2014

Steve cast the bathroom door a concerned glance as he passed it. Bucky had been in the shower for a good thirty minutes, which was unlike him. Steve could still hear running water, but Bucky was normally the person in the apartment who showered fastest.

"Morning." He said as he joined Sam in the kitchen. His friend frowned.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. It's just..." Steve shook his head a little. "Being paranoid. Never mind."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Bucky's been in the shower for a while, that's all."

Sam didn't seem too concerned, so Steve decided to drop the issue. He couldn't help but worry, however. Last night he could have sworn he'd heard Bucky's voice. It hadn't been as loud as some other nights - there were some nights Steve woke to terrified screams, only to find Bucky tangled in his sheets or struggling to find some kind of weapon. There were some nights Steve couldn't leave him alone, and Sam would find the two of them curled up at opposite ends of the couch, sharing a blanket. Although there had been no screams, Steve was almost certain Bucky had had another nightmare.

He sighed and poured himself a cup of coffee. It had been almost two years since the incident at the Triskelon, and a year since he and Sam had found Bucky and brought him to Steve's apartment. At first it had been like a nightmare. Bucky refused to sleep or eat, and whenever he went to try and get some sleep Steve would find him with his back against the far wall with a knife in one hand. Slowly, he'd gotten better. He began eating and talking, even cracking the occasional joke. He showered daily, grateful for the ability to get clean and stay clean - it was a luxury he hadn't ever been provided before. The nightmares even became more infrequent.

But they were still there, lurking in the back of his mind. It was obvious from the way he never woke in a good mood, and always slunk off to bed silently, never looking comfortable when he began to feel tired.

"You going to drink that?"

Bucky's voice right behind him made Steve jump, almost spilling the drink. He turned. "When'd you get out of the shower?"

"A couple of minutes ago." He'd pulled on a gray Henley and dark jeans, and had slicked his hair back. "You alright?"

"Fine. You?"

Bucky shrugged, and for a moment the kitchen fell into awkward silence. Sam looked between the two of them, spooning cornflakes into his mouth as he waited for one of them to break the quiet. Finally, Bucky reached past Steve to grab the coffee pot and pour himself a cup. Steve continued to watch him.

"Did you have a nightmare last night?"

"Steve, come on -" Bucky started to protest, but the taller blond cut him off.

"No, Buck. Did you have one?"

"For fucks sake." Bucky slammed his mug down on the side with more force than he needed. Hot coffee sloshed out of the sides, spilling over his left metal hand. Hissing, he jerked it away, and reached for a cloth to wipe it up. "Do we need to have this talk?"

"Are you still having nightmares?" Steve saw his friend scowl. "Then yes, we do."

"I'm having nightmares, Steve." He threw the cloth into the sink, where it landed with an unpleasant smack. "People get nightmares."

"Not like you do." Steve said earnestly. "Buck -"

"I'm fine, Steve." Bucky pushed past his friend and out of the kitchen, leaving the other two men in silence again, the last traces of his spilt coffee dripping from the counter to the white tiles.




"Afternoon, Charlie."

"Hey Felipe. How's Gina?"

"She's good, thanks. Four months along now."

The two began to peel off their coats and hang them up. Felipe grinned across to Charlie. "I'm taking a week off on Friday. We're going back to L.A to see my folks."

"That's good. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Felipe nodded as the two left the staff room and made their way to the lab. "It'll be a relief, after all these night shifts."

"You've got that right." The two entered the lab, and Felipe dropped into his seat at his station. "Oh, by the way, did you get those reports? I should have sent them over."

"I'll check." Charlie dropped into her own seat and started up her computer, settling back and looking out across the other stations. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Barney, who was grinning at her over his monitor. Carol was on the other side of him, already tapping away on her computer. Felipe was organising his desk, and probably choosing where to put his baby scan. A message popped up on her monitor. His IM nickname was the same as the one he'd put into her phone when she'd started working at IG Corp and gotten her colleagues numbers.

Ready for a night shift? ;) - Dinosaur

She smiled and rolled her eyes, responding quickly before checking for Felipe's reports. Nope. You? - Charles

Always. - Dinosaur

Well, that makes one of us. Charlie paused, and decided to use the IM for its intended purpose, now that she had Barney's attention. Do you have those reports? I've got Carol's, and Felipe just sent me his. - Charles

Not yet. What are you doing on Thursday morning? - Dinosaur

Getting out of work and having a shower and sleeping. Why? And I need those reports ASAP, Barn - Charles

Sure. How about grabbing breakfast? - Dinosaur

Is this a Psycho-researcher's way of asking me out on a date? ;) - Charles

Why not? I like your dress by the way. - Dinosaur

You can't have it. Get me those reports and I'll go to breakfast with you - Charles

She heard him laugh gently at his station and returned to her work, smiling as she closed the IM popup box before standing up to get to the coffee machine.

It was going to be a long night.

Notes