Chapter Text
The fact that Hydra had been growing inside SHIELD had surprised everyone including Tony. What had not surprised him was Steve’s insistence on saving his not so dead best friend. Tony had told him to bring the man to the Avengers’ Tower once he had found him. Steve had been very happy about the suggestion. When they had arrived in New York, Tony also offered additional help for the maintenance of the metal arm.
The first time Tony offered it, it had been mostly out of curiosity. He was an engineer at heart, so seeing the shiny piece of tech attached to Cap’s old friend made him want to open it up and check out its inner workings. His offer got declined by Steve with a stern look. Tony didn’t hold it against him. It was more than obvious that Bucky Barnes was rather in need of a good psychologist than a mechanic.
The second time Tony offered to look at the arm, was a few weeks later. Barnes had been slowly settling into his new reality in the tower. He was working out with Steve in the gym, drinking tea with Bruce in the kitchen, beating Clint in Mario Kart repeatedly and oddly enough watching nature documentaries with Natasha. Tony kept to himself and his workshop most of the time.
There had been a big fight with Pepper about one week after Steve brought Bucky to the tower. So, instead of confronting his hurt feelings or doing something productive like apologising to Pepper, he buried himself in his work. But even he had to eat, so he walked into the kitchen one day to see Bucky and Bruce making tea.
“Is everything alright with your arm, Snowflake?” Tony asked, when he noticed that Bucky’s left hand movement were a little jerky.
“Not sure,” Bucky mumbled. “The hand has been acting up a bit for a few days now.”
“Do you want me to have a look at it?” Tony offered.
Bucky stared at him and said nothing.
“You can say no, I won’t be offended,” Tony said, turning towards the fridge so he could get the ingredients for a sandwich.
“It might be good if someone looked at it,” Bucky said eventually, when Tony was almost done with preparing his food. “The technicians performed maintenance work regularly, I think.”
“Well, whenever you feel like it, come find me in the workshop,” Tony said leaving the kitchen with his lunch.
Bucky came to him later on the same day. He was looking around the workshop with wide eyes.
“Welcome to the best place in the whole Avengers Tower,” Tony greeted him.
“Looks like some of this stuff came right out of a science-fiction movie,” Bucky mumbled.
“No fiction here, Buckeroo, just science.”
They were looking at each other silently for a moment. Though Bucky was not meeting Tony's gaze.
“So, how about you sit down and put your arm on the workbench?” Tony suggested, pointing at one of his rolling chairs next to him.
Bucky nodded and slowly came closer. He looked quite wary.
“Do you have any knowledge about the arms inner workings?” Tony asked while getting some small tools.
“No. I don’t remember much about my time with Hydra,” he answered.
“Small mercies, I guess,” Tony said, studying the arm up close.
“I think I can see where to open it, are you fine with me doing that?”
Tony could see some of the tension draining from Bucky’s shoulders when he asked for permission.
“Yeah, go ahead," he muttered.
Tony got to work, carefully removing plate by plate and talking through every step of the way. His ramblings seemed to put Bucky at ease, so he continued.
He found the culprit, one stuck gear, and could solve the issue within minutes.
“And you’re done,” Tony said after putting the last plate back onto the arm.
“Thank you,” Bucky said looking Tony in the eyes for the first time since entering the workshop.
“You’re welcome, Snowflake. Feel free to come by any time you need a mechanic.”
Bucky did come back a few days later but he declined Tony’s question if he needed anything with a shake of his head. Apparently, he just wanted to watch Tony tinker on his suit, so Tony did not object. At some point he vanished again from the workshop without saying anything. Tony did not dwell on it.
The next time it was Steve who brought Bucky to Tony. They had been sparing, and Bucky had blocked a particularly hard attack for Steve with his left arm. Now something was off with his sensors.
While Steve kept saying how sorry he was, Tony fixed one broken contact plate inside the arm.
“Steve?” Tony interrupted him eventually, while closing the arm again.
“Yes?”
“Shut up, your endless apologies are getting on my nerves. It was a trainings accident, those happen.”
Steve actually did shut up.
“You are as good as new, Snowflake,” Tony said to Bucky.
“Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
When Tony saw Bucky the next time, it was in his bedroom. Tony was not fully awake yet; he barely opened his eyes when the mattress dipped under the weight of another person.
“Pepper?” Tony mumbled, when the bedsheets were pulled from his body.
The cool unyielding metal fingers that found his cock were a wake-up call.
“What the hell, Barnes?” Tony asked shooting up from the bed.
Bucky just stared at him. Then he mumbled something. In Russian.
“J, did you catch that?”
“He said that he wants to show his gratitude,” Jarvis answered.
“You said thank you in the workshop, that’s enough,” Tony said.
Bucky had the nerves to shake his head and reach out for Tony again.
“Nope, we are not doing that,” Tony said and caught Bucky’s hand before he touched him again. He knew he would not be able to stop the other if he wouldn’t let him. But Bucky stopped and looked at him in confusion.
He asked him something in Russian again. Jarvis translated without being prompted this time.
“He asks if you require any other form of service.”
“I require an explanation to this game, Barnes. Why are you here and why the Russian? I’m not one to kink shame, but you are supposed to discuss stuff like that before hand.”
Bucky frowned but answered. Again, in Russian.
“He says that he appreciates your kindness and wants to show his gratitude.”
Tony sighed. “If you really want to do something to make me happy, leave me alone for at least another six hours, I’m too tired for this shit right now.”
Barnes nodded and left. Silent as a ghost.
Tony pulled the bedsheet over himself again and was sleeping again in a matter of minutes.
Six hours later Tony was in the kitchen enjoying a cup of coffee when Bucky walked in the room.
“You want to tell me what was up with you this morning?” Tony asked.
