starkingenuity | (no subject)

Nothing would ever be as sweet as this. Tony Stark had not liked his father much, but every son has a need for revenge when they don't get to take out the big bad in their life personally. His dad hadn't hit him, but abuse can work down other channels. And even so, his old man hadn't deserved to die, and certainly not like he did. It was so ordinary to be shot down, for it to look like a cheap accident. Though it left Tony free of him, it also robbed him of his mother in the same stroke. He never understdood why unless it was all just for show.

Though he'd never had a name or a face, Tony had hated Bucky Barnes for a very long time. That his parents' murderer had been Steve Rogers' best friend, or had been brainwashed to be some sort of mindless slug, he didn't care. He hadn't cared at all, not until he found him asleep on that birdshit stained park bench with newspapers over him. And he hadn't cared then either when he stood there, repulsors aimed towards that piece of scum, until he muttered something in Russian and rolled onto his side.

The cap slipped. His gaunt face showed a man half his own age, looking absolutely wretched and...lost.

Tony Stark had spent the better part of a week on the new suit which, he did tell JARVIS, he didn't quite care if it could kill him or not with the way he disregarded every last safety measure in the book he himself had written. He'd managed to keep is secret from all of the comers and goers from the Tower too.

And now, now that he's here, now that the Winter Soldier had been tracked down in this park in the slums of DC, he can't bring himself to that revenge that had kept him drunk since he discovered how to track the man.

So Tony stands there. And waits. And sometimes forgets to breathe.

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From:

who_is_bucky

Bucky is obviously in distress. Tony can talk all he wants but he's just going to get a wide eyed wild look. He can't be back with them. They'll wipe him again. They'll put him back in the freezer. He only knows basic maintenance on his arm. One mission he had welded a few lines back together and they had flipped out. As far as he'd been concerned, it'd gotten the job done.

Prisoners aren't usually terribly cooperative, Tony.

From:

starkingenuity

Luckily, Tony doesn't need to be answered. He's really very, very good with being ignored too because it lets him just talk at his leisure. There's very little more he likes than to listen to himself. Or so he makes everyone else believe.

When Bucky doesn't comply, however, Tony removes his hands and frowns at the sallow-eyed man. "Listen, if you want a funky arm, fine. More power to you. But if you want me to fix it, a little cooperation would be nice."

Tony's not in the suit anymore after all.

He could just be a new Hydra scientist for all Bucky knows.

From:

who_is_bucky

If Tony had shown him his face before, he might be less concerned now but he doesn't remember Howard to see the resemblance and as far as he knows the only that knows anything about his arm is Hydra. He barely hears what Tony says at all.

He turns a wild, afraid look on the man and his expression is pitifully broken. "Please... please not again."

From:

starkingenuity

You don't expect your enemy to look at you like that and Tony rolls back ever so slightly in the desk chair. The room is pretty nice, but he's already messed it up while he built part of a lab to take a look at Bucky's arm. He'd been salivating over it, scanning it with JARVIS through the suit and--

And not expecting to see such fear in those blue eyes of his father's killer.

"Not what again?" he asks, just to be certain. "Put you back on ice? Hate to tell you but your masters are gone. We cut off all of their heads. Hard to grow back more when you're a dead hydra. You're safe. More or less. Your lucky I like to tinker."

From:

who_is_bucky

No, it isn't the ice though that is wholly unpleasant too. It's wiping that makes him afraid. He hasn't come a long way but he knows things now. He also remembers how much it hurts.

Bucky still doesn't know if he can trust Tony or what he's telling him. He doesn't put together that this is the same person from the park because as far as he knows that had just been a machine.

"Gone?" he echoes, tongue running across his bottom lip nervously. He eyes the room again and it doesn't mean much that he doesn't recognize it. His eyes shift back to Tony, "Then who are you?"

From:

starkingenuity

"Tony Stark." Honestly, did this guy pass out and forget every single time? "Listen, 'Memento,' I don't have time to constantly fill you in, all right? I'll run it down for you. Steve Rogers sometimes works with me. You killed my dad and a few hundred other people. I'm Iron Man. And I have been nursing a hangover so I can get your arm back to working. Don't try to run."

He gave Bucky one of his father's best 'looks' and tapped a screwdriver against his knee.

"Will you flex your fingers now? For me? You do kinda owe me."

From:

who_is_bucky

"From the park," he says slowly, a little confused and no, he doesn't forget things all the time. He just doesn't know what Iron Man is because he's been a little busy. He listens to the summary anyway because he remembers enough to find holes in things. It's the same as before.

"If I... if I killed your dad and all those people. Why are you helping me?"

It's the same question he wants to ask Steve almost. After everything, why would he save him?

Bucky turns his gaze down on his hand and tries to do as asked, only two of them move. One of them twitches. It's accompanied by a harsh sounding 'whir' that shouldn't be there and he frowns at it.

