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"It always ends in a fight. "
Bucky Barnes stood in the middle of a market, a basket of plums in hand as he approached the vendor in Romanian.
"How are they? Are they good? Give me six, thank you."
In a black cap and casual jacket Bucky walks along, scanning around. Across the street he spots a twenty-something vender at a news-stand watching him. Bucky glances away, then looks back at the vender who's still watching him. The vender runs from his kiosk. Bucky goes over and picks up a paper. On the front page there are surveillance-photos of a man and the head line: 'Winter Soldier cautat pentru Bombardmentul din Viena'. Bucky glances around tensly.
Meanwhile, in his dark blue, armored suit with his shield on his arm Steve is in a small apartment. He looks around, there's a mattress with dishevelled covers and various bits of cheap looking furniture. The kitchen and bedroom are in the same room. Steve finds a notebook on top of the fridge to which he peers into. There are tabs of varying colors sticking out from amongst the pages. Steve studies it with furrowed brows, his imagination running wild.
A crackle from Steve's earpiece interrupted his thoughts. Sam spoke clearly, "Heads up, Cap. German Special Forces, approaching from the south."
"Understood." Suddenly Steve felt a shift in the air. A presence that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He knew who it was the moment he heard the heavy footsteps and clanging of his leather jacket as he slowly approaches him. Steve cautiously turns around to face him, "do you know me?"
Bucky stares at him for a long second, his cold, dark eyes remaining trained on Steve's. "You're Steve. I read about you in a museum."
"They've set the perimeter." Sam's voice rang through Steve's ear.
"I know you're nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying." The blond speaks calmly.
"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore. I didn't hurt your little girl or the red-head." Bucky replies in a rather bland tone, his eyes remaining void of emotion.
He was talking about Rowan. Steve made a mental note of that.
"They're entering the building."
"Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive." Captain Rogers rushes out, his voice firm.
"That's smart. Good strategy." Bucky replies.
"They're on the roof. I'm compromised."
The heavy footsteps of the cops could be heard from upstairs, each pounding boot a reminder that they were here to kill Bucky. Steve didn't know what to do. The raven haired man didn't seem to care that these men were on a murderous rampage and he was their target. Of course the blue eyed man despised him for what he put the Avengers through-Rowan especially. But on the other side, buried deep down in his hippocampus, was a twinge of hope that the man he came to know all those years ago, his best friend, the man who pulled him from the river, was still there. And he wouldn't give up on him. Steve knew Bucky would do anything to save him, so why not at least try?
