A small change to make a small step back
Surprisingly, Bucky returns quickly. By the end of the week, he's back in Tony's hospital room, where Fury had dropped off more of Tony's things. His hospital room is becoming an actual makeshift room, and from the whispers, Bucky hears every time he comes, it sounds like Stark has quite a long haul to finish before he can even think of getting out of there. That's one thing Bucky is grateful for being able to be in no time and only coming back for the day trip in his healing, unlike Tony, who's chained to his bed pretty much. Bucky isn't going to say Stark got the short end of the stick in this thing. Neither got the better end, and neither fully deserved it. Howard one hundred percent did, but Bucky can't quite say the same about Tony, and he doesn't like to admit it to himself, let alone someone else. Tony got the worst of the accident, that's for sure, and from everything else, it at least looks like he's given up trying to kill himself, at least for the moment.
When Bucky comes, Tony is sitting up in the bed. He's got street clothes on and out from under the covers, this time as he fiddles with something in his hands and a screwdriver in his mouth. Bucky also wants to thank the staff in his head for the fact that Tony isn't doped up on meds right now either cause there was no way Bucky would let him anywhere near the arm if he was. Tony doesn't bother to stop what he's doing or look up when Bucky pauses in the doorway and waits until Bucky sits in one of the chairs instead. Tony glances up with that cold and numb look, which now often mirrors Bucky's own, but unlike the nervousness and anger accompanying Bucky's, Tony shows nothing else except the odd sass and attributed. Tony doesn't try to keep eye contact either as they wait out the awkwardness in silence. His eyes flicker between Bucky's general direction and the arm. Bucky has once again covered it under a hoodie and leather jacket on top of a glove this time since it's getting colder, and he feels the need to hide it all the time now.
"How'd you get it?" Tony asks him, finally breaking the silence but the room feels easier now, and most of the tension and awkwardness have left
"I told you," Bucky snaps a little. "We don't know," He adds, and Tony rolls his eyes a little
"Don't get huffy, robocop," Tony sneers a little, but there isn't anything behind the tone, really. "I'm assuming it wasn't dropped off at your door in wrapping paper and a big bow. So how'd you get it?" Tony tsks at him with another roll of his eyes
"You're a fuckin' asshole, you know-" Bucky starts to growl at him, shifting in his seat as his anger boils up.
"I'm aware," Tony drawls, annoyed, cutting him off.
"-That," Bucky finishes to the point of it, still pissy, but Tony seems to find it funny from his little smirk. "But you ain't wrong either," Bucky sighs, deflating and sitting back, slumping in the chair and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Uh-huh, as I said, how'd you get it" Tony huffs, more amused and content, which Bucky finds a little odd
"Look," Bucky says after blowing out a breath, "No idea; no one I know has any idea where it came from. From what I was told, I was brought in and immediately taken into surgery before my ma could even get here, and when I came out, I had the fucking thing on me. My ma asked, and people dug into it, but nothing, or at least nothing that anyone was willing to say about it," Bucky tells him, and Tony looks perplexed, rightfully so
"Okay, so," Tony says, trying to understand as he holds up his hand a little
"Yeah," Bucky huffs, and Tony scrubs that hand over his face, still confused, before holding it back out.
"We hit you," Tony says, and Bucky nods. "You go straight to surgery where they put THAT on you without any kind of consent or paperwork, or do you know anything fucking legal!?" Tony continues, and Bucky nods again with a sigh, finding this is getting a little amusing. "And no one says anything!? What the fuck!?" Tony ends up shouting
"Told you," Bucky huffs, smirking a little
"It's mine! How the fuck did they get it!? How did I not know!? What the fuck is this mess!?" Tony shouts, hands in his hair
"I'd say no takebacks, but I ain't all that fond of it," Bucky says, still smirking, glad to have Tony on the other foot now.
