#and if you think Steve “let me run off to azzano to save Bucky” Rogers was going to do ANYTHING

[atlantablack]

You know, i've been reading a lot of steve/tony fic the past month and i love them both a lot but i've been seething mad all day just thinking about how so much of this fandom treats him and purposely mistreats his character and Steve Rogers is this skinny kid from Brooklyn who signed up for a war over and over again despite knowing it would kill him because he didn't like knowing that other men were out there dying and when Erskine asked if he wanted to kill Nazis he said no and he spent years fighting in alleyways and causing trouble and getting beat up and probably would have ended up dead if Bucky hadn't been there to pull him out of shit because he doesn't like bullies and he refuses to back down and "Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man." and grenade get back get back and azzano and i have to put her in the water and "Yeah, we compromised. Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well. But we did it so the people could be free. This isn't freedom, this is fear." and "the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not." and "we're not at war, captain" "they are" and he gets up and he gets up and he gets up over and over and over and he's seventy years out of time and everything keeps changing and every time he gets comfortable something destroys that comfort and he's always losing people, losing friends, losing soldiers, and there's never a clean break with Peggy because he misses their dance and then has to lose her in a separate more permanent way as well, and he loses bucky and finds him and loses him over and over and wants to trust people and keeps getting betrayed and he's trying to be a good man but it gets so complicated but he's still trying even when it would be so much easier to just not try at all and he hurts people because he's human and unfortunately being a superhuman with superhero friends means the capacity for hurt is wider and deeper than anything you or i could dream of but he keeps going and keeps fighting and loses the biggest fight of his life and lives with that every day for years when there are reminders of the biggest failure ever around every corner and then he just keeps going. He's twenty seven when he's unfrozen in 2014, younger than i am now, and the reasonable thing for him to do would have been to get out. leave the fighting and the aliens and the bullshit to someone else. But he's a good man and to him, sometimes, that means being a good soldier and sometimes good men hurt people but that doesn't mean they aren't still good men, it only means they're human and i think people could stand to sit the fuck down and think about what it would feel like to wake up in a year where every single person you knew is dead or close enough to it that they might as well be. there's no option to go make up with a family member he doesn't like, there's no old friends to become new again, everyone he knew is dead and he is still reeling from the fresh grief of losing bucky and somehow, instead of having a perfectly understandable breakdown, he picks himself up and keeps going.

and while i'm here, Tony Stark wouldn't thank anyone bashing on Steve in his defense. You destroy his character in your defense of him and he wouldn't even thank you for it.

[annebaneriddle]

So, here is and explanation of why Bucky is so obsessed with the shield beause people really see to be missing the point so hard that it’s impressive to me:

As we all know, Captain America is the symbol he is and the shield have the meaning it has only because of who Steve Grant Rogers was. Steve wasn’t great because he was Captain America, Captain America was great because he was Steve. Steve made Captain America be great because of the person he was: honored, caring, strong and loyal. Steve was a good man on all the meanings of the word and that’s why Captain America turned into such a great symbol of protection for the people. Steve, when told to leave the prisioners in Azzano to die, went there alone with nothing but a plastic helmet and an alluminium shield and saved more than 400 soldiers, on the batlle against Thanos, he was the last one standing in front of Thanos’ whole army and wasn’t about to run even when he was shaking. Steve has always been the representation os the last deffense of people, of the person who whould stand for them until his last breath. Because Steve was Captain America, that title gained the same symbolism, and, as Sam himself said, symbols are nothing without the men and women that give them meaning.

Now, Steve is gone and passed the shield to Sam. Sam didn’t want the shield (either because he thought that people would accept a black Captain or because he didn’t feel ready to take the shield yet, what would be totally understandable, because Steve threw that responsability on him literally out of nowhere. One minute he was waiting for his friend to get back and on the other there was that said friend looking like fucking Joe Biden and giving him the shield without even asking if he wanted it or not), so he gave it to the government, trusting their word that the shield would stay on a museum. The goverment, as the expected, betrayed Sam’s trust to give the shield to some random white man.

For us, who are watching it from both Sam’s and Bucky’s perspective, it’s easy to see why Sam gave the shield away, but some of you are forgeting that it isn’t WandaVision and Bucky isn’t watching Sam’s life as if it was some 90′s romcom, and he also isn’t Wanda to be able of reading Sam’s mind.

They are trying to talk about it and Sam wants to explain why he did what he did, but as we can see, everytime something interupts the conversation. When Steve gave the shield to Sam, Bucky was there, and he saw Sam’s reaction. Sam was happy, he was proud, his face was full with determination. That was the impression Bucky had of it all: that Sam wanted the shield, that he was happy to being the one to get the shield, and that he was detirmined to mantain the shield’s legacy.

After that, Bucky and Sam didn’t talk anymore. Sam tried to call him, but Bucky never answered for some reason we still don’t know (maybe because he still feels he doesn’t have the right of making friends, maybe because being left by Steve made him afraid of letting someone gett in again), so he couldn’t see Sam changing his mind about having the shield.

The frist impression Bucky had was that Sam was happy about getting the shield, but now he doesn’t want it anymore, and that shield has a lot more and deep meaning to Bucky than to Sam. For Bucky, that shield means not just having a part of Steve with him, it also means having a part of himself that he thought to be dead with him: the good part.

As we all know, Bucky blames himself for what Hydra made him do, because he saw his hands killing for Hydra, the organization he almost died to destroy, he saw his hands killing innocent people who were just on the wrong place at the wrong time, he doesn’t feel worthy of even getting help (as we saw on CW). However, Steve dropped that shield twice for him, and both times because he was still believe that Bucky is a good person, that he is worthy fighting for, that he is worthy helping. He was pardoned for the government, but that doesn’t mean he pardoned himself.

That shield if more than a symbol to Bucky. Its the visual representation of who he is. Bucky is still recovering, and while doing so, as @saitamasgreencactus siad on her reblog of my last post about it, he is projecting his identity onto the shield to the point it became an obsession. The man got the worst therapist possible, so unfortunatelly I think it will take a lot of things to make him get rid of that toxic coping mechanism.

So now, Sam doesn’t want the shield, Bucky has no idea why because they had no time to sit down and talk as civilized people (no, the couple therapy scene was fun, sad and all but didn’t really gave time to them to breath and talk in a way to don’t storm off on each other. let’s be realistic: “Why does Sam agravate you” was by far the worst way of that therpist taking things if she wanted them to talk calmly), Bucky has an extremely unhealthy attachment to that shield that Sam doesn’t undestand, because, again, they had no time talk calmly about it, Bucky doesn’t feel he is worthy of getting the shield, so he wants Sam to have it because Sam is by far the best person he knows (and because he doesn’t undertand Sam’s side of that yet, he is frustrated to see that Sam doesn’t want it anymore), and now he is willing to take the shield himself if Sam doesn’t want it because he is desperate to hold on that part of himself.

Some of you are acting as if Bucky is a monster (and even a racist) because of that without taking in consideration what I said on the post, because I really don’t see how it’s something hard to understand. I even saw someone saying “Stop using his trauma as an excuse” when that whole situation is literally something caused by trauma. His trauma wouldn’t be an excuse if he was going on a killing spree like Clint did after his family died. 

Bucky doesn’t understand Sam yet, and that’s fine, the same way that Sam doesn’t understand Bucky yet and that’s fine. Part of the plot of the show is Bucky and Sam getting to know each other, so stop acting as if any of them is a heartless bitch because of that.

[underoosweb]

5 more minutes ch.2

No warnings: Bold italics are thoughts/ Italics are dreams

BuckyxOC!

4.6k words

                                             3 months later

It had been 3 months since Serenity arrived in the Marvel Universe and she was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. 3 damn months of the same thing. She and Steve travel all over Europe and him performing the same act over and over again. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes as Steve got ready once more to punch “Hitler” in the face. She stared out into the crowd, soldiers nothing but soldiers out in the crowd. This wasn’t exactly Steve’s demographic. She felt his warmth against her back, she sighed.

“Are you ready to do this again?”

“Honestly… no.”

“Captain, it's your cue.” She turned and placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile

“Good luck.” He sighed, giving her back the same smile

“Thanks.” 

 “How many of you are ready to help me sock old Adolf on the jaw?” Silence. Serenity winced.

 “Okay. Uh… I need a volunteer.” Steve tried to hide his embarrassment.

“I already volunteered! How do you think I got here?” The crowd of soldiers laughs

 “Bring back the girls!”  There’s a cheer from the soldiers. Serenity glared

“I think they only know the one song. But um…let me…I’ll…I’ll see what I can do.” She scoffed

“You do that, sweetheart.”

“Nice boots, Tinker Bell!” The crowd of soldiers laughs

“Come on, guys. We’re all on the same team here.” 

“Hey, Captain! Sign this!” A different soldier stands, turns and pulls his pants down and the crowd starts to throw things at Steve. Serenity had enough, rolling her eyes. She walked up the stage and the men quieted down. They heard rumors of the girl’s temper and how she can beat any of them to put them in the hospital. She smirked as the men sucked their breaths in.

“Come on, Steve let’s go.”

“Ladies.” She motioned for the girls to come back onto the stage. The women run on stage and the crowd cheers.

“Don’t worry, pal. They’ll warm up to you. Don’t worry.” The senator’s aide patted Steve’s back. Serenity had no idea why she was even here if the aide was following them around. He was managing both of them. Steve’s lips formed into a tight line. 

“Go get changed, Steve.” He looked over at Serenity and nodded. 10 minutes later the crowd dispersed and so did the girls. Hopping onto the stage, she plopped in the middle of the stage. Hearing the rain hit the roof of the stage, she smiled and closed her eyes. 

“Yeah. Uh… I had to improvise a little bit. Crowds I’m used to are usually more uh… twelve.”  Serenity’s brows furrowed when she heard Steve’s hushed voice 

“I understand you’re "America’s New Hope"?” 

Peggy?

“Bond sales take a ten percent bump in every state I visit,” Steve responded, Serenity rubbed her eyes but laid still not wanting to disturb their conversation

“Is that Senator Brandt I hear?” Peggy asked

 “At least he’s got me doin’ this. Phillips would have had to be stuck in the lab.”

 “And these are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey? You were meant for more than this, you know?”

“What?” Peggy asks after she sees him hesitate 

“You know for the longest time I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines. Serving my country. I finally get everything I wanted, and I’m wearing tights. They look like they’ve been through hell.”

“These men more than most. Schmidt sent out a force to Azzano. Two hundred men went up against him and less than fifty returned. Your audience contained what was left of the one-oh-seventh. The rest were killed or captured.” Serenity shot up when she heard Peggy say Bucky’s regiment. 

 “The one-oh-seventh?” Steve asked

“Bucky.”  Steve and Peggy looked over at her.

“What?” Peggy asked, Serenity stood up and jumped off the stage.

“Come on!” The three of them ran towards the colonel’s tent

“Colonel Phillips.” 

“Well, if it isn’t the Star-Spangled Man With A Plan and his little assistant. And what is your plan today?”

“I need the casualty list from Azzano.”

“You don’t get to give me orders, son.”

“Colonel, we just need one name.” Serenity butted in

“I just need one name. Sergeant James Barnes from the hundred and seventh.”

“You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you won’t enjoy.” The colonel said pointing to Peggy

“Please tell me if he’s alive, sir. B-A-R…”

“I can spell. I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But the name does sound familiar. I’m sorry.” Serenity bit the inside of her cheek. She knew he was alive and they needed to find him quickly.

“What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?”

“Yeah! It’s called winning the war.”

“But if you know where they are, why not at least…?”

“They’re thirty miles behind the lines. Through the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We’d lose more men than we’d save. But I don’t expect you to understand that, because you’re a chorus girl.”

Serenity tuned out the rest of their conversation. She came out of her trance when she saw Steve storm out of the tent.

Fuck.

She follows Steve to his tent where he starts to change and pack some things 

“What do you plan to do? Walk to Austria?” She asks Steve

“If that’s what it takes.”

“Steve, you can’t just walk there. I understand you have super serum now but by the time you get there you’re going to be exhausted and that’s not going to help Bucky or anyone.” Peggy walked in

“You heard the Colonel, your friend is most likely dead.”

“You don’t know that.” Serenity sneered at Peggy. Peggy rolled her eyes

“Even so, he’s devising a strategy. If he detects…”

“By the time he’s done that, it could be too late!” Steve tells Peggy

 The three walk out to a jeep.

“You told me you thought I was meant for more than this. Did you mean that?”

“Every word.”

“Then you gotta let me go.” He gets in the jeep.

“I can do more than that.” Peggy hops into the Jeep and Serenity follows

“What are you doing?” Steve asks

“Trust me when I say this right now, don’t piss me off. I’m coming with you whether you like it or not.” Steve sat back down in his seat. Serenity smiled. Peggy drove off. The three sat in silence, Steve kept sneaking glances at Peggy. She leaned forward and whispered into his ear

“It’s been 3 months and you still haven’t told her how you feel.” She noticed his ears turning red

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Steve cleared his throat

“Whatever you say, Rogers,” Serenity sat back down

“I���m going to take a bit of a nap, will you wake me when we get there please.”

“Sure,” Peggy responded

“Ah, before that,” She leaned forward one more time this time towards Peggy

“You two would be a cute couple.” Now it was Peggy’s turn to blush. Serenity smirked

“Good night, you two. Try not to have too much fun without me.” Serenity leaned back and closed her eyes. Darkness greeted her.

She could hear his screams, it sent chills down her spine. It was blood-curdling. She covered her ears, tears pricked her eyes. Walking down the dark hall, she saw him lying there on a cold metallic table. She felt hot tears start to stream down her cheeks. He looked drained. No. Broken. He couldn’t break now, Steve. Steve will come for him. Her eyes narrowed as two men in black came on each side of Bucky. They looked over to the Doctor, who nodded. The men covered her view and his screams filled the room. The scene in front of her started to fade, she screamed and cried for him for someone to help him.

“Serenity!” She gasped. Looking around she met Steve’s concerned eyes. Peggy had the same look on her face. Serenity’s hands went straight to her face, the tears would not stop.

“You had a nightmare.” the English accent sounded like velvet

“You yelled out his name.” Serenity met his eyes

“Bucks.”

“What was the nightmare about?” Peggy asked

“I-I… They were…” She swallowed the choked sob forming in her throat

“They were torturing him. He was laying there on a table… just screaming.”

“Who was torturing him?” Peggy asked

“I don’t know. Th-there were two men and a doctor.” She knew exactly who the doctor was. Arnim Zola. 

“Hello, love.” Her eyes flickered towards Howard. His face changed once he saw her tear-stained cheeks and puffy red eyes. She quickly wiped her face.

“Howard,” Peggy responded

“I hope you were talking to Peggy, Stark.” Serenity replied, her voice a bit hoarse

“I was actually talking to you, love.”

“I’m not your love.”  Howard rose his brow and smirked

“I brought a leash this time.” Steve choked 

“You can use it on Steve, he’s bound to get into trouble.” Steve blushed and Howard laughed.

“Come on,” He cocked his head to the side

Fuck.

“This should be fun.”

She hated heights.

She was clutching Steve’s hand for dear life. She looked over at Peggy, she apologized with her eyes. Peggy understood, the poor girl looked petrified. 

“The HYDRA camp is in Krausberg, tucked between these two mountain ranges. It’s a factory of some kind.” Peggy told Steve

“We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep.” Howard slightly yelled from the pilot’s seat

“Just get me as close as you can. You know, you two are gonna be in a lot of trouble at the lab.”

“And you won’t?” Peggy asked

“Where I’m goin’, if anybody yells at me I can just shoot ‘em.”

“They will undoubtedly shoot back.”

“Well, let’s hope it’s good for somethin’.” He knocks at his shield.

“The fact that the shield is holding up amazes me.” Serenity managed to choke out

“Agent Carter, if we’re not in too much of a hurry I thought we could stop off in Lucerne for a late-night fondue. Would you like to join us, Serenity?”

Peggy looks awkwardly at Steve who’s getting ready to parachute. Serenity simply couldn’t respond

Steve grabbed Serenity’s hand, her panicked eyes met his face.

“You’ll be okay,”

“You can come up here and hold my hand,”

“Are you insane? You want me to walk up there and look out that front window!”

“You can hold my hand and face your back towards the window.”

“You are insane.”

“I don’t think Agent Carter will hold your hand.” Serenity sighed and walked towards the front, her back facing the window and holding onto Stark’s pant leg.

“Don’t want my hand?”

“You need them to steer the plane. I would rather not die, I’ll hold your pant leg, thank you very much.”

“Stark is the best civilian pilot I’ve ever seen. He’s mad enough to brave this airspace, we’re lucky to have him.”

“So are you two…? Do you…? Fondue?” Steve stammered. Serenity snickered 

Peggy ignores Steve’s awkward and confused rambling.

“This is your transponder. Activate it when you’re ready and the signal will lead us straight to you.”

“Are you sure this thing works?” 

“It’s been tested more than you, pal,” Stark says as their plane is being attacked Steve goes towards the opened door of the plane to jump

“Get back here! We’re taking you all the way in.” Peggy yelled

“As soon as I’m free, you turn this thing around and get the hell outta here!”

“You can’t give me orders!” Serenity snorted at Peggy’s comment 

“The hell I can’t! I’m a Captain!” he looks at her and then jumps out of the plane.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”

“You say that as if you know for sure.”

That’s because she does

“Trust me.”

“Trust you?” Serenity nodded, resting her head against the bottom of the control panel. She zoned out of Howard and Peggy’s conversation and eventually fell asleep.

*************************************************************************************************************

It’s been 4 days since Steve left on his rescue mission, her and Peggy got an earful from the colonel. Serenity rested against one of the tent poles watching the colonel and Peggy argue.

“Senator Brandt, I regret to report that Captain Steven G. Rogers went missing behind enemy lines on the third. Aerial reconnaissance has proven unfruitful. As a result, I must declare Captain Rogers killed in action. Period.” The colonel said as a corporal started to type his words

“The last surveillance flight is back. No sign of activity.” Peggy said

“Go get a cup of coffee, Corporal.” The colonel sighed

“Yes, sir.” he leaves

“I can’t touch Stark. He’s rich and he’s the Army’s number one weapons contractor. You two are neither one.” He pointed back and forth between Peggy and Serenity

“With respect, sir, I don’t regret my actions. And I don’t think Captain Rogers did either.”

“I just simply do not care.”  Serenity shrugged

“What makes you think I give a damn about both your opinions. I took a chance with you, Agent Carter. And now America’s golden boy and a lot of other good men are dead, ‘cause you had a crush.”

“It wasn’t that. I had faith.”

“Well, I hope that’s a big comfort to you when they shut this division down.” Soldiers start running and talking excitedly around them.

“What the hell’s going on out there?” Serenity smiled.

“They’re back.”

They follow the crowd to the edge of the camp where Steve’s arriving with the freed prisoners.

“Look who it is!” Everyone cheers

“Some of these men need medical attention.”

“Medic, we got wounded.”

“Right over here.”

“I’d like to surrender myself for disciplinary action.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Faith, huh?”

“You’re late.”

Holding up the broken transponder “Couldn’t call my ride.”

Serenity smiled at Steve, she could feel someone staring at her. She met Bucky’s eyes. His eyes were the blue-green of the mountain lakes, hues that could tell tales of the sky and evergreen giants all the same. He stood there frozen, what was she doing here? Why wasn’t she back at his apartment? She slowly made her way to him. 

“Sergeant?” He blinked

“Doll?” 

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not your doll.” She laughed, her laugh sounded like music to his ears.

“I thought you didn’t like ma’am.” She looked up at him and nodded

“You’re right.”

“Doll, why are you here?”

“Well…”

“I wrote to you.” Her head snapped up

“What?”

“I wrote you letters, I thought you left or maybe you were ignoring me.” his gaze now on the floor

“Bucky…” Bucky blushed, she called him Bucky

“Every time the mail would come in, I hoped you would write back.”

Shouldn’t he have written to Connie?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t remember the way to the apartment and Steve ended up seeing me walking around. He and Peggy ended up taking me to Stark.” His eyes widened

“Luckily the senator sent me to follow Steve around and that’s how I ended up here.” Bucky met her eyes. Serenity stepped closer, Bucky’s breath hitched. They were practically chest to chest.

“I am curious though,” She met his eyes

“What did you write to me, Sergeant?”

“I wrote about everything.”

“Everything?” he nodded

“That’s very specific.” She rolled her eyes, Bucky smirked

“I’m glad you’re alright, doll,”

“Me? What about you? Are you alright?” Bucky let out a slight chuckle

“You know I was very honored to hear that you were so worried about me, but I’m fine.”

“Hear?” Bucky smirked and Serenity groaned

“Steve…” She murmured 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She said walking back towards the tent, Bucky smiled and ran behind her

“Really now?”

“Yup.”

“Where are you going?”

“Just want to talk to Steve.”

“Just talk?”

“Yup.”

“Then why do you have a murderous look in your eyes?”

“I do not.”

“Speaking of the devil.” She said as Steve jogged towards the two

“Hey Buck, let’s go get ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“The colonel is allowing us to go out and celebrate the rescue mission.”

“Serenity, Peggy wants to see you.”

“Why?”

“No idea.” 

“Before I head over,” Serenity grabbed Steve’s hand and dragged him away from Bucky

“Ah, you stay over there,” She said when she saw Bucky trying to follow them

“Yes, ma’am,” He rose his hands up in defeat and smirked

“I do hate when he calls me ma’am,” she said to herself, turning she placed her finger on Steve’s chest

“You told Bucky about my nightmare?” 

“No, I just told him you were very worried about him.” She narrowed her eyes

“I may or may not have told him you cried,” She groaned

“Steven Grant Rogers,” She playfully punched his chest

“He talked about you, you know” She rose her brow

“The whole way back, he was saying how he wrote letters to a dame and I asked if it was Connie and he shook his head. I think he likes you.”

“He’s just flirting,” Steve smiled and shook his head

“Captain.”

“Agent Carter,”

“I asked for her 10 minutes ago,”

“Ah, sorry. I just needed to ask him something. What’s up?”

“Come with me,”

“Oh no, am I going to be punished?” Peggy smiled

“No, everyone is getting together and I thought we should get ready together.”

“Are, are you suggesting giving me a makeover?”

“Slightly,” Serenity smiled, looping her arm through Peggy's

“This is going to be fun,”

************************************************

“Ummm, Peggy,” Serenity started to pick at the pins in her hair. Peggy smacked her hand away

“Leave them alone, you look gorgeous.” Serenity stared at her reflection through the store’s window. The emerald green dress hugged her chest and waist while the bottom slightly flared out. 

“You’re kidding me right,” She looked Peggy up and down

“If Cap doesn’t ask you out, I will.”

“If Sergeant Barnes doesn’t ask you, I will,”

“Why does everyone think he likes me?”

“Because, love, he does.”

“He can’t like me, he doesn’t even know me.”

“Captain rogers-”

“Ah, don’t say Steve doesn’t know you. He spent boot camp with you.” Peggy rolled her eyes.

“Do you think I can wear different shoes?”

“No,”

“Why? I hate wearing heels.”

“It holds the outfit together, so too bad.”

“There they are,” Serenity cocked her head to the side 

“What do you think they’re talking about?” 

“Probably complaining about the men singing,” Serenity smiled

***

“See? I told you. They’re all idiots.” Bucky smiled, placing his hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“How about you? Are you ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?” Steve asked, smiling back

“Hell, no. That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight. I’m following him. But you’re keeping the outfit, right?”

“You know what? It’s kind of growing on me.” The two of them smiled and laughed.

The singing in the bar stops as Peggy in a tight-fitting, deep-red dress walks in.

“Captain.” Peggy looks at Steve

“Agent Carter.”

“Ma’am.” Bucky smiled at Peggy

“Where’s Serenity?” Bucky asked

She turned to see Serenity still standing in the door entrance. Peggy smiled and grabbed her hand, cocking her head to the side to follow her.

Fuck, she hates social interactions

Bucky on the other hand was thanking the colonel for this, he was thanking the gods. She walked in and his breath hitched, he could feel the heat on his face. She looked absolutely stunning. 

“Howard has some equipment for you to try. Tomorrow morning?” Peggy continued her conversation, still holding Serenity’s hand. Bucky eyed their hands, Peggy smirked.

“Sounds good.”

“I see your top squad is prepping for duty.”

“You don’t like music?” Bucky asked

This is music? 

“I do, actually. I might even, when this is all over, go dancing.” Peggy smiled and looked over at Steve.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Bucky asked

“Steve.” Serenity coughed, Peggy narrowed her eyes and ignored her comment. Serenity shrugged

“The right partner. 0800, Captain.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be there.”

