(no subject)

[bottledblond]

"New York City isn't exactly known for it's large, indigenous wolf population."

Steve isn't really paying attention to Tony Stark's yammering over a file he'd probably glanced at and tossed aside. He's too busy trying to get the screen to work properly so that a flick of his thumb across the surface won't send him ten pages ahead in the document he's trying to read or close out the pictures he's attempting to enhance. He understands the whole concept of renewable resources and he understands that the environment can't really sustain felling trees willy nilly, but he misses being handed folders with actually paper to spread out on the table in front of him.

Nastasha, thankfully, takes pity on him and the images of men and women with their throats pulled out appear on the large screen on the wall behind her. Steve isn't particularly pleased to see these things up close but he needs to know what they're actually planning her.

"Trained attack dogs?" Sam offers, but Steve, squinting, shakes his head.

"Germans used dogs during the war," he half muses. "That sort of mauling isn't what dogs can do. It's too--"

"Clean," Natasha offers and Steve nods. "This isn't the first time SHIELD has come across something like this." The photos on the screen change, become older and grainier. Not as clear. Steve can hear Tony muttering about glasses but ignores him again. "Same MO. Same lethal precision. Same wounds. They recovered fibers at the scene. Same fibers we have this time around too."

Steve's eyebrow arches. "You're going to say wolf?"

Natasha is grim as she nods. "Almost."

Bruce finally chimes in too. "Not just wolf," he says, adjusting nothing at all on his face as he's actually handed over his glasses to Stark, who is comically wearing them and looking pleased with himself. "Wolf and human DNA. I checked the old fibers too. It's unreal."

"So we have sixty years of attacks that tend to occur in three night cycles every month with a few years off in between groups," Tony says, leaning back, still in Bruce's glasses. "Sounds like a werewolf to me."

Steve snorts. "Now I've heard of a lot of crazy things," hell, he is one of those things, "but let's not jump to extremes. Do you think you can use the fibers from last night's attack to get a reading on where we might be able to find out who is--"

"Or what," Tony interrupts. "And yes. Ahead of you as always. We're ready to go for tonight."

There's not much else that needs to be discussed and so Steve nods, leaves the tablet behind to get some rest, and just after nightfall, heads to his spot on a roof not too far away from the Hudson River in Hells Kitchen to wait for something to happen. He expects nothing will, or that one of the other Avengers will be closer to the action when Tony's sensors go off.

Comments

[bottledblond]

"You know, that word doesn't mean what it used--" Oh. Steve's cut off when Bucky decides to just make a go for it. His eyes widen and he leans over the edge of the roof to peer down at those strange eyes that had been glowing not too long ago. "I think that might be cheating," Steve calls down, before swinging himself over the side of the wall.

He does his much more calculated drop, breaking his fall twice on two progressively lower window sills, the second of which crumbles under his hand. His landing is no less graceful for it, though he'd had to somersault to keep from landing on his knees.

Steve gestures with one gloved hand for Bucky to lead the way, having so many questions and less guts than usual to ask them. It's not awkward, but Bucky himself is. Steve doesn't want to make it worse.

[endsinafight]

Despite the seriousness of the situation, he finds himself smirking at Steve's obvious surprise, watching as he descends to the street a little more slowly, even if his movements are just as fluid and graceful as his own, ending in a somersault that leaves a stirring of amusement in his gut. But the moment that Steve gestures for him to lead the way, his expression grows serious once more and he turns, guiding him down an alley, his heart beating a little faster as they head in the general direction of the current HYDRA base.

In the general direction of the chair.

Of pain. Of complete and total loss of self.

Again.

"If they catch you, they'll use you." His voice is quiet. Emotionless. It doesn't match the haunted look in his eyes. "You can't get caught."

[bottledblond]

"Not planning on it." He's seen the squareness of those shoulders, the set way of that gait. Bucky isn't exactly a large man, but Steve will always see him as tall and handsome and capable, even if that first part really isn't true when seen from his six and a half foot vantage point now. "Not planning on letting you get caught either, in case you were wondering. It's been pretty tough without you. Television is weird and they don't sell deviled eggs at the movies anymore."

Not that he could usually afford deviled eggs, but they had been a pretty amazing treat for birthdays and celebrations.

"And don't get me started on the weird bananas now."

They have so much to catch up on and Steve is just waxing nostalgic instead.

