Steve spent most of the day regaling Bruce with the tale of the lightning strike while Bucky sulked in the corner. Well, it served him right.
"And then it caught on fire?" Bruce said in amazement.
Steve nodded. "Well, boats are made of wood. It's not too surprising."
"A fire in the middle of the ocean," Bruce said wonderingly. "I assume the fire went out as soon as the boat started sinking?"
"Well, not exactly."
Steve described the way the mast snapped in half, the way the boat started splintering, taking care to focus on how frightening it had to be for the poor humans. Bruce wasn't really paying attention to that, intent on hearing just how the boat had burned. But then again, Bruce had always been a little too fascinated with fire for his own good.
"I'd think the humans would be able to put out a fire before the whole ship was consumed," Bruce mused. "After all, they're so used to fires. I've watched them make bonfires on the beach almost every weekend and they always seem so at ease in front of the flames. I've never seen a human walk away without putting out the flames somehow. So why would they let their boat burn down?"
Steve shrugged. "Maybe they can only put out fires that they start."
"Perhaps," Bruce said. "Fire is such a mysterious force."
"Indeed. It destroys wood, keeps humans warm, and if you put fish in the fire, it changes the flavor and the texture."
Bruce raised an eyebrow.
Steve nodded. "I wouldn't have believed it myself, but I tried some of the burnt fish the human made and burnt fish doesn't taste as bad as I thought. It's actually pretty delicious. I'll let you try some next time I feed the human."
"That'll be great," Bruce said enthusiastically.
"For fuck's sake, you two," Bucky growled. "We're not keeping him."
"Nobody said we were," Steve said cheerfully. In a lower voice, he told Bruce, "I have a second human in a cave near Nat's sunbathing rocks. Once this one goes back to his own kind, we can observe the second man."
Bucky groaned. "I fucking hate you, you know."
"You love me," Steve said pleasantly. "Bruce, did you know that humans use burnt sticks to draw representations of each other?"
"Fascinating," Bruce said. "Humans are a remarkably inventive species." His delighted smile started to waver. "If only we could communicate with them and learn more of their ways."
Steve grinned. "Well, as it just so happens-"
"No, goddamnit," Bucky said. "You can't communicate with them. Stop fucking deluding yourself."
"Don't mind him," Steve said. "He's just jealous that I'm making friends with the human. I'll take you to see him tomorrow and you can make friends with him, too."
Bucky let out an aggravated sigh and dropped his head down on his rock.
Steve stared in concern. "Don't hurt yourself, babe."
"I'm fine," Bucky muttered. "You're the crazy one."
Steve patted Bruce's shoulder. "Tomorrow," he promised, and swam over to Bucky. "Seriously, Buck. Are you okay?"
Bucky huffed and curled himself into a ball. "Don't mind me, Steve. Just go and play with your human."
Steve rolled his eyes and draped himself over Bucky. "Don't be jealous, okay? You're my best friend. The human's just here for a little while so can you blame me for wanting to learn all I can about him while he's here?"
"Yes, I can," Bucky muttered into Steve's shoulder. "Do you know how many times your curiosity has fucked us over? 'Oh, let's go explore this abandoned cave' and the next thing you know we're being attacked by Hydra and their pet sharks."
"That was one time."
"And then there was the time you decided you just had to check out that fishing net. Almost got yourself strangled to death."
Steve shrugged. "Well, it might not have been my greatest idea. But we ended up finding Clint so it actually worked out well."
"That remains to be determined." Bucky shot a glare in Clint's direction.
"Hey," Clint protested. "You two pipsqueaks wouldn't have lasted another month on your own. You're damn lucky I came along when I did."
Bucky shrugged. "We'll agree to disagree. But, seriously, Steve. If one out of every two adventures of yours ends in fucking disaster, it's not a good sign."
"This isn't an adventure, Buck. I'm just having a good time hanging out in the cave with the human. How can a friendly conversation be dangerous?"
"Knowing you, you'd find a way," Bucky growled.
Steve cupped his hands around Bucky's face. "It's sweet how much you care. But you can't protect me from everything. I'd never leave the damn cave if I avoided all possible danger. But really, talking to the human should be pretty low on your list of things to freak out about. The human's the one who should actually worry about being in danger."
"I don't freak out," Bucky muttered.
Steve gave him a look and gently patted Bucky's head. "Come on, babe. Think of it this way. A little harmless time spent staring at the human will keep me out of real trouble. You'd like that, wouldn't you? No wandering off to explore dangerous new places on my own, no sharks in the area, nothing I could injure myself on. And if you need me, you'll know where to find me."
Bucky groaned and buried his face in Steve's chest. "I fucking hate you," he muttered.
