No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 1
Chapter One: Astronaut In The Ocean (Part 1)
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Bucky Fucking Barnes.
...
Tony held that thought as he pressed the button in an elevator. He thought that he had the space all to himself, but then some smug face came into view.
Bucky stopped the doors from closing, and his smile became wide when he entered the elevator. He noticed that Tony immediately rolled his eyes, and Bucky was good with that.
They both were at a facility that belonged to an organization called S.H.I.E.L.D..
Tony had a meeting with Nick Fury, while Bucky Barnes worked their everyday. Neither of them wanted to interact, but shit happens.
"Morning Tony.."
Gross. Tony heard the cordial greeting. He heard it loud and clear, but his reaction was minimal. He only held a small scowl on his face, while Bucky smiled again.
Fuck Bucky Barnes. Tony held that thought while he refused to acknowledge him.
Their rivalry ran deep. Those two "unruly brunettes" had feuded over Steve Rogers for years, and the resentment between them was stronger than ever.
There was one element about it that was different, however, and it had to do with Steve's best friend. Bucky told Steve and Natasha Romanoff that he would eventually "charm" Tony.
He wanted to change the dynamic between them, and it was a pretty big challenge. Bucky had himself convinced that he could charm the "pants or skirt" off of anyone, but there lived Tony's permanent scowl.
"Are you going to be at Stephen's later?"
Bucky gave it another shot. He even attempted some eye contact. He heard Tony clear his throat. The button was pressed for the garage. They both were going to the same exact place.
Come on now Tony, lighten up? Bucky turned a little more in his direction. He tried to seem genuine and friendly. Stark's sharp eyes were locked onto that friggen grin.
"His little Starchild would be devast-"
"Of course I'm going to be there."
Duh. Tony shut those words down as soon as they left Bucky's face. He had zero intention of engaging with Steve's best friend.
His "little Starchild" comment referred to the daughter of Stephen Strange. Her name was Sofia, and they were going to celebrate her sixth birthday.
Bucky was invited, of course, and it was the only common subject that they could discuss.
Well, they could have discussed a number of things, but Bucky thought Sofia's birthday was the safest bet. The elevator doors opened, and Bucky waited for Tony to step out first. He wanted to ridicule him in that moment, and use his words to bring him down.
Bucky wanted to say something about him being a prissy diva, but he refrained. He thought about Steve's "bambi-eyed" lover as they both stared...
Tony wanted Bucky to make his exit first. He didn't trust him, and his first thought had always been to kick him in the teeth. Bucky watched those arms get all crossed up. Tony looked extremely bothered with his presence, and moody.
"You gonna die mad, or whut?"
"Fuck off Bucky."
GET GONE. Tony was not there for his shit. He was never in the mood for Steve's stupid bestie, and he made an inward vow to make that a permanent thing.
He didn't know anything about what Bucky discussed with Natasha and Steve centuries ago. Tony didn't care anything about it either, and he held onto the thought that Bucky would haunt him forever.
A small laugh eventually reached Tony's ears, and the scowl on his face slowly strengthened. Bucky stepped out of the elevator. He turned around and made sure that the doors remained open.
"You know, Steve told me something the other day. We had lunch and he brought something up."
Yeah? Tony tried not to budge. Steve taking his best bud out to lunch sounded typical, but it immediately got on Tony's last nerve. He brought up, what? Baseball? The weather? Kathmandu?
The idea of them chatting about the time that was spent in Kathmandu rubbed Tony the wrong way. It bothered him, because Bucky snagged Steve away from him centuries ago.
That prick swooped right on in when Tony wasn't looking, so the shorter brunette refused to respond. Bucky was unaware of the thoughts that Tony still had about him, so he simply continued on with his thought.
"He told me that he's very happy. He's happy with you. That's pretty much my point."
Bucky's thought had concluded, and Tony slowly swallowed down what he said. He expected him to say something sarcastic...
Tony thought that he was going to hear something rude, or have to hear another stupid assumption about Stephen Strange. What he actually heard was a compliment, for once. It threw the brunette off in that moment, so Tony remained pretty silent.
It kinda knocked the wind out of him.
Bucky could tell that Tony was affected by what was said. He expected that, and decided to wrap up their random encounter.
The not-so-winter soldier gave Tony a cordial goodbye. He said something about seeing him later on, then he made his exit from the elevator.
The doors eventually closed, and Tony took in a very slow breath. He wondered if the words he heard were actually true. Several scenarios about Bucky Barnes played out in Tony's mind while he stood alone in the elevator.
He had to move on from his thoughts. Tony had to snap himself out of the sudden shock. The brunette composed his brain after a while, then he pressed the button for the elevator doors to open.
Chapter One: END
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