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“I want to go home.” Clint whines, his legs draped over the back og the couch and his hair brushing the fancy carpet T’challa has in his guest quarters.
“I just want a hamburger.” Sam replies staring out the window from his position on the loveseat. Clint, twists awkwardly so he can point at the man nearly losing his balance and falling onto his face.
“That!” Clint says in agreement. Sam rolls his eyes as the archer yelps, forehead smashing into the floor as he tumbles off the couch.
“We need to stand by what we believe, and that means staying here.” Steve answers, arms crossed. He looms in the doorway, a constant dark look on his face since Barnes chose to be frozen again.
“Well. What if we contact Tony about getting us pardons and your superbro back?” Scott offers with a shrug. Everyone blinks at him. “What? He is your friend right? And he has the BARF.” Again everyone just blinks. “It’s designed to help people deal with PTSD perhaps it could be adapted for Bucky’s situation.” Scott explains marveling at how dumb people who haven’t studied engineering are. Admittedly he’s stuck here with these idiots, which doesn’t say a lot for his intelligence.
“He could help Bucky? And he hasn’t? I’ll call him.” Steve decides storming out of the room with an angry flourish. Steve calls.
And calls.
And calls. Nobody ever picks up, and eventually he gets a message that the phone is no longer in service.
How could Tony just get rid of his peace offering like that? What if the man needed his help? What if the world was in danger? Does he already know where they are?
It’s been a few weeks of unanswered calls when Steve finally gives up. He needs to contact Tony but his options are limited. Natasha had shown up a few days ago though and he trusts her to get into Tony’s information. To help him.
“I need to get in contact with Tony.” Steve declares. Natasha raises an eyebrow at him. “He might be able to help Bucky, I need to talk to him.”
“He’s not answering my calls.” She replies evenly. “He won’t answer any of our calls Friday screens them the moment she hears our voices.” There’s a silent ‘but’ hanging on the end of her statement. Steve waits for her to continue. “I may have a bug still active.” She offers.
“Can you show me?” Steve asks, Natasha pulls out a device Steve is unfamiliar with, most likely SHIELD developed.
“FRIDAY shut us down I have a call to take.” Tony’s voice rings out from the device, there’s a small squeak and Steve assumes the man is spinning in his chair. “Put the Keenster through!” He sounds excited and Tony finds himself curious about this other person. What has Tony gotten himself into now?
“Who is that?” Steve asks Natasha, she shrugs.
“You built what?” Tony asks, voice incredulous and Steve’s eyebrows with concern. “No way, you won?” Steve raises an eyebrow.
“At what, what is he involved in?” Steve frets. Natasha just shrugs again, focusing on the voice.
“Well if you won, this is cause for celebration, you should come to New York.” Tony rambles into the phone. “When are you out of that prison anyways?” Steve’s eyes widen and he looks at Natasha. “You can bring the whole family.” Tony declares. “FRIDAY free up the Keener’s schedule I want Harley and his family here the week school gets out.” Steve’s eyes widen farther.
“Who is this kid? Why is Tony in contact with him?” Steve asks, and Natasha puts the device away.
“I don’t know, but I can find out.” She offers. “I may need to go state side though, I’ll be out of contact for a few weeks.”
“Grab the kid if you can, it’ll force Tony to talk to us.” Steve orders. Natasha blinks at that, but nods agreeably.
…
“I built a hydraulic fan.” Harley informs Tony before he even says hi. Tony laughs, delighted.
“You built what?” He asks, rubbing at his chest gently, and begins searching for his pain medication.
“A hydraulic fan for the science fair. I want to be an engineer just like you, and I won first place, I even beat the baking soda volcano.” Tony laughs happily at that.
“Well if you won, this is cause for celebration, you should come to New York.” Tony offers, pulling up a holographic ball to toss around.
“Well you know, I have school. I can’t just come visit you, no matter how much I want to.” Harley replies, and Tony let’s out a soft aw in response.
“When are you out of that prison anyways?” Tony asks, moving stiffly toward the couch in the lab. His chest is still bruised where the suit had caved in under the Shield, his ribs still healing.
“June, same as last year, Mr. Engineer.” Harley taunts, Tony grins at that.
“You can bring the whole family.” Tony decides gesturing at the roof. “Friday free up the Keener’s schedule I want Harley and his family here the week school gets out.”
“You’re the best Tony, I gotta go mom just finished dinner.” Harley says, excitedly the patter of feet obvious through the receiver.
“Bye.” Tony tells the dial tone. “Love you kid.”
