A/N: This is vaguely based on a post I saw on avengerkink or one of the other prompt sites that I no longer remember. In the prompt, Steve was transformed and instead of attacking Tony like everyone expected, he decided to woo him. I chose to transform Tony and have Stuckony fluff result...eventually.
"So, any brilliant plans-" Bucky began.
"No, Buck," Steve said tiredly. "Nothing's changed in the last two minutes."
When he had been thrown into the cell, he had tried every possible escape route he could think of. But there were no windows, he couldn't bend the bars even with his super strength, and the short chain they tethered him with kept him from exploring the walls for weak spots. After an hour of struggling against his shackles, he was forced to concede defeat. This was a problem that would require a lot of tactical planning instead of brute strength. But Bucky's restless shifting in the next cell over and constant questioning kept disrupting his focus.
"Sorry," Bucky said. "Hydra just makes me antsy. Fucking cold-ass dungeon. You just know they're up to some crazy shit down here."
"I know, Buck," Steve said. "But I promise you we'll get out of here."
He couldn't blame Bucky for feeling anxious about being back in Hydra's clutches. If they were in the same cell, he'd be holding his lover in his arms and comforting him. If they were in the same cell, they'd have a better chance of escape. But Hydra was nothing if not thorough.
"No bright ideas, though?"
"Not at the moment," Steve said, glancing up at the rocky ceiling. "Not even I can punch my way through solid stone."
"So, what? We just wait for Coulson to notice we haven't checked in for our mission and send the team looking for us?"
"Might have to," Steve said with a sigh. He hated waiting for a rescue. It reminded him of being small and weak, of everyone having to protect him and take care of him because he wasn't strong enough to look after himself. "We'll try again in the morning."
"Lame as fuck," Bucky said. The scrape of his chains and a quiet huff carried through the stone. "How the fuck am I supposed to sleep in this dump? It's cold, it's damp, and I don't care what they think, this is a fucking canvas bag, not a bed."
"We've had worse," Steve reminded him.
"Sure, but you were with me then."
"I'm still here," Steve said. "Right on the other side of this wall." He traced a hand over the stone. Things would be a lot easier if he could hold Bucky in his arms and feel his warmth, but they'd have to make do for the night.
"So, this is it then? We're calling it a night?"
"Unless you have a better idea," Steve shot back. He was tired, he was frustrated, and he felt sure that once they were rested and looking at the problem with new eyes, they'd find a way out.
"There's a problem with this plan of yours. How the hell will be able to tell it's morning? We're in a fucking dungeon, Steve. A fucking dungeon."
"You think I don't know that?" Steve eyed the torches in the corridor outside their cell. It was positively medieval and he really hoped that wasn't a sign of what was to come. Since they hadn't been killed on sight, they were most likely going to be tortured for information.
"So-"
"Just try to get some sleep," Steve said with a heavy sigh.
Bucky grumbled and there was a lot of heavy clanging and jingling, probably as he shifted around to try and get in a good position to sleep. The length of the chains really didn't make it easy to get comfortable. Steve found it difficult just trying to lie down.
"Well, fine," Bucky said. "But soon as I wake up, your ass is getting up and getting back to work getting us out of here."
"Of course I am," Steve muttered as he settled himself on the thin scrap of fabric Hydra had afforded him as bedding.
But surprisingly, he woke up not to Bucky's grumbling, but what sounded like a distant explosion and the shouts of several guards.
"What the hell is going on?" Bucky demanded.
"I'm not-wait, that sounded like Tony!" At the far range of his enhanced hearing, he could hear Tony spitting curses at Hydra. It seemed really early for a rescue. They had technically only been off the grid for a few hours. But he wasn't going to complain. The sooner they got out of the dungeon and blew the Hydra base sky-high, the better.
As the shouting got closer, Steve felt his heart drop as he realized he wasn't hearing Iron Man's modulated voice, but pure Tony. This wasn't good.
Abruptly, the door to Steve's cell opened and Tony was shoved inside, sans armor.
