"Should I have worn my suit?" Steve mumbled under his breath as they walked down the hall toward the conference room. The meeting was set to start in a few minutes and Tony hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the night before, trying to get everything ready. He thought he was going to have more time to work through the details with the team, but of course Shield was eager to get their whipping boy back. Things were not going to go as they hoped. Not if Tony had anything to say about it. And Tony loved to talk.
"So it would be easier for them to immediately send you out on another mission?" Tony asked, glaring up at the younger man. Steve at least had the decency to look guilty. No matter how prepared Tony was to fight Shield, it was all going to come down to Steve. Tony needed to hear how Steve felt. He wouldn't actually let him go back to how things were, but he needed to hear that Steve didn't want to. Walking out side by side would be a lot better than Tony having to whisk Steve away and lock him up in the tower for his own well-being.
"They wouldn't do that," Steve argued weakly. Tony wasn't going to bother wasting his time to prove Steve wrong. They'd left him out there to almost die alone, for heaven's sake. Shield might've been the good guys when it came to trying to protect the planet, but they were still evil bastards for what they'd done.
"Whatever. That's a discussion for another day," Tony waved off, stopping right outside the door. "Time for some fun."
"I'm not sure you were invited to this."
"As if that's ever stopped me," Tony smirked, opening the door with a flourish and walking inside with confidence. "The meeting can finally start. I've arrived."
"Stark," Fury greeted tightly, giving him a look that said he was unamused by his antics already. But Tony had long since been able to see past what the man presented and see how he really felt. Annoyance was a given, but there was also respect. Maybe even support for what he was about to do. "Captain Rogers."
"Director Fury," Steve replied politely.
"Glad to see you back on your feet."
"Thank you."
Tony ignored their pleasantries and focused on the other people in the room. He was surprised to see the higher ups had actually deigned to show up in person for this. They usually just sent word through someone beneath them or gave their orders from behind a TV screen. This was going to make things a lot easier for him.
"Mr. Stark. I don't remember asking for you to be here," the man at the head of the table said. Tony had no idea who he was and didn't really care, but he seemed to be the one in charge of all this. So until someone else spoke up, that was who he was going to focus his attention on.
"Usually people who are graced with my presence have to pay for the privilege. Consider this one a freebie," Tony grinned, stepping up to the opposite end of the table with Steve. There was only one chair, so they really did think that Steve was going to be coming to them alone. That would never be the case again, as long as Tony had something to say about it. "Go ahead and sit down. I do my best work on my feet." Steve looked up at him warily as he took the seat, before putting his Captain America face back on and turning back toward the others.
"Why don't we get this meeting started? I'm sure we're all busy and have other things we need to get to," Fury said from his seat at the side of the long table. A bit closer to Steve's side, Tony noted happily. Fury never did anything by accident.
"Me more than most. Billionaire businessman and inventor, remember?" Tony bragged, making sure to make eye contact with each person sitting across from him. His latest invention was sitting in his pocket right now, doing some fun little things. He couldn't wait to play with it when this was finished.
"Captain Rogers, you disobeyed protocol after your last mission. What do you have to say for yourself?" the man asked. Tony still hadn't gotten a name for him, so he'd just have to make one up. Assface seemed fitting.
"I-"
"I'm sorry, what's the proper protocol when you leave someone for dead? I'm not up to date on Shield's standards and practices," Tony interrupted.
"Mr. Stark-"
"What did you want him to do? Drag his broken body out of the rubble you left him in and go right back to headquarters? Go out on another mission before his bones had a chance to heal? God forbid he consider his own health for once since you all don't even see him as a human being!" Tony shouted. He'd planned on keeping a cool head for a bit longer, but his restraint snapped the second they dared to begin to reprimand Steve.
"How dare you talk to us that way? You aren't even supposed to be here. The fact that we haven't had you thrown out yet is a kindness, but that is wearing thin very quickly," Assface warned.
