Too Little Too Late

James Rhodes / Steve Rogers

"What can I do for you Mr. Rogers?" asked Rhodes, already tired at the prospect of the conversation to come.

Steve didn't appreciate the tone or the lack of title. The Avengers, especially the new ones, had stopped calling him Captain on a technicality. So, what if he didn't go through the proper channel, he had proved his values more often than not. He was an excellent leader and an even better tactician. It was common knowledge. Even the Smithsonian said so. But he would be the better man once again and let it slide. He didn't come to start a fight. Quite the contrary. After all that happened, things needed to go back to the way they were before. The Avengers needed to be a family again. Steve had come to get the wayward son back into the fold.

Tony was being difficult as per usual. That was in his nature. There was no way to contact him directly. Rhodes was taking his job as a glorified secretary a little too seriously. The colonel wanted to earn forgiveness but he had done nothing wrong in the first place. A real friend shouldn't let the engineer have his little tantrums. Especially when they tended to tear the world apart. Again, Steve had decided to keep his feelings to himself for now. They would indulge Tony for a while. Once the smaller man would be back in the family, they would get him on the right tracks once again. Steve would even let Tony have his moment of glory. An ego like that needed to be stroked regularly after all.

For now, he just wanted to talk to the man. Steve was persuaded that after a good conversation, Tony would understand why things went this way. Tony had made the mistake to follow General Ross because he felt guilty after Ultron. It wasn't the right choice to make but the misstep was understandable. Steve was willing to overlook a lot of things. The least Tony could do was to actually listen to him.

But that was it. Rhodes made it abundantly clear. Tony didn't want to talk to any of them. 'He didn't have to' said the colonel. Anger was filling him but he was trying to keep it cool. You didn't catch flies with vinegar. Steve pleaded with Rhodes for the future of the Avengers. He tried every argument he could think about but nothing was working.

"How am I supposed to apologise if Tony refuses to talk to me?" he finally blurted out, not that he actually planned to say sorry anytime soon. He would never regret what he had to do in order to save Bucky.

"Tony had already forgiven you."

Wait, what? Tony had forgiven him. For what exactly? Steve wished they agreed on the accords, he really did. He knew that Tony had been doing what he believed in and that was all any of them could do, should do really. If Tony had needed him, Steve would have been there for him. Even in families, sometimes, members could have arguments. Tony should have talked to them, should have warned them about the accords and everything that was happening on the political scene. The only regret Steve had was that things went this far. Maybe he shouldn't have gone with T'Challa, leaving Tony behind. At that moment, he just wanted to take Bucky to a safe place. He wasn't thinking properly.

"You still think you have done nothing to be forgiven for." Said Rhodey quietly shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. He didn't do it for you."

Rhodes was not as forgiving as Tony but he understood why he felt that way. Tony didn't want to live in bitterness. Resentment was corrosive and he hated it. Those dark feelings were eating at him, taking all the space when he could have been thinking about so many other things. Tony had a family now. He had done a lot of work on himself while he was staying on the moon with only Friday and the bots for company. Since Tony had decided to forgive people, it allowed him to move forward with his life. The Rogue's actions were not weighing on him anymore. The Rogues acts were their responsibilities. They couldn't influence him anymore. They couldn't use his emotions against him. He was free.