A/N: Hi Everyone! Welcome back! Now we can finally find out what the shit is happening with Tony.
Please, don't forget to drop a review after you're done reading and let me know what you think. I apologize for any and all errors. Without any further ado, on with the show!
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Shine a Light Into The Wreckage
Tony stared at Barnes steadily and challengingly, not breaking eye contact considering if the other man had the opportunity Bucky would snap Tony's neck without hesitation.
Wonderful.
Bucky opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver another litany of awful insults, but Tony beat him to the punch.
"Nah ah, me first."
Bucky glared at him but surprisingly complied. Tony paused searching for the right words. He stared at the jagged remains of Bucky's left arm. Despite the deplorable condition his torso is surely in, Tony's willing to bet the soldiers arm is by far the center of most of his pain.
He gulped.
"After everything that has happened," He started. "You can imagine how surprised I was to receive this." He waved the letter about.
Bucky scoffed but did not interrupt.
"Even more surprising was the contents of the letter."
Bucky stared at him, his glare deepening.
"Listen, I just want to know if he really meant what he said in the letter. And if he did, then why did he go through such lengths to leave?" Tony asked trying to keep his features schooled. That was the million-dollar question, right? How did it all come to this?
Bucky looked pensive for a moment. Tony thought for a moment that he was going to cooperate before,
"Fuck You!" He shouted.
"Come on!" Tony hit the glass. "Why did Steve leave!?" He demanded again.
"Don't you mean escape?" Bucky corrected with an edge to his voice.
Tony winced. He never wanted it to be that way.
"Why won't you tell me!? Please, I need to know!"
"Oh, this is rich, you really don't know do you?" He sneered.
"If I did, I sure as hell wouldn't be here!" Tony retorted.
"I've got a question for you. Why don't you ask him yourself!?" Bucky locked eyes on him challengingly, his gaze was cutting.
He already knew why.
"Say it. Say why you can't ask him yourself. I'd really like to know." He provoked, his tone deadly sharp.
Tony broke a little more inside. "She took him." He whispered.
"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you." Bucky needled.
"She took him!" Tony shouted deafeningly.
"And who's fault is that?" Barnes almost whispered, his tone complete ice.
Tony knew what he was gunning for. Under any other circumstance in the world he would just walk away and wouldn't give him the time of day. But he needed to know what happened with Steve, so he submitted.
"Mine." Tony admitted finally.
"That's right. So why would I tell you anything!?"
Tony groaned.
"Please, just tell me what happened." He tried again.
"Fuck Off!" Bucky responded.
"Fuck You!" Tony snapped.
He turned around abruptly in an attempt to get his head on straight. He could feel this escalating into a ridiculous insult match.
Okay, Barnes was not cooperating just like he thought. He'd feel like the scum of the earth, even more so than he does now, but he could threaten him with the journal. It could also backfire spectacularly. He could also try and figure out how to use the journal, however, he was sure Steve would never forgive him for that. No matter where he was.
He had to try something.
"Look at this." Tony said turning back around. As he did he pulled out the journal.
Bucky's eyes widened marginally. He knew exactly the kind of power Tony held over him.
"Oh God, I knew sending it was a horrible mistake."
"You sent this?"
Bucky rolled his eyes. "Yes." He said looking back at the ceiling. "What are you waiting for? Use it! 'Cause I ain't saying shit!" He shouted.
Tony had no intention of using it.
Ever.
He could see how Bucky's demeanor had changed. When moments ago he was cocky and defiant, now he could see how frightened he truly was. The trauma and terror was bone deep. Tony could visibly see his composure crack. It was utterly revolting. Yet, despite knowing what the contents of the journal has in store for him he refused to talk. Of course, he wouldn't say anything. He viewed Tony as the enemy and the reason for his capture and imprisonment. Tony was the guy that hurt his best friend. He was completely loyal to the bitter end.
