Chapter Text
Tony slid down the stairs on his ass, staying below the solid railing as he made his way to the bottom. Once free, he ran, crouched, across the floor to the laundry room and pressed his back against the washing machine. He was still clutching his phone, so, fingers trembling, he accessed his security system and switched to the outside cameras.
He couldn't see much in the dark, and he wasn't sure if turning the lights on would benefit him and Buck or HYDRA more, so he focused on areas where he could see movement. The front door was swinging loose on its broken hinges, and Tony assumed that was from Bucky charging through it.
Either the shot on the stairs was a random fire, or Bucky had taken care of the shooter, because no one was near the house. Tony could see flashlights sweeping around near the equipment shed, across from the chicken coop. The barn door was still closed, which Tony was grateful for; he couldn't risk his animals getting hurt.
He couldn't see Buck on screen, but based on the movements from the men dressed in black, he was out by the shed too, but they weren't sure where exactly. Tony crossed his fingers and begged the universe to leave it that way, then switched to his contacts page. They hadn't had time to research, but the decision had been taken firmly out of his hand. They could deal with SHIELD later, if it came to it, but they needed help. There were at least fifteen flashlights, and Tony couldn't risk Bucky being taken.
He pressed the number in his contacts with no name. It rang twice, was silent for nearly ten seconds, then Coulson answered. "Hello?"
"Coulson. It's Tony Stark. They're attacking the farm." Tony could hear the shaking in his voice.
"One second." There was a click, followed by a solid twenty seconds of silence, and Tony glared at the phone. He didn't have time to fuck around. Then Coulson returned. "I have a team en route. They'll be there in fifteen minutes. Do they have Barnes?"
"Not yet. But I'm stuck in the laundry room, and he's out playing Little Red Riding Hood."
"I see."
"Coulson?"
"Yes?"
"He's not going to trust you. I don't really trust you either. A good show of why we should help you instead of just letting you and HYDRA eat each other would be coming through on our deal."
There was another long silence. "I can do that. Most of it is prepared already."
"Okay, well, if you don't want him fucking off into the woods after this, never to be seen again, I recommend you bring what you can with you."
"Understood. You have somewhere safe to hide?"
"No. But I have somewhere I am hiding. So hurry up."
"Keep your head down." Coulson hung up.
Tony closed his eyes and tried deep breathing for a minute, but when it didn't help, he decided he needed to do something. He couldn't fight the way Bucky could, but there had to be something he could do to help, to keep Buck safe until SHIELD arrived.
He opened his cameras again and flipped to the equipment shed to see HYDRA agents still circling it. He tapped the edge of his phone with one finger when something occurred to him…
Most of the equipment in the shed was for the animals, but he'd briefly attempted to grow feed for them out in the fields. It turned out that he wasn't a very good large-scale farmer, and instead had spent most of his time trying to improve the equipment he'd purchased. That included a tractor that he'd rigged up with an automatic driving system that he could program the dimensions of the field in so it could pull tools on its own. Like a very, very well trained plowhorse.
Basically a tractor Roomba.
A HYDRA agent was pretty similar to a corn stalk, really, wasn't it?
Tony dug up the old files and flicked through the code as fast as he could. It'd been a while since he'd gassed it up so he had to hope it would still start. He sent the command and crossed his fingers, eyes back on the security footage.
A low rumble echoed through the open front door, and Tony watched every flashlight swing around to point at the equipment shed. Tony revved the engine and watched every agent take a step back.
Okay, he needed to give SHIELD time to arrive? No problem.
He started by rocking the tractor forward and back, just enough to rock the shed and make the metal roof rattle. As soon as an agent approached the door, looking like he was ready to blast it open, Tony pushed the tractor into low gear, revved it up, and let it go. It slammed into the door and didn't even pause. The door flying off its hinges knocked the agent away, and Tony turned the tractor towards the rest of them, furiously mapping out new pathways for it as if they were tiny fields.
All the HYDRA agents immediately opened fire on the cockpit of the tractor, but there wasn't anyone to shoot and it would take fairly precise damage, lower down, to stop the tractor from working. A haunted tractor hunting them down in the dark appeared to be exactly the chaos Tony needed, however, to keep their attention while waiting for rescue.