Bucky looked at him and frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You were in my bedroom about six hours ago. I had just fallen asleep; it was quite rude.”
“I wasn’t in your bedroom,” Bucky stated.
Tony raised an eyebrow. “You can just say that you do not want to talk about it. That’s fine. You don’t need to lie to me.”
“I’m not lying, I’ve never been to your bedroom.”
Tony shook his head. “Alright, if that’s how you want to play this. J? Show him the recording.”
The screen opposite of the kitchen tabled turned itself on and showed the footage of the early morning hours.
“Ready to tell me the truth now?” Tony asked.
Bucky stared at him wide eyed. “I don’t remember that I swear. I went to bed last night and woke up in my bed a few minutes ago. I did not come to you.”
“So, you’re telling me that you have a twin brother around here somewhere?”
“No, I don’t have a brother.”
“So, it was you.”
“No!”
“If I may?” Jarvis interrupted.
“Sure J, go ahead.”
“The movement and behaviour patterns of Sergeant Barnes are shifting at indistinguishable time points. When this happens, he usually does not talk and retreats somewhere to be alone. The only two exceptions have been this morning and five days ago after you first fixed his arm, Sir.”
Jarvis showed footage of Bucky watching him work on the suit.
“I don’t remember that either,” Bucky muttered.
“What would you suggest, J? Some form of sleepwalking?”
“Since he talked to you, that is rather unlikely," Jarvis responded. “It seems more akin to something like hypnosis.”
Bucky drew in a sharp breath. “It’s him,” he gasped. “It’s the Winter Soldier.”
“You are the Winter Soldier,” Tony said.
“No, the Winter Soldier is separate from me. He is fully Hydras creation. Why do you think I remember hardly anything that happened since 1945?”
“Extensive trauma?”
Bucky shook his head. “I heard two hydra scientists talk about it once. They didn’t plan to split my consciousness, but they were delighted about it. It made the programming easier. I just thought... I hoped that he would never come back unless someone uses the trigger words again.”
“Jarvis, do you think that is possible?”
“I do not know Sir, but it would explain why he was only talking Russian.”
“Alright, Snowflake, to the workshop, we need to scan your brain.”
“You are taking it surprisingly well, that my murderous alter ego is stalking you,” Bucky muttered after Tony was done with the scan.
“I’m not sure if we can classify it as stalking yet. Plus, he accepted my ‘no’ when he tried to come on to me.”
Bucky winced. “I’m sorry, Tony.”
“That he accepted the ‘no’?”
“No, of course not! That he touched you at all.”
“I’m more worried about the implications that come with him wanting to show gratitude in that way,” Tony said.
Bucky face fell. “I haven’t even thought about that.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. I mean, it could mean nothing. Maybe it’s just my sex appeal. He wouldn’t be the first by a long shot to try and coax me into ...”
“Thanks, I get it,” Bucky interrupted him. He looked extremely uncomfortable.
“Look I...” Tony started only to get interrupted by Steve barging into the workshop.
“Bucky? Is everything alright? Jarvis said Tony scanned your head.”
“He’s fine mother hen,” Tony said. “But we might have gotten some visits from his other side in the last few weeks, and nobody noticed so far.”
“What?” Steve looked at them surprised.
“We’ll figure it out,” Tony said, even though he had no idea yet.
Steve seemed only partially reassured.
“I’m fine Steve,” Bucky insisted when his friend looked over to him.
“Good. And I’m sure Tony will get rid of the Soldier in...”
The rest of his sentence was cut short by a metal hand closing around his throat.
Bucky or rather the Winter Soldier snarled something in Russian.
“He says that he has to protect him,” Jarvis translated helpfully.
“Soldier, stand down,” Tony ordered. Surprisingly, it worked and he let go of the coughing Steve to stare at Tony instead.
“You want to protect Barnes?” Tony clarified.
The Winter Soldier nodded.
“Good, then we are all on the same page. Steve and I also want to protect him.”
The Winter Soldier said something in Russian.
“He says, he doesn’t trust you. People lie and leave. He will always be there to protect James.”
“It’s alright Frosty, we don’t plan to harm you or him. Can you switch places with him again? Or at least talk to us in English?”
The Winter Soldier huffed and sat down on a chair again.
Bucky looked around the room in confusion. His eyes widened when he saw Steve.
“What happened?” his voice was too close to a panic for Tony’s liking.
“Calm down, Snowflake,” Tony said. “Your other half just wanted to make sure Steve understood that he is in charge of protecting you.“
“Protecting me?”
“Jarvis, play back the conversation please.”
Bucky listened with wide eyes.
“Would you... give me some space?” Bucky asked eventually. “I need some time to think.”
“Sure thing, Buckeroo.”
“Whatever you need, Buck,” Steve agreed.
Both of them left the workshop.
“Why did I not notice that?” Steve said shaking his head in disbelieve when they were outside.
“According to Jarvis analysis, he stayed away from anyone else.”
“So, how did you notice?”
Tony considered telling the truth for a second. But he didn’t want Captain hetero to get his panties in a twist over the fact that his best friend fondled Tony’s cock. Well, his best friend’s alter ego.
“Apparently, he likes me better, than the rest of you,” Tony said with a shrug. “He was silently hanging out in the workshop with me while I worked.” That was true at least. Tony was proud of himself.
“You repaired his arm, maybe that’s why the Soldier trust you more,” Steve mussed.
“Maybe. But at least we know now, what we are dealing with.”
“Do we?” Steve asked sceptically.
“Partially yes. He wants to protect Bucky. So, I don’t assume he will try to do something that harms Bucky. Which hopefully should exclude him trying to get back to whatever remains of Hydra.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Me too, Cap.