60 : LAST MAN STANDING

"How the hell did two of the most brilliant mind in this university can't find any evidence to prove Rogers' innocent?" Tony muttered as he threw his StarkPad across his coach.

"Maybe we didn't look hard enough." Bruce spoke up as he took his eyes away from the computer, "We should think outside the box."

"Bruce, you know me better than anyone and you should know that I always think outside of the box."

"Maybe too much outside the box that you need to immediately get back inside the box right now!" Pepper said as she starred at the whiteboard that they had put everything on it. The clue, the evidence, the list of what they should do next, and everything seemed not to relate to one another.

"I'm so lost at this." Pepper muttered, "How could someone possibly as dump as Rumlow could possibly cover all of this up?"

"I think he might get help from someone else." Bruce told "Someone we might not get suspicion."

"Who could possibly out smart us all?" Tony narrowed his eyes at the thought that someone might smarter than him.

The trio got back to thinking and hacking their way to find whatever evidence they could find.

At the other side of the campus, Clint, Darcy and Maria were asking around, trying to find any witnessed to Phil's beat up and maybe Steve's set up. They got nothing again. Clint sat down on the ground and let of a sigh of frustration.

"Maybe we ask the wrong person."

"Maybe we are." Darcy agreed.

"Where did Tasha said they found steroid?" Maria asked.

"At the stadium. Why?"

"We should ask the janitor who take care of the locker room, you know." Maria replied

Clint immediately black flip himself up and made Darcy muttered 'show off'. Maria led them to the janitor break room where they found almost everyone in there.

"Hello, we are friends of Steve Rogers and we would like to ask you something about the locker room." Maria told, "This might help him from being expel and banned from football for the rest of his life."

"What do you want to ask, dear?" An old black man asked

"Don't help her! That little shit should get expel." The younger man said. "He brought like six girls inside that locker room and screwed around with them. This university will be a better place without him. He and his football friends are the worst person I ever met."

"He's a changed man now." Darcy said "Please help us."

The younger man huffed but the old man got up and led them out of the break room.

"What do you want to know?"

"After the football season ended, does anyone has access to the locker room?" Maria asked.

"No one. The locker will be seal off after each football season end. The only group of people who have access are Coach Fury and the janitor team who have a key to the locker room."

"Is there another way around to get inside there?" Clint asked

"No, there is only one way in, one way out unless you climb the vent system or…."

"Or…" Darcy prompted

"One of my janitors lose his key to the locker room a couple weeks ago."

"So someone might actually got in there."

"Yes, someone else who stole that key could access the locker room."

"Can you help us with the hearing and be the witness for our friend? It could help him with his case a lot."

"I will be there. Just give me a call."

"Thank you, sir!" Clint said.

The trio headed back to Tony's room where they found the two geniuses laid one the floor groaning with Pepper who look like she got a massive hung over.

"What happened?" Darcy asked.

"Headache from trying to crack this case." Tony muffled reply from his pillow.

"We got a big lead from the janitor." Maria informed.

Bruce and Pepper sat right up while Maria told them everything they had learn. It made Tony sprung up and got to his laptop and began to review the video feed from the stadium again.

How could he possibly miss it? Tony thought.

"There!" Clint said and paused the feed.

"They are a sneaky bastard." Tony muttered "But we got them."

"We could use this to at least stall for more time and force them to investigate further at the break in." Brice told

"I can sneak into Rumlow's room if you want to." Clint suggested "I can climb and sneak and I'm really good at this shit."

"How do we know which one is Rumlow's room?" Pepper asked

"Phil. He knew everything" Maria snapped her finger and quickly dialed for Thor who was with Jane at the hospital, taking care of Phil.

"Hello"

"Thor, can you get Phil on the line?"

"Of course." He said

"What's up, Maria?"

"Do you happen to know where Rumlow's room was?"
"Yeah, it's at Von Doom Hall. Room 428"

They hung up and left Maria amazed by how much Phil knew about people around the campus.

"I will get right on it." Clint said "Darcy, I need your help with this operation and Stark, hacked the surveillance at that dorm for me for one hour."

