Chapter Text
Tony will admit that he is a little nervous leaving Barnes with Beck.
Things should be fine. The three of them had been working together with the BARF tech for quite a while now. And—traumatic memory revelations aside—things seem to be going well. So far, Barnes hasn’t been triggered into the Winter Soldier, and he seems to be making progress in his efforts to keep his holo-self from doing so as well.
But, Tony will admit the process can be draining sometimes. He had talked with Judith about this of course, but it is hard sometimes, watching everything that Barnes had been through. Even if they mostly focus on the triggering sequence itself, bits and pieces of his treatment under Hydra still make it through.
Before the memory of Howard and Maria’s death had come up for them to finally deal with, it had been hard at times, processing the torture he had been through, while also coming to terms with his own feelings surrounding his parent’s death.
Things are a bit easier now that they have dealt with that, but he does wonder if Barnes would be more comfortable if he weren’t always in the room with him during the sessions. In the beginning, he had agreed since Barnes had asked that Steve not come, and he figured that the Captain would be more comfortable if there were someone else in the room along with Beck, who had been a relative stranger.
Now though, Beck and Barnes have spent more time together, and he himself is mostly comfortable with the man. Beck can be a little…intense about his research at times, but so far, he seems willing to work with him and Barnes, so he tries not to worry about it too much.
He doesn’t really know how Barnes feels about Beck though. Barnes is still…stiffer than any ordinary person would be, but he has relaxed somewhat since coming to the Tower. He doesn’t talk about himself in third-person anymore at least, which is a relief, and he generally looks less like he expects them all to go haywire on him at any moment.
That doesn’t mean that it is really easy to tell when he is comfortable though. Sometimes he really does seem to ease up on his death-grip on careful protocols and formalities—such as at Steve’s birthday party, or when he had shown him his cars…
But he can still remember how stiff and terrified Barnes had been when they had finally met to talk about his parent’s death.
He huffs and shakes his head, dislodging the less-than-pleasant thoughts from his head. That had been hard, for both of them, but it had been for the best. He had gotten the answers he needed, and he and Barnes had managed to settle into an understanding about everything.
He still doesn’t really know if Barnes prefers having him over Beck in the sessions though.
That doesn’t really matter, because he is now finally back on active duty after his arc reactor removal surgery. Technically, they could just do the BARF sessions whenever he isn’t on missions, but Barnes had said that he doesn’t mind doing them with Beck while they are gone.
So now he is busy suiting up in the common room, the other Avengers getting ready around him as he confirms the last few details with Barnes.
“I was thinking, today’s a good day to let Beck take a shot at it,” he tells him, flexing his fingers in the gauntlets of his suit. It feels nice to be back at it again after so long. Whoever had come up with the idea for a six-weeks post-op recovery period is a terrible, terrible person. “We’ll still be in the city if something goes wrong,” he continues, looking up at Barnes. “It’d be a good test run.”
The mission isn’t really a mission. It is more of a PR stunt to be honest. All they really need to do is stand around and look pretty while the mayor gives a few speeches and sets off whatever celebration they are having. It is fluff work, but Pepper had set it up, and she had agreed that he was, in fact, on active duty, and therefore allowed to go. So not only will going make her happy—because good PR—but he is also fully sanctioned.
That doesn’t mean that the BARF session they had had planned needs to go ahead. He could postpone it if Barnes wants, but the man doesn’t raise any protest. Instead he just nods, his hands clasped behind his back as he swallows and scans the other Avengers getting ready.
“Great,” he tells him, trying to push away the nerves in his stomach as he activates his helmet and waits for it to fold over him. “I’ll let him know. He’ll be here pretty quick.”
Barnes nods again, still completely silent, and he shifts to stand even straighter as the Avengers begin to troop out. Tony blows out a breath and follows the group into the elevator, hoping that things will go well. The event is near enough that they don’t take the quinjet. Instead, they head out in a few large vans. Technically he could fly out and beat them to the site, but he ops to ride along. Lights flash in his helm as he has JARVIS contact Beck with the change in plans for today’s session.
Good to know, Beck texts back, the words glowing white on the inside of his helm. I’ll get ready.
