stevebucky - hiraeth

3. Risky Solutions

Steve was alone again.

Okay.

He had gone to bed and woken up the next morning feeling even more empty than before. Also with the lingering feeling that something very bad was going to happen.

The vodka puddle had dried, leaving the stale scent of alcohol lingering in the air. And a nice round stain on his floor.

The pieces of the vase stayed in their same exact spots, and Steve ignored them as best he could, trying to repress whatever the fork had happened the night before.

He went into the kitchen, grabbing an apple and washing it off in the sink before he took a bite. He knew he was being dumb, hiding out in his own apartment. He thought it would be too obvious, and possibly delay the government so they wouldn't find him too fast, but it wasn't going to be safe forever.

Or maybe even for a few more hours. The feeling he had wasn't going away. 

He had a few more bites of the apple and picked up on something.

A muffled sound. 

Beeping.

Beeping faster. And faster.

GET OUT NOW-

Steve ran for it, shoving the window open. He made it halfway out before his apartment exploded, blowing him back. He could feel the heat burn his skin as he lost consciousness, falling the thirty feet to the ground. 

                                                                                  -

"How is he?" Tony asked. He and Rhodes were in the hospital, while Sharon was running around, taking care of things. 

"Good, for what happened. He's stable." Sharon said calmly.

"Who the fork BOMBED Cap's apartment? Who let that happen?" Tony was freaking out.

Sharon didn't answer. It had been a hasty decision that they didn't think through- Captain Rogers was dangerous, he always got away easily, and this seemed like the best solution at the time. It was a risky solution, but it was one.

"You could have killed him, Agent Carter." Rhodes said, trying to be the level-headed one.

"I'm aware. But we didn't."

"Is he at least awake?" Tony asked.

"No. We're keeping it that way until we transfer him to the Raft."

"You're seriously putting him in Atlantis Alcatraz?" 

"I don't know what you thought was going to happen when you agreed to let us find him, Mr. Stark. This doesn't change the fact that he violated the Sokovia Accords and the fact that he is a criminal."

"So what, you just let America's golden boy rot away in the ocean pokey?"

"If that's what it takes. And he's not really America's golden boy anymore."

"So what's the plan?" Tony muttered to Rhodes after Sharon went back to take a call.

"Tones." Rhodes shook his head.

"What?"

"There's no plan. We can't do anything."

"We can't just let them keep him in there until he dies, which probably won't happen. Ever." Tony rolled his eyes. "That guy is ancient. So we need to do something."

"Tony, you signed the Accords. You can't go against your own rules, because that's stupid. We just have to leave him alone and let them sort this out."

"Yeah, but is that really my thing?" Tony raised his eyebrows.

"No. So just try not to be yourself."

Sharon returned.

"Are we going to be able to see him at any point?" Tony asked loudly.

"No. And I'd suggest you leave." She turned and left without another word.

Tony threw his arms out. "This is just great. And she said we would be able to manage things after they found him."

"Remember what I told you about not trusting her?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Tony waved him off. "Wait." He swiveled, pointing in his friend's face. Rhodes smacked his hand down.

"What?"

"The emo guy, raccoon man. The one who almost killed him and then helped almost kill me."

"You mean Barnes? What about him?"

"They're like, dating, right?"

"No."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah. Keep with the times, buddy. Let's go."

                                                                                  -

"The Sokovia Accords continue to making rippling changes across the world as more superheroes are brought into the light, or prison."

James Barnes crouched at the back of an alley, a news report playing loudly from an open window 3 stories up.

"One source, although unconfirmed, says that the now vigilante Steve Rogers, more commonly known as Captain America, has been taken into government custody. While this is only a rumor, it has come from a mildly trustworthy source."

Steve. James stiffened. He had just seen him, was he already..? No. He couldn't be.

What was he going to do?