If Steve didn't know better, he would say they were all having a bit too much fun planning this kidnapping. He had to remind himself, several times, that they were the good guys. Sometimes, he thought to himself that things had seemed more clear cut in the past: they were either black or white, not this murky grey he seemed to have been wading through since waking up in the future.

Or maybe it was just him. Was he simply less naive than he used to be? However, Steve wasn't alone in this plan, so he set aside his misgivings and enjoyed the show.

Because they had decided the easiest course of action was to send in Bucky alone as the Winter Soldier to scare the living shit out of Sitwell. It was Bucky's idea actually, or Steve never would have agreed to put him back in the boots of HYDRA's assassin. They followed Bucky's progress through the cameras they had placed on Bucky and Natasha got them access to the surveillance system inside the building. Their plan unfolded, and Steve had never seen Natasha laugh before. Sam, true to himself, unpacked popcorn and passed it around.

"No, you… you've been decommissioned," Sitwell said, sweating profusely as he stepped back from the Winter Soldier in all his creepy get up: mask, goggles, as well as too many weapons to count strapped on him.

Bucky didn't say anything, just approached, as quiet as a ghost. Sitwell tried to turn and run, but tripped on his own feet and fell. Bucky paused and Steve was sure he must be fighting hard not to laugh under his mask. Steve had to admit he was surprised a double agent, presumably high-ranked on both sides, could be such a klutz.

In a blur of movements so fast Steve would have missed it had he blinked, Sitwell had unholstered a gun strapped to his ankle and was aiming for Bucky, but Bucky was far quicker and threw a knife at Sitwell, pinning his arm to the wall behind him, the gun sent clattering to the floor. Bucky kicked the gun away, then tilted his head at Sitwell again.

"You are being decommissioned," Bucky said in his flat, inexpressive voice.

"Why? I didn't do anything wrong! I have nothing to do with Pierce getting captured!I wasn't even there!"

Bucky picked Sitwell up by his collar with his metal arm, his vest tearing away from the knife. Bucky then pushed the muzzle of one of his many guns under Sitwell's chin.

"Who… who sent you? Let me talk to them," Sitwell begged with some difficulty. "I can still… be useful. I'm... loyal… please."

Bucky flipped the security on the gun, his leather glove creaking as he held it tighter. Sitwell's eyes widened and he gulped audibly.

"Is it Stern?" Sitwell rasped urgently as his face got redder from lack of oxygen. "Take me... to him. I... have information."

Bucky tilted his head once more, holstered his gun, then dropped Sitwell in disgust.

"Oh, thank God," Sitwell said, swallowing large lungfuls of air.

Bucky dropped handcuffs at his feet.

"Really?" Sitwell asked. "We're on the same side, you know."

Bucky kicked the handcuffs closer to his prisoner, glaring down at him without a word. Bucky played the role of the Winter Soldier to perfection, to the point Steve couldn't wait for him to get back to the van so he could rip off that stupid mask. Finally, Sitwell reluctantly handcuffed himself, then Bucky pulled him back up to his feet and patted him down, finding another handgun.

"Get ready," Steve told Natasha and Sam who sat up front, dark glasses and caps firmly pulled over their faces before they headed to the pickup point.

At Sam's signal, Steve opened the side door to the back of the van, and Bucky pushed Sitwell in, not caring he landed head first on the hard floor. Bucky jumped in and closed the door as they sped away, tires screeching.

"Captain?" Sitwell asked, looking up at him with pleading eyes. Steve's nose crinkled in disgust. "Thank God, I thought…"

The situation seemed to have caught up to Sitwell and he glanced around, freezing when he saw the Winter Soldier was still there, that this was not a last second rescue mission in any shape or form. Steve reached over and gently unclasped Bucky's Mask before pushing his goggles up off his head. There, that was much better. Bucky looked human again.

"Oh, fuck," Sitwell muttered. "I'm dead."

"Serves you right," Hermione said. "I hope your little friends do find you, but in the meanwhile, we can still make use of you."

Sitwell seemed determined to keep his mouth shut after that, as if that would gain him any mercy from HYDRA.

They took a leaf out of Fury's book and found an empty container to use as a prison for Sitwell, providing him with the bare necessities. They weren't animals.

That done, Hermione had all the leisure to go collect whatever useful information Sitwell had in his small bald head, and she was getting good at it with all the practice she'd had with Bucky.

