Gamer

If you're the one to run, I'll be the one you run to.*

A few days later we all were sitting together in the living room. They wanted to talk about what to do with me. After all, I was a Headhunter and simply letting me go wasn't an option. At least for now. Auntie May was sitting in a large, comfortable armchair. She was already informed about fake Rhodey, it was Natasha who explained her all this crap. At first she was surprised and didn't want to believe it, but then stated I'm such Headhunter as she is balerina... and no matter how to look at this, I saved Tony's life and I deserved respect. I had no idea what to think about it.

During those few days I didn't have a chance to talk with Tony. He appeared for a few minutes and disappeared, promising he'll explain me everything soon... but right now he has no time. He came to the room late at night, tired and despite the fact that he took a shower, he still smelled of motor oil. I found out that I couldn't fall asleep without him being next to me... Weird habit, maybe? And when I woke up, he was already gone.

"You can't just throw him out," Auntie May's firm voice broke my thoughts. "He saved Tony. He has the right to be here as any of you."

"It doesn't change the fact that he's a Headhunter and shouldn't be here at all," said Crossbones, who was standing against the wall with arms folded across his chest. I still had trouble to call him by his name, so I sticked with his codename.

"Well, it's yours fault," said the blonde man. His name was Clint Barton, but everyone called him birdie or hawkeye. Later, I learned why. Guy played an archer, he had several shooting targets behind the house. I won't lie, he wasn't this bad... Ok, he was pretty good. When I asked him why he's not using guns, he just said that bows are way more quiet and more efficient. "If you didn't leave your phone in that shit place like a total retard, nothing would have happened."

"If his mother taught him he shouldn't just answer someo-"

"What if Red Skull picked that phone instead of him? Have you thought about this for a moment?"

"But he didn't!"

"But he could!"

"SHUT UP!" Auntie May screamed, death glaring at both of them. "You act like kids. It happened and cannot be undone. Even if I knew from the beginning that he wasn't Rhodey, I wouldn't kick him out."

"Maybe we should vote what to do with him? Who agree we should kick him out?" Crossbones asked, raising his hand up.

"Maybe we should just leave this decision to Tony," Natasha said, looking from Crossbones to Tony. Tony was sitting on the second armchair, he was awfuly quiet. He looked like he was absent minded, didn't even touch his tea. He had dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for a few days in a row. It bothered me to the point I wanted to walk up to him and ask what's wrong, if he needed something. I wanted to hug him, to caress him... My own thoughts began to frighten me. What the fuck is wrong with me?

"I won't kick him," Tony said after a a while. "He can stay as much as he wants. And if he decide he want to leave I won't stop him. He'll always be able to come back here. And he will be welcomed. That's all I have to say about it."

He got up and slowly walked out of the room. As if in a trance, I also got up and walked out after him, with all eyes on my back. They were watching me carefuly, I felt it through my skin. I realized what I was doing, at the end of the corridor when Tony turned to me. I've seen an emptiness in his brown eyes, which shouldn't be there. He should be happy, he should smile, should...

"Something's wrong?" I just asked.

"Everything's fine. I'm just a little tired."

"You should sleep more."

"I'm working on something. You want to see?"

"Sure."

He took me to his mini-workshop, which was in the garage at the back. I expected it to be dark in here, in the end there was no electricity, but I was wrong. All lamps were turned on, and in the corner of the room something was softly humming. An engine? Along the walls stood a row of computers – all working. On the left side of the ceiling hung a... red armor. Or whatever it was.

"Hello, Boss," a warm, feminine voice came from... well, from where? I looked around confused and Tony laughed. It was soft and sincere laugh.

"Meet FRIDAY, my second AI," he said proudly. "Hello, Babe."

The second AI. Well, first had to be this whole JARVIS, right? But what happened to him? I walked over to one of the tables and picked up an object, which resembled what Tony had on his chest. Arc Reactor. It was connected with wires to the strange armor hanging from the ceiling.

"You making a weapon?" I asked still staring at the strange object. "For what?"

"The people who stole the Almanac are still out there somewhere. I have to get it back. At all cost," he replied in a whisper.

"What is this Almanac?"

"It's a weapon. Double edged one. It's the Almanac that destroyed the world, it was stolen and used in the wrong way."

"You want to say that I was looking for a weapon that destroyed our world? You kiddin', right?" I frowned and turned to Tony, still holding the Arc Reactor in my hands. I noticed his gaze closely follows my left hand movements.

"Almanac... can rewind time," he looked as if he were about to cry. "I made it to bring my parents back to life. They had an accident years ago. Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. I could bring our world back, James. Undo the catastrophy."