Tony sighed. Suddenly a loose paper fluttered to the floor. Bucky watched it miserably.
Tony bent to pick it up. It was another handwritten note. Not Steve's handwriting, however. Tony looked up, suddenly realizing it was from the man in the cell before him. The genius read it over, his eyes widening at its contents.
"You never meant to live through that day." Tony stated.
Bucky looked back up to the ceiling.
"No." Was all he said.
"I'm not going to use this. You trusted Steve's judgment of us, of me, when you sent this." He announced contemplatively as he placed the journal back into his satchel.
"You read this right?" Tony began after a moment of silence, gesturing to Steve's letter. "Do you believe what he wrote in this?" He held up the letter once more.
"I believe he believed what he wrote." Bucky spat.
"Listen, has Steve ever been wrong in his judgment of character?"
Bucky looked at him skeptically.
"Because the Steve I know is an excellent judge of character. He's rarely wrong." He swallowed his emotions back. "Listen, the kind of man he describes in this letter… I never believed that I could be that kind of man before I met him. I didn't know he was paying enough attention to even realize these things about me… To put the pieces of who I am into words like this and claim to love them-me all the more for it…I-" He licked his lips clutching the letter close to his chest. The glow of the arc reactor illuminated the pages, making Steve's words shine through the paper.
Bucky watched him intently.
"I love Steve… More than anything. But for the life of me I can't figure out what happened! How it all came to this. It all feels like horrible joke to me. People don't feel for me the way he claims to."
"Oh, boohoo Princess, you're so full of shit!"
Tony seriously has had it up to here with this guy.
"Fuck You! Everything I said is true! Steve is everything to me. If I could take his place I would. I begged on my hands and knees for that crazy bitch to take me instead." He really did.
"Bullshit! You say you love him but you couldn't protect him from her. You're the whole reason she got what she wanted in the first place." The Soldier accused.
"I was wrong okay!? I thought he betrayed us! Betrayed me… Clearly something else happened that I'm not aware of!"
"Yeah, something else all right." Bucky scoffed.
"What happened, Barnes? Why did he leave?" Tony demanded again. "Please."
"Please?! You don't get to come here acting like the innocent victim when Steve's the one that took the hit." He shouted.
"I know that! God, I know that, okay? I'm a pathetic piece of shit, I get that! Obviously, I'm the one that drove Steve away somehow. I just want to know why!"
Oh, God he was crying now.
Great.
The last thing he wanted was to start crying in front of this guy. He furiously wiped at his face.
"Of course, it was you, dumbass! You were fucking the Kettle behind his back!" Bucky bellowed in revelation.
Tony stared at him frozen in confusion.
What?
"I'm sorry run that by me again? I was fucking a kettle?"
"No stupid, the woman called Kettle!"
Tony blinked, still nothing. "What?"
"Fiery red hair? Runs your company?"
Realization dawned.
"Oh! Potts!"
"Her!" Bucky confirmed.
Tony nodded. In that moment, the absurd conversation had finally caught up to our poor genius.
'Wait WHAT?!'
"What the Fuck!? I was not Fucking Pepper behind Steve's back!" He would never!
Never!
Yeah there was a time in his life when he was a chronic playboy but never ever has he cheated!
"Not how he told it." Bucky replied, wholly unconvinced.
"What exactly did he tell you!? 'Cause I haven't been with Pepper since we broke up a year ago."
Bucky laughed bitterly. "He said he watched her leave your room like she used to. Like she had been thoroughly fucked." He bit. There was something like a hint of doubt underneath his malice, however.
Tony gaped at him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't!
Steve had consumed him completely, mind, body and soul. No one could ever take his place in his heart. Surely Steve must know that he wouldn't, couldn't be capable of straying.
But!
But then, he thought, Steve didn't know how he felt! He didn't know there could never be anybody else as long as he lived. Not like this.
"When did this happen? When did he witness this!?"
