tinker, tailor, soldier, social anxiety (tony 18)
The first few weeks Barnes spends in the facility are tense Tony and he avoid each other supremely well. Not out of any particular dislike it’s just that Tony’s ingrained precaution to new people and Bucky’s own particular fears of losing control do not make for a fast friendship. Besides Bucky has enough reservations about Howard who has gained a sharpness to him, the same sort of gleam that the scientists at hydra had when they saw the technological marvel that came with the winter soldier. Sufficed to say after an initial check over by Howard that had Bucky gritting his teeth though the examination and suffering some of the worst nightmares he’s ever has for a week after, arm mantianace is not a priority.
Then two months after his return a plate on Barnes’ arm gets jammed and he’s ushered down to Howard’s lab for maintenance by captain boy scout. Although, Bucky loves Stevie with all his heart sometimes he really would like to punch that punk. As Bucky is reluctantly dragged down to the labs despite his pleas that “it’ll keep Stevie,” and “Howard’s probably not gonna have the time,” he realises that the only way to get out of this situation would be to have serious conversation with Steve about feelings and trauma, which would probably be worse that torture so he steels himself for what’s to come.
Bucky had thought that the eighteen year old stark was just like his father but seeing him elbow deep in a project covered in grease with a look of absolute concentration of his face hammers it home, that is until the illusion is shattered as a clumsy looking robot wheels over to tony and his face lights up with the most blinding smile Bucky has ever seen.
Whilst he knows Howard is good at what he does, the memories he has of the Howlies have brief cameos of a genius inventor who was unfortunately all too aware that he was a genius, he finds he has no memories of Howard showing such wonder at the things he created, whereas the wonder etched on to Tony’s face is both blindingly obvious and blindingly beautiful. When Tony affectionately pats the robot, takes the screw driver from its claw, and throws it as the robot wheels after, Bucky loses faith in his hearts ability to self-regulate and decides he’s gotta’ get this kid to stop being scared of him.
The main issue with that is he doesn’t actually know what it was that he did to make Tony scared but the Tony’s jumpy around him and refuses to be within 3 feet of him if he can help it, and as much as it makes him a shitty person Bucky is glad when he realises Tony’s not gonna be able to help it soon enough.
Howard is clearly absent from the lab and Stevie has declared an unnecessary state of emergency for Bucky’s mishap. Bucky knows better than anyone that nothings gonna stop Steve on a mission “tony thank goodness you’re here, you’ve gotta’ fix Buck’s arm” Steve rushes the words out, tony to his merit isn’t annoyed by the demand, he looks more like he’s confused as he replies “but, um my dad usually, well that’s, I mean, are you sure you want me to do it?” Bucky decides he can field this one himself “ yeah ‘course we’re sure kid, it’s a quick fix shouldn’t take you more ‘an 30 minutes, less’ you don’t got the time that is?” tony reluctantly agrees and the nervous stuttering disappears as spends a total of five minutes cooing over the arm while he fixes it, and it is the most adorable thing Bucky’s seen in his life and the quickest and most painless repair he’s ever had done.