Tony knew he should have known better. He knew betrayal. He knew how it felt, how it tasted. He knew that the people closest to him had a tendency to betray him, because of course, Tony Stark didn't have human feelings and Stark men are made of iron, son.
First, Sunset Bain betrayed him when she seduced him for Stark Industries secrets when he was sixteen. Howard had beat him something fierce for that. Then, Howard’s old business partners son, Tiberius, pretended to care about him only to drag him further down and destroy his reputation.
Those two instances alone should have warned him to trust people less, but it hadn’t. Tony had always been of the mindset to give people the benefit of the doubt, and that once again lead to betrayal; Obadiah Stane.
After his godfather betrayed him for money and power and his father’s business, Tony should have known better than to open himself up to the Avengers, to Fury and SHIELD – but they had seemed different. Rogers was Captain America, the Righteous and Just, and Tony could have never imagined trusting the man would have lead to him nearly dying in a Siberian HYDRA bunker.
Tony never once believed that that man could ever betray him.
He could never have been more wrong.
***
Despite the anti-blowy upy Extremis Helen had given him, Tony was firmly told to rest once he got back to the States. He’d undergone two surgeries to fix what Rogers and Barnes had done in Siberia, and his body still throbbed whenever he thought about it.
Tony knew he wasn’t wholly innocent in the whole matter. He’d thrown the first punch, but after hearing that a man he’d trusted lie to him, then reluctantly admit he’d known for two f*cking years that Howard and Maria Stark had been assassinated by his best pal, the Winter Soldier AKA HYDRA...that had hurt. It had hurt so badly Tony had wanted to make Rogers hurt just as bad as he was.
It had devolved from there, and a baseline human in a can being wailed on by two enhanced couldn’t have ended well, and it didn’t.
But Tony hadn’t wanted them dead. He’d wanted to hurt Rogers for hurting him; he’d wanted to hurt Barnes because he killed his mom. If he’d wanted to kill them, he’d have flown from the bunker and blown it to hell with the missiles he had in the suit.
The media had begun running stories, most of them pure speculation, but had dubbed the whole thing the ‘Avengers Civil War.’ The Accords Council had dubbed the ‘Rogue Avengers’ criminals and wanted fugitives for what they’d done, pressured by distraught and furious governments, namely Nigeria, Germany, and Romania.
Tony didn’t blame them. Innocent people had died throughout the ‘Civil War’, and those governments wanted justice. Already Tony had paid for the damage he, Rhodey, Vision, and Spidey had caused in Germany, and they’d been thankful but firmly refused his offer to pay for everyone else’s damages.
Romania, too, refused his money but accepted the Maria Stark Foundation’s help in the clean-up of the collapsed tunnel and shot to hell apartment building Barnes had lived in. Another group of the MSF had gone to help in Nigeria, too, and they had also refused his money due to him not having been an Avenger or even there when Maximoff blew a building to hell.
Tony had listened to Christine Everhart drag the ‘Rogues’ through the mud while, surprisingly, praising him. It was a nice change, but altogether a strange feeling to, for once, not be on the rotten end of the stick.
After returning from thr hospital in Germany, Tony threw himself into cleaning up the post Civil War mess. He paid his dues, apologies vehemently to those harmed in Rogers crusade, and bogged himself down in work on braces for Rhodey’s paralysis.
Despite knowing it wasn’t his fault, Tony’s guilt complex wouldn’t let him rest until it was fixed. He was fixer, a mechanic; its what he did. He fixed things, sometimes to his own detriment. But Pepper and Rhodey had weaselled a promise from him that he wouldn’t help the Rogues; they’d hurt him enough, and now it was up to them to fix their own mistakes, for once.
Tony had reluctantly agreed and shut himself up in his lab for days, weeks, working on Rhodey’s braces. Once they were done and Rhodes was working with a physical therapist with them, Tony was bullied – lovingly and gently – into talking with his lawyers by Pepper.
He’d had Jennifer Walters on retainer ever since he and Bruce had become science bro’s, and the Green Bean’s cousin was both cut throat and competent at what she did. When he called her to talk through what happened, she’d done what Pepper and Rhodey hadn’t been able to; convince him to press charged against the Rogues because yes, Tony, they’d committed crimes against you and they deserved their day in court despite their former ‘hero’ statuses.
Tony had relented after Jen read him the riot act, laying out very plainly the statements of just how much of the money he’d given the Avengers to search for his parents killer (he’d forgiven Barnes while in the hospital, but it didn’t lessen the pain. He’d never truly blamed him, but in the heat of the moment it had been hard to differentiate between Barnes and HYDRA).
Rogers and Romanoff knew about Howard and Maria’s assassination and used his money to search for Barnes. Jennifer slapped charges of fraud and embezzlement against them along with obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact. Rogers and Romanoff had also aided and abetted a terrorist organisation by hiding the truth behind Howard and Maria’s death.
