Stonehearted | Bucky Barnes x Reader

chapter 27

"Secretary Ross has a congressional Medal of Honor... Which is one more than you have" Rhodey said.

"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 argued.

"117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like, 'No, that's cool. We got it'"

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

"I have an equation" Vision says, breaking the argument.

"Oh, this will clear it up" Sam said as everyone put their attention on Vision.

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

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve asked.

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

"Boom" Rhodey said.

"Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal"

"It's because he's already made up his mind"

"Boy, you know me so well. Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. 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?" dad asked. He pulled up a photo of Charles Spencer.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. 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..." I looked down.

"Dad" I said lightly but he didn't stop.

"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"

"Dad, please" I say a little louder but he still didn't listen.

"He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where. Sokovia. 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" I left the room and stood outside the door, a few tears dripping down my face "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... Were no better then the bad guys" I heard dad continue. I stayed next to the door to hear the convo.

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

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

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame"

"I'm sorry, Steve. That... That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not S.H.I.E.L.D, it's not HYDRA" Rhodey said.

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

"That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realised what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands... I shut it down and stopped manufacturing" dad said.

"Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to chose" Steve said. I wiped away the tears and collected myself before coming back in the room "What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go and that don't let us? 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"

"You're saying they'll come for me" Wanda says.

"We would protect you" Vision and Pietro say at the same time, Pietro holding Wanda's hand.

"They'll come after me as well. I'm too dangerous if I lose control" I say.

"We would protect you too" dad says and hugs me tight. I hug back. Dad pulls away when Nat starts talking.

"Maybe Tony's right. If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off..."

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

"I'm just reading the terrain. We have made some very public mistake. We need to win their trust back"

"Focus up. I'm sorry. Did I just mishear you... Or did you agree with me?" dad asked and I chuckled.

"I want to take it back now"

"No, no, no, you can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented" I saw Steve look at his phone and I felt like crying again. Oh my god, poor Peggy.

"I have to go" Steve said. As he left, everyone looked at him but I looked down.

"I'll go and make sure he's okay" I say and go to Steve.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine"

"I know what happened. Do you wanna talk about it?" I ask, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Not really"

"Do you wanna be alone?"

"I don't know"

"It's okay. Come here" I say and hug him. He cries lightly on my shoulder and I hold him tighter, rubbing circles on his back "I'll come with you" he nodded his head.

~~~~~

Me and Sam sat at the front of the church. Steve was carrying the coffin and I felt so numb inside. Steve came to sit down with us and I put a reassuring hand on his arm. He nodded his head.

"And now, I would like to invite Sharon Carter to come up and say a few words" Sam nudged me and I nudged Steve. He looked up and saw Sharon. He looked a bit confused. She looked at Steve, then around the room. She nodded her head and spoke.

"Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D... but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy. She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related" she looked at Steve "I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage... In a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. She said, compromise where you can. But where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move... It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree... Look them in the eye and say 'No, you move'."