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The day after the Avengers received their official pardon, Tony was bent over the Mark LXXI. Or bent over as well he could be, considering that his ribs still gave him a lot of trouble if he tried to contort his body too much. Not that he would ever actually admit that, but he was alone in the workshop for once with only FRIDAY and the 'bots for company, so he felt free to let out a little groan of discomfort as he painfully straightened his body. He had to lean against the desk for a moment, panting.
The evidence of what had happened in Siberia and then later at the Raft might have disappeared on the outside, but Helen had warned him that he would forever feel it on the inside and she, unfortunately, hadn't been joking.
"FRIDAY, give me a rough estimate as to when you think that the prototype for Darcy's new taser will be built," he said, rubbing both hands over his face. Her old taser had been stepped on by Cooper, of all people. Hopefully that would teach Darcy a lesson about leaving tech out where young, unsuspecting hands - or feet, in this case - could get at it.
"Roughly four hours and twenty minutes, Boss," FRIDAY responded.
Tony considered that, looking down at the Iron Man armor. This version was sleeker, meant for underwater maneuverability just in case they ever encountered an enemy that opted to take the fight down instead of up. It was still very much a work in progress, as he was having difficulty figuring out a way to keep the oxygen system from making the armor too bulky. He didn't think he was going to get much further on it today, not when black spots were starting to dance in front of his eyes and his stomach kept growling periodically. It was probably time for a break.
"What's going on in the rest of the tower?" he asked, thinking that he might be tempted to vacate the workshop of his own volition for once. It would give Darcy a shock if she was around, that was for sure.
"Captain Rogers just entered the building," FRIDAY said.
For a moment, Tony thought that he'd misheard. "What?"
"I said Captain Rogers just entered the tower," FRIDAY repeated. "Agent Barton, Agent Romanov, and Sam Wilson have followed. They're requesting an audience with you."
"Shit," Tony said under his breath. His instinct was to send them all away because he definitely did not want to talk to any of them, but that would only end in trouble. Steve was just stubborn enough to pull some underhanded tactics if he thought Tony was deliberately dodging him.
"Boss?"
"Send them to the common room floor," Tony commanded, scrambling to his feet. His chest tightened with pain, but he didn't have the luxury of enough time to pause until it went away. He dove for the elevator and still felt like every second was taking way too long, even though FRIDAY was rushing him to the common room floor as quickly as possible. By contrast, she was purposely making sure that the elevator containing their unwelcomed visitors was going as slow as possible.
The elevator doors opened and Tony leapt out, scanning the living room. FRIDAY had given him the rundown: Pepper and Maggie were both at Stark Industries. Hope was also at work. Rhodey was out of town. Peter was at school. Shuri and T'Challa were in Wakanda, and he was suddenly regretting turning down T'Challa's offer to be here in New York. Sharon and Darcy had gone somewhere with Maria Hill earlier. He wasn't sure where the Vision was, which was unfortunate because that just left Laura, Betty, Jane, and the children. Jane and Betty were missing, but Laura was watching television with the kids.
"Get the kids out of here," Tony said.
"Tony?" Laura said, turning to him immediately.
"Steve, Clint, Natasha and Sam are on their way up," Tony told her. "FRIDAY, warn Betty and Jane too."
Laura's jaw tightened in a familiar way. "Cooper," she said, "take your sister and brother and Cassie up to your room. Do not come out until I say you can, understand?"
"But Mom -"
"Cooper." Laura pinned him with a look. Cooper scowled but took Nathaniel, holding the baby close to his body. He hustled Lila and Cassie past Tony into the elevator. The doors closed and whisked them away. Almost at the same time, the other elevator doors opened and revealed what was basically Tony's worst nightmare in human form.
He was vaguely aware that Laura was standing up behind him, but he didn't look back to see what she was doing. If she was smart, she was leaving the room. Instead, he spread his hands and forced a smile onto his face. "Cap. What a surprise."
"Tony," Steve said. "It's good to see you again. You look... better."
"Not hard to make an improvement over the last time we saw each other," Tony said, trying to keep his voice light. Part of him was embarrassed that the Avengers had seen him like that, though he understood why Sharon and the others had gone to them for help. But that didn't mean he had to like it.
Steve nodded. "That's true, but still, you -"
"What are you doing here?" Tony asked, rudely cutting him off. He didn't want to listen to whatever Steve had to say. As far as he was concerned, there was no reason for any of the Avengers to be here at all. And he didn't want to stand around making pointless small talk.
"I wanted to see you," Steve said.
"Why?"
"You're my friend."
The word stung. A lot. But Tony refused to let it show. Behind him, he heard the doors to the emergency stairs open and he figured that either Jane or Betty had come in. He kept his attention on Steve. "We're not friends," he said as calmly as possible. "Friends don't keep secrets."
