I hope you're all ready for chapter two of Mending What Was Broken. A dear friend of mine, LoopyLou992 has repeatedly asked me just how long she's going to have to wait for some delicious Bucky action. My honest answer is it could be a while, Tony isn't going to roll over and suddenly forgive Bucky, despite him not being in control of his actions at the time.
However, I am thinking about running a little poll on when it'll happen. So if anyone wants to take a guess, and they get it right, when the time comes, the chapter will have a shout out for them :)
As always, all Marvel related persons, places and things belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I have no claim over them.
P.S. I went to go see Civil War for the third time today, so I have made a couple of changes if anyone is wanting to go check them out but they're nothing dramatic. Loopy and I did have a massive drool fest over Bucky's ass though *le sigh*
Chapter Two- Not Alone at All
Exhaustion finally won out that night. Tony had spent the majority of his day in the workshop, avoiding everyone and any possibility of having to deal with the situation that was his shattered friendship and his feelings on having the man who murdered his parents in his home, walking around free.
He'd made the gauntlet for his suit, tested it out until perfect and finally given in when FRIDAY had shut down his equipment and refused to open any of his design plans, locking him out of everything in an attempt to get him to sleep.
With a lot of grumbling, Tony had acquiesced to her pleas to rest, even if only for a few hours. He rode the elevator to his floor, stripped and thought about climbing straight into bed but opted to shower with how grimy his skin was, and the grease that marked his hands.
Then, finally, he collapsed on his bed, didn't bother to try get under the sheets and passed out within seconds of his head finding his pillow. This was how he woke in the middle of the night, screaming and crying as his mom was killed, her hands reaching for him, eyes silently begging for Tony to save her, but he was helpless as the Winter Soldier batted away his attacks as if he were nought but a fly.
Light faded from his mother's eyes, her throat held in the grip of a metal arm, and the Winter Soldier turned his attention on Tony once her body went lifeless, stalking after him. His left hand, the bionic one, reached for him, and it was at that point he woke up screaming, tears pouring down his cheeks. FRIDAY flooded the room with light, revealing nothing and no one in the room with him. As soon as he saw he was safe, his screaming stopped. Slowly, Tony's heart rate returned to normal, his sobs died down and he gasped for air, one hand clenched against his chest.
"Boss, shall I call for one of the Avengers to…" FRIDAY began.
Tony shook his head. "No, Fry, I'm okay. Just gimme a minute here."
His AI remained silent while he pulled himself together and stiffly climbed out of bed. Pacing around the room, Tony shook the last cobwebs of sleep from his mind, along with all visions of his nightmare, and sighed heavily. "Can I go back to my workshop now?" He asked sarcastically.
FRIDAY started his shower before coming over the system. "Of course, but I recommend a shower, boss."
He chuckled at her but did as said. Tony knew there was no replacing JARVIS, but he was glad he'd chosen FRIDAY to take over his job. She had the attitude of a rebellious teenager, and sassed him more than anyone ever could, but she always did right by him and made sure he took breaks. And though he often found it annoying when FRIDAY would step in and nag him to sleep, it endeared him to the AI.
Showered, dressed and feeling a little more human, Tony took the elevator to the kitchen and made coffee. Against his better judgement, he set a second pot brewing and added his secret ingredient before stowing it away and walking out. He passed Steve on the way in, and the super soldier gave him a tiny smile. Tony stared blankly at him and carried on walking, never looking back and not feeling a single spark of guilt for giving Steve the cold shoulder.
Back down in his workshop with the familiar smell of oil and metal, Tony pulled up the design plan for his latest suit and set to work on the jets in his boots, planning to make them more powerful so he could reach a faster speed. It wasn't something he really needed, but Tony had always pushed to excel and strived to do better than the time before, simply because he was able to.
He asked FRIDAY to put his music on, and Black Sabbath Snow Blind blared through his speakers, and with it a wave of calm washed over him, allowing him the ability to think clearly. He worked on the suit until his fingers cramped from holding the soldering iron for so long. Rolling his shoulders to relieve some of the tension, Tony screamed and jumped from his seat when hands touched him.
Natasha stood behind him, her eyes silently laughing at him. "Clint said you were high strung, but I didn't think that much."
Tony slapped a hand over his chest and scowled darkly at her. "Jesus fucking wept, Nat. Let a man know you're here before you touch him!"
She just laughed and waved him off. "Oh come on, we both know you love to be touched."
Tony gawped before bursting out laughing. "I do, but not when the person touching me plans to give me a heart attack. When did you get here?"
She smiled softly. "Five minutes ago. I came down as soon as I'd spoken to Clint. He said you woke up screaming again this morning."
Tony froze for a moment and stared at her. "What do you mean 'again'?"
