Bucky and Tony, backdated to Oct 25th
Oct. 25th, 2014 11:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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om_mainKnowing he's screwed up things with Steve and Tony, Bucky decides to try peace talks with Tony. It doesn't go as well as hoped.
Bucky still wasn't overly convinced this was a good idea but he was sticking to his guns, he'd fucked up and to right things with Steve it meant attempting to right things with Tony. Even if the guy did aggravate him beyond belief.
Besides he'd realised way back that if Steve phoned him and said there was a body that needing burying, he'd probably do it no questions asked. Which was probably why it was lucky his best friend was the most honest guys he knew and fairly unlikely to kill. And the point ultimately was, if he was willing to bury a hypothetical body then he sure as hell could hang out with Tony Stark for a while. And hopefully that wouldn't end in burying a body, Steve wouldn't thank him for that.
They'd gone for a food place, not too pricey because no way was Buck letting the guy pay for him or show off his cash like that.
To be honest, Tony had expected it sooner. Well really, he'd been anticipating getting a shovel speech from someone pretty much seconds after he and Steve had made things official, so the fact that it had taken a while was more surprising than anything. Even money had been on Bucky, so it was at least nice to be proven right about something.
So when the guy had called, Tony had agreed. Why put it off? The choice of neutral ground was probably better for both their sakes, but Tony couldn't resist the urge for just a little grandstanding. In the end it just meant that he'd made a point of getting their first, lounging indolently on the fake-vinyl bench of the diner's booth when his erstwhile guest wandered in.
"Barnes," he said by way of greeting with a flash of a grin.
"Tony," Bucky nodded back, a smile in place though it was a touch apprehensive as to how this was going to go really. He'd already fought the urge to roll his eyes at the sight of Stark lounging about like he own the place which, he felt, was an achievement in itself. Despite is best intentions, he wasn't sure his temper would last long.
"So," Tony said as he watched Bucky get himself settled. At least he wasn't the only one thinking this was going to be weird. "You rang?"
"Well, yeah. Like I said on the phone it'd make Steve happier if we got to know each other a bit better." A fact they both couldn't deny considering one of the first things Steve had done after Bucky's arrival was introduce them. "So I thought lunch, why not?"
The wording was specific 'getting to know' not 'liking' because they couldn't exact force it even if it would make life a lot easier.
"So this is all about Steve," Tony said with a lifted eyebrow, not even bothering to modulate it into a question. Which was pretty much what he'd expected, but it would be nice to get confirmation.
"Would you have given me the time of day if it wasn't?" After all, wasn't like Stark had ever shown any interest in Bucky as a person.
"Not likely," Tony agreed without an ounce of shame. "Would you?"
Well, with an answer like that, he saw no reason to sugar coat. "Well, you've never exactly given me a reason to want to but, lucky for you, I love Steve so here I am."
Tony somehow managed to slouch even further down in his seat, but his eyes were sharp. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I had to dance for your attention first. Do forgive me."
"I wasn't saying that, you always gotta be so dramatic?" And people called him sarcastic. "Anyway, if this is gonna be a sorting shit out dinner or whatever, maybe this ain't how it should start?" Even if he wasn't surprised and it was equally his own fault. Or maybe completely, he needed
"On the contrary," Tony said, folding his arms across his chest. "If you've got something to say to me, let's get that out now.
Bucky took him in for a moment, poker face in place without thinking about it. Letting his guard down did not strike him as wise if he could help it. "You think I got you here to, what, make ultimatums?"
"I think I'd laugh at you if you tried. But you've clearly got issues with me," Tony said, gesturing like he was asking for something, "so let's hear it."
"I don't know you," And you've never been interested in knowing me. "Why wouldn't I be concerned about an unknown element coming in, throwing around cash, giving out apartments and shit? That shit doesn't happen where we come from."
Hell, teenage boys giving friends phones and apartments didn't exactly happen anywhere. "Maybe I'm wrong to be concerned, I know I've gone about shit wrong lately and I hope I am wrong but I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't worry about his well being."
