Just beyond the frame of the doorway of the next room, Bucky stood completely silent, with Sam at his side and holding him up as if he could drop to the ground at any moment. What Tony was saying about his friend couldn't be real, and neither man was willing to accept it as truth without talking to Steve or you first. They were his best friends, and there was nothing in the universe that would stand in their way of saving him if this was really the end that he was facing. He had done the same for them so many times that there was no way in hell that they wouldn't be the first in line to return the favor.

"Come on, Sam. We need to go."

"Buck, let's just go in the morning," Sam argued gently. "Becca's gonna need us to talk her through this tonight. The kids look like they're taking this really hard, and we won't know any more until tomorrow anyway. Maybe we can call (Y/N) so we can all go together?"

"I want to go see him now, Sam," Bucky continued to argue. "He doesn't know what he's saying, and he's no good for himself when he's alone. Steve does stupid shit when he's on his own, you know that as well as I do."

"I'm not saying that I don't agree, okay? I just want you to take a breath and think this over. Our daughter needs us right now, more than Steve does, and you know that he'd agree with me. He'd never want us to put his needs before hers."

Of course, Sam was right, and Bucky didn't mean to argue something that has so obviously true, but he was caught up in the emotions of it. They had come close to losing Steve before, but it never truly had the feeling of finality like this. The look on Tony's face when he made the announcement left him terrified, and it was a sensation running through him that held no comfort.

"Fine," Bucky relented, "let's go talk to Tony then. I can't just sit here and not know more."

"Fine, let's go." Sam steadied his grip on Bucky, who still looked as if he could crumble at any moment, leading him out and towards the kitchen where Tony had made his way to find something to soothe his own nerves. The two of them entered the room and stopped abruptly at the sight of a man who was falling apart but refusing to allow it. Tony's hands were shaking like they had never seen before, but when the first swallow of coffee hit his tongue, it was almost as if it were a magic potion that Sam found himself longing for to have the same effect. "Hey, Tony," he greeted softly, "how you holding up?"

"Hey, guys," he greeted without so much as a glance their way, "I'm just fantastic." A few silent moments passed, leaving him no choice but to look up to draw more out of the duo, but at the sight before him he lowered his cup with his mouth hung open in surprise and a new wave of worry hitting his nerves. "Barnes, you look like hell. Are you okay? You feeling anything weird?"

"I'm fine," Bucky waved him off dismissively, "it's just a tough night. Where's (Y/N)? Is she staying the night at the hospital?"

"No, she's out driving...somewhere. She asked me to turn off her trackers, said she needed some time to herself."

"So you did?"

"Of course, I did," Tony snapped, tossing his spoon into the sink with a loud clang, "she's an adult, Barnes. So is Steve. I'll do anything that they need, even if that means taking a step back, and you both know that's not really my style."

"It's not mine either," Bucky agreed readily. To hear that he wasn't the only one who wanted to take action gave him a renewed sense of energy, and he shook his husband's grip away to take a step closer. "Stark, listen to me. You know that those two are shit at making any decisions when one of them is in trouble. They can't be without the other, and you'd think that they'd know it more than we do, but they obviously don't. (Y/N) needs to be with him, and he needs her at his side. One of them is going to do something stupid because they always do, and you know that. If you've let her off the grid, you've just opened up her freedom to hit a new level of idiocy."

"You think so?" Tony asked them both, looking back and forth between them with wide eyes. "What's the worst she could do?"

"Oh, man, you really went there?" Sam joined in with a groan. "Stark, you've pretty much just guaranteed it. After all this time, you should know better than anyone else in this building how far (Y/N) can take things when she puts her mind to it. You gave her that trait yourself."

"Dammit, Sam," Tony panted in his growing panic at the truth that just slapped him in the face, "I need to find (Y/N). I have to get to her before something else happens." He looked around the room as his brilliant mind raced, cursing himself that his thoughts were coming too slowly and cursing when each second didn't provide him with at least two options to pursue. He stood up and gave Sam his best definitive nod, turning to make his way towards his lab without another word and none would be needed. Sam was fully aware of where Tony was going, and he didn't question the decision at all. "Hey, Stark," Sam called out to him, bringing Tony to a halt, "fly fast."

Tony once again nodded back, daring to allow the smallest curl of a smile across his lips, but he felt no joy. He felt as if there might never be joy here again, and it took every ounce of strength to maintain some semblance of control when he spoke again. "Alright, FRIDAY, it's time. Get me a suit."

~~~

Anthony could feel the shift in his grandfather before those words were spoken, and he had no desire to stop what was about to happen. He fought an inner battle about taking flight with him, but whatever it was that drove Tony to find himself in a suit again after all of the years away, it must have been something that he needed to do on his own. Tony had handed the Iron Man name down to him, as well as every blueprint and secret of the technology that had made every version of his suit, but one thing that he would never give to his grandson was to abandon his history; he was Iron Man to his core.

"Anthony, talk to me."

Ant stood by one of the large windows and watched Tony take flight, the bright glow of the thrusters lighting up the night sky and fading away just as quickly. He didn't realize that he was wringing his hands together as he watched, so when Esihle rested hers over them, it jolted him to attention and out of his thoughts in a welcome distraction.

"Anthony."

"We've come close to losing him before," he began softly, his eyes still towards the sky, "but we knew that he'd pull through anything. The serum always gave him that strength. But now...I don't know, a stupid cold could kill him if his cells are dying off this quickly. What if..." he stopped, finally dropping his gaze to the floor, "what if this is it, Esihle? What if I'm losing my dad? I'm not ready for this."

"Tell me how I can help you," she offered. When he looked up again and found her eyes, she was surprised to see just how open he had become to allowing her in again. It had been years since they had shared a connection like this, and it took so very little to begin it again.

"Tell me how I'm supposed to say goodbye to him."