Tony was on the verge of panicking. Bucky watched him, doubt filling his features.
"After San Jose. He said he got out of his restraints and went to go find you only to find her leaving your room instead."
"No! That wasn't…" He paused. He quickly took out his phone. "Jarvis! Did Steve leave the infirmary on the fifth?"
"Indeed, Sir. I advised Captain Rogers against it considering the state of his injuries."
"Why was I not informed?!"
"You had initiated your 'Do not disturb' protocol, Sir."
Bucky gave him a doubtful look.
Oh boy, that did not sound good.
"Show me." He activated the phone's holographic projector and displayed it in front of them to see it more clearly. He also supposed he needed Barnes to see it too.
It showed Steve asking for Tony then subsequently weaseling out of his restraints when he heard Tony was unavailable. The genius fast forwarded to Steve leaving the room and wandering the halls. Eventually, he made it to Tony's personal quarters. He watched as Steve hid behind a house plant (Really? How fucking cliché is that?) as Pepper exited his room looking like…huh… She kind of did look that way.
Shit!
A do not disturb protocol? And a disheveled Pepper? Crap that didn't look good at all!
Tony continued watching as Steve hobbled back to his medical room. Tony showed up sometime later a tad disheveled himself now sporting casual wear.
Oh God! That really really did not look good.
"Why didn't he confront me!? Why let it get so far?" Tony almost wailed pausing the footage.
"Because of me. Think dumbass, if you really were two timing him and he called you out on it, it would have been harder for him to find a way to get to me." Bucky sighed relentingly. "He told me he couldn't stay after that. If his days were truly numbered then he'd do anything he could to… To save me… The stupid punk." Bucky turned his face away from the glass but Tony could recognize that gesture anywhere. The soldier was on the verge of crying.
After taking a moment to gather himself, Bucky continued. "He blames himself for what happened to me. The idiot."
Tony could sympathize. He knew Steve was like that. It still hurt though despite it all. Steve still chose Bucky over Tony even if it was in the face of a terrible misunderstanding. It still happened.
Bucky looked back at him.
"Those videos still make you look bad. How do I know it is it all with Steve thought?"
It was a fair question. Tony sighed.
"Jarvis, you heard him. Show him what I was doing…"
The scene changed and Tony's lab came into view. A few seconds in the genius strode in distraught, grabbed the nearest liftable object and threw it across the room. It appeared to be a toolkit.
Tony scoffed at himself, he really could be a drama queen sometimes.
He did not really know why he was still here humoring this guy and showing him something deeply personal no less. He got what he came for… Yet… In the end, Steve risked everything for this man. He matters.
Tony sighed watching himself. That day was a real turning point for him. Steve had no idea that it was in those next moments Tony had decided to take the plunge and go down with the ship that was there on touching go relationship.
It was so ingrained he didn't even have to watch it to know exactly what would happen moment by moment…
~Flashback~
Tony had just returned from having to deal with a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense. Though they managed to snuff out the chaos in San Jose with minimal casualties (Seriously Pep, nobody died. Yay us!) The media was still on the frenzy. The PR fire was a nightmare. Von Doom was in the freaky coma and the villain Harker ended up dead, (Okay he ended up dead but he was the bad guy.) And his underling disappeared without a trace. Not good.
Not to mention the condition Steve ended up in. Tony scowled.
Steve... Calamity could take Steve any time now and all Tony wanted to do was spend time with him.
But…
But Bucky Barnes had apparently returned from the dead and that's all Steve could think about. After being the center of attention for so long it's hard to swallow being placed on the back burner. He deserves it, he supposed.
Tony didn't even take the time to change out of his fancy suit before he issued his do not disturb protocol and began a project that had been nagging at the back of his brain for some time now. He could sense Dumm-E behind him retrieving the toolkits. He rolled his eyes before starting to draw up schematics for his experiment.
