a_musingly | [CLOSED TO disassembling]

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[CLOSED TO disassembling] - Something in the air?

As Steve sat on a bed in the medical wing of Stark Tower, he wondered if there was something in the air these days that he and Bucky were trading off being injured from month to month. First there was Bucky's leg injury, then he'd been lost in the jungle for a week, followed by Bucky's issues with his arm and now he'd been hit by something of HYDRA's in the last mission to end up like this. This, being the effects of the serum seemingly to have disappeared entirely, leaving him with his pre-serum body and its issues. Tony had gaped at him on listening to Steve's laundry list of medical issues before demanding 'how the hell did you survive into adulthood?' They'd all known he'd been sickly as pre-serum but apparently it had never sunk in as to how bad it actually was. He had to admit it did sound bad on paper but he'd live (mostly) fine for twenty-one years in that body and he'll deal with it today.

At least seventy years later modern medicine has developed far enough that they had medicine to help alleviate some of the symptoms of the worst of his body's poor health. The shots he'd been given and the huge amount of pills laying on the side table was proof of that. Tony was talking about developing some sort of bubble to keep him safe. He appreciated the thought but firmly vetoed that idea. The entire team wanted him to stay in the Tower where JARVIS could monitor his health twenty-four by seven. That he also tried to argue against; he 'd lived alone after his mother's death in this body until the day he joined the army, there shouldn't be any problems with him heading back to his far more upscale apartment.

He scowled darkly and started planning his escape. JARVIS would no doubt tell on him the moment he left but there were still one or two things he could do to make sure he at least got a head start. And once he was back in his apartment, it'll be hard to move him back.

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He had been on his own mission gathering intelligence through surveillance of one of the government's many military factions setting up their own action against SHIELD by claiming it was HYDRA, though the two had been more and more interlinked lately. Though Tony and the other could get surveillance through cameras, it wasn't fool-proof and he was known to be able to gather much better intelligence that most and could do so for long hours without tiring.

He had been drawn from his cover by Clint asking him to return to the Tower and that Steve had undergone some kind of transformation because of a HYDRA drug that would no doubt have affects on his own body. He was less concerned with his own safety given he was not currently in the process of going to engage HYDRA but he returned to the Tower with more obedience than he had shown for team members other than Steve asking it of him.

Tony and Bruce had told him what had happened and the results and even pulled up active video of Steve sitting in the medical ward looking small, sickly and very stubborn. For some reason he couldn't explain, the sight brought a curl to his lips and warmth to his chest. He had waved away their concerns and padded off to the medical ward to see for himself what camera light tended to emphasize. He knew that man; more, he wanted to protect that little guy in there.

He stepped into the room still in his full combat gear. "You know you can't escape like that," he said softly, prowling closer. "They are keeping you here for your own good, given your medical conditions." He stepped next to the bedside where Steve indeed looked small and fragile but certainly not about to drop into the grave. "Tell me where you want to go?"

Steve had been deep in plotting when Bucky stepped in. People tend to forget that his tactical experience was applicable beyond the battlefield. In fact, some people tend to forget he was more than just a grunt with a shield (something he's used to good advantage in the past and is always hilarious if and when they recognize it later.) Now he suspects it will be in the opposite direction, instead of considering him a empty-headed meatshield he'll be the empty-headed weakling that a good breeze could blow away. Never mind his mind has always worked just fine, pre-serum or post-serum.

He only registered Bucky's presence when his friend stepped close. Bucky has always been light-footed and now with one ear deaf again he just didn't hear him until only a few second before Bucky spoke. Tony had promised him hearing aids for that ear but it's not a priority for him right now. He and Bruce were busy trying to figure out how this could have happened and how to reverse it. He quickly smoothed his startled expression into one that says 'I am not impressed and I will be leaving no matter what anyone says.'