Tony lets out a breath and clears the screen. His mind flashes back to Barnes’ tense, closed-off expression when he had suggested going along with only Beck today. He might not be very good at reading Barnes, but the look reminds him too much of Barnes’ preparing-to-head-to-the-gallows look he had worn when he had come down to talk to him about his parents, and had then announced that he was ‘ready for punishment’.
He bites his lip and clenches his fingers restlessly. He thinks he is probably going to have to have a talk with Barnes about Beck—or maybe have Steve do it. Right now, he doubts that Barnes would mention if anything were a problem.
He can’t deal with any of that now though. He will just have to figure something out after the celebration.
The event is not as bad as it could be. There is a decent sized crowd outside of city hall, and the Avengers mostly just have to stand and listen as the mayor talks about the city’s accomplishments. They are one of the things on that long list, which is why they are here, but for the most part they don’t have to do much besides look impressive, and wave at small children.
He is busy smiling as Sam waves at a little girl with curly black hair tied up into two adorable ponytails, when his whole suit jolts, and his helmet snaps shut around his head. He had folded it down for the event, since he felt seeing his face would make him seem more personable for this, and a sudden sharp fear shoots through him as his suit activates without his orders.
He has never had his suit hacked—and he never wants to have his suit hacked—but he will admit that that is something he thinks about sometimes. It would be completely terrifying to be stuck in a suit not under his control, and for one heart-stopping moment, he worries that, any second now, Iron Man is about to go ballistic on a crowd of civilians.
And then JARVIS’ voice sounds through his helm. “I apologize, Sir,” he says, lights and coding flashing as JARVIS takes control of the suit. “There is an emergency at the Tower that requires your immediate attention.”
And with that, JARVIS activates his thrusters, and he blasts off, no doubt leaving a whole crowd of confused onlookers. It is a relief to know that JARVIS is the reason for his suit’s sudden sentience, but his relief is tempered by growing concern over what could possibly be happening back at the Tower that would prompt JARVIS to such extreme measures.
“Give me the situation,” he orders, his helm display dipping and swooping along with JARVIS’ flight path. “What’s going on?”
JARVIS’ voice is terse and focused as he replies, and the tone doesn’t bode well. “Mr. Beck is attempting to trigger the Sergeant.”
Tony blinks. Part of him notes the lack of the use of ‘Sergeant Barnes’—and he has a sneaking suspicion as to why—but the rest of him is mostly confused. “Isn’t that what he is supposed to be doing?”
That is kind of the point of the BARF sessions, at least, sort of. But JARVIS continues as he guides the suit around a sharp corner. “Beck is attempting to trigger the Winter Soldier completely,” he says, something close to anger in his voice. “The BARF tech is not active.”
“What?” he snaps, and JARVIS isn’t finished.
“It appears to be intentional, Sir,” he says, the Tower coming into view as he blasts forward. “Beck came equipped with the trigger words recorded on a separate device. I can’t disable it.”
“What?” he says again, shock coursing through his system as he takes in JARVIS’ words. Beck had recorded the trigger words separately? And he is trying to trigger Barnes on purpose? “Why?!”
“Unknown, Sir,” JARVIS says tensely, the suit hardly slowing as they near the penthouse suite. “The Sergeant is currently highly distressed.”
No kidding, he thinks, his mind racing as JARVIS guides him into the Tower. The sliding doors are already open, and when he gets inside, he sees that the elevator doors are standing open as well.
JARVIS wastes no time getting him into the elevator, and his stomach actually drops with how fast the AI brings it down. His heart pounds and he swallows dryly as he waits to be let out again. The triggering sequence isn’t that long. Beck had probably already finished it in the time it had taken for JARVIS to whisk him over here. They have never tried to trigger Barnes completely. They have no way to know if he can resist the trigger words yet.
There is a very real possibility that when he gets to the BARF room Barnes will be in Winter Soldier mode. His mind flashes with the image of a crumpled car, and holo-Barnes’ blank face, and he squeezes his eyes shut.
He can’t think of that right now. If Beck has a Winter Soldier Barnes under his control, then he will deal with it.
The next thought his mind helpfully pulls up for him is Barnes’ face when he had been sitting hunched on the couch and trying to explain to him in stilted words about his growing and newfound guilt over Hydra’s missions. Sometimes in the flashes I don’t want to, he had said, looking wretched. I didn’t think it was bad. But now it is.
