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Some language

"Guys, I just want you to know, that if we don't make it out of this-"

"That's about enough of that," Bucky hissed, strapping his final gun to his back. "I'm not listening to this shit." He stormed from the back of the jet without another word, stopping at the door's edge to look back and wait for you and Sam to follow.

"He's a little on edge," Sam shrugged. "He doesn't mean to be an asshole!" he shouted out towards Barnes.

"Yes I do!"

You looked at Sam, the both of you now completely confused as to Bucky's shift in attitude, turning to walk down the jet door to meet him at the bottom. "Hey, what's going on?"

"I can't let emotions into this," he replied, avoiding your eyes. "I have to maintain my focus on finding Steve. I can't let my worry for the two of you cloud my judgment or my actions. I need to keep in check." Bucky looked at Sam with a firm nod, then to you with a glance of both affection and sadness before running towards the expansive compound. Sam was quickly at your side, the two of you following close behind.

"Aw, did he just say that he's worried about me too?" Sam smiled, though it was quickly chased away when he met your disapproving look. "Cuz you know, I'm good. Yeah...I don't need anyone looking out for me."

"When I told him that we could use a little soldier mentality, I didn't think he'd take it so seriously."

"You told him that?"

"Yeah?" you scoffed. "Is that bad?"

Sam took a deep breath and stared straight ahead as he ran, merely shaking his head, but barely enough for you to notice. He wasn't sure of how to answer, and you weren't sure if you had made a mistake that would cost you more than would help. Bucky wasn't the same without Steve; he was less the man you knew when he didn't know if his best friend was alive or dead, or worse, not knowing what they were doing to him. Not knowing what you would find of Steve made Bucky's soldier persona that much easier for him to play.

~~~

"I can't believe that I have to take one of my private jets to this party," Tony whined, firing up the engine as his team began to board. "I swear that if this thing sees even one bullet hole, (Y/N) will be working for me for the rest of her life to pay it back."

"Calm down, Stark. You know this is all we have with FRIDAY blocked from the quinjets. Maybe you shouldn't have taught her how to program and then give her unlimited access. I bet you never thought that would backfire so extravagantly, did you?"

"Ah, so nice to hear your lovely voice again, Red. Sorry you can't make the flight but I hear you need a little more beauty rest."

Natasha leaned back in her chair at the command desk, smiling faintly and swiveling the chair with her foot as she spoke over the comms. "True, there's definitely nothing quite like an explosion in the face to get you a few days off work. But I'm back now, so get your ass in the air."

"Now there's a visual."

Without missing a beat, she skirted over his comment and kept the conversation focused on the job at hand, despite her desire to enter a round of verbal sparring with Stark again. "Has everyone arrived?"

"All but one, so we're gonna swing by on the way and pick him up."

~~~

Sam stood at the first door that you had come to, scanning the inside of the building for numbers of guards and conditions on the other side. He was just about at a completed head count when he suddenly stopped with an audible gasp.

"He's here."

"Are you sure?" you replied in a whisper, holding your gun at the ready, with Bucky doing the same on the other side of Sam. "Can that thing differentiate him from the others and be certain?"

"No, not at all," Sam chuckled very quietly. "I heard him through the door."

At those words of confirmation, Bucky stormed forward and slammed his metal arm into the wooden door, splintering it in every direction and leaving a sizable hole for the three of you to enter. "So, the whole 'going in stealth' thing that we discussed is out the window?" Sam huffed. "Just like that?"

"I didn't like that plan anyway," Bucky replied coolly, pushing his way in first, with Sam second and you at the rear, covering the area for any surprise attack. Once inside, the three of you were met with an unnervingly calm greeting.

"Hello, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Wilson...and finally, the new and quite lovely Mrs. Rogers. Steve has told us so much about you."

An unnerving creak in the floorboards grabbed your attention, turning you to face it sharply with your weapon drawn, wavering just slightly at the guard stepping aside for you to see Steve, still tightly strapped into the mechanism.

"Let him go."

"Why would I do that when we're so close to having him ready to present to you?"

"Because if you don't," Sam growled next to you, "I'm gonna make some damn fine abstract art with your brains on that wall behind you. It's a great outlet for my stress."

"I don't know if you know this," Tony suddenly joined in from above, "but I've been having a really shitty day. I think daddy needs to express a little rage."

"Tony, how did you..." you stopped, watching the group of your fellow Avengers, and a few stragglers, enter the room. Clint, Wanda, Thor and Scott took positions to the right, while the Hulk, Vision, Rhodey, and some new kid in a spider costume took the left.

"Is that Captain America over there?" Peter asked with a tone of admiration and a hint of fear. "Wait, you're (Y/N), aren't you? Holy crap, this just keeps getting cooler. Falcon?" he practically squealed, stepping forward to shake Sam's hand enthusiastically, "your flight skills are second to none, and I would love to talk to you about improving the aerodynamics of my style when this is over."

