#like bitch just give the the injection u might put it in the wrong spot and mess it up

[vertigovaines]

THE DOCTOR & THE PUNISHER || PART TWO

summary: vaines thinks he’s won. but the punisher never stays locked up for long -- and he always gets his kill 

trigger warnings: violence, gore, blood, knives, guns, drugs, and m u r d e r 

featuring: @dogcfwar​

VAINES: Business was good. True, he had unfortunately lost his new favorite little lab rat – not that anything about Frank Castle could be called little apart from his intellect. The would-be killer's plans had been so blatantly telegraphed, so easily foiled, it was laughable.

He was still operating in Vortex, despite that insipid little girl upstairs. He would deal with her in time. He had everything he needed, Sofia's magic had added a burst of potential to his new serums, and soon enough he would have clients lining up out the door to try them. Perfection had never been so close.

FRANK: Frank had been arrogant the first time around, he knew that much. That’s why this time, he came back better than ever. He stood around Karen’s kitchen island, rough plans and mock ups of the layout of Vortex and Vaines’ hiding holes in front of him, and stayed up late through the night, talking through each of his plans to Karen. He’d almost forgotten how well he worked with someone else – even just bouncing ideas off a person instead of a wall, instead of the inside of his own skull, made him realise weaknesses and flaws he never would have realised before. His hands had stopped shaking, at least not as much. He figured it was to do with the distraction, the focus that was taken up entirely with the planning. It had been months since he felt like this – since he thought of himself as a marine, or a black ops agent who was damn good at his job.

There was a new queen on the throne of the criminal underworld, and Frank had done his research. He knew she would keep her men in line, would intervene only if necessary, so he avoided them entirely. Instead, he worked on the few that were loyal to Vaines, coming back day after day, taking out the shift changes, slowly dwindling his supply of staff, always backing it up with a valid excuse – being run out of town, being sick, being shot in the head by a rival gang, the works.

All in anticipation of this. One of the younger guards, couldn't have been more than mid-twenties, trembled in his boots as he walked towards the door. Frank wasn’t behind him, though he wanted to be. There was every chance of things going wrong when Frank didn’t have a knife to the back of his neck, only a gun pointed towards him instead – but things didn’t go wrong. The guy knocked at the door, just as they had planned, the code that Vaines had given.

“Boss?” the guard said. “The shipment’s come in, but they won’t let us unload them until they see the man in charge, and Volkshi didn’t show up for work today.”

VAINES: For weeks now, things had been running smoothly. Vydrate was more popular than ever, which kept him busier than ever. He didn't have time for these trifiling interruptions. With a heavy sigh, he approached the door and leaned over the retina scanner to open it from the inside.

"Make it quick at least, will you –" The rest of the sentence died on his tongue when he saw the man behind his guard. "Impossible," he murmured, eyes narrowing. No, no, Castle should still be in prison, should've been in a cage without a key by now. He refused to accept the man standing there before his eyes.

FRANK: Frank had always been a strategist. Vaines’ serum had enhanced the information going in, which for a time made him feel as if he was being suffocated by the world around him. Now, he realised that his ability to compartmentalise had been heightened as well. Talking it out with Karen in her kitchen, planning out what could go wrong and what could go right had only proven that. And now, here he was – eye to eye with the man that he had promised to kill, the man who would, one way or another, die tonight. That bit he had left up to improvisation. He’d always been creative, after all.

“Made you a promise, didn’t I?” Frank retorted, raising an eyebrow. He allowed only a beat to pass, savouring in the moment, before he pushed into the room, hand going to Vaines’ chest, forcing him back with only half of the strength this man had given him to the wall behind him. “I said knife in the throat, yeah?” Frank said, going for the Kabar on his belt, turning it over in his hand. It was well worn, but old habits died hard – old friends died even harder. “But you … you had to put me in cuffs, try and throw me in a hole, yeah? You had to, what, get one up on me? Nah.” He moved across the room, quick and silent, pressing the blade to Vaines’ throat until a line of red appeared to shield against the glint. “Memento mori,” he muttered, with no need to point to the symbol on his chest. “Believe me, I’m gonna remember how you died for a long time, asshole.”

VAINES: This was one thing he hadn't planned on. There were dozens of agencies that wanted this man's head on a platter, and Vaines had delivered it to them. With a bow attached! How could he be free? After the last time, he thought they would've had the strictest security on him. He cursed himself – he should've made certain. Should've put his own measures in place. There truly was no one in the world he could count on.

