Chapter Text
Tony had not known how to say no to the Rogues, or to the Accords Council that had expected him to freely house them. He had never been good at saying no to Steve Rogers in particular. Because of that, it had seemed easier to just let them come and deal with whatever happened. But in the wake of what had happened, it turned out that Bucky had absolutely no problem saying no to Steve.
“Don’t you think you’re going a bit too far?” Tony asked tentatively.
“No,” Pepper and Bucky said together, in such perfect unison that Tony shrank back in alarm. His eyes darted between the two of them, taking in the identical smug expressions they were wearing. He had never thought about the fact that Pepper and Bucky could be kind of similar before, but they were – and it was terrifying.
Before he could say anything further – or rather, before Tony could even try to think of something to say – FRIDAY announced that the call had connected and the screen before them suddenly snapped into crystal clear focus. Tony’s stomach churned with renewed apprehension as he took in the callers; the screen was divided, with one half showing the Accords Council and the other half showing Rogers, Romanov, Barton, and Maximoff.
Wilson was not there, Tony noticed immediately, though that did not surprise him. After being kicked out of the tower two weeks ago by Bucky, Wilson had reportedly packed his shit up and left New York behind altogether. A few different sources suggested that Wilson had gone back to Washington where some of his family lived. Those same sources suggested that Rogers was livid about what he called “being abandoned”.
“Good morning everyone,” Pepper said with a frosty but cordial smile.
“Good morning, Ms. Potts. Thank you for joining us,” the chairman of the Accords Council said, though he looked anything but pleased that Pepper was there. After all, Pepper’s reputation as a cutthroat businesswoman who took no prisoners definitely proceeded her.
“It’s my pleasure,” Pepper said sincerely. “Now, it’s come to my attention that we need to reassess the current state of conditions for the Avengers. I’m afraid that we, and by we I specifically mean Stark Industries and Tony Stark, can no longer bankroll the Avengers nor allow them to live in Stark Tower or on the grounds of the Compound.”
Her announcement came alongside a bunch of protests, but Barton’s was the loudest. He practically yelled, “Hold on a minute! No offence, but why is Pepper even speaking about the Avengers?”
“I am speaking on behalf of Mr. Stark and Stark Industries,” Pepper said, her voice dripping with icy disdain. “Which I still have leeway to do, given that I owe part of Stark Tower and that attending to the Avengers cuts into the time Mr. Stark can give to his company.”
“Same goes for me,” Bucky said. He wasn’t quite as good at sounding cold like Pepper, but the dangerous glint in his eyes helped to make up for it. “I have the right to decide who is permitted in the tower. As of now, Steve Rogers, Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanov, and Clint Barton are no longer allowed inside of any property that is legally owned by Stark Industries or Tony Stark.”
This time the chorus of protests that broke out from the Rogues and from the Council was so loud that no one voice could be heard. Tony had to force himself not to shrink away from the babble of angry voices. He broke out into a cold sweat. Under the table, Bucky’s hand found Tony’s and squeezed gently. The contact helped even as Bucky spoke loudly and firmly enough to slice through the cacophony.
“Make no mistake, this is due to the actions of Natasha Romanov and Steve Rogers. They were given express orders to not go outside certain areas in the tower. Both of them directly violated those orders several times. I have recorded proof of this,” Bucky added when he saw Rogers squaring his shoulders. “They are a threat to the safety of both Tony Stark and Stark Industries.”
“Mr. Rogers, is this true?” the chairman demanded.
It was a pleasure to see Rogers looking so uncomfortable. “Well – that is, we were just trying to talk to Tony. He wouldn’t talk to us!”
“Mr. Stark invited you to make an appointment through his personal assistant, just as anyone else would,” Pepper cut in smoothly. “I have spoken to her. You never once contacted her.”
“We shouldn’t have to!” Rogers said, clearly annoyed. “We’re a team.”
“I don’t see how we can be a team if we can’t trust you to do as we ask,” Bucky shot back. “You were asked to stay off of a couple of floors, and you couldn’t even do that. I found Natasha Romanov standing over Tony Stark while he was sleeping. Explain to me what part of that is talking.”
“Ms. Romanov!” one of the other Council members exclaimed, looking appalled, and Natasha looked very defensive. Yet she said nothing, which Tony thought was probably wise. At least Natasha was smart enough to know when to keep quiet. But the same could not be said for her teammates.
“Natasha didn’t do anything to hurt Stark! She didn’t do anything like what he deserved!” Maximoff said, looking so mad that red sparks were raining from her fingers. Tony shuddered a little to see it, and Bucky’s grip on his hand tightened.
It surprised Tony a little, when he reflected on it, that Maximoff hadn’t been a bigger threat during all of this. Yet maybe that was because she just hadn’t known. Tony was certain that she would’ve jumped at the chance to get into his head again if she could’ve, so Rogers and Romanov must’ve deliberately kept it from her. Either they didn’t trust her, or they didn’t trust her powers.
“Wanda,” Barton said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“You can see why we are having issues,” Pepper said with a meaningful look towards the Council members. “I’m afraid that other arrangements will need to be made.”
