Snarky ColdWinter #2

[fist_of_hydra]

The team had been arguing for a while now, and getting nowhere. They'd narrowed Savage's location down to Italy in September of 1944, but couldn't get any farther than that. James thought he had a pretty good guess what Savage wanted - this was where HYDRA had most of their facilities, and the Red Skull would be the perfect ally to Savage.

The only people who would have any further intelligence about Savage's possible movements were the Allied or Axis forces. Neither were going to hand the information over to a bunch of strangers. Ray wanted to play dress up and march in, pretend to be an officer and demand the information. Sara wanted to go in at night and steal it. There were half a dozen other ideas floating around, and all of them were bad. Quite a few of them were likely to get them shot at.

Ray might be onto something, though. At least, if you turned your head and looked at the idea sideways. Trying to march in and claim to be an officer nobody in the camp had ever seen was asking for a swift visit from the MPs.

Marching in and claiming to be an officer everyone in the camp had seen was another matter.

James had been lurking by the doorway, as was his habit, rather than sitting around the table with the others. He hadn't been contributing, so he was able to slip out without inciting comment. Once in the hall, he strode toward the fabrication room. "Gideon. Do you have any footage or photos of me in uniform in this time period?"

"Of course, Mr. Barnes."

"Good. I need a copy made, and make sure it looks worn and used. Can you do that?"

"Certainly."

"Then do it." James strode into the fabrication area, where a uniform was already synthesizing. He paused, looking at it, and rubbed a hand over the scruff on his chin.

Five minutes later he strode back toward the main room. It felt odd to be back in this uniform. Gideon had even managed to make it smell right - which was to say, like blood and gunpowder and harsh lye soap. Even stranger was not feeling his hair brushing against his cheeks and neck. He hadn't had short hair since HYDRA took him, and he found he already missed it long.

This wasn't him, anymore. It felt like the ghost of Bucky Barnes was riding his shoulders, and the weight was pressing him down.

"...are we supposed to do, walk in and ask them nicely?" Sara was saying, her tone full of exasperation as she threw her hands up at Ray.

"That's exactly what we're gonna do." James rose his voice enough to cut through the babble. Everyone turned to look at him, and most of them did a wide-eyed double-take. He raised an eyebrow at them. "It's just a matter of the right person doing the asking."

Comments

[coldlenny]

Len grabbed his cold gun with a noise of pleasure and excitement, and hit the button to charge it up with a distinctive whine. He got out in front, prepared to defend both versions of his boyfriend, as James would be hampered by both the lack of his metal arm and the precious burden.

"Shut up, James," Len snarled, though he sounded more excited than angry. "You're not helping."

Then they rounded a corner to see a group of HYDRA goons, clearly singed and running for their lives, and Len opened up with a laugh, turning them all into popsicles.

[fist_of_hydra]

The noise Len made when he got his hands on his weapon made James snort with amusement. It also made him wish they were already back on the Waverider where they shared a private room, because it was pretty much the same noise Len made when James got his metal hand wrapped around the other man's cock.

He had every intention of re-staking his claim with far more than just a kiss, first chance he got. Unfortunately, with Barnes along for the ride, that was likely to take a while.

"There's a full-auto submachine gun clipped to my spine holster," he told Barnes. "You might as well be using it, since I can't."

"Right." Barnes reached around James' shoulder and grabbed the gun, then whistled when he got a good look at it. "Never seen one of these before. What..."

"It works the same as the guns you're used to," James interrupted him, not wanting to get into a discussion about who made it. "Point and shoot. Simple."

[coldlenny]

Len stepped over the fallen body of a HYDRA soldier and threaded his way through the rest of them, marching forward. He could hear Mick's heat gun in the distance and fired off another shot, alerting his partner - hopefully - that he was coming.

Assuming Mick was paying any attention.

"Just don't shoot my partner," he shouted to Bucky, as another group of HYDRA agents appeared and he started shooting again.

[fist_of_hydra]

They made it through the base to join up with Mick, who did indeed seem to be having the time of his life. For once, James didn't mind the man's more psychotic tendencies at all. He was perfectly happy to see HYDRA goons on fire and rolling around in agony.

Barnes seemed to be getting heavier the further James carried him, and that made no sense at all. Even without the metal arm, he was far stronger than a normal person. Not Captain America strong, but not far off, either.

Then the hit the perimeter of the base, and a wave of weakness swept over him. James staggered a few more steps, then lost his balance and hit his knees hard. Barnes cried out as James dropped him in the dirt, but it was all James could do to stay on his hands and knees as he fought the urge to be sick.