"Really," Tony drawled slowly, fixing him with an intent look. "Because for someone apparently so concerned with his well being, you've been doing an amazing job of making him feel like shit. Is this some magical new form of concern I'm not aware of?"
"I've never said I'm perfect. 'Sides, that's why I'm here to try to right some of this shit." No, he wasn't perfect, he couldn't be further from perfect, but he was trying at least. Even if he was a bit late, he'd admit that. "I'm trying to make it up to him."
Tony stared at him silently for a moment. "And how exactly is talking to me going to fix the shit you've said to him?"
"I'm not expecting this to fix everything, it's just a step but I'm trying." He wanted to fix things with Steve, he hated that things weren't normal with them and was willing to do anything to fix it. Even hang out with Tony.
"Jesus christ," Tony burst out without meaning to, "are you purposefully missing the point or are you just this dense? You've been practically triggering the poor guy. Don't give me this bullshit about trying to 'fix things' by making nice with me."
Being lectured about Steve by the likes of Stark rubbed him the wrong way completely but he swallowed it down because, bottom line, he wasn't wrong. Though triggering? Had he really been triggering for Steve? Had he been fucking up so badly that he didn't even realise that? No, Tony must be exaggerating. Please God because the alternative...
"I've fucked up, I know I have. You don't gotta tell me that."
"Apparently I do, considering you haven't actually tried apologizing or anything. But no, please do continue telling me about how terrible being generous is." But Tony seemed a little more settled now that he'd said what he really wanted to.
"I know." And sure he was stubborn and he didn't like Stark but he did know he'd fucked up, maybe he had needed that trip home and a smack around the head from his mother to realise exactly how much he'd fucked up but he was ready to grovel now. Not to Stark though.
He was blindsided from saying anything else by the appearance of a waitress wanting their orders. He hadn't even glanced at the menu yet.
"Give us a minute," Tony told the waitress without once looking away from Bucky, to the point where he barely even noticed when she disappeared again. Maybe realizing that he'd been an utter asshat was a good step, but it wasn't something Tony was likely to ever forget about.
"So as long as you know," Tony echoed mockingly, "it damn well won't be happening again. Correct?"
"Correct." Buck repeated, once again swallowing down his annoyance. Yes, he'd screwed up but did Tony have to be a complete dick about it? Well, it was Tony so the answer was there.
"Excellent," Tony said, all false cheer, and finally broke eye contact to open his menu. "Then I suppose we can move on."
Bucky studied the menu with apparent interest but without taking in the words much. He'd well and truly fucked up even if he had come from a well meaning place, road to hell and all that shit, still having to admit it to this guy wasn't exactly pleasant. In fairness he'd probably been a bit naive to think that Stark wouldn't lord it over him and rub it in his face. Being a proud kid, it stung even though he knew that in this it was Steve who'd been really hurt and Steve whose feelings mattered not his. He'd known that before Tony Stark had been so condescending to him though.
When the waitress finally returned he still hadn't read the menu so ordered burger, fries and a coke. Every place like this served it o it'd do.
Tony put in an absent request for a sandwich and coffee, grinning at the waitress as he told her she could just leave the pot. Probably
wouldn't work, but a little charm never hurt anyone.
"So," he said once they were alone again. "Is this the getting to know you portion?"
"I guess it is," Bucky nodded back, he even managed a smile as he asked "Got a preferred method? 20 questions? Never have I ever?"
Because, ask he kept reminding himself, he had needed a serving of humble pie even if he hadn't much like who had served it to him so there was no use hold that against Tony at least.
"Never have I ever seems pretty pointless," Tony said with an arch look. There wasn't much he hadn't done. "How about you just ask a question, and then I will?"
"Seems fair. Any no-go areas?" Since, obviously, the last thing he wanted was to step on triggers or out and out offend especially at this very fragile moment.
"I'll let you know," Tony said, more than a little dry. Whatever their issues were, Barnes had nothing on a reporter.
"OK then." He nodded though couldn't help noticing that Tony hadn't bothered extending him the same courtesy. Still, he went for something seemingly bland. "Fine, uh...got much of a game plan post graduation?" He had no idea what Stark was up to though it didn't seem to be college, of course you didn't have to live on a campus to be going to college.