"Are you sure it will work the way you want it to and not destroy what's left?"

"I created it," he said firmly, as tears ran down his cheeks. "Once I'll find it then Rhodey... then I could fix this..."

"Come here," I put the reactor back on the table and reached out my hands to Tony. He looked at me surprised, but took a few hesitant steps forward and I caught him in my arms. You have no idea how happy I was when I held him tightly. That was so wrong. Does hugging really can bring so much joy? On the one hand, I didn't understand this and felt a bit silly. And on the other... I didn't want to let him go, my heart was pounding like crazy. I thought Tony is just becoming as close to me as Steve was. You know, a friend. But around Steve I didn't feel so... weird. Also I'm sure as hell I was never glued to him as I am to Stark. Something is wrong.

"James...?"

"Call me Bucky."

"Bucky...?" he pulled away from me and looked questioningly.

"It's a nickname from childhood," I said. I was surprised that he didn't know this. Apparently, everything about me was in XERRA. He knew the finer details about me... Or maybe he forgot? It happens. I raised my right hand and wiped the tears from his cheeks. Tony looked tragic, how I couldn't noticed this? You rarely saw him. And at night you can't really get a close look... - a voice answered in my head. "You should get some sleep, Tony."

"I don't have time for it..."

"Let's do it like this... go to bed with me now, and tomorrow I will let you have fun with my arm," I smiled, waving my left hand in front of his nose. Sparks of fascination danced in his chocolate eyes. I really didn't like when someone messed with it. Everytime I had a small maintanance I lost consciousness from the pain and don't know what happened after. All I know is that I woke up in a completely different place. Sometimes with blood on my clothes.

"It sounded rather odd."

"I didn't mean anything by it," I replied immediately, putting my right hand on the heart. "The word of a soldier."

He smiled broadly and laughed. And God, his smile was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

I sat outside, catching falling snow in my hands. Earlier, for a long time I was looking for Crossbones, but I found out he left us the same morning. He went to Headhunters' base. It was exactly three days after my conversation with Tony in his workshop. By the time Tony was sleeping more and the shadows under his eyes disappeared. For the first time my arm was subjected to maintenance to someone other than the guy from the base. I think I preffered Stark to take care of it. He was way more gentler and treated machines as living beings.

"Alone outside? Trying to cool down?" someone's voice and muffled laughter came from behind. Then he walked up and sat down next to me on the stairs. It was Clint. "Tony is in the garage."

"As always."

"Well, since Rhodey's death he's a little bit worse. He blames himself for it. In the end, he created a weapon and that weapon killed his friend... So... what are you doing here?"

"I was lookin' for Crossbones."

"What for?"

"I have a few questions for him," I said, rubbing snow between fingers of my flesh hand. "Well... only one."

"Oh? And what is it?" he asked curiously.

"How is it possible that the Red Skull never found out that he was Stark's shield. He had an eye on him for some time and-"

"Brock was never a shield," Clint sighed and leaned back against the wall behind us. "How did you come to that?"

I looked at him like on an idiot. Does he even know what I mean? Clint shook his head and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He held out his hand to me, but I refused. I don't smoke. I sat quietly, waiting for him to start explaining things, but when he spoke - he changed the subject.

"Stark's charm got into you."

"What?"

"I've seen how you look at him. You like him," he smiled and winked at me, and I just frowned.

"I'm not gay," I felt like I had déjà vu. I've said it already...

"You would become gay for him."

"Bullshit. I was never interested in guys. Tony is like... like Steve. My friend," I lied. Tony wasn't like Steve, there was a huge gap between them. Whole canyon. But I had no other explanation. I didn't fully understand it myself.

"...yeah, right... It's terribly cold, you'd better go back inside before you'll turn into a snowman," Clint stood up and brushed himself off the snow. "Shield is one of the Headhunters, you're right here. They both set foot in this house, but it's not Brock you're looking for. Your target is freezing up his fucking ass on stairs outside and plays with snow."

"...what?"

"Tony is still in the garage. If you really need a reason to go there, you could put some snow inside your left arm," he said before disappearing behind the door. It was the stupidest advice I got in my entire life. And I was even dumber because I've listened.

"How is it possible that so much snow got inside?" Tony muttered, clearing the mechanism of my left arm. I won't lie, it hurt as fuck when I felt a short circuit, but it was worth it.

"I slipped and fell into a snowdrift."

Crossbones came back a few days later, with fatal news. I learned that the Red Skull turned everything upside down to find me. He already found Steve. Supposedly he didn't know I joined Stark, but it was just an assumption. He could have guessed that something was wrong. Once Crossbones mentioned Stevie, the world ceased to exist. I had only one thought in my mind: I have to go back and save him. I couldn't sit still, I walked around like a psycho when the rest made plans. Is that how Tony felt, when he found out that the missiles are heading towards his friend?

