Summary: They were six damaged and hurting individuals but when they were together they were something amazing. They were more than a team, they were a family. A series of one-shots set in the Savior-verse.
Pairings: Clintasha, Pepperony and Winter Shock
Warnings: Just general spoilers for the movie… but everyone should've seen it already by now so no worries! Warnings also for questionable, crackish behaviors by adults with superpowers. Also OOC internal monologues and lack of emotional stability. Also a warning for language because… I have a potty mouth. So there may be some naughty language. Sorry!
Disclaimer: If I owned anything having to with the Avengers I would be a rich, happy woman. Instead I am a broke, happy woman. One out of two isn't that bad.
Author's Note: Hey, hey! I'm back. New chapter. Nothing more to say. Hope you enjoy! Ciao for now!
O Brother, Where Art Thou
New York City. The concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do… well, at least according to the song that Tony insisted on playing every time they returned to the Tower from an away mission. Literally. Every. Single. Time. And while it may be true, it was also the city that was damn near impossible to maneuver without someone violating your personal space almost every ten seconds. Bucky winced as someone bumped into his left side, sending him staggering. Thankfully, Clint was beside him. The archer placed a steadying arm around his shoulders, helping him to gain his balance both physically and mentally. Bucky murmured his thanks, feeling even more grateful when their other companion on this aimless stroll through hell moved to his free side. Bucky never thought he would feel comfortable sandwiched between two grown men, but he did. Mostly he just felt safe. He didn't know Sam Wilson that well (yet) but he knew that the man wouldn't let anything happen to either him or Clint just out of fear of disappointing Captain America or pissing off the Black Widow. And as for Clint, he knew that Clint would fight for those he called family with his dying breath. So there was no question as to why Bucky felt safe. But there was one very big question that had been bothering him since they got off the C train at 50th street and started walking.
"What the hell are we doing exactly?"
"Going for a walk," Sam answered, with that same damn cheerful and optimistic attitude that got him this gig in the first place. Phil and Nick ran into the man that would become the Avenger Falcon when he was running a therapy group at a veteran's center in DC. Fifteen minutes into his initial SHIELD interview it became clear that Sam was much more than just a vet turned therapist. And soon he was given accelerated SHIELD clearance and a new codename to boot. When Bucky asked why they were at a veteran's center in the first place if they weren't looking for a new Avenger he got several raised eyebrows coupled with meaningful looks between him and Steve with a secondary glance in Tony and Clint's direction. That, apparently, was that. Three weeks after they met him, Sam Wilson was a permanent resident at the Tower and the team mental health professional as well as their second new recruit.
Well, second official new recruit. The whole Loki thing was up in the air. Five months after rescuing him from the Chitauri, Loki was the silent partner to the Avengers. He helped during the major world ending events but mostly from the shadows. The public was still not exactly willing to believe that he was not entirely responsible for the Invasion of New York. So for now, he was in limbo as to whether he was an Avenger or not (personally Bucky was of the belief that the trickster totally was an Avenger and he knew he wasn't the only that felt that way). Scott Lang, on the other hand, was their very visible new Avenger. Especially now since the electrical engineer figured out how to reverse engineer the Pym particles. Now he not only shrank, he also grew. It was definitely helpful to have a member of the team that was actually bigger than the Hulk. Although Scott really needed to learn how to punch harder than the Hulk. That was a lesson even Thor was still learning. But at least he had a hammer.
Overall, life was good. Bucky couldn't complain. Well, he couldn't complain about his life as an Avenger and part time agent of SHIELD. He could damn well complain about this excursion in fail because seriously? They're out for a walk? In Hell's Kitchen? Hell's Kitchen, also known as the neighborhood least likely to welcome an Avenger with open arms. For some reason that small subsection of New York seemed to blame the Avengers exclusively for the destruction rained down by aliens not even remotely affiliated with the Avengers… well at the time anyway. Bucky would never understand that leap of logic. That's why Brooklyn was so much better. Even with all the artisanal jam stores and kombucha tea shops popping up. On that note…
"What the hell is kombucha anyway?"
"Something not meant for human consumption," Clint replied absently. "It's a hipster thing. You wouldn't understand."
"Or would you?" Sam mused, pointedly eyeing Bucky's current outfit.
He frowned looking over his Darcy approved outfit from his recently overhauled Darcy approved wardrobe. He really needed to stop letting that woman dictate his life. Still, he didn't see anything overtly wrong with what he was wearing. A pair of form fitting jeans that made Darcy flush red before she dragged him into the dressing room and got them banned for life from H&M. The only reason Bucky didn't feel completely awful about that was because Phil assured him that he wasn't really an Avenger until he had a lifetime ban from somewhere. So, at least there was that. Clint was wearing a pair of jeans similar to his, so clearly it wasn't the jeans. It wasn't the sneakers either as Steve, Natasha and Darcy all had similar pairs. Bucky elbowed Clint in the now well-known silent request to explain things to him. Clint snorted.
"You look like the poster child for how to dress like a hipster, Buck. Ridiculously skinny jeans, brightly colored converses, and a plaid button up shirt open just enough to display the ironic t-shirt underneath. Yeah, you hit all the key points," Clint pointed out, turning to look at him. "You even have a beanie on, bro."
Bucky's hand went to his head. "Is that bad?"
"No, you actually make it work unlike some people I see. Leave it," Clint replied, rolling his eyes. "Besides Sam is just jealous because all the ladies have been looking at you."
"You're damn right. Can they look at me? I'm the only tragically single one here. You both have girlfriends. Scary, scary girlfriends."
Bucky snorted. "Is that why we're out here? So you can try and score with the dames?"
"Ugh, Buck. That's another dollar for the outdated slang words jar. Keep it up. Seriously, keep it up. Tony and I have a bet going that you'll be able to afford a car with money out of that jar by the end of the year. Bruce seems to think it'll take longer. He's grossly underestimating your failure to assimilate to modern English."
"I hate you," Bucky muttered, hunching further into himself. Clint elbowed him in the now well-known silent request to stop hiding or Clint would shoot him in the kneecap. Again. "Why do I need to be here if Sam is just trying to get lucky?"
"Because there is no one else in the Tower and Darcy told me that I was not allowed to leave you alone," Sam answered evenly.
"You're going to let a five foot something girl tell you what to do, Wilson?"
"Oh, you mean the five foot something young woman with the overcharged Taser, scary ninja father figure, scarier ninja assassin best friend, and then we have her not all together there sniper brother figure and boyfriend? Yeah, I'm going to let her tell me what to do."
Bucky conceded that Sam may have had a point. Messing with Darcy was not a wise decision. Not even just because she was capable of taking care of herself but also because of the staggeringly large amount of people that were willing to destroy on her behalf. That's the only reason he even thought it was a good idea to start a relationship with Darcy in the first place. He knew that if he crossed the line, that if he resorted to his programing, there would be a large number of people more than willing to put him down before he hurt her.
"And that right there is the reason none of us wanted to leave you alone."
Bucky jumped at the sound of Sam's voice. He didn't realize that he was getting lost in his thoughts again. And that they had tripped right back into the dark thoughts. Clint brushed his shoulder against Bucky's but didn't say anything out loud.
