"Aether, we're back."
Steve handed the hamburger and hot dog he was holding to the boy on the wooden bench. Behind him, Bennett had already polished off half his breakfast on the way back.
"Mmph, the guy selling these burgers is really generous. He gives you loads of meat." With his mouth stuffed full, Bennett struggled to swallow as he mumbled the words.
"Yeah. If you like them, we can come back for burgers more often." Steve sat down beside Bennett and looked at him with a warm smile.
"Mm-hmm." The boy nodded vigorously, then went back to gnawing on his burger.
"Aether, what are you thinking about?"
Steve noticed that although the boy was chewing, his eyes were fixed blankly ahead. He was clearly distracted, and Steve had seen Aether like this several times already.
Steve worried that he might have developed some psychological issues after the battle.
"Huh?! Sorry, I didn't hear you. What did you say?" Lin Ze snapped out of his daze and apologized.
"Nothing. You've just seemed a little listless these past few days."
Steve smiled, then rested a hand on his shoulder and asked, his eyes full of concern, "Has the training been wearing you out?"
Although Fury had given all the Avengers time off, Steve wasn't the sort to sit idle. He had already slept in the ice for seventy years, and having nothing to do left him deeply uncomfortable.
At his request, S.H.I.E.L.D. occasionally assigned him missions. When he had no assignments, Steve did physical training with the two boys, something Aether and Bennett had also requested.
With his next mission coming up in two days, Steve had unconsciously intensified the boys' training. But judging by Aether's state, perhaps he had pushed too hard.
"No, it's not the training. I'm just a