[Look, don't get him wrong, it's still weird as hell to know you're suddenly living in a place that's world's nicer than anything else they've ever had, and that he's allowed to crash here whenever he wants, but this was definitely a good idea. Bucky'll probably still find it too squishy to be comfortable under normal circumstances, but sleeping on a marshmallow works pretty well when you're aching all over.]
Asshole, [He quips right back with a small grin, because please, he's always good company. The smile tapers off for a moment while he listens (strange, how this conversation has kind of been turned on his head, because how many times has he told Steve he'll be feeling better in no time?), but he barks out a genuine laugh at the next part, which hurts a little, but he's not sorry about it.]
What, we haven't done enough of that already?
[He knows Steve is kidding, but he still lifts his right hand, and starts ticking off items on his fingers.]
Orphans, growing up poor, trying to hold down a steady job and not wind up on the street, you being sick all the fucking time, running into a goddamn world war? [His grin falters a little bit, because they know what came after that. Bucky's death, Steve's crash, winding up alone in the future.
They've been handed shitty hand after shitty hand, and they usually figure out a way to make it work. Usually.
Except Bucky's dead, and Steve's alone and clearly depressed, and honestly? He's really, really sick of needing to fight tooth and nail for everything, and he's ten times sicker of seeing the universe use Steve as a punching bag.
Which doesn't mean he's not going to fight, or struggle, or lose whatever optimism he's been able to hang onto, but he still wishes things were easier, on Steve at least.
He drops his hand back to the mattress, still smirking.]
I'm scared as hell of what the Admiral'd come up with for us next.
[And again, it's a joke, and it's not. It's not like Bucky had been able to keep Steve safe the way he'd want to during the war, but at least he'd known what they were up against. Here, he could be the one hurting Steve, or not even remember him, or who knows what else?
Spam
Asshole, [He quips right back with a small grin, because please, he's always good company. The smile tapers off for a moment while he listens (strange, how this conversation has kind of been turned on his head, because how many times has he told Steve he'll be feeling better in no time?), but he barks out a genuine laugh at the next part, which hurts a little, but he's not sorry about it.]
What, we haven't done enough of that already?
[He knows Steve is kidding, but he still lifts his right hand, and starts ticking off items on his fingers.]
Orphans, growing up poor, trying to hold down a steady job and not wind up on the street, you being sick all the fucking time, running into a goddamn world war? [His grin falters a little bit, because they know what came after that. Bucky's death, Steve's crash, winding up alone in the future.
They've been handed shitty hand after shitty hand, and they usually figure out a way to make it work. Usually.
Except Bucky's dead, and Steve's alone and clearly depressed, and honestly? He's really, really sick of needing to fight tooth and nail for everything, and he's ten times sicker of seeing the universe use Steve as a punching bag.
Which doesn't mean he's not going to fight, or struggle, or lose whatever optimism he's been able to hang onto, but he still wishes things were easier, on Steve at least.
He drops his hand back to the mattress, still smirking.]
I'm scared as hell of what the Admiral'd come up with for us next.
[And again, it's a joke, and it's not. It's not like Bucky had been able to keep Steve safe the way he'd want to during the war, but at least he'd known what they were up against. Here, he could be the one hurting Steve, or not even remember him, or who knows what else?
At least he's safe right now.]