"They're not going to kill him, they're not going to kill either of them. That'd make them martyrs." More than likely, the Capitol is going to try to make this as little of a deal as possible, so no one knows exactly what happened, how many people were involved, or that they achieved what they set out to do.

"Going in there right now isn't going to get him back. I-"

-can't lose you, too, but his voice cracks and he cuts himself off again. It occurs to him that he's doing that more in this conversation than he's ever done, and it feels like he's floundering, but - well, he is floundering. It's hard to try to figure out what he's supposed to be saying when he can barely figure out what he's thinking.

But he can't say that when he's a little afraid of Bucky's reaction. That it won't matter a damn bit when it comes down to it, that what Sam thinks is nothing. Or maybe that it will matter, that it'll make Bucky reconsider and then he'll resent Sam for getting in his way.

"I'd take his place faster than even either of you could see, you gotta know that. If I could make it me and not him, I would."