"Castle, get a hold of your–" Before he could finish the sentence, Frank pushed him back. Vaines stumbled, managed to keep his feet. He stared at the blade, menacingly worn, flecks of blood dried onto the hilt. "Let's be reasonable," he said slowly, holding his hands up. "You don't know what kind of – there might be long term effects of your treatement we don't know about!" he rasped, feeling his heart pound in his throat.

Scared as he was (and he couldn't remember ever being this scared), he still managed to scoff at the Latin. "Remember you will die," he hissed. "A stupid phrase, echoed by the small-minded who think themselves wise. True wisdom is knowing that it doesn't have to be this way!" He stared desperately at Frank. "I could make us immortal, Castle. I could give you powers you can barely dream of. Please," he whispered as the blade touched his throat. "Let me help you."

FRANK: “Reasonable,” Frank repeated, pursing his lips together. “Surprised you think I’m capable of that, Vaines. Always seemed to me you thought I was some mindless grunt, right? Just some asshole that you could shoot up, that you could control, that you could manipulate?” He pressed the blade tighter against Vaines’ throat, knowing that it would burn like a son of a bitch. He’d done this a hundred times before, had it done to him a couple dozen times, at the very least. “Tell me something – that worked for you before? A couple threats, you think people are just gonna roll over? Maybe it has. Maybe you’ve met a thousand suckers in this city, people you can fuck over and get away with it, come out on top. But not me.”

It was a sick sense of irony. Frank liked to imagine he would’ve been able to use his experience in strategies and tactics to get into Vortex eventually, break down the door to the lab, get this sweet moment of revenge, but the truth was that Vaines’ serum had only sped up the process. This man, this arrogant, sick, selfish man, had been his own undoing. “I don’t want to be immortal,” Frank said, voice low and thick, coming up from his chest, “and I don’t need your help, you hear me?” He leaned in closer, even though there was no one else around to hear Vaines’ whimpers, or Frank’s words to him. “You know what I do. You know what I am. You made me better at my job, Vaines, and you know what that job is.” Punishment, plain and simple. Justice for the fallen, vengeance for those who were left behind. “You know, I thought about having my fun, yeah? Strapping you to this table, seeing how long it took you to beg for your life. Letting you starve for days, taking away day and night until you lose your goddamn mind. It happens after a week, at most. I bet you’d last a few days. But I made someone a promise. I made a deal, like I made with you at the start of this. I said I’d do my job, and I’d make it clean.”

Frank stepped back, removing the knife from Vaines’ throat, letting him drop off the wall. He took a breath, let it fill his body – his new lungs, his stronger heart, his thicker veins – and then surged forward, sliding the knife into that spot where he knew Vaines would be dead before he hit the ground, the same as that very first kill. They’d talked about it right here, in this spot, the spot where his blood was splashing to the floor. “This is the part where you beg,” Frank said, watching as the other man’s eyes went glassy, as the realisation hit him like an earthquake taking a building to the ground – sudden, intense, devastating, and over far too fast, leaving only dust. The knife slid out, slicked with blood, glistening under the dull lights. “See you in hell, Vaines,” Frank snapped, spitting the ground beside his body, before he turned on his heels and walked out, wiping the knife off on his shirt.

VAINES: “I gave you what you wanted!” Vaines hissed back, voice strained and strangled with desperation – and yet, still maintaining that arrogance he was so famous for. “Are you complaining about my work? Our progress? You came to me, Mr. Castle, and I – I did everything you asked!” The blade was so cold against his skin, so sharp. He swallowed hard and felt it dig in, slicing just a little.

His personal stash of Vydrate was in his pocket. Imbued with Sofia’s magic. He could inject himself and the results would even the fight – but he couldn’t move. He was completely frozen. The fear of this man pulled strange sounds from his vocal cords and paralyzed his every muscle. Sweat dotted his skin, all he could do was shake beneath Castle’s blade. He tried to tell himself to get a grip, but for the first time in his life – he couldn’t think.

