tushanshu | 06 § video (backdated to Feb 10)

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06 § video (backdated to Feb 10)

Well someone here has completely dropped the ball. I know there are at least a few people around who are rich and Earth-savvy enough to get everyone presents for the month. Maybe celebrate the break from so much cold or the coming of good fortune or something like that. We could use a celebration right about now.

At the very least, I'll try to do my part. [Tony gives the network a winning smile and holds up a small, strange-looking flower playfully. It almost makes the next part sound more like a joke than any real offer.] I've got a few too many of these, so if anyone would like to take them off my hands, I'll be happy to give you a discount.

And if you're available, Miss Frost, I'd love to spend some quality time with you. If your schedule will allow it, of course.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm personally missing my chocolate.

[He even winks at the feed before disconnecting.]

[Private messages to Arthur Curry, Shockwave, and Kyle Rayner]

[...Or just to switch directions.]

Afternoon. I've got a proposal for you. Give me five minutes when you've got them.

[End Messages]

[Private message to Annabeth]

So. I've been saving up my pennies--so to speak. I wonder if I could buy some of your thoughts?

[End Message]

[Private message to Bucky Barnes (616)]

I. [Cap. Forgive him.] I need you to do me a favor.

[end transmission]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Tony knows that on some level just asking Bucky for help like this is putting him in a bad position. But if he's careful--as long as he pays attention--he shouldn't end up repeating history here. It will be different. He can make sure of that. He keeps his calm smile, the one that says he has this under control.]

A few specific things. I'll keep you posted, but don't worry about it for now. I just wanted to give you a heads up and see if you were interested. No surprises.

[Bucky wouldn't see it that way. He's the kind of guy who ends up in bad positions of his own accord, always has been. And it's a little better when it's to help out a friend.]

Sure, I can do that. Just let me know. It's not like I got much else to occupy my time with.

[Tony is pretty sure that Steve would give him the lecture of his lifetime if he found out that Tony was asking Bucky to do these things for him. Especially since this Bucky has no real idea of who Tony is. But he needs the help, and Bucky is one of the few people Tony trusts enough to go to. And Steve... Steve doesn't need to know.]

I'll keep you updated. For starters, do you think you could keep an eye on Sharon for me? Nothing personal, I just want to know where everyone is.

[Steve probably never will know. Bucky's given up hope on the 'right' Steve ever showing up here again, and he won't go near the other one, regarding him with largely just grudgey distrust. Instead, his friend here, besides Toro and Jim, is Tony, and Bucky helps his friends out when they need it.]

I can try to, yeah. I don't trust her, she doesn't know how to keep a secret to herself. [And he hates her for that, because it was his secret.] What kinda 'where she is' you wanting to know?

[Maybe they're both trying to fill some nagging loss in having Steve absent from their lives. And despite the different experiences they both have, it's been working out. Tony's gained a lot of appreciation for Bucky since coming to Keeliai. Whether or not that's an entirely good thing is questionable, but it's a start.]

That's why I need you. If something important comes up, then having a few seconds ahead of everyone else could make all the difference.

[He smiles easily enough. It's not a race. Just insurance that things won't turn badly for them.]

Just see if you can find out what plans she has for dealing with our enemy. Maybe nothing. Maybe a party. I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but you're right. It's hard to know who to trust.

[Bucky nods thoughtfully. He's definitely come to trust Tony, and if Tony wants an eye kept on Sharon, then it confirms his suspicions that she might not be the great person Steve thought. He's feeling rather validated right now.]

Gotcha. I'll do my best.

I'll see what I can do. Talking to her won't exactly be an option on my end, I kinda... threatened to kill her last time we talked.

[Tony gives Bucky something akin to a suffering look. It's not really judgmental so much as tired. Bucky and his short temper and penchant toward violence is something Tony has come to expect.]

At least try to be civil? You might actually have to talk to her at some point.

[Just saying. Can't we all get along?]

[Bucky gives him a slightly sulky look, leaning back in his chair with his hands up in a shrug.]

I can try but she- [A little quieter.] She likes getting under my skin.

I don't think she means to. She's... adjusting. We all are.

[Look at him trying to be considerate about it.]

We're all out of our element here. She's having a hard time.

And I'm not? It's still no reason for her to drag my personal life out into the public eye just to hurt me. It's shit that Steve even told her that in the first place. [It still feels like a betrayal, somehow.]

She put it out there and now I can't take it back.

No, that's- that's not what I meant.

[Tony's hands go up in his defensive posture. He isn't exactly afraid of getting Bucky mad and losing his help so much as reflexively recoiling from the frustration.]

We all are. I meant you too. But we have to work together on this. We're kind of all we've got.

