Even as adrift as he has been these last months in the mire of his own emotions, he can recognize this moment, this question, for what it is. Should he decline, he doesn't doubt that Rogers will blithely soldier on and will lay the choice at his feet again some other day. It isn't a gauntlet but a turning point, and whether he will eventually assent is no longer in question; it's simply a matter of when.

He nods, the burn of curiosity getting the better of him. Being cornered physically is no concern, but he is dimly aware that alone in such a small space, the emotions which echo between them may corner him in less tangible ways.