Chapter Text
There was a sense of foreboding that came to soldiers through experience and situations of the past. It began as an itch right over the heart, sending warning signals to the brain about an impeding doom. Steve had that imbibed in him from the 40's, even before he wore a uniform. Maybe it was the consequence of being a little guy with a big will or a stubborn streak wider than his waist. Or maybe it was a second nature gifted to him in compensation for the endless ailments dumped into his body.
Whatever it was, it had saved Steve's and his friends' lives countless times. It was a friend in every need and it never asked for anything in return.
Quite similar to the person Steve had set out to meet today, in lieu of going to breakfast with Tony, especially when the man had been called off to a mission apparently. Natasha had gathered enough intel to know that it was related to Hydra and that was enough to set Steve on an edge, like everything related to that dastardly name did. He had needed a distraction that didn't involve the gym or whipping his team into shape, since the gym was being hoarded by Clint and Natasha for some long-time awaited duel to sort some things out. And the rest of his team-mates were scattered, busy with some thing or another. He had sent in his approved version of the Accords last night and had some free time on hand. It seemed like a good idea to go visit her now, especially since they hadn't spoken after her help in getting him his shield in Germany.
The ride down to the headquarters was a quiet one and Steve breathed in a bit of freedom as he weaved his way around the traffic of the streets. Finally, as he reached the building complex, he caught a couple of guards pausing mid-conversation and stare at him with what looked like wariness. Steve thought about staring back but let that pettiness go in favor of going forth with his objective.
Sharon came out to meet him in the cafeteria when he informed her that he had arrived.
"Hi there, stranger," she smiled slightly as she walked in and took a seat on his table, "Finally caught some time to meet up, hmm?"
"Yeah, sorry about that, was busy being on the run for a while and then trying to stop running," Steve shrugged with an easy smile in return that got him a slightly raised eyebrow, "Coffee?"
"Yeah, sure, I'll get it," she waved him off in his attempt to get her some and placed her order through a hand gesture to the girl manning the coffee counter before turning around and looking at Steve again, "So, what's new in your world? Any new drama imploded yet?"
"My world? It's not quite different from yours I'm sure," Steve chuckled but Sharon shook her head.
"Trust me, it's a lot different," she said quietly and Steve felt an awkwardness set in till Sharon cleared her throat and went up to get her coffee. Steve noticed a couple of other agents glancing his way from a table across but Sharon came back, cutting short that distraction.
"How are you?" he asked as she sipped on her cup and he swirled his half-drunk cup, "How're things at work here?"
"It's okay. Good and bad days are a mix," Sharon shrugged, "Though it did get a bit tense after Germany."
"For you or in general?" Steve asked with a slight frown, noting the slight furrow of Sharon's brow.
"Both," she said with a wry smile, "When word got out that someone sneaked out the ... you know what, there was a lot of questioning going around."
"And you -"
"I'm good at my job, Steve," Sharon cut him short pointedly, "And anyway, it's not like the first time people have rebelled at a government funded agency. What has to be done, has to be done."
"Yeah," Steve said faintly and took a sip of his drink as Sharon looked over his shoulder.
"Heard Tony's got his own team now," she said after a while and Steve raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, he got to pick his roster," he nodded, "The UN thought a fresh start would be a good foot to step out with."
"Hmmm," Sharon hummed around her cup, swallowing a mouthful of the bitter liquid, "And you guys? What're you doing?"
"We're...waiting for a new mission, I suppose," he said with a hunched shrug that got a sharp look from the woman.
"I see," she commented quietly and remained silent for a minute before leaning forward a bit, "So, how're things with you and Tony."
"We're...okay. Sorting things out steadily," Steve quipped feeling a bit unnerved by the intense stare he got in return.
"Really," Sharon said dryly and Steve frowned but she waved a hand dismissively, "Want some sandwiches? I'm starving."
Steve shrugged in acceptance and Sharon placed an order for two plates. As they sat munching on their sandwiches, Sharon spoke up again.
"You know, I always wondered. Where did you learn how to use the shield?" Sharon asked casually, "I've seen you throw it around like it's a boomerang but, seriously, did you have some kind of training for this?"
"A bit self-taught. Some sound science from Howard," Steve replied and then quietened as he mentioned his old friend. Sharon hummed in acknowledgement.
