Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One stone to go.

Steve just had to return the soul stone and then he could return to his time. To Sam and Bucky. He’d been stuck in this universe for a year. He’d spent one godforsaken year trying to return the stone to the time points they had taken them from.

If he’d known he'd have to fight himself again to return the fucking scepter then he’d have suggested they go to the hydra base in Sokovia to get it. Not Stark Tower post-Loki's invasion.

The Aether and timestone had been easy to return. He felt kind bad jabbing Thor’s old girlfriend with the reality stone but there was no other option.

Sorry Jane.

The ancient one had been waiting for him and he simply handed the stone over. Easy peasy. The space stone was a little more difficult. It wasn't exactly in the form it had come in, they'd had to break the tesseract to get the stone. So he had to make a trip to Thor’s dwarven friends in space to get the space stone into a container again. Which took time. He got to see a star forge though, that was cool. The giant dwarves had been friendly when he explained he was a friend of Thor and just trying to return the powerful artifact to its resting place. Honestly, looking back on the order he dropped these things off in, then he should’ve put the space stone back last but no, he wasn't thinking and it had been the third to be returned to its rightful time.

The power stone was second to last. Morag was gross, Peter Quill was fucking weird, and he almost burnt the shit out of his hand trying to get it back into its force field containment.

So here he was. Finally on Vormir. The planet that had taken Nat’s life.

It practically screamed death. Foreboding eclipse and everything. No one had explained how to return this one. Clint had explained how he ended up with the Soul Stone. Nat had to sacrifice her life to get it. A soul for a soul.

He just hoped it didn't cost a soul to return it too.

Clint also neglected to mention that the creepy specter guy that was the stones keeper was the Red Skull. The same Red Skull that got vaporized by the tesseract when the egotistical maniac had chosen to pick it up on board the Valkyrie. Mid-fight to the death.

They stared at each other for a good long while before Skull finally spoke.

“Captain…how good it is to see you after all these years!” The wretched monster spoke, and god he could’ve done without hearing that voice again. “Unfortunately, I cannot let you return that. You see, your friend sacrificed herself and freed me from my burden. You will not be undoing that, I will not let you!”

With that, Skull lunged for the stone. Clearly out of practice after being trapped here for so long, Steve simply lurched to the side and whacked him over the head with the container. Skull collapsed to the ground in a heap, groaning in pain.

Steve stared down at him in mild disappointment. “I hope you know, that was embarrassing. I’m embarrassed for you.” Steve said, walking to the cliff's edge, keeping his eyes on the pathetic man a few feet away from him. He glanced down, relieved, there was no Natasha paste at the bottom of the death cliff. That is certainly one less trauma nightmare he had to worry about having. He looked up at the ominous structure above him. No latter to be seen, fucking figures, he looked down at the cliff again. He was just gonna drop it down there and see what happened.

If nothing happened then at least the stone was on Vormir. He was going to count that as returned. He was tired of space adventures and wanted to go home.

Steve glanced back at Skull, who was somewhat recovering from the hit Steve gave to him. Purely to be petty, he waited till Skull looked up at him in anger, blood dripping down his face as he glared up at Steve. Steve gave him a shit eating smile and then dropped the stone off the cliff's edge. Skull's face contorted into pure panic and he leapt after the stone, arm stretched out to grab it before it could go too far off the edge.

Steve stepped to the side as Skull nearly went over the edge trying to get to the stone, barely stopping himself in time. And wasn't that a thought. A beautiful, very satisfying thought.

Steve pushed him before Skull could round on him in rage.

“You worthless, American scum!” Skull screamed as he fell.

Splat.

Steve smiled. Now that? That made this whole trip worth it.

Steve's smile faded as the soul stone gleamed. Flashing a few times before exploding. Steve shielded himself as the planet was bathed in light. When the light faded, Steve looked back down the death cliff. Skull was still down there but the soul stone was missing. The clouds rumbled above him, shining with an ethereal light that gave Steve the heebie jeebies.