-0-
Twenty minutes later Tony was putting the finishing touches on a weapon prototype he was developing for a suit that he was hoping would have the capacity to safely go into outer space. The lack of atmosphere and gravity are some of the more difficult aspects to overcome.
Before he could make the final adjustments, Pepper burst through the door. Oh boy, she was not happy. He sighed, he did not want to deal with whatever she came to bitch about. He just wanted to tinker with his stuff and wallow in self misery for a little while was that too much to ask?
"You do realize you said that out loud, right?"
He looked up at her suddenly.
"Shit! Look I'm sorry Pep. I've had a bad couple of days- weeks whatever and I just want to be alone." He tried to smile apologetically but probably looked more like he was a little constipated… Maybe he was a little of that too but whatever.
"Tony, you're hiding." She stated simply.
He squinted at her before rolling his eyes.
"Just because I'm working-"
"Just because you locked herself in here by yourself, with a 'do not disturb' order that took me ten minutes to get passed by the way," She looked at him pointedly. "You're hiding, Tony, and I'm willing to bet why."
"I doubt that…"
"I've been keeping tabs on you for weeks now, Tony. I know there's something up with you and it doesn't have to all do with this case."
"Lucky guess, you can go now!"
She pinned him with the glare.
"I'm not done." She said.
Tony sighed.
"Tony, I've known you for nearly fifteen years now. We've lived together and we were even in an honest to God relationship. I know you, Tony." She pulled up a stool and sat next to him. She gently grabbed his face. "I'm not going to pry you for details but Tony, I can see it as clear as day. You're in love with someone." She smiled sadly at him.
He snapped his head up in attention, ready to deny.
"Don't try, it's written on your face and all over your behavior. Whatever you feel for this person is strong. This person means the world to you and you have no idea what to do about it. You hide yourself away trying to avoid the whole mess in front of you. You're so full of self-doubt and self-loathing you're afraid of messing it up, afraid that they would eventually realize they made a mistake and afraid to put yourself out there on the line to expose yourself only to get burned. So, you hide, hoping that they decide you're not worth the effort and leave. Just so you can sit back and say 'See it wouldn't have ever worked out anyway.'" She sighed when Tony became visibly distraught.
She definitely hit the nail on the head with that one. Sometimes he really hated how well she could read him.
"It must be shocking to you that they haven't left yet. They're still out there and the possibilities are just on the tips of your fingers, Tony." She grabbed his hands. "Look at me, no matter what anybody says you're worth the wait, Tony. You deserve to be happy. You deserve somebody who can appreciate you for you and I know you found that person."
Tony shook his head. "It's not that easy, Pep. Things are complicated! I'm running out of time. I don't… I don't believe they are going to be around much longer…"
She thought for a moment. "Is that factor out of their control?" She inquired gently.
He nodded.
"Then you should hop to it. You should be out there spending time with this person. If this person truly matters to you then you should let them know. If your positions were reversed would you want to know you are loved and cherished before you were forced to leave?"
He stared at her for a moment tears falling.
Oh God, she was so right. Steve is going to be forced to be a pawn in Calamity's scheme and he was here being a selfish neurotic nut.
"Tony?" Pepper asked suddenly alarmed. "Is that supposed to be smoking?"
He turned his attention rapidly back to the piece he was working on.
"Oh shit!" So not good!
Just as the words left his mouth an alarm started to go off. He quickly leapt up and pulled Pepper off of her seat and barely managed to get them both behind a blast shield before the device he was working on exploded.
As she un-curled herself off of the floor she choked back a sob.
"What was that you idiot!?" She wailed as he punched him five times in the arm to emphasize each word.
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Stop!" He grabbed her hands so she couldn't hit him anymore. "You're the one who distracted me."
She stared at him incredulously.
"So, it's my fault?"
"What? No! Come on, Pep, we're okay!" He said quickly. "It wasn't that bad. It was mostly percussive. Hardly any flame at all."
