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

[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.

[starspangledspandex]

His eyes fixated on it as he tried to learn from it as much as remember it. It looked like it was from a very long time ago which didn't make much sense considering how old both of them seemed at a glance. It was still, unmistakably, them.

The Captain swallowed, glancing toward his Soldier. Silently saying--see?

[starkingenuity]

The Soldier moved towards the image. The focus was on the Captain and he was fixed in him anyway. The video switched to newspaper photos, the headlines in English that Captain America had crash landed-- and then others about the finding and recovery of him.

There wasn't too many stock images of Bucky... And that initial propaganda video was it, really. Steve was their focus. Tony's focus. He was all that mattered.

[starspangledspandex]

It was almost strange reading about your life and yet, barely remembering any of it. Such a thing would undoubtedly take time, but it made Steve uncomfortable anyway. Every shift made his head more of a jumbled mess until he was sitting, cradling his head in his hands and trying to ignore the plethora of incoming information.

At least Bucky was there, the Soldier could see that he was at least someone even if those memories were all in the Captain's head.

[starkingenuity]

The Soldier kept moving his fingers, the fleshy ones, over the walls. He was completely enthralled with Steve's image blown up at several times normal. He kept tracking them...and it would have been adorable if Steve could register such a thing.

Natasha just felt sorry for the pair in there...more sorry than she had ever felt for Tony Stark. The billionaire already had everything he wanted. Boo hoo that he couldn't have Steve too. She stood and walked to the door.

"We need to separate them. Sam, you and I will take the Guide."

[starspangledspandex]

He was watching the Soldier just as much as he was watching the video. The Captain was hoping that the man realized this was what he meant. There was no way that this was faked. It was impossible.

The Captain stood when he heard footsteps approaching and the door opened. If this was Tony... He was an idiot.

[starkingenuity]

Tony was more or less being sat upon so he wouldn't stupidly go down there and interfere. No, there was Sam and Natasha, Thor in front. He was grim.

"I would ask you to step to the corner, Captain. No harm will come to either of you."

[starspangledspandex]

"Why? What are you doing?" He demanded, expression pulling tight and wary. If they felt the need to bring this man, something was happening. He was strong as them if not stronger.