Saw TWS for the millionth time and decided it was finally time I started putting some ideas into words.

This was written as a long one-shot, but I've divided it into small chapters to make it more readable. Length may vary depending on the reception, but the general storyline is already done, so you won't have to wait a lot for each chapter.

Rating is for future chapters.


It takes them seven decades to meet again at last.

But when they finally do, the momentary hopeful bliss quickly turns into a sharp pain.

"Who the hell is Bucky?"

And Steve's world crashes down once again.

But then the man who isn't Bucky drags him out of the river, and how can he not have faith?


It takes Steve seven months to find Bucky.

Not that "find" is exactly the right word. He found his track almost as soon as they let him out of the hospital, but Bucky had always remained at a constant distance ahead of him, no matter how fast Steve moved. So from almost the start of his chase, he has at all times had a more or less precise idea of where Bucky has been, but so far that knowledge hasn't brought him any closer to the man.

Until now.

James Barnes has been dragging him all around Europe, and Steve now finds himself in an area of narrow streets and small squares in Madrid. He gets off his bike, scanning the surrounding pub terraces, alleys and dark corners. He knows he's close – Tony has given him a couple gadgets to aid him with his search, and even if he does not fully understand how they work (something about hacking a satellite and stuff), he understands enough to know he owes Stark a big one. Just as he starts considering checking pub by pub, he sees a strong figure with dark, long hair and a long-sleeved black T-Shirt walking out of a bar and into an alley, and his pulse races.

At some point he was probably aware of the need to approach the man carefully, to avoid making him want to run away from him, but he longs to see his friend and all rational thoughts are forgotten as he chases after him.

Expectedly, as soon as he turns the corner an arm is pushing him against the wall, though not as forcefully as Steve knows he's capable of. The man grabs onto the front of his shirt and speaks with low, menacing grunts.

"Qué coño quieres? Si buscas dinero, te has equivocado" he says in Spanish, and only then Steve notices he's still wearing his helmet, and that Bucky has probably mistaken him for a drunkard, a thug, or something.

He takes the fact that Bucky adjusted his strength when smashing him against the wall, thinking he was just a normal human and not wanting to really hurt him, as a good sign.

"Easy, Sergeant. It's me", and as the man pulls back in surprise he takes his helmet off. Bucky glares at him when he recognizes him.

"You! Why are you here?"

"I've been following you. I wanted t–"

"You've been following me!?" he growls.

"Well, yeah!" he lets out a sarcastic snort, as if it was the most stupid question in the world. "What did you expect me to do, let you disappear again?"

"Leave me the fuck alone" he snaps as he turns around to leave.

"Buck, wait!" He reaches out for him, but the man suddenly grabs his wrist, harshly this time, not holding himself back, and Steve winces.

"Do not call me that."

Steve slowly raises his free hand in an attempt to show submission. This is not going well.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Look, I just need to talk to you for a bit, please. In fact, I'll do most of the talking; I just want you to listen."

The man does not answer, and for a moment Steve could've sworn his eyes showed hesitation. He tries pushing it a bit further.

"Please, I know it must've been hard for you but –"

"Don't patronize me."

"I'm– I'm not…" he sighs. Scratch that from earlier, this is going really bad. "Really, that wasn't my intention. I do not intend to cause you trouble either. Let me just show you something at least, and then I swear I won't bother you anymore."

A few moments pass and none of them make a sound, but then, reluctantly, the dark haired man lets go of his wrist, and Steve has to hold back the impulse to rub it to soothe the pain, because feeling guilty is the last thing Bucky needs right now.

"Show me what?" he asks cautiously.

Smiling so brightly it makes the man uncomfortable, the blond takes a big folder out of his satchel and hands it to him.

"These are some files that belonged to Hydra. One is yours. I…I want you to take a look at them, please. Read them. I think you might find them… helpful? Informative, at least. And this" he adds as he hands him a small box "is a cell phone. The charger is inside too. It has my number on it, and the address to the place I'm renting here. Come, or call me at whatever time you want."

The man wavers, but ends up taking everything Steve is handing him. Then he just nods and turns to leave, because the blond is still smiling at him, and for some reason he can't take it.


This one was just an intro but I hope it was ok, since English is not my first language.
Let me know what you think! (:

- V7