Without warning, Tony's helmet formed around his head and his fist sent Steve spinning through the air. Steve landed painfully on his stomach and Bucky pulled his gun from its holder on his leg. He fired bullets at Tony, which bounced off his armour like dead flies. Sue, who remained unseen, stepped to the side as Tony disarmed his parents' murderer. His weapon was thrown across the room and Tony's kicked his thrusters into gear. Taking hold of Bucky, the Stark flew up before ploughing back down to send Barnes into the floor.
Johnny went to run to Bucky's aid but was stopped in his pursuit. His head collided with a wall that wasn't there, making him look up for a source or an edge to prove its existence. While Tony attempted to avenge his parents, Johnny whipped around when he realised why he couldn't include himself in the fight.
'He's going to kill him!' Johnny gestured to Tony, who was also fighting against Steve. Sue materialised into view as she was the origin of the invisible wall that stood in between Johnny and the fight. Her frown pulled her face into a grave expression, eyes dark and lips tight.
'Who are you going to help, Johnny?' Sue tilted her head. 'Because if it's the wrong person, you know I can't stand and watch.'
'Tony's out of control! He-'
'-watched his parents die on camera. Wouldn't you be the same?'
The Storms stared at each other. Johnny still believed that Bucky wasn't responsible for his crimes, as Steve was adamant that he was controlled. The footage of The Winter Soldier murdering Howard and Maria Stark was confronting, but Johnny believed in Steve. And if Steve believed Bucky, then Bucky was innocent.
'Susie... he's my friend,' the man pleaded with eyes flicking to the fight that grew in ferocity by the minute.
'Don't do this, Johnny,' Sue's voice lowered to a tone that scared her brother. It was deep enough to hide the anger that sat within her. She saw the way Tony's strong exterior crumble when Bucky repeatedly beat his father to death. It broke her to see the man who was always quick with his wit show his emotional side. Tony never let himself seem weak, especially when it came to the topic of his father.
Sue remembered when Tony openly admitted that his father, Howard, never warmed to him. The man was said to work constantly and barely give his son even a smile. Maria, his mother, was able to give enough love to him to make up for his father's absence, but it effected him, as it would any young child. Young Tony was never told that he was liked by his father, and he told Sue this with hard eyes. But even then, Tony wouldn't show the full extent of his hurt at the fact that his own father wasn't fond of him. The only time he was sure he had a place in his father's heart, was from a tape that Nick Fury gave him when Tony's body was being poisoned by his palladium-filled arc reactor.
Sue thought that Johnny had the sense to know when to turn away from a fight, but she was proved wrong when he looked over his shoulder as pipes fell from the ceiling. Tony and Bucky fell through the crumbling floor, Steve stood over the hole that led to the level below. Sue wobbled from the floor's collapse but regained her balance as Johnny glanced back at her. The hope she had in him was ripped away as Johnny sent a guilt-filled expression, before his shoulders smoked and he ran to join his best friend. Steve leapt into the hole and Sue watched Johnny dive after him, smoke wafting in his wake.
'It wasn't him, Tony!' Steve was heard from below. 'HYDRA had control of his mind!'
The creaks of metal made Sue look up to see doors opening above her. Platforms leading up to the roof were shown, and it wasn't long until Tony flew between them after Bucky. Sue saw the way his left boot faltered, and his flight wobbled in stature. Steve appeared and went to leap up to the next platform, only to have him fall back in mid air with grunt. The forcefield shimmered from his collision and Steve landed on his back. He jumped to his feet and prepared to launch his shield from his arm, only to freeze when he saw who the culprit was.
'Sorry, Cap,' Sue's arm was outstretched with her fingers spread wide. 'This one's out of my hands.'
'Doesn't seem like it is,' Steve glanced up at the fight that continued without him.
'I don't want to do this...'
'Neither do I.'
Steve leapt up to the next platform, throwing his shield to block one of Tony's attacks on Bucky. Johnny flew up through the tower and re-joined the fight after Tony's suit deployed extinguishing fluid on the floor below. He had to take a moment to regain his flames and it seemed he was headed for Tony, who eyeballed a shot that exploded an opening hatch that led to the roof. But his direction steered to the left, intercepting Steve's shield that spun towards Tony. Johnny's searing hands took hold of the shield, the vibranium withstanding his beyond boiling temperature.
