Tony and Bucky friendship chapter! Doctor Stark is back baby! With a broken arm!

Enjoy (:

2300 words+

"Mr Barnes! That was a very long 27 days wasn't it? I hope you're been doing the therapy I recommend and the physio too, don't lie to me, I'll find out one way or another y'know. Now you know the drill, off with the shirt we are doing some experiments today! Dr Strange has been working a lot with the prototype while I've been away and I'm just so eager to see a man topless after so long. Joking! But still, shirt off will you?"

Tony has to catch his breath, it hurts more than usual due to the new bruising on his chest and around his fragile arc reactor. He feels like he's 16 all over again, wired up with all sorts of beeping machines and feeling busted and bruised. But this time he has stuff to do, he is so behind in so many sections of his life that he's stopped looking at his calendar or else he's going to go into cardiac arrest.

And he has James Barnes. His new project. His magnificent wonder. James Barnes who looks like a deer caught in headlights.

James Barnes looks shellshocked on the hospital bed in Tony's office, and where did that come from, Tony thinks first because he has never had a hospital bed issued to his hospital office and now he wonders if it's for the patient or if someone has planted it for himself. Or maybe someone truly thought Tony had died out there in Afghanistan and the senior doctors had flipped a coin for Tony's lavish office. That makes tony a bit mad, how dare they not leave his office like a shrine.

Tony doesn't blame how Bucky seems to look at him, as if he's a corpse walking, but Tony surely is sick of that same look on everyone's faces. As if he's about to break.

The second thing that goes through Tony's head is just how good Bucky seems to look, how the man in front of him looks to be leaps and bounds away from the last time they had met, or maybe that's just because Tony has been so use to his own reflection which hasn't been pretty.

But he seems to look so alive. As if all the trauma and trouble and terrible things that have happened to him have been lifted off his shoulders and thrown away into the wind. It's refreshing and it brings a small smile to Tony's face as he turns away from his patient.

He did that.

"I'm glad you're not dead."The words are addressed at Tony and both of them seem surprised, and Tony is so glad that his back in turned away from James Barnes in this moment because those words seem to hit him like a ton of bricks. Tony feels like so many people have been walking on egg shells around him, so scared to even begin admitting that they thought he was dead, nevermind bring up the words.

It feels like hours have passed since Tony has heard those words uttered his way, and maybe that's because Tony has seemed to have lost all perception of time, or maybe because he never had any to begin with. He doesn't know how to react, or what to do, or what to say and the words that leave his lips surprises him because he's not even sure if he fully understands it, or more importantly, means it.

"I'm glad I'm not dead too."The smile that Tony musters is so bare and raw, it's a glimpse of pure emotion that Tony feels he hasn't experienced in awhile and it shocks his inner core to the bone. The way the smile emerges onto his face, it's not a big whopping number of a smile, but it's real and while it doesn't reach his eyes, he can feel them water.

Tony doesn't know if he believes his own words, but he knows he believes that James means it.

Because this man that sits across from him is far from the teenager he had met all those years ago. This is someone who has grew up, faced war, looks at things from a different perspective. Who is tough, raw, difficult, guarded but truthful.

"Right now stop with these emotions, next you're gonna bear hug me and plant a soppy kiss on my cheek! Which I know you want to Barnes."Tony wiggles his eyebrows with a smirk on his lips and he almost catches a glimpse of a smile from Barnes. Almost. It was barely there but Tony is going to count it because he needs that type of win today, yesterday, this week, this month, this year.

"It wouldn't be such of a bare hug, me with only one arm and you with a broken one."Tony chokes out a laugh and restrains himself from playfully slapping Bucky on the arm. The smile on Bucky's face falls a little as he continues,"No seriously, I mean it- I meant what I said. I'm glad you didn't die out there, Tony."

Tony. Since when has the James Barnes called him by his name? Tony can't even recall if he was called by his name even back when they were teenagers. It's funny how quickly people can change when you almost fucking die.

"You're only saying that because if I died you wouldn't get your cool robot arm."

"About that..."

"No, nope, don't you dare finish that sentence. Zip it!"Tony aggressively motions with his working hand over his lip, his eyes wide and wild. "I may be at a slight disadvantage with my injuries but I will kick your ass the whole way back to Brooklyn if you say what I think you're saying."

"It's just- it's been weird. You were all over the news, man. I hadn't seen you in what, 11 years and all of a sudden you were everywhere. It was like something out of a movie."

"Sweetheart, I'm always on the news, how was this the first time you've seen me on tv?"

"I don't know,"He shrugs, looking away for a second before bringing his attention back to where Tony is fiddling with paperwork before shoving it aside. "Maybe I was self consciously avoiding you."

"And how'd that work out for you?"Tony raises his eyebrow jokingly as he laughs, thinking back to how the first time they sat in his office Tony wasn't even sure if he was allowed to crack a smile, nevermind laugh and joke with James Barnes.

They get to work, eventually, with Tony doing his usual tests and comparing it to what Dr Strange has gathered during his absence. Tony notices straight away that Bucky has definitely been doing the recommended physio, which is a great sign of determination and he laughs when Bucky blushes as Tony squeezes the muscle around his shoulder and back. Tony is very hopeful and he's sure that this device is going to do wonders not only for Buckys physical health but also his mental and emotional. Tony knows what it feels like to be missing apart of you, after all.

