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.

Comments

Works for me!

[starspangledspandex]

He shook his head, staggering backward, "You don't understand."

The Captain didn't know what to do right now. He couldn't get out anymore than his Guide could get in and he was relatively sure that the man was in danger because he hesitated, because he couldn't complete his mission. What if Hydra was coming for him? For them?

"I don't... I don't remember," he said, which was sort of a lie, he remembered but it was all a mess and it wasn't in order. Steve dropped to his knees with his hands still on his temples.

[starkingenuity]

"I understand," Tony insisted, following at what he hoped was a safe distance. Any moment now and Steve's Guide was going to be in distress and Tony needed to make sure that the blond was focused on him.

It would have been easier before. They could have delivered the medication, they could have dissolved the bond, but Tony wan't sure if it would outright kill Steve now... And he would rather the man he loved be alive and not with him than dead.

The thought brought tears to dark eyes.

"I understand because you're all I think about. Because life is torment without you. I know we couldn't bond the way we wanted to, and I want what's best for you, but I need you to be Steve Rogers again! You're not a murderer!"

[starspangledspandex]

"They hurt us," he insisted, in a desperate and pained tone. Tony didn't know what it felt like to be strapped down and electrocuted until there was nothing in his head but the Soldier.

Over the mask, his blue eyes flicked up to Tony, listening even if his head was messed up. These last six months were hell on Earth for the Captain and his bondmate. This was just making it worse. His gaze shifted from Tony to the hologram, now paused, on the two of them lost in one another. He recognized his face and from the pieces that were peeking out behind his crumbling programming, he knew it was the truth.

"I don't feel like Steve Rogers," he said. "I... I only see pieces."

[starkingenuity]

Tony didn't state the obvious that it was stupid to return to people that hurt you. He pressed his lips together and told JARVIS to stop the play back. If it hurt Steve to see, it hurt Tony too. Memories like that...

Sometimes he wished he didn't have them.

"I can help you remember. And I can help Bucky remember too. He did once. It took time. But it's possible."

[starspangledspandex]

No, it didn't make sense but they found them. They came for them. A world didn't exist in his mind where Hydra wasn't waiting around the corner.

His forehead creased, trying to think and he gave the man a wary look. This felt like another trap. It all felt like a trap.

Bucky? Was that The Soldier? He ground his teeth together behind his mask. He didn't like this but it was him in the video. Tony knew who they used to be. There was no other explanation.

His head hurt and his gaze shifted to the door, to where his Guide was, making him frown. "How do I know this isn't a trap?"

[starkingenuity]

"You don't," Tony replied, taking a drink. "But you're the one who came after me. And you're still not trying to kill me. Ruined my carpet and my window, but I think you know, deep down, that I would never hurt you."

He set his glass down carefully and moved not to intercept so much as to offer a hand to the Captain.

By then the Soldier had been subdued and knocked out. He wasn't hurt, just sleeping. Tony could see that fear in Steve's eyes for his Guide and it hurt him.

"You'll be allowed to be with him," he whispered. "Put down the gun."

[starspangledspandex]

He could feel, at least, that his Guide didn't have serious injuries. They might have knocked him out but he was alive and not necessarily in danger.

His blue eyes were still wary over his mask as he listened to Tony and watched him move. He was a captivating man, even the Captain could see that much.

His forehead creased again at the whisper and his gaze shifted to the empty space the hologram had been. Was the Soldier actually his? He didn't remember happiness but he could still see it. It could be why his target muddled up his head and made his bond waver.

"But..."

What if he didn't want the Soldier when he remembered? He shook his head, his eyes shifted back to Tony and he lowered the gun, dropping it to the floor. He cautiously took the man's hand still not quite convinced he wasn't turning them over to someone who would do the same thing to them.

[starkingenuity]

Tony had never been the romantic one. He made grand gestures but it wasn't romance. Steve taught him so much, though. And it was from Steve's play book that tony brought Steve's hand to his mouth and kissed the back of his gloved knuckles.

"You're going to have to kneel. I'm sorry. But you're still dangerous. I can't quite trust you not to hurt our friends yet."

[starspangledspandex]

The Captain--Steve? The Captain?--blinked at Tony kissing his knuckles. It made him feel warm but he didn't understand quite why. His forehead creased again as he tried to figure it out and he glanced toward where the hologram had been again. They were supposed to be a bonded pair. Tony had said as much. He obviously still cared for 'Steve Rogers'.

Most of his expression was hid behind his mask but he was leery. Making himself vulnerable... it wasn't something he enjoyed to do. It took time to relax even when they were renewing their bond. He eyed Tony silently and then did as he was asked, kneeling smoothly in front of the man.

[starkingenuity]

Tony let out a long sigh of relief and headed towards the control panel to call in the Calvary. "He remembers me. He didn't shoot. Be gentle with him. He won't fight."

Hopefully.

Even so, it was Thor that led the way into the room. His eyes were softer than usual as he gazed at the remains of his friend. "Will you come willingly, friend Rogers? We will take you to your mate."

Tony had gotten pretty good at hiding his pain but he still flinched to hear Thor acknowledge Bucky as his mate.