"Got it, Legolas." Tony said, "Rumlow and his team will be at the party this evening so you have all the time you need."

Clint and Darcy came back without any trouble followed them. Clint showed the video recorded from both helmet cam. It was Rumlow's room as Clint and Darcy searched every inch of it.

They watched it and gained a lot of information from the footage Clint provided. They came to the part that Darcy found a phone under the bed and she investigated that phone to find more information.

"Holy shit!" Tony exclaimed when he saw whose it belong to. "She's a part of this too?"

"Yeah" Clint replied, "That's why she can sneak in and out of party easily"

"Didn't she like Steve or something?" Darcy asked.

"I think it because of Nat. She thought she could have her chance with him but Steve choose Nat instead." Pepper replied,

"Do you think she might be the one that could help them slip the drug in Steve's drink?" Maria suggested.

"It's possible." Tony answered "You know what, we all should go to Stark Tower right now. I have cool stuffs that could help use with this case."

"I will call Nat and Steve." Clint said.

The gang, except for Thor, Jane and May, met up at Tony's tower. They were gather in his workshop and watched as Tony gathered digital image from everyone who attend the party via social network to reconstruct the whole event.

"You have this cool shit all along and never use them?" Clint asked

Tony shrugged "I don't want to resort to this until we really are hopeless."
"My life is on the line. Is that hopeless enough for you, Stark?" Steve narrowed his eyes and Nat had to put her hand on his arm to stop her boyfriend.

Steve was stressed out and lost his temper easily. Nat had to be by his side all the time to make sure he didn't lost his mind. Bucky was there with the rest of the gang too.

"So what are you going to do with all this cool tech of yours, Stark?" Bucky asked

"I will recreate the party every single one that we threw." Tony replied " I have JARVIS gathered all the data, both picture and video and it will help us reconstruct the event."

The projector slowly created the scene and rendered the resolution. Finally, it fully contrasted the scene.

"This is amazing, Tony." Pepper said.

"I know, right?" the genius replied, "Rogers sat there with Red…" He mumbled before looked around the scene.

"I found Rumlow!" Clint said from the top of the bookshelves where he currently perched. "He's with Williams in that dark corner."

Everyone looked at the direction of Clint's finger.

"Is that Sharon?" Steve asked "Can you make it clearer?"

The holographic image slowly rendered and it showed the said blonde girl. Steve frowned and his eyes flashed red for a second.

"I will kill all of them." Steve growled.

"Rumlow is giving her something." Bruce said and the next image showed that she was slipping something into the drink which was serve to Steve.

"They planned this?" The captain growled "All of them will pay for their crime."

"So now we have enough evidence to prove Steve's innocence, what should we do next?" Maria asked.

"We have to catch all of them red handed because Steve is safe now. Rumlow and his friends should pay for all of this mess."

"WE WILL BRING THEM DOWN!" Clint and Darcy boomed at once.

Steve smiled a little at this, "Thanks, guys. For everything, really. I don't think I will make it if I don't have you guys." Steve sincerely said.

"No problem, man." Tony smiled "It's what friend do."

"You are one of us, Steve. We have to help you."

And the gang initiated the biggest group hug ever, Steve tensed up but then relaxed when he realized how great these people was. They accepted him as one of them even he did a very terrible thing to them before.

He finally had real friends after all.

"Babe, I'm nervous." Steve quietly said as he standing in front of the mirror.

"We gonna be okay, Steve." Nat assured him and hugged him tightly "We have enough proof."

"How can I survive without you?" He said and kissed her deeply

"You can't. Because you can't even do laundry without me."

"Hey, I can now."

Steve hugged her tightly, the only thing he love, the beacon of hope, his everything.

Sarah came in and told them the car was ready and they all headed to the University of the hearing. The Rogers' lawyer team and witnesses were already waiting at the mass hall. Everyone in the university was there too whether to support Steve or stomped him to the ground after he fall.

"Good luck, Capitan" Tony said

"You're not gonna stay for my hearing?" Steve asked.

"Nah, got something else to do. Besides, I have to throw a party for you after this because we gonna win!"

"Hope we do win otherwise it will become my funeral."

