James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes died on a Saturday at 4:07pm.
Not in a selfless act. Not saving thousands of lives. Not gunned down in a heroic blaze of glory. It was a motorcycle accident. It's easy to forget about mortality among Gods and mutants and Hulks but days like today made it impossible to ignore. Everyone, in one way or another, eventually will die.
For months after the funeral, when the ice crept up on him Steve would sometimes stay at Tony and Ty's penthouse while Sylvia stayed with Clint and Natasha. Steve was mostly quiet, except when he was alone with Tony. They'd talk about anything, just for the comfort of talking to someone.
Then one night, Tiberius let himself get too loud as he took Tony painfully and against his will. Tony had his face buried in a pillow to muffle his own volume when there were footsteps outside the bedroom door. Ty glanced up just in time to see the door splinter under a powerful weight and swing open, crashing into the wall loudly. Without a single word or sound Steve strode inside, grabbed Tiberius by his throat and threw him to the floor. He never looked up at Tony and Tony was thankful for that, he didn't want Steve to see him like this.
Steve had positioned himself over Ty with one leg on each side of his torso and started punching. Tony could hear the bones cracking through Tiberius' screaming, he didn't say anything to try and stop Steve. The beating went on for long after Ty fell silent. Blood stained the white carpet along with the super soldier's knuckles which were starting to split. Steve's forehead was matted in sweat, when Ty tried to roll half-consciously roll away Steve stood up kicked him several times in the spine. And when there nothing left to damage, not patch of skin that wasn't black or purple or bloody Steve finally stopped.
They both stayed like that for a while. Completely motionless. After what felt like a life time he tensed as Steve lifted him into his arms and carried him out to the couch, grabbing some pajama pants from the dresser on the way out. The Captain called 911 and asked for an ambulance, when the EMTs arrived they didn't have it in them to ask any questions they just took Ty and that was it. Leaving the two of them sitting on the couch, equally hurt and equally fractured. Steve's weeping broke the still air and his shoulders shook uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm sorry. I'm sorry Tony I'm sorry I'm so sorry Tony... I let him hurt you for so long. I let him hurt you Goddamn it so did you. All I wanted was for you to leave. All I wanted was for you to see yourself as something fucking worth saving and you didn't and do you know what that fucking does to me?! Please, please, please, I'm so sorry..."
For the first time in his life Tony couldn't find his voice as Steve to sobbed into his hands.
He leaned forward and cradled the blonde's head against his chest and Steve hugged his waist. The wrapped themselves in each other until exhaustion got the better of them. When the daylight leaked into the living room Steve groaned, signaling he was awake. Tony lightly tickled the back of his neck in a vague attempt to be comforting.
"Go pack your stuff." He mumbled.
Tony rolled off the couch and did what Steve told him to.
That morning on the News they'd learn that billionaire CEO Tiberius Stone had been attacked in the night by an unknown assailant who had left him paralyzed from the waist down.