"I'm not your Bucky anymore!" The soldier growls. "My name is James. James Barnes."
"I-I know that," Steve whispers brokenly.
"I don't think you do," James shouts. He takes one last huff before turning to the elevator doors. Immediately, he freezes and his eyes go wide when he notices a familiar face. Well the ghost of a familiar face. "Howard," he chokes out, his eyes drawn to the man who sits trembling in a wheelchair. The face was so similar to his old friend and he had to dig his nails into his palm to keep him in reality.
He hears Steve make a weird sound behind him but he ignores it. "I'm so sorry-" he starts, approaching the man.
"Bucky, stop!" Steve yells, grabbing his arm, a frantic look on his face.
James wrenches his arm away and spins back towards Steve furiously. He leans in close to Steve's ear. "Don't ever touch me," he growls. He stares for a moment longer before storming off down the hall.
Tony jumps when the door slams and they revel in the silence for a bit. Tony desperately wants to bust into the soldier's room and force him to continue the conversation about his father but there are two reasons that would not be a great idea- he hates talking about his father, and staying on this floor any longer was going to force him into a panic attack. And Clint being in the room was not helping.
"Glad to see you are well, Tony," Natasha said, breaking silence.
"I bet," Rhodey answers sternly. His blood was boiling from seeing the soldier that he definitely didn't remember inviting into their home and he was ready to beat someone up. He takes Tony's wheelchair and directs him back into the elevator, barely noticing Vision and Sam following suit.
When they reach their floor Rhodey flies out into the living room, immediately turning around to Sam. "Did you know?" He growls.
"No, I swear I didn't. They never told me they were bringing him here. The last time I heard anything about him was when T'Challa came and then I went upstairs to talk to you. I never went back to the conference room after. I swear!" Sam rushes out.
Rhodey slowly lets out a breath and lets his tense face relax.
"It's-It's okay sourpatch," Tony says softly.
"It's not," Rhodey says.
Tony sighs. "Sam, can you help me change?" Tony says, wheeling himself quickly to the bedroom.
Sam nods and quietly follows Tony as Rhodey throws himself on the couch.
In the bedroom, Tony barely has time to park his wheelchair before he is completely enwrapped in his panic attack.
Sam's eyes widened when he realized the silent man was breaking down. Tony was trying to transfer but his limbs were trembling as he hyperventilated, so Sam ran over to help steady him. Instead of lifting him to the bed, Sam lowered Tony to the floor.
Tony was squeezing his legs in tandem with his frantic breathing and was trembling lightly. Sam peeled Tony's hands from where they were probably leaving marks on his legs and placed them into the soft carpet next to him. He was satisfied when Tony started gripping clumps of carpet instead.
"Tony, Tony," Sam kneeled in front of the man, "You have to breathe. Come on, in for five, out for five."
Sam panicked when Tony ignored him and ended up breathing even harder. Tears were leaking down his face and he started pulling at his hair. After a few seconds of feeling lost, Sam thought back to what he did when his younger brother had panic attacks.
Slowly, Sam placed himself behind Tony until the man was pressed up against his chest. He removed Tony's hands from his hair and crossed them in front of him. Sam hugged Tony close, restraining his arms and encouraging Tony to feel his deep breaths and copy him.
