"Зима. Новая миссия." (Winter. New mission.)

The man says nothing, just sits silently, without any emotion etched on his face. Alexander Pierce leans down into his face and the brunette doesn't react.

"Listen carefully. You'll need to get close to a level eight agent, Captain Rogers." Pierce informs him, Bucky nods slightly.

"And by close," Pierce presses, "I mean you'll need to get into a trusting relationship with him. If you want to do your mission correctly I suggest you take it further. I'm giving you three months to complete this mission, or else we can make your life h***." Pierce says. A small frown flickers across the asset's face and he opens his mouth slightly to speak, eyes full of confusion. Pierce watches him closely.

"Где я могу его найти?"(Where can I find him?) He asks.

///

Steve grins as he sees his friend Sam Wilson running slightly ahead of him. He picks up his speed and races by Sam on his left side.

"On your left!" Steve calls over his shoulder, hearing Sam curse behind him. He always did this just to annoy him. Steve chuckles to himself as he rounds the corner, the wind whipping his hair this way and that. It was a beautifully sunny day out, however windy.

Steve slows to a stop near an old oak tree and leans against it, picking up his water bottle and downing half of it. Sam comes up, huffing and puffing, sweat staining his shirt.

"Nice run." He huffs to Steve, elbowing his side as he takes his own water bottle.

"I guess." He shrugs, Sam rolls his eyes. He checks his watch and pats the blonde on the shoulder.

"Not that this isn't fun having my a** kicked every day, but I have somewhere to be." Sam muses and Steve tskes.

"Shouldn't use such strong language, Sammie." He croons and Sam rolls his eyes again.

"Sammie? Think of a better nickname, Cap." He snorts before sauntering off. Steve watches him go, his hands on his hips.

He picks up his own things and starts wandering home. The blonde arrives home and looks at the post it notes, maps, and strings on the wall. There were pictures; black and white, sepia, and very few in colour, all of the Winter Soldier. Pictures of deceased people in various areas of the world and how they were connected, all the places on the map connected with a red string, pinned in place with tacks and things. He folds his arms over his large chest and sighs, looking over the wall.

He and Sam had been trying to find Bucky for months, way before the incident of Sokovia. Steve still had nightmares about that vision dream thing Scarlet Witch gave him.

Steve sighs and decides to go out for a walk or something on his own to clear his head. He changes his running shirt for a clean one, pulls on a thin brown leather jacket, grabs his keys, phone and wallet before heading out the door and locking up behind him.

///

The assassin looks up from his coffee, sunglasses over his eyes and a black baseball cap on his head. He sees his target crossing the street but doesn't bother getting up. He was just watching. This would be a difficult mission to complete, purely because he was warned that Steve had charm and if he wasn't careful he'd get dragged in and actually start to care about him. His mission was to get close and bring the captain back to Hydra to be dealt with; end of story.

He takes a sip of his coffee as Steve saunters by. He glances up at him cautiously to see the blonde turn into the cafe to order something. Perfect. He'd be able to watch him, learn his habits, his traits, and then pretend that his precious "Bucky" was back.

He'd doubted himself before; with the helicarrier accident and the Potomac, he'd faced off against the captain, (but he wouldn't remember that until much later), and was defeated, then came trotting back to Hydra to be wiped again. Of course, he saved Steve's life, but again, didn't remember that.

He studies the blonde curiously as he takes an outside seat at a lonely table, sitting in the sunlight. He watches him pick up a napkin and doodle on it with a pen. The Winter Soldier noticed the way Steve's hand, his left hand, seemed to be in a fist resting on his leg and that his leg bounced as he sat. He adds these seemingly pointless facts into the back of his head; who knows, they might be important in the future.

Steve takes a sip of his black coffee and leans back in his seat, sighing a little and absent-mindedly sketching on the napkin, some shape or building he'd seen millions of times before. His mind was wandering again; this happened really often. He was thinking and reminiscing about Bucky, he missed him so much. Those nights when he woke in the middle of the night shaking from a new night terror he missed the days when he and Bucky would sleep together and protect each other from nightmares; Bucky always assured him it wasn't real and that he was right there beside him. It always worked back then.

