If you know what's good for you, stay away from me.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Tony had felt extremely out of the loop following everything. Between Clint and his family and all the team seeming to want nothing to do with him, he had more or less left it be. He and Pepper had had some major date nights to catch up on and Steve and Nat seemed busy training everyone besides. As much as he missed them... Well, frankly, he doesn't feel missed himself and so he stays out of it. At least, overtly.

There had been some interesting bit of intel he'd overheard at the party. Between the Falcon and Cap, no less. Steve's new friend he seemed to trust above the Avengers. Objectively, Tony couldn't fault it. But his gut twisted with the knowledge. He kept it to himself, however, getting to work on his own in secret. It doesn't take long to track down the Winter Soldier all things considered, but he doesn't dare spook him by letting him know he's found. He knows it's time to let Steve in on the secret, but he fears what the other man will think.

He invites him over under false pretenses, not like all their other circumstances hadn't been. They hadn't seen each other since Tony had left HQ, and though he knew a disgusting amount about Steve, no Captain America trivia will help him with this meeting. Tony jumps when F.R.I.D.A.Y. announces the arrival of Cap and his bike, trying to pull himself together enough to tell Steve he went behind his back one more time. Not like he's any stranger to the sensation, but no one seemed to think anything of betraying him and so neither did Tony in the end.

"Hey, pal," he greets warmly, clapping Steve on the shoulder as he shows him in. "How's... everything? Everyone. Do you want coffee? Or, we could order something." He's doing that nervous thing again. Tony swallows and waits for Steve to speak.

Comments

[letmetakeaselfie]

"It's Pepper's favorite." And he'd become fond of it too, obviously. But it felt nice to deviate from the norm, even if it was only for tonight. "I can eat her favorite with her and your favorite with you. Then it's not cheating." :)

[valuedstrength]

"Said like a cheater." He winks a second later like the punk he is. Steve digs into the pizza after that. It is as good as he expected. He lets out a hum of appreciation as he continues to eat. "I decided I'm okay with you using me like this." He says between bites. It's certainly working out for him.

[letmetakeaselfie]

"Wow. How magnanimous of you." Tony ducks his head with a smile after taking a bite. It's so easy to forget why they're here when they're bantering about pizza. Tony knows he can't draw this out too much longer, appetite already waning halfway through his first slice. His demeanor shifts instantly, he sets the food down and glances away. "...I need to tell you something."

All of this had started because they weren't honest with each other, right? The only way he can break the cycle is proactively.

[valuedstrength]

Steve stares at him for what feels like a century. It's hard not to be nervous given what happened with Ultron. "Okay." He sets his pizza aside. This is progress, right? He's telling him before the next killer robot comes stumbling out of nowhere. "What is it?"

[letmetakeaselfie]

"I may have..." Okay, that's not a good way to start his sentence and he realizes it, grimacing instantly. Time to blurt, the only tried and true method Tony has for telling anyone anything of consequence. "I found him. Bucky Barnes." He's trying to prepare himself for the backlash this will bring, frame tensing up even as though he expects Cap to hit him.

[valuedstrength]

He stares in stunned silence. The blood starts rushing into his ears as he tries to sort out if those words actually came out of Tony's mouth. He knows they did though. Somehow Tony knows about his side project. He managed to accomplish what Steve couldn't.

Steve doesn't miss the tension, but he can't be bothered to care. Only one things matters now. "Where is he? Where's Bucky?"

[letmetakeaselfie]

"He's safe," Tony whispers, looking into Cap's eyes though it's the hardest thing he thinks he's ever had to do. "I can give you the coordinates."

[valuedstrength]

Steve balls his hands into fists. He'll be the judge of that. The shock gives way to blind determination. "I'm listening." It doesn't take a genius to guess his next move. He's leaving.