Tony just stared at him for a long moment, because...seriously? "You mean like taking over the Fortune 500 company I just inherited? That kind of thing?"
"You're, what, eighteen? Am I supposed to just assume you plan to run the company yourself right away? That's why I was asking coz I don't know." Bucky pointed out because he might not know shit about running companies but he did know you could pay people to do it for you. And if Tony was rich enough to hand out apartments he was rich enough to do that.
"Seventeen," he corrected. "And yes. That's the idea considering my name is on the door. Can't officially until next year, though," Tony finished with a shrug. There were significantly more complications than that, but it wasn't anything he wanted to get into, and definitely not with someone he was still feeling out.
"Fair enough," Bucky nodded, leaving it at that since it was Tony's turn anyway.
And here was the problem with these sorts of games -- anything Tony generally wanted to know he could look up himself, and there were few things he cared enough about to really go hunting for. Still, it wouldn't kill him to play along. Probably.
"What would you have done if you hadn't ended up at the school?" He asked finally. It seemed innocuous enough, and also most innocent to anyone that might accidentally overhear. Good start.
"Finished up high school where I was and see what scholarships I qualified for. I'm JROTC so they could help with college a bit. In the mean time stay with the family, help look after the twins and all the other stuff I did before. Training, hanging out with friends, that sort of thing." Visit Steve at the school as much as possible, because presumably in this scenario of Tony's Bucky wasn't a mutant but Steve still was.
Of course he was. How wholesome. But Tony just snorted a little and waved at him to take his turn.
"That was funny?" Bucky looked at him with a more confused than anything. It was just his family life, how the hell was that snort worthy?
Next question was a bit random but he'd been wondering and in was in the spirit of 'getting to know you' and all that "Heard you and Steve talk about someone called Dummy. What's all that about?" Because he really didn't see Steve going along with calling someone a bullying nickname like 'Dummy' so there had to be a story there.
At that, Tony snickered outright. "Not quite a someone, very technically speaking. What does and does not constitute sentience is still pretty heavily debated. He's a robot," he finally added, by way of explanation. "And not a particularly intelligent one, but there you go."
"A robot minion, huh?" Bucky couldn't even say he was surprised. "When's world domination scheduled for then?"
"What would I want world domination for?" Tony lifted an eyebrow at him. "Sounds boring, frankly."
"This is true, you'll be letting down the 'rich guy genius with robot minion' stereotype, though." He reasoned with a small shrug.
"I very much doubt that," Tony said with a grin that had a few too many teeth in it. "My turn again? Alright. What is it exactly that you seem to think I'm buying?"
"And by that you mean?"
"Well you're the one convinced I'm buying Steve. I'm curious as to what you think it is I'm getting."
OK, so that was less 'getting to know you' and more trying to stir shit again.
"I didn't say that, just said that guys handing out apartments ain't the sorta shit that happens, like, ever so made me kinda wary and shit, I guess. Never said Steve was for sell." No way was he gonna be tricked into calling his best friend some kind of a whore so that Tony could accuse him more.
"Which doesn't actually explain what it is you think you need to be wary of," Tony said a little blandly. "Because there's a whole lot implied there, and I'm really curious to see where you're going with it."
"Look, it was just a gut feeling." He told him simply
"Well that means absolutely nothing. So basically, you don't like me. You could have just said that."
"I, it was about trust not liking." Bucky shrugged since despite while admittedly finding Tony annoying, he didn't really know enough about the guy to say he didn't like him, not fairly anyway. He suspected at this point though even if he got to know him, he probably wouldn't like him.
"Wow," Tony said after a moment. "That makes even less sense. Congratulations, I wasn't sure that was possible."
"You're saying you've honestly never met someone who's given you a bad gut feeling before?" Something didn't sit right meant something didn't sit right, why was Tony acting like he was off for the wall for that? Gut instinct to be wary of someone for feeling potentially dodgy wasn't that strange or unusual, for fuck's sake.