He aimed for the flashlights, and the shouting and gunfire suggested that being stalked by a tractor with no driver was not only unexpected but terrifying. It wasn't long before they calmed down and split up, making it too hard for the slow, wide-turning tractor to be a real threat. Then someone caught the brake line with an errant gunshot and it trundled right into a tree where Tony cut the engine.
"Shit," he cursed, jamming his phone back in his pocket. He didn't know where Bucky was, and he was terrified the agents would either swarm the house and kill him or swarm the barn and kill his extended family. He scrambled across the floor, staying low and tumbled through the door into the garage. The shotgun was still in the truck. It was his only option. He'd have to run out and fight, try and find Bucky. What else could he do? Stay here until they found Bucky and took him? Found his hiding spot and killed him?
He opened the side door of the garage and peered out. A shadow had his heart leaping up into his throat until he saw the flash of white fur and realized Alpine was lurking under his truck, thankfully looking unharmed.
Tony took a breath, ready to dart out towards the truck, desperately hoping that he hadn't locked it, when all the lights suddenly went out and a different kind of gunfire cut through the night. Tony dropped down, back to the wall, and held his breath. The shouting had stopped. Everything was eerily quiet, punctuated by bursts of rat-tat-tat and all Tony could do was hope none of it was aimed at Bucky.
Quiet fell again.
Then a howl.
He couldn't help himself. Tony leapt to his feet and bolted out the door. A bang was followed by a light shone right in his face.
"This is SHIELD!" a voice yelled through the darkness. "Put your hands where I can see them!"
Tony threw his hands in the air, his heart stuttering into painful relief. "I'm the one who called you!" he yelled back. "I'm Tony Stark."
One of the agents broke away from the group, his weapon lowered to the ground, and he trotted up to Tony's side. He popped the cover on his helmet; it was Coulson.
"Bucky," Tony panted out. "Where's Bucky? Did you find him? Where is he?"
"We have him surrounded," Coulson said. "He's safe. Come on. He needs to see you or he won't let anyone approach."
Tony followed Coulson out of the house and across the lawn towards the chicken coop. There were two huge trucks parked haphazardly across the grass, headlights bathing the house in sharp, cool light. Tony managed to catch glimpses of HYDRA agents being cuffed and loaded into a van, but when they came around the back of the barn, Bucky came into view and Tony couldn't look at anything else.
Bucky was still in wolf form, pacing and snarling, snout white with froth. There were dark, sticky, wet patches on his fur that Tony desperately hoped wasn't his own blood. Tony broke away from Coulson and ran across the lawn, throat raw with aching breaths he tugged in. "Bucky!"
Bucky's eyes latched on him, and he immediately dropped to his belly with a whine. Tony fell to his knees and threw his arms around Bucky who crawled forward until they were wrapped around each other.
Energy crackled against him, and Bucky shuddered and shifted back to human without ever leaving Tony's hold. "Are you okay?" Tony rasped, needing to hold Bucky close while also checking him over for injury.
"I'm okay."
Hearing Bucky's voice released the last of Tony's tension, and he collapsed backwards against the chicken coop wall with a groan and a curse.
An agent approached cautiously, holding out a crackly shock blanket. Tony took it and wrapped it around Bucky's naked shoulders. "Come on. SHIELD has everything secure now. Come with me." Tony coaxed Bucky back towards the house. The agents were all bustling around looking busy, but Tony ignored them. As soon as he had Bucky in the light, he cupped his face between his hands and scanned his face. A little more tension released when he saw Bucky's eyes were bright and unmarred by pain and though he was dirty, he wasn't bleeding.
There was still tension in Bucky's shoulders, though.
"You called them," Bucky said, and Tony nodded, dropping his hands to his sides and taking a step back.
"I did. I'm sorry. I know I violated your trust, but it was a risk I had to take. I couldn't let HYDRA take you back."
Bucky's gaze dropped to the ground. He didn't say anything.
"I understand if you don't trust me anymore, but it was worth it. You're okay. If that means I lose you then -"
But Bucky's touch cut Tony off. He reached out and hooked the back of Tony's head. Tony stared at him wide-eyed as Bucky leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his lips. "Thank you," he breathed. "For saving me."
