Re: Bucky & Steve
"Hey," Steve said, his tone unmistakably one of mock offense, "I'll have you know my nose didn't get any bigger - I finally grew into it, you gotta get your eyes checked." He could tell he was kind of beaming though; for all that this entire evening had been terrible, the fact that he and Bucky could fall back into their old rhythms of teasing and gentle, not-too-subtle checking in on each other was already helping the tension in his shoulders ease. Much like Natasha, he'd been half-expecting a fight with Bucky, but it didn't seem like Bucky was going to go that route. That was a relief, even though Steve knew he probably didn't deserve to be let off the hook so easily.
Steve did let out a quiet sigh when Bucky mentioned Peggy, because he still wasn't at all sure how that conversation was going to go, but it was nice to have a vote of confidence from Bucky. Though he wasn't prepared to hear that she and Bucky had apparently already had a conversation about the rumors swirling around the Capitol, the nasty ones involving him and Natasha. "She knew?" he asked, surprised. It seemed like everyone in his life was making a habit of keeping things from him lately, and that was starting to get frustrating beyond belief. If people would just tell him things, prepare him, then maybe Steve wouldn't keep running full-tilt into situations where he was totally blind, totally without the context that might have provided him enough information to make a different choice.
Although there was a part of him that couldn't help but approve that Bucky had someone to keep his secrets for him. He deserved that, even if it meant Steve himself wasn't in the know. Steve hated it, but that was Bucky's call to make.
"I, uh - wouldn't mind hearing the whole story, if you feel like sharing," Steve said softly, gaze dropping to where their knees were touching. "I know it ain't what the people in the Capitol are saying, but I'd like to hear the truth of it from you." He paused, then raised his eyes to Bucky's face, his expression intent and serious. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to though. That's your call, okay?"