“What about you, doll?” 

“What?” She jumped a bit and asked too quickly, Bucky chuckled

“Do you dance?”

“I-I don’t know how.”

“You don’t know how to dance?” Steve asked

“No, I wasn’t one for parties and I’ve never been asked.”

“Now that I don’t believe,” Bucky said with slight disbelief in his voice

“Why is that so hard to believe?” Serenity rose her brow

“A dame like you probably got asked to go out or dance all the time.” 

“Again, I wasn’t one for going out and I tend to ignore men. They tend to annoy me.”

“Do I annoy you, doll?”

“No, Steve does sometimes though.”

“Hey,” Serenity smiled

“You know I love you,” Bucky froze, she loves him? Peggy stood next to Bucky

“They have gotten close over the last 3 months, they bicker like siblings all the time.”

Serenity laughed at something Steve said, Bucky stared at her. She looked over at him and smiled. Her hands were placed behind her back.

“So Sergeant, are you going to teach me to dance, or are you just going to sit there?” Bucky smiled, standing and extending his hand towards her

“May I have this dance, doll?” She smiled and grasped his hand

“Just don’t get mad if I step on your toes.” She said as they moved to the middle of the floor

“Never.” He said softly, wrapping his arm around her waist. Serenity looked down at her feet as soon as Bucky started to move. He smiled, placing his finger under her chin. Her eyes met his, hers were full of worry while his were full of reassurance. 

“Keep your eyes locked on mine,”

“But if I step on-”

“You’ll be fine, trust me.” She nodded, staring into his eyes. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She hated eye contact, it made her nervous. She could feel her heart racing, hearing the beating pounding in her ears. Was she nervous from the eye contact or was he making her nervous, both? She froze when Bucky winced, he smiled at her and shook his head. 

“You’re doing great, doll.” He whispered

“You know Steve and Peggy are just staring, do you think he’ll ask her to dance?”

“Steve’s a bit..shy.” Serenity sighed and the song ended, she could feel the soldiers staring at them, she turned to look at them, the dream team smiled at them and rose their glasses while the others looked away from her gaze. She smiled back at the boys and laughed. Sliding out of Bucky’s grasp, he frowned as he watched her make her way towards the table of soldiers. Bucky turned, Peggy was gone and Steve smiled at him. He sat back down next to Steve.

“She had a hard time making friends.” Bucky looked at Steve

“We both did, they treated me as a joke, and her, well, they were intimidated of her.” Bucky glanced at Serenity sitting with the new group of men.

“Intimidated by her?” Steve nodded

“Peggy thought it would be good for her to get some training in and she ended up”

“Kicking their asses?” Bucky smirked and sipped his beer

“Language.” Bucky laughed, looking over at the table when he heard her laugh. 

“You really like her, Buck?”

“Huh?” Bucky turned his attention back to Steve

“You like her?”

“Yeah, don’t you?”

“You know that’s not what I mean, Buck.” Steve rolled his eyes, Bucky eyed his glass, beer almost completely gone. Serenity looked over to Steve and Bucky

“Would you like a beer?” Serenity turned her attention back to the men

“Oh, no. I don’t like beer”

“You don’t like beer?”

“Who doesn’t like beer?”

“It’s too bitter,” Serenity shrugged

“It seems that Sergeant Barnes can’t keep his eyes off you.”

“Maybe he’s just keeping his eye on Cap’s men, making sure they will be able to do their duties tomorrow.” Serenity smiled

“Maybe,” another replied

“Highly doubt it,” a voice to the right said

Serenity rolled her eyes but smiled. She shook her head and stood from the table.

“It was nice to meet and talk to you boys,”

“Nice to meet you as well,” They said, as she made her way towards Bucky and Steve.

“Peggy left?”

“Early day tomorrow,” Steve responded

“You should’ve asked her to dance,” Steve smiled against his glass and shook his head

“Chicken,” Serenity crossed her arms and pouted slightly

She sighed, “It’s getting late, I should head back.”

She started to make her way towards the door

“Wait, Doll!” She turned to see Bucky chugging the last of his beer and quickly grabbing his jacket

“What?” She asked when Bucky jogged next to her

“I’ll walk you back,” Serenity shook her head

“You should stay here. Catch up with Steve and have fun with your friends.”

“It’s fine,” She turned to look at Steve

“We can catch up later. Let him walk you.” Steve smiled

“Are you sure?” 

Steve nodded “Go,”

Serenity smiled and nodded “I’ll see you later Steve,”

He raised his glass towards her and Bucky and made his way towards his team. Serenity turned back to Bucky, he held the door open for her and they made their way down the street.

“You and Steve got close?”

“Following him all around Europe for 3 months can do that.”

“I’m glad the two of you got close,”

“Why’s that?”

“Cause Steve’s my best friend,”

Serenity faked gasped “Are you saying you wouldn’t be friends with me if I didn’t get along with Steve?” 

Bucky smirked and chuckled.

“Maybe,”

“I am offended,” She laughed

Serenity tried to run her fingers through her hair but groaned when the pins pulled on her hair, slowly she pulled out pin by pin

“I have no idea how girls can wear their hair like this, I think Peggy used at least 2 packs of pins on my hair,” She said irritated, Bucky watched her nose scrunch up in frustration. He smiled. She continued to pull pin after pin out of her hair. Bucky reached out and she froze. Serenity hated when people touched her hair, Peggy had to fight her on it. Bucky’s hand froze when he saw her glare at it, he smiled slightly and hesitantly pulled a pin out of her hair. He held it up

“You missed one,” 

“Thanks,” Her voice was shaky. She reached for the pin

“I should give these back to Peggy,”

“I don’t think she’ll mind if they went missing,” Serenity smiled, she flipped her hair in front of her face and shook her head, running her fingers through it. Flipping her hair back, she smiled brightly.

“That feels so much better.” She moaned slightly, massaging her scalp. She looked back at Bucky who had slight pink tint on his cheeks

“Are you ready to keep walking?” Bucky nodded

“Where are you staying, doll?”

“Hmm, well I’m staying with Peggy now.”

“Now? Who were you staying with before?

“By myself, Steve and the senator’s aide would stay together.” Bucky nodded

The two walked in comfortable silence, every once in a while she would hum a random melody, their hands brushed against one another. Bucky glanced over at their hands, he slowly reached over, but she turned sideways and pointed.

“We’re here,” Bucky looked over towards the little barrack. They made their way towards the door

“Thank you for walking me back, Bucky.”

“It was my pleasure, doll,” He smiled, Serenity opened the door. She turned back towards him.

“Buck,”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for teaching me how to dance,” She kissed his cheek and walked into the barrack. Bucky stood there, face red and smiling like an idiot.

Tags:

@bluemoon-icecream​ @ginger-swag-rapunzel​

[mitsususu]

I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man. They’d say I hustled, put in the work. They wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much this I deserve. Genderbend and sexism! Below are My Top 5 Favorite stories:

*Misogyny Level refers to how much the women have to put up with

“Fully Formed, in Armor” (M, 50k) by bythedamned

Captain Stella Rogers is remembered as a symbol of American victory and the founder of modern-day feminism. That leaves big shoes to fill when she's pulled from the ice alone, ill at ease in her own skin, and missing a love she can’t tell anyone about.

Becky Barnes has gone through too much of her own shit to have any time for Stella’s. But she knows how hard it is to rebuild a life in New York City and, besides, she’s got a type.

+ Shrunkyclunks. Captain Stella and modern Becky get off on the wrong foot but eventually become best friends/lovers as Stella navigates life, missions, and PR in the 21st century. Misogyny Level: Low.

-☆-

“Christmas in Connecticut” (T, 12k) by waldorph

“I have a farm in Connecticut,” Howard announced into the melancholy silence. “And nothing to do this Christmas but play the white knight. Darling, marry me? Mr. Stone will get his Christmas, you’ll get your article, the soldier will get his all-American holiday, and Ms. Carbonell will keep her job, for whatever that’s worth.”

+ WW2 AU. Female Steve fake marries Howard to keep her fake-housewife columnist job, and then regrets everything when she meets dashing Bucky. Based on the movie, very crack. (You may have read the Modern AU) Misogyny Level: Low

-☆-

“Gold to Airy Thinness Beat” (T, 178k) by ISeeFire

The list of reasons Stephanie Rogers couldn't enlist were long.

She was small.

She was frail.

She was in poor health.

She was female.

The list of reasons for why she fully intended to ignore all that and do her best to enlist anyway was short.

Bucky was going.

Her best friend.

Her only friend.

The friend who'd been there her entire life, every time she'd needed him, every time she'd called.

Always.

And she'd be dammned if anyone was going to stop her from returning the favor.

+ Alt Canon. Steph gets the serum but Brandt smears her reputation and never stops. Despite everything, she saves her husband, falls off the train, gets a Hydra arm, crashes the Valkyrie, and wakes up in the 21st century with Bucky. History got her all wrong, but Bucky loves her and that’s all that matters. Misogyny Level: Extreme

-☆-

“back in line for love again” (G, 3k) by defcontwo

But in the end, what matters is this: Stella Rogers walked out of that camp in Azzano a chorus girl and walked back into it a war hero.

+ Defrosting to Post WS. Historians haven’t been too thrilled with Stella and female Bucky leading the Howling Commandos, let alone with how the winter soldier events play out. Comes with a honeymoon sequel. Misogyny Level: Medium

-☆-

“it's been a long, long time” (G, 3k) by junko (orphan_account)

Stephanie Rogers realizes that she doesn't want to die.

Stephanie Rogers kicks to the surface, and she was never a good swimmer, but she pulls herself up onto a slab of ice, scrabbling for land, spitting out water anyway.

(Or, in which Stephanie doesn't die in the plane crash, and she and Private Lorraine rescue Bucky Barnes, take down HYDRA from the inside, and have Friday Girl's Nights.)

+ Alt WW2. Exactly as the summary says. A fix-it where Zola dies and Hydra gets destroyed. Misogyny Level: Medium 

-☆-

-☆- And a freebie incomplete work -☆-

“Reconstruction” (E, 95k, incomplete) by rageprufrock

In which Stephanie Rogers is the complicating element in the sweeping romance of Bucky Barnes and Lady Liberty.

+ Alt Canon. Stephanie became Lady Liberty, saved her husband, froze in the sea, and woke up in the 21st century. No one knew her identity, history thinks Bucky cheated on his wife the entire war. Currently stops right after her defrosting when she doesn’t know Bucky’s still alive. Misogyny Level: High

 -☆-

+ More Stucky stories here

[buckysbitch107]

I don’t know if requests are open, but if they are can I request a Steve Rogers x Reader where at the end of end game he goes back to his lover from the 40s but instead of Peggy it’s the reader(include any backstory that you want)? Like even his compass contains the picture of the reader and not Peggy. I love your wring so far btw, keep up the good work!!!

Home Isn’t Just A Place | Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: When Colonel Phillips himself delivered the letter stating the love of your life (and best friend since 5 years old) was dead, you were more than devastated. You were still mourning the loss of your fiancé, mindlessly fiddling with the ring on your finger, when a much harsher knock rang at your door. You expected it to be perhaps your sister or a delivery boy. What you certainly didn’t expect was for your fiancé, who you were told was dead, to be standing at your doorstep.

Warnings: Swearing, Angst, Crying

Word Count: 2.38K

A/N: Hope this meets your standards! I tried my best with this one and i hope you enjoy it! Just a reminder that I will always be accepting requests! I will be writing a Part 2 to this, so stay tuned!

“It’s fine guys! I can cook something in the apartment!” You speak, the men on either side of you giving you a small glare.

“It’s our last night, (Y/N/N). We wanna make it special before you’re alone in the apartment.” Steve mentions, wrapping his arm around your waist. You’re still taller than him, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

“That restaurant isn’t that good anyway.” You whisper, trying so hard to hide the disappointment in your voice. You’d been looking forward to sitting in that restaurant since it opened, and when Bucky and Steve said they were taking you, that meant you could finally get a chance. That is, until you got there, and they didn’t have your reservation.

“Doll-” Bucky starts, soon being cut off by your voice.

“Guys. It’s fine, really.”

“No, it’s not (Y/N)! We wanted to treat you to something special, and now it looks like we’re having cabbage fuckin’ stew for dinner… again.”

“Or,” You pause, lifting your arm to point at the sign hanging off of the corner store at the end of the street. “We could get some food from Stan’s. It’s still open and we have enough money for some hot dogs.” The two men agree shortly after and the three of you quicken your pace, eager to get some food in your stomach. The small bell above the door rings through the air as the three of you walk in, the owner walking out from the back.

“Steve, Bucky, (Y/N)! Nice to see ya! What can I get for you?” Stan asks, his smile always bringing comfort to you three.

“Three hot dogs and three cokes please!” You respond, offering him a small smile yourself. He nods and taps some button on the register, pulling the crank before turning his head back up to you.

“Thirty cents please.” You start digging in your wallet when a hand stops you, and your head snaps to meet Steve’s eyes before he starts digging in his own wallet. He hands the man 30 cents before discreetly grabbing your hand, a small chuckle leaving your lips. Stan walks to the back and returns with three hot dogs in hand. He sets them down on the counter before reaching in the fridge and pulling out the drinks. You take them and thank him before walking out the door, Steve and Bucky following you out with their own.

“Let’s go to the docks! Watch the lights in the city!” You propose, turning back to face the two men. They agree and you all walk down to the docks, finishing your food and drinks shortly after getting there.

“Sorry, it had to end like this, (Y/N/N).”

“Meh, I liked this ending better. At least this way I can say fuck.” You giggle, turning back to look at your boyfriend. A soft melody fills your ears and you search for the source of the music. You soon find it as a band plays at an oceanside restaurant, where people are probably dining on the finest steaks and champagne, but you’re happy right where you are. Steve’s hand grabs yours and he smiles, both of his hands wrapping around your waist.

“Dance with me, doll.” You nod before placing your hands around his shoulders, the two of you slightly swaying to the music. Bucky lets out a short laugh before leaning against a lamppost. Steve grabs your hand and spins you around, the blue dress flying up around your waist as he twirls you in his arms. Your eyes drift closed as he continues to spin you, a laugh bubbling out of your mouth, and you finish turning and open your eyes to see Steve on one knee.

“Oh.” Your hands fly up to cover your mouth and you see Bucky smiling out of the corner of your eye as Steve pulls out a ring.

“I know, I know it isn’t much, but it’s what we could afford.”

“Wha-Whe-How?” You whisper.

“Well, we saved up for a bit.”

“I think you’re supposed to give a speech now, Stevie.” Bucky comments. 

“I’m getting there!” Steve responds, making you let out a hoarse laugh before you start choking on your sobs. “Doll, you are the best thing to ever happen to me, Buck being a close second. You’ve always been there for me when I’m sick, which is a lot. I wanna be with you forever. I want to have kids with you, I want to give you the best white-picket-fence life I can. I swear to love you for the rest of our lives, if you’ll be mine. What do ya say doll?” By this time, your hands have migrated from your mouth to your chest, and you wipe your eyes while nodding your head, choking out a short “yes” before Steve slides the ring on your finger. As he stands up, you begin to cry harder as you pull him into a bear hug. He pulls away and you place both hands on his shoulders, looking at him sternly.

“You better come back to me, you hear me?”

“I promise I will, doll.”

“No, I need better than a promise.”

“I swear on my life, dollface. Besides, I wouldn’t leave my best girl behind.”

~~~

You’ve seen all the adverts and movies about the one and only Captain America. People see him as a hero, as the man who punches Nazis straight in the face and kisses babies, but you still see him as the little guy from Brooklyn who couldn’t run the mile from fourth grade on. Yes, you missed your fiance very much, but you had faith that he would keep his promise and come home after the war. A few months after Bucky and Steve left, you picked up a waitressing job in a mom-and-pop diner on the weekends and weeknights alongside your job as a science teacher. Bills aren’t going to pay themselves, and Bucky and Steve aren’t here to help you. You walk in the door, returning home from your morning shift at the diner, planning on quickly changing clothes before running out and volunteering at the animal shelter, something you always did on Saturdays. You throw on a simple dress, the pale yellow glowing in the sunlight streaming in from the window. Your plans suddenly change when a knock rings at your door.

“One second!” You yell, finishing pulling up the zipper on the back of your dress before walking over to the door, opening it to see Colonel Phillips himself. “Colonel Phillips.”

“Miss (Y/L/N). May I come in?” He asks, the solemn look on his face causing an uneasy feeling in your stomach.

“Of course, sir.” You open the door a little bit wider and he enters the apartment.

“You may want to sit.” You follow his instructions and sit yourself down at the kitchen table, now noticing the letter in his hands. “I wrote it all out on paper, but I also figured I should tell you in person.” He pauses, taking a deep breath. “Captain Rogers crashed a plane into the ice to save the lives of millions of people yesterday morning. I would have gotten here earlier but there were some complications with the plane.”

“No.” You mumble, standing up to directly face the colonel.

“He has been declared Killed in Action, along with James Barnes.” Your head snaps up at his comment, tears already pooling in your eyes.

“What-what do you mean they’ve both been killed in action? What-” A sob rising in the back of your throat cuts you off and you have to steady yourself against the table. Phillips places the letter on the table as you try to quiet your sobs. He quietly nods his head before turning to the door, about to step out when you choke out a short “wait”. Colonel Phillips turns around as you compose yourself, wiping the tears off your face.

“Yes ma’am?”

“Am I allowed to give you a hug?”

“Yes ma’am.” You wrap your arms around him and place your head on his shoulder, the colonel hugging you back shortly after. The two of you pull away and you whisper a small “thank you sir” before he nods and walks out the door. You turn around and grab the letter, ripping it open before focusing on the words carefully typed on the page:

Miss (Y/N) (Y/L/N)

437 West Clermont Street

Brooklyn, New York, USA

11201

I regret to inform you that both Captain Steven Rogers and Sergeant James Barnes have been killed in action in service of their country. As you know, Captain Rogers freed over 200 men across enemy lines in Azzano, Italy. He then formed a squadron, the Howling Commandos. That squadron took down more enemy bases than any other in history. It is with deepest condolences that we regret to inform you than on Saturday, February 19th, Sergeant James Barnes fell out of a moving train while defending Captain Rogers. On Friday, February 25th, Captain Rogers crashed a plane into the Arctic in order to save over three million lives from nuclear bombings. Not only has America lost a soldier, America has also lost a hero.

Deepest regards,

Colonel Chester Phillips

A loud sob erupts from your mouth as you throw the letter on the table, your hands quickly covering your mouth.

“No. Nonononono, they can’t be dead. I can’t- I can’t do this alone.” You back up against the wall, slowly sliding down as your fingers thread through your hair. It’s only when you look back at the ring on your finger that your tears of pain turn to those of anger. “YOU PROMISED!” You scream, not giving a damn if the neighbors can hear you. Your head falls into your hands as you curl up into a ball, your sobs echoing through the now eerily empty house.

“You promised.

~~~

It was a nice funeral. A lot of people you knew were there. Dum-Dum, Gabe, Jim, and Monty came, while Jaques sent his condolences. It was small, but Steve would have liked it. Yeah, you sobbed, but so did everyone else. You sit numbly in your house, the walls no longer filled with laughter, the floors no longer covered in flour and paint, now only scuff marks from your pacing panic attacks. You’re mindlessly fiddling with your ring when a knock sounds at your door, this one sounding louder and overall harsher than the other ones you’d been experiencing for the past week. You stand up and walk over, not caring to check the peephole before opening it. And standing there, is the man you were told crashed a plane into the arctic.

“Wha-”

“Hi, doll.” You slowly start shaking your head before walking away from the door, simply leaving it open.

“No, no. Nonono. You crashed a plane into the arctic. Your signal went dead. You were presumed dead! I’m going mad, I’ve gone absolutely bonkers and now I’m imagining the love of my life is in my living room when he’s buried somewhere in the Arctic!” You rant to yourself, tears slowly gathering in your eyes. You stop when Steve puts both hands on your shoulders, stabilizing you and forcing you to make eye contact with him.

“God, is this what happened after I crashed?” He mumbles, looking up and down at your frantic form. Your clothes have become a little looser, your hair a little thinner, the bags under your eyes just a bit more noticeable. But that’s not the only thing that’s changed. You look at Steve and notice he looks… different. He looks older and more exhausted.

“You aren’t my Steve?”

“Sit down doll, I have a lot of explaining to do.”

~~~

“So you’re from-”

“Yeah.”

“But you still-”

“Mhm.”

“And I’m still-”

“Yep.”

“But wouldn’t this-”

“Nope.”

“Huh. And this Thanos dude he-”

“Eliminated 50% of all living beings. Yes.”

“And you’re back here because you’re delivering the stones back to their original places in time and wanted to see me?”

“Yeah pretty much.”

“Huh. Okay.”

“So, can I have this dance?” He stands up and reaches his hand out to you. You smile and take it, the man pulling you into him. You notice as the two of you start swaying that he’s suddenly more relaxed, and that he’s definitely gotten more muscular over the years. You dance for a little while longer before he tilts your chin up, meeting your lips for a gentle kiss. “God I missed you doll.”

“I missed you too.” The two of you stay silent a little longer before he pulls back slightly, a serious look on his face. Uh oh.

“Come back with me.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Come back with me. To 2023.”

“Stevie, I can’t. I have so many responsibilities, and it could mess up the timeline and-”

“Nope. Already checked with the Ancient One. Said it should be fine as long as no one knows about it.”

“Oh.”

“Plus, you can meet my friends, and we can finally get married, and Bucky will-”

“Wait what? Bucky’s alive?”

“Oh yeah, he was captured by HYDRA but we got him back.”

“You’re gonna need to catch me up on everything.”

“So that’s a yes?”

“Fine. I’ll come with you, but if I throw up it’s your fault.”

“Deal.”

~~~

“I’m trying to bring him back!” Banner yells, flicking switches and pressing buttons on the dash. Bucky bites at his cuticles, something he does when he’s nervous, also something you used to yell at him for. The launchpad starts whirring again and both Bucky and Sam’s heads shoot up at the noise, not familiar with it at all.

“Um, is that supposed to happen?” Sam asks.

“Only when there’s more than one body being transported.” Banner mumbles, pressing a few more buttons. “Okay. Bringing him back in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”

“AH-oomph.” Bucky’s eyes widen as his brain registers the yellow dress, the sparkling eyes, the dazzling smile.

“(Y/N)?!” He yells, giving both you and Steve a confused look. You sit up on the launchpad and look around, not familiar with any of your surroundings.

“Hiya Buck! Oooh, love the hair! Nice to see it change from the ol’ buzzcut.”

Permanent Tags: @wintersoldierslut​ @breakmy-bedbarnes@stuckys-hot-dogs​ @andreasworlsboring101 @yaxamarvel @donutloverxo

Just a reminder that all requests are open! My masterlist is in my bio, so you guys know who I specialize in, but really I do anyone y’all request. As I’ve mentioned, nothing is too fluffy, angsty, smutty, or gorey for me. I mainly write Marvel and its characters/actors. I can also write some characters from other things, you just have to ask! Also please let me know if you want to be a part of the Permanent Tags! But please, for now,

Call me Emily

[the-great-imagines-of-1812]

Through The Years pt. 5 (Bucky Barnes x fem!Stark! Reader)

A/N: feedback is appreciated, as always!

the tags: @the-romanian-is-bae @a-girl-who-loves-disney

the warnings: torture (nothing too intense, but still.), explosions, wounds, captivity, angst, fluff at the end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOVEMBER 3RD, 1943.

KRAUSBERG, AUSTRIA. A HYDRA BASE. 

4:00  HOURS. 

“Vake up! Vake up!” Was the first thing you heard when you woke up, laying strapped down on a cold metal table, in a dark room, with a light shoved right in your face. A thick German accent. 

Oh no. 

You tried to open your eyes to the best of your ability, albeit they still hurt and your whole body stung with pain beyond imaginable. “Hurry up!”

A harsh slap to your face.

If this didn’t make you open your eyes, you feared what was next. As you opened them, the light which was once harsh on your face now illuminated a good part of the room. Despite the pain in your neck, you were able to turn your head and see-

Bucky. 

No. You wouldn’t let them hurt him. “Bucky, baby please- are you okay?” you were able to say through tears, feeling a sob on it’s way. He doesn’t seem to hear you at first. It’s as if he’s blanked out on reality, in another world. He then proceeds to snap out of it, turning his head to you. He too is strapped to the table.

He lets out a cough before letting out a relieved breath. “Doll, hey.” he seems to lose his breath for a second. “I won’t let them hurt you, darlin’. I promise.”