"Weren't you on a mission and not due back until three days later?" He asked, scowling when he realized someone must have extracted Bucky early from the field. He had specifically told them not to do anything to disrupt Bucky's mission; they needed that intel. "And I'm going back to my apartment." He added firmly.

While he couldn't remember all of Steve's ailments and while he had been shown a list of them as per his friend, he found himself softening a bit when he realized how vulnerable the other man was sitting on that bed. He could kill this man without a single straining effort on his part because Steve couldn't hear him coming, and he was silent under the usual circumstances without trying.

"Yes, but now I'm not," he said simply. For this, he didn't care about the extraction from the mission. Steve would always be more important and he had seemed to impress upon the other Avengers that he might have been less forgiving being left in the field while Steve suffered like this. "I am here now and this is where I will stay. I have been assured that everything is being done for you."

He shrugged his shoulders at the declaration, reaching out and tossing the blanket off of Steve. "Fine, get up and we'll go," he said simply.

He had to admit to himself that even in his post-serum body he would have a hard time hearing Bucky if the other man really was sneaking up on him. He could be silent well enough on the battlefield but Bucky (and Natash and Clint) were specially trained and simply talented at being unnoticed. And if Bucky decided one day to kill him in his sleep Steve was realistic enough to realize he'd probably be half-dead already before he noticed anything happening.

"Great...we'll have to redo that one all over again. And the circumstances will have changed later." He grumbled, looking annoyed. Natasha might have taken over the mission but she was away searching out any HYDRA scientists that might have to do with the chemical compound that cause his body to change. He belated recognized that if something had happened to Bucky, he'd have wanted know right away, and never mind any missions he might have been involved in at the moment. Steve sighed and nodded before gesturing at the pile of medicine on the bedside table. "They're looking into ways to reverse the effects of that compound. In the mean time I've gotten all my shots and been prescribed that bundle of medicine to take."

He eyed Bucky dubiously. "You don't want to change first?" His friend was still in full field gear.

"It is no matter, and the information will be gathered when I am finished here," he said simply as if nothing hinged on the information that he had just been pulled from obtaining. He really didn't care much if anything did because Steve was always more important to him, and he would return to the field when this matter was sorted out. If his nerves and arm could be fixed as they had, he had no doubt that whatever HYDRA medication that had affected Steve would be either reversed or temporary.

"Medical treatments have improved since you've been stuck like this," he said, keeping his voice a little louder than he normally would to overcome Steve's hearing deficit. He glanced at the considerable amount of pill bottles and simply grabbed a pillow from another bed and removed the case. "We will take that with us."

He stared at Steve as he pushed all the various medications in his pillow case. "I'm your bodyguard, and I should be dressed as such. No one will bother you, and unless you want the door locked, you had best hurry."

Steve grunted in reply as he pulled on his shoes, still looking unhappy. Pre-serum he's always had feet that looked too big for his under-developed and skinny body. Post-serum they look just right and he was glad for that. At least his shoes still fit properly while his upper body looked like he was drowning in his own post-Serum T-shirt. Pants he had to borrow from Tony of all people (normally the shortest of them all) because his own won't even stay on him and he'll only trip on them. He didn't worry too much about whether his condition would eventually be reversed or not. He had faith Bruce or Tony or someone else could eventually reverse this, or else it was just temporary. (And even if he stayed like this for the rest of his life, he thinks he might be okay with it, so long as people stopped treating him like glass.)

Steve glared back, but it wasn't because of Bucky taking the medication with him. He would have done that himself. "I don't need a bodyguard! All I'm doing is walking back to the apartment!" He forced himself not to stomp towards the door, though he didn't believe that his friends would actually resort to locking him in, though he knew JARVIS will be telling someone that he had left the building.

Watching Steve get dressed out of the corner of his eye, he admired the tenacity of the smaller body despite how unhealthy it was. His friend moved well and if anything, he felt a stronger pull to Steve now than ever before, perhaps more unhealthy than usual as well. He hummed softly as he gathered up the items that Steve was required to take, but he was far more pleased to leave here with Steve than he should have been. Their blanket fort awaited them, and he almost hungered to get in there with his friend all snarls and disgruntled bravado.