Turning Steve froze in his tracks. There, lying on the ground as if she'd never even jumped, was Natasha. Breathing. Whole. Alive.

What was it Skull said before attacking him in a rage? You see, your friend sacrificed herself and freed me from my burden. You will not be undoing that, I will not let you!

A groan broke him from his startled thoughts. Natasha shifted on the ground. He scrambled forward, hauling her into a sitting position.

“Nat? Natasha?!” He said and watched her eyes focus on him, eyebrows scrunching in confusion.

“Steve? What are you–” She looked around, eyes widening in recognition, “Where’s Clint?!” She asked in a panic.

“Hey! Hey!” Steve put a hand on her face, forcing her to look back at him, “Clint is fine! He’s back on earth! Thanos is dead, Natasha, we won.”

She looked dazed, confused, and elated. “We won? Everyone got brought back?” She asked and the hope in her voice nearly made Steve cry.

“Yeah, Nat we won.” He said softly, petting her hair, hardly believing she was here in his arms. Breathing and whole. “We won. Everyone came back.”

She smiled then, joy lighting up her face, before it fell. “Wait, what are you doing here? I remember falling…” She trailed off, eye’s glancing over to the cliff he’d pushed Skull off moments before.

“I was returning the stones…” Steve quietly said and Natasha focused back on him. “They had to get put back to the spots in time that we plucked them from. So we don't break the timestream and cause more problems than we already did.”

She was silent for a while.

“Who died?”

“...Tony…You.”

“...Tony?” She said, expression crumpling, “Tony died? How?” She asked before realizing something must have gone wrong with their time heist. “What happened?!”

Steve grimaced and finally sat down in front of her with an exhausted sigh. “Thanos from a different timeline, this timeline, realized what we were doing and captured Nebula, our Nebula. His Nebula came back with us and we didn't know. She pulled him through, just after Bruce snapped everyone back. Tony died snapping him back out of existence using the stones. The stones killed him.”

Natasha closed her eyes and curled her hands into fists. They sat in silence for a bit as she worked her way through the pain of losing another close friend.

“So,-” She cleared her throat, choking back emotion, “So, how many stones do you have left to return?”

Steve cleared his own throat, “This was it. The soul stone was the last.” Steve huffed out a faint laugh, “I uh- I pushed Skull off the ledge.”

“Oh?” Natasha said, a smile curling on her lips. “Is that who that was?”

Steve laughed, “Yeah, yeah it was. He was pathetic this time around. Still as angry as I last saw him though.”

Natasha snorted. “He was a little dramatic. Clint and I made fun of him.”

Steve just smiled and hauled her to her feet.

“So, how were you supposed to get back?” She asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“Same way I got here,” He said and raised the vial of Pym particles. She nodded in understanding, checking her own suit to make sure she had her own vial only to come up empty handed.

It was gone. She was trapped here.

“Shit.” They chorused.

They sat on the entrance steps of the citadel. Black sand gleaming in the faint light emitting from the eclipse overhead.

Skull had come back. Angry as all hell to be bound to that damn stone again and they’d taken that as their cue to leave the place. They could still hear him screaming from somewhere above them.

Fucking German bastard.

“What are the odds that there's food on this planet?” Steve asked, looking around at the desolate planet.

Nat looked around, “I’m going to say slim to none.” She looked back up at the looming structure behind them when Skull spat a particularly violent curse down at them. “-and I'm going to say there's some divine intervention going on up there. Considering you tossed him off that cliff and he somehow came back from that when I didn’t.”

Skull hurled another curse down at them.

“Divine punishment, perhaps?” She mused.

Steve peered upwards, “Definitely divine punishment.”

They looked back out at the horizon when a distant boom occurred. The tell tail sound of a ship breaking through the atmosphere. They watched as it descended and then shared a look.

“Steal the ship and crime our way back?” Natasha suggested.

