violent-darts:

Steve pulls one of Hill’s latest donations out of the freezer; Bucky tries to tell him not to bother, given today is one hundred percent a day all food might as well be fucking cardboard for all he actually wants it and it’s kind of a shame to waste the stuff, but Steve ignores him. 

It’s an experiment in saag paneer, and …it might as well be cardboard. He can vaguely tell that it does taste good, but eating is still mechanical and measured and ignoring everything that tells him he doesn’t want this in favour of waiting until he actually feels like he’s eaten enough and then stopping, with a kind of relief. 

On the other hand Steve likes it, and eats the rest of Bucky’s, so maybe it’s not a waste. But he vetoes any suggestion of desert. 

When Steve comes back out of the kitchen, though, it’s holding a small-ish bowl and a spoon, and frowning at them. When Bucky gives him a questioning look, he points at the bowl with the spoon. 

“This is confusing,” he says. 

“What is it?” Bucky asks, as Steve crosses to beside the futon. 

“Chocolate mousse,” Steve says. “With wasabi in it.” 

Bucky blinks at the bowl. “ … why?” he asks, eyeing it. 

“I can’t tell if it’s great or awful,” Steve says, which isn’t an answer. “I’m …confused by this food.” He scoops about half a spoonful out and offers the spoon to Bucky, and Bucky eyes him now. 

“If this is a ploy to get me to eat more,” he says, “not a great plan.” 

“No this is me being confused by food,” Steve says, “and you should try it so you can understand why I’m confused by food.” 

After a second Bucky takes the spoon and tries the mouthful – and then stares at the spoon. And then at Steve, and then at the bowl. 

There’s the burn from the allyl isothiocyanate, but that’s not what’s weird – he’s had chilli chocolate and capsaicin lasts longer. But under the isothiocyanate is …the actual taste. And the chocolate. 

“See?” Steve says. 

“That’s messed up,” Bucky says, “and now I need coffee.” 

“I’m gonna see if eating more makes it make more sense,” Steve says, sitting down as Bucky stands up, still frowning at the bowl.