“I should be saying that Barne-”

“SILENCE! Project Survival has begun.” the man said. Turning your head as much as the pain allowed you to, you were able to catch a glimpse of him. He was an average height, with some hair on his head and round glasses.

Arnim Zola. The one and only right hand man to Johann Schmidt. You had heard about him before, while in several briefings with Erksine. That was now in the past. He was no longer a name and a photograph. He was a reality. 

Laying your head back once again, you thought of Howard. What would he do without you? Would he be able to rest at night knowing this is how you met your end?

No. You couldn’t. As he said, many more birthdays to celebrate. 

Shifting uncomfortably under your armor and clothes, your breathing picked up and went short as Zola rolled a table between you and Bucky, full of bottles and syringes, scissors and scalpels.

He fills a syringe up with a blue liquid from a bottle. He then proceeds to shine it in the light. “Who shall go virst, hmm? The lady-” he looks at you. “Or ze gentleman?” 

“NO! i won’t let you hurt her. Give it to-” Bucky said, desperately; his eyes darting between you and Zola.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Barnes, I thought you knew better. Ladies first, is that not correct?”

Zola then proceeds to walk over to the end of your table with your head on it, grabbing it by the chin and setting it straight so it won’t move.

“Just a little zomehting, hmm?” a pause. “To enhance that little ability of yours.” 

Bucky’s eyes widen. “W-What ability, sweetheart? What’s he talking about?”

There are no more words from any three of you and Zola plunges the needle into your neck in such a harsh manner, making you scream and causing your whole body to thrash. It causes your whole body to go numb and a pounding headache to arise. 

The last thing you hear before you black out is Bucky yelling a “NO!” and Zola laughing. 

This was going to be a long day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOVEMBER 3RD, 1943.

KRAUSBERG, AUSTRIA. A HYDRA BASE.

12:00 HOURS. 

You wake up slowly and easily this time, the sunshine on your face. The room was quiet this time. No Zola, no harsh light in your face. Just a numb body and a migraine. 

The straps didn’t hurt anymore, for some reason. 

You turned your head to see Bucky, also waking up from his -chemical- induced sleep. “What’d they do to you, Buck?” He turns his head. The tear marks are evident on his face. He sighs. 

“More like what didn’t they do? I feel awful.”

This brought tears to your eyes. “My feet hurt so much. I can’t feel much else. It’s pretty numb.  Buck. I’m scared.” He stares back at you, tears welling up in his eyes. All he wanted was to keep you safe. If it were up to him, he’d whisk you off to Brooklyn, right now. Maybe you could meet his Ma, Rebecca too. You could be the best of friends.

He would take you dancing, after you’d both reveal the relationship to Howard. He’d be mad at first, but then able to see eye to eye with you. he would dress in his tailored  navy blue suit, only one he had. Oh, and you’d be wearing that stunning sky blue dress you told him about once, with a red lip and victory curls. Absolutely beautiful. 

He thought about it more. He’d pick you up exactly at 9′o’clock, your brother greets him at the door. You’re still getting ready, and Howard reluctantly invites him in. You’d eventually come down the stairs, a little bit out of breath, but stunning nonetheless. Howard is happy, but he’d never show it in front of Bucky.

You’d dance cheek to cheek. He brings you home exactly at 10:30, like Howard instructed demanded. He’d kiss just your cheek, knowing Howard is probably watching, probably holding a bat. Made of wood. Or maybe metal. Or maybe both. You’d go up to your room after saying goodnight. You’d put on a nightgown, and just before putting your hair in rollers you’d hear him climbing up the fire escape to give you a proper kiss, just as Howard walks in with the bat in hand, ready to shoo him off.

It would be perfect, albeit a bit chaotic. But there be peace and no pain, and that’s what mattered. 

The tears stream down his face. “Darlin’, what was he talking about? What ability? Enhance what?”

Your eyes start to tear up as well. “I’m sorry! I was so scared!” You break and before you know it, you’re crying so much it shakes the table. 

“Doll, you don’t have to tell me now-”

“I want to. I should’ve a long time ago. It’s called Telekinesis. I can move objects with my mind, if I focus. But it’s still hard sometimes. I don’t know what he did to me!” 

“Hey, sugar. Oh, my love. It’s alright. We’re going to be just fine, I promise ya. Just close those eyes for me. I’ll still be here when you wake up, alright?”

Nodding, you laid your head back and relaxed, as much as you possibly could. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOVEMBER 3RD, 1943

THE ALLIED POWERS’ BASE, ITALY.

19:00 HOURS. 

The thunder was as loud as gunshots and could probably be heard all the way in Spain. But the rain made the mood all the more bitter as Steve sat drawing in a little sketchbook. 

“Hello Steve.”

Steve, hearing Peggy, turns around. She seems sad, tear marks on her face. “Hi. What are you doing here? Is everything okay, if you don’t mind me asking?”

She quickly wipes her face with her hands. “Officially, I’m not here at all.That was quite the performannce.”

Dodging his head back to the ground, “Yeah. I had to improvise a bit. Most of the crowds are a bit - are a bit more.. twelve-.” He looks back up at her. “But you’re dodging the question. Are you ok?”

“Schmidt sent forces out to Azzano. There were two-hundred men went up against him, led by newly appointed Lieutenant General Y/N Stark. Less than fifty returned. Your audience contained what was left of the 107th. The rest where either killed or captured, we don’t know.”

Steve’s heard perks up. “The 107th?”

Both hiding under Peggy’s coat, they ran to General Phillip's tent under the rain. They walk in to a frantic man, talking to the General so fast, he might just run out of words. 

“Captain Andrews, I’ll need you to calm down.” he turns to Peggy and Steve “Ah, the Star-Spangled man with a plan. What’re you up to?”

“I need the casualty list from Azzano. I just need one name-”

“You’re not one to give me orders, son.”

Both men are interrupted by Captain Andrews. “Excuse me sir, my name is Tommy Andrews. I-I’m a Captain, I serve in Lieutenant General Stark’s Company.”

Steve looks at him with a range of emotion on his face. “Hello, Captain. What can you tell me?”

Tommy takes a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. “We had just set up camp in Bordeaux, resting up before invading Azzano. It wasn’t time yet. but we were too late, and we were ambushed. The Lieutenant General told me to run away with as many men as I could. Told me to contact General Philips. Both the Lieutenant General and your friend, Sergeant Barnes were captured. I’m sorry.”

Steve shook his head. “There’s no need to be sorry, Captain. You did what was right, following your orders.” he turns to General Phillips. 

“Since when is Stark a Lieutenant General? When did he-”

“She. His sister. Not him, Rogers.”  General Phillips cut him off. 

“But how-. Look. just give me their names. Tell me their alive. B-A-R-N-E-S and S-T-A-R-”

“I’ve signed more condolence letters than I care to count. Her brother is devastated. But Barnes does sound familiar. I’m sorry, son.” 

“General, but what about a rescue mission?”

“They are 30 miles behind enemy lines. In some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. Possibly in the world. We’d lose more men than we’d save. You wouldn’t understand, chorus girl.”

“I understand just fine.”

“Then go understand somewhere else. From what I know, you’ve got somewhere to be in 30 minutes.”

“I do.”

Phillips starts to say something, but Steve already took off, Peggy behind him.

 While he’s putting on a jacket and helmet, Peggy asks “Are you insane?! What’re are you going to do, walk to Austria? And as the General said, they’re probably dead!”

“These are my friends, Peggy!”

“You don’t think I- Y/N’s been my best friend since secondary school. She’s the older sister I always wished I had! It like losing family, Steve!”

Steve walks out of the tent, loading his stuff in the car. “You told me before I was meant for more than this. Did you mean that?”

There’s a silence as the pair stare into each others eyes. “Every word, Steve. But let me help you.”

~~~~~~~

On the plane, Peggy is showing Steve a map, where he’s supposed to be headed. “The HYDRA camp is in Krausberg, between these two mountains.”

“We should be able to drop you off right at their doorstep.” Howard said from the cockpit, in a cold tone. 

“Just get me as close as you can. Howard, how are you holding up?”

“Listen here Rogers. You don’t talk about her, don’t think about her. You didn’t know her like I did.” 

“Sir, with all due respect, she was my friend-”

“WELL SHE WAS MY SISTER! She was all I had left. Now if you don’t bring back her Company and ease that poor Captain Andrews’s soul, I will make sure the rest of your life is miserable.”

There’s a sad silence throughout the plane. Peggy speaks up. “Stark is the best civilian pilot I’ve ever seen. He’s brave enough to man this airspace. We’re lucky to have him.”

Gunshots are heard, and the trio knows they’ve arrived at the destination. Steve approaches the door, ready to jump out. “When I land, you turn this thing around and go back, understood?”

“You can’t give me orders!”

“Like hell I can, I’m Captain!”

~~~~~~~~

NOVEMBER 3RD, 1943.

KRAUSBERG, AUSTRIA. A HYDRA BASE.

20:00 HOURS. 

“Bucky-Bucky, wake up!” you say, trying to get him to open his eyes. He does, but once again stares off into space. Once he hears you crying, he turns his head. “Hi. Are you okay? How much does it hurt, sweetheart?” 

“It’s almost nothing. Something is different, although. I can feel it.” you said, through sobs.

“We’re gonna be alright. You know that, right?”

You take a deep breath and nod. “You think we’re gettin’ out of here?”

“We can only hope.”

You close your eyes and tilt your head back as gunshots are heard outside, and someone running down the corridor. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the narrow corridor, Steve hears a groan and cries from the ‘operating’ room the soldiers had told him about. Looking both ways before going in, he enters the room slowly, with caution. As he pears in further, he sees to people strapped to tables. He make his way closer to them, and there laying there- 

Bucky, Bucky and you.

He walks over to undo the straps on Bucky’s body. “Hey, Hey Buck, it’s me.”

Bucky is able to focus his eyes on Steve “Hey. Steve”. Laying a hand on his shoulder, Steve whispered “I thought you were dead.”

“And I thought you were smaller. Please, I need to help her, Stevie. She’s hurting.”

Realizing who he’s talking about, he walks over to you, laying conscious on the table and undoing the straps. You come to and turn to see Steve and Bucky. 

The crackle on gunshots is heard outside. The three of you flinch.

You are able to support yourself a bit better now. “Steve, hi. How are you doing? You ok?”

“Stark, I should be the one asking you that. Let’s get out of here.”

“Stevie, how do you two know each other? What happened to you?”

“I joined the army, all thanks to her and her Howard Stark.”

 “You’ll have to tell me about it later.. Did it hurt? Is it permanent?”

“Only a little Buck. And yes, permanent so far. I hope it is.”

Coming from outside, the three of you hear an explosion, causing the three of you two walk down the hallway as quick as possible. You make it to the bridge above the power plants, and the three of you climb to the top, hoping to find an escape route, and quickly. 

But like everything else today, it didn’t go as planned, as a thick German accent cut through the air. “Captain America! How exciting! I am a great fan of your films!” Schmidt said, being followed by Zola. 

You whimper in fear, and as Bucky hears this, quickly tucks you into his side, stroking your hair in an attempt to calm you down.  “Y/N Stark! I am a very very big fan of your work! Hydra would be blessed to have someone like you.”

Schmidt turns to Steve again. “So, looks like Dr. Erksine managed it after all. Not exactly an improvement, but impressive. I have to give it to him.”

Steve then proceeds to wack Schmidt across the face with his shield, which results in him knocking Steve back with a swift punch. Now on opposite sides of the bridge, Zola pushed a button that made both sides seperate from one another. 

“You see, no matter what lies Erksine told you-”

You cling to Bucky in fear. 

“I was his greatest success!” Schmidt then proceeds to take the skin off his face, to reveal a new, bald, red skull. “You pretend to be a simple soldier, Captain. But you refuse to admit that we’ve left humanity behind! Unlike you, I choose to embrace it proudly. Without fear!” Zola and Schmidt then proceed to go into an elevator, that carried them far away from the two of you. 

There are more explosions from below, and Steve leads you both to climb another set of stairs. On this bridge, you encounter a narrow beam made of iron. The only thing separating you from the other side. “Okay one at a time.” 

Steve looks between the two of you. “Y/N you first, please.” You shake your head. “I’ll be able to make it anyways. I have the serum. It’s in my blood.”

“That’s a story for another time. Bucky, i guess it’s you then.”

“No! I can’t just cross to the other side and leave here here!”

“Bucky, please just do it! I’ll be fine.” He proceeds to give you a quick peck on the lips and Steve helps him mount the beam. The beam creaks and falls down as he walks, but luckily he jumps just in time. 

“Go on Buck! Get out of here!” you yell.

“No! Not without you guys!”

You back up to the side as Steve makes a brave jump across the bridge. That only leaves you on the platform. “C’mon! You can do it! I Know you can!” 

Taking a deep breath, you unbutton your uniform coat, revealing the chest plate of your armor. Whipping out  a sword, you throw it to the other side and jump.

The sword catches you in mid air, as one hand stuck to the railing. Steve and Bucky help you up.

“Let’s get out of here, boys.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOVEMBER 4TH, 1943

THE ALLIED POWERS’ BASE, ITALY. 

9:00 HOURS.

“I took a chance on you, Agent Carter. Now not only is America’s golden boy dead, but my Lieutenant General too. All because you had a crush.” General Phillips said. 

“It wasn’t that, General. I believed in him.”

“I hope it’s a comfort to you when they shut this division down, Agent.” 

Outside, there were a bunch of soldiers running. Not from, but to. “What in the hell is going on out there?” General Philips seemed to ask himself, as he made his way outside, Peggy following him. 

There marching right beside Steve, were you and Bucky. The 107th had gone through hell, and made it back alive. Soldiers started cheering and clapping, approaching the group. There was even one who exclaimed “Look who it is!”

Howard hears all the commotion from his tent and goes outside to see what’s going on. He stands behind Peggy, hoping to catch a glimpse of what caused so much ruckus in the once silent base. It couldn’t be. You were supposed to be dead. 

“General Philips, these men need medical attention.” said Steve, as you and Bucky stood at his side. Your turn to Bucky. “Told you we’d make it out, darlin’?” 

“Maybe I should trust you more, Buck. Thank you.” You said as he locked his eyes with your own, wrapping his arm around you. “You better. I plan on having you around for a long time, sweetheart.”

“Really, now? I sure hope so, Buck. You’re my person.”

A smirk makes it’s way onto his face. “I’m your person? Well, then. I ain’t planning to let you go forever plus a day. I’m so happy to have you.”

“You better do something about it, wise-guy. I see Colonel Johnson eyeing me from the tactical tent-”

Before you can finish your sentence, he swoops you up, pulling you into a deep kiss as he lifts you off the ground and gives you a small spin. 

“Barnes you are someth-” 

“Y/N!” you and Bucky immediately pulled away from each other, and you turned to see Howard right in front of you. “Y/N! oh my god!”

You start to fiddle with the buttons on your uniform. “Howard! I’m sorry you had to find out like this-”

“Nonsense! I’m just glad your home. Even if it involved getting with- him” Howard said, making a hand gesture towards Bucky, who was behind you, cowering in fear. You wrapped your arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry, Howwie. I hate to make  you worry.”

“Well, I also hate that you make me worried, but it isin’t your fault” You pull away from Howard’s hug and Bucky holds out his hand.

“I’d like to formally introduce myself, Mr. Stark. You haven’t let me introduce myself. My names James Buchanan Barnes, sir. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, without you threatening to fight me.”

Howard, hesitantly holding his hand out, “The pleasure is all mine, James. I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. All I want is to see my sister happy. Which, you obviously do so- maybe I won’t chase you with a bat.”

“Howard!”

He lets out a laugh. “I only want the best for you, you know that. Now, I’m pretty sure Phillips wants you to give a debriefing.”

You nod. “See you later, Buck?”

“You know it, darlin’” he walks off.

“He loves you, you know. You can tell from his eyes. You’ll always be able to tell from someone’s eyes, sis.”

“What would you know? I be t you don’t even remember that one girl’s name!” you said, crossing your arms. 

“Of course I remember. Maria, from New Haven. moved here to learn how to play piano. You’ve got to meet her sometime.” 

“I hope so. Give her the sibling talk?”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Watch me.” you said, walking away. 

