With the way Dave is carrying him, he wouldn't be surprised if the boy can feel how his bird heart trying to beat out of his chest or how his breathing is a panicked as much as he's trying not to let it show. He's already feeling the fear in him rising steadily to choke the air from him, but he just keeps focusing on breathing, on not knocking the boy over because of the damage it could do both of them.

"Just-" he takes a breath, but his voice shakes, the panic still clear in it. He hears what Dave is saying, but he can't just keep quiet, he needs- he needs a lot of things right now. "Just put me down! I can get by on my own-" the words cut off in a yelp of his own when he feels his sense of gravity change as the boy nearly trips, making Steve fist his hands in Dave's outfit as if that'd help keep him from colliding with the ground.

His chest heaves as adrenaline rushes through him again, making him curse quietly and tremble as he focuses again on his breathing. "Not going to-" he shakes his head, "if you break me, I don't think there's enough money in the world to pay off Bu-" the name catches in his throat, because he can't bring himself to think about Bucky right now.

"Just-... put me down then you won't drop me, I can walk on my own," maybe, probably not.