Sentinel/Guide AU for starkingenuity

[starspangledspandex]

Things have been going remarkably well between them. Even if the beginning was somewhat rocky, their compatibility was obvious and not just to them. Steve was old-fashioned and though his instincts made it clear what they wanted, he did things the "right" way. There were dates and gifts and just general wooing. They talked about it and they were ready.

He smiled at Tony, watching him as he worked and couldn't stand it anymore. "Tonight," he said, then added, for clarity, "We should bond tonight."

Maybe not the most romantic proposal but he figured he shouldn't smother Tony in it anyway or the man would get sick of it. No the rarity made it special.

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[whothehellisbucky]

A friend who was holed up in a warehouse, stuck in a vice grip. He stared at Sam as the man paced in front of him. He felt like a dog...or like bait. His mind kept reverting back to mild blankness and then immediately to terror and confusion. He was remembering more and more each time, but it wasn't enough.

And everything still muddled his thoughts. "He'll be here soon," Sam promised.

And Bucky wasn't sure which blond man he was hoping to see.

[starspangledspandex]

He took a jet but walked out in plain clothes with the shield in a bag he was carrying. He didn't think Bucky would appreciate seeing Captain America after the fight on the carrier and he didn't want to trigger any memories or his need to kill Steve.

Steve slipped into the building and blinked to adjust his eyes, following the sound of Sam's footsteps to the room. "Buck," he said as soon as he saw them. "Do you remember me?"

[whothehellisbucky]

Bucky looked up at that familiar voice and felt emotion catching in his throat. He wanted to cry but he wasn't a crier. He'd never been. Steve had needed someone to be strong.

The poor kid-- Bucky still remembered feeling that call from the alley as he passed... But Steve wasn't a Guide. He had never given off that particular scent to him and so Bucky assumed he was just his hearing that had alerted him to that shuffle.

"I know you," he said, swallowing. "Steve... Steve Rogers. Your mother' snake was Sarah--"

[starspangledspandex]

"Good," He smiled, though there was a tinge of sadness to it, just because of all the terrible things they've both gone through to get to this point. Steve couldn't even imagine how horrible Bucky's side of things must be.

"Let's get you out of this," he said, taking a step forward so he could take a closer look. "Hopefully we can."

[whothehellisbucky]

Sam made a sort of warning noise for Steve to keep his distance but Steve wasn't the sort of person to listen to anyone. At all. He did step back to give the pair their privacy, though he had his gun drawn just in case.

"Steve--" Bucky hadn't really seen him in so long. There were brief flashes of memory between wipes. They were mostly filled with pain. He tried to articulate more of his memory but they fell short and they were so very depressing. "I'm sorry."

[starspangledspandex]

He couldn't free the man and take him home without getting close to him but Sam was right, Steve wasn't much for warnings. He eyed the machine and the vice, frowning at the arm. How had Bucky gotten stuck in this thing?

His attention shifted to his friend and he crouched so he could be on eye level with him. "It's not your fault. You were being controlled by Hydra."

[whothehellisbucky]

"I don't know what I was doing," Bucky confirmed. He still wasn't entirely sure and he didn't know how he had even gotten here. It was during one of his fugues. The Sentinel shifted back on his heels to relieve the pressure from his knees and gazed back up at Steve. He smelled...good. Then again, Bucky smelled like sweat and body odor so anything smelled better than he did right now.

Sam cleared his throat. "What's the call here, Cap? I'm pretty sure that it's not going to be this cozy for very long."

[starspangledspandex]

He glanced back at Sam and eyed the machine again. "The one time Tony doesn't come, I need him," he shook his head. He didn't know anything about this machine. "I don't even know where to start with this thing."

Steve pulled out his phone, "JARVIS?"

[whothehellisbucky]

"Yes Captain? How can I assist?"

Tony was too busy zapping cells with Banner and having a fantastic time nearly blowing himself (and everyone else) up. He still acted like that seventeen year old at MIT, causing all sorts of hassle. FitzSimmons were half afraid to enter the lab at all!

[starspangledspandex]

"Can you me tell how this thing works?" he asked, gesturing toward the machine Bucky was trapped in. He didn't feel like they had a lot of time. He should have called for more back up than this but it was too late.

[whothehellisbucky]

Sam had tried to tell you about this guy from the upstate Avengers HQ, Steve, but you just don't listen! Or you're too into finding Bucky. Or too into finding a way to get back into Tony... Sam wasn't going to blame him for any of that but he did roll his eyes as JARVIS analyzed the machine and told Steve where to hit it to release his friend.

The machine actually groaned and Bucky fell forward, mechanical arm uninjured by the joint it was in ached something feirce. Wisely, he didn't move to get up right away.

