I did not whine. [He's smiling, though it's a little softer than that shit-eating grin, because maybe he didn't whine, exactly, but there were times he felt awful and was sick of feeling awful and he hadn't been the best company. And yet Bucky had put up with it, and Steve knows it. Bucky'd put up with anything from him. He knows that, too. He just hopes Bucky knows it goes both ways.

And he is, quite honestly, even glad to have Bucky around to call him on his bullshit. He'd do a hell of a lot, put up with a hell of a lot, just to have Bucky around. Anything, pretty much, seems like a fair trade-off at this point, because it's never, ever gotten easier not to have him around.

And he truly can't imagine what it was like for Bucky, for even that single month. He's just sorry it was a whole month. But he's also glad it wasn't longer.

Besides, he knows a month can feel like a very, very long time.

Just like that hand on his shoulder, and everything it means, feels so very, very good. He doesn't know if he'll ever really, truly get this back. It's what he wants, but he doesn't have the answers, he doesn't know what HYDRA's done, how much of it can be fixed.

So he's just got to try to enjoy this now, while he can, and let it be part of the reason he'll never, ever give up chasing Bucky down back home.]

Well, if you're gonna keep putting up with my bullshit, then you can put up with me saying you should go back to sleep, too. You still need, it, buddy.

And I'm not sleeping until you do.

[If Steve looks like he knows he's using Bucky's protectiveness against him... well. He does. And he is.]