Henry stole a car. Hot wired some old Volvo a few blocks away from the Shield building and the chaos. Basil watched him, half leaning against the hood as his legs were still wobbly if not mostly functional by now. Now that his adrenaline was dying down and the exhaustion from the panic was settling in, he realised that he wasn't all that surprised by Henry's background as secret service.  It explained the man's ptsd and insomnia. He'd has his suspicions that Henry was not all that he seemed but didn't really care. Phillip trusted him, so Basil would too. Now that he knew though, a lot of things made sense. How he was able to afford an apartment in the middle of London, even though they split the rent, on his book salary. Henry was an author but his books weren't best sellers. (Not yet anyway. Henry always swore that he would write a best seller one day).

"Hurry up", Basil complained, watching the streets around them. "I could do this in my sleep".

"Fuck off, it's been less than a minute", Henry swore back. The engine rumbled to life and he sat up in the driver's seat to flash him a grin. "Come on Baz. Get in". Basil pushed himself up and shuffled round to the back seat where he sprawled out with a sigh. "No seatbelt?" Henry arched an eyebrow at him in the mirror.

"I'm a doctor. I know the risks", Basil yawned and waved a hand. Henry, far used to his friend's weirdness, shrugged in a 'suit yourself' gesture before pulling out of the parking space and down the road.

"So", Basil spoke up twenty minutes later as they began to leave the city. "How did you follow us?"

"I had some old connections", Henry waved a hand. "Also I watched the news. Nice mess there. Did you have fun?"

"It was great fun. A king dressed like a cat tried to claw my face off".

"Really? Such an honour", Henry snorted. Basil chuckled quietly, eyes closed and body curled up to try and get as comfortable as possible across the back seats. Henry continues talking. "Saw the mess and thought I'd come and help. Really can't afford the apartment by myself".

"How nice of you", Basil commented dryly.

Henry's eyes flickered at him in the mirror. Blue eyes. Not the green that Phillip and Basil shared but close enough. "Also, as I said. Phillip wouldn't want you to die. You're technically my family, however distantly related. There's not many Charlton's or Parrish's left so we need to stick together".

Basil smiled and open his eyes to look at Henry's profile. The afternoon light waning into evening. "That is true. Thank you
Cousin". Henry flashed him a smile in the mirror. "Do you know where you're going?" Basil changed the subject.

"Yep, your buddy Sam handed me this just before he helped Steve pull your boyfriend out of a lake". Henry pulled a small back phone from his pocket then rolled the window down and tossed it out. The phone went sailing through the air behind them and clattered across the concrete only to be crushed by the wheel of another car. Henry rolled the window back up.

"What were Steve and Bucky doing in a lake?" Basil sighed, closing his eyes again. Henry caught him up on the fight that had happened while Basil was paralysed. The winter soldier escaping, the doctor getting away. Basil groaned at the recount of Steve stopping a helicopter with brute strength. "I swear I am going to tie that man up with bubble wrap", he huffed. "How the bloody fuck does he get into these situations?"

"Maybe he learnt it from you?" Henry offered. Basil actually sat up and scowled at him.

"Not cool Charlton. Not cool. He was crazy impulsive way before he met me. I just helped push him along a little". Basil stopped to swing his legs round and phase through the back of the front seat and into the empty space. He leaned back and kicked his feet up on ther dashboard. Henry paying him no mind, far to used to Basil using his abilities. (He had spoked, jumping very time Basil walked unexpectedly through a wall, door, or came rising from the floor for the first six months of living with him. After two years as housemates, he was used to it by now and the swearing had dulled down to being the general daily expletives rather than ones that tended to turn the air blue with their potency).

Outside the daylight was growing weaker. The exhaustion of the day hung heavily on Basil's limbs now that the adrenaline and paralytic had worn off. He sunk into the rigid car seat and gazed quietly out of the glass, watching the lights on the cars passing by begin to switch on. It was as the paintings of sunset began to colour the sky, he spoke up. "So how far did they get?"

