Give him back to me, or so help me god

Chapter 1: The Fallout

"For the last time," Tony slouched back in his chair, clasping two fingers around the bridge of his noise in an attempt to ease the cluster headache he could feel mounting behind his eyes. "Err, no."

"And for the last time, Mr. Stark," Ross glowered across the courtroom, his eyes burning. "That is not your decision."

"It's my signature," Tony shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets in an attempt to appear calm. Even in his pockets they quivered with rage. "So it kind of is."

They had been going round and round in circles with the same argument for just over three days now. Ever since Ross had had the nerve to show up at the Compound with the latest version of the Accords, ready for Tony to sign. The changes made to the accords had been a joke. Ross's presence in the Compound, where he had so nearly cost Tony more than he could afford to pay, was not.

If Steve hadn't held him back Tony would have beaten the man to death. He was sure of it. And not even a little repentant.

He hadn't though. What he had done was hurl the accords into Ross's face and refuse - vehemently, and colourfully - to ever sign so long as Ross was the one running things.

Ross had filed a law suit the next day.

A voice above them both cut Ross off before he could reply – or hurl himself over the desk and strangle the life out of Tony. With the colours he was turning, Tony thought he had about a fifty fifty chance with either.

"Mr. Stark-"

Tony swivelled his chair to glance up at the judge.

"Yes, Honey-pie."

The judge levelled Tony a cool look. "Secretary Ross raises a valid breach of contract – you made a formal agreement to sign-"

"-I made an agreement to sign before he tried to kill us." Tony cut the older man off, pulling up in his chair to stare up at the judge fully. "A tentative agreement at best, that was dependant on certain amendments that Mr. Ross has not yet made."

"Secretary Ross."

For the first time since they had called the session in order, almost five hours ago, Tony looked up and met Ross's eyes. The rage that had been quietly stirring in his chest throbbed, and then expanded. Gnawing through his organs, and then out to his very fingertips and toes. God those fingertips ached. Ached to claw those eyes out where the man stood –

"Not for very much longer."

The words were not a shout – in fact they were softer than anything Tony had said so far – but they echoed. They seemed to rebound off of every wall, and catch in the very air. For a moment not even one of the hundred people room moved.

Ross found his voice first.

"You recounted your agreement – an agreement that kept you from being named an enemy of the state alongside the rest of the criminals you now house!" He screamed across the room, launching to his feet despite the warning hands of his legal council, a vein in his forehead throbbing with his every word.

"At your request!" Tony thundered, on his feet as well, his chair – and poor attempts to seem unperturbed – abandoned. "And the request of congress!" He rounded on the judge. "And for the record – again – I did not recount my agreement to sign the Accords. When the amendments that were agreed to by the United Nations – which actually allow my team and I some basic, human rights – are made, and I am satisfied with them, I will sign." He said, his voice rising to barrel right over the scoff that Ross let out. Tony fixed his eyes back on Ross, and again he had the fight the almost nauseating urge to launch across the tables that separated them and beat the life out of the other man with whatever he could find. "What I said was that I will never sign it, no matter how many amendments are made, while his name is still attached."