"You draw trouble to you as a flame draws moths," he replied in a matter-of-fact voice. He wasn't changing and he wasn't removing any of his weapons either. There was no way to convince or order him out of it as he followed silently after the other man, lurking in Steve's wake and glaring at Tony for even just appearing within sight as they left. Nothing would stop them save perhaps the Hulk and that was only because he didn't want Steve hurt. He slipped in at Steve's elbow, as much a bodyguard as any and a single look stopped people from even peering too closely at Steve.

It might have been decades since the one and only successful run of the super-soldier serum by Dr. Erskine but to Steve it had only been a few short years, less than a decade (he doesn't count the time he spent in the ice). There had been a strange sense of vertico at first on waking up in the medical wing of the Tower to find himself in his pre-serum body but that had passed in minutes. Instead itt had felt familiar, like fitting into an old pair of pants you were sure you'd outgrown but somehow it still fit. Steve gave Bucky a sideways glance as he finished dressing; his friend looked far more openly cheerful than he expected. The existence of the blanket fort in their apartment escaped Steve's mind entirely, he just wants to return to the most comfortable place he knows.

"I do not." The reply was immediate and almost sulky as they left the medical wing. Despite what other people thought he didn't actively go out looking for trouble. He had to admit that at least with Bucky at his side no one had said anything about leaving the Tower and it saved him the trouble of actually putting one of his escape plans to work. He wished Bucky would walk by his side instead of half a step to the left and behind him. The unlikely pair, especially with Bucky in full field gear, drew looks and whispers and there were more than one camera flash, all from a safe distance away from Bucky, Steve was glad to note. It got better as they left the more crowded areas for the residential area where his apartment was and it was not even halfway there when he heard a cry for help from one of the side alleys.

Steve of course, immediately headed towards the source of the sound.

He knew that Steve was going to somehow get into trouble and he was there as an overbearing overprotective force to be avoided with when that time came. He fully intended to keep his small friend safe, though why he felt the warm need to do so was not foreign for him but different compared to his usual sort of aloof protectiveness when it came to Steve. Perhaps he understood better than most the differences in body types, and it was easier to fit in a role that he felt like a distant memory when Steve walked and talked like that, sulking and rough in a way that his friend never had to be in the larger body.

He followed Steve, ignoring the looks and the whispers and remained vigilant even his head turned towards the sound. He reached out to set a hand on Steve's shoulder to stop his friend was moving off to get into that trouble he had been speaking on previously. "On task," he rumbled, not about to go investigate that common law enforcement could deal with when the jewel of his life was here in front of him. "The apartment is this way, not down there," he reminded softly.

Bucky has always wanted to protect him, Steve knew, starting from that first day when they met as children when he'd gotten into a fight trying to stop two older boys from tormenting a poor old dog and his friend had waded in to help. He thought it was also why Bucky had followed him out again as part of the Howling Commandos when he could have been honourably discharged home after the 107th had been rescued. Steve had been glad of his company then, even though he no longer needed to have bullies pulled off of him. Being protected was never what he wanted, weak-bodied or not; he wanted companionship instead. Even when Bucky did not remember, it seemed like this idea still remained in his friend.

Steve shot Bucky an exasperated look when his friend stopped him. "I know that. Going home isn't a task but helping whoever's getting mugged right now is, so I'm going!" If the police wasn't here yet, they weren't going to get there in time. He's never stood by idly while someone needed his help and he wasn't about to stop now. He did wish he had his shield though, even if his body right now can't handle it at all. Without a further word more, he moved further into the alley to attack the unsuspecting mugger inside.

