fossilised | For Steve

For Steve

The war had been raging for a long time now, and James Buchanan Barnes had been drafted some months ago to ship out to Europe and fight with all the others in the trenches and on the front lines. Telegrams came back daily with the news of more brothers, sons, fathers, and husbands killed. More friends who will never return, and still there was no end in sight.

But then something even stranger began happening on both sides of the timeline.

All the newsreels were reporting strange anomalies centred in New York City and Washington D.C. that could only be explained by time itself unravelling in places. Buildings that changed to vast monoliths of glass and steel for a few minutes and then back again, a faded billboard for asthma cigarettes becoming a full colour motion picture of a man eating soup. Some people had even said they had met men and women claiming to be from the future, though this was all hushed up.

It only lasted a few days, and then it was sorted. Sealed, the government official offices said, just a trick by the Nazis to confuse us. Forget it and go about your day.

But there were pieces of the future lost in the past for good.

The Winter Soldier-- Bucky-- whoever he was now, confused fragmented memories all he had to go on, had been thrown through time unceremoniously into a street that looked altogether familiar and confusing. He hid from the authorities who were collecting all the anomalies with ease, even though his manner of dress was out of place now with jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. He didn't change it. He found his feet taking him somewhere only half remembered.

An apartment with a key hidden under an old brick. Why did he know it was there?

He didn't know. He just let himself in, quiet as a whisper, and made his way through to the bedroom where someone was asleep under the covers. Skinny, blond, somehow also familiar (the man on the bridge? The man in the Potomac? The man at the museum? No, that didn't make sense, that man had bulging muscles, but somehow he was sure they were the same). He didn't say anything, just stood there and watched impassively, waiting for the man to wake up.

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It was progress even if it didn't feel like progress. All Bucky needed to learn now was to leave a note and he'd be gold.

Tony was in his garage when Bucky decided to storm the castle looking for him. He wasn't drunk (which was also progress in a way) and nearly piled under with paperwork. He was not really a fan of papers if he could help it, considering how wasteful it was when tablets worked just fine, but his lawyers had sent everything over in document form and he was currently trying to learn bankruptcy law at the same time.

Not too difficult, it was just that science was always written in a clean way. Legalese was ridiculously complex and often managed to contradict itself.

"Thought you'd be in for the night?" he murmured. JARVIS had let him know that Bucky had been on the way.

"They're asleep."

It was enough of an answer for why he wasn't in there. He stepped into the light, the glow of the garage bulbs illuminating the artwork all over his body because he hadn't put a shirt on, not wanting to smudge their efforts before it was fully dry. He knew he'd have to wash it off sooner or later, but right now he wanted to keep it.

"I saw some news when I went out earlier. Looks like Romanoff released some more of my files, made the public think I'm some victimised war hero." The slightly bitter tilt to his voice said what he thought of that. "So they'd believe anything I had to say, right?"

"Maybe? Probably half of them would. The other half would say you were still brainwashed," Tony said, shuffling around papers before he leaned back in his seat and turned the chair to face Bucky. "It's always a fifty-- Damn. What the hell happened to you? Fall down in the paint store?" Tony stood up and got right into Bucky's personal space, examining some of the work. "Damn. You know, I knew they were talented but this is insanely good," he mentioned, straightening up. "Grant should go into tatooing."

Bucky had only been gone for six hours or so. And that was with the illicit trip off compound that Tony had had JARVIS use Veronica to keep track of. Just in case. So for the Rogers boys to get this amount of detail done in what had to have been no more than an hour, was astonishing.

Maybe they could sell original work by Captain America to get the funds to pay for upgrades to the quinjet? Tony jotted it down at the desk before he rounded the sofa, moved some boxes, and invited Bucky to join him.

"What do you want to tell America?"

The images on his skin were personal ones, but he didn't mind Tony seeing them. He didn't think that Grant would enjoy being a tattoo artist, however. He might like painting artwork onto skin, but he'd probably be too conscientious to do a tattoo that someone might regret and end up harming his own business in the process.

