Chapter Text
It was amazing the kind of thinking a man could do in 24 hours...
Even concussed, with a ribcage that felt like a thousand pieces puzzle, in a freezing Siberian HYDRA bunker.
And it wasn't 24 hours, but 22 and 47 minutes... But who's counting, right?
Thankfully, the disabling of the suit must have registered on FRIDAY, and she would have told everyone she could reach: Vision for sure, probably Pepper.
Of course, outside of those two, all bets where off...
"Mr Stark? Mr Stark!!"
Tony took sight of the SI badges the men wore "Nice to see you, guys... Ribs broken, just so you know." And then promptly fainted. Finally.
It took five months for Tony Stark to make his first public appearance, at a UN public enquiry comittee of all things. The exiled Avengers, watching the televised hearing from their suite in T'Challa's palace, sniggered quite nastily when the man who sat at the table looked like a shadow of his former self. Certainly too thin, and moving more sedatly than he ever had before.
The chairman didn't look that hostile, though.
"Mr Stark, this committee would like to apologize for making you cut short your convalescence, but this need to be addressed soonest. I trust you are well enough to answer our questions?"
"I am."
"As you may know, The former Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross has been arrested this morning for a series of criminal charges, some in relation of the Accords. Would you like to tell us about that?"
"Oh, sooo Tony was in league with a criminal?" Clint snarked "No wonder He and Ross got like a house on fire!"
"Yes, Mr Chairman. Secretary Ross showed up in my office with sneak photos of one of my teammate children and the original version of the Accords. Either I got the Avengers to sign, or said children would be taken, and the new generation of the *super soldier* serum would be tested on them in ones of Ross facilities..."
Clint froze, and his cup of coffee shattered unheeded on the floor.
"Did you think the threat real, Mr Stark?"
"I've had enough paparazzi after me all my life to know what stolen photos look like... As for Ross going after children, he once used his own daughter to try to kidnap Dr Banner. So yes, I took it seriously."
"What did you do?"
"What I could: Ross told me I would be watched, and I know how Army equipment works, since it used to be my tech more often than not." Tony looked bitter and tired "Went two floors below and started my Lawyers on working the Accords... While trying to get the Avengers to sign those to buy a little time. The first part went perfectly well... As for the second, well, we all know about that."
"Are you against the Accords, Mr Stark?"
"No. At least not as they are now... Or going to be, since they are still in negotiations... I did sign the first version under duress, sure, because I never thought the Avengers should be *mercenaries*, especially under someone like Thaddeus Ross, who has very little respect himself for the Law or any human rights whatsoever.
He was certainly fast to lock up anyone that showed an inkling of disagreeing with him, whether they'd done something illegal or not... On the other hand, I do agree that super powered beings should be held accountable for their actions... SHIELD was what it was, but it did give some accountability to the Avengers at the beginning. Anyway, the people should have a say on who they want on their soil... Or not."
"Will you now be signing the new Accords of your own free will, Mr Stark?"
"I will if you want me to, but in my case, the point is moot. Iron Man doesn't exist anymore."
That prompted some muttering in the on looking crowd, since the hearing was public.
"What do you mean Mr Stark?"
"What I said. My friend, the Colonel Rhodes, is paralyzed from the waist down, and I can't fly the suit anymore either. Since I don't trust anyone else with this tech, Iron Man is effectively dead."
"Coward!" a Man shouted in the back, earning a frown from the chairman. Tony's face closed up even more and talked before he could be interrupted.
"A few years ago, I told another committee that the suit was a sort of prosthetics. It was the bare truth. When I got the arc reactor out of my chest when surgery was able to get the shrapnel out of my heart, I kept going because a part of me WAS Iron Man.
But flying the suit is not a walk in the park, not to mention fighting in it. When I came back from Siberia, it was found that my ribs had been completely shattered. I'm better, but my ribcage will never have a normal resistance again.
Flying the suit would simply kill me. I once almost died to save the people of New York. Forgive me for not wanting to do so just so the same people can get their thrills."
There was a moment of stunned silence before the chairman coughed lightly.
"Nobody is asking you to, Mr Stark. Did sergeant Barnes attack you in that base?"
"No. I did attack him, however."
