"Steve!" Sam greeted as Tony and Steve walked into the lounge where many of the Avengers were gathered. Walking closer, he offered the super soldier a grin and clasped a hand on his shoulder.

"Nice to see you're back with us."

"I'm glad to be back," Steve offered, his voice still soft, allowing a tiny smile to work its way onto his face.

"How are you feeling?" Clint asked with curiosity, studying the man before him, "because no offense, but you still look like crap."

"I'm sure I do," Steve responded, "I feel a little better."

A small scoffing sound arouse from behind him and he glanced back to focus his attention on Tony. Steve noticed the irritated expression on the other man's face, and a frown danced its way across his own.

His frown deepened as Tony took a breath to speak, and a feeling of dread settled in his stomach at what the man might say.

"I found him crying in the hallway," Tony shot, his voice tinged with ice.

"Tony," Steve breathed in disbelief. He felt heat creeping up his neck as he looked towards the others, noting the awkward tension in the air. Their expressions ranged from curious, to pitying, and Steve felt humiliated.

"What? It's true, Cap, might as well get it out in the open, it never helps to hold it in," Tony replied, rolling his eyes. "I'd know, you know?"

"I am not going to do this in front of the rest of the Avengers," Steve snapped.

"Why not? You had no problem duking it out in front of them before, in fact, you dragged them in, remember?" Tony sneered, a cynical smile quirking onto his face. "The reason they got arrested? You? Ringing a bell?"

Steve could feel the electricity in the air as the rest of the team froze, watching the conversation with a mixture of emotions.

He swallowed, hard, wincing in pain as the lump in his throat didn't seem to want to unlodge itself.

At this moment in time, it would be easy to give into the anger building in his chest. To tear into Tony, his dislike for bullies and being bullied was bubbling to the surface. Steve opened his mouth to retaliate, but as he stared at the man in front of him, he realized he didn't want to.

This cycle would continue for as long as he allowed it. Someone had to be the one to put a stop to it, and after every mistake he had made, Steve Rogers was going to try.

So instead he studied the inventor. To his surprise, Steve found his defensive posture fell as he took a real look at Tony for the first time during a fight.

He was hurting, plain and simple, Steve could see it behind the mask that the man wore. He could see the pain and traces of betrayal swirling in his eyes, disguised with disgust and anger.

It had never occurred to Steve before, that Tony Stark was hurt, and that was why the man lashed out. Eager for someone else to feel the same pain he felt, or unable to cope any other way, he couldn't be sure of the reason.

Steve blinked, understanding finally settling into his chest. If only he had taken a second look before, so much of what happened could have been avoided.

The knowledge of that made him feel a little sick. He swallowed again, choking down the bile that rose to his throat this time, and instead offered a weak smile.

"Tony's right, I was crying in the hallway."

If Steve thought that the room was filled with an awkward silence before, he wasn't prepared for the silence that fell after the words left his mouth.

Tony stared at him, gob smacked, his angry mask fell and he looked bewildered and taken aback.

"Been there, done that," Sam responded, breaking the silence with a sympathetic and understanding tone.

"If you haven't, I'm pretty sure you're not human," Clint agreed, "it comes with the territory, you know?"

Steve found he was more grateful for the two men than he had been in a while. It was funny, he thought, how trauma could change his own perspective on the world. Even after everything he had been through before, this situation had changed him once again.

Though he didn't miss the look of irritation and anger that flitted back onto Tony's face after the men spoke. He wasn't sure what they had said to annoy the man, but he was eager to change the subject.

"So, has anything worthwhile happened while I've been gone?" Steve questioned, trying to lighten the mood and steer the conversation into more neutral territories. He gazed past the group to the television, interest dancing across his face at the sight of the news.

"Oh, nothing special," Sam commented.

The headline caught Steve's eye, and so walked closer to get a better look. He froze in front of the screen and his heart seemed to stop in his chest.

Another Super Soldier Attacks New York.

"What?" he breathed, staring gobsmacked at the television.

"Yeah, that's a thing that's going on," Scott Lang remarked from the couch, glancing over his shoulder. "Seems kind of weird."

