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[bottledblond]

Not every universe in the far and wide cosmos is as lucky (however unlucky itself that seems) to encounter Thanos during a time where people live who can do something about it. Steve Rogers, a particular version of Steve Rogers who had only just suffered through his first night of basic training in New Jersey as part of the Army’s Project Rebirth and thus had not yet become Captain America, bent to untie his shoes and saw his hands begin to disintegrate. He doesn’t panic, panicking is for people who do not live like every breath is their last. Instead, he blinks in surprise as the barracks fill with shouting. He has time to contemplate two things. One, he wishes he’d done more with his life. And two, he hopes Bucky will do all right.

He’s still thinking about that last issue when he exhales his last in a universe where Captain America never existed and finishes it bent over in the ruins of the barracks, roof half open to the sky and walls a burnt and ashy gray.

It takes him an hour to get to the road and by then, his asthma is already getting the best of him. He blacks out for the second time ‘that day’ and wakes up staring at the ceiling of what is obviously a hospital.

It just doesn’t sound or smell like a hospital. Sure. People are running around and yelling, but it smells painfully clean, artificially so, and there are machines he’s never seen before connected by wires to his body. He does the thing people should never do and yanks them loose. The machines squawk strangely and frantically and Steve is almost out of bed when two large men in green pajamas force him back.

Nothing makes sense to him for days. People come to talk to him, to find out who he is and who his family is. Evidently Steve Rogers is a popular name, because they bring in more people to talk to him, to ask him questions about his life, but no one has any answers.

He explodes, as he’s wont to do when frustrated, demands answers, but nothing they say makes sense.

By then, the war is over. Not World War II, which has evidently been over for over half a century, but this new war. And Bucky Barnes had been told of his presence. Steve is in bed, arms crossed, looking dour and getting an infusion of something that honestly is helping him breathe better when Bucky bursts into his now private room. It’s been two months

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[seven_phds]

Some things, even across worlds, never change. Bruce can't hold back the fond smile, even if it makes him ache. He's been so lonely since Tony sacrificed himself to save the universe. His brave, impulse, wonderful husband.

"It's okay Steve," he promises him, even if Tony's speed was a little surprising to them both.

Bruce reaches for a pair of silver bracelets from a drawer. "If you start feeling strange, come find us and I can do a full workup." But he trusts Tony's work, the same way he's trusted him in everything.

"Give it at least a day to get used to the changes before you three take off again."

[bottledblond]

It’s not until he climbs the stairs without being winded that Steve feels in any way different. He’d been walking up them, trying to concentrate on his heart and scratching his head when he found himself not having to struggle to reach the top. He pauses, glances back down the stairs and then runs back down. He takes them two at a time next, and on his third go, jumps up six stairs at once, clearing the whole thing in two jumps.

He hits the wall on the last one, laughing all the while.

“Buck!” he calls, dashing back towards the kitchen. He’d only been gone for a few minutes so it’s not like Bucky would have gotten far. In fact, he knows he hasn’t. He can hear him and Sam half talk and half frown at each other.

Steve doesn’t have the hang of stopping from a run, though, and he slides right past the doorway and into another wall.

“I’m okay!”

[woundedwinter]

They're mid-argument again when he hears a body hit the wall. He's on his feet in an instant, stopping with a grin when Steve goes blasting by them and hits the wall. Good thing Banner had a reinforced villa.

A surprised laugh bubbles up as he reaches to pull Steve to his feet. His heart sounds strong and healthy and it's the most amazing thing he's ever heard.

"Feel okay, pal?"

[bottledblond]

Sam had trotted out after him, though he hangs back, leaning on the wall. “Gave is a heart attack,” he says, looking relieved as Steve brushes himself off. He remembers listening to the other man tell him all about how he could barely walk without breaking something for awhile until getting used to his strength.

Though still five foot four, Steve doesn’t stand with a lean. His eyes are a clear blue with green flecks. His hair seems more vibrant. His skin is supple and smooth.

“I feel great! I can actually breathe,” Steve proclaims.

[woundedwinter]

"That didn't take long," Bucky comments, taking in a healthier and stronger Steve. "Okay, time to start some real training then. You'll need to learn your limits and your strength."

He nods at Sam. "Get suited up."

[bottledblond]

“You want to do this right after that crap you made me eat for breakfast?” Sam mutters. “All right. I see how it is.” He faces the pair a little wave and strides back to his room to get on the wings.

