Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N

Sorry about the editing. Also Bucky remembering everything at once is highly improbable and unlikely to happen.

BUT

I wrote this anyway.

This is also written in omniscient point of view.

Steve tried to keep both eyes open as he focused on trying to get Bucky to remember. He was aware of the pain on his face, but it was nothing compared to the pain of watching Bucky fall of that train. He could take it, for Bucky.

"I'm your friend," Steve whispered as the winter soldier's cold, metal fist collided with his face once more.

Bucky couldn't help but stop for a moment to observe the slowly shrinking captain. Literally shrinking…he was getting smaller by the minute.

He looked strangely like someone he had seen before, someone in a dream, or a memory. Someone he would always see before they shocked the sense out of his brain. Bucky could swear he heard the painful crackling sound of electricity the more he thought about this strange skinny kid.

Bucky's brow scrunched up as images of a small skinny looking kid getting beat up in alleyways passed through Bucky's head. The cracking grew louder; more painful. The word mission burned painfully in Bucky's mind as he prepared to slam his metal fist into the captain's face once more.

"You're my mission," Bucky said as his fist yet again collided with the Captains face, this time leaving Steve's right eye looking horribly like a swollen tomato.

More images of the small blond kid passed through Bucky's head, only this time they were accompanied by another taller, brunette haired boy helping the smaller boy to his feet.

"You don't have to keep helping me Buck," The smaller boy said as the brunette helped him to his feet.

"Yea I do, it's my mission to make sure you don't end up getting beaten to death by some idiot who thinks he's better than you," The brunette said as he slung an arm around the smaller guy's shoulders.

Bucky couldn't help but compare the smaller boy to the rapidly shrinking Steve. They had the same hair, same skinny looking frame and the tendency to never back down from a fight. Until now.

The other boy looked strangely like himself, not that he really knew what he looked like. He had gotten a quick glance at himself in the reflection of the cryo-tube before he was frozen in time for another few pushed the images aside and raised his fist for the final time; he knew Steve wouldn't be able to take another punch in the state he was in. This was his chance. He could finish it.

"Then finish it…." Steve mumbled, and Bucky briefly wondered if Steve could read minds, "Because I'm with you to the end of the line," Steve finished with a raspy breath as he continued to shrink.

Bucky's fist remained frozen in the air, his eyes growing wide, half in horror and half in surprise.

Bucky almost forgot to breathe as more memory of Steve, and himself filled his mind: Bucky stopping a bunch of schoolyard bullies from beating up Steve, Bucky trying to teach Steve to dance, Bucky comforting Steve at his mother's funeral, Bucky leaving for the 107 and Steve rescuing Bucky from Hydra.

He had been in the hands of Hydra before.

One clear message burned the brightest in Bucky's racing thoughts. He was the taller brunette haired kid, and Steve was the smaller kid. He knew him. He was Bucky.

"Bucky..." Steve mumbled as he eyed Bucky who was currently living up to his name as the winter soldier. Bucky was frozen in his current position, mouth slowly agape, as memory swirled inside his mind.

He remembered everything. Every last scrap of memory of himself and Steve passed through his mind. His life was literally flashing before his eyes. He was no longer the winter soldier; he was Bucky.

"Bucky I need you to move your hand or were going to fall off the-", Steve didn't get to finish as he was suddenly interrupted by a gut wrenching sob and a sudden weight on his chest. Bucky had collapsed into a sobbing mess on top of a barely conscious Steve.

"Bucky…" Steve whispered in concern as he struggled to win the fight over unconsciousness and the pain on chest. He was certain his ribs were going to crack under the weight. Strange.

"I remember, Steve," Bucky Sobbed as his grip on Steve's shoulder loosened sub-consciously as he sobbed.

"That's good Buck," Steve whispered before he suddenly fell to the same fate as his shield.

Bucky cried out as he watched Steve's body disappear into the murky water below. Tears clouded his eyes as he let go of the metal that was keeping him from falling. He hadn't even meant to grab onto it, years of programming can do that to a guy.

Without hesitating, he let go. As he fell, he tried not to think about what he had almost done. He was going to kill Steve, he even wanted to.

Disgusted with himself, Bucky set his mind to focus on looking for Steve; there was no way that Steve would be able to resurface now that he was his own skinny self again and not with that heavy suit on.

As soon as he collided with the cold water, he swam down, arms out, reaching for Steve. Bucky's eyes fought to close as they tried to see through the dirty water. He would find Steve; he would not fail his mission that he had promised all those years ago in a lonely alleyway on the streets of Brooklyn.

Then he saw him, sinking like a rock. Bucky would have sighed in relief if his lungs wouldn't fill with water.

Bucky reached out with his flesh arm, afraid the metal arm would crush the smaller body. Once his fist had a firm grip on Steve's skinny arm he swam upwards. Bucky couldn't see the sun through all the dirt in the water. He wasn't even sure he was swimming up. He was losing consciousness himself now. Bucky didn't care; he had to get Steve to safety.

Bucky's head resurfaced with a gasp, followed by Steve's unconscious head. Bucky wasted no time in pulling the limp body to dry…dry-ish land.

Bucky stared at the small body, now drenched in water, before falling to his knees in tears.

Steve was breathing, that Bucky knew.

"Steve, I'm so sorry," Bucky sobbed as he pulled the smaller body to his chest with his right arm, so afraid that the left one would indeed crush Steve. He couldn't believe that he had done all that. Killed all those people. Almost killing others, including Steve.