It was obvious that despite his words and the tugging that Steve was not going to be convinced to leave the situation alone. There was a part of him that knew that, an ago old buried part that was struggling forward even as Steve left his grip to move off down the alleyway towards the source of the sound. It was so Steve, and who was he to refuse when his friend was determined to make the world a better place one small fight at a time? It was more motivation than he had developed, and he was obligated to follow, to see with his own eyes how someone so debilitated with ailments just kept pushing the letter regardless.

The Winter Soldier prowled after Steve, finding the scene from his friend's shadow. A man assaulting a woman, her purse abandoned to the ground and her hands raised defensively despite the swelling cheek that she already bore. Their progress to this point had not been tracked, and he eased around Steve and seized the mugger by the back of the neck and hauled the man up, presenting the man's cursing shocked body towards Steve as if coming back with a prize for his friend. "Shall I break him?"

He has never liked bullies. And just because his lungs, heart or other senses doesn't work quite as well as the other guy on the street doesn't excuse him from from stopping bullying when he finds it. No matter if they were the kind that roamed the streets preying on the defenseless like the one they've just found right in front of them or the bigger bullies in the world like the Red Skull. And if he had to push his body a little bit to do it, so be it.

Steve was about to jump right in to pull the mugger away from the woman when Bucky intervened, far quick then he was able to do it currently. He moved instead to help the victim instead since Bucky had the mugger well in hand. "No, just knock him out and tie him up for the police. No breaking!" There's no need for any killing or broken bones now that the mugger was subdued. Or, mostly subdued as the mugger was struggling and flailing for all his worth. Once again he was reminded of a cat bringing in dead or mostly dead animals for their owner, though owner was the last thing he wanted to be in relation to Bucky.

He moved his left hand purposefully so that it grabbed the mugger's wrist that held a knife and squeezed until the weapon was dropped. There was no escape from him even as the occasional struggling leg hit him in the thigh or side, but it was ineffective as he watched Steve move to help the woman in question. She was going to be shaken for awhile, and he made certain to give his current prey a good shake in return before forcing the man to the ground and using the grubby coat to tie those hands together.

He placed a foot on the back of the mugger's neck in warning because while he was told not to break, he would use deadly force if pushed for it. It seemed that his intent was clear as the struggles subsided as sirens could be heard. "We need to go, Steve," he called simply. Armed as he was, he shouldn't be seen by the police. It would result in awkward questions about who he was and where he had come from, and he doubted explaining that he was a World War II veteran would suffice.

The victim was shaken but grateful and Steve in low undertones asked her not to say anything about Bucky to the police. While there has been sightings of Bucky fighting alongside the Avengers, no one has gotten close for anything like interviews and that was the way the Avengers liked it for now. JARVIS was actively keeping watch and obscuring any photos found on the Internet for Bucky. If at any time later Bucky felt like joining them more opening, they (and Tony's team of lawyers) were ready but for now they stayed away from law enforcement and other government organizations.

"Coming." He answered simply and giving the former victim one last reassuring smile he left the alley as quickly as possible, and didn't bother giving the mugger on the ground a second glance. "See? That wasn't so bad." Before he would have waded right into the mugger but faster or not, he suspected Bucky wouldn't have let him do anything that might end up with him getting hurt. That type of protectiveness has always chaffed but it was also nostalgic familiar right now.

He made certain that the mugger had no chance of escaping the police and only cast the victim a single look before he turned and stalked away back the way that they had come. It wasn't bad for a rescue mission, but it still seemed mostly unnecessary. However, he found it entirely endearing in his own way for Steve to rush into such things, and while he didn't carry any manner of spring in his step as he led the way to Steve's apartment, he was far more pleased than he remembered feeling in a very long time. Like something had been put to rights despite not knowing what it was.

"You were very brave," he agreed simply, his head turning to keep an eye on Steve but also to avoid traffic cameras from seeing his face. He knew that Steve would have taken on that mugger one-on-one and while that would have been interesting to see, he wanted to see his friend home safely for now. He wasn't dressed in combat gear just to keep people whispering about them after all. "...the pillow fort is still set up, right?"

