You are a dying star.
Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Darcy Lewis For: @phoenix-173 Prompt: Phone Sex Operator AU
Bucky stared at the business card in his hand, half in disbelief that he was even considering doing this, and half in blind excitement at what was about to happen.
It was true, it had been a while for him. For a lot of things.
Sex. Emotional connections.
He’d had the card for Clandestine Calls for a while now, but hadn’t felt the need to use it until recently. He hadn’t had a reason to fix this part of himself.
But he’d felt a twinge of something the other day. A twinge of something akin to attraction. For a woman. A woman he knew, and thought highly of. Someone he respected. And he’d panicked. He’d absolutely panicked.
And this? This didn’t feel as cringey (or illegal) as hiring an actual…call girl would be. It was just practice.
Or at least, that’s what he was telling himself as he logged into the website.
And he wouldn’t even have to engage in anything sexual. And if he wanted, he could just hang up. And these women wouldn’t hold it against him. No one was getting hurt.
Except, possibly, his credit card balance.
A chat window popped up immediately. Someone from customer service wanting to help him through the process.
Whether it was a bot or a real person, the rep was nice, informative. They explained the blocks of time he could choose from. The first was five minutes. The second, an extension to seven, the third, an extension to twelve and so on. He chose the seven minute block to start, mostly because he wasn’t sure if he was even going to do anything this time around. But five seemed too short a time to decide.
An extra two minutes, though. That was apparently where the magic happened.
He was directed to a payment page, where he gave his credit card information. So his real name was attached to this account. But that was something to be kept secret, apparently. This company prided themselves on their ability to keep things confidential. Because the next question after he entered his credit card info was what he’d prefer to be called.
Jack, he’d typed, coming up with the name out of necessity because he suddenly couldn’t think of anything besides his real name.
Your consultant’s name is ‘Diane’, have a good time.
A number was listed below.
Diane.
Most assuredly a fake name. As fake as ‘Jack’ was, at any rate.
Jack & Diane.
Kind of funny, now that he thought about it.
Possibly to be continued as long as no one else is writing anything similar…
This headcanon is crushing me, so I’m just gonna do the tumblr thing and spread the pain: Imagine Tony has a son. It wasn’t planned, of course not. Tony’s never wanted–never even considered the possibility. But well, when a condom breaks sometimes that happens.
The mother, thankfully, is a very sweet woman in her late twenties, who doesn’t go to the tabloids or demands a lot of money. Instead she informs Tony, tells him she’s keeping the child and that it’s his choice how big a part he wants to play in its life. Predictably Tony panics. But, he’s got eight months to get used to the idea, you know? And despite all his personal faults, his lack of responsibility, he does want to be father to his child. There is nothing he wants more than that, which he realises the moment he holds his beautiful, little son in his arms for the first time.
They name him Luca and he is perfect. And in a perfect world, that would be enough.
But the world they live in isn’t perfect and when Luca is four years old, Tony receives a call that nothing could have prepared him for: his son is sick. And of course with Tony being a Stark he can afford the best medical treatment but sometimes. Sometimes it’s not a question of being able to afford it, sometimes everything today’s medicine can do still isn’t enough.
The doctors can’t tell them how long they have, all they know is that they are running out of time. And Tony? Tony tries, he tries so hard to put on a brave face. He spends as much time with Luca as possible, teaches him how to build the world’s most amazing lego tower, goes to amusement parks, plays with him, draws, throws frisbees until his arm hurts. Tries not to think about how Luca is never going to be an adult, is never going to have a big 18th birthday party, is never going to bring home a girl- or boyfriend and it kills him.
Wonders every time Luca smiles at him, every time he hears is voice on the phone when he can’t make the time to visit personally if this is the last time he’s going to see his son alive. Tony knows it’s not about him, that he needs to focus on the present right now, build memories and give Luca the best life he can have–and he does, he really does. He’s a great father and Luca is happy, always smiling and curious and with familiar, bright eyes full of wonder. And all Tony wants is for this to last.
But this is a problem Tony can’t fix. All he can do is pray–and he does, believe me, he does–for a miracle that doesn’t come.
Oooh, insp for a new fic! #tony!whump
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1.Bucky2.Tony3.Bujo4.Tech5.Fitness
Summary: Tony is a sick man. A cold man. He is fractured like the dying light.
Hands reach out and ask for more; money, weapons, power, contracts, apologies. They'd ask for his heart if they thought he had one. - In which Tony and Bucky have a solemn conversation in the early morning hours, and in which Tony struggles to hide his cruel urges and Bucky battles with his own broken mind.
"Of Glory, Honor, and the Road to Redemption" companion piece. (Does not need to be read to read this)
Link to series -> Of Glory, Honor, and the Path to Redemption
Warnings: confused state of mind, very brief mention of murder, suggested sociopath tony stark
Tony Stark is a sick man. A cold man. He is fractured like the dying light.
The others, they don't know this.
