Past, Present, Future

Nineteen

        You stand beside Steve as you watch Bucky in his glass cage on the screens.

        "Hey, you wanna see something cool?" Tony asks.

        You reluctantly look away from the monitors to see Tony coming toward you two with something small in his hand.

        "I pulled something from Dad's archives."

        Steve sits down at the head of the table.

        "Felt timely," Tony mutters before throwing his jacket on a chair.

        He slowly approaches Steve with a relatively soft look on his face, "FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in nineteen forty-one." He sets the open box in front of Steve, "Provided support to the Allies when they needed it most."

        "Some would say it brought our country closer to war," Steve comments as he looks up at Tony.

        After a moment, Tony responds, "See? If not for these, you wouldn't be here." He shifts a bit with a small smile, "I'm trying to... what do you call it?" He sits down diagonally from Steve, "That's an olive branch. Is that what you call it?"

        "Is Pepper here? I didn't see her."

        Tony looks down, "We're kinda... Well, not kinda..."

        "Pregnant?" Steve questions.

        Tony shakes his head, "No. Definitely not." He looks up at Steve, "We're taking a break. It's nobody's fault."

        "I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't know."

        "A few years ago, I almost lost her, so I trashed all my suits. Then we had to mop up Hydra... and then Ultron. My fault. And then, and then, and then, I never stopped. Because the truth is I don't wanna stop..." Tony takes a deep breath, "I don't wanna lose her. I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference."

        Steve looks down as Tony turns his chair toward you. He stands up but looks over at Steve again.

        "In our defense, I'm a handful." He adds, turning away again while walking toward the screens, "Yet, Dad was a pain in the ass, but he and Mom always made it work."

        "You know, I'm glad Howard got married. I only knew him when he was young and single." Steve remarks.

        Tony turns to Steve, "Oh, really? You two knew each other?" He grabs his jacket, "He never mentioned that." He straightens it out a bit, preparing to put it back on as Steve looks to the table, "Maybe only a thousand times. God, I hated you."

        Ouch...

        Steve looks up, "I don't mean to make things difficult."

        "I know because you're a very polite person." Tony, now with his suit back on, walks toward Steve again.

        "If I see a situation pointed south... I can't ignore it." Steve turns his chair as Tony walks around the back of it, "Sometimes I wish I could."

        You shake your head with a small smile.

        "No, you don't," Tony responds.

        Steve grins a bit as he looks down, "No, I don't." He looks back up at Tony, "Sometimes-"

        "Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth." Tony shrugs slightly, "But I don't wanna see you gone. We need you, Cap... So far, nothing's happened that can't be undone if you sign."