They stick to the alleys, easy in this part of town, and Steve finds himself reaching out to take Bucky's elbow a few blocks away. "Buck, what happened? Just give me the abridged version."

[endsinafight]

He wants to tell Steve that he can't stop HYDRA. That if they get too close, they'll both be caught. Steve has a better shot than he does of getting away, and he'll offer himself up as a distraction to make sure it happens if it comes down to it. The idea of Steve being captured, of being tortured and wiped away the way he has been makes something curl in his stomach, cold and terrified.

He doesn't remember what deviled eggs are anymore than he remembers what chocolate tastes like. He hasn't eaten anything in decades. Not any real food anyway.

Bucky leads him closer, each step feeling a little more weighed down with dread and anxiety. They're tracking him. They know he's getting closer. They'll be waiting.

Steve's hand on his elbow makes him flinch involuntarily, but he doesn't pull away. He's not allowed to pull away from his handlers. It takes a second to remember that Steve isn't his handler. Steve isn't with HYDRA. His brain is getting things mixed up.

"I'm their greatest weapon," he responds, because that's as abridged as he can make things. "But we all know which one of us is the more valuable asset."

[bottledblond]

As disturbing as it is for Bucky to speak this way, his deadpan delivery is much more jarring. That’s not even to speak about how the flinch made Steve feel — He’s not prepared to process that just yet. Steve is more of a doer, preferring not to let his feelings get the best of him where anyone can see.

He’s never liked being the sensitive little boy, not back before the war and certainly not now when every day brings a new a terrible surprise to his doorstep.

“Neither of us— We’re people, Buck. Whatever they did to you... I have some pretty smart friends. They’re going to be able to help you out.” They’re still pretty far away from the other Avengers but closing in on Sam’s position. Red Wing could likely even have eyes on them right now.

He needs to make a small change in their direction.

Steve nods towards the Flatiron building, rising in the distance. “How fast are you clocked at these days?”

[endsinafight]

He doesn't feel like a person. He has vague memories of a time when he might have been -- but they're so distant and hazy that it seems more like a dream of some kind than a previous reality. He says nothing in response to Steve's comment about his friends being smart and being able to help him. What's been done can't be undone. He doubts Steve will be able to stay at this level of denial for long.

Vaguely, he thinks he probably actually can.

Bucky follows his gaze to the building he nods toward, trying to stamp down the anxiety that's gnawing at him. A detour will likely result in the STRIKE team being sent out to retrieve him.

"I can move at approximately half a mile per minute for a period of roughly six hours unless I've sustained significant damage," he responds absently.

"How close are your friends?"

[bottledblond]

Steve has already decided that a move will probably bring them both into the line of fire, but the options they have are non existent. HYDRA will come for them. It’s not a matter of if so much as when. Steve doesn’t regret leaving his helmet behind, though. His tracking device isn’t in the helmet, but he imagines that HYDRA might have a way of tapping into the communication signal the Avengers are probably bombarding at the moment.

This whole thing is risky, but obviously Bucky had risked a whole lot more coming to speak with him, finally, instead of just running off on his own.

Steve squints, head tilting as he does the easy math in his head. “Minute and a quarter for you. Minute and a half for me.”

Bucky’s faster than he is, something he’ll dwell on later.

“Normally I would say not to pull your punches, and I’d never want you to let me win, but they won’t know you.” Sam might, Steve spoke about his old best friend to his new best friend many, many times. Tony barely remembers faces, though, and almost nothing of what Steve says seems to stick with Iron Man. The others he can’t read at all. He’s not going to try to guess their reactions to Bucky. “I’m going to ask for a twenty second head start,” he says just before shooting by Bucky’s left. He hadn’t thought about the chance there might be of Bucky going the opposite way.

Not until he’s already moving.

[endsinafight]

It takes him no time to figure out what Steve means to do. A ruse.

It's risky, far riskier than Bucky's initial plan, and there are so many variables, so many things he can't account for, including friends of Steve's. But it's too late now for his own plan to work. Time's up. If Steve's plan fails - at worst he and his friends will be captured and so will Bucky.

A sense of wariness washes over him -- like he's been faced with this choice before. Trust and follow Steve, or go his own way.

Bucky gives him the twenty seconds head start and begins to chase him, eyes flaring blue as he races down the same streets and alley ways, following Steve.