“Wait-wait. This conversation isn't over!” he chases after you.

~~~~~~~~~~~

This was a long one, good god. anyways i spent an entire day on it so please show it some love. <3

- Talya

[epicstuckyficrecs]

2019 New Writers Fic Rec

After seeing some Discourse on Twitter, I decided to make a fic rec with some of my favorite new writers! All of these writers only started posting Stucky fanfic in 2018 or 2019. So here are some “new” writers and some of my favorite fics from them! (in no particular order)

PS: sorry for not putting the trope, word count and rating as I usually do, I wanted to try and make this fic rec quickly! 

PS2: also sorry if I chopped all your summaries, but some of them are hella long and this post is already... pretty long.

PS3: this went way past “favorite new writers” and just became “great new writers” because I wanted to prove a point, oops. 

verzacefatale 

You be yours and I'll be mine : “Oh, god. We got married, didn’t we?” 

14-Inch Cock and a Few Hundred Bimbos : There are some things in life, Steve muses as he stares down at his crotch, that nothing can prepare you for. His dick suddenly growing six inches in length and another two in girth, just because he opened a box in a Hydra dug out that maybe he should have read the instructions on before he did? How was he to know it was literally magic that would make his cock grow huge?

~

2bestfriends 

Collar Full of Chemistry : AKA a fantasy BDSM romance featuring heavy mutual pining, feelings denial, and enough kink to blackout a bingo card. 

Like Real People Do : AKA the "Lumberjack Steve/Twink Bucky" fic of our hearts.

~

deadonarrival

100,000 Miles And Feeling Very Still : Steve Rogers took a job at NASA and his life is pretty okay. Maybe not great but he has some good friends and things seem to be mostly stable. Except one day their new astronaut recruit walks in and everything in Steve's life goes upside down.

Latte Art and Slow Dancing in the Dark (WIP): Bucky is a somewhat well-adjusted former army sniper that got his shoulder blown out. He took his discharge and went home to finish school and is working on his international relations masters. His best friends and roommates (Nat & Clint) are CIA agents and tip him off that their local Sbux is hiring. He gets a job there and meets none other than the hottest guy on earth.

~

voxofthevoid

(series) couldn't get the boy to kill me (ongoing): Captain America and the Winter Soldier are a terrifying duo on the field, working together with a well-oiled precision that tears through their enemies. Captain Rogers and Agent Barnes are distant coworkers, all polite nods and mission briefings. Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are fire and gasoline; the sparks between them have no choice but to roar into raging infernos.

happily ever after has bite marks in it : In which Bucky is aggressively okay with his self-imposed exile from society, and Steve is a werewolf who’s nothing like the Brooklyn boy Bucky still dreams of.

darling heart, i loved you from the start (but that's no excuse for the state i'm in) : Or, the one where Steve saves the mind stone for last and decides to fuck the timeline beyond all recognition, which regrettably involves crawling delicately up Hydra's asshole and less regrettably involves showering a very confused Bucky Barnes with affection.

(series): i'm guilty of treason (i've abandoned control) : S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Bucky Barnes is captured on a mission and meets Commander Steve Rogers, the erstwhile Captain America.It escalates quickly.

four dreams in a row where you were burned : When Steve uses the last of his Pym Particles to travel to 1944 and save his best friend, he doesn’t have a plan beyond leaving behind the battlefield and living his life alongside the people he loves. But the life that finds him is not the one he expects.

~

deisderium

much tattoo about nothing : Steve Rogers gets a lot of email requests, but never one like this: James Barnes wants to use his healing factor to practice tattoos.

(series) tits out, lads : On the walk back from Azzano, Bucky keeps touching Steve's chest. Then he touches it some more. And more.

Let Them Eat Cake : Bucky wanted to know why their new pastry chef had gun calluses on his right hand.

deep dive : In which single dad Bucky Barnes has a crush on his daughter's dive team coach and thirsts awkwardly. 

thot through the heart (and you're to blame) : In which Bucky is a baby vampire, a disaster, out to have a good time, and hopelessly in love with his roomate; and in which Steve has a few secrets of his own.

Political Animals (WIP) : or—Steve’s best friend is the U.S. Constitution and he can’t seem to stop fucking a hot Republican. They shouldn’t fall in love, but somehow they do.

~

thedoubteriswise

time on my hands (could be time spent with you) : "You doing okay, kid?” Steve releases a breath, deciding how honest he wants to be. No point in lying. No point in telling the truth, either. "Glad to see you.""That’s not what I asked, but same to you, punk."

honey don't feed it, it will come back : He’s stroking the cat’s fur, which is soft and fine now that it’s clean. He looks so open and inviting. Steve doesn’t close his eyes, watching Bucky’s gentle fingers and trying to come up with a plausible excuse to go touch him.

Ill With Want : Bucky pretends to be asleep when Steve crawls into bed, too tired to feel guilty over the quivery pleasure that settles in his belly when Steve’s arm brushes his. He drifts to sleep in a comfortable haze and tries not to wonder where this feeling was two hours ago when he had Marie in his lap.

~

steebadore

Controlled Release : Bucky's just having a little trouble...finishing. Completing the mission. He can squeeze the trigger but he can't make the shot is what he's saying. Which is why he's here, loitering outside a nice brownstone in Park Slope, trying to find the courage to knock on Captain Come Control dot com's door for his three o'clock appointment.

it takes a lot to know a man : Bucky flips to the next page, and the world around him grinds to a halt as his brain struggles to process what he's seeing. The noise of the train fades and static fills the inside of his head as he looks down at the sketches of the metal-armed guy without the mask. It's—that's him. It's Bucky's own goddamn face staring back at him from this stranger's sketchbook.

~

AidaRonan

Quench : Or the one where archeology intern Bucky Barnes meets actual archeologist Steve Rogers and reaches levels of thirst scientists once believed to be theoretically impossible.

Carnal Synchronicity : AKA A Tale of Two Stevies

Fraternizing With the Enemy : Steve and Bucky are both the presidents of their respective fraternities. Steve thinks Bucky's frat is filled with selfish party animals who care about little else. Bucky thinks Steve is a giant pretentious douchebag who owns too many Lacoste polos. They hate each other. Passionately.

~

lockedlocke

I just need you to show me : A quick google search tells him that the app he needs to get for something quick and easy, with no strings attached is Grindr. He downloads the app while he watches a bit of a Simpsons episode. It doesn’t take long, and when the app is downloaded, he looks at black icon with the yellow mask.

Pride : So here he was, at Pride despite the fact that he’d rather be at home. It’s hot, boiling and his feet hurt a bit from standing all day. Converse might be nice shoes, but Jesus they were terrible for his knees.

~

mcwho

it never hurt nobody : “I thought we agreed that that was creepy.” “No,” Bucky says slowly. “I asked you what you thought about people calling their boyfriends daddy, and you said you thought it was creepy, and then I asked you what the hell you’d done with my grey sweater after you did laundry, and we never talked about it again.”

(series) the serum amplifies : Little PWPs about Steve and Bucky’s sex life and the serums effect on it.

~

missandrogyny

don't know where i'm going (but i'll get back to you and me) : AU where Bucky is an assassin who just can’t seem to kill Steve

~

LeeHan

The Right Partner : Steve meets a beautiful man with a bright laugh on a sunny day in Italy. Captain America meets the elusive Winter Soldier moments later.

The Best Way to Wake : James Buchanan Barnes lay in a glass pod in the middle of the table, frozen since he fell. Steve’s hands were on the glass before he realized he’d moved. “Get him out,” Steve whispered, his hands searching for a clasp, a keypad, something.

~

amethystkrystal

Taking This One Step At A Time : In the weeks that follow, Bucky's omega urges start going haywire, and he realizes that night with Steve may have left him with more than just a fond memory.

Realignment : After assembling their own Infinity Gauntlet, the Avengers defeated Thanos and brought back everyone who disappeared. But their victory came at a great cost: in order to take the Soul Stone, Steve had to sacrifice the Captain America mantle and all the super-soldier strength that came with it.

~

cydonic

Home Is Wherever I'm With You : This is what happens when you buy a house to flip having only seen the online images: you get more than you bargained for. Bucky Barnes brings all the tools to handle a dilapidated home, but he's hardly prepared for a smart-mouthed child (with poor aim), a crying baby, and the hottest dad he's ever seen in his life living right next door.

~

deadto27

The Sweetest Spark : Steve Rogers runs a successful business. He has great friends and a great life. It seems like he has it all. So why is he sitting in a diner on a Friday night alone? Maybe he's just a little lonely. Maybe Bucky Barnes can help with that.

Maybe This Christmas : Bucky’s not going home for Christmas. But it’s fine. He’s spending Christmas alone in his apartment, but it’s cool. He’s not feeling up to seeing his family after his accident anyway, plus he has to work. He’s totally fine with it. But then he runs into Steve, literally, and suddenly his Christmas isn’t looking so empty after all.

~

NachoDiablo

Reconcilable Differences : AKA, "What To Do When Your Zany Fake-Relationship Scheme Actually Works."

~

odetteandodile

If Only In My Dreams : Bucky is a highly successful cooking and lifestyle blogger. He writes all about life in his Connecticut home with his D.H. (darling husband). Only problem? It’s all complete fiction.

So I Took a Faithful Leap : Bucky doesn’t fall and Steve doesn’t crash. The Howling Commados take out the remaining Hydra bases…and then they go home, just like all the other allied soldiers. Steve buys a farm in Washington state, and tries to relearn how to be at peace.

Art Thief, Heart Thief : Agent Steve Rogers is facing a series of art thefts that has him stumped, and looking for a break in the case. Convicted art thief and general high end criminal Bucky Barnes wants to make parole and happens to know all of the right people who could make Steve's job easier.

Under the Hawthorn Tree : A young man wanders into the woods one night, and wanders until he isn't a young man anymore—but something else. Seventy years later, another man follows him. Inside of a magic ring, they meet.

~

canistakahari

don't threaten me with a good time : Steve's taken him on vacation to a cabin in Canada in the middle of winter, so it's obviously the perfect time for his body to go haywire. Bucky is determined to stick it out, though, partly because he's a stubborn bastard, but mostly because he feels some kinda way about Steve.

Heckin' Chunker for Love : On the inside of the big floor to ceiling window of the office across the street, someone has used Post-it Notes to spell out a message: W H A T I S Y O U R C A T ’ S N A M E ?

(TBR) All of Your Love is Sunlight : Sometimes the path to happiness involves bad timing turned good, a butt plant, and a little everyday magic. For Steve and Bucky, it's all that and more.

~

birdjay

(TBR) STAR PLAN : He’s the most gorgeous thing Bucky’s ever laid eyes on.He’s his new tentative boss. Maybe. If this interview goes well enough, anyway. “So, Mr. Barnes?” Steve asks, blinking at him from across a particle board table. “You ever work security before?”

stay : The platform buzzes, and suddenly goes quiet. The cycle has finished. Bucky doesn’t bother to look. There’s no way Steve’s coming back when he has the chance to stay. He moves to walk away, to move on with his life, somehow. “Buck -- ?”

(TBR) The Conservation of a 17th Century Painting : Steve can’t even remember the last time he’s spoken to someone actually interested in art, who coincidentally is also someone he’d like to bang. Actually, no. He’s never had that happen.

~

dragongirlG

Searching Every Lonely Place : After the Battle of New York in 2012, Steve searches for Bucky with the help of the Avengers as he bumbles through a series of comedic misunderstandings with undercover HYDRA agents.

Reclamation : The Winter Soldier’s mask never falls off when he fights Captain America on the overpass and the helicarrier. That doesn’t stop the Soldier from recognizing Captain America and wondering why the man’s face is haunting his scattered memories.

~

megs_bee

Nothing Good Ever Happens On A Tuesday : Recently discharged soldier James Barnes is back in Brooklyn, down an arm and missing five years of memories, but he’s got his PTSD mostly under control, a fancy metal prosthetic, and what’s starting to feel like it could be a half-decent life. What he doesn’t have is any memory of the kid looking at James and asking him, “Are you my daddy?” -- or the gorgeous blond guy standing next to her.

A Ghost Before You Were a Ghost Story : “I’m sorry to wake you, Sir, but there appears to be an intruder on the roof. ”Tony finds the camera showing a figure standing alone on the roof, black tactical gear blending into the black night sky. Barely a shadow among shadows, save for the glint of silver along the figure’s left side. The Winter Soldier.

~

VenusMonstrosa

Extant : After a sudden and violent storm forces the crew of Insight III to perform an emergency evacuation, astronaut James Barnes was believed to have died and was left behind on Mars. Two years later, Commander Steve Rogers still refuses to let go. Fortunately, so does Bucky.

Through The Woods : There’s a legend in Mansewood, nearly as old as the town itself, about a pack of werewolves that once lived in the forest. They say only one survives; a monstrous and snarling beast with fur like a blizzard and fangs the size of daggers. Steve doesn’t care about any of that. He only wants to know if it prefers T-Bone or ribeye, and would it please stop tracking dirt through his house? He just mopped the floor.

~

BlueSimplicity

(series) You Are Responsible For What You Tame : After the events in DC and on the helicarriers, and the realization that his friend Bucky Barnes is still alive, Captain Steve Rogers swears that he will do anything he can to find him. It is easier said than done, as Steve searches desperately for any hint or clue that will lead him to his friend. Steve searches, but Bucky does not want to be found. And so begins their game of cat and mouse, as Steve does everything in his power to convince Bucky to come home.

~

GoldBlooded

A Midsummer Knight's Dream : Sir Steven, knight, alpha, and baron of a small countryside estate, receives an invitation to a Royal Tournament: It’s a winner-take-all competition, and the prize? The hand of Prince James, the kingdom’s most eligible omega, in marriage.

Feast On This : Steve, Sarah, and Bucky are headed down to Florida to visit the Barnes family for Thanksgiving. Bucky's tired of the interrogation about his love life from his Ma, and Sarah suggests the simplest solution would be for he and Steve to fake it for a few days. How hard can it be, right? After all, they've shared a bed before. After all, it's only pretend... Right?

Luck of the Irish Stroll : Every year Steve and Sam go on the Irish Stroll Bar Crawl, and ever since their first time on the Stroll four years ago, Steve and Sam cross paths with Bucky and Natasha. Every year Steve’s world is rocked by the gorgeous, blue-eyed man that has captivated him since they first locked eyes fighting over a couple of pints of Guinness from the bartender. But Steve's starting to want and need more of Bucky... will this be the year he can make it last for more than one night?

~

girlbookwrm

(TBR) (series) The Hundred Year Playlist : Steve and Bucky, start to finish. "Come on, pal, it's me. Take another hundred years if you want, I'll still be here."

sidereal : Captain Rogers never did a self-portrait; we can only speculate who his soulmate — or soulmates — might have been.

~

ClaraxBarton

Holding On : “Your poll numbers are way down, and we need to get them back up.”

~

stfustucky

Salt & Sugar (collab with GoldBlooded) : Steve Rogers is a bigshot celebrity chef in New York City, and Bucky Barnes is a classically trained pastry chef in Moscow. When billionaire and mutual friend Natasha Romanoff calls on them to collaborate for her Memorial Day Benefit Gala, they both brace themselves to spend the week working with some jerk they're bound to hate. 

Honestly, Fuck Brooklyn : Or, the one where it takes yet another apocalypse for the somewhat oblivious Bucky Barnes to figure out that his dorky artist boyfriend Steve is actually Captain Goddamned America.

~

writeonclara

How to Woo the Winter Soldier : Or: Steve courts the Winter Soldier.

[radioactivedelorean]

‘Til the End of the Line

birthday present for @transformersg1fan271, can’t believe it’s been almost three years since we met :0

I know you’re still super pissed about how Endgame ended, so here, I fixed it.

this is 3.4k words of “fuck Endgame I do what I want.”

Enjoy!

________________ “Don’t do anything stupid until I get back.” “How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.” The time machine’s whir became louder as it fired up, the panels spinning faster around Steve. With Mjolnir in one hand and the case containing the Stones in the other, he steeled himself to return everything to its rightful place. Bruce, Sam and Bucky watched on as, with a flash, Steve disappeared. 

Bucky let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, but it wasn’t in relief. It was in resignation. He and Steve had had a good, long discussion yesterday, and Steve’s mind was made up. He wouldn’t be coming back, opting to spend the rest of his natural life with Peggy. Bucky had known just how much Steve had loved her, even after they were torn apart by Steve spending seventy years in the ice. Bucky had been jealous before, and he was jealous now. 

Peggy was an incredible woman, that much was clear. She was strong, smart, maybe a little bullheaded. She was everything Steve deserved. She had helped make Steve what he was today, and not just in the physical sense. She’d toughened him up, both mentally and physically, and Bucky could see why Steve might want to live with her. He’d seen the way Steve would look at his pocket compass, with the tiny photo of Peggy glued to the inside of the cover. He knew Steve would be happy with her. 

So why couldn’t he stop himself from just wanting Steve all to himself?

Bucky had been told - hell, he’d seen for himself - just how committed Steve had been to saving him, both from Hydra and from himself. Steve had joined the War, broken into Azzano alone after jumping out of a plane, become a wanted man with a sizeable bounty on his head, run from the law, gone into hiding and chased Bucky halfway across the world. He’d been there when Bucky was put into cryo in Wakanda, or when Zemo had been using him to find the Hydra base in Siberia. Hell, Steve had almost killed Tony defending Bucky. Tony, one of his close friends and fellow Avengers. Steve had risked his life over and over again for Bucky, and now he was throwing all of that away to be with a woman who had died years ago. 

He took a quick glance at the control console for the time machine, where Sam and Bruce were preparing for Steve’s reentry, before turning on his heel and just walking away. He knew what would happen. Steve would miss his reentry point and wouldn’t come back until he was far older, way past retirement age and looking like he was in his last few months of life. Steve had already decided on passing his shield on to Sam, along with the mantle of Captain America. Steve had asked if Bucky wanted it, but he had declined. He knew his mind still wasn’t all back together after being repeatedly torn apart by Hydra, and he wasn’t prepared to take on something as important as that while still having recurring relapses into his old Winter Soldier mindset. So Steve had settled on giving Sam the title after Bucky had convinced him that Wilson was more suited to the role. 

Finding a large tree overhanging the river, out of earshot of the others, Bucky sat down with his back to the trunk. It was only just now that he became aware of the rapid click-click-click as the plates in his metal arm trembled against each other. The arm was far more comfortable than his old one, but far more sensitive. He realised belatedly that he was trembling. He wasn’t sure whether it was in anger, fear or despair until he felt tears drip down his cheeks. Steve had only been gone sixty seconds but he already missed him. He missed him more than anything and knowing that Steve had picked some chick from the past over his best friend, his right-hand man, the man he’d promised to be with until the end of the line, hurt more than anything Hydra had ever done to him. 

A muffled sob bubbled from Bucky’s lips before he could stop it. Fuck you, Steve. Fuck you and your fucking stupid brain. Steve had just left him, barely a week after getting him back. What the hell was Bucky supposed to do now?! How was he supposed to learn to live in this post-Hydra, post-blip world without the one guy who had the same time-fucked life as his?! Steve had learned to cope with waking up seventy years after falling asleep, and Bucky had hoped he’d be there to guide him through it. And now Steve had just abandoned all that to live with Peggy. 

The first sob was joined by a second, then a third and before Bucky knew it, before he could control it, he was crying into his knees, shoulders trembling. Maybe he was the selfish one, for thinking he could have Steve all to himself. For thinking Steve even felt the same way about Bucky that Bucky did about Steve. Maybe Bucky should have been more obvious about it. Maybe he should have turned around and said: “hey Steve I fucking love you, please don’t leave me”?. He’d been leaving hints for years before they were separated, back when people like him could be arrested or even killed for who they were. Maybe he should have given up long ago, knowing Steve would never love him back. 

Another sob left Bucky’s lips and he swiped at his tears with his sleeve. He was so stupid. Falling for Steve in the first place. Hopelessly flirting with him during the War. Trying to make himself believe that Steve even loved him. Wanting Steve all to himself when clearly Steve had other plans. He didn’t care if Steve quit being an Avenger. He didn’t care about being the new Captain America. He just wanted Steve to be with him so they could be happy together, to have what they could never have had in the forties. He’d heard that two men could be legally, officially married, and knowing Steve would never want that just destroyed him. 

What the hell was he going to do now? Sam would take over as Captain America, Steve would grow old, shrivel up and die, and Bucky would be left alone. He had no hope of joining what was left of the Avengers if they were even a thing anymore. What with Tony in a coma, Natasha laying dead on some distant alien planet, Hawkeye retiring to be with his family, Thor off-planet and Bruce being, well, whatever that weird green giant thing was, Bucky was totally alone. Even if the Avengers were still a fully formed team, he didn’t belong there. He never had. He wasn/t good like Steve. He’d committed numerous assassinations, robberies, assaults and countless other atrocities. The only time he’d ever saved people was during the War, and that was about eighty years ago. He’d been straight up dead for five years and a ghost for seventy. He wasn’t anywhere near stable enough to be a pizza delivery guy, let alone an Avenger. The general public likely still despised him and he wouldn’t be surprised if there was a warrant out for his arrest. He couldn’t join the Avengers, not after the fiasco in Siberia, or in Germany. Bucky took a shaky breath, trying to work out a plan for what to do next. He had to stick around long enough to apologise to Tony, and properly apologise, even grovel if he had to, for killing his parents. He then had to change his appearance enough to be unrecognizable, starting with getting this stupid long hair cut short again. Then he’d have to just pick a direction and walk, distancing himself from it all as much as possible. And then…

What?

What came after that? After attempting to make amends and then leaving it all behind? Fake identity? Move country? An overwhelming sense of dread and despair washed over him, leaving Bucky feeling utterly helpless. Maybe it was easier to just give up altogether? To apologise for everything, take himself off into the woods and put a bullet in his own head? It would be cleaner at least, less painful on his part. He would be lying if he hadn’t thought about that before. With everything he’d been through, with everything wrong with him, it would be so much more simple to just stop. He wouldn’t have to worry about finding a job, or a new place to live, or disguising his identity to stop himself being thrown behind bars. He would just disappear off the face of the planet. Become a ghost story. He’d done that before, anyway. 

This time, Hydra wouldn’t be around to torture him. 

Bucky hugged his knees close to his chest, putting his head down. His long hair fell around his shoulders. His shoulders continued to shake as he allowed himself to cry. He was a safe distance away from the others, so it didn’t matter how loud he was. He was so loud in fact that he missed the crunch of leaves underfoot as someone approached him. 

“Well, there you are Buck.”

Bucky’s sobs hitched in his chest and he froze for a moment. Surely not…? He lifted his head and just like that, it was confirmed. 

Steve Rogers stood in front of him, still dressed in that ridiculous time travel suit. He gave a small smile, kneeling down in front of Bucky. “I was wondering where you got to.”

Bucky rubbed his eye, confusion painted across his face. “Why are you here? Why aren’t you…?” “Off in the past somewhere, living with a woman who was perfectly happily married to someone else already?”

“What…?” “So I get to Peggy’s house, right, and she’s standing arm in arm with someone on the front porch. Looks like they’d just got back from shopping or something.” Steve shrugged slightly, moving to sit beside Bucky. “She’s already married, and from the looks of things, she’s pregnant too. So I figured it was best to leave her be. Besides, I realised on the way back that there was someone I’d much rather spend the rest of my life with.” Bucky felt stupid for asking, but he had to know. “Who?” “Oh, just some guy from Brooklyn who I loved so much I followed him into war.” Every neuron in Bucky’s brain seemed to fire simultaneously, as he just sat there in complete silence for a moment. He had only ever dreamt that Steve would say those words, but now that he was here and actually hearing them, he didn’t know what to do. He’d dreamt of that moment countless times back when he and Steve had shared a tiny little apartment in Brooklyn, he’d dreamt about it during the war and he’d been dreaming of it ever since he managed to come back to himself after his Hydra conditioning was broken. Regardless of all that dreaming, Bucky had never actually thought about what he would do if that dream ever came true. 

Steve seemed to be talking to him again, and it took a few clicks of his fingers to bring Bucky out of his trance. “Buck? You okay there?”

“I - uh - yeah, I’m - I’m okay,” he mumbled dumbly, nodding. “I - is this real? Are you really sitting there telling me you love me?” “Well duh.” A playful smile ghosted Steve’s lips. “Isn’t that what you��ve been waiting for me to say for damn near eighty years?”

“How…?” “Geeze, Bucky, wasn’t it obvious?” Steve chuckled softly, still giving him that playful smile. “The way you were staring at me all the time? The jealousy when Peggy asked me to dance back during the War? The way you had absolutely no problem sharing a bed with me during the winter, both in our apartment in Brooklyn and in our barracks?” Bucky blushed at some of those memories, of his face buried in Steve’s shoulder, their bodies curled together, of a warmth pooling in his stomach that he tried furiously to ignore and hoped that Steve wouldn’t notice. Of hugging this tiny, sickly, frail young man to his chest in the hopes it would stave off any more illnesses. Of the pair sitting together on the balcony, legs dangled over the edge as they watched the city go by. Of so many glances at the blond, hoping to catch his eye so then maybe Steve would notice and he wouldn’t have to hide anymore. 

“I - I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bucky said eventually, head cast down. This was embarrassing. He’d been waiting near enough his whole life to hear Steve say the words I love you and now he was just sitting there stammering like an idiot!

“Yes you do, Buck.” Steve slipped an arm around Bucky’s waist and Bucky gave an involuntary shiver, immediately moving to lean in closer. “And I know you know. This ain’t the forties anymore; we don’t have to hide. Buck, people like us can get married now.”

The thought of Steve and marriage together made Bucky’s already pink cheeks turn a deeper shade of red. He’d heard that this century was more accepting than the twentieth, but knowing that two guys could get married?! He was still struggling to believe it. He kept forgetting all about it. “Really?”

“Really,” Steve hummed, leaning over and pressing a light kiss to the top of Bucky’s head and chuckling at the soft squeak it earned him. “So, whaddya say? You with me till the end of the line?” Bucky looked up, slowly starting to grin. “Well duh, you’re stuck with me now, punk.” “Jerk,” Steve chuckled, leaning in again. This time, Bucky met him head-on, his metal hand coming up to cup Steve’s cheek. He pressed his lips to Steve’s eagerly, and he felt his whole body just melt. He had been waiting far too long for this. Fireworks went off in his mind. He pressed in further, just wanting more and more. He could feel the low rumble of a chuckle in Steve’s chest, the curve of a smile on Steve’s lips against his own. Tears pricked his eyes as he forced himself to pull back, panting softly.

