Chapter 1 :: You're Supposed to be Dead ::
Bucky's arm quickly shot up, grabbing the Soldier's hand and holding it in place, the knife freezing inches from his face. They froze like that for a second, Bucky staring at the Soldier's dark goggles, unable to see what he looked like except for the shaggy blonde hair that border lines greasy.
After a second though the Soldier kicked out his legs, catching Bucky off guard as he flew backward, landing against a car. It gave the Soldier enough time to draw a gun, barrel pointed at Bucky. He was ready, ready to hear the shot and then pain and then nothing but it never came. When he looked up at the Soldier Sam was there, his knuckles bleeding as the Soldier's goggles were now broken.
Bucky quickly jumped up, quickly coming to stand besides Sam, grabbing his shield as he stood next to the man, ready for the Soldier's next move. He watched as the Soldier ripped off his goggles and his mask fell with it, revealing his whole face. Bucky gasped.
He'd know that face anywhere, by the eyes alone. His electric blue eyes that hadn't dulled a shade, that still popped like the sky. "Steve?" he said, in taking a breath and holding it. He didn't need confirmation though, he'd know the man anywhere. He hadn't changed a bit, except for the metal arm of course. Other than that he looked the same as the night he'd fallen. He looked the same as the night Bucky had thought he had died.
"Bucky!" Steve yelled, dropping his shield as he raced to the hole in the train. The wind whistled all around them, blasting against Bucky's face as they hurtled down the tracks. All around him snow swirled and he helplessly tried to claw his way back onto the train, but his grip was already failing. His hand was slipping from the metal rod.
"Bucky hold on!" Steve pleaded, climbing across the piece of train as he reached for Bucky. He stretched his arm as far as he could, his hand outstretched for Bucky to grab. He was so close to being safe once more, being able to continue living with Steve and watching in happiness as he and Peggy got married. Grow old together.
It was never to happen though, for a reason Bucky could have never imagined.
As he felt his hands fall from the pole a scream escaped his throat but suddenly he was laying on the train, solid ground beneath him as he quickly jumped back up, no visible injuries. The worst injury was yet to come though, and it was the worst kind of all. One that nobody would be able to see.
As he looked back over the edge of the train though another scream escaped his throat, this one raw and cold. "STEVE!" he yelled, clutching the rail as he leaned out into the blizzard.
He only watched, helpless as the man fell. He watched as his coat flapped around him and his helmet fell off, revealing his blonde hair. As he fell he caught one more glance, one more look of those electric blue eyes before he was gone. He couldn't hear anything but he knew nobody could survive that fall, Steve was dead.
Even as he thought it he refused to except it, he pushed the thought away as he sobbed. "Steve!" he yelled again, already inching out the train to try and save him. Hands grabbed him from behind though, pulling him back in.
"What the hell are you doing Barnes? Where's the Captain?" Gabe asked, throwing him against the wall to make sure he didn't try and get out again.
Bucky only sobbed in response, not having the strength to form words. Gabe gave him a confused frown before looking at the shield that was on the ground then looking out the hole in the side of the train, his eyes finally coming once more to rest on the sobbing Bucky.
His eyes widened in disbelief and shock before he pressed a shaky finger to his walkie talkie. "Man down." he said gravely into the speaker, not really believing what was obvious. "The captain is dead." he said, his voice wavering slightly.
It only earned him another hard sob that tore its way out of Bucky's throat like a caged animal.
"Who the hell is Steve?" the Soldier asked in response, giving him a confused glance before Natasha came up behind them, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of Soldier unmasked, his identity out in the open.
Bucky never had the time to respond though, couldn't think of the words, before they were surrounded. Multiple guns pointed at them. "Drop the shield!" Rumlow yelled at Bucky.
Bucky only nodded and dropped it, the shield clattering to the ground as he fell to his knees, Natasha and Sam doing the same besides him.
Bucky couldn't process what was happening, what they were doing, where they were doing. That had been Steve standing there, feet from him. His electric blue eyes open and alive, but robbed of all emotion and memory.
He had thought all wounds healed over time, he'd been wrong though. When Steve had died Bucky had suffered a wound that had only shrunk over time, never faded. When he'd crashed that plane into the arctic snow he'd thought he'd finally see Steve again. Here he stood though.
The wound had been reopened. The sight Steve, his Stevie, standing there. Gun in hand as he glared at them coldly, unaware who he was. Unaware that he wasn't supposed to be like this. He wasn't supposed to be the cold thing he was. It hurt more than when Bucky had watched Steve fall from the train.
He almost wished Steve had stayed dead. Almost.
"You know me." Bucky told him, standing feet from him. He stood tall and proud, just as Steve had done once upon a time. His feet firmly planted on the ground as his shield hung limply at his side.
"NO I DON"T!" Steve all but yelled at him, his metal fist swinging forward. Bucky barely had time to register a silver blur before he was stumbling backwards, his hand on his cheek as he felt the sticky blood. He didn't falter though, he couldn't hurt Steve.