They see him as the world sees him; an egotistical man, even if that ego is valid.
It doesn't bother him most days. In fact, after Tony accepted he simply would never be friends with the rest of the Avengers, his life became easier.
The team thought him naive and childish, always pushing him away. Steve's pursed lips, Wanda's rolled eyes, Natasha's suspicious glares, Sam's grimaces. Barnes, of all people, actually tried to be amicable.. as amicable as a lost and feral soul can be.
But he had Pepper and Rhodey, and Happy and Gene. So quietly, wrathfully, Tony put distance between them, holding his head high and flashing that billion dollar smile.
Quickly he had settled back into his old routine.
Wake up (gasping), stumble (blearily), then settle (achingly) into his lab.
Invent (breathlessly); invent (tirelessly); invent (euphorically); until his legs give out and he collapses, once again thrashing in sleepless fits.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
They never noticed him, nor asked about him, unless something came up. It was alright. It was soothing. Between the White House, Wakanda, Stark Industries, SHIELD, and every terrorist from New York to Timbuktu, Tony really didn't have the energy to entertain backstabbing 'friends'.
The ignorance towards him quelled his ever present rage and helped him hide when he slipped up. When Tony lost control for a moment and everything rushed to a torrent between his ears, knuckles whitening, thoughts of revenge and vehemence urging him to kick them from his tower.
Eyes that judge never see the truth, and hands that are bitten eventually recoil. "But it would not be today," Tony tells himself calmly, with a smile, as he wipes coffee and shards from his hands. DUM-E beeps solemly, sweeping the remnants of a shattered mug away.
Hands reach out and ask for more; money, weapons, power, contracts, apologies. They'd ask for his heart if they thought he had one.
What a joke.
I need a new bow.
Sigh.
My suit is torn.
Twitch.
Upgrade the helicarrier by next Friday.
Breathe.
Gala at 6, conference at 11.
Smile.
Don't you have somewhere else to be?
Calm.
Nowdays it seemed to be Doctor Doom and his stupid Doombots, terrorizing New York and Chicago. Cap would call for him and they would all meet for a few hours. Defeat Doom for a day, and retreat.
Sometimes.., sometimes Tony would consider just ending Doom.
Killing him.
Feeling the man's skull squelch between his armored fingers. Laughing estatically as blood seeped into the carpet..
The man's infuriating plans were novice, but still destructive. Yet if he did.. that, Tony would never leave his tower. What would be the point? It would be rare for civilians to even be injured during these fights, so it really wasn't that bad to let Doom live. Not with the original Avengers, sans Clint, Thor, and Bruce, plus Spiderman, Barnes, Ant-man, Vision, and the twins. Together they formed a formidable team. They had every twist, turn, bullet, and bounce fine tuned to a well oiled and righteous fist.
At night when the world is asleep, he stands with a glass of whiskey and stares out across the twinkling skyline.
One time, Barnes happens upon him.
The reformed assassin appears surprised. Of course, Tony thinks, what kind of nutter stands in the shadows like a statue.
"Sorry," Barnes croaks out, turning to leave.
"Don't be," Tony hums. "Want one?"
The taller man half turns to face him with confusion written across his face.
Tony clinks his glass.
"Oh.. uh.."
"Sure," Tony supplies. "Come here," he gestures.
The faint city lights illuminate James Barnes as the man steps forward tentatively, feeling cornered and uncertain.
"I won't bite,” the industrialist hums. It’s almost a giggle; humorous and childlike.
Pouring amber liquor into a crystal glass, Tony moves from the shadows into the dim lighting with grace. "Here."
Barnes stares at him. Eyes wide and blue like a puppy, and finally, Tony does not feel thunderous cruelty in his veins.
"I.. thanks." Barnes replies, carefully taking the glass.
Moments of silence pass between them, comfortable for Tony and eerie for Barnes, before the supersoldier can't take the strange interaction any longer.
"Can't get drunk," he grunts, eyes cast far away and beyond the city, likely reliving horrors unimaginable. "Serum stops it."
Tony quirks an eyebrow, bringing his glass to his lips. "Not even on Asgardian mead?"
Barnes shrugs, "Haven't tried it. Could-could you imagine a raging drunk Winter Soldier?"
Tony stills and Barnes thinks he never should have accepted the drink, until Tony's cackling, biting laughter explodes across the balcony and into the night. Barnes jumps for a moment, rattled, but still smiles a little.
"That'd be pretty bad," Tony laughs raucously, "HOO THA HEEEYL IS BUHKEE?" he grunts out in a gravelly baritone, pulling a sour face. He wheezes as he laughs.
Incredulously, Barnes gapes at the mans audacity before his own laughter bubbles up, long forgotten and disused. They collapse against the railing, giggling like children, and bask in a strange but shared moment of comfort.
Tony sighs as he leans against a pillar, "Fuck this place. Just fuck it."