Natasha cocked her head at him. "Tony…just because you never saw him didn't mean he wasn't watching over you. Clint would come by every so often and hide in the ventilation, make sure you were doing okay. Apart from working yourself to death, never sleeping and waking up screaming when you do sleep, he said you were coping. But I think he was wrong, and that's why I'm here."
The genius blinked slowly several times, eyes wide with shock. "Clint has been…watching over me? All along? FRIDAY, was there any particular reason you neglected to tell me that there was someone in my ventilation system?"
The AI remained silent, either she didn't know he'd been there, which was highly unlikely, or she just didn't want to answer, and unless she was actually ordered to by Tony, she probably wouldn't say. He didn't really want to order her to tell him, he was kind of warmed that the bird brain cared enough to watch over him.
Natasha nodded to Tony's question. "Yes. I would have done it too, had I not been busy, but he kept me updated. When he said Steve was bringing him here, along with Barnes, I knew I had to come back. I couldn't let you deal with facing him alone, Tony."
Tony didn't want to hear anything else, he rushed over and hugged her tightly, burying his face in her neck and letting her body heat, the soft curves and subtle hint of perfume soothe him. So close to tears, Tony needed to calm down, and Nat had always been very good at calming him. And that is just what she did, she sung very quietly to him, an old children's Russian song.
He didn't understand what she was saying, but he loved the lilting tone of her voice and the way the words of the song slid together easily and soothed him. She rubbed his back until she ended the song, kissed the side of his head and smiled, stepping back gently. "Come on, let's go get some lunch and you can tell me what you've been doing while locked away in your Tower."
Tony scrubbed his hands over his face, groused about being pulled away from his work but grinned at her. "Only if you make me those little Russian cookies."
Natasha laughed loudly. "Anything you want, Shell Head."
Tony rode the elevator with Nat in silence, but his hand occasionally brushed hers in a need to gain a little comfort. She never complained, never tried to move away, and never said anything that would discourage him. Natasha had grown used to Tony's occasional need for physical touch to comfort him, there had been times when the genius had worked for so long, gotten so tired and delirious that he would just curl up against someone and sleep with his head on their lap.
As soon as they reached the kitchen, Nat got to work straight away on the Russian cookies, mixing ingredients for the dough, kneading it then rolling it out. While she worked, Tony made his special coffee and passed her a mug.
"Are you ever going to tell me what your ingredient is for this coffee?"
Tony laughed and shook his head. "Not in a thousand years."
Steve chose that moment to shuffle into the kitchen and sniffed at the air. "Is that your secret coffee?"
Tony turned and gave him a dark look. "It is."
Steve gave him a sheepish smile. "Is there uh…any left?"
Natasha sent him a look and Tony nodded reluctantly. "There's some in the pot."
He didn't offer to make a cup up, and nobody could have persuaded him to, but he saw the quick look of pride in Natasha's face and blushed. He mumbled under his breath and sat down at the table, catching the ball of cookie dough that Nat tossed his way. Tony shoved it in his mouth before Steve could even ask for a bit and prayed that Natasha wouldn't share any with the super soldier. She didn't, and Tony took a little satisfaction in that.
He couldn't decide if Natasha was actually on his side, or if she was playing Devil's Advocate, because she did that a lot, and no one could ever be certain if Nat was taking sides or if she was remaining neutral. He liked to think that she at least had his back in this instance, that she wouldn't then be off talking to Steve and discussing just how much he, Tony, was falling apart.
The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife, and it only intensified when Barnes walked into the kitchen in a pair of Steve's joggers and an Iron Man shirt. Tony's face darkened considerably and he stood so quickly his chair hit the floor with a crash.
"Are you trying to be fucking funny?" Tony growled.
Nat shoved the cookies in the oven and clanged the door shut before rounding on the two super soldiers, her infamous death glare across her face. "Please tell me this is some stupid attempt to be funny or an offer of peace keeping that's gone wrong?"
Barnes looked down at his shirt, realising just what it was he was wearing and slugged Steve in the arm. "The fuck?"
Tony didn't stick around to watch Steve pull the innocent 'what did I do?' routine. He marched past Barnes and shot Steve a nasty glare. "Might benefit you to not try and be funny, Barnes. And maybe wear a shirt that actually fits you."
It was all Natasha could do not to burst out laughing as she followed Tony. "Really, Steve?"
Tony heard Steve yelp in protest. "Nat! I swear I didn't even look at what shirt I passed him!"
The implications of that single line made Tony's heart ache and he felt sick to his stomach. If Steve had passed Barnes a shirt straight out of his closet, did that mean Barnes had spent the night with Steve? Were they a thing? Was that why Steve had taken the man's side, because they were fucking? Rage burned hot and dark in his stomach and Tony whirled around, heading back in the direction he'd just come.