[letmetakeaselfie]

"...Good because I'm not done yet." Tony hitches in a breath. It would be so easy to just send Steve on his way, but then what? Bucky kills him or Bucky gets away again. Neither of those outcomes work for him. He bites into his lip. His voice fills with hurt and betrayal. "Were you going to tell me he killed my parents?" That's one hell of an omission.

[valuedstrength]

There's a flash of anger in Steve's eyes. He can't believe he wants to talk about his parents at a time like this. Living people are still in danger. "No because he didn't do it. HYDRA did." He seriously can't believe Tony can't see the difference; that he's delaying this on a technicality. Yes, Bucky's body was used as a weapon in the murder. Bucky hadn't been driving it for a long time.

"Now where is he?"

[letmetakeaselfie]

He sighs. The truth is he doesn't want to talk about the accident now, but the way Steve dismisses him is disheartening. As always, though, Tony isn't taking 'no' for an answer. "I'm going with you." There's still no anger in Tony's gaze, only resolution. He will see this out to whatever end it brings.

[valuedstrength]

Steve tries to find a legitimate reason to say no. He's got nothing though. Tony is holding all the cards her. He sets his jaw. "Promise me you won't hurt him." Right now that's his chief concern. He can't risk Bucky's safety for anything.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Tony knows that that's important to Steve, and he even understands why. If it were say -- Rhodey in this position? He'd be saying the same thing. The thing is this isn't just about him or his personal drama. It isn't really about that at all, honestly. He shakes his head, though there's apology writ all over his features.

"You know I can't promise that." He chews on his lip, breaking in before Steve can interrupt him again. "But as long as he doesn't make the first move... I promise." Tony nods, sincere, his gaze piercing Cap's. He's going for his jacket by the door, time to take a ride.

[valuedstrength]

Steve shuts his mouth because of course he was going to interrupt and nods. He can live with that. He wouldn't ask any member of his team to lay down and die so Bucky won't have a single hair out of place should things go south. He's been violent with every one of them. There's no reason to think he won't be again.

He only hopes for a different outcome despite the fact their last meeting ended with bullets being pried out of him.

"Thank you." Steve collects his shield on his way out after Tony. He's as ready as he'll ever be to do this.

[letmetakeaselfie]

He gives one last look over the pizza and the still-playing movie and sighs, leading the way to the elevator. Tony realizes that he and Steve will probably never be friends after this. Could he really blame him for trying to connect one last time? "Garage, Friday," he clips after Steve gets on, hoping it won't get ugly for the other man's sake.

Tony grabs the key fab and gets in his orange Audi, knowing he won't have to wait for Steve more than a second. Once all his limbs and the shield are inside he peels out of the garage and starts heading away from the city without a word.

[valuedstrength]

Steve doesn't even spare it all another look. Maybe that makes him a bad person. He never asks why Tony wanted to lead into the reveal with a movie and pizza of all things. All he can think about is reaching Bucky. Tony's become a means to an end in completing his mission. Not even Sam comes to mind despite the fact he's far more qualified to deal with this.

One thing is going through his mind as they put the city behind them. Steve looks at the window as he murmurs to himself incredulously, "He's in driving distance?" The search for Bucky has taken him just about everywhere. He never imagined he'd be this close.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Tony swallows, white knuckles gripping the wheel. "Yeah," he breathes, knowing it was relatively easy to find Bucky for a reason, but it still held: Steve could have just asked him and achieved this same result. He would never even think of doing that, despite trusting in a man he'd met months ago in DC. Not that he thinks his trust in Sam Wilson is necessarily misplaced, but you better believe he's read up on him after their brief meeting. "He's only a few hours out."

[valuedstrength]

Steve doesn't say anything right away. He works his jaw, betraying his frustration with his inability to find Bucky on his own. It passes after a minute. In its place the obvious questions start flooding into his head. They have hours to go. It's more than enough time to reflect on how they got here in the first place.