"Oh fuck you," Tony grumbles angrily at him. "That is the best fucking thing you could ever wear! That is a masterpiece! It is years beyond current prosthetics! That is the best fucking thing I've probably ever made!" Tony yells at him, offended and overly prideful of his pieces
"And it ain't working apparently," Bucky huffs at him.
"No," Tony snaps lightly. "You aren't working," Tony corrects him, annoyed.
"Okay, that's rude even for you," Bucky tsks, rolling his eyes.
"You don't know me!" Tony snaps his hands, flopping angrily in his lap
"Oh, I know a lot about you, but fair, we haven't interacted before this whole thing," Bucky says, and it's true, so he can't really fault him.
It's kind of nice to be honest. Talking to Tony like this, that is. Tony's in the same boat, and honestly, he's never given a shit about Bucky or his feelings or pussy footed around all that kind of stuff. And with each meeting they have, the less it gets.... well, It's strange, and he doesn't know how to explain it, but maybe it's because Tony is in a better place or he is. Either way, they oddly get along, and there isn't any sugarcoating. It's a very strange thing, but he can't say he doesn't like it or like it again. It's very strange, but he doesn't mind it as much as he thought he would, and maybe it's because they're kind of in this together. They were both in the accident, they're both in recovery and physical therapy and so on, but still.
"Ugh fuck you," Tony scoffs with no heat and looks out his window instead.
"Are we doing this or not? Unlike you, I do have somewhere to go after this," Bucky huffs, smirking a little more when Tony glares at him.
"You know I could make this a hundred times more painful for you, right?" Tony growls at him angrily
"Ah sure you wouldn't there, doll, it's yours after all doubt you'd wreck sure a pretty piece," Bucky drawls, watching Tony grind his teeth to dust if this had been before he knew it was Tony's work and how highly he thought of it Bucky would have believed him but now? Not a chance
"Ooh," Tony growls, fists clenched tightly, wanting to punch Bucky right now or strangle him.
"What fucking ever" Tony grinds out before huffing and relaxing a little
"Tick tock," Bucky says, glad to have relaxed before they got into the whole arm thing, and you know the banter has been kind of fun.
"Now, who's an asshole" Tony huffs but nods his head for Bucky to sit on the bed instead
Bucky sighs and gets up, but before he sits on the edge of the bed, he peels off everything covering the arm minus his hoodie and instead pulls it up as high as it will go. Luckily, Tony only needs the forearm, so the fact Bucky can push it up above the elbow works, and Bucky doesn't have to see the full thing either. He has no plans on watching this or looking at the arm if he can help it, and since it's Tony, he doubts he'll even want Bucky involved in it. Once Bucky sits comfortably on the edge of the bed, he hands over the arm to Tony, who pulls it into his lap, his metal fingers flax and relax a little. He's still not used to being able to 'feel' with it. When he woke up with a metal arm, he figured he'd feel nothing, maybe when it got too hot or cold, but it's metal, it's a machine, you know. But Bucky can 'feel,' and it's something very strange. He's still trying to wrap his head around it all, and you know it's overly sensitive, and he's hyper-aware of it all. Tony notes his fingers, one hand lightly on the forearm by the elbow, the other on Bucky's wrist, but his head tilts a little when he notices the reaction. Tony hasn't seen the arm since it was in his shop, and it hadn't been tested on a person yet, so to see it 'alive,' he can't help it. He wants to know everything.
Tony forgets this is on a person again and dances his fingers over the palm with a feather-light touch. Bucky jumps a little, and his hand reacts again. Glancing up, He finds Bucky glaring at him a little and also looks a little embarrassed. Maybe. Tony just huffs and rolls his eyes but notes it for later if he ever gets the chance to be near the arm again. Moving on, Tony opens up the arm to get to the inner workings and starts figuring out what could possibly be wrong with it or needs working on. Tony works for a while, maybe an hour or two, while Bucky eventually gets on his phone and stays there throughout the rest of it. It's getting to the point where Tony is physically done, and Bucky is getting squirmy as well when they both hear something and glance up and out to the halls. At the nurse's station, there are a couple, or at least that is what Tony assumes they are, given the way they seem to be around each other. It looks like a guy and a girl around their ages, and after glances at Bucky, he seems to know them, so Tony can assume they're friends of his.
