Steve stared forward, hands gripping the steering wheel with so much force he knew there would likely be an indention from his hands. He knew that he was damaging Tony's hundred thousand dollar car, but he couldn't bring himself to loosen his grip.
He waited for Tony's barrage of insults for almost five minutes straight. When the man didn't say anything else he slowly ventured a glance over at him to gauge what he was thinking.
The man was staring out the front windshield, a pained and tired expression lingered on the man's face.
"Tony?" Steve started with hesitation.
"Are you finally going to talk?" Tony groused, reaching up to rub his forehead.
Silence spanned a few seconds as Steve stared forward, watching the road as he drove. "I don't know what you want me to say," he sighed after a moment. "Do you want me to apologize? Because I'm sorry you got hurt, but I'm not sorry for leaving."
A spark flashed in Tony's eyes and Steve knew before any words ever left the man's mouth that he was angry at him, again.
"What do you mean you're not sorry for leaving? What were you even thinking!" Tony barked, but then grimaced and put his palm to his forehead. A soft grunt of pain came from his slightly parted lips and he leaned back against the seat.
"I mean I'm not sorry for leaving," Steve responded without looking over at the man. "I'm trapped at the Compound, Tony, I can't do anything worth anything, and I'm a burden to everyone else."
Silence filled the vehicle. Tony was either silent from pain or in thought, Steve couldn't tell for certain which it was. He decided to continue after a moment, "I've been on my own since I was eighteen. I've never really fit in anywhere, not even in the Army. My faith's in people, I guess. Individuals. For the most part, they haven't let me down, which is why I can't let them down either. I can't sit around and do nothing while the world burns Tony, I just can't do that."
"So you'd burn the Avengers instead?" Came the growled response.
"Of course not," Steve responded evenly, "why would you even say that?"
"Because you think anyone is actually going to let you go all kamikaze and get yourself captured again, or maybe worse, while we're living and breathing? Did you even consider the fact that your team was going to come after you, and if any of us get implemented in you breaking out of the raft it's game over?"
"I guess I didn't," Steve mumbled, "I needed to get out."
"At least tell us if you're going to go try to kill yourself, so we can know not to come after you. You arrogant, self-righteous..." Tony swore, then rolled his eyes upward as a thought seemed to cross his mind. "Oh wait, are you going to get on to me for using language again?" A dry chuckle tore from his throat.
The mocking and smug reply didn't come close to rattling Steve, why should it? He wouldn't let himself forget exactly who he was talking to, every time he did Tony reminded him exactly who he was.
"I never meant to hurt anyone," Steve supplied after a moment of contemplation. "Especially not the Avengers," he added.
"Of course you didn't. But you know, Cap, you tend to do things you don't mean to do," the grumbled, grouchy remark rubbed a Steve raw.
"Look who's talking," the bitter remark rolled off of Steve's lips before he was able to prevent it.
"Oh great, we're doing this again? Gotta tell you, Spangles, I have a splitting headache, for once I'm not in the mood," the gruff and aggressive reply came.
A murmured and a rather insincere apology rolled from Steve's lips as he stared ahead. As moments passed, however, concern grew in his chest and he sighed deeply. "Are you alright, Tony?"
"Peachy keen," a grumbled response came. "I hope you know, everyone else is going to be ready to kick your butt for me, since I can't at the moment."
"I'm sure they will." Silence filled the car before a confused expression drifted across the super soldiers face. "Were you concerned about me?"
Tony froze, glancing over at the man in the drivers seat. "Of course not, Captain clueless, I was worried about this mess getting traced back to the rest of us."
Steve imagined that even to Tony's ears his tone and words had to sound as fake as it did to him.
"Really?" Steve asked, both of his eyebrows raised.
"Well, I'm not heartless, Cap. I'd hate for Ross to get his hands on you again," Tony relented. "I'm pretty sure the memory of how we found you is something that is going to haunt me for a while. Traitor or not."
