"Tony? Tony!" Bucky screamed into their comms as Iron Man crumpled to the ground, completely motionless. Not even F.R.I.D.A.Y. was responding.
This was supposed to be a simple mission. Karl Mordo was wreaking havoc on Times Square, causing the bystanders to attack hallucinations of their worst fears. They sent Tony in first, since magic couldn't effect his arc reactor or its connected tech. Unfortunately, at some point during the fight, some of the affected pedestrians managed to rip a few pieces of armor off, allowing Mordo to cast whatever spell he'd used on the others onto Tony. The wonder twins and Vision pushed everyone back, forming a perimeter around their fallen teammate. Bucky could do nothing except stay in his position with Hawkeye and Black Widow as the team's eyes in the sky. "What's going on?" Cap said, helping the police in herding the unaffected out of the immediate area.
"Iron Man was hit," Bucky immediately responds, shooting another pedestrian with a bullet-like projectile that Tony had invented for scenarios just like this. It was a sedative that bursts on impact, making the target dizzy before knocking them unconscious for several hours.
"Strange should be here in about ten minutes. He needs to finish helping the students with Kathmandu," Steve replied.
"Acknowledged. We have the situation contained around Tony. I would prefer to have James down here if we have another ten minute wait," Vision remarked, throwing a sedative grenade towards a group of well-muscled men heading in Wanda's direction.
"Copy that." Clint shot a grappling arrow towards the bottom of the opposite building, tying it to a communications relay before giving Barnes a thumbs up. Bucky gave him a mock-salute before jumping off, grabbing the cable with his metal arm. He used the momentum to land on the side of the building, grappling down once Hawkeye cut the cord. Less than two minutes later, the Winter Soldier was at Iron Man's side, removing the other's helmet.
Bucky's breath caught in his throat when he finally freed Tony. The older man was pale, sweat dripping down his face as his eyelids moved erratically. Whatever Mordo had done to their teammate and friend (and hopefully something more to Bucky), it would be avenged. James Buchanan Barnes would personally see to it.
It took another forty minutes before everything finally started to settle down. It had ended up taking Doctor Strange about thirty minutes before he was able to join the Avengers in New York. Mordo had almost immediately diverted his resources towards Strange, allowing the other superheroes to take back Times Square in a matter of minutes. Even though Mordo managed to escape in the chaos, Pietro had planted a Stark tracker on the bastard.
The entire time, Bucky had refused to leave Tony's side. Not even the Sorcerer Supreme could pry him from Tony. The technically-older doctor could only roll his eyes in (fond) exasperation before transporting them to the Sanctum while the rest of the team dealt with clean-up and transportation of the unconscious. "How long will it take to heal him?" Bucky asked the moment they were alone.
Strange was silent for a moment, levitating Tony to a nearby couch. Before setting him down, the cloak (which Tony nicknamed Levi) left Stephen in order to wrap around the unconscious genius. Lowering him, Stephen takes a deep breath before looking at Bucky. "It appears Mordo has cas a stronger variant of the spell into Stark. It has him trapped in a perpetual nightmare."
"Ok. So how can I help?" Bucky immediately asked, not even hesitating to offer his services. Though they had only just started officially dating a few months ago, Bucky's feelings for Tony were already very strong. Knowing that Tony would do anything if the situation was reversed gave Buck immense strength.
"Mordo used the 'true love' trope, assuming no one could love him," Stephen said, cutting Bucky off before he could defend his boyfriend. "We know differently. True love's kiss won't work here; its complete bullshit anyway." Strange paused for a moment, studying Barnes before telling him what would need to be done. "In order to help Tony, we need to enter his mindscape and break the cycle."
Bucky sucked in a surprised breath. This felt too much like a violation of Tony's trust. He knew what it was like to have another in his mind, and he didn't want to Tony to ever feel like he has. "Is there no other way?"
Stephen gave him a sympathetic look. Despite what others may think, he and Tony were good friends. He understood Bucky's struggle, but knew they didn't have any other choice if they wanted to save their friend. It took Bucky a few minutes to calm down enough to nod his acquiescence.
Less than ten minutes later, Bucky was laid out on a makeshift cot next to Tony. Before letting Stephen cast his spell, Bucky grabbed the unconscious man's hand, weaving their fingers together. The soldier took a deep breath, closing his eyes and letting the doctor's voice lull him into a calming state.
When he opened his eyes, Bucky immediately recognized the desert before him. After all this is over, I need to remember to have Pepper and Rhodey help me convince Tony to take a vacation. His thoughts were interrupted by a spec of a man kneeling on an opposing sandhill, flashing a peace sign in his direction. Most likely where Rhodes stood. Before he could even move an inch, the scene bled away and changed around Bucky.
Now he was standing in front of two fresh graves, Howard and Maria Stark staring at him damningly. Next to him was a young Tony, and on his other side was who Bucky guessed was Obadiah Stane. "Tony..." Bucky started, nearly choking on his own tongue when the teenager stared at him imploringly. 'I always hated it when people told me they were sorry; never like they fucking meant it,' Tony had said to him the night Bucky remembered his mother's funeral, 'so I'll say this: I grieve with you.'
Bucky had been eternally grateful for that (even later when he found out Tony had been quoting Star Trek), so he repeated those words to the now-younger man. The effect was immediate: Tony's mouth dropped open slightly, his brown eyes filling with tears that may never fall (Tony was a stubborn fucker, especially when it came to expressing his emotions). Just then the scene began to change again, but this time Bucky grabbed onto Tony and help on like their lives depended on it.
In Tony's case though, it really did.
Now the nightmare was that of open space, both without the necessary equipment needed to survive. Tony's eyes were wider than saucers, staring into the void. Bucky acted quickly, before the nightmares could rip them apart again. He grasped Tony's hand, raising the pair and interlocking their fingers in the minimal space between their bodies. His free hand came up to rub Tony's cheek, cupping his face.
Tony instinctively leaned into the comforting touch. "How could someone like you ever love somebody like me?" he murmured, clearly not meaning to say that out loud.
Bucky sighed, smiling sadly at the other. "How could a brainwashed super assassin ever love a genius philanthropist? Gee, I wonder."
Said genius philanthropist let out a huff. I wonder, Bucky thought, leaning in to capture Tony's lips with his own, keeping the kiss chaste.
Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, almost like a supernova―
―and Bucky bolted straight up. He looked around, noticing that Stephen or Wong were nowhere to be seen. The sun seemed to have set hours ago, the noise of a New York night calming his racing heart. He looked to Tony, who was staring at the ceiling of the Sanctum in a daze. The technically-older man waited patiently.
It took a few moments before the brown-eyed man's gaze finally landed on him. The moment they made eye contact, Tony's eyes became soft. "I thought 'true love's kiss' was complete bullshit," he murmured, "but leave it to you to prove me wrong."
Bucky smiled, turning to lay on his side facing Tony. "Always," he said, taking Tony's hand once more.
Soon after they fell asleep, both more than content with the knowledge that the other would never leave them.
Stephen: And by 'we' I mean you.