Well, my darlings, I have decided to post this chapter a few days earlier than planned because of the massive response I got to just the prologue.

As always, no copyright infringement is intended, all Marvel people, places, things etc belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Chapter one- From the Inside Out

"So what you're trying to tell me is that HYDRA wants Barnes back?" Tony asked, a headache forming behind his eyes, his head thumping and making him for more irritable.

Steve nodded, his blue eyes dull with exhaustion. "Yes, we encountered some HYDRA agents when we were in Siberia. We went back with the intention of seeing if the facility there held any information on other bases that we might be able to shut down. Unfortunately, others had gotten there before us and we were ambushed."

Tony could see several cuts all over Clint, his movements were stiff, Wanda looked tired and Vision never seemed to stray far from her, one hand always reaching out for her. Steve was black, blue and bloodied, more so than when Tony had fought him, and Barnes stood against the wall to Tony's right, his eyes constantly darting around.

Tony ran a hand through his hair and shook his head wearily. "Normally I'd make some wisecrack about old age, Steve. But this time you were just a fucking idiot. What the fuck possessed you to go back to a base you knew a HYDRA agent had already been in? Zemo was bound to make sure his buddies knew that he would be leading you there, it's logical to think that they would by lying in wait to see if you returned."

The Captain lowered his head and sighed, hands laced together in front of him. "I know, Tony. But I…we had to get some answers."

Tony glanced at Barnes and his jaw clenched. "Sure you needed answers, because getting answers for Barnes takes priority over the safety of your teammates. Why not go to your new Avengers facility? There is no reason to believe you wouldn't be safe there, so why come here?"

"Because…" Steve paused, apparently collecting his thoughts. "I believed that you were still my friend, Tony. That if it ever came to me needing you, and not the other way around, that you would be there for me- for us."

Tony snorted, rose to his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You? It might have taken some time, but I would have come around. You were my best friend, Steve, I would have done anything for you. The rest of the Avengers? Of course, they're all my family and I love each and every one of them. Him? You got no fucking chance. Our friendship was over the moment you chose that murderer over us. I won't kick you out, because I'm not going to put the rest of you in danger over him, but don't expect my help, Steve. You won't find it here. Ever."

His eyes met Clint's for a moment, a silent message passing between them and the Hawkeye gave a barely perceptible nod. He would meet Tony down in the workshop, get patched up, and tell him exactly what was going on. Because Tony was certain that he wasn't being told everything, Steve was leaving something out, because he never looked Tony in the eye for long.

Clint may not have been in contact with Tony, but out of all of them, Tony knew that if he could count on anyone to be honest with him, to tell him what was truly happening, it was Clint. He might be a bird brain, but he was a damn smart one, and he always had Tony's back- the Iron Man knew this. He could trust Natasha too, she had always been straight with him (except for the time that she joined Stark Industries and pretended to work for him).

Tony stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the basement, the doors sliding shut on a stony-faced Barnes. He managed to take a sick sense of satisfaction in making it well known that he hated Barnes. It was petty, very much so. But Tony had been accused of being worse things, and to be honest, having Barnes know how he felt about him was the least of his worries.

Ten minutes later and FRIDAY announced Barton to be on his way down to the workshop. Tony turned down the sound system blaring out AC/DC Shoot to Thrill. The elevator doors opened and Clint limped out, showing Tony the extent of the damage done to his body. The genius swore softly and shoved a stool at him.

"Park your ass on that, Bird Boy."

Testament to how injured Clint was, he sat without comment or protest, his entire body seemed to just sag and he looked older than ever. Tony had FRIDAY run a cursory scan and there didn't seem to be any permanent damage to his leg, it was more than likely muscle damage, or a pulled hamstring, something that could fix itself in a matter of days.

"Jesus, Clint, what the fuck has been going on? I thought you quit on all this so you could raise Nathaniel and the other small agents that are your children?" Tony asked seriously, despite the small agent comment.

Clint sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face, wincing when he caught a deep gash on the palm of his hand. "I did…I was. Fuck, Tones, it's a fucking mess. Steve ended up getting us all dragged into finding the rest of the HYDRA agents that could potentially try and reclaim Bucky."

Tony's eyebrows shot up towards his hair line. "Bucky?" He snorted. "You're actually calling him that?"

Clint scowled. "I know he's done some fucked up shit, Tony. But cut the guy a little slack, he was brainwashed and had no idea what he was doing."

Not wanting a fight with Clint, Tony let the matter drop and got out his medi-kit that FRIDAY constantly reminded him to keep stocked. Sterile wipes, steri-strips and gauzes were all in there, among many other items. Including a small bottle of whiskey that he handed to Clint. "You'll need it- I don't keep any anaesthesia around."

Hawkeye took the bottle gratefully and downed it in one. "Nothing I haven't had to deal with before."

