The shield never came down; poised dangerously over Stark's reactor, the ability to deliver a lethal blow was without a doubt. But it stopped. Rogers tossed the disc to the side, the loud clang echoing in the freezing chamber. It was silent save for their rough panting of breaths and the whining that came from the form in the corner, curled on his side trying to cradle the gaping loss at his side.
"I'm not going to finish this Tony,' Steve panted, his chest heaving, still straddling the iron man suit. "You're my friend. And I'm begging you, don't hurt him. He's all I got left."
It wasn't his words that made Tony pause, that made the rage inside him quiet, but the look of absolute exhaustion and desperation that was written over Steve's face. He was begging him. Even from his spot on the ground, he could peer over Roger's form and see the writhing man that sounded like he was trying hard not to cry out-his legs kicking uselessly as he tried to regain his footing and stand unsuccessfully. He did that. Tony let his head fall back, the backing of the suit making it impossible for it to hit the frozen concrete beneath him. Steve let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and with a pained grunt, pushed himself up and off Tony.
He offered the Iron Man his hand; Tony stared at it, blood still pooling in his mouth where a well aimed hit from Cap's war buddy had caught him. He spit the red stuff out, feeling his tooth a bit loose but took the offered hand, the suit whirring and sputtering in disrepair.
Steve didn't stay long enough to get him steady but immediately went to the Winter Soldier's side, placing a hand on his side carefully.
Tony tried not to see the way the man flinched away from the gentle touch, or how he has grasping what was left of his right arm almost frantically with his flesh one.
"Breath, Buck its ok,' he heard Steve murmur, softer and gentler than he had ever heard him speak before. "I'm going to get you out of here ok?" There was a shake of the fallen mans head, "Just let 'em finish me Stevie. I deserve it."
Tony's blood ran cold at the admission. The surveillance tapes replaying in his minds eye as he did so. He made a choice. Stark grit his teeth and walked over to the pair, Steve still trying to touch him without the man inching away.
The sound of his footsteps made them both quiet, and Steve looked up, taking off his helmet and setting it aside as he did so. He carefully put himself between Bucky and Tony, his hands out to side.
"I don't want to fight Tony,' He whispered, his lip split and grim smeared across his face, made him look younger than he was. "Please. Just let me get him out of here."
Barnes was murmuring now, almost sounding delusional at this point.
Tony kept his eyes on Barnes as he replied, "No Rogers."
He not only saw but felt the man deflate and ball his hands into fists, in preparation for what was to come. But before he even had a chance to stand, Stark held up his gauntlet.
"You won't get far with him like; I have my jet," Rogers stayed there in stunned silence, his fists unclenching slowly. "You'll have to help me get him there, my suits damaged and I don't think he's going to let me fly him out of here regardless."
"Tony,' Started Steve, relief flooding his face.
"Don't,' Ground out Tony, "Just help me get him to the jet."
Captain America nodded, snapping his helmet around a clip on his belt, leaving his head vulnerable. The act was not lost upon Tony.
The blond knelt down by Bucky's head, pushing the hair out of his face that was currently stuck to the blood on his mouth and nose as he huffed to breath.
"Report sergeant," he heard Steve whisper, not missing the affection that went into the word.
The fallen man spurted what sounded like it could have been a laugh before it became a cry as he curled in on himself, "Ribs, broken nose, some internal injuries. Fuck my leg…" he started to trail off, before letting his head down on the ground, "My arm Steve, its gone-"
Steve immediately grabbed the mans chin as gently as possible, "Its ok, we're going to get you patched up alright? Just hold on to me."
Bucky nodded, his eyes darting to Tony frighteningly. He was pale, the blood smeared around his nose and mouth made him look rabid, but his eyes were wide and full of pain. He looked like a cornered animal and Tony wasn't so sure that was the most accurate description of the man before him.
"Look at me Buck, ok? Deep breath, your going up ok?"
Steve carefully grabbed his in tact arm and got him standing with only a few swear words and stumbling involved. Bucky swayed and Tony went to steady him, but it made the other man pull back immediately, pressing himself into Steve and away from Stark.
"Don't touch me," he panted through ground teeth and a locked jaw, his flesh arm closing and opening as if preparing itself for an attack. Tony wasn't stupid; he'd seen the reports on the Winter Soldier- the lose of the metal appendage did nothing to make the man any less deadly. If anything, it made him even more so. He was cornered and in pain and Tony the one who caused it.
"Got it, no touching, ok?" Tony agreed, putting his hands up, powering down the one still glowing gauntlet, the other one still sparking from the Soldier's attack.
As they trudged, Steve holding his friend as careful as possible, trying to keep the jarring off his side where what was left of the metal arm still sputtered and made a deep mechanical sound that almost sounded painful, like a car about to die.
