The advent of Steve's optimism started young,

Bucky noticed,

half because he wanted to

since there was no harm in positivity

and half because he had to

because sickly young men like him weren't regarded for much.

The advent of Steve's optimism was infectious,

Bucky noticed,

because it seemed so sincere in its

genuine, starry-eyed kindness;

once he starts with that grin of his,

bright like a flame and just as ruthless in its strength,

nothing can stop it.

The advent of Steve's optimism is selfish,

Bucky noticed,

centered solely around those whom he cared for

with the depth of the ocean:

intense and vast and guided by rules that seemed arbitrary.

Bucky has been the center of Steve's optimism

for as long as he can remember.

Ever since they were children,

Bucky knows that glorious feeling:

he knows he should bask in the warmth that's Steve

but Bucky's never sure how to deal with the attention;

as an adult thrown into the 21st century,

lacking coping mechanisms

but learning to let go

of the malevolence

of the brutality

is deeply entrenched in

repenting for the crimes he's committed

as The Winter Soldier: it's Steve's warmth that guides him.