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“On your right.” He stops dead, the voice is amused, he also hasn’t heard it in months, not since New York.
“Have you been watching me?” Steve asks, twisting around to see Tony standing to his side, a grin playing on his lips.
“Today or..?” He’s smiling around the words and Steve suddenly remembers why he hasn’t seen Tony since New York.
“What do you want Stark?” He asks, unable to keep the exasperation out of his voice. He doens't have time for this, wants to believe he doesn't have time for Tony.
“Stark? Hmm..?” Tony replies, pulling something from his pocket before passing him a credit card sized piece of plastic, or what Steve assumes is plastic since you never know with Stark, it’s printed with a holo of his face and The Avengers emblazoned on one side.
“You’re getting the Avengers back together?” He asks, his eyebrows drawn down in confusion, it's not really something he'd expected after hearing news of what Tony had done with the armours.
“Way to make us sound like a reforming rock band there Cap.” Tony responds an easy smile on his lips. “But yeah. I’m reassembling them, seems a good idea with SHIELD gone.” Steve doesn't say anything for a moment trying to get his thoughts in order.
“And the others?” Tony just shrugs, not really meeting Steve's eyes as he speaks.
“Bruce has a card, but him and the big guy kinda took a trip when we got word on SHIELD. Thor’s somewhere in England but I hear the lovely Ms. Foster has just got a good position here in the States so I can’t imagine it will be too hard to get him to join in." Steve raises an eyebrow at that but Tony takes no notice and continues. "As for our master assassins, well it wasn't too hard to get them to agree, once I found them, what with their jobs suddenly being a little less, shall we say secure?” Steve nods, it does seem like a good idea to have some form of defence should the inevitable happen, and if he’s involved from the start and it’s just a small group of them, then maybe he can stop what happened with SHIELD happening again. “You should give a card to your bird friend.” Tony says, pressing a second card into Steve’s hands, it’s got Sam’s face on it. Steve scowls at it before putting it in his pocket, it’s not up to him to make Sam’s choice.
"And you?" Tony sighs, looking out across the road, he looks like he really wishes Steve hadn't brought him up at all.
"I've started to rebuild, Peps not too happy but she understands." It's tired and Steve knows there is more to this that Tony is purposely not telling him, something in the sad way his face contorts. He want's to ask, get the full story but he also doesn't want to push, not sure it's even any of his business.
“I’ll think on it.” He says, turning away from Tony. "I'll-"
“I can help.” Tony cuts in and Steve can’t help the way his head snaps up at that. “I can help you find Bucky.”
///***///
He goes to see Sam, decides it's better to get this over with rather than let it drag on, knows it's not the big deal he's making it into.
"He’s in with someone." Sam's receptionist, Sarah, says, smiling at him like she has everytime he has visited Sam at work. "You're welcome to go through and wait in his office if you'd like, I know Sam won't mind."
He nods his thanks and walks through the building to Sam's office in the back. Sam's office isn't all that big, nothing more than a desk and a few bookcases lining the walls. He doesn't sit down, it's feels wrong to do so somehow with Sam not present but it’s not long before Sam walks in, he looks tired and Steve wonders if dropping this on him now is such a good idea, wonders if Sam even cares to join the Avengers at all, but he knows he has to ask.
“Hey.” Sam says smiling as he comes round to sit behind his desk, Steve stays standing but he smiles back.
“I saw Tony earlier.” He blurts out, surprised at himself.
“Oh yeah and what did Mr. Stark want?” Sam’s still smiling but it looks a little more drawn and Steve wonders what Sam seems to have against Tony, wonders why it bothers him that Sam doesn't seem to like him.
“He’s reassembling the Avengers, even said theres a place for you if you want.” He passes over the card to Sam, watching as his face fills with confusion before melting into a vague sort of excitement.
“He wants me to join you guys, or was it just a way to get you to agree?” He’s teasing a little but Steve can tell he knows there is more to this. He's not sure what to say, convinced no matter how he says it, it's going to come out wrong.
“No, he used Bucky to get me to say yes.” He finally sits down, his legs suddenly feel heavy and he can’t quite look at Sam. “Said he’d help me find him. Said he’d do it whether I joined or not, but...” He shrugs, feeling slightly uncomfortable for some reason.
“But it doesn't seem right taking advantage like that.” Steve nods, feeling better knowing Sam gets it, hopes Sam will agree to join too. “Look, Steve I said I was with you and I damn well meant it.” He shrugs, he’s smiling brightly so Steve knows he doesn’t mind but it still feels a little wrong, as much as Sam was a soldier, is a soldier, it still seems like he’s dragging a civilian into something he doesn’t need to be a part of, but he knows that doesn’t matter if he wants to help.
“He also offered me a room in the Tower.” Steve says after a beat.
“So you’re moving out?” Sam asks, he's still smiling so Steve assumes he doesn’t mind, but it still feels like he's abandoning Sam somehow.
“You can come to.” Steve says, it sounds like an after thought even if he didn’t mean it that way.
“To stay in the Tower?” Sam laughs, though Steve doesn’t know what he finds so funny. “I’m fine with my apartment, but if I ever change my mind you’ll be the first to know.” Steve nods, standing from his chair. "I can't believe I'm going to be an Avenger." Sam says as Steve walks out the door, and Steve hopes they aren't making a mistake.