Without his mind, he was nothing. He tried to remind himself of how close he was, Vydrate was nearly perfect, he had come so far. He couldn’t lose it all now, certainly not like this. To a thug like Frank Castle? It was unthinkable. There had to be a way out of this, he just had to –

Frank leaned in close, whispering those words, and all Vaines could do was whimper in reply. “M—Mr. Castle,” he choked out. “Frank. Frank, have you – this could be a s-side effect,” he whispered, but the lie was weak, pathetic, nothing. Frank’s words, the picture he painted, the torture he described, drowned out every thought in Vaines’ head. He thought of Sofia, bound and writhing beneath his hands, begging him to stop. But she was a sacrifice for perfection, and even now with his own death seconds away – he wasn’t sorry for what he’d done.

But then he let go. And the knife was gone from his throat. Vaines slumped against the wall, feeling small and still shaking. Had he broken through? Was Castle about to change his mind. “I could still be useful,” he gasped, touching his throat, feeling the thin cut, that little bit of blood there. “I could make you perfect, Frank, if you –”

He never got a chance to finish the sentence. As the knife slid into his chest, he felt every organ it pierced, his flesh was on fire. And all he could think of was Frank describing his first kill.  Kabar knife. Slid it in. Wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Little bit of resistance, then I hit a rib. Vaines gasped, doubling over, hands scrambling towards the knife. It was in too deep, Frank’s grip too strong. I remember … fuck, he screamed then. Was he screaming now? He didn’t know. He didn’t know anything except pain. Agonizing, burning, piercing. It was – it was really something. Twisted it, heard this sound like … like water, like you’d turned a bottle of jack upside down. He could hear it now, and it was almost beautiful. That sloshing sound of blood spilling, bursting from the wound, dripping onto his hands and the floor. Like a burst pipe, a waterfall.

He said please, before he slid off the knife.

This is the part where you beg.

But Vaines couldn’t even speak. His fingers slipped off the knife, and he looked up at Castle – he was on his knees now. He didn’t even feel the ground beneath him. It was like he was floating, floating on a sea of his own blood and lost in the riptide of agony. His vision blurred, head spinning. His hand shot out, trying to steady himself, trying to – he didn’t know what. He smacked a table, sending the contents crashing to the floor. And then he was falling too, landing among shards and spilled Vydrate. I’m not finished yet, he thought. It isn’t perfect, I didn’t… I failed. The green glowing liquid mixing with his own blood was the last thing he saw, before everything went completely black.

[theadventuresofsamandtea-blog]

Till The End of The Line (Avengers Zombie Fanfic)  Chapter:2

“Steve? Steven Rogers?” Steve could hear the feminine voice calling out his name. His eyes fluttered open to see a beautiful blonde girl facing him. Though his vision was a bit of a blur, he could still get a good view of her face and strangely enough, it reminded him of his sweet Peggy….Peggy, where is she?

“Steve, listen to me. I'm going to wake up your friend too and we need to get going, now!!” The woman ordered as she let go of Steve. She began to unfreeze Bucky, freeing him before returning to Steve to help him stand. He looked to her in confusion, “W-Where…”

“I don't have a lot of time to explain everything. My name is Sharon and I promise I will explain everything but we need to go NOW!”

Bucky who had forced himself back to his feet, already feeling disoriented, looked around the place. He then looked to his left to see a metal arm in place and he panicked, “What the fuck!!??”

“Please try and calm--”

“Fuck you lady, my fucking arm!! It's metal!!”

“L-Listen, you were bitten before we even injected the serum into your system. You passed out from the pain. We had to amputate your arm so the virus wouldn't spread. There was no other way.” Sharon explained. Steve looked to Sharon, leaning a bit on her for support, “S-Serum??”

“I know your memories are a little fuzzy and you're feeling disoriented from everything that's going on but this was something you both signed up for and agreed to. As of now, you both are the perfect superhuman soldiers who are immune to zombie bites. Pretty badass right?” She grinned and heard the metal door on the left side of the room. Three zombies were trying to break in. Steve’s eyes widened in complete shock and horror once he spotted the hideous beings, “Z-Zombies?? T-This is really happening????”

“Yes, there's been an outbreak and we need to move!” She grabs the knife she had inside of her boot. The three zombies were able to break through the door and she quickly took action. She stabbed the one zombie eye, killing it in an instant and slitting the other two's throats. Steve and Bucky’s eyes widened, Sharon’s blue blouse and grey jacket now stained with blood. They didn't stare for too long as more started to emerge. Bucky who spotted one gun on a small table quickly took a hold of it and shot the two zombies in the head, “Well as much as I hate listening to blondie over here, we’re out of options Stevie.”

