Work This Out

Chapter 40 ~ I couldn't honestly give two fucks right now

The once light-hearted mood from earlier is now gone. Tony is sitting with one hand on his face, looking so done, Vision and Wanda are sitting next to each other, Natasha is sitting in a chair across from Tony, Dad is sitting in a chair looking over the Accords while Sam and Rhodey argue behind him like they have been for the past hour or so. Roy and I are lying on our backs on the floor. I have my head on Roy's chest as I stare at the ceiling, just done with everything in general, while Roy slowly and mindlessly strokes my hair.

"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have." I hear Rhodey say to Sam as I listen in to their argument once again. Is that supposed to make a difference or something like who cares what this man has. Alexander Pierce was supposed to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but look who he turned out to be.

"So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Sam argues back.

"A hundred and seventeen countries want to sign this. A hundred and seventeen, Sam, and you're just like, 'No, it's cool. We got it.'"

"How long are you going to play both sides?"

Vision decides to speak up, interrupting their arguing. "I have an equation."

"Oh, this will clear it up," Sam says.

The two immediately stop and we all look at Vision, waiting for him to continue.

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate." Vision says.

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Dad asks.

"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Oversight... oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand." Vision explains.

"Boom," Rhodey says as he faces Sam once again. I roll my eyes and then close them. Can I just leave? This conversation is pointless and stupid.

"Tony." I hear Nat say. "You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal. So are you (Y/n)."

"It's because they already made up their minds," Dad says. "(Y/n)'s probably dead though." He tries to joke.

"Boy, you know me so well." Stark and I both say in unison which shocks us both as we look at each other.

"That's usually your thing," Natasha says as she points to me and Dad.

I shrug and look at Dad. "And I'm dead on the inside."

"Oh, so she lives." Sam jokes. I just give him a 'really' look.

Tony gets up and winces, rubbing the back of his head. "Actually, I'm nursing my electromagnetic headache." He says to Dad as he makes his way to the kitchen and grabs a mug. "That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" He puts his phone in a basket and taps it. It projects an image of a smiling young African American male. Tony looks down and then back up at it, pretending to notice the picture for the first time.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way." He points to the kid. "He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia." We all look down, guilt written all over our faces as Tony continues. "He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass." He takes a pill with his coffee and then faces us. "There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys."