[Damnit, Tony. That's not helpful at all. But he doesn't have a lot of alternatives...]
«Light-weight, durable, waterproof. Doesnāt need to be blast-proof, but the strongest metal youāve got would be good. I had full control with the old one, like a real hand, and I know that took a lot of calibration, so Iām free for that whenever you need it. And measurements. Because thereās still a chunk of it attached to me.»
«Actually, you might benefit from looking at that anyway, so that you get an idea of how the old one worked.»
[Always free now. Free forever. It drives him up a wall. There isnāt enough to do around here that piques his interest yet, but heās doing his damned best to make do. For now, this is enough distraction.]
It's less than a minute for him to pop over. He wasn't far anyway. As if oft with Bucky when he's focused, he skips the proper greeting and leaps straight into the meat of the matter.]
You done this before?
[He ambles over like itās nobodyās business. May as well be. Even if he didnāt know by now that the lab space had be divvied up, itās clear that Tony works in his own area and doesnāt like having his work mingling with anyone elseās.]
[He actually prefers it if they skip over the formalities and small talk. It's not necessary. Although, he is curious how well Barnes and Rogers are adapting to their new environment. He's already ascertained they're from the same Earth as Peter at least.]
I know what I'm doing. [Just give him a minute. He needs to suit up, so he can start the scan. It may or may not be a little startling to see it seep out from beneath his skin, but he hasn't really made much of an effort to hide his ability here. He needs to use the Iron Man suit more often than not. No point in hiding it.]
How are you adjusting to life under the sea? [Don't mind him asking some questions while he gets to work.]
[Well, it wasnāt really a question of whether or not Tony knew what he was doing, but the claim is stated boldly enough that Bucky has little reason to doubt Tony genuinely believes he knows what heās doing. Belief doesnāt make results, but Bucky knows when to bite his tongue. He just nods idly, watching with mild intrigue as Tony shifts into his armor.
Yeah, thatās definitely not something the Tony from his universe can do. He gives the suit a once-over. Itās like the armor heās already seen though with mild differences here or there—visibly, anyway. Also like the other, most of the functionality is hidden beneath a streamlined shell. Thereās no point trying to scope what he canāt see through, so he starts eyeing Tonyās workstation instead. He canāt make sense of the blatant organized chaos.]
Does living in a submersed base constitute life under the sea? [Itās a real question. Theyāre technically not under much at all. They can surface easily and at leisure. Sure, their surroundings are water, water, and more water, but Bucky doesnāt feel remotely confined to the depths of it. as he feels from the phrase āunder the seaā at least.]
[So, either heās averting the question or heās taking it more literally than expected. Alright, then. No more casual references to āThe Little Mermaidā. (Itās just kind of hard not to when the A.I. on base is named U.R.S.U.L.A. Itās practically asking for them.)]
Let me rephrase that. [Because heās not about to delve into a topic thatās not his actual point.] How are you adjusting to life here?
[Heās just going to do the scan and instruct him on what to do in between their discussion. Just specific movements heāll need him to perform.]
[Itās both. Bucky doesnāt like answering things directly even on the best days.
But he goes along with the rephrase, pretending he's none the wiser. He makes a quiet, pensive noise to start.] Too many kids. But Iād rather have this than a bunch of adults with personal agendas.
[Which is true enough, though he says what he thinks makes the most sense to reply with. He could talk about how much he misses dirt and the smell of trees and grass, and how the humidity isnāt all that pleasant when itās too warm out, but those things seem too personal for this conversation.]
[There are too many kids. He can agree with him on that. Tony doesn't mind them for the most part. He actually likes them, but he would prefer more adults around here. As smart and self-sufficient as they are, they still need help and guidance ā and protection if the threats are true.]
Have you met Peter yet?
[He's... relatively curious about how the reunion between the three of them has gone, considering what Peter told him about them. He hasn't gotten the chance to ask him yet. Keeps getting distracted by other things. But even if he had, he still wouldn't mind hearing Bucky's side.]
Parker? [Not that there's another Peter he should know these days that isn't dead or worth noting at this point.] Formally now, yeah.