Just as he said that Dumm-E rolled by with the fire extinguisher and made sure to thoroughly douse Tony with flame retardant before moving on. Tony emitted a long-suffering sigh and Pepper laughed despite herself.
"Come on, Tony. Let's get cleaned up."
They made their way to Tony's personal bathroom connected to his bedroom.
"Oh, hon, you need a shower." She mused as she looked Tony's dripping form up and down.
He had managed to wipe most of the foam off of himself before they headed up, but yeah, a shower would be great.
"You can go first if you want." He suggested.
She eyed him for a moment. There was a time he wouldn't have hesitated to suggest that they could share a shower together. Now, however… She smiled. She could tell that he really did have it bad for this person. (Let's be honest, she knew who it was but wanted Tony to at least have this to himself… For now.)
"Nah, I'll just use your mirror to straighten up as best I can. If I can… I look like a disaster!" She exclaimed looking into said mirror.
Her phone went off not moments later. She took it out to look at it.
"Ugh, I'll have to go soon, the vultures are flying." She shook her head.
"I'll make it quick then." He said as he took a pile of clean clothes into the bathroom with him.
Ten minutes later he reemerged clean and comfortable. Pepper looked better but still a bit disheveled. She had spent most of that ten minute window on the phone trying her hardest not to make death threats. She sighed deeply when Tony sided up to her.
"You'll remember what I said?" She asked grabbing his chin.
"Yes! Now go clean up my PR mess." She smirked.
"One of these days, Tony." She sighed. "Come here." She pulled him into a hug. "Really, Tony, think about it." She whispered.
He nodded reluctantly.
She smiled sadly at him as she picked up her shoes and walked out the door.
Tony sighed he already had made up his mind to go talk to Steve.
"Jarvis, remove the 'do not disturb' protocol."
"Very good, Sir." Jarvis replied. "Captain Rogers wishes to speak to you immediately. He has assured me that he will, as he puts it, 'behave.'"
"Thank you, Jarvis."
Huh?
How about that?
Good, because he really needed to see Steve anyway. Like yesterday.
After everything that has happened he needs Steve to understand that Tony is on his side. And maybe Pepper is a little right, maybe. He really would like to throw caution into the wind and just give in to his most deepest and most sacred desires. His desire to love and be loved in return. He was so exhausted from hiding away all the time. And Pepper was definitely right about one thing. There wasn't much time left and at the very least Steve deserved to know that he was loved. Even if, in the end, Tony would end up… well... broken and alone.
He shook his head. He couldn't think that way. This was for Steve. Plain and simple.
Tony took a few minutes to center himself. He ran a hand through his hair in a futile attempt to tame it. He took a deep breath before leaving his quarters to go to Steve's medical room. He had no idea how he was going to go about showing Steve what he meant to Tony. He would just have to figure it out along the way.
When he finally made it to the doorway he was thrown through a loop.
"How did you get out of your restraints!?" Tony demanded chastising.
Seriously!? Steve was meant to be restrained so he wouldn't aggravate his wounds. Their specialists said that his injuries might not be healing right, so they were taking precautions.
Steve only shrugged. He had an odd look about him. The Captain looked him up and down, the tension was tight.
"Jarvis said you wanted to talk, said you would behave?" Tony drawled.
'This does not look like behaving.' He thought with exasperation.
"Yeah, I wanted to apologize." Steve said tightly.
Tony cheered on the inside.
Finally!
The genius made his way over to Steve to give him a once over. He hoped however Steve managed to weasel out of the restraints he didn't strain or hurt himself.
"Go on." He smirked. Oh, he was going to enjoy this.
"You were right." Steve said stiffly.
Tony's eyebrows shot up.
Really?
Really.
He squinted at Steve making sure he wasn't a pod person.
"Oh? Am I?" He asked as he sat down next to Steve.