"We should help his buddy," Clint said, toying with his glass of juice.

"Do you know where is he now?" Natasha asked.

"With Red Skull, helping him to find Barnes," Crossbones answered, sitting on the armrest of the chair which was taken by Tony. "In the headquarters, eventually patrolling around. The search always start early in the morning and end in the late evening. Red Skull doesn't allow him to leave base, so I bet we'll find him right there."

"It's a long way, how you want to get there?" Natasha asked again.

"I could fly there on my jetpack and take the guy with me. Nobody looks up at the sky anymore," a black man suggested. I think his name was Sam.

"Honey, jetpack won't lift two people," Tony said and everyone looked at him. I felt a twinge of pain in my chest when he called that dude honey. "You would have to fly close to the ground."

"And your armor? You said it will fly."

"It's not ready. From the west, the streets are clean, there is a little debris. True, the road is also about three times longer but we have two motorcycles," Tony continued. "Bucky could take one, and someone would have to go with me. I pick Barton. Bucky, can drive a motorcycle?"

"Bucky? That's how we should call you now?" Natasha asked, but I didn't answer.

Motorcycle? I looked at Tony with eyes wide open. I think I already mentioned, I never touched a motorcycle after my accident years ago. And I wasn't going to. I still had that view before my eyes, the wreckage of a car that crashed into a tree so I could live. These people... they were still alive... if I had helped them...

"No," I lied.

"I could quickly teach him," Sam suggested, but I shook my head. Maybe I did it too quickly, or perhaps he noticed the panic in my eyes. "Then I will go instead."

Two hours later, everything and everyone was ready to go on a rescue mission. I wasn't so sure about this as they were. I was worried about Steve, yes. I wanted to help him. But I also didn't want to let Tony go alone... I knew he will be together with his friends, but... My stomach ached, world was spinning before my eyes and I felt sick. I couldn't think of a motorcycle, I would never got on it again, but...

I found Clint in the hallway, he was checking and rearranging his arrows. Bow was already hanging on his back. He smiled at me and hung quiver at his waist belt.

"Sup, Buckster?"

"Does Tony really needs to go with you? He can't stay?" I asked tentatively. I asked him, because something told me that our conversation will be just between the two of us. Besides, he had already guessed something...

"Well, he insisted he'll go. He wants to check the headquarters to look for information about the Almanac. You really so scared of motorcycles?" he leaned his shoulder against the wall and watched me closely, seeing my expression he sighed. "I can promise you that I will have an eye on him and I won't let him get hurt. I'll bring him to you in one piece."

"I... thank you."

He put a hand on my shoulder and nodded before he left. And then, the only thing left for me was to wait, that drove me crazy. I lay down on the couch in the living room, Natasha turned on a DVD movie. I don't even remember what it was. I tried to figure out at which point Stark became so damn important to me... Back in the tower I wanted to kill him and I almost did it... and then... then I took care of him together with Wanda. Ah, yes. Wanda. I totally forgot about her. I hope everything is fine with her... And then Tony woke up... and it happened. I never liked guys in such way, and the thought I could go to bed with one... it was disgusting. But with this specific one I had no problems... I was willing to do anything for him. And it scared me. I thought this weird feeling will go away with time, but instead it grew bigger and bigger. I felt like in a cage, which is getting tighter and I'm running out of air. Somehow I fell asleep after an hour of staring at the TV screen.

They returned the same evening. Hearing the sound of the door opening and voices, I immediately woke up and jumped up from my place. Natasha, who was in the same room, looked at me with worried expression. I ignored her and ran into the hallway, tripping over my own feet. I heard laughter, energetic conversation and... Steve's voice. I took a few steps forwards. I saw him standing and holding Tony in his arms, whose trousers leg was torn, bloodied and heavily wrapped in a cloth. I had heart in my mouth. I wanted to ask what happened, but I couldn't utter a word.

They left motorcycles maybe three hundred meters from Headhunters' place and when they had to run, they took a refuge in a building. Unfortunately, the ceiling collapsed and the debris fell on Tony, crushing his leg. Steve said it's only a few scratches and mild fracture without displacement. He also said not to worry. How to not fucking worry?! His leg was injured, because some retarded ceiling decided to fall on him... And what if... what if... No.

Everything went dark.

Stay
I need you here for a new day to break
Stay
I want you near like a shadow in my wake

It's the little things
Little things
Little things
That make the world **