Vitality

All characters rightfully belong to Marvel Comics

(Dedicated to : JuliaAurelia, Thalion Estel, shadowhuntingdauntlessdemigod, The Darkness Knight)

As the deafening sound of HYDRA's failure to reign became emblazon in his water clogged ears; Steve felt the coldness of metal grip at the straps of his broad shoulder, his massive form was being dragged to the muddy and graveled shoreline that framed against the Potomac River. Dark maroon fell into the traction of heavy footsteps.

Blood.

His lungs were filled with liquid, bruised muscles of his stomach clenched as the bullets sunk deeper into his compromised muscle. The thralls of pain weaved in his veins; he barely managed to breathe as the taste of blood consumed his mouth. He wanted to say the name, but a wheezing exhale of sheer exhaustion intermixed with his words.

"Wait..You don't?" he mumbled incoherently; expelling out the chortling murky water and emptied the contents of his stomach. His big breakfast.

'Koff'

Steve unpeeled his screw tight eyes open; listening to the splashes of water, and then he felt his back lowering into the soggy earth, gently and carefully. He fought to keep his bleary vision steady on the looming shadow hovering over him, his right eye was swollen with streaks of blood dripping from the tiny gashes, tears mixed and fell over his battered cheeks. His lips were smudged with indents of a knuckles, cuts were carved at the corners and maroon seeped from his bottom lip.

Water dribbled from the corner of his mouth. as Steve tilted his head, moving to the sounds of the breeze cloaking over his laden body.

He was a wounded soldier; stationed on the cold earth below his chiseled form. His inquisitive blue eyes never left the face of a ghost that stared down at him. Despite the sting of tears, he never blinked the wetness away; he just gazed into the stormy blue eyes darkened by the sloppy tresses of straggly brown hair.

"Bucky…" he spoke in a strained and labored plea, his heart thumped rapid against his fractured rib cage. He coughed up blood, and tried to lift his hand, reaching to grasp the metal arm hanging limp over soaked combat pants. He winced slightly, refusing to break eye contact with the cold, steely pale blue eyes of the Winter Soldier.

"Do you remember me?" he asked, praying that his words would somehow reach his lifelong friend. He searched for the true Bucky Barnes, the good and defiant Brooklyn kid behind the haunting and intimating semblance of the Soviet assassin. "Do you know my name? Come on, Buck...I can't lose you again...I can't pretend that you don't exist. You're alive and you're here with me." Desperation chortled from his throat, and he bargained with death in the moment when all hoped seemed to drain from him.

Bucky stared down at him with a steely resolve, "I- I don't know," he growled in a hesitating voice. He blanched a involuntarily step back; his blue eyes still trained on Steve's bloody spangled uniform. His full lips moved apart slightly; breath was cracking up his throat and blood smeared over his gaunt and scruffed cheeks.

These are unpredictable moments, he could have killed Steve in a second, but he stood calm with a pensive gleam holding in his obscured eyes.

"Why did you save me, Buck?" Steve managed, his swollen eye closing shut, vision darkening as his voice carried a measure of hope in the tensed air between them.

Carefully, Bucky advanced in slow and calculated steps, his blue eyes shifting to his left and right, and metal fist clenched. He wasn't taking any chances. He knew the risks were high and then he was now marked as a threat to HYDRA. He moved closer, steadying his breath and narrowed his hard stare at the royal blue uniform covered with smears of blood and tinges of ash. His torrent mind raced when he glanced at the white star in the center of the man's chest-a symbol of valor and strength.

Reaching his hand down, he tugged on a chain that was clasped over the golden haired man's thick neck, and held tarnished dog tags to the dim sunlight; whispering out the name in a raspy and abrasive voice, "Steven Grant Rogers..." It sounded right and natural for him to say as he furrowed his eyebrows and looked harder at the chiseled and bloodied face of the super-soldier.

"I know you..." he fought against the urge to kill-his voice cracked in his throat. "I know you..." he repeated in the thralls of confusion ragging at his damaged heart.

"That's right, pal," Steve felt a weak smile pull over his split lips, his breath shattering out his lungs. "You've known me for a lifetime..." he affirmed heavily, in denial.

Steve shook his fists angrily, feeling the cold blue eyes threatening to pierce his heart that held the strength of his shield. The slightest vestiges of guilt condemned him to feeling utter defeat. The Winter Soldier was his best friend, his Brooklyn brother and anchor from the abyss of fear.