Senator Stern was the HYDRA agent who held the most political power that Sitwell knew, which was why Sitwell thought he had been the one to send the Winter Soldier to dispose of him after Pierce's capture. Hermione wasn't convinced by what she had glimpsed of the politician in Sitwell's mind however, but she could not find a better candidate that he knew of. Stern might, however.

"Looks like we'll be playing leap-frog until we find who's next in line," Steve said

"Sounds more like whack-a-mole," Sam replied. "Not that I mind."

"I found something else," Hermione then added with clear excitement. "My wand. He's seen it. If it's still in the same place, I can apparate there and get it."

"That sounds like an awful big 'if', doll. If you describe the place I'm sure we can find it."

Hermione shook her head.

"No. It's just a room, no windows. With loads of other stuff. Like… a collection. This is the only way."

"At least take me along," Steve said.

Hermione glanced at Bucky, at his maimed metal hand and shook her head. Then with a determined tilt of her head, she disappeared.

"Goddamnit!" Steve swore, reaching for the empty spot, but far too late.

"She didn't even consider it might be a trap," Natasha remarked with the kind of awe you reserved for idiots who had pulled off a clever trick.

"Yeah, it's a wonder you guys made it all the way here in one piece. Well," Sam glanced at Bucky with his shit-eating grin. "Almost."

Bucky punched Sam in the arm with his metal fist.

"Feels real enough to you, jerk?"

"How likely is it to be a trap?" Steve asked Natasha.

She thought about it for a moment, one hand on her hip as she stared off into space.

"Not too likely if it's a storage room or even a vault. If it was a planned trap, Hermione should have seen it in Sitwell's mind, right?"

Steve nodded. That made sense, but Hermione was going to have to stop giving him near heart attacks with her brash decisions, even if it turned out she was right to do so most of the time.

When Hermione didn't return within half an hour, Steve and Bucky decided to check out their hotel room while Natasha and Sam went off to debrief with Fury. When Hermione was not at the hotel either, they left a note for her there, because they were far too anxious to be waiting around doing nothing.

They both knew their girl was strong and smart, but they also knew how treacherous HYDRA was. Upon learning Stern was in New York, making front page news at a news stand, they took it as a sign and went to check him out, from a rooftop with a pair of binoculars. No point in giving their target any hint he was being hunted like his other friends.

"His smile gives me the creeps," Bucky complained and Steve could only agree.

"At least Nazis didn't pretend to be nice. How hard is it gonna be to kidnap him do you think? Looks like he's always in public."

"If you leave it to me? I could do it in broad daylight inna crowd and no one would be the wiser."

"Yeah, no. I don't believe you," Steve chuckled.

"Wanna bet?"

Steve locked eyes with Bucky, trying to read his cocky smile and arrogant tilt of the head. There was a lot of his old Bucky there, and more. Steve couldn't read him as easily as before, but he sure as hell was going to call his bluff.

"Against you? Never again. I learned my lesson the hard way in Strasbourg."

Bucky smiled coyly.

"We could make the bet more interesting."

Steve gulped. Bucky was giving him the smolder, and as much as Steve wanted to take him up on his offer, he knew they were both far too worried about Hermione to be fooling around.

Suddenly, sirens wailed all around them. Steve thought they had been spotted, but as he looked through the binoculars, he saw Stern was being whisked away in his car. But at the same time, all the people he could see were either staring at their phones or running away.

"There's something really weird going on," Steve told Bucky.

"Come on. Let's go find out," Bucky said, giving him a helping hand up.

They quickly descended the rooftop, flying down the fire escape, bursting at a run onto the main street. Sirens were still going off. Various sorts, at different volumes. Phones were chiming and beeping too. People took one look at their screen, then ran off God knows where.

"What the heck?" Steve muttered, annoyed neither of them had a phone, but Bucky quickly resolved that problem by grabbing the first passerby hurrying passed them.

"What's going on?" he growled in his face.

"You- you don't know?" the poor guy stuttered, pointing at his phone. "It's the aliens again, they're back."

Bucky snatched the phone out of his hand, his mangled metal one still holding the passerby in place. Bucky read the message out loud, mandating all civilians to evacuate the streets immediately, and head home or to a nearby shelter.

"Thank you for your help," Bucky said, stuffing his phone in his pocket and sending him on his way with a little pat on the shoulder, the worse for wear.

"Sorry," Steve added to the poor guy who was running away much faster than before. Steve turned to Bucky. "That throws a wrench in the works. We should… I dunno... assemble with the others?"

"How? Where? Damn it. We chose the worst moment to split up."

"Hermione will find her wand. She'll be fine," Steve reasoned, crushing his own doubts. "And Natasha will protect Sam." Bucky did crack a smile at that. "So we just have to figure out how to make ourselves useful."