"Oh, I'd like to see you try," Tony snarled. He had been itching for a fight the second he saw Steve broken in that hospital bed. He'd told Steve that not everyone got to see the softer side of him and that was true for the opposite side of the spectrum as well. Tony could be downright vicious when the occasion called for it. A group of men in Afghanistan had seen that side of him. And that was the last thing they'd ever seen.
"How about we all calm down," Fury directed, trying to be the voice of reason for once. It wasn't a good look for him.
"Here's how it's gonna go," Tony said, ignoring Fury's attempt completely. "Captain Rogers is not going out on missions for you anymore."
"What makes you think you have the right to make that decision? Captain Rogers willingly came to Shield to fulfill his duties to this country as Captain America."
"And Captain Rogers will still fulfill his duties, even though I think we can all agree he's already given more than most ever will. He just won't do it alone," Tony proclaimed, pulling a folder out of his pocket and sliding it across the table. "We're bringing back The Avengers."
"Tony," Steve said, staring up at him in confusion.
"You want to restart The Avengers Initiative?"
"Been there, done that, have the PTSD. This time, we're doing it a little differently. We're doing it my way," Tony replied, tipping his head at the papers one of the corporate goons was thumbing through. "That's a contract that's been drawn up by my attorneys, but I'll give you a brief rundown. Fury will oversee the team. Calls from anyone else will go unanswered. And we get to choose which missions we go on. If it's a true emergency we'll go, but other than that, it's our discretion. None of the crap you were sending Steve on."
"Every mission we sent Captain Rogers on was important!" Assface argued.
"You sent him because you knew he would be efficient and get the job done. And so you didn't have to risk your precious agents. Well, that's done. The days of sending people without backup are over."
"And you're going to be his backup? Iron Man and Captain America don't sound like much of a team."
"Did I forget to mention I brought a couple more friends as well?" Tony asked with a sly grin. Right on cue, the doors to the conference room opened up and the rest of the team walked in. They came up to stand behind Steve, each of them giving a nod of support. The kid looked absolutely shocked. Tony bent down a little to whisper in his ear. "I planned that."
"Agents? You're in on this?" Assface questioned in frustration.
"We believe our sets of skills are better suited for this role," Natasha replied coolly.
"Sir," Clint added on at the end.
"Dr. Banner?"
"I go where they go," Bruce shrugged.
"Captain Rogers' commitments with Shield are none of your concern," Assface said blandly. "You-"
"You had him, but you lost him, and now he's mine!" Tony shouted, slamming his palm down on the table. All of the stooges jumped in surprise. Steve was staring up at him in shock, but he could see the appreciation there too. Tony's next words were for everyone, but he directed them more at his young friend. "Steve is not going out there alone, full stop. We are a team and that means working together and looking out for each other. This is the best offer you're gonna get."
"And what does Captain Rogers have to say about all of this? Is he allowed to speak for himself or are you doing all the talking for him?" Tony opened his mouth to argue, but Steve's hand on his arm stopped him. He stood up, rising to his full height and showing once again how he'd been able to fool people for so long about his age. This didn't look like a kid. This was a man who knew how to handle himself and wasn't afraid to do it. This was Steve Rogers.
"With all due respect, sir, how I was treated during the time I have worked for Shield is inexcusable. I did my job and completed my missions, only for you to fail me during my one time of need. That doesn't exactly give me confidence to fall back into that same role," Steve said evenly.
"We assumed you could handle yourself."
"And I did. But I shouldn't have had to," Steve argued. Tony felt like a proud father. No, not father. He had to stop thinking like that. He was a cool older brother at most. "Those weren't missions meant for one person, but I completed them anyway. I'm good on my own, but I'm better with a team."
