★ ★ ★

"When?" Bucky spoke quietly as he watched Marlena's sleeping figure from his spot by Steve.

The three were still on the quinjet awaiting their arrival to Siberia. They had about half an hour left of travel, and Bucky was going to use that time to figure out what was going on in Steve's mind. He was still more than upset regarding the fact that Steve had kissed the love of his life while he was away, but as Marlena had told him earlier after he had almost clocked Steve in the jaw—Steve was his best friend, and their relationship wasn't worth ruining just because the other made a mistake.

Steve glanced over his shoulder at Bucky, fairly surprised that he was speaking to him in the first place. The ride had been exceptionally silent since Steve had told Bucky about what happened, and it had been even worse since Marlena had fallen asleep. "W-what do you mean, Buck?" Steve stammered nervously over his words.

Bucky rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Don't choose now to get nervous when you talk to me."

"Just tell me what you're talking about," Steve murmured.

"When did you realize you had feelings for her?" Bucky asked, looking over at Steve, though his back was turned away from him.

Steve let out a sigh, his grip tightening on the controls. "A few months ago; it was the night Natasha and I went to dinner with you guys. She purposely spilled her tea all over the dress Natasha had made her wear, and you know Marlena—she hates wearing dresses. . ."

Bucky looked at Marlena, a small smile falling onto his face as he remembered the night and the little stunt she had pulled. "And she had a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt stuffed in her purse so she could change."

"Yeah," Steve chuckled. "Natasha was so aggravated, but Marlena found the situation to be very amusing. I just kind of. . .watched the way she smiled and laughed that night. . .and yeah. I guess I started looking at her differently after that," he finished, suddenly feeling awkward and a bit uncomfortable that he was talking about his feelings for Marlena to Bucky.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Bucky forced out, looking down at his hands.

As he did earlier, Steve put the quinjet on autopilot and turned to face Bucky, forcing him to meet his blue eyes. "Because at first I wasn't even sure what the hell it was. As time passed, I began to slowly figure out that I felt something for her and it scared me. You're my best friend, Bucky; you're the most important person in my life, and knowing that I had feelings for the love of your life really screwed me up. I hated myself because of it at one point in time and promised myself never to display those emotions or act on them. The only people who knew were Natasha and Sam."

"But you did act on them," Bucky breathed out, clenching his fist as if to control his building anger.

Steve noticed and frowned, running a hand through his hair. "I know, and I need you to know that I never meant for it to happen; it was just. . .so in the moment. If it makes you feel any better, though, she was the one to push me away. She was thinking about you, Buck—she's always thinking about you."

Bucky swallowed. "I wanna know why—I wanna know why you did it, Steve. You and Marlena have been close for so long. There are several instances I can think of between you two that could have resulted in you acting 'in the moment.' I wanna know why Peggy's funeral was that moment for you."

"After the incident in Lagos happened—after you left—Marlena clung to me," Steve started, glancing over at a sleeping Marlena. "I was the one she confided in and the one she came to when she needed to cry. It wasn't long after that I began receiving news and updates about Peggy; she was getting worse with each passing day, and Marlena was the one I could always count on to be there when I needed someone. She helped me through my tears, just as I helped her through her own.

"At the funeral, my emotions were just everywhere, including the emotions I felt for her. She was talking to me after the funeral, and she was just really close to me, and in my state of mind I just kind of leaned down and kissed her," Steve sighed, looking up at Bucky. "It's something I wish I could take back more than anything, Buck, but I can't."

Bucky nodded in understanding. "Can I trust you around her, Steve? I mean, I know I can, but I need to hear it from you. Marlena does love you and she wants you in her life, but I don't want your feelings for her to jeopardize that; she'd be lost without you."

"She'd be worse off without you, buddy, trust me," Steve sighed.

"Steve," Bucky warned.

Steve looked at him and nodded, clasping his hands together. "You can trust me, Bucky. I already promised the brat I wouldn't let my feelings ruin our relationship. She can be very persuasive when she wants to be."

"She just doesn't want to lose anyone else she loves," Bucky said quietly.

As he sat, his gaze on Marlena, his mind began drifting back to an earlier statement Steve had made about an incident in Lagos. He remembered asking Marlena and Sam about it earlier, only to receive nothing in return. He could remember how upset Marlena had been talking about the situation, and that was what had originally sparked Bucky's curiosity. She refused to tell him, however, but now as he sat here with Steve and a sleeping Marlena, he wondered if this time he could actually get some information regarding the mission to Nigeria.

