(Steve's POV)
At exactly two o'clock that morning I got a phone call from Wanda. I scooped up my bag, taking a glance around my apartment before I left, shutting the door behind me. It felt weird not having my shield any more. It almost felt like I'd lost a part of myself. But there was a possibility that that little piece of me could be replaced by Bucky. After all, the reason Stark had said I didn't deserve the shield was because I'd been protecting Bucky. It wasn't his fault he'd been completely brainwashed by HYDRA. It wasn't his fault he'd been forced to kill Stark's parents. Tony needed to realise that it wasn't Bucky that had done all of that. He needed to realise that Bucky and The Winter Soldier were almost two completely separate people, all that was the same was that they shared the same body. I sighed as I threw my bag into the boot of the waiting car, sliding into the back seat beside Wanda, who was playing with her rings nervously.
"Hey, it's going to be okay." I said, resting a hand against her shoulder gently.
"I hope so." She said, offering me a weak smile. I smiled softly, hugging her gently as the car started off.
"It will be okay, I promise. I'll be right here by your side this whole time." I said, moving back to my own seat, strapping the seatbelt in place.
"Thank you." She said, her smile becoming more confident.
"No, thank you, Wanda. You're offering me a chance to have my childhood friend back without asking for anything in return. I owe you." I said, shifting slightly in my seat.
"You don't have to owe me anything, Steve. Bucky seems like a really nice guy, if there's a possibility I can reverse what HYDRA did to him, I'm definitely going to have to try it. No one deserves what he got." She said determinedly, nodding as if to assure herself. I smiled sympathetically, realising she was relating to Bucky because of the HYDRA experiments that were run on herself and her brother. She hadn't been one hundred percent herself since her brother's death. And she had been even less like herself recently, after moving out of The Avengers base. She had been getting really close to Vision, and I think the fight had shattered some of the trust there. Honestly, I felt bad. It was my fault after all. It had been my idea to start another team that meant her fighting against Vision. Wanda's voice broke through my internal rant.
"Steve, it wasn't your fault. Tony was selfish, he pushed a lot of us away, not thinking about the consequences his actions and words would have." She said, taking my hand in hers gently.
"Sorry, it's just kind of hard not to blame myself for what happened." I said, smiling sadly.
"Sorry that I read your mind, I just needed to know what was going through your head." She said, smiling apologetically at me.
"It's fine." I said, shrugging slowly.
"We're here." The drivers voice stated as the car rolled to a stop beside a large private jet.
"Thanks." I said, climbing out of the car and heading to the boot, lifting Wanda's bag along with my own.
"I can take it." Wanda said, reaching out for her bag.
"It's alright, I can carry it." I said, starting towards the jet.
"I can see you haven't lost your old habits haven't died." Wanda teased, smirking slightly as we climbed into the jet.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my brow furrowing as I stepped in after her, setting the bags down carefully and greeting the pilot.
"Taking a ladies' bags for her, letting her go first, all the chivalry." She laughed, sitting down and crossing her legs. I laughed softly, shaking my head as I sat down opposite her.
"Is it really such a bad thing?" I asked, clicking my seatbelt in place.
"Not at all." She said, smiling softly over at me and putting her own seatbelt on. I laughed despite my nerves. I really hoped Bucky would be willing to try this. If he didn't want to, I don't know what I'd do. I spent the entire flight recalling old memories, moments spent with Bucky. I glanced over at Wanda's sleeping form every so often, curled up in the seat. She was like a sister to me. I'd do anything to protect her, she'd been through enough. My mind began to wander back to Bucky and all that he'd been through. Kidnapped by HYDRA. Fell of a train. Kidnapped by HYDRA again. Lost an arm. Been brainwashed. My head began to spin. He'd sworn he'd be with me, 'til the end of the line, and I'd promised the same. How had I let all of that happen to him? The feeling of the plane landing shook me out of my thoughts. Recently, I'd been thinking about Bucky pretty regularly and I was beginning to question my feelings for him. Were they just the normal feelings of friendship, or were they something more? Were they more than platonic?