"And why is that?"
"Bucky, you just had an episode yesterday. You almost killed Dum-E with his own fire extinguisher."
"Have to admit that it was kind of impressive," Clint murmured. Bucky snorted. Sam glared at them both. They both laughed. Really, Sam was adorable. They were both willing to laugh in the face of Nick Fury, the man that basically owned them both career wise (and personally. They both owed their lives to Fury in some capacity). If he didn't intimidate them, no one would. Except Natasha. She was different. She was scary.
"Wait, I get why you're watching me but why did we have to go out? Couldn't you do the whole watch the crazy super soldier gig at home?"
"One, you're not crazy, you're traumatized. Two, we're out because Clint wanted to go out today," Sam replied, throwing him another dirty look. "And I've heard that Clint is never allowed to go anywhere unsupervised because he's a walking disaster."
Clint snorted. "Damn straight."
"That's nothing to be proud of, yastreb," Bucky reminded him. Clint grinned at the nickname like he always did. He always smiled like he was still so happy to have people that wanted to give him nicknames. It seriously made Bucky hate everyone in his life before SHIELD came around. "What are we even doing out here? I thought there was a Dog Cops marathon on."
"Aw, Dog Cops," Clint pouted briefly before brightening immediately. "Oh well, I'm sure JARVIS is recording it for me."
"What could possibly be more important than Dog Cops to you?"
"Finding Daredevil."
Bucky and Sam both stopped short staring at their friend in disbelief. Bucky knew that Clint had a reputation for being… impulsive and slightly off but this? This was just a little too off for his tastes. Sam apparently was of the same thought because he was blinking rapidly at the oblivious archer who finally noticed their confusion.
"What?"
"Dude, you're trying to find Daredevil? Why?!"
Clint shrugged. "I don't know. Seemed like a good idea at the time."
"Uh huh," Sam drawled. "You know he only comes out at night, right?"
"I'm not an idiot," Clint said, glaring at his direction. Bucky shook his head. No, Clint wasn't an idiot. Clint was incredibly smart and crazy as hell. That was a dangerous combination. "I know he only comes out at night but I don't want to run into him while he's beating on some criminal. That would just be awkward."
"You're such an odd little duck," Sam laughed. Clint shrugged again and they resumed their walk. "So you're really just going to gawk at every single person on the street and wonder if they're Daredevil."
"No, that would be dumb. I actually created a program based on everything that we actually know about him. So I'm using this time to gather more data for the program."
Bucky and Sam exchanged glances. Yup, Clint Barton was entirely too smart for his own good. Or for the good of anyone else. But if he wanted to devote some of his brain cells to stalking a masked vigilante, well at least he was keeping busy. That meant less time he spent pranking the residents of the Tower along with Loki. Seriously, how the hell did none of them see that team up happening? So if Clint wanted to spend less time pranking and more time trying to track down a vigilante then more power to him. They would enjoy this brief respite for what it was: a godsend (not of the Loki and Thor variety).
"So back to you and your episodes."
Bucky groaned. "Seriously, Sam? Is there a point to any of this?"
"The point, Bucky, is that we're all a little worried about you. This is the second episode this week. I thought you said they were getting better."
Bucky sighed, his hand toying with the strands of hair that were desperately trying to escape the confines of his hat. "They were. Everything was starting to quiet down and then…. It started again. And I can't seem to stop them."
"What happened or changed recently?"
Bucky started to say that he had no idea. But that wasn't exactly true. He did have an idea. He just didn't feel like voicing it at the moment. It all happened three months before Sam joined the team and less than a month after Loki moved in. Clint and Tony were kidnapped. Nothing terribly shocking there as it tended to happen like once or twice a month these days. But what was disturbing was the fact that it was a blast from not only Natasha's past but Bucky as well. Of all of the graduates of the Red Room, the one Bucky never wanted to remember was Yelena Belova. She was the only one who came close to Natasha's skills. And yet that wasn't enough for her. She wanted to be better than Natasha. She wanted to be the only Black Widow. So she got in her head to take out the people most important to Natasha. Thankfully, she chose those two. Short of burying them alive, there was no real way to hold either Clint or Tony in a cell. Put them together and well…. It was safe to say that Yelena grossly misunderstood all of them, but especially Tony and Clint.
By the time Natasha got done kicking ass for daring to come after her family, Tony and Clint had escaped and were back at the Tower watching Big Hero 6 and splitting one of a few dozen pizzas from Ray's along with a few liberal pours from a rather large bottle of whiskey. The pies were still warm by the time the team got back to the Tower. Overall, it wasn't even a huge deal. They were both a bit banged up but mostly just irritated that they got caught and exhausted. Yelena was back in Russia, licking her wounds and probably biding her time. It was a nothing event and yet, coming face to face with his past triggered something in Bucky. The nightmares came back. The "episodes" came back with a vengeance. And every time he tried to get a grip on them, something else came up. And he knew he was spiraling but dammit he just couldn't find the way or the time to get it together.
"You're not sleeping, are you?"
"No," Bucky admitted quietly. "I'm not sleeping and I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin on a regular basis. And I know it's bad, okay? I get that but I just…"
"Can't deal?"
"Exactly," Bucky said quietly. "I can't deal and there's never any time for me to get settled down before some end of the world event is happening or Tony and Bruce are blowing something up or Steve is off trying to overturn some third world dictatorship." Sam arched an eyebrow. Bucky smirked. "Don't be fooled by that charming face. That man is a world class troll. He's also kind of a little shit. Well, I guess he's not so little anymore. But anyway, he's still a shit. He's still got people thinking he's no good with technology just because it's an excuse for him to not do some of his own work."
"So that time he asked me to type up his post battle report because he couldn't get the computer to work….?"
"Lying through his perfect teeth," Bucky answered with another grin.
"That bastard. Wait, who else knows?"
"Just Thor, Clint and Natasha. I'm pretty sure that Bruce has an idea but he's just too polite to question it. Tony believes it completely. I know Fury has to know by now. Not sure if Coulson knows and just won't say anything like Bruce. Or maybe he's still blinded by the whole fanboy thing. Although you'd think Coulson would be over that by the fourth time he had to get Steve out of jail because of a bar fight. Stevie likes to blame Clint and Tony but I know it's him. It's always him picking fights."
"Damn," Sam muttered, looking a mix between completely betrayed and deeply amused. It was what Bucky referred to as the Rogers Reaction. That interesting combination of emotions that could only come from interactions with one Steven Grant Rogers. Still, he knew that the distraction would only last so long and Sam was right. He was absolutely right. That's what scared Bucky the most.
"I don't want to hurt any of you."
"Then don't. You have control. You're not the Winter Soldier anymore. Or, you are. Just not in the way HYDRA wanted you to be."
Bucky nodded. "I'm just scared that one day… I don't want to hurt any of you."
"I know," Sam put a hand on his metal arm. Bucky felt himself relaxing under the touch. "I don't want you to take this wrong way but… maybe you should consider taking some time off. You know? Not moving out the Tower or anything like that but maybe not going out on missions for a bit. Or maybe you should leave the Tower. Take Steve and Clint with you. Those two are overdue for a break."
