The noise of the battle was silenced by a loud, pain-filled roar. Thor, Tony, Bruce, and Natasha, who had all been fighting together, stopped suddenly, recognizing their fearless leader somewhere in the terrible noise. Without a second thought, the four raced towards to noise, which had emanated somewhere from the vicinity of the square. The sight that met them was one that would forever be engrained in their minds.

Steve sat on the ground, cradling a broken and bloody Winter Soldier…no, that wasn't right. The person in Steve's arms had an open face and a smiling countenance. No, the man dying in the arms of Steve Rogers was his best friend, Bucky Barnes. A shell-shocked Clint walked towards Natasha, touching his forehead to hers and taking a deep breath. She pulled back after a moment, looking at him with a question in her eyes. He mouthed later, before taking a shuddering breath and turning back to the tragic scene in front of them. Steve had given up all semblance of stoicism and let his tears stream freely down his face. He looked up briefly at his team, long enough to let them know that he knew they were there, before turning his eyes back to the man in his arms. The team slowly surrounded the two, watching in sorrow as Steve gave a watery chuckle to something Bucky had said. When they were in his line of vision, Bucky asked Steve,

"So, who are these losers?"

Steven chuckled again, remembering times long past, before replying…

"Well, in their spare time they moonlight as a bunch of superheroes whose mission is to save the world. In reality? They're just a bunch of crazies."

Even hidden beneath the sorrow, everyone could hear the underlying affection. Bucky smiled gently at his friend before turning his face towards the rest of the team.

"You guys take care of him, ya hear? Never could stay out of trouble when left on his own. He's gonna take this hard, try to push down his feelings and refuse to deal with 'em. You have to make sure that he doesn't. You're his family now and family takes care of their own."

He had to pause for a minute just to rest, his breath coming in rough, ragged gasps. While he was gathering his remaining strength, he made eye contact with the rest of the Avengers, each of whom nodded solemnly to the young man, letting him know that they would take care of their Captain.

With his last vestiges of strength, Bucky looked up at Steve, smiling at the young man who had been through so much, who had shown him so much about what it meant to be a man, who had stood by him when he couldn't even remember who he was.

"You're something else, ya know that. Never could knock any sense into that thick head of yours."

Another watery chuckle met this remark. Steve opened his mouth to say something, but Bucky cut him off.

"We both know this is the end of the line for me. And, honestly, there's nowhere else I'd rather be at this moment and no one I'd rather be with. There are two things you need to know before I go, and I need you to remember them well. First, you are the best man I have ever known. You are honest, brave, and loyal to a fault. I am prouder than you will ever know to be the one you chose as brother. Finally, remember that you deserve to be happy. Open yourself up to this new family you've found yourself. They deserve to know the ridiculous goof you are in reality. You have so much to offer Steve, don't close yourself off. And…well…I suppose there's a third thing. I know we never were big into the mushy stuff, but there's something you need to know. I love you, brother."

Here, Bucky's breathing began to falter. Steve bowed his head close to his friend and said…

"I love you too, my brother. Always remember, I'm with ya 'til the end of the line."

Bucky smiled at that, before exhaling one final time.

The silence that had prevailed immediately following Bucky's final breath was shattered by a strangled sob. The team let that noise spurn them into action. They each fell to their knees, hugging or laying hands on their leader, letting him know that they were with him. Natasha and Clint ended up on either side of him, leaning against him, with their arms around his shoulders. Tony fell in behind him, wrapping his arms around Steve in an uncharacteristic hug. Bruce and Thor each rested a hand on him, providing comfort and support. Someone whispered,

"Let it out Steve."

With that simple encouragement, the floodgates burst. A hard, painful sob ripped out of their Captain, who crumpled into his teammates, clinging to the man in his arms. The team held their leader as he fell apart.