"This team?" Assface asked flippantly, gesturing toward the rest of them. If Tony had Iron Man at the moment, this guy's name would have had to be amended to just Ass, since he would have used a repulsor blast to knock his head off. "Dr. Banner fled continents just to avoid working for us. Every high profile mission Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff go on threatens to blow their covers. And Mr. Stark has gone on record repeatedly about his disinterest in working with Shield. Would you really force them into doing something they don't want to do and taking unnecessary risks, just because you want some backup in the field? Because you can't do your job on your own?"
Tony felt the first tendril of nerves creep up his spine. This guy was good, he'd give him that. The easiest way to goad Steve into doing something was to challenge him to do it and to make it seem like he was doing someone else a favor. If he'd really convinced Steve that going off alone was what was best for the rest of the team, he'd go off in a second. The kid was self-sacrificing to a fault, proven by the icy grave he'd been in for decades.
Steve looked back at the others, the doubt in his mind clear in the way that his brows were furrowed just so. They all smiled back at him, giving him nods of encouragement. He turned to Tony next, searching his eyes for any hesitation. Tony couldn't blame him, since they'd just talked about this recently. Fought about it even. Tony didn't want to be out there playing superhero. But he was all in now. Tony did it before when he found a reason important enough to. And he'd found one again.
"The fact that they are standing by my side right now tells me everything I need to know. If you want me here, it's gonna be with them. Take it or leave it," Steve said confidently. Tony wanted to puff his chest out and gloat about winning this fight, but he held back. That could wait until later. Right now, he didn't want to miss hearing these bozos admitting defeat.
"Unfortunately, we can't accept your offer."
"I'm sorry, what?" Tony asked, blinking away the mental whiplash. That wasn't what he was expecting.
"While having The Avengers back would be an asset and I would agree to that immediately, not all of you are here. How can we trust that you'll be as good as you were while down a member?" Assface smirked.
"You nit-picky little-"
"Here's where we stand. Either Captain Rogers comes back to Shield in his previous role or he goes with you, turning his back on his responsibilities to this country and the rest of the world. Take your pick."
"I pick-" Steve didn't get to finish his statement before he was interrupted by a loud boom. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky outside of the windows behind the council. A slow smile spread across Tony's face. This was unexpected, but not unwelcome. There was plenty of room at the tower for one more person.
About a minute later, the doors to the conference room burst open. Tony glanced around the hulking form, making sure there were no other rogue aliens tagging along. But once he saw that their former teammate was alone, he let himself relax.
"It seems as though my presence here is necessary," Thor boomed, standing proudly with his cape blowing behind him in the wind. There wasn't even a draft in the room. Tony was going to have to examine that thing.
"Looks like the entire team is here. What was that you were saying about immediately agreeing to Stark's plan?" Fury asked, raising an eyebrow at the gobsmacked council.
"I think we're done here. Have your people call my people to hammer out any details. I look forward to working with you," Tony grinned, throwing his arm around Steve's shoulder and walking him to the door without waiting for a response. He made sure to glance back before he closed the doors behind them, relishing in the frustration of the assholes who didn't get their way. Steve was going to be safe with him now.
"Are you back for good?"
"You didn't bring your brother, did you?"
"Please don't try to goad Hulk out."
Tony chuckled as the rest of the team peppered Thor with questions, hanging back with Steve as they walked to the elevators. They were going to have to do something to celebrate. Shawarma seemed like a good first stop.
"I was going to choose you," Steve said suddenly, stopping Tony with a hand on his chest.
"What?"
"When they gave me the ultimatum. If it was going back to them how it was or not going at all, I was going to choose to stay with you. Even if that meant I wouldn't be able to help people in the way I wanted to," Steve explained, staring into his eyes. "You were right about what you said about them. I just thought that was my only option. Thank you for showing me otherwise."
"Anytime," Tony replied, patting Steve on the shoulder. He would move heaven and earth for this kid and when he took the time to think about it, it kind of scared him. But hearing that Steve put his trust in him helped. Knowing that Tony wasn't fighting a losing battle helped. And having Steve safely by his side helped.