Not Another Teen Fic...

Chapter Nine

Steve

The first thing Steve thinks when he regains consciousness is fuck. It's the only thing that can accurately summarise the pain in his head and face. He opens his eyes a crack, then groans as the light above him causes his head to practically scream in protest.

"Shhh..." A soothing voice says. Something wet is gently dabbed on his temple, making Steve wince. He opens his eyes and cringes at the light, which isn't even that bright. It's a dim, occasionally flickering fluorescent light which is handing precariously from the ceiling by a thin, rusty chain.

Then his eyes fall on Bucky, who is leaning over him, holding a damp rag. Steve groans and closes his eyes, confused.
"B-Bucky? What're you doing here?"
"I work here, dumbass." Bucky says quietly." Steve opens his eyes again and Bucky instructs him to stay still. He dabs at Steve's head again, frowning with concentration. The expression is kind of cute, and Steve would probably blush if his mind wasn't so preoccupied with wondering what the hell was going on. He's figured out that he is at the bar, and he vaguely remembers getting into an argument. He supposes that is what has led to the situation he is in now, but he decides to double check, as he doesn't trust his memory.

"What happened?" Steve asks.
"You got into a fight." Bucky says, shaking his head in disappointment. "Though it was hardly a fight. The guy punched you once and you were out cold."
"Oh." Steve said, embarrassed.
"What were you fighting over, anyway?" Bucky asks curiously, moving aside and placing the rag on the dirty floor beside him.
"He was being a creep." Steve told him. "Making a girl feel uncomfortable."
"Ah." Bucky nods, looking almost impressed.

"Right, you have a pretty nasty black eye, but I don't think anything is broken." Bucky informs him.
"I guess we match, then." Steve says with a weak smile. Bucky lifts his hand to his own black eye, frowns a little, then smiles shyly.
"I guess we do."

"How did you get that, anyway?" Steve questions him.
"Wade told you, I was in a sparring match. I do boxing."
"And the guy aimed at your face?" Steve asks. Bucky hesitates.
"Ye- Yes."
"You're a terrible liar."
"I... I'm not lying!"
"Yes you are." Steve sits up, making his vision blur for a moment. He can now tell that he's in the bar bathroom, which is a small, dirty space containing two toilet cubicles, a filthy sink with a tiny mirror above it, and an unspeakably disgusting urinal.

"Tell me what really happened."
"Why should I?"
"So you admit Wade lied to me." Steve says triumphantly.
"I didn't say that."
"You practically did." Steven retorts. Bucky lets out an exasperated sigh.
"It's none of your business, okay? Somebody punched me. Big deal."
"Who?"
"What, are you going to pick a fight with them, too?" Bucky grabs the rag and gets to his feet, tossing it into the filthy sink.

"I'm just worried about you." Steve says quietly.
"Why? You barely know me." Bucky twists the tap, then sighs when no water emerges.
"Well maybe I want to." Steve replies. Bucky looks at him dubiously. When he sees that Steve seems sincere, he looks away quickly. Steve thinks he notices Bucky's cheeks turning red, but he can't tell if it's from embarrassment or anger. Probably the latter, he decides.

"That's a bad idea." Bucky mutters, so quiet, Steve hardly hears it.

"Was it Wade?" He asks suddenly. The thought had been eating away at him for a little while now. He hoped he wasn't too forward.
"What?" Bucky asks.
"Did Wade give you that black eye?"

Bucky turned to Steve, a look of incredulity on his face.
"What the fuck? No!"
"Sorry, I just- I assumed- He seemed suspicious earlier when he-" Bucky's expression makes him stop talking abruptly. "Sorry. I should have realised he wouldn't do that."

Bucky turns back to the sink and tries the tap again, then crouches down and starts unscrewing the pipe below it, muttering
"This isn't in my job description... Weasel had better start paying me more or I'll complain... or get Wade to complain for me." He pulls a wad of something which might be hair out of the pipe, pulls a face which Steve mirrors, then throws it into the corner. With a look of disgust still on his face. He screws the pipe back together then turns on the tap and washes his hands with the small trickle of water which emerges. When he finishes, Steve gets to his feet.

He apologises again, and Bucky shrugs nonchalantly.
"You're an idiot, Steve." He states, a small smile on his face. "It's like you have no life experience at all."
"What do you mean?" Steve asks, not sure if he should be offended or not.
"I mean you enter shitty bars when you're underage and get into fights you can't win and make offensive assumptions and try to get friendly with troublemakers you barely know."

"You're not a troublemaker." Steve says gently. Bucky laughs, but it sounds empty.
"You don't know that."
"You're well behaved." Steve argues, confused. "You look innocent-" he looks at the shabby bar apron Bucky is wearing and rethinks that statement, but continues, "you're even nicer than me, and I'm nowhere near as scary as people seem to think I am."
"Everyone has secrets, Steve." Bucky says conspiringly.
"Like what?"
"Lets just say this isn't the only job I have that I shouldn't." He says mysteriously before walking out of the bathroom, leaving Steve with a black eye, an awful headache, and a lot of unanswered questions.