Bucky resisted the urge to laugh at that. Sam had no idea. And it did sound like a really good idea. Maybe it would help. Bucky knew he wasn't the only one dragging these days. Even with the new additions to the team, they were still stretched out. Steve was responsible for helping the two new Avengers (and their silent partner) adjust to being on a team. He also was responsible for leading missions. So he was exhausted. Mentally and physically. Bucky caught him slipping a hoodie on over his long sleeved shirt the other day. He claimed he was cold. Bucky knew, better than anyone that super soldiers ran hot normally. So Steve only got cold when he was feeling sad or low. Yeah, Steve could definitely use a break. And Clint wasn't much better. He was not only an Avenger but also an agent of SHIELD. It wasn't unusual for him to be running missions for both within a two week time span. Bucky wasn't quite as familiar with Clint's tells but he knew the archer had to be feeling a little burnt out if he was doing weird stuff like hunting for Daredevil.
Speaking of Clint, Bucky realized that he hadn't heard anything from the blonde in well over ten minutes. That was never a good thing. He turned to his right and wasn't surprised to see that the man was gone.
"Dammit, we lost Barton," Sam sighed, coming to the same realization as Bucky.
"Where the hell did that meatball go?"
"Another dollar in the jar," Sam teased earning a dirty look from Bucky. He grinned. "Look, it's probably not a big deal. He mostly likely caught a 'lead' on his hunt and took off. He'll be back at some point. Worst case scenario, we'll meet him back at the Tower."
"You can tell that you're new. Clint is not allowed to wander off. He wanders off and bad things happen to him and/or the poor schmucks stupid enough to let him wander off in the first place. If Natasha doesn't kill us then Darcy will. I don't want to think about what Coulson would do but I'm sure it's going to be horrible and no one will ever find our bodies because there will be nothing left of them!"
"You guys smother him a lot. You know he's a grown man who carries more weapons on him than I care to think about. He also killed a guy last week with a marble and permanently blinded another with a nail clipping… and it wasn't even his nail. Safe to say that he's more than qualified to take care of himself. He is entitled to his own space every once in a while."
"No, no, he's really not. Yes, Clint is capable of taking care of himself. He's definitely smarter than everyone thinks he is, which is by design by the way. And yes, he's a highly trained and skilled assassin. But he's also a walking disaster and the living embodiment of Murphy's Law. If it can go wrong, it will and it will happen to him. Clint is the only Avenger who is not allowed to have his own space unless he's back at the Tower and being monitored by JARVIS. JARVIS ain't here. So spread out and try to find him."
Sam sighed, very clearly not seeing the urgency in the matter. But Bucky knew better. He knew that Clint attracted trouble just as easily as Steve went looking for it. He knew it was in the best interest of literally everyone to find the archer as soon as possible. And one day, Sam would understand why. But Bucky was really hoping today wasn't that day. So they split up. Sam would go further ahead and see if Clint simply walked ahead. Bucky would go back and retrace their steps. They would meet back on the same corner they lost him on if they couldn't find him in ten minutes. Then they would regroup and come up with a better strategy (or you know a strategy period). Ten minutes. Ten minutes and if they didn't find him then Bucky could give into the internal bubble of panic building. Bucky found him in two.
He was standing in front of an alleyway not too far away from where they were walking, staring at something in the distance. Bucky approached him slowly. He noticed the tense set of Clint's shoulders, the way that one hand was clenched in a tight fist at his side. The other was stretched out in front of him almost like he was reaching for something… or someone. Bucky eased over to his side and place a gentle hand on Clint's shoulder.
"Clint?"
He cursed as his friend flinched despite his best efforts at keeping him calm. Bucky jerked his hand away, taking a closer look at his friend. His normally expressive gray blue eyes were wide and glassy. Bucky saw fear there. Fear and surprise. He was pale and his hands were trembling. Whatever he saw spooked him. Badly. But Bucky didn't say anything more. He just sat waiting silently as Clint tried to pull himself back together again. It was a long process but Bucky took the time to shoot Sam a text and let him know that Clint had been found but was not okay. He also asked Sam to give them a little time to deal with that. Sam agreed, asking if there was anything that they needed and Bucky found he was at a loss. This wasn't his thing. Clint was the one that pulled him out of these kinds of episodes. It wasn't usually the other way around. Finally, he looked up from his phone when he heard Clint let out a shaky breath.
"Hey," Clint whispered softly.
"Hey, yourself," Bucky murmured, gently tugging his friend forward so that the younger man was tucked underneath Bucky's arm. He frowned at how easily Clint let himself be manhandled into a position he claimed hated. He said that it was an abuse of super soldier strength. But he wasn't complaining now. In fact, he was actually leaning into the halfway hug that Bucky was giving him. That made Bucky hold on even tighter. "What happened? Did you see Daredevil?"
"What?" Clint asked, vacantly. His brow furrowed for a moment before he placed the question. "Oh, uh no. I didn't."
"Clint, you're scaring me here. You look like you saw a ghost."
"Feels like that too…. But I didn't. I didn't see anything," Clint lied through his teeth. "I'm sorry if I worried you."
"Worried? Me? Please. Sam, on the other hand, he's terrified."
"Really?" Clint asked, sounding uncharacteristically small and sad. Bucky felt his concern growing to overwhelming panic inducing levels. He squeezed Clint's shoulders.
"Of course I was worried about you, bro," Clint shuddered. Bucky pulled away somewhat. "Okay, look something is very obviously wrong here. Just tell me what's happening so we can fix it."
"I… I can't… you can't... fix this," Clint stuttered. He slowly looked up to meet Bucky's gaze. "It's not that I don't want to tell you… it's just that I can't right now. I need to figure this out first. Then I'll tell you."
"Promise?"
Clint leaned in again so that his head was resting on Bucky's shoulder. Still he felt the archer nod and that was enough. For now. The last thing he wanted to do was push his already emotionally fragile friend. But he made a mental note to do exactly that if the younger man didn't tell him what was going on later. Taking care of Clint Barton was a delicate task. One had to respect that he was (officially in a month) a thirty two year old man who could, and would, kill you with any manner of inane office supplies. But also it was necessary to acknowledge and recognize that his self-preservation skills were virtually nonexistent. If they didn't push him every now and then, Clint really would be content to crawl into the vents and vanish when the world became too much for him to deal with. Natasha told him how close they all were to losing Clint in the early days of the Avengers. Bucky wouldn't (more like couldn't stand to) let that happen on his watch.
"I'll believe you. For now. Just… don't do anything stupid."
Clint mustered a weak smile. "It's me."
"I know. That's why I said it."
Clint's lips ticked upward and the lost look faded somewhat. Well, mission partially accomplished. Bucky made sure to keep his arm looped around the archer as he steered Clint back to where Sam was waiting. Bucky gave a minute shake of his head as Sam started to say something about the desolation he still saw on Clint's face. Sam nodded and instead launched into some embarrassing story from the last mission he ran with Tony and Steve where they got shown up by a girl that could apparently communicate with squirrels. Clint laughed in the right places and talked when it was necessary but Bucky noticed he still looked and sounded shattered. He had no idea what he was supposed to do about that. Gloomy Clint was something that he was not prepared to deal with. That was a job for Natasha or Coulson or Darcy. Maybe even Tony and Bruce. Not Bucky, the PTSD suffering Winter Soldier.