Steve grinned and stroked Bucky's hair. "You love me and you want me to be happy."
"For some inexplicable reason. I must have hit my head when I was younger." Bucky shook his head. "You're going to be the death of me one day. Such a pain in the tail fin."
Steve rolled his eyes and pulled Bucky into a hug. He knew by now that all the grumbling didn't mean a thing. Bucky was such a sap, as much as he liked to pretend otherwise. "Feeling's mutual, honey," he said cheerfully. "Now stop moping and let's get something to eat. I'll introduce you to the wonders of seaweed."
Bucky stuck out his tongue. "The only way I'll eat seaweed is if it's wrapped around a fish."
"I can work with that. I'll catch us a few fish."
Bucky put a hand on Steve's shoulder. "After the storm, you punk. You'll get hurt out there."
"Are you kidding me, Buck? I literally swam all the way to Natasha's sunning spot and back without hurting myself somehow. And now I can't put one fin outside the cave without you fussing over me about the storm."
"Just stay with me a little, okay?" Bucky nuzzled into Steve's chest. "Don't go right back out into the storm."
"Alright," Steve said. He curled around Bucky. A joint nap sounded almost better than getting food. "Wake me up when you get hungry enough."
When Bucky woke him some time later, the storm had subsided and Bucky magnanimously allowed him out of the cave to catch a fish for each of them. Because if Bucky was willing to eat seaweed-wrapped fish, he ought to be supportive and eat one with him.
Bucky made a face when he saw the tiny wrasses Steve had brought back. "Seriously? Those are barely a snack."
"We're wrapping them in seaweed," Steve said patiently. "We need to start small, see how you like it."
Begrudgingly, Bucky settled back and watched Steve wrap each of the fish in a thick layer of seaweed. "Take it easy on the seaweed, Stevie. I actually want to taste some fish in there."
Steve rolled his eyes and handed Bucky the smaller fish.
Bucky took a tentative bite and wrinkled his nose. "Too much seaweed, not enough fish." He took a bigger bite, ripping the fish in half with his teeth. "That's better," he said with his mouth full.
"Such a dork," Steve said. He took a reasonable bite of his fish and chewed thoughtfully. He was starting to think he actually preferred the taste of the human's burnt fish. Hmn. What would seaweed taste like when it was burned?
After Bucky finished his fish, he rated it a solid "meh".
"I still can't believe you'd ruin a perfectly good fish by wrapping it in disgusting seaweed," he muttered. "Sure, it's not as bad as plain seaweed, but then the fish isn't as good as a plain fish either."
Steve frowned. "But seaweed makes the fish taste so much better. Just think about the different texture and flavor it adds. Plain fish is boring day in and day out."
"Only if you eat the same kind of fish every day."
Steve shook his head sadly. "You're hopeless."
Bucky shrugged. "And you have weird tastes. Nobody's perfect." He slung an arm over Steve's shoulders. "It's sweet how concerned you are about the fish and people, but trust me, there's plenty more where those came from. There'll be pretty creatures for you to admire for the rest of your life. So indulge a little. Eat some fish with your seaweed. You're too amazing to resign yourself to eating just the disgusting crap forever. You did say something about wanting variety in your food, didn't you?"
Steve sighed. "Of course, that's the only thing you picked up on."
"Hey, I just don't want to see you suffering. You're so busy saving the world that you forget about yourself, sometimes."
"I'm just trying to do the right thing."
Bucky nuzzled against him. "You're too good for us."
Clint swam up, giving them both a disgusted look. "You two are eating already? You couldn't be bothered to get fish for the rest of us?"
Bucky flipped him off. "Get your own fish, Barton."
Steve rolled his eyes as the two of them settled into their familiar squabble. Everyone thought he and Bucky were bad, but Bucky and Clint were infinitely worse.
"You really that hungry?" Bucky snapped. He stuffed a handful of seaweed into Clint's mouth.
Clint gagged and spat everything out. "Damnit, Barnes. Are you trying to kill me?"
"Knock it off, you two," Natasha said sternly. She shoved Bucky in Steve's direction. "Go be troublesome somewhere else." She leveled Clint with a glare. "Seriously? You can't catch your own dinner, you big baby?"
"Nat," Clint whined.
Bucky snickered and swam a short distance, pulling Steve along with him. "Before we were so rudely interrupted," he said.
Steve nodded and pulled Bucky into his arms. One of the downsides to living in a pod was the lack of privacy. But he did love all his friends. It was so much easier than scraping by with Bucky as two single sirens, fending off predators on their own.
"Just think about it," Bucky murmured into Steve's chest. "Think about putting yourself first for a change."
"I will," Steve promised, as he stoked Bucky's hair.