This should be interesting, but also hopefully a relief. Bucky can get his mission set and go back to crossing names out of his book. And Steve can have his health and his taste for adventure. Sam can get behind both of those things for his friends.

At the end of the hallway, Steve wraps his fingers around the tail of Bucky’s shirt, gently, and grins. “Was Start always creepy or is it a vampire thing?”

[woundedwinter]

"There's nothing wrong with my cooking!" He yells after him. Picky asshole.

The touch has him going still and he chuckles in response, "Stark was always a pain in the ass. Naturally he's gonna use his vampire abilities to harass people, but he doesn't mean any harm."

"He's a good guy." Eh. "When he wants to be."

[bottledblond]

“Doctor Banner thinks he’s the bee’s knees,” Steve says, the Brooklyn in his voice almost thicker than usual. He’s really feeling his own now, feeling like he’s never felt in his whole life really. Health looks good on him. It always has. But now Bucky can experience it without all of the crazy muscles to go along with it.

Steve tells Bucky about the experience, the whole four minutes of it, and they head out onto the lawn.

“I might last a punch or two now!”

[woundedwinter]

"He was married to Tony. At least a version of him."

He drinks it all in, happy and strong Steve in a body that has always been his. It's perfect and he grins at him as they step out. A roll of his shoulder to check the calibration of his left arm.

"Yeah you just might. But remember hit easy to begin with. You've got to get used to being stronger."

[bottledblond]

“Yeah. And a version of me was married to a version of you,” Steve says, half teasing and half curious to see Bucky’s reaction. A few minutes of kissing doesn’t get them engaged, but Steve can’t stop thinking about that kissing and when there might be more of it.

Out in the grass with the high, ivy covered walls, Steve squints up into the trees.

He can make out birds in the branches. He can hear the sound of the leaves rustling.

“I don’t know what to do first,” he says. “I kind of want to see how far I can run.”

[woundedwinter]

"I remember," he says, his smile going soft and warm. It sounds pretty nice.

"Okay, so we can start with that." He smacks his shoulder. "Tag. You're it." With that he bolts off, not at full speed, but faster than most people can run. "Catch me!"

[bottledblond]

At twenty-two years old, Steve has never run like this before. He’s never felt so free of pain and fear that his lungs or heart will give out. He runs around the large garden with its beautiful, Spanish moss hanging tree limbs in the dappled sunshine with Bucky just ahead of him.

Of course, the game is catch and Steve has never done anything short of take aim to win. So that is what he does, charging around a moss covered stone to jump off of it as Bucky takes a corner around a tree in an attempt to knock him over.

Steve is still small, but so are bullets and at high enough speeds, they can do quite a lot to put a man down.

[woundedwinter]

Bucky runs, but not at full speed. He tic tacs along the walls, waiting for Steve to catch up. He hits him hard and they go tumbling into the turf. He loops an arm around him, laughing as they fall.

"Okay okay, pal. You got me."

Bucky pulls them up, "So let's see what you've got. Take a swing at me."

[bottledblond]

Steve had very little intention of getting up right away. They’re alone, aren’t they? In the grass, it feels secluded too. He bends his head down and gives Bucky a tiny peck on the cheek before he drops his elbow beside his head to prop his head up on his hand.

He can’t help but gaze down at the older man, to touch his ear and arch an eyebrow over him.

He’d have stayed there all day if Bucky let them. Alas, they’re on the feet a moment later and Steve can’t help but roll his eyes. “I don’t want to have to hurt you, Barnes.”

[woundedwinter]

His pulse stutters at the way Steve touches him, resting his hand on his waist to keep him close for a moment. They can't have more than this in the open, but it's still nice the way they seem to fit together.

Bucky laughs as they stand up. "C'mon pal. Hit me with your best shot. Use what I taught you."

[bottledblond]

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Steve says, shifting back to his dominant foot so that he can put all of his power into his attack. He already knows Bucky will see it coming, but having his form down is important. And so is trying to throw him off guard so he can execute an undercut.

He’d seen Bucky use it in the ring once and it stuck with him. The guy he’d been going against was head and shoulders taller but Bucky still managed to lick him.

Steve tries the same move, face determined and form crackerjack.

[woundedwinter]

He can see the move coming and they'll have to talk about telegraphing moves later. The undercut hits him hard though, sending him flying.

Well. That'll teach him to be distracted in a fight.

Bucky stands up, "Not bad." And he charges forward, aiming a snap kick at his chest to send him backwards, intent on a follow up blow to drop him to the ground.