"I -" Tony couldn't find his breath. "It's - uh - it's been a few times, actually," he pointed out.
Bucky grinned. "Oh, has it?"
"Yeah. Just, you know, if you were handing out…" Tony's eyes dropped to Bucky's mouth, "...rewards."
Bucky hummed behind a cheeky smirk. He leaned in again, but before their lips could touch, a clearing throat drew their attention to the side. Coulson was standing there watching blandly.
Tony glared. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, actually. Thank you, Dr. Stark. My men are trying to secure your property but there's an -" he looked at his notebook "'- asshole dragon-horse guarding the barn.'"
Tony sighed. He shared a look with Bucky, and they both said, "Grover," at the same time. He pushed up to his feet, stealing a touch of Bucky's side. "I'll go put the dragon to bed. You go chat up that very competent-looking human doctor hanging out by the truck, okay? We'll meet back at the house when this is all sorted out."
Bucky tugged the shock blanket tight around himself then nodded and headed off towards the EMT without protest, which was enough to tell Tony just how exhausted he had to be. Tony saw a white streak out of the corner of his eye as Alpine darted over to Bucky and started winding in and out between his feet as he walked.
Tony lured Grover into a stall with a carrot and walked the agents through the outbuildings to declare everything clear. Coulson promised to leave a few guards stationed outside while SHIELD did a full area sweep and ensure there was no more risk from HYDRA to Tony and Bucky.
"And our deal?" Tony asked.
Coulson held out a hand for Tony to shake and he took it. "Consider him reborn. The Winter Soldier is dead. James Barnes was born in 1978, went to state college on a military scholarship, and was injured on duty. He's on disability and he has a social security number. There's an envelope at your door. Oh, and he'll have to start paying taxes. There's a lot I'll do to keep this quiet, but I won't go toe-to-toe with the IRS."
"Deal. Thank you." Tony clapped him on the shoulder. "Now, don't take this the wrong way, but please fuck off?"
"Absolutely. I hope we never meet again."
"Indeed."
Tony watched the trucks pull away from the farm, leaving one large van by the barn for the stationed guards. He traipsed up to the house and slipped in through the garage. He found the envelope from Coulson and brought it in with him. Alpine was sitting on the garage chest freezer looking distinctly put out, so Tony gave her a once over, found no injury, then let her in and locked up after her.
Bucky was sitting on the couch staring blankly at the wall.
"Hey," Tony said softly as he approached. "You okay?"
Bucky blinked at him. "Yeah. The medic said I was okay." He looked down at his hands.
Tony placed the envelope in them. "Your new life. If you want it."
Bucky ran his flesh hand over the envelope then set it aside. "I do want it. Thank you. I'll -"
"Later is okay."
He nodded. "Later."
"Today was a lot."
Bucky nodded again.
"You probably just want to go to bed."
Bucky turned wide, suddenly-intense eyes on Tony. "I want…" he leaned in and pressed his lips to Tony's again.
Tony sighed softly into the kiss. "Is this," he asked, when Bucky pulled away, "a thing like… you've imprinted on me cause I saved you, or something, and that's why you think you like me?"
Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Coulson saved my life tonight, and I don't want to fuck him."
Tony barked out a nearly hysterical laugh. "Oh my god. Thank you for that mental image." He felt Bucky's hand on his jaw again, bringing their gazes back together.
"I know I… have missing pieces. I think I might always. But I know what I want. I know who I am. If I'm not what you want, then fine, but I've wasted too much time giving other people what they want. This is what I want. And maybe I'll be terrible at being with someone, I don't know. But I'm not fucking around anymore. I want to try."
"You are absolutely everything I want," Tony said, and he launched himself at Bucky.
Bucky caught him around the waist and tipped backwards on the couch winding their bodies together. He kissed him senseless, silly, breathless. "I can stay, right?" Bucky finally asked when their kisses became less frantic.
"Always." Tony kissed the tip of his nose. "Though, I'm rethinking my rule about dogs on the bed."
"I thought it was no super healers on the bed." Bucky frowned.
"Potato to-mah-to."
"On account of your old-man back," Bucky continued.
"Okay, you're sleeping in the garage."
"Though, with the way you snore, I can't imagine anyone would want to -"
"In the barn with Grover!" Tony declared.
