Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count: 525

Don't You Know?

He ran, not knowing where he was or where he was going. He just ran, as fast as his tired legs could carry him.

His lungs protested, both the exertion and the cold air plaguing them, but he ignored the burn.

He had to get away. He had to get away from them before they killed him.

He knew they were behind him, knew they would hunt and hunt until they found him but he had to try. If he could just get a signal out to the team, he'd be okay. They'd come for him, as soon as they had a location, he knew it.

Tony fled with the hounds of hell on his heels and he prayed to a god that he didn't know existed that he'd be faster than those chasing him.

…

He found shelter in the middle of a wood. Ignoring the injuries that were trying to make themselves known, Tony climbed a tree to try and get those hunting him off his trail. He didn't even know who they were, just that they were after his tech.

Once he was sure that he was hidden, he unfastened the watch from his ankle, tucked into his sock, and forced the back off. Fiddling with the tiny wires while his fingers shook was hard but he managed it.

Twisting two of the wires together, he let out a sigh of relief. JARVIS should be able to find him from the connection, and he was so grateful that Steve was a stubborn asshole that demanded he keep things that he could use to connect to his AI on his person at all times.

They'd found his more obvious connections, but they hadn't thought to check his socks.

Amateurs.

A sound below him had him holding his breath. He could hear voices and he froze, hoping that he'd hidden himself well enough to avoid them.

The voices faded, and Tony allowed himself to breathe, rubbing a hand through his hair. It had been too long since he'd been kidnapped, he was out of practice.

Tony let his head fall back against the bark of the tree trunk and he sighed. He hoped he wasn't too far away.

He just wanted to go home.

…

A hand touched his leg, and Tony immediately kicked out. He heard a grunt, and he turned to see Clint sitting on the branch immediately below him, a mark on his cheek where Tony's foot had connected.

Tony winced. "Sorry."

Clint shook his head. "It's fine. Reaction. Think you can climb down from there, Tones?"

Tony nodded, wincing with every movement. Clint hovered as they climbed down together, and as Tony reached the bottom, he found himself in a warm embrace.

"I thought we'd lost you forever," Bucky muttered, holding Tony tightly. Steve approached from the other side, and Bucky passed Tony over. Steve hugged him and then lifted him in a bridal carry.

"Come on, Sweetheart. Let's get you home."

Tony nodded. "Home sounds really good. Thank you for coming to get me."

"Oh, Doll," Bucky said from beside him. "Don't you know? We'll always come for you."

Written for:

Marvel: 4: Write about someone being hunted.

Forecast, 11. Kicking