[ barely half a minute after slipping his phone back into his pocket is when it rings again, and Bucky can't help rolling his eyes a bit as he brings it back out to check Steve's immediate reply (didn't even have to second guess it.) it's just a quick answer, that he's glad Bucky's okay and hopes he's having fun, and a note to tell Sam not to keep him out too late because he's cranky when he doesn't get enough sleep (which is true enough but tch, punk.) his next reply is just to tell Steve he'll call him in the morning "is that okay with you, mom" and then his phone's back in his pocket for the night.

he's just bigger now, huh. apparently that included a sudden spontaneous need to mother hen over everyone around him. ]

Yeah. [ he says it with a mix of fondness and ... something he's not quite sure what - he's proud of Steve, make no mistake about that, but. it's complicated. of course Steve worried about him, even when he didn't have to. it was just different when he was practically half Bucky's size and still incapable of saving his own ass. ] Still a little shit, no matter what.

[ but thinking on how things are now with Steve isn't the best after-dinner conversation, and fried ice cream sounds very intriguing, he has to admit. and Bucky's stomach is essentially bottomless so he nods his head, grabbing his hat from beside him on the seat. ]

Sure, sounds like it could be interesting. [ another one of those future things he just has to try. and better to have Sam's company for it, to recommend the better things and tell him to steer away from others. ] One Hell of an I.O.U. I've got going.