[coldlenny]

Len and Mick were definitely glad to be reunited. Mick raised his gun in the air. "Snart! War is the greatest! I can burn whoever I want!" he yelled, before firing on another group of fleeing HYDRA agents.

"You can't burn everyone, Mick. Just the bad guys!" Len laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder, before they all legged it out of there.

When James collapsed, Len shouted his name and ran to his side, grabbing him by the shoulder. "What the hell, James? What's wrong?"

[fist_of_hydra]

"Serum," James gritted out between clenched teeth. "I can't... it's not..." It felt like he was gasping for air, weak and dizzy and completely lost in his own body. Nothing felt like it should, he was suddenly freezing and aching with pain.

The serum was gone, the effects vanishing like they'd never been. Just like his arm had. "It's gone."

Bucky had scrambled up to his knees, hissing as his bloody feet scraped the ground, training the gun back in the direction they'd come. He didn't want any HYDRA sneaking up on them with only Rory paying attention. The mention of the serum drew his attention, however. "What d'ya mean, it's gone? It can wear off?"

In the middle of a battle? The thought was terrifying. If Steve ever reverted to his former self like this... God, he wouldn't survive five minutes.

[coldlenny]

Len stared at James, and then at Bucky, calculating. Bucky was alive, but the serum hadn't just worn off any more than the metal arm wore off. Something was happening that prevented Bucky from winding up with HYDRA. Somehow, even though they had rescued Bucky from HYDRA, he wasn't going to get his arm ripped off, and subsequently captured.

He glanced back at the HYDRA base. That made sense. If they had left Bucky there, he'd have been experimented on, but he never would have had his arm injured. That explained why James' arm had reverted first.

But now it was all going away.

Len grabbed James by the shoulder. "How long before it happens?" he asked urgently. "From today, how much time do we have to fix it - and this is probably your last chance to tell me if you don't want to fix it."

[fist_of_hydra]

"Less than a month," James told him, drawing a deep breath and using Len's grip to steady himself. He scrambled back up to his feet, looking down at Barnes with grim resignation in his eyes.

"It's his feet," he realized. "They're going to get infected or something, and he won't be able to go on the mission because he'll still be benched."

"What mission?" Bucky demanded, growing more and more frustrated with the cryptic statements. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ignoring him, James turned to Len, despair showing beneath the resignation. "You still don't get it, do you. If he doesn't go, I die. I'm fucking ninety-eight years old, Len. Even assuming he survives this war, even if he lives a long life, and that's a huge fucking if... I'm gone."

They already knew that while most changes they made to their earlier lives wouldn't affect them while they remained outside of time - thereby avoiding the issue of a possible paradox - changes that killed them would result in their death as well.

[coldlenny]

"I do get it," Len snarled. He had been coming to the same conclusion, which was why he had asked the question. He looked at Mick. "Pick him up. We've got to get him back to the Waverider."

Mick's eyes widened. "Are you sure, Snart? Ain't that the place we don't wanna take him?"

"He needs to see Gideon," Len said firmly.

[fist_of_hydra]

"Who the fuck is Gideon?" Bucky growled.

"Ask one more question, and we'll knock you out," James snapped at him. They probably ought to do that anyway, but at this point, he was worried the worst damage had already been done.

He knew Barnes - the guy was him, after all. And he wasn't the type to let something like this drop without a fight. They were going to have to give him some kind of explanation, or he'd become fixated on chasing down answers even after they were gone.

And that would probably lead to the same unwanted result of him not being on the mission in the Alps.

He still felt shaky and weak, but he forced himself to stop leaning on Len. He was only weak compared to how he felt with the serum; he was still a perfectly normal, healthy adult. It wasn't like he couldn't walk on his own. He drew another of his guns as Mick scooped up a scowling Barnes. "Let's get the hell out of here."

[coldlenny]

Len probably figured it was too late. Besides, Bucky had gotten hurt enough so far - Len didn't want to risk James any further. He jerked his head in a clear command and began to stride back towards where he was certain the Waverider had to be.

Mick followed close behind, carrying a pretty put-out Bucky - and not in the most comfortable position ever.

It took about an hour to walk all the way back to the ship, but no one complained - not even Bucky. There was nothing really to say. Len figured that they'd make up for it when they reached the ship.

When they reached the vicinity of the ship, Rip came trotting down the gangway, a square of light in the otherwise invisible ship. "You're all right! How excellent. When you and James fell-- What is this?" He stared at Bucky. "He can't be here!"