He opens his eyes, and he knows with absolute certainty that if Beck has managed to trigger Barnes, he will be absolutely devastated afterwards.
He will deal with that too, if he needs to. For now, he just needs to get there. The elevator stops abruptly, and he almost loses his balance as the doors spring open much faster than usual.
“The sequence has just finished,” JARVIS tells him in a rushed tone, and he wastes no time in sprinting out. His mind focuses on the white panelled door to the BARF room. It is closed, which isn’t a surprise, and he doesn’t bother waiting to find out if it is locked. If he can get there fast enough, he might be able to stop Beck before this gets out of control, and he doesn’t have time to deal with things like tedious locking mechanisms.
Still running, he lifts his hand, the repulsor on his palm whining as he aims at the silver handle. His repulsor beam bursts out and fries the handle, the sound of splintering wood filling the air as a neat hole appears where it had once been. His momentum carries him forward and he kicks the door inward, his heart pounding as he scans the room.
His eyes are drawn immediately to Barnes. The man is crouched on the floor, his back pressed against the far wall as though physically trying to phase through the drywall. His head darts up as he burst inside, and he looks absolutely wrecked. His eyes are wide and haunted, his hair ragged and limp by his too pale face. Tears stain his cheeks, and he shudders as he takes in a gasping breath and shakes.
An unexpected anger surges through him at the sight of his sorry state, and his eyes narrow as he focuses on Beck standing frozen on the other side of the room by the computer terminal. He pales at the sight of his repulsors and his head whips back around to look at Barnes. “Soldat,” he barks out, a frantic edge to his voice. “Get up—”
His anger surges hotter, and he is moving the moment Beck starts talking, his mind focused on stopping him before he can do any real damage. He doesn’t really know what condition Barnes is in mentally, but he had at least been presently aware, and not mind-numbingly blank. His suit whirls as he moves, and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Barnes shudder at Beck’s words. His body tenses as he rises half-an-inch before he stops just as abruptly and falls back again.
Tony takes that as a good sign. Barnes is resisting. Beck doesn’t have full control over him yet. His feet pound across the floor, and he can barely contain his snarl as Beck tries to pull away from him. His hand snaps up onto Beck’s wrist, and his next words come out as a growl.
“I wouldn’t try it,” he says, his other hand raised to shine threateningly in Beck's face. He doesn’t know why Beck is trying to trigger Barnes, but he actually doesn’t really care that much. Whatever the reason, it stops now.
The sound of Barnes’ heavy breathing pulls him out of his dark thoughts, and he retracts his helmet to look over, his eyes scanning him anxiously. Barnes looks ill, his face lined and his eyes heavily shadowed. His throat flexes, and he has his hands braced against the floor as though that is the only thing holding him up. He looks a lot like how he did when he had remembered his mission against his parents, which is not something Tony wants to be reminded about right now.
“Just hold it together, Barnes,” he tells him sharply, hoping that Barnes can keep it together for a little while longer. If he can hold on, then maybe Steve—
Right, yes. Steve. He will know what to do with this.
He glances up at the ceiling, his hand still keeping Beck pinned in place. “JARVIS—” he calls, intending to have him call the other Avengers, but he is interrupted by the AI himself.
“You have an incoming call, Sir,” he says, the tension in his voice still present. Tony feels a flare of surprise. He hadn't been expecting a call, but if JARVIS is mentioning it now, then it must be important.
“Put it through,” he says, doing his best to keep a grip on his reeling emotions. In his hand, Beck tugs irritably at his hold, and he shoots the man a glare, readjusting his grip.
“Tony.” Steve’s voice distracts him from Beck, and he feels a surge of relief at the sound. He looks up, and by the wall he sees Barnes’ head fall forward, his hair swinging down to shield his face as he continues to tremble and breathe shakily. “What happened?” Steve asks, calling his attention away from Barnes. “You suited up and left the ceremony with hardly a word.”
Right, yeah. That probably was confusing for them. He huffs and glares at Beck who is busy squirming again. “Sorry about that,” he says, letting JARVIS pick up his words as he locks eyes with Beck. “JARVIS alerted me to an extremely time-sensitive situation in the tower and I was the one who could get here the fastest.”