"And where did you learn to drop the shield?" she asked and Steve whipped his head up with a frown, "You know, since you obviously dropped it without a second thought in an abandoned Hydra shelter. Along with a fallen team-mate. Just curious, did you learn that too from Howard Stark? Abandoning things that matter to people?"
"What're you - who told you?" Steve asked in a hushed and painful voice but Sharon shot him an unimpressed look.
"Steve, if I can manage to get you your shield, I can also manage to find out what happened to it when you disappeared," she said sharply, all fire and Peggy's commanding eyes, "Also, I've known Tony Stark longer than you. It's not everyday that he fails to apprehend two supersoldiers who are no match for him if he fires on all cylinders and artillery. You've got your strength and shield. He's got an armour of missiles and tech that can blow people up from a hundred feet. I'm not naive or clueless."
"So you know what happened," Steve commented quietly and Sharon stared at him analytically but nodded once.
"He called me to applaud my spy skills," she chuckled and shook her head, "And also to tell me to stay clear of possible threats."
"I didn't know you two were close"
"Yeah, well, you obviously don't know a lot about people you're friends with," Sharon shrugged but shot him a pointed look that spoke volumes, "Anyway, I asked him about you when he called."
"What'd he say?"
"Said Captain America is dead," Sharon said casually and Steve gripped his coffee cup tightly, relaxing when she noted it, "And that some Brooklyn kid had gone back home."
"That's...something that would make sense in his way," Steve commented wryly and Sharon laughed.
"He always did have a way with words," she nodded before catching Steve's gaze, "But what I was surprised by, was your lack of words. Or should I say, omission of words?"
"Sharon..."
"I get it, don't worry," she shook her head, "I get why you didn't tell him."
"You do?"
"Yeah, it's not an easy conversation, is it? Telling your temperamental team-mate that your best friend killed his parents while under mind-control? That's like jumping out of an airplane without a chute," she said with a small grin before cocking her head, "Oh wait, you've already done that."
"You're angry with me," Steve surmised grimly.
"I'm entitled to be, don't you think? I put my neck on the line for you," she pointed out.
"Sharon, you did that for the mission," he countered a bit defensively and Sharon grinned, all sharp teeth.
"Yeah, and you clearly failed in that mission," she said bluntly, "In fact, you ended up helping Zemo win in most aspects."
"I didn't know about Zemo's -"
"Oh cut the crap, Steve," she interrupted quietly, "This isn't a 'who's more wrong' game. It's a fact - you made me pick up your shield to help you stop an evil mission and ended up dropping it with ease when you got what you wanted. Okay, I get that it was your shield in the first place, but you seemed to have forgotten that there were others who placed their trust in you. In Captain America. If you wanted to drop that part of yourself, you owed it to them to at the very least do it in a way that didn't make their belief feel wrong. Also, don't think I'll forget that you left a team-mate to hang dry in an abandoned bunker. Especially someone who put his own neck in the line to come and save your ass. So if you're going to defend yourself, at least have something logical or substantial to say."
"Maybe I should leave," Steve said through gritted teeth and Sharon scoffed a laugh.
"Sure, you seem to have gotten good at that"
Steve bit back a flinch at that and suddenly saw the similarity between another familiar sassy person and Sharon. Sharon held his glare with her own till Steve breathed out and broke the gaze.
"I'm sorry I put you in trouble," he said quietly, even though they both knew that Sharon had done what she did of her own accord.
"Don't apologize for things you cannot fix. Fix things you cannot apologize enough for," Sharon said as she stared out over Steve's shoulder and finished her sandwich in silence. Once they had gotten their basic anger out of the way, Sharon was more subdued and relaxed in conversation, even if her questions and replies were a tad awkward.
"It was good to see you again, Sharon," Steve said when they finally got up and Sharon turned to go back to work.
"It's good to have you back, Rogers," Sharon said in reply and shot him a cheeky grin, "And thanks, by the way."
"For what?"
"Well, you asked me for a coffee a long time back and I said later. It looks like we just had a later," she said with a grin and Steve smiled, "But I'm thinking that this later has been sufficient, don't you think?"
"Aww, come on Carter, you're giving me the dump?" Steve asked with a teasing smirk.
"It's not everyday that a girl can say that she kissed Captain America and found that he could do better," she shrugged and Steve winced exaggeratedly, "Anyway, I don't think we're each other's type."
"We aren't?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, one Carter-Rogers romance is enough for the history books, don't you think?" Sharon asked back and Steve huffed out a small laugh but nodded at the polite rejection.
"Take care, Sharon," he waved goodbye.
"You too, Steve," she shot him a salute and walked away back to her floor, leaving Steve to stand with a soft yet tired smile. He gathered his cap and took off for the Compound himself, walking to the elevator to go down. The elevator seemed to be in use in a lower floor and Steve pressed for it before standing to wait.
"You going down?" a man looking in his 60s asked as he came to stand beside Steve, looking up at the indicator of the elevator.
"Yeah, going home," Steve answered with a polite nod of his head. He noticed the blue bag clutched in the man's arms and caught sight of the CIA logo. In an attempt to keep the thoughts of the Hydra mission at bay, he tried to make small talk to the man.
"You work here?" he asked casually and the man shook his head, shooting a half-amused glance Steve's way.
"Ex-pilot, 830th Panama. Forced early retirement in '91," the man gestured to his leg and Steve shot a quick look, "Wasn't even injured at work. Got hit by a rushing truck on my way home, had an amputation and TBI declared."
"So what do you do now?" Steve asked with a bit more relaxed curiosity.
"Run a restaurant. Family business," the man grinned, "Best Greek food you can find around the block."
"I'll take your word for it," Steve grinned back and looked straight when the elevator pinged and opened on their floor. Both of them got in and Steve pressed the button for their common destination.
"You here to visit a friend?" the man asked after a minute and Steve nodded.
"Yeah, can't seem to catch her off the clock," he replied and the man thankfully didn't capitalize on the 'her' part of it, instead simply nodding with a knowing look. "You?" Steve asked out of common courtesy and the man smiled tightly.
"Here to collect my son's things. Damn kid left it all behind," he shook his head and Steve frowned.
"Is he quitting?"
"Nah, he's dead," the man said casually and Steve stilled. It wasn't that death scared him or made him anxious; Steve had seen, heard and known death intimately enough in his life. He perhaps knew more about death than about life, having felt ice's whispers for decades longer than sun's warmth. But something felt wrong in the moment. Something about the flippancy and casual demeanor of the father poked at a queasy part of him.
"That's - I'm sorry," Steve settled for and the older looking man shot him a sardonic look with a raised eyebrow.
"I guess you should be," he shrugged vaguely and Steve must have shown his wariness at that statement because the man continued, "You killed him after all."
Steve's entire existence came to a screeching halt in that sentence and he felt a dull roar in his ear. Caution and morbid curiosity were warring in his head and the casual silence after the accusation didn't help him in any way.
"I don't understand," he said in a voice he imagined sounded calm and collected, as opposed to the building panic in him. The man chuckled at that, mirthless yet civil.
"Of course you don't, you probably don't remember most of it," he said before cocking his head and giving Steve an analytical stare to search for something before he continued speaking.
"Abram, that's my son, was sent on a mission with his team some months back to Bucharest," the man said with a faraway look, looking forward at the mirrored door of the elevator.
Steve had a hint of where this was going and a slow horror began settling in his gut.
"I don't know what happened exactly but his team-mate told me that he got his head smashed in with a cinder block and was thrown down an apartment. There was also something involved about a metal arm punching his ribs so hard that they cracked and pierced his lungs," the man said blankly, turning to look at Steve with a detached gaze, "The doctors tried but even they couldn't cure punches of a supersoldier."
Steve tried to find his voice, tried to find a defense, any defense for this. He might have, he might have scrapped the barrel for one, even flimsiest sounding but the father continued without a care for a reply.
"You know what threw me for a spin when I heard the news? Knowing that they were blaming you and your legendary friend for it," the man shook his head with a self-deprecating smile, "I mean, how do you expect people to believe that a guy who picked up a shield and a helmet to protect people through decades, how do you expect people to believe that such a guy could ever kill a lawful, good citizen. A man who was doing his duty to his country and his people, by abiding by the law that saw someone as a potential threat to the people. How do you expect people to believe that Steve Rogers, the guy who told people to fight for what's right and protect the little guys, that Steve Rogers could ever obstruct justice or have a hand in voluntarily and directly hurting the law enforcement? That's a load of crock to believe, right?"
The man laughed, bitterness and sadness making a potent mix in the air that Steve breathed in shakily as the tired but detached gaze shifted back to him.
"But it's true, isn't it? Yeah, it is," the man said the latter words quietly to himself, shifting the bag higher in his arms, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to fight you here. Wouldn't think of doing that."