"Steve," Bucky said, looking away from Marlena to look at him.

"Hm?"

"What happened to her in Lagos? I didn't have much access to the news and such when I was in Romania."

"She and Wanda made a—they made a mistake," Steve started, scratching the back of his head as he thought back to what happened during the mission. "Rumlow was baiting me when Marlena showed up. He said some words about you and about her mom and then detonated a bomb. Marlena managed to contain the explosion within her abilities before it had the chance to do anything. Then Wanda showed up to help her, and the two unintentionally sent him and the explosive flying into a building."

Bucky's eyes widened slightly as the realization struck him. "Did they. . .how many?"

"At least two dozen," Steve answered with a sad sigh. "The two spent a good amount of time crying on the way back home. They were devastated, and I'd almost bet they still are."

Bucky immediately began to feel bad for not only Marlena, but Wanda as well. He knew the pain of making such a mistake, and he knew the pain of living with that mistake. He just hated that the two of them now had to live with that mistake as well. "I hate that for them," Bucky sighed, shaking his head.

"I do, too, pal," Steve said. "But you can't save everyone."

A beeping noise prevented Bucky from responding, and Steve turned around, his eyes falling upon the warning flashing across the control panel.

"We're about to land," Steve told Bucky as he took the jet off of autopilot. "You might wanna wake Marlena up."

Bucky glanced over at her, his lips pursing in thought. "Or we could just let her stay out here and sleep so she doesn't get involved."

"Any other time I would agree with you, but if these people really are as lethal as you say they are then we may need her," Steve said. "She's the only one of us I know who could overpower them if it came down to it."

"I hate it when you're right," Bucky grumbled as he stood up from his seat and started towards Marlena. He shook the small girl awake, a soft smile coming onto his face when her eyes met his.

"Leave me alone," she murmured before turning over, her back facing him.

Bucky shook her again. "We're about to land, Mar."

"And why should that matter to me?"

"Because we need your help to get rid of these psycho assassins, as Scott Lang would put it," Steve said from his seat, a low chuckle escaping him.

Marlena scoffed, not even bothering to hide her crankiness. "So you're just using me to do your dirty work for you? Both of you can kiss my ass; I'm staying here."

Marlena barely even had the time to think before Bucky was pulling her from her seat and onto the floor. She let out a squeal as she hit the floor, while Bucky simply laughed.

"You're such an asshole," Marlena remarked as she pulled herself from the floor, now fully awake.

Bucky simply chuckled in response.

Soon enough they were landing on the grounds just outside of the facility in which Bucky had been held. Marlena stayed in her seat as she watched Bucky stroll over to the gun compartment to pull out an automatic rifle. Steve got up from his seat and moved towards the exit platform, pressing the button to release the ramp. Bucky and Marlena joined him, though Marlena stood behind the two of them, waiting for them to begin moving.

Only they didn't.

Steve turned to look at Bucky for a quick second before averting his attention to his gloves. "Remember that time we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?"

Marlena smiled softly as she watched the memory play over in Steve's mind.

"Was that the time you used our train money to buy hot dogs?" Bucky chuckled.

"You blew three bucks trying to win a stuffed bear for a redhead."

"What was her name again?"

"Dolores," Steve answered with a smile. "You called her Dot."

"Yeah, well he calls me Mar," Marlena said with a sarcastic grin as she pushed her way between the two of them and down the ramp, only stopping to glance back at them with a smirk on her face. "Rule number one: don't talk about the exes around the current, even if they are a hundred years old."

Bucky's eyes widened slightly and he looked to Steve. "Shit. . .she is like a hundred years old."

Steve gave his shoulder a pat. "So are we, pal."

The two headed out of the jet, following a frigid Marlena towards the entrance.

"Are you cold?" Bucky chuckled.

"Yes," she answered as she rubbed the sides of her arms.

Steve hummed as he studied the slightly open door. "I think it feels good, don't you, Buck?"

"Definitely."

"Of course you do," Marlena scoffed, turning to Steve. "You spent seventy years trapped beneath the ice, and you," she said as she turned to Bucky, "well, we're just not gonna go there."

Bucky rolled his eyes at her and looked to the door. "Thank you for your consideration, love," he murmured.