'Whose side are you on?' Steve asked in frustration. He looked up at his friend who hovered in the air surrounded by fire. The friends eyed each other, Johnny's stare containing regretful determination. His change of heart happened last minute when he realised what was at stake. Sue was counting on Tony to win the fight alone, but Johnny wasn't sure that was possible if Bucky, Steve and himself went against the man in the red and gold suit.
'The one where my niece or nephew still has their father.'
---
At the Avengers headquarters, Johnny sat in the meeting room alone. The chairs that surrounded the table were empty at the exception of the one closest to the door. The glass walls contained the silence, the words from the letter in Johnny's hand loud in the man's head. A ring from the air conditioning dulled as Johnny read the letter that was addressed to him.
Visually, Johnny was in a beaten state. His eyebrow was held together by a strip of medical tape and a fresh bruise yellowed on his cheek. His wounds were minimal, but his shoulders were still strained by the brace that stretched across his back. With ribs bruised from Bucky's mechanical fist and his muscles exhausted from the exertion of his powers, the Storm was slouched in the curve of the office chair.
'Johnny, I hope you and Susan are okay back at the compound. I'm sorry for any injuries I caused you, but in a twisted sort of way, I'm glad you were there. If you weren't, I don't know what would have happened to Tony. I didn't want to hurt him, especially after what I know now, but his hatred for Bucky would have ended in someone's death.
I understand the reasoning for your decision, Johnny. I didn't know that Sue was pregnant. Tony has his own letter about the accords and about her, but I wish her the very best. A child might be the only thing that grounds that man.
Thank you for all your help. You're a good friend, but I know that our friendship is somewhat severed. With the Avengers askew, I don't think we'll fight together in battle anytime soon. But I'll always be here. If you ever need me, or us, we'll be there.'
'Johnny?'
After the curve of Steve's name at the bottom of the page, Johnny looked up to see his sister at the door. FRIDAY held the sliding panel of glass open as the woman stood in a jumper and jeans. Her blonde hair graced over her shoulders, and she eyed the page that sat in her brother's hands. She tried not to grimace at the bruises and scratches on his face, and she could see that sitting upright was uncomfortable for him. But more than that, she could see that his lips were in a tight frown with his eyes filled with guilt.
'You okay?' she asked even though she knew the answer.
'Do you think he'll be back?' Johnny adjusted his spine in the chair, his nose sniffing once in a nervous habit. 'If we called for Steve, would he help?'
Sue hummed at Johnny's stare that moved back to his letter. She knew that Tony had received a similar one. She didn't ask who it was from or what it was about, but she was able to assume after her fiance disappeared with it unopened. When Tony returned, his face was sad but content with what he had read. Johnny's expression was similar, but held the guilt of betraying his friend who fought for what he believed in; Bucky's innocence.
'He will. If the situation calls for it...'
She watched as he folded the paper and stiffly stood from the chair. He was careful to not turn too quickly to unearth more pain in his back. Sue waited for him to make his way around the long, glass table before he stopped in front of her. They both were saddened at the fact that the last time they had seen Steve, was in Siberia.
The fight had ended with a majority of Tony's suit destroyed, and Bucky unable to walk on his own. Johnny had been at the mercy of The Winter Soldier's mechanical arm, beaten and extinguished on the cold floor of the HYDRA base. Steve had looked over his shoulder as Tony cried for him to leave the shield his own father made, allowing Johnny to see his friend's face for the last time.
Johnny didn't regret his choice. Tony limited the options for Bucky and there was a possibility that the soldier wouldn't have been able to stop himself in defence. If Johnny was somehow responsible for the death of his sister's fiancé, there would be no way that she would ever forgive him. He couldn't help kill the father of his sister's unborn baby. Steve was his friend, but Tony was going to be family. He didn't know if he could live with himself if Sue was left widowed and her child fatherless.
'The doctor said I'm not allowed to exert my powers until I give birth,' Sue successfully pulled Johnny from his thoughts. He looked down and mirrored the smile on her face. She was glad to see his frown replaced with something other than a scowl.
'That'll be a challenge for you,' Johnny snickered. 'And the wedding?'
'All set for next Thursday,' she couldn't ignore the giddiness in her chest and the bounce that urged her heels to do a small hop. 'Everyone's RSVP'ed. Steve did apologise saying he wouldn't be able to make it. But it's understandable.'
'Eh, old people always ruin the moment at weddings, anyway.'
'Well, I want to fit in my wedding dress before Junior here-' Sue puts her hands on her soon-to-be-large stomach. '-makes me a bulbous, whining monster. I'm not postponing it again.'