Good kid.
[Earnest. Brilliant. Courageous. A bit gullible. But thatās most people that are young and inexperienced. Even Steve was gullible up until the USO was sent to the frontlines. Not that Bucky would have expected anything different. Steve was blinded by his need to help. Maybe it had been similar for Peter. Regardless, Bucky was grateful the exchange had gone quite smoothly, even if he'd needed to reassure Peter of his own actions in the end.]
[His answer is reassuring for the most part, but he's still going to have to confirm it with Peter later. It does make him wonder how well it went between him and Steve now. Guy is clearly dealing with issues from the events that transpired on their Earth, considering he refuses to take his shield back.
What exactly happened over there? It's none of his business, but it's evidently serious enough for Captain America to abandon his shield and the Winter Soldier to lose his arm.]
He is. [A pause and then:] You don't have to answer, but... how did you lose the arm?
[The irony of the entire situation canāt be more ridiculous, what with Tony being the one who removed it, and Tony being the one to replace it. Bucky finds himself in a difficult position, the dry hilarity of it being hard to resist while the nature of the information being quite incriminating making it a sensitive matter to even discuss. He settles on the casual alternative.
He cocks his head to the side a bit, eyeing the slits in the Iron Man's mask briefly before smiling wryly.]
Saving Rogersā ass, how else? [He snorts faintly through his nose, and the truth rings close, Tony having been overtly frivolous with the pulsar from his reactor and nearly taking Steveās head off in the process. Itād thrown Bucky into a fury, and he refused to let Tony hurt Steve with it. It wasnāt Steve that he wanted anyway; it was Bucky.
His gaze flicks away at the memory, and he takes a careful, steadying breath.] Sometimes sacrifices are worth it.
[Should he pry for more information? He doesn't want to. Does he have questions that need to be answered? Unfortunately, yes ā and Bucky just gave him a wide open for the most prevalent one on his mind.]
Is that what Rogers' doing with his shield? [Making a sacrifice that's worth it, at least in his mind.] I still have it, y'know. Didn't think I'd be stuck with it when I first found it. [But here he is.]
He doesn't think it feels "right" taking it from me.
[Tony isnāt exactly wrong with his guess; itās definitely a sacrifice to Steve, leaving behind something that became his in order to keep something heād lost. At the same time, the truth is far more complex than to be left with those words alone. Some things will never be so straight forward, and once again, Bucky finds himself holding back for the sake of simplicity.]
Tossing something like that would be a waste. [So heās not surprised Tony still has it. Itās vibranium; only a fool would get rid of it.] But it wasnāt his anymore. Before we got here.
[Tonyās phrasing does bring a question to Bucky's mind. There's no indication of attachment or connection with the item. It...likely should not be so surprising, understanding that this Tony is from a far different universe, yet it is.] You donāt get why he would leave it with you, do you?
I know it has something to do with my alternate from your Earth.
[It would be a waste to just toss the shield away, but Tony would never do that. Not because it's made of vibranium either. The shield is a symbol of Captain America and what he stands for. He has far too much respect for it to dump it in a corner or repurpose it for something else.
It doesn't matter if the current owner of the shield doesn't want it. Doesn't change what it means to people, what it means to him. So even if he doesn't want to hold onto it, he's still going to safeguard it until alt Steve works out whatever issues he has and wants it back.
At this point, all he wants is clarification to what led Rogers to this decision. He needs more insight into what exactly happened between him and alt Tony, yet it doesn't seem like he'll be getting much aside from vague answers and uncertain explanations.]
[He can expand, of course. Heās not really trying to dodge things altogether, but itās not the easiest matter to discuss. Still, if Tony is honest enough to want to try actually making him an arm (which at this point is definitely assured, because even the most sociopathic asshole would have slipped enough by this point for Bucky to have picked up on it), keeping some line of honesty between them, even when itās a matter as complex as this, is the least Bucky can do in return for the favor. Out of courtesy anyway, since he does still owe Tony a proper favor.
He takes a slow breath and nods, thinking for a bit how to even begin. He doesnāt know where the similarities start and end, and that makes explanation even more challenging. Bucky grasps, not having much else to work with.]