Tony soaked several cotton wool balls in antiseptic and cleaned the deep gash on Clint's left hand. The archer barely blinked and just sat in silence as Tony began patching him up. Tony said nothing either, choosing to remain quiet for the moment, there would be time for Clint to tell him exactly what had been going on.

It took almost half an hour for Tony to clean, seal and dress any deep wounds, clean the smaller cuts and make sure Clint had no broken bones, fractured ones or dislocations. Thankfully, the only severe wound was the one on his left hand, and his leg appeared to just be a sprain in the ankle.

Requesting that FRIDAY let him know should any of the others come down to the workshop, Tony spread his hands and sighed. "Come on then, spill."

Clint got up and paced around, his movements jumpy, guarded. "I don't even know where to begin, Tony. After the whole civil war affair, I went home to Laura, planning to raise my children and enjoy my wife. Steve comes knocking and says he's going back to Siberia to try and find out about any more HYDRA bases. That he's looking to make sure that anyone who might know about Bucky either can't get to him, or isn't able to tell anyone about him."

Tony whistled through his teeth quietly and shook his head, laughing quietly. "I guess Captain America isn't so patriotic anymore."

There was a silence that met his words, a heavy one that spoke volumes. The very fact that the amazing Captain America was willing to take lives to protect someone was something that Tony never thought he would see, Steve Rodgers becoming the very thing he hated.

"He ropes me into helping, I tell Laura I'll only be gone for a few days, just to make sure Cap doesn't get himself killed. We reach Siberia, and Steve has got Vision and Wanda to come help. Because they work so well together when she can overpower him and he worries about her constantly."

Tony gave a soft snort and nodded. "Yes, Rhodey still can't walk unaided, but he seems to like the legs. He'll never fly a suit again, but I don't think he's too upset about that."

Clint shot him an apologetic look but Tony waved it off. "Anyway, we get inside the facility, all seems to be okay then out of nowhere, twenty HYDRA agents come flocking from behind the cryo-containers and demand Bucky go with them."

He didn't continue speaking for a few minutes, and Tony busied himself with making them coffee so he wasn't sat there staring at Clint, or fidgeting. Only when he handed Clint a cup of coffee with a shot if whiskey in did he carry on.

"Naturally, Steve doesn't want to do that, and frankly, neither did I. Bucky's done some bad shit, man. But getting his memory wiped again, going back to being the Winter Soldier…it's not a life, Tony. He just becomes an asset for them to use, a killing machine that has basically no idea what the fuck he's doing because he's following orders from a group hell bent on destruction."

Tony couldn't deny that, because it was the truth, as much as it sucked to admit that bird brain was right. "I agree, especially since becoming the Winter Soldier again would make things very difficult for Steve considering he put his neck out on the line for Barnes."

"Right, but I think it's for more reasons than that. Anyway, we're drastically outnumbered, but when aren't we? We go wading in, and these guys are damn well trained, and it's tough, but we make it. The long and short of it is that as long as HYDRA are aware of Bucky, they aren't going to stop looking for him, because he's the best thing they've ever created."

Unable to stand around, Tony put his mug down and walked around the workshop. "All sounds very plausible, Clint. But it doesn't explain why he's brought you here. I mean, I don't mind you here, Clint, but why bring Barnes when he knows it's just going to make shit worse?"

Clint rolled his shoulders in what could have been a shrug, and Tony was about to take it as one when the archer spoke. "I think…because he's partly trying to reach out, by saying that he needs your help and actually admitting that he can't do this on his own. He does have us, yes, but when it boiled down to it, you had all the tech, Tones. It's not the reason we cared about you, we do. Care, I mean. But the tech is what we need right now, and I think that the only place Steve could think equalled safety was here. Home."

Tony found the wording all very lovely, and it even moved him- slightly. But in the end, he wasn't willing to help the man who aided the soldier that murdered his parents. "I can't, Clint. How can I help someone who turned his back on me? Barnes killed my mom, Clint. She was everything to me. She's gone because he put his hand over her mouth and made sure she couldn't take another breath!" He hissed sharply.

Eyes staring straight at him, Clint didn't back down, despite Tony's harsh tone. "I can scarcely imagine that pain, Tony. And I can definitely understand your anger, your need to lash out. But maybe you also need to accept that Bucky wasn't in control of his actions, he was a puppet. HYDRA are the puppet masters, and if they get Bucky back, how many other people will lose their parents? Loved ones? Husbands? How many, Tones?"

Tony bit back tears, his lip chewed to shreds. "I do accept that, Clint. But that doesn't mean I have to accept him. Could you, if he'd been the reason Laura died? What about your children?"

"Tony…just…damn it, man. I don't know, it's not something I'm faced with, but I'd like to think I could find a way to work through it, especially knowing that there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. We need you. Like it or not, Steve came to you for help, and you're just going to turn him away because you're angry?" Hawkeye yelled.

