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For Tony Stark

[He's been on the run for what feels like decades, but is really only a few months. He knows he's doing a good job at being hidden because ever since the helicarriers fell out of the air there hasn't been a single confirmed sighting of him, and he knows that Steve is looking. Not just Steve, either. He's just not ready to be found yet.

The easiest way to move between countries, he's found, is by stowing away on private chartered flights. They're usually less attended than commercial flights, and if he can get on board then it's fairly easy to avoid the one or two passengers and crew. He has no idea that the flight he's stowed away on is Tony Stark's private jet, and that it's only Tony himself on board.

At least not until he hears a disembodied voice speaking throughout the plane once they're in the air. It's JARVIS, not that he has any idea who that is.]

Sir, scans of the plane show that there's a man crouching in your cargo hold. I wasn't aware you were transporting any men today.

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[Tony’s eyebrow lifts, but he pushes out of the seat to head over towards the bar. There are mixers, at least, and he finds a container of orange juice.]

What exactly were you expecting?

[He doesn’t look over as he asks, pouring out Barnes’ drink and then starting on his own. One significantly more alcoholic. He can use it at this point.]

A jerk.

[He's fairly blunt in his assessment. Not because he's intending to be rude, but his social skills are definitely not one of the things that have returned to him yet.]

From what I've read, sounds like you're a real piece of work.

Oh, I am.

[He flashes a grin a Barnes over his shoulder as he finishes up with the drinks. And gives in to the impulse to drop a maraschino cherry into the orange juice glass, just for the hell of it.]

You're just interesting enough for me to be on good behavior.

You think I'm interesting?

[That doesn't seem right, he's at least self aware enough to know that he's monosyllabic and bad social company for pretty much anyone these days.]

Or is that just because I stowed away on your plane?

[He'll take the drink with a slightly confused look at the cherry... why?]

[He gets a wider smile in response, full of teeth, as Tony drops back into the seat across from him.]

You're a puzzle, friend. I've always found those interesting.

[A pause as he takes a long drink, never breaking eye contact.]

And a little because you broke into my plane, yes. If I'm providing unexpected hospitality, the least you can do is entertain me.

[He pokes at the cherry with one finger before setting the whole drink aside.]

I could've thrown you out and stolen the plane.

[Just pointing that out.]

Might be easier than trying to be entertaining.

You could have.

[It's an easy agreement as Tony watches him over the rim of his glass.]

Wouldn't have done you much good, but you could have. But then we wouldn't be having this charming conversation.

[This is the longest conversation he's had with anyone for a very long time, and Stark is utterly befuddling.]

You're awful calm for someone talking to someone like me.

You think I haven't dealt with worse than you? I'll be honest with you, you're not that scary.

[Well he might be if he actually came at him, but Tony's reasonably sure that Barnes doesn't want to hurt him.]

[The absolute faintest of surprised smiles tugs up one corner of his lips.]

Thanks, Stark.

[That oddly means a lot.]

I'll try to keep it that way.

[Out of all the things he's done so far, that's what gets the gratitude? Tony quirks him an amused look, but it's not like he's going to argue with the results. Barnes almost looks human when he smiles, instead of an overgrown feral cat.]

You're welcome. [He says it with as much overblown gravitas as he can muster, just so Barnes doesn't think he actually appreciates it.]

So what's the plan after this? Going back to ground?

If I told you the plan, I'd not be very good at what I do, would I?

[Come on, Stark. They might have a very brief and tentative peace established here, but he's never going to give even a hint of where he's going or what he might be doing for Stark to use against him later.]

You shouldn't have told me where you'd be, what if I meant you harm?

[He rolls his eyes at both statements, an expansive gesture to show just how unimpressed he is.]

If I wanted to track you down, I could. And if you were going to come after me, there are easier ways to do it.

[Not like Tony's difficult to find on a general basis.]

Not even you're brazen enough to come at someone in the middle of a UN hearing.

I've killed in higher profile places.

[He's tensed up completely now, though.]

You couldn't track me down.

[It's half statement of fact, and half a warning to not try because he'd find out that a cornered Barnes is much less amenable to sitting and talking than this.]

[Let it not be said that Tony doesn't know when to leave well enough alone, but the sudden tension in the air is a little hard to ignore. Especially since they're still stuck in a small, pressurized tin can.