[bottledblond]

The swoop of Redwing overhead tells Steve that Falcon had been watching after all. He doesn't have time to really analyze that, to wonder just how much of Steve's interaction with Bucky had been monitored, because for all he knows, he's coming in hot. There's some damage along the way, busted windshields he'll be sure to have fixed and a light pole literally torn from the ground as he'd had to use it get out of the way of oncoming traffic that will have to be billed for later by the city. He compiles these things to the back of his mind for the moment, there, but not for dwelling on in the present.

Another streak of light joins Redwing just as Steve banks against heavy, concrete planters that surround the entry way to the Flatiron Building, both decorative and to stop anyone from driving up to or in through the glass curtain wall facade. They do their work with Steve and Iron Man and Falcon descend on either side of him.

"Cap, your helmet--"

"That was wreckless--"

"Who were you even talking to?"

"Hang on, someone's coming in hot!"

The voices meld and Steve honestly isn't sure who's saying what because Tony's already pushed him towards Sam to put himself between the Captain and whoever is approaching.

[endsinafight]

He sees some kind of device flying above and assumes it's some kind of surveillance equipment, though it's nothing like what he's seen during his years with HYDRA. He ignores it, following Steve's path easily enough, avoiding the busted light pole and landing easily atop a car and then a van, flipping himself up and over a motorcycle and running atop a city bus in pursuit. The last thing on his mind is any possible property damage. He simply doesn't have the capacity to care about it.

The hair on the back of his neck stands on end as he chases Steve. A quick glance up tells him that there's a sniper on the roof. The STRIKE team has been dispatched.

Shit.

Bucky's gaze locks on the two figures that land on either side of Steve. Codenames: Falcon and Iron Man. He'd been debriefed on all of the Avengers that Pierce thought might make an appearance tonight, and sure enough, Black Widow and Hawkeye both join the small group that's gathered on the ground in front of the building that Steve indicated.

Iron Man's stepped to the front of the group, standing protectively between the others and him, and he wonders if any of them are even aware of the the other threat that's rapidly approaching. He can smell the scent of Rumlow's cologne and it makes his stomach turn as he launches himself at the Avengers, eyes glowing blue and a growl escaping him.

It has to be convincing.

[bottledblond]

It most certainly is convincing, considering as how Steve is not in on what is going on, not yet at least. He's too caught up by what's happening, something any human being would be that hasn't been trained to compartmentalize. Steve's better than most, though, and he's not one to be fooled for too long.

It doesn't stop him from attempting to grapple with Bucky once it's obvious that he's going for Tony's throat. He still has a very vivid memory of those pictures they'd been shown briefing for this particular mission.

He slides around Iron Man, shouting some pop-culture nonsense that Steve almost never understands, and so tunes out, and tries to swipe Bucky's feet. The goal is not to injure, just to stop him from hurting anyone, or from getting hurt himself. Falcon takes to the air to relay the collateral damage they're likely about to take on, only to tell the others who have not thrown away their comms that they're being surrounded.

"Surrounded by who? How many?" Steve hears Natasha ask and it clicks immediately for him what's going on here. He throws himself at Bucky all the harder, gently (to someone able to drop a few hundred feet without injury, unaided) smashing him into one of the concrete planters.

"Stay down," Captain America growls in his best friend's ear. "Take the hit and let us take it from here."

[endsinafight]

"Hell, is that Rumlow?" There's disbelief in Clint's voice as he takes aim at one of the guys on the roof above.

"Avengers, stand down," Rumlow orders as he steps into view, training his gun on Bucky, along with the rest of the STRIKE team. "We've got this under control."

His head is throbbing from being slammed into the concrete, but he's consciously aware of what's happening all around him even as he struggles not to lash out from pure instinct. He's failed the mission and he knows what's going to happen when they take him back. His heart is hammering loud and fast in his chest.

"What the hell is going on?" Natasha demands, her weapon also trained on Bucky.

"SHIELD intercepted a message about HYDRA making an attempt to kidnap Cap there," Rumlow answers, nodding toward Steve and moving toward the two super soldiers. "Utilizing the famed Winter Soldier."

"You can't trust him," Bucky mutters just loudly enough for Steve to hear.

[bottledblond]

Brock had always been a decent guy to him. He can’t say that they are friends but he wouldn’t hesitate if anyone ever asked after his character. Brock’s a workaholic. He’s loyal, a good soldier. The missions Steve’s run with him have always been pretty cut and dry, and Steve would even gladly say that he trusted Brock to have his back.

