Note: Canon-divergent from mid-'Cap 2'.

"Not Staying Put"

It felt so wrong to see Captain America being arrested, ten times worse than being arrested alongside him, and with Natasha potentially injured. But Sam dutifully went with his new friends as the corrupt HYDRA-SHIELD agents rounded them up, keeping an eye on them. He had the fewest issues out of the three, to be honest.

"Why, Rumlow?" Steve said as the leader of STRIKE shoved him into the van beside Sam. "Why would you go with HYDRA? Choose them over us?"

"I saw the way forward, and went with the flow," Rumlow said. "Order comes from pain, Rogers. That's the way of the world."

"You must be one hell of a masochist," Sam muttered to him.

Rumlow pinned him with a hard-to-read expression, his eyes hard and assessing. Sam tried not to squirm in his seat, but it was unnerving. Even Steve seemed perplexed by Rumlow's silent response.

Only… not so silent.

"If you know what's good for you, sweetheart, you'll stay put," he said in clipped tones.

Oh shit. It couldn't be.

…Well, that explained Rumlow's reaction. Sam's heart stopped beating for about ten seconds, as he held his breath. The door slamming closed kick-started everything, and he had to remind himself of every piece of advice he gave people going through panic attacks to avoid going into meltdown.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Steve asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Guy gave me the creeps, that's all."

"Of course," Natasha said. "We've both worked with him before, but you've never met him, so you've never seen…"

"The façade he presented," Steve said. "Being all friendly with the snark and the banter, only to turn out to be HYDRA the whole fucking time!"

"Language," Sam said absently. "Swearing doesn't solve problems."

"Makes me feel better," Steve muttered. Natasha patted him on the knee, then winced.

"Let me check you over for injuries," Sam said. The guard with them tensed, and released the safety on his firearm. A pretty clear warning. "Come on, man, she's hurt, can't you tell?"

"It could be an act."

"D'you wanna risk that?"

The man shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me if she dies. One less problem to deal with."

Sam could tell that Steve wanted to strangle the man, or put his head straight through the wall of the van, but they couldn't risk it. Not with HYDRA agents driving the vehicle, and others front and back. He shook his head, and Steve's jaw tightened as he stayed put.

'Stay put.' Like that was gonna happen. First chance they had to run, Sam was going with them. He wasn't staying to find out whether Brock Rumlow was his soulmate.

So when Maria Hill gave them an out and took them to a secret base, Sam went, and debated over telling Steve. In the end, 'honesty is the best policy' won out.

"I think Rumlow might be my soulmate," he said, when all their planning was over. The rest of them fell quiet and watched him. "I don't know what it means, but I've got your back. You know that. When I work it out, how we can use that against him, or at least for us, I'll let you know. Until then, I've gotta tell myself it was just a fluke. That he knew my words and wanted to throw me off, or try to recruit me. Not gonna happen, obviously, but I wanted you to know. If it turns out that he is my soulmate, and I'd kept it from you…" He trailed off, letting them figure it out.

"It would look suspicious," Natasha said.

"More like I'd hate to lose your trust, but we'll go with that, too. And if he's my soulmate… don't hesitate to put him down if he poses a threat."

"We can't do that," Steve said. The others looked at him incredulously, and Sam frowned, but the captain shook his head. "If he's your soulmate, Sam – and I have no doubt that you'd never betray us – then it's possible he could fight for us. Even just once would be enough, and more than we could've expected before you spoke to him. I used to like the guy, thought he could maybe one day be a friend, and while I wouldn't have given him the benefit of the doubt five minutes ago… that you might be his soulmate gives me hope. So I'll give him a second chance."

"And we'll take him out in a split second if he turns against us," Natasha added.

"If I'm the only one who can do it when the time comes, don't let me hesitate," Sam said.

"Understood," Fury replied. "Now let's get to work."

Brock had been quietly stewing in cold fury ever since they opened the van doors and found that Rogers, Romanov, and… Sam had escaped.

He didn't wait, even when Brock had asked him to. The words could've been considered threatening, but he hadn't had much time to think of something unique to say that would sound innocuous to anyone else listening.

Well, this was annoying. He paced in the corridor, waiting, trying to work out what to do. He couldn't leave HYDRA, that was obvious. They couldn't stop Project Insight, not after all these months of planning, and not just because Brock asked nicely for the sake of his possible soulmate.

Not 'possible', not really. He'd been able to find handwritten files from the VA, which just confirmed the writing of his soulmark. He'd been elated to realise that he was right, before remembering that his soulmate had escaped, damn well left him behind. Brock should've gone in that van, but considering the state the guards had been left in… it was just as well. Otherwise he'd never get a chance to talk to Sam.