[Did he just ask him if he knows Howard? Yes, he did.
To be fair, Tony realizes Bucky is just trying to play it safe and make sure he doesn't jump right into any sort of explanation without getting certain facts straight. Yet, it's still a little weird to be asked if he knows his own father ā unless he's referring to another Howard or the Howard from his Earth is not his alt's father. It's completely possible.]
I do. [A pause and then:] Assuming you mean my father.
[He hums, mildly in recognition of Tony's words but no necessarily in agreement. Names were names and at least a name was a place to start. Histories were obviously not so aligned if he was needing to explain the shield situation to Tony anyway, so he continues to that regard, trying to verify enough of Tony's history to that of the universe from which he, Steve, and Peter come from. It's important, since that is where the shield begins, even if here is where it ends.]
Guy that made you? War hero nearly excommunicated for not following protocol? Gossip, flirt, showman, and one of the founding cornerstones of SHIELD?
Are you going anywhere with this or are you just going to keep rambling off facts about him to me?
[Even if they're talking about alt Howard, Tony would rather they move on with the topic instead of focusing so much on who he was and what he had accomplished in his lifetime. It doesn't exactly stir up a lot of fond memories or heartwarming feelings for him. Frankly, it does the opposite.]
Don't tell me Howard is part of the reason why Rogers doesn't want his shield.
[Bucky smiles dryly, which is to say yes, Howard is part of it.]
Howard gave it to Steve, for Captain America. Tony—the one we know—didnāt think Steve had a right to it anymore following a...fairly tumultuous and rough disagreement. So Steve gave it back. [He makes a quiet noise after that and shrugs his good shoulder.] Wouldnāt say that he doesnāt want it. He just doesnāt like what it represents nowadays, if he needs to have some manner of right to be what he's been from the start.
[Captain America is in Steveās blood, even as much as Bucky knows Steve would rather be rid of the moniker and have Bucky than to be with it and without his best friend. Captain America never came with restrictions before. Captain America was Steve, or at least the side that the public always saw to begin with. If that has strings attached to it now, then whatās the use of still being who he was, is, and not being everything the rest of the country, or even the world, wants him to be now? Itās an uncomfortable notion even for Bucky. Who really won the war, if that's what things have come to?]
[So, this essentially ties into the Accords like he'd suspected. He appreciates the clarity he's been given. Certain things remain vague, but it's enough for him. He doesn't need all the details. Doesn't want them.
It's not all that relevant for him to know much about the Earth Peter, Steve, and Bucky originates from, considering it doesn't exactly affect him and it won't prove useful for what's going on here. The most knowledge of their world serves for him is a better understanding of them as individuals.]
Thanks for telling me this. [Now that he more or less knows why Rogers won't take his shield back, Tony feels slightly more at ease holding onto it for him until the day he decides he wants it back.
And if that day never comes, he hopefully won't be around long enough to watch it all play out.]
[Bucky watches him quietly for a bit before nodding.
Itās nice that things can be simple for once, nothing hidden or veiled and nothing being demanded, only things offered and things accepted as they plainly are. Given everything that's occurred since remembering himself again, the candor is jarring but no less appreciated. Seems he hasnāt much reason to fret when it comes to this version of Tony. Which is nice. Under different circumstances, Bucky is fairly certain he would have gotten along with the Tony from his world anyway.
Even if thereās no assurance of what may come of this, arm aside, itās a good start, and James Buchanan Barnes will take what he can get.]
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telep tfn
«It aināt gonna be kinky or anything, is it? āCause even the Winter Soldier has his limits.»
[Heās joking. Donāt answer that seriously. Please.]
no subject
but no, chances are it won't be anything kinky.
do you have any specifications you want for your arm?
no subject
«Light-weight, durable, waterproof. Doesnāt need to be blast-proof, but the strongest metal youāve got would be good. I had full control with the old one, like a real hand, and I know that took a lot of calibration, so Iām free for that whenever you need it. And measurements. Because thereās still a chunk of it attached to me.»
