ever marching as to war

He's walking okay. He should be. I watched him recover in a matter of days, even if I had no idea who he even was for half of them... I hate that I keep putting him through this. I hate this shadow hanging over us... He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve any of it... Sometimes I have to wonder if he wouldn't've been better off if he'd never known I was still alive... If that would've spared him anything at all.

The silence is oppressive, as uncomfortable as any words they could hope to exchange. Though Bucky stares ahead, he's acutely aware of Steve at his side, his profile dark in the corner of his eye. His fingers itch to pick up the bottle again, but he keeps his hands where Steve can see them. After everything they've done to him -- punched, stabbed, strangled -- Bucky figures he owes him that courtesy.