"I want to tell them that Howard was coerced into working for HYDRA, that he was a prisoner."

It wasn't true, but he said it bluntly outright because if anyone deserved to know this deception then it was Tony.

"What's happening now doesn't help anyone, and it's not fair. You're not him, your company isn't him, and you shouldn't be punished for what he did. He's dead, he isn't gonna be punished, so I want to lie."

For Bucky's trouble, Tony balled up a piece of paper with probably an important document written on it and threw it st Bucky's head. If it hit, it was becsuse Bucky allowed it to hit him in the face. No other reason. He thought about kicking him too, but decided against it. "He deserves to be reviled," Tony said, which was a selfish answer. His workers didn't deserve to be under such scrutiny, even if a few HYDRA agents had been unmasked in the upheaval and he was going to be under some tight investigation soon enough.

He didn't want his dad to win. But he also didn't want to hurt a lot of people.

"But that might help. It might really help a lot. But you're gonna have people coming at you. Questioning you. Interviews. Not sure you want that. Everyone is going to want to know your story. People are dicks like that."

And Bucky was fragile... As fragile right now as he was distracting.

"Did you have someone take photos of that arm? Damn it's good."

He did allow it to hit him in the face, it was just a piece of paper and for some reason he felt utterly safe around Tony most of the time. Maybe it was because he was confident he could kick his ass if he needed to, but it was probably more about knowing that Tony had already held Bucky's life in his hands with total obedience and he hadn't abused that in any way.

"Then you can revile him, but it doesn't make a different, he's dead and making you and a bunch of other people suffer for it isn't going to help anything."

He had made up his mind, just as stubborn as he was fragile.

"Call a press conference, one representative from each paper or news crew, live broadcast whatever... small, maybe thirty at the most. I'll answer questions, but I'm having Steve and Grant there with me."

If he had to end up giving interviews, he oddly felt more like he would cope better now when everything was already raw and bleeding, than if he had to rip those wounds open again a few months down the line.

"Do it fast, this needs to be controlled now... and I'm sure JARVIS has pictures."

"It's just... Wow." He let his fingers hover over the dragon claw piercing the star on his shoulder. That was masterfully done, personal and poetic. He really, really hated Steve. Both of them. He was the creative one in the group damn it!

It took a few moments before he realized that more was being said than just the art. Conference. Televised. Print and on air media. The Rogers duo--

"Uh. Yeah. J? What time is it?" The AI replied back with a number after midnight and Tony rubbed his fingers against his eyelids. "Let's get a seven AM press conference called up. Wake the important people. Get Ms. Potts on the phone and head of legal."

He jumped off of the couch to clear the digital whiteboard he'd been working on off with the swipe of his hand over the projection and started to mock-write as if there was a pen in his hand. "We need to get you into wardrobe by five. The more Avengers present, the better. Maybe Thor can grace us with his presence. J? Banner still awake? No? Really? Well good for him. Let him sleep. Do not let Rhodey sleep though. I need to talk to him."

"Yes, sir, would you prefer to talk to Colonel Rhodes, Ms. Potts, or your head of legal separately or in a conference call?"

Either way JARVIS would be quick to get things set up, and to call all of the other Avengers (bar Bruce) from their beds. Including Captain and Mr. Rogers, who were informed that their wayward boyfriend had again gone a-wandering to Tony's garage and intended to tell the world that Howard had been coerced.

Bucky placed a hand over the dragon protectively, thankful it had dried already, and frowned as Tony took his idea and ran with it.

"Wait, what do you mean, wardrobe? I have clothes, Tony."

"You have terrible clothes. You have Steve's clothes. And too much black and red. Black and red are what villains and emos wear." Tony plunked back down in his chair and told JARVIS to queue up Pepper first before he talked to Rhodey. The lawyers could wait. They were better when working on almost nothing. Right?

Tony set his chin on his palm as the call went through. "Stand up. J will scan you and get my tailor to find something appropriate. Don't worry. It's going to be a casual suit. Do not even suggest that you want a hoodie."