"Why were you looking for him?" He knows it can't be revenge. If Tony wanted to kill the Winter Soldier, he wouldn't have brought him along. Tony is a lot of things, but stupid and cruel are neither of them. The other possible reasons escape Steve. As far as he can tell there are no more things to motivate Tony to help with the search.

[letmetakeaselfie]

"Because you were." It's quick, obviously sincere. He keeps his hands on 10 and 2 and his eyes ahead, but he's paying rapt attention to Steve in this moment. He found Bucky for Steve, not himself. That remains true now.

[valuedstrength]

Even Steve isn't dense enough to miss that sincerity. He tears his eyes from the outside to Tony. For the first time, he regrets shutting Tony out of this. "You wanted to help me even after I kept quiet about him." Statement not question. He does wonder why considering how upset he was about Tony's secrets.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Yeah, you're my hero. It's a tiny, child-sized version of his voice, but it's there -- insistent. He would do anything for Captain America, that's what you did as a kid growing up in New York without a father figure. Shit, this is getting deep. Tony glances over.

"We're Avengers." That's what an adult would say, right? Just as insistent; just as bald. His eyes go back to the road, drawn like magnets. For all that people might think Tony Stark to be a rash driver he was the opposite since he was orphaned by a drunken car crash. The voice inside him laughs -- he drives like a pragmatist because of a lie he was told at twenty-one. He thinks of Obadiah then, his jaw clenching. We're family, or at the very least teammates. He wants to scream, but he says nothing. He drives the speed limit and schools his breathing.

[valuedstrength]

Silence stretches out again on Steve's end. That means something to him. Hell it means everything to him. The Avengers is about the only thing he believes in despite how bad things went with Ultron and Sokovia. "I was afraid you wouldn't believe me." He confesses softly. Steve takes his eyes off Tony and trains them back towards the window.

He lets out a soft laugh. "It sounds convenient, doesn't it? Delusional. My best friend didn't mean to kill all those people. He didn't mean to try to kill me, Nat, and Sam. HYDRA and the Russians hollowed him out 'til there wasn't a person in there." His voice wavers at the last part. He corrects himself to sound more even at the rest. "There are files. A deeply buried paper trail. Nat got it as a favor to me. It's proof of the Russians involvement at the very least. It wouldn't prove he didn't make the choice to kill How- your parents."

[letmetakeaselfie]

Tony holds up his hand Steve's way before putting it back on the wheel. His meaning is clear: Don't continue. Stop talking. Etc. He sighs, he doesn't think he can hear him say those words right now even less than the man seems equipped to say them.

"Maybe I wouldn't." Have believed him. Maybe it was something he had to find for himself. "But I know that if you didn't believe he was in there he wouldn't be alive." So really, he isn't sure what to believe at all, himself. Not anymore.

[valuedstrength]

He nods and waits for Tony to finish before speaking up again. "There was a moment before I fell into the river. I think he realized what he was doing. He looked down at me and he was just horrified by what he saw." He doesn't think he has to explain why. The side of his face was beaten in pretty badly even when he woke up and found a mirror. He can only imagine how it looked before the serum started stitching the skin back together.

"I think he was the one to fish me out too. I should have drowned."

[letmetakeaselfie]

This is why he came along, and he shoots Cap a sharp look as they make the steady climb up the onramp for the interstate. "You have like, zero self-preservation, dude. Not cool." This from the guy who flew a nuke into space, so, yeah, maybe he can't judge. Still, it would be nice to hear these things, to be considered. He sighs out through his nose and tries in vain to stay calm. Driving is helping as much as it's hurting, but at least he has to stay focused on something.

"I'm choosing to believe you now. That's how this works." Even if he hadn't been dealt that same consideration with Ultron, he doesn't care about that now. It's forward, not back. He wants to do this for Steve, and yes it would be nice to have some answers too, but Tony isn't as optimistic that Bucky will have them. Or ever remember who he was. He already made himself a part of this, however, and he's not backing out now.