"I wasn't the only one who -"
Tony held up a hand. "I didn't say you were. We both kept secrets. We both ruined things. Let's not rehash that now. Or ever. Up until now, we've gone our separate ways. There's no reason why that has to change. There's enough room in New York for two superhero teams. The Avengers compound is still there waiting for you guys. You're welcome to it. I'm sure you can figure out some way to keep it running." His smile felt frozen on his face.
"But you need us," Steve said. "You have all these civilians trying to protect the world, but now that the Avengers are back it's not necessary. We can get the team back together." He took a step towards Tony.
A part of Tony froze. He wasn't even listening to what Steve was saying anymore. This was the first time he'd been so close to Steve since that fight in Siberia, and his mind was clicking back to that split second when Steve had been looming over him with the shield held high. That second when he honestly thought that Steve was going to kill him. The pain in his chest was rapidly getting worse, and he couldn't speak or move.
Betty didn't have that problem. She slid smoothly between them. Steve drew up short when he saw the gun in her hand, his hands coming up in the universal pose to show he wasn't a threat. Natasha and Clint both tensed: she put a hand to her hip, while Clint's hand went to his upper arm. Neither of them drew weapons yet, probably because Sam put a restraining hand on both their shoulders to stop them. The last thing they needed was a shoot-out in the middle of the living room.
"Back up," Betty said, each word cold and hard and deliberate. "I mean it."
"Betty, what are you doing?" Tony croaked, mind finally clicking into gear. He forced aside the thoughts of Siberia, trying to focus on the here and now. Laura's warmth, when she drew closer, helped a little.
"I'm not here to hurt anyone," Steve said, and his voice came out in that low, soothing tone he used to speak to scared civilians.
"You already hurt him, and I'm sick of seeing the people I care about get hurt," Betty said. She cocked the gun. "I said back up."
Steve took a deep breath and obeyed, taking a step back. "You know that can't hurt me," he said, obviously choosing to ignore the first part of what she'd said.
"No, but I can." Jane walked past Tony and got in front of him so easily it was like she'd practiced it. Her hands were glowing with a familiar dark light. Tiny lightning sparks danced over her hair, which was an indication of just how mad she was.
"Jane!" Tony said, because what the hell?
Steve's eyes darted between the two of them. "You're civilians," he said slowly. "You shouldn't be here."
"I'm no civilian." Laura bumped Tony's shoulder one last time and then notched an arrow as she stepped up beside Betty on her left. She drew the string back to her shoulder. "I'm still technically a SHIELD agent. So go ahead, Captain. Try me."
Tony couldn't see her face, but there was no doubt in his mind that she was smiling in that way that meant she was truly pissed. His mouth hung open uselessly.
"Oh my god," Clint said under his breath. His face held an expression of absolute panic. Even Natasha was looking unsettled now, her usual composed demeanor shattering now that Laura was part of the situation.
"Steve," Sam said.
"Betty. Guys - it's fine. We're just talking," Tony said, stepping forward. He had every intention of gently taking the gun out of Betty's hand, which would hopefully take the stress out of the situation. He had no idea how everything has escalated so quickly.
But without even looking over her shoulder, Betty thrust her free hand out to stop his progress. "It's not fine. You're not fine. We're tired of you pretending that you are."
Tony stopped.
"I think it's time that you left," Jane said. She was very calm, very polite, and very angry. "In the future, you should really make an appointment through Pepper or Maggie if you need to talk to Tony about something. They'll vet whatever it is you need and decide if an appointment is necessary. We'd appreciate it if you didn't just show up at the tower. Next time, you won't be as welcomed."
"You call this welcoming?" Clint muttered, and Jane must've glared at him or made a threatening movement, because in the next breath he winced and took a hasty step back.
"Tony," Steve said. "Come on. This is ridiculous."
Laura released. Her arrow struck the floor where Steve had been standing less than a second before. They all watched as the tip sank an inch or two into the wood; there was a hissing sound as it turned to liquid, which quickly started to melt a hole. Just as fast, Laura had another arrow notched and ready to fly.
"Right," Sam said, "I think we're done here. Let's go, Steve."
A mulish look crossed Steve's face. It was the expression he made when he wasn't getting his way. And for a moment, Tony honestly thought that Steve was going to be stupid enough to press the issue. Stupid enough to face down three Protectors, each of whom was armed and ready to fight. Stupid enough to assume that the gun Betty was holding didn't have bullets that could hurt him.
"If that's how you're going to be," Steve said tightly. "I came here hoping that we could be friends and work together, but obviously you're not ready to be the bigger man and put the past behind us. Come find me when you're done sulking, Stark."
He stormed into the elevator. Sam hesitated before following.
"Laura," Clint said.
"Go," Laura said. "Both of you. I mean it."
It took Natasha physically yanking on his arm before Clint moved, and even then he stared longingly at Laura until the elevator doors shut. No one moved until FRIDAY announced that the four of them had left the tower.
