(✌🏽)
"–But we got away," Steve smiled, remembering their wheezing laughter after they were in the clear, stumbling through the dark and somehow finding their way home. "God, I remember how cold it was that night–"
He smiled a little. Now he remembered faint flashes. Cold. Being snuggled up with Steve, holding the other male and wishing this meant anything.
"If I'm being honest, I don't remember too much after that," He chuckled, taking note of Bucky's smile but unknowing towards his own memories of that night. "I know we crashed at your place– and I got about a blink of sleep."
He let out a faint laugh, nodding. "Yeah. I don't… remember much of that." He said, shaking his head a little.
"That's alright," Steve smiled and shrugged, reminding himself he had to be patient, "It was a good day. We had lots of good days."
He nodded a little bit. I know. I just…I can't remember. He bit his lip slightly, looking around the park again.
Steve sighed at the huge fountain and the spewing water in the centre, splashing into the rippling surface. A flock of pigeons flew overhead, and he chuckled, "There weren't as many pigeons before."
He let out a faint laugh. "Ah." He replied, eyes tracking the flight of the birds for a moment.
"Rats, too, I think." He added, "I was waiting for the subway one morning and this huge rat just scurried out from under my seat," Steve chuckled, using his hands to show how big, "I think I was the only one remotely unsettled."
Bucky made a face. "Gross." He replied after a moment, shaking his head a little bit. I've seen worse…but rats are gross. He ran a hand through his hair.
"Oh–" Steve laughed, shyly looking away, "That reminds me– uh, of this other time I was waitin' for the train. You know when there's like, a cat in the street and you go 'pspspspsps' and hold your hand out?" He smiled, "–One time, I saw a girl doing the same towards a rat."
He let out a sound that was half snort, half laugh. "To a rat?" He said, shaking his head. "Gross."
"I know," Steve said through a little laugh, "But that's New York, I guess. And God– you haven't even seen the video of the rat dragging a slice of pizza down subway steps," He chuckled, remembering opening up the group chat to find that clip waiting for him. "Definitely gross, yeah."
He made a face. "I don't think I want to see that video." He replied, shaking his head in disgust.
"It's kind of funny," Steve smiled and shrugged, wondering if the rest of the Avengers remembered the clip, "It made us laugh, anyway."
He wrinkled his nose, shaking his head. "No thanks." he replied simply, looking around the park again.
"Hm. Well, I'll find other ways to make you laugh, then," Steve said with a blanketed honesty, smiling, "…I mean–"
He blinked, looking over at Steve for a moment. "You can try." he shrugged, running a hand through his hair and looking around the park.
"Mhm," Steve smiled quietly, remembering the way his easy laughter made him smile, like a chain reaction. "I remember one time– I can't remember why, but you'd said something and I was laughing, and it graduated into an asthma attack," He smiled, "You were laughing too, but trying to help out at the same time– anyways, I had to sit down for a bit."
He nodded a little. "You don't…have asthma anymore, do you." he said slowly. "Not after the serum." he ran a hand through his hair.
"No, I don't." Steve said, smiling with relief. "It was such a bother, before. Now, I can go for runs and hikes, stuff like that," He said, thinking back to the adrenaline he felt chasing miles around Central Park.
He smiled, and nodded. "Yeah. Makes sense." he didn't know how much he himself had changed.
"That's how I met Sam– actually," Steve smiled, remembering the early morning runs around the National Mall, "On a run…or sprint, I guess. In Washington."
He nodded, looking around. "Hm. Alright. And now he's an Avenger." He let out a soft laugh.
"Yeah, an Avenger," Steve agreed, glancing at a group of kids chasing each other around the fountain, "'Guess it was a fateful encounter, he's a great friend– and fighter, too." He sighed, smiling, "–But I'll get him back for the picture, even though you looked cute."
He smiled a little bit, then blinked in surprise. "You, er…I did not." He insisted, turning away and trying not to blush.
"Haven't we– had this conversation before?" Steve staggered through a nervous laugh Abort, abort, abort mission, "Everyone else thinks the same, you know that."
"Uh. Yeah, we have." He said, not looking at Steve still. "And I'm not cute!" He insisted again, shaking his head.
"Look– I'm only stating the facts….evidence, yeah." Steve nodded to himself, "It's a compliment…I think. –And pictures don't lie. Well, now they kind of do…but still."
"I'm not cute." He insisted, grumbling. He shook his head a little bit.
