karaii:

I had a brief affair with the idea of the Winter Soldier hallucinating a younger Steve after the events of the film. This ghost of a memory would serve as his slowly recovering sense of right and wrong, telling him not to kill for vengeance and telling him to defend those who are downtrodden.

He doesn’t fully recognize the boy — he certainly doesn’t yet equate him with Captain America — but some part of him desperately wishes to listen to his words.

Regardless of these feelings, the Winter Soldier continues to ignore him. He still has a mission to do: eliminate Hydra.