Pre War Bucky Barnes One Shots

Where It All Went Wrong

The icy cold rail rattled dangerously, threatening to fall away at any second as Bucky clung to it with all of the strength he had left after the blast had sent him flying from the safety of the train.

The harsh metal was so frozen that it stung his fingers but he didn't dare loosen his grip. He didn't want to look at what was beneath him, heights were his biggest, and possibly only fear. His ears rung from the impact of the blast as he hung helplessly for dear life, his legs scrambling around in desperation, his face aching from the cold.

Suddenly he heard Steve's voice, terrified and strained as he peered around the edge of the ripped apart wall dreading what he might not see waiting there.

"Bucky!" He gasped when he saw his best friends frame dangling from the rugged metal. "Hang on!" Steve yelled as he began to shuffle onto the outside of the train towards Bucky.

No! What is he doing? He's going to get himself killed! Bucky thought to himself in distress.

He tried to inch closer to Steve as carefully as possible and tell him to go back, that he wasn't worth the world loosing Captain America, but he was just too scared to be able to form words.

He wanted so badly to yell for help, to yell for Steve, even though it wouldn't make any difference since Steve was already there doing everything he could to get him back.

"Grab my hand!" Steve shouted desperately reaching for his best friend.

Bucky could see the fear in Steve's eyes and he was sure it mirrored his own. Just then he realised how much he didn't want to die, he wanted to be by Steve's side, fighting along side him and see him win the war. After all that was what Steve had always wanted back when he was small, weak and sick; for the two brothers to be on the battlefield together.

Steve may not need James's protection now like he used to, but it was his natural instinct to do so just like he had his whole life.

Bucky reached out for Steve's leather gloved hand, not for himself but for Steve, but he slipped a tiny bit and his stomach dropped as the quickly weakening rail groaned. He managed to regain his handhold and after a second attempted to grab Steve's outstretched hand again.

But then he felt it happening. The metal he was clinging to shifted once more and creaked louder than ever. He could see it in Steve's face too as his cheeks went livid pale under his mask, Bucky wasn't going to make it.

"No!" Steve cried out and made one last attempt to reach as far as he possibly could for his best friend's cold hand.

But it was too late. Bucky felt himself slipping and his white knuckles released from the rail as it broke free from the side of the train and fell, along with him.

A scream escaped his lips.

Finally he could make a sound as he looked up at Steve once more, as he slipped further and further away from his agonised face.

Bucky threw his hands up in a feeble attempt to grasp at thin air and felt the sickening feeling of nothingness as he fell, tossing and turning through the frozen air just away from the mountainside. He could just see the train and the blue figure huddled against the side of it disappear around the side of the mountain as he was flipped around to have his stomach facing the ground that was still so far below him.

Terrified he fell out of control and closed his eyes, awaiting his certain death. This was always the way he had feared to go out the most.

At least it was me and not Steve. He thought to himself.