He puts his hands up defensively.]

Alright, no need to get all worked up. You'll note that I haven't exactly tried.

[Despite a nudge or two on the subject.]

[There's a moment where he nearly presses it, but it seems like Stark is genuine and so he backs down for now.]

Why not?

[That's something he doesn't understand. Isn't this one of Steve's closest allies, why would he not have helped out? He knows that Steve has been looking, almost ceaselessly in fact, and he's the sort of guy to try and rope in as many people that he trusts as he can.]

If you wanted to be found, you would be.

[He shrugs, like it's the simplest thing in the world, as if he hasn't been watching Steve twist himself apart. But the thing is, Tony can understand the need to hole up somewhere and put yourself back together again. Steve is great and Steve is a friend, but he can be...overbearing, sometimes. And Barnes probably knows that better than anyone.]

I figure you've got your reasons. So I try to tone him down. [They both know exactly who they're talking about.] Doesn't always work, but I try.

[Of all the people who he thought might understand the need to hide and lick his wounds, the playboy always in the public eye wasn't one of them. There's something deeper there, something that has brought that understanding to the surface.]

He thinks I'm someone that I'm not.

[Why is he telling this to Stark? It's private, vulnerable.]

I can't be what he needs me to be.

And what is it you think he needs?

[Not that Tony disagrees, particularly. The singe-mindedness with which Steve has thrown himself at the Barnes issue speaks to a lot of things, not all of them good. He's always been more than a little desperate for something that feels like home to him, and there really isn't a lot of that left.

And Tony can't help but huff out something that's almost a laugh.]

Not for nothing, if you shot him a line and told him you were safe and he needed to back off, it might help.

[Might being the operative word.]

[He doesn't answer that first question. He can't, it opens up too much of a can of worms to say that Steve needs the Bucky that used to exist. It raises questions as to why he can't be that man any more, and who exactly he is these days, questions which he has no answers for.]

Do you even know Steve at all?

[He raises an eyebrow.]

I don't remember much, but even I know that if I give him any sign that I'm alive, he'll cling to it like a dog with a goddamn bone and get ten times more stubborn about the search.

[The look he shoots Barnes in return is slightly offended - he knows Steve just fine, thanks - but he just shrugs.]

He already knows you're alive. He's flipping out because he thinks you might still be in trouble.

[Well he probably is still in trouble, but the point stands.]

Look, I'm just saying. He's stubborn as shit, but he's not an idiot. [Much.] The current status quo is driving you both crazy, why not try something else?

[How can he possibly explain that he's terrified of Steve? He's scared of not being who he needs, he's even more scared of somehow becoming that Bucky just because of being in his presence but it not really being him, he's scared that the programming is still there and he'll try to kill him again.

Steve represents everything - the past of who he might have been once, and the present of breaking free - it's too big to do that.

But he can't find the words and so he ends up just closing and opening his left hand into a fist over and over, expression locked in a scowl.]

Hey. [Tony puts his hands up in front of him, not least because Bucky is starting to get that look he doesn't like again.] It's you call. And I won't say anything to him if you don't want me to.

[He still doesn't get it really, but he also doesn't particularly need to. If Steve flips out at him over it, well, it won't be the first time. He can handle Steve. Barnes, he's less sure on.

Not that it's going to stop him from running his mouth. Probably ever.]

But for the record, what are you going to do? Keep running forever?

[It takes him a few moments to get out of the feedback loop in his head, eyes slowly focusing on Stark again. It's a good question, but not really one that he knows the answer to.]

...I don't know.

[At least he's being honest.]

Maybe. I don't even know why I'm still going, it'd be safer for everyone if I didn't, guess it's just things I might figure out down the line.

[Something in that statement makes Tony's eyebrows lift, but he's not going to chance after it for the moment. For one, he has no idea what he'd even say if Barnes is suggesting what Tony thinks he is. Not for the first time, Tony suspects that he is wildly out of his depth in this conversation. But here they are.]

You might. You seem to be doing alright for the moment. [Comparatively speaking, anyway. Maybe that's what prompts the next thing, the words coming out almost with Tony realizing them.] Would it help if you had somewhere fixed to stay for a bit? Somewhere out of the way, I mean.

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cw: suicide

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