"He was brainwashed Tony,' Steve whispered, even though they both knew Bucky could hear them as the plane was in reach, "He didn't know."
Tony stopped, allowing the jet to open, reveling in the warm air that drafted from its interior. He didn't say anything back, just gestured to the jet.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. emergency medical please,' he snapped, allowing the suit to unscrew itself piece by broken piece, storing itself in compartments underneath him.
A bed emerged from the side wall, causing Steve to step back as it righted itself with an hydraulic hiss. Tony waved his hand at the bed, motioning from the super soldier to set the wounded man on it.
He heard Steve whisper comfortingly as he lowered the other man onto the bed; Barnes was rigid, his face screwed into a scowl and he looked ready to claw at anyone who got near him.
Tony took the emergency kit and tossed it at Steve, who caught it quickly with a nod of thanks.
"So Winter douche bag, hows that arm connected?" Tony asked, breaking the silence as Steve opened the kit and rummaged through its contents.
They both looked at him, Steve looking peeved and Bucky just looked at him as if he was crazy, which wasn't too far from the truth.
"It isn't right now,' Bucky ground out, not even flinching as Steve ran a whip over the laceration on his brow, "Thats kind of the problem."
Tony huffed a laugh, grabbing a water bottle and taking a swig. He saw how the Soldier's eyes tracked him as he did so, jumping from the bottle to his face.
Tony rolled his eyes, "Water?" He offered, grabbing another bottle, but instead of answering, the other man shot a look to Rogers who took the offered bottle and helped him sit up to drink it, ignoring the way it ran down his chin and soaked his hair.
"Could've just asked,' Snarked Stark, finishing off his own. Steve looked up sharply, "Yea he's not too great about asking for things anymore."
Bucky's eyes fell to the ground when Steve said that.
"Brainwashing," Tony said, trying not to sound sharp. "Right."
It was silent for a bit as the heat soothed the cold aches of the arctic air outside, Steve bustling over the other man and sporting his puppy dog eyes as he opened the Soldier's vest to view the myriad of bruising left by the many falls and slams against metal walls.
The silence stretched on for another 10 minutes or so, the ripping of the soldier's kevlar as Steve tended to the various wounds was the only sound in the suddenly very cramped jet.
"I don't know,' whispered Barnes quietly, staring at the ceiling and not even flinching as Steve tied off another stitch along his hip bone. Both of the other man stopped, looking at Bucky to finish his sentence.
"I don't know how its attached,' he expanded, talking his staring battle with the ceiling to the mess of mechanics attached at his shoulder, "I don't remember. I remember them taking off what was left of my arm. I remember something to do with my spine."
"Its attached to your spine? How do you know that?" Asked Tony, trying not to look just a bit intrigued and mortified at the mans admission. But the scientist in him wanted answers.
Barnes went back to look at the ceiling, twitching as Steve pressed on a partially sore spot around his rib cage.
"Because I was awake."
Tony saw Steve close his eyes, Tony didn't want to see Captain fucking America cry.
"Theres no way a person could survive that," Tony bit back, his mind going through the muscle groups, nerve endings, arteries…
"Yea, normal human wouldn't have," The Soldier let his eyes draw to Tony, "I'm just packed enough with the serum that I survived. Lucky me."
It wasn't until a sharp spark emitted from the arm that the silence was breached, Bucky arched off the metal table with a cry as Steve desperately attempted to steel the writhing man.
"Tony!" Steve cried, wincing as another spark caught his cheek.
Jumping from his seat, Tony pushed at Steve to move over, trying to look as calm as possible as Barnes regarded him with distrustful eyes and immediately shied away from the billionaire.
"Don't move you idiot!" Snapped Tony, the whining of the metal on the table more prominent as the wounded man pressed his back against the wall. Bucky froze, his eyes wide and his chest heaving to keep himself from hyperventilating.
"Whats going on, whats he doing?" Tony stepped back, afraid of what the metal armed fugitive would do at this point. Steve sighed, dragging a hand over his face tiredly, streaking grim and blood as he did so.
"He's obeying,' Rogers whispered, lowering himself to level with the bed, trying to get to get Barnes to set his eyes anywhere but on Tony Stark. "Buck, c'mon Buck its Steve. Its 2016, you're on Stark's jet remember?"
Bucky didn't look away, his jaw opening and closing minutely as if he was trying to decide if he should speak or not.
"Is he my new technician?' His voice was soft, vulnerable, like he wasn't sure if should have asked in the first place. "My arm…somethings wrong?"
Steve's eyes closed as he nodded, "Yea Buck, we're going to get you fixed. Tony is a…friend. Not a tech." Tony noticed the pause between friend. Noticed how his eyes darted to the other man as if confirming his statement. Bucky still had a glazed look in his eye; he wasn't full here.
Tony cleared his throat, "Soldier, are you experiencing any sensation?"
