War of Hearts • Bucky Barnes

• Chapter Three •

"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have." Rhodey stated to Sam who stood in front of him.

The two men where standing behind Steve as he read through the Accords while the rest of the team watched the argument for the past hour.

"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 question while Tony, who was now lying on the couch, rolled his eyes from behind his hand as he led his head.

"A 117 countries want to sign this." Rhodey turned back to the para-rescue. "117, Sam, and you're just like, 'No, that's cool. We got it.'"

"How long are you going to play--" Sam got interrupted by Azar

"Oh my God. I love you both but please give it a rest and shut up." She groaned, leaning against the table.

The two men turned their gazes away from each other to look at the brunette while Vision took this as his chance to step in. "If I may, Ms Danvers?"

Azar lifted her hands up. "Go for it." She nodded.

"I may have an equation." Vision announced.

"Oh, this will clear it up." Sam replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

The being turned to the two arguing men. "In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially." Steve had shifted his gaze away from the book in his hands at this point. "And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

"Are you saying it's our fault?" The super soldier questioned with an arched brow.

"I'm saying there may be a causality." Vision answered as the rest of the team turned to him in question. "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."

"Boom!" Rhodey stated, Sam giving the man a pointed look.

"Tony." Azar called to him as he dropped his hand from his head. "You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal."

"It's because he's already made up his mind." Steve answered while turning back to the book.

Tony rolled his eyes at the super soldier. "Boy, you know me so well." He said sarcastically and winced as he got up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache." He replied to Azar's question as he walked towards the kitchen, grabbing a mug on his way.

"Do you need anything? Pain meds?" Azar asked, concerned for her friend that she considered as an annoying, sarcastic brother.

"No, I got it." The billionaire responded.

"Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal?" He asked while getting himself some coffee. "Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?"

He walked over to the counter while getting his phone out, placing it in a basket and tapped it.

A picture of a smiling young man was shown to the team while Tony looked down for a second before looking up once again, pretending to notice what he had pulled up.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way." He said. "Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall." He listed as he got himself some painkillers.

"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." The team were all focused on Tony as he spoke of this young man.

"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." He said, slamming the pill bottle down on the counter after closing it.

The team all seemed to be affected by this piece of information, everyone shifting their gazes to the table, the floor or straight ahead of them.

"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." Tony continued before he took his painkillers with some of his coffee.

The billionaire walked around the counter and leaned against it, folding his arms. "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."

"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up." Steve stated.

"Who said we're giving up?" Tony asked.

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blames." The super soldier replied.

"I'm sorry. Steve. That is dangerously arrogant." Rhodey spoke up which caused Steve to shift his gaze to him. "This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA."

"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change." Steve said adamantly.

Tony began making his way over to the team. "That's good. That's why I'm here." He stopped once he was close enough to the super soldier. "When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stop manufacturing."

"Tony, you chose to do that." Steve said, facing him. "If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose." The soldier then turned to the team, looking at each of them.

"What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us?" He turned back to Tony. "We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."

"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty." The billionaire stated.

"You're saying they'll come for me." Wanda spoke up for the first time as she stared blankly ahead of her.

"We would protect you." Vision responded, causing the witch to look at him.

"Maybe Tony's right." Natasha said which caused the playboy to look at her with surprise.

"I agree with Nat. Maybe he's on to something here." Azar nodded, Tony now looking at her, still surprised. "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off.." The youngest twin trailed off.

"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam asked as he folded his arms.

A smile tugged at the brunette's lips. "It's called reading the terrain, Bird Boy."

She then stood up, pushing herself away from the table. "Look, we have all made some very public mistakes, some more than others and I'm not naming names but.. We can win their trust back with this." She folded her arms, Natasha nodding her head and agreeing with what Azar was saying.

"Focus up." Tony said as he looked at the youngest twin. "I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you and Romanoff agree with me?"

"I don't know about Azar but I really want to take it back now." Natasha groaned as she looked at Tony who had a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

"No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case closed--I win." The billionaire said.

Steve sighed and heard his phone buzz. He reached into his pocket and checked it to find a text message. Reading over it, he gave Artemis a look causing the brunette beside him to frown with worry.

"I have to go." The super soldier announced as he got up sharply, dropping the Accords on the coffee table and quickly left the room.

The team watched the soldier with confusion before turning to Artemis in hopes that she knew something.

The eldest twin shook her head slightly with a soft sigh as she got to her feet. "It's Peggy." She replied softly.

"I'm going to check on him." She said before walking after her boyfriend.