"Why?" the hoarse but subdued question escaped Steve's mouth even before he thought better of it.
"Because I can fight the biggest of villains if need be. But how do you fight a hero who wronged you?," the man asks quietly, a small challenge in his eyes, "When you guys fought those aliens in New York, we couldn't blame you for the destruction because you saved us. In DC, you exposed our lack of security. In Sokovia, you stopped a robot from destroying the world. What I don't understand, is whom you fought this time. Who were you protecting the people from? And if you weren't protecting the people, then were you fighting as Avengers or civilians? If you were fighting as civilians, then maybe I'd have a chance to fight you for my son's death. But everybody knows that you'll still be seen as heroes, wouldn't you? You'd still have the past to show as defense for the present. Captain Rogers, you can fight a lot of men, but you cannot fight a glorified hero who remains a legend. I'd rather use my time to save the family I have than lose anyone more in a lost fight."
The elevator pinged signalling that they had reached their destination and the father shifted the bag higher before nodding at Steve.
"You know, Captain, for the longest time, my wife and I tried to blame you for my kid's death," he said quietly, holding Steve's gaze, "We tried to find release in hatred but you know the saddest part? We couldn't keep that up for long. Because I've seen more life than you, Captain, even if you have seen more deaths and misery than me. I have seen enough life to know that you cannot hate a man who is broken and cannot fix himself. That man deserves your pity and if not that, your ignorance. But here's the catch, the big conundrum. If you are a broken man, if you are human and you get emotionally compromised by one man's life or death, do you deserve to have monopoly over a million lives' safety? Are you the safest hands if you aren't in the sanest of minds? Something to think about, right?"
The father stepped out of the elevator and turned around to flash Steve a small smile.
"If you're ever in the neighbourhood, do come over for a nice Greek meal. The restaurant's called Spitikó. Look it up on the net, my grandson made the website."
With that last invitation, the father walked away without a backward glance, leaving Steve in a metal room that slowly closed in on itself. Steve stood stock still even as the elevator went up, staring at his reflection in the mirrored doors and not identifying the Steve Rogers who had picked up a shield.
If he traveled up and down two more times before he could find his strength to step out, well, there was nobody left to see a broken man anymore.
********
Tony fed the coordinates of the location Friday had decoded into the jet and looked to his side as Carol slipped into the co-pilot's chair.
"What? Don't trust me to fly this junk?" she asked with a challenging smirk and Tony raised a hand in a peace gesture.
"Hey, you're the one making assumptions," he said with a smirk himself, "And excuse you, this 'junk' is the coolest baby you'll ever fly."
"You clearly haven't flown many 'babies' yet then," the ex-pilot shot back and Tony rolled his eyes.
"Hey guys, in this fight do we have to kill anyone?" Dante asked from the hangar and Carol raised an eyebrow at Tony.
"We don't kill Inferno, we Avenge," Kamala corrected him, "Besides, Avengers don't take lives. Right Captain Marvel?"
"Yeah, we don't," Carol nodded.
"But Hydra does," Tony muttered under his breath and Carol cleared her throat sharply.
"Hey, do we wait for you to say a war cry before we attack?" Dante asked and Tony stifled the urge to groan.
"No, we don't," Kamala answered again primly, before sounding doubtful, "We don't, right?"
"As long as we're not wearing loin cloths and we're not fighting in Sparta, no, we're not waiting for a war cry," Tony said dryly.
"Do we have a war cry though?" Carol asked a tad too innocently and Tony shot her a look that promised decaf for weeks.
"Yeah, do we?" Dante persisted excitedly.
"No we don't" Tony said at the same time that Kamala said, "We should!"
"Danvers, I will crash this jet," Tony warned when he saw Carol open her mouth but she only scoffed.
"Eh, I've rescued many crashing planes," she said dismissively, "But on the important note, we should have a war cry. It'll make this sound more authentic."
"It'll make us look like fools," Tony countered.
"Wait, we look any different now?" Dante mused in a low voice and the others ignored him politely.
"How about Avengers Arise?" Kamala suggested.
"Nah, too archaic," Carol tutted, "Avengers Attack, sounds more aggressive, right?"
"Avengers Charge!" Dante yelled and made frickin clicking noises.
"Avengers Ahoy" Kamala piped up.
"What are we, Pirates of the Big Apple?" Tony asked incredulously.