Tony took off before everyone got inside the mass hall. Steve sat nervously with his mom and his lawyer. The head of the committee knocked the gravel to silent everyone and began the hearing.

The NCAA people presented their evidence after the locker room raid and the test result of Steve.

Steve was very nervous as he turned to look at his girlfriend all the time. Nat gave him her reassuring smile that light up Steve a little. But his face changed when he saw Rumlow and his friends in the crowd. They were here to watch him fall for sure.

Then Leonard stepped up to declare Steve's evidence. From the blood and urine result since his championship game and the doctor's testimony, it cleared Steve's name from using the steroid prior to the game.

"But what about his test after the game, counsellor? Do you have an evidence to prove that Mr. Rogers did use steroid? The result that the NCAA collect is very clear that your client dosed with it."

"I believed that my client was drugged by someone with harmful intention toward my client."

The statement made everyone turned to gossip at each other. The chairman had to bang the gravel to stop everyone.

"Order!" He loudly said, "That is quiet an accusation, counsellor. Do you have a proof for this? And who might have be the one who dragged Mr. Rogers."

"Of course" Leonard said, "Mr. Stark and Mr. Banner will provide you with that evidence."

Bruce got up from his seat with Jane and Thor helped him set up the projector and showed the holographic image of the first party Steve throw and it show that Rumlow and his friends including Sharon were slipping something into Steve's drink. They also had more proof from most of the party.

Rumlow and everyone who related to him quickly got in an attempt to escape but the six of the football team got up and blocked their way out of the room. The security quickly grabbed them all and brought them in front of the committee. Steve looked at all of them, people who once called themselves his friends.

"Mr. Rumlow, Mr. Williams, Mr. Payne, Mr. Rollins and Miss Carter, do you drug Mr. Rogers with steroid?"

"It's not us! We didn't do anything. He is trying to frame us!" Rumlow quickly said, "We didn't have anything to do with him!"

"About that…" Bruce interrupted, "Tony Stark is ready for a live feed from Von Doom Hall."

The projector changed into Tony who was standing in front of the Von Doom Hall with a large amount of students.

"Hey guys, I'm live from VD Hall and with me is Mr. Brown, head of the stadium janitor staff, Mr. Rothschild is the supervisor of the dorm who had a spare key to every room but will open only the order from the committee to confirm the investigation."

"Mr. Rothschild, you can open the door to any room for this investigation." Dean Hawley said.

Mr. Rothschild led Tony and the group to Rumlow's room.

"We are here to look for the evidence to show all of you that Rumlow and his friends really are the one who drugged Steve and set him up with the steroid." Tony said to the camera and moved around the room.

The camera panned around the room until it was focused at Mr. Brown.

"This is the key that was missing from one of our staff." Mr. Brown pointed at the key at the end table.

"Don't touch it" Tony told before he wore a glove and lifted the key up, "This is it, right?"

"Yes, the key number engraved on it confirming it was the same one that was lost."

"So whoever has it can have access to the locker room even when it was seal off."

"Yes, they can."

Tony turned to the camera with a smile on his face, "That's one of the evidence that could be use to support our theory. We will move on to the second evidence. Bruce, you have the stage."

Bruce used the holographic projector to show the scene from the party where Sharon recieved the drug from Rumlow and slipped the steroid into Steve's drink.

"This is the image we got from photo and video we gathered from everyone who attend the party from their social network. We reconstruct the scene and these are the footage we found."

Everyone turned to look at Sharon and Rumlow's gang. Security guards locked them in place.

"Mr. Rogers, we are dropping every charge against you and reinstated you back as student of this university, quarterback and the captain of the football team." Dean Hawley said, "For Mr. Rumlow and his accomplices, we will have further investigation and if the investigation confirmed everything, the proper punishment will be carried out and Mr. Rogers can sue all of you. We're adjourn for now."

Steve let out a sigh of relief as most of everyone in the hall let out a loud cheer to the captain. Steve got up from his seat and went to Nat and his mother and gave them a hug. Then he went to his friends and thanked all of them for their help.

He got his life back and he owed each and every one of them.

He couldn't ask for a better friend than what he currently have.

