Tony sat on the uncomfortable chair on the other side of the one-sidded glass, watching Bucky.

It had been 92 days since they started getting the Winter Soldier out of Bucky's head.

It had been 70 days since Steve had broke up with him. 70 days of heartbreak, 70 nights spents crying into his pillow and waking up from horrifying nightmares. 70 days spent hoping that Steve would reach out, appologize, ask to be forgiven (and Tony would probably forgive him, because he loves him). 70 nights spent trying to convince himself that the next day he will wake up to a sleeping super soldier, discovering that this nightmare was just a dream. 69 mornings revealing the ugly truth : this is real, this Tony's life now.

And on top of that, the only week on which Steve had been called on a mission he could not refuse, also happened to be the week that Bucky decided to wake up.

It was a slow process of course, but it had started a few hours after Steve's departure, and Tony had immediately been informed of the new progress. The doctors had estimated that Bucky would open his eyes on Thursday, two days later.

So here he was, Tony Stark, behind the one-sidded glass, refusing to let his ex-boyfriend's BFF wake up alone.

A doctor entered the room and said quietly : "He is waking up, sir."

Tony nodded and stood up, not even bothering to grab a gauntlet or any weapon on the way to Bucky's room. If the Winter Soldier woke up and killed him, it didn't really matter, no one would miss him. Not anymore.

Tony took a seat on the chair that had been put next to the bed, and sighed. Seriously, Bucky had to choose the ONLY week when Steve wasn't available. And now he was stuck here, waiting for...

"Howard ?"

The first thing Bucky heard was a sigh. It wasn't a sigh of contentment, though. It was a tired, sorrowfull sigh. One of the ones only broken men knew how to make. His first thought was a confused desire of holding that man into his arms and comfort him. His second thought was about Steve. Was he alright ? That punk better have survived, or Bucky would him bring back from the dead just to kill him again. Slowly, Bucky opened his eyes, find himself staring at the ceiling of what seemed to be a strange hospital room. There was a weird machine hanging from the ceiling. Bucky hoped no one had made more experiments on him, the only thought of it making him shiver. That's only then that he registered that he felt no pain. Not even a headache... And... Didn't he lose his arm ? Without moving his head, he glanced at his left arm. It was made of metal. How cool. He didn't know doctors could do that.

Wait. Doctors could definitely not do that, he would have known.

Bucky then glanced at his right, and there, sitting next to his bed but turning his back on him, sat Howard Stark. Of course. The man must have invented some sort of new prosthetic made of metal. He was a genius. But something looked.. Wrong. The man next to him was Howard... But not quite. Was it an hallucination ?

"Howard ?"

The man startled and turned to face him, eyes open wide in fear for a short moment.

And that was not Howard.

Bucky frowned.

"Who are you ?" He asked in a soft voice, feeling like this man was terrified and ready to flee the room at any moment. And that wouldn't do because Bucky needed answers.

The Howard look alike man stared at him with his big chocolate brown eyes, and asked :

"What is the year, Barnes ?"

"You didn't answer my question. Who are you ?" The soldier insisted. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Something was so, so very wrong here.

"I am Tony. Tell me, when are we ?"

"We're in 1945. Right ? Or was I in a coma ? Is it the 50s now already ?"

The man looked away awkwardly and mumbled something Bucky couldn't pick up.

"What ?"

"I said : we're in 2014, old man"

Bucky laughed as he sat on his bed. He felt strangely fine considering he just woke up in a hospital. "So you're a joker ? Bucky Barnes, by the way." He said, extending his right hand towards the man, who took it.

"Tony Stark. I took the liberty to make you a better arm while you were sleeping. Oh, and it's not a joke. Welcome to the future." The guy was smiling, but Bucky could see the concern behind his eyes.

And that could only mean one thing, he realized as his smile disappeared.

This was true. And if it was true then it meant that... That Steve was...

"Steve !" He couldn't help the stranggled cry that escaped his mouth.

New Stark's eyes widened.

"No no no no ! Don't worry about your bestie, Barnes ! He is fine. He survived too, he is on a mission right now."

"Wha...? How old is he ?" Bucky was just confused now. Steve must be around 100 years old now.. And people still sent him on missions ?! Were they nuts ?!

"I'd say 21 ? Yeah something like that." Wondered Stark aloud.

Bucky stared at him for a moment, and then decided that his life was just crazy like that. So he was in the future, and Steve was still as young as he had been last time he saw him. What about that guy who looks like Howard ? Howard didn't seem like the kind of guy to want kids...

"So, you're a Stark ?"

"Yup. Howard's my dad."

"You didn't seem pleased to be called by his name"

"Oh no I was just surprised, since he is hm." Tony paused, eyeing him carefully. Bucky understood before Stark told him. "He is dead. I try not to think about him too much." Bucky frowned slightly. New Stark was lying about the reason why he didn't want to talk about his father.

They changed the subject, then, and Tony Stark started talking about his arm, as well as all the new technologies in the future, and then he told Bucky about the super heroes, and he was half way into explaining the Hulk and Bruce Banner when the door slammed opened, revealing Captain America.

"Bucky." Said Steve, out of breath.

"Steve." Replied Bucky, grinning.

oOoOoOo

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Next chapter tomorow is named : All the things I want to say