[starspangledspandex]

He stayed kneeling even as the door finally opened. Steve only partially recognized the people that poured in the room and Thor, mostly from their tussle at UN.

The Captain frowned at the man--he still wasn't sure he liked the use of Rogers--but nodded. It was important to see his mate. He needed someone to give him some stability. His head was a mess.

"I will cooperate."

[whothehellisbucky]

The Soldier curled up against the Captain once they were reunited and he had woken. He didn't speak. He didn't make plans. They needed to remove Stark as a target, and they would have to wait until they saw him again. Bucky was under no such confusion as Steve was about who the target was...or had been.

He stared at the door as the Avengers watched the pair through the screen. Tony kept his distance from the monitor and drank.

"It could take years. It did for Bucky Barnes the las time this happened."

[starspangledspandex]

The Captain put an arm around his mate, searching for some kind of calm and steadiness, but he wasn't finding it. His head was unraveling and he didn't understand it. He was afraid of what would happen if the memories came back, so he kept pushing them away.

The Soldier clearly wasn't having the same kind of problem.

He was silent as well, knowing they were listening, and just trying to puzzle this out for himself. It wasn't working but he didn't have any other options.

[starkingenuity]

"We don't know what triggers they have."

"And we don't know what will cause it."

"But he didn't kill Stark--"

Tony had heard enough. He was already a reckless idiot so why not push the limits all the more? He slammed his hand against the reader and stepped boldly into the room where the Soldier and his Captain were. He wasn't sure if this was a death wish or not.

He was the target but would Steve let Bucky kill him?

[starspangledspandex]

His eyes narrowed when the door opened, tense and preparing for whatever came through the door. It felt more like they were prisoners than anything.

The Captain drew back slightly when he saw Tony. The man scared him because of what he seemed to mean and what he had showed him. It was only getting worse. He didn't need the video to hear the man teasing him about his dancing ability.

"Stand down," he said automatically. His Soldier only knew the mission. He didn't have the weaknesses of the Captain. The blond couldn't let him finish this without getting more answers.

[starkingenuity]

The Soldier was tense, crouched and ready. He had been trained to allow the Captain to stay on point and to listen to his commands... To an extent. But their target was there. Loyalty to Steve was biological. The rest was unnaturally shoved into his head.

Tony was causing all sorts of stress in the control room too. They watched him slip his hands into his pockets as the door closed behind him.

"I'm tired of being without you, Steve. So I came for a visit."

[starspangledspandex]

"Stand down," he said again, reaching out to clap a hand on the Soldier's shoulder to physically keep him in place. This was a stupid move on Tony's part. They were both unstable. He shouldn't rely on the Captain to keep them from their mission.

"What do you intend to do with us?" He asked, not acknowledging the name.

[starkingenuity]

Tony could see the way that the Soldier's muscles were all coiling up. The Captain wasn't going to be able to hold him with just a hand for very long at all.

"We're going to break the control Hydra has on you. Rehabilitate you. And the. We are going to get you back into that uniform that shows off your chest and ass a little too well." His smile was distant.

The Soldier snarled.

[starspangledspandex]

"Enough," he said, forcibly hauling his Guide back and putting himself between them. He wasn't sure about this either but he was fairly certain that murdering one of their captors wasn't going to go over well.

Whether they actually wanted to help them was another thing entirely.

"How?"

The Captain wasn't exactly fond of the methods of rehab that he was familiar with under Hydra.

[starkingenuity]

The Soldier stayed put. For the moment. He looked at the Captain as if he lost his mind, and Tony did not miss the way he pulled off the glove of his flesh and blood hand with his teeth. Loyalty could only mean so much against programming. Conditioning was stronger than biology.

Tony chose to ignore him.

"Movies, talking... You'll be allowed to use the internet for searches. You can discover the world again at your own pace. And, of course, we won't let hydra take you back and hurt you again."

[starspangledspandex]

It certainly sounded like more freedom than with Hydra. He had no doubt they would be constantly monitored. The Captaih knew if the Internet and how it worked, though he couldn't recall a time where he had used it personally. He wondered if they would also control what websites they picked.

"Stop it," he growled in warning, blue eyes sharp as he watched the Soldier. Why wouldn't he let him keep them safe? They hadn't hurt them like their old handlers. So far, anyway.

"And if we're uncooperative?"

[starkingenuity]

There was a better question that the Soldier wanted to ask. Why was the Captain listening to this? Their target was right there. Right there! He could strangle him. Break his neck. It itched so badly.

"You won't be uncooperative." Tony was sure of that. "You can't exactly just plug your ears up and keep your eyes closed for forever."

There wasn't going to be force. They were the good guys okay?

[starspangledspandex]

"Get out," the Captain ordered, eyes still on his Soldier. There was only so much that he could do to restrain him and he wasn't looking forward to it. It was better if Tony just let them work this out themselves.

[starkingenuity]

Probably but Tony? He didn't like being ordered. "Can't control your Guide? Or you don't want to?"

He had to know, Steve. He had to know you still cared in there.

[starspangledspandex]

"Get out," Steve repeated, throwing a sharp look in the man's direction. Did he want to be dead? It was obvious enough that he was having difficulty controlling the Soldier.

If he didn't want to control him, Tony would already be dead.