The trip back to the Tower was quick and Bucky was no less settled on what course of action to take. He simply followed after his two teammates as they made their way to the common floor. It was an unspoken agreement that neither Bucky nor Sam was going to let Clint out of their sight for the next few hours. They really did work well as a team. Bucky was so consumed in his thoughts (and internal flailing) that it took him a moment to register the smells emanating from the supposedly empty space.
"Pizza?" Bucky mumbled.
"Ray's?" Clint perked up. Bucky gave him a questioning look before glancing at their far too smug teammate. Sam grinned and pointed to the elevator doors. Bucky watched as the doors opened revealing the common area with the coffee table stack of pies from Ray's (Clint's favorite place) as well as…
"Welcome back, guys," Scott grinned around the slice he was currently attempting to devour in one bite. Beside him Loki was giving him a look mingled with interest and disgust. Cassie was watching her father with big eyes and a grin. That grin grew even brighter once she saw Clint.
"Uncle Clint!" she sprang up from her seat to give her favorite uncle a flying tackle hug. Clint, of course, caught her with a wide, surprised smile on his face.
"Cassie! What are you guys doing back here?" he grinned, looking over at her father who was currently choking on the pizza. Loki rolled his eyes before stretching the distance between them and hitting the other man on the back. Scott coughed before continuing to chew the slice like nothing ever happened. "Are we sure that he's really an electrical genius?"
"He has a Masters. No one said anything about him being a genius," Sam pointed out, sprawling on the sofa beside Loki, pulling a slice out in the process. He closed his eyes, savoring the taste. "Bro, I totally get why you're obsessed with this place."
"It's the best," Clint smirked, sitting down on one of the armchairs with Cassie still hanging on him like a limpet. Once they were sitting, she sprang up to bring him a slice before settling down on his lap again. Bucky found himself smiling faintly as the haunted look slowly faded. Clint was so engrossed in listening to Cassie's weekly update on her giant pet ant, Antony II, he seemingly forgot that he was supposed to be upset about something.
Bucky sat down on the back of the sofa that Sam, Scott and Loki were sharing. He crossed his arms over his chest looking down at Sam. "Did you plan this?"
"Honestly, I really only planned the pizza. Scott text me to say he was coming back to the Tower with Cassie. But I didn't plan on Loki." Sam nudged the trickster on the stomach. "Why are you back? I thought the festivities were supposed to last for a week at least."
"They are," Loki replied, cryptically. He rolled his eyes as he was pinned down by glares from the three mortals around him. "Things haven't exactly improved between Odin and myself. I thought that mother's birthday would be a good chance to prove that I've changed but he did not wish to hear it. I wasn't even given a place at the family table. Even Jane Darcy had seats there. I was a mere afterthought at the table with the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three."
Bucky heard the hurt in Loki's words. He knew the Frost Giant turned Asgardian was trying his best to right the wrongs he made in the past few years. He and Thor made several trips back to the Asgard during the few short months that Loki was living with the team. Each time he came back, Loki was quiet and withdrawn. It would usually take a few schemes with Clint, Darcy and eventually Scott to draw him out of his shell. Bucky could tell this was going to be one of those times again. Maybe it was a good thing Loki came back when he did. He and Clint could booby trap the Tower and work out their depression through mischief.
"Does Odin know you're here?"
Loki shrugged one shoulder. "I'm certain he's aware by now. It was Hemidall who suggested that I return home and escape my father's… well, my father."
Bucky smiled softly at Loki casually calling the Tower home. It was kind of mind boggling to think about but just a year ago, it was just the core Avengers living here. And now… well, now they had a formerly brainwashed Russian assassin, a former thief/non genius electrician, a former Army pararescueman turned therapist and the god that tried to subjugate the entire Earth just a few years ago. Times, they were a changing… and for the better.
He slid down the back of the sofa when Scott stood up to get another slice. Scott glared ineffectively at Bucky before settling down on the floor between Cassie and Clint's seat and the others. Bucky leaned back on his stolen seat with that same soft smile playing across his lips. Yeah, things were definitely looking up. He closed his eyes and let the soft conversations wash over him, leaving him with the warm peace and comfort one could only find at home.
What felt like mere minutes later, Bucky opened his eyes and was immediately aware of the fact that something wasn't right. The last thing he remembered was sitting on the sofa with Sam and Loki and listening to Scott lose a debate with a six year old about whether it would be appropriate to enlarge another ant so Antony II wouldn't be lonely. That was the last thing he remembered. But that wasn't where he was. Because the warmth was gone. He was standing outside in the rain. His hair was loose and plastered to his head. It felt like a helmet. His clothes felt heavy and stiff from the water soaking him through to the bone. He could feel the too familiar cold sinking into his bones. Still he was grateful for the numbness it was providing because he could feel dull aches all along his chilled skin. His head throbbed and his vision blurred. He had no idea how he got where he was.
"Bucky?!"
His head moved slowly in the direction of Sam's voice. Soon he found the man running outside of a building… not just a building, it was the Tower. He saw Sam running out of the Tower and towards him with Loki on his heels. Neither man seemed affected by the rain or the cold. They were each wearing looks of concern and apprehension. Gone were the smiles and jokes of what Bucky swore was only moments ago.
"What's going on?" Bucky asked through chattering teeth.
Sam took that as a cue to move closer. He started to put a hand on Bucky's shoulder but hesitated. The former assassin glanced down to see that what he originally thought was just rain was also blood. He was covered in blood. His looked down at his hands. His flesh hand trembled but even through the glow provided by the streetlights, he could see the blood underneath his fingernails. Only his metal arm remained steady but even that had damage. He had been in a fight of some sort. That explained the pain. But he couldn't remember fighting anyone. He couldn't remember anything other than the sofa, the pizza and the Tower.
"Sam? What's happening to me?"
"We don't know. We were hoping you would tell us. JARVIS reported that you were standing outside and seemed to be injured. So Loki and I came out here," Sam said, slowly. "It's going to be okay, Bucky. Where did you go when you left the Tower?"
He shook his head, ignoring the pain flaring in the back of his head. "I don't remember leaving the Tower. I just remember the pizza."
Sam and Loki exchanged curious glances. "Bucky, that was several hours ago," Loki replied, hesitating. "It's after midnight already."
Bucky backed away. "No, no, no. It can't be. We were there. And it was three o'clock. We just got back from walking around Hell's Kitchen. And Clint was…." He trailed off. That's who he needed right now. Because Steve wasn't here but Clint was. And Clint would help him make sense of all of this. "Clint. Where is Clint? He'll help me. I need to talk to Clint. Where is Clint? He'll help… he knows what to say…."
Loki and Sam were doing that thing again where they looked at each other and had an entire conversation in the silence. Bucky was starting to associate that with bad news. Still, even he wasn't prepared for the look of intense sorrow that clouded the faces of his teammates.
"What happened?" Bucky asked, voice cracking slightly. "Where is Clint?"