Steve grinned, his own breath slightly quickened. “Wow.” “Wow…” Bucky repeated. He was smiling, his first proper smile since Steve had met him in Wakanda not long after he’d woken up. He felt so young again, like the last eighty years had just fallen away to leave the pair of them sitting on their ratty old couch in Brooklyn. He let out a breathy laugh. “Wow.” Steve grinned, before leaning in for another kiss. Bucky didn’t hesitate to return it, throwing his arms around Steve’s neck and dragging him in closer. He felt Steve’s arms come up around his back to return the embrace as eighty years of romantic interest was finally expressed. 

“So that’s where you went, Rogers.”

Bucky and Steve parted with a slight splutter, both of them blushing a little bit. Steve turned, and over his shoulder, Bucky could see Sam standing there. Bruce was beside him and - hang on, that redhead looked familiar. Wasn’t that…? “Sorry, Sam. I went to find Bucky.” “Looks like you sure found him alright,” Sam chuckled with a slight wiggle of his eyebrows. Steve huffed as he got to his feet. “Hey, it’s taken us eighty years to get to this point alright?” Sam whistled. “Damn, and I thought you two were already going at it when you wouldn’t stop giving Barnes the goo-goo eyes back in 2016.” “Shut up Wilson,” Bucky huffed, standing up beside Steve. “So that’s why you kept turning down the idea of dating!” Nat grinned. 

“How are you alive?” Bucky blurted out, still rather stunned to see her just standing there, her trademark playful smirk on her mouth. 

“Well that’s rude,” she tutted, but the smirk remained, easily diffusing any venom her words might have held. “So after I’d put back the other Stones,” Steve began, turning to Bucky, “I went to put the Soul Stone back and you’d never guess who I met!” “Who?” “Red Skull!” Bucky choked. “What?! But didn’t he, like, disintegrate or something? I swear you told me he just evaporated.” “I thought so too! But anyway, I tell him I’m done with the Soul Stone and that it’s best if he has it back since it kinda needs to be with him to protect the timeline and all - yeah, I know, don’t ask me - and he just says something about ‘a soul for a soul’, and that since I brought the Stone back, I could have Nat back. There was some weird swirling mist or something and bam, Natasha was just standing there!” “Guess it was within the thirty days return policy,” Natasha chuckled. “Though I gotta say, being brought back from the dead is just another thing I can cross off my bucket list.”

Bucky just looked utterly confused for a few moments. “You’re gonna have to go through all that with me again later, okay?” “Sure,” Steve smiled, leaving a kiss on his cheek. “Now c’mon, if we’re all done here, should we head back up to the cabin? It’s starting to get dark.” The others collectively nodded, beginning to make their way back up the hill towards the house. Upon cresting the hill, they could see Clint and Wanda sitting on the leather seats on the rear porch, chatting quietly to themselves. When he heard the rustle of footsteps, Clint turned his head. His eyes nearly fell out of his sockets. “Nat…?” “Hey birdbrain, miss me?” “Oh my god Natasha!” Clint was out of his seat and running towards Natasha in an instant, leaving Wanda merely sitting there looking startled. Natasha was almost bowled over by the force of the hug, having to take a step back to adjust her footing. 

“Christ, Barton,” she muttered, but she wouldn’t deny the tears beginning to leak down her face as she wrapped her arms around her long-time best friend. 

Clint was already openly crying into her shoulder, clinging onto her as if letting go meant losing her all over again. He couldn’t even talk for the first few minutes. Neither of them could. Once he had eventually calmed down, he asked, “how are you alive?” “Giving back the Soul Stone apparently meant that that red dude would give me back,” Nat murmured from Clint’s shoulder. She lifted her head, giving him a slightly watery smile. “No catches this time, I’m here to stay.” “Thank fuck,” Clint laughed, before hugging her close again. “How the hell would I tell my kids that Auntie Nat wasn’t gonna come back?”

“No idea,” she winced a little at the thought, laying her head back down against his shoulder. 

Bucky and Steve backed off to give them a few moments, taking a seat on the steps near the back door. “So… now what?” Bucky asked after a moment, elbows resting on his knees. “Well, I guess now we try and just… pff,” Steve let out a breath. “Live? Get jobs? Find an apartment? I dunno.” “We’re doing that together though, right?” Bucky glanced over at him. “Well duh, I’m not going anywhere.” He grinned, slipping an arm around his shoulders. 

Bucky gave a soft hum, leaning into the touch. After a moment, he looked up again. “Hey, Steve? Are you still giving up the whole Captain America schtick?” “Probably,” the blond nodded. “Honestly, it gets pretty wearing after a while. I mean, the whole thing started as a circus act in order to sell war bonds, remember?” Bucky snorted, “Yeah, I remember.” Something came back to him, and he grinned. “‘Who’s strong and brave and here to save the American waaaayyyy?’” Steve let out a loud groan. “Oh fuck, I’d forgotten about that.” “Makes a change from me forgetting everything,” Bucky grinned. 

“I take it your memory has improved?” “Oh yeah, by loads. That time I spent in Wakanda definitely helped.” “Good, I’m glad,” Steve smiled, kissing Bucky’s temple. “So, you ready to spend the rest of your life with me?” “Duh,” Bucky grinned. “‘Till the end of the line, right?” Steve smiled, leaning in for another kiss. “That’s right.” Till the end of the line. 

fin.

_____ I wanted some post-Endgame Stucky fluff and I know a lot of folks are still salty about Steve’s ending. This is now canon, sue me Disney.

[rorynne]

Time Lost (Rewrite) Ch 1

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Reader

Summary: An accident during a mission sends you back in time to the second world war. There you enlist the help of Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers, and Bucky Barnes to find the object that can send her back.

Warnings: not much bucky but he will be more present going forward

Word count: 2.7k

A/N: This is a rewrite of an OC fic that I have been writing and been wanting to turn into a reader Fic. Im unsure if I will be continuing the OC fic currently, I may just transfer it completely to my reader Fic. Currently 6 chapters are up of the OC fic, and I shall be posting a rewritten chapter every few days on here.

Masterlist

Prologue

Storm clouds hung heavy in the sky as you sat in the back of a jeep bound for the current SSR base in Italy. Almost two years of searching and there was barely any information on the bell to go off of. It was beyond frustrating. At this rate, you were starting to wonder if you would ever get back to your time. Granted, all of the documents you brought back were dated 1943 or later, chances were development on the bell had only just begun. And if that were the case, hopefully, it wasn't going to take them seventy years to finish.

Your general lack of ability to change anything also proved to be frustrating as hell. Only Peggy knew of your true origins. They had both decided against going around saying you were from the future, god only knew that would just get them both locked up. However, as a result, that meant you were far less likely to be believed any time you tried to keep an event from happening if you lacked any evidence. you never thought you would sympathize with Cassandra.

“I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up.” A familiar voice teased as the jeep came to a halt. You smiled as you saw Peggy waiting to inspect the arriving convoy. Peggy had managed to make the last two years far more bearable, becoming quick friends with you.

“You know me,” You said, jumping out of the back of the jeep. “I like to keep everyone guessing.”

Peggy smiled as you approached. “Perhaps a little too much.” She accused. “How was Paris?”

You shrugged and canted your head, “Beautiful city, great food, interesting history.” You crossed your arms. “Too bad I wanted to shoot the majority of my company.”

“I trust you were able to resist the temptation?” Said Peggy eyeing you in amusement.

“Figured I would let the boys have the nazi killing fun for now.” You sniffed indignantly. “Kind of regret it now. At least then I would have something to account for coming back.”

“No luck on the bell?”

“No luck on anything.” You corrected, “A whole lot of Nazis but no hydra. It seems the intel we had was either old or false.”

Peggy nodded at one of the soldiers carrying a crate from a truck. “You think they’ve caught on to us?”

You chewed your cheek. “I'm not sure. I can't say they knew I was coming, or I’d be dead. Or at least so I would assume. I don't see any reason why they would keep me alive knowing I'm a spy. But at the same time, there wasn't a single member of hydra there. I've never seen that before, usually there's at least one.

Peggy narrowed her eyes. “If we aren't being fed false information then somethings happening.”

“And whatever it is, I think the ones outside of hydra are just about as in the dark as we are. Hydra’s making a play, a big one.”

“A faction split?” Peggy offered.

“It's possible. But if it's that, they've got to be pretty confident that they can win.” You scratched the back of your neck, entirely unsure of what to make about any of it.

Peggy nodded, “If what the surviving 107th are saying is true, it seems they've got just that.” Seemingly content with the convoy, Peggy started towards the SSR command tent. “Your history books say anything about this?”

You followed close behind. “About the 107th? Not much. They get captured, Captain America comes in and saves the day singlehandedly. Dunno how much stock I put into to all that personally. Lotta things about the Cap and hydra got covered up after the war by shield. Especially in the history books.”

Peggy frowned, walking into the tent. “I can believe it. I've seen Rogers in action, unfortunately, the army seems content parading him around America singing about war bonds.

Your eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me, what?”

“Peggy gestured to the poster hanging from a support beam of the tent. “Captain America,” it read, “on tour: Allied bases across Europe and North Africa.” You bit your lip to keep from laughing, this was not how you ever imagined meeting Captain America.

“They, they really have him singing?” You said, fighting to keep a straight face.

“Dancing at the very least,” said Peggy, not sounding the slightest bit amused. “Bloody waste if you ask me. He’ll be arriving and preforming here tomorrow.”

You shook your head, still staring at the poster. “I wouldn't miss it for the world.”

The captain's performance was, frankly, every bit as hilarious as you expected. The rest of the crowd, however, didn't seem to agree. Instead, they demanded the dancing girls come back on stage. You grimaced as the famous Steve Rogers walked off stage, noticeably embarrassed. The Captain America you knew was a hero, a legend even. But this was before all of his exploits before he saved the world more times than you could count. He barely seemed to be the same man.

You held back for a time, figuring he would want space after such a humiliation. But, as the rain that had been threatening for two days now began to pour, you went searching for him. Surely there was something that pushed him out of the theater and into heroism because he was far better at the latter. Whose brilliant idea even was it to have him dancing around in the first place?

You found him with Peggy, taking refuge from the rain under a wooden awning behind the stage. Peggy's face was stern as you neared, “And these are your only options? Lab rat or dancing monkey?”

“War hero seems like a fun third option.” You cut in, earning a raised eyebrow from Peggy. “Or, you know, literally anything else.”

He looked at you with apprehension and confusion as Peggy took a patient breath. “What Agent L/N means, is you were meant for more than this.”

You extended a hand to him. “Sorry, my humor isn't for everyone. Y/N L/N.”

He nodded, shaking your hand. “Steve Rogers.” He sighed as his attention was pulled to an arriving red cross truck. “These men look like they've gone through hell.”

You crossed your arms, “They've gone through war.”

“These men more than most. They're what's left of the 107th.” Peggy agreed and you winced. What these men had seen seemed to make hell seem heavenly.

Steves' eyes went wide. “The 107th?” He was up and running to the command tent before Peggy could even respond. You and Peggy shared a glance before chasing after him through the rain.

Col. Phillips sat signing what were presumably condolence letters at his desk in the back fo the tent as steve rushed up to him. Phillips looked up just barely before returning to the letters. “If it isn't the star-spangled man with a plan. What do I own the pleasure.”

“I need the casualty list from Azzano,” Steve said with unexplained urgency.

Phillips looked up from his papers with a glare. “You don't get to give me orders.”

“I just need one name,” Steve continued, “Sergeant James Barnes of the 107th.” The name tugged the back of your memory, you had heard it somewhere before, in a museum maybe? That was right, you recalled the handsome picture of a soldier engraved in stone in the howling commando exhibit at the Smithsonian. He had been the one that died. Steve lost his best friend. You gave him a pitiful look as he argued with Phillips, you had always thought that Barnes became a commando before dying.

“But I don't expect you to understand that because you're a chorus girl.” Phillips's harsh words pulled you out of your thoughts.

“I think I understand just fine,” Steve responded coolly.

“Then understand it somewhere else, if I read the posters right you have somewhere to be in 30 minutes.” Phillips moved passed him to look over maps with another officer, making his stance on the conversation clear.

“Yes sir,” Steve said, studying the large map board in front of him, “I do.” He turned on his heels and rushed out of the tent, leaving you and Peggy in his wake.

“I’ll go after him,” Peggy whispered to you. “We need maps and supplies, whatever you can think of, then meet us in the hangar as soon as you can.”

You nodded letting Peggy follow after Steve. You stood there for a moment, pretending to study the map board before quickly and casually taking a smaller map off Col. Phillips desk and slipping it into your coat. With a nod to the nearest officer, you walked out of the tent and into the rain.

Already thoroughly drenched from your previous two treks thought the rain, you didn't bother trying to shield yourself from the downpour as you made your way to the nearest storehouse. Knowing Peggy, they were probably going to get court-martialed with whatever she had planned, so might as well go the whole hog and steal any supplies Steve might need.

You grabbed a gunny sack as soon as you entered the storeroom and started filling: A compass, multiple rations of food, a blanket, flashlight, rope, matches. Anything and everything that you could think of that he might need should he get lost. ‘Cause God knows, the way he was charging off, he damn well didn't consider any of this.

“Hey!” A guard called to you. “You aren't authorized to take any of this!”

You slung the sack over your shoulder as the guard approached. “Youll find that I am, private.” You bluffed. “Under official SSR orders. Unless that is, you want to waste Col Phillips time clearing it with him first?” The guard blanched at the mention of Phillips's name.

“No, Ma’am!” He said quickly, stepping out of your way. You gave a sharp nod before escaping the warehouse. you started toward the Hangar before pausing and looking at the stage. A devilish smile came over you as you changed your course.

The backstage was empty when you entered, likely all the actors and dancers were still on break, leaving the costumes unguarded. Because, really, who on earth would want to steal them, besides you. You hummed the tune to ‘star-spangled man’ as you picked up a helmet with a large white ‘A’. One thing was for sure, steve was going to save the 107th in (extremely questionable) style.

Peggy, Steve, and Stark were waiting at the hangar when you arrived, helmet in hand, a grin plastered across your face. “You know, for a star-spangled man with a plan, I'm wondering if you've ever had a plan in your life.” You teased, handing him the helmet and sack of supplies.

Steve gave you a look as he fiddled with the helmet, “In all fairness ma’am, you haven't known me long.”

“First impressions mean a lot, Rogers.” You shrugged, moving onto Peggy. “Though I’m not sure if this plan is much better than no plan,” You said in a low voice only Peggy could hear.

“We don't have many other options at the current moment.” Peggy defended as Steve and Stark boarded the plane. “Unless you somehow convinced Col. Phillips to give us an army.”

“I'm not a miracle worker.” You sighed.

“You said he was able to do this single-handed, we just need to have faith.” Peggy took a deep breath, even she didn't seem completely convinced.

You nodded, “Time to prove the history books right. I’ll stay grounded to try to keep the colonel distracted. Go.” You gave a mock salute as the plane took off, leaving you behind.

Keeping Phillips occupied until the plane returned proved to be quite easy. He was already extremely busy, and with some strategic playing dumb and careful excuses as to why you were doing Peggy's work, he was none the wiser until the plane landed the next morning. Then the shit hit the fan.

Steve didn't come back. Two weeks after the flight to Austria and there was absolutely no sign of him either. Phillips was furious, you did everything in your power to avoid him, though you knew it wouldn't be long before consequences came. There was a good possibility that your chance to get home was lost if Steve didn't show up.

You sat on the ground against a tree, picking at your fingers. At this point, you didn't even care about getting home. Instead, you couldn't shake the guilt of getting an avenger killed before the avengers were even a thing. The guilt of it alone made it difficult for you to even sleep at night. you would have gone into Austria yourself to find him, if Phillips hadn't expressly forbidden it, and kept an armed guard on you 24/7 as a baby sitter.

“You look like a child that's been sent to the headmaster,” Peggy said looking down at you.

You nodded, “Feel like it too.”

“Do you regret helping him?” Peggy asked, voice tight.

You sighed and looked up at her, “I regret not helping him more.” You admitted, “I teased him about not having a plan, and then didn't even try to give him one. I could have followed that dumbass into Austria myself.” The young soldier acting as your baby sitter shifted uncomfortably. “Stop acting like you've never heard a woman fucking swear Simmons.”

“Y-yes ma’am” He stammered and you rolled your eyes.

“We did everything we could for him,” Peggy reassured, ignoring Simmons. “He would have walked to Austria if we didn't help him.”

You laughed weakly, “I’ve done stupider things.” You paused for a beat, biting your lip, “Peggy, I, I’m sorry about this all. I could tell how much you liked him.”

Peggy swallowed, “Yes, well. I'm glad he wasn't stuck as a dancing monkey.” She cleared her throat, “I'm going to speak with Col. Phillips if you would like to join me.”

You scoffed, “No, I'd rather him find me if he wants to chew me out.” Peggy nodded and left you sitting under your tree. No doubt Phillips would be in a bad mood. He was finally calling off the searches today, officially labeling Steve Rogers as KIA. God, if only you had just gone with him as back up, at least then either he would be alive or you’d be too dead to care.

You threw your head back in frustration as hoots and hollers came from the front of the camp. Soldiers began running to the gates, curious, you joined them. You gasped when you saw what the soldiers were congregating for.

A hundred some odd men came marching through the gates, Steve Rogers, Captain America, leading the way. Cheers rippled through the crowd as the group walked through the camp, stopping in front of Col. Phillips. You slipped between the men in efforts to get a better view.

“Hey!” The man next to steve yelled, making you freeze, surprised, as you saw the familiar handsome face of a man you had only seen in museum exhibits. “Let's hear it for Captain America!” The crowd roared, men throwing their caps in the air, whistling, yelling, clapping. You found yourself clapping too as Barnes’s eyes locked onto yours for a brief moment. He smiled faintly as he caught sight of you, a sparkle of something in his steel-blue eyes as you shifted your attention to finding Col. Phillips.

You moved through the crowd in search of him, only to find him missing from it. you soon found him exactly where you expected him to be, the SSR command tent. you wore a sly smirk that would have read ‘I told you so” Had he bothered to look up at you. Instead, he focused on packing away his desk. “Don't think for a moment that just because Captain Rogers came back that you're off my shit list Agent L/N.”

You frowned, “He saved at least a hundred and fifty men. I played a part in that.”

“And that’s exactly why I'm not court martialing you for theft of government property.” He said as he tucked away a folder into a box. “Tell Agent Carter to pack her things, we’re returning to London for debriefing first thing tomorrow.”

You scowled, “Yes sir.”

[chicklette]

@frostbitebakery wrecked me with her art.  I made the story.  The glory belongs to her.

Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 

Part III (rated M for all the previous reasons):

When Bucky is twenty-seven, his mother cries a lot.  She cries when Bucky gets promoted, when Becca gets pregnant, and when Becca has her bonding ceremony.  She cries when George finally sells his half of the shop to his brother, and he makes good on a bonding-night promise to take her to Hawaii. (Even the air smells good there, she tells all their friends when they return.)

Mostly though, she cries because Bucky is always cold, and Bucky is deeply lonely, and Bucky lost his soulmate before he even got him. Bucky lost his soulmate before he ever knew to call another person home.

When Bucky is twenty-eight, he sits on his mother’s sofa with a new life in his hands.  Becca is radiant in motherhood, in happiness.  She shines like he always hoped she would, though the young years when she was painfully shy around everyone but him, the awkward years when she was coltish and tall, a face full of braces and dimples that rarely showed.  Meeting Davy Proctor brought out every beautiful thing in Becca, and even though he desperately wishes he knew what it was like to shine like that, he doesn’t begrudge her even a bit of it.

Gabby smiles up at him, bright blue eyes and rosebud mouth.  As six months old, she’s a snuggler more than anything, and has the endearing habit of pushing her hands up your shirt sleeves, and flexing them in time with her suckling.  Bucky is utterly gone on her.

“Honey?” Winnie says, and Becca nods.  Before Bucky can track what’s going on, his folks, Becca and Davy are all giving him earnest, heartbreaking looks.

“We wanted to talk to you, sweetheart,” Winnie says.  “We’re worried.”

“I - you guys, I know.”

“I don’t think you do,” Becca says, and her smile is small, sad.  “Buck, it feels like you haven’t smiled in a year.”

Bucky pushes a grin onto his face and even he notices how wrong it feels.

“I’m sorry,” he says, letting the smile fall.  “I know, I just….”  He stops because what is he supposed to say?  He’s just sad.

“Son,” George says.  “I know we don’t- can’t - understand.  But with everything that’s happened, and everything we know -” He pauses and shrugs.  “I just don’t think Steve would want you living this way.”

“I - I know.  It’s just hard letting go,” Bucky says.

It’s true.  

After his last dream of Steve, Bucky started having nightmares: Dreams where Bucky could have saved Steve, but didn’t.  

He knows they don’t make any sense, but he also doesn’t know how to argue against his heart.

Becca’s face is solemn as she hands Bucky a small, white card.  “Mr. Coulson gave this to us.  He said that you should use it if you need it.  He said that  - you can be honest with her.  She’s been...approved.”

Bucky takes the card and looks at it, before putting it in his back pocket. He doesn’t think he’ll call, but he knows he has to do something.  He’s been ghosting through his life for too long now.  Hell, he doesn’t know if he ever starting living it to begin with.  Steve’s been a part of his life since he can remember.

He looks up at his family: His mother’s eyes are huge and wet, and his father is holding tight to his mother.  Davy has his arms around Becca, and then he looks down to see Gabby watching him, eyes full of wonder before she breaks into a grin and coos.

“Alright,” he says, smiling down at his niece that he loves so much.  “I’ll try.”

.

When Bucky is twenty-nine, he takes another leave of absence from work.  He tries to resign outright, but his boss refuses, telling him to do what he needs to do, and that his job will be waiting when he returns.

Bucky travels to Europe.  He sits in a pub that was rebuilt after the war, in the same corner that Steve sat in, once upon a Christmas eve.  He goes to Azzano and hikes the forests surrounding what is now a war monument.  When he gets there, he finds that the monument has been built around the rubble of the original building. He climbs a mountain in the Alps and fights his stomach souring when he looks down at the train tracks.  

He sleeps in a tiny hotel room in London, on a narrow bed and presses his face to the sheets, the way Peggy did when Steve made love to her.

When he returns to New York, he haunts Brooklyn.  He has a drink at a bar, buys a soda at what’s now a 7-11, and leaves a bouquet of flowers on a dead woman’s grave.

It takes a phone call to Coulson, and every ounce of strength he has left, but he visits Peggy Carter.  He tells her that his family knew Steve back when.  He listens to her stories and he tells her about Steve when he was young, and just what a little punk he was.  He tells her that Steve loved her, very much.  He thanks her for loving him back.

She dips in and out of lucidity, but when he’s leaving, she reaches out, grabs his wrist.  

“Who are you really?” she asks.  “Steve didn’t have any old family friends.”  

Bucky colors but finds he can't look away.  

“Oh,” she says, her brown eyes bright and clear.  “Oh, my darling.  After all of this time?”

Bucky nods, and can't fight the wetness that clings to his lashes.  

Peggy squeezes his hand with what’s left of her frail strength.  “He would have loved you.”

He stops trying to hide his tears.

.

When Bucky is thirty, he starts dating again.  He pays for one of the good services, and fills out a questionaire that takes him almost two hours.  When it asks how long he had with his soulmate, Bucky lies.  Three weeks sounds so much better than “never.”  

He’s matched with Darla from Kansas City.  She cries twice over dinner, her wounds still too fresh.  He’s matched with Michael from California, who is smart and pretty and intense, in ways that Bucky’s just not ready to handle.  He’s matched with Jimmy, who is from Brooklyn, too, and they hit it it off just fine.

On their second date, Bucky notices a small tattoo just behind Jimmy’s ear: it’s the Captain America shield.  Bucky’s not sure what to think, but when he asks, Jimmy talks about how Cap was the embodiment of everything that Jimmy was raised to believe was good and true and right with the world.  

Bucky can’t argue.

Jimmy is kind, and sweet, and funny, but Jimmy is also fun.  Bucky wasn’t expecting that.

They go ice skating in Central Park, and see bad 60’s sci-fi at the revival house on tenth.  They go to parties hosted by Bucky’s friends, and Jimmy’s, and through it all, Bucky is surprised at how easy it is.  Jimmy is direct and when he looks at Bucky, Bucky feels like he’s being seen.

When they have sex for the first time, Jimmy takes it easy and slow, letting Bucky take the lead until Bucky asks for more.  When they’re done, Jimmy settles into Bucky’s arms, head on his chest, and whispers stories to make Bucky laugh.  Bucky’s grateful, even as he feels sad, and wrong.  

He pushes the feeling aside.  He’s not the only one in the world without a soulmate.

When Bucky’s been dating Jimmy for about three months, he starts attending a grief and loss group meeting, led by a man named Sam.  

Sam lost his soulmate while in the military, and now he tries to help others cope with the same.  He and Bucky hit it off instantly, each razzing the other, but also allowing small kindnesses, like a cup of coffee, or an extra-long hug at the close of group.  Bucky’s not sure if group is helping, but he goes nonetheless.

Around six months into their affair, Jimmy makes noises about wanting to move their relationship forward.  Bucky isn’t aware that he’s holding back, but the way that the conversation blind-sides him makes it clear.

“I want to,” Bucky says.  “I do.”

“I know,” Jimmy says, a chagrined smile on his face.  “I almost think that makes it worse.”

“We could still-” Bucky starts, but Jimmy cups Bucky’s face in his hand, and the look on Jimmy’s face stops Bucky in his tracks. ��

“No,” Jimmy says.  “We can’t.”  Then he leans up and presses a small, soft kiss to the corner of Bucky’s mouth.  “Take care of yourself, love,” Jimmy says, then turns and leaves.

.

When Bucky is thirty, he gets a tattoo.  He searches designs and then researches artists, not willing to trust the work to just anyone.  

He considers a shield, something like Jimmy’s, but feels like it’s too obvious.  He thinks about their birthdays, of something that just says “Steve,” but none of them are the right fit.

On the cusp of sleep one night he recalls a vase he saw in the Brittish Museum.  It was an image from the antiquities collection, Hercules and the Hydra.  Bucky startles awake, suddenly certain and sure, that that is the right image. That is what is going to help him let go.

It doesn’t work.  

When Bucky is thirty one, he and Sam are out for coffee, post-group.  

“Are you happy?” Sam asks, and Bucky knows he can’t say yes.

“Man, what are you holding on for?” Sam’s eye are kind, but his voice is exasperated.  “He’s gone, right?”

“Long gone,” Bucky says, a grimace on his face.  

“Look,” Sam says.  “I’m not here to tell you how to live your life.  At some point, you’re going to have to decide whether this is what’s right, or what’s easy.”

“Sam, I know.  I just -” At this, Bucky leans forward and speaks low, like he’s telling a secret.  “It’s like I can still feel him.  Do you get that, with Riley?”

Shaking his head, Sam says, “Nah.  With Riley, it was like I felt it the moment he was gone.  There was just this...space, where Riley used to be.”