“Let's go!!” The three rush out and begin making their way out of the facility. Steve on the way was able to pick up a rifle gun with extra ammo, knowing it’d come in handy. They raced out into the woods, never once looking back to the now fully infested facility.

By the time they were deep into the woods and the coast was clear, Bucky immediately looked to her with narrow eyes. He was thankful as Steve was but had no idea of her intentions or on who this chick was. He wasn't going to risk it, especially with his best friend on the line with him. He cleared his throat, “Look doll, thanks for helping us out and all but I think you owe us a fucking explanation to all this bullshit that's happening around us.”

“Jesus, you kiss your mother with that mouth?” Sharon rolled her eyes, already feeling uncomfortable in the presence of the soldier.

“No but I kiss yours and she doesn't seem to mind.” Bucky smirks, wanting to piss her off a bit.

“Why you little--”

“Hey, everyone enough.” Steve stepped in, knowing a fight was completely unnecessary. He turned to look at Sharon, “My friend is right though, you do owe us an explanation. Who are you and how did all this happen?”

Sharon looked back at him and took a deep breath. It seemed like what she was going to say would be something Steve wouldn't want to hear but he knew he had to. Without an explanation, without any sense on what to do, he won't be able to move forward. She stepped closer to Steve, “My name is Sharon Carter. You might have heard of my great aunt, Peggy Carter. She was once an agent of shield. Look, you both had signed up to take the serum to be our protectors in case of any situation like this were to ever occur. We never thought that something crazy like this could happen but....the government wanted to be secure so when you signed up, it was a great scientific opportunity for all of us. Then one scientist, some guy named Hank Pym got infected from an experiment that went wrong. He bit another person that must've bit you, James.” She looked to Bucky who had stubbornly looked away from her, already taking a disliking to Sharon. Steve on the other hand was more concerned over something else. What had happened to Peggy, “Sharon….w-what about….what about Peggy?” He heard his voice crack, already like he knew the answer.

“S-She's gone. I'm sorry Steve. She's dead, there wasn't anything anyone could do to save her.” Sharon said sadly. Steve painfully looked the other way. His plans, his hopes for a wonderful future with Peggy could never be. She placed a comforting hand to his arm giving him a warm smile. Looking at it was even painful, she shared that same beautiful smile but she wasn't Peggy. No one could ever be Peggy...and he was going to have to live with that.

“Stevie, I'm sorry buddy. Peggy and you...you guys were just so perfect...I'm really sorry.” Bucky looked to him with sad eyes. Bucky had witnessed how Steve and Peggy were together. They were something out of a romance novel, what people would hope to have with someone. He had no idea how he could possibly comfort his friend but he didn't need Peggy’s niece to make Steve uncomfortable, “Holy hell…”

“What do we even do now?” Steve asked.

“Simple. We survive. Maybe we can find others to group with and possibly a cure.” Sharon shrugged.

“Oh wow, like it's so simple. Fucking brilliant. Look, Einstein fucking figured it out.” Bucky rolled his eyes, annoyed. Sharon glared at Bucky, biting her bottom lip, “...You done?”

“....Blonde bitch….okay I think I'm good.” Bucky grins, triumphantly. Sharon rolled her eyes and looked to Steve, “Well he's quite charming.” She says sarcastically.

“ Trust me, he's a real teddy bear if you get to know him.” Steve smiles at Bucky and then back to Sharon, “We should--”

“Look for shelter and avoid crossing paths with any zombies okay?”

“Well Bucky and I are immune, it won't be a problem for us--”

“Well I didn't take any serum, alright?!” Sharon shoots a glare at Steve. Steve has both his hands up defensively, “I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to--”

“Forget it, let's keep moving.” Sharon begins to walk ahead of both Bucky and Steve, her hand still holding her knife. Steve turns to see Bucky who was flipping her off but quickly put his finger down once he was caught, “...What?”

“I swear Bucky, you need to just relax.”

“With her around? I'd rather take my chances with a zombie. This bitch is going to get us into trouble and I'll shoot her ass--”

“Woah, woah there. Let's just relax and start moving alright? We need to find shelter.”