"Oh, hey, Cap," Tony said with a strained smile. "Fancy running into you down here."
"Where's the rest of the team?" Steve asked.
Tony shrugged. "Still asleep, probably. It's only 2 a.m. you know. But Coulson might have mentioned you were late for your daily check-in so I followed the trackers in your comms here." He scratched the side of his head. "Didn't expect a Hydra base in the middle of Switzerland. That seemed really unlikely."
Steve folded his arms over his chest. "What have I told you about going in without backup?"
"What was I supposed to do?" Tony demanded. "Just sit there twiddling my thumbs?"
"You should have asked Coulson about the mission. He would have told you to take back-up. Hydra is too dangerous for anybody to take out on their own."
"Oh yeah? Then what the hell are you doing here by yourself? Rules don't apply to you?"
"He's with me, Stark," Bucky said fiercely.
"Buck?" Tony looked around the cell wildly.
"He's next door," Steve said. "They separated us."
"Oh, so they just happened to have two super soldier-proof jail cells. How convenient. Ever think maybe this whole thing was a set-up?"
Steve frowned. "It's possible."
According to SHIELD's intel, the base was supposed to be relatively small, specializing in the manufacture of chemical weapons that needed to be neutralized before they were used against the public. Nothing was mentioned about an underground dungeon.
"Since they actually bothered to take us prisoner, I suspect they were after Barnes the whole time," Tony said. "Looking to reclaim their soldier."
Bucky let out a low growl. "I'd like to see them try. I won't make it easy on them this time around."
"Neither will I," Steve said. He'd die before he let Hydra put their hands on Bucky again.
"Hell no," Tony said. "I'll kick their asses. And so will the rest of the team once they show up."
"Which could take days," Bucky said with a gusty sigh.
Sadly, Bucky was probably right. It would take almost a full day after they went missed their check-ins for SHIELD to actually send out a rescue party. Sometimes missions got a little more complicated than originally expected and check-ins got delayed or missed. Sending the whole Avengers team in at the first sign of trouble was overkill.
"You have no faith in me, do you?" Tony said with an eye roll. "Okay, so maybe I should have taken Nat with me instead of coming on my own, but I did leave the tracking algorithm up and let Jarvis know where I was going. So, as soon as the team wakes up, they should be mounting a rescue attempt."
Steve didn't think it would be that simple, but he was relieved Tony had had some kind of plan instead of just charging blindly into danger. With the tracking algorithm, the rest of the team would be able to find them easier.
"Great," Bucky said. "But I'd rather get the fuck out of here instead of waiting for the team to show up and rescue us. So why don't you two geniuses work something out?"
Steve lifted his chin and gestured to the far wall with a head tilt. "Take a look around, Tony. Anywhere I can't reach with these shackles."
Tony pressed a button on his watch, illuminating the whole cell in a soft glow. "Seems pretty structurally sound," he said as he did a slow circuit of the room. "Place looks old as shit, but nothing's crumbling to bits, unfortunately. Probably just made to look old. Everyone would immediately suspect this big modern building of being some kind of base. But this old fucking building? Not as likely."
"Seems to be a familiar tactic," Steve said. He recalled the SHIELD bunker hidden in his old basic training camp.
"So, the bars are a possibility," Tony said.
Steve shook his head. "Can't get a good grip on 'em with these shackles." He demonstrated, hooking his fingers around the one bar he could reach and tugging on it as hard as he could.
Tony huffed and continued working his way along the wall over to where Steve was bound.
Steve grinned up at Tony as he stood over him and fiddled with the shackles. Bucky was going to be so jealous. Chances for getting up close and personal with the genius were few and far between. But at the moment, Tony was practically straddling him and he could see a thin stripe of Tony's abs where his shirt rode up.
"Any ideas?"
Tony tapped where the chains were attached to the wall. "How much leverage do you have on these babies?"
Steve pulled on the chains with all he had.