A small smile flitted across the super soldier's face and he shook his head, sighing. "Are you alright, Tony? It looked like he got a few good hits in."
"Dunno," the inventor admitted. "Might have cracked a bone or two, and I'm pretty sure I have a concussion. Are you planning on running off again?" Tony changed the topic swiftly.
"Probably," Steve admitted.
Tony groaned and shook his head, regretting it the moment he did so and grimacing in pain. "Agh," he groaned. "Why? What's your problem?"
Frustration bleed into him and Steve gritted his teeth. He stared straight ahead and gripped the steering wheel harder than he had before, listening to the metal creek under his hands.
"Easy, Captain Kangaroo, this car is worth more than you are," Tony hissed grumpily.
"Would you have forgiven me if Rhodey had died?" The question seemed to blindside the man and he turned to glare at the man in the driver's seat vehemently.
"No," Tony responded with blunt force.
"I get that I hurt you, Tony, but it cuts both ways you know," came the dismal sounding retort. "I'm trying my best to forgive you, and acknowledge all of the wrongs that I've done, but we were both in the wrong. I see what I did wrong, but what about you? Do you see what you did wrong at all?"
Steve paused for a moment, before letting out a breath. "My best friend is dead, and any semblance of a normal life I had been building died in this stupid civil war. I don't have anything left except what I'm good at, that's all I had to begin with."
Tony sat stock still for a moment, before shaking his head. "That's a stupidly selfish thing to say, what about the others?"
"The Avengers are yours, more so than mine," Steve murmured, shaking his head. "I know they care, they're the closest thing to a family I have, but it isn't the same. I'm a danger to them, and you. If Ross finds out, it would spell disaster for everyone, you're right about that."
"Running off isn't going to fix that," Tony pointed out, "some of them are going to follow you, especially Sam."
"Maybe," Steve admitted. "But I'm not sure it's something that I can risk, not after everything else."
"Oh, shut up with your self-sacrificing hero play, will you?" Tony groused.
"Tony," Steve said, a hollow and defeated tone etching back into his voice, causing Tony to look up at him. "Can we please stop? Please, I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to be enemies, so if we can't be friends, can't even be civil, maybe we shouldn't at all."
"So no more starting over, huh, old man?" Tony droned.
"I don't know if we're capable of getting past our differences," Steve replied, his tone sincere. "It doesn't seem like we are."
"Well, you know what I think? I think..." The man trailed off, staring out of the window with concern slipping into his features. A pinging sound came from his watch and he glanced down at it. "...Cap, pull the car over."
"What?" Steve blinked, looking over out the window as well and seeing some bright flashes out on the water near a ship. He couldn't quite tell where they were coming from, but it seemed like Tony knew.
"Pull the car over, right now!" Tony yelled.
Steve jerked the wheel to the side and pulled the car to the side of the road, jerking it into park and hastily following the billionaire out of the car. "Tony! What are you doing?!"
Tony's heart couldn't take much more surprise excitement. So as he surged forward the first thought that crossed his mind was how much he didn't need this right now. The second was how grateful he was they happened to be in this exact area, at this exact moment in time. And the third was how he was going to pummel Peter Parker into tomorrow, and if he had the power to he would ground the kid until he died.
If the kid lived that long.
Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he called his suit instinctively. Throwing his arms out he allowed the suit to fly forward from its position in the trunk of his car and encase him.
He rocketed into the sky and flew towards the Staten Island Ferry, that appeared to have exploded and was tearing itself in half.
Blasting towards it and with precision, he caught one half of the ferry and began lifting it back up to slow the sinking. Peering into the window, he saw Peter, dangling by his webs and trying to keep the ship from falling apart.
"Hi, Spider-Man," he said through gritted teeth.
Yes, the boy was definitely in trouble.
Back on shore, Steve stared out across the water and watched as the ship was pushed back together and repaired by Iron Man and his robots. He squinted, surprised that Tony had seen the ship in the distance at all, let alone in time to save it. Sometimes the genius truly did amaze him.
