When You Were Never Mine: Part 2

Putting Out (Final)

You had slept like the dead that night, your connection with Bucky having drained you of your last few ounces of energy. Your body hadn't ached like this since you had actually nearly died not so long before this and you felt as if you could sleep for at least a week without a problem. When you had closed your eyes, the sky was dark, and when you opened them again now, the view hadn't changed. You were stuck in a hazy disorientation of either too much sleep or still not enough, and you weren't exactly sure how much time had passed.

"FRIDAY, what time is it?"

"7pm."

"Are you serious?!" you gasped, sitting up abruptly. Your head spun slightly at the rapid shift, but you pushed through and swung your legs over the side of the bed to get your balance. "I slept almost 24 hours away? Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"Mr. Stark-"

"Right, got it, you don't need to say any more. Not sure why I even asked. Alright, so where is he now?"

"He's in the conference room with Captain Rogers. I've alerted him that you're awake, and he said that he'll be here in a few minutes. He asks that you change your clothes into what he has selected for you, hanging in the closet."

Your brow furrowed as you thought what it was that the man could possibly be up to, a pointless endeavor given his determination and resources. "Okay? What do you know, FRIDAY? What's he up to?"

"I've been sworn to secrecy, ma'am."

"Of course, you have. Seriously, you think I'd learn to just stop asking."

~~~

Two floors below where you were reluctantly following orders and changing clothes into something far too formal for an evening at home, Steve and Tony were taking the time to sit together in a civilized manner for the first time in a very long time. There was a plethora of points to argue out, but none more troublesome than the topic of one Bucky Barnes.

Steve sat on one end of the expansive table with Tony seated on the other, but neither had wanted to take the initiative to speak first. Where would they even begin? Both men had just set their differences aside to bring both you and Bucky together safely, but the problems remained and had pushed their way back into view.

"So," Steve finally coughed out nervously, "are things all good with you and (Y/N)? Have you been forgiven?"

"Well, it's a start, anyway," Tony nodded. "Now it's up to her."

"Actually, it's up to you to not Stark this up."

Tony's eyes brightened at the relief of levity, and it was honestly a welcome moment. Too much drama and too many insults had taken their toll on him, and really, the team as a whole. When he finally looked up from the tabletop and towards the Captain, he caught the glimpse of a friend looking back, and he accepted it. "You think you're clever, don't you?"

"No, I know I am," Steve smiled only slightly. "But I also know that she's the best thing to happen to you in as long as I've known you. Just use some of that genius to do it right, okay? It's gotta be good for something more than making everyone look cooler."

"Fair point, but you know that we can't dance around this forever. What about Barnes?"

"What about him?"

"You said that he doesn't want her, not like that," Tony began, wanting the answer but also not wanting it at the same time, "so what does that mean? You gotta give me something to hang onto here, Cap."

Steve eyed his friend skeptically, examining his expression for anything that might give away some kind of alternate plan just to mess with him. He wouldn't put it past Stark to pull a joke at a time like this; humor was his best defense when he was nervous, and his body language told him that he clearly was. "You seriously don't know, do you?"