Barnes, who is still leaning against the railing in a state of bewilderment, turns his head. Tony’s moods were giving him whiplash but he wondered if the man was always like this and he had just never noticed. "Are you drunk, Stark?"
"No," the darker haired man snorts. "I'd need another ten, maybe twelve of these to be."
Barnes contemplates him silently, unsure of how to reply. He needn't have bothered, though, as Tony powered on.
"Don't you get sick of them?" Tony spat, face crinkling in anger. "The 'team'. Above everyone else, all mighty and just. Anyone can throw a shield or a knife, shoot someone in the head, and pretend they're a hero. Guess the only difference is, sometimes they are. But sometimes they aren't."
The Soldier is stunned and uncertain of what to say. Words do not come easily to him anymore. They are foreign and rusted, and if he isn't careful, inflict as much damage as his vibranium fist. He chooses his words carefully, certain the genius is aware of their weight, and likely, a victim of the same scathing repertoire the media aims at himself.
"They aren't fond of you," he begins lowly, "Because of your intelligence." It comes off as more of a question, and to which Tony mutely shakes his head. "Or because you don't fall in line," Barnes offers, feeling a dusty resurgence of fear towards his prior handlers. It hits him like a train and he supposes, if it's true, then he hadn't left it all behind him after all.
Tony confirms it with a bitter grin, "Bingo, amigo," he hisses. "What use is a soldier if I don't follow orders like a good little dog. Problem is I'm not a soldier and they know it. Pawns of war aren't supposed to be variables."
Barnes stays quiet, bothered by this revelation.
"You know why Natasha doesn't like me?" Tony asks, draining his glass. "When she applied to SI, I knew who she was. You can't hide from me," the man hisses, fist clench dangerously tight around the crystal glass. Tony's tone rattles him to the bone, stoking his paranoia. It’s so unlike the officious and enthused man who usually blitz’s around the labs, and more like a man.. a memory, vague, comes to mind. Probably someone from the war. From Stevie..
Of course, Barnes knew all about Widow's espionage. He had read their files; studied scrupulously to confirm Steve's assurances that they are not in fact HYDRA.
"She knows that now, she must. I let her join Pepper. SHIELD wanted something and I was interested. Her report, as I'm sure you know," he spoke dryly, "Stated 'Iron Man yes, Tony Stark no.' Simple verbiage, clear intent. But what they overlooked is even simpler. I had a change of heart in Afghanistan- declared a symptom of PTSD, but SI was only the company. Those weapons came from here," he tapped his temple. "Natasha took too long to realise this. Now she is weary of me. Thinks I'm a loose cannon. Naive. But she doesn't understand. Without me, SHIELD would not have been resurrected. The bows, the arrows, the Widows bites, the jets. They are me and I am them. The suit can fly and fight, but it's little more than a drone with a detonator without me,"
"Then why do you stay?" Tony shrugs half heartedly, eyes set hard upon central park.
He hums. "Thanos is coming."
A shiver races down the taller man's spine, icy like the tundra, like his old bed, like 1944. "For Pepper."
"For Pepper," Tony nods, "And Gene, and Happy and Rhodey, and humanity. What is right is not often wanted."
They return to a quiet, solemn companionship. In which Tony muses over his nightmares, over Thanos, the gaping void in the sky, and the blood thrumming in his veins. In which Barnes feels hollow, and cold, and longs for warmth and acceptance, but falls short, always riddled with paranoia as he fights the voice in his head. Eventually as the stars start to wink out, one by one, and the traffic below grows louder, James Barnes straightens up and asks one final question.
"If we live," comes the hoarse, tired words, "What will you do after?"
Tony bites his lip, hand wavering, before he drops his glass off the side and watches it plummet two hundred stories to the alley below. "The same as usual, pumpkin. Smile, wave, and dance. That's my job. Why, you think we won't win?"
Barnes looks at him sideways, wondering how this walking paradox of a man can be so raw yet so confident. "No." He admits. "Loki called him 'the Mad Titan'. The wizard is scared."
Tony breaks a real smile for a moment. "Wizards. Yeah, well, Loki's scared of Gene, too. Giant pussy cat."
Barnes just shakes his head, turning away from the balcony. "How come you aren't scared?"
Tony is strutting off with his hands in his pockets when he shrugs, and Barnes can almost see the smile on his face. "Oh, honeybun. Don't you know? I'm the Merchant of Death."
Teacher: Hello.
Me: Freight car.
James Buchanan Barnes, aka Bucky from Captain America: The Winter Soldier
“Bucky” is such a cute name though :\
_astrid_ • bucky • tony • I write Y/N fanfictions for the Avengers. For info on the series Ready, Aim, Fire - Y/N dynamic visit the Y/N page in the navi quicklinks. Feel free to request something or send in prompts. I can't guarantee when or if they'll be used but leave a name or come off anon to be credited. I am also active on Archive of Our Own, see my bio or the MASTERLIST for info **I am apparently incapable of making a mobile masterlist**
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