«Actually, you might benefit from looking at that anyway, so that you get an idea of how the old one worked.»
no subject
i can do the measurements and then work up a design.
no subject
[Always free now. Free forever. It drives him up a wall. There isnāt enough to do around here that piques his interest yet, but heās doing his damned best to make do. For now, this is enough distraction.]
«Labs, right?»
no subject
[Don't keep him waiting for long.]
> action
It's less than a minute for him to pop over. He wasn't far anyway. As if oft with Bucky when he's focused, he skips the proper greeting and leaps straight into the meat of the matter.]
You done this before?
[He ambles over like itās nobodyās business. May as well be. Even if he didnāt know by now that the lab space had be divvied up, itās clear that Tony works in his own area and doesnāt like having his work mingling with anyone elseās.]
no subject
I know what I'm doing. [Just give him a minute. He needs to suit up, so he can start the scan. It may or may not be a little startling to see it seep out from beneath his skin, but he hasn't really made much of an effort to hide his ability here. He needs to use the Iron Man suit more often than not. No point in hiding it.]
How are you adjusting to life under the sea? [Don't mind him asking some questions while he gets to work.]
no subject
Yeah, thatās definitely not something the Tony from his universe can do. He gives the suit a once-over. Itās like the armor heās already seen though with mild differences here or there—visibly, anyway. Also like the other, most of the functionality is hidden beneath a streamlined shell. Thereās no point trying to scope what he canāt see through, so he starts eyeing Tonyās workstation instead. He canāt make sense of the blatant organized chaos.]
Does living in a submersed base constitute life under the sea? [Itās a real question. Theyāre technically not under much at all. They can surface easily and at leisure. Sure, their surroundings are water, water, and more water, but Bucky doesnāt feel remotely confined to the depths of it. as he feels from the phrase āunder the seaā at least.]
no subject
Let me rephrase that. [Because heās not about to delve into a topic thatās not his actual point.] How are you adjusting to life here?
[Heās just going to do the scan and instruct him on what to do in between their discussion. Just specific movements heāll need him to perform.]
no subject
But he goes along with the rephrase, pretending he's none the wiser. He makes a quiet, pensive noise to start.] Too many kids. But Iād rather have this than a bunch of adults with personal agendas.
[Which is true enough, though he says what he thinks makes the most sense to reply with. He could talk about how much he misses dirt and the smell of trees and grass, and how the humidity isnāt all that pleasant when itās too warm out, but those things seem too personal for this conversation.]
no subject
Have you met Peter yet?
[He's... relatively curious about how the reunion between the three of them has gone, considering what Peter told him about them. He hasn't gotten the chance to ask him yet. Keeps getting distracted by other things. But even if he had, he still wouldn't mind hearing Bucky's side.]
no subject
Good kid.
[Earnest. Brilliant. Courageous. A bit gullible. But thatās most people that are young and inexperienced. Even Steve was gullible up until the USO was sent to the frontlines. Not that Bucky would have expected anything different. Steve was blinded by his need to help. Maybe it had been similar for Peter. Regardless, Bucky was grateful the exchange had gone quite smoothly, even if he'd needed to reassure Peter of his own actions in the end.]
Kidās goinā places.
no subject
What exactly happened over there? It's none of his business, but it's evidently serious enough for Captain America to abandon his shield and the Winter Soldier to lose his arm.]
He is. [A pause and then:] You don't have to answer, but... how did you lose the arm?
no subject
He cocks his head to the side a bit, eyeing the slits in the Iron Man's mask briefly before smiling wryly.]
Saving Rogersā ass, how else? [He snorts faintly through his nose, and the truth rings close, Tony having been overtly frivolous with the pulsar from his reactor and nearly taking Steveās head off in the process. Itād thrown Bucky into a fury, and he refused to let Tony hurt Steve with it. It wasnāt Steve that he wanted anyway; it was Bucky.
His gaze flicks away at the memory, and he takes a careful, steadying breath.] Sometimes sacrifices are worth it.
no subject
Is that what Rogers' doing with his shield? [Making a sacrifice that's worth it, at least in his mind.] I still have it, y'know. Didn't think I'd be stuck with it when I first found it. [But here he is.]