~~~

"I think I screwed up."

"Of course you do," you groaned. "What the hell did you do now, Steve?" You could tell that he was actually a little concerned, the sound of his steps coming closer to you almost frantic in their rhythm. When he turned the corner and came to face you, he looked apologetic and quite guilty. "That's Ant's tablet..."

"I didn't mean to read it..."

"Steve, you didn't."

"Okay, well...maybe I did, but just a little. I tried to stop myself! I really did!"

"Your self-control is admirable," you huffed, tossing the quilt from atop your legs with a sharp snap of your wrist so that you could stand. Your realized that your free time was clearly over, hearing him wince when you slapped the covers of your book together angrily and threw it onto the table next to you. "Give me that."

"Yes, ma'am."

You closed the screen and waited for it to fade to black, clutching the device to your chest with your arms crossed over it, looking at your husband expectantly for what had to be a remarkable reason for violating his son's privacy. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself? Why?"

"He has a girlfriend."

"Okay?"

"That's it?"

"What did you want me to say? Oh, my GOD!" you exclaimed, slapping a hand to your chest. "No one ever told me that these kids would get older! They're not supposed to become people, Steve! How dare he use his feelings to get close to another person! He didn't even ask us for permission!"

Steve raised an eyebrow slowly, his expression filled with annoyance at your mocking tone and ease of dealing with something that he clearly wasn't ready for. He was trying to decide if he was really upset because this wasn't bothering you, or if he was upset because you became okay with it so much faster than he would. He always tried to be open-minded and supportive of his children, and he wanted to be now, but his gut was churning at the image of Anthony with that girl in Wakanda, and he just couldn't bring himself to get there yet.

"Really? That's your play?"

"Steve, this shouldn't be this big of a shock," you answered, softening your tone. "So, tell me. What did you see?"

"You can't just look for yourself?"

"Why should I when you've already done the crime?" He didn't give in right away, but you knew that he would break eventually; he almost always did. All you had to do was give him a little smirk, take a few slow steps closer, maybe touch his arm over the muscles that had destroyed so many of his shirts, let out a contented hum at the feel of his skin, and sigh as you looked up at those pools of blue with a little pout in your lips. "Come on, just tell me."

"Nope," he answered flatly, taking a step back.

"Nope?"

"I know what you're doing," he pointed at you skeptically, "you think you just have to play to my ego and I'll give. Well, doll, those days are over. I'm on to you."

"Oh...okay..." you whispered, lowering your tone sadly and dropping your gaze to your feet, "that's...that's fine. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it seem like that's what I was doing."

Now you had Steve completely befuddled; he stood silently and watched you, no clue at all if you were being genuine or not. If he had really hurt your feelings, he would go to the ends of the earth to atone for it. If you really were playing him, you certainly were a master and a force to be reckoned with. But, dammit if you didn't look like he had torn your heart in half and crushed your soul beneath his feet.

"He's been talking to the girl from Wakanda," he buckled, his words quickly spilled forth. "But, babe...they used the "L" word."

"Love?"

"Like!" he answered, wide eyed with fear, "they said that they really like each other. Like...they like like each other."

"Please don't say like ever again. It's lost all meaning."

"Why are you not freaking out?!"

"Why are you?!"

"Because I like liked you for a long time before we got together, and look at us now! He's too young for this!"

"Yes," you snickered, "Anthony is too young to get married and have triplets. I definitely agree."

Steve threw up his hands in defeat and reached out for the tablet, taking it from your hands with a quick snap and a sarcastic laugh. "You're impossible. I'm freaking out because I know how boys think at this age, doll. We've got a hormonally charged boy on our hands, and I'm just not ready to become a grandpa yet."

"I'll never figure out how your mind works, Steve. How in the hell did you make the leap from them liking each other to us becoming grandparents? I thought that Dad broke speed records, but my god, you just crushed them."

You had no idea that Tony was in the air and searching for you, and with Anthony's car disconnected from FRIDAY, she wouldn't be alerting you. Although, it may not have made a bit of difference had you known, as you were now on your own mission. Throughout your drive to your destination, memories had continued to flood your mind and pour from your soul, even as you tried to push them clear. Maybe somewhere in the recesses of your consciousness, you were telling yourself that the reminiscence would feed your determination, as if there needed to be any more than to stop the loss of the love of your life. You had already made it perfectly clear to any argument for rationality that your brain could come up with that there was no other option; you were either going to save Steve, or you would die along with him from exhaustion in trying.