Part 5

Tony brings home a man named James Howlett a week after they bring in Bucky. Steve is confused because the man constantly tells Tony that his name isn't James and the only reason he was here was because he smells something that belongs to him. Steve isn't sure what he means, but he is amused when James immediately steps up to him and sniffs a long line from his navel to his ear. The glass in Tony's hand shatters and Steve is sure his face is bright red, but it's almost worth it to see that look on Tony. The possessive jealousy that Steve has seen on so many other bonded people. Natasha gets that look when people eye Clint.

"You've had him," James states and there's suddenly a metal claw attached to his wrist and digging almost painfully into Steve's chin. "I don't know who, but you've had him."

"If you want him," Tony says slowly, "then you'll need to back off of him, buddy. You kill him, I kill you. I don't care how well you regenerate, you won't come back from what I do to you."

Something in Steve warms and he wants to lean forward onto that claw, just to see how Tony reacts. He refrains, but only just. Since Natasha mentioned that Tony is attached, Steve can see it more. He should have noticed when the second suit attached to him; Tony never asks for it back.

"If I don't know who it is, then how do you?" James asks Tony and the claw slowly retreats from Steve's neck. "Answer me!"

Tony motions for James to step away and he does. Tony's eyes visibly travel over Steve's neck, frowning at the prick of blood, before he answers. "He's at Shield. Steve, I think this is who your friend was talking about."

"Bucky?" Steve looks between Tony and James. "But Bucky's intended should have died."

Tony points to James. "Mutant. He can regenerate a little better than you can and he's lived twice as long, I'll bet. Goes by Logan since he got into the war and he actually helped your squad take out a few more things after you pitched into the ice."

James -or is it Logan?- scowls at Tony. "I remember none of this."

"You wouldn't, but you can ask Xavier if you want confirmation. I checked my sources well before finding you." Tony holds out a bottle of beer to James (no, Logan – Steve needs to get used to calling him by his preferred name). "Lost your memory sometime in the last two decades or so. Before that, you were hunting for a body according to military records. One the Germans found first. One you're still searching for, am I right?"

"Tony…"

"Hush, Steve, I did this for you." Tony doesn't look to Steve, but Steve feels his heart swell anyway. "Anyway, want to meet him, James?"

"Logan, Tony. Call him Logan." Steve smiled and holds out a hand. "I'm Steve Rogers."

Logan hesitates only a moment before taking Steve's hand in his. "Yeah, hey."

Tony doesn't go with Steve and Logan to the base. Which is fine because Logan asks questions about their non-existent relationship and Steve is too embarrassed to keep up a front of non caring. Logan says he can't understand completely, but he feels Steve's pain because he has been searching for a single scent for as long as he can remember.

All it takes is the opening of the med bay doors before Logan's pupils are blow and a grin comes on his face. Steve needs no other acknowledgement before he is calling Natasha in to wake Bucky up and bring him properly back into the world. He needs his best friend back.

The reunion is bittersweet, but Steve doesn't want it any other way. Bucky barely recognizes him, but he does know that Steve is familiar and safe. They always had their own unique tie to each other and Steve is glad of it. However, he doesn't recognize Logan at all, but it works both ways. Steve feels as if he is intruding their moment, but he has to admit that it will be nice to watch them fall in love. Logan had yet to let go of Bucky's still-flesh hand since he arrived.

Tony doesn't question, he simply brings them into the tower and gives Logan and Bucky their own area. Steve tries to thank him, buy Tony has none of it and simply asks that things stay PG-rated while out of a bedroom. He also says that Bucky's arm is a piece of junk and he will be making a new one as soon as possible.

Steve wonders if he can love Tony any more than he already does. He doubts it, but he is willing to be surprised in the future.

Things are fine for another month. Tony takes Steve on what can be considered a date (Steve counts eating lunch alone together on the tower balcony a date) and there is a new awkwardness between them. Steve sees that Tony is getting scared, so he backs off and keeps their interactions to minimal. It gets harder once Bucky takes stock of the situation and drags them near to another constantly, but he deals with it. He made a promise to Tony and he won't break it.

The nights, as usual, are ignored the grand scheme of things. Steve still sleeps with his body wrapped around Tony, keeping the nightmares at bay. In the morning, they part without a word and go about the day as if the night never existed.

Bucky notices this and he corners Steve one morning to ask him about it. Steve doesn't want to talk about it, especially since he and Bucky are still trying to find their footing. Steve feels as though he is rebuilding a friendship and while it might even be better than the last, he wants things to go back to normal. Normal doesn't include Bucky holding him down and pleading him to say something about Tony and what's going on with them.

Just when Steve thinks he will break open and spill everything on his friend, the alarm rings through the tower. Steve is almost glad that it rings, even if that is overlain with worry. This will be Bucky and Logan's first run with the team if they want to come. Steve barely gets the question out before Bucky is smirking and telling him that their talk isn't over.

Steve meets him back out on the helipad where Natasha and Clint are there with the jet to pick them up. Bruce waves at them as they leave and Steve won't push him to come along. Bruce is here on his own wish and none of them will force him to fight if he doesn't want to. He will for Tony, and Steve can't help but hold back jealousy at that, but Tony won't ask either. Steve knows he shouldn't be jealous because what Tony has with Bruce is exactly what he has with Bucky, and he should only be happy that Tony has someone besides an AI to talk to.