He turned back to the wall as Pepper appeared, tired and hair sticking out all over the place.

He thought she looked beautiful.

"Sorry to bother you--"

"Tony, do you know what time it is? Oh-- Is that Sergeant Barnes--"

Tony nodded. "It is. And he's going to save the day." Or would in a few hours. Not too long after, Steve and a bundled up Grant shuffled in, the smaller man sitting next to Bucky on the couch, yawning.

And that set Pepper off too. She hated being so out of the loop!

Bucky would not be letting Tony dress him up in any kind of suit, appropriate and casual or otherwise. He liked his baggy clothing with the soft fleecy hoodies, they made him feel safe and inconspicuous. The press could take him as he actually was, not how Tony thought he would make a good impression.

He shot a slightly concerned look over at Steve and Grant, wondering how they would take the idea of Bucky outright lying about an ex-HYDRA operative. But he didn't really have a chance to say anything because of how rapid fire both Pepper and Tony were being. She chastised him, then she went through the logistics with him, then she ordered him to shower and trim his goatee and get dressed in good clothing to make a good impression. They sat through almost three hours of phone calls with Rhodey (who was cagey, but attempted to be supportive), the legal team (who were nervous as hell about a statement from Barnes), and a few media executives who were confirming attendance.

By the time it was all done, it was 4.45am, and Bucky was slumped against Steve with his fingers curled tightly into Grant's sleeve, fast asleep.

Steve was still awake, but Grant had turned to curl up against Bucky's chest. It was as close as either of them had gotten in a long time and neither Steve not Grant wanted to move him. At least the youngest of the trio slept well. He needed it. Bucky's fearfulness would have to be seen. Not that they could keep him asleep for too long.

"I don't like this," Tony acknowledged to the awake blond. "Not one bit. He deserves to be hated. Not sympathized with. But the people that work for me and my vendors.... They need the reprieve."

He sighed through his nose and stood up to get that shower and shave.

"He's a good guy, Steve. You're luck."

Steve took his happiness where he could find it now. Some people might think that someone falling asleep against him would hardly be cause for celebration, but just knowing Bucky was resting and trusted him enough to keep him safe while he did lit a huge candle of hope in his chest.

"I know, Tony."

His voice was soft, careful not to move.

"If you did like it, that's when I'd be stopping this. I don't like it either, I don't want any of the people who hurt-- who were HYDRA to get away with it, not even if I knew them as friends once. But this is Bucky's choice, and I'm not going to take that away from him. Seems like he's decided you're a friend to protect, Tony, don't make him regret it."

"I like it when you add that touch of threat under your words. It makes you seem more human." Tony winked at Steve before he left the trio to get another hour or so of sleep before wardrobe would arrive. If Bucky refused to wear something nice, so be it. He figured Grant would appreciate the three piece suits. It was his style. He'd look a little forties gangster-- No. Tony was never going to give up his mild obsession with Grant. Not ever.

He showered and used concealer under his eyes and trimmed up before taking his time picking out something appropriate from the wardrobe that followed him from place to place. Even if he was in a jeans and tee sort of mood, he wanted the option to look dapper. He selected a red tie and a black and grey shadowstripe vest with a gold fob and Avengers symboled cufflinks.

He was less ready for the press conference than he looked, however. He straightened his tie as he rejoined the others on the lawn of a compound the press has never been to before. Thor had shown up, but Rhodey and Barton had kept their distance. Tony was actually pretty broken up about the former.

The latter was probably stuck in an air duct anyway. Barton. Yuck.

Steve looked resplendent in his uniform, shield at his back, the very image of the all-American hero that not even the presses could malign for long. There was just something about Captain America that was too wholesome to pursue for long, he had to be a hero, the public just loved him too much. Grant in his suit, a little too baggy even with the expert tailoring, Thor in his Asgardian finery, Natasha in a neat black skirt suit, Tony in his dapper clothing, and Bucky in his thick maroon hoodie.

