Steve isn't the best at these things, either matters of the heart or noticing when someone is into him, so while he has an inkling of what this is, he's really not entirely sure enough to call Bucky on it. Instead, he listens and considers everything Bucky is saying and when he answers, it's carefully neutral.

"Things like that happened a lot overseas, too." Maybe they hadn't been quite as segregated away from women, but they'd still been isolated enough that a man who might not normally be receptive to that sort of connection with another man might form one, anyway. He thinks it's just human nature to crave that to some degree, regardless of sexuality or how a person views themselves.

"But, Bucky, just because something is temporary doesn't make it less real." After all, most things are temporary, aren't they? Steve hasn't had much permanence in his life in a long time, but it's important to let himself have what he can.

Besides, whatever's got Bucky looking like that? Steve wants to fix it. So he sits there and watches Bucky scrub.