Steve looked like he was about to say something but stopped when Tony shot him a look that gave no room to argue. PTSD. He'd seen this before. He'd been to enough therapists to know the signs. But he had to get the information before he went back to Steve's asshole war buddy if was to help them.
Bucky licked his blood dried lips before replying, "I feel everything," he whispered, sweat beading on his brow. And as quick as he went down, he blinked, looking around with a gasp.
"Steve?" He looked around frantically, "Did I hurt anyone?"
It was with that remark that Steve turned to Tony, steeling his jaw as if his point had been proven. Sighing deeply, Tony grabbed the kit from the bedside table and grabbed the pain reliever and dry swallowed a couple gel caps. His head was pounding. Being around Steven Grant Rogers did that to a person.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y. set a course for the tower," He snapped, tossing the pain reliever to the side and slamming himself down on the seat and strapping.
"Tony?"
Stark rolled his eyes, "I don't have the tools for this shit in my jet. We need to get him to my lab. So strap in and shut the fuck up."
It may have been a trick of the light, but Tony swore he saw the weight on Steve's shoulders lighten just a little.
Bucky had gone from silently enduring the lose of his arm to twitching every few minutes, apologizing every time he did so. Looking scared if he let out anything other than a breath of air.
Steve stayed by his side; his massive body crammed into the corner by the bed, no quite touching the soldier but only by an inch or two. Every time the plane hit turbulence the soldier closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, his fingers pulling at his kevlar as if to distract them from grabbing onto something else. Tony wasn't an idiot; he's seen that look. Steve didn't get close enough but his protective stance and gentle encouragements wasn't something he learned from the battlefield. He looked at Pepper like that, at the beginning. When extermis was unmaking her; when there was nothing he could do for her but stay just far enough away not to get caught by her powers. Bucky was laying flat on his back, but his head was turned towards Steve's hand, seeking out the touch but not allowing himself the comfort of it.
Old war pal his ass, Tony thought.
F.R.I.D.A.Y. alerted them to their proximity to the tower, and the anxiety rose in the cabin and for good reason. Tony could be leading them right into a government trap, he could kill Barnes at his own home, on his own turf with multiple suits. He could lock Barnes away and throw away the key. Stark knew they were thinking this because he had already gone over all those scenarios in head, gleefully at some points, but his stomach kept turning at the memory of Barnes haunted face when he snapped back to on the jet. Asked if he had hurt anyone. It wouldn't be right.
"Calm down Cap. Its just us, no ones going to touch your super solider bff."
Regardless of what Tony said, Steve looked around the landing pad before relaxing, though very minutely. The lines of his shoulders dropped a bit and he turned to the prone assassin behind him; Bucky had pushed himself up a bit, sweating and shaking as he looked at Steve with wide eyes. Like he was asking him if it was safe. Tony walked into the tower, not bothering to look behind him. He needed to breath, he needed to think, he needed his lab. So thats where he went. Steve knew where it was.
Steve tried not to think about how pale Bucky was, or how he leaned on him so heavily as they stumbled through the bay into one of the many open rooms of the Avengers tower. Starks tower. Bucky was stifling his pained gasps as best he could, but holding his breath was just putting pressure on his broken ribs.
"Ya gotta breath Buck, c'mon," He whispered, sending a silent thanks to the AI that opened the elevators to them without question.
"I don't wanna go back Steve,' Buck panted in reply instead, taking his weight off of the other man and laid his head against the cool, metal wall behind him, the elevator taking them down to the lab without question.
"Hey,' Snapped Steve, surprising even himself with the sharpness of his tone, "You're not going anywhere. I promise you Buck."
Bucky grinned, his split lip nearly healed already, his skin still tinged pink where Roger's had carefully cleaned the blood away from his mouth, "You can't save everyone Stevie."
Steve knew Bucky was adverse to touch, it didn't take a rocket scientist to see how he flinched away or the way he steeled his jaw at perceived danger. So he was slow, his still gloved hand gently touched the bottom of the ex-Hydra assassins chin, making sure his eyes turned to him.
"But I will try goddammit," it was as loud and as resonating as a breath, "and this time, I'm not leaving you behind." The door opened in front of them and neither men moved, Bucky's eyes still boring into Steve's like he was trying so desperately hard to believe him. Steve wished he could kill every last person that made Bucky tremble underneath the softest touch the super soldier could muster, or doubt the words he was speaking right now.
"Are you two just going to stare at each longingly at night or are we doing this?"