Steve feels eyes watching him and he lifts his head, looking around. He sees a group of girls whispering and giggling amongst themselves, an old couple and two middle aged men. Nobody was looking his way now, so he simply shook his head and told himself it was all his imagination.

///

The Winter Soldier looks up from his lap to see that thankfully, Steve's eyes were elsewhere. He'd almost been caught and was reminded who he was dealing with. He watches as the captain gets up, leaves a tip and heads on his way. Bucky waits a minute before getting up and casually blending into the crowd, following the blonde from a distance.

The Winter Soldier heard the agent before he felt him. He'd stopped at the light, just as Steve did, and just then one of the Hydra agents, who'd been in on the operation, shoved him to the ground. Of course, the brunette made a show. He grunts and tumbles to the ground, the agent storms off and the asset could tell there was a small smirk on his face. As predicted, the blonde noticed and hurried over.

"Are you okay, sir?" He asks quickly, concern laced in his voice, offering an arm. The Winter Soldier hopes that his incognito will do as he's hauled to his feet. He nods briefly before brushing himself off. The first part of course was to see if Cap was still as nice and civil as he'd heard he was, which was true.

"Thanks." He says with a Russian accent before going on his way. So far he knew lot of things about Captain Rogers; gait, height, size, habits, traits, little tidbits he'd need to know to get close to him.

///

Steve watches the fallen man saunter off, thinking that he'd seen that face somewhere before, but he couldn't recall where. He sighs to himself and heads back home.

///

The Winter Soldier sees the gap between buildings and takes several steps back before racing forward and leaping across, landing silently. Hydra wanted him to keep an eye on his target basically twenty-four seven. It was nighttime now and the world was sleeping, save for the faint honking of late travellers and night birds. The brunette takes a seat on the roof next to the captain's building, close enough so he can see through to his place but far enough that the blonde would be able to look out the window and not see him.

He sees him get into bed and he sits patiently; Hydra wanted to see his sleeping habits, and the Winter Soldier had no idea why, but an order was an order. He watches him quietly. After about two hours of waiting and seeing nothing, the brunette caught movement and sat up; his legs and lower back were numb from lying so long. He saw the captain start shifting around and he almost pitied him; he was no stranger to nightmares.

This lasts for about fifteen minutes before the blonde startles himself awake, looking panicked. The asset takes note of this as well, watching quietly as the blonde wraps his arms around himself, shaking. So he liked touch. The Winter Soldier watches silently. He flattens out on the roof when he sees the blonde get up and open the window.

Steve takes a deep breath in and slowly lets it out, watching the world outside. He scrubs his face tiredly with a hand before closing the window and shutting the blinds. The assassin huffs a little and gets up; he'd find out more tomorrow. He stretches and rubs the feeling back into his legs before leaping back over the gap and just like that, dissapearing into the night.

///

"Steve! Turn the news on!" Sam orders over the phone the next morning. The blonde sighs and flicks the tv on, switching the channel to the news. There, bright as day, was Bucky. Of course he wasn't the main attraction, it was some fundraiser, but he was all Steve had eyes for. He was in the background, sure, but Steve still knew who it was.

"He's been here all along?" Steve frowns, glancing towards the wall. Everything turned out to be a cold lead, a dead end.

"I guess so, man. Listen, I need to help my mom with moving today, so I can't go after him with you." Sam mumbles a little more quietly.

"That's not a problem. Thanks so much, Sam." Steve replies, wandering into the kitchen.

"Thanks. Good luck, Steve." Sam hums before hanging up. Steve puts his phone down on the counter and pours himself some water, mind racing. Steve sighs and puts the untouched water down before heading upstairs to get dressed.

///

The Winter Soldier wanders the streets, hands deep in his pockets. He knew the next part of the plan and it infuriated him; he had to let himself get beat up and make up this incredible story of what happened, how he escaped the evil clutches of Hydra and found Steve again because that's how life turned out and how very lucky they were. He wanted to fight back but wasn't allowed to, which was one part; the other was that he had to fake being in a relationship and remember all these facts about a past he didn't recall because undoubtedly Steve would test him on that.