[fist_of_hydra]

James was in a thoroughly bad mood by the time they reached the ship. Unlike Steve, he'd been perfectly healthy before receiving the serum, but it sure as hell felt like he might collapse at any moment. Or maybe that was just the knowledge preying on the back of his mind, the ticking clock waiting for his doom to fall and the timeline to cement.

He wasn't sure if he'd wither and die of old age, drop on the spot, or vanish entirely. Either way, the outcome would be the same.

So having Hunter try to scold them for the attempt to save James' life did not sit well. He ripped his mask off once more, so the man could receive the full impact of his savage snarl. "You either let him in to be healed, or you lose me."

"I realize that you'd wish to be certain Sgt. Barnes is well, but we can't simply..."

"We changed the fucking timeline, asshole." James turned enough for Hunter to see his exposed, all-too-human left arm.

"Will somebody put me down and tell me what the fuck is going on?" Bucky demanded. He wasn't quite as vicious as James, but the similar tones were unmistakable.

[coldlenny]

"Shut up," Mick snarled at his burden. He hadn't stopped walking at all, heading straight for the entrance to the Waverider. "I thought we weren't supposed to tell the baby one about his future, huh? Why are we fucking arguing? We've got to fix his goddamn feet so pretty-boy will get his arm chopped off or whatever. Why the fuck am I the only one who gets this?"

"Yeah, Rip," Len added for good measure, rolling his eyes.

[fist_of_hydra]

"At this point we have to tell him something, or he's never gonna drop it," James argued, following Mick up into the ship. "In which case I still won't get my arm ripped off, and all this is for nothing."

Draped over Heatwave's shoulder, Bucky finally got a good look at James' face, below him on the ramp. He'd caught a glimpse before, when James had kissed Len, but this... fuck.

The baby one? About his future? And his feet being damaged somehow meant James no longer had a metal arm...

Bucky might not be Steve-smart, not even as smart as his friend before the serum, but he sure as hell wasn't stupid. And he'd loved sci-fi as a kid, read every terrible novel and saw every bad film he could.

But... seriously? That was supposed to be future him?

Seeing the wide-eyed shock on Barnes' face, James snarled up at him. "Trust me. You don't want to know the full details. Shut the hell up and let us help you."

[coldlenny]

"Yeah well, you shoulda knocked him out earlier," Mick grumbled. "Instead of making out with Snart so he could see your face." He carried Bucky through the ship towards the med bay.

"It wouldn't matter by that point, Mick," Len said with a sigh. "Everything was already messed up." He looked at Bucky, eyes narrowed. "Just understand after we fix you up that if you don't do what you're supposed to, I'll throw you off a cliff myself."

[fist_of_hydra]

"And what the hell exactly am I 'supposed' to do?" Bucky retorted. He stifled a yelp as he was deposited abruptly onto something that felt like a cross between a bed and a chair.

It was comfortable enough, but surrounded by high tech equipment, some of which was already moving in his direction, seemingly by itself. Panic sent sour bile crawling up his throat, the whole thing reminding him far too much of his time with HYDRA. All that was missing was Zola lurking on the fringes, gloating at him.

Barnes did a good job of hiding his reaction, but James saw right through him. Of course he did; it was the same reaction he would have to finding himself in a similar position.

Well, not quite the same. There would be more murder and mayhem involved if it were him. "Relax," he told his younger self, gruff but sincere. "You can walk outta here any time... well, you could if your feet weren't shredded. Which we're about to fix. It won't even hurt."

To his surprise, Bucky looked at Len for reassurance and confirmation. Apparently, they'd bonded while trapped in HYDRA together. James wasn't at all sure how he felt about that... but he was sure it wasn't good.

[coldlenny]

Len saw the beseeching, frightened look coming from Bucky and walked to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Relax," he said, echoing his lover's word, but more gently. "Nothing here'll hurt you."

He drew a breath, glancing around - not for permission, but to tell the others (like Rip) that he was taking charge here and not to interfere.

"Listen," he said quietly. "This is a timeship. We've all been recruited from the future to go after Savage. James here is you, like you have probably figured out. It's important that we not change the past. Something like that could even wind up killing him - killing you earlier than you would have otherwise died. You get it?"

[fist_of_hydra]

Figuring it had to be the explanation and actually having it confirmed were two very different things. Bucky went pale - paler - and stared from Len to James. "What the hell happens to me?" he blurted out.

James was staring right back, flat but not as dead as he had been before, and without the aggression. At this point, he was simply resigned. "Don't ask questions you already know you don't want the answer to."