Sort of. JARVIS had more or less kidnapped him, but that is too complicated to get into right now. “I’m in the BARF room with Barnes and Beck,” he continues, taking in a shallow breath to try to calm himself. “When can you get here?”
“ETA two minutes,” Steve replies, and he blinks in surprise. That is much closer than he would have expected. Steve continues, answering his unspoken confusion. “When you rushed off, we figured something was up and made our excuses and left.”
He can’t help relaxing at that. It is a relief to know that the others are close and on their way. He only needs to hold this together for a few minutes longer before backup arrives. “Alright,” he says, narrowing his eyes as Beck’s face twists and he tugs sharply at his trapped arm. “See you then.”
Beck’s fury grows with the promise of backup, and his eyes flash as he looks at him. “You’re making a mistake,” he hisses, his voice practically venomous. His teeth grind together, and his eyes bore into him as he jerks on his arm. “You think you’re oh so brilliant but you won’t even use the tools you have in front of you.”
Ah. Great. He scowls. Of course Beck would feel the need for a final monologue. He tightens his grip on Beck’s arm and contemplates dragging him out of the room so that he doesn't have to be in here with Barnes. He is reluctant to do that though, because he isn’t exactly sure if leaving Barnes alone right now is any better. He only has to hold on for a few more minutes though, so as long as he can keep Beck’s attention, things shouldn’t get too far out of control.
Beck, it seems, is just getting started. “You and the rest of them,” he snarls furiously. “You think you guys are heroes?” he waves a hand, and his hair falls into his eyes, making him look even more deranged. “You think you’re a hero and you go off and shake hands all day with politicians.”
He just barely resists rolling his eyes. Looks like Beck isn’t really impressed with the Avengers Initiative. He isn’t the only one, but the sentiment is rather exhausting right now, and the man had tried to trigger Barnes, so he isn’t really inclined to listen.
“Alright Beck,” he says flatly, tugging on his arm. “Time to wrap it up–”
That makes Beck even angrier, and his face twists into a sneer as he tugs back. “Oh sure,” he spits. “You can go smooze around all day,” his lips pull up in disgust. “Maybe fly around in your ‘fancy toy’ and fiddle with a few things–” his eyes flash while his free hand comes up to slap his chest. “While you go and squander my tech.”
He stills, the anger in the man’s voice pulling him up short. Beck’s face is red with fury and a vein pokes out in his neck as he continues to rant. “It has so many applications— you could do so much with it.” Tony’s mouth goes dry, and he can only stare at the man, his blood running cold at the sudden horrible thought of what things Beck must want to do with his tech. “It has so much potential,” Beck continues doggedly, his eyes glinting. “And you turned it into a joke.”
He lets out a frantic, near hysterical laugh, and he can only press his lips together as he watches him. Beck has obviously fallen off the deep end, but it appears to have been a long time coming. He doesn’t know how long the man has been bottling all this up for—and he has to wonder why he has never brought this up before now—but things seem to be unraveling now.
Beck’s eyes take on a darker light, and his voice turns into a snarl. “But you have a habit of throwing away everything, don’t you?” he bites out, his face fierce. “First your weapons manufacturing–” he tenses instinctively at the jab, Beck’s inclinations becoming clearer with every word. “–then my tech,” he continues, before his head sweeps around to look at Barnes, the man cringing back into the wall as Beck spits out his last words. “And him!”
A spark of anger ignites in his mind at the implications, but he doesn’t have a chance to interject before Beck is back at it. “Look at him!” he snaps, tugging sharply at his grip again, his eyes blazing. “You want to make a difference in the world? You want to be a hero?” his eyes are dark pools of fury, and his teeth flash as he bites out his next words. “You have the perfect tool in front of you.”
The word ‘tool’ reverberates in his chest and his hand tightens on Beck’s wrist without meaning to. Tool. Like Barnes isn’t a person. Like he is just some kind of machine. Like he is exactly what Hydra tried to make him.
And that is what Beck thinks of him, isn’t it? That is how he could try to trigger him just now. He sees him as an asset. Something to be used. How could he not have seen this before now? His mind flashes back to the intense look of interest Beck had worn sometimes during their sessions. He thinks now that that had had nothing to do with the man’s interest in the success of his own tech.