Charlton, who had been driving for a couple of hours now but still looked as put together as he had when he started, shrugged. "The location they told me is another half an hour away. I think they will meet us there. I don't know your friends that well".

Basil hummed, trying not to fall asleep. "I'll have a few words with Steve and Sam. Bloody ditching me. Fucking ratbags. Ditching their doctor, mad arseholes". He shook his head and sighed. Henry chuckling at his murmurings.

"Let's hope that when we get there, your ex is himself and not the winter soldier. I don't want to be on the wrong side of that metal arm".

Basil sighed deeply at the reminder. He wasn't sure if his scattered and drained emotions could handle another shock. Wether the shock good or bad. For once, he didn't know if he actually wanted to see Bucky. Seeing recognition in his eyes and know that it could be ripped away again, or seeing the dead eyes of the Soldier. "I'd like to be on that metal arm", is what he said instead. Trademark humour and absolutely shameless mouth covering up the turmoil in his head. He grinned and wriggled his eyebrows at Henry. "Would make a good choker. Pretty silver. Or maybe it could grip something else". The ginger burst out laughing.

"Keep your kinks in your pants", he snorted, taking one hand off the wheel to push Basil's head into the glass window. His forehead hit the cold glass with a soft thump and Basil let the condensation drip onto his nose. Henry still giggling as he put his hand back on the wheel.

"You're just as kinky as me", Basil retorted, slightly muffled as he was facing in a different direction.

"Yeah but I don't scream about it".

"Liar. I've heard your hook ups. You're a screamer".

"Look who's talking. The last time you had someone round the moaning was audible from the kitchen".

Basil took his head from the glass and whipped around to him with a glass. "But I don't get noise complaints from neighbours!" He pointed at him sharply. Beads of condensation on his forehead.

Henry flushed a brilliant pink. "Fuck off! That was one time!"

"One time at our flat", Basil sniggered. "How many times has it happened when you went to back to your partner's instead?" Henry slouched in his seat with a defeated grumble.

"Why do I bother?" He scowled. The car veered off the main roads and down a small gravel track.

"Yeah. I wonder that too".

"Oh fuck off", Henry poked at him but missed since he was watching the road. Basil slapped the hand away.

"Get your ginger hands off me. Foul demon".

"I want your soul", Henry hissed back in his best demon impression. (A reference to a inside joke about gingers having no souls.)

Basil stuck his tongue out at him. "Well mine is rather black and disgusting and probably not worth much".

The car pulled up and came to a rumbling stop in a group of abandoned warehouses. The gravel and steel hunting at old factories long abandoned. As the engine cut off, a there was a movement in a window. "Your soul would probably give me food poisoning", Henry remarked as he got out of the car. Basil simply stood up and phased through the metal. Just after he stood up, a metal door opened and a face stuck it's head out. "Though him," Henry remarked as Sam stepped fully into sight. "I might want his soul. It looks tasty".

"Keep that in your pants you freaky ginger", Basil elbowed him. Henry elbowed him right back, catching him just between the ribs. "Ow!"

"Big baby".

"Basil!" Sam's voice interrupted Basil's plan of kicking Henry in the shins. Instead he turned to his friend. Sam was still wearing the same clothes he was earlier in the day and he grinned as he approached. "Sorry we had to leave you. I went after the doctor but I lost him", he shook his head with a sigh. "Steve and your ex are inside".

"Stop referring to him as my ex!" Basil huffed. "Bucky has a name".

Sam shrugged. "All I've heard about the guy for the last three years is your wild romance, or Steve's childhood stories. I know shit about that guy I don't want to know about anyone, which I blame on your fantasies. So I'll use his name when I can look the guy in the eye and not flash back to whatever freaky thing you have said". He finished his rant by throwing his hands up and scowling at Basil.

"Tell me about it", Henry rolled his eyes. "Imagine living with the bugger. I quite honestly want to duck tape his mouth closed sometimes. But that doesn't work so I resort to toffees".

"That's why you always buy me toffees on movie nights!" Basil mock gasped. He put a hand over his heart. "Ouch. Does our friendship mean anything Henry?"

