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[starkingenuity]

Nothing would ever be as sweet as this.  Tony Stark had not liked his father much, but every son has a need for revenge when they don't get to take out the big bad in their life personally.  His dad hadn't hit him, but abuse can work down other channels.  And even so, his old man hadn't deserved to die, and certainly not like he did.  It was so ordinary to be shot down, for it to look like a cheap accident.  Though it left Tony free of him, it also robbed him of his mother in the same stroke.  He never understdood why unless it was all just for show.

Though he'd never had a name or a face, Tony had hated Bucky Barnes for a very long time.  That his parents' murderer had been Steve Rogers' best friend, or had been brainwashed to be some sort of mindless slug, he didn't care.  He hadn't cared at all, not until he found him asleep on that birdshit stained park bench with newspapers over him.  And he hadn't cared then either when he stood there, repulsors aimed towards that piece of scum, until he muttered something in Russian and rolled onto his side.

The cap slipped.  His gaunt face showed a man half his own age, looking absolutely wretched and...lost.

Tony Stark had spent the better part of a week on the new suit which, he did tell JARVIS, he didn't quite care if it could kill him or not with the way he disregarded every last safety measure in the book he himself had written.  He'd managed to keep is secret from all of the comers and goers from the Tower too.

And now, now that he's here, now that the Winter Soldier had been tracked down in this park in the slums of DC, he can't bring himself to that revenge that had kept him drunk since he discovered how to track the man.

So Tony stands there.  And waits.  And sometimes forgets to breathe.

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[starkingenuity]

Tony has a few issues with the spectrum of good versus evil. Mostly he falls in the middle of a wide sliding scale. He tries to be better, but let's be honest. Men like Tony just can't be good, not completely. He's stopped trying. Especially after he submitted to having his heart removed.

For what? Pepper? His own peace of mind? He feels empty. And killing Bucky like this would have just made that emptiness grow.

He can't allow that.

"They're on the table." He gestures with a screwdriver. "Are you a Chinese sort of killing machine or more Italian? I could order in some room service." Why the hell is he being nice to this man?

Bucky Barnes shouldn't be alive.

But neither should he. Shit. Redemption story sucker!

[who_is_bucky]

Bucky doesn't fall anywhere on any scale. He's questionable all over. If he had to guess, killing a bunch of people made him pretty evil. He doesn't want to be. He thinks anyway. There's just a lot of things he has to sort out first. Like all his morals.

He's allowed to move? He only stares at Tony for a moment before he shifts to stand up. He hesitates, waiting to be yelled at for it and moves to eat as many peanuts as fast as he can. He's starving okay. He pauses long enough to give Tony a confused look at the question and decides he has no idea about an answer.

"I don't know."

[starkingenuity]

How could a person not know what he likes better?

Answer: the same person that shoved peanuts down his throat as if he's afraid that Tony will slap it out of his hand. Tony watches the scene for a moment before he turns away. Any defiance in Bucky's eyes are overshadowed by his desperate he is. "J--?"

The AI answers with a curt "Yessir?"

"One of everything from the menu."

Once upon a time, he'd had no one too. He'd been young and hateful and let his youth go by in a flash of genius. And then his parents died. He'd not looked back. And maybe he should have. Besides. His old man never talked about Bucky Barnes. It was always Captain America.

[who_is_bucky]

Slap out of his hand. Take it away. One or the other or both. He had failed--though history doesn't talk about those moments because he had always gone back--and his punishments had been cruel. They had kept him under control in the beginning by teaching him that he had no choices. They told him what to do and when. End of story. Food included.

He slows down a little, stopping only to try to work up some spit in his mouth, peanuts suck the moisture right out and Bucky doesn't ask for things like drinks of water. He's not to that point yet. He keeps side-eyeing Tony, still a wary wild animal expecting their new benefactor to turn on them.

[starkingenuity]

So great. Fantastic. Here he was, just minding his own business on a personal vendetta after a year filled with nearly being killed over a dozen times since his brush with death in the vortex, and now he had a puppy to take care of. Usually you get started off with a plant. He's not good with people unless he's trying to get s business deal or a one night stand--

Bucky isn't either.

"Okay. Never mind. Come back here and let me finish up. Two fingers are better than none and you still have that awful whirring sound in one of those gyros. I'm really hoping it's not fleas."

[who_is_bucky]

He brings the peanuts with him and again licks his lips but says nothing. He's probably dehydrated too. It's not something he pays attention to. He hadn't exactly been taught how to take care of himself.

After a moment of hesitation, he sits back down. He still looks uncomfortable with this idea. "He broke it," Bucky mutters.

[starkingenuity]

"He who? Our golden boy, Cap?" Well damn. Thor had crushed the arm of his suit once but to know that Steve Rogers could do the same is a little... Hot.

Shit. That's disturbing.

"I'll send him the bill then," he continues gently. As gently as he can. His mouth keeps going dry from the whiplash of feelings Bucky gives to him. He doesn't try to take the peanuts away. He does get up to get a scotch though. "I'll finish after room service comes. But I was serious about the concern for fleas. You look like you might have contracted a few."

