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

[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.

[starkingenuity]

"Mister Stark, I believe you should heed the Captain," JARVIS said, opening the door for him. Tony sighed, but stepped back out through it.

"Remember that I love you," Tony said defiantly before the doors shut again and he as left alone in the hall.

The Soldier was annoyed and barked questions at Steve in Russian. "Have you forgotten our mission?!"

[starspangledspandex]

His lips press together more firmly at three words from the older man. Love was a foreign concept for him. He imagined it was the same warmth and need he felt for the Soldier. It was the best he could do right now.

"I know our mission," he snapped back in Russian. "But he knows things. Knows us. He showed me a video--I remember things, not a lot, but some. It makes my head hurt."

[starkingenuity]

"I can take them from you. Dampen them. We are failing and we can not fail," Bucky snapped back. "I can not let you do this to us, Captain."

The Guide was protective. He didn't understand why he was so conflicted.

"The things he says to you is only to prolong his life. If they will give you answers, they will do so without the target. Let me finish him."

[starspangledspandex]

"No," the Captain gave him an alarmed look and stepped back. His head might be a mess but he was someone. He used to be someone. He knew the dangers and the risks if their handlers got ahold of them again, but he wanted to remember.

"He couldn't fake what I saw or what I feel around him," the Captain said, raising a hand to his chest. He didn't understand, not completely. "He feels special, like you."

[starkingenuity]

The Soldier looked like he had been smacked... Which was interesting because Bucky never had any other expression on his face than placid monotony. His eyes lifted from the center of his Captain's chest to his eyes.

"He isn't special. He is a target. What he makes you feel is a lie." He sounded upset. He was upset!

[starspangledspandex]

"Then why did I know him?" He demanded, meeting the Soldier's eyes. He wasn't afraid of the man's anger. He could feel it down their bond. "All the people in the world... All the targets... Why him? If he wasn't someone? He knows who we used to be. That's why they want him dead."

[starkingenuity]

"We don't question! It's not our role--"

The Soldier was disgusted and went to crouch in the corner, arms over his head. He was failing in everything. Failures were not tolerated. He was afraid. He stunk of it.

Upstairs, Natasha finished translating just as Tony returned. "You should start the video feeds. They're paying attention."

[starspangledspandex]

"Because they don't want us to know," the Captain finished, as the Soldier retreated and he understood the fear. He could smell it on him. He knew why the man was afraid. Captain was afraid. If their handlers came for them...

He dropped heavily onto the edge of the bed. He didn't want to fight with his mate but it seemed like all he was good at right now.

The Captain jerks slightly when the first video starts, eyes warily watching it fade into view.

[starkingenuity]

"It shouldn't matter what--"

The Soldier was instantly distracted by the movie shown on the back wall of their cell. There was the Captain leaning on a jeep, an old propaganda film, with someone that looked a little like their Target and... And himself. Right there in the background.

It was smart of them using old war footage. Start from the beginning and work their way up.