"Jesus, Tony, how old is this kid?" you asked, throwing him a stern look.

"He's a little on the young side," he snapped back. "Can we just get on with this please?"

"Alright, kids," Natasha called out into everyone's comms, "it's time to kick a little ass and get our Captain back. You didn't think we'd let you go it alone, did you, (Y/N)?"

"Nat, you're awake," you sighed with relief.

"I'm sorry that I can't be there."

You took a deep breath, fighting back the tears of both joy and a little bit of fear, glancing over at Steve past the guards who held him there. The chances of success had shot up exponentially, and you couldn't help but feel energized; Thor accepted Mjolnir with an expression that told you that a serious conversation would come later. You strapped Steve's shield to your arm, standing at the ready for battle with squared shoulders and the shield held up, glancing back to the team for just a moment.

"You all heard the woman. Let's blow this popsicle stand."

~~~

"That big guy is tiny now!" one of the guards yelled, flying into the wall as Scott threw him back, propelled by one of Hawkeye's arrows before it lodged into the wall and sent a shock wave through the room. The remaining guards dropped and Scott returned to full form.

"That was a sweet ride, arrow guy. Nice shot."

"I never miss," Clint shrugged, turning to run to the next fight.

The rest of the team had also taken up the fight in pairs; Thor and Wanda, Vision and Rhodey, Tony and Hulk, and Sam with Bucky. Each of them took turns supporting you and keeping cover for you to run to Steve and get him out of the machine that was still powered up and trying to brainwash him.

"I do believe that Captain Rogers' tactical guidelines are proving superior," Vision said matter-of-fact as he fought. "Working in tandem as pairs has increased our chances of success exponentially."

"Master tactician," Rhodey exclaimed in agreement, spraying bullets over a group gathered at his feet. "I'll forgive that he's Army, but you gotta respect the guy's methods."

You were within a mere few feet of reaching your target when a red wave grew overhead and around you, encompassing Steve at the same time. You spun and turned to see Wanda holding the field over you until Tony could reach you and eliminate the new round of guards making their way to you.

"I think you're clear, honey," Tony announced, hovering just overhead. "Looks like we've got the upper hand, but does anyone else think that was a little too easy?"

~~~

Once you reached Steve's side, you turned and threw his shield to Clint, who ran to meet Thor and Wanda as they worked to take out an approaching group of assailants. Sam was only a few feet away, holding another group at bay on his own so that you could maintain your one focus.

"Steve, look at me, sweetie," you said as calmly as you could despite the chaos and destruction happening all around you. "Steve, I need you to listen, okay?" You shot out the controls and pulled at the restraints over his arms, hurrying to pull the mechanism away from his face when the mood of the room around you suddenly shifted, and the guards started to call out words that terrified you to your core.

"желание" (longing)

You stood and frantically looked around the room to find Bucky, but you heard him before you could see him.

"No! Don't!"

Tony's blast took out the guard who had said the first word, but they were soon replaced by another on the far side of the room. For every guard that spoke and was taken down, another would take their place.

"ржaвый" (rusted)

"Shit," you mumbled, seeing Sam standing on a platform above, joining you in the desperation to locate your friend before it was too late. After a few seconds, he pointed to a fight nearby, seeing Bucky eliminate his assailant, and struggling to maintain his composure.

"Семнадцать" (seventeen)

You ran full speed to him, calling out to Sam to watch over Steve, but he was too busy with his own fight to hear you. "Buck! Cover your ears!" He turned to the sound of your voice, but when he looked at you, his eyes had already become darker and colder, though his expression told you that your Bucky was still in there.

"Рассвет" (daybreak)

"(Y/N), please go! I can't hurt you! Get everyone out of here!" he pleaded, holding his hands out to stop you, but you wouldn't; you would never leave him there alone, much less under their control. You and Steve had discussed this on several occasions, that if Bucky were to fall victim to Hydra again, you were both ready to do whatever needed to be done to help him, even if that were to sacrifice yourself. You reached him quickly, but gunfire began to rain down on you as you took his hand; he pushed you to the ground and laid over you, using his metal arm to deflect the bullets and protecting you with his own body until the team could eliminate the gunmen.

"Печь" (furnace)

"Buck, don't listen! Please, focus on me! Don't listen to them, just look at me, okay?" You clamped your hands over his ears and held tightly, watching him intently for shifts in his persona.

"It's too loud. The voices are so loud, (Y/N)."

"Девять" (nine)

"Stop!" he called out again, clamping his eyes shut. "(Y/N), you need to run!"

"добросердечный" (benign)

This time the voice that carried the word was different. It was much more powerful, more determined, and painfully familiar.

"Steve? Steve, don't," you begged, maintaining your grip on Bucky. "Steve, you know me. You know Bucky. You don't want to do this. You would never hurt us this way."