As Bucky sobbed, he tried to convince himself that it wasn't him that had done all that, it was the winter soldier, not him, maybe it was just a really bad dream that he was yet to wake up from.

"I failed you Steve, " Bucky cried as he sobbed into Steve's hair, rocking back in forth.

And that's how Sam and Natasha found them, Bucky holding Steve to his chest as he sobbed into his hair.

One week later…

Steve's eyes fluttered open before closing quickly from the blinding light the room around him."Oh god. Not again," Steve mumbled as he tried to focus his eyes on his surroundings. The walls were coated in American flags and hand-drawn pictures, Steve could make out some of the words like Get well soon, Thank you Captain America. There was even a teddy bear or two. But what caught his attention the most was the high tech looking stuff. He couldn't have been frozen in time again. There was no way he could get that lucky.

"Jarvis dim the lights would you," A familiar voice said from somewhere in the room.

"Right away sir" A British sounding voice answered from within the walls.

Once the lights dimmed Steve could tell who was in the room; Tony Stark, who was currently sitting in the chair across from Steve's bed, head down and fiddling with one of the flags. "So. I'm still in the same century?" Steve asked as his eyes took in the high tech stuff showing his vitals on screen.

"Yea, you didn't go capsical again, promise. "You've been out for a week though," Tony said as lifted his head for a brief moment to skim over his vitals.

"Why do I feel...smaller?" Steve asked quietly as he became more aware of himself and how little space he was taking up in the bed.

Steve watched as Tony stopped fiddling with the spangled flag and lifted his head to make eye contact with Steve.

"Well when you took down the S.H.I.E.L.D carriers," Tony started.

Steve could swear he saw a hint of sympathy in Tony's eyes as he continued to speak.

"The radiation that the carriers were giving off caused you to revert to your original size," Tony mumbled,staring at his feet.

"So, I'm small again?" Steve asked softly as he stared at his skinny arms.

"Yea cap, I'm sorry. you also have all your previous, ah, problems again, such as asthma," Tony mumbled, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Steve took a moment to take it all in.

"How did I get here?" Steve asked, trying to change the subject. "I thought I drowned, thought I would have drowned," Steve mumbled as he stared out the window as to confirm that it was in fact the same century.

"Your Winter Soldier buddy pulled you out and brought you here, with Natasha and Sam of course, who actually found you-" Tony didn't get to finish as he was suddenly interrupted.

"Bucky was here!?" Steve asked as he tried to push himself up off the bed.

"Whoa there Steve," Tony said as he sat Steve back down. "Yeah he was here. He hasn't left your side this whole week, until about an hour ago when I told him to get some rest."

"He was here all week?" Steve questioned, slightly concerned that Bucky had gone a week without sleep.

"Yea, kept mumbling things. Trying to get you to wake up I think, " Tony confirmed as he once again fiddled with the flag.

"Bucky said, he said he remembered everything," Steve mumbled.

"Yea he does…everything," Tony confirmed.

"Can I see-", Steve started, only to be interrupted by a rather tired looking Bucky bursting through the doors with wide eyes.

"You're not going to kiss or anything right?" Tony asked sarcastically as he looked between the two. "I really don't want to see-" Tony began, but Steve's glare was enough to silence him.

"I'll just leave you two to uh, talk then," Tony said as he slipped outside the star spangled room.

"Bucky," Steve whispered as he looked over to Bucky.

Bucky's hair was a mess; he was wearing a pair of blue jeans and some sort of black Sabbath t-shirt. Probably Tony's.

"Steve," Bucky mumbled as he stared at his feet.

"Bucky come sit down," Steve said as he gestured to the now empty chair next to his bed.

"Glad to see your better," Bucky mumbled as he went back to staring at his feet.

"Thanks. You don't look too great yourself," Steve said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"You look smaller, Bucky said as he tried to force a smile…

"Yea. I am. Tony said...he said that you said you remembered everything," Steve said softly.

Bucky suddenly looked like he was going to cry. "I'm so sorry Steve. I tried to kill you, and I wanted to. I actually wanted to. I could have killed you; now you're smaller, and oh god I tried to kill you. I failed you," Bucky said, breaking down in tears

"Oh Bucky, come here," Steve said as he pushed himself up and opened his skinny arms invitingly.

Buck made no sign of movement and just continued to shake. Steve frowned in concern before moving to place a gentle hand on Bucky's left shoulder.

"NO! No, don't touch me. I could hurt you. I don't know if the winter soldier is still in there. In my head, he could hurt you. I could hurt you… I don't even know if I can control this thing," Bucky cried as he gestured to his bionic arm.

"I don't care. I trust you. Just come here," Steve said softly as he lifted Bucky's chin so he was facing him.

Bucky's eyes were red and puffy from all the crying. Steve saw his eyes flicker away from him so he was avoiding eye contact. "Bucky, look at me," Steve said gently as he waited for Bucky to return the gaze. Bucky's eyes flickered back to Steve's after a few moments. "I trust you Bucky…and don't let anyone or anything tell you otherwise," Steve said firmly as he kept his eyes glued to Bucky's.

Bucky gave a small nod before slowly leaning forward so Steve could wrap his skinny arms around Bucky's still shaking body.

"You haven't failed me at all Bucky. In fact I'm proud of you if anything," Steve said as he rubbed Bucky's back soothingly.

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked as in a shaky voice.

"You remembered," Steve answered softly.

"Steve. I'm sorry about the super serum wearing off," Bucky mumbled.

"It's ok, it means you have to look out for me again. Just like old times," Steve whispered as he absentmindedly ran his fingers through Bucky's hair.

"Punk."

"Jerk."