Tony looked tired and waited till the booing from the back died off;
"In my defense, I had just watched a video of the Winter soldier killing my parents, when I'd always believed they were killed in a car accident. When I learned, right after that, that Rogers had known for a couple of years but never bothered to talk to me about it, I do admit I lost my calm and shot off Barnes metallic arm. Then Captain America used the shield my father made him to crush me and left me there. End of story."
"He left you there? You're lying!" the same man hollered.
Tony didn't lose his calm, but took the microphone and faced the man "The SI rescue team Pepper Potts sent found me there about 24 hours later. The suit was depowered so I couldn't call for help, and trying to get out of it would have killed me. Why? You thought I stayed lying on my back in an abandonned HYDRA base in siberia because I wanted to work on my tan?
I owe my life to my tech and to my CEO. Make what you want with that." He turned around "Mr chairman, if you don't have any more questions?"
"No, I think that will be all, Mr Stark. You've answered all of them and more, we can do the rest with your lawyers and the physical evidences that have been collected."
Tony left.
In Wakanda, Clint did make a very good attempt at strangling Rogers, it took all his former teammates to subdue him. Less than a week later, he turned himself in at an American Ambassy in south America. He was expelled and his trial prepared.
Tony Stark disappeared under the radar completely... Or close to. SI started churning new products like crazy: New prosthetics like the ones Colonel Rhodes obviously tested first, new tech to filter water and air, new solar panels that made the old ones look that science fair projects... Not to mention the phones, the apps... SI tech was everywhere, even more than before.
Their creator was nowhere, as far as the general public knew. Some press editors would have disagreed: It's not that Tony Stark wasn't around, but all of a sudden, he was untouchable. At first, all of them would have done just about anything to get something, ANYTHING, on the recuperating genius. Some of them did.
Those never made it to press. Tony bypassed journalists and editors alike and went for the jugular: The owners. And made the bargain clear: If they still wanted SI ad business, those were out... Otherwise...
Nobody wanted to test the otherwise. Press was, as ever, in a precarious position, and losing SI budgets would have cut to the quick for most of them.
As for the Internet... Well, Tony was leagues ahead of everyone else in this, and his pics never stayed up for more than two minutes.
Paps and nerd bloggers are nothing if not a practical bunch. As soon as they saw there was no money to be made with Stark anymore, they lost interest.
Pepper would have at some point, been overjoyed to see this: Tony was alive, was working better than ever, took a new interest in SI. He also drank far less than he used to, and even went so far as to do something for his multiple PTSD (In true Tony fashion, he went straight to the big gun, in this case Charles Xavier). He still had occasional nightmares, but not as frequent as they used to be.
But Pepper Potts was wary. Tony had changed drastically after Afghanistan, and it had gotten worse after the New York invasion... And their break -up.
But that was nothing compared to what had happened to him in that HYDRA base, and, to tell the truth, she may have been a bit afraid of that new Tony.
"I finally grew up, Peps. Some people would say it's about time, don't you think?" Tony answered calmly as she finally worked the courage to ask.
"Tony..."
"Peps, this side of me always existed: It's what enabled me to make my first suit in a cave. Funny how everybody forgets about that one, right? I've always hidden it behind masks because I so wanted to be loved, in spite of all my father showed me... I made myself into a lovable asshole, and I wanted to believe I had friends in the Avengers... I let my guard down far too fast with those, and I reaped the fruit of that mistake."
"I'm so sorry, Tony."
"Don't be. Lesson learned. I may not be able to do much about the assholery at this late date, but for the lovable part, I'll settle for quality instead of quantity. I have Rhodey, you... JARVIS. BTW, how FRIDAY is doing for you?"
"She's delightful... Misses her *boss* a little, I think."
"Aw, I'm sure she can come visit. You'll let her, won't you, Jarv?"
"Of course, sir."
"See?" And there was a bit of the old Tony that made her smile a little.
"Tony, I'm sorry."
"About our break up?" The genius asked gently. She nodded miserably and looked down till he came closer and raised her chin with two fingers. "Don't. Pep, I'm not going to lie and say it didn't hurt at the time, but you were honest about it. More honest than I was then. You're still one of my best friends, and a Hell of a CEO... At least I was right about that."
Now that was so Tony Pepper couldn't help laughing "We're good then?"
"Oh, Peps, we're better than good."
"Okay, then I want to ask: What are you gonna do with that bunch of back stabbing scum?" Pepper asked fiercely.
