As the train slowed to a stop, Steve still cling to the side, frozen tears stinging his cheeks as he tried to uncurl his fingers from the cold medal car. As his fingers slowly began to uncurl, he felt the cold seep into his soul as he looked back from the place they’d came from. How could he have ot reached just a little bit further? He was so close, he should have just jumped after him, or gone with him.
From the depression that tried to wrap around his heart, a flame of hope melted it away. No. Steve wasn’t giving up, not that easy. The least he could do was bring a body back for his family, for him. Steve wasn’t going to just leave him behind, he couldn’t, not after he had convinced him to come in the first place.
The hike down the ravine was treacherous, and the other commandos had already asked him not to, but he couldn’t hear them, the only thing he could fathom was the glimmer of hope that Bucky was still out there somewhere. What if he’d survived? It wasn’t likely, and Steve didn’t like the odds- he pushed the thought out of his head. This was a recovery mission, not a rescue.
Reaching the bottom of the ravine, hopeful eyes glanced ahead, searching for any signs of his friend. As he started pushing through the white sea of ice, he felt like everything was pushing him back, no matter how bad he wanted to go forward, but he couldn’t give up. Not on Bucky, not today, not ever. They were together til the end of the line, and it didn’t end til Steve had Bucky’s body safe on American soil.
“BUCKY!” A sob echoed from his throat, he barely realized he had made a noise at all. That was until he saw red among all the white, Steve’s heart sunk into his stomach as he started to run forward, the snow seemed to part for him as he raced for his friend, bleeding in the snow, Steve kneeled next to him, lifting him into his arms, Steve searched for life “Bucky? Buck...?” Searching for any signs of a pulse, he had to have a pulse, there was blood still oosing from his arm.