Steve blinked and turned to watch it land. “Steal the ship and crime our way back.” He agreed.

They hid in a nook of the citadel. Waiting till the aliens that had come looking for the stone passed them and entered the structure before making a break for the ship.

They closed the ship's entrance ramp and started pressing buttons like they’d seen Rocket do before. The ship powered on with a low roar.

Steve glanced over at her with an amused smile, “To being time criminals.”

“To time crimes!” She said with a smile and they took off.

Their friends were going to be so pissed.

Chapter Text

Steve had come back, but he’d come back wrong, Bucky mused as he watched Sam talk to the old man Bucky had instantly recognized as his friend.

When he’d noticed him, sitting on that bench, Dumbledore twinkle in his eye as he nodded and then gestured to Sam, he knew it was Steve.

He’d been hurt. His heart felt like it was caving in. But then Sam asked how dancing with Peggy had been and Steve smiled like a man reminiscing on a lost love.

And the world paused.

Steve never willingly danced with Peggy. Sure they pretended to date because the world was watching and being gay in the 40s was a crime punishable by death, but they were never an actual couple. But the love in Steve’s eyes. You couldn’t fake that. He loved Peggy Carter. It was clear as day. It was nauseating.

This wasn’t his Steve.

The twinkle in his eye and the reason Steve wanted Sam to approach made more sense now.

He could smell a Steve plot emanating from whatever universe his Steve was trapped in. For some reason, his dumbass didn't come back and had sent some other version of him back with the shield. So it could get passed on.

So the world would have a Captain America in his absence.

The smell of bullshit in the air was so thick he could practically choke on it.

He rolled his shoulders as the conversation between old man Steve and Sam wound down. The suspicious look he’d been wearing masked under hurt understanding.

Sam approached, shield in hand. He glanced at it for a moment and glanced back at Sam. Sam straightened, seeming to take his look at judgement perhaps? Poorly concealed betrayal? As if he had ever wanted that fucking thing?

He raised an eyebrow at Sam and the defensive look gave way to pity. He was going to punch Steve when his punk ass got back.

“He wants to talk to you.” He said quietly, as if talking to an animal that was five seconds from being spooked into running.

With great effort, he kept his eye from twitching, and nodded. Solemn. Hurt. Sad. Sam patted him on the back and walked back up the hill to where Banner was waiting.

After a moment's hesitation, just enough to seem reasonable. Real. He walked down to the bench and sat where Sam had been sitting moments ago.

“So, Peggy?” He quietly asked and couldn’t quite keep the disgust out of his voice.

Not-Steve huffed an amused laugh. “Your Steve had the same reaction. Disgust. You put it together I see?”

“Somewhat. What’s my idiot doing out there?”

That caused another chuckle. “Well, as all adventures go. Problems occurred.” Bucky raised an eyebrow and Not-Steve continued. “When returning the soul stone, Natasha, your assassin friend was brought back. Interesting that one. She’s dead in our world. Perished the year I was born.”

Bucky closed his eyes before looking out to the lake beyond. Those two fucking idiots.

He sighed, “They’re out there committing crimes aren’t they? They couldn’t come back or one would be left behind and they couldn't have that. Not that I blame them.” He sighed again, “God Dammit Steve…You can't do things simply can you?” He muttered into the open air.

The old man beside him laughed. “Well, you did leave all the stupid with him. Last time we were left to our own devices we let a German scientist experiment on us.”

He glared at the man, “Thanks for the reminder. Really needed that, you’ve instilled so much confidence in me.” The old man laughed, this version of Steve was definitely more jovial than his, more sane, and not nearly as unhinged. It irked him. He wanted his chaos gremlin back. “So, beyond giving the mantle over to Sam, what’s his play?”

Not-Steve smiled at him, Bucky felt his eye twitch. “Time crimes till they find their way back, both of them. They were very adamant about not leaving each other behind.”