Tony hummed thoughtfully and examined the wall connection. "Is Bucky's cell set up just like yours?"
"No idea," Steve said. "They had us blindfolded and separated before they threw us in here."
"Well, if Bucky's cell is set up just like yours, it should just be a matter of-"
"Quiet. Someone's coming," Bucky hissed.
Tony dropped into a fighting crouch. "Bring them on. I can take them."
"I don't think so," Steve said. He could hear multiple footsteps. Way too many men for Tony to take on his own, especially without his armor.
"Don't be silly," Tony said. "I've got the brains and you got the brawn. Let's kill all the bad guys."
"Tony, you-"
"No, seriously," Tony said. "I sass them until they walk in to teach me a lesson, you strangle them with your chains, we steal the guards' keys and then freedom."
"You've been watching too much TV," Bucky muttered. "Now be quiet. They're almost here."
Steve held his breath, but the sounds of footsteps slowed just short of his cell.
"Fuck you, assholes," Bucky snarled. The chains rattled as presumably, Bucky lunged at them.
Someone laughed. It wasn't a nice sound. It was mocking and full of smug superiority. Back in his day, Steve would have immediately punched anyone who laughed at Bucky like that. The impulse was still there. He could already feel his hands curling into fists. But he had to be smarter now. He couldn't just punch his way out of every problem. He needed a plan to get them all out in one piece.
"Who is it?" Tony demanded, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Any dipshit we know?"
Steve glared at Tony. Was it really too much to ask that he not throw himself headfirst into every conflict?
"Ah, Mr. Stark, so nice of you to join us." The footsteps started again and a squad of Hydra soldiers came into view, flanking a tall, imposing figure in a lab coat.
Tony folded his arms over his chest. "So, what's the grand evil scheme this time? You villains are always the talkative types. So, go on, get it out of your system."
Steve rolled his eyes and nudged Tony with a foot. He better not still be counting on that stupid scheme of his. With his arms shackled, Steve didn't like their odds in a fight.
"You're right," the man said, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I had a great plan to defeat Captain America and his loyal sidekick once and for all. I'd love to tell you all about it." He gestured to one of his men and they brought forward a small cushion with two syringes lying on top.
The scientist tapped one syringe. "This formula is specially designed to turn any man into a slavering beast. And it would be so satisfying to watch your captain and his best friend destroy each other. But then you came along and plans had to change." He glanced up from the syringe with a wide grin. "So, you, Mr. Stark, will take their place."
Tony stiffened. "What?" he choked out.
"Oh, yes," the scientist said with another smug laugh. "I really must thank you. There's a question of how well my formula will work on enhanced individuals. But I have no doubt it will work on you. Especially with your history with Mr. Barnes here. I bet there's still so much anger simmering under the surface, just waiting for the freedom to act."
"No, it's not like that," Tony said. His eyes anxiously flicked to Steve. "I forgave him."
"Keep telling yourself that," the scientist said with an offhand gesture to the men to take the syringe back. "But we shall see what happens when you're a mindless beast." His eyes flicked over to Steve. "It's a pity you won't be able to watch your best friend be torn limb from limb, but there's a certain satisfaction to having your mind conjure up the horrors while you listen to him scream." He clapped his hands. "Gentlemen, let's prepare our monster."
"No, no, no!" Tony yelped. He darted back to the far corner of the cell.
"I'm not letting you do this to him," Steve growled. He tripped the first two soldiers that stepped into the cell.
"You have no choice, Captain."
The next batch of soldiers came right for Steve and while he was busy fending them off, three more men cornered Tony against the far wall and started dragging him out of the cell.
"Tony!" Steve shouted. He kicked the nearest man out of the way and reached desperately for Tony. He got a hand on the back of Tony's shirt, but it wasn't nearly enough for a good grip and the genius was pulled out of his grasp and out of the cell.
Tony's shouts faded out of earshot all too quickly and Steve slumped back against the wall with a cry of despair. God, he had failed. And now the two people he loved most were probably going to die.