From:

starkingenuity

"That's a really good question. I'm not helping you, exactly. I'm helping your arm. Plus, unfortunately, I'm a good guy. That means that I only kill people if they're trying to kill me or it's an accident. More the latter. Plus... You look like you're going to cry." And something inside of Tony had almost broken when he saw that look on the park bench.

He grits his teeth behind his lips and just lets it go. He wants to hurt Bucky still, but that lingering desire is hardly there any more. It's replaced with...pity.

"Besides, your bestie would kick my ass. I didn't call him, by the way. I figure that if you're sleeping on a park bench, it's because he doesn't know where you are and you don't want him to. Hungry? I have peanuts and scotch."

From:

who_is_bucky

He gives Tony a confused look. He's helping his arm? In what world does that even make sense? The crying thing makes a little more sense but it's not going to happen. He doesn't know that kidnapping a homeless person makes someone a 'good guy' but who is he to judge? Bucky has no idea.

"I don't know him either," he tells him, eyeing his arm again. "And I don't cry."

Bucky swallows, he doesn't know about scotch but any kind of food is a good thing. "Peanuts?"

From:

starkingenuity

Tony has a few issues with the spectrum of good versus evil. Mostly he falls in the middle of a wide sliding scale. He tries to be better, but let's be honest. Men like Tony just can't be good, not completely. He's stopped trying. Especially after he submitted to having his heart removed.

For what? Pepper? His own peace of mind? He feels empty. And killing Bucky like this would have just made that emptiness grow.

He can't allow that.

"They're on the table." He gestures with a screwdriver. "Are you a Chinese sort of killing machine or more Italian? I could order in some room service." Why the hell is he being nice to this man?

Bucky Barnes shouldn't be alive.

But neither should he. Shit. Redemption story sucker!

From:

who_is_bucky

Bucky doesn't fall anywhere on any scale. He's questionable all over. If he had to guess, killing a bunch of people made him pretty evil. He doesn't want to be. He thinks anyway. There's just a lot of things he has to sort out first. Like all his morals.

He's allowed to move? He only stares at Tony for a moment before he shifts to stand up. He hesitates, waiting to be yelled at for it and moves to eat as many peanuts as fast as he can. He's starving okay. He pauses long enough to give Tony a confused look at the question and decides he has no idea about an answer.

"I don't know."

From:

starkingenuity

How could a person not know what he likes better?

Answer: the same person that shoved peanuts down his throat as if he's afraid that Tony will slap it out of his hand. Tony watches the scene for a moment before he turns away. Any defiance in Bucky's eyes are overshadowed by his desperate he is. "J--?"

The AI answers with a curt "Yessir?"

"One of everything from the menu."

Once upon a time, he'd had no one too. He'd been young and hateful and let his youth go by in a flash of genius. And then his parents died. He'd not looked back. And maybe he should have. Besides. His old man never talked about Bucky Barnes. It was always Captain America.

From:

who_is_bucky

Slap out of his hand. Take it away. One or the other or both. He had failed--though history doesn't talk about those moments because he had always gone back--and his punishments had been cruel. They had kept him under control in the beginning by teaching him that he had no choices. They told him what to do and when. End of story. Food included.

He slows down a little, stopping only to try to work up some spit in his mouth, peanuts suck the moisture right out and Bucky doesn't ask for things like drinks of water. He's not to that point yet. He keeps side-eyeing Tony, still a wary wild animal expecting their new benefactor to turn on them.

From:

starkingenuity

So great. Fantastic. Here he was, just minding his own business on a personal vendetta after a year filled with nearly being killed over a dozen times since his brush with death in the vortex, and now he had a puppy to take care of. Usually you get started off with a plant. He's not good with people unless he's trying to get s business deal or a one night stand--

Bucky isn't either.

"Okay. Never mind. Come back here and let me finish up. Two fingers are better than none and you still have that awful whirring sound in one of those gyros. I'm really hoping it's not fleas."

From:

who_is_bucky

He brings the peanuts with him and again licks his lips but says nothing. He's probably dehydrated too. It's not something he pays attention to. He hadn't exactly been taught how to take care of himself.

After a moment of hesitation, he sits back down. He still looks uncomfortable with this idea. "He broke it," Bucky mutters.

From:

starkingenuity

"He who? Our golden boy, Cap?" Well damn. Thor had crushed the arm of his suit once but to know that Steve Rogers could do the same is a little... Hot.

Shit. That's disturbing.

"I'll send him the bill then," he continues gently. As gently as he can. His mouth keeps going dry from the whiplash of feelings Bucky gives to him. He doesn't try to take the peanuts away. He does get up to get a scotch though. "I'll finish after room service comes. But I was serious about the concern for fleas. You look like you might have contracted a few."