"Avengers Ahead," Carol hummed and Tony was at his rope's ends by now.
"Avengers...Avenge?" Dante asked in confusion and Tony snapped.
"Avengers Assemble," he declared and saw Carol shoot him a curious look.
"Avengers Assemble," Kamala repeated, "Interesting, has a nice ring to it."
"But what if we're already assembled?" Dante countered.
"Then we freakin do our jobs," Tony informed firmly and heard Kamala snicker.
"Avengers Assemble, huh?" Carol asked in a low knowing tone, "Seems to me that you put some thought into it, Stark"
"It's an old reference," Tony said quietly and Carol thankfully refrained from prodding further, letting Tony focus on getting them to the located base without any more tension.
They reached the base in a quiet part of London right on time of their calculation and Tony gave out orders for all of them to roll out and look for the tipped Skrull ship that was said to be abandoned there and being used for experimentation by Hydra.
"Inferno, I want you to keep an eye out on the exit. This is Hydra, they're bound to have traps," Tony said, "Mini-Hammer -"
"It's Ms. Marvel," Kamala said quietly but Tony rolled over her interruption.
"I want your eyes on any heavy machinery. Guards and agents me and Carol can handle, you focus on destroying any alien machinery present."
"You're voluntarily asking her to destroy tech?" Carol asked dubiously and Tony nodded grimly.
"When it comes to alien tech, let's just say that I've got enough bad experience," he said in remembrance of the dastardly Spectre, "Anyway, I can always scan it for details from its broken parts."
They quickly sorted out the plan and moved in to infiltrate the base.
It turned out that they weren't the only ones infiltrating that day. Within twenty minutes of attacking, they found a strange female in a red costume holding out her own battle against the Hydra agents.
"Who the hell is the newbie?" Carol yelled over the comm as she smashed two Hydra agents' heads in.
"Don't know yet. Could be an enemy," Tony warned as he blasted two scientists off a Skrull artifact that was glowing mysteriously.
"Or a friendly," Carol countered as she saw Kamala jump up and avoid a Hydra weapon's laser before smashing what looking like a mini reactor. "She seems to be hurting the same people we are," Carol pointed out as she moved smoothly over the newbie, who was - wait, swinging across on a spider web?
"Iron Man, do we have Spider Man's clone or hybrid on records?" she asked and heard Tony grunt before he answered.
"No, we have only one spider wonder. Why?"
"Because I think we might have a second" Carol declared and trusted her instincts when she rushed across to help the newbie in overpowering five agents when she noticed the spider female getting cornered.
"Cover your left flank," she ordered the woman as she ducked and weaved punches, "And duck faster."
"I don't need your help," the woman snarled and Carol grit her teeth as she jumped up and crashed a running agent into the wall.
"Maybe you don't, but you can always get this finished sooner if you take it," Tony's voice came through his armor's speakers and Carol smirked at her partner showing unspoken trust in her judgement.
The woman didn't reply but Carol did notice her working in tandem with them after that, surprisingly fitting easily into their practiced flow. The fight turned fiercer and sharper, as though the Hydra soldiers had sensed some new vigor.
Tony was cocky and overestimating in some commands but Carol saw him come through during near-messes, even though she wished he would make it a team-show and not put everything on his own shoulders. Still, they managed to end the fight with minimum casualty to the team and no major incidents to speak of. Tony landed on the floor and immediately gravitated to the Skrull ship, scanning data onto Friday as he moved around.
"So, you an ally?" Carol asked as she landed next to the newbie, who was now staring at the wreckage around them. Kamala had gone over to Tony to help out and Dante was shifting through the wreckage to check for anything suspicious.
"An ally to you? No." the woman replied with a small scoff and Carol remained unfazed.
"But you're against Hydra," she observed.
"I was created by them," the woman revealed and Carol simply raised an eyebrow, "I didn't like what they were making of me, so now I stop them from doing it to anyone else."
"You're in this for simply revenge or to save people?" Carol challenged and the woman stared back at her.
"When you stand between the bad and the innocent, what are you doing?" the woman challenged back and Carol smirked at the fire in the woman's question.
"You interested in making this a regular business?" she asked casually and the woman stepped back suspiciously.
"Why? Thinking about putting me behind bars?"
"Thinking about getting you into my team," Carol corrected with a grin and the woman cocked her head observantly.
"And why would you do that?"
