Here we are with another chapter of our journey. I know a few people have expressed their views on how some of the characters are OOC, and I guess to a degree they are, but this is how I see them. I won't apologise if you don't like it, but I accept if you do not wish to continue with the story.

As always, anything belonging to MCU is nothing of mine. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Thirteen- Aftermath (Bucky)

A whooshing sound invaded his hearing when Bucky came to, his vision was fuzzy and lights blared in his eyes uncomfortably. As he came around more he realised the whooshing noise was the blood thundering in his ears. It took him a few moments to realise he was still in the tower, or at least he assumed he was.

"Welcome back, Sergeant Barnes," FRIDAY's voice sounded around him.

"Back?" He croaked. He didn't recall ever going anywhere, he had been in the gym with Tony, that was the last thing he could remember.

"Yes, Mr. Stark managed to find your trigger and unfortunately, there was some damage done. At the moment, you have been confined to your room in the tower until you awakened as yourself," FRIDAY filled him in.

Fear washed over him, filling him with icy dread. "FRIDAY…How bad…How much damage did I do?"

There was a pause before she answered him, and Bucky's fear multiplied. "Mr. Stark is currently in the medical room in the tower, he has not yet regained consciousness. My sensors, and from what Dr. Banner has told, he has sustained severe bruising to his throat, and there is possible brain damage from the time his brain was starved of oxygen."

Bucky closed his eyes in horror at what he had done, his eyes burning with unshed tears. "Oh god, no." Tony had to survive, he would not be able to forgive himself if the billionaire died by his hand, especially after he had been gracious enough to work in close quarters with him to attempt to fix whatever it was that triggered him. "Can you play the footage, FRIDAY?" He asked softly.

"I don't think that is a good idea, Sergeant Barnes. I am concerned over the level of trauma this would cause, and as the confirmed trigger for your episodes is emotion, I cannot play the footage and risk another trigger, thus putting all in the tower in danger as we have no one in the nearby vicinity who would be able to subdue you," she explained.

He sighed. "Please, FRIDAY? I'm clearly contained in a room built for high damage, so there's little chance of me breaking out."

There was another pause before images appeared over what he assumed was one of the holo-desks Tony had throughout the tower. He watched as Tony pushed him, his own face twisted in pain until it suddenly went completely blank. His lips moved but FRIDAY hadn't turned the sound on, in the next moment his hand closed over Tony's throat and squeezed.

He could only stare in disgust with himself when Thor tried to free Tony from his grasp, who quickly changed from red to purple, his eyes going red as the capillaries in his eyes ruptured from the pressure.

Finally, he went against Thor and was shot with an arrow from Clint, he could see everyone running to Tony and trying to get him out of the gym as quick as they could, Vision looked ready to murder him where he laid, unconscious, on the ground.

Bucky scrubbed a hand over his face and choked back tears, it would do not good. "Is there somewhere I can go? A…safe place?"

FRIDAY projected a small area attached to the room he was in that he could reach through the ventilation system. "You will not be able to escape this way, Sergeant Barnes, it is still sealed off to keep you in. I'm sorry, but I cannot remove the measures without Mr. Stark's authorisation, or from Dr. Banner if he deems you no longer a danger."

He nodded and pulled the cover off the ventilation shaft about him and climbed in, moving as fast as he could to the small room where he could remain hidden and unable to hurt anyone. He felt sick, horrified that Tony may not be the same again because of the damage he had inflicted.

-oo0oo-

Several hours later, Bucky noticed something kept nudging his metal arm. Peering down he found a small bot whirring quietly, its beeps so soft he wouldn't have heard it if not for his super hearing. In its grabbers, it held a black shirt with a chubby unicorn on the front, and a phrase underneath it: 'I fart rainbows'.

He laughed and took the shirt, pulled off his own and slipped it over his head, the size perfect. He wasn't entirely sure if this was something Steve had bought, or if Tony had ordered it to be a dick. Either way, he found it amusing and rather comforting to have something so simple on.

"FRIDAY?" He called softly, unsure if she had access here.

"Yes, Sergeant Barnes?"