Aided and abetted HYDRA.
It was only slightly ironic.
Jennifer and Pepper working together was absolutely terrifying, and Tony watched as they rattled off the charges that would stick and realised with a cold sort of clarity just how badly he’d miscalculated with the Avengers. He’d housed them, kept the fridge and cupboards stocked, paid for their gear, missions – the whole kit and caboodle, and they’d repaid his generosity with betrayal.
Once that realisation came, all Tony felt was anger. He’d given Jennifer and Pepper all the permission they needed to nail the Rogues and took a step back – for his own sanity.
Then the letter came, and Tony’s anger became rage.
***
Christine Everhart had a love-hate relationship with Tony Stark. Before Afghanistan, she believed the tabloids about him. Hell, she’d even written some of those tabloids. She’d tried to be truthful, but sometimes the truth didn’t sell as well as little white lies.
But then Stark was taken captive in Afghanistan and he returned a completely different man. She saw that in his eyes during his first press conference back; in his body language, the way he spoke. She’d nearly cheered when he stopped weapons manufacturing, and had merely smirked when he revealed he was Iron Man.
His ‘super heroing’ had shown her the true Tony Stark. The man behind the media masks he wore, and she’d felt guilt she ever believed he was what TMZ said he was. He wasn’t a bad person, but a good man trying his best to do good.
So when she got to her office six weeks after the Avengers Civil War with an email from the man himself, she nearly wept in relief. He was all right; the rumours circling that he’d been killed or arrested were fake. He was back in New York, he was okay.
Then she read the email, and Christine knew that Tony’s kid gloves had come off once and for all.
***
The news was circulated to every single outlet. Christine’s face was plastered on televisions, billboards, computers and phones all over the world.
Everybody tuned in to listen for news about Tony Stark.
And they got what they wanted.
***
“Romania, Germany, and other EU countries are baying for the blood of the media coined 'Rogue Avengers' for the destruction and devastation caused by their recent actions. Germany refused SI and Pym Technology's offers of compensation for the destruction of the Leipzig/Halle airport that was not their responsibility, and the Romanian Government demands for Steven Rogers and Samuel Wilson to turn themselves in for their part in the destruction and death caused by their actions. Nigerian law enforcement are demanding that Sokovian national Wanda Maximoff be prosecuted for the negligent homicide of several Wakandan relief workers and Nigerian nationals in Lagos. The United Nations Accords Panel is currently on the lookout for Natalia Alianova Romanova, also known as Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, for her crimes of breaking the Accords and allowing Steven Rogers and James Buchanan Barnes to escape justice in Germany.
Samuel Wilson and Steven Rogers are also wanted for negligent homicide and GBH for the deaths and injuries in the tunnel in Bucharest and those of the German Taskforce Officers harmed when they tried to apprehend James Buchanan Barnes on suspicion of bombing the UN meeting in Vienna and the murder of King T'Chaka of Wakanda. Seven officers died in the assault, and four were grievously harmed.
In other news, Wanda Maximoff is wanted for the assault and grievous bodily harm to Anthony and Vision Stark and property damage to the Avengers Compound. Clinton Barton is also wanted for property damage as well as breaking and entering. Scott Lang is wanted for the property damage of the Iron Man suit and the damage he did at the Leipzig/Halle airport.
And lastly, Steven Grant Rogers and James Buchanan Barnes have been charged for the assault and attempted murder of Anthony Edward Stark. Natasha Romanoff and Steven Rogers have also been charged for obstruction of justice and accessory to murder after the fact of Howard and Maria Stark for hiding their assassination at the hands of the Winter Solider, James Buchanan Barnes, under HYDRA's orders in nineteen-ninety-one. They are also wanted for aiding and abetting the terrorist organisation known as HYDRA. Steven Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Samuel Wilson are also wanted for the fraud and embezzlement of funds allocated by Dr Anthony Stark for officially sanctioned and approved Avengers missions that they used, in secret, for the search of the Winter Soldier, James Buchanan Barnes. If anyone knows the whereabouts of these criminals, please inform your local police department or call Interpol on the number on-screen.”
***
Tracking the tragic flip-phone Rogers had sent him was hilariously easy, and Tony had a field day with FRIDAY in hacking Wakanda’s lacklustre firewalls.
The news in the past few days had been absolute chaos, especially when Zemo somehow released the tape of Howard and Maria’s deaths and the footage from the Bunker from prison. People were demanding justice, and many had left flowers outside the compound and at Howard and Maria’s graves to show their sympathy and support.
Tony appreciated it.
What Tony didn’t appreciate was the King of Wakanda apparently hiding the Rogues (he truly liked that moniker) while being an avid supporter of the Accords. He was also pissed that T’Challa had been in Siberia and had evidently taken Rogers at his word that Tony had been just fine and dandy when he absolutely had not. The last thing he didn’t like was Rogers breaking his sycophants from the Raft, leaving several guards harmed and one in a coma no thanks to the witch.