A 'thud' resounded and Steve glanced over to his left. He was surprised to see Spider-Man had landed a few feet away from him and was looking up towards some taller buildings, about to sling another web and swing off.
"Hey, kid."
The 'man', who Steve knew had to be a boy, paused and tilted his head towards him.
"Captain America?" The surprised tone made him smile. "Aren't you like a war criminal now? I heard you were in some floating ocean prison."
"You're not wrong, kid. A lot has happened, keep it between us, alright?" Steve felt amused for a moment before he found himself frowning. "Are you okay? Where you on the ship?"
"Uh, funny story about that actually..." He started.
"Oh, it had better be a very good story," Tony's voice tore through the air as he landed his suit, staring the teenager down.
The boy turned his head back, he seemed a little irritated but it was impossible to tell with the boy's mask.
"I told you to stay away from this! But you hacked a multi-million dollar suit, so you could go behind my back and do exactly what I told you not to do," Iron Man scolded.
"Is everyone okay?" The voice sounded a little dismal, and Steve felt for the kid.
"No thanks to you," Tony's cold response came.
"No thanks to me?" Anger rose in the boy's voice and he stepped aggressively towards the suit. "Those weapons were out there and I tried to tell you! None of this would have happened if you had just listened to me!" Taking another step forward his tone shook, but his resolve didn't seem to. "If you even cared you'd actually be here."
The suit opened and Tony stepped out, causing Spider-Man to take three steps back and stare at the man in front of him.
"I did listen, kid. Who do you think sent the FBI?" Tony's exasperated voice caused Steve to step forward, catching the man by the arm.
"Tony, take it easy on the kid," Steve cautioned, and Tony tore his arm away from the man next to him.
"Zip it, this doesn't concern you, Captain," Tony hissed with rage in his tone. "It's between me and the kid."
"Mr. Stark, I.."
"I was the only one who believed in you, everyone else thought I was crazy for recruiting a fourteen-year-old kid."
"I'm fifteen..."
"No, this is where you zip it! The adult is talking! What if someone had died tonight, huh? That could have happened, and if it had, that's on you, get it? And if you died, I gotta say I feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscious." An odd expression crossed Tony's face, and Steve couldn't help but wonder if this boy was the source of some of his nightmares.
"Sorry," Spider-Man said, his voice weakened and timid. Steve glanced at the superhero and saw the boy for the kid he was, young and vulnerable.
Suddenly remorse flooded in his chest and he felt guilty for fighting him at the airport. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, it was nothing new to him. Boys not much older than Peter had enlisted in the war, Steve had fought alongside some of them.
"I'm gonna need that suit back," Tony's voice broke through his mind and he looked up, frowning a little.
"What? No, Mr. Stark, please! I'm nothing without this suit!"
"If you're nothing without the suit, then you shouldn't have it." The growled response left the boy hanging his head in shame.
"Tony, that might be a bad idea," Steve started out with hesitance, glancing at his comrade. He knew all too well what a little determination would do, and based on what Steve had seen, Peter seemed the type to fight with or without his fancy suit.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion, Rogers," Tony growled.
"I'm just saying, please think it through," Steve pressed.
"I have!" He barked. "Why don't you go sit in the car, before someone else sees you? You being a criminal and all, it might be a good idea. You know, if you feel up to taking my advice for once. It'd be great if you would."
Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair and turning to walk slowly back to the vehicle.
Somehow in his gut, he knew Tony was going to regret his decision.
Authors Note:
Okay, obviously I borrowed more dialogue from movies than usual, so disclaimer I don't own those and I'm sorry for being unoriginal, but the original dialogue felt right for the scene!
I hadn't considered spinning Peter into the story too much until Tony's dream, and now I wanna spin him in more in some areas so I hope everyone likes Peter haha, personally I adore the kid and the relationship that Tony has with him across the movies is amazing. I love it.
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Thank you for all the reviews in the last few! =)