Unfortunately, Steve thought that would be at Stark's tower. That's where they had stopped the invasion last time around, so that may be where the aliens would hit first. And Stark had to have an idea of how to stop the invasion… but Bucky would definitely not be welcome. Should Steve just trust Stark to handle it? Or offer his help? Should he go alone?

Before he could discuss their options with Bucky, the sky darkened above them. The Chitauri were already here.

Civilians were still in the street, and it was all Steve and Bucky could do to protect those they crossed paths with, yelling for them to go underground as fast as possible. Subways stations, parkings, basements...anything as long as they weren't such easy targets outside. What Steve feared seemed to become reality as several of those big space whales headed towards Stark Tower.

"We have to go help him," Steve finally said.

Bucky looked towards where he was pointing and nodded without hesitation.

"There," Bucky told him, pointing at a bike that had been abandoned on its side.

Bucky hotwired it, and the engine thrummed to life. Steve hopped on behind him, and held on tight to his waist as they sped through the empty streets littered with abandoned vehicles and, to his chagrin, the bodies of those who had been running late to safety. But the people of New York were fighting back. Police officers with their guns, firemen with their hoses and axes, civilians too, or at least, those who seemed to have interesting skills or guns… No one was taking their city from them.

Bucky screeched to a halt in the shadow of Stark's building and Steve hopped off. When Bucky didn't follow, he couldn't say he was all that surprised.

"I'll find another way to help," Bucky said and he was gone around the corner before Steve could protest.

But Bucky was right, wasn't he? One war at a time was enough, and right now, Tony needed help. The doors opened for him immediately as a matter of fact, when Steve had feared he might have to argue his way in.

"Welcome, Captain," Jarvis said. "If you could assist sir at the top?"

The elevator doors at the end of the large hallway were already open, so Steve ran in and he was whisked a whole building upward at a speed that could not be safe for the general public. Even he, improved as he was, felt dizzy when he stepped back out, but the sounds of battle were shockingly close, giving him a new surge of adrenalin. Steve ran in that direction, not surprised to find a full on battle on Tony's rooftop. It was like all the time spent since they cut off that first invasion had just been put on hold, and they were right back to where they had left off.

Except… why were there all these Ironmans flying around? Dozens of them. All slightly different from one another, except a couple he was not sure were Ironmans except for the fact they looked like shiny robots. Steve couldn't tell which one was Tony, or who the others were. They all ignored him anyway, and Steve soon spotted a familiar magical shield shimmering near the smaller landing pad. Hermione was already here.

Steve ran and jumped, dodged and crushed anything in the way until he was inches from the magical shield. He wondered for a moment if he could cross the shimmering barrier, then remembered magic seemed to be mostly about intent. So, where laser guns and other projectiles were rebounding, Steve passed through without trouble. Hermione stood in the middle, wand raised, sweat beading from her forehead. At her feet, Tony, out of his armor, was fiddling with something.

"What's the plan?" Steve asked as he joined them.

Hermione gave him a tired smile and Tony glanced at him for just a second before continuing whatever he was doing, but Steve could swear there was the tiniest bit of relief in his expression.

"Aren't you supposed to be the man with the plan, Cap?" Tony asked, multitasking, as always.

"Looks like I'm a bit late for that."

"Tony says there's a bigger ship hidden up there," Hermione offered so he could catch up on the situation.

"A mothership," Tony added around the screwdriver in his mouth.

"It gives off a signal to all the aliens here, even the whales," Hermione continued.

"Whales," Tony snorted.

"So the Chitauri are not individuals, but a swarm, all connected to-"

"The mothership?" Steve guessed.

"Tony thinks if we blow that up, the rest will drop."

"A killswitch," Tony finished. "Only I need to finish this baby, so I'm really glad your shield maiden here came to the rescue, because my Ironmen can only do so much."

"Not for much longer," Hermione warned, sounding out of breath.

Steve looked at what Tony was working on. A sort of bomb if he got it right. Only, it's belly was still open, wires spilling out like guts. A large thud sounded against Hermione's shield and they all startled, looking up when a space whale glanced off the dome and crashed in the next building over. Then the shield flickered and dropped while Hermione fell to her knees, pale and breathing hard as if she had just crab a marathon.

