Iron-Hawk Short Stories

Recall

AN: just another chapter set after Civil War but the Avengers are allowed to return.

ALSO THIS IS LONG, LIKE 3K WORDS LONG SO IM SORRY BUT ITS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I WROTE IRONHAWK.

Third Person's POV

He expected the previously denounced Avengers to return, he just never expected it to be so soon. He didn't bother greeting them and even if he wanted to, he wondered if he should. They were the same team that broke his trust, all led by the same man that nearly killed him and left him in Siberia. The very thought of his old 'team' sent his close to a mental breakdown; for years he tried long and hard to forget them, but now they were back as if nothing ever happened.

He wondered if they even cared about how much they hurt him, how every time he thought about them, he ended up in tears.

However he knew there was no point in avoiding them, the least he could do was interact with them at least once. He decided to join their debriefing the very next day and listened to whatever they had to say.

"Somebody want to explain to me why we're allowed back?" Steve Rogers spoke as the man settled himself down on the couch across him. The soldier almost seemed as if he hadn't changed, the voice of a leader still rooted deep within him. Every now and then he felt Steve's remorseful eyes flicker towards him and back towards the centre of the room.

"The accords got recalled." James Rhodes explained as he leaned against a nearby wall. "As it turns out, more civilian deaths occurred without us."

Steve frowned as he digested the information, "What happened? I thought the accords were meant to prevent that."

For a moment he expected the soldier to crack a smile, and state how everybody should have listened to him. He expected Rogers to criticize in a way that always meant, 'you meant well but I'm right' but it never came. Instead Steve seemed almost seemed regretful of his actions and he wondered if the man had indeed changed.

"With most of the events that happened, it was deemed too drastic for the Avengers to step in." Rhodes continued to explain, and his eyes quickly glanced over his old friend. "You can imagine how pissed people got and they eventually started rioting."

"Jesus." Steve whispered and scrubbed his face. His eyes fluttered at the sight of his old friend, the soldier looked exhausted. The dark rings under his eyes almost seemed like bruises at this rate and he had certainly got skinnier. "I'm sorry for everything I've done."

He never saw an apology coming from a long way. He felt his heartbeat rise at the man's sincerity.

"Steve-" James was cut off.

"No, I hurt this team. I broke us apart and all for what?" The man muttered, "I didn't have a clear head going in. I should have tried harder to come up with a solution that helped all of us. You trusted me to lead the Avengers...but I ended up doing the exact opposite."

The room fell silent at the man's apology, even he was unsure of how to respond.

Eventually the room scattered, and everybody got along with the rest of the day. The conversation could have ended better, but it was definitely a start. As he was about to leave the room, somebody caught his eye.

His throat tightened as he saw who it was; Clint Barton stood by the doorway with an apple and a knife in his hands. He wondered how he hadn't noticed the man earlier, or even wondered where he was.

If the sight of the blonde was enough to make him feel like throwing up, he knew better than to stay any longer. He quickly exited the room and scurried back towards his bedroom to avoid risking a breakdown in a public setting.