"Seems to me that we have the same motives," Carol shrugged, "Look, the way I see it, you can either do this as a vigilante with no back-up and additional risk. Or you can do this as a recognized Avenger, with a team to back you up. The end destination is the same, all that differs is the path you choose to get there."
"What will you get from that?"
"We could always use some extra power on the team," Carol said with a smirk, "Even if you need some more training."
The woman chuckled at that as though Carol was joking but Captain Marvel simply shrugged and moved past her.
"Come knocking if you're interested. We live in the ugliest mansion of Manhattan," she informed and moved along to gather with her team.
"You're recruiting ex-Hydra now?" Tony asked when she stood near him and Carol realized that her comm had been on the entire time.
"Sometimes you've got to look beyond the past and give future a chance, genius," Carol said with a quick glance at the armor, "Second chances tell a lot about a person."
"Yeah, but they're Hydra," Tony informed her and Carol looked over her shoulder to see the spot from where the spider lady had disappeared.
"If everybody judged a person from where they began or where they survived, we wouldn't have a lot of heroes," she said quietly, "Maybe even an Iron Man."
Tony remained silent but he knew that she was talking about his own tryst with weapons, Obadiah and Ten Rings. He simply went on with his data collection before ordering everyone to get back to the jet.
On the ride back home, he didn't talk much and thought about how Carol's statement rang for another person who had been a Hydra survivor too. Another Hydra base, another scenario, where a Bucky Barnes had tried to fight back against the very same Hydra who had re-created him.
He thought back to a Steve Rogers who had stopped him from killing that Bucky Barnes.
Tony wondered about choices and different consequences if second chances never existed.
It was a sobering thought to sleep on.
A couple of days later when a Jessica Drew came knocking for Carol, Tony simply nodded and told her that they had a place to fill anyway. He imagined a similar scenario with a metal armed man and felt a little less stubborn about old grudges.
***********
"He did what?" Sam asked with narrowed eyes as he shared a look with Bruce, who looked tensed.
"I'm not sure about it but Friday's data shows that he's been researching on the profiles of all those involved in the Bucharest task force squad," Natasha said quietly, looking at Bruce.
"But how does that link to Steve opting to giving up his shield?" Bruce asked nervously.
"Again" Rhodey added under his breath and Sam shot him a dry look that Rhodey returned with an equally dry one of his own.
"I don't know, call it a hunch maybe," Natasha shook her head and looked at Sam, "All I know is that Everett called me this morning telling me that he's glad Steve cooperated in revising the Accords and making it better before asking me if we've decided on the next Captain America, because apparently Steve said that he'll be signing the Accords as Steve Rogers and not Captain America."
"Are you ki- no, you know what, this is bullshit," Sam shook his head, "Steve would never give up the shield again. Not when everything is going right now."
"Is it?" Clint asked from beside Rhodey, without looking up from his phone, "Is everything going right? Because I don't see that happening around here."
"What is your problem, Barton?" Sam snapped and Clint looked up with a lazy gaze.
"My problem, Wilson, is that we're stuck in a place where we're simply namesakes of our previous selves. My problem is that we threw it all away for nothing and now we don't know where we stand."
"Or maybe your problem is that you can't talk your frickin wife and sort out your own issues," Bucky shot back from beside Natasha and Clint shot him a murderous look.
"Enough," Rhodey stopped the fight before it began and looked up at Natasha, "Look, if he wants to step down, then I think it's a good thing to do."
"Really Rhodes? What exactly is good about this?" Sam demanded and Rhodey raised an eyebrow at him.
"Look, despite what you guys think, you've lost a lot of trust for the things you chose to do," Rhodey said firmly, "And I'm not talking about the trust of the government. I'm talking about the trust of the people. When told to follow laws that are common to any group of security, you chose to run and demand more than what you could have."
"He's Captain America, Rhodes," Sam shook his head, "He's done everything till date for the people."
"Except for the last thing he did," Bruce spoke up quietly and cleared his throat when everyone looked at him, "I mean, except for refusing to cooperate with the UN. That one was for himself."
