Sunrise in Brooklyn

All characters belong to Marvel Comics

I own nothing.

"Stay away from me," Bucky growls out a feral warning, his steel-blue eyes dark and intimating. He withdraws a step back; his metal fingers curl into a fist. "I'm dangerous." he shutters out, his lungs exhausted.

They stand on the cracked pavement of a desolate street in Brooklyn, fighting to break eye contact; and Steve refuses to walk away.

"I'm not losing you again, Bucky." he replies, his voice strained—memories of the train and river of ice emerge from the deep recesses of his mind. He steps tentatively closer, removing large hands out of the pockets of his leather jacket—trying to assure his best friend that he means no harm. "I'm not going to let you go… You're my friend."

Bucky shakes his head, baring his teeth like a rabid animal, he latches his intense gaze—meets Steve's gentle, firm blue eyes. "No," he snarled, full lips curve into a fierce scowl. "I'M NOT!" his deep voice lashes over Steve's smooth, chiseled features like ice. "Stop calling me… Bucky. I'm not him.." he narrows his head down, lips tremble as distress shrouds over his youthful face. "I'm not him."

Steve feels his strong heart pounding—it becomes a vice grip inside his chest. He advances closer, keeping his distance—only a few paces away from the rogue Hydra assassin —he has no intention of making his friend feel like a corner animal. "Bucky," he begins, his turquoise blue eyes dazzle as tiny crescents of dawn reflect inside the firm depth of his forbearing stare. "This isn't you… I know the real Bucky Barnes… He never gives up the fight even when the bullies had him on the ropes.." He swallows, narrowing his eyes to the cracks in the cement. "You always found a way to break free."

Bucky's chin slightly goes down, his lips fasten into a firm line, "Why—what is it that you want from me?" He clenched his jaw, a sudden cast of grief masks over his face. His voice is gruff and timid. Steve wonders how much torture Hydra made him endure.

"I don't want anything from you," Steve replies, taking a step forward. "I came here to save you… It's something I should have done seventy years ago… When we were hanging on the edge of Zola's train."

"I don't remember," Bucky lashes, his blue eyes shadowed with torrent darkness. He steps back, afraid and his soul aches for freedom. "I don't have a life—I'm a soldier. I'm Hydra."

"No, Buck," Steve closes the distance between them, he inhales the vague scent of dried blood reeking from Bucky's wounded arm—there's several shards of glass lodged in the bruised flesh. He looks hard, at the face of his friend—he looks around the age of twenty-seven—a light stubble covers his ashen jaw—dark circles shadow under his temperate metallic blue eyes and dark chestnut hair is matted and draping over his face.

His eyes, the same gentle and bright blue gemstones women loved are filled with gloom and confusion. There's still a glimmer of Bucky Barnes trapped in the hardened and lethal stare of the Winter Soldier—a lit ember still exists under the layers of scars, smears of blood and broken bones. Steve reaches out a hand with caution. "You're a kid from Brooklyn, a wing man and a Howling Commando."

Bucky tears his haunted eyes away, he loses his balance and crashes to his knees. A few drops of blood stain the sidewalk as he cradles his arm over his bruised waist. Steve crouches down, he's at the same level —his eyes tender and assuring. He clenches his teeth, anguish pours out of his body as a fist instinctively raises to Steve's jaw. "Stay back… I don't want to hurt you." He hisses, his dark locks fall into his pleading, puppy-dog eyes. "Please go away…"

"No," Steve places his hand firmly on Bucky's shoulder, muscles coil and flinch. "I'm staying with you, pal."

"Don't touch me!" Bucky grits with coldness in his voice, raking Steve's hand off with his metal fingers. He manages to crawl to the nearest wall, leaning his trembling frame against the brick, he pants out heavy intakes of breath. His eyes well with growing fear. He tucks his knees close to his chest and hides his face in the crook of his arm—he whimpers almost like a wounded, stray kitten meowing in the rain—all he sees is the red rain, it falls over him —condemning and torturing him.