This is how he liked his missions; clean and efficient. It was just that only rarely did missions finish this way, no matter how good the people involved or the pre-planning went. Plans rarely survive first contact with the enemy and all that. Bucky seemed pleased too, even if there was no sign of it in the way he moved or on his face. "It's not about being brave, Bucky. Not totally. It's about doing what's right." He said firmly as he followed after Bucky. His forehead wrinkled in thought briefly at the question about the pillow fort. "It should be? After last time I asked Miss Potts to tell whoever cleaning staff she sent over to leave it alone." He hasn't been gone too long this time anyway, only two days.

The walk from the Tower to his apartment, which in his post-serum body would be an easy stroll was much harder on his current body right now. He tried not to let it show though and forced his body to keep up with the pace Bucky set no matter how much his muscles. The air wasn't the best either and his lungs protested every time he breathed in the exhaust fumes from the cars passing by.

"You were still very brave," he repeated, since he so rarely acknowledged other people at all let alone the dangers that they had just possibly exposed themselves to. He admired in his own way that Steve had not hesitated to go down that alley despite the fact that he knew his friend could have been the one to end up injured. The weapons of today were different and heroes were more likely to end up dead for helping. He had gone to keep Steve safe, but he certainly never wanted to coddle his friend; he knew it would never be tolerated.

Even now as they walked, he didn't slow his pace much despite awareness that Steve no doubt struggled to keep up with him. He moved well and was keenly aware of his location, the depth of Steve's breathing, the way his friend put one foot in front of the other and subtly shifted his own gait to keep things as easy as possible without making it seem like he was going to make Steve feel babied. He knew his friend could do it, and so he simply gave Steve an opportunity to do that even as they neared the apartment. "Maybe we'll both fit really comfortably inside it. You can still lay on me though if you want."

He gave Bucky a wry smile at the repeated assurance that he was brave. Plenty of people have praised the bravery of Captain America but from Bucky it meant more as he seldom said anything of the like to anyone any more. He also appreciated the fact Bucky coddle him, protect him yes, but not coddle. His other friends had yet to learn the difference. Like now when he knows he's showing signs of having trouble keeping up with Bucky but his friend simply kept going (albeit a bit slower) and didn't offer to carry him or suggest taking a taxi the rest of the day.

Still he was happy to see his home appear as they made their way up the last block of street. He knows he's capable of walking the entire way as he is right now, even though it seemed like very muscle in his body was complaining about the overuse. "I'm sure we can if you want. It fit us fine last week. Are you sure it's not the other way around you're looking for?" Usually when Bucky wanted to cuddle, either in bed or in the pillow fort it was with him on the bottom. Bucky wasn't exactly light but he'd gotten used to the extra weight on him when he slept very quickly.

He continued to lead the way to the apartment that they sometimes shared, though he was forced to spend more of his time at the Tower so that Tony could test and tinker with the new arm that he had. It left him less time in the blanket fort and much less time with Steve, which he was going to change once all the numbers came back in the green. He didn't like spending all his time there, but he was pleased for a new arm which he was putting through the usual rigors of his life and missions all the time. Nothing was going to take him away from Steve right now, not like this anyway.

"No, I don't want to hurt you," he said simply because he was a lot heavier than he had been back when they were young. His arm alone increased his weight and he was far more muscle dense as well. "It will fit better now," he added as he slipped into the building and began to ascend the stairs for Steve's floor. He never took the elevator.

Steve mused that Bucky had a point about them fitting better into the pillow fort. He'd made an extra big one with the cushions and blankets he had on hand but it was still only big enough for two grown men when they were cuddled together, which is exactly that Bucky (and him as well) liked it. They'll be extra room now that he was smaller and he knew without asking that Bucky wouldn't let him go far even with the extra room. His body moved on autopilot through the front doors, pausing when he got to the stairs. Usually he'd take the stairs as well but he lived seven stories up and he's not sure if his body will take the strain of more climbing.