“–and you want to ruin it.” Beck continues to prattle. Every word adding to the growing fire of fury in his chest. “You want to fiddle around and coddle him when you could be using him properly—”
“That’s enough,” he growls, his voice heavy with foreboding and his face drawn down into a scowl. He will not stand here listening to Beck disregard Barnes’ humanity. Not while Barnes is still sitting within earshot.
His words cut into Beck’s tirade for a moment, and the man stills, his eyes round as he scans him. A second later, his face twists bitterly and he lets out a laugh. “It doesn’t matter anyways now, I guess,” he says, a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he shakes his head. “Because I’ve got him now. He’s under my control.” Tony’s blood runs cold and his mind races, because he doesn’t know exactly how true that is, and with the way Beck is talking— “I’ll show you,” he snaps. “You could have been doing so much with him.”
Before he can say anything, Beck’s expression turns cruel, and his next words distract him completely. “It’s too late to stop him now,” he leers. “He wouldn’t stop for Howard, I doubt he’d stop for you or Captain Rogers.”
He stiffens, and he knows for sure that he has Beck’s wrist in a bruising grip, but he can’t think much beyond the absolute rage that races through him. How— how dare he? How dare he bring up Howard like this.
Beck had been there to see one of the worst BARF sessions either he or Barnes had had, and the fact that he is using it now as a weapon against him—
In the back of his mind, he is aware of the abrupt up tick in Barnes’ breathing at Beck’s implications, and the sound helps pull him out of his haze of fury.
Not quickly enough it would seem, because Beck is already turning to Barnes, a gleam of determination in his eye. “Asset—”
His eyes widen and he jerks Beck towards him, trying to wrap his hand around his mouth, or at least stall him before he can say anything damaging. Beck cuts off and the sound of pounding feet fills the air as the man struggles with him, trying to avoid his hand.
They both look up as the feet grow nearer and Steve bursts through the ruined door, his shield at his side and his eyes ablaze. To be honest, he looks every inch the avenging angel Captain America is supposed to be, and the sight of him sends a wave of relief flooding through his system.
Beck is not so reassured. He is close enough to the man to hear how his breath catches at the arrival of backup, and his voice takes on a frantic tone as he twists his face away again and barks at Barnes. “Asset!” he snaps, and Tony grits his teeth at the use of Hydra’s name for Barnes.
Beck ducks his hand, and he bites back a growl of frustration. He needs to keep him from triggering Barnes. They are so close. If he can just— Beck pulls away. “Asset attack—”
“No!”
The word echoes desperately off the walls, and Beck actually freezes at the sound of it. Tony can’t help stopping too, his eyes wide as he stares at Barnes. The man’s head is ducked down into his chest, his shoulders heaving as he presses back into the wall, his hands shaking. “No,” he gets out again, his voice high and frantic, his breathing speeding up. “No, I— No. No. I won’t. I won't.”
Oh. The realisation hits him all at once and his breath stutters. Barnes is— Barnes is resisting the trigger words. In real life. He is resisting. He is refusing to comply.
He is also teetering on the edge of falling apart. His breath is fast and shallow, his trembling growing more pronounced as he shakes his head and presses back against the wall. It is clear that Beck’s efforts to trigger him and make him fight either him or Steve has not done anything for his overall mental health, and Tony is about done with letting Beck stick around Barnes any longer.
“I’ll deal with him,” he says to Steve, noting the wide-eyed look on his face as he too comes to terms with the monumental step Barnes had been forced into today. He jerks none-too gently on Beck and twists his arm around behind his back. “You take care of Barnes.”
Steve nods immediately, and Tony leaves him to it, his eyes narrowed as he moves to push Beck out of the room. That seems to snap the man out of his shock at failing, and his anger returns. “What?” he shrieks, practically frothing at the mouth as he tries to turn his head back to look at Barnes. He grunts as Tony shoves him forward, and he bucks in his grip. “What do you mean no?” he shouts incredulously. “You’re not allowed— I said the trigger words you stupid—”
They reach the door, and Tony drags him out, pulling them out of earshot so that Barnes can at least have a chance at calming down. He looks up to the sound of the elevator opening, and he sees the other Avengers coming out, their stances wary and their eyes searching as they scan him.
