so in catfa, a group of tipsy men belts out a song where the pining, heartbroken narrator mourns the fact that He left me for a damsel dark, damsel dark, lamenting that Now my love once true to me, takes that dark damsel on his knee, and he Never never thinks of me, and the music fades just as Bucky watches a beautiful brunette saunter in and steal all of Steve's attention away from him, and he realizes that things have changed while he was gone and he may have been replaced in more ways than he thought, and I'm NOT supposed to think anything of that. there are no dots to connect here.
in catws, they play a song in Steve's apartment - a vinyl that Steve presumably bought for himself, and I love that, out of all the possible old timey songs, he picked out one that is all about finally being reunited with one's lover after the war - after a long, long time spent apart. and the funny thing is, this is a song Steve couldn't have heard back in the day because it debuted in october 1945 and he died in march, aka 7 months before that; but even though the song wasn't familiar to him and he didn't have any personal memories attached to it, it spoke to him and he chose it and he brought it home with him, and he tortured himself with it often enough that it was close at hand and ready for Fury to find it and put it on while he waited.
and THIS SONG, this moving, romantic, longing-filled song is played moments before Bucky finally reappears in Steve's life. after, you know, having fought in the war. and having been far away for a long, long time. and having haunted the narrative like the dead wife in any self-respecting action movie.
like this is the man whose picture Steve spends most days gazing at in a crowded museum, in abject misery, because he can't stay away no matter how much it hurts to be there.
and just a few days later, Steve is gonna find out that the man hurtling into his life with a mask and a metal arm was none other than Bucky all along, and he's gonna stand there shellshocked and mouth agape staring right at Bucky's face, and the lyrics Never thought that you would be standing here so close to me are probably gonna take on a whole new meaning right about then. but um. I'm NOT supposed to believe that there's anything to read between the lines here. what are lines even. do they have like, idk, an end? as in, the, um. the end of. the end of the li- *GUNSHOT*
in cacw, a man who witnessed first-hand Steve's shock and heartbreak, as well as Bucky's tentative recognition and his subsequent torture at hydra's hands, brings up Bucky and calls him, and I quote, "your Bucky" to Steve's face. 'cause this guy clocked them both right away, and he knew just what dirty trick to use against Steve. and the best part is, Steve nearly gets himself and a bunch of bystanders blown up!! :D all because Rumlow taunted him with Bucky's name and Bucky's pain, and Steve saw red, like he always does!! :D because he can't think clearly when Bucky is involved. because Bucky's the closest thing to his heart; you cut Bucky, you cut him. and even the bad guys know that. the bad guys been knew that since the first movie tbh. the bad guys seem to be more familiar with this concept than at least one of Steve's coworkers.
conversationally, another bad guy is going to use Bucky against Steve in this very same movie. you know, like the antagonist usually does with the hero's love interest. endanger the girl, you'll lure out the guy, and you'll have him at your mercy. BUT ALL OF THIS IS IRRELEVANT AND I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO READ ANYTHING INTO ANY OF IT.
it's okay, no IT'S OKAY, I don't feel any sort of way about this. huh. fuck.