Steve jerked away as if he had been burnt, Tony stood in front of the open elevator doors with a mug of coffee and a butterfly bandage over the wound on his temple. Steve tried to block out the wave of guilt that flooded him, seeing the bruises he left. Bucky leaned on him again, pulling himself away from the wall, giving him enough of a boost to move into the large space that Tony called a lab; it was a graveyard of nearly completely projects, scrap metal and empty coffee cups that look like they could be growing the next super virus inside them. But, Tony looked relaxed here. Maybe not with them here, but the place itself resonated Tony. The projects, scraps of blueprints and even newspaper clippings of some to their battles just showed the inner workings of the billionaires mind. Scatterbrained, brilliant and the deep burning desire to keep the Avengers together. Rogers had been so preoccupied he didn't notice the tremors that shook Bucky as they drew closure to the medical bed that Steve knew had been used numerous times to as a quasi operating table or where Tony would pass out drunk.
He felt Bucky stiffen next to him when he saw the table; he was still trembling, the smell of the burning ozone was coming from his arm and making Steve nervous.
"C'mon Buck, I'm right here," he whispered, his eyes not leaving Tony as he carefully brought the injured man and helped him onto the cushioned work table. He was placing a huge amount of trust in Tony; he knew what he could do, now that they were on his turf. What he could do to Bucky- one call and the entire U.S. and U.N. governments would be knocking down the door and putting them both in chains. Steve Rogers tried to keep himself calm as he noticed how Bucky wouldn't lie back, his spine ram rod straight despite the way his frame shook, raging against the fatigue of battle.
"Are you going to lay back or is this going to be a thing, because I have zero patience right now," Snapped Tony, the steaming cup of coffee in his hand and red face showing that he wiped off the grime of the fight. Bucky's spine stiffened at the tone and swung his feet over to lay back, his eyes fixed to the ceiling as he licked his lips and let his jaw go lapse.
Steve felt the air leave his lungs and for once, Tony was silent.
"Can someone tell me what the fuck just happened," whispered Tony, his eyes not leaving the super solider prone in his lab. Steve just sighed, carefully making his way to the table, tapping it to let Barnes know he wasn't going to touch him, but was there.
"Happened to me on the jet; he disassociates sometimes," Steve sighed, his shoulders drooping in defeat, "Just part of his conditioning."
Tony looked as if, for once, he was speechless. But he cleared his throat and went to sit down next to the man, scrapping the chair along the floor in his own way of announcing his presence.
"Steve?"
Rogers let out a sigh of relief and carefully touched Bucky's flesh and bone hand, "Yea Buck its ok. We're in Starks lab remember? Going to fix you up, ok?"
"Stark's lab," Bucky mouthed the words like he was tasting them, trying to remember if they were good or not. He suddenly looked up at Steve like he suddenly remembered something, "My arm doesn't feel like its functioning."
"Stark?"
"Ok terminator, I'm going to attach a few electric nodes to -whats left- of your arm ok? I need to figure out how this things attached,' Tony replied around a screw driver in his mouth, his brow furrowed in a way Steve had seen so many times when he was working on something complicated. Bucky nodded, paused and then looked at Steve.
"Can I have your belt?"
Steve was confused for a moment, standing there just as bewildered as Stark was, who was looking expectantly at Steve.
"Buck-' he whispered, his stomach dropping, "If it hurts you get to say stop."
The other man steeled his jaw, looking at the blond defiantly, "Belt."
Steve knew that look and that tone; he wasn't going to take no for an answer. They didn't take their eyes off each other as Steve undid his belt and whipped it sharply out of the belt loops, folding it over itself. He held it out to Bucky, who simply licked his lips and opened his mouth making no move towards it. There was silence two beats before Steve stepped forward and gently pushed the belt in between Bucky's teeth; the later biting down and nodding his head in thanks.
"Geez you guys have a safe word yet?" Muttered Tony, setting down the screw driver and picking up the a few multi colored wires attached to small silver clamps. "F.R.I.D.A.Y, I want a full scan of the arm."
"Right away sir," Came the disembodied voice of the A.I.
It still bothered Steve not to hear JARVIS replying back; he was finally getting used to the damn thing and now he had to start all over again.
Bucky's eyes widened and he chest heaved as each connector was attached.
"Sergeant Barnes's pulse is exceeding safe thresholds," Came the disembodied voice overhead, though the clench in Bucky's jaw and the white knuckles at his side was tell enough without the AI.
Tony didn't want to see the man reduced to a quivering mess in his lab, or see up close the damage he inflicted in his rage. The blast had torn threw the metal arm into what was left of the flesh one; the butchers in Hydra had mangled him. Not unlike the mass of scar tissue adorning his own body after his own capture. Barnes's jaw was clamped down so hard on the leather belt he was sure he would rip right through it if Tony wasn't careful.
"Can he take anything?" Tony asked, not bothering to look up; he wasn't sure if he could meet Rogers eyes anyway. The hurt still fresh and it would be too easy to hurt the other man at this moment. He didn't look up but he saw the droop of the shoulders and slow shake of his head to response, "He'll burn right through it. He has a variation of the serum; same as me."
Stark sighed. This was going to be a hell of a night.