He knows instantly that Steve must have sprinted up the stairway as soon as they arrived in the car park in order to get here before any of them. He can also tell from their dark expressions towards Beck, that JARVIS must have already informed them of what he had tried to do.
“Hey guys,” he says grimly, and the others sweep their eyes over him, before looking up towards the smoking door.
“How is he?” Sam asks from his position next to Clint and Natasha, his eyes hard as he looks back at Beck. Bruce is behind them, breathing very carefully, the barest tint of green in his eyes as he regards Beck.
Tony pushes Beck forward a step and lets out a sigh. “Steve’s with him,” he says, tightening his grip when Beck tries to pull away from him again. “He resisted the trigger words. They didn’t work on him.”
He can feel the immediate relief that sweeps through the group, and he relaxes a little too, a small smile twitching on his face.
And then Beck decides to speak up again. “I almost had him,” he spits, twisting in his hold. “I would have had him if you hadn't interrupted. You’ve seen what he can do. And you just want to erase that—?”
He cuts off, because in the blink of an eye, Natasha is in front of him, a blade hovering inches from his throat. “I suggest you stop talking,” she says darkly.
Beck wisely shuts up.
Tony—who may or may not have also been a little terrified by her abrupt appearance in front of him—is rather glad for it.
oOo
After that, it is a matter of calling the police and handing Beck over to them. They don’t have enough to charge him with much right now, but he is volatile and violent enough for the police to at least take him into custody.
He is let out a little while later with a fine, but Tony is already deep into digging through Beck’s history at SI. Not only is the man sacked, but he is certain he will find something more criminalising to pin on him and get him behind bars for longer.
He says as much to the others when they gather to discuss what had happened. It is about a day or so after the initial incident, and they are all sitting around in the common room. Barnes still looks a little shaken, but he appears stable enough, his eyes jumping between them as they talk about what Beck had done.
Tony can’t help feeling a little guilty about all of this. This whole time, Beck had seen Barnes as a tool, and he hadn't even noticed.
“If I’d known he was nuts I never would have worked with him,” he says definitively, his hands flexing on the couch. “I didn’t realise he was so upset.” His mind flashes back to Beck’s laundry list of complains and he runs a restless hand through his hair, shaking his head. “He worked for Stark Industries. He developed BARF for SI, it might have been his idea, but we still had the right to use it as we saw fit.”
Generally, he tries to be good about respecting the intellectual property of his staff, and giving credit and directional licence when due. He had done his best to do that with Beck too, that is one of the reasons he had been so involved with the BARF sessions in the first place. Obviously, that hadn't been enough for him. “Guess he had a problem with that,” he mutters.
Natasha leans forward to try to reassure him that this isn’t all his fault, and while he can appreciate the gesture, he can’t help arguing against it. He is busy explaining why he had kept Beck on in the first place, when Barnes speaks up, his eyes pinned to his hands clasped in his lap.
“Beck didn’t want you to know,” he says, his shoulders stiffening as he speaks. “He never said anything while you were around.”
His stomach clenches and he sits up, his eyes round as he stares at Barnes. “Wait. He said something to you?” he sputters, his mind racing as he realises that Beck might not have kept his sentiments so well hidden around Barnes. Is that why Barnes had been so tense around him? He can’t even imagine— “What did he say?”
Barnes rolls his shoulders uncomfortably, and his fingers whiten in his lap as he swallows. “It wasn’t really anything,” he mumbles, and Tony knows instantly that it must have been something. Beck had been treating Barnes badly this whole time and he hadn't even known—
And hadn't he thought, before all this, that Barnes probably wouldn’t say if there were any problems?
Steve seems to come to the same conclusion, because his eyes are sad and understanding as he shifts next to Barnes and calls his attention over to him. “Bucky,” he says quietly. “If Beck treated you poorly, then we need to know about it. It isn’t okay.”