The guy is about Tony's height. He's bigger and built and a little tanned, with short brown hair. He's got glasses on, simply yet trendy, and two mixed-matched eyes Tony finds when he glances towards the room. One green and the other brown. He's wearing a pair of dark wash jeans with green Converse high-top sneakers, a black tee and a tan flannel over it with the sleeves rolled up. It's odd because it's the middle of fall and close to the first snow, but hey, Tony can't blame the guy. It probably isn't as cold as Bucky makes it believe, with all the layers covering the arm. As for the girl, she's a little shorter than him, not quite a head smaller, with fairer skin and freckles. She's got murky brown eyes, shoulder-length brown hair, and bangs with the tips dyed blue. She's nicely figured fuller but still on the perhaps thinner side. She's wearing a pair of black ripped baggy jeans, a dull green frog and mushroom tight tee that shoes off some midriff, an oversized chunky knit cropped sweater and a black over-shoulder bag.
It's not until they get closer that Tony and the girl recognize each other, though, so it seems Bucky isn't the only one who knows they're uninvited guests. Tony closes up the arm once he recognizes her, and her face closes off a little as she quickens her paces and then breaks into a gentle jog, leaving the boy behind and bypassing Bucky. Tony hugs her back as the boy joins them, and both he and Bucky look at them curiously. Though Tony can't blame them, he himself is a little confused at the moment.
"Shit, Tony," She says, pulling back a little, her hands going to his face.
"I'm fine, Betty," Tony says but doesn't try to fake anything with her; she knows him too well for that. "Why're you here anyway?" He asks
"Oh, course you know you never told me you landed yourself in the hospital so no one would know or rat you out?" Betty snarks back at him, hand on her hip with quite the attitude
"Um, I'm Betty's boyfriend; my name is Bruce. We're friends with Bucky. Um, you're Tony Stark, what? I mean, no, I don't know," Bruce the boy says, confused but trying to be helpful to someone in this situation.
"He was fixing the arm; he made it," Bucky says, still trying to follow along.
"Oh," Tony says, finally getting it. "He's the boyfriend! Oh! Yeah, you look the type," Tony says to Bruce, who isn't sure how to take that and glances at Bucky.
"Yeah," Bucky sighs. "Everything out of his mouth tends to come that way," He adds, making Tony glare at him a little before rolling his eyes, annoyed.
"Tony," Betty says, still waiting for an answer, and he sighs.
"Do not pull this. I have no one crap on me now!" Betty snaps at him. "You know damn well you can't push us away or the drunk getting between us shit with him dead, so let's hear it," Betty says, and Tony has the decency to look like a scolded kitten.
"Well, to be fair," Tony grumbles, still not looking at her but down at his lap instead.
"Baby, I'll talk to you later. I'm sure if you don't bring Bucky back, Steve is going to have a canary soon, so it's time for you two to head home," Betty says, looking at them over her shoulder.
"Okay, seems like there is something going on here, so I'll do that," Bruce says, tugging on Bucky a little, who's now scowling at the mention of Steve.
"Bucky, your mom is looking for you too; ignore Steve if you want, but you should go home," Betty huffs a little, smiling.
Bucky clicks his tongue but gets up, and the pair leave. Betty sits in one of the chairs and looks at Tony a little. He looks better, but now, knowing what happened, she can tell just how fucked he is, and looking good for dead isn't really all that great. She knows Tony well enough to understand why he'd still be stuck in the 'I'm alone' mentality, and he's not all that wrong either. To Tony, he is alone, and it's fair Betty might be a friend to him, but she isn't close, and they don't often meet, maybe once a month if they get lucky. Tony has no close friends or family now, just people who float in and out of his life whenever they feel like it or he lets them, and it isn't often. Lives are busy, people are few far, and few between, they live all over the place, and many of them are high society, making everything even harder to coordinate.