"Now there's a good question."
Rhodey, coming over the corner of the penthouse. He lived there now, since the military had discharged him and he'd taken a job at SI R&D, doing there what he'd done in the military: Making Tony's genius palatable to smaller minds.
"Is this an intervention? Jarv, are you onto this?"
"Sir, I must admit to share Miss Potts and the Colonel concern: You did push away any plans to have the former Avangers compound revamped."
"So, I'm right, this is an intervention..." The genius mused. Pepper exploded.
"Tony Stark! If you're thinking about taking back those... Those lowlifes here, so help me God, I'll... I'll..."
"Calm down Peps. I'm being practical, that's all. With the Skree and Skrulls taking little forays into Earth, there are rumbles of re-instating the Avengers... More than rumbles, to be honest. The public changed their mind again, and politicians being what they are, well..."
"And you're going to let this pass?"
"Not for them. We've been working on a new version of the Accords, now that Ross is rotting in a cell like he deserves. Something that will help the mutants too. You know Xavier's bunch are better disciplined and helpful than the Avengers ever dreamed to be, and are taking shit from all sides. That has got to stop."
"Who's that *we*, you're talking about?" Rhodey asked.
"Xavier, Reed and his family, Wayne, Doc Strange, some local heroes... Fury and Coulson."
There was a moment of silence before James asked in a droll tone: "Why am I not surprised those two aren't dead?"
"Dunno. Probably 'cause you met them?"
"That must be it."
"But the so called Avengers? After what happened? Truly?"
"Pep, as much as I would like to make an Avengers julienne served on Cap's shield, I can't. I've seen what's out there, remember? We can't afford it. On the other hand..."
"On the other hand?"
"If Rogers bunch think they're coming back to what was... As is likely, considering they've been mooching out of his Royal Kittiness lately, they're in for a surprise."
"They're in Wakanda?"
"Where else? Hopelessly bored, but under close surveillance, and more or less stuck there since Barnes is on ice again and we all know Rogers won't leave his *Bucky* for the world."
"The gall of that man!"
"Pep, did I ever told you you're lovely when you're fuming?" Tony smiled, Pepper blushed bright red, and Rhodey rolled his eyes.
"Keep on track, genius. What's the plan?"
"The plan is simple: The President will grant a presidential pardon once the new Accords are in their final stages. The Royal Kitty will push, and I'm sure he won't have to very hard, for them to take it and go back to the compound I've donated to the Avengers..."
"That's it?"
"Not really. They'll get the place, but not me. Retired, remember? Not me, not my tech, not my money or anything else."
It took a few seconds, but Pepper started laughing "Oh, Tony, that's devious!"
"What's devious? Tones, what..."
"Rogers and Co have always been protected: The military, SHIELD... And then me for some, HYDRA for Wanda and Barnes. None of them never had to fend for themselves and face the consequences of their actions as any normal citizen would. So they get there... And the lawsuits should start raining soon.
Pym's firm lawyers have dreams to get their hands on Lang, Wilson will have some 'splaining to do with the military... Wanda's case is even worse, and Xavier is prepared to have the girl's powers bound if she starts loosing her head again."
"He can?"
"Vision will help him if needs be..."
"And Rogers?"
"Rogers will have to deal with all of that... AND the UN and Germans. No Army or nice shady organisation to whisk him away, no nice billionaire to foot the bill this time, or to provide him with lawyers."
"He's going to blow a gasket."
"Most probably. He'll probably be desperate enough to sign whatever we put in front of him this time around. But that is going to be Fury, and most of all, Coulson's job. I won't see that man again if I can help it."
"And the two spies?"
"Barton is retired. He'll stay that way. It's up to Laura if she wants him back or not, none of my business."
"Romanov?"
"Well, she'll probably emerge from the hole she's crawled in so far at some point. Fury says she can be of use, still... He's welcome to her if she turns up, but she's not going to like it if she tries this here or on any of my properties." That was very final. "In fact, none of them are welcome there, or even at SI. If they try, JARVIS and FRIDAY have their instructions. Nothing lethal, but probably very humiliating."
"It will be my pleasure, Sir." The AI stated in what could only be called revengeful tones.
Pepper nodded and stood up "All right. I have to prepare for the next board meeting. You'll be there, right?"
"I will."
"Good. I'll see you there, then. Take care."