Thanks again for all the reviews. Here is the next installment.

Again, don't be mad at Steve. He's a really, really good guy, and Tony is not making it easy.

Chapter 4: May I Ask For Your Help?

Steve had spent less than five minutes in Tony's presence and he was already confused. It was obvious that the man was terrified of them, especially Bucky, which was not surprising given their last encounter on the battlefield. He also noticed that he was no longer 'Cap' or 'Steve' but 'Rogers'. He understood as much, but the rest of his behavior was completely erratic. Even stranger was his appearance. The goatee was gone, and he now had a much less clean-shaved beard. He wore a completely inoffensive, almost bland, black T-shirt, and a pair of tattered jeans. This only confirmed his suspicion that Tony had spent too little time with people, or rather, too much time with his robots. He talked to them like they were alive. Steve swore he had even heard the other man address the teapot when they had entered the room. The workshop was chaos. How Tony could work there was a mystery to Steve. Tools were scattered all across several tables; next to a whole range of tiny forceps and pliers was a computer that appeared old even to the Brooklyn-born man from the first part of the last century and seemed to be the screen for Tony's security camera.

Steve felt a pang of guilt. Tony was utterly incapable of taking care of himself, and they never should have left him to his own devices. A mad Tony Stark was fuel for nightmares.

All pity he felt for the man was wiped away when he was suddenly faced with the suave businessman that did not display any other emotion but mockery.

"What can I do for you?"

"What makes you think we need anything from you?" Steve retorted out of sheer reflex. What he received was a look that bordered on exasperation.

"Let me see," Tony sighed derisively. "I am virtually powerless: no money, no suit, no nothing. Meaning, if the government had any further plans to punish me, there would be no need for them to send three Avengers to do the job. I doubt you crossed the Atlantic and ventured into the middle of Western Europe to catch up with an old," there was a short pause, "friend. Ergo, you want me to do something for you, though what I am not sure. You have Arno and Bruce on the team. Depending on the topic, Bruce's brain effortlessly outplays mine, and Arno knows as much or more of engineering and coding than I do. So, those two together are pretty much like three of me, just with much less background noise." 'Well, thank Heaven for that!' Steve thought, getting aggravated. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw Bruce opening his mouth in protest. "So it is 2.3463 of me, but bottom-line is that you don't need me for my brains. Do you need me for political influence? Most have turned their backs on me by the end of the War if not before, but some might still listen to me. Or do you…?"

"We actually need your brains," Bruce interjected hastily, possibly tired of the power play between Tony and Steve. He reached for his backpack and extracted a laptop. "In fact, I need your coding skills."

Tony's fingers, which had been running circles on the table he had used to lean on, halted.

"No," Tony's eyes were dark, and his lips formed a thin line.

"Tony…"

"I think Mr. Stark has given you a clear answer, Captain Rogers," JARVIS' voices sounded out of nowhere. "Unless of course you believe that Mr. Stark does not have the right for the freedom you so valiantly protected of your fellow Americans. After all, Mr. Stark seems to be the exception for all of your values and rules including a fair fight."

Steve was speechless. He had not known that a computer could sound so cold. Bucky immediately stepped forward, but Tony was the one to end the fight before it started.

"JARVIS, that's enough!" said he, as stern as Steve had ever heard him. "He did what I…" He then said something in what sounded like Dutch or German, he could not say for sure. A quick glance at Bucky confirmed that he could not depict the language either. The engineer then looked at Steve.

"I'm surprised that you of all people encourage me to break the rules laid out by… yourself, actually. Remember? 'No weapons, no computers, no coding, creating nothing more complex than a microwave.' These were your laws, Rogers, not mine." Tony sounded completely indifferent, as if nothing they were talking about had any meaning to him. As always, it caused the Brooklyn native to see red in one minute flat.

"Your brother has followed your path, Stark," said Steve bluntly.

Tony's eyebrows raised and the former billionaire did not miss a beat, "My path of awesomeness? I am well aware, thank you. I do read the newspaper, you know. The new Stark technology will revolutionize the modern world, as we know it."

"The path of pride and megalomania," replied Steve, undeterred. "His new technology is flawed. Bruce found a glitch in the Matrix." Tony's eyes were wide. "Oh please, you really thought I would stop adapting simply because you left? You were not my only connection to the modern world." He was being cruel, and he knew it. The War was over. There was no need to use old rhetoric. He would have to stop seeing his former friend and teammate as an enemy. Tony was now a civilian who deserved his protection, not his scorn. He tried to decipher the other man's facial expression. Once upon a time, he could have seen through his layers, but the mask was entirely void of any emotion; he might as well have worn the Iron Man faceguard.

