He could tell immediately that Steve was about to be amused, something that he enjoyed because it was so free and the sound so unique to his friend. He liked it when Steve laughed, and after the last week, he longed for it all the more, though it had harder for him to earn such expressions of emotions. The other Avengers could with their silly bickering and bantering and stupid questions that had nothing to do with the situation at hand, but they all laughed. He didn't; he was still the outsider. "Were you having good dreams?" This time, there was a struggled hint of teasing his voice, a brief flicker of his old teasing self who would never not take advantage of this situation. "Was it someone I knew?"

The communal kitchens were a dangerous place. There were lots of knives down there and he knew the others were bound to show up, no doubt wanting to check in on Steve who they had had little contact with. "I can fend for myself," he said stiffly, tightening his foot around Steve's ankle. "I know how to make oatmeal," he added in his own defense. He knew how to cut up fruit as well, and he could easily follow cooking instructions if he read them. Those were just a mission. Doing stuff from his head... not so much and tended to end in a horrible disaster. "I don't want to let you up right now. I'm comfortable and you're safe here."