Healing Together (WinterIron)

Chapter 3

Tony refuses more pain medication, demanding he starts being weaned off it immediately. NA meetings are a real drag, and the coffee's shit. Just about everyone had made a stop by Tony's room in Medbay at one point or another. Much to Tony's distaste, Peter told the crew Tony liked the company. Clearly, he'd come across as EXTRA pathetic for Winter Wonderland to take it as an invite.

Bucky enters with slumped shoulders and no words to say. He makes eye contact. Tony can see desperation in Bucky's eyes. Desperation for what, though?

"How are you holding up, Soldier?" Tony tries not to think about the fact that this is the first time he's talked to Bucky since Siberia.

Bucky's brow creased. The question catches him entirely off guard, Tony can tell. "I'm pretty sure I should be askin' you that."

"Beat you to it." Tony smiles.

"I'm like- just- totally fine, so..." Bucky isn't looking him in the eye anymore, but his point rings clear, 'Don't worry about me.'

"You turn into a valley girl when you lie." Tony teases.

"Really, I'm fine."

"That was convincing."

Bucky plops himself onto a chair, straddling it backward, and glowers at Tony. Tony just smiles wider.

"This is fun. I'm having fun; are you having fun?" Tony taunts, creating a jovial atmosphere that lingers in the air, something light. Tony practices spinning a pen in his left hand. It drops to his table-on-wheels now and then with a sharp sound. "How's not being brainwashed treating you?"

Bucky stares down at his hands for a while. "Do you know about the trigger words?" Bucky asked.

Tony knows all about the trigger words. He did offer Shuri his expertise, after all. He'd reached out with the intention of sending Bucky a new arm, anonymously, but instead, got roped into Bucky's mindfuck. "Yeah, Shuri undid the effects, yeah?"

Bucky licked his lips. "Yeah, and it's nice not to worry about 'em anymore. It's like Hydra doesn't have any physical hold on me anymore. No trigger words, no body part made by Hydra, for Hydra." Bucky sighs.

Tony checks 'apologize for blowing off Bucky's arm' off his to-do list. He didn't miss how Bucky had specified that Hydra's physical hold on him had been broken.

This is all getting too serious for his liking, and Bucky looks like he could use a distraction. "Go get that deck of cards over there, Buckaroo."

They play a couple hands of simple card games. Tony remembers playing cards with his grandma when she was in the hospital. That's a weird thing to be thinking about right now. This doesn't feel like that. It feels... new and exciting. Something about Bucky excites him. He's just a naturally compelling guy, Tony supposes.

"Tell Cap to quit sulking and come visit, will ya'"

"Uh," Bucky's face goes blank. "What?"

Tony tries clearing his throat, though it doesn't need it. "I said, tell Steve to quit moping and come see me already. Tell him I forgive him for trying to get Bruce to kill me." Tony was met with silence. "Earth to James! What? Is he mad at me or something?" Tony can't wrap his head around being on better terms with The Winter Parent-Murdering Soldier than Steve.

"Uh, no? I don't think so. I-I'll tell him to stop by." Bucky conjures a weird, exaggerated smile that has Tony quirking a brow.

"Okaayyyy..." Tony puts all his cards face-down on the table but one, slides the remaining card between his index and middle finger and holds out his hand. "Give me your two of hearts."