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“Steve just what did you do to Stark?” asked Clint with a horrified expression. Steve closed his eyes as he tried to think of an answer.
“I didn’t want to hurt him, I just” he trailed off, a conflicted look on his face. Clint buried his face in his hands.
“I don’t really like the guy that much, but you could have killed him” said Clint when he looked up again, “You could have killed the only man that the world hates to love, do you really know what that could mean to you? To us?”
Steve looked at his teammates and sighed, it was not going to get easier.
The world had been in uproar since the videos had leaked, countless flowers had been laid in the entrance of several Stark buildings, and protests had been made. People asking for Steve’s head were out for blood. Just a week before someone had vandalized the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian. Pepper couldn’t help but to smile as she took a sip of her coffee.
Virginia Potts had been handling Tony Stark for years, she had been with him at his absolute best and at his worst and while she knew that she couldn’t really handle a relationship with Tony, she was always going to be there for him. When the videos leaked she had been at her office reading a magazine, her phone had vibrated as she had Tony in her Google alerts, she honestly didn’t knew what to expect when she opened the link but she was not expecting a that particular video.
Howard and Maria Stark murdered by the Winter Soldier and the Captain America beating the hell out of Tony. She had been livid that something like that had been posted; she had immediately called Tony only to be surprised when he calmly answered. The cold edge of his voice was evident, nothing malicious but determined, he explained in soft tones the consequences of one actions, that people sometimes had to suffer before it all went right. She understood her actions immediately; Pepper Potts could be vicious when someone she loved was threatened. Tony Stark was downright murderous, but he knew how to play his cards.
Pepper stood by the window watching her personnel removing the flowers by the fifth time that morning a strange smile on her face.
“Miss Potts, your next appointment is here,” said Debora, her assistant, from the door, Pepper turned and smiled at her.
“Send them in” she said, the pleasant smile still on her face.
“But do we really give them that? You saw what he did, what happened in Germany, what’s not to say they have done worse and we don’t know yet?” asked the blonde reporter from Fox News, her partner seemed squeamish as he answered.
“But he’s captain America, his team surely was fighting for a good cause” the man said not completely convinced, the blonde huffed.
“They left an injured man behind, a civilian, I don’t care that Stark favors himself as a superhero, he was completely defenseless in that video, he saw his parents being murdered, the whole world did by now, if that’s what captain America and his band of merry men are willing to do to a fellow partner of their team I shudder to think what would happen to a normal person” the blonde said, angrily, her partner fixed his tie awkwardly.
“Bring us the sports John” he said before the camera changed.
“He’s no hero, he’s a terrorist he doesn’t deserve being called Captain America, that is not what America stands for” said an old war veteran in an interview, the man interviewing him nodded.
“What would be your message to Tony Stark, sir?” asked the young reporter, the veteran looked straight into the camera.
“Son, I hope that you are better, have no fear that the American people stands with you in grief, I speak for all the Americans when I tell you this, those terrorist wont get away with what they did to you, to Lagos, Budapest, Germany, we stand united, I am very sorry Tony Stark”
“You know, it is psychologically impossible, there was no other way that Mr. Stark would have probably acted, he saw his parents being murdered and the murderer, whereas the man was brainwashed or not, was standing right there, it’s a traumatic event and it is no secret that Mr. Stark suffers from PTSD, as a professional I can only wonder what Mr. Stark felt at that moment” said a psychologist that was being interviewed in Good Morning America, the hostess nodded at him.
“And what about the Captain hiding it from him?” she asked.
