It was a devastating moment when Bucky went back into cryo, when the ice crystallized on the glass around him. You were sad, sure, and you were going to miss the chances at connection, but Steve was staring at his friend like he would never be able to move from this spot. Shuri had been kind enough to let you both stay in the lab after she had completed her work, letting what had happened sink in before they took Bucky away, but as they came to do just that, Steve moved to stop them exactly as you had suspected he would.

"Steve, stop," you warned, taking a firm hold of his arm, "you can't. You know that this is the safest place he could be."

"Doesn't make it any easier."

"I know."

"Can you still connect with him?"

You released his arm when he stilled, but he had yet to turn back and retract the moves he had made. Closing your eyes, you took the time to find the right words as to not completely destroy the man, knowing that your answer wouldn't be the one he wanted. You felt bad for him, losing the friend he had just found after so long apart, but you couldn't lie just to ease his pain either. "I don't know, Steve. I don't think so, but I think there's a lot going on here that none of us fully understand. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Right," he muttered under his breath. When he turned back to you, with shoulders again squared and his stature returned, his eyes went to the sling on your arm. "I'm sorry that you got hurt, and that I made you feel like you had to step in. I wasn't thinking clearly, and I wasn't in control, and...and I'm just really sorry."

"I know. I think we all are."

"So, now that you've opened that door, how's Tony?"

"I can't speak for him, but I think he's doing as well as he can, all things considered. How are you doing after everything?"

Steve paused and considered the question, and the implications of what he might say, much as you had. But after a moment, he came to the conclusion that it didn't even matter anymore; everything was broken, hurting, and desolate. What difference would it make if he just said whatever the hell he felt like? Nothing could really get much worse. "Pretty terrible. I don't think that I've ever felt so lost, (Y/N). Even when I came out of the ice to a different world, it wasn't this bad."

"Then I think you answered your own question. He's not doing much better."

"But he has you."

"Yeah, well...I worry that he doesn't see it that way, with all of this going on," you paused, with a wave of your hand at the room. "Maybe with Bucky back under, I can try to fix some of the damage back home. I just took off across the world to see the man who killed his parents, Steve, with no way for him to contact me. He didn't fight me on it like he should have. He's not okay, either."

You had been on your feet for long enough now that you began to feel the fatigue set in again, having had only a couple hours of sleep on the jet ride from home. The pain in your shoulder was creeping up on you, and try as you might, it wasn't hidden from the man next to you with legendary observational skill.

"What's going on?"

"I'm just tired." A tiny shift in position that moved the sling caught his eye, so your lie wouldn't pass.

"Come here," he offered, holding his hand out to direct you, "I think I have an idea."

"For what?"

Your skepticism wasn't lost on him, and his hand dropped to cross his arms over his chest instead. "There used to be a time when you trusted me."

"That was before you tried to kill my fiancé."

"No, I didn't try to...I wasn't-" he argued, but stopped before he fully reacted, "okay, we've been there already. You don't have to trust me, that's fine. I deserve that. But I would like you to consider that I might be able to help you. Or actually, I know someone who can. Please?"

Well, it likely couldn't get much worse, so you decided to follow. Steve seemed honest in his regrets, and the only way to start to rebuild was to show him that you were ready to try. The sound of Tony's voice echoed in your head as you made your way back to where you had found Bucky when you arrived; he wouldn't have been so eager to trust, but maybe you could set an example to start the road back together for the Avengers.

"Sit," he commanded, but in a soft tone, "I'll be right back."

Instead, once he left your sight, you pushed back onto the table and leaned into the pillow, pulling your legs up to allow yourself a little rest as you waited. If you were lucky, you might even fall asleep. When relaxation finally came, it quickly began to feel like this was your lucky day after all.

"Excuse me?"

"Hmm?'

"I couldn't help but notice, did they use titanium? To fix the break in your arm?"

Your eyes popped open in surprise, and you sat up in a near panic, the idea that you were being examined against your will inciting a nervous reaction. "How did you know that?"

"We have very sensitive equipment to monitor the levels of vibranium within the mountain, and they picked up the metal in your arm. I didn't mean to pry, but I needed to find the source."

"Oh. No, it's okay," you apologized too, "I'm sorry if I startled you."

"If I may, we could hasten your recovery to mere minutes, if you would be amenable to that."

"How-"

"Oh, there you are!" Steve interrupted, hurrying back to your side. "(Y/N), this is L'Wazi, he works with Shuri and helped Buck and I when T'Challa brought us here. L'Wazi, I wanted to ask if you could help (Y/N) with some of the pain she's having, if I'm not asking too much, of course."

"I can repair her injury completely, if she so chooses."

"Okay, I'm right here," you broke in angrily, "stop talking about me like I'm not. I can make my own decisions if someone would maybe just cut the bullshit and tell me what's going on."

"Language," Steve mumbled into his hand, but quickly silenced under your glare. "(Y/N), he's offering to replace the titanium rod used to stabilize your arm with a vibranium one, which should heal the injuries around it at the same time. Did I get that right?"

"Yes, sir, you did. You're a fast learner," he answered with a grin. "We can have the procedure complete within the hour."

"Just like that? I can get rid of this stupid sling?" you asked eagerly. "But what's the price? There's always a catch." You looked to L'Wazi, but you should have known to look at Steve first. You should have known that nothing in life was free, but the cost would be something that you would have paid without his help, and without question.

"Well, there's this one thing that I could use a friend's help with. Are we friends again, (Y/N)?"

~~~

Back in New York, Tony was immersed in work at Stark HQ, finding it to be the only way that he could keep his mind from wondering what you were doing every minute after minute. He had become a man obsessed and he couldn't stand it. Obsessions weren't good for Tony; he knew it and so did anyone close to him. It was Rhodey who had pushed him out and into work again, with Pepper there to welcome him with a pile of tasks that could take a week or more. Some of them were mundane at best, but he took them on as if nothing were more important. But now, after a long day of staring at paperwork that he was sure made him lose valuable brain cells, he was exhausted, leaning back in his chair with a long yawn and a stretch to relieve the start of a headache.

"FRIDAY, could you give Rhodey a call and see if he wants me to grab dinner on the way home? Actually...scratch that," Tony smiled to himself. "Call Pep and tell her she's coming over to hang with us for the evening. Get Happy in on it too. It's been too long since the four...of us..."

"Boss?"

"F-FRIDAY," he gasped, his vision blurring and darkening, replaced with a scene that was a world away. It was a scene that he wasn't meant to see, with eyes that weren't his. He dropped to his knees in the overwhelming sensation, and he finally understood. He connected to his own soulmate for the first time, and it terrified him. All he wanted was for you to be there to keep him safe from what he might see.

"Boss, should I call for help?"

"No," he barely choked out. He buried his head in his hands to try to steady himself, but he failed, tipping over to lay on the floor until it passed. "Who are you?"

But there was no answer, no voice in his head that would tell him. All he had was a sight that he would never have expected in a million years. It was you, dressed in black and moving like you were working to not be seen, in a darkened room that barely allowed the glimpse of you he was getting. "(Y/N)?"

I'll take the team in the entry and shut down surveillance. I'll signal when you can move in and get the guys out. Then we'll find Wanda. She's likely under heavier guard.

Tony could see you and hear your instructions as clear as if he were right there with you, but what he couldn't understand and what he couldn't know for certain, was whose eyes were you looking back into?