“Yeah yeah I'm fucking moving, shit.” Bucky begins walking with Steve. Sharon would lead them and Bucky would try giving directions but would later swear over how bossy and controlling Sharon was being. By the end, he’d kick a close by tree and continue walking. Steve on the other hand was already lost in his own thoughts thinking about Peggy. He always imagined what their first real date could've been. Not back at the military, not back at the lab, nothing like that. He imagined taking her out to dance, spinning her and watching her twirl on the dance floor. To see her beautiful smile one last time. To at least get the chance to hold her once again.

Sharon would turn around a lot to look at Steve and would blush whenever she did. She usually never gets attracted to guys like this but something about him made Sharon feel things that she couldn't explain. She eventually got caught by Bucky who was giving her the death stare and she quickly turned to the front again, moving a little faster. Eventually she had slowed down and was walking by Steve’s side. She brushed her hands to his arm, feeling Steve’s muscles and she looked up at him, “I-I'm sorry you never got to say goodbye to her, Steve…”

Steve looked to Sharon in complete surprise, “Are you kidding? I feel sorry for you, you were her great niece after all.”

“Yeah...my great aunt...it's just so strange to say it honestly...but we were close. Oh Steven.” She blinked up at him, almost getting lost in this beautiful baby blue eyes of his but she caught herself, “She told me so many stories about you, Steve. Such great things. Just thought you should know.” She brushed her fingers down his arm a bit before letting go and once again, she began to walk ahead of them. Steve had turned back to Bucky and was struggling to explain what had happened, “U-Uhh...I uhh…”

“Getting too close, doll! Try it again, I fucking dare you. I'll shove this gun right up your--”

“Bucky!!” Steve shoots a glare to Bucky and he quickly kept his mouth shut. Sharon blushed furiously but continued to walk ahead, out of earshot for the two friends to talk. Steve looked to him, “Well aren't you a true gentleman, Buck.”

“Aww thank you Stevie. It's been awhile since you've complimented me. I'm practically blushing.”

“I'm being serious. Lighten up with her, after all she did save us back there.”

“Whoopty doodle doo. She fucking unfroze us and did her job, congrats. Now all she needs to do is scurry the fuck off and let us be. I don't trust her and I don't like her. And clearly she's having a real liking to you, punk.” Bucky said to Steve’s surprise, “W-What?”

“Wow, punk. Are you that naive? It's clear that your chiseled chin, face, abs and manhood got her hook, line, and sinker. What else do you want me to say?”

“Just try being a little nicer to her okay? That's all I'm asking. Besides, nothing is happening between us. How can you even think that? S-She may be Peggy’s niece and her features could appear the same but…” He painfully stops walking and admits the painful truth, “She's not Peggy. No one could ever be and I could never replace her like that.”

Bucky sighed and placed a hand to Steve’s shoulder, “Alright, I'll deal with blondie but you owe me one, punk.”

“Alright, alright. There's no need to be jealous. Besides, you're my number one.” He teases, unable to contain his laughter. Bucky rolls his eyes, “Ha, the punk makes jokes now. Shit, run your own comedy show why don't ya? I'm being serious though. Just be careful of her okay?”

“Alright buddy I will.” Steve chuckles, already his mood beginning to light up. The only person that could ever truly bring Steve up was Bucky and he was more than happy to have him by his side, especially in the dire situation they were facing.

They soon reached to a deserted town by nightfall, the only complication they faced was Sharon almost getting bit in the face. Steve was able to save her to her annoyance since she believed she could take care of herself. The three broke into one house and began boarding up the doors and windows in case of any zombie that comes along. They settled down in the living room with pillows and warm blankets. Steve had looked to Bucky and Sharon as everyone was now settled and resting, “Don't worry, I'll take watch--”

“I got it.” Sharon cut him off, taking Steve’s gun and rested beside the window, “Want to work on my shot anyways if a zombie comes through. That would make my day.”

“Oh what a badass.” Bucky rolls his eyes, “That would just attract more attention and bring in more zombies. Brilliant.”

“Hey, shut up and take a nap pretty boy. Get some beauty sleep or whatever.”

“Don't need it, I'm always this beautiful.” Bucky grins, stretching his arms. Sharon rolled her eyes and looked to Steve, “Really, I got this. I want to take watch so you just rest.”