[He doesn't look happy about it, but he's not pissed at Tony. He's pissed at Steve, pissed at Sharon, pissed at the situation, and pissed that he let her prodding about Gretchen get to him like this. So he turns his head to the side slightly, not making eye contact.]

I get it. But I don't trust her, and I'm not gonna forgive her. She's already proven she can't keep stuff to herself.

I'm not asking you to forgive her.

[Tony is firm about that, with just a slight edge to the statement to convey his conviction. He's not exactly harsh, but he is more serious than he sometimes comes off. It's as if remembering a darker, more difficult time and he's just naturally falling into that role.

And whether or not that is true, he's riding with it.]

But I am asking you to trust me. The more we know the better, and that means doing things that you may not like.

Just give it a chance.

[His firm tone catches Bucky's attention, the way a commanding voice usually does (side effect of being an Army brat, when a commander uses that voice, you listen). And he guesses that's fair, that Tony at least isn't asking him to forgive the woman who lashed out at him in the most painful way she could.

So grudgingly, he nods.] I do trust you. I'll do whatever you need me to, whether I like it or not.

[Tony notices the way Bucky becomes more alert and attentive, and part of him feels guilty for causing that reaction, even when he knows it's just part of his training. He likes Bucky, and the last thing he really wants to do is change their friendship.]

Well, don't force yourself to choke it down. I just want you to keep an open mind.

The last thing we need is to lose more secrets. But if we avoid everyone, then we'll never see the enemy coming. We can't afford to take that chance.

[For what it's worth, Bucky doesn't seem bothered by it. Things were the same with Steve - sometimes they were friends, brothers, and sometimes he had to give orders as Captain America. He never held that against him, Steve was doing his job, just like Tony is doing his best to do his job here.]

...I will. I get it. If I have to deal with her personally I will, but at the same time she's probably not gonna take too kindly to me if it comes to that.

[Part of Tony believes that. He wants to think that he's just doing his job and at the end of the day there won't be any hard feelings for that. But another part of him knows that isn't true, and that part dreads the loss that comes with taking on any authority.

It's not where he wants to stand with his friends.]

I know. She's going to have to get over that too. We're all going to have to make some compromises here, and she's no exception.

[He sighs. This isn't exactly how he wanted to sound.]

I just want to make sure she's not trying to do anything on her own.

[Bucky leans back in his chair and breathes out a sigh, glancing up at the ceiling momentarily.] Yeah. Time to keep in mind what's important.

[He glances back at the screen.] Because she'd mess it up or get in over her head?

Exactly.

[Tony knows that he's putting a lot on Bucky's shoulders. And he also knows Bucky is tough, he can handle pressure. It still doesn't make him feel very good about it.]

Because she might get in over our heads. I think everyone here for the most part wants to help. But we're dealing with an enemy that's done nothing but try to catch us off guard this whole time. If we don't keep track of each other, he might actually manage to do that.

[It doesn't make him feel any worse about things. Bucky is used to having a lot on his shoulders, and he's never cracked under the pressure before. This is no different.]

He's probably got no problem keeping track of all of us, so we have to at least be on the same page, right?

[Tony feels bad for him. Soldier or not, Bucky is still his friend. If he's honest (and he generally is somewhat honest), he's using him. It's hard not to feel guilty.]

That's the idea. We're just evening the playing field. And if you can't talk to her, just do what you need to. It's better than not knowing.

Got it. I'll do what I can, we can't let it have the leg up or we're all good as dead. [Manipulation is just sadly the name of the game sometimes. If he's honest, if it does come down to talking to Sharon to get information out of her, he's not afraid to use Steve's name to get it.]

And... thanks for trusting me with this. I won't let you down.

[Ouch.

Well, that's a dagger to the heart. He doesn't even know that Bucky is thinking about Steve. (He could probably surmise that much because it's Bucky, but at the moment Tony doesn't think about it.) It's just the way he's so honest with him. Thanking him for trust that ultimately amounts to Tony covering his bases.]

I do trust you, you know.

[That comes out soft. Maybe too quiet to be heard, he's not sure.]

We work together, right? Couldn't do this without you, Bucky.

[Bucky shoots him a slightly cocky little smile, giving him a two-fingered salute. It's nice to know that Tony trusts him, though he's assuming (wrongly) that that's why he's taken this to Bucky. Things are always a little more simple for him.]

Yeah. I got your back, don't worry.

[The reassurance makes Tony smile. He knows that part of Bucky's cooperation is from misunderstanding, but he does feel better having him at his back. It's trust that he hasn't been able to maintain, and it makes Tony actually want to try.]

I'm not worried. [Which is a lie, but not as harmful a lie as he's had to give in the past.]

You don't have to take any crazy risks either. Just let me know if you hear about anything that sounds fishy.

06 § video (backdated to Feb 10)

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