So carried by his thoughts, the assassin didn't notice when his feet led him into the alleyway. He saw them coming but didn't say anything. A hard smack to the head sent blood running down his face, it leaks into his mouth and his face twists into disgust at the sharp metallic taste. A hard punch to the gut and he gasped for air that wouldn't come, along with an impressive looking bruise wrapped around his throat as they choked the life out of him. A kick to the back of the knees sent him down and a stomp on one of his ankles made him grit his teeth and hiss in pain as his ankle snapped painfully. And with that, they were gone, as quickly as they'd come.

The brunette kneels there a second or two to compose himself, drawing in sharp breaths and squeezing his bluish-grey eyes closed, metal hand whirring as he clenched it into a fist. He blinks rapidly to clear the wetness from his eyes before he forced himself up, clenching his jaw as he put pressure on his right ankle and he made himself walk normally.

When he saw Steve's building come into view he didn't even bother hiding his limp; it would all add to the effect, after all. His head still leaked his life force and there was a dark bruise sprouting out on his throat. He stumbles up the stairs to Steve's apartment and knocks three times. Why simply three triggered something and he frowns, wondering why three felt so natural. He shrugged it off for now.

///

Steve hears a knock on his door, only three, hard knocks, and he went to answer. He swings the door open and sees Bucky standing there, his right ankle at an odd angle, an unnatural angle, and blood running down his face. The blonde's eyes widen and he gaps at him a moment before pulling the door open wider.

"Please help me." Bucky whispers hoarsly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows thickly. The bruise stretched all around his throat and certainly looked painful. Steve puts an arm around him and ushers him inside, he leads him to the couch and Bucky sighs in relief. It felt better, honestly, because he wasn't faking the injuries; those were real.

"Bucky? How- what happened?" Steve manages to ask, pouring him some water. The brunette merely shakes his head and closes his eyes, shifting a little, just realizing that he would have to think of something really quick and make it believable. Steve pulls a chair up and sits opposite of him, those eyes of his alight with concern once more.

"I got away." The Winter Soldier whispers and his voice cracks at the end, he takes a sip of his water and swallows. Steve watches him worriedly and the brunette shifts again, he wasn't used to attention and it kind of unnerved him. Hydra never paid him attention except when he was getting debriefed. They mostly just gave him an objective, a weapon, dropped him off and left him do his job.

Steve gets up and fetches his first aid kit, he comes back and deals with the brunette's wounds. He brushes his hair away from the gash on his head, cleans it and bandages it up. The Winter Soldier is very tempted to lean into his hand, he hadn't been loved or taken care of affectionately for ages. But he stops himself, reminding himself of his mission. Hydra was right; if he wasn't careful he'd get dragged in and actually care about him. If that happened... he didn't want to think about it.

"Thanks." He says quietly as Steve wraps up his ankle, the blonde nods in return and gives him a small smile. The brunette raises one corner of his mouth in a smirk and sees Steve's smile widen; maybe this wouldn't be too hard after all.

"You've got somewhere to sleep, right, Buck?" Steve asks quietly, raising an eyebrow a little. The brunette shrugs a little, focusing on looking down at his lap. Why was his nickname Bucky anyway? Why did his nickname have a nickname? How dumb was that? What if he just started calling him Rogers, Rog for short?

"Bucky?" Steve repeats, the brunette looks up. He'd been lost in his thoughts.

"Uhm, no, I don't." He informs quietly, which wasn't a total lie, but because it was Steve he knew he'd be offered a place.

"You could stay here if you wanted." Steve offers, and the brunette lifts his head. Bingo. He brushes his hair from his face and nods shyly, mind racing. He hoped he didn't start this out too fast, and hoped he remembered his mission.

///

Steve was keeping calm outside but on the inside he was freaking out. Bucky was here, he was alive, with him. He broke free of Hydra, he had his ol' spark. Steve just hoped that he got back to normal. There were still, obviously, some things Bucky wouldn't remember, but Steve could help. He hoped.