"They..." Steve trailed for a minute, clearing his throat. "They haven't called the Avengers out? How long has this been going on?"

"Well, apparently longer than they've been telling people about it," Scott answered, shrugging. "They started airing it on the news a few days ago, Spider lady dropped by to tell everyone about it."

"Spider la...?"

"Natasha," Clint clarified, rolling his eyes. "Supposedly, it's easier than remembering our actual names."

"It is what it is, Arrow guy."

"Shut up, Lang," Clint groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Tony's the one with the stupid nicknames, I can't handle another one."

"Oh," Steve replied, brow furrowing as a hum formed in his throat. He looked back at the screen, taking in the details. "They've been keeping it a secret?"

"Yeah, seems like it," Sam confirmed, nodding. "We heard about it a little while after Natasha told Tony, it hadn't really been circulating much before that."

Staring at the screen, Steve let his eyes drift across the text scrolling across the bottom of the screen. Hundreds dead, no reasoning, it was as if the soldiers were insane and no one was able to stop them.

The public was calling for the Avengers, but there was no answer about why they had not yet been called.

"Why haven't they contacted you?" Steve glanced.

"Really, Rogers?" Tony huffed. "Simple, it would have been too easy for us to figure out someone in the government was behind it, someone who had the original super soldier in custody. You know, namely someone like Secretary Thaddeus Ross?"

"Of course," Steve replied, his voice sounding solemn. "His expirements, then, but why has he released them on the public?"

"We don't know that," Tony responded, shaking his head, "we were kind of caught up with busting you out, rather than getting the details behind... this." He finished, waving his hand dramatically at the television.

"They were able to do this because of me," Steve reasoned, guilt spreading across his features as he bowed his head. "Innocent people are dying because-"

"Get over yourself, Rogers," Tony cut him off, growling through his teeth and taking a step forward. "Don't even play that card."

"What 'card' am I playing now? It's an accurate assessment," Steve responded with uncertainty.

"It's not as if you actually had anything to do with this," the exasperation in Tony's voice grated on Steve.

"I had about as much to do with this as Bucky did with everything. They used him, they used me." His voice was quiet, so quiet he wasn't sure if anyone would hear him.

Yet Tony heard, and hot rage flared to life in his features as he stared at the back of the super soldier in front of him.

"Excuse me?"

The same emotion that was poured into the words did you know before their fight in Siberia was present now. Steve's blood froze at the thought, but he squared his shoulders, determination sinking onto his features as he turned around to face the man.

"I thought you didn't want to do this in front of the Avengers, Rogers!" The bite in Tony's tone was enough to make Steve want to take a step back, but he held firm.

"I don't," he confirmed, keeping his voice calm, "I really don't."

"Then why," Tony swore angrily, "would you say that?"

"It's true," Steve replied, steeling himself for whatever was about to come next. He couldn't be certain what it was, but he knew it was unlikely that it was going to be good.

"You know good and well it's not the same thing!" Tony yelled.

Letting a sigh escape his lips, Steve shook his head, his gaze leveling on Tony as he did so.

"Then explain to me how it isn't," Steve demanded.

"He murdered people!"

"It wasn't him, he was being controlled by Hydra, Tony, why is that hard for you to understand?" Heat rose into Steve's chest, but he refused to yield to it, choking it down. This was not going to become another Siberia, Steve couldn't allow that.

But emotions rose in his chest, all the grief and anger burst forward at once, leaving Steve trying to contain a river in a bucket. There were two ways he could respond, and there were two ways he might respond. Though he could choose both, it was more likely for him to stumble one way or the other.

He could fight, become angry, scream, and yell; or he could, for the first time in years or maybe ever, allow himself to be vulnerable.

The last option scared him, but so did the former, both had their pros and cons.

"It was his own hands!"

"It was my blood they used!"

"Give me a break!"

Tony's words echoing their argument over Wanda struck Steve, and pain blossomed in his chest. His worn body made the decision for him, and his emotions bubbled up with his next words.

"You don't even know him, Tony! You...didn't even know him," Steve choked out the correction, his breath hitching in his throat as a sob escaped him. "You didn't even give him a chance."

