Monster

Twenty-Four

The house was quiet, and I couldn't sleep. I hoped that if Bucky left, I'd at least hear the door open, but there were no sounds in the hall. It unnerved me to be sitting there in the silence, listening to that ringing in my ears.

I was still awake when the front door opened downstairs. I bolted upright just in case Bucky panicked too. He must have heard it because I doubted he was a heavy sleeper. If he bothered to sleep at all. Steve was moving around downstairs in the house, doing his usual check. Then his footsteps were on the stairs. I listened for any sound of movement from the room across the hall but heard nothing.

When the bedroom door opened, Steve stepped into the room.

"Hey," he said, noticing that I was still awake. He peeled off his jacket and hung it on the back of the chair under the window. "I decided to sleep here for a few hours if that's okay. I have to head out early."

"It's fine. We need to talk, though." He paused and looked back at me. The question was already on his face. I nodded to confirm it. He pulled his shoes off and neatly slid them under the armchair. Then he sat down on the bed by my feet.

"He came back," he stated.

"He's in the other room. As far as I know. I don't think he's managed to sneak out yet. It's hard to say with him, though. He's deadly silent when he wants to be."

"How did you convince him to stay?"

"He showed up at the diner. He was hungry and worried about what happened to my car. Talbot has an agent on me. He figured her out before I did. She's another waitress at the diner. Morgan. No, wait. She said her name was Marion. Anyway, he wasn't comfortable there, so I brought him here. I let him use your things again if that's okay."

"It's fine."

"I told him to at least stay one night. And we talked—about the thing—you said." His eyebrows rose in question, and I nodded again. "And I sort of—told him the truth."

"What do you mean?"

"I told him I worked for SHIELD and this was a setup."

"Why?"

"Because I want him to trust me, Steve. I think he's making progress, and if the only reason he thinks he can't come here is because of some fake relationship, I wanted him to know that wouldn't be an issue. And apparently, he already knew because he mentioned your girl in New York. He just wasn't sure what my feelings were." He sighed and turned away from me.

"I didn't want to get her involved in this."

"Why didn't you say anything about her?"

"It's complicated."

"But you love her."

"I don't know. I can't say that she loves me back. Like I said, it's complicated."

"I don't think you have to worry about her being in danger. He just mentioned that he knew about her." He nodded.

"She can take care of herself."

"So yeah. He already knew. He said he could tell I was a soldier. He knows more than we gave him credit for."

"He was always sharp. Intuitive. They probably exploited that."

"I'm sorry I didn't call you. I wanted to, but he asked me not to."

"So he definitely has a thing for you then?" he asked with a smile. I chewed my lip.

"I think he might. But I told him it wasn't the right time, and he agreed."

"That's good."

"Yeah." I wasn't sure if I really felt that way. Believed it, yes. But agreeing on an emotional level? No.

"I guess that means I don't have to stay over anymore."

"I'd still like you to stay close. He needs you around. He came to me only because I was a link to you."

"I will. I'll talk to him tomorrow." He got up and reached for a pillow. "Mind if I take this to the couch?"

"You don't have to sleep on the couch. It's not like one more night is going to make a difference. Besides, I've gotten kind of used to having you around." He gave a short laugh, and the tension drained from his shoulders. The lie had been putting stress on him too. He might not get much sleep, but at least he could be himself again.

"The couch is fine," he said. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything." Then he disappeared into the hall.