"You said you were ninety-eight, how the hell..."

"Serum," James interrupted him. "You've already figured that out. And other reasons I'm not going into."

Bucky swallowed, scanning the other him from top to bottom. The anger, the surliness, none of it was normal for him. How could he possibly end up like this? And where the hell was Steve, why wouldn't his best friend be on a mission like this?

He was deathly afraid the answer to both questions might be the same. "Why wouldn't you want to change the past and make everything better?"

James sighed, and looked at Len. His answer was to his lover as much as Bucky. "Because it wouldn't be better. Not in the ways that count." Glancing back at Bucky, he answered the question he knew was actually preying on his younger self. "Steve's fine, he's just got bigger shit to take care of than this. I don't actually need him holding my hand all the time, y'know."

That made Bucky sputter a protest about requiring a babysitter, which at least got his mind off what sort of horrible things might happen to turn him into James.

[coldlenny]

Len's relieved that James knows himself well enough to be able to deflect Bucky's attention this well. He had tried to give him what he needed, but no more, but Bucky was still horrified and Len couldn't blame him

Well, he could. He liked James just the way he was.

"That's it, you've heard enough, Buckaroo," he said. "James, Mick, get out. He'll get healed up, and be back on duty and hopefully everything will go back to the way it was."

[fist_of_hydra]

The nickname earned him a Look from both Bucky and James, though the particular Looks were very different. Bucky looked incredulous and annoyed. James looked like he was very certain he'd be killing anyone who ever tried to call him that.

The order to get out pissed James off further, but he could see the wisdom in his lover's suggestion. It wasn't really surprising that his presence would aggravate Barnes further. Yet, everything in James was screaming at him to stay until the serum reappeared, until his metal arm came back, because until those two things happened, he wouldn't know they'd fixed the timeline.

Reluctantly, he nodded, cast one last dark, inscrutable look at Barnes, and left.

In moments only the two men were left in the room, Bucky looking up at Len from the hospital bed. He was trying hard not to show how shocked and uncertain he was, but he wasn't succeeding terribly well. "So, uh... you and me, huh? How the hell does that even happen?"

[coldlenny]

"You really think it's a good idea I tell you?" Len retorted, folding his arms. He was going to make sure Bucky got well, for the sake of his lover, but he wasn't about to think of them as the same person.

Well, he was going to do his best to avoid feeling that way, anyway.

"Suffice it to say I offered you a job when you needed it, and things went from there."

[fist_of_hydra]

A job? Why the hell had he needed a job if Steve was alive and clearly still doing his hero thing? Had they had a falling out?

Shit, was Steve upset about him being with a guy? Bucky didn't want to believe that was possible, that his friend would be that closed-minded. Steve had accepted Arnie, why would he reject Bucky?

Worse, he couldn't ask. If that was the reason, he didn't want to know, because it would change how he viewed Steve now. Though, on the same tack, if he didn't know it wasn't the reason, he'd always wonder and that would change things, too.

Damn it, he had to know. "Did Steve and I fall out? Is that why I needed a job? Please tell me it's not because I'm with you, I can't believe he'd do that."

[coldlenny]

Len blinked at the question, then sighed and shook his head. "It's not what you're thinking. No, you didn't have a falling out and you wanting a job with me wasn't because of anything wrong between you and Rogers."

It was a lie by some definitions, but thankfully, Len was a good liar.

[fist_of_hydra]

Bucky wasn't sure he believed the reassurance, but he decided he would believe it, regardless. He needed to. And truly, he had more faith in Steve than that.

"All done, Sergeant Barnes," the pleasant female voice that came out of nowhere declared. Hesitantly Bucky wiggled his toes, and was astonished when they moved with no trace of pain.

In fact, nothing hurt, anywhere on his body. If this was future medicine, it was absolutely incredible. He pushed off the bed and to his feet, and didn't so much as wobble as his soles hit the ground.

"I've taken the liberty of fabricating you some period-accurate footwear, Sergeant," the unseen woman said.

"Uh... yeah. Thanks," Bucky said, awkward. "So, what now? I pull my fake boots on and march back to the others, try to forget this ever happened?"

Until whatever the fuck it was, happened.

[coldlenny]

Len cocked his head. He could tell Bucky was unsure whether to believe him, but there was nothing more he could really do to reassure him. Besides, one of the rules of grifting - talk, but not too much.

"That's probably best for everyone," he said, spreading his hands. "If you come with us after Savage, more things might change. You'll need to act like you never met us."