Steve let out a sigh and started towards the door. "He can't have been here for more than a few hours."

"Long enough to wake them up," Bucky chimed, pulling Marlena behind him in a protective manner as he followed Steve into the building. He knew she could take care of herself—he knew she could protect herself, but it had always been his instinct to protect her, to make sure she remained safe.

The three of them walked cautiously down a long, dark corridor before coming to an elevator. Bucky gestured for Marlena to head inside, once again claiming a protective spot in front of her. Steve stood beside him, his gaze falling on Bucky as the elevator began its ascent upward. Marlena watched with pursed lips as the two exchanged glances with one another, unsure of what to make of the situation. Just hours ago Bucky was ready to rip out Steve's throat, and now here they were gazing into each other's eyes like lost lovers.

"It all makes sense now," Marlena said, her tone hushed.

Bucky turned to her, his brow raised. "What do you mean?"

"Why you were mad about the kiss," Marlena said, attempting to hold back her laughs. "It's because you've been secretly in love with Steve this entire time. I mean, if you want, I can turn around so you two can. . .fondue."

Steve's eyes widened slightly, and he brought a hand to his face, rubbing the sides of his mouth with his fingers. "Fondue. . .that will haunt me for the rest of my life."

"I'm not gay, you asshat," Bucky exclaimed, flicking Marlena in the forehead. "You of all people should know that."

Marlena shrugged and pushed herself to the front as the elevator came to a stop. "I dunno, Bucky," she teased as she pulled open the barricade in front of them. "I could practically feel the sexual tension between you two."

"Shut up and get behind me," Bucky grumbled as he tried to maneuver himself around her.

She simply held her arm out, stopping him in his haste. In seconds the prominent blue of her powers were lighting up the small corridor in the form of her energy shield, covering the three of them from any potential threat lurking in the large hallway.

"I can't shoot through your shield," Bucky grunted as Marlena began walking.

"Well, if it's up you won't need to, now will you?" she sassed as she neared the staircase, scanning for any sign of a threat.

Marlena led the two of them about halfway up the stairs when the elevator sounded, indicating to her that whoever was on it had stopped, and they had stopped on the level in which the three of them were on. She didn't have the time to react or think before Bucky grabbed her arm tightly and shifted her behind him in a protective manner. He propped his gun onto his knee and pointed it towards the door as the sounds continued, while Steve was crouched in front of the two of them with his shield.

"Ready?" Steve said quietly.

"Yeah," Bucky answered, tightening his grip around his weapon and Marlena.

Marlena knew who the intruder was before Steve and Bucky did, sending a wave of anger through her already-anxious body. The moment Tony stepped into view, her anger grew. Steve lowered his shield and stood up, beginning a slow walk to an approaching Tony.

"You seem a little defensive," Tony spoke.

"It's been a long day," Steve replied.

Marlena removed Bucky's grip from her arm and stood up as well, slowly inching her way down the stairs, though Bucky was quite adamant about allowing her to do so. He knew Marlena was angry with Tony, and he was, too, but Marlena was more likely to do something she would regret if she allowed her anger to consume her, and he didn't want that for her.

"At ease, soldier, I'm not currently after you," Tony called to Bucky, whose gun was still aimed and ready to fire if Tony made a move against Steve. "Marlena, you seem a little agitated."

"Bit of an understatement," she said to him, further continuing her way down the stairs to join Steve.

"Why are you here, Tony?" Steve asked, his tone stern.

He shrugged as he closed in on the pair. "Maybe your story's not so crazy after all. Ross has no idea I'm here, and I'd like to keep it that way; otherwise I gotta arrest myself," Tony informed them, leaning against the wall.

"Must be a lot of paperwork," Steve said, stretching his arm out to prevent Marlena from moving towards Tony. He, like Bucky, didn't want her doing anything he knew she would regret. "It's good to see you, Tony."

"You too, Cap," Tony replied, glancing up at Bucky once more. "You're killin' me, Barnes. There's a truce here; you can drop the weapon."

Steve turned to Bucky, waving his hand down as if to tell Bucky it was okay. He was reluctant to lower his gun, but he did anyway, though his eyes stayed on Tony the entire time.

"Why don't we go find this guy you're lookin' for?" Tony asked Steve. "I'm getting impatient, and this place creeps me out."