Bruce growled.

Steve looked at the physicist whose eyes were starting to look much more predatory. He had forgotten just how protective the Hulk was of Tony. He stepped away so that Tony's old lab partner could take it from there.

Bruce thrust forward the laptop and opened it with enough force to make it crack a little causing Tony to wince, but the shorter man still remained as he was. His hands held onto the table with a tight grip. The laptop came to life and a stream of code appeared. The older Stark brother's eyes widened, his hands let go of the table and he took a step forward. Quickly, Steve grabbed the laptop and slammed it shut.

"Will you help us?"

The engineer's eyes were still on the laptop before they found Steve's. Once again, his face was an emotionless mask.

"What's in it for me?"

That almost took the leader of the Avengers by surprise. Apparently, his miniscule physical reactions betrayed him because he was faced with that infuriating smirk.

"Come on, Rogers, I used to be one of the most powerful people on the planet and an extraordinarily successful industrialist. I made a multi-billion dollar company out of my father's multi-million dollar company by the time I was twenty-five. I have never done anything without considering my own advantage right about the time I turned six. I repeat, what's in it for me?"

He did not know Tony anymore. It was like the War had brought forth a different Stark, the man he had thought he was when they first met. He had never let himself be bullied though, and this new Tony Stark in front of him was a bully by nature.

"A good deed, perhaps? Restore your tattered image to the public?"

Stark laughed out loud. "Yes, because they have always loved me so much," said he derisively. "Especially if I go after my own brother. Tell me, why would I go against my own flesh and blood? Okay, perhaps not so much flesh and blood, but he is my brother," he added.

"By what, years of emotional bonding?"

Steve regretted the words as soon as he uttered them. His mother would have put him over her knee for his words. "I apologize, Tony, that was uncalled for. This whole situation is something I can't… I don't understand much of what Bruce has tried to explain, and I am asking for your help because I know that not only can you make sense of it, but you will thrive in it, and be a true asset to the Avengers team."

For a moment, it looked like the other man would reconsider Steve's request, but then the engineer just shook his head.

"Me too, Rogers," the words sounded like utter disdain; it was charring. "But I do not do anything for free. What do you offer for my services?"

Bucky took another step forward, but Steve stopped him in time by finally giving his offer. He had hoped it would not be necessary.

"Amnesty. There will be no trial for treason if you enter American soil. You can return home and, for the duration of this mission, you will be allowed to use any technology you need," said the super soldier, tired of the power play. "That's my offer. It has been signed by the president."

Slowly, Stark nodded, not giving anything away. "Nope, not good enough."

"That is all I have to offer."

"Then you are a lousy business man," was the cold reply.

"Tony, please," Bruce interjected. "I am sorry about… hell, do you want the apologies in chronological order or depending on importance? I never meant for you to be sent here... to this life. You don't belong here, in a small workshop barely good enough for a regular mechanic. You need more than this, you deserve more than this, and I'm sorry that my actions put you here. I also apologize for my cowardice for not having visited you before. I wanted to, but only the Other Guy tried to actually do it. He's much braver than I am. You were right about that, by the way. You were right about a lot of things. I need your help with this. However, it doesn't matter what you say. Whether you help or not, I will stay if you'll have me. I swear I'll be an actual friend this time."

And that was the reason Steve had taken along the scientist. The man was hopelessly emotionally compromised when it came to Tony, and it hurt to listen to all these apologies, but if anyone could convince Tony, it would be the seemingly inconspicuous, short man with the curly black hair. He had seen that deep connection of friendship between the two very similar, brilliant minds from the very first moment they had met.

As expected, Tony's shoulders slumped, "Damn it, Big Guy, you don't fight fair. Alright, alright, I yield," he raised his hands in defeat. "I accept the conditions," he said in Steve's direction before gesturing at the laptop, "Give! The ego-boost of having Dr. Bruce Banner ask for your help is more than payment enough." He smiled at Bruce, which was obviously Stark-speech for forgiveness. He grasped the laptop gently and set it on a desk to his right. Absentmindedly, he grabbed a chair and sat down. Steve could see how his hands trembled slightly as he placed his fingers onto the keyboard. As soon as they started typing, it looked like all of the tension seemed to seep away from the other man. Steve felt guilty for pretty much everything he had done in the last five minutes. It was obvious that Tony was a lot more invested than he had expected.

A/N: Good? Bad? Want me to continue?