"Steve's the better guy than me, I freely admit that. He sees good where I don't. Maybe I shoulda tried looking more and ignored my gut. I sure as well shoulda kept my trap shut but hindsight's a bitch." Yes he'd fucked up but Tony's insistence at going back and back to flog the dead dog struck him as a power thing more than anything else. Shit stirring.
"Sure." Tony said with an insouciant shrug, "plenty. But see, the thing is. In a situation like this, where you apparently 'don't trust me' for unknown reasons? That's not good enough." He leaned forward slightly, eyes intent. "Because I'm not going anywhere. So either figure out what the hell your problem is or move on."
"And this would be me trying to move the hell on." Bucky pointed out.
"Fine," Tony said, all but physically throwing up his hand. "Terrific. You go on with your bad self."
"Look, I'm sorry ok? I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions about you and even sorrier that I hurt Steve with it." And it wasn't just Tony he was saying this to or going to be saying again, because he already knew Tony probably wasn't ever going to be a friend but making shit up to
Steve was the priority anyway. "And this ain't nothing but a drop in the ocean but it's a start." A late start, horrifically late, but better late than never. Even if Tony was still as infuriating as ever.
"You're still missing the point," Tony said and braced his elbows on the table top to lean in closer. "I do not care what you think of me. Not a single fuck given. My feelings are not hurt. I do not cry into my pillow at night. You can think I'm the devil himself," one side of his mouth slid up into a smirk, "you wouldn't be the first. What I want to know is why."
And, not for the first time, Bucky was trying to figure out what the hell Steve could see in this guy that he apparently found attractive.
They were going in circles still and it was maddening.
"You know, you'd already written me off a not worth your time even as we first met so I don't really see why you're so bothered?" He asked, shaking his head. What was the point?
Steve had been so eager to introduce them and Tony had barely been willing to turn away from whatever science shit he'd been doing at the time. Combining that with the patronizing assumption that Bucky was there for hand outs and not to meet Steve's new friend, well who wouldn't have been insulted by his behaviour?
Their drinks were brought other at that moment, the waitress moved quickly to set them down and hurry away presumably having picked up on the tension at the table. He'd have to make sure to leave her a better tip than usual.
Well, he'd tried. He'd really tried, and frankly Tony didn't know what more could be asked of him.
Which meant that he felt no regrets about abandoning even their faintest veneer of civility he'd been playing with. "Yep," he said with heavy irony has he reached for his cup, "well, you've sure proved me wrong there." Who didn't love a good baseless accusation or two?
Bucky used the pause to take a deep breath and remind himself that losing his temper was so not helping with all this.
"Look, I didn't call you here to fight, I really didn't." They just seemed to be really good at it apparently. And he knew he was making it worse.
Tony snorted into his coffee, considering he'd practically put his nose in the cup. "When I'm ready to fight, you'll know about it. And out of a trainwreck sense of curiosity," he said dryly, "what exactly were you looking for?"
"I dunno, to, to," He ran his hand through hair with a sigh. "To figure out if you and me can at least find some common ground. We don't gotta like each other but you're the boyfriend and I'm the best friend, makes sense to, you know, try at least." And it was the least he could do for Steve after being a jackass.
"It doesn't, actually," Tony said with a raised eyebrow, "and I mean that seriously. We don't even live in the same place. You and I never have to be in the same room again. And on the off chance we are, it doesn't mean we have to talk. So frankly forcing ourselves into a stilted conversation we both know isn't going to go anywhere seems like a wasted effort."
That attitude surprised Bucky, ok Tony did live in New York but he was a part of Steve's life as was Bucky and those parts logically would overlap more often than 'on the off chance'. At least that was how Bucky saw it, obviously another subject they weren't going to agree on. There seemed to be an unsurprising theme emerging.
"OK, if that's how you wanna play it, we can." There was clearly no point in forcing the issue with someone who had made their stance so very clear.
"I'm just saying," Tony said and shrugged. "Forcing a relationship isn't going to help anything. Either we get along or we don't. I'm gonna go with not. It happens."