Barnes flicks his eyes over Steve, and his fingers flex in his lap. “He— I didn’t know he was so angry,” he stutters, his eyes dropping down to his hands. “He complained about the sessions but—” he cuts off as he chews on his lip, and Tony stares at him. From Barnes’ words it is obvious Beck had not kept his frustrations hidden from him. No wonder Barnes had been uncomfortable around him.
“But he was acting like a normal agent,” Barnes continues, and Tony’s stomach drops. Beside Bucky, Steve’s face goes pale. “Agents are always–” Barnes waves a hand, and Tony swallows, his mouth dry. “–dissatisfied,” he continues. “Working with the Asset outside of missions. He thought I could be used better—”
He cuts off, pausing, his eyes distant as he thinks over his words. For his part, Tony feels almost nauseated at the thought of what Barnes must think of as normal behaviour. If Beck had been acting like a Hydra agent, and Barnes hadn't even thought anything of it—
Next to Barnes, Steve shifts, his lips pressing together as he too comes to terms with what Barnes is saying. “Bucky,” he says softly, and Barnes brings his gaze up to him, his eyes wide as though he too is suddenly coming to realise just how bad Beck had been. Steve’s hands twist in his lap and he meets Barnes’ eyes. “Buck, people—” he breathes in. “The way Hydra agents treated you…is not how people are supposed to treat you.”
Barnes’ face is slack in a way that denotes dumbfoundedness, but he also looks like he believes Steve—like a light bulb is finally dawning. Steve holds his gaze determinedly. “It was wrong of them to do it,” he says definitively. “And whatever Beck did was wrong too.”
Barnes swallows and nods, still looking stunned, and Steve leans forward. “Next time,” he says quieter. “If anyone makes you feel like that, please tell one of us, so that we can help.”
Tony sincerely hopes that Barnes will actually take them up on that, because it is about time he learns that what Hydra did to him is unacceptable, and should never happen again.
Barnes’ eyes drop back down to his lap and he nods again, his fingers twisting together. “Sorry,” he whispers, and Steve’s hand twitches as he resists the urge to reach out to him.
“It’s not your fault, Buck,” he says, and his calming tone manages to pull Barnes’ gaze back up to him. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he offers him a small smile. “None of us could have predicted what Beck would do, but now we know.”
Barnes relaxes, and he nods slowly, only to have his attention pulled away as JARVIS speaks up. “If it is any consolation, Sergeant,” he says, and Tony notes the shade of regretfulness that lives in his tone. “I too did not suspect Beck, even though I was privy to his behavior towards you.” Tony raises an eyebrow in concern, and JARVIS continues. “His complaints were sporadic, and did not seem to cause you much distress, so at the time I did not take any action…and for that I apologize.”
Barnes looks surprised by JARVIS’ apology, but he accepts it easily enough—even taking a moment to reassure the AI like Steve had done for him. Tony sees Natasha’s mouth twitch up at that, and he can’t help feeling similarly—even though he is a little worried by what JARVIS had said.
He is distracted away from that though, as, next to Natasha, Clint huffs out a breath and looks up. “You should put in a new protocol, Tony,” he suggests waving his hand. “Anyone who’s a dick to Barnes automatically gets a red flag.” His mouth pulls up in a crooked smile and he grins at the group. “A ‘true test of character’ kind of thing.”
Tony is pretty sure Clint is joking, but…the idea isn’t half-bad.
oOo
Later, in his lab, he sits with his arms folded, his brows drawn together in thought. Barnes’ words from earlier echo in his mind.
Beck didn’t want you to know. He never said anything while you were around.
He was acting like a normal agent.
He scowls and sits up. He is pretty sure after all this, and after what Steve had said, that Barnes will be more likely to tell them if someone were to ever act like Beck did around him again.
But…but it is probably likely that this will not be the last time someone disregards Barnes’ personhood. Not only that, but once it comes out who Barnes is and his past as the Winter Soldier, he wouldn’t be surprised if people were to treat him different because of that too. Similar to how people had with him, and his weapons.
He sits up straighter and he makes his decision. “JARVIS,” he calls, looking down at the projected screen in front of him. “Open up a new protocol subroutine.” The screen lights up in front of him, lines of code waiting for his input. “Protocol title,” he announces. “’Test of Character’.”
He settles into his chair and allows a small smile to grow on his face. “Category one, ’Being a dick to Barnes’.”