Four
June 2014
Pepper's heels click along the floor as she speeds to her office. She looks down at her watch and sighs. She's late. When she opens the door, he shoots up and runs toward her. Pepper almost drops her coffee because of Steve.
"You...no...come." He hiccups into Pepper's blouse. Pepper wraps an arm around him.
"It's okay, Steve. I was running late because of Tony." She smiles and kisses his forehead as she rubs his back. Steve pulls away and rubs his eyes. His back straightens and his jaw clenches.
"Doctor Banner has not arrived yet." Grant's German accented voice says. Pepper checks her watch.
"He was supposed to be here..." She trails off as she catches a spot of purple in the vents. Pepper takes in a deep startled breath as Grant's attention is turned toward the air vents. His body shifts position- to a more submissively aggressive posture- and looks at her with cold eyes.
"Don't hurt him-" she starts as the Winter Captain launches himself to the vents. Clint yelps in surprise as he's thrown from the vents to floor. The Captain drags him to a chair and Clint struggles to get a grip on the floor.
"Captain! That's enough!" Pepper nearly shouts as the Captain nearly ties Clint to the chair. He freezes and stands at attention. Clint looks between both of them as Doctor Banner walks through the doors.
"-sorry I'm late. I lost track of time in the...Clint?"
"What the fuck is going on?!" Clint looks at Pepper. "Who the fuck is that?!" He point to the tall blond guy.
Pepper sighs and looks at Bruce.
"It's too late to not tell him." Bruce says. Pepper turns to look at Clint.
"How do I start..."
The Communal Living Room- Stark Tower
Damien is crawling on the ground with a gun strapped to his back. "I'm a motherfucking spider," he whispers. "Hell yeah."
Natasha sets her book down on the coffee table and looks down at her brother. "What are you doing?"
Damien lies flat on his stomach. "I'm playing paintball with Bird and company. Thor lost already so it's me and Clint against Bu-"
"Found you, motherfucker!" Bucky shoots his gun at Damien, spraying him with blue and red paint. Damien flails around the white carpet as Natasha stands and heads to the doors.
"Sister dear! Don't leave me like this!" He coughs weakly as Bucky is chuckling. "I thought you loved me!"
Natasha masks her smile. "I only loved your pancakes." She flips her hair as she calls an elevator.
"Damien, close your mouth. You'll get flies." Bucky says as he kicks Damien's foot. He groans and stands.
"Clint!" He calls out. There's no reply. "Cliiiiiint my bird child!" Still no reply. Damien squints. "Jarvis, where's Clint?"
"With Miss Potts and Dr. Banner in her office, sir." Jarvis responds.
Damien nods, "Sweet. I'll go up and see them."
"Is she expecting you, sir?"
Damien makes a questioning noise. "N...n'yeah. I'll be there in a couple minutes." Damien calls an elevator and rides it, whistling along to the music playing. Bucky sets his gun on the coffee table and texts Natasha. "You, me, and ice cream makes three."
As he heads out the doors of Stark tower, Natasha meets him at the gate to Central Park.
Pepper's office
"Ma'am-"
"Jarvis, could you please hold on for one second?" Bruce asks as he pinches the bridge of his nose. Clint is staring intently at Steve, who is sitting in the floor playing with Legos. Steve looks up and grabs a small Iron Man. He holds it out to Clint. "Here."
Clients takes it and studies it. "You know, if I haven't seen those leather gloves Tony has, I wouldn't have believed this. But, I suppose it makes sense. I guess." Clint kneels off the chair and sits near Steve. "Wanna see if I can hit the door knob with this?" He asks Steve. Steve nods furiously and Clint takes aim, the little Iron Man's head facing the door. Just as he's about to throw it, Steve bolts- jumping out the goddamn window- and the door opens just as Clint let go of the Lego.
"Clint, mah braathaaaa, where the fuck- OW, what the shit, Barton!" Damien clutches his thigh as he falls dramatically to the floor.
All three look at him.
"Damien has arrived, ma'am."
Pepper smooths her skirt. "Alright. If you need me, I'll be in a conference call." She hurriedly leaves, stepping over Damien's flailing limbs. Bruce sighs and looks at Clint.
"You're on your own." And he takes his leave. Clint stares at Damien.
Clint raises a brow and says, "wanna play Legos?"
Damien jumps up, grabbing the Lego Iron Man off the floor. "Hells yeah."
Central Park
"So," Natasha nudges Bucky with her hip. "You going to give a speech for the 69th annual Fourth of July memorial tribute to the heroic Captain Steven Grant Rogers?" She smirks at him. Bucky sighs.
"I don't think so, Nat." He looks down at the ice cream in his hand. Natasha frowns.