The Ironmen tightened their ranks and for a moment, no Chitauri got close to them, but then another whale swam towards the Tower, trying to crush them, as if it knew they were there and what they were planning. A good portion of the Ironmen attacked it, pushing it away. However, Chitauris began to break through the looser defense and Steve stayed close to Tony so none of them interrupted him. Hermione had recuperated enough to throw some over the building to fall to their death, but more kept coming and there was a near miss, a single shot that went through all their defenses and vigilance, only missing Tony by a hair out of sheer dumb luck.

"How much longer?" Steve asked Tony.

"Not long. Just need to set it to the right frequency and then- Oh, fuck."

Steve looked at what had caught Tony's attention and repeated the sentiment when he saw two more whales headed their way, much faster than the last one.

"Fuck," Steve muttered, standing in between Tony and the new threat. "Hermione?"

"I don't know… I could try a killing curse, but they're so big."

Steve wished he had more than his shield. For the first time in his life, he felt terribly under-weaponised. What was left of the Ironmen were already too busy pushing back the small fry. Steve was running out of ideas when a small missile passed just over their heads and connected with one of the space whales. It seemed to have missed at first, but suddenly, the whale burst open from several internal explosions and it crashed in the street. Steve followed the missile's trail and found Bucky's familiar form standing on a ledge higher up. Steve saluted, like he had done so many times before in Europe whenever Bucky had his back, then he smashed an alien with his shield that got a bit too cocky. Steve wrenched its long spear-gun away to use it against him. He then kept it for good measure, taking out a few more chitauris, but the aim was a bit off.

"Where did he get a bazooka?" Hermione asked.

"No clue," Steve replied as a second missile left and hit the second square in its maw, decapitating it instantly. "Not complaining though."

Tony glanced towards Bucky, frowned, but didn't comment, stepping into his armor instead.

"It's ready," Tony said. "Delivery time!"

"Wait!" Steve exclaimed, grabbing his forearm before he could fly off. "Can't one of your other Ironmen do it?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. They're empty. Jarvis is piloting them, but if the connection is broken… Are you willing to risk it? I don't have a clue if anyone else is doing shit to hit the mothership. For now, this is our only hope."

Steve stared at the bomb in Tony's arm, then at his Ironman mask, so cold and inexpressive, so he was surprised when the faceplate popped up to show Tony's face, a small sad smile playing around the corners.

"For what it's worth, Cap, I'm glad you came."

Steve's jaw clenched in anguish. He knew that look, those words...he had heard them far too often during the war.

"Don't make it sound like a goodbye, Tony."

Tony scoffed, then dropped his faceplate, waiting while a battle was still raging around them for Steve to let him go. And what could Steve do? Tony was the only one who could take care of the mothership. Reluctantly, Steve let go and Tony was gone in the blink of an eye. Guilt and self-loathing roiled inside Steve, so he did what he always did when frustrated with the world and picked a fight with anyone he could get his hands on. Hermione and Bucky fought by his side, watching each other's back as less and less empty Ironmen were left to help, all the while keeping an eye on the sky.

Behind the clouds, they knew Tony had succeeded when a bright flash illuminated the whole city in a strange purple hue. Just as the genius had promised, the Chitauri dropped like dead flies out of the sky. It was a sight like nothing Steve had seen before. Chitauris, their sleds, the whales all falling in a cacophonie of dull thuds and screeching metal. Shooting stars followed, pieces of the mothership burning through the sky. And they waited… and waited, but still no Tony.

"Come on, come on…" Steve muttered under his breath, willing Tony to return, hoping he hadn't been caught in his own blast.

Hermione and Bucky stood in tense silence next to him, until Bucky pointed to their right.

"There!"

Not a shooting star, but a limp body. Tony was falling, like a puppet with his strings cut, fast, too fast. Hermione threw her hands up in the air despite the distance, but Tony jerked upwards, then began falling again at a slower pace until he floated, still in the sky.

"Good catch! Can you reel him in?" Steve asked.

Hermione's tongue darted out as she concentrated on levitating him towards them, but her control slipped and Tony fell at a normal speed again, before she caught him again, then yanked him sideways so hard, he hurtled towards them. Quick on his feet, Steve managed to catch him to soften the fall and he laid him down on the very spot he had left from just a few minutes ago. They all leaned over him.

"It doesn't look good," Bucky said, pointing at the dead light where his reactor should shine.

Using what was left of his metal fingers, Bucky pried the mask off. Tony's face was eerily still. Steve had never seen him so still, if only because he slept so little and kept himself insanely busy the rest of the time.

"Can you do something?" Steve asked Hermione.

"Magic won't help with his reactor. I'll make it worse," she replied, wringing her hands.

"Electricity," Bucky muttered under his breath before going through his many pockets, brandishing a taser.