[bottledblond]

Half impressed and half worried, Steve stares at his hand before he jogs towards Bucky to try and help him up. His guard is completely down when he’s kicked and he finds himself staring up at the very blue eyes before he can even exhale.

Steve is sure that his ribs have been shattered. He exhales slowly, testing himself, and when there is no pain radiating across his body, he pays attention to what’s going on around him.

“Teach me to do that?”

[woundedwinter]

His own chest is tight as he pulls Steve to his feet, trying very hard to shut out the memories on the helicarrier when he was finally starting to break from HYDRA control.

"Sure thing."

And they move back into an easy training pattern then, walking through blocks and blows and Bucky has to throw himself to the ground when Sam comes winging in with an 'on your left!'.

Dick.

But together they can help train Steve faster.

[bottledblond]

It takes hours before Steve is tired. He’s not beating sand bags to death like the other Steve did to keep his muscles and his reaction times on point: he’s learning how to use his muscles and how to build reaction time. By the time the sun is setting, the sky a hazy purple and orange, and Tony and Bruce emerge from inside, Steve is able to repel blows from both Sam and Bucky.

“That’s why we gave him a shield,” the vampire says to Bruce, leaning forward to cross his arms on the balcony railing. “He instinctively defends first and second and only hits back third. The similarities between people and timelines is remarkable.”

He watches as Bucky finally brings Steve down again, and listens to the blond laugh, before he claps.

“Shame there can’t be a dozen of him.”

[seven_phds]

Tony may be watching the three of them spar, but Bruce can't take his eyes off the vampire and the way the last of the light casts his skin bronze and warms his eyes. The similarities are indeed incredible, enough to make him reach out rest a large hand on his shoulder. "It really is."

"T'Challa still has his shield from the battle in Wakanda, and I think the other shield is in the Smithsonian. We can find a way to get him one if he's going to get back in the fight."

[starkingenuity]

It’s been half a century since he’s been touched outside of feeding and that’s not a genuine sort of action but a fail safe he uses to give pleasure to his donor so they won’t struggle. There’s a genuine affection behind Bruce’s thick fingers and Tony makes sure he’s slow as he turns his gaze towards the other. He knows that the quickness of his movements can be startling as he wants Bruce to keep doing this.

He knows it’s a band-aid for what he lost, sure, but it’s got the potential to be.... to be everything to him. Bruce won’t age. Or die. He can be his companion forever, if they click.

And if the universe doesn’t need to balance itself out by fixing itself.

“You know, I don’t want to encourage that,” Tony says. “Steve Rogers suffered as Captain America. There’s always wars. There will always be soldiers, but, and this is just between you and me, there are better ways to shut them down. Maybe he’ll pick up a shield one day. But it doesn’t have to be today.”

[seven_phds]

They've both lost their husbands and they found one another across time and across worlds. This isn't his Tony any more than he is his Bruce. But the connection is still there, the desire to reach out. It will take time, but time is one thing they have on their side.

Bruce finally turns his gaze back towards the men on the lawn, packing it in for the evening.

"Being an Avenger takes a toll on you. It's nothing that anyone should do forever." Because sooner or later you bury the ones you love most. "Steve should take one of the Wakandan shields," because he does need to protect himself.

"He should also put it down when the Flag Smashers are dealt with."

[starkingenuity]

"Maybe we should take a trip to Wakanda," Tony muses. "I wonder if they like me any better than the other one does. Buck's partial to them. Might be nice if they have matching gear." Tony grins up at Bruce and turns to sit on the edge of the railing. It's not like he's on the edge of the tower, and a fall from this height wouldn't even wind him.

He does tap his thumbs on the railing in thought though.

"Are you retired? Because you know, consulting gigs are really big with people like us. I don't think we should go back to Avenging but driving the bus for the kiddies and upstaging them in the brains department might be a fun little side project for us." And it's more time with Bruce.

[seven_phds]

With Tony sitting on the railing Bruce can rest his hand over one of his, taking comfort in the way he can feel his tapping against his palm. A trip to Wakanda, a chance to work with Shuri and watch this Tony explore her lab.

Us. It sounds really nice and his smile softens. "So a partial retirement? The two of us?" They don't have to get back into the fight full time but they can still help, they can still try and make the world a better place. "Yeah. I like that idea. I've been running the company quietly behind the scenes. Stepping back might be nice."

Bruce taps the tablet on the table near them and has FRIDAY make the arrangements.