"Let's go. One at a time."

Bucky goes over rail and onto metal support beam thing.

Explosion rattles the building and the beam drops. Bucky jumps ~1 yard to go and grabs the railing.

"Gotta be rope or something!" Bucky shouted over the booming detonations and across the gap separating him from his best friend.

"Just go! Get outta here!"

"No! Not without you!" he yelled furiously, his scream meant to bore into Steve that if he was getting out, so was the not so scrawny kid from Brooklyn.

His eyes widened as Steve bent back the metal bar of the railing (a feat that Steve of all people should not have been able to accomplish) and took a few meager steps back, and Bucky had a sinking feeling he knew what Steve planned to do. Bucky wanted to yell at his friend again, scream at him that of all the stupid ideas they've had over the years, this one was definitely among the worst. Despite the distance, Bucky could see a familiar expression, one that said, "What the hell?" and that also often translated to "What've I got to lose?"

Bucky grit his teeth, eye slimming to an exasperated glare as Steve jumped, and the building shook with a violent, fiery explosion.

They walked straight through the night, those unable riding on the trucks and tanks they'd taken from Hydra. About an hour after the last of the explosions ring in their ears, two more joined their mass; Sergeant Barnes and their rescuer, Captain America. Barnes hopped onto one of the trucks for some basic first aid, the Captain went around and checked with the soldiers about their situation.

Through a series of agreements, the Captain was placed as their leader until they got back to camp. The man in question however made a point to confer with others often. The procession continued until dawn, when they were far enough for them to rest and try and patch up the injured.

"Y'know, that Captain fella sure is–" Dugan began, but was cut off by an irate voice.

"An idiot. He is an idiot." Six pairs of eyes turned to the disruptor.

"I suppose… But we're alive because of it," Morita countered. Barnes continued to glower and his friends shared a look of confusion. Barnes had been silent most of the trek, frowning and looking like the grump the rest figured he had the right to be after being taken to the isolation ward how many days ago. Now, however, he just seemed bitter about the rescue.

"Here comes the man of the hour himself," Falsworth noted, looking past Barnes who was opposite him. The group turned to face the tall newcomer, who seemed to be making straight for them. They stood once he reached them, even Barnes who still sported his scowl and added a glare to the mixture.

Dugan was the one to greet him. "How're we doing, Captain?"

"Um, could you get everyone to stop calling me 'Captain'? I'm not actually a captain. And, we're good, we'll continue on in about an hour or so. I did want to talk with Sergeant Barnes, though."

And not a moment later Barnes tackled the Captain.

Both landed on the ground in a heap, Barnes pinning the Captain down by the shoulders, the Captain looking up at the sergeant with a confused expression. The stillness lasted only a moment before the two were full on wrestling, having it out on the damp earth. Neither noticed when they rolled into a patch of mud, dirtying even further their filthy clothing.

"You… Are such a fucking– idiot!" the shorter of the two growled, landing a hard punch to the blond's jaw.

The Captain grunted. "C'mon, Buck, that's nothin' new." They grappled a while longer, rolling around like two school boys – though more violently than eight year olds could ever manage.

"God dammit, Steve. I know you can do better than this." As if he'd been waiting for a cue, the Captain gained the upper hand in a matter of moments had the other man in a headlock. They were panting and staring at one another with assessing gazes.

The Captain let go and helped Barnes to his feet.

Addressing the gathered crowd, the Captain shouted, "Keep it moving, nothing to see here."

The sergeant's friends thought otherwise, but helped disperse the crowd. They fully intended to get this story later.

Before long only seven of them were left by the small fire. Bucky and Steve stood facing each other, the rest watching on in wary yet curious silence.

Bucky didn't register that. He was more focused on trying to come to terms with the fact that Steve of all people had gotten them out of Hydra's camp. And had just beaten him in a wrestling match.

"And here I thought we were done with burning buildings," Bucky said, deciding that it was an appropriate conversation starter. Perhaps it wasn't, but it was an easier subject broached than 'Holy hell you're taller than me what happened?!' He kept his eyes fixed somewhere on the tree line behind the blond's head.

"Actually, this one was exploding. If you hadn't noticed."

"Which caused various parts of the building that hadn't exploded to set fire." A brief quiet settled between them, and then they shared a look, their faces splitting into wide grins. Steve slung an amiable arm over his friend's shoulders, which in a moment shifted into a hug. Which Bucky shamelessly returned.

"Though you were dead."

"Payback for scaring me so many times last winter," Bucky retorted, but the jab was blunted by terribly masked relief. The Sergeant didn't know what he was relieved about. He'd never wanted Steve here. Didn't want him in harm's way after he'd spent so many years protecting the little guy. And who would want their brother, who was prone to falling ill at the turn of a dime, out in cold, filthy, and dangerous territory? But another part of him – a selfish part – was glad for Steve's presence. He'd last seen his friend over half a year ago, which was the longest time they'd spent apart since the night of the fire. It had been strange, not having Steve there to poke at him or to talk to. So much of who he was now was tied tightly to the time he'd spent with Steve. Steve who was such a good person without realizing it, and who had somehow, over the years, become something for Bucky to strive for. He knew he'd never reach the goal, that in no way could he ever reach Steve in his moral goodness, but he shuddered imagining who he'd be without the other man. How easily he would have succumbed to the pressures of poverty and fallen into a well of despair and troubles that would never let him see the light of day.

They released each other, and Buck swung a punch at Steve's muscled arm.

"That's weird," Bucky declared in mock horror, the grin remaining fixed to his lips. He wished he could control his face long enough to feign fright.

"Don't I know it," Steve said, his own uncontrolled grin never leaving his face.

Things were only slightly different for the two, mostly Bucky's shock that Steve had actually made it over and was in the army and wasn't dying. Steve recounted all that had happened to him, explaining Erskine, the serum, his perceptible change in physicality, his time with the USO ("And you wanted to leave that?!"), and the short sequence which led him to the Hydra base.

"Jesus, Steve. What made you think goin' along with some shifty science experiment was a good idea?" his tone was the familiar patronizing that Steve had become accustomed to after years of getting into fights he couldn't win.

Steve knew that Bucky question was rhetorical. That they both knew exactly what had been going through Steve's head.

"It's nice, being tall," Steve replied, and his laugh was enough of an answer for Bucky.