Once he gets over his surprise, Steve considers his answer carefully. Living on the down-low isn't exactly his favorite way to be. He likes being honest and open, but he'd learned the hard way that that can put a man's life in danger if he isn't careful with it. He's been lucky enough to have periods in his life to have the freedom to be relatively safe in his honesty, but he's also been in situations where being out could cost him his life.

Prison likely being one of those.

Keep your mouth shut and lie. It's a mantra that he hates and it tears at him, because Steve hates being a liar. He hates hiding something like this, because it is important and it does inform at least some of who he is and who he's become.

But the thing is that until Bucky had gone all cold on him, he'd thought Bucky really had been the kind of man Steve would want to be around voluntarily.

The sort of man Steve would want to be honest with.

He takes too long to answer, of course, eyes never leaving Bucky's face. The silence probably says as much before he even gets around to admitting it.

"Yes." He resists the urge to tack on some plea for secrecy. Either Bucky cares enough to know that it should remain between them or he doesn't care enough to keep Steve's secrets, anyway.