Prompt #2 is so Tony... oh god here comes the angst
excuse you, this isn’t that angsty. well. depending on your point of view, I suppose.
“I don’t need you. I don’t need any of you.”
Silence falls in the compound kitchen.
His newly acquitted teammates stare at him as if he were a speaking another language. Tony can feel his walls slipping back into place, the masks that the ‘new’ Avengers, his friends, his family, had carefully worked to bring down. He can see Peter shifting uncomfortably in the background, can almost feel the fury radiating off Rhodey behind him. He clenches his fist.
It’s Steve that recovers first, and Tony can almost see Nat’s thought process, the we’ll lose control of the entire situation if he talks. She tries to restrain him, but the damage is already done, and besides. They never had any control in the first place.
“Tony-” Holding up his hand, Tony cuts him off.
“Listen, Rogers,” The man flinches, but Tony can’t seem to feel anything but a sort of vicious amusement. Tony used to spend every conversation with Cap feeling ashamed and almost worthless compared to the icon that stood beside him. It was a nice change, seeing Steve sweat. “You’ve been let go. Woohoo. I’m sure the general public are happy.
“But you don’t get to come swanning back in here, and expect to be greeted with big smiles. Any of you.”
He looks each one of his ex-teammates in the eyes, smiling ferally. Thankfully, not one of them looks brave enough to speak now. Tony isn’t sure what he’d do if they tried.
“Wilson, all of your belongings have been sent to your mom. Maximoff, yours is in storage-” He tosses her a key. “Romanoff, Laura Barton has yours. She says she’s put them with her husband’s things. If you see her, ask how the divorce lawyers I put her up with are doing.”
His smile isn’t very nice, he knows, but he’s enjoying this. He’d been looking forward to this moment since the King of Wakanda had warned him that the so-called ‘Team Cap’ had turned themselves in. He watches Hope cross over to Lang, and there’s something in her eyes that makes him think that she would be very dangerous to interrupt right now. His smirk stretches into a grin.
“Rogers.” Steve’s head snaps right back to him. “I was half tempted just to burn your shit, but Spidey argued against it. I decided to just donate it. It’s what Captain America would do, after all.”
He thinks Steve tries to say something, but Tony ignores them all and walks out, Rhodey hot on his heel.
“FRIDAY?”
“The Avengers are leaving the premises, Boss. Ms. Van Dyne and Mr Parker were quite insistent.”
“They aren’t Avengers anymore, FRI.”
The Avengers didn’t need them. Tony didn’t need them.
Rhodey kissed Tony on the forehead, and twined their fingers together. Tony had his Avengers.
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