony.

"What do you think about it?"

Tony sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't say he was surprised by this turn of events, but it was still difficult to accept having to deal with Ross. He stared at the wall in front of him and chose his following words carefully.

"We messed up, multiple times. I used to think I could solve all the world's problems by myself, but obviously that's not true. But Bruce, I know what Ross did to you, and if he's in charge…."

Bruce put his hand on Tony's and took a deep breath. They had talked a lot about Tony's P.T.S.D. from New York, but Bruce never wanted to talk about what had happened with Ross.

"I know, but this is led by the U.N. and 117 countries want it…If Ross is just our liaison, he won't be able to do anything."

Tony put his arm around Bruce and pulled him closer; of course, he was always the voice of reason. Tony still wanted to beat Ross to a pulp, but he knew he had to accept these regulations, no matter who proposed them.

"You don't have to go to the meeting if you don't want to. I can tell everyone you're busy."

Bruce shook his head and put on a false smile that Tony could see right through.

"No, it's okay, I'll go."

Tony met Ross outside the compound at 12:30 the next day and led him to the conference room. Tony managed not to sucker punch him, which he felt was an accomplishment, but when they got to the room, he put his arm across the doorway to stop him from entering. Ross glared at Tony, but he refused to back down.

"Just one thing, Mr. Secretary. I know more than the public about the types of projects you've been involved in, and I'm letting you know that if you try any of that now, it won't end well for you."

Ross crossed his arms and took a step towards Tony; they had lost all pretense of civility.

"If you're referring to the Hulk, he's the prime example for why I'm here. He may be an Avenger now, but he's done more damage than he's worth."

Tony clenched his jaw and slammed his hand on the wall beside Ross, making him jump. The slight at Bruce made Tony so angry he felt like he could turn into a rage monster and pummel Ross right there. The thought of letting this man into the room where Bruce was waiting made him sick.

"You won't hurt Banner, is that clear?"

Ross took a step back from Tony and broke their eye contact. It was not easy to intimidate the Secretary of State, but it seemed Ross understood that Tony was not letting go without a fight.

"I don't know why you care so much about the beast, but if that's what it takes for you and your friends to cooperate, I'll let him be."

Tony forced himself to relax his arm and opened the door to the conference room for Ross, gesturing for him to step inside. He would play ball with this asshole, but only if he kept his word.

The Avengers sat silently around the long conference table as Ross projected videos on the wall in front of them. This was the first time they had all been together since before the incident in Lagos, and the only thing Tony had told them about the meeting was that Ross wanted to speak with them.

Tony had taken the seat next to Bruce, who was sitting behind Steve in an attempt to hide from Ross' view as much as possible. Natasha was on Steve's other side, and Clint, Rhodey, and Sam sat across from them. Unsurprisingly, Wanda had chosen the seat next to Vision near the back. She still looked disheveled from her ordeal in Nigeria and kept her eyes lowered to the table in front of her the entire briefing.

"Washington, Johannesburg, Sokovia, and now Lagos. The world can no longer tolerate the Avengers' seeming disregard for civilian casualties."

Steve began to object, but Ross stopped him.

"I said 'seeming,' Captain Rogers. It's clear that the Avengers have saved the world from danger, but they have also caused a lot of it, too."

Then, Ross nodded to one of his assistants, who put a large packet on the table that was easily 1000 pages. Steve eyed it skeptically.

"What's this?"

"The Sokovia Accords. It states that the Avengers will no longer operate outside their home countries in a military capacity without the explicit consent of the receiving country or, if necessary, a United Nations panel."

Ross paused and looked around the room at the Avengers, who were now all avoiding eye contact with him.

"Any person who wishes to remain an Avenger will be required to sign the Accords."

Steve picked up the packet and flipped through its pages before handing it to Natasha. She turned to Ross and smiled politely.

"Can we have some time to discuss this?"

Ross gave them a curt nod, and then he and his assistants left the Avengers alone in the conference room.

When Ross left, Bruce finally let his breath out. He had had to look away when Ross showed them the video of the Hulk in Johannesburg, but Tony had discretely put his hand on Bruce's leg under the table to calm him.

This was the first time he had seen Ross since Harlem eight years ago, but he still felt the same fear and anxiety. He didn't know what Tony had said to Ross before the meeting, but Ross hadn't said anything directly to Bruce, so it must have worked.

Bruce was so lost in thought he hadn't even noticed the rest of his teammates were arguing around him. When he finally came out of it, Sam was talking.

"Do none of you remember S.H.I.E.L.D.? The Avengers were already under government control, and they turned out to be Nazis bent on murdering millions of people, including some in this room."

Sam gave Bruce and Tony a pointed look, but Rhodey shook his head.

"That was Hydra, this is the United Nations. Besides, the Avengers are as strong as any military. If we're not accountable to the people, we're as bad as any dictatorship."