"Yes! But not because I'm angry. Because I'm disappointed and fucking hurt, Clint! Steve was my best friend, more so than Bruce and I never thought I would say that! So what does he do? He chooses a murderer!"

The tears came then, fat ones that rolled down his cheeks and soaked his beard, dripped onto his shirt and wet the material. Clint's face softened, as did his tone and he approached Tony.

"Tones…you gotta let this go or it's just gonna eat you from the inside out. Damn, I know you're hurting and you've got every right to, but you don't end one friendship because Steve chose to focus on a different one for the time being. It doesn't mean he stopped caring about you, but Bucky has been his best friend since childhood. Would you turn your back on Rhodey if he did something heinous but needed your help?" Clint asked softly, dragging Tony into a hug.

The mechanic held on with all his strength and cried, heartfelt sobs coming from him that broke Clint's heart just a little more than seeing the man so lost and hurt. "No…" he sobbed. "I couldn't turn my back on him."

Clint nodded and gave him a squeeze before letting him go. "Just…give Steve a chance, Tony. Please? For me? He loves you, we all do. I don't expect miracles and I don't expect you to want to work with Bucky, but please, just try."

The soft plead from Clint was all it took for Tony to cave and give a minute nod, which was as good as a spoken oath in the world of Stark. Clint gave him a smile, one last hug and left the workshop, still smiling.

Butterfingers nudged Tony's shoulder and the billionaire patted the mechanical arm gently in some vague form of comfort before he cranked the volume on his sound system and decided to spend some time working on his suits to calm himself, and calm his mind from the thousand thoughts that were swirling around it.

When Tony finally came up from his workshop, dawn was starting to shine through the windows of his Tower, the light of the sun chasing away the shadows that often haunted Tony's nightmares, and were the reason he rarely slept anymore, or they were the cause of him waking in the middle of the night screaming, soaked in sweat and sobbing.

Truthfully he would have still been in his workshop were it not for his desire to ingest actual food instead of the meal bars he'd been surviving off all night. His stomach grumbled loudly as if to make its own protest heard at going so long without eating. The rumbling forced him to leave his workshop and head up to the kitchen, his movements sluggish and limbs heavy.

Heaving a sigh, Tony pulled out a pan, turned on the stove and dropped a generous dollop of butter into it. He raided the fridge for the huge carton of eggs that was always there and broken five into the pan once it reached full heat, carefully using a spatula to scramble the eggs without actually completely mixing the yolk with the whites of the eggs.

He'd learnt early on that with the amount of eggs he ate, along with Steve, Bruce and Clint, it was more beneficial to just buy a few of the thirty egg cartons and pray they lasted them the week. An ache in his chest settled when he thought on how many times he'd walked into the kitchen to make eggs and found none left, Steve sat at the table with a sheepish expression while Clint scarpered out of the room cackling.

He sprinkled a little salt, pepper and drizzled a small amount of maple syrup over the scrambled eggs before tipping the contents of the pan into a bowl and grabbing a fork. He shut off the stove, stabbed at a piece of egg, raised it to his lips and screamed as Barnes emerged from the remaining shadows in the kitchen.

The bowl shattered to the floor, along with his eggs, and he swore colourfully. He sent a nasty glare in the direction of the soldier and cleaned up the ruined eggs and smashed bowl, making sure he got every piece using the small handheld vacuum. Sometimes Clint walked around bare foot and he didn't want bird brain getting it stuck in his foot.

"I apologise for startling you," Barnes called softly.

Tony stood up and deposited the remains of the bowl and food into the trash. "People tend to get startled when others come out of the shadows like something out of their worst nightmare," he groused.

Barnes smiled tightly. "I guess I do feature in those nightmares."

It was all Tony could do not to throw something at Barnes' head and scream at him. "What would you know about nightmares, Barnes?" He spat.

The soldier's eyes flickered with something that Tony failed to grasp before it was gone. "I know a fair bit. I remember every mission I was sent on. I remember every face. They haunt me at night, their blood always on my hands and reminding me what I did," he said very softly.

Tony's face twisted into a cruel, horrible smirk and he stalked towards Barnes. "I hope my mom's face haunts you for the rest of your life."

He didn't stop to see Barnes' pale, miserable and sickened face. He stomped off and muttered under his breath about a ruined appetite and needing a shower after being in the same room as Barnes. On the bright side, he hadn't given into the urge to throw something, and from where Clint had been watching in the ventilation shaft, he counted that as a win, and Tony keeping to his word.

So there you have the first chapter. I absolutely love how Tony is here. I've read quite a few Tony/Bucky stories and I've enjoyed them all. But I just don't see Tony as being able to get past Bucky killing his parents so easily.

Anyways, this update has come early because of the massive response I got from just the prologue, so I decided to post early. The next chapter will come in a few days, so keep a look out!