Summary: The answer to his message leaves Bruce actually chuckling to himself.

It was lunch break when Bruce pulled out his phone when he felt the vibration. Spotting the message icon, he tapped on it to reveal the reply from Steve. As he read it, the doctor shook his head, chuckling. This sounded all too familiar. Leaning back on his chair, he quickly typed up a response.

I'm being too nice and going too easy on you? I don't think that's the case.

And so what if I have the "shorter straw"? I don't think that's unfair. I enjoy having the shorter straw because I want to make you happy. I don't care what that means. Things just have to be about you because you need it more than I do at this point. It'll come into equilibrium soon enough. That's the cycle of our relationship, or perhaps you've just missed it.

And the "this" you keep mentioning is something that I can't live without; Our relationship is more than enough to make me the happiest man alive, Steve. I sleep better every night knowing that I have you as my partner. I worry twice as much if you're going through something and I am more than annoyed when things happen to you and I'm powerless to stop or do anything about it.

Don't put yourself down because the last thing I need you to think about is feeling you don't deserve me, which is probably the case now. You are the only one in this universe who I love more than life itself, Steve Rogers. I want us to be happy; to be together for eons to come.

THAT is why I elect to take the shorter straw, Steve. I want us to be happy.

I don't say no to the things you want because you deserve that after all the fucked uppery you seem to be coming across while I'm not by your side. You DESERVE the attention.

The more and the better are just conjectures and nothing more. I don't deserve anyone else but you, Steve.

I want you to constantly feel loved. Your embrace and spending time with me is your way to reciprocating the feeling enough.

Like before, Bruce scrolled up, re-reading his work before he tapped on Send.

"Back to work I go," he said to himself.