The War Within | A Tony Stark Series

Coming to an End

Monroe's pov

I could feel the captain's airway slowly thin out as I curled my fingers into a fist.

"STOP!" the now one-armed assassin shouted my way as my glare switched over to him. I raised my other hand to match my movements on him before throwing both soldiers back into the wall behind them. My vision soon cleared at the familiar pained groans the soldiers shared. In seconds I had been brought back to reality, turning back at Stark with widened eyes staring back at me. Turning back at the soldiers, a light gasp escaped me.

"Steve I- ... I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" my voice grew shaky with every word. Rogers had the most struggle catching his breath, but I could hear them both panting as their eyes never met mine. I slowly back away until I had reached Tony. Crouching down, my hands immediately wandered over the suit. "Are you okay? Did he- did i-?"

"I'm fine. You sure as hell made an impression on me though," he laughed lightly until he noticed my expression hadn't changed from my guilt written one.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. I sat in silence until I heard the two soldiers grunt as they helped each other up. Tony's emotions had shifted and began shouting at the two. My eyes followed his as he eyes the shield.

"That shield doesn't belong to you." Tony began as he struggled to get up. I held him down as he continued. "You don't deserve it. My father made that shield!"

With Stark's final words, the captain dropped the shield as he walked off with his friend propped up against him. I only sat in despair, knowing that I was no better than Tony's intentions were not too long ago. How could we let it get this far?

Time Skip

I sat myself on the surface of a desk as Tony sat adjacent from me in his office. He had been staring at the package that was brought in moments ago, refusing to open it just yet. We had been here every day since Rhodes's accident, guiding him through his recovery. It seemed his best friend was all he had left, not including myself.

"Are you gonna open it?" I questioned. "I mean I get it, the packaging is beautiful. Best not to destroy such art," I follow up with sarcasm.

As if Tony was snapped out of his trance, he glanced at me before tearing the box at its opening. Pulling out a letter, his chest rose as he paused to read his name on the envelope. We shared a look before he plopped right back down in his chair and silently read the letter to himself. I chose to listen to his thoughts as he went on.

Tony,

I'm glad you're back at the compound. I don't like the idea of you rattling around a mansion by yourself. We all need family. The Avengers are yours, maybe more so than mine. I've been on my own since I was 18. I never really... fit in anywhere. Even in the army. My faith's in people, I guess, individuals. And I'm happy to say that for the most part, they haven't let me down. Which is why I can't let them down either. Locks can be replaced but maybe they shouldn't. I know I hurt you, Tony. I guess I thought by not telling you about your parents I was sparing you, but I can see now that I was really sparing myself, and I'm sorry.

I stood up at the last couple of statements and brought my hands to Tony's shoulders in a comforting manner. He turned so that his eyes met mine with a sad smile. Lifting his arm so that his hand now hovered over mine. I returned the smile and nodded for him to continue.

Hopefully one day you can understand. I wish we agreed on the accords, I really do. I know you're only doing what you believe in, and that's all any of us can do. That's all any of us should do.

"Priority call from secretary Ross. There's been a breach at the Raft prison."

Our eyes locked as F.R.I.D.A.Y. made her announcement before accepting the call.

"Tony we have a problem-"

"Ah! Please hold," Stark interrupted pushing a button to activate the blinking light on the phone.

"You weren't kidding about that blinking light," I remarked as he held a confused expression, seeing as I wasn't present when he made that known to Ross.

I looked over at the box, sitting in front of him. Surely there had to be more than just a letter. I grabbed the box and tilted it over to reveal a flip phone. Furrowing my eyebrows, I picked it up to see Steve's contact.

So no matter what, I promise you if you need us. If you need me... I'll be there.

Setting the phone down, I shut my eyes to hold back the tears that wanted to fall so badly. I couldn't help but sniffle, catching Tony's attention. Standing from his swiveling chair, he brought his hand to lift my chin gently. I tried to hide my sorrows with another failed smile and glossed eyes.

"I know that look better than anyone. Spill," Tony insisted. I looked up at the ceiling, blinking away the water in my eyes.

"I could've killed them... and if I had-"

"You didn't."

A moment of silence passed before I continued, "The only reason I'm here is because of you. You gave me a second chance to prove that I'm not some monster that needs to be tamed... but maybe I do."

"That's ridiculous-"

"You saw what happened out there. I can't let you be responsible for my threat to humanity."

Tony only sighed deeply as he wrapped his arms around me, gently rubbing my back in a comforting manner. Placing a chaste kiss at the top of my head, he revealed his thoughts to me.

"We've both done things we're not proud of, but that's why we're going to do everything in our power to keep from letting it happen again."

Looking up at him as I lightly pulled away, I began to question," but what if that means... putting it to rest. What if it means it's time?"

I know how hard it's been for Tony to let go of his heroic acts to try and save the entirety of us, but I think he knew now more than ever... that the best thing for us now... 

"I'm ready," Tony admitted without question. To my surprise, a smile formed on my face as we fell into each other's embrace once again.

... was to end the fight.