No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 1
Chapter 41: By The Way (Part 1)
Tony decided to conclude the amusing little science project that he had going on for the day. He told his "wife in another life" that he was heading home, and Pepper Potts told him her goodbyes.
Wade Wilson wasn't happy with the situation. Tony Stark was leaving the building, and the mercenary kept saying something about being lonely. His words were clever, but Tony didn't take the bait. He left Wade all alone in a cold cryo-prison.
Tony didn't feel bad about it. He was more concerned about the progress he made when it came down to Wade's interesting "condition". Besides, Steve Rogers had plans for the looney assassin, so he walked away with ease.
He felt like walking, or whatever. Tony didn't walk all the way from Manhattan to Brooklyn like some whacko. No, but he drove his vehicle all the way to the apartment garage. He took his time, for once, and his mood was pretty domestic.
It had something to do with the discussion that he had with Deadpool. The noisy "merc" said something about Steve that seemed to bury itself beneath Tony's skin. He pondered on it as he locked his fancy car.
Tony listened to the consecutive beeps of his car alarm. On the third beep, he noticed that someone else was there in the garage. Bucky went home. Their field mission to extract Niko Constatin went smoother than they anticipated, and Natasha told him that she'd be meeting up with him later.
The Widow mentioned something about talking to Clint Barton. She said that his quiet mood was bothering her, and Bucky didn't feel the need to stick around. He went home almost immediately. Seeing Tony in the garage surprised him. Bucky almost said something about it, but he only smiled instead.
The not-so-winter soldier gave Tony a cordial smile, but it wasn't returned.
Tony seemed amused with the random encounter, but he didn't say anything at all. He simply stepped in the direction of the apartment lobby, and Bucky followed. Bucky did mention that they were kinda going to the same place. Tony shared an apartment with Steve, and guess who had always lived next door.
Bucky Fucking Barnes was their neighbor, so..
They both walked on toward the apartment complex, and Tony noticed how nervous he looked.
He brought up Natasha twice, but Tony didn't comment. He wasn't in the mood to discuss Natasha's spy shit. He assumed she'd head back with Steve when the boring conversation with Fury concluded.
Until then, the "other" brunette just walked. He kept glancing over at the person that was walking beside him. Bucky was drawing straws when it came to discussing something with Tony, but he kept trying. It still felt a little weird, because the two of them had gone through countless years of hating one another. Now there they were, walking around allllll alone.
Tony held a small smile as he thought about it. He ventured into the lobby floor of the apartment complex, while Bucky watched him go for their tiny mailbox.
"That seems like a Steve thing."
Checking the mail. Bucky had to laugh. Tony almost laughed as well, because it was true. Going through the mail was something that Steve Rogers loved to do. He'd even sort it out on the table, and leave it all organized and shit. Tony loved that, so he held his grin.
Bucky decided to open up his mailbox. They both saw that it was stuffed to the brim. He hadn't checked it in months, clearly, so he had to pry the giant pile out.
He copied Tony's action, and he put the mass of papers beneath his arm. He was being sarcastic of course, and Tony seemed playful about it. He went for the elevator, and of course, Steve's best friend tagged along.
They behaved that way up until Tony said something in the elevator. He finally said something, and it felt like a boundary push. Tony's choice of words made Bucky freeze up a bit.
Tony actually asked him if he wanted to join him. He said that he planned to wait for Steve up on the roof. Bucky had been on the roof of the apartment complex with Steve and Tony a million times, but with it just being the two of them, well...
He hesitated with the question. The elevator doors distracted him. Bucky took the cool approach as they ventured out toward the doors to their separate apartments.
He said, maybe. Possibly. He'll think about it. Tony just held his smile. Ok. Sure. Sounds good. It was very amusing for the shorter brunette. He left Steve's best friend behind with his thoughts.
Tony disappeared into the apartment that he shared with Steve, but he told Bucky that the door was open if he changed his mind.
Chapter: END
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