Natasha tried to stop him but there was no slowing down an enraged Tony. He rounded on Steve and slammed his fist into his face hard enough to actually make the super soldier stagger. "Is that why you went with him?" Tony screamed.
The blonde soldier blinked stupidly. "What? Tony…"
The Iron Man laughed coldly and shoved Steve in the chest. "Admit it! The reason you took his side is because you're together!"
Steve raised his hands defensively but didn't try to stop Tony's tirade. "Of course we're together, Tony. He's my best friend!"
The hurt that Tony felt was horrible, it curled like a snake in his stomach and left him feeling broken, even more so than recently. "You chose him over me? You chose your fucking boyfriend over your best friend?"
Steve spluttered indignantly but Tony was gone, a flash of dark hair as he rounded the corner and disappeared into the depths of the Tower. Natasha glared at Steve and shook her head. "Excellent choice of wording, Cap. Now he believes you two are fucking each other."
Barnes burst out laughing. "Me and Steve? Yeah right! The man's seen me naked more times than my mom when I was a baby but I ain't ever sharing his bed."
"Try telling Tony that, because his entire world just crumbled around him all over again," she hissed. "And he feels more alone than ever."
Tony raced into the workshop, ordering FRIDAY to bring up his latest completed suit, feeling the cool metal slide around his body and enveloping him in calm.
"Sir, I really don't think now is the best time to be flying," FRIDAY advised.
He didn't answer her, just took off through the basement exit and took to the skies. With the whistle of air through his suit, the weightlessness, the feeling of complete freedom, it all made his pain disappear for the time being. For the moment, he was just Iron Man taking a flight over Manhattan and keeping the streets safe from bad guys.
He wasn't Tony Stark, orphaned as a young adult, left to run a company, he hadn't had a friend of the family that tried to kill him- not before paying a terrorist group to kill him, he wasn't the man whose girlfriend had left him, or whose teammates never kept in contact with him, nor was he the man who had just found out his best friend was sleeping with the man who had killed his parents.
There wasn't much going on that afternoon, which was surprising since there was always trouble in Manhattan. He circled back towards Park Avenue where his Tower was located, it was then he saw a bunch of thugs ganging up on someone. Tony flew down and landed behind the group with a thunk.
"Is that really how the younger generation of today treat fellow citizens?" Tony said, his suit making his voice slightly mechanical.
The group whirled around and saw Tony, running off before he could even get another word out. At least they still take the Iron Man seriously, he thought. Their victim was a boy, no more than fourteen-years-old, maybe fifteen. He stepped out of the suit and knelt down before the lad.
"Hey there, what are you doing hanging around here?" He asked softly.
The teen looked up, face already beginning to bruise and lip split. "I…I was getting some things from the shop for my mom."
Tony didn't see any shopping around and he hadn't seen the thugs take off with anything other than what might have been the boy's wallet. "Uh huh…why don't you try the truth this time?"
The boy looked like he was about to burst into tears, and Tony felt horrible for calling the boy out on his lie. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark! Please, don't call the cops!"
Tony blinked stupidly at him. "What? Why would I call the cops?"
"Because…I stole the wallet they took!" He moaned. "My mom…we…we struggle for money and we needed some shopping. So I took the wallet so we could get some food."
Tears rolled down the teen's face and Tony pulled him into a tight hug. "Listen to me, no one is going to call the cops, and you aren't in any trouble. Where do you live?"
The kid reeled off an address that Tony knew was in one of the roughest parts of Manhattan. He told FRIDAY to put the suit in hover mode so it would follow them from the sky, and Tony took the kid home with a plan in mind. He had never known the agony of an empty stomach more than once in his life. And that had been while in the capture of the Ten Rings, so he'd had keeping his ass alive to worry about more than his stomach.
The pair walked in relative silence, and as they neared the boy's home, he began trembling. Tony took his hand and squeezed gently. "What's your name, kid?"
"Josh, sir."
"Uh huh. And your mom's name?"
"Irene."
Tony knocked on the door of the run down looking house, the wood swinging open and a woman, far too thin and tired looking, stood in the doorway, the weak light from a single bulb illuminating her from behind. "You a cop?"
He shook his head and smiled. "No, I am not. But I am hoping to help. Can I come in?"
The woman stood back and swept her arm out, a silent invitation. Tony walked in with Josh clinging to his hand, and he didn't try shrug the boy off. He found the living room, sat on the sofa and let Josh settle next to him, shivering.
"So what you here for, if you're not a cop?" Josh's mother asked.