Apparently, she did. "Firstly, enough of the Sergeant please, it's too formal. Second, has Tony woken up yet?"

"My apologies, Mr. Barnes. And no, sir has not yet woken. I have had more data input from Dr. Banner and it would appear there is no brain damage."

He released a sigh. At least that was one thing he wouldn't be responsible for, the damage to his throat alone was enough to try and atone for, if Tony would let him. "That's…that's good. How long has it been?"

"It has been precisely seven hours and thirteen minutes since you woke, and nineteen hours and fifty minutes since you were knocked unconscious," she immediately replied.

Well, that was something. A Considerable amount of time had passed since the gym incident, surely Tony couldn't be out for much longer. Bucky sensed that there was further news, and waited for FRIDAY to deliver it.

When nothing came he prompted her. "If there's more, FRIDAY, please just tell me. There's no use in trying to sugar-coat it."

The bot beside him beeped quietly, a soft whine coming from its motors. "The bruising on sir's throat is worrisome to Mr. Banner, there is concern that he might not regain full use of his voice as there is swelling combined with the bruising that is putting pressure on his vocal chords. Additionally, the injuries could impede his breathing, making it extremely dangerous for him to be left unattended."

Bucky had no idea why she had bothered to include the last of the information, he had already been made aware that he was confined to the room and would not be let out without the say so of Tony or Banner. "What's your point, FRIDAY?" He asked.

"I said you were confined to this room, but as I am sure you will have worked out for yourself, every ventilation shaft in the building will join another in order to reach another room."

He frowned in confusion. "Well, yeah, I had figured that out since Barton uses them a lot to get around."

"Indeed. As I control the security in the building, so long as access to other areas is shut off to you, if you use the ventilation shafts you have not technically left the room if it only has one other destination."

"And where would I go, FRIDAY?"

"Anywhere you wanted so long as it was not near Mr. Stark."

"Could I go to the workshop?"

FRIDAY paused. "My protocols do not deny you access so I don't see why not. Please do not attempt to leave the workshop other than to return here, I will be forced to fully confine you with someone guarding the room. I do not want to do that, Mr. Barnes," her voice came through the speakers, a stern tone to it.

He nodded. "Of course, I wouldn't abuse your trust like that. Thank you."

There was a soft his of electricity to his left and he pushed at the mesh over the shaft open. The bot beeped happily behind him as he crawled through, its treads making a soft noise as it trailed along with him.

-oo0oo-

Once in the workshop, Bucky inhaled deeply and felt infinitely better when his nostrils filled with the scents of oil and metal. This was something he was familiar with, even if it was only ever when his arm was being serviced.

He found a pile of metal and eyed it curiously. "FRIDAY, is Tony using this for anything?"

"I believe that is just the pile of scraps that Mr. Stark keeps around in case they become of use. I do not believe he has any plans for them at the moment."

He fingers a sharp ring, its roughness grating over the fingertips of his flesh hand. "Do you think it would be alright if I tinkered with some of it?"

"I don't see why not. Unfortunately, I cannot ask Mr. Stark but I doubt it would cause any great disruption if it was used."

He scooped up the scrap pieces into his arms and carried them to a nearby workbench where he found drills, a soldering iron, a vice and some sanding paper he assumed was for use on metal. Bucky had no real structure or design in mind, but he figured it would be good to keep his mind busy rather than sitting around in his little bolt-hole waiting for more results on Tony.

Bucky was aware that with the damage he had inflicted there was a good chance it could be several more hours before Tony woke, never mind actually got up and about. So, he sanded, he drilled holes and fitted knuts and bolts. He soldered and found wires to connect.

A soft alarm sounded above him, slowly bringing him out of the daze he'd been in while working. "A meal has been delivered to your room, Mr. Barnes. Given the height of your metabolism I would recommend eating."

He searched for a camera and nodded. "Can I come back?"

FRIDAY unlocked the ventilation shaft above him. "Of course, so long as Mr. Stark is not awake and wondering around, or looking for you."

"I highly doubt he'll be coming anywhere near me, not for quite some time."