"Bucky, I'm so sorry. But we don't know where Clint is," Sam answered, genuine regret in his voice. "When JARVIS first let us know that you were out here, Scott and I went straight to his room. But he wasn't there. JARVIS let us know that he wasn't there. You both left the Tower hours ago."
"I don't understand," Bucky murmured, shaking his head again.
"I know, Buck. But come inside. Take a shower and get dry. We'll figure it out," Sam assured him. "We'll figure out what's going on together. Okay?"
Bucky let out a deep breath. Yeah, they would get to the bottom of this. Everything was going to be okay. So he let Sam and Loki steer him out of the cold, torrential rain and through the darkened lobby of Stark Tower. Within minutes, they were on his floor. Scott was waiting there for them. His eyes widened at the no doubt bedraggled and macabre sight he made. He didn't say a word though. He just wordlessly took over guiding Bucky through his apartment and into the bathroom. JARVIS helped by turning the shower on.
"Hey, I'm going to be right outside when you're done, okay?" Scott offered as he started to walk out the bathroom. Bucky nodded, not trusting his voice in the moment. Scott paused and gave him a small smile. "Whatever happened, we'll figure it out and we'll make it right. Okay?"
Once again, Bucky nodded. Scott sighed softly before leaving and closing the door behind him. Though he might have been numb emotionally and physically at the moment, he didn't miss the Ant-Man suit lying across the back of the sofa when he entered the apartment. He felt reassured that Scott would be inches away from safety should Bucky lose even more time. He quickly shed his bloody and wet clothing and stepped into the shower. Sam entered once to take the clothes for analysis and leave a clean set of clothes behind. Bucky didn't react at all. Instead he focused on going through the motions of showering and later dressing.
Soon he was back on the common floor, sitting in a creepy echo of his earlier position. Sam and Loki were once again sharing a sofa with him. Sam's arm rested on the back of the chair, semi curling around Bucky. Loki was on his other side, not speaking but offering a sort of comfort in his silence. Scott was once again sitting on the floor, looking over initial results on the blood samples on Bucky's clothes as well as security camera footage from the lobby.
"So what's the verdict?" Bucky asked, his voice sounded rough, even for him. His shoulders hunched forward. He missed the nudge in his side that reminded him to stop hiding. "What did I do? Where's Clint?"
Scott chewed on his lip before sighing heavily. "Shortly after eight, Clint got a phone call. We don't have audio on these but you can see that he was really agitated. He left the Tower after hanging up. And not five minutes later, you followed him. We don't know what happened after that. We don't know anything until…. Yeah. We don't know anything other than that."
Bucky shuddered at the words Scott didn't say that hung in the air, silently damning Bucky. The words Scott wouldn't say. So Bucky said them instead.
"That's not quite true. We know I followed him and that I came back alone, covered in blood four hours later. Not to mention, I apparently have lost time. We all know that only happens when I snap and become the Asset again. So missing time, missing archer and bloody clothes. Sounds pretty straight forward to me."
"Bucky, that doesn't mean…." Scott trailed off as the tablet let out a loud beep. "Test results are in. There were three separate samples on your jacket. One of them was yours, another still unidentified and the third was…."
"It was Clint," Bucky finished, aware of how monotone his voice was. "The third was Clint. I did something to him. I followed him out of here and I did something!"
"Bucky, calm down," Sam ordered, gently. "You're hurt. You're possibly going into shock. That's not going to make for the best decision making right now. So let me check you over while JARVIS and Ant-Boy over there figure out who that second sample belongs to. That might give us a better understanding of what happened."
Bucky nodded sharply, allowing Sam to exam him. He didn't need a better understanding of what happened. The evidence was pretty clear. Bucky lost time. He apparently left here with Clint and lost a lot of time in between. Now Clint was missing and definitely injured judging by how much blood was on Bucky's jacket. Bucky would never hurt Clint in his right mind. So he had to have been triggered. Something or someone triggered the Winter Soldier programming and it took over. He hurt one of his best friends. He hoped that hurt was the least of what he did. But the fact that he wasn't here was kind of an indication that Clint was more than just hurt.
"Definite head trauma," Sam said, snapping Bucky out of his thoughts. He winced as Sam pressed a little too hard on the bandage now stretched against his temple. The older man apologized and started taping the gauze over the gash on the base of his skull. "You were hit over the head with something heavy. There's also the wound on the front of you head, indicating that you hit it on something. And judging by the bruising on the rest of your body, you fell from up high. But most importantly, you're lacking defensive wounds."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Scott tilted his head towards Sam. "Right. Clint has been training with you, Natasha and Steve for months. We've all seen him fight. If he was going to fight you to save his life, and he would, there would be more defensive wounds from hand to hand combat. The cuts on your body indicate someone fought you with a sharp object. Clint doesn't normally do hand to hand with weapons, definitely not arrows. No, there was definitely someone else there with you guys."
"JARVIS, how's that scan coming on the third blood sample?" Sam asked.
"Almost done."
Bucky chewed on his lip, sinking down into the blanket Sam draped around his shoulders. He wanted to believe that there was someone else with them when… whatever happened actually happened. He didn't want to think that he could hurt Clint. Clint was one of the few people who topped Bucky's most important people list. He loved all of the Avengers and would lay down his life for them all. But Clint, Steve, Natasha and Darcy made him want to do more than just sacrifice his life. They made him want to live because their lives were better with him in it. They told him that enough that he actually believed them. So he would never hurt Clint. But if the Winter Soldier took over…. Clint wouldn't stand a chance.
"Uncle Bucky?"
All four men froze at the soft voice breaking the heavy silence in the room. Cassie took advantage of their hesitation to slip into the room and onto Bucky's lap. This wasn't the first time he had the little girl in his arms. But it was the first time he felt acutely aware of how truly fragile she was. Of how breakable she was. He wanted nothing more for her to be away from him and tucked away somewhere safe. Or maybe it was him he should've been put away. He hated Steve for wanting to bring him in. They should've left him in a SHIELD cell and thrown away the key. Then he felt those fragile, breakable arms slipping around his neck in a hug.
"Did you help Uncle Clint?"
Bucky shot a glance at Scott, who in turned looked to Sam who looked to Loki, who rolled his eyes and pointed back at Cassie.
"What do you mean? How was I helping Uncle Clint?"
"He got that phone call from his brother," Cassie replied, pulling back with a frown. "His brother is a meanie. He made Uncle Clint sad. You said you were going to go keep an eye on him. Make sure he was happy again."
"His brother?" Bucky murmured.
The tablet chimed again. Scott frowned, looking remarkably like Cassie in the moment. "The mystery sample belongs to Charles Bernard Barton… deceased. He was a FBI agent until ten years ago when he was found to be working a few outside the law cases. He was declared missing in action two years after that and legally deceased four years ago. Apparently, the rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated."
"He was there," Sam muttered. All eyes flickered towards him. "He was there in the alley this afternoon. That's what had Clint so spooked. He must've seen Barney. And then that phone call just set him off."
"Okay, but none of this explains jack," Bucky retorted.
Scott rested a hand on his leg briefly before shooing Cassie back to her room. They waited for JARVIS to confirm that the youngest member of their team was actually back in her room before they continued. Bucky was hoping that discovering the other person would clear up the mystery. Instead it just left several more questions.