Sam. Who volunteered to work with returned veterans. Maybe if Brock had gone to those kind of group meetings, he would've done things differently. Not sided with HYDRA in the first place. If he'd met Sam earlier, even by just a week, he could've maybe… told Fury or something. About Project Insight and HYDRA. Because it was pretty damn clear that Sam was on Captain America's side, and as long as Brock stayed with HYDRA, he had no chance with his soulmate.

But what could he do? Everything had to go ahead as planned, there was no way around it. If Brock tried to do anything, he'd end up dead. After being involved in the arrest of Captain Freaking America, he'd probably be killed on sight by anyone loyal to SHIELD, or at least to Steve Rogers. Well, 'probably' was better than 'definitely', at least.

"Time to wipe the Asset," Rollins muttered, and he patted Rumlow on the back. "Your turn as guard. See you later. I need coffee."

"All of you go on ahead," Brock said, his mind working fast. "He seems more docile than usual. Easy to handle."

"Right you are, boss." Rollins herded the others like sheep, and Brock entered the room when the others got there, looking on unsurely as they pushed Barnes into the chair.

This… could be his chance. He knew Rogers had recognised Barnes, and even if he hadn't, he would when Brock brought him forward. Wherever Rogers was, he'd be on the lookout for the Winter Soldier for killing Nick Fury (assuming the man really was dead, which he probably wasn't; no matter how good the Asset was, Nick Fury was Nick Fury, enough said). If Brock took care of Barnes, freed him and kept him close, he stood a chance at getting into his soulmate's good graces. Hell, he'd kill anyone Sam wanted him to if it meant…

He clenched his fists as Barnes mumbled something about knowing the man who'd called him 'Bucky'.

That did it. Rogers recognised him. This was definitely Brock's one chance.

About twenty seconds later – according to the fact that the machine was nearly warmed up – he realised that everyone else in the room, sans Barnes, was on the ground, dead or unconscious, most of them bleeding from somewhere. Barnes stared at him, wide-eyed, and Brock held out his hand.

"Come with me," he said. "They won't hurt you again."

"Where?"

What else could he say? "To find answers."

The Asset – not quite Bucky Barnes yet – watched him for a few seconds, way too long for Brock's comfort, before nodding, and taking his hand. Brock pressed a weapon into it, grabbed his other one, and then they tore through the facility, taking out anyone in their way, until they ran out through the front door. Well, who'd anticipate him doing that when the other escapes were more logical?

"I have no idea how to find who we're looking for," he confessed to Barnes. "I think they'll find us, though. If not, we just keep heading for the Triskelion."

"…The what?"

"Let's just go. I'm kinda making this up as I go along."

"Oh."

"I know. Fun, right?"

"I…" He looked around, lost but determined. Brock's spirits rose. "I have an idea."

Three guns were aimed at him. Brock raised his hands.

"Don't shoot me," he said dryly. His gaze darted to and fro, searching for Sam, but there was no sign of him.

"Are you handing yourself in?" Steve asked.

"If necessary. I brought a friend, if that's okay?"

"No, it's n…" Brock jerked his head, and Barnes crept to his side. "Bucky? Is that…?"

"He doesn't know," Brock said when it was obvious Barnes wasn't going to reply. "I told him you could give him some answers. I don't know everything that happened to him. But this probably isn't the best place to discuss it? Y'know, out in the open?"

"Did you do this just to see a guy who might be your soulmate?" Hill asked.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. She and Romanov looked at each other, which was reckless, because Rogers couldn't take his eyes off Barnes.

"As reasons to defect go…" Romanov trailed off, and glanced at Brock, who looked back at her with wide, innocent eyes. "It's not so bad."

"Nobler than most," Hill agreed. Rogers looked from Brock to Bucky, and moved back.

"Come in," he said. "Rumlow, you can't see Sam until he agrees to it."

"I expected that," Brock said. "Can't say it isn't frustrating, seeing as I broke Barnes out of a heavily-guarded HYDRA facility to get him to you, in case you let me see… But if I was in your position, I'd be cautious, too."

"Did HYDRA follow you here?" Romanov asked.

"Not that I noticed, and I didn't lead the way. Barnes found you; I just followed him, kept him out of trouble."

"Thanks," Rogers said grudgingly. "You don't know what this means…"

"No, I don't. If someone could tell Sam that I'm here…?"

"Already done," Hill said. "You can wait in our guest room for now."

No prizes for guessing that the 'guest room' was a prison cell. Just as long as Brock saw Sam in the end, he didn't care where they put him.

Counting the seconds, he estimated that it was seven minutes before he heard footsteps, trapped in a window-less room. The vents were nowhere near big enough for anyone to squeeze through – sucks to be you, Barton – and if he'd fallen asleep he'd have no clue what time of day it was. So it was just as well he wasn't left alone for all that long. The footsteps stopped outside the door, and he walked over to it, hoping for something.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hey."