From:

who_is_bucky

Bucky only gave Tony a quiet nod in confirmation; it was Steve, trying to get the damn chip out of his hand and it took a whole lot more than that to pry it out of his hand. The show of strength was impressive. Steve would probably feel bad about it knowing him. He'd be sheepish if Tony used it to flirt with him or mentioned it at all.

He's not doing much better on the whiplash feelings; he's not doing so well himself here. He gives Tony a wary look when he stands up , just in case, but relaxes again when he goes to get a drink instead. He's not much for words. He's used to not being allowed to even speak. Instead, All he does is gives the man a look that asks 'what the hell do you want me to do about it'.

From:

starkingenuity

Luckily, Tony reads looks. He reads them very well. He's none too pleased with all of the defiance though, even if it's amusing. It would be much more amusing if not directed towards him however. Frowning, Tony points at the heavy double doors to the left. "Bathroom. Use it. Wash your hair five times if it needs it. There's a robe in there. Your arm's fine to get wet. The thing is geniusly designed and I don't usually give that compliment to anything I didn't have a hand in."

Do not make him have to show you how to wash. He's not up to the puppy stage on the caring for life scale. He killed his cactus. How do you kill a cactus?

From:

who_is_bucky

Sorry, defiance is all he had with Hydra. This is actually a toned down version of it. Defiance is just his default expression now. If he wants something done, it'll have to be an order. Like the shower, see that is perfect. Bucky knows what to do with orders—follow them.

His gaze shifts to the dorks and he looks loathe to abandon the peanuts but an order is an order and honestly, the shambles of his programming jump at the chance to follow them. It's what he's known for a considerable part of his life. He slides off the bed and goes to take a shower, stripping quickly and efficiently without closing the door. He doesn't think of it. He inspects he instructions on the shampoo as he steps under the spray. It's barely lukewarm but it doesn't matter because he's used to it. It's not easy to wash with his half his fingers not functioning but he does shampoo his hair five times and scrub himself down before stepping out to dry himself off.

From:

starkingenuity

As voyeuristic as Tony Stark can be, he's much more interested in drowning himself in scotch. A lot of scotch. Somewhere between lather, rinse and repeat number three, the food comes. He tips every man that rolls in a cart with a hundred dollar bill. There are five carts in all, all covered with metal domes to keep burgers and omelettes hot.

Tony won't get started until Bucky shows up, water logged and thinner than he thought and swimming in a black terry cloth robe with stark's logo on it.

He's seated at the table at the window, looking over the cherry blossoms, his eyes haunted and the alcohol half done.

From:

who_is_bucky

Water-logged and a little careless with the robe but it's so large it doesn't matter much. Tony might get a little chest now and then but largely it's just robe. Bucky can smell the food and it makes his mouth water. He's starving.

He sits down at the table but he keeps his hands to himself. Until he's told he can eat, he won't. Bucky is paranoid this could all be some kind of test. It doesn't mean anything to him that the bottle is almost gone. It's not his place to judge. It's not his place to do anything.

Nothing but shift his gaze between Tony and the food, not unlike a puppy asking if it's okay to have.

From:

starkingenuity

Now that bothers him. More than anything else, seeing Bucky sitting there, salivating-- Tony doesn't wish that shit on anyone. Not on Obi. Not on Hammer. Not on anyone.

Not even the man that ws forced to kill his dad. His friend. Tony's eyes actually well up and he clears his throat, donning dark glasses.

"Have at it. Just don't make a mess, okay?" As in utensils. He'll help you cut the meat if you need it.

From:

who_is_bucky

He's obviously relieved when Tony says he can go ahead and eat. He'd been punished for failure--before rectifying it--and he has to say that not stopping Steve on the Helicarrier is probably the worst of them. Not that he remembers, but the entire organization fell apart and his masters are dead, so he can assume.

The last thing he needs is help with a knife. He scowls at the dull steak knife. This is a disgrace. Unfortunately, all of his are missing and he knows that has to be Tony's fault. There isn't a hell of a lot he can do about it.

Well. There is. Food is just more important right now and believe it or not, he doesn't kill people without a mission. He eats as fast as he can get things into small enough pieces to fit in his mouth.

From:

starkingenuity

With only one working hand, Tony doesn't expect Bucky to be able to manipulate a knife like he obviously can. The older man huffs lightly under his breath as he watches Bucky tuck into a lasagna.

He sits back. Whatever hunger he has is gone. He won't take anything from Bucky's mouth, despite the large quantities of food that are currently stinking up the whole of the suite.

There's something satisfying about the way Bucky piles it in. He feels... Good. Like he's doing something good with his life.

From:

who_is_bucky

He's managed to awkwardly use his functioning fingers to hold the dish well enough he can cut it with the utensil pretending to be a knife in his good hand. Bucky doesn't exactly care if it's neat or if his metal hand gets dirty. After adding a third dish to his pile, he eyes Tony for a moment, trying to decide if the man will take away the food if he gets up to get some water.