"Why would Bucky be injured along with Clint and his brother? And why is his brother being here causing Clint to act so weird?" Scott mused out loud. Bucky shrugged before catching the hesitant looks Sam and Loki were exchanging.
"Not again," he mumbled. "What? What the hell now?"
"The thing is… Cassie wasn't too far off with the whole 'Barney is a meanie' thing. He's not the most pleasant of memories for Clint."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you know about the circus, right?" Bucky nodded. "The night that Duquesne nearly killed Clint, Barney was there. Clint denies Barney having anything to do with the beating but I think we all know that he wasn't just standing there. Either way, he left Clint lying in a ditch. Then a few years later, they crossed paths again after Barney was a FBI agent. Not surprisingly, he got involved in some shady stuff. Clint stumbled along and got swept up in it in his usual way. He ended up getting arrested. He spent six weeks in solitary confinement getting visits from various government goons who weren't happy that their shady business was interrupted. He would've been there longer but that's when Coulson recruited him for SHIELD."
"Okay," Scott whistled, placing the tablet to the side. "Barney Barton, not getting brother of the year ever."
"He never told me about that," Bucky said, trying not to sound as hurt by that as he felt. He thought he knew everything about the archer. Apparently he was wrong.
"It's not exactly something he goes around broadcasting. I'm pretty sure only Phil, Natasha and Nick know the full details. Bruce and I only know part of the story I'm sure because that's how much he trusts to tell. Oh, and Loki, you probably know….."
"Everything," Loki finished quietly. "I know everything."
"Why the hell does Loki know and not me?!"
"Because I was in his mind, Sergeant Barnes," Loki answered, voice dipping into that calm before the storm tone he usually used when he was pissed. "I learned everything about him in the very same way that I turned him against his friends and coworkers and used him to murder said friends and coworkers. So would you care to continue pouting and moping about how I knew and you didn't or can we concentrate on finding him?"
"Yeah, sorry," Bucky murmured. "I didn't mean…"
"We're fine, Bucky," Loki shook his head. Bucky gave him a tentative smile in response. He knew it wasn't fine. He just signed himself for at least a week's worth of pranks. Strangely, Bucky didn't mind. Loki rolled his eyes fondly. "We should try and hunt down our Hawk. Natasha and Steve are due back from their mission tomorrow. I definitely don't want to be the one to explain that we managed to lose our youngest teammate."
All four men winced. That would not be a fun conversation. If there was anything left of them after Steve and Natasha were done with them, it would have to face Phil and Nick.
"Yeah, we should definitely get on that."
An hour later, they were back in Hell's Kitchen strolling through the streets. Scott stayed behind, for obvious Cassie related reasons, but Loki insisted on accompanying them as they returned to the scene of the crime. As they walked closer to the alley where Bucky found Clint earlier, he could feel a sense of déjà vu. He winced as memories struggled to make themselves known. A sharp pain formed in his temple and he stopped short on the sidewalk.
"I trailed behind him," Bucky murmured. "I gave him a few blocks head start but I'm pretty sure the jerk knew I was behind him. He didn't try to lose me, so I guess he was counting on that. He walked back to the same alley where I found him and went up to the roof. I followed them up there but I kept to another rooftop. There were several men there but there was one guy. He had reddish hair and he was tall. Taller than Clint. And Clint looked… scared but angry while talking to him. But I didn't intervene. They were arguing. Arguing about needing help with a job. The redhead said that Clint owed him. Clint tried to leave but the guys got aggressive. And that's when I joined in."
As he spoke more and more memories resurfaced. He remembered them fighting off the men. They might have been trained professionals but they were hardly a match for a pair of Avengers. Or at least that was what Bucky thought before he saw Clint go down with an arrow in his stomach courtesy of the redhead. The man was laughing. But Bucky ignored him. He had to get to Clint. Clint who was bleeding. He was bleeding so much. He remembered telling him to hold on. That he would get help and it was going to be okay. But then the laughing became too much. He was so angry.
"Who the hell are you?" Bucky snapped. The man paused his laughter to send an incredulous look Clint's way. Bucky shifted so that he was blocking the guy's view. He didn't deserve to look at Clint.
"I'm insulted. Little brother never told you about me?"
"You're his brother?"
"Yes. And if you'll excuse me, this is a family discussion."
Bucky's eyes widened even as one of the goons tried to wrench him away. He struggled against the grip, not wanting this brother of Clint's anywhere near his injured teammate. And that's when the whole world fell away with just one word whispered in his ear. It was one of the trigger codes that was designed to get the Asset back under control. He could feel the programming taking over. He could feel part of Bucky slipping away to make room for the Winter Solider only.
He looked around the scene with new eyes. There was a man on the ground. He was bleeding heavily. His senses told him that without medical intervention within the next few minutes, his likelihood of survival was low. For some reason that hurt him. He was the Asset, he didn't feel pain or have emotions but for some reason, this man was bringing them up. And then there were the men who spoke his commands. They were talking to him. Giving him orders. But all the Asset could hear was laughter. The loud, cruel boisterous laughter of the redhead. He hurt the other man. He remembered. That made him angry. He lifted the man with his metal arm, privately reveling in the way the man whimpered as his feet left the ground.
"Hey! Wait, you're supposed to be listening to us!" the redhead man snarled. "I think those codes were wrong!"
"No, codes were right," the injured man chuckled. "He's just his own person now."
"You think this is going to stop me?"
The Asset tilted his head to the side. "You talk too much." He lifted his arm up, prepared to throw away the man that dared to think he could control the Asset, the man that dared to hurt the blonde. That man was special. The Asset didn't know why. He didn't know him… or did he? Yastreb? He didn't know him but he had to protect him. He had to stop this man.
"Bucky… no," the man on the ground, croaked, trying to move towards him. The Asset flinched at the name. Why did that name sound familiar?
"Yeah, Bucky… no," the redhead mocked.
"Buck… don't… please." Whatever energy the injured man had faded and he went frighteningly still.
"Well, you've done it now. I think he's dead."
The Asset was about to inform him that he was mistaken. The man was still alive. Barely. And no thanks to this man. He felt his blood boil even as he moved closer to the edge of the roof. He was going to enjoy this kill. And then he felt something heavy crash down on the back of his neck. He was unfocused. His perception was off and he never noticed the new person on the rooftop with them until it was too late. The momentum of the blow threw him off and the next thing he knew he was pitching forward off the rooftop and away from the injured man. He fell down, down, down and woke up….
"I woke up in a dumpster," Bucky finished with a disgusted frown. "I woke up disoriented and I barely remembered my own name. I think I was stuck between the Asset and Bucky. I just remembered needing to get where it was safe so I could regroup. And that's how I ended up back at the Tower. That means I left Clint."
"Buck, you were unconscious in a dumpster for probably two hours after having the Winter Soldier programming almost takeover completely," Sam chided, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know you're a super soldier but even you have limits."
"He's not here anyway," Loki's disembodied voice sounded from somewhere above them. The god was in stealth mode. Attitudes were improving towards him but they weren't the best. It was easier for everyone if he just lurked instead of strutting. "He hasn't been here for quite some time. Someone moved him."
