"Hours." Tony said wearily.
The rest of the Avengers looked up. They had created a small camp in the lobby, a little refugee camp for them all. Sleeping bags and pillows littered the floor, and no one was sleeping. They were all just waiting - watching very carefully. They would be able to see Steve before he could even see the building.
The snow was swirling around and around.
"Hours." Bruce agreed from his place flat-out on the floor.
Clint lay on his side, facing the door. "I know what the word means, but what are you scientist-types groaning about?" He asked, not moving his eyes from the door.
Natasha studied them all from her place, propped up against the wall with her hands over her knee.
"Hours." Tony griped. He held up a vial. "It took two super-geniuses hours to figure this out."
The tired inventor slid down the wall, where he slouched next to the huntress.
"Two sleep-deprived and highly stressed super-geniuses." She mumbled.
Bruce shook his head. "It shouldn't have made that much of a difference."
"Well it did." Clint snapped sharply. "Deal with it. Hours and hours it took so it would be done. It's good now?"
Tony and Bruce nodded. "It'll reverse the effects, whatever they may be."
The archer frowned. "You're sure?"
Tony ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Of course not! We barely know what happened, Hawks. We don't even know the effects the original had!"
"Stop it." Bruce snapped.
The room went silent and Natasha twitched. Even to this day there was a residual fear in her chest of the good doctor's other side. Bruce shook his head.
"Sorry." He said. "I've got control, it's all okay. Just…we can't start fighting again. Steve isn't here to break it up and Thor isn't here for comic relief."
"Comic relief?" Tony huffed. He thought for a second. "I can't even think of anything. Thanks for making us all depressed, Birdbrain."
Tony rolled the vial lightly between his fingers. "Should we have it in a needle or something?"
Bruce shrugged, retrieving just that from his pocket. "If it makes you feel better, put half of the serum in. Then we have some left over if some act of God breaks either."
"What do you mean?" Clint jerked forward. "That's all we have? How much will it take to fix Steve?"
"We said we didn't know." Tony took the syringe. "And we still don't. We don't know how much he needs. We don't know what the poison did. We don't know if we can make anymore. We used as many antibodies as we could for the formula, Katniss." The inventor angrily un-stoppered the tube.
"Tony." Natasha warned as the vial tilted dangerously.
Stark righted it with a groan as a precious drop fell to the floor. A sparkling droplet shimmered sadly on the floor and Tony drew the syringe full of liquid.
"Here Clint." He handed it to said man, contemplating the small droplet.
The archer delicately took it from his place on the floor. He arranged his body and the blankets around that one point. It meant so much. The snow was swirling outside the door making it dark inside. Tony corked the vial safely and handed that to Bruce. He rolled forward onto his knees then flopped to his stomach. The inventor pulled a pillow to his chest and put his head on it.
"Tired." He mumbled.
Clint sighed. "Then sleep."
"Fantastic idea, Legolas." Tony huffed.
"Would you two let it go?" Bruce murmured, rolling his head over towards the door. "Oh my God!" He exclaimed, suddenly jumping to his knees.
"What?" Everyone looked over instantly.
"Look!" Bruce pointed out the glass door to two sets of eyes looking in through the dark and heavy snow fall.
"It's those dogs." Natasha commented.
Tony leapt to his feet almost instantly. He and Clint shot over to the door and opened both of them.
"Come here, pups." Clint called.
"Here doggie." Tony clapped his hands. "Come on, get in. You can't stay out there tonight." The tiny pup wobbled forward with a careful push from his elder.
"What are you two doing?" Natasha questioned.
"We can't let them freeze." Tony didn't look at her. "Besides, he was the first one we saw after Cap pulled a vanishing act."
"They can stay here." Clint said excitedly. "They can stay until Steve comes back!"
It had taken three hours to walk all the way to even the correct block. Steve was tired beyond belief - all four of his feet ached and he hadn't even been walking that much of the time. Old Joe had carried him block after block and he felt so useless, like a dead weight.
He was set down suddenly.
"Sorry pup." Joe panted. "We're almost there but I can't carry you anymore."
"I'm so sorry." Steve woofed softly with his tail between his legs.
"'Ts okay pup. We just need to get in soon."
They both closed their eyes as wind blasted down the streets.
"There it is!" Steve panted excitedly.
The lobby to the massive tower had never looked more beautiful. Every light was on leaving the rest of the tower looking dark in the harsh snowstorm. He hopped forward and yelped. Steve fell to the ground. A hot mouth picked him up by the scruff and placed him back on his feet.
"Steady pup." Joe said calmly.
They walked toward the door. Steve kept to a slow limp. He stopped suddenly.
"No." He whimpered.
The German Shepard looked in. "The big one."
"He's not there." Steve whimpered. "Thor isn't there." He coughed. "I can't get back if he's not there." Panic tinged his blue eyes. What was he going to do?
Tony, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce. They were all camped out on the floor. But Thor wasn't there. Blankets and pillows. Bruce handed something to Tony.
"Look there." Joe said, cutting off Steve's panic.
The vial caught the light with a shimmer. Like liquid starlight.
"What is it?" The smaller asked, a bit dazed. He felt drawn to the tube, especially its contents.
Joe cocked his head and they stood transfixed as a small droplet fell to the ground. It seemed to stand in time and they drew in a breath.
"The antidote." Joe huffed.
"Yeah." Steve huffed then shook his head. "Wait it is? How…how do you know?"
"You know it too." The Shepard cocked his head. "You feel it though?"
The little golden pup nodded.
"That's your instincts pup." Joe said.
Clint received the syringe that Steve so desperately need.
"I have to get that." Steve mumbled the statement like a prayer.
Joe sat down, staring at the door. The wind whipped them both as they watched inside. Steve whimpered - he didn't know if his teammate heard him or what, but by some mercy of heaven, Bruce turned his head. The doctor jerked up to his knees, pointing at the two freezing companions. A small conversation occurred. Tony and Clint struggled up and scrambled madly to the doors, shoving them open.
"Come here, pups." Clint called.
"Pups?" Joe woofed.
"Here doggies." Tony clapped his hands. "Come on, get in. You can't stay out there tonight."
They looked ridiculous, pausing the smallest dog in his tracks. But they were his ridiculous friends - Clint with his mothering and Tony just being Tony. This was his team and he loved them.
Joe nudged him.
"Come on. Go get it." The dog got him to stand. "Get back to your companions."
They treaded forward with Steve's limp more pronounced than ever.