[ Steve, meanwhile, is now wishing he’d added a couple other factors to this, asking being one of them. Then again, maybe it’s better this way. It wouldn’t make sense to just lob questions at each other, and talking things out like this is already so different from their norm (they're struggling to phrase things right as it is) that it wouldn’t really be happening outside of a context like this. ]
That’s it, though. If I say something off, your reaction’s not what I’m — [ Well, is that entirely true? Steve can’t say that he’s completely unworried about what Bucky’ll feel as a result of his verbal faux pas. But it’s not the reason why he’d stumbled earlier.
Since when were you a lightweight?
Since Zola got his hands on me. Since they did this to me. Since you let me fall. ]
I don’t wanna ... mess up a good thing, is all.
[ Their future, the one Steve’s missing — he feels like he’s out at sea without it. Doesn’t know if the iteration of him that Bucky knows did things right. Doesn’t know if there’s something Bucky’s used to that he’s not doing, or worse, that there’s something he ends up doing that caused Bucky to draw his hand away.
But there’s no way for him to say all of that without also explaining something else. Something like, I’m not gonna touch anything you don’t want me to touch and Whoever you are now, that's okay with me, and I don’t wanna lose —
They might both be out of their depths here, word-wise. ]
Glad you don’t think that I think you’re fragile, anyway. [ Belatedly, he recalls that Bucky’s sip just now hadn’t exactly been enthusiastic, and continues dryly, ] And you don't gotta drink if you don’t think you’re wrong. I have something of an advantage with this, anyhow — [ Rubs his thumb over the beer label on the bottle, condensation cooling on the glass, and when he looks at Bucky, there’s both a quiet amusement in his eyes and a little strain. ]
no subject
That’s it, though. If I say something off, your reaction’s not what I’m — [ Well, is that entirely true? Steve can’t say that he’s completely unworried about what Bucky’ll feel as a result of his verbal faux pas. But it’s not the reason why he’d stumbled earlier.
Since when were you a lightweight?
Since Zola got his hands on me. Since they did this to me. Since you let me fall. ]
I don’t wanna ... mess up a good thing, is all.
[ Their future, the one Steve’s missing — he feels like he’s out at sea without it. Doesn’t know if the iteration of him that Bucky knows did things right. Doesn’t know if there’s something Bucky’s used to that he’s not doing, or worse, that there’s something he ends up doing that caused Bucky to draw his hand away.
But there’s no way for him to say all of that without also explaining something else. Something like, I’m not gonna touch anything you don’t want me to touch and Whoever you are now, that's okay with me, and I don’t wanna lose —
They might both be out of their depths here, word-wise. ]
Glad you don’t think that I think you’re fragile, anyway. [ Belatedly, he recalls that Bucky’s sip just now hadn’t exactly been enthusiastic, and continues dryly, ] And you don't gotta drink if you don’t think you’re wrong. I have something of an advantage with this, anyhow — [ Rubs his thumb over the beer label on the bottle, condensation cooling on the glass, and when he looks at Bucky, there’s both a quiet amusement in his eyes and a little strain. ]
Bet you wondered about that.