[who_is_bucky]

Bucky only gave Tony a quiet nod in confirmation; it was Steve, trying to get the damn chip out of his hand and it took a whole lot more than that to pry it out of his hand. The show of strength was impressive. Steve would probably feel bad about it knowing him. He'd be sheepish if Tony used it to flirt with him or mentioned it at all.

He's not doing much better on the whiplash feelings; he's not doing so well himself here. He gives Tony a wary look when he stands up , just in case, but relaxes again when he goes to get a drink instead. He's not much for words. He's used to not being allowed to even speak. Instead, All he does is gives the man a look that asks 'what the hell do you want me to do about it'.

[starkingenuity]

Luckily, Tony reads looks. He reads them very well. He's none too pleased with all of the defiance though, even if it's amusing. It would be much more amusing if not directed towards him however. Frowning, Tony points at the heavy double doors to the left. "Bathroom. Use it. Wash your hair five times if it needs it. There's a robe in there. Your arm's fine to get wet. The thing is geniusly designed and I don't usually give that compliment to anything I didn't have a hand in."

Do not make him have to show you how to wash. He's not up to the puppy stage on the caring for life scale. He killed his cactus. How do you kill a cactus?

[who_is_bucky]

Sorry, defiance is all he had with Hydra. This is actually a toned down version of it. Defiance is just his default expression now. If he wants something done, it'll have to be an order. Like the shower, see that is perfect. Bucky knows what to do with orders—follow them.

His gaze shifts to the dorks and he looks loathe to abandon the peanuts but an order is an order and honestly, the shambles of his programming jump at the chance to follow them. It's what he's known for a considerable part of his life. He slides off the bed and goes to take a shower, stripping quickly and efficiently without closing the door. He doesn't think of it. He inspects he instructions on the shampoo as he steps under the spray. It's barely lukewarm but it doesn't matter because he's used to it. It's not easy to wash with his half his fingers not functioning but he does shampoo his hair five times and scrub himself down before stepping out to dry himself off.

[starkingenuity]

As voyeuristic as Tony Stark can be, he's much more interested in drowning himself in scotch. A lot of scotch. Somewhere between lather, rinse and repeat number three, the food comes. He tips every man that rolls in a cart with a hundred dollar bill. There are five carts in all, all covered with metal domes to keep burgers and omelettes hot.

Tony won't get started until Bucky shows up, water logged and thinner than he thought and swimming in a black terry cloth robe with stark's logo on it.

He's seated at the table at the window, looking over the cherry blossoms, his eyes haunted and the alcohol half done.

[who_is_bucky]

Water-logged and a little careless with the robe but it's so large it doesn't matter much. Tony might get a little chest now and then but largely it's just robe. Bucky can smell the food and it makes his mouth water. He's starving.

He sits down at the table but he keeps his hands to himself. Until he's told he can eat, he won't. Bucky is paranoid this could all be some kind of test. It doesn't mean anything to him that the bottle is almost gone. It's not his place to judge. It's not his place to do anything.

Nothing but shift his gaze between Tony and the food, not unlike a puppy asking if it's okay to have.

[starkingenuity]

Now that bothers him. More than anything else, seeing Bucky sitting there, salivating-- Tony doesn't wish that shit on anyone. Not on Obi. Not on Hammer. Not on anyone.

Not even the man that ws forced to kill his dad. His friend. Tony's eyes actually well up and he clears his throat, donning dark glasses.

"Have at it. Just don't make a mess, okay?" As in utensils. He'll help you cut the meat if you need it.

[who_is_bucky]

He's obviously relieved when Tony says he can go ahead and eat. He'd been punished for failure--before rectifying it--and he has to say that not stopping Steve on the Helicarrier is probably the worst of them. Not that he remembers, but the entire organization fell apart and his masters are dead, so he can assume.

The last thing he needs is help with a knife. He scowls at the dull steak knife. This is a disgrace. Unfortunately, all of his are missing and he knows that has to be Tony's fault. There isn't a hell of a lot he can do about it.

Well. There is. Food is just more important right now and believe it or not, he doesn't kill people without a mission. He eats as fast as he can get things into small enough pieces to fit in his mouth.

[starkingenuity]

With only one working hand, Tony doesn't expect Bucky to be able to manipulate a knife like he obviously can. The older man huffs lightly under his breath as he watches Bucky tuck into a lasagna.

He sits back. Whatever hunger he has is gone. He won't take anything from Bucky's mouth, despite the large quantities of food that are currently stinking up the whole of the suite.

There's something satisfying about the way Bucky piles it in. He feels... Good. Like he's doing something good with his life.

[who_is_bucky]

He's managed to awkwardly use his functioning fingers to hold the dish well enough he can cut it with the utensil pretending to be a knife in his good hand. Bucky doesn't exactly care if it's neat or if his metal hand gets dirty. After adding a third dish to his pile, he eyes Tony for a moment, trying to decide if the man will take away the food if he gets up to get some water.

