Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers
Warnings: Not Canon Compliant, Post-Avengers 2012, Canon Divergence with CA:WS
Cross-posted on my AO3 with a collage.
Inside, there was a party. The team were celebrating Bucky being freed of his trigger words. Tony had participated in the fun for a bit before grabbing a drink and wandering outside into the pouring rain that seemed to fit his real mood perfectly. In his hand, he held a flute of champagne, the liquid swirling around the glass as he leaned against the barriers and looked out across the restless city, where lights blinked wildly in the darkness of the night.
He heard the door behind him open and he knew who it was. Chucking his head back, he swallowed the remaining slightly watery (from the rain) champagne and straightened up, but he continued to look out at the city. Steve's large body appeared next to him. He too looked out at the city, but he'd slumped down so his elbows were leaning against the barrier like Tony had been before the blond had come outside. They stood there in silence for a few minutes. Letting the rain pour down on them.
—LINE BREAK—
"You alright Tony?" Steve asked looking at the man worriedly, Tony didn't move, just continued to twirl the empty glass around in his hand,
"Did you know?" Tony asked, ignoring the blond's question and watching as he flinched at the question out of the corner of his eye. He watched as Steve went to play the role of the clueless fool, before the blond shook his head, a smart choice as Tony would've seen through it immediately.
"I didn't know it was him."
"Don't bullshit me, Rogers. Did you know?" By now Tony had turned around to face (or rather look up due to height differences) Steve, his brown eyes staring deep into the blond's blue ones.
"Yes." His answer was a mere whisper, but it sounded like thunder. Tony flinched back as though he'd been struck, despite knowing that Steve knew, the confirmation was still a verbal punch to him. Speaking of punches, Tony threw one at Steve's face. The blond made no attempt to stop the first hit, nor the second, but when he saw the bruises quickly forming and blood hastily dripping to the wet ground, he grabbed Tony's abused hand and stopped the third punch from connecting. "Stop it. You're only hurting yourself." It was true, the serum stopped Tony's punches from causing much damage. The small genius ripped his fist from Steve's grip, letting it fall to his side as he stared up at the man panting and shaking.
"Have you been using me this whole time? Did you not trust me enough? Why'd you not tell me? How long have you known that Barnes killed my parents? Answer me you bastard!" He screamed,
"Tony…I…I didn't know how to tell you. I thought I'd be sparing you by not telling you."
"How long have you known?" His voice was quiet and hoarse and Steve remained silent, "Steve. How long have you known?"
"About two years." He recoiled again and stared at Steve with so much betrayal it was practically written on his face.
"And you never told me? I had a fucking right to know you selfish bastard!" Tony shouted as his tears blended in with the rain,
"I couldn't!" He roared back without meaning to, he watched as Tony pieced things together. Once it clicked, Tony visibly deflated, his tense body nothing more than a slumped, shivering mess as he stood in the downpour.
"Because you were using me for my tech." The genius' voice was quiet with a tone of resignation,
"I…Tony…that's not…" He stopped his stammering when Tony held a hand up,
"You didn't think I'd help Barnes if I knew." He coughed to clear his throat, whether it was one for dramatic effect or because he was starting to feel ill because of the rain and wind, neither really knew. "Goes to show that you haven't really changed your attitude about me since we first met, does it, Captain?" This time Steve was the one that flinched and Tony heaved a sigh.
Silence enveloped them. Steve couldn't think of a thing to say; Tony was too exhausted to continue at that moment. There was a rumbling sound of distant thunder which lured the pair back to reality as they'd escaped to their minds momentarily. Tony snorted in morbid amusement as he came a conclusion. He stared at Steve.
"You know -and this is hilarious- I built the Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing to help me. I built it to overcome their deaths. To help me come to terms with something that happened twenty years ago because I'm fucked in the head and never really came to terms with the fact that my father killed my mum." A lopsided and almost insane grin appeared on Tony's face as the older man tilted his head slightly, "Only he didn't. Barnes killed them both. All this time, I'd been cursing my old man's name, blaming him, but really he was a victim. Not a murderer. Here's the hilarious part, the B.A.R.F. tech I used to help me overcome their deaths, I let their murderer use it too. Ain't that something funny?"
"It wasn't Bucky, Tony. It wasn't him."
"I fucking know!" He snarled. He turned and began to walk away to go back inside, only he stopped halfway there, Tony didn't turn to face Steve, but he turned his head to the side a little bit,
"You know, I had a really good morning. Woke up -not that I went to sleep, really, met Barnes in the lab for his final checkup to make sure the triggers were really gone. Turns out they were. Happy, we shook on it and went our separate ways. Then about five hours ago, I got an email from an anonymous human. Of course, JARVIS scanned it. Completely harmless. In the physical sense at least." He turned his head more so he was looking in Steve's eyes without turning his whole body around,
"Imagine opening a video and watching as the man you just successfully helped slammed his metal fist into your fathers face until the man was dead. Imagine watching as the killer dragged the body back to the car, before walking around to the passenger side and watching as the person you just helped strangled your mother. Not exactly the thing I wanted to see on a Friday afternoon." He spat bitterly before continuing to walk away.
As Tony walked he raised his left hand to his head, his thumb, index finger and middle finger forming a gun, "I know Barnes can't be blamed. HYDRA was to blame after all. Your bestie was merely the gun and HYDRA pulled the trigger." As he spoke those final words, he bent his thumb and pretended to shoot himself in the head before using the same hand to give a single halfhearted, somehow sardonic wave as he walked inside and leaving the Super Soldier in the rain, where the blond remained frozen in shock.