FRIDAY remained conveniently silent. He climbed up the shafts and back to his room where a warm plate of pizza had been left for him. He suspected Tasha was the culprit of this since it was his favourite pizza. He was sorry to have missed her, but right now he did not want to see her or anyone else. Not just yet.

-oo0oo-

By the time Bucky got the word that Tony had come around and been given the news of the damage caused and implications of it, he had already created his own weird little bot and had been tinkering with it in his room now that he was done in the workshop.

FRIDAY had helped him search YouTube videos on how to wire the necessary computer components in so it could run, and she had advised that he add the ability to self-learn so it would not require constant commands.

He set up daily commands that it could run itself, and added the components necessary for it to be able to communicate with FRIDAY so she could keep it in order and make sure to record all the data so he could see where it went wrong, if it did.

Bucky was well aware it was nothing close to the level of sophistication that were Tony's bots, even just the one that had been following him around. But his bot was his own little creation and he was proud of it. He was certainly no hand at electronics or such things, but it was something he had built himself. No doubt Steve would find it amusing since it was painted red and gold, no doubt sure to wind up Tony, providing he didn't throw Bucky out of the tower.

There would be no blame to place if he did, and Bucky had to admit he was quite surprised the tower's occupants hadn't already been round to kick the stuffing out of him after what he'd done. But there was that whisper in the back of his mind that sounded suspiciously like Steve. He hadn't been himself, not really. He had no recollection of what had happened, but his memories of all his previous kills always came back later, usually in his dreams. In cryo-sleep he'd had nothing but dreams to keep him company.

He set his bot on the ground, switched him on and entered the first commands into the computer that would get him on his way, FRIDAY said she would do the rest for him. It beeped and whirred, getting used to his bearings. He thought of the bot as a he, and grabbed a permanent marker, scribbling BUCK-E on his side.

"A most appropriate name, Mr. Barnes," came FRIDAY's amused voice.

He laughed and nodded. "I think so too."

Finally, the bot got on his way, picking up bits of paper off the floor and depositing them in the waste basket on his back. It beeped happily, and the bot that had been following him around interacted with it.

Bucky watched with a fond smile, happy at his creation. The door to his room was knocked on, and Steve entered, a grave look on his face. "Bucky, how are you?"

He grunted and shrugged. "I'm alright. Normal again, no longer a murdering psychotic lunatic."

Steve gave him a pained look and sat on the floor beside him. "Buck, come on, you know that's not how I see you. I'm sorry I haven't been to see you, but we had to be certain you were back as yourself again."

Bucky got up and moved the desk slightly since BUCK-E struggled to get around it. "Steve, please don't. I know you've been looking after, Tony. It's alright, I wouldn't expect any different. He was badly injured, so I know you'll all have been watching over him."

"Yeah," Steve said. "He finally woke, seems himself but lacking his voice, it's mostly just a rasp. I just…damn it, Buck. I wish you hadn't gone through with this."

He sighed heavily and sat back down. "Why, Steve? Because now everyone can see what a fruitcake I am? Now they're all too frightened to come near me because heaven forbid they upset me and I decide to go all Winter Soldier on them, and kill them."

"Buck, stop!" Steve cried. "That's not how it is! We all knew there was a massive risk that Tony would get his way and find the trigger, he's like a damn dog with a bone, doesn't let up until he gets what he wants."

He had to laugh at that, it pretty much summed Tony up from what he'd seen. "I know, I just…I don't want everyone to stop being around me. I'm actually surprised I'm still here."

Steve grabbed his arm and squeezed. "Like hell I'd let them throw you out. As it happens, no one has even so much as mentioned that. They've stayed away under my directive, for one I had to make sure you were back to yourself, like I said. And two, I thought you might like some time alone to get your thoughts together before you had to face anyone."

They talked for a bit longer until Steve left. He hugged Bucky hard and smiled at him. "Gotta bust the whiny brat out of his medical prison. When he's better, come talk to him, he's not as pissed as you might think, actually asked how you were before anything else."

It gave him food for thought, that Tony hadn't even been raging about what had happened. Maybe, just maybe, he could reconcile with him, get him to understand that he was deeply sorry for the incident in the gym. It wouldn't repair any of the harm done to the billionaire, but it would be a start.