"Fine, just don't expect me to leave before I get that burger." He'd spent the morning seeing family, if he was coming into the city he couldn't not, so he was starving. Besides, he wasn't in the business of wasting food. Finally he started on that coke.
Bucky still wasn't overly convinced this was a good idea but he was sticking to his guns, he'd fucked up and to right things with Steve it meant attempting to right things with Tony. Even if the guy did aggravate him beyond belief.
Besides he'd realised way back that if Steve phoned him and said there was a body that needing burying, he'd probably do it no questions asked. Which was probably why it was lucky his best friend was the most honest guys he knew and fairly unlikely to kill. And the point ultimately was, if he was willing to bury a hypothetical body then he sure as hell could hang out with Tony Stark for a while. And hopefully that wouldn't end in burying a body, Steve wouldn't thank him for that.
They'd gone for a food place, not too pricey because no way was Buck letting the guy pay for him or show off his cash like that.
To be honest, Tony had expected it sooner. Well really, he'd been anticipating getting a shovel speech from someone pretty much seconds after he and Steve had made things official, so the fact that it had taken a while was more surprising than anything. Even money had been on Bucky, so it was at least nice to be proven right about something.
So when the guy had called, Tony had agreed. Why put it off? The choice of neutral ground was probably better for both their sakes, but Tony couldn't resist the urge for just a little grandstanding. In the end it just meant that he'd made a point of getting their first, lounging indolently on the fake-vinyl bench of the diner's booth when his erstwhile guest wandered in.
"Barnes," he said by way of greeting with a flash of a grin.
"Tony," Bucky nodded back, a smile in place though it was a touch apprehensive as to how this was going to go really. He'd already fought the urge to roll his eyes at the sight of Stark lounging about like he own the place which, he felt, was an achievement in itself. Despite is best intentions, he wasn't sure his temper would last long.
"So," Tony said as he watched Bucky get himself settled. At least he wasn't the only one thinking this was going to be weird. "You rang?"
"Well, yeah. Like I said on the phone it'd make Steve happier if we got to know each other a bit better." A fact they both couldn't deny considering one of the first things Steve had done after Bucky's arrival was introduce them. "So I thought lunch, why not?"
The wording was specific 'getting to know' not 'liking' because they couldn't exact force it even if it would make life a lot easier.
"So this is all about Steve," Tony said with a lifted eyebrow, not even bothering to modulate it into a question. Which was pretty much what he'd expected, but it would be nice to get confirmation.
"Would you have given me the time of day if it wasn't?" After all, wasn't like Stark had ever shown any interest in Bucky as a person.
"Not likely," Tony agreed without an ounce of shame. "Would you?"
Well, with an answer like that, he saw no reason to sugar coat. "Well, you've never exactly given me a reason to want to but, lucky for you, I love Steve so here I am."
Tony somehow managed to slouch even further down in his seat, but his eyes were sharp. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I had to dance for your attention first. Do forgive me."
"I wasn't saying that, you always gotta be so dramatic?" And people called him sarcastic. "Anyway, if this is gonna be a sorting shit out dinner or whatever, maybe this ain't how it should start?" Even if he wasn't surprised and it was equally his own fault. Or maybe completely, he needed
"On the contrary," Tony said, folding his arms across his chest. "If you've got something to say to me, let's get that out now.
Bucky took him in for a moment, poker face in place without thinking about it. Letting his guard down did not strike him as wise if he could help it. "You think I got you here to, what, make ultimatums?"
"I think I'd laugh at you if you tried. But you've clearly got issues with me," Tony said, gesturing like he was asking for something, "so let's hear it."
"I don't know you," And you've never been interested in knowing me. "Why wouldn't I be concerned about an unknown element coming in, throwing around cash, giving out apartments and shit? That shit doesn't happen where we come from."
Hell, teenage boys giving friends phones and apartments didn't exactly happen anywhere. "Maybe I'm wrong to be concerned, I know I've gone about shit wrong lately and I hope I am wrong but I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't worry about his well being."
"Really," Tony drawled slowly, fixing him with an intent look. "Because for someone apparently so concerned with his well being, you've been doing an amazing job of making him feel like shit. Is this some magical new form of concern I'm not aware of?"