"It feels like I've been away from there for so long. What was it like?"Bucky's voice comes out barely a whisper, and Tony almost thinks he's making it up if it wasn't for the way Bucky is intensely watching Tony as he cleans around what's left of his arm. It's comical how Tony, the doctor, is in more of an injured state than Bucky, the patient.

"Well I didn't exactly see much seeing as I was in a cave up until I escaped."He turns away, reaching for the box he had managed to lift onto his desk earlier. It's only a temporary model but it's still significantly heavy.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."He says sheepishly, looking away from where he was watching Tony tinker with a device that looks like it's fit to go over the stump in which the rest of his arm use to be.

"But when I did escape,"Tony starts quietly, working away, "It made me realise that I truly hadn't been alive in that cave, not until the sun started shining on my face. Feeling that sun on my skin and the grittiness of the sand between my bare toes, it almost took my breath away. I didn't realise how much I missed the sun. I love the heat, I loved the heat."

Tony can't believe that he's spilling his trauma out so easily, especially to James Barnes out of all people on earth. But it feels nice, it feels needed and it doesn't seem like Bucky minds either.

Pepper and rhodey would be so angry right now to know that Tony is spilling his guts to not only a guy he knew 9 odd years ago, but also a patient. At the same time, they would probably be out rightly so proud of him too.

Between the waterboarding and the scorching heat, Tony doesn't know if he fears the sun or the rain more.

"You'll love it again, I promise."Bucky says quietly because he knows that feeling. By the time he left he still hadn't completely gotten use to the heat or the way that the sun hit him. It made him long for the cold, the wind, the rain and then snow.

"Hmm, maybe. Right now I'm just glad to be back in drizzly New York, something I never thought I would say. I use to hate New York with every fibre of my being, but when I was back there all I could think about was the way it rains here, how the streets smell and how you can see peaks of blue sky between the towering skyline. I longed for it so much."

"I understand. I felt the exact same way."

"I-I mean yeah, yeah, of course. You were there for how many years? 6?"

"7."Bucky corrects not unkindly, "but it's different. I wanted to go there. I wanted to do something for myself, my family, my friends. To feel useful because let's face it, I'm not the smartest, but I'm loyal."

"You may have wanted to go to fight for your country, but I'm sure you would also like to have your left arm back."Tony chucks at Buckys arm teasingly, watching how he shakes his head and laughs.

"Well, that's why I'm here isn't it? To get my
left arm back."Bucky almost smirks. "I heard about what happened with Steve at your homecoming. He's such a knucklehead."

"You could say that again,"Tony responds in amusement, "He could've got seriously hurt, those security guys are no joke, god, they nearly went through me and I'm who they are suppose to be protecting."

"He was more shocked that you took the time to speak to him, nevermind the fact he saw you alive in person."Bucky remembers the news announcement, that genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark was found alive in the desert. He and Steve had been in Steve's flat, cooking breakfast when the news broke and Steve dropped his plate, smashing on the ground.

They hadn't talked about Tony much, not even with his involvement in Buckys prosthetic, but he knew it had been on Steve's mind. He just didn't realise how much until then.

"He gave me his number. Or well, I asked for it."

"Are you going to call?"Tony shrugs, before turning away, glancing at the object on the table before shaking his body, signalling a new conversation as he turns back to Bucky.

"Right, so I know I've explained this before but I'm just going to run through this again. What I'm doing now is fitting on a temporary prosthetic, it's to get you use to the weight behind your real one because it will be heavy, which is why it's strongly encouraged for you to continue with physiotherapy and building muscle strength. This prosthetic is basic, no bells and whistles with it unfortunately, but it'll get you use to the weight and give back the feeling of having two arms. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"I want you to wear this every day, building up the length of time day by day until you can comfortably wear it all day. If I find out you're pushing yourself and potentially hurting yourself, I will find you and I will smack you over the head, got it?"Tony points his pen threateningly at Bucky.

"I'm not a child."Bucky rolls his eyes but quickly agrees once he notices the daggers that Tony is giving him.

"Your real prosthetic is going to require numerous operations, ranging from skin grafts to implantation and I know I have missed a lot of our appointments but it's crucial you come to every single one from now on, and I of course, will also not get kidnapped for the foreseeable future."Bucky smirks and nods which makes Tony smile. It's good to joke."Right, now we've completed the boring part of our appointment, I need to fetch my colleague Dr Strange to help me with the fitting of your temporary arm. Sit tight, don't run away."

"Hey Tony."

"Yes?"Tony turns on his heel, just about to open the door with his working hand and call for Doctor Strange to help out. They've been avoiding eachother. Or maybe Tony has been avoiding him.

"Phone Steve. He's- back when we were teenagers,"Bucky swallows hard, a lump in his throat before he clears his throat, "He really was sweet on you. He cared, a lot. And I think he still does. Give him a call. For me."

"I'll think about it."

Bit quicker with this update for you guys! I haven't started the next one yet but I've the next chapters laid out so hopefully get somewhere with them quick enough.

Please let me know your thoughts!

What do you think of Tony and Buckys friendship? Good?

Shall we have a Steve chapter next?

Peace ✌🏼