The gang did celebrate the Captain's victory and his comeback on the rooftop. This was by far the less crazy party they ever threw. Steve clung to Natasha's side all the time as if he afraid that she might disappear.

The gang had a very good time together just to talk and drink and inwardly thank God that everything finally turned back to normal.

The next day, everyone had a lot of paper work to do especially Steve. The special final exam had been arrange for him due to his prior academic suspension. Nat was by his side all the time to provide him with all the need he might need and to help her boyfriend getting ready for his exam.

The rest of the gang along with Sarah, Cornelius, and Leonard had to submit all the evidence they gathered to the police and the NCAA committee. Sarah filed a law suit against everyone who involved in setting her son up. Joseph and Sarah will make sure that everyone pay for their crime.

The NCAA released an official statement to apologize to the Rogers family and did a press release on the matter. Marvel still had their champion trophy with them.

After a week of deep investigation on every evidence, Rumlow, Willaims, Payne, Rollins, and Sharon was declared guilty to all the charge and was expelled from the university.

Even with the great loss to the football team because they lose many good players at the same time. Steve was feeling very optimistic that they will find someone who was better than them and he will had Bucky back on his side playing football with him too.

Everything was great as it can be.

After Steve's special final exam, the captain was exhausted but still attended the group dinner of the gang at Grant's bar.

"Congratulation, Captain!" Everyone cheered as Steve and Nat stepped into the bar.

"Thanks, guys." Steve said

"We also have a little gift for you outside." Bucky said.

All of them got up and headed to the back door to find Rumlow, Williams, Rollins, and Payne were tied up outside with the rest of the football team stand guarded them.

"This is a little gift from all of us. I heard you have your way on dealing with traitors, right?" Tony asked.

"Yeah…but I don't want anything to do with them for the rest of my life again." Steve replied, "They only slow me down."

"If you don't want to do it, I will do it for you, buddy." Bucky spoke up

"Buck, you don't…."

"Ah, don't. Just watch, Steven. They should learn not to mess with my best friend."

"Hey!" Thor, Jane, and Nat exclaimed at the same time.

Bucky rolled his eyes at the three of them, "Come on, you're already his girlfriend, Romanoff. Don't hogged all the title."

Steve chuckled at little. Bucky turned to the four traitors who looks really scared.

"Someone owes my friend an apology."

"You don't have to do that. They already got what they deserved." Steve tried to stop his best friend again

"Don't tell me you getting soft, punk."

"Nah, I had you to deal with beating the shit out of people for me now."

"Don't get used to it too fast. I don't want to babysit you anymore. In fact, I hand this duty to Natasha."

"I don't want my girlfriend to get her hand dirty with these shit." Steve wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"Just let me teach these bastards some lesson!"

"Fine…."

And Bucky proceed to give Rumlow and his friends the lesson of his life, not to mess with his clique ever again.

Steve and Nat had their incredible time last night. (Thor had to evacuate to Jane's room again and Bucky had to crash with Clint. Seriously, no one wanted to be a part of their sex life.) Steve and Nat making a sweet love to each other and fall asleep contently in each other's arms for the very first time in two weeks.

Steve woke up again the next to find himself alone in bed. The sun already high in the sky and the light almost blinded him the first time. He looked around and didn't find his little red.

He put on his sweatpants and walked out the bedroom to find Natasha in the kitchen dancing around while making them breakfast. Her movement was captivating but what took most of attention was her clothes. She was wearing only his unbuttoned white shirt and underneath it was on her black lacy bra and panties.

And that moment, Steve thought to himself, I can do this for the rest of my life.

He smiled fondly when she turned around and saw him. Nat gave him a bright smile.

Steve walked to her, held her close before give her a loving kiss.

"Morning, baby." He said

"Morning." She replied

"I love you in this look." Steve told before pressing a kiss on her neck. He knew it was her soft spot and Nat loved when he did that.

She gave a hum of approval and leaned into his touch.

"Marry me." He whispered

"No."

"Want me to stop asking you that?"

"Nah…I love it when you always ask me to marry you." She replied, "Do you think your father will oppose with our marriage."

Steve gently smiled at her, "Nothing can stop us now."