Steve had assumed that Rumlow had done the whole thing on purpose, but his behavior afterward indicated it had been a genuine accident. Never before had Steve somehow found someone else's mouth with his own without meaning to, so the whole thing was the exact kind of awkward he hadn't needed at a time like this. Right when he was starting to feel relaxed, too.

The blush that spread over Steve's face was completely legitimate in comparison, and he scooted back on the couch so that there was some space between them again. Rumlow had an explanation, and Steve did what he could to swallow it down, although he didn't really approve of being lumped in with "guys of his time."

The compliment was so direct that Steve had to avert his gaze for a moment, but when he gathered his composure and glanced back, it was with a small smirk on his lips. The easiest way to worm his way out of an uncomfortable situation was with humor and sass. "Is that why you decided to smack my ass in the showers?" Really, Rumlow had always struck Steve as straight as they come, but he realized he had to toss away the idea of people with certain sexual orientations looking or behaving a particular way. It didn't work like that.