Moral of the Story

Chapter Seven

"Mind telling me what the hell you got yourself into tonight that your ex-wife is delivering you home, drunk off your ass?"

"We've been over this. She's not my ex yet," Bucky mumbled, looking out the window after hearing Steve come back in. He was watching to make sure Y/N got to her car safe, and he watched carefully as she started the engine and pulled away unharmed.

"Besides that," Steve said harshly. "What the hell were you thinking?!" He had the entire posture of disappointed Steve on display. Arms crossed over his chest, hip popped slightly to one side, and eyebrows furrowed upon his stern face.

"I was thinking, I went through a divorce with my highschool sweetheart for a second time in my life time today, and I needed a drink," Bucky glared back at him.

"Ok, and how the hell did Y/N get caught in the mix of the angst filled drunken version of you?" Steve countered, keeping his eyes vigorously trained on him.

"She happened to be at our bar that we go to," Bucky answered, looking back at the street in front of him.

"You guys just ran into each other?"

"She was at the bar and I went up to her."

"Sounds harmless, so explain to me how it escalated," Steve prodded.

"The bartender started flirting with her," Bucky eventually answered under his breath.

"And?"

"And..." Bucky drug out.

"And why should that matter? You guys aren't together!" Steve huffed, throwing his hands up in his frustration.

"I know..." Bucky said softly, hurt in his voice at the thought.

Steve noticed his defeated state at the comment. He eased up at that and let out a sigh. "God, Buck. Just say it. You still have feelings for her."

"No," he whispered.

"Bucky..." Steve drug out, moving to the couch, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm not going to say it."

"Fine, I'll say it for you," the blonde laughed in a harsh way, turning in his seat on the couch, his arm thrown across the back as he faced Bucky. "You never stopped having feelings for her. They've just been lying dormant for the past 8 years, because let's be honest, even the year after your first supposed divorce, you still loved her."

"I wasn't ready to end things," Bucky said to himself.

"And as soon as you saw her again, saw how she was doing after all this time, saw that she had moved on," Steve listed.

"Ok, we get it!" Buck shouted, turning back to him.

"They ignited all over again." The smirk on Steve's face showed he knew he was right.

Bucky didn't respond. Sure his best friend said everything he was feeling and thinking, but that didn't mean he was going to admit it or say it for himself.

"Fine, don't accept the fact you're not over her. Just know this, Buck," Steve sighed, standing and looking at him as Bucky avoided eye contact now. "It has been 9 years. She's doing good, and from what I can tell, she's moved on. Either you need to talk to her and figure this all out, or completely forget about it. It's doing no one good just tiptoeing around the subject."

There was silence as Bucky bitterly took in the words his friend so grimly laid out for him.

"What do you think I should do?" Bucky finally said quietly.