///

"Steve?" The asset asks quietly, looking up at him. The blonde glances at him and tilts his head a little.

"Can I...? I mean, I don't have any..." he mumbles, trailing off, gesturing to his clothes. Steve seems to understand because he nods and finds something that should fit his smaller frame. He tosses him some pajamas and the brunette nods his thanks. He dissapears to the bathroom and gets the pajamas on, they were a little big and the sleeves covered his hands, the slight size change making him appear Chibi-like. He huffs and crosses his arms; the Winter Soldier was not cute. He was an assassin, a deadly one at that.

"I'm going to bed, Buck, will you need anything?" Steve asks, poking his head out of his room. The brunette shakes his head, perched on the pullout bed/couch thing that Steve was letting him use.

"No. Thank you." He replies, covering his sigh with a yawn. Steve nods and smiles a little before going back into his room and closing the door. The brunette flops back onto the bed and sighs, closing his eyes. He was in deep and he knew it. And he'd have to dive deeper to get the mission done.

///

Over the course of the next month, Bucky started to flirt. Just casually at first, then a little more, a little more. He got to know Steve again, and found some things about his past that he would've rather kept hidden. Two months and the pair were in a relationship. Bucky gave himself boundaries... which were promptly broken. He was getting connected to Steve and actually falling for him... which was bad.

"Steve, I'm just gonna pop out, go for a walk." Bucky tells him. The blonde looks up from his sketch and nods.

"Okay." The blonde nods. Because he saw no harm in it, the brunette went over and hugged him. Of course, Steve hugged back, and the brunette didn't find himself flinching away like he would've a month ago. (Their first kiss was a nightmare.)

Bucky smiles and kisses his forehead before sauntering out. He sighs and rubs his face, wandering down to where he knew Hydra kept a base. He walks through the door and Alexander approaches him.

"Welcome home, Winter. I assume the mission is going according to plan?" He hums, smirking when he sees Bucky nod curtly. No matter what he went through with Steve he remembered that he was still their assassin, if he remembered liking it or not.

"Remember, one more month. Sometime soon would be best. We would equip you with gear, but we can't afford to at the moment. We need this break more than ever. The world needs this break. S.H.I.E.L.D. is on the rise again and we're under pressure now." He murmurs, the Winter Soldier nods again.

"I'll get my gear, sir." He mutters, surprised to hear himself talking in English instead of Russian. He turns down the hall and enters the artillery room; bombs, guns, explosives, bullets, vests and all types of weaponry lay around. He was looking for something in particular. He spots a canister and rag and his hands clamp over these before tucking them into his pockets and heading back out. Pierce smirks at him as the doors shut behind him and he enters the world once more.

"I'm back." He chimes as he opens the door, Steve looks up from his sketch again and smiles. Bucky can't help but smile back at him, still with the items in his pockets. Steve wanders over and hugs him, Bucky hugs back.

"Hello." He purrs softly and actually blushes a little when he feels Steve press a kiss to his cheek. He was growing feelings for him, he honestly was, and that was horrible. He didn't want to do what he had to do; he was warring with himself in his head. Fail, and Hydra would have his head. Succeed, they'll get Steve's. Delivered by his own hand. He couldn't bear the thought but knew, sooner rather than later, he'd have to face the facts and choose.

///

The day comes when he was supposed to deliver Steve to his leaders. He was nervous and toyed with the rag and canister that he held loosely in his hands. He feels a weight drop into his stomach as the blonde captain saunters in, a soft smile on his face that at least assured Bucky that he had no idea he was planning something.

"Hey, Buck." Steve hums, Bucky smiles a little.

"Hi." He croons, easily hiding the tremble in his voice. Behind his back he silently unscrewed the lid of the canister and poured the liquid all over the rag until it dripped. He moves close and hugs the blonde, shaking a little.