Bucky sighs, and leans back in his chair.  “Yeah, well,” he says, shrugging.  

Sam sighs.  “Alright.  So you gonna help me run the Valentine’s social or what?  ‘Cause I know your dumb ass doesn’t have a date.”

“Yeah,” Bucky says.  “Yeah, why not?”

The conversation with Sam doesn’t sit well with Bucky, though.  He turns it over and over in his mind.  He sits with it through Valentine’s Day, through his birthday, Lent and Easter, and as the New York weather turns firmly toward spring, Bucky makes a decison.  One way or another, it’s time to let Steve Rogers go.

.

When Bucky is thirty-one, he visits the archives, deep inside of SHIELD headquarters.  His call to Phil Coulson has been plainative.  He just needs to try to say goodbye.  He thinks that maybe handling some of Steve’s things, reading some of his writings...something, anything.  Something’s got to help.

It’s a cool afternoon when Bucky goes to the archives.  He grabs his favorite red hoodie and his earphones for the subway.  Coulson is there to greet Bucky, and he gives Bucky an all-access pass, a warm handshake, and a sad smile.

At first, the curator and Coulson hover.

After a bit though, they walk away and let Bucky have the room to himself.  He sits at a table and reads through a tactical journal that Steve kept.  He traces his fingertip over a picture that Steve drew, of a monkey in a uniform on a unicycle.  Bucky remembers dreaming about that drawing, about Steve, being so angry and feeling so useless.  He remembers the moment that Peggy Carter walked back into Steve’s life.

He touches one of Steve’s uniforms, and presses his face into the collar, breathing deep, but it doesn’t smell of anything but must.

He walks around the room, a veritable museum of one Steven Grant Rogers, before looking over some of the historical notes.  His heart pangs when he sees that that someone has scratched out the “none” next to Soulmate: and put Bucky’s name there instead.

“Jesus, Steve,” Bucky whispers.  “I don’t know what I’m doing here.”

He turns to leave, but his attention is caught by a bust of Captain America in the corner.  

The bust looks to be made of marble.  It’s captured Cap from about the ribs up, and seems to be life sized.  Before Bucky can stop himself, he’s standing in front of it.

“I don’t understand,” Bucky says.  “I don’t know why I can’t let you go, but you have to try to let me.  It’s almost like I can feel you holding on, and I love you, but this - this hurts.  Steve, it hurts.”

Bucky can feel his face heating and his lashes growing wet.

“You’re the only thing I ever wanted,” he says.  “And watching you grow up, God, it was like -” and the he laughs, realizing what he’s about to say.  “It was like you made for me.  And maybe you were.  But this is shitty.  And it’s not fair.  And I can’t keep loving your Goddamned ghost!.”

Closing his eyes, Bucky leans against the statue, feeling the cool marble against his forehead.

“I love you, Steve,” he says, and closes his eyes, letting the tears run in warm rivulets down his face.   “I love you so much.  But this - this has to be goodbye.”

Bucky rubs his nose against the statue, trying hard not to notice that even as marble, it’s a perfect fit.  Groaning at himself, but unable to stop, he shifts and presses his lips against the statue’s, marble and flesh, hot and cold.  

He holds there, reveling in the only kiss he’s ever going to share with his soulmate, before pushing away and heading for the door.  He’s openly crying as he exits the building, mumbling something to the curator and ignoring Coulson’s shouts entirely.  

Ducking down an alley, he comes to rest behind a dumpster, his back sliding down the brick wall before giving in and just...just crying. He cries for Steve, for himself, for the love they should have shared, but never did.  He wonders if missing your soulmate can kill you, because he sure as hell isn’t living.  

A stray cat sniffs at his shoe before curling in at his side, clinging to his warmth.  It headbutts him once, twice, and Bucky is pulled out of his pityfest by the little purr, then chirrup it gives when he reaches his hand out to pet it.

“You’re a friendly thing,” he says, sniffling and trying to bring himself back under control.  The cat, all black, peers up at him with great green eyes.

“Skinny,” he says.  “You all alone?”  

The cat headbutts him again, then rolls onto its side, paws flexing in the air as though it’s swimming.  

“Yeah,” he says.  “Okay.”

Bucky takes a few deep breaths and leans his head against the wall.  The cat climbs onto his lap, then sniffs and paws at his pants pocket, where he has a granola bar stashed.  

Curious, Bucky opens it and offers a bit to the cat.  

Sniffing, the cat makes a slight chewing motion with it’s mouth, before leaning forward and wolfing it down in one go.

“Okay,” Bucky say.  “Okay.”  He abandons the rest of the bar to the cat, before pulling out his phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sam?” Bucky says.  “I think I could use some help.”

.

2300 miles away, the late spring sun shines hot, and the permafrost shifts.

Steve Rogers takes his first breath in almost seventy years.

...to be continued

a/n: next (final) chapter up just as soon as I can get it out of my head and into my laptop.  BUT SOOON AND NO LATER THAN MON/TUES.

[santheweird]

Hey Sarge! (Chapter 5)

Summary: Due to the lack of jobs because of World War 2, Alexander Sami Hale joined the army to keep her family’s head above the water.

She falsified her enlistment form, convincing the officials that she was actually a boy named Alexander Hale.

When her sergeant, James Barnes, was captured by the German forces during a battle in Azzano, Alex went AWOL to aid a man named Steve Rogers to rescue his best friend.

This is her story.

Warnings: Graphic descriptions of war, survivor’s guilt, burn wounds

(gif may or may not work)

~

Alex needed a cigarette. Badly. But as she doesn’t smoke that much, she doesn’t have her own personal stash. She could bum one from someone else, but they were still somewhat in enemy territory, and any small light could be seen by a plane flying overhead, including a cigarette light.

She tightened the jacket around her, shivering as she tried to sleep. But she couldn’t. Everytime she closed her eyes, flashes of the battle appeared behind her eyelids: explosions, people disappearing into dust, those strange blue flashes, screaming, blazing inferno despite the heavy rain, so close to her that she could feel the heat on the side of her face-

She would always wake up grasping for something that wasn’t there.

The battle of Azzano had taken a huge toll on their numbers. What remained of the 107th was around 20 soldiers at most, and if you included the other soldiers from other forces, everyone added up to around 85 soldiers, 100 at most.

No.

Not everyone.

Alex hugged her legs tighter. No matter how many times she counted, or asked around or searched in this meager group, she would never be able to find Bucky, Dugan and Jones.

And it was all her fault.

~

“-ex! Alex! Wake up! Alex!”

Alex snapped her eyes open, drawing in a deep breath of shock and fear. Bucky hovered over her anxiously, his helmet askew and the side of his face caked with mud and blood. Alex felt the tremors of a nearby explosion on the ground she was lying on, jarring her teeth.

“Oh my god, you fucking idiot!” Bucky pulled Alex off the ground, his grip strangely gentle. “We were given the order to retreat, not run in the other goddamn direction!’

Alex’s ears were ringing, and her legs buckled as soon as she stood up, collapsing immediately against Bucky, her left arm throbbing painfully. “Wha- what happened?”

“What happened was you pulling a fucking Steve on me and running off right onto the face of danger!” Bucky grumbled, slinging Alex’s right arm over his shoulder, half-carrying, half-dragging Alex away from the front lines. “When you said you would take care of the flamethrower, I didn’t think that you would mean that you would explode it!”

“Well, you always did say that I reminded you of your ol’ pal. Guess that got to my head.” Alex grinned, eyes half-lidded and delirious from her pounding head and...burned arm? Oh, right, she threw a small bomb, made out of gunpowder from her bullets and a lot of desperate improvising, at the flamethrowers. She thought that the blast would break the containers containing the flammable liquid and gas, but she didn’t expect it to explode so violently.

“Not just your arm.” Bucky breathed out. Oh, was she speaking out loud? “The left side of your face got hit too, and your shoulder has some shrapnel. Don’t try to move it too much.”

Alex's head swam as she barely registered Bucky's words. So that's why one side of her face felt like it was burning despite the rain around them.

“Scared the living crap outta me.” Bucky complained. “I swear, you and Stevie are gonna get along like a house on fire if you meet each other. But I pray that the Lord Almighty would prevent that from happening.”

“Didn't peg you as the praying type.” Alex slurred, legs stumbling over a couple of loose rocks and dead bodies.

“I would willingly shave my head and become a monk instead of taking care of both you ‘lil shits at the same time.”

“Bullshit. You would never bring yourself to shave your hair, you vain bastard.” Alex knew what James was doing, constantly talking to her to keep her awake, so that hypothermia and all those other things wouldn't set in. It was working, so far, but she could sense the tremble in his voice, and Alex wondered faintly, at the back of her head, just how much Bucky had to hide behind his cheerful facade in order to be a reassuring rock of stability for her squad.

An explosion shook her out of her thoughts, the force of it bringing her to her knees, accidentally dragging Bucky down with her as well. Alex howled in pain when her arm was jostled painfully, letting go of Bucky to grip her arm. Black spots danced in her vision and she faintly heard Bucky curse behind her as deadly flashes of blue light passed by over their heads.

“Hold on tight!” He slung her over his shoulder and dashed towards a nearby pile of debris for cover. Safe (hopefully) from any attacks, Bucky started checking on Alex arm and shoulder, salvaging any pieces of cloth to at least staunch the bleeding. Alex winced, tearing up at the pain and the hopelessness of this entire situation. She was badly injured and wasn’t sure if she could walk properly. She would only weigh Bucky down, and there was almost no chance of him getting to safety if she stayed with him.

“Sarge,” she breathed out. “Go on without me. Save yourself. We’re both gonna die if you stay with me so it’s best that you-”

Bucky looked up right at her, breathing heavily and eyes wide and Alex didn’t know if it was the rain but it really looked like he was crying right now.

“No.”

“Bucky-”

“No, I am not fucking leaving you.” Bucky responded firmly, his voice slightly hoarse. “If you think for one fucking moment that I’m gonna leave you alone in this shithole, then think again. I am your superior officer, and it is my duty to make sure you get back to your family safe and sound when this shitstorm is over.”

Alex felt hot tears prick the back of her eyes. “But-”

There was the sound of shouting behind them, and Bucky swiftly turned around, pointing his rifle at whoever might be coming up at the back. Alex was just about to persuade Bucky to leave her behind when a small group of muddied French soldiers appeared in front of them.

“Do you need help?” A soldier with a thick accent asked.

Bucky nodded wordlessly, gesturing helplessly at Alex. There was a garble of French as two soldier rushed forward, one carrying a med-kit. More French, with bits of stilted, broken English as they examined her wounds. One looked back up at their leader (?) and shook their head.

“We don't have enough to time to treat his wounds here!” The leader shouted in French.

“I'm not leavin’ him here!”

Alex couldn't register what happened afterwards, but she felt several hands lifting her up and hoisting her onto someone's back. Bucky was by her side, constantly urging her to stay conscious. The rain continued to pelt on them relentlessly, like tiny pebbles falling from the sky.

There was a sudden burst of machine gun fire, and Alex saw a flash of blue light beneath her half-closed eyelids. The soldier carrying her dropped to the ground to avoid gunfire, and Alex winced as she tumbled off his back. She opened her eyes fully to see Bucky in a crouch, gripping his rifle, a determined look in his eyes.

He glanced at her, and looked back at the enemy again.

“Get the hell outta here! I’ll hold them off!”

“Sarge! No-” Alex cut herself off, wincing as another wave of pain shot through her arm. Her head throbbed painfully and her vision flickered as she tried to look for Bucky through the thick curtain of rain. Fear flashed through her as there were several gunshot sounds and flashes of blue light.

“James!” She screamed over the thunder, pushing away the soldier who tried to hold her back, hot tears streaming down her cheeks, mixing with the rain.”Bucky!!”

Another explosion, and Alex stumbled back onto the ground. Sharp pain blossomed out at the back of her head, and everything faded to black.

~

She was roused not long after, but by that time, she was already loaded up on the truck, taken away from the battlefield and back to base. The shrapnel in her arm had already been taken out when she was unconscious, and bandages covered the entire left portion of her face. Her left arm was also similarly bandaged, and the medics said that it was a miracle that there hasn’t been any more damage.

She got a fever from infection the next day, and spent the next two days slipping in and out of consciousness. Her fever broke on the third day, and the group of survivors reached the main base the next day, where Alex and many other soldiers were sent off to the medical tent for further examination and treatment for their injuries.

There would be permanent scarring on her face and arm, and it would take a while to regain full motion of her left arm, but that was the least of Alex’s worries. Bucky had sacrificed himself for her safety, and she hated that. She hated the fact that she injured herself so carelessly, dragging Bucky behind when he could have run on ahead without her. She hated the fact that it was her, an uneducated little runt of a person with absolutely nothing to her name, was alive and not Bucky. She hated the fact that Bucky chose to save her instead of himself. She hated the fact that she even needed to be saved in the first place.

She hated the fact that she was sitting comfortably in a nice little medical tent when there were hundreds of soldiers being held prisoner in German fortresses.

She hated the fact that Colonel Phillips was making no attempt at trying to rescue those prisoners.

Which was why she had dragged herself straight towards the commands tent immediately once she was cleared by the medical team. Bandages and all.

Phillips took one look at Alex’s small stature and mummified face and ordered her to go back to her squad tent before she could say a word. She was surprised that he did not send her back home.

She came back the next morning. Phillips decided to hear her out, and sighed when she proposed to save the prisoners in Krausberg. Needless to say, she was sent back to her tent. She came back in the afternoon.

The next day, the Colonel was red in the face when he found Alex standing in front of him. After several profanities and a threat to send her back home, Alex finally relented and stormed out of the tent in frustration. Just as she was about to exit, the tent flaps opened, and in came a well-built and tall blond, and an extremely beautiful female officer, both slightly drenched from the rain.

Alex felt like she had to snap to a solemn salute when they entered. The man looked like the literal paragon of an American man, freedom and patriotism and righteousness practically oozing out of his veins. And the mere presence of the woman commanded the immediate respect and attention of everyone in the room. She practically had vibes of badassery trailing out after her.

Alex could hear Phillips’ audible sigh from across the tent as the blond headed over towards his desk.

“Colonel Phillips.”

“Well if it isn’t the Star-Spangled Man With a Plan.” Phillips replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “What is your plan today?”

The Star-Spangled- what?

“I need the casualty list from Azzano.”

Alex frowned. Despite the man’s build and height, Alex’s didn’t think that he was a soldier of any sort, let alone a superior officer, so why does he need to know who had died from the battle? She felt a twinge of something as she thought of Bucky again.

“You don’t get to give me orders, son.”

“I just need one name, Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th.”

Alex’s eyes widened. How does he know James? She stepped forward, frowning. The man seemed familiar. Where exactly did she see that face before?

Phillips, however, ignored the blond and pointed his pen at the female officer instead.

“You and I are gonna have a conversation later that you won't enjoy.”

“Please tell me if he's alive, sir. B-A-R-”

“-I can spell.” Phillips interrupted, irritated.

He got up, and arranged some paperwork in his hands, sighing. “I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But the name does sound familiar. I'm sorry.”

The determination that was initially on the man’s face immediately melted away into shock and grief, his lips slightly parted for a moment as he took in the news. The female officer looked at him with concern, but he covered his anguish up swiftly.

“What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?”

“Yes, it’s called winning the war.”

“But sir,” Alex protested, stepping forwards once more. “It’ll be too late by then! At least let me go there and scout out the area, and we’ll be able to-”

“Hale! Shut up!”

The tent was silent. Phillips glared at Alex. “Do you have a death wish, Private?”

Alex lifted her chin and looked back at the old Colonel. “Maybe I do.”

Phillips looked down at his desk and sighed. He got up and pointed at the enormous map pinned up behind him. “The prisoners are being held thirty miles behind the front lines, through one of the most heavily fortified territories in Europe.” He looked back at the blond. “We’d lose more men than we’d save. But I don’t expect you to understand that because you’re a chorus girl.”

Phillips turned his gaze towards Alex. “We already lost way too many men at Azzano. I don't want to lose anymore for something which is already a lost cause.”

Alex clenched her jaw. The man glanced at her for a moment.

“I think I understand sir.”

“Well then go understand somewhere else.” Phillips sat back behind his desk. “If I read the posters correctly, you have somewhere to be in half an hour.”

The man stared at the map.

“Yes sir, I do.”

Notes:

- “I’ll try to update more often.” I said. “I won’t take too much time to finish the next chapter.” I said. It has been three months.

- Exams are over, and the holidays are here, so hopefully I’ll be able to dedicate more time to this story! I’m not exactly in an encouraging home environment, but things are coming along! Sorry for all the sporadic updates!

- If the tanks/cylinders in a flamethrower is pierced with a bullet, it doesn’t necessarily explode, since what’s inside is flammable liquid, not pressurized gas. It���s only if it is ignited, then the results could be deadly. Alex obviously knew about this, but didn’t expect the blast to be so large. Don’t play with fire.

- Yes, because of her recklessness, Alex got disfigured. @infired606 lost her shit when I told her. Ehehe.

- First chapter with Steve AND Peggy! Cue Bucky groaning in the distance because the two most troublesome and reckless idiots in the world has finally met. Go shave your head, jerk.

- Another chapter uploaded, and now it’s time for me to buckle down and start working on chapter 6! You can hammer me with complaints (and questions and feedback please) in my ask, and taglist is open! Bye!!

Chapter 4  Chapter 6

Masterlist

[manchurian-barnes]

The Soldier - Part Four

A/N - Im going to be taking a break from this series, mainly because i want to write the full thing before posting more parts of it, so it doesn’t feel rushed and I get he chance to fully explain upcoming plot points. OTHER FAN-FICTION WILL CONTINUE

Series Masterlist

My Masterlist

It was mid-November the next time I encountered the new and improved Steve Rogers again. Since everything that had happened in Erskine's lab him and I had kept a line of communication open, letters being sent back and fourth. My work with Howard found us going between home and the war zones, creating weaponry and trying to play a role in victory against the Nazi's. Today that work had brought me to Italy, 5 miles back from the front line.

I watched from the back of all the beat up soldiers, arms crossed over myself. The rain hitting lightly onto my coat which I kept tightening around myself. Music started and dancers moved out onto a makeshift stage, before long 'Captain America' walked out. I forced a smile onto my features despite the dreary conditions. Once Steve began to speak to the men it wasn’t long before they started to heckle him for all the laughter he was worth.

"How many of you are ready to help me sock old Adolf in the jaw?" Steve spoke, cheerfully as he could brandishing he shield in front of himself, he looked to me and then over the men who stayed silent. Eerily silent. Steve then shifted on his feet, "okay, uh…I need a volunteer?"

The men started to groan and one waved his hand "I already volunteered, how to ya' think I got here!", as all the men began to laugh harder at Steve I tightened my grip around my coat, and began to move towards the back of the stage. "Bring back the girls!" they men yelled as I walked, spying Peggy out the side of my eye. "I think they only know the one song…but…I'll see what I can do?" He began to back off the stage. I pulled my eyes away as one soldier began to moon Steve, vulgar.

"I hate seeing him like this-" I spoke softly to Peggy as we looked for Steve, "as do I, but we are hardly in a position to do very much about it I'm afraid." he rest her hand on my shoulder. She walked just ahead of me before we saw him, slumped over and drawing into a sketchpad letting the rain drown him.

"Hello Steve." Peggy said warmly, he looked between us, "hi…" He said slowly. Giving a helpless smile. "what are you two doin' here?" He moved to allow Peggy to sit beside him. "Officially? Neither of us are here at all." Peggy grinned slightly. I kept nodding, "I decided I wanted to catch up with you Rogers." I spoke gently and then moved to be on the other side of him.

"I understand you’re "America’s New Hope"?" Peggy kept speaking as my eyeline trailed off into the crowd of soldiers. I wondered if Bucky was somewhere like this. I just wish I knew something. Something more than nothing at all.

"You know for the longest time I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines. Serving my country. I finally get everything I wanted, and I’m wearing tights." Steve spoke as an ambulance went by carrying wounded men, "They look like they’ve been through hell.".

"These men more than most. Schmidt sent out a force to Azzano. Two hundred men went up against him and less than fifty returned. Your audience contained what was left of the one-oh-seventh. The rest were killed or captured." Peggy nodded and I saw Steve's demeanor shift completely. "One-oh-seven?" he said, voice breaking. "yes-" she nodded before I felt my blood run a little colder, "That was Bucky's-" I whispered looking down. Steve grabbed my arm and pulled me across the camp with Peggy running closely behind us.

We burst into Colonel Phillips tent, he grimaced as he saw the three of us. Especially lingering that gaze onto Steve. I ducked my head down as he let out a chuckle. "well if it isn't the star spangled man with a plan, what is your plan today?" he said coolly. Steve just ignored this, he kept his head straight I could tell he as holding back a lot of pain. "I need the casualty list from Azzano." he spoke surely, like he was in charge, by the look on Phillips face and by the way his jaw constricted I could see he didn’t care for that tone of voice. "You don't get to give me orders, son." he pointed at Steve. Steve shook his head and continued "I just need one name. Sargent-", "James Barnes, from the hundred and seventh." I finished for him. The colonel pointed to Peggy and I, "You two and I are going to have a conversation later that you wont enjoy.".

I clenched my jaw and looked at Peggy, she slung an arm around me. Silent reassurance. "please-" I whispered to the man, "Please tell me if he's alive, sir. B-A-R…" Steve started, I felt his hand on my shoulder as well. Again, the older man began to grit his teeth, "I can spell.". He began to shift thought all the letters he'd written. I felt sick. All those poor men, their families left behind. I just prayed silently, 'not James…not my James…' I kept repeating the mantra until my thoughts were cut by a knife. "I've signed more of these letters than I would care to count, but the name does sound familiar. I'm sorry." Phillips looked between us, and for a moment there was a hint of a softness within his eyes. I couldn’t help the whimper that escaped from my mouth, before I could cover it. I suddenly understood more about war than I had ever cared to, because war wouldn’t discriminate based on my hopes. It took, and it took. I stumbled backwards as Steve began to argue about how best to save the captured men, walking out into the rain. letting it hit me, trying to numb myself. I shut my eyes and suppressed how much I desperately wanted to scream. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Peggy “Come on, we are going to follow our captain and save those men.”.

I called for Howard whom at the sound of my broken down voice jumped at his chance to come and help us all. We were in the back of one of his finest planes. Quickly approaching enemy lines. Even when I tried to focus I couldn’t. The plane rocking from a shot below shook me out of my grief stricken haze, looking at Steve. “You’re sure you want to do this?” I asked him, he nodded “If nobody else will...I have to save those men.”.

“This is your transponder. Activate it when you’re ready and the signal will lead us straight to you.” Peggy explained holding one of Stark and I’s inventions forwards. Steve tucked it into his jacket, looking between us. “Are you sure this thing works?” He asked me, with a slight chuckle referring to the night I’d met him, “It’s been tested more than you, pal.” Howard called with a laugh.

The plan started to shake more violently, causing me to stand and look out the window, we were almost there. I looked over my shoulder to see Steve opening the plane door, giving him a face i’d imagined he’s received many times from... “Get back here! We’re taking you all the way in.” Peggy yelled before being cut off. Steve yelling back, “As soon as I’m free, you turn this thing around and get the hell outta here!”

“You can’t give me orders!” 

“The hell I can’t! I’m a Captain!” He then jumped. Howard sharply turned the plane despite himself, and despite Peggy yells to turn back.

Peggy and I were stood side by side back at the camp. being reprimanded for careless and defiant actions. Col. Phillips looked down, pacing slightly as he spoke out a letter “Senator Brandt, I regret to report that Captain Steven G. Rogers went missing behind enemy lines on the third. Aerial reconnaissance has proven unfruitful. As a result, I must declare Captain Rogers killed in action. Period.”, I began to shake my head slightly. I had more faith in Steve than this. “The last surveillance flight is back. No sign of activity.” Peggy spoke after the moment of silence, Phillips grimaced again “Go get a cup of coffee, Corporal,” He indicated to the man typing of the letter, who quickly ran off, “I can’t touch Stark. He’s rich and he’s the Army’s number one weapons contractor. You two are neither one.” 

“With respect, sir, I don’t regret my actions. And I don’t think Captain Rogers did either.” Peggy kept her chin up, Phillips opened his mouth to speak before darlingly I interrupted, “And sir, technically I aid Mr Stark in designing the weapons, i’m his partner. The Army needs me.”. Out the corner of my eye I could see Peggy smirking ever so slightly. “What makes you think I give a damn about your opinions. I took a chance with you, Agent Carter. And now America’s golden boy and a lot of other good men are dead, cause you had a crush.” The man’s voice was stern making us both flinch a little.

“It wasn’t that. I had faith.”

Soldiers began to run past our tent again, yelling excitedly. “What the hell’s going on out there?” Phillips began I never heard the rest of his sentence as I ran outwards, seeing Steve with all the men, walking back into camp. I began to jump up and down with some of the men, “You did it!” I yelled to Steve who nodded proudly. “You’re late.” Peggy walked beside me, grinning at him, Steve reached into his jacket and pulled out my transponder, shot through “Couldn’t call my ride.” I laughed and rolled my eyes, looked around slightly. Everything suddenly stopped as I heard a voice yell “Hey! Let’s hear it for Captain America.”. 

“James?” I yelled, before I felt my arm getting tugged on, turning to see him meeting his beautiful eyes once again. “James?” I whispered to him before he pulled me closer, kissing me as if he had been starved of me. “Im here-” He told me putting his hands on my waist, I grabbed at his collar “You’re alive?” I asked, eyes welling of happiness. He kissed me again, and again before telling me “You aren’t gonna get rid of me that easily.”

Tag List - (just ask, and you will be added!)

@nevaeh-potter15 @itskatt- @curlyquico @absentgrey @littlewriter55  @gowritingpage @amazingficsthatididnotwrite @culinarycrystals@immajustread @the-criminal-soldier @supernaturallover2002 

[meek-boy-rogers]

You’re My Soulmate

Fandom: Marvel Words: 6,675 Summary: Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are soulmates. Steven and James written delicately on the others wrist. This is how they lost each other and found each other.

Warnings: Okay, so basically this is just Captain America: TFA, TWS, and a hint of CW with like an alternate ending and a little bit of lines are changed and its gayer than the originals. Also, soulmate AU. 

This took me so long to write and I wanted to give up so many times but finished it! Enjoy. Thank you xxx Bambi