Vision raised his hand to get everyone's attention.

"If I may, I agree with Colonel Rhodes that the most logical position –"

But Clint cut him off. He had been scoffing periodically throughout the briefing, and now he had his feet up on the table.

"Ugh, this is bullshit, why do we need to listen to some pencil pushers?"

Tony hadn't spoken at all since the meeting began, but he rolled his eyes at Clint and sighed.

"Because we messed up. We need accountability."

He leaned back into his chair as if the issue was now settled, and he was daring anyone to oppose him, which Wanda did.

"You mean you need accountability?"

Tony glared at her, and Bruce looked down. Tony had accepted Wanda onto the team, but there was still unresolved tension between them.

"Yes, I do. But I'm not the one who purposefully attacked a civilian population last year, am I?"

Before Wanda could respond, Steve cut in with his go-to phrase whenever things got heated.

"Let's all just calm down."

He paused for a moment and looked around at his teammates.

"What if they don't let us go somewhere we need to go?"

Natasha had been silently reading the Accords packet, but she turned down the corner of the page she was on and set it down.

"If we don't sign this, they won't let us go anyway. But if we go along with them, then we can gain back some of the trust we've lost."

Tony grinned and nodded, excited to have Natasha on his side.

"Exactly, we're signing."

"Wait a moment, let's take a count."

Sam looked around the room, counting on his fingers everyone who had given their opinions on the matter.

"It's a tie, four to four. But there are nine of us."

Everyone in the room turned to look at Bruce, who felt his heart rate spike at suddenly being the center of attention. Bruce hadn't planned on saying anything because Tony knew how he felt, and he figured he was opinionated enough for the both of them. But everyone was still staring at him, and Steve spoke to him gently.

"What about you, Bruce? You know what Ross is like."

Bruce took a deep breath. He hadn't told anyone except Tony about what had happened with Ross after the accident, but he assumed much of it was public knowledge or in his file. Sensing that he wasn't going to be able to get out of voicing his opinion, Bruce answered slowly.

"I know, but this, this isn't about me, or even Ross. I think we should sign the Accords. It's the right thing to do."

No one responded until Bruce heard the sound of Clint taking his feet off the table and slamming them on the floor.

"Ugh, seriously? You're just saying that to agree with Stark."

Bruce looked at Clint, confused. He had been expecting objections to his position, but not that.

"What? No, I'm saying it because –"

"Just because you let him rail you doesn't mean you always have to take his side."

The entire room went silent, and Bruce could only gape at Clint. It took a couple of seconds for him to process what Clint had said before his cheeks began to redden, and he felt the anger and embarrassment start to wash over him. He wanted to yell at Clint to shut up, that he didn't know what he was talking about, but instead, he scrambled up out of his seat and rushed out of the room. As Bruce left, he heard the sound of Tony's fist colliding with Clint's face.

Bruce walked down the hallway towards the Avenger's common area, trying to get as far away from the rest of them as he could. A few seconds later, Tony ran up beside him and grabbed his arm.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Bruce sat down on the sofa and put his head in his hands; he could tell his cheeks were still red. Tony sat next to him and put his hand on his back. Finally, Bruce looked up.

"How did he know?"

"I don't know, but he's an asshole for bringing it up just because he didn't have any good arguments. I punched him."

Tony smiled proudly at that last part, and Bruce suspected he had been itching for a reason to bash Clint's face in, but Tony frowned when he saw Bruce was still upset.

"And now everyone else knows, too."

"Yeah, but who cares what they think? Half of them are idiots anyway, and at least now we can stop sneaking around."

Bruce smiled in spite of himself as Tony wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a hug. Even though they had tried to keep their relationship a secret and it still bothered Bruce that the Avengers now knew the details of their private life, he always wished he could touch Tony without worrying that anyone would see.

Natasha handed Clint some tissues, and he held them up to his nose to keep the blood from spilling onto the table. Steve had been yelling after Tony, but he sat down and shot a worried look at Clint.

"You alright there?"

Clint scowled and looked at the tissues in his hand to confirm they were soaked red.

"I think he broke my nose. What's his problem?"

Natasha sighed. Clint had never gotten along well with Tony, but this was a new low point in their fraught relationship. She could understand that getting along with Tony wasn't easy, but there was no point in needlessly antagonizing him.

"Well, you did provoke him."

Clint rolled his eyes and reached for another tissue.

"But I'm right! Besides, he's trying to take away our rights."

Rhodey broke into the conversation to defend the Accords. Natasha wasn't surprised; as the only active military member in the group, he was already used to being accountable to the government. But Sam turned to Natasha and cut Rhodey off.

"Wait, let's back up a second. So, Tony and Bruce are really together?"

"Yes, I saw them making out after the Battle of New York."