Before Steve could protest, Bucky jabbed it hard near the reactor, making clicks and a buzz louder than any of the sirens of the emergency services wailing in the streets. Bucky stopped, raising hand and taser away. Steve held his breath, praying for something, anything to happen. Yet, he was startled when Tony jerked upright with a loud gasp, before falling back down in a heap. Tony blinked up at them.

"Please tell me Hermione gave me the mouth to mouth," Tony mumbled.

Steve and Hermione glanced at Bucky, Tony following their lead.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Tony grumbled.

"Don't worry," Steve said "He only tased you, but… it worked!"

"Hourrah," Tony replied sarcastically, eyes narrowed at Bucky. "This doesn't make us even."

"Didn't think it would," Bucky agreed and stood, turning to leave.

"Bucky, wait," Hermione called, looking with worry between him and Tony.

"You go," Steve told Hermione. "I'll take care of Tony."

Hermione nodded and ran after Bucky. Steve looked down at Tony, considering how to best deal with him.

"Can you get out of the armor?" he asked.

"I can't even lift a finger. Do you think I'm still lying here because it's so comfortable? And the other creep broke my interface, so no… There's an emergency release switch under my left arm."

Steve leaned in closer and sure enough, there was a round shape barely visible on the armor. After he pressed on it, the armor unfolded from Tony and Steve observed him for any visible injury.

"Nothing broken, Cap," Tony said. "Just...exhausted. Dying does that to you."

Steve huffed and snaked his arms beneath Tony's arms and legs to pick him up. He wasn't heavy without the armor, so it was easy to carry him to the couch and lie him down.

"You sure you don't need me to call an ambulance? Or pepper?" Steve asked, because Pepper would be much more suited to taking care of an irate Tony.

"Pepper...yeah. She's on a business trip, thank fucking God, but she must be worried sick. Can you get my phone? It's...uh, ok the counter right there."

Steve fetched it and waited while Tony called his girlfriend, reassuring her he was fine, that everything was fine… big liar that he was. Steve guessed that meant he was on babysitting duty until she returned, so he got himself busy getting him a glass of water, a sandwich, a blanket...what did someone who almost died while saving the world need? Steve should know the answer to that. A friend? Yeah, a friend. Coulson and then Clint had helped him get better until Hermione returned, and then Bucky.

"You can go," Tony said, as if he could read his thoughts. "It's nice and all you're staying… being a good friend," he added reluctantly. "But at this rate, the other creep is going to steal your girlfriend and I don't want to be responsible for that."

Steve scowled at Tony. Yet, he couldn't lecture an injured man.

"You saw how she ran after him," Tony continued.

"It's not like that," Steve said. "And stop calling him a creep, he saved your life. Twice."

"He fired a bazooka at me and then tased me!" Tony argued.

"He shot way above your head, and he rebooted your reactor."

"I still don't like him," Tony muttered.

"And that's fine. You don't have to."

"Your girlfriend likes him."

Well, that was true enough.

"You shouldn't," Tony finished.

Steve smiled as he thought of Bucky, as cocky and snarky as he had always been. Different than before, but the same in essence.

"Can't help it," Steve admitted.

"Yeah, yeah, he's you're friend, yada yada…"

Steve tilted his head as he looked over at Tony. He almost sounded jealous, like Bucky had been over Sam, although this was a bit different.

"You're my friend, Tony. I told you that already. I meant it."

"Just not as good a friend as your murdery friend."

"It's different. Buck and I… we grew up together. He's always been there to take care of me. He's more than a friend."

Steve took a deep breath. It was one thing when someone accidentally discovered their unusual bond, quite another when Steve confessed it of his own free will. He never had, in fact.

"I love him. I love Bucky," Steve said with feeling, taking in Tony's shocked expression before it turned to confusion. "So does Hermione. The three of us have been together for a while. Living in sin, like you said. In many, many ways."

Tony's mouth hung open and Steve chuckled. It felt good saying it aloud. Liberating.

"That is why I can never abandon Bucky. No matter what he did, what he was forced to do. Not because I value his friendship more than yours. It's because he holds my heart, Tony. I can't help myself."

Steve waited, sitting across from Tony and watching in morbid fascination at the conflicting emotions crossing his face. In the end, Tony growled, closed his eyes, then glared at him.

"I kinda hate you right now," Tony said.

"That's okay. I get it," Steve replied easily, ready to give him time.

"Urgh. You're making it worse. Let me sleep. I'm tired," Tony said dramatically, throwing an arm over his head.