He looked nervous as hell, jaw grit and skin pale, but he forced himself to take a step towards the microphones set up at a pedestal as the press pointed cameras of both photographic and film varieties at him. His voice was still too low, too gravelly, but he finally addressed the world.

"My name is-- James Barnes." He swallowed hard. "I died a long time ago. You can read about it at the Smithsonian, I know that I did, I went there when I didn't even know my own name and I read about myself. I didn't know myself because when I fell from the train I was found by HYDRA, they tortured me for a long time. I won't go into what it takes to break a man, but by the time they sent me out on missions, I had no name. I wasn't a 'he', I was an 'it', I obeyed because it was all I knew to do, and if I didn't there was only more pain and conditioning. I was kept in storage like a tool when I wasn't needed, and it was only because of Steve-- Captain America, that I managed to escape that."

He paused, fingers gripping the podium a bit too tightly.

"I am still dangerous. I'm sure you've all seen the footage of what happened at the College of Art. I have flashbacks, I can't deal with loud noises and crowds, and sometimes I don't react in the best of ways. But I'm trying to recover who I was, and I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to live my life. A life that HYDRA took from me, and I'm not the only one. HYDRA stole the lives from many people, and forced many good people to work for them. They wanted the best when it came to technology, and so it was probably no surprise that they turned to Howard Stark. I can't excuse what he did working for them any more than I can excuse what I did, but I know that he had no choice in it either. They threatened the things he cared about, and when he finally refused to play their game any more, they sent me to murder him."

The silence was deafening, and Bucky's entire posture screamed fight or flight, a man on the edge of running for his life.

"What you're all doing now, maligning a good man, a hero who has helped save the world, because of what his father was forced to do, it's not right. I can't do a lot of things that are good, but I can at least try to right this wrong. That's-- that's it. Are there any questions?"

As had been discussed with the press before, the questions had to come in order. Pepper would go down the row pointing so that Bucky was not overwhelmed. Seeing her take charge in her crisp gray suit made Tony's heart ache but he kept his mouth shut the entire time, eyes forward when possible. A lot of the questions followed the same lines that the students had asked but some reporters wanted details about Finney, even though they had the video now available to them. Others wanted information on Howard and how far he had been compromised, if he had ever knowingly commingled funds, or wanted to know what sort of help Bucky was getting for his PTSD

Tony answered nothing. Anything directed at Steve was pushed away. Focus needed to remain on Bucky and Bucky alone.

By the end, only Thor seemed unstained and inquired about a feast or a sparring session, for he did enjoy training with Captain America. Tony ought to have tried to stay with Bucky but he ended up following Pepper, trying-- Well he wasn't sure. She would never be coming back to him but he had to try. That left Steve to act as guardian and Grant to slip his hand into Bucky's. They were proud of him.

Bucky wasn't the ideal person to give a press conference; his words were too quiet, he answered in as short sentences as possible, and his emotional inflection was often close to nothing. But in some strange ways that worked for him, the horrors that he sometimes described in a few words were more affecting told that way than with sobbing and screaming, and it became easier and easier to see that he really was just a POW who had been badly damaged.

At least the press conference had done its work. By the time another day had passed, nearly everyone would have heard about the tragic tale of American hero Bucky Barnes, and the absolution of any crimes levelled at Stark Industries. Stock began picking back up at once, shareholders suddenly materialised out of whatever holes they had gone into, and Tony was once more a hero. For now. Not to Pepper though, who would be kind and warm to him for she would always love him, but very gently make sure that he knew that they were over. She couldn't do it any more, but she would always be his friend.

Bucky sagged with relief when he finally made it back inside their building with just Grant and Steve, folding himself around Grant to envelop the younger and smaller man into his arms tightly.

"Did you-- did you see it, Grant?" He murmured, voice tight with a shaky chuckle. "That dame on the second row was giving you the eye."

"Are you saying that I can't catch a girl if I wanted one," Grant joked back without even bothering to attempt to push Bucky away. He needed the embrace as much as the other man, likely. He was left to analyze silently if the woman had just been trying to guess how close of a relation Steve and Grant were since their features were identical with the proportions distorted, right up until he realized that Bucky was actually teasing him.

