purplegrapeisangry
James Buchanan Barnes, who supposedly fell to his death, was found by Hydra and rid off his memories. After getting rid of his memories and being frozen in ice and given the Winter Soldier Serum, Hydra used Bucky for ninety years, refreshing his mind almost every single day after a mission. Then he met Steve.
What if Bucky had never been found by Hydra? What if a person found Bucky's unconscious body, thought him dead, and threw him off to an icy river somewhere, where Bucky stayed quickly frozen underwater, like Steve, but miraculously not dead? Then, Natasha Romanoff, ninety years later, went swimming in the same river which had saved Bucky Barnes, found him floating somewhere nearby. She took him home, for she had recognized his face from Steve's description and drawings. But she never told Steve she had found him.
Until one day, Steve found letters all over the place in the Avengers facility, hidden in little corners and behind unsuspecting objects, addressed to him in messy, almost unreadable handwriting. But Steve knew the illiterate penmanship so well his heart ached and burned with determination and hope.
When he sneaked into Natasha's place one night, all he found was his red-haired friend sleeping on the couch in the living room.
And somewhere upstairs, shattered glass and a note.