"Tony," Betty says softly with a little sigh, making him look over at her. "Are you okay? Really?" She asks
"I'm gonna live," Tony shrugs. "Couldn't tell you when I get out of here or the state I'll be in, but I'm fine," Tony adds, and it's true.
"I wish you'd have called me at least," Betty says, already planning to set up his places before he gets out.
"Betty," Tony sighs
"No, I'm going to make sure you have a place of your own, and I'll call Pepper, and she can handle SI and that shit. We're going to make sure when you get there isn't anything to do but focus on you and bring you again," Betty tells him.
"I don't," Tony tries to weakly refuse
"You still have us, Tony, and I'll stop there. But you should call Peggy and tell her what's going on; I heard she's back from deployment, moving away from active duty and more towards SHIELD," Betty pokes at him to see what he'll do or say.
"I know what she's up to," Tony huffs. "I know where Rodney and Carol are, I know where Hope is, I know where all of you guys are. I just-" Tony says with a heavy sigh.
"Tony," Betty says, stopping him.
'Fine, fine, you can help, but keep it quiet and away from that group," Tony says, and she nods. Bruce might be okay, and maybe Bucky is, but the group might know or might not know what Tony's involvement is
"I'll talk to Bruce and keep him quiet; I doubt Bucky is saying anything about any of this, but," Betty says, and he nods.
They talk for a while before Betty leaves and immediately gets to work, calling Pepper, who quickly makes work on her end. Thankfully, both women are very capable in their own ways. Pepper will take over SI, get all of that area squared away, and look into who took the arm, how they got in, and that whole mess. Betty, on the other hand, is going to have Tony moved into the SI tower so that the mansion will have to be cleaned out and meshed and so on. They have a lot of time, though. Like Tony said, he's gonna be there for a while. How long is it up in the air? It's going to be a long time. Tony is left on his own once again in the hospital, and for once, he isn't all that upset about it. He doesn't plan for many visitors to come. Either Bucky's arm is done, and unless someone needs him or wants a confrontation, he should be happily left alone. Tony doesn't know how he forgot about his friends, and he isn't going to let Betty know he forgot them because that would mean something is wrong with his memory. If something is wrong with his memory or brain, Tony is going to spiral far deeper than he'd ever gone before. It is all he has and has ever needed or wanted; if he loses his memory or any of it, he's going to lose it.
Tony doesn't manage to pull himself out of it before it gets to the point of sedation, but this time, he doesn't fight them on it and asks for it before he goes crazy again. They're unsure, but his monitors back what he's telling them, so he gets it and finally lays down in the bed and closes his eyes, trying to distract himself or sleep or something. But it drags on. Nothing manages to pull him away from trying to see how or why he could have forgotten them and if anything else was missing. He spirals for a week under the watchful eyes of the nurses, who he watches chart on and on about his lapses. They've barred people from seeing him again to stop it from getting worse, assuming it was the people seeing him that brought this on. And they wouldn't be wrong, just not in the way people had thought, and let's be honest, he hasn't had enough visitors to make that assumption but assumes that's why they're charting and watching him so much. Tony just stays sedated, trapped to spiral silently in his head as he lays on his side, arms around his waist, watching out into the halls and the nurse's station with blank, manic eyes. Tony chews on the inside of his cheek or bottom lip to the point they bleed, but he doesn't really stop, and they can't make him. Surprisingly, the physio doesn't stop, and it's the only thing that has him leaving the room or at least the bed. he supposes it's them trying to bring him out of it and just push him back onto his feet so he can leave sooner. Either way, Tony doesn't care; it gets him out of his head for a little bit, but he doesn't think it's helping all that much either. He feels like he's never going to get out of here one way or another.