I exited the elevator and entered complete silence. The living room was completely empty, as was the kitchen. The knot in my stomach grew tighter.

"Hello?" I called, stepping closer to the couch and looking around again. "Tony? Steve? Buck?"

I heard someone on the stairs behind me, and turned around quickly. Tony stood at the top of them, glaring down at me. He had dark circles under his eyes, his face was sunken, and I'd never seen him look at me with so much hatred.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He growled.

I started walking toward the stairs as he began coming down.

"Hi," I said quietly.

"Hello."

"Uh, where's Pepper?"

"Shanghai," he said shortly.

I hesitated and picked at my fingernail. "Did you finish the suit?"

He nodded. I sighed heavily at his attitude and folded my arms.

"Tony, what is going on? Why are there paparazzi outside? Where the hell is everyone?!" I cried.

"That's a nice bracelet," he said sharply. "Did your boyfriend give it to you?"

A lump formed in my throat and I glanced down at the gold chain around my wrist. I touched it insecurely; I hadn't taken it off since Bucky gave it to me.

"Tony, what's going on?" I repeated.

"Things changed. People changed."

"What the hell are you talking about? Where's Steve?"

He snorted and started walking towards the kitchen. "I should be asking you. Your little friends are considered vigilantes, Cara."

My heart almost stopped in my chest and my eyes widened. "What? Tony, what the hell did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything!" He yelled. "That thing Steve brought in here did!"

"Did you just call Bucky a thing?!" I roared.

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to offend your fuck buddy."

I flinched at his words and hesitated slightly. "What are you talking about?"

Tony put his hands on the kitchen counter and hung his head. "You know what happened a few days after you left, Cara? I was going through some old transfer files, and I came across a certain one that caught my eye. And I read it and re-read it for hours to make sure I hadn't screwed up. So then I went to Steve and confronted him, and told him what I found. I told him that I knew who killed Mom and Dad. It was Bucky," he said, slowly getting angrier and angrier. "And I said, I need to tell Cara, she's gonna be crushed. And he was silent. And then I figured it out, you already knew."

"Tony," I said quietly. "Please-"

"So then I'm trying to think of why you would still spend so much time with him when you know he's why you're an orphan," he cut you off loudly. "And I figured it out. You're sleeping with him."

"Tony, you need to understand it wasn't like-"

"Deny it then!"

I hesitated. "I can't."

"Jesus Christ, Y/N!" He yelled, his hands flying into the air. "How could you look at him, hell, have sex with him knowing he killed your parents?! He's a monster!"

"Shut up!" I screamed, and Tony fell silent. "You don't know shit! So stop acting like you do," I spat. "Yes I knew. Do you want to know how I knew, Tony?"

He didn't respond, just stared at the ground.

"Well don't you?!"

He swallowed and nodded, looking back up at me.

"One night, he woke up screaming. Nothing new," I started. "But this was different. He wouldn't let me help him, because he said I would hate him if he told me what happened. But I made him. And yes, Tony, at first I was angry. I was angrier than I've ever been in my life! But Bucky didn't do those horrible things. He wasn't in the right state of mind, Hydra made him think Mom and Dad were terrorists. That's why he did what he did. And every day he regrets it," my voice cracked and I took a slight breath. "So yeah, Tony, I can look at him."

Tony was silent for a moment, and ran his hand through his hair. "Well you need to pick a side, Cara," he said quietly. "Like I said. Things have changed."

My chest suddenly felt tight, and I struggled to breathe normally. "Tony, you're my brother," I reached around to the side pocket of my backpack discretely and stepped closer to him. "I love you and you know that."

My brother suddenly hugged me tightly. "I love you too, Cara. I know we don't really say that, but I do."

"That's why I'm sorry," I muttered, pressing my hand in between his shoulder blades. "He needs me."

Tony pulled away, "What are you talk-" Suddenly, he slumped up against me, completely unconscious.

I removed my hand from his back and threw the small tranquilizer dart I had used across the room. Dragging him over to the couches, I tossed him up against them, all the while holding back tears.

"Oh my god, oh my god," I muttered, pushing my hair out of my face and stumbling back to the wall.

Before I could think to do anything else, I ran into the elevator, hitting a random button on the wall. I tore the burner cell out of my bag and began dialing a number. My hand shook as I held it up to my ear.

"Pick up pick up pick up pick up," I whispered, my eyes beginning to sting. "Please, God, pick up."

The dial tone stopped, and my heart jumped.

"Who is this?" The familiar voice spoke lowly and I almost began sobbing at the sound of it.

"Bucky, it's me," I cried shakily. "I-I just got home a-and Tony knows about us and there's photographers outside the building and we screamed at each other a-and I tranquilized him, and I told you not to do anything stupid. Where the hell are you?"

There was no response for a moment, just breathing.

"Buck, please," I begged.

"The place I know best," he said, and quickly hung up.

