Sane // A Winter Soldier Story

chapter eight // morning

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"You were clearly meant for more than a life lost to the war." -Youth by Glass Animals

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〘Athena〙

The following morning, Athena woke up early, hoping to go to the gym before leaving for work. She always tried to work out at least three times a week just to stay generally fit, but lately she'd gotten behind on her workouts, so today's exercise was the first time she'd done so in almost two weeks. She was excited to focus on something physical rather than mental for once.

Once she'd gathered all her things, she locked her apartment door and left, zig-zagging through Arlington and deciding to stop at a Starbucks real fast. She wasn't really a morning person, and if she didn't wake herself up, her workout probably wasn't going to go very well.

She parked and headed inside. The morning was crisp and foggy, a layer of silence blanketing the city. The only thing that seemed to be bustling and full of energy was the Starbucks store itself. A line was already wrapped around the counter, and Athena inwardly groaned.

She annoyedly situated herself at the back of the line and turned on her phone, scrolling through the pages document she'd made the night before. She'd compiled some decent research on eating disorders and behavioral conditioning specifically pertaining to food. She wasn't sure exactly what course of treatment James would need yet, but if she started studying up, then she could start trying out different methods now and get him help sooner rather than later.

She was rereading what she'd written last night when the door to the cafe opened again. She didn't look up to see who'd just walked in, but as they got closer, a familiar voice said, "Athena?"

Her head snapped up, and she found herself looking into the face of Steve Rogers.

"Steve!" she exclaimed, surprised that they'd run into each other. He looked just as good as ever, outfitted in a blue long-sleeve Under Armour shirt and black sweatpants. He wore an easy smile, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and the bags under them suggested that he hadn't been sleeping of late.

"How are you?" He asked her, and she scooted over so that he could fit beside her in line. He towered over her skinny form.

"I'm good! Little tired, but that's why I'm here," she replied, gesturing to the store. He chuckled and nodded.

"Same here. I'm on my way to the gym."

"Me too! What gym do you go to?" Athena asked him, looking for something to talk about. There was, of course, the underlying topic of Bucky that lay unspoken between them, but she didn't want to send the conversation down a rocky road. Plus, she hadn't had a nice conversation with someone in a while. Maybe some normal human interaction would finally get her mind off of Bucky.

He gave her a sheepish grin. "There's an old boxing place across the Potomac that I like to go to. I have a deal with the owner so that I can go in alone in the mornings. It's an old place, but..." -he shrugged- "...it reminds me of home."

She nodded and smiled at him.

"Sounds like a good fit, then."

He gave her an appreciatory smile. "Yeah, I like it there. Where do you go?"

They moved forward as the line in front of them shortened. Athena made a face.

"I don't want to tell you now. My gym is gonna sound lame compared to yours."

He laughed, and shook his head.

"I won't judge! I'm just curious, that's all," he said. She smiled.