After the events of The Winter Soldier, Bucky is on the lam for a while, and trying to make heads or tails of himself. He wonders if he can, if he should leave the little flickers of his old self behind, if that's what would be best for everyone. Maybe he even succeeds for a while, too.

But then something happens. To do a good thing, to keep someone from getting hurt or a situation from escalating, Bucky has to look someone in the eye and tell them that he's "Sergeant James Barnes, 32557."

Because he can't not do the right thing, even if it tears open the wound, even if it reveals him to the world.