“It made things worse of course, Mr. Rogers should have told Mr. Starks as soon as he knew, that kind of secrets are dangerous, and if they really shared a bond of friendship, loosing one’s trust that way is ground-shattering, I feel really sorry for Mr. Stark’s lost, I think the entire nation does, and the thing is, and im speaking as an American citizen now, it cannot go unpunished, I mean Mr. Stark made mistakes in the past, but you can se how he has atone for them, but what Mr. Rogers did? It’s unforgivable”
“I don’t really know Greg, sure Rogers helped save New York and he and Barnes fought in world war two but, if they are truly the real deal, I cannot begin to understand them, Mr. Stark was probably the most affected by everything, he lost his friends and it was like if his parents died again, it must be horrible, I cannot imagine loosing my parents, then having to relive the moment” said the MIT scientist that was on TV.
“Yeah, and we all see him a couple weeks before that at MIT when he was showing up BARF” the man Greg chuckled “Still a funky name that one, but you could see his memory from the example, it was of his parents, you don’t have to be a professional to know that the man was still haunted by that particular memory”
“The man’s a genius, eidetic memory and all that, must be tough to always remember” said the other man, Greg nodded.
“Could you please turn that off?” asked Clint from his place on the couch, Steve wanted to protest but a glare from the archer silenced him, he obliged.
“I don’t know why all the pity for Stark” said Wanda haughtily from her chair, Scott who was near raised an eyebrow.
“Well maybe the world knows that Steve left a man behind in Siberia” said Sam from another couch.
“I was trying to save Bucky” argued Steve, Sam rolled his eyes.
“Man, I love you but that doesn’t really excuses leaving a man behind, that is the first thing they teach us, no man left behind, no matter if you hate his guts, he’s an American and you have to drag his ass back with you” said Sam, Steve blushed and refused to meet his eyes.
“Surely people are overreacting” said Wanda, Scott scoffed.
“Sure let me kill your parents and then let me show you a video of me doing so” Scott said, Wanda glared at him.
“Stark killed my parents” Scott groaned.
“Did he know? Did he pull the trigger? Lady, that bomb was built by his company, yes, that doesn’t mean that he killed them, trust me, otherwise many people would be trying many gun makers cause a gun they made killed their family members, honestly if you hadn’t had your head that far up you’re a-”
“Quit it Scott” said Steve, Scott looked at him bored and stretched before standing from the couch.
“Right no back talking to the red woman here, she’s never wrong, just a kid” he said sarcastically before leaving, Clint sighed and left too.
“Hey babycakes, you’ll never guess what my best girl Fry just found” said Tony with a smirk on his face as he walked into Rhodey’s room.
“I’ll never guess, but I’m sure you’ll tell me anyways honeybuns” said Rhodey, Tony laughed and handed Rhodey the starkpad that he was holding. Several minutes later Rhodey looked at Tony wide-eyed. “You won’t be leaving space for forgiveness Tones” said Rhodey handing Tony back the starkpad; Tony raised an eyebrow.
“Would you want me to?” Tony asked, Rhodey grinned at him.
“Hell no, we might have to find a way to get Friday a gift, she deserves it”
“See! I had been right all along, that witch, she was the one who caused Johannesburg and Sokovia, her fault!” said the reporter.
“It seems that we owe Tony Stark yet another apology Maggie” her partner said, Maggie nodded.
“Joe, this is more than just an apology, we have wronged an innocent man, that witch deserves to be burned!” Maggie screeched unprofessionally, Joe winced.
“I’m sure the UN along with the intelligence agencies will help us find them and they will face justice” said Joe trying to calm his friend, since the release of the Sokovian and Johannesburg videos the world had gone up in a frenzy again and Fox News was having a field day with the news.
“We can only hope Joe, we can only hope”
Tony muted the TV and smirked at Rhodey; Rhodey was sitting on the couch, as they were both in the Penthouse of Avengers Tower.
“Completely evil Tones” Rhodes said laughing, Tony smiled at him.
“Well, they wanted a villain, I’ll give them one” Tony said as he sat back and grabbed a slice of pizza, good thing he hadn’t exactly told them who was going to be the villain, just that it was not going to be him, not anymore.
Life was just looking really damn good, or maybe it was the penthouse view.