It made him hug Bucky even harder, though the strength of his body was minuscule.

Steve was just taking off his helmet when Grant burst out into laughter. The shield had been propped up against the couch and the blinds around the living room were drawn for privacy. The atmosphere was not at all one that might give way to laughing. And yet-- "She was impressed by the fact that I didn't look like a hobo and probably I was just a more attainable version of Steve. Hm. Did you get her number? Do you think Mr. Stark would have it?"

The taller blond looked back as if what he was hearing was insanity until he too had some of the pressure behind the valve released. His grin was telling. "Are you sure you want to step out with a reporter, Grant? She was old enough to be our mother."

"My mother maybe," Grant scoffed. "You two are in your nineties."

"What? You're suddenly going to leave me just because one reporter gave you the eye? She was probably just trying to figure out how someone who looked like you got to be standing next to me."

He was smiling against the curve of Grant's neck, the expression hidden from view, but still felt against the skin along with the dampness of tears. He was really proud of himself for what he had done today, but also scared as shit and drained, which left him feeling all over the place emotionally.

"Ninety is the new twenty, we're in our prime of life."

His arms clamped even harder around Grant, maybe a little too hard for comfort, but he couldn't make himself let go. He wanted to be holding Steve too, but he couldn't seem to make himself let go long enough to drag the other man in there as well.

That wouldn't be a problem. Once the helmet and gloves were off, Steve easily stepped around the small pile of discarded kit and pulled both Bucky and Grant into a hug. He could taste the tears in the air as they headed up with Grant's skin, a strange side effect of heightened senses, but that didn't bother him. Tears in this case was a relief and Steve wholeheartedly embraced that. Maybe the questions answered, some of which had been so openly insensitive that Steve had wanted to jump over the podium and strangle someone, and Bucky had done it so well and so calmly.

It reminded him of the video that kid in had taken in Grant's class. Everything about that been remarkable up until the the end-- But it didn't change Steve's mind about how it felt. "I agree with Buck."

Grant laughed in the middle of the hug, a tiny rumble against Bucky's chest. "Two against one. That's not fair. Well you both are older and wiser so I guess I better stay and learn from my elders." He would be fine with half a day spent in bed with these two. Tie off. Socks only. Grant had never been one for physicality but now? He'd really gotten used to sleeping with Steve. He just wanted to get used to sleeping with Bucky too.

They were all so very broken in their own ways, this fractured little family holding one another together, but hadn't that been how it always was? He suddenly had a vivid memory of Steve yelling at him and him yelling right back, they'd been in the front room of that cold little tenement that they'd shared after Sarah had died, and Steve was mad that Bucky had picked up extra shifts just to afford him some new drawing pencils instead of buying more food. He could vividly recall how much they had shouted at each other for about an hour, and then how he had come home to a drawing left on his pillow in the new pencils as an apology. He could remember Steve being so careful of those pencils, using them right down until they were nubs.

It made him smile wider, perhaps a reminder that they had always managed to find a way through to happiness in the hardest of times.

"You're both idiots, and I'm the oldest, so what I say goes. And I say you're both punks who don't know how to treat a guy you're stepping out with, neither-- neither of you has asked me to dance even once. I mean, I knew you weren't experienced, Rogers, but this is dumb even for you."

Grant stiffened, or rather, bristled. "You know I have t-- it's not about lack of experience as much as utterly no experience--" came a sputter from under Bucky's arms. It was probably a good reminder, holding him this way, that there was someone in his life who could not actually physically hurt him. And at the same time, Steve cacooning them both, was a man who could stop him from hurting anyone. They were their own perfect failsafes.

The older Rogers actually took a step back, setting hands on his hips. "Uh. Well I haven't either. I promised my first to Peggy Carter.... But the plane went down in the water before I could collect."

Grant struggled to look at Steve over Bucky's arm.