He lifted Steve's gown to half look over the injury and make sure he didn't strain his stitches and half to find pod evidence.
"Ah, quit, the stitches are fine." He said pushing Tony's hands away. "Yes, you are right about 'some' things." He put a strong emphasis on some.
Okay, not a pod person. He couldn't just let him be completely right for one minute. Such a nice person. Tony waited for him to elaborate.
"I-I have little time left and I should want to be spending it with my family, and I do! But I don't think I can get over the guilt of just leaving Bucky out there somewhere. Here, I am safe and surrounded by people who care about me and he's out there alone in a hostile environment." Steve said stricken.
Tony frowned. He really did feel for him. He couldn't even begin to understand what Steve must be going through.
"You need to trust us, Steve. We're out there looking for him. We will bring him in." And he meant it.
When Jarvis confirmed the identity of their masked assailant as the long-lost James Buchanan Barnes, he knew Steve likely would stop at nothing to find him. Broken body and all. So, Tony has Jarvis keeping a lookout for him.
Steve sighed. "But he's my responsibility, it should be me that brings him in." He whispered brokenly.
Wow, that's hard to watch. God, why is he so beautiful? The way he cares so damn much.
"Hey, look at me." Tony said as he gently grabbed Steve's face. "You can trust me." He said softly caressing his face. "I will find him, I promise."
Tony watched him nod slowly. He could see a tumultuous array of strong emotions flit across Steve's features. He watched as a lone tear spilled over and rolled down his beautiful broken face. Before he could even think about what he was doing he leaned in and kissed the tear away.
Tony leaned back to look him in the eye. Steve's eyes were perfectly between gray and blue with icy undercuts. Stunning, yet Tony knew he was in desolate turmoil. If Steve had his way, he would be running the streets this very moment trying to find Barnes.
"I know it's difficult for you to trust anybody with something so important to you, please…" He whispered not willing to shattered the moment. He leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to his lips as if to seal his promise. He pulled away slightly. "Please trust me." His voice was near a whisper.
Steve nodded slowly and Tony couldn't help it. He leaned in to claim Steve's lips again. The genius held back moaning in relief when Steve began to kiss him back. The kiss was phenomenal. Tony just wanted to melt in ecstasy. He shifted and began to deepen the kiss further and the moment his tongue touched Steve's he became like a live wire.
'Finally!' His heart screamed.
For months, this was what he had been aching for! Suddenly, Steve slid his hand through Tony's dark hair and clutched the back of his head to deepen the kiss. He moaned desperately into the Captain's mouth.
Fuck! This was getting hot. Almost too hot. God, this was fucking amazing! Just when Tony was about to go down on his knees and put his mouth to better use, Steve pulled away.
"We… Can't." He groaned. Steve looked almost pained.
The genius waited for him to continue a little concerned.
"I-I don't want to pop any stitches."
Tony was sure that wasn't the whole reason, he could see it in his eyes. The genius didn't want to press, however. If Steve wasn't ready for anything more than he was fine with that.
"You were so concerned and you went through so much trouble to keep me from over exerting myself." He said gesturing to the restraints. "I'd hate for you to fail your mission now." He smirked.
Tony pouted. Steve was just making fun of him now, he groaned.
"Besides, shouldn't I be getting adequate rest. I mean I did just nearly get my heart ripped out." He said gesturing to his abdomen.
Tony was certain Steve made him all hot on purpose just to pull away to smirk at him and remind him they had to take it easy. Fucking tease.
"Fine! You're right, dick." Before Tony got up he leaned in and claimed another kiss. "I'm glad you're okay." He whispered standing up. He thought for a moment. "Do you promise to be good and stay in bed so I don't have to restrain you?" Tony asked exasperated.
He really did not need Steve up and wandering about with those wounds.
Steve shrugged, "Like the restraints work anyway."
Tony glared at him. That cheeky bastard!
"Okay! I'll behave." Steve threw his hands placatingly.
