This was the first time since he had taken himself away from HYDRA that he had felt safe, and he had long ago forgotten what it was like to love. He knew how to survive, but what he had right now was so different from that, like he could finally rest for awhile and not have to concern himself about suffering from attack. There was a strength and security in the weight of Steve's arms around him that his shoulders bled off some of the tension in them. Was this what it was like to no longer be running?

Some force was stirring inside of him. A part of him didn't like it because of how different it felt, how it infiltrated every fiber of his being little-by-little. It was warm though, as warm as Steve's strong arms around him.

He blinked when he was suddenly kissed, gaping in surprise at the gesture and at first failing to respond. He managed to get his lips into motion at the tail end of the simple gesture, but it felt so wrong to experience such affection. What had he done to deserve it? He found himself licking his lips as if to recapture that moment for himself again. "How... can I cause you any amount of happiness?"