He cursed inside, feeling disgusted with himself of allowing this morbid subjection of Zola's tortures to happen to Bucky, and not searching for the fallen soldier when he concealed his despair in the shadows. Sirens echoed in the air, flames ignited from the desolated structures of SHIELD in the distance in its the fierce crescendo of defeat and death. The heaviness of the burdens he carried had crushed deeper into his twisting heart, slowly and mercilessly his failures and pain increased once he noticed the broken arm tucked under the assassin's torn vest.

His world shattered.

Steve thrusted his hand upwards, trying to grab Bucky's metal arm. "Buck...I'm sorry." he confessed with reverence in his cracking voice.

Seething against his clenched teeth to the super-soldier's disheartened words, Bucky regarded him with livid blue embers, burning under drenched strands of matted hair. He quickly removed his gun from the hostler attached to his side, and pointed the muzzle down, his finger threatening to pull the trigger back-Steve was a target-nothing else.

"I don't want your sympathy," he snarled tyrannously back at Steve; fighting to gain control of his spiraling emotions, blood leaked from his lip as he held his blue daggers at the white star once again, his jaw grew rigid and eyes watered with a flood of tears. His hand trembled against the gun, "Maybe we did know each other in another life time...Whoever you think I am...That man is dead." He lowered his arm down; aligning the gun with Steve's chest. "He's never coming back..."

"Then finish me, Buck." Steve breathed out putting his hands to surrender, and he felt olden sorrow rent in his heart. He looked up, his blue eyes filled with pleading tears cascading down his blemished cheeks. "When it's all over...You won't have nothing."

The anger and despair that befell him was one Bucky had felt only a few times in the past, but the tears he saw escaping from Steve's eyes gave him some form of recollection, and he found himself lost from words, frozen in his own skin as his blue eyes settled on the gleaming weapon clutched in his hand, his bewilderment felt like a lance in his heart, and almost tumbled to his knees, but he didn't hit the ground. Confused with the sudden revelation bestowed on him, he dropped the gun into the water and looked hard at the man below him-Steve.

His best friend.

"What have I done?" Bucky ravenously cried out, feeling his weight sink into the soggy ground. He looked like a crazed animal, lashing out at his own words. Memory snapped into his frayed mind, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean..." He staggered back, dropping his chin to his chest. A strand of drenched hair fell over his quivering upper lip.

Steve tried to lift his torso off the ground. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me, Bucky. They made you do it." He pressed his lips into a tight grimace, preventing bile from spewing out of him.

One chance left to save his friend. He had to make it count. No matter the cost.

"You would never put me in harms way...because you're my best friend." He reached out his hand for Bucky. "My best friend in the world. Time has only changed us...Things will get better because as a captain its my job to ensure that every soldier finds his way back home." he told Bucky with a promise welled deep in his heavy-lidded eyes.

"Home?" Bucky replied, freezing up, tensing in complete shock and then losing balance in his footing as he crashed to the ground, almost landing next to Steve. In his frenzied panic, his hand tugged the material of Steve's uniform. "You're not the enemy…" he heaved out a sharp exhale. "Not the mission!" he screamed out as his face contorted in pain.

As his blue eyes enlarged, realizing the truth, Bucky felt the increase of pain surge through his body, and he squirmed on his belly, moving close enough to bury his face into Steve's chest. "Take me home," he roared through the remorse, chagrin and emotional torment. His tears mixed with the blood pouring out of the gunshot wounds. "I don't want to become lost again..." He choked up his words. "Steve..."

"You won't...Just follow me.." Steve sobbed weakly, shielding his arm over Bucky's back. "Remember we're stuck with each other until..." He couldn't finish it, small flecks of blood sputtering from his paling lips and eyes dimming: the amount of blood lost was causing a high fever and his heart was weakening, but he felt no pain as he listened to failing whisper emerging from his best friend.

"...the end of the line."

Steve's face was drained with color, pale winter snow and his lips became unmovable. He was dying, at least for a few hours. He closed his eyes an listened to the echoes of his heart beat. He smiled as the warmth of sunlight caressed over his face.

He wasn't lost anymore...He had nothing left...His shield was gone and the world he was pulled into had disappeared into fiery rain and smoke, but he wasn't alone to carry on the next mission. He had Bucky.

Closing his eyes, Steve finally saw the banner of victory being raised out of the darkness.

A/N: Please mind the grammar mistakes. I'm just too busy for editing this week. Thank you and enjoy.