 Steve knew exactly who his soulmate was, they both knew. It took the two a long time to come to terms with the fact. It was the 40s, after all. Two men being together was practically forbidden, if you were outed, you were shunned. They spent countless nights talking about it, talking about the fact that their wrists hold the others name, yet no one else can see that. It was thrilling, almost. That they knew they belonged together but no one else dare know the secret they hold on their skin. They loved each other, no doubt. They shared unspoken kisses and soft touches, they held each other late at night, knowing that this was only for them.

 When Bucky joined the 107th, Steve had to come to terms that he had to let his soulmate go into a war that he might not return from. They kept telling Steve he was too weak, too small to go to war. But, Steve never gave up. Even when Bucky told him not to do anything stupid till he got back, which Steve took as ‘don’t you go lying on your enlistment papers again’. Which he didn’t listen too, but fortunately he met Dr. Abraham Erskine, who gave him the chance. He trained to the best of his abilities, which wasn’t much seeing as he was as healthy as anything but a horse. He wanted nothing more than to protect and fight for his country.

 It was a surprise he’d survived the super serum, no one would have foreseen it. Peggy was worried for him, they’d gotten close when he told her about Bucky. She didn’t see the problem; a soulmate is a soulmate. If it is meant to be, how could it ever be wrong? She assured him that she would keep it to herself, she told him that Bucky would be okay, he seemed like an able soldier. Steve couldn’t help but agree, he really looked up to Bucky. Much to Steve’s excitement, no longer would that be a literal statement. But, with every good thing, came the downside. Steve wasn’t made into this super soldier to protect his country, he was nothing more than a showgirl. He was kind of glad that Bucky couldn’t see him then, he thinks he would be disappointed in him.

 He travelled the world doing shows, same thing over and over. He thought this was what it would take to get him into the field, so he did it. In Italy he was met with Peggy, he was quite relieved to see a familiar face, that was until she informed him that many men from the 107th were killed or taken by Schmidt.

 “Well, if it isn’t the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan. And what is your plan today?” Colonel Phillips asked, sarcasm laced in his voice.

 “I need the casualty list from Azzano.” Steve ordered, clear panic in his voice.

 “You don’t get to give me orders, son.”

 “I just need one name. Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th.”

 Colonel Phillips pointed to Peggy, “You and I are going to have a conversation later that you won't enjoy.”

 “Please tell me if he’s alive, sir. B-A-R…” Steve pleaded.

 “I can spell.  I have signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count. But the name does sound familiar. I'm sorry.” Phillips didn’t even look at Steve when he said it, he was faced the other way.

 He didn’t even plan a rescue mission, he just stated that winning the war is what would resolve the issue. When Steve observed the map, Peggy knew immediately what was going through his head and she knew that she had no choice but to help him, because damnit, that was his soulmate out there. She could see him looking down at his wrist, drawing a finger across it. She called up Stark as soon as she came to the conclusion that she would help him, no matter what. As soon as they made it onto enemy territory, he got ready to jump out, telling them as soon as he was out, for them to turn around and get out of there.

 It only took him knocking out 4 guards to make it to the prisoners. Once he let them out, he made his way to the isolation ward that one of the prisoners told him about. He wondered around, taking out all the guards he came across before he went down a corridor where he saw a shorter man running, a bag in his hand. He hesitated to go after him when he heard murmuring, whispers.

 “Sergeant. 32557…” He trailed off. Steve entered the room, seeing Bucky strapped down to chair.

 “Bucky? Oh my God.” He started to work on the straps, taking them off his wrists and ankles. He could see the dazed look in his eyes, “It’s me. It’s Steve.”

 “Steve.” Bucky had a smile on his face, teeth showing through. He was still a little confused.

 “I thought you were dead.” Steve spoke softly, looking over his love.

 “I thought you were smaller.” Bucky looked down over Steve’s body, noticing the height difference that was on Steve’s side now. “What happened to you?” Bucky asked, holding onto Steve for support.

 Bucky continued to ask questions, while Steve was pushing forward, trying to find Schmidt. They heard an explosion, causing Steve to look down, seeing the factory was going up in flames. Steve and Bucky made their way up higher, only to be greeted with Schmidt, “Captain America! I'm a great fan of your films. So, Dr. Erskine managed it after all. Not exactly an improvement, but still impressive.”

 Steve punched him in the face, causing them to fight before Zola pulled a lever, causing the bridge to separate. Schmidt kept talking, talking about how he was Erskine’s best creation before he peeled back his face to reveal the Red Skull. He entered the elevator, leaving Steve and Bucky in the doomed building. They made their way up further, Steve sent Bucky across the makeshift bridge first. The shaking of the building causing it to start giving out under his weight, but he made to the other side before it fell.

 “There’s got to be a rope or something!” He yelled across to Steve.

 “Just go! Get out of here!” Steve yelled, waving his arms for emphasis.

 “No! Not without you!” Bucky retorted.

 Steve looked around for a second, weighing his options before moving the piece of metal on the barricade that was in his way. He walked back a couple of steps. He looked at the distance, took a breath out, then ran. He jumped, behind him the building going up into flames, before he landed.

 It took them days to get back to the field, but it was worth it. When they finally got there, him and Bucky leading the way, they were met with soldiers clapping, hollering.

 Steve saluted to the Colonel, “Some of these men need medical attention.” He stated, before speaking again, “I’d like to surrender myself for disciplinary action.”

 “That won’t be necessary.” He says before turning to Peggy, “Faith, huh?”

 “You’re late.” Peggy said, before Steve held up the transponder.

 “Hey! Let’s give it up for Captain America!” Bucky yells, looking at Steve with proud written across his features.

 They put together a team, hundreds of men pulled together to take out Hydra bases, with Captain America leading them. They took down dozens of the bases together, going in guns blazing. Till, one day they caught up to Zola. He was on a train, heading somewhere, and fast. They sent men down on a zip line to the train, but Steve and Bucky were the ones who went inside. There for each other till the end of line, right? When they got in, Steve up front, leading the way, the door shut right after he entered another section of the train. The guards kept coming, when they would take one or two out, more would pursue them. This caused a guard to rip a hole right in the side of the train, Bucky had no choice but to jump out as the guard raised his gun again. Steve took the guard out.

 “Bucky, hang on!” Steve made his way out of the train, holding onto the railings. “Grab my hand!” He said, seeing the railing Bucky was holding onto was giving out. But, Bucky couldn’t reach. He fell. “No!” Steve yelled.

 He’d promised himself, his country, Peggy, and most importantly, Bucky, that he would take down Hydra. He would make sure that every single person was captured or dead, he did just that. He took down Red Skull, more likely that he took down himself. But, he found himself in a situation where he had to put his life to an end, to save his country. He signed up for that, though. He knew that if he didn’t force the plane down it would hit New York. Peggy tried her best to talk him out of it, but it was his choice. And she knew he was doing it for the greater good.

 Now, here he is. In the 21st century, working along side Natasha Romanoff, or more formally, Black Widow. He didn’t miss the fact that usually all she did was suggest him to woman for him to ask out, he always swept it off, telling her was too busy or making a half assed excuse. Sometimes, he’d catch himself looking down at his wrist with the faded name; James. He’d remember when the name used to be written with bold, dark lettering. Now, it seemed nearly gone. He couldn’t help it when sometimes he would trace his fingers over it, thinking about him and how he would love the world in 2014. The future. Natasha didn’t need to know much about him, she knew of him, everyone did. Steve Rogers best friend, sidekick. If only they knew the full story, if they only knew the love the two men shared. It would be a completely different story.

 When Fury showed up at his apartment telling him that S.H.I.E.L.D was compromised, telling him to trust no one, he was worried. He looked over to his window, seeing the man who shot him and pursued him. When he made it to the roof with the man, he threw his shield, only for the man to catch it with his metal arm, before he threw it back and nearly knocked Steve off his feet. He looked over the city, seeing the man was gone and sighed. When Nick died, he took it into consideration that he shouldn’t trust anyone and hid the flash drive that he gave him. The last thing he thought would happen was the S.T.R.I.K.E team circling him, along with the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. When he made back to the hospital to retreat it, he was met with Natasha.

 He pulled her into a room, before pushing her up into the wall. “Where is it?”

 “Safe.” She retorted.

 “Do better.” He said, still not letting her go.

 “Where did you get it?” She asked, he shot back his own question, asking why would he tell her. “Fury gave it to you. Why?”

 He asked her more questions like what was on the flash drive, asking if she knew that Fury was the one who ordered the pirates onto the ship. When she kept dragging it on, he held her arm tighter, telling her he wasn’t going to ask her again.

 “I know who killed Fury.” She stated. He loosened the grip on her. “Most of the intelligence community doesn’t believe he exists. The ones who do call him the Winter Soldier. He’s credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last 50 years.”

 “So, he’s a ghost story.” Steve said.

 “Five years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran, somebody shot out my tires near Odessa. We lost control, went straight over a cliff, I pulled us out, but the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer, so he shot him straight through me.” She lifts her shirt to show a scar on her hip. “Soviet slug, no rifling. Bye-bye bikinis.”

 She tells Steve about when she went after him, but he’s a ghost story. She surrendered the flash drive to him, letting him take it. He went on to say, “Well, let’s find out what the ghost wants.”

 They disguised themselves, hoodies up, hats on, fake glasses. They made their way to a public mall, using a laptop in an Apple store. Natasha was running through the flash drive while Steve looked around, anxiously. He tried to hurry her along after an employee came up to them, just in the last minute she got the location. Wheaton, New Jersey. They made their way out of the store, keeping their heads low. Natasha told him to put his arm around her shoulder and to laugh, before they made their way to the escalators.

“Kiss me.” Nat said, after spotting Rumlow coming up, causing a confused look from Steve. “Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.”

 “Yes, they do.” He said before she leaned up, grabbing the back of his neck and placed her lips onto his. Once they made it out of the mall without being caught, Steve stole a truck and they made their way to New Jersey.

 “Alright, I have a question for you, which you do not have to answer. I feel like if you don't answer it though, you're kind of answering it, you know?” Natasha went on, causing Steve to let out an impatient ‘what’. “Was that your first kiss since 1945?” She asked, a small smirk playing on her lips.

 “That bad, huh?” He jokingly questioned, which she stammers and says she didn’t say that.

 “I’ve just wondered how much practice you’ve had?” She asked.

 “You don’t need practice.”

 “Everybody needs practice.” He informed her afterward that it wasn’t his first kiss since then. “Nobody special, though? You’re soulmate?” She asked, looking down at his wrists.

 “It’s kind of hard to have a soulmate when they aren’t exactly alive anymore.” He stated, giving a small, sad smile. He decided to change the subject. “You know, it’s kind of hard to trust someone when you don’t know who that someone really is.”

 “Yeah.” She said, looking out the window for a moment. “Who do you want me to be?” She asked.

 “How about a friend?” He asks, causing Nat to let out a small laugh.

 “Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers.” She said, just as they pulled up to an abandoned military base.

 They walked around the base for a moment, Steve couldn’t help but think of the horrible memories it held from when he was being trained and no one believed in him but Peggy and Dr. Erskine. He spotted a building that wasn’t meant to be there, telling Natasha that Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within 500 yards of the barracks. They walked up to it, Steve breaking the locks with his shield before walking into the office type space. Concluding that this was most likely where S.H.I.E.L.D started. They came across a shelf, Steve noticing the movement of the spiderwebs, seeming that there is air flow through the small space between the shelves.

 “If you’re already working in a secret office…” He spoke, pushing the shelves out of the way, revealing an elevator. “Why do you need to hide the elevator?” He questioned.

 Natasha used her phone to find out the passcode to open the elevator up, pressing the numbers in, causing the doors to open with a ding. They looked at each other before stepping in and going down. The room they came upon held old computers and technology. Natasha looked around, confusion written across her face.

 “This can’t be the data-point, this technology is ancient.” She looked over to Steve, before he eyes travelled down to a port. She made her way over to it, placing the flash drive into one of the slots. The computers started whirring, coming to life. The computer spoke, the words ‘initiate system’ coming across the screen.

 “Y-E-S, spells yes. Shall we play a game?” She spoke while typing into the keyboard. “It was from a movie that was really...” She trailed off when Steve interrupted.

 “I know, I saw it.”

 The computer started to static, a green outline of what looked like a face came into view before it started to speak, “Rogers, Steven. Born, 1918. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born, 1984.”

 “It must be some kind of recording.” Natasha concluded, confused.

 “I am not a recording, Fräulein. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am.” The computer spoke, before a picture of Arnim Zola was projected onto another small computer screen.

 “You know this thing?” Nat asked, pointing her head to the computer.

 “Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years.” Steve walked around the computer, examining it and the room as the robotic version of Zola spoke.

 “First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972 I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body, my mind, however, that was worth saving on two hundred thousand feet of data banks. You are standing in my brain.”

 Zola went onto to show them and walk them through how it got to this point. Showing them that he was recruited by someone in S.H.I.E.L.D, or how he explained it, a beautiful parasite inside of S.H.I.E.L.D. He showed photos of the chaos that was caused over 70 years, a picture of the Winter Soldier flashing across the screen briefly. Steve could feel his anger building on as the robotic man went on, he couldn’t help but punch the screen with all his willpower. Only for him to come back onto the smaller screen.

 “What's on this drive?” Steve asked, hurriedly.

  “Project Insight requires insight. So, I wrote an algorithm.”

 Natasha stepped up next to Steve before speaking, “What kind of algorithm? What does it do?”

 “The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it.” Zola said just as the metal doors began to close, Steve threw his shield, but it was too late, the doors closed.

 There were 30 seconds tops before the bogey was to hit, Zola still kept talking. Steve noticed a metal grate, flinging it open before pulling Natasha and himself into the hole, holding his shield over their heads to protect them from the debris. He managed to get the heavy pieces of the roof off them, picking up a loopy Natasha. Just before S.T.R.I.K.E agents arrive and start to roam the area for them. Only one person came to mind when he thought of somewhere trustworthy.

 He showed up to Sam Wilson’s house, told him he needed a place to lay low, that everyone they know is trying to kill them. He welcomed them in, ensuring that not everyone is out to harm them. They informed him of what was happening, how S.H.I.E.L.D was after them, about Hydra. He showed them what he would call a ‘resume’.

 “I can’t ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason.” Steve spoke, looking up from the file.

 “Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in.”

 He went on to tell them where they could find his jet-pack suit. They found Jasper Sitwell, pressured him for answers about the algorithm. It was to kill off people by the millions, anyone who is a threat to Hydra. Now or in the future. He told them that the 21st century is like a digital book, Zola taught them how to read it, to see everyone’s information. The algorithm goes through people’s pasts to predict their futures. Sam was driving, making their way to Triskelion, they were talking over the plan to stop the Helicarriers.

 “What? Are you crazy? This is a terrible, terrible idea!” Sitwell spoke urgently, right before there was a thud on the roof and he was yanked out of the car and thrown into oncoming traffic by the Winter Soldier. The Soldier started to shoot through the roof, Natasha jumped to the front of the car onto Steve’s lap, moving him forward. Steve reached for the emergency brake, pulling it, causing the man to tumble off into the road. He swiftly landed before standing back up and looking at them, eyes covered with a pair of goggles and a mask covering his lower face.

 Just as another car slams into the back of them, pushing them along the road toward the Winter Soldier. He jumps back onto the car, smashing through the windshield and yanking the steering wheel out of the car. The other vehicle keeps pushing them, causing the car to almost flip. Before it could, Steve pulled Sam and Natasha close to him, against the car door, and fell out, shield protecting them along with the car door. They slid along, Sam falling off, rolling onto the pavement. The Soldier shot at them, Steve pushing Nat out of the way and using his shield as protection. He was pushed back, landing into a bus. The other agents and the Winter Soldier began shooting at Nat and Sam, Nat shooting at them before taking off, hiding behind a truck and shooting up at the bridge at the man.

 Once Steve got out of the bus, him and Sam took out the men with the machine guns. Steve ran to find the Soldier, seeing him standing on top of a car, gun up getting ready to shoot. Steve runs toward him, the man seeing him and punching his shield, breaking out into a fight. The man kicks Steve back, pulling out his gun and shooting at Steve. Steve used his shield to ward off the hits, before going toward the man, shield in front of him. The man took hold of it, flipping Steve, only for Steve to go along and land back on his feet, leaving the man with the shield. They fought for a few moments before the Soldier threw Steve’s shield. Steve leaning out of the way of being hit, before pursuing the man again. They battled, Steve trying to avoid the knife. The man grabbed him by his throat, throwing him into a van, raising his knife. Steve held the mans wrist away from him, causing them to cut a long, jagged cut along the side of the van. Steve got the man away from him, pulling his shield out of the back of the vehicle before getting back into fight mode. He shoved his shield in the mans robotic arm, hit him in the face with it to catch him off guard before grabbing his face, flipping him onto the pavement.

 The man rolled along the ground, swiftly as usual, mask falling off in the process. He stood faced away for a moment before turning to face Steve. Steve looked at the man, confusion and heartbreak battling in his heart and mind, he stood up straighter.

 “Bucky?” He asked, the name rolling off his tongue like a breathy sigh.

 “Who the hell is Bucky?” The man spoke with anger, confusion laced in his voice. He raised his gun up, not getting the chance to shoot as Sam flew in, kicking the man away. He stood back up, he looked toward Steve, he hesitated for a moment before raising it again and shooting the grenade behind Steve.

 There was barely anytime to think before the S.T.R.I.K.E agents rolled in, yelling at the trio, arresting them. Steve didn’t even have the energy to fight. Only one thought was able to slip into his mind, one name. Bucky. Bucky. Bucky. When they finally made it into the van, being escorted to presumably S.H.I.E.L.D.

 “It was him. He looked right at me like he didn’t even know me.” Steve spoke as if he was on autopilot.

 “How's that even possible? It was like seventy years ago.”

 “Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43, Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him and...” Steve explained, before Natasha cut him off. Telling him it wasn’t his fault. “Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky.” Steve said, sadness showing through his voice.

 Sam notices that Natasha is bleeding, looking toward the guards and ordering a doctor. He moved back a bit when the guard pulled out an electric rod, before they flipped it and jammed it onto the other guard, knocking them out by kicking them. The guard took of the helmet, to reveal Agent Hill, “That thing was squeezing my brain. Who’s this guy?” She asked, referring to Sam.

 The following went by almost like a blur. Agent Hill took them to a secret facility where they were met with Fury, still alive. He spoke to them about his injuries, why he faked his death. That he didn’t know who to trust. Just while they were doing that, Bucky was getting his arm fixed, going through his scrambled brain to past memories. He saw Zola, he saw Steve, the man, hanging off a train yelling. Bucky no! The pictures, the memories went by like a film on a projector. He felt himself get angry, losing control. When the man came in, the bad man, asking for a mission report. He couldn’t speak, he didn’t speak. The man slapped him.

 “The man on the bridge… Who was he?” Bucky asked, going back to the blonde-haired man who said a name, a name that itched the back of his brain because he knew it, he could see it, but he couldn’t grasp it, hold onto the memory of the man who looked at him with so much distress but with a lost love glinting in his blue irises. The man insisted he’d met him on another assignment. “But, I knew him.”

 He couldn’t focus on the words the man was saying, he could only replay memories of this man. He looked down at his wrist, that held a name. It was bold, dark. Steven. The name went through filters in his mind. Steve. Steve. Steve. The men kept talking, pushed him back into the chair, restraints holding his arms back, a mouth guard tucked securely in his mouth. As soon as the electricity was running from his head, he couldn’t help but yell out the name, before he didn’t even know what name he was yelling anymore.

 Steve looked over the trees and the water, a memory of him and Bucky playing in his head. I’m with you till the end of the line, pal. It was a sad memory, but it was also a happy one. Knowing that Steve and Bucky were going to be there for each other, no matter what. It was reassuring.

 “He's going to be there, you know?” Sam interrupted Steve’s thoughts. Steve gave a quiet ‘I know’. “Look, whoever he used to be, the guy he is now, I don't think he's the kind you save. He's the kind you stop.”

 “I don’t know if I can do that.” Steve spoke, not going into detail as to why. But, the name that took over his wrist, that was his soulmate. James, Bucky, that was his soulmate, the love of his life and he was going to fight to keep him, to save him.

 They suited up, Steve wearing his suit from WWII that he stole from the Smithsonian, Sam with his jet-pack wings, Agent Hill in her usual. They had Natasha using a digital face that was made to look like one of the Counselman. Steve took over the intercom, telling the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D of the hijacking done by Hydra, telling them that the S.T.R.I.K.E and Insight team were Hydra agents as well. He gave them a speech, hoping they’d do the right thing. Once Steve and Sam made it into the Helicarrier and placed the two cards in the rightful spots, it wasn’t long before Bucky, the Winter Soldier, showed up. He tackled Steve, sending him off the Helicarrier, Sam going after him only for the Soldier to grab one of his wings and flip him back. Soon enough, Sam was grounded, leaving Steve to his lonesome on the ship.

 When Steve found the last port for the card, Bucky was waiting for him. Eyebrows scrunched, a solid, straight face. Almost as if he had no emotion.

 “People are going to die, Buck. I can’t let that happen.” Steve said, getting no response, no facial movement at all from the other man. He pleaded, “Please don’t make me do this.”

 He knew that he wasn’t going to stand down so, he threw his shield at him. Only for Bucky to block with his arm and the battling to begin. For a moment while Bucky was down, Steve opens the targeting blade system. Bucky continued to fight him, causing the card to fall from Steve’s hand. Bucky fell off the platform onto the windowed floor below, Steve following to grab the chip before the fight broke lose again. As Steve was pulling out the knife that Bucky jammed into his shoulder, Bucky reached for the card, as he grabbed it Steve goes to grab him by the throat, slams him down and locks the arm that is holding the card. When he wouldn’t drop it, Steve snapped his arm. The crack and scream that came from Bucky left an unpleasant shiver down his spine. He rolled them over, arm around Bucky’s neck, leg securely holding down his metal arm.

 He waited for him to pass out before grabbing the card that fell from his hand and running to the targeting system, pulling himself onto the platform. Once he got on, Bucky became conscious and shot Steve in the thigh. Steve pushed on, climbing up to the system, only for Bucky to shoot him once more in the shoulder. Just as he was about to put the card into the slot, Bucky shot him once more in the back. Steve dropped, holding his stomach. But, in the last minute, he slid the card into the slot, causing all the targets to be wiped and for it to reset, making the carriers the targets. Hill told him to get out, but he knew it was no use.

 As the carrier was being taken down, he got up, noticing that Bucky was pinned by a heavy piece of the ship. He jumped down onto it, still gripping his stomach before making his way over to where Bucky was. The unsteadiness of the Helicarrier causing him to fall back. But, he got back up, using all his strength he could muster to get the debris off Bucky. He took a couple shallow breaths.

 “You know me.” He stated, looking over to Bucky who was just standing up.

 “No, I don’t!” Bucky yelled, punching the shield causing Steve to fly back.

 “Bucky, you've known me your whole life.” Steve tried to stay on his feet, the ship moving under him making him unstable. Bucky hesitated for a second before raising his fist and hitting Steve again. Steve didn’t fight, he chose not to. “You’re name is James Buchanan Barnes.”

 “Shut up!” Bucky screamed, punching Steve once more, causing him to fall onto the grown. Steve only got up again, took off his Captain America helmet, and stood his ground.

 “I’m not going to fight you.” Steve says, dropping his shield through a hole, letting it fall into the water below them. “You’re my soulmate.”

 Bucky looked at Steve for a few heartbeats before running after him, pushing him to the ground, hovering over him, “You’re my mission.”

 He punched Steve once, twice, three times, four times. Repeating the words over again, before stopping. He looked at the beaten-up Steve, eye swollen, blood trickling down his face. The twist in his heart confusing him further. He raised his hand once more, held it there.

 “Then finish it.” Steve spoke, voice gruff and laced with pain. “Cause, I’m with you till the end of the line.”

 Bucky examined the mans face. He knew the phrase, he knew this man. But, his mind was still fuzzy. He was still unsure exactly who this man was, but he could feel a tugging in his heart, a pull in his chest. He felt love, compassion, confusion. But only for a brief moment because now he was looking at the man falling. His mind raced. This man was only a mission, would say one part of his brain. Another repeating, Steve, Steve, Steve. He let go of the bar he was holding, falling in after the man. He swam a few feet before reaching a hand out to the mans shoulder, holding him above water while he swam to shore. Thoughts swimming in his mind the same as he swam through the ocean.

 When he reached the shore, setting the man down out of the water, he couldn’t help but study his unconscious form. The man was moving his head, water seeping out of his mouth. He had to look, he had to. Even if it would wake the man. He bent down, raising the mans right wrist, looking over the area of skin. James. That’s what it read. James Buchanan Barnes, the name that the unconscious man kept saying, Bucky. It was him. He sighed and looked around before standing back up and leaving the man, knowing he was alive, so it didn’t hurt as much.

 After his recovery, Steve set to find Bucky. To go after him. Natasha gave him his file, telling him to be careful. Sam agreed to help him, like he said; he does everything Steve does, only slower. He went over the file hundreds of times, he followed every trace that would lead to where Bucky was. With help from Sharon, he was able to locate him in Bucharest, Romania after nearly two years of searching. It wasn’t ideal to have to mourn the loss of Peggy and then set off to find Bucky, but it was as if losing someone was meant to happen to regain another. He didn’t know whether to trust that Bucky wasn’t the same, hostile as he was back in Washington, he made sure to suit up, bring his shield as protection.