Weeks go by with daily calls from the kid, just checking up on Tony, making sure he’s still okay. Then Harley misses a day, which is fine the kid was bound to get bored of him eventually. Then he misses a second day and FRIDAY says he hasn’t been in school. Tony sees red.
“Call my team.” Tony says.
…
“What the fuck is wrong with you people!” A new voice screams from his guests quarters. T’challa rushes to find out who this stranger in his home is. He opens the door to find a child, young, probably only thirteen, and very clearly angry.
“We just want to get in contact with Stark.” Clint tells the kid, and suddenly there is a cold fear building in T’challa’s heart.
“You kidnapped a child, because a man you attacked wouldn’t answer your phone calls?” T’challa asks. Clint nods, as if this is no big deal. Natasha focuses on cleaning under her nails with the blade of a knife, and Steve looks reightous. Only Scott, and Sam have the decency to look ashamed, and in Scott’s case scared.
“He has something that could help Bucky, he can’t just keep it from us.” Steve declares, all self-righteous anger at Dr. Starks perceived slight. “It’ll be fine, it’s not like he knows we’re here. I promise T’challa, no harm will come to your country.” Steve says loftily. T’challa shakes his head, as Shuri walks up looking as usual, unimpressed.
“Young sir, I must request you come here. I need to get you back where you belong as quickly as possible.” T’challa announces, and Harley rushes to his side. “You kidnapped Stark’s kid, and you think my country is not in danger. The only reason my country is still standing is because this boy is here.” T’challa hisses at the group.
“He wouldn’t think to look here.” Clint says, moving to grab the kid, T’challa intercepts it, hand striking out to grab the others wrist.
“If you think for one moment Stark does not know your exact location you’re a bigger fool than I thought, and quite frankly I didn’t think that was possible.” T’challa says. “And if you think he will hesitate to kill you, you are wrong. Tony Stark protects those he loves fiercely and at great personal risk. He would have once died for you. Something broke that, he came back from Siberia quiet. I doubt he cares much for your continued survival.” T’challa knows that Dr. Stark is treading a fine line between over protective and homicidal, this will have pushed him over the edge.
“He wouldn’t kill us we’re his team.” Steve declares, Shuri shoots T’challa a look, at the captains weak defense. “The avengers are his family.” T’challa flounders for a moment.
“I have been working closely with Stark developing the new Accords, you understand?” T’challa asks. Steve blinks uncomprehendingly at that. “Were you unaware Wakanda is one of the original proponents for the Accords, it would not honor my father’s legacy if I were to ignore them.” Steve looks outraged.
“You can’t work with the Accords T’challa, they’ll force you to run errands for these corrupt governments. I have to help people, individuals.” Steve declares, Sam nods in agreement.
“And yet you stole an individual, a child from his home.” Shuri says, voice sharp and cutting. Steve blinks at her and the child still hiding behind T’challa.
There is a small clank from outside the guest quarters window. T’challa’s skin goes cold as fear sinks into his bones.
“Shuri, watch them.” He says to his sister, before turning to rush outside. The child’s hand grasped in his. He rushes outside to find Ironman flanked by two women.
“T’challa, so nice of you to call.” Stark deadpans, faceplate remaining resolutely closed. The woman at his side gives T’challa and his guards an assessing look.
“I must apologize, I did not think my guests so stupid as to kidnap a child.” He admits, shame coloring his features. There’s a loud crash as the window behind him breaks, and Steve Rogers slides across the courtyard.
“Sorry, he was very insistent he be allowed to join you.” Shuri calls through the window. T’challa stifles a groan.
“Tony, you need to give us the device you made the binary arguementation or whatever Scott called it for Bucky.” Steve declares, Tony moves into a more offensive post, but turns to the women with the star on her chest.
“Captain?” He asks. Steve looks absolutely delighted for a moment before the woman ruins his dreams of still being Captain.
“The jet should be landing soon, while it is tempting to kill him, I think formally stripping him of his title and locking him in prison should do it.” She decides, as if on que a jet can be heard over head. “Wasp if you could please cuff him.” She requests, the person who stole his mantle, his team. Steve prepares to fight, but the kid pulls the face of his watch and sticks it to Steve’s neck, knocking him out.
“Nice one Keenster.” Tony cheers, and T’challa relaxes for the first time since he heard Harley’s voice through the door.
“You’re so old.” Harley groans, moving behind the inventor as the other Avengers flood out of their window. T’challa shoots a furious look at Shuri.
“I watched them.” She defends, as Clint pulls out a knife a strange woman walks of the jet.
“Clinto Francis Barton.” She growls, prowling forward with a deadly grace, only a mother with combat training can pull off.