"Hey," she sets one of her hands on his shoulder. "We'll find him. He can't last long without a handler. With Pierce gone, he has no where to go, unless he goes back to Hydra-"
"Nat."
"James. You have to think about this realistically."
Bucky sighs. "Natasha, please understand where I'm coming from. I really don't want to find him only to lose him again. I've had enough of that when he was..." His voice cracks and he presses the heel of his hand to his eyes. Natasha frowns at him and takes his ice cream.
"For what it's worth, James," she stood and started to walk away. "He made a great father given the circumstance he was in. If he remembers anything about being a father, he'll come back. He'll come back if he remembers you. I know that for a fact."
As she walked away, Bucky stared after her. He grips the both dog tags that encircle his neck.
"Come back to me, you punk." He stares after an old couple walking by until he finally get up and heads back to the tower.
Little did he know he was being watched.
A Hydra Safe-House, June 28
Grant was breathing heavily by the time he locked the door. He collapses on the small bed in the corner of the small room and puts a hand across his bleeding stomach. He grimaces as he sits up again. The only safe place to go was Stark Tower. The Captain realized this at the same time as he did.
"Nyet."
"Why not?" Grant lies back down and leaves the body to go inside his mind.
The Captain stands near him and crosses his arms. Steve is sitting in the corner, sleeping to help restore himself. Grant crossed his arms.
"It's the only logical way to go."
The Captain scoffs. "You want to go back just for Damien and Natalia. We can't take that risk."
"We're going to have to. We have no where else. Hydra is going to storm in any moment."
"We fight them."
"Captain, with all due respect, don't let your Russian show. We don't always have to fight everyone."
"Grant," the Captain stepped up into Grants space. "Don't let your emotions run your life. For fucks sake, think about Steve! Do you really think going there is going to help him if he sees Bucky?"
Grant flinches. "Ich weiß nicht, Captain. You have to think about this. Ms. Potts said if we need help to go to her. We are in deep shit. We have to think about the safety of all of us like Doctor Banner told us to."
The Captain remains silent for a while. "Fine," he says. "But I want to get us there."
Grant sighs. "Fine. Fine. Whatever. Let's hurry up." The Captain walks away from Grant and then they're off, sprinting away from the safe house with the sound of vans chasing behind them.
Clint and Natasha's floor
All Clint wanted was a night off. Specifically one where his girlfriend went and got him his favorite pizza and then a nice long snuggle with his dog (and girlfriend).
The night started like that, but after Natasha left to grab the pizza, Jarvis informed Clint of Grant's whereabouts.
"Sir, Grant is coming in through your bedroom window."
Clint shot off the couch. "Where's Natasha?"
"She just left the parking garage. You have about twenty minutes."
Clint sprints to his room. When he opens the door, Grant is standing in the middle of the room with blood soaking his shirt.
"We need help." Is all he says before he collapses in Clint's arms.
"Why does this always happen on my night off?" Clint asks the air as he drags Grant's body out of his apartment. "Jarvis! Call Bruce down here, please! And make it snappy." He lays Grant- the Captain?-'s body on the sofa and then peels off the ruined clothes.
"Yes, sir. 15 minutes."
"Dammit! Think, Barton, think!" Clint grabs his first aid kit. He quickly sews up the stomach wound- where did he get that from? Falling on Legos?- and wraps it. Bruce walks in as he finishes wrapping the wound.
"What happened?" Bruce runs over to where they are.
"I don't know. All I know is that when Natasha left, he came in through the window asking for help. You know," Clint points at Bruce. "I didn't sign up for this. This was my day off. Do you know what that means? Pizza and Supernatural and cuddling. Cuddling, Bruce! Not patching up weirdos who climb in through my window!"
"Nine minutes, master Barton."
"Dammit! Bruce, where should we put him?" Clint gesture at Grant.
"Take him to my floor. No one goes there." Bruce grabs Grant's legs as Clint holds his shoulders. Jarvis opens the front door and then the elevator dings just as they get there. Natasha holds a large pizza box in her hands as Bruce and Clint look at each other. Natasha gapes at seeing the Winter Captain as Clint shouts, "Bruce! Why are you hauling dead bodies around! I can't believe you want to start he zombie apocalypse!"
Bruce frowns at Clint. Natasha closes her eyes. Jesus give me strength.
"Why is the Winter Captain here? And why don't I know about it?" She looks pointedly at Clint. He shrugs and looks at Bruce.
"Bruce knew before I did!" He sees Bruce giving him a death glare. "What? I gotta protect my balls, man."
Bruce sighs. "Natasha, please lead us back to your apartment and I'll explain everything I know about this situation."
Natasha sets the pizza down on the floor. "Lead the way, Clint." She says as she lifts Grant's middle.