"Something wrong?" Steve asks, concern in his eyes as he studies the brunette's face. Bucky doesn't meet his eyes. In one swift movement he brings one hand to Steve's back and presses him closer, and with the other presses the rag over his mouth and nose. The blonde's eyes widen and he lets out a startled yelp, struggling to pull away. His eyes meet Bucky's and all the brunette saw was pain and betrayal. The blonde tries to pull away again but can't, he slowly sags against the Winter Soldier, trying to keep his eyes open. Bucky blinks and tries to swallow the lump in his throat as Steve's eyes struggle to remain focused.

"I'm sorry Steve." Bucky chokes, tears slipping from his eyes. The blonde's eyes slip closed and the brunette supports his body, heavy against his own.

"This is the asset. I need assistance; I have the captain." He manages to speak into the walkie-talkie he had to contact them the day of. He hears affirmation that he was heard and puts the walkie-talkie away. He drops the canister and the contents slowly spill out onto the floor, soaking into the wood. He lowers the captain down and swallows thickly, forcing himself to get a grip. He knew his job and he had to choose, right? He scrubs his face frustratedly and sniffs.

Ward, Pierce, and Rumlow saunter into the place and Pierce smirks at Bucky. The brunette keeps his face expressionless, as he was taught, but feels a bit of himself break when he looks back down at the blonde. Ward and Rumlow each grab an arm and haul him to his feet.

They drag him outside and into a van, Bucky climbs in back with the blonde while the others sit up front. Bucky sits silently, his right hand running through Steve's hair. The blonde doesn't move except for when they were almost at the base. The drugs were wearing off and he was beginning to stir.

"Sir, he's beginning to wake." Rumlow informs Pierce, who glances at Steve. The blonde shifts again and Bucky watches him, Pierce sighs. He grabs the rag from Bucky's hand and shoves it in the captain's face, and he instantly goes still again.

"Dr. Zola!" Pierce calls and the small, piggy man rounds the corner. He grins when he sees the blonde. Bucky clenches his hand into a fist, swallowing thickly. He knew what he had to do.

Bucky whips out a gun from Rumlow's gun holder and cocks it, he aims it at Pierce and fires. Pierce drops like a stone and Ward shouts in protest only to have Bucky whip around and shoot him twice in the chest. Rumlow grabs a gun while Zola scampers off in hiding and aims it at Bucky, who aims his gun right back at him.

"I f****** knew it. I knew you would fall for him." Rumlow growls, aiming at him. Rumlow then turns his gun to Steve and Bucky freezes.

"Huh. Then why was I put on this mission?" He asks, tilting his head as he watches Rumlow. The other man shrugs, still lazily aiming at Steve. The blonde doesn't move and Bucky slowly goes to him. Rumlow kicks the blonde's leg and Bucky scowls.

"You know he isn't that bad looking." He comments, ignoring Bucky's question. So the brunette shoots him. He was so done with Hydra and wanted everything to be over.

Bucky kneels beside Steve and shakes him, swallowing the lump in his throat. The blonde shifts and his eyes slowly open. He sees Bucky and backs up, pressing his back to the wall, and the brunette sighs softly.

"Hi." He says meekly, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Steve doesn't reply, his head was pounding and he was trying to piece everything together. He shakes his head slowly then leans forwards and puts his head in his hands. Bucky nibbles on his bottom lip, watching him.

"Why?" He asks, raising his head to look at the brunette. Bucky feels his face burn with shame as he answers quietly. He explains everything to Steve, who listens through the story silently.

"I'm so sorry." Bucky whispers at the end of his story, chewing on his already shredded lip. Steve gets to his feet and leans against the wall for support.

"I do like you, Steve. That part wasn't a total lie." He says quietly, getting up. Steve gives a small nod and sighs a little, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I like you, Bucky. That's the honest truth." He replies and Bucky blushes a little.

"Can we start over?" He asks softly, looking up at him. Steve smiles a little and nods slightly. Bucky relaxes a little, knowing not all was lost. They would just need some time, that's all.

///

So that's how three months later they were officially dating. Bucky had gotten off of Hydra's radar, adopted a new name and lived with Steve. Sometimes he would jokingly bring up the story but was always frowned at by it. So after some time he just didn't. But anyway, their lives took a turn for the better and Bucky was endlessly grateful.