"I've never said I'm perfect. 'Sides, that's why I'm here to try to right some of this shit." No, he wasn't perfect, he couldn't be further from perfect, but he was trying at least. Even if he was a bit late, he'd admit that. "I'm trying to make it up to him."
Tony stared at him silently for a moment. "And how exactly is talking to me going to fix the shit you've said to him?"
"I'm not expecting this to fix everything, it's just a step but I'm trying." He wanted to fix things with Steve, he hated that things weren't normal with them and was willing to do anything to fix it. Even hang out with Tony.
"Jesus christ," Tony burst out without meaning to, "are you purposefully missing the point or are you just this dense? You've been practically triggering the poor guy. Don't give me this bullshit about trying to 'fix things' by making nice with me."
Being lectured about Steve by the likes of Stark rubbed him the wrong way completely but he swallowed it down because, bottom line, he wasn't wrong. Though triggering? Had he really been triggering for Steve? Had he been fucking up so badly that he didn't even realise that? No, Tony must be exaggerating. Please God because the alternative...
"I've fucked up, I know I have. You don't gotta tell me that."
"Apparently I do, considering you haven't actually tried apologizing or anything. But no, please do continue telling me about how terrible being generous is." But Tony seemed a little more settled now that he'd said what he really wanted to.
"I know." And sure he was stubborn and he didn't like Stark but he did know he'd fucked up, maybe he had needed that trip home and a smack around the head from his mother to realise exactly how much he'd fucked up but he was ready to grovel now. Not to Stark though.
He was blindsided from saying anything else by the appearance of a waitress wanting their orders. He hadn't even glanced at the menu yet.
"Give us a minute," Tony told the waitress without once looking away from Bucky, to the point where he barely even noticed when she disappeared again. Maybe realizing that he'd been an utter asshat was a good step, but it wasn't something Tony was likely to ever forget about.
"So as long as you know," Tony echoed mockingly, "it damn well won't be happening again. Correct?"
"Correct." Buck repeated, once again swallowing down his annoyance. Yes, he'd screwed up but did Tony have to be a complete dick about it? Well, it was Tony so the answer was there.
"Excellent," Tony said, all false cheer, and finally broke eye contact to open his menu. "Then I suppose we can move on."
Bucky studied the menu with apparent interest but without taking in the words much. He'd well and truly fucked up even if he had come from a well meaning place, road to hell and all that shit, still having to admit it to this guy wasn't exactly pleasant. In fairness he'd probably been a bit naive to think that Stark wouldn't lord it over him and rub it in his face. Being a proud kid, it stung even though he knew that in this it was Steve who'd been really hurt and Steve whose feelings mattered not his. He'd known that before Tony Stark had been so condescending to him though.
When the waitress finally returned he still hadn't read the menu so ordered burger, fries and a coke. Every place like this served it o it'd do.
Tony put in an absent request for a sandwich and coffee, grinning at the waitress as he told her she could just leave the pot. Probably
wouldn't work, but a little charm never hurt anyone.
"So," he said once they were alone again. "Is this the getting to know you portion?"
"I guess it is," Bucky nodded back, he even managed a smile as he asked "Got a preferred method? 20 questions? Never have I ever?"
Because, ask he kept reminding himself, he had needed a serving of humble pie even if he hadn't much like who had served it to him so there was no use hold that against Tony at least.
"Never have I ever seems pretty pointless," Tony said with an arch look. There wasn't much he hadn't done. "How about you just ask a question, and then I will?"
"Seems fair. Any no-go areas?" Since, obviously, the last thing he wanted was to step on triggers or out and out offend especially at this very fragile moment.
"I'll let you know," Tony said, more than a little dry. Whatever their issues were, Barnes had nothing on a reporter.
"OK then." He nodded though couldn't help noticing that Tony hadn't bothered extending him the same courtesy. Still, he went for something seemingly bland. "Fine, uh...got much of a game plan post graduation?" He had no idea what Stark was up to though it didn't seem to be college, of course you didn't have to live on a campus to be going to college.
