The soldier isn't sure why he feels this way.
The soldier isn't sure why he feels at all.
But as he hangs onto the edge of a falling ship, as he sees Bucky Barnes fall into the river below, he cries.
He cries because he shot him.
He cries because he fell.
And he cries because, with every minute that passes, he remembers more and more.
The soldier lets himself fall, knowing that a metal arm makes it hard to swim.
He sees Barnes sinking to the bottom of the river. And for a reason unknown to the soldier, he swims down to grab him.
Steve grabs his friend, and the soldier drags him out of the water. He considers leaving him on the shore of the Potomac, but instead he drops him off closer to SHIELD, so that he is found before bleeding out.
The Winter Soldier is buried now. Not gone, but away. Steve Rogers isn't in that body now either, instead he is new. Someone in between. And he has to run, before he is found again and taken to some new prison.
He looks down once more at the man who made him free and smiles.
Something catches his eye. He sees the shield wash up on the shore of the river, and to his surprise it is no longer black. The shield is red, white, and blue.
It feels right. Steve picks up his shield, and for a moment he feels like almost himself again, but the soldier sets it down next to its rightful owner. The feeling slips away, and so does he.
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America's Soldier
FanfictionWhat if Bucky wasn't the one who fell off of the train? What if Captain America became the Winter Soldier?