"Do you think Barney got him? Or whoever it was that knocked you out and into a dumpster? And on that note, who the hell was that anyway?"
"That would be me," a new voice sounded. Bucky was pleased to see Sam pulling out his gun and aiming it at the red clad man sitting on the middle of the fire escape. Bucky lowered his arm immediately picking up on the devil horns and red leather.
"Daredevil," Sam scoffed, holstering his gun. "Where's Clint when you need him?"
"Wait, you said it was you? You're the guy that hit me and threw me off the building?!" Bucky asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why?"
"In my defense," Daredevil started, lips curling into a smirk of sorts even as he jumped down, landing in front of the two Avengers. "I really thought you were trying to kill those guys. Part of not understanding the context of the situation before reacting. My bad, I guess. Also I didn't throw you off the building. The momentum from me hitting you threw you off the building. So not really me." Bucky glared but Daredevil only smirked further. "Anyway, I realized things weren't right and grabbed your injured friend. I came back for you later but you were already gone."
"Our friend," Bucky started, pausing for a moment. "Where is he?"
"He's safe," Daredevil promised "I, uh, happen to know a nurse. She took care of him. But he probably needs a little more than some stitches. And I didn't think he would appreciate me hauling him into a hospital."
Sam snorted. "You would be correct. But how did you know?"
"He told me not to take him to a damn hospital."
"Yeah, that's him," Bucky rolled his eyes.
Daredevil grinned. He glanced up briefly before shifting his attention back to Bucky and Sam. "I'll take you to him. I'm going to assume that with there being three of you, it won't be a problem getting him home."
"Three?" Loki murmured, dropping his disguise. Bucky watched as the younger god stared in Daredevil's direction. "How did you see me?"
"Was I not supposed to know you were there?" the man muttered. There was a brief flash of something that crossed over his face before that smirk was back on full tilt. He shrugged before leaping up and over the fire escape, essentially scaling down the walls in a move that had Steve or Clint written all over it. Bucky narrowed his eyes and made a mental note to make sure and nip any ideas of parkour playtime in the bud before they even happened.
"Good luck with that," Sam said, clapping his hand on Bucky's shoulder. Bucky shrugged the laughing other man off and set about following Daredevil. Sam finished snickering and turned his teasing attention to someone else. "So not that we're not extremely grateful and all, but why did you trust us? Why did you change your mind about Bucky?"
"After you hit me and pushed me off a roof."
"I didn't push you. It was the other guy," Daredevil protested. "Also I realized that Hawkeye had arrow wounds and there was only one guy up there with a set of arrows. I knocked him out and tied him up but he got away somehow. He was gone by the time I came back from dropping off your friend."
"Wait, how did you know he was Hawkeye?" Bucky tensed.
Daredevil sighed. "Let's just say we have a mutual… acquaintance of sorts. He kind of clued me into the whole situation."
"Huh?" the three Avengers asked in unison.
"Wears a red suit. Talks… a lot. Constantly smells like Mexican food and death. He might also have a really unnatural obsession with Hawkeye. I'd ask if you considered obtaining a restraining order against him but apparently he's fond of that weirdo."
"Oh, it's just Wade," Bucky nodded, feeling the tension drain.
"You have a bleeding and injured Hawkeye in your care and Wade hasn't tried to kill you?" Sam questioned incredulously.
"It's because we're a part of Team Red, or whatever," Daredevil explained, sounding as close to exasperated as he had the whole evening. Deadpool tended to have that effect on people. "He keeps lurking around the neighborhood. He said he's building his own superhero team. He mostly just bugs these guys calling themselves Heroes for Hire and this private investigator in the building next to theirs."
Bucky started to express his sympathy. He knew all too well how annoying Wade could be when left unchecked. But he was also undeniably a good friend to Clint. And he clearly was helping him tonight. So he was about to open his mouth to say something equal parts sympathetic as well as supportive when a thought occurred to him.
"How much do you want to bet that Clint's sudden desire to find Daredevil has everything to do with Wade?"
"We really have to figure out a way to limit their time together."
"As soon as you figure it out let Bruce know. He's been trying since the team first formed," Loki replied.
"That's depressing," Daredevil commented.
There was a hum of agreement from the other three men and then silence. The silence stretched on until the masked vigilante led them up yet another fire escape to a rooftop. With practice that led Bucky to believe the man was more than a little familiar with the building, Daredevil led them through the rooftop access and into a loft style apartment. Bucky's brain processed the three people in the room as they entered. A woman was leaning over a prone figure on the sofa, toying with an IV line attached to his arm. A blonde man with long, shaggy hair was pacing. His movements coming to abrupt halt as Daredevil walked in the room.
"You're back."
"That I am," Daredevil agreed with that same smirk in place. The man appeared to be used to him as he simply rolled his eyes.
"You're not going to introduce us to your new friends?"
"No," Daredevil replied. "Where's Deadpool?"
"He left," the woman spoke up. "He said something about not wanting to be a B character in someone else's storyline. He said it cheapens the experience for the readers." Daredevil frowned, seemingly at a loss. That was just a common expression worn by anyone who had contact with the man known as Deadpool. Taking advantage of his confusion, the woman slipped across the room and straight over to where Loki, Sam and Bucky were standing.
"Hi, I'm Claire. I'm the nurse that's been tending to your friend. That over there is Foggy. And you know Daredevil." The man in question rolled his eyes while Foggy looked like he was a minute away from fanboying all over them. "I've done everything I can for now. The arrow went deep. It definitely nicked some internal organ but he's not bleeding internally anymore. I managed to dig out the arrowhead and stitch up the wound. I'm sure you all have much more sophisticated medical treatment but I'm definitely recommending at least two weeks of bed rest and a month before he's allowed to go out Avenging."
"I'm right here," Clint slurred from where he was stretched out on the sofa. Bucky walked over to him, kneeling so that he was on eye level with the archer. A slow smile curved his lips. "Hey, Robocop. Knew you weren't dead."
Bucky smiled back, brushing Clint's hair from his face. "Of course not. It's definitely going to take more than a puny fall off a roof to kill a super soldier."
"Good. I didn't want Barney to hurt you," Clint whispered.
"I know," Bucky assured him. "You ready to go home?" Clint nodded. Bucky glanced over his shoulder. Loki nodded at his silent question.
"Our ride should be arriving now."
Bucky waited as Claire unhooked the IV line before he gently scooped Clint into his arms. Even as careful as he was, he knew that he was causing his younger friend pain. But it would be worth it to get him home and in his own bed. They started towards the door when Sam paused for a moment.
"I just… we wanted to thank you. For taking care of our friend," Sam started. "And if there's ever a time when you need something more than stitches, feel free to come over to the Tower. We're always open."
Daredevil hesitated with taking the card that Sam was holding out for him. It didn't matter as both Foggy and Claire were making a grab for it barely a second later. Claire ended up the victor, pocketing the card with a wide smile.
"Thank you, Falcon."
Sam grinned. "You can call me, Sam."
Claire smiled a little brighter. "Well, thank you, Sam."