At least, until the man opened his mouth.

Steve isn’t a lie detector. He’s been had over a few times, never for long, but he’s always been the believer of taking someone at face value first and letting them prove themselves one way or the other. Everyone shows you their real face eventually. Brock, evidently, is the same. Steve’s eyes narrow slightly and he glances at Bucky as he stands up.

His thumb flicks open the pocket on his uniform where the syringe had been showed with ease, under the cover of dark, and he holds it up as he looks at Brock Rumlow with feigned gratefulness.

“Tried. He got my helmet off but that’s about it.” Steve is still between Rumlow and his friend. His eyes never leave the agent. Bucky he trusts. Rumlow? Anything but.

There’s no way he can now that he knows Rumlow must be HYDRA. There’s no other explanation. He couldn’t have intercepted that sort of thing, not so easily. Not after so many hits by the creature they’d been tracking. Steve breathes out to steady himself.

“That so?” He makes his way in red boots and purpose towards his teammate and clasps his arm. “In that case, thanks,” he says before steeling himself from the poison on his tongue.

It’s a risk. He needs to say it, though, whispered. Eyes locked to Brock’s.

“Hail HYDRA.”

[endsinafight]

Bucky doesn't dare move. Not with the amount of guns -- and a bow and arrow -- trained on him. A shot from Black Widow's gun wouldn't kill him, and neither would that arrow, no matter how well-placed. They would hurt, but he'd survive it. Killing a werewolf isn't as easy as killing a person, and it's highly unlikely they're packing the right kind of ammo for that.

The STRIKE team, however, is another story. He knows that all of them utilize a different kind of ammunition, one that would take him down even if it wouldn't kill him. He struggles to keep his breathing under control, not wanting to give anything away even as two of the STRIKE team approach him and one of them yanks him to his feet with a hand wrapped around the back of his neck.

"Of course, Cap," Rumlow answers easily, giving him a short nod. "Glad you're all right." He glances down at the hand on his arm and then lifts his gaze to meet Steve's, pausing when he whispers those words. His eyes widen just a fraction -- genuine surprise flickering over his features, but it comes and goes so quickly that anyone who wasn't paying close attention would have missed it entirely. The faintest hint of a smile tugs at his mouth but he suppresses and then glances over at the rest of the team who've moved in closer to Bucky.

"Don't take your eyes off him." He shifts his gaze back to Steve. "Guy's under suspicion for dozens of deaths. Highly dangerous." He glances around at the other Avengers. "We'll take it from here."

[bottledblond]

Steve isn’t going to let that disgusting realization that being right about Rumlow put in his mouth go to waste. “Actually guys, we’re going to take him.” He should have enough cred with Rumlow now to get away with it, and even passes over the syringe packed with what HYDRA evidently already knows can bring him down. It’s a show of trust, one that will turn deadly for Rumlow if he doesn’t take it and Steve has to inject him with it.

He’d rather not kill the other man, though. They might need him.

“Give is a few days. Doctor Banner has some ideas on some good he might do.” Captain America outranks everyone on that STRIKE team. HYDRA has a lot of heads but they aren’t all equal. Rumlow must know that. “I’ll deliver him to you personally when we’re done.”

The rest of the Avengers are all bristling to get some word in edgewise. They don’t like playing second fiddle, which makes each of them an interesting, maddening, perfect addition to the team. Steve strides through them, passed Tony and Natasha, and grabs for the front of Bucky’s best.

“Stark, gonna need some assistance with this one.”

[endsinafight]

Rumlow pauses at the captain's announcement. He's wary by nature, but if they're all on the same side...well. Captain America does outrank him. Arguing about the situation would only serve to draw unneeded suspicion. He flicks his gaze over to the Asset, narrowing his eyes just a bit at it. He knows, of course, who it used to be, before it was the Asset. James Buchanan Barnes. Childhood best friend to Steve Rogers and right hand man to Captain America in the war. But that person's been gone for decades now, wiped away and reprogrammed to be the fist of HYDRA.

And if this somehow gains him points with Pierce, if it means that there's a chance of gaining another Avenger or two onto their side, there's no way this can be bad for Rumlow. He gives a nod of consent, reaching out and taking the syringe that's extended in his direction.

"Do you have a place secure enough to hold it? It's not human," he says.

