German Voice, Needles… Red Face, Gunshots... Bucky’s Scream, Falling… Peggy’s Cries, Cold…
With a gasp, Steven Rogers sat up on his bed reaching for his shield. When his hand found nothing but a bedside table he instead turned the light on and held his head in his hands. Once his breathing had slowed to a normal pace he threw off his covers and got out of bed.
After pacing the room for a time, with the echoes of voices of enemies and friends alike in his head, he decided to give up on sleep and leave the room. Grabbing his robe from the bathroom, he headed for the Avengers communal lounge.
Once there he found he was not alone.
“Nat?” he asked his friend who sat on the sofa, warm drink in hand.
The redhead looked up and smiled weakly, showing her real self to her friend.
“Hey Steve, couldn’t sleep?” she asked kindly while patting the empty sofa space next to her.
Steve sat down with a sigh, holding his head once again.
“Nightmares, you?”
Nat smiled kindly, took a sip of her drink then answered.
“Same, the normal faces of the dead, and the begging of the living,” she answered looking off to the distance, sipping from her mug once again.
“You?”
Steve didn’t know much of Natasha’s past other than she was a former Russian assassin, the only one who knew more was Clint.
“War, Bucky, Peggy, Red Skull, the normal,” Steve said wishing it wasn’t normal.
Silently Clint slid onto the sofa on Nat’s other side, unnoticed until he took Natasha’s mug from her hands and drained it in one gulp. Unsurprised Nat put her arm around her best friend who snuggled into her and started dosing, safe in his friend’s arms.
“Loki Nightmares,” she whispered in explanation to Clint's actions. Nat then took the now empty mug from Clint’s hands and waved it at Steve.
“More tea please,” she whispered again and Steve took the mug, smiled and went to refill it.
Heading for the kitchen Steve heard gasping and almost screams coming from the room, creeping slowly in he soon saw Tony on a kitchen stool, asleep over his breakfast bar. There were many empty coffee cups around him and a cold coffee stood under the machine, which Tony must have been waiting for when he fell asleep.
The man’s nightmares were getting worse as he looked to be fighting people off and gasping for air.
Putting the mug down and switching on the kettle, Steve went to wake Tony before he hurt himself.
“No, Stop,” the man gasped as he slowly returned to conciseness. When his breathing relaxed and he slowly opened his eyes, he sleepily asked.
“Rhodey?”
“No it's Steve,” Steve replied and Tony let go of the tight grip he had on Steve’s forearms. The kettle then popped and the two men jumped. Tony rubbed his face while Steve made two cups of tea and one instant coffee.
“Nightmare?” Steve asked putting the black coffee in front of the man.
“No, it’s nothing,” he denied, sipping the boiling coffee with practice and cringing at the cheap instant stuff.
Steve just smiled at him.
“Come one Nat and Clint are in the lounge,” he said pick up the two cups of tea and leading Tony to the common room to find Nat and Clint whispering together.
Tony smiled in greeting at the two assassins and sat on an armchair alone, staring out to the city.
Nat smiled as Steve handed her the tea.
“I would have got you one too but I thought you were asleep,” Steve said to Clint.
He smiled cheekily and replied.
“It’s fine, I’ll share Nat’s,”
The redhead just shook her head at her friend but shared the drink anyway.
It was quiet for a moment as they all drunk their drinks and thought of their nightmares. Then the doors opened again.
“What’s going on?” asked Bruce in a shaking voice. The man looked pale and tired.
“Nightmares that’s all, Bruce,” said Steve with a kind smile, “Sit I’ll get you some tea.”