There are no strings on meeeeeeeeeee...

"Tony...Tony, no, look at me, Tony..." Steve flipped the Iron Man mask up, then as gently as he could, took it off.

Tony's eyes were glassy, frantically searching for what was lost. His metal hands kept patting, hovering. The other Avengers gave him air, but was not far from the two on the ground. Although Tony never really talked about the significance of what it really does to protect him, they knew he was in deep trouble. Tony kept it a secret, revealing what it's purpose really was to no one. He made that mistake once with Obi, and he would be stupid to do it again.

"W-wh-ere is i-it...Steve...Steve?"

"I'm here, Tony, I'm here. Oh, Tony, wha-"

"It's n-not here..."

Steve was petrified, if possible, more-so than Tony. He was dying and there was nothing Steve could do. He was useless in Tony's time of need. And didn't Captain America swear to protect and serve for the betterment of the citizens of the United States? Some hero he was.

"Tony, just hang on." Steve looked up at the group. He knew he could not call JARVIS to ask, but maybe. He looked to Natasha and Clint.

"C'mon Clint." Natasha grabbed his arm, and they ran into the Tower. Give it to the spies to find things that were well-hidden. They knew exactly where it was and the override codes to get into it. Spying on Tony really did pay off in the end.

Loki knelt down on the other side of Tony across from Steve. Steve looked at him nervously.

"It's a preservation spell. It won't save him, but it will prolong his time without his heart." Steve just looked back at Tony's empty chest. As Loki's magic filtered in and around the hole, Steve's stomach was flipping. There was a hole in his chest. That was not normal. But they were far from normal.

Tony sucked in a deep breath. "Thanks Reindeer Games..." He moved to touch his chest again, but Steve grabbed his hand.

"Tony...it's not-"

"No? The other one isss-"

"Here." Natasha held it out above Tony so he could see it.

"Bruce?"

"I'm here, Tony." Bruce was handed the other arc reactor to put it back in. Loki's spell kept doing its work until he was assured by Bruce and Tony that it was alright to quit. With a click, the light shined that bright blue, Tony crying in pain and relief. He took some heaving breaths to normalize his body to the not-so-foreign object again.

"You OK?" Steve asked, helping Tony up.

Tony looked around at his team, the Avengers, and smiled. "Never better."


The next day after Ultron's visit left everyone on edge. Will he come back again? At this point, they were not going to rule that out of the equation of the inevitable bad things that could happen in the future.

Natasha and Clint never left their room. They sat in silence on either side of the bed, messing with their weapons. Fury had already contacted them, assuring that he would use whatever resources he had left under his belt to search for Ultron. Clint got up and went out to the balcony, Natasha letting him have his needed privacy.

She needed it too.

Tony spent his time in the lab, trying to track down Ultron. He had to be somewhere. And there had to be a way to destroy him once and for all.

Nothing lasts forever.

Tony leaned back in his chair, his music blaring in the background.

"JARVIS? Music o-" Tony threw his coffee across the room, the mug smashing into a shelf of parts. He held his head in his hands, rubbing fiercely at his temples, then through his hair.

JARVIS was never going to answer him again.

The music was turned off. Tony jumped out of his seat. Steve was standing with his hand on the knob that turned off the music.

"Tony, I know Ultron is still out there, but you need to eat something, rest your mind. We will find him, and we will stop him." Steve stepped back towards the door to the workshop, waiting for Tony to follow him.

Tony was about to protest, but he had to admit he was tired, even still, after his makeshift heart was ripped out of him. He looked at Steve, and could tell he had not even gotten rest either. Bags were under the young eyes of the "Golden Boy." His stature was not even straight and firm like a soldier. Steve was worn, not physically, but the evidence of his mental and emotional torture were physical.

Tony walked up to Steve, who smiled and let Tony go out first. They went to the kitchen, where Steve started to make them lunch. He knew Tony would have said no if he had asked, so he just told Tony to sit. Tony took a bar stool and just stared at Steve.

What has his life become now? He was a member of a team that was turning into more of a family. New additions were added, and he reconsidered his "not playing well with others" excuse.

Steve gave him a fresh cup of coffee. Seeing him every morning, Steve knew he would never get any food in Tony if the man did not have his coffee.

Tony looked at it and frowned. "Steve?"

"Yes, Tony?" Steve did not even turn around, but kept making sandwiches.

"My coffee...what did you do to it?" He sniffed it, looking at its light brown color as if it was poison.

"You need the sugar, Tony."

"But I like it black." He slid it across the bar, which Steve turned and caught before it crashed to the floor. "Just give me a doughnut."

"We're out, thanks to Thor and Loki."

"Damn those Asgardians and their hunger for Midgardian delicacies!" Tony slammed his hand on the counter. Steve ignored him and went to pour the coffee down the drain.

"You beckoned us?" Thor and Loki appeared from around the corner.

"Great, first the coffee, then the donuts, and now-" Tony widened his eyes, then looked at Loki, who gave him a mischievous grin. His black coffee was steaming in front of him.

"Where?" Steve was confused when the mug was suddenly out of his hands. He saw the exchange between Loki and Tony and just laughed. "You know you're just spoiling him, right?"

"On the contrary, I'm just trying to make everyone's day less dreadful."

"Hey!"

"Do you really want a cranky Stark running around whining for attention? We have better things to worry about than to babysit him."

"You are right, Brother!" Thor pointed out. "I must show you and the Vision the wonders of the moving pictures of storytelling."

Loki gave Thor a look of curiosity and followed his brother to the living room.

"Great, now they're going to do nothing but become the potato gods of couches." Tony was grateful for his coffee, though. He took another swig as Steve set his sandwich in front of him.

Steve went around and sat on the bar stool next to Tony's. He had made himself two, since the serum made his metabolism go crazy.

They ate in silence, each one's mind thinking of how and if Ultron was right about them.

They had limitations, strings holding them back.

Steve cut his eyes to Tony, staring at his chest. He could still see the blue light shining, and he felt a little less anxious, but had this strong urge to protect Tony, whatever the cost.

As Tony sipped his coffee and nibbled at his sandwich, he thought about what Ultron did to Steve. Why did he torture him so?

But more importantly, why did Tony care so much about protecting Steve from Ultron?