"What the hell is even going on?" Sam questions, watching as Steve moves over to the man who'd apparently been dispatched to kidnap Steve.

Bucky doesn't resist when Steve grabs him by the vest, keeping his eyes firmly on the ground.

[bottledblond]

“Stark,” Steve says again, as if he’s getting annoyed by the delay. That’s not like him, though, and HYDRA has always prided itself on being able to hide in plain sight. He smiles at San, trying to reassuring. “I’ll explain in a little bit, Sam. Tony. You’ve got containment covered?” He has to force himself to be more gentle here because so much is riding on getting them away from SHIELD. It has his mind working overtime too. What if Nat and Clint are also in on this? It had been Widow that brought this case to them after all. Fury could be one of HYDRA’s heads—

Best to dwell on that later.

His mind is already brimming from the revelations handed to him tonight and all he wants to do is take a few minutes to laugh about them. Or maybe cry. He hasn’t decided.

Iron Man’s helmet rolls back to reveal Tony’s face and he nods to Captain America. “Maybe it special for Bruce’s dark side. Better than the one SHEILD was using. Newer prototype.”

Steve nods. “That will do. Maybe we should sedate him, just to transport him safely.” Shit. Steve hates to do it but it will stop some of the questions here.

He’s always so alone in everything he does. He’s used to not being able to talk about the things going through his mind.

[endsinafight]

"Looks like you'll be needing this after all, Cap," Rumlow tells him, handing the syringe back to him, barest hint of a smile on his face as he glances at Bucky. "Sure you don't want us to tag along as backup? Happy to help out."

Bucky's expression betrays nothing of the trepidation he feels watching Rumlow handing that particular cocktail sedative back to Steve, knowing now for certain it's going to end up in his body, even if the plates in his arm shift and whir quietly as he tenses a little. He wants nothing more than to duck and run. He also knows it's not an option. He could probably take out half the STRIKE team before anyone could stop him, but they're not the only threat here.

"Check out his eyes," Clint whispers, hushed.

He hadn't even realized they'd started glowing, but he supposes he should have figured considering it tends to happen when he feels threatened.

[bottledblond]

“I have a history here,” Steve says, grimly. “I want to take care of this one myself.” It sounds so cold, so horrifying, even to his own ears. He doesn’t want the first ten minutes after reuniting with Bucky to be like this, but he needs to get the other man away from this situation.

Steve notices the glow of Bucky’s eyes. He, and everyone else standing around him in the dark, can absolutely see the burning sapphire. He can smell the way Bucky’s skin is reacting too and that has to stop before he gives himself completely away.

“Something for Bruce to look into,” Steve mutters, hefting the syringe as he tries to get Bucky’s attention.

He’d give his right leg to be telepathic right now, but he hopes that his friend will get the picture of what he plans on doing. “Hold him up,” the blond commands to Tony, given as he’s the closest, and probably the least observant, and once the other man puts Bucky in a half Nelson, Steve leans in as if to inject his friend with the sedative.

The needle, however, doesn’t pierce his skin. Steve pushes the plunger and sends the liquid inside trickling inside Bucky’s vest. He can only hope the man will play along.

[endsinafight]

Bucky's gaze darts from Steve to Rumlow and back again, and he's not exactly relieved when the STRIKE team lets go of him and he's being held onto by Iron Man instead. His breathing is a little more ragged as Steve approaches him with the needle and despite the fact his is the only face he finds any comfort in seeing in all the people who are around, his mind is still telling him he needs to get away.

His blue eyes are sharp and intent as they land on Steve's face as he angles in to inject him and it's only when he feels the liquid trickling down the inside of his shirt that he understands this, too, is only part of the act.

The pained sound that escapes him isn't entirely fake as the liquid causes his skin to burn, but he also knows that it's a hell of a lot less painful than being injected with it. His eyes roll back into his head and he lets his body go slack in Iron Man's grip, knees buckling beneath him like he's really been sedated. He can hear a couple of the more jumpy members of STRIKE exhale, likely relaxing their weapons in a way they only do when he's contained somehow.

"How long will that last?" Clint asks uncertainly, glancing at Rumlow.

"No idea," Rumlow tells him. "If HYDRA ordered him to use it against Cap, I'd say it's pretty strong."

"Better not to risk it. We should get him into containment as soon as possible." Natasha slides her gun into her holster, casting a glance at Steve.