"How've you never stepped out with anyone-- or danced?!" Maybe that was insensitive but it helped that they had the same early life and childhood. Grant was not bullying Steve. Not at all. "you, of all people!" He didn't mention Peggy. That was so weird to him.

Steve snorted. "Time? Lack of willing dance partners? No teacher?"

"Your teacher is back. Let me sit this one out before I wheeze all over you both," Grant said, giving Bucky a small push back against his ribs even as Steve looked pleased and embarrassed.

"Yeah he is. Maybe-- what do you say, Buck? JARVIS, got anything good on tap? Maybe something to Charleston to? That's probably my only speed."

It was exactly what he needed, to protect and be protected, and he was lucky as hell that his two soulmates could do that for him perfectly. He couldn't help but mirror Grant's incredulous expression, unable to believe that Steve hadn't managed to fill his dance card in the years that he had been out of the ice.

"You're hopeless. You look like that, and you haven't even taken anyone dancing."

He shook his head and then released Grant, but not before giving him a very light kiss at the top of his head where the crown of golden hairs sprouted.

"And you were always useless too, two left feet, it's a wonder any dame ever looked at me with you two hanging around all the time."

It was a gentle tease, though, they both should know that Bucky wouldn't have had it any other way. He wasn't sure that he remembered any dance steps, though, and when JARVIS obligingly played a good old Charleston tune, Bucky stood as if frozen for a minute or so.

"I don't know-- Steve, how did it start?"

The Charleston was one step in the typical swing dance that Steve had managed only a few times because Bucky had managed to take the usual front tap-twist, back tap-twist to a sort of new level, all wild legs and beautiful arms doing something magical on the dance floor when combined with other dances Steve had never mastered.

"Shoes off," Steve proclaimed. On carpet, they couldn't really do this with their shoes on. It took him a lot longer to tug off his boots than it took Bucky, but he had them set aside with his other uniform pieces before he stood in front of Bucky. Grant had retreated to the couch, amused and expectant that Bucky would remember once his hips were going.

"It's the first step you ever tried to teach me," Grant chimed in, tugging on someone's MIT sweatshirt that had been left lying around.

Steve nodded and pointed at white socked feet. "Left foot forward to lead. Sort of kick it out, swing it out like this. And when you're on the ball of your foot, twist. Now the right foot you swing back and, yeah, twist." For all of Steve's downplaying, he was actually really fantastic. He even had the arm movements down. Grant was impressed and he applauded too.

Bucky curled white socked toes against the carpet and watched Steve's movements with all the intensity of the Soldier with a target. He stepped forwards to copy, his own movements stilted at first, and then something clicked inside his head. It was like muscle memory, something his body knew how to do without him, and he stepped into the Charleston as if it were a comfortable old suit.

He had always been a good dancer, full of swing and verve, but now he was even better because he had the grace and strength of a fighter behind him. He grabbed hold of Steve's hand and began to try and pull him into the more complicated steps, a huge grin on his face as he realised that he could do this.

It felt good, very good, to do something with his body that his creators had never intended for him to do, like this was helping him reclaim it.

"C'mon, Steve, you call that dancing?"

Steve didn't know the steps. That became clear for the first two minutes. But as Bucky led, memory of watching him with countless partners coupled with his decade or so experience now fighting and the serum infused body he had been gifted made him look as effortless as Bucky. Grant couldn't feel jealous about this as he watched the pair pull and push and twirl and turn each other, not just because Steve was him but because this was perfect. Bucky was having fun. That was all that Grant truly wanted.

He watched from the sidelines, a sense of normalcy overcoming him. Bucky didn't look the way he had in the dance halls and Steve didn't look like any of his partners, this certainly wasn't a dance hall and the day had started off with a reminder of how far Bucky had come and how far he still had to go. These moments capped off a meeting of future and past, balancing the current road above it.

And Grant was just so pleased.

Steve fell easily into the dance, for his part. Bucky was a fine partner and he'd been dreaming of something like this for half his life now. Dancing, yes, but dancing with Bucky.

It was a first he would never forget.

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well that was the wrong account... SUDDENLY SHERLOCK

<3

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