The doors slid open, and I wasn't quite sure what to do. I wasn't about to be a fucking gazelle again, so I started towards the back service door. I took out the sweatshirt in my bag and put it on, pulling the hood up over my hair. When I was out on the sidewalk, I began walking with absolutely no idea where to go.

I repeated Bucky's words over and over in my mind, not entirely sure what they meant. All I knew that it would be where he grew up. So, I had walked all the way from Stark Tower to Brooklyn. My feet ached but I didn't care. I needed to find Bucky. For over two hours, I'd been scouring my mind for places that Bucky had told me about before I'd left. I stopped walking suddenly. I knew where he was.

I began sprinting up the block, weaving between the few people trying to get back to their homes from work. After several minutes, I reached a rundown looking apartment building with an eviction notice splashed across the front door. I glanced around the dark street to make sure nobody was watching me and darted behind the building, looking for a back door. I found one, with a sticker reading Unfit for Human Inhabitants.

I looked around again before kicking the flimsy door. It collapsed and I rushed inside through the cloud of dust that had taken its place. I glanced up the stairs on my left and started up them, looking for some signs of life. I swallowed slowly and took a deep breath, retrieving Fortis from my pocket at the same time. After climbing a few flights, I heard a floorboard creak. I turned off the stairs and looked at the doors, searching for where the sound had come from. Suddenly, a door flew open, and someone grabbed me.

I started to protest, but a hand was clapped over my mouth. I dropped Fortis, and heard it hit the floor with a loud ping. Bucky held me up against a wall, his hand keeping me silent. I slapped at his arms, trying to communicate with my eyes as best I could.

"How do I know Tony didn't sent you?" He hissed, shaking slightly.

"Bucky!" Steve protested from behind him. "You know she wouldn't do that."

I nodded and put my hands on top of his as an attempt to calm him down. He pulled his arms away suddenly and pushed his hands through his hair. Bucky backed away and I leaned against the wall, my eyes starting to burn again. I looked around the small room we stood in. Steve stood next to the closed door, Wanda and Clint sat on a small couch behind Bucky, and Sam stood in the corner of the room. Wanda and Clint both looked at me in disbelief as I crouched down and picked Fortis up, shoving it back in my pocket.

"I-I'm sorry," Bucky muttered after a moment, avoiding my eyes. "That was insane of me."

I rushed towards him in response. He caught me as ran into him and buried my face in his neck. I squeezed my eyes shut as he wrapped his arms around my back tightly.

"Well, that is quite the hello hug," I heard Clint mutter from the couch.

I ignored him and moved my hands so Bucky's face was cupped in them. He looked like he'd been to hell and back. A black eye was forming under his right eye, there was a sizable cut on his forehead, and there was a large purple and blue bruise on his jaw. I stopped looking at his injuries, and pressed my lips against his suddenly. His hands instinctively moved up to my face as he kissed me back, and I pulled him closer to me.

It was completely unlike any kiss we'd ever had before. It wasn't the 'Hell yeah, we've got fifteen minutes alone to make out.' Nor was it the 'My god you're attractive and so amazing, I can't believe your mine, I could literally kiss you for hours on end.' And it definitely wasn't my personal favorite, the 'Yes, I know I'm a bitch and I'm so sorry we fought, you're a saint for putting up with my shit. I love you more than words will ever be able to describe.' This was sloppy and passionate, yet gentle and sweet. It could only be described as 'Thank god you're alive. I can't live without you.' I had a creeping feeling that we would be having more of these in the coming weeks.

"Wait a second!" Clint cried. "Wait. A. Second!!!!"

I broke our kiss and ran my hand through Bucky's hair before quickly glancing towards Clint. His and Wanda's mouths gaped as my hand slid down to grasp Bucky's.

"Cara! A-and Bucky!" Clint's head snapped between the two of us. "WHAT?!"

"Are you okay?" I whispered to Bucky.

He nodded stiffly and pulled me into his chest. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"I will not be ignored!" Clint called. "Listen, I get we're all stressed and fighting and you two are suddenly our star crossed lovers that no one knew existed, but CLINT LIKES TO BE INFORMED."

"I think there are more pressing matters to be discussed than Cara and Bucky's sex life," Sam muttered.

"Oh, so they've been together long enough that they're having sex?"

Wanda rolled her eyes. "Leave them alone, grandpa."

"I am not the grandpa here!" Clint protested. "There are literally two ninety year old men standing in this room!"

"Stop talking about it," I said sharply, and everyone fell silent.

They all stared at me, waiting for me to say something. I cleared my throat quietly and folded my arms, suddenly very overwhelmed. I felt like folding myself into a ball and shielding myself from the world for an eternity.

I pursed my lips slightly and took a shaky breath. "Now will someone please tell me what the fuck is going on here?"

Steve and Bucky looked at each other.

"Cara," Bucky said softly. "You should sit down."