forum Marvel AU OxO?

Started November 29, 2019 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

"Hmm," Steve sounded in lieu of a proper reply, looking at Tony with a tired look. "I was almost surprised there. You're quick with a camera, y'know? Maybe you should take up photography."

Tony shook his head. "No. I got too much else for a hobby in photography. Besides, this is good PR for you two. Especially him." he gestured at Bucky.

Steve bit his lip, finding a small truth in Tony's words. It would be good for the people to see that he's not what they really think, He thought, But I don't him to feel like this is just for show… He shrugged lightly, still holding onto the bundle of origami, "But it's not all about what others see, right?"

"Well no, but still. It as a cute little moment between you two, and I shared some of it with people." Tony shrugged slightly. "They get to see more than just…you know. What the news says."

Bucky was silent, the animals held carefully in his hands.

"Hmm," Steve breathed, considering Tony's words. He has a point. If there's a trial… "When's the press party…thing?" Steve asked.

"A few days from now." Tony replied with a shrug. "Why?" he raised his eyebrows at Steve.

Steve shook his head dismissively, "I don't know. I feel like we should talk about what we're up against," He glanced at Bucky, "But we can't let it get to our heads. I think we should sort things out or…prepare, somehow."

Tony nodded slightly. "Really, best thing you can do is make sure he gives a good impression." He replied, gesturing at Bucky. "That's about all you can do."

Bucky let out a breath. "You know you don't have to talk about me like I'm not here, right?"

Steve looked at Bucky and let out a quiet sigh, thinking about how concerning this situation was to him. He cleared his throat, "–We'll just…worry about it later on. For now, let's get these animals outta here and then we can sit down for lunch?"

Tony nodded. "Right. Want any help with the animals?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at Steve.

Bucky gathered up his animals and took them to his room, putting them on his bed for now, before coming back. He crossed his arms loosely.

"Sure, I think there are still a bunch on the carpet," Steve nodded, glancing back to confirm as he walked out of the room.

Tony nodded, picking up the rest of the animals and following Steve out. "I think I got them all. Or at least, most of them, I guess." he chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"Mhm, well, it's kind of addicting once you start," Steve chuckled, dumping his armful of paper onto his bed to sort out later. "It's also pretty relaxing, and when you're done– you have a little friend," He smiled, and surveyed the pile of animals, "…Or a few."

Tony chuckled softly. "A few thousand, you mean." he replied, shaking his head a little bit. "There's so fucking many of them."

"But at least they're cute, right?" Steve quietly laughed, looking at the mountain of paper animals on his bed, "Making them made Bucky laugh– which is like, wow," He smiled.

Tony set the animals down, and nodded a little bit. "Right. And yeah. Have you talked with him about a therapist or anything?" he asked, looking at Steve carefully.

Steve let out a long sigh, folding his arms. "Yeah, well– he refuses to see one," He said with a nod, "But he's not opposed to coming with me to my own appointment."

Tony nodded slightly. "Right. Well. At least that's a little bit of progress, then. He should see one eventually, but forcing him to go wouldn't accomplish anything."

"I know, I know," Steve slowly replied, looking at the ground with a quiet clench of his jaw, "I'm just…impatient, I guess. I don't know what for– except for the fact that I want him to be okay." He shrugged lightly, "And I just…want to help him."

Tony smiled a little at that, but kept his private thoughts to himself. "Right. He will be alright eventually, Steve. Just keep in mind he's been through a lot of trauma, a lot of which he might not even remember yet."

Steve nodded thoughtfully, reminding himself that he had to be patient. "But what do we do when he does?" He asked, "What do we do when he remembers something and can't bear to tell anyone?

Tony sighed softly. "I…" He trailed off. "I don't know, to be honest." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I wish I could tell you, Steve. But I don't have all the answers for this one. I'm sorry. But…I don't know. He might feel…I know that a lot of trauma victims somehow feel like it's their fault, but…I don't know."

Steve's shoulders tensed at the thought of Bucky feeling like he was responsible for what happened. "What if he takes responsibility?" He asked, balling his hands into fists in an effort to stop himself from biting his nails out of anxiety, "What if– he convinces himself that it's his fault?"

Tony bit his lip. "That'll depend on what happened." He replied slowly. "And I'm not…a great choice to ask for help with this." He shook his head.

Steve shrugged and shook his head dismissively, trying to brush away the prickling anxiety that arose when he thought of Bucky's mental and emotional state. "Yeah, sorry," He said, covering his worry with a staggered laugh, "I'll just…we should– probably go back to the living room. We'll figure it out later."