The red head smiled at him fondly and rolled his eyes before turning back to Sam. "Henry. Henry Charlton. Nice to meet you".

Sam shook it with a smile. "Sam Wilson. We didn't exactly get to introduce ourselves earlier. You've got a nice punch by the way".

"You punched him?" Basil raised an eyebrow.

Henry grinned sheepishly. "He thought I was an enemy".

"Until he told me the full name of your cat", Sam chuckled, letting go of Henry's hand. "Then I knew he was on our side. What are you anyway?"

"I'm an author", Henry beamed. Basil rolled his eyes at the charm radiating from his housemate. "But also retired British secret service".

Sam's eyebrows rose. "Really? How'd you end up with this mad medic?"  They all began walking towards the door Sam had left earlier.

"Technically he's my cousin", Basil spoke up.

Henry nodded. "My parents were cousins to Basil and his brother". Sam looked between them. Henry with his ginger straight floppy hair, pale white skin and bright blue eyes . Basil with his golden toned tan and his deep green eyes paired with dark brown curls. Also, Henry was a good inch or two above Basil. Not hugely tall but lean and more visibly muscular that Basil was. In all, they didn't look related at all.

"He's from my dad's side. He was a ginger Englishman too", Basil reminded.

"Ah I forgot", Sam chuckled. He pushed the metal door open and gestured with an arm for them to go first. Henry paused and the two men looked at Basil. He took a deep breath, anxiety bubbling in his stomach and stepped inside. Behind the door was a short corridor with walls of metal sheets and solid stone floor. Basil's boots echoed loudly as he walked down towards the closed door at the end. Behind him, he could hear Henry and Sam. The two men silent as they let him go first.

Basil put his hand on the cold surface of the door and took a breath. When he pushed it open the hinges squeaked loudly. The room inside was cluttered with broken and rusted machinery and metal scraps. Naked light bulbs suspended from the ceiling above gave off a gloomy sort of glow. Steve was seated on a dust crate. The blonde facing the figure sat on the stone floor. But as the hinges squeaked, they turned. Bucky Barnes was still in the same clothes as earlier. He looked up in the dim and flicked his hair from his face. Both men were damp and vaguely bedraggled, so Basil guessed that the lake thing was true. "You bugger", he glared at Steve first. "You bloody ditched me you star spangled twat. You fucking owe me for that".

At the anger in his voice, actual anger and frustration, Steve sat up and held out his hands placatingly. "Basil".

"Don't give me that", Basil stormed over towards them, passing through the scrap in a direct line. "Really Steve? Really?? You owe me a hour of fucking target practise for that stunt. This is worse than the jumping out of a plane without a freaking parachute. Worse than the jumping from the seventh story with only your shield to cushion your fall". He gesticulated wildly as he chewed Steve out. Bucky watching from his seat with wide eyes as he listened. Slowly, ever so slowly, this corners of his lips twitched and began to tug up softly.

"Basil! There was so much going on! And we couldn't go back. We knew you'd get out"-

"Of course I'd get out. No one can freaking hold me. But that's not the important part Steve. It's the principle of the thing! You don't leave a man behind!" Steve's body hunched as he began to sulk. Basil's tirade lessening as he paused for air. He leaned back and stuck a hand on his hip as he pushed his curls out of his face. It was only then, the rant having calmed him down somewhat, that he turned to Bucky.

To his surprise, Bucky was smiling at him. Blue eyes slightly crinkled and expression soft and fond. The smile was not as big as it used to be, not a full and now heavily weighed down and cracked. But it was a smile. A smile at him. Eyes that recognised him. Basil felt his breath catch them he was smiling softly back. His own smile just as cracked and damaged. Bucky pushed himself up with his metal arm and he was still taller than Basil. The long hair hanging around his neck. "Hi Parrish", his voice was horse and he coughed slightly.

Basil felt his shoulders sag but his smile didn't lessen. "Hi Sarge". On his chest, his dog tags felt warm.

Unedited

Miss me?
Bit more of Henry/Basil friendship. Also Bucky. Yay!