Steve isn’t blind. His eyesight might not be great but he knows Bucky by thousands of little aspects and there’s no way even this somewhat altered soldier can hide completely from him anymore. He can tell in a glance that Bucky had been through some soul searching and had decided to stay with him. Steve almost marvels at that, at the soft touches around his eyes. It’s not the old Bucky in there. It’s one more tested and more mature. One who has seen things Steve can’t even guess at.

The guy has always been beautiful. There’s never been a girl alive that could turn down if he smiled at her and Steve’s pretty sure that some of the guys they hung out with sometimes might even have been infatuated with Bucky. Steve’s never pushed it with his friend. Losing him over something like a crush would have been too devastating a loss and so Steve shut that down right away before it could go crawling around his skull and slip into his dreams.

Bucky is beautiful now too, framed in sadness and determination. Steve wishes he had a feee hand to snap a picture with his phone. This look is worth remembering.

Penny trots over to press her nose to the bag and her snuffles show her approval before her tail even starts to wag. Steve doesn’t bother to wait for an invitation. He’s right back down on the floor, spreading out wrapped burgers in little six to a stack pyramids. “I don’t want you to get used to this, Buck. You’ve got to eat better than fast food.”