"Sam?"

"That'd be me."

"…I'd show you my soulmark, but I doubt they're gonna let us see each other. I said your words, didn't I?"

"Uh-huh. Wait a sec." A slit opened in the door, and a piece of paper and a blunt pencil were pushed through to drop on the floor. Brock fell on them, the portal in the door closing before he could see anything more than the dark flash of an arm. "Write something."

"What'd I say to…? Oh, I remember." He wrote it in his best handwriting… then reconsidered, and wrote the same thing below in his usual fast script. He tapped on the door, the hole opened, and he returned the stuff. "Wasn't sure whether it'd be my neatest writing, or what I usually use."

"I'll be back after I get this—"

"Wait!" Brock slid to the ground against the door. "Sam?"

"…Yeah?"

"Stay with me? I feel better when you're nearby, and I'm betting you'd feel the same."

"I can't—"

"Sam, please. You don't know how much I wish things were different. The way HYDRA gets to you…"

He heard footsteps retreating, and pulled his knees up to his chest, bowing his head to touch them as he sighed. But then the footsteps returned. There was a loud exhalation, then the slight pressure of someone else leaning against the door. A soft thump, and he was sure Sam was mirroring his position on the other side.

"You said order comes from pain," Sam said. "What'd they do to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"They hurt you. That's why I said what I did, about you liking pain."

"Oh." Brock shrugged, even though Sam couldn't see it. "I was one of those kids who acted up in school and got the cane on the legs as punishment. I straightened out, but it didn't come easy. Became what the military wanted, then what HYDRA wanted."

"What about what you wanted, Brock?"

That bolstered his heart, hearing Sam say his name. "Say that again?"

There was a pause, and then an amused, "Brock."

He rested his head back against the door. "Didn't know what I wanted when I was just a punk kid. After I started getting better grades but still didn't show enough respect to authority… the 'authority' didn't deserve respect, not where I went, but that's another story. The system sent me to military school, so I got no choice. HYDRA made their goals sound reasonable."

"World peace doesn't come from war," Sam said. "Beauty doesn't come from pain, unless you're into sadomasochism. Happy people are more beautiful. It's part of your spirit, not the torture you've put yourself through."

"…No one's ever said anything like that to me before."

"If they had—"

"Yeah." He bumped the back of his head against the door. "If."

"You… you have another chance, Brock."

"Tell me what to do."

"Even if something puts me in the line of fire?"

"Sam—!"

"We're bringing HYDRA down, with or without you. At least if you're there, fighting on our side, we stand a hell of a better chance. But I need to know that you're gonna follow orders, whatever Steve or Natasha or Maria or I tell you to do. You can't go off and do your own thing just to save me if it looks like I'm in danger. You have to trust that I know what I'm doing, and focus on taking out the threats we can't deal with. I've seen you in battle. You could turn the tide in our favour. Brock?"

"Okay," he said. "I'll… do what you tell me."

"Since most of the orders will consist of 'go there and protect those people' or 'go there and stop that bad person', I think it'll be pretty easy for you to follow."

Brock chuckled half-heartedly.

They stopped the Helicarriers without interference, and most of the HYDRA agents were brought down. It wasn't easy, but it was a hell of a lot easier than waiting outside a hospital room while Sam was being tended to. Nothing life-threatening, mostly thanks to his wings being targeted, and Natasha had been there to save him from the worst of it. It was his wings that took the worst of it, but they still did some damage, which was being treated.

Brock and Sam weren't even bonded, and this was damn near killing him.

"Thanks again," Steve said, squinting at Brock through almost-closed eyes, one arm around Barnes, who was curled up beside him and snoozing. Probably the first real sleep he'd had in seventy years. "You did good today."

"He's the best motivation in the world," he said, glancing at the door. "When will—"

"When they come tell us," Hill said. "Sit down before you make us dizzy, Rumlow."

"But—"

"You're no good to Sam if you pass out from exhaustion," Romanov mumbled, an icepack on her forehead to ward off a headache. "Don't you want to see him as soon as you're allowed to?"

It was a valid point. Brock didn't sit near the others – he wouldn't be welcome – and tried to keep still. Less than twenty-four hours ago, Brock had met his soulmate, found out they were on opposite sides – Brock's handwriting had been confirmed – defected from HYDRA, and was now hoping that his soulmate would live long enough for… something. Not bonding; he couldn't see Sam wanting that with Brock. But maybe get to be friends? Platonic was better than nothing.

"You can go in now."

He looked up and saw that the nurse was watching him. He glanced at the others, and Romanov walked to his side.

"I'll go with you," she said.

"Maybe I shouldn't—"

"You're his soulmate. Get in there. Now."