[bottledblond]

Steve is utterly drained on the way back to the Avengers Tower. It’s only been partially finished, much of the interior just a shell, but it paints a rigid, yet beautifully ethereal picture against the nighttime sky. Steve handles Bucky alone, throwing the man over his shoulder as the portion of the team that can’t fly enters the elevator, thumb absently rubbing against the back of the other man’s thigh as they wait for the lift to take them up to the penthouse.

It’s quiet. Steve doesn’t speak, though he can feel Natasha’s eyes on him the entire time. He’s perfectly fine with the moment to himself, trying to focus on Bucky’s breathing like he used to do when the world was overwhelming for him.

The moment that elevator door opens, though, he’s confronted by a partially amused, partially annoyed engineer striding towards him, his curly haired friend rushing behind him and calling his name.

“Tony—“

“Yeah not right now, want to tell me why he’s still awake, Cap?” Tony isn’t just a genius in name only. He’d been holding onto Bucky when the man faked his sedation. The suit could read it, plain as day.

[red_ledgered]

Natasha remains on the elevator, gaze still firmly locked on Steve's profile. Clint is beside her, bow at the ready in case the man slung over Cap's shoulder was to suddenly wake up and start causing trouble.

"You don't know who he is, do you?" She arches an eyebrow and shifts so that she can see Tony but also still keep an eye on the not-so-unconscious individual. "The man who attacked Steve is a blast from his past. James Buchanan Barnes."

"Wait, what?" Clint looks at her with confusion. "From back in --"

"Yes," she responds, cutting him off.

[bottledblond]

The little motion of his thumb on the back of Bucky’s leg stops. Steve had already known that Natasha would be aware of who the man is to him but after the revelation of Rumlow’s membership in HYDRA, Steve is trying not to be paranoid. He’s always had a good nose sniffing out people he could trust, but Brock has ruined part of that confidence. There’s no one better at concealing herself and her attentions than Natasha Romanoff, too, and Steve is painfully aware that all of this could be futile.

Then again, she had known that Steve hadn’t sedated Bucky. She could have done something to give that away if she was on the other side.

Steve presses the flat of his hand against Bucky’s thigh and turns towards the redhead. He should probably put his friend down, but there’s a comfort having physical contact with him and Steve doesn’t want to give that up. Not yet. He searches her face, almost afraid of seeing some darkness there, but Natasha, as always, is a closed book to him.

“Putting you down now, Buck,” Steve says, crouching slightly to do it, and, without looking up, can’t help himself but ask: “anyone else want to come clean about being HYDRA?”

[endsinafight]

The tension in the elevator is thick and uncomfortable, but the feel of Steve's hand against his thigh helps soothe his own nerves a little. It's unusual, to be touched in a way that isn't intended to cause pain or humiliation. But Steve hadn't injected him with the sedatives, and he hadn't let Rumlow and the STRIKE team take him back, just like he said he wouldn't. He listens to the pointed conversation going on around him, and when Steve sets him down on his feet, he keeps absolutely still, though his gaze darts around, landing first on Black Widow and then Hawkeye, and then on Iron Man.

He doesn't think that any of them are HYDRA. He hasn't seen them before, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything, either. What he does know is that in his debriefing, his mission parameters were to retrieve Steve, and not to kill Iron Man. The others had all been listed as expendable. It's not a guarantee that they aren't, but he finds himself feeling skeptical that any of them are secret HYDRA operatives.

"HYDRA?" Clint echoes. "Wasn't that wiped out like seventy years ago?" He looks more than a little confused.

Even Natasha looks surprised.

[bottledblond]

For Natasha to even hint at surprise puddles relief in Steve’s belly. He resists the urge to hug her, glad to have his oldest friend in this century be as genuine as she can be. There’s already quite enough in Steve’s mind happening already and though he is capable of dealing with so much, he’s rather just focus his energy on one person.

Steve lifts his eyes towards his teammates and then up at the ceiling. Tony generally has a better time of reading him than the other way around and so he smirks, tilting his head as if incredulous at the idea that Steve thinks his penthouse is bugged. “Really?”

Good enough. Steve hasn’t always liked Tony and he’s sure Tony still doesn’t like him, but the man is genuine. “Buck says that HYDRA did something to him. Kept him alive... more than that. And Brock Rumlow—. He’s one of them. He almost started to vibrate when I said ‘hail, HYDRA’ to him.”