[starkingenuity]

Tony's already deemed not to pay attention. He remembers hunger, he remembers being afraid. His chest tightens considerably. "You know, i was a prisoner once. Afghanistan. Sometimes they forgot that people need to eat. They certainly forgot that people needed to drink too."

He could catch Bucky's hesitation in the slight reflection of the mirror.

"I'm never going to take either from you. Ever."

[who_is_bucky]

Bucky watches in the man in the mirror to determine whether he's telling the truth and decides that, yes, Tony had probably been a prisoner at some point. There aren't any questions from him right now. It has nothing to do with his mission. His lips press together and he looks aside at the thought. He doesn't have a mission right now. He might never again. He's not sure that's an entirely happy thought. Being so directionless is killing him.

He slides out of his seat and moves to the pitcher of water sitting on one of the carts and downs three full glasses as quickly as he can manage. It's as much acknowledgement as he's going to get.

[starkingenuity]

"You're going to throw up if you drink and eat that fast though," he cautions. That he remembers. The first set of cheeseburgers he'd downed came back up almost immediately. You have to train your stomach to accept food again. It had been a slow process.

"Then again, I'm not a super soldier like the ex-military in the Avengers tend to be."

Now, wouldn't that just be a kicker? Winter Soldiers can become summer soldiers, can't they? It worked for Steve. Then again, Steve had never been homocidal.

Tony turns to study Bucky's profile with half a frown.

[who_is_bucky]

He pauses before he starts his next glass and considers the warning for a moment. He feels fine right now but it would be stupid to throw up all the nutrients that he's ingested. He's never actually talked to a super-soldier. He knows now that Steve had been going easy in him because for some reason he thinks Bucky is his dead friends. As far as he's concerned, the jury is still out on it. He's not convinced his memories are that or fake ones his brain is creating to fill in the gaps.

Bucky shoots him a look; he knows Tony is watching him. He refills his glass and drops back down in his seat at the table. Bucky isn't homicidal. His alter-ego had been forced into it but he's not, he just wants to be left alone right now. It's my to say he would t if he felt threatened though, it's just not on his agenda right now.

[starkingenuity]

Silence begets silence but Tony does have himself a cheese burger, laden with too many onions and mushrooms to be anything but messy and stops to clean his beard every few bites. He's got another glass of scotch again, this one he's nursing.

He can feel the alcohol working and, sure, he's been accused of being suicidal sometimes, but this totally takes the cake.

He has a murderer, an assassin, sitting across from him. He's too drunk to get into the suit. No one knows he's here. And he's going to push buttons too.

"So what do you remember? I know you keep giving me blank looks so I figure it's easier just to ask."

[who_is_bucky]

He eats slower too at Tony's suggestion and a variety of things. He tends to lean toward things with fruits and vegetables in them. It's a habit from when they were a novelty during the Depression and when he was overseas in a miserable camp. He might not remember but there it is anyway. It's in there somewhere. Luckily for Tony, while he knows the man is drunk because he can smell it, it doesn't matter either. He's more likely to just run than to hurt the other man. So far, now that they're here anyway, he hasn't threatened him and he hadn't hurt him knocking him out before either.

Bucky is quiet while he chews, staring at Tony for a long moment before he answers the question. "Captain America was my target. I was supposed to kill him and stop him from sabotaging those big ships. I failed. He insisted I was his friend. James Buchanan Barnes--Bucky," he took another bite of his fruit salad before he continued. "I didn't believe him." His gaze shifted to the side, "I tried to follow through and he said something. It was... familiar. Him, the name, those words. the floor collapsed and he fell. I saved him from drowning. I don't know... I don't know why."

He shook his head, "I went to that exhibit. I might be him. I don't know. Remembering only gets me in trouble." He mutters the last part distantly, eyes eerily blank as he shifts into the memory and wets his lips. "It's all his fault."

[starkingenuity]

"Hard to get in trouble when I'm the only one here." Unwittingly, Tony makes himself out to be Bucky's new Master and handler. The wording might be a little awkward, but Tony is relaxed around him the same way that his former handlers had all been. The men in charge of the Winter Soldier needed to be calm.

Anything less could be trouble. It was the same for working with animals. You had to be careful with them. You had to keep your cool. You had to be in charge.

Tony was just a man use to being in charge, whether people wanted him to be or not.

[who_is_bucky]

"Maybe," he mutters, eyeing the other man. Jury is still out on that one as far as he's concerned. So far what he knows about Tony is very little and not enough to be comfortable around him yet. "Only takes one."

[starkingenuity]

Now that actually makes Tony laugh and he nods his head a few times in amusement. "It only takes yourself," he counters. "And trust me. You're the one that's going to do the worst damage. It doesn't matter if Steve looks at you with those annoying doe eyes or if people on the street cringe when you pass. It's you, soldier. You're the one that's going to rip yourself open every time you decide to look in the mirror."

Spoken like a man that knows. And oh. Oh. Does Tony ever know. He toys with the empty glass and smirks. Scotch only helps so much. His reflection still makes him sick to his stomach sometimes.