The chairman was frowning deeply. “I understand where you are coming from, Ms. Potts, but some warning would have been nice. We don’t have the funding to support the Avengers, since we thought Mr. Stark was happy to take care of it.” The implicit accusation couldn’t have been more obvious if he’d yelled.
“You’re the Accords Council. You will need to figure it out,” Bucky stated, his voice as cold as Pepper’s had been. “In the meantime, both Iron Man and I will be taking a break from the Avengers.”
Tony set his jaw as the council members protested. They didn’t really care about Iron Man, he knew. They cared about the money he brought to the team. Yet it still hurt; it still felt like he was turning back on the whole world and all the innocent people who lived there. But at the same time, he knew that it was the right move to make. His brain just wasn’t in the right place after the past few weeks.
It wasn’t forever. He and Bucky had already discussed that in great detail. It was temporary. But Bucky had also clearly stated that he wasn’t above pretending that it would be forever if things didn’t go as they should. Things need to change, Bucky had said with that familiar, stubborn glint in his eyes, like he was ready to tear down anything that stood in the way.
“This is a decision we made together,” Tony said, speaking for the first time. He didn’t want anyone trying to say Bucky had forced him into this. “I have some… personal things to take care of. And unlike some people on this call, I know when to take a step back from being a superhero.”
“You mean you know how to give up,” Rogers said. “I’m ashamed of you. Both of you.” His pointed gaze took in both Tony and Bucky this time. “We’re supposed to be a team.”
“I don’t think you know the meaning of the word,” Bucky said.
“Bucky!” Rogers said, somewhere between hurt and offended.
“This is non-negotiable,” Pepper said loudly, getting them back on track. “The Avengers are a liability that we can’t afford. Therefore, I’m afraid that they are now entirely your responsibility. If the council would like to look into renting the Compound from us, we are prepared to discuss that possibility. Similarly, if you’d like to retain Mr. Stark’s time for weapons and armor, you will be charged accordingly.”
The chairman looked very indignant, and like he was going to say something he couldn’t take back. But one of the other members of the Council, a young woman that Tony didn’t recognize, spoke up before he could.
“We appreciate the notice, Ms. Potts. We’ll need some time to determine what our next steps are. Mr. Stark, Mr. Barnes, would it be possible for you to delay your vacation for the time being until the Council decides whether Captain America, Black Widow, the Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye are fit for duty? It’s come to my attention that we may have been… premature in our decision to put them back on the team.”
“What?!” Rogers burst out.
“You can’t do that!” Hawkeye exclaimed.
“This is crazy!” Maximoff cried.
Only Romanov remained quiet. Tony studied her, but she wouldn’t even look at them. He couldn’t imagine that she was ashamed of her behavior, so Tony could only assume that she was mad she had been caught in the act by Bucky – and that Bucky hadn’t fallen for hers and Steve’s claims. It had probably been a blow to her pride.
The woman from the Council looked positively frosty. “That is for us to decide. Your contracts explicitly say that the Council is permitted to pull any of you from active standing if we need to at any time, for any reason.”
Bucky was looking at Tony. Somehow, without even speaking to him, Tony knew that Bucky was waiting for him to make the call. If Tony didn’t want to do it, Bucky would support him. If he did, then Bucky would be okay with that too. Tony’s heart warmed. It felt good to know that Bucky was on side side here, not Rogers’ or anyone else. It gave him the strength to answer.
“You have two weeks,” Tony said, turning back to the screen. “After that, we’re both on an extended vacation unless something that could end the world happens.”
“Thank you,” the woman said, looking relieved. “We appreciate your understanding. We’ll be in touch.”
“What about us? Where will we live? Bucky, you can’t let him do this!” Rogers pleaded.
“I’m in full support of this. In fact, it was my idea,” Bucky said, looking Rogers squarely in the eye. “I warned you, Steve. I told you to back off. And you wouldn’t listen. That’s not Tony’s fault. You have no one to blame for this but yourself.”
“But –” Whatever else Rogers was going to say was cut off when Pepper ended the call.
“Pep, that was rude,” Tony said, only somewhat amused.
“They’ve all had more than enough of your time,” Pepper replied. “I don’t even like the fact that you agreed to keep going for two more weeks.”
“I didn’t want to. But people need us,” Tony said quietly.
Bucky looked at him fondly. “You’ve got such a big heart, baby,” he said, and Tony blushed in embarrassment.
“Okay, you two. I have to get back to work,” Pepper said, getting up. “Tony, you’re off for the rest of the day.”
“Huh?” Tony said, startled, and Pepper smiled gently.
“Go have a nice day with Bucky. You’ve earned it,” she said. “There’s nothing we have to take care of today that won’t wait.”
“Thanks Pep,” Tony said, hoping that she would understand he meant everything, and Pepper winked at him. As she left, Tony turned to Bucky. He’d been a little worried about Bucky’s reaction today. It was somewhat surprising to see that Bucky looked content.
“You know, I feel like there’s a weight gone from my shoulders,” Bucky said before Tony could ask. “I haven’t felt this light in years. I feel like celebrating. Wanna go to the toy store?”
Tony’s eyes lit up, all thoughts of Rogers and his crew forgotten. “Yes!”