Blinking at the demand, Brock hurried into the room and to Sam's side, nervous. His soulmate was still out for the count, but the doctors said his vitals were improving, and that after he woke up he'd be monitored for twelve hours, then released into Brock's care.

"We haven't bonded," he said. "We only met yesterday."

"You're his soulmate," the doctor replied. "Since you've met him, it's policy for us to hand him over to you. Once you're out of the hospital, it's up to the two of you."

"We'll make sure he's safe," Romanov said.

Brock didn't reply. He knew he'd be leaving as soon as they set foot outside the hospital doors. It was for the best, for Sam.

But for now, he'd hold his soulmate's hand.

"Damn, I feel almost like new again," Sam remarked, heaving himself out of the wheelchair at the pick-up zone. "Whoever said hospitals were bad places?"

"Says the man involved with the medical industry," Brock said. "Wait with Natasha. I'll take the wheelchair back while Cap gets the car.

"Okay," Sam said. "Don't take too long."

Brock touched his hand, and didn't reply, but he was kind of quiet anyway. Steve and Natasha had told him that Brock was a good commander, could be considered the best of them, certainly the younger agents. That he could be friendly, and wasn't usually this taciturn. Then again, maybe this was the real him, the one not designed to deceive.

They waited. Steve brought the car around, and still they waited. Sam had a sinking feeling in his gut, and refused to get into the car.

"Don't be ridiculous," Steve snapped. "You're still recovering."

"What if he's hurt?" Sam asked.

Natasha rifled through Sam's overnight bag, and pulled out a creased piece of paper. She handed it over, and Sam scowled when he read the contents.

"That asshole says I'm better off without him," he said, handing the note to Steve.

"He's not wrong," Natasha said. Sam turned his glare on her, and she actually flinched.

"He's my soulmate," he hissed. "Don't you think it'd aid my recovery if he was at my side? I've never recovered this quickly before. And we gave him a second chance. Did you really think it only lasted a couple of days, when he proved himself in battle at our side? Doesn't the word 'forgiveness' mean anything to you?"

She didn't answer that. Steve touched Sam's shoulder.

"We'll find him," he said. "Just get in the car. I have an idea."

Brock struggled against a strong hold, like a steel band around his chest. He couldn't cry out, and realised what was holding him.

"Sorry, but captains outrank sergeants," Bucky Barnes said. "You're coming with me."

Sam raised his eyebrows when Brock glared at him across the room.

"Hey," Sam said. "You don't run from me like that again, hear? You got a problem, you talk to me about it."

"I was trying to—"

"And no deciding what's best for me." He smiled. "I already feel better with you here."

Brock bowed his head, shuffled in place. "`Cause we're soulmates."

"Pretty sure if we bonded, I'd heal even faster."

"…What?" He looked up, sure he'd misheard.

"Just a suggestion. We don't have to." Sam tilted his head, his eyebrows drawing together. "I'm sorry. But your letter sounded kinda self-sacrificing, like you wanted to stay, but thought I wouldn't want you around."

"Not just you," Brock muttered.

"D'you think I care about what other people say? You're my soulmate, not them." He stood up with a wince, and Brock itched to jump to his side, but he was sure they were being watched, and any sudden movements…

"You should stay there," he said. "You've only just gotten out of hospital."

"Actually, it's been a week," Sam said, his voice tight. "I would've been better by now if you'd been here, with me."

"Sam—"

"I tried to give you a chance. Won't you give me a chance?"

"A… a chance to—?"

"To get to know you. So we can put the past behind us… maybe bond one day?"

He swallowed. "More than I deserve."

"Yeah, for now. But you'll earn it." Sam grinned. "I know you will."

"With you as the prize?" Brock looked him over, smiling slowly. "You bet, sweetheart."

I like the word 'sweetheart'. It makes me think of the letter 'e'. (Cryptic crossword thing.)

Okay, SORRY I haven't posted in awhile! I've gotten stuck on a few different chapters, and one up them is nearly 10 000 words so far, with more to go. Sigh.

I don't think anyone's requested this pairing. I was thinking about it on the bus one day (I can't read while I'm on the bus, so I need something to do), and thought it'd be nifty if Sam and Brock realised they were soulmates after Sam, Natasha, and Steve were arrested, and instead of staying put like Brock asked, Sam still escaped with the others, and things went from there. I guess the implication is that Bucky and Steve are soulmates, platonic or otherwise? Because they both say 'I have an idea', and Bucky is willing to kidnap Brock. But then he knows where Brock would be, because he's the Winter Soldier. Duh.

Please review! Ooh, I'm thinking about doing a Tumblr site devoted to Bucky/Phil, and any additions to that ship. Calling it 'Arm and Arm', because I'm terribly macabre like that. In case you hadn't noticed. Anyone else think it's a good idea?