"Good." He said as he swooped down and stole one more kiss before heading to the door.
God, he was so fucking happy!
"Good night Steve."
It took everything he had not to drop the L-Bomb. He berated himself because that was kind of supposed to be the goal of the evening. But he didn't want to unload all of that on Steve. Not just yet. Steve still has recovering to do and they still had some time. Not much, he knew, but some.
"Good night Tony." He replied tensely.
Tony smiled and left. As he walked down the corridor door to his lab he frowned slightly. He thought about how Steve was likely in a lot of pain right now and they couldn't do anything about it because his body metabolized drugs too damn fast. He had to do something about that. He put a pin in that idea for later. Right now, there's one thing thousand times more important to focus on. If there was even the slightest possibility that he could figure out a way to save Steve from Calamity's clutches, then that's exactly what he was going to do. She said she couldn't be stopped but what if that was because she was sorely underestimating Tony Stark? If the possibility existed, then he needed to find it asap. A good place to start was to figure out what was exactly in that code…
~End Flashback~
Tony sighed miserably as he turned off the projection and slid his phone back into his pocket. He looked over at Barnes to gauge his reaction. What he found was utterly blank look on his face. It was vastly irksome. Tony almost wondered how he was able to school his emotions so completely. That was until he remembered the journal and with it the thought of everything that man must have gone through.
It was scary.
Natasha scary.
He was shaken out of his thoughts when the soldier took a deep breath that subsequently led to a coughing fit. The small trickle of blood on the corner of his mouth did not go unnoticed.
Tony winced.
Here he was pestering this guy and Barnes was laying there strapped to copious amounts of medical equipment with an impressive bullet hole in his chest. Even more vexing, Tony thought, is when in the hell did he begin to care.
Tony shook his head. The answer was simple but no less troubling. Steve cared, therefore so did he. Although his newfound empathy was melting away rapidly as Tony realized Bucky was laughing.
That fucking bastard!
"Oh God, you've got the shittiest luck ever!" He guffawed.
"Yeah? This coming from the guy who was Hydra's brainwashed murder slave for seventy odd years? Who got free only to be framed for the greatest American massacre of the century and subsequently get shot by a crazy guy in a pink bunny suit? Then only to end up in this floating ocean pokey strapped to a gurney? How's that shit luck!?" Tony retorted.
"Yeah, that comin' from me." He smirked.
Tony was seething from this guys cocky attitude.
Bucky's face fell after he thought for a moment. "Did I really get shot by the guy in the pink bunny suit? I was really hoping I imagined that…" He said miserably, staring back up at the ceiling.
"We were all hoping we imagined that. It's even worse that the guy got away." Tony groaned.
Seriously, that whole fiasco was just ridiculous.
"You're not tracking him?" Bucky asked.
"We don't even know who this guy is. No one got a decent visual." Tony sighed.
Yet another thing people were expecting him to figure out.
"His name is Graham Rhododendron and he calls himself, wait for it, the Rhododendron. Go figure. He was Harker's number one lackey." Bucky informed still staring at the ceiling.
Tony stared at him blinkingly.
What the fuck!?
Tony almost wanted to demand why he did not say anything before. Then he remembered where he was and all the shift that happened since.
… Right…
"You got that, Jarvis?" Tony said instead, pulling his phone out again. "Put Graham on the tracking algorithm."
"Already on it, Sir."
Okay, one last thing to worry about. Perfect…
When Tony looked up again, Bucky was openly glaring at him.
"Oh God, what did I do now?"
Seriously, this guy has like two settings: murderous and cheeky asshole.
"You didn't kill me." He stated simply.
"This troubles you?" Tony shot back with his snark.
"You defied a direct order from the president himself. An executive order." He stated.
Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah and I promised Steve I'd bring you back alive."
"You'd risk all that for him?" He questioned.
Tony sighed. "I'd risk everything for him."