Bucky was glad to know he wasn't the only one watching the exchange with wide eyes. Eventually Clint turned his head into Bucky's shoulder in a weak attempt to hide his laughter. Loki eased out of the room by claiming that he was going to check on whether Scott was there yet. But it didn't take super soldier ears to hear his laughs as he jogged down the stairs. Foggy looked like he was barely keeping it together while Daredevil looked like he wished they were all anywhere but here. Ha. Teach him to knock a guy out and leave him in a dumpster!
"It's been great meeting you but I'm sure you have to go now," Daredevil growled.
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks!" Bucky called over his shoulder as he started towards the stairs. Sam followed behind him with a smug smirk. "You did that on purpose."
Sam gave him a look of innocent confusion. "Me? On purpose?" he laughed, even as he hovered close to Bucky and his precious cargo. As they carefully made their way down the stairs, Bucky could still hear the trio in the apartment talking.
"You're totally jealous, dude."
"I am not jealous! Shut up, Foggy!"
"He was definitely hotter in real life. They all were."
"Seriously, Claire?!"
Bucky smirked. Not a bad way to end an evening after all.
In the end, they got back to the Tower, cleared through Medical and had Clint back in his room three hours before Natasha, Steve and Phil returned from their mission. Naturally, Natasha and Phil checked on Clint first thing after landing while Steve when in search of Bucky. Five minutes after finding them both practically knocked out on Clint's bed, Phil was trying to reel in a vengeance minded Steve and Natasha. Both were swearing blood vengeance on Barney Barton. Bucky definitely did not want to be that man. Natasha was deadly but Steve was a singled minded force of destruction when it came to someone hurting the people closest to him. It didn't get any closer than any member of the Avengers, but especially Bucky.
Thankfully, they left Bucky and Clint alone to rest while they went about tracking Barney down. Bucky would've loved to help but now that Clint was back, he was feeling every inch of his fall into the dumpster. Not to mention fighting the effects of the Winter Soldier programming. He needed at least a day before he went on the wild goose chase that was trying to pin down a Barton. If Barney was only half as good as Clint was at disappearing, it would be awhile before they found the man. And seeing as how he was thought to be dead for the past four years, he might be a little more than half as good. No, they weren't going to see Barney until he made his next move against Clint. But now they knew. He wouldn't be able to sneak up on him. They knew he was coming and they would be ready.
Bucky glanced over at the sleeping blonde beside him. Clint was shirtless to accommodate the gauze packed wound on his stomach. Claire was right. The arrow did nick a few organs but there was no serious damage. He might be peeing blood for a few days but at least he managed to avoid surgery and significant damage to his kidney. Thanks to Claire's quick intervention (and Daredevil for rescuing him in the first place), the risk of infection was low. And provided the idiot stayed even somewhat sedate for a few days at least, he probably would walk away from this one without any long lasting damage. Then again, it was Clint. So Bucky was fairly certain that he would have sepsis by the end of the week. The man courted trouble like he thought it was named Natasha.
"You know," he murmured quietly. He had a feeling Clint was awake but kept his voice low just in case. "I really thought my days of worrying were over when Steve got the serum. Of course, I realize it just made him more reckless. But at least he's more durable. So I thought it was over. And then I got you."
Just as he suspected, grey blue eyes opened slowly, blinking in his direction. A tired smile pulled at his lips. "I refuse to believe I'm worse than Steve."
"No," Bucky laughed. "You're definitely not worse than Steve. But you are just as creative in finding new ways to make us all panic."
"It's a good thing we have you around to pull us out of it then, huh?"
"Yeah," Bucky nodded. "It's a good thing." He paused, not sure if now was the time to bring it up. Clint met his gaze for a moment before looking away. That small gesture made up his mind for him. "Look, Clint… about your brother."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Clint… what was… why did he try to find you? He's been declared dead for four years. Why did he come out of hiding all of a sudden?"
"He wants me to help him find our mentor," Clint replied softly. "He's looking for Duquesne."
"The douche that buried you alive last year?"
"The one and the same," Clint snorted. "Yeah, big brother knows he's in SHIELD custody. Somehow he thinks I owe him one. He was trying to call in that marker."
Bucky frowned. "Clint, you know you don't owe him anything, right? You do not owe him any favors. And you especially do not need to be hunting down that psycho for him. He's so skilled, let him handle it. He crossed the line tonight. Actually, he crossed it again."
Clint nodded, swallowing in the process. "I know it… but it's just…. He's my brother."
"No," Bucky countered. "No, he's not. He's just some guy that shared the same sperm donor as you. He's not your brother. Tony, Bruce, Steve and Thor? Those guys are your brothers. They're the ones that are honored to call you brother.
"And you? You honored to call me brother?" Clint asked, meeting his gaze in the process. Bucky tapped his friend on the arm lightly.
"Yeah. Of course, I am," he grinned. "Honestly, yastreb, you're such a sap!"
"Shove it, Robocop," Clint hissed, the effect completely ruined by the grin on his lips. The grin twisted slightly. "They knew your trigger code, Buck."
"I know," Bucky sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Loki said he could probably go through my mind and break through any of the programming left behind but…"
"But SHIELD was supposed to have done that in the first place," Clint finished. Bucky nodded, not wanting to voice his thoughts out loud. "You think that Fury knew?"
"No," Bucky protested immediately. "I know Fury wouldn't let me out in the field if even thought there was a chance someone could've trigged the Winter Soldier. Neither would Coulson. I don't know why someone would leave some of the codes active but I do know and trust that Coulson and Fury had nothing to do with it."
"We'll figure it out," Clint assured him. "In the meantime, it is probably best to let Loki take a look in your head and see if he can't unravel any of the leftover programming. And damn life has changed a lot when I'm actually suggesting that Loki try and mess with someone's mind." Bucky snorted, shaking his head. "It's going to be okay."
"Is it? At the end of all of this, we have more questions and problems than answers. We have your crazy brother running around. We have someone in SHIELD that knowingly left at least one trigger code active in my brain. And we know that your brother is possession of one or more of those codes implying that someone sold that information. It's a lot of loose ends."
Clint sighed. "Yeah. It's definitely not the happiest of endings. But it's just another day in the life of a superhero, right?"
Bucky felt his lips twitch. "Yeah, I guess so."
"You know there is a bright side in all of this."
"Really? What is that?"
"I totally found Daredevil."
Bucky snickered. "You're an idiot. So? Big deal, you found him. Wade did too."
"Yeah, but Wade doesn't know who he really is."
Bucky paused, a matching grin tugging on his mouth. "Dude, are you telling me that you know who the Devil of Hell's Kitchen is?"
"Yeah. And if you help me get out of here by the end of the week, I'll totally tell you who he is. Hell, I'll take you to him."
Bucky knew he should say no. He knew he should tell Clint that he was not under any circumstances helping him to escape. He knew it but instead he said, "You have a deal, yastreb."
*So I ended it here because I just couldn't get the last little bit I wanted to add in to work. I think I might release it as a deleted scene later. It was Bucky and Clint finally tracking down Daredevil for a surprising conversation. I'm going to work on it this weekend and maybe I can post it soon if there is any interest. Okay, enough rambling. I'm off to update some more stories. Ciao my beautiful people!