He doesn't think it feels "right" taking it from me.
no subject
Tossing something like that would be a waste. [So heās not surprised Tony still has it. Itās vibranium; only a fool would get rid of it.] But it wasnāt his anymore. Before we got here.
[Tonyās phrasing does bring a question to Bucky's mind. There's no indication of attachment or connection with the item. It...likely should not be so surprising, understanding that this Tony is from a far different universe, yet it is.] You donāt get why he would leave it with you, do you?
no subject
[It would be a waste to just toss the shield away, but Tony would never do that. Not because it's made of vibranium either. The shield is a symbol of Captain America and what he stands for. He has far too much respect for it to dump it in a corner or repurpose it for something else.
It doesn't matter if the current owner of the shield doesn't want it. Doesn't change what it means to people, what it means to him. So even if he doesn't want to hold onto it, he's still going to safeguard it until alt Steve works out whatever issues he has and wants it back.
At this point, all he wants is clarification to what led Rogers to this decision. He needs more insight into what exactly happened between him and alt Tony, yet it doesn't seem like he'll be getting much aside from vague answers and uncertain explanations.]
Can you expand on it?
no subject
He takes a slow breath and nods, thinking for a bit how to even begin. He doesnāt know where the similarities start and end, and that makes explanation even more challenging. Bucky grasps, not having much else to work with.]
You know Howard?
no subject
To be fair, Tony realizes Bucky is just trying to play it safe and make sure he doesn't jump right into any sort of explanation without getting certain facts straight. Yet, it's still a little weird to be asked if he knows his own father ā unless he's referring to another Howard or the Howard from his Earth is not his alt's father. It's completely possible.]
I do. [A pause and then:] Assuming you mean my father.
no subject
Guy that made you? War hero nearly excommunicated for not following protocol? Gossip, flirt, showman, and one of the founding cornerstones of SHIELD?
no subject
[Even if they're talking about alt Howard, Tony would rather they move on with the topic instead of focusing so much on who he was and what he had accomplished in his lifetime. It doesn't exactly stir up a lot of fond memories or heartwarming feelings for him. Frankly, it does the opposite.]
Don't tell me Howard is part of the reason why Rogers doesn't want his shield.
no subject
Howard gave it to Steve, for Captain America. Tony—the one we know—didnāt think Steve had a right to it anymore following a...fairly tumultuous and rough disagreement. So Steve gave it back. [He makes a quiet noise after that and shrugs his good shoulder.] Wouldnāt say that he doesnāt want it. He just doesnāt like what it represents nowadays, if he needs to have some manner of right to be what he's been from the start.
[Captain America is in Steveās blood, even as much as Bucky knows Steve would rather be rid of the moniker and have Bucky than to be with it and without his best friend. Captain America never came with restrictions before. Captain America was Steve, or at least the side that the public always saw to begin with. If that has strings attached to it now, then whatās the use of still being who he was, is, and not being everything the rest of the country, or even the world, wants him to be now? Itās an uncomfortable notion even for Bucky. Who really won the war, if that's what things have come to?]
no subject
It's not all that relevant for him to know much about the Earth Peter, Steve, and Bucky originates from, considering it doesn't exactly affect him and it won't prove useful for what's going on here. The most knowledge of their world serves for him is a better understanding of them as individuals.]
Thanks for telling me this. [Now that he more or less knows why Rogers won't take his shield back, Tony feels slightly more at ease holding onto it for him until the day he decides he wants it back.
And if that day never comes, he hopefully won't be around long enough to watch it all play out.]
no subject
Itās nice that things can be simple for once, nothing hidden or veiled and nothing being demanded, only things offered and things accepted as they plainly are. Given everything that's occurred since remembering himself again, the candor is jarring but no less appreciated. Seems he hasnāt much reason to fret when it comes to this version of Tony. Which is nice. Under different circumstances, Bucky is fairly certain he would have gotten along with the Tony from his world anyway.
Even if thereās no assurance of what may come of this, arm aside, itās a good start, and James Buchanan Barnes will take what he can get.]