Tell Me When You Know

Avenger-Perks: Are they a thing?

Five Days Later

"...I still can't believe Fury is dead and SHIELD is gone. Just like that."

Tony, in the safety of his own mind, rolled his eyes hard. "Yeah, it's very unfortunate," he agreed but his tone resembled a disinterested drawl. Oops?

He could feel Romanoff's green–spy eyes digging into the side of his skull, Captain America's disappointed puppy-eyes only giving him more of a headache, but he ignored them with the patience of a saint.

He was a busy man, even if the world seemed to think otherwise. He had better things to do than mourn the fake death of a pirate.

You may ask how he knew Fury's death was staged? Because he was Tony fucking Stark and he had an AI that was essentially omnipresent.

"But what I don't understand is why do we have to be here? Shouldn't us being the Avengers make us above such petty things like questioning?"

Tony physically rolled his eyes this time. "Us being the Avengers does not mean we are above the law, Barton."

"Then, what's the point of being the Avengers? What's our perks?"

Tony finally looked up from his phone, eyes squinting at the archer in disbelief. "I don't know, getting to save people?"

"Don't make me sound like an ass," Clint huffed.

"I didn't," Tony went back to sorting out his emails — because Jesus Christ, 2047 emails in a single day? "You made yourself sound like an ass."

"Okay, everyone. Can we please focus on the matter at hand?" Rogers' voice transcended whatever retort Clint was gearing up with, tone reeking of the righteousness and authority people associated with Captain America. "Stark, what is our next course of action?"

Tony wanted to return the question with a petty, 'Oh, so now, you want to ask me?' Not when you crashed three helicarriers in the Potomac? Instead, being the mature adult that he was, he replied, "I'm glad you asked, Cap! I'm assuming you've all read the packets Pepper sent through to you two days ago?"

He wasn't actually assuming that.

As was expected, Rogers frowned. "I thought that was for a press conference you would be scheduling this week? Isn't that what you did after New York?"

Tony sighed. "Well, yes, but..." He breathed another small sigh. "The CIA has requested me not to hold any press meet until this has been cleared." He squizzed each of his supposed–to–be–teammates and the man Rogers had introduced to be Sam Wilson. "Did none of you read the packets?"

He had expected that to be the case but knowing didn't make his job any easier.

"I did." Bruce's small voice drew his attention — and his gratefulness. "It was an outline as to what questions may be asked and what our answers are supposed to be."

"Thank you! Glad someone did their homework." And didn't that just give him a déjà vu.

"But why do we need to prepare answers? We'll say whatever is the truth. Miss Roy said this was a meeting to discuss SHIELD, and HYDRA's involvement in the organisation. That doesn't seem like something we have to prepare for." Rogers said, directing a disappointed furrowed brow at Tony like he had just asked Captain Righteous to lie.

Tony pinched his lips together for a second, an attempt to subdue the rising annoyance. "Did Roy use the word 'meeting'?" He didn't wait for the answer which he knew was negative. "No, she didn't. You know how I know that? Because Roy would never use such a juvenile word herself."