but still the cake was eaten;

Okay but I want to talk about this.

Because that outburst? Surprises even him. Possibly a phenomenal acting choice on Stan’s part—we all know how good he is at the microexpressions—or possibly genuine surprise, maybe a bit of character bleed. Either way, that split second before the gif starts over, when he presses his lips together… that’s surprise. He didn’t mean to say it exactly like that, didn’t mean to have all those emotions out in the open like that.

And Steve? He nods, assesses, and finds a way through. Because Bucky demanded it. Because Bucky all but said “if you go, I go.” And Steve’s willing to risk himself, but he’s never willing to risk Bucky (Hint: Bucky, at least subconsciously, knows this). So he finds a way through.

“Not without you,” Bucky says, and as he hurtles through the sky with snow and ice filling the windshield, Steve agrees.