Two Assassins Sitting In A Tree

Super Secret Mission...

"What do you mean I can't go?!" Steve shouted a bit too loudly at Tony.

Tony flinched just slightly before saying back in a quieter, much more controlled tone, "the government hasn't cleared you yet. You aren't even supposed to be leaving the Tower."

"I left this morning. And I met a guy, who is still alive, by the way." Steve said. He could feel everyone looking at him—could feel the pity that was filling them.

"I'm not the one saying you are dangerous, Steve. If I could, I would take you along to kick some Hydra ass, but I can't." Tony said with a slight huff, jutting his hip out.

"Well what do I have to do to be able to go with you?" Steve huffed.

"Go though several hours of a phycological evaluation and be under supervision for a few months following it," Tony said, raising a brow, "we can't wait that long. So we're going to save your buddy, but you have to stay here."

Steve huffed, looking to the side. He hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans, trying to channel some courage to speak up again.

"No. I'm- I'm coming with you." Steve said, trying to make his voice even, but it wavered and it made it sound like he was going to start crying—which he might do either way.

Tony looked over at the other people scattered throughout the room. Natasha just shrugged at him. Clint wasn't even paying attention, counting the arrows in his quiver. The other guy— the one Steve didn't know didn't look too pumped about it. Bruce looked like he just didn't want to be there.

Tony then turned sharply to look at Steve again, "Fine. You can come with. But this is our little secret. We leave him out of the reports, got it?"

"This is a bad idea," the other guy huffed, shaking his head slowly.

"You don't have to come along if you don't want. It can be cool kids only," Tony said, holding out his hands, motioning to everyone else in the room.

"Oh, I'm not going to be involved in this," Bruce said quickly.

"It will be the cool kids, minus one." Tony offered, tilting his head slightly, "come on, Rhodes. It'll be fun."

"It doesn't sound too fun," the guy—Rhodes?— scoffed, but then said, "I guess I'll come along to make sure you all don't get yourselves killed."

"Well then. Let's get Rogers a suit."

—

Steve stood in the middle of Tony's lab, arms crossed as Tony shuffled through a box he'd drug from inside a closet in the corner.

After a moment, he pulled out a red, white and blue suit and tossed it on the ground. He looked over at Steve, still on the ground. "Here's your old suit, if you even want to wear that. Well, not actually your old suit. It was a going to be given to you after the war but..."

Steve looked down at it. He didn't know what he should do. In all honesty, he didn't know if he even deserved to be Captain America. He didn't even know if he wanted to be. He just became Steve Rogers again, and it was hard to know himself as the name he'd had for much longer than he'd had that name.

Steve swallowed heavily before bending down to pick up the suit. He frowned at it, hands trembling slightly. After a moment, he dropped it. "I don't know if I'm ready to be Captain America yet."

"No biggie," Tony shrugged, getting up and dusting of his pants, though they were still perfectly clean, "we can get you a tactical suit. Do you want your shield?"

Steve hesitated for longer this time. He'd used that shield for awful things while he was under Hydra's control, but he'd also done good things with it. At the moment, he wasn't ready to deal with the confusing feelings in his chest.