"Are you crazy?" The question tumbled out before Tony had even realized he was going to ask it. He could barely wrap his mind around what had just happened.
"What an asshole," Jane said, ignoring him entirely. Her hands stopped glowing, but her hair continued to spark. "Who does he think he is, just showing up here out of the blue? Like he has any right? You should've put an arrow in his ass, Laura."
"I thought about it," Laura said darkly, releasing the arrow and lowering her bow.
"What did you... why did you..." Tony sputtered.
Betty was only one who turned around to look at him. Her arms were loose by her sides now, though she was still holding the gun. It was, Tony realized belatedly, was one of Sharon's guns, which meant that the bullets definitely could've done Steve some damage.
"You're not fine," she said again. "And you don't need to pretend like you're okay with them."
Tony's throat felt tight. He swallowed hard. "They're -"
"Your old teammates," Betty said. "I get that. But that doesn't mean you need to let them into your territory. I don't know everything that happened, but they lost the privilege for that as far as I'm concerned. If they want to talk to you, they can follow the same rules as everyone else."
"You were going to shoot him," Tony said weakly. It was the only thing he could think of to say. Short of Rhodey, Pepper and Happy, no one had ever stood up for him like that before. It was so hard to believe, yet there was no doubt in his mind that all three of them would've fought with the Avengers if Steve hadn't backed down.
"Yes," Betty said mildly. "I would have. Sharon's right; I think it would've been therapeutic."
"Sharon's... oh my god." Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. "Betty, you guys can't just go around shooting people. Especially not Captain America!"
"Then he shouldn't come into your tower like he has a right to be here."
Clearly, she wasn't going to hear reason. He turned to Laura. "That was your husband," he said in a desperate bid to make things make sense.
"I know," Laura said.
"You shot at him."
"I know," she repeated. "Well, technically I shot at Rogers, but yes. Clint's a big boy, Tony. If he didn't want me shooting arrows at his ass, then he should've taken the time to think out his decisions before acting so impulsively."
"He's your husband," Tony said again, because he felt it was necessary. "Why are you choosing me over him?"
Laura paused in the midst of setting down her bow. She turned to look at him. There was something very kind in her face. "Because right now, I think you're the one who's doing the right thing," she said. "Clint isn't my enemy. Ultimately, I believe we're working towards the same cause. And in the future, we might even get to the point where we can all work together.
"But you protected me and my children when Clint left us behind. I'll grant him that he didn't know it would turn into this, but he still left us after he swore that he was finished. I'm still angry, especially because he hasn't even tried to apologize. The last three times I talked to him, all he gave me was excuses. I've known that man for almost twenty years. I'm fucking sick of excuses."
Hearing Laura swear actually gave Tony pause, because he'd never heard her use that kind of language before. "I don't want to fight," he said, and it sounded kind of pathetic even to his own ears. He was just so tired.
"You don't have to," said Jane.
"You shouldn't either. Steve's right. You're civilians."
"So are you."
Tony crossed his arms, sensing that he was losing the battle. Was it even a battle? He didn't even know anymore. All he knew was that past thirty minutes had flipped his whole world around. The thought that any of the Protectors would actually protect him had never once occurred to him - mostly because he didn't think of himself as someone who needed, much less deserved, protection.
"He wouldn't have hurt me," he said half-heartedly.
Laura and Jane exchanged a look. Betty came over to Tony and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I'm not sure that even you believe that, so don't expect the rest of us to," she said quietly. "I'm not sorry for pulling a gun on him, Tony. He was getting into your space, and that's an intimidation tactic whether either of you realized it or not. My father used to pull the same stunt on me all the time and it pisses me off to see other people do the same thing."
She was warm and Tony leaned into her a little. He'd never admit it, but he was suddenly deeply relieved that three of them had been there. Steve hadn't come here for a fight, no. He'd come looking to guilt trip and pull that whole 'Captain America is Disappointed in Your Choices' spiel that always managed to get Tony in the heart. No matter how much Tony wanted to believe that he would've told Steve to fuck off, he couldn't be sure that he would've. Someday he'd figure out how to steel himself against the captain, but today was not that day.
"He did look pretty shocked," he mumbled.
Betty smiled. "Yeah, he did. Sharon's been teaching me how to shoot. She's going to be so proud to hear I pulled a gun on Captain America."
"Okay, seriously, I think I need to stage an intervention for you two at this point."
"I have a better idea. I'll call the kids down and we can bake cookies," Laura said.
Tony stared at her. It sounded ludicrous. But then again, what about this day hadn't been? "You want to bake cookies?"
"Cookies are good for the soul. I could have some cookies," Jane said.
"Excellent. Cookies it is. Jane, would you come with me to get the kids?" Laura was already walking towards the elevator. Jane joined her. The doors closed and whisked them away.
"What just happened?" Tony asked the room at large, and felt Betty stifling a laugh beside him.