"Listen, I'm not saying that Steve doesn't deserve to be on the team anymore or shit," Rhodey shook his head, "But if you think about it, this is the only way to move forward completely. Sam, think about it, alright? Captain America is a title that was born out of the military. It is a representation not just of the people but also of the promise of the security forces to always put the people first. When Steve Rogers took up the shield, he did it to push bullies out during a war. And the world will always owe him for that. But after seventy years of sacrifice, he came into this century as Captain America, not as Steve Rogers. His identity, his existence became his title. With all of us, all the rest, we have our own identity as well. Bruce Banner is as important as the Hulk. Natasha Romanoff is as valuable and sought after as the Black Widow. Sam Wilson is as real as the Falcon. Even Tony has a distinction that the public recognizes and accepts. But Steve? Steve is just Captain America. For the past five years or so, he has been just that. And when he finally tried to become Steve Rogers again, he ended up going against everybody who thought he would protect them. The public cannot differentiate between him as a title and him as a person. So when they see him go against the UN or the government, it's Captain America betraying them and not Steve Rogers taking a stand."
"And that is too much to take for a person. Any person," Natasha mused out loud, "Which is why it will become hell for the public to see Steve pick up the shield because they don't trust him to be Captain America anymore and they haven't seen him as anything else."
"So we ask him to give up everything he is?" Bucky asked and Natasha looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"Steve Rogers is more than just the shield and the uniform, James," she reminded him and smiled when he looked sheepish, "I think Rhodey is right. Look at it this way: all of us, every one of us on the team, except for James but well...you get my point. Every one of us has had a past that the public has seen or can access without glorified records. We are human and fallible humans at that. But Steve? The people have always seen him as a legend and nothing less than that. Sam, it is easy to forgive and accept humans. But when a legend falters or falls, the whole world burns them up. The world can look beyond our mistakes because we have made them before, some of us even doing things worse. But Steve? He has been infallible and untouchable. He was brought into this century on a pedestal. And the only way to knock off that weight is by taking a leap off that pedestal."
"Exactly," Rhodey nodded and looked at Sam seriously, "Look Sam, you and I both know that missions go wrong all the time. That's part and parcel of the risks we take. But what happened in Lagos, that one was purely on Steve's shoulder."
"I had equal hand in it," Wanda argued but Rhodey shook his head a bit sadly.
"You had a hand in preventing a disaster. Your job was not to contain the blast, that was something you had to do to save the people on the ground," Rhodey corrected, "The mission failed only because Steve got distracted."
"Crossbones manipulated him," Bucky said bitterly and Natasha nodded.
"True, but Steve is smarter than that. He has experience with dealing with Crossbones before. He should have known better than engaging him in conversation," she said and raised a hand to stop the tirade Bucky looked like he was going to rant, "I'm not blaming him or accusing him, James. I am simply stating facts. Facts that both the public and the UN take into consideration. Collateral damage is a thing but when it happens due to one person's fault, the weight is too much to bear. Especially when that someone is Captain America, who like we said, is more of a legend and less a person in the public eye."
"So, what? We should ask Stevie to change himself?" Bucky asked with a frown.
"No, we should let him change his title," Bruce spoke up and nodded slightly at the frown he got from Sam, "Sam, people face the consequences of their actions all the time. I faced it with Harlem. Tony is still facing it with Sokovia. Somebody has to face it for Lagos and unfortunately, that somebody has to be Steve, because it all boils down to him. If Steve has any chance of moving forward and fighting for the right cause again, he has to make this compromise."
"It's just...he's been Captain America all his life," Sam said with a sigh and rubbed his forehead.
"Maybe it's time for him to be Steve Rogers again," Natasha suggested quietly, "After all, that was the person who began the story and had a brave heart long before a serum."
"And that is the person we followed into the battles," Bucky added quietly, remembering an old conversation in a bar with a happier Steve.
"This is all fucked up," Sam muttered in defeat.
"Welcome to the Avengers," Clint snorted from the couch, "Fucked up is how we start anything new."
In a floor above them all, Steve cradled a borrowed (stolen) pair of high-tech glasses and breathed in deeply before putting it on for the umpteenth time since he had left a suffocating elevator and a miserably kind Greek father.
He adjusted the tech and drowned himself in a memory of yet another failed battle, reliving his failure again to try and understand when he had fallen.
It was ironic, how the man who had fallen from a Hydra train had now risen above them all and how the man who thought he had survived the fall into a frozen sea was now sinking back into a frigid hold.
Steve drowned in his memories even as his phone rang from a half-estranged friend, the ringing falling on deaf ears.
Tony cut the call with a frown in the Mansion and wondered where Steve was currently. Little did he know that the man was embracing a different kind of ice.