"Steve?"

The sound of Bucky's voice echoing across the living room normally wouldn't give Steve a start like it just did, but the tone of it was completely wrong. No, that wasn't the word he was going for. It wasn't wrong...it was familiar in a terrifying way. Terrifying and giving him almost a visceral reaction that he hadn't felt since the day he lost his grip and couldn't stop seeing his friend fall from the train. It was only the flash of a few seconds through his mind, but it was enough for Steve to drop his focus and turn it to the only one who mattered in this moment.

"Hey, Buck," he greeted, standing to meet his friend. "What's going on? I thought you were out with Sam today?"

"Steve? What the hell happened? Where are we? How did we get here? And...uh...I thought you were...s-smaller. Is that permanent?"

Steve took in a harsh, restrained breath that barely moved his chest, his muscles rigid in the frightening shock of revelation. They had gone through this conversation before, decades ago, on the day when Bucky first saw his transformation into Captain America. They were words that carried the harsh realization that the Bucky he knew today was gone. "Uh, yeah, Buck. It is. How about we go back to your room and talk about it, okay? We've got some catching up to do."

"Sure," he nodded, "I could go for a nap soon anyway. Your stories are always sure to knock me out." Bucky stretched his arms tall over his head, but he couldn't look away from Steve and the way their height was matched for what he believed to be the first time in as long as he knew the kid. "This is so weird. I don't know if I'm ever gonna get used to this. Did it hurt?"

"Yeah, a little, but I'm good now. Don't worry, you'll figure it out, bud. Come on." Steve took his arm and gently led him to turn back towards the elevator that would take them to the security of the living quarters upstairs. Having Bucky this close to an exit from the building only heightened Steve's worry that he might run. "Tell ya what, after you nap and when Sam gets home later, we can grab some lunch and get some fresh air. How does that sound?"

Bucky smiled contentedly, humming to himself at the idea of getting a little sun on his face after feeling cooped up in this building for too many days in a row. "Sounds great to me, pal. But I do have one more question."

"Shoot."

"Who the hell is Sam?"

~~~

Tony was at his wit's end, and he didn't have much for wits left to begin with. He had been working on a formula for days, barely sleeping or eating except for when Pepper happened to catch him, or when FRIDAY felt like being a little snitch. This was his pattern though, putting himself last when you needed to come first, or when the kids needed him, or even Steve no matter how infrequent that was. It was such a rarity, in fact, that he couldn't turn him away now when it was this important.

"This has to work," he mumbled under his breath, watching as FRIDAY analyzed his latest offering. "Come on, FRIDAY, tell me something good today." The seconds pounded in his head as he waited, each of them droning on and on like an eternity that existed within a mere minute of time. "Please, FRIDAY...just this one time."

"Boss," she finally spoke, "the odds are really slim, but this is the closest you've come to a reparative extraction for Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes. I believe that it's worth a go."

"Are you serious?"

There was a hesitant pause again, leaving a heavy silence around Tony that he could barely stand. If this really was it, and if this was going to save the two men that were so important to him and his family, then there was no time for patience.

"Yes, I am," she said. "But, boss, it this doesn't work, I can't foresee any other options in how you can make further changes to get the outcome you're wanting. This has to be where you stop. Your vital signs are considerably abnormal-"

"I'm good, FRIDAY, thanks." In a rush of both panic and excitement, he grabbed the vial of liquid from the analyzer and pushed it carefully into a box that would protect it. If this was the breakthrough, then it had to be protected with his life. Now all he had to do was to convince everyone that it was worth the try, despite the risks. If this didn't work, then Steve and Bucky were dead; it was as simple as that. Becca's bracelet could only stop further damage, but enough had been done that couldn't be stopped. The only shot he had was to find a way to get the Iridium out of their systems so that Shuri could replace the serum with the one she had perfected. Now all he had to do was to figure out a way to keep them alive through the process, and he thought that he knew exactly where to look.

"FRIDAY, do you have a location on (Y/N)?"

"No, she's not on the grounds, and she's refused to allow me to turn on her locator since she demanded we turn it off."

He stopped at the door and looked back into the lab as he tried to think of where you might have gone; he knew that Steve had asked you to stay there until more could be learned about what had happened to you, and it wasn't common for you to go against him if he was truly this concerned for you. "She's not? Where did she go?"

"From her last communications, I believe that she may be spending time with Wade Wilson."

"Of course she is," Tony sighed heavily, "makes sense. That guy just keeps turning up at the worst times."

"He's also someone that she can't injure with her powers if she becomes unable to control them. It may be best for you to call her back home as soon as possible if you're ready to test your work, boss. Sergeant Barnes is worsening and his memory is fading quickly. Captain Rogers is better at hiding his deterioration, but he no longer works in the gymnasium and is increasing his need for sleep two-fold."

"I'll call her right now. You get Shuri back here as quickly as she can move. If this goes to plan, we'll have a healthy family again by the end of the day."

"Yes, boss."

~~~

"Ant, there's no way that we can get a wedding put together by tomorrow," you chuckled dryly into the phone. "Why are you in such a desperate rush? Is it because of your dad? He's been stable and we have a little time to spare."

"Of course it's because of Dad."

"What's wrong?" Wade mouthed silently to you as you listened to your son continue on about his concerns. His common senses were tingling and he immediately felt the need to get you back home as soon as possible. Later you would argue that it was the look on your face and the sense of urgency in Ant's voice that carried into the air around you, but he would insist that he had a sixth sense as his fancy superpower. If Parker could play that game, so could he. "(Y/N)?"

A raised finger stopped him so that you could focus on what your son was trying to say. "Anthony, you don't have to do it like this. Your wedding shouldn't be a rushed event. It should be what you want it to be."

"I want my dad there, Mom. That's all I want. I can't stand up there and start this part of my life without him next to me. You can't change my mind. We've already talked to Okoye and she's preparing for our Wakandan ceremony next week. I'm not sure if Dad will be okay to travel for that one, but we understand if he can't. I just need him at this one."

"Well, then," you sighed, "I suppose I'll be home in about an hour. Just let me know what I need to do. Love you."

"Love you, too."

"Okay, so now that I'm allowed to speak...I'm allowed to speak, right?"

"Yes, Wade."

"When's the big day? We're taking the express route, I hear?"

"Um...yeah," you coughed under your breath, "he, uh...he's worried about Steve." Your voice began to crack in the telltale way of not lasting long, and the tears that began to sting your eyes wouldn't hold back. "He wants to have the wedding before he...before his dad can't..."

"Yeah, I know." Wade stepped up next to and put a cautious arm around you first, testing your reaction before you turned and curled into him, allowing the full embrace that you needed, and that he wanted to give. "It's gonna be okay, (Y/N). Things always work out for you guys."

"What do you mean, you know?"

"Now...don't get mad..."

Pushing out of his arms, you took a step back with the look of annoyance that hinged on anger that he knew all too well. You didn't scare him as much as you used to, however, but there was enough left over for him to take a step back. "I called and talked to Steve not long after you showed up."

"You did what?"

"I talked to Steve. About you. Well, about a few other things too, but mostly about you. He happened to mention that Ant was moving up the date so he was heading into the city to get the tuxes and wanted to be sure that I knew when to be there in the morning. You know that I'm habitually late."

"Really? I had no idea that you were in the lineup."

"Bitch, please," he huffed, waving you away, "I'm Uncle Goddamn Wade. I put the fun in dysfunction, and you know it ain't a party until I walk in."