Steve had never seen Bucky so upset in his entire life.

The morning after the failed wedding-attempt, Bucky hadn't spoken a word of the event to Steve or Henry or anyone else involved, even though most of the soldiers involved in the brawl outside Phillips's tent had fought on purpose to buy the couple time for a makeshift wedding ceremony. As if nothing had even happened, the sergeant strolled out of the tent and made his way to the camp's kitchen area, where every gathered in the mornings for breakfast. Despite his colleagues subtly prodding and poking Buck to give them some sort of information about the night's activities, he remained stoic and kept up his act of innocence as if his life depended on it.

"Alright, boys," Colonel Phillips spoke up over the sound of the soldiers whispering and muttering to each other throughout the cafeteria-tent. All eyes turned to the wrinkled old coot standing in the open for everyone to see. Steve had taken a seat beside Bucky, who faked a smile and patted his shoulder as if nothing had changed, and noticed the hatred in his best friend's eyes when the colonel used his voice. As easy as it was for Bucky to fool the crowd, Steve knew exactly when Buck was dying on the inside, filling up with anger like a shaken can of soda, just waiting for that one little opening to completely explode. "Fun's over.  You've had your beauty sleep and you've filled your bellies, but war waits for no man, no matter what traumatic events you've experienced."

"Seriously?" Steve overheard one of the other soldiers from a few tables away mumbled to the man at his side. "We just got out of being prisoners and they're throwing us right back into the thick of it? This is screwed up."

"Some of you," Phillips continued. "Still need to time to lick your wounds and change your diapers. If you're one of those people, you get the rest of the week off."

A chorus of cheers and clapping rose up from the crowd like a storm. It was Sunday morning, meaning the people still recovering from being held prisoner had seven whole days to rest, relax, and re-energize themselves. Steve glanced over at his friend to see his reaction; Bucky's expression hadn't changed a bit.

"Those of you ready to fight," Phillips practically shouted to get everyone to shut up. It worked, but the men were still pumped for the idea of doing whatever they wanted for an entire week. "meet me at my tent in ten minutes. We've got some important missions that need to be discussed and dealt with."

His last sentence was followed by another roar of applause from the troops seated at their tables and the colonel walked off in the direction of his quarters, his boots sloshing in the early-morning mud and leaving a trail of prints behind him. Steve and Bucky watched their superior walk away, though Bucky's glare was much more threatening that Steve's curious stare.

"Something tells me we're not taking the week off."

Bucky smirked at his friend's comment and shoved the rest of his burnt toast into his mouth as he got to his feet.

"You just got here, Rogers, you've hardly gotten your feet wet," The sergeant replied through a smiling mouthful of bread and began to walk in the colonel's direction, Steve and Henry trailing along behind him, including a handful of other soldiers who didn't want to waste a week sitting around when there were Nazis to kill. "Unless you want a week off."

"No, of course not-"

"Then shut your trap and get moving, Captain," Bucky grinned and was about to keep walking when Steve suddenly pulled him to the side, into one of the surrounding vacant white tents. "Steve, what the hell is the matter with you?" The star-spangled man with a plan turned to face his friend and set all jokes aside. He knew why Bucky didn't want a week off, he knew why he was faking his happiness and he knew that this was not the right way to go, trapping all of his emotions and locking them away.

"Bucky, stop," Steve started in a low whisper, knowing that the canvas walls of the tent weren't thick enough to fully mute their voices. "I know what you're trying to start and it isn't healthy. Not for you, not for me, and definitely not for Evangelin-"

"Shut up, Steve," the sergeant's face shifted from being kind and joking to deathly serious in a split second. His blue eyes narrowed and the grin disappeared from his lips, as if it had never been there in the first place. "Look, I appreciate you trying to look out for me, but I'm fine."

"I totally believe that."

"You're going to have to, buddy."

"Bucky-"

"You don't get it, Steve," Sergeant Barnes snarled back at his friend, practically seething. "She is the best thing I've ever had in my life and now she's gone. You don't understand that, you never have and you never will."

"That's funny, considering I-" Steve stopped himself short from finishing that sentencing and bit his tongue. As furious as he was getting with his bet friend, there was no way he was going to disclose the information kept in his mind and his heart about Evangeline. Bucky may have been acting abnormally and lashing out to mask his suffering, but there was no way Steve would use his own emotions against him. Not when Evangeline and Bucky had been mere minutes away from tying the knot the night before. Bucky raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He growled. "What, Steve?"

"Nothing, I shouldn't have said-"

"No, Steve, tell me. What were you going to say?" Buck asked in a testing tone with wild eyes, daring his friend to continue, to pick the fight Bucky wanted. To pick the fight Bucky somehow felt that he needed, like his instincts were screaming to hit something, anything in order to ease the pain and turmoil raging inside himself. Just like back in New York, when Buck would go to the old gym and beat the crap out of punching bags when his anger tried to get the best of himself.

"Nothing, never mind. Forget I said anything." Steve knew what he was trying to do and began to regret starting this conversation in the first place. He should've remembered how Bucky liked to release his frustration, punching the hell out of bullies or stuffed dummies. No, Steve wouldn't indulge in his friend's wants, not when it came to violence.

He turned on his heel and was about to exit the tent when two hands grabbed him by the back of his shoulders and shoved Steve forward. The super-soldier didn't have time to catch himself; he ended up falling on his knees, submerging his hands and shins deep in the puddles of mud that covered the paths around camp. The attention of strangers suddenly fell to the man who'd stumbled into the filth and the sergeant that walked out after him.

"Get up, Steve." His voice was low, calm. Too calm.

"You don't want to do this, Buck," Steve started to tell him. "This isn't the way things work."

"Get up, Steve," His voice was more of a bark than it had been before and he walked around to face the kneeling man head-on. "You're not the weak little asthmatic kid from Brooklyn anymore. Get. Up."

"I'm not gonna fight you, Bucky," Steve started to get to his feet, but was immediately shoved back down by a forceful kick to the chest. Captain America landed in the mud on his back and the disgusting sensation of wet dirt splashed against his neck and face.

"Then say it, Steve, say what you were about to."

"No." Steve tried to get back up again, and ended up back on his ass just as quickly.

"Say it."

"No."

A crowd had started to grow as the excited soldiers from breakfast heard the scuffle going on and began to gather to see what was going on. Steve rolled over to get on his knees, but was forced onto his stomach by the back of Bucky's boot.

"Say it, Steve." He knew that this wasn't really Bucky, this wasn't how normal Bucky would act. This was caged Bucky, suffering Bucky, scared and hurting with no way of showing it when he knew he was supposed to be held together in front of his men. And after a night of trying to cry himself to sleep, the fact that he'd gotten no rest didn't help his already delirious mind. This Bucky had completely lost his cool and the only way he felt he could pull himself back into one piece was through physical force.

Knowing that there was no other way to go with this situation, Steve decided to give his friend exactly what he wanted.

He got to his feet and punched Bucky in the face.