Tony just stared at him for a long moment, because...seriously? "You mean like taking over the Fortune 500 company I just inherited? That kind of thing?"
"You're, what, eighteen? Am I supposed to just assume you plan to run the company yourself right away? That's why I was asking coz I don't know." Bucky pointed out because he might not know shit about running companies but he did know you could pay people to do it for you. And if Tony was rich enough to hand out apartments he was rich enough to do that.
"Seventeen," he corrected. "And yes. That's the idea considering my name is on the door. Can't officially until next year, though," Tony finished with a shrug. There were significantly more complications than that, but it wasn't anything he wanted to get into, and definitely not with someone he was still feeling out.
"Fair enough," Bucky nodded, leaving it at that since it was Tony's turn anyway.
And here was the problem with these sorts of games -- anything Tony generally wanted to know he could look up himself, and there were few things he cared enough about to really go hunting for. Still, it wouldn't kill him to play along. Probably.
"What would you have done if you hadn't ended up at the school?" He asked finally. It seemed innocuous enough, and also most innocent to anyone that might accidentally overhear. Good start.
"Finished up high school where I was and see what scholarships I qualified for. I'm JROTC so they could help with college a bit. In the mean time stay with the family, help look after the twins and all the other stuff I did before. Training, hanging out with friends, that sort of thing." Visit Steve at the school as much as possible, because presumably in this scenario of Tony's Bucky wasn't a mutant but Steve still was.
Of course he was. How wholesome. But Tony just snorted a little and waved at him to take his turn.
"That was funny?" Bucky looked at him with a more confused than anything. It was just his family life, how the hell was that snort worthy?
Next question was a bit random but he'd been wondering and in was in the spirit of 'getting to know you' and all that "Heard you and Steve talk about someone called Dummy. What's all that about?" Because he really didn't see Steve going along with calling someone a bullying nickname like 'Dummy' so there had to be a story there.
At that, Tony snickered outright. "Not quite a someone, very technically speaking. What does and does not constitute sentience is still pretty heavily debated. He's a robot," he finally added, by way of explanation. "And not a particularly intelligent one, but there you go."
"A robot minion, huh?" Bucky couldn't even say he was surprised. "When's world domination scheduled for then?"
"What would I want world domination for?" Tony lifted an eyebrow at him. "Sounds boring, frankly."
"This is true, you'll be letting down the 'rich guy genius with robot minion' stereotype, though." He reasoned with a small shrug.
"I very much doubt that," Tony said with a grin that had a few too many teeth in it. "My turn again? Alright. What is it exactly that you seem to think I'm buying?"
"And by that you mean?"
"Well you're the one convinced I'm buying Steve. I'm curious as to what you think it is I'm getting."
OK, so that was less 'getting to know you' and more trying to stir shit again.
"I didn't say that, just said that guys handing out apartments ain't the sorta shit that happens, like, ever so made me kinda wary and shit, I guess. Never said Steve was for sell." No way was he gonna be tricked into calling his best friend some kind of a whore so that Tony could accuse him more.
"Which doesn't actually explain what it is you think you need to be wary of," Tony said a little blandly. "Because there's a whole lot implied there, and I'm really curious to see where you're going with it."
"Look, it was just a gut feeling." He told him simply
"Well that means absolutely nothing. So basically, you don't like me. You could have just said that."
"I, it was about trust not liking." Bucky shrugged since despite while admittedly finding Tony annoying, he didn't really know enough about the guy to say he didn't like him, not fairly anyway. He suspected at this point though even if he got to know him, he probably wouldn't like him.
"Wow," Tony said after a moment. "That makes even less sense. Congratulations, I wasn't sure that was possible."
"You're saying you've honestly never met someone who's given you a bad gut feeling before?" Something didn't sit right meant something didn't sit right, why was Tony acting like he was off for the wall for that? Gut instinct to be wary of someone for feeling potentially dodgy wasn't that strange or unusual, for fuck's sake.
"Steve's the better guy than me, I freely admit that. He sees good where I don't. Maybe I shoulda tried looking more and ignored my gut. I sure as well shoulda kept my trap shut but hindsight's a bitch." Yes he'd fucked up but Tony's insistence at going back and back to flog the dead dog struck him as a power thing more than anything else. Shit stirring.
