A/N: Uploading Saturday's chapters now, since I won't be home most of the day. Enjoy.

**EDIT** Oopsy, it was pointed out to me that he should be on Bucky's RIGHT, not his left. My bad. Fixed now.

Bucky is climbing unsteadily down from the truck-bed when Steve comes to see if he's eaten the next morning. They're about to roll out, and he wasn't expecting to find his friend vertical at all, much less moving around.

"Bucky?" Steve picks up the pace, jogging the short distance between them. "What're you doing up? You should rest-"

"Fuck. That." Bucky interrupts him, straightening up now that he's got both feet on the ground. "Those guys are packed in like sardines. No point squishing me in there too if I can walk my own ass back."

"Bucky, you're still worn out-"

Bucky shakes his head decisively.
"I spent god knows how long layin' on my back wonderin' what was gonna happen to me. If I'm gonna buy it out here, I'm doin' it on my feet."

Steve knows the look in his friend's eyes. They'll waste the entire morning in a battle of wills if he tries to make Bucky back down now. No one will enjoy the experience.
"You sure you're up to this? It's at least another three miles before we can stop to rest again…"

Bucky's gaze is steadier than his legs, but he doesn't waver.
"I'll be right behind you, fearless leader." he says, falling in with the front of the line that's slowly forming. "Case I gotta clean up any of your messes like usual."

Steve smiles reluctantly at that as he takes his place just to Bucky's right. He can hear just fine out of both ears now, but old habits die hard. This is where he feels like he belongs. "I'm not gonna punch any Nazis for gettin' fresh with a girl, Bucky."

"Why not? Never stopped you before."

"What girls are they gonna find to bother out here?" Steve raises an eyebrow at him as they start forward. To Bucky's credit, he keeps up, even if he's stumbling a bit. Steve is careful to keep one eye on his friend just the same.

"You? You'll find one. If there's one single girl in this whole damned country left to get in trouble over, you'll find her."

"And you'd have a date with her by the time I was done with the guy buggin' her."

"I'd ask if she had a friend that needs savin' too." Bucky shrugs. "I'm a good pal like that."

If he closes his eyes and doesn't think too hard about it, Steve can almost pretend they're back in Brooklyn, snarking at each other about mundane nonsense like they always used to.
… It's too bad he can't afford to close his eyes out here.

After a while, Bucky falls silent, growing more and more exhausted as the miles pass, and the illusion vanishes altogether.
Things are different now, and they're never going to be the same again.

Steve's not entirely sure how to get his head around that.