For Tony Stark

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[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.

Comments

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[ Tony stares at him for a long moment, then throws his arms up in utter exasperation. ]

Great. I'm stuck an in enclosed space with an angry housecat.

[ He spins to get a look at the whole place, still irked, then turns to shoot Bucky a glance out of the corners of his eyes. ]

So what is the plan, then?

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[The plan should have been to let Stark deal with his own kidnapper, disappear into the night, and forget he ever ran into one of the Avengers. But no, he's somehow given himself this stupid protect mission to pay back the kindness shown to him by someone who didn't have to, so now he's stood in an old HYDRA safe house with an obnoxious billionaire and not much idea what to do next.]

...I don't know.

[He very nearly sounds forlorn about it.]

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[ ...okay not what he expected. Tony was kind of hoping there was some actual idea here and not just hiding in a small area with a dead body, but he should really know better than to hope for these kinds of things by now. ]

Right. Fine. Do you have some kind of line to the outside world?

[ First step: find out if anyone is still looking for him. ]

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There's a phone in back, but you shouldn't use that, it'll be bugged.

[HYDRA safe house, after all, it would be remiss of them not to keep an eye on their own property.]

I can get you a phone, though.

[That's good, that's soothing, to have a sub-mission that's easy to achieve in the short term.]

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[ Tony takes a long breath and lets it out slowly, but it does give him a moment to think it through. A burner is probably the better option, and there's a ton of things you can do with even the cheapest phones, if you know what you're doing. And he does.

He hasn't missed the way Barnes perked up at the thought, either. ]

Yeah, okay. Grab me a couple, if you can.

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[He hesitates a moment before drawing a gun from the back of his waistband. It’s small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, easily concealable. He holds it out.]

Don’t move from here. Anyone arrives that’s not me, shoot them.

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[ This time he makes absolutely no attempt to hide a very dramatic eyeroll, and holds up his still-gauntleted hand to wiggle the fingers. ]

I'm all set, remember? Believe me, it'll be quieter than a gunshot.

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[Hmmmm, he’s unsure about this, but he doesn’t push the issue this time. He’s not even sure why he’s decided that Stark is under his protection right now, so why bother digging deeper into that.]

If I’m not back within an hour then I’ll have been compromised. Leave immediately because it won’t be safe any more.

[This is apparently how he mother hens now.]

[buildsomething]

You do remember I've done this kind of thing before, right?

[ It's mild, and more amused than not. Tony's a grown-ass superhero, thank you. ]

Go out and play, I can entertain myself.

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[Stark is so irritatingly blase that Bucky is struck with a sudden urge to punch him in the face. As it is, he settles for glowering silently before disappearing out of the store and down the street.

He'll be gone for almost forty five minutes. It's not hard to get what he needs, people these days are so blind about what they don't want to see, and so he barely makes an impression on anyone as he gathers some money, a couple of burner phones, and some food supplies.

He pokes his head warily back into the store when he returns, checking for Stark.]