he refuses to lace up a response to the digs, a brief shake of the head in snarky acknowledgement. wheels turn into the parking spot at the diner, the shake of the car snubbed into silence as the ignition turns off. keys swing around his middle finger as they enter the diner, settling into a booth in comfortable silence.
steve slaps open menu, more out of habit than interest, and eyes scan over the familiar options while the diner sings its normal song of clanking dishes and mumbled chatter. šš”šš§, š¬š°š¢ššš„š², š¬šØš¦ššš”š¢š§š š¬ššš¦š¬ ššØ š¬š°š¢ššš”. the diner's lights wash out into brightness. for half a second, his breathing locks up. it feels bright, yet heavy. the smell of smoke that never really left, no matter how many times he washed his jacket. the way the air had burned going in and out of his lungs, like heād earned every breath the hard way. a memory he doesn't even recognize, yet is familiar with, flashes over him. the reflection of the diner lights shine against the metal on the tabletop and he stares blankly at the letters on the menu, almost unrecognizable.
and he would have stayed here for a while, as he has been lately, had movement not cut into his vision and brought him back to the moment. steve blinks at the waving hand in front of his face. ā ... yeah, ā voice falls flat, and he clears his throat before meeting max's eyes across the booth. it takes him a moment, but the dullness in his eyes refreshes into something somewhat comforting towards the redhead, not to concern her. although he feels as if he'd just been pulled up from underwater.
the booth creaks as he leans back, exhaling slowly. "just zoning out, sorry. occupational hazard. too many, uhā- bright lights." he taps his fist to his head, mimicking a knocking movement. ( what he can't tell her is that these things happen more often than not these days, the whirring of his brains seeming to stutter in idle moments, showing reflections of things he doesn't remember, doesn't recognize. ) the menu lowers slightly, the expression on his face difficult to read but showing his presence anchored between the two.
he closes the menu, tapping it on the table. "waffles, " he decides. "before my brain decides to go somewhere else again."