#bucky!cap

| THE AVENGERS (2010) #1

Steve's shield was lost during the final fight on the plane, someone found it in the 50s and was eventually reclaimed by SHIELD, but Steve remained under ice for 70 yrs.

the mantle kept passing along. Bucky was the current Captain America when they found Steve. he was on his way back from a mission when Maria told him to change route to NYC. that's how Bucky met steve: sleep-deprived, unkempt, still in his dirt-covered cap suit. while Steve was dressed in civilian clothes, having a heated argument with fury. Fury was blunt about his wishes for Steve to work for SHIELD. Fury was being an inconsiderate jerk so Bucky went pistol on fury and proceeded to take Steve back to the apartment he shared with Natasha and clint in New York because it wasn't bugged.

Bucky was in the army before joining SHIELD, already in training for the role before a mission went wrong and cost him an arm. SHIELD got him a prosthesis. he was in PT for 6 months and mental therapy even longer, yet somehow SHIELD still wanted him for the job. Bucky almost chickened out, but putting on that suit made him feel different, it gave him a purpose, a conviction. in a way, being cap helped him overcome his trauma, and Bucky wanted to help others with the power and influence the title gave him. now that the og Cap was back, he offered to give the shield back and all once Steve was ready.

Steve refused, of course. he only wanted some peace and Bucky more than lived up to the symbol. oh, and Bucky looked really hot in that suit.

some bonding happened, feelings got involved, and shit went down. turned out the red skull had a daughter who got her hands on some ancient Nordic relic that granted her the power of a demi-god. Bucky was killed before Thor could figure out how to strip her of that power. steve picked up the shield and finished the battle.

Fury was able to revive Bucky. some confession happened, they kissed, and Fury put the eye patch over his remaining eye.

they decided that Bucky should remain cap. Steve joined SHIELD, and whenever they were assigned to a mission together, the shield became a shared weapon for them.

(Maybe a meet sexy?)

^^^^

“Despite technically belonging to Steve, in the end, it’s thrown around enough to be both of theirs, with Steve as the spontaneous planning and Bucky as the aim and precision.”