"But you didn't…" Bucky replied sharply.
He didn't need him to finish that sentiment. Tony knew what he was talking about. If only he had pulled his head out of his ass long enough. In the end Tony didn't risk his heart. Not really. He could make excuse after excuse as to why he put it off. But in the end he was still too much of a coward.
He knew that.
And because of that Steve ended up broken, believing he existed in a world where Tony didn't want him, in a world where the Captain could have very well believed Tony even hated him. There were so many things he could have done differently.
"You're right." Tony frowned.
No matter how much effort or risk he had taken to keep Steve and Barnes alive when the strike unit closed in on them, it didn't matter in the end when he couldn't put his heart on the line for the Captain. In the end after everything it was Tony unwilling to trust Steve. How could he expect the Captain to trust him when really he was the one who couldn't trust Steve? This whole mess was Tony's fault, plain and simple.
"Despite everything I did to keep you two alive it didn't matter…"
"God, you're a self-deprecating idiot. It did matter!" Bucky shouted at him suddenly. "You kept both of us alive, something I wasn't sure even I was capable of. Maybe this was the best way for things to turn out-"
Tony was about to protest.
"No! Listen. Nobody died. Yeah, it's horrible that it all had to play out this way. But think about it. If you two worked it out and Steve was able to resist her, then she would have had to resort to even bloodier methods to break him. No doubt ensuring mine and your death. Then where would we be? Steve gone and no one to figure out the code. The entire world would be doomed with no hope." He said.
Tony gaped at him disbelievingly.
"Are you trying to be reassuring?" He asked, because this guy is clearly full of surprises.
"No! Go to hell!" Was Bucky's instant response.
Tony smiled despite himself. As he watched Bucky's prickly obtuseness all of the new information he had gathered these last few hours became a raging storm of knowledge swirling around in a nightmarish typhoon inside his brain. The only way to stay afloat and not let his oppressive and pessimistic thoughts take over was to focus on Steve.
The Captain was his anchor.
He began to put his thoughts in order, using Steve as his center.
They loved each other.
But Calamity took him.
It was Tony's fault.
The world is ending.
Tony is the only one who can stop it.
Steve truly believes Tony can save the world.
After everything Tony can't let him down.
0.5% is a tiny window.
If he gives up now, however, those odds become zero.
0.5% is definitely better than nothing.
Calamity isn't the only one causing trouble.
There are plenty of villains out there still creating chaos.
The world may be ending but only the avengers truly know how close to annihilation they truly are.
Okay.
He has apologies to make and a code to break. He needs to right some wrongs at least the best he could and prepare his team for the next threat.
Tony took a deep breath pulling himself out of his thoughts. He had a pretty good idea where to start.
"Did you just check out?" Bucky demanded, staring at Tony incredulously.
"I was coming up with some ideas." He smirked.
"Oh no, oh God, you have that look about you. Like the one Steve got when he came up with a really stupid and suicidal plan." Bucky commented almost exasperated.
"Yeah, we have that in common." He replied.
Although Tony was willing to bet his own plans definitely were a tad more suicidal.
"Tell me, how functional are you?" Tony asked suddenly.
Bucky eyed him, lost.
"I mean if you weren't strapped down to that gurney, how good would you be at, you know, fighting and running considering the extent of your injuries?"
"Oh God, tell me you're not planning-"
"A jailbreak." He said matter-of-factly.
Bucky stared at him as if he grew another head and ten more arms.
"Come on, it'll be fun." Tony said as he started entering commands into his phone.
"God, this is so stupid." Bucky said, but relented. "Fine! What the hell?"
At the very least this was going to be entertaining.
End Chapter 29
A/N: Now you guys finally know what happened between Tony and Pepper. Yeah, it was all just a terrible misunderstanding. There is still so much I have instore for Tony and Steve. I hope you guys stay tuned for the next chapter! Please leave a review and let me know what you all think.