He's stubborn but not stupid. And that's what the elevator is there for, to ferry people up and down the floors whose body might not be up to par for climbing that day. Mind made up, he headed into the elevator proper and pressed the button for his floor, eyes watching idly as the numbers went up one by one...only two stop at the fourth floor, where the elevator stops and refuses to move. And the doors won't open either. Frowning, he pressed the emergency button for maintenance, and began to wait.

When Steve decided to use the elevator, he nodded and headed up the stairs to the apartment. He wanted to time it so that they reached the area first, but he was pleased when he reached the landing first and walked over the elevator to await it. Clearly it had stopped at the fourth floor to pick up some people, yet he was curious when it didn't ascend further. He waited patiently before nothing happened after a few minutes and then pressed the button for the seventh floor. Nothing.

He knew how to break into elevators, especially older ones. He slipped his metal fingers between the doors and flipped the latch to manually open the doors. He then peered down the shaft for signs that the elevator was rising. It wasn't. He sighed and grabbed the cables, sliding down until he found the elevator stuck with brakes engaged on the fourth floor. It was clearly a malfunction, and he crouched down before pulling open the maintenance door to peer at Steve in the elevator. "I leave you alone for a single trip up a flight of stairs, and you break the elevator?"

Steve looked up when the maintenance hatch opened and he knew who it is even before it full opened. "I did not break the elevator. It broke down by itself. These things happen and it's completely normal." He grumbled, staring up at Bucky and crossing his arms over his chest defensively. "You didn't have to come find me...building maintenance has already been contacted and they said they'll be her within an hour to fix it." And presumably let him out of the elevator first. Looking on the bright side, at least his body got a bit of rest from the long walk between the Tower and here, even if a small elevator box wouldn't be his first choice as a place of rest.

He desperately hoped that the other Avengers never found out about this or he'll never live it down. Never mind that this wasn't his fault at all. For once, he didn't actively go out looking for trouble, especially trouble of this type. "Help me out of here Bucky?" He half-asked, half-demanded.

Things in Steve's life were never normal and they were also never an accident. That was what happened when one was - or used to be - Captain America. He peered down to make certain that everything was alright, but it seemed like some kind of mechanical failure. It was an old building, so it might be expected if he didn't think too much about it. "So you want me to wait in the apartment until you are free then, or shall I wait here until you're free and then meet you upstairs?" He was fine with either scenario, but he wasn't about to get Steve all mad for him offering to haul his friend up the cables.

He frowned but shifted to his knees and reached his metal hand into the elevator for Steve to grab. "You should have just taken the stairs with me. I would have helped you up them," he said with a shake of his head.

There was no Hydra agents disguised as Shield agents trapping him alone in the elevator in order to try to capture him or any other type of enemy action against Captain America. Steve Rogers was stuck in a simple malfunctioning elevator and that was it. With a start he realized he was actually more irritated with the situation then he had thought.

He took the offered hand and allowed Bucky to haul him up. "I should be able to get to my own home by myself. I made it all the way from the tower already." He muttered. And now Bucky will have to help him up the elevator shaft anyway. "Sorry."

He pulled Steve up without a single amount of trouble on his part and gently set his friend on the top of the elevator with him. No doubt there might be some confusion when maintenance came and found no one inside, but that had never been any of his concern. Steve was with him and safe. For him, that was all that ever really mattered.

He turned around and presented his back to Steve, humming softly in the face of the unnecessary apology. "Arms around my neck to hold on," he murmured softly. "And you never need to apologize to me." Once Steve was on board, he grabbed the elevator cables and began to ascend to the seventh floor easily and silently.

[CLOSED TO disassembling] - Something in the air?

Just horrible evil muns plotting bad things

yup yup

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