"Did you hear the one about the fire at the circus?"
Until he hears this quietly posed question, Steve is under the impression that he is quite alone. The thing is, he is often under the impression that he is quite alone, only to have Phil prove him wrong time and again. Usually it's a delightful surprise, but now he finds he wishes his assumption of solitude had been correct. He's not in the mood for company and while he's sure that staring moodily out the window isn't exactly the most productive thing he can be doing, it's really all he wants to do. And he wants to do it alone.
"It was intense."
It's not funny. It really, truly isn't. Or it wouldn't be if not for Phil's deadpan, completely and utterly serious delivery. But Steve doesn't want to laugh. When he's in a foul mood, he wants to be left to steep in it. And usually, attempts to cheer him up only serve to push him into an even darker mood, but this time he finds himself struggling to remain in his misery.
"Did you hear about the red ship and the blue ship that collided?" Phil asks in spite of his silence. "Both crews were marooned."
Steve feels his lips twitch and he struggles to keep his features neutral, if not hard and stern as they'd been before.
"Did you hear about what happened to the Italian Chef?" Phil asks. "He pasta way."
Steve stares down at his shoes, trying to focus on what had made him angry in the first place in the hopes of maintaining his composure.
"Did you hear about the Irishman who wanted to be a lawyer?" Phil asks. "He couldn't make it past the bar."
It's really getting to be too much. Try as he might, Steve feels a smile working its way onto his face. Any more of this and he's going to have to beg for mercy.
"What does Thor wear under his shorts?" Phil asks.
Steve's not sure he wants to know.
"Thunderpants."
That's the last straw. Steve doubles over, shoulders shaking with repressed laughter. Whatever anger he'd been trying to hold onto leaves him as laughter forces it out and away. When he manages to straighten up, he has tears in his eyes.
"Oh God, Phil, those are awful," he proclaims.
"And yet you're still laughing at them," Phil points out with a smile.
"They're not funny," Steve argues, chuckling.
"You're right. They're not," Phil agrees. "They're hilarious."
"Just because Thor laughs at them doesn't mean they're hilarious," Steve says with a shake of his head.
"Really? Because he got a real kick out of that thunderpants one," Phil says, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He shrugs offhandedly, dismissing the matter, before looking the other man in the eye. He claps Steve affectionately on the back. "Now, since you're looking a little less gloom and doom, why don't we take a trip to that bakery that has that apple cake you like so much?"
Steve quirks an eyebrow curiously, smile still fixed in place. "You're that intent on cheering me up that you'd leave in the middle of a workday to drive to a bakery?"
"Do I need to break out more jokes?" Phil asks. "Because I'm just getting started."
Steve laughs, slinging an arm around the shorter man's shoulder and hauling him in. He presses a quick kiss to the agent's temple.
"Alright, alright, I give in," he proclaims. "Mercy. Uncle. Whatever it takes to stop the jokes."
"You love them," Phil says, pulling away and tugging Steve along by the hand. "Admit it."
Steve shrugs, grinning from ear to ear as he allows himself to be lead towards the garage. "Only when you tell them."