"Steve, take it easy," Sam's voice broke through the fog of his mind as the man stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Breathe," he prompted with a kind tone.

Steve pulled in ragged breaths, bringing a hand up to his face as another sob slipped out of him without his permission. He shook his head, mumbling gruff apologies.

"Hey, man, it's alright, you've been through a lot, keep breathin'."

Tony stared on, watching Steve with a distant expression on his face before crossing his arms and turning away. An icy mask rolled back over his face and emotions, and he rolled his eyes.

"You got messed up, didn't you, Rogers?" The comment was cold, and it was obvious that even Tony was aware that it was, but it didn't stop the man from saying it.

Shell shock.

The words flashed through Steve's mind, and he absently remembered that it was called PTSD now. He never thought he would experience it after the serum, but it appeared that the serum didn't protect his mind.

Steve's head lifted and he stared at Tony dead on, pain ran through his body in more ways than one as he turned away, his knees feeling weak.

"I think I just want to go lay back down," he murmured to Sam, glancing over at him.

"Wait," Tony's voice tore through the air, some of the ice melted away from his tone, "wait, Rogers."

It was hard to turn and face the man, so instead he didn't turn around. Steve paused, his chest heaving slightly as he tried to maintain a straight posture. He couldn't blame Tony, he had the right to be mad, he reminded himself, but that didn't mean that the barbs the man continued to throw at him hurt any less.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," Steve tried, refusing to fight the man and hoping to placate him.

Tony sighed, he looked as if he wanted to speak, but an uncertain look danced across his face.

"Look, maybe I..." his voice faded, "you know, whatever, it isn't your fault. None of it, not the soldiers, not this stupid disagreement, and as far as Barnes," another pause, "well, we'll have to agree to disagree."

Steve forced a nod as he continued out the door, his body stiff, leaving the others to stare after him.

"Well, you really messed that up," Scott commented, glaring over at Tony with annoyance on his face. "That wasn't cool, Stark."

Tony bit back a remark, shaking his head at the man on the couch.

"For once, I have to agree with Lang," Clint remarked, rolling his eyes. "I don't really get what your beef is, but you need to fix it, not... do that." He continued, pointing towards the door. "That's going to get real old, real quick, and in case you didn't notice, the guy isn't anywhere near recovered. Give him a break, huh?"

"You have no idea about anything, Barton," Tony grumbled.

"Yeah look, I get that you're hurt, I get that, but don't you think that was a little too far? That you're being a little too hard on him? Especially with how badly he took it?" Clint asked, fixing his gaze on the inventor. "You could have dropped it, instead of arguing with him."

"You'd know a thing or two about emotional trauma, wouldn't you? Doesn't seem like a good idea to be pushing him around while he's recovering," Scott added.

"If I want your opinion, I'll ask for it, Lang," Tony shot, crossing his arms.

Scott shrugged as he turned back to the television and began flipping through the channels, content to escape the drama of the situation.

"I'm just saying, Tony," Clint continued, choosing his words with care, "maybe you should give him a chance? It didn't seem like he wanted to fight you, he just said the wrong thing and set you off like an atomic bomb."

"Well he's good at that then," Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair before throwing them up in defeat. "I'm going to head down to the workshop, I have things I need to get done."

"Hey," Clint tried, holding a cup of coffee out to the man, "don't overwork yourself."

Strangely touched, Tony took the cup from the archer and gave him a nod before walking out of the room, leaving the rest of the Avengers to their own devices. And for them, it was impossible not to discuss exactly how far their two leaders had fallen.

Authors Note:

Well, hello again! I am officially back from my trip and happy to be back working on this as life permits. ;D

Once again this chapter spun into dramatic fighting before I knew what happened, originally that wasn't what I had planned, at least not between Steve and Tony.

Honestly, just when I think things are going to get lighter and maybe they might start making some ground, either Tony or Steve says or does something that lights the other one up, and well, here we are. They have such conflicting personalities, watching this develop is just as fun for me as it is for you, haha. (I see why they have a hard time getting along in the movies now, honestly.)

However, the story is far from over! So stay tuned! Thanks everyone!