Steve gives a nod and yawns before getting himself tucked in and he begins to feel himself drift to sleep. Sharon in the meantime would keep watch but from time to time, she'd glance to Steve’s direction. Bucky eventually grew annoyed, “Oh my fucking god, you're doing such a fucking terrific job keeping watch by the way.” He said sarcastically.

“Shut up Barnes!” Sharon felt herself blush and in humiliation would look back out the window. Suddenly she heard distant mumbling coming from Steve. When realizing he was having a nightmare, “Steve! Steve wake up!” Hurrying to his side, she nudged Steve’s shoulders quickly trying to wake the sleeping soldier up. Soon he quickly opened his eyes and looked around the room, “W-What…”

“Shh, it's okay. Just go back to sleep, everything is fine.” She tried to assure him but he shook his head in defiance, “N-No I’ll stand watch. You rest, Sharon.”

“Steve--” Sharon tried to argue with him but he cut her off, “Look, I've been frozen for so long I don't need the rest alright? I'm fine, really.” He said. Instead of arguing, she moved out of Steve’s way and she curled up in her own section and began to drift to sleep. Steve had moved towards the window to keep watch. Bucky had moved to his side. He knows Steve better than anyone, and he knew his best friend shouldn't be alone when he was this vulnerable.

“We don't need sleep, I'll stay awake with you. We can cuddle like we did when we were kids.” Bucky suggested.

Instead of arguing with how ridiculous it sounded, Steve agreed and leaned against Bucky. They didn't talk, no words needed to be said. They kept their eyes on look out and it was silent the rest of the night…

The following morning, they were headed to find some breakfast. As they walked, Sharon kept herself close to Steve, always staying by his side. Bucky didn't get involved, even though every fiber of his being wanted him to grab Sharon by her ponytail and knock her out. Instead, he decided to make “peace” and kept quiet. Steve and Sharon would talk about their lives, the families they once had. They talked and laughed. For a brief moment they even cried. As strange as it seemed, it was almost like the world wasn't facing an apocalypse. The sweet moment didn't last when Sharon took this opportunity to lean forward in hopes of gaining a kiss with Steve. As much as it tempted him, he knew it was wrong. He shared no romantic feelings for her and if he did kiss her, he would think of Peggy. He didn't want to play with any girl’s feelings like that. He quickly stopped her, pressing his hand to her shoulder, “No, Sharon. I can't.”

“You can.” She looked up at him frowning, “D-Don't you want to kiss me?”

Steve sighed and shook his head. Sharon already feeling humiliated backed herself away from him and began running off. Steve’s eyes widened in complete shock and quickly began to run after her around the deserted town, “Sharon! Sharon wait come back! It's not safe!” He looked to Bucky, “Sharon--”

“I know, I know. That crazy bitch!” Bucky began searching for Sharon with Steve. Eventually they heard a scream coming from the woods and Steve knew right away who it belonged to, “Sharon!!” He sprinted towards that direction and to his horror, found Sharon on the ground getting eaten alive by the small pack of zombies. Her flesh being pulled from her body, the blood pouring out of her. Steve almost hurled right there and then. Tears began to fall from his cheeks, knowing it was too late to save her. There was nothing anyone could do. Bucky took Steve by the arm to try and pull him back, “Steve we have to go--”

“Sharon!!!” Steve sobbed, struggling to get out of Bucky’s grip, “Sharon I’m so sorry! I'm so sorry!! Sharon!!!”

“Steve, there's nothing we can do. Look at me, there's nothing. This isn't your fault and we have to go!!” Bucky forcibly began to drag Steve away. With the shrieking sound of Steve’s crying, it began to call the zombie’s attention. The small group began reaching out for them but Bucky had grabbed Sharon’s knife that was on the floor and began killing them one by one as Steve was on the ground motionless. He stared at his rifle that he had from the facility in his hands, and soon got ready to shoot. His heart dropped when he witnessed Sharon’s transformation, her eyes lifeless. He painfully pointed the gun to her head. Then BAM.

Steve and Bucky were now walking through train tracks. They had quietly discussed over Sharon’s death. Though Bucky didn't like her, he could help but feel sorry for her. Especially for Steve who felt nothing but guilt. As they continued to walk, Bucky took his hand, “Steve...I promise.”

“Y-You promise?” Steve looked at Bucky as tears fell, “Y-You promise to stand by me?”

“That's right punk. Till the end of the line.”