—LINE BREAK—
When Steve wandered back in moments later and saw that the others were staring at him. Clearly, they had been eavesdropping and weren't going to pretend they hadn't. He bowed his head at the weight of their disappointed and horrified stares.
"You told me you'd tell him, Steve." Natasha stated, she too flinched when everyone stared at her, Clint even moved away to express his disappointment.
"You knew?"
"Yes." She whispered at Clint's question, "But Steve said he'd tell him."
"My only condition to living here -the only reason I agreed was because you said Tony knew." Bucky's voice cut over the arguing that had picked up, "And you lied." His tone was one of disbelief and he ran his hand -he didn't have the metal one anymore, so just his single hand- over his face, "You told me not to bring their deaths up around him because you said he didn't want to talk about it, I should've known something was up. Especially when he was so goddamn kind. I mean who can be that kind when facing their parents killer? No one." He sat back down with a heavy sigh, "God, I took it all for granted. Didn't even think."
"Buck-" The dark haired man waved Steve off,
"You didn't think he'd help me if he knew did you?" Steve's silence was enough of an answer, "Fucking Hell Steve, you've known him longer than I have, yet I know him better. What the Hell?"
"Anthony is a very kindhearted and selfless man, Captain." Thor started, speaking up for the first time as he and Bruce had been keeping out of the way and just watching everything, "He would've understandably been distressed and possibly lashed out, he would've offered his help once he had come to some form of terms with the happenings of his parents true demise."
"Thor's right. Tony's reckless and emotionally constipated, but he would've come around and done what he could to help Mr Barnes." Bruce added. Steve said nothing, he didn't know what to say so it was best to just be quiet. Several minutes passed before Bucky stood with a heavy sigh and headed towards the elevator.
"Buck where are you going?"
"To pack my bags." Surprisingly everyone turned to look at him with alarm on his face,
"What -why?"
"Because why should I torment him even more with my presence?" He answered before leaving.
—LINE BREAK—
When Bucky walked into his bedroom, he tensed. Someone was in his room. He grabbed the knife in his pocket and flipped the light on. Catching sight of the person, his body relaxed and he put the weapon away.
"Mr Stark?" Bucky said, confusion and questioning in his voice as he picked up a duffel bag and walked over to his set of drawers.
"So…HYDRA had the Soldier…kill my…parents." Tony, who was sitting on the chair in the corner, blurted out in a way that was unusual for the calm and composed man,
"I'm so sorry. I know that probably means nothing to you, I should've told you when I moved in but I took Steve's word and thought it best not to bring it up in fear of upsetting you. I…thank you for everything, Mr Stark. I'll be out of your way shortly."
"Woah. Woah. Woah. Chill your beans! You don't have to leave. I mean…okay, I did only find out this afternoon and whilst I thought I'd struggle to even look at you, I think…it's easier to separate you from the killer because you don't have your…metal hand. Plus I know…well I mean I know you were brainwashed and with all the work I've done helping you, I understand that it wasn't you mentally, just…physically."
"Mr Stark-"
"Nu-uh! It's Tony or some kind of nickname. None of this formal BS."
"Alright…kitten." Tony stared with wide eyes and an open mouth,
"…That was uncalled for and just plain rude." Bucky chuckled,
"Look, you've done so much for me and it's morally wrong to make you put up with me when I…"
"Killed my mum and dad." Tony finished bluntly, "Look Buckster -and that's a prime example of a nickname, so take notes- no ones making me keep you here. You can leave if you want to, but no one here actually wants you to go. Let alone me." Tony stepped forward and walked towards the ex-brainwashed HYDRA weapon and grabbed his hand before leading the man out. Bucky could've stopped him, but he didn't.
—LINE BREAK—
They arrived in the lab and Tony told him to take a seat. Moments later the (mad scientist) genius returned with a long rectangular case that he placed on the table in front of Bucky. With his usual dramatic flair, he had JARVIS play some music as he opened the case to reveal another arm. Similar to the old one, but better. So much better. Bucky stared at it speechless and oblivious to Tony's nervous fidgeting.
"Since we destroyed your last one, I've been building you a new one. Was gonna present it to you at the party…but then things happened and well…yeah."
"Can I…can I wear it? Please."
"Of course." Tony quickly set to placing it on Bucky's shoulder and moments later, the soldier was testing it out. It worked perfectly. With a grin, Bucky picked Tony up and spun him around,
"Thank you so much. I don't deserve it but-"
"Shush," Tony whispered with an eye roll but his smile showed that he was glad Bucky liked it. "We're going to have difficult moments, but it wasn't your fault, Bucky. It really wasn't." A tear trickled down the other man's face, but he merely smiled.
"Thank you, Tony. Do you want to go rejoin the party?"
"I don't think it's much of a party anymore, Buckster."
"Well, your presence usually causes an uproar so…"
"Not sure if that's a compliment or an insult…"
"We going up?"
"How about we stay down here for a bit? I can show you some of my cars, maybe let you work on one as long as it's not my baby."
"That sounds like a good idea, Tony."
"Believe it or not, but I'm full of them. They just usually end badly. Hey, JARVIS, tell the others where we are, make sure Cap knows I haven't murdered or been murdered by our resident Cyborg. Also, if they hear an explosion…we're fine and it's Barnes' fault-"
"Hey!"
"Certainly, Sir. Might I suggest you have Dum-E on fire safety?"
"No!" It was too late, the robot had grabbed hold of the fire extinguisher and with a series of happy beats, Dum-E covered the pair in foam.
The bracketed 'mad scientist' bit was originally crossed out, but unfortunately, that doesn't work here so brackets will have to do.
Here's my tumblr if you're interested, it also has the story collages: anxious-soul
Anyway,
Thank you for reading,
Hope you enjoyed this,
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Bye~