Figures, when in doubt, both of their fall backs would be to commit crimes.

Not-Steve continued, “They figured that until they get back, someone needed to be Captain America and your Steve was very adamant about not burdening you with the mantle. He figured you’d get a kick from this too.”

And damn him, it was kinda funny. No, it was hilarious. Bucky was the only other person that knew the horrors their government would inflict upon the person that held the mantle of Captain America. And Steve just passed the torch to poor Sam Wilson. Poor Sam who had no idea of what he was getting himself into.

“You didn’t tell him, did you? You let him believe that you were our Steve.” Bucky said and watched as the gleam in Not-Steve’s eyes increased two-fold. He hummed a non-committal hum.

God if his Steve were here, he’d kiss him.

For now, Bucky nodded and looked back out across the lake. They sat in silence for a bit before both of them heard the faint noise of approaching footsteps. He let a mask of resigned pain fall over his face and he looked back to Not-Steve.

“It’s been an honor…punk.” He said, voice cracking.

Not-Steve nodded, eye’s misty, faint smile on his face. “See ya, Buck.”

He gave a pained, jerky nod and trotted back up the hill towards Sam. Hands in his pockets, eyes downcast, tears glimmering in his eyes.

Sam didn't say a word, he just watched him go with a pitying look of sorrow.

Fuck, he needed to find Clint. He needed a partner in this madness and he wasn’t stupid enough to keep Natasha’s survival from him.

No one needed another Ronan appearance from the man.

It took a bit to corner Barton. The revelation that Steve had come back as an old man had to come first and Bucky was going to throttle the next person that gave him a pitying look. God damn Steve and his god damn plots.

He better high tail his ass back to this timeline cause this was going to get old, fast.

It ended up being a good three and a half weeks before he could shake all his minders. Assuring everyone he was fine, or as fine as he could be, and he wasn’t going to do anything. He waited a good two hours after Sam left before sliding the laptop he’d stolen a week back out from under his mattress. He’d long since figured out they were tracking what he did with his phone and the other tech he’d been given.

It’s as if they forgot he was an assassin for seventy years. Brainwashed he might have been but stupid he was not.

Clint, rather predictably, was wasting away in misery in his apartment in New York. He’d apparently stayed with his relatives for a bit before they gave him the boot. Poor man. Fury apparently came to check up on him a few days ago and then left him be after that.

Well, no time like the present. He tucked his phone in his pocket, tried to ignore the itch that told him to toss the thing into the trash and get a new one, and set off for Clint’s place. He’d have to dig into the various bank accounts he'd opened across the world to get a new phone. Was it Hydra’s money? Yes. Did he care that he was still using it and not making his own? No. The VA gave him a rather large stipend, but he wasn't about to use that on anything other than the necessities. He really needed to get this government mandated therapist to give him the all clear so he could give his watchers the boot.

God, he should have stayed in Wakanda.

Clint lived in Brooklyn, so it didn’t take long to find him. He rapped on the door with his fist a few times before he heard shuffling. Clint opened the door, paused in surprise, before trying to shut it on his face. He stuck his foot in the door before he could get it closed and shoved it open, the force throwing Clint backwards, and closed the door behind him. Clint reached for the gun he had on his person.

“Relax, I’m unarmed. Just here to talk.” He said, raising his arms.

“Like hell I believe that!” Clint said, defensive posture not relaxing in the slightest.

Bucky shrugged, he had a fair point, and reached for the back of the recliner in Clint’s small living room, dumping the accumulating trash onto the floor before sitting down.

“What do you want?”

“Natasha's alive.” Bucky ripped the band aid off.

Clint dropped the gun he was holding. “You better not be fucking joking!” He whispered before quickly crossing the room, face contorting in rage, “YOU BETTER NOT BE FUCKING JOKING!”

“You think I would joke about something like this?” Bucky raised an eyebrow at him and Clint hesitantly let go of his shoulders, face softening into something raw and hurt.