All thoughts of Tony and Bruce are gone when Natasha debriefs them on what is happening. They are going to a place in Maine where Hydra has secretly built a base. They used a normal construction crew, built it to look like a factory, and then shipped in any equipment they actually need in the past day. Steve clenches his fists and wonders when the terrorist groups will stop. When will things just be normal?

He suddenly has a bad feeling and he doesn't like it.

Tony doesn't ask before opening the bay door, taking hold of Steve, and flying them both out of the jet. Steve can hear his words in the com unit and he has to fight the childish grin that comes across his face when Tony says, "Cap and I got the first run." There is no reason in that statement to smile, but he wants to because Tony picked him.

Natasha tells him to warn them next time, but she says nothing else. Steve can already tell she has switched to being the Widow and he shakes his own head to put on his Captain face. They do not need a love-sick Steve Rogers to lead them, they need Captain America. He lets Tony fly them over the base so he can get a good look at it, and then he is firing off instructions to the team. Tony adds his input when Jarvis picks up something in the scans, but otherwise there is no chatter on the lines.

Steve wonders if he is the only one that feels as if something is wrong. He ignores that part of his mind again and points to where Tony should drop him. Tony's arms grip tighter for just a moment; Steve has to force himself not to tell Tony to simply ignore the mission and just keep holding him.

The battle, as always, is chaotic. Steve stays close to Bucky while Logan constantly keeps himself under or near Tony. Steve had suggested they fight together, but Bucky admitted that he would be too distracted if Logan kept that close. Logan said nothing, but Steve didn't need him to in order to see the same answer in his eyes. There would be other battles, he knew, and they would reach a stable point in time.

It didn't take long for Steve to see an opening and motion for Bucky to follow him. Just like during the war, after Steve finally joined it, Bucky simply nods and follows him inside. Steve is reminded of the train as they go through their first hallway and he makes sure they step through the doorways together.

They meet no one and the sense of wrongness strengthens in Steve's chest. From the set of his friend's shoulders, he could tell Bucky feels it as well. Steve whispers a single word, a code for Tony to scan the building, and they wait outside of a door. Tony returns shortly with a negative response and that is all they need to kick the door down and step into the main hub in the warehouse.

It is empty and Steve is confused. He looks around at the emptiness, clutching the shield in his hand as tightly as he could. "Bucky?" he asks, feeling their backs come together.

"I got nothing, Cap."

Steve wants to do nothing more than leave and let Tony torch the place. He hates when they waste time on things like this – Clint has told him stories of false missions and ridiculous paper trails, but Steve never thought Hydra would do it."

"Let's go, there's nothing here." Steve turns and goes to the door.

Bucky steps through first and Steve curses his stupidity. Curses the fact that he didn't stay paranoid about doors and being closed off. He can hear Bucky on the other side, swearing and hitting the door with his upgraded arm. It dents, but it does not bend.

It is then that Steve realizes that he can hear Bucky through the door, but not on his com unit. He puts a finger to his ear and calls for Tony, screams for Tony, but he gets nothing. He looks out the window to see Iron Man circle, but he doesn't try to fire at the building. He is firing at something on the ground and Steve wants nothing more than to be out there.

He tells Bucky to run and get out before trying to find an exit for himself.

He gets halfway across the warehouse when a hissing fills the room and the gas is so thick that he can see it as it pours in. He rips off part of his costume that hid the zipper and puts it over his face, hoping to stop whatever gas this is. He needs to leave, and he needs to find Tony.

The gas hits him fast and the fabric does nothing to stop it. Steve is four strides from the door when he goes down, coughing and trying to breathe. The shield clatters uselessly next to him and he feels as if something inside were tearing apart.

It isn't blood that drips down his nose a few seconds later. It's blue and Steve's eyes widen as he recognizes the exact shade. He had watched as vials with this blue were attached onto a machine. He had watched as another one shattered onto the ground. Steve did nothing but stare as it pools on the floor, stunned and confused.

The tension in his body suddenly snaps and Steve's entire world come to a stop. He knows the serum is still flowing out of him, but it feels as if it is simply dripping. Iron Man is now firing at the windows, but It takes minutes, not seconds, for those metal arms to lift. Someone outside is yelling and it's so distorted that Steve cannot begin to comprehend it.

He can think of nothing but Tony and the fact that he could no longer feel him. Steve clutches at his chest, fingers gripping the star so hard that it should have ripped off. It does not and that is when he notices that the suit is getting bigger on him. His muscles begin to shake and his knees ache from where they rest on the floor.

Steve does know if the tightness in his chest is from his asthma returning, or became of the sudden loss of Tony. The pull, the need, is no longer there and Steve can do nothing but stay on his hands and knees and cry.

He is still crying when the glass shatters and Iron Man flies in. The serum now drips out from his nose and Steve doesn't know where his tears end and that begins because it's mixed and he has tainted it and he can't get it back. He stares at the puddle of blue and dirt and tears and blood he didn't even know he was losing, and he wonders if anything it worth all of this.

He closes his eyes as Tony lays a metal hand on his shoulder and it is that hand that keeps him upright as he gives in to what his body now needs and faints.