 When he showed up to the small apartment, the bedroom and kitchen connected, he walked around, examining the room. A mattress lay on the ground, there wasn’t much furniture besides a table or two and a couch. He noticed a small notebook underneath two candy bars, he flipped through it. It seemed to hold memories, words, names. Things he remembered during his time away from Hydra, the world. But most importantly, a picture of Steve in his Captain America uniform.  It was almost an hour before Bucky returned, Steve could sense another person in the room before he turned to see Bucky, he had his guard up it seemed.

 “Do you know me?” Steve asked, setting the book down. Bucky stared at him, face showing no emotions, but if you looked closely enough you could see the pain hidden deep in his eyes.

 “You’re Steve. I read about you in a museum.” Bucky stated, looking away for a moment.

 “I know you’re nervous. And you have plenty reason to be, but you’re lying.” Steve took a step closer, but only one, in fear that he’ll scare away Bucky.

 “I haven’t done anything wrong, not since Washington. I don’t do that anymore.” Bucky said, changing the subject.

 “No one said you did.” Steve retorted, taking another small step forward. Bucky walked over to a table, placing his bag of plums onto it. He removed a glove from his metal hand. “You pulled me from the river. Why?” Steve asked, voice soft yet urgent.

 “I don’t know.” Bucky looked up at Steve, his eyes holding turmoil and just hint of a glint that looked a lot like a hidden love.

 “Yes, you do.” Steve said, giving him a stern look, holding his ground.

 Bucky sighed, walking over toward Steve before going to the couch that was placed next to him, sitting down. He placed his hands over his face, leaning forward. He let out a muffled groan before sitting back up. He heard Steve’s footsteps coming toward him, and he couldn’t help but watch him. Steve took off his helmet, running his hands through his hair before kneeling in front of Bucky. He was a little claustrophobic in that moment, his lungs feeling like the air was slowly leaving him to just be soaked up by Steve. He couldn’t remove his eyes from Steve’s though, even when Steve moved his eyes toward Bucky’s covered wrist. When he lifted the sleeve up to show the name written delicately on his wrist.

 “Steven.” Bucky said, voice softer than it has been in a while. He liked the way the name danced on his tongue, it tasted sweet, loving. “Stevie.”

 Steve lifted up the sleeve of his Cap suit, showing Bucky’s birth name on it. He placed his next to Bucky’s that was laying on his lap. The names, the wrists and the men, they fit together so perfectly, so delicately. Bucky couldn’t stop his heart from racing, from the panic that set in, the tears that decided to leave without permission. He came to the realization that he hurt this man, his Stevie. He hurt him in more ways than he thought possible.

 “What’s wrong?” Steve asked, seeing the tears spilling from his loves eyes, the expression that took over his features.

 “I hurt you. And I didn’t mean to, I know I probably didn’t have much of a choice, but why couldn’t I stop them from doing this to me? If I could take out dozens of innocent people and even people who had abilities near to mine. How come I couldn’t stop average men with guns?” Bucky questioned, searching Steve’s eyes for answers.

 “It isn’t your fault, you know? It’s theirs, they took over your brain, your thoughts and memories. Wiped you clean of all of them. You had no power over them.” Steve tried to reassure him. He thought it best to change the subject, “Now, do you know why you saved me from the river?”

 “Because, I love you. Even when I barely had control of my own actions, I knew I loved you. You’re my soulmate.” Bucky answered, a small smile playing on his lips when he finished.

 Steve couldn’t hold back much longer, he’s waited over 70 years to feel Bucky again, to feel the softness, the warmth that was him. He placed his hands gently onto the sides of Bucky’s face, rubbing small strokes on his cheeks. He looked over his face once more, eyebrows scrunched, fear of losing him again setting in causing his grip on Bucky to strengthen by a little. He shut his eyes for a single moment, relishing in the moment till he felt a cold finger run along the side of his face, knowing it only to be Bucky’s metal arm. In a moment, he was leaning in, lips pressed softly onto the rougher ones of the other man. He knew this kiss was different than any others they have shared. Their older ones weren’t scared, they weren’t fearing the loss of them like they were now. They’ve felt the loss and coldness of not having the other with them, they don’t plan on feeling that again. So, they held each other tightly as their lips moved together urgently trying to make up for 70 years of lost touches, kisses and presence of their soulmate.

[usaonetwothree]

I really hope they redeem Steve in Infinity War because I feel like he totally got screwed over in Civil War with 0 characterization and he was almost made out to be the bad guy in his own movie? (I'm just really bitter about the treatment he's getting here and in the comics at the moment; I just want him and Tony to be happy friends.) thoughts?

First off, an ask! Yay!  Second, I spent a lot oftime reviewing and re-reviewing my answer because the Civil War was sopolarizing to the fandom and I don’t want to get swept up into that.  I think I’m fair to both sides so please putdown the knives and pitchforks.

Now, to the ask.  Let’sstart with the comics.  I think these twotags (#saynotohydracap and #say no to hydra cap) have everything you need toknow about how I feel about Hydra!cap.

As for the movies. The thing I love most about Steve Rogers is that he’s not perfect.  He’s a flawed human.  And that’s what makes his storiesinteresting.  He may have superstrengthand amazing regeneration abilities but at the root of it all is a little boywho was taught to look out for the little guys, to try to do what isright.  And I think because of theobvious villains in the first few movies (Nazis, invading aliens, rogue AI),the fact that he is still a human, with his own feelings and emotions, sort ofgets lost.

As for his characterization, I think Chris Evans said itbest: “Up until this movie, Steve has always done what other people need. InCivil War, he does what he wants. He’s selfish for the right reasons: for hisfriend. It’s about Bucky.” (X)

In all his individual movies, we built up Steve being asoldier, serving others, doing what someone else believed to be right(exceptions in the next paragraph but overall he believes in what he’s doingand trusts the people in charge).  Thenhe realizes it was for a crooked organization. We see him losing faith in the people who are making the decisions hehas to carry out.  And honestly, this isgreat storytelling across many movies and directors to bring us to this pointwhere he defies his orders to bring Bucky in alive.  That to me was perfect.  He made a choice, ran with it, then did theequivalent of turning himself in after (only to escape again when he finds a moreterrible threat but that’s a discussion for a separate time.)

Once again from Chris Evans “I think to [Steve] a dark side is when [he] fights for what [he] wants, notabout what other people need.  And inthis film, it’s really about what he wants.” (X) And that’s what I really liked about the Civil War.  Steve isn’t a robot blindly followingorders.  He has feelings and thoughts andemotions and he’s willing to act on all those to do what he thinks is right.  To be super on the nose, he’s not a perfectsoldier but…

[Tons more after the cut]

Let’s also remember that Steve has never been one to blindly follow orders.  Especially when it comes to Bucky.  The whole Azzano situation in TFA was Stevedefying Colonel Phillips to save Bucky, who might not even have been alivestill.  Bucky has always been Steve’s blindspot, his dark side, because Bucky was always there for him, even when he wasjust a little guy.  Bucky’s his link tothe past, to who he used to be before the wars and the killing.  Bucky knows and respects him as Steve—justSteve—no super-abilities involved.

Re: Steve being a bad guy in his own movie.  I understand how people can feel that way butthat’s not how it came across to me. He’s fighting for what he wants, what he believes in.  And if we’re going to discuss him not signingthe Accords, no matter at what cost it was to Tony, remember Steve was willing to compromise—he talkedabout requiring safeguards with Tony—but then Tony mentioned Wanda and that wastoo much for Steve.  He couldn’t give inthen, not if it meant that those actions were lawfully justified.

He’s not perfect.  Neither is Tony.  Tony signed first to amend later but Capcan’t agree with that.

I think part of the negativity comes because, for the first time on screen, Steve is now working againstsome of his team, in order to achieve what he wants.  Yeah that’s selfish of him (but again, thisis a rounded out, very realistic characterization) and not everyone is going to agree with him doing that, especially when it causes so much chaos with the rest of the team. But I don’t see his actions as mis-characterized. I see them as filling in a missing piece of who he is.  This is what all the movies havebeen leading up to.

I don’t see Steve as abad guy.  I don’t see Tony as oneeither.  They both did what they thoughtwas right, and I thought that was realistic. Things don’t always work out well and I would have been upset to see them tie a nice bow around the whole conflict, instead of letting it drag out between films.

Now, some of this gets diminished because we know they allhave to get back together in the Infinity War, which is now just one movie sothere isn’t a whole lot of time to unite everyone again.  So Tony and Steve (or, more accurately, theirteams) are going to have to put aside any hurt feelings not long into the filmand defeat Thanos.

Re: Steve’s redemption. The only thing I feel Steve really needs to be redeemed for is 1)knowing Bucky killed Tony’s parents and not telling him and 2) leaving Tony topublically deal with the fallout of their fight and the bombing, etc.  Some people will argue Steve left him inSiberia with a disabled suit.  Ipersonally believe he ran into T’Challa on the way out, and the Cat Kingoffered to take him home while dropping off Zemo, or that Tony took thesnowmobile back to civilization.  Butthat may be just me and my rose-colored glasses.

As for him and Tony being friends again, they were never best friends like Steve and Bucky are,or Tony and Rhodey are.  But they arefriends: they care about each other, they like spending time with each other.  I think we’ll get back to thateventually.  Maybe not inInfinity War but hopefully before Chris Evans’ contract runs out.  But eventually yes.

Additional thoughts that didn’t fit in anywhere else:1) Ireally want to see the original Cap 3 script before they decided to make it theCivil War which I believe was Steve, Sam and Natashasearching for Bucky while chasing down Rumlow.2) TheCivil War commentary is fantastic. The Russos, Markus and McFeely have a reasonfor putting each and every scene in the movie. Sure I'd’ve liked a little moreCap in my Cap movie but the writers did their due diligence to support Tony’sposition so the movie would be fair and balanced and not skewed in oneparticular direction. It wasn’t as tight a movie as TWS but once you hear theirbackstories and intentions, it really is a masterpiece given all the groundthey had to cover.3) I’ve never seen our fandom so polarized by a movie.  The whole conflict was made binary: “Steve was right, Tony was wrong” or vice versa. No in-between.  You are Team Cap or Team Iron Man and how dare you try to see good points in both arguments?  And that doesn’t even get into how terribly authors who tried to write post-CW fics were treated by people who didn’t agree with their views!   It was really hard to watch and I hope we’re all past that.

TL;DR: Steve isn’t perfect and in the Civil War he chose toprotect Bucky, which to me is perfect characterization of him that’s beensupported in many prior films, no matter how hard it might have been to watchonscreen.  Fandom blew things out ofproportion re: who was right/who was the bad guy, when it’s not quite so blackand white.  I believe they willeventually get to be friends again.

[likealichen]

Home in these arms

A Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes (Stucky) fanfic

Rated T

Also posted on AO3

Steve has always had an appreciation for Bucky’s arms.

Before the serum, when they lived in their shitty apartment and Bucky was more lean than muscular and much too skinny for someone who worked at the docks, these were the arms that kept him warm through the freezing winters, wrapped his knuckles when teaching him to box, fed him soup with the constant pleas of “don’t die on me, punk; don’t you dare give up on me now.”

Steve learnt safety and acceptance and the concept of Home in those arms; it would just take him dirt and ice and decades of loss to finally realise it.

After Azzano, Steve had started to notice the change. How Bucky had bulked up during his time in the war, and despite being lean in the way only soldiers constantly on the march could be, there was nothing but power in his muscles. Steve was reminded of this in the way that Bucky would hold his rifle: firm, with purpose, but gentle like a lover knowing exactly how to get the best out of what was in his hands. Every time Howard or someone from the munitions team would have him a newer (more accurate, better range, etc) model, Bucky would learn his new gun like the way Steve would learn tactics and schematics and all the ways they could try to win the war.

Perhaps the only time Steve had ever hated Bucky’s arms were when they were just out of reach, not long enough for him to grasp and save Bucky from falling.

Even in the new century, the first time Steve had fought the Winter Soldier, when Bucky had caught his shield with an outstretched hand and a menacing face, he couldn’t deny the admiration in such an incredible feat, because surely only Thor could stop his thrown shield with that type of strength. And after, as they fought hand to hand for survival, Steve trying with everything he had to gain the upper hand, a part of him had been thrilled at finding someone who was almost his equal in might and fight and he subconsciously wondered how it would feel to spar with the Winter Soldier and truly test himself.

Steve never liked fighting with weapons, his shield being his only concession to that rule if he could help it, but even he could admit that the metal arm was probably one of the most beautiful and graceful weapons he had ever seen wielded.

It was only during the Civil War, while they were on the run from the government agencies and the other half of the Avengers, that Steve found the opportunity to admire how seamlessly Bucky used his metal arm as though it was natural extension of him, rather than an appendage grafted to him with the purpose of causing others damage and the owner pain. Bucky would use it to stop bullets, write in his notebook, fight with his shield, punch through barriers.

It’s only when the arm is ripped from him courtesy of Tony’s repulsor beam that Steve realises that Bucky had never once touched him with it outside of a fight. It’s something he didn’t even know he wanted to experience until that choice was taken away from them.

Later, when Bucky is sitting in the Wakanda med lab, the remains of his left shoulder covered with a cap and Bucky struggling to compensate for the loss of the arm, that Steve mourns. He mourns every moment from losing Bucky on the train to finding Bucky as the Winter Soldier, and once again having to say good-bye. He’ll respect Bucky’s choice because Bucky has spent too many years being forced to act against his will, but this doesn’t stop Steve from wanting to beg him to stay.

Steve waits until it’s just him in the room, watches Bucky resting in the cryo chamber, touches his hand to the glass, the plea of Bucky Bucky Bucky running silently through his mind.

Now, as he quietly makes his way into their suite after an invigorating run in the jungle with Sam, trying to catch Bucky off-guard as his best friend frowns in concentration at the computer, making notes of the various intricate steps needed to create the latest baked goods to add to what’s now become ‘Bucky Barnes’ Recipes For When He Decides To Start His Own Bakery’, Steve slips his sweaty arms around Bucky’s waist, not even surprised at Bucky’s lack of reaction because Bucky could almost supernaturally sense when Steve was close. Well, near lack of reaction, since Bucky pauses the YouTube video so he can look over his shoulder and wrinkle his nose.

“You know most people would take a shower before touching someone else if they’ve just finished working out.”

Steve rubs his face into the crook of Bucky’s neck, grinning at the “punk” he gets before his arms are pried away from Bucky’s waist. “Whatcha got there? Another recipe?”

“I told Wanda apple cake is your favourite, and she asked me to bake so she could, and I quote “have a taste of a true American icon”.”

It’s Steve’s turn to wrinkle his nose. “She didn’t really say that did she?”

Bucky grins. “Yeah she did. And you know, how can I resist when she puts it like that?”

Steve just rolls his eyes, both of them ignoring the fact that Steve had effectively given up his status as an American icon when he dropped the shield for Bucky.

“I got me a few slightly overripe apples from the kitchen to practice on,” Bucky says, moving to the kitchen and taking his laptop with him. Sure enough, there’s a whole bowl full of apples. “Can you believe I found German and French versions of the cake? All of them different. We’ll see which ones we like best.”

Steve watches as Bucky picks through the fruit bowl, gently squeezing the apples with his left hand to see if they are ripe enough to bake. Even now it makes Steve swallow to see him so comfortable with his new arm, able to feel more than just pressure and various and levels of heat and cold. Although not as sensitive as his real arm, it provided Bucky with a wider ranges of feeling than the older, bulkier Soviet model, and the way in which Bucky used it doing every day things made Steve almost forget what he’d so painfully lost all those decades ago.

When Bucky voluntarily went back under the ice, Steve had mourned never being able to give Bucky a hug, or even really touch or be touched in the short period of time they were together. They’d lost so much; Bucky losing his arm was only a physical, painful representation of all they’d lost, and Steve had longed for those innocent simpler days when his hurts could be wiped away and his many illnesses were easier to bear in the shelter of Bucky’s arms.

But now. Now Steve was free to touch as much as he wanted. He could hold and caress and press his hands to skin that held together a body broken and beaten for so long but beyond beautiful in his eyes. And Steve could be touched and held and caressed and made to yearn for more more more without the guilt of knowing the pain that those arms had had to experience first. He’s still in awe, seeing Bucky with his new, lighter, better, less painful arm, a gift from T’Challa and Wakanda that Steve would never, ever take for granted.

Suddenly overwhelmed at the gratitude of just having Bucky here, whole and safe and if not healed but at least not so broken as before, Steve reaches out and takes Bucky’s hand - the left one - and slowly brings it to his lips, never once breaking eye contact when Bucky looks up at him in surprise. Underneath his lips he can feel surprising warmth, and he closes his eyes for a second as the kiss lingers, enjoying the way Bucky swipes his thumb against Steve’s skin lightly in response.

When Steve finally lets go, Bucky is smiling at him in that soft way of his that is becoming much more common now, a mix of wonder and gratefulness that Steve knows is common on his own face as now as well.

“I’m gonna take a shower, then I’ll help you with the cakes.”

“Really?” Bucky asks, eyebrows lifting. “You’re actually gonna help me bake this time?”

“Of course, how else are you gonna know if they’re any good if I don’t help you taste them?”

Bucky lets out a loud laugh, then flicks him on the ear to let him know exactly what he thinks of Steve’s idea of help. “Punk,” he says fondly. “Go take your shower; you stink.”

Steve heads to the bathroom, grinning in pure joy, because Bucky was here, and in his arms was Home. 

Steve was finally Home.

[that-buckley-gal]

Powerless - Chapter Eleven

November 4, 1943

The first thing that came to mind when I woke up the next morning was that I feel bad. I felt this way because I enjoyed last night’s fondue adventure in Lucerne; the bread and cheese went so well together, but I felt bad because Steve wasn’t with us. Bucky wasn’t with us.

I was guilty because I was having fun in Switzerland, trying something new while Steve and Bucky – who are my only living family left – were either prisoners of war or dead. James. Bucky. Steve. Captain America. Who’s strong and brave, here to save the American Way? It’s okay. Peggy and Howard said it was okay. They, like me, knew that Steve would be all right and that he would come back. This is what he was made for. As my thoughts resolve, I move into a sitting position and look around the room. My and Steve’s room that we were supposed to have vacated yesterday, but seeing as how my brother disappeared behind enemy lines, and I was still here, I got the room for another day. The colonel wasn’t too happy with this, but I paid him no mind. I would disrupt his camp until Steve returned, or until he kicked me off base. I was hoping for the former though. I rub the sleep from my eyes as I rescan the room looking for a clock or a window or whatever could tell me the time. I grunt out stupidly when I find nothing but an empty space and closed curtains. Did I shut those last night? I don’t remember. The serum. My goodness, it’s still in Brooklyn. I should probably tell someone about them. Should I? No, no, no. Wait until Steve comes back. Nervous, I skitter over to the window and peel a curtain open to see the sun just starting to rise over the horizon. I guestimate it to be around six or seven and I open the window, feeling a crisp breeze flow over me. As I bask in the fresh air, I notice that grey clouds are in the distance and I frown at the sun. Today wasn’t going to be a good day. Eventually I grow tired of the cool breeze and shut the window. I pace for a few minutes, thinking. I think too much or too little? No, definitely too much. Steve was fine. He promised he would be. The serum is still hidden I hope. Oh, why did I leave it there? I stop my pacing and peer out the window again. The sun was still making its rise, and I could see the grey clouds starting to come around. I wondered if I should take a bath. I close the curtain once more and walk over to my suitcase and dig around in it for a robe. When I find it, I pull it on and move to my other suitcase and dig around for a clean outfit. I eventually settle for a green dress that went down to just under the kneecaps with long sleeves since it was going to be cloudy today. I move to the bathroom silently, locking the door before running the water. When the water is to my liking, I strip and climb in, quickly washing my hair and body. Raspberries. My soap was the one thing I refused to leave in Brooklyn. I get out of the tub and dry myself off before putting on my clothes and standing in front of the mirror to brush my teeth and comb my hair. Instead of pinning it back, I pulled it to one side and made a loose braid. I put on my face and smile at myself. Everything is gonna be okay. I drop off my dirty clothes in my room before searching for the heels that matched the dress. When we first started on the tour, I’d brought along a giant suitcase filled with a few outfits and shoes like Steve said to. Over the course of three months touring the world, I’d turned into a little spendthrift and bought more outfits and shoes, requiring a second suitcase, which slightly annoyed my brother, but him laugh all the same. We’d bonded here and there, laughing about how Bucky would react to my spending. When I find the heels, I slip them on and leave my room. I go downstairs and am not surprised to see Howard sitting at a table, drinking coffee and reading a paper. “Good morning, Howard.” He didn’t start like I expected him to, instead only turning to grin at me for a second. “Good morning, Ms. Rogers. Sleep well?” “As well as can be expected.” Howard only nodded. “Do you have the time?” Howard silently pulled out a pocket watch and looked at it. “It is currently 10:24.” “Oh, thank you.” “Would you like some breakfast? There’s still some oatmeal in that pot over there.” I wander over to it silently and help myself to the last portion of it. I take a seat next to Howard and eat. My eyes read over the exposed part of the paper to see that both Allies and Axis powers were both being wiped out by HYDRA forces, which was slightly concerning. When I put my empty bowl away, Howard announced that it was now 10:52 and said we should head out to the lab. Since Peggy was already at the base, I stuck with Howard until we got there. The two of us got into his car and drove ten minutes from the housing unit to the base. As soon as the car is parked, Peggy walks by and asks if I would like to accompany her for a short while and I agreed. We said “later” to Howard who continued on his own way before we started walking. My friend was pretty quiet, and I could see her brown eyes flicking to the files in her hand. I don’t want to know what they’re for though, so I remain quiet. We eventually come across the colonel’s tent and Peggy leads us in. The colonel’s back is facing us as we enter, and my heart slowly stops as my brain processes his words. “As a result I must presume Captain Rogers killed in action. Period.” I see Peggy eye me, but I wave her off. She instead fixed a neutral expression on her face and turned to the colonel, speaking of a surveillance flight and how there was no sign of Steve. I close my eyes, forcing away the tears. Steve wouldn’t appreciate my crying at a time like this. I swallow the lump in my throat, and blink rapidly, trying to rid myself of the tears that were burning my eyes. I heard the colonel dismiss the typewriter before he and Peggy began speaking of god-knows-what. It didn’t matter to me what they were saying. In fact, I don’t think the conversation mattered to anyone because there was growing chatter just outside the tent, and the colonel excused himself to see what was going on. “Madison…” “Peggy, don’t. Steve…he knew what he doing. This is what he wanted.” “I know.” We were left in a not so silent silence, and Peggy excused herself to see what was going on while I took this time to recollect myself. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. I’ll be okay. The noise of the soldiers seems to increase, which irritates me because all I want is to be alone at the moment. However, I can’t feel sorry for myself when I hear a loud cheer ring out. I scoff slightly at my curiosity before walking out of the tent. At first, the only things I see are all the soldiers crowded around in a circle. I gently push my way to the center of the ring, men politely moving out of my way as I progressed forward until I could see who was in the middle. I recognized Steve’s costume and stopped short, breath catching in my throat. He’s alive! Oh… “Bucky!” I yell. My fiancé turned around instantly and I pushed past the soldiers in front of me – some of them politely moved out of the way. “Madi!” He yelled back, almost in disbelief. One moment, we were twenty feet apart. The next moment, I was in his arms, being spun around. His arms remain secured around me as his lips crash against my own. I don’t shy away from it though, and cheers erupt at public display of affection. I pulled away from Bucky first, but that doesn’t stop him from kissing my forehead and hair as well. “Oh, I missed you,” I tell him, my voice cracking. “When I got your last letter, I just about lost my mind, and then they stopped, I thought that…” “Shh, it’s okay, Madi. I’m here.” “I love you,” I say and look at him. “I love you. I love you. I just…I feel like I haven’t said it enough.” “You don’t have to say it,” Bucky said. “Because I know.” I bury myself in my boyfriend’s chest while Steve tells the crowd that it’s okay to disperse now, and I hear him approaching us along with another person. I’m not letting Steve have him yet, though. Bucky is mine. We break away from our embrace, but that doesn’t mean that we let go of each other. Bucky’s arm drapes around my shoulders whilst my arm wraps around his waist. Peggy grins widely at me while slightly pink cheeks accompany Steve’s smile. PDA makes him uncomfortable, a fact I’ve known since before I started school. “Peggy Carter, this is my good friend James Barnes,” Steve introduced them. Bucky politely shook Peggy’s hand and alerted her that he preferred to be called Bucky, and Peggy nodded her head. After making Bucky promise to meet him at the infirmary in five minutes, Steve led Peggy away from us. Bucky didn’t say anything, but neither did I. It was just so surreal to have him standing in front of me and twenty-four hours ago I thought he was dead. “I really missed you,” he said quietly. I bit my lip slightly. “I thought… When we got to Azzano, it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. When they took us to the factory, the only thing that kept me sane was you. Everyday I was there, I was just praying you were okay, and that if I died, that you would move on.” “Bucky…” “Shh…But none of that matters now, okay? Because I’m here, and I’m gonna be with you ‘til the end of time.” “’Til the end of time,” I whispered. He gives me a quick peck, and rests his forehead on mine. “You know I’ve been thinkin’…” “Oh yeah?” “We should get married.” “We will.” “Right now.” “Now?” “Why not?” He asked. “Why not,” I ponder this. We were in Italy. Steve was here. The war was still waging. “Why not? Let’s get married!” Bucky laughed and we shared another kiss. “We’re gonna get married. You’re gonna be Mrs. Barnes.” “No,” I said. Bucky raised a brow. “You’re gonna be Bucky Rogers.” Bucky laughed and I laughed along with him, so overpowered by the happiness I felt. There wasn’t any place I’d rather be than right here with my soldier. “Buck! Let’s go, doc’s waiting for you!” Steve yelled. Bucky looked at his best friend and looked back at me. “Guess I can go see what that punk wants,” he mused, his hand taking mine. “C’mon, doll. I think if we get this done right away, we can go find a church by the end of the night.”