Tony’s decision to hack into Wakanda after tracking the number in the burner phone had come after staring at the honestly offensive piece of dinosaur tech. It was easy to track the number, especially since Rogers was ignorant when it came to technology.
When the track pinged on Wakanda, Tony had to swallow his anger and breathe for several moments while DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers beeped consolingly around him.
Once he’d hacked the cameras of the royal palace – wasn’t Wakanda supposed to be a third world country? The hell? – he watched, intrigued, for several moments before one particular feed caught his attention.
T’Challa, Rogers, and Barnes were in what seemed to be a hospital room, and Tony watched as Barnes voluntarily went back into cryo-sleep, face twitching. After, Rogers stood looking out a floor-to-ceiling window and T’Challa approached.
Tony’s face twisted at the following conversation.
“Your friend and my father...they were victims. If I can allow one of them peace...” the king trailed off, determined.
“If they find out we’re here...they’ll come for us,” Rogers said.
“Let them try,” T’Challa declared.
Tony smiled ferally. Challenge accepted.
***
Shuri followed the hacker closely, subtly opening back doors. She knew who it was, and she didn’t blame him for what he was doing. She would have done the same if she were him. She was assisting him, after all.
She did not want the Rogue Avengers in her country. She could sympathise with Barnes, and she did want to help him, but the others...she did not like them at all. Especially the Captain and the Witch.
Shuri understood that the backlash would be terrible, but by letting Dr Stark discover the Rogues in Wakanda and allowing him to possibly take it to the Council would be better than their people and the world discover it.
Wakanda would be under siege within days, and their tribe would be overthrown.
Shuri swallowed and closed her eyes. “Bast forgive me,” she whispered.
***
Tony had debated releasing the footage online, but ultimately decided that Wakanda as a whole did not deserve the backlash that T’Challa would undoubtedly face for hiding wanted terrorists.
So he approached T'Challa before an amendment meeting with the Council, smiling faintly when his guards – Dora Milaje, he’d learnt – stiffened at his presence and eyed him closely.
“Your majesty,” he said, smiling blandly.
“Dr Stark,” T’Challa said warily, eyeing him.
Tony removed his glasses and stared the king down, ignoring the Dora’s increasingly angry glares at his audacity. “I hear you have a parasite problem.”
T’Challa stiffened, eyes narrowing. “I do not understand your meaning –”
“Let’s skip the part where you pretend you’re not housing the Rogues and get right to the part where I help you spin it in a favourable light to the Council so you’re not slapped with aiding and abetting terrorist charges,” Tony interrupted swiftly, blatantly ignoring the Dora’s aggressive steps forward.
T’Challa’s mouth tightened. “Dr Stark –”
“The people of Romania deserve justice, your majesty, and your people do not deserve the disrespect of having the people responsible for their countrymen’s deaths in their Kings palace,” Tony interrupted again, raising a sardonic brow. “I deserve justice. Because Rogers and Romanoff hid my parents murders all the while using my money to search for the weapon. I don’t doubt you saw the videos.”
T’Challa’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I did. I am sorry, Dr. Stark...”
Tony smiled blandly. “Keeping the Rogues in your country when you’re trying to step out into the light for the first time isn’t conductive whatsoever. You believe in the Accords and yet you’re contradicting yourself by hiding them. They have committed crimes, your majesty, and they need to be held accountable.”
“What do you suppose I do, Dr Stark?” T'Challa asked wearily.
Tony smiled.
***
In the end, it was all too easy to spin T’Challa as the good guy. He informed the council that he were keeping the Rogues to ensure no more death and destruction, that Barnes had volunteered to go back into cryo and his scientists were searching for a way to render the trigger words redundant. He told the council that the Rogues were kept confined to a suite of rooms in the royal palace and they’d easily be contained and arrested.
Tony backed T’Challa up, offering the use of the super-restraints he’d made after the Civil War to contain Rogers and Maximoff – bracelets a lot more humane than a collar – and had happily handed them over.
Several weeks later, Tony had handed statements to the ICC and pre-recorded his depositions for the hearings that would happen. The Rogues were taken in without anyone being harmed, and though Wakanda wasn’t exactly on anyone’s Christmas lists, they weren’t persona non grata.
Tony had also been busy recruiting after he’d told the council what he saw on the other side of the portal in New York and they believed him. They’d given him the go ahead to scour the world for Enhanced able to help for any possible invasions, and the list grew substantially as the months went on.
The Rogues were tossed in prison for their crimes and the council agreed they’d be allowed out if there was an invasion to assist, but thrown right back in afterwards.
So when a ship full of Asgardian’s and Bruce landed in Tony’s backyard with news of an alien warlord coming for them all, he almost screamed ‘I told you so’ to the entire world.
Almost.