“Laura, what are you doing here? Did you bring the kids?” Clint asks cheerily. The woman, Laura, T’challla presumes, grabs the knife out of his hand and holds it to his neck. Shuri stifles a laugh, only years of poise keeping her from letting her absolute glee show. “Laura what are you doing defending Stark?” Clint asks, leaning slightly away from the knife.
“You put my children in danger. You left. You fucked off to Wakanda while General Ross was on a war path. Did you think he wouldn’t find me? That nobody would recognize your wanted picture?” She asks, absolutely furious. Clint blinks at her.
“I don’t understand, you’re mad at me?” Clint asks. “You knew the gig when we got married.” He declares.
“You weren’t breaking the law when we got married. Weren’t getting involved in fights you know nothing about. Did you even read the Accords?” She demands, sneer taking over her face. “Jennifer honey, do you have those divorce papers I asked for?” She asks, turning to the green woman that came off the jet behind her.
“You made another Hulk? How could you be so reckless?” Clint screeches looking at Tony. The woman rolls her eyes, and hands him the divorce papers as Laura drags him into a holding cell on the plane. Jennifer hefts Steve’s unconscious body and follows. Scott attempts to follow, but is grabbed by the woman called wasp.
“Where do you think, you’re going?” She demands. He just silently gestures towards the plane. Tony laughs quietly in the suit. “Scott a few things, one I’m personally arresting you. Two, sorry to say this, but we’re breaking up. Three, You have been denounced by both my father, myself, and the company, and no longer have the right to wear the Antman suit. I will find someone more suitable if need be, please hand over my property.” He flinches and pulls the suit’s case out of his pocket, handing it over with a small cringe.
“I’m sorry Hope.” He mumbles. She blinks at him.
“I don’t care.” She informs him and leads him into the holding cell with a sullen Clint and an unconscious Captain America. A stranger in a wheelchair sit’s quietly behind them, and when a red glow begins to form around Wanda’s fingers it stops.
“You, young lady, are under arrest as well, and will be housed with other dangerous mutants until the completion of your trial.” He declares. Tony steps out of the suit and high-fives Peter as the woman stomps her foot in frustration.
“What have you done to me? Where are my powers.” She demands. Harley leans over to high five the spider as well. His mother wrapped around him in a tight hug. Spiderman webs her mouth shut as Khamala leads her in, prodding at her back slightly harder than necessary as she forces the woman to climb onto the plane.
“What about Bucky?” Sam asks quietly, as Natasha edges away trying to disappear in the group of T’challa’s curious staff, her lilly white face stands out like a sore thumb and he doesn’t hesitate to grab her shoulder and hand her over to the green woman.
“Thanks T man, I’m so glad we could do this without breaking your house.” Tony says, grinning at the man. T’challa grins back, a little shy in the face of such open pleasure from such a closed off man.
“I am too, and I’m glad they are being removed, they’re rather rude.” T’challa says, there’s a murmer of agreement from the staff and Sam looks stricken.
“You’re telling me.” Tony jokes wrapping an arm around the kings shoulder. “Sam, don’t worry about Bucky. I’ve been helping him for weeks. If I were you I would worry about the dishonorable discharge you’re facing, jail time, and the loss of redwing.” Tony says, Sam’s jaw drops as Captain Marvel cuffs him.
“You’re taking my wings?” He asks, quiet and sad.
“Well I did invent them. You broke the ones the army gave you so they have no right to these.” He informs the man as he’s led onto the jet. Harley and Peter return to stand by Tony.
“So, this is the King?” The spider asks, bowing low to the ground. “Tony talks about you all the time.” Harley nods in agreement, laughing at the red flush on Tony’s cheeks. Khamala walks over, grinning at the sight of Tony’s face.
“What Ironman? Embarrassed about a little crush?” She teases, if anything his face gets redder.
“You all are the worst kids, and I hate you.” He declares. Shuri laughs openly, and T’challa grins.
“We love you too dad!” They say before running for the jet. T’challa laughs at Tony’s outraged squawk. He looks to T’challa a question in his eyes.
“Did they just- Am I- Do they think- I- I’m a dad?” He splutters, looking stricken when T’challa nods.
“And a rather good one at that. See you Thursday for dinner?” T’challa asks guiding Tony towards his jet. Tony blushes again.
“It’s a date!” Shuri yells, before he can ask or agree. Tony blushes redder as T’challa’s staff titters in the background.
“I’d love to.” Tony says, and the doors to the jet close dramatically, T’challa moves back to a safe distance and waves, the woman known as the wasp steering the jet out of Wakanda.