[Bucky’s neutral tone has Steve expecting the worst - his blush from before returns and deepens as he suddenly has to look anywhere else.]

Well - you have excellent bone structure.

[It's not a lie, but with how quickly he blurts it out it definitely sounds like the first excuse he could think of. Quick, Rogers, think of something better! Back to banter, banter works!]

-- and well if you didn't come back to class I was considering putting up missing person signs so I needed something.

[Well, it sure is Steve’s turn to take the borderline pleading tone in hopes that Bucky goes for the joke instead. He doesn't want to make things weird, not when they're still so early on in knowing each other.]