"Oh." His expression goes a little softer. "Thank you, but... I was never mad about that." He looks back down at his cupcake. "Steve used to be the same way, you know. And a friend of his, Annie. They both were so upset at not being allowed to die. So it ain't like I was unfamiliar with it." And now, he knows how it feels, too. That heavy exhaustion with everything that life has left to offer.

He'd saved all three of their lives, anyway. It worked out in the end, for Steve and Annie, and he has faith it will for Yelena, too. It's just going to take a while to get there. "I ain't going to lie and say it's a wish I can grant, still. I couldn't leave them for dead, either."