"Well, truth be told, I'm planning to help. Josh here was ganged up on, his wallet stolen and his money for your groceries gone with it," Tony started.
The harshness left the woman's face and she knelt before Josh. "Are you hurt?"
He shook his head. "No, mom. Mr. Stark found me and saved me."
"Indeed. Anyway, it's my understand from a little light chat with Josh that you're looking for work? Well, as it so happens, I need a secretary for my CEO of my company, and Josh tells me you're quick with a computer. So I have an offer to make," Tony said.
Irene remained kneeling on the floor, her face slack in shock. "Me? A job? Mr. Stark, I'm just a low class woman trying to raise her son."
Tony laughed and squeezed Josh's hand gently. "Indeed, ma'am. But here's the thing, good secretaries are hard to come by, and as I said, Josh says you're very good, so it is my intention to employ you. Now, all my employees are to arrive at work well dressed, so I will have my CEO take you shopping for a new wardrobe, and arrange for an apartment in a better area until you can get on your feet and find yourself somewhere far more your stature. Do we have a deal?"
There was silence in the house, Irene barely even blinked. "But…how can there be a deal when you're doing me a favour, but I'm doing nothing for you."
Smart lady, Tony thought. "There is no catch, ma'am. I knew a young boy once, he was in a bad situation and had nothing. His mother worked all hours to feed them and this boy, this hard done by lad, made sure I was safe when my suit went down and I was stranded. I suppose you could say I'm passing the kindness on. There is one small stipulation though, I don't know the situation with Josh's father, and it isn't my business to ask. However, if I find that he has been stealing wallets again, I will take it all away before you can so much as say your son's name. He deserves far better than what he has, and while the situation is more than likely not your fault, you're his mother."
Irene burst into tears and threw her arms around her son as he too joined in the tears. Tony hashed out all the details and placed a call to Pepper, advising her of her new assistant.
"Tony! You can't just hire some random lady!" She scolded him.
Tony scowled at his phone. "It's my company, and I just did. You always said I never did anything for anyone if it didn't somehow benefit me. Well, this doesn't benefit me in any way, shape, or form."
He heard Pepper sigh and the tapping of her shoe against the floor. "Tony…how can you even trust someone you have literally just met?"
Tony growled down the phone at her. "Because I have better judgement than most people, Pepper. Especially when no one believed me about Obe and I was right! So either take her shopping for the clothes she will need, or I'll find a new CEO, Pepper. Just do this one damn thing."
"Okay, okay, Tony. Alright. Just calm down. I'm sorry, things have been a little tense of late. Do you want me to pick up the kid a few things?"
Tony smiled. "Yeah, thanks, Pep. I owe you one."
He disconnected the call and booked the mother and son in a hotel for a few nights until he could locate an apartment for them. It was one act of kindness he could bestow upon these two people, and for a while, it eased some of the pain in his heart. He called the suit back and flew home, stowed the suit away and found Nat in his workshop waiting for him.
"Have a nice flight?" She asked.
Tony nodded and took the mug of hot chocolate she held out to him.
"So the call I just got from your ex-girlfriend about you hiring some random, down on her luck mom had nothing to do with you disappearing?"
"Not directly. I found her son being beaten so I stepped in. She needed a job, Pepper needed a secretary so it seemed like a win-win situation."
She smiled and sauntered out of the workshop. "I'm proud of you, Tony. Clint's looking for you, he's in his nest."
Tony drained the scolding chocolate and took the elevator to Clint's floor, opened the ventilation grate in his room and climbed in. "Nat said you wanted me?"
Clint peered down from his position and nodded. "I just wanted you to know that I wasn't spying on you. It was more for my state of mind, to make sure you were doing okay. But I guess I made a bit of a pig's ear of it if you've barely been sleeping. I suppose, what I'm trying to say is I'm sorry I never said I was here, maybe an ear would have been useful."
Tony cocked his head, jaw working as he tried to form words. "It's okay. I…I'm actually just relieved to know that someone cared enough to check in on me. Clint…I have to ask…did you know? About my parents?"
The archer shook his head instantly and climbed down to where Tony was until they were both stood on carpet. "No, Tony. I didn't know. I would have told you straight away."
He hugged Clint quickly and left his room, hearing the bird brain climb back in the ventilation and it shook a laugh out of him. The day he didn't find Clint shuffling around in his ventilation would be the day that the world ended and he would declare the man insane.
Good evening, dears. So here we have chapter two. I understand a few of you might be a little confused as to the sudden bout of kindness in Tony, but bear with me. A little OOC, maybe. But it has a reason for being there.
I can't tell you how much time you'll have to wait for the next chapter. I'm trying to remain at least two chapters ahead, so that if I have a bad week, y'all don't lose out. But until then, leave me a little love :)
