Entering his apartment Tony was welcomed with the painfully familiar scent of fresh air dried cotton, a warm musk and the slightest note of leather. The concentration of what he could smell on Steve when he was just close enough, like when he used to wake up tucked under the soldiers chin and encased in his arms. Tony felt a certain sadness wash over him as he tried not to remember how long it'd been since he felt that safe.

"James is out on mission tonight too." Steve mused as he closed the door without a sound.

"James? Did you get a dog or something?"

Steve raised an eyebrow before a light went off in his head.

"Oh, I was talking about Bucky- sorry, sometimes I call him James."

"Are…are you uh….are you and Bucky together?" Dammit Stark use your words.

"Yeah, we've been going steady for a few weeks now."

"Then at the Charity Auction…." Tony recalled Steve walking away to find a certain "he".

"Don't worry, a jealous assassin isn't gonna smoke you in your sleep. I got his permission to dance with you first." Steve grinned.

Tony couldn't say he was surprised; Bucky was probably the only person on Earth that knew how Steve felt about being hurled into a new century with his entire life being wiped out in the process. They've been best friends for decades, it was really only logical to start a relationship. Tony's eyes traced Steve's features as he turned slightly towards his bedroom- biting his lip as he smiled. There wasn't a doubt in Tony's mind that Steve loved Bucky, he probably always had. All he needed was for Tony to get out of his way, Tiberius was right after all. Even though it was nothing more than a silly fantasy, Tony could feel something in him close up, his only escape had been sealed shut. There really were no white knights. Lost in his own head Tony was caught off guard when Steve's hand reached for him and he couldn't think twice before recoiling away from him violently.

"Tony, I'm sorry, are you okay?" The taller man's brows were furrowed and his eyes reflected worry.

"Oh god, sorry- I don't know…I don't what came over me just now."

Tony scrambled to regain his composure under Steve's now heightened watchfulness.

"I just have to check you; you hit the cement pretty hard."

"Come on, we both know I've taken harder hits."

"I'm just making sure." Steve rolled his eyes with a smile.

Tony could only sit rigid and still as Steve's hands slid over his chest and unbuttoned the shirt. Steve's whole body froze, his eyes concentrated on Tony's body as the shirt slipped from his shoulders. Blue eyes taking in his skin covered in welts: purple and black, yellowing at the edges, accompanied by dark pink hickeys that had since begun fading, clean skin looking greyish and cold due to the excessive hemorrhaging and clotting beneath the skin. The only part of his torso looking like itself was the chilly blue glow of the reactor and even it seemed fainter.

"Tony…Jesus, what happened to you?"

"Training, like I told you before."

"Bullshit." His voice was a harsh whisper as his fingers hovered above the smaller mans battered skin.

"I don't know what to tell you, Steve."

"Tell me the goddamn TRUTH, Tony! Who did this to you?"

Steve visibly regret raising his voice as Tony tensed to it, Steve's body and voice shook with anger before he let out a long even breath to calm himself down. He opened his eyes and spoke again in a hush.

"It's Tiberius isn't it?"

This time Tony couldn't bring the words to his throat, he just slowly shook his head- too tense to blink. Steve arched his body over Tony, bringing his hands to cradle the man's face as if he were trying to find a reason to believe him.

"Tony. Is. He. Hurting. You?"

"No Steve, he's not."

Steve didn't budge- his expression concrete. He ran his hands up Tony's chest resting his fingers on the Arc Reactor. Tony watched him for a long time before pulling up and kissing the blonde man on the lips. Steve didn't pull away even when Tony slipped his tongue in his mouth. Steve wound one arm around his waist and his other hand on the back of his neck.

He started kissing Steve's jawline and worked his way down his neck and chest before slowly tugging his pants down. Tony pressed his lips to the thick bulge through the clean white cotton briefs lingering a while before pulling the briefs down too. He ran his mouth to the base where the course hairs bristled against his lips down to the tip slowly, circling his tongue around the ridge and finally over the slit making Steve moan. He slid his hands up and down the length vigorously making it slicker with pre-come, as Steve's breathing quickened Tony wrapped his lips around Steve's cock, holding the other man's hips, moving his mouth and tongue faster to stay in pace with Steve's breathing.

The rhythm however was interrupted by Steve jerking away and hoisting Tony up against the wall and all but ripped his pants and boxers off of him before throwing off his own iconic uniform top. Steve grabbed a small tube of lubricant out of the side table drawer; Tony bit his lip and ignored the slight burn of the Super Soldier easing into him. A thin sheen of sweat covered the both of them as Steve's hips lost their rhythmic rolling and became wild and erratic. Tony's entire body shuddering as his orgasm reached its fever pitch and finally he came, Steve's every muscle tightened to the solidity of a diamond before a heavy moan and a quiver signaled his own climax before their bodies became slack and they were supporting themselves completely on each other breathing slowing down to a normal rate again.

Steve pulled on a pair of navy sweat pants and Tony slid back into his own jeans and T-shirt. They stood before each other silently. Tony noted that Steve's hair was an absolute mess, his eyes eventually falling on the dog tags around his neck. Nothing new of course, Tony had assumed they were his own but looking at them now- glinting in the dull lamplight- his stomach turned as he read the engraved name.

James Buchannan Barnes

Steve followed his eyes and wrapped a hand around the tags, looking more guilty and ashamed than Tony had ever seen.

"I-I-I'm so sorry Tony. I don't know how I let this happen, it was a mistake."

"I have to go." Tony blurted out suddenly and loudly.

"Please don't go back there. I love Bucky but-"

Tony's breath hitched. The dire truth and adoration that drowned those three words seared in his chest.

"But I'll never stop caring for you. Just stay here."

"Goodbye Steve."

As the door closed behind him Tony wiped the tears from his eyes and every step felt like a mile.