Considering the words for the briefest of moments, Bucky drops Steve without ceremony, and takes a staggering step backwards. The significance of what was said isn't lost on him, but Bucky doesn't quite know what to make of it, his gaze turning from Steve to his own misleadingly steady hands.

"I chose to steal the shield from Stark," he says, his voice quavering. "But I didn't choose to be Captain America... That was chosen for me. First by him, and later... By you. And I did the best I could. I live the best life I can live. But the funny thing about my life, Steve, is that it's always downhill. Because every time things are finally stable... Finally good... Something sudden happens to wreck it all... And then I learn to live with that. And after a while, worse-off becomes the new normal... And then it all starts over again."

Sucking in a sharp, shuddering breath, Bucky quickly drags the back of his forearm across his face to wipe away the tears that have fallen, his expression pained not from any injury, but from his own revelation.