One shot w/ @tcnystarkircnman
“We can’t just let him stay out there. Who knows who else is looking for him.” Steve insisted as he stood up from the chair in front of Tony’s desk, sending it to the floor with a loud crack in his haste.
“The guy’s a trained assassin, Cap. He’s responsible for countless murders, you read the files just like I have.” Tony’s voice is firm, a defeated sign leaving his lips as the chair falls.
“Exactly! You read his files, you know what they did to him. You know what they made him do. Bucky would’ve never done any of that, if they hadn’t forced him to.” His tempers flaring now, he’s pacing the room, a failed attempt at calming himself.
“I hate to be the one to say it, Steve…” He pauses, thinks over his next words carefully as he refills the glass sitting on the desk in front of him with whiskey. “The guy you knew doesn’t exist anymore. There’s shit you just can’t come back from. He’s a security risk, at the very least. I can’t endanger the rest of the team so you can play house with a murderer.”
“He’s not a damn murderer! He’s a victim. He’s a victim, and he’s scared, and I’ve already let him down once. I won’t do it again.” He reaches for the back of the chair, pulling it upright in one solid motion before sitting back down in it.
“What exactly are you saying, Cap?” Tony crooks an eyebrow at his friend, sipping his whiskey with a curious look plastered on his face.
“If you won’t let him in, that’s fine. That’s your choice, but I’m not going to let him be out there alone. I’ve made promises to him I intend to keep.” Steve’s serious, it’s clear as day that this is an all or nothing situation.
“You’ll leave all your friends - all of the family we’ve spent the last five years fighting to protect, for some guy who barely remembers who you are?” There’s a shift in Tony’s voice, something hidden in it that Steve can’t decipher.
“I’d hate to do it, to leave all of you guys. To leave behind everything we’ve built together, but I would. I will, if I have to. There’s very few limits to what I’d be willing to do for Buck.” There’s conviction in his words, a weight to them that’s not lost on either of the men in the room.
“Come on, Rogers. You should know me better than this,” He finishes the rest of his whiskey in one long sip. “We don’t turn our backs on our own, we’re the good guys.” Tony leans back in his own chair now, a cheeky smile on his face. One Steve’s seen before, the kind he wears often. When he’s tricked someone into saying exactly what he’d wanted to hear.
The blonde is silent for a few moments before he raises a brow at the man behind his desk. “Is this- Have you been testing me?” He sounds a bit disgusted, but also a little amused.
“You may be strong, Rogers, but you’re really not all that bright, are you?” It’s as much as an answer as he’s going to get, not really an insult, but not exactly a conformation either. “I’ll have someone set up a room for him on your floor, I’m sure you won’t mind sharing with Bucky.” He wiggles his eyebrows dramatically, knowingly.
A hint of pink tinges Steve’s cheeks and before this conversation can go in a direction he’s not at all prepared to be in, he stands from the chair, nods his head, and turns to leave. Throwing a simple “Thanks, Stark.” to Tony on his way out.
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