The first thing he does is look away. The soldier finds he can’t hold Steve’s gaze for as long as he hoped. Something that vaguely reminds him of guilt runs through his body, and it has him turning his back toward the man, hands searching, roaming around for another bottle of something strong enough to make him forget. Ironic, is it not? But all he wants to do is wither away into the nothing he’s been for the past 70+ years. It was all he was good at right? Withering away? Becoming nothing but another person’s puppet? Following orders? He’d gotten used to the pain of being wiped anyway. They should have never stopped.
“Perhaps that is because I did not want to be found.”
His tongue darts out and licks his bottom lip in a slow, indulging moment. He tastes blood. Whether it is his or not, he’s not quite sure, and frankly he doesn’t quite care.
Something finds its way to his hand, the normal one, as fingers clench. It’s there, solid and cold for a moment. Then the other speaks. The request sounds almost like an order, even with the added please, and his grip tightens, causing the object in his grasp to shatter and cut into his hand. He turns his attention to the appendage only to find a pile of broken glass and hot liquid where his palm used to be. It stung.
He stares at the wound before slowly moving to pick the glass out of his hand. Another sigh leaves him. Resigned, calm, used to it.
“—There’s another around here somewhere. Would you like a glass kid?”
It slips from his lips nonchalantly, like he said it every day of his life. His hand still bleeds he steps over the body to get drinks.
Steve doesn't move from his spot, shield back on his back while he waited for Bucky to indeed surrender and come with him. Of course it wasn't going to be easy. Steve hadn't expected it to be, but watching his friend... His brother go through this? It hurt. A lot, to be quiet honest, but Steve was schooled in keeping the pain hidden. He waited, watched the muscles on Bucky's back and his arm tense up, listened to the following noises of broken glass. At least they weren't fighting. This was not the worst thing he had expected, and yet, somewhere deep down Steve would have prepared to have the Winter Soldier going after him rather than seeing Bucky struggling with this. With himself.
"'m by far no kid, pal, but you should know that."
He ignored the other's statement about not wanting to be found and took a few steps closer. He was allowed in, wasn't he? Bucky even offered him a drink, and truth be told, at first Steve had thought that the man was talking about another dead body, so he was indeed happy to figure out that it was about alcohol.
"Will you come with me, or are we just killing some time before you decide to run again?"