Bucky laughed - freer than Tony had ever heard from him before - and rolled them both to their feet, his arms around Tony's waist. "Shower. Bed."
Tony nodded. "Yes, please."
"You first." Bucky gave him a little squeeze then released him.
Tony pouted. "We could save water?"
Bucky's eyes raked up and down Tony until he felt naked even fully dressed. "Won't be able to keep my hands off you. And I don't think tonight is the right time for that."
"You're probably right." Tony stole another kiss then shuffled up to the shower. As soon as the hot water hit his skin, the entire night crashed down on him. A full body weariness settled on his shoulders and Tony needed to use the edge of the shower stall to steady himself. He started shivering and couldn't stop, even though the water was hot enough to steam up the whole room. He braced a hand against the shower wall and choked on a sudden sob that slammed sideways into his chest. "Fuck," he breathed, shaking uncotrollably.
He couldn't stop the next sob, and a cascade followed after. He didn't know how long it was, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes before he heard Bucky's frantic footsteps. "Tony?" he asked breathlessly.
"I'm -" Tony managed, but he couldn't squeeze out the fine.
The shower curtain slid aside, and Bucky's hands found Tony's shoulders and then his face. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"It's over," Tony sobbed out. "I was - fuck - I was so scared I would lose you one way or another, but it's all over and - and -"
"And I'm still here." Bucky stepped over the edge of the tub and gathered Tony into his arms.
"Your clothes are getting wet," Tony pointed out.
"Don't care."
Tony burrowed into Bucky's neck. "I feel like I should be comforting you," he stuttered out between still-subsiding sobs.
"I… I've had to process a lot of shit, Tony. I still - I remember things. I have nightmares. I don't - It doesn't hit the same way. Maybe it will someday. But you'll be there for me then, right?"
Tony sniffed violently. "Of course."
"Okay." Bucky buried a kiss in Tony's wet hair. His clothes were plastered to his skin, so Tony helped him peel out of them, tossing them in the corner of the tub to deal with later. They each did a perfunctory towelling off then crawled into Tony's bed, under the fluffy duvet. It wasn't long before the heat from their combined bare skin warmed him, and Tony was able to settle, curled up in Bucky's arms.
Alpine jumped delicately onto the bed, stomped around purring for a while, then curled up on Bucky's hip.
Tony woke suddenly in the soft grey of dawn, Bucky still wrapped around him, breathing softly, Alpine curled around his head, one back paw dangling down to brace against his nose. Tony did some careful maneuvering to pull his phone off the bedside table without waking Bucky and checked his messages.
Coulson: We raided the HQ. Found the mole and he's in custody. We wiped B's records. You should be safe. Leaving your detail for another week, just in case, but it's over.
Tony felt a stale sob try and crawl back up his throat but he breathed deeply until it subsided again. They were really going to be okay.
"What's it?" Bucky slurred sleepily, and something tripped and stumbled in Tony's stomach at the thought that he could be that relaxed, that trusting with him.
"Just Coulson letting me know they tied up some loose ends. We should be all in the clear."
"Good." Bucky reached out and tugged Tony back into his arms, curling around and over him in a way that reminded Tony with a giggle of a big, fluffy dog.
"Now we just need a way to explain you to other people."
Bucky chuckled, low and dark. "Met on the internet."
"Came to adopt the dog and never left."
"Not that far off." He twisted his face out of the pillow to smile at Tony. "Everyone at the clinic is going to wonder where your dog is."
"We'll have to tell people you're allergic or something and that's why they never see you two together."
"Or we find a real wolf that looks just like me and train him to come hang out…" Bucky yawned.
"Maybe some clever photoshopping in Facebook pictures will be enough." Tony laughed. "I don't have many guests over. He pressed a kiss to Bucky's lips. "We'll figure it out."
Bucky smiled stupidly at him. "We really will, won't we?"
Tony traced the edge of Bucky's bottom lip with one finger then kissed him again. "We really will."
"Okay. Good." Bucky hauled him in. "More sleep now."
"More sleep now." Tony snuggled down in Bucky's hold, letting his eyes close and his body go limp, and for the first time in a long time, he felt like he could truly rest. He had Bucky, and everything was going to be okay.