Steve feels his own eyes fill with tears—a knife pierces his heart as he stares at his lifelong friend's pain escape from a pair of distant blue eyes. "It's okay, Buck." He weakly says, a faint smile graces over his lips. "I'm not leaving you."

"I don't want to hurt you," Bucky's voice is a scarce whisper—almost childlike, Steve slowly brushes the tears off his frozen, ruddy cheeks with a gentle caress. "I don't want to see you in pain.. Not again."

"Buck," A broad smile breaks over Steve's face, he ignores Bucky's harden stare of malice. "I can easily heal." He shoots back, his eyes settled on Bucky's broken arm. "And so can you, my friend."

Bucky's blue eyes become soft against the morning light, he lifts his hand to the amber rays, he just stares at his reminder of an inhumane past that make his soul become as cold and dangerous as the gleaming metal attached to his flesh. He lowers his hand and looks at Steve with a pensive gaze. "I know your face… I've seen it before. Why do I know feel like we were once close?" His voice raw, tortured and guarded. He reaches out a hand and touches the Steve's shoulder, the same grip he did when they were boys.

Steve feels breath drain from his lungs, he clasps Bucky's arm with a tight squeeze of his hand. "We're best friends, Buck. We're brothers until the end." He reminds frozen, he feels a sense of warmth enter him as the coldness of remorse melts away. "I believe in you… I will never stop fighting until you remember who you are, James Barnes."

He lowers his head, glancing on the spatters of blood —it drips from Bucky's mouth—the dark haired, young man snaps his eyes up to meet Steve's resilient cobalt orbs half way. "I want to remember," he sobs desperately, his dazed blue eyes hollow with uncertainty. He quirks the edges of his mouth into a sulk and lowers his face down. "I want to know you."

"You will know me, again." Steve pats his leather armored knee gently but firmly. "You need to believe in me and trust that I will always have your back in the crossfire we'll face together."

Bucky mashes his teeth into his lip, his body shakes as he slowly slips into a fever. He coughs out more blood and looks up at Steve, "I never had someone as my partner on a mission before… I used to fighting alone."

Steve smiles, a soft melody of relief echoes in his soul. He straightens to his feet and extends out a hand. "You see, Buck.. You don't have to fight alone," He wipes a smudge of blood off his head. "Because I'm with you until the end of the line, pal."

Bucky's eyes widened with recollection, his heavy, chiseled jaw suddenly drops, "I remember those words…"

He paused and blinks a dozen at times until he looks with an intent stare and meets the blue eyes of Steve Rogers.

Bucky lifts up a shaky hand and touched Steve's face almost like a blind man would do as he allows all emotion to control the movement of his fingers.

"Punk.." he fights against the clogs of Hydra's control and looks at the first Avenger with dazzling blue eyes. "It's been so long… So long." His cheeks are wet with tears, but a watery smile breaks over his lips. "Steve.. Rogers. I missed you." He cries out, stepping away and closing his eyes—tears roll over the corners of his mouth. He choked out his words."I've missed you, punk."

Steve cries with tears of relief, "I missed you too, jerk."

He crashes his strong body against Bucky and wraps his arms around the man's shoulder—holding him tightly, forearms constrict around his friend —feeling him melt against him. Bucky lifts his watery blue eyes up at the American flag billowing on a rusted above them.

"I wanted to be at the end of the line with you… Steve... But I lost my way."

Steve clamps his eyelids shut, releases a content sigh. "It's okay," he manages to say in a serene voice against the tears rolling down the chiseled lines of his cheeks."You're here now, Buck. That's all that matters."

Hearing those words, Bucky feels his lips curve a warm smile, he tentatively strokes his metal hand over Steve's jacket and then wraps his arm over his friend's back into a brotherly embrace, holding tight and not wanting to let go. He gently closes his eyelids, sealing off the tears and feels the assuring warmth sear deep into his bones. He feels safe and knows that Steve will always shield against the darkness he faces. "Steve," he whispers, burying his face into Steve's chest and shedding tears. "Don't let me fall again." he sobs, his heart steadying.

Steve lowers his head and rests his chin on Bucky's metal plated shoulder, his crying and smiling at the same time. "I won't Buck. I promise."