"Your name is Steven Grant Rogers." Bucky told him, his eyes pleading with Steve. Pleading with him to remember something. Anything that would snap him out of this.
"SHUT UP!" Steve told him, punching him again, this time harder. As his metal fist connected with Bucky's eye he could practically feel the bruise forming. Could already envision the purple and black covering his eye as he stumbled back one last time.
"I'm not gonna fight you Steve. You're my friend." Bucky told him, his hand coming loose of his shield. He heard the shield clatter before falling through the hole and falling into the water far below. His eyes never left Steve's face though. Never left those blue eyes that Bucky had loved for years.
Steve's eyes watched the shield fall before they locked onto Bucky's brown ones. Bucky thought that, for a moment, he saw a flicker of confusion cross his face before his eyes hardened once more the flash of normality was gone. "You're my mission." Steve told him simply.
He closed the distance between them easily and punched Bucky again. This time instead of stumbling backwards though Bucky fell to the ground his head clanging on the bottom of the plane as Steve was on top of him in an instant.
"Your. My. Mission." Steve repeated, each word lining up with a punch that was delivered to Bucky's face. He went on like that until Bucky could feel the blood dripping away, yet his gaze never falter. If he had to die, at least he could see those clear blue eyes one more time.
"Then finish it." Bucky told him, giving up entirely as he went limp in Steve's grasp. "'Cuz I'm with, 'til the end of the line." he said, throwing his own words back at him. After all those years they had never rang so true as right now.
The words seemed to have triggered something in Steve's face and as his metal fist was pulled back Bucky could suddenly see the horror in his face. As Steve fully grasped what he'd done, what he was about to do to his best friend. The words must have brought back something in Steve's mind.
A face. Not a face, but his face.
His chocolate brown eyes and sleek brown hair.
His hand was on Winter's shoulder, grasping it tightly as he spoke. "I'm with you 'til the end of the line pal." the man told Winter, his tone sincere.
The words were a promise.
Winter trusted the man with all his heart, even though he couldn't even remember his name.
Just as quickly as the memory came it went, the Soldier's mind barely had time to register the memory before the plane exploded around him and Bucky fell from his grasp, falling to the water far below. The Soldier followed him a few moments afterwards but unlike Bucky he was fully conscious.
Bucky hit the water first and sank to the bottom quickly, the sunlight fading before it all gave way to darkness. Bucky couldn't breathe, all he could inhale was water. As he fought for air he was sure he was dead until he took a huge breath of oxygen.
He could faintly make out a large shape dragging him onto the sand and could only watch in confusion as the shape walked away, not glancing back as he left Bucky on the sand.
When Bucky awake he was laying in a hospital bed, a tube up his nostrils like he was dying or some shit. He glanced to the side and saw Sam sitting there, playing games on his phone.
"On your left ya bastard." he muttered. Sam glanced up at Bucky and smiled, glad to see he was alright. Bucky's eyes were already closing though and as he faded into the darkness again all he could see was Steve.
Steve standing over him, his metal arm pulled back as he prepared to punch Bucky one last time.
Steve standing over him as he gazed at him, concerned. He helped Bucky off the table and he was overcome with awe again, awe at what Steve had become.
Steve was falling underneath him, his frame becoming smaller and smaller as the snow covered his body and he fell to his 'death.'
Steve was standing below him. It was Bucky who gazed down at him in concern as he showed him his papers, showing he was being shipped out tomorrow.
He was sitting away from Steve. Him on the couch while the smaller blonde sat in their window, drawing in his sketchbook absentmindedly. His hands were stained with charcoal and Bucky watched in amusement as his tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth like it always did when he was concentrating.
Finally he was standing under Steve once again, smiling up at him. His Stevie. "Hey!" he yelled above the noise, not tearing his eyes away from the other man. "Let's hear it for Captain America!" he shouted, giving Steve a smile before it all turned to black.
The Soldier watched as men bustled around him, preparing the equipment for whatever was to come. As they walked around him they spoke words but the Soldier couldn't register what they were saying. As long as it wasn't directed at him though it didn't matter.
He was distracted, not paying attention when he finally spoke up. "Who was the man on that bridge?" Instead of an answer he got questioning gazes and he noticed that Pierce was standing there, he must have been too distracted to notice him enter. "I knew him."
Pierce was the first one to speak up, "Wipe him. Start over." he told the guards, who nodded at the command and started up the machines.
"But I knew him." the Soldier said as they pushed him back in the chair, strapping his arms down with leather bounds. As they put the mouth guard in him only one thought was running through his head.
He knew that man. He didn't know how but he did.
When the pain came he screamed into the mouth guard. Soon though the memory was soon forgotten.
The man with the chocolate brown eyes was lost once again to nothing.
Yay! Chapter 1. Woo
So thanks for reading the first chapter of my story and feedback is greatly appreciated, whether it's positive or negative.
Feel free to tell me your suggestions and such, no idea is a bad one.
This chapter was mostly set up and re-writing the whole story line with Steve as the Winter Soldier but the next chapters will be a little more original I promise.
I hope to update 3 times a week, maybe more depending on how I'm feeling.
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