Hush, Hush

4

1 Month Later

Bucky's P.O.V

"Hey, Lo." I greeted as I took a seat in front of my "friend". My paper plate was piled with steaming mashed potatoes and steak, with a whopping side of green beans. I grinned greedily down at my dinner and my friend raised a dark brow at me, eyeing the large helping on my plate.

"Are you really going to eat all of that?" His smooth voice held a strong British accent.

My cheeks were swollen with food and I mumbled, "Mmmhm." I struggled to swallow before clearing my mouth. "If I'm going to be in this hell-hole for another five months, I might as well enjoy the amazing and absolutely free food. It's a lot better then what they had on campus."

The young man sitting across from me smirked, looking down at his plate, before he stabbed a piece of steak with his fork. The both of us settled into a silence as we got consumed into our thoughts and the bustle occurring all around us was paid no mind.

I was glad the medication I was on allowed me to think of Steve without the consequence of emotion. I knew the rehabilitation center only wanted me to take the pills when I had the urge to get my hands on a drug, but I had been taking them consistently. I couldn't stand the immense heartbreak that put me deep into who I was a year ago, so it was just easier to pop a pill.

"What's your schedule for today, Buchanan?" Loki piped up as he finished the remainder of his plate. He lifted his green gaze to me, waiting for a reply.

I snapped out of my trance and narrowed my eyes at my friend, I hated that Loki decided to adopt my middle name rather than anything else. "I have to check in with my therapist and then I'm going to the gym. Why?" I couldn't dwell too long on the dull anger that reside in my mind, thanks to my medication, and my face relaxed again. I scraped the last of my mashed potatoes onto my fork and took the final bite.

"Would you be up for a match of tennis?" Loki asked, his lips curving into a knowing smirk.

"I play football, you bastard, you really think I'm good at swinging a racket around?" I chuckled, taking my plate, and beginning to rise from my seat. The chair screeched painfully loud and I pursed my lips, before glancing around the cafeteria-like setting. I couldn't tell if it was the medication that was causing me to have enhanced hearing, or if the room had fallen quiet. Loki noticed too, and turned in his seat. We both froze when someone walked in.

The whole room was staring at the person and I looked away, before I muttered, "Shit."

Steve's P.O.V

"Steve, why is Sam on our couch?" Natasha peeked into my room and I looked up from the mass amount of textbooks and papers around me. I took the pencil out of my mouth and smiled, because Natasha just came back from a job interview.

I scooted a few papers out of the way, before I slid off my bed. I moved past Natasha and into the main room, seeing Sam lounging on the couch with his arms wrapped around one of the throw-pillows. He pulled his gaze away from the TV, his eyes resting on me, and he smiled.

"He's my moral support for exams." I shrugged and Natasha just blew a breath out of her nose.

"I don't see how that would work, considering he's the biggest idiot on campus."

Sam sat up and gave Natasha a dirty look. "Hey! I have a 4.0 GPA, thank you very much!" He got to his feet and fixed his shirt, before coming around the couch to stand beside me. Sam slung an arm across my shoulders with ease and remarked, "You can't just be on the football team, Nat. You have to work to keep your place."