Steve had been looking confused ever since Clint and Tony's confrontation, but he finally seemed to understand.

"They've been dating for four years? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Natasha resisted the urge to roll her eyes. They had much more important things to deal with than Steve's obliviousness.

"It wasn't effecting the team, and besides, I thought everyone already knew."

Rhodey nodded, and Natasha could tell he was also annoyed that the conversation had drifted away from the Accords.

"It was pretty obvious."

The looks on Steve, Sam, and Wanda's faces said they disagreed, and Wanda responded with the tone she always used when discussing Tony.

"Why would anyone want to go out with Stark?"

Then she turned to Vision, who had been sitting impassively for much of the meeting.

"Did you know?"

He turned to her and nodded.

"I have access to every electronic device in my vicinity, so yes, I knew."

Everyone looked at Vision until Sam said what they were all thinking.

"Well, that's creepy."

Three days later, Natasha and Tony boarded the chartered plane to Vienna for the Accords ceremony. Natasha had been trying to talk Steve into signing, but it became clear that he wasn't going to move from his position. She had always admired his stubbornness and commitment to doing what he believed was right when it matched her convictions, but this time, she just wanted to shake him and force him to see reason. Natasha also knew that if Steve agreed to it, the others who had taken his side would fall in line.

As soon as they got to their seats, Tony closed his eyes. This was the first time she had seen him since the debate in the conference room, and he looked even more stressed and tired than he had then. After a couple hours of silence, he suddenly spoke.

"How was your talk with Cap?"

"No luck. I don't think we're going to convince anyone else either."

Even though Tony had to have been expecting that result, he groaned and shook his head.

"If they don't sign, we lose half our roster. Thanks to them, the Avengers are as good as finished."

"They have valid concerns, and I don't think you did the cause any favors by breaking Clint's nose."

Tony rolled his eyes and began scrolling through his phone.

"He deserved it."

After a few moments, Natasha decided to broach the subject she had been avoiding for years. She only hoped Tony wouldn't be bothered by her acknowledging what was now out in the open.

"How's Bruce?"

Tony sighed and rested his head back again.

"He's fine, he's been trying to avoid Ross. I want to punch that asshole more than I wanted to punch Clint, and that's saying a lot."

Natasha didn't know how to respond to that, and neither of them said anything else for the rest of the trip.

When Natasha and Tony landed in Vienna, they were quickly ushered into the United Nations building by a group of heavily armed guards. Natasha quickly went through all the ways she could disarm them until she reminded herself that they were on her side. The Avengers were going to be playing by the books now.

The first person to greet them when they entered the chamber was a man Natasha recognized immediately as the king of Wakanda. She had seen him on television speaking about the need to hold the Avengers accountable for what had transpired in Nigeria.

"Mr. Stark, Ms. Romanoff, thank you for coming."

Natasha smiled and offered out her hand.

"Let me express our condolences for all the lives lost Lagos."

"Thank you, and we appreciate your willingness to agree to these Accords. I only wish all of your teammates felt the same."

He smiled diplomatically and shook her hand, but Natasha could sense the tension permeating throughout the room.

Bruce stood in the Avengers common area, watching the news coverage of the signing. Bruce, along with Tony, Natasha, Rhodey, and Vision, had already signed the Accords, but Tony and Natasha had gone to Vienna as their representatives.

"We are just minutes away from the official signing of the Sokovia Accords by representatives from 117 United Nations member countries and the Avengers."

Rhodey walked into the room and stood next to Bruce.

"Once they sign it still has to be ratified by the Senate."

"I'm assuming it will be?"

"Definitely. The government has been eager for regulation ever since Tony built his Iron Man suit. Back then I tried to fold him into the chain of command, but he wasn't having any of it. He's different now."

Bruce sighed; Tony had definitely matured a lot since they had first met. He was less carefree and more willing to take responsibility for his mistakes. Bruce knew this was a good thing, but it also meant that Tony worried a lot more than he used to.

"He still feels guilty about Ultron. I do, too, but there's a lot for me to feel guilty about. It hit Tony hard."

Rhodey nodded, and Bruce knew he understood. Besides Bruce, Rhodey was Tony's best friend. Then Rhodey looked away from the screen towards Bruce and smiled.

"You're a good guy, Bruce. Tony is lucky to have you."

Bruce flushed and shifted his feet; he still wasn't used to everyone knowing about their relationship, but he was glad to have Rhodey's approval.

"Oh, uh, thanks."

They looked back at the broadcast, which was now focused inside the United Nations chamber where the representatives were getting ready to sign. Rhodey walked up to the screen and pointed at it.

"There's Tony and Natasha!"

But as soon as he took his hand away, a loud noise came from the T.V. Then, a fiery explosion filled up the screen before the broadcast cut out and it went black.