"возвращение на родину" (homecoming)

You felt a growl building deep from within Bucky's chest and into his throat, vibrating through him with a power that terrified you. You knew that you would be the first to face his attack, but you had to be the one ready to receive it in order to help the rest of your team have time to flee.

"Bucky, don't listen," you asked gently, caressing his cheek with your thumb. "Look at me. You know what you have to do."

"I can't," he groaned with a firm shake of his head, both to rid himself of the voices, but also to rid himself of the idea of what you were saying. "(Y/N), you know I can't."

"I can sure as hell do it," Tony called out from above you, his repulsor aimed at Steve. "he's the last one and I've got the shot ready. Call it, (Y/N)."

"Один" (one)

There was only one word left, and the look on Bucky's face now told you that he was so nearly close to being the soldier, you had to act now or more of you would be hurt. You looked at Steve with sorrow in your eyes, forcing yourself to watch your own decision play out. "Just don't kill him, Tony, please."

Despite your better judgment, you watched the blast hit Steve square in the chest, violently throwing him across the room and against the far wall. You watched as he slid down it and into unconsciousness, feeling immediately remorseful and terrified at what you had just ordered Tony to do. Looking back to Bucky, you released him and now focused on his reaction, waiting to see how far the triggers had taken him.

"Buck, are you with me?"

Sam ran to your side and knelt down next to the two of you, resting a hand on his shoulder and looking back towards Steve as Tony stood guard over him. "(Y/N), you okay?" When you simply nodded, keeping your eyes on Bucky, Sam turned his attention to him as well. "What about you, man? That scared the shit outta me. Are you okay?"

"I think so," Bucky gasped, rolling from atop you and sitting at your side next to Sam. "That was too close, (Y/N). You should've run when I told you to. That was a stupid move. Brave as hell, but stupid."

"End of the line," you whispered, finally looking to Sam with a hint of a smirk. "To the end."

"Oh, that's how it is?"

"That's how it is," you smiled back, losing the levity of the moment when you returned your focus to Steve. He was beginning to wake, with Tony standing over him with his gauntlets armed to strike at any sudden movement. "Tony, let me talk to him."

"No deal, sweetheart."

"That's my husband, Tony. He's not going to hurt me."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

You pressed on towards Steve despite Tony's insistence, relieved when he didn't push you further, though he was immediately at your side with a sudden eagerness to kill Steve at the first sign of threat to you. As you reached him and knelt down, Steve watched you with confusion but desperation to know you; to search his mind and find any remnant of who you were to him.

"They called you my wife."

"Yes," you whispered, your voice cracking and fading away at the burning lump building in your throat, on the edge of completely breaking. "I'm (Y/N)."

"You're (Y/N)", he said in unison with you, giving you a pained smile. "I remember..." he paused, furrowing his brow and casting his gaze away as he searched his own fractured mind. "I remember just bits and pieces. I know of you, but I don't know you."

You sucked in a harsh breath and felt tears finally beginning to moisten your lashes and threatening to spill when a pair of hands gently rested on your shoulders from behind.

"You'll know her again, Steve. I'll help you," Clint reassured. "We'll all help you."

"Okay," he whispered, his eyes never leaving yours. After a few moments, his gaze softened and he smiled, reaching out to finally take your hand in his. "I heard someone say once, that the best that we can do is to start over."

"Then that's what we'll do, Steve. We'll start over," you agreed, helping him to his feet.

"I can't live in a world where Steve and (Y/N) aren't together," Peter called out from the group that had gathered nearby. "You guys are my OTP!"

"Dude, what the hell is an 'OTP'?" Sam turned and whispered to Bucky.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm gettin' way too old for this shit."

Scott took a few steps towards Peter and gave him a supportive slap on the shoulder, and a relieved laugh as his adrenaline was finally coming down, "I'm totally with you, kid. I ship those two so hard, and if they can't make it, then none of us have a chance at love, am I right?"

"Did someone say love? Now I've got a fucking love story for ya!" A man in a red leather mask said as his head peeked through the far door. "It's got laughs, pain, tenderness, angst, and coy references to the dirty naked times without those sweaty details that our tender readers shouldn't see. Pretty much like the story you just read, but with a more colorful vernacular, gratuitous nudity, and a lot more leather with the occasional ball gag."

The team let out a collective groan and made their way towards the jets, with you and Bucky on each side to help Steve. When you passed Wade, he reached out and took your arm to hold you back. "The Partridge Family here seems a little grouchy today. I know I'm late to the party, but what happened?"

"Not now, Wade. It's been a really long, really shitty day."

"Oh, come on, (Y/N)! I thought you were different! I thought that you, of all people, would appreciate what I have to offer! But hey," he shrugged, running to keep up with you as you pulled away to continue to the jet, "that's what thirty-five chapters of angst will do to ya, sweet cheeks. I suggest you try to get into happier material next time, just saying."  

The End