“You're not joking. She’s alive?” He whispered, voice cracking.

“Alive, yes. Do I know where she is? No.” Bucky answered, already anticipating Clints next question.

“What do you mean you don't know where she is?!” Clint rounded on him again.

“Clint, her and Steve are stuck in a different timeline! I cant track people through time.”

Clint shook his head, “Wait! Wait wait wait- so Steve?”

“Not our Steve.” He confirmed.

Clint finally sat down on the couch. The poor thing wheezed.

“...So?”

“Our Steve sent a different version of himself back to give the shield to Sam.” Bucky explained, “Nat, for some reason, I am putting my bet on cosmic fuckery, didn’t have any Pym particles left to return with Steve. Steve wouldn’t leave without her.”

“Wait, so they’re…what? Stuck out there? How’d they get off Vormir? Steve wasn’t sent with a ship. He was sent with as many Pym particles as he’d need in that little vial.” Clint asked before appearing to come to his senses. “Jesus Christ, Natasha!”

“To be fair, Steve is the one that got elected to return the stones. We should’ve known shit was going to hit the fan.”

“Chaos magnets, the both of them.” Clint said, scrubbing his face as if he could try to stop his mind from imagining all the crimes they were committing.

“Wait, why didn’t you tell me this earlier?!” Clint asked, sounding hurt.

Bucky simply held up his government issued phone with a raised eyebrow.

“Okay, fair…” Clint said, looking at the phone in disdain. “Why haven’t you gotten rid of that?” He asked, pointing to the trash can where Bucky could see Clint’s own government issued tracking device.

Bucky held a finger up, “One, they issued me a therapist.” Clint scrunched his nose up in disgust. “Two, Sam is hovering over me like a worried parent. If I got rid of it he’d think somethings up.”

“Ewww, gross. Government minders.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” He rolled his eyes, “How’d you get around your minders?”

“Destroyed all the devices, told them they could go fuck themselves.” Clint shrugged, “Oh, I also told Matt Murdock.”

“The lawyer?”

“Daredevil.”

Bucky hummed in understanding, “I’m sure he took great glee in telling them they could go shove it.”

“He did. I could ask him for you?” Clint offered.

Bucky waved him off, “Nah, Steve kinda trapped me.”

“What?” Clint asked, confused.

“Clint, we are the only ones that know Natasha is alive.”

Clint’s eyes widened in realization, “ Wait! So the whole world thinks Steve returned the stones and then decided life with Peggy was too good to give up?”

“Yep.”

“Are they stupid?” Clint huffed a laugh, “Anyone with eyes could see Steve was head over heels for you? He literally told the government they could go fuck themselves and decided being a fugitive was better then giving you up!”

“Yeah well, apparently seventy years of propaganda is hard to shake. Steve is taking full advantage of it.”

“Wait so he told some alternate version of himself to go back, give Sam the shield, and make him the new Captain America. All the while, Natasha and our Steve are out in some alternate timeline, probably not the one they started in because let's be honest here, causing mayhem and chaos as they attempt to bulldoze their way back to our timeline. Do I have that right?” Clint looked incredibly stressed.

“Yes. That’s exactly what’s happening.”

Clint made a stressed out sound, “God, they are so going to get it when they get back.” He said before realizing something, “WAIT! OH GOD! That shit ass is expecting us to pull the wool over everyone’s head for who knows how long while they accumulate crimes like it's a competition! THOSE LITTLE SHITS!”

Clint slumped back into the couch with a groan.

Bucky let Clint despair for a moment before speaking again.

“So…you want to help?”

Clint looked offended he even asked, “Of fucking course! You're not duping the world without me, you’ll fuck things up!”

Bucky snorted as Clint continued, “Now get the hell out of my apartment and go act sad at yours. You have a new Captain America to fool.”

It was Bucky’s turn to groan in despair now. He should’ve just stayed in Wakanda.