[starspangledspandex]

He paid attention but now wasn't the time to track down some random person that may or may not help them Sam. Steve preferred this way. He couldn't trust a stranger with knowing they found a man responsible for the majority of the assassinations in the last seventy years.

Steve crouched again, within arm's reach but on guard, though he didn't expect to be attacked. "Can you walk?"

[whothehellisbucky]

"Yeah. Shoulder isn't my legs," Bucky said, cheeky, and got to his feet as quickly as possible. Sam looked nervous so he lifted both hands. "I've--"

There was a sound below them that all three men turned towards the door to look at.

"Looks like whoever set that trap found us."

[starspangledspandex]

He shrugged, he couldn't be sure how long he was in that position or whether he was injured anywhere else. The sass did give him a little bit of hope though. Steve glanced toward Sam and started to raise his own hand, but his senses snapped outside to what was coming.

"We need to move," Steve said, reaching to pick up the bag he brought with his shield. "JARVIS, is the jet still hidden?"

[whothehellisbucky]

There was just a momentary pause. "I believe so, though no for long, Captain," the AI informed him as Sam bent to grab the backpack from the ground and toss it, shield and all, to it's owner.

Sam was the first out the door, banging it open because it didn't matter. They all knew there were people coming to intercept them. Bucky moved after, keeping low and trying to pop his arm back into place.

[starspangledspandex]

He caught the shield with ease, debating before he pulled it from the bag--it was past time to be subtle--and slid his arm through the holder.

Steve followed Sam, glancing behind toward Bucky and he hoped they all survived this. "Lock it down," he ordered. "But have it ready for us."

[whothehellisbucky]

JARVIS confirmed as the trio rushed down the stairs only to find themselves being shot at. Sam pressed himself back against the exposed brick to miss a few less precise shots and snorted as he checked the load of his magazine.

"Looks like you're up."

He did not have the acrobatic acumen of Captain America.

[starspangledspandex]

"On it," he agreed, stepping out with the shield leading and there were plenty of bullets that clanged off of it harmlessly before he took the majority out with a single, bouncing throw.

[whothehellisbucky]

Sam was always pretty impressed. Steve had done that since they had first met. On your left? He was a wonderful asshole. More wonderful than an asshole though.

He pushed Bucky out next... Which caused the other man just to jump down two landings over the banister and take out the other men that Steve had left behind.

[starspangledspandex]

The Sentinel straightened , watching the other man as he moved and he swallowed because he felt like he did when he was watching Tony. He loved them both, he did, but Bucky was family. He never envisioned bonding with the man. He wasn't sure he could even see it now but he felt for him anyway.

"We need to keep moving," he muttered, listening for more footsteps. "The longer we take, the more of them there are going to be."

[whothehellisbucky]

"So keep moving," Bucky almost teased, though he hadn't gotten that quality back to his voice yet. It was still in his eyes. He still meant it. He pushed passed Steve and smirked. "I'll lead then--"

He was caught off guard when he heard the firing piston of a gun and leaned to the left, dodging the bullet before he turned to kick the gun out of the man's hand. The man was taken down right after. "Okay okay, moving."

[starspangledspandex]

"Watch it, pal," Steve warned, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice as he followed. It was reassuring to hear the teasing from his friend even if he wasn't quite back to normal.

They were throwing a lot of man power at the three of them. Steve took out a number of other soldiers, snarling at a couple of unbonded Sentinels that got too close to Bucky and it was strange but he didn't really stop to think about it.

[whothehellisbucky]

Bucky didn't know when they got separated from Sam. It happened at a junction, the door blasting open into the stairwell. Sam told Steve to go ahead, he'd meet him back at the rendezvous point, and jumped out the window.

Bucky was so use to just keeping himself alive that he mostly just focused on getting somewhere out of line of sight.

He watched Steve spring passed him and he grabbed the Super Sentinel around the waist and tugged him back to a place of cover beneath the loading dock.

[starspangledspandex]

He was concerned for Sam but trusted that the man could get there himself. He was capable and he wasn't the one these men were after. They wanted Bucky above all and probably Captain America to go with him.

Steve was startled by being grabbed but he smelled Bucky so he didn't struggle, not beyond turning to confirm it was his friend.

"Thanks," he said with a smile, trying not to clang the shield off of anything. "What's out next move?"

[whothehellisbucky]

"It feels weird giving orders to Captain America," Bucky said, maybe a little too loudly, but they weren't using heat sensors against them and a group of soldiers ran passed.

It felt like being back in Europe. The buildings in the warehouse district could just as well be forests.

Bucky set his chin on Steve's shoulder as they crouched. It was just a little thing.