"Sure." Tony said with an insouciant shrug, "plenty. But see, the thing is. In a situation like this, where you apparently 'don't trust me' for unknown reasons? That's not good enough." He leaned forward slightly, eyes intent. "Because I'm not going anywhere. So either figure out what the hell your problem is or move on."
"And this would be me trying to move the hell on." Bucky pointed out.
"Fine," Tony said, all but physically throwing up his hand. "Terrific. You go on with your bad self."
"Look, I'm sorry ok? I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions about you and even sorrier that I hurt Steve with it." And it wasn't just Tony he was saying this to or going to be saying again, because he already knew Tony probably wasn't ever going to be a friend but making shit up to
Steve was the priority anyway. "And this ain't nothing but a drop in the ocean but it's a start." A late start, horrifically late, but better late than never. Even if Tony was still as infuriating as ever.
"You're still missing the point," Tony said and braced his elbows on the table top to lean in closer. "I do not care what you think of me. Not a single fuck given. My feelings are not hurt. I do not cry into my pillow at night. You can think I'm the devil himself," one side of his mouth slid up into a smirk, "you wouldn't be the first. What I want to know is why."
And, not for the first time, Bucky was trying to figure out what the hell Steve could see in this guy that he apparently found attractive.
They were going in circles still and it was maddening.
"You know, you'd already written me off a not worth your time even as we first met so I don't really see why you're so bothered?" He asked, shaking his head. What was the point?
Steve had been so eager to introduce them and Tony had barely been willing to turn away from whatever science shit he'd been doing at the time. Combining that with the patronizing assumption that Bucky was there for hand outs and not to meet Steve's new friend, well who wouldn't have been insulted by his behaviour?
Their drinks were brought other at that moment, the waitress moved quickly to set them down and hurry away presumably having picked up on the tension at the table. He'd have to make sure to leave her a better tip than usual.
Well, he'd tried. He'd really tried, and frankly Tony didn't know what more could be asked of him.
Which meant that he felt no regrets about abandoning even their faintest veneer of civility he'd been playing with. "Yep," he said with heavy irony has he reached for his cup, "well, you've sure proved me wrong there." Who didn't love a good baseless accusation or two?
Bucky used the pause to take a deep breath and remind himself that losing his temper was so not helping with all this.
"Look, I didn't call you here to fight, I really didn't." They just seemed to be really good at it apparently. And he knew he was making it worse.
Tony snorted into his coffee, considering he'd practically put his nose in the cup. "When I'm ready to fight, you'll know about it. And out of a trainwreck sense of curiosity," he said dryly, "what exactly were you looking for?"
"I dunno, to, to," He ran his hand through hair with a sigh. "To figure out if you and me can at least find some common ground. We don't gotta like each other but you're the boyfriend and I'm the best friend, makes sense to, you know, try at least." And it was the least he could do for Steve after being a jackass.
"It doesn't, actually," Tony said with a raised eyebrow, "and I mean that seriously. We don't even live in the same place. You and I never have to be in the same room again. And on the off chance we are, it doesn't mean we have to talk. So frankly forcing ourselves into a stilted conversation we both know isn't going to go anywhere seems like a wasted effort."
That attitude surprised Bucky, ok Tony did live in New York but he was a part of Steve's life as was Bucky and those parts logically would overlap more often than 'on the off chance'. At least that was how Bucky saw it, obviously another subject they weren't going to agree on. There seemed to be an unsurprising theme emerging.
"OK, if that's how you wanna play it, we can." There was clearly no point in forcing the issue with someone who had made their stance so very clear.
"I'm just saying," Tony said and shrugged. "Forcing a relationship isn't going to help anything. Either we get along or we don't. I'm gonna go with not. It happens."
"Fine, just don't expect me to leave before I get that burger." He'd spent the morning seeing family, if he was coming into the city he couldn't not, so he was starving. Besides, he wasn't in the business of wasting food. Finally he started on that coke.
